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Ford is coming up with Mustang GT500 for the model year 2019 and it is being anticipated to be powered by a supercharged 5.2-liter V8 engine with the stupendous braking system. With huge success that followed the launch of Shelby GT350 that was built on the S550 platform, Ford is expecting good reviews and sales for the upcoming GT500 as well. If the history is to be unfolded, the 2013- 2014 GT500 featured the most powerful production V8 with a powertrain that produced an outcome of 662 hp. However, the going might get tougher for the 2019 Mustang GT500 with the biggest competition from the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE and Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat.
2019 Ford Mustang Engine
The speculated engine to be powering the 2019 Ford Mustang GT500 will be a 5.2 liter naturally aspirated V8 DOHC engine that would generate an outcome of more than 526 horsepower with the supercharger, may be approximately 680 horsepower or more and a torque of 630-pound-feet. Just for the sake of information, it is to be highlighted that the current Mustang GT350 offers 526 hp and 429-pound-feet of torque. The upcoming 2019 Ford Mustang GT500’s engine type would be coupled with the seven-speed dual clutch gearbox.
Other engine options available in the lower trims of Mustang GT500 would be a 5.0 liter DOHC 4 valve sequential fuel injection V8 engine and another 2.3 liter Twin Independent Variable Cam Timing (Ti-VCT) turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine. Over and above this, Ford would be offering gigantic sets of carbon – ceramic brakes for the first time in the history of Mustang. The GT500 will also offer prodigious top speed approximately 200 MPH which is another new for the Mustang.
Its biggest rival, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE delivers an outcome of 650 hp with its supercharged powertrain and Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat delivers an outcome of 707 hp. Hence, even with powerful powertrain, massive speed and epic braking system inbuilt in the 2019 GT500 Mustang, Ford will have to market the product well for even better sales.
2019 Ford Mustang Designing – Exteriors and Interiors
The two-seater, two doors, low height Mustang GT500 would be riding over 20-inch wheels with 315 mm width. The front fascia has been freshly designed with uniquely outlined headlights and front grille. The air vents have been located in the front fender over the tires, which assist in cooling down the engine, brakes and tire temperatures after a while. The rear end has freshly designed tail lights which are styled as a set of three distinct small horizontal lights at either side. The body is sleek and long with the windows contemporarily margined and side view mirrors beautifully designed.
The downward sloping roof at the rear end lends the GT500 supreme finishing over the edge. A long overdue fresh feature to be added in the upcoming 2019 GT500 will be the heads – up display. The interiors are anticipated to be supreme as well, just like the supremacy that the exterior designing showcases. The low height car seats would offer comfortable and roomy accommodation for high-speed long journeys. Ford would ensure the safety of the occupants of the Advanced Airbag System.
This would comprise of front protective airbags to protect the occupants’ upper bodies during a front impact collision, side impact airbags to protect the torso during an impact from the side, overhead airbags for protecting the occupant’s head during a rollover and knee airbags for protecting the lower limbs during a front impact collision. The seatbelts come with pre-tensioners as well which tightens itself when encountering a collision to prevent any forward displacement of the occupant.
2019 Ford Mustang Pricing
The pricing of the upcoming 2019 Ford Mustang GT500 will surely be more than $56,000 as the starting price.


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HERMES defies crisis and opens temporary boutique in Mykonos (Greece)
It seems the current economic crisis in Greece has not deterred HERMES from opening a seasonal boutique on the island of Mykonos. The boutique will be open till October in the center of the island. Its selection will include: bags, scarves, ready to wear, tablewear.
The island of Mykonos which is mostly known as one of the top gay vacation destinations in Europe is also home to many wealthy individuals who own luxury villas on the island.

domain: news


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Markdowns affected American Eagle Outfitters Inc. earnings per share (EPS) in the third quarter of fiscal 2019 even as sales hit a record.
The specialty apparel retailer reported total net revenue increased $63 million, or 6%, to a record $1.07 billion compared to $1.00 billion in the same quarter the prior year. Same-store sales increased 5%, and were positive across both store and digital channels. By brand, American Eagle’s same-store sales increased 2%, while Aerie’s same-store sales increased 20%,
However, EPS stayed flat at $0.48, meeting American Eagle’s previously released guidance. Jay Schottenstein, chairman and CEO of American Eagle Outfitters, cited soft sales in some categories as clipping the retailer’s earnings.
“Strong top-line performance across brands and channels led to our 19th consecutive quarter of comparable sales growth and record third-quarter revenue,” said Schottenstein. “In a tough environment, we reported EPS in line with our guidance. We continued to deliver on our strategic pillars, with Aerie and American Eagle Jeans demonstrating strong sales and profit growth. Softer demand in certain AE apparel categories led to higher markdowns and has persisted into the fourth quarter. The team has been working hard to quickly course correct, and our focus is squarely on continuing to capitalize on the strength of our brands, accelerating the growth of Aerie, and creating shareholder value.”
During the quarter, the company opened six American Eagle stores, ending with 945 American Eagle stores, including 170 Aerie side-by-side locations. Additionally, the company opened 12 Aerie stand-alone stores and closed one, ending with 142 Aerie stand-alone stores. Internationally, the company ended the quarter with 241 licensed stores compared to 223 last year.
American Eagle expects fourth-quarter 2019 EPS to be in the range of $0.34 to $0.36, with same-sales approximately flat. This guidance excludes potential asset impairment and restructuring charges. In 2018, the company reported EPS of $0.43 for the fourth quarter.


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Punch to hold back on £2bn float
THE Punch Pub Company will delay its flotation until the autumn if it wins its £2bn-plus bid for Japanese bank Nomura's Unique and Voyager pub companies.
Even if rival bidder Enterprise Inns beats it to buy Nomura's pubs, Punch, founded by Hugh Osmond, would still not take the company to the market until June or July, say company sources.
The City had been expecting a float by the end of this month. The delay could have a huge knock-on effect for the rest of the pubs industry, which had been looking to Punch's planned £2bn flotation as a test of the market's attitude towards the leisure sector.
A leading corporate financier said: 'If Punch was to win the Nomura estates and integrate them, it would have to put back the float by months, and this would have a huge effect on the market for initial public offerings. The IPO pipeline has been fairly dry lately. Everyone is desperate to see one successful float happen, and was looking to Punch to show the way.'
Many companies regarded a flotation by Punch as a key indicator before raising funds themselves, either by going for a stock market listing or by remortgaging their estates.
Businesses looking to raise money include Laurel Pub Company, owned by Deutsche Bank Capital Partners, and Pubmaster, which bought Nomura's Inn Partnership pub company last month for £523m. Six Continents is also thought to be looking at demerging its 2,000-strong managed pubs estate, either by a trade sale or a float. But an adviser said: 'It is waiting for someone else to float first before it makes a move.'
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In a recent development, Abhishek Joshi has been roped in as chief marketing officer (CMO) and head of business partnerships at MX Player. Prior to this, Joshi was working as the SVP and head-marketing, subscriptions and content licensing - digital business at Sony Pictures Networks India. Joshi brings with him over 15 years of extensive experience in marketing, analytics, business development and content partnerships, strategy business planning and execution expertise spanning across television networks, internet video, content distribution, ad agencies and brand licensing and marketing.
Hotstar, a premium streaming platform, recently announced the appointment of Sameer Kapoor as vice-president, agency ad sales. In his new role, Kapoor will be responsible for driving relationships with media agencies to deliver measurable and impactful media strategy for clients through Hotstar. Kapoor brings over 17 years of media and marketing experience to the table, having managed offline and online platforms in leadership roles across diverse industries and geographies. He joins Hotstar from Google, where he was head of brand measurement for the India and Southeast Asia markets.
Studio Mojo, a Bangalorebased regional video network, has roped in Mithun Koroth as its business development director. Koroth will work with OTT platforms for creating original programming in various regional languages. He will also be responsible for licensing regional language content to Telcos, IPTV players and OTT players both in India and in markets such as Middle East and North Africa region and Southeast Asia.
The programmatic company, Oplifi, has appointed Deepak Bhutani as head of business development of the company. Bhutani will be based out of Oplifi’s Mumbai office and will drive the growth across APAC and Middle East markets. Bhutani has over two decades of experience and has worked with companies such as The Times of India, Yahoo! and Komli Media.


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Rice farming is gradually becoming such a lucrative business in Ghana as demand increases. Many farmers are now reporting impressive yields as patronage of the delicacy increases across the country. Last year the farmers enjoyed a bumper harvest and are expecting same this year.
Ben Kanat, a rice farmer at the Ashaiman Rice Irrigation Site tells JOY BUSINESS planting a hectare of certified rice seeds could produce about 120 bags of rice. For him although producing rice is a tedious job, it is highly rewarding.
Another rice farmer at Dowenya in the Greater Accra Region, Emmanuel Arden is particularly excited about the fact that post-harvest losses in rice production are virtually non-existent.
“When the price for our produce is low we can store it and for more than 5 to 10 years the rice will still be in good shape. So in rice production you can never be at a loss as it pertains in other crops like tomatoes, watermelon, etc which enjoy great harvest but catastrophic losses,” he emphasizes.
The farmers are enjoying good fortunes but are calling for subsidies in farm inputs like fertilizers which they say are still expensive.
President of the Ghana Rice Inter-Professional Body, GRIB, Imoro Amoro says the organization is considering organic fertilizers. It is also advocating that its members resort to using compost rather than fertilizers.
He expressed concern that most farmers are now overly dependent on fertilizers in growing their crops. The phenomenon he says is because “our soils are getting weaker, and sometimes the fertilizers serve as agents that contaminate the soil. We are therefore looking at the promotion of organic fertilizers for our members since that is healthier and has a long-lasting effect on the soil.”
Regulator of Pesticides and Fertilizers at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture Lawrence Korshie Alato however said, the prices of inputs like fertilizers are not controlled by government, but market forces.
“The liberalization of these agro-inputs market is controlled by the private sector and for that matter the government can only intervene in price setting. Government is however subsidizing to some extent – 89 Ghana Cedis for the NPK and 84 Ghana Cedis for Ammonia” he adds.
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- Laundry startup Washboard garnered media mockery in 2014 for saying it would sell quarters for coin-operated laundry machines at a 35-50% markup. It shuttered after six days.
- But now, as more stores and customers turn to debit and credit payments to mitigate the spread of coronavirus, there's a nationwide coin shortage that has people scrambling for change to do their laundry.
- Washboard cofounder Caleb Brown says he doesn't plan on bringing the service back, despite people telling him 'they would love to see it come back.'
- Meanwhile, mom-and-pop laundromats are pivoting to mobile payments or debit card and credit card payments, according to the Coin Laundry Association.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
There's a grainy, 28-second, vertically-shot Youtube video from 2014 of a guy named Charlie Pizza raving about a hot new startup called Washboard. The startup promised to mail customers $20 in quarters for coin-operated laundry machines for the low price of $26.99 per month.
Charlie Pizza, of course, isn't real — the video was a marketing stunt for the company that mailed customers quarters at a 35% markup (or a 50% markup, if they chose to get $10 in quarters for $14.99).
In 2014, while analysts scratched their heads as Silicon Valley pumped $1.5 million into Yo, an app that texted people "yo", the company's cofounder, Caleb Brown, put Washboard on Product Hunt, a website where people can upvote new products or services they're interested in. Washboard quickly made its way to the front page.
"We're having fun. I didn't think it would get upvoted that high," Brown said. "I thought maybe we would get two customers."
The startup went viral and Washboard received widespread media scrutiny — and general mockery — during the company's brief six-day run.
Pittsburgh-based software developer Brown says that he and his cofounder Shaun Chapman shut down the service because its payment processor, Stripe, said that Washboard violated its terms of service (it doesn't allow money orders), and finding another one wasn't worth the energy.
Now, however, the company's core idea of a coin subscription service looks newly viable. The US faces a nationwide coin shortage as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, as people are discouraged from using cash in stores, and many businesses that do accept cash are asking for exact change to limit contact between customers and clerks. People desperate to do laundry are driving to friends' places to exchange cash for coins, asking their parents to mail quarters, or relying on a stockpile from their employer.
Brown has heard from more than a dozen people asking him to bring the service back, he tells Business Insider.
"People have told me many times in the last months that they would love to see it come back," Brown said. "Someone just like a month ago said, 'This is so ahead of its time.'"
Unfortunately for Washboard's wistful admirers, Brown doesn't plan on bringing back the service back anytime soon. "While I do believe Washboard solved a real problem for real people, I didn't think there was really an opportunity to grow Washboard beyond quarter delivery," Brown wrote in 2014 when he and Chapman shut down the service. Brown, who currently works at a developer staffing startup called X-Team, isn't interested in a relaunch even if quarters are newly valuable because of the pandemic.
The coronavirus crisis-spurred shortage means that the 30,000 coin laundromats in the US are taking a hit, according to Brian Wallace, the CEO of the Coin Laundry Association. While plenty are equipped with coin machines, many of them are low on funds or even empty, leaving mom-and-pop laundromats to pivot to mobile payments, or debit card and credit card payments.
Wallace says that 89% of laundromats offer coin payments, while 59% of those offer it has their only payment method.
Coin payment is still the most popular method for laundromat owners because it's the cheapest. Any laundry-specific payment apps that aim to make profit, he said, would take away from the laundromat's already-scant profit.
Washboard never had the chance to garner much profit of its own. Only 41 people signed up for the subscription service before it shut-down — Washboard made approximately $1.50 for every order, bringing them to a measly $60 in profit by the end of the week.
"The concept truly isn't any different from Venmo," Brown said. "We weren't making crazy money."
Venmo charges a 3% transaction fee for credit cards, which, on the surface is a far cry from Washboard's markup on change. But the startup's efforts were high and the margins were low: Brown had to open a separate bank account, buy hundreds of dollars in quarters, and manually count money and mail coins to customers.
The shipping was free for users but "of course there's no such thing as free shipping," Brown said.
Brown and Chapman actually pulled in far more money after they decided to shut down the site: The domain sold for $1,300.
Now, while companies have pivoted to delivering groceries and conducting virtual doctor visits during the pandemic, laundry remains one of those chores that still require in-person visits for many people across America. And while plenty of coin-operated laundromats have adopted social distancing measures, coins are still hard to come by. Customers can try to get change at their local bank or at stores, but may leave empty-handed because of the limited supply. The problem harkens back to one of the only YouTube comments left on the original Charlie Pizza video:
"lol, but you had to wait 2 days to get the quarters and that is plenty of time to get to the bank," Jacqueline Marsh commented.
"It's plenty of time to get to the bank but you still have to go to the bank," Brown responded. "And that, my friend, is the real problem."


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Ask a value manager what he likes about a company, and there’s a good chance he’ll tell you about its growth prospects. That’s because cheap stocks tend to stay cheap until a catalyst comes along to unlock the value and drive the price higher. Tom Forester, manager of the Forester Value Fund (FVALX), highlighted three of his holdings that performed well in the fourth quarter and that he expects to keep rallying as investors recognize developments that could give the stocks a lift.
The supermarket chain Kroger (KR) had a double-digit gain in the last three months of the year as investors evidently believed a pledge by management to increase long-term growth in earnings per share from a range of 6% to 8% to a range 8% to 11%. They expect to accomplish the feat, Forester said, by lifting operating margins and improving cash flow. If the company does indeed take steps to increase margins, there is plenty of headroom to work with. As the chart below shows, Kroger has reported weaker margins than such competitors as Safeway (SWY) and Whole Foods (NASDAQCM:WFM).
Whether they are successful or not in the new initiative, the bosses at Kroger seem to be doing something right already. The company beat earnings projections for its third quarter, which ended in late October, and guided higher for the year that ends next Monday. Despite the strong move in the calendar fourth quarter, the stock still trades at a PE ratio of barely more than 10, based projected earnings for the year that’s about to begin.
Honeywell International (HON) also reported quarterly results that beat estimates – its own and those of analysts – and helped the stock to rise 7% in the fourth quarter. Forester attributed the healthy earnings growth to strength in the company’s aerospace division due to increased production by Gulfstream, for which Honeywell is the leading supplier of auxiliary power units. Honeywell’s growth in earnings per share has exceeded that of such engineering rivals as Borg Warner (BWA) and United Technologies (UTX), as shown in the next chart, yet Honeywell’s stock trades at 15.3 times 2013 estimated earnings, which is nearly identical to Borg Warner and less than the 16.6 forward PE ratio of United Technologies.
Forester’s third selection, the business software specialist Oracle (ORCL), likewise pleasantly surprised analysts, beating estimates for its November quarter. What was surprising was how it achieved its surprise: by expanding in Europe, the most troubled region in a troubled world. “Whereas most companies have been reporting weakness in Europe, Oracle was able to buck that trend,” he said. “They reported European revenue growth in the quarter, which they attributed to investments the company has made over the past year to increase the size of the sales force.” Europe may be something of a plot twist, but revenue growth amounts to the same old story for Oracle. Revenues have risen 77.1% in the last five years, more than double those of such competitors as IBM (IBM), which reported strong results of its own earlier this week; the German software maker SAP (SAP) and Microsoft (MSFT).
Conrad de Aenlle, a contributing editor at YCharts, has covered investment and personal-finance topics for more than 20 years, writing for The New York Times, International Herald Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg News, Institutional Investor, MarketWatch and CBS MoneyWatch. He can be reached at email@example.com.
More From YCharts
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- Michael Dell Negotiating to Buy Dell: Anyone See a Conflict There?
- Morningstar Dividend Guy: Two Stocks to Love, Two to Hate


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This once-overlooked section of the business profited from pandemic shopping shifts.
Renee Covino, Convenience Store News
NATIONAL REPORT — At the height of the pandemic, convenience store grocery shopping became all the rage as consumers caught on to the benefits of no lines, reduced human contact, speedy shopping, and in-stock shelves.
It was a time when “convenience stores became less about energy drinks and bags of chips on the go and more about getting the day-to-day essentials,” said Anders McGillis, principal at Ontario, Canada-based Jackman Reinvents, a customer engagement firm that helps organizations reinvent their customer experiences.
It was also a time when consumers everywhere rallied around supporting local. “The early stages of the pandemic exposed weaknesses in supply chains, alerting people to the value of being able to access goods in their local communities,” McGillis told Convenience Store News. “Faced with empty shelves at big-box stores, people turned to alternatives, both in terms of products and stores, to find what they needed.”
According to research firm NCSolutions, in mid-May of this year (around when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lifted indoor mask guidelines) through mid-July, dollar sales for edible grocery collectively across channels were 3.4 percent higher compared to the same period in 2019, while sales for non-edible grocery across channels were 2.6 percent higher compared to 2019 levels.
While Americans have gotten more comfortable traveling and gathering, overall grocery spend is still elevated compared to 2019 levels, indicating that consumers are continuing to spend more time at home, and that includes preparing meals at home, according to Linda Dupree, CEO of NCSolutions.
Convenience stores that increased their grocery sales during the pandemic have a new challenge as the nation tries to get back to normal: retention of these shoppers.
McGillis said his firm has seen “significant change” in the c-store space, with existing players going beyond the basics. He praised some players for elevating their assortment by adding organic, gourmet and fresh items.
“Adding quality food products that consumers want can turn a convenience store into a grocery destination and part of their routine,” he said.
Rather than arranging the c-store based on product type, he challenges c-stores to group products based on shopper mindsets. “In the same way many grocery stores are set up, consider carving out a dedicated space for health-forward or wellness products, or those that serve a specific diet or nutrition,” McGillis advised.
Unique store design can be a powerful draw, too. Mark Landini, creative director at Landini Associates, which recently worked with Batavia, Ill.-based Aldi (operator of supermarkets in 37 states) to launch the first Aldi Corner Store, noted that design has the power to make consumers smile and feel good about where they are shopping.
“A supermarket used to be two words: an adjective describing a noun. Delivery and operational systems have compromised this and now it’s become unpersonal and somewhat absent of any joy,” he said. “We believe this can be challenged with design in the convenience channel.”
Along with store design and layout, c-stores can remain relevant to grocery shoppers beyond the pandemic by paying attention to which product trends are resonating in the edible and non-edible grocery categories.
Convenience stores can stay ahead of grocery trends by understanding the dietary, environmental and social attributes within their current product assortment, as well as their customers' ever-changing need states, according to Hannah Polk, RD Solutions consultant at Label Insight, a NielsenIQ company.
Polk identified some food and beverage trends relevant to the c-store space that are growing significantly in search volume vs. the previous six months: natural, electrolytes, low-calorie, pre-made, adaptogenic, sport, green ingredients, dairy-free, weight loss, and vegan.
In non-edible grocery, consumers are shifting toward cleaner and more sustainable products, Polk said. Within the personal care space, growing attributes include plastic-free, aluminum-free, reef safe, para-phenylenediamine (PPD) free, and ultra-sensitive. Within the household cleaners space, niche attributes that are growing fast include “naturally derived” and “contains essential oils.”


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This week Google revealed that they will soon be upgrading the Google Chrome browser on Android, revealing that they will be launching support for WebVR for the browser early next year.
It is set to be launched in January 2017 and it will allow users to view virtual reality content on their mobile browser.
The announcement was made by the WebVR Product Manager at Google, Megan Lindsay, who revealed it at the WebVR spec conference this week.
This comes as part of Google’s effort to develop and build a new release for Chrome for Android, which will support the latest WebVR 1.1 specification.
You can check it out today, it is already available in the Firefox Nightly build, in the experimental builds of Chromium, and in the Samsung Internet Browser for Gear VR.
You can read more about it at the source link below.


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(Reuters) - Beyond Meat Inc's BYND.O shares tumbled on Monday on plans for another stock offering just three months after its IPO while demand for its plant-based burgers and sausages prompted an increase in its full-year sales forecast.
Trading was volatile and shares fell more than 12% after hours on news of a 3.25 million share offering that includes 3 million shares from selling stockholders.
Proceeds are earmarked to raise funds to expand its manufacturing facilities that are being stretched by booming demand for its meat alternatives. Executives on a call with analysts declined to comment on the offering.
Beyond Meat's shares have surged over 780% since the IPO in May as the company's meat alternatives entered the menus of restaurants such as Carl's Jr and on shelves of grocers including Kroger Co KR.N.
Plant-based meat alternatives have seen booming interest from consumers and restaurants, supporting startups like Beyond Meat and its competitor Impossible Foods, and even sparking interest from veteran meat companies such as Tyson Foods Inc TSN.N and Perdue Foods, which now offer meat protein products mixed with plants.
“For another growth stock, the top-line beat and raises would be enough to see a post-market rally, but there are a lot of Beyond Meat investors out there looking for any excuse to sell a stock that has rocketed so much since its IPO,” said Kamal Khan, analyst at financial markets platform Investing.com.
Beyond Meat products are now sold at more than 53,000 retailers and restaurants worldwide, with demand boosted by the grilling season underway, Beyond Meat’s CEO Ethan Brown said on Monday.
At supermarket chain Morton Williams, which owns 16 locations across New York City, some customers are buying Beyond Meat burger patties and sausages by the case, according to Victor Colello, the chain’s director of meat and fish.
“Beyond Meat is really flying off the shelves. My business with it has almost doubled and we’re sold out at times,” Colello said. The latest version of the burgers is made from peas, brown rice, sunflower seeds and mung beans.
Net revenue rose nearly four-fold to $67.3 million in the three months ended June 29, above Wall Street’s estimate of $52.71 million, according to Refinitiv IBES data.
The company said it expects net revenue to rise over 170% to $240 million in 2019, up from the prior $210 million it had forecast just last month.
The El Segundo, California-based company reported a net loss of $9.4 million, or a loss 24 cents per share, compared with a loss of $7.4 million, or a loss of $1.22 per share in the year-ago period.
NO SIGN OF SLOWING
Karen Formanski, an analyst at Mintel who authored a consumer research report on plant-based protein, said there were no signs of the meat alternatives market slowing, with 38% of U.S. consumers trying to add more plant-based protein to their diet.
“But with growing competition, criticism over processed food and clean eating getting more important, companies will have to adapt and offer more variety than just burgers” Formanski said.
Brown on Monday rejected growing criticism over Beyond Meat’s products being overly processed and unhealthy, saying it was not a question of whether they were processed but how.
The company seeks to further diversify its protein sources without relying on genetic modification, Brown said.
“There are an almost endless amount of crops you can pull from...and it is really important that Beyond is leading the effort of bringing new proteins into the market,” Brown said.
The CEO said he was confident his company could take on competition from Impossible Foods, which relies on genetically modified soy seeds to produce its burger patties, because of consumers hesitancy surrounding those technologies.
Impossible Foods initially planned to roll out to retail stores this fall, but has continuously pushed back plans due to supply shortages.
Analysts during Monday’s call pressed Beyond Meat executives for details on looming supply chain bottlenecks as demand continues to surge.
Brown said the company would expand its in-house manufacturing facilities in Missouri, buy new equipment, while continuing to outsource the packaging of its products by adding new partners.
“That’s not to say we won’t have some periodic disruptions that may create temporary shortages,” the CEO said.
Brown said the company currently had a sufficient and continued supply of the protein it needs for its burgers, also thanks to the entry of larger players, including DuPont DD.N, into the pea protein market.
Even so, the company has skeptics. Some 46% of the company’s publicly traded shares are shorted, according to research group S3. Those investors, owning shares worth $1.1 billion, are betting on the company to miss its targets and the share price to drop.
Reporting by Tina Bellon in New York and Uday Sampath in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila and Lisa Shumaker
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


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Looking only at the data provided by security firms, the world appears on the verge of a mobile malware apocalypse.
The number of samples--which represent unique, but mostly automatically generated variants of malicious programs--exceeded 5 million in the third quarter of 2014, according to security firm McAfee. Using a different counting method, security firm Symantec classified a similar magnitude--1 million of the 6.3 million mobile apps it discovered--as malware in 2014.
Yet, these data points tell only the darker side of the story. An increasing volume of data supports the idea that Apple's and Google's gated communities for mobile software have paid security dividends and kept most monstrous malware at bay.
Apple, Google app stores are most vigilant
Less than 0.5 percent of the 1 billion devices scanned by Google security software had a potentially harmful application (PHA) installed, according to Google's 2014 Android Security Report, published in April. Potentially harmful applications include spyware, ransomware and fraudulent apps, which Google scans for using a security capability, known as Verify Apps, that runs in the background on modern Android systems. In addition, the company checks mobile apps submitted to the Google Play store, which offered about 1.5 million pieces of software at last count, and removes applications, if they are found to be violating the company's policies.
The measures mean that, among users that stick to Google's Play store, less than one device for every 10,000 has a program considered malicious. "I don't think malware represents a risk," says Adrian Ludwig, lead security engineer for Android at Google. "I think the damage of mental anguish worrying about mobile malware likely exceeds the potential harm from actually being infected by it."
Not that cybercriminals and malware developers aren't trying. Smartphones and tablets tend to have as much, if not more, private data on their users than computers, so attempting to get malware on the devices is logical. No wonder, then, that online miscreants have focused more heavily on infecting mobile devices, using automated techniques to create tens of thousands of malware variants to get around the detection systems--again, automated--used by Google, Apple and security firms.
Yet, for most parts of the world, malware on mobile devices is a non-issue. In a recent report, network security firm Damballa analyzed cellular data and found signs of potentially malicious activity on only 0.3 percent of devices. Business services firm Verizon looked at traffic on its own cellular network and found "virtually no" iOS malware and very little Android malware, according to Bob Rudis, a security data scientist with the company.
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CWA Opposes T-Mobile/Sprint Merger, Asks States to Investigate
The Communications Workers of America believe the proposed Sprint/T-Mobile merger will lead to as many as 28,000 job loses nationwide. The union has written the attorneys general in all 50 states asking them to investigate the deal and weigh in on the pros and cons at a local level. The CWA, which has 700,000 members, has detailed which metro regions are likely to be most severely impacted and predicts the bulk of job losses will be due to retail store closures. The attorneys general of California and New York have already begun to look into the matter. In the letter, CWA President Christopher Shelton "expressed concern" that the deal would "result in substantial harm to consumers and employees." Sprint and T-Mobile insist they need to merge in order to better compete against market leaders AT&T and Verizon. T-Mobile CEO John Legere and Sprint President Marcelo Claure believe the merger will lead to more job gains than loses, though they admit some 3,200 retail jobs will likely be lost. The deal is still being reviewed by the FCC and Justice Department.
Apple iPhones Now Range In Price from $449 to $1,449
Sep 12, 2018
Apple has realigned its roster of smartphones with the debut of the new iPhone Xs, Xs Max, and Xr. Moving forward, Apple's entry-level model is the iPhone 7 at $449 and the iPhone 7 Plus at $569.
Here's What U.S. Carriers are Charging for the Samsung Galaxy Note9
Aug 10, 2018
All the major carriers in the U.S. plan to sell the Samsung Galaxy Note9 when it becomes available August 24.
All Major U.S. Carriers to Sell Galaxy Note9
Aug 9, 2018
Preorders for the Samsung Galaxy Note9 kick off on August 10. The 128 GB capacity variant will be available in blue and lavender from AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, U.S Cellular, and Xfinity for $999.99.
Samsung Brings Galaxy A6 to the US for $360
Sep 7, 2018
Samsung today said it plans to sell the Galaxy A6 phone in the U.S. beginning September 14.
They Won’t Succeed
I suppose those who are trying to blockade know this already; nevertheless, they’re hoping to get some sort of monetary compensation, like iPCS did back in 2005.


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While wearable sensors today are ubiquitous, say the researchers, for scenarios such as measuring the onset of frailty in older adults, promptly diagnosing deadly diseases, testing the efficacy of new drugs, or tracking the performance of professional athletes, medical-grade devices are needed. As a result, the researchers have developed a type of wearable they call a "biosymbiotic device," which is custom 3D-printed and based on body scans of wearers.
In addition, say the researchers, the device can operate continuously using a combination of wireless power transfer and compact energy storage.
"There's nothing like this out there," says Philipp Gutruf, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and Craig M. Berge Faculty Fellow in the College of Engineering,. "We introduce a completely new concept of tailoring a device directly to a person and using wireless power casting to allow the device to operate 24/7 without ever needing to recharge."
Current wearable sensors face various limitations, including the need to be charged, and often they can only gather limited amounts of data due to their placement, such as on the wrist. By using 3D scans of a wearer's body, which can be gathered via methods including MRIs, CT scans, and even carefully combined smartphone images, the researchers say they can 3D-print custom-fitted devices that wrap around various body parts.
For example, say the reaearchers, think a virtually unnoticeable, lightweight, breathable, mesh cuff designed specifically for a user's bicep, calf, or torso. The ability to specialize sensor placement allows the measurememt of physiological parameters that otherwise might not be possible.
"If you want something close to core body temperature continuously, for example," says Tucker Stuart, a doctoral student in biomedical engineering and first author of a paper on the research, "you'd want to place the sensor in the armpit. Or, if you want to measure the way your bicep deforms during exercise, we can place a sensor in the devices that can accomplish that. Because


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Local Breweries Adapting to Pandemic Setbacks
There is no doubt the the adjective “unprecedented” has been used daily to describe how this pandemic is affecting all of our lives.
Small businesses across the country are trying to adapt on the fly in order to survive through this once-in-a-century time. But what happens when the majority of your business depends on an in-person experience before social distancing took its grip on our country? That question is what Jack Pine Brewery in Baxter and Bemidji Brewing are trying to solve daily.
With the help of social media, a strong online ordering service, and dedicated staff, both company’s feel strongly that they will not only survive this experience, but thrive from it.
Lakeland News is member supported content. Please consider supporting Lakeland News today.


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Volkswagen’s ID.4 will be the third most affordable electric vehicle offering in the United States, but the German automaker will boost performance to reach the price.
VW is now realizing how competitive the electric SUV space has become, and the company hopes to become more competitive with a recent price cut in the U.S. This is thanks to VW’s move to move ID.4 production to their Chattanooga, Tennessee plant. and associated performance cuts to the vehicle. The vehicle now has a starting price of $37,495 instead of $39,995 and, with federal tax credits, will be just under a $30,000 vehicle on the base model.
The ID.4 now exists in a competitive market of electric SUVs. It has to compete with Tesla’s Model Y, the Ford Mustang Mach-E, the Chevy Bolt EUV, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kona EV, the Kia EV6 and Niro EV, and finally the Rivian R1S. The ID.4 will be the third cheapest offering behind the Bolt EUV ($33,500) and Hyundai Kona EV ($34,000).
The ID.4 refresh comes with a design change, some new colors and a few other changes, a few of which are on the VW website. While VW’s consumer site doesn’t have basic range and power information, the press site lists a few of these numbers. The base model will now only have about 200 miles of range instead of 260 miles on the previous base model.
In terms of charging, VW has been unclear. In their press release, they state that “Plug&Charge functionality is now standard on the ID.4, allowing owners to make even better use of their three years of included 30-minute DC fast-charging sessions at Electrify America stations.” However, VW’s consumer website shows that the base model now lists 170 kW DC fast charging as optional. It’s unclear what charging speed the base model would access.
In terms of power, the base model retains the 201 horsepower that goes to the rear wheels. However, the couple is not mentioned.
Overall, VW has done a lot to lower the price of the ID.4, but it’s unclear whether the vehicle will remain competitive in an increasingly crowded segment. The vehicle has the same horsepower as the Kona EV, the Niro EV and the Bolt EUV and is roughly price competitive with each of them, but each of the other offerings has much more range. At the same time, according to VW’s consumer site, the lack of standard 170 kW DC fast charging could make the vehicle very uncompetitive with similarly priced vehicles that could charge much faster.
What do you think of the article? Do you have any comments, questions or comments? Shoot me an email [email protected]. You can also reach me on Twitter @WilliamWritin. If you have any news tips, email us at [email protected]!


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What will be Alibaba’s next tech channel play in A/NZ?
Chinese e-commerce leviathan, Alibaba, added Australia to its growing global cloud business in November last year, with the opening its data centre in Sydney. The launch saw the company expound the importance of channel partners for its growth in the local market. Given the range of technologies in which the company is investing, cloud is likely to be just the beginning of its channel offering in Australia and New Zealand. ARN explores 10 technologies Alibaba has in the works, according to the company's corporate news service, Alizila, that could become part of its burgeoning tech play in the local market.


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The Internet is still a very dangerous environment for conducting business. Lurking in the cyberspace shadows are criminal masterminds bent on stealing personal information and credit card numbers to further fund their activities. Almost daily, stories involving new worms, phishing scams or large security breaches headline the news. According to Celent Communications, an international consultancy group, the United States alone faces US$3.2 billion of online credit card fraud by 2007.
A recent survey conducted by RSA Security found that nine out of ten Americans want their banks to monitor their online accounts for suspicious behavior. The poll went on to report that 79 percent surveyed said they were less likely to respond to e-mail from their bank because of worry over phishing scams — up nine percentage points from 2004. Although Internet scam artists for the most part target individual consumers, businesses are frequently on their hit list as well.
US Digital Media
One company recently targeted by cyberthieves is US Digital Media, an online wholesale distributor of optical media products with operations spanning the globe.
US Digital Media lost upwards of $200,000 even though strong security measures were in place such as random manual verification of orders and credit card AVS, which matches a credit card number with the billing zip.
On one extraordinary occasion, US Digital Media was targeted largely because of the type of merchandise it offers and the ease of ordering online. The company was alerted to the situation after several suspicious transactions took place involving large orders to an unorthodox address. Suspicions grew because orders were coupled with instructions for next day delivery. Alane Pignotti, general manager of US Digital Media, says they always pay special attention to large orders marked next day delivery especially if the order is coming from a new or unrecognized customer.
The authorities were alerted, and it was quickly determined that the person placing orders was using stolen credit card numbers. Because of the large volume of blank recordable CDs (CD-Rs) involved, an initial investigation revealed that at the center of this scam was a seasoned international movie pirating organization. Since movie pirating is a federal crime, the case was immediately handed to the FBI.
The FBI had been tracking this group for sometime, and this was the break they were looking for. In an unconventional request, the FBI asked US Digital Media to get involved and help nab this crew. US Digital Media agreed, and a sting operation was organized. US Digital Media was to wait for the suspect’s next order and comply by sending the shipment. To minimize the risk of losing additional merchandise, the actual shipment sent to the movie pirating organization consisted of wooden pallets in place of CD-Rs. The FBI agents set out disguised as DHL workers complete with uniforms, name tags and the trademark bright yellow truck.
The trap was set and the waiting began. After only a few days, an order destined for Chicago was placed and the agents sprung into action. At the moment of delivery, the suspect wasted no time and began opening the shipment as it came off the truck. The agents watched in wonder as the suspect ran across the street to a nearby pay phone. Deducing the situation, the FBI phoned US Digital Media and confirmed their hunch — the suspect was complaining to customer service that he received the wrong package. When the situation finally clicked he turned around, only to see himself looking down the barrel of a gun with orders to get on the ground.
Automated Fraud Prevention
The experience with the FBI forced US Digital Media to re-evaluate its online purchasing model. Because all orders were processed manually before being transferred to shipping, opportunity for human error was a substantial threat. After evaluating several options, US Digital Media chose to deploy the Ignify eCommerce platform. US Digital Media chose this particular platform based on the automation that the system could bring to US Digital media as well as the special heuristic screening methods that automatically flags orders by cross-referencing a list of over 10 transactional behavioral points signaling abnormal purchasing behavior. Over time, the system is designed to learn buying patterns of customers, adding an additional layer of security.
The Ignify system is configured to work with automated fraud screening. All orders that come in go through a combination of parameters that fraud orders meet. Orders that meet a certain risk level are then assigned to a fraud bucket while other orders are automatically released for processing. The orders in the fraud bucket are reviewed and a US Digital Media customer service representative calls the customer to verify the order. The combination of automated screening via automated system monitoring and a second level of telephone verification has completely eliminated customer fraud at US Digital Media.
Although the case involving the FBI is not an everyday occurrence, as multi-channel marketing continues its surge, online fraud prevention becomes more and more crucial to any organization.
There are several simple precautions that can minimize fraud significantly with little or no investment:
- Ensure that you have AVS (Address Verification System) checking that can be done automatically when the order is placed.
- Screen orders that meet certain criteria for an additional level of verification, and follow this process consistently every day.
- Pre-authorize credit cards automatically when the order is placed.
- Ensure that your fraud prevention is not limited to credit card orders. Bogus checks and Western Union transfers also have a high incidence of fraud.
Without question, cybercrime is on the rise, and criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated. As global dependence on e-commerce increases, automated fraud screening will continue to be a crucial first line of defense. By identifying questionable transactions on the fly, organizations can better focus resources towards their end goal — selling product to you and me at a reasonable price with good customer service.
Sandeep Walia is president of Ignify, a leading provider of e-commerce solutions targeting the SMB market segment.


text: The OTG team is super excited about the launch of the new OCC materials. Why? Well, what’s not exciting about working with a craft chocolate brand? We worked hand-in-hand with OCC to help draft their new logo and the look of the new website – and the look of the photo style for the product. But this is just the start. We are planning an entirely new style-roll-out for the brand in the coming weeks. Stay tuned. It’s about to get more delicious from here!


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Apple will put an end to the rumors and introduce its next iPhone on October 4 - it's already sent out invitations to an iPhone-specific event that will be held at Apple's Cupertino campus.
More than a third of all Android phones in the U.S. are equipped with 4G and the number is rapidly increasing, according to a study by app analytics firm Localytics.
Sony said Tuesday it will sell a screen attachment for its Vaio laptops that allows users to view 3D movies and images without glasses.
Craig Mundie, Microsoft's chief research and strategy officer, doesn't speak Chinese. But on Tuesday he did, via a life-like virtual avatar shown at the company's offices in Beijing that can simulate his voice and speak in other languages.
Nokia has started shipping the N9, its first and last smartphone based on the MeeGo operating system, the company said on Tuesday.
Amazon is expected to unveil its Kindle Tablet at a press event in New York on Wednesday. From what we know so far about the device, it seems like it might be the first tablet rival capable of really competing with the Apple iPad. Based on the size a...
Google's Android mobile operating system is still steadily expanding its share of the U.S. smartphone market, as industry watcher Nielsen reports that 43% of American smartphone subscribers use Android-based devices.
The first two smartphones to run on T-Mobile's fast HSPA+42 network are coming soon, the operator announced Monday.
Samsung has launched the Omnia W, its first smartphone based on Windows Phone 7.5, also known as Mango. The phone is aggressively priced at about €310 before taxes and subsidies, following in the footsteps of HTC's Radar.
Chinese mobile phone manufacturer Huawei announced a new Android smartphone that the company says has a battery life of up to three days on a single charge.
KDDI, Japan's second-largest mobile operator, on Monday announced a new range of smartphones, accompanying services, and a low-cost pricing plan, but stayed mum on whether it would offer Apple's new iPhone next year.
Google Wallet has run into technical glitches, although the extent of the problems is not clear.
LightSquared said late Sunday that it planned to run the next day in major newspapers in the U.S. an open letter explaining its position over the controversy surrounding its LTE (long-term evolution) network, particularly concerns about its interfere...
Motorola is boosting the size and quality of the display for its' next-generation Atrix 4G Android smartphone, headed to AT&T soon.
We're pretty sure that we know when the iPhone 5 will be announced - Tuesday 4 October - and one man is already gearing himself up to get in the queue.
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LG Optimus to cost $199, arrive at AT&T on November 2
AT&T today cleared up the final pieces of the puzzle as it pertains to the Optimus G, giving us both price and official launch date. A short post from the carrier’s blog advises that the quad-core 4G LTE smartphone will cost $199.99 with a two-year service agreement and will be available starting from November 2. If you’re interested in getting your hands on one of these, you can sign up for pre-orders on AT&T’s website starting tomorrow, October 16.
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While every couple of years there is fresh competition in the electronic entertainment space in the living room, the real sleeping giant with video games is mobile handsets. Unlike even the Nintendo or Sony platforms, cellular phones, PDAs and other devices are purchased by people who aren’t otherwise “gamers.” Gaming is also one of the leading revenue streams for mobile developers.
At MobileCrunch we take the business of gaming seriously, hence our newly launched weekly MobileCrunchArcade round-up. But this week we’re getting word that Cotopia has launched its 2.0 version and is currently seeking beta testers. So rather than wait until next week to post, we’re bringing this news today.
What makes Cotopia interesting is that it is offering the kinds of games that those aforementioned non-gamers might most enjoy. Titles such as Chess, Reversi, Connect 4 and others. But the really interesting part is that Cotopia offers a free multiplayer experience, so you get in a quick game with a friend across the room or across the country. Considering that mobile handsets have that built in connectivity these functionality seems to be a no-brainer, yet many developers are only slowly testing the waters.
Look for more Cotopia news on MobileCrunchArcade. We’re likely going to be hearing a lot from them.


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Nothing phone (1) to launch in India on July 12 – here’s everything you need to know about the smartphone
Nothing phone(1) is scheduled to launch on July 12.
- The device is expected to be powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chipset.
- Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming smartphone.
AdvertisementCarl Pei-led Nothing technologies has announced that its first smartphone, the Nothing phone (1) will launch in
Nothing had earlier introduced the ear (1) truly wireless earbuds and the phone (1) is expected to feature a similar transparent design. The phone (1) has already leaked a few times now, giving us an idea about how the device will look like, apart from some of the features it will come with.
Nothing phone (1) launch and availability
The Nothing phone (1) is scheduled to launch on July 12 at 8:30 pm. The device is expected to be available exclusively from Flipkart in India soon after it is announced.
Nothing phone (1) expected specifications
According to reports, the Nothing phone (1) is expected to feature a 6.55-inch OLED display with a 2400 x 1080 pixels resolution. It is expected to feature minimal side bezels and a small chin. It is expected to feature an HDR10+ display and a 90Hz refresh rate.
The Nothing phone (1) is expected to run on Android 12 out of the box with the company’s custom skin on top. We already have an idea about how the device’s UI will look like thanks to the company’s Nothing Launcher.
The device is expected to be powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chipset coupled with up to 8GB RAM and 256GB of internal storage.
The Nothing phone (1) is expected to feature a triple camera setup at the back, consisting of a 50MP primary camera, an 8MP depth camera and a 2MP macro sensor. On the front, the device is expected to feature a 32MP selfie camera.
The device is expected to be powered by a 4,500mAh battery with fast charge support. It is expected to feature an in-display fingerprint sensor and offer a Type-C port for audio and charging.
We should know more about the Nothing phone (1), including its pricing and availability in the coming weeks.
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ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Shoplifting and dishonest employees continue to make theft a serious problem for retailers, according to Chain Store Age. Among the retailers participating in the 32nd Annual Retail Theft Survey, two-thirds (66.7%) reported an increase in shrink in 2019, while 23.8% reported a decrease and 9.5% reported no change.
Conducted by Jack. L. Hayes International, the survey found that overall apprehensions increased 2.44%, with recovery dollars from those apprehensions up 4.88%. Shoplifting apprehensions and recovered dollars increased 3.04% and 3.50% respectively, with recovery dollars from shoplifting incidents without an apprehension increasing by 11% (to $176 million) over the prior year.
The survey also found that for every $1 recovered by surveyed companies, $14.75 was lost to retail theft. “Overall, retail theft continues to be a serious problem for retailers, negatively impacting their bottom line and creating more out-of-stocks and higher prices for the consumer,” Mark R. Doyle, president, Jack L. Hayes International shared in a statement.
Other survey findings include:
• Shoplifter apprehensions: 315,095 shoplifters were apprehended in 2019, up 3.04% from 2018.
• Shoplifter recovery dollars: More than $90 million was recovered from apprehended shoplifters in 2019, an increase of 3.5% from 2018.
• Employee apprehensions: 32,941 dishonest employees were apprehended in 2019, down 2.93% from 2018.
• Employee recovery dollars: More than $45 million was recovered from employee apprehensions in 2019, up 7.75% from 2018.
Twenty-one large retail companies ranging from department stores and mass merchandisers/big boxes to specialty apparel and supermarkets participated in the survey. They represented 18,999 stores and more than $510 billion in retail sales.
Hayes International said it has seen a steady and significant rise in shoplifting in recent years. Among the reasons the firm cited for the increase are: increased organized retail crime activity; legislation raising felony threshold levels; more hit-and-run/fleeing shoplifters; fewer staff on the sales floor; and thieves view shoplifting as a high reward, low-risk endeavor.


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Pactera EDGE, a digital and technology services company based out of Redmond (the US), has said it is going to double their headcount to 3,000 from the the present strength of 1,500 in the next 18 months for their India Delivery Centre in Hyderabad.
The company is also planning to open another campus in a tier-2 town in Telangana.
“We specialise in developing solutions for preventing theft at the point of sale for some of the large Fortune 500 retail customers using artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies,” Venkat Rangapuram, Chief Executive Officer of Pactera EDGE, has said.
“We create the right analytical solutions for our clients that enable them to save millions of dollars annually,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
Narayan Murthy, India Country Head for Pactera EDGE, said that the company started its operations in Hyderabad in 2018 to deliver AI and ML solutions to our clients.
The company registered revenues of $200 million in 2021-22.
“In order to deliver AI and deep learning solutions, we have decided to work with startups that are operating from the IIIT-Hyderabad. We will be selecting couple of start-ups that will be given an equity-free grant worth a few lakhs for each start-ups,” Dinesh Chandrasekar, Chief Strategy Officer of Pactera EDGE, said.
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- News Room
- HKSTP Launches Global Acceleration Academy to Chart Commercialisation Roadmaps for Global Start-ups
(Hong Kong, 24 April 2017) - Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (“HKSTP” or “the Corporation”) today proudly announced the launch of the Global Acceleration Academy (“GAA” or “the Academy”). Under this initiative, HKSTP partners with international industry leaders of different fields to develop thematic acceleration programmes tailored to the development needs of individual industries.
Each programme will have a three-month duration. During the period, HKSTP and the partner company will provide participating start-ups with intensive workshops, which include immersive visits to leading companies of the associated industry, to enable them to gain better understanding of the market trend of the industries. All the R&D projects of the participating start-ups will get priority validation from related industry leader during the programme. This will help ascertain that the R&D projects meet market expectations and consumer needs. The ultimate goal is to attract business partners and investors to support the projects’ commercialisation.
The programme is open to start-ups from around the world. HKSTP expects the programme will draw a larger number of promising overseas start-ups to set up a base in Hong Kong, which will in turn provide more opportunities of interaction and collaboration with local start-ups. HKSTP believes that the programme will help attract more high-quality R&D projects and talent to Hong Kong to fuel future development as Hong Kong embarks on various major innovation and technology initiatives.
Intensive and goal-oriented incubation in partnership with industry leaders
Start-ups putting the priority on R&D in the early development stage may overlook whether their projects meet market needs or industry development trends, which may result in slower commercialisation and funding progress. GAA aims to help start-ups effectively achieve the goal of commercialising their R&D.
During the 3-month intensive training programme, shortlisted start-ups will obtain targeted professional support from HKSTP and the designated partner. HKSTP will provide all entrepreneurial supports, including coaching on preparation of business proposal, all-round preparations for investment road-shows, pitching skills for business matching, legal and patent application consultation, sales and marketing, as well as marketing strategies.
On the other hand, the programme partner, with its industry expertise and extensive network, will provide strong technical and R&D supports and help start-ups grasp market trends and forecast so that they can effectively evaluate and fine-tune their R&D directions to achieve commercialisation.
Within the partnership framework of GAA, each partner company will provide participating start-ups with project idea validation. This unique element helps to ascertain in an early stage that the products meet market needs.
The programme will finish with a “Demo Day”, during which the participants will meet with potential business partners and investors to showcase their projects. It is also an opportunity for start-ups to win more support for commercialising their projects.
Kicking off with “AIEA-HKSTP IoT Accelerator”
IoT is the first theme under the GAA programme. HKSTP and ARM Innovation Ecosystem Accelerator ("ARM Accelerator") joined hands to launch “AIEA-HKSTP IoT Accelerator” in early April to kick off the programme. Nine start-ups have been admitted to the programme following enthusiastic response. The start-ups will meet with IoT experts of ARM Accelerator and China Mobile at their Chongqing offices for a one-week training. The training is also expected to familiarise the start-ups with the Mainland market.
Commenting on the launch of GAA, Mr Albert Wong, Chief Executive Officer of HKSTP, said, “The launch of GAA is very meaningful. It marks another step forward in the Corporation’s efforts of incubating technology start-ups. Given our extensive experience in incubation programmes, we believe there will be more successful start-ups if their projects can converge with industry trends and market needs at an early stage. This also realises the potential economic benefits of entrepreneurship and will also contribute significantly to the development of the society as a whole.”
Mr Andy Chen, Chief Executive Officer of ARM Accelerator, said, “Technology-driven innovative companies in the smart devices and IoT areas are increasingly internationalised. ARM Accelerator aims at accelerating the development of innovative start-ups through facilitating connection between technology and market. Following the UK-China TechHUB Boot Camp 2016, we embark on ‘AIEA-HKSTP IoT Accelerator’ with HKSTP, leveraging our mutual advantages on technology, industry and location to fuel the growth of start-ups through a comprehensive and focused service platform supported by our integrated international resources and high-quality industry network.”
Three thematic programmes planned for global start-ups this year
HKSTP is actively working with other industry leaders with the goal of introducing no less than three thematic GAA programmes on e-commerce, robotics and clean tech during the year. HKSTP will work with overseas incubation programme partners to recruit start-ups globally for the programmes.
“In the area of innovation and technology, Hong Kong is presented with unprecedented opportunities. The Corporation believes that it is vital to lay a strong foundation for future development, by strengthening Hong Kong’s R&D ecosystem, expanding our R&D talent pool, attracting more start-ups to use Hong Kong as a base for the mature stages of R&D and commercialisation, pulling in multinationals to set up R&D hubs in Hong Kong, and creating the right conditions to facilitate advance manufacturing in Hong Kong. The Academy is a programme for global start-ups as well as a platform closely linked to the industry. I expect the success of this programme will generate greater impetus for Hong Kong’s future development,” Mr Wong added.


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Twenty-nine-year-old An’Drew Kamani Williams, aka Drew Willz, has created an ever-evolving brand centered around graphic art, clothing, coffee, matcha, and more. 16.92 Coffee Matcha Bar is in the business of bringing coffee and matcha drinks to Central Florida through the modernity and magic of social media and local collaboration.
The brand took its first breath in 2012 in Williams’ design class. Asked to create a mock brand for an assignment, he thought up 16.92, an homage to his birthday, January 6, 1992. Williams graduated from Keiser University with a degree in graphic design. Along with his music, Drew began doing freelance work around the city, steadily building a collaborating network of vendors and artists. His freelance work entailed album covers, single art, and eventually corporate work – making logos, designing color schemes, and uniforms for businesses. “I feel like I had a brand,” said Williams of the company’s beginnings.
Popping up on the coffee scene
The mother of William’s son, Winston, is Colombian. Her grandparents own a coffee farm in Colombia and would bring coffee to the States. Williams described it more as a decoration, still in its husk. “I got a popcorn popper and started learning how to roast,” he said. “I would bring it around to local shops to see what people thought. I would ask every owner their opinions of it so that I could get better and better. I finally got it where I wanted it to be, and I started selling it.”
Working as the Supervisor and Drink Consultant for Sabu Ramen at The Joinery, Williams would bring his AeroPress and pour-overs to make drinks for the staff. He said working with Kristy Scott in the past at 5th & Hall “sparked the idea.” Scott, the Director of Brand Experience at The Joinery, suggested Williams set up 16.92 at the Lakeland food hall.
His first thought was to roast and sell his own coffee beans, but he thought it would be a good idea to make the drinks too. In early 2020, he started a coffee bar. “Making coffee beans is really hard. Roasting on a popcorn popper, trying to sell to a mass of people is very difficult,” said Williams. “So, I started working with Ethos Roasters, and now they sponsor me, and we created our own roast together.” Their collaborative roast, Roasted Caramel, is the blend he uses at the 16.92 Coffee Matcha Bar.
A Perfect Match-a
Matcha naturally fits into the equation as an alternative for customers who don’t drink coffee. He first tasted the beverage in New York in 2019 while working as a latte artist at an upscale barbershop in Manhattan.
Williams was captivated by a shop across the street, Cha Cha Matcha. It’s peppy pink and green facade invited Drew inside to what all this Fuschia fuss was about. The shop was beautiful and current, playing modern music with a steady flow of customers filtering in to get their much-needed matcha pick-me-up. He didn’t know what matcha was, had never tried it up to that point, and wasn’t exactly a convert when he did. “I had it – it tasted horrible. It was disgusting,” he said. “It was the worst drink I’d ever had. […] It wasn’t until I came back to Florida and started playing with the recipes that I started trying to figure out how I could make it taste better.”
He utilized YouTube and other vendors to become a matcha master at his bar. “The techniques that I learned are from social media, through different baristas,” said Williams. He does a podcast on Instagram called “Brewz at Drewz,” where he makes drinks and interviews fellow baristas and artists from around the world.
The 16.92 Coffee Matcha Bar offers refreshers, including macchiatos, classic pour-overs (using his Ethos blend), and matcha drinks. Their drinks are made with alkaline water and organic ingredients, and non-dairy options are available.
In collaboration with another local business, La Sirena’s, Williams uses their homemade Fresca to combine with his matcha for a refreshing blend of complimenting flavors. Community collaboration has proved a valuable part of Williams’ business model. “I’m used to that because of music,” he said. “Everything feels like a big DJ Khaled record. It’s like a bunch of features – that’s how I work.”
“I think I’m more of a producer, in a sense. I like to get the best things from everyone and put it together. That’s why I feel like being a bar is the best way for us to showcase different vendors through our taste palette.” The 16.92 Coffee and Matcha Bar premiered at the Buena Market. Williams said he worked with the market’s founder, Stephanie Gregg, to bring his coffee creations to a market setting. “She helped me launch 16.92 in a market,” he said. “While she was handling everything for the market, she assisted me as well with 16.92 in the beginning, and we just started growing with each other and growing with the different vendors,” he said of the Buena Market.
Perhaps his most important collaboration is with his team of supporters, including his mom, girlfriend Philli, and son Winston. Williams spoke of his appreciation for the support and influence of his mother. She was an event planner in New York when he was younger, allowing him to meet artists, performers, and personalities like Missy Elliott, P Diddy, and Mike Tyson. “That let me know that that’s obtainable,” he said.
Brews, Bitcoin, and Big Dreams
For now, Williams is going with the flow. But you can expect matcha more from 16.92 in the coming months and years. He eventually wants to open a brick and mortar location, with more to follow. Williams’ background is Jamaican, he hails from New York and has attended school in London, saying, “I want to be able to go to all those places and have my work there.” The coffee creative envisions a future in which 16.92 is a cold brew delivery service, accepting modern payment forms like bitcoin. “I want this to be like Apple,” he said.
Williams is happy for Polk County to be the backdrop for his brand-building endeavors. His grandmother first moved to Lakeland when he was in elementary school. He and his mom moved down from New York when Williams was a young teen. “This is an amazing place to live and start a business,” he said. “It’s a small town with a lot of people who love the people who come from here.”
“I think of Publix, and I look up to that. I see where they started, and I like how they treat their customers. […] To know that that came from here, is like, it’s so possible.”
Williams’ advice for others aspiring to create a project, business, or brand of their own? “Whatever is crazy that comes to your mind, just do it.”
Get to know Drew and his up-and-coming coffee bar on social media and the many pop-ups and markets he attends, including the Buena Market and Winter Haven Farmers Market.


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- City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
- Dubai 04:32 05:49 12:21 15:48 18:47 20:04
dnata, a leading global air and travel services provider, has been awarded a multi-year contract by Etihad Airways in the USA. The new partnership will see dnata provide quality inflight catering services to the Abu Dhabi-based airline from its facility at Boston Logan Airport (BOS).
dnata’s highly trained teams will produce and uplift more than 125,000 meals annually to ensure a world-class dining experience on board the airline’s four weekly flights to Abu Dhabi, starting 31 March 2024.
Peter DeVito, Chief Executive Officer, dnata Catering North America, said: “We are delighted to have been appointed as the exclusive catering supplier to Etihad Airways in Boston. Our experienced team will consistently deliver outstanding culinary products that contribute to the passenger’s exceptional journey.
“We look forward to working closely with Etihad and will continue to invest in our people, infrastructure and products to be the best in everything we do.”
Including Etihad Airways, dnata provides catering and retail services to 40 airline customers at 12 airports with a team of more than 1000 hospitality professionals throughout the USA. In Boston, dnata uplifted 1.5 million meals for 8000 individual flights at Boston Logan Airport in the last financial year 2022-23.
dnata’s catering and retail division is one of the world’s leading inflight hospitality providers. The company’s 10,500 catering professionals produce over 110 million meals annually, serving full service, low-cost and VIP carriers from more than 60 locations.
Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.


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Tickets for next years Glastonbury Festival go on sale six months earlyOctober 4th, 2008 - 1:02 pm ICT by ANI
London, October 4 (ANI): Music fans will be able to buy tickets for next years Glastonbury Festival from tomorrow when the online booking opens.
The organisers decided to sell the tickets six months earlier than usual after witnessing slow sales for this years event.
About 100,000 tickets for the five-day music festival will be available online tomorrow, and the rest will go on sale in April.
People can either pay the full amount of 175 pounds or just a 50-pound deposit for the tickets.
Each person can buy six tickets this time instead of the normal four.
It was the first time this summer that all the tickets for the event had failed to sell on the day of release since the late 1990s, for which the booking of controversial US rapper
Jay-Z as the headline act and poor weather were blamed.
Organiser Michael Eavis hopes to avoid a repeat of this summer when 35,000 tickets only sold at the last minute.
We have come up with a scheme that will allow people a much longer period to plan and pay for their tickets, while still continuing the battle against ticket touting, Times Online quoted him as saying. (ANI)
- Next Glastonbury Festival tickets sell out within four hours - Oct 04, 2010
- Pearl Jam to perform at Jay-Z's festival - May 23, 2012
- Glastonbury 2010 tickets up for sale - Oct 04, 2009
- World famous Glastonbury Festival to have Krishna Tent - Feb 13, 2011
- Lily Allen to spend honeymoon at Glastonbury - May 21, 2011
- Rihanna wants to perform at Glastonbury Fest - Dec 12, 2009
- Glastonbury Festival beckons music lovers to England - Jun 23, 2010
- Michael Eavis: Glastonbury Festival will never go pop - Mar 26, 2009
- Demand supply gap responsible for Tatkal woes: Mukul Roy - Jul 06, 2012
- U2 asked to return to Glastonbury, confirms organiser - Aug 06, 2010
- Glastonbury fest axed over Olympics 2012 - Oct 19, 2010
- VIP tickets for Guetta's Gurgaon gig sold out - Mar 05, 2012
- Bruce Springsteen to headline 2009s Glastonbury - Feb 24, 2009
- Jay-Z urges youth to vote in General Elections - Oct 13, 2010
- Jay-Z, Kanye West earn big at birthday gig - Dec 28, 2011


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Nearly 200 residents were on hand Nov. 2 to hear plans for a proposed Walmart planned for the Surburban Plaza on North Decatur Road.
Glenn Wilkins, a senior manager of public affairs and governmental relations for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. presented conceptual plans for the proposed 150,000-square-foot store which would have groceries, a deli, pharmacy and an optical center. Parking for the store would be an underground garage.
Wilkins stressed that the plans were not finalized.
“If you don’t like it, don’t get married to it,” Wilkins said.
At the meeting sponsored by the Medlock Area Neighborhood Association, some residents voiced concerns about the impact on other nearby Walmart stores. One is located five miles away on Memorial Drive near Avondale Estates and one is seven miles away in Tucker.
Walmart recently announced plans to construct another store six miles away near the corner of Memorial Drive and Hairston Road.
“We’ll probably impact the other stores,” Wilkins said. “But we don’t think it’s going to be substantial. If we thought it were substantial, we would not be here today proposing this to you.
“I can assure you we will not be shutting down other stores,” Wilkins said. “They were too expensive to build in the first place.”
As proposed, Walmart would be the anchor store in a renovated Suburban Plaza.
Steve Selig, president of Selig Enterprises which owns Suburban Plaza, said his company has been working for seven to eight years to revitalize the shopping center.
Developed by his grandfather in 1960s, Surburban Plaza was once probably the leading shopping center in the area after Lenox Square, Selig said.
“We know that it has deteriorated and we’re not proud of that fact,” Selig said.
Selig said his company is talking to or has letters of interest from other retailers including Staples, HH Gregg, Michael’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, LA Fitness, Home Goods and buybuy Baby.
“We want make all of those, but we will make some of them and that’s the kind of quality set-up that we expect to bring into the area,” Selig said.
Selig predicted that the improved development, which will increase by 30,000 square feet, is expected to add 600-800 jobs to the community and spur redevelopment in the corridor.
“As far as I can see, this is really a win-win,” Selig said. “It’s a win for the neighborhood. It’s a win for DeKalb County. It’s going to create jobs. It’s going to create more tax revenue.”
“This is the best thing that we could do for this neighborhood,” Selig said.
Selig said his family-owned company plans to continue to own the plaza after it is developed.
“We don’t build to sell,” Selig said. “We build to hold. We’ve owned it for 50 years. We will hopefully own it for another 50 years.”
The crowd laughed when Selig said development would have a minimum effect on traffic.
To go forward the development would need a parking variance from the county. Currently, the shopping center has 3.8 spaces per 1,000 square feet of floor space. The developers want 3.91 spaces per 1,000. County regulations require 5.5 spaces per 1,000. The county commission is expected to consider granting the variance in its Dec. 14 meeting.


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Consulting coordinator helps local businesses flourishPosted: February 24, 2011
By Mitch Blomert
Even in a recovering economy, small businesses in downtown Athens are managing to keep their heads above water, and Anne-Marie Johnson’s consultants may be part of the reason.
Johnson is the Program Coordinator of the Small Business Development Center in Athens, and is responsible for the arrangement of consulting among Athens’ locally-run businesses that dominate the downtown economy.
“We are about building stronger, more educated business owners,” Johnson said. “The more powerful they are, with knowing how to better their business policies and having the best business practices, then that trickles into the community.”
Under Johnson, the SBDC helps business owners by offering continuing education for first-time entrepreneurs—including classes on marketing and QuickBooks accounting software—as well as confidential consulting by experience business informants.
“All the consultants here have an MBA, and experience working different fields—sales, marketing, human resources, accounting, and things like that,” Johnson said.
Since its founding in 1977, the SBDC has grown exponentially, now operating 18 offices across Georgia.
The Athens’ location is especially important because it is the original branch of the organization, having been founded W.C. Flewellen, former dean of what is now the Terry College of Business.
Its proximity to the University of Georgia also makes it an often-used starting point for recent graduates and new business owners in general.
“If you go on our website you can see that we’re located at seven universities, or right on university campuses,” Johnson said. “So I think the dynamic culture that the University environment creates does lend itself to making SBDC vital.”
Because all of the SBDC’s clients remain confidential, Johnson cannot exactly describe the range of her clients’ backgrounds.
But Johnson says that the organization does consult recent graduates and even current University of Georgia students looking to establish their business.
“We don’t share who our clients are and talk about that,” Johnson said. “But we do have graduates. Several other UGA grads have come here while they’re in school, and even when they graduate.”
Johnson was once one of them, as a UGA graduate herself.
Prior to joining the SBDC, she and her husband operated their own local business for 10 years and received consulting from the organization.
When they opted to downsize their business, Johnson opted to stay within the SBDC’s program.
“There was an opening here, and the mission of the Small Business Development Center is something I feel strongly about,” Johnson said. “So I took an opportunity to work and we ended up selling our business, actually.”
Johnson is coordinating the SBDC during a time when downtown Athens and is seeing change from a small business standpoint.
Aside from the usual openings of new bars and leisure venues that dominate the downtown area and cater to the enormous University clientele, other entrepreneurs are shaping their businesses online and benefit greatly from consulting.
Brandon Boyer, a senior Management Information Systems Technology major in the Terry College of Business and a freelance graphic designer, has used consulting to kick-start two of his business ventures, both of them online.
Boyer founded BBThemeDesigns in February of 2009, where he designs custom-themed backgrounds and icons for the BlackBerry Storm smart phone users.
By managing his business through the help of consulting, he has made over $15,000 in profit from the company.
“It was my first business, so I talked to a lot of people before I made any major decisions with how I ran it,” Boyer said. “I think back and realize that it was really crucial that I did that. Now I’m fortunate to say that I’m confident in how I manage things.”
Boyer also connects with the downtown Athens economy as a founding designer of Fruug.com, which generates a list of daily drink specials among downtown bars.
The website was founded in January and is still in its early stages but is already profitable through on-site advertising—a result of strong consulting.
“When you’re dealing in relations with so many different clients, you have to know what direction you’re headed,” Boyer said. “It’s really big that we have insight from experts who can point out where we can improve.”
Based off his positive experiences with business consultants, Boyer plans to work as consultant himself with Ernst & Young in Atlanta when he graduates this summer.
The decision wouldn’t be a surprise to Johnson, who believes the SBDC’s close ties with the University has helped imaginative students and Athens citizens alike become successful with help from strong business consulting.
“Not only is it important just to the environment in general but it’s really important here, this being it’s the birthplace in it,” Johnson said.


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Fresh fish export could be a boon to local economy — but supply remains a problem — can longliners help?
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Lolo Administration efforts are underway to increase the volume of local fish supplies to aid the Island Fisheries Inc., fresh fish export operation — with target markets including Los Angeles and Japan.
As previously reported by Samoa News, Island Fisheries has signed a two-year lease to operate the Fish Market inside the Fagatogo Marketplace, and the company is purchasing fish from the US longline fleet based in American Samoa for the fish market.
At the same time, Island Fisheries has sent its first shipment of fresh fish off island to the US market. However, Island Fisheries is facing a fish supply shortage. (See Samoa News edition July 3rd for details).
Samoa News learned that the government is looking at efforts to boost the volume of fish for Island Fisheries’ export business— which is the type of business that the Lolo Administration has been encouraging for a couple of years. Meanwhile, more than a year ago Hawaiian Airlines dedicated its freezer facility at the Tafuna airport to help with local export of fish.
A meeting, led by Lt. Gov. Lemanu Palepoi Sialega Mauga, was held Wednesday at the Governor’s Office conference room that included Hawaiian Airlines cargo officials — Brad Matheny and Dana Knight — from Honolulu as well as Island Fisheries president Peter Lamy.
Responding to Samoa News inquiries, Commerce Department director Kenseli Lafaele confirmed that he, Lemanu and Marine and Wildlife director Va’amua Henry Sesepasara, represented ASG.
The meeting with officials of Hawaiian and Island Fisheries was “to discuss ways to increase the volume of fresh fish — mainly big eye and yellow fin tuna — exports to off-island markets,” Lafaele said, adding that the target markets for exports are Honolulu, Los Angles and Japan.
The DOC director explained that, “we have had meetings with Hawaiian on the issue of exporting products from American Samoa using excess cargo capacity on flights back to Honolulu.”
He said Wednesday’s meeting was the first one involving a fish exporter — namely Island Fisheries.
“The main issue of the meeting is that Island Fisheries isn't getting sufficient fish from local fishermen to sustain its fresh fish export business,” Lafaele explained. “Factors contributing to the problem were discussed and we will meet again in the near future to discuss possible solutions and implement a viable action plan.”
With the local longline fleet already supplying the local fish market, Samoa News asked Tautai o Samoa Longline Fishing Association about providing more fish for Island Fisheries’ for export.
Association president Christinna Lutu-Sanchez explained that Island Fisheries’ business model was to assist the alias and small boats with an alternate market. “However, despite the good rates that they offer, they have not received any fish from the alias,” she said.
“We — the longliners — have provided fish so that there is a supply to the fish market, however this is very limited as our boats are setup to catch fish and freeze them for the cannery and not to export,” she points out.
In order to meet fresh fish requirement for an export market, she said that the longline fleet “would need to make changes and invest in different equipment.”
(Samoa News understands that one market being targeted for export is the fresh fish market for restaurants and this means never frozen fish, only chilled.)
“The longline fleet has been suffering dire financial situations,” she said, “and I am not sure that any of the owners are in a position to make additional investments at this time —especially as there is no support from local government on measures that we have sought such as the temporary amendment to the Large Vessel Prohibited Area to relieve some of the extreme circumstances and help to keep the longline fleet afloat.”
Samoa News notes that the longliners have sought to be allowed to fish within certain limits of the LVPA on territorial waters.
Responding to the Samoa News request for comments, Hawaiian spokesperson Ann Botticelli explained that the airline’s cargo team is in the territory to look at its “new chiller facility, which we are very excited about.”
“One key motivation in developing this facility has been to facilitate a path for the development of a local fresh fish export market in American Samoa,” she said yesterday from Honolulu. “When we researched such a market, we found that there was great demand for the delicious fresh sashimi-grade fish that's so plentiful over there.”
She points out that fishing boats in the territory “need a certain type of ice machine to keep the catch chilled but not frozen” and she believes that there’s a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grant being sought to assist with that.
“Our team is in American Samoa to provide support as needed. Our main contribution to this — installing the chiller — is complete, and we couldn't be happier about that,” she said. “We look forward to being able to transport fresh American Samoan fish to tables throughout the Pacific and beyond.”


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The Western DuPage Special Recreation Association’s Food Truck Festival will be held from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Riverwalk Pavilion in Naperville, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, on Sept. 29, including entertainment and activities, according to a Naperville Patch report.
Early admission is available at 2:30 p.m. with registration. Two early admission entrants will win a $25 gift card to Toasty Cheese. Admission is $2, with those two years old and under admitted for free.
Food trucks will include: Gnarly Knots; Cupcakes for Courage; Happy Lobster; Grumpy Gaucho; My Funnel Truck; Toasty Cheese; Taco Grill; Roaming Hog; Pizza Puff Truck.


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Apple Shares Revamped Transparency Report Website With Easier-to-Parse Data
Apple today released its latest transparency report, outlining government data requests that it received from January to June 2018.
Apple's latest report has been shared on a totally overhauled transparency website that also features past reports in a more visually digestible format, making it much easier to go through the data.
Apple's previous reports were delivered via PDF and could be difficult to parse, but the new site features a country-by-country breakdown with further details split into different request categories.
A provided slider lets you scroll through each country, while a date range dropdown lets you select either the most recent report or past reports. Collapsible categories offer up at a glance information on data like total device requests, emergency requests, requests for account deletion, FISA requests, and more.
Apple is now providing data on national security requests in bands of 500 instead of 250, in an effort to standardize its reporting with other tech companies, according to TechCrunch. FISA content is being broken down further into categories like photos, emails, contacts, and device backups.
PDFs of Apple's transparency reports continue to be available for those who prefer that format, and Apple has made CSV files available for download for those who want an even deeper look into the data.
Based on Apple's latest report, device data requests are on the rise around the world. Apple received a total of 32,342 requests covering 163,823 devices, providing data for 25,829 of the requests, an 80 percent data delivery rate.
In the United States, Apple received 4,570 requests for device data and responded to 3,697, providing data for a total of 81 percent of requests. Apple also received requests for financial identifiers, accounts, and emergencies, with the company's response rate listed in the chart below.
Germany made the most requests of Apple due to stolen device investigations, which is explained in a new "Matters of Note" section at the bottom of each category breakdown. Account requests were up in China and the United States, for example, due to a fraud investigations.
Apple received between 0 and 499 national security orders impacting between 1,000 and 1,499 accounts. Apple did not reveal any national security letters with lifted gag orders, which are reported on a six-month delay.
The full details of Apple's latest transparency report can be found on the company's transparency website.
Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.


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Former President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has urged companies to move from importation and service delivery to the production of goods, as a panacea for unemployment.
Over a year ago, Obasanjo warned that the jobless youths were a time bomb and enjoined the government and business operators to go into agricultural-based businesses so that jobs could be created.
He said at the weekend that it was only a production-driven economy that would create jobs for the unemployed and wealth for others directly or remotely connected to it.
The ex-president spoke in his Abeokuta Presidential Hill Top Estate when the Chinese-Nigeria Business Council and the management team of Skyrun International (a home appliances manufacturing company) visited him.
Obasanjo, who expressed satisfaction that the Chinese firm, which he inaugurated in 2006 at the Calabar Free Trade Zone, Cross River State, has gone into manufacturing, said “this remains the way to attain industrialisation.”
He said when he visited the China home-country of the electronic company,
it was agreed that in less than eight years, Skyrun should not only be assembling its products in Nigeria, but should also begin production to create employment for Nigerians and market for export.
Obasanjo said: “I’m happy the dream is coming to reality with these products before me. It shows that with commitment, dedication and spirit to get things done, we can achieve industrialisation.
“I understand that Nigerians are getting jobs in the company. I’m pleased with this success
The former president, who received samples of the products, including TV set, split-air conditioner
and other home appliances, urged the company to also explore the West African market by manufacturing quality and competitive products.
The Skyrun Marketing Manager, Kevin Is, hailed the ex-president for ensuring the company was established in the country.
He said: “It is a success story.”
The National Coordinator of the Nigeria-China Business Council, Chief Emeka Onuchukwu, said the seed planted by Obasanjo in 2006 had yielded fruits, “hence this visit to show appreciation.”


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Les Howard highlights the VAT issues that arose during a recent HMRC investigation.
HMRC have long targeted retail businesses, usually challenging their sales figures. While major retail chains operate sophisticated EPOS systems (which are not immune from error, of course), many independent retailers still rely on less modern technology. In a recent telephone conversation I had, a prospective buyer of a small health food retail business commented that the daily sales were recorded with pen on paper (no MTD then!).
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