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Kanye West and Kim Kardashian: Billionaires from a family of riches
COLORADO SPRINGS: Stop the presses! Kanye West, rapper-turned-sneaker-mogul, who’s married to Kim Kardashian, is a billionaire for the first time, according to Forbes Magazine this week. West made political waves by announcing his support for President Donald Trump. Mrs. West, aka Kim Kardashian, of social media fame, has dipped her well-pedicured toe into presidential politics as well. Kardashian successfully petitioning President Trump to free Alice Marie Johnson from prison and shining a light on unfair incarcerations with her Justice Project.
The political expansion of the Kim/Kanye empire has temporarily re-shifted our focus from the tabloid, fashion, social media activities for which they have become well known. They have been for years, after all, America’s guilty pleasure. We have followed these two creative business entrepreneurs throughout their very public lives, close to the Kardashian spotlight and the birth of each of their four children with unique names — sons Saint and Psalm, and daughters Chicago and North West.
Keeping up with the Kardashians
As nearly everyone who’s not been in a cave knows, the oft-maligned Armenian Kardashian clan is an example of pop culture writ large. The girls, particularly Kim, have elevated butt size to Olympian status. And the Kardashian family, led by “Momager,” Kris Kardashian, wife of the late Robert Kardashian (OJ Simpson’s attorney) has used pop culture as their own private piggy bank.
Their reality television series that first aired on October 14, 2007, is now shooting season 19. The show the start of the family’s climb to notoriety. The series focuses mainly on sisters Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe and their half-sisters Kendall and Kylie. It also features their parents Kris and Caitlyn (formerly Bruce) Jenner, and brother Rob. The significant others of the Kardashian sisters have also appeared on the show, including Kourtney’s ex-boyfriend Scott Disick.
Kim’s husband Kanye West, Khloe’s ex-husband Lamar Odom and others.
The ultra-wealthy Kardashian Klan
Each sister, Kourtney, Kim, Khloe, Kendell, and Kylie, is an entrepreneur. Kylie Jenner is a billionaire in her own right (Kylie Jenner Net Worth and How She Makes Her Money). Baby sister, Kylie, beat her brother in law, Kanye to the financial finish line with“Kylie Cosmetics.” Begun in 2016 she has turned her own brand into gold. In addition, she is the youngest teenager to reach billionaire status.
Kim Kardashian has the best face recognition and a net worth of around $350 million. (Kim Kardashian Net Worth). Her wealth, aside from her husband, Rapper Kanye West, comes from a variety of pursuits – cosmetics, fragrances, shapewear, and mobile apps. Like her siblings and mom, Kris, she also receives a salary from their show Keeping up with the Kardashians.
Kris Jenner and Khloé Kardashian are also extremely wealthy, with net worths of around $60 million and $40 million each. Kourtney Kardashian, the eldest sibling in the family, has a net worth of $35 million. Her riches thanks to her show appearances and her lifestyle website.
Model Kendall Jenner’s success as a model for top brands has made her wealthy as well, with a net worth of $30 million.
The Kardashians can come off as selfish twits with too much money and fame.
Yet still, we remain fascinated by them, with all their reality TV fights and comings together, with their elaborate Calabasas homes, and their forays into the worlds of high fashion in New York, Milan and Paris.
Why do we care? Why can’t we look away? The answer might lie in their contemporary evolution from popular family shows that aired in the fifties, such as “Leave it to Beaver,” “Father Knows Best,” “Ozzie and Harriet,” and “Sanford and Son.” Perhaps the Kardashian family show, “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” serves as a sort of bridge template between simpler times and the techno age we are now in.
Much like members of those earlier shows, the sisters are feisty, argumentative, loving, and familial. And like the early shows, their shows provide a release from our normal lives, a guilty pleasure. We follow them in their private jet as they travel to New York. Gain entry to annual charity events such as the Met Gala. And vacation on exotic, luxurious islands.
The Kardashians – just like us?
As those early shows offered Americans a sort of mirror into our own families, so too do the trials and daily-ness of the Kardashians’ lives reflect on today’s American culture. There is a core morality many may miss that lies beneath the glitz and glam of the clan. Because the family’s uniquely loving closeness runs counter to America’s current penchant for broken relationships.
They hold tightly to each other, even when misunderstandings and harsh words occur. In this age of the non-apology apology, the nation could stand to learn a thing or two about their ability to own their mistakes. Unlike most of the nation, they do not practice the non-apology apology: “I’m sorry if you were offended.”
Under the expert guidance of their mother Kris, the success of marketing the Kardashian brand has shown no bounds.
Their use of internet marketing, the TV show, and Armenian business savvy have played as big a role in their success, perhaps, as their personalities.
Alicia Nicol in an April 2018 article, “The Kardashians: Queens of Marketing and Social Media,” commented that
“When you think of a group of people who have seemed to master the every aspect of social media, only one clan comes to mind for me . . . The Kardashians.”
“It is evident that this family did not get their initial fame through social media, however it is worth recognizing the fact they have managed to stay relevant through their online presence. Each sister has taken their success and translated it into the means of businesses, lifestyle apps, brand deals and modeling.”
Nicol goes on to list the girls’ impressive numbers of followers.
- Kim, 110 million on Instagram and 59.9 million on Twitter
- Kourtney, 62 million on Instagram and 23.9 million on Twitter
- Khloe, 74.5 million on Instagram and 26.1 on Twitter
- Kendall Jenner, 89.5 on Instagram and 26.7 on twitter’
- Kylie Jenner, 106 million on Instagram and 25.3 million on Twitter
And that’s not all! Nicol continues:
“With a mix of brand deals and sponsored ads, the Kardashians make a ton of money by name dropping products and brands in their Instagram posts. In an article posted by Bazaar Magazine, it is noted that Kim makes about $500,000 per Instagram post, Kourtney and Khloe about $250,000 and the Jenner’s about $400,000 each. Also mentioned in the article, the girls primarily endorse products such as waist trainers and teeth whiteners.”
The Kardashians – keeping it cool, and relevant
So, as you can see, the Kardashians have found a way to stay relevant. Even as their audience has switched away from television and onto the internet. They’ve used multiple techniques to find, and retain success. However, it is their mastering of the concept of business intelligence and online visual marketing. All the sisters are considered online influencers. This brings them more money as they pitch their favorite, or best-paying, bits and bobs.
With their trademark thick black hair, tawny skin, and eyelashes to there, the Kardashians plus Kanye have carved out an empire to be admired. But at the same time, they have shown us family love, community good deeds. Along with a new-age-y morality some refuse to acknowledge.
For those who are Kardashian aficionados, there is an American coziness to them as they allow us into their busy lives.
And Kanye West, in an era of diminishing religiosity, has gone public about his faith in God and Christian beliefs.
Recently, he teamed up with Chick-Fil-A to provide 300,000 meals to vulnerable people during the coronavirus pandemic. The 42- year old rapper and the fast-food franchise have joined forces with the Los Angeles’ Dream Centre, a nonprofit Christian organization. Together they are providing around 11,000 meals a day to those in need in the Los Angeles area.
Now, that’s relevant. May this show-stopping family continue to reward us with their creativity and generous natures. May we continue to learn from them what it means to “be family.” The Kardashian clan is America’s template in these difficult, negative times.
Long may they reign!
Lead Image from Kanye West Instagram


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Lurgan man is new Four Star Pizza chief
LURGAN-born Colin Hughes has been appointed chief executive of Irish-owned pizza chain Four Star Pizza.
Operating from Dublin, he will be responsible for the leadership and strategic direction of the brand, overseeing all the chain's operations and developing and implementing business plans to maintain and grow its business in the Republic and Northern Ireland.
Colin previously held senior executive positions for numerous hospitality-based companies including Subway, Pret a Manger and Barburrito, as well as M&S.
A graduate of Queen's University with an Executive MBA from Cranfield University School of Management, he said: “I'm joining the Four Star Pizza business at an exciting time.
“This is a terrific opportunity to lead the brand to greater things, and we have ambitious growth plans to make this happen.”
Four Star Pizza Ireland opened its first store in Dublin in 1986, expanding to Belfast in 1999. Today it employs more than 1,000 people across 60 stores in Ireland, including 15 in the north.

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Game publisher Curve Games announced that it closed a deal to purchase independent game developer Fiddlesticks Games Limited for an undisclosed sum.
Fiddlesticks Games is the developer of the puzzle platform game Hue.
Under the terms of the agreement, Curve Games acquired all shares, intellectual property, rights, and assets associated with the Hue franchise.
With the purchase, Curve Games plans to add new features and, potentially, produce sequels for Fiddlesticks Games’ puzzle platformer Hue.
“Hue’s uniquely colorful take on the puzzle-platformer formula makes it a natural fit for our growing portfolio of quality indie games,” said John Clark, CEO of Curve Games. “Hue is one of our portfolio’s highest-rated titles and has been enjoyed by millions of gamers the world over. This acquisition will enable Curve to secure Hue’s future and continue serving the game’s growing community with added content and potential sequels.”
The Fiddlesticks Games purchase follows Curve Games’ recent string of acquisitions the company has made, including the purchase of Iron Oak Games, developer of For the King in 2020. Earlier, the publisher acquired Runner Duck, the creator of Bomber Crew, in 2019.
In other news, mobile game publisher and app marketing platform AppLovin has acquired the mobile word puzzle game Wordle! for an unknown amount.
Wordle! is a different game for iOS and Android and was developed by Steven Cravotta. So, don’t mix it up with Josh Wardle’s Wordle, which was bought by The New York Times for ‘low seven figures.’
Send your news to firstname.lastname@example.org


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Understanding the Challenges Faced by Apple’s Latest iPhone
In the fast-paced world of technology, every new release of a flagship device like the iPhone attracts significant attention and anticipation. The iPhone 15 Pro, despite its high expectations, seems to have encountered some issues that have raised questions among consumers and tech enthusiasts alike. This article dives deep into the various reasons behind the challenges faced by the iPhone 15 Pro, shedding light on the underlying causes.
1. The Bold Innovations
Significant Design Changes
First and foremost, it’s crucial to acknowledge that the iPhone 15 Pro introduced significant design changes compared to its predecessors. Innovations such as the removal of the charging port, which sparked controversy, and the addition of new features like a foldable display, have created challenges in terms of public acceptance and adaptation.
2. Supply Chain Constraints
A Key Player in the Troubles
One of the primary factors behind the troubles faced by the iPhone 15 Pro is the constraints within the supply chain. Instabilities in the supply of microprocessors and other components due to the global pandemic have disrupted production and led to delays in product launches.
3. Transition to New Operating System
Adapting to iOS 16
The adoption of iOS 16, with several changes in appearance and functionality, has presented challenges for users accustomed to the previous interface. The process of adaptation may be one of the reasons for initial discomfort.
4. Enhanced Security Measures
Stepping Up Data Protection
One of the selling points of the iPhone 15 Pro is its enhanced data protection. While this is a highly appreciated feature, some users may find it challenging to access or share their data, which was previously more straightforward.
5. Price Adjustments
The Decision-Making Factor
Changes in the pricing of the iPhone 15 Pro, especially for higher-capacity models, may have caused some potential buyers to hesitate. The high cost could be a significant deterrent for consumers.
6. Response to Initial Reviews
The Importance of Public Perception
The initial response of reviewers and early users to the iPhone 15 Pro can greatly impact public perception. Early criticism or reported issues by users can influence consumer confidence.
7. Evolving Technological Landscape
The iPhone 15 Pro faces competition from various other rapidly evolving technological products. The intense competition in the tech market means that the iPhone must continue to innovate to remain relevant.
8. Problem-Solving Approach
Finding Solutions in the Troubled Waters
Regardless of the reasons behind the challenges faced by the iPhone 15 Pro, it’s essential for both the manufacturer and users to focus on problem-solving. Mistakes and challenges are natural parts of technological advancement. Effective solutions will ensure that the iPhone 15 Pro can overcome its issues and remain one of the leading smartphones in the market.
Understanding Challenges and Opportunities
In conclusion, facing challenges is an inherent part of the development of cutting-edge technology products like the iPhone 15 Pro. By gaining a deep understanding of the reasons behind these hurdles, manufacturers can formulate effective solutions, while users can make informed decisions when dealing with potential challenges during the use of the product.
FAQs About the iPhone 15 Pro’s Troubles
1. Why doesn’t the iPhone 15 Pro have a charging port?
The removal of the charging port in the iPhone 15 Pro is a step towards full wireless charging. It represents a move towards a more environmentally friendly and practical charging solution.
2. Are there any significant operational issues with the iPhone 15 Pro?
As of now, there have been no widespread reports of significant operational issues. However, some users may encounter compatibility issues or initial discomfort with the design changes.
3. How can I adapt to iOS 16 if I find it challenging?
Adapting to iOS 16 may require some adjustment. You can follow tutorials and seek help from user communities to ease the transition.
4. What are the advantages of enhanced data protection in the iPhone 15 Pro?
Enhanced data protection ensures that your personal information remains secure and less susceptible to breaches or unauthorized access.
5. Is the iPhone 15 Pro worth buying despite the price adjustments?
Whether the iPhone 15 Pro is worth buying depends on individual needs and preferences. The device offers several innovative features, but potential buyers should consider their budget and priorities.
6. Can public perception influence the success of a new iPhone?
Yes, public perception can significantly impact the success of a new iPhone. Positive reviews and user experiences often contribute to higher consumer confidence and sales.


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May 16, 2013
Epom, the global ad serving and management solutions provider, revealed its first results since the mobile ad network division opening.
Apr 26, 2013
Epom, the international ad serving and ad management solutions provider, has today announced a significant customer win - Wooga, social network game and mobile developer located in Berlin, Germany.
Apr 17, 2013
Epom Ad Server made 13 bln impressions in 3Q 2012, and this number has grown further by 0.32 bln during 1Q 2013. The company expects its total traffic volumes to get at around 16 billion impressions by the end of this year.
Apr 10, 2013
Epom informed about an update to eCPM Optimization algorithms, feature that automatically prioritizes all advertising campaigns according to each campaign's performance.
Apr 10, 2013
Epom has presented 1Q, 2013 Epom UniMobile efficiency report. The released data cover the changes in publishers’ revenue, influenced by the implementation of UniMobile technology.
Apr 02, 2013
Today, Epom has informed about the upgrade of its email advertising solution, which is a high quality service offering agencies and advertisers a reach at the developed niche markets via a reliable...
Mar 04, 2013
An improved analytics solution provides detailed insights into the performance of ad campaigns, ad placements and banner sizes, records and simulates sales trends every 10 seconds
Feb 11, 2013
Epom, the global provider of ad serving technologies and owner of its own ad exchange marketplace Epom Market, significantly refined Epom Analytics, added Campaign Tracking and released UniMobile service for publishers.
Jan 30, 2013
Epom UniMobile technology enables users to run mobile ad campaigns on display websites, and earn from the mobile audience. Epom Market started to accept sites which are not optimized for mobile.
Jan 14, 2013
Epom, an international company, the leading developer of innovative technologies for ad serving and ad management, has reported the latest obtainment of a $ 1,2 million private pooling investment.


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NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Shop at the wrong Walgreens and you could end up paying significantly more than if you’d bought the exact same items at a store on the other side of town, a recent study found.
While some price variation occurs at Rite Aid and CVS, Walgreens was the worst offender, with a single item costing as much as 55% more depending on a store’s location, according to a study of 485 drugstore locations in New York, Los Angeles, Orange County, Calif., and Dallas-Forth Worth by the National Consumers League and labor union coalition Change to Win.
The study was based on the listed prices for a basket of 25 items, ranging from Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice to Huggies “Little Movers” diapers. Depending on the city, the chain was up to five times more likely to have store locations in the same market that charged different prices.
“It’s a wake-up call I think for consumers,” said Sally Greenberg, executive director of the National Consumers League “The expectation is that you’re going to have the same prices within a chain.”
In Dallas-Fort Worth, for example, Walgreens shoppers could pay $3 more for Folgers coffee depending on the location they chose or $3.50 extra for cold medication.
In New York City, a box of 10 Claritin allergy tablets cost anywhere from $10.49 to $15.99 depending on the Walgreens store. The same bottle of eye drops, meanwhile, cost $9.99 at a location in Queens and $15.49 a subway ride away on 57th street in Manhattan.
The differences can add up. The basket of 25 items cost $38 — or nearly 20% — more at a Walgreens’ flagship in New York City than it typically cost at other nearby locations.
Walgreens spokesman Jim Graham said in a statement that the store’s prices reflect the company’s cost of doing business in different neighborhoods.
“Costs can vary from one location to another, even when they are a few blocks apart in dense urban areas, based on the store’s cost of real estate, its hours of operation including whether it is open 24 hours, labor costs and the number of customers it serves each day, among other factors,” he said.
Price ranges of at least 20% were found among products at CVS stores, but such large price disparities were much less frequent than at Walgreens. At Rite Aid, “virtually no products” had that large of a price difference, according to the study.
CVS said that prices may vary at different stores based on local competition and other operational factors. Rite Aid did not respond to requests for comment.
To conduct the study, researchers checked prices at Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid stores in New York City, Los Angeles and Orange County and Walgreens and CVS stores in Dallas-Forth Worth. There are no Rite Aid stores in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Want to find the store with the best prices? Follow these tips from the National Consumers League.
Ask about price matching: While they won’t be able to match online prices, managers are often able to match prices from other store locations of the same chain.
Shop around: Keep track of prices of your drugstore staples at different chains and locations.
™ & © 2013 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.


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Mobile shopping in Austria has increased by 40%
Shopping online using a smartphone is becoming increasingly popular in Austria. Although the amount of online sales that happen via mcommerce is still low, the growth rate increases rapidly. Mobile shopping in Austria has grown by 40% in 2015 compared to last year.
The fact that the smartphone is slowly replacing the computer as the device from which consumers purchase their products and services online is shown by a study [pdf] conducted by KMU Forschung Austria on behalf of retail association Handelsverband.
“For us, the smartphone is a magic wand to more sales and profits! This is impressively demonstrated by our brand new study on consumer behavior in distance selling in 2015”, says Harald Gutschi, spokesman for the Unito/Otto Group and Head of the “Mail order and ecommerce” division of the Austrian trade association. The study surveyed about 2,000 Austrians aged 15 years and older from May 2014 to last April.
1 million mobile shoppers in Austria
The study shows that during the aforementioned period, 14% of the Austrians have at least once shopped online with their smartphone, while this percentage was 9% last year. So, compared to last year the number of smartphone shoppers has rose by 60% to 1 million Austrians.
But it’s not only the number of mobile shoppers that have increased rapidly, also the expenditure has developed dynamically. With an increase of 40% (or 100 million euros), consumers spent 350 million euros online using their mobile phone this year. Especially the product category consisting of clothing is growing rapidly among mobile shoppers.
The youngest group of buyers (15-29 years) are the pioneers when it comes to shopping online using a smartphone. And the proportion of distance selling expenses in the non-food sector already amounts to about 16%, the study shows. “This means that already one in six euros is spent online, while in the clothing sector it’s one in five, and in the books and electronics sectors it’s even one in three.”
Distance selling revenue: €7.1 billion
Due to the increasing number of buyers the total expenditure in distance selling have increased by 3% or 200 million euros during the analysis period in 2015. Distance selling revenue got to a record high of 7.1 billion euros. “The group of 50-to-59-year-olds are mainly responsible for this growth. They have discovered that distance selling is an adequate form of shopping for them”, Rainer Will, managing director of the trade association, says.


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Hello and welcome to the details of Shanghai Disneyland closes over China virus concerns and now with the details
SHANGHAI, Jan 24 — Shanghai Disneyland will close until further notice this weekend due to a deadly virus outbreak that has infected hundreds of people in China, the amusement park said today.
The closure comes as China entered its nearly week-long Lunar New Year holiday, and the home of Mickey Mouse had prepared special “Year of the Mouse” celebrations for its guests.
But the park and resort said on its website it would temporarily close from tomorrow “in response to the prevention and control of the disease outbreak and in order to ensure the health and safety” of its guests and staff.
“We will continue to carefully monitor the situation and be in close contact with the local government, and we will announce the reopening date upon confirmation,” it said, adding that guests who had purchased tickets or booked a resort hotel would be reimbursed.
The entertainment conglomerate opened its US$5.5 billion (RM22.4 billion) theme park in Shanghai in June 2016, Disney’s sixth amusement park and third in Asia. — AFP
These were the details of the news Shanghai Disneyland closes over China virus concerns for this day. We hope that we have succeeded by giving you the full details and information. To follow all our news, you can subscribe to the alerts system or to one of our different systems to provide you with all that is new.
It is also worth noting that the original news has been published and is available at Malay Mail and the editorial team at AlKhaleej Today has confirmed it and it has been modified, and it may have been completely transferred or quoted from it and you can read and follow this news from its main source.


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If You Know a Family in Need, WBKR/WOMI is Now Accepting Christmas Wish Letters for 2021
This year marks a huge milestone for WBKR's Christmas Wish program. We turn 45-years-old this year and continue to take immense pride in our program's history of making sure that every child in the tri-state gets a visit from Santa on Christmas.
Last year, Christmas Wish had its busiest season ever. We anticipated, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, subsequent shutdowns and layoffs, rising unemployment rates in our area, and expected financial impacts of the virus, that 2020 was going to be our busiest year ever. It was. Without a doubt.
However, with the help of our community, a devoted legion of volunteers, and the heart of Barb Birgy (who serves as Christmas Wish's Executive Director), we were able to provide Christmas for 7,404 children in the WBKR listening area. Not only did they receive presents under the tree, their families were also granted Christmas dinners. All in all, Christmas Wish was able to help Santa Claus with over 30,000 gifts.
Because we are still in the process of rebounding from the impacts of COVID-19 and its effects on our economy and local families, we're anticipating another incredibly challenging year. To get ahead of the game, we're beginning the process of accepting Christmas Wish letters now.
Yes! 'Tis the season for Christmas Wish and it's now officially time to start submitting your Christmas Wish letters. If you know a family in need this holiday season, please let us know how Christmas Wish can assist them. As you know, our focus is on children and helping them in any way we can.
You can write a Christmas Wish letter and mail it to . . .
3301 Frederica Street
Owensboro, KY 42301
Or you can fill out the form on WBKR and submit your letter electronically. Either way, it's vitally important that you provide us as much information about the family as possible- why they need the assistance of the Christmas Wish program, the names of their children, their ages, the schools they attend, what they're asking Santa for this Christmas and what they truly need.
And, some additional exciting news. The WBKR/WOMI Christmas Wish office will have a brand new home this year. We will be located in the former Shoe Stop/Halloween Havoc location at Towne Square North here in Owensboro. Stay tuned for additional details on when the office will be open and how you can help Christmas Wish make Christmas "merry and bright" for kids around the tristate.


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The Wall highway Journal
Instacart says it allows for supermarkets to develop e-commerce without needing to build their own infrastructure, however some customers say the fees charged retailers are too high and that they expect them to go better. Grocers additionally find that Instacart is in control of the consumer relationship.
more RETAIL news HEADLINES…
check out RetailWire’s enticing online Discussions featuring Our unique Braintrust!


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The BBC admits the silver Tesla Roadster driven by Jeremy Clarkson on this past weekend's episode of Top Gear didn't run out of electricity and didn't need to be pushed back to the garage.
You remember last week's episode of Top Gear where Jeremy Clarkson drove the Tesla Roadster around the Top Gear track? Remember how in that episode, a silver Tesla being tested was shown taking a dump on the track after a mere 55 miles? You also remember Tesla's Rachel Konrad claiming Top Gear was the only entity taking a dump on the track, saying "They never had to push a car off the track because of lack of charge or a fault...It's unclear why they were pushing one into a garage in the video; I'll refrain from speculating about their motives."? Well, now the UK Register Hardware's found out what happened. Here's what they have to say:
According to the Top Gear spokeswoman, the tested Tesla was filmed being pushed into the shed in order to show what would happen if the Roadster had run out of charge.
"Top Gear stands by the findings in this film and is content that it offers a fair representation of the Tesla's performance on the day it was tested," the BBC said in statement."
Hmm, sounds like some motoring show won't be on this year's Tesla holiday card list. [via The Reigster]


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Now in its 87th year, the Geneva motor show is one of the oldest, most prestigious and one the widely covered events on the global automotive calendar. Most major car markers use it as an event to showcase latest mainstream models, tech and also some of the finest supercars. On March 9th when it opens we should expect no less. Here’s a preview of some of the most awaited cars to be unveiled at the Palexpo.
Ferrari 812 Superfast
Pictures of this one are already setting the net on fire. The 812 Superfast is Ferrari’s most powerful series production model yet and will be showcased to the public and press for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show. Ferrari’s latest supercar is actually a significantly upgraded version of the F12 Berlinetta. It is rumoured to be the last Ferrari supercar to use a naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12 engine and will introduce a new chassis technology.
Jaguar XF Sportbrake
The Jaguar XF Sportbrake will be showcased for the first time after the UK based carmaker confirmed its launch at the Paris motor show last year. The Sportbrake is an estate version of the new XF with which it will share engines as well, a 2.0-litre diesel and a 3.0-litre V6 in petrol and diesel.
The Picanto wil be Kia’s smallest car and will feature a fresh look, more premium interiors and various tech features. Kia will also offer the Picanto in a sporty GT-Line trim.
Range Rover Velar
Range Rover is betting big once again with it’s all new mid-sized SUV-coupé the Velar. To be positioned between the Evoque and the Range Rover Sport it promises to be the most radical-looking Range Rover yet.With the Velar, Land Rover is looking to fight the Porsche Macan, BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupé.
Lamborghini Huracán Performante
The Sant'Agata based supercarmaker will showcase its Huracán sportscar in a bantam weight version. The Performante variant will accelerate faster to 100 kph and have a higher top speed. It is expected in both Coupé and Spyder variants.
The McLaren P14 will replace the 650S sportscar and will be unveiled at Geneva. The P14 is an evolution of the car it is replacing and is expected to get a great deal more power.
Mercedes-AMG G65 4x4² Landaulet
G65 4x4² Landaulet is the final model on the current G-class platform and is expected to be replaced by a heavily updated model in international markets later this year. This limousine-cum-off-roader is powered by a 630hp twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre V12.
Mercedes-AMG E 63 Estate
The E63 Estate in ‘S’ trim hits hundred in 3.5 secs making it the world’s quickest station wagon. This makes in only 01. secs slower than its saloon sibling, but 0.2 secs faster than its closet station wagon rival the Audi RS6 Avant.
Pagani Huayra Roadster
Pagani Huayra will be shown too, but in roadster guise this time. Interestingly, this roadster is 80 kgs lighter than the hard top. It will be powered by a Mercedes-AMG M158 twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre V12, reworked to produce a peak output of 764hp.
Porsche 911 GT3 facelift
Porsche will launch a facelifted GT3, a high-performance variant of the 911 sportscar. It continues with the current 3.8 litre naturally aspirated engine but will also offer an optional manual gearbox.
Pininfarina Fittipaldi EF7 Vision Gran Turismo
Has been developed in conjunction with two-time F1 champ and Indy 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi. This track special model is expected to be powered by a 600hp naturally powered V8. Will be available as a download on Sony’s playstation game Gran Turismo.
To be unveiled at Geneva and will go on sale in international markets in July. It will be followed by the Arona small SUV later in the year.
2017 Suzuki Swift
The new European spec Suzuki Swift’s motor show debut will take place at Geneva. A hybrid powertrain is amongst the many options expected to make it to Europe.
The Eclipse is a potential game changer for Mitsubishi which is now under Renault-Nissan management. The vehicle’s looks have been derived from Mitsubishi’s XR-PHEV concept car, first showcased in 2013.
A supercar from Chinese EV company Techrules, the GT96 is expected to be launched. This car features an innovative turbine-recharging EV hybrid which was previewed at last year’s show. Power output for the concept is pegged at 1,044hp, with 0-100kph coming in 2.5sec and a 349kph top speed. It will have an electric-only range of 150km and a total range of 1,931km.
Toyota Yaris hot hatch
The performance version of Toyota’s Yaris will be showcased at Geneva for the first time. The exact name has not been revealed yet but it is expected to be named after Toyota’s motorsport outfit Gazoo, which is racing the Yaris in WRC this year and has already chalked up its first win. It’s already confirmed to offer more than 213hp on tap.
Volvo will showcase its new generation XC60 small SUV in Geneva this year. Spy shots indicate that it is likely to draw quite heavily from its XC90 sibling. It will compete with the Audi Q5, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Mercedes GLC and BMW X3
Volkswagen will replace its Passat based CC 4 door with the brand new Arteon. VW wants to move the car away from its Passat roots with the new name but continues with the coupe-like styling of its predecessor. There are rumours of a sporty estate variant as well.
Based on the T-Roc concept first showcased at the 2014 Geneva motor show, Volkswagen is expected to launch a new small SUV with the same name. It will be interesting to see how different the final SUV will be from the original concept.
Alpine will showcase for the first time, the production ready version of its A120 sportscar. Alpine is a French sportscar brand owned by Renault.
Citroën C3 Picasso
The Picasso is a name reserved for an MPV variant in the Citroën lineup and the brand will launch the replacement for the C3 Picasso at Geneva this year. Alongside will be its sister car, the Vauxhall Crossland. Both share platforms and engines. Citroën parent company PSA group is currently in talks with GM to purchase the Vauxhall and Opel brands.
Dendrobium electric hypercar
Another super exotic hypercar and for the first time from Singapore. The Dendrobium electric hypercar was developed in collaboration with Williams F1 tech. Although details are scarce, it is expected to face-off with the AM-RB 001 and Mercedes-AMG Project One hypercars, when released you can expect it to be built in miniscule numbers.
Nissan Qashqai facelift
Nissan will launch the facelift of its popular Qashqai SUV and will be equipped with Nissan's latest single-lane autonomous tech, named ProPilot. To take on premium SUVs like the Q3, the Qashqai is expected to feature a new premium trim called Tekna+.
Vauxhall Crossland X
Opel/Vauxhall are expected to showcase their new SUV, the Crossland X. It will share a platform with the Citroën C3 Picasso (refer above).
Based on Subaru’s new global platform, the second-generation Subaru XV small SUV is to be launched at Geneva. It will continue to feature Subaru’s signature boxer engines mounted in a way that's said to reduce vibration.
Zenvo TS1 GT anniversary model
Danish supercar maker Zenvo will launch an anniversary version of its TS1 GT hypercar in Geneva commemorating its 10th anniversary. This hypercar is powered by a twin-supercharged 5.8-litre V8 that produces more than 1,166hp.


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The king of compact cars has another impressive jewel in its crown, as editors at website Hybrid Cars managed to juice 68.7 MPG out of the 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid on a ten-mile test course. The car's fuel economy is officially rated at 44/44/44 city/highway/combined miles-per-gallon. So what funky feat of driving allowed this amped up gas mileage?
We're all aware that Toyota's dominance in the hybrid segment is unmatched, but if a report posted in the Wall Street Journal turns out to be true, then we should expect the gas-electric champ to further bolster its industry-leading lineup with the addition of two new variants of the best-selling Prius by the end of 2012. Apparently, two dealers on hand at a conference in Las Vegas revealed Toyota's future hybrid plans.
It's now been just over a decade since the first hybrids, the original Honda Insight and Toyota Prius, were introduced. After a slow start, rising fuel costs caused consumer interest to take off mid-decade. Today, most consumers have some idea of what a hybrid is, but many are unaware that hybrid systems from competing manufacturers have entirely different hardware and function in dramatically dissimilar ways. That's why, for instance, you can't drive a Honda Civic hybrid on electric power alone
Take the internal combustion engine and computer-controlled automatic transmission that can be found in just about every single automobile sold in the past 50 years, add a complex electric motor, high-tech battery pack and a bunch more electronics to make them all play nicely together... and you've got a hybrid. When viewed in this manner, it comes as little surprise that repair costs might be a wee bit higher for a hybrid vehicle than for its conventional siblings ($182 on average higher, for w
- Most and least efficient car companies
- Fastest-depreciating cars in the United States
- Find and compare 2017 Models


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For 10-plus years, electric vehicle owners enjoyed a perk at LAX airport: free parking.
But starting on March 1,2013, electric vehicle owners will be treated no differently than others as free parking will come to an end.
Unlike Monopoly, there's soon to be no free parking at LAX.
The city of Los Angeles cites financial hardship as the reason for which it will make the change and points out that if all the free parking spaces at LAX were occupied, the airport could lose a staggering $120,000 per day or up to $44 million annually.
LAX is announcing the change in two ways: by leaving notices on vehicles parked in the now-fee-free spaces and by posting on its website.
The story behind the story here is that plug-in vehicles have become commonplace in Los Angeles. And what was once a perk for a few individuals is now openly used by thousands per year. LAX can no longer sustain fee-free parking at today's volume of plug-in vehicles in the Los Angeles area.
Will disappearing incentives and perks become the norm as adoption of plug-in vehicles grows? We think so.


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It's nice to hear about things like this:
WASHINGTON, D.C. -The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced today that Chairman Ann Brown has awarded the Chairman's Commendation to Williams-Sonoma Inc., of San Francisco, Calif. This award commends Williams-Sonoma for leading the way on recall effectiveness in an electronic era.
CPSC recognized Williams-Sonoma for its innovative and effective actions in making the recall of a portable gas grill more than 99 percent successful. The company achieved this outstanding result through a willingness to try a new approach: using their own electronic credit card records and working with bank credit card companies to identify purchasers of the grills, and notifying customers of the recall individually. The company also provided each consumer with a $50 gift certificate, in addition to a full refund for the grill.
According to CPSC's 1998 Resident Fire Loss Estimates, on average there are about 600 fires and 30 consumer injuries per year, associated with outdoor gas grills.
"CPSC has long sought ways to improve recall effectiveness. Williams-Sonoma's creative use of its customer database shows that companies can find new ways to make recalls more effective," said Chairman Brown. "Williams-Sonoma has demonstrated their commitment to consumer safety, by ensuring that customers were properly notified of a dangerous recalled product."
"Customers are the most important asset Williams-Sonoma has as a company, and customer safety and service has always been our very top priority," stated Williams-Sonoma Inc. Chairman Howard Lester. "We are pleased to have so effectively notified our customers about this recall, and are greatly honored to be recognized by the CPSC for our
Other recipients of the Chairman's Commendation have included: Lowe's Companies Inc. and Lowe's Home Safety Council; Toys "R" Us; Procter & Gamble; Sunbeam Plastics; Playskool, a division of Hasbro Inc.; Rollerblade Inc.; the International Inline Skating Association; the Whirlpool Corp.; the American Furniture Manufacturers Association; Face Guards Inc.; the Rogers Sports Corp.; the Safe Strap Company Inc.; the city of Pittsburgh; the state of Colorado; the National SAFE KIDS Campaign; the American Water Heater Company Kaboom!; and SawStop LLC.
Chairman Brown initiated the commendation program to recognize substantial contributions to product safety by individuals, companies, or groups for one-time, ongoing, or multiple actions. She considers the following factors in choosing award recipients:
* Actions that contribute to reducing hazards to children and other vulnerable populations;
* Voluntary actions that are not mandated by government regulations, that anticipate government regulation, or that go beyond what the government requires;
* Developments that affect the safety of large numbers of individuals;
* Innovations or improvements to existing products; and
* Safety devices, packaging, warnings, or products which enhance consumer safety.
[This message has been edited by Bill Addiss (edited 10-17-2001).]


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Google is the most significant web space provider in the world. With that said, today Google is celebrating 20 years since its launch day. Since then, the company evolved as a manufacturer of smartphones, home & entertainment systems. Now to celebrate this glorious day in the history of Google, the company is giving 20% off deal on select products on its website.
Well, looking at the discounts, the Google Pixel 2 and Google Pixel 2 XL are down to £503.20 and £639.20, respectively instead of the usual price tags of £629 and £799. For the products relating to your smart home, the Home Mini is now £39.20, the regular Home is £103.20, while the Home Max is not discounted. The Google WiFi router is now just £103.20, while the Chromecast Ultra is the only one of the streaming devices that is 20% off of its original price.
Google also issued “20 years with Google” that mimics various trends over the years. These include aspects about the keywords that include people, objects, movies, etc.. For example, “Ronaldinho Chelsea” came out of nowhere in 2007 to claim the 5th spot in the Top queries for Ronaldinho, then vanishing into obscurity.


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LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)- During the stay at home order, home improvement projects became a popular way for people to spend their time. In this Always Together, Always Local we feature Best Window and Door who say their support from the community has been overwhelming since they opened back up. Like many businesses, Best and Door stopped operations in late March.
"The negative part was we shut down on March 24th with a pretty good size backlog," said Merle Kenworthy the owner of Best Window and Door.
Since they have opened, that back-log has grown since more people were spending time at home.
"During that time a lot of people were home and were looking at their windows and doors and siding and we have been overwhelmed with business since we came back May the 4th," added Kenworth
With the influx in business, the company has been taking extra precautions when interacting with their customers.
"We are doing it strictly on the computer and on the phone,” said Kenworthy. “We aren't really coming in contact with customers which is kind of hard for us because we always built a relationship as part of the deal. We still have a relationship but it's different."
Even though their relationship has changed with customers, the company says the greater Lafayette community has still been supportive.
"Everybody stuck with us,” said Kenworthy. “We had right at 24 jobs when we shut down and I only had one customer call and say hey I'd like my deposit back. So the community stuck with us and I appreciate that and maybe that's why I have stayed in Lafayette all my life."
Which is why even Best Window and Door is making a bigger effort to shop local.
"We got take care of our own it will branch out, outside of our community also but the majority of it needs to stay here with us," added Kenworthy.
For more information on the services, Best Window and Door has to offer click here. If you would like to see a business featured in our Always Together, Always Local segment send us an email with a suggestion.


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Owner of 'Twice Upon a Time' says electronic readers are the chief reason people have stopped buying books.
MIDDLEBORO – When Kim McCormack opened her used bookstore “Twice Upon a Time,” she couldn’t keep James Patterson novels on the shelf.
Lee Child and Janet Evanovich flew off as well.
But that was 10 years ago.
Today, other than a few best-sellers, the books are gathering dust on the shelves. That’s why McCormack is closing shop on Wednesday, Feb. 26.
McCormack blames the advent of electronic readers – such as iPads, Kindles and Nooks – for the growing trend of paperless reading.
“I believe in 20 years they will stop printing books,” McCormack said. “They will still publish books, but it will be electronically.”
McCormack is not alone.
Judith Plentus, owner of the landmark Maria’s Hallmark Shop in the downtown area, has trimmed back her selection to local authors and children’s books, and a few mass-market best-selling paperbacks.
Danielle Bower, director of the public library, has seen a decline in book circulation as well, but conversely hasn’t seen much of a boom in the use of electronic material.
“Our e-book collection can’t match the print collection,” Bowker said. “We can’t give people what they want in e-books.”
Bowker said publishers are tightfisted with electronic material: they charge libraries premium rates, limit the number of reads per item, and sometimes even limit the length of ownership.
“One would think a digital copy would be less, but they’re not that much cheaper,” Bowker said.
So just who is using electronic readers? According to a 2014 report entitled “E-Reading Rises as Device Ownership Jumps” by the Pew Research Center, the majority are older, college-educated women, who make $75,000 or more annually.
The report found those who have taken the plunge into e-books stand out in almost every way from other kinds of readers. They are voracious readers, they read more books than other readers, they read more frequently and they consume books in all formats, including print and audio.
The study found people turn to e-books when they want speedy access and portability, but print still wins out when reading to children.
Bowker said e-books have their place, but can’t compare to the sensation of picking up a book.
“When you hold a book, there’s the weight, the feel, the smell,” Bowker said. “Of my four children, my youngest is the most voracious reader, but she won’t read on a device because it’s not the same.”
E-books could soon replace reference materials and open rows of space in libraries.
“We haven’t purchased law books in years,” Bowker said.
The Middleboro Library does not offer the Code of Massachusetts Regulations in hard copy.
“Now it’s online,” Bowker said.
Bowker doesn’t fear libraries will close their doors soon.
“There are enough people to keep libraries in business. They want to read everything they can get their hands on.”
But Bowker said she isn’t surprised the used bookseller is closing.
“If someplace like Borders couldn’t sustain, how could a small bookseller?”
McCormack said the book business gave her the chance to pursue “the love of my life.”
The Freetown resident looks back on her run in Middleboro with affection.
“I’ve made a lot of friends over the years. We shared something in common, We all were book lovers,” she said.
Now, McCormack is polishing off her resume for the job market and looking for a home for the books she didn’t sell. Some will be sold as a lot; others will be donated to nursing homes.
None will be thrown out.
“My God, no, that’s a sacrilege. I would never do that,” she said.


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Lavergne Group contributes to R&D venture
Canadian PlasticsCanadian Plastics
Quebec compounder Lavergne Group is donating space for a research and development lab at its Anjou, QC, facilities,...
Quebec compounder Lavergne Group is donating space for a research and development lab at its Anjou, QC, facilities, as a joint venture with Ecole Polytechnique, a Montreal university. The lab will include a five-layer film and sheet extrusion line.
Lavergne Group president Jean-Luc Lavergne says the advanced equipment in lab will allow the company to further the R&D that has been a priority in the last few years.
By making a concerted effort to improve raw material properties through compounding and to guarantee product consistency, Lavergne Group has evolved from its original role as a recycler to a supplier of engineering resins. That division of the company is now known as the Lavergne Performance Compound (LPC) division. It handles PET, polyamide, polypropylene, TPO, polycarbonate, TPE and alloys.
"We’ve put in a lot of automation and greatly increased our capacity," said Lavergne during an interview at NPE. "Now, three years after we began to produce more highly engineered products, the products have proven themselves." The "regenerated" resins have found use in many automotive applications, including a very stringent tail lamp application.
The company’s Petco division manufacturers recycled PET sheet products.


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Hot cross buns are in hot demand in the lead-up to the Easter break.
Yesterday’s call for 800 hot cross buns at Bakers Delight, Kawana Shoppingworld, was nothing compared to the expected 6500 to 8000 to come out of the ovens on Thursday.
Franchisee Ryan Kirkham called the day before Good Friday a baker’s busiest day of the year.
â€œChristmas is just a bit behind,â€ he said.
â€œWe will do about a week’s trade in a day on Thursday.â€
Despite the emergence of new flavours chocolate and mocha in the past few years, Mr Kirkham said customers were keen to buy the traditional fruit hot cross buns. Read on.
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Apple has created a new marketing executive position that will be filled by Nick Law, a veteran in the creative industry. Law will join Apple as its vice president of marketing communications integration, or “marcom.”
As reported by AdWeek, Law will be tasked with leading Apple’s digital-first approach among its marketing and communication teams. He’ll play a role in TV, retail, digital ads, and media strategy, Apple confirmed.
Law has a storied career in the creative advertising industry, spending 17 years at the agency R/GA and a year at agency holding company Publicis as its COO.
Apple tapped Law based on his role as one of the industry’s leading innovators when it comes to connecting with customers across a range of digital platforms in ways that feel native and relevant, according to the brand. At R/GA, Law and his teams received global praise for projects that redefined the potential of what an agency could create for its clients, such as the Nike+ platform and Fuelband integration, which won the Cannes Lions Titanium Grand Prix in 2012.
At Apple, Law will report to Tor Myhren, Apple’s VP of marketing communications. In a memo to his Publicis colleagues, Law said working with Apple is a once in a lifetime opportunity:
Not only have I enjoyed my time at Publicis, I’ve been energized by the ambition and relentless transformation of the Groupe. Publicis has the right plan, right model and the right people to solve the big challenges clients are facing. I wish I could continue to be a part of the journey—but the once in a lifetime opportunity to work with a brand I’ve admired my whole life was too good to ignore.
Read the full report from AdWeek here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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FX & CFD trading involves significant risk
European stocks were little changed, with the Stoxx Europe 600 Index heading for a weekly advance, as companies from Kering SA to Renault SA reported quarterly sales that missed projections, offsetting gains in BASF SE. U.S. index futures were little changed, while Asian shares fell.
U.S. data today may show orders for durable goods increased 2.3 percent in September after a 0.1 percent gain in the prior month, according to the median estimate before a Commerce Department report at 8:30 a.m. in Washington.
Kering dropped 2.1 percent to 169 euros after the luxury-goods maker said third-quarter sales from continuing operations fell to 2.52 billion euros ($3.48 billion). Analysts predicted 2.55 billion euros, according to the median estimate compiled by Bloomberg. Gucci’s sales rose 0.6 percent, less than projections for 2.1 percent growth, and the weakest performance since the third quarter of 2009.
Renault declined 2.7 percent to 66.40 euros. Sales fell 3.2 percent to 8 billion euros from a restated 8.26 billion euros a year earlier, the Boulogne-Billancourt, France-based company said late yesterday. Revenue was less than the 8.5 billion-euro average of six analyst estimates.
BASF, the world’s largest chemical maker, rose 1.6 percent to 75.39 euros. Third-quarter Ebit excluding one-time items jumped 15 percent to 1.69 billion euros, beating the average analyst estimate of 1.62 billion euros, according to a statement today.
FTSE 100 6,720.51 +7.33 +0.11%
CAC 40 4,270.87 -4.82 -0.11%
DAX 8,980.01 -0.62 -0.01%
|remaining time till the new event being published|
All posted material is a marketing communication solely for informational purposes and reliance on this may lead to loss. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Please read our full disclaimer.


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This bit comes from The Founder over at Tribble, a dude who knows way more about SEO/SEM than anyone I know. Rather than rehash, I’ll copy and paste. But you’ve gotta see the comments left by W+K enthusiasts.
Wieden + Kennedy lost a $1.74 billion dollar account last year over lack of SEO and Digital:
We have no idea how we missed this one… pretty amazing to see the then $1.74 billion Nike account go because W+K didn’t know how Google worked… and didn’t spend a few million buying a strong SEO / Digital firm to save the staggering $1.74 billion dollar account. A Few Million to save 2 Billion.. a monkey could of made the proper decision… hopefully they will learn… but we have yet to see any news regarding them purchasing an SEO firm to save accounts like this or obtain new business.
Crispin picked up Nike’s running and Nike+ business last April, after sources said the client grew frustrated with the digital capabilities of its longtime agency partner, Wieden + Kennedy
They’ll learn one day… or a new breed of firms will teach them.
$1.7 billion. That’s at a lot of zeros, literally, for W+K. At least they got their act together. But did they save face? Methinks, kinda. Click here to see the action…in action.


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Internal Sina.com Email Forecasts Web Portal Operations
An internal email from Chinese Web portal Sina.com has revealed structural changes at the company, including the establishment of a portal technology department.
According to reports in Chinese local media, the email was sent by Cao Guowei, chief executive officer of Sina.com. Cao said that the company will establish a new portal technology department, which is responsible for portal products development and technical support and the new department will be led by Ji Xu, vice president of Sina.com. Sina’s mobile website and news-related mobile client products, which were formerly under the wireless business department, and related technical teams will be integrated into the new portal technology department.
The company’s video and blog products, which were formerly under the product business department, and related technical teams will be integrated into the portal sector. Chen Tong, executive vice president of Sina.com, will continue to be in charge of portal operations.
For the microblog sector, the mobile microblog product previously under the company’s wireless business department and former microblog commercial products will be integrated into a Weibo microblog business department, led by Wang Gaofei, vice president of the company. The former music business department and microblog-related projects previously under the product business department will also be integrated into the microblog business department. In addition, an independent social media microblog open platform unit will be established.
Cao said that at present, the departments of the company have started a strategy analysis and business planning for 2013 based on the new structure. During this process, some departments will expect minor adjustments. At the same time, the structure of the back-end supporting departments of the company will be adjusted accordingly.


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|Last 7 Days News :
Friday, February 21, 2014
AMD APUs Go Mobile At MWC
AMD is set to showcase a set of products powered by its 2014 sereis of AMD A-Series Accelerated Processing Units, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
2014 marks the introduction of AMD's most advanced AMD A-Series Accelerated Processing Units (APUs). AMD hopes that these new processors would reestablish performance expectations while increase mobility with enhanced power efficiency.
Due the first half of this year, the new low-power platforms, codenamed "Mullins" and "Beema," pack AMD Radeon graphics performance and multi-core computing into new client devices such as tablets, 2-in-1s and small form factor notebooks. The new performance platform, codenamed "Kaveri" will deliver up to 12 compute cores (4 CPU cores, 8 GPU cores) and touts HSA features for speed and performance for ultrathin notebooks.
"Mullins" will be built on the 28nm process and contain between 2 and 4 'Puma' CPU cores, GCN graphics, and an AMD ARM backed security processor. The SoC, with an approximate SDP of 2W will be a powerhouse within fanless mobile gadgets
You can expect to see these new APUs in a variety of elegant form factors at MWC, before their official release by manufacturers this summer.
Among other products on display, there will be "Mullins" APU-powered Nano PCs. AMD will be also showing off at the show its Project Discovery PC gaming and productivity tablet, as well as tablets and 2-in-1 notebooks supporting natural user interfaces like gesture control, facial login, and more.
Adobe, Bluestacks, eyeSight, Microsoft, AMD's ARM TrustZone partners will also showcase software solutions optimized for the APU-powered devices.


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HONOLULULU (KHON2) — Thousands of Hawaii seniors will be graduating soon and the celebrations will almost mirror those pre-pandemic. But it may be harder and cost more to get some things this year.
For the first time in two years, Hawaii high school seniors will be celebrating one of the biggest milestones in their lives with fewer restrictions.
Lahainaluna High School Senior Class Advisor Jackie Ellis said “they’re definitely getting pretty amped for it.”
Ellis said they just found out they will be allowed to have a lei ceremony.
“I know that’s such a big moment for kids here. And I’m so excited to just see it and celebrate all of these students who have worked hard to get this school year back to normal.”
After all, what graduation would be complete without the fragrant flower lei and bunches of balloons.
Lin’s Lei Shop Manager Tony Nguyen said business is booming but they also tell me keeping up with the demand is posing some challenges.
“Of course everyone wants fragrant leis, your tubarose, your pikake, your ginger, your puakenikeni,” Nguyen said.
Haku lei and maile lei are also in high demand. But Nguyen said they’re facing shortages across the board and they’re are not as many people sewing lei.
“Our suppliers already told us that its going to be hard this year and to deal with the high demand because it’s already hard right now and we’re not in it — we’re not in the busy season yet,” he explained.
Party supply stores are feeling it too according to Party Pizzazz Manager Bennett Chan.
“We were all excited with it, yes, we can have a lot of big graduation parties like we used to have and all that. And then all of a sudden, we get dealt this blow with the shortage of helium,” Chan said. “I have a lot of balloons, and we could still get the balloons and we can get most of the colors. But the helium is the biggest thing.”
The shortages and supply chain issues are impacting prices.
According to Chan prices have gone up 25% to 30%
But Nguyen said some customers aren’t phased.
Honolulu resident Kelson Paiva said he thinks the lei signify something important and that “people will still buy regardless (of the price).”
The best advice, according to Nguyen and Chan — get your orders in early.
Wet’N’Wild Director of Sales and Marketing Eddie Galdones said they are receiving more requests for project grad events with things loosening up.
Get Hawaii’s latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You
“We’ve picked up four (project grad reservations) this year,” Galdones said. “Previous years, we’ve done back-to-back project grads, anywhere from six to 12 schools per night. So it’s slowly coming back around.”


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Marine dealer sentiment declined on a month-to-month basis in July, although the mood based on a three- to five-year outlook brightened.
The MRAA/Baird Marine Retailer Sentiment Index dropped from 77 in June to 69 in July, and was down from a reading of 79 in July of last year. The all-time high is 81 for the monthly index, which began in December of 2013.
Baird said the index’s three- to five-year outlook improved sequentially to 76 in July from 69 in June and was modestly higher than a reading of 75 in July of last year.
Retailers may no longer be optimistic that federal tax cuts and regulatory reforms will happen this year, but they appear to believe action could occur down the road.
“Optimism after the election hasn’t turned into a rebound yet,” one retailer noted. “Hopefully, next year will be great.”
“Revenues below our robust 25 percent growth projections (YTD); however, much consumer demand is very strong; inventory is better balanced; very optimistic over the long term,” another dealer said.
Baird said that when it looks at the big picture “we still believe growing wealth among affluent consumers will support growing demand for boats — and the lack of used supply will steer buyers to new boats.”
Fifty-nine retailers participated in the July survey.
Baird said the percentage of retailers that reported new-boat retail growth in July (44 percent) declined from June’s pace (59 percent) and was well below last year (76 percent).
“Net, our checks suggest demand moderated further in July despite an easier [year-over-year] comparison (July 2016 was down 7.0 percent, according to Statistical Surveys retail data),” Baird said. “However, used-boat retail trends in July appear a bit less volatile,” Baird added.
Baird said 51 percent of retailers reported used-boat retail growth in July, compared with 58 percent in June and 64 percent in July last year.
“Seasonally, July is past the peak retail season, but is still an important month, representing about 13 percent of annual sales,” Baird said.
Baird said retailers indicated the economy, new products, access to credit and OEM promotions positively affected demand during July, although none of those factors had as large of an impact as they did last year.
“Business is fairly good for the end of July,” one dealer said. “Historically a slow time of year for our type of business. Leads are up. Activity is good. Sales are up!”
“Pontoons would be hot if I had any left to sell!” another dealer said. “High-end fiberglass sport boats have picked up.”
Triple pontoons in high demand,” a third dealer said. “Very little price negotiation with customers when it comes to triple pontoons.”
However, retailers indicated that weather, trade-in activity and government action or inaction all negatively affected demand during the month.
“Our energy economy is slow to recover after eight years of the Obama administration,” one dealer said.
Retailers reported that new-boat inventory was balanced, although “inventory comfort” declined modestly on a sequential basis.
“The sequential decline is likely a function of slower retail growth that retailers reported in July,” Baird said.
An equal percentage of dealers considered inventory “too high” (38 percent) compared with “too low” (38 percent).
“Still, we believe inventory levels remain within a ‘normal’ range,” Baird said.
Baird said the survey also showed that used-boat inventory remains extremely lean, as inventory levels remained generally consistent with low levels seen during the past few months.
“Illustrating this point, 63 percent of retailers report that used inventory is ‘too low’ versus just 19 percent that report inventory is ‘too high,’ ” Baird said. “We continue to believe one of the key drivers of new-boat demand is the limited supply of used boats.”
The Pulse Reports are designed to provide industry professionals with a regular, timely look into retail trends at the dealership level. They were launched by the Marine Retailers Association of the Americas and Baird Research in December 2013 as the first report of its kind compiled specifically for marine retailers.
Soundings Trade Only joined the partnership with Baird and the MRAA in February and will continue to participate in the distribution of the survey and the reporting of its results.
“The information contained in each Pulse Report simply can’t be found anywhere else, and we strongly believe our print and online audiences will find them extremely useful,” said Trade Only editor-in-chief Bill Sisson. “Joining MRAA and Baird in gathering data and distributing the Pulse Report results each month was an easy choice for us.”
Retailers who would like to participate in the survey can email Baird senior analyst Craig Kennison at firstname.lastname@example.org.
This article originally appeared in the September 2017 issue.


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In 2021, will be also historic for crypto market as Bitcoin broke its all time high and touched $ 64k .Bitcoin basically act like a roller coster game where it takes long high and even long dip.This year since the news came into market that paypal is ready to accept bitcoin ,led to bull run which was later pumped more by Elon tweets as he showed interest to invest in bitcoin and later tweeted to accept bitcoin as alternative mode of payment for its car Tesla.
The new joiners of crypto market together with matured investors realised that bitcoin is ultimately get drive by Elon Musk and started following his tweets But unfortunately Elon tweeted after a few days , Tesla will not accepting bitcoin as payment due to high energy consumption for mining and the interesting part was ,his tweet and China ban bitcoin was just came out in less than a week time which crashed the market.
We know that Elon loves DOGE and also invested in it after analysing the dogecoin mechanism before the whole crypto market crash . After few days of his tweets about bitcoin unaccepting for Tesla car purchasing , tweets back about Dogecoin and wanted a poll about their followers whether to accept dogecoin for Tesla or not.
Actually , Elon Musk main motive was manipulation of the market and make the Dogecoin to the top on bitcoin in coinmarket ranking But He doesn't know that His myth was already been tried by many giant companies investors to manipulate or crash down the price of bitcoin. Anyways after few months Elen came into news again about accepting bitcoin but conditionally if Miners use clean energy . Common!!wake up ELON , Bitcoin you can manipulate for short term but before your tweets and announcement it was already surprising everyone by breaking its all time high price.
Bitcoin is The king and will be forever. yes dogecoin is your contribution for reaching this level . i will appreciate too but Dogecoin is become global currency by also continuous support of its communities around the world .Thats why we call it 'people's currency'.
Dogecoin popularity recently spread to every tv and internet news channels and its 50% credit goes to you but sooner or later you realised that Without promoting bitcoin your dogecoin can not go to the moon.
Today i saw something about how dogecoin making more young fans who loves accepting doge for their goods and product.
In my final thoughts, Bitcoin is the store of value where as Dogecoin is people's currency both has proof of work algorithm ,one is limited supply and another is unlimited supply. Dogecoins gets popular on the base of their huge supporters and it motivated others doge to follow on his path where success always comes late after many turbulence.
The hype of dogecoin and great support of Elon has made many breeds like shiba inu , kishu inu , baby shiba bla blah... But Dogecoin coin will always be success full meme coin in crypto market like how bitcoin led the Altcoins .


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TORONTO — A lawyer for Miniso Guangzhou LLC says instead of heading to court Miniso Guangzhou LLC and its Canadian franchisee have reached an interim agreement.
Lawyer John Grieve says in an email to The Canadian Press that the deal will keep stores operating and reinstitute the delivery of inventory to Canadian operations while both sides work towards a long-term solution.
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Grieve’s remarks come after Miniso Guangzhou LLC filed court documents with the Supreme Court of British Columbia, threatening to force Miniso Investments Inc., Migu Investments Inc. and Miniso (Canada) Store Inc. into bankruptcy.
It also accused them of fraudulently transferring registered trademark rights to third-party corporations, disposing of inventory and ceasing to meet liabilities as they came due.
The filings said Miniso Guangzhou LLC is owed the Canadian equivalent of US$2.4 million in loans and US$13.3 million in inventory.
There are about 50 Miniso stores in operation in Canada, but when the brand entered the country in 2017 it promised to open 500 locations within three years.


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AHEAD of the CFDA Fashion Awards on June 15, the Council of Fashion Designers of America has announced the recipients of this year's Geoffrey Beene Design Scholarship and CFDA Scholarship. On the receiving end of both accolades is Niloufar Mozafari, a student at Parsons The School for Design, who receives $25,000 as part of the Geoffrey Beene Design Scholarship (judged by a panel of industry members who were close to Beene prior to his death in 2004 including Geoffrey Beene senior vice president and chief operating officer Russell Nardozza and designers Narciso Rodriguez, left, and Doo-Ri Chung), and $10,000 as part of the CFDA scholarship. Yunqi Wu from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and Atsuko Yagi of Parsons will also receive $10,000 as part of the scholarship, WWD reports. Launched in 2007 with an endowment from the Geoffrey Beene Foundation, the Geoffrey Beene Design Scholarship will be officially announced at the CFDA Fashion Awards where, this year, Marc Jacobs, Rodarte and Narciso Rodriguez are all up for Womenswear Designer of The Year.
SEE WHO ELSE HAS BEEN NOMINATED FOR THIS YEAR'S CFDA AWARDS


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DUBAI: Aujan Coca-Cola Beverages Company (ACCBC) unveiled plans for its newest bottling site, which is expected to be ready by 2018 in Iraq.
The new site will create jobs for more than 150 Iraqis and include manufacturing lines for juices and soft drinks, seeing an investment of up to SR250 million over the next 2 years.
The site will play a key role in supporting Aujan Coca-Cola Beverages Company’s operation in Iraq, enabling domestic supply for rising demand. The site will also supply to neighboring markets.
The new site will bring world class, state-of-the art technology capacity and capability to the Iraqi consumer market.
Aujan Coca-Cola Beverages Company licensed brands; Rani, Barbican and Vimto have leading positions within their respective categories in Iraq. Rani is the biggest juice, and Barbican is the biggest malt beverage in the country. Operations inside Iraq have continued to grow since inception back in 2003.
The announcement was made post ACCBC’s participation in Baghdad’s International Expo, October 21-30, 2017. Tolga Sezer, Chief Executive Officer of ACCBC said: “The timing of the announcement could not be better. This is an opportunity for ACCBC to display its commitment to expand ACCBC’s growing supply chain footprint across the region.”
“We believe in our brands, and our strategy, designed to target the youth across the region. The site investment is another step in putting our strategy in action. Growing the Iraq market is a strong pillar in our development plans for the future.” Mr. Sezer added. News Desk


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The National Institute of Standards and Technology has incorporated acquisition guidance for cyber supply chain risk management into the first draft of an influential publication for both government and industry, in response to a shift in industry perspective toward NIST’s role on procurement issues, says the agency’s Jon Boyens.
The SECURE Technologies Act of 2018 played a significant role in NIST’s decision to change the publication to address acquisition and procurement, according to Boyens, who leads NIST’s Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management program. Boyens spoke with Inside Cybersecurity about the changes in the draft first revision of NIST Special Publication 800-161 that was published last week.
Jon Boyens, Deputy Chief, NIST’s Computer Security Division
When the original publication was released in 2015, industry did not want NIST “to touch on acquisition and procurement,” Boyens said. “We knew it was a sensitive area that is not really NIST’s bailiwick but things have changed since then.”
Boyens, lead author of NIST 800-161, said there was a significant change with the law to recognize that “supply chain risk management does not equate to acquisition but acquisition is an incredibly important of cyber supply chain risk management. We decided there was a big gap and we needed to address that.”
Boyens said the initial resistance from industry largely came from information technology vendors, but the “different adversarial activities in supply chain attacks” over the years has shown the “writing on the wall” that acquisition and procurement needed to be addressed.
“Integrating C-SCRM considerations into acquisition activities is essential to improving management of cyber supply chain risks at every step of the procurement and contract management process,” the publication says.
NIST 800-161 describes how the process should work:
This life cycle begins with a purchaser identifying a need, includes the processes to plan for and articulate requirements, conduct research to identify and assess viable sources of supply, solicit bids and evaluate offers, to include ensuring conformance to C-SCRM requirements and assessing C-SCRM risk associated with the bidder and the proposed product and/or service offering. After contract award, ensure the supplier satisfies the terms and conditions articulated in their contractual agreement and that the products and services conform as expected and required. C-SCRM considerations need to be addressed at every step in this life cycle.
The NIST publication provides a summary of “where C-SCRM assessments may take place within the various steps of the procurement process” as well as considerations for agencies when it comes to “contractual agreements and contract management.”
Acquisition is one of five success factors highlighted in the publication. The factors are “requisite organizational processes and capabilities to make C-SCRM successful,” the NIST draft says.
Another factor is information sharing, which Boyens said is an important component of the Federal Acquisition Security Council, a new interagency organization with the authority to issue removal and exclusion orders for specific products and services.
The other success factors are C-SCRM training and awareness, measurement and metrics and having dedicated resources.
The new publication also has a key practices section, broken down to three areas: foundational, sustaining and enhancing. Boyens said the section was added in response to requests from departments and agencies who wanted more details on how to implement the C-SCRM approach.
Boyens said, “We look at this as kind of a crawl, walk, run approach. One of the things we discovered when we were talking to departments and agencies is that cyber supply chain risk management on its face can quite often seem so complex that it is debilitating, so complex that they don’t even know where to start. They look at what many of the more mature organizations are doing and they are seeing that they are running. They know that they can’t start running but they don’t know how to start crawling.”
The agency will hold a virtual workshop on May 12 on the publication “to further engage stakeholders by answering questions and gathering comments to ensure that the revised guidance will deliver comprehensive and relevant cyber supply chain risk management practices and guidance.” NIST is also accepting comments through June 14.
Boyens said NIST’s current plan is to release a second draft of 800-161 in September but plans could change based on stakeholder feedback. -- Sara Friedman (firstname.lastname@example.org)


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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella speaks during a press conference at the intersection of cloud and mobile computing, in San Francisco. Microsoft Verizon Communications has the center of its efforts to build a global network to accelerate delivery of video for users of its service Azure cloud computing.
For some, the decision comes a little surprise. Microsoft had to reverse the development of the network, according to observers, but now seems. When it comes to the Internet infrastructure, web giants players such as Microsoft usually build their own offerings, rather than relying on service providers like Verizon. And in recent years, these content delivery networks or CDN, some large accumulations have seen outs.
If you have Netflix and Google, it helps to have full control over your CDN; you can supply a significant portion of the evening sun Internet data more efficiently. And Microsoft has already successfully accelerated a different CDN for the surrender of their own websites, videos and software updates monthly. But the Azure network was built for the customer and not internal company use a different type of project, says Dan Rayburn, an expert on streaming media and bloggers.
A Verizon spokesman confirmed Monday that the company WILL uses the network of Digital Media Services Microsoft Azure CDN and his group, and according to Microsoft, the traffic on the EdgeCast CDN Verizon acquired in 2013. Microsoft said wire, are delighted partner with EdgeCast, an integral part of the offer workflow Azure Media Services.
But turn over its internal effort makes sense for Microsoft, said Rayburn, who was the first news of the agreement between Microsoft and Verizon. The biggest competitor Azure, Amazon has built over CDN services on their own supply network to tarnish user for years. However, Microsoft came late to the game and offered brief product, said Rayburn.Verizon agreement should happen at a faster solution that has more capacity to the market, he says. It also shows that is in constant motion, even in this age of do-it-yourself Web giants.


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Spend even a little time in Lagos and you’ll quickly see traces of entrepreneurship and innovation everywhere. In fact, the city was recently ranked as the most innovative in the whole of Africa. The Lagos State Government has appointed an innovation advisory board that has started to map innovation hotspots throughout the city with the assistance of Co-Creation Hub. Of course, innovators and entrepreneurs still face many barriers and hurdles – access to finance, lack of skilled personnel, difficulties accessing business networks, corruption are just some of them. During our recent trip to Nigeria we were very lucky to meet some interesting innovators and exciting entrepreneurs who grappled with some of these issues every day.
The Angel Network Nigeria is working to build a network of angel investors interested in supporting start-ups and entrepreneurs. The fund focuses on early stage seed funding, mentoring, coaching and establishment of relevant networks. It’s a great example of African entrepreneurs and businesspeople giving something back to support a new generation of innovators and job creators. It’s still early stages for the network, but initial signs are promising. The Economist has a great piece on Nigerian entrepreneurs and angel investors that you can read here.
The Wennovation Hub, meanwhile, works directly with start-ups to accelerate their growth and progress. They provide support for entrepreneurs, create a pipeline for post ideation and encourage collaboration. They also provide infrastructure and some funding for scale up of projects in partnership with the Angel Network Nigeria. In addition, they run a virtual incubation programme and are beginning to connect to the diaspora, which they believe can import ideas into Nigeria. They provide services and support to businesses in return for an equity stake and are currently supporting a number of innovations, including OTG Playa (a media distribution platform), Opacus (an app for rating services and companies) and Valleybits (an event planning tool).
Over at the Co-Creation Hub, we met up with the brains behind Jobs in Nigeria – a mobile platform hosting job adverts that has 60,000 registered users and that has clocked up an impressive 100,000 downloads in under a year. As well as the smartphone platform, the team have launched an SMS job search function for those without internet access. While the SMS service can never be as comprehensive as the online platform, it’s great to see entrepreneurs tapping into this huge – but often overlooked – market.
And finally, no discussion of innovation in Lagos would be complete without talking about the work of the Co-Creation Hub. We’ve talked about them plenty on this blog, but it was great to finally get out to Lagos to see what they’re doing on the ground. There is huge demand for their space from innovators and entrepreneurs, with 20 start-ups being given tailored support at any one time. It’s a fantastic place and easy to see why it’s such a draw for entrepreneurs. With a range of events and a line-up of interesting people working on projects in fields as diverse as art and politics or recycling and budget transparency.


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Leah Ginsberg is a senior editor at Make It, covering entrepreneurs, small business and lifestyle.
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In the German car market, manufacturers and dealers held back with new discounts at the beginning of the year. According to the regular evaluation by the Duisburg CAR Institute, the discounts granted on internet orders in particular have not increased compared to December.
For the 30 most popular models, they averaged 18.6 percent of the list price. In the case of battery electric vehicles, there was an average discount of 36.3 percent because of the high government subsidies.
The value added tax, which has risen again to 19 percent since the beginning of the year, has not been compensated for by new offers. According to the study, the number of self-registrations hardly increased either. In the coming weeks, cheap “house prices” are likely to be called for by some importers in particular, because an above-average number of cars were registered at the end of the year.
This is of particular interest to WiWo readers today
Here all costs with the exception of the fuel are summarized in a monthly rate. Last year around 42,000 new vehicles were brought to customers in this way. There are currently 257 subscription offers to choose from.
Compared to the cash purchase including all the accruing costs, many offers appeared attractive, commented study leader Ferdinand Dudenhöffer. The contracts could be concluded easily and contactlessly via the Internet, which seems to make sense especially under Corona conditions.


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As Kenya rushes to roll out the Ksh42 billion ($500 million) fourth generation network, questions have been raised over the timing and viability of the project given the slow uptake of the 3G platform.
Last week, Information and Communications Permanent Secretary Bitange Ndemo said the government is determined to have the network ready before the General Election set for March next year.
Last month, the government launched the search for a financial consultant to help in the formation of the public-private partnership to roll out high speed connectivity on a 4G platform.
The consultant will undertake a detailed financial evaluation of a partnership between the government mobile operators, institutional investors and equipment vendors.
According to Safaricom Ltd, the biggest mobile operator in Kenya, the country is not yet ready for the rollout of 4G going by the demand for its 3G network, which remains largely underutilised. Out if its 19 million subscribers, the number on 3G is less than 10 per cent.
“We launched 3G a while back and the uptake has been poor. What makes us think subscribers are going to consume 4G better? As a company, we would have already rolled it out if we’d recognised a need, but we will first concentrate on driving the uptake of 3G,” CEO Bob Collymore said.
The company has now embarked on a plan to supply the market with cheap 3G enabled handsets in an effort to push the number of its 3G customers to at least 1.8 million by March next year.
Telkom Orange also said the uptake of its 3G network is poor, especially because customers have limited access to 3G enabled devices due to their high pricing.
“At the corporate and SME level, customers have enjoyed the network, but it has been hard to push the uptake at the individual level. We need to make sure that customers can readily use the network before rushing to invest billions in it,” Telkom Kenya corporate communications manager Angela Mumo said.
Ms Mumo, said it was not enough to have a pipe without the content that will go through it. The 4G platform is a good platform that will offer users fast speeds and higher bandwidth for multimedia services but investing in it needs to be driven by demand.
Airtel Kenya said it has managed to get about 35 per cent of its customers on its 3.75G platform but admits that more needs to be done to spread the benefits of its current network to other parts of the country. Essar Yu does not have a 3G platform yet.
Timing is not the only problem facing the 4G project in Kenya. Other players have questioned the viability of the public-private partnership approach taken by the government, especially since it has not been applied anywhere else in the world.
In September last year, the government invited members of the private sector to form a public private partnership to help in the roll out of the 4G network.
The four Kenyan mobile network operators are among the nine companies selected by the government as co-investors in the project commonly known as the 4G Special Purpose Vehicle.
Equipment vendors include Alcatel and NSN with three tier-two network operators, MTN, Kenya Data Networks and Epesicom also part of the team.
The delay in the migration from analog to digital television has also complicated policy discussions around the rollout because 4G will use the spectrum that analog is currently sitting on.
If the project succeeds, Kenya will have set a global precedence.
ALSO READ: Is Kenya Africa’s Silicon Valley?
“We are certain it will work and this is the right time. This will be the first in the world where operators will share both passive and active components in the network and the benefits will be passed on to the consumer in form of cheaper broadband,” said Dr Ndemo.


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Headquarters: San Francisco, California
Ripple is an Internet protocol that interconnects all the world's disparate financial systems to power the secure transfer of funds in any currency in real time. Ripple provides a frictionless experience to send money globally using the power of blockchain.
Ripple’s RippleNet payments network utilizes the XRP Ledger blockchain to clear and settle cross-border payments in a fraction of the time and cost required by legacy payment systems.
The XRP cryptocurrency that is native to the XRP Ledger is used as a value transfer medium to effect near-instantaneous conversion and transfer of foreign currencies between counterparties on RippleNet.
Ripple’s RippleNet offers three different solutions for banks, payment providers, and corporates: (1) Processes cross-border payments using fiat currencies; (2) offers on-demand liquidity using Ripple's digital asset called XRP; and (3) provides a standard interface that allows corporates to pay its employees.
Using RippleNet, banks are able to save 60% of the total cost per payment as SWIFT fees are eliminated.
RippleNet allows banks to reduce their international payment infrastructure costs by 42%.
Ripple's Liquidity Hub enables financial institutions and businesses to easily and efficiently source digital assets from global crypto markets—allowing organizations to unlock new revenue streams by offering end customers the ability to buy, sell, and hold digital assets.
In December 2020, the SEC sued Ripple and two of its top executives for seven years of distributions of the cryptocurrency XRP, which the agency labeled as illegal unregistered securities trades – Ripple is disputing all allegations by claiming XRP is a commodity and therefore outside the SEC’s reach.
American Express and Santander have partnered with Ripple to speed up cross-border payments between the U.S. and the U.K. by using blockchain technology. Bank of America also recently partnered with RippleNet technology.
CEO of Ripple, Brad Garlinghouse, recently stated the company could go public if, and when, it resolves its lawsuit with the SEC. “The likelihood that Ripple is a public company is very high at some point,” Garlinghouse told CoinDesk’s Nikhilesh De.
In January 2022, Ripple announced a $200 million Series C share buyback for all Series C shares originally issued to Tetragon Financial Group, SBI Holdings and Route 66 Ventures in December 2019, a decision that implies a valuation of $15 billion for Ripple. According to The Block, Ripple said, "The buyback places Ripple’s new valuation at $15 billion and reflects Ripple’s strong position in the market and global company momentum - Ripple’s global business has grown exponentially and 2021 was the company’s best year to date." Ripple mentioned that its RippleNet platform has seen transactions double in 2021, and it also signed Bhutan and Palau as CBDC clients.
According to CoinTelegraph, Garlinghouse also shared optimism for the future of RippleNet and Ripple X, the latter of which is posed to enhance the utility of the XRP Ledger in an array of emerging sectors, including nonfungible tokens, central bank digital currencies, as well as interoperable, multichain functionalities, among others. Ripple also mentioned that the company is cash flow positive and has more than $1 billion in cash on the balance sheet.
Ripple also experienced its "best hiring year in 2021" and is now seeking to onboard "hundreds of global employees this year" to support the already existing 500-employee workforce, according to CoinTelegraph.
In May 2023, Ripple announced that it had acquired Metaco, a cryptocurrency custody company based in Switzerland, for $250 million in cash and Ripple equity. With this move, Ripple will expand its offerings as it will now be able to custody, issue and settle any type of tokenized asset. “Metaco is a proven leader in institutional digital asset custody with an exceptional executive bench and a truly unmatched customer track record,” Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said in a statement. “Through the strength of our balance sheet and financial position, Ripple will continue pressing our advantage in the areas critical to crypto infrastructure. Bringing on Metaco is monumental for our growing product suite and expanding global footprint.” "We will still have $1 billion in cash after this deal. That puts us in a position to look at other deals," Garlinghouse said.
In July 2023, U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres issued a long-awaited ruling in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s case against Ripple Labs, saying some sales of Ripple’s XRP token did not constitute illegal securities sales. The judge held that XRP is a security when offered to institutional investors but not the general public. The judge ruled that Ripple had violated securities laws with sales of XRP to institutional investors, and the company’s top two executives have to go to trial over their alleged role in those illegal sales. What wasn’t illegal, was selling XRP to programmatic investors, meaning the broader public, on crypto exchanges.
In October 2023, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission dropped allegations against two top executives of Ripple Labs in its lawsuit claiming that the company breached U.S. securities laws. The SEC stated it will no longer pursue claims that Ripple's CEO, Brad Garlinghouse, and Co-Founder, Chris Larsen, were involved in aiding and abetting unregistered sales of the cryptocurrency XRP.
In October 2023, Ripple announced a new partnership with Uphold, the global Web3 financial platform. The partnership will see Uphold provide Ripple with enhanced crypto liquidity capabilities to underpin and enhance its cross-border payments infrastructure. Pegah Soltani, Head of Payments Product, at Ripple, said: “Our new partnership with Uphold enables us to enhance our underlying infrastructure and Uphold’s deep liquidity expertise further underpins Ripple’s ability to offer fast and flexible cross-border payments around the world. We see this as the start of our relationship and are excited about what the future holds.”
In November 2023, HSBC announced its plan to work with Ripple Labs Inc.-owned technology firm Metaco to offer institutional clients a custody service for digital assets such as tokenized securities. HSBC expects it to go live in 2024. “We’re seeing increasing demand for custody and fund administration of digital assets from asset managers and asset owners, as this market continues to evolve,” Zhu Kuang Lee, chief digital, data and innovation officer, securities services at HSBC said in a statement.
According to The Block, in January 2024, Ripple purchased $285 million in shares owned by early investors, valuing the company at $11.3 billion. CEO Brad Garlinghouse also said Ripple possesses more than $1 billion cash and over $25 billion in digital assets crypto, made up mostly of XRP coins, on its balance sheet.
In February 2024, Ripple announced that it has agreed to acquire Standard Custody & Trust Company, an enterprise-grade regulated platform for digital assets. This move further underscores Ripple's commitment to regulatory compliance and enables the company to strengthen its existing product offerings, as well as explore new, complementary products. “Ripple and Standard Custody are dedicated to enabling enterprises to reap the benefits of blockchain across a host of financial use cases building institutional-grade solutions to tokenize, store, move, and exchange value. By expanding our licenses portfolio and making smart acquisitions, Ripple is well-positioned to take advantage of the current market opportunities and further strengthen our crypto infrastructure solutions,” said Monica Long, Ripple President. “We will continue to leverage our strong financial standing to expand our product offerings, support new initiatives on the product roadmap and serve a broader segment of customers.”