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Walmart Is Developing A Self-Driving Shopping CartThe retailer filed a patent for a cart that has a motor and video cameras.
Walmart Starting Holiday Layaway Program Early This YearThe retailer opens its layaway program on Friday to give customers a head-start on holiday shopping.
Deep Fried Twinkies Now Available At WalmartThe deep-fried Twinkie is jumping from the state fair to the home freezer.
Possibly Rabid Animal Bites Walmart Shoppers In Rhode IslandAt least two people were reportedly bitten by a small animal on the Fourth of July.
Frozen Veggies Sold At Walmart, Target Recalled Over Listeria RiskAnother frozen food recall due to listeria contamination is affecting brands sold at Walmart and Target.
Walmart Sues Visa Over Chip-Enabled Debit CardsThe suit underscores how retailers and financial institutions are locked in a continued battle on how to balance security while also providing convenience for shoppers.
Walmart In Complete Denial After Mistaking Massachusetts For Maryland On Terps T-ShirtFor as long as humans have been able to communicate via words, not once has anyone ever used a language to make a more preposterous statement.
NH Police Arrest 1 Of 2 Suspects Accused Of Stealing Cell Phone From 4-Year-Old GirlPolice have arrested one of two people who allegedly stole a cell phone from a 4-year-old girl Thursday night at a Tilton, New Hampshire Walmart.
Fired NH Wal-Mart Worker Who Claimed Discrimination Wins $31MA jury has awarded more than $31 million in damages to a former Wal-Mart pharmacist in New Hampshire who claimed she was wrongly fired after reporting safety concerns about co-workers dispensing prescriptions.
Walmart Shutting Down 154 Stores In U.S.No Walmart stores in Massachusetts will be impacted, but three Sam's Club locations in New England will be shut down.
'Disgusting!' Video Shows Birds Eating Meat In Chicopee Walmart17 birds had to be removed from the building.
Wal-Mart Syncs Black Friday Deals Online And In StoreAbout 96 percent of Black Friday deals will be offered both on the web and in stores.


text: Google Photos users can make these themed movies by heading over to this link, opening the Google Photos mobile app, or using Google Assistant (the link is easiest if you’re already on a computer). Users will need to pick the theme and then the pets or people to be featured in the movie, after which point Google takes care of the rest. The system uses machine learning to choose a soundtrack, find the appropriate images, and more.Users have the ability to edit the themed movie Google generates, though, in case there’s something they don’t like or want to add. This is possible via the movie editor in Android and iOS. Most countries are getting access to this themed movies tool starting today, Google says, and it plans to offer additional themes in the future.Themed movies aside, Google is also introducing the option to directly purchase a photo book for users in Canada and the US. These photo books can be made on mobile or desktop and they start at $9.99 each. Customers in the US can get one of these books by Valentine’s Day if they order it by midnight tonight with priority shipping, Google notes.SOURCE: Google Blog Google has announced some new options for Google Photos users, one of which is designed specifically for Valentine’s Day. Google Photos will automatically create themed movies for users at times, but now anyone can create their own themed movie whenever they want using a bunch of different themes. Among those themes is a new one called “Valentine’s Day Movie.” The Valentine’s Day Movie theme will create a themed movie from the user’s photos, one featuring their significant other; it’ll be like the video shown below. Other themed movie options include things like “Father’s Day Movie,” “In Loving Memory,” “Selfie Movie,” “Smiles of 2017,” “Doggie Movie,” “Meow Movie,” “Mother’s Day Movie,” and more.

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October 3, 2006
News for Pacific Media Expo 2006:
Olivia Lufkin headlines PMX with American debut
"We are honored to be her American debut," said Mike Tatsugawa, PMX Event Chair. "Her music has a long following on both sides of the Pacific. Her goth style reaches out to our big fashion fans. Her songs for the Nana anime are huge hits among the anime fans in the US. OLIVIA is one of those rare performers who resonates with everyone."
Born to a Japanese mother and an American father, OLIVIA was discovered while attending the celebrated Okinawa Actors' School and signed to Eurobeat girl group Dance & Dream (D&D). Their moderate success paved the way for her critically acclaimed 1999 solo debut produced by legend Komuro Tetsuya (TK), frequent collaborator of Amuro Namie, Globe, TRF and hitomi. In 2004, Avex released an overseas version of sophomore full album The Lost Lolli as recognition for her growing popularity.
After enjoying a musical hiatus, during which OLIVIA gained respect as a fashion model and designer, she was chosen by popular Nana manga author Ai Yazawa to provide the singing voice of character Reira Serizawa on the television program. She has since performed three songs for the opening and final credits. The first single, "A Little Pain," ranked at #8 on the Oricon charts and sold 20,162 copies in the first week. Offscreen, Nana has sold an astounding 22 million copies of its first 12 volumes.
OLIVIA appears courtesy of Avex as part of the Pacific Music Live concert series. Other performers featured are UchuSentai NOIZ, MECHANiCAL PANDA, Dig Jelly and Random Ninjas. PMX will also welcome Avatar: The Last Airbender creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino, as well as Kamikaze Girls creator and Lolita fashion icon Novala Takemoto.
Pre-registration is available online and includes a group discount of 20 percent for at least five attendees. Concert tickets will be on sale beginning Oct. 7, 2006. For the convenience of our attendees, we accept all forms of payment and have extended reduced membership costs to complement performance ticket releases.
About Pacific Media Expo: America's first major media trade show dedicated to Asian-Pacific popular culture and entertainment, Pacific Media Expo (PMX) is an industry event sponsored by the Pacific Media Association. Pacific Media Expo will be held on Oct. 28 and 29 at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport. The show will feature honored guests, live performances, panel discussions, autograph sessions, Asian cinema and animation video rooms, art exhibitions and one of the country's only exhibit halls dedicated to Asian media and pop culture.
About Pacific Media Association: Pacific Media Association, a not-for-profit company, is dedicated to promoting the Pacific Rim's entertainment and media industries. PMA specializes in Asia's cultural exports, such as anime and manga, music and live entertainment, live-action television and films, and diverse cultural lifestyles, while building creative communities and promoting Asian awareness within the United States. PMA is the parent of Pacific Media Expo. The Pacific Media Association is located in Los Angeles, California, USA.


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Samsung’s New 20 Megapixel Camera Doubles as a Phone
In an age when mobile photography is more popular than ever, Samsung takes the idea to an extreme. They just unveiled a new smartphone equipped with a 4.8″ screen and a 20MP camera – with optical zoom, no less.
The Samsung Galaxy K Zoom combines a 1280 x 720 resolution screen with a 6-core CPU and a camera that is actually higher in resolution than the semi-pro model I carry. This could have been the solution I am looking for as an alternative to photography, but unfortunately Samsung doesn’t have plans to release it in the US.
This camera runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat on a Samsung Exynos hexa-core CPU (1.3GHz quad-core processor and a 1.7GHz dual-core processor). It has 2GB RAM, 8GB or 16GB internal storage, and a microSD card slot. In terms of connectivity, the Galaxy K Zoom has LTE or 3G depending on the market, and it also packs in Wifi, Bluetooth, NFC, and GPS.
This camera also packs in the usual smartphone sensors (Accelerometer, Gyro, Proximity, Geomagnetic, Light), but it is the camera where sensor where this thing really shines. In addition to a 2MP front-facing camera, the Galaxy K Zoom also has a 20.7MP rear camera with a 10x optical zoom and flash.
Based on the list of camera features, I would say this is for all intents and purposes a camera with a phone shoved inside, and that’s why I am willing to forgive it for having smartphone specs on par with the Galaxy S3, which was released nearly 2 years ago.
Like its predecessor, this camera wasn’t made to appeal to smartphone buyers looking for the latest specs; it was built for people who want to slim down their gear bag by combining a couple gadgets.
And unlike the earlier model, the Galaxy K Zoom eschews the camera-like bump on the back in favor of a more smartphone-like curved rear shell – one which is heavier (200g) and thicker (2 cm) than most smartphones of a similar size.
Check out Android Central for a complete set of specs.


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NOVEMBER 14, 2013
Liew Chin Tong is the DAP MP for Kluang.
Last Saturday, I spoke at a forum on GST organised by Centre for Progressive Research and Penang Institute (formerly known as Seri) in Johor Bharu.
I asked whether there will be a perfect storm in 2015 in which several factors culminate into a crisis.
First, GST eats away disposable income and hence depresses domestic demand, as well as causes inflation at least in the first year.
Second, quantitative easing (QE) is likely to end by then. The interest rate is likely to be higher in 2015. A higher interest rate depresses domestic demand further. As the US dollar appreciates, imports would be more expensive.
On the other hand, exports may not be too good even with a depreciated ringgit largely because job growth in US and Europe would still be slow, thus demand of our exported goods would not be high. In addition, some US manufacturers are moving back to the States which means room for export-led growth is limited.
Third, I think it is safe to say that palm oil price is likely to further soften in 2015 mainly due to oversupply and a potential soya super harvest next year. The potential softening of palm oil prices will have major political consequences in Malaysia as small owners in small towns and rural areas depend heavily on commodities.
Fourth, would there be a property bubble? What would be the combined effect of GST implementation, higher interest rate (mostly as a result of QE tapering) and lower commodity prices? The moment someone begins to default, there is risk of a meltdown, especially in the context of very high domestic debt to GDP ratio.
Beyond that, the rating agencies' greater scrutiny of Malaysia's poorly managed public finances would likely to result in more expensive borrowing costs to the government and consequently pushing interest rate for everyone else up further.
Fuel prices are never easy to gauge. But petrol price may fall as the supply of shale gas comes through. The fall of petrol price will be a double edged sword.
It would mean less subsidy payment thus helping to reduce the deficit yet it will also erode Petronas's contribution to the public coffers thus potentially resulting in widening of deficit, which in turn further erodes the Government's creditworthiness.
I am working on a longer paper on the subject which I feel is of relevance to the debate on the future of Malaysian economy but has yet to receive much attention from the Government, which unfortunately not seeing the big picture at all. – November 14, 2013.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.


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Some cars are just so good they just keep selling and selling over the decades. Here we’ll look at the best selling cars of all time, including American made, European made and Japanese made.
American Made Cars
American car manufacturers build cars to last, and the top 10 are no exception. Starting at the bottom of the list, the Buick LeSabre sold 6 million models between 1959 and 2005. Just above the LeSabre is the Ford Taurus, which sold even more cars in a shorter period of time: 7.4 million from 1986 to today.
The cost of your vehicle may not end up being the most expensive cost you have. Depending on what kind of car you drive, fuel may end up costing nearly as much as the car! Here’s a look at some of the best and worst cars in terms of cost of fuel.
These costs are annual, and based on a driver traveling 15,000 miles a year (55% in the city and 45% on a highway). It also assumes that gas costs $2.67 per gallon.
It has been revealed that over 11,000 jobs are to be cut across Europe, 1,400 of those are in the UK. These cuts are happening after Magna, the Canadian-based spare parts venture, agreed to take over Opel and Vauxhall from General Motors.
Magna’s restructuring of Opel is yet another sign that Europe’s auto industry is flagging in the face of the recession, despite the spate of ‘cash incentives’ offered to consumers to buy new cars.


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There has been a lot of third-party support for the Nintendo Switch but one
franchise that has been notably missing is the Tomb Raider series. However, that
may be about to change as according to Game Rant, they have received a promo
image called Tomb Raider: The Ultimate Experience.


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Activision may have "fewer SKUs" in 2010, but it still needs its Heroes to champion the financial cause. Guitar Hero brand CEO Dan Rosensweig tells MCV that the publisher is already working on the "next iterations" of Guitar Hero and Band Hero, and mentions that there will be "more" DJ Hero....
Posted on Sep 16th 2014 2:30PM
Posted on Sep 16th 2014 10:00AM
Posted on Sep 12th 2014 8:30PM


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SINGAPORE — All vehicles in the Republic will run on cleaner energy within the next 20 years and those with internal combustion engines (ICE) will be progressively phased out, said Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat on Tuesday (18 February).
“For both public health and climate change reasons, we should progressively phase out the use of ICE vehicles towards cleaner alternatives, such as hybrids and EVs (electric vehicles). We need to set a long-term strategic goal for Singapore to achieve this,” said Heng during his Budget 2020 speech.
To that end, the Government will enhance incentives to encourage the adoption of more environmentally friendly vehicles even as it expands the number of charging points for electric vehicles at public carparks islandwide.
A Commercial Vehicle Emissions Scheme for light goods vehicles will be introduced, similar to the Vehicular Emissions Scheme for cars and taxis, which was introduced in 2018. Under the latter scheme, car buyers and taxi operators who choose cleaner vehicles get an upfront rebate of up to $20,000 and $30,000 respectively.
More details on the scheme for light goods vehicles will be announced at a later date.
Meanwhile, there will also be an EV Early Adoption Incentive for cars and taxis. Those who buy fully electric cars and taxis will get a rebate of up to 45 per cent on the additional registration fee, capped at $20,000. The incentive will run for three years from January 2021.
The road tax methodology for cars will also be revised such that the road tax for EVs and some hybrids vehicles will be reduced.
The Government will also expand the number of charging points for EVs, with a view to have up to 28,000 such points at public carparks by 2030. There are currently about 1,600 charging points in Singapore.
The vehicular tax structure will also be updated as EVs do not pay fuel excise duties, which currently yield about $1 billion annually and contribute significantly to government revenues.
With the next generation Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system and its distance-based charging several years away, the Government will also impose a lump-sum tax in the interim.
The lump-sum tax will be built into the road tax schedule for EVs to partly account for the loss in fuel excise duties. The new tax will be phased in over three years from January 2021, with the full quantum implemented by January 2023.
Total road tax, after the revision in methodology and new lump-sum tax, will be higher for some EVs, said Heng. But buyers who get the EV Early Adoption Incentive can still get substantial cost savings, he added.
Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore


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Tesla wants to double the number of Superchargers available in the world by the end of the year.
The American automaker says it started off 2017 with over 5,000 Superchargers globally and will increase that total to more than 10,000 by year’s end. In North America, Tesla plans on increasing the number of Superchargers by 150 percent, and in the state of California alone, it will add more than 1,000 Superchargers. In addition, it will increase the number of Destination Charging connectors from 9,000 to 15,000 worldwide.
Tesla says it’s moving full speed on site selection and many sites will soon enter construction, so that they’re open in time for the summer travel season. Some of the sites along the busiest travel routes will be larger so that they can accommodate several dozen Tesla Superchargers. Many of the sites will also be built further off the highway, so that local Tesla drivers are able to charge quickly when needed, as Tesla hopes to make charging ubiquitous in urban centers.
Discuss this story on our Tesla Forum


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Energous Corporation, the company behind the remote wireless charging solution WattUp, has announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that it has partnered with Vivo Global for the development of smartphones capable of recharging wirelessly and over-the-air. Energous Corporation believes that Vivo can be the key to introduce WattUp recharging technologies to the mobile market and contribute to driving the technology forward “in a significant way.”
Energous Corporation has been working on the WattUp solution for many years, and it was at the end of 2017 when its remote charging technology was approved by the FCC. The company also demonstrated truly remote wireless charging at last year’s Mobile World Congress, but this year in Barcelona, Energous Corporation went one step further towards commercializing its product to the masses.
Chinese smartphone manufacturer Vivo has gained an interest in WattUp and this new partnership could lead to the development of smartphones capable of recharging their batteries wirelessly, over-the-air, without having to make physical contact with wireless charging pads.
WattUp receivers have a small enough footprint and can be integrated with a wide variety of devices, some even smaller than smartphones, and offer orientation freedom as well as 90-degree angle support. The technology uses radio frequency to recharge devices over-the-air and takes advantage of foreign object detection technologies to avoid thermal issues with metal and other materials that may interfere with the wireless recharging process.
At Mobile World Congress, Energous Corporation demonstrated two wireless charging solutions, namely the WattUp Mid Field and WatUp Near Field transmitters. As the names suggest, WattUp Mid Field is the company’s solution providing remote wireless charging over-the-air. It allows compatible devices to be recharged at a distance of up to 15 feet, and the closer the device is to the transmitter, the faster it will recharge.
On the other hand, the WattUp Near Field transmitter is more similar to standard wireless charging and requires direct contact. Nevertheless, the WattUp fast charging transmitter-receiver solution delivers 20 watts of power and can be scaled higher. Energous Corporation claims that WattUp Near Field is faster than conventional wireless charging solutions, and is referring to it as Wireless Charging 2.0.
By combining both WattUp Mid Field and Near Field, OEMs such as Vivo could technically offer both remote wireless charging and faster conventional wireless charging in a single device. The video embedded below demonstrates how these technologies could work together in the real world. As yet there’s no word on what Vivo smartphone series might be the first to adopt Energous Corporation’s wireless charging technologies.
Vivo’s latest phone was introduced last week as the V15 Pro. It doesn’t use wireless charging technologies but does take advantage of a 3,700mAh battery with fast charging capabilities, and is capable of recharging up to 24-percent capacity in just 15 minutes. It should be noted that the model is not a flagship phone and instead it fits in the upper mid-range market. It’s powered by the Snapdragon 675 chipset from Qualcomm coupled with 6GB or 8GB of RAM and features a notch-less 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display while boasting in-display fingerprint sensor technology.


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Jordan Brand unveils the official images for the forthcoming Air Jordan 1 Low OG “Mystic Navy,” the latest colorway slated to hit shelves later this year. The sneaker arrives in a color scheme of “Black/Mystic Navy/White” with the titular hue just slightly lighter than navy blue.
The shoe boasts a black leather upper with a mystic navy toe box, Swooshes, tongue branding, heel overlays, as well as a rubber outsole. Meanwhile, OG markings include “Nike Air” on the tongue and “Wings” on the heel. Black nylon tongues and laces lay atop a White midsole to round out the design.
Priced at $130 USD, the Air Jordan 1 Low OG “Mystic Navy” will be available later this year via Nike and other retailers. Check out the official images for the shoe in the meantime.
Elsewhere in sneakers, the adidas Yeezy Foam Runner will be available in “Onyx” this week.


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As hotly anticipated a festive tradition as mince pies, sherry and Santa popping down the chimney, The Big Issue’s exclusive, designer wrapping paper is back for 2019 – and it’s going to sell out fast!
Artists Ben Eine, Charming Baker,Pure Evil, Magnus Gjoen, Joe Webb, Eelus, Louise McNaught, Dan Hillier and Neishaa Gharat have created highly collectable designs for us this year, and as ever the distinctive paper and tags will be available only through The Big Issue Shop.
This unique collection, created in collaboration with Jealous Gallery and Art Republic, features works by nine artists. There are 250 signed, limited-edition single-image sheets of each artist’s design, priced at £39 each, while a pack of five sheets of regular wrapping paper costs £7.99. Wrapping your gifts in these designs will ensure your paper steals the show from what’s inside.
Russell Blackman, MD of The Big Issue, said: “This will be the fourth year running that The Big Issue has worked with top artists on this wonderful designer wrapping paper. Last year, we saw the collection sell swiftly over the festive build-up, raising thousands of pounds for The Big Issue in support of its mission to dismantle poverty. Now, we’re delighted to unveil this year’s unique collection – we know you’ll love it.”
He added: “By buying your wrapping paper from us for a loved one this Christmas you are directly helping to better the lives of people who exist in conditions that desperately need improving.”
The Big Issue Shop specialises in products that put people and planet first, sourced from social businesses. Buy your wrapping paper now at The Big Issue Shop – but get in quick before they’re gone.


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T-Mobile on Wednesday announced new One Military plans for military members, as well as their families and small businesses, offering four lines for $100 or six lines for $120 per month. The basic plan starts at $55, i.e. $15 down the regular price a consumer would pay for a T-Mobile One line, with the second line being $25, and the other four available lines being priced at $10 each. The wireless carrier's Half Off discount also applies here, allowing military members and their families to purchase popular flagships such as Samsung's Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus at 50-percent off.
The promotion is officially starting on April 22, and as is the case with other T-Mobile One plans offered by the mobile service provider, taxes and other fees are already calculated into the cited costs, with subscribers also being eligible for other benefits at no extra charge. Among other things, the company is pointing to a free Netflix Standard subscription, full eligibility for T-Mobile Tuesdays, switching cost subsidies, Scam ID and Scam Block services, as well as Gogo Inflight support as some of the added incentives for choosing one of its T-Mobile One plans. The firm is describing its new move as the latest step in its efforts to continue being worthy of the title of a military-friendly employer awarded by the Military Friendly Company that it's been holding for eleven consecutive years now.
As part of the same announcement, T-Mobile committed to hiring over 10,000 U.S. Military veterans and their spouses over the course of the next half a decade so as to combat the still-problematic trend of veteran unemployment. The Bellevue, Washington-base company also pledged to continue investing in the fifth generation of mobile networks and prioritize 5G deployment targeting communities around U.S. military bases going forward. In 2018 alone, T-Mobile is planning to commit over half a billion dollars to 4G LTE buildouts in such areas so as to prepare them for the rollout of 5G connectivity which it's expecting to kick off on a national scale in 2019. All consumers eligible to sign up for the new T-Mobile One Military plans can do so by referring to the banner below.


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Netcracker Technology has today announced the launch of a new suite of products, enhanced for the 5G era and focusing on their customers' digital lifestyle.
The new digital portfolio, called Netcracker 2020, includes the Digital BSS/OSS and Customer Engagement products, which is built for the cloud and allows service providers to develop their own enhancements and functions through a low code platform.
Netcracker 2020 also leverages an expanded security framework and features continuous short releases using Agile/DevOps processes to grant faster access to service providers with minimal disruptions to business operations.
Users can streamline their remote consumer and business interactions as well as customer engagement through AI-driven contextual interactions within Netcracker 2020. With this, they can combine their own services with those from partners.
To cater to a business environment where more priority is assigned to customer experience and requirements, personalised offerings can be dynamically created and delivered with enhanced user experience and cross-partner loyalty schemes.
"Netcracker 2020 is the culmination of over 25 years of experience of providing and operating mission-critical systems to hundreds of service providers around the globe in order to keep their businesses moving forward," says Netcracker chief technology officer Bob Titus.
"This includes support for new business models, hyper-automation, cloud adoption and the use of open source, outcome-based delivery models and, perhaps most importantly, an exceptional digital-first customer experience."
Evolving to a more partner-based digital economy will require the management of complex relationships and business models with new partners, including other service providers.
Netcracker's new suite helps build digital ecosystems that quickly adapt to changing business and market needs. With automated onboarding, simplified lifecycle management, and partner-centric B2B2X opportunities, service providers can become both leaders and enablers of new platform-based monetisation opportunities in diverse markets, Netcracker says.
It also uses a new operational model to remove manual tasks and drive hyper-automation across network domains, business processes and channels that are quickly moving towards open 5G networks with cloud-native functions and highly demanding edge cloud applications.
Netcracker 2020's digital applications are cloud-native and designed to run in a multi-cloud environment, delivering the same high performance and resiliency on public clouds as on-premise cloud platforms.
"As BSS/OSS becomes increasingly critical to assure customer experience and enable security and flexible services, Netcracker has strengthened its position as the leader in helping service providers succeed in the highly competitive digital economy," says Strategy Analytics director of networks and service platforms Sue Rudd.
"Netcracker 2020 offers service providers a highly automated, multi-vendor microservices-based environment to address their customers' dynamic digital needs and sets the benchmark for modern BSS/OSS to accelerate revenue-generating service delivery in today's uncertain world."


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BCG report sparks debate in ‘reshoring’ or ‘backsourcing’
Posted on the yorkiementor blog 1st May 2012
Since the Boston Consulting Group [BCG] published a report in August 2011, ‘Made in America, Again: Why Manufacturing Will Return to the USA,’ there has been an increasing volume of debate on whether or not it was starting to make business sense to bring certain, previously ‘off-shored’ businesses or activities back to the UK.
Have things really changed? The BCG study makes a case for the USA, but the logic and conclusions should not be discounted purely on the basis that we are not the USA and developments in the UK and Europe are so different.
The, ‘At a glance’, conclusions are, and I quote:
China’s overwhelming manufacturing cost advantage over the USA is shrinking fast. Within five years, a BCG analysis concludes, rising Chinese wages, higher USA productivity, weaker dollar, and other factors will virtually close the cost gap between the USA and China for many good consumed in North America.
LOOK AT TOTAL COSTS
Companies should undertake a rigorous, product-by-product analysis of their global supply networks that fully accounts for the total costs, rather than just factory wages. For many products sold in North America, the USA will become a more attractive manufacturing option.
REASSESS YOUR CHINA STRATEGY
For many products that have a high labour content and are destined for Asian markets, manufacturing in China will remain the best choice because of technological leadership or economies of scale. But China should no longer be treated as the default option.
Certainly something for the UK to think about, particularly as Europe continues to devalue on the world stage.
The decision to ‘reshore’ and bring operations back to the UK depends on many factors and needs careful consideration but do not rule it out.
Here are some additional thoughts and insight:
- Reshoring Initiative (USA);
- Buzzworthy Benefits of ‘Reshoring’ Companies [Forbes];
- Reshoring: Five reasons why China will remain the world’s factory [The Financial Times];
- Re-shoring [New York Times, Opinion Pages];
- China Cups to Clitheroe – UK Manufacturing Grows [Levantar blog];
- A New Chinese Export – Jobs [TIME Business];
- Re-shoring firms head for home [China Daily];
- Jobs lost to Asia reappear in UK [This is Money].
Filed under: Export, Manufacture, Procurement, Risk & Continuity Management Tagged: #simplifyingbusiness, backsourcing, BCG, Boston Consulting Group, business, employment, international, jobs, lean, outsourcing, reshore, reshoring, risk, sustainability, UK


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These Will Be The Fastest-growing Economies In 2021The year 2020 will be remembered for a long time, not just by individual people but economies as well. Many economies, including major ones, were hit hard by the pandemic, with some plunging into recession. On the other hand, this year is expected to be the exact opposite and a year of growth. Let’s take a look at the fastest-growing major economies in the world in 2021.
Fastest-Growing Economies In 2021
We have used data on GDP estimates from GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, to come up with our list of the fastest-growing major economies in the world in 2021.
Italy’s economy shrank by 2% in the fourth quarter of last year, slightly less than expected. The economy rebounded by 16% in the third quarter after the coronavirus restrictions were relaxed. However, the economy shrank again in the next quarter after an increase in the number of cases, which forced the government to put restrictions on businesses. For the full year, the economy shrank by 8.8%, the highest since World War II.
Indonesia witnessed its first full-year contraction in more than two decades in 2020. The GDP drop was slightly more than expected in the fourth quarter. The economy shrank by 2.19% in the fourth quarter, compared to an estimated 2% by economists in a Reuters poll. The Indonesian economy grew by 5% in 2019. The government is targeting GDP growth of about 5% this year.
According to a forecast by the Bank of England, economic activity in the country will return to its pre-coronavirus level by the end of this year. Previously, the central bank expected a rebound in economic activity by early 2022. The rapid vaccination drive will also play a crucial role in pushing up growth. About 24 million Britons have already been injected with the first dose of the vaccine.
The Spanish government aims to reduce its deficit and debt-to-GDP ratio in 2021. After an estimated contraction of over 11% in 2020, the government expects growth of more than 7% in 2021. Spain’s debt-to-GDP ratio was 114.1% in the third quarter, compared to 97.5% for the same period a year earlier. In 2020, the government estimated the budget deficit to have reached 11.3% of the GDP and now expects to bring it down to 7.7% this year.
Singapore witnessed a lower-than-expected drop in GDP in 2020. Economic activity in the country picked up in the fourth quarter after COVID-related restrictions were eased. In 2020, Singapore’s economy contracted by 5.8%, compared to the official forecast of between 6% and 6.5%. In the fourth quarter, the GDP dropped by 3.8% year over year, compared to an earlier estimate of 5.6%.
France is the Eurozone’s second-biggest economy. The French economy is expected to contract again in the first quarter of 2021, following a contraction of 1.3% in the last quarter of 2020. In 2019, the French economy grew by 1.5%, making it the best-performing country in the Eurozone. However, the drop last year was its worst recession since World War II.
Robust recovery in manufacturing and construction is expected to fuel the Malaysian economy this year. The level of recovery in other sectors will depend on the improvement in both domestic and external demand. Last year the Malaysian economy contracted by an estimated 6% as both private investment and consumption dropped sharply. Inflation in the country is estimated to recover to 2%.
The Philippines (8.4%)
The Philippines’ economy contracted more than expected in the fourth quarter of last year. Private consumption in the country remained weak, even as more businesses reopened following the lockdown. In the final quarter of last year, the country’s GDP dropped 8.3% year over year. For all of 2020, the Philippines’ GDP plunged by 9.5%, the biggest drop in government data going back to 1946.
China was able to dodge a recession last year. The country reported growth of 2.3% in 2020, and it was the only major economy to post growth last year. For 2021, China is targeting growth of over 6%. Further, the country is aiming for an urban unemployment rate of about 5.5% and plans to create over 11 million new urban jobs. China is also targeting a 3% increase in the consumer price index, a measure of inflation.
India went into a technical recession following the coronavirus pandemic but is expected to rebound stronger. The country is witnessing massive inflows of foreign direct investments. Other factors contributing to the bullish view on the country are the massive economic stimulus package announced by the government, growing vaccination efforts and an uptick in consumer demand. The Indian economy dropped by about 24% year over year in the second quarter of 2020 and is expected to grow 0.53% year over year in the first quarter of this year.


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Electric autonomous vehicle (AV) provider Loxo is planning to use Innoviz Technologies' Lidar sensors in its delivery trucks, which are due to hit the roads this year.
"As we look forward to deploying our solution on public roads in 2023, we have rigorously selected Innoviz's solution to equip our vehicles with the industry-leading Lidar to ensure the highest levels of safety and operational efficiency," said Amin Amini, co-founder & CEO of Loxo.
InnovizOne is "accurate and high-performing, ensuring our vehicles navigate complex and obstacle-ridden urban road networks safely", he added.
Innoviz says the autonomous last-mile delivery market is projected to grow from $57.67 billion in 2021 to $68.95 billion by 2028.
Omer Keilaf, co-founder and CEO at Innoviz, said the solid-state sensor is "well-equipped to tackle challenging urban environments and make the delivery of goods more convenient, affordable, and safe".
"In collaboration with Loxo, we look forward to enabling this critical service for users, especially during the busiest delivery days of the year, and revolutionising the local transport of goods across cities worldwide," he concluded.
Switzerland-based Loxo will present its autonomous and zero-emission delivery vehicle use case with InnovizOne at CES 2023 in Las Vegas on 7 January at 3:30pm on Innoviz's booth #6553.


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The PXP event organized by Teleperfomance took place at its factory in Lisbon. The goal is to invest 1.2 million euros to showcase its new esports arena as well as a virtual reality lab. On a day of various events related to gaming and eSports, the company organized panel discussions, One of them is dedicated to Metaverse with the theme “Upgrade your Metaverse Journey”“.
Metaverse investor Randall van Poelvoorde sets out to understand what this new digital world is all about, telling the story of how he fell in love with this “virtual world.”Your company, Meta, started with bots, but After seeing Steven Spielberg’s “Player Ready One” movie, he has a vision for the future. Facebook’s Oculus and the launch of the Virtual Dinosaur Experience make you even more curious. He started talking to people from VR and AR, deepening his curiosity into knowledge.
When he discovered that the metaverse could solve people’s problems, he decided to invest. It emphasizes that the metaverse has arrived and is ready to take the leap. Companies should start developing strategies and investing in Metaverse, leaving a note for investors. His vision for Web 3.0 claims to have given him the tools necessary to democratize the metaverse, the possibility of interaction, and the possibility of people doing business with each other. But why is it necessary to use the metaverse? Some examples are left for explanation. “The trips made, often unnecessary, are destroying the world, and the metaverse can solve the problem of displacement, meeting in a single space and uniting anyone from different parts of the planet.
He also said the pandemic has made us vulnerable and locked in our homes. By being able to bring people together virtually through the internet, the Metaverse has proven its worth.. Even through social media. The metaverse is constructed so that everyone can speak the same language, but also share the senses, be it touch or smell, thanks to technology. To give another example, in his native Netherlands, long queues caused traffic jams as two people who were supposed to operate the tunnel fell ill at home. “Should we add workers, or give these people the tools to operate the tunnels they’re in?? ” This is an example of a problem solved through the Metaverse.
It is said that web 1 is about content, web 2 is about interaction, and web 3 is about connection. But for you, The metaverse is already among us.
After the presentation, there was a discussion group on Metaverse. Is the Metaverse the Future of Play and Work? One conclusion is that in the future, at least half of the time will be spent on virtual tools.. On the other hand, it depends on how society adopts the metaverse. Is it necessary to do a so-called virtual reality? Probably not, just make a normal phone call. But functionality can be added as the next step in this interaction.
Companies have been using virtual reality and the metaverse for training, something they have been doing for the past two years., especially in a pandemic world. People are becoming more open to this training experience.
But what works and what doesn’t? Not everyone is very receptive to virtual reality systems, But for their avatars in the virtual world, it has begun to accept being “replaced” by virtual characters. More and more people are experiencing VR for the first time, although there is still a long way to go. Using headsets for extended periods of time is one of the challenges to overcome in VR interaction.. “Bring the shape to the sunglasses, we’re good,” said one panelist.
People are looking for new experiences. In games, there are already dedicated communities. Therefore, Metaverse needs to have a good community that allows users to return to the virtual space.. Young people born after the 2000s who will be decision makers in the future don’t know the reality without the Internet and everything related to cyberspace.
Trust and Safety are activities designed to keep users’ platforms safe. May be content moderation or ensuring there are tools to take down inappropriate content. It also ensures that people are buying your stuff safely and authentically.. Companies entering Metaverse should consider this.For example, moderating a livestream or online store is a challenge, etc. There will be artificial intelligence to help regulate the metaverseTherefore, anyone interested in adopting the Metaverse should implement trust and safety concerns on day one, the panel said.
But how can regulations be implemented without “scaring” users? Common sense and most user behaviors have been studied. When you’re just having fun, people aren’t engaged. But when buying something and paying with a credit card, the mindset has to be different, more focused and reflective, a behavior similar to what we do in real life.
Behaviour is a topic that should be discussed, because weird things happen, and when people use anonymous avatars, there is the potential to do “crazy things”. Therefore, a balance needs to be struck between people’s complete freedom and a sense of security.
The community in this new universe must be held accountable for these actions.And companies that build their own environments. As it grows, governments will have a say in what happens in the virtual world and will have to play their part. However, it has been discussed that there is no “police” at home to decide how to act, but rather that people in real life have to adapt to the same behavior, but in the virtual world.
Much has been said about the markup in the metaverse. Is this a good thing for customers? Brands should help explain what people need. Safe environment proposed by brands, ensuring that people adapt to their marketing campaigns in new ways. How will the Metaverse integrate with other technologies? The point is that virtual reality and virtual worlds are not the same thing. Metaverse is accessible through other platforms, VR is just the most immersive. It is said that you can access the metaverse even through TV. Just as previous technologies were integrated into the lives of people and companies, the same will happen with the adoption of the Metaverse. Using a mouse and keyboard is a natural thing these days, but in the virtual world, you can use your hands as you would in real life. He concludes by emphasizing not to make the mistake of introducing the metaverse into the challenge of everything and everything else.


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“Do we want to continue to buy into and ask for help from a system that doesn’t represent us?” Cathy…
By Kathleen Leblanc Daniela Tabois, a name recognized in the YouTube world as a DIY guru, launched her bridal jumpsuit…
By Lara Falcone
In a humanitarian effort last month, Beyonce visited Haiti to survey the progress made since the deadly 2010 earthquake that hit Port-au-Prince claiming up to 300,000 lives. After discovering that St. Damien Pediatric Hospital in Taberre has been suffering from a lack of funding, Beyonce decided to sell her popular BeyGood charity shirt online, giving proceeds from the sales directly to the hospital.
By Lara Falcone
Last week the Haiti’s Center for the Facilitation of Investments (CFI) and Association of Industries of Haiti signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Inter-American Development Bank to ensure support in renewing the existing duty-free trade agreement with the United States.
The clothing industry plays a critical role in Haiti’s economy, with garments accounting for 90 percent of the country’s exports to the United States. In 2014, $854.3 million worth of textiles and apparel were shipped to the U.S.
South African designer David Tlale presented his FW15 collection during Mercedes Benz fashion week at Lincoln Center on Feb. 15. The collection focused on statement-making, sexy clothing that featured rich fabrics with intricate details.
For the first time since leaving Haiti as a young child, Prajje Jr. Jean-Baptiste, founder of fashion company Prajje 1983, will return to Haiti to debut his latest collection in an exhibition entitled L’Art de la Mode. A man with a great deal of vision, Prajje started his company in 2003 with the goal of becoming a force to be reckoned with in the fashion industry, and he is well on his way to seeing that goal come to fruition.
Port Au Prince, Haiti — The third edition of Haiti Fashion Week (HFW) wowed audiences with fashions and accessories…


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By the coming December Sudan is expected to access World Trade Organization WTO the objective that Sudan
has been working to realize for more than decade for.
This issue was discussed in a two days workshop last week; Dr. Yassin who headed Sudan delegation in Geneva negotiation outlined the importance of joining WTO saying Sudan has met the conditions to be member “we expect the accessing of Sudan to the WTO by Dec. 2017, because the government of Sudan has prepared 12 documents to explain readiness due to the domestic reformation” also he urged the officials responsible for negotiations to share private sectors and to coordinate with the ministry of trade and lined bodies.
While Hiba Al Fadel an expert in International trade Center briefed that the event was coming in the context of Japanese support to Sudan financially and technically, pointed out to the historical background of WTO and the procedures of joining it.
The economic advisor of Yemen mission in Geneva Najeeb Hamime was addressing the participants stated that accessing WTO is “is moving objective” because it has intersection with the interests of others.
While the state minister of the ministry of trade Al Sadiq Mohamed Ali hailed the efforts of Japan urging the government to avail chance for private sector to participate in negotiation assuring that “83%” of business activities run by private sector. Sudanese Businessmen and Employer’s Federation is a stakeholder in accessing WTO.
“Sudan can benefit from the facilities and can reach international markets easily” said Al-Sadiq who informed that 164 states members dominate 98% of global trade activity.
Hasab Al-rasoul, a businessman appealed to “an exceptional” case of Sudan due to the US economic sanctions that impacted on all aspects of life, adding accessing to WTO enable Sudan to write of US$ 48 billion in debt, warring that staying out of WTO represents threat to national economy.
While Mohamed Abdul Majid urging the government not to hurry toward WTO at present, says “joining WTO affect the sovereignty of the state, also the economic platform is weak, it is better to wait for more reformations in law and system” pointed out that “China” has been negotiating for 15 years despite its economic power.
While Reuters has reported earlier that Khartoum- July 2013 has been set by the World Trade Organization (WTO) as a date for processing Sudan’s official application on joining the 160-member international organization.
Sudan’s official application to join the most powerful legislative and judicial body regulating international trade has been delayed for more than 22 years for political and economic reasons. The application will be handed over by Minister of International Cooperation Kamal Hassan Ali.
To join, candidate countries have to offer to cut tariffs, change their laws to guarantee the rights of importers and exporters under WTO rules, commit to implement 24 trade agreements and lift restrictions on imports and exports.
Sudan established a department in the Ministry of Trade to manage WTO membership process and allocated a huge budget for efforts to join WTO.
Vice President Abdel Rahman Ali confirmed that Sudan’s delegation to Geneva is mobilizing support to its official application for joining the WTO.
As the new member has to apply equally to all WTO members, “Sudan’s delegation will meet International Trade Center Director, WTO membership officials, representatives of United Nations Security Council permanent members and the representatives of Brazil, India and China,” Ali said.
The government in Sudan has assembled a higher committee, encompassing all economic sectors as to research and resolve troubles faced by national producers. The upcoming stage in Sudan is anticipated to hold a significant step set for providing resources and opportunities on increasing the quality on national agricultural and industrial products, and services.
It is worth mentioning that the International Cooperation Minister in his statement told the press that each of the financial and economic sectors in Sudan is fully prepared to fulfill WTO requirements. The Sudanese government has arranged for an economic program covering the next four years, and which especially attends the rate of production in each of the agricultural and industrial sectors. The government eased red tape procedures on investment, making it easier. Moreover, new mechanisms for settling disputes were founded.


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In this Q&A, 30A founder Mike Ragsdale itemizes what he thinks his industry is doing wrong and how 30A, by making community paramount, has become the top revenue-producing site among independents.
Eight-year-old 30A is one of the top revenue producers among Internet news pure-plays – hitting $2.2 million last year and projected to reach $3 million in 2017. It attains numbers that elude some daily newspapers because its revenue streams include everything from a radio station to events to retail shops, as CEO Mike Ragsdale explains in this Q & A.
Founder and CEO Mike Ragsdale explains why diversification is such an important element of 30A’s fast growth into what is now a multimillion-dollar operation. He also explains how community news sites that don’t have a tropical beachfront to boast about can create their own unique, revenue-generating brands.
A roundup of today’s big stories in hyperlocal publishing, marketing, commerce, and technology…… Google Maps gets better integration with Uber and OpenTable (Mashable)… Walmart Brings Product Search To The In-Store Experience (Search Engine Land)… Amazon Tries Out Taxi Deliveries In California Cities (CNBC)…


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Japanese logistics company Sagawa Holdings announced on February 1 that it would test its delivery service in Vietnam this month and officially begin operations by early March.
This year, the company will spend 100 million yen (US$1.2 million) on recruitment training, trucks and motorbikes for delivery of goods. It targets an annual turnover of 1 billion yen ($12 million), for the next three years.
Initially, the company will deliver goods in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and between the two cities. It will offer secure delivery of goods within a day in inner city areas at $4.2 per package, and 3-4 days delivery time between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City at $7.6 per package.


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January 27, 2014 – anCnoc is releasing the latest in its vintage series of single malt Scotch whiskies from the Knockdhu Distillery near Huntly in Aberdeenshire. The 1999 vintage was bottled at the end of 2013 after maturation in a combination of ex-Bourbon casks and Spanish oak ex-Sherry casks, and continues the distillery’s tradition of releasing vintages from consecutive years. In a news release, anCnoc brand manager Gillian Gibson hinted that the 1999 anCnoc will be just the first of several new releases from the distillery this year.
“Our 1999 Vintage marks the first in a series of fresh and exciting developments for anCnoc in 2014 which are sure to intrigue and delight fans of our range. This very special expression, with its distinctive characteristics, will undoubtedly be a welcome addition to anCnoc collections.”
9,000 bottles (750 cases) will be available through whisky specialist retailers in the UK, Germany, Taiwan, and Russia at a recommended retail price of £49.99 ($83.00 USD).


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By 2020, Nissan will produce an electric model that can travel without recharging the battery up to 550 kilometers. On this edition of Nikkei Automotive said the technical Director of Department of development of electric cars and hybrids of the Japanese brand Kazuo Practically.
According to him, when creating new items using technologies and design solutions concept car Nissan IDS made its debut at the 2015 Tokyo motor show. At the moment the Japanese have already created a working prototype, equipped with a battery capacity of 60 kWh.
"We have developed a prototype able to travel up to 550 kilometres. It has the same dimensions and size of the cabin as the model Leaf of the current generation," — said Practically.
In addition, the engineer told some details about the Leaf electric car's second generation. According to Azimi, range electric vehicle will increase from the current 250-280 km from 350-400 kilometers. As previously reported, the premiere of the next Leaf will take place before the end of 2017.
The Nissan Leaf is the first generation appeared in Europe in 2011, and two years later received a package of updates. Electric car is equipped with a 110-horsepower electric motor that allows the car to accelerate to 145 km per hour. published
P. S. And remember, only by changing their consumption — together we change the world! ©


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This week's bulletin includes:
- The Sammies 2022 – Thursday 5 May
- Member Webinar
The most recent Association member Webinar was entitled ‘The changing high street and how it is likely to evolve going forward’. It took place on Thursday 21 April at 3.30pm.
The speakers were Diane Wehrle, Marketing and Insights Director of Springboard, and Michele Young, founder and Director of Foodservice Support.
The British Sandwich Association and the Pizza Pasta & Italian Food Association held a webinar on the subject of ‘Delivery’ on Thursday 28 April at 2.30 pm.
With consumer demand for the convenience of delivery increasing, food businesses are under pressure to provide this service in order to maintain the volume of sales they need.


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Independent digital agency Ridgeway has become the first organisation in the UK to deploy the integrated Kentico and Ucommerce enterprise solution which resulted from the partnership between the two software companies announced in July 2017.
This integration will form part of a wider strategy for Ridgeway to widen its offering to clients and allow it to create a powerful enterprise-level commerce solution with all the benefits of the Kentico CMS, e-commerce, and online marketing platform.
Simon Cole, Ridgeway’s managing director says: “As e-commerce specialists, we were thrilled to hear about the partnership between Ucommerce and Kentico as it means we are able to offer our clients more options, ensuring we deliver the right solution with the right capabilities. We are excited to be the first partner to deliver a project of this nature and look forward to many more in the future!”
Paul Vass, country manager at Ucommerce commented: “Ridgeway is one of the strongest Kentico partners in the UK and we are thrilled not only about this new partnership, but also the fact that they are the first in the UK with an actual project. We are very much looking forward to a long and fruitful partnership ahead.”
Ucommerce is a .NET based commerce platform, with the focus on bringing content and commerce together.


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WASHINGTON, DC – Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that EasyPay Finance (EasyPay), a rent-a-bank lender that had operated in the District, will pay more than $215,000 to resolve allegations that it used predatory practices to deceive hundreds of District residents into paying interest rates significantly above DC’s legally allowed maximum rate. In addition to financial terms, EasyPay must follow strict operational conditions going forward to ensure that the company no longer takes advantage of District consumers and complies with District consumer protection laws.
“This investigation and settlement shuts down EasyPay’s practice of offering predatory loans at outrageously high interest rates to District borrowers,” said AG Schwalb. “Using out-of-state banks as a cover to attempt to circumvent District laws, EasyPay charged customers exorbitant interest rates averaging 163% APR - roughly 7 times higher than DC’s 24% limit - trapping consumers in cycles of debt that threatened to ruin their credit scores and financial security. My office will continue to aggressively enforce DC’s consumer protections to the fullest extent of the law and will pursue every avenue to prevent out-of-state lenders from evading the District’s interest rate cap.”
EasyPay operated as a rent-a-bank lender offering financing for purchases in DC through two District locations. An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found that from 2018-2022, EasyPay preyed on hundreds of District consumers by providing loans with an average Annual Percentage Rate (APR) of 163%, a minimum APR of 35.9%, and a maximum APR of 198.98% - well above the District’s usury cap of 24%. District law sets the maximum interest rates that lenders can charge in their written contracts at 24% per year. Violations of these limits are illegal under the Consumer Protection Procedures Act (CPPA), which prohibits a broad range of deceptive and unfair business practices.
As a result of OAG’s investigation and action, EasyPay must:
- Pay a total of $216,548.83 to provide full restitution to affected consumers and cover a payment to the District.
- $156,548.83 will be paid to affected consumers as restitution for the interest paid above DC’s cap of 24%; and
- $60,000 will be paid to the District.
- Stop using out-of-state banks to charge rates above the District’s legal cap. EasyPay will not advertise or act as a service provider for loans or lines of credit to District consumers at an illegal rate.
- Delete negative credit reporting. EasyPay will facilitate permanent deletion from consumers’ credit reports of any negative credit information associated with the loans and lines of credit that it reported to credit bureaus.
- Cease collection on defaulted loans. EasyPay will not collect on loans where consumers are at least 60 days past due and will not sell these loans for collection by others.
The full settlement agreement is available here.
This matter was handled by Senior Assistant Attorney General Wendy Weinberg and Assistant Attorney General Margaret Ulle, under the supervision of Adam Teitelbaum, Director of the Office of Consumer Protection.
OAG’s Efforts to Combat Predatory Lending
This settlement builds on OAG’s work to hold predatory lenders accountable. In particular, OAG has become a national leader in combatting “rent-a-bank” schemes. In May 2023, AG Schwalb secured a precedent-setting settlement with SoLo Funds, an online fin-tech lender that deceived consumers about the true cost of the loans on its platform and facilitated loans with an average APR of 500%. In February 2022, OAG secured nearly $4 million from Elevate Credit, Inc. to refund over 2,500 District consumers who misleadingly marketed high-cost loans and lines of credit. In November 2021, OAG announced an over $2 million settlement with Opportunity Financial, LLC, a predatory online lender that provided deceptive loans to over 4,000 District consumers and charged interest rates seven times greater than the District’s rate cap. In January 2021, OAG joined a multistate lawsuit against the Trump administration’s True Lender Rule, which made it easier for lenders to bypass state interest rate caps. In August 2020, OAG joined a coalition of attorneys general in filing suit against the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) for issuing a rule that would dramatically expand preemption of state interest rate caps to non-bank entities. Previously, OAG led a coalition of 14 states urging the FDIC to protect borrowers from abusive lending practices. OAG also secured more than $3 million in refunds and debt forgiveness for District residents through a lawsuit against another exploitative lender that attempted to circumvent DC law.
How to Report Illegal or Unfair Business Practices
To report unfair business practices, scams, or fraud, you can submit a consumer complaint to OAG by:
- Texting “COMPLAINT” to 202-738-5212 and following the prompts
- Messaging OAG using the chat feature at: oag.dc.gov/consumer
- Submitting a complaint online at: https://oag.dc.gov/consumer-protection/submit-consumer-complaint
- Calling (202) 442-9828
- Emailing firstname.lastname@example.org


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Jimmy Smith Discusses Intellectual Property On Bloomberg
On May 25, Jimmy Smith, chief executive officer of Amusement Park Entertainment, talks about intellectual property, advertising and the technology industry.
He speaks with Cory Johnson on Bloomberg Television's "Bloomberg West." (Source: Bloomberg)
The discussion looks at how Amusement Park is not a traditional advertising agency but instead an entertainment agency that looks to not only create marketing ideas but instead also create the Intellectual Property behind the great ideas.ShareThis


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Real Innovators Embrace the Tough Issues
In recent years, U.S. retailers have enthusiastically deployed technologies that enable
them to learn more about shopper behavior. Sophisticated indoor location-based analytics
communicate with smartphones and other mobile devices to anonymously identify shoppers
that come into a store, learn how they travel within that store, their dwell times in specific
departments and other behavioral business metrics.
The end goal of these technologies is to help retailers provide their customers with the best
possible shopping experience. Indoor location-based analytics help retailers ensure they offer
the products customers most want, maintain the ideal ratio of sales associates to shoppers
for highly personalized service, create marketing and merchandising campaigns that appeal to
shoppers, and much more.
Again, the objective of these technologies is to empower retailers to provide a great shopping
experience for their customers.
As can be the case with new technologies, however, consumers had questions. Were retailers
spying on shoppers? Was the technology capturing personal information from their mobile
devices? Were retailers invading consumer privacy?
The market was soon flooded with misconceptions, misunderstandings and inaccurate media
reports that fueled consumer fears. The issue became heated enough to attract the attention
of the U.S. Senate, and Senators Charles Schumer and Al Franken were among those who
stepped up to ask tough questions of shopper analytics companies.
The industry reacted in multiple ways. A few retailers very publicly removed shopper analytics
technologies from their stores, and a good number of technology providers and retailers
remained silent in hopes of avoiding negative attention while continuing to provide and make
use of retail shopper analytics.
A few shopper analytics companies, however, actively joined the debate, and one such
company demonstrated the importance of embracing tough public issues, overcoming
misconceptions and providing genuine industry leadership.
iInside is a leading provider of advanced indoor location-based analytics. The company has
more than 20 patents and more than 30 years’ experience providing advanced location-based
analytics to retail and other industries. (Full disclosure: iInside is a client of our firm.)
iInside launched a multi-faceted campaign to tackle the privacy issue with a level of innovation
similar to that which drives its development of best-in-class technologies.
Future of Privacy Forum. iInside joined forces with Senator Schumer, other location analytics
providers and the Future of Privacy Forum to identify and clarify all privacy concerns related to
indoor location-based analytics.
Code of Conduct. iInside and other FPF members crafted – and committed to – a Code of
Conduct and best practices to safeguard consumer privacy while enabling retailers and others
to continue using location analytics to better serve their customers.
Corporate Clarity. iInside actively communicates its commitment to maintaining consumer
privacy via its website and through the retailers and other companies it serves.
Industry Education. iInside helps retailers and other companies better understand how to
ensure compliance with the FPF Code of Conduct and safeguard consumer privacy. At the
same time, iInside helps its customers continue to better serve consumers through responsible
applications of indoor location-base analytics.
iInside instinctively approached a complicated, potentially damaging issue in the same way
we advise all of our clients – with honesty, innovation and leadership. As a result, iInside’s
industry came together as a transparent group with the common goal of better serving
consumers. In the process, iInside increased its positive visibility among the right audiences,
overcame industry and consumer misconceptions, and strengthened understanding of the
many advantages to be gained from its technology and service offerings.
Real innovators embrace the tough issues.
# # #


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Germany’s New Flagship – Other Cruise News: Scenic To Enter Ocean Cruising – Columbia Cruise Services Takes On New Business
by Kevin Griffin
As a small fire struck the much-delayed AIDAprima in Nagasaki last week, we have a look at the role the new ship will play in the German market, where she will become the largest cruise ship in the market for the next three or four years, filling a role similar to the Britannia in the UK. Down Under, meanwhile, we have new of yet another river cruise operator expanding into ocean cruising, with a recent order in Croatia for a 16,500-ton 228-berth luxury expedition vessel to be called the Scenic Eclipse. Finally, we have a quick look at recent activities at Columbus Cruise Services as it reaches its first anniversary of being based in Hamburg.
THIS WEEK’S STORY
Germany’s New Flagship
A small fire that broke out last week on AIDA Cruises’ new flagship AIDAprima has served to bring her back into the news again. The shipyard’s fire brigade and local authorities were able to contain the blaze quickly. The new flagship of the German cruise fleet is being built at the Nagasaki shipyard of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan.
The new ship’s delivery has already been delayed several times. She was scheduled to debut in the first half of 2015. This was then pushed back to the second half of 2015, then again to December. Last month she finished her third set of sea trials.
While AIDAprima is now due to sail on her maiden voyage from Hamburg on April 30, the latest incident has raised fears that her introduction could be delayed even further.
Bur this year, just as P&O Cruises’ Britannia became the largest dedicated cruise ship to serve the UK market, so the AIDAprima will become the largest cruise ship to serve Germany, a country that has recently surpassed the UK in passenger volumes.
Here is a comparison of the two flagships, both members of the 100+-strong Carnival Corp & plc fleet:
With two 180,000-tonners ordered from Meyer Werft in Germany, however, for delivery in 2019 and 2010, Germany will indeed be in the supremacy in Europe, not only with its largest cruise ships, but also with ships that were actually home-built in Germany.
Like the AIDA fleet, however, the new ships will likely be registered in Italy, even if managed from Hamburg by the newly-establish ship management company Carnival Maritime. Meanwhile, Costa Cruises will have two sister ships, which although they will be Italian-registered will be built not in Italy but in Finland.
Mitsubishi has booked huge losses on the two vessels of the AIDAprima class, starting with a write off of $500 million as far back as 2014, citing “difficulties involved in the construction of the prototype.”
Further losses have been sustained since that will see Mitsubishi not building any more cruise ships, especially since sister the affiliated NYK sold its interest in Crystal Cruises to Genting Hong Kong last year.
OTHER CRUISE NEWS
Scenic To Enter Ocean Cruising
Australian river cruise operator Scenic is moving into ocean cruising, with the announcement last week of an order for a new 16,500-ton, 228-berth ocean-going cruise ship to enter service in 2018.
The new ship, to be called the Scenic Eclipse, promises to take ocean cruising to a “new level in terms of technology, size and luxury.”
Scenic is promising luxury to meet discovery, with the ship being capable of operating in Polar regions, with a double hull of Ice Class 1A Super. Features will include two small helicopters and a seven-passenger mini submarine, all three carried on board. (Video at YouTube.com)
Scenic is not the first river cruise operator to enter deep sea cruising as the line was beat to the post by Viking Cruises, who last year introduced the new 930-berth Viking Star. Sister ship Viking Sea will enter service later this year.
Saga Cruises also started in the river cruise business before buying the 585-berth Saga Rose in 1997 and CroisiEurope expanded into coastal cruising with its 200-berth Belle de l’Adriatique in 2007.
The Scenic Eclipse is being built at the Uljanik Group’s Pula shipyard in Croatia, The same yard has built a number of passenger-carrying roll on-roll off vessels for Grimaldi Lines over the past few years.
The Scenic story began in 1986, when founder Glen Moroney began operating coach tours around Australia, quickly expanding into New Zealand, Norfolk Island, and South Africa.
By the end of the 1980s, Scenic was also hosting tours to Canada and Alaska, and in 2008 it launched its uniquely luxurious “Space Ships” to sail the rivers of Europe.
Columbia Cruise Services Takes On New Business
When Thomson Cruises’ 1,504-berth Island Escape was sold recently to Cruise Holdings Inc, it was also announced that Hamburg-based Columbia Cruise Services remain managers for the new owners.
The vessel is now at the Damen ship repair facility in Brest, and has been renamed Ocean Gala. Having been built in 1982 as Scandinavia and first introduced on the New York-Bahamas route, this ship is now a 34-year veteran. Some reports had her going to Scandinavia to be used as floating hotel accommodation while others have her going to Latin America later this year to participate in the local cruise trade there.
Cruise Holdings Inc is registered in Miami and one name that seems to be associated with the company would indicate connections in the Miami cruise market dating back to the days of Dolphin and Majesty Cruise Lines.
Columbia Cruise Services was also named last year to manage the 1,804-berth Thomson Discovery, presently trading as Royal Caribbean’s Splendour of the Seas.
The relationship between Columbia and Thomson Cruises dates back to 2004 with the appointment for the technical management for the Thomson Celebration. The Island Escape and Thomson Dream followed in 2009.
Since October, Columbia has also managed FTI’s 412-berth Berlin, which began life sailing for Peter Deilmann.
Columbia Cruise Services began as part of the Columbia Ship Management group, based in Limassol, but has been operating out of Hamburg on a stand-alone business since January 2015. The company is solely dedicated to managing cruise ships, expedition ships and luxury yachts.
(Kevin Griffin is managing director of specialist cruise agency The Cruise People Ltd in London, England. For further information concerning cruises mentioned in this article readers can visit his blog)


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No one protests like San Francisco.
The scene: Tomorrow, outside of Google’s I/O conference, an assemblage of protestors will dress up like Star Wars characters to decry Google and the economic impact of the technology industry. The goal, the group told TechCrunch in an email, is to highlight rising income inequality in San Francisco, a city now infamous for its spiraling rents.
Google has become a symbol for the rapid change that San Francisco is currently undergoing. Protestors target Google’s buses that take its employees to and from work in the South Bay.
Google’s I/O developer event, similar to confabs held by Apple, Microsoft, Box, Dropbox and others, will see a cluster of Glass-adorned techies swarming the South of Market area of San Francisco. Toss in a protest and what the group promises to be a “giant 10′ by 20′ banner of Darth Vader with Google’s ‘Don’t Be Evil’ credo,” and this year’s I/O could be the most interesting yet.
TechCrunch will be onsite all day. We’ve reached out to Google for comment on the promised protest.
It’s worth noting that this is not the only planned protest of the search giant. Today, a number of net neutrality advocates set up shop outside of its Mountain View headquarters, demanding that the company work harder to ensure an open Internet. Google has been a public supporter of net neutrality since at least 2006.
In other news, Google announced today that it has doubled the RAM that Glass ships with to 2GB.


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Gold bullion and oil prices have been rising quickly in the last few weeks. Oil and gold have been flirting with historical highs and as a result the gold industry is starting to make some changes. One of the biggest indicators of the changing tides was the announcement from US Mint on September 13th, 2007 that they would be suspending the purchase of 2007 Gold American Eagles.
The price that was listed on the U.S. Mint website for a one ounce 2007 Gold American Eagle was posted as $749.95, (not including shipping and handling) price is now currently changed to $789.95. Gold Bullion prices have been rising enough with bad U.S. Economic data from the sub prime market, jobs reports, US Dollar declines and interest rate cuts that the U.S. Mint has decided it must reprice their gold offerings to the public. The U.S. Mint has stated that it will try it’s best to have the 2007 Gold American Eagles back up for sale on their site as soon as they reprice the one ounce gold coins in line with market value.
In addition to removing the sale of the 2007 Gold American Eagle coins the U.S. Mint has also decided to stop the sale of 4 coin sets of 2007 American Eagle’s in proof condition. Other 4 coin American Eagle sets are still listed for sale for now.


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NASHUA — New Hampshire’s first Trader Joe’s grocery store opened its doors on Monday with a steady stream of customers and some Hawaiian flair.
Employees were decked out in Hawaiian shirts for the lei-cutting ceremony to welcome the new 9,850-square-feet store to the city.
Shoppers were anxious to check out the new store and browse through the fresh produce, signature merchandise and large wine selection.
“I love it. This is fantastic,” said Annelei Watson of Nashua, who brought her children with her to help pick out groceries for the week.
The store at 262 Daniel Webster Highway, inside the Webster Square Shopping Center, was busy with activity at its 8 a.m. opening. Chris Maguire, regional vice-president for Trader Joe’s, said he has been looking forward to the grand opening.
“We are so pleased to have a nice beer and wine selection at this location. It is a beautiful store, and they really did a great job here,” said Maguire. “We hope customers will be happy.”
Lyn Johnson of Hudson came to stock up on Trader Joe’s white cheddar popcorn, a staple item her family can’t live without, she said.
“We go through it like water,” Johnson said of the popcorn, adding she is impressed with the wide aisles and spacious floor plan at the new store.
Others, including Bob and Jean Ragsdale of Nashua, came in search of Mediterranean hummus and mini beef sliders with mini rolls.
The local couple typically travels to Tyngsborough, Mass. to shop at Trader Joe’s, so they are thrilled about having a store in their own hometown.
“We are loyal customers,” stressed Jean Ragsdale. “They have really good stuff here.”
Her husband agreed, saying the new Nashua store is a real treat for them.
Filled with good values and distinct products, Trader Joe’s carries an array of domestic and imported foods and beverages including fresh baked artisan breads, Arabica bean coffees, international frozen entrees, 100 percent fruit juices, fresh crop nuts, deli items, vitamins and the basics. More than 2,000 items under the Trader Joe’s private label are available, including salsas, fried rice and marinara sauces.
About a dozen new items will be introduced each week, according to a release, adding thousands of items are tasted each year to find products that appeal to the culinary adventurer and the microwave aficionado.
For Luisa Matta of Bedford, she simply came for the wine. Matta had selected eight bottles of Trader Joe’s wine, and said she still wasn’t finished shopping.
“This is just the beginning. I came with a plan,” she said. “I was here right for the opening.”
Whether it was wild rice, organic broth, soy ice cream or the Rockin’ Chocolate Chip Fudge Cake, shoppers seemed to be delighted with the selections they found on Monday.
“You can’t beat this,” said Bob Ragsdale.


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Plastic architects and builders unite: Millions of Legos will soon fill the Knoxville Convention Center.
The BrickUniverse Lego Fan Experience is coming to Knoxville in August and is sure to be pack plenty of fun for people of all ages.
The event runs the weekend of August 26 and 27 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and admission tickets cost $15.
The event features dozens of elaborate Lego projects, such as a narly 27-foot-long replica of the USS Missouri using more than a million pieces alone, the Golden Gate Bridge, and plenty of massive cityscapes. There are plenty of other things to do, such as meeting with special guests renowned for their Lego prowess, build areas and robotics and engineering projects.
You can check out what to expect from these photos taken from the convention in other parts of the U.S.
The organizers said the event tends to sell out quickly, so it's advised people book their tickets early. If you're interested, you can find a link to where to purchase tickets on the event's website here.
© 2017 WBIR.COM


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// ScS says it is on track to meet its full year expectations after it traded well throughout its important winter sale period
// The Sunderland furniture and flooring retailer said orders have doubled compared to pre-pandemic levels posted in January 2020
ScS has hailed strong trading in its key winter trading period after its order book doubled compared to pre-pandemic levels.
The North East furniture retailer, which has a network of 100 stores across the UK, issued a trading update for the 26 weeks ended January 29 2022, saying the group traded well through the important winter sale period.
During the period, order intake was in line with the board’s expectations, with one year like-for-like order intake growth of 16.6%.
Meanwhile, sales on a two-year basis were in line with those achieved in the pre-pandemic 26 week period to 25 January 2020.
In addition, ScS saw its online orders climb by 55.8% compared to the same period two years ago.
Notably, it said the retailers’s order book has grown significantly against previous comparative periods, driven by the ongoing demand as well as supply chain challenges which have extended product lead times.
It is now working closely with suppliers to mitigate the risk of continued supply chain disruption in the second half of the financial year.
As of January 29 its order book was double the amount posted in January 2020, to £148 million.
Looking ahead, the retailer said: “The board is pleased with the group’s bookings performance to date and it remains on track to meet full year expectations.”
ScS expects to announce its interim results on March 22.


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Kansas man finds golden beer can, wins Super Bowl tickets for life
A person who wants to land tickets to the Super Bowl needs to be willing to pay a hefty price- unless that person is Lyle Randa.Posted — Updated
WICHITA, KAN. — A person who wants to land tickets to the Super Bowl needs to be willing to pay a hefty price- unless that person is Lyle Randa.
Randa, a Wichita, Kansas resident, won Super Bowl tickets for life after buying a case of beer at his local liquor store.
The case of Bud Light beer had a special golden can inside. Randa was surprised, as was the owner of the store that sold the beer.
“For us, it was kind of exciting and it was a surprise, especially since we’re a brand new store. We just opened up in November,” said store owner Manuel Osorio.
“I’m excited more than you even know, more than you can imagine,” Randa said.
Beginning this year, Anheuser Busch will fly Randa and his wife to the game.
Copyright 2023 Fox News. All rights reserved.


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Solana Beach-based solar firm ceasing operations
Sequoia Solar, which opened a Solana Beach office last year to great hype, has closed its doors.
The company operated one of the first electric car charging stations in San Diego County, and offered both residential and commercial solar electric systems. On Friday morning the doors were locked and all of the furniture and equipment had been removed.
Sequoia CEO Marty Reed said via email that he would not comment and did not return calls.
Reached by phone, former CFO Bryan Pruden, who had been hired in January, said he left Sequioa three weeks ago.
“At the time there were definitely some financial challenges,” he said, adding that several solar energy companies have struggled in the last year and a half. “Basically there was a slowdown in the beginning part of the year, January, February, March is a slow time and due to that very slow time it just created financial constraints.”
Phones were not answered at the company’s Solana Beach or Sonoma offices, nor did Reed answer his direct extension. A representative did answer the phone at Sequoia’s Riverside office, deferring all questions back to Reed, adding that it is a “complex” situation.
- Solana Beach leads in enviro tech
- San Diego to receive a thousand car chargers
- UCSD gets grant for solar research
- Kyocera announces plans to build solar panels in San Diego
- Canyon Crest to get solar power system
Short URL: http://www.delmartimes.net/?p=6915


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|HOME | INFOTECH | HEADLINES|
|February 3, 1999||
The target of installing a million new computers in the country during the current financial year may be missed.
This is because of the non-implementation of a government decision in the gazette to bring down customs duty on important computer components to zero from January 1.
According to studies conducted by the Manufacturers' Association for Information Technology and the Indian Market Research Bureau, the installed base of computers in India was to have touched four million units within the next two months, making one out of every 250 Indians, owner of a computer.
This is standing in the way of the government resolve to make India a global information technology superpower with its own strong hardware and software manufacturing base.
The grey market is currently proliferating due to the non-implementation of a decision in the gazette by the government on July 25 last to remove customs duty from the new year day on all important components imported for indigenous manufacture of computers.
This decision followed recommendations of the Prime Minister's Task Force on Information Technology.
The annual loss to central and state governments due to the staggering presence of grey market in computers is estimated by MAIT at Rs 6.38 billion in 1998 in terms of customs, excise and sales tax.
The studies also reveal that a growing number of homes in India are going in for computers. Over 18 per cent of the new computers sold in the country during the first six months of the current financial year were installed in homes.
Nearly 400,000 Indian homes have computers now.
Children's education is emerging as a major growth area for home computers. During six months, 28 per cent of all home computers bought were for education of children.
Internet telephony is also an attraction for many buyers of home computers. Office work at home and infotainment are other areas of attraction.
Between 90 and 95 per cent of computers in India are installed in and around 13 major cities with Bombay, Delhi, Madras and Calcutta, accounting for over 75 per cent of the computers installed during April-September 1998 according to the study.
India had 100 computers in 1968, 1,000 in 1979, 100,000 in 1988 and 1 million in 1994.
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Four startups seeking to build their businesses into thriving companies met last night in Melville with angel investors they hoped would be interested in taking a chance on them.
The meeting of the Long Island Angel Network drew a crowd of about 50 to hear about the fledgling companies’ business models, which ranged from a sorting program for men’s clothing to an application capable of managing encrypted business data in the cloud.
Michael Faltischek, senior partner at Uniondale-based Ruskin Moscou Faltischek and a founder of the Long Island Angel Network, started the meeting with one homegrown success story from last year’s round of angel investor presentations.
Ryan McGann, a Stony Brook University graduate came up with the idea for a solar-powered cooler, winning a $20,000 prize at a technology competition at Stony Brook in 2007 for his invention. McGann then showed the solar cooler to local angel investors late last year, and, as a result, successfully raised $800,000.
The solar cooler, which is advertised on its website for $250, is said to offset 5,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year, if used weekly in exchange for a traditional cooler and two bags of ice.
“The opportunities for third world application are huge,” Faltischek said of the solar cooler. “Hopefully this is the first of many products Ryan will develop here on Long Island.”
More breaking news
- Stop & Shop begins A&P store conversions
- County execs are keynote speakers at LIBN Hall of Fame gala
- LI developer completes Bronx center
- Report: Big drop in US residential foreclosures
- Oakdale co-op gets $8.5M financing
- NY attorney general opens probe into fantasy sports websites
- Amazon challenges Etsy with Handmade at Amazon
- Drop in applications for US unemployment benefits last week
- Holiday sales seen rising 3.7 percent
- Comtech snags $1.1M order


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Forever 21's CEO Daniel Kulle resigns
Daniel Kulle has stepped down as CEO of Forever 21, revealing the news internally in an email to his contacts that he has resigned and will be “taking some time off to find out my next move”.
Kulle joined the company in February 2020, just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The retail veteran spent 25 years at H&M before joining the Los Angeles-based fast-fashion retailer.
Kulle was tasked with reviving the brand immediately following its bankruptcy and joint buyout by Simon Property Group together with Authentic Brands Group and Brookfield Property Partners. It is part of SPARC, whose portfolio includes Brooks Brothers, Nautica and Aeropostale.
David Simon, CEO of Simon Property Group, had approached Kulle about taking the top job due to his e-commerce and digital expertise.
Kulle was previously a strategic adviser to H&M’s CEO Karl-Johan Persson and one of the leaders of a group for three digital start-ups within H&M.
Forever 21 has not responded to a request for comment.


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NIO (NIO) inventory rose nearly 4% yesterday and managed to make up its 2021 losses to 26.5%. Electrical automobile (EV) shares have been weak in 2021 and are considerably underperforming markets in addition to conventional automakers.
What’s the outlook for NIO inventory as we transfer into September and is the inventory’s sharp drop from their 52 week highs an excellent shopping for alternative?
Why has the NIO share value declined?
There are a number of explanation why the inventory of NIO has fallen this 12 months. First, there was a horrible sell-off within the business this 12 months after the robust restoration in 2020. EV corporations have been buying and selling at sky-high valuations at their peaks, which made markets apprehensive. The sale of rising shares has additionally had an affect on electrical automobile corporations. All electrical automobile corporations are making losses with the notable exception of Tesla.
Together with the huge sell-off of EV shares, China’s tech crackdown hasn’t helped NIO both. Though the nation has not focused the electrical automobile business, and possibly wouldn’t given its strategic significance, traders have been reluctant to put money into Chinese language shares amid the crackdown. A number of high fund managers, together with Cathie Wooden of ARK Make investments, have ditched Chinese language shares. Having stated that, Wooden as soon as once more purchased JD.com inventory.
67% of all retail investor accounts lose cash when buying and selling CFDs with this supplier.
Final month, NIO launched its second quarter 2021 outcomes, which confirmed income up 127% from the corresponding interval in 2020. Its gross income additionally quintupled to $ 243.8 million in the course of the 12 months. interval. The Chinese language electrical automobile firm has come a great distance because the first quarter of 2020, when it traded in single digits. The corporate then posted destructive gross income. Nevertheless, it began to indicate optimistic gross margins from the second quarter of 2020 and has since steadily elevated the margins. Within the second quarter, margins have been 18.6%, which was barely decrease than the 19.5% it posted within the first quarter.
The corporate plans to ship between 23,000 and 25,000 automobiles within the third quarter. On the peak of forecasts, that will imply an annual improve of just about 105% in deliveries. Within the second quarter, NIO delivered 21,896 autos, a rise of 112% year-on-year.
Right here it needs to be famous that the majority pure electrical automobile corporations are beneath provide constraints and might solely promote as many automobiles as they’ll produce. Earlier this 12 months, NIO prolonged the partnership with its manufacturing companion JAC Motors to double manufacturing capability.
NIO would publish its August supply quickly, which might additionally have an effect on its share value. Chinese language electrical automobile corporations like NIO, Li Auto and Xpeng Motors publish their supply report on a month-to-month foundation. Electrical automobile big Tesla gives quarterly updates on manufacturing and supply.
Bloomberg has introduced that NIO plans to put money into British sports activities automotive maker Lotus. If this have been to be true, it will be a change for NIO as the corporate ran out of money final 12 months and was on the verge of chapter. Nevertheless, after a number of fundraisers, it’s a money wealthy firm and ended the second quarter with whole money movement of $ 7.5 billion.
NIO Share Worth Forecast
In accordance with information from CNN Enterprise, NIO has a median goal value of $ 61.10, a 55% premium over present costs. Its excessive avenue goal value is $ 92.15, which is a 134% premium over present costs. Of the 20 analysts protecting the inventory, 17 price them as a purchase whereas two analysts have a holding ranking. Just one analyst has rated NIO as a sale or equal.
Citi reiterated its be aware
Earlier this month, Citi reiterated its purchase ranking on NIO and assigned a goal value of $ 72 after the corporate’s outcomes have been launched. The brokerage weighed on the decline in gross revenue within the quarter and attributed it to an unfavorable product combine, because the Chinese language electrical automobile maker bought extra ES6s within the quarter.
“With extra merchandise launched in 2022E, mgmt. indicated that they’d pace up D&A for fastened property of present NT (Nio Expertise) 1.0 platform merchandise, leading to elevated D&A prices from 3Q21, with a GPM (gross revenue margin) affect of about 2% per automobile, ”Citi stated in its memo.
Lengthy-term forecast of the NIO share value
NIO has the tacit assist of the Chinese language authorities and the nation has a particular subsidiary class for battery trade the place solely NIO is eligible. The nation additionally bailed out the corporate because it struggled with a capital elevate final 12 months. In the long run, launching new fashions and getting into new markets will generate worth for traders.
NIO has already introduced an enlargement in Europe beginning with Norway and advised focusing on Germany subsequent. Tesla can be establishing a Gigafactory in Berlin to fulfill the rising demand for its electrical automobiles.
Technical analysis and evaluation
NIO inventory is now buying and selling at a a number of of NTM company gross sales worth (subsequent 12 months) of 8.4x, which isn’t removed from the all-time low of seven.65x. The title appears interesting after the huge crash. Issues over China’s focusing on of NIO appear significantly misplaced, because the nation has centered on growing the electrical automobile business within the nation as a part of its “Make in China 2025” plan.
Trying on the charts, NIO is buying and selling under the 50-day, 100-day, and 200-day SMA (easy shifting common). The 100-day SMA could be the title’s first resistance. The MACD (Transferring Common Convergence Divergence) provides a purchase sign for the inventory whereas the 14-day RSI (Relative Energy Index) is a impartial indicator.
All in all, NIO looks like a great way to play the pivot in the direction of electrical automobiles. Inventory valuation multiples now appear far more cheap than on the high.


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Hatco Corp. and Celanese Chemicals on Thursday announced plans to close their German joint venture Estech GmbH, a three-year-old manufacturer of polyol esters. New Jersey-based Hatco said the business did not take off as the partners had hoped.
Hatco was doing business in Europe before and formed the joint venture hoping it would grow, Hatco Vice President of Public Relations David J. Mason said. It didnt grow as quickly as we thought, and it doesnt look likely to grow in the future.
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The manbag is becoming increasingly accepted by men — a quarter of those aged between 16 and 34 have bought one in the past year, up from 16 per cent in 2016.
The analysts Mintel added that 15 per cent of British men of all ages bought a man’s handbag last year.
The figures, released as London Fashion Week gets under way, also contain good news for the local fashion industry, with the survey finding that up to 40 per cent of fashion consumers would pay more for British-made items.
Last year, Britons spent £2.9 billion on fashion accessories, a 3.6 per cent rise on the year before. Over the past five years, sales of fashion accessories have increased 21 per cent. Only three in…


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New money laundering rules also apply to virtual currencies
"It will get much tougher to remain unseen when doing shady financial transactions. With this decision, Europe's financial system will become more transparent", explained Krišjānis Kariņš MEP, Parliament's Co-Rapporteur on the review of the EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive ahead of today's vote in Parliament's committees.
The joint committees on Economic Affairs and Justice and Home Affairs will this evening approve a compromise found between EU Member States and the European Parliament. The new anti-money laundering rules aim at fighting terror financing and tax evasion.
"Who owns and benefits from which company will be made public. Now, a public register of beneficial owners of companies is finally becoming true. Law enforcement authorities will also get new tools such as registers of owners of trusts, of bank accounts and of safe deposit boxes", explained Kariņš and Emil Radev MEP. Radev is the EPP Group Shadow Rapporteur in Parliament's Justice and Home Affairs Committee.
"Who owns and benefits from which company will be made public. K Kariņš MEP and E Radev MEP
The new rules also prevent risks linked to virtual currencies, limit the use of pre-paid cards and introduce additional controls of financial flows from so-called high-risk third countries.
"The threat of terrorism and financial innovations such as virtual currencies require updates to current laws. These measures will certainly make Europe safer", Kariņš and Radev stressed.
The EPP Group is the largest political group in the European Parliament with 217 Members from 27 Member States