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Google Glass’s Explorer program came to an end early this year, with the team moving under Nest’s Tony Fadell to re-invigorate the project and transition it towards a retail product. Now the Wall Street Journal has reported that the team has now been renamed and there are a few new additions to the team.
The team is now known as Project Aura in Google, and is still run by business executive and jewelry designer Ivy Ross who came to Google via companies such as Mattel, the Gap and Disney. The team is being overseen by Tony Fadell with an eye to making a saleable product in the long term, though short term we’re hearing there’s updated devices being shipped to Glass for Work partners.
The newly named Project Aura team is getting a boost with fresh talent however with a new hire from Amazons development project called ‘Lab126’ being brought on board. The new addition is Dmitry Svetlov, a software development manager who has described Project Aura on his LinkedIn profile as “Glass & Beyond”, also advising that the team is “building cool wearables.”
Svetlov was not the only new hire from Lab126 however with the report stating that several new hires were made from the lab in the wake of the cancellation of Amazon’s Fire phone.
While both Mr Svetlov and Tony Fadell both declined to comment, there’s little doubt that there’s movemnt on Glass and with fresh talent comes new ideas and hopefully a more publicly acceptable product. We’re fans of Glass here and would love to see a more consumer friendly (and cheaper) version launched in the near future, though it does seem we’ll have at least a year or more to wait.


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Reach Records’ Releases Details of 2020 Summer Playlist
C15-track playlist includes Reach’s roster and several up and coming producers and artists in Christian Hip-Hop (CHH).
On Tuesday, July 21, Reach Records announced the upcoming release of their summer block party playlist for 2020 to be released on Friday, July 31. This marks the third year the predominant label has released a summer playlist providing a soundtrack for the streets and barbeques. Confirmed artists and/or producers to be included as part of the playlist are as follows: nobigdyl., Rockstar JT, Jon Keith, CASS, 1kpson, AKLESSO, Torey D'Shaun, Limoblaze, and MainMain. However, many more have yet to be announced. The label did confirm four singles will release the week of the drop date offering hype for the completed playlist on Friday. The four singles confirmed are: "Let Me Know" (Monday July 27) "Stick" (Tuesday July 28) "Come My Way" (Wednesday July 29) "I'm Up" (Thursday July 30) Also, the label is releasing merchandise (t-shirt) to coincide with the playlist release. You can pre-order the t-shirt here. Keep connected to all things Reach at their official website reachrecords.com, and also check the label and their artists out on their socials @reachrecords.

domain: news


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Basically, PC bangs don't require players to own a copy of the game to play, so they can create free accounts, and when they're banned on one, they can just make a new one and continue to cheat on the game, but as of February 17 this will change.
Blizzard announced that a Korean Battle.net account will be needed to log into Overwatch in the future, and these require a social security number. They hope that this will be enough to discourage players to cheat, as this will make it a lot harder to set up new accounts once banned. Players using foreign Battle.net accounts will have to purchase a license for Overwatch, however, which should also stop those in Korea using NA or EU accounts to get around this.
At the moment only Overwatch is facing this change for PC bangs, but Diablo 3 and StarCraft II will soon get this too. Will this be an effective deterrent, or does more need to be done?


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Bouquets and specialty donuts available at local Dunkin' Donuts as thanks for Hospice donations
This week, Dunkin' Donuts locations in Erie County will partner with Hospice Buffalo to help raise funds for the 30th annual Hospice Spring Bouquet sale. From March 2-5, all Erie County Dunkin' Donuts locations will offer customers a specialty Bloom Donut as a "Thank you" when they make a $1 donation to Hospice Buffalo.
The specialty Bloom Donuts, available for a very limited time, have a Bavarian creme filling and are topped with strawberry dipping icing. White and chocolate icing drizzled in a flower design complete the sweet treat. Customers can share their support for Hospice on social media using the hashtag #BloomDDonut.
In addition, Hospice volunteers will be on hand at select Dunkin' Donuts locations until 10 a.m. this morning with fresh flower bouquets for guests who make an $8 donation. Participating locations include:
"Our Erie County stores are very involved in their local communities," said Abbey Celeste, associate field marketing manager for Dunkin' Brands. "They love any chance to give back to their friends, neighbors and loyal customers. We're thrilled to be a part of the 30th anniversary of this great tradition."
To learn more about Dunkin' Donuts, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com or follow DD on Facebook (www.facebook.com/DunkinDonuts), Instagram (www.instagram.com/DunkinDonuts) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/DunkinBuffalo).


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Peripherals company Razer is to honour orders placed via its website that used an erroneous 90 per cent discount code.
Earlier this week a third-party generated coupon codes did the rounds online that allowed shoppers to buy anything they liked off the UK Razerzone at just 10 per cent of the normal price.
Razer was unaware that the code existed within its system. It immediately shut down the store when it because apparent what was happening and thousands of orders were placed in the space of a few hours.
Amazingly, Razer is to honour these purchases – despite the losses this will apparently inflict.
While we have the option of cancelling the orders legally, we’ve always had a customer comes first policy at Razer and in respect of this incident, we have decided to honour the orders that were placed using the unauthorised code by Razer fans buying single products for their own use,” CEO Min-Liang Tan said on Facebook.
Unfortunately, as the products are being sold well below their cost, it will likely cost us an insane amount of losses to make good on the orders which will really, really hurt us as we’re still a small company. That much said, we want to do right by the community.
Unscrupulous retailers, however, will lose out.
For orders in the multiples of units for a single product, we will still give each an opportunity to purchase one item of each product ordered at the 90 per cent off discount but not for multiple units of the same product,” the exec added. Our focus is on doing the right thing for our fans, the gamers and the community, not for resellers or users to profit from this. That’s not gaming, that’s not our deal.
So that’s the plan. It’s going to take a few weeks (and up to a few months in certain cases) to get all these orders processed and shipped – a lot of stuff was already back-ordered due to high demand – and we ask that customers please bear with us.”


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Lusaka, Wednesday, July 31, 2019: Regional trade in live animals, meat and meat products are set to rise following a raft of new measures being put in place by COMESA and livestock exporting and importing countries. These measures include: regional live animal grading standard, linking enterprises in exporting and importing countries and sharing experiences on livestock value addition and export capacities.
The first meeting to discuss the modalities of implementing these measures was conducted in Ethiopia last week. It brought together key players in livestock trade in public institutions, academia and private sector from livestock producing countries including Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda and Zambia and importing countries; the D R Congo, Egypt and Seychelles.
Ethiopia’s State Minister in charge of inputs and products marketing, in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, HE Mrs Ayinalem Nigusie and Secretary General of COMESA Chileshe Kapwepwe addressed the delegates.
In a statement presented by Chief of Strategic Planning at COMESA Secretariat, Mr Simal Amor, the SG said the development of a harmonized grading and classification system for livestock in the COMESA region will guide and catalyze the marketing of beef animals and sheep and goats across the region.
“A uniform regional grading system will create opportunities for importers to make orders based on the common specification of grades and, for exporters to aggregate and supply the orders based on similar specifications,” she said: “This will enhance confidence among traders, provide value for money for both producers and buyers, and other actors, stimulate improved animal husbandry and overall growth of the sector.”
She noted that the current dynamics in the world economy, increasing investments in the livestock sector, high and rising demand, and consumer preferences for animal source foods provide opportunities for increased trade in livestock and livestock products among others.
Stakeholders in livestock trade have often cited the lack of market information and linkages among enterprises in importing and exporting countries as a major hindrance to trade. Thus, the project interventions present an opportunity to establish a regional market information system and catalogue of enterprises that can inform trade decision making even at a distance.
Among the issues that also featured in the workshop deliberations was livestock production and the challenges impacting trade.
Speakers observed that the region has many similarities in almost all areas of animal production and trade, hence member states need to develop pragmatic terms of trade in line with the specifications of the regional context rather than embracing unrealistic measures that may not add value to their collective well-being.
SG encouraged member states to review, adopt and institutionalize the proposed harmonized grading and classification system and other measures to open up trade among themselves, and with the rest of the world.
Participants who also included representatives from the International Livestock Research Institute Addis Ababa and Nairobi campuses, later visited Allana foods; an ultra-modern abattoir and meat processing complex located in Ethiopia’s livestock rich Adami Tulu district in Oromia State.


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Almost a year after making it available to employees and Lyf smartphones users, Mukesh Ambani's ambitious Reliance Jio telecom network was made available to everyone from September 5 this year. Now, the company has announced that its subscriber base crossed 16 million customers in just 26 days. The company claims this is a world record, and that it "achieved this growth faster than any other telecom operator or startup in the world, including the likes of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Skype".
“We are delighted and humbled by the overwhelming response across India to the Jio Welcome Offer. Jio is built to empower every Indian with the power of data,” said Mukesh Ambani, chairman, Reliance Industries (RIL).“We are delighted that people have recognised this and are utilising our services to the fullest. We are customer-obsessed and committed to improving every day to exceed expectations of our customers.”
(Also check:Reliance Jio 4G services: Everything you need to know )
Users can get a Reliance Jio SIM card with the ‘Welcome Offer’, that allows users access to free unlimited 4G data until December 31. This data however, has a cap of 4GB of data a day beyond which a user will get 128Kbps. Other benefits of the Jio SIM include free voice calling, and no roaming charges forever. Jio customers will also be able to enjoy access to Jio’s premium apps like JioMusic, MyJio, JioChat, JioMoney and more for free until December 31. Mukesh Ambani has claimed that Jio’s data plans are the cheapest in the world at Rs 50/GB.
A Reliance Jio SIM can now be brought from all leading Reliance Digital stores. To ease the process, the company says it has installed eKYC machines in more than 3,100 towns. These machines are said to enable customers to get a card in minutes just by using your Aadhar card.
With the launch of the iPhone 7 in India last week, the company has partnered with Apple to introduce offers to its iPhone customers. Users who buy the iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone SE from a Reliance retail store or Apple authorised store will get a year of complimentary Jio service worth Rs. 18,000 for retail customers and a 25 percent discount for enterprise customers.
Although it hasn’t been smooth sailing for Reliance with the launch of its Jio services. From bribes for SIM activation, to call drops and unreliable data speeds, Reliance customers have faced many issues while trying to get their hands on a Jio SIM card or Wi-Fi device.
Don't forget to give your suggesitions below.


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For Netflix, Inc. , revenue growth is largely drawn from overseas growth, noted analyst Laura Martin at Needham & Co in a note on Thursday. Netflix is saw a surge in its overseas growth in the second quarter, pushing shares up by more than 17% on Thursday. The firm’s earnings were better than expected in its Wednesday release.
Global expansion pushing stock up
Netflix added 2.5m subscribers globally in the 2Q, and a million more in the US, bringing the total to 65m. Martin noted the firm has a payback period offshore around half as long, which is two times more profitable as in the US. “Netflix is going to go from 50 countries to 200 countries penetration in the next 18 months. We think that’s what’s driving the stock price up,” She said.
Martin noted that the investors stand a good chance to earn not only from an increase in subscriber base, but also from an unexpected spike in the prices overseas. Martin noted that Netflix hinted for the first time about increasing the price by 5% globally. The streaming firm has 31 tiers across the globe, and will start raising the prices ‘selectively.’
Also, Netflix has decided to hike its fee by $1 for some new users in the US, starting next year. Lead Internet analyst Mark Mahaney at RBC Capital Markets believes the hike is risky, but the firm has the pricing power to manage the hike successfully.
China, still a concern for Netflix?
During the earnings call, Reed Hastings led firm informed that it may delay its China plan beyond next year. Martin stated that this would be a major issue only when the local content is more vital that U.S. content. Generally, Netflix enters a new market with a 65-35 split between the US and local content, Martin noted.
“If you think China’s local programming is super, super important then Alibaba might get traction,” she said, adding the U.S. global content is more important in her view. That’s why Netflix has an edge over anyone in China because they have global deals with the big seven studios in the US.
The research firm raised its price target noting growth is difficult to find in this market, but Netflix has been a growth firm for over three years, “so we would expect growth investors to continue to be attracted to this stock.”
Martin further said that digital markets are becoming the winner-take-all, and the online streaming firm has an “enormous” lead as it brings offers premium content and moves aggressively globally to outperform the would-be rivals.


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Global luxury sales in the first quarter of this year are expected to grow by 17-19 per cent, says analyst Bain & Company. The luxury market is expected to grow in the range of 10 to 15 per cent this year, says the report issued jointly with Italian trade group Fondazione Altagamma.
Luxury sales are currently impacted by high inflation rates in the US and Europe, slowing GDP Growth and the war in Ukraine. A slower-than-expected recovery from China’s latest round of COVID-19 lockdowns in key population cities like Shanghai and Beijing could also cause the market to slowdown in the months to come, the report adds.
Last year, the personal luxury goods market grew 7 per cent above 2019′s pre-pandemic levels to total €288 billion ($305 billion). The sector remained resilient due to consumers’ growing desire to return to pre-COVID lifestyles, affirms Federica Levato, Partner, Bain & Company. The pandemic also forced brands to discover untapped opportunities that could benefit growth in the longer term. Companies appealed to a more diverse group of consumers across generations, locations and ethnicities, adds Levato.
By 2025, around 30 per cent more non-white consumers will spend on luxury purchases in the US. However, most of the sector’s growth will come from the Mid-West, the report adds.
This year, sales from Europe and the US will surpass 2019 levels, it avers. South Korea, too, will play an increasingly prominent role in the global luxury market, adds Levato. According to him, the market will not recover before 2022-end.


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"Streaming companies like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu snagged nearly 1/3 of Emmy nominations
this year, the most ever awarded to tech companies," reports Axios, adding that streaming companies "are pouring billions of dollars into content...and it's paying off." An anonymous reader quotes Engadget
After passing 100 million subscribers, overtaking cable TV in customer numbers in the US and expanding to over 190 countries, Netflix is starting to cement something else: sustained prestige. A record haul of 91 Emmy nominations puts Netflix -- which had 54 nominations last year -- just behind perennial frontrunner HBO with 110... A key component of this upgrade in status is the sheer number of original offerings Netflix has put out. If you throw everything at an awards committee, quite a few of them might stick... Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos has said Netflix spends over $6 billion a year on its own shows, in comparison to Amazon's reported spend of nearly $3 billion, with HBO at $2 billion...
Hulu picked up 18 nominations, up from two last year, including a first series nomination for dystopian A Handmaid's Tale. Together with Netflix's House of Cards, Stranger Things and The Crown, the majority of nominees in the competitive Outstanding Drama category were from streaming services. Amazon picked up 16 nominations, the same as last year.
The shows nominated for the most Emmy awards were NBC's Saturday Night Live
, followed by HBO's Westworld
, but Netflix ultimately ended up with more Emmy nominations than ABC, CBS, and Fox combined


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Alfa Romeo was widely expected to launch a successor to its 159 small sedan next year based on a front-wheel-drive platform (CUSW) currently underpinning the Dodge Dart and destined for a handful of other Fiat Chrysler Group vehicles.
The new small sedan, rumored to be called a Giulia, was said to target the likes of the Audi A4 and BMW 3-Series and offer buyers the choice of four- and six-cylinder powerplants as well as all-wheel drive.
According to a new report, the Giulia may end up being delayed until 2015 or even later so that it can be developed around a new rear-wheel-drive platform.
Britain’s CAR is reporting that Fiat Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne wants Alfa Romeo’s sedan and sports car models to be based on rear-wheel-drive underpinnings. He is said to be aligning the brand closer with Maserati so that future models will be compared with those from BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Alfa Romeo’s existing cars, the MiTo and Giulietta, compete with Volkswagens and other mainstream brands.
Under the radical plans, the MiTo and Giulietta would be dropped so that Alfa Romeo’s future lineup consisted solely of the 4C sports car, a new convertible sharing a platform with the next Mazda MX-5, a compact crossover, a small SUV, the new Giulia and finally a flagship sedan sharing the platform with the Maserati Ghibli.
For the Giulia, engineers would use a shortened version of the platform underpinning the Ghibli, which itself is a shortened version of the platform found in the Quattroporte. This modular platform is also said to be spawning the next Dodge Challenger and it’s possible it could end up in a Chrysler-badged car, too.
The new Alfa Romeos would also boast engines built by Ferrari.
The goal for Marchionne is to boost Alfa Romeo’s sales from less than 100,000 last year to more than 300,000 in the near future. While this is good news for performance fans, it means more delays and pricier cars.


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At the beginning of this month, it was reported that Sony is fighting for the PS5 trademark in India as the trademark is already registered by an Indian. But it seems that the company’s PS5 trademark in India is back as the status changed from “Opposed” to “Advertised before acc” which means it has been advertised before acceptance. Now it’s confirmed that the Sony PS5 trademark is back with the company in India and we can expect that the company will now reveal the PlayStation 5 release date and pre-order information.
As per patent and trademark attorneys, L.R. Swami and Co. this “allows for any third parties to oppose the trademark application within 4 months from the date of advertisement in the Trade Marks Journal. Where an application is Advertised before Acceptance and there is no opposition lodged during the opposition period, there is a procedural requirement for the application to be accepted by an Accepting Officer before the registration certificate is issued. Once accepted by the Accepting Officer, the trademark status changes to ‘Accepted and Advertised’ and then ‘Registered’. The registration certificate is usually issued in approximately 3 months upon expiry of the opposition period.”
PS5 price in India
Sony has recently revealed the price of the PS5 in India. According to the company, the PS5 will be up for sale at Rs 49,999 and the PS5 digital edition will be available for purchase at Rs 39,990. Sony also confirmed that the PS5 games price will go up to Rs 3,999, additionally, accessories are also going to be available at the launch in India.
The company is yet to reveal the Indian release date. Let’s see when Sony is planning to launch the next-gen gaming console in India. The gaming console is already listed on Amazon India website showcasing the specifications of the PS5.
Sony is also launching a few games along with consoles. And, the prices for each of these games are:
- Demon’s Souls – Rs 4,999
- Destruction Allstars – Rs 4,999
- Marvel Spiderman Miles Morales: Ultimate Edition – Rs 4,999
- Sackboy A Big Adventure – Rs 3,999
- Marvel Spiderman: Miles Morales – Rs 3,999
Thanks for reading till the end of this article. For more such informative and exclusive tech content, like our Facebook page


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One of Australia's leading food writers says growers need to connect with consumers not only to push the message surrounding their produce, but also to listen to what is important to them, as the appetite grows for healthy eating.
Alice Zaslavsky, author of the book "In Praise of Veg" says she interacts directly with consumers and has been able to develop an understanding of what drives them and their purchasing habits and behaviors. She notes that one of the biggest misconceptions in the industry is that growers and producers want to put their produce or its health benefits first - but that has actually been detrimental.
"In particular, in older generations, vegetables have got a pretty bad wrap, despite our best attempts at showing how nutritious they can be," Ms. Zaslavsky said. "Instead, that seemed to push them further and further away. What we are discovering through research is that telling people vegetables are healthy or good for them is triggering memories of their childhood of being sat around the table and not being able to leave the table until they have finished their greens, or not being allowed to have dessert. These same messages are coming through for children; the negative narrative of children being forced to eat vegetables or not liking them is something that is a hangover from an earlier time. However, what we are seeing is that we are at the precipice of a paradigm shift and, as consumer insights experts are saying, the appetite for vegetables is changing due to the pandemic. Moreover, the more we talk about health, the lower the expectation of flavor - so how do we focus on taste?"
Photo: Alice Zaslavsky giving her presentation via videolink at this year's Hort Connections
Part of an 'edible ecosystem'
Ms. Zaslavsky added that Covid-19 has also made consumers realize that they are part of an "edible ecosystem" and if they do not support local growers from the Australian industry, there may not be a sustainable system in generations to come.
"Now is the time to harness that national pride in what it is that we grow," she said. "We know that Australia grows some of the best produce in the world - that's why it's so desired by export - but now that so much more of it is inside the country, how do we help Australians connect with it? It could be a value-add, it could be in frozen foods, or dehydrated foods. So, what are you actually doing with it, apart from just packing it onto a truck and sending it off to the shops? Sustainability and healing the planet is another pain point. There are a number of grower initiatives in working with building facilities where they are utilizing renewable energy, or they are thinking about how they can value-add to their product. These two points sit together."
Trust and technology
Another factor that is paramount for consumers is building trust because going back to local fresh fruit and vegetables and having transparency, traceability and provenance is what people are seeking, especially at this time where they are not sure who to trust. Ms. Zaslavsky is also encouraging growers and producers to tell their own personal stories, to allow consumers to get a better understanding of what makes multi-generational farming families and fresh produce companies tick.
"It makes me emotional thinking about it because I know how hard and how tough their trot has been over the past few years," Ms. Zaslavsky said. "We, as consumers, feel it and want to support you, so the more that you can connect, the more of a community can be built of engaged consumers, and the more sustainable the industry can be. Consumers are excited to know things like what you are doing to enrich your soil, how you are thinking regeneratively, how you are fostering the next generation of growers. Another point to think about is technology; consumers want to see growers are utilizing current technology. Recently, I helped open a packing facility for apples that is utilizing technology in grading, storing, processing, and even getting it to the retailer. That's really exciting to me as a communicator, and as a consumer, and makes me want to support those brands that are sitting in that tech space."
Technology also creates an opportunity for direct contact with consumers through social media, according to Ms. Zaslavsky, who believes Facebook is the best platform for personal engagement, especially with the 'older generation' who have more disposable income and are becoming more health-conscious. But again, it is not just about posting information and hoping it connects, as the style of message is important and needs consideration.
"Facebook is the place where people want to connect and they want to have deeper conversations," she said. "So create those channels for people to directly connect with you. Perhaps designate a person in the company that is the voice of the business. If you are looking to connect with younger consumers, and you think you need to be on Instagram or TikTok, you need to think about how you are using those channels. I have to say that the days paying an influencer to say that your cucumbers, for example, are the best - or any other advertorial content - are numbered. That stuff is on the nose as far as consumers go. So, how are you authentically connecting with your social media platforms? One thing that I can highly recommend is creating some content around hacks and shortcuts, for example, recipes. That can be more about what value they are adding for the audience, rather than just adding a face to a brand, which is an expensive exercise that you are not going to see results through. Sometimes there's even a backlash to it."
Reducing food waste
Ms. Zaslavsky also noted that consumers are very aware of minimizing food waste, and the sentiment around reusing excess and damaged produce is growing louder, which growers cannot ignore.
"There are a number of great projects being realized through Hort Innovation and CSIRO, and through growers where food is being repurposed into things like vegetable powders," she said. "There are other growers doing things to repurpose ugly vegetables as well as Foodbanks collecting those and repurposing those for new audiences. It is also an opportunity through ugly food programs in supermarkets, which are currently grabbing so much of the market share, to expose people to fruits and vegetables that they may not feel that they have ready access to."
People are also interested in the 'novelty', and Ms. Zaslavsky says a particular trend that is running hot right now is native Australian produce, and is encouraging those who are interested in growing it to start researching how it fits into their business and strongly consider it, as demand with consumers is growing.


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Is this a coincidence or an indicator of what’s to come?
This is the question that many Devil May Cry fans are asking following Capcom’s recent announcement of Devil May Cry HD Collection coming to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
The Devil May Cry HD Collection takes Devil May Cry 1, 2 and 3 puts them all on one disc so fans who can no longer play them due to no longer having a PlayStation 2 or those who simply have not played any of the earlier games, can reconnect with the franchise that started the “Extreme Combat” sub-genre. It’s an easy way for Capcom to profit off of one of its most popular franchises without actually making a new title and it’s something it already did on the PlayStation 3 — making it the second time such a collection would be released.
However, the timing this time around couldn’t be any more suspicious.
Rumors have been swirling about Devil May Cry 5 for quite some time now and things reached a fever pitch recently when detailed rumors about the alleged game surfaced. Among many other things, the leak suggested that Nero, Dante and Vergil will be playable, there would be greater environment interactivity, would be powered by Unreal Engine 4 and shall be a PlayStation 4 exclusive when it releases in the 2019 fiscal year before later coming out on the PC.
Per usual, rumors like this are to be taken with a grain of salt; and this instance was particularly notable because the OP had agreed to take a permanent ban if it turned out to be hoax.
However, many things were pointing towards an eventual Devil May Cry 5 well before then.
The strongest indicators came from Hideaki Itsuno, director of the Devil May Cry series from 2 onwards, who tweeted at the end of 2016:“Happy New Year! I exert myself in order to announce a new game this year. Thank you.” This was followed by a tweet several months later when he apologized for not appearing at E3 2017 and provided a status update about his mystery project, saying it was “progressing smoothly” and to “look forward to the announcement.”
Outside of those tweets, there were also various tidbits that pointed towards DMC 5, such as a special reward you earn for being Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition on the highest difficulty…
Or when Johnny Yong Bosch (Nero’s VA) was asked about Devil May Cry 5 at MCM Comic-Con 2017, and rather than answer directly, he physically put his tongue in his cheek and looked away. It’s obviously not an outright confession, but it’s interesting that he made such a gesture rather than make a verbal statement.
Assuming that these indicators point to Devil May Cry 5 really being a thing, the only question at this point would be when it will actually be revealed.
And the answer to that question would be “Very Soon.”
This is a big week for the video games industry, as the Video Game Awards is tonight and PlayStation Experience is over the weekend. Both are likely times for Devil May Cry 5 to be unveiled, as there will allegedly be big surprises during both.
As far as the VGAs are concerned, executive producer Geoff Keighly has been suggesting there will be huge surprises in store ever since the date for the event was set and he recently threw oil on the fire when he told a user on ResetEra to look forward to the VGAs when s/he questioned the notion of DMC 5 being revealed there rather than at E3 2018.
Meanwhile, as a PlayStation 4 exclusive, revealing Devil May Cry 5 during PlayStation Experience 2017 would be a great way for both Sony and Capcom to end the year. Furthermore, PSX is a particularly important event for Capcom since it holds the Capcom Cup tournament for Street Fighter 5 and the Battle for the Stones tournament for Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite there. In fact, Capcom has shown that it is willing to make major reveals during PSX too, as that’s where the first trailer for MvC:I was unveiled nearly a year ago.
The bottom line is that with all of the language pertaining to Devil May Cry 5 and the promise of huge surprises in recent weeks, the fact that Capcom chose to reveal an HD Collection for Devil May Cry 5 is very suspicious. I say that the game could be revealed “very soon,” but if things pan out the way things suggest, that reveal could happen as early as tonight. Stay tuned.


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Earnings roundup: Sonic 4Q, 2009 profit slides as sales drop; Yahoo earnings more than tripleBy AP
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Earnings roundup: Sonic, Yahoo
Among the earnings stories for Tuesday, Oct. 20, from AP Financial News:
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Sonic Corp. said that its fourth-quarter and yearly 2009 profit fell as sales dropped by a double-digit percentage during a tough year for the restaurant industry.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Yahoo Inc. may finally be pulling out of a three-year slump that cast aside two CEOs and spurred a cost-costing spree that laid off about 2,000 workers.
FOSTER CITY, Calif. (AP) — Drug developer Gilead Sciences Inc. reported another quarter of better-than-expected financial results, as sales of HIV treatments and royalties on swine flu drug Tamiflu drove a 36 percent boost in third-quarter profit.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Peabody Energy Corp. said its third-quarter profits plunged 71 percent as cooler weather and cheap natural gas curtailed coal-fired power generation. But the performance soundly topped expectations and the company offered a rosier production outlook.
DOVER, Del. (AP) — The millions in cost cuts made by DuPont drove profits higher in the third quarter. Now all the chemical maker needs is for sales to rebound.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — M&T Bank Corp. said its third-quarter profit rose 25 percent on growth in interest income and money flowing in from fees.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Managed care company UnitedHealth Group Inc. saw its third-quarter profit jump 13 percent, as growth in several businesses helped balance another enrollment decline and fight off a touch of swine flu.


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Genentech earnings, revenue surge
California-based biotech reports $3 billion in second-quarter operating revenue, easily beating Wall Street's estimates.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Genentech reported a quarterly surge in earnings and revenue, handily beating Wall Street estimates.
The California-based biotech reported $3 billion in operating revenue for the second quarter, a 37 percent increase over the same period last year, and 78 cents earnings per share, excluding charges, a jump of 39 percent.
Analysts had projected $2.856 billion in operating revenue for the second quarter, and EPS of 71 cents, according to consensus from Thomson.
Genentech's top-selling drug Rituxan, for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and rheumatoid arthritis, totaled $582 million in second-quarter sales, an 11 percent jump year-to-year.
The biotech's second biggest seller, Avastin, for treatment of lung and colorectal cancer, was the fastest-growing product in the company's arsenal. Avastin grew by a third, to $564 million.
Shiv Kapoor, analyst for the investment research firm Montgomery & Co., said that Avastin's growth was largely responsible for Genentech's strong earnings. Kapoor said Avastin was able to grow despite a study, announced at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in June, showing that half-doses were as effective as full doses in lung cancer treatment.
"Avastin was not affected by the fallout of the AVAIL study," said Kapoor, referring to the Avastin study by name. "I think the stock should react positively to this."
Nonetheless, sales for the company's breast cancer drug Herceptin were sluggish: a mere 3 percent increase from the year before, totaling $329 million for the quarter.
The company posted strong sales overall, totaling $2.4 billion in product sales in the second quarter, up from $1.8 billion during the same period in 2006. Royalties from its partnership with the Swiss drug giant Roche jumped to $484 million in the second quarter, up from $316 million year-to-year.
Chief Executive Arthur Levinson said in a webcast to analysts and the media that his company is well-prepared to take on the competitive threat posed by a biogenerics bill that is moving through Congress.
This bill would help the Food and Drug Administration create a system for regulating generic versions of biotech drugs. This would allow generic drugmakers to create low-cost versions of name-brand biotech drugs once their patents expire, driving down revenues for biotechs.
"We believe that we will remain in a favorable market position," Levinson said, adding that his company would continue to develop new drugs and defend itself through strong patents. "Genentech's intention is to innovate in order to outpace our competitors."


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Canopy and Sivo Forge Partnership for Embedded Lending
Canopy is thrilled to announce our partnership with Sivo, the first of its kind provider of debt-as-a-service. Together, we are removing obstacles that made it difficult for innovators to launch and scale next-generation financial products.
In the past, debt financing has proven to be a significant hurdle to Fintechs, neobanks, and brands that wanted to bring new products to market. They needed to negotiate complex agreements — often involving hefty legal expenses, high facility fees, and dilutive warrants. All this took time — six months and sometimes more.
Our partnership allows joint clients using Canopy’s loan management and servicing platform and Sivo’s API for programmatic debt financing to access the funds they need to scale. We enable streamlined due diligence that can unlock up to 10x leverage. Clients are able to bring products to market in record time and scale to meet borrower demand without the constraints of traditional financing arrangements.
“Canopy and Sivo are breaking ground by offering configurable debt on-demand,” said Canopy CEO Matt Bivons. “Originators are able to request a debt line that matches their specific business goals and in turn offer personalized, transparent, and safer credit and lending products to their users. Canopy and Sivo’s partnership is about helping our clients go to market faster, with less risk overall and with greater transparency.”
Companies can configure unique credit products, launch them on Canopy’s loan management and servicing platform, and safely manage risk by partnering with Sivo’s seasoned credit and risk experts to determine the best course of action. Canopy’s platform also calculates interest and fees in real time, allowing for real-time due diligence on Sivo’s platform. The transparency provided by Canopy and Sivo’s combined tech-first, embedded approach makes it possible for Sivo to extend leverage as lending programs hit key metrics and grow with their users.
“We are unlocking an opportunity for companies to bring the next generation of credit and lending products to market,” said Kate Hiscox, Co-Founder, and CEO of Sivo. “Traditional debt facilities can be slow, costly, dilutive, and inflexible. With Canopy and Sivo, financial innovators get access to debt capital with a clear path to 10x leverage in days and can bring products to market in weeks. Our partnership with Canopy is a natural fit because we’re both committed to supporting our clients with the modern technology and expert services they need to ensure new financial products are compliant, profitable, and valuable.”
What is Canopy?
We believe in building technology that helps facilitate better life experiences. Financial products have largely been the same, lacking transparency and control. Canopy is built for developers to launch and service financial products in the most flexible way.


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PZ Cussons Nigeria Falls to 2-Month Low on Profit: Lagos Mover
PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc (PZ), a consumer products manufacturer, slipped to the lowest in two months after reporting a 55 percent drop in full-year profit.
The stock declined for a second day, falling 2.1 percent to 24 naira by the close in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, the lowest since May 31.
Net income for the 12 months through May dropped to 2.54 billion naira ($15.8 million) from 5.7 billion naira, the Lagos- based company said yesterday. Revenue rose 10 percent to 72.2 billion naira. The company proposed a dividend of 43 kobo per share.
“This is disappointing as it fell below the market expectation,” David Adonri, chief executive officer of Lambeth Trust and Investment Co., said by phone today. PZ Nigeria’s dividend pay-out has been “stable” at about 70 kobo, and investors expected it to maintain that, Adonri said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Vincent Nwanma in Lagos at email@example.com
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Dulue Mbachu at firstname.lastname@example.org


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Burger King News
Burger King , Tim Hortons owner adding Popeyes to holdings
The Canadian parent company of Burger King and Tim Hortons is buying Popeyes
State lawmakers channel grief into fight against opioids
In statehouses across the country, lawmakers with loved ones who fell victim to drugs are leading the fight against the nation's deadly opioid-abuse crisis, drawing on sad personal experience to attack the problem
Wal-Mart, General Mills and Popeyes climb; Kraft Heinz falls
Wal-Mart Stores, General Mills and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen rise while Kraft Heinz and Genuine Parts skid
Church Shootings Leave Holes in the Fabric of Charleston
Emanuel AME may have patched the bullet holes from the massacre nearly two years ago that killed nine worshippers, but the holes in the fabric of life in Charleston remain
Merriam-Webster Expands its Vocabulary
Tan opera makes and you know every year we look forward to this moment when the the Merriam Webster folks come out with. What are the brand new words of the internet's. And the world's. In an attendant made it there yet but sold 1000 new words we're just added. The exact and trying to get their.
Bachelor Forecast: One-on-One Dates
ABC News' Ginger Zee, Will Ganss, and Mel Griffin discuss the one-on-one dates and predictions from this week's episode of The Bachelor.
American Workers Struggling to Make Ends Meet in Today's Economy
From fast food workers to shuttle bus drivers, many Americans aren't able to afford housing or pay the bills on current wages.
Why Thousands of Low-Income Americans 'Donate' Their Blood Plasma: Part 5
"I donate specifically for the money because I work a minimum wage job," said David, who donates his plasma.
Low Wage Workers and the 'Fight For 15': Part 3
Terrence Wise is involved in the national movement "Fight For 15," which argues for an increase in the federal minimum wage.


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NEW YORK (Reuters) - Americans’ love of their smartphones and apps may be contributing to the sluggish pace of inflation that is worrying Wall Street and the Federal Reserve, a top bond manager at BlackRock, the world’s biggest asset manager, said on Wednesday.
Consumers are relying less and less on devices such as cameras, radios and televisions, and services such as taxis and stores, replacing them with programs in their iPhones and other high-end phones, according to Rick Rieder, BlackRock’s chief investment officer of global fixed income.
Companies like Amazon.com Inc, Netflix Inc and Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] have enticed consumers with convenience and low prices through their phones. As a result, they have upended traditional retailers, entertainment outlets and transportation services, Rieder said in an article published on Wednesday.
“Technological innovation is disrupting traditional business models of many industries, putting a lid on prices and influencing inflation in the economy overall,” he wrote.
The core rate of the consumer price index, the U.S. government’s broadest inflation gauge, increased 1.7 percent year-on-year in May, the smallest such rise since May 2015, the Labor Department said last week.
On Monday, Chicago Federal Reserve President Charles Evans, when asked about Amazon’s proposed $13.7 billion buyout of up-market grocer Whole Foods Market Inc at an event in New York, said new competitors with a technological edge entering in major industries pose possible long-term implications that inflation will remain low.
Some of the recent pullback in inflation also stemmed from lower energy prices resulting from global oversupply, analysts said.
The recent softening of inflation has raised speculation on the timing on the U.S. central bank’s next rate increase. A few policymakers including Evans have said it may be worthwhile for the Fed to wait until year-end before considering another rate hike.
Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker told the Financial Times the Fed should defer its next hike until December.
In the meantime, this technological shift will likely persist, Rieder said, making it difficult for inflation to meet the Fed’s 2 percent target, which policymakers deem optimal to support stable economic growth.
“This is an increasingly challenging paradigm to execute upon today in the more modern commerce era we live in,” Rieder said. “We believe both investors and policymakers need to abandon an overly rigid view of price change.”
Reporting by Richard Leong; Editing by Steve Orlofsky
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


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The Honda Ridgeline is the most American-made truck in Cars.com's 2019 American-Made Index. The annual study analyzes assembly location, parts content, drivetrain sourcing and factory employment to rank the most American-made cars, trucks and SUVs.
Five of the top 15 vehicles on the 2019 American-Made Index are trucks. In order of ranking:
3: Honda Ridgeline
8: Chevrolet Colorado
9: GMC Canyon
13: Ford F-150
15: Toyota Tundra
Honda employs relatively many Americans at the factory level. It has U.S. assembly for more of the cars it sells here than GM and FCA — well above the industry average, which is just over half.
"The F-150 has lower AALA [American Automobile Labeling Act] content for the 2019 model year, with notable foreign sourcing among engines," said Cars.com's Senior Consumer Affairs Editor Kelsey Mays.
"Both the V-6 and V-8 engines in the Ram 1500 have a lot of Mexico sourcing, which drove down its scores. The Silverado 1500 and Sierra 1500, meanwhile, have some final assembly in Mexico, as well as just 42% AALA content [below the 55% cutoff to make the list]."


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On March 27th, Huawei will unveil its new P20 line which consists of three models. There is the Huawei P20, the Huawei P20 Lite and the Huawei P20 Pro. The biggest buzz has been reserved for the P20 Pro because of its triple camera setup on back. The P20 and P20 Lite both sport two cameras on back. And speaking of cameras, Exif data reveals a series of photographs that was taken by one of the three P20 models.
We can reach that conclusion because of the EML-AL00 model number of the device that took the pictures. Back in December, a published report said that P20 series had the codename of …
Remember the news about the Moto X4 sequel that Motorola might launch at some point this year? We even had a picture of a prototype unit, so the leak was looking pretty solid at that time.
Unfortunately, it appears that Lenovo has decided to scrap the Moto X5 and not launch another X series phone going forward. AndroidPolice reports that despite the fact that Lenovo reduced Motorola’s workforce considerably, it’s still not enough to turn make the smartphone business profitable yet.
The canceling of the Moto X5 is the direct result of Lenovo’s strategy to cut costs. Moreover, Lenovo …
Last month, we told you that Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi is likely to attend the MWC trade show in Barcelona that begins on February 26th. Xiaomi is rumored to be unveiling a couple of new phones at the show. One is the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s. This would be a revised version of last year’s sequel to the Xiaomi Mi Mix. The latter was the first phone to show off the nearly bezel-less look that has become so popular these days.
The Mi Mix 2s would replace the Snapdragon 835 chipset used on the Mi Mix 2, with the new Snapdragon 845 mobile platform. In addition, the rear camera will feature Sony’s …
A large battery — that’s every phone owner’s dream. But manufacturers also want to make their devices slim and elegant. So, there’s a fine balance that needs to be struck — make the device thin enough but don’t sacrifice too much of its battery life. Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 is a perfect example of why one should be careful with this balance — the device had too small a compartment for its battery, which was sort of the general reason behind the whole exploding Note debacle back in 2016.
So, with the Galaxy S8, S8+, and Galaxy Note 8, Samsung played it safe and didn’t go with crazy capacities …
Lenovo and Motorola Mobility seem to be preparing an
important design overhaul for most of the Moto phones that are scheduled to be
launched this year. After seeing renders allegedly presenting the Moto X5 and
the Moto G6 family, we can now also take a look at what appears to be the Moto
Z3 series – including a regular Moto Z3, and a Moto Z3 Play.
Like the Moto X5 and G6, the Moto Z3 and Moto Z3 Play have
pretty thin bezels, which means Motorola is ready to ditch the not-so-modern
design employed by last year’s Moto Z2 Force and Z2 Play.
According to Droid-life, both the Z3 and …
Just the other day, we passed along some more information about the foldable Samsung Galaxy X. One report stated that the device will look like a phone at rest, and when unfolded, it becomes a tablet with a 7.3-inch screen. Yesterday, the President of Samsung’s Mobile Communications Business, DJ Koh, said that issues with the UX have forced Sammy to delay the launch of the Galaxy X to 2019.
Today, sketches of the Samsung Galaxy X have been released by WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization). They are from a filing made by Samsung back on June 14 of last year. The product has one …
A render of a Samsung Galaxy S9 case from Ghostek just might give away enough information about the 2018 flagship model to make you start salivating. Unveiling the handset on the day before the MWC keynote takes place in Barcelona is a tradition for the Galaxy S that had to be broken this year. If Samsung returns to that tradition, a February 25th introduction could take place. But Sammy would love to get a quick jump on Apple and its other rivals by introducing the Samsung Galaxy S9 in January.
The render shows a major change to the positioning of the rear-facing fingerprint scanner, …


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Recently, a report by an Asia-based research company projected that US-based over-the-top (OTT) video streaming service provider Netflix plans to grow its Asia-Pacific revenue to $4 billion. Netflix is reportedly planning to up its spending in the region by 15% to $1.9 billion, according to the report by Media Partners Asia, also adding that this investment is likely to result in its revenue for the region jump 12%.
The report claims that India and Indonesia will see the fastest growth for Netflix in the year 2023 in the region. In India, the streaming service is fighting the dominance of homegrown platforms like AltBalaji and Eros Now, while holding a market share of 3%.
Netflix’s 5 biggest markets worldwide According to Statistica, Austria is the biggest market for Netflix with 46% market share in the country. It is followed by France - 37%; South Korea - 36%; Germany -35%; and Nigeria 33%. The India market presently is way behind with 3% market share.
What makes Asia-Pacific region important The Asia-Pacific region is an important market for Netflix given that Netflix's "home" market of the US and Canada, which contributed 44.6 percent of its global revenue, is stagnant, highly competitive, and challenging to grow. According to its latest financial report, it lost 919,000 paid subscribers in the US and Canadian markets in 2022. However, on the positive side, the company still managed to get a 9 percent revenue increase.
According to a 2021 report by independent transaction advisory firm RBSA Advisors, India's OTT streaming industry, including video and audio, has the potential to grow almost nine-fold to touch $15 billion by 2030. This would include $12.5 billion for the video market and $2.5 billion for audio. The size of the OTT market in 2020 was around $1.7 billion.
Cheap mobile data and other growth drivers in India RBSA said that the key drivers behind this growth include the fact that India has the second-highest per capita consumption of online video in the world. Other important factors are that the country has the cheapest mobile data in the world, high growth in rural internet penetration and the steep rise of smartphone users in India, estimated to be over 760 million in 2021.
OTT platforms have been making enormous investments in originals to spur subscription demand. Together with acquired content, RBSA projects that subscription video-on-demand will make up 93 per cent of the total OTT revenue in India (as compared to 87 per cent globally), increasing at a CAGR (compounded annual growth rate) of 30.7 per cent between 2019 to 2024.
As of the end of 2022, industry insiders estimate that Netflix has around 6 million subscribers. The leading streaming platform in the country is Disney+Hotstar with 57.5 million subscribers. This is after it suffered its largest quarterly reduction in paid subscribers of 3.8 million in the October to December 2022 quarter as a result of it losing the rights to the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The other market in which Netflix sees potential in 2023 is Australia. Another country in APAC that is critical to Netflix's success in the region is Japan which contributes about a quarter of Netflix's total APAC revenues.


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Recovery of the European Injection Molding Industry
In a new report recently published by AMI Consulting the recovery of Europe's injection molding sector since the global recession has been examined in detail. The market research consultancy has calculated that the value of the European plastics injection molding industry in 2014 was 11% higher than its pre-crisis value: although the volume of polymer processed was still about 7% lower than in 2007. Much of the value increase is associated with higher raw material costs but the industry has striven to maximize the potential of new and added value opportunities.
The packaging sector remains by far the largest injection molding market in terms of polymer volume consumed, particularly because it includes demand for PET preforms. The packaging sector is almost equally important across every country because it typically serves local consumer demand. By comparison the automotive market is the most valuable injection molding sector and its demand is increasingly being focussed in countries retaining or attracting vehicle assembly. Within Europe the shift of molded volume from Western to Central and Eastern Europe has largely been a result of following the investment by customers, particularly the automotive and electrical appliance manufacturers. However, the economic development of these regions has also created a larger consumer market to the benefit of the whole molding sector.
The global recession accelerated the process of rationalisation of the European injection molding industry that had been underway for several years, particularly in Western Europe. Using analysis of AMI's proprietary injection molding database the report tracks the structural changes within the industry which is reported to involve more than 8,500 different companies across Europe. These range from small, family owned concerns up to multinational groups. The importance of molding to the overall business can also vary significantly hence a wide range of business models exist in the industry.
Western Europe has continued to experience most contraction with more than 2,000 molding sites closing since 2007. In Central and Eastern Europe closures have been more than offset by new entrants: the region continues to attract a high level of new investment. The overall rate of decline in molding sites is forecast to slow down but, through extrapolation from its database, AMI forecasts that Europe will lose a further 2% of its injection molding sites by 2018. However, polymer demand and industry value for injection molded products is forecast to grow across almost every market sector. The higher demand will therefore be met by a smaller, yet more cost effective, strategically located supplier base.
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"To what extent is the convenience sector doing better in other countries (than in Germany) and why?" Wilco van den Berg, market analyst at the Dutch umbrella organization GroentenFruit Huis, addressed this question at the European Convenience Forum. In this regard, van den Berg sees the Netherlands' special trade role as a partial answer: in 2021, for example, the country sourced imports from 120 countries worth €9.2 billion, including the three largest countries of origin, Spain, Peru and South Africa. "Imports from Peru have doubled in the last five years, with the top three products being avocados, blueberries and mangoes," van den Berg said.
Wilco van den Berg
40% of Dutch production is exported to Germany
"About 4 billion euros are spent on our own production. In turn, 13.1 billion euros-worth of goods are exported to 145 countries. Above all, re-exports from the Netherlands play a larger role in this. Almost 40% of this is sold to Germany, followed by Belgium and the UK. Since Brexit, however, sales in the UK have slumped slightly," the market analyst summarizes.
When selling from the Netherlands to Germany, the complete range is exported, which also includes re-export products combined with Dutch products. "In the fresh produce sector, tomatoes are in first place in both countries, while onions, carrots, cucumbers and peppers are among the top 5 most popular products."
Meanwhile, there would be noticeable differences in the lower ranks: Fresh-cut, broccoli, endive and mushrooms are distributed in places 6-10 respectively, while iceberg lettuce, zucchini, mushrooms, asparagus and cauliflower are in the same places in Germany. Differences are again less pronounced for fruit. The top 3, albeit in different rankings, are apples, bananas and oranges. While in 9th and 10th place in the Netherlands are kiwi and mangoes, in Germany are lemons and pineapples in the corresponding places. "Blueberries are not in the top 10, but spending is increasing more and more in both countries."
Fresh food packages and cooking boxes very popular in Holland
The big difference between the two countries, he said, is that fresh packages and cooking boxes are very popular in the Netherlands, but that is not the case in Germany. Van den Berg: "Consumers in the Netherlands are on the lookout for convenience goods. The biggest share is cooking at home. To this end, a distinction is made between convenience 1.0 and convenience 2.0. The former refers to complete meals, which are no longer as popular as they used to be. Convenience 2.0 is experiencing the most sales growth in recent years, which includes fresh packages, with a 23% increase."
Total spending on fresh pack consumption in 2021 in the Netherlands would be the same as for cucumbers, with sales of €100 million, he said. Spending on fresh packets in supermarkets quadrupled overall from 2017 to 2021. "Fresh packages are particularly popular among families with children and two-person households. Cooking boxes, such as those offered by HelloFresh, are only purchased by six percent of households, but these buy the boxes up to 13 times a year."
Fresh-cut sector in Germany: 90% salads
Fresh-cut vegetables account for 36% of total spending in the Netherlands, while the same percentage in Germany is just about 4%. 99% of all households buy Fresh-Cut vegetables in the Netherlands, compared to about 52% in Germany. "The share of Fresh-Cut vegetables continues to increase in the Netherlands. In 2013, it was 33% and now 35% in 2021. Cooked vegetables consist of 40%, stir-fried vegetables 20% and fresh-cut salads 15%. In Germany, 90% of fresh-cut produce consists of salads."
More pre-cut goods sold
In the Netherlands, he said, more cut produce is increasingly being purchased than uncut produce. However, the share of fresh-cut fruit is still low, he said. Trends in the U.K. are comparable in this regard, he said. Spending on fresh-cut vegetables, for example, increased by 38% from 2020 to 2021, while spending on uncut vegetables rose by 25%.
Referring to a study commissioned by Jochem Wolthuis in cooperation with AMI, van den Berg believes the reasons why fresh vegetables continue to be used almost exclusively in Germany are a lack of confidence in the safety of fresh-cut or convenience products. In addition, some were plagued by a 'guilty conscience' because they felt 'lazy'. "What works better in the Netherlands in the convenience sector, in contrast to Germany, is the communication surrounding these products," van den Berg concluded.


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The site, called Greenwood, will open in late 2016 in the new Nova development in Victoria, alongside new openings from Jason Atherton and D&D.
The group will also open two further sites, a city rooftop restaurant, Aviary, and a bar at the Royal London House Hotel, called Burdock.
ETM co-founder Tom Martin said: “We are delighted to be bringing our pubs, bars and restaurants to two more central London locations and at such interesting developments.
“We can’t wait to get these sites open and welcome many of our regular customers alongside plenty of new faces.”
ETM Group sold its popular Thameside pub the Gun, Docklands, to Fuller’s earlier this year.
Speaking the The Morning Advertiser’s sister publication MCA at the time, Tom Martin said the decision was part of a strategic overview of the business.
“We have thoroughly enjoyed being the proud guardians of the 200-year old, Grade II-listed property since 2004, but are delighted that Fuller’s is now taking the helm," he said.
The group’s Moorgate gastropub, the Jugged Hare, came 23rd in this year’s Top 50 Gastropubs. It was also a regional finalist for the title of Best Food Pub in the 2015 Great British Pub Awards.


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Portas expressed surprise at the 13.6% rise in online sales to offset a 6.1% decline in store sales – meaning that the fashion retailer expected annual profits to rise by £8m to £725m – and forecast a difficult future for the high street.
Speaking to the Today programme, Portas said: “When we look at maybe 30% of our sales within the next five years [taking place] online, what are the roles of those spaces that are being left? We have many towns up and down the country that look fairly dismal.”
She added: “What our high streets will become are social places. They are vital to communities so we need the Government to look at the role of high streets in the future and look at the ageing way that we put tax and rates bills on, and the rules of landlords and parking.”
With the prediction that high streets will operate as social rather than strictly commercial hubs in the not too distant future, what part can pubs play in urban regeneration and how can they be expected to do so when burdened with soaring costs that are putting a large number of them out of business?
Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers chief executive Kate Nicholls explained: “We are constantly in dialogue with the Government and with local authorities about what they can do to support hard-working and valuable businesses in their areas and contribute to an environment in which venues flourish.
"Part of this approach relies on authorities, both national and local, fundamentally changing their perception of businesses; stepping away from the idea that they are burdens or cash cows to one in which they are recognised as important assets.
“As we have been saying for years, when hospitality businesses flourish, the knock-on effect for other businesses and other parts of town and city centres is positive. Healthy pubs, bars, cafés and restaurants mean a dynamic and thriving community. These businesses attract customers to socialise and spend money in open and welcoming environments and other businesses succeed as a result."
Business rates reform
Nicholls added: “We worked with Mary on the original High Street Forum and agree with her on the need to ensure that they are social and community spaces and the positive contribution pubs, restaurants and coffee shops make – on average it is £250,000 gross value added to their local community and economy.
“If authorities are serious about supporting jobs and investment, and ensuring that towns and city centres across the UK remain viable and healthy, then a strategy that promotes them as social spaces, with hospitality businesses at the centre, is vital.
“That means tackling costs that continue to spiral for many businesses and action to provide clarity and certainty to allow these businesses to plan and grow, and to continue attracting customers to the high street. Of primary concern is a focus on reforming an out-of-date business rates policy that is strangling high streets. Without this much-needed reform, it will be difficult to safeguard or support the community spaces Mary is talking about.”
Fairer deal for pubs
A spokesman from the British Beer & Pub Association said: “Mary Portas is right to focus on this issue. With consumers moving towards more spend on leisure activities rather than goods in our high streets, pubs and the wider hospitality industry will be even more vital to our town centres. This does mean we need to look hard at tax issues.
“When it comes to business rates, we need online goods retailers to be paying a much fairer share of the total rates bill, as pubs are being hit hard. A comprehensive review of business rates is now required.”
Mike Clist, CEO of the British Institute of Innkeeping, commented: “The BII agrees with Mary Portas that the high street is an essential component of a thriving town and community. As part of this, pubs support over 900,000 jobs throughout the UK and contribute £23 billion to the UK economy. They are a force for good and have a unique role to play, with many making investments and improvements to their infrastructures.
However, Government needs to understand that unless they look at the way these businesses are taxed, this investment will dry up. In particular we continue our call for a full reform of business rates to make it fairer in comparison to the newer online retail businesses.”


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The average of household spending in Japan was up 1.1 percent on year in November, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said on Friday – coming in at 278,718 yen.
That beat expectations for a decline of 1.5 percent following the 1.9 percent increase in October.
On a monthly basis, household spending sank 1.8 percent, missing expectations for a loss of 1.3 percent after gaining 2.1 percent in the previous month.
The average of monthly income per household stood at 473,294 yen, up 0.6 percent on year.
The material has been provided by InstaForex Company – www.instaforex.com


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Reliance is already in talks with carmakers like Maruti and Hyundai. Here are the details.
Reliance Jio, the Mukesh Ambani-controlled phone services company that has signed up 90 million customers in less than a year of service launch, plans to connect millions of cars on Indian roads to the internet and is in talks with carmakers Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai Motors India, and others.
The cars will be connected through what are called OBD, short for onboard diagnostic, devices. OBD devices, used in engine diagnostics, are already an integral part of the services networks of most carmakers.
What Jio wants to do is add real-time connectivity between the OBD device and a carmaker’s servers and also set up a Wifi zone inside cars that allow users to connect their gadgets such as phones or tablets to the internet, a company insider told FactorDaily, asking to stay anonymous.
Jio has stitched a partnership with Reno, US-based AirWire Technologies to manufacture a cheap OBD device, the source said. The tie-up was announced in February this year.
The phone service, part of Reliance Industries, India’s largest company by revenues, is also working on offering an external immobiliser to secure the car. “If someone is trying to break open the car, you can immobilise the car from your mobile,” the source said.
The OBD device paired with a Jio SIM card will also give you the exact location of the car, which can be a useful feature in case of a theft or an accident. The vehicle can be geo-fenced which means “you will get to know if your driver has gone beyond the radius he is supposed to drive the car,” the source said. Other features include being able to remotely turn on the engine and AC.
Through the real time connectivity, Jio is taking aim at a hitherto unaddressed market in India that could potentially run into millions. About three million new cars are sold in India every year. A slightly larger number of used cars (3.64 million in 2016-17) are bought by Indians annually — about 18% of which is sold through organised channels. The total number of cars on Indian roads is about 24 million.
London-based consultancy firm IHS Markit predicts that by the end of 2017, India will overtake Germany to become the world’s fourth-largest car market and the third-largest by 2020.
Jio, whose market strategy hinges on data, already has entertainment and healthcare apps in its suite of offerings and is working on education as a next step.
The connected car is the next step in that direction. “Ambani is bringing different pieces of the puzzle together,” said the company insider. “Connected cars is a part of a larger strategy.”
A survey in 2015 by Ford Motor Company had 36% of respondents from India saying that they spend five to 12 hours commuting in a car a week, and 35% said they spend 12-20 hours.
The Jio executive said when its gameplan was on the drawing board, there were three parts to it: home, office and car. “For home Reliance is laying fibre-to-home and to offices as well… the car is different, it is important for a large part of the population.”
Reliance is already in talks with carmakers like Maruti and Hyundai. “Reliance is in discussion with most of the carmakers,” the source said.
What about cab companies? “Not yet… that will happen in the next phase,” he added.
Deepesh Rathore, a London-based analyst of Emerging Markets Automotive Advisors, said he saw a company with deep pockets moving into a growth business. “There is no technical novelty. The connected car business is not well defined. Reliance wants to be in growth areas. Like Google has no business to be in the car space, but they are building in the autonomous car,” Rathore said.
But, Jio will face tough competition from carmakers. Companies such as Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai are working on their own developments in the connected car space. FactorDaily had written in June that Maruti is looking at a bunch of features in the connected car space, including a safety emergency call feature to connect with the police, fire station or trauma centre.
Both Maruti and Hyundai did not comment on ongoing discussions with Jio. Honda India ruled itself out from a potential tie-up. “We already own connected car solutions, Honda Connect. (We are) not talking to anyone else,” said a Honda spokesperson.
Technology companies such as chipmaker Intel, too, are working on connected car solutions.
There are others mobility companies also looking at various aspects of smart mobility. For example, self-drive startup Revv, which gives cars on rental is working with Israeli company MobilEye, acquired by Intel, in assisting drivers.
“A camera sits behind the rear view mirror, and it is used to detect the time to collision,” said Anupam Agarwal, co-founder and CEO of Revv. “It also detects physical objects coming in its way, like a man walking.”
Once the camera detects the object, two and half seconds before the collision, its sends out a sharp and loud beep. The results are quite stark. Cars without the device collided once in every 25,000 km; now collisions are down to one in 80,000 km.


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Policies for responsible consumption of paper
Since 2017, the UIC Barcelona promotional brochures have been certified as having been printed on paper made with cellulose from forests managed by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The institutional diaries are also made from recycled paper.
Paper shipments are reduced and online orders are promoted both in marketing actions and internal communication at UIC Barcelona.
These measures reduce tree felling and contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emission
Sustainable consumption policies in restaurants
The elimination of plastic from the cafeteria service was launched on the Barcelona campus and, for this reason, jugs of water were introduced to reduce the need for plastic water bottles. This action was supported by a small discount on the price of the lunchtime menu if patrons chose not to buy bottled water.
The university’s Department of Communication launched a campaign to raise awareness about this issue with the slogan “One plastic bottle? Think twice!”, to encourage members of the university community to use the new water jugs.
Along the same lines, corresponding measures were launched to remove plastic bottles from institutional events. However, due to the current health crisis, we have been forced to postpone this goal until the 2021-2022 academic year.
According to UIC Barcelona, the university’s catering service Eurest opted to eliminate single-use items (cups, cutlery) and instead use the most sustainable options such as paper napkins and placemats, as well as encouraging recycling.
In addition, Eurest chooses to work with suppliers that offer products that are locally-sourced, kilometre-0, fair trade and that promote inclusive working environments.


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Justin Bieber's "Believe" album--due out this summer--is going to feature a whole-lotta popular artists.
The latest addition is fellow pop star Taylor Swift. Bieber told U.K.'s Capital FM Radio station this week.
Related Story: "Justin Bieber 'Punks' Taylor Swift in a New Episode of 'Punk'd'"
The Swift news follows the confirmation that Bieber's mentor (and the guy that backed him at the beginning of his career) Usher also will guest star on "Believe."
Bieber also confirmed it by retweeting Rolling Stone's article regarding the collaboration.
The Rolling Stone article confirms other guest stars on "Believe," including Drake, Kanye West, Timbaland and Diplo.
Related Story: "Justin Bieber Greeting Cards Now Available"
The first track off of "Believe" was the song "Boyfriend." Bieber has yet to release the video for the song, but on April 3 and April 9, he posted a second and third teaser. Watch them below:
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DBS on Monday announced a tie-up with Go-Jek, the Indonesian transportation and technology company. It looks to be a meeting of like minds.
Euromoney has written at length about both institutions. DBS is the bank that wants to be seen as, and valued as, a tech company; Go-Jek is the ride-hailing and food delivery company that wants to forge a second career as a payments company.
Both see the value in taking one entrenched skillset and applying it to another opportunity.
The tie-up is billed as a regional strategic partnership, and its first illustration will be the launch of Go-Jek’s ride-hailing app in Singapore in the next few weeks, with DBS closely involved.
At this early stage, it seems to involve DBS customers getting privileges for using the Go-Jek service, which is not, in itself, particularly groundbreaking – Citi does the same with Grab, Go-Jek’s main competitor in Indonesia – and more may follow.
Tan Su Shan, DBS
Tan Su Shan, DBS’s group head of consumer banking and wealth management, is set to speak about the partnership at the Singapore FinTech Festival this week.
Ahead of her presentation she has said, in released remarks, that DBS is committed to “making payments simple, seamless and invisible for our customers”, as it has tried to do in-house through its DBS PayLah! mobile wallet.
“In doing so, we are stepping up to partner with like-minded companies like Go-Jek, one of southeast Asia’s most iconic technology companies, to build inclusive digital ecosystems for our customers,” she adds.
In August, Euromoney spent a day with Go-Pay, the payments arm of Go-Jek, a business distinctive for its grassroots-level engagement, which includes elements of microfinance.
Go-Jek’s ambitions in payments have been made clear with three simultaneous acquisitions in the payments space, all of which are being integrated now; the intention is expected to be that wherever Go-Jek expands to – most recently Vietnam – its payments arm will follow.
Go-Pay was not mentioned in the DBS/Go-Jek announcement on Monday, and it’s not clear if the end-goal is for DBS to be the wallet for Go-Jek in Singapore, or to integrate with it, but it is not a surprise to see two groups with a common mindset partnering in this way.
About two hours after the DBS/Go-Jek announcement, DBS’s biggest Singaporean competitor, UOB, made an announcement of its own: that it was entering into a strategic alliance with Grab, the Singapore-based but Indonesia-dominated ride-hailing group that, like Go-Jek, has launched a free-standing financial-services arm for its payments business.
In this alliance, UOB will deliver financial services to Grab’s user-base in Asean, including Grab offering directly from its app a number of UOB’s payment solutions.
As part of this deal, UOB will become Grab’s preferred banking partner in Singapore, as well as being a strategic credit card partner for Grab in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Grab will use UOB’s cash-management services to allow consumers to top up their GrabPay wallets directly from their bank account.
It does not appear that this will affect Citi’s partnership with Grab, through which customers can use points from their Citi card loyalty programme to pay for taxis on Grab.
Again, there was a lot of talk of similar ways of thinking.
“Our alliance with Grab represents two like-minded companies harnessing our respective strengths to create value for consumers and to drive greater access to financial services in the region,” says Wee Ee Cheong, CEO of UOB, in a statement.
UOB has been trying to catch up with the recognition DBS has achieved for its digital endeavours.
In April, it launched a tie-up with China’s Pintec Technology Holdings to improve methods of assessing credit quality in southeast Asia; then in August it unveiled a new digital bank to be rolled out across five Asean markets, aiming for up to five million new customers.
It remains to be seen just how deeply entrenched these relationships prove to be, whether in Singapore or elsewhere in the region, but they do represent an acceptance by the big banks that it is far better to partner with upstart payments groups than to try to compete with them.
This is perhaps not a lesson that the leading Chinese banks learned when Ant Financial (through Alipay) and Tencent (through WeChat) revolutionized consumer payments there.
They are also interesting because of the footprints of the various institutions. UOB is a pure Asean play, strong across southeast Asia. DBS’s strengths outside of Singapore are more in Indonesia, India and Greater China, particularly Hong Kong.
However, both have impressed with their ability to test things out in Singapore and then roll them out in markets with bigger populations, but lower incomes.
Grab and Go-Jek, in turn, have excelled in high-population markets, principally Indonesia, and now want to replicate that penetration elsewhere – both geographically and in product.


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Samsung Electronics shares extend gains, hit fresh lifetime high
SEOUL (Reuters) - Shares in Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) rose 2.5 percent on Thursday to a new lifetime high of 1.419 million won, propelled by expectations that its mobile business will continue to lead strong profit growth.
The world's biggest smartphone maker with a market capitalisation of around $205 billion, had previously peaked at 1.418 million won per share in May and has climbed more than 30 percent since its recent low hit in early July.
(Reporting by Miyoung Kim; Editing by Matt Driskill)
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Microsoft in China
China has levied about $140 million in back taxes from Microsoft Corp in the first major case concerning cross-border tax evasion in the country, as regulators ramp up pressure on U.S. corporations doing business there. Full Article


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Don't trust TrueCrypt anymore. Take a look at a few of the options available to you.
It's like Johnny Cab without the guy! Google's ride is here, and it's a cute little car. Plus we talk about Samsung's Simband, what an Apple entry into the home-automation market might mean, and Facebook's latest attempt to cut back on the oversharing. With guests Jason Cross and Leah Yamshon.
A compromise of Apple's services is not to blame for the recent ransom lockouts via Find My iPhone, according to the company.
The desktop app allows Mac users to easily send files to be scanned with over 50 antivirus engines.
You might be able to soon tell Siri to open the garage door—assuming a new rumor is accurate, anyway.
A news report has said that the two companies are working towards a settlement
The deal will see the two work toward patent reform, they said
Beats is a popular maker of headphones and a new music streaming service


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Out Among the Stars, an album of 12 lost Johnny Cash recordings from the early Eighties, will be released by Columbia/Legacy on March 25th. To accompany the new album, the label has released a video for "She Used to Love Me a Lot," directed by John Hillcoat.
Out Among the Stars contains 12 previously unheard Cash recordings recorded between 1981 and 1984, including duets with wife June Carter Cash and Waylon Jennings. The tapes were discovered by archivists at Legacy and the country legend's son, John Carter Cash.
The new Less Than Jake “Sound the Alarm” artist watch is limited to 100 pieces and will be available for pre-order on Sunday, November 19 at 9AM Pacific Time at LessThanJake.com and VannenWatches.com for only $60. Expected ship date: December 8, 2017. As a bonus, select orders will be chosen at random to receive autographed packaging signed by the band. Good luck!


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COUTURE & PRET LIFESTYLE FASHION WEEK (A fashion runway & clothing trade cum reality show) will be televised on MTV and on OTT platforms and live streamed on UPLIVE App. Shooting for Couture & Pret Lifestyle Fashion Week, the biggest luxury televised fashion week to start in Goa.
Couture & Pret Lifestyle Fashion Week is a clothing trade show focused on showcasing top designers and talented models to a global audience of influential media retailers.
The shoot – According to the directors Vinayak Sharma and Monika Khera, this show is a fashion runway along with reality. There will be 3 episodes + 3 repeat episodes on the lines luxury lifestyle fashion week which will be telecasted on MTV alongside 18 episodes on OTT Platform. Our live streaming partner, UPLIVE will go live with our participants during shoot on their app, told co-producer, Vineet Sharma. “The show is dedicated to provide aspiring models a platform to showcase their talents and get an opportunity to set the ramps on fire. The event is going to give a new direction to the fashion industry.”, told Abhishek Khera, producer of the show.
According to Abhishek, “we have visited most of the metro cities for auditions, starting from New Delhi, Lucknow, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Pune etc. Talents from across the nation auditioned for the show.”
The show would be organised by the Magicdust Creations Pvt. Ltd. “CPLFW to be held by the end of August at Baris in Goa is a luxurious lifestyle show that will give dimensions to the fashion and lifestyle industry in India.”, told Akanksha Gupta, Project Head Of the show.
According to Akanksha, top names from fashion and lifestyle industry have come together for this show. LAKME ACADEMY joined hands with us for hairstyling and makeup on the other hand HYPE is our footwear partner.
The objective of the show is to highlight the creativity of designers on national television. Our purpose is to incorporate all stakeholders to showcase their products globally. This show is an opportunity for young talented models to be on national television, told Abhishek. This platform will also show the life story, collections and struggle in the fashion industry of each designer, he added. Couture & Pret Lifestyle Fashion Week in association with MTV
Couture & Pret Lifestyle Fashion Week will be a televised event. This event is a fashion runway along with reality. There will be 3 episodes + 3 repeat episodes on the lines luxury lifestyle fashion week which will be telecasted on MTV alongside 18 episodes on OTT Platform.


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Xiaomi 14 Pro Real-Life Photos Leak
Xiaomi’s highly anticipated new conference, scheduled for the evening of October 26, is set to unveil the annual flagship Xiaomi 14 series. While the standard edition of the Xiaomi 14 has been making waves with its announced appearance and some key specifications during the preheating days, the Xiaomi 14 Pro has been shrouded in secrecy, leaving many eager fans and tech enthusiasts impatient for more information.
In a recent post, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun added fuel to the excitement by saying, “Xiaomi 14 standard edition is impressive, but what about the Pro version? We will discuss it further at the conference.” This only intensified the curiosity surrounding the Xiaomi 14 Pro.
However, the veil of mystery surrounding the Xiaomi 14 Pro was partially lifted when a Weibo blogger shared real-life photos of the device, offering intriguing insights into its design. Notably, the Xiaomi 14 Pro real-life photos unveil a distinct front design when compared to the standard version, as well as its predecessor, the Xiaomi 13 Pro.
One of the striking changes is the significantly narrowed bottom chin, which now seamlessly merges with the bezel, giving the device a sleek and modern appearance. The display also exhibits a slight elevation from the middle frame, with a subtle curvature that adds to its aesthetic appeal. The front camera is centered at the top of the display, ensuring a balanced and pleasing design.
On the back panel, the camera housing of the Xiaomi 14 Pro takes up more space compared to the Xiaomi 14, and the housing bump is visibly larger. This hints at significant improvements and stacking in the camera department, which will likely be a key focus during the conference.
Additionally, the Xiaomi 14 Pro boasts top and bottom dual speakers, promising enhanced audio quality for an immersive multimedia experience. The bottom of the device features a USB Type-C interface and a SIM card tray, emphasizing the device’s connectivity options.
With these Xiaomi 14 Pro real-life photos and insights, the anticipation for the launch has grown even stronger. The official conference on October 26 promises to shed more light on this flagship smartphone, including its full specifications and features. Xiaomi enthusiasts and tech enthusiasts alike are counting down the hours to discover what surprises Xiaomi has in store for its Pro variant of the Xiaomi 14 series.


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2017 was an impressive year of growth for cryptocurrencies and later in the year speculators joined the feeding frenzy and pumped the hell out of nearly every altcoin on CoinMarketCap’s top 100. Q1 and Q2 of 2018 has shown investors that a repeat of last years bull run is unlikely and the general consensus is that 2018 will be the year where groups that had an ICO last year now need to show proof of application, practicality and use in order to see their tokens appreciate in value.
Keeping this in mind, Civic has decided that Consensus 2018 is the perfect place to demonstrate the usability of blockchain and plans to debut the world’s first crypto beer vending machine later this week. Civic’s co-founder Vinny Lingham mentioned that the debut is more than just a stunt, it a genuine attempt to display the value of blockchain in a real world situation. The machine which was built in collaboration with brewing giant Anheuser-Busch is able to verify whether or not the user is of legal age for purchasing an alcoholic beverage.
While Civic does not plan to produce production models of these machines, they are looking to the future by identifying a broad range of situations where identify verifying devices could utilize Civic’s blockchain identity verification technology. Just last June during their ICO, Civic raised $33 million through the sale of its CVC token and currently their market value is over $100 million according to CoinMarketCap.
Civic foresees a future where their protocol is used by banks and other brokers to safely store customer identity and other valuable data in order to verify user identity and provide a range of age restricted services. Machines in need of customer verification data would request this information and pay via Civic token then once validated the purchaser would receive the product.
Fortunately, CVC tokens will not be used in the machine at Consensus and the 600 beers available will distributed will be free of cost.


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After incidents of smartphones overheating and smoking onboard, airlines are taking actions to prepare for any future incidents.
In early September, foreign airlines began banning the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, after multiple reports of the phone’s battery overheating and exploding. Shortly after, FAA made an official statement regarding the device, urging passengers not to use, charge, or even turn them on in-flight. US airlines soon issued a systemwide ban.
Samsung later officially recalled the device, and offered replacements to customers. However, earlier this month, a replacement Galaxy Note 7 caught fire on a Southwest flight. Within the same week, 5 other replacement phones “exploded” in the US alone. This prompted Samsung to halt productions of the device, and later issuing a recall and refund.
According to the Associated Press, Alaska Airlines began deploying fire containment bags as early as May. All 219 Alaska aircrafts are now equipped with the bags, which can help prevent a disaster if a battery does begin to emit smoke in-flight. The bags are bright red, and are designed to hold devices as big as a laptop. If a battery overheats and catches fire, the bags can be sealed shut with Velcro and zippers. Additionally, a ceramic felt that lines the bags can withstand temperatures up to 3,200 °F. One company sells these bags for over $1,800 each:
Virgin America has also equipped their fleet of about 60 planes with these fire containment bags.
Delta, during their Earnings Call this morning, said that they too will be stocking fire containment bags for overheating smartphones. According to a transcript, Gil West, COO of Delta, said during the call:
…what we’ve done is of course really the target training with our flight crews along with equipment. There are some other modifications that we’re adding with containment bags as an example, that with any device that did experience a lithium battery fire you can put it in a containment bag that would certainly contain any possible scenario.
Delta said that they had been planning to add these new equipment, but that their plans were prioritized in light of recent events. Other airlines, including American, JetBlue, Southwest, and United, said that they don’t have plans to equip aircrafts with these bags. However, their crews are trained on how to deal with such events.
By and large, smartphones catching fires in flight are extremely rare. However, one small fire on a plane could potentially lead to a catastrophic event. I won’t be selecting carriers based on whether they use fire containment bags, but kudos to all the airlines that are preparing!
The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.


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CHECK IT OUT
The Cookson Hills Center, United Methodist Mission Farmers’ Market is held from 8 a.m. to noon each Wednesday, at the center at 323087 State Highway 82.
WHAT YOU SAID
The Daily Press polled its online readers, asking how often they shop at farmers’ markets in either Tahlequah or Cookson. Of 75 respondents, 39 percent, or 29 voters, indicated they’ve never shopped at either market. Twenty percent, or 15 respondents, said they shop at the markets several times each season. Fifteen percent, or 11 respondents, said they shop at the markets a few times each season. Thirteen percent, or 10 voters, said they shop at the markets almost every day it’s in session during the season. Another 13 percent, or 10 voters, said they shop the markets maybe once per season.


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Danger Close, the team who made the the recent Medal of Honor reboot, has confirmed that its currently working on a sequel.
The news was confirmed via a news blog by Executive Producer Greg Goodrich.
He said: “Yes, Danger Close is currently working on the next Medal of Honor” and that the latest game has sold over 5 million copies worldwide.
He also mentioned: “Since our launch last October, we’ve studied, listened and absorbed much of your feedback and are very excited to be marching forward on the next title.”
Although the Medal of Honor reboot was unable to beat Call of Duty in terms of overall sales, the game managed to exceed expectations to warrant a sequel. It’s good to know that Danger Close will be listening to all the feedback so it will hopefully release a sequel that will eclipse the original in every way.
No other details about the game were shared at this stage.


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Georgia is considered one of the top states in the country for logistics, thanks in no small part to the Savannah-based Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics. Directly assisting companies to overcome challenges and capitalize on opportunities related to the movement of freight, the Center provides focused expertise, specific industry data, connections to state resources, and an extensive cross-sector industry network.
This week, the center announced that two staff members have received new professional certifications that further add to the level of logistics expertise available.
Associate director Sandy Lake and industry coordinator Ben Harris have both earned the highly respected Certified Supply Chain Professional designation from the Association for Operations Management. This certification is the most widely recognized educational program for supply chain management professionals around the globe.
To qualify for the CSCP designation, a candidate must first be approved by the Association for Operations Management, then complete a lengthy and rigorous course of study, followed by a comprehensive written examination.
These certifications are complemented by the center’s executive director Page Siplon, who was named a Logistics Rainmaker by “DC Velocity” magazine in 2012, one of Georgia’s Top 100 Most Influential Leaders for 2013 by “Georgia Trend” magazine and who was recently appointed vice-chairman of the U.S. Department of Commerce Supply Chain Competitiveness Council.
These accomplishments strengthen the center’s current proficiency in supply chain management and logistics operations. Consultation with existing private industry and working alongside the state’s many economic development partners and project managers to attract new companies to the state will all benefit from these certifications.
“Logistics is increasingly dynamic and complex,” Siplon said. “That’s why our center strives every day to keep up with industry changes and keep our finger on the pulse of where opportunities may be for companies to compete and grow. Sandy and Ben make this happen. I’m proud of their accomplishments because I know how important it will be to the businesses we serve all over Georgia.”
To learn more about the center, go to www.georgialogistics.com


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Elephant in the room: a coffee picker is the least likely of all workers in the coffee chain to get paid a fair wage. In Hawaii, a field hand’s wages are enforced by the United States Department of Labor. KITV reports:
A Kona coffee grower has paid more than $46,000 in fines and back wages to Mexican workers after a dispute about how the coffee pickers should be paid.
The workers are legal immigrant workers from MichoacDan, Mexico brought to the United States under the H-2A visa program for temporary agricultural workers.
Investigators found that Kona Coffee Grounds tried to get workers to forfeit their rights to certain pay and hours under the visa program and was fined $21,000. In addition, the company has paid more than $25,000 in back wages to the 24 workers.
Wally Dahlen of Kona Coffee Grounds said the company interpreted the laws about how the workers should be paid differently than the labor department.