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Consumer spending in the grocery sector continues to slow, with sales declining to -1.6% in the most recent four weeks, in the context of the 2018 bumper spring, this spring has been tougher for supermarkets.
Following a slow start to the year, consumer spending in the grocery sector increased in April by +5.9% for the four weeks to 20th April, the highest level since the late Easter in 2014 and the summer heatwave of 2013, according to data released today by Nielsen.
Consumer spending in the grocery sector has continued to slow for the third consecutive month, with sales up +1.2% in the last four weeks, below the CPI rate of +1.9%, and compared to +2.5% this time last month.
Growth in the grocery sector has slowed since January, with sales up +2.5% compared to +3.3% this time last month. However, there is opportunity for retailers online, as the online grocery market has hit a huge value of £8.5bn per annum.
While online has been growing as a channel in several developed markets in recent years, it’s broadening in scope, and is fast becoming a popular shopping destination for consumers around the world, particularly those looking to purchase premium products, as these platforms are able to attract shoppers and generate sales by providing exclusive product ranges and compelling deals.
When the notion of MUP was first introduced, I remember thinking “this is big!” and I wondered how the industry would react. I also wondered how I would react if the same were to be implemented in England; would it make a difference to how or what alcohol I buy? Would I even notice the price rises?
As companies look to break into new markets, they must understand that each market demands its own approach. In burgeoning sustainability markets, however, natural and organic are paving the way for more detailed and specific claims.
While shoppers visited more supermarkets more frequently this Christmas, in a competitive retail environment, grocery sales growth slowed to +1.8% in the last four weeks, almost half the growth (+3.7%) enjoyed at the same time last year.
Sales momentum remains weak across the grocery industry, with headline growth of +2.3% over the last four weeks, according to data released by Nielsen. However, despite the slow start to Christmas spending, we predict that grocery shoppers will spend £7 billion in the crucial two week period (ending 29th December).
Looking for a better lifestyle, consumers are searching for options that are healthier for them and for their homes. The good news is that companies can be benevolent and bankable if they understand the intricacies of these forces and react accordingly.
A new era of sustainability is rising and it’s touching every corner of the world. Consumers in markets big and small are increasingly motivated to be more environmentally conscious and are exercising their power and voice through the products they buy. But why do these shifts feel so urgent?
With rising consumer uptake across e-commerce categories, online FMCG growth is accelerating across the globe. In fact, we estimate that online FMCG growth will accelerate four times faster growth than offline sales in the next five years.
A slight drop in consumer sentiment in the second quarter was reflected in a slight pullback in spending in certain markets, as skepticism about the future had some consumers feeling as though their free cash would be better served in savings rather than on discretionary purchases.
E-commerce is becoming an important factor in further driving fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) growth across major markets globally. View our webinar to explore the framework of 10 key drivers for e-commerce success and which combination of drivers are importance based on their respective markets.
Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) e-commerce has seen recent success in many markets around the globe on the heels of new investments in technology, start-up ventures and innovation in business models. Nielsen’s Future Opportunities in FMCG E-commerce study examines the e-commerce landscape in 34 markets around the globe, influenced by foundational, macro-economic, social and supply growth drivers.
Consumers around the globe are feeling stretched due to changes in lifestyle, challenging working hours and longer commutes. Hyperconnectivity, rapid urbanisation and changes in households are influencing buying decisions of global consumers.
Convenience isn’t just about store formats, products or packaging. And it means more than the latest technologies or new engagement strategies. Rather, it’s about every encounter, interaction and action that can help fulfill consumers’ growing demand for efficiency.
Shortcuts and automation are top of mind as consumer chase ways to overcome everyday obstacles to effortless living. For FMCG companies, the task at hand involves adapting and enhancing their solutions to do more than keep pace—they’ll need to stay ahead of the pace.
During the five weeks of the competition, French retailers (hypermarkets, supermarkets, drives, convenience and discounters) generated €211 million more1 in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) than during the same period in 2017 (ia +2.1% increase).
If you can’t see it, it must not be there, right? In the FMCG market, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. That’s because every category has a certain concentration of brands that aren’t top of mind for many, but they have the ability to shift the overall landscape if conditions are right.
One consumer product category that shows promise is snack foods. A rare global growth story, snacks are satisfying consumer cravings around the world—in fact, the snacking business grew US$3.4 billion globally in 2017.
There’s a new retail revolution underway, and it’s going to affect the global food industry in ways the market hasn’t seen before. The revolution comes at the hand of store-branded products, which continue to gain share across all major geographies.
While sales of fast-moving consumer goods in some traditionally successful markets like the U.S. saw signs of softness in early 2017, opportunities for growth are still readily available if you know where to look.
There’s a new retail revolution underway, and it’s going to affect the global food industry in ways the market hasn’t seen before. The revolution comes at the hand of store-branded products, which continue to gain share across all major geographies around the globe.
For a decade, emerging markets have ignited the global economy, contributing more than 80% to its economic expansion. Today, these markets consistently perform a remarkable three to four times better than their developed market counterparts in the FMCG industry.
Backed by rising consumer confidence and optimism, many of the world’s economies are experiencing degrees of positive momentum. In some cases, that momentum is strong; in others, it’s subtle, but still worth noting.
In this webinar, we explored the market drivers and nuances, latest consumer behaviours and fundamental factors behind the future of e-commerce to help you understand what it takes to win the battle of the online basket.
Thanks to globalization and connectivity, consumers around the world have access to a wider array of products than ever. So how much weight does the “made in” moniker carry when it comes to purchase motivation?
Global FMCG retail is pegged at $4 trillion today, growing at a rate of just 4%, with signs of continuing sluggish performance in developed markets. On the other hand, total retail e-commerce is predicted to grow by 20% (combined annual growth rate) to become a $4 trillion market by 2020.
The world is increasingly complex, instrumented and virtual. There’s vast amounts of information about consumers and the factors that influence their behavior that simply didn’t exist in the data warehouse era. Here, we take a closer look at how all this data will affect retail when it comes together with recent technology trends.
The variety and increasing scale of data, as well as the scope of activity it is meant to inform, demands a solution that goes well beyond a simple enterprise data warehouse. So what might that more robust solution look like?
The premium sector is growing globally, and as it turns out, it isn’t ritzy categories like diamonds and champagne that are topping the charts. Rather, global consumers are most often willing to trade up for everyday consumables.
Around the world, consumers are looking for a taste of the good life. And it’s not just those who are wealthy. Sales of products in the “premium” tier are growing at a rapid pace. In fact, the growth of the premium sector in many markets is outpacing total growth for many fast-moving consumer goods categories.
This study identifies the attributes consumers are looking for in premium product offerings, and reveals the underlying sentiment behind the reasons for purchase. We explore what “premium” means to consumers, and we identify the categories for which they’re most willing to pay a higher price.
Consumers are faced with a dizzying array of retailers vying for their attention, and a retail loyalty program can be a determining factor for where they decide to shop. In fact, 72% of global respondents agree that, all other factors equal, they’ll buy from a retailer with a loyalty program over one without.
When it comes to the most-valued loyalty-program benefits, monetary incentives top the list in every region. However, creating meaningful differentiation requires offering more than generic deals, and thinking beyond monetary perks can help brands stand out.
Global consumers, by and large, have more shopping choices at their disposal than ever before. For retailers, differentiating your brand in such a crowded space is critical. A retail loyalty program can be an effective way to create competitive advantage by reducing customers’ likelihood to switch stores.
Done well, loyalty programs can help drive more frequent visits and heavier purchasing. More than seven in 10 global respondents (72%) agree that, all other factors equal, they’ll buy from a retailer with a loyalty program over one without.
Retail players have long believed that large-format stores will eventually take over the landscape, but today’s reality disproves the “bigger is always better” myth. Although large stores still account for 51% of global sales, smaller channels are growing sales up to eight times as fast their larger counterparts.
Modern retail has long been guided by a powerful premise: the bigger, the better. But the retail landscape is shifting, and this mantra no longer holds true in all cases. This report explores the pain and pleasure points in global consumers' shopping experiences.
A major company with a complex call center environment was keen to get to improve the customer experience for those calling the call center requiring billing and support services. With such a high volume of calls, they wanted the ability not just to listen to their customers’ experiences, but also to be able to act upon their feedback to drive greater satisfaction and to ensure that customers would be less likely to churn.
This sizeable organisation had identified that large volumes of customers were experiencing dissatisfaction with their digital services, driving disgruntled customers to their call centre to complain. The company needed to identify the main causes of dissatisfaction amongst those interacting with the digital channel in order to improve the experience and reduce the number of customer complaints being made through the call centre.
A Global 500 company found their existing customer experience feedback programme to be too limited in terms of the volume of feedback generated, the cost of acquiring feedback and their ability to react to feedback as quickly as possible after the event. Their use of telephone interview provided too many limitations to their ambition of being more effective at delivering great service and reacting to any poor service experiences.
This Fortune 1000 company wanted to be able to acquire significantly more customer experience feedback in order to improve the services delivered to customers, but were suffering from extremely low response rates, despite spending significant sums on telephone interviews to try and achieve their goals.
Nielsen looks at the financial implications of customer churn in the Teleco marketplace in Europe, sizing the risk and providing solutions to help organisations manage customer churn in order to save revenue and protect their business from revenue loss.
While connected commerce is still largely a domestic affair, cross-border ecommerce is a growing phenomenon. Shoppers are increasingly looking outside their country’s borders, as more than half of online respondents in the study who made an online purchase in the past six months say they bought from an overseas retailer.
For both baby food and diaper brands, 70% of global respondents say they have switched brands. Their reasons for switching baby food, however, are somewhat different than their reasons for switching diapers.
When it comes to learning about which diapers are best, 44% of global respondents go direct to the people they know and trust for recommendations, which is the top source of information in every region.
Nielsen’s African Prospects Indicator provides existing and potential investors in Africa with comprehensive insights across an extensive range of indicators, culminating in an unambiguous ranking of Sub-Saharan African countries.
When it comes to keeping babies comfortable and clean, diapers are a top priority for parents—and one for which they spare no expense. In fact, Nielsen estimates diaper sales around the world will exceed $29 billion in 2015.
Becoming a parent can be a daunting endeavor, full of many “firsts.” But before first words and steps, come first foods. So who do new parents turn to most for advice about the best baby food/formula to buy for the first time? While friends and family rank highest, consumers don’t just rely on their circles for guidance.
From the pureed food on spoons to the formula in bottles, you’d be hard pressed to find a parent who didn’t want the best for their baby. And they're willing to spend for it. But for baby care manufacturers, there’s plenty at stake in the battle for baby bucks.
Brand building can be costly and time consuming, so the ability to grow via line extensions—the use of an established product brand for a new item in the same category–can be extremely advantageous. In fact, line extensions are approximately three to four times more common than “new manufacturer” and “new brand” launches combined.
Does the lowest price always win? In Europe's sluggish economy, it can certainly seem that way. But a recent Nielsen study found the three things topping consumers' shopping lists were convenience, shopping experience and quality products.
Imagine a grocery store where you can receive personal recommendations and offers the moment you step in store, your checkout takes seconds and you can pay for groceries without ever taking out your wallet. Sound far-fetched? It’s closer than you think.
People who are more informed, engaged and active when it comes to social and business issues around the world are increasingly inquisitive and knowledgeable about the companies they choose to buy from. In fact, there are signs that they’ve never been more interested in the reputation of companies they do business with.
Africa is on companies’ growth agenda for obvious reasons. Six of the 10 fastest-growing economies in the world are in Africa, it has the world’s greatest proportion of young people, and it has a burgeoning urban population with growing demand for many goods not yet widely available, as well as the means to buy them.
The question that marketers and retailers in Russia need to answer is: How do I win with the new Russian consumer who suddenly has far less disposable income than a year ago? Winning today will definitely be difficult, given the environment, which means that assortment and price are more important than ever.
Health and wellness are hot topics around the globe, and they have been for years. Despite the immense amount of attention devoted to the topic, however, the obesity rate is high—and rising. The good news, however, is that consumers around the world are taking steps to take charge of their health.
Nielsen has followed up its recent Global Snacking report with an infographic to sum up the latest global trends in snacking.It shows that the global snacking market is worth more than $374 billion annually.In Europe, confectionery represents the biggest contributor to the overall snack category, with sales of $46.5 billion.
Although private label share of FMCG in Ireland has not yet reached the levels of some of our European counterparts, it is a significant player reaching 25%* value share this year. Private label has become an essential staple in consumer’s shopping baskets and perceptions are overwhelming positive in Europe.
Are consumers using the Internet to research products with the intention of making a purchase online, or are they taking this new knowledge back to brick-and-mortar retail outlets to make the transaction? It seems the answer largely depends on the product. The Nielsen Global Survey of e-commerce polled more than 30,000 internet respondents in 60 countries to examine online shopping and purchasing intentions of consumers worldwide.
Creating and supporting strong career paths for youth is essential to the success of any society. Across the world, Nielsen has committed to having an uncommon social, economic and environmental impact in local communities; and we are proud to continue that commitment through our involvement with Alliance 4 Youth program.
European shoppers have grown increasingly focused on value, cost and convenience—attributes that have sparked expansion in the discount trade channel, the development of smaller store formats in many countries and the creation of a new online channel in some countries.
Capitalising on key events during the year is vitally important for the FMCG industry. The Nielsen Ireland Spring Review uncovers the performance of key categories during the occasions which have occurred in the first half of the 2014.
Irish Consumers value social responsibility. In the past six months forty-five percent of Irish respondents claim to have purchased at least one product or service because they knew that the company was committed to positive social and environmental impact.
Findings contained in the latest Ireland Nielsen Pulse Newsletter reveal that Aldi and Lidl continue to gain share with their combined sales up +18.6% (MAT data to Mar/Apr 2014) while the Multiples suffer declines as a result.
Ireland’s consumer confidence was again boosted in Q1 2014 reaching an index of 82 according to the latest figures from Nielsen. This is five points higher than the previous quarter (Q4 2013) and a significant seventeen points higher than the same period last year. This latest wave of research comes on the back of Ireland’s exit from the EU/IMF aid programme and the country’s full return to sovereign debt markets for the first time since the euro-region’s crisis began in 2009. Reaching such a significant milestone is sure to have had a positive impact on the nation's optimism.
Times are changing for Europe’s retail food market, and operators are consequently finding it increasingly difficult to boost their sales. Three agents of change have affected food retailing in Europe over the last 20 years. Europe’s markets initially swelled with rapid store expansion and the discount channel boomed.
Choice is a significant contributor to the growing fragmentation in the media market, as well as an unprecedented availability of consumer data. Consumers now have myriad platform, device, viewing occasion and product choices, and they’ve baked most of these choices into their everyday lives. This proliferation of choice, however, has created a spider-webbing of options for marketers to keep track of. A Marketer’s role has now shifted from “communicator” to “consumer scientist”.
Nielsen's top convenience experts explore the trends and changes that will impact the growing convenience market over the next few years. From Asia's c-store sector and the small format evolution in the US, to why the UK could be leading the transformation in how we shop, these two webcast sessions provide a global view of the key issues shaping this critical consumer sector.


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Not to be missed: Also on the calendar is Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s testimony before Congress on the US economy, which takes place Wednesday and Thursday.
Expect Powell to get grilled on where the Fed goes after three straight “insurance” cuts to interest rates. But he’s also likely to face questions on weak manufacturing and business investment data — and what it tells us about the strength of the world’s biggest economy.
Up first: The United Kingdom will report GDP data on Monday. The country’s economy shrank for the first time since 2012 in the second quarter as global growth and Brexit fears loomed large — but economists polled by Reuters think the country will narrowly avoid a recession by notching 0.4% growth between July and September.
It’s no secret that the strength of the American consumer has helped support the US economy. Now, here come two fresh data points: Walmart (WMT) reports earnings on Thursday, and US retail sales for October hit on Friday.
Investors will look to Walmart’s results to gauge the health of the retail sector heading into the holiday shopping season, per my CNN Business colleague Nathaniel Meyersohn. Walmart, America’s largest retailer, is viewed as a bellwether of the consumer economy.
From Nathaniel: “Walmart’s stock is trading around its all-time high, so the company will have a high bar to hit with investors. Wall Street expects Walmart to easily clear it.”
The scene: Walmart has successfully defended its stores against Amazon and pressed its advantage with middle and lower-income shoppers across the country. In recent years, the company has invested heavily in lowering prices, remodeling stores and expanding online pickups and deliveries, Nathaniel points out.
Monthly retail sales, meanwhile, are expected to rise 0.2%, compared to a slight decline in September. Will this be enough to fend off the market bears?
“The state of the US consumer, in aggregate, has never been healthier,” Morgan Stanley Chief US Economist Ellen Zentner’s team wrote to clients Friday.
Disney (DIS) CEO Bob Iger has had a dominating 2019. Take it from my CNN Business colleague Frank Pallotta:
“This year alone, Disney’s film studio boasted the highest-grossing year in box office history, with months to spare. His parks and resorts opened the largest expansion ever with the innovative Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Oh, and on top of all of that, he closed the company’s $71 billion acquisition for most of 21st Century Fox.”
But that won’t mean much if Disney+, the company’s upcoming streaming service, isn’t a hit. The media industry is rapidly evolving, and Disney, one of the biggest media companies on the planet, needs to stay ahead of the curve and the competition — which now includes Netflix, Apple, Amazon, CNN parent AT&T and Comcast.
Disney+ launches in the United States, Canada and the Netherlands on Tuesday. Patrice Cucinello at Fitch Ratings sees the strategy as a clear play to scale up fast, pointing to the $6.99 per month price tag and vast trove of content that will be available.
In a research note Friday, Cucinello predicted strong early subscriber growth, in part because Disney can afford to offer discounts and cheap bundles. Let the streaming wars begin.

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By loading software onto its vehicles through Wi-Fi, Ford expects to save millions. But this technology could be used to provide drivers the option of handpicking their car's features, much like apps do for smartphones.
Wi-Fi was first introduced in Ford vehicles with SYNC, its voice activated system that turns your car into a roving Wi-Fi hotspot. Now, Wi-Fi is being used for a new application in their Oakville, Ontario plant: to install phone and entertainment features in the production line of select vehicles. Loading the software this way has resulted in a less than 1% failure rate so far, and it has reduced labor costs since it's hands-free.


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- City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
- Dubai 04:35 05:51 12:21 15:49 18:46 20:03
Master-developer, Dubai South Properties, announced an exciting new rent-to-own scheme for new tenants of The Pulse the heartbeat of its Residential District, with easy and direct access from Expo Road.
As part of Dubai South’s commitment to offering affordable and flexible solutions to residents, renters can now opt to make quarterly payments towards their unit, while living in it, which will contribute towards full ownership after a period of ten years. With easy exit terms and no commitment to purchase, the scheme helps put individuals on the property ladder without the initial financial outlay typically required. Furthermore, those choosing to avail the offer will receive two months of free rent at the start of their contract.
Mohammed Al Awadhi from Dubai South Properties, said: "At Dubai South, we are committed to supporting our growing business and residential community by offering them flexible and enabling solutions. Given the current environment, we are highly conscious of the challenges faced by many and have created a scheme that gives tenants the assurance of owning their own property without any major up-front investments."
Dubai South’s Residential District has already proven to be a popular locale for those working in the area, particularly with the promising Expo 2020 development located just five minutes away. With the launch of its flagship development, The Pulse, demand has continued to grow, with more than 800 apartments and townhouses already handed over. Lined with lush green walkways, jogging and cycling tracks, and offering eight gyms, eight swimming pools, and a central park, The Pulse is the ideal place for young professionals and families to live, work, and connect.
Residents will also be able to enjoy a vast range of retail outlets, starting with Grand Express Supermarket, which opened its doors in June 2020. Upcoming retail brands and additional convenience stores, set to open very soon, include a barbershop, a ladies salon, a grocery store, and a laundry service, with a number of restaurants and cafes expected to open by the end of this year.
Dubai South is home to a community of freehold or leasehold residential, commercial, office, and retail properties. It caters to different lifestyles and is designed to create a vibrant living environment, in line with the government’s drive to prosper Dubai’s first urban lifestyle project to support the emirate’s economic growth.
Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.


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Sydney, AU: Food Truck Streetfest
The Tendulkar, butter chicken jaffle, from Jafe Jaffles was also a winner. You can never go wrong with the humble jaffle, in my opinion, since it’s a wonderful carrier for any leftovers.
Buffalo, NY: Food Truck Owners Lobby Lawmakers to Lower Fees
No decision has been made. But some of the city legislators we spoke with said they would be open to lowering the fee.
Arlington, TX: Students Have mixed reaction to food trucks
The food trucks on campus have sent out a mixed aroma since they arrived about four weeks ago.
Saskatoon, CAN: City Seeks Public Input on Mobile Food Trucks, Parks
The City of Saskatoon is inviting residents to voice their opinion on commercial enterprises in downtown riverbank parks and mobile food truck regulations in the city.
Guest Opinion: Food Trucks in the Proposed Downtown Market Place – a Bad Idea
Bringing in food-vending trucks for curb-side service is not the way
Opinion: Don’t Underestimate Deliciousness of Gourmet Food Trucks
There are the swirling misnomers of the “roach coach” or “trash on wheels”
Miami: Raising Cane
There are a hand full of pioneers, primarily from Dade County, that have forged ahead and paved the way for all of us and should be commended for their efforts.
Miamism Fridays – Food Trucks
The Miami Food Truck craze is OUT OF CONTROL! Everywhere you look, there’s an interview, a newspaper article, a video, or someone talking about the experience.


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The tech titan wants to catch up to Netflix and Amazon in streaming video.
The bank is pledging millions to the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center.
SHANGHAI/BEIJING, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Great Wall Motor Co Ltd is interested in Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) , an official from the Chinese company said, confirming reports it is pursuing all or part of the owner of the Jeep and Ram truck brands. Speculation about Chinese interest in FCA has emerged since Automotive News reported last week that an unidentified "well-known Chinese automaker" made an offer earlier this month.


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The Korea Herald
S. Korea losing port calls after Hanjin Shipping's bankruptcy
BUSAN, April 21 (Yonhap) -- Global shipping companies have reduced their calls at South Korean ports despite adding more worldwide services, partly a result of Hanjin Shipping going bankrupt, a research organization said Friday. Four different shipping ...
S. Korea: Higher rates, fewer ships plague local shipping industryHellenic Shipping News Worldwide
all 2 news articles »
Category: Container Shipping Tags:


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TOKYO—Nintendo Co. cut its earnings forecast for the year ending in March to an operating loss, and slashed its estimate for the number of its flagship Wii U game consoles it expects to sell to a third of its initial projection--dealing a grim blow to the company’s hopes that holiday sales would revive its flagging fortunes.
The dismal numbers show that the iconic game maker failed to generate strong year-end sales of its gaming software and consoles--particularly the Wii U, which has struggled ever since it was released, amid competition from games played on social networks, mobile phones and tablets. Nintendo has kept its software off such platforms, arguing that its success depends on keeping alive the player experience, on its own dedicated hardware.
It has also had to contend with fresh competition from Sony Corp. and Microsoft Corp. as they rolled the latest generation of their home consoles, which are technologically superior to Nintendo’s Wii U.
As late as the end of October, Nintendo had been putting a brave face on the sales results, with President Satoru Iwata saying at news conference that the company’s direction would ride on the performance of new games to be released during the holiday season. Mr. Iwata said the company would decide on its strategy, depending on what the year-end results were.
The Kyoto-based company said it expects an operating loss of ¥35 billion ($335.3 million), considerably worse than the ¥100 billion profit it previously predicted in April. The revised figure compares with the ¥36.41 billion operating loss it posted in the last fiscal year.
An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com
More must-reads from MarketWatch
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Our dietary changes are often motivated by goals like losing weight, building muscle, or feeling more energetic throughout the day, but there’s another noteworthy goal worth taking seriously: heart health.
Nearly half of all American adults suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease, according to the American Heart Association’s 2019 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics update. And if you think it’s an older person’s issue, know this: “Coronary artery disease is caused by plaque buildup in the arteries of the heart in a process called atherosclerosis, which can start in one’s teens and 20s,” says Jennifer Wong, M.D., medical director of Non-Invasive Cardiology at Orange Coast Medical Center’s MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute.
Many of your risk factors for developing heart issues are very much in your control. In fact, what you eat plays a notable role. “Diets high in saturated and trans fat have been linked to heart disease and related conditions like atherosclerosis,” says Roger E. Adams, Ph.D., doctor of nutrition and owner of eatrightfitness. “Also, a diet high in sodium may elevate the blood pressure.”
To support healthy blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol, experts recommend making the following heart-healthy nutrition swaps.
1. Replace mayo with avocado on sandwiches
You probably know that mayonnaise is high in calories, but you may not realize that its high saturated fat content might increase your body’s LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, which can increase your risk for heart disease over time, notes Adams.
He recommends replacing the mayo on sandwiches with avocado to add healthy monounsaturated fats and fiber. “This is an easy and tasty swap, and you can even add some salsa to the avocado to liven up any dull sandwich and add some life to your lunch,” he says.
2. Cook with healthy oils instead of butter
If you’re used to cooking with butter, one of the easiest heart-healthy nutrition swaps you can make is switching to a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, such as avocado oil or olive oil. “The use of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in place of saturated fats may help reduce your total blood cholesterol,” she reaffirms.
When it comes to the most optimal monounsaturated fat, olive oil may be your best bet. One study published in Lipids Health Disease suggests it’s the only source of monounsaturated fat linked to decreased risk of both heart disease and stroke.
3. Choose salmon over steak
Another swap to make because of that whole saturated fat-cholesterol thing? Replacing fatty meats, such as marbled steak, with fatty fish. While the World Cancer Research Fund says that eating red meat is okay in moderation (12 to 18 ounces per week), they recommend choosing unsaturated fat-containing fish, such as salmon, whenever possible.
“Fish like salmon are high in omega-3 fatty acids, polyunsaturated fats that can help decrease the risk of heart disease,” adds Wong.
4. Opt for green tea Over Herbal tea
One study published in JAMA found that participants who drank more than five cups of green tea a day were 26 percent less likely to die from a heart attack or stroke. And another study published in The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews suggests that drinking green tea may significantly help reduce your blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease. When heart-healthy nutrition swaps are this simple, why not make them?
5. Trade ground beef for lentils
Amy Gorin, R.D.N., a plant-based dietitian and owner of Plant-Based Eats in Stamford, Connecticut, recommends swapping out ground beef for lentils in all sorts of recipes. “You may barely notice the difference,” she says. “What’s more: A study published in Nutrients found that following a vegetarian diet can help lower your risk of coronary heart disease.”
Read More: 7 Tips For Doing A Plant-Based Diet Right
To do this, simply sauté dry lentils with onion and garlic, stir in some vegetable broth, and simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes. Once the lentils are tender, lightly mash them to your desired texture.
6. Reach for Whole Grains Rather Than refined grains
You’ve probably heard about the importance of whole grains in your diet. Not only are they high in fiber and nutrients, but they’re also a decent source of protein and antioxidants, says Dr. Josh Axe, D.N.M., C.N.S., D.C., founder of Ancient Nutrition and member of The Vitamin Shoppe Wellness Council.
Axe recommends choosing whole grains, like oats, quinoa, and brown rice, over refined grains like white pasta, rice, and bread. “Research published in the British Medical Journal suggests that consistent whole-grain intake is associated with improved cardiovascular disease outcomes—and that they may even help decrease LDL cholesterol levels,” he says.
7. Switch Out sweetened drinks for sparkling waters
While you might not link overdoing it on sugar with heart issues, the two are indeed connected. In fact, a sugar-laden diet has a direct impact on your heart health. One study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, for example, links added sugar intake to increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.
One easy way to cut down your sugar intake is by swapping juice and other sugary beverages like soda for water, seltzers, and teas. “These will not impact your blood sugar levels and won’t cause weight gain,” he says. “You can also add lemon, lime, mint, and cucumber to waters to promote detoxification and add flavor.”


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It looks like we could be getting closer to the release of the Verizon Galaxy Nexus, as according to the guys from Droid Life the handsets are on their way to Verizon’s retail stores and may go on sale on the 9th of December.
The photo below shows the Verizon Galaxy Nexus in its retail packaging, and whilst Verizon hasn’t officially announced when the device will be available it is looking more and more like it will launch this week.
As soon as we get some actual confirmation from Verizon on the official launch date of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus we will let you guys know.
Have a look at our Samsung Galaxy Nexus Review to see what we thought of Google and Samsung’s first Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone.
Source Droid Life, XDA
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Using five million real online purchases, researchers trained an AI that can create fake e-commerce orders.
How it works: A generative adversarial network (GAN) consists of two dueling neural networks that create realistic synthetic media, likethese fake photos of celebrities or made-up articles of clothing. Researchers with Amazon’s machine-learning team in India published a paper documenting eCommerceGAN, a system that can come up with any number of “plausible” orders. They also documented a second system called ec2GAN, built to create possible orders involving a specific product.
What it means: Real orders make up only a tiny fraction of all possible orders. Artificial-intelligence systems work better with more data, and parsing synthetic data like this could help Amazon improve its business by learning even more about how factors like customer preferences, price estimation, and seasonal variance affect product choices. It could also get better at predicting which items might be of interest to what type of customer.
A Roomba recorded a woman on the toilet. How did screenshots end up on Facebook?
Robot vacuum companies say your images are safe, but a sprawling global supply chain for data from our devices creates risk.
The viral AI avatar app Lensa undressed me—without my consent
My avatars were cartoonishly pornified, while my male colleagues got to be astronauts, explorers, and inventors.
Roomba testers feel misled after intimate images ended up on Facebook
An MIT Technology Review investigation recently revealed how images of a minor and a tester on the toilet ended up on social media. iRobot said it had consent to collect this kind of data from inside homes—but participants say otherwise.
How to spot AI-generated text
The internet is increasingly awash with text written by AI software. We need new tools to detect it.
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To the editor:
With regard to Gerald Theriault’s July 5 letter to the editor headlined, “Swansboro residents intend to stay course,” I would like to respond about the current businesses that built the town.
First, I don’t think that places like Hampton Inn, Advance Auto, Papa John’s and now Little Ceasers had anything to do with building Swansboro. One thing is the same about all these new places in Swansboro — they are big companies!
Second, how many of these small-town people from Swansboro travel to the other towns to shop at big box stores? Of course, not in our town... but it’s OK in someone else’s town.
Third, it would be nice to get a store in the area with lower prices instead of the more expensive food stores in our area. If the people who oppose so-called big box stores cared about people who are not as well off as they are, they would probably want one, too.
Last but not least: Now, Swansboro wants people who don’t live there to pay if they get in an accident. Well, every other town should put out the word that if a Swansboro resident gets in an accident, they will be charged for the emergency response.
Another big store would help Swansboro’s tax base. Swansboro is letting the car dealer expand, so it must be that it’s all about hating Walmart.


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OR WAIT null SECS
A customer complaint prompts the recall of a lot of anticoagulants from a plant in Puerto Rico.
Janssen announced in mid-October that it is recalling 13,500 bottles of Xarelto (rivaroxaban) after a customer complained about a microbial contaminant in a sales sample. Xarelto is used to reduce the risk of stroke and blood clots in people with atrial fibrillation.
The lots of the medication were traced to a facility in Gurabo, Puerto Rico, according to a recall notice in the latest FDA Enforcement Report. The recall action was voluntary, and the whole lot was recalled based on contaminants reported in only one bottle. The sales sample sizes that were pulled contained only five 15 mg pills in each bottle. Janssen said in a statement all Xarelto dosage strengths remain available for patients and product obtained at a pharmacy is not impacted.


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There’s more free parking than you think in Cessnock CBD
As we move into the festive season, Cessnock CBD is expected to be busier than ever and there’s plenty of free, untimed parking spaces available with convenient pedestrian access.
In addition to the privately owned shopping centre car parks, Cessnock City Council provides 10 public car parks in the Cessnock CBD offering a total of 632 spaces for residents and visitors to park and each one is within walking distance of local shops.
Some of the locations include the former Cessnock Ex-Services Club (now Vincent Street Kitchen & Bar), Cessnock Performing Arts Centre, several locations on Cumberland Street, 3 Charlton Street, along with 209 and 232A Wollombi Road.
In an effort to highlight these key parking areas to the community, Council recently engaged constructively with the Cessnock Chamber of Commerce and a decision was made to install supplementary signage advising of these locations.
In addition, online mapping services, such as Google Maps, have been updated to reflect the availability of these car parks within the Cessnock CBD.
Cessnock City Council’s Principal Engineer - Traffic and Transport, Warren Jeffery said that there seems to be a misconception in the community that there aren’t enough parking spaces in the Cessnock CBD.
“We really wanted to promote these public car parks to the community as there is actually ample parking in the Cessnock CBD, it’s just about knowing where these parking spaces are.”
“We hope the additional signage and promotion of these car parks is helpful for both residents and visitors to the area,” added Warren.
Drivers are reminded of their obligation to comply with the road rules around parking and to be mindful of pedestrians in these highly frequented areas.


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For comments from all of those polled, please see the map below.
In a rage that crossed economic and cultural lines, the vast majority of 131 businesses interviewed in the Mission District had this message for Mayor Gavin Newsom: Keep Sunday parking free.
“I pay enough to the city already,” said Shula Ben-Simon, the owner of Lipstick Salon Beauty Shop on Mission Street, sometimes speaking in language not fit for print. “People are not coming and now they [definitely] won’t come … Tell Gavin to come here!”
Jeff Farnsworth, the owner of Farnsworth Gallery on Valencia Street, added, “The last thing you want to do is worry about parking on Sundays.”
The proposal to extend meters citywide was conceived by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to help offset SFMTA’s $16.9 million deficit.
Newsom told reporters earlier this month that he is considering asking drivers to feed the meters on Sundays because businesses have told him that it could help with turnover. He is opposed, however, to extending parking meter hours on weekdays. An attempt in July by Oakland to extend weekday meter hours there failed after merchants revolted.
When the SFMTA conducted its “stakeholder interviews” last year, the agency concluded that businesses approved — with some modifications — of paid Sunday parking.
The SFMTA survey, however, failed to reach into the Mission District and most merchants
were surprised the mayor was considering such a proposal.
Mission Loc@l surveyed 131 businesses late last week and found 80 percent or 106 out of 131 opposed the idea, 20 were undecided and five approved of the proposal.
The survey included interviews with owners or employees of those businesses on Valencia Street from Duboce to 19th street, and on Mission Street from 19th to 26th streets—the same blocks included in the SFMTA study.
Some Mission merchants suggested that instead of charging for parking, Muni should first fix its own problems.
“Muni needs to solve their internal problems first,” said Ivan Lopez, the owner of the Artillery Apparel Gallery on Mission Street, who bikes to work but sometimes drives. “They shouldn’t disperse their problems onto everyone else.”
Salvador Iñiguez, an employee at Modern Hair Cuts on Mission Street, gave the MTA some advice.
“Why don’t they just increase the fare evasion ticket and make it $500,” said Iñiguez, who relies on Muni to get to work.
Even those who approved of the idea, expressed skepticism. “It is socially responsible to ask drivers to pay more if the added revenue actually goes towards service, but not if it goes towards mismanagement,” said Wayne Whelam, the founder of Therapy on Valencia Street.
Other merchants who were opposed said they are already struggling to get customers and Sunday meters would make luring any into their shops more difficult.
“People won’t even want to come to the Mission,” said Hector Mejiva, the manager of Libreria Cristiana Restauracion on Mission Street. “They’ll probably go to South San Francisco or Daly City.”
Check Chew Ng, the owner of A.C. Trading Co. on Mission Street, said, “On Sunday the whole family likes to come to the Mission. They go to mass, eat at a restaurant after and then shop without worrying about parking. If they get a ticket, it’ll ruin the whole day.”
Specialty stores, nightclubs and pawnshops would fare worst because most of their customers drive, merchants said.
“It is ridiculous — they are pushing small businesses out,” said Sabis Deligiorgis, the owner of Hellenic American Greek Imports on Mission Street.
“Most of our customers who come here are driving because they are pawning big items,” said Jose Manoragon, the manager of Best Collateral on Mission Street.
Others found it unsettling that the city wants to take money from a working class neighborhood.
“These guys are worse than the communists,” said Mario Ruiz, an employee at La Internacional on Mission Street referring to the city’s plans.
“Things are already bad,” said Welmer Rivas, an associate at La Guadalupana Jewelry. “They are always taking money from the poor.”
Four of the five who said they favored extended hours were on Valencia Street.
“I think Muni is great,” said Sal Alioto, a customer service representative at Mission Bicycle Company who bikes to work. “It would be great to support it as long as they expanded meter hours in a responsible and thoughtful way – they would work pretty well.
But such remarks were rare and even those whose stores close after 6 p.m., and on Sundays opposed the idea. Some expressed distrust of all city operations.
“Everything that the municipality is doing is lies,” said Alberto Garibotto, the owner of Alberto’s Printing on Mission Street.
Anwar Hanhan, the owner of Shop & Shop Market on Mission Street, said the city should be helping small businesses instead and thinks only City Hall would benefit.
“San Francisco’s already broke — it’s only going to help the crooks who came up with the idea,” he said.
Others like Anthony Montero, the owner of Margot Castro Professional Center on Mission Street, are undecided but ambivalent.
“Unless every other place is doing it, it’s a bad idea,” he said.
For representative comments see the PDF Viewable map here.
For comments from all of those polled, please see the Google map below and click on the icon.


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- Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons set to hit PS4, Xbox One next month
- GOG adds Anno 1602 A.D., Albion, and Archimedean Dynasty
- Grandia II HD Edition to launch on GOG.com, screenshots posted
- Dying Light: The Following to add huge map, buggies, more
- New Gears of War: Ultimate Edition developer video released
Fancy A Date?
Developer- and Publisher-specific Articles: Halo: Ghosts of Onyx
More Tor news today. Tor Books has announced that bestselling author Karen Traviss (Star Wars, Gears of War) will be writing the follow-up to Halo: Ghosts of Onyx. The unnamed novel will be the first part of a multi-book deal …


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03.11.08 Catherine Neilan writing in The Bookseller
US credit insurer Euler Hermes ACI has withdrawn its approved limit on Borders Group Inc, reducing cover for firms trading with the American retailer "to nil". The decision has been communicated to publishers worldwide and was made on 17th October.
In a document seen by The Bookseller, EH ACI said the move related to Borders Group’s continuing losses.
In August, the retailer reported a second quarter loss of $11.3m (£6.89m) and the most recent full-year statement, to 2nd February 2008, showed a total loss of $157.4m (£100.9m), up on the previous year’s $151.1m.
A spokesman for EH ACI declined to comment specifically on Borders, but said withdrawal of cover was becoming increasingly common, particularly in retail, as a result of "vigilance" during the downturn.
A spokeswomen for Borders UK, which is 17% owned by the US company, said. "This has absolutely no implications for Borders UK. EH has not withdrawn cover from the UK and there is no trail back from the US to us."


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A closer look at personal care products focuses on who’s buying them, and who’s getting the best deals.
Post Tagged with: "Surveys"
Grocery stores plan to make changes to what they put in their weekly ads, and how they deliver those ads to you.
Despite an ongoing shift to digital, a new report says both paper and digital couponing are thriving.
There’s a new winner, in a new ranking of shopper satisfaction with their grocery stores.
Grocers think they’re doing a better job keeping products in stock, than customers say they are.
Shoppers say they’d rather get discounts on gas than any other type of loyalty perk.
Shoppers say they would like more grocery coupons delivered via text messages.
A new survey shows we like to buy healthier foods – but we’d also like to save more money on them.
A new survey finds shoppers are willing to travel no more than eight minutes to go grocery shopping.
A new survey finds that a surprisingly small number of grocery stores offer digital coupons.


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Congrats to CVS for discontinuing tobacco sales in ALL locations, and to WSOC TV news for highlighting the fact that Family Dollar stores now sell tobacco. Nice way to hit home the stats that nonsmokers are statistically higher income, higher educated folks.
Team with Dollar Tree, the nation’s leading operator of single-price-point dollar stores, to secure the best possible new store locations. Description from reatarealestate.com. I searched for this on bing.com/images


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Today (February 15, 2010), Microsoft icon and CEO Steve Ballmer unveiled the next generation of phones (smart phones) and most specifically, Windows Phone, the so called WINDOWS PHONE 7 SERIES. If you are a fan of XBOX games or a fanatic of Zune Music, then you can all get them in this phone. For the first time, Microsoft brought the features together in just a phone.
“Today, I’m proud to introduce Windows Phone 7 Series, the next generation of Windows Phones,” said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer at Microsoft.
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And i guess, this phone is another way of catching google.com in search engine market coz Microsoft was setting up the phone with a dedicated hardware button for BING, another rival of Google and yahoo in searching. For the design, i do not find it new since some of which are already featured in Samsung smart phones so with Iphone , Google Nexus One and others.
This latest trend of smartphones, Windows Phone 7 Series is available on Holiday 2010. And here in the Philippines? Maybe in the next few months after its released in the US or maybe next year.


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December 12, 2013
Rapides Regional Medical Center will be sending its 2013 “Seasons Greetings” with the help of this year’s Holiday Art Contest winner.
The annual contest is open to students at Rapides Regional Medical Center’s Partners in Education school, Phoenix Magnet Elementary. Participants were asked to design a piece of artwork with a holiday theme.
Winners receive $100, $75 and $50 gift cards for first, second and third place, respectively.
Zoe Nichols, 10, was the first place winner. Zoe’s drawing featured a festively-decorated Christmas tree and wreath.
Hettie Morris, 9, was the second place winner. Her drawing featured a Louisiana-themed Christmas scene complete with an alligator and pelican.
India E. Eiland, 11, is the third place winner. India’s design featured a Christmas wreath.
Zoe’s artwork will be featured on Rapides Regional Medical Center’s 2013 holiday greeting cards. Prizes will be distributed to the Phoenix students during the school’s holiday assembly.
Select artwork submitted by Phoenix students will be on display at Rapides Women’s and Children’s Hospital through December.


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Harvey's Grocery Store in Havana held a whopping big celebration last Wednesday, November 16th, to welcome shoppers to the store's Grand Re-Opening and introduction to its upgraded Harvey's Reward+Plenti program.
Harvey's staff and Manager James Woodard gathered in front of the store as those on the front line cut the ribbon for the special day.
"Today, the Harvey's Supermarket Brands all across the South, are taking a united stand in promising our customers that we will provide fresh, quality products at prices that are low and will remain low,” said Woodard. “We believe that everyone should be able to enjoy quality food regardless of your budget.
Woodard said the store’s Low, Low and Great Low Price reductions, Harvey’s (has lowered) prices on (three thousand) store items.
“We have also upgraded to the Harvey's Reward + Plenti card, which allows our customers to be able to earn and redeem points across multiple brands, including free gas and groceries," said Woodard.
He said he also wanted to thank and congratulate his store staff team for their hard work and dedication to customers in helping provide an enhanced shopping experience to customers.
The Free Wheelin' Band played great music and several shoppers took a whirl around the floor with Mgr. Woodard. A fresh piece of deli-baked sheet cake was distributed to all shoppers who wanted a taste!


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Marni's Children's Imaginary World Project Designs Now in Dubai
In a bid to celebrate childhood around the world and help those in need, Italian brand Marni has developed a project which lets children in every corner of the globe become fashion designers! The project entitled Children's Imaginary World encourages children of all ages from countries as widespread as Colmbia, Kenya and Tibet to draw a story around the theme 'My Country'. The best drawings were selected and turned into unique prints on T-shirts, tote bags and clutches.
The drawings are too cute, and give an interesting insight into the way children see the world. We absolutely love the fab prints on the limited edition pieces!
The products will be sold exclusively in the UAE at the Marni Boutique at Mall of the Emirates. Proceeds will go towards schools and associations across the world to improve the quality of education for young children.


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By Steve Karantzoulidis · March 8, 2019 • Is it possible Apple is looking to use Lighthouse AI's visual authentication, monitoring and depth-sensing patents to create its own surveillance camera?
By CE Pro Editors · February 28, 2019 • A new research report by Strategy Analytics suggests the use of smart speakers is not increasing after initial purchase, and in many instances is slowing.
By CE Pro Editors · January 22, 2019 • During ISE 2019, AudioControl will introduce its line of CM amps alongside its new Avalon G4 theater amplifier and the voice-enabled Rialto 400.
By Jason Knott · December 18, 2018 • Certain state laws prohibit audio recording in covert applications, so can you disguise an Amazon Echo or Google Home?
By Jason Knott · December 14, 2018 • Office Depot's Workonomy Tech Services division and CompuCom subsidiary will install and connect Google and Nest products to other smart devices in home out of its 1,400 retail locations and website.
By Jason Knott · November 28, 2018 • Just One Touch / Video & Audio Center focuses on upper-tier products combined with $500 custom installation credit to have record-breaking Black Friday weekend sales.
By Jason Knott · November 16, 2018 • Sonnen aims to create a new category of smart home integrators who unite solar, energy storage, vehicle charging stations, and intelligent circuit breakers with lighting, shades and thermostats.
By Jason Knott · October 29, 2018 • NPD researcher tells HTSA that smart home will grow by 20% each of the next 3 years led by premium smart home products and services. Google, Amazon partnerships vital.
By Robert Archer · October 17, 2018 • The convertible HP Chromebook x360 14 features the Chrome operating system, 8th-generation Intel Core processing and up to 64GB of solid-state storage.
By CE Pro Editors · October 8, 2018 • Hold this date: Oct. 10, 2018. You won’t want to miss a one-on-one conversation with CE Pro founding editor Julie Jacobson and Google exec Michele Turner … one day after the companies make their big Fall 2018 new-product announcements.
By Julie Jacobson · August 28, 2018 • Latest in voice control for the smart home will be revealed at CEDIA Expo 2018, including new technologies from Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Samsung Bixby and Josh.ai.
By Andrew Nichols · August 10, 2018 • The rumor mill is reaching peak production this week, as Apple bolsters its mesh networking by joining Thread Group.
By Jason Knott · August 10, 2018 • ADT reports 6% revenue boost and 73% of all new customers opt for ADT Pulse smart home automation. Pigeonholes Google, Amazon DIY security offerings as suitable for ‘renters.'
By CE Pro Editors · August 1, 2018 • The Consumer Technology Association released its 'U.S Consumer Technology Sales and Forecasts' report, which suggests 4K UHD TVs will be the top revenue maker for residential A/V pros.
By Andrew Nichols · July 30, 2018 • Lenovo Smart Display ($199) is first Google Assistant with a screen -- ideal for consumers married to the Google ecosystem, including Maps, Calendar, Nest, Android phones, Duo video calling, Android Things and more.


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Harvey Nichols is to introduce classic luxury ready-to-wear brands for the first time across all categories as it attempts to capture spend from its growing customer base from emerging markets.
The retailer is to introduce “classic elegance” brands including Chanel, Dior and Hermès at its London Knightsbridge flagship in response to demand from shoppers from rising star economies such as Brazil, China, India and Russia.
Harvey Nichols chief executive Joseph Wan said the introduction of the more traditional luxury brands would broaden the product range, which has historically been led by a more directional, high-fashion buying strategy.
Wan said: “Harvey Nichols is not a full-range department store and we have always been very fashion-led. We don’t want to dilute this fashion impact but, with the rising importance of BRIC customers, it’s in our interest to bring in these classic elegance brands that are most attractive to them.”
Harvey Nichols will create space for the brands at its Knightsbridge store through an overhaul. The retailer has appointed a surveyor to evaluate how it can squeeze additional space from corridor and lift areas, Wan said. He declined to give a time frame because the project is still at an early stage.
The classic elegance brands are expected to be rolled out across Harvey Nichols stores internationally, but the brand mix will be tailored to local market needs.
The initiative is one of a number being undertaken as the retailer chases new growth opportunities.
A new fascia, Beauty Bazaar, is expected to debut and the retailer has launched a corporate box, where its products are sold, at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium.
Earlier this year, Wan forecast record profits for the year ended in March. He expected to post earnings of more than £18m, beating the previous high achieved in 2007/08.


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Time: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Place: Sheraton Boston Back Bay
Mobile advertising network Jumptap Inc. said that it’s closed its latest financing round, taking in $5 million extra and capping the round at $25 million. The company said it plans to use the funding to further develop its products and technology while adding to staff.
The Cambridge-based firm said in the announcement that over the past 18 months it has seen significant increases in network traffic and client ad campaigns and “deeper reach into major verticals such as automotive, entertainment, consumer packaged goods and financial services.” Jumptap has already added 35 employees so far this year, the company said.
The financing came from existing investors AllianceBernstein, General Catalyst, Redpoint Ventures, Summerhill Ventures, Valhalla Partners and WPP, along with new investors that weren’t named.
Jumptap provides a mobile search and advertising platform aimed at helping subscribers find mobile-centric information on their cell phones, and carriers generate traffic.
The company had reported to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in late March that it had raised nearly $20 million of a planned $27.9 million equity financing. Founded in 2004, Jumptap previously reported raising a $26 million Series D round in August 2008.
VC & Startups
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Geneva Motor Show 2019 is arguably one of the most exciting motor shows within the past few years by featuring lots of innovative, long-awaited cars around the world. And here, Koenigsegg has revealed their latest innovation, a beast in every sense: Koenigsegg Jesko. Especially for the founder of Koenigsegg – Christian von Koenigsegg, this car does not only represent the next step of the company, it is also a heartfelt dedication to the man who did everything for his child – Christian’s father: Jesko von Koenigsegg. And so with no further ado, let’s have a Koenigsegg Jesko first look!
Koenigsegg Jesko was first debuted at Geneva International Motor Show 2019 as the company’s brand new megacar. As Koenigsegg stated, the Jesko succeeds the Agera RS as a track-focused, road-legal car with extreme performance.
Judging by its exterior design, Koenigsegg Jesko looks undoubtedly beautiful; it definite looks “Koenigsegg”. It is also said to feature a completely new monocoque, which is a bit longer than the Agera RS. And coming to the rear, we cannot help but to take notice of that massive active rear wing. This curious boomerang-shaped rear wing, along with the front splitter, plays a huge role in generating downforce. Particularly it is capable of generating 800kg of downforce at 155mph, 1,000kg at 171mph, and 1,400kg at top speed (which unfortunately has not been revealed yet). And that is already about 30% more than the Koenigsegg One:1.
Since the Jesko is a track-focused car, we can also expect lots of lightweight implementations throughout this spectacular Koenigsegg. The car features lots weight-saving elements, resulting in a lightweight track monster with 1400kg of curb weight.
Now, one thing many people surely want to know about the Jesko is its power. Frankly speaking, we haven’t had opportunity to see this car in action yet. But stat-wise, this car already sounds crazy. At the heart of the Jesko is the flat-plane crank 5.0-litre twin-turbo V-8 engine and it is fitted with the world’s “lightest production V-8 craftshaft” (or at least, that is what Koenigsegg claimed). But what’s crazier is that it can produce a whopping 1,280 horsepower on regular gas, or, an insane 1,600 hp on E85 biofuel. In addition, it is capable of 1,106 lb-ft of torque, and revs to 8,500 rpm.
Crazy power aside, Koenigsegg also introduced a completely new inhouse-built transmission: a nine-speed 7-clutch unit which is called as a “Light Speed Transmission” (LST). Based on their description, this LST system is supposedly capable of changing between any gears almost instantly, or as its name implied, at “Light Speed.” In theory, the car can shift from seventh to second gear just in split second. And to utilize this phenomenal gearbox, the company also made changes to the paddles. Specifically the gear will change to the next single one with a light press; however, a hard press will change to the most “optimal” gear, which Koenigsegg calls as “Ultimate Power On Demand” (UPOD).
So with all that said, how “fast” this megacar can be? Unfortunately we haven’t had a clue yet. But according to Koenigsegg, the Jesko features the most aggressive aero package ever fit on one of its cars. This package includes a huge active wing, an active underbody flaps, and a huge splitter which together can deliver an insane 1,764 lbs of downforce at 155 mph. And that is already 30% increase over the One:1 at similar speeds. Of course, information like 0-60mph acceleration or max speed has not been revealed. Still, rumor implies that Koenigsegg Jesko has potential to break the 300mph max-speed limit. And even it doesn’t, there is already a plan to create a version called Jesko 300, and its goal is to reach over 300-mph top speed.
What about the interior then? Well, for starters, it still features the iconic sliding doors which now open higher and further away from curbs. Then going inside we can see a wide variety of fancy technologies like the 9-inch infotainment system with Bluetooth, wireless phone charging, USB inputs, and a top-view camera. More importantly, all the systems can be updated via the “Koenigsegg Cloud”. In addition, the instrument cluster is now a 5-inch digital screen which set directly to the steering wheel, plus, an analog G meter.
Finally, we need to talk about the name: Koenigsegg Jesko. As many people would have noticed, the name “Jesko” refers to Christian von Koenigsegg’s father: Jesko von Koenigsegg who now turns 80. He was an extremely successful businessman who decided to bring out everything he got to help his son starting up the company 20 years ago. He helped his son form the company board, and offered many essential advices. And so, this Koenigsegg Jesko does not only represent the new evolution of Koenigsegg as the automobile company, it is also a heartfelt tribute to the man who supported his son this entire time.
At the point of this article (March 12), Koenigsegg Jesko is said to start with a $3 million price tab. Plus, only 125 Jesko units will be built and so far, 80 of them already found their owners.
And that’s it folks! What do you think about Koenigsegg Jesko? Feel free to share with us and for now, thank you and stay tune for more news in the future!
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UK: The Co-op has revealed major online expansion plans with a new same day delivery service in 650 stores, and additionally, what it claims to be the “biggest rollout of vegan products” with its new vegan brand, GRO, which it says brings its total of vegan food and drinks to over 1000 products.
The Co-op’s Ethical Consumerism report reveals the plantbased market has topped £1BN for the first time ever and has more than doubled in the last 20 years, up from £452M in 1999. Its findings reveal that vegetarian product sales have risen by over 12 percent and non-dairy milk alternatives have seen a 14 percent uplift.
The GRO products, including a chilli con carne, steak bake, a Kashmiri pizza featuring cauliflower and vegan cheese, and a vegan sticky toffee pudding, will be available in 2,000 Co-op stores. Co-op states that this “is believed to be the largest ever product rollout of own-brand vegan products by a supermarket and takes Co-op’s total food and wine vegan range to over 1,000 products. In addition, all Co-op’s beer and cider range will become vegan in 2020 while it already offers almost 120 vegan wines.”


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The businesses which, with their achievements and their hard and methodical effort are leading the country and the economy forward, were honoured in the Award Ceremony for the tradition-awards for Greek Business “Protagonists of the Greek Economy,” that was organised for the fifth time by Direction Business Network on Monday, 10 June 2019. In the […]
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The new 9th edition of the monthly business magazine is now in circulation. Important leading personalities that stand out on the business scene, but not just limited to this, are presented yet again in the 9th edition of Direction Business Network’s business magazine, Business News Magazine. This time, the cover features Thanasis Koukoutaris who, through […]
The 1st edition of FLEET BUSINESS is in circulation, the magazine that records the beat in the corporate vehicles and mobility sector, both in our country and in Europe. This edition is included in the new publishing venture of Direction Business Network, which comes to fill the information gap in the field of Fleet and […]
The new 8th edition of the monthly business magazine is now in circulation. The 19+1 companies which are expected to play a leading role this year, based on everything they did or launched in 2018, are presented in the new edition of Direction Business Network’s Business News Magazine, which is the main topic of the […]
With Metro/My market as the major protagonist, the 17th Awards ceremony was concluded for the competition “50 Years PLAISIO – RetailBusiness Awards 2019”, as the company was selected as Retailer of the Year, while its CEO Aristotelis Panteliadis, was honoured with the Retail Manager award. The great celebration of Retail Trade and Industry was held […]
Products that stand out for their innovation received awards on Monday, 11 February, at the Awards Ceremony of the internationally acclaimed and distinguished tradition “Voted Product of the Year” whose representation has been undertaken by Direction Business Network since 2018. In the first competition of the tradition’s new era in Greece, products from 19 different […]
On Monday, 18 February, the great celebration of retail trade and industry was held at the Athens Concert Hall, the Awards Ceremony “50 Years PLAISIO – Retails Business Awards 2019”, organised for the 17th year in a row by Direction and the magazine RetailBusiness. RETAILBUSINESS AWARDS, the distinguished tradition in the field, just like every […]
This year, Direction Business Network’s adbook scores a “Black Jack,” as the 21st edition of the definitive Guide for the Marketing and Communications market is just out in circulation. For yet another year, the edition represents a “trump card” for the domestic market, which includes information for all companies in the field of communications, the […]
Aliki Perroti reminds everyone of the value of Giving during the in-depth interview that she granted to Direction Business Network’s Business News Magazine, which is the main topic of the new edition – seventh in a series – of the monthly business magazine. This emblematic Greek woman speaks about the milestones in her life, which […]
The problems and opportunities in the health sector are featured in the new Business News Magazine An extensive tribute to the field of Med & Health in the new edition of the monthly Business News Magazine – sixth in a series- which is in circulation with Τobias Wasmuht, CEO of SPAR International, on its cover. […]


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Devolver Digital Publishing House on its official microblog shared information about new successes “Card Odyssey” Encryption by the independent studio Daniel Mullins Games (Pony Island, The Hex).
Recall that Inscryption sold over 100,000 copies in the first three days of its release (October 22nd) and a week later (October 28th) the game hit 250,000 copies.
Inscryption has been known to have sold more than 1 million copies in the past two and a half months since it was released. An ermine in the game shared his opinion on reaching a new high point of the project with one of the cards.
The Ermine wants you to know that Inscryption has exceeded a million copies sold.
– Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) January 5, 2022
In the story of Inscryption, players fall into the trap of Leshy and find themselves forced to collect a game of cards with forest creatures in order to unravel the secrets that are hidden behind the walls of the sadistic alien hut.
Inscryption debuted on PC (Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store) on October 19, 2021 and received decent press: the rating on the Metacritic aggregator’s website is 84 out of 100%, and the project received the maximum score from 3DNews.


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Don’t miss Commerceweek, February 28–29 in NYC, to explore the technology and trends fueling commerce. Get strategic insights from leaders at The New York Times Advertising, Turo, TikTok and more. Register.
Facebook rolled out several updates last week aimed at enabling creators to better monetize their video content on its platform.
Product marketing director Yoav Arnstein and head of creator and publisher experience Jeff Birkeland outlined all of the changes in a blog post, writing, “Now more than ever, creators, video publishers and media are using Facebook to build a meaningful community and business. We’re seeing the traditional notion of a creator evolve as comedians, artists, fitness instructors, athletes, small businesses and sports organizations use video and online events to connect with their audience.”


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Following hot on the heels of the release of the TabPro range in the US, the tablets are due to start being shipped from March 6 – the same day they’ll be available in stores like Carphone Warehouse.
So. Much. Tech.
Some of the biggest names in tech are coming to TNW Conference in Amsterdam this May.
The smallest of the three models is priced from £349, the 10.1-inch device is pegged at £449, whereas the largest will cost around £649.
Featured Image Credit – Josep Lago/AFP/Getty Images


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The Metal Gear series has topped 60 million sales.
That's according to a new update posted on the official Konami website which reveals that the revered stealth series – which launched in 1987 – hit the milestone in the run up to June 2023.
As spotted by VGChartz, that's compared with 57.7m units sold in September 2021, and 59.3m units sold back in November 2022, intimating that 700,000 Metal Gear games have been sold in the last seven months alone... even though the series hasn't published a new mainline title since 2018.
Collectively, the stealth series has generated over $1bn – that's around £784 million – for publisher and developer, Konami, since it launched way back in 1987.
With Konami's Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1 officially announced but still readying for its launch this October, it might seem premature to be discussing Vol. 2, but last month Matt reported that it appears that the second volume will indeed fan-favourite include Metal Gear Solid 4.


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CHANGE WORSE THAN TRADITIONAL BUSINESS-CYCLE LOW
Record-low sales for new U.S. homes
Existing-home sales also drop 9.6% in February
Obama Spending Put Nation Off Track after Housing Bust, Recession
WASHINGTON — Sales of new single-family homes collapsed in February, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday, as a combination of high unemployment, tumbling prices and a glut of cheaper alternatives brought activity to a near-standstill.
New-home sales fell 16.9% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 250,000 in February, though January’s figures were revised higher to 301,000 from 284,000. Compared to February 2010, sales collapsed by 28%.


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FRAMINGHAM (07/17/2000) - The Internet changes everything, as Oracle Corp.
Chairman and CEO Larry Ellison is fond of saying, endlessly.
It's certainly changing Ellison's company.
In Oracle's just completed fiscal year, executives claim to have squeezed out nearly US$1 billion in costs, as part of a plan to change the company into an electronic business. They've done this by adopting "Internet technology" - by using Oracle's own Web-based business applications, by creating new business practices using this software and consolidating data centers.
The scheme has its risks. Oracle will rise or fall on how well its newest applications, for managing customer relationships, perform on the company's intranet. Any glitches will be embarrassingly public and could put the brakes on Oracle's fast-growing applications sales.
And some outsiders are skeptical that the billion dollars in lower costs is because of an "Internet-enabled miracle." "It's not the case," says Laurie Orlov, research director for e-business applications at the Forrester Research market research firm in Cambridge, Mass. "Larry will make the claim that this [lower cost structure] is because Oracle is e-business. Maybe 20 percent is due to that, that's my guess. But 80 percent is due to just doing things more efficiently."
Orlov cites the data center consolidation as one example of better efficiency, and likewise with the shift to a new e-mail system. "They had a terrible e-mail system for years," she says. Orlov says there's a limit to moving the sale of expensive, complex software products to do-it-yourself Web sites, such as Oraclestore. "The idea of placing million-dollar orders on the Web just hasn't happened," she says.
Savings due to e-business transformation is for most companies still an opportunity, rather than a reality, according to Orlov.
Still, the accompanying graphic plots Oracle's revenue over eight quarters, along with operating expenses, showing a slight increase of the latter as revenue continues to dramatically increase. The result: Oracle's operating margin - a percentage figure that indicates how well a company is doing in controlling costs - jumped nine points, to 30 percent from 21 percent in fiscal 1999, a strong gain.
In true Oracle fashion, the company is turning its success into a new marketing tool: Customers are brought to Oracle's glittering Redwood Shores, Calif., campus headquarters and given in-depth briefings on how the company's Web-based applications and a new computing infrastructure are saving money, slimming down costs, and keeping the number of employees unchanged, despite strong growth in database and applications sales.
In fact, the move to transform Oracle was doing so well by early spring that Ellison decreed the company will squeeze out an additional $1 billion in costs by the end of fiscal 2001.
The total cost figure of $2 billion for fiscal years 2000 and 2001 represents improved productivity due to a changed cost structure, says Oracle Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jeff Henley. "As we grew our revenue [in fiscal 2000], we didn't grow our head count or our expenses," he says. "We kept more of the money we took in. In business, that's always a good thing."
Total operating revenue grew 15 percent, to $10.1 billion, in fiscal 2000, up from $8.83 billion the year before. Total operating expenses grew only 1 percent, to $7.05 billion, up from $6.95 billion. The impact on operating income, which is roughly the pretax profit from sales, was dramatic: 64 percent, to $3.08 billion from $1.87 billion. "Effectively, this means we're getting $2 billion falling to our bottom line," says Henley, who emphasizes the figure is a goal, not a guarantee.
All companies have costs, such as salespeople salaries, advertising and office supplies. These costs usually increase as the company's revenue rises and as it hires more people, increases advertising, expands office space and so on. Using Web applications, and consolidating servers and data, has changed the way Oracle's costs are incurred, and lessened the need to hire new people. In some areas, staffing has been reduced.
Two years ago, Henley says, Ellison decided Oracle would use its own products to exploit the Internet's potential, a decision that has led to a top-tobottom rethinking of how the company does business. One of the first steps was a Web-based corporate expense report. According to Henley, employees now get their reimbursements paid directly into their bank accounts a week faster than was possible with the old paper system. More importantly, the accounts payable department, which processed all the paper, cut its head count by 25 percent.
As other browser-accessible applications began to be used, Oracle began consolidating hundreds of servers and databases into one or two main sites. The company has just finished consolidating its e-mail system. Instead of 97 servers and 120 databases, Oracle e-mail now runs on two big, clustered servers with four databases. Instead of 60 full-time IT staff just for e-mail, there are now 12, says Gary Roberts, senior vice president of the company's global information technologies group.
By also converting from a client/server e-mail model to an Internet model, support costs are dropping dramatically. "In our old e-mail environment, we'd get 3,000 problem calls a month [to our help desks], just for e-mail problems," Roberts says. "With our Internet model, I get less than 250 per month: There's not much [a user] can do to mess up a browser."
The same logic has led to a goal of moving 65 percent of Oracle's 41,000 employees to a browser-only desktop. If that's achieved, Roberts calculates he can cut the 450 desktop support specialists to 100, and save $60 million per year.
The corporate network was also studied, to make sure it could support the increased Web traffic. In some cases, Oracle added more bandwidth and reconfigured the network to improve throughput and reduce network latencies.
The company inventoried more than 100 custom-built applications it used to run its business, such as lead tracking, of which there were several variants.
Roberts recalls Ellison asking at a strategy meeting on applications architecture, "If we need all this stuff to run our business, why isn't it in the [Oracle Applications suite]?"
The IT group's internal applications support staff began working with software engineers on the product side to shift needed features and entire programs into the 11 and 11i releases of the suite. Several internal sales programs are now a module in the 11i release, called Oracle Sales Online. All features can be accessed with a Web browser.
Business processes are being re-examined and changed when necessary to fit the Web. "We're forcing ourselves to standardize our business practices, so there is only one way to take an order," says Ron Wohl, the executive vice president who oversees development of the Oracle Applications product line. "We're not automating old business practices."
As Oracle's own sales and marketing staff began using the new applications, costs associated with these areas began to plummet. During the earnings teleconference last month, Ellison told analysts that marketing seminars for customers had been shifted from hotels to the Web, and cost per person had dropped from $220 to $1.50.
In addition, the support staff has grown typically 30 to 40 percent per year as the company has grown. "But in 2,000, we added zero people, and we plan to add zero people this year," Henley says.


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Street and Greenwood Avenue where they found Bland and Mimms already dead and two more shot. While collecting evidence, with dozens of people standing around police said the girlfriend of Bland, Cheetara Goldsmith, shot and killed Lee, the mother of Mimm son. Police then shot and injured Goldsmith. "I just wish things was different," said Nkrumah who grew up in the Parkland neighborhood. "The community wasn like this at first. "She said despite the outcry after her daughter murder, what been done to make changes to the violence on her streets hasn worked. "The gun laws need to change. People need to do 85 percent of the time when it comes to a gun Adidas Pants For Women charge.
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They need to do 85 percent of their time. "The number of murders between January and May 2013 compared to the same time period last year seem to agree they are nearly the same. There been 15 this year. There were 16 by May 17 in 2013. "The violence needs to stop it just absolutely ridiculous. " Walker hopes offering a place and an example will help, "The violence needs to stop it just absolutely ridiculous. " Because he said his neighbors are still walking around these streets living in fear.
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To protect college students from checking or debit accounts with high fees, “tricks or traps” — including those bearing their schools” logos — a federal consumer protection agency announced Wednesday it plans to create a new tool for colleges to evaluate financial institutions.
The score cards would include descriptions and summaries of fees collected at each campus as well as disclosures about companies” sales tactics — information to guide colleges determining which financial institutions to sponsor, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The bureau reports that about 40 percent of college students attend schools with agreements to provide debit or credit cards, an arrangement that can be profitable for the colleges as well as the financial institutions.
“The (bureau) has identified agreements where financial institutions offer royalty payments for use of college trademarks or bonuses based on the number of student account sign-ups,” a news release said.
University of California President Janet Napolitano released a statement in support of the effort to identify good financial practices and “shine light on practices and services that financially harm students.”
“UC supports transparency and is continuously monitoring its own vendors and financial partners to ensure they comply with UC”s high standards and that our students” financial interests are protected,” Napolitano said.
Follow Katy Murphy at Twitter.com/katymurphy.


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The 2021 Skoda Kodiaq will be officially unveiled on April 13, and in the meantime, the Czech automaker has released another teaser that previews some of its changes.
The clip is only 20 seconds long and shows the facelifted mid-size SUV in a dark background, with a focus on the redesigned headlights and taillights.
Besides the lighting units, other things that will help differentiate it from the outgoing model will be the new front bumper that features a wider lower air intake with L-shaped trim below the fog lamps. Previous teaser images have also revealed a more upright grille and redesigned hood and metal accents, while the spy shots have shown that the brand’s logo will be replaced by the ‘Skoda’ lettering in the middle of the tailgate.
Also Check Out: 2021 Skoda Kodiaq Mid-Size SUV Spied With Minor Revisions
We don’t expect the 2021 Kodiaq to feature radical changes inside, as the dashboard design should carry over. Nonetheless, it might incorporate a new infotainment system and digital instrument cluster, though there is also the possibility of simply updating the software. New upholstery and trim will probably round out the makeover.
The Czech sibling of the Volkswagen Tiguan and Seat Tarraco will reportedly launch with the usual petrol and diesel engines and all-wheel drive for the upper specs. The RS flagship variant will supposedly retain the 2.0-liter bi-turbo diesel that’s good for 237 HP and 369 lb-ft (500 Nm) of torque in the current model.


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For Valentine’s Day, Satpathy-Singh has created a new collection of greeting cards celebrating desi or South Asian American love. They feature bright pop-art style graphics and bold humor ranging from food puns like “Naan-Stop Love” to cultural miscommunications like the difference between "Tiffany's" and "tiffin."
“I'm a card-giver,” Satpathy-Singh told NBC News, “I'm one of those people who loves going to stationary stores or drug stores and peruse the aisle for THE perfect card with equal measure wit and cheesiness. But god forbid there ever be cards that speak to desis.”
Although she noted that Hallmark briefly sold Diwali cards, she found them very traditional, with “blinged out diyas” — clay oil lamps — and faux-Sanskrit-inspired lettering. She longed for cards with modern imagery and humor that appealed to people of her generation and not just for Diwali.


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Hey kids, want the biggest possible haul of Christmas presents this year? You better hope your family lives in Alberta.
According to a survey from retail analysts at NPD Group, Albertans will be far and away the biggest shoppers this holiday season, with plans to spend an average of $928 over the holiday season.
That's 42 per cent more than the national average of $651, and it's almost exactly twice as much as what survey respondents in Quebec said they were going to spend — $486, on average, the lowest in Canada.
So it stands to reason that the typical kid in Quebec will see a gift haul from Santa that's half as large as those in Alberta.
Well, kudos to Quebecers for eschewing the material life and resisting the holiday shopping frenzy more than anyone, but a shame for the kids of Quebec, who are likelier than anyone to get a big fat lump of coal for Christmas.
And to you, Alberta, we wish a joyous oil-fuelled holiday season. Now get back to those shopping mall checkout lines.
Here's a chart from NPD Group breaking down spending intentions by region. Note the unexpectedly high number for the Maritimes.
Source: NPD Group
Also on HuffPost:


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Dual Universe has a fresh dev diary out this week on how it’s employing voxel technology for its builder-centric space sandbox.
“The idea of voxel is not new,” Novaquark’s Jean-Christophe Baillie says. “You’ve seen it in other games over the years, starting with MineCraft. But we wanted to go beyond the cube-like aspect. We wanted to let people be able to carve out literally the world the way they want, to sculpt the world, and to make it more realistic.” The voxel tech allows the team to scale and display everything from huge planets to small player-built space stations.
Dual Universe’s Kickstarter currently sits at almost 70% of its $557,724 US goal with 19 days left to go and over 5000 backers. The alpha is expected by summer 2017, with beta to follow in the first half of 2018 and the launch before 2019.
The voxel tech pre-alpha video is included below.


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Etihad Airways’ award-winning loyalty programme, Etihad Guest, has teamed up with Emirates Islamic, one of the leading Islamic financial institutions in the country, to launch a co-branded credit card.
The partnership allows the bank’s customers to convert their EI Smart Miles into Etihad Guest Miles, which can then be used to book flights or be redeemed on the airline’s Reward Shop. The new card will complement the existing programme, giving customers more opportunity to earn miles and redeem for rewards.
Vice president commercial partnerships, Etihad Airways, Yasser Al Yousuf said: “We are proud to expand our partnership with Emirates Islamic to bring a new card to the UAE market. Our partnership will further extend the reach of the Etihad Guest membership programme through the bank’s nationwide customer base and offer opportunities for its customers to enjoy the luxury travel, benefits and privileges Etihad Airways and Etihad Guest have to offer.”
Deputy CEO, consumer banking and wealth management, Emirates Islamic, Wasim Saifi added: “At Emirates Islamic, we always strive to provide our customers with the most innovative banking solutions to fulfil their lifestyle needs. We are pleased to partner with Etihad Guest to offer our customers the benefits of a versatile and dynamic loyalty programme.”


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Trina signed a new imprint venture with Penalty Entertainment, which is distributed through Sony Red. She’s prepping her sixth studio album, which is currently untitled, to release worldwide around mid-2015 on Penalty/Rockstarr Music Group. The album executive producer will be Rico Love. She will also be releasing a documentary series to go along with the album.
“This is the beginning of a new direction and stage within my career, and now my own imprint—Rockstarr Music Group,” said the Miami, Fla. native in a statement. “I have collaborated with so many different talents during my career thus far, and I am beyond excited to share this phase with the world as I continue to evolve.”
Neil Levine, CEO of Penalty Entertainment, is happy to have Da Baddest on his label: “I am honored to welcome Trina and The Executive Club Worldwide to the growing Penalty family. The Trina brand is one of the most prevalent brands within the Hip Hop industry, and Penalty is pleased to continue the trajectory of such an A-list artist.”
The last album that Trina released was in 2010 through by Slip-N-Slide Records. Amazin’ featured collaborations from Nicki Minaj, Keri Hilson, Lyfe Jennings, Monica, Diddy, Flo Rida, Kalenna Harper of Diddy-Dirty Money and Shonie. The LP debuted at No. 13 on the US Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the Billboard Top Rap Albums.
To celebrate, Trina and Rico dropped their new collab, “Real One.” Listen to that below. via XXL


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WorldRemit announces the appointment of Gabriella Poczo as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to revolutionalise its mobile money services.
One of Silicon Valley’s most respected engineering leads, she oversaw Skype’s move from desktop to mobile.
She also served as CTO at messaging service textPlus, Senior Director of Handset Software Development at T-Mobile, USA and as Engineering Director and CTO for Sun Microsystems’ OEM Platforms Group.
Poczo’s appointment underlines WorldRemit’s status as the leading player in mobile money transfers – with a mobile-first strategy for senders and the world’s largest selection of Mobile Money wallets for recipients.
“This company is so far ahead of the game in terms of mobile money transfers. While others are still talking about the opportunity, WorldRemit is sending hundreds of thousands transactions to mobile devices across Africa and Asia,” said Poczo. “They know this space better than anyone. Now it’s time to take our service to the next level – integrating more Mobile Money partners, and providing enhanced apps for our senders.”
Her key role in taking Skype mobile is especially relevant given the frequent comparisons between the two services. “There are a handful of companies that are seen as providing essential services to migrants – Skype is one. There’s also messaging services like WhatsApp and Viber and now WorldRemit,” she added.
WorldRemit founder and CEO Ismail Ahmed welcomed Poczo’s appointment saying: “Everyone talks about building mobile services, but Gabriella is one of the few people who actually has experience of creating a mobile communications service for a global user-base.
“Getting this right isn’t just about creating a slick app for senders. Mobile Money is driving financial inclusion in the developing world and our position as the leading sender of money to these services is transforming lives.”