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Are your Starbucks drinks tasting a little different to you? There’s most likely a reason why…
Leave it to TikTok to reveal all the dirty deets happening behind closed doors of different companies.
With almost two million views, TikToker @torivile posted a viral video showing us the behind the scenes of what is happening at Starbucks these days.
Now, as someone who has previously worked at Starbucks, I can confirm that there are times that a barista has to make a run to a store to grab something that their store is out of to hold them over until the next shipment comes in.
Usually this happens with milk, but it can occasionally occur with other products as well.
BUT…I have NEVER seen such a shortage like this.
Starbucks’ all over the country are having to resort to buying grocery store lemonade, apple juice, milk, syrups, and many more items that are going to taste different than the typical Starbucks products.
Now, the reactions are a bit two-sided. Some could be upset because it’s going to taste a little different and the quality may be a bit off. But at the same time, if Starbucks didn’t use this as a solution, they would instead have to close down.
I do, however, think that Starbucks should make their customers aware that this is going on, because as @torivile stated, “we ain’t even Starbucks no more”.
So what are your thoughts on this? Happy Starbucks is doing whatever it takes to stay open? Upset they aren’t letting us know what’s actually happening to the quality change of drinks? Worried that this video is going to get the girl fired? Let us know below!


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Last week was crossover week in the N.C. General Assembly, the week in which legislation must be passed in either the House or Senate to remain alive. There's still plenty of mischievous legislation with legs out there, but a lot of ridiculous if not outright mystifying measures are essentially dead - at least for now.
Take, for example, a bill would forbid local governments and community colleges from enacting outdoor smoking bans more restrictive than those in state law.
Thing is, there is no state law restricting outdoor smoking.
Thirty-five of the state's 58 community colleges ban smoking on campus, according to the North Carolina Alliance for Health. The group also found 249 local ordinances that would have been affected by the bill.
Austin Allran, a Republican from Hickory, says campus smoking bans enjoy wide support. "If they're happy with the way it is, what's the point of us changing it?" he said.
Why indeed? There has been no hue and cry for the repeal of the smoking restrictions, so it's hard to imagine on whose behalf that legislation was written.
But it wasn't the only such piece of legislation. Also off the dustbin were bills that would have:
? Established a state religion;
? Repealed the ban on lawmakers getting gifts from lobbyists;
? The so-called "nipple bill'';
? A bill that would have required couples wanting a divorce to wait two years instead of the current mandate of one year;
? A repeal of the state's motorcycle helmet laws;
? A bill that would have required people taking ownership of a variety of dogs, including Rottweilers and pit bulls, to submit to a criminal background check, in addition to other mandates.
Note that some of these bills could be resurrected, as there are a number of tricks to revive a "dead'' bill. A bill could be inserted into the budget, put in the technical corrections bill that passes at session's end, or a fee could be attached to a bill. (Bills with financial aspects don't have to meet deadline). And finally, there's a move called "stripping,'' where language in a bill that has survived crossover is removed and different language is inserted.
So a lot of bills are technically dead. But a lot of bills passed last week - 55 in the Senate and more than 130 in the House.
Some of those are doozies as well. A Senate measure which passed unanimously would effectively ban sales of electric Tesla cars in North Carolina. Tesla uses a direct-to-consumer business model, which drew the ire of dealers in the state. Tesla sold all of about 80 cars in North Carolina last year, so it's not clear what a threat the company represents. The conservative John Locke Foundation's "Locker Room'' report asked, correctly, "Is it any business of the state of North Carolina to prevent her citizens from buying a car, such as the Tesla Model S electric car, directly from the manufacturer online or over the phone?''
Another bill that drew national attention was a measure to ban Sharia Law in North Carolina, or technically to prohibit the application of foreign laws in North Carolina. Generally speaking this measure seems about as useful as a ban on unicorn hunting, but there is, according to the Raleigh News & Observers "Under the Dome'' political blog, one instance where Sharia law was invoked by a North Carolina company. Blackwater, the private military contractor that gained notoriety during the opening years of the Iraq conflict, "wanted to use Sharia to escape responsibility for a botched flight that killed three soldiers and the flight crew. Under Sharia law, employers are not liable for harm done by their employees.''
Federal judges stayed with U.S. law.
Given the volume of legislation dealt with during crossover, it may be weeks before we fully know what exactly happened. What we do know is that now the legislature turns its attention to the budget process, and to tax reform plans.
And to a whole new opportunity for an entirely different brand of mischief.

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EOS Marks Anniversary With Social Network Reveal
EOS turns one.
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Today marks the first anniversary EOS blockchain and Block.one is celebrating in style. The creator of the fifth-largest cryptocurrency network has announced a new social media application called “Voice” that will run on updated EOS software: EOSIO2.
The goal, according to Block.one CEO Brendan Blumer, is to create a platform that rewards users, rather than the other way around.
Looking Back On EOS
The new social network will wrap up a full year of EOS growth. The EOS mainnet launch was originally scheduled for June 2nd, 2018, but was delayed for about a week until all of the block producers were synced.
But the smart contract network has grown steadily, despite the first few delays. According to Blocktivity, EOS has more transactions per day than any other blockchain.
Dan Larimer, Chief Technology Officer of Block.one, noted in his keynote address that 48% of the daily active users on blockchains use EOS. The blockchain also has a growing and thriving dApp ecosystem, and according to DappRadar, 5 of the 8 most popular blockchain dApps are currently on EOS.
EOS’ market performance is less exciting. The coin is down 50% versus bitcoin since its mainnet launch, but is up nearly 30% so far in 2019.
Coin network participation has also increased substantially over the year. When the blockchain was launched, only 10% of tokens were staked on the network. At the time of writing, nearly 50% of tokens are staked,, and over 30% of token holders are actively voting for block producers.
The community has also developed other salient features to the blockchain, including an official resource exchange marketplace, more user friendly wallets, and a token leasing service called Chintai, all of which have contributed to a more developed ecosystem.
In terms of trading, EOS also secured the Holy Grail of exchanges earlier this week: Coinbase. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, since the market’s fifth largest currency is listed on most big exchanges, and is one of the most popular assets to trade on BitMEX.
Today the company has now made what they’ve deemed as the biggest announcement since their mainnet, and we correctly predicted the launch of a social media platform on EOS last week.
The announcement of Voice is not much of a surprise. Dan Larimer, Block.one’s Chief Technology Officer, was previously involved in SteemIt – another social network on a blockchain. Voice will have significant competition in the space with Kik Interactive running a social network that uses KIN coin, and Facebook preparing to launch their own stablecoin.
The event also included an announcement that Coinbase will support an education program called “EOS Earn,” where users will be rewarded with EOS for learning about the cryptocurrency. Coinbase has already launched similar education projects for other cryptocurrencies.
It was also revealed that EOSIO2 will include EOS VM and support WebAuthn. According to Larimer, the single biggest bottle neck on blockchains is the speed of which you can execute smart contracts, and EOS VM will be able to launch WebAssembly twelve times faster than it could one year ago.


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Baring Private Equity Partners India (Baring PE India) has hiked its stake in Vardhman Textiles Ltd (VTL), by acquiring an additional 1.1 per cent stake for Rs 25.1 crore ($4.1 million) through open market transaction on Tuesday.
It bought 0.76 million shares at a price of Rs 327.92 each on the NSE, taking its holding in the textile firm to 3.15 per cent.
Baring PE India has been slowly building its stake in the company for the last year or so and with the latest investment it is estimated to put in a total of over Rs 56 crore to buy shares of VTL.
VTL, a part of the Vardhman Group and one of the top integrated textile companies in the country, has presence in the Indian textile sector through manufacturing of fibre, yarn, sewing thread and fabrics and is one of the top yarn firms by capacity.
Formerly known as Mahavir Spinning Mills, it generates 60 per cent of its total income from yarn products; within the yarn products, the focus is on non-commoditised products. It generates 23 per cent from fabrics, 8 per cent from fibre and 9 per cent from sewing threads. Over one-third of its revenues come from exports.
VTL and its subsidiaries have 20 manufacturing facilities across India and employ close to 25,000 people.
For FY13, the company posted revenues of Rs 5,021 crore with an EBITDA of Rs 1,024 crore and PAT of Rs 356 crore.
It also has subsidiary companies like Vardhman Yarns & Threads Ltd (VYTL), Vardhman Acrylics Ltd (VAL), VMT Spinning Co Ltd (VMT), VSS Ltd and VNG Co Ltd. Of these, VAL and VSS are also listed firms.
Shares of VTL were trading at Rs 341 per share, up 3.51 per cent in a strong Mumbai market on Wednesday.
Baring PE India has previously also built a small stake in Vardhman Holdings, a separately listed holding firm of the SP Oswal-led Vardhman Group, which owns around a quarter of VTL.
(Edited by Joby Puthuparampil Johnson)


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Importers must now obtain licences from the Indian regulator before exporting food to the country, as part of new rules notified this month.
Pork sold across Vietnam’s wet markets regularly carries food poisoning bacteria, such as Salmonella, according to researchers.
A week after the first cases of H5N1 avian flu were found in northern Malaysia, the outbreak has spread to more districts, though at the time of writing no human...
Customers can now watch how dishes are prepared and cooked in the kitchens of thousands of restaurants in Shanghai, as a citywide programme to install a surveillance system continues to...
India’s food regulator has extended the deadline for companies to comply to its notification on the maximum limit of trans fatty acids.
A five-year audit has uncovered severe flaws in India’s food safety apparatus, with the government’s chief auditor accusing officials of botching investigations and employing too few enforcers.
The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) has moved to reassure consumers that the nation’s poultry and poultry products are safe for consumption following an outbreak of H5N1 avian...
Nutritionists have once again been calling for food authorities to introduce a labelling system to denote junk food, similar to the green spot that is mandatory for vegetarian foods.
Children whose parents give them alcohol have double the risk of drinking in the longer term, though they are less likely to binge drink.
Mark Booth has been named as the new chief executive of the antipodean food regulator, after six years as a senior civil servant in the health ministry.
About a third of young people in youth detention in Western Australia have alcohol-related brain damage, according to the country’s first study to assess young criminals for the condition.
China’s food regulator has acknowledged that it still faces severe challenges in maintaining food safety, even though it has seen improvements in recent years.
Wild mushrooms should not be picked or eaten due to the health risks they pose, according to the Food Safety Information Council.
Controversial nanoparticles that are widely considered a pollutant are now being studied for their range of agricultural uses.
An independent review set up by the Australian meat industry will analyse the feasibility of rolling out carcase measurement technology nationwide.
Food safety officials and industry staff in China’s commercial capital will start being tested on new food safety laws, according to officials from the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration.
Official data has shown that one fifth of all packed food items sold in the southern state of Kerala are either adulterated or misbranded.
An outbreak of avian influenza (AI) in China that has already claimed the lives of more than 100 people is likely to hurt the pockets of farmers, according to analysts.
Beijing was a hive of activity last week as regulators revised standards on an extensive range of food lines, and released draft regulations on online food services for public comment.
PwC has established a specialist food and agribusiness advisory team and food safety assurance offering in Australia.
No errors, no mood swings, no sick leave, and she can process three sets of microbiological tests in 14 minutes. Meet Ms Ugene, Singapore’s first two-armed robot microbiologist helping Traditional...
Dairy and pig trials to support the development of EU equivalent regulations on feed additives to detoxify mycotoxins are about to get underway in China.
GS1 has partnered with Food Industry Asia (FIA) to help members manage food safety and traceability in their supply chains.
The Australian treasury could save billions of dollars each year if fruits and vegetables were subsidised and a package of taxes on sugar, salt and saturated fact were introduced.
It appears that food companies have been taking positively to Delhi’s new focus on food fortification.


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As Tax Filing Deadline Approaches, Americans Anticipate Refunds Amidst Early Filings
As the tax filing deadline of April 15 looms closer, Americans are preparing to receive and allocate their tax refunds. According to a report by WWD, over half of Americans are filing their taxes earlier this year, eager to expedite the refund process. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has already disbursed a staggering $135 billion in tax refunds, with an average refund of just over $3,000.
Despite the trend of early filers, data from Trustpilot reveals a concerning statistic: 53 percent of Americans aged 18-24 have yet to file their taxes. Among them, one in ten respondents express apprehension about their ability to afford owed taxes. For this demographic, the prospect of a meager tax return poses significant financial challenges, with potential repercussions on bill payments, household necessities, and loan obligations.
A survey conducted by Qualtrics sheds light on the diverse financial behaviors surrounding tax refunds. Astonishingly, a quarter of American taxpayers view their refunds as "free money," earmarked for discretionary spending rather than financial prudence. Clothing, electronics, and leisure activities rank high on the list of indulgences funded by tax refunds.
Notably, younger demographics exhibit a penchant for splurging, with 39 percent of Gen Z and Millennials admitting to such plans. This tendency, according to the report, is linked to the perception of tax refunds as windfalls rather than financial assets. Among taxpaying filers who received refunds, a substantial portion has already spent some or all of it, contributing to the cycle of consumerism.
However, amidst the allure of discretionary spending, a significant portion of taxpayers prioritize financial responsibility. Forty-one percent of refund recipients allocate their funds to savings, while 27 percent opt to pay down debts, reflecting a commitment to long-term financial stability.
Moreover, the rising cost of living emerges as a central theme in taxpayers' reliance on refunds. With 56 percent attributing their dependence on tax refunds to the escalating expenses of everyday life, it is evident that refunds serve as a crucial lifeline for many households.
"Refunds are often the largest windfall for Americans and many rely on this annual infusion of cash to make ends meet, pay off debt, or kick off savings for the year ahead," says Courtney Alev, consumer financial advocate and Head of Tax at Intuit Credit Karma.
"Americans’ dependency on refunds may be heightened this year as many grapple with the increased cost of living, which has led many Americans to live paycheck to paycheck. Whether you’re expecting a refund this year or you think you might owe money, my number one tip is to make a plan," Alev suggests.
"There are tons of online tools you can use to estimate your refund, which will give you an idea of how much you might receive, or how much you might owe. From there, you can make a plan for how you’re going to use that money or how you’re going to pay for your tax bill," she adds.
While the temptation to indulge in discretionary spending may be strong, prudent financial management dictates a balanced approach. By allocating refunds towards savings, debt reduction, or essential expenses, individuals can fortify their financial resilience and pave the way for long-term prosperity.


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Diet soda may prompt food cravings, especially in women and people with obesity
The "diet" in diet drinks may be a false promise for some soda lovers. True, they deliver the fizz and taste of a soda experience, without the calories. Yet, new research shows they also can leave people with increased food cravings.
A study published recently in JAMA Network Open adds to the evidence that drinks made with sucralose may stimulate the appetite, at least among some people, and the study gives some clues as to why.
"We found that females and people with obesity had greater brain reward activity" after consuming the artificial sweetener, says study author Katie Page, a physician specializing in obesity at the University of Southern California.
Both groups also had a reduction in the hormone that inhibits appetite, and they ate more food after they consumed drinks with sucralose, compared with after regular sugar-sweetened drinks. In contrast, the study found males and people of healthy weight did not have an increase in either brain reward activity or hunger response, suggesting they're not affected in the same way.
"I think what was most surprising was the impact of body weight and biological sex," Page says. "They were very important factors in the way that the brain responded to the artificial sweetener."
The study notes that most earlier research focused on males and people of normal weight. But this finding suggests that diet drinks sweetened with sucralose could be disadvantageous to the people who could benefit most from an effective diet strategy.
"It is precisely people with obesity who disproportionately suffer from a strong drive to eat high-calorie foods," says Laura Schmidt, a professor of health policy at the University of California, San Francisco.
Page and her team measured the response to diet soda in three ways. They used functional MRI brain images of the 74 study participants to document the activation of parts of the brain linked to appetite and cravings. They used blood samples to measure blood sugar and metabolic hormones that can drive hunger. And they also tracked how much participants ate at a buffet table that was open at the end of each study session.
Determining whether diet soda helps or hinders dieters' efforts to lose weight has been tough. Some studies have shown benefits, but long-term research has found that diet soda consumption is linked to increased weight gain.
"This study offers some clues as to why," Schmidt wrote in an email to NPR. "Artificial sweeteners could be priming the brains of people with obesity to crave high-calorie foods."
There's ongoing research into the complex ways that artificial sweeteners may influence metabolism and weight, says Susan Swithers, a behavioral scientist at Purdue University who was not involved in the new study but reviewed the findings.
"These results are consistent with patterns that we've actually seen in my lab in [animal] studies," Swithers says.
One hypothesis is that it's not the artificial sweetener itself that has a direct effect on the body. The idea is that artificial sweeteners may confuse the body by tricking it into thinking sugar is coming.
"You are supposed to get sugar after something tastes sweet. Your body has been conditioned to that," explains Swithers. But diet soda may lead to a disconnect. The sugar never arrives, and this may blunt the body's anticipatory responses and throw off the ability to efficiently metabolize sugar that's consumed later.
This could mean that "when you get the sweet taste without the sugar, that changes how you respond to sugar the next time, because you don't know whether it's coming or not," Swithers says.
For instance, Swithers' lab has documented that when animals with a history of consuming artificial sweeteners get real sugar, their blood sugar levels rise higher than those of animals not fed artificial sweeteners. "It's a small effect, but over time this could contribute to potentially significant consequences," she says.
If this is happening in some people who consume diet soda, it could add to the risk of Type 2 diabetes, because when blood sugar rises, the body has to release more insulin to absorb the sugar. "So what you're doing is you are kind of pushing the system harder," Swithers says.
Given the new research, should diet-soda drinkers who are trying to reach a healthy weight give up on artificially sweetened drinks?
"People with obesity might want to completely avoid diet sodas for a couple of weeks to see if this helps to reduce cravings for high-calorie foods," Schmidt suggests.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Face the Coronavirus Pandemic With Country Stars’ Branded Face Masks
Summertime is much slower than usual for the music industry this year. While most artists are used to spending the warmer months out on the road, playing shows for fans, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has largely halted those plans for the year.
What's open and what's temporarily closed and banned varies throughout the United States, but because the coronavirus spreads mainly via respiratory droplets produced by talking, coughing or sneezing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends wearing a face mask or other cloth face covering in public settings, especially when other social distancing measures (such as remaining six feet apart) are hard to maintain.
Face masks are available through a number of manufacturers and some clothing makers, in a variety of styles and colors. If you need to cover your face, though, why not show off your country music fandom?
A number of artists have begun selling branded face masks; some are donating the proceeds to charities that are helping out during the pandemic. Other artists have bandanas for sale in their online merch stores, and those can easily be fashioned into a mask.
The coronavirus was declared a global pandemic in mid-March. As of June 7, more than 6.7 million people have been infected and 397,388 people have died globally. In the United States alone, more than 1.8 million people have been infected and 109,038 people have died due to COVID-19.
Face the Coronavirus Pandemic With These Country Artists' Face Masks:


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Mahindra Scorpio 1.99L with Intelli-Hybrid technology launched at Rs 9.35 lakh
Mahindra mild hybrid technology is now being offered on all trims of the Scorpio 1.99-litre mHawk
It’s been only two months since Mahindra and Mahindra launched the Scorpio 2.2-litre mHawk with Intelli-Hybrid technology. Now the carmaker has introduced its Intelli-Hybrid technology on the Scorpio 1.99-litre mHawk version as well. The Mahindra Scorpio 1.99-litre with Intelli-Hybrid technology is priced at Rs 9.35 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the S4 model.
The Scorpio 1.99-litre mHawk is available in the S4,...
‘Crime Patrol’ host Anup Soni becomes certified crime scene investigator and Twitter can't keep calm
Informing fans about the big moment in his life, Soni took to Instagram and posted a note saying that he decided to register himself for the course during the coronavirus lockdown.
Many Twitter agreed with the automobile enthusiast’s opinion on thoughtless spending while others expressed themselves saying that the car is not made of gold but is wrapped in gold vinyl
Before he could share the old photo on his social media handle, the 66-year-old businessman came across a clip of his childhood classmate singing a Malayalam song


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Bisphenol A, a chemical used in can linings and plastic bottles, is pretty nasty stuff. Last year, the Food and Drug Administration banished it from baby bottles (at the behest of the chemical industry itself, after baby bottle producers had already phased it out under consumer pressure). BPA, as it’s known, is an endocrine-disrupting chemical, meaning that it likely causes hormonal damage at extremely low levels. The packaging industry uses it to make plastics more flexible and to delay spoilage in canned foods.
You might think that such a substance would lose popularity as evidence of its likely harms piles up and up. Instead, however, the global market for it will boom over the next six years, according to a proprietary, paywall-protected report from the consultancy Transparency Market Research. The group expects global BPA sales to reach $18.8 billion by 2019, from $13.1 billion in 2012—about a 44 percent jump.
TMR researchers declined to be interviewed by me and wouldn’t give me access to a full copy of their report. But they did send me a heavily redacted sample. One of the few trends I could glean from it is that the “steady growth” in global BPA consumption is driven by “increasing demand in the Asia-Pacific region.” (According to this 2012 paper by Hong Kong researchers, Chinese BPA production and consumption have both “grown rapidly” in recent years, meaning “much more BPA contamination” for the nation’s environment and citizens.) As for the United States, the report says that North America is the globe’s “third largest regional market for BPA,” behind Asia and Europe. North American BPA consumption is growing, but a “at a very slow rate,” the report states. As a result, our share of the global BPA is expected to experience a “slight decline” by 2019. Not exactly comforting.
The sample that Transparency Market Research sent me blacked out its analysis of which companies have what share of the global BPA market. This 2012 US Department of Agriculture report claims that just two companies, German chemical giant Bayer and its US rival Dow, “produce the bulk of BPA in the world.” Another major producer is Saudi Basic Industries Corp., or SABIC, a company 70 percent owned by the Saudi government. This charming corporate crew looks set to cash in on handsomely on the ongoing BPA boom.


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- Telecommunications Giant Vodafone Leaves the Libra Association
- Group of Central Banks Assesses Developing Central Bank Digital Currencies
- South Korea Might Impose 20 Percent Tax on Cryptocurrency Profits
- Report: Terrorists Increasingly Use Crypto to Raise Funds Anonymously
- Canadian Securities Administrators Subject Crypto Exchanges to Securities Laws
Nvidia, a technology company which designs graphics processing units for games, has been under fire for allegedly having deceived its investors regarding cryptocurrency mining. The company has recently responded by claiming that the case filed against them by the company’s investors is baseless and has asked the US judge handling the case to dismiss the case.
Nvidia has detailed their side of the story, stating that the case against them is based on incorrect information by analysts over the company’s revenue and that the company is not affiliated with the analysts who have misled investors; hence, the company should not be held accountable.
The case against the company was filed on December of 2018 when the company’s investors were concerned after a steep decline in Nvidia’s share alleging that the company had deceived them about the crypto mining market, upon which the company relies. Nvidia has now been fighting against these allegations and stating that investors were misinformed by analysts who were using an faulty model that estimated static demand in gaming chips that are also employed by crytocurrency miners.
Nvidia’s business mainly focuses on the gaming sector but has opened a new demographic in recent years of cryptocurrency miners due to its increasing demand for GPUs. With the rise of crypto mining, especially Bitcoin mining, the company has decided to focus more on development of its hardware, which was launched over two years ago. However, the sales of crypto mining equipment was added to general business unit only, instead of to the gaming unit.
Crypto Mining Profits Were Not Linked to the Gaming Unit
Nvidia continued amassing profits from the gaming unit since many crypto miners were using GeForce gaming unit. Investors are accusing Nvidia of misleading them into thinking that digital currency mining gains were separate from high gaming revenues. They claim that they had been misinformed until August of last year when they realized that the gains from the gaming unit and gains from crypto unit were linked and that low demand for crypto miners obviously impacts gaming revenues.
The company’s investors are now suing Nvidia for misleading them into making wrong investment decision based on false information, which turned out to be financially damaging for them.
Nvidia is fighting against the allegations, stating that they are not responsible for the decisions that investors have made especially as they have picked up the information themselves. The company further asserts that they have been open and transparent with the data and since the investors cherry-picked information, the company should not be blamed. Nvidia concluded by saying that there is no evidence that the company’s actions were the cause of their financial losses.


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CES isn't all about new devices. It's about programming too, and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has an event of its own to announce plans for the year. Those plans include a subscription-based network that will provide grappling coverage 24/7 in the US. WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon made the announcement here in Vegas with a smattering of wrestlers (like Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin) lending a hand. The $10-per-month price tag will include 720p streaming all 12 of WWE's live pay-per-view events -- including the popular WrestleMania. In addition to the live content, you'll also be able to access past pay-per-view events from WWE, WCW and ECW cards on-demand at your leisure. Yes, that means you can rewatch your favorite Royal Rumble whenever you like.
The network's original series WrestleMania Rewind will allow subscribers to relive classic bouts with commentary from the wrestlers themselves. There will also be a one-hour Countdown series that will rank the top finish moves, submissions and more. If you lived through the rivalry between WWE and WCW like this editor did, Monday Night War runs down the battle for beginning-of-the-week supremacy. In terms of access, the WWE Network will be available on the desktop with iOS, Kindle and Android apps for mobile devices. The content can also be streamed to PlayStation consoles, Xbox 360 and Roku set-top boxes at launch, with support for Xbox One and smart TVs being added sometime this summer. A second screen icon will pop up when the program you're viewing offers that functionality on a mobile device for accessing that complimentary content. While the launch is slated just for the States for now, the company has plans to extend the offering beyond by the end of the year.
The WWE is set to go live after Monday Night Raw at 11:05 p.m. on February 24th and WrestleMania 30 will be the first pay-per-view event to be streamed on the service. If you're looking to take it for a spin, you can nab a limited-time one-week free trial when the switch is flipped next month.


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One source claims the 18-year-old was actually bullied for being there -- apparently not everyone thought she earned the right to walk the shows!
The insider spilled:
Say that 3 times fast!
Twilight's Nikki Reed and Disney starlet Brenda Song joined Glee stars Mark Salling and Chord Overstreet and on Friday at the Staples Center to celebrate Superdry USA's new store by watching the Lakers beat the Trail Blazers at HYDE.
Superdry's second El Lay-based store can be found at Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade, which opened its doors the day before with another star-studded bash.
Sounds like it was a super time.
[Images courtesy of StarTraksPhoto.com.]


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Supporters of the Duchess of Sussex have been urged not to buy sold-out items from her new fashion collection on eBay as a second wave of stock is imminent which will directly benefit the unemployed women the project was designed to help.
The back-to-work line, comprising five key pieces, was released on Thursday and was almost immediately put up for sale on the auction site at vastly inflated prices.
But the majority of the Smart Set collection remains available in most sizes via official partners including Marks and Spencer and Jigsaw, while the John Lewis leather tote bag, which quickly sold out online, will be restocked within days, the retailer said.
For every item from the collection purchased, one will be donated by the stores to the Smart Works charity, which in turn will give it to a woman struggling to get back into the workplace.
A John Lewis spokesperson said they were “delighted” with the success of the bag and that its focus was on the community-building aspect of the project.
They added: “For those customers who are interested in buying a bag and consequently having another one donated to Smart Works, we urge them to go into one of our shops where they can purchase a Smart Set bag today.
“If that isn't possible, more stock will be on our website next week. Sales of the tote bag anywhere else do not lead to a charity donation.”
The launch of the collection marked the Duchess’s return to royal duties some four months after the birth of her son, Archie.
She said the idea came to her after a visit to Smart Works, for which she is patron, when she realised that its donations were not necessarily the things women needed, such as a proliferation of lilac-coloured blazers.
The Duchess then personally approached the three “quintessentially British brands” to ask if they would create a capsule collection of workwear to be sold individually in the name of Smart Works while her designer friend Misha Nonoo contributed a crisp, white cotton shirt.
Miss Nonoo said on Friday that her friend “genuinely seeks to help people” and “really wants to make people’s lives better.”
She said the recent slew of criticism over various decisions made by Duke and Duchess of Sussex, such as their use of private jets whilst also urging people to reduce carbon emissions, was unfair.
"I think it's unjust, and I think that people should really focus on the good work they do,'' she told the Today show on US network NBC.
“A good example of that is this is her first official engagement after having had her baby (and) it's all about empowering women, all about what she has essentially always sought to do."
Miss Nonoo said the Duchess would be involved in several events focused on empowering women on the family’s official visit to South Africa next month.
The Smart Set collection is expected to be available for two weeks, providing enough stock for Smart Works to provide staple pieces to clients for a year.
The black and brown leather tote bags are being sold by John Lewis for £109 but are already being sold on eBay for up to £345.
The £19.50 Marks & Spencer dress, which has not sold out, is on sale online for up to £150, while the Jigsaw trousers, which are being sold at £120, are being hawked for £400.
Meanwhile, Smart Works revealed that the first clients to benefit from the project had been delighted to be given items from the collection after an initial “drop” was distributed to its centres across the UK.
One woman, identified only as Kate, said: “My outfit made me feel like a boss – powerful and strong. It just made me feel amazing, reminding me of how far I have come and the future I have in front of me.”


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White House details plans to address meatpacking profiteering
A cattle industry group says it’s historic to see consolidation and competition in the meatpacking industry elevated to the White House.
Lia Biondo with the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association tells Brownfield last week’s press briefing and report on consolidation in the meatpacking industry outlines how the Big Four meatpackers are generating record profits during the pandemic, at the expense of consumers, farmers, and ranchers.
“We’ve been talking these talking points for over 20 years now and we have never heard something like this coming out of the White House,” she says.
During the press briefing, Director of the National Economic Council Brian Deese said beef and pork prices have doubled in the past few months and are largely behind recent price increases at grocery stores.
“Anywhere from 55 to 85 percent of the market is controlled by the top four producers in those industries and when you see that level of consolidation and the increase in prices, it raises a concern about pandemic profiteering,” he says.
Ag Secretary Vilsack outlined steps the administration is taking to make sure producers get fair returns and consumers get fair prices.
“The reality is that today farmers are losing money on cattle, on hogs, and poultry that they’re selling at a time when consumers are seeing higher prices at the grocery store,” he says.
Vilsack says the current regulatory system needs to be strengthened, there needs to be transparent price discovery for producers and labeling for consumers, processing expanded, and there needs to be more resiliency in the food system.


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Apple (AAPL -0.60%) is planning its next big product launch event for March, reports Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac. The star of the show will be the Apple Watch 2, which is scheduled to go on sale in April 2016, according to Gurman's sources.
Apple stock has been floundering since this summer, mainly because of worries about slowing iPhone growth. Depending on what other products Apple announces, a March product launch event could go a long way toward getting the stock back on track.
Lots of potential products
Apple first introduced the Apple Watch in September 2014, but it gave a more detailed look at the Watch in March. That lends credibility to the report that it intends to launch the second-generation Apple Watch in March 2016.
Well-connected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has been reporting lately that Apple will launch a new 4-inch phone in the first half of 2016. This device -- tentatively labeled the iPhone 6c by pundits -- would essentially be an iPhone 5s with upgraded hardware. Kuo's good track record of Apple product predictions means the iPhone 6c would likely be included in a March product launch event, too.
Additionally, as my Foolish colleague Ashraf Eassa recently wrote, much of Apple's MacBook lineup is due for a refresh. The Mac Pro lineup could also be ready for an upgrade by March. Finally, Apple didn't introduce a successor to the iPad Air 2 this fall, so it wouldn't be too surprising to see the iPad Air 3 arrive in the spring.
An iPhone 6c could keep unit sales steady
Of all these potential new products, the rumored iPhone 6c might be the most important to Apple's near-term performance. Adoption of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus is clearly running behind that of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus a year ago. Apple is on track to reach "normal" inventory levels for both models months before it did in last year's product cycle.
Apple is still likely to post iPhone sales growth this quarter due to inventory growth, some timing differences compared to last year, and stronger sales of discounted older models. But without a new sales catalyst, Apple could post year-over-year iPhone shipment declines in the next couple of quarters.
This wouldn't be the end of the world, as the arrival of the iPhone 7 later in 2016 should get iPhone sales growing quickly again. However, launching an iPhone 6c in March could help minimize the potential sales slowdown that might otherwise occur before the iPhone 7 goes on sale.
I don't expect the iPhone 6c (if it even exists) to be a massive hit. In a recent poll of U.S. consumers, only 20% said they prefer a 4-inch screen size. Still, that represents a noteworthy pool of demand that Apple could tap into with the iPhone 6c, and it could be the difference between stable iPhone sales and significant declines during the next two quarters.
Other products could bolster non-iPhone revenue growth
Longer term, Apple needs to get stronger growth from its other product lines to diversify its revenue away from the iPhone. New products from the March event could help Apple make progress toward this goal.
Most importantly, the Apple Watch 2 is likely to bring noticeable improvements that drive higher adoption of this new product line. For comparison, Apple sold fewer than 6 million iPhones in the first four full quarters after the product was launched. In the next four quarters, the upgraded iPhone 3G drove sales of more than 20 million units.
Similarly, Apple sold 19.5 million iPads in the first four quarters of availability. The launch of the iPad 2 caused unit sales to more than double to 47.6 million in the following four quarters. Apple hasn't said exactly how much revenue the Apple Watch is generating, but it's clearly billions of dollars a year. If Watch revenue were to more than double in the second year of availability, it would start to have a significant impact on Apple's results.
An iPad Air 3 launch in March could also be the final piece of the puzzle needed to return the iPad line to strong growth in 2016.
The recently launched iPad Pro is opening up a new, potentially lucrative market for the iPad, while the iPad Mini 4 is a big improvement on previous 7.9" iPads. However, more than 70% of iPad usage still comes from 9.7" models. Many of these are reaching prime replacement age, and a new state-of-the-art iPad Air 3 could therefore catalyze a major upgrade cycle.
Finally, while new MacBooks or Mac Pros aren't likely to drive a massive change in the Mac sales trend, it's still necessary to update them every so often to keep sales growing. Indeed, the Mac product line has generated steady sales growth for Apple in the past few years.
There are a lot of ways that Apple could delight shareholders this March. But we'll have to wait until then to find out which new products will be debuting next spring.


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The fashion retailer New Look officially opens its new base in Weymouth this afternoon. It's one of four support centres based across Europe. Around 400 staff in departments like property design, HR and computing are based in Dorset.
The company was started in Taunton more than 40 years ago and now has more than a thousand shops worldwide.
More top news
The Broadchurch stars have been spotted out and about as filming gets underway for the third and final series of the hit ITV drama.
Today will see some prolonged spells of sunshine followed by a few showers in the afternoon. But the sun will shine through
A grieving family from Exeter are desperate to get back memories of their stillborn son stolen from their car as they arranged his funeral


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June 14, 2008 |
State officials are shutting down a San Joaquin Valley farm labor contractor that hired a pregnant teen who died while pruning grapes last month. Authorities suspect 17-year-old Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez died because Merced Farm Labor denied her proper access to shade and water even as she worked in 100-degree heat. The California Department of Industrial Relations issued the stop-work order Thursday.
May 23, 2008 |
Clothing retailer Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. posted a wider fiscal first-quarter loss on lower sales and a charge related to the closure of an Anaheim facility. The loss was in line with Wall Street predictions, but the company cut its guidance for the year, sending its shares down 51 cents, or 5%, to $9.60 in after-hours trading. Its stock rose 7 cents to $10.11 in the regular session. For the quarter that ended May 3, Pacific Sunwear posted a loss of $37.1 million, or 53 cents a share, compared with a loss of $5.1 million, or 7 cents, a year earlier.
April 26, 2008 |
Silk Roads Design Gallery on La Brea Avenue, dealer of Asian antiques, art and contemporary items, will close June 1 after 15 years to transition to a solely online business. Cari Markell, co-owner of the gallery with husband Jon, said Friday that "rents are going up" and that, with a worldwide clientele, the gallery is "getting more Web business than walk-in business." The website, she said, also allows the opportunity to provide information that helps potential buyers put artworks into historical, religious and cultural context.
April 7, 2008 |
The nation's air travelers may be wondering whether last week's three airline shutdowns signal more trouble ahead. But a bigger concern this spring may be the likelihood of more flight delays, jammed planes and even higher ticket prices. With rising fuel costs, fewer planes in the sky and heightened safety concerns with aging aircraft, travelers can expect flights to be more expensive, crowded and late, giving passengers more reasons not to fly this year.
February 16, 2008 |
Wilsons the Leather Experts Inc. will close the majority of its 260 mall locations and cut more than 1,000 jobs, the clothing retailer said Friday. Wilsons will keep 100 stores open, revamping them under a "Studio" concept focused on fashion accessories for women. All stores should be remodeled by August. About 938 store-related jobs and 64 positions at the company's corporate headquarters, overseas offices and distribution center in Brooklyn Park, Minn., will be cut.
December 28, 2007 |
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has canceled its video download service less than a year after the site went live, a company spokeswoman said Thursday. The retailer shut down the download site after Hewlett Packard Co. discontinued the technology that powered it, Walmart.com spokeswoman Amy Colella said in an e-mail. She added that it would not look for another technology partner.
December 26, 2007 |
Gilbert, Ariz.-based Re/Max 2000, one of the Phoenix area's largest real estate brokerages, shut down its 13 offices this week, as the housing bust hits a city that was once one of the nation's hottest markets. Robert Kline, who started the franchise in 2000 and grew the business through acquisitions, said his decision to close was made after a particularly rough patch in December, when it became clear he no longer could afford to pay overhead expenses.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
December 22, 2007 |
Law enforcement authorities have closed down a trash storage operation in Kern County linked to a recycling firm already under investigation for allegedly violating health and safety codes in Long Beach and the Riverside County community of Blythe.
December 13, 2007 |
Movie Gallery Inc. plans to close its direct-to-home video rental unit MovieBeam Inc. on Saturday to cut costs. Movie Gallery filed for bankruptcy protection Oct. 16, blaming two years of losses and competition from Blockbuster Inc. and Netflix Inc. Initially backed by Walt Disney Co., Burbank-based MovieBeam started its video service in February 2006.
December 7, 2007 |
R.D. Hubbard, who ran Hollywood Park from 1991 to 1999 as the Inglewood racetrack's chairman, says he has been back only once in the past four or five years. And he won't be there Saturday, either, even though one of his horses, Spring House, is a contender in the $250,000 Hollywood Turf Cup. Hubbard will be in Lexington, Ky., through the weekend for Breeders' Cup meetings, but he says he will watch the race on TVG.


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A-B Dials Up U.S. Beer Prices
Higher commodity costs prompt increase across portfolio; brewer trademarks area codes
ST. LOUIS -- Anheuser-Busch said on Tuesday that it plans to raise prices by 3% to 5% across its beer portfolio in October, reported Reuters. A-B seeks to offset higher commodity costs, it said.
The maker of Budweiser and Bud Light said the increases--which will vary by brand, package and market--will go through on October 3.
In a statement provided to CSP Daily News, a company spokesperson said, "Anheuser-Busch confirms it is continuing its U.S. pricing strategy with an increase on October 3 in most markets, and it varies by brand and package. Increases [image-nocss] will be between 3% and 5% and will vary by market. The company's objective is to continue its strategy of working to close the gap between our premiums and sub-premiums to a reasonable level and help offset recent cost increases driven by commodity fluctuations and other macro-economic factors."In other company news, A-B recently filed applications to trademark the signature area codes of 15 U.S. cities. Chicago-based Goose Island parent Fulton Street Brewery LLC, acquired by A-B as part of a $38.8 million deal earlier this year, holds registered trademarks on "312 Urban Wheat" and "312 Urban Wheat Ale Goose Island Chicago." When the acquisition was announced, Anheuser-Busch pledged to pump $1.3 million into boosting Goose Island's brewing capacity.
A search by The Chicago Tribune of the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office's online database shows that on May 20, A-B filed applications to trademark: "704" (Charlotte, N.C.), "216" (Cleveland), "214" (Dallas), "303" (Denver), "713" (Houston), "702" (Las Vegas), "305" (Miami), "615" (Nashville, Tenn.), "215" (Philadelphia), "602" (Phoenix), "412" (Pittsburgh), "619" (San Diego), "415" (San Francisco), "314" (St. Louis) and "202" (Washington).
Scott Slavick, who specializes in trademark law at Chicago-based intellectual property firm Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione, said the intent of AB appears clear. "My guess is they want to come out with sort of local-sounding beer products," he told the newspaper. "People enjoy thinking that they're getting beer from a particular area."
A-B confirmed the applications, said the report, but it would not say what it intended to do with the names.
Based in St. Louis, Anheuser-Busch, the U.S. subsidiary of Belgium-based Anheuser-Busch InBev, brews the world's largest-selling beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. It also owns a 50% share in Grupo Modelo, Mexico's leading brewer.


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Ahead of the Union Budget presentation next month, groundnut processors have reiterated their demand for export incentives on groundnut meal.
The groundnut oil trade body Saurashtra Oil Mills Association (SOMA) is preparing a memorandum to be submitted to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman with its budget suggestions and demands to make groundnut oil industry sustainable and remunerative for the growers and crushing units.
Demand for sops
“We have been demanding export incentives on groundnut meal. Also, we have suggested to the Centre to set up a separate peanut promotion council, which will work towards encouraging consumption of groundnut and its products to avoid a glut situation for the crop,” said Sameer Shah, President, SOMA.
According to industry players, European and other Western markets have strong demand for high-protein meal. The groundnut meal prices have remained subdued for the past couple of years. Other oilmeals get 7 per cent export incentive in the form of duty drawback, but groundnut oilmeal is kept out of the scheme.
SOMA has been pressing for a similar incentive for groundnut meal exports also. It had earlier raised the demand with the Union Commerce Ministry last year for incentivising groundnut meal exports.
Edible oil imports
SOMA has also expressed concern over India’s edible oil consumption being largely dependent on imports. “This eats up our forex reserves as currently about 65 per cent of our total edible oil consumption is dependent on imports,” said Shah, adding that there is a need to promote local edible oils and value-added products of peanuts, sesame and other local agri products.
Source :- Thehindubusinessline.com


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Recent changes in international oil prices have highlighted the issue of petroleum product pricing reforms in a number of non-OECD economies, particularly as the non-OECD now accounts for the bulk of the global growth in consumption of petroleum products. In 2014, oil demand from the non-OECD is predicted to overtake OECD oil demand for the […]
In January 2013, the Government of India began deregulating the retail price of diesel by permitting Oil Marketing Companies to progressively raise retail prices over a period of several months, until their losses from the subsidization of diesel were completely offset. This policy decision represents one of the final stages of the ‘decontrol’ of prices […]
Price Demand and Market Structure for the Oil Industry: Distillates in the driver’s seat or Gasoline resurgence ?
Thierry Bros on UK gas storage: ‘If there remains frictionless trade with the EU via the interconnectors following… https://t.co/G8hUCQzEZx
Policy Considerations Around India’s Upstream Reforms https://t.co/Y8Oy5LQJF2
In June 2017 we explained why aviation poses a problem to the EU ETS due to Gibraltar airport. If Spain shares cont… https://t.co/jjZbvMq7gg


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Latest Tech News Jobs Social IT Services Mobiles PCs Apps Gaming Computing Who Is More Gadgets Telecom FAQs Latest News
30 iPhones and iPads that are getting all-new features with iOS 14 and iPadOS 14
Apple showcased one of the key component of iPhone 12 at Watch and iPad event
Tech News The all-new iPad Air runs on A14 Bionic processor, the same processor that will most likely power Apple's iPhone 12 series. Apple's latest-generation processor A14 Bionic is a 5nm (nanometer) chipset. It is the world's first chipset to be built on 5 nanometer process technology.
Amazon UK unit pays $8 million corporation tax as sales hit $17.5 billion
Tech News Amazon.com Inc's main UK subsidiary, Amazon UK Services Ltd., paid just 6.3 million pounds ($8 million) in corporation tax in 2019 despite the group reporting over $17.5 billion in sales in Britain, accounts published show.
GM to manufacture own 'family' of EV drive systems, motors
Tech News The move, which follows earlier GM initiatives on next-generation batteries, comes as the Detroit automaker looks to build a vertically integrated electric car business, comparable to Tesla, inside its ongoing operations.
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ByteDance to place TikTok's global headquarters in US to escape Trump ban
Tech News ByteDance has decided to place the headquarters of its popular video platform app TikTok in the US in order to escape President Donald Trump's ban, official media here reported on Wednesday.
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Upgrade for EU antitrust rules, more funds for digital projects
Tech News The European Commission will revise its antitrust rules early next year to keep up with global changes, and invest a fifth of its 750-billion-euro ($890 billion) COVID-19 recovery fund in digital projects, its head said on Wednesday.
Apple Watch SE vs Watch Series 3: What new features do you get
Tech News The new Apple Watch SE does not come with ECG and blood oxygen monitor. However, there are features like fall detection, always-on altimeter and international emergency calls.
5G introduction depends on equipment, ecosystem, telcos' economic consideration: Government
Tech News The government on Wednesday informed Parliament that introduction of 5G services in the country will depend on equipment, device ecosystem and economic considerations by telecom operators.
Israel's Check Point Software buys secure remote access provider
Tech News Israel-based cyber security provider Check Point Software Technologies said on Wednesday it is acquiring Odo Security, a developer of secure remote access technology.
Upcoming Samsung Galaxy A52 camera details leaked online
Mobiles Samsung is expected to soon launch the successor to the Galaxy A51 smartphone and the rumour and leaks related to the smartphone have already started surfacing online. SamMobile has reported the first leak of Galaxy A52 smartphone that reveals details about the camera setup of the device.
Infrastructure status to broadcasting sector may boost fundraise: Trai chief
Tech News The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) said that allowing infrastructure status to the technology-intensive broadcasting sector would facilitate capital borrowing and enable players to upgrade their equipment.
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More Gadgets Wondering how the two powerful iPads from Apple compete against one another? Read our spec-by-spec comparison to find out
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Tech News Indian social media platform ShareChat on Wednesday said it has acquired HPF Films, a video production company specialised in digital content.
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Tech News Alibaba Group Holding Ltd on Wednesday unveiled a pilot factory in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou as part of its "smart manufacturing" business initiative.
Google Duo is treading the Microsoft Skype and Facebook Messenger path, here’s how
Apps Google’s video calling app Duo has received a new update that adds the screen sharing functionality.
WhatsApp may soon roll out new call button, icons on web
Tech News In one such case, WhatsApp has released a new web version 2.2037.6 of the WhatsApp Web platform, claims a report by WABetaInfo. In this update, the company is set to roll out new buttons for voice, video and group calls. The report, however, claims that WhatsApp is still working on developing these features, therefore they are under development stage and not yet available to users on WhatsApp Web and Desktop update.


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Progress in crafting marijuana plants that are high in the non-psychoactive marijuana cannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) and tobacco that's low in nicotine sent 22nd Century Group, Inc. (XXII 1.53%) rocketing 157% higher in 2017, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.
22nd Century is a plant biotechnology company that genetically engineers and breeds tobacco and cannabis plants to make them more valuable. Its primary work includes low-nicotine tobacco plants and hemp plants that can be used in soil remediation, but it's also working on cannabis that's high in CBD, a cannabinoid that's been associated with positive outcomes in epilepsy patients.a
The company's rally last year was mostly sparked by news at the end of July that the FDA is considering a mandate that would require the use of low-nicotine tobacco in cigarettes. 22nd Century has been working closely with the federal government on projects evaluating the use of low-nicotine cigarettes, and that may give it advantages in winning contracts if the FDA follows through with its mandate.
James E. Swauger, PhD, senior vice president of science and regulatory affairs for 22nd Century Group, explained, "The Tobacco Control Act explicitly and unambiguously gives the FDA the authority to regulate nicotine levels in cigarettes. ... 22nd Century stands ready to partner with the FDA and with any company that is committed to improving the health of American smokers."
22nd Century can grow tobacco with minimally or nonaddictive levels of nicotine without using artificial extraction or chemical processes. In fact, its very low-nicotine cigarettes contain 95% less nicotine than the leading cigarette brands on the U.S. market.
Shares also got a boost last year from the company's work with the University of Virginia on identifying hemp varieties that may help improve soil conditions in areas where mining and other environmental disasters have occurred. This process, which is called phytoremediation, has been used to reclaim land following the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear accidents. The company believes its fast-growing hemp varieties can absorb toxins, metals and other soil contaminants more effectively and cheaply than other options.
22nd Century is also working with UVA to create high-value medicinal cannabinoid varieties and specialized cannabinoid extraction processes for use in medicine. It's also expanding hemp activities in New York, where legislators are supporting efforts to become a leading grower and producer of hemp and hemp products.
The potential to help remake the U.S. tobacco market undeniably offers big opportunities for 22nd Century, but investors should recognize that the company's not generating revenue from its tobacco or hemp efforts yet and is losing money every quarter.
In the third quarter of 2017, sales were $4.5 million, up 46% year over year, but that growth came from inking a contract to produce a new filtered cigar, and the company reported a $3.3 million operating loss in the quarter, up from a $2.6 million loss the prior year.
It may be a while before the FDA acts on its low-nicotine mandate, and it's anyone's guess when cannabis efforts will translate into meaningful sales. Fortunately, the company did take advantage of the run-up last year to issue more shares, and that's solidified its balance sheet. Exiting the third quarter, the company had $65 million in cash on hand, and management says that's enough money to cover its operating expenses for at least five years. Perhaps that will be long enough for the company to benefit from its tobacco and cannabis research efforts, but that remains to be seen.


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The Devils, who’ve steadfastly refused to have an alternate jersey throughout their history, finally have given in and nhl new jerseys 2019-17 act test dates added an alternate to their wardrobe. It’s a good one, too — a throwback to their original 1980s red-green-white design (although they’ll be wearing it only four times):
The Kucherov announcement prefaced Tuesday morning with Larry Brooks of the New York Post cheap nhl jerseys reddit game collectors reporting wholesale nhl jerseys 2019 that talks between the Senators and Lightning have subsided, and that the Stars have reemerged as favourites in the Karlsson sweepstakes, Nike Murray jersey is presumably no coincidence.
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Here are the Bovada MVP odds for the NHL 2019-19 season. Gimme Stamkos at 25-to-1 all day
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Alexandre Burrows scored his fifth of the year and Mike mlb jersey china Condon stopped 33 shots for Ottawa, which saw a three-game winning streak snapped on the second night of a back-to-back.
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That’s correct. The six-year deal was worth $25 million. The Kings terminated Voynov’s contract on Sept. 17, 2019, but Voynov is technically on Los Angeles’ voluntary retirement list. The team retains his rights. According to NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly, the Eastern Atlantic Red Nike Elite Jerseys Kings have the ability to Nike Browns #6 Cody Kessler White Youth Stitched NFL New Elite Jersey trade those rights if they choose.
9:07 AM ETChris PetersSpecial to ESPN CloseChris Peters is ESPN’s NHL draft and prospects analyst. The Chicago native previously covered the NHL for CBSSports.com and founded vintage hockey jersey sale the popular independent blog UnitedStatesofHockey.com where he covered the game at all levels since Rockies #28 Nolan Arenado Green Salute to Service Stitched Youth MLB Jersey 2019.Follow on MessengerEmailcommentAfter a year traveling around to various rinks in towns across the United States and Canada, hours of video sessions and reading prospect-related news, and making calls around the scouting community, it’s time to drop my final big board of the 2019 NHL draft season, ranking the top 80 draft-eligible players
Aside from baseball, which he says he lacks the coordination for, he’s excelled at every sport he’s ever tried. He picked up lacrosse for a season and, once he figured out how to handle the stick, ran circles around the competition. (There’s not a lot of black people who do it, he says, smiling.) He’s never tried skating, but if he trained for six months, he says, he could probably crack the NHL


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Alphabet’s Q1 earnings were a disappointment for Wall Street, courtesy primarily of ad revenue shortcomings. The hardware team met with some difficulties, as well, owing in part to a stagnating global smartphone market that has impacted virtually all players.
CEO Sundar Pichai cited “year over year headwinds” when referring to the company’s smartphone line, following the release of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL last fall. The executive rightly referenced the company’s relatively recent entry as a standalone hardware developer and painted a hopeful picture of the industry’s innovations going forward.
“I do continue to be excited to see 5G coming and the early foldable phones, which Android plays a big part in driving,” Pichai said on the call. Google has notably taken an important role developing an Android UI designed for the foldable form factor, along with working closely beside Samsung on its recently delayed foldable.
CFO Ruth Porat echoed Pichai’s comments, while hinting at what’s to come from the company. “While the first quarter results reflect pressure in the premium smartphone industry,” the exec explained, “we are pleased with the ongoing momentum of Assistant-enabled Home devices, particularly the Home Hub and Mini devices and look forward to our May 7 announcement at I/O from our hardware team.”
The reference to “premium smartphone[s]” looks to be a roundabout confirmation of the rumored Pixel 3a. The mid-tier take on the Pixel line is rumored to be a rare I/O hardware debut, coming next month. The arrival of such a device could go a ways toward helping jumpstart slowing sales for the line.
Pichai referenced the company’s newly opened “campus and engineering hub.” A result of the company’s massive deal with struggling handset maker, HTC, the Taipei R&D center will be primarily focused on Google’s smartphone offerings. He also referenced the company’s Amazon-competing Home line as a bright spot for its hardware offerings, particularly the Mini and Hub.
“If you take products like Google Home and Assistant products, we’ve been doing really well,” said Pichai. “We see strong momentum. We’re market leaders in the category, especially when you look at it on a global basis.”


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First of five new 1812-themed circulation coins to be unveiled at the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site
HALIFAX, June 18, 2012 /CNW/ - The Royal Canadian Mint will unveil a 2012-dated, two-dollar commemorative circulation coin honouring the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. This launch event, taking place at the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site, coincides with the Government of Canada's official celebration of the bicentennial on June 18, 2012.
The unveiling will be followed by a public coin exchange where guests and Halifax Citadel visitors will be invited to trade their loose change to be among the first in Canada to collect this new coin.
|| Halifax Citadel National Historic Site
5425 Sackville Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia
|| Monday, June 18, 2012
Arrival: 10:15 am
Remarks and unveil: 10:30 am
|| Mr. Kirk MacRae, Director, Royal Canadian Mint Board of Directors
Major (Ret'd) Ken Hynes, Army Museum
Dr. Carla Wheaton, Cultural Resource Manager, Mainland Nova Scotia Field Unit
Mr. Colin MacLean, President, Waterfront Development Corporation
About the Royal Canadian Mint
The Royal Canadian Mint is the Crown Corporation responsible for the minting and distribution of Canada's circulation coins. An ISO 9001-2008 certified company, the Mint is recognized as one of the largest and most versatile mints in the world, offering a wide range of specialized, high quality coinage products and related services on an international scale. For more information on the Mint, its products and services, visit www.mint.ca.
For further information:
Senior Manager, Communications
Royal Canadian Mint
Telephone: (613) 884-6370


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Rihanna is known for her ever-changing look, and her most recent style copies Zooey Deschanel’s signature locks.
Rihanna’s hair changes like the days of the week, and her new blunt bangs are unlike any other style she has tried before. Vote on who you think looks best with bangs! With the fringe cut in front and her thick tresses behind, Rihanna’s ‘do looks so similar to that of 500 Days of Summer actress, Zooey Deschanel.
So HollywoodLifers, who do YOU think looks better with this style?
There’s a new lip queen in town! Nicki Minaj and MAC cosmetics just announced they’re teaming up for a 24-shade lipstick line! And, two of the shades, including ‘Nicki’s Nude’, will be available as early as September!


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The Interior Design Department at ALHOSN University organized a field trip to the Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milano
, Milan, Italy from April 17 to 23, 2012. The Milan Fair (fiera) has been held annually in Milan since 1961 and is the largest trade fair of its kind in the world. It showcases the latest in decoration, home and office design, furniture and lighting from countries around the world.
The field trip to Milan is part of a course in the interior design program (INT 481). Six students and members of their families, made their trip. They were accompanied by Ms. Patricia Ball, lecturer, and Dr. Seif Khiati, Chair of the Department of Interior Design. The trip consisted of three days at the fair, one day to visit Milan and another to visit Venice. In addition Dr. Seif visited the Scuola Politecnica di Design (SPD)’s interior design program.
The Milan trip provided students with a unique experience that has only been available to professionals and others seeing the latest products, meeting designers and constructers, and above all networking in the business.


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Image, status symbols and desire for the finer things in life are just some of the triggers that psychologists have identified when it comes to consumers purchasing prestige goods and products. Additionally, the higher the price tag, the more emotional, rather than rational, the decision becomes.
In this webinar, we explore the regions where consumers have experienced the biggest improvement in their financial situations since 2016. We also discuss consumers’ changing spending behavior on fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) categories over the past five years.
The Nielsen Changing Consumer Prosperity report reveals consumers’ sentiment toward their financial situations and explores the behavior and impact on spending, and how this has changed over time.
Australians will soon have the ability to own their financial data, and have personal financial information easily accessible and transferable to other financial institutions, with open banking coming into effect on 1 July 2019. This may lead to more consumers switching banking providers and will...
Results from The Conference Board® Global Consumer Confidence Survey*, conducted in collaboration with Nielsen, revealed that the outlook for Australian consumers is still relatively austere compared to New Zealanders. The survey also revealed that there are a growing number of consumers across...
Affluence, a calculation based on income, number of children and household size reveals a lot about purchasing power. But how does affluence affect how many vegetables Australians eat? Can Australian shoppers reach their “two and five a day” on any budget?
Consumers today have access to a wider array of products than ever before thanks to globalisation and connectivity. So when it comes to country of origin, just how much does being a 'local' or 'global' brand influence the purchasing behaviour of consumers in Australia and New Zealand?
In today’s cooling real estate market, it is increasingly critical to understand where buyers and sellers are on their real estate journey, and to connect with them at the right time. In the next 12 months, 254,000 New Zealanders intend to buy a property and 115,000 expect to sell a property.
Australian brands have the opportunity to tap into the wants and needs of the massive China population through a growing export and e-commerce ecosystem – Daigou.
Backed by improving global consumer confidence, many regions are seeing improved conditions for businesses and the fast-moving consumer goods industry. Here, we’ll look at trends in a few select countries.


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Hey, Android buyers looking to purchase Samsung’s hot new Galaxy S9, which we absolutely adored in our review: move your finger away from that preorder button that you were about to tap. Don’t do it. Wait just a little bit longer.
The Galaxy S9 is the best Android phone available right now, at least when it comes to hardware and camera performance. But in a world of imperfect phones, the Galaxy S9 isn’t perfect either — read our full Galaxy S9 review at this link. It is, however, a much better choice than Samsung’s 2018 flagships, so if you want to buy it, you should get it. Just don’t get it right now, no matter how good the deals are right now.
Galaxy S9 preorders aren’t that great in Korea, a few reports said recently. And now we have a new estimate that indicates the same thing from the Arthur Wood research firm, Barron’s reports. Citing supply-chain sources, analyst Jeff Johnson says that preorders for the Galaxy S9 are down 50% compared to the Galaxy S8. Buyers are “upgrading at a much slower pace as features are falling on deaf ears,” he said.
It’s not just Samsung that’s suffering, it’s everyone. “Smartphone sales are starting to decline at an accelerating rate,” Johnson writes. Just a few short days ago, Citi analysts said that Apple won’t sell sell nearly as many iPhone X units in the first half of the year as it did in November and December.
But Samsung might be more affected by sales slowdowns because it doesn’t sell that many phones directly to consumers. Instead, it partners with carriers and retailers. Fast Company speculates that Johnson’s report actually reflect the carriers’ reluctance to order more Galaxy S9 inventory.
That’s why you really need to wait a while longer before you purchase your Galaxy S9. It’s likely that carriers will soon introduce “more aggressive promotions” to move Galaxy S9 inventory, Johnson said. The deals available right now look pretty attractive, but it’s very likely that new, even bigger discounts will start rolling out before you know it.


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US tax reforms and trade disputes have led to a slump in global foreign direct investment but as corporates revise their investment strategies in the light of the changing operating environment, some regions are experiencing a boom in investment.
The last few decades have seen foreign direct investment (FDI) become a vital part of the armoury corporates can deploy to maximise returns on their investments. By securing controlling interests in foreign assets, firms can, for instance, rapidly acquire new products and technologies, sell their existing products to new markets and reduce production costs.
Governments too have been very keen on FDI, seeing it as an effective means of creating jobs and improving economic growth. That corporate-government consensus has reigned since at least the 1970s and resulted in FDI flows globally soaring from little over US$10bn in 1970 to well over a trillion dollars now. These flows, comprising as they do cross-border M&A activity, intra-company loans and investments in start-up projects, are also an indicator of growth in corporate supply chains and trading relationships and, more broadly, a powerful bellwether of globalisation.
New data from United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), however, shows that FDI worldwide is on the decline, with the US tax reforms introduced at the end of 2017 in particular resulting in a dampening of global investment activity. According to the data, FDI globally slumped 41% in the first six months of 2018 to US$470bn — the lowest since 2005 – from US$794bn in the same period in 2017.
UNCTAD says the big fall in FDI flows is mostly due to US tax reforms having encouraged big firms there to bring home earnings from abroad – mainly from western European countries. Trade disputes, notably the US-China tariff war, are proving to be another drag on flows, with the accompanying anti-trade rhetoric and protectionist stances further undermining investor confidence and forcing companies affected to review their investment strategies and locations of their operations.
James Zhan, Director of Investment and Enterprise at UNCTAD, is clear that the fall in FDI flows is being “driven more by policy than the economic cycle”. He points out that the agency had warned in early January that there was about US$2trn of stock in the form of cash or reinvested earnings of retained earnings outside the US that could be repatriated in some form following any wholesale tax reform: “And indeed, that is happening. We have seen that outward FDI from the US was US$147bn last year but turned to a negative US$247bn already this year.”
Drilling down from the headline figures from UNCTAD’s latest Investment Trends Monitor, however, reveals interesting regional variations. The fall in first half flows has mainly impacted the richer nations. Europe declined by a hefty 93%, the most notable fallers being Ireland, down US$81bn; and Switzerland, down US$77bn. North America retreated by 63%, with US inflows diving 73% to just US$46bn.
At the same time, however, developing economies saw FDI flows decline only 4% over the first half of 2018 to US$310bn versus the same period in 2017. This grouping includes developing Asia, where flows declined 4% to US$220bn, mainly due to a 16% decline in investment in East Asia. China bucked the wider trend most though – it was the largest recipient of foreign direct investment in the first half, attracting more than US$70bn, indicating there is still significant long-term investor confidence in the country.
FDI to the “transition economies” – comprising mainly the former Soviet Union and Eastern bloc countries of Europe – meanwhile fell by 18% over the first half to an estimated US$25bn, mainly due to a drop of flows to natural resource rich countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
Elsewhere, Latin America and the Caribbean saw a 6% drop in investment, as uncertainty over upcoming elections in some of the major economies there were offset by higher commodity prices. In West Africa, UNCTAD data indicates a 17% fall in investment in the first half of the year, from US$5.2bn to US$4.3bn.
The global decline in FDI flows over the first half contrasted with trends in cross-border merger and acquisitions (M&As) and greenfield investments. M&A sales managed to stay steady over the period at US$371m but investments in greenfield projects jumped 42% to US$454bn compared to same period in 2017.
The upturn in greenfield outlay by corporates is especially encouraging as this strand of investment is generally regarded as a strong indicator of future FDI trends. Greenfield typically involves companies building physical operations in a foreign country from scratch, for example by establishing a foreign sales office, manufacturing facility or an R&D centre. It is therefore the ultimate level of FDI, it’s riskiest form: if political, economic, currency or commercial risks materialise in the host country the investment cannot suddenly be relocated. But with the greenfield investing company typically having full authority over the operations and profit associated with the investment, the rewards can be substantial.
Drilling down into FDI flows across Europe shows clearly the big impact that repatriations by US parent companies of foreign earnings have had. Compared to the first half of 2017, US FDI outflows to Europe fell by a hefty US$136bn to result in a net divestment of US$49bn over the same period in 2018.
Outside of Europe, US FDI flows to “Other Western Hemisphere”, including offshore financial centres in the Caribbean fell by US$163bn.
But repatriations of accumulated foreign earnings were not the only explanation for the drop in global investment flows, says UNCTAD, pointing out that the 72% drop to just US$46bn in US FDI inflows came despite the potential stimulus effect of tax reforms on investments there by foreign multinationals. Uncertainty about the implementation details of the tax reforms over the first half, combined with uncertainty about US trade relations and fears over its more stringent investment screening procedures could all have been contributing factors, says the agency.
The big regional divergence in FDI flows, with the richer nations impacted by US repatriations and developing countries remaining broadly stable, meant the share of the latter in global FDI flows increased to a record 66%. Half of the top ten host markets for FDI continue to be developing economies including China, India and Hong Kong.
Even within Asia though there were notable variations in flow. While China became the largest global recipient of FDI, flows to Hong Kong fell to US$34bn – half the level it received in the first half of 2017.
Most interestingly though, flows to Southeast Asia and South Asia rose by a strong 18% to US$73bn and 13% to US$25bn respectively, with manufacturing inflows a major feature.
In Southeast Asia, Singapore was the big attractor, securing US$35bn despite it suffering profit repatriations by US multinationals. Elsewhere in the South East, Indonesia secured US$9bn and Thailand US$7bn. In South Asia, India attracted US$22bn of FDI flows, contributing to the subregion’s 13% rise in FDI in the first half of the year.
The FDI boom for Southeast Asia has attracted considerable attention, with analysts saying the region is proving the biggest beneficiary of the intensifying trade war between the US and China, with the spat prompting companies to shift production to the area.
According to analysts at Maybank Kim Eng, the investment banking arm of Malaysia’s Maybank, even smaller economies across the region have experienced big FDI inflows over the course of the current year. Vietnam, for example, saw manufacturing inflows jump 18% in the first nine months of 2018, driven by investments including a US$1.2bn polypropylene production project by South Korea’s Hyosung Corporation. In the Philippines, net FDI into manufacturing soared to US$861m in the same nine-month period from US$144m a year earlier.
“The US-China trade war may be attracting more firms to set up in ASEAN countries to circumvent the tariffs,” Maybank economists Chua Hak Bin and Lee Ju Ye said in the note. “Companies in sectors such as consumer products, industrial, technology and telecom hardware, automotive and chemicals have indicated interest in Southeast Asia.”
Southeast Asia, it seems then, has become an alternative base for firms looking to avoid the fallout from the US-China trade war. American companies are by far the most active in China and a survey of 430 of them by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in China and Shanghai found 60% have been hurt by the tariff war between the two countries. Profit losses, high manufacturing costs, increased prices and lower product demand were among the biggest impacts cited by the companies. One third of those polled by AmCham China in late August and early September said they have or were thinking of moving production sites away from the country.
According to Maybank, notable arrivals to Southeast Asia as a direct result of the tariff wars include Harley-Davidson Motorcycles, which shifted part of its operations in the US to Thailand after closing a plant in Kansas City. Electronic giant Panasonic closed its US plant in early 2017 and switched to consignment production and exports from Malaysia. Shoes and accessories group Steven Madden has been shifting production of handbags to Cambodia from China.
Elsewhere, Delta Electronics, which supplies power components to the likes of Apple and Tesla is looking to de-risk from the current tariff war – and potential future ones – by spending US$2bn to purchase a Thai affiliate. The move would enable Delta to expand production outside China to territories such as India and Slovakia as well as Thailand itself. Merry Electronics which supplies headphones to firms like Bose intends to move some of its production to Thailand from southern China.
With the US threatening a further US$200bn in tariffs, and retaliation by China certain, the operating environment for multinational companies present in both countries could yet become a lot more onerous. Such an escalation in trade tensions, analysts agree, can only lead to multinationals acting even more aggressively to de-risk from them, in the process accelerating the ongoing trend to relocate, with Southeast Asia very well positioned to benefit from further robust FDI flows.
According to research published in October, Chinese investment alone in ASEAN countries such as Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam, is set to more than triple to US$500bn by 2035, with the US-China trade war likely to provide a catalyst for the spike. The study was issued by AMRO+3, a regional think tank that represents the ten members of the ASEAN alliance, plus China, Japan and South Korea.
While some regions will inevitably enjoy a boom in investment if trade and traffic wars intensify and protectionism continues to gain traction, for UNCTAD’s Zhan it is the bigger picture that really matters. The agency’s latest FDI data suggests a “gloomy” outlook for FDI overall, he says, adding that FDI is important because it gives countries access to external capital, technology, markets and tax contributions.
Investing corporate cash at the best of times can be complex and demanding, involving as it does the striking of a balance between security, liquidity and yield while keeping abreast of the varying regulations across the target countries. The actions being taken by companies in China and US indicates just how much boardrooms around the world are preoccupied with making sure that they achieve that balance as they look to avoid getting caught up in trade and tariff wars and rising protectionism generally.
Considered alongside the latest FDI data from UNCTAD, and signs we are entering a waning phase of globalisation, it all suggests that for treasurers engaged in FDI, the managing of investment funds has become rather more interesting and challenging.


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The recent NFTNYC 2023 conference highlighted the need to safeguard NFTs from falling in price. My Neighbor Alice CEO, Lenny Pettersson, spoke at the event, sharing insights on the shifts in NFTs for games and metaverse. He emphasized the importance of protecting NFTs and maintaining a healthy relationship between developers and players.
Lenny also moderated a panel discussion on “NFTs: Placing More Power in Players’ Hands”, stressing the potential of significant IP that offers interoperability through NFTs. However, there is no guaranteed way to protect an NFT from falling in price, as it depends on various factors such as market sentiment and broader economic trends.
To mitigate the risk of NFTs losing value, Lenny advised NFT collectors to conduct thorough research and due diligence before buying an NFT. This includes looking at the rarity and uniqueness of the NFT and the historical sales data for similar NFTs. He also recommended diversifying NFT holdings by investing in various assets with different creators and themes to spread risk.
My Neighbor Alice is a social online multiplayer builder game built on the Chromia blockchain platform, promoting an end-to-end blockchain game ecosystem that allows for easy transactions within the NFT and gaming community. The project is based on a staking and renting system that will debut next year, allowing users to rent their NFTs for significant earnings potential, making it stand out from other play-to-earn games.
NFTNYC 2023 emphasized the importance of safeguarding NFTs by conducting thorough research and due diligence before investing. It also highlighted the role of blockchain games in the mainstream gaming industry and the need to maintain a healthy relationship between developers and players.
My Neighbor Alice is an example of a project that seeks to promote a vibrant community for diverse players, emphasizing the potential of NFTs in the gaming industry.


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Intel is adopting a new path and making noteworthy changes to its business as the PC market is losing its glory.
The forty seven year-old business is mainly known for making microprocessor chips which powers personal computers but now its shifting its focus to cloud and the 'Internet of Things'.
On Wednesday, Qualcomm reported its quarterly earnings. The company said its fiscal second quarter earnings and rest of the year outlook could be lesser than expected. The San Diego, California based company's shares dropped almost two percent during the afterhours trading.
Yahoo once a popular name with the Internet users has lost its charm over the years. For almost two decades Yahoo! built one of the most frequently visited sites in the U.S. The company's online display advertising business was also quite robust but over the years something went wrong.
California based online retail company Newegg has enabled a new feature, through which users can interact with retailer's customer service on one of the most popular app Facebook Messenger. The Facebook Messenger app has 800 million monthly active users.
Sources say that Playboy Enterprises Inc. could be up for a sale. The move might be under consideration as the publisher of the men's magazine makes an effort to transform itself into a licensing company. Few months earlier, the iconic magazine publisher decided to ditch the nude photos for which it had been famous once and launched an overhaul move to get ready for the digital age.
SEC Issues $125,000 Penalty for California’s Largest Agricultural Water District Over Misleading Investors
The drought in California has set a record and the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission set another record this time announcing a rare fine of $125,000 for the largest agricultural water district in California to settle civil charges alleging that it misled investors regarding its ability to pay debt on a $77 million bond.
On Wednesday, Moody's announced a pact with California Public Employee Retirement System in which the investor service will pay $130 million to settle claims for supposedly inflated ratings during the financial crisis era on residential- mortgage bond deals.
The prominent lawsuit which alleges crisis-era misconduct will be a record settlement for Moody's Investor's Service.
Salesforce . com Inc, the American cloud computing company based in San Francisco, California reported better than expected quarterly revenue and also increased revenue forecast for the full year. The company said that the higher expectations were mainly attributed to the trend of its customers increasing their purchases which added to its web-based sales and marketing software.
People with knowledge of the matter say that the engineers working with Apple have started putting in efforts to develop new security measures which will make it impossible to break into a locked iPhones by the government using similar methods which they are asking for those iphones, which centre around those for which a court case is going on in California.
Earlier in the month during an earnings call Yahoo Inc. posted huge quarterly loss. Yahoo's CEO, Marissa Mayer had said that the company has plans to overturn the declining revenues and seeks to build a product line that will be new and fast-growing. She connected the strategy to as big as a "tectonic shift."
About 100 years ago when genius physicist Albert Einstein gave theory of general relativity, he had no idea that scientists will one day find direct evidence of gravitational waves' existence. If rumors are believed, scientists will reveal their observation of the elusive waves at the US National Science Foundation.
- Fire threatens entire city in Alberta
- Authorities order evacuation of entire city in Alberta due to wildfire
- Mitel Networks Corp of Canada to Buy Polycom Inc for Almost $2 Billion
- Reportedly Bombardier Inc. is Nearing a Deal with Delta for C Series Jetliners
- Review shows alcohol has no net health benefits


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Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE:PHG) is planning to cut 4,500 jobs to boost profits after reporting its worst quarterly results in two years.
The Dutch conglomerate posted profits of $105.3 million (€76 million) on sales of $7.48 billion (€5.40 billion) for the third quarter, down 85.5 percent and 1.2 percent, respectively.
Philips’ healthcare division logged “solid” growth of 7 percent after taking account of exchange rates, according to a press release. Philips Healthcare reported sales of $2.85 billion (€2.08 billion) during the third quarter, compared with sales of $2.84 billion (€2.07 billion) during Q3 2010.
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“Investments in R&D and selling expenses required for new product launches negatively affected margins in the quarter,” Philips said of its health care subsidiary.
Philips also said its restructuring effort “targets EUR 800 million in savings and aims to significantly decrease complexity and overhead costs, while at the same time reinvesting in innovation and customer-facing resources.”
“About 60 percent of the savings are people-related and will result in the loss of 4,500 positions, 1,400 of which will be in the Netherlands. The remaining 40 percent relate to other structural costs,” according to the release.
“We are still in the early stages of a multi-year overhaul to become a more entrepreneurial and lean company, but we are encouraged by the response of our employees,” CEO Frans van Houten said in prepared remarks. “Our cost reduction plan of EUR 800 million has now been detailed, and we are in the process of deploying it across the organization as we optimize all overhead and support costs not directly involved in the operational customer value chain. The cost savings program will lead to the loss of approximately 4,500 jobs, which is a regrettable but inevitable step to improve our operating model to become more agile, lean and competitive.
“Our Healthcare revenues are growing, led by a strong product portfolio. We are closely monitoring the overall economic environment and its potential impact on the Healthcare business in the medium term,” van Houten added.
Wall Street seemed to like the cost-cutting measures; PHG shares were up nearly 3 percent to $20.48 as of about 3:30 today.