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Piper appoints Investment Manager
Piper, a specialist investor in consumer brands, has promoted Flora McAlpine to Investment Manager.
McAlpine joined Piper in September 2018 as Investment Executive and supports the deal team on origination, evaluation and execution of new investments in the consumer branded space – including recent Piper investments in Mindful Chef and Mous.
Prior to Piper, McAlpine worked for seven years in the consumer sector investing in early stage consumer brands and providing buy and sell-side commercial due diligence services on mid-market transactions. She came from strategy consultancy Parthenon-EY where she advised on the acquisition of companies such as Riviera Travel and 3V Natural Foods Group. She previously worked as an analyst at Oakley Capital focusing on investments in early stage UK retail and leisure brands.
Chris Curry, Managing Partner at Piper, says: ‘We have been greatly impressed by Flora’s contribution since she joined the team and are pleased to promote her to this new role. We look forward to her continued involvement as we actively seek to invest in exciting new brands for the future.’


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There are plenty of reputable breeders out there, but for every AKC-certified seller of puppies and dogs, there are also puppy-mill scammers. This week, the Better Business Bureau released a report about the increasing prevalence of the problem.
“Fraud in the sale of online pets is on the rise, with scammers victimizing American consumers at an alarming rate,” states the report. “In recent years, Americans have filed tens of thousands of complaints with law enforcement, consumer organizations and online websites. And while the ages of the victims run the gamut, from the very young to senior citizens, studies have shown that an unusually high number of those targeted in the schemes are in their late teens or 20s.”
The report continues: “The scheme is usually dependent on bogus, often sophisticated, advertisements to hook unsuspecting consumers. Incredibly, experts believe at least 80% of the sponsored advertising links that appear in an internet search for pets may be fraudulent. In fact, it can be difficult to navigate an online search for a pet without coming across a bogus website.”
According to The Washington Post, while the bureau’s ScamTracker website received more than 1,000 complaints about “faux puppy enterprises,” a 2015 Federal Trade Commission internal report that found that a majority of 37,000 pet-related complaints involved fraudulent sales.
“I knew this was a problem, but it’s worse than I thought,” said Steve Baker, a Better Business Bureau international investigations specialist who wrote the report. “This has just saturated the Internet.”
Experts pinpoint the problem because of two factors: an increasing pet population and the increase of online shopping.

domain: news


text: At the latest mid December because it supposed to release on late November since it got delayed because of battery drain issue. From South Korea samsung said they going to start continuing s10 series rollout next week which its happened a week or 2 ago. Also, for the s10 series unlocked might able to get beta update sooner then the s10 locked with carriers because the carriers need to have the phone optimized with their own service otherwise it will be just like unlocked. Expecting the full version to release on January or early February. At the worst scenario is the full version get release on the unpacking event from Samsung like Apple they didn't release their full update until the date of the new iPhone got announced.


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Large companies would be required for the first time to make their worker injury and illness records public under a new rule that a Labor Department agency is set to propose Thursday, according to people familiar with the matter.
The new proposal, which would affect companies with more than 250 employees, would vastly change current workplace-safety reporting practices. It would require companies to file electronic-injury and illness reports that would be available to the general public, as well as to researchers, company employees, other companies and public officials, people familiar with the matter said.
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6 out of 10 jewelers reported sales down 25 percent or more.
Top-Selling Jewelry Brands in November Pandora (15), Hearts On Fire (5), Rolex (5), Royal Chain (5), Citizen (4), Gems One (4), Vera Bradley (3), Berco (3),...
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While state government, fishing and timber remain in the doldrums, the visitor industry grows ever more important to the economy of Southeast Alaska, a consultant told the Southeast Conference’s annual meeting in Sitka last month.
“The visitor industry has provided a critical counter-balance to a capricious economy,” notes “Southeast by the Numbers 2019,” an economic survey of the region prepared by Rain Coast Data for the Southeast Conference.
“In just seven years, the tourism sector added more than 2,000 annualized jobs to Southeast communities, increasing wages by $85 million. During the summer of 2020, 1.44 million visitors are projected to spend nearly $800 million during their Southeast Alaska holidays.”
Rain Coast Data Director Meilani Schijvens presented the survey findings during the opening day of the annual conference. The visitor industry, driven by the cruise sector, may become the region’s largest economic sector by next year, she said. Tourism is already the region’s largest private employer, accounting for one out of five jobs, and Schijvens predicts it will become the largest wage generator by 2020.
The biggest growth in cruise visitation is expected at Icy Strait Point near Hoonah, which anticipates a 114% rise from 2018 to 2020, for a total of 404,033 visitors in 2020, driven by the addition of a second cruise dock. Norwegian Cruise Line is partnering with a subsidiary of Huna Totem Corporation to build the new 500-foot floating dock about one-half mile north of the existing Icy Strait Point dock.
Statewide, the number of cruise visitors is expected to grow 23% since 2018, she said.
“In 2019, 40 cruise ships are scheduled to visit the region, carrying 1.36 million passengers on 577 voyages. In 2020, ten new ships and 29 additional port calls are expected to be added, while seven ships will be phased out of the region. Lines with new ships will include Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Oceania. Lines that plan to reduce their Alaska fleet include Holland America, Crystal and Azamara, which has no ships scheduled to visit Alaska in 2020,” the study said.
“The visitor industry has the strongest outlook of all Southeast Alaska industries,” the study said. “Alaska’s popularity as a visitor destination has continued to grow. … More Americans are traveling due to a strong national economy, and international travel destinations are increasingly perceived to have security risks. Cruise passengers are expected to continue to rise as larger, higher-capacity vessels hit the region.”
One-third of all visitor spending in Alaska occurs in Southeast, she said.
A copy of the report can be downloaded here.


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- Series A
Cheddar is a new video news network focused on covering the most innovative products, technologies, and services transforming our lives. The network will cover this news through the lens of the companies and executives driving these changes.
Live and on demand from its broadcast locations on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ Marketsite, and the field, Cheddar will exclusively cover companies in technology (i.e. Google, Apple, Uber, Airbnb), media ( i.e. Netflix, Disney, Hulu), and innovative consumer products (Lululemon, Chipotle, Tesla).
Cheddar is post-cable TV network using modern cloud-based infrastructure to shoot, live switch, and stream the network. It will delivered over the top (OTT) on phones and connected televisions through distribution partnerships under active negotiation. Cheddar is for people in their 20s and 30s, who don’t have cable TV and don’t want cable TV. Cheddar will be ad free but utilize innovative product placements in fashion, food, and technology.


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Purportedly the nation’s largest beauty retailer, Ulta Beauty will open its new location in the shopping center at 8350 Leesburg Pike in the spring of 2022. Over 25,000 products from more than 600 brands will be available for purchase in the new 10,000 square-foot space, according to a press release.
The company sells cosmetics, fragrances, skin care and hair products, and other beauty-related items.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ulta Beauty to Pike 7 providing the Tysons community and surrounding neighborhoods with an unparalleled and comprehensive beauty experience in one convenient location,” Federal Realty Vice President of Asset Management Deirdre Johnson said. “Ulta has revolutionized the beauty experience by inspiring confidence and encouraging inclusivity with self-care options for everyone.”
Ulta Beauty will replace the old Performance Bicycle Shop, two doors down from Staples.
This will be Ulta Beauty’s fourth Fairfax County location. According to its website, the Illinois-headquartered company currently has stores in Fair City Mall, Fair Lakes, and Bailey’s Crossroads.
Federal Realty recently submitted a rezoning application to Fairfax County seeking to build a drive-through restaurant in the Pike 7 Plaza parking lot. The proposal is still under review by the county’s planning and development department.
County Library Launches Book Selection Service — “Beginning today, all of our branches are offering a new service called Library to Go. Not sure what to read? Simply fill out…
(Updated at 7:30 p.m.) The Capital One Center development in Tysons is ramping up with lodging and dining. The Watermark Hotel, featuring 300 luxury rooms, will open tomorrow (Tuesday), and…
More than four-fifths of adults in the Fairfax Health District have gotten at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, a hard-won milestone achieved after a summer of slowing demand…
This week’s Neighborhood Spotlight highlights two Vienna small businesses, Tangible Designs and DC College Counseling.


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Bitcoin’s biggest investors appear to be upping their positions as the price recovers.
Cryptocurrency accounts holding roughly $50 million or more worth of bitcoin have steadily increased their buying since the end of June, according to new data from blockchain firm Chainalysis. That bullishness continued into late August as prices rebounded above $50,000.
“The bitcoin accumulated by recent large investors is related to the medium-term change in bitcoin price,” Philip Gradwell, chief economist at Chainalysis, told CNBC.
Bitcoin “whale” activity has been linked to price action this year. Those larger investors were a “driving force” in the market until late February, Gradwell said. As big investors acquire more digital assets, prices typically rise over 28 days. When they sell, prices fall, Chainalysis found.
Whale activity has fluctuated with the digital asset’s volatility. While


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NEXT Biometrics, Innolux to mass produce flexible fingerprint sensors
NEXT Biometrics has launched operations of the world’s first volume production line to mass produce production-ready flexible fingerprint sensors with its production partner Innolux in Taiwan.
With this latest development, NEXT Biometrics reaches the milestone capability it previously forecast to achieve during the first half of 2017.
NEXT said the company has worked extensively with production partner Innolux through 2016 and 2017 to achieve the target.
“We are not aware of any other fingerprint supplier able to mass produce flexible sensors,” NEXT CEO Ritu Favre said. “This is not a trivial achievement. We have converted a truly innovative idea from the prototype level to the volume mass production level, and achieved this in a field where others have yet to succeed. The smart card market represents endless opportunities and with a mass production line in place, we look forward to extend our discussions and negotiations with potential clients.”
The tools funded by NEXT for the production process have been installed and operate according to specifications.
Additionally, Innolux has qualified the materials and NEXT is partnering with customers on smart card projects.
Chin-Lung Ting, Taiwan executive vice president and head of technology development center at Innolux, discussed the new mass production line at a presentation for shareholders at Innolux.
“Thermal sensing technology from NEXT is now successfully applied on flexible panel with satisfactory quality. Innolux was impressed by the active thermal fingerprint sensing technology of NEXT Biometrics with its large screen area, high accuracy and compatibility with both hard glass and flexible panel,” Ting said. “It is the best solution to the information security concern of the smart card market. G3.5 fab at Jhunan will be extended for the mass production of flexible panels. NEXT’s flexible panels will become the cash cow of Innolux.”
Innolux and NEXT Biometrics co-invest in technology and capacity development to increase the integration of fingerprint sensors into credit cards, electronic payments, mobile phones, and notebook computers to provide effective global information security.
Previously reported, NEXT Biometrics shipped its two millionth fingerprint sensor in April, proving its ability to consistently mass produce fingerprint sensors with industry normal yield figures.


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Air India’s latest collaboration with acclaimed fashion designer Manish Malhotra marks a significant milestone in the airline’s ongoing modernization efforts. As a blend of tradition and contemporary style, the redesigned uniforms for cabin and cockpit crew, as well as ground and security staff, are symbolic of a renewed brand ethos aiming for global resonance. Malhotra, known for his innovative and elegant designs, is entrusted with the task of infusing fresh energy and a modern aesthetic while respecting the airline’s rich heritage.
Set for a 2023 unveiling, the new attire is not just a wardrobe transformation but a visual articulation of Air India’s aspiration to contemporize and elevate the flying experience for passengers. Every stitch and fabric selection is a narrative of an airline that is reimagining itself, aligning its visual identity with enhanced service quality, and global standards. In essence, this partnership epitomizes a journey where tradition and innovation converge, crafting a visual and experiential language that resonates with the diverse, dynamic, and global audience Air India serves. This transformation goes beyond the fabric – it’s a statement of evolution, signaling Air India’s readiness to embrace a future defined by excellence, innovation, and global appeal.
Campbell Wilson’s enthusiasm about Air India’s collaboration with iconic fashion designer Manish Malhotra underscores a strategic alliance geared towards redefining the airline’s global aesthetic identity. The partnership epitomizes a synthesis where Air India’s rich heritage and Malhotra’s innovative design prowess converge, painting a narrative of an airline that’s both deeply rooted and forward-looking.
For Wilson, this isn’t just a cosmetic makeover. It’s an intricate tapestry weaving the airline’s storied legacy, the vibrant nuances of Indian culture, and the pragmatic demands of modern aviation into a unified sartorial expression. Each attire isn’t merely a uniform but a storytelling canvas, echoing the airline’s journey, aspirations, and dynamic mosaic of India’s cultural landscape.
The anticipated unveiling promises more than a refreshed wardrobe for the airline’s staff. It’s a visual declaration of a reinvigorated Air India, poised to fuse its foundational strengths with a rejuvenated, global, and contemporary ethos. Every thread spun and pattern crafted echoes a narrative of transformation – a reaffirmation of Air India’s commitment to encapsulating India’s evolving identity while soaring on the global stage with renewed vigor and elegance.
Renowned fashion designer Manish Malhotra’s partnership with Air India isn’t just a professional collaboration but a cherished alliance, steeped in mutual respect and shared vision. Malhotra, a frequent flier and supporter of the national carrier sees this opportunity as more than a design endeavor – it’s a homage to an entity intertwined with India’s aviation history.
The design maestro’s approach is nuanced; it’s about crafting a narrative where the rich tapestry of Air India’s legacy finds expression in every fold and seam. Malhotra is not just redesigning uniforms but is weaving a story of an airline that is as rich in history as it is poised for future skies. Each design encapsulates an ideology of evolving yet remembering, a symbiosis of the old and the new.
For Malhotra and Air India, this collaboration underscores a journey of reimagined elegance where attire isn’t just about aesthetics but a representation of an airline that’s grounded in its roots yet soaring towards modern horizons. It’s a testament to a future where the charm of the old and the innovation of the new coalesce seamlessly, offering passengers a glimpse of an Air India that is as authentic as it is contemporary, as rooted as it is global.
Manish Malhotra’s hands-on approach to redesigning Air India’s uniforms underscores a commitment to creating attire that’s as functional as it is aesthetic. Engaging directly with the airline’s frontline staff, Malhotra and his team are diving deep into the practical and specialised needs that define the daily lives of those who adorn these uniforms. Each discussion and fitting session is a step towards crafting attire that respects the rigors and nuances of aviation, while encapsulating the elegance of design.
This isn’t just about creating uniforms; it’s about crafting a lived experience. Each piece is envisioned to be a harmonious blend of India’s rich cultural tapestry and the futuristic aspirations of its national carrier. For Malhotra, the ethos is clear – attire that is a silent witness to the journeys, stories, and milestones of Air India’s crew, echoing the resilience, grace, and spirit of those who are the face of the airline.
In this meticulous process, every feedback is a stitch in a larger narrative – one of an airline that’s not just seen but felt, not just experienced but lived. It’s a testament to an Air India that’s stepping into a future where tradition, comfort, and modernity coalesce, painting a global picture that’s as Indian as it is universal, as historic as it is forward-looking.


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NEW YORK (AP) - Microsoft has joined the negotiations to buy struggling computer maker Dell, according to media reports.
LONDON (AP) - Hopes that U.S. politicians will be able to reach a deal on raising the government's debt limit, avoiding the risk of a disastrous default, supported global markets on Monday, when Wall Street will remain closed for a holiday.
NEW YORK (AP) - Video game maker Atari's U.S. operations have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in an effort to separate from their French parent company, which is filing a similar motion separately in France.
MCDONALD'S SETTLES MICH. SUIT OVER ISLAMIC DIET: DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) - McDonald's and one of its franchise owners agreed to pay $700,000 to members of the Muslim community to settle allegations a Detroit-area restaurant falsely advertised its food as being prepared according to Islamic dietary law.
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) - Public trust in business, government and media leaders has fallen in the wake of financial and political scandals, according to a new global survey.
TOKYO (AP) - Japanese and U.S. investigators began a probe Monday into the maker of the lithium ion batteries used in Boeing's grounded 787 jets.
If I had the space, I probably could write a column called "The One Thousand Most Common Misconceptions About Social Security." I see examples of them almost every day in the emails I get from my readers. Alas, I'll barely have room to cover the top ten. This week, I'll stick to the program side of Social Security. Next week, I'll go over some of the most common policy and political misunderstandings.
HAMILTON, Ohio (AP) - Charmin is providing some toilet paper relief on behalf of one of Ohio's newest million-dollar lottery winners.
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) - A federal judge on Friday barred the IRS from imposing a series of new regulations, including a competency exam, on hundreds of thousands of tax preparers.
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Carpooling, higher fuel economy, hybrids and electric cars may be good for the environment, but they're bad for government transportation funding, which relies on gasoline and diesel taxes to help pay for the building and upkeep of roads and bridges.
NEW YORK (AP) - A new study shows that funding for business startups declined in 2012, the first time that's happened in three years, as venture capitalists spent less money on fewer deals.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Allergic to gluten? What about peanuts? Federal disabilities law may be able to help.
'Django Unchained' figures discontinued
WASHINGTON (AP) - Most Americans think jarring economic problems will erupt if lawmakers fail to increase the government's borrowing limit. Yet they're torn over how or even whether to raise it, leaning toward Republican demands that any boost be accompanied by spending cuts.
WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. builders started work on homes in December at the fastest pace in 4 ½ years and finished 2012 as their best year for residential construction since the early stages of the housing crisis.
CUPERTINO (AP) - The iPhone again proved to be the engine behind Apple's blockbuster financial performance, driving quarterly results well past expectations.
NEW YORK (AP) - Cord cutters rejoiced last week after HBO and CBS announced plans to sell stand-alone streaming services, a move that cable and satellite television providers have resisted for years. Customers tired of paying big fees for hundreds of channels they never watch just to have access to a few favorite shows might be expected to start cancelling cable service in droves. Get Netflix, throw in HBO, add a network here and there - why would anyone sign up now for cable?
CUPERTINO (AP) - Apple unveiled a thinner iPad Thursday with a faster processor and a better camera as it tries to drive excitement for tablets amid slowing demand. The company also released an update to its Mac operating system and introduced a high-resolution iMac model that might appeal to heavy watchers of television over the Internet.
MOUNTAIN VIEW (AP) - Google's third-quarter earnings slipped as the Internet search leader hired nearly 3,000 more employees while pouring more money into its zest for innovation and quest for new markets.
CUPERTINO (AP) - Apple showed off thinner iPads and a new iMac with a high-resolution display on Thursday. Sleek and stunning, yes, but not likely to spark the next iRevolution. The tech giant's bigger strategic bet is that mobile pay service Apple Pay, debuting Monday, will be the next thing you didn't know you needed - but now can't live without.
MESA, Ariz. (AP) - A manufacturer of sapphire glass that Apple Inc. uses in iPhones plans to eliminate 727 jobs at an Arizona plant.
MOUNTAIN VIEW (AP) - Google is coming out with bigger, more expensive versions of its Nexus phone and tablet to attract more of the affluent consumers who faithfully buy each new generation of Apple's iPhone and iPad. It's also releasing a new streaming video and music device, Nexus Player, to compete with Apple TV and Roku, among others.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - This is a sequel that Netflix shareholders never wanted to see: The world's largest Internet video service has once again turned off potential viewers with a price increase that is punishing the company's stock price.
NEW YORK (AP) - Next year HBO is cutting the cord and selling its popular streaming video service HBO Go as a stand-alone product, as more Americans choose to watch the Web, not the TV. Viewers longing to see "Game of Thrones", "True Detective" and "Veep" will no longer have to pay big bucks for cable and satellite contracts. So, is this the end of pay-TV as we know it?
NEW YORK (AP) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. cut its revenue outlook for its current fiscal year as it announced it is scaling back its expansion plans for its supercenters next year and stepping up investments in its online operations.
PALO ALTO (AP) - PC maker Hewlett-Packard said Wednesday it is resuming buybacks and reaffirmed its guidance for 2014 and 2015.
PARIS (AP) - Did someone spot you money for lunch two weeks ago? In France, Twitter users can now publicly repay debts, donate to charity or chip in for a gift with a new payment service backed by the country's second-largest banking service.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Teeth-bleaching isn't brain surgery, although the Supreme Court seemed to find a link between the two in an antitrust case argued Tuesday.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - In a quick about-face, the National School Boards Association is cutting ties with the nation's second-biggest cigarette maker, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
NEW YORK (AP) - Macy's Inc. is opening its stores at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, two hours earlier than last year, to lure holiday shoppers.


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Treasure Island’s temporary 10-percent discount was a success although it wasn’t advertised enough, according to interviewed students. The grocery story offered the discount during the months of September and October to students who brought in the flyer and a UCID.
Student Government (SG) representatives worked with the store as a part of their discount program that allows students 10 to 15 percent off their purchases at local restaurants, the list of which is posted on their website. They arranged the discount to run for only two months, an outlier since the restaurant discounts all run year-round.
Treasure Island employee Rosalee Fields says the short span of the discount was meant as a test. “This was a trial period,” she said, “to see how the students respond.”
To bring attention to the new discount, Treasure Island set out flyers in stores and Student Government President Tyler Kissinger posted a PSA on Facebook and the Student Government website announcing the discount on September 31. Students needed to print the flyer posted on the website and present it with their UCIDs at the register to receive the 10 percent off their entire purchase.
There was a disconnect between the efforts to publicize the discount and the access of the student population to those efforts. According to students who didn’t see Kissinger’s post or didn’t spot the flyers in the store, the new discount wasn’t easy to find. Many students claim not to have heard of the discount before a post was made on Facebook in late October, just before the discount was due to expire.
Zev Chonoles, a graduate student who took advantage of the discount, was surprised by its initial lack of publicity: “I'd certainly never heard of [the discount] from any friends, from any UChicago announcement (SG or otherwise), or from any Treasure Island announcement.”
Once it gained popularity, the discount was usually met with enthusiasm despite the initial hang-ups. According to several students, sometimes the printed cards were too small to scan, new cashiers hadn’t been informed of the discount, and the confusion held lines for up to 10 minutes.
Many transactions, however, were successful. Treasure Island employees Rosalee Fields and Debra Boykin never had problems with the discount, and commented on its the success.
“Everybody loved it. We put out more than 1,500 flyers, and they were all gone by the end,” Fields said.
“It was really great to do for the students— they were just getting back into school,” Boykin added.
The response of the student population to the two-month trial period has been positive.
Student Government President Tyler Kissinger recognized the positive response and spoke about Student Government’s future plans: “Ultimately it’s [Treasure Island’s] decision, but we plan on exploring with them how successful the program was with the hope that they would extend [the discount]—we’ll certainly urge them to.” Once it gained momentum, the Treasure Island discount became popular among students, and its success didn’t go unnoticed by other grocery-goers.
Fields recounted about the success, “We even had a few older customers who saw the students using their IDs asking about why there was no [counterpart] for the elderly.”


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Navistar International plans to close its Melrose Park, Ill., operation and sell the location to a developer. The engine and truck builder will reassign half the workforce there (reported to be 250 employees) as a result, -- meaning 250 workers will be laid off as a result of the sale.
The value of the sale was not announced, but Navistar noted the unnamed developer has a plan to redevelop the property. The sale and closure will cost Navistar approximately $85 million it said, including approximately $40 million in cash.
"Given changes at Navistar and in the industry, it no longer makes sense to maintain a facility of that size," stated Phil Christman, president of operations for Navistar. "Further investment in the Melrose Park property would divert substantial resources away from investments in new technologies and products."
The Melrose Park plant ceased building Navistar N-Series engines in 2018, and the manufacturer laid off 170 workers at that time. The plant has continued to function as an engine testing and technical center.
Last August, Navistar extended a supply agreement with Cummins Inc. through 2026 for medium-duty and heavy-duty big bore engines, to be installed in International Trucks and IC Buses in the U.S. and Canada.
Most notable, Navistar has accepted a $3.7-billion takeover bid by Volkswagen AG’s commercial-truck subsidiary, Traton.


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Indian smartphone manufacturer Xolo today launched a new entry-level smartphone under its One series dubbed as Xolo One HD.
Xolo One HD is priced at Rs. 4,777 (Approx $72 USD) and is available exclusively on Amazon India while the registrations of the smartphone start in 3 days.
Xolo One HD specification include 5-inch 720p HD IPS display and comes equipped with the 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6580M quad-core processor with Mali 400MP2 GPU and 1GB of RAM.
Xolo One HD is a dual sim dual standby smartphone and runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop out of the box. Xolo One HD smartphone sports an 8MP primary camera with LED flash and OmniVision BSI-2 sensor, at front it comes with a 5MP camera with LED flash, 84-degree wide angle to capture perfect selfie images.
The device includes basic connectivity options like 2G/3G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS/A-GPS and a microUSB port. The smartphone is powered by 2,300mAh battery that can easily last for an entire day on single charge.
The dimensions of the device measure 143 x 72.6 x 9.5 mm and will be available in Black and White color variants.
Xolo on last week had launched a new variant of its Black smartphone with 3GB of RAM for priced at Rs. 11,999 (Approx $182 USD). However, the original Xolo Black launched back in July came with just 2GB of RAM.
The all-new 3GB LPDDR3 RAM variant of the Xolo Black went up for registrations exclusively via Snapdeal and will be available in a flash sale model starting Tuesday. Apart from the 3GB of RAM, there has been no change in the innards of the new Xolo Black variant.


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On Friday, former President Donald Trump, fresh from his preemptive resignation from SAG-AFTRA, did an end run on a campaign to oust him from the Manischewitz Frequent Buyers Circle by sending a letter of withdrawal — a bold move, given that his punch card was one purchase away from a free box of matzo.
The kosher goods company also threw in a list of its Top 10 tips to help “jump-start” his education on Jewish culture and values.
Why let the delicious food you prepped for the Seder go to waste? Here are umpteen things to do with your Passover leftovers, sure to last all 8 days.
When the Manischewitz company realized that even they had no uniform “Hanukkah” spelling for their products.
‘During these challenging times, it’s important for all of us to take a stand against intolerance,’ David Sugarman said.
— The Manischewitz Co. said it will close its plant in Newark, New Jersey, cutting the jobs of 169 workers. The kosher food manufacturer’…
More than 300 new Passover items have hit supermarket shelves this year, rendering our writing duo utterly overwhelmed.
The thought of gefilte fish, chopped liver, concord wine and matzo may make you want to hurl. We’ve got the recipes that will convert you from a hater to a lover.
When it comes to kosher products, no one is bigger than Manischewitz. That’s why a rabbi’s lawsuit claiming that the Orthodox Union softened its…
Manischewitz wine, which is often mocked among Jews for its overly sweet taste, has found a new bunch of fans — Asian Americans.


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A Bitcoin and Dollar note are seen in this illustration picture taken September 27, 2017. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
NEW YORK, April 14 (Reuters) – When accountant Zach Gordon gets calls from clients about how to handle cryptocurrency on their taxes, there is a common theme.
“They have absolutely no idea,” says Gordon, a principal with Grassi Advisors & Accountants in Westchester, New York.
It is not entirely their fault. The whole arena of cryptocurrencies like bitcoin is so novel and fast-growing that even the Internal Revenue Service itself has long been playing catch-up about how exactly to treat it on U.S. tax returns.
That being said, the guidance is becoming clearer, just as cryptocurrency adoption is growing. According to the Pew Research Center, 16% of U.S. adults now say they have invested in, traded or otherwise used cryptocurrencies.
“For years people almost thought of this as play money, and haven’t been so diligent about reporting it,” says Kelly Phillips Erb, a tax attorney and publisher of the site Taxgirl.com. “The IRS is super-serious about it now.”
Indeed, you might notice a mandatory little question on your 1040 tax form: “At any time during 2021 did you receive, sell, exchange, or otherwise dispose of any financial interest in any virtual currency?”
The basic framework is to think of crypto like a stock holding. If you have held it long term, meaning over a year, profits from any sale are subject to capital gains tax. That means a tax rate of 0%, 15% or 20%, depending on your income level.
If you have not sold crypto, there is no taxable event. But with short-term holdings of less than a year, gains from a sale are treated differently — as ordinary income, with the rate determined according to your tax bracket.
If you have been buying and selling crypto through major exchanges, such as Coinbase or Robinhood, then you should be getting annual statements that will make reporting straightforward. Otherwise, be diligent about record-keeping on your own.
Where things can get trickier is that more people are receiving crypto as salary or payment for services, in which case it is treated as ordinary income, based on the value that particular day.
In a similar way, if you have used crypto to pay for goods or services, that is considered a taxable transaction, if the currency value has risen since you originally acquired it.
TurboTax has a helpful interactivecalculator to figure out your potential tax hit.
A few issues to keep in mind, as we close in on the April 18 filing deadline:
DO YOUR HOMEWORK
One way to move crypto around without incurring taxes is to give it away. For an individual, you can give up to $15,000 a year. For charitable organizations, you can use sites like GiveCrypto.org to donate directly to those in need and get a tax deduction for your efforts.
That might be a better option than selling it yourself and subsequently giving away that cash, because then you have triggered a taxable event that falls on you.
Crypto is obviously a volatile asset class. Instead of gains, you might also have losses.
“If you have had gains from selling crypto, don’t forget you can offset your gains with losses, just like with stock,” says Lisa Greene-Lewis, a CPA and tax expert with TurboTax. “You can also offset ordinary income (like from wages) with up to $3,000 in losses, and carry forward any remaining losses.”
ASK FOR AN EXTENSION
This is admittedly a tricky subject, especially for those whose crypto involvement is frequent. So since we are already running up against this year’s filing deadline, there is no shame in asking for the standard six-month extension. You don’t even have to give a reason why.
While this will not get you out of payment – if you have a rough idea of how much you owe, you can still send that in by April 18 – it will give you ample time to consult tax professionals, sort out your obligations and properly report all transactions. “It’s better to file a complete and accurate return on extension, than a rushed and flawed one just to get it in by the deadline,” says Erb. “I would highly encourage people to take advantage of that.”
Editing by Lauren Young and Cynthia Osterman Follow us @ReutersMoney or at http://www.reuters.com/finance/personal-finance.
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Opinions expressed are those of the author. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.


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Although a growing number of countries, companies and organisations are calling for an expansion of the circular economy, the share of recycled raw materials is declining globally, according to the latest edition of the Circularity Gap Report. The non-profit organisation Circle Economy and the consulting firm Deloitte calculated that only 7.2 per cent of materials used in the global economy were from secondary and not virgin sources. The trend to increased extraction of primary materials is "getting worse year on year”, say the authors, noting that the share of circular inputs amounted to 8.6 per cent in 2020 and 9.1 per cent in 2019.
The role of virgin raw materials in the global economy was growing. "Circularity goes down as the general rate of global material extraction rises,” say the authors of the report. At the same time, more and more materials are being used in long-lasting "stocks” such as roads, homes and durable goods, leaving less material to cycle back into the economy.
The experts estimate that the global economy consumes more than 100 billion tonnes of raw materials each year, of which only slightly more than 7 billion tonnes are considered "circular" secondary materials. Non-metallic minerals account for nearly half of raw material extraction (43 billion tonnes). Biomass (25 billion tonnes) accounted for 27 per cent of all consumption, and while most of the material had "ecological cycling potential", the report highlighted the "precarious" ways in which biomass is often cultivated. Around 15 billion tonnes of fossil fuels are consumed annually as well as more than 9 billion tonnes of metallic ores, according to the report.
The study found that adopting a circular economy "could not only reverse the overshoot of planetary boundaries, but it could slash the global need for material extraction by about one-third. This reduction would require "removing fossil fuels from the global equation – especially coal – and lowering demand for high-volume minerals, such as sand and gravel, largely for housing and infrastructure”.
Use less, use longer, use again and make clean
The authors identify four key levers to transition to a circular economy. The first is to "use less” by reducing material use and making it more efficient. Secondly, products and infrastructure should be "used longer,” for example, through design for durability and reparability. "A more circular economy is also a slower one” with materials, components, products and even buildings and infrastructure locked in stocks that are "made to last”, according to the report.
To ensure a "clean” or regenerative circular economy, it is also necessary to phase out hazardous or toxic materials and processes, and substitute them with regenerative biomass resources, the authors say. "A circular economy aims to mimic natural cycles – by shifting to more regenerative farming practices, for example – while also maximising the share of circular biomass that enters the economy.” There must also be strategies to bring materials back into circulation and reuse "at their highest value.” The focus should be on maximising the volume of secondary materials re-entering the economy, "ultimately minimising the need for virgin material inputs”.


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As Daniel Snyder looks to sell the Washington Commanders, Amazon owner has been a contentious name linked to the bidding process. While Snyder originally blocked Bezos from a Commanders bid, the outgoing owner seems to have had a change of heart.
Snyder is no longer opposed to selling the Commanders to Bezos, via Charles Gasparino of the Fox Business Network. The sale is said to be progressing, although no final decision is set to be made by the end of the NFL owners meetings. As Snyder continues to search for the right buyer, Bezos has now truly re-entered the running.
Originally, Snyder was reluctant to sell the Commanders to Bezos due to his ownership of the Washington Post. Snyder wasn’t happen with how the Post covered the Washington franchise. However, Snyder seems to be past that small speed bump and will once again look towards Bezos.
It doesn’t hurt that Bezos is one of the richest people in the world. As of March 28, Bezos was the third-richest person on Forbes’ Billionaires index with a net worth over $120 billion. With Snyder originally seeking $7 billion to sell the Commanders, Bezos has more than enough capital to get a deal done.
Daniel Snyder’s tenure as the Commanders’ owner was wrought with controversy. After numerous investigations, it seemed almost a formality that Snyder would be pushed to sell his franchise. Snyder will have a number of contenders bidding to buy the Commanders. If Jeff Bezos jumps to the forefront, Snyder seems more accommodating to give him an actual shot to be the team’s next owner.
The post RUMOR: Daniel Snyder does 180 on Jeff Bezos’ Commanders bid appeared first on ClutchPoints.


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In a historic and landmark initiative, the e-EPIC (electronic Electoral Photo Identity Card) programme will be formally launched by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on January 25, 2021, marking the occasion of National Voters’ Day. Voters can now view and print the digital voter card on their registered mobile. Aimed at creating convenience for voters, ECI explained the modalities of e-EPIC to Chief Electoral Officers of all the states through a video conference held on January 19, 2020.
An e-EPIC is a non-editable secure portable document format (PDF) version of the EPIC. It can be downloaded on mobile or in a self-printable form on the computer. A voter can thus store the card on her/his mobile, upload it on digi locker or print it and self-laminate it. This is in addition to physical EPIC being issued for fresh registration.
Describing e-EPIC, Sh. Umesh Sinha, Secretary General, ECI said, “This will be an alternate and faster mode of obtaining Electoral Photo Identity Card in a digital format. Equally valid as a proof of document for voter identification, it can be printed at the convenience of the voter and can be produced as a proof during polling.”
e-EPIC can be downloaded on a mobile or a computer and can be digitally stored. It will have secured QR code with image and demographics like serial number, part number etc. It will have special facilitation for the poll going states in the initial phase.
Divulging details, Sh. Suddep Jain, Director General, ECI said, “this will be launched in two phases. In the first phase, from 25th to 31st Jan 2021 all new electors registered during special summary revision-2020 shall be eligible, provided they have registered with a unique number, which means the mobile number should not be registered in the ECI’s electoral roll already. In the second phase, from 1st Feb 2021 onwards all general electors shall be eligible.”
Citizens can easily download e-EPIC using any of following online platforms:
All new registrations with unique mobile numbers shall be given digital voter cards in addition to physical EPIC. Existing electors with unique mobile numbers can download after authentication. Electors without a unique mobile number can get facial recognition KYC and get authentication for downloads.
All new electors registered during special summary revision-2020 shall receive an SMS by ECI for downloading e-EPIC. On the launch day on National Voters’ Day, 4.5 million electors with a unique mobile number shall be sent SMS for downloading the e-EPIC.


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Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari has clarified that there was no fixed date to reopen the country’s closed land borders.
A tweet from the government’s official handle quoted the president as saying there was no date for reopening borders that have been shut since August triggering a trade crisis among its neighbours.
The president added that the only condition that would precipitate a reopening will be when the reasons for the closure is resolved.
The President has also commended the actions taken by the President of Niger Republic, Muhammadou Youssoufou, including the dismissal of officials and a ban on use of the country as a dumping ground for Nigeria-bound smuggled goods.— Presidency Nigeria (@NGRPresident) December 2, 2019
A recent report quoted officials as saying that borders were due to be reopened in early 2020. Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy, has stressed that the measure was to check the incidence of smuggling in and out of the country.
Weeks back, Nigeria issued orders banning the sale of fuel within a certain radius of its borders. The move received backlash but the government has persisted in enforcing it.
Analysts have expressed grave concerns within the context of Nigeria’s unilateral closure and refusal to budge despite repeated engagements by its neighbours.
They also hold that the situation is a slap in the face of subregional protocols of free trade and movement by ECOWAS and also bad precedent as Africa readies to welcome the continental free trade area, AfCFTA.


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Farmers: Locally-grown food becoming hot commodity
DES MOINES (AP) -
Farmers growing food to sell locally are increasingly finding willing customers to buy their products.
The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, which is based at Iowa State University, says it tracked sales of 103 farmers who reported more than $10 million in local food sales in 2012.
Most of the food was purchased by grocery stores, restaurants, schools, colleges, hospitals, nursing homes and nonprofit organizations.
The organizations reported they spent just under 9 percent of their total food budget on food grown by local farmers.
The group's goal is to increase the food purchased by local organizations to 30 percent of their total food budgets. That would boost local food purchasing to more than $21 million, increasing income for the farmers and encouraging them to hire additional help.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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After several years of losses and commercial disappointments, Paramount Pictures managed to place five films at number one at the box office in 2022.
The pinnacle of success was “Top Gun: Maverick,” which grossed $1.463 billion and is the 11th biggest hit in box office history (excluding inflation).
But according to Fortune magazine, Tom Cruise is one of the stars who thinks he’s losing millions of dollars because of a studio deal with Epix, a premium cable and satellite channel in the US that also has streaming services.
Sandra Bullock and the creators of the “Jackass” saga will be in the same group of “injurers”, who also have defined percentages of profits from their successful films in digital sales and in the studio’s agreements with other platforms in their contracts.
The “check” can be tens of millions of dollars for the astronomical profits of “Top Gun: Maverick” with Cruise, but also millions for a more modest success like “The Lost City” with Bullock.
Fortune magazine reports that representatives of these talents have already met with Paramount to ask for more money because they think their compensation is lower than expected because the studio is receiving less from Epix than others in Hollywood with similar deals.
The threat of going to court is not yet on the table, but “lawyers are evaluating their options.”
This situation could also involve the unions, as they are also entitled to a percentage of these films and are affected by the same agreement.
This is a new chapter in the famous “accounting in Hollywood”, where studios do everything to hide profits: the joke in the industry is that no movie makes a profit.
Fortune explains that the growth of streaming services is worrying industry professionals, in the sense that it is making it easier for studios to hide their profits through auto-negotiation: studios now license their movies to the streaming services themselves ( Warner Bros. for HBO Max, Walt Disney for Disney+, Universal for Peacock and Amazon Prime Video).
Complicating the situation, Epix belonged to the same group that owns Paramount until MGM bought its position in 2017.
Under this new agreement, Paramount re-licensed its new films and series to Epix for five years, but needed to re-negotiate in early 2021 to also make them available on its new streaming platform Paramount+. This agreement ends in 2023.
Shortly afterward, Sony and Universal signed new licensing deals: Netflix paid Sony twice as much as Paramount received from Epix; Universal also received more from Peacock (which is part of the same group) and from a third party, Amazon.
At the time, not much attention was paid to it… until the teams of Tom Cruise, Sandra Bullock and other talent began to notice the differences between the compensation they received from the films they made for Sony and Universal and those arriving from Paramount.


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Rite Aid (NYSE:RAD) announced today that same-store sales last month overall were up 1.5%. Front-end same-store sales decreased 1.8% while pharmacy same-store sales rose 3.1%. Total sales rose from $2.46 billion in the comparable period last year to $2.515 billion this year for the five-week period ended March 1, representing an increase of 2.4%.
Rite Aid said 0.5 percentage points of its front-end sales drop was attributable to the reduction in sales of over-the counter flu products. The company highlighted that its pharmacy same-store sales were up 3.1% for the period, even after accounting for a 1.4-percentage-point negative impact from the introduction of generic products. In total, prescription sales represented 69.1% of the total sales at Rite Aid.
On March 1, Rite Aid operated 4,587 stores, compared to 4,623 stores a year ago.
Yesterday, competitor Walgreen reported its comparable-store sales rose by 4.5% in February, while total sales were up 5% to $6.1 billion. It also noted the impact of a less virulent flu season.
For the quarter ended on March 1, Rite Aid saw total sales rise 2.2% to $6.6 billion -- a slightly slower pace than seen in February. However, same-store sales were up 2.1%, and the reduction in front-end sales was less visible, at a decline of 0.7%.
Rite Aid concluded its earnings update by noting that total sales for the 52-week period ended March 1 rose 0.5% to $25.4 billion, from $25.3 billion in the corresponding year-ago period.


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Smartphone shipments in South Africa grew 73% YoY and 44% QoQ in Q3 2023, according to the latest research from Counterpoint Research’s Market Monitor Service. The market reached its highest levels since 2021, just before the macroeconomics-related global slowdown started. In Q3 2023, the market was also helped by the increased feature phone-to-smartphone migration as Chinese OEMs tapped into the entry price bands.
Commenting on the market performance, Senior Research Analyst Yang Wang said, “South Africa is among the fastest-growing smartphone markets in the MEA region, and major Chinese players are increasing their focus on this market. South Africa’s market is growing rapidly and has breached its 2021 levels before the macroeconomic crisis put a dent in the global economy. As the nation’s economic situation is recovering, Chinese OEMs are aggressively trying to capture demand. The entry of HONOR has further tightened competition in the market as it poses a strong competitor against Xiaomi and Samsung in the low- and mid-tier segment.”
Most of the major smartphone brands recorded a double-digit YoY percentage growth during the quarter and are rushing to fill the market with newer offerings to capitalize on the recovery in demand. Major Chinese players are getting aggressive and are launching multiple products in the lower price tier to further accelerate the migration from feature phones to smartphones.
Samsung led the market during the quarter, despite stiff competition from the aggressive Chinese players. It was the leading brand across all the price segments and the A-series devices continued to drive volumes. Samsung’s foldable devices are among the leading models in the premium segment.
HONOR surpassed Xiaomi to become the second-biggest smartphone brand during the quarter due to aggressive marketing activities, and improved device availability across channels. HONOR focused on low- and mid-priced smartphones and provided stiff competition to Chinese players Xiaomi and TECNO. During the quarter, TECNO also entered the premium segment with the launch of the HONOR 90 5G and 90 Lite 5G. The brand offered a free HONOR Watch 4 with the 90 5G model and HONOR Choice Earbuds X5 with the 90 Lite 5G.
Xiaomi narrowly lost its second spot to HONOR, despite its share increasing YoY during the quarter. It is focusing on increasing its channel reach. Xiaomi’s Redmi 10 and Note 11 series were the volume driver. Xiaomi is among the leading players in the low-tier price segment (< $100) due to the popularity of its Redmi 10A, 10C, and A1 series. Transsion Group is another major player in the market, benefitting from strong demand for the TECNO and itel brands. Meanwhile, Infinix has not been able to make a presence in the market. TECNO is focusing on the low- to mid-end market while itel is focusing on the lower-end market and is the leader in its segment. TECNO’s Pova and Pop, and itel’s A series were the volume drivers. TECNO is among the leading players in the sub-$200 price range, while itel leads the <$100 segment. South Africa is still facing an energy crisis, but we note that major macro indicators are stabilizing due to the easing of inflation and unemployment rates. Chinese players are starting to notice MEA markets in general, and South Africa will be seen as a particularly attractive market due to the higher income levels and better connectivity infrastructure. South Africa’s market is expected to grow further in the high-end segment driven by the increasing premiumization trend, and Samsung and Apple are likely to benefit the most. Counterpoint Research


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Blog: Smooth performance belies discontent on streets
Sam Webb | 10 November 2011
Yesterday (9 November) I went down to London to see the King. No, there hasn't been an accession you didn't know about, I mean Justin King, the chief executive of Sainsbury's.
just-food was invited to a press conference for the supermarket chain's first-half profits, which revealed rising sales and profits.
It was the first time I'd been to 33 Holborn, the London HQ of Sainsbury's, a monolithic glass structure on the edge of the City of London's "Square Mile", and my first visit was made all the more interesting by the hi-vis jacketed police lining the streets in preparation for thousands of students marching through London to protest cuts in university funding.
Thankfully the violence that marred a series of student protests last year was largely absent, as was the projected travel chaos the demo would cause - a good thing when you have to get a train back to Coventry.
At the press conference the assembled journos got the chance to grill senior management on the year so far and find out what Sainsbury's have got planned for the future. We also got a sneak preview of the Christmas TV advertising, which involves panto characters and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. I think that's pretty much all I'm allowed to say before it launches next week.
For more information check out our on the money feature about Sainsbury's results.
Today (23 December) is just-food's last day before closing for Christmas. We'll return, raring to go on Tuesday 3 January - but of course there's been plenty of top-notch content that has gone live in...
The plethora of food manufacturing associations in the UK has been argued by some to be an impediment to the industry coming to a coherent position on the aftermath of Brexit and on what the sector sh...
- 2017: three major drivers of M&A strategy
- Comment: Premier has more to ponder than Brexit
- The food market in 2017 - consumer trends and M&A
- just-food 2017 Survey - your thoughts on growth
- Food market in 2017: need-to-know US trends
- Premier Foods issues profit warning
- Nestle mum on Mead Johnson takeover talk
- UK's Bakkavor plays down IPO "speculation"
- Mondelez sells Vegemite to Bega
- Kellogg to slash 250 jobs


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A former Wachovia bank branch building at the corner of 5th and Market streets is being marketed for a store or restaurant, creating a decent amount of available retail space fronting Market Street in Old City.
The 481,000-square-foot building has always been used as a bank operations center. When I first started at working at the Philadelphia Business Journal at 400 Market St., First Union had the space, then its successor Wachovia and now Wachovia’s buyer Wells Fargo. I’ve been a first-hand witness to two of the sign changes since it sits across the street from where I work. There’s no Wells Fargo sign yet.
I didn’t notice until a couple of weeks ago that the branch was gone and saw a Fameco Real Estate sign in the window. Not long ago, a portion of the first floor was leased out to a child-care provider, leaving the branch occupying the other half until late summer.
“In our optimization of our strategy with the merger, a decision was made to consolidate that location over to the Independence branch across from the [Liberty] Bell,” said Steve Fingles, who oversees corporate real estate for Wachovia.
The bank has a lease on the entire building until 2024 and decided that the branch space might make for another type of retail because of the tourist, commuter and other traffic in the area. The space sits diagonally from Independence Mall and amid the museums and tourist attractions.
“We’re working with multiple tenants,” said Greg Lippert, vice president of real estate at the bank. “There has been significant interest in it.”
Lippert said “upscale” tenants, which can come in “a number of different flavors” have taken a look-see but wasn’t specific about whom.


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The fashion month train is moving along in Paris right now but we are taking a look at what was showcased at Milan Fashion Week. Italian brands are more exciting than ever, thanks to Daniel Lee’s magic touch at Bottega Veneta, Silvia Fendi’s new position at Fendi following Karl Lagerfeld’s passing, and also the news of Raf Simons joining Prada. As expected all of these brands made a mark this season and have set a high benchmark for fall 2020.
Scroll down to see the trends at Milan Fashion Week.
VINTAGE INSPIRED COLLARS
SHADES OF GRAY


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Visalia planning permits show new building going up next to current Amazon will be a second warehouse for the global online retailer
VISALIA – Amazon is the latest major company to double up its facilities in Visalia after a second In’N’Out burger opened in 2021 and news of a second COSTCO was revealed in April.
A sprawling 1.1 million square foot warehouse under construction since last year is now nearing completion just north of the existing Amazon Fulfillment Center on Riggin and Kelsey Street, leaving locals to wonder who the tenant could be besides Amazon. The huge tilted concrete building is located on Avenue 320, a mile north of Riggin, on a street that now carries the name of Kibler by the city. City permits listed the address of the project as 8817 W. Kibler and, just recently, described the project as having liquid hydrogen tanks and dispensers “to support the fueling for Amazon.”
While the company is typically tight-lipped about projects before they are complete, Amazon spokesperson Natalie Wolfrom did not deny it in an email.
“No update on this,” she wrote. “Will have more to share hopefully in August. I’ll circle back then!”
Reliable sources say Amazon expects to take occupancy of the new facility this fall with the goal to be in business in time for the holiday season this year. That means hundreds more jobs coming here, added to the 1,200 or so that work at the existing Amazon center.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Amazon’s “decision to throttle back on its e-commerce operations threatens to slow the growth of the industrial-space sector, one of the hottest areas of commercial property.” Concerns that the volatile stock market and inflation worries may be slowing new distribution warehouse deals or even canceling some underway have yet to surface in Visalia. Asked about any slowdown locally, Visalia economic development manager Devon Jones responded “not at all.”
Mayor Steve Nelsen seconded the notion and said the second center will handle smaller items while the Riggin location will handle larger packages.
“We’ve heard that on-line sales activity is not as strong but we don’t expect to see a negative impact here,” Mayor Nelsen said.
The second Amazon site is among a half dozen new industrial buildings expected to break ground later this year in the Visalia Industrial Park. Industrial real estate construction in the U.S. rose 48% year-over-year in the first quarter as the national vacancy rate fell to a 27-year low, according to Supply Chain Quarterly, a trade publication providing information and insight on the global supply chain.


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Level 3 Communications, a company that provides bandwidth for a wide variety of customers trying to get content from point A to point B on the internet, just accused five U.S. ISPs and one European ISP of using their market power to interfere with how traffic flows from Level 3 onto the ISPs’ last-mile network. The result is that customers of those ISPs experience degraded quality for services going over Level 3’s network.
This is a so-called peering problem. The topic has been in the news since early this year, when consumers began complaining about the quality of their Netflix(s NFLX), Hulu and Amazon(s AMZN) Instant Video streams on networks like Comcast(s CMCSA), AT&T(s T), Verizon(s VZ) and Time Warner Cable(s TWC). The issue is that at the interconnection points where Netflix traffic attempts to enter the last-mile ISP’s network, there isn’t enough capacity. Usually, when that happens, the transit provider or the content provider negotiate to add more capacity by opening up more ports. (I explain the process in this story.)
However, in recent months Level 3, Netflix and Cogent have all gone public accusing some ISPs of keeping those ports congested while trying to charge above-market rates for direct interconnection. Netflix has signed such a direct interconnection agreement with both Comcast and Verizon. But it isn’t happy about it and accuses the ISPs of abusing their market power to extract payments from content companies trying to serve the last mile.
In covering this issue, I’ve argued that the FCC needs to get data on these peering agreements and practices before we can prove that there’s a problem. It’s clear there is consumer harm, but what’s unclear is whether ISPs are actively blocking traffic, or hurting specific providers. It’s also unclear if ISPs are charging abusive rates to get direct interconnection agreements.
These peering agreements are deeply held secrets, which means the FCC will have to force providers to disclose the terms of their agreements and what traffic looks like on their networks. By sharing some of its network details, Level 3 is offering us a transparency strip tease, giving us (and the FCC) a glimpse of the data it has without naming names.
From the Level 3 post:
“The average utilization across all those interconnected ports is 36 perfect. So you might be asking — what is all the fuss about with peering?…Well, our peers fall into two broad categories; global or regional Internet Services providers like Level 3…and Broadband consumer networks like AT&T. If I use that distinction as a filter to look at congested ports, the story looks very different.
A port that is on average utilized at 90 percent will be saturated, dropping packets, for several hours a day. We have congested ports saturated to those levels with 12 of our 51 peers. Six of those 12 have a single congested port, and we are both (Level 3 and our peer) in the process of making upgrades — this is business as usual and happens occasionally as traffic swings around the Internet as customers change providers.
That leaves the remaining six peers with congestion on almost all of the interconnect ports between us. Congestion that is permanent, has been in place for well over a year and where our peer refuses to augment capacity. They are deliberately harming the service they deliver to their paying customers. They are not allowing us to fulfill the requests their customers make for content.
Five of those congested peers are in the United States and one is in Europe. There are none in any other part of the world. All six are large Broadband consumer networks with a dominant or exclusive market share in their local market. In countries or markets where consumers have multiple Broadband choices (like the UK) there are no congested peers.”
I’d love to see Cogent, Google and other providers release their data next, so even if the FCC doesn’t want to pursue this, a growing cry of consumer outrage could push the agency to do something about a very real and difficult problem that’s crippling access to video content on 5 U.S. broadband networks. Level 3 didn’t name names, but based on the deals Netflix has signed and the complaints it has made about AT&T, I’m confident that AT&T, Verizon and Comcast are among the five.


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Food on the Move: FFFâ€™s weekly roundup of listed FoodTechâ€™s movers & shakers
An ‘Up’ week for FFF’s listed FoodTech! Week ended 28 July 2023 saw 29 share price risers, 17 fallers and two non-movers. Two ‘Up’ weeks in the last three now. Are things finally looking up for listed FoodTech? Certainly seem to be at the individual stock level…
Take Ocado (OCDO) – shares gained another 43% to close at 976p. Early June they were trading at 343p. Talk about being on the up. No shortage of news from the online grocer these past seven days – a rather technical director dealings announcement; another on Board changes, specifically the retirement of Luke Jensen as Executive Director and CEO of Ocado Solutions; and thirdly, the opening of a new facility in Kentucky by US retailer Kroger as part of its collaboration with OCDO. Nothing there to warrant a 42% leap in the share price. But there was one other announcement dated 24 July, “Ocado and AutoStore settle all Litigation”. Sound familiar?
That’s because the news was covered in last week’s Food on the Move “Counting Swallows”: OCDO “…put out a press release…on Saturday 22 July: ‘AutoStore and Ocado Settle All Patent Litigation’”. As Food on the Move pointed out “Saturday, a strange day to announce, especially as under the terms of the settlement ‘AutoStore will pay £200 million to Ocado in installments over 2 years.’ Surely, would have been a decent announcement to start the week with. Begs the question: did word of the windfall get out, forcing OCDO to release early? Or was it a case of dates getting mixed up, wrong button pressed or some other admin error that led to the announcement going out on a Saturday?” Perhaps we have an answer. Mysteriously the above link to the 22 July press release is no longer visible on the website. Just the one dated 24 July. Admin error/date mix-up? Looks that way. No harm done if the share price is anything to go by.
As with OCDO, second consecutive Food on the Move appearance for Steakholder Foods (STKH). In Counting Swallows it was a favourable write-up along with a $5 share price target from research outfit Zacks Equity Research that earned the cultivated meat specialist a mention. This time round a triple-header of STKH news. First up, “Steakholder Foods Signs First Ever Multi-Million-Dollar Agreement with GCC Governmental Body to Commercialize its 3D Bio-Printing Technology”.
GCC? “Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which represents the economic union between Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates”. Multi-Million-Dollar Agreement? “…a Memorandum of Agreement for Strategic Cooperation (MOA) with an accredited GCC-based governmental body as Steakholder Foods’ strategic partner, to advance food security efforts through the application of Steakholder Foods’ groundbreaking 3D printing technology. Commencing with an investment by the strategic partner in the construction of a pilot plant to produce printed hybrid-fish products, the MOA eventually aims to create a first-of-its-kind large-scale production facility in the Persian Gulf region. The agreement foresees a material initial down payment to Steakholder Foods for the procurement of its 3D-printer technologies, followed by a milestone-based sales and procurement plan for industrial-scale output.”
Shares jumped from $0.84 to $1.02 on the news. Next day (25 July), the cultivated foodie issued another press release: “Steakholder Foods Announces US$6 Million Registered Direct Offering”. The offer price set at $1 a share. A small discount to the share price at the start of the day. By close of play that discount had widened considerably after the shares tacked on 12% to close at $1.12. Still a little way to go to get to the end of the week’s $1.17 mark. Unlikely STKH’s third announcement “Steakholder Foods Receives Patent Allowance for Revolutionary Print Heads for Bioprinting of Edible 3D Structures at High Throughput” on its own enough to account for the extra five cents. Does help keep up the momentum though.
Finally, Verde Agritech (NPK) shares reacted well to news that the potash fertiliser co. “…is in advanced negotiations to sell carbon credits to major international corporations that are established purchasers of permanent carbon offset.” Enough for a 31% share price rise? Well, yes if the numbers are to be believed. As detailed in NPK’s press release Verde to Sell Carbon Credits: “Currently, carbon credits for permanent carbon offset similar to Verde’s are being sold at prices up to US$500 per tonne. The Company is able to generate up to 300,000 tonnes of carbon credit annually via its existing production facilities…”
Big numbers then. But will it be a case of jam tomorrow? According to the press release: “Verde’s silicate rock is rich in the mineral glauconite…, which once processed and applied to the soil removes carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air through a process called Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW). ERW permanently locks CO2 into the new mineral structure. In 2022 the carbon credit markets totalled US$ 909 billion in transactions…Verde expects to close its first sales of carbon credit in Q3 2023.” Tomorrow not too far away perhaps.
OCDO awarded $200million and new facility opened by US collaboration partner; STKH signs multi-million-dollar agreement; NPK set for lucrative carbon credit revenue stream - things looking up for FFF’s listed FoodTech space…


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ArticleGermany to Unveil European Cloud to Rival Amazon, Alibaba | ITPro Today
Germany is instigating a European-wide project to create a public cloud-computing service. As well, France is registering intent in this same idea but of creating another of these services.
Both countries’ intention is to rival what USA and Asia are offering regarding public-cloud data-processing solutions. But, as I have said before, it is about having public data infrastructure that is sovereign to European laws and values. This also includes the management and dissemination of such data in a broad and secure manner.
The issue of data sovereignty has become of concern in Europe due to the USA and China pushing legislation to enable their governments to gain access to data held by data service providers that are based in those countries. This is even if the data is held on behalf of a third-party company or hosted on servers that are installed in other countries. The situation has been underscored by a variety of geopolitical tensions involving especially those countries such as the recent USA-China trade spat.
It is also driven by some European countries being dissatisfied with Silicon Valley’s dominance in the world of “as-a-service” computing. This is more so with France where there are goals to detach from and tax “GAFA” (Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon) due to their inordinate influence in consumer and business computing worlds.
Let’s not forget that Qarnot in France has designed computers that put their waste heat to use for heating rooms or creating hot water in buildings. This will appeal to a widely-distributed data-processing setup that could be part of public cloud-computing efforts.
Questions that will crop up with the Brexit agenda when Europe establishes this public cloud service will include British data sovereignty if data is held on the European public cloud or whether Britain will have any access or input into this public cloud.
Personally I could see this as facilitating the wider creation of online services by European companies especially with the view to respecting European personal and business values. It could encompass ideas like voice-driven assistant services, search engines, mapping and similar services for consumers or to encourage European IT development.
Could this effort that Germany and France put forward be the Airbus or Arianespace of public-cloud data services?


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Another year, another step up for Xquisite Yachts which is expanding its Portuguese production facility on the back of strong demand for its Xquisite 30 Sportcat.
The Sportcat seems likely to emulate the success of its cousin, the X5 Plus which is produced in Atlantis by Phoenix Catamarans. The upgraded Portuguese facility will build between six and twelve units per year, according to Xquisite chief executive Tamas Hamor. The sleek new model is also due to form an integral part of Xquisite’s new Catamaran Centre in the Bahamas where it will be used at Xquisite’s new sailing school. “We developed this model to become our training boat for our sailing school,” Hamor said.
The trailerable Sportcat is billed as a compact and sporty ‘ultimate sailing experience’, able to accommodate up to eight aboard, with a length of 9.25m, mast height of 13.2m, overall beam of 5.15m. “Very light weight construction, carbon beams, rotating carbon mast and high performance sails are part of the standard package and assures the sporty sailing experience,” Xquisite said in a model launch statement early last year. “The mini keels offer a convenient solution to navigate shallow waters while the optional dagger boards boost the performance even further,” the Company said.


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The UK has signed a trade agreement with the US state of Indiana, with a particular focus on electric cars and low-emission technologies.
This is the first state-level trade deal signed by the UK and removes barriers to trade and investment.
The UK represents Indiana’s seventh-largest export market, with the state buying $1.4 billion (£1.1bn) worth of goods from the UK.
Green trade is at the heart of the agreement, as both the UK and the US state look to increase their expertise and accessibility to zero-emission goods.
“Our state-level strategy is paying off and this is just the first of many agreements we’ll be signing in the future as we look to bolster our £200 billion trading relationship with the US,” said Minister of State for International Trade, Penny Mordaunt.


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- Development & Aid
- Economy & Trade
- Human Rights
- Global Governance
- Civil Society
Tuesday, June 6, 2023
Analysis by Aileen Kwa
GENEVA, May 12 2008 (IPS) - The high food prices that have sparked riots in many parts of the developing world – from Indonesia, India and Bangladesh to Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire and Haiti – should come as no surprise. These are only the latest in a series of events many developing countries have suffered as a result of opening their borders and neglecting domestic agriculture.
The consequence has been the certain erosion of their capacity to produce their own food.
In the era of stronger state control in the 1970s and even the early 1980s, domestic food markets in the developing world were often in the hands of state marketing boards and cooperatives. Marketing boards would guarantee floor prices, and provide fertilisers and seeds. They also controlled import volumes, redistributed food where there were production shortfalls, and purchased commodities from cooperatives.
These marketing boards were not always run in the best possible way; there were many instances of corruption or inefficiency, but they did fulfil certain critical functions. Farmers were provided a market to sell their produce to, which meant they had a livelihood. Prices were stable even though they were often lower than what farmers would have liked.
As a result of these policies, many developing countries were either net food exporters, or at least were nearly food self-sufficient.
But rather than producing winners, millions of the poorest subsistence farmers were knocked out of their own markets. Imports took over what was previously produced by local people. Over the last 20 years, the production capacity in many countries has severely diminished.
The Philippines has been one prime example of such policies. "During the 60s and 70s, we were self-sufficient," Jowen Berber of Centro Saka, an NGO working on agrarian issues with farmers, told IPS. "That was the time that the government was heavily investing in rice – irrigation, infrastructure, marketing support and production support such as credits and inputs. But when the government stopped those incentives and subsidies, rice production slowly decreased."
Berber said "the acreage of irrigated land has also been falling because the government has not been maintaining irrigation facilities. We also have a very high level of post- harvest losses in rice – up to 35 percent because our post-harvest facilities are very old."
Instead of supporting farmers with guaranteed prices as before, Berber said "the government now intervenes to buy less than 1 percent of the domestic rice that is produced. They are buying more imported rice than our own local rice."
A study on import surges by David Pingpoh and Joean Senahoun, commissioned by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 2006, noted that the Cameroon government support to the rice sector was removed in 1994 through implementation of IMF and World Bank policies. The fertiliser market was privatised. Rice yields of poor farmers dropped as fertilisers became unaffordable. Tariffs were liberalised, and annual rice imports doubled from 152,000 tonnes to 301,000 tonnes between 1999 and 2004.
This opening rendered the country vulnerable to the policies of other countries. At the time, India was de-stocking its rice surplus, and rice imports from India increased from 7,900 tonnes in 2001 to 60,300 tonnes in 2002. As a result of this import surge, rice farmers were hard hit, and many left the sector. Land for rice cultivation dropped 31.2 percent between 1999 and 2004.
According to the FAO, Cote d'Ivoire also saw imports flooding in when the market was opened up. As a result of implementing commitments at the WTO, Cote d'Ivoire removed import restrictions on key agricultural goods, particularly rice. Duty on all agricultural products was set at a maximum of 15 percent, except for 25 tariff lines.
As a result, rice imports increased at an annual rate of 6 percent from 470,000 tonnes to 715,000 tonnes between 1997 and 2004. Imports were mainly from Thailand, China and India. Domestic production dropped 40 percent over this period.
In Nepal, the civil society organisation ActionAid documents that rice import surges came in 1994, 1996 and 2000, with imports increasing by 175 percent, 55 percent and 800 percent respectively. From 24,500 tonnes imported in 1999, by the year 2000 imports had hit 195,000 tonnes. The porous borders between Nepal and India, and the Nepal-India Trade Treaty were widely seen as the cause of these surges. In certain areas of Nepal, domestic prices fell by nearly 20 percent. The southern belt bordering India saw a multitude of rice plants and rice mills shutting down.
Today, in the latest twist of events, food prices have increased due to global shortfalls. Food production has been redirected towards biofuel production. Drought in Australia has contributed to shortages on the world market. Speculators playing on commodity markets have further increased prices.
Up to 37 countries have been gripped by protests and riots. In Cameroon, seven people were killed in the unrest in February. Food riots also took hold of Abidjan in the Cote d'Ivoire in March this year.
At meetings in Berne in Switzerland to address the global food crisis, UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-Moon, World Bank president Robert Zollick and WTO director-general Pascal Lamy again made a plea for more free trade the panacea. But farmers remain unconvinced that more of the same policies that have contributed to the last two decades of destruction of agriculture can help.
Reacting to the push by the WTO leadership, the World Bank and the UN to stitch up the Doha Round so that further liberalisation can assist in resolving the food crisis, Henri Saragih, international coordinator of the global network of peasant farmers La Via Campesina writes, "Protecting food has become a crime under free trade rules. Protectionism has become a dirty word. Meanwhile, countries have become addicted to cheap food imports, and now that prices are shooting up, hunger is raising its ugly head."
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Army and municipal officials have visited a factory in Chang Phuak that has been the subject of a variety of pollution complaints from locals.
According to Thai media, the complaints, which go back 3-4 years, relate to bad smells in the vicinity of the factory due to the chemicals used in the printing process as well as vibrations and noise from the equipment in the factory.
The factory itself was ordered closed in March due to the pollution issues but has continued to trade pending an appeal, despite authorities saying that the court order does not allow them to continue to trade.
A lawyer representing the owner claimed that the factory was in the process of moving to Doi Saket and that the investigation was not required.
An army spokesman said that further legal action would be taken against the factory including three new charges: operating a factory without permission, breaching the Public Health Act and building without permission.


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Kiel, May 19, 2009: the four biggest cruise ships ever to berth in the Port of Kiel are expected to call this week. The new TUI Cruises liner “Mein Schiff” started it all off on Monday May 18th. “MSC Orchestra” was expected at the Ostseekai Cruise Terminal on Wednesday, “Costa Magica” on Thursday and “Eurodam” on Friday. Dirk Claus, Managing Director of the Port of Kiel (SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG) said “the new Ostseekai is one of the most efficient cruise shipping terminals in northern Europe. State-of-the-art terminal infrastructure and service courtesy are the foundations on which our first-class ship handling is built. This is what makes Kiel currently the most popular cruise shipping port on the German coast.
Actually, Kiel expects a total of twelve arrivals by eight different cruise ships during this week – in addition to the regular ferries operating on Scandinavia and Baltic services. The highpoint, as far as passenger totals is concerned, comes on Wednesday May 20 when “Mein Schiff”, “Princess Daphne” and “Delphin” will all be in the city’s Stadthafen at the same time as well as the “MSC Orchestra”. Commented Dirk Claus “a trip to the Port of Kiel is well worth it this week. It’s not every day you can see so many big ships”. On May 21st, Ascension Day, the biggest cruise ship of the season, the “Costa Magica” will be on display at the Ostseekai, along with one of the ships of the cruise shipping company MSC.
To cope with up to 9,000 passengers at the Ostseekai inside just a few hours, the terminal building was expanded to include two new luggage halls in time for the opening of the season. Now available are more than 7,500 square metres of covered terminal area. The waiting area has been almost doubled in size. Up to 500 additional seats, a café with a lounge, a newspaper shop and a tourist information desk have all contributed to comfort while big banners and numerous plants have created a pleasant atmosphere. Up to 30 counters guarantee a speedy check-in. An additional entrance has been created for crews. Commented Dirk Claus “we stress quality. The idea is for Kiel to give travellers a good send-off on their holidays”, he said. This year 20 different ships will leave Kiel on 117 cruises. Up to the end of the season in September, well over 200,000 travellers will check in and out.
The Port of Kiel operates the commercial port on behalf of the Schleswig-Holstein state capital of Kiel and is a 100% subsidiary company of the City. Kiel boasts three passenger terminals for cruise ships – Ostseekai, Norwegenkai and Schwedenkai – all in attractive city centre locations. In addition, ship berths are available at the Sartorikai and at Bollhörnkai-Süd. Inside just five years, and with the support of the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel has invested well over 60 million Euros in the expansion of terminal facilities in the city’s Stadthafen.
Cruise ship technical data
Ship Tonnage Length Passengers
“Mein Schiff” 76,500 GT 264 m 1,900 Passengers
“MSC Orchestra” 92,400 GT 294 m 2,550 Passengers
“Costa Magica” 102,600 GT 278 m 2,700 Passengers
“Eurodam” 86,000 GT 285 m 2,000 Passengers


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USA Network has announced the launch of its casual gaming-focused USA Character Game Lounge, which features 20 original casual games themed around its television property characters.
As part of the launch, USA Network has partnered WeeWorld, home of the WeeMee avatar-based social network. USA Character Game lounge users will be able to create personalized WeeMee avatars and icons, which will be visible when registered to the site.
Additionally, USA says it is working with WeeWorld to integrate the WeeMees into future gameplay, including creating specific items so that Game Lounge users can express fandom of a particular show or design WeeMees that look like USA Network characters.
USA plans a multi-phase roll-out of the game lounge in 2008, and adds it plans to double the casual game offerings through original development and licensing deals. Social networking elements, like IM-based chat functionality, multiplayer gameplay and an affinity-based rewards program will also be added.
USA brand strategy and marketing senior vice president Chris McCumber said, "Over the past two years, USANetwork.com has had great success with original series-themed and advertiser-integrated casual games. Now, USA is capitalizing on this growing sector by making a strategic commitment to this mass-appeal genre."


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The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Industry has recommended the creation of a ‘Retail Regulatory Authority’ to not only monitor the entry of foreign chains through foreign direct investment (FDI) but to also study the impact of FDI on medium, small and micro enterprises (MSME).
Addressing reporters here, Chairman of the committee Triuchi Siva said the committee had recommended a regulatory authority to look into the impact of FDI in multi-brand retail on MSMEs.
The committee, he said, was of the view that if multi-brand retail chains were not regulated well, it would adversely impact MSMEs, farmers and domestic markets. “Once the agriculture produce markets are eliminated, the big foreign retail giants will manipulate prices and our farmers will be forced to sell their products at low prices dictated by foreign retailers. Our own squeezed out retailers would lose their livelihood ,” he said. The committee was also of the view that the 30 per cent procurement requirement should be applicable item-wise, he said.
The panel suggested the MSME ministry should commission a survey to assess the benefit and losses of previous FDI policies on the MSME sector, and to ascertain if they had created any back-end infrastructure as was being envisaged in the current FDI policy.
“We concur with the committee on commerce that there is a need for a retail regulatory authority to act as a whistle-blower in case of anti-competitive behaviour and abuse of dominance,” the committee said in its report.


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According to Global Esport News, fans of the popular game Fortnite were taken by surprise when Apple blocklisted the game from its store. The mobile giant and the game company, Epic, are engaged in what appears to be a heated legal battle. Since August last year, the two companies have been at loggerheads when Epic tried to side-step Apple’s 30% fee on in-app purchases by introducing its own in-app payment system. Unfortunately, this battle appears to drag on with no end in sight as it is predicted to take years to resolve.
What is the Bone of Contention?
Epic Games, Fortnite’s owner, pointed accusing fingers at Apple, saying the company has monopolized its store by expressing direct authority over eligible apps and how they are managed. On the other hand, Apple countered the allegation by stating Epic’s attempt to avoid its 30% commission fee through underhanded means.
As the warring companies traded accusations, a US court in September ruled that Apple had no right to prohibit app developers from directing users to third-party payment systems. One would think that Epic had acquired victory until the judge also ruled that Epic had failed to prove that Apple was running an illegal monopoly related to its store. However, the ruling stated that Apple demonstrated “anticompetitive conduct”, as shown by California Laws.
The judge’s declarations led both companies to appeal the judgements.
The chief executive of Epic Games, Tim Sweeney, tweeted;
“Apple spent a year telling the world, the court and the press they’d welcome Epic’s return to the App store if they agree to play by the same rules as everyone else. Epic agreed, and now Apple has reneged in another abuse of its monopoly power over a billion users”.
According to the letter shared by Sweeny, Apple stated that Epic had ” committed an intentional breach of contract, and breach of trust by, concealing code from Apple”, and it will not welcome the app back on the app “until the district court’s judgment becomes final and non-appealable.”
Apple confirmed that the correspondence was authentic.
Developers Have Had Enough
In other news, Epic isn’t the only company to complain about the operations of the App Store. Spotify is one such company that has been particularly outspoken. Recall that the popular streaming platform lodged an antitrust complaint to the European Commission in March 2019, stating that Apple technically forced the company to up its subscription rates to meet up with the store’s exorbitant in-app commission fee.
While the relationship between developers and the App store was initially mutually beneficial, many developers criticized Apple for exercising complete authority over the rules and prices governing the apps, leaving no say for developers. Furthermore, since the store is the only medium for IOS users to access these apps, developers are forced to agree with the rules or lose a gazillion existing and prospective customers. Developers have long expressed displeasure over this structure but met deaf ears. Also, if you don’t play by the rules, you get banned!
The Fees Have an Advantage
Apple claims that the 30% in-app commission isn’t baseless. According to the company, the fees are used to pay for the costs incurred from hosting apps. Apple states that their intentions are far from profiting from the charges; instead, they run the store. To their credit, they assert that the majority of apps on the store are free. It stands to reason that free apps profit from ads and sales to third parties, which Apple doesn’t benefit from.
Customers Are on The Receiving End
As this legal battle rages on, the Apple store customers bear the brunt of it. New customers can’t download Fortnite, while users who already have the game can’t download the latest updates, including the new season 4. How unfortunate!
Will this dispute come to a good end? That remains to be seen!


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updated 03:40 pm EDT, Wed October 5, 2011
Microsoft looking again at buying Yahoo
(Update: possibly no) Fresh leaks have hinted that Microsoft is entertaining the idea of buying Yahoo again. Tipsters told Reuters that Microsoft was taking advantage of the disruption at Yahoo to take over the early search pioneer. It might get a partner to help out, such as an equity partner.
They also backed leaks that Alibaba was seriously interested, along with Russian investment firm DST Global and more.
Neither side would comment.
A Microsoft bid, if accepted, would most likely take advantage of Yahoo's weakened stance. The Windows developer had tried a hostile takeover in 2008 that would have been worth over $30 billion and required Microsoft take out a loan to cover the deal. Yahoo's collapse in stock value now makes it $18 billion and a much easier target for a Microsoft that's in a stronger position.
Yahoo in some ways has already conceded to Microsoft through its search deal handing over core search to Bing. A full takeover could likely be a pure market share grab that would eventually close down some Yahoo services. It may be a gamble for Microsoft, though, as it's already losing hundreds of millions of dollars every quarter trying to gain share for Bing and compete against Google.
Update: a follow-up claim has Microsoft in the reverse situation. It's supposedly making clear that it won't bid but that it might help finance a buyout from someone else to make sure it goes through. An AllThingsD source joked that Microsoft didn't need to take control of Yahoo since it already had all it could possibly want with the existing ad and search deals.


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Research In Motion (RIM) has apologised for last week’s Blackberry network outages by offering customers a selection of free apps valued at over $100, as well as one month’s free technical support for business customers.
The ‘premium’ apps, which will include iSpeech Translator Pro and Photo Editor Ultimate, as well as games such as Sims 3, Bejeweled and Texas Hold’em Poker 2, will be made available in the next few weeks, with the offer to run until the end of the year.
RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis has also posted a video apology on the company’s website.
The company will be keen to quell disquiet in anticipation of its developer conference, which begins today.
Following last week’s outages, and generally sluggish sales, RIM will have to be on its game to prove to developers its platforms are viable. Here’s hoping they’ve got something special up their sleeves.


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With Zomato soon to go public, the online food delivery brand has been in the news for a while. Ahead of its IPO, Zomato has elevated its former chief financial officer (CFO), Akriti Chopra, as its Chief People Officer and co-founder of the business.
This news was shared on Wednesday through a company memo by Deepinder Goyal, Founder, and CEO of Zomato, himself.
Deepinder Goyal stated in the memo, “Tuki (Akriti), I know this doesn’t mean much to you, because you have always been a founder at Zomato. Sometimes more than me, but never less than me. Thank you. Congratulations for now officially being a founder at Zomato.”
This is not the first time that Zomato has made an executive a co-founder. Mohit Gupta who was previously appointed as the CEO of its food delivery business was also elevated as the co-founder. Gaurav Gupta, who previously was the Chief Operating Officer, is now the co-founder as well.
Akriti, who was working with PwC earlier, had joined Zomato in 2011 as a senior manager of finance and operations. She later became the Chief Financial Officer and Chief People Officer.
During her extensive tenure with Zomato, Chopra has contributed to building the company’s in-house legal, governance, risk, and compliance teams. She was also part of the global growth and international operations teams at the company.
In April this year, Zomato has filed it’s Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) with market regulator SEBI, proposing an initial public offering of ₹8,250 crores. It seems that prior to the launch of its public offering later this year, Zomato has been restructuring its top-level management.
Kaushik Dutta, director of Thought Arbitrage Research Institute, took over as chairman; Gunjan Tilak Raj Soni, CEO of Zalora Group, an e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia; Namita Gupta, founder of Airveda, maker of app-enabled air quality monitor; Sutapa Banerjee, a behavioral insights adviser; and Aparna Popat, a professional badminton player joined the board, reported CNBC TV18.