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Slow sales growth, millions of losses, and tighter regulation can bring bad news to the controversial sector.
Australia buys now, later paying providers have been hit in the stock market, stocks have plummeted by an average of 80%, the sector has lost millions of dollars, and consumer interest in products has plummeted. ..
Investors are struggling to sell stocks that are nearly 12% cheaper in a single trading session.
The Australian market is saturated with BNPL providers with 12 listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. This is the most common place in the world.
Afterpay Loss of $ 156.3 million Last year’s fiscal year increased by almost 700% compared to last year.
Rival BNPL Service Zip also reported a loss of $ 652 million. This is a significant increase of 3000% compared to last year when it announced a $ 20 million deficit.
Grant Harverson, CEO of McLean Roche Consulting, said many were shocked by the dramatic loss of Zip.
“The sector lost more than $ 1.05 billion in 2021 and many investors are concerned,” he said. Parents..
“The 2021 reports for most BNPL apps were bad because of lower sales growth, higher credit losses and higher cash burns. From a cash flow perspective, that number seems questionable. . “
Consumer group has BNPL service “Debt Spiral” for People As with other financial products such as credit cards, the industry is required to be more tightly regulated and is already struggling.
Catherine Temple, head of policy and campaigns at the Center for Consumer Behavior Law, previously pointed out that if young people rely on BNPL services, they can have problems.
“Buy now and pay later providers normalize the debt of really young Australians at the beginning of financial independence, and the decisions we make when young are really long-term to our future money. It can have an impact, “she said.
“In general, you need to know that this product isn’t free, especially if you can’t pay on time and are prone to problems.”
Meanwhile, Zip stocks plummeted 63% from highs, but another provider, Openpay, has pushed into the US and UK markets, which could fall if more money isn’t raised or new stocks aren’t available. He warned that he had sex and accumulated a lot of bad debts. Published by the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.
According to Halberson, lesser-known players such as IOUpay experienced a dramatic 96% drop from the peak, while another player called Fatfish fell 84%.
To join the already fierce competition Payment giant PayPal Earlier this year, it announced that it would enter the field by offering BNPL to 9 million Australian customers, but said it would not charge late fees.
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has also flagged a change in rules that will allow retailers to pass on the fees charged by BNPL providers to their customers, as it could exacerbate the problem in this sector. , May significantly reduce the attractiveness of payment options.
Halberson also said that RBA figures show that BNPL spending is flat and annual sales are $ 11.5 billion, which could have already peaked in Australia. Suggests.
Initially published as follows Providers Buy Now and Pay Later Reveal Millions of Losses
Providers Buy Now and Pay Later Reveal Millions of Losses
Source link Providers Buy Now and Pay Later Reveal Millions of Losses


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Even though New York magazine noted the pervasiveness of so-called Millennial Pink in 2016, the popularity of the rosy hue has hardly ebbed. And based on Benjamin Moore’s predictions for next year, it’s clear the color is here to stay: At a splashy soiree Thursday evening, the paint company unveiled a happy, blush-colored tint called First Light as its 2020 Color of the Year. It’s a choice that, according to Benjamin Moore’s Andrea Magno, is “easy to love” and “blooming with potential.”
Indeed, in contrast to the like-seeking shade that’s doused our Instagram feeds and Pinterest boards, First Light proves that pink needn’t be attention-grabbing or saccharine—in fact, it can be cooly neutral, refreshingly modern, and universally flattering. As proof, here are 13 interiors from AD’s archive, inspired by the Benjamin Moore 2020 Color of the Year, that will persuade you too to think pink.

domain: news


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Amazon Automating Grocery Stores
Last week, Amazon announced the opening of its Amazon Go to the public and “Just Walk Out” shopping. We believe this is part of a broad shift in reshaping the broader retail market and Amazon is leading the way.
Shoppers show up, grab what they want, and are automatically charged with whatever they walk out with, without interacting with any store employees.
Qualivian Investment Partners Up 30% YTD; Long ORLY Thesis
Qualivian Investment Partners commentary for the second quarter ended July 30, 2020. Q2 2020 hedge fund letters, conferences and more “Short-term investors will accept a 20% gain because they didn’t spend the time to develop the conviction and foresight to see the next 500%.” - Ian Cassell Executive Summary Readers of investment letters fall into Read More
“When you’re finished, you simply exit the store,” Puplava said. “You don’t wait in line for a cashier… There is no human interaction in this.”
This is forcing other retailers to respond. Kroger, the largest stand-alone grocery store chain, is rolling out its own cashier-free experience. Alibaba and Walmart are moving in the same direction.
What Can Be Digitized, Will Be Digitized
These trends are going to completely reshape the economy.
“Welcome to the world of virtualization,” Puplava said. “It is growing rapidly, and is going to change so many of the things that we do, or are used to seeing.”
Any job that can be done routinely or something that is repetitive is going to be automated, if not digitized. And all of these trends are accelerating due to what is referred to as DANCE: Data, Algorithms, Networks, the Cloud, and Exponential improvements in hardware.
The most prevalent device we can all relate to that didn’t exist a decade ago is the smartphone. It’s a powerful tool that allows multiple applications and is reshaping everything from media to the way we shop.
“Think what your smartphone did to digital cameras or camcorders,” Puplava said. “Think what it did to Apple itself. One of its first devices was the iPod, but now we don’t even have a tab on Apple’s website for iPods because they’re replaced by our phones. These are things that are happening at such an accelerating pace and reshaping the landscape, it’s almost breathtaking when you see what’s happening.”
Where Will Humans Fit In?
Occupations that are dull, dirty, dangerous or repetitive are the areas where we’re likely going to see robots, drones and digital machines begin to take over, Puplava noted.
We’re already seeing driverless cars, but now even tractors are being operated without human input, while drones are monitoring conditions and allowing for remote operation.
“Think of where we’ve gone in over a century,” Puplava said. “We went from an agricultural society in the 19th century, we went through the Industrial Revolution, and now look what we’re doing in agriculture today.”
This is very likely to continue. Just as we lost a lot of manufacturing jobs in the last downturn, today we’re producing more manufactured goods with fewer workers as we automate more and machines work hand-in-hand with humans in the future.
“As machines are able to do more work in the physical world and we do less of it, instead we’re going to move on to do things we’re more capable of,” Puplava said. “The jobs of the future are going to require more skillsets, and we’re going to move more into our technical capabilities.”
Education will have to change, Puplava added, and he expects to see more emphasis on high-skilled forms of employment. The trend isn’t reversible, and we’re better off looking forward and anticipating what’s coming, than trying to deny it.
“This is the world we’re living in,” Puplava said. “We just have to figure out how we adapt to it, survive it, and how to profit from it.”
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Article by Financial Sense


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In the age of digital communications, fax machines seem as obsolete as using a dial telephone or a cassette tape. Think about it: if a co-worker asked you to fax a document, you’d probably look at them in disbelief. But in Germany, fax machines have not yet been consigned to the history books, research shows.
Digital advocacy group Bitkom investigated 505 companies across the country and found that a whopping 82% of them still fax. Specifically, a third of respondents said their use of the 180-year-old technology is “frequent” or “very frequent.”
However, the intensity of use gradually decreases. Last year it was 40%, up from 62% in 2018. Accordingly, half of companies now send faxes only rarely or occasionally, while 16% have stopped altogether. According to Bitkom, this data shows that faxing in the business world is slowly but surely coming to an end.
To fax or not to fax?
But regardless of the declining trend in usage, one question remains: why use fax machines – well past their heyday – instead of simply emailing or sharing in the cloud?
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“The most appreciated thing about the classic fax machine is the ability to clearly trace whether something has been sent,” said Nils Britze, Head of Digital Business Processes at Bitkom.
Britze also pointed out another factor: “Once a communication channel is established, it usually takes a while to completely replace it – even if much more comfortable and secure means of communication have emerged.”
From a business perspective, this translates to the challenge of digitization. According to Bitkom previous research, larger companies are finding it easier to go fully digital compared to small businesses with less than 100 employees. Specifically, 42% of large companies surveyed had digitized their business processes by 2021, while 94% of smaller companies still used paper.
From a personal perspective, delaying the replacement of the fax machine refers to what Jonathan Coopersmith, history professor at Texas A&M University, calls:comfortable inertia.” That is, people’s tendency to cling to the familiar, and in turn their reluctance to change technology.
So it seems that classic old faxing has some good years left before it becomes a relic of the past – at least in Germany.


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The social media conversation always, albeit implicitly, pits Facebook against Twitter. It sounds reasonable on the surface, given that they're the two biggest brands in the space. It's also a very ignorant comparison because Facebook and Twitter are fundamentally different products. Google Plus, however, is much more like Facebook, even more-so with its latest redesign.
Google Plus' circles is a mimick of Facebook's groups. Both let you filter your news feed, and both let you restrict your posts to an approved set of people. The new profile page design on Google Plus has even shamelessly copied the cover photo from Facebook's Timeline profiles.
Google Plus has been set up to present photo albums in a stylish way that is said to have attracted many photographers. Meanwhile, Facebook is the biggest photo repository on the web, and has recently updated its photo presentation to match Google Plus' design.
Of course, one of the most fundamental moves that Facebook made to retain its users was to implement an application platform. Thanks to partnership with games company Zynga, Facebook attracted, retained, and made money from its users. Google Plus has tried to follow suit with releasing a games platform.
Given Google's wealth and popularity, especially with Android, why hasn't it had better success with Google Plus?
There are three answers to that question, and the answers are surprisingly unlike Google.
Firstly, Google Plus lacks an Application Programming Interface (API). Facebook has an API which is what allows you to use third party apps and services to post content to your account. Whenever you grant something permission to post on your wall, you're going through the Facebook API. Google have still not done this. So it's relatively inconvenient to use because there's no way to post content without using the website or Android app, and Google have not provided an app for other mobile platforms – which brings us to …
Secondly, Google is pushing its social network via its mobile platform, Android. All other mobile platforms have so far been ignored, apart from having a mobile version of the website. Google's attitude has always been that as long as people are using its services, then it benefits. Now, it has chosen to act in a far more closed way than it has ever done before.
Thirdly, as a consequence of the above two points, Google Plus runs the risk of engendering apathy and hostility; Apathy because Google has not made it easy enough to use Google Plus (e.g. there can be no TweetDeck integration without an API); Hostility because the public could well be turned off by the relatively closed and forced environment.
Google Plus' popularity grew very quickly compared to Facebook and Twitter. However, it's probable that its growth has slowed significantly – especially if the quantity of new posts is anything to go by. I know that most of my Google Plus 'followers' are new users who rarely post anything, which looks suspicious – possible spammers in the making?
Hopefully, this year's Google IO developer conference will bring a Google Plus API – if it doesn't it runs the risk of letting its social network slip into irrelevancy.


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At least 90 per cent of Kenyans have bought an item online for the past 5 years with 71 per cent of them willing to spend up to Sh50,000, this according to a recent e-Commerce study by e-ENSURES Limited.
Kenya leading the world in e-commerce uptake
This means that the country’s e-commerce sector has grown 9 folds in the past five years, faster than developed countries like USA whose annual e-commerce uptake now stands at a modest 14.5 per cent.
Youthful population fueling the growth
The study which sampled a total of 515 respondents shows that most online buyers in Kenya are below 40 years with those between 18-32 years accounting for a whopping 93 per cent.
With the country’s mean age currently standing at 19 year, it means that investors coming into the country must take e-commerce seriously
Kenyans with family obligations tend to shy away from online stores with statistics showing that only 22 per cent of those married purchasing online. Singles dominates the market at 78 per cent.
Lifestyle products dominate online purchase
According to the study, lifestyle products take huge chunk of items bought online with electronic taking a majority of 45 per cent. Clothes and travel related products accounts for 20 and 10 per cent of total online purchase in Kenya respectively
Of the electronic goods purchased, smart phones accounts for 71 per cent while computers and TVs represents 11 and 10 per cent respectively. Others are music system at 4 per cent while cameras are the least at 3 per cent.
The study revealed that more Kenyans shop Tecno and Samsung phones online t than any other brand. According to the study, 29 per cent of smart phone online buyers prefer Teco, while 28 per cent of them go for Samsung. Apple and Nokia are the least at 9 and 6 per cent respectively.
Which e-commerce platforms do Kenyans use?
Jumia and Kilimal dominates the country’s e-commerce sector, with the two commanding 72 per cent of total e-commerce traffic.
However, takes the largest share with 50 per cent of total respondents having bought an item on the platform. Kilimal, which was launched in Kenya less than 5 months ago commands 22 per cent of the total traffic.
Why they shop online
Key factors driving Kenyans to online shops are prices, convenience and quality. In the study, 39 per cent termed best prices as a major incentive that send them to e-shop while 21 per cent of them are enticed by reviews.
Those who turn to online for shopping convenience are 18 per cent while 17 per cent of online shoppers in Kenya like to compare prices.
The study indicated that 90 per cent of Kenyans go online first, before visiting actual shops.
Mode of payment
Furthermore cash on delivery is the most preferred mode of payment amongst online shoppers. This mode of payment is liked by 48 per cent of online buyers while 42 per cent pay using M-Pesa service.
Debt card and online banking are the least modes of payment at 7 and 4 per cent respectively.
Those stats in the first paragraph are questionable.m


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Bring the revolution! Stanton’s SCS 4DJ is an all-in-one funbox for the digital DJ
DENON AND ON AND ON…
Denon’s new DN-MC6000 mixer/controller has jumped into the ring to give Native’s S4 and even Vestax’s VCI DJ controllers a run for their money. Can it put up a good fight?
Wacom’s Nextbeat 1000 all-in-one DJing device is out to totally transform how DJs work the crowd. But will it please, or is it just a tease? DJ Sonny Wharton puts it through its paces…
Win a set at Creamfields and more!
Liverpool label management company and online shop close in another blow
The results are in for the DJmag Technology Awards 2007.
DJmag.com caught up with Tocadisco, the hottest remixer in dance music, for a quick natter.


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Backlash from some readers to our Oct. 8 story about the high cost of disposable diapers for low-income mothers was predictable: Why can't these women just save money and use cloth diapers?
When they were young and later when they raised their own large families, they said, women washed loads of diapers every day. That has to be a cheaper alternative than disposable diapers, they argued. But if you listen carefully to the research that has been done on this issue, we hope you'll understand that disposable diapers should not be viewed as an entitlement but rather a necessity in today's world of working mothers.
The website www.pampers.com
credits Victor Mills, a chemical engineer, as the inventor of disposable diapers. "He began work on that product in the 1950s, using his grandchildren as test subjects," the website says. "While some thought father knew best, Vic Mills believed grandfathers knew even more. This guy (who just happened to work for Procter & Gamble) looked for an easier way to diaper his grandson. The result -- Pampers was born."
In the next three decades, competition erupted to convince parents to buy a particular brand of disposables. Manufacturers created diapers for boys and diapers for girls. They came up with extra-absorbant diapers for overnight use, and they invented pull-up diapers for children who were being potty trained. With the amount of marketing poured into selling disposable diapers, is it any wonder they became the choice of many parents?
Still, the diaper manufacturers have done their homework. Disposable diapers wick away moisture. That keeps baby bottoms drier. Babies, in turn, are more content and less likely to have diaper rash, if diapers are changed regularly and not rationed to save money.
But the journal Pediatrics recently reported that nearly one-third of low-income women struggle to buy an adequate supply of diapers, which can cost as much as $75 a month for one child. Neither food stamps nor the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program cover the cost of diapers.
The National Diaper Network in New Haven, Conn., provides diapers for low-income women in its region and helps other communities to set up similar networks. On www.nationaldiapernetwork.org
, it explains why diapers matter. "Without diapers, babies cannot participate in early childhood education. Without child care, parents cannot go to work."
Making sure poor Erie children have access to quality early childhood education programs is one goal of Erie Together, the local anti-poverty initiative. For poor mothers who work or enroll in job training programs, day care is a necessity, and day care rules require parents to supply disposable diapers. But agencies such as the Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Network, Emmaus Ministries, St. Martin Center and Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania don't get enough donated diapers to keep up with demand.
Why not consider donating diapers to one of these agencies? You'd be offering a hand up, not a handout.


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Bahamas Relocates Tourism Call Centre From Florida to Grand Bahama
Above: the opening ceremony last week
By the Caribbean Journal staff
The Bahamas has relocated its tourism call up centre from Florida to Freeport, Grand Bahama.
The call centre’s move is part of what Prime Minister Perry Christie called part of the “greater economic expansion now underway in Grand Bahama.”
“The Bahamas Telemarketing Centre is envisioned to grow into a ‘supermarket’ for Bahamas Tourism products, not limited just to the BMOT with the ability to not only give information, but growing into a full scale fulfillment centre for all Bahamas products, including the engagement of the centre as an extension of tour operator services,” Christie said.
Christie pointed to other projects underway on the island, including the planned opening of the Blue Diamond Memories resort and the renovations being completed on the Reef Village at Lucaya.
Bahamas Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe, whose constituency includes part of Grand Bahama, said the Call Centre could become “an entrance to The Bahamas and change the entire complexion of this island of Grand Bahama and certainly of our Commonwealth.”
He said he believed that Freeport could “finally achieve the objectives that were set out many, many years ago to become a centre for business, particularly offshore business, and certainly for tourism.”
The call centre is being operated by Island Outsources and Itel-BPO Solutions. CEO Yoni Epstein said the company began its operations last month with 65 people and could increase the size of its staff to 200 by the end of 2014.


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Bitcoin adoption in West Africa is primarily driven by Nigeria, but there is also growing interest and educational efforts in French-speaking West African countries. Senegal recently opened its first physical Bitcoin exchange and education center called Bitique, and the country will host a Bitcoin Forum in December. In Benin, the Bitcoin-only Bitcoin Mastermind conference will take place next month, bringing together Bitcoin entrepreneurs and crypto enthusiasts from local groups and businesses.
Countries in French-speaking West Africa use the West African CFA franc currency, which has faced criticism as a “colonial hangover.” This has led to anti-French sentiment in the region, with some Bitcoin advocates expressing their frustrations with the currency as a form of criticism towards post-colonial French policies. As a result, alternative currency initiatives, including Bitcoin, are gaining traction in the region.
The emphasis on financial education and discussions in West African countries is more focused on physical meetups and real-life interaction, compared to online platforms in the West. Although the COVID-19 pandemic initially limited discussions to online platforms, more physical spaces have opened up post-pandemic. These physical spaces, such as Bitcoin conferences, meetups, and shops, play a crucial role in educating and engaging the community.
In Senegal, Bitique is the first physical Bitcoin store in Dakar, offering trading services and educational programs for people to learn about Bitcoin in person. Additionally, Bitcoin Senegal conducts a nationwide program called “Baol Digital Kids,” which teaches children how to use Bitcoin and the Lightning Network. The video shows children receiving and sending their first satoshis via the Lightning Network, which they can then spend at merchants that accept Bitcoin.
Internet connectivity can be unreliable in West Africa, which poses a challenge for running Bitcoin nodes. To address this, Nourou in Senegal received a Blockstream Satellite kit, allowing him to run a Bitcoin node that is protected against network interruptions. In Benin, Kassamoto and his peers run one of the country’s first Bitcoin nodes, contributing to the increased adoption of Bitcoin in the region.
While Bitcoin adoption is growing, it also comes with risks due to its association with other cryptocurrencies and potential scams. Kassamoto emphasizes the importance of understanding Bitcoin specifically and distinguishing it from the broader crypto market. bitcoin meetups and educational events provide opportunities to educate the West African community about the potential benefits and differences of Bitcoin.
In addition to Senegal and Benin, other countries in West Africa are also exploring the use of cryptocurrencies. The Central African Republic, which adopted Bitcoin as legal tender, has also introduced its own crypto token and is experimenting with tokenizing real-world assets. Ghana will host a large Bitcoin and educational conference this year, featuring prominent figures in the Bitcoin community.
These developments signify the growing interest and adoption of Bitcoin in West Africa, particularly in French-speaking countries. Efforts to educate and engage the community through physical spaces and events play a crucial role in facilitating the understanding and adoption of Bitcoin as a decentralized currency in the region.


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The Health & Fitness Blog is a collection of diary entries, news, gossip and
other Health and fitness related information.
Consumers advised to avoid raw eggs
The European Union food standards agency (EFSA) has advised consumers to avoid eating raw eggs and to cook poultry thoroughly to prevent the spread of bird flu. They cannot discount the possibility of the virus being transmitted through food.
Health experts say that the H5 and H7 strains of the virus are rendered inactive after being exposed to 60c for 30 minutes. At present there is no evidence to prove that the virus can be transmitted through food
: 27/10/2005 20:34:18
To view the
and Fitness Blog, click


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United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 8 has ratified new labor contracts with Safeway, Vons, Save Mart, FoodMaxx and Maxx Value in Northern, Central and Southern California.
UFCW 8 said late last week that members voted “overwhelmingly” to approve new three-year labor deals at the supermarket chains, describing the agreements as “landmark contracts.”
“Our members appreciate the value of their new contracts, which are a model of what can be accomplished through interest-based bargaining,” UFCW 8 President Jacques Loveall said in a statement.
Safeway and Vons are part of Albertsons Cos., and the Save Mart, FoodMaxx and Maxx Value stores are part of The Save Mart Cos.
Covering about 14,000 UFCW 8 members working at the five retail banners, the new contracts include “meaningful” wage increases and guarantee funding for “strong benefits,” including an additional retirement plan for all members, the union reported.
“These employers recognized the successes we’ve achieved in progressive health care plan design and our tireless work in reinventing health care delivery,” according to Loveall.
Roseville, Calif.-based UFCW 8 had reached tentative agreements with the Save Mart Cos. chains in September and with Safeway/Vons in Northern and Central California in July. Members voted Oct. 3 and 4 to ratify the contracts.
Also on Oct. 4, UFCW 8 members in Southern California ratified a new three-year pact with Stater Bros. Market after reaching a tentative deal several weeks earlier.
“The contract was overwhelmingly approved by members from all Southern California UFCW locals,” UFCW 8 said in a statement. “The contract provides significant wage increases, retroactive pay, wage progression improvements, advanced notice of scheduling, proper funding for health care benefits and retirement security.”
UFCW 8 said negotiations are continuing with Raley’s, including the West Sacramento, Calif.-based grocer’s Bel Air Markets, Nob Hill Foods and Food Source banners in Northern California.
Last month, UFCW 8 and six other UFCW locals in Southern California — 770, 324, 1167, 135, 1428 and 1442 — ratified new three-year contracts with Albertsons Cos. (for Albertsons, Vons and Pavilions store employees) and The Kroger Co. (for Ralphs Grocery Co. employees) after narrowly averting a strike. Over the summer, members had authorized union leaders to hold a strike if talks continued to make no progress, a scenario that would have impacted over 46,000 grocery workers and more than 500 stores.


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Amid shutdown confusion, a reminder about taxes, fraud
At the time of this writing, the longest government shutdown on record persists.
About 800,000 federal employees and contractors are feeling the sting, juggling bills and hoping that cooler heads prevail in Washington. Meanwhile, economists are estimating how the shutdown might affect overall growth.
“This shutdown could shave approximately $1.2 billion off real GDP in the quarter for each week that part of the government is closed,” according to Beth Ann Bovino, chief U.S. economist at S&P.
The shutdown has a double-whammy effect: Those affected do not spend and the government itself will reduce purchases for products and services. On top of that, some consumers will not be able to secure federally backed loans and companies will have to wait to go public until the Security and Exchange Commission reopens. As a result, first quarter growth could slow by 0.25-0.50 percent to 2.25-2.5 percent, a far cry from the peak growth seen during Q2 2018, when the economy expanded at a 4.2 percent clip.
Adding to the murkiness: With many agencies shuttered, it will be tougher to gauge the nation’s progress. Although the Labor Department and Federal Reserve are both open for business, the Census Bureau is not, which means that housing, manufacturing and trade data is on ice.
Additionally, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, which is housed under the Commerce Department, is closed. That means the first estimates of fourth-quarter and full-year 2018 gross domestic product could be delayed beyond the scheduled release date of Jan. 30.
Meanwhile, the IRS has kept a skeleton crew of about an eighth of its staff and has stated that all deadlines remain in place (the only exception is for those victims of federally declared disaster areas). The agency also announced that Jan. 29 is the first day that you can file and assured that refunds will be processed within the traditional 21-day period for e-filers and 6 weeks for paper filers.
In the midst of all this chaos, it’s easy to forget something important when doing your taxes. Tax identity theft happens when someone uses your Social Security number to file a tax return claiming a fraudulent refund. Some taxpayers discover that they are victims when they e-file and learn that a return has already has been filed, while others are notified by the IRS.
And remember: The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email to request personal or financial information. Also, no one from the federal agency will ever call to demand immediate payment using a method such as a prepaid debit card, gift card or wire transfer. Generally, the IRS will first mail a bill to any taxpayer who owes taxes.
As you prepare for the upcoming tax season, the IRS offers these important tips:
Use security software with firewall and anti-virus protections and set strong passwords.
Learn to recognize and avoid phishing emails, threatening calls and texts from thieves posing as legitimate organizations such as your bank, credit card companies and even the IRS.
Do not click on links or download attachments from unknown or suspicious emails.
Protect your personal information and that of any dependents. Don’t routinely carry SS cards, and make sure your tax records are secure.
Finally, report suspicious online or emailed phishing scams to: email@example.com. For phone, fax or mail scams, call 1800-366-4484.
(Jill Schlesinger, CFP, is a CBS News business analyst. A former options trader and CIO of an investment advisory firm, she welcomes comments and questions at firstname.lastname@example.org. Check her website at www.jillonmoney.com.)
(c) 2019 TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC
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Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) suppliers have delayed the production of a larger iPad to early next year, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The suppliers had planned to start producing the larger screen tablet in mass volume beginning in December, but have been struggling to produce enough new iPhones to keep up with demand, the WSJ said.
Foxconn Technology Co Ltd <2354.TW>, which assembles iPhones and iPads, has 200,000 workers in China already putting together new iPhones and making items such as metal casings, the Journal said.
Apple is expected to launch the new iPads at an event on Oct. 16.
Asian suppliers expect Apple's larger tablet to have a 12.9-inch liquid-crystal-display screen with a resolution similar to the iPad Air launched in October last year, the WSJ said.
Data research firm IDC said in August that it expected tablet sales to slow globally in 2014.
Apple was not immediately available for comment.
The company said it sold more than 10 million of its new iPhones in the first weekend they were available in September.


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DALLAS -- When you think of fashion designers, you think of colors, patterns, stitching -- and being able to see, of course! Well, Dallas-based designer Tish Cox, along with Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind, are changing the way we see fashion.
"We have embarked on a new journey for the Lighthouse, and that is to train and to accomplish manufacturing women’s fashion," explained Hugh McElroy, CEO of Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind. "In this case, by blind and visually impaired individuals who have been trained to do so and have become artisans at what they do."
Established in 1931, Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind increased blind and vision impaired employment positions by 17% just last year. But the idea to bring a fashion house and non-profit organization together is the first of its kind.
"Whether you are seeing impaired or not seeing impaired, everyone wants a great career and a way to sustain yourself and your family, and that’s what Dallas Lighthouse does for the seeing impaired," Tish Cox said.
I guess one could say, fashion really is in the eye of the beholder.


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by Maria Tabish Chawla
The royal wedding is set to boost retail sales across the UK by an estimated £195m by the end of August, according to retail specialists Springboard. Retailers are set to receive a much needed boost in May, with an estimated £93.1m to be spent across UK high streets, shopping centres and out of town retail parks.
Given the public attention and potential revenue generation stemming from the wedding, many brands are cashing in with bespoke campaigns to get their share of the royal pie. Keeping up with the spirit of celebration, they have launched campaigns to increase brand awareness and involve customers in a little jubilation of their own. Here are some of our favourites:
A cuppa royal?
Fortnum & Mason have created a limited edition blend to commemorate the royal marriage. Named the Wedding Bouquet, this blend marries English and American-grown mint with Jasmine green tea and is adorned with rose petals. Another excuse to put the kettle on!
Build up to the wedding – with Lego
Legoland have unveiled a monumental brick masterpiece consisting of 39,960 pieces of Lego which depict Prince Harry and Meghan Markles’ big day at Windsor Castle. The Lego masterpiece took the team of nine model makers a staggering 592 painstaking hours to create, with no detail being spared, as the castle and surrounding trees are draped with union jack bunting and flags. Fancy a detour to Legoland on your way to Windsor?
The crisps brand Tyrell has launched a parsnip crisp that is flavoured with "a hint of ginger, sweet honey, and added edible glitter”. We’re not sure how we feel about eating glitter, but 10 points to the brand for adding a little bit of sparkle for Windsor and Markle.
Hats off for the Royals!


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Apple is well known for its applications for patents that describe devices powered by renewable energy sources such as solar energy and movement. No doubt the company continues to do just that. In a recently filed patent the company described a “portable and cost-effective fuel cell systems for portable computing device”, which seems that the company provides a device that can use several different energy source through the fuel cell.
Although the company has yet to produce such a machine powered by renewable energy, Apple seems quick to patent everything they could provide as possible use in future and current devices.
In his patent application Apple explains his interest in the use of fuel cells. The basis of this decision, according to the Apple is the dependence of her native country from fossil fuels, which forced the government to maintain complicated political and military relationships with unstable countries in the Middle East.”
The patent application describes a design in which energy can come from “fuel cartridge, which is removably attached to the fuel cell system.” This means that when the source of fuel is over, one can replace the cartridge and reload fuel, instead of using a battery recharge.
Apple lists a number of potential sources of fuel such as compressed hydrogen gas or liquid hydrogen, sodium borohydride, sodium silicate, lithium hydride, magnesium hydride, lithium borohydride and lithium aluminum hydride.
Following Apps’s plans for future fuel cells is the Europe struggle to manage its electronic waste.
Only one third of electronic waste in Europe is properly recycled. A huge number of mobile phones, computers and televisions are illegally traded or illegally dumped. This was realized after a publication of a by research released by the UN and Interpol on Sunday.
Sweden and Norway are the closest to EU targets for collection and recycling of 85 percent of all electrical and electronic waste. At the other end of the spectrum are Romania, Spain and Cyprus, which recycle less than 20 percent of their waste.
EU rules require recycling of all “electrical and electronic waste” – products with a plug or battery – to recover valuable metals such as gold or silver to prevent the release of toxins such as lead or mercury. On average 35% of e-waste on the continent are properly recycled in 2012, according to this new report. The report denied suggestions that the majority are illegally sent to African nations, particularly Nigeria and Ghana, and repaired to live a new life there. This approach is too expensive.
Total 3.3 million tons of total the 9.5 million tons of electronic waste generated in Europe in 2012, have been properly disposed of so that recyclable. Only about 1.3 million were exported. The rest is “processed” in Europe outside the regular treatment programs.
Joanna Botezatu, environmental expert at the international police agency Interpol said that prosecutions are rare, although some countries have strict penalties for environmental crimes. The recommendations of the report to better police cooperation, more consumer education on the topic of recycling and the ban on cash transactions in trade in scrap metal. A problem that must be solved is the fact that many people do not know where to find recycling centers, where to submit electronic and electrical junk.


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Marvel Releases 12 All-New "Ant-Man" Photos
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Activision has released new video from their highly anticipated "Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2," featuring Gambit and Jean Grey in action as well as screengrabs from the game featuring Deadpool, Iron Fist and more
Dark Horse Comics and Challenge Online Games have announced a new online baseball-themed game featuring some of the publisher's biggest characters, including The Goon, Hellboy, Concrete and more.
Check out the first trailer for SEGA's new video game "Iron Man 2," featuring a story written by Matt Fraction that incorporates concepts from the feature films as well as the comic books.
The highly anticipated MMO "DC Universe Online" will be front and center at this week's Comic-Con International. CBR spoke with renowned writer Marv Wolfman about his work on the game and got a look at exclusive images as well.
Matt Fraction will be creating the "Iron Man 2" game's all-new story, which will include familiar elements from both the movie and comic book universes. The game can be seen at Comic-Con in San Diego.
Activision has provided CBR with a 360 screenshot from “Marvel Ultimate Alliance” 2, the forthcoming video game based on the Marvel Comics superheroes. For the QuickTime-impaired, we've got some stills too.
The second installment of "Watchmen: The End is Nigh" will be arriving this month, and Warner Bros. Executive Producer Andy Abramovici gave CBR the lowdown on what to expect from the game.
Check out a new trailer for "Batman: Arkham Asylum," focusing on the villains featured in the highly anticipated new game. We've also got character profiles and concept art for each character.
CBR has another exclusive look into the upcoming "Batman: Arkham Asylum" game, with Art Director David Hego telling us all about creating the visual style of the game's setting and characters.
"Dungeons & Dragons Online," the MMO based on the roleplaying game, will be moving to a free-to-play model this Summer. CBR spoke with Turbine's Kate Paizto find out what the change means for the game and its players.
The CBR Games Roundup is back with July's video game releases. This month's highlights include "Punisher: No Mercy," "King of Fighters XII," "NCAA Football 10," and the return of "Monkey Island."
Fans will get to pit Marvel heroes against an all-star roster of Capcom characters when "Marvel vs. Capcom 2" arrives on XBox Live and the Playstation Network. We spoke with Capcom's Seth Killian about the re-release of the classic fighting game.
"Ghostbusters: The Video Game" will be hitting shelves for all major platforms this week, and CBR got the lowdown from Red Fly Studios' James Clarendon about what makes the Wii version of the game unique.
This fall, "Dead Space: Extraction" will bring the horror of the Necromorphs to the Nintendo Wii. CBR News speaks with Visceral Games' Steve Papoutsis about the game and previews concept art and the latest trailer.
Day 3 of E3 2009 is in the books, and we've compiled some of the interesting news of the day, including some "Final Fantasy XIV" info, another Kojima announcement, and a promotion for Lionhead's Peter Molyneux.
As part of E3 2009, Activision has released new screenshots from upcoming games including “Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2,” “Prototype” and “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." Check 'em out right here!
CBR's Brian LeTendre is all over E3 2009 in Los Angeles, and brings you the top five highlights from the second day of the biggest video game show in the world, including new Mario and Metroid, and a new PSP!
CBR's Brian LeTendre is all over E3 2009 in Los Angeles, and brings you the top five highlights from yesterday's opening day of the biggest video game show in the world.
CBR is back with highlights from this month's new video game releases, including "Red Faction: Guerrilla," "The Sims 3," "Marvel Vs. Capcom 2," "Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings" and much, much more.
Exclusively on the PS3, "Batman: Arkham Asylum" players can take on the persona of The Joker and wreak havok in Gotham's most famous insane asylum. Check it out!
With multiple developers offering different gaming experiences for the "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" storyline, you might not know which you'd prefer. CBR News has a rundown of the choices that lay in your future.
Check out new images and video of Poison Ivy as depicted in "Batman: Arkham Asylum," the highly anticipated video game from Eidos and Rocksteady, out in late Summer for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.
Radical Entertainment and Activision give CBR News a test run of "Prototype," the new third-person open world video game for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. Includes screenshots and video.
Sony Online Entertainment has revealed their latest character design from the upcoming DCU Online MMORPG: Wally West, aka The Flash. CBR has all the screenshots and character sheets.
Volition’s Design Director James Hague talks to CBR News about "Red Faction: Guerrilla," the latest int he popular first-person shooter series, which includes a host of new multiplayer options.
Eidos Interactive and Warner Bros. Interactive have released a new "Batman: Arkham Asylum" trailer that demonstrates the upcoming game's Free Flow Combat system's capabilities.
Activision has released a new list of playable characters from their upcoming "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" video game, along with new screenshots and character renders.
Activision provided CBR with their latest trailer for "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - The Video Game," including character reveals, new gameplay footage and more.
D3publisher announced plans to bring Summit Entertainment and Imagi Studios’ "Astro Boy" to Wii, Nintendo DS, Playstation2 and PSP this Fall. The game will ship worldwide to coincide with October release of the movie.
Raven Software’s Dan Vrondak and Senior Technical Artist Doug Smith talk exclusively with CBR about “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” noting this is the Wolverine video game fans have been waiting for.
CBR GAMES ROUNDUP is back for May, featuring titles like "Terminator Salvation, "Patapon 2," "Bionic Commando," "Punch Out!" and a little title called "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," among others.
Eidos has released a new FreeFlow Combat trailer for the highly anticipated "Batman: Arkham Asylum" videogame showcasing Batman fighting the Joker's henchmen as well as the monstrous Bane.
The cursed Kryptonian creature Doomsday is the latest character to be revealed as development continues on Sony Online Entertainment's "DC Universe Online" role-playing game.
Paul Dini talks to CBR News about scripting the hotly anticipated new video game "Batman: Arkham Asylum," starring the voices of his old "Batman: The Animated" series friends Kevin Conroy and Mark Hammil.
The Joker will be an exclusive playable character in "Batman: Arkham Asylum" for the PlayStation3. The character will be made available upon release as a free download.
The Joker's demented girlfriend, Harley Quinn will be one of the featured villains in the upcoming video game "Batman: Arkham Asylum." CBR has a new video vignette of in-game action.
One of Batman's greatest baddies, Bane, will be one of the featured villains in the upcoming video game "Batman: Arkham Asylum." CBR has a new video vignette of in-game action.
Sony Online Entertainment and DC Comics have released Jim Lee's concept art for everyone's favorite DC zombie, Solomon Grundy, who will be included in their highly anticipated DC Universe Online game.
The latest trailer for Activision's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" game focuses the spotlight on everyone's favorite Cajun mutant, Gambit! Also featured is new gameplay footage with Sabretooth, Blob and Sentinels!
CAPCOM's Senior Director of Communications and Community Chris Kramer stops by CBR News to talk about the hugely popular "Resident Evil 5," as well as WildStorm's new tie-in comic book.


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Intel executives said the company plans to release a low-voltage version of its Itanium 2 processor, formerly known by the code name Deerfield, later this year, and hinted that the chip could hit the streets in the next three months.
The announcement came as Intel formally launched the first Itanium 2 chips, known previously as Madison, in Taiwan. Those chips, which are being rolled out in systems from major server vendors, include three models: a 1.5GHz Itanium 2 with 6M bytes of Level 3 cache, a 1.4GHz chip with 4MB of Level 3 cache and 1.3GHz version with 3MB of Level 3 cache. The chips are priced at US$4,226, $2,247 and US$1,338 in 1,000-unit quantities, respectively.
The Itanium 2 processor offers a 25 percent to 30 percent increase in performance over its Xeon MP chips and a 30 percent to 50 percent increase in performance over the first-generation Itanium chips, according to Intel.
The Low Voltage Itanium 2 will be introduced later this year and is designed for use in rack-mounted servers and workstations, Intel said. At the Spring Intel Developer Forum in February, Intel executives said the first Low Voltage Itanium 2 will run at 1GHz and come with 1.5MB of Level 3 cache. More detailed information on specific availability and pricing was not announced.
Alongside the launch of the Low Voltage Itanium 2, Intel will also introduce the Intel Server Platform SR870BH2, a 2U rack-optimized unit which will be based on the new chip, according to Steve Yang, the Asia-Pacific marketing director for Intel's Enterprise Platform Group.
The SR870BH2 will ship during the third quarter, Intel said in a statement, suggesting that the Low Voltage Itanium 2 will ship sometime during the next three months.
In addition to the Itanium 2, Intel also added three chips to its Xeon MP processor family: the a 2.8GHz Xeon MP with 2MB of Level 3 cache, a 2.5GHz Xeon MP with 1MB of Level 3 cache, and a 2GHz Xeon MP with 1MB of Level 3 cache. The chips are priced at US$3,692, US$1,980 and US$1,177 in 1,000-unit quantities, respectively.


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Lower latency services such as IoT, 5G, and video streaming are behind much of the edge data center market’s growth.
The edge data center market is expected to double over the next five years, according to a recent study released by ResearchandMarkets. The compound annual rate of 17% will push the overall size of the market above $18 billion.
Lower latency services such as IoT, 5G, and video streaming are behind much of the market’s growth. Edge computing reduces the latency by lowering the time it takes for processing. Though public clouds are also gaining in popularity, they aren’t as suitable as edge services for these types of applications.
This is expected to increase the number of small-scale data services specializing in edge computing. It puts processing much closer to the user and makes delivering these low latency services far more efficient. An edge data center can help meet such requirements.
5G, in particular, has increased demand for IoT devices, better processing for robotics, and even better video streaming for consumer and company use. The market will grow based on these new business applications and potentially reshape the way we think of data centers.
North America and Asia will dominate the edge data center market
The United States is expected to make up the largest share of this growing market. In addition, Asia-Pacific will also experience strong participation in the market. Thanks to established startup cultures, big market players, and more disposable income in consumers who take part in these edge computing tasks, both areas will experience the most significant market share. The fastest-growing market segments will include Canada, China, and Japan.
Other applications expected to influence market movements include the application of IoT in different industrial use cases and smart city initiatives. As more cities participate in rebuilding according to smart city principles, they’ll need better access to edge data centers to reduce the cost and power of processing loads. In addition, AI and machine learning applications are expected to drive part of market growth as well.


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Chairman and CEO, Apple
It should come as no surprise that Jobs tops the list of company chiefs with the best buzz in 2009, according to Digital marketing agency Zeta Interactive, which mined millions of
blogs, message boards, and social media posts for conversations referencing Fortune 500 CEOs, then used algorithms to measure both the volume and tone of the chatter.
Online posts about the Apple chief totaled 16,218, more than any other CEO; and his 93% positive rating -- the percentage of comments about him that are deemed positive in tone --
puts him a full 10% above the next contender, Yahoo's Carol Bartz.
Speculation about Jobs' ongoing health problems fueled much of the conversation, but the leader named Fortune's CEO of the Decade
was also widely praised, with the words "genius" and "inspirational" as two
of the most common descriptors.
With a market valuation pushing $190 billion, a 73% share of the U.S. MP3-player market, and 33 million iPhones sold, Apple and its cult-of-personality CEO provide plenty to talk
NEXT: Best: Carol Bartz


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Welsh small and medium-sized manufacturers have a lot to gain from British luxury carmaker, Aston Martin developing its second UK manufacturing plant in South Wales.
Aston Martin launched Phase II of the development at its new St Athan site with a special ceremony on April 6.
The former military site was officially handed over from the Ministry of Defence to Aston Martin by Secretary of State Sir Michael Fallon at a ceremony including Aston Martin president and CEO Dr Andy Palmer, and Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Cairns and Welsh First Minister, Carwyn Jones.
Aston Martin St Athan is on target to commence production of the company’s new SUV, the Aston Martin DBX, in 2019.
It was also announced that contracts worth more than £60m are available to businesses across Wales following the Welsh government’s decision to open its Sell2Wales procurement channel to the luxury car maker.
It is the first time that private sector contracts have been advertised on Sell2Wales and will ensure Welsh SMEs have easy access to the raft of contracts being awarded by Aston Martin for work linked to the preparation and commencement of production
Aston Martin contracts worth several million pounds have already been advertised on Sell2Wales for Phase I of work at St Athan, with Ammanford-based construction firm, TRJ being one of the main beneficiaries.
Dr Palmer explained: “Due to its sheer size and scale, the St Athan Super Hangars represented an excellent opportunity for us to build our second manufacturing facility, within the envelope of an existing structure. It is perhaps fitting that St Athan is, like our headquarters and sports car factory at Gaydon, a former Royal Air Force base.”
The First Minister commented: “Aston Martin is already having a positive influence on the economy of Wales with more than 40 Welsh workers already employed at the Gaydon site, and we know that many more job opportunities will follow before 2020.
“The company’s move to St Athan is a major success story for Wales and I look forward to continuing to build on our working partnership with the company in order to bring maximum benefits to our economy and enhance our worldwide reputation.”
Aston Martin St Athan
Last year Aston Martin announced it had selected St Athan from 20 potential global locations it had been considering for its second manufacturing facility as part of a £200m investment in new products and facilities.
The St Athan site is expected to employ 750 workers before 2020, with a likely 3,000 more across the supply chain and local businesses in Wales. It is estimated the move will bring economic benefits worth half a billion pounds to Wales.
Phase I commenced in late 2016 when Aston Martin was first given access to part of the site and began to create the customer and staff reception areas, administration and management offices and the employee restaurant.
Phase II marks the beginning of the project that will see the three super hangars redeveloped into cutting-edge manufacturing facility.
The new plant brings employment opportunities to South Wales; a recruitment event last year attracted 3,000 applications and already the first technicians are working on the DB11 at Gaydon, training for the highly-skilled roles they will take up at St Athan in 2020.


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“In somewhat of a surprise from Tuesday’s quarterly conference call, it was announced that iTunes Software and Services generated $3.9 billion, which represents a whopping 25 percent increase compared to the year-ago period,” AppleInsider reports.
Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer “said some 1 billion TV episodes have been downloaded from the digital storefront since its inception, while more than 800,000 shows, and 350,000 movies, are downloaded each day,” AppleInsider reports. “Apple noted on Tuesday that the number of iOS titles up for offer has slowly grown to 900,000, 375,000 of which are designed especially for iPad.”
AppleInsider reports, “Developers have made $11 billion from App Store sales, half of which came from the last four months.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Money machine.


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Wabash National Corporation to Market Pharmaceutical Products under Extract Technology Global Brand
Walker Barrier Systems product line to be rebranded
LAFAYETTE, Ind. – April 19th, 2016 – Wabash National Corporation (NYSE: WNC) today announced it will begin marketing all Walker Barrier Systems products as Extract Technology. The Extract Technology portfolio will now include aseptic solutions, containment solutions, restricted access barriers and mobile clean rooms for the pharmaceutical, healthcare, biotech and chemical markets.
Wabash National’s operations in Huddersfield, England, and New Lisbon, Wisconsin, will continue to manufacture all aseptic and containment systems.
Alan Wainwright, who has more than 30 years of experience with Extract Technology, has been named the global managing director, Extract Technology Limited. He will oversee manufacturing operations in Huddersfield and New Lisbon and will be responsible for leading product development to deliver category-leading products to our global customers.
Walker Barrier Systems and Extract Technology customers should not see any impact to their operations with this brand migration,” explained Dave Nick, vice president and general manager, Process Systems. “Essentially, we’re leveraging some synergies between these two leading brands to create value for our global customer base. We’ll continue to offer the same innovative products and technologies that Extract Technology and Walker Barrier Systems are known for, still designed and built by the same teams.
Extract Technology, founded in 1981, has grown into one of the leading containment and aseptic manufacturers in the world. It will continue its international market growth by adding mobile clean rooms to its portfolio, which Walker Barrier Systems began manufacturing in 2013.
Customers can see the latest developments from Extract Technology at the International Pharmaceutical Expo (INTERPHEX) in New York April 26–28.
To learn more about Wabash National’s Extract Technology brand aseptic and containment solutions, mobile clean rooms and restricted access barriers, visit www.extract-technology.com.
About Wabash National Corporation
Headquartered in Lafayette, Indiana, Wabash National Corporation (NYSE: WNC) is a diversified industrial manufacturer and North America’s leading producer of semi-trailers and liquid transportation systems. Established in 1985, the company manufactures a diverse range of products including: dry freight and refrigerated trailers, platform trailers, bulk tank trailers, dry and refrigerated truck bodies, truck-mounted tanks, intermodal equipment, aircraft refueling equipment, structural composite panels and products, trailer aerodynamic solutions, and specialty food grade and pharmaceutical equipment. Its innovative products are sold under the following brand names: Wabash National®, Beall®, Benson®, Brenner® Tank, Bulk Tank International, DuraPlate®, Extract Technology®, Garsite, Progress Tank, Transcraft®, Walker Engineered Products, and Walker Transport. Visit www.wabashnational.com to learn more.


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Classic Blue, a shade reminiscent of the sky at dusk, has been announced by the Carlstadt, New Jersey, USA-based Pantone Color Institute its 2020 Color of the Year.
“It’s a color that anticipates what’s going to happen next,” said Laurie Pressman, the vice president of the Pantone Color Institute, which selects the Color of the Year.
“What’s the future going to bring as we move into the evening hours?”
Since 2000, the Pantone Color Institute has declared a particular color “Color of the Year.”
The results of the meeting are published in Pantone View, which fashion designers, florists, and many other consumer-oriented companies purchase to help guide their designs and planning for future products.
The Pantone Color Institute helps companies make informed decisions about color for their brands or products.
Whether it is color trend forecasting, brand color development, custom color solutions, or product palette selection, the Pantone Color Institute can guide people through the development of a color strategy that fits their company’s unique needs.
The Pantone Color Institute said it recognized similar feelings of instability gripping the world today, from the United States to the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Syria and across the globe.
It settled on a shade that offers the reassurance, confidence, and connection that people may be searching for in an uncertain global milieu.
Pantone has named a color of the year for more than two decades.
In 1963, the company created the Pantone Matching System, a proprietary system used in a variety of industries such as printing, graphic design, and fashion design to manage colors.


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UK supermarkets are battling to be the first to sell British-grown asparagus this year, a full two weeks before the start of the traditional but notoriously short season.
A new high quality, early season variety called Jubilee - which has won plaudits from foodies for its distinctive sweet and nutty flavour - will be on sale exclusively at Tesco from Friday.Sainsbury’s shoppers will be able to buy British-grown asparagus tips from this week, and can expect the supply to be 100% British by the end of April.
Airmile-laden products from Peru – still the world’s largest exporter of asparagus – have traditionally bolstered British supermarket shelves because of the unpredictability of UK weather. The short-lived British season typically only enjoys a two-month harvesting season, which starts on St George’s day (23 April).
Supermarkets have been working closely with growers to develop new varieties while improving quality. Jubilee asparagus, for example - launched in 2012 and grown exclusively for Tesco on a family-owned farm in Herefordshire - is an early season variety grown outdoors. Last year it caused demand to rocket by 150% compared with the year before. This year, supplier Cobrey Farms plans to double the amount it currently grows.
“Asparagus is one of the UK’s most weather-dependent crops,” said Cobrey’s Chris Chinn. “While the UK enjoyed a warm November and December followed by an average February and March the recent cold and rainy weather has put back the launch of Jubilee.”
Sainsbury’s said its first British asparagus tips, grown by Lichfield-based New Farm Produce Ltd, had been harvested by hand and were now being delivered to selected stores.
Marks & Spencer was first off the blocks with the earliest ever British asparagus in time for Valentine’s day in February - but grown in polytunnels rather than outdoors. It hopes to have entirely British in store by mid-April.


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The campaign significantly raised Tourism New Zealand’s social presence, with a 50 per cent increase in #NZMustDo hashtag usage on Instagram alone and was created to help potential visitors discover the diverse range of things to see and do in New Zealand, as recommended by visitors past and present.
The competition was open to all travellers with a great photo to share of their ‘must do’ New Zealand experience. By simply sharing their captioned photo on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, tagging the friend they wanted to travel with and including the hashtag #NZMustDo contestants were in to win their favourite holiday experience for two in New Zealand.
With word of mouth being the number one factor in travel decision making, the #NZMustDo again campaign used the recommendations of past travellers to capitalise on the word of mouth and third party endorsement opportunities present when someone shares photos among their social networks.
Read the full press release here


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Economy to ‘grow faster than EU average’
Malta’s economy is expected to continue to grow – even beyond the EU average – over the next two years, according to a European Commission forecast.
The “robust” growth comes as the EU economy, after years of stagnation, experiences “positive economic tailwinds” supported by various factors including the low price of oil and steady global growth.
In its biannual forecast issued yesterday, Brussels said Malta was expected to post a 3.6 per cent GDP growth this year before moderating to 3.2 per cent in 2016.
“The main drivers of growth over 2015 and 2016, similar to 2014, are projected to be investment, benefiting from a number of large-scale construction and energy projects and EU fund absorption (mostly in 2015),” it said. According to the Commission, another boost to Malta’s economic growth is “private consumption, on the back of increasing disposable incomes and favourable consumer sentiment”.
“Falling interest rates, bringing about a reduction in the costs of financing for firms, are expected to ease access to finance for firms, in particular for micro and small enterprises,” it added.
Brussels said the continued economic growth was expected to have a positive effect on job creation which would result in lower unemployment.
On the other hand, inflation was expected to exceed that of the euro area.
Times of Malta, May 6, 2015


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Recently, Huawei MatePad and the whole scene of new products launched in Shanghai successfully concluded. This time, Huawei has launched a number of amazing new products. It can be said that, whether it is in the press conference scene, or the screen in front of the live audience, huawei’s product camp was shocked.
Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei Consumer Business
In an interview after the launch, Yu Chengdong, Huawei’s consumer business CEO, said that Huawei’s all-eared headwear could be released in 2020 and that they were working hard to plan for the product because they wanted to make technology-leading and differentiated products.
In addition, Yu also pointed out that products such as Huawei FreeBuds3 open headphones do a very good job in terms of noise reduction and wearing comfort. So far, The Sales of FreeBuds3 has been impressive, and the response from users has been very good. So Huawei will take advantage of its headsets and create better products based on FreeBuds3. There is still more than a month to go until 2020, so will Huawei’s ear-packed headset come? Let’s wait and see!


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On August 29, 2022, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit against Kochava, Inc. alleging that Kochava engaged in unfair and deceptive practices by selling the “precise location information” of consumers.
On July 7, 2022, Brazil’s National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) published its semiannual Regulatory Agenda Monitoring Report.
The Supreme Court’s 2021 decision in Facebook v. Duguid changed the landscape of Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) litigation.
On August 24, 2022, the California Attorney General (AG) announced a first-of-its-kind settlement with Sephora, Inc. (Sephora) over Sephora’s alleged violation of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
In a class action with potentially significant impact on data sharing disclosures that companies routinely provide in online privacy policies, the Third Circuit recently ruled that NaviStone, a third party marketing service, was not a “direct party” under the Pennsylvania Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance Control Act (WESCA) and thus was potentially subject to liquidated damages under that statute for intercepting communications between the plaintiff and the website she had visited.
In an active week for federal regulators, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) joined the CFPB in announcing important initiatives that may change privacy and data security practices in major ways.
Data privacy and security are again taking center stage in Washington, DC. On the heels of Congress’s introduction of the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced on August 11, 2022, that it was seeking public comments on 95 questions in an Advance Notice on Proposed Rulemaking for a Trade Regulation Rule on Commercial Surveillance and Data Security (ANPR).
On August 11, the CFPB published a circular confirming that covered persons and service providers under the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) may violate the CFPA’s prohibition against unfair acts or practices when they fail to adequately safeguard consumer information.
On Aug. 11, 2022, the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued Circular 2022-04, (Circular) indicating that financial institutions and service providers that fail to adopt sufficient data security measures to protect consumer financial data may violate the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) provision prohibiting unfair acts and practices.
Some modern data privacy statutes mandate that organizations allow third parties – who are authorized by a data subject – to submit access, deletion, correction, or other requests on behalf of a consumer.
The regulations implementing the CCPA require that a business verify the identity of a consumer that submits a specific-information access request to a “reasonably high degree of certainty.”
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) in November 2022 released a targeted exam letter pertaining to communications for crypto products and services.
It has been a long and heated debate as to whether NFTs and certain cryptocurrencies can be deemed as securities under applicable laws and precedents.
In a prior post, we wrote about the importance of reviewing the terms governing the sale of an NFT to determine what rights, if any, are included in the sale in order to commercially exploit the asset associated with the NFT, and the confusion that emerges in interpreting such terms through the lens of copyright law.
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Amazon has a great deal on an HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop this Black Friday. The already affordable PC is down a further 27 percent after the discount.
Amazon has a great deal on an HP Gaming Desktop this Black Friday. Gaming gear is always in great demand during Black Friday, thanks largely to the generous discounts on offer. From PC hardware like graphics cards to accessories like gaming headsets, keyboards and mice, gamers often spend the big bucks during this time to stock up on their gaming needs for the year. While many PC gamers and DIY enthusiasts prefer to build their own custom-built gaming rigs, buyers shopping around for bargains can also find great deals on pre-built gaming desktops.
Buy On Amazon
Like every year, this Black Friday has also brought many lucrative deals on everything from smartphones to televisions and from smart home devices to accessories. However, Gaming PCs are a perennial favorite, so a decent discount often sees a huge rush of people trying to get in on the deal. As for HP, it typically offers its gaming PCs as part of its ‘OMEN’ and ‘Pavilion’ lineups. While the former is known for its high-end — and expensive — gaming gear, the latter offers more affordable devices, like the one on offer on Amazon.
Amazon has an awesome deal on an HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop with a $739.99 list price, but it is offered at a $206 discount for just $533.52 this Black Friday. That’s 27 percent off the list price, making it one of the best deals on entry-level gaming desktops this Black Friday. In terms of what’s on offer for that price, the HP TG01-1022 is powered by Intel’s 10th-gen Core i3-10100 processor and comes with NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER graphics card. It also offers 8GB of RAM and 256GB of PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD storage.
Black Friday Deal On HP Gaming Desktop
On the software side of things, the HP gaming PC comes with Windows 11 out of the box, meaning users will get all the gaming-related improvements that Microsoft’s latest desktop OS has to offer. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2, as well as a combo 3.5mm socket and SuperSpeed USB Type-A and Type-C ports.
Buy On Amazon
HP is also bundling a mouse and keyboard with the desktop, meaning users starting from scratch will not have to invest in a new set immediately. Finally, HP is also offering a one-year limited hardware warranty on the device. Overall, the HP TG01-1022 is one of the best pre-built gaming desktops in the market at the ~$500 price point, so people looking for a gaming machine in this segment should pull the trigger immediately.
Next: Amazfit Discounts All Of Its Wearables For Black Friday


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The day after Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE) announced it was developing a combination of its high speed Internet service and satellite television Rogers Cable Inc. announced Tuesday it’s launching its Rogers Interactive Television in Ottawa and the Durham region.
Rogers says this is the first phase of its Interactive Television a service that will offer the Rogers Digital Choice platform and provides Rogers’ customers the ability to surf the Web, receive e-mail, save “favourite” sites and conduct on-line banking and shopping – all through the television. TV viewers will be able to use a wireless keyboard to easily switch from video channels to the Internet in a matter of seconds, Rogers said.
Rogers Interactive TV is available for $19.95 a month. The Start-up Kit with wireless keyboard is $79.95 (one time charge) and can be picked up at any Rogers Video store that sells cable products.
Based on Microsoft WebTV Networks’ technologies and services Rogers Interactive TV is the first product to be delivered as part of a July, 1999, agreement between Rogers and Microsoft Corp. to deliver enhanced TV services via digital cable.
In the future, Rogers plans additional enhanced TV services built on the Microsoft TV platform software to Rogers’ customers nationwide. These additional services will be deployed on what the company called “next generation Advanced Set Top Boxes.”
Meanwhile BCE Inc. chairman and CEO Jean Monty announced in Toronto that the company was developing technology codenamed “ComboBox” that will allow the company to combine Bell ExpressVu, its satellite TV service, with its Sympatico High Speed Edition DSL Internet access service along with content from Bell Globemedia, its multi-media company to give customers access to more interactive content.
The services will be delivered via an Internet gateway, the ComboBox, connected through Bell’s DSL service and an enhanced television set top box. Monty said by integrating these capabilities, Bell ExpressVu customers will be able to access the Internet from their television, send and receive e-mails, chat on-line, use instant messaging, obtain interactive information on the broadcast programs that they are watching, as well as play games, download content and create customized programming. Similarly, Bell’s high-speed Internet customers will be able to add interactive digital television and home networking capabilities to their DSL service.
Bell Canada is partnering with Nexland, Inc. of Miami and Echostar Communications Corporation of Denver to develop the “ComboBox” technology for integrating satellite TV and DSL services. Nexland currently supplies Internet sharing hardware to Bell Canada for business customers, and EchoStar is designs satellite TV receivers for Bell ExpressVu in Canada. EchoStar offers the satellite TV receiver technology through its U.S. based DISH Network.


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Electric and plug-in hybrid cars
A Chinese car company recently began selling a plug-in hybrid electric car, but expect to wait two years before it's available in the U.S.
BYD is making a big splash at this year's Detroit Auto Show. The Chinese car company is showcasing its plug-in electric hybrid that it sells domestically in China. BYD – which stands for Build Your Dream - hopes to soon sell the cars in Europe and the United States where you still can't buy a plug- in hybrid.
"Living on Earth" talks to Paul Scott a board member of Plug In America, a non-profit group that's keeping the electric car dream alive in the United States.
Scott explains why Americans shouldn't expect to see cars from BYD in the U.S. anytime soon: "a lot of it has to do with the carmakers passed laws years ago to make it difficult for foreign companies to come in to the United States. It's good in that the cars sold in the United States are very, very safe. But it does present a barrier to coming in and selling here. So the BYD people are selling their vehicle in China right now, but in order to pass all of our regulations, they're gonna have to rebuild it a little bit, make it stronger and so forth, so it can withstand the crash testing."
The price range of the Chinese BYD is $22,000. The Chevy Volt is expected to go for $40,000 when it hits the market, and there's the Tesla at $100,000.
What to expect from other manufacturers, according to Scot: "It'll range. For pure electric cars, for instance a City Car, which is a small maybe smart sized car, pure battery electric version of that with a 100-mile range, should sell for around 25 or 30. That's a very reasonable price when you consider the cost of operation is very, very low. Now you have no tune-ups, no maintenance whatsoever on these vehicles, and the price of electricity nationally is about 10.4 cents per kilowatt hour. So that's about equivalent to buy gas at about 75 or 80 cents a gallon."
As far as whether there is capacity in America to power the cars: "The capacity is pretty substantial. You know, we have to build electric load capacity to meet peak loads during the day, and so there's all this excess capacity at night that goes unused. And there's enough there to recharge 73% of the American fleet, which is something north of 180 million vehicles. And that we could do today without adding any capacity to the grid."
Other car companies Scott is keeping his eyes on: "I would say Toyota is certainly the one to watch on the plug-in hybrid side, along with the Chevy Volt from GM. There are others, certainly Mitsubishi, Nissan and Volvo. A lot of the German car makers are starting to get into plug-in hybrids as well, Volkswagon certainly. So I think you're gonna see a whole lot of them in two to three years. But in the next year, probably no plug-in hybrids in the U.S. I think it's gonna be at least two years before we see them here."
Read entire transcript.
Hosted by Steve Curwood, "Living on Earth" is an award-winning environmental news program that delves into the leading issues affecting the world we inhabit. More "Living on Earth.


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Top Picks: 10 great stocks for the long haul
Throughout the market's remarkable rally off the March low, more volatile, lower-quality stocks (of smaller companies with weaker balance sheets and less certain prospects) have outperformed less volatile, higher quality stocks (generally those of bigger companies with stronger balance sheets in more mature industries).
That's no doubt frustrating to folks who prefer the role of the tortoise to that of the hare when it comes to investing. It's not that stable, dividend-paying blue chips and megacaps aren't doing well. It's just that the crazy money was made on the riskiest bets, like, say, tiny Diedrich Coffee (DDRX). While the uber-blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) is up about 50 percent since the March low, Diedrich's stock has gained -- wait for it -- 6,000 percent.
Before you kick yourself for not getting in on Diedrich when the getting was good, recall that investing for the long term is a process requiring patience and discipline. Sure, someone wins the lottery every day, too, but odds are it's not going to be you.
Fortunately this unequal opportunity rally has left scads of high-quality value stocks trading at what appear to be bargain levels. We sliced and diced our way through equities, looking for big companies with solid fundamentals, low forward price/earnings multiples, relatively low volatility and generous but seemingly stable dividends.
What's left is a list of ten intriguing value plays for the long haul. They won't make you rich overnight, but they might help you sleep better. And recall that it was the tortoise, not the hare, which crossed the finish line first.
No doubt the global recession has been tough on energy companies, but now that oil is back at $80 a barrel, well, it's hard to have much sympathy. Still, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. BP (BP), as one of the world's largest integrated oil and gas companies, has a bright future, thanks to inexorably rising demand. Shares trade at a 20 percent discount to the market, but it's the dividend yield that really got our attention. At six percent, it's a real gusher, and should help keep something of a floor on the stock.
Dow component Chevron (CVX) has the same fundamentals working in its favor as BP, but with the added advantage of being almost preposterously cheap looking. Shares trade at nearly a full 50 percent discount to the S&P 500, while being about 40 percent less volatile. And the 20 percent return on equity is not too shabby, either. At 3.5 percent, the dividend yield isn't as generous as BP's, but with a valuation as deeply discounted as this, investors are likely to get greater upside.
Here's a Dow component that beat the Street's third-quarter estimates and, of course, Wall Street drove the stock lower as short-term institutional investors exited positions after a nice run-up. So much the better for the rest of us. Coke's (KO) long-term global revenue goals look attainable, making shares look attractive. The stocks currently offers nearly a 25 percent discount to the S&P 500 ($INX), while being about 40 percent less volatile, to boot. The three percent dividend yield is sweet, but not too bubbly, as well.
Make no mistake, the housing crisis is far from over, but Dow component Home Depot (HD) is doing an admirable job in transforming itself from a high-growth company to a more mature business that focuses on things like costs, margins, return on invested capital and cash flow. Let's also not forget the millions of foreclosed homes sitting on the market for nine months or more that will need sprucing up before they can be put back on the market. Shares offer nearly a 20 percent discount to the broader market while generating a dividend yield of 3.4 percent.
Johnson & Johnson
As a gigantic health-care stock, Dow component Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) is a classic defensive play. Fortunately, the market's unbridled appetite for risk has left shares at a very appealing value. The stock not only offers a deep 35 percent discount to the S&P 500, but it is also rising more slowly relative to its growth rate when compared with the market. That's often a reliable indicator of a bargain. Throw in the 3.2 percent dividend yield and you get a stalwart of a company that should help offset the riskier picks in any portfolio.
There's a lot to like about this consumer staples company, most notably that people eat breakfast through times of economic contraction or expansion. Kellogg (K) has done a pretty fine job over the years of managing rising costs in a deflationary environment, while also defending or grabbing market share. The stock trades at roughly a 25 percent discount to the S&P 500 but, like J&J, it's not rising nearly as fast relative to growth prospects. And, as always, there's a lot to like about a steady, stable three percent yield on the dividend.
Kimberly-Clark (KMB) is another consumer staples company we like because, as with Kellogg, people need its wares in good times and bad. In this case, however, it's all about Huggies. Good times come and go, but global population growth ensures there will always be a need for diapers (not to mention Pull-Ups, Little Swimmers and Kleenex tissues). Shares offer about a 35 percent discount to the broader market, making them look like a steal. The dividend yield of four percent is nothing to sneeze at, either.
McDonald's (MCD) might secretly wish that the recession would never end. The Dow component posted some more impressive quarterly results last week, easily topping Wall Street's estimates. It just goes to show that a well-run company selling cheap food to cash-strapped consumers can do very well in a global downturn. Shares currently offer a discount of more than 25 percent to the broader market, making them look about as cheap as the items on the dollar menu. And with a dividend yield of 3.8 percent, well, we're loving it.
Procter & Gamble
Dow component P&G (PG) might be the best consumer staples stalwart on a U.S. exchange. Long considered one the best-managed companies in the country (making everything from Tide detergent to Crest toothpaste to Pampers diapers) P&G has made great strides shedding lower margin businesses while buying or building out more profitable ones (like $130 Olay beauty products). Shares currently trade at a 25 percent discount to the broader market while throwing of a dividend yield of 3.1 percent.
Unilever (UN), the Anglo-Dutch behemoth whose vast portfolio of brands include Popsicle, Ben & Jerry's, Lipton tea and Dove soap (to name just a very few), has all the attractive defensive qualities that one of the world's biggest consumer staples stocks can offer, with an exciting Far Eastern twist: The company has been doing business in the region for more than a hundred years, giving Unilever very wide coverage across Asia, with thousands of core distributors supplying its products to millions of retail outlets. Shares offer a 25 percent discount to the S&P while kicking off a dividend yield of 3.6 percent.


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Chobani Pushes Into Drinks After Spurning Pepsi Takeover Bid
Chobani LLC, which recently spurned a takeover bid from PepsiCo Inc., is pushing deeper into the territory of its former suitor.
The yoghurt maker will start selling beverages for the first time, along with a line of savory dips, according to a statement on Thursday. Though the products will be made with yoghurt, the move lets the company expand into other areas of the supermarket, pitting it against a range of new competitors.
Chobani’s billionaire founder, Hamdi Ulukaya, is looking to prove the company can go it alone after rejecting an offer earlier this year from PepsiCo, the world’s largest snackmaker. Chobani walked away from deal talks because PepsiCo wanted to buy the whole business, rather than the minority stake Ulukaya was proposing, according to a person familiar with the discussions.
Chobani hired Goldman Sachs Group Inc. last year to seek a partner that could invest in the company and help it expand distribution and production. At the time, the yogurt maker was struggling to handle a rapid expansion, which included a massive new factory in Idaho. Chobani, whose sales grew to $1 billion over its first five years on the market, lost $115 million in the second half of 2013. In 2014, Ulukaya got $750 million from private equity firm TPG in exchange for preferred stock to ease a cash crunch.
The Norwich, New York-based company now sees less of a need for help: it is self-funding an expansion of its Flip line of yoghurt and moving into the Mexican market.
Chobani’s sales have risen 25 per cent so far in 2016 compared with the same period a year earlier, Chief Marketing Officer Peter McGuinness said in an interview. He didn’t give specific dollar figures or discuss profitability.
"We have momentum and rhythm, so we just thought it was a really good time to expand into new areas that frankly could use some better options," he said. The dips and drink lines make up a portion of 24 new products the company intends to put on shelves in July, including many line extensions.
Its new Drink Chobani line will mix fruits with its hallmark Greek yogurt. The Chobani Meze dips, meanwhile, will blend in vegetables, herbs and spices.
"I think Hamdi’s vision was always better food for more people," McGuinness said. "You’re going to see us continue to innovate, and you’ll see new platforms in the future."
News by Bloomberg, edited by ESM. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.


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Japanese specialized-tool maker Astro Products opened its first branch in Pattaya, its first Thai outlet outside Bangkok.
Astro Products imports professional and specialized technician’s tools for vehicle maintenance, including spring hooks, wrenches, clippers, levels, jacks, pushers, compressors and sprayers.
With 170 locations in Japan, Astro expanded to Thailand after seeing increasing worldwide demand and vast opportunities in the do-it-yourself market. The firm has opened four outlets in Bangkok since 2016.
The store is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.


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Jeffrey is definitely his mother’s child. The little one recently grabbed the audience’s attention when he ran, not walked, down the runway at the Kids Rock fashion show in New York.
Benjamin Watson(L) spent a day with family and Doc McStuffins on September 10th.
Tiny tot actor/model Elias Washington has been busy hitting the catwalk and attending events around town.
Kiyan Anthony put his modeling skills into action at the first Kid Rock fashion show in Grand Central Terminal on September 11, 2013 in New York City.
Carsten III, Carter, Cyia, and Jaeden brought sibling power to the runway as they modeled the latest fashion trends for Haddad at the first Kid Rock show in Grand Central Terminal on September 11, 2013 in New York City.
Haddad held its first Kid Rock fashion show in Grand Central Terminal on September 11, 2013 in New York City. on Tuesday (September 11), and the Stoudemire kids made the event complete.
Cutie pie DJ Fulano hit the booth and spun some hits for at the first ever Kids Rock! Fashion Show during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York City on September 11th.
With 2013 coming to end, it’s always fun to look back on trends and changes that some up the year as a whole.
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UK independent Pentagon Chemicals has made its first major acquisition since spinning out of parent Dow Chemical in a management buyout in 2002, in a move which bolsters its product range and contract manufacturing capacity.
Pentagon has bought the fine chemicals business of US group Great Lakes Chemical. The unit, based in Halebank near Widnes, UK, will be renamed Pentagon Fine Chemicals and sit alongside the firm's Pentagon Chemical Specialties unit, which operates a manufacturing site in Cumbria.
However, Great Lakes facility in Holywel in the UK, which handles the majority of its pharmaceutical intermediate activities, is not included in the deal. Great Lakes first unveiled plans to get out of the fine chemicals business - which represents a tiny proportion of its total turnover - in 2002.
Pentagon said in a statement that the strategic rationale behind this acquisition is to extend its contract manufacturing and add to its product range, which currently includes benzoic acid salts and esters, biocides and surfactants, maleic anhydride derivatives and Grignard reagents.
Last year, Great Lakes invested $8 million (€6.7m) to upgrade its Holywel facility in a move which could make the site more attractive to a potential buyer.


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Sony will this month host its first major Playstation meeting in two years, sparking a flare-up in online speculation the Japanese consumer electronics giant is preparing to unveil the successor to its 70 million-selling PS3 games console. Sony declined to say whether it would release a new product at the meeting in New York on Feb. 20. "
Nintendo, the world's leading gaming company by machines sold, said it will post an operating loss for a second straight year as the sales of its Wii U, successor to the 100-million selling Wii, faltered.
LG Electronics fell short of consensus forecasts in quarterly earnings on Wednesday, with profits in its TV division tumbling to around one tenth of year-earlier levels as the world's No.2 TV maker bumped up promotional spending in the year-end holiday season.
Facebook's highly-anticipated fourth quarter earnings are due out after the bell Wednesday. Here's a preview.
China is considering lifting a decade-long ban on videogame consoles, the official China Daily newspaper reported on Monday, sending shares of major hardware makers such as Sony and Nintendo surging.
There are more stormy waters ahead for Apple and the company will have to make some sacrifices to stay on top, writes this expert.
The yen's steep decline has burnished the outlook for Japanese stocks, prompting analysts to raise profit forecasts for currency-sensitive exporters and foreign investors to plough $17 billion into the market.
Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell on Thursday:
Sony said it has agreed to sell its U.S.headquarters building in New York City for $1.1 billion to a consortium led by real estate developer The Chetrit Group.
Sony, which has spent several years shrinking its television unit, plans to expand sales from next year once the business has stopped losing money, chief executive Kazuo Hirai said on Thursday.
A new trend has begun to sweep the digital world, bearing witness to tablets shrinking at the same time that smartphones are getting bigger.
Cramer says it’s time to sell this stock. Period.
Sony has put a one of its main buildings in central Tokyo up for sale in a deal that could raise as much as 100 billion yen ($1.14 billion) as the company seeks to sell non-core assets to generate cash to improve its balance sheet, people with direct knowledge of the deal said.
Japan's Panasonic may see its headcount fall further and may sell non-core money-making business units to raise cash, president Kazuhiro Tsuga told reporters at the CES consumer electronics show in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
Stocks finished lower for the second session Tuesday, as investors remained on the sidelines ahead of what is expected to be a weak fourth-quarter earnings season.
Nintendo year-end sales of its Wii U games console were steady, though not as strong as when its Wii predecessor was first launched, the Japanese game maker's top executive told Reuters on Monday.
Two thirds of the 420,000 patrol cars in the United States are equipped with Panasonic's rugged Toughbook computers, and chief Kazuhiro Tsuga sees the niche product as a model for how the sprawling conglomerate can make money beyond a gadget mass market increasingly dominated by Samsung Electronics and Apple.
Foxconn is expanding in Brazil, where many plants make Apple products to avoid import taxes on goods sent from China, The FT reports.
This year's Consumer Electronics Show will have three major themes: PCs, mobile, and TV.
The Japanese government plans to spend up to 1 trillion yen ($11.6 billion) to buy machinery and factories from domestic manufacturers in a bid to strengthen Japan industrial competitiveness by providing funds for new corporate investments, the Nikkei business daily said on Monday.


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The March report on personal income and spending is set for release at 8:30 a.m. ET.
The consensus among economists is for income to rise 0.2%, with spending expected to rise 0.5%, according to Bloomberg.
Personal income rose 0.4% in February, more than expected, while spending rose just 0.1%.
This report also includes the personal consumption expenditures, or PCE, inflation measure, which is expected to show consumer prices rose 0.2% month-on-month, and rose just 0.4% when compared to the prior year.
“Core” PCE, which strips out the more volatile cost of food and energy, is expected to show prices rose 0.2% in March, and rose 1.4% over last year.
In the Federal Reserve’s April policy statement released on Wednesday, it noted: “Growth in household spending declined; Households’ real incomes rose strongly, partly reflecting earlier declines in energy prices.”
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U.S. slaps 25% import tax on many Dutch cheeses, dairy & pork products
The United States is imposing import tariffs of 25 percent on a range of European products. These include cheese, pork, butter, mussels and pears from the Netherlands, according to a list published by American trade envoy Robert Lightizer on Wednesday. The tariffs take effect on October 18th.
The extensive list includes a many cheeses and dairy products that will be taxed at the high rate if they are produced in the Netherlands. A preliminary list of tariffs specifically included some of the most well-known Dutch cheeses. Edam and Gouda cheese, or any products derivative of those cheeses, were on the list of products from the Netherlands subject to a 25 percent import tax. However, the final list says only Edam and Gouda varieties produced in Germany, Spain and the U.K. will be hit with the additional tax.
Earlier this year, after Donald Trump threatened the EU with higher import tariffs, Rabobank analyst Richard Scheper said that Trump's cheese tax will likely not hurt Dutch dairy exporters. According to him, the pain will likely be felt more by American individuals than by Dutch businesses. Because Dutch cheese is already positioned as more of an extravagance on the American market, U.S. consumers will be willing to spend extra on items that are already considered to be expensive by comparison to more typical cheese sold in American supermarkets, he said.
On Wednesday the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled that the United States is allowed to introduce import duties on 7.5 billion euros of European products, NOS reports. The WTO concluded that aircraft manufacturer Airbus received illegal state aid from various European Union member states, resulting in the United States suffering damages. Those damages may now be compensated by means of import tariffs.
The EU and the US have been fighting about support for large aircraft manufacturers since 2004. The EU argues that the Americans also gave state aid to their aircraft manufacturer Boeing. A definite ruling on this case by the WTO is expected next year.
In a written response, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström said that the European Union wanted to get through this with the United States in an honest way. But if the US decides to introduce import duties, then according to Malmström, the EU has no choice but to do the same.
Onno Boersma of branch organization GemZu is pleased that Dutch Edam and Gouda varieties were left off the new tariff list. "Maybe it helped that the American ambassador Pete Hoekstra became Honorary Waegemeester of the Gouda cheese market this past summer", he commented to NOS.