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Betty Crocker's rising image online
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If you spend much time online, expect to see a lot of Betty Crocker and that Poppin' Fresh guy this holiday season.
The New York Times reports on General Mills Inc.'s growing social-media efforts, which kick into an even higher gear during the holidays. Pillsbury is launching a campaign called “Holiday ideas made easy,” and the company is boosting the profile of venerable Betty Crocker, who has 1.4 million fans on Facebook.
Business Journal readers are familiar with the company's aggressive social-media strategy: We posted a Q&A with General Mills' director of brand public relations at General Mills earlier this year, and last week reported on the success of its "Cheech & Chong" viral ad — which is a fairly distant thematically from Betty Crocker, but still successful.
Mark Reilly manages daily and weekly coverage at the Business Journal newsroom.
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Work For: Polaris Industries Polaris Industries | Minneapolis, MN
Marketing Communication Specialist Marshfield Clinic | Marshfield, WI
Deputy Chief Operating Officer MNsure | Saint Paul, MN
Business Development Professional Canadian Consulate | Minneapolis, MN
Policy and Plan Management Director Minnesota Department of Human Services | Saint Paul, MN
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A look at the day's business stories from media outlets around Minneapolis / St. Paul


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By Amy McCullough
I was recently shocked to read a Bloomberg story titled, “GE Sees Solar Cheaper Than Fossil Power in Five Years.”
General Electric Company’s global research director said, “If we can get solar at 15 cents a kilowatt-hour or lower, which I’m hopeful that we will do, you’re going to have a lot of people that are going to want tot have solar at home.”
The story sites Energy Information Administration (EIA) data that across the nation electricity costs range from 6.1 cents (Wyoming) to 18.1 cents (Connecticut) per kilowatt-hour.
In Mississippi, electricity costs are approximately 10 cents or 11 cents per kilowatt-hour.
Those who want to have solar at home need to have access to connect to an electric utility’s transmissions grid (unless they want to buy an expensive battery system).
Enter the issue of “net-metering.” Net-metering programs enable customers to generate their own electricity and receive retail prices, or in some cases, premiums over retail price for excess power.
More than 40 states have uniform net-metering standards. Mississippi does not. However, the state Public Service Commission has a docket open on the subject now.
At Tuesday’s (June 7) Commission meeting, a July workshop that would allow stakeholders to discuss policy and the economics of net-metering was announced.
See previous March 28 MBJ story: “Can solar be economical?”
Contact the reporter at firstname.lastname@example.org.

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PS4 users are now experiencing a bug that cuts off parts of the user interface on Fallout 76.
Not surprising. Is Bethestha.
I've not had this issue - I got froze when accessing the terminal about 3 hours into the game but visually it's been fine.
what do you expect - it's Bugthesda
N4G is a community of gamers posting and discussing the latest game news. It’s part of NewsBoiler, a network of social news sites covering today’s pop culture.


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New York’s new marijuana law includes a dramatic overhaul of how the state’s hemp industry is regulated.
The change could potentially send a flood of hemp operators to the high-THC side of the industry. But it also leaves some big questions about the future of hemp extracts such as CBD.
The law signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week makes a first-in-the-nation attempt to regulate hemp operators working with flower and cannabinoid products the same way the state oversees marijuana operators, designating a new category for “cannabinoid hemp” that will be governed by a new Office of Cannabis Management.
That agency’s new cannabis control board will set rules for both cannabinoid hemp and marijuana.
“It’s one-stop shopping,” said Geoff Whaling of the National Hemp Association. Whaling praised New York’s plan to centralize regulations for all cannabinoid extracts such as CBD and THC.
“We all have to currently deal with departments of health and departments of ag and departments of justice and attorneys general, on and on and on,” he said.
New York farmers working with fiber and grain varieties still will be regulated by state agriculture authorities, as they have been since New York legalized hemp cultivation in 2015.
New York’s law could trigger an onslaught of hemp flower producers seeking to join the marijuana ranks.
That’s because when both crops are regulated and taxed similarly, it makes no sense for hemp producers to focus only on low-THC flower, said Kaelan Castetter, vice president of the New York Cannabis Growers and Processors Association.
“I think most of them are looking to enter the high-THC space,” offered Castetter, who said he’s personally considering THC production at his company, CSG Hemp, which grows and sells hemp in southern New York.
“It’s all cannabis, right?” he said. “There’s so much similarity between growing hemp for its cannabinoid content that is not THC and growing for THC content. So, why not?”
Experienced hemp producers could find an easier path to large-scale marijuana production than their colleagues from the illicit cannabis market or niche medical production, said Stephen Halton, CEO of CNY Hemp Processing Inc. in New Woodstock, New York.
“There are people that may have been backyard (illicit) market growers that don’t understand what it’s like to grow several hundred plants or several thousand plants,” Halton said. “It’s a big transition to go from growing a couple of plants on a small scale for medicinal purposes to growing on a large scale.”
Halton warned that ambitious THC operators could flood the market, similar to how CBD overproduction caused wholesale prices to drop in the hemp sector.
“It’s just like the beef industry. When you raise a cow to be butchered, you know who’s going to process that cow to be made into steaks or ground beef,” he said.
“I just fear that there’s going to be a lot of people that are going to get into (marijuana) growing and not understand how the whole process works. It’s a valuable lesson for the people that have already been in hemp … as they transition into marijuana.”
Marijuana Business Daily projects that an adult-use marijuana market in New York would generate $2.3 billion in annual sales by its fourth full year.
Smokable hemp compromise
The New York law unwinds a proposed ban on smokable hemp products made last year by New York’s health department.
But it limits smokable hemp sales to dispensaries and to people over 21.
The new cannabis oversight board can come up with additional safety protocols for smokable hemp products, as long as the rules don’t “unduly restrict the availability of cannabinoid hemp flower.”
CBD still TBD
One big question mark left by the New York marijuana law is the path to market for hemp-derived extracts such as CBD.
New York’s state health department last year proposed a raft of rules for making and selling hemp-derived CBD in foods, drinks and supplements.
Those rules – which included the smokable hemp ban – had yet to take effect and now may be under the purview of the new Office of Cannabis Management. Final regulations still need to be worked out.
That means hemp-derived CBD producers are going to have to keep waiting.
“As long as hemp-based cannabinoids can be sold through mainstream retail and are not restricted in some way to the dispensaries … I’m not too bothered by it,” said Smoke Wallin, CEO of Los Angeles-based hemp products manufacturer Vertical Wellness Inc.
“The bigger question I have is: What are the rules of the road for selling various cannabinoid-based hemp products like CBD?” he asked. “I’m cautiously optimistic that there’s a path forward to selling CBD in all forms.”
Kristen Nichols can be reached at email@example.com.


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An exploding "culture of connectivity" is forcing enterprises around the world to change the way they do business faster than ever before or risk the opportunities of hyperconnectivity passing them by.
A global IDC study sponsored by Nortel found that not only is the speed of technology adoption accelerating, impacting business policy and IT investment, but the global workforce is increasingly expecting employers to provide similar levels of “everywhere, all the time” connectivity.
The IDC study of close to 2 400 people across 17 countries found that 16%t of workers surveyed are already “hyperconnected”, fully embracing a world of multiple devices and intense use of new communications applications.
The hyperconnected worker uses a minimum of seven devices for work and personal access plus at least nine applications like IM, text messaging, web conferencing and social networks.
More significantly, the hyperconnected are closely followed by a large second group of 36% designated as “increasingly connected” who use a minimum of four devices for work and personal access to six or more applications.
As the increasingly connected advance in capabilities, and changing demographics of the workforce are factored in, the study predicts that hyperconnected business users will likely rise to 40% within five years.
“The results of this study send a clear message to today’s business, the hyperconnected workforce is coming and you’d better be ready,” says John Gantz, chief research officer and senior vice president at IDC. “The study found that 16% of the global workforce is hyperconnected today, and will grow to 40% in just a few years.
"This means that the surveyed workforce isn't just migrating towards hyperconnectivity, it is stampeding to it. Businesses that embrace this have an opportunity to increase productivity and ability to compete in the global marketplace.”
John Roese, chief technology officer at Nortel, adds: "For more than a year, Nortel has been emphasising the profound global implications of hyperconnectivity – on the enterprise and its IT strategy. For some, these IDC study findings are a final wake-up call that they risk losing productivity and profitability if they ignore this exploding culture of connectivity.
"For others, it confirms that hyperconnectivity can represent huge opportunities if they choose to embrace this megatrend. These organisations can lead with critical changes to technology and business process that help them thrive as progressive enterprises.”
The study surveyed men and women of various age groups in North America, Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific and Latin America, who work across various industries and company sizes.
It found the desire for personal connectivity has no national boundaries and that hyperconnectivity is happening today. In fact, the countries with the highest percentage of hyperconnected respondents in the study were China and the US. The country with the highest percentage of increased hyperconnectivity was Russia.
Key findings of the study include:
* 16% of business users are already hyperconnected – The hyperconnected have a much higher adoption of communication devices and applications than those in other clusters, they are reasonably happy with their work/life balance, even though they use almost all devices and applications for both, and are willing to communicate with work on vacation, in restaurants, from bed and even in their place of worship.
* Asia Pacific is leading the way – The largest percentage of hyperconnected are in the Asia Pacific region. And, while hyperconnected workers can be found in all countries, they are higher than average in the US and China, lowest in Canada and the United Arab Emirates.
* Latin America is emerging fast with the largest percentage of hyper /increasingly connected – 64% of the workforce in Latin America is either hyperconnected or increasingly connected, compared to 59% in Asia Pacific, 50% in Europe, and 44% in North America.
* Europe and the Middle East rely heavily on instant and text messaging in business – More than 50% of EMEA respondents – more than twice the number of North American respondents – said they use instant and text messaging for business.
* 40% of business users will be hyperconnected within five years -With an aging workforce retiring, younger employees entering, a current majority of increasingly connected users, 40 % of the workforce may be hyperconnected within next few years.
* Enterprises will compete for talent – As baby boomers retire, corporations will find themselves increasingly competing for talent. Hyperconnected individuals expect to work in a rich communications environment and consider the newer solutions a condition of their employment. They don’t want just anywhere, anytime communications – they demand it “everywhere, all the time".
* Phones are more important than wallets and keys – When asked which item people would take if they had to leave the house for 24 hours more than 38% of global respondents chose their mobile phone over their wallet, keys, laptop and MP3 player. Less than 30% chose their wallet first. In Latin America, more than 50% chose their mobile phone over any other item. The hyperconnecteds preferred their laptops.
* Social network adoption growing in the enterprise – More than one in three people use social networks and online communities such as blogs, wikis, and online forums for business communication – with CALA workers leading the world. Personal postings to social networks and online communities are nearly three times as common as business postings.
* Enterprises struggling with disparate communications – Nearly one in five respondents found it hard to manage multiple disparate sources of communication. Users in the finance and high tech segments are the most dissatisfied with the way their companies manage multiple communications sources. More than 25% said their corporate systems are slow and unreliable.
* Different industries, different stories – Hyperconnectivity varies by industry, from 9% of respondents in healthcare to 25% in high tech and 21% in finance industries.
* Multiple devices are the global norm – 70% of respondents connect to the Internet at home with more than one device. In Asia Pacific that number jumps to 80% . Nearly 80% of 18 to 34 year olds connect to the Internet at home with more than one device.


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Your Search Returned 41 tagged news reports
Discount grocer Aldi is hosting a hiring fair for cashiers until 11 a.m. today. Also Online Managers are taking applications at the soon-to-be-opened Aldi store at 5828 Abrams Road (Abrams and Northwest Highway). The German-owned grocery chain, one
The Kroger Co.'s profit fell 27 percent in the fourth quarter, even as sales rose with a boost from the grocer's gasoline incentives for regular customers. The nation's largest traditional grocery chain today reported profit of $255.4 million, or 39
They share the limelight with the grocery chain's much-loved duo George and Anne. But while the girls refused to reveal the plot of the famous couple's latest misadventures, they were happy to spill the beans about their newly launched Salon Visage.
Grocery Outlet , which has 11 other stores in this region, has just signed a lease to take over a 12,000-square-foot building at 17th Street and Capitol Avenue. The current tenant, Rick's Uptown Market , will vacate the space after its lease expires
Mui Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, December 17, 2009; 7:42 PM Royal Ahold , the Dutch conglomerate that owns Giant Food, announced Thursday that it is purchasing the Richmond-based supermarket chain Ukrop's Super Markets for $140 million.
Kroger Co ( KR.N ) reported lower quarterly profit and cut its full-year earnings forecast as margins on grocery products fell at the nation's largest grocery chain operator. The Cincinnati-based company, which operates stores under its own name as
MSA's second quarter profits fell 38 percent on a 22 percent decline in sales, the O'Hara safety products company reported today. Net income totalled $12.5 million, or 35 cents per diluted share, on sales of $227.2 million vs. earnings of $20 million,
The grocery chain, which also operates Food City and AJ's Fine Foods stores, expanded rapidly as developers flocked to Phoenix during the housing boom, pinning hopes for future success on those new communities filling up. But that didn't happen. "
Kroger Co. leaders listed their company's ability to target customers and its broad portfolio of corporate brands among its competitive advantages in luring spending by today's cautious consumers.The Cincinnati-based company, the nation's
Just in time for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2005, Indianapolis grocery executive Don E. Marsh is said to have flown two planeloads of family and friends to Manhattan at the company's expense. Now the new owners of Marsh Supermarkets want the


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Betaworks has confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that a deal to buy social news aggregator Digg closed today. The price Betaworks paid for Digg, say the WSJ, is just $500,000 — far, far lower than previously reported offers from Google in 2006 which were estimated at $200 million (though Kevin Rose himself put the number at $80 million). Founded by Kevin Rose in 2004, Digg underwent a hugely unpopular redesign in August of 2010, which is credited in part with its decrease in popularity. Digg is estimated to draw between 4.5 and 7 million unique visitors each month. Rose resigned from his role in the company in March of 2011.
While the deal itself is confirmed, the purchase price so far, is not. While the purchase covers the website, technology, and brand, none of Digg's remaining employees are part of the deal. Many of Digg's engineering team has already departed however, leaving this past May to work for The Washington Post's SocialCode. The Wall Street Journal also reports that Betaworks intends to fold Digg into its News.me property.
Update: The current CEO of Digg, Matt Williams, has told All Things D that the "over all consideration is significantly higher" than the $500k reported by the Wall Street Journal, and that it comes in the form of both cash and equity. We have yet to independently verify the final price ourselves, and will update as we learn more.


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Dollar General Supports First Lady Michelle Obama’s Joining Forces Initiative
April 13, 2012
GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. (BUSINESS WIRE), April 13, 2012 - Dollar General Corp. (NYSE: DG) today announced that it is supporting the White House’s Joining Forces initiative, which promotes private sector employment for members of the military community.
This commitment is a continuation of the company’s efforts to extend job opportunities to those who have served or are serving our country. In 2011 alone, Dollar General hired more than 3,500 veterans, guardsmen and reservists. The company’s coast-to-coast network of 10,000 stores and 11 distribution centers provides a career path to begin and grow their careers.
“Dollar General will continue to hire from the military community as we expand our company by 625 stores and 6,000 jobs this year,” said Bob Ravener, executive vice president and chief people officer at Dollar General. “We appreciate the attributes members of the military community bring to Dollar General, which mirror our focus on serving others.”
The company’s extensive network of stores and distribution centers offers flexible career opportunities. For example, a military spouse or guardsman who works for Dollar General would be given consideration to move to another store when transferring to a different military base.
“We very much appreciate Dollar General’s continued commitment to veteran employment. With America hiring once again, Dollar General’s efforts will make a significant and meaningful impact on our nation’s veterans and their families,” said Brad Cooper, executive director of Joining Forces.
The Joining Forces commitment comes on the heels of several successful job fairs hosted by Dollar General in collaboration with the California National Guard and ESGR in the central valley earlier this year. More military job fairs are being planned throughout California, and in other states where Dollar General has a presence.
“Dollar General, a true employer patriot, has a storied history of extraordinary support for our national guardsmen and reservists,” said James Rebholz, national chairman of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. “In 2010, the secretary of defense recognized Dollar General’s outstanding contributions by presenting them with the Freedom Award, the highest award our nation can bestow on an employer, for their unselfish efforts. We salute Dollar General’s unwavering and strong commitment to support our servicemen and women across the nation with its support of initiatives like Joining Forces.”
Maj. Gen. David S. Baldwin, adjutant general-California National Guard, said, “Dollar General has been in California for a very short time, yet it has made a substantial impact on the lives of the California guardsmen, reservists and their spouses by proactively seeking members of the military community to staff their stores and distribution center here. We are thankful for their support.”
Dollar General is the winner of the 2011 Military Officers Association of America Distinguished Service Award and was recognized in GI Jobs magazine’s list of Most Military Friendly Employers.
The job opportunities for the military community are a mix of vacancies and new jobs to support Dollar General’s rapid store growth. Including jobs planned for 2012, Dollar General will have created more than 20,000 net new jobs since 2009. For more information on careers at Dollar General, visit www.dollargeneral.com.
About Dollar General Corporation
Dollar General Corporation has been delivering value to shoppers for more than 70 years. Dollar General helps shoppers Save time. Save money. Every day!(R) by offering products that are frequently used and replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, house wares and seasonal items at low everyday prices in convenient neighborhood locations. With 10,000 stores in 39 states, Dollar General has more retail locations than any retailer in America. In addition to high quality private brands, Dollar General sells products from America's most-trusted manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, Unilever, Kellogg's, General Mills, Nabisco, Hanes, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola. Learn more about Dollar General at www.dollargeneral.com.
This press release contains forward-looking information regarding the Company’s job creation expectations and store growth plans. All forward-looking information should be evaluated in the context of the risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from that expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: the availability of attractive store locations; the absence of occupancy delays; the ability to negotiate favorable lease terms; the ability to hire and train new personnel, especially store managers; the ability to identify customer demand in different geographic areas; general economic conditions; the availability of sufficient funds for expansion; financial and capital market conditions; natural disasters; competition; and other risks. Many of these factors are beyond the Company’s control. The Company discusses certain of these factors more fully in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including its Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on March 22, 2012.
Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances arising after the date on which they were made. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements included herein.
Dollar General Corp.
Tawn Earnest, 615-855-5209
Dollar General Corporation (NYSE: DG) is proud to serve as America’s neighborhood general store. Founded in 1939, Dollar General lives its mission of Serving Others every day by providing access to affordable products and services for its customers, career opportunities for its employees, and literacy and education support for its hometown communities. As of August 4, 2023, the company’s 19,488 Dollar General, DG Market, DGX and pOpshelf stores across the United States and Mi Súper Dollar General stores in Mexico provide everyday essentials including food, health and wellness products, cleaning and laundry supplies, self-care and beauty items, and seasonal décor from our high-quality private brands alongside many of the world’s most trusted brands such as Coca Cola, PepsiCo/Frito-Lay, General Mills, Hershey, J.M. Smucker, Kraft, Mars, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Learn more at DollarGeneral.com.


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Since the Pew Internet and Research Center started tracking internet usage on mobile phones (back in 2009), the number of adult cell owners using their phones to go online has doubled, now reaching 63%. How many label their phone as the primary method for going online? Thirty-four percent of cell internet users, or 21% of all adult cell owners say the majority of their internet browsing happens via mobile phone.
“For many, such as younger adults or lower-income Americans, cell phones are often a primary device for accessing online content—a development that has particular relevance to companies and organizations seeking to reach these groups,” said Aaron Smith, a Senior Researcher at the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project.
According to the report, young adults, non-whites, and those with relatively low income and education levels were particularly likely to access the internet mostly via mobile phone:
- among those who use their phone to go online, 6 in 10 Hispanics and 43% of African-Americans are cell-mostly internet users, compared with 27% of whites
- half of cell internet users ages 18-29 mostly use their cell phone to go online
- 45% of cell internet users with a high school diploma or less mostly use their phone to go online, compared with only 21% of those with a college degree
- 45% of cell internet users living in households with an annual income of less than $30,000 mostly use their phone to go online, compared with 27% of those living in households with an annual income of $75,000 or more
The data is based on a national telephone survey conducted in April and May of 2013, among over 2,200 adults ages 18 and over.


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Oliver Cragg / Android Authority
- Phil Spencer told a crowd that he thinks prices for certain Xbox products will go up.
- No specific products were mentioned.
- The price hikes are expected to happen sometime after the holidays.
Over the last few months, we’ve seen companies raise prices on a variety of products due to supply chain and logistic issues. Now it looks like Xbox could be the next brand to implement a price hike.
While addressing a crowd at a Wall Street Journal event, the head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, said that he believes price hikes are in the future for Xbox products or services.
“I do think at some point we’ll have to raise the prices on certain things, but going into this holiday we thought it was important to maintain the prices,” Spencer said as reported by The Verge‘s Tom Warren. “We’ve held price on our console, we’ve held price on games… and our subscription. I don’t think we’ll be able to do that forever. I do think at some point we’ll have to raise some prices on certain things…”
In Spencer’s response, he doesn’t mention which products could see a price raise. It’s possible that he could be speaking generally or he could be specifically referring to the consoles, services like Xbox Cloud Gaming, or accessories individually.
If he’s talking about the Xbox Series X or the Xbox Series S, it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen a console go up in price. PlayStation announced a price increase back in August for select regions including Canada, Europe, the UK, Japan, China, Mexico, and Australia. Meta also increased the price of the Quest 2 by $100 earlier this year.
When PlayStation announced its price increase, Microsoft continued selling its consoles for the original price. However, the company never said that it wouldn’t consider raising the price, telling GameSpot that it is “constantly evaluating” its business in terms of pricing.
Fortunately, it appears we won’t have to worry about price increases until at least after the holidays. As to why Microsoft would wait until after the holidays, it’s possible this is just a strategy by the company to keep prices competitive during the busiest shopping time of the year.


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World of Warcraft: Cataclysm shatters PC-game sales record
Blizzard Entertainment Inc. has announced that Cataclysm, the third expansion for World of Warcraft, has sold more than 3.3 million copies in its first 24 hours of release, cementing its position as the fastest-selling PC game of all time. The previous record was held by the second World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, which sold 2.8 million copies in its first 24 hours.
"We had to bring Azeroth to the brink of destruction in Cataclysm, but the result was our best expansion yet," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We want to thank all of our new, existing and returning players throughout the world for their incredible enthusiasm and support, and we look forward to hearing what they think about all the new content."


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New York: Amid chatter of "Facebook fatigue," real or imagined, the world's biggest social networking company is getting ready to unveil a new version of News Feed, the flow of status updates, photos and advertisements its users see on the site.
Facebook Inc. Is hosting an event at its Menlo Park, California, headquarters today to show off "a new look for News Feed." The company offered no other details on what the changes will be in an invitation sent to journalists and bloggers. It will be Facebook's second staged event at its headquarters since the company's May initial public offering. The company unveiled a search feature at the first one in January.
If past site changes are any indication, the News Feed tweaks may take some getting used to and will likely lead to user grumbles. Facebook users often complain about changes to the site, whether it's cosmetic tweaks or the overhaul of privacy settings.
Gartner analyst Brian Blau says one change he'd like to see from Facebook as a user is the ability to control how much he's seeing from the businesses and other non-friend accounts he follows. Currently users can only tweak how much they see from their friends, not from businesses they follow.
"We have a 'like' but there is no degree of 'like,' it's binary," he says. "I need a 'like plus' or even a 'like minus.'"
The event comes a month after a Pew study reported that many Facebook users take a break from the site for weeks at a time. The report, from the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project, found that some 61 per cent of Facebook users had taken a hiatus for reasons that range from boredom to too much irrelevant information to Lent.


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Design house Alice + Olivia announces its partnership with Neiman Marcus for their first ever see-now-buy-now runway show Wednesday, April 13 at NeueHouse Hollywood in Los Angeles. This highly anticipated show will highlight the company’s spring 2016 collection, which was shown at the recent New York Fashion Week shows. Twelve pieces from the exclusive collection will be available for purchase at www.aliceandolivia.com and neimanmarcus.com. Neiman Marcus will also have a selection of the runway styles, along with several exclusive items, including two of Alice + Olivia’s X Grateful Dead pieces.
The design brand of Alice + Olivia was founded in 2002 by Stacey Bendet, who is also the CEO and creative director of the New York-based contemporary clothing company.She has spent months assembling a curated offering of buy-now items to send down the runway that would meet the needs of her customers and allow women to express their own personal style. The designs incorporate a look that’s whimsical, flirty, sexy and sophisticated. Bendet’s goal to create the perfect pair of pants soon developed into a full lifestyle collection that includes ready-to-wear, evening gowns, shoes, accessories and handbags. Her clothes are worn by First Lady Michelle Obama, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Gwyneth Paltrow, Katy Perry and Sarah Jessica Parker. To create her vibrant pieces, Bendet works with impeccable details, bold colors and unique prints.
Ken Downing, senior vice president and fashion director of Neiman Marcus, will co-style the runway show with Bendet. The show will also be streamed live from L.A. on both Alice + Olivia’s and Neiman Marcus’ social channels, including Periscope and Facebook Live. Beginning Friday, April 15, the partners will each host videos of the runway show.
The announcement of Bendet’s foray into the see-now-buy-now runway follows on the heels of the CDFA’s release of the results of the Boston Consulting Group’s study of the future of New York Fashion Week on its website, www.CFDA.com, earlier this year. The study revealed that there is a unanimous consensus for a change to the old Fashion Week system. Results also uncovered the call for designers to deliver collections to consumers in a format that is rooted in in-season relevancy. These are the reasons behind the concept and idea to host the Alice + Olivia see-now-buy-now runway show.
“It’s exciting to be involved in the forefront of a new fashion phenomenon with Stacey,” said Downing. “She has always been wildly intuitive, with the ability to anticipate her fashionable customers’ wants and desires. Creating a highly curated, creative, clever and in-season fashion show, as only Stacey can do, she provides a buy-now-wear-now mantra that makes sense for her fashion followers that love and adore what she designs.”


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This week I attended the Food Matters Live Exhibition at the Excel in London. It was a great opportunity to catch up with my network and gain further market insights, particularly around the trends and challenges the food sector will be facing in the coming years.
It was evident that there is still a lot of enthusiasm, innovation and desire to grow the UK food sector and its manufacturing. The sector is seen as a strong provider to the U.K. economy and will continue to be so.
Currently, the industry provides £108bn to the UK economy and employs 1 in 8 of the UK workforce. Food manufacturing is bigger in the UK than the UK automotive and aerospace sector combined. With over 10,000 new products launched every year from the UK food sector we already have a strong foundation to build on and increase our productivity.
With food demand set to increase by 70% over the next 25 to 30 years, food alternatives will be required. By 2050 it is expected that 70% more animal protein will be required worldwide. It is felt that this is currently not achievable. Alternative proteins are therefore required... Alternative proteins were on show at Food Matters in the form of insects! Most people see insects as a 'no go' when it comes to their diet. However, it is estimated that 2 billion people around the world already consume insects as a source of protein in their diet. So will the UK and Western Europe adopt this future trend? Insect flour used in products is seen as the first step, but fried and roasted insects are also seen as an alternative.


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Recent research by the Downtown Yonge BIA indicates a ‘cautious return’ to business for the Toronto district.
According to the BIA (Business Improvement Area), more than 40 per cent of businesses say they are better off than a year ago, while seeing steady improvement so far in 2022.
“No question the pandemic was very challenging for businesses in this area, so it is heartening to finally see some optimism,” said Pauline Larsen, Downtown Yonge’s Interim Executive Director. “As a crucial economic and tourist hub we are thrilled to see upward trends for residents, visitors and businesses.
“We’re getting there. Obviously there is still plenty of ground to make up, but the economic news is certainly positive – which is a welcome change.
“I would say I would like to be able to call this the summer of recovery but possibly my cautious nature would call it the summer of cautious recovery.”
The BIA is located in the Yonge/Dundas neighbourhood. It represents just over $7 billion worth of commercial real estate with over four million square feet of retail space, more than 700 retail stores, and landmark properties such as the CF Toronto Eaton Centre, Yonge-Dundas Square, Toronto Metropolitan University, and College Park.
“We have some of the highest foot traffic counts, certainly in the City of Toronto if not in the country. And of course we’ve been keenly watching to see how pandemic recovery has been unfolding in the last several months,” said Larsen.
As of June 15, office occupancy in the entire downtown was about 26 per cent – well above the last peak (16 per cent) in November 2021 and a huge improvement over the five per cent occupancy in May 2020.
“The office return is underway. I would say what’s interesting about that data is that about 40 per cent of those staff are in the office at least once a week. But in terms of being full-time back in the office the occupancy is still 26 per cent. A lot better than it was a year ago . . . but obviously we’d still like to see that number come up,” added Larsen.
In Downtown Yonge specifically, at the end of June, the overall retail vacancy rate has improved to about 13.47 per cent but there’s still a higher vacancy rate for street front vacancy than the mall retail.
“We’re seeing strengthening of indicators overall but it’s not strengthening at the same rate for every sector in the neighbourhood,” explained Larsen.
“Since the last vacancy figure that we looked at in May the first urban format IKEA has opened which we’re really excited about and has been extremely well reported. That was a really good sign of confidence for us in the neighbourhood economy.”
Larsen said pedestrian counts have also strongly improved. They more than doubled in May compared to May 2021. Pedestrian traffic on Yonge Street has increased steadily every month, a sign of renewed consumer confidence as restrictions eased.
“For example, we pulled out the comparison for Victoria Day 2022 compared to a year previous and there was a 200 per cent increase in foot traffic on Yonge Street north and south of Dundas over that four-day weekend which was something in the region of 900,000 people over that four-day weekend on Yonge Street,” she said.
“So that for us was a very significant improvement and we’ve seen similar stats in June with the events we started to track the pedestrian traffic counts.
“Somewhere in the region of 80 per cent of all of the traffic flow on Yonge Street is pedestrian traffic. So from the point of view of activating the neighbourhood, making the place feel energetic and vibrant, that return of pedestrian traffic is very critical for us and so we’re very, very happy to see that.”
The latest data for visitors, from Environics until the end of February, indicates an 85 per cent year-over-year increase. What’s interesting is that there was a much higher number coming from visitors further away from the neighbourhood.
“In the grip of the pandemic, obviously visitors decreased significantly and they came from not more than a 25 to 30-minute drive away. What we’re seeing now is this increase in visitors but they’re coming from sort of a 50-minute drive away,” said Larsen. “So people are traveling further to come into the Downtown Yonge neighbourhood. And again that’s good news for us.”


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Protecting children’s rights in a digital world
World Children's Day
Thirty-three years ago today, world leaders came together to adopt the Convention on the Rights of the Child – a global affirmation that children’s rights are human rights, equally deserving of protection.
The visionary leaders who drafted the Convention in 1989 could not have known how radically childhood was about to be transformed by digital technology and the internet. But they laid a foundation that can help guide us in an increasingly digital world.
Around the world, children are going online earlier and staying online for longer. Between 2010 and 2020, the time children spend online almost doubled in many countries. The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a steep rise in children’s screen time, with European children spending an estimated 6 to 7.5 hours per day online. Recent research shows that the majority of children with smartphones report that they use them “almost all the time” to connect, especially on social media.
The benefits of this profound shift are clear – expanding access to education, entertainment, and opportunity. But so are the risks.
Globally, 1 in 3 children report experiencing online bullying. In 2020, 33 per cent of girls and 20 per cent of boys in Europe reported experiencing disturbing content online at least once a month. In parts of Africa and Asia, recent research shows that between 1 and 20 per cent of children experienced at least one incident of online sexual exploitation or abuse between 2020 and 2021..
Children also are increasingly exposed to embedded and invisible technologies, including algorithms, predictive analytics systems, and even location trackers – potentially violating their right to privacy, and worse.
Ironically, despite the ubiquity of digital technology, millions of children still lack access to the benefits of the internet. In an increasingly digital economy, that impact of that disparity will also increase if we don’t take steps to address it now.
Whoever they are and wherever they are from, every child has an equal right to be safe and included. And all children deserve the chance to thrive in a digital environment in which those rights are respected and protected. This is a cornerstone of the European Commission’s proposal for a Declaration on European Digital Rights and Principles, presented earlier this year.
The EU’s recent adoption of the Digital Services Actis also a milestone in this regard. By setting strict requirements for digital platforms to protect minors online, and by banning advertising and potentially harmful algorithmic content that targets children, it will help create a safer digital space.
Similarly, the new Better Internet for Kids Strategy, the digital arm of the EU’s Strategy on the Rights of the Child, will help ensure that every child in Europe is protected, empowered, and respected online. Under this strategy, the European Commission is launching the development of a Code of Conduct for the age-appropriate design of digital products and services and will involve children in the development process. It will also promote effective age verification tools and help countries exchange good practices for media literacy education.
Protecting children online and increasing their access to digital learning and other opportunities is also a strong focus of UNICEF’s work all over the world, from partnering with governments to develop policies and legal frameworks like that of the EU, to supporting ministries of education to promote children digital-literacy and online-safety skills, to working hand in hand with industry leaders to find innovative solutions that keep kids safe online.
Through programmes like Global Kids Online and projects like Disrupting Harm, UNICEF is also helping build the evidence base on children’s digital rights to help us understand how the digital transformation of society is influencing children’s lives and wellbeing.
UNICEF is also working with partners in government and the tech industry to connect every child to digital learning. For example, Giga is leveraging UNICEF’s experience in education and procurement, ITU’s expertise in regulation and policy, and the private sector’s ability to apply tech solutions at pace to connect every school in the world to the internet. And The Learning Passport, a digital learning platform which was launched in 2018 to reach displaced children, now serves more than 2 million children in 17 countries.
Everyone has a stake in this. That is why policymakers, industry leaders, educators, parents, and children and young people came together in late October at the Safer Internet Forum in Brussels to discuss how we can make the internet a better place for children.
Empowerment is key. We need to teach children -- and their parents, carers, and teachers -- how to identify online risks, to understand what is real and what is fake, and how to make the most of digital opportunities. Safe Internet Centers all over Europe are helping do just this, including by providing a platform for young people to voice their concerns and perspectives. And every country should consider building similar digital support networks.
Online protection, digital empowerment, and digital inclusion are global challenges. By joining forces, we can address these issues more effectively and efficiently. Our goal must be nothing less than a safe, secure, and trusted digital space as a cornerstone of our digital society – for every child and for everyone, everywhere.


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A year after launching its digital token, the Sango Coin, the Central African Republic faces difficulty in listing it on exchange platforms. CoinTelegraph reports that the CAR government, which was supposed to have the Sango Coin listed on several exchanges by March, has delayed the listing for a few weeks, citing regulatory obstacles.
Nairobi-based NEAR Kenya regional hub has won the Web3 Community in Africa Prize. Nodo News reports that the hub won the prize at this year’s Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and Cryptocurrency (AIBC) awards in Dubai, which featured Web3 innovators across Africa, Europe and Asia.
Binance, its CEO Changpeng Zhao and other influencers are facing a $1 billion lawsuit in the US. CoinTelegraph reports that the firm is indicting Binance for involvement in trading unregistered securities and paying influencers for the promotion of the unregistered securities which has led to losses for customers in the US. This comes days after the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) sued Zhao and Binance for trading violations.
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The West African country’s startup bill, which will offer support to its burgeoning startup ecosystem, is now awaiting parliamentary approval—its final step to becoming law.
According to a representative from the ministry of communication and digital economy, Florence Tahiri Fadika, Tunisia’s enactment of its own startup act in 2018 bolstered efforts towards Côte d’Ivoire’s plans. After speaking with Tunisian reps and deliberating for two years, Côte d’Ivoire assembled its own lawmakers in 2021 to develop the startup bill.
“While waiting for the law to be officially voted by our assemblies, we are already working to make the startup act a tangible reality. The idea is not to copy the Tunisian legislation but to adapt it to the reality of our economy. A mapping study is underway and should enable us to precisely target the needs of our ecosystem,” Fadika said. “At the same time, we are developing construction projects for new technology parks and startup campuses. Under the startup act, eligible startups will be able to benefit from state-of-the-art infrastructure and numerous amenities in order to succeed both regionally and internationally.”
A draft of Côte d’Ivoire’s startup bill is unavailable at this time, but the government has described it as a “framework designed to support the country’s most talented startups.”
Zoom out: If approved, Côte d’Ivoire joins Tunisia (2018), Senegal (2019), and Nigeria (2022) as the only African countries to have startup acts. So far, Ivorian startups have raised over $77.5 million since 2015, boasting of impactful startups like Afrikrea, Julaya, and CinetPay.
According to tech publication WeeTracker, the startup is set to be acquired by Nigerian fintech Moniepoint—who led its latest funding round—for $40 million. WeeTracker claims that the acquisition is still being ironed out, with the transaction scheduled for completion by Q3 2023—by September 2023.
While WeeTracker claims its sources are close to the startup, PayDay investors denied the acquisition plans to TechCabal. Moniepoint also shared comments with TechCabal via email, stating that their investment in PayDay represented a “strategic investment” and not an acquisition. This was also echoed by PayDay’s representatives.
Despite these denials, two other sources told TechCabal that a deal is on the table. They claimed that an agreement in principle has been reached. In an interview with TechCrunch, PayDay founder Favour Ori revealed that the startup had earlier turned down a $15 million acquisition offer from an African unicorn.
While the Moniepoint acquisition allegations have been denied, it does make sense that Moniepoint would acquire PayDay. It currently processes an average of 40,000 transactions daily and over $25 million monthly, numbers that make it a solid option for Africans looking to receive money from abroad.
ITALY BANS CHATGPT
ChatGPT won’t be taking any jobs in Italy.
Last week, the European country banned ChatGPT due to “privacy concerns”.
According to the Italian Data Protection Authority (DPA), ChatGPT is breaching the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)—the strongest data privacy law in the world which protects user data and how companies access this data.
The DPA is worried that ChatGPT has unlawfully accessed people’s personal data and has no policies in place protecting minors from its use. Since its launch in November 2022, millions of people have used ChatGPT every day to process and gather information. Some of this includes biographies about people which ChatGPT claims it scrapes from online platforms—a claim Italy decries. Some of the biographical information has also been registered as fabrications. Per the GDPR, these situations are prohibited, and Italy has many more privacy concerns for GPT.
“As evidenced by the checks carried out, the information provided by ChatGPT does not always correspond to the real data, thus determining an inaccurate processing of personal data,” the DPA said in a statement.
The ban orders OpenAi—ChatGPT’s parent company—to stop processing people’s data locally within 20 days or face fines of up to €20 million ($21 million).
Big picture: Italy is not the only one trying to stall the rise of the machines AI. Last week, over 1,000 influential minds—including Chief Twit Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak—signed an open letter asking all AI labs to stop developing AIs for six months. Their reason? These labs are creating digital minds that no one, not even the creators, can understand, predict or reliably control. 😰 Looks like these geniuses think we are worried about the wrong pandemic when we should be focused on which AI lab is creating the real-life Skynet. Time to beg Elon for that Mars colony.
TC INSIGHTS: BNPL V SNBL
Fintech is one of the vibrant sectors in Africa’s rising tech ecosystem. The sector received $1.45 billion in funding for 2022, a 39.3% increase from the previous year, 2021, and has seen massive acquisitions. According to an EY report, consumer lending accounts for 23% of fintech businesses, surpassing consumer payments which accounts for 17%. Consumer lending manifests across the continent through the buy-now-pay-later model (BNPL), giving customers instant access to products after necessary credit checks have been made.
Despite the rapid adoption of the credit-driven BNPL on the continent, concerns exist about the sustainability of the model, as it could lead to overspending, high-interest rates, and debt traps for consumers. According to data from BVA Group, African financial consumer markets have a savings-first culture. Informal savings groups, known as “susu” in parts of West Africa and “stokvels” in South Africa are a popular way to save money to make purchases. As a result, some fintech startups on the continent are digitising this model as an alternative to the BNPL to embed savings into the online retail experience for consumers.
With the model’s success in India and other emerging markets, startups in Africa are doubling down by enabling users to save up for desired items in bits, get discounts and avoid debt.
While the SNBL sub-sector is nascent, it has the potential to grow, given the long history of instalment savings schemes amongst Africans. In Kenya, a leading SNBL market in Africa, more than 1 million people have used SNBL products to overcome the challenge of high-interest credit rates, according to a report by the Central Bank of Kenya. Also, in Nigeria, one of Africa’s largest economies, SNBL is gaining popularity as a payment option for household goods and appliances, according to a recent report by the International Finance Corporation.
Tobi Odukoya, founder of CDcare, a Nigeria-based digital marketplace, believes SNBL is going to be the winning model in Africa, as he expects there will be new players entering the space. He thinks that for most African markets, the value of BNPL doesn’t meet the global, expected standard, which will make BNPL providers struggle to cover operational costs and service their debt.
Overall, the SNBL model has the potential to be a game-changer in serving Africans. However, it should not be a complete replacement for the BNPL model. Rather, the SNBL could help bridge the gap between cash and digital purchases, accommodate irregular income streams, align with cultural values around savings, and further increase financial inclusion on the continent. The gradual momentum SNBL is gaining on the continent presents a significant market opportunity for fintech startups to incorporate the model into their platforms to better serve African consumers and drive economic growth.
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The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in partnership with TechCabal Insights has released the second edition of the Nigerian Tech Ecosystem report.
The report contains insights that touch on all aspects of tech startups to deepen your understanding of specific sectors in the Nigerian tech ecosystem. It covers startups in sectors such as fintech, logistics, security, health and government sectors in the ecosystem. It also covers the gaps in the ecosystem, the distribution of tech hubs/incubators nationwide, and the economic impact of selected sectors in the country amongst other vital information.
ALX Africa is calling for young African learners who are interested in data analytics, data science, cloud computing, and salesforce administration to apply to its new world-class programmes at no cost to them. Apply to any ALX course here.
Dream VC has announced that it’s now open for its Launch Into VC (LIVC) and Invest Accelerator programmes. Junior professionals keen on breaking into the investor space can apply for LIVC to get a carefully curated investor talent accelerator led by existing venture builders. Senior professionals should apply for its Investor Accelerator 2023 Programme where future investment leaders and ecosystem builders will be upskilled. Apply for LIVC and Investor Accelerator Programme by April 16.
The Jasiri Talent Investor Programme is looking for highly-driven individuals with a history of achievement and/or entrepreneurial action who aspire to launch a high-growth venture. Apply by April 23.
The Africa’s Business Heroes (ABH) Prize Competition, a philanthropic initiative sponsored by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Philanthropy, is calling for participation from Africa’s entrepreneurial talent. Apply by May 12.
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Despite stretched affordability in most parts of the country, with the average income required for a first-time buyer (FTB) to purchase a home reaching £54,000 last year, there are still some pockets of the market where purchasing a new-build home is achievable.
Research by Stone Real Estate looked at the current average cost of buying new across Britain and compared this to the average house price paid by first-time buyers.
It found that the average cost of buying a new build is £101,085 more than the price paid by the average first-time buyer. However, there are a total of three areas where the cost of a new build comes in lower than the average FTB house price.
Despite the high house prices across the general market, Oxford is home to an average new build price of £344,799 – £15,761 cheaper than the price paid by the average first-time buyer (£360,559).
Surprisingly, while the average new build in the capital is £73,043 more expensive than the price paid by London’s first-time buyers, Islington is the second-best area to buy new as an FTB. The average new build here currently costs £586,328, while the average FTB pays out £699,414 – a £13,086 difference.
Elsewhere, the cost of a new build in Ceredigion, Wales, is only £1,238 more affordable than the price paid by the average first-time buyer.
Although new build prices are higher than that paid by the average FTB in other areas, Surrey Heath, Brighton, West Dorset, Hyndburn, Reading, Canterbury and Kensington and Chelsea are home to some of the smallest gaps in price.
Within the capital, Hounslow, Haringey, Richmond, Tower Hamlets and Harrow are also home to some of the smallest gaps between the cost of buying for the first time and the cost of buying brand new.
This may have contributed to the first-time buyer numbers hitting a 12-year high of an estimated 353,436 in 2019.
Michael Stone, founder and chief executive officer of Stone Real Estate, comments: “New builds often carry a price premium and for a good reason.”
“There are many benefits to buying new, whether it be the inclusion of social outlets and amenities to new build developments, financial incentives such as stamp duty paid for, the money-saving aspect of a brand new property in terms of appliances and energy efficiency and the lack of maintenance required when moving in.”
He says as a result, new builds can be way out of the financial reach of first-time buyers and, in some pockets of the market, the gap in price between buying new and buying for the first time is huge.
“However, this isn’t the case across the board, and while some areas aren’t necessarily ‘affordable’, there is an almost level playing field between the price being paid by first-time buyers and the price of a new build property,” Stone continues.
“This is, of course, due to first-time buyers paying much more for their first home in current market conditions. However, we’ve also seen a change in the new build sector whereby housebuilders are putting more of an emphasis on the delivery of affordable homes, with schemes like Help to Buy also helping many onto the property ladder via the new build sector.”


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Lonely Planet names Singapore as the world’s number one country to travel in 2015.
Global travel information publishing company Lonely Planet has named Singapore as the best destination to travel in 2015 in its latest guidebook, Best in Travel 2015, published on October 21, 2014.
The country was chosen on the basis of its multiculturalism and constant state of celebration, even more for next year as Singapore would be celebrating its 50th anniversary. Coinciding withe the Golden Jubilee, the country is also introducing new attractions, such as the National Art Gallery and the Singapore Sports Hub.
Second place in the list went to Namibia, followed by Lithuania, Nicaragua and Ireland, The Republic of Congo, Serbia, Philippines, St Lucia and Morocco. The title had previously been given to Brazil in 2014, the host of the FIFA World Cup that year.
This is Lonely Planet’s 10th collection of the best destinations, experiences and travel trends. It is available in eight languages and sold in more than 100 countries. It is a big feat for Singapore as it is the first time it has made it to any of the publisher’s lists.
Best in Travel 2015 also named Washington DC and El Chalten in Argentina as the number one and number two cities, respectively, to visit in 2015. Gallipoli, Turkey was named the top region to visit next year, while Tunisia clinched the title of best value destinations.
Photo Credits: newtothestreet.tv


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Last Friday, the 20th of April, Emu has opened its new outlet shop inside the multibrand space of Santhià, near Vercelli. The new shop can be inscribed in a wider project: Italian Design Outlet Santhià Nord-Ovest will serve both as a design mall, collecting the most important and long-lasting traditional Italian brands, and as a display for emerging designers.
Through this new partnership, Emu confirms its attention to innovation not only concerning projects and design, but also when it comes to find alternative solutions to reach an even wider audience.
EMU OUTLET SANTHIA’
c/o Design Outlet Italiano – WELCHOME
Corso 25 Aprile snc – Loc. Moleto Sud
13048 Santhia’ – VC
Tel: +39 0161 1810011
Fax: +39 0161 1810012
Opening Time: Monday – Sunday from 10AM to 8PM


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China Tourism News
China Tourism News
Beijing has won the bid to hold 2022 Winter Olympic Games and Paralympic Games on July 31st, 2015, making it the first city to hold both Summer and Winter Olympics. Even though it is cold in winter, Beijing has many interesting places to have fun, like Bird's Nest, ski resorts, ice waterfalls, hot springs, and hotpot restaurants.
From June to July of this year, most provinces in Southern China have been struck by heavy rainstorms, which caused the loss of more than 100 lives and CNY 35 billion. On July 20th, the National Meteorological Center issued a warning of further rainstorms in most regions of southern China.
China has carried out tax rebate policy in Beijing and Shanghai among inbound visitors since July 1st, 2015. Someone think it will bring positive impacts to the two cities, like stimulating consumption, enhancing their competitiveness in inbound tourism markets, helping Chinese old brands to grow, while others think the impacts will not be seen obviously, as goods and prices in the tax free stores are not attractive enough, and European countries are undergoing an economic recession, etc.
Due to the danger oflandslides, Yangtze River section between Fengjie and Badong has been closed for all ships. This affects Yangtze River cruise in several ways: passengers will travel the blocked section by bus and change to another same level cruise ship after arrival; the Wu Gorge and Qutang Gorge will be missed; the side cruise to Three Little Gorges will be replaced by Shennong Stream or Shennv Stream. The reopening date of the section is still unknown.
Chinese people are trying their best to save the Yangtze capsizing survivors. They even use the Three Gorges Dam to block more water from upper stream to lower the water level of accident site for rescue work. As of 09:00 on June 4th, 2015, rescuers have found 80 passengers, including 14 survivors.
A cruise ship carrying 458 people sank at 21:58 on June 1st, 2015 in Shihou section of Yangtze River while heading from Nanjing to Chongqing. The rescue work began shortly after the accident and the sunken ship has been found. Currently, more than 100 ships are searching for survivors and over 10 have been rescued.
A video about a Yunnan tour guide insulting her clients got ’breaking news’ status and was widely circulated online. The public all took the side of the clients. But when looking into the issue, there were some others to be blamed, including the travel agency, the related tourism department, and even the travelers themselves.
Visitors can still visit Tibet after the Nepal earthquake. However, the itinerary currently can only cover attractions in Lhasa area, as roads to Gyangtse, Shigatse, Tingri, Mt. Everest, and Zhangmu Port are only open to vehicles transporting disaster relief goods. The height of Mt. Everest also changed due to the earthquake.
Some visitors got cheated when joining low-priced China tours. For those interested in low-priced China trips, be cautious and double check what’s included in the quotation, what’s excluded, and other details, by which way to find out the real low-priced itineraries with high price ratio.
A mountain rock fall happened in Guilin Folded Brocade Hill resulting in 7 dead and 25 injured on March 19th. Officials said the tragedy was caused by a natural geological disaster, but some others thought it was due to possible man-made causes. TravelChinaGuide.com gives some tips to future travelers considering geological changes.


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEPressnews.biz (Press Release) Nov 17, 2014 -- The figures for July were promising. According to the National Bureau of Statistics; the official Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), which measures activity in bigger factories and is a key to measure sector’s health rose to 51.7 in July from 51 in June. The rise in figures meant an increase in the expansion.
|Issued By||:||Dwight Harris|
|Website||:||Credence Independent Advisors|
|Phone||:||971 (0) 4439 4280|
|Business Address||:||Emaar Boulevard Plaza, Level 14, Burj Khalifa Downtown, P.O.Box 334155, Dubai, UAE
|Country||:||United Arab Emirates|
|Tags||:||Credence Independent Advisors, China’s manufacturing growth witnesses a boost|
|Last Updated||:||Nov 17, 2014|
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Hairdressing a Terrific Career for Beijing-Based Bill Watson
Former Wellingtonian Bill Watson, international education and artistic director for Toni & Guy China, is loving life in Beijing. “It’s where things are happening,” he tells New Zealand Herald journalist Janetta Mackay.
Watson says working in China, where there is an explosion of interest in fashion, is fascinating. “There’s an obsession with the new.”
One of his recent shoots was with top Chinese model Du Juan for Vogue China.
At 50, he is well-travelled, having worked across Europe and into Japan on and off for 15 years. He believes being an adaptable New Zealander is a strong calling card.
He headed to London 20 years ago, armed with some contacts, and fell into what he describes as the Toni & Guy family. Founded by the Italian Mascolo family in 1963, the company has a strong fashion presence, its own brand called Label M and a desire to grow its salon footprint worldwide, including New Zealand.
Wilson says hairdressing has turned out to be a terrific career. “It can be very personalised and taken to many levels.”
Original article by Janetta Mackay, The New Zealand Herald, September 3, 2014.


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WEST BRIDGEWATER, Mass. — Shaw's Supermarkets, which when purchased by Albertsons four years ago was seen as a source of “reverse synergies,” has become just the opposite for its next owner.
Supervalu, which acquired Shaw's as part of its 2006 takeover of Albertsons, has found the 202-store New England chain in need of attention beyond that which other divisions of Albertsons have required in their respective integration. Citing stores “in dire need of upgrades” and acknowledging the chain had allowed prices to drift too high, Shaw's has been the focus of an ongoing “fast track” capital program at Supervalu, according to Jeff Noddle, chief executive officer of Supervalu, speaking in a conference call earlier this month.
Since acquiring the Shaw's and Star Markets stores 18 months ago, Supervalu has opened five new stores, remodeled 30 locations and closed 14. Last fall, the chain introduced new pricing and marketing initiatives designed to get customer price perception back in line and improve the shopping experience.
Observers and analysts told SN that Shaw's — once well regarded for its profitable stores, leading technology and management talent — was “bled dry” by Albertsons, which sucked management talent to other divisions and executed corporate and store-level layoffs while allowing pricing to drift higher amid hot promotions to drive foot traffic. Those changes helped profits at the chain but failed to position it for growth.
Moreover, they said, Shaw's failure to distinguish itself occurred while Stop & Shop, the leading supermarket chain in New England, was struggling with its own transition to an everyday-low-price strategy and alternative channels were growing. Now, Shaw's must make its comeback against a strengthening Stop & Shop in a marketplace that's become more competitive and more price-sensitive.
“Albertsons' [previous] management may have led Supervalu the wrong way on Shaw's,” Burt P. Flickinger III, managing director of Strategic Resource Group, New York, told SN. “It said it could hold premium prices at a time when Target was expanding its food square footage with prices within a whisker of Wal-Mart. And with Wakefern and Golub/Price Chopper getting more aggressive, Shaw's really got caught in the crossfire. Their prices were so high, shoppers were going to competitors.
“Albertsons' primary focus was profitability,” he added. “And they left Supervalu with a playbook that was not self-sustaining.”
Supervalu's strategy for reviving the Shaw's brand involves a combination of store renovations and new pricing and merchandising initiatives. Supervalu plans 21 major remodels in the fiscal year beginning next month. “By the end of fiscal 2009 we will have touched more than 30% of our store base since the acquisition,” Noddle said.
New merchandising and pricing initiatives telling shoppers Shaw's offers “more ways to save” were launched at stores last fall. The effort includes “fresh low prices” throughout the store, a price-watch program where Shaw's monitors competitors' prices on various known-value items; hot weekly specials; and promotions of private-label goods and loyalty programs such as partnership with Irving Oil offering gas discounts with grocery purchases.
Stop & Shop's transition to an EDLP strategy, though slow to gain momentum, may ultimately prove a particularly difficult challenge for Shaw's, according to Gary Giblen, an analyst at Goldsmith & Harris, New York.
“Stop & Shop had fallen asleep at the wheel, but it's become a much stronger organization over the last six to 12 months,” Giblen told SN. “Shaw's didn't take advantage when Stop & Shop was distracted. But Stop & Shop has generally been an excellent operator, and they look ready to rumble again.”
Giblen said Shaw's also needs to create more excitement in stores. “They have good locations and some consumer equity, but their stores are kind of blah.”
Supervalu is addressing the in-store experience through new customer-service initiatives such as instituting a new dress code companywide and a pilot program where all manned checkout lanes are open Monday through Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. in New Hampshire, Maine and parts of central Massachusetts, said Supervalu spokeswoman Haley Meyer.
Another observer, who asked not to be identified, said Shaw's had little alternative but to try to reestablish a price image.
“They should probably go back to trying to be the price leader, but that's difficult now with BJ's, Costco, and Wal-Mart and Target,” the observer said. “The problem is, I don't think they have the ability and the commitment they need to go upscale. The middle, where they are, is just death.”
Shaw's, which at one time was considered a low-price leader in Massachusetts, was acquired by British retailer J. Sainsbury in 1987. Sainsbury in 1999 acquired the upscale Boston-area Star Markets chain and integrated the two businesses. Under Sainsbury, Shaw's developed a reputation for leading private-label programs and loyalty marketing. It also pursued an unusual renovation strategy whereby certain high-profile stores received heavy investment while others went without physical improvements, observers said.
Sainsbury in 2004 sold the group — then doing around $4.6 billion in annual sales — to Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons for nearly $2.5 billion. Albertsons officials spoke of “reverse synergies” inherent in the deal, and shortly thereafter promoted Shaw's CEO Paul Gannon to be its chief marketing officer in Boise. He left in 2006 when Supervalu took over the chain.
“Shaw's was never integrated into Albertsons' programs or systems,” Noddle told investors late last year. “Therefore our migration of plans and activities at Shaw's are different than all other banners.”


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UDUPI, INDIA — SEPTEMBER 2, 2015 – Global Delight today announced Global Delight Inc., its new office in Atlanta, GA, USA to help further its operations and expand its presence. The company also elected Mr. Jason Foodman and Mr. Ramachandra Acharya as the new President and CTO respectively, bringing in decades of industry experience to the company. These moves are part of a long-range strategic plan to expand the existing product line and related operations.
Global Delight is pleased to have Mr. Foodman on board as its new President. Mr. Foodman, who holds an MS in Computer Science, has been published and interviewed in many leading software & business magazines and has also filed multiple patents. A serial entrepreneur, Mr. Foodman founded, operated and sold several companies that are some of the most important names in the B2B and B2C domain today. As one of the founders of 'FastSpring' (a global digital commerce platform), 'SwiftCD.com' and 'Trexar' amongst others, he brings a wealth of experience to Global Delight.
Mr. Ramachandra Acharya is now the new Chief Technological Officer (CTO) of Global Delight and will continue to drive the company's technological endeavors. Mr. Acharya provided the visionary engineering behind Boom, Boom 2 and Game Your Video, apps that are loved and acclaimed by users worldwide. He graduated at the top of his class with a Master's degree and served as a Professor in the prestigious NIT-K Engineering institution in India. In 2000, Mr. Acharya joined Robosoft Technologies and is now one of the most respected minds in the industry.
"I am extremely honored to join Global Delight as its new President and hope to usher in a new era of technical brilliance and create products that truly make a difference in the everyday lives of people. They were my customers for many years at FastSpring and I was always impressed by their work and the caliber of their staff, in addition to their game-changing products. I'm very excited to take on a leadership role at Global Delight and to assist with theirglobal expansion," said Mr. Foodman on his appointment.
"Global Delight already has an excellent portfolio of products and a loyal set of users who make us love what we do. We're now moving to the next stage where we can focus on creating better products and even better experiences. We have incredible plans in store and aim to deliver our products to a much larger audience in the coming years. Our new office in the USA will only help us in achieving this goal and we can't wait for everyone to see what we have in store," said Mr. Acharya, who is relishing the times ahead.
"With Mr. Foodman and Mr. Acharya now leading the company, Global Delight is poised to consolidate its status as an innovator in the photo, audio and video app landscape. The company is committed towards continuing its focus on exploring and executing brilliant ideas to excite people all over the world. This journey is the start of something beautiful, new and long-lasting," said Mr. Rohith Bhat, CEO of Global Delight.
Global Delight's new address in Atlanta will house the best talent to further the company's expansive objectives. With over 15 Million+ users and 40 Million+ downloads, Global Delight is a name that is synonymous with award-winning and technically superior products. Formed in 2008, they were one of the first to create apps for iOS and Mac and are now App Store staples. 'Camera Plus', released in 2009, was one of the first camera apps to offer video recording on the iPhone. Boom, the audio enhancer for Mac, is a recipient of the prestigious Macworld Best of 2011 award as does Game Your Video (which won it in 2012).


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Brokerage TD Ameritrade has partnered up with Apple (NASDAQ:APPL) to provide a streamlined money transfer. As of today, individual investors may instantly transfer funds to their brokerage account via Apple Pay and Apple Business Chat using iMessages.
In a release, TD Ameritrade explained that historically to fund brokerage accounts, investors had to wait days for the funds to pop up in their account. Now, using Face ID or Touch ID, funds are there instantaneously.
Peter deSilva, President of retail at TD Ameritrade, said that fund transfers to brokerages have changed little in the past 43 years. At TD, slow fund transfers were one of their “top five call drivers.” TD Ameritrade has been using Apple Business Chat as a messaging channel since 2018.
“We’re excited to be the first to make opening and funding a brokerage account a fast, seamless experience on par with what consumers increasingly expect.”
deSilva said they were proud to set an industry standard in the US. TD noted that 75% of their customers use iOS products thus indicative of their more affluent customer base.
Regarding specifics, users may deposit up to $10,000 per day via Apple’s service. When you use a debit card with Apple Pay, the actual card numbers are not stored on the device, nor on Apple servers. Using Apple Pay a unique Device Account Number is assigned, encrypted and stored in the “Secure Element” on your device. Each transaction is authorized with a one-time unique dynamic security code.
While the service may be new for the US, the Chinese have been providing similar services for quite some time. The antiquated regulatory environment in the US may have hit the brakes enabling services like this.
Expect more Fintech services from Apple. The company has hundreds of millions of users and billions of their products on the market. Yet recently, Apple’s pace of sales of their most popular product, the iPhone, has slowed causing global consternation to investors. Apple has said to expect more from services going forward thus it makes sense for Apple to become a one-stop shop for a growing list of financial services beyond payments and transfers.


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Men clean a BYD electric vehicle (EV) e2 displayed during the media day for Shanghai auto show in Shanghai April 17, 2019. — Reuters pic
Wednesday, 28 Sep 2022 9:38 PM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 28 — Sime Darby Motors (SDM) Malaysia today inked a distribution agreement with BYD, the world’s leading manufacturer of new energy vehicles, for the entry of its electric vehicles (EV) to the Malaysian passenger car market.
SDM said the agreement will entail SDM distributing BYD’s ATTO 3 and new e6 vehicles.
SDM managing director Andrew Basham said the partnership will bring BYD’s expertise to the Malaysian market through a wide range of EV models.
“Our collaboration with BYD is one of the steps SDM is taking towards our aim of becoming a leader in EV. This is also aligned with the Malaysian government’s push towards low carbon mobility,” he said in a statement.
Liu Xueliang, the general manager of BYD Asia Pacific Auto Sales Division, said Malaysia is a key market for its expansion as there are vast opportunities for the EV ecosystem to grow and evolve.
“Given its proven track record and well-established presence in the automotive sector in the Asia Pacific region, we look forward to partnering with SDM to serve Malaysia’s growing EV demand,” he added. — Bernama


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MONTREAL, July 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Beyond the Rack, North America's fastest growing online retailer today announced the availability of a new payment option for shoppers on its popular site. Beyond the Rack members can now use Visa Debit to conveniently shop online using funds drawn directly from their bank account, while benefitting from all the security features and protections synonymous with paying with Visa.
"We are pleased to offer Beyond the Rack customers a new way to pay online," said Sue Whitney, Head of New Products, Visa Canada. "With Visa Debit, shoppers can pay online straight from their bank account, and know they are protected by Visa's layers of security including Zero Liability."
Visa Debit's enhanced features continue to make payments fast, convenient, reliable and secure for consumers and merchants. In addition to allowing for the one-step electronic debiting of funds when shopping online, internationally (excluding Virtual Visa Debit), over the phone or by mail, Visa Debit also offers the ability to make regular and recurring bill payments online, providing greater payment flexibility and account management convenience. Visa Debit purchases are backed by Visa's multiple layers of security, helping to reduce the risk of fraud through Visa's Zero Liability Policy, the Visa E-Promise, Verified by Visa® service, address verification and the three-digit code on the back of the card.
The Visa Debit payment option will be accessible to all new and existing members of Beyond the Rack. Membership in the club is always free.
"Beyond the Rack is proud to be working with Visa Canada to offer our customers Visa Debit as a new payment option," says Richard Cohene, Marketing Director at Beyond the Rack. "It has already started to have a positive effect on checkout and customers appreciate it. Thank you to everyone at Visa for helping make this possible."
About Beyond the Rack
Beyond the Rack, North America's premier online shopping club, offers its members the most sought-after designer brand apparel, accessories, beauty, and home décor products at up to 80% off retail. Ranked by Internet Retailer's Top 500 Guide as North America's fastest-growing e-tailer in 2011, Beyond the Rack sells its products in the context of two-day, first-come, first-served, limited-quantity events. Members can expect up to 15 new events each day. The privately held company has offices in Montreal, New York and Las Vegas with a staff of 400 full-time employees. Beyond the Rack proudly serves 9 million members across North America.
Beyond the Rack
514-733-4666 x 3670
SOURCE Beyond the Rack


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Burns Lake Anxiously Awaits Decision on Sawmill Future
Forests Minister Steve Thomson was Air Max 95 Beaches Of Rio
the original operation.
The owners of the Babine Forests Products sawmill are expected to announce in the next day or two whether they plan to rebuild the Burns Lake area mill, destroyed by an explosion and fire nearly a year ago.
in Smithers yesterday, where he said the province has tried to ensure there will be enough fibre available for Hampton Affiliates to make a positive decision.
"I think that it has created some challenges for families especially those who are long time mill workers, it's created a challenge for them, you know they are waiting to hear if the mill will be rebuilt and not looking for another job until they know what's going to happen," said the mayor.
"We will provide them some level of security they need to justify the decision; they know they will have to compete in the market for the full supply needs but again we will just have to wait and see whether Air Max Og Infrared
A complicating factor was a report last week from WorkSafe B C into the explosion, which killed two workers Air Max 50 and injured many others. WorkSafe recommended the Crown consider laying charges in connection with the disaster.
If the mill is rebuilt, Hampton has said it will be about two thirds the size of Air Max 95 Em
the progress that we made allows them to make the positive investment decision. We're hopeful that they will," said Thomson.
Burns Lake Mayor Luke Strimbold is hoping the news will be positive, saying the wait has been hard on everyone.
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MILLIONS of people have seen their Visa debit cards replaced with Mastercards amid an industry war against the payments giant.
Santander and First Direct customers have received replacement Mastercard debit cards to use with their checking accounts, and NatWest will follow suit soon.
The banks denied their decision was tied to the fees Visa charges and said it was to improve the customer experience.
But the change has left customers unhappy with the failure of their new cards at checkouts.
An angry user said: “You need to fix this problem, you changed all my cards to MASTERCARD, guess what happens when there is a problem with Mastercard ?!
âI must have left a store earlier after having already had the service, luckily they knew meâ¦ they still have to be paid. “
Another fumed: “Sort out @santanderuk since you switched from Visa to Mastercard, there have only been problems.
âMy account is not working today. Good job, it’s not my main account and I have a few checking accounts with other banks. As soon as the interest rate on my savings runs out, I leave!
On October 21, Santander tweeted: âWe are aware that some customers continue to experience issues with our card payments.
“We are very sorry for the inconvenience caused and we are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible”
First Direct also had youth problems.
“On the phone AGAIN to resolve random declined payments. + Lots of #retail applications that do not fully support MasterCard security controls. This call lasts 18 minutes and counts! #BringBackVisa @Visa“
NatWest customers have been informed that their expired Visa debit cards will be replaced with Mastercard cards starting in December.
Some have speculated that the decision to ditch Visa cards was linked to the company’s ongoing dispute with Amazon, in which Amazon said it will no longer accept Visa credit cards as of January. due to the high transaction fees.
Visa debit cards will still be accepted on the site.
But banks say the move is not recent, although some customers are only now receiving their new Mastercards.
It comes as Amazon announced that it will not accept Visa credit card payments starting in January.
Secretary Salim, NatWest Group, said: âOver the past year, we have given a lot of thought to how we are developing more personalized payment options for our customers.
âEarlier this year, we announced that we were expanding our existing relationship with Mastercard beyond credit cards and debit payments.
âWe believe this partnership will allow us to offer more personalized payment options to our customers, however they choose to pay, whether in store, online or via mobile devices. “
Santander said, âWe regularly review our third-party vendors, and the decision to switch from Visa to MasterCard was based on a wide range of factors.
“In October, a small number of customers encountered issues with payment. It was related to our own internal systems and had nothing to do with MasterCard, and we are sorry for the inconvenience.”
The Sun has contacted Visa, Mastercard and First Direct for comment.
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