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TripActions Lays Off Hundreds of Employees
TripActions offers a business travel management service that aims to save companies money on their employees’ work-related trips
Palo Alto, California-based corporate travel startup TripActions Inc. has laid off approximately 300 employees due to the decrease in travel caused by the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. TechCrunch first reported on the layoffs Wednesday.
In response to Calcalist’s request for comment, a company spokesperson said Wednesday Thursday? that although TripActions has recently raised financing and secured debt financing, the company is “taking appropriate steps to ensure that we are here for our customers and their travels in the future as well. We cut down all non-essential spending and made the very difficult decision to reduce our global workforce according to the current climate.”
Founded in 2015 by CEO Ariel Cohen and Chief Technology Officer Ilan Twig, TripActions offers a business travel management service that aims to save companies money on their employees’ work-related trips. The company receives a commission from both the companies that book the trips and the various service providers. TripActions counts Dropbox and Lyft among its customers. In June, TripActions raised a $250 million series D round according to a company valuation of $4 billion.
TripActions founders Ariel Cohen (left) and Ilan Twig. Photo: PR
In a February interview with Calcalist, TripActions CEO Ariel Cohen said that while the company has $300 million in the bank, keeping up with the existing growth strategy and operating as usual at the time of the coronavirus crisis would be irresponsible.


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The Hague–"We need to finalise our preparations before we can put the project into operation," Petro Hermans, a project officer for the southeastern city of Maastricht, told AFP.
"We are studying the legal feasibility of the project," he said, adding the date of 1 January "was not practicable".
The mayors of Maastricht and seven other municipalities in the southern Limburg province announced last May that about 30 coffee shops within their borders would become private members’ clubs from this year.
The daily limit would be reduced from five to three grammes of cannabis per client, while patrons would require membership cards and a Dutch debit card to pay with — effectively cutting off tourists.
The Limburg move is backed by the national government, and is one of several pilot projects whose results will be incorporated in a new policy that will aim to reduce the "nuisance" caused by drug tourism.
About four million foreigners, mainly Belgian, French and German, visit Limburg every year to purchase cannabis. The Dutch government decriminalised the consumption and possession of under five grammes of cannabis in 1976.
There are some 700 licensed coffee shops throughout the country, but cannabis cultivation remains illegal.
Hermans said a report of university experts on the feasibility of the pilot project would be delivered to the mayors of the eight municipalities by mid-January.
"We will then decide how to proceed," he said, stressing that the mayors were "eager" to get the ball rolling.

domain: news


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Google has submitted the Google Plus social network app for Apple iOS platform and now waiting for approval.
A new version of Microsoft's Bing application makes search an easier process by doing away with copy and pasting a word; it also does not need the user to type the words.
The scientists are planning to exploit surface acoustic wave devices which are electronic components commonly found in TVs, mobile phones and other electronic display devices.
The increase in the mobile payments would be driven largely by the rapid adoption of mobile ticketing, NFC contactless payments, physical goods purchases and money transfers.
Presently, Google Maps provide route details in four major cities in India including Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi.
The company has also added an iPad friendly Amazon Cloud Player, which was earlier available for PCs and Android devices.
The users haven't really been kind to the Motorola Xoom tablet but the company is now attempting to change the situation.
Postpaid users will now have to pay 2 paise per 10KB post the consumption of free benefit for mobile internet, broadband and integrated plans of data usage.
The update, apart from bringing standard enhancements will allow users to resize homepage widgets.
Scientists are working on a Switchboard app that would enable real time multiplayer gaming on Windows Phone.
Indian users can now expect more localised Nokia apps in the health, education, travel and tourism categories.
The company had recently launched a mobile wallet service in China, which lets users transact without the need to buy any additional hardware.
The new smartphone is likely to feature a 1Ghz processor along with a dedicated GPU as well and a screen size of over 3.6 inches with a WVGA resolution.
The Foursquare creators worked in tandem with Microsoft to ensure it worked well and used all the features offered by Windows Phone 7 while retaining all the essential features of Foursquare.
A Duke University researcher has developed software that puts WiFi to sleep for microseconds during periods of congestion, reducing power usage without the user realising the difference. This technology is said to double battery life.


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Innovation in online deliveries can help tackle emissions, says London First, but freight Czar needs to take charge
A new poll shows more than half of Londoners now receive one online delivery a week, more than a fifth (22%) get several deliveries a week, and nearly 1 in 10 (9%) get at least one a day
Report calls for a new City Hall Czar to tackle increase in freight, deliveries, and servicing traffic in a cohesive way, as the current approach is fragmented and inefficient
London First has set out the action to tackle increasing road traffic and harness the willingness of Londoners to change their behaviour to make the capital greener
The rising online delivery trend is leading to an increase in demand for freight, servicing, and deliveries (FSD) traffic. This uptick is contributing to poorer air quality, higher carbon emissions, and increased congestion, threatening the potential for a green recovery in the capital.
Polling of 1,000 Londoners by Survation, featured in London First’s new report For the Goods of the City, shows that people are prepared to accept slower delivery times if they reduce carbon emissions (59%), reduce congestion (57%), and reduce local air pollution (58%). Two thirds (66%) were happy to receive one consolidated delivery a day if it meant that they paid less in charges.
The survey also hints at Londoners’ appetite for using click and collect services more often to reduce the impact of delivery vehicles on traffic congestion (47% likely to, compared to 45% not likely to), local air pollution (55%, compared to 39% not likely to), or global warming (54%, compared to 40% not likely to). Londoners would be more likely to switch to click and collect rather than ‘at home’ delivery if the pick-up location is convenient (22%) or made deliveries cheaper (21%).
Research by Delivering London (DL) featured in the report shows the size of the environmental prize up for grabs. It suggests that a comprehensive network of click and collect options could save more than 75 million van kilometres every year and reduce parcel delivery CO2 emissions by 20% or 16,700 tonnes per year – more than the 12,300 tonnes saved by the ULEZ each year.
The report sets out a series of actions that would help to tackle the challenges of increasing road traffic, including:
The creation, by the Mayor, of a senior GLA position to provide city-wide leadership and strategy on issues relating to freight, servicing, and deliveries. This could be modelled on the Night Czar, the Chief Digital Officer, or the Walking and Cycling Commissioner.
A single, integrated, freight, servicing and delivery strategy, and work across boroughs to prevent boundary issues within London.
New Freight Czar to work with boroughs to identify appropriate sites for click and collect delivery and consolidation hubs.
New Freight Czar to work with the Chief Digital Officer to ensure that the new freight, servicing and delivery infrastructure is fully mapped, and gather the data to enable better policy-making decisions.
Explore collaboratively with central government how to develop a policy environment that facilitates safe but innovative approaches to new freight, servicing, and delivery technologies such as drones and delivery robots.
Adam Tyndall, Programme Director for Connectivity at London First, said:
“There is clearly an appetite among Londoners to do their bit to help reduce carbon emissions, but without coordinated action goods traffic is set to continue growing.
“City Hall must now create a Freight Czar to ensure that the city benefits from the technological shifts that are already underway. It is crucial that investment in infrastructure, like electric vehicle charging points, is matched with collaboration across the boroughs, to avoid fragmentation between different operators.
“To get the change London needs on a scale to make a difference, City Hall must empower someone with the leadership and drive needed to bring Londoners along with them and to accelerate behavioural change. The prize – better air quality and reduced carbon emissions, matched with convenience and reduced congestion – is too great to ignore.”
Commenting on the need for a Freight Czar, Geoff Symonds, Chief Operating Officer, Uber Boat by Thames Clippers, said:
“The River Thames has significant untapped potential for both passenger and fast freight services, and future technologies mean that the river will be an increasingly vital component of the freight mix as we move to net zero. However, both passenger and freight services now need the political support and focus in City Hall to help improve the capital’s infrastructure and make best use of the river for services.”


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Some things are just hard to explain away, like why a stock will dramatically outperform at certain times of the year. But that’s exactly the case for Performance Food Group, a company very few investors have even heard of let alone invested in.
Performance Food Group is a standout candidate over the next couple of months for investors who are willing to bet on the increasingly embraced idea of seasonality. It’s no secret that the Santa Claus rally appears most years but what’s less well known is that some stocks fare much better than the indices during this period too. Chief among them is Performance Food Group.
Here is how bizarre the trend has been. In the coming 8 week period, PFGC has climbed by 14.14% according to historical averages. Multiply that number by 6 and you end up with an annualized return so high it virtually defies imagination.
- Performance Food Group (PFGC) regularly has enjoyed a 14.14% increase in stock value during an 8-week holiday period, with an 87.5% accuracy rate over the past 8 years.
- Despite economic fluctuations, PFGC has expanded its sales from $13.6 billion to $53.3 billion over the past decade.
- Analysts predict a 23.7% upside for PFGC, aligning with its historical seasonal trend, and potentially boosting its market capitalization by over a billion dollars.
Will PFGC Pop This Year?
The average rise of PFGC over the coming two month period is so dramatic that we investigated whether it has had periods of significant underperformance. And indeed nothing is perfect, not even the seasonal track record of this firm but it comes close.
Performance Food Group has spiked higher in 7 of the past 8 years over the subsequent 8 week period, which places an accuracy rating on the firm of 87.5%.
It’s important to highlight that this isn’t some fly by night firm that can easily be manipulated. It’s a $9.4 billion company that, if seasonal tendencies play out, has the potential to add another billion and change to its market capitalization before the end of the year.
Admittedly, a fundamental analysis doesn’t suggest the company is a screaming buy at this time with fair value sitting at $64 per share using a DCF analysis. However, analysts are more optimistic about its prospects and have pegged fair value at $74 per share, which would correspond to a 23.7% upside in line with the seasonal trend.
10 Years of Data Cannot Be Ignored
To confirm that we were dealing with a solid company with good financials we scrutinized the profit and loss statement for the past ten years and found something quite interesting. In boom and bust cycles, flash crashes and health scares, wars and foreign invasions, the company managed to grow each and every year without fail.
The only blip we saw in its top and bottom line was back in 2020 on the operating income line item that went marginally negative. Otherwise, the financials have been impeccable with earnings per share steadily increasing. Another interesting ratio that caught our attention was the rock bottom price-to-sales ratio of just 0.2x.
If there was one fundamental gotcha it is the relatively low gross margins the firm consistently reports, typically in the 11-12% range. Still, management has grown sales from $13.6 billion in sales to $53.3 billion in ten years so even with those margins it has managed to build a fantastic business.
And it’s no surprise that the holiday season, which leads to a spike in present-buying and other retail purchases, also carries over to the food industry as corporate parties and family gatherings are mainstays. Equally, it’s no surprise that savvy investors have spotted this stock has a tendency to rally in anticipation of stronger sales at this time of year.


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CHICAGO — A few weeks ago, my aunt came to visit from Mexico for the first time in nearly 20 years. During her month-long stay, my family and I were treated to hand-made sopes — a deep-dish tortilla topped with beans, meat, cheese and a meticulously minced raw salsa — and pozole, a chicken, corn and hominy soup so time-consuming to prepare that my mom usually only makes it at New Year’s.
These kinds of from-scratch, labor-intensive meals are what Alyshia Galvez, a professor in the Department of Latin American and Latino Studies at Lehman College/City University of New York, calls milpa-based cuisine, a term derived from the Spanish words for “maize field.”
In her new book, “Eating NAFTA: Trade, Food Policies, and the Destruction of Mexico,” Galvez describes this style of cooking as found across a wide variety of regions in Mexico. They share a core set of ingredients like ground corn and the kinds of fresh vegetables and plants — squash, beans, tomatoes, chiles — that can be grown in a small field close to home to create meals that are made fresh immediately prior to their consumption.
This way of eating is nearly the opposite of what is generally considered “Mexican food” in the United States (especially if you stop to consider the brain-numbing reality that a Harris poll recently found: Taco Bell is Americans’ favorite Mexican restaurant). And it is in danger of becoming extinct.
That’s because NAFTA, and other trade policies, have incentivized people all over the world to migrate for work or take jobs in factories for low wages — breaking up their way of life. This has made an attractive alternative of the super-cheap, ultra-processed foodstuffs that industrialized food manufacturers are increasingly finding it harder to sell to nutrition-conscious Americans.
“Along with their counterparts in other countries, rural and low-income Mexicans have provided a market for producers of industrial foods to offset declining sales in the United States,” Galvez writes. “[Yet] economic trends and policy decisions that have taken ancestral ways of eating out of the reach of the average Mexican citizen [are also] making traditional foods available as a high-value, high-status commodity to be ‘elevated’ and reinterpreted by global elite chefs.”
In a recent interview, Galvez told me that she became interested in connecting the dots between trade, food policy, migration and health in both the U.S. and Mexico when she started seeing her loved ones in Mexico becoming ill with the same kind of weight-related diseases — obesity, diabetes and heart disease — that afflict so many Americans, even though those relatives never migrated.
“I wasn’t really aware of those interconnections at all; trade wasn’t something I was particularly interested in,” Galvez said, “But I pulled on one string and all these other strings unraveled. The story of how NAFTA has altered the food system in the whole continent, and the health effects, affects every single one of us.”
Galvez touches on such issues as the rise of the avocado, how soda taxes get watered down by corporate interests and the role of “personal responsibility” in how populations eat (spoiler: make fresh fruits and vegetables more expensive and harder to find and poor people will turn to cheap, processed foods). She ultimately wants people to understand the unintended consequences of wide-ranging trade deals, and she does it by appealing to our self-interest.
“Sure, we get access to fresh fruits and vegetables from Mexico year-round, but the takeaway problem is fundamentally about democracy,” Galvez said. “When these deals are negotiated behind closed doors by the executive branch, with Congress then voting up or down, we all lose, because these policies affect 99 percent of the population in three countries, yet we are not at the bargaining table. Very specific interest groups and corporations are at the table, and they get their well-defined wish lists met. If we care about democracy, then we have to care about representation and about who is being taken into consideration when these deals are made.”
Still, as President Trump renegotiated the trade pact of what will reportedly be called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), Galvez said, “I’m in the uncomfortable position of hoping [Trump] doesn’t recklessly trash NAFTA. There would be a lot of pain for everyone involved. We can’t afford the crumbling of our current food system. … We just don’t realize how intertwined and interdependent we are. [Drastic changes] could cause an incredible logjam on products we depend on daily. We’d see unbelievably high costs, farmers would see their crops rotting on the vine and hunger on a massive scale.”
The evolution of how we eat is a fact of life. But negotiating away the gastronomical cultural heritage of whole countries — including ours — in the name of enhanced trade, is not a deal many would make if they were aware of what was at stake.


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MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- FICO's quarterly survey of bank risk professionals found growing concern for the stability of the student loan market and deepening fears about the nation's housing sector. The survey, conducted for FICO by the Professional Risk Managers' International Association (PRMIA), shows that bankers expect delinquencies on most types of consumer loans to rise, balances on credit cards to grow, and global economic forces to put increasing pressure on the U.S. economy.
Delinquencies on student loans causing concern
Student loan debt now exceeds credit card debt in the U.S., with experts estimating that $750 billion in student loans are outstanding. In FICO's survey, 67 percent of respondents expected delinquencies on these loans to rise. That is 19 percentage points higher than last quarter. Only eight percent of respondents expected a decline in delinquencies.
"Evidence is mounting that student loans could be the next trouble spot for lenders," said Dr. Andrew Jennings, chief analytics officer at FICO and head of FICO Labs. "A significant rise in defaults on student loans would impact lenders as well as taxpayers, who could be facing big losses due to these defaults. Our survey results underscore the ongoing challenges that millions of American households face as they try to cope with their debt during these uncertain times."
Global concerns impacting U.S. economy
Survey respondents were also asked about global issues that could put pressure on the U.S. economic recovery. When asked about the most likely trigger for a possible double dip in the U.S. economy, the Eurozone debt crisis was cited most often (38.8 percent), just edging out U.S. government policies (38.4 percent). Another 19 percent are most concerned about the lack of spending and investment by U.S. companies.
Survey respondents were also asked about the economic growth of China as it relates to the future strength of U.S. consumers. Sixty-five percent of respondents felt that the global influence of Chinese consumers would overtake that of U.S. consumers within 5-10 years. By contrast, 28 percent felt that U.S. consumers would continue to wield more influence for another 20 years or longer.
"Whether it's debt trouble in Europe or economic growth in Asia, there are significant implications for the near-term and long-term strength and health of the U.S. economy," said Jennings. "There are risks, challenges and opportunities all around us. To compete in this increasingly complex global environment, we're seeing more U.S. companies embrace innovative analytic technologies to help them understand and navigate the global playing field."
Consumer credit seen weakening, led by housing concerns
Regarding mortgages, 47 percent of respondents expected mortgage delinquencies to rise and 13 percent expected delinquencies to decrease. That is slightly more pessimistic than last quarter. When asked about credit cards, 45 percent expected delinquencies to rise while 21 percent expected a decline. That is also more pessimistic than last quarter and another sign of deteriorating confidence among bankers. In addition, 54 percent of respondents expected credit card balances to increase. These expected increases are likely due to higher spending by some consumers and financial stress for other consumers who are unable to pay down their balances.
Auto lending had a fairly balanced outlook with 33 percent of respondents expecting an increase in delinquencies, 22 percent expecting a decrease, and 45 percent expecting no change in the level of delinquencies.
A detailed report of FICO's quarterly survey results is available at http://www.prmia.org/PRMIA-News/FICO_Survey_2011Qtr4.pdf. The survey included responses from 312 risk managers at banks throughout the U.S. in November 2011. FICO and PRMIA extend a special thanks to the Columbia Business School's Center for Decision Sciences for its assistance in analyzing the survey results.
The Professional Risk Managers' International Association (PRMIA) is a higher standard for risk professionals, with 65 chapters and more than 80,000 members worldwide. A non-profit, member-led association, PRMIA is dedicated to defining and implementing the best practices of risk management through education, including the Professional Risk Manager (PRM) designation and Associate PRM certificate; webinar, online, classroom and in-house training; events; networking; and online resources. More information can be found at www.PRMIA.org.
FICO (NYSE: FICO) delivers superior predictive analytics solutions that drive smarter decisions. The company's groundbreaking use of mathematics to predict consumer behavior has transformed entire industries and revolutionized the way risk is managed and products are marketed. FICO's innovative solutions include the FICO® Score — the standard measure of consumer credit risk in the United States — along with industry-leading solutions for managing credit accounts, identifying and minimizing the impact of fraud, and customizing consumer offers with pinpoint accuracy. Most of the world's top banks, as well as leading insurers, retailers, pharmaceutical companies and government agencies, rely on FICO solutions to accelerate growth, control risk, boost profits and meet regulatory and competitive demands. FICO also helps millions of individuals manage their personal credit health through www.myFICO.com. Learn more at www.fico.com. FICO: Make every decision count™.
For FICO news and media resources, visit www.fico.com/news.
Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Information
Except for historical information contained herein, the statements contained in this news release that relate to FICO or its business are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including the success of the Company's Decision Management strategy and reengineering plan, the maintenance of its existing relationships and ability to create new relationships with customers and key alliance partners, its ability to continue to develop new and enhanced products and services, its ability to recruit and retain key technical and managerial personnel, competition, regulatory changes applicable to the use of consumer credit and other data, the failure to realize the anticipated benefits of any acquisitions, continuing material adverse developments in global economic conditions, and other risks described from time to time in FICO's SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2011. If any of these risks or uncertainties materializes, FICO's results could differ materially from its expectations. FICO disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
FICO and "Make every decision count" are trademarks or registered trademarks of Fair Isaac Corporation in the United States and in other countries.


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INEOS Styrolution increases PS prices by €140/mt in January versus December, according to the company’s latest communication.
Meanwhile, the company’s surcharge on high impact polystyrene (HIPS) is €120/mt over the price of general purpose polystyrene (GPPS).
The announcement reflects the increase in the price of the monomer raw material, styrene. The monthly contract price for styrene in January increased €115/mt.
The increase in styrene follows a recent spike styrene spot prices and an increase of €145/mt in the January contract price of benzene, a key feesdstock of styrene.


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While its been known for some time now that AT&T would supply 3G coverage in the US and that NTT DoCoMo would provide it in Japan, Sony has been quiet on details for Europe and Australia. But today Sony has announced that the PlayStation Vita 3G version will ship with a Vodafone SIM and provide 3G connectivity via the Vodafone 3G network. Vodafone has also announced that it will be selling the Vita through its retail stores and online.
While this news may not be popular with ex or current Vodafone users, because of the networks infamous lack of coverage, users that do connect to the carrier will get a free download of Wipeout 2048 from the PlayStation Network. This 3G connectivity deal will also exist in the UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, France (using Vodafone’s partner SFR), New Zealand and The Netherlands. It is unknown whether the device will be locked to Vodafone, but Sony has called the carrier its “preferred partner”, so here’s hoping they stick with that and let people pop in a SIM for a their own preferred partner.
The 3G PlayStation Vita will be available for $449.95 while the Wi-Fi version will be $349.95 and we’ll be sure to review it when it comes out on the 22nd of February 2012.


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Oscar de la Renta, known for his pricey gowns, is launching a digital inspiration board and opening it up to the masses. For the next three months, anyone can upload an image or a video to appear on a 27-inch screen in Mr. de la Renta’s office to inspire his resort collection. WSJ
Japanese shoe company Asics is planning a push in Europe, where its name isn’t big, but sales are up. WSJ
Adidas is targeting teenage girls more influenced by music and fashion than sports. By expanding its NEO fashion outlets, and by exploiting social-media platforms including Facebook and Twitter, the world’s second- largest sporting-goods maker hopes to attract 14 to 19 year-old girls. The company estimates the effort may bring in an additional 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) in revenue by 2015. Bloomberg
Heard on the Runway provides news about the fashion and retail worlds, as well as fresh analysis and dispatches from the bi-annual fashion shows in New York, Milan and Paris. For complete style coverage, go to WSJ.com/Fashion.
WSJ's Fashion team is tweeting what they're seeing at the tents.


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Maserati is coming after the competition with some serious ambition, as the Italian marque plans to expand to 500 dealers worldwide by mid-2016, according to a June 26 article from Yahoo Finance.
Related Cars For Sale
The luxury automaker, owned by Italian-American auto group Fiat Chrysler, also has a sales goal of 50,000 by 2015, a strikingly large increase over 2013’s total of 15,400. Yet these massive expansions are more than warranted; according to the article, Maserati CEO Harald Wester stated that demand for their luxury sedans has been growing rapidly.
(See also: Maserati Alfieri Concept Will Launch in 2016)
They expect to sell as many cars in the first six months of 2014 as it did in the entirety of 2013, as the two-door Quattroporte coupe and Ghibli have become increasingly popular among affluent consumers.
Stick with us as we follow the growth and expansion of Maserati.
(Source: Yahoo Finance, Maserati)


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Lyft is moving beyond car rides with a deal to buy Motivate, one of the largest operators of bike-sharing programs in the US, the companies said today. The deal price wasn’t disclosed, though it was previously rumored to be worth around $250 million (metered paywall).
Motivate is the company behind many of the most popular urban bike-share programs in the US, such as Citi Bike in New York, Ford GoBike in San Francisco, Blue Bikes in Boston, and Capital Bikeshare in Washington DC. The company claims that in 2017, 80% of bike-share trips in the US were taken on systems it operated.
The deal comes three months after Uber bought Jump Bikes, a startup that rents out electric “dockless” bikes in about half a dozen US cities. Dockless bikes can be found and unlocked via a mobile app, and then deposited anywhere after a trip. Jump was Uber’s first acquisition under chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi.
Ride-hailing companies are increasingly looking beyond cars as they compete to be the dominant transportation providers of the future. Uber’s ambitions include flying taxis and driverless ride-hailing cars as well as a rental car service, dockless bikes, and electric scooters. At a June panel in New York, Jump CEO Ryan Rzepecki said Uber’s team liked Jump’s bikes so much after testing them out that one employee declared, “Fuck flying cars, this is the future.” Also in June, Uber was said to be weighing a takeover offer for Motivate.
While Motivate is the clear leader in US bike-share services, recent momentum has favored startups that offer dockless bikes. Venture capitalists have put more than $2.5 billion behind dockess bike-share companies, with Chinese companies Ofo and Mobike leading the group.
Motivate, on the other hand, largely offers docked systems, where riders can unlock a bike from a set grid of stations located throughout a city. (It is piloting dockless bikes in Minneapolis through Nice Ride.) In other words, Lyft is essentially buying Motivate’s infrastructure as well as the legitimacy of its established operating arrangements with cities. Dockless bike share startups have so far proven more controversial in cities—partly because people park them on sidewalks and throw them into rivers—and are still trying to figure those relationships out.
While Lyft will now own the infrastructure, Motivate said it will retain ownership of its operations business, which includes servicing, repairing, and “rebalancing” bikes—the term used for redistributing bikes from docks that are full at the end of the day to those that are empty. The company will contract with Lyft to offer these operational services for its newly acquired bike fleets.


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Earlier this year, Pandora added the Sleep Timer function to its mobile app so that Pandora listeners can fall asleep to their favorite stations. Now users can wake up to their beloved tunes with the new Pandora Alarm Clock. Music lovers no longer have to settle for the stock alarm clock's limited sound selections (thanks to iOS, quacking ducks now enrage me to no end). This long-awaited and much-welcome feature comes with the standard alarm clock features, such as timer and snooze, and Alarm Clock even ties in with the Sleep Timer. … Read more
Spotify users streamed more than 4.5 billion hours of music in the past year, the streaming music company's CEO said Wednesday.
Users also have created and shared 1.5 billion playlists, Chief Executive Daniel Ek said during an event Wednesday in New York. They also create more than 1.5 million new playlists every day.
"This really blows me away that our users are so passionate about music," he said.
In March, Spotify said it had surpassed 6 million subscribers, a gain of 1 million since December 2012, but it hadn't updated its user numbers … Read more
Spotify is setting its mobile app free.
The streaming music service said Wednesday that it would allow anyone on an iOS or Android tablet or smartphone to use its app free of charge. The new service launches Wednesday. Previously, users could only listen to Spotify's desktop or browser-based program for free, and only premium members who paid $10 a month had access to the service through other devices.
The move marks a change in Spotify's business and could expand its potential base of listeners. The lack of a free mobile app has been an inhibitor of the company'… Read more
Waking up to the loud beeping of an alarm clock is no way to start a day, particularly if you regularly hit the snooze button and repeat the process once or twice before rolling out of bed. Pandora offers a better way. The free Pandora Radio app for iOS just received an update that introduces a new design for iOS 7 along with a long-awaited alarm clock feature.
To set the alarm, tap on the menu button in the upper-right corner when viewing the Now Playing screen. At the bottom of the menu you'll see a new line for … Read more
Pandora Media, the operator of the Web's top radio service, is squeezing more juice out of its mobile advertising, with revenue from the ads crossing the $100 million mark for the first time in the latest quarter.
Thursday, Pandora reported that a financial measure called RPM, which is how much revenue it gets from 1,000 ad impressions, rose again for its mobile advertising. The company's new chief executive, Brian McAndrews -- an advertising executive who joined the online radio service in September -- said the company would continue to invest aggressively, a chord his predecessor, Joe Kennedy, … Read more
Pandora turned 13 this year. An identity crisis would be right on time.
But the operator of the Internet's biggest radio service seems to know exactly what it wants to be when it grows up. Its dream: become an advertising-powered heavyweight, holding its own against any of the radio giants that, for now, gorge on the lion's share of the estimated $14 billion radio-ad market. Yes, that also means leaving Apple and its nascent iTunes Radio music service in the dust.
Pandora appears on the path to get there ahead of its third-quarter earnings report Thursday, with a … Read more
In fact, the Internet radio service managed to increase its market share after iTunes Radio was released in September, Michael Herring, Pandora's chief financial officer, said Monday at an investors conference in San Francisco.
Listeners tuned into Pandora for a total of 1.47 billion hours overall last month, up a notable 18 percent from a year ago, according to The Associated Press. What's more, users' listening hours grew 9 percent after iTunes Radio debuted, Herring said.
Pandora is still the … Read more
Pandora is on Chromecast at last, after Google said in July that an app for the Internet's leading radio service was "coming soon."
After Google introduced its $35 Chromecast HDMI dongle (read CNET's review) to easily fling apps like Netflix and Google Play Music onto televisions, Chromecast's life has been marked by feverish consumer interest and a dearth of updates that, combined, give the impression that Google was caught flat-footed.
Many of the indications that Google got ahead of itself when it unveiled Chromecast are flattering to the search giant, even if they were frustrating … Read more
Pandora is getting friendlier with Android tablet users on the heels of now-rival Apple touting the traction of iTunes Radio.
Pandora, the Internet's biggest radio service, on Wednesday rolled out a new version of its Android app designed specifically for tablets. The interface takes advantage of bigger screens and has upgraded functions, like the ability to add variety to a station and view more details about the artist and album.
Many of the features mimic what the company's dedicated iPad app can do. When it launched the iPad version, Pandora said it was planning an Android tablet app … Read more
Pandora, the Internet's biggest radio service, is the company the recorded music industry loves to hate. Some artists have loudly vilified it, accusing it of paying piddling rates to play their work. Labels' acrimony over the service stoked its efforts to paralyze a bill that would have lowered the royalty rate Webcasters pay, and music publishers have singled out Pandora in an effort to withhold their catalogs. The Recording Industry Association of America has outright lied, Pandora claims, about how its payments work.


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Seen through the lens of Mary Meeker, India is going places on the startup map. Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends 2018 report features seven startups founded or co-founded by first-or second-generation immigrants of Indian origin among the most highly valued private tech companies in the US.
As Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends 2018 report notes: “Immigration remains important for US tech companies. More than half of the most highly valued tech companies in the US are founded by first or second generation immigrants. Uber, Tesla, WeWork, and Wish all have first-generation founders.”
Meeker added, “China and India and the US are the only markets that have relative GDP that is rising, others are falling.”
Meeker, who is credited with having a deep understanding of what makes businesses succeed and fail, is a general partner at venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB). Her Internet Trends reports on the tech industry have become an annual event that the startup ecosystem and other industries across the world wait for with bated breath.
On Wednesday, she presented her annual report on Internet Trends 2018 at Recode’s Code Conference at Rancho Palos Verdes in California, US. This time around she focused on the falling prices of devices, proliferation of WiFi networks, digital payments, messengers, and new content types.
While presenting the report, Meeker said: “Devices are getting better, faster and cheaper. This looks at the expansion of WiFi networks around the world… Digital payments, digital reach is expanding… Products like messengers and also mobile payments are rising and digital currencies are emerging… Video, mobile adaption is rising very quickly and new content types are emerging.”
In her last report, Meeker had put a special focus on the internet trends in India. Recode, quoted the annual trends report as stating, Internet user numbers grew more than 28% in 2016 to 355 Mn users, second only to China. “At 27 percent internet penetration, there’s a lot of room for growth (in India),” it said.
Highlights Of Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends 2018 Report
Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends 2018 report uses data to tell stories of business-related trends. It forecasts that Internet companies will continue to make low-priced services better, in part, from user data; regulators want to ensure user data is not used ‘improperly’; and technology-driven trends are changing so rapidly. Some of the highlights of the report, as prepared by Recode, are:
- At 3.6 Bn, the number of Internet users has surpassed half the world’s population
- Adults spent 5.9 hours per day on digital media in 2017, up from 5.6 hours in 2016
- There are around 450 Mn WiFi networks in the world
- WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and WeChat have over 1 Bn monthly active users.
- Around 60% of all payment transactions are now done digitally
- Roughly 13% of all retail sales come from ecommerce
- Global average selling price of smartphones is continuing to decline
- Tech companies accounted for 25% of US market capitalisation
- China is the hub to the world’s biggest internet companies, with home to nine of the world’s 20 biggest internet companies while the US has 11
Meet The Seven Indian Origin Highly Valued Private Tech Companies In The US
Here’s a look at these tech startups founded or cofounded by Indian-origin immigrants that are creating waves in Silicon Valley:
Instacart: A Grocery Delivery Startup
Founder: Apoorva Mehta
Market value: $4 Bn
San Francisco-based grocery delivery startup Instacart is backed by investors such as Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures, SV Angel, and Y Combinator. The New York Times, which reviewed the startup, wrote: “Instacart does not maintain warehouses or trucks. Instead, the service is assembled out of found parts — existing supermarkets, willing part-time workers, and their cars. The model has many advantages.”
Under CEO Apoorva Mehta, Instacart has signed up new delivery pacts with giant grocery holding companies Albertsons and Kroger, expanded the company’s deals with Costco and CVS, and made its first international launch — a partnership with Canada’s largest grocer, Loblaws.
Mehta, who ranks at no 45 on the Recode 100, spent his years after college working for technology companies such as Qualcomm and BlackBerry, and even did a stint at a steel factory.
Bloom Energy: Bringing Affordable Clean Energy To All
Founder: Dr K R Sridhar
Market value: $3 Bn
US-based Bloom Energy (formerly Ion America) was founded with the mission to make clean, reliable energy affordable for everyone on earth. Sridhar and his team built a fuel cell for NASA, capable of producing air and fuel from electricity generated by a solar panel. The company has helped customers generate millions of kWhs of electricity and eliminate CO2 from the environment.
Fortune Magazine called K R Sridhar as “one of the top five futurists inventing tomorrow, today.” Sridhar completed his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering with honours from the University of Madras (now called NIT, Trichy), India, and pursued his further studies at universities abroad. He was previously working as the director of the Space Technologies Laboratory (STL). He has also served as an adviser to NASA and has led major consortia of industry, academia, and national labs.
Robinhood: A Financial Services Company
California-based Robinhood is a financial services company. It has developed the Robinhood smartphone app, which allows individuals to invest in publicly traded companies and exchange-traded funds listed on US stock exchanges without paying a commission. The startup has received $66 Mn in funding from celebrity investors like Jared Leto, Snoop, and Nas, as well as VCs like NEA and Index, since it was founded in 2013. It has also launched Robinhood Instant, a feature that will front users $1,000 to trade while waiting for deposits to settle.
Both Baiju and Tenev are sons of immigrants, raised in rural parts of the US before attending Stanford, where they met. The company said its users have saved more than $1 billion in commissions. They earlier founded a firm called hedge fund.
Zenefits: Delivering Easy Access To Health Insurance
Founder: Laks Srini
Market value: $2 Bn
Zenefits is a platform that gives best health advices including services and products. It provides healthcare solutions for the companies to offer to their employees. Its services are further categorised as, medical / dental / vision, life and Disability, commuter benefits, flexible spending accounts, health saving accounts.
Laks Srini, CTO of Zenefits, has helped expand Zenefits’ business, which now serves thousands of companies across 48 states in the US, disrupting the $18 Bn health insurance brokerage industry along the way. Prior to Zenefits, Laks served at SigFig and D. E. Shaw & Co. Laks graduated with an M.Sc. in Software Engineering from PSG College of Technology.
Sprinklr: A Unified Customer Experience Management Platform
Founder: Ragy Thomas
Market value: $2 Bn
New York-based Sprinklr is the unified customer experience management platform for enterprises. It helps brands reach, engage, and listen to their customers over 23 other social media channels for the purposes of marketing, advertising, research, care, and commerce. It works with over 1,200 global companies including Nike, McDonald’s, Microsoft, P&G, and Samsung. Its partners include SAP, IBM, Microsoft, and many others across the CXM ecosystem.
Ragy Thomas, founder and CEO, did his Bachelor’s in Science in computer science and engineering from Pondicherry University, India, and an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business, with a double major in finance and information systems. He has previously served as the president and CTO of Epsilon’s Interactive Services. He also served as chief architect of the market-leading DREAM email technology platform for Epsilon Interactive.
Rubrik: A Cloud Data Management Platform
Founder: Bipul Sinha
Market value: $1 Bn
Rubrik is a Cloud Data Management platform that provides instant application availability – for recovery, search, cloud, and development for hybrid cloud enterprises – with simplicity, instant data access, app-mobility, policy-driven automation, Ransomware protection, and analytics at scale.
Teh company’s founder Bipul received his B Tech (Honours) in electrical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and holds an MBA from The Wharton School, where he was a Palmer Scholar. He has previously worked at Blumberg Capital. His selected investments include DoubleVerify, Nutanix, Hootsuite, and CarWoo. He also holds several patents in distributed computing.
Actifio: A Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) Platform
Founder: Ash Ashutosh
Market value: $1 Bn
Actifio provides data-as-a-service (DaaS) that enables enterprises around the world to deliver data just as they deliver their applications and infrastructure-as-a-service available instantly, anywhere. It is known to frees data from traditional infrastructure through adoption of hybrid cloud, and build higher quality applications perform faster and improve business resiliency and availability.
Ash was the founder of three companies. He also worked for and has been a member of the board or the advisory board of several large and small technology companies. He also serves on the board of Delphix, and is a charter member of TiE Boston.
Undoubtedly, Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends 2018 report suggests these Indian startup founders doing well in the US. On the home ground too, ecommerce startup Flipkart took the world by storm after entering into a historic deal with Walmart, which has acquired a 77% stake in the company with the investment of $16 Bn — the world’s biggest ecommerce deal ever.
But Flipkart’s story is one in a few thousands. With ease-of-doing business and innovation likely to be better in the US than in India, the number of startups founded by Indian-origin founders making waves is obviously going to be higher there than here. For Indian startups to level up with US-based startups, we need to tighten our policies and all stakeholders need to come together to help grow the startup ecosystem.


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The first comment from Jihan Fadel .. Several news spread about the artist, Jihan Fadel, on social media, stating that she works in a small supermarket in one of the states in Canada.
And she sells cheese and olives, in order to spend on her three children, Adham, Ziad and Alia.
The first comment from Jihan Fadel
According to Al-Watan, she said that she preferred to ignore all of these matters and follow her news without responding.
Especially since she wore a muzzle and glasses so that no one in Canada would know her while she was working in the supermarket.
Jehan Fadel previously worked in an Egyptian food restaurant, selling fava beans and falafel, and all this for the sake of her children.
This is what was confirmed by the writer Ayman Noureddine, through his personal account on the social networking site “Facebook”.
Jehan Fadel’s life was not smooth, but she suffered in her career after the death of her husband, fashion designer Amr Hamdy, who passed away in 2012 with a heart attack.
And in contact with the Syndicate of Acting Professions, she denied knowledge of any news indicating the travel or retirement of the artist, Jehan Fadel, during the previous period, especially since she made a great artistic career.


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- Anti-Trump protestors are outside of Uber’s SF headquartersTechCrunch
- Priest: Measuring ethical performancejournalrecord.com
- PepsiCo CEO shares her 3-step path to advancing your careervanguardngr.com
- The coming pressure on professional womenbangordailynews.com
- Frito-Lay drivers threaten labor strike over proposed pay offerNew York Post
- Elon Musk Said Donald Trump Shouldn't Be President. So Why the Heck Does Trump Want His Advice?Inc.
- Pepsi CEO chosen as member of Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forummichronicleonline.com
- Has TED Really Taught Companies to Be Better Storytellers?Inc.
- New Chairman Of Tata Sons To Be Installed In JanuaryForbes
- Indra Nooyi joins Donald Trump’s Business Councilamericanbazaaronline.com
- NCEOs of Tesla, Uber and Pepsi Join Trump's Business Councilnbcphiladelphia.com
- Trump Adds Elon Musk, Travis Kalanick And Indra Nooyi To Panel Dedicated To Job GrowthForbes
- Trump reaches out to Silicon ValleyLA Times
- Trump Adds Elon Musk, Pepsi and Uber CEOs to Advise on Economic Affairsbreitbart.com
- VTrump appoints PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi to strategic and policy forumvoiceonline.com
- Uber, SpaceX/Tesla, and PepsiCo execs join Trump business councilReuters
- Uber, SpaceX/Tesla, and PepsiCo executives join Trump business councilThe Globe and Mail
- CTrump appoints PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi to strategic, policy forumcanindia.com
Newstral's extraction of names of people and organisations from the world's news is completely automated. If you do not want your name to appear here, please contact us. We will be happy to look at your request.


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Ubisoft has launched a closed beta test for its free-to-play FPS XDefiant
Players can register for a chance to participate in the cross-play test on PC and consoles
Ubisoft has kicked off a closed beta test for its upcoming free-to-play FPS XDefiant.
Available on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, the cross-play test is running until April 23 and players can register for a chance to take part here.
Participants can step into the shoes of four Ubisoft franchise-inspired factions: The Cleaners (The Division), Libertad (Far Cry 6), Echelon (Splinter Cell) and Phantoms (Ghost Recon Phantoms).
Each faction includes three characters, one of which is unlocked from the start with the others unlockable through missions.
Players can compete across 14 maps using 24 weapons, 44 attachments and five explosive devices.
While progression won’t carry over to the full game, Ubisoft said players will be able to keep up to 10 exclusive cosmetic items at release, when the game will also be available for PS4 and Xbox One.
XDefiant is in development at Ubisoft San Francisco and led by executive producer Mark Rubin, who previously held the same position at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare studio Infinity Ward.
The game was initially revealed in July 2021 as Tom Clancy’s XDefiant. At the time, it only included factions from Tom Clancy franchises Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon and The Division.
But in March 2022, Ubisoft announced that it was dropping the Tom Clancy branding and introducing additional factions from its wider catalogue of IP.


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Junk food is addictive, and gorging on the guilty pleasure triggers the urge to binge eat, experts have warned.
Highly-calorific fast food floods the brain’s reward system with the feel-good chemical, dopamine.
The hormonal surge makes people want more and more.
In experiments feeding mice plenty of sweetened high-fat food for 24 hours increased the levels of dopamine in their brains, and led them to eat more.
But, when the hormone insulin with injected into the pleasure centre of their brains – a central area known as the ventral tegmental area – researchers noted a drop in appetite.
It’s believed the findings published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences could also apply to humans – and could lead to a new way of combating the obesity epidemic.
Dr Stephanie Borgland, of Calgary University in Canada, said ‘in an environment rich with easily accessible, low-cost, palatable food, this plasticity may be a significant driver of overeating’.
She said: “These data indicate mice have increased food approach behaviours and consumption two days after the 24-hour access to the sugary and fatty food.”
Dopamine acts on regions of the brain that regulate movement, emotion, motivation and feelings of pleasure.
When activated at normal levels this system rewards our natural behaviours.
But overstimulating the system produces euphoric effects which produces an urge to repeat it.
Dr Borgland said: “In an environment with easy access to highly palatable and energy dense food, food-related cues drive food-seeking regardless of satiety – an effect that can lead to obesity.
“Priming effects of food-related advertising and consumption of palatable food can drive food intake.
“However, the mechanism by which this effect occurs, and whether these priming effects last days after consumption, is unknown.
“Here we demonstrate short-term consumption of palatable food can prime future food approach behaviours and food intake.”
But she said insulin – a hormone that controls blood sugar levels and helps you feel full after eating – can reduce food consumption.
Dr Borgland said: “Targeting this circuit with brain delivered insulin may provide a strategy to suppress food cravings.”
Previous research has shown fatty or sugary foods can be as addictive as cocaine.
Obese and compulsive eaters were irresistibly drawn to images of junk food in the same way cocaine addicts were when shown a bag of the white powder.
In the junk food eaters, the decision-making area of the brain – the orbit frontal cortex – released a surge of dopamine as they looked at high-fat foods.
This is the same reaction drug users get when presented with cocaine.
Another clue into how large quantities of fatty processed foods can change the way the brain is wired, lie with the results from a study on rats by the Research Institute in Jupiter, Florida.
When the treats were presented they began binge eating them – even though they had an unlimited supply of nutritional food.
The rats’ brain activity was measured and the study found that processed foods produced the same brain pattern that occurs with escalating intake of cocaine.
One-in-four adults in Britain is obese with levels more than trebling in the last 30 years. On current estimates over half the population could be obese by 2050.
Source: Daily Mail


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Monday, July 11, 2016
SAFARICOM PILOTS MPESA CARD WITH STAFF
The card is to be used at merchants for purchase of goods and services and will have its own Point of Sale System, the machines used to swipe popular payments cards.
This is likely to launch an intense battle for the local payment market which has recently seen fast rising uptake of Visa card services particularly at petrol stations and bars and eateries.
However, the move by Safaricom to introduce this card, which it has previously sought to bring to the market, is seen by some as being more of a reaction to plans by local banks to introduce a interbank switch allowing cash transfers within the banking system without going through MPESA.
However, that threat was significantly hobbled when the two largest banks in Kenya, KCB and Equity Groups, instituted demands before signing onto the switch including the fact that the switch would not allow merchant banking.
This means it cannot be used for payment of goods and services like MPESA.


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LOS ANGELES - As the Memorial Day weekend kicks off the summer driving season, supply shortages blamed for the biggest, fastest gasoline price spike in U.S. history are in retreat.
Prices are falling nationwide in a trend that is expected to continue for several weeks as fire-damaged refineries in California return to normal operation and world markets work through a glut of crude oil.
Yet, for motorists and some public officials, a big question remains. Were drivers gouged by the oil companies when prices shot up so high and so fast during March and early April?
The Federal Trade Commission and the California attorney general are trying to answer that question with separate investigations of gasoline prices in California, the nation's most populous state.
The investigations focus on a price spiral that sent U.S. retail gasoline prices up 23 cents per gallon on average between March 5 and April 9. In California, the increase was even sharper: a 45-cent climb to $1.60, according to the Lundberg Letter, a newsletter that analyzes oil and gasoline markets. The full-service price for premium rose to nearly $2 in some parts of Northern California.
Nationally, the jump was faster and steeper than any other, including price increases that followed Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and the Arab oil embargo in 1974, said Trilby Lundberg, publisher of the Lundberg Survey, a bimonthly review of gasoline prices. But it followed more than a year of historically low prices resulting from weak demand and an oversupply of crude.
"The industry has not insisted on making a handsome profit at the retail level," said Lundberg. "They are crazed price cutters."
What bothers investigators is that as retail prices rose, California refineries gross revenues - which include operating costs that can fluctuate widely - rose on average from 27 cents per gallon of gasoline to 70 cents per gallon, according to California Energy Commission figures.
"So far there hasn't been an adequate explanation from the oil industry as to the causes of the price spike," said California Attorney General Bill Lockyer.
A spokeswoman for the FTC said she could not comment on the direction of the probe or any preliminary findings.
In his investigation, Lockyer is not looking for criminal wrongdoing, but indications that the oil companies engaged in unfair business practices by boosting prices higher than their costs justified. If there is evidence of that, his office would consider filing a lawsuit seeking to force the companies to forfeit profits considered excessive.
Similar probes that have followed big price runups have failed to produce evidence of collusion or unfair pricing. Oil company officials contend that it is the market, not companies, that determines the price consumers pay at the pump.
"The marketplace is going to move up and move down. When you balance it all out it's still a tough business: low margins, very competitive," said Fred Gorrell, a spokesman for San Francisco-based Chevron Corp.
"What refiners do is look at supply and demand and competition and we take the marketplace as we find it," he said.
What oil companies found during March and April was a marketplace shaken by a remarkable chain of unrelated events.
In a matter of weeks:
Fires and transmission glitches caused four California refineries to curtail gasoline operation from Feb. 23 to March 23, leading to a 10 percent drop in overall production.
Five days later U.S. warplanes damaged a key Iraqi pumping station, raising fears of a drop in crude oil supplies.
Two weeks after that, in an unusual display of resolve, OPEC members voted to cut production by 2.1 billion barrels per day.
California refineries were in middle of their annual switch from winter gasoline blends to smog-reducing summer formulas. Refinery output typically drops during the changeover.
Finally, in both California and the rest of the nation, demand was rising with the approach of warmer spring weather.
Refinery margins grew during the price runup because companies' costs were up, said Gorrell.
To make up for lost production at damaged refineries, companies had to either import gasoline by ship from the Gulf Coast region or find gasoline at other California refineries that wasn't already under contract to another buyer. Prices in this so-called spot market actually rose higher than the general gasoline market, he said. By April 6, the wholesale price of gasoline on the spot market price reached $1.15 per gallon.
That didn't include 66.3 cents in state, federal and local taxes added to each gallon of gas sold in California.
When prices began to rise, oil companies, wholesalers and speculators began to bid prices up even higher in a race to buy anything available on the spot market. The result was a steep price spiral that left motorists holding the bill. Joined by dealers who were pinched by rising wholesale prices, consumers complained that oil companies were using the refinery problems and OPEC cutbacks as an opportunity for profiteering.
"We had two very visible refinery fires that made good television," said Rob Schlichting, a spokesman for the state energy commission. But, he added, "The damage was never as big as it appeared."
Others believe the price increase was justified given the pressures placed on the oil companies. Before the increase, prices remained at historically low levels for more than a year. The consequences included layoffs and mergers as big oil companies sought to cut costs.
"The price is still a bargain. We are not being badly treated," said Phil Berman, author of the Pump Price Report newsletter. "Gasoline was underpriced before. Now prices are beginning to fall again. There's no sinister conspiracy here." AP PhotoRick Vernon of San Diego fills up his car at a Glendale, Calif., gas station during his trip north to San Francisco on Friday as the Memorial Day weekend kicks off the summer driving season.


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By Johann Foucault
See my news
It is Michel-Edouard Leclerc himself who says: the price of toilet paper will “rise considerably”. The president of the Strategic Committee of the E.Leclerc centers recently slipped it into the media.
A situation that concerns all hygiene papers (paper handkerchiefs, paper towels, etc.). In this context, should we fear a shortage? Elements of response with professionals in the sector.
The increase in prices, a direct consequence of the war in Ukraine?
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, the cost of raw materials and energy has soared, causing prices to soar in many sectors. That of paper is no exception.
“Since February 24 and the start of the war in Ukraine, the price of energy, and in particular gas, has drastically increased, continuing to weaken the economic situation of our industry”, notes a spokesperson for Essity, international group specializing in hygiene and health, which produces brands such as Lotus, Tempo, Nana…
But to make toilet paper, you need electricity for the machines, gas for those that dry the paper. Not to mention paper pulp, which is also increasing sharply, packaging, which has increased little, and transport, which has been undermined by the increase in fuels.
A price increase well before Ukraine
But the stalemate in the Ukraine-Russia conflict alone is not enough to explain the situation. Because this surge in prices was already observed long before the start of the war.
“For a year in reality, the rise in energy costs has been linked to the rise in the price of Russian gas, already linked to the situation in Ukraine”, deciphers Paul-Antoine Lacour, general delegate of the French Union of Cardboard, Paper and Cellulose Industries (Copacel).
In one year, in total, costs in the toilet paper sector have increased by 20 to 40% and the upward trend continues.
In one year, the Essity company has thus noted a “cost of electricity multiplied by 2, that of gas by 4, the cost of paper pulp has increased by +70%. However, these elements are the essential components involved in the manufacture of toilet paper, handkerchiefs and paper towels. »
Also a repercussion of the Covid?
With the health crisis, the sector had already experienced difficulties, but above all of a logistical nature, some of which persist with the post-covid economic rebound.
There are still difficulties in maritime transport, sometimes disorganized, which can create an extension in delivery times.
How much more will it increase?
Impossible to quantify precisely what will be the increases to be expected. “ The paper pulp will probably continue to increase a little more, recognizes Paul-Antoine Lacour, but it is impossible to know what will be the evolution of energy costs in the current geopolitical context. In any case, there are no signs of lower costs by the end of the year. »
For his part, Michel-Edouard Leclerc offers some general estimates:
In all the rays, it will move between 0.5 and 15%. On average, it’s +3.5% in all stores in France over the next 2-3 months.
Should we expect a shortage?
An eternal question that resembles a vicious circle. The more there is talk of price increases, the more consumers stock up. The shelves are empty and give the image of a shortage. Shortage which, even without being proven, encourages more to rush on products to stock up, as was the case during the health crisis.
“Today, in France, there is no shortage and no risk of shortageand I do not anticipate a major shortage unless consumers trigger it themselves by overstocking,” Michel-Edouard Leclerc said on Sunday, referring to all the products that can be distributed in supermarkets, toilet paper and groceries included.
An opinion also shared by Paul-Antoine Lacour, for the hygiene paper part.
“No risk of shortage, nor of observed rush on the part of our customers”, we also note within the stores of the Carrefour group.
While at Lidlwe recommend limiting your purchases, especially in oil and toilet paper, in order to “avoid the rush phenomena that we experienced on these products during the first confinement”, recently indicated the brand to our editorial staff. Toulouse newsstating that “there is no shortage to date”.
Can costs be reduced?
Are consumers doomed to pay ever more for a hygiene product that remains essential? Without a doubt.
Because now manufacturers like Essity must, in order to cover their costs, “increase the prices for our retail customers significantly. Given the magnitude of the increases, we can no longer absorb these additional costs alone as we have been doing for over a year. Between manufacturers and distributors, negotiations are going well.
And at the end of the chain, either the increase is passed on at all levels, down to the shelf price, or the manufacturer and the distributor cannot come to an agreement.
In this case, and this would be the only situation where we would see the shelves empty, if the negotiations go badly, the only option may be a plant stoppage, to avoid working at a loss. This has already happened in several European countries.
Increase at all levels
A situation that is not frankly encouraging for the household budget. Especially since it is not only this item of expenditure that is affected, between food products, clothing, fuel, electricity, gas…
“The war in Ukraine will potentially add a layer from the summer, if the conflict persists,” said Michel-Edouard Leclerc.
Not very reassuring.
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With immense pleasure we show you the video of celebration and the official magazine of the GF New York 2014.
Biemme will be exhibiting at the World Motor Show host Vicenza
Biemme renews its collaboration with the prestigious Maratona dles Dolomites Enel and the Granfondo New York in 2014.
Now you can buy online the new collection summer and winter Biemme directly in e-commerce official. www.biemmestore.it/en


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As Nadeem Kassam sauntered down the hall of the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, over Memorial Day weekend, all attention was on his wrist. The museum was host to the first annual Quantified Self conference, a gathering of people who use different tools to record a variety of personal metrics with the goal of improving their health, happiness, and productivity.
Kassam was sporting the hottest new fitness monitoring gadget: a device that looks and acts like a watch, but which also measures heart rate and other physiological factors. The monitor, made by self-tracking startup called Basis (which Kassam cofounded), is unique in the number of metrics it tracks; it detects heart rate from the wrist using near infrared spectroscopy, along with both skin and ambient temperature, and galvanic skin response, a measure of sweat on the skin that is linked to both physical activity and stress or excitement. Only a few people have been selected as beta testers for the device, which is slated to come out “soon.”
“We analyze five different data streams and figure out what people are doing in the context of life,” says Julie Wilner, product director at Basis. “High heart rate and temperature probably means someone is exercising.” Low activity, as recorded by the accelerometer, suggests the wearer is sleeping. The device also tracks quality of sleep based on movement during this phase. It combines various measures to calculate the number of calories burned during the course of a day. Accompanying software helps users track and visualize how they are progressing over time. “Are they becoming more active?” says Wilner. “Do they get better or worse sleep on certain day of the week?”
The Basis watch is one of a growing number of new tools that seeks to passively collect data on the wearer’s health and behavior with the aim of helping them to change it for the better. These devices are part of the new movement in self-tracking, enabled by a new generation of wireless devices and smart phone apps to track exercise, nutrition, sleep, mood, and other variables. “In the past, only a motivated few would keep a diary for more than a few weeks,” says Wilner. “We want to bring these tools to people who wouldn’t do this on their own, people who make New Year’s resolutions but don’t keep them.”
Green Goose is another startup with technology that generated a big buzz at the conference. The company takes a different tack on self-tracking, with cheap, sensor-laden stickers for everything from your toothbrush to the dog’s leash. The sensors have an embedded accelerometer, along with an ultralow power wireless transmitter to send data on the object’s movement to a central base station.
The company’s ultimate idea is to transform healthy behavior into a game. Users can set specific goals—walk the dog twice a day, brush after every meal—and software will award points for successful completion. Green Goose cofounder Brian Krejcarek said at the conference that the company is working on a couple of initial applications for the sensors, but it also plans to partner with others to create a variety of games and other applications.
“Once you get low enough in price, imagination explodes in terms of what you can do with the sensors,” said Krejcarek.
One of the benefits of Green Goose’s approach is that because the stickers become an embedded part of everyday objects (each sticker has a year’s worth of battery power), they can’t be tossed in a drawer once the novelty wears off. “If you stop looking at the data, you can jump right back in again,” said Krejcarek. They expect to have the stickers on the market next year.
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These materials were meant to revolutionize the solar industry. Why hasn’t it happened?
Perovskites are promising, but real-world conditions have held them back.
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J.P. Morgan boosts price target for Tesoro after refinery purchase
Investment bank J.P. Morgan raised its price target for San Antonio-based refiner Tesoro Corp. to reflect its recent acquisition of a refinery in Carson, Calif., according to investment site Dividend.com.
J.P. Morgan analysts expect Tesoro shares to reach $65, up 14 percent from Tuesday’s $57.01 closing price, according to the site.
Tesoro this month closed its purchase of British oil giant BP’s Carson refinery and other assets for $2.4 billion.
The purchase includes the 266,000 barrel-per-day refinery and more than 800 dealer-operated retail gas stations.
Sanford Nowlin covers energy/utilities, transportation/aviation and manufacturing.
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Posted on June 8, 2010
You too can "Hack the Pac". A guide to hacking the Google Pac-man Doodle
A month or so back Google celebrated Pac-Man’s 30th anniversary by replacing the Google Doodle with a playable version of Pac-Man.
The article explains the variables used to change game parameters so even a novice coder can try their had at a slightly hacked version of the game. I’d love to see those and especially what some more experienced developers might come up with.


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TiVo affirms guidance; touts patent licensing
TiVo Inc. affirmed its guidance for its second quarter and full year 2002, and said it intends to reach breakeven cash flow by the end of its next fiscal year. It also says it anticipates in 2003 about 85 percent growth in its subscriber base and expects revenue to triple over 2002.
The company cites its recently awarded PVR patents and subsequent licenses as a big player in the revenue jump.
"While we're not making any announcements of licensing deals today, we do expect that licensing revenue will contribute a significant portion of nonsubscriber revenue over the next few years," said President and CEO Mike Ramsay during a conference call. He added that the company is discussing licensing with several companies, but would not say who those were.
New subscribers in 2003 should run about 300,000, the company reports, and end with more than 650,000 total.
TiVo expects revenue in the $63 million to $72 million range for its fiscal year ending January 2003, or about three times the anticipated revenue of $20 million to $24 million ending January 2002. Nonsubscription revenue will run about 30 percent to 40 percent of that, including the technology licensing and ITV advertising revenue.
The company expects operating losses of $145 million to $155 million for FY 2002 and $96 million to $108 million in 2003.
It is not changing its outlook for the current quarter, Ramsay said.
TiVo had announced net losses of $50.2 million or $1.20 per share for the quarter ending April 30. In January, it had reported a net loss of $81.5 million or $2 a share for the quarter.
The patent, on the company's Multimedia Timewarping System, covers methods of recording a program while playing back another or watching a program as it is recording. The system also processes and synchronizes various multimedia streams such as a TV signal, including video, audio and closed captioning, and has a storage format that supports advanced Trickplay capabilities. Trickplay entails pausing live broadcasts, fast-forwarding, rewinding, instant replays and slow motion.


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President Trump is said to be so unhappy with Attorney General Jeff Sessions that he wants to replace Sessions with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Axios reported earlier, citing sources.
Trump was not pleased with Sessions recusing himself from the Russia investigation.
However, a tweet from CNN White House reporter Kaitlan Collins says that Giuliani agrees Sessions made the right call in stepping away from the investigation. The tweet goes on to say that Giuliani is not being considered as a replacement.
In a tweet sent out earlier this morning Trump called Sessions "our beleaguered A.G." and questioned why he isn't "looking into crooked Hillarys [sic] crimes & Russia relations?"
Axios argues that Giuliani wouldn't have an easy time getting the 50 Republican votes needed to confirm him as he was such a staunch Trump supporter when the president first announced his campaign. Giuliani likely wouldn't be seen as an independent watchdog of the Justice Department.
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This story has been updated from its original publish time of 10:10 a.m.


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According to reports on September 5, 2012 Nokia is organizing an event in New York where it is going to announce its new Windows Phone 8 based smart-phone and tablet (the first tablet of Nokia). The devices will hit the market in October after the release of the OS on October 26. With this new Windows Phone 8 smart-phone Nokia is planning for a new beginning to improve its smart-phone sales in the market as the Windows 7 based Nokia Lumia range cannot be updated to Windows Phone 8.
The new Windows Phone 8 smart-phones are now going to offer dual core processors for high speed and multi-tasking rather than single core processors in the Windows 7 based Nokia Lumia with better features and specifications. Also, now market has set up its eye on Nokia Pureview 808 as Nokia has plans to update the smart-phone with Windows Phone 8.
The new OS created with the aim to give Android a new rival proves why the launch of the new smart-phone with Windows Phone 8 makes it important for Nokia as now the manufacturer is focusing on Windows phone rather than on OS like Symbian. To share the news with friends and family follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
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This article contains information about the brands and organisations that are serving as sponsors and brand partners to the 2022 UEFA European Women’s Football Championship and enjoying a strong branding presence across the tournament’s physical and digital assets.
The Amsterdam-headquartered Dutch travel platform signed a four-year exclusive global partnership with UEFA National Team Football in October 2017.
Covering ten of UEFA’s international football tournaments from 2018 to 2022, including EURO 2020, the European Qualifiers for EURO 2020 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the European U21 Championships 2019 and 2021, the 2022 Women’s Euros and the UEFA Nations League Finals, apart from branding rights, the deal also entails Booking.com providing dedicated travel experiences to the football fans during the aforementioned tournaments.
In June 2022, ahead of the Women’s Euros, Booking.com launched Pitch View Penthouse at Wembley Stadium, venue of the tournament’s final, which is a football-themed accommodation as part of Booking.com’s most luxurious package to experience the event.
The UK-based e-commerce platform for home and kitchen appliances signed a long-term deal to become a UEFA Women’s Football partner in May 2021. The deal officially kicked off in January 2022.
The deal sees Euronics sponsor all UEFA-affiliated women’s football tournaments—both club and international—as well as UEFA’s Together #WePlayStrong programme, which is aimed at encouraging young girls and women to play football, until 2025.
The Barcelona-headquartered Spanish pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturer was announced as a UEFA Women’s Football partner in July 2021. Having started with the 2021-22 season, the deal is currently set to run until the end of the 2024-25 season and sponsor all UEFA-affiliated women’s football tournaments as well as the Together #WePlayStrong programme.
Apart from branding rights, the partnership also entails Grifols engaging with fans via on-site promotions, premium giveaways, and social media interactions.
A UEFA Champions League partner since 1994, Amsterdam-headquartered Dutch brewery Heineken was announced as a UEFA Women’s Football partner in May 2021.
The four-season deal sees Heineken sponsor all UEFA-affiliated women’s football tournaments until the end of the 2024-25 season.
Apart from branding rights, the deal also entails fan engagement initiatives, including activations—both on-site and digital—and unique experiences.
The Qingdao-headquartered Chinese electronics brand was announced as a Women’s Euro 2022 sponsor in March 2022. Hisense intends to promote female footballers via this partnership in order to help them achieve household recognition.
Just Eat Takeaway.com
The London-headquartered food delivery service originally partnered with UEFA as the Official Food Delivery Platform Partner of UEFA EURO 2020 in November 2019. Later, in March 2021, Just Eat Takeaway.com had its partnership expanded with UEFA in a new deal covering 11 of the European governing body’s competitions:
- the UEFA Champions League,
- the UEFA Europa League,
- the UEFA Europa Conference League,
- the UEFA Super Cup,
- the UEFA Futsal Champions League,
- the UEFA Youth League,
- the UEFA Women’s Champions League,
- UEFA Women’s EURO,
- UEFA Women’s Futsal EURO,
- the European Women’s U19 Championships, and
- the European Women’s U17 Championships.
The March 2021 agreement sees Just Eat Takeaway.com sponsor UEFA men’s competitions between 2021 and 2024, while as far as its women’s competitions are concerned, Just Eat Takeaway.com sponsors them as a UEFA Women’s Football partner in a deal set to run until 2025. It also partners with UEFA’s Together #WePlayStrong initiative, which focuses on encouraging young girls and women to play football.
A dominant presence in UEFA’s sponsorship portfolio, Lay’s, a potato chips brand owned by Harrison, New York-headquartered American multinational food giant PepsiCo, signed a multi-year deal with UEFA focused specifically on women’s football in August 2020.
The deal sees Lay’s support women’s football by serving as a main partner to the UEFA Women’s Champions League and UEFA Women’s EURO in a deal running until 2025.
The Foster City, California-headquartered American financial services provider became the first-ever sponsor dedicated to UEFA Women’s Football in 2018.
In July 2022, just days before the commencement of Women’s Euro 2022, Visa unveiled an ad campaign via which it aimed to exhibit how encouraging women in sports inspires and strengthens female-led businesses.
In August 2017, it was announced that German automaker Volkswagen would be replacing Hyundai as the Official Mobility Partner of UEFA’s international tournaments.
In July 2022, just before the start of Women’s Euro 2022, Volkswagen launched a 360-degree campaign called #NotWomensFootball, which was aimed at encouraging discussions about equality in the game and letting go of the idea of women’s football being a smaller-sibling variant of the “main” men’s football.
Just before the commencement of Women’s Euro 2022, adidas unveiled four murals across London in collaboration with female UK artists, celebrating four prominent female footballers: Mapi León, Millie Bright, Vivianne Miedema and Wendie Renard.
As the tournament kicked off, the German sportswear and sports equipment giant also announced its ‘Pitch, Please’ campaign, via which it pledged to provide dedicated football pitches across London to women, girls and non-binary players throughout the course of the tournament.
A UEFA partner since 2008, Swiss luxury watchmaker Hublot was announced as a UEFA Women’s Football partner in February 2020.
The American sportswear and sports equipment giant was announced as a UEFA Women’s Football partner and the official match ball supplier for all UEFA Women’s competitions in March 2019 on a three-year deal.
The Chinese video-sharing social media platform was announced as the Official Entertainment Platform of the tournament in May 2022. The partnership sees TikTok work with UEFA to create co-branded content for the app and engage its users while promoting women in sports. UEFA has even set up a dedicated Women’s Euro 2022 account on which content can be found with themes ranging from cultural showcasing to online safety.
The Danish plastic construction toys brand joined the tournament as a national sponsor in October 2021, backing UEFA’s “Ready for Girls” campaign which is aimed at female empowerment.
The Sunnyvale, California-headquartered American business-oriented social media platform was announced as a Women’s Euro 2022 sponsor in February 2022.
The partnership entails LinkedIn producing content around the tournament, including the “make work work for women” campaign, via which LinkedIn aims to promote the “trailblazers” in women’s football.


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Denver Restaurant Guide
- critics' pick
- best of
5 restaurants found
Biju's just managed to open its doors before year-end 2014, beating a few other eateries -- a new Park Burger and Osaka Ramen -- to the punch in a new...
The second outpost of Biju Thomas's popular curry house opened in the Berkeley neighborhood in April 2016, after much anticipation. It didn't take long for...
The wildly popular Biju's opened its fourth outpost in a Whole Foods in March 2017 -- and it won't take long for shoppers and neighbors to realize that the South...
The original Chop Shop Casual Urban Eatery opened in 2014 on a revitalizing stretch of East Colfax Avenue and immediately earned our affections as well as our...
4990 E. Colfax Ave.
Denver, CO 80220Critics' PickBest OfImageReaders' Choice
Chop Shop Casual Urban Eatery, which opened in 2014 on a revitalizing stretch of East Colfax Avenue, is not your normal fast-casual joint — at least not if your...


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Fifty-four restaurants across the province are registered for the competition this year, with nine in Prince County.
The restaurants offer a gourmet burger, and patrons vote for their favourties.
This is the third year FiveEleven West in Summerside has competed. Manager Emily MacEwen said they are having a successful campaign so far.
“It’s worth while to get new people coming in,” she said.
The restaurant is hoping for even more votes next week, when the Grand Slam Curling Players Championship comes to Summerside.
“We’re hoping some of the curlers, their families, and those watching will try our burger,” she added.
Anson’s Restaurant in Slemon Park is also competing and so far it’s bringing in new customers.
“We’re seeing customers we’ve never seen before,” said Kevin Moufler, manager, “It’s great to get more people in the door.”
Moufler said the restaurant’s burger has gotten tons of positive reviews.
“Around 300 burgers have been sold as of yesterday.”
Anson’s managers are already planning to compete next year.
“It’s a no-brainer to participate next year,” said Moufler.
The Kensington Club and Black Horse Grill in Kensington is also registered. Manager Darcy Busch is also a success story.
“It’s phenomenal. It’s going really good. We’re having a lot more business.”
The Club had to change its hours to keep up with the demand.
“We’ve been opening the kitchen on Sundays. We don’t usually open it on Sundays.”
Just like Anson’s and FiveEleven West, the Club has also sold around 300 burgers, and plans to compete again next year.
Other Prince County establishments registered are: Dream Away Cafe, Bedeque; Brothers 2, Summerside; Gentleman Jim’s, Summerside; Island Stone Pub, Kensington; the Loyalist Lakeview Resort, Summerside; and Frosty Treat Dairy Bar, Kensington.


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Budva – With the opening of the International tourist market and tourism fair – METUBES 2007, this year’s summer tourist season officially started.
In the five fair halls of Budva Adriatic fair more than 180 exhibitors from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro presented themselves.
While opening the fair, Minister of tourism, Predrag Nenezic, said that everyone could be pleased with the results, which were achieved, in the past few years.
– We have made huge steps forward, achieved great results when we are talking, first of all, about the growth of income, but also about the number of tourists, the number of overnight stays, and the raising of quality of our tourist offer in all segments of the tourist chain. We should not be hypnotizes with the results that we have, because we are only at the beginning of the creation of the new, quality tourist destination of Montenegro. The first visible and tangible results which we achieved give us the right to really expect in the next few years even better positioning of Montenegro as a quality, prestigious tourist destination in the European and world market – said Nenzic.
He added that immediately after the previous season, the Government, the Municipalities, tourist economy, NGO, and the faculties have started to prepare the upcoming tourist season.
– We have started a significant number of infrastructural projects which are still being carried out from season to season, even though the periods for the preparation are shorter and shorter, because the seasons last every year longer. We have started to plan more quality for the further period. We realized that after five years of carrying out of the master plan, as every other serious Government and state we have to have a revision. Until the June the Master plan will be finished, and we will have a chance to, in accordance with the new strategy, develop the tourism in that segment. We are engaged also in the realization of the strategy of human resources in tourism – stated Nenezic.
– Budva, but also our entire coast, central, and mountain part too are real construction places. As a Government we have done a lot, but there are still a lot more things to be done and because of that public private partnership is very important – said Nenezic.
He concluded that this year there would be at least 15.000 workers in tourism, which is 7% more than last year. The vice president of the Municipality, Lazar Radjenovic marked that Budva is a “great positive construction place, which has become a really interesting spot for all the biggest world investors”.
– We are sure that with your support, using those investments, we will become one of the most important summer vacation places in the Mediterranean – stated Radjenovic.
Director of the Adriatic fair, Rajko Bujkovic said that this year’s market represents one of the most successful ones in the past 16 years.
– Among more than 180 exhibitors the participants from the most important tourist destinations, as well as the organizers of tourist travels and accommodations from the country and abroad are traditionally present – except domestic ones, we have exhibitors from Albania, BiH, Italy, Serbia and Croatia. Beside the various forms of tourist industry from mountain, coastal, spa, educational, and congress tourism there will be presented also the complementary offer of transport, equipment, media… The market of private accommodation will be organized separately as a significant segment of tourist offer of Montenegro. The novelty of the this year’s METUBES is the festival of tourist communications, which will be taking place in four categories, and those are: tourist prospect, tourist advertisement, web site, and tourist photography – said Bujokovic.
CTU – THE EXAMPLE OF ORGANZIED BUSINESS
For the first time on some of the tourist markets, in Budva, Montenegrin tourist association (CTU) presented itself on a quality made stand, in the central place of the main hall of the Adriatic fair. They have presented their work until now and their plans.
CTU is an example of an organized tourist business and it is a proof that private partnership in cooperation with the public sector is the only way towards the creation of the quality tourist destination.
With its sectors (hotels, tourist agencies, restaurants, transport, camps, rooms, and suites) CTU directs its activities towards creation of better business frames through the influence on political development which concerns Montenegrin tourism, Montenegrin tourist association presented itself at the tourism fair in Budva with representatives of all sectors. CTU organized the presentation of the firm “Blue Line” from the transport sector, the former Herceg Novi “Autosaobracaj” which has promoted the new name of the company. Special attention provoked the round table on the topic “Low cost carriers and tour operators” which gathered all relevant representatives, from both Montenegro and the surrounding, who spoke on the topic of implementation of the low cost air transporters in Montenegro.
In cooperation with the agency for employment “Marmil” from Podgorica, CTU has organized in Becici elite hotel “The Queen of Montenegro” work market “Employment in tourism”. During the fair days on the stand of CTU firm from Podgorica “Reklama” (Ltd. ADVERTISEMENT) in cooperation with Ltd. Minalive” from Belgrade presented itself. They have introduces the representatives of the tourist business with digital visit cards which represent the multimedia, effective, and attractive way of presentation of companies. These visit cards make a synthesis of text, sound, graphic, animation, and video. Company In Bev Group / Pivara (BREWERY) Trebjesa SC has organized a presentation of the project Beer & Food, and on the stand they had the presentation of monograph Montenegro – Hidden paradise, by author and publisher Reinhold Fleischhackker, which was printed in four languages in 250.000 copies.


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DETROIT — The United Auto Workers union blasted General Motors Tuesday for considering selling Chinese-built Buick Envisions in the United States and vowed to try to kill the plan during ongoing contract negotiations.
“After the sacrifices made by U.S. taxpayers and the US workforce to make General Motors the profitable quality company it is today, UAW members are disappointed with the tone-deaf speculation that the Envision would be imported from China," said Cindy Estrada, the UAW vice president responsible for the union's relations with GM.
"GM should stand by its declaration that it will build where it sells," Estrada said in a statement.
"The Envision should be made in the US by the workforce that saved GM in its darkest time, and UAW members intend to address this issue in contract talks.”
GM spokesman Nick Richards said reports about importing the Envision, a compact sport utility vehicle GM put on sale in China in 2014, are "speculative."
"We have not announced the Buick Envision for any markets other than China, where it has been extremely successful to date," he told AFP. "As a matter of practice, we don't discuss future product plans."
GM declined to comment on reports that in 2016 it would shift production of the Buick Verano sedan from Michigan to China; production of the Buick Regal from Canada to either China or Europe; and also start importing the Buick Cascade convertible from Europe.
The speculation comes as Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump has seized on trade with China as a campaign issue and called for leveling a 25% tariff on Chinese imports.
Buick is one of GM's most popular brands in China and the automaker sell roughly four Buicks in China for every Buick it sells in North America.
But car sales are slowing in China, where the Detroit-based carmaker has installed a huge production base over the past decade. And SUV sales are climbing in the U.S. with lower gas prices.
The UAW is in the middle of negotiations of new labor pacts with GM, Ford and FCA.
Union president Dennis Williams has said a pay raise is the union's top priority. However, the potential for lost jobs and production will certainly complicate talks, especially after both GM and Ford announced major investments in Mexico.
A substantial portion of all the vehicles built in Mexico are exported to the United States.
GM chief executive officer Mary Barra told reporters in June that she would not negotiate with the UAW in public and preferred to keep any discussions behind closed doors--a policy both sides have adhered to since talks began last month.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2015