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Fashion brands, beauty, and sports industries are finally starting to make a difference in our environment. The effect of fast fashion and plastic wastage is taking a toll on our sea creatures. It’s time for the culprit brands and our communities to come to the party.
This year, we’re seeing more of them raising awareness about the threats facing our oceans and taking action to save them. Thank goodness!
We’re hoping it leads to a mental, if not physical, total environmental transformation, worldwide.
Fashion Brands Start An Eco-Revolution
Plastic has become something that we all depend on far too much in our daily lives. And as a result, our oceans, just like our lands, are starting to deteriorate. Studies state that there are close to 12.7 million tonnes of plastic waste being washed into the ocean every year.
If you cringed reading that, don’t stress because so did I.
In addition, The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that there are already 51 trillion microplastic particles in our oceans. Not only is our commercial world to blame for this but poor waste removal services. But, so is the ships, offshore oil and gas platforms.
Plastic waste is probably one of the biggest threats to our marine life. You may not be oblivious to this sad reality, but it can feel a little difficult knowing how you can personally help.
Thankfully, there are a number of fashion brands, beauty, and sports brands that have taken hold of the cause. They are on a mission to educate their customers and save the world’s oceans and quite a few other ocean-related problems. Their goal is to promote the cause through special donations and collections.
The Best Fashion Brands In Action
Here are a few amazing fashion brands that stand out in our fight to save the marine world. Thank you to BOAT for documenting our top eco-friendly brands.
Last month, June 2018, was World Oceans Day. Frangipani is a London-based menswear brand and released exciting news that they have renewed their long-term partnership with the Blue Marine Foundation.
The fashion brand tells us that they are supporting the ocean conservation work of the Blue Marine Foundation. Better yet, Frangipani has also designed a limited edition shirt called The Big Blue. Every time they make a sale, 25% of the profits get donated to the charity.
Toms has even designed their very own whale-inspired limited edition collection. The collection has nine different styles for men, women, and children. They then donated the money to Oceana to help protect the whales, dolphins, seals, sea turtles, sharks, and fish. Toms hopes to restore many habitats and food supplies that have been destroyed by harmful fishing practices.
Again, we have another London-based luxury fashion brand. However, this brand doesn’t donate money to animal conservation organizations as an act of charity. Instead, the brand believes all animals and the environment should be valued for the inspiration and materials they provide for each collection.
Their environmental approach inspires them to create designs from sustainable materials. Plus, all of their products are delivered in plastic-free recyclable packaging, Sports meets fashion, whereby Montesogno has also teamed up with international sports brand Prendas Ciclismo. The two brands are planning to create a cycling jersey with Montesogno’s marine-inspired ‘Animage’ print. Better yet, 10% of every sale is donated to the Whitley Fund for Nature to conserve parts of the ocean.
This fashion brand knows what they’re doing when it comes to sustainable clothing. H&M is most famous for its Conscious Collection and clothes recycling campaigns.
However, we expect to see a change in focus. This season, all of their new designs are inspired by the marine world. The entire Conscious Collection used a material made from plastic waste called BIONIC. This must be the reason for their new ocean campaign. The material is made of plastic items that are collected from different beaches around the world.
The fashion brand is built on an anti-cruelty, fur, and leather-free ethos. Therefore, it is a perfect match for Stella McCartney to turn its attention to the oceans. As part of its autumn/winter 2017 collection, shown at Paris Fashion Week in March 2017, the brand debuted a range of ‘skin-free skin’ looks.
Stella McCartney creates the designs using newly developed fabrics made from recycled plastic bottles taken straight from the ocean. The collection included some incredibly realistic looking (and feeling) leather bomber jackets and suede skirts. Now it’s possible for us to invest in stylish, high-fashion without having to feel too guilty.
Online surf, skate, and skiwear retailer Surfdome has always supported ocean sustainability projects. For example, in 2014 they launched their own #2MinuteBeachClean project with writer and television presenter Martin Dorey. The project’s motto is that every little bit counts.
Surfdome encouraged people visiting beaches around the world to pick up as much or leave as little plastic litter as they can. This is amazing! On top of this, they are also publicizing beach cleans. Surfdome has replaced its plastic mailing bags with recycled cardboard boxes printed with information about the campaign and implemented a greater focus on selling sustainable clothing.
Alongside this Surfdome has also founded the Plastic Project which sends explorers and documentarians to the remotest coasts on earth. This is to learn how plastic pollution is devastating these areas which were otherwise untouched. Basically to share some insight on the importance of human intervention in this crisis.
These are just a few brands that stuck out in the eco-revolution. But if you’d like to see more, check out BOAT.
We are so happy that communities of people and bigger fashion brands are starting to take action. Our world is such a beautiful place, and we need to nurture its life, without which we cannot survive. There is more life in our oceans than there is on our lands. Most of it is unexplored, now, that is saying something about the arrogance of the human race.
Let us bow down to mother nature and learn to modest and grateful once again. Ethical fashion and beach clean up’s are a fantastic way to pave the path.
Find out about the darker side of the fashion industry being revealed through a trend known as fast fashion.


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Detroit Tigers merchandise is selling briskly after adding high-profile first baseman Prince Fielder to a roster that already includes American League Cy Young winner and Most Valuable Player Justin Verlander. The Tigers' slice of the business has grown 27 percent for the first three months of the year, compared with the same time last year, SportsOneSource LLC analyst Matt Powell said. Since signing free-agent Fielder to a nine-year, $214-million contract in January, the Tigers have become Major League Baseball's ninth best-selling team in sales this year through March 28, according to SportsOneSource, a Charlotte, N.C., sporting goods consulting firm. Detroit was No. 11 at the same time last year.
Fielder signing helps boost Tigers merchandise sales
Detroit News | Apr 3

domain: news


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After a three-year break, Gamescom returned in a physical form from 25 to 28 of August 2022, with Omdia’s games team again in attendance. Three standout themes at the event are highlighted in this report.
After a three-year break, Gamescom returned in a physical form from 25 to 28 of August 2022, with Omdia’s games team again in attendance. Three standout themes at the event were the reduced presence of key console players, the accelerating interest in the role advertising is poised to play in the future of the games industry, and ByteDance’s rise to prominence in gaming and VR.
Console’s prominence diminished at Gamescom 2022
For years, three of the largest exhibitors at Gamescom have been incumbent console manufacturers Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, all of which tend to use the event to promote their latest hardware and upcoming exclusive first-and-third-party titles. However, two of these industry giants were conspicuous by their absence in Cologne this year: Nintendo and Sony had no physical presence at the show at all. Microsoft was present, but its presence on the show floor was about half the size as it was in 2019—when the last physical show took place in 2019 before the COVID pandemic put a halt on in-person events. Indeed, some companies remain understandably reticent to send representatives to, or invest heavily in showcasing at, events like Gamescom during a period of unprecedented ongoing uncertainty. But, arguably, with Starfield’s release being pushed back to 2023 and the ongoing saga of its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Xbox had the least reason of the three to exhibit: the imminent September 2022 release of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and the scheduled November 2022 arrival of Sony’s flagship 4Q22 first-party title God of War Ragnarok would, in previous years, create a huge buzz in Cologne. Instead, their absence at the show painted a bleak—if admittedly incomplete—picture of the current state of the console market.
Fittingly, the relative silence at this year’s show this also coincides with a distinct slowdown in the console space, with all three manufacturers reporting lower-than-expected engagement and year-on-year declines in some console segments during 2H22. Some correction was, of course, expected following the pandemic-induced gaming boom but other factors—such as hardware supply limitations, especially in Sony’s case—have exacerbated stagnation in the space. To compound things further, the market-leading Switch has now very much entered the decline phase of its lifecycle, meaning that it is no longer a driving force of growth it once was.
Omdia is seeing evidence of PS5 supply starting to catch up with demand in some key markets, and expects a return to some semblance of normality in 2023. However, inflationary pressures and currency movements have forced Sony to increase the recommended price of the PS5 in select markets, including the UK, Europe, and Japan. While this is not expected to impact Omdia’s existing PS5 volume sales forecast, which remain dictated by supply levels rather than demand, it will represent an $87.5m increase in expected hardware revenue in 2022 for Sony compared to our previous forecasts. In 2023, the revenue uplift arising from PS5 price increases will be approaching $400m. Even so, the console segment as a whole—including hardware, software, add-on content, and online subscriptions—will decline by 2.5% this year compared to 2021, which itself saw a 4.5% decline on 2020’s record-breaking performance.
Yet there is light at the end of the tunnel: Omdia expects the console market to return to pre-pandemic growth cadences in 2023, when it will expand by 5.3% to once again surpass $40bn. Let’s hope that, as the console market starts to resemble its former, pre-pandemic self, as will the Gamescom expo in 2023.
B2B mood upbeat—particularly in ad tech
While the B2C show floor at Gamescom 2022 was notably reduced in scale compared to previous years, the business area was buzzing with activity. The increasing complexity of the games tech ecosystem highlighted in Omdia’s recent Games Tech Market Landscape Database was very much in evidence, with a large share of the 237 companies profiled in that database in attendance. Particularly noticeable was the large presence of companies like AWS and Xsolla, which are emerging—in very different ways—as key pillars of the ecosystem.
But perhaps the most striking development on the B2B side this year was the growth of advertising. At the last Gamescom in 2019, there were few ad tech companies to be seen. At the time, in-game advertising was a sufficiently novel topic that the few companies in the space were mainly focused on raising awareness. Fast forward to 2022, and we see a far more mature market with the likes of AdInMo, Anzu, Bidstack, and more attending to do business—not just to get their names out.
The mood among the in-game advertising companies Omdia spoke to was upbeat despite the recent downturn in the broader gaming market. The surprise announcement in June that Admix, once a leading in-game advertising player, was pivoting away from advertising had also done little to dampen expectations. Across the board, the feeling was that the market was gaining real traction. The recent publication of measurement standards for in-game advertising by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) has helped to bring standardization and legitimacy in the eyes of advertisers. Indeed, the heavy presence of in-game ad players at Gamescom suggest the focus is shifting from winning over advertisers to persuading game developers. This was further evidenced by a straw poll by Omdia among in-game advertising companies at Gamescom which found that almost all were investing far more resources in Gamescom than DMEXCO, an upcoming advertising industry event at the same venue.
Despite the ongoing turbulence in both the games and digital advertising market, there are many reasons for optimism about their intersection, in-game advertising. The mobile games advertising market is adapting fast to the upheaval of IDFA, in part by shifting towards new formats like rewarded and in-play advertising. Meanwhile, the rumored launch of new advertising platforms for both PlayStation and Xbox next year looks set to bring a major boost to advertising on traditional gaming platforms, while TV manufacturers such as Samsung are starting to make more noise about their ability to track, measure, and target gamers across their devices. Omdia will be exploring all of these trends in detail in the forthcoming In-Game Advertising Forecast which will provide the first comprehensive quantification of this rapidly emerging market.
ByteDance reaffirms its commitment to gaming and VR
ByteDance’s presence at Gamescom was impossible to ignore. A large TikTok booth (at 650 square meters) stood by the entrance to one of the central halls of the show, with a big stage and gameplay area. Popular German and English-speaking TikTokers hosted a packed program, which included exclusive gameplay of Capcom’s upcoming Street Fighter 6. Additionally, games from Capcom, Konami, Sega, and Warner Bros. were available to play. TikTok also had a sizeable presence in the B2B area. Meanwhile Pico, which ByteDance acquired in 2021, was the only VR headset maker exhibiting at the show—it showcased two games running on Pico Neo3 Link standalone VR headsets. Gamescom was timely for Pico, which earlier this year announced expansion of its business activities and device sales in the Western markets.
It’s not new for media companies to exhibit at Gamescom, with a notable example being Netflix in 2019. However, in contrast to Netflix in 2019, ByteDance already has an advanced involvement in the gaming space across multiple fronts. Since 2020, it launched Danjuan Games in China – a storefront dedicated to mobile titles and inaugurated its own indie game publishing arm Pixmain. Most notably, in 2021, ByteDance acquired Moonton Games for $4 billion—the company’s biggest gaming acquisition thus far.
According to Sensor Tower data, ByteDance-owned mobile games generated 142 million downloads and $461 billion in net revenue globally in 2021 (Moontoon Games’ Mobile Legends: Bang Bang was responsible for about half of those). ByteDance has also recently started experimenting with casual in-app games on TikTok. In select markets, TikTok users can play and record themselves playing nine different HTML5 games via its new “MiniGame” section. Earlier this year, TikTok confirmed that it is exploring bringing more games through integrations with third-party game developers and studios.
With a strong showing at Gamescom, ByteDance has underlined its ambitions in gaming and VR. Although TikTok will offer more playable games in-app, Omdia believes that ByteDance’s primary focus will remain making TikTok a key destination for games-related video content in order to drive the engagement and ad revenue on its platform. On the VR front, many will welcome the increased competition in a device category increasingly dominated by one company; according to Omdia’s Consumer VR Headset and Content Revenue Forecast 2021-2026, Meta accounted for 59% of VR headset sales globally in 2021. ByteDance’s healthy finances and proven expertise in the tech space makes it one of the top companies to watch in gaming.
Games Console Content & Services Database (August 2022)
Games Tech Market Landscape Database – August 2022 (August 2022)
Matthew Bailey, Principal Analyst, Media and Entertainment
Liam Deane, Principal Analyst, Games Tech
George Jijiashvili, Principal Analyst, Games


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A challenging technology
China’s own technology companies are now challenging market leaders and setting trends in telecommunications, mobile devices and online services. Companies like Seeed Studio, a global leader in open hardware innovation, has transformed into a new model of hardware innovation offering hardware kits to makers and offering personalized services to enable companies to move quickly from an idea to mass production by identifying moments of transition , where a company lacks the knowledge on how to scale up. WeChat smartphone application, dominates China’s mobile messaging market with 272 million monthly active users from around the world clearly challenging WhatsApp. These are some but a few exemples of Open Innovation in China.
So what exactly is encouraging this innovation ecosystem?
The rise of China’s tech industry is fueled in part by its growing investment in research and development. According to a study by U.S.-based Battelle Memorial Institute, R&D spending in China will likely reach $284 billion this year, up 22% from 2012.
The education has encountered a rise of Chinese graduates, from as few as 1 million graduates in 1999 to almost 7 million in 2013, with 31% of the undergraduates holding engineering degrees.
Other positive factors are the growth of a vibrant venture capital system in the country and an increasingly important market for multinational companies as Chinese consumers are increasingly more demanding of products that are tailored to their unique tastes and habits.
Indeed China still has its challenges such as perception of low-quality products, talent shortage due to graduates leaving to conduct research in richer countries, intellectual property rights issue but it is sure on the right path to becoming an innovative hub.
A recent paper (“How Chinese firms employ open innovation to strengthen their innovative performance” by Jin Chen et al) showed that Chinese firms start widely using open innovation:
1. Technology in-licensing agreements to obtain access to technologies
2. Long-term alliances with foreign partners to access state-of-the-art technologies
3. Collaboration with local universities and R&D institutes to broaden their technological strengths
4. Collaboration with the local industrial community to deepen their technological skills.
We would like to ask you our reader, what role do you think open innovation has in helping China to accelerate its innovation? Who would benefit? We would like to hear your thoughts?


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ATHENS, AL - Athens Police have arrested a cashier accused of taking a man's debit card out of the trash and giving it to another man to use.
Police said the victim was cleaning out his car when he found an old debit card. Because he had activated a new card, he decided to throw the old card away, thinking it was no longer any good, police said.
The man took the debit card and some trash he had collected from inisde his car into a nearby store and asked the cashier, Calista Green, to throw the items away, police said.
After the victim left, Green allegedly took the card out of the trash and gave it to Chadrick Malone. Police said Malone used the card several times, and the victim called police about the suspicious charges.
Green was arrested Friday and charged with illegal possession and use of a debit card. Police did not give the name of the store where she works.
Chadrick Malone was arrested this morning on the same charge, police said.
Both were booked into the Athens city jail and later transfered to the Limestone County jail.


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Published By : 10 Sep 2015 | Published By : QYRESEARCH
The auto association in China is stressing the government to implement stimulus measures after vehicle sales registered further dip with the recent stock market crash. China Auto Association has suggested the government to reduce the 10 percent tax on vehicle purchases by half, along with raising the limit on number of new cars purchased by consumers. According to Shi Jianhua, the deputy secretary-general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, accelerating the replacement of old automobiles by the government would bolster the demand for new vehicles. He has not mentioned anything about the government’s response on the suggestions.
Shi further mentioned that the demand for vehicles depend on infrastructure investment and economic growth. The demand for automobiles in China has dipped significantly with the government’s efforts to reduce energy consumption and pollution. The lobbying by the China auto association reflects the growing unease among the automobile manufacturers and retailers regarding slowing demand. To attract consumers, auto manufacturers have slashed their prices significantly. However, that has not picked up demand. The Chinese government had last introduced stimulus measures during the global financial crisis in 2009 when subsidies for car purchase boosted the country’s automobile sector.
For the first time in last six years, the U.S. consumers purchased more vehicles than their Chinese counterparts. The sales data in July reflected that China trailed behind the U.S. in passenger vehicles sales. Shi has pointed that right now it is too early to forecast whether China would record an annual drop in automobile sales. If that happens, it would be the first decline in more than ten years.


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The iPhone 14’s OLED display is tipped to come from rival Samsung
When it comes to the shortlist of suppliers providing displays to Apple for this year’s iPhone 14 series, Samsung has reportedly found itself in the top spot through its display arm.
According to a report by a South Korean news publication ETNews (opens in new tab), “industry insiders” are claiming that Apple has formally approached Samsung Display and placed an order for approximately 80 million screens to be supplied in the third quarter (July-September) of this year; in front of iphone 14It is expected to release this September.
Order details confirm that this year’s harvest of equipment iPhone 14 Min . host won’t runi (as featured in the previous two generations of the iPhone), is intended to serve in four different models with only two display sizes.
Based on the device lineup previously suggested by the reputed leaker ming-chi kuoThe iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro will use the 6.1-inch panel, meanwhile less than half of the total orders are intended to serve the larger iPhone 14 Max and the top-end iphone 14 pro maxBoth will have a 6.7-inch display as Apple wants to make it best iphone sometime in 2022
Samsung Display will use two different manufacturing methods for OLED displays that make up this sequence: LTPS-TFT and LTPO-TFT, with the latter offering greater power efficiency than the former, the two Pro in the iPhone 14 family. The model was thought to lead. ,
The standard iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max will likely use the more modest LTPS-TFT technology, which offers a lower display refresh rate and mildly lower display quality.
Analysis: Screening of the Competition
While 80 million units to a single supplier would be a big win for Samsung Display, it doesn’t bode well for Apple fans hoping for more affordable iPhones this year.
The more manufacturers are able to meet Apple’s demands and quality standards, the more competition, which means lower component prices and, in turn, savings that can – theoretically – be passed on to consumers.
In the past, fellow South Korean manufacturer LG Display has often supported Samsung in providing Apple displays for its iPhones. Recently, however, the two were joined by a Chinese supplier, BOE Technology.
BOE has been making displays for Apple ever since iphone 12Although whether the California-based company places an order with BOE for the iPhone 14 is still up in the air.
Apple recently resumed iPhone 13 display production with BOE after the Chinese company cut its manufacturing processes (as reported) 9to5Mac (opens in new tab)) to reduce costs without informing the iPhone manufacturer ahead of time.
While BOE’s restored status as a parts supplier for the iPhone 13 does not guarantee any participation in the production of the iPhone 14. gsmarena (opens in new tab)Apple is re-evaluating their legitimacy this week as a potential supplier, which could lead to more competition for Samsung Display orders and, again, the prospect of a more affordable iPhone.


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In yet another addition to its host of services, digital payments giant Paytm is reportedly working to enable physical point-of-sales (PoS) terminals for its merchants.
An ET report cited two people familiar with the matter as revealing that after QR codes, Paytm is launching card payments at merchant locations.
“The idea is to offer users all forms of digital payments. What Paytm is doing through UPI encouraging bank-to-bank transfers, this is something similar where they are entering into all forms of digital payments through PoS,” the report added.
It is being speculated that the company will bring both traditional PoS terminals, which work on GPS or landline, as well as mobile PoS terminals, which mostly work through a smartphone.
The report added, “Paytm already has QR payment facilities, but in locations where people prefer card payments, it will deploy card-reading devices. But QR codes will remain the zero cost method for the merchant.”
An email query sent to Paytm didn’t elicit any response till the time of publication.
In another offline solution, the company had introduced Paytm Tap Card, which uses near-field communication (NFC) technology to enable safe and convenient digital payments, completely offline at Paytm-issued NFC PoS terminals, in under a second.
To make payments, users can add money from their account by scanning the QR code on the Tap Card and by authenticating it at any of the add value machines (AVM).
Identifying The Use Case Of PoS
In terms of physical PoS terminals, Paytm will be competing directly with major merchant acquirers in the PoS business like HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, and the State Bank of India.
Further, the group’s Paytm Mall too recently launched its PoS terminals, which, it claimed, enables the shopkeepers to manage their store inventory on the cloud with complete visibility into available/required stock, besides allowing them to view sales, manage pending orders, carry out instant customer billing/payments, and create/execute offers and exclusive promotions.
Meanwhile, there is Flipkart’s digital arm, PhonePe, which had launched a PoS device to serve the needs of small merchants in November last year. The company claims it is the ‘lowest-cost’ PoS device in the world.
It had aimed to install a million POS devices across 50 cities in India in 2018.
Also, Gurugram-based PayUMoney has launched its PoS business terminals with no monthly rental, no minimum balance criterion, and an option to link to any bank account. Further, Payswiff (earlier Paynear) had also introduced a PoS terminal.
Prior to this, Paytm had launched its in-app PoS feature, which it pulled down just a day after its launch, citing security concerns raised by payment networks Visa and Mastercard.
According to RBI data, the number of PoS terminals in India stands at 3.1 Mn and the government has set a target of 5 Mn terminals by the end of this year.
With increasing digital dependence in the country, Paytm’s plan to dive into offline payments with PoS, Tap Card etc is bound to help it increase its reach.


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Here’s how these attacks work. A hacker penetrates a company’s systems—an often easy task, given many firms’ shoddy cybersecurity practices. The hacker uses ransomware to encrypt the company’s data, making it inaccessible to anyone who doesn’t have the requisite password, and then demands payment in Bitcoin or another digital currency. The victim can open an account on a cryptocurrency exchange, buy Bitcoin, send it to the hacker’s wallet address, and the hacker will then decrypt the victim’s data. Life can then go back to normal, save the embarrassment and damages suffered by the victim’s business—and anyone who depended on it. As for the hacker, they can launder their proceeds by using various exchanges and payment processors that shuffle the cryptocurrency around before issuing the same amount of currency in a new wallet, without a payment trail.
In some cases, it’s even easier. DarkSide, whose inner workings were just exposed in a New York Times article, offers what might be called “ransomware as a service.” DarkSide develops the software and facilitates the attacks on behalf of clients—it even offers customer support—and all share in the proceeds. A person only needs a target and a little startup capital.
The rejoinder one hears from crypto supporters, often called “coiners,” is that fiat money, like the dollar, is used for crime and corruption all the time. That’s undoubtedly true, but it’s also a red herring: Cryptocurrency’s main practical use, one could argue, is to facilitate crime and off-the-books financial transactions. That is not the case with the dollar, which is government-backed and sustains trillions in commerce every day. The dollar is imperfect, but it has widespread use, relative stability, and a robust, if insufficient, regulatory structure. Your bank account is even insured by the federal government—a far better arrangement than trading on a shady cryptocurrency exchange.


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President Trump's administration tightens travel restrictions on Cuba via new sanctions and a crackdown on tourism disguised as family visits or official business.
President’s national security advisor John Bolton unveiled the move during a speech on Wednesday in Miami FL. Bolton said the United States would also tighten policies to Nicaragua and Venezuela, dubbing the 3 countries a “troika of tyranny.”
The new rules, that rescind President Obama’s efforts to open up relations and commerce with Cuba, may mean the end of United States' cruise ships visiting Cuban ports. Technically, Americans are not allowed to visit as tourists. However, in case they fill out an affidavit saying that they have certain kinds of business there (“support for the Cuban people”) they are allowed to go.
Image: Port of Havana (Cuba)
A number of major cruise lines with regularly-scheduled visits to Cuban ports could be affected, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival and NCL-Norwegian. It is still unclear whether those vessels will still be able to visit Cuba under the new US rules.


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We celebrated our 30th Anniversary in 2013! Check out the article Happy Anniversary, Sawatdee, published in the Southside Pride. And watch Supenn and Cyndy on Kare11 News
Sawatdee still sizzles after 30 years, published by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.
Asian Flavors documentary featuring Sawatdee owner, Supenn Harrison, is available to watch online now!
Sawatdee Saint Paul now offering weekend brunch menu. Try Thai style omelets, eggs, sausage and more!


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In the spirit of the day dedicated to love, a College Station restaurant is putting a twist on the typical round shaped pizza.
Boston's The Gourmet Pizza has started its annual Valentine's fundraiser featuring its one-of-a-kind heart-shaped pizzas to benefit Children's Miracle Network.
The restaurant will divide all charitable proceeds directly between St. Joseph Regional Health Center and Scott & White Memorial Hospital, the specialty hospital in Temple that treats local children with extensive medical needs.
Boston's will feature two unique giving opportunities designed to raise funds for Children's Miracle Network.
Through February 14th, the eatery will sell special paper hearts for a $1 donation.
Patrons are encouraged to write Valentine's messages on the hearts to display in the restaurant.
From February 9th through February 14th, Boston's also will sell its popular heart-shaped pizzas and donate $1 per pizza sold to local Children's Miracle Network hospitals, along with the money collected from the paper heart sales.
As with the entire menu, the heart-shaped pizzas are available in store, for take out, or by delivery.
"We are excited to team up with Children's Miracle Network to help with its mission of saving and improving the lives of children," said Gje Lee, director of marketing at the Boston's College Station location. "Boston's stores and employees look forward to the Valentine's fundraiser every year because it gives us a chance to help those in need in the local communities where we live and work."
Carrying on the tradition of its sister company, Boston Pizza in Canada, Boston's began selling the specialty pizzas and paper hearts in 1999 as a way to give back to local charities.
Over the years, Boston Pizza and Boston's collectively have sold more than 360,000 heart-shaped pizzas and donated more than $500,000 to local charities.
Children's Miracle Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children through fundraising for children's hospitals across North America.
"On behalf of Children's Miracle Network and our member hospitals we are grateful to Boston's The Gourmet Pizza and its customers for their generous support," said Jim Hall, Children's Miracle Network president and CEO. "Through our partnership with Boston's, we will continue to positively change the lives of millions of children."


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Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc., in a drive to tip the scales in favor of card issuers over merchants, have established policies over the years that have led to tens of billions in costs and losses through litigation settlements and legislation.
The biggest may be the settlement proposed late Friday to end price-fixing lawsuits that grocery stores and other retailers started filing in 2005. But the costs have been piling over time, stemming from civil lawsuits not only from merchants but from the card networks' peers.
Under the terms of the latest settlement, Visa, MasterCard and several major banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup and Wells Fargo, would establish a fund for $6.05 billion for roughly 7 million merchants. The networks also agreed temporarily to reduce interchange rates by 10 basis points for eight months, a benefit estimated by plaintiffs' attorneys to be worth $1.2 billion.
But some merchants contend that might not be enough. The National Association of Convenience Stores, a trade group representing more than 3,700 merchants and a plaintiff in the lawsuits, rejected Friday's proposed settlement.
The decisions by the Visa and MasterCard boards have resulted in other costly settlements. The 2004 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to let stand a lower-court ruling in favor of the U.S. Department of Justice that found Visa and MasterCard conspired to prevent banks from issuing cards from American Express Co. and Discover Financial Services. This ruling was followed by civil cases the two smaller brands filed against the larger networks, leading to billions in costs.
In October 2008, MasterCard agreed to pay $862.5 million and Visa $1.89 billion to settle Discover's civil antitrust case. In December 2007, Visa agreed to pay Amex up to $2.25 billion to settle a civil case over rules that restricted issuers' options. And six months later MasterCard agreed to pay Amex $1.8 billion to settle its civil dispute over those rules.
To be clear, these are settlements that the card networks agreed to; they were not forced by a court to pay these amounts as penalties. However, each of these lawsuits stemmed from a policy the major card brands set, either in pricing or in rules that restricted the use of competing products.
Visa declined to comment beyond a statement provided in its press release regarding Friday's proposed settlement: “This agreement should remove the distraction of litigation for all parties,” said Joshua R. Floum, Visa general counsel. “We will go forward with a focus on helping retailers grow their businesses and providing them with efficient and valuable payment options.”
MasterCard, in a prepared statement provided by email, said that after the proposed settlement from last week it plans to continue working with its merchant partners in a collaborative and beneficial relationship.
Legislators also have targeted Visa's and MasterCard's policies. The so-called Durbin amendment under Dodd-Frank that resulted in the Federal Reserve Board halving debit card interchange to make the rates "reasonable and proportional" cost issuers an estimated $7 billion.
The nation's largest debit card issuer, Bank of America, saw its debit card interchange revenue drop by $430 million during last year's fourth quarter alone.
Much of the motivation to create the controversial policies ended when MasterCard went public in 2006 and Visa did so in 2008, notes Thomas J. Undlin, partner, at Minneapolis-based Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, which is representing the merchants in the price-fixing case.
Before those moves and under the previous association model, their boards were represented by banks issuing cards, and they set the policies that resulted in how much issuers earned when their cards were used to initiate payment. It also resulted in competition between the two brands for issuers.
"The networks had a natural inclination to raise fees to win the issuer battle," Undlin says. "So our allegations and lawsuit attacked a perverse competition, which was to rise to the top in the price of interchange fees."


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Honda Insight Discontinued Slow, sales cited in move to drop model
Production of the Honda Insight is ending, the victim of poor sales, according to a report by business wire Bloomberg. Honda had informed dealers as far back as last November to stop taking orders for the car.
While the Insight is credited as being the first hybrid on the U.S. market, having been launched in 1999, seven months ahead of the Prius, it was a subcompact two-seat hatchback that was a far cry from the current compact 5-door model that was launched in 2009. And unlike the Prius, which could run in pure electric mode, the Honda Integrated Motor Assist is a mild hybrid that uses the electric motor to boost the output of the drivetrain which relies primarily on a conventional 4-cylinder engine to drive the front wheels.
Only 4,802 Insights were sold last year, an 18-percent drop from a year earlier and according to Automotive News, Honda has a 237-day supply of the car on hand far above the 60-day inventory that is considered the industry norm. That surplus is reflected in the KBB Fair Market Price, about $1,000 below the Insight's MSRP, which ranges from $19,525 for base models up to $24,705 for the EX with navigation.
While the Insight will be discontinued, there's no word on the fate of the CR-Z two-seat hybrid which is also based on the same platform. Honda also sells hybrid versions of its Civic, Accord and an EV version of the Fit.
More Honda news...
Popular at KBB.com


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Best Buy launched the Best Buy Black Friday 2012 Online sale early morning on Thanksgiving Day. There are a lot of advertised Best Buy Black Friday 2012 deals availalbe online. Avoid the crowds in stores and get your hands on the Best Buy Black Friday 2012 deals now.
The Best Buy Black Friday 2012 Ad features lots of great Black Friday deals. Many of these Best Buy doorbuster deals are now on sale online in the Best Buy Black Friday 2012 online sale that started early morning Thanksgiving Day on BestBuy.com. We have already identified the best Best Buy Black Friday 2012 Online Deals and here is one of them in detail.
Don't Miss: Today's Best Deals on Amazon.com
The Best Buy Black Friday 2012 Online Sale offers the $399.99 Toshiba C875-S7303 17.3-inch Core i3 Laptop. This is a highly popular Best Buy Black Friday deal, but it is still in stock. Features of the Toshiba C875-S7303 include 500GB HDD, 4GB DDR3 RAM, 1 USB 3.0 port, HD webcam, card reader, multiformat burner drive and 6-cell battery. This is a solid performing desktop replacement laptop at a great price.
Get this hot Black Friday TV deal now online at BestBuy.com.
Do not miss these major Black Friday 2012 Online Sales events that have launched today. Find the list and links to the best online Black Friday sales below:
Black Friday 2012 is here. Shop all available Black Friday 2012 Sales online now on Thanksgiving Day. I4U News will keep you up to date on the best Black Friday 2012 deals throughout the whole Black Friday week leading into Cyber Monday 2012. Follow us on Twitter to not miss a hot Black Friday 2012 deal.


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Ex-convicts sue JP Morgan Chase for charging them rip-off card fees when they got out of jail
Furious ex-convicts are suing JP Morgan Chase for charging them rip-off debit card fees when they got out of jail.
The Wall Street giant supplies all the cards handed out by the US Federal Bureau of Prisons, giving it a virtual monopoly in an unregulated market.
They are issued to inmates on their release – but it is claimed that there are sky-high charges for withdrawing cash.
Rip-off fees: JP Morgan supplies all the cards handed out by the US Federal Bureau of Prisons, giving it a virtual monopoly in an unregulated market
Former prisoner Jesse Krimes said the cards charged $10 – around £8– when used in branches and $2 at ATMs not owned by JP Morgan Chase.
The one-time cocaine dealer, who is now a respected painter, led a class action lawsuit with 50,000 fellow criminals.
And the bank has agreed to pay out £340,000 to settle the case – money which will be split between the claimants.
The debit cards were issued to prisoners on their release and contained all the money which had built up during their sentences.
One convict said he was released with $120 but only spent $70 because of the charges.
Krimes was jailed in 2009, a year after he graduated with a studio art degree from Millersville University of Pennsylvania.
The artist produced a secret mural using contraband prison sheets, hair gel, plastic spoons, and New York Times clippings while serving his 70-month sentence.
He smuggled out the piece’s 39 panels by sending them to his girlfriend. The finished work was called Apokaluptein:16389067, after the Greek origin of the word apocalypse and his prison identification number.
Krimes was delighted at the debit card victory, saying it was about ‘setting a precedent for future litigation against similar predatory practices’.
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Post Your Hunting Photos on PGC Site
Check this out:
GAME COMMISSION UNVEILS HUNTER/TRAPPER PHOTO SCRAPBOOK
HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Game Commission recently unveiled its “Hunter/Trapper Photo Scrapbook” on its website to showcase the achievements of successful hunters and trappers, and to promote the Commonwealth’s proud hunting and trapping heritage.
The photo scrapbook can be found by going to the agency’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us), clicking on “Hunting & Trapping,” and selecting “Hunter/Trapper Scrapbook” under the “Hunting Information” section of the page.


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An employee works at Shopify’s headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Chris Wattie | Reuters
Shares of Shopify sank more than 16% following the announcement.
In a memo to staff, CEO Tobi Lutke acknowledged he had misjudged how long the pandemic-driven e-commerce boom would last, and amid a broader pullback in online spending, Shopify would move to cut a number of roles.
Shopify had more than 10,000 employees as of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, according to a securities filing.
The cuts will affect all of Shopify’s divisions, though most will occur in recruiting, support, and sales, and “across the company” it is eliminating “over-specialized and duplicate roles, as well as some groups that were convenient to have but too far removed from building products,” Lutke said in the memo.
Technology companies have been announcing layoffs, hiring freezes and rescinding job offers in the midst of economic uncertainty and pandemic trends tapering off. Earlier this month, Google parent Alphabet and Facebook-owner Meta both said they’d slow the pace of hiring. Companies including Netflix and Coinbase have announced layoffs.
The Canadian company, which makes tools for companies to sell products online, was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the pandemic-driven e-commerce boom. As stores reopened and consumers shifted back to pre-pandemic shopping habits, Shopify and other companies in the e-commerce sector began to contend with concerns that they’d be unable to sustain the high-flying growth they enjoyed.
Shopify bet that the increasing mix of online spending over commerce in stores would “permanently leap ahead by 5 or even 10 years,” Lutke said. It staffed up to meet what it anticipated would be a sustained shift to e-commerce, more than doubling its employee base since the end of 2019, the company said in February.
“It’s now clear that bet didn’t pay off,” Lutke said. “What we see now is the mix reverting to roughly where pre-Covid data would have suggested it should be at this point. Still growing steadily, but it wasn’t a meaningful 5-year leap ahead.”
In its most recent earnings report, Shopify forecast that revenue growth would be lower in the first half of the year, as it navigates tough pandemic-era comparisons. The company is scheduled to report second-quarter earnings Wednesday.
Shopify said employees who are laid off will receive 16 weeks of severance pay, plus one week for every year of tenure at the company.


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New Delhi: Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce tabled its 145th report in Rajya Sabha expressing concerns at India’s widening trade deficit with China. The report submitted by the panel said that the Indian industry is been hit hard by the Chinese imports and they are causing unemployment.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce said in its report that Chinese import has thrown a spanner in the wheel of India’s economic progress and industrial manufacturing especially at a time when it is extremely important to stimulate Indian manufacturing sector to at least 25 percent of country’s GDP.
Raising its concerns over increasing Chinese imports the report said that many domestic industries are being wiped out on the backdrop of surging Chinese imports in the Indian market. This has forced many manufacturers to become traders.
The Parliamentary Panel also identified some gaps. The panel said that the Indian government has not been able to tackle this effectively under-invoicing of Chinese goods, dumping of cheap goods, entry of prohibited goods by misdeclaration and smuggling.
Banks Will also get Affected
Since the Chinese import has affected the Indian industries and they are getting closed, the jobs have been affected too as Industries such as textiles are one of the major employment generators. Apart from employment, this will adversely affect the banks as the closure of the industry will create more stress for the banks which is already under huge NPA burden.
Meanwhile, there has been an upsurge in the bilateral trade of India. In 2017-18, it was recorded to be around $89.6 billion which was $38 billion in 2007-08. Also, there has been around 5 percent increase in Chinese import which was around 11.6 percent of all Indian imports in 2013-14 and it has reached to about 16.6 percent in 2017-18.
As per the report, the trade deficit with China at $63 billion amount to more than 40 percent of total trade deficit of India. Of all imports, in terms of quantum in India, almost one-sixth is formed by Chinese goods itself.
India’s export to China has increased by $2.5 billion during the period of 2007-08 while the imports also increased by $50 billion during the same period.
Impacting Health Too
The report also pointed out the adverse impact of all this on health. It said that the Chinese import has not only affected revenue and employment, rather it is impacting on the environment as the quality of imported items is low. It said that poor quality toys, colors, firecrackers, idols of gods and many other things from China are impacting the household of Indians too.
The committee also said that it is surprising and an alarming situation that Indian buyers get swayed away towards these products without even thinking of the safety hazards. A strong strategy is needed on the immediate basis so that the domestic MSME products can be promoted in a better way as they far better in quality as compared to Chinese cheap products.
It has been advised by the Committee that there is a need for creating public awareness where buying of low-standard imported products should be discouraged and there should also be a strong quality control framework.
The report also said that it is really fateful that we are providing the access to our market to Chinese goods in the name of ‘ease of doing business’. This is hampering our manufacturing whereas China is smart enough to protect is industry from Indian competition. It was recommended by the committee that BIS must also counter in the same manner as the Chinese.


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By Jeff Sanford
Toronto, Ontario — July 7, 2015 — The gloves are off. Chevrolet’s summer truck marketing campaign is pulling no punches, and the new aluminum Ford F-150 is the target of some very funny commercials that play on the supposed strength of the all-steel Silverado.
Is the decision by Ford to go aluminum starting to backfire? Chevy is going for the jugular with its new ads, and with good reason. The most recent sales figures suggest Ford may have an issue on its hands. The Globe and Mail reported on July 2 that June sales figures saw General Motors Co., Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and Toyota Motor Corp. all post higher Canadian sales for the month. The strong sales were “bolstered by healthy demand for their pickup trucks,” but Ford Motor Co.’s pickup sales fell, “hurting its monthly results,” according to the Globe. Ford said its Canadian sales fell 13 percent to 26,784 vehicles.
Chevy just released the three ads this morning. They can be found at chevrolet.com/silverado-films.html. The ads are interesting in that they target a specific product of the Big Three’s product in a very direct manner. Has one of the Big Three ever targeted another product of another OEM in such a specific manner? We can’t think of an example.
In the first of the new ads, titled Cages, “real people, not actors” are in a room identified as a materials testing facility. Two cages are in the room. One is made of steel. The other is made out of aluminum. To make the point (unsubtly) a 700-pound Grizzly bear is released into the room. The actors are asked to pick what cage they want to go into to be saved from the bear. No one is surprised when the panicked people pick the steel cage.
In the second spot, former NFL player Howie Long interviews a Chevrolet engineer about the differences between steel and aluminum. The engineer points out that the new aluminum Ford F-150 will take longer to repair and will be more expensive to fix. To make the point, the engineer explains how Chevy took four Silverados and four F-150s and damaged them in a specific way. Chevy created body damage like that which might be left if a large truck had backed into the vehicles on a job site. The eight vehicles are then sent off to certified collision repair centres to be fixed. It may be worth noting that the F-150s were sent to centres certified for repairs to those trucks. Long ends the commercial by highlighting the higher cost and longer time it takes to fix the aluminum body of the new Ford F-150.
The ads, very directly, play up consumer perceptions around the relative strength of steel versus aluminum car bodies. Clearly, Chevy thinks they can play on fears and worries consumers might have about aluminum. And they are not afraid to work those concerns and issues into summer marketing campaign.
The third spot is the most humourous. A group of Comic Con-attending fans are taking part in a focus group. They are asked about a new super hero a comic book company is creating called “Aluminum Man.” The fans are asked what they think of the new superhero. They go on to discuss the pros and cons of a superhero made out of aluminum. To no one’s surprise the character is seen as lacking in durability and strength. “The people who made this character…do they even know science?” asks one of the actors. “If I’m ever in danger I’m not calling aluminum man. I’m calling Zinc Man,” says another.
What is most interesting here is that Chevy is not holding back in its criticism of the new aluminum Ford F-150. Clearly Chevy thinks the company can exploit consumer fears around the new F-150 and its aluminum body panels. You can see the commercial regarding repair times in the player below.


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- Amazon announced in July that it plans to buy One Medical, a primary-care startup, for $3.9 billion.
- Walmart has said it plans to open 4,000 clinics by 2029, but has been rolling them out slowly.
- The two retail giants and bitter rivals have been on a collision course over healthcare for years.
Amazon announced last month that it plans to buy One Medical, a primary-care startup, for $3.9 billion — making it the company's third-largest acquisition ever. In 2021, Insider reported that the company was slowly growing its own primary-care business, Amazon Care, in which companies pay Amazon monthly fees for employees to be able to access care using a mobile app.
Walmart itself has worked for years to grow its healthcare network, making several acquisitions to bolster its telehealth and pharmacy services and placing clinics across four different states to provide affordable care for Americans. Walmart also announced a partnership with the health-records system Epic last September.
"We are confident about our approach and growth plans with eight Walmart Health centers opening this year," a Walmart spokesperson told Insider. "We are improving our infrastructure and scaled capabilities with Epic and integration of telehealth, so we offer a hybrid experience for our patients."
Several analysts that spoke to Insider think Walmart should be a bit more nervous about Amazon confronting it in the physical-healthcare space.
"I would imagine that Walmart is scrambling a little bit," Todd Huseby, a consumer-healthcare lead at Kearney, said. "Anytime Amazon does anything, because of the rivalry, Walmart has to take very seriously the somewhat competitive nature of it."
As the healthcare battle heats up between the retailers, here are the three strategies analysts believe Walmart should implement to help get an edge on Amazon.
Lean into its physical footprint advantage
As Walmart is always quick to mention, 90% of homes in the US are located within 10 miles of a Walmart store.
Analysts said that its physical footprint could be an advantage for Walmart in healthcare. Walmart has more than 4,700 stores across the US, while Amazon has close to 600 stores, including about 100 Whole Foods locations.
Given Walmart's plan to use its stores as healthcare hubs, that footprint can help the retailer reach a lot of customers and potentially acquire additional physician networks, like Amazon did with One Medical.
"If I were a retailer that had a lot of these locations, it could be very attractive," said Dr. David Friend, a healthcare-practice leader for the accounting and advisory firm Marcum. "If one has space and parking and is well located, that's a huge advantage."
Act with more 'urgency' to roll out new healthcare hubs
Walmart's board of directors announced an ambitious plan in 2018 to open 4,000 clinics across the US by 2029.
But that plan has been moving slowly thus far — the company has opened only 24 clinics across Georgia, Arkansas, Florida, and Illinois. And while it has made some telehealth acquisitions along the way, such as MeMD in 2021, it needs to start acting with more "urgency" in rolling out its locations, Huseby said.
"They have a very grand mission to provide healthcare to rural Americans who lack access, and Walmart continues to have the best opportunity to offer that," Huseby said. "But I think they've been staying still, and staying still doesn't live up to the ambitions I heard them say two years ago."
"If they're committed to the targets that they laid out, then I think it's time to demonstrate to the market that they are going to roll this out with purpose," he added.
Build out data capabilities
Natalie Schibell, a research director with Forrester, said the future of healthcare is going to be centered on "preemptive versus reactive care."
With Amazon Web Services and over 150 million Prime members, Amazon has a major advantage in being able to tap into customer data, Schibell said.
"You know the one advantage that Amazon has is AWS," she said. "So with that, they have the ability to disrupt the healthcare industry.
"And this is pie in the sky, but they're trying to come up with a universal health record. If one can do it, Amazon can."
For Walmart to make a larger splash in the healthcare industry and to compete with Amazon, it's going to have to ramp up its "data curation and aggregation capabilities," Schibell said.
It's going to be an uphill battle for the retailer, according to Schibell. But Walmart has made some progress with its partnership with Epic. The deal will help Walmart create unified health records for patients and care providers across the company's clinics.
Do you work at Walmart or have insight to share? Contact the reporter Ben Tobin via the encrypted messaging app Signal +1 (703) 498-9171 or email at firstname.lastname@example.org. Check out Insider's source guide for other tips on sharing information securely.


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Fancy a Mini sedan? A Mini sports car? A compact Mini SUV? A mini-me Mini? Now that Mini has seemingly exhausted every possible configuration for its iconic hatchback, it appears there may be no restrictions on what shape a future Mini could take.
That’s the message from new Mini board member Harald Kreuger, who told the insideline.com website that such wild derivatives were under consideration.
A sedan and an SUV would have particular appeal to the lucrative Chinese market, where affluent enthusiasts of the brand were looking for something bigger or more practical.
A compact SUV would sit above the already oversized Mini Countryman soft-roader, which has not been a sales success in Australia but globally accounts for about 30 per cent of sales.
“A lot of customers would like to stay with the brand when they need something bigger,” Kreuger told Inside Line. “And a Volvo or a BMW will not do.”
Its plans for a sports car appear focused on the Mazda MX-5 model, with a plan for a small, involving and affordable coupe or convertible.
And the company has already dabbled in producing a scaled-down version, although the Rocketman concept shown last year was abandoned because it would be too costly to put into production, potentially throwing into jeopardy any new plan to resuscitate the plan.


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Renault will set up an activity dedicated to electric vehicles before the only electric push
FFrench carmaker Renault has become the latest brand to announce plans to split its internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric vehicle (EV) businesses.
Following Ford’s example, Renault has confirmed that it will create a separate entity dedicated to the development, production and sale of electric vehicles with more than 10,000 employees by 2023, while the development of the ICE and the hybrid would continue through its main activity outside France, again with a target of 10,000 employees.
The announcement comes as Renault reaffirms its intention to reach 100% electric vehicle sales in Europe by 2030, five years before the European Union targets a ban on non-zero-emission engines.
While the EU effectively bans ICEs through policy by 2035, international markets such as Australia will continue to be a source of demand for traditional engines, which Renault Group acknowledges.
“The Renault group is also studying the possibility of grouping its ICE activities and technologies and hybrid engines and transmissions based outside France within a specific entity,” said the manufacturer.
“Given the capacity for innovation and significant improvement in the reduction of emissions of this type of vehicle, the Renault group is convinced that thermal hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles have significant long-term prospects and outlets in Europe and in international markets, and that its technologies such as E-TECH [hybrid]represent real levers of growth.
“By bringing together its activities and technologies related to thermal and hybrid engines and transmissions, the Renault group aims to strengthen the potential of its technologies, but also to contribute to the development of low-emission fuels, LPG, etc., and thus create a leader powertrain worldwide for the automotive industry.”
It looks like Nissan is waiting to see how the French arm of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance decision will play out in market developments, with Nissan chief executive Ashwani Gupta saying Automotive News Europe the Japanese automaker has considered splitting its ICE and EV operations, but is not yet ready to do so.
“It’s too early to consider due to our diverse market portfolio and diverse product portfolio,” Gupta said.
According to Automotive News Europe report, Renault is also seeking to reduce its 43.4% stake in Nissan, as the latter brand only holds 15% of the non-voting shares of its French partner.
Earlier this year, the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance announced that it would invest 23 billion euros (A$36.4 billion) in the development of electric vehicles over the next five years, aiming to introduce 35 new models by 2030.


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â€œIâ€™ve always believed clothes have stories behind them and should live more than one life if theyâ€™re physically able to.â€ – Corliss Elizabeth Williams, proprietor of the Lowry Estate.
The annual farewell to summer and embrace of fall is typically marked by a collective feeling of novelty and excitement. Back-to-school shopping is a staple of the season, as consumers are bombarded with fashion standard-bearerâ€™s list of fall trends.
This year is different for myriad reasons, chief among them an unending pandemic that has altered all conventional notions of time, seasons, and tradition. The COVID-19 health crisis has ravaged the economy, leaving most with tighter budgets and less expendable income. Consumer behavior has changed. The ongoing national reckoning with police brutality and systemic racism has also altered consumer comportment.
Corliss Elizabeth Williams, creative director and proprietor of the Lowry Estate, a Detroit-area vintage clothing shop, says she has seen a substantial change in her business since social media initiatives have amplified Black entrepreneurs.
â€œBlack businesses pretty much were not on peopleâ€™s radars as much before all this,â€ says Williams. While the impetus for the new spotlight is bittersweet, Williams says she is both grateful for her longstanding customers and for the newfound support.
Another key pillar of conscious consumerism is the move away from fast fashion to brands that pay a living wage to workers. A recent piece in Crainâ€™s Detroit Business referenced a report by Detroit Regional Partnership citing a dramatic increase in apparel manufacturing jobs in the city over the last ten years. Jobs that represent a prioritization of domestic production and fairly compensated skilled labor.
Thrifting, vintage and secondhand shopping have become increasingly popular among consumers. Shopping resale is better for the environment and has emerged as a trendy solution for people who wouldnâ€™t normally be able to afford independent designers.
As trendy as thrifting may be now, it was originally born out of necessity for many. Most shoppers frequent secondhand stores as a means to save money and obtain access to clothing at an affordable price point.
â€œI have always been extremely mindful of thatâ€¦I think that everybody should be able to own pieces that they love, that empower them, and that make them feel good,â€ says Williams.
In typical Detroit fashion, DIY clothing-makers have also materialized as a preferred means of shopping for many people in the city. Independent designers are turning to social media to sell their re-purposed or handmade garments direct-to-consumer. With no middleman and most of the clothing being handmade, this option is both affordable and sustainable.
Cassady Schrock started to sell her vibrant, custom-made halter tops on Instagram after receiving positive feedback on the small number of garments she made for friends. What once started as a pet project has turned into something more expansive, as Schrock alters, delivers, and ships her crocheted tops independently.
Sustainability is important to her burgeoning business, utilizing her own yarn collection and integrating recycled materials into her process. â€œI hope to create 100% recycled yarn tops once I utilize the remainder of my existing yarn collection,â€ says Schrock. Initially, she wasnâ€™t charging for her wears, instead opting for a donation-based model.
Now that she is charging for her work, Schrock hopes to offer a holistic experience to her clients. â€œI am really trying to emphasize the collaborative nature of the product and ensuring the garment is exactly what they envisioned, is their style, fits their body, and lasts – giving the customer more than just the product for their money,â€ says Schrock.
Your Guide to Sustainable Fashion in Detroit
Looking to spice up your fall wardrobe? Explore Detroitâ€™s assorted sustainable fashion landscape


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We are in the middle of the largest run on weapons and ammo in recorded history. Go to a Walmart (NYSE:WMT), Cabela's (NYSE:CAB), or an Academy Sporting Goods (NYSE:KKR) and you will see the shelves are rather lacking for ammunition. The selection is very sparse due to excessive demand. The question springs to mind: How can we profit from this?
With the recent rise in weapon and ammunition sales, ammunition manufacturer Alliant Techsystems Inc., (ATK) stands to increase its profits.
The company is broken into three parts: aerospace, defense and sporting. We will be examining the sporting group as a quick pick to see if further study is warranted. The sporting group is where all civilian ammo sales and accessories sales occur and accounts for 26% of ATK's revenue.
ATK produces ammunition under several brands such as: Federal Premium, Alliant Powder, RCBS, CCI, Fusion, Speer Ammo, Speer Bullets, Estate Cartridge and Blazer.
Alliant Techsystems also produces equipment for the reloading community. Reloading is where a consumer makes his or her own ammunition. It will save the consumer some money and increase the bullet accuracy but at the expense of the time it takes to assemble the ammo. With some ammo being very hard to find reloading may gain some traction with consumers who are hard-pressed to find the rounds they want. If you cannot buy it, make it via reloading.
Also many of ATK's brands are on backorder. Slickguns.com has Federal Hi-Shok 9mm on a two week back order; some other brands are on a six week backorder.
A spike in gun and ammunition sales has caused a nationwide shortage that has delayed police training exercises and is putting a substantial amount of weaponry in civilian hands.
Police in Atlanta, Georgia have been forced to delay training exercises due to a shortage of ammunition. The police department has put orders for more bullets on back-order, while officers are being deprived of the training that makes them capable of handling weapons.Local ammunition suppliers are attributing the shortage to the spike in gun and ammunition purchases by civilians after the shooting sparked debate on tighter gun control regulations.
FBI background checks for weapons hit a record 2.8 million in December, with most of those occurring after the Dec. 14 massacre. Last month also saw a drastic increase in gun sales, with every US state seeing a rise from the previous month.
Ammunition sales were equally steep, with Brownells, the largest supplier of firearm accessories in the world, reporting that it has blown through several years' worth of ammunition in just a matter of hours. The company apologized for its inability to meet consumer demands.
We will repeat the above sentence so it can soak in... "Brownells, the largest supplier of firearm accessories in the world, reporting that it has blown through several years' worth of ammunition in just a matter of hours."
Bet some of that ammo was made by ATK? You better believe it. And who sold some of that ammo? That would be Cabela's and Academy Sporting Goods. Cabela's receives a full 20% of its revenue from the sale of weapons and ammo. Academy Sporting Goods is a very popular store in the South that carries a wide range of weapons and ammunition. During my last visit to Academy a mere week ago the shelves looked like this.
(Note: The picture was borrowed from my previous gun article)
ATK's financials are nothing to get excited over, which may be the very reason we should look at the company. With the high sales of ammo it has plenty of room to improve.
The training PE is 8.71 and the forward PE 9.32. Cash stands at $237 million to $1.1 billion in debt. This is not too surprising. Producing ammo is very equipment intensive. Quarterly revenue growth (year over year) comes in at a sleepy -3.60%, with quarterly earnings growth (year over year) at -18.70%. ATK has a small dividend yield of 1.6%.
With the biggest weapon and ammo-buying spree in history, ATK stands to see much higher revenue in its sporting division. This could improve the bottom line and boost the financials. Ultimately the stock price would follow as well. Cabela's and Academy Sporting Goods will also see a nice boost in gun and ammo sales, which will affect the bottom line.
Note: Academy Sporting Goods is owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, but may initiate a long position in ATK, KKR, CAB over the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.


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THERE’S no bigger thrill for a thrifting whizz then bagging an amazing bargain after scouring a charity shop for hours.
And one savvy shopper recently revealed that she’d hit the jackpot while searching a local store and coming across a gorgeous designer piece from the 70s being sold for a fraction of its actual worth.
Peach Bray is a fashion and lifestyle influencer who regularly shares clips with her 25k followers on her TikTok account @peachikinz.
And she recently shared her unreal thrift shore discovery that could see her make nearly £650 of profit.
In the clip, an excited Peach showed off of a gorgeous gold sparkly shirt that she’d stumbled across on the hangers.
The 70s piece was entirely embellished with gold sequins, had a slightly tapered waist, and also featured two gold lace straps to secure it in place.
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“It’s very heavy, I could tell it was valuable,” she told viewers.
With this in mind, the canny customer decided to look the item up online, and was left gobsmacked by what she discovered.
The very same Whiting & Davis Metal Mesh Gold Halter Top from the 70s was being sold on eBay for an eye-watering £650!
By contrast, thrifty Peach managed to bag it for less than a fiver in the charity stop.
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My son died, 15, in online challenge gone wrong – TikTok ‘jokes’ have to stop
Your cash chart is liquid gold and, this week you can make it work for you
The clip amassed a huge 955k views, with users flocking to the comments to share their awe for Peach’s bargain buy.
“LIVING MY DREAM!!!” one wrote underneath the video. “Please post a try on so I can live through you.”
“God I love thrifting,” another savvy shopper added.
“You gotta wear it at least once before putting that baby on the market,” a third begged. “OMG that is so gorgeous.”
If you’re looking for more handy thrifting tips, why not check out this guide compiled by a top-notch second-hand shopping influencer.
She’s bagged £1.9k of designer goodies for just £38, and shared how she managed it with Fabulous.
Fabulous will pay for your exclusive stories. Just email: [email protected] and pop EXCLUSIVE in the subject line
Source: Read Full Article


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Kingston announced it has shipped its 2,133MHz HyperX memory modules in support for Intel’s new LGA1156 Core i5 and Core i7 systems.
It claimed that its Intel XMP-ready (Extreme Memory Profiles) 4GB dual-channel 2,133MHz CL8 kit is the perfect choice for enthusiasts who are ready to take the Intel Core i5 platform to the next level of memory overclocking performance.
“Intel has worked closely with Kingston on testing HyperX memory for use with the Core i5 platform and P55 chipset,” said Intel memory ecosystem manager, Geof Findley in a statement.
“We’ve seen great results from all of the Kingston memory especially the high-performance dual-channel kits. The combination of Kingston HyperX and Core i5 utilising the Nehalem architecture brings unsurpassed performance for mainstream and enthusiast users.”
Kingston is shipping a family of XMP-ready HyperX products in different frequencies to support users of all levels who want to take full advantage of the Core i5 platform.
HyperX memory running at 1.65 volts are shipping in 4GB kits at 1,333MHz, 1,600HMz, 2,000MHz and 2,133MHz frequencies.
Kingston will also launch 8GB kits of two in 1,333MHz and 1,600MHz frequencies for users who wish to take advantage of 64-bit operating systems later this month


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Grainger hosted its 13th annual Grainger Show event Sunday-Tuesday in Orlando, FL, where more than 12,500 attendees convened to network, including more than 700 suppliers from across the U.S. that showed off their latest and greatest products and solutions to the MRO market at large.
The trade show filled the 450,000 square foot expo hall of the Orange County Convention Center, and well beyond that including the event's opening session, seminars and workshops.
It was the first Grainger Show I've attended, and I certainly came away impressed. I've attended plenty of industry association-hosted conventions, but my two days there really showed me the true size and capabilities that Grainger has as the largest U.S.-based industrial distributor, and No. 3 on Industrial Distribution's Big 50 List.
I was at Grainger Show 2017 for Sunday evening and the full day Monday. Here's what my time there included:
I was invited to Grainger Show, where the company's marketing team set up a gauntlet of interviews for myself and a group of other trade publication editors on Monday. It was a great opportunity to get unfiltered access to a half dozen Grainger executives, including CEO D.G. Macpherson — who held a roundtable discussion with the editor group and spoke candidly about the company's operations and outlook. See my blog about Macpherson's comments about Grainger's state of e-commerce and its expectations here.
After the roundtable with Macpherson, my 1-on-1 interviews throughout Monday were with:
- Brad Laux, Grainger Director of Metalworking
- Geoffrey Robertson, Grainger Vice President of Product, Innovation and Business Integration
- Travis Kruse, Grainger Senior Director of Safety Strategy and Solutions
- Kevin Hartler, Grainger Senior Director of Consulting Services
Along with several other editors, I also chatted Grainger Senior Director of Services, Parris Devine, who gave us a tour of Grainger's Shoemobile.
Prior to that on Sunday, I attended the trade show's opening reception and dinner, which gave suppliers and attendees — including Grainger sales reps and managers — their first chance to mingle at supplier booths and Grainger services stations while helping themselves to a food spread and adult beverages.
Upon entering the expo hall I realized immediately that Grainger Show doesn't take a backseat to any of the other well-known industry conventions.
"It's the biggest trade show in our space, for sure," Macpherson commented Monday morning.
Here's a batch of photos I snapped while walking the trade show floor between Sunday and Monday:
And here's a selection of Tweets I posted during the show, as well as Tweets from Grainger:


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#RESET Launch Party – Toolroom Live
Toolroom is proud to announce the UK launch of Toolroom Live – a brand new club concept from the leading independent dance label, debuting at London’s Fire Complex on 29th November.
As the first European instalment of the Toolroom Live concept, its London debut cuts to the core of what the label is all about: credible and quality House music from across the globe. Led by Mark Knight, Toolroom Live’s London launch digs deeper into the label’s musical spectrum than ever before. Toolroom’s latest signing Adrian Hour joins the label head on main room duties, bringing many shades of Deep, House and Techno to the front room for this special event; whilst room two packs an equal punch with Toolroom’s own underground House weapon Weiss playing out his own brand of deep jackin’ grooves.
Sign up now to gain priority access to the best priced tickets, as well as a free exclusive track from Adrian Hour: www.toolroomlivelondon.com


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FENNVILLE, Mich. (WOOD) — Two back-to-back brutally cold winters have been hard on local wineries. Many vineyards have reported losses of grapes due to the cold, especially up north.
Just a few years ago, Michigan was coming off of record grape crop. This helped keep reserve tanks very full and the Michigan wine industry flowing through the brutally cold winter of 2014.
According to the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council, 2014 was such a harsh year that $3.5 million in farmgate value was lost. “Farmgate” is the price of goods — in this case grapes — purchased directly from a farm. The only recent years with losses this proportionally bad were back in 1993 and 1994.
The same council estimates that the losses for 2015 are likely going to be just as high.
“When it happens two years in a row that’s fairly devastating for a lot of wineries in this area, and more specifically up north,” said Fenn Valley Vineyard manager Todd Robins.
Robins says the harshness of the winter on vineyards is completely dependent on the type of grapes that are grown.
Some delicate grapes, which are “cold tender”, won’t survive. Others that are “cold hardy” will make it through tough seasons while still tasting great. Robins says they have 19 different kinds of grapes at Fenn Valley. Aside from wanting to offer a variety of flavors, wineries do this is to ensure they always have wine, no matter the weather.
Still, you may notice your favorite Michigan wine may be off the shelves for a while.
“We have had two consecutive years with no [Sauvignon blanc] crop. So that means the Sauvignon blanc that is on the shelf right now when its done, we won’t have Sauvignon blanc until hopefully 2017,” Robins said.
Robins says wineries that were hit the hardest are finding ways to adapt until the weather cooperates.
“They are getting innovative about what they are doing. They are making more cider. They are making more fruit wines. They are getting creative. I think they are also learning a lesson in that they are planting more cold hardy varieties for the future,” Robins said.
Staff from the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council says the wine going on the shelves this year is from 2011 to 2013, and there is still plenty of wine for locals and visitors to enjoy this season.


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December 24, 2014
KnowledgeVision Systems, an industry leader in multimedia online presentation technology, announced that they would be upgrading their free Knovio Mobile app with a host of new features. This new update will enable iPad users to turn photos from their camera into narrated multimedia stories.
Users on the Knovio platform can now add photos to narrated PowerPoint presentations or create new content using photos stored on iPads. In effect this makes it easier to explain concepts, pitch ideas, or teach classes directly from an iPad.
“Our mobile phones and tablets are increasingly being used to document our lives and the world around us with photos,” says KnowledgeVision CEO Michael Kolowich. “Knovio now makes it possible to turn mobile photos into compelling, media-rich content that can be sent by email, posted to social media, or incorporated into a website or blog. It’s the ultimate show-and-tell app.”
Along with the new updates, KnowledgeVision will be hosting a “How Do You Knovio?” contest, offering up a GoPro Hero4 Silver ($399 retail). Submissions are due by January 12, 2015, and all users have to do is download the app and email the created Knovio link to email@example.com.
The panel of judges will select 11 of the best Knovios as finalists to be announced, and the twelfth finalist will be a people’s choice offering determined by Facebook and Twitter votes. Once the finalists are selected, they will compete for the win by gaining shares and likes for their personal Knovio links on their own social networks. The contest ends January 31, 2015.
This is all part of KnowledgeVision’s mission to reinvent the business presentation for an online, on-demand world. And competing for a chance to win one of the hottest GoPro models to date isn’t a bad way to get the message out there.
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Today, Google began rolling out a small assortment of games, including the ubiquitous Angry Birds, EA2D's Dragon Age Legends, and sudoku. You know, Facebook stuff. A "Games" button at the top of your stream will take you to the available games, if the rollout has made it to your account. If it hasn't, Google says it will "soon."
Google's game implementation differs from Facebook in that game-related status updates are cordoned off into the "Games" page, so you can only see them when you are looking at game stuff. Unlike Facebook, you won't have to banish all your friends when they develop Zynga problems.
Update: Venturebeat reports that Google is only taking 5 percent commission on its games, another advantage over Facebook (who takes 30). And on the new Google Plus platform blog, engineering director David Glazer claims Plus is taking a "quality over quantity" approach with its games. Developers and new game features will be added in "small steps."


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Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary is predicting free airline travel as a standard business model within a decade. He claims that eventually "the spend on board will be so high that the flight will be free".
Speaking at a recent industry event, O'Leary was enthusiastic about the revenue-generating opportunities available to low-fare airlines. He foresees airport operators sharing car parking and retail revenues with airlines and huge potential for money-spinning activities onboard the aircraft such as buy-on-board catering, shopping and as-yet unavailable in-flight gambling.
Rival European low-cost carriers are not prepared to commit themselves to flying their passengers around at no charge quite yet. Ed Winter, easyJet's former chief operating officer, who retired at the end of September, said that his carrier's cost base is too high to permit such generosity. "Some 30% of our cost base goes on airport and ground handling charges, which is more than Ryanair," he noted.
Where the competition does agree with O'Leary, however, is on the value of ancillary revenue streams to their future businesses and on the future of dynamic packaging - whereby passengers visiting an airline's website are given the option of booking car hire, hotel reservations and insurance as they make their flight reservations.
Technorati tag: Ryanair Airlines


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Distribution and outsourcing group Bunzl has acquired packaging provider Woodway UK for an undisclosed sum.
Woodway UK currently supports the e-commerce activities of customers operating in the UK's retail supplies sector.
The company had generated £31m in revenue over the year ending on 30 June 2016.
Woodway UK managing director Jason Inwood said: “We have seen significant growth in the last three years and we view this sale as essential to continue this rate of growth whilst still being able to enhance our customer proposition.
“We believe this sale adds value to all customers and suppliers.”
In 2014, the company purchased a dedicated warehouse for its online customers and opened a packaging innovation centre, where customers can try out the latest systems.
Last year, Woodway opened two more warehouses with an area of more than 150,000ft², taking its total to six.
Bunzl chief executive Frank van Zanten said: “In addition to supplying high quality packaging products, Woodway provides bespoke value-added services to its customers through a specialist technical services team who are able to work in collaboration with customers to offer a total solution for their packaging needs.
“This expertise will be invaluable as we look to expand and develop our retail supplies business in the UK.”
The company currently has business across 29 countries and four continents worldwide.
Image: Woodway UK's facility. Photo: courtesy of Woodway UK.


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Gulf Oil has partnered with Stuzo to relaunch its new program Gulf Pay.
“We’re excited to be partnered with Stuzo for the relaunch of Gulf Pay, including a robust loyalty offering and a more rewarding experience for the user,” said Nikki Fales, vice president, marketing and payments at Gulf Oil. “Our partnership with Stuzo sets the stage for future enhancements that will further benefit our network of Gulf distributors and dealers and their customers.”
Gulf Pay launched with a new everyday savings of three cents off per gallon of fuel for all program members who are fully enrolled and complete purchases using Gulf Pay as their payment method. New program members and those who migrate from Gulf’s previous app will enjoy a one-time rollback of 15 cents off per gallon of fuel when paying with the Gulf Pay web or iOS/Android mobile app experiences. Currently, all major network open loop cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay are supported for in-app payments, both at the pump and in-store.
“Our partnership with Stuzo is a game changer,” continued Fales. “With access to Stuzo’s Wallet Steering solution, we can better understand our consumers’ fuel purchasing behavior in a new way. Stuzo enables us to apply this data in real time to drive incremental fuel gallons by targeting consumers with hyper-personalized offers.”
Stuzo’s Wallet Steering product features and proprietary Wallet Steering method will enable Gulf to track its existing share of program member Wallet Capacity and programmatically capture its incremental Wallet Opportunity. Gulf will be able to grow its member base, grow member engagement rates, grow fuel and in-store transaction volume, grow basket size and increase its share of members’ fuel Wallets profitably and at scale across its entire network of distributors, dealers and consumers.
“Gulf is a well-respected fuel brand with an incredible 120-plus year heritage,” said Jake Kiser, chief customer officer, Stuzo. “We’re honored to support Gulf in its commitment to delivering exceptional customer service and quality fuels while strengthening the communities it touches. The relaunch of Gulf Pay is just the beginning of a multi-year journey Gulf and Stuzo have embarked on, with the goal of further improving how Gulf engages with its retailers, builds loyal relationships with its consumers and delivers greater business outcomes.”
Gulf Oil is a Massachusetts-based company fueling consumers through approximately 1,400 Gulf-branded locations across 36 states and Puerto Rico. The company also distributes unbranded products to 1,000 private-label locations nationwide.


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Apple To Make Suspect AirTags Alert You Sooner
With mounting reports of Apple’s AirTag device being used as a tool for stalking, including the situation where Sports Illustrated model Brooks Nader had one slipped into her jacket pocket at a bar, the company say they are going to improve safeguards against unwanted tracking, but it looks like they won’t come into effect until later this year.
Apple says users will be alerted sooner if an unknown AirTag is with them. They will also make it easier to find one nearby by “adjusting the tone sequence”, as well as guiding you directly to any suspect AirTag by using the ultrawideband chip available on newer model iPhones.
“AirTag was designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not to track people or another person’s property, and we condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products,” they say, acknowledging an increase of reports the product is being used for dodgy purposes.
They say they are working with the law on all AirTag-related requests.
In future software updates, there will be a new privacy warning when setting up an AirTag, warning that using it for unwanted tracking is a crime.
But realistically, did the warning about video piracy at the start of a rented movie ever really scare off anyone?


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Tax stamp on mobile phones hiked for use of Turkish state broadcaster
REUTERS photoThe tax stamp in Turkey has been hiked on mobile phone production and imports for allocation to the state broadcaster, the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), with 4 percent added to the existing 6 percent tax stamp fee.
The decision comes as part of an attempt to overcome a 47 percent loss in TRT’s revenue since July 1 due to a change in its energy sector allocations, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
According to the new regulation, published in the Official Gazette on Aug. 8, the tax stamp for an imported mobile phone worth 1,000 Turkish Liras has been increased from 38.4 Turkish Liras, special consumption taxes and value-added tax (VAT) included, to 63.9 liras.
The tax stamp for computers with tuners, meanwhile, was decreased from 3 percent to 2 percent.
No change was made for other electronic products.


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Forbes names seven Vietnamese billionaires on 2022 rankings
VOV.VN - Forbes has announced its list of 2,668 billionaires in the world in 2022, including seven Vietnamese executives.
The seven Vietnamese on the Forbes list of the richest individuals in the world are Vingroup Chairman Pham Nhat Vuong, VietJet Air CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, Hoa Phat Steel Chairman Tran Dinh Long, Techcombank Chairman Ho Hung Anh, Thaco Chairman Tran Ba Duong, Masan Chairman Nguyen Dang Quang and Nova Group Chairman Bui Thanh Nhon.
This is the first time Nova Group Chairman Bui Thanh Nhon has been named among the richest people in the world by Forbes with his net worth of US$2.9 billion, ranking 1,053rd worldwide. The other six were honoured last year.
Vingroup Chairman Pham Nhat Vuong, VietJet Air CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, and Hoa Phat Chairman Tran Dinh Long are among the 1,000 richest in the world.
The Vingroup executive has his net worth of US$6.2 billion, ranking 411th globally. This is his 10th year in a row he has been named as one of the richest people in the world. He was first honoured in 2013 with his net worth of US$1.5 billion.
This year there are 2,668 people on Forbes’ 36th-annual ranking of the planet’s richest people—87 fewer than a year ago. They’re worth a collective US$12.7 trillion, US$400 billion less than in 2021.
The richest person on the planet is Tesla CEO Elon Musk with a fortune of US$219 billion.


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It's clear that with unprecedented pressure on our natural resources and our climate, the world economy needs to "green up". I want UK businesses to be in the vanguard of that move. On Wednesday, I'll take my seat alongside British business leaders at the Aldersgate Rio +20 Business Summit where we'll debate the opportunities – and the challenges – of transforming our whole economy to one geared towards long-term green growth.
The shift to a green economy represents one of the biggest business opportunities in decades. Already, the global low-carbon market is worth more than £3 trillion, and is set to reach £4tn by 2015 as more economies invest in low-carbon technologies. In the UK, a sector still in relative infancy is worth over £116bn and employs almost a million people. I want to see that base grow.
To take just one aspect of the green economy, the need to manage things people no longer want is big business. The waste and recycling sector generates £11bn a year, employs more than 150,000 people, and consistently outstrips growth in other sectors.
And we need to focus on green growth because the price of inaction is too high. Business is constantly looking for ways to become more efficient – and the competitive gains for British companies' efficient use of resources such as water, energy and materials are enormous, with potential savings of about £23bn a year. Those who do not innovate and fund the efficiencies will not be able to compete.
We do not underestimate the challenges that we face in moving to a green economy – but at the same time we know that the price of inaction is too high. We often take our natural resources for granted but these are not inexhaustible, and demand is increasing. This is an economic issue, it's a development issue, and it requires global action.
Next month, I'm joining leaders in business, government and civil society from all over the world at the Rio+20 Earth Summit in Brazil. I'll be calling for an absolute commitment from my international colleagues to inclusive green growth as the path to shared prosperity. Governments need to create the framework for the private sector to act. We want an agreement to develop sustainable development goals that meet the linked challenges of food, energy and water security, we want a shift in the way we measure prosperity; with agreement to consider natural and social values alongside traditional measures of GDP. We agree with the British businesses who want the Rio summit to make corporate sustainability reporting the norm, rather than the exception, and will call for more businesses to commit to improving their sustainability.
At home, we're providing support to companies that are changing the way they do business. Our Green Economy Council brings together government, businesses and the third sector to help us create the right way to enable action from everyone – from government, businesses and consumers.
We in the government want to create an effective basis for the green economy, with policies that are helping growth and giving businesses the certainty to plan and invest. Where regulation is necessary, we'll ensure environmental laws are effective, proportionate, coherent and implemented in a way that uses a bit of common sense to minimise unnecessary burdens on business.
We've announced measures to help energy-intensive industries make the transition to a low-carbon economy. We've launched the world's first Green Investment Bank, confirmed in the Queen's speech, which will be capitalised with £3bn to help unlock private sector investment and tackle market failures. We're helping the businesses hardest hit by the transitional costs of moving to a green economy. And we're supporting innovation in low-carbon and water-saving technologies.
A thriving green economy will generate the investment and innovation to transform our products and services and capture new markets. As we rebuild the British economy, the case for green investment and green growth is compelling. To my mind, there is no other option.