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A growing number of manufacturers around the world are having trouble securing supplies of semiconductors, delaying the production and delivery of goods and threatening to push up the prices paid by consumers.
Other shocks, such as US government sanctions on Chinese technology companies and extreme weather, have also contributed to the shortage of supply.
The computer chips in highest demand are not particularly sophisticated or expensive. But they’re indispensable components used in everything from kitchen appliances to washing machines and electronic gadgets.
The shortage is going from bad to worse, spreading from cars to consumer electronics. With the bulk of chip production concentrated in a handful of suppliers, analysts warn that the crunch is likely to last through 2021.
According to Goldman Sachs, 169 US industries embed semiconductors in their products. The bank is forecasting a 20% average shortfall of computer chips among affected industries, with some of the components used to make chips in short supply until at least this fall and possibly into 2022.
To understand how the chip shortage is hitting the economy, let’s start with cars:
Auto industry hobbled
The average car has between 50 and 150 chips. They’re used in a growing number of applications, including driver assistance systems and navigation control.
Then, car sales bounced back faster than expected and automakers responded by ramping up production. But they found themselves at the back of the line for chips.
The chip shortage places the production of 1.3 million cars and vans at risk globally in the first quarter, according to research firm IHS Markit.
IHS said that a fire last month at a Japanese chip factory owned by Renesas Electronics, as well as ongoing disruption following severe winter weather in Texas, will worsen the situation.
“The week-long closures will be felt for months,” IHS said in a recent research note.
A big part of the problem: Carmakers have limited options when it comes to securing additional supply.
Smartphones and appliances
Consumer electronics manufacturers are also getting slammed by shortages.
Samsung told analysts on its earnings call Thursday that it’s working hard to reduce shortages of semiconductors and other key parts, which could weigh on sales of products like smartphones.
The dearth of supply will knock other smartphone makers too.
“Covid-19 is still a major consideration, but it is no longer the main bottleneck,” Canalys research manager Ben Stanton said Thursday. “Supply of critical components, such as chipsets, has quickly become a major concern, and will hinder smartphone shipments in the coming quarters,” he added.
“We continue to put all our efforts in mitigating possible risks from potential component shortages,” it added.
Beyond cars and smartphones, computer chips are used in an array of household goods, including televisions, washing machines and refrigerators. Analysts have warned that these could be next in the firing line.
Prices going up?
For consumers, the chip shortages could lead to an increase in the cost of goods.
“Even though demand for consumer electronics and cars tends to be quite price sensitive and is likely to moderate with even modest price increases, we estimate reduced supply could boost prices by 1-3% in affected categories,” Goldman Sachs analysts said. That could temporarily bump up inflation later this year, they added.
Chip constraints are already pushing up the price of vehicles in the United States because dealers have only a fraction of typical stock levels. The average new car price climbed to $37,200 in the first quarter, an 8.4% increase from the same period a year ago, according to JD Power.
About half of car buyers are paying within 5% of the sticker price, with some paying more than asking.
The pressure on supply chains has even caught the attention of US President Joe Biden, who ordered a review in February into which products used by Americans are vulnerable to disruptions. Biden said that could lead to an increase in the domestic production of certain goods.
In the meantime, expect the disruption to continue.
— Julia Horowitz, Chris Isidore and Will Godley contributed reporting.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Siemens makes washing machines and refrigerators. It sold the business in 2015 to Bosch, which continues to produce household appliances under the Siemens brand.


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ESA lobbying tops $2 million
Trade group's attempts to influence lawmakers go beyond censorship and piracy laws, branch out into overtime regulations, online gambling.
The Interactive Digital Software Association was founded in 1994, in the wake of a nationwide furor over violence in video games sparked by gory or sexually suggestive offerings like Midway's Mortal Kombat and Sega's Night Trap. With legislators and parents alike calling for regulation of the gaming industry and a mandatory ratings system, game publishers needed a unified voice to represent their collective interests to the American public and government.
The IDSA quickly established the Entertainment Software Ratings Board and the Electronic Entertainment Expo, and it has spent the last 13 years fending off government regulation, working to end game piracy, and acting as the public face of a growing and often misunderstood industry. The organization changed its name to the Entertainment Software Association in 2003 and has continued acting as an advocate for the industry. It publicizes sales and demographics information to underscore the size and popularity of the industry to those outside looking in, and its ESA Foundation charity has raised millions in grants to support organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
However, the organization's activities don't stop there. It also spends millions on lobbying, the practice of influencing public officials and pending legislation to better suit one's interests. The ESA actively lobbies government agencies and politicians at the federal and state levels on a number of issues that don't receive much attention or publicity, but to what end?
According to filings with the United States Senate Office of Public Records, the ESA spent more than $2 million on federal lobbying efforts in 2005 and was on pace to exceed that tally in 2006 with a first-half bill of more than $1.1 million. It's often said that the gaming industry is bigger than the film industry, and in the case of federal lobbying by their trade groups, it's actually true. The Motion Picture Association of America spent less than $1.6 million on federal lobbying in 2005 and $900,000 in the first half of 2006.
As for what the money is being spent on, the ESA official Web site lists intellectual property protection, content regulation, and efforts to regulate the Internet as its main areas of interest. Interestingly, the ESA also lobbies on free trade and Internet gambling, which Bobby Kotick, CEO of ESA-member-company Activision, recently referred to as the "Holy Grail" of the industry. According to the group's spokesperson, the ESA lobbies to advocate the strongest possible intellectual property regulations in trade agreements. As for gambling, he said the ESA's efforts are focused on ensuring legislation "is not written so broadly that our members' online businesses are negatively impacted."
On the state level, the ESA can be found courting lawmakers nearly anywhere game-restricting legislation can be found. However, the group's efforts in California have not been limited to the fight against AB1179, which sought to impose fines for selling violent or sexually explicit games to minors. According to ESA filings with the California Secretary of State's office, the organization is also lobbying on a number of other issues that haven't popped up in its federal efforts.
Since 2005, the ESA has been lobbying the state's Labor and Workforce Development Agency regarding meal and rest-period regulations for workers, as well as overtime issues. California serves as the home to much of the American gaming industry, including influential members like Electronic Arts and Activision, both of which have faced lawsuits from employees accusing them of skirting the state's labor laws. (EA settled its infamous "EA Spouse" suit in October of 2005, while Activision faced its own suit centered on overtime laws last year.)
The ESA's California lobbying efforts also extended beyond subjects that relate directly to the game industry or the interests of its members. For most of 2005, the ESA lobbied on California AB777, a bill that would have given tax credits for movies and commercials filmed within the state. Nowhere in the bill are games mentioned, and they did not appear to be covered under the bill's definition of a qualifying production.
The ESA also lobbied on AB1351, which doesn't bear any apparent relevance to the entertainment industry, much less games. It was eventually passed as a bill that lets the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority issue notes in addition to bonds for purposes relating to its duties. When it was originally introduced, AB1351 dealt with the Office of Administrative Law's ability to determine whether a guideline or regulation that hadn't been approved by and filed with the Secretary of State could still be considered valid.
While companies engaged in lobbying must report the issues and specific pieces of legislation on which they are lobbying, neither California nor the federal government requires them to disclose what changes they were trying to bring about through lobbying, or whether they lobbied for or against specific bills.
When asked what specific changes the ESA was lobbying for in overtime laws and what possible interest it could have in spending money to influence AB777 and AB1351, the ESA spokesperson denied that the organization had ever done such a thing. After having the California filings pointed out to him, the spokesperson offered another explanation.
"In 2005, we were uncertain of the scope of our project, and so, in an abundance of caution, we registered for a broad range of activities," the spokesperson said. "In the end, our work was limited to obtaining interpretive guidance on the overtime laws from the Labor & Workforce Development Agency."
In the first quarter of 2006 alone, the ESA spent more than $100,000 obtaining interpretive guidance on overtime laws. For the full year, the ESA spent almost $279,000 lobbying in California.
To give an idea of how much the cost of lobbying has skyrocketed for the ESA in recent years, that California-specific total easily eclipses the group's entire federal lobbying total in 1998, when it spent just $180,000. An ESA spokesperson brushed aside concerns over the rising costs, saying, "As the industry has evolved over the years, so have, and will, its lobbying efforts. Speculating on what might be or might have been is not relevant in our view."
That money comes primarily from the organization's membership dues, revenue derived from E3, and fees paid for ESRB ratings. In 2004--the most recent year the ESA has filed its tax-exempt status form with the Internal Revenue Service--E3 brought in almost $16 million, with $1.7 million coming from ratings and $980,000 from membership dues. All told, the ESA brought in about $19.8 million for the year.
While the amount of revenue lost from the switch to a smaller E3 is unclear, at least part of it will be made up by a hike in membership dues, ESA president Doug Lowenstein told GameSpot last year. An ESA spokesperson also dismissed concerns that it would impact the group's lobbying, flatly saying, "It will have no impact whatsoever."
Of the US-based nonprofit game-industry advocacy groups, the ESA easily devotes the most money to lobbying federal lawmakers. In the first half of 2006, the Entertainment Merchants Association (formerly the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association and the Video Software Dealers Association) put up $120,000 to influence federal policymakers and lobbied on just two issues: the regulation of games and record-keeping requirements surrounding sexually explicit videos. EMA vice president of public affairs Sean Bersell told GameSpot that proposed changes to record-keeping requirements would have applied retroactively to some mainstream movies.
"Retailers would have had to identify and remove the existing stock of movies containing such depictions from their shelves and replace them, if possible, with complying products," Bersell said. "This would have presented significant operational challenges and subjected retailers to substantial federal criminal penalties if they made a mistake."
While advocacy groups for the publishers and the retailers are actively lobbying now and have been for years, the major groups representing those who make and buy the games have stayed largely on the sidelines. The International Game Developers Association and the recently established Entertainment Consumers Association have yet to bring their members' interests straight to legislators. Instead, the IGDA helps to foster grassroots lobbying, mobilizing its members to write their legislators on specific issues when appropriate.
"We've actually never paid a penny for a lobbyist," said IGDA executive director Jason Della Rocca. "It's sort of outside the scope of our budget and also doesn't really fall in with our mandate."
According to the IGDA's 2005 annual report, it brought in about $367,000 for the year (mostly from membership dues and studio fees) but spent more than $416,000. Even if the organization did have money to throw around, Della Rocca said there hasn't been much call for it from the developers the IGDA represents.
"The vast majority of game developers really don't have the legal expertise to fully comprehend the labor laws and all that intricate, very complex stuff," Della Rocca said. "So while someone might have the bright idea to check out the labor laws, no one takes it much further than that. And from an IGDA point of view, there's so much low-hanging fruit in dealing with the issue ourselves...often times those kinds of efforts have the potential for much more dramatic results and impact than squirreling away [money] trying to affect some kind of tweaked labor laws."
As for the voice of consumers, ECA president Hal Halpin said the group's advocacy activities are still taking shape after its formation last October.
"It really depends on the feedback we get from the membership as the organization grows," Halpin told GameSpot. "My hope is we'll be using grassroots measures and chapters eventually to have people testify and show up who are constituents of the respective legislators."
As far as additional lobbying, Halpin said he suspects the group will work on issues like digital-rights management and licensing, as well as disclosure issues in the area of in-game advertising. Regardless of the topics the ECA winds up dealing with, Halpin stressed that the industry needs advocacy groups like his, saying the industry as a whole has been slow to join the public discussion about gaming.
"By not being involved, we've abdicated our voice to the other side--the opposition," Halpin said. "And in doing so, we've empowered them to sort of tell our story to the mass media and the public. I think that lobbying is an extraordinarily important aspect of what each of the organizations--ours included--does. It helps tell the story of what's going on, and only by working together--the IGDA, the ESA, the ECA, and the EMA--are we going to be able to affect that change that we need."
Tomorrow, Halpin, Della Rocca, and Bersell will lose a partner in telling the industry's story, as Lowenstein will vacate the top position at the ESA following a keynote address at the D.I.C.E. summit in Las Vegas, Nevada. While the organization searches for Lowenstein's permanent replacement, his duties will be taken over by ESA chairman Robbie Bach, who is also president of Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices Division, which makes the Xbox 360.
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
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Dr Brian of London talks Web 3, Podping, Hive and Dairy Cows? James now speaks fluent Spanish thanks to Veritone MARVEL․ai and Genevieve Hassan's podcast takes off with 5M Virgin Atlantic passengers.
October 14, 2021
James Cridland, Sam Sethi
Listen to James Cridland and Sam Sethi they talk to
- Sounds Profitable en Español starts today, as Bryan Barletta explains in Sounds Profitable with Podsights. The podcast adtech newsletter will be translated and produced using technology from Veritone MARVEL․ai: and so will the Sounds Profitable en Español podcast, with Bryan sounding as if he speaks Spanish fluently… but he doesn’t.
- Using the same synthetic voice technology, you can hear James Cridland, speaking Spanish (he doesn’t speak it either) in our podcast today. It’s quite a thing.
Exclusive: Spotify is closing in on Apple Podcasts and indie podcast apps are becoming less popular, according to new data released to Podnews by Podtrac today. Calculated from over a billion US podcast downloads in September, for monthly audience, Spotify is now less than three percentage points away from Apple. But, for monthly streams/downloads, Apple is more than seven times larger - and that number’s growing.
Facebook has launched an “Audio” hub on their mobile apps, including podcasts and live audio rooms. You’ll find it in the “Watch” tab (obviously). It’s available only within the US.
- Spotify have released their first UK video podcast, which can be watched on the app itself. Internet Sensation is already a popular podcast series by ImAllexx, and it's becoming a Spotify exclusive - are Spotify attempting to take on YouTube? Watch now >>
- Spotify has launched two new shows about Spotify this month. Spotify: Mic Check launches on Oct 19 with “intimate conversations with musicians and podcasters from around the world, sharing exclusive recordings and personal stories in their own words”.
- We’re told that the other, Spotify: Discover This, is brand new and launches today, though you’ll spot 11 episodes that have been published in the past year. It promises fresh insights on music, podcasting, cultural moments, and trends.
Podcast hosting and a whole lot moreRiverside.FM
Podcast recording made simple. The easiest way to record podcasts in studio quality from anywhere.
Interview: Genevive Hassan
Sam's on holiday and his country is falling apart
I bet Adam Curry just skips to this bit
and doesn't listen to anything else
Why won't anyone work for Wondery?
How about a .podcast domain?
Brian of London interview part 2


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ConnexPay has made British pounds and euros available to expand the global reach of its all-in-one B2B payment platform.
According to a July 18 press release from the payments technology company, this deployment benefits European businesses since they may now accept and transfer payments in their respective currencies.
“After five years of building our solution to great success in North America, we’re excited to launch native currencies in Europe knowing that our solution is fit for purpose, global in scope, and simply connects payments,” said ConnexPay Founder and CEO Bob Kaufman.
According to the news release, the ConnexPay platform provides companies with rapid access to incoming consumer payments, eliminating the time-consuming waiting period that might take anywhere from days to weeks. This eliminates cashflow issues throughout the company’s supply chain.
According to the announcement, the platform also includes fraud protection and chargeback management, as well as a full-featured reporting and analytics suite.


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Millions use their smartphone as their primary camera and with integrated storage being the standard today, taking lots of photos and video can quickly fill up your available storage capacity.
Google announced an update to Google Photos that will let you easily delete local copies of photos and videos while providing you with peace of mind that this content is backed up online to Google Photos.
The Google Photos update is rolling out now to Android and will be coming soon to iOS. I always worried about deleting the local copy since that would delete the online copy too. This new option is an option in the settings that lets you choose to free up space with a single tap.
You can also customize your settings so that Google Photos will keep track of your available storage and then notify you when space is running low. A setting can also be selected to remove local device copies of backed up photos older than 30 days.
You will still be able to see the online thumbnails of your photos and if there are photos or videos you want downloaded, then you can select those to redownload them to your device.
This control that Google Photos is now providing seems similar to what my Nextbit Robin will provide out of the box. This move by Google helps ease the pain of buying a ridiculous 16GB iPhone 6s and is a function I would like to see offered by all photo services.


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In an article titled Trademarks Take on New Importance in the Internet Era, the New York Times highlights a dispute in which Frito-Lay is contesting registration of the mark PRETZEL CRISPS with the USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB). As noted in the article:
Frito-Lay contends that Pretzel Crisps cannot be registered as a trademark because it is a generic term. “Like ‘milk chocolate bar,’ the combination of ‘pretzel’ and ‘crisp’ gains no meaning as a phrase over and above the generic meaning of its constituent terms,” the company wrote in a 2010 motion.
The dispute will ultimately come down to whether the public views this term as being “generic” or as having trademark significance, i.e., as identifying the source of the goods. Notably, PRETZEL CRISPS have been on sale since 2004 and it appears there is evidence supporting each side’s position.
See full article here.


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U.S. Judge Demands: What Is Wal-Mart Hiding About Mexico?
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT) continues to show evidence that it took “[saving] money and [living] better” a little too far in Mexico. A recent report by USA News illuminates that a U.S. judge has demanded that Wal-Mart lawyers turn over more information to shareholders who are seeking records that show how the company responded to allegations that bribery was involved in its operations in Mexico. The judge says the lawyers took “a persnickety and narrow approach to turning over documents” and orders that they allow attorneys for large pension funds discern what, and when, company directors knew of the payments.
Additionally, plaintiffs want information about the internal investigation into allegations that bribes were used to speed building permits and gain other favors. The investigation was to be conducted by Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart.
The New York Times reported last year that instead of expanding an investigation that was started in 2005 after Wal-Mart executives at the company’s largest foreign subsidiary, Wal-Mart de Mexico, were accused of “[orchestrating] a campaign of bribery to win market dominance … [paying] bribes to obtain permits in virtually every corner of the country” — Wal-Mart’s leaders shut it down. Senior Wal-Mart officials halted the investigation in 2006, despite having found evidence that supported the allegations.
Wal-Mart continues to be under the investigation of the U.S. government, but on Monday, the U.S. judge contends that the company’s lawyers are not cooperating, as they continue to take fastidious approaches to what documents they choose to hand over, leading to allegations that they are are breaching their fiduciary duties by allowing and covering up the alleged payments.
Investing Insights: Is Tiffany a Dangerous Investment Here?


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Nissan Motor Co. has unveiled a new car paint that repairs its own scratches and scrapes. With Scratch Guard Coat, minor scuffs disappear in about a week. The clear paint was developed by Nissan and Nippon Paint Co., according to Kiyoshi Ariga, a company spokesman.The coatings, which Nissan says is the first of its kind, contains elastic resin, similar to a rubbery surface, and can repair itself of slight scratches caused by car washing, off-road driving and fingernails.
Nissan Unveils New Self-Repairing Car Paint
Nissan Motor Co. has unveiled a new car paint that repairs its own scratches and scrapes.
Dec 16, 2005
Latest in Home


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- Domestic money transfer payments worldwide will surge nearly 50% between this year and 2026, from 207 billion payments to 300 billion payments, research firm Juniper Research predicted in a report released today.
- The top three countries for such payments, including China, India and the U.S., will account for about 74% of the total in 2026, the research firm said in a white paper highlighting key points of the report.
- The “Far East and China” will account for the largest portion of the payments, by far, with “Africa and the Middle East” accounting for the second-largest amount and North America having the third-largest amount.
Domestic digital payments have been rising with support from peer-to-peer tools, such as PayPal’s Venmo and WeChat Pay in China plus a proliferation of “super apps” for sending money to friends and paying bills. That activity was supercharged during the COVID-19 pandemic, when people worldwide hunkered down at home to avoid the spread of the deadly virus turned to digital alternatives and avoided the use of cash.
Three payments trends that will keep pushing the phenomenon forward are: stablecoins, or digital currencies pegged to fiat currencies, or similar blockchain-based money transfer options; the advance of central bank digital currencies that are being used, piloted or explored in a number of countries (the U.S. is in an exploratory phase); and the development of applications for services that make payments a key function.
Super apps, which are typically phone-based functions and provide multiple services in one software application “are driving digitisation of previously cash-based payments, by including messaging and access to other services alongside payments,” the U.K.-based Juniper’s white paper issued Monday said. (Juniper declines to make its full reports available for media.)
Still, creating a unique service that has winning appeal for consumers won’t be easy in a marketplace where legacy payments companies and fintechs alike are developing many new offerings. “Differentiation is a key challenge for money transfer apps, particularly given the highly competitive market landscape,” the report said.


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Despite the difficulties of the first generation of Galaxy Folds in exploring flat-panel folding-screen smartphones, the Galaxy Z Flip flip-top folding smartphone, released earlier this year along with the Galaxy S20 series of “Three Swordsmen”, caught more attention. Media reviews show that there is a high level of satisfaction with the Galaxy Z Flip. Unfortunately, perhaps for battery life and cost control, the machine does not support a 5G network.
A new report from SamMobile says Samsung will add some natural iterations to the next version of the Galaxy Z Flip, such as the much-anticipated 5G network support.
The report doesn’t reveal much detail, but it does point out that Samsung has been developing a 5G version of the Galaxy Z Flip, which is expected to be available as early as 2020.
It is not known whether the new machine supports bands below 5G mmWave and below 6GHz. After all, 5G mmwave is not supported on the entry-level Galaxy S20 model, and the S20 Plus and Ultra models do.
Think back to a speech by Samsung executive Drew Blackard at a recent Unpacked launch, and you know that 5G will be Samsung Mobile’s main vision for the next decade.
The company claims to have designed a new 5G chipset that is smaller, more affordable and power-efficient, and that 5G will revolutionise the way people communicate, play, and connect with the world around them.
Given that the Galaxy Z Flip was released in February, the next model should traditionally be released after December, but the company is not without the possibility of releasing a 5G version in advance.


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Department store chain Kohl’s Corp said on Wednesday it has reached a deal with a group of activist investors to avoid a proxy fight, agreeing to add two of the group’s nominees to its board as independent directors.
Eyewear giant Marcolin is making a key strategic leadership change in the UK and the Nordics. Stephan Hinkerode, its current General Manager of Marcolin Deutschland, will take on the role of Head of UK, Nordics & DACH.
EssilorLuxottica is targeting a recovery in its business this year to levels seen before the COVID-19 crisis after the Oakley and Ray-Ban maker's fourth-quarter revenue showed further signs of improvement.
Eyewear giant Safilo has reported Q4 and full-year results and in the light of the pandemic, the figures look good. It managed a Q4 sales rise and adjusted EBITDA also rose, even though the full year was loss-making.
Swiss spectacles manufacturer Gotti said Thursday they had been inundated with demand for the oversized glasses worn by Oprah Winfrey for her TV interview with Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan.
Finally, Paris Fashion Week had an actual live catwalk show. A drive-in runway event witnessed Thursday night by a few score of editors and influencers from inside Citroen DS7s and staged inside the AccorArena.


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Jaguar adds more power to the XF’s current range topper and a new topper to the XF’s current range.
It hasn’t even been on sale for a year, but Jaguar is already upgrading the power of its 10Best-winning XF for 2010. Apparently, Jaguar has deemed the 420 hp and 5.0-second 0-to-60-mph time of the supercharged XF insufficient. To fix this “problem,” Jaguar is introducing a 5.0-liter version of its familiar 4.2-liter V-8 and a new top version of the XF dubbed XFR.
The base XF will continue to use the naturally aspirated 300-hp 4.2-liter V-8, and the supercharged 4.2-liter will disappear. The new mid-level engine will be a naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V-8 that features direct fuel injection and makes 385 hp and 380 lb-ft of torque. Jaguar fearlessly predicts a 0-to-60 time of 5.5 seconds for the 385-hp XF.


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A few months ago, I had a chance to talk to Danny Shader, the CEO of Good Technology, which is a privately held company that develops enterprise email software for handhelds. I brought up the rumors of a possible buyout -- which he chose, wisely, not to comment on. But last week, the company did agree to sell out to Motorola
Good Technology got its start in May 2000 and has received more than $200 million in venture capital. Its investors include tier-one players like Benchmark Capital and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
Essentially, Good Technology has software that allows companies to deliver information to handheld users. The software is integrated with major email systems, such as Microsoft
True, Motorola has made a play to get a piece of the corporate mobile market with its new smartphone, the Q, but this is no easy task. After all, it took Research In Motion
Basically, Corporate America wants more than just mobile email. Companies want their workers to use applications for approvals, customer relationship management, business intelligence, and so on. This is also part of the rationale for Motorola's acquisition of Symbol Technologies, a company whose scanners can be used for things like inventory management. Although the price tag for Symbol Technologies was a nosebleed $3.9 billion, it appears that Motorola got a much better deal for Good Technology. The transaction amount for the deal did not have to be disclosed, meaning it was not material. The deal will also give Motorola plenty of leverage over mobile competitor Palm
In light of this development, might Motorola eventually buy Palm to gain a bigger footprint in mobile? Time will tell, but at least we can see that Motorola isn't afraid to do deals.
It will take some time to integrate the transactions, so the impact on Motorola won't be immediately apparent. But over the next few years, the company should certainly be well-positioned in the corporate mobile market -- which appears to be a strong growth segment.
Fool contributor Tom Taulli does not own shares of any company mentioned in this article. He is currently ranked 80th out of more than 12,000 players in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's new stock-rating community that you can join for free.


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Chiquita Brands International EVP Sells $15,707 in Stock (CQB)
Chiquita Brands International (NYSE:CQB) EVP Brian W. Kocher sold 1,114 shares of Chiquita Brands International stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.10, for a total transaction of $15,707.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 238,895 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,368,420. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.
Chiquita Brands International (NYSE:CQB) opened at 14.07 on Wednesday. Chiquita Brands International has a 52 week low of $9.24 and a 52 week high of $14.30. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $11.28 and its 200-day moving average is $11.20. The company’s market cap is $660.8 million. Chiquita Brands International also was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in August. As of August 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,774,572 shares, a drop of 48.0% from the July 31st total of 3,415,318 shares. Currently, 3.9% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,599,746 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.1 days.
Chiquita Brands International (NYSE:CQB) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.28. The company had revenue of $826.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $823.25 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.66 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Chiquita Brands International will post $-0.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Chiquita Brands International, Inc (NYSE:CQB), along with its subsidiaries, is an international marketer and distributor of bananas and other fresh produce, sold under the Chiquita and other brand names in 70 countries, and packaged salads sold under the Fresh Express and other brand names primarily in the United States.
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Despite the ongoing pandemic, Nepal has been aiming for some great new advances and new records. IMEI registrations, NTA satellite, and electric bikes, what could be next? Electric busses!
Yes, electric busses will manufacture in Nepal. Well, this is huge news. Now the question is how and what could this mean?
The exciting potential of manufacturing electric busses in Nepal was revealed by Mahabir Pun. For unversed, Pun is a founder and chairman of the National Innovation Center. He recently called out on interested people who have an idea for the research and development of electric busses in Nepal.
The electric busses discussed are not just ordinary electric busses. The aim is to make a supercapacitor electric bus. These kinds of busses are special because they can run up to 20km on a single charge which only takes mere seconds! In comparison, other battery-operated busses take up to 8-10 hours. The super capacity busses also known as “capa-vehicles” use 40% less electricity than an electric trolley bus, because they are very light.
Although these busses have limited miles per charge since they can charge so quickly, busses can easily charge in seconds while stopping at stops with charging stations.
Another amazing benefit is that the batteries used by these capa vehicles can be used for up to 15 years and are relatively cheap too!
Hence if researchers are coming forward and if according to developments and research is carried on Nepal may soon make its own electric busses and implement them.
History of electric bus
Electric busses have been in use in Nepal before.
Nepal introduced Chinese electric busses through a joint initiative of Sajha Yatayat and Lumbini Development Trust. And just recently in 2020 seven cities were prepared to replace fuel vehicles with electric vehicles.
A private sector by Sundar yatayat Pvt Ltd. brought in electric busses in an attempt to lower the usage of fossil fuels back in September of 2019.
The history of electric busses and vehicles, in general, was always imported, and the big news was Nepal importing and implementing it. However, we have been growing and developing in the sector to have our very own manufactured electric vehicles like the Yatri Motors. They have set a great example by producing local electric vehicles. Similarly, with research and developments, a time where electric busses are being made in Nepal is also not far away.
The future of mobility is electric, says Umesh Raj Shrestha, the chairperson of the Electric Vehicle Association of Nepal. Private Electric vehicles in Nepal about 10 years ago were still a very rare sight, whereas there have been many electric public vehicles like Tempos.
According to the association, the number of electric vehicles in the country exceeded 45,000 in 2018. Now 10% of the vehicles sold are electric. This is following a global pattern of people and governments trying to adopt a greener alternation.
The adoption and growing usage of Electric motors for the country will have many benefits, environmental and economic.
One of the biggest benefits of EVs is the green impact. With the usage of fossil fuels minimizing the country doesn’t have to invest in mining or importing it at all. Kathmandu which has one of the most severe air pollutions as we witnessed recently will gain a lot of benefits through these electric vehicles.
Similarly, economically also there are a lot of advantages for the country. The department of customs declared that Nepal imported Rs 144 billion worth of petrol and diesel. This will minimize the reliance Nepal has on its imports.
Similarly, if more companies and the government itself also start making electric motors right here in Nepal, it will be more easily accessible for the people and help in promoting its usage.
Hydropower companies and the Nepal Electricity Authority will vastly benefit from EV’s since the electricity demand will increase and so will the production.
Electric Vehicles have a very positive future for the country. And the manufacturing theme here in Nepal has even more benefits.
The future is electric, people are adapting to electric alterations and this will lead to many changes to the community, maximum positive. Hence, electric motors being manufactured in Nepal have a huge potential for benefiting the people, economy, and the environment. However, the country also has to prepare, for example by putting up charging stations which might need an investment.


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Samsung Galaxy A90 may be the company’s first mid-range 5G smartphone
Just a few weeks ago, Samsung quietly rolled out the Galaxy A80 smartphone in India. Now, the company is reportedly already working on the next A-series phone — Galaxy A90 — and it may be its first mid-tier smartphone to come with 5G support.
As of now, 5G has been seen only on flagship devices. But this may change with the Galaxy A90.
This was first reported by reliable leakster Evan Blass, who obtained a deluge of videos and animations that appear to show the ‘Galaxy A90 5G’.
We are unsure if Galaxy A90 will come with a standalone 5G variant or if Samsung will make that a standard for the new smartphone.
Design-wise, Blass says that the Galaxy A90 will have the usual A-series design with a teardrop display notch and triple rear cameras.
Besides Blass’ leak, recently a purported Galaxy A90 retail box also leaked (via dcinside) online, which also suggests that the Galaxy A90 will come with 5G support. It also claims that the smartphone will feature a 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED display, an octa-core processor — possibly Snapdragon 855 — with 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage.
In terms of optics, the leaked retail box shows the device sporting a 32 MP selfie camera. At the back, there will reportedly be a triple camera setup with a 48 MP, a 5 MP and 8 MP sensors.
Find our entire collection of stories, in-depth analysis, live updates, videos & more on Chandrayaan 2 Moon Mission on our dedicated #Chandrayaan2TheMoon domain.


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Test Valley Borough Council has awarded one of its youngest applicants a £750 Business Incentive Grant. Daniel Hallett received the grant when he was just 19 years old. Now 20, Daniel is the established owner of Simplicity Pet Cremations and his dedication and commitment to providing pet owners with a quality, personalised service has seen him become one of the Council's youngest successful grant recipients.
Simplicity Pet Cremations is based in Stoneham, near Chilworth, where Daniel lives. Ward member for Chilworth, Nursling and Rownhams, Councillor Alison Finlay, presented the cheque and said: "It is incredibly refreshing to see such a young recipient work hard to qualify for the Business Incentive Grant. Daniel is professional, hard-working and completely understands the needs of his customers. I wish him the very best of luck in his venture."
Daniel added: "I am pleased that I took the plunge to launch my own business. It requires a lot of time and dedication but it's an incredibly rewarding experience."
The Council's Business Incentive Grants are available to anyone looking to set up their own business in Test Valley. Anyone who successfully applies for the grant will receive a grant of £750 if their business is still going strong six months later.
For more information about the Council's Business Incentive Grants, visit


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EU announced its plans for stricter regulation of digital services
The EU announced even stricter regulation of digital services such as social media. Due to the huge number of incidents related to social media platforms and user data, the European Commission stated that it plans to extend the consumer protection regulation to digital services. They consider that all digital services where consumers leave their personal data cannot be treated as free, since the consumers pay for them with their data. Therefore, even though the consumer protection legislation only encompasses paid services, EU legislators think that the scope should cover these so called ‘free’ services. The exceptions to be excluded should be services that only collect metadata, and those that need to collect data based on security laws. Moreover, this new legislative reform should require the online marketplace to make available the criteria based on which they rank products. Finally, the proposed fines should be up to 4% of the company’s turnover for widespread infigements.


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By Yinka Kolawole
VICE President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has said that the Liquefied Petroleum Gas, LPG, sub-sector can create two million direct and indirect jobs in Nigeria.
Osinbajo stated this over, weekend, at the commissioning of Techno Oil LPG Cylinder Manufacturing Plant in Lekki, Lagos.
In a statement by his media aide, Laolu Akande, the vice president said through a range of interventions and policy implementation, the federal government will significantly improve domestic and industrial utilisation of LPG in the country.
He stated: “The federal government will continue to actively support every effort to promote the use of LPG in Nigeria, as well as create and maintain an effective and a catalytic regulatory environment.”
Continuing, he said: “The goal is to achieve five million metric tonnes (5,000,000 MT) of domestic, commercial and industrial LPG utilisation in 10 years. Specifically, for household cooking, we are targeting a 40 per cent adoption rate (i.e. 13.8m households) in five years, and 73 per cent adoption in 10 years (33.3m households). We believe that the sub-sector can create up to two million new direct and indirect jobs in Nigeria.”
The vice president noted that since the implementation of the coordination reforms, including the creation of a dedicated project management office, great progress has been recorded in the various segments of the gas sector.
According to him, the progress recorded include “removal of five per cent VAT from the domestic pricing of LPG, as a first step in giving domestic output an advantage against imported products.”
He said that the development of a marketer cylinder owned model instead of the current consumer cylinder owned model will eliminate the consumers’ up-front purchase of LPG cylinders which, in some cases, are substandard, replacing it with a cylinder exchange, whereby the consumer only pays for the content.
“No household will need to purchase or own an LPG cylinder. The cylinders will be delivered and retrieved by the marketers who will also be responsible for the maintenance and refurbishment of the cylinders, making LPG accessible to a whole new segment of non-LPG users.”


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Not to beat a dead horse (Mr. Maduro of Venezuela), but the irony here just seeps through the screen. The last line is oh so diplomatic:
Despite being one of the world’s largest oil producers, Venezuela is regularly affected by power cuts.
Translation: Years of ruinous government pilfering of the energy infrastructure has left the country in tatters.
Bonus: Check out the comment by ‘common sense’.
What is Setad? Find out in this fascinating article about Tehran’s kleptocrats. From Reuters:
Setad has built its empire on the systematic seizure of thousands of properties belonging to ordinary Iranians – members of religious minorities, Shi’ite Muslims, business people and Iranians living abroad.
Sounds like something you’d read in a book! Anyways, maybe the Ayatollah can help out Nicolás Maduro…
I was trying to think of a catchy, consumer-friendly phrase that the government of Venezuela might want to use to brand this effort. All I can think of is “MaduroCare”. From USA Today:
Thousands of Venezuelans lined up outside the country’s equivalent of Best Buy, a chain of electronics stores known as Daka, hoping for a bargain after the socialist government forced the company to charge customers “fair” prices.
President Nicolás Maduro ordered a military “occupation” of the company’s five stores as he continues the government’s crackdown…
…Members of Venezuela’s National Guard, some of whom carried assault rifles, kept order at the stores as bargain hunters rushed to get inside.
What a great use of a country’s armed forces, huh? This begs the question, though: Why not just give everything away for free? He didn’t stop there, though:
Daka’s store managers, according to Maduro, have been arrested and are being held by the country’s security services.
Wow. Why not public executions? Never mind. The best, though, is USA Today’s last summary point:
Some see the move as pure politics by the president, who faces elections Dec. 8
You don’t say?


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Go naked for fur
Cuomo announces New York schools can reopen — with strict guidelines. By Eric Hegedus. February 4, am Updated February 4, pm. PETA — which targets alleged animal abuse in scientific laboratories, clothing production, the food industry and entertainment — started the advertising campaign in but has announced it is bringing it to a close, on the cusp of New York Fashion Week, because the group has seen significant changes in the fur industry.
Lesslie Polinesia. Age: 23. Hello there I'm standing aline staring at my surroundings, but my mind keeps drifting back to how good a man is when we are together. It's the simple things about man that turn me inside out; but, when we kiss, I burn raw... deep down inside. I crave that next kiss; the one that always leads to more.
558 Id Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur stock pictures and images
I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur
The phrase "I'd rather go naked than wear fur" has been credited to celebrities -- in various states of undress -- from Pamela Anderson to Eva Mendes, Pink and Dennis Rodman. But after almost 30 years, the animal rights group that convinced dozens of stars to strip down for anti-fur ads is retiring its famous campaign. With a growing number of labels, designers and retailers distancing themselves from animal skins in recent years, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals PETA believes that its long-running awareness campaign is no longer necessary. Christina Applegate shot by Robert Sebree in Credit: Peta. Announcing its decision Tuesday, the organization also credited legal crackdowns in places like California, which became the first US state to ban the sale of fur products, with what it calls the "demise" of the trade.
Danielle Panabaker. Age: 23. Gorgeous girl brighten up your loneliness for today! My body will not leave anyone indifferent. Silk skin, sweet face, elastic chest and ass.
ES Lifestyle newsletter
After nearly three decades of recruiting stars to pose nude and declare, "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur," PETA is celebrating the demise of the fur trade by bringing an end to the iconic ad campaign, which has featured P! This year will mark the first since that a new ad is not released. Kim Basinger was among the first to share the message — and the very latest was her daughter, model Ireland Basinger-Baldwin.
This ad featuring Karina Smirnoff is captioned "I'd rather dance naked than wear fur," a play on the usual title of "I'd rather go naked. The ad shows Karina dressed in high heels, makeup, and jewelry but nothing else as she dances with a faceless half body of a man in a tuxedo. Karina looks towards the viewer of the ad but her body is facing towards her dance partner who we know can see what we can't: everything.
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OYO Hotels aims Saudi Arabia expansion in line with its mission to create over 5,000 Saudi jobs
Oyo Hotels & Homes is looking to expand its offerings in Saudi Arabia. With this expansion, the hospitality firm aims to meet its target of creating 5,000 jobs for Saudis.
The kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) and OYO signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in February 2019. Under this MoU, both of them agreed to explore co-investment opportunities, create new jobs and develop new sectors.
Ritesh Agarwal, CEO of Oyo Hotels & Homes, said, “We look at Saudi as a very strategic growth market. The partnership is very special for us and we want to continue to go deeper.”
Currently, OYO is managing over 80 buildings and properties in more than 10 Saudi cities, including Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Taif and Abha.
“We’re in markets where having a great quality experience at the right price point really matters. Oyo has already created a significant amount of jobs for locals,” Agarwal stated.
He added, “We have promised to create over 5,000 Saudi jobs by the end of next year. We feel that we’ll exceed that by the second quarter.”
Founded in 2013, OYO is now present in 881 cities around the world, with approximately 850,000 rooms in more than 23,000 hotels.
The company is now considered the third largest hospitality chain in the world based on room count. It aims to be the world’s largest hotel chain by 2023, surpassing Marriott.


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Here we can see a new teaser of the production model, which shows the front of the car and a few details.
Due to the COVID-19 situation, the presentation will be broadcast globally via TheNissanNext.com website: on July 15, 2020, 1:00-1:45 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (2:00-2:45 p.m. Japan Standard Time).
Since the Ariya is extremely important for the future of Nissan, the presentation will be featuring top Nissan execs, including new CEO Makoto Uchida, COO Ashwani Gupta and Senior Vice President, Global Design, Alfonso Albaisa. That doesn't surprise us, as the teaser is entitled "A new chapter for Nissan."
As of today, it's not clear when the Nissan Ariya will hit the market - maybe this year in some countries, but it might be 2021, especially in the U.S.
The key features, expected for the Ariya, are long-range, dual-motor all-wheel-drive (at least as an option) and a liquid-cooled battery with high-power charging capability (at least 100-150 kW we guess, maybe more). A side question is the inlet type - still CHAdeMO or maybe CCS in Europe/North America?
Anyways, the Nissan Ariya, built on an all-new EV platform, will be a huge step forward also for the entire Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, which will use it for multiple other models.


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They’re turning dirt!!! Springfield Costco construction project underway
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - Last June the city of Springfield finally confirmed that what many residents had been wanting for a long time was finally coming to town....a Costco membership warehouse retail store.
The Seattle-based company is the second largest retailer in the world behind Walmart and while Springfield has a lot of Wally Worlds in addition to the Bentonville, Arkansas-based company’s version of a membership store, Sam’s Club, Costco is just now making its first appearance in the Queen City.
Not that Costco would confirm that.
Attempts to get in touch with their corporate headquarters involves filling out a “media form” in which you are informed that Costco has no public relations or media department.
About 18 hours later we received an e-mail response thanking us for our interest but stating, “Unfortunately, it is our company policy to not comment regarding future Costco warehouses until we are ready to share the details about the new location (usually 2-3 months in advance).”
The website also has a list of “Future Locations” and with a projected fall start-up date, Springfield is not listed.
But we’re pretty sure they’re coming. The construction site just off Eastgate Road, a block south of Chestnut Expressway, is buzzing with activity as heavy equipment is turning dirt and infrastructure is being put into place.
And oh yeah...there’s a sign saying “Costco-Coming Soon”.
So much for keeping it on the down-low.
“They’ve been in touch with the various city departments from building development services to public works,” answered Cora Scott, Springfield’s Director of Public Information and Community Engagement, when asked how much Costco officials had been “engaging” with the city. “They just don’t necessarily talk to the media or the public. We’re standing alongside cheering and whenever they’re ready to talk about it we’ll be excited to hear from them.”
Ever since the city announced that Costco was coming the anticipation of its impact has been growing. The company gives back to every city it serves by donating one percent of its profits to charitable organizations.
“Costco is so significant not only in terms of its economic impact but what it does for the community,” said Springfield Mayor Ken McClure. “So Costco is at the top rung really of the types of businesses we want to attract.”
“There’s a list of stores that folks would like to see in Springfield and Costco is always on that list,” added Mary Lilly Smith, Springfield’s Planning and Development Director. “We’ve been trying to get them for over five years. What we’ve seen happen in other communities is that there are other retailers who will follow Costco.”
Costco’s arrival comes with one caveat though. The city had to agree to relocate part of Eastgate Avenue that would have run through the warehouse’s site (near the intersection of Eastgate and Olive Street).
“That work has already been done,” Scott said. “And what you’re seeing now out on the site is a lot of preliminary work, the grading and the creation of the internal roadway system within the site. They’ve already received their building permit so you should start seeing some construction of the building in the next couple of weeks.”
The city will also make storm water improvements with Costco paying for the estimated $4.8 million in total cost of street relocation and other changes but the city will reimburse them over the next 15 years with a portion of the sales tax Costco generates.
With a completion day of this fall, there will no doubt be more activity around the site that may clog up traffic..
“I think that any interruptions will be temporary,” Scott said. “It’s progress. It means a lot to have the second largest retailer in the world come to Springfield. They are expected to bring about 125 jobs to the community and the average hourly employee at Costco gets paid about $25.50. So we think all those things combined is a good thing for our community.”
On Thursday Costco did go public at a Senate Budget Committee meeting to announce that their starting hourly wages would increase to $16 per hour. That word coming as Congress is considering increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour.
To report a correction or typo, please email firstname.lastname@example.org
Copyright 2021 KY3. All rights reserved.


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The audio industry is off life support and making a steady recovery following its rapid deterioration in 2003, but the patient remains in a weakened state, CEA statistics show.
The industry continued its turnaround in August, when a 5.2 percent increase in factory-level sales to $555.6 million helped drive up year-to-date sales by 11.4 percent to $4.53 billion, CEA said. Despite the surge, however, combined year-to-date sales were still 6.5 percent below 2002 levels.
For the year-to-date, all major segments — car audio, home components, home systems and portables — posted dollar gains, but only home component sales exceeded their 2002 level. Compared with 2002, this year-to-date sales are up 2.1 percent in home components but down 7.8 percent in portables, 6.9 percent in car audio and 1.1 percent in systems.
The trend line for 2003, however, is up. Here’s what CEA found:
Total Audio: August sales rose 5.2 percent to $555.6 million, continuing an uninterrupted string of monthly increases that began in September 2003. Year-to-date sales were up 11.4 percent to $4.53 billion, following mid-single-digit gains in May, June and July and double-digit gains in three of the first four months of the year.
Home Components: A 42 percent August gain to $105 million kept up the segment’s double-digit momentum, contributing to a 45.6 percent gain in year-to-date sales to $798.4 million.
Home Systems:Sales of shelf, rack and home-theater-in-a-box systems soared 23.2 percent in August to $156.3 million, helping run up year-to-date sales by 14.8 percent to $1.06 billion. Year to date, HTiB accounts for more than half of system sales, or $555 million on 2.8 million unit sales. YTD system sales were up 56 percent in units and 7 percent in dollars.
Total Home Audio: Combined sales of components and systems rose 30.2 percent in August to $261.3 million, and year-to-date sales gained 26.2 percent to $1.86 billion.
Aftermarket Autosound: August’s sales dropped 7.2 percent to $157.9 million, but year-to-date sales were up 2.9 percent to $1.5 billion.
Portables: Sales fell 13.3 percent in August to $136.4 million, but year-to-date sales were up 3.1 percent to $1.17 billion.
Renewed interest in merchandising home audio at the retail level likely accounts for home audio growth, as does the expanding custom-installation market, said CEA’s director of industry analysts Sean Wargo. “My theory, too, is that consumers, many of whom have upgraded their displays and media devices (DVD), are now looking to invest more in the audio piece of the equation. First on the list are receivers capable of decoding the surround formats and speakers more capable of matching the design of the TV and of filling a room with the right sound levels.


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Bear market makes plans to abandon Chatspin to accept crypto payments
Chatspin, a popular cross-platform live video streaming app, is abandoning its plan to accept cryptocurrencies as a form of payment due to the significant losses in value of Bitcoin and other coins this year, the company said in a press release on December 6, 2018.
Bear market affects companies offering crypto payments
While companies focusing on blockchain technology saw their businesses thrive in the second half of 2018, it appears that bear market may have slowed the adoption of cryptocurrency.
Companies that quickly jumped on the crypto bandwagon, offering coins like Bitcoin as a form of payment, have been even quicker to abandon their plans as the uncertainty surrounding the asset is anything but good for business.
One of those companies is Chatspin, a popular live video streaming app that was one of the first social media platforms to announce support for cryptocurrencies.
The company is now abandoning its plan to accept any cryptocurrency as a means of payment on its platform. According to According to the company’s press release, the move comes in the wake of the significant impairment losses Bitcoin and other digital coins suffered throughout the fourth quarter of 2018.
With many analysts doubting that any of the major cryptocurrencies can recover in the near to medium future, the company has decided to end its initial plan to introduce crypto payments to their users.
Live Chat App Ends Bitcoin
In its press release, Chatspin explained that the decision to implement cryptocurrency as a form of payment was made due to an increase in the popularity of the digital coin during online payments earlier in 2018.
“Just a few months ago, the idea of accepting Bitcoin, Litecoin and other cryptocurrencies as payment methods seemed like a given,” Chatspin Press Manager, Shay Robin, mentionned. “But, having followed the cryptocurrency markets closely, we see no value in accepting these digital coins and believe the risk far outweighs the reward.”
And while the announcement may deter some crypto enthusiasts from using its video chat app, Chatspin has seen a steady increase in user numbers during the second half of 2018, mainly due to the introduction of new features.
Chatspin became the first platform to launch AR filters available on the desktop, creating a more seamless experience for users on all devices. On December 4, the company also introduced new location and gender filters that make the platform more secure and easier to use.
The update also saw the release of new premium filters, only available to users who subscribe to the video streaming community. The premium features initially intended for users willing to pay in cryptocurrency, will now be available only through credit and debit cards.
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Style is doubly dope with Budapest’s West Coast Barbers x DRK
Photo : DRK
13/7/2017, 5:31 PM●2-minute article
The Hungarian footwear and streetwear brand DRK often collaborates with Magyar artists to design snazzy signature collections. In a recent partnership to create a limited-edition line for the label, DRK joined forces with local stylist Máté Fehér from Budapest’s West Coast Barbers, whose name is now associated with the brand’s freshly released line of hats and T-shirts enhanced with unconventional Bosnian and Serbian prison-tattoo patterns. This evocative collection is now available online from DRK’s webshop and at the brand’s flagship store on Andrássy Avenue.
Since its 2013 opening, the popular Hungarian streetwear brand DRK (short for Dorko) launched 11 stores nationwide with five shops located in Budapest, proffering unique hats, sneakers, clothes, bags, and accessories. To create eccentric collections, the brand often partners with local artists, a successful formula that also allows them to reach a wider audience. Designers of DRK included the former singer of the local band Carbonfools Balázs Fehér, tattoo artist Balázs Bercsényi, artist Nóra Soós, and professional skater Lajos Petrányi, also known as Ostya.
For their latest project, DRK teamed up with family man and stylist from West Coast BarbersMáté Fehér, who designed a new collection of hats and T-shirts for the brand. While dreaming up the fashionable items, the artist drew inspiration from the eccentric patterns of Bosnian and Serbian prison tattoos. Each piece carries underlying meaning, symbolizing the artist’s commitment to his family and his passion for his profession, while highlighting the importance of human values.
The collection was designed and released to celebrate the grooming team’s third shop opening near Budapest’s Oktogon intersection. By their definition, West Coast means “west of the Danube” – where folks are unique, simple, and cool. These latest pieces of DRK reflect this very mentality and are available for purchase in the brand’s webshop and at their flagship store on Andrássy Avenue.


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At first glance, this is a charming photo of a father bringing his daughter to school. Which, it is, except he has equipped her with a Guard Dog Security Bullet Proof Backpack. Yes, this is a real thing.
The photo is taken from Guard Dog Security’s Instagram profile. CEO Yasir Sheik says that the demand for the backpacks has gone up since the mass shooting at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida:
“We sold out six months worth of backpacks in a few days, so now, of course, we’ve stocked accordingly, and we’re prepared for anything, whether it’s a spike in sales or back to school.”
That’s right — this security company who’s goal is to “[provide] personal self defense, security and protection” is gearing up for back to school (Guard Dog Security).
I’m glad to see that a portion of the backpack sales goes to Make Our Schools Safe, a non-profit dedicated to protecting students and teachers at school. However, a bulletproof backpack shouldn’t have to be on anyone’s shopping list. Children and should not have to fear for their lives, or prepare for battle in the place where they go to learn (or anywhere else for that matter).


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Alaska Fisheries Report
KMXT by Kayla Desroches – August 3, 2017
On this week’s Alaska Fisheries Report, anywhere from 30 to 50 vessels hunted a whale on the Kuskokwim River. But the animal turned out to be a grey whale, a species protected under federal law.
56.2 million: Bristol Bay 2017 fourth biggest total run, fourth biggest harvest ever
While the count is not officially complete, the 56.2 million total run is bigger than all recorded years but 1980, 1995, and 2015. The harvest of 37.5 million is bested only by 1993, 1996, and 2016.
KDLG by Dave Bendinger – August 4, 2017
The state has put a preliminary tally of 56.2 million on this year’s total Bristol Bay sockeye salmon run. That’s about 35 percent bigger than the preseason forecast of 41.5 million. The harvest for now stands at 37.5 million, which is 10 million more than was expected.
Senate passes bi-partisan bill to protect crab fishing industry
The Daily News – August 6, 2017
A bi-partisan backed bill aimed at strengthening and protecting the state’s crab fishing industry could soon become law.
Weaker US Dollar Roiling Seafood Imports, Putting Pressure on Lobster, Crab and Shrimp Producers
SEAFOODNEWS.COM by John Sackton – August 8, 2017
Suddenly currency swings are back in the news again. After a period of dollar strength, that contributed to record seafood imports of commodities like shrimp and salmon in 2016, the dollar has reversed course, and has fallen about 7% since January of this year against a composite of foreign currencies.
This kind of change in currency values can have a big impact on profitability for overseas exporters to the US.
Wall St. Journal Chart of Dollar vs. International Currencies since January
Take Lobster and Canadian snow crab for example. From May 1st until July 31st, the Canadian dollar has strengthened from $1.35 to $1.25, a change of nearly 7.5%.
Geoff Irvine, Executive Director of the Lobster Council of Canada noted, “A strong dollar is the last thing we want as exporters of Canadian seafood products. Our live and processed lobster products are generally priced in U.S. dollars and while some exporters are able to hedge and buy forward currency contracts, many remain at the mercy of changes to the value of the Canadian dollar that are out of their control”.
Canadian live and processed lobster exporters maintain inventory through periods of minimal fishing activity and therefore are subject to changes in the value of their inventory based on currency fluctuations, especially when they occur in such a short period of time.
Stewart Lamont, Managing Director of Tangier Lobster Company, a live lobster exporter, said, ” Currency exchange is a key variable for international trade. On this one, the lobster industry lost badly. ”
On behalf of the lobster processing sector, Jerry Amirault, President of the Nova Scotia/New Brunswick Lobster Processors Association, said, “This is hurting the lobster industry, the communities in which the plants operate and the whole Atlantic region.”
With a slow pace of landings this spring, lobster prices to harvesters have been at one of their highest levels in years, both in the US and Canada. Now Canadian lobster ccompanies have these sunk costs for their raw materials, and their market return is down 7% before any price changes.
And the seasonality of lobster pricing means that the lowest prices of the year will occur in the next four months. So the currency swing will be a significant blow to both live shippers, and to processors who have just begun to see a recovery in tail prices.
The same dynamic applies to snow crab. One of the biggest market questions is who is holding crab in inventory right now, as prices have jumped up as the season has ended. Normally snow crab prices rise in the months between August and December, as harvesting has ended and there is little new product on the market. But the market may be resisting some of these higher prices, and now the Canadian producers may have less leverage to make up for the dollar shortfall.
The dollar is also affecting Shrimp. Import figures released yesterday show shrimp imports continuing to run ahead of last years record setting pace, with shipments through the first half of the year up 1.6%.
But India and Ecuador, the two top suppliers to the US market in 2017, face very different dollar pressures. Ecuador has always priced its shrimp in dollars, so a weaker dollar will not only not impact Ecuador shipments to the US, but will likely accelerate Ecuador’s shipments to Asia and Europe, who will in effect see lower prices.
But India, which is highly dependent on the US market, will see the opposite effect. The rupee has strengthened against the dollar by about 6.6% since January, going from 68.1 rupees per dollar to 63.8, with forecasters saying it will go to 60 per dollar by the end of this year.
Here the reasons are mostly due to the strengthening of the Indian economy, and favorable interest rates, and these trends are projected to continue.
This has meant that Indian shrimp packers are feeling pressure to raise prices if possible, as their returns on dollar sales have fallen 6% to 7%.
The upshot is that many of the major imported seafood commodities will see pressure from producers to raise prices, at a time when markets are mostly moving in the other direction due both to seasonal and production factors.
Salmon will not be significantly impacted from Canada, because the Canadians price all their salmon in $US currency. But salmon from Europe will become less attractive as exporters to the US will struggle to maintain their margins in a falling market. The currency swing amplifies the impact of declining fresh and frozen salmon prices.
For Alaska, the weaker dollar is a boon to exporters. It will help pollock sales recover in Europe, and will make sockeye less expensive. It will help with sales to Japan, although Japanese currency has been more stable against the US dollar this year than many other currencies.
Most analysts expect the US dollar to continue to weaken and so these trends with their positive and negative impacts on different seafood sectors will likely shape markets through the end of the year.
Labeling and Marketing
Unlabelled, ‘unsustainable’ Russian sockeye being sold in Vancouver markets
Advocates urge consumers to ask sellers where their fish is coming from
CBC News by Jon Hernandez – August 5, 2017
The Fish Counter’s Mike McDermid knows he won’t be selling wild Fraser River sockeye anytime soon.
Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Integrating Electronic Monitoring Into the North Pacific Observer Program
A Rule by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 08/08/2017
Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area and Amendment 104 to the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska (collectively referred to as the FMPs). Amendments 114/104 and this final rule integrate electronic monitoring (EM) into the North Pacific Observer Program (Observer Program). This final rule establishes a process for owners or operators of vessels using nontrawl gear to request to participate in the EM selection pool and the requirements for vessel owners or operators while in the EM selection pool. This action is necessary to improve the collection of data needed for the conservation, management, and scientific understanding of managed fisheries.
Opinion: Immigration fight cripples Alaska fishing as foreign help vanishes
Alaska Dispatch News by Dermot Cole – August 7, 2017
Not many Americans want to spend the summer processing seafood in Alaska for 16 hours a day, seven days a week, earning $10 an hour straight time and $15 an hour overtime.
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Two US Senators have proposed an increase in the tax threshold for third-party payment networks. The proposal would increase the threshold for platforms like Venmo, PayPal, and CashApp from $600 to $10,000.
CNBC reported the two senators are riling an amendment to the $1.7 trillion spending package to affect the third-party payment threshold. Moreover, the increase would alter the tax reporting status of Form 1099-K from popular financial services.
US Senators Propose Threshold Increase for Form-1099K
Many Americans have been anxiously awaiting developments regarding the tax Form-1099K. The form is popular among the self-employed and is utilized to report earnings on third-party payment networks. Specifically, income from platforms like PayPal, Venmo, and CashApp require filing if they exceed a threshold set by the IRS.
That threshold is rumored to be affected, with two US Senators officially proposing a bill for its increase. Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) are co-sponsors on the amendment that would raise the threshold from $600 to $10,000.
That same Form-1099K was already effected for the 2022 tax season. Prior to this past year, the threshold for filing was 200 transactions that exceeded $20,000. Subsequently, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 decreased the threshold to merely $600.
“This is the best relief we can get for people,” Machin told CNBC. Adding that the $10,000 threshold is “the best way to approach it.” Furthermore, he assured his belief in the publication that raising the threshold has more support than delaying action.
The report also stated that many Tax professionals have “deep concerns,” over the current threshold of $600. Conclusively, New Jersey Accountant Albert Campo noted his expectation in many people filing a Form 1099-k. Noting the industry’s attempts to “be proactive in addressing it.”


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A new brand is turning up the heat on L.A.’s luxury hotel scene, and it’s bringing some jet-set glamour and a prominent name to its Beverly Hills-adjacent address.
The Mr. C Beverly Hills hotel, a collaboration between local businessman Bob Ghassemieh and his family and the famed Cipriani family, is set to debut next week.
It’s the first L.A. venture by the Cipriani brand, renowned for its private clubs, banquet spaces and fine-dining restaurants throughout the world.
Ghassemieh believes Mr. C, with its panoramic views of the Hollywood Hills, will rival other local high-end hotels.
“We saw the Westside hotel market as a great opportunity to invest in a luxury property because it’s supply constrained,” said Ghassemieh, who is leading the redevelopment with Alex Ghassemieh, his uncle. “The Montage was the last luxury hotel that was built in the Beverly Hills market that added new rooms.”
It won’t bring more rooms to the market; standard lodgings were converted to luxury accommodations. After undergoing a $35 million renovation, including the installation of Italian travertine floors, Rosewood-paneled walls and Murano chandeliers, the aging property moved into the luxury class. Room rates are expected to start at $429 a night and go up to $2,000 for a suite after opening specials, putting it in the upper echelon of Beverly Hills hotel prices.
The 12-story, 138-room hotel, which has 12 suites, also has a banquet space on the top floor and a ground-level pool deck that’s been outfitted with teak floors and cabanas. There’s also a white-table cloth Italian restaurant, also called Mr. C, which will include a pizzeria and serve such Cipriani dishes as homemade lightly baked tagliolini with ham and beef Carpaccio.
Bob Ghassemieh is hoping the amenities will attract well-heeled international and New York travelers as well as local executives, especially those from the entertainment industry.
Alan X. Reay, president of Irvine Atlas Hospitality Group, said it’s a good time for a high-end property such as Mr. C to come on line because L.A.’s hospitality market, the Westside region in particular, is coming back strong after a recession that battered the industry.
Indeed, occupancy rates in Los Angeles County rose to 76 percent in March, up from 72 percent the same month last year, according to the most recent data from San Francisco-based Colliers PKF Consulting USA. Revenue per available room, a key metric of the industry’s financial health, increased 14 percent to almost $116 from $102 for the same period last year.
The luxury market reported even healthier numbers. Revenue per available room at county hotels with a daily room rate of more than $300 jumped 36 percent in March to $414 from the same period last year.
“This is a huge endorsement of West Los Angeles and the Beverly Hills market,” Reay said. “The hotel market has rebounded, especially in the luxury division. It’s one of the most sought-after segments in the hotel industry.”
On the other hand, he added, name recognition could be an issue. People know the Montage brand and the other big names in Beverly Hills, but Mr. C – even as a division of Cipriani – is new and might not be the first choice of the discriminating traveler.
“Mr. C, from a reservation standpoint, is not as strong as Four Seasons,” he said.
Reay also noted that location may be a challenge. The hotel is on Pico Boulevard and Beverwil Drive. While the new hotel is just a trot south of Beverly Hills, Pico is not a name associated with luxury.
“If you look at it on a location standpoint, Montage is No. 1, Peninsula is No. 2, Four Seasons is No. 3 and Mr. C is No. 4,” he said.
As for the location, Ghassemieh said, “the only hotels in the competitive set that are closer to the heart of Beverly Hills are the Montage and Beverly Wilshire. And the other hotels, which are Beverly Hills Hotel, Four Seasons, L’Ermitage and Peninsula, for a pedestrian aren’t any closer.”
The hotel will offer guests a complementary car to take them to nearby destinations.
The Ghassemieh family immigrated to Beverly Hills after the Iranian revolution and started First Credit Bank, which specializes in commercial real estate lending. They also started investing in commercial real estate and midmarket hotels throughout the United States.
When the property that would become Mr. C hit the market in 2005, the Ghassemiehs jumped at the opportunity to acquire it. The hotel was operated by Loews Hotels, but the Ghassemiehs decided to run it as an independent, Tower Beverly Hills, while planning the redevelopment.
Bob Ghassemieh then approached Giuseppe Cipriani, who heads that family’s business, about partnering on the project. The Ghassemiehs had known the Ciprianis’ opulent restaurants and clubs in New York for years.
The Ciprianis began building their enterprise in 1931 with the opening of Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy. The company opened Harry Cipriani in New York in 1985, and has since expanded there with three additional restaurants, two event spaces, a private club and residences. The company also has fine-dining restaurants in London; Hong Kong; Istanbul, Turkey; Venice; and Porto Cervo, an exclusive Italian seaside resort town.
As for bringing in the Ciprianis, Ghassemieh said, “We looked at it as an opportunity to take it to a high level of luxury.”
The Ghassemiehs completed a redevelopment plan, but the main lender pulled the construction loan when the economy crashed in 2008. Bob Ghassemieh said the family considered a range of options, but decided to find alternative sources of capital.
Alex Ghassemieh, chief executive at the family’s West Hollywood-based private equity firm, Atlantic Pearl Investments Inc., raised preferred equity financing from family and friends.
Meanwhile, Giuseppe Cipriani’s sons, Maggio and Ignazio, approached Bob Ghassemieh with the idea of using it as the first hotel in a new brand, Mr. C.
“We’ve been looking for hotels,” Ignazio Cipriani said. “But this was the first one we liked and was convincing. Everything felt good about it.”
They decided to cut the renovation budget to $35 million – half of what they had originally planned – and construction crews started working on the property last July.
In the meantime, Bob Ghassemieh recruited Sam Jagger, former director of sales and marketing at Santa Monica’s Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows, to serve as general manager at Mr. C.
Ghassemieh is eyeing future plans for the Mr. C brand now that the hotel is ready to open its doors.
“We always saw this as a long-term strategic partnership,” Ghassemieh said. “We’d like to have this first location and then roll out in key markets like New York; Miami; San Francisco; and Washington, D.C.”
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AI technology to be leveraged for DoD supply chain risk managementNews
August 06, 2020
NEW YORK and TYSONS CORNER, Va. Exiger, company specializing in technology-enabled regulatory, financial crime, risk, and compliance solutions, has won a $9.9 million subcontract award from prime contractor Alion Science & Technology (Alion) to combat the ever-evolving contemporary threat landscape of supply chain vulnerabilities within the national security enterprise.
According to the contract, Exiger will work with Alion to implement AI-powered supply chain risk management, vendor & entity screening, and supply chain illumination solutions. The IDIQ-type contract will support the Department of Defense (DoD).
Designed by Exiger's threat finance, risk, and CI experts and technologists, DDIQ's AI-powered Platform is designed to drive transformational change in how entities are vetted at an unprecedented scale. DDIQ aims to identify, validate, and analyze global risk indicators by aggregating open source information, performing entity disambiguation, assessing, and continuously monitoring ongoing risk to the companies and suppliers within the relevant supply chain network.
Exiger's DDIQ is intended to enable the DoD to obtain supply chain risk management capabilities and ultimately safeguard the global supply chain while upholding its standard of delivering cutting edge technology solutions.


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TianaSpy malware is a mobile inforstealer that targets Japanese Android and iPhone users. The threat was spread via smishing messages, which is a common occurrence for threatening campaigns aimed at Android devices but is extremely rare to see one for iPhones. In fact, according to the report about the threat released by TrendMicro, this is the first time that they have seen a smishing attack to spread iPhone threats.
The infection chain begins with a lure SMS designed to appear a telecommunications company. The message contains a link to a compromised website. Once there, users are presented with instructions to download a supposed security software product but, in reality, they were getting the malware threat.
Alternate Bait Messages
Two different versions of the bait message were observed. The first one is delivered via a compromised SMS delivery service and can be translated into: 'Unauthorized access to your account detected. Please confirm.' (Original message is -【●●●】お客様がご利用の●アカウントが不正利用の可能性があります。ご確認が必要です). Both Android and iPhone users who accessed the link in this message were infected with TianaSpy.
The alternative bait SMS claims that 'Your payment could not be confirmed. Please confirm.'”(Original message is - ●●●お客様センターです。ご利用料金のお支払い確認が取れておりません。ご確認が必要です。) Researchers believe that these messages originate from devices infected with the Android malware threat 'AndroidOS_KeepSpy.GCL.' This second version of the attack also dropped TianaSpy on iPhone devices, but Android users were instead infected with KeepSpy.


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- Walmart said Wednesday it is teaming up with Ford and Argo AI to deliver goods to customers' homes via self-driving vehicles. It is the latest move by the retail giant to leverage autonomous technology for transportation in its supply chain.
- The delivery program will span "defined service areas" of three cities — Miami, Washington, D.C. and Austin, Texas — and expand over time, the release said. Initial testing will begin later this year, but the announcement did not provide a specific date.
- Through the service, a Walmart customer will place an order online, and Argo AI will route the order and schedule its delivery time. A Ford vehicle using Argo AI's self-driving system will then deliver the order. A video accompanying the release shows a Walmart store employee loading the vehicle with goods and the end customer unloading it.
Walmart's latest AV delivery collaboration is unique in that it's the company's first to span multiple cities. The release said as more customers become accustomed to same-day and next-day delivery, the service will help show "how autonomous technology can enhance customer experiences, while also optimizing logistics and operations."
Automating transportation is one way Walmart can move products to whatever end point the customer desires while keeping labor costs low. The COVID-19 pandemic brought omnichannel fulfillment to the forefront as more customers explored options beyond in-store shopping.
"Looking at the business, the first thing that I would just remind everyone that we've been talking about for a while is that we're positioning this business to serve the customer however the customer wishes to be served," Walmart U.S. President and CEO John Furner said on the company's Q2 earnings call. "And that would include pick-up, delivery to home, and shopping in-store."
Pairing Walmart's retail and e-commerce strength with Argo and Ford's self-driving capabilities in these markets is a big step toward scaling a delivery service "that will ultimately power first-to-scale business efficiencies and enable a great consumer experience," said Scott Griffith, CEO of Ford Autonomous Vehicles and Mobility Businesses, in a statement.
The collaboration with Ford and Argo AI is just one way Walmart is testing what the future of delivery will look like. Walmart announced in April it invested in AV company Cruise to build a fast and low-cost ecosystem for last-mile deliveries. Walmart has also worked with Gatik for autonomous, middle-mile deliveries, including in Louisiana to bring orders to a customer pickup point.
"Over the years we've been doing a lot to learn more about the role autonomous vehicles can play in retail, and we've seen enough to know it's no longer a question of if they'll be scaled, but when," Furner said in a statement when the Cruise investment was announced.


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The first generations Samsung Galaxy Note, the device that started the phablet genre can now be purchased online for Rs. 21,500. The phablet has an MRP on the official Samsung website of Rs. 28,050. The smartphone is however available for Rs. 6550 less on an online retail website.
Flipkart is selling the smartphone for the cheapest rate – Rs. 21,500. As of writing this article, other online retail websites such as Saholic and Infibeam have not reduced the price of the Galaxy Note. It is available for Rs. 27,500 on both the online shopping portals.
The Samsung Galaxy Note has a 5.3-inch Super AMOLED display with a 1280×800 pixel resolution. The phablet weighs 178 grams and is 9.65mm in thickness. The Galaxy Note also brought with it the S-Pen not only reviving the use of a stylus on a smartphone but bringing some cool added functionality as well.
The rear of the smartphone houses an 8MP camera where as the front has a 2MP camera for video calling. The phablet has a 1.4GHz dual-core processor along with 1GB of RAM. It also has 16GB built-in storage expandable via a microSD card. A 2500mAh battery powers the package. The Smartphone runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
If you plan to pick up a smartphone between Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 25,000 you have a lot of options to choose from including the LG Optimus VU, Panasonic P51, Nokia Lumia 820, the iPhone 4 and more.


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LEUVEN, Belgium (AP) — The world's largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev SA, shut down production in its home country Wednesday in an escalation of a standoff with workers at its Belgian breweries over job cuts. Workers began blockading three AB InBev breweries two weeks ago to protest against cutting up to 263 jobs in Belgium as part of plan to reduce the company's European work force by 10 percent.
GUNTOWN, Miss. (AP) — Authorities say a plant explosion in Lee County has injured three workers. Lee County Chief Deputy Sheriff John Hall says the explosion happened about 2:26 p.m. Tuesday as workers were cleaning a machine at Columbian Rope Co. in Guntown. Hall says one person was airlifted from the scene to the North Mississippi Medical Center, and another had extensive injuries.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A former Chinese carmaker planning a hybrid car assembly plant in Alabama has lined up a veteran engineering and design firm while still trying to put together $1.5 billion in financing for the project. Benjamin Yeung, chairman of Hybrid Kinetic Motors Corp.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Sioux City officials say the John Morrell & Co. meatpacking plant, one of the city's largest employers, will close this spring. The plant has about 1,500 workers. Sioux City Economic Development Director Marty Dougherty says Mayor Mike Hobart received the news on Tuesday from plant manager Dan Pacquin, who said the plant would close April 20.
HALIFAX, N.C. (AP) — A national producer of prepared foods is expanding a North Carolina plant and plans to create 500 jobs, providing a boost to an Interstate 95 corridor that has for years struggled to lower its jobless rate. Reser's Fine Foods Inc. will create the jobs over the next five years at the Halifax Industrial Center in Halifax County.
DETROIT (AP) — Chrysler Group LLC is recalling 24,177 vehicles because of a defect that could result in brake failure. the recall includes 2010 models of the Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Avenger, Dodge Nitro, Jeep Commander, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Liberty and 2009 and 2010 models of the Dodge Ram pickup.
HELSINKI (AP) — Wartsila Corp., a leading maker of ship turbines, said Tuesday it would lay off 1,400 workers worldwide and cut production to save costs and increase competitiveness. The Finnish company said it plans to slash 570 jobs at its propellor and components manufacturing units in Netherlands, where it employs more than 1,500 people.
NEW YORK (AP) — Apple Inc. is inviting reporters to an event next week to see what it calls "our latest creation." The company e-mail Monday offered no specifics about what it would display at the invitation-only Jan. 27 event in San Francisco. But it comes amid speculation that Apple is close to unveiling a tablet-style touch-screen computer that is bigger than an iPhone but smaller than a standard laptop.
MONTEBELLO, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California meat-packing firm has recalled some 864,000 pounds of ground-beef that might be contaminated with E. coli. The Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service said Monday that no illnesses have been reported from the products sold by Montebello-based Huntington Meat Packing Inc.
MIAMI (AP) — U.S. authorities are readying for a potential influx of Haitians seeking to escape their earthquake-wracked nation, even though the policy for migrants remains the same: with few exceptions, they will go back. So far, fears of a mass migration have yet to materialize. However, conditions in Haiti become more dire each day and U.
TORONTO — It seems that a documentary critical of soft-drink giant Coca-Cola has left a bitter taste with the company. The multinational corporation has told a university film network planning to screen "The Coca-Cola Case" in several cities that the movie contains inaccuracies and violates a confidentiality agreement.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration is working to lift the smokescreen clouding the ingredients used in cigarettes and other tobacco products. In June, tobacco companies must tell the FDA their formulas for the first time, just as drugmakers have for decades. Manufacturers also will have to turn over any studies they've done on the effects of the ingredients.
LONDON (AP) — British candy company Cadbury agreed to a fattened $19.5 billion takeover offer from U.S. food group Kraft in a deal that would create the world's biggest chocolate maker. The board of Cadbury PLC, maker of Creme Eggs and Dentyne gum, gave up a four-month fight to remain independent and on Tuesday recommended shareholders take Kraft's offer of 840 pence ($13.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Two rival groups of Somali pirates had a shootout just before a ransom was delivered to free a supertanker loaded with combustible crude oil, prompting the pirates onboard to call the anti-piracy force for help, a European Union naval spokesman said Monday. Helicopters dispatched from a warship ended the standoff that could have caused a catastrophic explosion aboard the Maran Centaurus, which is carrying about 2 million barrels of crude oil that was destined for the United States.
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Some New Hampshire business leaders say proposed new federal air pollution regulations could put more than half the state in violation of clean air laws. Michael Licata of the Business and Industry Association tells the New Hampshire Union Leader members should be concerned by the proposal, which was announced Jan.
DETROIT (AP) — More than any auto show in recent memory, the new cars rolled out this week out at the Detroit auto show will redefine what we drive in the future. As the show opened to the public on Saturday, small cars that push the previous limits on gas mileage, performance, quality and looks took the spotlight.
FRENCHTOWN, Mont. (AP) — Montana labor officials are applying for a federal emergency grant to help businesses and workers affected by the closure of the Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. linerboard plant in Frenchtown. Montana Department of Labor program manager Kathy Yankoff says the grant would protect the state's dislocated worker funds from being depleted.
NEW YORK (AP) — Fisker Automotive, a high-tech startup company, said Friday it has raised $115.3 million to develop high-end hybrid cars, bringing it closer to accessing a government loan it won last year. Fisker spokesman Russell Datz said the money brings the company close to being able to tap a $528.
BALTIMORE, Md. (AP) — A judge has given preliminary approval to a settlement in a lawsuit that involves the nation's largest poultry producer, Tyson Foods Inc. The company would pay consumers $5 million in refunds to settle a lawsuit accusing the company of falsely claiming that its chickens were "raised without antibiotics.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Some Mississippi legislators are becoming impatient about the interest payments Toyota Motor Corp. is expected to make on money the state borrowed to bring a $1 billion car plant in Blue Springs. State Treasurer Tate Reeves told lawmakers during a fiscal briefing at the Capitol on Thursday that discussions are ongoing about when the automaker would begin making payments.


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In the last few years, tobacco corporations like Philip Morris International (PMI) have rolled out new electronic tobacco devices with misleading health claims. And they’re using multi-billion dollar public relations and marketing schemes to peddle these products and hook a whole new generation to tobacco and nicotine.
Advertising near schools. Giving away free product samples. Setting up scholarship funds. Using social media influencers in marketing campaigns. Today, Big Tobacco continues to systematically and aggressively target young people and entice them into picking up “smoke-free” products like e-cigarettes.
You brought this message straight to the executives of these massive tobacco corporations several weeks ago, during the virtual PMI shareholders’ meeting. With the support of more than ten thousand people — like you — who took action and demanded government officials from around the world make PMI pay for its abuses, we were able to speak truth to power and call out Big Tobacco’s manipulation and deception.
In recognition of World No Tobacco Day (May 31), you can do even more to undermine Big Tobacco’s deadly marketing of its products to young people. Join us and the World Health Organization (WHO) in debunking the myths and exposing the devious tactics Big Tobacco relies on to continue turning a profit at the expense of the health and well-being of millions of people worldwide.
Click below to post one of the following messages on Twitter: