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Tag: QuickTake 100
This lovely photograph from James Rose captures the size and scale of Apple's only digital camera line. Built by Kodak, the QuickTake 100 was introduced twenty-years ago by Apple and was one of the first consumer digital cameras ever released. It cost $749 when it first went on sale in 1994. The ...
Struggling US photography pioneer Kodak was dealt a major blow when the International Trade Commission ruled that its color image preview patent, No. 6,292,218, was invalid, according to the Wall Street Journal. Kodak hoped to extract money from companies that were not licensing the patent and ...
Struggling camera and film pioneer Kodak is going through Chapter 11 bankruptcy. While it deals with angry creditors, the company is also juggling a legal battle with Apple over the rights to several patents in its patent portfolio. According to Bloomberg, Kodak recently was handed a setback in...
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- Apple Remote Desktop updated with Yosemite support
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- Parallels Access 2.5 released, adds file manager, computer-to-computer remote access
- The Google Translate iOS app is about to get a lot smarter


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THE UPCOMING election in India, the world’s biggest pulse producer and consumer, has its government continuing to use the blunt instrument of import quotas to manage markets.
On Friday, and just two days from the end of the previous quota period, India announced a quota of 150,000 tonnes for imported field peas for the year ending 31 March 2020, up from 100,000t in the corresponding year just ended.
While trade in field peas, pisum sativum, has greatest impact for major producers and exporters such as Canada and Black Sea-region producers whose business model grew on the basis of expanding trade with India, the announcement also impacts Australia.
“Australia’s Kaspa pea trade is caught up in the same quota,” GrainTrend director Sanjiv Dubey said.
Mr Dubey said yellow pea and dun pea were the largest importable pea types into India because India grew relatively few of them compared with its predominant production of chickpea.
Further complicating the restricted trade is an ongoing requirement that would-be importers must comply with licence obligations containing some stringent preconditions.
These include proof of mill proprietorship, presumably to channel peas through a mill rather than holding whole peas in stock for later sale.
Chickpea, lentils unchanged
The 60-per-cent tariff applied to chickpeas imported to India remains, as does the 33pc tariff on lentils; the lentil volume is not restricted by quota.
Mr Dubey said Australia’s outlook for lentils this year would depend on whether Canada, the world’s major producer, planted a huge area of red and green lentils.
In summary, restrictions applying on April 1, 2019 for the year ahead are as follows:
- Desi-type chickpea, not restricted by quota, 60pc tariff
- Kabuli-type chickpea, not restricted by quota, 40pc tariff
- Lentil, not restricted by quota, 33pc tariff
- Peas (pisum sativum), 150,000t quota, 50pc tariff
- Mung bean, 150,000t quota, 10pc tariff
- Pigeon pea, 200,000t quota, 33pc tariff
Supply tightening, price lifting
The price cycle for pulses may be turning, according to global agribusiness and commodities market analyst G. Chandrashekhar.
In this month’s Saskatchewan Pulse Market Report, he said the fundamentals of the Indian pulse market were “slowly but inexorably tightening”.
“While there is a feeling among policymakers that the pulse market is well under control, the lurking risks of El Niño-induced dry weather conditions in South Asia in the months ahead can potentially spoil the situation for India.
“It may take another three or four months for the domestic inventory burden to lighten further and make the market more balanced than it is presently.”
Mr Chandrashekhar said prices for pulses appeared to have “decisively bottomed out.”
Australian planting nears
Growers in Australia’s pulse-growing regions are getting close to finalising decisions about what winter crops they will plant between now and June.
In eastern Australia, cereals are expected to be extremely popular, based on their strong price outlook in the domestic market, which is in deficit because of drought.
However, pulses as well as canola have a proven place in many growers’ rotations, and a significant area of pulses and canola will therefore be planted, provided timely and sufficient rain falls.
Grain Central: Get our free cropping news straight to your inbox – Click here

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A subsidiary of Pritzker Group Private Capital has stepped into the food industry with the acquisition of a mid-sized manufacturer of grain-based and seasoning products based in San Antonio, Texas, the investment firm announced April 4.
PPC Partners, which has offices in West Los Angeles and Chicago, led the acquisition of C.H. Guenther & Son Inc. in partnership with other investors and the food manufacturer’s management, according to the press release.
C.H. Guenther & Son Inc., which has more than 2,500 employees at factories in the United States, Canada and Western Europe, will keep its headquarters in San Antonio and its management staff, the press release said.
PPC Investment Partner Michael Nelson said in a statement that the acquisition would provide a platform for the firm to accelerate its investment in the food manufacturing industry.
Retail, restaurants and hospitality reporter Caroline Anderson can be reached at email@example.com.


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The Economic Times (11/02/2020) - This Union budget has sought to increase customs duties on a range of products. This is, perhaps, keeping GoI’s ‘Make in India’ initiative in mind. It has also sought to introduce a new provision, Section 28DA, in the Customs Act to tighten imports under free and preferential trade agreements (FTAs and PTAs).
One can recall that after longwinded negotiations that commenced in November 2012, India finally chose not to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) last November. Among the various reported concerns that prompted the decision were those related to Rules of Origin (RoO).
RoO in FTAs are designed to ensure that concessions envisaged in such agreements are granted only to products originating in the jurisdiction of the parties to the agreements.
Preferential RoOs stipulate minimum requirements that have to be fulfilled to identify the goods, which can benefit from preferential market access. Without these rules, goods could simply be transhipped. They are, thus, aimed at preventing trade deflection.
India has 16 trade agreements, with several others at various stages of negotiations. In fact, the door hasn’t been shut for RCEP either. While there has been an increase in imports as a result of PTAs (the receipt budget 2020-21shows the revenue impact in 2018-19 to be `48,793 crore, with the projected amount for 2019-20 as `65,734 crore), there has been no corresponding increase in exports. Instead, there have been several cases of misuse of FTA benefits — gold jewellery, flat TVs, betel nuts, etc.
In these cases, the customs department has faced legal challenges. The courts have held that customs cannot go beyond the certificate, even though investigations have suggested that the certificate, even when genuine, has not been issued correctly.
This, despite customs notifications, which permit such preferential rate of duty imports, and empower the authorities to deny the benefit sought in the event of imports not being in accordance with the rules.
Obviously, a need was felt — both with the experience of previous imports under FTA, and the RCEP negotiations — to have statutory authority for dealing with such situations of misuse, rather than address the issue through the instrument of delegated legislation. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman laid the ground for this in her budget speech, ‘It has been observed that imports under FTAs are on the rise. Undue claims of FTA benefits have posed threat to domestic industry. Such imports require stringent checks.’
The proposed Section 28DA merely puts in the statute many of the provisions that are in the notifications issued to operationalise FTAs. Thus, provisions relating to the manner of issuance of certificate of origin, its presentation by the importing party claiming the benefit, the power to call for retroactive verification of the certificate issued, power to suspend the provision of preferential tariff treatment pending verification… these are there in the extant notifications issued to facilitate preferential imports.
Even today, when requirements are not met, the benefit can be denied and applicable duty demanded. There is, however, one departure — Section 28DA(9) empowers the customs department to request for verification ‘within a period of five years from the date of claim of preferential duty’. This is in keeping with the requirements of on-site post-clearance audit. Having said that, the department would be well advised to exercise this power more as an exception, and only in cases of misdeclaration and fraud.
Liberalisation through PTAs have an impact on trade flows. RoOs are an integral part of this. Depending on how RoOs are thereafter implemented, they may promote or restrict trade. If the implementation of RoOs are more restrictive than necessary, they may have protectionist effects and end up acting as trade barriers.
The customs department has been at the forefront of taking measures to promote ease of doing business. It would need to continue on this road. While empowering itself, it should also exercise those powers with caution.
Read more at https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/blogs/et-commentary/duties-customs-need-to-excise-with-caution/


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One of the biggest town redevelopment schemes in the North of England – the Sanderson Arcade scheme in Morpeth - is now underway
The £32m scheme which will create a new commercial centre in the Northumberland market town will be part-funded by the specialist property finance team at Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets in Leeds. It will provide £18.7m development finance.
The development is being carried out by Morpeth II, a joint venture between Yorkshire-based market town specialists Dransfield Properties and Ethel Austin Properties.
The redevelopment of Sanderson's Arcade and the Back Riggs Shopping Centre, will result in a multi-purpose venue, including retail outlets, offices and a landscaped piazza, and will incorporate several major infrastructure improvements.
A number of major national retailers and several significant local businesses have already committed to the scheme. The scheme is expected to be complete by January 2010.
Mark Dransfield, managing director at Dransfield Properties, said: ‘This is going to be a development that the whole town and future generations can enjoy and be proud of. All along we've had the full support of the local council and the local community, and the large number of pre-lets is a sure sign of the confidence of the retail sector in this project.'
Tom Cross, relationship director in the property finance team at Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets, said: ‘Sanderson Arcade is a sure sign that commercial property deals can be done in the current climate, with the right developers and the right backing.’


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YANGON (XINHUA) – Myanmar’s seaborne trade surged 19.42 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) to about USD22.24 billion in over 10 months of the 2022-23 fiscal year beginning in April last year, official data showed on Saturday.
From April 1 last year to February 10 this year, the country’s maritime export rose 10.21 per cent to over USD9.22 billion from a year earlier, while maritime import climbed 26.94 per cent to over USD13.01 billion, data from the country’s Ministry of Commerce showed. During the period, the country saw a total foreign trade value of over USD29.33 billion, including its border trade value of more than USD7.09 billion, the ministry’s figures showed.
The Southeast Asian country usually does most of its foreign trade through sea routes as it has a long coastline. It conducts border trade with China, Thailand, Bangladesh and India.
The country exports agricultural products, animal products, fisheries, minerals and forest products, manufacturing goods and others, while it imports capital goods, intermediate goods and consumer goods.


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At the motorcycle show showed a limited turbocharged AMB1November 13, 2019
At the EICMA 2019 motor show, they presented the result of a collaboration of two premium companies Aston Martin and Brough Superior, in honor of the centenary of Brough Superior motorcycle production. They decided to release a truly unique product.
The motorcycle was named AMB1 and became the first Aston Martin two-wheeled vehicle. However, the brand known for its cars was engaged only in the design of the bike, and the entire technical part fell on the shoulders of Brough Superior.
The motorcycle received a 997 cc V-twin engine with a turbine. The power plant has reached 180 horsepower.
Moreover, the bike received an “Fior” anti-bleak front suspension and radial brakes designed specifically for this model. All panels and fairings are made of carbon fiber, so the weight of the motorcycle has been significantly reduced and reaches 180 kg.
It is reported that the motorcycle will be released in a limited edition of 100 copies and will go on sale within the fourth quarter of this year. The bike will be sold at a cost of $ 108 thousand, those interested in purchasing can now sign up on the waiting list.
- Half a century old pickup truck was abandoned in the desert. It has bullet marks on it
- Chinese BAIC builds electric sedan with advanced autopilot
- The head of Nikola leaves the post after accusations of fraud
- Iran is preparing to release an inexpensive sedan on the PSA platform
- The new Mercedes-Maybach S-class will be even more luxurious


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With OTT Growth, Services Innovate Ad Inventory
It’s no secret that usage of over the top (OTT) television services are one of the fastest growing media channels. With the pending launches of Disney+, WarnerMedia’s streaming service, and Apple TV Plus, the so-called streaming wars have really heated up.
At the same time, while OTT viewing has capture approximately 15 percent of all TV viewing, it’s only capturing 3 percent of TV ad budgets. That might not be surprising, given that ad inventory on some providers is somewhat scarce.
But now that both audiences and number of services are growing, some providers are finding innovative ways to deliver ads. But these aren’t just ordinary 15 or 30 second TV spots. For example, Hulu seems to be leading the pack with a number of unique ways to not only deliver ads but have viewers engage with them. That includes allowing users to choose which ads they see and provide other feedback on ads, but also it includes direct movie ticket sales, and ads that are shown only when the viewer pauses the video. Other ad delivery systems combine a short trivia quiz or other quick interactive elements.
What’s more, because it’s digital, all these ads can be highly targeted. The goal is not only providing more relevant advertising, but also delivering them in ways that feel comfortable to the viewer. And so far, it seems that these innovative ad units have been successful, if limited in their deployment. Hulu, the second largest OTT service after Netflix, reached $1.8 billion in revenue last year, partially based on advertising.
To be sure, many of these OTT services rely on ad-free subscription models (or, in Hulu’s case, a sort of hybrid version where users can pay less for an ad-supported subscription). However, it’s likely that ad-free platforms will gather and sell anonymous user data over time. But as providers continue to experiment with—and profit from—innovative ad units, some of these providers might look to introduce additional interesting ways for brands to reach and interact with consumers.
So say goodbye to disruptive advertising and say hello to actual brand engagement.


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By Nick Benefield / October 21st, 2018
In an official development update from its developers, WarGroove has unfortunately been delayed. Initially slated for a Q4 2018 release, the team is now aiming to release the game in Q1 2019. This news comes after a recent gameplay showcase at EGX last month. The development team has indicated that this delay is needed to “provide players with a really robust package” when the game is released.
Despite the delay, the team has also given a description of the content included in the game so far. There will be several different modes including a skirmish mode, an arcade mode, a campaign mode and a puzzle mode. Skirmish mode in particular will offer dozens of PVP maps for players to choose from. These have been confirmed to be playable both on and offline.
There will also be a number of creative options, such as map creation tools, campaign creation tools, and the ability to share this content online with other players. The last notable item is that the developer is not yet certain how feasible it will be to localize the game for non-English speakers at launch. They have indicated that they are still hoping to do so. For more information on these announcements and the game itself, head to the WarGroove’s official site.
chucklefish gamesdelayPCPS4Q1 2019SwitchWargrooveXbox One


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Today Inflation hit a fresh 40-year high with consumer prices surging 8.6% in May. In the week (not actually a complete week) that I've been away, Gas prices have gone up 30 cents. In a week!
This is the fastest pace of Inflation since December 1981.
The Labor Department said the consumer price index, which includes gas, groceries and rents, rose 8.6% in May from a year ago. Prices jumped 1% in the one-month period from April. Both numbers higher than the 8.3% headline figure and 0.7% monthly gain forecast by Refinitiv economists.
And there is no good news on the horizon, despite what the President said during his "hard hitting" interview on Jimmy Kimmel - the first such interview in 118 days!
"What an ugly CPI print. Not only was it higher than expected on almost all fronts, pressures were clearly evident in the stickier parts of the market," said Seema Shah, chief strategist at Principal Global Investors. "The decline in inflation, whenever that finally happens, will be painfully slow."
What do you think? Could the Government do anything to reverse Inflation?
Take part in today's Poll...
Our polls are not scientific and are for entertainment


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Will Samsung’s foldable phone have been worth the wait?
Q&A: Even the most cynical among us would have winced when the $2,000 price tag was revealed
The launch of the Samsung Galaxy Fold smartphone in February. Photograph: Eric Risberg/AP
To much fanfare, Samsung launched its foldable phone, the Galaxy Fold, in February for a price tag just shy of $2,000 (€1,796). The all-singing, all-dancing phone can multitask, we were told, and came with no less than six cameras. And, it would hit markets on April 26th. Except it didn’t.
Now, however, Samsung has told us production of the device is back on track with plans to launch it in September.
What does the phone do?
The Galaxy Fold is not your average smartphone: its foldable display transforms from a phone into a tablet when it is opened. It can multitask, displaying three different apps on the tablet screen and it has a plethora of cameras.
Why has its release been delayed?
Just eight days before it was originally due to release the phone, Samsung said it had received “a few” reports of damage to the displays of some of the units that had been sent out to journalists for review. There were some reports of the screen cracking or flickering while others reported a tear at the top of the hinge where the phone opened.
What did the delay mean for Samsung?
Unlike when the South Korean manufacturer had to recall the Note 7, Samsung had only predicted about 1 million units of the Fold to sell this year. That compares with the 291 million smartphones it shipped in 2018. Financially, at least, it wasn’t as big a deal as previous issues but it was a public relations disaster.
And while it has recovered from the Note 7 debacle, which wiped €13 billion off its share price in the early days of the issue, it doesn’t want to risk another mass recall. Sorting the problems now rather than later was a shrewd move.
What has changed?
Samsung has redesigned the Fold, adjusting the protective film - that users were able to tear off - so it wraps around the entire screen and flows into the outer edges, rendering it impossible to peel off by hand. It has also re-engineered the hinge, pushing it slightly upward from the screen to help stretch the film further when the phone opens.
Is the Galaxy Fold likely to set off another mobile phone war?
Without a doubt. Only days after Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Fold, Huawei revealed its own folding phone, the Mate X. Xiaomi is also entering the foldable market, so being first would give Samsung a foothold ahead of of the competition.
But the Huawei phone differs from Samsung’s in one important way – it folds outwards instead of inwards. According to experts, that outward fold puts less pressure on the screen so it is less likely to suffer from similar issues.
Nevertheless, Huawei’s phone has also been delayed and there’s still no sign of it launching. Not to mention the fact that Huawei has been caught up in the crosshairs of the US-China trade spat.
Is the Galaxy Fold worth it?
The price tag is eye popping. To put it in context, it is more expensive than Apple’s top-end 12.9in iPad Pro and likely to be more expensive here than one of Samsung’s own Frame 55-inch TVs. However, it has the potential to be the most advanced phone on the market when it eventually launches.
Where does Apple come into this?
That’s where it gets interesting. Samsung has timed the launch of its Galaxy Fold for the same month when Apple typically announced new iPhones. Reports today suggested that Apple suppliers are gearing up to produce components for up to 75 million new devices. Apple’s march has been halted, however, by Huawei’s rise in China and the Sino-US trade war. Whether it can be further stopped by Samsung’s Galaxy Fold remains to be seen.


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1 Geregu Power, a newly listed power generation company, said its revenue amounted to 70.957 billion naira in fiscal 2021.
two The company said this in a corporate disclosure made available to the Nigerianorth exchange ltd., (NGX) on Tuesday.
3 According to him, the figure represents an increase of 32.19 percent compared to the N53.677 billion recorded in fiscal year 2020.
4 Its cost of sales grew by 21.98 per cent to N37.61 billion in 2021 from N30.84 billion recorded in the same period of 2020.
Gross profit stood at N33.34 billion in 2021 from N22.84 billion in 2020, an increase of 45.97%.
5 It posted an operating profit of N29.523 billion in 2021 from N19.103 billion in 2020, which is an increase of 54.54 per cent.
6 The company’s finance income fell 39.69 per cent to N948,064 million from N1,572 billion recorded in 2020, while finance costs increased to N948,064 million in 2021 from N26,956 million in 2020, a 3.459 percent increase.
Earnings before income tax rose to N29.512 billion, an increase of 42.93 per cent compared to N20.649 billion in 2020.
Additionally, the company paid N8.962 billion in company income taxes in 2021 to report a final profit of N20.5 billion for the fiscal year ending 2021.
Geregu power became the first power generating company listed on the Nigerian Exchange Ltd on Wednesday with 2.5 billion shares at N100 each.
News sourceCredit: YAYA


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Accessories Amazon Asda Christmas Expansion & Franchise Fashion HR News High Street John Lewis London Marks & Spencer Media News Results Retail Retail and Consumer Industry Retail news Sainsbury's Store Tesco UK brand china consumer deal deals and rumours department department stores e-commerce electricals expansion fashion news food grocer group launch luxury morrisons my online online retail people profit property retail property retailer sale sales supermarket waitrose
Versace may consider outside investment in the future Friday, 5th April 2013
Italian fashion label Versace has acknowledged that it may be willing to allow outside investment in the future, a step which several of its rivals have already taken. In an interview with financial news site Reuters, the company’s Chief Executive Gian Giacomo Ferraris stated that “The family is now aware that we need to seize the moment and fund our growth.
BT Expedite develops cloud-based multichannel system for Fat Face Thursday, 4th April 2013
British Telecom has published a press release revealing that its retail specialist division, BT Expedite, developed a new cloud-based version of its Store 6.3 Point of Sale solution for clothing and accessories store Fat Face. The retailer is using BT Expedite’s Multichannel Connected Retailer Suite, which is hosted on BT’s Global Services On Demand Compute cloud platform and is capable of growing or shrinking depending on Fat Face’s requirements at the time.
KFC to trial new mobile payment app Thursday, 4th April 2013
KFC is to launch an app which will allow customers to pay for purchases through mobile devices. With m-commerce rapidly increasing its importance in the global market, a number of restaurants have recently begun to integrate smartphones into their retail services. McDonalds began offering a contactless card payment service in 2011.
Boost in confidence for SuperGroup as share prices rise Thursday, 4th April 2013
Superdry's new Trinity Leeds store. Superdry owner SuperGroup got a much needed boost in confidence yesterday as a buy note saw stocks surge. SuperGroup topped the mid-cap index on Wednesday, following a recommendation from Bethany Hocking at Investec that suggested the retailer’s turbulent past is “overshadowing the considerable changes that have taken place”.
Zara hit by allegations of "slave labour" in Argentinian factories Wednesday, 3rd April 2013
According to reports, fashion retailer Zara is under investigation after it was allegedly discovered that immigrant labourers in Argentina, including children, were working under sweatshop conditions. The Guardian reported that raids were made on several factories producing clothes with the Zara label after the non-government workers’ rights organization La Alameda submitted a tip-off regarding the alleged poor conditions.
Interserve to build new shopping centre in Edinburgh Wednesday, 3rd April 2013
Interserve is to construct a new shopping centre in Edinburgh, next to Haymarket train station. The planned development is the result of British construction company Interserve signing a deal with Scottish landowner Tiger Developments. The project is predicted to cost approximately £160.5 million and could result in 3,500 new jobs being created.
Apple promises changes to consumer policies in China Tuesday, 2nd April 2013
Apple, which has faced widespread criticism for its consumer practice policies in China in recent weeks, has issued an official apology and has promised changes in the near future. Apple has been labelled as “arrogant” in China as a result of various issues with its consumer practices and poor communication with its customers in the Chinese market.
Sir James Dyson appoints sons to board of directors Tuesday, 2nd April 2013
Sir James Dyson has appointed his two sons, Sam and Jake, as non-executive directors in his company’s board. Sir James’ son Jake is a 40 year old design engineer while Sam is a 35 year old musician. Both are business owners and both have been present at Dyson’s quarterly shareholder meetings.
Alliance Boots to cut 200 jobs from its contract manufacturer Saturday, 30th March 2013
Image Credit: Alliance Boots
Leading pharmaceutical and cosmetics firm Alliance Boots plans to cut 200 of its workers currently employed in BCM, the company’s contract manufacturer. The cuts are a reaction to reduced demand for contract manufacturing in today’s market. The intention is for the 200 employees to be reassigned to other areas of Alliance Boots over the next two years.
Suppliers persevere against extreme weather conditions Thursday, 28th March 2013
In a year which has seen bitterly cold weather and uncharacteristically high levels of snowfall, retailers and suppliers have been striving to ensure that British stores remain stocked with food. Grocery retail news website The Grocer was informed of multiple stories of suppliers and retailers going to great measures to ensure that consumers did not find themselves without the products they needed.


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Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Read the Book, Buy the Real Estate
ABOUT 60 women gathered inside a condominium on Liberty Street in the financial district on a Sunday evening not long ago to hear Dana Adam Shapiro read from his newly released book, “You Can Be Right (or You Can Be Married): Looking for Love in the Age of Divorce,” a journalistic investigation into why so many marriages fail. The women were also there to buy lingerie, get a psychic reading — and inspect the $2.68 million triplex condo for sale.
This event, mixing an author and a condo, is just one of many such gatherings that have taken place at buildings across Manhattan in recent months. Many have been organized by Divalysscious Moms, a company that puts on events for New York-area mothers. Founded by Lyss Stern five years ago, it has 465,000 members. Ms. Stern hosts a book club, exclusive shopping events, makeovers, and other occasions for moms with and without their kids.
In the last year she has brought E. L. James, Kathie Lee Gifford, Laurie David, Soleil Moon Frye and other authors together with the mothers in her network for readings in multimillion-dollar apartments for the purpose of selling books and real estate. “Authors are selling books and the books give such value to the events,” Ms. Stern said. “There is no better way to get buyers into these beautiful apartments.”


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Panola traffic signal to be powered on soon
3/21/2014, 3:17 a.m.
LITHONIA After an eight-month wait, traffic relief is on the way for customers of Publix and other retailers in the Centre at Panola shopping plaza in Lithonia.
The traffic signal, installed on July 27, 2013, may be connected to electricity service as soon as the end of next week, Georgia Power spokesman John Kraft said on March 19.
“We got the order a week ago and the work is in the process of being scheduled,” Kraft said. “The signal should be connected by March 28 or sooner, weather permitting.”
The traffic signal was installed to help customers get in and out of the shopping center on busy Panola Road, but it never went into service because county inspectors found that the signal’s wiring didn’t meet minimum specifications and would not synchronize with other traffic signals on the road.
DeKalb County spokesman Burke Brennan said this week that the county had been waiting for the Publix contractor to complete the corrections so it could order power to be installed.
“They just notified us that they have completed the required work and we have ordered power,” Brennan said in a March 11 email. “Once Georgia Power connects the power, we can turn it on.”
Centre at Panola owners Kite Realty and Publix, which anchors the shopping center, paid $112,000 for the traffic lights to enhance safety for the their customers and tenants. They also installed new sidewalks, pedestrian signals, a crosswalk and wheelchair access ramps at the intersection.
Customers had complained for years that it was dangerous exiting the plaza because of the high speed that motorists travel along the corridor. The new lights will control north-south traffic on Panola, giving the center’s customers and patrons at IHOP across the street signals for safe entry and exit.


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Mahindra is set to deliver 1,000 all-New Thar SUVs across the country, during this Diwali festive period. The company aims to welcome the Diwali festivities in India by delivering the off-road SUVs to customers and become a part of their celebrations.
The deliveries are based on the sequence of bookings received for the available variants. The 2020 Thar was launched last month in the Indian market and has received an impressive response from the market.
Customers who have booked their Thar are being assured by the company by connecting individually. Thar customers are provided with a likely or exact delivery date, thereby assuring them at every step of the waiting period.
The company has also announced that it will be increasing production of the Thar SUVs in the country. Earlier Mahindra had planned for a capacity of about 2,000 vehicles per month and is now getting ready to ramp it up to 3,000 by January.
Mahindra started the delivery process of the Thar SUV on November 1, 2020, with #1 delivery to Aakash Minda, the online auction winner. This was followed by a mega delivery of 500 Thar SUVs over the weekend of November 7 and November 8, 2020.
According to Veejay Nakra, CEO - Automotive Division, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. "We wish our customers a ‘Happy Thar-ing Diwali' during this ongoing festive season. At Mahindra, we endeavour to spread the festive cheer to as many customers as we can. Hence following the success of our earlier mega delivery of over 500 All-New Thars across the country, we are now delighted to take it a step further and deliver 1,000 All-New Thars to mark Diwali festivities."
The company also announced that, as a result of the overwhelming response, there is a waiting period ranging between 5 months and 7 months on the all-new Thar. As a result, the company is fast-tracking the production process of increasing the capacity both at its Nasik facility and the supplier end.
The Mahindra Thar currently retails between Rs 9.80 lakh and Rs 13.75 lakh (ex-showroom, India). However, the company has removed the ‘AX' base trim from the website. After the recent variant rejigs, the entry-level price for the new Mahindra Thar now stands at Rs 11.90 lakh, ex-showroom (Delhi) — here are more details.
Thoughts About The Mahindra Planning To Deliver 1,000 Thar SUVs This Diwali Across India
Mahindra is looking to celebrate the Diwali festival with its customers as it aims for another mega delivery of the Thar SUVs across the country. 1000 customers who are eagerly waiting for their Thar will have another reason to celebrate this Diwali with their brand spanking new SUV.


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DETROIT — In a U.S. neighborhood served by 26 liquor stores but only one grocery, a community group is peddling fresh fruits and vegetables like ice cream.
Five days a week, the Peaches & Greens truck winds its way through the streets as a loudspeaker plays R&B and puts out the call: "Nutritious, delicious. Brought right to you. We have green and red tomatoes, white and sweet potatoes. We have greens, corn on the cob and cabbage, too."
The truck set up like a small market brings affordable produce to families on public assistance, homebound seniors and others who can't reach the well-stocked grocery chains in the suburbs.
Experts call Detroit a food desert: More than half of its residents must travel at least twice as far to reach the nearest grocery store as they do to a fast-food restaurant or convenience store. Many shop at liquor stores and corner markets that carry few, if any, fresh fruits and vegetables.
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Some who have studied the city say people in developing countries can more easily get fresh produce.
The lack of fresh food is a public health problem in Detroit, which has one of the nation's highest obesity rates. Other cities also are struggling with obesity, diabetes and other illnesses tied to diets high in calories and sugar. They're trying a variety of ways to solve the problem, from adding pushcart vendors who sell fresh fruits and vegetables in New York to a moratorium on new fast-food restaurants in part of Los Angeles.
But Detroit's limited public transportation makes it difficult for those without cars to get to farmers markets or suburban stores, and decades of population decline — from 1.8 million in the 1950s to half that now — have made most neighborhoods in the 138-square-mile city too sparse to support corner produce stands.
"The truck delivery system is one that makes sense in Detroit because of the spread-out situation and the lack of transportation that reaches food venues," said Dave D. Weatherspoon, an associate professor at Michigan State University. "We thought that was a pretty good place to get started."
Peaches & Greens has community gardens, where volunteers grow greens, tomatoes and other vegetables to help stock the truck. The food also is offered at a neighborhood produce market, and organizers hope to persuade liquor stores and corner markets to stock their vegetables.
"People will buy it," said Lisa Johanon, executive director of the nonprofit Central Detroit Christian Community Development Corp., which runs Peaches & Greens. "We've seen the stereotype that urban communities won't eat healthy, and we're seeing that isn't true."
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Natural-Grown Killers in Organic Food Make It No Safer Than Produce Grown With Pesticide
LEESBURG, Va.-Stop the presses: America’s top organic food executive has admitted organic foods are neither safer nor more nutritious than mainstream foods.
Meanwhile, food safety tests commissioned by ABC News found no pesticide residues on either the organic or mainstream produce and up to 100 times as many dangerous pathogens on the organic vegetables.
On the Feb. 4 edition of the ABC newsmagazine “20/20,” John Stossel questioned Katherine DiMatteo, director of the Organic Trade Association, which represents organic farmers and retailers.
Also interviewed was Les Crawford, former director of food safety for the Food and Drug Administration, and Dennis Avery, my colleague at the Hudson Institute’s Center for Global Food Issues and a leading critic of organic food production.
He also spoke to Rita Bernstein, whose young daughter, Hayley, was attacked by E. coli O157:H7 after eating contaminated organic lettuce. Hayley nearly died and remained on a respirator for months. She suffers from impaired vision.
Here’s an instructive excerpt of Stossel’s interview with DiMatteo:
Stossel: “Is (organic food) more nutritious?”
DiMatteo: “It’s as nutritious as any other product.”
Stossel: “Is it more nutritious?”
DiMatteo: “It is as nutritious as any other product on the market.”
Stossel: “There’s a sales campaign to dream about. The organic industry admits organics are no more nutritious than other food, but the customers think it is.”
DiMatteo: “Organic agriculture is not particularly a food safety claim. That’s not what our standards are about.”
Stossel: “But your customers think it’s better for you.”
DiMatteo: “I don’t know that that’s true.”
Stossel: “Sure it is. (We) did a poll on organic foods and found 45 percent of the public think organics are more nutritious. Half the people said healthier, and they’re not.”
Avery told Stossel organic food is potentially more dangerous because much of it is fertilized with manure, a known reservoir of bacteria dangerous to humans.
Crawford, now of Georgetown University, warned viewers that 76 million Americans get sick from food-borne bacteria every year. Health authorities are especially concerned about the new strain of E. coli, O157, which is deadly enough to kill even healthy people and leaves many of its survivors with internal organ damage.
This new E. coli is heat-resistant microbe, making it uncertain whether routine composting done by organic farmers will consistently kill it.
Stossel found no comparative tests had been done on the safety of organic food compared with mainstream food, and commissioned the University of Georgia to test samples of both.
The Georgia tests found no pesticide residues in either the organic or mainstream produce. Mainstreams farmers avoid using pesticides when the residues would persist after harvest.
The most dramatic finding, however, was that the organic produce had 100 times as many pathogens as their mainstream counterparts. Most of these bacteria were strains of E. coli, an indicator of fecal contamination.
ABC didn’t ask the laboratory to do the additional expensive tests to find out if the E. coli were of the vicious strain, widely found on farms but fortunately still rare in foods.
Avery told Stossel, “If we have no (consumer) deaths from pesticides and 5,000 deaths from bacteria, it’s pretty clear to me that we should be worrying now primarily about the nasty new bacteria.” Avery said, “People have been told (organic is) healthier-by organic farmers who have a vested interest in telling them that.”
DiMatteo responded, “I think that organic agriculture and its products are healthier for the environment.”
“Okay, that’s another argument,” Stossel rejoined. “Organics are no healthier, but they’re better for the planet, all because they don’t use chemicals. But does that really mean that organics are better for the earth? Avery says no, because organic farmers waste so much land.”
Avery contends organic yields are about half as high as modern mainstream farmers’ yields and that an organic mandate would thus force the world to convert many millions of additional square miles of land from wildlife to crops. He warns society is already farming 37 percent of the earth’s land surface.
Avery noted, “It’s today’s conventional farmers, the nonorganic ones, who have performed an environment-saving miracle by taking nitrogen from the air to make chemical fertilizer, and by using the often-criticized pesticides and genetically engineered seeds.
When Stossel questioned the higher prices paid for organic food, DiMatteo replied, “I think that people pay more for food all the time, because of their individual personal choices.
Avery rejoined, “Sometimes people will pay several dollars for a cup of coffee. They’re all wrong. My daughter-in-law cried when I told her this information. She still won’t tell her neighbors why she doesn’t go with them to the organic store any longer.”
Anchor-women Barbara Walters told Stossel as the segment closed, “I may cry too, because I’ve been buying organic food.”
DAVE JUDAY, an adjunct fellow with the Hudson Institute’s Center for Global Food Issues, was former Vice President Dan Quayle’s chief agricultural adviser. His views are not necessarily those of Bridge News, whose ventures include the Internet site www.bridge.com.
OPINION ARTICLES and letters to the editor are welcome. Send submissions to Sally Heinemann, editorial director, Bridge News, 3 World Financial Center, 200 Vesey St., 28th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10281-1009. You may also call (212) 372-7510, fax (212) 372-2707 or send e-mail to email@example.com.


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Enjoy our round-up of ten mobile phone related news stories you may have missed including the new Android-based Vertu TI smartphone, Qualcomm’s Quick Charge technology and the latest Android 4.2.2 update.
1. Vertu releases the Android-based Vertu TI
Vertu has released its first new phone since being sold by Nokia and purchased by an independent equity group. The phone is the Vertu TI and it has Android 4.0 as its OS, a complete change from the Symbian and S40 software of old. It’s powered by a dual-core Snapdragon S4 and has a 3.7-inch touchscreen. As usual with Vertu, the phone is beautifully made from high quality materials including titanium and sapphire crystal. Prices start at around £7,000.
2. Qualcomm Reveals Quick Charge
Qualcomm has revealed a new technical innovation called Quick Charge, which reduces the recharge time for your smartphone by 40%, and best of all it could already be installed on the device in your pocket. An official blog post lists the 70 devices which use Quick Charge technology, including the HTC 8X and 8S, the Lumia 920 and the Samsung Galaxy S III. Normally, these devices would recharge in four hours or so, but with Quick Charge they take less than three, on average.
3. Google Now Updated
Google has updated the Google Now feature, introduced with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean last year. This is the fourth version of the software, and now has Rotten Tomatoes, Zillow and Fandango integration, although several of the features may only be relevant to US users. Check out the video below to see the new Google Now widget in action, which makes it easier to keep track of Google Now’s suggestions.
4. Asus MeMo Pad Tablet Launched
Asus has announced a new tablet. Named the MeMo Pad, it has a 10-inch screen, a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 16GB storage memory and a 5 megapixel camera. The spec list is completed by Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but sadly the tablet hasn’t been given a European release date yet. A price of around £230 is possible.
5. Android 4.2.2 Available for Download
If you own a certain Nexus smartphone or tablet, Google has a present for you – Android 4.2.2. This new version of the Android operating system must be downloaded from Google’s developer page and manually installed, so it’s not one for the fainthearted. So, which devices are compatible? The Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus 10 are currently listed, but this may expand in the future.
6. Cherry Mobile Thunder = Best Phone Name Ever
Yes, there really is a phone named the Cherry Mobile Thunder, but it’s only available in the Philippines. It has a 4.5-inch screen, a 1GHz MediaTek processor, a 5 megapixel camera and 4GB of storage space, so we’re not missing much; but that name is just a wonderful thing.
7. HTC M7 Teaser Trailer
A keen HTC fan has put together all the short, M7 teaser trailers HTC has released into one, baffling video. There are flashes of something metallic and occasionally curvy, but mostly it’s just bright lights and lens flare. Still, it’s getting us even more excited about HTC’s 19 February event, where the M7 is expected to be revealed.
8. Nokia Asha 310 Announced
Nokia has announced a new addition to its Asha range, the Asha 310, which is the first model to feature both dual-SIM capabilities and Wi-Fi connectivity. It’s a full touch phone with a 3-inch screen, plus it has a 2 megapixel camera a microSD card slot, Bluetooth 3.0 and Series 40 software. So far, Nokia has only announced the phone for Asia, India, Africa, the Middle East and Brazil, where it’ll cost around £65 SIM-free.
9. Three to Stock the Galaxy Fame
The Three network has confirmed it will be stocking the new Galaxy Fame, which was announced alongside the Galaxy Young at the beginning of the month. It’ll be available on a contract and as a pay as you go phone, but no price or release date has been given.
10. HP Could Be Looking at Android for its Tablet Return
Despite not having much luck in the consumer tablet world, following the disastrous release of the HP TouchPad, HP is rumoured to be looking to adopt Android for its next tablet project. Additionally, should the tablet ever become reality, it may be powered by the new NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor. As the Tegra 4 isn’t expected to be released until late into the second half of the year, official news is still some way off.


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Irisys has won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2011 - the highest official UK award for British businesses.
We were selected in the International Trade category for “outstanding” export achievements.
We increased overseas sales by 142% to nearly £12 million p.a. over three years, and upped exports from 48% to 83% of production. We now export to more than 40 countries worldwide including North and South America, China and Japan.
It also helped that we invest a double digit percentage of revenues in R&D, and hold over 70 patents.
The Awards are run in a peculiarly British way. The palace wrote to us about it some weeks back, but there was an official embargo until a minute past midnight on the Queen’s birthday. The idea is that Her Majesty bestows the honour as a personal birthday gift.
The Award follows an exceptional year for us. We more than doubled our turnover, opened more international offices, and embarked on a major recruitment programme.
We have an extraordinarily talented team here. It’s good to gain official recognition that we’re doing outstanding stuff.


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If you want to avoid pesticides in your neighborhood, state officials urge you to apply for the "landscape pesticide advance notice registry" right away.
The deadline is February first and it's free.
To get an application you can call (608)-224-4616, or go to the department website at datcp.state.wi.us/ and enter “landscape registry" in the search box.
You can also request an application by mail. Write to the Landscape Registry Coordinator, Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, P.O. Box 8911, Madison, WI, 53708-8911.
Beginning mid-March, depending on the weather, you'll start getting phone calls, postcards or notices on your door.
The registry coordinator says over a 1000 people were on the list last year. Most wanted to know when to keep kids and pets inside or when to keep their windows closed.


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By Scott Cendrowski, writer
FORTUNE -- Forget the breathless coverage of China Mobile offering the iPhone for a moment. Yes, it's huge news for China's biggest wireless carrier and Apple (AAPL) -- and we've heard plenty to the point. But the real game changer for China is another mobile milestone that's nearly as imminent: the rollout of the faster wireless network standard 4G.
People elsewhere in the world take 4G for granted. I should know -- I once did. After 4G came to New York, my smartphone became faster than my PC. I watched Netflix (NFLX) on my iPhone. Google Maps (GOOG) search was instantaneous. Newspapers downloaded in seconds.
Not so in China. Here, 3G still rules. I moved to Beijing this year, and the downgrade from 4G to 3G was brutal. The same apps weren't the same. Google Maps? Acceptable, but not great. Apple Newsstand: painfully slow. Yahoo Fantasy Football (YHOO) ... well, just don't wait to set your rosters.
The 4G rollout in China has progressed in fits and stops. China Mobile (CHL) announced in 2012 that it would upgrade its systems to TD-LTE, a 4G standard, only to be rebuffed by government officials who worried the technology was not mature enough for the market. Delays ensued. 4G was wait-listed until now.
Last week, China took the official step of granting 4G licenses to the three big state-owned carriers, China Mobile, a giant among giants with 60% of China's mobile market, China Unicom (CHU), second-largest with little over 20% share, and No. 3 China Telecom (CHA). The 4G switch is flipped on Dec. 18, when big cities will fire up the new network. (In a nod to the potential 4G offers, the Party has turned supportive. There's little talk from carriers about the cost of licenses from the government, compared to the Western world where carriers spend tens of billions on new spectrum.)
Insiders say by mid-2014, the country should be far along in adopting 4G. I met one of those insiders last night at a press event for Huawei, the Chinese maker of telecom equipment that is now competing in smartphones and tablets. (Hence, the press mixer. The company previously had little need for reporters because of its business-to-business focus.)
Qiu Heng is TDD Network Vice President at Huawei, part of the company's 4G team. I asked Heng what's been the most difficult part of China's 4G rollout, seeing as it's coming three years after 4G was adopted in the U.S. and Japan. He thinks about it for a moment. "There has been no difficulty," he says. This sounds improbable, and it is.
But it's true that Huawei has worked out the 4G kinks in its equipment in Japan. The 4G release in China, now that it's been officially sanctioned, should be smooth, despite the massive numbers involved. China Mobile, for instance, needs to upgrade more than 200,000 base stations. (Heng points out the U.S. and Japan combined have 150,000 stations.) Software upgrades and minor hardware modifications to existing stations are enough to support 4G using Huawei's technology. Reports put China Mobile's cost of station upgrades at $3 billion.
This is a game changer, Heng says. For the first time Chinese consumers will be able to consistently watch video on their phones. Mobile shopping, already popular, should grow faster with faster speeds. Media, entertainment, and other commerce should all experience a new era in China.
Bigger than the iPhone release, I ask Heng? He nods his head yes.
The world's largest carrier is recruiting "pioneers" for a 4G pilot project that starts Dec. 18.
FORTUNE -- If you're looking to signs that China Mobile (CHL) is getting set to start offering its 740 million subscribers iPhones -- and what Apple (AAPL) investor isn't? -- the carrier's website has been offering some strong hints. Take, for example, the attached promo that shows China Mobile customers communicating with a variety of MOREPhilip Elmer-DeWitt - Nov 22, 2013 8:34 AM ET
The Korean giant wants to deliver 5G network technology by 2020.
By Peter Suciu
FORTUNE -- While many mobile phone users are still making calls, sending texts, and surfing the web over a 3G network and have yet to upgrade to a 4G handset, South Korean mobile phone maker Samsung says it has successfully developed the world's first adaptive array transceiver technology operating in the millimeter-wave Ka bands for communications -- MOREMay 16, 2013 11:55 AM ET
Fortune's curated selection of tech stories from the last 24 hours. Sign up to get the round-up delivered to you each and every day.
* Google (GOOG) is seeking partnerships with automakers to eventually bring its self-driving car technology to real-world drivers. Though, the company still needs to conduct "millions of miles" of testing, and it may take another decade to bring to market. (The Wall Street Journal)
* One good thing to come out of MOREJP Mangalindan, Writer - Apr 26, 2012 3:30 AM ET
Offers full refunds rather than stop marketing the new iPad as "Wi-Fi + 4G"
The dispute down under that landed Apple (AAPL) in an Australian federal court Tuesday is a bit more complicated than initial reports suggested.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald's Lucy Battersby, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACC) contacted Apple on March 15 -- the day before the new iPad went on sale -- expressing concern about the name MOREPhilip Elmer-DeWitt - Mar 28, 2012 6:36 AM ET
Most seem to be even more impressed with the latest tablet than the tech press was
RBC Capital's Mike Abramsky: 'New iPad' - Incremental? Really? We would argue it will maintain Apple's Tablet dominance, especially when considered in context with Apple's powerful ecosystem (iTunes, iTunes Store, iCloud, iOS, App Store, carrier/store distribution, etc)... The new iPad raises the performance bar, with the highest resolution screen on a tablet and the A5X processor MOREPhilip Elmer-DeWitt - Mar 8, 2012 7:29 AM ET
After the reports of the past few days, is there any room left for surprise?
The latest details, with links:
Unveiling scheduled for March 7, release likely by March 9
2048×1536 "Retina" display (double the resolution of iPads 1 and 2)
Quad-core A-6 chip, perhaps replacing the dual-core chip in the current iPad
4G LTE Qualcomm (QCOM) chipset, signaling that the next iPhone will be 4G too
Still unknown: Where the unveiling will take place, at the MOREPhilip Elmer-DeWitt - Feb 14, 2012 9:40 AM ET
Fortune's curated selection of newsworthy tech stories from the weekend. Sign up to get the newsletter delivered to you every day.
* Late last night, Netflix (NFLX) announced via blog post that it is totally separating its DVD business from the streaming business and dubbing the former "Qwikster." Qwikster will be run by ex-Netflix exec Andy Rendich and will have separate user accounts, movie ratings and billing. Coming soon to the newly-christened service: Xbox 360, MOREJP Mangalindan, Writer - Sep 19, 2011 3:30 AM ET
The HTC Thunderbolt's Internet speed is not only faster than any other phone, it may be faster than your home wired Internet connection.
Verizon (VZ) launched its LTE 4G wireless service in the U.S. at the end of last year. Until last week however, the only way to tap into that superfast wireless network was to buy a USB dongle and plug it into your laptop.
That all changed with the MORESeth Weintraub - Mar 24, 2011 5:08 PM ET
Both are not entirely new or incredibly groundbreaking but are both interesting for the reasons outlined below.
AT&T (T) was first up today with the announcement of the Inspire 4G, the company's first 4G phone. As far as specs and aesthetics are concerned, it is pretty much on par with Sprint's (S) EVO 4G, with an 8 megapixel camera, 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a 4.3" screen, etc. The Inspire doesn't have a front-facing MORESeth Weintraub - Feb 2, 2011 12:52 AM ET
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text: b'In Re Twitter, Inc. Sec. Litig., No. 19-cv- taking so long, the CFO stated that Twitters work with 07149, 2020 WL 7260479 (N.D. Cal.MAP was ongoing and that while Twitter was making Dec. 10, 2020)improvements to MAP, it continued to sell the existing Ad Performance Overinflated ByMAP product. The CFO also stated, in response to a question regarding Twitters monetization capabilities Privacy Issuesoutside of the U.S. that Twitters strength just varies As noted above, Twitter, Inc. is a well-known socialfrom one geography to anotherAsia, for example, has media platform on which members can post interactivetended to be more MAP-focused historically. messages or tweets. Twitter generates the majority ofOn October 24, 2019, before the markets opened, the its revenue from advertising. Twitter collects personalCEO and CFO held an investor call regarding Twitters 3Q information about its users based on their usage on the2019 financial results. During the call, the CFO disclosed platform, as well as device- and data-specific informationthat the changes Twitter implemented to address the in order to more effectively target its ads. Twitter then usesprivacy issues disclosed on August 6, 2019 primarily this personalized information in the advertising productsaffected the legacy MAP product, negatively affected it offers its ad customers. One specific product, Mobile3Q revenue growth by 3 or more points, and that these Application Promotion (MAP), prompts users to install annegative effects would continue through at least 4Q 2019 advertisers mobile application on their devices, or by 4 or more points. Defendants further disclosed a 1% re-engage with a mobile application that the user hasdecline in Japanese revenue due to a meaningful drop already downloaded. MAP generates advertising revenuerelated to bugs and that CPE was down 12%, reflecting by sharing user date with advertisers. MAP is mosta mix shift from MAP to video ad formats (which have effective when an advertiser knows information about alower CPEs) and life-for-life price decreases across most users device settings. Advertisers using MAP only pay forad formats. That day, Twitters shares declined over 20% each click on the install or open buttons in the ad.from $38.83 per share to $30.73 per share.On July 26, 2019, Twitter disclosed its financial results for 2Q 2019 in a letter to shareholders. In this letter, as well as on a conference call with investors that day, Twitter,The court found that many of the its CEO, and its CFO represented that improvements inchallenged statements were inactionable MAPs stability, performance, and scale were ongoing and would have a positive impact on revenue. Thesepuffery, explaining [t]he statements at representations were repeated in Twitters 2Q 2019issue here are not measurable and not Form 10-Q, which also contained several risk disclosures, including that [o]ur products and services may containtethered to facts that a reasonable person undetected software errors, which could harm ourwould deem important to a securities business and operating results and that [c]hanges to existing products, services and initiatives could fail toinvestment decision.attract users, content partners, advertisers and platform partners or generate revenue.On August 6, 2019, Twitter announced to its users thatInvestors filed a putative class action lawsuit against it had recently discovered and fixed issues relatedTwitter, its CEO and its CFO alleging violations of Sections to  setting choices for the way personalized ads are10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act, and delivered and when certain data is shared with trustedRule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, based on various measurement and advertising partners. Twitter disclosedallegedly fraudulent statements or omissions regarding that the issues resulted in Twitter taking certain actionsMAP, including statements about (1) MAP progress and related to personalized advertising and data sharing, evenrevenue prediction, (2) software bugs affecting MAP, and if users had not given permission to do so. Specifically,(3) MAPs progress and Asias historical focus on MAP. the issues were that (i) from May 2018 onward, the dataDefendants moved to dismiss the consolidated amended of users who clicked through an advertisement for acomplaint, and the court granted the motion, with leave mobile application to the app itself was shared, and (ii)to amend, holding that plaintiffs failed to plead a material from September 2018 onward, Twitter showed usersmisrepresentation or omission and scienter.personalized ads based on inferences made from the users devices. Twitter disclosed that the issues wereThe court found that many of the challenged statements remedied on August 5, 2019.were inactionable puffery, explaining [t]he statements at The following month, at a September 4, 2019 conference,issue here are not measurable and not tethered towhen asked why the roll out of an improved MAP was 48'


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HANOI, Oct 10 (Reuters) – Vietnam recorded a trade surplus of $1.6 billion in September, narrowing from a surplus of $3.4 billion in August and beating a previous government forecast, customs data released on Thursday showed.
Exports in September fell 9.8% from the previous month to $23.357 billion, while imports fell 3.1% at $21.749 billion, the Customs Department said in a statement.
Smartphones, garments and electronic home appliances were among the largest export earners in September. Key imports were electronics and machinery, the department said.
In the first nine months of 2019, Vietnam’s exports climbed 8.4% from a year earlier to $194.653 billion, while imports were also up 8.4% at $187.504 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $7.149 billion.
The government’s General Statistics Office late last month forecast September trade surplus at $500 million. (Reporting by Khanh Vu; Editing by Alison Williams)


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All the very latest information about Bentley in one place. The latest Bentley business news, analysis, comment and interviews, all from our automotive industry experts at just-auto.
Biofuels reduced site's CO2 emissions.
The VW owned premium brand says it has also cut carbon off-sets by over 80%.
Volkswagen has approved electrification strategies for its two luxury divisions, certain details of which have been disclosed. So what might…
It won't be many years into the future when we wistfully recall large capacity engines. One of the smoothest must…
Bentley Motors has converted the former Mulliner workshop at Crewe into a final inspection centre.
Volkswagen has set up its AI Detroit unit, a dedicated AI research and development unit.
VW Group owned Bentley Motors has announced a three-year research study that will investigate recyling electric motors and components.
With the UK once again under national lockdown and car retailers closed to sales visits, physical commissions and test drives, VW…
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T-Mobile is quickly becoming the Troll Carrier instead of the Uncarrier. After a very successful CES where John Legere was kicked out of an AT&T party, the T-Mobile CEO has taken to Twitter to post images of customers breaking up with their carriers.
T-Mobile has entered phase 4 of its Uncarrier movement by paying the early termination fees of customers who ditch their current carrier contracts and trade in their devices. This new deal has spawned a hilarious Twitter campaign where Legere (@JohnLegere) has been re-tweeting photos of customers breaking up with AT&T, Sprint and Verizon.
T-Mobile has even created a Facebook app so anyone can easily craft a breakup letter to their carrier and share it on their favorite social networks.
Hate or love them, T-Mobile has really shaken up the wireless industry by eliminating phone subsidies and contracts. Its early upgrade program "Jump" has already been copied by AT&T and Verizon Wireless, and AT&T has even overreacted by offering T-Mobile customers up to $450 to leave the Uncarrier.Meanwhile, T-Mobile claims it has added more than a million customers to its service at the end of the third quarter, and it has recently paid $2.37 billion to Verizon Wireless to expand its wireless reach.


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Taiwan-based logistics company, Dimerco, has expanded its US network following the completion of its investment in BC Logistics which operates in Phoenix.
The new joint venture is the latest in Dimerco’s continuing expansion of its US freight forwarding network, which now includes 19 offices in major markets, coast to coast. Globally, Dimerco has 166 company-owned forwarding offices in 17 countries, supplemented by 200 partner agents and 80-plus contract logistics operations.
Founded in 2001, BC Logistics has provided global and domestic transportation services for companies in the semiconductor, power/energy, healthcare, and other industries requiring time-critical, service sensitive shipments. The new joint venture will supplement BC Logistics’ local market knowledge and transportation expertise with Dimerco’s global capabilities to provide customers with worldwide logistics solutions from a single source.
“Arizona has become a very important logistics hub as its population and business base has grown,” said Dimerco. “Phoenix is now the fifth-largest city in the US and Arizona has become an epicentre for technology manufacturing in the Southwest, with corporations attracted by the state’s business-friendly tax structure, knowledge-based workforce, and favorable weather.
“BC Logistics will capitalise on this growth to expand business across a wide range of services, including air and ocean freight, domestic air and ground, logistics planning, warehousing, crating and package, asset recovery/white glove services, and time-definite courier service.”


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Sergey Nivens - Fotolia
PA Consulting Group has moved to pick up digital insight and strategy player Sparkler to add more depth to its own activities in that area.
Sparkler, which is 17 years old, has 60 staff and a customer base that includes Microsoft, eBay, Sky and Sainsbury's. The terms of the deal were undisclosed.
The combination of that business with PA should give the firm that chance to react to the customer call for help navigating changing competitive landscapes.
Andy Katz, who leads PA’s strategy team, said that it was important to add a human dimension to the digital world, which is where Sparkler came in.
“Customer needs, behaviours and expectations are changing at an unprecedented pace. At the same time, the traditional distinction between products and services is blurring, with new ways to create value emerging. Many markets are now being disrupted both from within and by new entrants. As a result, it’s vital that organisations get even closer to their customers and create relevant products fast," he said.
Sparkler’s founding partners, John Robson and Magnus Willis, said that it had delivered decent growth over the last three years as the market for digital insights increased.
“Becoming part of PA enables us to continue on this upward trajectory. Understanding the human side of the digital world is essential to all businesses and we will now be able to bring our expertise to more clients, in more markets, more swiftly," the founders stated.
PA Consulting issued research this morning warning that airports were not ready to fend off a major cyber attack.
The report, Overcome the Silent Threat, concluded that having passengers in airports that wanted fast internet and digital engagement was increasing the opportunities for cyber criminals to exploit.
“Fundamentally, the focus on physical security needs to be applied with the same rigour in the cyber arena if airports are going to build resilience to potentially catastrophic cyber attacks. If the industry does not act now, it will find itself at increased vulnerability to cyberattacks as new technologies become part of everyday operations," said David Oliver, global transport security lead at PA Consulting Group.


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HighRadius, which has developed AI-powered fintech software, announced Tuesday it has raised $300 million in a Series C funding round led by D1 Capital and Tiger Global.
The round values Houston-based HighRadius at $3.1 billion, triple its valuation of “more than $1 billion” at the time of its $125 million Series B in January of 2020. With this latest financing, HighRadius has raised $475 million in funding.
Existing backers ICONIQ Growth and Susquehanna Growth Equity also participated in the round along with a slew of high-profile CEOs, including Snowflake Chairman and CEO Frank Slootman; Snowflake CFO Michael Scarpelli; Procore Technologies CEO Tooey Courtemanche and Airtable co-founder and CEO Howie Liu.
HighRadius said it will use the new capital “to fuel product innovation and expand global go-to-market reach.”
At the beginning of 2020, HighRadius had more than 400 customers, including over 200 of the Forbes Global 2000 such as Walmart, Nike and Procter & Gamble, and claimed to process more than $1 trillion in transactions per year.
Today, the HighRadius platforms for order-to-cash and treasury management help more than 600 clients, including more than 200 of the Forbes Global 2000, “optimize their working capital.”
Founded in 2006, HighRadius may not technically be a “startup” in the literal sense of the word. It has, however, notably only taken external capital in recent years.
The company describes itself as a “SaaS provider for integrated receivables, such as credit, cash application, EIPP, collections, deductions, and payments.” In other words, the platform aims to automate routing receivables and payments processes (such as predicting invoice payment dates, for example) across a variety of functions via AI and machine learning. Its white-labeled software is integrated into its partners’ offerings.
John Curtius, partner at Tiger Global Management, said HighRadius is “in the opening innings of defining the next big software market for the Office of the CFO.”


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Lagos - Members of the public have been urged to vote in a photography competition that aims to unite local artists and their international counterparts.
The competition, dubbed the LagosPhoto Festival, kicks off in October. Photographers are expected to submit images in four categories which include places, people, fashion and food through www.lagosphotoapp.net.
The festival is said to be the first and only international arts festival of photography in Nigeria that aims to establish a community for contemporary photography and unite local and international artists through images that encapsulate individual experiences and identities from across all of Africa.
Etisalat is sponsoring the LagosPhoto Festival.
Also Read:Iroha visually sings the light blues
“Since commencing operations in Nigeria over six years ago, Etisalat has remained committed to delivering innovative, life changing, products and services to customers and supporting creativity and innovation.
"This commitment has led to our continuous support of the LagosPhoto Festival and the development of the arts in the Nigeria,” the Director, Brand and Experience of Etisalat Nigeria, Enitan Denloye, said.
Meanwhile, ahead of the LagosPhoto Festival, Etisalat, in association with the African Artist’s Foundation (AAF), organisers of LagosPhoto Festival, have announced dates for the 2015 edition of the Etisalat Photography Competition.
The competition is ongoing until September 28.
- CAJ News


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Tradesmen predict business lift in 2011
Published: 15 April, 2011
UK: One-third of British tradesmen are predicting an increase in business this year compared to 2010, according to findings from the Wickes 2011 Home Improvement Report, which was released yesterday.
Despite over half (54%) of the 1000 tradesmen questioned witnessing a marked decline in their volume of work during 2010, the Report reveals that 33% believe that they will see an uplift in business in 2011. A further 32% predict that business levels will remain the same as last year.
Tradesmen are attributing the prediction of increased business to a growing consumer confidence in spending. Almost two-thirds (61%) of Brits plan to make changes to their home in 2011, including large jobs such as fitting new kitchens and bathrooms.
Of the 54% of tradesmen who experienced a drop in work during 2010, the vast majority (87%) attributed the drop to the recession, and rising numbers of homeowners opting to take on more DIY tasks themselves to save money.
However, with more people trying their hand at DIY comes an increase in potential DIY disasters. One in five (20%) homeowners questioned admitted to a botched DIY job with over a third of those (34%) then relying on the help of a qualified tradesperson to correct it.
Tradesman Craig Weatherington from the West Midlands says: “We’ve seen a marked increase in the number of call-outs we’re getting to rectify DIY that’s gone wrong. It’s a false economy – people try to save money by doing it themselves, but it can actually end up costing them much more in the long run.”
Wickes spokesperson, Tony Holdway, adds: “The feedback from the trade indicates that business is predicted to either level out or increase – which is great news for trade customers. The Wickes Home Improvement Report has shown that people are as keen as ever to improve their homes, and we’re here to provide our trade customers with everything they need to keep doing jobs they can be proud of.”


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Assassin's Creed 4 Launching On PC Weeks After Consoles
Assassin's Creed 4 will debut on current-gen consoles this October. The PC version, however, won't be out until November at the latest according to Ubisoft.
AC4 director Ashraf Ismail revealed the staggered release during a chat with ElderGeek (video below). He didn't mention the PC release date. However, he mentioned that that version will arrive "a few weeks after" its console counterparts.
"We're working hard on the PC version," Ismail said. "It's one of the main platforms we work on in the office. For our PC fans, don't worry. The game on PC looks phenomenal."
Are you surprised, by the delay? Well, you shouldn't be. Every Assassin's Creed game in the series has hit the PC later than consoles. Here are the North American launch dates for the series:
The pattern isn't limited to Assassin's Creed, either. Check out release dates for recent entries in other high-profile Ubisoft series like Prince of Persia or Splinter Cell and you'll see more of the same. I wouldn't be half-surprised if Watch Dogs gets pushed back a few weeks on PC as well. Here we go again.
So, why do PC gamers always get the shaft with these big launches? It's the same reason that, up until this past fall, they tried pushing always-on DRM on that platform: piracy. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot stated last year that 93-95% of players of a given game are pirates. If you believe those sorts of statistics, then delaying the PC version to nudge gamers toward buying the console editions instead makes sense.
Ubisoft said earlier in the year that they're trying to mend their relationship with PC gamers. Assassin's Creed 3, for example, was released without the always-on DRM. So was Far Cry 3, which was also A) excellent on PC, B) released on PC simultaneously with consoles. These are the rare exceptions, though. If Ubisoft's going to really win over PC gamers for good, they need to be consistent.
AC4 will debut on Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii U on October 29th. Ismail said in the interview that the game is going to be a launch title on PS4 and Xbox One as well. Those consoles are currently undated, though.
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Comics officially coming to PSP
Sony Japan has just formerly announced its plan to introduce a comic book download service for the PSP to the PlayStation Store later this year
Sony Japan has just formerly announced its plan to introduce a comic book download service for the PSP to the PlayStation Store later this year. It’s expected that a similar service will also be made available in the US and, hopefully, in Europe too.
Sony market research teams had been quizzing American PSP owners about what they’d think to a service like this back in March of this year, so we’ve been anticipating this announcement for a while now.
Unofficial PSP comic downloads have actually been around for years now, mostly for free. You can download them via a PC as a series of images then view them like a slideshow. The PSN downloads should be a little fancier than that, enabling you to pan around the page, zoom in and out, or just set it to auto-flow whereby the PSP just moves from panel to panel automatically.


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5) April – Absolut ‘affront to America’ ad
A print ad from the maker of Absolut vodka earlier this year produced an ad featuring a map showing much of the US as a part of Mexico as it used to be. The ad only ran in a Mexican celebrity gossip magazine. However, it was posted on blogs and eventually picked up by the mass media crowd, drawing a negative response from Americans many of whom felt Absolut should be boycotted for the affront.
Behind the news:
Not everyone knows the history behind this episode, but it goes back to 1846 when the U.S. and Mexico entered into a war which lasted 2 years. In 1848, at the conclusion of the U.S.- Mexican War, the two countries signed the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo. The treaty called for Mexico to give up almost half of its territory, which included modern-day California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and parts of Colorado, Nevada, and Utah. In return, the U.S. paid $15 million in compensation for war-related damage to Mexican land.
The reaction to this ad is a testament to the fact that we are operating in a borderless world. With the advent of the internet and new communications technologies, there is nowhere to hide. Even if an ad is intended and perfectly suitable for one market, if it is offensive to another market, the chances are that it will get picked up and have negative repercussions on the brand equity.
© Textappeal 2009


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Singapore Leasing Market Update | Q2 2018
The second quarter of 2018 is now behind us. Here’s a snapshot of the most important commercial property trends in Singapore in the office, retail and industrial sectors.
CBD office space
Rents for CBD offices have increased for the fifth consecutive quarter. The quarter-on-quarter increase for all types of office premises averaged 2.7%, with even higher increases in A-Grade space. Low vacancy rates (5.9%) saw A-Grade rents increase by just over 4% to just over $10 per square foot per month. B-Grade premises in the CBD average $7.80/ft2 and just over $7.20/ft2 island-wide.
CBD vacancy rates decreased significantly in the first half of 2018, as many large corporates moved into new premises. The stock of office space still rose by 26,000 square feet in Q2 2018, but that’s much smaller increase than the 72,000 square feet recorded in Q1. This tapering of new supply is expected to continue in the foreseeable future, though demand is expected to continue to be strong. The key demand drivers in the Singapore office market include organisations seeking flexible coworking spaces, technology firms, and insurance companies.
Major office leases recently signed in the Singapore city office market include:
- Insurance companies Great Eastern and NUTC Income expanding their operations and leasing space in the new Payar Lebar Quarter development.
- IWG’s lifestyle brand Spaces leasing more than 35,000 ft2 of office space at TripleOne Somerset in Orchard Road.
Rents for prime retail space have remained stable during Q2. Prime retail rents average $31.45/ft2 per month in Orchard Road, which is virtually unchanged since Q1. Leasing demand is driven by food and beverage retailers, as well as those attempting to capitalise on increased consumer demand for health and wellness products. For example, multi-brand ‘athleisure’ retailers like JD Sports and Footlockers have entered the market in recent years in response to this trend. Retail demand, in general, is forecast to rise marginally in the short-term due to increased tourism.
There is an increasing trend for retailers to take advantage of strong catchment areas in suburban areas. The rent is also slightly cheaper in these locations compared to Orchard Road, averaging just over 29/ft2 per month.
Retail vacancy rates rose slightly in Q2 to an average of 7.2%, up from 6.8% in Q1. There is currently 8.2 million ft2 of stock island-wide. Approximately 1 million ft2 of new retail space is expected to be added to the market during 2018 and 2019 before the new supply tapers off significantly in 2020 and 2021.
During Q2, the six-storey Century Square shopping mall in Tampines reopened after a nine-month refurbishment.
Industrial and factory space
Rents for warehouse premises space have remained stable in Q2 for the third consecutive quarter, averaging $1.20/ft2 for upper floor space and $1.58/ft2 for ground floor. Prior to this stabilisation of rent rates, there were ten consecutive quarters of decline. Warehouse rents may actually increase in the market in the near future, due to falling vacancy rates, reduced new supply, and a positive outlook for the Singaporean economy.
Current warehouse space stock levels are estimated to be just over $114 million ft2, and demand is being driven by both lease renewals and organisational relocations.
Factory rents are comparable to warehouse rents, averaging $1.23/ft2 (upper floor) and $1.57/ft2 (ground floor) for a sixty-year lease arrangement. These rent rates in the factory sector have decreased slightly in Q2 due to more vacant space being available. However, occupancy rates are expected to pick up in the second half of 2018. Organisations in the semiconductor, petrochemical, and logistics industries are expanding.


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Indonesia emerges as global aircraft supplier
Indonesia is ready to undertake the first flight of its homegrown N219. The twin propeller, 19-seat passenger plane is the main focus of Dirgantara Indonesia, which is leading the way in promoting the country's aircraft manufacturing industry.
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Fukushima cleanup at seven years
The Nikkei visited the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in early February to see how cleanup is progressing nearly seven years after a massive tsunami resulted in the meltdown of three of its reactors.
Successful launch for Michibiki satellite
Japan has successfully launched its fourth quasi-zenith satellite from the southern island of Tanegashima, helping improve the accuracy and precision of GPS navigation.
Coffee on the rise in Indonesia
High-end coffee culture is rising in Indonesia, with consumers developing more refined tastes and coffee growers benefiting greatly from the growing reputation of Java coffee at home and around the world.
New tools in Olympic security
The Special Equipment Exhibition & Conference for Anti-Terrorism was held in Tokyo to showcase to security professionals the latest in surveillance and protecting public events, with a special eye to helping the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
China's land of wine
The European luxury brand LVMH has found a little slice of wine paradise in the mountains of Yunnan Province, China, where it is creating wines under the Ao Yun brand that aim to rival any wine the world has to offer.
Sony's aibo is back
Discontinued years ago, the AIBO robotic dog is being brought back by Sony, as it announces that the new "aibo" will go on sale next year, and be far more advanced that the previous models.


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W magazine long ago stopped being a monthly magazine. Now it’s recasting itself as a collectible luxury product.
“If we believe in magazines, we have to change and adapt to the new world. In the new world, magazines have to be a beautiful product that you want to collect. If we call a magazine a luxury product, it should look like a luxury product,” editor in chief Stefano Tonchi explained.
As it decreases its print frequency from 11 issues in 2017 to eight newly christened “volumes” in 2018, the magazine will increase its newsstand price to $9.99 an issue from $7.99. These volumes, which will be tied to tent pole events and seasons rather than months, will all be billed as special issues with the hope that readers and advertisers will treat it as such.
“I am a big believer in print getting printier,” said Chris Mitchell, recently named chief business officer of the Condé Nast Culture Collection. And, according to Mitchell, the early reaction from luxury advertisers has been positive.
“We have to change. I mean, let’s face it, magazines have not changed,” Tonchi said. “We still produce magazines on a monthly frequency and that doesn’t make sense anymore. We still try to sell them in newsstands that are not there anymore. We still use the worst possible cheaper paper, so it’s less expensive to ship.”
Changes include higher quality paper stock and typographical updates, as well as editorial changes like doing away with the front of the book staples such as party pictures and silhouetted product shots in favor of what Tonchi labeled timeless stories, designed to make the magazine feel more like a book than a disposable product.
A “best performances portfolio,” released as a broadsheet, will be published during the first week of January to coincide with the Golden Globes, and will also be available as part of Volume 1, which will be released on Feb. 6 and will focus on fashion and cinema. The second volume, which will come out in March and feature creative collaborators Greta Gerwig, Jordan Peele and Luca Guadagnino, will coincide with the release of a limited-edition collectible box, designed to store the collectible issues.
“It’s a way to tell people you should collect this, and this is more than a magazine. It’s a statement,” Tonchi explained, of the box.
“It all kind of dovetails together. Stefano gets to play, if you will, with these beautiful, more creative, more artistic themes and collaborations,” Mitchell continued. “For readers young and old, even for Millennials, this becomes a luxury purchase, an object.”


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Over the last few years, consumers have been changing how they shop. They no longer need to run to the store when purchasing food or necessities; they can do it right from the comfort of their home. In addition, services are popping up everywhere for consumers to receive something they want or need within a short time. With online shopping on the rise, we think it will extend further to the point where consumers demand complete control over where, when, and how they receive those items they’ve ordered online.
With the advent of COVID-19, consumers’ lives have been upended around the globe, creating dramatic shifts that have affected shopping trends and what consumers expect from retailers. Online shopping is growing incredibly fast, and contactless exchanges are now top of mind. Connected yet disconnected, we’ve learned to alter our habits, and businesses have tried to adapt to stay alive. Yet, within one week in Mid-March, many companies were forced to close their physical locations and move to the exclusive model of curbside pickup. Change can be good, but it’s hard to accept and even harder to adjust to in the moment.
What is BOPIS?
We’re now seeing the rapid emergence of consumers buying online and picking up their orders at the store. Retailers have responded by setting up pickup counters or even lockers to serve those customers. Some large retailers like Walmart have invested millions of dollars into large lockers for this exact purpose, also known as “Buy Online, Pick up in Store” or “BOPIS.”
To serve customers conveniently while also maintaining a safe distance, retailers have introduced curbside pickup. According to a poll by the National Retail Federation, half of the consumers used BOPIS due to COVID-19. A survey also found that 80% of consumers expect to increase the use of the BOPIS method over the next six months, and 85% of consumers have increased curbside pickup significantly since the coronavirus pandemic began.
An in-store BOPIS Smart Locker
The BOPIS model has grown as consumers are too busy to shop in-store and are more comfortable making purchases online. Before the pandemic hit, parcel lockers gained traction with retailers and consumers. In a post-COVID-19 world, this option will be considerably more appealing as smart parcel lockers allow retailers to drop off orders into secure compartments to be picked up by the consumer using a code sent to them during order deposit.
Consumers no longer need to stand and wait in line to be served or wait further while the attendee verifies their identity and then looks for their order. Additionally, consumers will expect retailers to provide them with service that makes their lives easier and safer.
Smart Locker Benefits
Smart Parcel Lockers can be accessible 24/7 and can hold small and large items, refrigerated items, and hot food items for customers to pick up. Smart, automated devices central to the retailer, provide them with tools to serve their customers and efficiently manage their orders, returns, and logistics. We expect Smart Parcel Lockers to become a store fixture like display counters, POS terminals, and change rooms. A multi-purpose, smart device capable of storing orders for pickup, a place to drop off items the consumer wants to return, an outbound device for shipping items, or an option for consumers who have bought something in the store but want it shipped elsewhere.
Without a doubt, the current pandemic has pushed many retailers to adopt curbside pickup. As retailers continue to look at implementing a BOPIS strategy to improve their capabilities and customer experience offerings, they must ensure they have the correct requirements in place to create a BOPIS offering. Consumers crave convenience and choice, which is why many retailers are adopting this model. By implementing BOPIS, retailers can compete against online retailers like Amazon by using their physical stores as hubs for fulfillment and getting products into consumers’ hands quicker and for less cost.
When the pandemic subsides, and we start to go back to normal, there has been a tremendous leap made by consumers who have adapted to the new store pickup models.
The growth of online shopping will continue unabated, and consumers will expect choice in how they receive their products, including the ability to pick up their orders in-store. Parcel Port Smart Lockers gives you an easy-to-use device that checks all the boxes.
With a Parcel Port Smart Locker installed in your location, you’ll have an easy-to-use, scalable and secure “Buy Online and Pick up In-Store” solution. Parcel Port offers today’s most innovative turn-key and customized Smart Parcel Locker Solutions. We manufacture our lockers locally and our proprietary software and complimentary services.
To learn more about how your organization can maximize smart lockers to reduce cost, increase revenue, and delight your customers, contact the ParcelPort team online by visiting www.theParcelPort.com, email at sales@theParcelPort.com or calling 1-800-818-0870.


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Cheetahs prop gets red card for tip-tackle
- 15 Oct 2013
Schalk van der Merwe was given a red card for a late tip-tackle on Jürgen Visser.
Willie is Bok miracle man
Springbok fullback Willie le Roux is on the cover of the new issue of SA Rugby magazine, on sale now.
Hungry for more
Bryan Habana still wants to improve his game, score more tries and win more trophies, writes JON CARDINELLI.
Jake’s big call at 9
A new halfback combination in Charl McLeod and Pat Lambie will lend the Sharks some much-needed stability in the crunch semi-final in Christchurch, writes JON CARDINELLI.


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Shrimp prices up in Vietnam
Prices of tiger and white-legged shrimp in Tien Giang Province have been on the rise over the past month, bringing big gains to farmers.
Unprocessed tiger prawn is now sold at VND 220,000 (USD 10.56, EUR 7.99) per kilo of 30 units and VND 180,000 (USD 8.64, EUR 6.54) per kilo of 40 units, up VND 40,000 (USD 1.92, EUR 1.45) and VND 20,000 (USD 0.96, EUR 0.73) respectively against last week.
Meanwhile, white-legged shrimp has marked up VND 5,000-8,000 (USD 0.24 to 0.38, EUR 0.18 to 0.29) to VND 95,000-98,000 (USD 4.56 to 4.71, EUR 3.45 to 3.56) per kilo of 100 pieces, said Phan Van Phuc, a shrimp trader in Vam Lang Town in Tien Giang’s Go Cong Dong District.
The shrimp crop is coming to an end, so output is falling. However, the demand for shrimp among processors is surging, but supply by shrimp-exporting countries is running short, sending domestic shrimp prices up.
Nguyen Van Thanh, a farmer with a 3,000-square-meter shrimp farm in Tien Giang’s Tan Phu Dong District, said: “Tiger prawns raised in my farm have reached the grade of 30 units per kilo with an estimated output of over 1.5 tons.”