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Department for International Trade
Rail industry on track to win big in UK-Australia trade deal
British rail companies are on track for a potential export boom thanks to the UK-Australia trade deal.
- UK-Australia deal set to remove 5% export tariff on rail products, potentially cutting costs and making British bids more competitive
- Will allow UK companies to compete for lucrative government contracts on an even footing versus Australian competitors
- Will open the door to top-priority country for UK rail industry, helping more Brits to work in areas such as construction and services
British rail companies are on track for potential Australian export boom thanks to the trade deal that will be signed later this year.
Australia is already the highest priority country for UK rail exporters, with more than £82 billion ($155billion AUD) being invested by Australia into its networks over the next decade, including new cross-country lines and modernised metros in cities including Melbourne.
All current tariffs on rail-related goods, including railway stock, track fixtures and fittings, and traffic signalling equipment are set to be scrapped as part of the free trade agreement (FTA), which will allow UK companies to be even more competitive when bidding for Australian government contracts worth billions of pounds in the coming years.
British rail companies will also benefit from new, legally guaranteed access to bid for Australian government contracts on an even footing with their Australian competitors, opening up billions of dollars of public sector rail contracts.
International Trade Secretary Liz Truss recently said:
Our rail exports industry is a Global Britain success story. Australia is undergoing a huge reconstruction of its train networks and this trade deal will allow British companies to be even more competitive when bidding for these massive, multi-billion-pound infrastructure projects.
These major contracts will support high value jobs up and down the UK, and allow more of our professionals to live, work and enjoy life on the other side of the world.
The deal will allow rail companies to build on some of the British successes already enjoyed in Australia’s rail sector. These include manufacturer Altro’s floor covering, which is used in the refurbishment of Melbourne’s Trams and on trains in Victoria and Queensland, and consultancy firm Ricardo, which makes 25% of its rail revenue in Australia having won several high-profile projects.
It will also give UK employees more freedom to work Down Under and allow Brits under 35 to travel and work in Australia for up to three years as part of the agreement.
Chairman of the Railway Industry Association, David Tonkin, recently said:
Many UK rail suppliers already trade with Australia – from manufacturing firms in Doncaster to design companies in London – and with a Free Trade Agreement they can deliver even more. With Australia voted as the number one priority market for rail businesses in the UK, a trade deal will be welcome news to many, allowing them to more easily sell our world-leading products and services into the market.
The UK rail industry is a major exporter, selling £800 million each year across the world and it has a pivotal role to play in achieving the Government’s vision of a ‘Global Britain’, supporting a clean, environmentally-friendly form of transport both at home and abroad.
This comes as the Department for International Trade and Innovate UK launch a competition that will support UK companies in the rail sector to innovate globally. The competition will award small businesses grants of up to £50,000 to help them access growing markets such in Australia, India, and Canada.
Latest News from
Department for International Trade
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Trevelyan: Break down digital trade barriers to help British businesses thrive20/09/2021 11:20:00
Trade Secretary unveils five-point plan for digital trade in keynote speech at London Tech Week.
UAE to invest £10 billion in priority UK industries16/09/2021 16:15:00
Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company and UK’s Office for Investment agree to expand Sovereign Investment Partnership
UK-ASEAN Joint declaration15/09/2021 14:25:00
Joint Ministerial Declaration on Future Economic Cooperation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK).
Policy Exchange speech: Liz Truss sets out Britain’s new trade policy14/09/2021 16:20:00
International Trade Secretary Liz Truss delivers her speech at Policy Exchange, setting out Britain's new trade policy of moving from 'defence to offence'.
Embrace free trade to drive the levelling-up agenda14/09/2021 12:15:00
International Trade Secretary will give a keynote speech setting out the next phase of the UK's trade strategy that will help level up every region of the UK
UK Shipping Concierge service launched to support and guide maritime businesses into the UK13/09/2021 13:29:00
The UK government has today launched the UK Shipping Concierge service, a professional and tailored service that will provide support and guidance for maritime businesses looking to access the UK market.
Mexican market opens its doors for imports of British pork03/09/2021 11:22:00
Mexican market is now open for British pork for the first time, which means a potential boost of £50m over the first five years of trade.


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ANALYSIS - Farmers’ incomes are to be given top priority this year by the European Commission as it seeks to ensure “a fair return for producers for their products”.
Speaking at the European Commission, Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan announced positive trade figures for the farming sector.
He said there had been a slight decrease in trade in October last year, but the latest figures for November saw agricultural trade for the EU reach €10.9 billion up by about €500 million on the same month in the previous year.
He said that EU exports to third countries have risen by 5.7 per cent in value with the USA and China taking the lion’s share and China replacing Russia as Europe’s second most important export destination.
He said that exports of agricultural produce had risen to Saudi Arabia, Turkey and South Korea in particular over the last year
Agricultural imports to the EU remained stable at €9.5 billion.
However, Mr Hogan said that despite these positive trade figures, agricultural incomes remained a priority.
Tassos Haniotis, director at DG Agri in the European Commission said that the main causes for the current crisis in the EU dairy sector, which is one of the main factors affecting farm incomes, were developments outside of agriculture, including the general fall in commodity prices including crude oil and developments in exchange rates particularly with the US dollar.
He said the dairy sector had been affected at the same time by the rapid growth of the dairy herd in 2013 and 2014 as the quota system was ended and by the slowdown in the Chinese market and the embargo put in place in imports from the EU by Russia.
He said that the EU is focused on targeting income by addressing the immediate cash flow difficulties that farmers were facing by stabilising markets, maximising the use of existing measures and attempting to improve the functioning of the supply chain.
He added that higher price signals in the context of oversupply will amplify price pressures and long-term competitiveness and market orientation of CAP need to continue.
Mr Haniotis said that the long-term level of crude oil prices and exchange rate volatility together with a continued sluggish general growth in GDP will affect the farming sector and farm incomes for the foreseeable future.
But the sector will not only be hit by low crude oil prices, but also the short-term and long-term impacts of climatic events, including from climate change and diverging productivity patterns.
He added that trade in both food commodities and food products remains strong and demand in most emerging economies will grow faster than their domestic production.
Despite significant declines, prices are still higher than pre-financial crisis levels and the terms of trade for agriculture may improve some if energy prices stay low.
He said that in the meat market the EU is going to see a continued decline in consumption but there will be a growth in consumption worldwide.
Production is expected to rise by about 1 million tonnes by 2025, mainly in the poultry sector and lower world prices will put pressure on EU meat exports.
In the dairy sector there will be a two per cent growth in consumption globally in the next 10 years and the EU is expected to see a growth in butter, and cheese consumption.
The EU supply in dairy products is expected to rise by 15 million tonnes by 2025.
However, Mr Haniotis added that for farm incomes, the lower price environment will drive a decrease in value of production but at the same time costs are also expected to fall and this will lead to higher income prospects than previously thought.
Commissioner Hogan said that the European Commission has also put forward a fairer system of penalties for errors made by farmers in their applications for direct support.
And he was changing the system to help farmers rather than penalise them by simplifying the complexities of the Common Agricultural Policy.
He added that farmers’ incomes will be helped by the new World Trade Agreement that does away with export subsidies around the world – a situation that has existed in the EU for several years.
“The deal will allow the playing field to be levelled for EU farmers and the food industry,” Commissioner Hogan said.
He added that the European Commission has also spent €720 million on various market safety measures to help farmers who are facing the challenges set by the Russian ban, the fall in demand in global markets and increase production from competitor countries.
The commissioner also said that the EU is looking to ease the potential for exports to other third countries such as Japan, Mexico, Indonesia, Colombia, China and Viet Nam through trade delegations and negotiations over sanitary and phytosanitary barriers.

domain: news


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Vogue is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year by publishing an editorial fashion spread in their coveted September issue featuring the most influential people in fashion under 45. The list of subjects include fashion designers, models, actors, singers, and personalities that have made their mark in the industry and are currently influencing modern style. From Florence and the Machine front woman Florence Welch and Hunger Games actress Jennifer Lawrence to Dior's creative director Raf Simons and fashion design duo Rodarte, the project known as The Vogue 120 showcases the faces and minds behind the fashion trends of the moment.
Photographer Norman Jean Roy embarked on an international photo shoot, conducting shoots both in studio and on location in various countries, to capture each captivating frame. If there's one tying statement about all of the shots, it's that they all exude a sense of elegant freshness. Whether these modern fashion icons are in a mossy forest having a tea party or driving off in a sleek convertible, they all embody the image of the cool, young, “it” crowd that fans of fashion yearn to be part of.
For a behind-the-scenes look at the fashion portfolio, check out the video, below.
Norman Jean Roy website


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It’s officially fall, which means it’s time for pumpkin beers, more Oktoberfests, scary movie nights, bowling, anniversary parties and the last glimpse of summer beers.
Braxton has re-released its popular Pumpkin Pie ale, a collaboration with Graeter’s that offers “rich, warm notes of pumpkin reminiscent of Graeter’s classic seasonal Pumpkin Ice Cream,” according to the brewery.
And Rivertown’s Pumpkin Ale is back on tap. If you head to the Monroe brewery and Barrel House, you can also order a special Black Pumpkin: a half-and-half blend of their Pumpkin Ale and their Roebling Vanilla Espresso Porter, brewed with La Terza espresso beans and vanilla.
• In September, Urban Artifact released several new brews including Gramophone, their latest Midwest Fruit Tart, brewed with 3,000 pounds of nectarines. It is available in cans and on draft. Syrah, a brut fruit tart made with syrah grapes, is also available on tap and in cans. And a Bloody Mary Gose, brewed with tomato purée, black peppercorns, horseradish, vegan Worcestershire sauce, celery seed, lemon, lime and salt, is available on tap.
• March First released their final summery beer of the season, Lemonade Cider. Try it at the taproom.
•Rhinegeist released Penguin, a barrel-aged blonde stout made with coffee and cacao nibs, which is available in bottles at the taproom. And on Sept. 20 they released the fruity IPA Lynx. It is available in cans at the taproom.
• On Sept. 28, Urban Artifact will host The Extinction Event: Natural Wine & Spontaneous Beer Fest. The two-part fest features a non-ticketed morning bottle release and a ticketed natural wine and beer fest in the evening. Sample 18 wines and 45 beers, including Dimetrodon, a beer aged in oak with red raspberries, and Iguanodon, a beer aged in oak with black currants. Tickets are $85 for early access and $75 for general admission.
• On Sept. 28, Streetside will throw an all-day third anniversary bash. They’ll release new bottled beer J00S3Y, a double New England IPA which they describe as having “a light pop of dorm-room dank.” They’ll also bring out some cellared beers and have food trucks.
• As part of Brinktoberfest, Brink Brewing Co. will host a stein-holding contest on Sept. 28 during which contestants must hold a one-liter beer stein. It costs $15, but contestants get to drink the beer and take home the stein; the winner gets a gift card. Also, kids get their own competition: a juice box hoisting contest.
• On Oct. 4 and 5, Paradise Brewing will host their first Oktoberfest with games, music and the release of Leapin’ Lederhosen Oktoberfest Lager.
• On Oct. 5, head to Alexandria Brewing Company for OctoBEERfest. They’ll have three beer releases, a special bratwurst from Four Mile Pig and live Polka music.
• Every Tuesday in October, Taft’s Brewpourium will screen a free horror movie. They’ll provide unlimited candy and popcorn. On October 1, watch Split, followed by The Purge: Election Year (Oct. 8), Get Out (Oct. 15), Saw (Oct. 22), and IT (Oct. 29).
• Do you like to bowl? Do you like craft beer? Then Hops and Strikes: Craft Beer League is for you. On Oct. 12, Gilmore Lanes in Fairfield will be the site for a weekly bowling league. Each week a different local craft beer will be served. It costs $20 per person, and bowlers will receive up to two beers per week, which is included in the fee.
• On Oct. 12, the Samuel Adams Cincinnati Taproom hosts Puppies & Pints with HART Animal Rescue. HART will have adoptable dogs on the patio and the taproom will be giving $1 from every pint sold to the rescue.
• On Oct. 19, compete in Brink’s annual chili-cook off. Make Cincinnati-style chili or a vegetarian one. All entrants are required to use Brink beer in their chili. If you don’t want to compete, stop by and taste some chili.
• On Oct. 26, Sonder will throw Sonderween with Halloween-costume yoga, Halloween-themed beer pong, a photo booth, Halloween trivia, a special drink, Halloween movies and a costume contest.
Contact Garin Pirnia: [email protected]


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Currently valued at US$ 1,831.8 million, the market is expected to reach a valuation of US$ 4,708.2 million by 2034
NCAM (National Consortium of Ayurveda Medicine) is a united group of Ayurveda organizations collaborating on events, sharing resources, and helping each other in our joint
Around 7% of people in Bangladesh take Ayurvedic treatment.
The new board will focus on the development and growth of turmeric and turmeric products
Around 40% of pharmaceutical products today have a natural product basis, and landmark drugs are derived from traditional medicines


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When Tricia Robinson first came to Etsy in 2013, it was to help save her cat’s life.
“My cat got really sick and I was getting vet bills through the roof and couldn’t afford to pay them,” Robinson said. “So I created an illustration that was inspired by him and sold it.”
It was then that Robinson realized she could use the platform to sell more of her work and make a living from it.
But after receiving her first payment from Etsy, the Montreal artist says she was struck by the difference between her sales and the amount that was deposited into her account. It was then that she paid attention to all the costs Etsy charges sellers on the platform.
At first, she was okay with that.
“It’s kind of become like, okay, well, I’m making money as an artist. I have access to this online marketplace. It’s pretty cool for the most part,” a- she declared.
Etsy was founded in 2005, providing an online marketplace for artists and crafters to sell handmade and vintage items as well as craft supplies. The website has attracted millions of buyers and sellers and provided a platform for artists to become entrepreneurs.
But over the years, Robinson says she began to see her margins shrink as Etsy’s grew. A policy introduced in 2019 encouraged sellers to offer free shipping on purchases over US$35 by promising to optimize these stores for US shoppers. Robinson initially refused to participate, but eventually relented when he saw his sales in the United States disappear.
Offering free shipping took away at least half of her profit margin, she said. That’s when things started to go downhill on Robinson’s platform.
“[Etsy] was this really awesome market that celebrated small, artisanal and local businesses,” Robinson said. “But they’re not like that anymore.
Now Robinson is one of thousands of sellers who have said they plan to boycott the site from April 11-18 after the site announced it would raise its transaction fees by 5-6.5%.
Fee hike sparks petition
This comes after Etsy’s strong fourth quarter results beat expectations.
The announcement led Kristi Cassidy, a seamstress from Westerly, Rhode Island, to launch a petition after posting on Reddit calling for an Etsy sellers union. Cassidy told CBC News that more than 11,000 vendors plan to join the boycott.
“The message was basically asking when would this end because it’s only getting worse and I don’t think it’s going to end unless we do something about it,” she said.
The petition also lists other demands, including the ability for sellers to opt out of offsite advertising, which drives sales for which Etsy charges sellers more.
In Cassidy’s case, she says Etsy charged her $100 for a dress sale from an off-site ad.
In a statement, an Etsy spokesperson said the increased fees will help increase their investments in marketing, customer support and removal of listings that violate company policies.
“Our revised fee structure will allow us to increase our investments in each of these key areas so that we can better serve our community,” the statement said.
Company faces pressure from shareholders to boost profits, expert says
Etsy has always had an open and honest relationship with its sellers, says University of British Columbia professor David Clough.
However, Clough says he’s grown uptight over the years.
“Since 2018, they’ve increased their fees twice, suggesting they may be trying to make a profit at the expense of their market sellers,” he said.
Etsy became a publicly traded company in 2015, which makes it susceptible to shareholder pressure.
With more than five million sellers on the site and 90 million customers, Clough says the increased transaction fees are a new way for the company to boost its bottom line.
“As they have expanded their user base, it becomes more difficult to grow their revenue by adding more users, so that forces them to look for other sources of revenue.”
Etsy’s fees are consistently lower than e-commerce competitors like Amazon, which charges 8-15% on top of other fees.
Still, continuing to raise fees could jeopardize Etsy’s reputation because they stray further from the company’s original values that allowed small businesses to make money, he says.
As for the boycott’s potential effect on Etsy, Clough says it could create momentum for more dialogue between the company and sellers as a collective entity.
“If they’re faced with a pushback from sellers for this increase, it makes them think twice about raising fees down the line,” he said.
Cassidy says she has not been in communication with Etsy about the petition and the boycott.
And while she isn’t counting on Etsy to reverse her fee hike, she says she’s excited to build a community of sellers who want to advocate for better compensation and company policies.
“The things we could do together seem limitless,” she said.


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Behind any successful company are talented individuals who build it into what it is. Even for one of the world’s largest fashion retailers H&M, their employees are their backbone.
As one of the leading and largest fashion retailers in the world, they have over 161,000 employees in different countries across the globe, including more than 700 employees in the Philippines since their opening here in 2014.
“Our values set us apart from the others,” country HR manager Gigi Mathay proudly states. “At H&M, it is important for us to foster healthy relationships among our teams. We’re very proud to see our employees continuously progressing and achieving success for themselves.”
The people who make the company can attest that H&M is a great place to work and build a career into. It comes down to positive culture and values, growth opportunities, capable and motivated team, and purposeful and challenging work—and these testimonies from H&M employees from different positions prove that the company has got all these.
H&M’s indoor window responsible Jennifer Tantiado shares, “When I heard it was coming to the country, I jumped at the opportunity.” Jennifer entered in 2014 as a visual merchandiser and worked her way up to visual merchandising manager, and then to the indoor window responsible who is in charge of window displays in all of the H&M stores; and a part of the support office sales team. She says she owes her success to “training with amazing mentors and working with a great bunch of people who supported and believed in [her].”
For VM material responsible Exzequiel Esquivel and department manager and mentor Walter Ortiz, the company’s principles and regard for employees are what they admire most of H&M. “They prioritize progression for the employees, without discrimination,” says Walter who now holds a management position in the H&M flagship store. Exzequiel, meanwhile, started out as a visual merchandiser for one of the H&M stores, now coordinates with the global team, and heads the acquisition of all materials for store visuals.
Jennifer de Leon also shares her appreciation for the “socially responsible” company “with a big heart” that teaches her new things every day. After working in another company for over 10 years, H&M gave her the opportunity to be the department manager in H&M Canada. “I was given the chance to support in expansion, recruitment, and trainings,” she says. From there, she progressed to become a store manager in Vancouver. When the Philippine market was about to launch, she grabbed that opportunity to be reunited with her family and work in H&M Philippines.
Another stellar example is Henrik Nordvall and how he started his now-nine-year career in H&M in another country. Straight from university, the fresh grad went to work for H&M in Sweden, and eventually ended up working for the company in Norway, Hong Kong, Finland, and United Kingdom. In the last 2 years, he has been staying in the Philippines with his family. He says, “Within the H&M team, regardless of your position, you are counted on to contribute and share your opinion, and there is no prestige in being right or wrong. It is what allows us to continue carving great career paths for our ever-growing crop of new talents, especially here in the Philippines, where the people are already so driven and loyal.”
Seeing how fulfilled H&M’s employees are, it’s no wonder that the company has been so successful. With over 4,135 stores in more than 63 markets worldwide, the company continues its expansion in the country with more stores and more opportunities waiting for future employees.
For more info, go to www.career.hm.com


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The global downstream industry could be set for a boost in the production of environmentally friendly plastics, according to a new report.
The Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA) has highlighted the findings of a new study by Trucost, a leading environmental research organisation, that finds the environmental cost of using plastics in consumer goods and packaging is nearly four times less than if plastics were replaced with alternative materials.
The study is based on natural capital accounting methods, which measure and value environmental impacts—such as consumption of water and emissions to air, land and water—which are not typically factored into traditional financial accounting.
Previous reports, such as “Valuing Plastics” (2014) by Trucost and “The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the Future of Plastics” (2016) by the World Economic Forum Ellen MacArthur Foundation and McKinsey & Company, only examined the environmental costs of using plastics.
Trucost’s latest study, “Plastics and Sustainability: A Valuation of Environmental Benefits, Costs, and Opportunities for Continuous Improvement,” builds on earlier research by comparing the environmental costs of using plastics to alternative materials and identifying opportunities to help lower the environmental costs of using plastics in consumer goods and packaging.
Dr. Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun, Secretary General, GPCA, said: “The use of plastics in everyday situations, such as shopping, has been frequently in the news of late. Trucost has conducted an in-depth study into the plastics industry and alternatives to traditional materials, with the astounding result that alternative materials actually come with a substantially higher environmental cost. This is crucial to consider when discussing the future use of plastics in consumer goods throughout the GCC.”
These significant results disrupt a common misperception around plastics. The latest research has found that replacing plastics in consumer products and packaging with a mix of alternative materials that provide the same function would increase environmental costs from US$139 billion to US$533 billion annually. That’s because strong, lightweight plastics help us do more with less material, which provides environmental benefits throughout the lifecycle of plastic products and packaging.
The study also concluded that the environmental costs of alternative materials can be lower per ton of production but are greater in aggregate due to the much larger quantities of material needed to fulfil the same purposes as plastics.
In addition, the report’s authors recommend steps to help further reduce plastics’ overall environmental costs, such as by increasing the use of lower-carbon electricity in plastics production, adopting lower-emission transport modes, developing even more efficient plastic packaging, and increasing recycling and energy conversion of post-use plastics to help curb ocean litter and conserve resources.
“We are very excited to present ‘Plastics and Sustainability,’ the largest natural capital study ever conducted for the plastics manufacturing sector,” said Libby Bernick, Senior Vice President - North America for Trucost. “This report provides the clearest picture to date of the relative costs and benefits of plastics compared to alternative materials as well as important opportunities to enhance the environmental performance of using plastics in consumer goods.”
“We now have a fuller picture of the environmental benefits of using plastics,” said Steve Russell, Vice President of Plastics for the American Chemistry Council, which commissioned the study. “From lighter, more fuel-efficient cars to smart packaging that helps our favourite foods last longer; our industry is committed to ongoing innovations that will advance sustainability across major market sectors and the globe.”
"There is now quantifiable proof that plastics, in its various forms, play a significant role in providing innovative plastics solutions to societal challenges,” said Craig Halgreen, Vice President, Corporate Sustainability, Borouge & Leader, Plastics Committee Sustainability Taskforce, GPCA. “This report emphasises the importance of product innovation and eco-friendly after-life solutions such as sustainable municipal waste collection and management practices. It also highlights the responsible role of mechanical recycling in creating a circular economy and reducing plastics marine litter.”
“The GCC currently produces 26.5 million tons of plastic each year, according to our research,” concluded Dr. Al-Sadoun. “This study proves that these enterprising manufacturers are on track towards achieving sustainability targets—a focus that is increasingly in public conversation due to the various national strategies of the Arabian Gulf’s leadership.”


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Before we jump into the news of 2015, Richmond BizSense is taking a look back at the stories that made this year our biggest ever. The craft beer boom, huge development projects, multimillion-dollar mansions, tax fraud sagas and the endless creativity of Richmond entrepreneurs kept us busy through 2014.
Loyal BizSense readers: this list represents the stories you enjoyed most during the year, so thank you for making 2014 such a success. Keep the news tips coming next year.
Here are the top BizSense stories of this year, ranked by page views.
10. Richmond financier’s 100-year-old mansion on the market
A home built in the early 1900s with a view of the James River was listed for sale over the summer at $4.75 million. The eight-acre property and its Tudor-style mansion are still looking for a buyer.
9. Mansion with a view finds a buyer
A Wilton Cos. namesake sold his family estate for $3.45 million in March. The sale was the second-highest priced home deal of the year.
8. Third-biggest Henrico County mansion sells
In one of the first huge mansion deals of 2014, a 15,000-square-foot Henrico County home flanked by the James River and a country club golf course sold for $1.64 million.
7. Short Pump restaurant shuts down
The long-standing Chili’s restaurant at Short Pump closed its doors in August, and the space has yet to be filled.
6. Charlottesville pizzeria takes on Richmond
The Christian’s Pizza brand expanded out of its hometown and into the Richmond market in early 2014 with a new location on Three Chopt Road.
5. Fifty-year-old shopping center finally lands a new anchor
The January announcement of Walmart’s move into the Meadowbrook Shopping Center was just the first in what turned into a series of expansion plans for the retail giant in the Richmond area.
4. The National’s owners bow out
Following a lengthy legal battle, the owners of the downtown music venue sold the complex to a large California-based company known for its huge music festivals and sporting events for $6.7 million.
3. The ‘Carytown Cupcake law’ goes into effect
The owners of a local cupcake shop took to the state legislature to demand a change in laws restricting alcohol sales in bakeries. Their lobbying efforts were a success, and the store started selling wine and beer along with its desserts in July.
2. Imprisoned developer selling his mansion
In another chapter in the saga of Billy Jefferson, the now convicted developer put his Monument Avenue mansion on the market in May. The property sold in November for $1.7 million.
1. Massey’s mansion hits the market at $7.9 million
And in the mansion story to end all mansion stories, the 60-acre Goochland estate belonging to one of Richmond’s most well-known families was put up for sale following the death of coal exec William B. Massey. Maybe 2015 will bring a buyer for the 16,000-square-foot home.


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As more effort is put into connecting rural America with broadband service, local PUDs say they want to be considered for federal funding. In a joint statement released Tuesday, the leaders for the Chelan, Douglas and Grant PUDs said the COVID-19 pandemic has made very clear how vital affordable broadband is for rural customers.
In response, those leader said Public Utility Districts must be allowed to compete for the $16 billion in federal funds announced by the FCC in October.
The letter added PUDs have proven they are willing to build infrastructure to unserved areas, and continue to build fiber networks to reach as many county customers as reasonably feasible.
Across Washington State, local PUDs have invested more than $455 million in broadband infrastructure, installed over 7,200 miles of fiber, and connected more than 46,000 end-users. During the pandemic, PUDs also responded by installing wireless hot spots for emergency internet access.
The entire letter from the PUD leaders is below:
Policy makers recognize that broadband access is critical to a community’s success. Congress and the President are considering broadband as part of their respective infrastructure proposals. In October, the Federal Communications Commission will conduct a $16 billion competitive funding program.
Unfortunately, it isn’t clear that PUDs will be eligible for funding. For example, the FCC program requires applicants to provide retail service. Mid-Columbia PUDs have built open accessfiber networks, making highspeed broadband available to about 70% of their customers. Under Washington State law, we do not serve customers directly. Instead, we lease network capacity to retail companies. The approach makes it feasible for retailers to serve customers in rural areas that otherwise are not profitable enough to attract traditional carriers.
PUDs have proven they are willing to build infrastructure to unserved areas. We continue to build our fiber networks to reach as many county customers as reasonably feasible. With each step closer to that elusive 90 – 100% coverage, it gets more costly and challenging in rural areas. Meanwhile, traditional providers are not interested in reaching these customers, and the design of some federal programs mean high-cost areas often lose out on long-term solutions.
Across Washington State, local PUDs have invested more than $455 million in broadband infrastructure, installed over 7,200 miles of fiber, and connected more than 46,000 end-users. During the pandemic, PUDs also responded by installing wireless hot spots for emergency internet access. Still, existing federal funding programs aren’t designed to include our open-access systems and high-quality fiber networks.
To achieve rapid broadband deployment, we urge our nation’s policy makers to work with the Washington State Broadband Office to remove barriers to PUD participation in current and future federal broadband programs.
Steve Wright, General Manager, Chelan County PUD
Gary Ivory, General Manager, Douglas County PUD
Kevin Nordt, General Manager, Grant County PUD
If you have a story idea for the Washington Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail


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PhonePe has launched the Indus Appstore to challenge Google's stronghold in India's Android mobile apps ecosystem.
"The mission statement is quite simple. We want to build India's favourite app store. We want it to be loved by developers and customers alike,"Co-founder and CEO Sameer Nigam said at the launch.
The platform plans to differentiate itself through extensive support for local languages; a video-led app discovery approach; login through a verified mobile number instead of email; statutory approval for a broad array of games, including real-money gaming; and support for third-party payment providers.
The Indus Appstore will prioritise localisation by offering a toggle to switch between languages, ensuring that ads, descriptions, and other content are available in multiple regional languages like Hindi, Telugu, etc. The platform will also prioritise video-based discovery, capitalising on the popularity of short-form content and video formats for user engagement and app discovery.
Instead of relying on email IDs, the Indus Appstore will use mobile numbers for logins, offering personalised recommendations based on user behaviour and preferences.
The platform will include "smart updates" that use data optimisation techniques to update apps in the background, potentially increasing adoption rates of new versions. Users will also be provided with recommendations on apps to put to sleep or delete to manage their device's storage better.
The Indus Appstore aims to build a comprehensive gaming suite, enabling access to a wide range of games from both domestic and global aggregators.
"There's going to be hundreds of thousands of casual games. We're talking to aggregators, both domestically as well as globally. We're launching about 200,000 mobile apps on the app store...and several tens of thousands of games," Nigam said.
"Since the developer platform announcement in November, dozens of large global aggregators have reached out across markets and said we want to list for the Indian market, so I think we will be able to get a lot more quality content coming fast," Nigam added.
Unlike other app stores that regulate content based on their policies, the Indus Appstore intends to remain neutral and not interfere in the type of content or applications allowed, potentially offering more freedom to developers in accordance with the law.
Founder Sameer Nigam did not provide concrete regulations that a developer must follow to upload their apps on the platform as it wants to onboard as many developers and app publishers as of now. It will later remove apps based on Indus' requirements and assess if they match the app store's standards.
"We will probably try and get every app developer in because we're trying to get a lot of people [to onboard with the app store] and in that, we might get some spurious apps, I am sure of it," Nigam said. "And there will be a cycle where we will actually filter hard and we might throw some babies out with a lot of bathwater. You have to bear with us."
On the Indus Appstore, developers will have the freedom to use any payment platform with no commission fee for in-app purchases. According to Google Play Store's payments policy, in-app purchases, developers are required to use its billing system which comes with a 15%-30% fee that the app marketplace levies.
Sameer said the Indus will make most of its revenues through advertisements on the marketplace, content discovery solutions, along with fintech services such as payments and mandate solutions for developers to use.
The company said that developers looking to list their apps on the store can do so without any charges for the first year. Nigam said that the platform is yet to come up with a pricing structure beyond the first year but said it will be in the "low single digits" on top of the basic fee.
(The article was updated with more information.)
Edited by Kanishk Singh


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It will give the banking challenger’s millions of users a complete overview of their Revolut accounts including transaction history and cards.
Fintech ‘super app’ Revolut has launched a web app for its 13 million customers in the European Economic Area (EEA), Australia, Canada, Singapore, Switzerland, Japan and the United States.
While smartphones and their apps have powered the fintech boom, Revolut’s customers can now access their accounts from a browser on desktop or laptop as well. Many fintechs have eschewed desktops and tablets as their platform of choice for users. Monzo for example initially resisted a desktop portal but launched a paired back version following demand expressed from its community forum.
Revolut customers can now top up their account via bank transfer, debit or credit card, and Apple Pay (using Safari), directly from the Revolut Web App.
Nik Storonsky, CEO and Founder at Revolut said: “Account access through a browser is highly requested by our customers, so we’re delighted to have built a safe and convenient web app that everyone can use when they need it. Our customers can now access their money anywhere and at any time, even if they don’t have their phone or card, or if they simply prefer checking their account from a computer. It’s great to have the extra convenience and flexibility of an online option.”
21 March 2023
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Bango today announces its Final Results for the year ended 31 December 2014.
Click here to order a printed copy of the Bango 2014 Annual Report.
The Bango AGM will be held at 2pm on Wednesday, 27 May 2015 at the offices of Bango, 5 Westbrook Centre, Cambridge, CB4 1YG.
In an interesting Forbes article, published this month, Bango is called-out as a pioneer of a new type of economy.
The Forbes article interviews the journalist and author Haydn Shaughnessy, who recently published “Shift: A User’s Guide to the New Economy”. In the interview in Forbes, Shaughnessy comments: Continue reading
Bango is pleased to announce that Indosat, the leading Indonesian Mobile Network Operator, has used the Bango Payments Platform to launch one-click payment for Google Play customers.
This activation enables Google Play customers on the Indosat network to purchase games, music, apps and other digital content, without the use of premium SMS messages or the limitations of credit cards. Instead, users enjoy frictionless direct carrier billing, charging the cost to their phone bill, without the need to register personal details. Continue reading
Bango is pleased to announce that it has launched Direct Carrier Billing (DCB) for Samsung Galaxy Apps with Telkom South Africa. This is the first Samsung DCB launch in the continent of Africa.
Telkom and Samsung have partnered with mobile payment leader Bango in order to launch the service. The service is made possible through Telkom’s Event Billing service and will enable Telkom customers to purchase Samsung applications from the GALAXY Apps store and charge it directly to their mobile phone bill or airtime, using their Samsung devices. Customers can also make in-app purchases, such as additional content or new levels for a gaming app, without interruption to the app experience. This “frictionless” payment experience is emerging as the preferred model for payment in app stores, enabling more consumers to access paid content, without the need for credit/debit cards or to register personal details. Continue reading
In this video Gerry Tucker, CFO, Bango discusses recent progress, including the recent Samsung partnership. He explains how the Bango Platform provides a single integration point for mobile operators to activate a variety of app stores, and vice versa. The platform can handle up to 20 times the current transaction volume without any additional investment, highlighting the operational leverage. The focus for 2015 is delivering on the recently announced partnerships and driving up end-user spend.
The announcement last week that Samsung has integrated with the Bango Payments Platform, unlocking one-click payment in their app store, is important for two reasons. First it confirms that paying for content and services on the mobile phone bill is an essential component of today’s smartphone experience. Secondly, when the world’s largest smartphone maker standardizes on the Bango Payments Platform, it makes clear that the carrier billing market has reached maturity. Continue reading


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KABANKALAN CITY, Negros Occidental – Nineteen-year-old Clarencio Bernabe Jr. started selling fried chicken a month ago to earn money to support his family but he landed at the hospital, instead, after an angry competitor doused him with gasoline.
The incident happened in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental.
While Bernabe had just started cooking chicken to sell when 20-year-old Ryan Dolar poured gasoline on his body. The gasoline quickly caught fire from Bernabe’s mobile kitchen and his body was engulfed in flames.
Thankfully, there were plenty of people near the scene who quickly helped Bernabe. They were able to put out the fire and rush the vendor to the hospital but he had sustained third degree burns in many parts of his body.
Bernabe is currently in critical condition while the suspect, Dolar, is also recuperating in the hospital as he also sustained burns on his feet.
Bernabe’s family is considering filing a case against Dolar although they are still trying to care for him and are hoping his condition will improve soon.
The cops are still investigating the incident and verifying reports that Dolar had doused Bernabe with gasoline due to business competition or whether it was just a prank gone wrong.
Bernabe’s mom claimed that her son does not have enemies; thus, the only motive they could think of was competition in business, especially because her son had only just started selling fried chicken in the streets while Dolar had been selling for a longer time.
Whatever the actual motive might be behind the incident, Dolar will be facing charges for serious physical injuries for what he’s done to Bernabe.
What is Street Food?
Street food is basically any food being sold in the streets. These types of food stalls and mobile food carts are very popular in the Philippines, selling anything and everything from popular snack items to full meals!


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In his keynote address at the AdvaMed annual conference in late September, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb returned to the themes of promoting innovation by partnering with industry. Consistent with that, and furthering the agency’s emphasis on digital health innovation, he announced the companies that will be participating in FDA’s Pre-Cert program, a program that the agency describes as “intended to inform a tailored approach toward digital health technology by looking at the software developer or digital health technology developer, rather than primarily at the product.”
Put another way, FDA would examine the company’s software development, testing, operation, and maintenance practices to determine whether they are sufficiently robust to allow the company to be pre-certified. By doing this, the agency hopes to determine key metrics and performance indicators to establish a broader process by which a pre-certified company may be able to market new products while submitting less information for agency review. The companies chosen are Apple, FitBit, Samsung, Johnson & Johnson, Phosphorus, Roche, Samsung, Tidepool, and Verily.
This announcement is one more in a steady drum beat of digital health news that Commissioner Gottlieb has made over the last few months. In case you’re just getting up to speed, here are the highlights:
- June 15, 2017 – Commissioner Gottlieb announces via blog post that a Digital Health Innovation Action Plan is forthcoming, designed to promote innovation in the digital health field and help consumers make more informed health decisions.
- July 27, 2017 – FDA releases its Digital Health Innovation Action Plan, which includes the Pre-Cert program. It also discusses implementation of the 21st Century Cures Act, including issuance of a number of guidance documents regarding medical applications and medical device data systems, clinical decision support software guidance, multi-functionality guidance, and guidances relating to software changes to an existing device and software as a medical device (clinical evaluation). The agency also hosted a webinar regarding Pre-Cert, available here.
In addition to these upcoming guidance releases, Commissioner Gottlieb noted in his AdvaMed address that the agency will be hosting phone conferences prior to hosting a public meeting in January. We will be watching and reporting as FDA’s streamlined approach toward digital health unfolds.


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IRVINE, CALIF. — Brian Dick has been named corporate executive vice-president and chief operating officer at Golden State Foods (G.S.F.). He was promoted alongside Campbell Cooper, president of the company’s international business group.
Mr. Dick previously was senior corporate vice-president and president of global manufacturing at G.S.F. He has held several positions since joining the company in 1999, including president, vice-president and general manager of liquid products as well as vice-president of national account sales. In his new role, he will oversee all global operations, including food manufacturing and logistics groups.
“I’m confident that Brian and his expanded team will continue to bring strong leadership and proven relationship management to our global food processing and distribution partnerships,” said Mark Wetterau, chairman and chief executive officer at Golden State Foods.
Mr. Cooper joined the company last year as group vice-president for the GSF Fresh! business. Before that, he was general manager of functional foods at Royal Cosun. In his new role, he will oversea operations in Asia, New Zealand and the Middle East.
“Campbell has been an excellent fit for G.S.F. since he joined the company a year and a half ago,” Mr. Dick said.
California-based Golden State Foods is a supplier for the food service, quick-service restaurant, retail and c-store industries. It currently services more than 120,000 restaurants and retail stores in more than 40 countries.


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Model Daisy Lowe is the eighth celebrity announced for the 2016 series of Strictly Come Dancing.
Daisy’s participation was announced today (17 August) via the official BBC Strictly Twitter and Facebook feeds.
“I am used to being on the catwalk and campaigns of major fashion brands with lots of eyes on me but this is completely different from anything I have ever done before! My family and friends and I adore Strictly, so when the chance came up to take part – I jumped at it! I am itching to get started and am so looking forward to learning a new skill.” – Daisy Lowe
Spotted at the age of 15, Daisy is in demand as a high end fashion model and recently became a British Fashion Council Ambassador for London Fashion Weekend.
Since the start of her career, she has starred in major fashion campaigns for some of the biggest labels around and continues to appear in commercial advertising campaigns and at fashion shows across the globe. Non modelling projects include acting in feature and independent films, appearing in music videos and she is also an author of a sweet treat cookery book.
Daisy joins Ed Balls, Will Young, Laura Whitmore, Ore Oduba, Melvin Odoom, Louise Redknapp and Danny Mac in the line-up. More celebrities will be announced for the new series in due course.


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Another residential supplier has announced it is entering PPL Electric Utilities’ territory, increasing to five the number of retail competitors who have committed to offering residential service when PPL’s rate caps expire on Jan. 1.
MXenergy of Stamford, Conn., says it will offer a variety of fixed-rate and variable-rate plans, though company Chief Executive Officer and President Jeffrey Mayer said pricing plans are still being created and noted that customers won’t be able to switch completely by Jan. 1.
“We are very cautious and careful about entering new markets. … We’re very careful about modeling the market, lining up the supplier we need, understand market rules,” he said on Thursday. The company, which retails gas and electricity in about 40 utility territories in 14 states and into Canada, has existed for 10 years, and Mayer believes that’s one of the benefits the company offers. “Probably the most important thing (we offer) is financial stability, financial strength. We’re offering products similar to other suppliers, but you need to have a strong balance sheet to lock in long term prices,” he said. “Our goal is to provide customers with price protection the way banks offer fixed mortgages.”
MXenergy focuses on residential customers, Mayer said. “What we’ve done is we’ve taken the products available to commercial industrial customers for 20 years and we’ve retooled them for the homeowner,” he said. “We think are the lowest or close to the lowest (price) in the market, but for competitive reasons, we don’t want to put it out until we start marketing.”
The company won’t be venturing into UGI Utilities’ territory, he said.
PPL has facilitated competition by agreeing to contract for collecting receivable accounts, among other things, while UGI and other utilities haven’t done that. Mayer said his company could offer service to customers in those territories, but the expense to customers would increase.


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Multinational retailer Marks & Spencer launched over 100 new vegan products to its Plant Kitchen range this Thursday amongst a huge Veganuary drive taking place internationally. The range now includes a variety of dishes, sandwiches to go, desserts, ready meals, snacks, healthy dinners, and drinks.
Marks and Spencer joins a long line of large retailers adding extensive plantbased products to its own brand ranges, such as Asda, Waitrose and the Co-op. M&S has been steadily increasing its plantbased portfolio to its own brand which has been extremely well received by consumers in the UK.
The new products include: No Tuna & Sweetcorn Sandwich, ToFish & Chips, and a No Chicken Smokehouse Wrap. In November, the supermarket announced it was making its entire range of wines vegan friendly.
April Preston, Director of Product Development said: “With 1 in 4 M&S customers choosing a more flexitarian diet this is a super exciting trend that’s showing absolutely no signs of slowing down. We’re expecting to see an even bigger leap forward in new products suitable for vegans, with a diversification in plant proteins and experimentation in flavours. Following on from the successful launch of our Plant Kitchen range earlier this year, we’ve turned the heat up and challenged ourselves, focusing particularly on turning well-loved products into plant-based versions and celebrating vegetables in all their forms.”


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Launch of the new paint shop
The demand for high-quality paintwork is constantly increasing, as companies are attaching more and more importance to a high-quality appearance. We also attach great importance to protecting the health of our employees in the best possible way.
In order to be able to guarantee both in the future, our new paint shop was recently put into operation.
#heinrichgeorg #investingeorg #new #paint
Victor Mejia in the assembly hall
Victor has been with us as an industrial mechanic since he started his training on August 1st, 2016. He comes from Guatemala, feels very comfortable with us and has meanwhile developed into a good fitter who has already been on his first field assembly assignments. Victor: we are very happy to have you in our team.
#Heinrichgeorg #youngtalents #workingatgeorg #family
Our gift for the 30th anniversary of the company SBG Neumark
On September 7, we were able to congratulate our customer SGB on "Innovation Day" for 30 years of production at the Neumark site. In addition, we wish Mr. Andreas Unterweger, who took over the position of CEO in September, many more successful years as the CEO.
GEORG - New paint shop
We are also constantly investing in our own infrastructure. Currently, our new paint shop is being built and will soon be put into operation. We are looking forward to it.
#Heinrichgeorg #InvestinGEORG #improving #2023 #75years


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Morning Report: A quick look at Zoox’s half-billion-dollar round.
A recent profile of self-driving car startup Zoox caught our eye. In a space where Alphabet, Uber, and traditional auto manufacturers are competing, how much room is left for a plucky startup? Especially a startup that wants to build its own vehicle along with its own self-driving tech?
Follow Crunchbase News on Twitter
As it turns out, there’s plenty of room, at least according to Grok Ventures. The firm recently put $500 million into Zoox at a post-money valuation of $3.2 billion. According to TechCrunch, Zoox was worth $2.7 billion before the infusion. The company likely sold more stock at a flat per-share price.
As has been reported, Zoox has raised around $800 million across three rounds. Grok, per Crunchbase, did the latest round itself. The company has had little trouble, therefore, getting capital into its balance sheet.
(Here’s a full list of Grok’s known ventures to date.)
Zoox is something of binary wager. If the company manages to pull off its technical efforts, it will be worth a multiple of $3.2 billion. The firm wants to launch its own ridesharing service, per Bloomberg, and could certainly license its tech to any number of global corporations. Or the company will be raided for parts, patents, and people after running out of money.
Only in 2018 can a company with $800 million in capital raised count as a long shot.
From The Crunchbase Daily:
- New York-based VC Greycroft has raised $250 million for its latest early-stage fund, which will invest in seed through Series A rounds for promising technology startups.
- Two-year-old fintech startup Pintec has filed for a U.S. IPO, hoping to raise $70 million.The Beijing-based company provides online financial services including loans, wealth management, and insurance.
- Rubius Therapeutics, a Cambridge, Mass.-based developer of drugs based on genetically-engineered red blood cells, has raised $241 million in an upsized IPO that reportedly sets an initial market valuation for the company of around $2 billion.
- K Health, an app that uses AI and anonymous health records to augment the diagnoses of health problems, has raised $12.5 million. Investors include Comcast Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Mangrove Capital Partners, among others.
- Niantic, the augmented reality game developer best known for Pokemon Go, has acquired Seismic Games, a venture-backed developer of mobile games based on the Marvel comic universe.
Stay up to date with recent funding rounds, acquisitions, and more with the Crunchbase Daily.


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Full profile →'">
The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.
In a recent interview with Forbes, AQR Capital Management co-founder Cliff Asness explained why not everything hedge funds (or any asset managers) offer are worth premium fees. For the first half of our conversation, see "AQR's Cliff Asness Says Investors Need to Get Real."
Cliff Asness has no problems with fees. In fact, he loves them: “particularly when they’re coming to me.”
The problem AQR Capital Management’s co-founder has is when investors pay big fees for strategies and exposures that don’t offer the proper bang for the buck.
“You don’t just pay for something, you pay for how unique it is,” Asness told me when he visited Forbes last week.
AQR has moved into the mutual fund world in recent years, offering products that Asness believes fit well in the vast space between the basis points charged for pure equity index funds and the traditional 2% (of assets) and 20% (of profits) hedge funds receive.
“If I can describe the basic idea to you in three minutes, to call it alpha, that no one else can find, is extreme,” Asness says. That does not mean there isn’t a place in the world for such strategies, just that they shouldn’t come with the same price tags as sophisticated strategies that are truly unique.
The hedge fund industry at large is net long, Asness says, referencing a chart of three-year rolling returns for an industry index that looks almost identical to that of the S&P 500. “There’s nothing wrong with net long – markets go up more than they go down,” he says. “There’s something wrong with paying 2 and 20 for net long.”
A related issue is that most hedge funds are not only net long, they’re remarkably similar. Asness gives a chuckle when I mention Apple, a huge component a huge component of the market’s performance in recent years and a top holding for many managers. (See "Apple Still A Hedge Fund Haven.")
Investors shouldn’t cough up lofty fees for an investment product that ultimately comes down to what Apple does on a given day. “It’s not ‘don’t pay fees,’” Asness says, “it’s pay the appropriate fees for what you’re getting.”
While his view may not be popular with his peers, Asness thinks the range of products AQR offers, and the firm’s success, proves that there is room in the marketplace for a wide range of products with different fee structures.
“It’s when you charge as if you have magic – and a lot it is really not magic – that it starts to be an issue,”
For a lot more from Cliff Asness, including his take on more alternative investment managers tailoring products to a broader group of investors, watch the video at the top of the page. And check out Part 1 of our interview for Cliff’s take on the fiscal cliff, his market outlook and the his favorite metric for valuing stocks.


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CO-OP Financial Services adds biometric security to mobile banking app
CO-OP Financial Services has released Mobile Banking 3.0, the company’s new mobile banking app with new security features including Touch ID authentication capabilities.
Available for the CO-OP Mobile custom-branded credit union app and the Sprig by CO-OP turnkey mobile banking app, Mobile Banking 3.0 upgrades include Touch ID authentication and expanded payment options that make transactions fast, secure and seamless for members on the go.
“Top of mobile is top of wallet today as consumers expect to be able to manage their money 24/7,” said Todd Clark, president and CEO of CO-OP Financial Services. “P2P payments specifically are growing by nearly 50 percent year over year, making it critical for credit unions to offer leading-edge technology in this space. CO-OP’s Mobile Banking 3.0 serves today’s digitally-minded consumers with a suite of advanced tools that deliver the speed, convenience and security they require.”
Touch ID fingerprint authentication ensures more secure transactions, as well as eliminates the need for passwords, making mobile payments fast and easy for members.
The app also offers push notifications for scheduled payments, which automatically notify members when transfers are completed.
These notifications can be set for any payment generated in CO-OP Mobile or Sprig, including processing and delivery tracking of RealPay by CO-OP immediate P2P payments.
The release of Mobile Banking 3.0 also brings along scheduled transfer options for RealPay payments made within both CO-OP Mobile and Sprig, which allow members to schedule daily, weekly and monthly transfers from their smartphone.
“What members expect today digitally has been shaped by tech giants like Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon,” said Clark. “CO-OP is a digital-first organization, and Mobile Banking 3.0 technology is built on our digital infrastructure. In addition to providing a superior mobile experience for members, our mobile banking apps connect credit unions into our digital ecosystem, making it easier for them to offer CO-OP Shared Branching and other services to members.”


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Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto has revealed that the gaming giant is hard at work on the next home console version of The Legend Of Zelda.
Speaking at the E3 Expo, the series creator announced that significant work has already taken place on new instalment, with a view to releasing the game some time in 2010.
"To be honest, I really wanted to show off a new Zelda at this E3. However, rather than bring you something, we wanted to focus on development," he said.
"Obviously, graphics have improved, but as a team, we've been sitting down to look at the gameplay and what we can do with it to move Zelda forward."
Miyamoto went on to outline his ideas for its gameplay, explaining that the new title could heavily revolve around memories and players' individual perceptions. It was also revealed that the developers have incorporated so much Wii MotionPlus support that the device could be essential to play the game.
Concept art for the new title was unveiled, bearing a graphical resemblance to 2006's Twilight Princess.
A new DS adventure The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks was showcased at E3, though no release date was given.


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By Erin Saltzman, Arizona State University
Bamboo from China. Salmon leather from Alaska. Hardwood and jipijapa from Bolivia. These are just some of the sustainable materials shaped by 10 top designers and showcased at the “Design for a Living World” exhibition at the Desert Botanical Garden.
The exhibit, developed by The Nature Conservency and currently on display in Phoenix, prompts visitors to think about the products they use everyday.
“As designers, we can make a difference on a big scale and a small scale,” says industrial designer Yves Béhar in a video showcased within the exhibit. He is one of several well-known designers who participated in the sustainable design project.
Béhar, founder of a company called fuseproject in San Francisco, worked with an indigenous women’s organic cocoa and chocolate association in Costa Rica supported by The Nature Conservancy.
Most cocoa for drinking is prepared by making hand-processed cocoa patties. Béhar made a tool to grate the cocoa patties and collect the shavings inside the tool. The user can turn the tool over and the cocoa falls into a cup, where he or she can add hot milk or water.
The 10 designers' work will be showcased until April 1.
This is the first time the Desert Botanical Garden has had an exhibit like this, said Jane Adams-Wahlgren, a volunteer.
“It seems like this a good inspiration to start to get people’s attention,” she said.
Adams-Wahlgren, a Phoenix-native, said she loves that the designers are making things and doing things that come to life.
She said more designers aren’t using sustainable materials simply because they lack ingenuity, but it's possibility that the trend hasn’t caught on yet.
Other designers included Isaac Mizrahi of "Project Runway" fame, who used salmon skin to make leather to create a dress (pictured at right) and shoes.
“Ecology and glamour weigh the same to me,” Mizrahi said in the video. He doesn’t believe the environmental issue is just a fad. The only challenge with his design, he said, was trying to make it as eco-friendly as possible.
“I love the concept of taking something and making it a usable and useful item,” said Sylvia Holt, a Phoenix resident who was taking in the exhibit.
"I loved the salmon leather. He [Mizrahi] took something so smelly and turned it into something beautiful," said Holt.
Another famous designer included in the exhibit is Kate Spade, who found rosewood in Bolivia and made wooden tiles. Author and artist Christien Meindertsma used organic wool to make a rug, and jewelry designer Ted Muehling used vegetable ivory and black pearls to create jewelry.
“As designers, it’s our responsibility to think about what we can do to integrate the world better,” Spade said in the video.
Gale Smith, a volunteer at the Desert Botanical Garden for more than 18 years, said that many of these materials have been used before, but that most people are simply unaware of their use.
"It’s such an interesting concept," Smith said. "We’re going to have to do use more sustainable material in the future," she said.
The Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix is open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. You can learn more about the exhibit at the garden's website.


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ERIE – A registered broker dealer and investment advisory firm alleges two former employees residing in Kenderell and Pittsburgh took confidential information after their resignation and have disclosed it to others.
PHILADELPHIA – A plaintiff claiming to have been seriously injured in the entryway of a Philadelphia Best Buy store nearly two years ago, has initiated legal action against the electronics retail giant.
PHILADELPHIA – A emergency remediation and repair firm believes one of its customers owes it more than $20,000 for services rendered this past spring, in response to fire damage-related loss which occurred at the defendant’s property.
PHILADELPHIA – An Amtrak trackman and truck driver has accused the train transportation company of violating the Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA) by not making for a safe workplace, which he says led to his serious shoulder injuries.
PHILADELPHIA – Ford Motor Company is the subject of litigation from a plaintiff who believes an automobile she purchased with a defective transmission is a cause of action for the supposed violation of both federal and state laws.


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General Motors India, a fully owned subsidiary of American auto company General Motors, has launched several new models since the beginning of this year. The Chevrolet Sail sedan was officially launched on February 1 this year and this vehicle has already recorded 8000 bookings. With the help of new launches along with some positive measures implemented by the Indian Government, General Motors India Managing Director (MD) Lowell Paddock feels that the year could be a good one for the company and for the auto industry, in general.
This comment was presented by the MD after the opening of Orange Auto Pvt. Ltd, a new Chevrolet dealership in Vishakapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. This is a new dealership for the company, to be headed by Ramu Yelamanchili. The new outlet would have vehicles that are available between the price ranges of Rs. 3.5 lakh and Rs. 25 lakh. Currently, the company has 285 sales points and 278 service centres across the country. Of these, 19 sales points and 19 service outlets are present within the state of Andhra Pradesh only.
Lowell Paddock is optimistic about the new models being launched this year. He said “Already we have 8,000 bookings for Sail sedan and we are off to a good start. We are launching another model - Enjoy - in May and later another one. All the models and variants will be available in Vishakapatnam. In the current year, the company would hope to gather a greater share of the Indian automobile market. On being asked whether the company would foray in to the Light Commercial Vehicle segment, he said that the same was not part of the agenda.
General Motors India has plans of launching almost eight new models in the current year. This would include the Chevrolet Trax, which would be the first compact Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) to be built by the company. In addition, Chevrolet Enjoy, as mentioned earlier, would also be launched next month in the country. The company would be attempting to double its current sales volume, with a sales target of 2,00,000 cars by the end of 2013. Industry experts believe that it would be hard to attain this number considering the Indian economy's current state, but things could improve if some favourable measures are taken by the Government for overall growth of the Indian economy.


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During the 8 years of its action in the virtual world, the video sharing site YouTube was only a contest to find out who the winner of the best video.
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Quoted from ITN UK, Tuesday (11/06), in a robot competition called Chinese Intelligent Industrial Exposition and Forum Summit in Hangzhou, China, robots skill performance.
The news about the release of Windows Phone 7.8 update for the Nokia Lumia line of smartphones from the old series yesterday NaviFirm seem right. Nokia Lumia 800 is the first smartphone that will get the updated Windows Phone 7.8 and will soon be followed [...]
BlackBerry seems very serious enrich the application ecosystem. This is evidenced by the achievement of 100 thousand apps in the app store BlackBerry World.
Quoted from Slashgear, Friday (22/3), this means that BlackBerry has added about 30 thousand [...]


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Analysts say a few tabloid headlines will not be enough to be successful and Murree will also need a multi-million-dollar promotional campaign.
It is also unclear the type of consumer they are trying to sell their beer to, since most Pakistanis living abroad are Muslim and unlikely to drink alcohol.
"They are never going to be anything but a very niche player. It's unlikely they will be able to push as hard as major brewers with their own niche lagers," said a London-based stock analyst, who asked not to be identified because he did not cover Murree Brewery.
But company officials are hopeful, particularly for the US market.
"Americans will drink anything. They are like fish," Rehman said.


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Mastercard partners up to boost Zambia's pay ecosystem
The partnership aims to drive financial inclusion by extending formal financial products and services to under-served members of co-operatives.
Under this agreement, Nascu will introduce a secure, efficient and transparent electronic payment system to streamline and automate payments including payroll, loans, and disbursements to its savings and credit co-operative members.
It will also issue 1.5 million Mastercard contactless debit payment cards to its members over the next five years, providing them with a convenient electronic payment tool to receive and make safe and simple payments for everyday commerce activities.
The initiative is seen as a fundamental building block in developing a modernised and inclusive payments ecosystem in Zambia. With Mastercard’s wide acceptance footprint, cardholders will be able to securely transact around the world.
Mark Elliott, division president of Mastercard Southern Africa, said this collaboration with Nascu represented a major step forward in its strategy to create a cashless society and build an inclusive financial sector.
African News Agency (ANA)


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The latest in what seems like an unending torrent of bad news for publisher THQ is that Metro: Last Light won’t be released until 2013. Metro: Last Light was originally going to be published towards the end of this year, but its release date has been pushed back into Q1 2013. The news was announced in a reviewed schedule that was published alongside THQ’s financial results.
THQ made the news last month when it announced it was going to turn its focus away from licensed games for children, faced rumors that its 2014 line-up had been canceled, laid off a large number of its Australian employees, and came under threat of delistment because its closing price had dropped below $1.
A release delay of a popular title is only going to make things worse for the publisher. With the threat of a new console generation looming on the horizon, any delay might endanger the sales of the game. Only time will tell if THQ will be able to find the light at the end of this tunnel of trouble.


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DS said in a statement that the ABAQUS purchase is a significant step to reshape the large but currently fragmented simulation software market, in which most companies still use niche applications rather than unified solutions.
According to industry analysts, the simulation software market is estimated at $2.35 billion today and is expected to grow to $4 billion in the next five years, with average growth of 12 percent per year. Many applications currently in use are internally developed programs, and current market figures do not take those applications into account.
DS added that ABAQUS is well recognised for its technology, which is capable of scaling from simple to the most demanding simulations, an example of which is a drop-test simulation that enables users to observe the behaviour of all of the internal components of a mobile phone.
“With the best teams, we can transform the industry,” said Bernard Charlès, president and CEO, Dassault Systèmes. “Together, we will enable our customers to experience virtually what their customers will experience using their products in the real world.”
The transaction is subject to the satisfaction of certain customary conditions and approval by certain regulatory authorities. Neither Dassault Systèmes nor ABAQUS will require a shareholder vote. Dassault Systèmes expects that the proposed acquisition could be completed by the end of its third fiscal quarter.


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Bee Sweet Citrus to Showcase Specialty Varieties; Monique Mueller Shares
FOWLER, CA - March 7 will mark a milestone for Bee Sweet Citrus. This will be the first time the grower will attend the Southeast Produce Council’s (SEPC) Southern Exposure show in Tampa, Florida, where the team will showcase its citrus portfolio.
“We’re thrilled to have an opportunity to connect with our East Coast customers and would love the opportunity to showcase our products to those unfamiliar with our brand,” explains Monique Mueller, Director of Communications. “We will be showcasing our entire citrus line, with a special focus on our specialty citrus varieties.”
In addition to providing its customers with household staples like Navel oranges, lemons, and Mandarins, Bee Sweet Citrus also offers customers an assortment of specialty citrus varieties.
“Bee Sweet is proud to grow, pack, and ship approximately 10 varieties throughout the year, and all our varieties can be picked up at one central location,” says Monique. “Our new state-of-the-art Mandarin facility is up and running, and we’re excited to showcase its capabilities to attendees.”
Schedule a visit to booth #301 to chat with the Bee Sweet team and hear about the company’s story and passion for the category.


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Poland's thirst for soft drinks shows no sign of slowing, with consumption exceeding 5 billion litres in 2002, according to a new report from beverage industry analysts Canadean. Poland's consumption of soft drinks has now increased by a staggering 145 per cent in the last decade, the report claims.
The popularity of the sector is further underlined by the fact that its share of all commercial beverages consumed has risen from just 18 per cent in 1993 to almost 30 per cent in 2002, Canadean added.
With a population exceeding 38 million, Poland offers one of the largest markets in Eastern and Central Europe. Although the economy is weak, with around 18 per cent unemployment, significant investment is being put into improving the retailing infrastructure, not least by a number of western companies such as Tesco and Ahold entering the market. In 2002, the number of supermarkets/hypermarkets and discount stores increased by 24 per cent and 15 per cent respectively.
Unlike many countries in western Europe, where soft drink sales last year were badly hit by poor summer weather, the Polish soft drinks sector was boosted by an exceptionally long and hot summer in 2002. While every product sector saw gains, still drinks registered the greatest percentage increase - nearly 20 per cent up on the previous year.
Due to the high rate of unemployment, Polish consumers are very price conscious. With very competitive prices and wide availability, still drinks are perfectly positioned to take advantage of this attribute. The domestic still drinks market is dominated by local brands, with the top three alone accounting for nearly half the market. Canadean predicts that the sector will continue to flourish in 2003 with a continuing healthy growth rate.
Juice and nectars also grew strongly, helped by the launch of a number of economy products in 2001/2002 and significant marketing support from the producers. The largest sector, though, is packaged water which accounts for over 30 per cent of all soft drinks consumed.
Eastern promise attracts plenty of admirers
Due to the size of the population and the rate at which consumption is increasing, the soft drinks potential offered by Poland is considerable. Although per capita consumption is above the eastern European average, it is still some 40 per cent below that of western Europe, providing plenty of room for further growth.
Financed by international organisations and Polish banks, merger and acquisition activity is widespread. Last year, the Enterprise Investors Fund acquired a 90 per cent share of Agros-Fortuna (owner of the Fortuna and Tarczyn brands). As the same Fund also owns a stake in Sonda (Sonda and Garden brands), a merger between the two companies remains a distinct possibility.
Meanwhile, Maspex's acquisition of Multivita has strengthened the company's presence in the packaged water arena (although Multivita has subsequently been bought by Coca-Cola, a deal still subject to approval by the Polish authorities).
Being the leading sector, packaged water has also attracted the interests of multinational giants such as Danone and Nestlé. Danone only entered the market two years ago but has already acquired over 16 per cent of the packaged water market through an 88 per cent holding in Zywiec Zdroj, and a joint venture with San Benedetto, Polska Woda. The report predicts that consolidation will intensify across all sectors.
For more details of Canadean's soft drinks market reports, click here.


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Join our Conference at the Yacht club of Monaco Wednesday March 25th at 3pm – 4pm. Free entrance.
Sign up at: firstname.lastname@example.org
TAF is interviewing all European airlines with aim to reduce their single use plastic. We have encouraged the airports to implement water fountains and end the selling of plastic bottles. The result of our campaign will be published later this year.
TAF held its first conference “How to live a Plastic free Live” in Cercle Munster, Luxembourg. There is an increasing interest from the government to implement alternatives and we were pleased to visit the zero waste shop Ouni where lots of packaging free items can be found.
TAF informed more than 1300 children through our educational games during monacology from June 12th to 14th. We had 7 stands and 12 games explaining how each of us can make a change to save our ocean heroes and ourselves.
TAF celebrated Ocean Day with Ville de Nice and 5 school classes cleaning up the beaches in Nice. The children got informed via TAF educational quizzes and a demonstration from the clean up boat.
We thank the students of ISN Nice, France who held a stand to collect money for TAF.
Partner visit to Saltwater Brevery. Their incredible edible sixpack rings are now being used worldwide.
TAF visited for the 4th time Ecoplaza Holland. More than 1421 plastic free products are now in store and their aim is still to replace all articles to plastic free packaging.
27 students got informed about the whales and dolphins importance to humans and why we must protect them by for example only watching them in their natural habitat and by implementing a plastic free life.


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A string of chlor-alkali turnarounds slated for the first quarter of 2022 is expected to keep US caustic soda supply tight amid strong demand, multiple market sources said Jan. 4.
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The outages are expected to keep already low caustic soda inventories thin until the work concludes by the second quarter, sources said.
"We are getting ready to get an unprecedented outage season," a source said. "All back-to-back. I don't see inventories improving until 2Q at least."
US chlor-alkali output faced two major interruptions in 2021 from a deep freeze that hit the US Gulf Coast in February and Hurricane Ida's Aug. 29 landfall in Louisiana. Market sources said producers haven't been able to restore depleted inventories amid consistently strong demand for chlorine and caustic soda.
"Demand is great, inventory is on fumes," a source said.
Olin, the world's largest chlor-alkali producer, has a turnaround slated for January at its McIntosh, Alabama, unit, that will involve a permanent fix to operational issues that prompted the company to declare force majeure on its output in July 2021, according to sources familiar with company operations. The plant can produce up to 550,000 mt/year of caustic soda and 500,500 mt/year of chlorine.
That force majeure remained in effect Jan. 4.
Next up from mid-February to mid-March is a turnaround at Olin's 3 million mt/year chlor-alkali plant in Freeport, Texas, followed by planned work from mid-March to mid-April at the company's Plaquemine, Louisiana, unit that can produce up to 850,000 mt/year of chlorine and 934,066 mt/year of caustic soda, sources familiar with company operations said.
Olin did not respond to a request for comment.
In addition, Formosa Plastics USA has a turnaround on tap to begin in mid-January at its 736,000 mt/year chlor-alkali unit at its Point Comfort, Texas, complex. Shintech also has a turnaround slated for March at its existing Plaquemine operations, which includes a chlor-alkali unit that can produce up to 1.16 million mt/year of chlorine and 1.28 million mt/year of caustic soda.
Westlake Chemical also has a turnaround on tap at its Plaquemine complex, which includes 426,376 mt/year of chlorine and 453,592 mt/year of caustic soda.
Sources familiar with operations at those companies confirmed the turnarounds, and none of the companies responded to requests for comment.
Chlorine is the first link in the production chain for construction staple polyvinyl chloride, which is used to make pipes, window frames, vinyl siding and other products. Caustic soda is a byproduct of chlorine production and a key feedstock for alumina and pulp and paper industries.


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Wanting not to waste
Tuesday, July 15, 2008 | 02:30 PM ET
by Amber Hildebrandt, CBCNews.ca
One of my vegetable bins in the fridge is brimming with produce about to go to waste. Half a lettuce head turned slimy. Carrots gone limp. Some broccoli that's questionable. It's the classic mistake of my grocery cart being too big for my stomach.
If I didn't feel guilty enough, the British government released a report last week revealing how families there throw out one-third of the food they buy, a sad fact that puts higher demands on an already straining food market and contributes more greenhouse gas emissions than I'd care to think about.
The Food Matters study came out as Britain and the other industrialized countries in the Group of Eight, including Canada, met in the pristine greenery of northern Japan's Hokkaido island and vowed to halve global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The report points to the food chain, production and waste as causing its fair share of environmental problems, from the tractors plowing the fields to the plastic-packaged products that are driven to grocery store shelves.
But what's striking is, after all that effort, how much food never makes it into our mouths.
In Britain, a third of purchased food, or 6.7 million tonnes, get thrown out. Some of it consists of peel rinds and bones, but the study says 61 per cent of it is avoidable and could've been eaten if consumers planned better, stored the food properly, were less confused by "sell by" or "best before" labels and didn't cave to "buy one, get one free" deals when it was unlikely they'd eat the food. No such numbers could be found for Canada.
"Eliminating household food waste would deliver major benefits, including a reduction in GHG emissions equivalent to taking one in five cars off UK roads," the report commissioned by Prime Minister Gordon Brown says.
But even before the food makes it to our kitchens from faraway farms, the report estimates up to 40 per cent of harvests are lost in the developing world before it's consumed because of inadequate processing, storage and transporting.
Even then, I wonder whether in the face of a global food crisis we should be wagging our fingers less at industry and looking more inside our own fridges.
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About the blog
From trends and culture to politics and nutrition, Food Bytes serves up tasty tidbits about food and the issues surrounding it that flavour our everyday lives.
About the writers
Amber Hildebrandt writes for CBCNews.ca in Toronto. Growing up on a farm in Manitoba, she acquired an insatiable appetite, but it was during a stint in Japan that she developed her discerning tastebuds and "foodie" ways.
Andrea Chiu is an associate producer at CBC Radio Digital. Though she loves to eat, cook and discuss food, don't ask her to bake. It never turns out well. She tweets as @TOfoodie on Twitter and organizes food and wine events in Toronto called FoodieMeet.
Tara Kimura is the consumer life reporter for CBCNews.ca, covering a wide range of issues that range from rising food costs and the growing organic movement, to new trends in the marketplace.
Andree Lau is a CBC web reporter in Calgary. Her journalism career includes seven years as a CBC-TV reporter. Her own blog called "are you gonna eat that?" chronicles her eating adventures (including sampling snake and camel hoof tendon).
Jessica Wong is a CBCNews.ca writer who loves to eat and cook, as well as discuss, read and watch programming about food, sometimes all at once.
Kevin Yarr, CBCNews.ca's writer in Prince Edward Island, wrote about food and beer for national and regional magazines before joining the CBC. He acquired a desire for new tastes on his first trip to Europe, and an appreciation of eating locally and in season when he finally settled down on P.E.I.
Elizabeth Bridge is a writer with the CBC Digital Archives in Toronto. She first ventured into the kitchen as a child to indulge a sweet tooth by baking cookies and making fudge. A student budget compelled her to be a vegetarian (for a while) and instilled in her an ongoing curiosity about food and cooking.
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The Pixel 6 Pro does not feature any dedicated hardware such as an IR camera or dot projector for face biometrics, so it sounds like the Mountain View giant will use the phone’s 11MP front camera and the in-house Tensor chip to get the job done. The standard model was never expected to offer face unlocking, but whether that was a decision Google made to create further differentiation between the two or it was because of the lower resolution 8MP camera with a smaller field of view is not known. Brandon adds that it’s not possible to actually use this feature right now and also revealed that someone with a Pixel 5 also got this setting. Android 13 beta 1 brings the face unlock setting to the Pixel 6 Pro – Face Unlock setting appears on Pixel 6 Pro after Android 13 Beta 1. Android 13 beta 1 brings the face unlock setting to the Pixel 6 Pro
The first public beta of Android 13 was released today, and anyone with a suitable phone can immediately install it. M. Brandon Lee of THIS IS TECH TODAY claims that after installing the latest version of Google’s operating system, a Face Unlock setting emerged on their Pixel 6 Pro. Google was planned to incorporate Face Unlock capabilities on the Pixel 6 Pro, according to pre-release marketing materials and code snippets. Face Unlock was referenced multiple times in the Android 12 QPR3 Beta for the Pixel 6 1.1.
While the Pixel 5 is unlikely to get this feature, the Pixel 6 Pro is still expected to gain this functionality. Per a recent report, Google is still working to bring the feature to the handset, and the current plan is to ship it with the next feature drop, which is expected in June, The Pixel 6 Pro does have a fingerprint scanner, but it often proves to be unreliable, so it would be great if it is complemented by a face unlocking system. Face unlocking systems have their own downsides, especially the 2D kind that Google is working on because it’s less secure than sophisticated systems like Apple’s and can also be fooled with a picture of someone. The Pixel 6 is one of the best Android phones around, thanks to its excellent cameras and new design, and the addition of a new feature will likely boost its appeal even more.


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African tourism ministers stress green tourism, connectivity for tourism development – Xinhua
People talk at a Ugandan stall during the World Travel Market Africa in Cape Town, South Africa, April 11, 2022. (Xinhua/Lyu Tianran)
Tourism ministers and officials from a number of African countries joined a roundtable discussion on tourism on Monday, focusing on green tourism and connectivity for tourism growth in Africa.
CAPE TOWN, April 12 (Xinhua) — Tourism ministers and officials from a number of African countries joined a tourism roundtable on Monday, focusing on green tourism, connectivity, among others , for the growth of tourism in Africa.
An African Ministerial Roundtable on the theme of addressing challenges for future investment in Africa’s tourism industry was held at the Cape Town International Conference Center during the three-day World Travel Market Africa, where officials discussed participated in person or virtually.
There are only about 70 million travelers among Africa’s 1.3 billion people while only 26 African cities are connected to international standards, so African countries need to improve connectivity by air and open their skies to establish a domestic market, said Najib Balala, Cabinet Secretary. for tourism and wildlife in Kenya.
In this way, airfare can be affordable and Africa can go from an expensive destination to an affordable one, not only for foreigners but also for nationals, according to Balala, who also suggested easing restrictions. visa regimes in Africa.
People stand next to a robot at the booth of a hotel chain during the World Travel Market Africa in Cape Town, South Africa, April 11, 2022. (Xinhua/Lyu Tianran)
Ministers also spoke of the need to “go green” in the tourism sector. Botswana sees sustainability as a key to facilitating the growth of the tourism sector, said Botswana’s Minister of Environment, Natural Resources, Conservation and Tourism, Philda Kereng.
“We must conserve and preserve national resources, on the basis of which we develop and serve products,” she said, adding that the southern African country has revised its tourism policy to make it responsive and resilient to change. climatic.
“Going green is the path to natural resource-based tourism development,” she said.
The Kenyan minister also said that Africa could utilize its vast solar energy potential and become a leader in green tourism.
Participants also discussed the need for a coordinated COVID-19 protocol framework in Africa, digitalization in the tourism sector and a central tourism finance institution.
World Travel Market Africa includes a business-to-business tourism exhibition and other events, to bring benefits and opportunities to travel professionals in Africa. ■