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July 14, 2006
Edmunds.com unveils car safety guide
Santa Monica, California – On-line automotive site Edmunds.com has launched a Car Safety Guide, featuring safety feature articles, NHTSA and IIHS ratings, safety technology updates, driving tips, safety for children, teenagers and seniors, and special needs mobility coverage. The guide is available at.
Edmunds.com says that motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of death for people between the ages of four and 34 in the U.S., with more than 43,000 deaths on American roadways in 2005.
“Safety has become one of the primary considerations for new car buyers, and we are committed to providing our visitors a range of practical information they can use to make well-informed decisions,” says Joanne Helperin, Senior Features Editor of the guide. “Our Car Safety Guide may even help save lives and reduce injuries.
“New safety technology is always being introduced and car shoppers who haven’t been in the market for a while may not know what is available. For example, 35 per cent of 2006 model year vehicles have standard or optional parking sensors, and 10 per cent have standard or optional rear-view cameras; this relatively new technology is very effective in helping to prevent potentially fatal back-over accidents.”


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It comes after Tesco apologised for wrongly telling a woman she could not buy sanitary products as they were “non-essential” and so could not be sold under the new COVID-19 measures in place in Wales. The confusion has sparked a backlash across the country and in London where UK ministers attacked the Welsh government over the chaos.
Foreign Office minister and former Tory co-chairman James Cleverly tweeted: “If you want to see how a Labour government would be dealing with the current COVID-19 situation just look at how they’re doing in Wales.”
Welsh Conservative health spokesman Andrew Davies said the confusion was the result of a “barmy ban” by the Welsh Labour Government which should be stopped.
Their views were echoed by many on social media.
Adrian Sleeman said: “This is Starmer using Wales as a proxy war. He was banging on about a two-week circuit-break lockdown in England but he is pretty much impotent there.
“Guess what? Wales is Labour-run – no surprise our puppet leader then opts for the Starmer plan.”
Edward Leaving said: “I live in Wales and like the Labour Party in England, they are completely out of touch with the general public, they are an embarrassment.”
Welsh Health Minister Vaughan Gething insisted ministers would ensure retailers understand what can and cannot be sold during the controversial 17-day firebreak but also discuss how shoppers with “exceptional circumstances” can purchase non-essential items.
Replying to a customer who complained she had been told she could not buy sanitary pads at a store in the St Mellons area of Cardiff, Tesco said: “We have been told by the Welsh Government not to sell these items for the duration of the firebreak lockdown.”
READ MORE: Police conduct roadside checks to ensure drivers follow lockdown rules
The supermarket later said the tweet was sent “by mistake” and said the relevant aisles had been closed off after a break-in at the store.
Mr Gething said the regulations and guidance would be reviewed to make sure they were being applied “fairly and consistently”.
He told the Welsh Government’s coronavirus press briefing: “If there are anomalies, we will look at whether the guidance needs to be revised or strengthened, to make it clear that supermarkets have some discretion to sell to people who are in genuine need.”
Mr Gething said he recognised the ban on selling non-essential items was “difficult” and “hard for people to accept”.
And he admitted the Welsh Government would “continue to learn lessons about how we do our job effectively in communicating with stakeholders, the public, but not losing sight of the fact that this is a public health emergency”.
He said discussions with supermarkets would focus on how shoppers with “exceptional circumstances” can purchase non-essential items during the firebreak lockdown and suggested shoppers could “discreetly” make their needs known to staff.
Following Tesco’s original tweet, the Welsh Government tweeted: “This is wrong – period products are essential.
“Supermarkets can still sell items that can be sold in pharmacies.
“Only selling essential items during firebreak is to discourage spending more time than necessary in shops. It should not stop you accessing items that you need.”
The new restrictions in Wales, which began at 6pm last Friday and will end on November 9, mean non-essential retail including clothes shops, furniture stores and car dealerships must close.
Shops selling multiple types of products can stay open but can only sell essential items – which according to the Welsh Government’s website also includes those “which would normally be sold in pharmacies and chemists”.

domain: news


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The Future of Food: Beyond Meat Is Changing the Way People Eat Why founder Ethan Brown is creating an ethical and sustainable food revolution, powered by plants.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
The night before Beyond Meat Founder and CEO Ethan Brown met with Bill Gates, his credit card was declined at his hotel. His plant-based meat company was on the precipice of success, and Gates would later become a key investor, but at that moment, Brown wondered where he would sleep.
Brown and Beyond Meat have come a long way since that night. The company had one of the most successful IPOs of 2019, and its game changing products are sold in approximately 77,000 stores in more than 65 countries worldwide. Its healthy and delicious Beyond Breakfast Sausages are available in Dunkin' Donuts (offering more protein and iron, 44% less saturated fat, 50% less total fat, 37% less sodium and no cholesterol when compared to the traditional pork sausage patty). A recent pilot program of Beyond Fried Chicken at KFC ran out in five hours.
Constant innovation remains the company's key to success. "If you're chasing us, you're chasing a ghost, because we've moved on," says Brown.
Brown saw the perfect opportunity with the plant proteins used in Beyond Meat products. Requiring 93 percent less land than traditional cattle farming, these meat alternatives would generate higher returns for farmers while cutting down on the significant environmental impacts of livestock.
With the taste and texture of real meat, Beyond Meat products target consumers who want to enjoy their favorite foods in a more ethical and sustainable way.
"We can be the generation of people that's separating meat from animals," Brown says. "I try to keep that at the forefront of everything we do."
Beyond Meat has recently announced their impactful "Feed A Million+" campaign, in which over 1 million Beyond Burgers will be donated and distributed to food banks, frontline workers and organizations in need over the next 30 days.
"We are dedicated to making sure those who need it most right now have access to a good, nourishing meal at no cost," Beyond Meat said on social media.
In this episode of How Brands Are Born, see how Brown is creating an ethical and sustainable food revolution, powered by plants.
How Brands Are Born is presented by Cardone Ventures, in partnership with Original Stories Media. Learn how Grant Cardone and Brandon Dawson can help your business transform and scale to 10X levels HERE


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Cisco Systems has announced its intent to buy OTT cloud streaming service provider 1Mainstream to deliver improved cloud-based and live-streaming services
The San Jose-based startup 1Mainstream was formed in 2012 to eliminate obstacles for content providers to create compelling, ala carte, HD channels and applications. It operates on an OTT platform that uses sophisticated templating technology to enable companies to launch OTT services across multiple platforms. Although far from being a household name, 1 Mainstream has partnerships with top companies, including Apple TV, Samsung, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Chromecast, to provide seamless integration of their products to a customer base that includes Sky News, NOW TV, Acacia TV, etc.
Cisco has a strong portfolio with videos for PCs, tablets and smartphones but the company was unable to serve both the service provider customers and OTT players that wanted to get to the big primary screen and get there fast. With the acquisition of 1 Mainstream, Cisco will now have the startup’s platform. 1Mainstream’s technology complements Cisco’s new Infinite suite of cloud-powered video entertainment solutions, which are designed to help customers deliver TV services to multiple screens utilizing one cloud on any access network within and beyond the home. 1Mainstream's platform will allow service providers, broadcasters and media companies to configure and roll out the entire channel and content library available to their customers anywhere and on any device.
Acquisition of 1Mainstream is a good move for Cisco as IPTV supporting OTT video content viewing has significantly disrupted the pay TV industry and has become a primary channel for content consumption. The acquisition is expected to be complete in the second quarter of Cisco’s current fiscal year and once the acquisition is complete, 1Mainstream will join the Service Provider Video Software and Solutions Cloud Engineering Group under the leadership of Conrad Clemson, senior vice president and general manager. Rajeev Raman, CEO of 1Mainstream, will become director of cloud engineering at Cisco.


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They’re ‘working on a fix’
Ubisoft has had a hell of a time setting up its “Epic Mercenary events,” which are basically akin to Hitman 2‘s elusive target timed content launches. Back in mid-October, it had a false start as many players couldn’t even access the content, and several weeks later it happened again. Ubisoft noted that they were “working on a solution,” and now in early November they’re putting the system on ice.
By way of an official forum post a Ubisoft community manager explained, “Two weeks ago, when we attempted to launch the first Epic Mercenary Event with Damais the Indifferent, we discovered that the content didn’t properly appear for a majority of our players. It wasn’t satisfactory to have an event available to only a portion of our players, so we decided to temporarily remove the Epic Mercenary Events from the game altogether until the issue is resolved. We are working on a fix and are hoping to introduce them later this month. We will provide an updated ETA as soon as possible.”
As an apology (not that they need to apologize really, Odyssey is gigantic enough without micro-events) they’re activating extra “Epic Ship Events,” once per week and discounting Sargon’s legendary item next week by 80 Orichalcum. For those of you who don’t play Odyssey, Orichalcum Ore is an endgame currency that’s used to buy some of the rarest items in the game.
Update on the Mercenary Live Events [Ubisoft]


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Emmaus Hertfordshire has received more than £8,000 from eBay’s recently launched package of financial support and training to help us continue our online retail and raise funds for our community with the pandemic still impacting our activities.
eBay will be providing unrestricted grants to 250 of the charities most affected by declines in online revenue on its platform to help make up for the shortfall in sales as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. Emmaus Hertfordshire is one of the selected charities.
All of our Emmaus shops have now re-opened and provide vital income needed to support our companions, however because customer footfall is still drastically reduced our online sales platform has never been so vital.
In addition to financial support, eBay has announced Charity Connect, which is a training programme to support at least 500 UK charities to help them raise more money through more effective online sales.
Charity Connect has started with a series of free weekly webinars on how to boost sales on eBay, and one of our companions, Danny, attended two sessions:
“I went on two different eBay for charity webinars and both were very well hosted with a Q&A session at the end. The content was interesting and relevant to what we’re trying to do here with our online sales at Emmaus Hertfordshire. I’m soon going to have a day with one of our shop managers, who runs the Emmaus eBay page and thanks to the training from eBay I have learnt the theory so now just need to put it into practice.
E-commerce is the direction I want to go in for employment, so the opportunity to have this training has been great for me because I’m learning new skills that I can use after Emmaus.”
This money will really help our charity as we continue to weather the storm that is COVID-19. To find out more about the eBay financial and training package, visit here.


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1 MIN. DE LECTURA
RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan 29 (Reuters) - Hypermarcas SA , the largest Brazilian producer of personal care goods, said on Friday its board has agreed to the sale of its contraception division to Britain's Reckitt Benckiser for 675 million reais ($169 million).
Twenty percent of the money will be paid in a first installment when the deal is signed, with the rest to be transferred once all conditions of the sale have been completed and the deal has closed.
$1 = 3.998 reais Reporting by Alberto Alerigi; Editing by Leslie Adler


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Although Chinese CPI managed to post upbeat numbers, AUD/JPY traders emphasized more on the sluggish PPI to bet on weaker factory activity as the quote drops to a fresh intra-day low around 75.40 after the China inflation numbers released on early Wednesday. The pair was on the back foot recently as global risk appetite improved after the absence of the US tariffs on Mexico and also because of fresh trade talks between the US and China at G20. Though, tweets threatening fresh tariffs on China and criticizing Fed from the US President offered intermediate moves. The global risk barometer, 10-year US treasury yield clings to 2.14% by the press time.
Additionally, developments surrounding the US-China trade deal might also gain major attention.
While a break of 75.40 holds the gate for a fresh downturn to 75.00, 74.50 and the year 2016 low around 72.40, an upside clearance of 76.40 becomes necessary for the pair to aim for 77.00 and 50-day simple moving average around 77.50.
Click here to read the full article


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Fattest ever US cattle herd signals end to record beef prices as farmers take the hit
Cattle in the US are now the fattest they have ever been, signalling an end to the seven-year run of record beef prices just as losses begin to mount for American feedlot owners.
Tom Fanning, who manages a feedlot herd of 30,000 in Buffalo, Oklahoma, says he loses $100 to $300 (€95 to €285) on each animal he sells to slaughtering plants, even though they are bigger and produce more meat than ever.
It is worse for other producers. On average, industry losses began in December and ballooned to $420 a head this month, the Livestock Marketing Information Centre estimates.
Cattle futures have plunged 23pc from an all-time high a year ago as the US herd began a long-awaited expansion and consumers switched to cheaper chicken and pork. That has squeezed feedlot owners, who buy year-old steers and raise them on a diet of mostly corn for more than four months. To ease the pain, operators like Fanning are taking advantage of ample, low-cost grain supplies by holding cattle for almost a month longer than normal, which means the animals get bigger and generate more revenue.
"It still makes economic sense to put on as many pounds as efficiently as you can" to minimise losses, said Fanning (50) who has been managing Buffalo Feeders LLC for 15 years. His cattle spend about 150 days eating grain before they are sold, about 25 days more than two years ago, adding about four pounds of weight gain per day, he said.
On average last month, the animals weighed 1,390lb (630kg) when sold to beef processors, an all-time high, US Department of Agriculture data show. The 2.6 pc increase over a year earlier was the biggest annual gain in more than a decade.
In Iowa, the largest corn-growing state, some cattle have topped 2,000lb and are being held 30 to 60 days longer than normal, said Ed Greiman, who runs a 2,000-head feedlot in Garner, Iowa.
Heavier cattle are helping to boost domestic beef supplies, which had tumbled and sent retail prices soaring. On November 10, the USDA forecast that fourth-quarter production would rise 1.8pc from a year earlier and that output in 2016 would increase 4.8pc to 24.85 billion pounds, the first gain in six years.
The US cattle herd had shrunk to the smallest since 1952 after a 2012 drought parched pastures and sent corn futures surging to a record. Spurred by the jump in beef, ranchers are showing signs of rebuilding their inventory.
The herd on July 1 was 98.4 million head, up 2pc from a year earlier and the first increase for that time of year since 2006, the USDA reported on July 25. As of November 1, feedlots held more animals for that time of year since 2012 and were growing at the fastest rate in four years, government data show. Prospects for more supply are reducing costs for consumers.
Wholesale-beef prices have dropped 23pc from a record in May and on Monday closed at $2.0279 (€1.91) a pound, a 22-month low, USDA data show. Retail ground beef has dropped for four straight months, the longest slide in five years, to $4.083 a pound, compared with an all-time high of $4.238 in February.
Tyson Foods Inc, the largest US meat processor, said a plunge in cattle prices eroded earnings by $70m in the fiscal fourth quarter.
"After several years of significant beef inflation, we look forward to expecting easing of prices in 2016," Scott M Colosi, the president and chief financial officer for steakhouse restaurant chain Texas Roadhouse Inc, said.
Cheaper beef may boost demand, limiting the decline in prices. The USDA is forecasting that domestic consumption will rise to 55.3lb per person next year, up from 54.lb in 2015, and that exports will rebound in 2016.
Prices may not drop all that much until warmer weather leads to more outdoor barbeque grilling, starting around April, partly because retailers are slow to pass along savings to their customers, said Altin Kalo, analyst at Steiner Consulting Group in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Sunday Indo Business


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Intel (INTC -1.11%) announced the long-overdue successor to its 2011 Westmere-EX, or Xeon E7, processor, codenamed Ivy Bridge-EX, and branded Xeon E7 v2. The product is an engineering marvel that offers twice the performance of its predecessor, on average, Intel says. More important, this product makes Intel even more competitive with traditional big-iron RISC players Oracle (ORCL 0.19%) and IBM (IBM -0.26%) on a basis combining performance per watt and price. Intel is likely to gain further share with these puppies.
The market share picture looks great
Take a look at the following slide from Intel that details revenue share of Intel's processors Xeon E7 and higher-end variants of Xeon E5 against competitors IBM and Oracle:
While Intel-based servers have about 46% of the revenue share of 4-socket systems, Intel claims that its actual unit share is more along the lines of 80%. This, according to an interview with The Register, is due to the fact that Intel-based systems are significantly cheaper. This cost advantage is likely driven by a number of factors, including:
- Intel typically builds its latest big-iron chips in manufacturing plants that have been largely depreciated thanks to the high PC chip volumes, making the wafer cost extremely low.
- Intel gets a massive amount of design leverage as it amortizes key blocks such as the CPU across multiple products -- for example, the Ivy Bridge core in Ivy Bridge-EX, shipped in hundreds of millions of PC units.
- Intel, even within the data center, has significantly more scale than the RISC guys by virtue of presence in the higher-volume one-socket and two-socket systems across a broader variety of workloads.
Indeed, according to this Intel slide, the company has a pretty significant upfront system cost advantage, as well as pretty decent performance advantages, over the SPARC/POWER competition:
It only gets better from here
While IBM and Oracle face continued difficulties with their hardware sales -- thanks in part to a weak macro-economic environment, but also due to market share loss -- Intel continues to invest heavily in its own processors. That leads to a rather virtuous cycle that leads to more investment in Intel's chips, both on Intel's part and from the software vendors, and a decreased investment in POWER/SPARC. As long as Intel can keep up the pace of innovation, it should continue to grab high-end server share.
Foolish bottom line
IBM is likely to refresh its POWER-based systems this year with POWER 8, which should win it back the performance crown against Xeon E7 in a 4-way system. Oracle doesn't seem to have any plans of giving up its own hardware development. But it is clear that Intel's big-iron efforts get stronger with each passing day.
While Intel is rightfully criticized for its stumbles in mobile, it's hard to deny the great execution and superb economics of Intel's server processors, from the highest-end Xeon E7s to the lowest-end Atom-based parts. Now, if only the enterprise market would recover, Intel could finally hit that 15% compound annual growth rate in data-center group revenue it keeps promising investors.


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RevLifter raises £2.3m in seed round as global retailers look to AI-driven platform to deliver personalised deals in real-time.
LONDON, July 23rd, 2019 - RevLifter, the ecommerce deals personalisation platform, has successfully raised £2.3 million led by a syndicate of new and existing investors including Coutts.
Further to this round a former Goldman Sachs Managing Director Jonathan Summers will join RevLifter’s Board.
The funding will help the two-year-old company, which influences 10 million online baskets every day, powering incremental revenue through personalised deals for 90 global brands across five markets, to further develop its platform and accelerate its growth.
RevLifter’s client portfolio already includes leading brands such as HP, Puma, EE, Carphone Warehouse (mobiles.co.uk), Verizon, AT&T, AO, TM Lewin, Clarks, and The Hut Group.
RevLifter says the cash injection will help it address growing demand from retailers around the world. The company particularly plans to boost its presence in the US where growth is intensifying rapidly, not just because of the size of the market but because of the particular appetite the US consumer has for deals and incentives. The US currently accounts for 30% of RevLifter’s customer base. The management team forecasts that the US will account for 70% of its business by 2022.
Revlifter’s AI-powered Deal Intelligence Engine allows clients to set sophisticated rules around personalised incentives to transform the role of deals at the checkout stage on ecommerce websites. These rules can incorporate any desired deal trigger that relates to individual users such as geo-location, weather, customer lifetime value or knowledge of whether the user is a new or existing customer.
What clients find compelling about Revlifter’s platform is how it allows them to set deals to work in achieving particular marketing goals, elevating deals at the checkout stage of an ecommerce channel from a blunt discount channel to a strategic capability within the marketing function.
RevLifter’s co-founders, CEO Simon Bird and Chief Product & Strategy Officer Ryan Kliszat have two decades of e-commerce and affiliate marketing experience between them and believe there’s an opportunity currently being missed by most ecommerce brands to create mutually beneficial deals that suit individual customers and achieve strategic goals of the brand at the same time.
Jay Karsandas, Digital Marketing Manager at Mobiles.co.uk (part of Carphone Warehouse), said: “Since partnering with RevLifter we’ve built an AI algorithm which goes through millions of data points to find the deal which delivers the best value for the customer and the best margin for us in real-time; a genuine win-win. We’re really excited about the future direction of RevLifter and the vision the founders have regarding the dynamic new role that hyper-personalised deals can play within a marketing strategy.”
Bird said: “Deals are currently pre-planned, off-the-shelf promotions for the masses or involve customers searching Google for discount codes with third-party voucher sites for offers that actually negate your marketing strategy. We’re opening marketers’ eyes to the potential for deals to achieve whatever it is the business strategy demands. It could be a fashion brand aiming to encourage more customers of certain sizes or an electronics retailer wanting to maximise profit margins per basket. The reality that they can do this while better meeting the individual needs of each single customer in real-time, represents a huge opportunity.”
Kliszat said: “RevLifter creates opportunities for retailers to stamp a unique DNA on customer incentives according to their goals. We use AI to drive real-time relevance for customers, turning the deal from a blunt axe to a laser-targeted bomb. We’re adding more precision across more marketing channels all the time and are working towards a future in which deals are no longer a slightly dirty, loss-leading ‘extra’ but are used to drive the entire business and customer engagement strategies.”


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Listen to this article
A bigger than expected slump.
Norway’s annual inflation rate dipped to its lowest since May last month, coming in at 2.8 per cent from 3.5 per cent at the start of the year. Analysts had expected a reading of around 3 per cent.
The country’s January inflation basket was pushed down by the falling price of clothing and furniture and marked the fourth consecutive month of softening annual inflation. It was the lowest rate of price rises since May.
Inflation however remains above the Norwegian central bank’s target of 2.5 per cent. The Norges Bank maintains the highest benchmark interest rate of its Nordic peers and is the only monetary authority not to have slashed rates into negative territory.
Core inflation in the country, which strips out volatile energy prices, also softened to 2.1 per cent – undershooting a forecast of 2.8 per cent.
Chart via Bloomberg
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Mumbai-based Deltecs InfoTech Pvt. Ltd, which runs an enterprise mobile app platform DronaHQ, has raised $500,000 in a second round of angel funding from Kutchi Angel Network, a company executive told TechCircle.
The company had previously raised $500,000 from the same angel group in 2011.
The 10-year-old profitable company will use the new funds to create its sales team in the US and South East Asia. It has so far sold indirectly in these markets through its partner network, which comprises mostly IT services companies.
Founded in 2007 by former Wipro executives Jinen Dedhia and Divyesh Kharade, DronaHQ helps corporates build enterprise apps for mobile platforms. It employs around 55 people and plans to strengthen its workforce to 75 employees by the middle of this year. “We will start with our own marketing team to cater to the existing demand before expanding our own sales team," Dedhia told TechCircle. Around 80% of the company’s revenue comes from its India operations.
DronaHQ has so far created more than 1,000 enterprise mobile apps and can build 500 such apps every year. "A lot of companies need to do digital transformation internally too for interacting with their own employees. This is more pertinent for India because we are a mobile-first country," said Dedhia.
Kutchi Angel Network was founded by the Navneet Group, Gala Group, Arti Industries, Antara Jewellers and Anchor Group in 2009. The angel network supports entrepreneurs from the Kutch district of Gujarat state and invests between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 5 crore in each startup.
“We believe DronaHQ is addressing a key challenge for enterprises in mobility, considering the proliferation of apps and bring-your-own-device (BYOD) culture,” said Sunil Gala, managing director of Navneet Group.
DronaHQ has more than 500,000 users and 200 customers such as Colgate, Thomas Cook, Future Group, Essar, TCS, HP and the Murugappa Group among others.
IT services major Wipro is also a sales and system integration partner apart from being a customer for DronaHQ. “We have 95,000 users using the ‘my-Wipro app’ regularly, which itself is a huge adoption. We have successfully rolled out our mobility plans with the help of DronaHQ," said Raja Ukil, chief information officer at Wipro. Through the DronaHQ platform, Wipro integrated 30 existing and 20 newly built services onto its app.


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Columbus McKinnon’s first-quarter profits rose by 3 percent but fell short of analyst forecasts as the Amherst material handling equipment maker’s sales slid by 5 percent.
The company said it earned $6.9 million, or 34 cents per share, up from $6.7 million, or 34 cents per share, a year ago, as costs associated with its acquisition of a German company late last year and the closing of one of its European facilities reduced earnings by 2 cents per share. The earnings fell short of the 38 cents per share that analysts were expecting.
Columbus McKinnon’s sales fell to $136.2 million as foreign currency adjustments hurt revenues by nearly $9 million. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange rates, revenues would have increased by 1.5 percent. Analysts had expected Columbus McKinnon’s revenues to hit $139.6 million during the quarter.
The company said its U.S. markets were flat, while revenues from emerging markets grew by 10 percent, excluding the impact of exchange rates.


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Mar 16, 2018
McDonald’s launches McDonald’s Monopoly Wiiiin, the latest version of its annual Monopoly promotion, on March 21st 2018. The promotion ends May 1st 2018. This is the...
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Oppo is setting the stage for innovation in the wearable technology space with the highly anticipated launch of the Oppo Watch X on February 29, exclusively in Malaysia. This marks a significant milestone for Oppo as it ventures into the realm of round-dial smartwatches, breaking away from its traditional square design. The excitement is further amplified by the speculation that the Oppo Watch X could be a reimagined version of the OnePlus Watch 2, which itself is slated for debut at the MWC 2024 event on February 26.
The Oppo Watch X is now available for pre-order through Oppo’s official website, with an introductory deposit of just RM 50 (around $10), showcasing Oppo’s commitment to making cutting-edge technology accessible. Prospective buyers will be delighted to find the watch available in two elegant strap colors: Mars Brown and Platinum Black, enhancing the wearable’s aesthetic appeal.
The intrigue around the Oppo Watch X was heightened following its certification sighting in Malaysia’s SIRIM database, alongside the OnePlus Watch 2’s appearance in India’s certification, under closely related model numbers. This revelation hints at the strategic collaboration between Oppo and OnePlus, both of which are under the umbrella of BBK Electronics. Such collaborations promise exciting synergies in design and technology for future wearables.
Destined to capture the Chinese market as well, the Oppo Watch X, expected to be rebranded as the Oppo Watch 4 for its March launch, has already received approval from China’s MIIT and 3C, indicating support for 4G LTE connectivity via eSIM. This feature underscores the smartwatch’s capability to keep users connected, even on the go.
Anticipation for the Oppo Watch X’s specifications is sky-high, with rumors suggesting a 1.43-inch OLED display, Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 and BES 2700 dual chipsets, 1GB of RAM, and a 500mAh battery capable of 10W charging. Its expected IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, alongside WearOS 4 for the global variant and ColorOS for Watch 6.0 in China, positions the Oppo Watch X as a frontrunner in the global smartwatch market.
The Oppo Watch X’s design ethos, featuring a sleek, circular display and a premium metallic chassis, speaks volumes about Oppo’s dedication to blending style with functionality. The smartwatch is anticipated to launch in two sophisticated finishes, promising to be a versatile accessory for any occasion.
As the smartwatch market continues to evolve, the arrival of the Oppo Watch X represents a pivotal moment, especially in the context of WearOS’s ecosystem. With Fossil stepping back from the smartwatch scene, Oppo’s foray with the Watch X is poised to fill the void, injecting fresh innovation and diversity into the market.
With its launch right around the corner, the Oppo Watch X is set to redefine expectations for smartwatches, combining elegance, functionality, and cutting-edge technology. Mark your calendars for February 29 to witness the unveiling of Oppo’s latest masterpiece in wearable tech.


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I think everyone agrees it’s been pretty exciting reading the news about the next Zelda for Wii using MotionPlus and how “gorgeus” the visuals will be, thinking 2010, and thus getting our hands on the game, is right around the corner. Aye?
Yeah, that might not be happening.
“We haven’t committed to Zelda for 2010,” Nintendo’s Reggie ‘Soul Crusher’ Fils-Aime said on last night’s GTTV, “… so we’ll see how that continues to develop.”
But a new Zelda or not, Fils-Aime points out there’s plenty to be excited about in Nintendo’s line-up next year, “Sin and Punishment 2 is going to be something that the Nintendo fan can get really excited about … Galaxy 2 … what can you say? Mr. Miyamoto himself is very excited about it. He thinks that it adds even more to that great title. And then Other M … that is another franchise that I’ve personally got great memories of, back to a side-scrolling Metroid title.”


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A few weeks after the last beta release, Microsoft Launcher 4.76 has now started to roll out to beta testers. The latest version of the Android Launcher addresses the usual bugs, improves Cortana, and adds in support for more Android device settings such as WiFi and Flight Mode
The Microsoft Launcher team shared the following changelog on the dedicated Google+ community:
- Support app sorting for Korean/Japanese/Russian languages in app drawer
- New first time experience for mobile connected users from Windows setting
- Cortana integration improvements
- Improve app launch experience
- Supports more device settings like WiFi, flight mode, etc
- Support navigation query
- Bug fixing, code clean up, crash fix and perf tuning.
You can get this update right now by signing up for the beta in the Google Play Store. Standard Microsoft Launcher users will get the update later and once beta testing is done, so be sure to keep tuned for more in the days ahead.


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"MontaVista Software today announced that it had demonstrated
the first working version of embedded Linux targeting the Intel
XScale microarchitecture. The demo, featured in the MontaVista
booth (#403) at the recently-concluded LinuxWorld and Expo in New
York, highlighted Hard Hat Linux running on Intel's XScale
"The demo showcased Hard Hat Linux booting from flash memory and
supporting standard Linux features such as networking and command
shells in a diskless system with minimum memory resources. Of the
several purveyors of embedded Linux at the event, only MontaVista
was able to support the Intel platform and to show a
full-functioning system to the Linux community at large."
"With Hard Hat Linux for XScale, MontaVista shows its commitment
to provide embedded Linux for Intel platforms for mobile
computing," commented Jim Ready, MontaVista CEO and embedded
industry pioneer. "MontaVista proudly adds Intel XScale to the
industry-leading array of embedded CPUs that we support."


text: BANKING on the promising prospects in the retail industry, Skechers Philippines has expanded its presence in Cebu by opening its largest store to date at the Ayala Center Cebu.More store reopening with bigger store formats are expected starting this year as Skechers Philippines moves away from its third-party distributor in the country, according to Suzette Pasustento, country manager for Skechers USA Philippines.The bigger Skechers branch in Cebu not only carries its well-known footwear but also apparel and accessories, making the brand a complete and active lifestyle brand for every Filipino family.“Cebu is the biggest so far. We are going to open bigger stores in Manila and perhaps again in Cebu,” said Pasustento, during the store’s reopening Tuesday, May 31, 2022.Besides Ayala Center Cebu, Skechers is also present in all SM and other department stores in Cebu.Pasustento said the company is opening more branches in the third quarter of this year in Cebu.“We are looking at opening two more stores in Cebu this year,” she said with store sizes ranging from 250 square meters and above.Quoting Euromonitor’s study on consumer buying habits these days, Pasustento said post-pandemic consumer spending is even higher than the pre-pandemic level.“Based on the feedback of retail players in the industry they’re positive about the consumer industry,” she said.Skechers Philippines has been operating in the country for 20 years.“Skechers is a brand for the whole family. We have a good collection for lifestyle as well as performance and sports for all ages. We are a brand for the Filipino family. We are a brand that’s known for comfort and technology,” said Pasustento.In December last year, the brand announced that it has transitioned its setup from distributorship to a fully and directly owned company by Skechers USA.“This is our commitment to the market that we are going to scale further and meet the demand for the Skechers brand,” she said.“The Philippines has immense potential for Skechers, and with our dedicated team focused on growth and delivering the integrated capabilities of Skechers, we believe this step accelerates that potential,” said David Weinberg, chief operating officer of Skechers USA Inc., in a statement.He added that he believes that “the Philippines can become a key market for us in Southeast Asia.”Property research firm Colliers Philippines said it is optimistic that the retail sector will recover this year.“Major mall operators have reported an increase in footfall while a number of food and beverage and clothing retailers are likely to occupy physical mall space for the remainder of 2022,” Colliers said in its latest market report.


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More Expansions and Upgrades Underway as Consolidated Pushes Toward its Five-Year Goal to Add 1.6 Million Fiber Passings by 2026
Welcome to 2021, where our homes are now serving double or even triple duty as our new work, play, and learning hubs. What makes all those online assignments, video meetings and streaming TV shows possible is Internet access—a crucial need now more than ever.
Consolidated Communications is meeting the demand by bringing fiber upgrades to more than 300,000 residents this year across seven states and the work is well under way. The most recently completed work includes buildouts in Vermont and California that will upgrade existing speeds or bring symmetrical 1 Gig Internet to new locations entirely.
These upgrades and new fiber builds are part of a five-year fiber to the premises (FTTP) plan announced last December, which will upgrade 1.6 million locations across Consolidated’s 23-state footprint to symmetrical, multi-gig speeds over a five-year period. Additional builds are also underway in New Hampshire, Maine, Minnesota, Illinois and Texas. Although the plans for the FTTP expansion started well before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, they come at an apt time as many Americans are searching for more reliable Internet access at home.
“Consolidated’s accelerated fiber network expansion will provide significant benefits to customers, especially rural consumers and small businesses, who will be equipped to work from home, and fully participate in online learning and entertainment with significantly enhanced broadband services,” said Bob Udell, president and chief executive officer at Consolidated Communications.
5,000 Vermont Residents Are Now Accessing Symmetrical Gig Speeds
One of the first states to benefit from Consolidated’s fiber plan is Vermont. In April, the company announced the completion of 5,000 network passings in Brattleboro and Montpelier. This phase is part of a larger plan to upgrade 50,000 passings in Vermont to symmetrical, Gigabit fiber by year’s end. The company will expand FTTP service to more than 200,000 Vermont passings by 2026.
Work-from-homers, learn-from-homers and businesses will benefit from improved remote work and learning experiences that allow them to create and upload high-bandwidth content and connect multiple smart-home devices without latency. And in the evenings when the work is done, kids and adults get one final perk: by signing up for video content through one of Consolidated’s streaming partners, household members can watch their favorite programs on any device.
“These builds demonstrate Consolidated’s commitment to bringing the best Internet experience to our Vermont customers,” said Rob Koester, senior vice president of consumer product management. “This fiber expansion is just the start of our aggressive five-year build plan. We are continuing to make significant investments in our network throughout the Green Mountain State.”
Internet Speeds Boosted to 1 Gig in Key California Markets
The company also recently announced the availability of 1 Gig broadband services to more than 22,000 residential and small business locations in Sacramento and Roseville. The significant speed boost is a major upgrade for customers across the area who will benefit from speedy Internet, efficient cloud access for businesses and general support for other high-bandwidth activities, like streaming.
Roseville Area Chamber’s Chief Executive Officer Wendy Gerig says the 1 Gig availability has also led to some work-from-home cred for the city as a whole.
“Roseville was recently recognized by Money.com as the fifth best place to live in the U.S. if you work from home, a ranking that wouldn’t be possible if our residents lacked access to high-speed, reliable Internet like Consolidated Communications has long offered,” said Gerig. “These new upgrades reinforce what Roseville residents already know: whether you return to your office or continue working remotely, you’re in good hands with Consolidated.”
More than 1,500 locations in Elk Grove and Citrus Heights are also eligible for 1 Gig broadband services.
To learn more about Consolidated’s five-year fiber plans, or to find out if Gigabit broadband services are available at your address, visit www.consolidated.com/FiberLife.


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Taiwan-based semiconductor firm MediaTek has made a bet on India's online payments growth with a new US$60 million investment.
Mountain Capital, which is MediaTek's investment arm, reportedly made the investment in India's largest mobile payments and e-commerce firm, Paytm.
Paytm is 25% owned by Ant Financial, China-based Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd.'s financial services affiliate, and MediaTek's strategic investment was made at a US$4.83 billion valuation. This tranche is part of a potential US$300 million round Paytm is trying to close.
Existing investors Ant Financial and SAIF Partners are likely to participate in the new round, while Foxconn and Fosun Group may join as well, according to media reports.
Paytm, which revealed that it had now pocketed US$760 million in total from investors, plans to use the proceeds for expansio...
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Still got those runway legs! Cindy Crawford showcases slim pins in skintight trousers
Usually an orange and black colour combination is reserved for spooky Halloween costumes.
But there was nothing supernatural - just supermodel - about the outfit Cindy Crawford wore while shopping in Malibu yesterday.
The tall beauty looked stunning in a pair of tight orange denim trousers paired with a black shirt.
Quick stop: Cindy Crawford was spotted in figure-hugging trousers during a stop at a Malibu shopping mall
On her feet were a pair of trendy black ankle boots that let the toes peep through.
Cindy drove her black sports car to the mall and after parking, exited carrying a black leather jacket.
She may be the wrong side of her forties at 46, but is still every bit the catwalk star. Even shopping on a lazy Saturday at her local mall, she looked like she was ready for a cover shoot.
Cindy (and her trademark beauty spot) has appeared on more magazine covers than any other model in history.
Hot pants! The orange jeans made Cindy's otherwise all black outfit pop
Although she once admitted to using Botox when the wrinkle filler came out about 15 years ago, she said she's not a regular user.
'I haven't done Botox for ten years. And I didn't do collagen,' the model said last year.
Cindy, who used to be married to Pretty Woman actor Richard Gere, lives with her second husband Rande Gerber in Los Angeles and the two recently celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary.
She has two children by Rande - a son Presley, 12, and 10-year-old daughter Kaia, who recently modelled alongside her for a J.C. Penney advert.
Instantly recognisable: Cindy shot to fame thanks to her trademark beauty spot
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Trans model Leyna Bloom eyes a Victoria Secret modeling gig!
"Bloom threw her hat in the ring because she’s always wanted to work with the company. “It’s always been a dream for me, like so many others, not just trans — POC, all women, and some men even,” she tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “This is a platform that glorifies femininity. I always felt in my most natural state I am heavenly. For my trans sisters, regardless of color, this will be a moment for us all.”
Bloom has been modeling professionally since 2014, including walking in runway shows for Chromat and the Blonds. Last year, she made history as the first trans person of color featured in Vogue India. “Work has been steady. There’s definitely been a gamble with other bigger brands to take on a trans model of color,” she admits. “I don’t know why it’s so hard for them to want to give us a shot. Then again, nothing happens overnight.”


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Sen. Sanders believes every American should have access to safe, effective and affordable prescription medications.
Sen. Sanders is fighting to lower costs for consumers by bringing greater transparency and competition to the health care system. He introduced S.627 to create a medical innovation prize fund that would fundamentally restructure the system of financing research and development of new medicines and dramatically reduce their prices. By rewarding only truly innovative products that provide new therapeutic benefits, this proposal would also reduce wasteful spending on research, development and marketing. Sen. Sanders' bill would directly reward developers of medicines on the basis of a drug's benefit to consumers. After approval of a new medicine, the product would immediately come on the market as a generic, saving consumers a decade or more of paying exorbitant prices for brand-name drugs.
- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
Sen. Sanders supports bringing cheaper generic drugs to market faster by authorizing the Federal Trade Commission to aggressively litigate pharmaceutical companies that engage in "pay-for-delay" agreements that keep low-cost generic drugs off the market. He has also cosponsored S.117, the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2013, which would permit Medicare to negotiate drug prices, just as the Department of Veterans Affairs currently does.
Sen. Sanders has worked to reduce the pharmaceutical industry's influence over the drug approval process. In 2012, he was the only senator to vote against the Food and Drug Administration user fee bill because it did not do enough to address high prescription drug prices and was too generous to the pharmaceutical industry.
Sen. Sanders was the first member of Congress to take his constituents across the Canadian border to buy their prescription drugs at a fraction of the price they were forced to pay in the United States. He believes importing FDA-approved prescription drugs from Canada and other countries is a safe way to improve competition in the marketplace and reduce the price of prescription drugs.


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To date, Bitcoin’s drive to force the SEC into allowing a Bitcoin ETF has been unfruitful and unsuccessful for all parties who have approached the regulator. Since 2016, there have been numerous applications, all of which have been turned away with one even being turned away this month.
However, the general feeling is that a Bitocin ETF is not an impossibility, it is perhaps just not time for one yet. The sentiment form the SEC is that the market needs more time to mature, and there needs to be better structures in place to ensure the market is not manipulated — the primary concern for the SEC.
However, because a Bitcoin ETF would be a tool aimed at attracting traditional investors and people wanting to enter the market who have not before, the demand for such a product needs to be bigger from that sector to push the SEC into some further action.
This is the thoughts of a number of investment firm executives who have debated what it will take for the SEC to launch a Bitcoin ETF on CNBC. However, the timeline to this level of launch is quite varied and unknown, and the feeling is a Central Bank Digital Currency will be seen before a Bitcoin ETF.
A retail push
As it stands, there has been interest in the Bitcoin space from individual investors, and there has been growing interest from the institutional space. However, the retail demand for Bitcoin and Bitcoin products is still relatively low.
Chris Hempstead, the director of institutional business development at ETF and hedge fund provider IndexIQ, predicts that a Bitcoin ETF will come as retail demand for the product grows.
“I doubt very heavily that it’s going to be the last straw,” Hempstead stated. “I think everyone will continue to listen to the feedback and the notes from the SEC, what their comments are, and they will continue to address it.”
But with that Hempstead does not predict “any significant changes to the SEC’s decision in the near future.”
“At some point, when market demand and investor demand pushes the pendulum to a certain area, they will probably take another look at it and have different kinds of considerations.”
Nick Colas, the co-founder of investment analysis firm DataTrek Research, on the other hand, believes that there will be other advancements first before a Bitcoin ETF is considered.
“You will see a central bank cryptocurrency before you will see a Bitcoin ETF,” he stated.


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A federal judge in Los Angeles refused to throw out a year-old antitrust lawsuit against programmers and multichannel-TV distributors challenging the program bundling arrangements that prevent consumers from buying only the channels they want to watch from cable and satellite TV providers.
Groups including the Parents Television Council and the American Cable Association — representing small cable operators that oppose bundling practices compelling distributors to buy several networks from the same programmer in order to receive certain vital channels — said they were pleased the case would continue.
The ACA pointed out that contractual confidentiality restrictions prevent small operators from offering direct evidence of bundling practices in complaints to the Federal Communications Commission, which is in the midst of a “wholesale untying” rulemaking.
But in this lawsuit, the contracts will be discoverable, the ACA said, and could demonstrate that small cable firms are required to carry as many as 60 channels for the rights to 13 popular ones.
“With this never-before-seen evidence available, the court will determine whether the country's largest programmers have market power, and by its virtue coerce cable operators into taking bundled deals that limit choice and value in the pay television market,” the ACA said.
The ACA stance is not shared by bigger cable operators, such as those that were sued, nor by programmers. Attorneys for Comcast, who argued points of law on behalf of the program distributors, and The Walt Disney Co., who argued in court for the content providers, did not respond to requests for comment on the June 25 ruling by U.S. Judge Christina Snyder.
Snyder said the cable operators, direct-broadcast satellite companies and studios had not proven the consumers who sued them weren't injured by the defendants' business practices.
The sued companies also questioned the consumers' standing to sue, during written and oral arguments.
Plaintiffs' attorney Maxwell Blecher said his clients were “gratified that the complaint has been sustained and look forward to beginning the discovery phase of the case.”
In December 2007, consumers in four states — on behalf of multichannel-TV subscribers nationwide — sued programming conglomerates NBC Universal, Viacom, The Walt Disney Co., Fox Entertainment Group and Time Warner Inc. All of them own studios, cable networks and broadcast networks.
The suit also targets multichannel-TV distributors Comcast, Coxcom Inc., The DirecTV Group, EchoStar Satellite (Dish Network), Charter Communications and Cablevision Systems.
The suit claims contracts between programmers and distributors harm consumers because they force subscribers to buy programming that they don't want or watch. Bundling programming causes consumers to overpay for their video options, according to the suit.
Buttressing their argument in court papers was information from an FCC report that indicates consumers may overpay for cable by as much as $100 million annually by paying for undesirable channels. The plaintiffs seek four years worth of overcharges, $400 million, as damages.
Snyder said attorneys for the consumers raised real antitrust issues that should be argued in court.
She wrote in her decision that the programming owners that were sued control key broadcasting and cable channels and can use them to exclude independent programmers from the marketplace.
That makes a case for a bona fide reduction in independent competition rather than “mere dissatisfaction by consumers with the choices in a well-functioning free market.”
Snyder in March was poised to dismiss the complaint as inadequate but instead allowed the consumers' attorneys to amend their complaint.
The new version did not focus on a “conspiracy” between buyers and sellers, a change that satisfied the judge.
A consumer's ability to buy video programming on a channel-by-channel basis is favored by FCC chairman Kevin Martin, who is pressuring video providers to offer rebates to consumers for channels they block out with their parental controls; and to create family friendly tiers. In June, he threw his support behind a bipartisan House bill that would mandate such rebates.
Parents Television Council president Tim Winter said in a statement: “It is a breath of fresh air to know that cable consumers still have a voice in our court system. Sadly, the consumer's voice in Washington, D.C. and elsewhere has been muted by the cable industry's enormous wallet. This lawsuit will directly confront the cable cartel's anti-competitive and anti-consumer product bundling practices. Consumers should be allowed to choose and pay for only the cable networks they want, just like they do when they go to a movie at the Cineplex or to buy a magazine at the newsstand.”
Over the years, programmers have used their most popular networks as bargaining chips to gain distribution for newer outlets.
In 2004, Dish Network actually lost retransmission rights to 15 CBS affiliates and 10 cable channels — all at the time owned by Viacom — for about two days because Dish chairman Charlie Ergen objected to such contract terms as being required to add Viacom's Nicktoons network.
“We didn't want to add the Nicktoons channel, we didn't want to add another cartoon channel, we have several of them up there. But that was very important to Viacom,” Ergen said after settling the dispute and adding Nicktoons.
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TWEET: Canada soon to adopt anti-spam legislation with stiff penalties.
Canada is getting tough on restricting unsolicited spam with new legislation that can result in $1 million fines for individuals and $10 million fine per violation for corporations.
The CASL (Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation) is likely to take effect this fall. As it stands a U.S. firm can send electronic marketing messages to anyone, including Canadian residents, without permission, unless and until the recipient opts out by expressly notifying the sender that they do not want to receive such messages, explains Lani Barnes, an attorney specializing in intellectual property and technology law.
“Once CASL goes into effect, companies will not be allowed to send any commercial electronic message (CEM) to any person or business in Canada without the prior express or implied consent of the recipient, unless the CEM falls within one of the limited exceptions to the new law,” said Barnes who works for Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson, a Charlotte North Carolina law firm.
As a result, companies and individuals that use electronic marketing to reach customers or potential customers in Canada should start preparing for the new legislation now by developing and implementing compliance programs in order to ensure that they have the appropriate consent from each recipient, she advises.
“Penalties for violating CASL can be severe and directors and officers may be held personally liable for their company’s violation,” said Barnes.


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Research has revealed that banks, telecommunication companies and government organisations in Africa, the US, South America and Europe are among the top targets, with the GCMAN and Carbanak groups being the primary suspects.
Kaspersky Lab experts have discovered a series of “invisible” targeted attacks that use only legitimate software: widely available penetration-testing and administration tools as well as the PowerShell framework for task automation in Windows – dropping no malware files onto the hard drive, but hiding in the memory. This combined approach helps to avoid detection by whitelisting technologies, and leaves forensic investigators with almost no artefacts or malware samples to work with. The attackers stay around just long enough to gather information before their traces are wiped from the system on the first reboot.
At the end of 2016, Kaspersky Lab experts were contacted by banks in CIS which had found the penetration-testing software, Meterpreter, now often used for malicious purposes, in the memory of their servers when it was not supposed to be there. Kaspersky Lab discovered that the Meterpreter code was combined with a number of legitimate PowerShell scripts and other utilities.
The combined tools had been adapted into malicious code that could hide in the memory, invisibly collecting the passwords of system administrators so that the attackers could remotely control the victim’s systems. The ultimate goal appears to have been access to financial processes.
Kaspersky Lab has since uncovered that these attacks are happening on a massive scale: hitting more than 140 enterprise networks in a range of business sectors, with most victims located in the USA, France, Ecuador, Kenya, the UK and Russia.
In total, infections have been registered in 40 countries. It is not known who is behind the attacks. The use of open source exploit code, common Windows utilities and unknown domains makes it almost impossible to determine the group responsible – or even whether it is a single group or several groups sharing the same tools. Known groups that have the most similar approaches are GCMAN and Carbanak.
Such tools also make it harder to uncover the details of an attack. The normal process during incident response is for an investigator to follow the traces and samples left in the network by the attackers. And while data in a hard drive can remain available for a year after an event, artefacts hiding in the memory will be wiped on the first reboot of the computer. Fortunately, on this occasion, the experts got to them in time.
“The determination of attackers to hide their activity and make detection and incident response increasingly difficult explains the latest trend of anti-forensic techniques and memory-based malware. That is why memory forensics is becoming critical to the analysis of malware and its functions. In these particular incidents, the attackers used every conceivable anti-forensic technique; demonstrating how no malware files are needed for the successful exfiltration of data from a network, and how the use of legitimate and open source utilities makes attribution almost impossible,” said Sergey Golovanov, Principal Security Researcher at Kaspersky Lab.
The attackers are still active, so it is important to note that detection of such an attack is possible only in RAM, the network and registry – and that, in such instances, the use of Yara rules based on a scan of malicious files are of no use.
Details of the second part of the operation, showing how the attackers implemented unique tactics to withdraw money through ATMs will be presented by Sergey Golovanov and Igor Soumenkov at the Security Analyst Summit, to be held from 2 to 6 April, 2017.
Kaspersky Lab products successfully detect operations using the above tactics, techniques and procedures. Further information on this story and Yara rules for forensic analysis can be found in the blog on Securelist.com.
Technical details, including Indicators of Compromise were also provided to customers of Kaspersky Intelligence Services.
Combatting attacks by groups like GCMAN or Carbanak requires a specific set of skills from the security specialist guarding the targeted organisation. During the Security Analysis Summit 2017, Kaspersky Lab’s top-notch specialists will be running exclusive security training sessions designed to help specialists detect sophisticated targeted attacks. Apply for training on “Hunting targeted attacks with Yara rules” here. Apply for training on Malware reverse engineering here.
Naspers feeds into Latin America’s tech funding
Movile will get $400m funding from the SA-based technology investment giant for iFood expansion.
Movile is to receive US$500-million in funding for iFood in the largest tech funding in Latin America to date. Naspers and Innova Capital have committed to invest $400m of new capital into Movile to use for further investment in iFood, the leading online food delivery platform in Latin America, of which Movile is a majority shareholder.
Movile and Just Eat have already invested $100m in iFood during 2018. iFood’s extraordinary growth and the vast market opportunity in Brazil and more broadly in Latin America has driven the increased investment commitment.
iFood’s monthly orders in Brazil have fed more than 9 million customers in the past twelve months, 16 times the nearest online competitor, in terms of daily active users. This means its partner restaurants are serving the biggest population of consumers ordering food in Latin America. iFood has 50 000 restaurant partners and uses 120 000 couriers.
The increased investment commitment from Naspers, Innova and Movile is expected to accelerate growth, speed up product development and innovation, and fuel geographical expansion for iFood across the region. The company’s vision is to gain deeper knowledge of consumers through artificial intelligence technology, to personalise the food delivery experience – and at a reduced price, because of improved logistics.
“Movile is very fortunate to have long-term investors who have supported us for the past decade to help achieve our goal of transforming the lives of more than one billion people and thus we are able to continually back iFood to ensure it remains the market leader,” said Fabricio Bloisi, Movile CEO.
“Our entire ecosystem of companies is focused on allocating resources and energy towards our one billion people goal. iFood is leading the way, fueling unprecedented growth through its innovative technology platform, providing consumers, couriers and restaurants with the best experience in food ordering and delivery.”
Larry Illg, CEO of Naspers Ventures, said: “iFood has established itself as a technology leader in Latin America and its success stacks up with some of the most innovative food companies that are leading regions in North America, Europe and Asia. We have been impressed by their execution in Brazil and remain committed to backing the company on its path to transform the entire food chain to better serve consumers.”
Online food delivery is experiencing massive expansion globally. According to latest reported results, Grubhub grew daily average orders 39% year-on-year, reaching over 416 000 orders per day. In Latin America, iFood has reached 390 000 orders per day just in Brazil in the last week of October, compared with 183 000 in October 2017, representing 109% growth.
iFood CEO Carlos Moyses said: “We want our consumers to have an amazing delivery experience from the moment they order their food to the moment it arrives. Our partners – the restaurants and delivery fleet – make that happen by living our purpose of improving people’s lives using our services.
“iFood exists for our customers and, with an increased investment commitment of this size, we will be able to build out our state of the art technology platform, and increase our courier and restaurant partners to even better serve our current and future customers in Latin America.”
Hide your sheep, Spyro is reigniting
Spyro, the iconic purple dragon that entertained living rooms worldwide in the late ‘90s, is making a return with the release of Spyro Reignited Trilogy.
Spyro Reignited Trilogy introduces players to a fully remastered game collection with a re-imagined cast of characters, animations, environments, new lighting and recreated cinematics—all inHD. Now fans can explore more than 100 lush environments filled with new detail, that brings the Dragon Realms and Avalar to life . The trilogy is available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Pro and the family of Xbox One devices from Microsoft, including the Xbox One X.
South African distributors Megarom provided the followjng information:
In Spyro Reignited Trilogy, lead developer Toys For Bob is giving fans an all scaled-up version of the original three Spyro games that started it all, Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage! and Spyro: Year of the Dragon, but with a modern-day feel that makes it fresh and fun for today’s player. Adding to the fun, voice actor Tom Kenny is returning to the franchise as the voice of Spyro in all three remastered games. Longtime fans will be treated to Toys For Bob’s reimagined version of the classic soundtracks, in addition to an all-new title-screen theme from original soundtrack composer Stewart Copeland.
Additionally, the new game brings an in-game audio feature that allows players to switch between the original and the newly remastered soundtracks, for those who want a more classic gameplay experience. Players can simply fly in to the “options menu” at any time during gameplay, unleash their preferred nostalgic or scaled-up groove, and glide right back into the Spyro action without losing saved data.
“It’s been a real pleasure to bring back one of most iconic video game characters of all time through the Spyro Reignited Trilogy,” said Paul Yan, Co-Studio Head at Toys For Bob. “We’ve poured everything we’ve got into making sure every detail was done right to deliver a great Spyro experience for fans. We hope players will have as much fun revisiting the Spyro world and characters as we did remastering them.”
In the road up to the official release of Spyro Reignited Trilogy, Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, created a first-of-its-kind, life-sized, fire-breathing and talking Spyro Dragon drone. The drone took off from “Stone Hill” castle near New York City, spreading his wings across the U.S. to explore the cities and iconic landscapes that resemble levels and themes from the original Spyro games. As part of the tour, the Spyro drone chased sheep, fired up some BBQ and delivered an early copy of Spyro Reignited Trilogy to fellow O.G. and entertainment icon, Snoop Dogg. Highlights from the Spyro drone’s delivery to Snoop Dogg can be found here.
“Fans have been asking Activision to bring Spyro back for some time now. The response to Spyro Reignited Trilogy has been great thus far, and we’re absolutely thrilled that we’re able to continue to reimagine and reinvigorate some of the most iconic videogames and characters of all time with our remastered experiences,” said Steve Young, Chief Revenue Officer at Activision. “With this year being the 20th anniversary of Spyro, there’s no better time to pay homage to everyone’s favorite purple dragon.”
The Spyro community is invited to geek out and elevate their fandom even further through the elite global partnerships from the Activision Blizzard Consumer Products Group (ABCPG). Collaborations with Funko, Traly Pins, Exquisite Gaming, KidRobot, USAopoly, Trends International, Rubber Road, and Changes have created new avenues for fans to share their love for the return of Spyro, the original roast master. Spyro consumer products across apparel, collectibles, figurines and more are now available at retailers worldwide. Fans can also take advantage of the GameStop exclusive Spyro TOTAKU Collection.


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Payment firms are being pushed rapidly into transformation, even as they handle larger transaction volumes, face increased competition and heightened risk factors amplified by COVID-19, according to the World Payments Report 2020 published by Capgemini.
“COVID-19 has accelerated the rate of innovation within the payments space to quickly form the ‘next normal,’ requiring payments firms to be digital masters almost overnight. Now more than ever, payments providers need to deliver differentiated offerings that emphasize speed, convenience, and a superb end-to-end customer experience,” said Anirban Bose, CEO of Capgemini’s Financial Services and Group Executive Board member.
“Currently, we are seeing visionary banks and payments firms diligently prioritizing technology transformation and actively adopting a ‘curate and collaborate’ approach by teaming with agile new players to create more nimble organizations.”
Before the pandemic started, payment volumes reached new heights, which are predicted to continue but at a pace reflecting both the increased reliance on non-cash transactions and the effect of a dampened global economy.
The report predicts that a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12% is expected for global non-cash transactions for 2019-2023. Global non-cash transactions surged nearly 14% from 2018-2019 to reach 708.5 billion transactions, the highest growth rate recorded in the past decade.
Asia-Pacific surpassed Europe and North America to become the 2019 non-cash transactions volume leader at 243.6 billion. The increase was driven by increasing smartphone usage, booming e-commerce, digital wallet adoption and mobile/QR-code payments innovations, led by China, India and other SE Asian markets (31.1% growth).
Increased competition forces traditional payments providers to evolve
Customers are migrating away from cash as affinity for digital payments grows. New players are quickly becoming more popular, with the report finding that 30% of consumers are using a BigTech firms such as Apple, Google and Amazon for payment services, and 50% are already using a challenger bank for some payments.
Furthermore, as of April 2020, more than 38% of consumers said they discovered a new payment provider during the lockdown. Internet banking and direct account transfers were, and still are, the preferred payment method throughout the global health crisis, according to 68% of consumer survey respondents.
Contactless (tap-to-pay) cards came in second, with 64% of respondents saying they used them often. Digital wallets (including QR based payments) were the preferred choice of 48% of respondents.
Alternative payments could continue to boost non-cash payments space as consumers seek speed, convenience and a superior customer experience. Digital wallet users are expected to jump from 2.3 billion in 2019 to 4 billion by 2024 – 50% of world’s population. Invisible payments, or automated payment processes such as those found in Amazon Go stores and Uber are on pace to reach a 51% CAGR between 2017 and 2022.
Technology and collaboration can help payments firms address increased risks
As the market continues to be disrupted, and more payment options become available, payments firms must grapple with increased risk across business, regulation and operations. Payments executives say businesses are exposed to risks such as cybersecurity (42%), regulatory (37%), operational (35%), and business (30%).
As the market continues to be disrupted, and more payment options become available, payments firms must grapple with increased risk across business, regulation and operations.
87% of executives feel they face a high likelihood of cyber vulnerabilities, as criminals are exploiting exposures opened by the COVID-19 lockdown, which increase the risk of cyberattacks, money laundering and terrorist financing. Payments firms are actively turning to technology to help alleviate the exposure to new risks.
For corporate treasurers faced with business-to-business challenges and inefficiencies, the pandemic has required them to look to digital as the solution to address counterparty risk, connectivity solutions, payments automation and cybersecurity. Corporate treasurers now are looking for their bank and payments firms to provide enhanced API integration, risk management, and real-time payments and tracking.
While bank executives ranked client-visible innovation (79%) and digital transformation (75%) as the top drivers of their strategic initiatives for 2020 and beyond, payments transformation appears inevitable.
Collaboration as part of this transformation can help with pandemic-driven uncertainty as regulators focus on addressing risks, especially with non-cash payments. Banks are actively pursuing two different ways to achieve a leaner and more agile backend that can keep pace with a digital front-end, by either developing in-house capabilities or by working with digitally agile new players.
In addition to developing in-house capabilities, 60% of bank executives believe that working with third parties throughout the value chain will help them augment ecosystem-based propositions.


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Lexair Entertainment Pty Ltd., currently the exclusive master distributor for High End Systems, Green Hippo and TMB in Oceania, has entered into an exclusive distribution agreement with Elation Professional, both for Australia and New Zealand.Alex Mair, Managing Director of Lexair Entertainment, comments, “Elation is a very strong and exciting brand to add to Lexair’s portfolio. Sitting alongside High End Systems, Green Hippo and TMB, the Elation product family fits within our vision to offer entertainment lighting customers in the region a much wider breadth of quality products, offering the ‘one stop shop solution’ our customers expect in the current market.
“We are very excited and proud that Elation has chosen us as a long term partner in Oceania, and we look forward to bringing their extensive, high quality product range to our customers, delivered with the same best-in-class service and support we are known for!”
Chuck Green, International Sales Manager – APAC at Elation, adds, “We are very pleased to be working with a company of the calibre of Lexair, who are well established and ideally placed to serve the large and growing market in Australia and New Zealand. Lexair will be a key partner for us as we expand in the region and we are confident they will open up new opportunities for growth while promoting the Elation brand across the region.”
Lexair was present at the recent CX/Entech roadshow in Melbourne in early February, where the company presented a selection of Elation’s most recent products on the Lexair booth. Chuck Green joined the Lexair staff as well for the roadshow stop in Perth.


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Censorship and China's Media Scene: What Marketers Need to Know
A controversy over intrusive government censorship at a Chinese newspaper with an independent streak last week raised questions about the status of media controls in the country. Though there is little direct correlation between government censorship and marketing, brands should consider how related fallout may impact communication strategies.
"Is there any threat to Weibo as a medium in this situation? Weibo's not the cause of these problems but it's propagating some of these issues," said an executive in China who specializes in digital marketing, declining to be named due to the sensitivity of the topic. "Worst case: Is it going to be shut down?"
The executive noted that's unlikely because Sina, parent company of the biggest Twitter-like microblog Sina Weibo, operates in line with government policy. If Beijing ordered the internet giant to tighten controls and crack down on content, it would. Censorship in China typically starts with media owners, who pro-actively self-censor to avoid falling afoul of regulators.
Celebrity endorsement is popular in China, but marketers must be prepared if a brand ambassador becomes entangled in a politically sensitive issue. That's exactly what happened last week when Yao Chen, an actress with 32.8 million Sina Weibo followers, quoted Russian dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn to express her support for the newspaper journalists. "One word of truth shall outweigh the whole world," she said.
Journalists at the Southern Weekly newspaper in Guangzhou had staged a rare protest against censorship, after a New Year editorial urging political reform was changed into a piece praising the Communist Party. A days-long stand-off ended when the government agreed to loosen certain censorship controls. Analysts said the wave of public support for the journalists was a significant milestone in developing an open media in China.
Ms. Yao is the face of Tourism New Zealand in China, and even got married in the picturesque resort town of Queenstown last year. Since she began endorsing New Zealand in 2011, the number of Chinese visitors to the country has surged. Ms. Yao has also endorsed brands including L'Oreal and Adidas.
Tourism New Zealand said it had no comment on whether Ms. Yao's comment would affect her ability to promote the country or affect perceptions of the brand in China.
China is installing a new generation of leaders in March, and incoming President Xi Jinping has been hailed by some as a reformer. This has raised hopes of more open media in China, though one expert warned there's no basis for those expectations.
"It's impossible to say what kind of leader Xi Jinping is going to be and whether he's going to reform [media]. Nobody has any idea," said David Bandurski, a researcher with University of Hong Kong's China Media Project. "The wise position is to wait and see."
Last year, TV regulators restricted popular genres such as dating, variety and talent shows as part of a crackdown on "overly entertaining" programming. They also banned commercials during dramas, one of the most popular formats in China. No explanation was given for the rules and ad prices soared as supplies decreased overnight.
Media agency executives say the fast-changing media landscape in China is a common topic of conversation with their clients.


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Hybrid Car news
In 2009, Toyota had filed a case against a proprietary firm and a company (amongst others) by the name of Prius Auto Industries and Prius Auto Accessories Private Limited – the Defendants.
General Motors' Buick brand made the announcement at an event ahead of the Shanghai auto show that opens later this week.
Mahindra & Mahindra is currently working on XUV mild hybrid, which will be launched in the next 6-12 months. Mahindra is alternatively working on four door version E2O and KUV electric.Likewise Hyundai Motor India’s Verna mid-size sedan will get a soft hybrid next year and is exploring the same technology for upcoming Tucson SUV.
Cos To Pass On Burden Of Technology Upgrade To Consumers
The new model's name will be announced at the Geneva car show which begins in March, Toyota officials said
Electric car manufacturers will have to design futuristic vehicles to entice buyers in order to ride out the challenge of plunging oil prices, Tesla co-founder Elon Musk said Tuesday.
Recent illegal actions including the passing off of non-new energy vehicles as new energy vehicles and the reporting of false statistics by companies
Tesla Motors is updating its Model S electric car to help ease drivers' worries about running out of battery charge.
The electric drive, a 96 kW (131 hp) lithium-ion battery, is located on the front axle. The rear axle is driven by BMW TwinPower Turbo 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with 170 kW (231 hp) of peak performance.
Hybrid cars save you quite a bit on gas, but they also cost more-so how many miles do you have to drive before you come out ahead? The folks at OppositeLock did a little research to figure out just that.
Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company, a joint venture between Japanese automaker Nissan and its Chinese counterpart Dongfeng Motors Corporation, launched its first electric car in the northeastern Chinese city of Dalian Wednesday.
An ultra-light electric car built by students at a US university has set a new land speed record in its class, besting the previous mark by nearly 80kmph.
Ford Motor Co plans to introduce a new hybrid gasoline-electric car in late 2018 to compete against the best-selling Toyota Prius, two sources with knowledge of the company's plans told Reuters on Wednesday.
With electrical vehicles becoming increasingly popular, researchers at the Mie University in Japan are starting to feel hard-pressed to come up with a new class of batteries.


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The Yi 4K is a pretty great camera already, especially for what it costs. Yi, however, did something pretty unique with the Yi 4K. When they released the new camera, they also announced that it would come with an Open API. While most aren’t able to take advantage of this, what it does do is allow developers the opportunity to talk directly to the hardware and create custom apps for the Yi 4K.
Thanks to the Yi Open API, Mn_nH now brin us one of the features that a lot of Yi 4K users have been begging for. You can now stream your Yi 4K camera directly to YouTube and Facebook through a new iOS app. Not only can it send live to these servers, but it seems that it can stream to both of them simultaneously.


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Website can help connect area businesses with Marcellus Shale
At Monday's meeting of the Elk County Gas Task Force, Ridgway Borough Main Street Manager Michelle Bogacki said a new website launched by the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) will help support regional economic efforts by bringing together area businesses with companies in the Marcellus Shale industry.According to MSC, the website is designed to forge connections between small- and mid-sized businesses who provide goods and services and oil and gas energy companies, contractors, and suppliers in New York, West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Bogacki said the website, which she described as "a business directory specifically for oil and gas," can help both area businesses by increasing the need for their services and Marcellus Shale businesses by giving them a place in the area of their operation to look for those services. "It’s to reach out to businesses that would like to be available or by contact for oil and gas [businesses] to approach them for their needs, and vice versa,” Bogacki said. "I encourage everybody to check that out. It’s a very nice website,” said Jodi Foster, Elk County Planning Department community and economic development coordinator. "It is a place if you know a local business owner that may want to do business with the industry, they can register for $25 a year and they will be included in this database. For instance, Marcellus may be looking for a place where they can buy gravel, they can go on that website and click on that particular type of business owner and that list will come up.”Foster said the cost is $5 for each additional address if a business has different locations. Bogacki said the coalition is also partnering with chambers of commerce and economic development organizations to spread the word to local vendors, suppliers and service providers. As chambers of commerce are usually a main point of contact, they can effectively provide referrals to both local businesses and those in the oil and gas industry. She said the Ridgway-Elk County Chamber of Commerce (www.ridgwaychamber.com) has been doing outreach to make their members aware of the directory. Pick up a copy of the Friday, May 18, 2012 edition of The Ridgway Record for more.


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The common time taken for a startup to hit unicorn status in Europe is now just seven years, in response to Accel.
Maskot | Digitalvision | Getty Images
Europe and Israel mint a median of 5 tech startups for each venture-backed company with a valuation of $1 billion or more, in response to a latest report from the enterprise capital firm Accel.
Of the 353 “unicorn” corporations within the region, 221 have spun out 1,171 latest tech-enabled startup corporations as employees at these firms left to begin up their very own ventures, Accel said, citing Dealroom data.
An analogous report from the firm last yr showed that, out of 344 VC-backed unicorns, 201 led to 1,018 latest startups being created.
The largest examples of corporations whose former talent went on to ascertain latest corporations include Spotify, which spawned 32 latest corporations, Delivery Hero, which generated 32, and Criteo, from which 31 latest startups were born.
Such corporations are referred to within the startup world as “mafias” — and no, they are not just like the mobs of the Italian-American gangster movies. Startup mafias have existed for a long time. These “mafias,” that are firms began by employees of other tech firms, have historically led to the creation of a few of the largest tech corporations known today.
From U.S. fintech giant PayPal, Elon Musk went on to begin electric-car maker Tesla and space exploration firm SpaceX, for instance, while Peter Thiel co-founded the massive data company Palantir and is now a renowned investor along with his Valar Ventures and Founders Fund VC firms.
VC investors say that those entrepreneurs got here from a culture of risk-taking in Silicon Valley that, for a few years, hasn’t existed in the identical way in Europe. It began to take shape with the appearance of maturing web platforms like Skype, from which Niklas Zennstrom began VC fund Atomico and Taavet Hinrikus co-founded fintech giant Sensible.
“Once I got began like 30 years ago back within the Valley, I did it within the West Coast, Palo Alto. Then I’d return to the Netherlands and my friends and my parents would say, why would you try this? Why would not you go work for Shell or Unilever? That has held Europe back,” Harry Nelis, partner at Accel, told CNBC.
“Now, unless you got here out of university and studied in the exact same way that I did, and also you go straight right into a startup — not like a raw startup but a longtime one where you may learn a trade after which you have got your profession already — it’s that type of latest philosophy that can, I believe, help Europe over time, and has been helping the ecosystem.”
Today, the likes of Spotify, Delivery Hero, Klarna and Sensible have develop into founder factories in their very own right.
The biggest cohort of newly established startup mafias comes from fintech, with almost 20% of European startups spun out of unicorns operating within the sector.
Startup employees in Europe and Israel are inclined to favor their very own cities for establishing their latest businesses, with over half of latest firms founded in the identical city because the unicorn they exited, in response to Accel.
Tel Aviv was the biggest single hub for producing startup factories, with 127 latest firms being spun out from 33 unicorns, Accel said. Inside Europe, London hosted essentially the most startup factories for a single city, with 27 unicorns and 185 startups, while Berlin was close behind with its 25 founder factories and 165 startup spinouts.
Greater than 59% of startups that got here from so-called startup mafias have already managed to boost VC funding, with 45% attracting around $1 million to $10 million of investment, and 30% receiving greater than $10 million.
The information also offers insight into the journey people take to becoming founders.
It takes second-generation founders a median of 28 months before founding their very own startups, in response to Accel, and the typical age of those entrepreneurs is 33.
Three-quarters of second-generation founders received higher education, with 60% obtaining a master’s degree.
Greater than 59% of startups that got here from so-called startup mafias have already managed to boost VC funding, with 45% pulling in around $1 million to $10 million and 30% receiving greater than $10 million.
The common time taken for a startup to hit unicorn status in Europe is now just seven years, Accel said.
Nevertheless, the outlook for tech startups more broadly has darkened as rates of interest have risen, putting pressure on valuations of late-stage corporations specifically. The market value of firms equivalent to Klarna has been slashed as investors reevaluate the tech sector.
Last yr, greater than $400 billion was wiped off the worth of Europe’s tech industry, in response to data from VC firm Atomico.
Layoffs have also plagued the industry. Music streaming platform Spotify laid off 6% of its headcount, “buy now, pay later” firm Klarna announced cuts of 10%, while money transfer unicorn Zepz recently let go 26% of employees.
An Accel spokesperson said that the impact of layoffs on latest startup generation didn’t feature in its report.
But despite the darkening outlook for tech, Nelis said he’s longing for the longer term.
He said the numbers show that Europe’s tech industry has matured to a level where employees are in a position to muster the courage to up and leave to begin latest firms of their very own.
A deep pool of talent has now emerged, with employees feeling they’ve the abilities and experience to show their very own ideas into full-fledged businesses.
“While founders and their teams are navigating a troublesome macroeconomic environment, the European and Israeli tech ecosystem is in a much stronger position than in the course of the 2008/9 financial crisis as a result of the compounding effect of repeat entrepreneurs,” Nelis told CNBC.
“With over 350 venture-backed unicorns across the continent, there’s a robust foundation of talent and success that we firmly consider will likely be passed onto the following generation of ambitious entrepreneurs.”
WATCH: Can India help the UK develop into a tech superpower?


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Why have food prices risen more than non-food prices?
Food prices are a lot higher than they used to be and every shopper in the U.S. knows it. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, food prices rose significantly between 2019 and 2022. Overall food prices increased 13.5% over the 3-year period from 2019-2022. More specifically, from December 2019 to December 2022:
- Food at home (grocery store food) prices rose 15.6%
- Food away from home (restaurant food) prices rose 11.3%
So on average, grocery store food prices saw greater increases than restaurant menu prices from pre-pandemic levels.
Within grocery segments:
- Prices for meat rose 16%
- Dairy increased 15.1%
- Fruits and vegetables climbed 9.3%
- Cereals and baked goods were up 16.2%
So across key grocery categories, food prices climbed approximately 9-16% comparing December 2022 costs for items versus their sticker prices back in December 2019 pre-COVID. These inflationary increases outstripped broader consumer price inflation, which rose 8.0% during the 3-year December to December period according to CPI data.
It might be more than just inflation
Inflation is up across the board and it surely is partly to blame for the dramatic rise in grocery bills but it may be more than just inflation. Although many businesses struggled during the Covid-19 pandemic, food manufacturers, as a whole, fared pretty well though they are unlikely to boast about this.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) implemented several temporary policy changes to provide regulatory flexibility for the food industry. These changes were intended to help maintain the food supply chain and meet consumer demand during a time of unprecedented disruption. Key changes to food regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic included
Relaxed ingredient labeling requirements: The FDA allowed manufacturers to make minor changes to product ingredients without updating the ingredient list on the packaged food. This was done to help manufacturers avoid supply chain disruptions and continue producing food even if they were unable to obtain certain ingredients.
Waived routine on-site inspections: The FDA shifted to a risk-based approach to inspections, focusing on high-risk facilities and relying more on reviewing company documents and records to ensure safety. This was done to protect FDA inspectors from potential exposure to COVID-19 and to allow them to focus on more critical issues.
Expedited approval for new products: The FDA streamlined its review process for new food and beverage products, including those related to COVID-19, to help bring new products to market more quickly.
Policy Regarding Enforcement of 21 CFR Part 118 (the Egg Safety Rule) During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency – This guidance provided temporary flexibility to the egg industry
Policy During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Regarding the Qualified Exemption from the Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing, and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption – This policy provided temporary flexibility for certain farms subject to the Produce Safety Rule regarding eligibility criteria for the qualified exemption
Returning Refrigerated Transport Vehicles and Refrigerated Storage Units to Food Uses After Using Them to Preserve Human Remains During the COVID-19 Pandemic – This policy provided temporary flexibility for returning refrigerated transport vehicles and refrigerated storage units to food uses after using them to preserve human remains during the pandemic
Policy Regarding Preventive Controls and FSVP Food Supplier Verification Onsite Audit Requirements Due to COVID-19 – This guidance clarified how the policies apply to importers of dietary supplements
The FDA’s temporary policy changes during the COVID-19 pandemic were aimed at striking a balance between protecting public health and ensuring a stable food supply. While the looser regulations may have raised some concerns about food safety, the narrative held that the changes were necessary to address the unique challenges posed by the pandemic. But the changes that were implemented were supposed to be temporary. As 2023 comes to a close – and most of the drastic pandemic measures are behind us – not all of these “temporary” policy changes have been reversed.
Some claim that major food manufacturers used the supply chain disruptions, the lax regulatory environment and overall inventory fears as opportunities to bolster profit margins through excessive price increases not fully justified by underlying cost escalations. After all, as food prices climbed 13.5% over those 3 years, non-food item prices saw an increase of around 6.6%.
If you thought that food manufacturers may have boosted prices in order to fend off bankruptcy you might be surprised. Despite facing inflationary and other economic pressures, most major US food manufacturers remain financially healthy and well-positioned for longer-term success:
- Food manufacturers achieved record revenue and earnings growth in 2021 as price increases rolled through while costs lagged. Margins expanded substantially with operating profits up 15-25% across most categories.
- Even though they faced pressures in 2022, top line sales still grew around 5-10% for leaders, according to Credit Suisse analysis.
- Categories like snacks, dairy, meat, and frozen foods saw strong demand from at-home consumption trends enduring post-pandemic. This bolstered sales for giants like General Mills, Hormel, Kellogg’s and Conagra.
Being big helps…a lot
This report was published in November, 2023