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Indian Government news
The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises is aiming to provide better credit facility, technology upgradation and skill development to boost the entire MSME eco-system.
NITI Aayog proposes to levy massive re-registration fee on vehicles older than 15 years ( petrol ) and 10 years (diesel) as measure to discourage use of old vehicles which do not match advanced emission norms, says a report.
The automaker is planning to approach the Indian government to consider hybrids as a part of the India vision of converting all fleets to electric vehicles by 2030.
Vehicles that are driven away in the chassis form, such as trucks and buses, could get another three months, until September 30, 2020, to register, shows the draft.
The news should wake up the Indian government that wants all the cars in the country to be electric in 13 years—and has announced it would do whatever it takes to meet that target.
There will be a sub- 4 metre SUV and we are working on it but we are yet to finalise the year of the launch. There is definitely a request for hybrid and a semi -hybrid, said Rakesh Srivastava, Hyundai Motor India.
The National Capital Goods Policy envisages increase in production to about Rs 7,50,000 crore, direct employment to 5 million by the year 2025.
After announcing that the country needs to shift to a digital payments platform, the government realised that a major chunk of administrative payments are still being done in cash.
Rural markets account for about 60- 65% of the entry segment motorcycle sales and given the high propensity for cash purchases in the rural markets, the entry segment of the motorcycles is expected to be a casualty.
A top government official said that India and China have their strengths and the intent is to bring them together through partnerships to create a win-win proposition.
Amitabh Kant, Chief Executive Officer, NITI Aayog said that India should become the society of Design and innovation to attain and sustain 9-10 % growth rate.
“While multi-modal logistics hub will be constructed across 294 hectares, the multi-modal transport hub will be built on 167 hectares of land.”
The pan-India campaign has been initiated across 15 states - from Jammu and Himachal Pradesh to Assam and Odisha - reaching out to over 5000 consumers.
The financing for the Jharkhand State roads II Project will upgrade existing sections of four State roads to two lane standard and will also support improvements in the design, safety and maintenance of the network.
This initiative is likely to give approx 300 crore to the farmers of the State through sugar mills / distilleries. This will also ensure proper utilisation of molasses in the State.
The court, thereafter, asked the government to place the policy before it by the next date of hearing on May 18.
The concern of the member is justified. It has come to the notice of the government that the imports from China, Japan and Korea have increased, which is creating trouble for the domestic industry and also causing losses to it.


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SPRINGDALE, ARK. — Tyson Foods has recently tested a controlled atmosphere stunning (C.A.S.) system in a chicken processing plant as part of a study that was initiated by McDonald’s and also involved another poultry supplier, Keystone Foods. All parties were interested in comparing the C.A.S. system with the more widely used, low-voltage stunning systems used at most plants where chickens are slaughtered. But when MEATPOULTRY.com contacted McDonald’s for the results of the test, Lisa McComb, senior manager, corporate media relations, replied, "We are publicly releasing the report later in the week and can share more information at that time."
This is not the first time Tyson has been involved in C.A.S. testing, Tyson spokesman Gary Mickelson told MEATPOULTRY.com. "As part of the company’s commitment to animal welfare, Tyson previously spent two years examining and testing the use of C.A.S.," he added. "Our previous research, which concluded in 2006, reached the same conclusion as the McDonald’s study: C.A.S. may be an acceptable alternative, but it is not currently more humane than conventional electrical stunning — which is the system currently used in Tyson plants."
Tyson continues to monitor changes in C.A.S. and other poultry-processing technologies, Mr. Mickelson said. "As previously announced, Tyson has committed $1.5 million to establish the Chair of Food Animal Well-being at the University of Arkansas, which will be involved in overseeing research and classes focused on the humane management and treatment of food animals," he added.
Tyson Foods has a long-standing commitment to the proper treatment of the animals the company depends on to operate, he continued. "Our commitment includes Tyson’s ‘Office of Animal Well-Being,’ which was established in 2003 to advise company executives on animal-welfare issues, coordinate animal-handling training and conduct animal-handling audits of our chicken, beef and pork plants," he added. "Audits at our chicken plants are conducted using protocols developed in conjunction with the National Chicken Council animal-welfare guidelines."
"As part of our long-standing commitment to animal well-being, we’ve conducted our own research into controlled atmosphere stunning and participated in McDonald’s recent feasibility study," said Dr. Kellye Pfalzgraf, who oversees the Tyson Foods’ Office of Animal Well-Being. "We have not found C.A.S. to be any more humane or effective than the conventional electrical stunning method. However, we will continue to monitor university research into this and other poultry processing technologies."

domain: news


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Film-makers and video-game developers will be among the creative firms that can benefit from a new £50 million pot.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has announced a multi-year UK global screen fund will open soon.
That will provide £21m towards promoting UK films globally over the next three years, following a successful trial run over the last 12 months.
In addition, the creative scale-up programme offers £18m of new funding to help creative firms grow outside of London.
A further £8m has been earmarked via the UK games fund to offer £25,000 grants to entrepreneurial, startup developers to support business development.
DCMS said, on average, domestic-based creative industries are growing almost two times faster than other sectors of the UK economy.
Nadine Dorries, culture secretary, said:
“The creative industries in the UK are truly world-class and this will provide them with the tools they need to expand and provide even more jobs.”
Caroline Norbury, chief executive at Creative UK, added:
“This funding rightly recognises the power of our sector and the vital importance of investing in creativity to drive growth and innovation across the UK.”
The Government intends the funding to help “drive economic growth around the UK” as part of its wider levelling-up initiative.
Speak to us about your business growth plans.


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Global corporate social responsibility standard
The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) has launched a project to create a global standard for corporate social responsibility, giving the Brazilian and Swedish governments the task of piloting the guidelines. Detailed proposals will be shortly issued by ISO, launching three months of debate, before preliminary decisions on their scope and content can be made. Representatives from industry, governments, workers organisations, consumer groups and non-governmental organisations will then be assembled to carry out more detailed work and consultations will be staged before the final standard is drawn up. ISO said this would promote progress in "human rights, labour conditions, the environment and (fighting) corruption". Involving Brazil's national standards organisation was part of an ISO policy aimed at making its standards as relevant as possible for developing countries.
Wal-Mart threatens to close unionised stores in Canada
Employees at the only unionised Wal-Mart supermarket in North America have been told that a union membership drive is hindering sales. If managers and union officials are unable to reach an agreement allowing the store to be efficient and profitable, warned a company release, "it's possible that the store will close". The outlet in Jonquire, 500km north of Montreal, employs about 170 people and has been unionised since August. Wal-Mart Canada has expressed its impatience waiting for the United Food and Commercial Workers to begin contract talks. Wal-Mart said the store might close unless workers propose a contract soon, because delays are hurting business and company morale. The company said that a fractured environment made it "difficult to operate". The company repeated its message in other stores with active union drives. The union said a proposal would be submitted by mid-November. Wal-Mart employs more than 65,000 Canadians nationwide.
US working women still tied to the kitchen sink
Working women in the US spend twice as much time doing household chores and caring for children as working men do, according to research. A US Department of Labor study - focusing on how Americans spent their time outside work - showed that while the average working man spends less than 50 minutes each full-time working day caring for family members, while working women put in 90 minutes and an additiona


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FRANCE: LVMH Sells Christian Lacroix To US Falic Group
Leading luxury goods group LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA has sold its Christian Lacroix designer clothing label to US retail company Falic Group for an unspecified sum.
The acquisition by duty-free stores operator Falic includes all of loss-making Lacroix's activities such as its haute couture and ready-to-wear divisions.
The move - which was hinted at earlier this month by French media reports - is part of LVMH's ongoing decision to sell off unprofitable and non-core businesses in order to concentrate on brands such as Louis Vuitton.
"This transaction is consistent with LVMH's stated strategy of focusing on those leading brands with the highest growth potential," LVMH said in a statement.
LVMH's president, Bernard Arnault, said he hoped that designer Christian Lacroix, who is expected to stay with the label that he helped establish in 1987, will continue to show his talent in an "original and creative" manner.
The Falic Group, which has annual sales of $620 million, plans to expand Lacroix by opening new store locations.
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South Korean auto parts maker Mando said Monday that it had signed a strategic partnership deal with German automaker Volkswagen to provide some 50 suspension units. It is the single-largest order that Mando has received for the given product category.
Starting June next year until 2033, the Korean company will manufacture and supply the parts directly in Europe, with an anticipated annual production capacity of 6 million units.
Connecting a vehicle to its wheels, suspension units -- typically four to a car -- bear the weight of the vehicle and absorb shocks from uneven surfaces during driving.
The Mando-made parts will be applied to upcoming models built on the Modular Electric Drive Matrix, the German carmaker’s next generation electric vehicle platform, as well as to some conventional bestselling internal combustion engine models such as Golf, Tiguan and Passat, officials said.
Volkswagen earlier vowed to achieve 26 million electric cars in terms of accumulated sales and to introduce up to 75 all-electric models to the market by 2029.
“This latest deal with Volkswagen will mark a turning point for our business expansion in the European region,” said CEO Cho Seong-hyeon.
“While working with Volkswagen as strategic partner, we shall also exert efforts to co-work on other product categories.”
Mando is currently working to build partnership with Volkswagen Group China on the back of its manufacturing facilities in Beijing, which kicked off in 2002. Last year, Mando China provided around 14 million suspension parts to local automakers.
The Korean auto parts company has been making moves to expand its market share in line with the all-electric car and autonomous driving vehicle trend. Last month, it bought all shares of Mando-Hella Electronics for 165 billion won ($146 million), seeking to scale up the production of autonomous car parts overseas.
MHE was previously a 50-50 joint venture by German auto parts maker Hella and Halla Holdings, which is the holdings unit of Mando.
By Bae Hyun-jung (email@example.com


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The unpredictability of the novel coronavirus and its debilitating impact on the economy are pushing more Indians to save and consider investing in saving instruments, a recent survey by KPMG showed.
More than 85% of the respondents said they are likely to stick to their savings plan with a 10% fall in their income indicating a “saving sentiment”. As many as 70% of the respondents across all age groups were concerned about their future finances against about 49% globally.
The study surveyed 3,355 respondents, led by consumers in the 17-36 age bracket. About 50% of the younger respondents have started investing more in saving instruments after the Covid-19 outbreak.
Consumers are also increasingly shifting to digital payments. About 49% of the respondents said they are comfortable shopping using digital payment options, compared to nearly 22% globally. In fact, some of them said the absence of a trusted payment gateway would affect their buying decision to a great extent.
“Indians, across all ages have quite easily become conversant with video calling, net banking, online grocery shopping and streaming platforms. This was not a purely urban phenomenon, as the increase in digital sophistication of the older cohort was observed in smaller towns across India as well,” analysts at KPMG said in the survey. A significant 78% of the respondents said mobile phone app availability and smartphone store interactivity should include it as part of their basic offerings. “Compared to pre-Covid, there was a 25% increase in respondents in the silent generation (age 75 and above) from tier-I cities who said that app availability was a very important criterion,” the survey said.
Preference towards buying localised products and services is another trend in the post-pandemic times. About 60% of respondents displayed active participation towards replacing foreign brands with indigenous goods. The tilt has been led by transparent price and product reviews and product composition ingredients.
About 41% of respondents across all age groups are willing to pay a premium for indigenous goods.


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Dietitians weigh in on the pros and cons of the controversial food group.
Whether cow's milk deserves a place in your diet might be one of the most debated questions in the field of nutrition. The short answer is: It depends. Here’s what we know about the benefits and drawbacks.
Pro: It’s packed with protein.
Cow’s milk contains eight grams of protein per eight ounces, while unsweetened soy milk contains about four grams. Almond milk contains a little over six grams, and hemp milk has roughly three grams of protein per serving. Nut-based, non-dairy milks also contain less of other important nutrients such as potassium and riboflavin.
“Milk is an excellent source of calcium and vitamin D, nutrients most Americans lack,” says Torey Armul, RD, a Chicago-based dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Con: It can aggravate gluten insensitivities.
The dairy protein casein is structurally similar to gluten, the protein in grain. So people with gluten sensitivities might have problems with casein and dairy as well, says Terry Wahls, MD, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Iowa. If gluten is an issue for you, it's likely you'll also have excessive inflammation in response to casein, she says.
Pro: Itboosts post-workout recovery.
A glass of cow's milk after a strength-training session is a quick and easy way to build muscle, research suggests. Another study found that it might help to curb appetite after exercise: Researchers at Northumbria University in the U.K. found that women who drank 2 1/2 cups of skim milk after 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous cycling ate significantly less during lunch an hour later compared with women who drank the same amount of orange juice. Researchers attributed this to the dairy, though it could also be due to the sugar-protein combo.
Con: Most us of are intolerant to lactose.
Globally, approximately 65 percent of people are lactose intolerant, which is why you might notice milk can upset your stomach. It's a relatively new food for humans, first appearing in the human diet around 8,000 years ago, Wahls says, noting, “I think the evolutionary evidence is clear that dairy is not critical for health.” If you’re thinking of going non-dairy, consider unsweetened soy milk, which has around the same amount of protein as cow's milk.


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Downloadable games growing beyond their bytes
When Xbox Live Arcade launched in 2004 on Microsoft’s debut console, six titles well-known for their arcade roots appeared on the service at a fraction of retail cost. After Xbox Live Arcade re-launched on Xbox 360, the “Arcade” titles being released had a meager size limit of 50MB and retained the trend of being quick, shallow experiences. Today, some downloadable titles earn more critical attention than major blockbusters and may even reach Microsoft’s mandated size limit of 2GB.
“Now is an excellent time for high-quality, original, specific, relatively low-priced games, and I think this will continue for the foreseeable future,” said Greg Kasavin, writer and designer at SuperGiant Games. “Though it’s very difficult to make games, it’s never been easier due to the digital platforms and free tools out there these days.”
Kasavin is the writer and creative director of Bastion, an independent, downloadable title released in 2011 that earned more than 100 industry awards and sold more than 500,000 digital copies. It was SuperGiant Games’ first release since being founded in 2009.
Bastion’s success, while in some part due to a well-constructed combat system, found more consistent praise from its narrative prowess. Unlike the simplistic games first pushed onto the downloadable market, Bastion outshined full-retail titles without resorting to arcade nostalgia.
“You don’t just want to complete that challenging mission or get that elusive piece of gear for its own sake; you also want to hear what the narrator has to say about it when you do,” said Matt Miller, associate editor at Game Informer.
It’s difficult to isolate an exact instance when downloadable titles grew in both respect and scope, as multiple games at different times have found success both on Xbox Live and other popular, downloadable marketplaces. While smaller games have been on an upward trend for years, certain periods have had a greater impact than others.
“I’d pin down 2008 as the year in which they really seemed to break through,” said Kasavin. “During the course of that year we got Braid and Castle Crashers and later Plants vs. Zombies, and it was these three games in particular that gave me the courage to want to go work at a smaller studio.”
Ambitious titles like Braid and Limbo helped legitimize smaller games without multi-million dollar development and marketing budgets. Entire conventions devoted to the celebration of fresh, original ideas coming from independent studios have sprung up and flourished through the success of digital experiences. Many events were taking place before the downloadable boom of 2008, but attendance of some shows has since rivaled that of major industry gatherings like the Electronic Entertainment Expo – widely considered to be the ultimate expo in the video game industry.
The Penny Arcade Expo, described as a celebration of gaming culture, has succeeded over the past eight years through its acceptance and attention to games of all sizes. The initial 2004 Seattle convention attracted 3,300 people, while 2011’s show held over 70,000 developers, publishers and members of the press. A second convention, held in Boston due to the demand of eastern developers and fans, has reached similar numbers since its 2010 debut.
“We’re trying to promote and create, or reinforce maybe, the idea that we have a scene,” said co-founder Jerry Holkins in an interview with Game Critics. “We actually have our own context and culture that is worthy of celebration. I guess that’s the idea behind PAX.”
Even with the greater focus on downloadable titles developed both independently and within more well-established companies, attracting enough pairs of eyes to break into the industry is no easy task. Venues like Mircosoft XNA allow passionate developers to release their work at a meager price, but visibility is limited compared to the now popular Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network.
Ian Stocker, founder of MagicalTimeBean and creator of both Soulcaster and Escape Goat, has been working within the XNA service in hopes to find a wide audience for his games.
“There is plenty of room for niche games and their distribution options improve every year,” said Stocker. “In terms of it becoming comfortable, this would happen after months and probably years of hard work.”
Distribution options are seeing consistent improvements, but calling independent game development a comfortable career wouldn’t exactly be accurate.
“Even today I would hesitate to call it viable,” said Stocker. “It takes an incredible amount of work and a good amount of luck to become a successful indie developer, and it’s only gotten easier in the last four years.”
How to market an independent title is still a learning process, but with such a strong sense of community, many studios have taken to social media and face-to-face interaction instead of costly commercials.
“You always want to be innovative and ahead of the game with marketing in general,” said Erik Johnson, a content designer at Arcen Games. “That said, there’s a lot of standard work you can and should do, such as setting up social networks and other landings for fans of your games or products to stop by and chat with you or others about your efforts.”
Success is never guaranteed, but for a five-man team like Arcen Games, the risks that come along with smaller, independent development are worthwhile.
“I think a larger team would just create the hierarchy that I endured at my last real job,” said Johnson. “Small teams you can create and see out passion projects as the group sees fit.”
The goal is still a high level of visibility, whether it’s among publishers or paying customers. Yet, the recent success of Kickstarter has put a new spin on the way games are both paid for and advertised. Instead of catering to the wants and needs of profit-focused organizations, developers can now pitch games on the Kickstarter website to the general public to see if they are willing to financially back the development.
Double Fine, a development studio founded by Tim Schafer, had the first true success on the website. Asking for $400,000 for the “Double Fine Adventure,” the studio crossed the $1 million mark in just under 24 hours.
“I think it’s a great way for a lot of projects, games or not games, to be made whenever the ‘gatekeepers’ — the big companies that decide what gets made and what doesn’t get made — are not serving certain segments of the fan base,” Schafer said in a recent interview with Venture Beat. “Enough of those fans can use the Internet to coordinate and kind of pool their resources.”
Whether through fan demand or the power of the publisher, the presence and growth of downloadable games has reached a new high as the current console generation is coming to a close. With a new wave of systems coming around the corner from Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony, any technological barriers holding these games back are sure to be lifted.
“I think downloadable games will become the standard,” said Kasavin. “Terms like ‘downloadable game’ and ‘independent game’ and ‘indie game’ will become less and less meaningful to a certain extent as all games inevitably become downloadable.”


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Google has given access to new widgets for iOS 16 lock screen
For the iOS 16 Lock Screen, a number of Google widgets have begun to roll out, including well-known programs like Gmail and Google News.
Google has also announced new features that would allow users to add widgets directly to their iPhones’ lock screens before Apple released iOS 16. Google users may now add widgets for popular apps like Gmail and Google News to their lock screens, but widgets for Search, Maps, and Calendar are still not available.
The new Gmail widget comes in three sizes, an inline shape, and a rectangular shape. The first two widgets, according to The Verge, should appear below the clock on the lock screen, while the inline widget should appear above as a line of text. Condensed headlines are added to a rectangular widget on the Lock Screen by the Google News widget. The company has previously said that after iOS 16 was released, it will help users customize the Lock Screen.
Many Google apps will soon have lock screen widgets, the company claims. The first thing you see when you pick up your phone is the lock screen. You can access your favorite Google features and even get certain updates on your Lock Screen with only one tap after unlocking your smartphone.
The Maps Frequent Trips widget allows users to view predicted travel times and real-time traffic data for destinations like home and work right on their lock screen. They can utilize the Maps Search widget to locate the restaurants, shops, and other locations they prefer to visit nearby.


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GENEVA — A deepening of the U.S. housing and mortgage crisis and a hard landing of the dollar could spark a recession this year and seriously impact the projected slowdown in world output and trade growth, according to two new economic reports.
"A recession in the United States cannot be excluded in the year ahead, and economists are divided whether domestic-led growth in Asian markets can drive the global economy," said a report by the World Economic Forum.
The WEF "Global Risks 2008" report, which draws on input from more than 100 top business leaders, concludes there are fears the current liquidity crunch will trigger a recession in the next 12 months. The report estimates the severity of the cost would be in excess of $1 trillion.
Similar warnings are flagged by the United Nations' "World Economic Situation and Pros-pects 2008" report, which projects global economic growth to moderate to 3.4 percent this year, down from 3.7 percent posted last year. It forecasts world trade to expand by 7.1 percent, down from last year's estimated 7.2 percent increase, and the dollar to depreciate another 5 percent.
The U.S. economy is projected to grow 2 percent, down from last year's estimated 2.2 percent. The European Union economy is forecast to expand by 2.3 percent; China, by 10.1 percent, down from 11.4 percent last year, and India, by 8.2 percent.
However, the U.N. report cautions that, under its more pessimistic scenario, factors such as a deeper U.S. housing slump and an accelerated fall of the dollar by 20 percent could combine to "trigger a worldwide recession and disorderly adjustment of the global imbalances."
The pessimistic scenario "is quite probable if a likely U.S. recession is stronger than expected," said U.N. economists such as Heiner Flassbeck, a former top German economic policy maker.
Exclusive: Nicola Formichetti is parting ways with @diesel after nearly four years. Formichetti, who served as Lady Gaga’s stylist in 2009, joined Diesel in 2013 as creative and artistic director. His first show debuted in Venice with a show held at the Venetian Arsenal. #wwdfashion #wwdnews
The polo shirt - an icon of preppy style - is roaring back into fashion in many creative guises, like this A-line polyester top from @carven, worn with @31philliplim cotton and elastane pants. Designers stretched a fashion classic into all kinds of new permutations this season. See how @mayteallende styled the preppy trend on WWD.com #wwdfashion (📸 : Kinya)
(Market Editors: @andrew_shang and @elmercer, Makeup: @amandawilsonmakeup using @fentybeauty, Hair: @gonn24, Model: @bara_holotova at @women360mgmt)
“I do like period [projects] a lot because I like creating those worlds, a world that is different from today," costume designer Mark Bridges said about the '50s British couture featured in @phantomthread. Bridges created the overall aesthetic and individual fashion looks for the film, which stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Lesley Manville and Vicky Krieps. Pictured here is a gown he designed for Krieps who plays Alma – the love interest of Day-Lewis' character, Reynolds Woodcock. #wwdfashion
@prada is embracing the holiday season with a series of short movies about the art of gift-giving. "The Postman's Gifts", which was directed by American filmmaker Autumn de Wilde, focuses on the brand's signature Prada Galleria bag and features Elijah Wood as the postman. In the first two episodes, Wood's delivers the iconic bag to @emmaroberts, who plays herself as a movie star, and Sasha Frolova. #wwdfashion
“I think I never met the person while we were working,” Vicky Krieps said of Daniel Day-Lewis, who she plays the love interest of in “Phantom Thread.” Day-Lewis remained perennially in character, so much so that she feels she’s just meeting him now. “It’s interesting to see how different he is in real life to the character,” Krieps said. WWD sat down with the 34-year-old actress to talk about her new role in the period film, which brings the fifties’ gender dynamics into the mix. Read more on WWD.com. #wwdeye (📷: @lexieblacklock)
@gucci has expanded its “Places” project to include six new cities. The initiative, which was first unveiled in July, aims to invite people to explore inspirational locations for the brand. On the list is the Biblioteca Angelica library in Rome pictured here. See the other five new venues on WWD.com. #wwdfashion (📷: @massimo_listri_official)
#ad From tools to lashes, WWD rounded up wellness and beauty products guaranteed to take your skin care and makeup routines to the next level in 2018. Follow along as @laceandleatherbyelyse, @ashnfashn and @elleisalwayshere experiment with these products on their Instagram profiles and blogs. #NewYearBetterYou
Blogger @camilacoelho is one of the fastest growing beauty influencers around the world. The bilingual blogger has worked with brands like @revolve Beauty, @dior, @louisvuitton and more and has an Earned Media Value of $34,338,441, according to @tribedynamics. But Coelho isn’t the only influencer making a major impact — head to WWD.com to see the other fastest-growing influencers in six key global markets. #beautyfridays (📷: @zefashioninsider)


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Car insurance costs shift gears in 2012
Posted on Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 3:06:10 PM
There are a number of perks offered by used automobiles. The first that might come to mind is a more affordable price tags, but this lower price can also make a used vehicle much cheaper to insure.
Paying for car insurance coverage is one of the most expensive aspects of owning a vehicle. However, during the course of 2012, an estimated 7 percent of car owners spent less money on their insurance, according to a survey conducted by Bankrate.com. On the other hand, roughly 37 percent of Americans reported spending more on car insurance coverage.
"We continue to view rising expenses and stagnant wages as a key financial hurdle for American households," said Bankrate.com insurance analyst Doug Whiteman. "But consumers shouldn't accept rising insurance premiums without a fight."
Luckily, there are ways to save on car insurance coverage. One of the biggest missteps most car owners make is they fail to shop around for a policy. It's generally recommended to seek quotes from at least three different companies before settling on a policy. Once a solid policy is lined up, this could also go a long way in reducing the costs of auto financing.


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Zmags Selected as a 2012 MITX Innovations Award Finalist
Zmags today announced Zmags Convergence, a consumer interface that completely transforms the online browsing and shopping experience, has been selected as a finalist in the Best Commerce Game Changer category for the MITX Innovation Awards.
Held annually by the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange, the MITX Innovation Awards celebrate the innovations powering the future of marketing and revolutionizing the way we work and play.
“The 2012 finalists represent some of the best innovators in the region, these forward-thinking companies are developing unique, new solutions to problems that are game changing,” said MITX President Debi Kleiman. “We were so impressed by this group during a very competitive year, it was amazing to see the range and depth of new things being created here, and we’re very proud to honor their great achievements.”
The interactive Zmags Convergence interface creates beautiful, liquid and immersive environments for any retailer or brand that wants to take full advantage of tablet and smartphone visual richness, swipe navigation, audio, video and more. Convergence harnesses the elegance of the iPad while also engaging users on Facebook, smartphones and PC-based browsers, creating an experience for shoppers that invites them to discover content, deepen their engagement with products, and inspire them to buy. For the first time, marketers, brands and retailers can easily create an online space that conveys the same feel as their physical store.
“It’s a great honor to be recognized by the MITX organization,” said Michael Schreck, CEO of Zmags. “Being named a finalist among such an impressive group is validation of our dedication to offer a product that is truly transforming the way consumers engage with their favorite brands.”
Zmags will be recognized with the other finalists in the category of Best Commerce Game Changer at the ceremony traditionally attended by over 350 of the region’s top interactive marketing and technology professionals. Winners will be announced at the ceremony in the Westin Copley Place on Tuesday, June 12th at 6pm. Tickets can be purchased atwww.mitxawards.org/innovation.
The 2012 MITX Awards couldn’t happen without the help of these amazing sponsors. Event Sponsors: Atom Group, Cassidy Turley FHO, DLA Piper. Creative Partner: Metropolis Creative.
Zmags is redefining the online content and shopping experience across web, tablet, mobile, and social channels with our cloud-based rich-media marketing platform. We provide marketers and e-commerce teams from many vertical industries with a deeply engaging and fluid online presentation capability that lets them tell highly captivating stories through curated digital experiences, such as digital catalogs. With Zmags, leading brands have measurably and dramatically increased customer engagement, conversion rates, order size and brand loyalty without the burden of IT constraints. Zmags is among the fastest growing technology companies in North America, ranking #70 on the Deloitte 2011 Technology Fast 500. Zmags is headquartered in Boston, MA. with European offices in London and Copenhagen. For more information about Zmags, please visit www.zmags.com.
Established in 1996, MITX — the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange — is the leading industry organization focused on the web and mobile, bringing together the digital marketing, media and technology community to engage in what’s next and how it will impact the marketing and business worlds. Connecting more than 7,500 professionals in New England, MITX is a dynamic community of thought leaders and collaborators in search of insight, education and opportunity. Creator of FutureM, MITX is located in Cambridge, MA. For more information, visit http://www.mitx.org/.


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San Antonio-based Massage Heights will open its fourth Austin location in Lakeway on Aug. 10. Massage Heights plans to open seven more locations in the Austin market over the next two years.
The new franchise is owned and operated by Charles Schaefer of AT2 LLC and is at 2009 Main St., Suite 110. It is in the Oaks at Lakeway shopping center, built by Austin's Stratus Properties Inc.
Schaefer graduated from Texas A&M in 2011 and he worked in commercial real estate before moving to Austin to open the franchise.
Schaefer said the next Austin-area location will open in The Parke, a Cedar Park development that will also be home to a 365 by Whole Foods Market store. Schaefer is working with The Weitzman Group to identify the other locations.
Massage Heights, a therapeutic massage and facial chain, is on track to open 30 locations across the country this year with a goal of 300 locations open by 2019.
Read the full article here.


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You know the story of a supermodel. Scouted at a young age in a wholesome
Sport and fashion collide at Models1 with our newest sign, England Rugby pro, Maro Itoje.
In October of 2018, Models1 celebrated fifty years in the industry in a way that
Today, British superstar #NaomiCampbell joins #Models1. The most recognised model in history, with a multi-faceted career that
The early 00’s marked a shift in the fashion industry as fashion bloggers emerged from
Credits: Styling: Carine Roitfeld Hair: Akki Shirakawa Nails: Mei Kawajiri Casting: Evelien Joos
One of our favourite shows during London Fashion Week is none other than House of
The Special Bookings Team at Models 1 is delighted to announce that they are now


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Mark Boidman on “COVID-19 Market Reactions and Forecasts in AV”
Digital Signage COVID-19 Challenges
The COVID-19 crisis has proven to be difficult on digital signage and OOH media applications. Over the past few months, we’ve all been forced to make dramatic changes to the way we work and live, and we’ve needed to (or we’ve been told to) quickly learn new technologies and adaptation strategies. But most of us just want to know how long this will go on. Will we be facing a short- or long-term recession?
The first challenge we’re seeing, Boidman shares, has been to the local market economy. Small and medium-sized businesses are not currently spending on advertising and media, and it’ll probably take smaller, local markets much longer than national organizations to have the funds to spend again. A second challenge is around live events and those left-and-right cancellations and postponements you already know about. Boidman predicts that live events won’t disappear, but we do know the industry will need to evolve, with more “blurring between the physical and the digital.” This blurring could actually help AV expand in the long-term — though, for now, we are seeing hard short-term impacts in supply chains, events and more.
These challenges said, Boidman shares that he’s optimistic about the potential around OOH media. He sees plans for events to kick back off and adds, “The power will be in how those events will continue to evolve, and that’s what gets us excited.”
Digital Signage COVID-19 Solutions (So Far)
Through kiosks and more, digital signage has already provided emergency alerts, public-health updates, communications around public safety, business hours updates and more. Furthermore, we’ve seen people like Mark Cuban and others speak out about the need to get everything through drive-thru windows or via pickup and delivery. For now, we know digital signage has a role in flattening the COVID-19 curve. But a changed future, like the one Cuban speaks of, will likely mean more touchpoints, more communications and even more digital signage.
Some unique COVID-19 digital signage solutions Boidman shared that we’re already seeing (or seeing more of):
- Digital signage hand-sanitizer dispensers
- Temperature-checking kiosks/tablets
- InstaScan Body Temperature Scanning (U.K.)
These solutions could soon be deployed wide-scale in hotels, government buildings, gyms, restaurants and, really, anywhere.
The takeaway: We may need a whole lot more digital signage soon — particularly because it offers the capability to change critical, time-sensitive messages in real time.
AV Industry Consolidation Pre-Virus
Yes, recent industry transactions and mergers in our industry are not to be ignored. This public health and economic crisis will drive even more mergers and acquisitions, more consolidation, more partnerships in the AV industry and beyond, Boidman says.
With that, you’ll also start to see more diversification — both with product and with geography. Being diversified in both of those areas (in product and in geography) will be a front-and-center theme.
Forecasts in AV, Digital Signage and Advertising
Looking at market performance of professional AV as compared to the general index, we’re seeing more of an impact on DS and AV than we are compared to the S&P 500, Boidman said. So, yes, AV-related industries have certainly declined in their market values. But be mindful that these forecasts are changing every day. Don’t “anchor yourself” to Boidman’s predictions below — but do use them as a starting point for where we are today, then go from there.
- OOH networks will likely be less impacted as compared to other forms of media. OOH media still offers an advantage. Reaching a mass audience in the physical world will continue to be the benefit of out-of-home (as opposed to other media channels that are fragmented, like TV and internet). Uniquely, digital signage can measure who was there (who saw the media) and inform how we adjust. We’ve already seen increased traffic in places like healthcare facilities; this will continue to increase in grocery stores, drugs stores and more.
- In recessions, ad spend decreases but will slowly ramp back up. We saw in the 2001-2002 and 2008-2009 recessions a drop in OOH media spend, Boidman shared. But spend came back up after each with consistent year-over-year growth. The difference with COVID is the uncertainty of how long this will last. Boidman thinks ad spend will slowly ramp back up, though we are seeing it harder hit now.
“Everything is new here; but I can tell you if we don’t deploy these types of technologies, it’s going to take a lot longer to get people comfortable going out into the physical world …. Professional AV can really help here,” Boidman said.
At the same time, as things slowly ramp back up in 2021 and beyond, the hope is the sector recovers, just like every other. But again, we are going to have to adapt. This is the opportunity for professional AV and digital signage. It’s the opportunity, as the digital and physical blur, to bring more people into the former (the digital vs. the physical). There’s a lot of growth that can come from that.
“Short-term, it’s defense. Long-term, it’s offense,” Boidman concluded.
If you need to reach people in an effective way, there is no better channel than OOH media. The more information consumers have, the better they’re going to feel. You can’t overcommunicate to consumers in this environment.


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The chief cyber security strategist at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Tim Grieveson, has issued the warning to encourage companies to protect themselves adequately against the threat of cyberattacks. He believes that understanding the criminals is the key to defeating them.
He has pointed out that there are a number of reasons why the issue of data security has become a challenging one. The variety of different devices in use is a concern because businesses need to have their staff access data while on the move. Additionally, there are a growing number of regulations, which vary across the world, but are essential to follow as companies expand on a global basis. The third reason is that cybercriminals are growing to be more innovative and professional.
The use of one type of ransomware, for example, is thought to have brought in around $325 million for hackers who hold data to ransom. Some cybercriminals have operations on the scale of legitimate businesses, employing sales people, marketers, and even some in R&D.
Mr Grieveson is advising businesses to think of the hackers as competitors, and to do this they need to have in place the right people, the right processes, and strong technology. Examining existing assets is important so that businesses are aware exactly what it is they are trying to protect. A co-ordinated approach throughout the business is essential.


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Ding, Dong SOPA is Dead
January 16, 2012 10:40 AM
comment(s) - last by
Version plugged by Democratic-controlled Senate is still alive and kicking, though
The House Oversight Chairman,
Rep. Darrell Issa
(R-Calif.) has long been a stern critic of the
Orwellian "Stop Online Piracy Act"
). The representative announced some huge news on Monday. He reveals that Majority Leader
Rep. Eric Cantor
(R-Va.) promised to shelve any potential vote in the Republican-controlled House in terms of passing SOPA.
The bill was likened to a death penalty to the internet economy by
-- the bills looked to create a takedown system where any site found to be hosting user generated content pointing to infringing content (say a URL to a torrent) could be immediately taken down.
This would have been a crippling blow to Amazon.com, Inc. (
), Google Inc. (
), online news, and any other site that allows user-generated content, as a malicious user (e.g. a prankster or competitor) could intentionally plant an offending URL and then contact the regulators to take down the site for weeks at a time. The measure would essentially have ended all American online commerce, online searching, and online news ,if enforced.
The "death" of SOPA comes just hours after President Barack Obama made headlines
when his close advisors came out against SOPA
. Some heralded the opposition as a hint that the President might veto the bill to prevent catastrophic economic damage.
The stalling of SOPA is only a partial victory, as the similar "PROTECT IP Act" (PIPA) (
) is moving towards a vote in the Senate.
Big media paid approximately
10 percent of active U.S. Senators'
combined election costs
in the last election cycle. Many of these same big media companies who are looking to imprison file sharing Americans recently
plead guilty to stealing tens of millions of dollars in work
in Canada alone, from independent artists.
Rep. Issa who has also recently made a name for himself -- in part -- by
strict fuel economy mandates
, says he will continue to work with advocacies and with America's tech luminaries like Google to fight PIPA in the Senate.
He remarks, "Right now, the focus of protecting the Internet needs to be on the Senate where Majority Leader Reid has announced his intention to try to move similar legislation in less than two weeks."
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
RE: Another thing to be watchful of
1/19/2012 10:52:31 PM
Verry vell...ze neu Amerika vill find itz vay to youuuu...
"Let's face it, we're not changing the world. We're building a product that helps people buy more crap - and watch porn." -- Seagate CEO Bill Watkins
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Tit–bits about AMD’s next-gen Ryzen processors have been leaking out over the past months. Now, team red’s entire processor road maps up to 2020 is out. As per these slides, the second-generation Ryzen chips will indeed be based on the refreshed “Zen+” architecture. Looks like Intel will have ample competition in the near future.
The third-generation Ryzen CPUs on the other hand, will be built upon the second-generation Zen2 architecture. According to the leaked slides obtained by Informatica Cero, AMD also supposedly has three Ryzen Threadripper families planned for launch up to 2020.
These slides feature 3 generations of upcoming AM4 based Ryzen APUs and CPUs. The 3rd gen CPU is codenamed Pinnacle Ridge, while the APU is dubbed Raven Ridge. The ones lined up after that are named Matisse and Vermeer on the CPU side, and Picasso and Renoir for the APUs.
As for the enthusiast class Threadripper CPUs, a second generation of Threadripper chips seem to be aimed for launch this year itself. For 2019, a new Threadripper design is in the works. As per the slides, it’s dubbed as “Castle Peak”, and will set new records in the HEDT market. As for the more the Zen+ TRs, improved clock speeds is the main objective.


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Kia India inaugurated India’s fastest charger for electric vehicles (240kWh) at Incheon Kia in Kochi. The company also installed a 150 kWh charger for passenger cars at Gurgaon in July 2022. This charging facility is available at the Kochi dealership for a nominal fee.
Kia India claims it will also “accommodate other OEMs’ charging needs through these charging stations.”
According to Myung-sik Sohn, Chief Sales Officer, Kia India said, “These are exciting times for EVs, and we aim not just to be a part of the mobility revolution of EVs in India but to make EV ownership aspirational, accessible, and inclusive. Our EV journey in India does not stop here. In fact, we are in the process of setting up more charging stations at our EV dealerships across the country, ensuring superior customer experience and reducing the issue of charging time and range anxiety that usually follows EV customers.”
Kia India’s first fully electric car, the EV6 was launched on June 2, 2022. It is based upon the Electric-Global Modular Platform platform (E-GMP). The Kia EV6 has a range of 528km and can be charged in just 18 minutes with a 350-kW charger. Kia plans to launch its India-centric EV in 2025 as part of its EV roadmap.
Installing such DC fast chargers will be capital intensive one with a long gestation no? How the funding is organised ?
Keen to know the model as it will be viable only when more such vehicles are on the road


text:
Cyber-activists find weak spot in China’s internet censorship apparatus
China’s ban on Wall Street Journal and Reuter’s Chinese-language sites Friday prompted activists to find a weak spot in China’s expansive internet censorship system, the Guardian reports.
The two sites were blocked after publishing a New York Times expose on business ties between the daughter of former Premier Wen Jiabao and JP Morgan. Both the New York Times English and Chinese-language sites have been blocked since 2012.
Charlie Smith, the co-founder of GreatFire.org, a website that monitors internet censorship in China, said these sites are now accessible after replicas of them were created and hosted on servers that could not be blocked without severely disrupting internet traffic.
“We’re serving these mirror sites through companies like Amazon,” Smith said. “For them to block these mirror sites, they’re going to have to take down Amazon web servers in China, and that would affect thousands of services in China, maybe tens of thousands,” he said.


text:
Taxman gets the power to charge new firms upfront
Employers could be made to pay Revenue & Customs in order to trade after the taxman was awarded new powers last week.
Revenue & Customs can now ask certain businesses to pay a deposit if they believe there is a serious risk that a firm may fail to hand over their PAYE deductions or National Insurance contributions.
The Revenue intends to levy the charge to ‘target those employers who have a record of using bankruptcy or phoenixism’, where directors carry on the same business under a new company name, enabling them to walk away from their debts.
Revenue & Customs can now ask certain businesses to pay a deposit
John Davies, head of technical at the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, says: ‘The security required will vary from case to case, depending on the amount of tax at risk and the previous behaviour of the employer. ‘Employers can appeal against the decision. If security is not provided employers can be prosecuted by the Revenue.’
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text:
Mahindra Finance Share Price: Total company’s income increased 3 per cent to Rs 3,029 crore during the quarter under review against Rs 2,951 crore during the corresponding quarter last year, the company said in an exchange release.
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Motorola is readying a new flagship smartphone with Qualcomm’s yet-to-be-announced Snapdragon 898 SoC. The phone will reportedly arrive as the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra in some markets and as Edge X in others. A major leak earlier this week revealed all the key specs of the phone. Now, thanks to a bunch of leaked renders and a 360-degree video from Steve Hemmerstoffer aka OnLeaks (via 91Mobiles), we have our first look at the device.
The renders reveal that the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra/Edge X sports a flat display with noticeable bezels all around it, which is a bit of disappointment for an Ultra-branded flagship. It is a 6.67-inch HDR10+ OLED panel with a Full HD+ resolution and 144Hz refresh rate. Motorola has tucked the earpiece grille onto the frame.
The centered punch hole reportedly houses a 60-megapixel front-facing camera, which could well be the highest-resolution selfie camera on a mainstream smartphone to date.
On the back, we have a triple camera setup inside a simplistic, rectangular pill-shaped housing. It’s a combination of a 50-megapixel primary shooter, a 50-megapixel ultrawide lens that also doubles up as a macro camera, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. Motorola is again missing out on an opportunity to include a telephoto zoom lens, something an “Ultra” phone warrants.
Besides the three vertically aligned rear cameras, we have a dual-LED flash and a microphone. The ubiquitous Moto batwing logo sits almost at the center of the back panel, which seemingly has curved edges.
The Motorola Edge 30 Ultra/Edge X has its power and volume buttons on the right side. There’s also a third physical button on the left, which could be a dedicated Google Assistant key. At the bottom, we have the USB Type-C port, a microphone, and a speaker grille. The device measures 163.1 x 76.5 x 8.8mm in dimension (10mm thick with the camera bump).
5,000mAh battery, 68W fast charging, and more
Other leaked Motorola Edge 30 Ultra/Edge X specs include a 5,00mAh battery with 68W fast charging, an under-display fingerprint scanner, an IP52 rating for dust and water resistance, and up to 12GB of LPDDR5x RAM and 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage. The device will reportedly run Android 11 out of the box, which is another missed opportunity, we’d say. Motorola should have shipped the device with Android 12. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 6, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, and GPS. Of course, the upcoming Motorola flagship will support 5G cellular connectivity.
From what we can see, and what previous leaks had suggested, this phone appears to be missing a 3.5mm headphone jack. But the renders don’t show a SIM tray either. Moreover, they are inconsistent regarding the presence of a secondary microphone up top. So we’ll have to wait for more of these leaks to confirm that.
Motorola Edge 30 Ultra/Edge X launch date
We don’t yet have a launch date for the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra/Edge X. Since Qualcomm has yet to announce the Snapdragon 898 chipset, it should be safe to assume that the device will not arrive in the market before 2022. We will keep you updated.


text:
For the last several decades, you've dealt with a business community that had trouble seeing the value of IT. Now your partners have a deep appreciation of IT. Your job must be much easier! If it isn't, then you've discovered the same CIO paradox that I have: The business is getting smarter about technology, but your job is getting harder.
"Ten years ago, we had to convince the purchasing group that automating reverse auctions was better than paper RFPs, and that took time," says Ralph Loura, CIO of Clorox. "Now you don't have to convince the business of anything. They assume it will work and they want the payout in a quarter."
Now that companies are ready to begin investing again, speed is coming to the fore, says Mitch Klaif, CIO of Time, Inc. "In the last few months, as the economy has begun to allow for product innovation, the business wants to seize the opportunity for quick returns."
This new ROI urgency puts massive pressure on the CIO to speed delivery and time to market, and there are many options for managing that challenge, including:
Strategically managed rollouts. In response to the economy's impact on the construction industry, CIO Nick Colisto and his team at Hovnanian Enterprises led the deployment of a new operating platform that combines 12 applications across a highly decentralized business. "With a common operating platform, we can deliver innovation much more quickly," says Colisto. But those speed-of-delivery gains would be lost if the IT team spent too much of its time making changes to the platform. "Rather than react to whoever is screaming the loudest about system changes, we have a formal governance process," says Colisto. "We do four releases a year."
New roles in IT. One major obstacle to delivery time is the tendency for high-profile projects, like a new CRM system, to consume resources. "With an 'all hands on deck' project, you can quickly be in a mode where nothing else gets done," says Clorox's Loura. "This means that everybody is oversubscribed, like the domain architect, who is relentlessly hounded and cornered in the hall. The architect should be looking out at new technologies, but is spending 80 per cent of the time in projects helping to resolve design issues."
Loura developed a number of new roles in the organization, including a solution designer: a process expert who acts as a buffer for the architect. "This leaves space on the architect's calendar to keep a big-picture focus while the projects stay on pace," Loura says.
Process teams. One challenge to speeding delivery is that there are often walls between business and IT, creating inefficiencies in translating business needs into technology, says Kevin Chase, CIO of TXU Energy. To create better alignment, Chase and his business counterparts created joint teams that co-own business processes such as revenue management. Staffed with people from IT, operations, and the product development department, these teams have already produced improvements in change management. "In the past, IT would deliver solutions before the business could adjust, because we didn't have an integrated delivery approach from start to finish," he says. "Now we have a better understanding of the business's training strategy and schedule when we start gathering requirements on."
We are, unbelievably enough, in a brand new age of computing, where many of the old rules of IT delivery (which, ironically, are still young) no longer apply. Whether your market is internal or external, your customers want great IT and they want it now. In many ways, the business's insatiable appetite for technology is a great thing, so long as you can figure out how to feed it.
Martha Heller is president of Heller Search Associates, an IT executive search firm, and a co-founder of the CIO Executive Council. She can be reached at email@example.com.
Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.


text:
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Check out some of the cars, trucks and babes of the 2019 Trans Sport Show
10th Subic Bay Auto Show attracted over 150 cars and over a thousand attendees to Rotonda Grill at Moonbay Marina Resort.
Is China still a follower of automotive trends, or are we beginning to see them take the lead?
2019 Bangkok International Motor Show gives a glimpse of what’s to come in the region and a promise of enjoyment of motoring
We take a look at some oddball modifications from the Tokyo Auto Salon
What will be the new cars of 2019? This year's Singapore Motor Show (mostly) answers that question
2018 Manila Auto Salon and Sport Truck Show levels up the Philippine aftermarket show scene with a 200-strong, high-quality car and truck display
2018 Thailand International Motor Expo gives us a glimpse of what’s coming to our market
Missed out the 2018 Philippine International Motor Show? We run down the highlights of this year's show
We look into the builds that turned up at this year’s Trans Sport Show
Hot cars, hot babes under the summer sun keep the fun at 9th Subic Bay Auto Show.
The launches, highlights and interesting sights of the 2018 Manila International Auto Show
39th Bangkok Motor Show featured regional debuts, concept cars from global manufacturers
We go around this year’s Manila Auto Salon and Sport Truck Show and pick out several stand-out vehicles
We bring you the trucks, concept cars and a vision of a cleaner future at the 34th Thailand International Motor Expo.
Steve McQueen used 1968 Ford Mustang GT in Bullitt to be auctioned off
Honda Breeze debuts, features unique styling cues inspired by the Accord
You can renew your license up to a year in advance with LTO's new policy
Chevrolet has released prices of Corvette in the USA, but how much could it cost in PH?
Want the new Civic hatch? Perhaps its time to write those petition letters
Proposed Philippine Responsible Driving and Accountability Act to help drivers involved to not be initially liable in an accident
We line up a few small accessories that can make driving convenient
Dakar racer for the road? Toyota Gazoo chief is pushing for an even beefier Hilux model
Pasig City residents are reminded that closing public roads for personal use is illegal


text:
WPF votes on key California medical privacy guidelines
California health privacy — The World Privacy Forum, as co-chair of the California Privacy and Security Advisory Board, was pleased to vote on an opt-in privacy standard for Californians in the June CalPSAB board meeting. The standard will be part of a set of guidelines the state of California uses in its development of electronic health care records. This set of guidelines was the culmination of two years of policy work with the CalPSAB board.
See the complete guidelines


text:
The Faenza-based squad has been open that it’ll race with a brand new crew identify in 2024, as a part of a reinvigoration undertaken by proprietor Purple Bull.
It needed to maneuver away from the AlphaTauri identify, which is a clothes firm owned by Purple Bull, and embark on a unique path.
There had been anticipation of the brand new identification revolving round ‘Racing Bulls’, which might work properly alongside sister crew Red Bull Racing, and would additionally permit it to include potential title sponsors.
Talking final yr concerning the plan, AlphaTauri CEO Peter Bayer stated: “The identification will probably be generic.
“The identification is what Toro Rosso would have been, and it is shifting nearer to the Purple Bull household once more. However then it’s going to seem with the naming rights companions. We’ll change the corporate identify, we are going to change identification, emblem, all the pieces, a whole relaunch, full rebrand.”
Nevertheless, because it closes in on an official announcement about what its new identification will probably be, leaks of its new identify on official crew accounts suggests a ultimate resolution has been made that doesn’t contain ‘Racing Bulls’ in any respect.
As an alternative ,‘Visa Money App RB’ appeared briefly this week as a deal with on official crew accounts, earlier than disappearing. It’s more likely to have by chance gone public as a part of the crew’s efforts to will get it model identification able to go reside in time for any formal announcement.
It’s understood that the selection of RB on the finish, quite than Racing Bulls, is ultimate – and is what will probably be used for the crew identify, which is predicted to be confirmed previous to an official launch subsequent month.
The official entry listing that was issued in December had ‘RB’ featured in each the crew and chassis identify.
Photograph by: Mark Sutton
Nyck de Vries, AlphaTauri AT04, leads Sergio Perez, Purple Bull Racing RB19
The presence of Visa and Money App highlights the continued curiosity from American sponsors in F1.
Bank card firm Visa has not had a serious presence in F1 earlier than, though was concerned in an settlement with Caterham again in 2012 in a hospitality and advertising programme.
Visa has a historical past of sports activities sponsorship together with the Olympics and Paralympics, the Girls’s World Cup and NFL.
CashApp, which is a cell cost service, is not any stranger to F1 having initially joined Purple Bull in 2021.
Talking on the time of that deal, Purple Bull boss Christian Horner stated: “Since its inception Purple Bull Racing has been a disruptor, difficult the established order in Formulation 1 and pushing technological boundaries to construct the quickest potential F1 automobile.
“Money App brings an analogous ethos and drive to the world of non-public finance, utilising know-how to energy fast, safe money transfers, to purchase and ship Bitcoin, and to spend money on shares.”


text:
Internet of Things security: What happens when every device is smart and you don’t even know it?
Billions more everyday items are set to be connected to the internet in the next few years, especially as chips get cheaper and cheaper to produce — and crucially, small enough to fit into even the smallest product.
Potentially, any standard household item could become connected to the internet, even if there’s no reason for the manufacturers to do so.
Eventually that processors needed to power an IoT device will become effectively free, making it possible to turn anything into a internet-enabled device.
“The price of turning a dumb device into a smart device will be 10 cents,” says Mikko Hyppönen, chief research officer at F-Secure.
However, it’s unlikely that consumer will be the one who gains the biggest benefits from every device their homes collecting data; it’s those who build them who will reap the greatest rewards — alongside government surveillance services.
“It’s going to be so cheap that vendors will put the chip in any device, even if the benefits are only very small. But those benefits won’t be benefits to you, the consumer, they’ll be benefits for the manufacturers because they want to collect analytics,” says Hyppönen, speaking at Cloud Expo Europe.
For example, a kitchen appliance manufacturer might collect data and use it for everything from seeing how often the product breaks to working out where customers live and altering their advertising accordingly in an effort to boost sales — and the user might not even know this is happening, if devices have their own 5G connection and wouldn’t even need access to a home Wi-Fi network.
“The IoT devices of the future won’t go online to benefit you — you won’t even know that it’s an IoT device,” says Hyppönen.
“And you won’t be able to avoid this, you won’t be able to buy devices which aren’t IoT devices, you won’t be able to restrict access to the internet because they won’t be going online through your Wi-Fi. We can’t avoid it, it’s going to happen.”
Indeed, it’s already started, with devices you wouldn’t expect to need an internet connection — including children’s toys — being discovered to have gaping cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Read more…


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Home > News > Nation
Wednesday January 15, 2014 MYT 12:00:00 AM
Wednesday January 15, 2014 MYT 10:59:26 AM
PUTRAJAYA: Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas is leading a palm oil promotion mission to Iran and Pakistan.
The visit, which started yesterday and expected to end on Jan 21, will explore areas for cooperation between the private sector in Malaysia and their counterparts in Pakistan and Iran.
Bilateral discussions will take place to explore exports of palm oil products with the private sector associations in the two countries.
Douglas will open a Palm Oil and Trade Seminar (POTS) in Pakistan, besides launching a Pocketbook on Palm Oil Uses in the Urdu language.
This pocketbook contains information on the palm oil industry in Malaysia and the use of palm oil products for both food and non-food purposes.
During POTS Pakistan, Douglas will witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Erafeed Sdn Bhd and Chapri Group.
The MOU designates Chapri Group Pvt Ltd, the largest importer of palm kernel cake from Malaysia, as a main agent to distribute palm-based animal feed.
Douglas will also visit Port Qasim Authority to assess the progress of joint venture projects between Malaysian and local companies in the areas of refining.
In Teheran, Douglas will open POTS Teheran and launch the Pocketbook in the Persian language, as part of promotion and efforts to strengthen the market share of Malaysian palm oil in Iran.
In 2012, Pakistan was Malaysia’s second largest trading partner among the countries in South Asia.
Malaysia-Pakistan bilateral trade in 2012 was valued at RM6.5bil.
Among the products exported, palm oil accounts for the largest segment with an export value of RM4bil.
Other commodity products exported to Pakistan in 2012 include products based on rubber valued at RM76.9mil, cocoa at RM33.8mil and pepper at RM2.42mil.
Iran is Malaysia’s fourth largest trading partner among the countries in the Middle East. Bilateral trade between Iran in 2012 was recorded at RM4.6bil.
Among the commodity products, exports of palm oil were valued at RM1.95bil. — Bernama
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HTC Corporation has assured the launch of some new competitive models in the beginning of the next year and it also claims that it will adhere to the strategy and maintain the challenge that is ever increasing in the market of smartphones. The company has actually become a very poor performer in the shares of global smartphones in this year and has experienced a drop of about 30 percent in the previous eight sessions.
When these concerns has reached to the peak, the company dropped its forecast on revenue that has to be made for the fourth quarter thereby creating a shock in the market being the manufacturer of the great models like Wildfire and Desire. But still the company claims that it will not become one more Nokia, the manufacturer that has faced a fall from the market.
As per an the CFO of HTC, it is not so serious for the company and that it has six quarters of improvement in hand. The company has achieved about 45 million units of product shipments in this year which is almost double than that of the previous year. He has told that the company will concentrate all its focus on products that will be released next year and on how to make them competitive and better.
It is working on LTE phones that is meant for the US market but that is not all as it is also working on some phones for others markets too.
HTC has many challenges and it is confident of facing them boldly and winning them. It does not only have tough competitions from the companies like Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics due to the iPhone and Galaxy series smartphones but also some legal challenges regarding the patents from companies like Apple. In Germany, the company's smartphone sales is halted at present by IPCo, a patent firm based in Germany.


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FILE - CAPMAS
CAIRO – 10 December 2018: Egypt’s annual consumer price inflation slipped to 15.6 percent in November 2018, compared to 26.7 percent in the same month of 2017 that rose due to the flotation of the Egyptian currency, state-statistics body said Wednesday, Oct. 10.
In October, Egypt’s annual consumer price inflation recorded 17.5 percent, compared to 31.8 percent in the same month of 2017.
On a monthly basis, inflation decreased 0.7 percent in November, compared to the previous month, to record 309.1 points, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) said.
CAPMAS attributed the decrease in inflation on a monthly basis to the decline of some commodities' prices as vegetables by 3.4 percent, fruit by 8.9 percent, and chicken by 1.7 percent.
On the other hand, the prices of dairy, cheese and eggs increased 0.6 percent, and the prices of clothes and shoes rose 1.8 percent.
Inflation surged in Egypt since the floatation of the Egyptian pound in November 2016, reaching a high record level in July due to energy subsidy cuts, and gradually easing since July.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expected Egypt’s inflation to decline to 20.9 percent in 2018, compared to 23.5 percent in 2017, anticipating it to reach 14 percent in 2019 and 7 percent in 2023.
Meanwhile, the World Bank said that headline inflation remained at high levels of 21.6 percent during 2017/2018, but started to recede significantly by the end of the year, adding that core inflation returned to single digits in July 2018.
The World Bank clarified that the increase of energy prices caused a temporary rise in headline inflation to 14 percent on an average during June to August.
HC Securities & Investment also forecasted that Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will keep rates unchanged in the fourth quarter of 2018, with anticipations that inflation will hit 14.8 percent from September to December.
“We expect the annual inflation rate to average 14.8 percent over September–December,” Equity Analyst – Macro & Banking Sector at HC, Monette Doss added.
Egypt targets an inflation rate of 13 percent in its fiscal year 2018/2019 budget.
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Forward supply, forward service
To enhance the industry’s awareness of the global coatings industry order and understand the impact of leading companies on the industry. On August 28th, the Coating Industry officially released the "2020 China-US-Japan-Europe Top 25 Coating Companies Ranking". The companies on the list are all production companies with headquarters in their respective regions. The list uses the company's 2019 coating business sales revenue index as the final ranking indicator, and is ranked among the top 25 coating companies in China, the United States, Japan and Europe.
The list shows that the total sales of US companies on the list are 47.83 billion U.S. dollars, and the average sales per company is 1.913.5 billion U.S. dollars. Among them, PPG, Sherwin-Williams, and Lipram are in the top three, with sales of 15.458 billion U.S. dollars, 15.146 billion U.S. dollars, and 5.564 billion U.S. dollars.
The list shows that the total sales of European companies on the list is 29.581 billion US dollars, with an average sales of 1.183.2 billion US dollars per company. Among them, Akzo Nobel, BASF, and Jotun ranked the top three, with sales of 10.393 billion US dollars, 4.197.1 billion US dollars, and 2.228.6 billion US dollars respectively.
The list shows that the total sales of Japanese companies on the list is 14.843 billion U.S. dollars, and the average sales per company is 593.7 million U.S. dollars. Among them, Nippon Paint, Kansai Paint, and Shikoku Chemical Research ranked the top three, with sales of US$6.1832 billion, US$3.7641 million and US$871.2 million respectively.
The list shows that the total sales of China's listed companies are US$6.7513 billion, and the average sales per company is US$270.1 million. Among them, Three Trees, Oriental Yuhong, and Xiangjiang Paint ranked the top three, with sales of 796.1 million US dollars, 769.6 million US dollars, and 539.1 million US dollars respectively.
Total sales (100 million US dollars)
Average sales (100 million US dollars/house)
In terms of the distribution of sales scale, the scale of the top 25 companies in the coatings industry in China, the United States, Japan, and Europe is very unbalanced. The number of companies with sales revenues of more than US$10 billion is 2 in the United States and 1 in Europe; The number of companies between US$100 million is 2 in the United States, 2 in Japan, and 1 in Europe; the number of companies between US$1 to 3 billion is 5 in Europe and 1 in the United States. Companies with sales of more than $1 billion in China are zero.
In addition, the total sales revenue of the U.S. companies on the list is more than 7 times that of China, and the average sales of each U.S. company is more than 7 times that of China. The sales revenue of Sherwin-Williams, the largest paint company in the United States, is that of Sanke, the largest national paint company in China. Nearly 20 times the tree.
Sales scale range
|≧10 billion USD||2||1||0||0|
|USD 3-10 billion||2||1||2||0|
Judging from the list, the U.S. coating industry has a very high degree of internationalization, with giant companies such as Sherwin-Williams, PPG, Lipparm, Axalta, and Bose Bear emerging; followed by Europe and Japan, with Akzo Nobel, Multinational companies such as BASF, Nippon, Kansai, Haihong, and Jordan; Chinese paint companies have a very low degree of internationalization, and most of the companies’ business is limited to China, even though China’s largest national paint company Sankeshu , The international market share is also negligible.
According to the disclosed data, the total global paint output in 2019 reached 96.6 million tons, and sales revenue was about 197.7 billion U.S. dollars. Among them, the main business income of China's coatings industry was 447.4 billion yuan (including enterprises below designated size), which is about 64.1 billion U.S. dollars; The total output of the European material industry was 11.85 million tons and the total sales revenue was US$37.7 billion; the total output of the US coating industry was 8.9 million tons and the total sales revenue was US$30 billion; the total output of the Japanese coatings industry was 1.65 million tons and the total sales revenue was US$6.3 billion.
|Output (10,000 tons)||Output value (100 million US dollars)|
|China||37.5 million tons||$64.1 billion|
|Japan||1.65 million tons||$6.3 billion|
|Europe||11.85 million tons||$37.7 billion|
|United States||8.9 million tons||$30 billion|
According to published data, my country's paint industry concentration CR10 is only 15.22% in 2019, which is in the stage of decentralized competition. Compared with the coating industry in developed countries in Europe, America and Japan, the concentration of the coating industry in my country is very low, and there is still a huge gap with developed countries in the world.
According to statistics, in 2019, the European coating industry CR10 is about 70%, the Japanese coating industry CR10 is as high as 95%, and the American coating industry CR10 also reaches more than 85%; in addition, the concentration of the coating market in South Korea, India, Australia and other regions is also very high. "As China's coatings industry enters a period of in-depth adjustment, the industry concentration will increase substantially."
The top 5 companies in China's coatings list are: Three Trees, Oriental Yuhong, Xiangjiang Paint, Burberry, Bardez. The development of the coating industry will surely drive the development of paint pail, tin can components. I believe that forward's prospects are impressive.


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Heating tomatoes before chilling preserves flavour
Posted: 19 August 2015 | Victoria White | No comments yet
Adding or rearranging a few simple steps in commercial processing could dramatically improve the flavour of tomatoes, according to researchers…
Adding or rearranging a few simple steps in commercial processing could dramatically improve the flavour of tomatoes, according to researchers.
The scientists will present new research on tomato flavour-saving methods at the 250thNational Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).
“Ideally, tomatoes should be picked ripe and then sold immediately, as they are at farm stands,” said Jinhe Bai, Ph.D. But this isn’t always possible for commercially sold tomatoes, which are often stored and then shipped over long distances.
To prevent tomatoes from becoming too ripe before they reach the store, growers pick them when they are still green. Packers then use a gas called ethylene to trigger fruit ripening, and after that the tomatoes are stored and shipped at low temperatures.
The problem is that chilling tomatoes degrades their flavour. In an effort to improve the flavour quality, Bai’s team developed a slightly different method. “To produce a better tasting tomato, we added a hot water pre-treatment step to the usual protocol that growers follow,” he explained, “We found that this pre-treatment step prevents flavour loss due to chilling.”
Describing the process in more detail, Bai explained that he and his colleagues at the US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, and the University of Florida dipped Florida-grown green tomatoes in hot water for five minutes and then let them cool at room temperature. Next they chilled the fruit to between 41 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperatures commercial producers use for shipping. After the tomatoes fully ripened, the researchers tested them for flavour and aroma.
Tomatoes heated before chilling tasted better
They found that tomatoes heated before chilling had higher levels of flavour compounds (6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, 2-methylbutanal and 2-phenylethanol) than non-heated fruit, and they tasted better. Bai explained, “Chilling suppresses production of oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur-containing heterocyclic compounds, ketones, alcohols and aldehydes, including 13 important aroma components of tomato flavour. But hot water-treated fruit actually produced higher concentrations of these important aroma contributors, even with subsequent chilling.”
Currently, they are monitoring flavour compounds at additional time points — when the tomatoes are green, soon after the process is performed and when they are partially ripened. This information will be combined with data on fully ripened tomatoes to help the team develop a better commercial process.
The approach is an easy, inexpensive fix to the flavour problem. Many post-harvest technologies sacrifice flavour to prevent bruising or spoiling, he points out. “Our methods can easily be implemented in the current commercial system without risking fruit decay,” Bai explained.
Treatment of “breaker stage” tomatoes with 1-methylcyclopropene also maintains flavour
The team have successfully preserved flavour with another method, too. With this procedure, they picked the tomatoes at a later stage than growers usually do. Instead of picking them when they were all green, the researchers waited and collected them when the fruits were half-green and half-pink (the breaker stage). Then, they treated them with 1-methylcyclopropene. They did this to make the fruit more tolerant to cell death and deterioration at higher storage temperatures. Thus the chilling step was avoided and the flavour maintained. The researchers plan to closely compare the flavour-saving qualities of all techniques.
Once the researchers determine if one of the methods is better, they will approach food processing firms to determine if they are interested in adopting the technique.


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Gold prices spurted by Rs 100 to regain the all-time high level of Rs 29,540 per 10 grams in the bullion market here today on strong demand triggered by the ongoing wedding season amid firm global cues.
The precious metal,which was last seen at this level on December 8,has gained Rs 550 in the last seven days.
Silver also gained Rs 100 to Rs 56,500 per kg on increased offtake by industrial units and jewellery makers.
Traders said besides continued buying for the wedding season,firm trend in overseas market,where gold advanced as weakening dollar increased the demand for the precious metal as an alternative investment,also boosted the sentiment.
Gold rose by 0.3 per cent to USD 1,664.80 an ounce and silver gained 0.4 per cent to USD 31.41 an ounce in New York last night.
Back home,gold of 99.9 and 99.5 per cent purity rose by Rs 100 each to Rs 29,540 and Rs 29,400 per 10 grams,respectively.
Sovereign remained steady at Rs 23,650 per piece of eight grams in scattered deals.
Silver ready prices also strengthened by Rs 100 to Rs 56,500 per kg and weekly-based delivery by Rs 145 to Rs 55,875 per kg.
Silver coins continued to be asked around previous level of Rs 64,000 for buying and Rs 66,000 for selling of 100 pieces.


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The fifth annual Christmas Movies at The Quarter event series is back. Starting on Dec 6, Scottsdale Quarter will show holiday classics at 6 p.m., right by the Christmas tree. It’s free to attend. Guests are encouraged to bring chairs, blankets and holiday spirit.
Friday, Dec 6: “ELF”
Friday, Dec 13: “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000, Jim Carrey version)
Friday, Dec 20: “A Christmas Story”


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New Zealand beatmaker Borrowed CS delivers the latest goods for OYE affiliated imprint Money Sex Records.
Label heads Max Graef, Glenn Astro and Delfonic have been putting out a consistent string of well-considered house jams for the last few years now. The Berlin-based outfit have hooked up with OYE Record Store and friends, releasing the likes of IM¥RMIND and Hodini amongst a host of self-released EP’s.
The latest release comes courtesy of New Zealand producer Borrows CS aka Corey Champion. Continuing where M$R left off, the EP moves through lofi percussion, ‘radiophonic workshop’ styke snippets and touches on acid at times.


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B.C. residents now have a convenient way to drop off their old or ‘unloved’ clothing items, which currently comprises approximately five per cent of the region’s municipal solid waste.
Based on the success of a pilot project launched earlier this year, the initiative has been expanded from 13 to 32 depot locations in the Lower Mainland.
Allen Langdon, president and CEO of Return-It, said the overwhelming abundance of discarded clothing inspired the new program.
“The average adult throws out about 81 pounds of clothing and other textiles every year,” Langdon explained. “In Metro Vancouver alone, 40,000 tonnes of textiles end up in the landfill annually, making up approximately five per cent of the region’s municipal solid waste. Those numbers provide a clear rationale for our new expanded program.”
Return-It has partnered with used clothing trader Bank & Vogue to pursue a shared mandate of diverting waste from landfill.
Items collected through the program are distributed to reuse organizations within Western Canada.
Accepted items include a wide range of clothing, shoes and household textiles such as blankets and towels.
“Most of us have unused clothing taking up space at home,” Langdon added. “Now, more B.C. residents can conveniently recycle textiles while they’re returning refundable beverage containers and other items. I’m optimistic we’ll be able to continue to expand the program across the province.”
During the last seven months, Return-It collected 1,640 bags of textiles – weighing over 26 metric tonnes – as part of the program to help breathe new life into old garments
For a list of Return-It depots and centres that accept textiles, people can visit return-it.ca/locations/textiles
Is there more to this story?


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Did Pep Boys scam you? Stores admits deceiving NJ customers
NEWARK — Pep Boys, a leading automotive chain, is now the seventh company to settle claims with the state that it committed pricing violations in its stores.
Pep Boys, which has more than 40 locations around the state, was investigated on reports that the company sold items at prices higher than were listed or did not plainly show the prices of items, according to former Attorney General Christopher Porrino announced. He made the announcement just days before leaving office with the Christie administration.
"Retail shopping shouldn't be a guessing game, with consumers forced to wait until an item is scanned at the register to find out how much it costs," Porrino said. "We're pleased that Pep Boys has agreed to comply with the law by providing New Jersey consumers with the accurate pricing information they need to comparison shop and make informed decision on how to spend their money."
As part of the settlement, the company agreed to implement a program to better monitor its pricing, conduct regular audits of its pricing, and keep a log of audits that are conducted. A corporate compliance coordinator will also be named to oversee the program.
Porrino said the items that had issues with pricing ranged from air fresheners to wheel cleaners, and that a Piscataway store had overcharged some customers for unneeded work.
As part of the settlement, Porrino said the company will reimburse six customers a total of more than $2,500 for the repairs that were done.
Pep Boys will also pay a $60,000 fine and reimburse more than $16,000 in attorney and investigative costs.
More From New Jersey 101.5
Contact reporter Adam Hochron at 609-359-5326 or email@example.com


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The company has avoided the use of more than 1 billion single-use plastic delivery bags across Europe
Deliveries increasingly green thanks to 100% recyclable packaging. The revolution that affects all European shipping comes from the giant Amazon includes everyone items sold by Amazon and by third-party sales partners who rely on the Amazon Fulfillment service for shipments. Customers receive packages in envelopes flexible paper, corrugated cardboard envelopes and boxes, which are easily recyclable at home throughout Europe. Over the past year, Amazon has also increased the number of products shipped without additional Amazon packaging in Europe by more than 50%. Thanks to these combined initiatives the company estimates it has avoided the use of over 1 billion envelopes for deliveries to disposable plastic in its European distribution network since 2019.
Amazon is working with sellers to increase the number of products delivered to packages originals in paper and cardboard, easy to open, recyclable and ready to be shipped to customers without additional Amazon packaging. THE products they are shipped with the sole addition of the label with the delivery address. When packaging is still necessary, the company aims to use lighter and appropriately sized packaging in order to reduce waste and emissions, while ensuring products arrive safely.
“We are thrilled that our European distribution network is now using recyclable packaging for customer orders,” he said Pat Lindner, vice president of Amazon’s Mechatronics and Sustainable Packaging division. “This is a further demonstration of our commitment to being a leader in sustainability and we will continue to invest in innovative technologies, machine learning and more sustainable materials to ensure that packaging, whether used by us or other companies, has a positive impact on our customers, communities and the planet.”
Some of the innovative packaging that Amazon is trialling in Europe include paper-only padded envelopes, reusable delivery bags and incentives for retail partners to reduce their packaging. For each shipment that requires packaging, Amazon uses science-based systems to determine the type and size of packaging needed. The machine learning helps the company determine which smaller products are suitable for flexible packaging, such as paper bags, which are up to 90% lighter than similarly sized boxes.
Over the last five years these algorithms have reduced the use of cardboard boxes by more than 35%. Amazon uses the algorithms also to help its distribution centers have the correct variety of different sized boxes, as well as to reduce packaging for multi-item shipments. Packaging is just one of the areas where Amazon is innovating and investing to become a leader in sustainability.
The company is in fact co-founder and first signatory of the Climate Pledgea commitment to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2040. As part of this commitment, Amazon is working to power 100% of its operations from renewable sources by 2025 and has more than 9,000 electric vehicles for deliveries in the global fleet of its delivery service partners. To find out more about Amazon’s commitment to sustainability you can consult the latest Sustainability Report.