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Morning Report: Amazon wanted Whole Foods. So did other companies. Amazon wanted to pay $41 per share. Whole Foods wanted $45. Amazon said no, but we’ll do $42.
You can read the full filing here, but this morning we’re going to extract the Amazon motes to show how Whole Foods didn’t get (roughly) an extra billion dollars from Seattle.
Following quite a lot of private equity tumult, we dial into our story in May, when Amazon made its initial bid:
On May 23, 2017, the Company received a written offer from Amazon.com to acquire the Company for $41.00 per share of the Company’s common stock, subject to confirmatory due diligence, satisfactory documentation and final board approval. In its letter, Amazon.com expressed its belief that the offer represented compelling and certain value for the Company’s shareholders, considered its interest in the Company to be highly sensitive, and said that it reserved the right to terminate discussions if there was any leak or rumor of its interest in acquiring the Company. The letter also indicated that Amazon.com viewed the proposed transaction as a strategic investment for Amazon.com.
After a sheaf of meetings, Whole Foods and its crew decided to counter:
On May 30, 2017, the board of directors held an in person meeting in New York […] After a discussion of potential responses [to Amazon], the board of directors decided that making a counter proposal at a higher price was the most effective response and resolved to make a counter-proposal to Amazon.com at $45.00 per share. Later that day, representatives from Evercore, on behalf of the board of directors, communicated the $45.00 per share counter proposal to representatives from Goldman Sachs. The Goldman Sachs representatives expressed their disappointment at the price specified in the Company’s counter proposal as they had previously informed the Evercore representatives that Amazon.com believed that it had made a very strong bid.
So that’s Amazon balking a bit. But at how many dollars? Doing some incredibly crude math, it looks like it’s about $1 billion, give or take $50 million. That works out to around 7 percent of the later-final purchase price. But we’re not there yet.
First, we have to watch Amazon engage in what is called “Hollywooding” in poker:
On June 1, 2017, representatives from Evercore spoke with representatives from Goldman Sachs again regarding the spread between Amazon.com’s offer and the Company’s counter proposal. On the call, the representatives from Goldman Sachs communicated that Amazon.com was considering other opportunities instead of acquiring the Company and had been considering whether to respond to the Company’s $45.00 counter proposal at all or to pursue other opportunities.
Rolling your eyes a bit? Let’s finish the paragraph, sticking to the first day of June:
The representatives from Goldman Sachs then said that as a last stretch Amazon.com was willing to offer $42.00 per share but stressed several times that this was Amazon.com’s best and final offer. The representatives from Goldman Sachs also made it clear again to the representatives from Evercore that Amazon.com would disengage from its efforts to acquire the Company and pursue other alternatives and initiatives if the $42.00 per share price were not accepted[.]
There’s the ultimatum. What happened next? Some quick hits:
- On the same day, Whole Foods decided to accept the offer: “Following discussion with Wachtell Lipton and Evercore, the board of directors unanimously authorized Evercore to inform Goldman Sachs that the Company was willing to move forward to negotiate a transaction at a $42.00 per share cash price.”
- Due diligence ensued from June 2 for “a week and a half.”
- From June 12 through June 14, the companies worked to “resolve the major open issues on the draft merger agreement, including the amount and triggers for the termination fee and the regulatory efforts covenant.”
- June 15: “[T]he [Whole Foods] board of directors unanimously determined that the merger was fair to, and in the best interests of, the Company and its shareholders, unanimously approved and declared advisable the merger agreement, the merger and the other transactions contemplated by the merger agreement and authorized the Company to enter into the merger agreement.”
- And then, over the next few dozen hours: “Following the board meeting, the parties completed the transaction documents. In the evening of June 15, 2017, the parties executed the merger agreement and in the morning of June 16, 2017, the Company and Amazon.com issued a press release announcing the transaction.”
And that’s how the deal got done. From offer to announcement? About 24 days, or just over three weeks. The result for our aforementioned unicorns? A swift kick in the shins.
From the Crunchbase Daily:
Jawbone to liquidate, launch health startup
- Jawbone, a wearables developer once valued at $3 billion, is liquidating its assets, and its CEO, Hosain Rahman, is launching a new health startup called Jawbone Health Hub. The moves follow years of financial struggles and down rounds for San Francisco-based Jawbone, which previously raised more than $900 million in venture capital and debt funding.
AT&T to invest in new VC fund
- AT&T announced that it is investing up to $200 million in a fund co-managed by VC firm Coral Group that will back companies focused on connected services using the Open Networking Automation Platform (ONAP).
SoundCloud announces layoffs, office closures
- Berlin-based music streaming service SoundCloud laid off 173 employees and shut offices in San Francisco
and New YorkCorrection: San Francisco and London, not New York. Crunchbase News regrets the error. in a cost-cutting move to help compete against larger rivals Spotify and Apple.
South Bay cities are raking in funding
- There are small and mid-size cities in Silicon Valley that don’t get much attention as startup hubs but actually draw more venture capital than most states. Crunchbase News takes a look at four such cities in the South Bay and Peninsula region of the San Francisco Bay Area where tech and healthcare entrepreneurs are raking in funding.
Stay up to date with recent funding rounds, acquisitions, and more with the Crunchbase Daily.


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Consumer spending falls just 0.2 percent despite fuel plunge
Consumer spending in the US fell for a second straight month in January, declining 0.2 percent. But since it was driven by a big drop in gas prices, the decline should prove to be a positive for the economy, analysts say.
Consumer spending fell for a second consecutive month in January, weakness that was expected to be temporary. Income rose, reflecting strong job gains during the month.
Consumer spending declined 0.2 percent in January following a 0.3 percent drop in December, the Commerce Department reported Monday. Economists had expected a dip, reflecting a big drop in gas prices during the month. That decline should prove to be a positive for the economy, giving consumers more money to spend on other goods.
"The January data on personal income and spending were modestly softer than our expectation in nominal terms, but after adjusting for inflation, we view them as indicating that households are still receiving a boost from falling energy prices," Barclays Research economist Michael Gapen wrote in an e-mailed analysis. "We expect the support for income and spending from lower energy prices to continue to dissipate in the months ahead."
Income grew 0.3 percent in January as wages and salaries increased a strong $42.4 billion. Analysts expect that solid job gains and low unemployment will bolster consumer spending and lift economic growth this year to what they predict will be the fastest pace in a decade.
Consumer spending, after removing the impact of price changes, actually rose a solid 0.3 percent in January and after-tax income, after removing inflation, was up 0.9 percent. Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics, said the surge in inflation-adjusted income showed the support households will be getting from falling energy prices.
"Even though households didn't take full advantage of their savings on gasoline in January, they still have a lot of scope to increase real consumption in the first half of the year," Ashworth said.
The combination of falling spending and rising income translated into an increase in the personal saving rate, which climbed to 5.5 percent of after-tax income, up from 5 percent in December and the highest level since late 2012.
The January report is the first look at consumer spending for the first quarter of this year. Economists examine consumer spending closely since it accounts for 70 percent of economic activity.
The government last week revised its estimate for overall economic growth as measured by the gross domestic product to a slower pace of 2.2 percent in the October-December quarter, down from an initial estimate of 2.6 percent growth in the fourth quarter.
The downward revision reflected less spending by businesses to restock their inventories and a bigger trade deficit than initially estimated.Consumer spending remained strong during the fourth quarter, rising at an annual rate of 4.2 percent. That was the best showing since early 2006.
Economists expect the overall growth this year will top 3 percent, the best performance in a decade. That optimism is based on a belief that a stronger job market will boost incomes and that will in turn support solid gains in consumer spending.

domain: news


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Individuals these days have very specific needs and as a manufacturer of audio solutions, Jabra is launching four devices across a wide range of lifestyles. There will be something for everyone, like the industrial processional with the Jabra STEEL; the avid traveller with the Halo Fusion; the business-savvy with the Eclipse, and the sport enthusiast with the Sports Pace Wireless.
Read the rest of this entry »
|Android, Industry in General, iOS, Mobile Accessories, Mobile Apps, Mobile OS|
|Assist, Bluetooth, Bluetooth headset, earbuds, earphones, Eclipse, Halo Fusion, Jabra, Jabra Assist, Jabra Bluetooth, Jabra Eclipse, Jabra Halo Fusion, Jabra Sport Pace Wireless, Jabra STEEL, launch, Malaysia, official, Price, Sport Life, Sport Life app, Sport Pace Wireless, STEEL|
The new BlackBerry PRIV appears to be heading to Malaysia very soon as it has received the green light from SIRIM with the model number STV100-3. Being a symbol of Privilege and Privacy, the PRIV aims to be the most secure device that runs on Android. On top of that, it offers the best of both worlds featuring a touch-enabled double curve display and a full QWERTY keyboard in a single package.
Huawei isn’t the only brand that’s going premium. Its online sub-brand honor is also following closely with the release of another unibody metal design smart phone. Introduced as the honor 5X, it shares similar design cues as the honor 7 flagship. Seen as the replacement of the honor 4X, the 5X gets a large 5.5″ screen that does Full HD resolution.
Chinese manufacturer Elephone hasn’t received as much attention compared to Huawei and Xiaomi, who’ve been making waves in China and abroad. Though, the lesser-known manufacturer has its own niche which it occupies; large battery capacities – at least evident on their P5000 (5350 mAh) and P8000 (4,200 mAh) models. But what does the Vowney bring to the table? If the title didn’t catch your attention, the rest just might.
Rolling off a strong Q3 2015 performance, the telco provider has just announced that they’ve managed to extend their 4G LTE network coverage to 55% of the population. This cuts out Digi’s widest claim by 5% and will bring great news to all smartphone users on the Maxis network.
The Mi 10,400mAh Power Bank is hugely popular for its large capacity, solid build quality and an affordable price tag. Now there’s a new one with a more compact size and it is going on sale starting tomorrow, 29th October at 12PM.
Wild murmurous have been spreading that the new generation of iPhones and iPads might sport an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display. A big change for Apple, since they’ve maintained LCD panels across all their mobile devices so far. It’s quite surprising who they allegedly reached-out to supply their newer displays.


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USA: Teens Should Skip the Soft Drinks and Make More Room for Milk
Guzzling soft drinks and ditching milk may have serious health implications for our nation's teens, according to a new study published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. By analyzing four food consumption surveys administered between 1965 and 1996 by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the researchers looked at how food intake trends have changed for teens ages 11 to 18. Over the 30-year period, milk consumption has decreased by 36 percent while soft drink and non-citrus juice consumption has steadily increased. The researchers also note that this decline in milk consumption has not been made up for by an increase in other calcium-rich dairy products, which could put teens at serious risk for developing the bone crippling disease, osteoporosis, later in life. "During your teens, nearly half of all bone is formed and about 15 percent of adult height is added, making these years the once in a lifetime opportunity to reach full bone mass and height potential," said Jean Ragalie, R.D., National Dairy Council. "Milk is one of the best natural sources of calcium, not to mention one of the best tasting ways for teens to get it." According to current dietary recommendations, teenagers need 1,300 mg of calcium a day, or the equivalent of about four 8-ounce glasses of milk. Milk also contains vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium, and seven other essential nutrients important for growth and development. In addition to the decrease in calcium-rich milk consumption, the study found that teen consumption of fruits and non-potato sources of vegetables has decreased over the 30-year time period as well. Suggested Sidebar:
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Anjali Malhotra, chief customer, marketing and digital officer, Aviva India, says consumers have a deep desire for comfort and security and marketers need an empathetic playbook and messages. In the special video seriesBE+, she adds that brands have pivoted their models to reach their customers and personalisation driven by data and insights to play a major role today. AI, ML to play a crucial role in effective marketing strategy along with bridging gaps in digitisation, which will help brands to tackle the situation properly. Watch the full video below;
Over the past few years, the number of women at the junior level has grown. Still, women continue to be underrepresented at the leadership level. Bias impacts women’s day-to-day work experiences and ability to advance. We are discussing the challenges women are facing in the workplace.


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‘Carrie’ Pushed Back to October, Giving You More Time to Ask Her to Prom
Sony did a little release date shuffling today, and while a few changes were minor, 'Carrie' was pushed all the way back from March 15 to October 18 -- seems like someone remembered when horror movies used to come out in October.
With modern horror franchises like the now-defunct 'Saw' series and 'Paranormal Activity,' more and more studios have shied away from releasing their horror films in October, terrified that they'll never be able to stand up to the big franchise moneymakers.
And then Sony stood up and said enough with this crap, they're releasing the 'Carrie' remake in October, so deal with it. ComingSoon reports that Sony shifted dates for George Clooney's 'Monuments Men,' which will now hit two days earlier on December 18, and pushed 'No Good Deed' back from October 18 to January 17, 2014.
It made sense for 'Carrie' to hit theaters in March, what with that being prom season and the story's pivotal moment occurring during a high school prom, but it's always nice to have more horror flicks to choose from in October, so while we were kind of excited to see 'Carrie' relatively soon (and the studio had already begun its online viral marketing campaign), we're okay with waiting.


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Longtime Greenville deli reopens in new location, with new focus
Angela and Angelo Di Pardo kind of always thought they’d own a restaurant, but they waited until they found the right fit. The two Di Pardos, with food distribution management and business backgrounds respectively, wanted a place that conveyed their passion for the Italian food they grew up with, and that presented that food in a really high quality way.
In June, the Di Pardos will unveil what has been nearly a lifetime in the making but a year in the more immediate making. They will reopen Corporate Deli at Haywood Mall. The new restaurant combines the things for which Corporate Deli has long been known, with some added, Italian sandwich shop touches.
The Di Pardos, Toronto, Canada natives, are bringing their Italian heritage to life in the form of their new 600-square foot shop on the outskirts of the Haywood Mall food court. The location is what they hope will be the first of many to come.
Plans call for partnering with Simon Malls to open more Corporate Delis in the next few years.
"We want to be unique,” Angela says. “We want people to come to us because they can’t get this anywhere else, not within this vicinity.”
Those who remember Corporate Deli, which opened on Pelham Road in 1998, will remember the classic sandwiches like the Corporate Club, the BBLT (with its six slices of bacon) and the Reuben, never fear, the Di Pardos say, those will remain. But overall, the menu has been pared down quite a bit, and given an Italian boost. New specialties include a grilled sausage sub made to order with grilled Italian sausage, grilled peppers and onions.
The meatball sub is another new addition and is made with house made meatballs and house made sauce, both of which are family recipes.
They have added their own spin and made the sandwich shopping friendly by serving it in a cone. The sandwich is served in a cone-shaped crusty loaf that contains all the ingredients and makes the sandwich easy to eat as you walk.
“We don’t want to take away from the deli concept," Angela says. "Those are classics, but we just wanted to add in that little bit of Italian flair to make it just a little bit different so it’s not your typical “New Yorker” style deli."
The Di Pardos purchased Corporate Deli in 2015, just a few months after they moved to Greenville from Toronto, and just six months after they visited Greenville for the first time. They had been looking to put their longtime dream of owning an Italian style sandwich shop to reality, but had not yet found the right spot. They were on their way to look at places in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida when a friend called and urged them to look at Greenville.
“It’s a hidden gem,” Angela says of her adopted home. “So we came down for a week and we fell in love.”
They found Corporate Deli and loved the concept and the room for adding their own touch. The goal was always to introduce the Italian sandwiches, but also to create a brand that could be replicated for long range growth. And the Di Pardos definitely see long range.
“It’s an investment for a retirement opportunity,” Angela says. “We were looking at a few different options, but the sandwich idea was always the one we wanted to go with.”
The goal from the beginning was always to grow Corporate Deli’s footprint, and Simon Properties proved the best method to do so, while also allowing the Di Pardos a chance to craft their own vision.
The couple closed Corporate Deli in March with the intention of rebranding the restaurant with the focus on authentic, gourmet Italian sandwiches. The restaurant pays homage to The Godfather films, in sandwich names and theme. And while the focus is on getting food out fast, that doesn’t diminish the focus on quality, Angela says. That is part of the reason for a pared down menu. The new menu has eight sandwiches, a couple of salads, a soup and two sides – sweet potato fries and seasoned fries. All is made to order.
“It’s all about the food,” Angela says. “So that’s what we’re trying to bring into the deli, adding some of those Italian specialties.”
The Di Pardos hope to open more Corporate Delis at Simon Properties within two years, modeling future locations after their flagship Greenville store.
Corporate Deli will open June 1 at the Haywood Mall food court, next to Starbucks, 700 Haywood Rd., Greenville. Hours are 10 a.m – 9 p.m. Monday – Saturday and noon – 7 p.m. Sunday.
The first 25 customers with sandwich orders On June 1 and 2 will receive a free surprise gift.
Hiring is currently still underway. Those interested should visit corporatedeligreenville.com/careers.
For more visit www.corpdeligreenville.com


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A former Tesla employee admitted to uploading Autopilot files to his iCloud account, but denied he's using them at the Tesla competitor where he now works
- Guangzhi Cao, a former Tesla employee who worked on the company's Autopilot system, admitted in a July 8 court filing to uploading files related to Autopilot to a personal iCloud account before leaving to work at a competitor.
- Tesla sued Cao in March, saying he could be using the files at the electric-vehicle startup Xpeng Motors, where he now works.
- Cao denied that he is using the files to develop autonomous-driving technology at Xpeng Motors.
- Cao's attorneys said in the July 8 filing that he "made extensive efforts to delete and/or remove any such Tesla files prior to his separation from Tesla."
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Guangzhi Cao, a former Tesla employee who worked on Autopilot, the electric-car maker's semi-autonomous driver-assistance system, admitted in a July 8 court filing to uploading files related to Autopilot to his personal iCloud account before leaving to work at a competitor.
Tesla sued Cao in March, alleging that he had uploaded over 300,000 files and directories related to Autopilot to his iCloud account and created .zip files containing Autopilot's source code. The company said in its lawsuit that Cao could be using the files at the electric-vehicle startup Xpeng Motors, where he's currently employed. Xpeng Motors has developed driver-assistance features that are similar to Autopilot, Tesla said.
In the July 8 filing, Cao admitted to uploading Autopilot-related files to his iCloud account and making .zip files containing Autopilot source code, but he did not specify the size of those files. He denied that he is using the files to develop autonomous-driving technology at Xpeng Motors. Cao's attorneys said in the filing that he "made extensive efforts to delete and/or remove any such Tesla files prior to his separation from Tesla," and Cao denied that his actions damaged Tesla or created the potential for future harm.
Cao admitted in the filing that he did not tell Tesla about the Autopilot information he had copied before he left the company, but said the company never asked him about it.
Tesla and Xpeng Motors did not immediately respond to Business Insider's requests for comment.
Tesla has also sued former employees who left to join the autonomous-driving startup Zoox, saying they stole proprietary information and trade secrets that helped Zoox accelerate the development of its warehousing, logistics, and inventory-control operations. At the time, Zoox and the employees named in the lawsuit did not respond to Business Insider's requests for comment. Zoox did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
Concerns about employees bringing proprietary technology to competitors extends beyond Tesla in the autonomous-driving industry. The Google spin-off Waymo alleged in a 2017 lawsuit that former engineer Anthony Levandowski stole trade secrets from the company that were later used by Uber's autonomous-driving division. The suit was settled in 2018, with Uber agreeing to give Waymo $245 million in equity, though Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a blog post that he did not believe Uber had used or received any proprietary information from Waymo.
Read Cao's full response below:
Have you worked for Tesla? Do you have a story to share? Contact this reporter at email@example.com.
Get the latest Tesla stock price here.
- Scheduled international passenger flights to remain suspended till Jan 31, says DGCA
- The next three months are gonna be costly
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- Amazon outage causes seven hour disruption at crypto exchanges, raises questions on 'decentralisation'
- Global cellular IoT module shipments reportedly grow 70% in third quarter


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According to newly published payment card turnover data from the Central Bank (CBI), turnover using domestic cards totalled ISK 111bn in December, some 17% more than in December 2020 and 7% more than in the same month of 2019. In price- and exchange rate-adjusted terms, however, it was up 14% year-on-year. Icelanders certainly picked up the pace in terms of private consumption in 2021, even though the pandemic made its mark on the entire year, as it did in 2020.
Year-end surge in card turnover
Icelanders’ payment card turnover continues to grow apace. As in recent months, turnover abroad was the mainstay of growth in December, reflecting Icelanders’ thirst for overseas travel. Card turnover figures and data give promising indications of developments ahead for private consumption, which looks set to grow by leaps and bounds this year.
There is still an enormous difference between card use within Iceland and card use abroad, as has been the case since April 2021. In December, domestic turnover grew by just under 7% YoY, while card use abroad exploded, growing by almost 84% in real terms. The circumstances are highly unusual, of course, as travel was virtually non-existent for most of 2020. The outlook is for broadly similar growth in the coming term, although the outcome will naturally depend on how the pandemic develops globally.
Icelanders itching to travel
The Icelandic Centre for Retail Studies compiles itemised card turnover data, which show that card use spiked in December, following the usual holiday consumption pattern. Some 62% of all card use in December was due to retail trade, with the other 38% due to services. It can be said that trade increased month-on-month in nearly all categories, given that December is usually households’ biggest spending month of the year. The largest MoM rise was in stores selling books, periodicals, and records/CDs (64.5%), followed by alcoholic beverage stores (63.2%) and clothing stores (53.6%).
It is interesting as well to examine YoY changes in services-related card turnover, as the pandemic arguably invaded people’s private lives more in December 2020 than in the same month of 2021. We can see this, for instance, in card-based spending on travel agencies and package tours, which mushroomed by 285% YoY. The chart below shows how this type of travel-related spending has begun to rise again in the wake of the pandemic.
Other noteworthy items include spending on concerts, theatre, and other events, which rose 123% YoY, while spending on hotel accommodation rose 113%. Clearly, then, Icelanders were ready and willing to go on holiday and attend various types of events this December – far more than in the same month of 2020.
Private consumption far stronger than initially thought
The figures above signal strongly where private consumption is heading, as card turnover is a reliable indicator of private consumption growth. In 2020, private consumption contracted YoY by 3% in real terms, but in 2021 it has developed far more favourably than expected, growing by 5.4% in the first nine months of the year. It will be interesting to see the data for Q4/2021, but given the figures for the past few months, it is quite likely that private consumption growth for the year as a whole will be even stronger.
Other economic indicators point in the same direction. Unemployment has fallen sharply, the Consumer Confidence Index is high, and real wages have grown considerably in the past year, even though inflation has been unusually high. Private consumption is an important factor in Iceland’s GDP growth. In our opinion, Icelanders have a strong appetite for consumption at present, and recent card turnover data support that view. We think it likely that private consumption will keep growing in 2022. Hopefully, the impact of the Corona Crisis on household demand will taper off permanently this year and the growth phase that started last year will continue.


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A Bournemouth watch dealer has been jailed for cheating HM Revenues & Customs out of £270,000 of false VAT claims.
Mark Gibson bought luxury watches including Cartier and Rolex in the UK, selling them on to overseas buyers
Gibson, who traded as Mark Gibson, Watch Wholesaler, had a legitimate business buying and selling watches but began to falsify receipts for luxury watches to reclaim the VAT from HMRC.
His false claims totalled £271,023, with many of the watches he made claims for never purchased in the first place.
Despite pleading not guilty to a charge of cheating the public revenue he was found guilty by a jury at Bournemouth Crown Court.
Judge Peter Johnson said during sentencing: “It was a sophisticated and professionally planned fraud, executed over a period of time.”


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March 07, 2000
Mortgage.com Shifts to All-Net Strategy
Online financing provider Mortgage.com said last month it will discontinue marketing mortgages directly to consumers through loan agents and instead will offer its Internet service to real-estate sales offices and homebuilders. Those businesses then will offer consumers the opportunity to apply for mortgages online at their offices.
The Sunrise, FL, company said the strategy will enable it to abandon its loan-fulfillment obligations while shifting its focus to an Internet-only application base.


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As the rumored release of the new iPhone 13 is coming closer, tons of different sources have speculated that the lineup will feature a smaller notch. Most recently, a leaker known as @DuanRui shared an image of two iPhone “film samples” of the upcoming smartphone series, which corroborate previous rumors of a smaller Face ID notch.
The alleged iPhone 13 film samples also show the front camera moved to the left side of the notch, unlike the current placement of the camera on the right side of the notch in iPhones with the TrueDepth camera.
Leaked iPhone 13 images allegedly show a smaller notch, repositioned earpiece, and front camera
The image shared by @DuanRui appears to be screens of the iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 13 mini models which show a visibly smaller notch compared to the current iPhone 12 lineup. The change is believed to be a result of the earpiece speaker being moved up into the top bezel. In addition to this, Apple is reportedly working on a redesigned Face ID system. The system could allow components to be tightly packed together, resulting in a smaller notch.
iPhone 13 series mobile phone film samples. pic.twitter.com/kkpC6LPDhR
— DuanRui (@duanrui1205) April 14, 2021
Based on 3D renders of the iPhone 13, Mysmartprice claims that the series will have a crowded smaller notch and redesigned rear camera design.
According to a previous report from Mac Otakara, the upcoming iPhone lineup will arrive with minimal changes on the front but will feature a repositioned earpiece and front camera, and a smaller notch to make it less noticeable, as depicted in the image shared by DuanRui.
It is expected that Apple’s upcoming iPhone lineup will be identical to iPhone 12 with 5.4-inch iPhone 13 mini, 6.1-inch, 6.1-inch Pro, and 6.7-inch 13 Pro Max models. Other rumors have suggested that the lineup will feature a faster A15 chip, in-display Touch ID, in-display Touch ID, larger batteries, and 120Hz “ProMotion” displays. It has also been rumored that all iPhone models in the lineup will feature sensor-shift stabilization, including the non-Pro models.
- Analyst believes that iPhone 13 with LTPO display will become the dominant tech by 2023
- iPhone 13 to have always on display with complications, iOS 15 to feature redesigned control center and support both Face ID and Touch ID at the same time
- iPhone 13 line-up will have the same wide-angle lens camera system as the current iPhone 12 series – Report


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(CBS DETROIT) – There’s a new recall over hand sanitizers.
Officials say several versions of the scentsational hand sanitizer from the Black and White Collection and Photo Real Collection are being recalled.READ MORE: Wisconsin Man Accused In Plot To Kidnap Gov. Whitmer Now In State Custody
This after health authorities discovered traces of methanol in them.READ MORE: Gov. Whitmer Honored By JFK Library Foundation For Role In Fighting Pandemic
The products were sold at TJ Maxx and Marshalls.
Also on the list are three Ulta Beauty collection scented sanitizer sprays.MORE NEWS: COVID Tests, Masks Mandate Laxed For Organized Sports
© 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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CCA adds fizz, signs Casella in beer dealPUBLISHED: 21 Aug 2012 19:42:00 | UPDATED: 23 Aug 2012 07:06:29PUBLISHED: 23 Aug 2012 PRINT EDITION: 23 Aug 2012
Coca-Cola Amatil has agreed to lend up to $46 million to the Australian Beer Co, part of the Casella wine group, as a step towards its re-entry into the premium beer market in 2014.
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Displaying results 1 - 25 of 84 for costume. Subscribe to this search
OCALA, Fla. (AP) — When Lionsgate Films contacted Tom Warriner almost two years ago about the herd of black Friesians he oversees at the Grand Oaks Resort and Museum in southern Marion County, he never thought two of them, Dieuwe and Tristan, would play prominent roles in the recent released film "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire."
PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 5, 2013--Disney Store is a must-stop destination for gift-givers featuring an impressive selection of high quality toys, plush, apparel and more, inspired by everyone’s favorite Disney stories and characters. From Sofia the First and Doc McStuffins, to Buzz Lightyear and Mickey Mouse, Disney Store and DisneyStore.com offer an exclusive assortment of products to delight the young and young at heart. With the holidays fast approaching, Disney Store is unwrapping its Top-10 Wish List, a visual guide to help make last-minute shopping a snap.
ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 4, 2013--For the first time ever, riding Master Rene Gasser, creator and producer for will be bringing his world-renowned equestrian tour to North America beginning February of 2014.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — The University of New Haven says a suspect is in custody and weapons have been recovered following a report of a man near the Connecticut school's campus with what appeared to be a rifle.
TOKYO (AP) — One-of-a-kind Lady Gaga has been replicated.
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 26, 2013--Westfield announced today that it will kick off the holiday shopping season with 38 of its shopping centers opening at 8pm on Thanksgiving Day, in the Los Angeles, San Diego, North West, Mid-West, North East, Maryland and Florida regions. National Retailers also opening early include Macy's, Footlocker, American Eagle, Bath & Body Works, Charlotte Russe, and The Children's Place. ALL retailers will be open at midnight on Black Friday, allowing savvy shoppers to take advantage of door-buster deals and special retailer offers. A complete list of store opening times and special offers is available at http://www.westfield.com/us/black-friday.
NEW YORK (AP) — Answer: It's the TV show that's spreading the word about Broadway. Question: What is "Jeopardy!"
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Two students at Lee University in Tennessee have apologized for wearing blackface when they dressed up for a rap-themed party last week.
PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 22, 2013--Disney Store is making it easy for shoppers to ‘Share the Magic’ this holiday season with the widest selection of quality and authentic Disney and Marvel toys, clothes, collectibles and more, many of which are available exclusively at the specialty retailer. In celebration of the most magical time of the year, and for the first time ever, Disney Store is unveiling today an online-only preview of its “Magical Week Sale,” giving online shoppers the chance to take advantage of special pricing the weekend before Thanksgiving (Nov. 22 -24). Starting Monday, Nov. 25, all of Disney Store’s “Magical Week” deals will be available in stores and online, another first for the retailer. An additional deal will be unveiled online on Thanksgiving (Nov. 28) and when Stores open for “Magical Friday” (Black Friday, Nov. 29).
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 22, 2013--Photos of the launch of Super Mario 3D World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Mario Party: Island Tour at Nintendo World are available on Business Wire's Website and AP PhotoExpress.
TOKYO (AP) — Newly arrived U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy has presented her credentials to Japan's emperor, traveling by horse-drawn carriage into the Imperial Palace in downtown Tokyo.
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 17, 2013--Reaching another astronomical milestone, Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Gravity” crossed $500 million at the worldwide box office on Saturday, November 16, 2013. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Brad Pitt kissed Angelina Jolie after her grand entrance at the film academy's Governors Awards Saturday night.
THERMAL, Calif. (AP) — School officials in Southern California say the "Arabs" name is here to stay, but the divisive costumed mascot that represents them may be changing.
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio county judge has apologized for donning blackface for a Halloween costume and has met with a local NAACP leader about the issue.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — For Angelina Jolie, Steve Martin, Angela Lansbury and costume designer Piero Tosi, Saturday night is Oscar night.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — It's an Oscar ceremony with dinner, drinks and no commercial breaks. For the fifth consecutive year, the motion picture academy will present its honorary Academy Awards at a private, untelevised, black-tie dinner tonight.
Looking back at the stories to remember from this week:


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Brands in east Asia deemed content as one of their most effective marketing channels last year, but the majority are still struggling to run and manage campaigns effectively due to a lack of skills and resources, according to a new study published by marketing network GetCRAFT.
Overall, 150 brands in major cities in the Philippines were surveyed for their opinions about content and the challenges that they currently face. The use of insightful, creative articles, videos and other resources to reach and engage with consumers featured in the top three of the most effective marketing channels along with social media and social media ads.
While brands have embraced content endeavours, nearly 60 per cent said that there are various challenges that are holding them back from delivering relevant campaigns that provide the return on investment that they need. The most cited issues include a lack of digital tools, weak performance indicators and a lack of clear goals and strategies.
A similar number are also struggling to match up content marketing efforts with wider business objectives, with 22 per cent admitting that they had no clear goals at all. This suggests that marketers would benefit from working more closely with execs to ensure that content is working for the business and is driving the results required.
This is highlighted by the fact that 80 per cent of brands are mainly using content to increase awareness, which could limit other positive gains and consign campaigns to merely driving action at the beginning of the consumer lifecycle.
“Besides creating brand awareness, content marketing can also help generate leads, nurture leads into actual clients as well as engage and retain existing customers,” GetCRAFT’s Group CEO, Patrick Searle, said.
Digital ad spend is also expected to grow in the Philippines during the next 12 months due to improvements in Internet infrastructure, mobile dominance and increasing brand knowledge. “As digital ad spend rises, so will pressure on marketers to demonstrate ROI. This requires a clear understanding of business objectives and the role digital efforts, including content marketing, play,” GetCRAFT’s Managing Director for the Philippines, Kate Delos Reyes, added.


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AdExchanger: How Old El Paso Is Using ‘Fajita Friday’ To Dish Out Brand Awareness
Tex-Mex-style food brand Old El Paso is seasoning its marketing with a combination of search data and dynamic creative optimization.
In September, the General Mills-owned brand launched an awareness campaign to reach new customers in the UK with personalized ad creative promoting “Fajita Friday” (because why stop at Taco Tuesday?).
Specifically, Old El Paso saw an opportunity to reach incremental new households with more individualized messaging, said Aditi Hilgers, head of meals for General Mills in the UK, which is partnering with WPP-owned agency Mindshare and search intelligence company Captify on the campaign.
Old El Paso has been in the UK since the 1980s. (It first launched in the 1930s, selling meal kits to make traditional Mexican meals, like tacos, more accessible to people in the US.)
The Fajita Friday campaign has three different variations of ad creative and copy, which include static and video versions. Different Fajita Friday ads are served based on user search.
This level of creative optimization “isn’t something we’ve been able to do before,” Hilgers said.
Search is typically intent-driven, meaning people are actively looking for something.
You are what you eat and, well, you are what you search for online.
Search is the first “exploratory” step toward purchase intent, said Steve Pereira, president of Captify’s UK business.
Captify works with publishers and data management platforms to track 40 billion monthly search events across roughly 2 billion users. Through integrations with demand-side platforms, Captify can use this data to inform which variation of an ad someone sees in real time, Pereira said.
Captify segments search data into categories, such as “family dinner” or “date night,” which it uses to help determine which of the three Fajita Friday ad creative/copy combinations Mindshare helped produce is most appropriate for a specific audience.
Users who search for a phrase like “easy family recipes,” for example, would likely see the family-oriented ad, whereas a search for “romantic dinner ideas” is more likely to generate the date night ad. The third ad variation is a standardized one to serve in response to more general searches based on Old El Paso’s predefined audience, said Stephen Lee, an account director at Mindshare.
The fajita ads are running across any channel in the UK that supports digital display, including social media. (The campaign is not running on television.)
Although Old El Paso’s Fajita Friday campaign is primarily a brand awareness play, in-flight optimization depends on real-time engagement.
Ad creatives should be informed by “relevant, fresh data,” Pereira said.
Before launching the campaign, Captify indexed engagement benchmarks based on Old El Paso’s existing audience as a control group of sorts to forecast how the new campaign’s variations would likely perform.
Different ads generated different levels of engagement, which helped Mindshare determine how to target certain audiences in-flight, Lee said.
A more general search for “fajitas,” for example, might call forward the standardized ad variation, but if that same user goes on to conduct more specific searches, such as for certain ingredients, family serving sizes or what types of drinks pair well with a particular meal, then Old El Paso can serve one of the more personalized ads.
The “date night” ad in particular surpassed Captify’s benchmark with a 1.3% uptick in engagement, compared with the benchmark expectation of 0.5%.
Why? Specific search terms are a sign of intent, which (ideally and eventually) should translate into sales.
The more specific the search term, Pereira said, the more likely it is that an end user is considering making a purchase.


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Save your Home Buy a Portable clothesline
Ahead of Australia’s fire season, the NSW Rural Fire Service have sent out a warning about one of the biggest causes of a household fire. Tumble Dryers. Simple, buy yourself a portable clothesline and save more than your house – Save your family.
Long story short: clean out the lint in your tumble dryer, folks. Better still don’t buy one – buy a portable clothesline instead. A portable clothesline will save energy costs too. Which means you will save money. But it’s not always about the money, your safety is more important.
The Rural Fire Service are calling on all Australians to clean out their lint after every load, claiming it’s one of the top ten reasons a person’s house, unit or apartment might go up in flames. We are not being alarmist – tumble drying is not just dangerous it’s expensive too. A portable clothesline saves energy and therefore your power bills are lower. Simple you save money using a portable clothesline. To drive the point home, the warning was accompanied by a picture of a fire inside someone’s combination washing/drying machine.This is why we keep the lint trap clean on the dryer. This is one of the top 10 causes for house fires,” the NSW RFS posted on social media.
QUESTION: If you must use a tumble dryer – How often do you clean out the lint trap?
ANSWER: Clean after every load!
It’s a problem that hasn’t changed much over the years. Nine years ago a survey found that nearly a third of Australians risk household fires by not emptying the lint filter on their clothes dryer with every use. Appliance website About.com warns about the dangers of not cleaning lint filters. “When your lint filter becomes plugged, it restricts the outflow of heated air, which can cause your dryer to become overheated,” the website says. “This can increase the risk of fire starting in your dryer.”
The Rural Fire Service warning is especially timely given Australia is just a year out of its Black Summer fires, which devastated thousands of Australians this time last year.
Younger members of Aussie households are again outed as the laziest when it comes to cleaning out dryer lint filters, sparking home fire fears.Nearly a third of Australians risk household fires by not emptying the lint filter on their clothes dryer with every use, another consumer survey shows.And another survey has found Baby Boomers are most likely check the lint filter, but subsequent generations are progressively more casual.It found 76 per cent of boomers made sure the filter was clean, as did 69 per cent of Gen X respondents, but only 45 per cent of Gen Y stirred themselves to empty out the filter.
The Canstar Blue* survey showed 45 per cent of owners considered becoming greener by giving up their clothes dryer because of its high-energy use. This is why Mrs. Pegg’s Handy Lines have sold tens of thousands of our portable clotheslines over the past 25 years,
The other major gripes about clothes dryers were running costs, lint on clothes and the difficulty of removing lint filters. Some also thought dryers took too long, while others complained that, despite advertising claims, dryers did not sense when clothes are dry.
* Canstar Blue is an initiative of Canstar Cannex which commissions Colmar Brunton every few months to survey 2500 Australians for customer satisfaction across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction.
For more drying tips please click here.


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It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a flying car.
A winged vehicle equipped with wheels and a BMW engine recently completed a flight in Slovakia.
The AirCar, developed by Slovakian researcher Stefan Klein, took to the sky to travel between a pair of airports, Motor Authority reports. The 35-minute flight marked the latest chapter in Klein’s decades-long quest to build a car that can safely fly.
The vehicle has two seats, a rear-mounted propeller and wings that fold in or fold out, depending on whether the AirCar is driving or flying. Klein says it can fly 600 miles at an altitude of 8,200 feet and can shift from plane to car in a matter of minutes.
Klein Vision is among a field of competitors vying to produce the world’s first flying car for commercial purposes. Klein’s former company, AeroMobil, debuted what it called a production-ready flying car at a show in Monaco in 2017.
Morgan Stanley estimates that the market for flying cars could be worth $1.5 trillion by 2040. Klein’s AirCar took two years to develop at a cost of under $2 million.
He called the trip between airports in Slovakia “very pleasant,” according to BBC.
Legal Rights for Car Owners on the Ground
While Klein and others continue to set their sights on the sky, the world’s largest car manufacturers continue to have a hard time ensuring their vehicles are safe to hit the road.
Carmakers recall millions of vehicles around the world every year, citing a wide range of serious defects and malfunctions that put people’s safety at risk. These recalls are commonly announced long after the covered vehicles have left the factory floor and been sold to unsuspecting buyers.
The good news for car owners in California is that you do not need to wait for a recall to get a defective vehicle fixed
The California lemon law requires car manufacturers to perform a variety of repairs on vehicles while they are under warranty. The law also obligates manufacturers to buy back covered vehicles that the companies are unwilling or not able to fix. That includes compensating the owner for the purchase price, as well as financing fees and related expenses.
Talk with a California Lemon Law Attorney
If you have been stuck with a detective or malfunctioning vehicle in the Golden State, an experienced California lemon law attorney at Bickel Sannipoli APC can help you understand and enforce your rights.
Our lawyers have represented hundreds of clients across the state in defective vehicle cases. We are tireless advocates, dedicated to ensuring that car manufacturers are held responsible when they do not live up to their responsibilities. Our firm has a strong track record of successful results for our clients.


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There are two signs in my Seattle neighborhood of Ballard that are puzzling to me.
#1 Bop Street Records
This record store proudly displays a sign in the front window stating “One of the five best music stores in America” … [continue reading]
On Pike Street between 4th and 5th Avenue, if you look up to the 6th floor of the Filter building you will see a Super Mario display made entirely of Post-It notes. I heard about this in the news Friday … [continue reading]


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A subsidiary of Harvard Bioscience Inc. filed plans today to raise up to $20 million in an initial public offering of its stock.
The business, called Harvard Apparatus Regenerative Technology Inc., is developing “bioreactor” devices that doctors can use to grow organs outside the body for transplant patients.
After the IPO, Holliston-based Harvard Bioscience will own at least 80 percent of the shares and eventually spin off the business to its own stockholders.
The subsidiary, incorporated in May, has tested a “synthetic scaffold” that can be used to create a replacement trachea. The technology has been used in “six successful human airway transplant surgeries,” the company said in its IPO prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“We believe our technology could enable surgeons to cure nearly all primary trachea cancers,” the company said in the filing. “Our products address the critical challenges to trachea transplant: the shortage of suitable donor tracheas and the risk and expense of lifelong anti-rejection drug therapy.”
Harvard Bioscience said it’s on track to gain Food and Drug Administration approval for trachea transplant products by the end of 2016 and enter a potential market of more than $300 million annually.
The company also believes the technology can be used to regenerate other organs.
Additional details about the IPO shares and prices were not available.


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Megaten celebrates Nocturne arrival
Megaten is celebrating the release of the epic Nocturne armor sets with a special event this weekend, running from Thursday, April 29th until Saturday, May 1st.
From Thursday until Friday morning, players can enjoy 2x Expertise with no death penalty. On Friday from 10 to 2 Pacific, players will get 3x experience, 3x expertise, and no death penalty; from 2pm Friday until 10am Saturday, players will get 2x experience, 3x expertise, and no death penalty. Players who spend AP in Megaten’s shop will also earn the chance to win extra prizes.
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Samsung has unveiled the world’s first ‘LED’ television without a frame, which is likely to be released in the upcoming weeks.
Following the slim and smart screen television, equipped with innovative technology, the company has now decided to introduce new innovations in the LED world. The device is expected to showcase on the ‘Consumer Electronics Show’ (CES) next week in Las Vegas. It will be a non-frame LED TV model ‘8K QLED’ with an only one-inch screen.
It’s not like the whole LED will be on screen and there will be no protective frame on the sides of the screen, in this model the frame will be very thin around the screen. Samsung has yet to disclose details of this shocking LED TV to keep consumers interested


text: ORLANDO, Fla., June 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: DRI) has elected Michael W. Barnes, chief executive officer of Signet Jewelers Limited, and William S. Simon, president and chief executive officer of Walmart U.S., to its board of directors effective June 19, 2012. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20050203/FLTH026LOGO) "Mike and Bill both bring a wealth of leadership experience to our board of directors," said Clarence Otis, Darden's chairman and chief executive officer. "Mike's career experience in the specialty retail arena and Bill's combination of retail and food and beverage expertise will be tremendous assets to our board and to our company as we continue to grow our industry-leading portfolio of brands and create shareholder value." Barnes, 51, has been chief executive officer of Signet Jewelers Limited, a specialty retail jeweler, since January 2011. Prior to joining Signet, he served as president and chief operating officer of Fossil, Inc., a designer and marketer of watches and other accessories, from 2007 to 2010; president, International and Special Markets from 2000 to 2006; executive vice president from 1995 to 2000; and in various other executive capacities at Fossil since 1985. "I'm excited for the opportunity to contribute to the success of the nation's leading full-service restaurant company," Barnes said. "Darden's brands and its leadership are renowned throughout the industry, and I look forward to being a part of this outstanding team." Simon, 52, has served as president and chief executive officer of Walmart U.S. since June 2010. Previously, he served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Walmart U.S. from March 2007 to June 2010 and executive vice president of Professional Services and New Business Development from March 2006 to March 2007. Prior to joining Walmart, Simon held senior executive positions at Brinker International, Inc., Diageo North America, Inc. and Cadbury Schweppes plc. Simon also served as Secretary of the Florida Department of Management Services and served 25 years in the U.S. Navy and Naval Reserves. "Darden's brands are well-known and well-respected throughout the industry. I look forward to working with the board as Darden continues to execute its exciting growth strategy," said Simon.


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INTERVIEW WITH SERGIO GARCIA DEL BOSQUE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SEALE & ASSOCIATES
Transaction markets for buying and selling companies in Mexico and Latin America are still small compared to North America and Europe but with an upward trend in recent years, said Sergio García del Bosque. According to the director in Mexico of the international firm Seale & Associates, Latin American nations represent only 4% of the transactions of this type that are carried out all over the world.
¨It is an incipient market still compared with more developed powers; only the United States and Canada represent 48% of the entire world’s buying and selling market, the Mexican market is not very large, “he said.
For the specific case of Mexico, the historical tendency in mergers and acquisitions has been that multinational companies of foreign origin buy businesses in the country, although in recent years this has changed.


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There is no doubt that US beef products are safe and the 20-year EU ban [on US beef] has been in effect far too long, US Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson has said.
The ban is not based on fact and should be lifted, he said recently following the announcement from the Obama administration that the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) is taking action against what it says are the EU’s ‘unfair trade practices that discriminate against US beef imports’.
The beef industry is an important contributor to our nation’s economy, especially rural economy. This announcement is welcome news for America’s beef producers.
Acting on the request of the US beef industry, USTR has scheduled a public hearing and is seeking public comments in connection with the EU’s ban on most US beef products.
The EU’s ban on US beef is not based on sound science and discriminates against American beef farmers, ranchers, and producers, according to the USTR.
If the trade action resumes, the US would reinstate industry-supported tariffs on a list of EU products imported into the US.
USTR is particularly interested in comments addressed to the possible effects of reinstatement on US consumers and small- or medium-sized businesses.
US Trade Representative, Michael Froman said that the WTO determined that the EU’s ban on US beef imports violates its international trade obligations.
The EU has failed to live up to assurances to address this issue, and it’s now time to take action.
“[This] action holds the EU accountable and is an important step in encouraging the Commission to come back to the table to ensure that American ranchers have access to Europe’s market and that European consumers have better access to high-quality US beef.”
In 1998, the EU lost a case at the WTO for banning American beef and in 2009, the U.S. negotiated an agreement to allow a modest degree of market access for specially-produced beef that meets the EU’s standards, but that agreement has not worked as intended, the USTR said.
The European Commission had argued that this issue should be resolved through TTIP. However, given that European officials decided after their trade minister’s meeting in September not to complete TTIP this year, the USTR believes now is the time to take action.
US Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, said that American ranchers raise some of the best beef on the planet, but restrictive European Union policies continue to deny EU consumers access to US beef at affordable prices.
For several years we have been asking the EU to fix an agreement that is clearly broken, despite its original promise to provide a favourable market for US beef.
“The US beef sector is vital to our economy. US beef and beef product exports average $6 billion per year, producing an estimated $7.6 billion in annual economic activity and supporting nearly 50,000 jobs nationwide.
“The industry is essential to the overall strength of the nation’s economy, and to rural communities seeking ways to access new customers in foreign markets.”
Background to the dispute
The US beef industry’s request is based on a 1998 WTO ruling in the EU beef dispute that the European ban on the import of meat and meat products from animals treated with certain hormones was not supported by scientific evidence and thus violated WTO obligations.
In 1999, the WTO authorised the US to impose additional tariffs on EU products with a total annual trade value of $116.8m.
Consistent with this authorisation, the US imposed additional duties on products from certain EU Member States.
In 2008, the WTO confirmed that the US has a continuing right to impose trade measures until the EU beef dispute is resolved.
Then in January 2009, USTR announced a decision to change the products subject to additional duties, consistent with the list of products approved by the WTO in 1999.
The USTR delayed the decision, however, to permit further negotiations with the EU to resolve the dispute.
In May 2009, the US and the EU signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) under which the EU agreed to create a new duty-free quota for imports of specially-produced beef.
Since 2009, in exchange for the elimination of increased US tariffs on EU imports, the MOU has provided an opportunity for US producers to export additional beef to the EU market, as intended by the parties, according tot the USTR.
However, it said that in recent years the US beef industry has been prevented from gaining the intended benefits from the MOU because of increased imports under the duty-free quota from non-US suppliers.


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More and more car models being launched in India today come
with ISOFIX mounts. These mounts are used to latch child seats firmly on to the
car seat. ISOFIX is a standardised international child seat fitting system. Now
Chicco, one of the biggest global baby care brands from Italy and part of the
Italy based multinational company, Artsana Group has come up with innovative
car seats for the Indian market to ensure the safe ride for babies.
Chicco car seats are available as Single Group Car Seats for
only one weight range and Multi-Group Car Seats for two or more weight ranges. The
car seats are designed according to ECE R44/04 (The European safety standard).
The seats are categorised into different categories according to the weight of
the babies. Seat prices begin from Rs 17,900 and move up to Rs 31,900 for the
Convertible Car Seat USA model.
Finally it's that time of the year when we look forward to enjoying the holidays at our favourite destinations and what better way to travel, than on your favourite motorcycle, the all-new Classic 350...
Celebrating its 120th Anniversary, Royal Enfield announced the launch of a new range of limited edition helmets earlier this week. The limited range will consist of hand painted helmets designed by ar...
Sony India has introduced the new XAV-AX8100 in-car media receiver, offering new utility features, powerful sound and smart features.


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Economic system7 hours ago (Mar 08, 2021 11: 10AM ET)
© Reuters. Philadelphia market feels the toll of pandemic uncertainty
(Reuters) – U.S. customers acknowledged they quiz to utilize critically extra on hire, gasoline and other requirements over the subsequent year, a trace some of us are attempting forward to key prices to rise as the economy continues to heal from the crisis precipitated by the coronavirus pandemic, in preserving with a gape launched Monday by the Federal Reserve Monetary institution of Fresh York.
Consumers acknowledged they quiz gasoline prices to rise by a median 9.6% over the subsequent year, up from 6.2% in January. It became the fifth straight month of develop and a brand new high for the gape, which launched in 2013. Equally, hire is expected to develop by a median of 9.0% over the subsequent year, up from 6.4% in January.
Respondents also raised their expectations for a style vital meals, medical care and college will cost over the subsequent year.
A tumble in coronavirus infections, the distribution of vaccines and expectations for added fiscal beef up is elevating hopes that the U.S. economy can also very properly be poised for a sturdy restoration this year. Investors attempting forward to stronger inflation are intelligent into riskier sources, resulting in a rise in long-time duration Treasury yields.
Some customers panicked about inflation beget speculated the Fed would transfer to decrease long-time duration borrowing prices by adjusting its bond-procuring program. Nonetheless Fed officers signaled final week that they study the rise in long-time duration yields as a trace of rising optimism referring to the economy and enact now not quiz to regulate financial beef up in the reach future. Fed officers will meet again for a policy-environment meeting on March 16 and 17.
The Fresh York Fed’s gape is in response to a rotating panel of about 1,300 households.
Median inflation expectations over the subsequent year rose barely of to three.1% in February, reaching the most practical stage since July 2014. Projections for inflation on the three-year horizon stayed flat at 3.0%, in preserving with the month-to-month Peek of Consumer Expectations.
Disclaimer: Fusion Media would admire to remind you that the knowledge contained in this web page online is now not necessarily steady-time nor true. All CFDs (shares, indexes, futures) and Forex prices will now not be equipped by exchanges but barely by market makers, and so prices can also now not be true and can also differ from the steady market worth, meaning prices are indicative and now not appropriate for getting and selling applications. Ensuing from this reality Fusion Media doesn`t maintain any accountability for any procuring and selling losses you can incur as a outcomes of the use of this files.
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4K screens reached critical mass at this year’s CES, Netflix has joined the club by streaming new programming like the second series of House of Cards in 4K and we’re on the verge of a 4K camera phone onslaught.
Sony has just released the Xperia Z2 with a "unique super sharp HD screen and 4K Ultra HD video camera"; and LG, trailblazer of the 4K TV, is very likely to follow suit.
4K lends a whole lot more ‘real estate’ with which to tell a story. Anyone looking at 4K content on the right screen will see lavish – and more emotive – details that would previously have been hidden.
4K has arrived at time when lo-res UGC is breeding at an exponential rate. So cynics may think 4K is a lot of hot air in an age when the majority of content is viewed on YouTube, now the world’s second largest search engine.
It may seem ironic that YouTube – spiritual home of the lo-fi DIY video – is now hosting 4K content (eagle-eyed users will have noticed a cog in the lower right hand corner that enables preferred viewing resolution), but this is indicative of 4K’s imminent broad reach.
For anyone still not convinced that the 4K revolution is around the corner, another persuasive consideration comes in the form its affordable cost.
4K will be upon us faster than HD
Although 4K’s poor relation, HD, took years to penetrate the market, 4K uptake will be swift.
Five years ago, when HD was launched as a consumer product, it was priced so prohibitively that replacing an existing TV set with an HD TV was a big deal. But 4K is now becoming incredibly accessible. Android’s 4K 49" TV, for example, comes with full interactive features and retails at a mere $640.
Mark my words, 4K TVs will be the big purchase of Xmas 2014.
But what does this mean for the marketing industry?
The most obvious answer is richer storytelling potential. Filmmakers already agree that 4K finally offers the right level of picture quality with which to show their movies. And the same applies to branded content.
In short, 4K lends a whole lot more ‘real estate’ with which to tell a story. Anyone looking at 4K content on the right screen will see lavish – and more emotive – details that would previously have been hidden. Sony Bravia’s sumptuous petal volcano provides an excellent case in point.
The real 4K pay-off, however, will come into play when used in immersive marketing experiences. Thanks to the extensive column inches generated by the Facebook Oculus megadeal, the industry is in thrall to VR (virtual reality). As VR technology mirrors 4K’s trajectory by becoming increasingly accessible yet sophisticated, we are likely to see a lot more emphasis on immersive marketing campaigns.
Virtual reality becomes hyper-realistic
And when 4K meets VR, magic can happen. This is because – thanks to 4K’s increased resolution – authenticity makes a quantum leap. VR experiences that combine 4K will no longer feel like being inside a video game.
Instead, they will feel like reality itself… which has long been the holy grail. In fact, we’re not far off achieving this holy grail, as proven by the awesome authenticity of VR projects like Felix and Paul’s ‘Strangers – A Moment with Patrick Watson’.
4K devices are developing at an incredible rate. Just 18-months ago, we created the Bond title sequence for Skyfall. Full of intricate detail, the sequence was created at 2.8K… a resolution so advanced for its time that we didn’t even have a monitor, outside of a cinema screen, that we could view it on. Less than two years later, Joes Bloggs is able to buy a 4K phone.
The pace of innovation is almost shocking and marketers need to keep up. We can use 4K’s unparalleled resolution to make things look and feel better, more immersive and more authentic. This, in turn, creates deeper and more powerful touchpoints between brand and consumer… another holy grail ticked off the list.


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The fact that Bitcoin itself acts somewhat like a corporation is a fact that has been highlighted on Coin Brief in the past. However, because of its unique, decentralized nature, and global scope, it has created space for many other businesses to grow in the community that has been built around it. Many of these Bitcoin-based, or at least Bitcoin-accepting companies become quite popular in the digital currency world, and seem like massive operations from the outside. This view is somewhat misleading.
In reality, every company built around Bitcoin, altcoins, or just decentralized systems in general is a startup, and startups often have incredible potential, but also a high rate of mismanagement, risk, and, ultimately, failure.
Mt. Gox, The Biggest Bitcoin Exchange, and The Largest Loss of BTC
Mt. Gox is the first thing that comes to mind when I, and many others, think of failure in the Bitcoin realm. It was the first true Bitcoin exchange, and held the majority of the marketshare up until only a few months before it began to crumble. The fall was spectacular to witness, in a horrific way, and painful for everyone involved, especially those who had funds trapped in the company’s system. The company’s incompetence, recklessness, and, potentially, fraud is still causing ripples today, and even gave birth to a new term for a company that fails while holding customer’s funds: “Goxxed” or “Goxed” (both spellings are used, but mean the same thing).
Since Mt. Gox’s collapse, there has been a lot of information released, or discovered, that seems to support the idea that the company was actively manipulating the market for quite some time before the collapse, known as the Willy Report, and it likely was insolvent well before any obvious problems were noticed. This insolvency was potentially related to hacking, maybe to incompetence resulting in the loss of private keys, or could even be the result of internal theft. The verdict is still out, and we may not ever know the whole story, but it was a cautionary tale that has instilled a wariness of exchanges in a large number of people.
Mintpal, Moolah, and The Ongoing Exchange Scandal
Currently, one of the major altcoin exchanges, Mintpal, is collapsing under the weight of the insolvency of its parent company, Moopay LTD, better known as Moolah. The owner of Moopay, Alex Green, is attributing the insolvency to a bug in Moolah’s system that was allowing users to double spend their funds without being detected. Mr. Green has promised to provide full details of their expenses, including receipts and invoices, to investors and has claimed full responsibility for the oversight.
Shortly after the news of Moolah’s insolvency, many allegations arose, and conspiracies abounded. Some are likely fabrications, but one fact is known for sure. Alex Green was formerly known as Ryan Kennedy, which is a known alias of a long-term internet con-artist, Ryan Gentle. Ryan Gentle was also an active member of the Bitcoin community, under the username “Lemon” on Bitcointalk, who defrauded multiple members of the community before vanishing.
Whether this Alex Green, who has admitted that he changed his name from Ryan Kennedy, is indeed the con-artist Ryan Gentle is yet to be 100% confirmed, but the circumstances surrounding Moolah and Mintpal’s collapse are looking quite shady.
Hashfast and Butterfly Labs, From Cutting Edge Bitcoin ASIC Manufacturer to Failure
Hashfast’s problematic history, culminating in Chapter 11 bankruptcy in mid 2014, was awash in scandal, as their promised ASICs had been in limbo for a very long time, and its customers lost incredible amounts of money due to the delays. The root cause seems to be their costs in obtaining / producing their ASICs, as it has been reported that they were paying upwards of 5-10x as much to have similar hardware produced as other companies.
While cries of fraud have abounded, the fact that they are going through Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which allows the company to restructure and continue operating in a limited fashion, shows some promise. As of today, their website is still running, and lists 750 GH/s chips for sale, and hopefully the company has sorted out its production issues. Still, I would not recommend any sort of investment with this company without doing thorough research on what their finances, production, and inventory looks like right now.
Butterfly Labs, on the other hand, has had its operations completely stopped by the FTC, and has now been placed under temporary receivership by the US District Court for the Western District of Missouri. The company, allegedly, was using Bitcoin mining machines that were ordered by customers to mine for itself, or allowing employees to use machines to mine for their own personal benefit, while delaying shipments to its customers. I personally ordered a BFL “Little Single” in early 2013, did not receive it until 2014, and it died after a few days of running.
While the charges against Butterfly Labs are still pending trial, which leaves its future uncertain, it is unlikely that the company could continue on as a Bitcoin ASIC Manufacturer regardless of the outcome. While many in the community are wary of Hashfast, or were upset by delays, that pales in comparison to the resentment that seems to linger against Butterfly Labs. Much of that can be attributed to the company’s attitude toward customers, which was indifferent at the best of times, and other times outright hostile.
Other Bitcoin, and Scrypt Mining companies have done quite well, and are fighting for supremacy in the market. However, it is impossible to predict when / if another will fall.
Robocoin, the Bitcoin ATM Provider With Worrying Signs
Unlike the other companies mentioned in this article, Robocoin has not had any formal charges filed against it, nor is it in bankruptcy. In fact, it seems as if Robocoin is doing ok in terms of sales, and the potential from Bitcoin ATMs is huge. That being said, recent complaints from customers, and missteps by CEO Jordan Kelley, have had a chilling effect on the community. It started with a company, Metalab, creating a post on reddit that linked to a Google document which showed, from start to finish, their horrible experience with the company.
For those that do not want to read through it all, it started with a long delay in receiving their unit, continued through even more delays in Canadian customs which should have been handled ahead of time, moved on to the unit finally being received but being defective, and culminated in Robocoin refusing to refund their purchase unless Metalab paid a $5,000 restocking fee, and then, finally, when Robocoin agreed to refund it, and the machine was shipped back, Metalab was informed that the machine was being “refabricated” and would need to be “resold” before their refund would be processed. The entire time this communication was going on, Mr. Kelley was attempting to put the blame on Metalab. He (Kelley) claimed that they were returning the machine, because they (Metalab) “decided” that they “did not want to work with our (Robocoin’s) support team to fix the issue,” even though that was what Metalab originally attempted to do, but were informed by Robocoin’s support that the machine needed to be returned due to “hardware failure”.
After this ended, Mr. Kelley proceeded to post an “apology” on reddit, while still managing to blame Metalab for the issue by claiming that Robocoin’s support team was “met with constant belittlement and noncooperation” and that Andrew (one of the owners of Metalab) “lost patience and decided he was over it.”
The uproar on reddit was immediate, and Mr. Kelley quickly changed tones, and it seems that he created a new reddit account (likely due to negative karma preventing any further posting) and wired a refund to Metalab. Unfortunately, in doing so, this new reddit account posted an image of the wire that had been improperly redacted. The original image only partially covered Metalab’s physical address, leaving it easily readable, and covered their bank account numbers slightly better, but still left enough uncovered that the account numbers could be potentially extracted by someone skilled enough in photo-editing or recovery.
I have included the image below, but edited it further to completely remove all personal data. However, to get an idea of how it was before my editing, there was an SVB number at the top with 2 lines through it, but easily recoverable, only one of the lines of Metalab’s address was marked through, but was human readable, the 2nd line of their address, as well as Bank Beneficiary details were completely uncovered, and both Metalab’s and Robocoin’s own account numbers were more thoroughly blacked out, but left the top and bottom of each number visible.
After this was done, his mistake was pointed out, and members of the reddit community were even more furious at the leak, but were also hopeful that the refund was legitimate. It seems that it was, as Metalab confirmed that they have received a full refund, and they are now moving on. Since their complaint, a number of other Robocoin customers have come forward with their own frustration with the company, though no one seems to have had an experience quite as bad as Metalab.
On October 16th, Mr. Kelley reached out to the Metalab team to offer an apology that seems to be much more humble and sincere. While he does plead for the original post to be removed, which I would assume is quite unlikely, he does not attempt to put any blame on the Metalab team, strongly affirms that the issue was his fault, and claims that he is “disappointed in myself and sad that I had to learn this lesson the hard way.” Unlike the other companies mentioned above, who either kept quiet, or continually shifted the blame to others, until they finally failed, he seems to be coming to terms with his mistakes, and hopefully the young CEO does learn from this. Robocoin is delivering products, and maybe this lesson will help to spur the company to re-evaluate its customer service and support strategy.
Some Bitcoin Businesses Have Problems. What is the Point?
The point of this article is not to lambaste the owners or managers of these companies, though I would condemn any who are proven to have acted fraudulently, nor is it to insinuate that all Bitcoin related startups will have problems.
Instead, the point is that Bitcoin is a young currency, industry, and almost “corporation” in its own right, and the altcoin industry, and currencies, are even younger. This means that nearly every business that is seriously involved with Bitcoin, especially those where Bitcoin and / or other digital currencies are their main focus, are startups, and are being built by young entrepreneurs. These people will make mistakes, they will mess up, and yes, many of these companies will fail. A large portion of all startups fail.
However, if Bitcoin, and the idea of decentralized systems is to succeed, these businesses and entrepreneurs are needed. Bitcoin’s current price isn’t important, nor is news about the latest big company to accept Bitcoin (which is turned instantly into a fiat currency). Risk taking entrepreneurs and businesses built with Bitcoin at the center are the important ones. They will be the ones developing the systems, products, and software that will allow Bitcoin to be integrated into mainstream society, and the ones who learn from their mistakes will be the leaders of a new industry. While I obviously do not agree with everything that the businesses and individuals mentioned above have done, I do thank them. Every one of them has contributed to the community, to Bitcoin, and to those that will follow them. Their mistakes should be embraced as learning experiences for us all, and the sequences of events that lead to each one should be analyzed thoroughly. It is only by learning, and adapting, that better businesses will be created, and with that, the chances of Bitcoin’s success will increase.


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Many of you probably remember the very dramatic 60 Minutes segment from a few years ago where they put a reporter inside a Jeep and then disabled the brakes and watched the car go slowly into a ditch. All while the reporter videoed it (see this CBS web page).
Not surprisingly, Chrysler quickly fixed the bug after the PR disaster that the 60 Minutes video was.
According to a class action lawsuit, Chrysler knew about the bug but decided not to fix it until the 60 Minutes segment.
The researchers took over the car via its radio (OK, it is a little more complicated than that; through the “infotainment” system). It is all interconnected and there is very little security in it.
Over the last three years this case has been working its way – slowly – through the courts. The plaintiffs said Chrysler knew about the bug for years but didn’t fix it and Chrysler saying that since you didn’t roll into a ditch you weren’t directly impacted, so you can’t sue.
A year later the researchers figured out how to break through the patch, although that required physical access to the car.
And in 2018 Chrysler had to recall almost 5 million cars due to a bug that could lock the car in Cruise control mode. The fix to that is to put the car in Neutral, slow the car with the brakes then put it in park. That will unlock the cruise control.
You should stop thinking of that big metal box you drive as a car with a computer in it and rather think of it as a hundred or more computers, more or less connected, that happens to have wheels and an engine.
At this point the U.S. Supreme Court said that the car owners do have standing. This is a huge win for attorneys who want to sue over cyber-security issues.
Chrysler says that they are looking forward to the trial (sure they are. If they were so confident, why have they been fighting to avoid going to trial for the last three years). They say that none of the class participant’s cars were hacked and the bugs have now, finally, been fixed. The plaintiffs say that the resale value of their cars has been damaged.
The trial is currently scheduled to start in October and the testimony, assuming they don’t settle out of court, could be very embarrassing as to who knew what when.
For businesses, this is yet another step in holding companies liable for software bugs. Potentially, in this case, bugs that they knew about but did not fix.
Does your insurance cover this? Is it product liability insurance or cyber insurance? It is probably not general liability insurance. Maybe none of them.
This trial and the endless appeals are far from over, but the news so far is certainly not good for companies that don’t give cyber-risk the attention it is due.
Plaintiff’s attorneys no doubt are excited that they will get to the trial stage, but there is a long way between going to trial and winning on appeal, so don’t get too happy yet.
This will definitely be a case to watch and for businesses, time to ramp up the attention on cyber-security,
Details from this post came from The Register.


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Back to Case Studies
Total Racking Solutions
Partner:Mercia Fund Managers
Region:Yorkshire and Humber
Programme:Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund
A fast-growing Yorkshire e-commerce business is set to expand its sales in Europe thanks to a £250,000 loan from NPIF – Mercia Debt Finance, which is managed by Mercia Fund Managers and part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.
Established just three years ago, Total Racking Solutions is now a leading supplier of shelving and racking within the UK, with clients ranging from warehouses and logistics firms to retailers and householders. Customers include Costa Coffee, NHS , Warner Bros and Ocado.
The company, which offers rapid delivery times, employs a team of 15 at its base in Normanton and operates websites in French and Italian. The funding will allow it to launch sites in other European languages and create six new jobs.
Total Racking was founded by serial entrepreneur Keith Slinger, who has a track record in the industry, and was his first online business. The company grew turnover from £1m in the first year to £3m the following year and is on target to turn over more than £8m in the current year.
Keith says: “Following the rapid growth of our business throughout Europe, we needed a quick funding solution and approached the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund. The Mercia team really understood our needs and responded very quickly – the whole process took just weeks from start to finish. The funds will help us to expand into other European countries and meet the growing demand.”
David Wright, Investment Manager with Mercia, said:
“Total Racking Solutions has built its success on quality products and speed of service. The company has sophisticated systems in place to fulfil orders and achieves high customer ratings with few returns. We were delighted to be able to react quickly to Keith’s request and help support its move into new territories within Europe.”
Mark Wilcockson at British Business Bank, said:
“We are pleased that NPIF has continued to support high-growth businesses in the North, providing vital funding to enable job creation and expansion into new markets. This investment demonstrates how this funding can make a real and measurable difference to businesses across the Northern Powerhouse region, which helps create a more prosperous regional economy.”
The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund project is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020 and the European Investment Bank.
Enterprise Ventures Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 183363). EV Business Loans Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 443560).


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We already know a little bit about Haswell. We know it's a new processor that will succeed Ivy Bridge on the same 22-nm process, and we know it will have a revamped architecture with likely higher performance per clock. Now, we might even be able to mark Haswell's launch day on our calendars.
The folks at DigiTimes say "sources from PC players" tipped them off to Intel's schedule, which purportedly calls for Haswell to debut on June 2—just ahead of the Computex trade show. This year's Computex will run from June 4 through June 8 in Taipei, Taiwan, and DigiTimes says "related PC products" will be on display there. If this rumor checks out, I assume we'll see some Haswell-powered motherboards, notebooks, and quite possibly tablets.
Oh, and word from DigiTimes' sources is that Haswell will make up 14-16% of Intel's shipments in the third quarter. That's supposed to be Intel's internal forecast.
If it does debut in early June, Haswell probably won't be the only new processor on display at Computex. At CES earlier this month, AMD revealed that its Kabini system-on-a-chip should be out by mid-year. AMD's roadmap also suggests that Trinity's successor, Richland, will be released before then.
|A technology overview of the Aimpad R5 analog keyboard||2|
|Microsoft helps hardware companies make VR more affordable||5|
|Intel P3100 M.2 SSD has datacenters in mind||7|
|Microsoft Surface Ergonomic Keyboard merges comfort and style||24|
|Surface Studio puts the iMac on notice||64|
|Microsoft Surface Book i7 packs a bigger punch and more batteries||42|
|G.Skill KM570 MX keyboard goes back to the basics||5|
|Intel's Purley server platform won't use 3D XPoint memory||5|
|In the lab: EVGA's GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Superclocked graphics card||41|
|Signing your posts is daftly redundant. Meadows||+30|


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Singapore’s retail and industrial property sectors are expected to continue to outperform the office market, which is feeling the impact of dampened demand from financial firms, analysts say.
Across the board, the pace of increase for rentals and prices in the three sectors declined in the fourth quarter of last year, data released by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) showed yesterday. But the outlook for industrial and retail spaces is much better, according to experts.
Prices for industrial space rose by 4 per cent in the last three months of last year, compared with 6.9 per cent in the previous quarter, while rentals increased 0.4 per cent versus 2.4 per cent, according to URA data.
For retail shops, rental growth remained unchanged at 0.5 per cent in the fourth quarter from the previous three months, while prices rose 0.2 per cent compared with 3.4 per cent in the previous quarter.
“This is the sector with the least controversies and overhang,” property consultant Savills said. “Whilst some may fear an oversupply in the coming years … the demand for retail space still exceeds supply.”
The cooling trend was most evident in the office sector, where rentals increased by 0.3 per cent in the fourth quarter versus 0.9 per cent in the third, and prices rose 1 per cent versus 3.7 per cent previously.
“I expect office numbers to weaken, led by Grade A,” said Mr Colin Tan, research and consultancy head at Chesterton Suntec International. “Grade A depends on banks and financial institution, and the outlook for this industry has been, in a sense, depressed looking forward. So the demand from tenant group has shrunk.”
In contrast, the industrial sector is expected to fare better. “Industrials like marine and chemical industry are expanding this year. Therefore, we expect pricing at 5 per cent up, minimum, for the warehouse property sector,” said Ms Angela Lee, managing director at Lianco International Property.
Source : Today – 28 Jan 2012


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Tatu City and Cold Solutions Kenya Limited have inked a KSh7.5 billion investment deal that will see the latter construct state-of-the-art, temperature-controlled cold storage warehouses in the country.
The firm will construct Cold Solution flagship facility in Tatu City Special Economic Zone in Nairobi, with other facilities located in Mombasa.
The 15,000 square meters grade ‘A’ cold storage complex will span across six acres at Tatu City and will be the country’s largest, most advanced and efficient in the region. The facility is expected to be operational in 12 to 18 months. It has been flexibly designed to cater for numerous temperature ranges from +26 to -40 degrees Celsius and multiple product ranges, from fresh fruit and vegetables to pharmaceuticals and vaccines, meats and poultry, and frozen foods.
Cold Solutions Kenya Limited is a portfolio company of ARCH Cold Chain Solutions East Africa Fund, a private equity fund advised by ARCH Emerging Markets Partners Limited (ARCH). By establishing the Cold Chain Solutions East Africa Fund, ARCH Emerging Markets Partners Limited intends to spearhead the development and operation of large scale energy efficient cold chain solutions facilities and end to end logistics throughout five countries in East Africa covering Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.
The fund plans to build up to 10 state-of-the-art temperature-controlled cold storage warehouses in the region. The investment into East Africa will be at least KSh21.4 billion.


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Creative UK replaces Creative England and Creative Industries Federation
Creative UK has officially launched with the promise: “We are here for those who dare to imagine.”
It has revealed its new brand identity and a mission to “connect and empower the creative sector.”
Creative Industries Federation and Creative England announced plans to join forces in September 2019, and have been working collectively under the Creative UK Group holding company since early 2020, led by Chief Executive and Creative England Founder Caroline Norbury MBE.
“We are thrilled to launch our new Creative UK brand and with it, our vision for the future of the UK’s world-leading Creative Industries. Our goal is simple: to cultivate a world where creativity is championed, valued and fundamentally nurtured. To achieve this, we need to unite the creative sector, generating opportunities for creators and innovators to thrive, and equipping them with the tools they need to reach their full potential,” said Norbury.
“Our new identity embraces the core values behind our founding organisations, while looking firmly toward the stronger future we want to foster for our sector. By coalescing the collective capabilities of Creative England and the Creative Industries Federation, and drawing on the insights and experience of our growing membership, we are perfectly positioned to have visible impact and drive real change. As Creative UK we’re continuing to champion great ideas and fly the flag for brilliance, investing in creative businesses, people and places to unleash innovation, unlock entrepreneurialism and level up all towns, cities and regions throughout the UK.”
Creative UK Group awarded over £4.1 million in loans and grants during the 2020-21 financial year.
“When developing the brand identity for Creative UK, we strived to create something truly representative of our past and future, continuing the legacy of Creative England and the Creative Industries Federation while establishing a distinctive brand for a new era,” explained Rachel Johnson, Head of Brand, Creative UK.
“Creative UK exists to connect creative people and businesses, create a unique space for collaboration, and ultimately empower them to amplify themselves.
“The Amplify logo represents our brand ethos of giving creatives a platform for their voices to be heard with a bold, recognisable and translatable icon, supported by a bespoke handcrafted typeface designed with the creative community in mind.”


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Thread of the Day: 510-HP Range Rover or 375-HP Range Rover and Save $11,450?
The 2013 Range Rover luxury SUV benefits from one of the most significant weight-loss improvements we've seen in a long time. Seven-hundred pounds lighter, the new 2013 Range Rover makes the most of its naturally aspirated 375-hp V-8 engine -- so much so, that the premium off-roader is the subject of today's Thread of the Day.
Range Rover estimates the new U.S. base model to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 6.5 seconds, a 0.7-second improvement compared to the outgoing model and not far off from the 2012 Range Rover Supercharged's 5.9-second time.
"Both engine variants feel more agile," we write in our 2013 Range Rover First Drive, "narrowing the gap with the Range Rover Sport -- and for most drivers I suspect the supercharged engine may not seem $11,450 more capable."
Then again, when you're spending $100,000 or more on a luxury SUV, maybe you won't mind the sizable premium to get the 2013 Range Rover Supercharged's manufacturer-claimed 5.1-second 0-60 mph time. We'll turn it over to you: If you were buying a 2013 Range Rover, would you spend the extra money on the supercharged SUV, stick with the now-quicker 375-hp V-8 model, or wait for the upcoming diesel hybrid model that may come to the U.S.?
Tell us what you think in the comments section below, and read our 2013 Range Rover First Drive here.