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In 2019, $233.5 billion was spent overseas from 99,744,820 international visits by U.S. citizens; however, due to the COVID-19 travel restrictions, many countries are now suffering from a serious decline in U.S. travelers this year. Travel insurance comparison site InsureMyTrip analyzed data from the U.S National Travel & Tourism Office to find out an estimated number of U.S. visits in 2019 for 30 countries, and how much money restricted countries may be missing out on from this significant decrease in U.S. tourism over six months.
The findings revealed that Italy is potentially the most impacted by a lack of U.S. tourism and could have lost up to $8.3 billion over six months. 5.6 million Americans visited Italy in 2019, according to figures from the Italian government. The Italian National Institute of Statistics projects that 60 percent of businesses in the travel industry fear imminent collapse and many did not reopen once restrictions have been lifted.
France is the second most likely to have been affected, with an estimated loss of $8.2 billion due to the U.S. travel restrictions over a six-month period. 4.8 million Americans arrived in France in 2019 and, in total, there were 90 million international visitors, making it a record year for tourism.The third presumed most heavily impacted is Spain with an estimated $5.8 billion loss in U.S. tourism revenue over six months. 3.3 million U.S. tourists visited Spain in 2019 and the country owes 12 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to tourism.
The Bahamas is the only Caribbean island in the top 10, coming in seventh position, with an estimated $3.5 billion loss of income from the lack of U.S. tourism. The Bahamas' move to ban most international travelers, especially Americans, was substantial—although it has since reopened its borders with a set of strict travel protocols. Fifty percent of the nation's GDP comes from tourism, with the majority from United States visitors. In 2019, the Bahamas welcomed their highest number of tourists, including a record 1.45 million from the U.S.
Other countries in the top 10 included (in order): Germany (4), China (5), Japan (6), the Netherlands (8), India (9) and Ireland (10).


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Pet Age Staff//February 8, 2019//
Pet Age Staff //February 8, 2019//
Press release: American Pet Products Association
American Pet Products Association (APPA) Executive Vice President & COO Andrew Darmohraj proudly announced today two staff promotions.
Jennifer Skelley, who previously served as Director of Communications and Public Relations, has been promoted to Senior Director of Communications and Public Relations. Skelley has been with APPA for nearly 15 years and oversees all communications efforts including public relations, social media and website content for the Association, APPA’s Pets Add Life (PAL) campaign, and Global Pet Expo, the pet industry’s largest annual trade show. Skelley plays an integral role in developing and implementing association-wide marketing communications plans that serve to promote and advance APPA, its members and the pet industry. She is a founding member and serves on the steering committee of APPA’s Professional Women’s Network and was named among the 2015 Pet Age Forty Under 40. Skelley is also a member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), American Marketing Association (AMA), and Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and is a graduate of Boston College where she earned a dual degree in communications and sociology.
Josh Vetere, who previously served as Manager of Sales and Marketing, has been promoted to Senior Manager of Sales and Marketing. Vetere has been with APPA for 13 years and assists with all sponsorship opportunities at Global Pet Expo and the Pet Industry Leadership Conference. His responsibilities include reviewing marketing and advertising materials for Global Pet Expo, creating annual advertising plans that align with the Global Pet Expo theme to help create brand awareness and preparing the sales guide and securing sponsorships for the Pet Industry Leadership Conference. Vetere is a member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), New York Society of Association Executives (NYSAE), and the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), Vetere obtained his bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from the University of Connecticut, Stamford.
“Both Jennifer and Josh have been outstanding APPA team members for more than a decade and we truly value their hard work and dedication,” said Darmohraj. “On behalf of the APPA Board and staff, we would like to congratulate them both on these well-deserved promotions and we look forward to their continued success with The Association.”

domain: news


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Millions of Americans will venture out on Thanksgiving evening and the next day, hoping to get the best deals on their Black Friday purchases. If you wait just one day and shop on Small Business Saturday, or even commit to doing your Black Friday shopping at a local, independent business, your purchase will have a significantly higher impact in your local community.
The local multiplier effect is significant in communities when you make local purchases. On average, 48% of each purchase at a local, independent business was recirculated locally, compared with less than 14% of purchases at chain stores, according to Civic Economics. That means, by shopping locally on Small Business Saturday, this year Saturday, November 29, 2014, means you are not only getting great gifts for your holiday giving, but supporting the creation of local jobs and strong revenue streams that benefit your community.
According to national research, on average, buyers spent $407.23 on Black Friday. If you took your average Black Friday spending (which puts in about $57 back to the local economy if you shop at a chain) and spent it at local, independent businesses, your purchase would keep more than $195 local.
Small Business Saturday is a great way to get your shopping done early and support your community. You can find participating businesses at Small Business Saturday’s website and by checking out OBDC’s Borrower Map.
Tell us where you shop by tweeting @obdc_finance and don’t forget to #SmallBizSat!


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By Phil Boeyen, ShareChat Business News Editor
Friday 28th September 2001
|Text too small?
BIL's annual result, released late Thursday in Singapore, shows a US$119 million loss for the year ended June, including a US$168.2 million writedown on its Air NZ investment.
The company owns 30% of the national carrier although its stake is due to rise under recapitalisation plans currently being considered by the beleaguered airline.
Brierley chief, Greg Terry, says the company had been expecting to mark the millennium with a return to profitability despite difficult trading conditions in its core businesses.
Without the airline writedown the company's bottom-line would have been strengthened by a number of profitable divestments, particularly the A$234 million profit the company made by selling its investment in James Hardie.
Brierley has been trying to sell its shares in Air NZ for some time and while the exit strategy remains, the company says it first needs to help rebuild value in the battered airline.
Under a recapitalisation plan announced a few weeks ago, but currently under review, BIL and Singapore Airlines agreed to chip in another $150 million with the NZ government providing a credit line of up to $550 million.
"We believe that if the conditions in the agreement can be satisfied the solution achieved at Air New Zealand will not only ensure that Air New Zealand has a viable financial future, but also in the longer term, restore value for BIL and all our shareholders," says Greg Terry.
"It provides an opportunity for us to rebuild value, which would otherwise have been lost."
Mr Terry also says that another major investment, the UK Thistle Hotels group, will also been knocked by recent economic events despite making major progress during the year in bringing its revenue per room into line with its 4 star competitors in the UK and winning more business travel custom.
"A combination of foot and mouth disease, economic slowdown in the USA and the tragic events of early September in the USA means that much of this progress will be given back in the second half of calendar year 2001.
"Nevertheless the foundation is laid for better performance when markets recover. The next step with Thistle is to improve its return on equity."
BIL is also happy with its decision to move to full ownership of the Denaru resort in Fiji, describing the coup there as a temporary setback for the business.
"This resort remains an excellent development opportunity for BIL and we intend to consolidate the resort's position as Fiji's number one tourist asset by continued and vigorous development of the project," says Mr Terry.
During the year the company reports it spent US$72.5 million to boost its stake in Singapore listed food and beverage company, Fraser & Neave, and continues to acquire shares, currently holding around 11%.
Greg Terry says although it is hard to predict what the year will hold in the aftermath of the US attacks - particularly for a company whose principal assets are hotels and an investment in an airline - the company will continue to be a value investor, primarily focused on opportunities in a limited range of sectors, including hotels and resorts and food and beverage.
"We will also undertake strategic and portfolio investments which offer the potential to become core holdings or which offer substantial short term returns as a result of event-driven disequilibrium. We will continue to look for companies in our core sectors which are likely to grow at a rate higher than general economic growth."
The company says corporate staffing levels have now been halved to 26 positions compared with 18 months ago and the cost of running the company has fallen to less than $US10 million a year from US$30 million.
Sir Selwyn Cushing, who returned to the company as chairman in 1998, is standing down at the end of September and will be replaced by Tan Sri Quek Leng Chan.
No comments yet
Air NZ deputy warns against Qantas cash
Air NZ loses momentum in November
One Air NZ share by Christmas
Air NZ investors have little choice - report
Star Alliance pulls together
Wrightson chairman to steer Air NZ
Tourism body gets $2 million shot in the arm
Free flights cost more
More cash promised as Air NZ share price settled
Air NZ agrees to sell Ansett flights


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Amazon Launches Cert Program for Partners
Amazon recently launched the Amazon Web Services Certification Program to give partners and customers access to training and validation for implementing systems and apps in Amazon's cloud.
While AWS offers a robust portfolio of cloud offerings and, rightfully, claims it operates some of the largest cloud implementations, until now it has lacked a meaningful way of ensuring its partners were certified to implement its services.
Amazon tapped testing partner Kryterion to implement the new training programs. The first available exam will be for the "AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate Level." That certification will be for architects and those who design and develop apps that run on AWS, the company said.
In the pipeline are certifications for systems operations (SysOps), administrators and developers, which the company will roll out later this year. The exams will be available at 750 locations throughout 100 countries, Amazon said.
The certifications will allow partners to assert their expertise in the company's cloud offering as a way of differentiating it among a growing partner ecosystem that now boasts 664 (up from 650 earlier in the week) solution providers in the AWS Partner Network (APN) and 735 consultancies.
"Once you complete the certification requirements, you will receive an AWS Certified logo badge that you can use on your business cards and other professional collateral," said AWS evangelist Jeff Barr in a blog post. "This will help you to gain recognition and visibility for your AWS expertise."
Posted by Jeffrey Schwartz on May 02, 2013


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On September 7th, Liu Xueliang, Deputy Secretary and District Mayor of Daxing District, Cai Xiaojun, Deputy Mayor of Daxing District, visited Biosis Healing. Ma Yanzhu, Director of Daxing District Emerging Industry Promotion Service Center Industry Promotion Center, Li Ming, General Manager of Beijing Daxing Investment Group Co., Ltd., Shen Haicheng, Deputy General Manager of China Bio-medicine Park, Bai Yumei, Union president of China Bio-medicine Park, and other officials came to Biosis Healing for inspection and guidance. Zhao Bo, Chairman of Biosis Healing, Zhang Jinhui, General Manager, Lun Xinyi, Chief Talent Officer, Wang Huasheng, Chief Operating Officer, Yu Xueqiao, Chief Medical Officer, Wei Pengfei, Director of Technical Research, Zhao Yanrui, Director of Strategic Development department, accompanied the reception, and reported the current development of the company to the officials.
In the exhibition hall, Chairman Zhao Bo first introduced the product pipeline of Biosis Healing and the company's patent layout in the world to the visiting leaders. After knowing that the products of Biosis Healing have been covered by patents in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Japan, District Mayor Liu Xueliang pointed out that the patent layout and intellectual property rights are the intangible assets of the company. It's particularly important for medical device enterprises that take innovation and research and development as the cornerstone. The overseas layout of patents is of great significance for China to build a world-class intellectual property highland, firmly grasp the initiative and discourse power of innovation, and for domestic brands to go global. It should be operated and managed at the height of corporate strategy.
Then, District Mayor Liu Xueliang and other officials visited Biosis Healing laboratory, and Dr. Wei gave a detailed introduction. District Mayor Liu Xueliang fully affirmed the company's achievements in scientific research investment and transformation of scientific and technological achievements.
At the forum, Chairman Zhao Bo introduced the company's overall product layout and future development plan to the officials. After 10 years of development, under the support of the policies of the state, Beijing Municipal Government, Daxing District Government and other governments at all levels, Biosis Healing has now launched more than 20 products. In 2022, Biosis Healing's SIS material products has continued to develop, and the SIS Staple Line Reinforcement has been launched. This is the first anastomotic reinforcement and repair product in China, which solves the biggest clinical pain point in digestive tract surgery-the problems of bleeding and anastomotic leakage. The launch of Oral Matrix has brought a brand-new domestic solution to the field of prosthodontics dominated by foreign brands, subverting the status quo of the industry, and further reducing the cost of treatment for patients.
After listening to the product introduction, District Mayor Liu Xueliang said that there are many innovative medical device enterprises like Biosis Healing in the China Bio-medicine Park, focusing on solving the health problems that are most concerned by people. We should make good use of the new media publicity platform, do a good job of popular science, promote the high-tech products of these enterprises in a language that the common people can understand. Coordinated development of industry, university, research and medicine, is the fundamental path of the development of medical device enterprises, it can help enterprises to achieve industrial breakthrough faster. The enterprise has a postdoctoral research workstation, which is a big advantage. With the help of Daxing District academician expert lecture hall, forum, university resources, we can build an academic research and promotion platform for enterprises. We also need to build a communication platform between pharmaceutical enterprises and medical institutions, do a good job of accurate connection work for these enterprises. We should comprehensively understand the actual needs of enterprises, provide professional, efficient, effective assistance and support.
Subsequently, Cai Xiaojun, Deputy Mayor of Daxing District, pointed out in his speech that Daxing District will serve as a strong backing for the development of enterprises, to provide financial support, product recommendation, resource docking, publicity and promotion, talent attraction and other precise services, and strive to create a good environment for the development of enterprises, firm confidence in the development of enterprises, and escort the development of enterprises.


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Pubs could be in for a week to get the heart racing, with spending set to increase on Valentine's Day this year.
Research from Mintel indicates that Brits spent £620m on Valentine's gifts in 2017 – up from £575 million the year before. The growth is expected to continue with experts predicting £650m will be spent on gifts this year.
The biggest challenge for pubs will be getting people away from a romantic meal at home and into the pub, because more was spent on food and drink at home (£128m) than on any other gift last year.
Samantha Dover, retail analyst at Mintel, said: "Valentine's Day is now the biggest spending retail event in the first half of the year, overtaking Easter by a significant amount."
She added: "Shoppers are looking for creative ideas ahead of February 14, especially those that go beyond the traditional assortment of lingerie, flowers and jewellery, with experiential gifts one way to make gift suggestions more appealing."
Pubs across the country are putting on a range of events. Brakspear is running a competition to find people who found love in their pubs.
Meanwhile, the Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen in London took a scientific approach to love, inviting customers – picked out after filling on an online survey – to an event where they can ask potential partners 36 specific questions.
The event is based on the essay To Fall in Love With Anyone, which examines how intimacy can be examined by asking a series of probing questions.
Meanwhile, the White Hart in Weston in Gordano recently hosted a private match-making night after customers had been asked to fill out compatability tests.


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DLF's plan to sell its Amanresorts chain to original founder Adrian Zecha has reportedly fallen through, and now the Indian real estate firm is looking for new suitors, having already been in talks with private equity funds and hotel companies, including Blackstone Group and Carlyle Group.
DLF has ended its exclusivity contract to sell luxury hotel chain to Zecha. Last December, DLF had announced the sale of the luxury chain, with resorts concentrated in Asia, but also two in the U.S., for somewhere in the neighborhood of $300 million to Zecha, as the company looked to drastically pare its debt.
The original deadline of the deal was to be February 2013, which was subsequently extended to June 30. However, Zecha reportedly was not able to close the deal.
Now, the company is looking elsewhere. But finding a buyer may not be easy, First Post writes. A slowing economy and tighter liquidity situation are likely to pull down the price, putting a question mark over the Indian company’s ability to meet its debt reduction target, First Post wrote.
"High leverage and mounting interest costs combined with tough macro, slowing demand, and the possibility of tighter liquidity pose significant downside risks to DLF," Citigroup said in a note as reported by First Post. The investment bank downgraded DLF to sell from neutral and said DLF would need a "rapid" resolution to its debt burden to preserve equity value over the medium term.
The sale Amanresorts is crucial to this debt reduction. According to a report in the Business Standard, DLF now has a debt of around Rs 20,000 crore.


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Eight vaping statistics that may shock you.
It seems like all vape news is bad news. And now, it’s getting worse. The number of people who vape keeps on rising, despite the growing awareness of how dangerous it is. Check out these eight vaping stats — and see if you still think it’s harmless.Read full article
While we still don’t fully understand the dangers of vaping compared with regular combustible cigarettes, we’re learning more every day. And right now, we have some stats that are hard to argue with.


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With the launch of Apex Legends Season 1, a whole host of new content has come to the popular battle royale, some more welcome than others. One aspect of the game which players are seeking to avoid are the Apex Legends lootboxes. In fact, it seems that a way to do just that has already been found; cunning players have begun switching their country of origin to Belgium, where lootboxes are illegal and Apex Legends instead offers crafting materials in their place.
How Players Are Avoiding Apex Legends Lootboxes by Switching Region
Lootboxes have been a controversial topic among gamers for several years now. Indeed, they have attracted such attention that several countries have banned them completely. Belgium is one such country, which determined that lootboxes constituted gambling back in 2018. In fact, a criminal investigation was launched in Belgium against EA which eventually led to EA halting the sale of FIFA Points. As a result, there simply aren’t Apex Legends lootboxes (“Apex Packs”) in Belgium; in their place, the game awards players with a stash of crafting materials. Players can use these to craft the game’s skins. Although the average value is slightly decreased, it seems that many players are keen to avoid lootboxes regardless.
The method seemed to be first spotted on Reddit, by a Redditor who goes by “Mernerak”. A few days ago, a Belgian gamer and Reddit user ‘UnicornPL’ made a post which drew awareness to the lack of Apex Legends lootboxes in the country. In a response post, Mernerak posited that gamers could theoretically change their country of origin. Confirmation of this theory quickly came on PC; players had to change parts of their Origin accounts and restart the Origin client. Since the original post went up, other gamers seem to have discovered similar ways to replicate the process on PS4 and Xbox One.
Switching your region to Belgium doesn’t disable the loot boxes which appear on the free pass. This is because players don’t pay for these, so they don’t violate Belgian law. However, the lootboxes which appear in the Battle Pass are all swapped for crafting materials. In fact, players won’t even be region-locked into Belgian servers, you’ll still play in whatever your normal server is. Respawn has yet to officially comment on this issue. As such, it’s unknown if they plan on implementing barriers to stop players from doing this. For now at least, players who want nothing to do with lootboxes do at least have one option for Apex Legends.


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In preview, ten customs agents in the region have received yesterday afternoon their new professional card supposed to be "tamper-proof" and that will be over the whole French territory by the month June. "The uniform is not enough alone" warns Philip Galy, director of the Interregional Customs Nord - Pas de Calais - Picardie. To be sure of themselves in front of a person holding the 'kingly authority" as they say in the customs, the best is to ask the valuable professional card. A measure that has still its limits, because no one is safe from a wise guy who has made a copy rather honorable.
That's why the French customs have decided to launch a new version of the precious sesame. And it is in the North they arrived yesterday in preview. A card "ultra secure, impossible to duplicate" says Anne Cornet, deputy director of programming, budget and means to Customs. Exit the simple paper card. Now this is a plastic card with a bottom made of micro-letters, invisible ink and paper watermarked to prevent any entry. The citizen can have 100% confidence in this card, according to Customs. A card produced in the region. "Exclusive to our site, Douai"; says Didier Trutt, CEO of Imprimerie Nationale. Yesterday, top ten agents have received it before 18 000 across France receive it by June.


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IBM BladeCenter HT
IBM and Rackable Systems Monday announced a joint sales agreement under which Rackable Systems will offer IBM’s BladeCenter systems for installation inside of Rackable’s ICE Cube modular data centers.
IBM BladeCenter systems can now be installed inside of Rackable ICE Cube modular data centers.
The ICE Cube is a standard-size shipping container with all of the racks for an ultradense data center installed inside. Customers can fill it with Rackable’s line of 1U to 9U racks or they can add a BladeCenter chassis to use IBM blades.
The deal involves the use of IBM BladeCenter T or HT systems, which are NEBS-3/ETSI-compliant, meaning they’re certified for use in telecommunications environments and carrier facilities.
Pund-IT Principle Analyst Charles King said it’s a win for both companies. “It gives Rackable a way to jump into the blade solution space without having to spend any money developing it themselves,” he said, adding that developing the blades is an expensive process. “And it allows IBM to sell BladeCenter as an OEM product — not that Rackable will put its logo on it.”
Read More About Blades
Tony Carrozza, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Rackable, said adding the BladeCenter products to the its modular data center “puts us in a position to offer customers a broader set of solutions, from cloud computing to enterprise apps, which is what the BladeCenter allows us to do going forward,” said
IBM blades are inherently different from Rackable rack-mounted systems. IBM blades are for more general-purpose computing, whereas Rackable systems are meant for ultradense computing projects.
“We don’t have what you would consider to be a true blade product,” Carrozza told InternetNews.com. “The BladeCenter is a true blade product with a self-contained fabric, management software, redundancy and resiliency in it,” he explained, adding that besides rack servers Rackable typically offers scale-out servers. “It’s blade like but doesn’t have its own switching fabric built into the chassis,” he said.
Plus, Rackable’s systems are based on Intel and AMD chips, whereas IBM blades also offer the option of IBM’s POWER5 and POWER6 processors.
Unsure About an Acronym or Term?
The ICE Cube is available in 20- or 40-foot container sizes and can hold up to 1,344 dual-socket blades with quad-core Intel Xeons or 672 quad socket, dual-core AMD Opteron blades.
The BladeCenter chassis slots right into a Rackable ICE Cube, so long as you remember to remove the wheels that are on the chassis. It then uses the ICE Cube power and cooling system for operation and management.
IBM BladeCenter T and HT are available immediately via Rackable Systems and its channel partners.
Open Source Blades?
Rackable also announced it’s joining Blade.org, the industry consortium created in 2004 by IBM and Intel that’s trying to create open standards for blade servers. Up to now, all of the blades from Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Sun have used their own design standards, meaning you can’t install a Sun blade in an HP chassis, for example.
IBM has been an exception to that rule, opening its blades up and making the specs public. The first company to offer a third-party product is Themis, which offers a Sun UltraSPARC-based blade that works in a BladeCenter chassis.
“Openness has been a key part of our strategy for blades from day one,” said Tim Dougherty, director of BladeCenter strategy at IBM. “We felt it’s the right thing to do to expand the blade market.”
This article was originally published on InternetNews.com.


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During the outbreak of coronavirus, electric scooters, shared bicycles and cars can still be used
If you can’t even shake hands and you should maintain a stable social distance of 3 feet when the COVID-19 pandemic spreads, riding a shared electric scooter may not be a safe activity. Correct? However, with appropriate precautions, the risk of participating in the sharing economy should be small.
Coronavirus has been shown to adhere to certain surfaces for up to four days, but it is powerless to disinfectants. Therefore, we can literally erase it.
Dr. Daniel Berliner, a doctor at PlushCare, wrote in an email to Mashable that touching anything used by more than one person is risky, but he pointed out that “the use of Clorox-type wipes for cleaning and disinfecting must become the Of standard procedure items and equipment."
So, although you might probably avoid renting electric scooters on a regular basis now, occasionally riding a bike is not your worst thing.
Berliner said: "If you must share these vehicles, wipe them clean before use and wash your hands, and use hand sanitizer after use, which is the minimum requirement to reduce the risk of this disease." "This may not eliminate the threat of infection, But the risk should be reduced."
As for bicycles and electric scooters that can be rented through apps such as Lime, Lyft and Uber's Jump, that is to keep the vehicles and hands clean.
A Jump spokesperson explained: “We have increased the frequency of cleaning and sterilized all JUMP electric bicycles and scooters entering and leaving the warehouse. The staff responsible for handling JUMP vehicles wear gloves and wash their hands frequently.”
But this is not all the company's business. Of course, you should wash your hands after riding a bicycle or scooter, but you should also consider wiping the vehicle at frequent points of contact (such as handlebars). Jump even requires riders to consider wearing gloves when riding. If you are sick, please do not ride a bicycle.
Lyft operates bicycle and scooter shares, such as Bay Wheels in the San Francisco area and CitiBike in New York City. The company said that every time a two-wheeled vehicle fleet is transported to a warehouse, it must be disinfected. This means that the handlebars, seats, brakes, bells, gear levers and seat clips have all been wiped off.
For ride sharing through Uber and Lyft, the driver must thoroughly clean the car to keep the car free of coronaviruses. The same is true for car-sharing services like Turo or Getaround. If you rent a car, even if the company claims to have been disinfected, it should be cleaned well.


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MOSCOW, October 31. /TASS/. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will hold a meeting on improvement of the domestic textile industry on Friday in the Russian city of Ivanovo, known as Russia’s textile capital, the governmental press service said.
“The participants in the meeting will consider the situation in the textile industry and its prospects alongside primary supplies to the textile industry and an impact of illicit manufacture and illegal imports of goods on the industry,” the press service sad.
Medvedev is expected at the Krasnaya (Red) Talka Factory. This textile company, set up in 1780 as a cotton printing and dyeing factory, specialises in cotton fabric.
Over the six months of 2014 the Russian textile factories have received subsidies from the budget amounting at 500 million roubles ($12.03 million) that were disbursed for purchases of primary goods, technical modernisation and investment projects.


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Web boss wants more control
The boss of Britain’s biggest dedicated online drinks retailer says proposals to force retailers to have policies on under-age sales won’t prevent rogue traders from supplying alcohol to minors.
Tim Francis, managing director of The Drink Shop, said it would still be too easy for under-18s to get hold of alcohol through websites that didn’t have proper age checks in place.
He was speaking in a week when the mandatory code on alcohol retailing was approved by the House of Lords, and the first successful prosecution of an unlicensed drinks retailer recruiting children through Facebook came to court (see story, page seven).
The code includes a requirement for shops to have a policy on preventing under-age sales. There was speculation that the measure would heap tough new restrictions on online sales but these have not materialised.
Francis said: “Nowadays, you can pick up an off-the-shelf internet package for less than £1,500. It’s accessible for a lot of small businesses who believe they can make money online.
“Some drinks websites have no kind of age check at all and I don’t think the existing legislation goes far enough.”?He added the authorities did not have “enough teeth” when it came to punishing retailers who weren’t vigilant about checking the age of online shoppers.
The Drink Shop won the Inde-pendent of the Year award at last year’s Responsible Drinks Retailing Awards for its own work on age verification checks.
The Wine & Spirit Trade Association said legitimate online retailers shouldn’t be affected by the new rules on under-age sales policies.
Spokesman Gavin Partington said: “Online retail organisations use a range of different processes, all of them valid, as the Home Office has acknowledged.
“We’ve made strenuous efforts to ensure these regulations on verification don’t adversely impact distance sellers and retailers operating effective Challenge 21 and 25 policies.
“We welcome assurances from ministers and officials that clear guidance will be given to licensing officers on this so the regulations are not misinterpreted.”?In the Lords debate, Labour’s Lord Brett said: “There is a responsibility on the person who is selling the wine to verify that those who are seeking to buy it are over 18. That is normally done because they want you to pay by credit card.
“But there is no requirement at the present time on the person who delivers the wine.
“When it is delivered to your house, if your 14-year-old daughter or son signs for it, it will in no way be an issue.”


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Tepad Kenya is pleased to have held a successful UjiPlus Stakeholders inception meeting in Mbita, Homabay county. This comes as the UjiPlus deworming program is launched targeting school going children. Schools in the region will willingly participate in the program due to the significant number of children with ringworms and other intestinal worms that have hugely affected their health.
”It brings a lot of excitement to note that there is a formulation that works for the population in our area; to deworm the community” said Mr. Vincent Oluoch, SCPHO Mbita Subcounty.
UjiPlus is TerikFoods’ porridge flour product that combines the health giving benefits of Pawpaw seeds on deworming. This amazing porridge flour combines nutrition, deworming and treatment of bacterial infections from a scientifically patented herbal formula derived from papaya seeds.
You can visit the website terikfoods.co.ke for more information about this amazing product.


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Revolutionizing Laptops: Chromebook Plus Initiative Delivers Affordable Power
Chrome OS Redefines Laptop Performance
In the ever-evolving world of tech, Google’s Pixel devices have always been a highlight, but the recent Made by Google product showcase brought something equally exciting to the forefront: the Chromebook Plus initiative. This initiative has redefined what a Chromebook can be, turning it into a true powerhouse.
What was once known as the Chromebook X has now become a set of product and specs standards for Chrome OS laptops. These standards equip certified models with the hardware capabilities to handle more tasks natively on the machine, rather than relying solely on browser-based tools.


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In an effort to support the beauty industry, Aveda announced a robust, multifaceted program designed to directly benefit independent spas salons that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Spas and salons that carry Aveda products are independently owned; this includes more than 6,000 small businesses in the U.S. alone.
“We’ve watched small businesses take a major hit over the last several weeks, and that includes our thousands of independently owned Aveda partners across the United States which have closed their doors to protect their staff and their guests," says April Anslinger, Aveda senior vice president and North America general manager. "They have done their part to protect their communities, and now we want to do our part to help them reopen as soon as they are able," she says.
The Aveda Cares program aims to help Aveda spas recover via six initiatives:
A $1.5M+ fundraising effort in celebration of Hairstylist Appreciation Day (4/30)
Providing monetary contributions via Aveda’s loyalty program
An increased online commission program
Extended terms for applicable spas and salons
1000+ hours of free virtual education
A weekly virtual owners forum
To provide support for its partner spas and salons, Aveda has also kicked off a fundraising program to help provide financial support to spas and salons who have been affected by recent voluntary and state-mandated closures. Aveda will contribute $600,000 to The Salon and Spa Relief Fund, a non-profit organization established to help salon and spa owners and their employees rebuild their lives and businesses. Consumers can join this effort with Aveda by:
- Making a donation when checking out on Aveda.com, which will then be donated to The Salon & Spa Relief Fund.
- Redeeming their Pure Privilege Points (Aveda Loyalty Members only), turning the Points into dollars which will be directly donated to the fund.
- Making a direct donation at salonandsparelieffund.org.
This story originally ran on our sister site, TheBeautyExperience.com.
American Spa will continue to provide top of the line Coronavirus coverage as news surrounding the pandemic emerges. Click here for our full list of COVID-19 coverage and check back daily for updates. Want to share your Coronavirus updates with us? Email [email protected], or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.


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Paso Robles Rotary inaugural Beer Crawl fundraiser postponed
Update March 26, 2020:
Paso Robles Rotary President Nicolette Harley-Barth announced the club’s first-ever Beer Crawl fundraiser is postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 outbreak. She made the announcement Thursday during an online Paso Robles Rotary Club meeting.
Original report March 11, 2020:
Paso Robles Rotary plans inaugural Beer Crawl fundraiser
–Paso Robles Rotary Club announced this week its first-ever Beer Crawl fundraiser. The event will be held on April 24, from 5 pm. – 8 p.m., in downtown Paso Robles and is limited to the first 200 participants.
“We are so excited to bring this new, unique and fun event to Paso Robles,” says club President Nicolette Harley-Barth. Proceeds from the fundraiser will be donated to non-profits through the Rotary Club.
Paso Robles Rotary has 110 members who are all community leaders working together to make this world a better place, Harley-Barth says.
Here’s how it will work: “Pick your starting brewery, each group will start at a different brewery and move to another brewery together as a group,” the club’s announcement says. “We will all end up at The Backyard for the final stop. Wear comfortable shoes, we will be walking almost 2 miles total and bring a jacket. You will park and gather at your starting brewery, where you will get your glass, tasting tickets and raffle ticket. At each brewery you will receive two 5oz tastings and FOOD. We will have a drawing for brewery swag at The Backyard, our final destination, where we will have Firestone beer and more food. There are only 200 tickets available for this event, so gather your friends and join the same group for a fun evening of beer crawling.”
Locations supporting the Paso Robles Rotary Beer Crawl


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More grocery news
9Nine, the new face of 9Bar, is unveiling new products and packaging.
Hula Hoops is back on TV screens with a campaign reminding consumers how much they love the snack.
Bahlsen has announced the launch of a new price marked Mini Bag range into convenience stores.
Hellmann’s, the UK’s top mayonnaise brand, is undergoing a complete brand refresh with upgraded recipes.
Natural Balance Foods is launching Trek Chunks – a protein-rich, healthier on-the-go snack.
A new 17-strong range of food-to-go solutions are based around best-selling delicatessen products.
Dr. Oetker has teamed up with former Great British Bake Off winner John Whaite to amplify its ‘Dare to Bake’ campaign.
Weetabix is revealing a new look and campaign with the ‘Have You Had Your Weetabix?’ strapline.
Kraft Heinz is welcoming its ‘Irresistibly Tasty’ Heinz Tomato Ketchup creative to the UK following a successful run in the US.
Premier Foods is launching a range of indulgent Choc Tarts under the Cadbury Cakes brand.


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Banks and non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) in India have the potential to achieve an electric vehicle (EV) financing market size of ₹40,000 crore by 2025 and ₹3.7 lakh crore by 2030, the official think tank said in a report on EVs released on Friday.
"However, retail finance for EVs has been slow to pick up," said the report prepared along with Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and RMI India.
Priority-sector lending (PSL) aims to expand financial access and support employment opportunities in India.
"Financial institutions have an important role to play in accelerating the adoption of EVs in India and supporting the decarbonisation of road transport," said Amitabh Kant, chief executive officer of Niti Aayog.
"RBI's PSL mandate has a proven track record of improving the supply of formal credit towards areas of national priority. It can provide a strong regulatory incentive for banks and NBFCs to scale their financing to EVs," he said.


text: A new scheme is under way on the mainland to label consignments of vegetables destined for Hong Kong and ease growing fears over contaminated produce. As part of the voluntary scheme in Guangdong, any farm exporting vegetables to Hong Kong will be rated on their use of pesticides. Track records will also be taken into account. Vegetables produced from farms obtaining a first-class rating will be exempted from sample tests, said the Shenzhen Import/Export Commodities Inspection Bureau. For second-class farms, half of their exported vegetables will be analysed, while all the vegetables from third-class farms will be tested. The move follows a spate of food poisoning cases recorded in Hong Kong last month. At present, about 40 per cent of vegetables consumed in Hong Kong come from Shenzhen and Dongguan, where contaminated vegetables are regularly found. Farmers often use excessive pesticide not only to kill disease but make produce look greener and healthier. Hong Kong Department of Health figures showed six people were affected by poisoned vegetables up to March this year. Last year, there were 45 people, while the figure for 1994 was 141. The Nongyi Farm, in Tonghu, Huizhou, has been nominated by officials as the first first-class farm in Guangdong. The 1,000-hectare farm exports up to 10 tonnes of flowering cabbage, white cabbage, and flowering kale to Hong Kong markets each day. Farm owner Yeung Bik-shan, a Hong Kong farmer who moved to grow vegetables on the mainland in 1984, said: 'To ease Hong Kong people's mind, the pesticide used here is imported from Hong Kong. 'We also record the number of times and on which field we have applied pesticide. The use of pesticide on vegetables to be harvested within 10 days is banned.'


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Equities analysts expect TriMas Co. (NASDAQ:TRS) to report earnings per share of $0.46 for the current fiscal quarter, Zacks Investment Research reports. Six analysts have provided estimates for TriMas’ earnings, with estimates ranging from $0.44 to $0.47. TriMas posted earnings per share of $0.40 during the same quarter last year, which would indicate a positive year-over-year growth rate of 15%. The company is scheduled to report its next quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 26th.
On average, analysts expect that TriMas will report full-year earnings of $1.66 per share for the current fiscal year, with EPS estimates ranging from $1.55 to $1.75. For the next fiscal year, analysts anticipate that the firm will post earnings of $1.81 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $1.65 to $1.90. Zacks’ earnings per share averages are a mean average based on a survey of sell-side research analysts that follow TriMas.
TriMas (NASDAQ:TRS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 26th. The industrial products company reported $0.41 EPS for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.03. TriMas had a net margin of 5.78% and a return on equity of 12.71%. The firm had revenue of $217.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $208.81 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.30 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year.
TRS has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $32.00 target price (down previously from $33.00) on shares of TriMas in a report on Tuesday, March 6th. BidaskClub raised TriMas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, March 1st. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on TriMas in a report on Tuesday, April 3rd. They set an “outperform” rating and a $33.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank set a $29.00 target price on TriMas and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 19th. Finally, ValuEngine raised TriMas from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. TriMas currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $29.33.
Shares of TRS traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $28.40. 73,592 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 136,881. TriMas has a twelve month low of $28.30 and a twelve month high of $28.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a current ratio of 2.83. The company has a market capitalization of $1.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.34 and a beta of 1.78.
In related news, CAO Paul Swart sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.05, for a total value of $54,100.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Joshua A. Sherbin sold 29,546 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.37, for a total value of $808,674.02. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 37,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,011,509 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.
A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in TriMas during the first quarter worth about $181,000. First Quadrant L P CA acquired a new position in TriMas during the fourth quarter worth about $195,000. We Are One Seven LLC acquired a new position in TriMas during the fourth quarter worth about $211,000. Cigna Investments Inc. New acquired a new position in TriMas during the fourth quarter worth about $212,000. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC acquired a new position in TriMas during the first quarter worth about $222,000. 98.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
TriMas Company Profile
TriMas Corporation manufactures and sells products for consumer products, aerospace, industrial, petrochemical, refinery, and oil and gas markets worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Packaging, Aerospace, Energy, and Engineered Components. The Packaging segment designs and manufactures industrial closure products, including steel drum and plastic enclosures, plastic drum closures, and plastic pail dispensers and plugs; and specialty dispensing products, such as foamers, lotion pumps, fine mist sprayers, and other packaging solutions for the cosmetic, personal care, and household product markets, as well as specialty plastic closures for bottles and jars, and dispensing pumps for the food and beverage markets.
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When will retailers like The Limited learn?
Tom Dougherty, CEO – Stealing Share
11 January 2017
Retailers need serious new thinking
And another one bites the dust. Goodbye, The Limited. The retailer has closed all of its brick and mortar locations as of Sunday.
The Limited joins a long list of failed retailers. Also this week, Hudson Bay, owners of Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord and Taylor among others, announced weaker than expected holiday sales. Specialty retailer, Ascena (Lane Bryant, Ann Taylor, Catherine’s, Justice) did the same.
“Retailers must read the pulse of the consumer. They must usher in the latest fashions and trends. However, retailers are stuck in the past while the consumer is changing.”
And this was in the wake of a strong holiday retail sales season.
Retailers like The Limited are the frog
Ever hear the anecdote about the frog in boiling water? If you put a frog in a pot of water and turn up the heat, the frog will stay in the water and die from gradually being boiled.
Retailers, you are the frog. You have done nothing while the pot of water was heating up.
Yes, I am tough on the retailing sector but I have good cause. I’ve said it before and I will keep saying it until the industry wakes up. Retail has failed the consumer for too long and the chickens have come home to roost.
Iconic brands such as Sears, Macy’s, Kmart, JC Penney, The Limited, and Saks Fifth Avenue are dying on the vine. Brands with near universal awareness are failing to build preference. Where is the connection with the consumer? Why should the consumer care about any of them?
The consumer has changed. Retailers must read the pulse of the consumer. They must usher in the latest fashions and trends. However, retailers are stuck in the past while the consumer is changing. They rely on what they have always done to magically fix the results of what they have always done.
I just wonder how many more iconic brands such as The Limited will die before the industry wakes up. Probably, many more.
Stihl Tom Dougherty, CEO - Stealing Share 20 November 2018 Finally, a leaf blower that works: Stihl I love autumnal weather. The temp is perfect, the scent is crisp and the colors are brilliant. But dang it, if I can't stand anything, it’s managing leaves strewn...
Hardees brand Tom Dougherty, CEO - Stealing Share 19 November 2018 The tragedy of the Hardees brand What has happened to the Hardees brand? A few weeks ago, I wrote that the new ad from Carls Jr (Hardees western US partner) was simply an amusement for those at...
Walmart delivery Tom Dougherty, CEO - Stealing Share 15 November 2018 Walmart delivery idea represents a great opportunity Buried deep inside a report that Ford and Walmart delivery are teaming up sits an interesting tidbit. The service, now in pilot stage in...


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The number of UK cruise passengers is set to reach two million by 2012 at the latest, according to The Cruise Report 2008.
The rapid growth means that the number of UK cruise passengers will have effectively doubled in just eight years, having taken nearly 50 years for the number of cruisers to hit the one million mark.
The cruise report makes the prediction based on estimates by the UK Passenger Shipping Association that 1.35 million cruises were booked by UK residents last year, with a rise of 15% to 1.55 million predicted for this year.
The report is compiled by Carnival UK, which is made up of the brands P&O Cruises, Ocean Village, Cunard, The Yachts of Seabourn, and Princess Cruises.
Carnival UK’s own brands enjoyed an 11% increase in UK passenger numbers last year, carrying more than half a million passengers and maintaining market share of around 40%. Overall growth in UK passenger numbers in 2007 was 12%.
In the report Carnival UK chief executive David Dingle said: “We can be ever more confident that the UK cruise market will reach two milli on passengers by 2012 at the latest.”
He attributed the fast growth of the sector mainly to capacity increases thanks to new ships, which have included the introduction of Emerald Princess and Royal Princess to Princess Cruises’ fleet, a second ship to the Ocean Village fleet and Cunard’s Queen Victoria.
In April P&O Cruises’ Ventura comes into service, which has already attracted a higher number of first-time cruisers – about 50% compared with the usual 40%. Ventura will increase P&O Cruises’ capacity by 22% to maintain its market leadership with a share of more than 20%.
Dingle predicted that 60% of the 200,000 extra passengers forecast for the UK market this year will come from Carnival UK brands.
Dingle added that the main challenges for the cruise industry remain recruiting and retaining suitably-qualified officers and crew for the cruise fleets and meeting environmental requirements.
Other predictions made in the report include hitting the five million mark and the disappearance of single supplements by 2020.


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CES 2022: Qualcomm Partners With Microsoft On AR Glasses
Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon made the announcement during one of the few in-person press conferences held during CES 2022 in Las Vegas.
Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon told a crowd at CES 2022 that his company will develop a custom Snapdragon chip for lightweight augmented reality glasses by Microsoft. The chip will use software from both companies—Microsoft Mesh and the Qualcomm Snapdragon Spaces XR development platform.
“We’ve been talking for years about the possibility of having wearable augmented reality devices that will gain scale,” Amon said. “I’m very excited about this partnership. It’s a step in making that a reality and gaining more and more scale with augmented reality.”
Amon made the announcement during one of the few in-person press conferences held during CES 2022 in Las Vegas. Because of the spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19, the conference held physical and online-only events. Several major companies also dropped out of physically attending CES 2022, including Amazon, T-Mobile and Microsoft.
Amon focused his CES 2022 talk on Qualcomm’s innovations in the auto industry, promising to take lessons from growing market share in the mobile space into a new arena.
“If you look at what was the success of Qualcomm in mobile, unlike some of our competitors that have been focused on providing a component into an OEM, Qualcomm has been involved in every single aspect of mobile,” Amon said. “From standards—early on, on standards—regulatory, mobile and telecoms, highly regulated environments.”
He continued: “We have the ability to create horizontal platforms that companies can innovate on top of. We just apply the same recipe to automotive because the similarities are incredibly remarkable.”
Microsoft Mesh On The Road
When asked about the possibility of bringing Microsoft Mesh into cars, Amon expressed interest.
“I can see why augmented reality could benefit you—for example, as you wear glasses, you get information that is delivered to you that gets superimposed on your reality—I can see that could be also capabilities that you can have on display in a car,” Amon said. “So I think it’s fair to assume that could be an interesting evolution as now the car is part of the network and is connected.”
When asked by CRN about the business opportunity around augmented reality, Amon said technicians might use AR glasses to view a digital twin of a car before working on it. Workers can use AR glasses for research and training.
“Digital twins are a reality as we think about a cloud-connected economy,” he said. “And you have the ability when you connect the physical world with the digital world to have incredible use cases. This is how the metaverse is going to take shape.”
In response to CRN’s question about the business opportunity in virtual reality, Amon discussed Qualcomm’s work with utility companies to build digital twins of substations to help with 5G and Internet of Things solutions. He said the need for Qualcomm only grows as more companies invest in digital twins of conference rooms and social networks.
“That’s the role of Qualcomm into the metaverse. That’s why we’re the ticket to the metaverse,” he said. “We’re the gateway that connects the physical to the digital world with the devices that we build that allow you to have a virtual reality, augmented reality experience.”
Microsoft unveiled its Mesh mixed reality platform during its Ignite 2021 conference. At the time, CEO Satya Nadella compared Mesh’s expected effect on mixed reality to what Xbox Live did for gaming.
He talked about engineers using Mesh to collaborate on 3-D models in a virtual space and company gatherings for remote workers. Mesh runs on Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform and integrates with Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 mixed reality headset.
Microsoft Mesh On Teams
In November, Microsoft announced plans to launch a preview of Mesh-enabled capabilities for Teams users on PC, mobile and mixed-reality headsets in the first half of 2022.
Across the Microsoft cloud, “from Azure IoT, to Azure Digital Twins, to Connected Spaces and Microsoft Mesh, we are building ... the metaverse platform for you to build upon,” Nadella said during Ignite Fall 2021. “In a sense, the metaverse enables us to embed computing into the real world, and to embed the real world into computing, bringing real presence to any digital space. For years, we’ve talked about creating this digital representation of the world. But now we actually have the opportunity to go into that world and participate in it.”
Users will have the ability to share and collaborate spatially on existing Microsoft 365 documents, presentations and content, according to the company. Users can make avatars for meetings and make them express emotions with live reactions. Organizations also can create branded immersive spaces that look like conference rooms, design centers and networking lounges.


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Win a Prius at the Chicago Auto Show
The Chicagoland Toyota dealers are planning to give away a Prius at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show. However, the Asian automaker is taking a fresh approach by having contestants enter through a special Facebook page.
If you want a chance to win the Prius, you must register for the "The 2010 Chicago Auto Show Prius Giveaway" on Facebook at www.facebook.com/chicagolandtoyotadealers. Between now and February 18, 10 semi-finalists will be selected with the chance to win a Prius on the final day of the Chicago Auto Show, on February 21. That day, all semi-finalists will meet at the Toyota exhibit and be provided identical envelopes. The envelope containing a picture of the Prius will be named the grand prize winner.
The sweepstakes is open to all legal residents, 18 years of age and older, in the states of Illinois (residing only in the counties of Cook, Dupage, Grundy, Kane, Kankakee, Kendal, Lake (IL), LaSalle, McHenry and Will) and Indiana (residing only in the counties of Jasper, La Porte, Lake (IN), Newton and Porter).
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SAN FRANCISCO — Even with a heavyweight like Apple in the market, smartwatches remain "more hype than reality" and have yet to prove they're useful, said Fitbit, the biggest maker of wearable devices.
"Consumers are still asking, 'Why do I want one? Why do I need one?' " said Woody Scal, Fitbit's chief revenue officer. Fitbit's wearable fitness trackers still have an edge over the more complex devices because they have a longer battery life, cheaper price range and a more clearly defined audience, he said.
San Francisco-based Fitbit is aiming to maintain its dominant lead in the wearables market, where it sold about 4.4 million devices in the second quarter, according to an August report by market research firm IDC. Second-quarter revenue more than tripled to $400.4 million from a year earlier.
Competition is mounting, with China-based Xiaomi Corp., Jawbone Inc., and Samsung Electronics Co. vying for a piece of the action. Apple has beat analysts' expectations for its watch, selling an estimated 3.6 million units, according to IDC's report. Apple is holding a product event Wednesday where it will reveal a new version of its iPhone; the watch isn't expected to play a major role at the session.
Fitbit users typically have clear goals in mind when buying a fitness tracker, Scal said. Though smartwatches also come with health-monitoring features, like step-counting, Scal said smartwatches' short battery lives put them at a disadvantage to Fitbit's products, which can go days without charge, meaning consumers can track their sleep overnight and monitor their heart rates around the clock.
Apple has said that its customers love the watch -- 97 percent were satisfied with the device and said it was improving their health and daily routines, according to a survey. "The feedback from Apple Watch customers is incredibly positive and we've been very happy with customer satisfaction and usage statistics," CEO Tim Cook said during a July conference call. Cook has said the Apple Watch is still in its infancy, in terms of applications and uses that will eventually be developed for it.
Since its June 17 initial public offering, Fitbit's shares had gained 77 percent through Tuesday.
Scal also touted Fitbit's less-expensive prices, which range from about $60 to almost $250 for its newest product, the Surge, which comes with call and text message notifications. Apple's watch starts at $349.


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Former Gameforge CEO Klaas Kersting today launched a new mobile studio, Flaregames, in Karlsruhe, Germany.
"Flaregames’ vision is to create outstanding mobile games that involve the real world and feature deeper interaction than simple check-ins,” said Kersting, CEO.
"We see our games as the fusion of the real world and virtual world while delivering an entertaining experience woven into the daily routine of our players’ lives."
Flaregames will reveal it's first project at Gamescom in August.
Previously Kersting founded Gameforge, a developer and publisher that specialised in browser based gaming and has around 200 million registered users.
Joining Kersting at Flaregames is Andreas Suika, formerly of Ubisoft Blue Byte, has taken the role of creative director. Bob Wallace of Ensemble Studios is serving as a consultant to the company, and Georg Broxtermann takes the role of business development director.
The studio is currently recruiting.


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Sharma was previously working as Partner Marketing Lead.
Netflix India has recently elevated Poornima Sharma as head of marketing partnerships. She became a part of Netflix in 2020 and previously held the role of partner marketing lead. Sharma shared this news on her LinkedIn profile.
In her prior stints, Sharma worked with Paytm Insider, the ticketing platform for festivals and events as head of brand partnerships and alliances. She also spent a year in OML Entertainment (before moving to Insider, which was a part of OML before it became a Paytm company), in the festival marketing team, where she worked on marketing for various properties including Bacardi NH7 Weekender, EDC India, and more.


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IEP – Icahn Enterprises LP, a diversified holding company engaged in Investment, Automotive, Energy etc. is trading 6.3% higher.
IEP – Icahn Enterprises LP
|Fundamentals||Previously closed at||63.27|
|Analysts opinion||IEP has a Beta of 1.6, and its 1-year target price is $68. It has a forward PE of 11.01. The firm recently declared a quarterly dividend to be paid on April 12th|
|Sentiments||IEP recently announced its Q4 results, an EPS of -$8.56, missing the Thomson Reuters consensus estimate by $9.72. Carl Icahn announced an offer to buy 18% stake in car-parts maker Federal Mogul Holdings Corp.|
|Commonwealth Equity services, a Hedgefund recently raised its stake in Icahn Enterprises stock which caused the stock to surge.|
|Social Pulse||The stock has 34% lower social chatter than usual.|
ROST – Ross Stores, Inc is a retailer brand of designer apparel, accessories, footwear and home fashions. It announced its Q4 reports yesterday post market close and is bullish.
RMTI – Rockwell Medical, Inc
|Fundamentals||Previously closed at||56.23|
|Analyst opinion||It has a forward P/E of 18.20, PEG of 1.78 P/S of 1.9 and seemsto be a fundamentally good stock.|
|Sentiments||Yesterday post-market ROSS announced its Q4 results, with an EPS of $0.66, ahead of the company’s guidance of $0.60-0.63. The company’s total sales increased by 7% to $3250.7 million. It has a positive response from value-focused customers|
|In 2016, Ross plans to open about 70 Ross and 20 dd’s Discounts locations – of these, the company plans to open 22 new Ross and 6 dd’s discount stores in Q1 2016. The stock has positive sentiment index and may be bearish in the short – medium term|
|Social Pulse||The stock has 100% higher social chatter than usual.|
Disclaimer: This blog contains a segregated view of analysts and opinion by the author. Do not consider this as financial advice. See http://stockal.com/legalities/


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Business Travel Tech Talk London, 16 October,
Business Travel Awards Europe, 30 October, JW
3rd Annual Business Travel Intelligence Summit
Payment and billing solutions provider Airplus International has teamed up with travel e-commerce site Booking.com to provide a booking and payment solution for corporates and business travellers.
The new integration on the Booking.com for Business platform will utilise Airplus AIDA Virtual Cards, enabling corporate customers to generate an individual Mastercard number for their employees to pay for accommodation.
All expenses made with the virtual cards are settled centrally and itemised on one collective invoice, according to Airplus.
Booking.com offers an inventory of 29 million reported accommodation listings, including more than 5.7 million homes, apartments and other unique options. Airplus says the integration of its AIDA Virtual Cards provides corporates with a centralised payment solution with maximum security, data quality and acceptance, as well as 24/7 support from the Booking.com team.
Michiel Verhaagen, executive director of global sales and country management at Airplus International, said: “This collaboration between Airplus and Booking.com is promising news for travel managers that are getting aware more and more of the potential that slumbers within the corporate hotel booking and payment process. It also brings relief for the traveller, who benefits from having less trouble with doing his expenses. We enable him to reclaim his time.”
Ripsy Bandourian, senior director of partnerships at Booking.com, added: “We are very excited about this partnership and integration with Airplus and what it means for our corporate customers. Now even more business travellers can seamlessly find the stay that’s just right for their individual needs while using their company’s preferred payment method. With more choice and flexibility for travellers and an easier, more transparent reporting and reconciliation process for corporates, it’s a win-win for everyone.”


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The anime series ‘Yo-Kai Watch’ has taken Japan by storm. Now the brand is looking west, with plans to launch across Europe, the Americas and Australia/New Zealand.
Pretty Ugly has partnered with Looney Labs to create a co-branded version of the Loonacy card game featuring the Uglydoll brand.
Sanrio has launched a new high-fashion collaboration for Hello Kitty with the Australian fashion designer Leroy Nguyen, in a deal brokered by Haven Licensing.
Coolabi Group is planning a Christmas-themed "Clangers" Facebook campaign–12 Days of Brilliant Surprises–to support the property's new product range.
Entertainment One's preschool property "Peppa Pig" has taken root in Mexico following its debut on the country's Channel 5 in November 2013.
Sanrio has appointed Wow! Stuff as the master gift licensee for its Mr. Men & Little Miss, with a new range of gift and novelty items set to launch in 2016.
The Eric Carle Studio and its licensing agency, The Joester Loria Group, are bringing the stage show "The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show and Other Timeless Stories" to the U.S.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts unveiled the winners of the 20th annual British Academy Children’s Awards in London on Sunday.
Rockpool has been appointed at licensing agent for Tractor Ted following the brand’s new partnership with Nickelodeon U.K.
The British home goods store Butlers is spending a second holiday season with Peanuts, featuring a special edition Christmas collection.
Marvel is looking beyond its core franchises in a new retail roll out that focuses on the characters Daredevil, The Punisher, Jessica Jones and Deadpool.
For the first time ever, Saban's "Power Rangers" participated in the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta in England last weekend.
Nintendo will feature Hasbro's Transformers in an upcoming Splatfest event for its video game "Splatoon."
Bleacher Creatures has expanded its line of 10-plush Marvel characters with Marvel Universe Series 1.
Aardman has released a new Shaun the Sheep mobile game called "Puzzle Putt" for iOS and Android devices.
The SmileyWorld brand continues to grow with new licensing including a pop-up shop in Beijing and a collaboration with Fendi.
Dramaforum has partnered with KD Interactive, makers of the Kurio line of Android devices built for kids for a new app.
Moschino has launched its new Looney Tunes collection at retail, after first showcasing the collaboration at Milan Fashion Week in February.
Reliance Games and Sony Pictures have released a mobile game for Hotel Transylvania 2, which arrived in theaters Friday.
Willows Activity Farm in London Colney, near St. Albans, Hertfordshire, is planning to construct a new themed adventure play area featuring Silvergate Media's "Peter Rabbit."
A record number of children’s characters will take part in the Brand Licensing Europe character parade at the trade show next week, making it the largest in the show’s 17-year history.
©2015 ADVANSTAR COMMUNICATIONS INC. All rights reserved.


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Privacy has been one of Apple’s pillar. The issue has seen Apple take a tough stance from time to time. However, some people have started to take it for granted. Just to remind how much privacy matters, Apple has started an entire marketing campaign on privacy and the latest ad is a part of it.
Currently, Apple has multiple ads running for the iPhone. There is an entire campaign on how the iPhone can adjust the amount of blur applied in the picture.
The ad talks about how much every person values privacy. It masterfully captures different scenarios where we are really sensitive about our privacy. From the routine things like locking doors to changing the topic of discussion when some stranger comes close, we value our privacy a lot.
Apple has a dedicated site explaining how they keep your data safe and secure. These include things like end to end iMessage encryption to their use of differential privacy. Apple had entered into hot waters with the government when they were asked to give backdoor access to suspect’s iPhone.
The campaign started at CES 2019 with Apple’s poster discussing how it valued privacy. While privacy has always been a cornerstone for Apple this is the first time in quite a while that they have started marketing it. A few days ago Apple (UK) made a video talking about how the iPhone was not storing your picture when using FaceID.
Privacy is a fundamental right and unfortunately, we are not talking a lot about it. There is no denying that we need to protect ourselves but given the complexity of the case, it is best handled by the big companies. iPhone might not be your cup of tea but the issue being raised is crucial nonetheless. In a crowd of Android phones where multiple apps have used user data, Apple’s marketing does indeed inspire confidence. More importantly, it’s a narrative that will also encourage other companies to follow a similar course of action.


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Rishi Sunak’s 2021 Budget Extends Covid Grants and Tax Cuts
Chancellor Rishi Sunak used his budget today, Wednesday March 3rd, to announce that the VAT cut and the holidays will be extended at business rates that have increased the restaurants’ chances of survival. He also confirmed the extension of the vacation program and a new set of catering grants – measures designed to be in line with Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s reopening of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s “roadmap” that restaurants will be closed until April 12th and will not be fully open until April 12th will be June.
Below is a summary of the measures that are relevant for restaurants, pubs, bars and cafes and that the Chancellor announced in the House of Commons at lunchtime. In short, it’s broadly what was hoped for, if not expected.
- The valuable VAT rate of 5 percent for food and non-alcoholic beverages (not alcohol) will be extended by six months to September 30th.
- Starting in October, companies will have to pay a VAT rate of 12.5 percent for six months.
- A return to the standard rate of 20 percent will take place in April 2022.
- A continuation of the vacation business rates – a tax on the value of a property – through June 2021
- Business tariffs will then be calculated at 33.3 percent (with a discount of two thirds on the pre-pandemic level) up to a value of GBP 2 million until the end of March 2022. A lower limit applies to restaurants that could stay open.
Alcohol tax (tax)
- A planned hike in tariffs on beer, wine and spirits will be frozen for another year, meaning pubs and restaurants are technically not geared towards saving money on alcohol sales.
- Confirmation that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) (commonly referred to as “Vacation”), introduced in March last year, and a key support mechanism for restaurant owners and their employees during the pandemic, will be extended to the end of September.
- The system remains unchanged for the months of May and June. The government covers 80 percent of wages up to a value of £ 2,500 per month for those disabled (excluding the expensive national) due to the pandemic with insurance and pension contributions.) For the month of July, the government will ask employers to Contribute 10 percent of that 80 percent, in August and September to 20 percent.
- A package of “Recovery Grants” valued at £ 8,000-18,000 per building to support restaurants, pubs, bars and cafes that will gradually reopen after the lockdown on April 12th.
- The grants are allocated to businesses based on the value of their property: properties with a pro rata value (ie estimated annual rent) of £ 15,000 or less receive £ 8,000; For anyone valued between £ 15,000 and £ 51,000, the grant is £ 12,000. and those valued at £ 51,000 or more are eligible for a grant of £ 18,000.
- Nothing yet about the biggest cost and worry for restaurants, pubs, cafes and bars.
The British trade organization Hospitality broadly welcomed the budget with the words: “The Chancellor has listened to the concerns of the hospitality industry. Details have yet to be clarified, but it looks like the crucial support will help companies at a critical time. “Rather than pushing for further support over the past few weeks, it has instead focused on maintaining current support and pushing for reopening dates to remain unchanged.


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Order Books Weaken, Margin Continue to Fall, Rising Employment Trend
31 March 2021
31 March 2021
The results of CBA’s latest Supply Chain Trends Survey reveal weakened order books since the last survey and an accelerating decline in sales margins. Trends in employment and training have turned firmly positive against a background of stable current sales and a positive outlook for the next three months.
Peter Newport, CBA’s Chief Executive, said, “Our survey shows an industry successfully managing short-term demand in a highly competitive market with falling sales margins indicating that the stocks built up during the transition period have now been sold. Member companies are forecasting higher sales over the next three months, but only a modest improvement in sales margins.”
CBA’s on-line Supply Chain Trends Survey was conducted between 10-19 March 2021 and is based on responses from 67 member companies – the highest level of responses since these surveys began eight years ago.
ABOUT THE SURVEY
CBA’s Supply Chain Trends Survey asks companies to provide information on order books, sales, sales margins, and employment, on a ‘better–worse–same’ basis. To measure short-term trends, the analysis ignores responses answering ‘same’ and focuses on the positive or negative balance provided by the difference between the ‘better-worse’ responses.
• CURRENT ORDER BOOKS – Weakened
Members are asked if their order books are better, worse, or the same than during the last three months. The March 2021 survey shows a balance of +14% – a fall from the +20% reported in our last survey (October 2020).
• SALES VOLUMES – Current sales stable; future sales forecast to increase
Respondents compare their current sales volumes with the preceding three months and indicate their expectations for the next three months. Current sales volumes have remained stable at +26% (October 2020, +25%). The trend for the next three months is positive at +30% significantly higher than the balance of +5% reported in October 2020.
•SALES MARGINS – Current margins continue to fall but recovery forecast
Companies compare their current sales margins with the preceding three months and also forecast their trend over the coming three months. Current sales margins have continued to decline and now show a negative balance of -21% – a further decline from the -6% reported in October 2020. Sales margins are forecast to stage a significant recovery in the next three months to +6% (compared to the -32% in October 2020).
•EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING – Improving steadily
Member companies are asked if their employment levels will be higher, lower, or remain the same over the next three months. The employment trend shows a sharp improvement to +33% (+13% in October 2020). Member companies were also asked if their investment in training would be higher, lower, or remain the same over the next three months. Trends for both current training levels (+32%) and future training levels (+39%) remain firmly positive.
Further information from: Peter Newport, CEO
NOTES TO EDITORS
(1) CBA represents the independent chemical supply chain. Its membership includes distributors, traders, warehouse operators, along with logistics and transport companies. CBA’s members, the majority of which are SMEs, are the main industry interface with thousands of UK downstream chemical users.
(2) CBA’s distributor member companies have an annual turnover of £2.75 billion and employ more than 8,700 people distributing, packing, and blending key chemical components and services to virtually every sector of the UK economy. CBA’s logistics member companies handle more than four million tonnes of chemicals annually.


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A view of the container terminal at Busan Harbor on Jan. 21 (Yonhap)
SEJONG -- The nation’s growth in industrial output marked the highest in 11 years in 2021 on the back of both economic recovery and the base effect, or rapid bounce-back from sagging performance in the pandemic-hit 2020, Statistics Korea data showed Friday
But indexes unveiled by the state-run agency suggest possible slowdown in the growth of production, retail sales and facilities investment for the coming months in 2022.
Korea saw industrial output grow 4.8 percent on-year in 2021, the highest since 6.5 percent in 2010.
Though industrial output had maintained positive growth since 2000, when the nation started compiling the relevant data, it fell for the first time by 1.2 percent in 2020 in the wake of COVID-19.
In 2021, output in the mining and manufacturing sector grew 6.9 percent on-year, 29.7 percent growth was reported in production of semiconductors and 4.6 percent in automobiles.
Output in the service sector posted a 4.3 percent growth, which was the highest since 6.7 percent in 2007. That included 8.5 percent growth in finance and insurance, 6.9 percent in art, sports and leisure and 6.5 percent in logistics.
Retail sales also grew by the most in 11 years with increase of 5.5 percent last year. Sales increased in segments such as clothes, car fuel and home appliances.
By seller, retail sales increased by 21.7 percent at department stores, 13.2 percent at duty-free shops and 3.4 percent at convenience stores. But large discount chains posted minus 1.7 percent in growth.
Businesses’ facilities investment grew 9 percent on-year, the highest since 14.4 percent in 2017. A noteworthy growth was seen at investment in industrial-purpose machines like precision instruments with 13.2 percent.
Despite the robust performance in output, sales and investment throughout 2021, the composite leading indicator dropped for six consecutive months from July to December.
The CLI signals economic conditions in the coming months, which gauge sectors such as the volume of sales and inventories.
The index continued to fall between February and May 2020, and climbed for 13 consecutive months from June 2020 to June 2021.
But it fell by 1.6 percentage points from 102.8 in June to 101.2 in December 2021. The CLI is calculated on a comparitive basis, with 2015 levels set at 100.
By Kim Yon-se (email@example.com


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Tyson Foods, Inc., Springdale, Ark., partnered with Proforest, UK, to conduct a deforestation risk assessment across its global agriculture supply chain.
The assessment will help identify if there is risk in the company’s sourcing origins, focusing on commodities such as cattle, palm oil, soy, timber, pulp and paper.
Findings will inform the development of a Tyson Foods Forest Protection Policy in 2020. The assessment is also expected to inform, if necessary, the implementation of actions to mitigate or eliminate any identified deforestation risks.
In 2017, Tyson Foods partnered with an environmentally focused non-government organization to conduct a sustainable sourcing risk assessment, which classified the company’s deforestation risk as minimal to low. Since then, the company has expanded its international presence from two countries to nine, with the acquisition of Keystone Foods and additional poultry businesses in Thailand and Europe. Given the company’s expanded footprint, Tyson Foods is reassessing its supply chain to identify and classify potential risks.
“We’re committed to sustainably feeding the world. As part of that, we must operate with a high degree of certainty about sourcing in our supply chains across the globe,” says John Tyson, chief sustainability officer for Tyson Foods. “We look forward to working with Proforest to better understand potential risks and do our part on this complicated issue.”
Proforest will partner with Global Canopy, UK, and utilize Trase, a supply chain mapping platform developed by Global Canopy and the Stockholm Environment Institute, Sweden.


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Microsoft has announced that State of Decay 2 is still growing on a daily basis. Previously, the game has achieved 1 million players in just a week after launch. Now, right at the end of its second week, the game has managed to snatch another 1 million fans and players from across the globe.
It’s a massive success for Microsoft, as the new post-apocalyptic game started crushing new records regarding in-game achievements and numbers. Together with Microsoft’s statement, new heights has been listed and achieved as players have managed to eliminate lots of zombies on their way. Approximately, 2 billion in its second week, while the first week the number of undead slew was around 675 million.
As for the survival challenge, despite the similar creatures in the first series, State of Decay 2 offers a lot of unprecedented fun. Players are still adapting to the game, and they look forward if learning new things to survive longer.
The team behind the game closes with even more excitements as Undead Labs are ready to release new content. Lots of improvements have already been done in their previous update, which led up to cheerful acceptance by the community.
This time the game is a whole lot different, being able to interact with other players and swap the needed materials on the go is what makes a survival game exciting. As of its practical aspect, it’s one of the survival genres worth trying.


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Conclusion of Sri Lanka Expo 2012
Sri Lanka Expo-2012, a mega trade, investment and tourism promotion initiative staged under the theme of “Partnering with the Hub of Asia” concluded successfully on 31st of March 2012 achieving all the set objectives of the event. Over the duration of the event, visitors were exposed to a well-crafted trade fair that offered innumerable opportunities for manufacturers and buyers to come together directly.
Overseas Visitor Participation
Exceeding the set target of 1000 foreign buyers, there were enthusiastic participation of 1385 international visitors including trade buyers, Ministerial Delegations, investors, Foreign employment companies and outbound tour operators from across the world. The event not only attracted visitors from our main markets such as USA & Europe, but from every corner of the world such as emerging markets like Cyprus, Russia, Brazil, Turkey to name a few. There were encouraging participation from Asia as 346 from China, 210 from India, 144 from Malaysia and 62 from Japan. The largest number of trade visitors, 244, was for the Diamond, gem & jewellery sector whereas 187 visitors were for the apparel sector. Tea sector and food & beverage sector attracted 162 and 117 trade visitors respectively.
Ministerial delegations from Republic of Maldives, Republic of Korea, State of Palestine, Bangladesh and a representative delegation from UAE have attended the event and successful meetings were organized with Hon. Ministers and relevant Institutions and Associations.
More than 50 Tour Operators representing 13 countries (Korea, Jordan, Oman, China, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Philippines, Doha Qatar, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, USA ) visited the event which was an encouraging factor to boost the tourism industry in the country.
The Expo 2012 comprised a unique combination of an international exhibition, Symposium, Business Meetings, networking sessions, Seminars, cultural event and a Fashion Show.
There had been an overwhelming response from the export community representing from the largest to SME exporter. All the strategic sectors identified by EDB, are represented by the key players of these sectors. These key sectors include Apparel, Tea, Rubber, and Rubber Based Products, Gems, Diamond & Jewellery, Food & Other Beverages, Spices & Allied Products, Ceramic & Porcelain Products, Electrical Electronic Products and Footwear & Leather Products etc. There were 372 stalls, a tantalizing array of uniquely Sri Lankan exports spanned three broad sectors of Agriculture & Fisheries, Industrial Products and Services. Visitors to the event have had access to the best selection of Sri Lankan quality products & services under one roof.
The first two days of the exhibition were reserved exclusively for buyers to negotiate business with the exhibitors and place orders to buy our products and services and the last two days of the exhibition were open to the public. Over 10,000 locals have visited the Exhibition and experienced for themselves the comprehensive range of high quality products and services that Sri Lanka offer to the international market, and also gained exposure on various facets of an international event of this nature.
About two third of the participants at the event have already given their feed back to the EDB and we are yet to receive the feedback from other participants. From the response we have already received, companies were able to secure confirmed orders amounting to US$ 66,090 and orders under negotiation are US$ 12,110,315 whereas there were sales leads worth of US$ 14,830. There were inquiries worth of US$ 2,566,442 which would turn into business in the near future once the required follow -up is done.
There was a Pavilion of 52 stalls allocated specially to showcase the products from SMEs at the Event with an objective of providing them the exposure needed to enter into the main export stream. However, it is encouraging to note that the SME pavilion itself has obtained orders worth of US$ 15,645, sales leads worth of US$ 3830, inquiries worth of US$ 42,575 and orders under negotiation are US$ 230,315.
Comments by participants
Mr.Mahesh Amalean, Chairman of MAS Holdings and one the key stake holders of Sri Lanka Expo 2012 has expressed his views as “Expo 2012 is an extremely timely and an important event, especially at the point of time when the economy is beginning to develop as a result of a few years of peace.”
“Sri Lanka Expo 2012 provided an ideal opportunity to our craft persons; they were able to link with foreign buyers in obtaining orders an addition to the firsthand knowledge and experience gained by them. Therefore, it is suggested to organize this event annually as it provides a good platform to Sri Lankan craft sector to market their products” says the National Craft Council.
The Trade & Investment Symposium hosted by 12 international keynote speakers, covering salient topics of interest such as the advantages and facilitated process behind Sri Lanka's conducive trade and investment climate and the country's many facets as a tourist destination was greatly appreciated by the participants. The symposium which was held at Hilton, Colombo was attended by more than 350 participants from the business community.
Positive comments by speakers
Dr. Sandro Veronesi, Chairman, Clazedonia SpA, Italy, as the largest investor in Sri Lanka shared his very positive impressions regarding our country at this Symposium. He stated “ Sri Lanka is a small country with good potential.” “We did much more in Sri Lanka than we imagined because Sri Lankan people are willing to work. So there is still an opportunity for future growth” His concluding remarks was “ Invest in Sri Lanka”.
Mr. Michael Delaney, Assistant US Trade Representative for South & Central Asia has enlightened the audience on “Partnering with the Wonder of Asia; a view from the US”. Mr. Edward Clarence- Smith, UNIDO representative in his speech stressed the importance of following the green trends in their products manufactured for the export market. He stated “I had the pleasure to visit some Sri Lankan companies in the Apparel sector at Expo 2012 which have understood the message, and have positioned themselves to take full advantage of the market demand for green products.”
Ms. Jean- Maries Paugam , Deputy executive Director, ITC, Geneva stated “ The Expo 2012 illustrates the determination of the Sri Lankan Government to jumpstart and boost the economic growth and export performance of Sri Lanka”
Mr. Mark Harris, London Stock Exchange “We are very proud of having very fast trading system which was developed and provided by Sri Lanka. He further said “Sri Lanka is turning out top rated IT professionals which the country should be proud of. We will continue to invest in Sri Lanka and continue to become an active player in Sri Lanka.”
Dr. Adolf Peretti, Gemologist, GRS Gem Research Swisslab, AG, Switzerland in his presentation stated “ Sri Lankan Sapphire has been recognized as an international gem brand at international Auctions worldwide. Sri Lanka’s mining practices has been found as preserving nature and ethical practices.”
Other parallel events
Another significant event organized parallel to Expo 2012 at the BMICH was a Seminar on “US GSP Scheme” which was attended by more than 140 participants from the business community. Ms. Mara Burr, Deputy Assistant ,US Trade Representative for South & Central Asian Affairs, the key speaker at the Seminar stated that Duty Free treatment is applied for 3400 types of products from 129 developing countries including Sri Lanka.US imports from Sri Lanka in 2011 is US$ 2 bn of which US$ 135 Mn is under GSP concession which is 7% of the total imports to US and it is envisaged that this percentage could be further increased if the export community make use of this facility in a productive way.
The cultural event performed by veteran artists Ravibandu Vidyapathy and Chandana Wickramasinghe at Nelum Pokuna , Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre, depicted the multicultural talents of Sri Lanka . The foreign visitors were enchanted by the performance and for them it was a great experience of Sri Lankan culture & hospitality.
The glamorous fashion show staged at the BMICH as a parallel event to Expo 2012, showcased the best of Apparel & craft capabilities of Sri Lanka to the international audience. Show began with Sri Lanka’s globally renowned Apparel Industry on the ramp witnessing Sri Lanka apparel’s creativity and cutting-edge technology as MAS, Brandix, Hirdaramani and more take on the Expo 2012. Sri Lanka’s rich craft Sector came alive on the ramp representing talents of many communities in Sri Lanka which showcased our culture and aesthetics to the global audience.
An MOU to promote trade between Korea & Sri Lanka was signed between the Sri Lanka Export Development Board and Korea Importers Association on the 28th, the first day of the event.
H.E. Jeong Marn Ki , Deputy Minister for Planning & Coordination, Ministry of Knowledge Economy , Korea stated at one of the Ministerial meetings that we should step further and have a bilateral agreement between the two countries in order to facilitate trade.
All India Rubber Association interested in investment opportunities and joint ventures in Sri Lanka. At the meeting held with the Hon. Minister of Investment & Trade , the Association requested to provide them with the facilities such as land in order for them to proceed.
A MOU between the South Gujarat Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Chamber of Commerce & Industries of Sri Lanka (FCCISL) was signed in the presence of the Hon. Minister of Industry & Commerce to further strengthen trade and investment.
Comments by foreign journalists
Some journalists from Croatia & UK visited Factories to obtain first hand information & many of them visited related stalls and interviewed the companies . Few comments quoted after the event are as follows
“I must say, I was very impressed by the EDB arrangements and I say this based on the fact that I do at least 10 of these projects It was the best media centre I’ve used in several years “ Kelvin King- Soft drinks International
“In general this second Expo is well organised especially for journalists “Gehard H Breuer-International Fruit world
“I thought the Expo was very good and professionally managed It deserves to generate a great deal of overseas earnings . I never had expected to meet the produce people in such numbers” John Sacks -Fruit world International
All the journalists have assured of giving publicity in their respective magazines for the Sri Lanka Expo 2012 which will be of immense value in positioning Sri Lanka in the global map as the “Hub of Asia”
Sri Lanka Expo 2012 was indeed an exciting event that provided a forum for buyers to unlock the country’s potential in trade, investment and tourism and to achieve the set National targets of the country in these three areas in the near future.
- Ministry of Industry & Commerce
- Ministry of External Affairs
- Ministry of Economic Development
- Ministry of Plantation Industries
- Sri Lanka Export Development Board
- Department of Commerce
- Board of Investment
- Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority
- National Gem & Jewellery Authority
- Sri Lanka Export Credit Insurance Corporation
- Sri Lanka Ports Authority
- Department of Export Agriculture
- Sri Lanka Tea Board
- Coconut Development Authority
- National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka
- National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka
- Ceylon Chamber of Commerce
- Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Srilanka


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A piece of NBA history may have all started with a little bit of applesauce.
The Jordan sneakers worn by Michael Jordan during his famous “Flu Game” in the 1996-97 NBA playoffs go up for auction next week, and the current owner, a former Utah Jazz ballboy, has opened up about a few details of the game.
The Salt Lake Tribune talked with Preston Truman, now 35, who was an 18-year-old ballboy when the Chicago Bulls came to town in ’97. The story started in November of 1996, though, when the Bulls trekked to the Delta Center during the regular season and Truman was tasked with finding applesauce to go with Jordan’s graham crackers, MJ’s apparent pre-game snack. When Truman came through with the goods, Jordan asked his name and remembered him when the Bulls were back in town in the postseason.
Truman was assigned to the visitor’s locker room for Games 3, 4 and 5 and hatched a plan to ask Jordan for his game-worn kicks. While MJ was hooked up to an IV pregame, he saw Truman and asked the 18-year-old to run some tickets to will call for him. That’s when Truman laid it out.
?Are you doing anything with your shoes after the game?” he said.
?Why, you want them?? Jordan replied.
Jordan went on to play his infamous game, scoring 38 points, including a game-deciding 3-pointer. Truman ran Jordan a spoon for three small cups of applesauce at halftime. The rest is history.
Truman got the shoes after the game and has kept them in a bank safe deposit box ever since. He said he was once offered $11,000 in cash for the autographed sneakers but turned it down. Truman will see how much they are really worth when they are auctioned off on Nov. 18.
Photo via The Salt Lake Tribune