text:
That truth was laid bare Thursday, when Snapchat, the popular mobile messaging service, agreed to settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission that messages sent through the company's app did not disappear as easily as promised.
Snapchat has built its service on a pitch that has always seemed almost too good to be true: that people can send any photo or video to friends and have it vanish without a trace. That promise has appealed to millions of people, particularly younger Internet users seeking refuge from nosy parents, school administrators and potential employers.
But the commission charged that there were several easy ways to save messages from the service, and in settling the accusations, the company agreed not to misrepresent the disappearing nature of its messages.
The company's early popularity and hype led to a multibillion-dollar buyout offer last year from Facebook, which Snapchat's leaders spurned in the hope of something better. But the settlement announced Thursday set a different tone, one that could extend to the many other startups that promise security, privacy and anonymity as an antidote to the public nature of Facebook and Twitter.
"The Internet is forever and people don't realize that," said Nico Sell, a security expert and one of the founders of a rival mobile app called Wickr that also lets people send self-destructing messages. "You think you can delete a tweet or a Facebook post, but it doesn't go away. Most people don't know how hard it is to make a message disappear."
The settlement is the latest revelation that much of what is shared on the Web and through mobile devices is at risk for interception or eventual retrieval, even if the hardware and software companies that transmit them promise otherwise. Security vulnerabilities have been exposed at major banks, corporations and retailers around the globe and at many startups.
The settlement between the FTC and Snapchat also raised another notion: that some technology companies may be misleading users about how their information is stored and shared, even if unintentionally.
Under the terms of the settlement, Snapchat will be prohibited from misrepresenting how it maintains the privacy and confidentiality of user information. The company will also be required to start a wide-ranging privacy program, a sort of probation, and will be independently monitored for 20 years. Fines could ensue if the company violates the agreement.
In its complaint against Snapchat, the commission said the app's messages, often called snaps, could be saved in several ways, contrary to what the company has said. Users can save a message by using a third-party app, the agency said, or employ simple workarounds that allow users to take a screen shot of messages without alerting another user.
The complaint also said Snapchat transmitted users' location information and collected sensitive data like address book contacts, despite its saying that it did not collect such information. The commission said the lax policies did not secure a feature called "Find Friends" that allowed security researchers to compile a database of 4.6 million user names and phone numbers during a recent security breach.
"One thing we want to make clear," said Chris Olsen, the assistant director of the FTC's division of privacy and identity protection. "If you make promises about privacy, you must honor those promises or otherwise risk FTC enforcement."
Snapchat declined an interview request, but posted a statement on its blog. "While we were focused on building, some things didn't get the attention they could have," the company wrote.
Brian Blau, an analyst with Gartner Research, said that it was a bit premature to predict how the FTC settlement might affect the standing of the company and its ability to transform itself into a sustainable business. The company does not yet generate revenue. Snapchat has only recently begun to experiment with partnerships that may lay the framework to eventually make money.
But the settlement is "really bad for a technology company," he said. "You don't have the government coming after you when you're doing regular business."
Still, some of Snapchat's vulnerabilities have been public for some time, suggesting that users and venture capitalists may not be terribly concerned about Snapchat's false promises.
An article on BuzzFeed, the online news startup, published in late 2012 explained how Snapchat videos could easily be copied and saved using a simple service. That revelation and others did not deter venture capitalists from writing checks worth $123 million to back the company, nor did it seem to prevent people from using the service.
Olsen of the FTC declined to say what had led the commission to open an investigation into Snapchat, but he did say that several organizations, including the Electronic Privacy Information Center, an independent, nonprofit research center, had raised concerns about the messaging service.
He said the case and resulting settlement were part of a larger, continuing investigative effort by the commission to hold startups and companies accountable to their marketing claims and privacy assurances to consumers.
Snapchat's rise is part of a sea change in social media, one that is defined by companies promising more private and anonymous interactions than existing popular services. Mobile applications like Whisper, Secret, Confide and a number of others also assure their users that the content they share and sometimes even their identities are secure.
Danah Boyd, who researches technology adoption and use among teenagers, said that younger Internet users tended to be "far more concerned about people in their immediate world getting access to their content than the company itself" as long as it did not disrupt their personal lives.
"There's a huge disconnect between what we mean when we say anonymity in the colloquial sense and what it means at a technical sense," said Boyd, who wrote "It's Complicated," a book about technology habits and use.
And even Spiegel, one of Snapchat's founders, seemed to acknowledge as much in an interview.
"Nothing ever goes away on the Internet," he said.
© 2014 New York Times News Service


text:
FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel on Wednesday sent letters to CEOs of the top four U.S. carriers, seeking updates on the companies’ respective efforts to stop selling customers’ real-time location information to third-party data aggregators.
Press reports first uncovered the practice a year ago, and in January an investigation by Motherboard revealed that with a phone number and a $300 payment to a bounty hunter, an individual could gain the exact location of a smartphone.
Access to customers’ real-time data location was being sold by T-Mobile, Sprint, and AT&T, to third-party data aggregators, with unauthorized parties able to get hold of it as information “trickled down” from the wireless carriers into a large web of smaller, sometimes unregulated players, and eventually could make its way to bounty hunters and sold on the black market, Motherboard reported.
In addition to cell phone tower data, Motherboard in February found that former location data seller CerCareOne also sold extremely precise and highly sensitive assisted-GPS (A-GPS) data, which is used to locate 911 cell phone calls.
AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint, in June 2018 had vowed to end sales of customer location data to third-party brokers in response to an inquiry from Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. Still, some continued to make exceptions for certain services like roadside assistance. Following the Motherboard report this year, AT&T committed to ending those sales as well.
Both T-Mobile and AT&T set a March deadline to end the practice, Sprint committed to a May 31 timeline, while Verizon said it would stop location aggregation services in 2019.
In her letters, Rosenworcel asked the carriers for information about steps the companies have each taken to meet their commitments, and in the case of Verizon, to confirm a specific date of when the carrier plans to end sales of customer location data.
Rosenworcel also requested more details on the amount of geolocation data stored and saved, whether agreements allow permitted aggregators to keep customer location data, or steps the carriers are taking to prevent unauthorized use of customers’ location data that was already sold to third parties.
She asked all four carriers to respond by May 15.
Rosenworcel asserted that the FCC itself has not done enough to ensure carriers have stopped the practice if sharing customers’ location data.
“The FCC needs to do more to protect the privacy and security of American consumers. It needs to do more to provide the public with basic information about what is happening with their real-time location information,” Rosenworcel said in a statement. “That’s why I’m taking steps to ensure for the public that carriers are living up to their commitments to protect their customers’ most sensitive information, because this agency has failed to do so to date.”

domain: news


text:
This article is based on an article from the Japanese edition of Engadget and was created using the translation tool Deepl.
After Apple officially announced that this year's release of the new iPhone would be later than usual, a series of leaked photos purportedly of its parts followed in early August. On the contrary, it may indicate that production is on track and the supply chain disruption is under control.
From the Phone 12(tentative) being released in two stages, to the new 27-inch iMac's internal SSD being soldered to the logic board, we've got a roundup of the latest Apple rumors.
The rumor originated from DigiTimes, a Taiwanese electronic industry information newspaper. While there have been rumors of development delays within Apple and statements from major suppliers such as Qualcomm hinting at a "delay in the launch of the global 5G flagship smartphone", this is probably the first time concrete information has been brought to light from supply chain sources close to the production floor.
The iPhone 12 series will come in three screen sizes, 5.4-inch, 6.1-inch, and 6.7-inch, with the relatively inexpensive entry-level models comprising 5.4 and 6.1, and the more expensive Pro models comprising 6.1 and 6.7, according to most observers. The former is said to have dual rear cameras, while the latter will have three triple cameras.
According to the DigiTimes article, the first two 6.1-inch models will be released first. In other words, a combination of one entry-level model and one Pro model is said to be released first, and if you subtract, the delayed 5.4-inch and 6.7-inch models will also be a combination of one entry-level model and one Pro model. It seems that a balance has been struck to avoid consumer confusion and market share cannibalization.
The media source said that the SLPs for the two 6.1-inch models have recently started shipping, with the SLPs for the 5.4-inch and 6.7-inch models coming in late August. The 5.4-inch of these models is larger than the 4.7-inch iPhone SE (2nd generation) in terms of screen size, but a dummy model has also been leaked indicating that the width may be narrower due to thinner bezels, so those who loved the compactness of the old SE in the palm of their hands may be expecting it.
Here's one from EveryThingApplePro, who is known for preempting Apple's unannounced products, showing a photo of a ring of magnets arranged in the internal chassis of the iPhone 12, along with a wireless charging coil.
He also posted a photo of what he calls a case with a ring of magnets embedded in it, tweeting, "Likely for perfect alignment with Apple's wireless chargers." In other words, he suggests that the AirPower, Apple's wireless charging mat that was once cancelled but is rumored to have been cleared of overheating issues and is being prepared for release, will also be launched along with the iPhone 12.
It's common for wireless charging to happen when a device is placed on a charging mat but not charged, or when it slips off the mat with a sudden bump. Utilizing magnets to hold the device firmly in place and ensure charging is similar in concept to the Apple Watch's magnetic charging dock.
Another possibility that has been floated is "two-way charging" support for charging peripherals such as the Apple Watch, a feature that was rumored to have been abandoned with the iPhone 11 series, but has already been implemented in Android devices from Huawei and Samsung. There are predictions that the iPhone 12 won't include wired earbuds in order to boost sales of the AirPods series, so this may be the year to make it happen for set sales.
Facebook also criticizes Apple's gaming app restrictions, forcing the removal of games from Facebook Gaming for iOS
Microsoft's streaming gaming service, xCloud, will be limited to Android devices when the service is launched, excluding iPhones and iPads. Both Apple and MS have reportedly admitted that the reason for this is due to the App Store's terms and conditions.
The reason for Apple's refusal is that "before they go on our store, all apps are reviewed against the same set of guidelines that are intended to protect customers and provide a fair and level playing field to developers." That's because the cloud gaming service, which adds more games to the list of games you can play from time to time, can't review them one by one like other gaming apps.
xCloud is a service that runs the game on the cloud server side and streams the video to the player's hand. It has the advantage of allowing rich games to be played regardless of the device's performance, and if it's possible on an Android device, it shouldn't be a technical hindrance on the iOS/iPad OS. In fact, the beta test for iOS was running without any problems.
However, it could be argued that this was already predicted at the time, as the Android beta allowed for a large number of games to be played, while the iOS version was limited to Halo: The Master Chief Collection, it was unlikely that multiple game distributions would be allowed together.
Following that, Facebook has also expressed criticism of Apple for forcing the removal of the game from Facebook Gaming for iOS.
The app is primarily for streaming game viewing, but where the Android version allows users to play mini-games, the iOS version was rejected "multiple times" (at least five times) in the review process. The company's chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, said that iOS users will only have a lesser experience than Android users.
The reason for the rejection over there was because it was deemed to violate a clause in App Store Review Guidelines 4.7, which essentially prohibits incorporating or running code that is not embedded in a binary in Apps. Although the cited clauses are different, they all share the same purpose of blocking the way to "allow you to play games that are not in the app's own code at a later time".
The bottom line is that Apple won't allow any gaming platform within iOS that can't be vetted one by one. However, the same is true for video streaming such as Netflix and YouTube, which cannot be judged one at a time, and it is likely that Apple's inconsistency will continue to be pursued in the future.
Will the Apple Silicon version of the MacBook Air have even longer drive times? A photo of what looks like an internal battery has been released
Apple's proprietary Apple Silicon chip-powered Mac has been teased for release by the end of the year, but there has been no further news or additional information after that. However, a clue has been discovered that seems to be related to the project.
It was posted on Twitter that a "rechargeable lithium-ion battery" with a model number of A2389 has been approved by the South Korean certification body. The A2389 has already been found in the Chinese and Danish certification agency databases, and since its capacity is the same as the MacBook Air (2020), it's presumed to be for its successor model. Now, with the addition of a new photo that looks exactly like a MacBook Air battery, the speculation is becoming more and more certain.
At the time of writing, there is no further information available and there is no way to determine whether the device, which is believed to be the next MacBook Air, will have Intel chips or the Apple Silicon. Nevertheless, the Apple Silicon is based on the A-series chip and Arm for the iPhone, and is expected to be a good match for a laptop that can be carried around with improved power efficiency as well as processing speed.
Apple's third-quarter results reported strong sales of iPads and Macs, with a tailwind of telework and home study due to COVID-19. Apple's third-quarter results reported strong sales of iPads and Macs, with a tailwind of telework and home study due to the new corona disaster. With the Apple at Work emphasis on "work anywhere," it seems likely that we'll soon see a Mac device with both improved features and lower prices thanks to Apple Silicon.
The new 27-inch iMac just announced has been found to have user-replaceable memory, but the internal SSD is reportedly virtually irreplaceable.
According to an internal document for engineers obtained by MacRumors, the internal SSD is soldered to the logic board in 256GB-2TB models, while 4TB and 8TB models have SSD expansion boards attached via connectors. However, since the latter also have the factory-state SSD and logic board tied together, replacing either will result in data loss and cannot be replaced in a practical sense.
Since the new 27-inch iMac is equipped with the T2 security chip (which makes Fusion Drive obsolete and leaves the SSD as the only choice), any data on the SSD is encrypted, so it was expected beforehand that replacing parts would make the data unrecoverable.
In terms of security protection, it is an evolution, and since no one would "carelessly" disassemble an iMac with a complex structure, it doesn't seem to be so serious, but we'd like to keep backups with Time Machine more often than ever before.
This article is based on an article from the Japanese edition of Engadget and was created using the translation tool Deepl. The Japanese edition of Engadget does not guarantee the accuracy or reliability of this article.


text:
A power tool company based in China will consolidate some of its North American offices to create a new headquarters in Naperville along the Interstate 88 corridor.
The 1203 E. Warrenville Road location built in 2015 for Swedish company SKF will become the new home of Chervon North America, part of Nanjing, China-based Chervon Holdings, one of the world's largest manufacturers of power tools and related products.
The company produces the EGO line of cordless outdoor products, including snowblowers, lawn mowers, leaf blowers and trimmers sold at home improvement stores such as The Home Depot.
Joe Turoff, chief marketing officer for Chervon North America, said his company chose the site because it best fit the company's needs.
"Considering the location of our current employees, Naperville seemed like the perfect city," Turoff said.
The company plans to consolidate 75 workers from its current headquarters in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as well as from its offices in South Barrington and Geneva.
Another 37 employees will come from Chervon's acquisition of Mount Prospect-based Robert Bosch Tool's Skil and Skilsaw brands, which was completed Jan. 1.
Plans also are in the works to hire 25 new workers this year and another 75 over the next three years.
Considering the demographics and the skills of area workers, Turoff said, "Naperville is a perfect location for talent acquisition."
Because Chervon is a global company with locations in China, Europe, Australia and North America, Turoff said a lot of people will be traveling to and from Naperville, so easy access to the airports also was a factor.
Turoff said officials from the city and the Naperville Development Partnership have been integral in helping bring the company to Naperville. "The community has been fantastic, and it's been great working with Christine Jeffries (president of the Naperville Development Partnership)," he said.
Turoff said he expects workers will move into their new offices in May.
A year and a half ago SKF, which makes bearings, seals and lubrication systems, backed out on its plans to move into the two-story office, research and development facility on about 13 acres at the northwest corner of Warrenville Road and Lucent Lane.
The Naperville City Council approved the design plans for the building in August 2014. SKF had planned to bring 200 jobs to the city.


text:
Homejoy, the on-demand housecleaning service, is increasing its rates. Clients previously paid $20 an hour. Starting Sept. 1, the service will charge $25 an hour for people who book regular weekly or bi-weekly appointments, and $35 an hour for one-time or sporadic users. That’s a 75% hike for those less-frequent users.
Homejoy, which started two years ago, said the higher rates would let it improve its platform and “allow us to attract and retain the most dedicated, verified cleaning professionals.”
But the pricing uptick has its critics.
“I’m surprised they’re charging so much, especially since they raised $38 million just eight months ago,” said Jeremiah Owyang, founder and principal of Crowd Companies, an association for corporations interested in the collaborative economy. “Startups should be focused on market adoption and showing their growth, not trying to generate profits.”
Charging a steep premium for users who dabble with the service — and rewarding those who use it regularly — could be a tactic to try to goose monthly recurring revenues, a figure important in case of future fund-raising, acquisitions or IPO.
“Charging more for non-regular bookings is a form of surge pricing; it’s an example of supply-and-demand economics driving price,” Owyang said.
The San Francisco company currently takes a 25% cut of cleaning fees. It ducked direct questions about whether its commission percentage will remain the same. “Cleaning professionals are able to make over $20 an hour,” spokeswoman Rose Dawydiak-Rapagnani wrote in an e-mail.
Homejoy now operates in over 30 markets in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany. It plans to continue aggressive launches in new markets abroad.
NYU business professor Arun Sundararajan said he sees the change as a positive.
“It counters the argument that these platforms are creating low-wage jobs that will suck the life out of the economy,” he said. Services like Homejoy that provide training, employee background checks and other features, “are creating a more valuable product so they can charge a higher price.”
A range of venture-backed companies are seeking to mine gold in dirty houses. Handybook, TaskRabbit and Thumbtack all have markets to connect cleaners (as well as other types of service providers) with customers.
Hospitality platform Airbnb has been experimenting with offering cleaning services to hosts in San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles. It started out with both Homejoy and Handybook, but recently settled on Handybook as its partner, according to TechCrunch.


text:
Earlier this year, AbbVie Inc. and AbbVie Biotechnology Ltd. filed a Complaint against Alvotech hf. in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois alleging theft of trade secrets relating to adalimumab. In October, AbbVie’s complaint was dismissed for lack of personal jurisdiction. AbbVie has appealed that ruling.
In addition to appealing the Northern District of Illinois ruling, on December 17, 2021, Complainants AbbVie Inc., AbbVie Biotechnology Ltd. and AbbVie Operations Singapore Pte. Ltd. filed a Complaint and related papers at the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) against Proposed Respondents Alvotech hf., Alvotech Germany GmbH, Alvotech Swiss AG, Alvotech USA Inc., Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., and Ivers-Lee AG., requesting that the ITC investigate alleged theft of trade secrets relating to adalimumab and seeking to exclude importation of adalimumab by Proposed Respondents.
With regard to the ITC action, STAT+ (subscription required) quoted Alvotech chairman and founder Robert Wessman as stating the following: “This action by AbbVie, which repackages the meritless allegations from a case that was thrown out of court earlier this year, is a sign of AbbVie’s weakness and concern that Alvotech’s efforts to bring a lower-cost offering to market will expose AbbVie’s long-standing abuse of the patent/legal system.”
The post AbbVie Allegations of Trade Secret Misappropriation by Alvotech hf. appeared first on Big Molecule Watch.


text:
Heiti Hääl, who already owns 50 percent of Alexela Group, is leading a buy-out of the company for 35 million euros.
Currently, the other half belongs to Igor Bidilo. According to Hääl, the owners need a shared vision of where the company is heading.
Hääl told online news portal Defli that the deal, which is subject to approval by the Estonian Competition Authority, is worth 35 million euros, largely financed by loans.
Alexela Group was set up in the 1990s and operates in energy, property and metal industries, employing around 1,500 people. The group's turnover was over 238 million euros in 2013.


text:
November 15, 2010, Toronto, Canada – Messageware (http://www.messageware.com), the world’s leading provider of enterprise security, productivity and customization solutions for Microsoft Office Outlook Web Access and Outlook Web App (OWA), today announced the debut of Messageware OWA Desktop. For the first time, companies using Exchange 2007 or 2010 on-premises and companies using Microsoft Office 365, BPOS, Live@edu, or Hosted Exchange solutions from third party suppliers can easily make OWA an integral part of their corporate messaging, saving time and money. The company is presently enrolling interested organizations into a Beta program and the product is expected to officially launch early Q1, 2011.
Messageware OWA Desktop is a revolutionary product that extends desktop email control and ease of use to the OWA web mail user, making Outlook Web Access and Outlook Web App more like desktop Outlook than ever before. Alerts, notifications and status are available at a glance. With a single click the user can access their inbox and calendar, and compose emails, meetings and tasks, providing fuller, richer messaging at a fraction of the cost of dedicated software. Other key features include:
- Advanced New Mail and Reminder notifications
- Import and export personal contacts
- Import regional, national and religious holidays
- Easily manage multiple email accounts
- At-a-glance status reporting
“OWA Desktop comes from our 15 years of experience building OWA security and productivity solutions for over 5 million users. We are seeing a significant expansion in the use of OWA as more and more companies today are focused on reducing cost, and improving user productivity by enhancing their web email experience.” said Mark Rotman, President & CEO of Messageware. “We are also very excited to expand our focus to include OWA productivity enhancements for the BPOS cloud environment (Microsoft Business Productivity Online Standard Suite).”
For more information or to enroll in the Beta program, visit:
# # #
Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Messageware develops and markets solutions that enhance and secure Outlook Web Access (OWA). A trusted Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, a member of the Microsoft Gold Partner Excellence Program, and a Global Exchange ISV for 15 years, their applications give companies of all sizes the ability to enhance, secure, and customize OWA. Messageware products allow organizations to achieve a greater return on their Microsoft Exchange investment, delivering solutions to over 2,500 enterprises with over five million mailboxes worldwide, including Global 500 companies, small and medium sized businesses and hosted email providers in every industry; including, banking, education, financial services, government, healthcare and law. For more information, visit www.messageware.com.
Messageware Press Contact: Carol Arnold, Arnold Communications, (877) 718-4604 x2,email@example.com.


text:
The Parliament’s approval of the ban of phthalates in toys has had mixed reactions. Consumer organisations and NGOs are relieved while the toy industry points to a “misuse of the precautionary principle”.
Based on the precautionary principle, the Parliament has voted by an overwhelming majority (487 in favour, 9 against and 10 abstentions) to ban the use of three and restrict the use of another three chemicals in plastic toys and childcare articles, without age-limitations.
“Toxic chemicals have no place in children’s toys,” commented Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner Markos Kyprianou.
Under the new directive:
- three phthalates – DEHP, DBP and BBP – will be banned in all toys and childcare articles;
- three others – DINP, DIDP and DNOP – will be banned from use in toys and childcare articles for those articles that can be put children’s mouths.
The Commission will prepare guidelines to facilitate the implementation of these new provisions on the restrictions in toys and childcare articles insofar as they concern the condition “which can be placed in the mouth by children”.
MEP Antonios Trakatellis, EPP-ED rapporteur of the draft recommendation for a second reading, was satisfied with the positive outcome: "It's not possible that a dangerous substance for which there are indications that is carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic is prohibited only in toys for children under three."
Toy Industries of Europe (TIE): "The role of EU agencies in the performance of risk assessments is crucial to toy safety. The toy industry spends a lot of time and effort identifying materials that are safe. To do this, it needs to rely on trusted EU agencies such as the European Chemicals Bureau (ECB), and later the REACH Agency. There is now an uncertainty in the toy industry as to how to move forward: what criteria can we use to determine that substitute chemicals will not be challenged on health and environmental grounds in the future?" commented, TIE’s Senior Adviser Teemu Lehtinen.
"We strongly believe that EU legislation must be based on sound science, and fear that this directive will undermine legal certainty and potentially the future regulatory framework for chemicals in Europe," said Thomas Eichhorn, chairman of TIE.
Holger Krahmer, MEP of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe: "This decision is a huge exaggeration of the precautionary principle."
Greenpeace European Unit: "This ban means that plastic toys sold in Europe will be safer. However, if parents want to be sure to protect their children, we advise them not to buy anything made from PVC or vinyl because laws are still not tight enough to prevent this plastic damaging our health and environment," said Nadia Haiama-Neurohr. "We should be able to trust industry not to make dangerous chemicals and manufacturers not to use them. But this toxic toy story shows us that they won't clean up their acts unless we force them to," she added.
The European Council for Plasticisers and Intermediates (ECPI) is very disappointed and concerned by this ban the stringent measures of which are unnecessary and ignore scientific risk assessments. "Banning a substance which has been scientifically risk assessed as safe, thereby forcing manufacturers to use alternatives about which far less is known, does nothing to protect the health of children," said Dr David Cadogan, Director of ECPI.
"European plasticiser producers fully support any efforts to protect the safety of children and would never knowingly compromise their health. However, based on a lot of exaggerated and often incorrect claims about alleged adverse health effects from phthalates, politicians have been misled into believing that children's health is being endangered. Their decision to ban DINP in all toys which can be put in the mouth is an entirely political decision that misuses the precautionary principle," he added.
MEP Jill Evans of The Greens/EFA: "It has taken eight years, three European Commissions and 11 Council presidencies to protect children from highly toxic substances in their toys, but it is good to see that common sense has finally prevailed over the fierce and deceptive lobbying from industry."
MEP, Hiltrud Breyer of The Greens/EFA: "[...] this does not stop with toys. Parliament and Council rightly asked for an assessment of other soft PVC products. If industry wants to be as responsible as it claims to be, it should stop using soft PVC altogether, not only in toys but also in other products such as medical devices, flooring and food wrapping. Safe alternatives are available so there is no reason to continue to use soft PVC."
The European Consumers' Organisation (BEUC) warmly welcomed "the European Union's decision which ensures the protection of the most vulnerable consumers."
Phthalates are widely used chemicals (clothes, PVC building materials, medical products, cosmetics, toys, child care articles, food packaging). In toys, they are used to soften the PVC plastics certain toys are made of.
Phthalates are believed to be harmful to human health, causing damage to the reproductive system and increasing the risks of allergies, asthma and cancer.
Phthalates have been temporarily banned since 1990, the ban being regularly renewed. The situation has led to the emergence of different national policies, thereby potentially undermining the functioning of the internal market.
- The Council having already agreed on a common position, the directive should receive formal approval in the autumn 2005.
- As part of the next revision of the directive on toys, the Commission intends to examine the issue of fragrances in toys.
EU official documents
- European Parliament press release:Ban on six phthalates?(5 July 2005)
- Commission press release:Permanent ban of phthalates: Commission hails long-term safety for children’s toys(5 July 2005) [FR] [FR] [DE]
- European Parliament - Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety:Recommendation for second reading for adopting a directive relating to restrictions on the marketing and use of certain dangerous substances and preparations (phthalates in toys and childcare articles)(20 June 2005)
EU Actors positions
- European Council for Plasticisers and Intermediates (ECPI):EU decision to restrict use of phthalates in toys ignores EU risk assessment -(5 July 2005)
- Greenpeace press release:Toxic Toy Story - Greenpeace wins battle to ban toxic chemicals in plastic toys(5 July 2005)
- The Greens/EFA in the European Parliament:MEPs vote to ban plastic-softening phthalates - Detoxing Barbie: A happy end for children's toys(5 July 2005)
- Toy Industries of Europe press release::Phthalates directive creates uncertainty on way forward(5 July 2005)
- EPP-ED group in the European Parliament:Phthalates banned in toys and childcare articles. Antonios Trakatellis MEP(5 July 2005)
- BBC News:Europe bans chemical use in toys
- The Washington Times:EU bans toxic toy chemicals
- Nouvel Observateur:Le Parlement européen interdit un produit chimique utilisé dans la fabrication de jouets
- FAZ.net:EU verbietet Weichmacher in Spielzeug
- Die Welt:EU verbietet Weichmacher im Spielzeug
- Spiegel Online:EU verbietet Giftstoffe in Baby-Spielzeug


text:
Kmart has confirmed it will be removing porn themed birthday cards from its shelves after Collective Shout supporter, Jayden Battey, spoke out.Read more
Target and Kmart have pulled video game Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V) off shelves over controversy about the game’s depiction of violence against women.
The stores responded to a change.org petition that gained more than 44,000 signatures.
“It’s a game that encourages players to murder women for entertainment. The incentive is to commit sexual violence against women, then abuse or kill them to proceed or get ‘health’ points – and now Target are stocking it and promoting it for your Xmas stocking,” the petition said.
After Target pulled the game from stores, Kmart followed suit and issued a statement saying, “Following a significant review of all content in Grand Theft Auto Games Kmart has taken the decision to remove this product immediately… Kmart apologises for not being closer to the content of this game.”
Thank you for helping make this win for women and girls possible!
Grand Theft Auto 5 fuelling the epidemic of violence against women, say survivors in petition signed by over 40,000 people.
[UPDATE] Target and Kmart have pulled the game from sale, will Big W do the same?Read more
Rushing kids into adulthood
Click image to watch the segment on Today Tonight [Video no longer available]Read more
In one of the fastest responses to consumer complaints that we’ve seen, Kmart has withdrawn a range of underwear with sexualised slogans and issued an apology assuring customers they will not repeat the same mistake.Read more


text:
Strategic food placement and proximity can encourage healthier eating habits, according to a research review recently released by University of Copenhagen’s Faculty of Science.
Scientists concluded that cafeterias can measurably impact diners’ food choices by reordering food options and making less nutritious food more difficult to reach—a practice also known as food nudging.
Though the analysis revealed that limited research has been conducted on the topic of healthy food nudging specifically, 16 of the 18 studies included in the review showed that the method made a positive impact.
“The foodservice operators and the retail sector have been using the principles of nudging to push [their] products to the consumers, e.g. placing specific products at adults’ eye level, while other products are left at children’s eye level,” said Federico Perez-Cueto, an associate professor from the Department of Food Science at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. “The question is whether we can also use this simple and low-cost method to move people’s food behavior in a more healthy direction, or to facilitate the choice of healthier options.”
Perez-Cueto expects food nudging to become a critical point for cafeterias attempting to promote healthier eating habits among guests. However, he notes it is only one part of a larger story.
“If you want people to eat enough vegetables, it is not the only thing to do,” he said. “There is [a] need for policies, recommendations, voluntary agreements [and] information campaigns, but nudging can contribute, and we think the contribution can be substantial.”


text:
2016 is ending on what has become a familiar note for Sears.
As it prepares to close more stores, the struggling retailer has secured a letter of credit. Once again, ESL Investments, Inc.—for which Edward Lampert, Sears Holdings Corporation’s chairman and CEO, is also the chairman and CEO—has come to the rescue. Citibank, N.A. served as administrative agent and issuing bank.
The secured standby letter of credit is for an initial amount of $200 million, which may be expanded up to a total of $500 million. The move provides the parent company of Sears and Kmart stores with liquidity to continue operations.
“This new standby letter of credit facility further demonstrates that Sears Holdings has numerous options to finance our business strategy,” said Jason M. Hollar, Sears Holdings’ chief financial officer.
This comes just one day after Business Insider reported more than 30 Sears and Kmart stores will shutter in early 2017. The locations include 24 Kmart doors and eight Sears stores across nine states.
The move brings the total closures for the former retail powerhouse to 200 in this fiscal year. That’s a 60 percent drop since 2011, when the company operated more than 3,500 stores.
The closures are an attempt to cut overhead and slow losses. In its third quarter report, released December 8th, the company posted a net loss of $748 million for the quarter, compared to a $454 million loss for the prior year period. Revenues fell $721 million to $5 billion.
Comparable store sales fell by 4 percent and 10 percent at Kmart and Sears, respectively, for the same period.
At the time, Hollar assured investors that the retailer was committed to managing business and meeting financial obligations.
How Amazon may strip Whole Foods of its touchy-feely ethos—and why that's a good thing—had how cold brew proves you can teach old dogs new tricks.Read more
Loftex Home and GHCL sign CertainT licences, Hollander Sleep Products Buys Pacific Coast Feather and Oeko-Tex certifies Tuft & Needle.Read more
The National Retail Federation continues to lobby Congress with regards to the border adjustment tax, reiterating its claim that it would shift corporate tax savings to consumers.Read more
NRF announced new board members this week, while Topshop hired a new CEO and Macy's stepped up its off-price game with a new executive.Read more
Fashion can’t escape what’s happening in the world whether it wants to or not, and for the Autumn/Winter 2018-19 season, textiles will look to balance all that’s been upended.Read more
The Chittagong Port Authority has taken steps to alleviate the congestion situation at Bangladesh’s top port, but no comprehensive plan is in the works to fix what has been a long-term logistical problem.Read more
Looking to boost cotton quality and exports, Egypt’s Ministry of Trade and Industry has signed a cooperation protocol with United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Italian Development Cooperation.Read more


text:
Design On Parade
May 9, 2012,
By David Gill
The 2012 edition of Surtex will take place this month, at a time in which the uptick in the economy is boosting demand for surface design.
Penny Sikalis, Surtex's manager and GLM vice president of business development, said that in early April, preregistration by attendees was tracking 40 percent ahead of last year at the same time. This pickup is occurring from all over the world, and includes U.S. companies bringing their retailer and manufacturer partners. "There is an increase in demand for design all over the world," Sikalis said. "You see it across the board in all product categories as well." GLM estimated that attendees will total about 6,000 all told.
Exhibitors said the design that will be on display at the show also reflects the economy's improvement. Speaking of the colors that are trending up, Nancy Fire, founder and creative director at Design Works International, described color as "the creative choice. From vibrant brights to power neutrals with metallic accents, color is fresh, focused and definitive. Within these color stories, we are mixing and matching patterns that are more expressive and original."
The global nature of the show will also influence what will be offered, according to color and pattern consultant Khristian Howell. "As we continue to move increasingly toward a global community, we have been and continue to be intrigued by indigenous prints, patterns and textures," Howell said. "As a result, we are seeing exciting new mixes of color, i.e., natural plus neon; patterns, i.e., Middle Eastern paisleys plus preppy stripes; and textures, i.e., new knits plus plastics."
Mixed in with all the new looks will be designs that never lose their popularity. "Animal prints are an evergreen design," said artist Tara Reed. "They come and go in popularity but never really go away." Among the animal looks that have been showing up lately, Reed said, are zebra stripes paired with lime greens, hot pinks and bright blues; leopard prints in every combination not found in nature; and peacock-inspired art and design elements.
Regarding trends of all types, Sikalis said this year's Surtex will include the debut of the Trend Theatre, a grouping of presentations on design trends featuring participants from trend-forecast companies. "The topics will range from macro to micro and will include product-specific information," she said.
Other Articles By Author
Patti Carpenter Talks Color and its Importance in the Home
HFN's DIGITAL EDITION
COVER STORY: Sharpening the Focus on Millennials
Find out what makes Millennials tick when it comes to home decorating, shopping and at-home entertaining with HFN's annual consumer study. Turns out, Millennials favor the in-store shopping experience.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- Power of the People - Crowdfunding campaigns provide needed capital, feedback for home and housewares product launches.
- Omnichannel Retailing: Visual Search Takes Off - Learn how voice and visual search are revolutionizing product discovery.


text:
There are many levels to the video game community, and for those of us in the “lower tiers,” such as journalists and consumers, it’s hard for us to think about all the “angles” that those in the top spots of big developers and companies have to think about. It’s not just simply “make video games,” it’s a complicated process to determine what is best for the company and the customers. For Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa, he noted in an interview (translated by Nintendo Everything) that The Big N can’t rest on its laurels given everything that’s out there for people to take in entertainment-wise:
“We always keep in mind that if we do not keep putting out things that people truly want, they’ll get bored of us. Right now, there are various forms of entertainment besides video games. I believe that making people want to spend their precious time on video games, and Nintendo games no less, is a very harsh battle. We approach everything while resolved to the fact that at any time, people may start thinking they do not need Nintendo games anymore.”
That’s an interesting point of view, and there are many who might disagree with it, given the state of gaming. However, The Big has made it clear that they’re the most consistent when putting out AAA titles, and they likely don’t want to lose that credibility. Plus, if this “harsh battle” gets them to produce ever greater games? Then we’re all the better for it.


text:
Details of Sony's new laptops have been trickling out for several weeks, but Sony held off on an official announcement to coincide with Intel's Centrino 2 launch this week.Sony introduced four new VAIO lines ranging from the 3-pound Z-series ultraportable with a 13.
Laptops & Desktops
John Morris and Sean Portnoy deliver straight talk about notebook and desktop computers.
John Morris is a former executive editor at CNET Networks and senior editor at PC Magazine.
Sean Portnoy is a former executive editor at Computer Shopper magazine and editor at CNET Networks.
Averatec, the O.C.'s other computer maker after Gateway, has released a new all-in-one desktop.
Dell has announced its new Studio line of laptops. The Studio series includes models with 15.
Toshiba has released what it says is the first laptop with a 128GB SSD. Technically, the 17-inch Alienware Area-51 m9750 can be configured with two 64GB SSDs, but Toshiba gets credit for shipping the first laptop equipped with a 128GB SSD that you'd actually want to carry anywhere.
HP released a slew of new consumer and business products--including 17 new laptops--at an event in Berlin earlier today. In addition to HP and Compaq notebooks, new products include a refresh of its TouchSmart all-in-one PC, a Voodoo-branded desktop and notebook, and a 30-inch flat-panel.
HP announced this morning that its Blackbird 002 gaming PC will be available in retail stores this summer. The $3,299 retail configuration includes:2.
When Asus first unveiled its Eee PC at Computex in 2007, the industry viewed it as curiosity. One year later, Asus says it has sold more than a million Eee PCs and a new category, the ultra low-cost PC, is suddenly one of the biggest trends at this year's tradeshow.
In an effort to capitalize on the surprising growth in mini-notebooks, Via Technologies has released a new reference design based on its C7-M processor and chipset.With all the attention paid to the Intel-AMD rivalry, you may have forgotten about Via, the other company that designs x86 processors.
The OLPC project announced today the next generation of its XO laptop. The news was expected--enthusiast sites such as OLPC News have been talking about it for a while--but this was the first time that OLPC has shown what it will look like.
At an industry display conference this week, Samsung will unveil a prototype laptop with a 12.1-inch active-matrix OLED (AMOLED) display.


text:
A new study reveals the potential effects of cannabidiol (CBD) intake during pregnancy on offspring development. A study conducted on mice found that exposure of fetuses to CBD caused developmental changes that could affect the offspring’s sensitivity to thermal pain and problem-solving abilities. These findings show that molecular psychiatryaffects pregnant women who are using CBD for anti-nausea purposes.
The nausea and vomiting that many pregnant women experience is commonly known as morning sickness and can be very debilitating. Some pregnant women turn to cannabis for its anti-nausea effects, believing it to be safe. Cannabis contains two main components: cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). While THC is known for its psychoactive effects, CBD is not. Since CBD was legalized in 2018, it has become widely available not only as part of cannabis, but also as a stand-alone product.
CBD is known for its anti-nausea properties and is effective in reducing nausea. However, this study aimed to understand the potential risks and neurodevelopmental effects associated with CBD exposure to the fetus.
“Some people take CBD to improve nausea, anxiety, pain, and sleep problems, which are common symptoms of pregnancy,” said study author Emily Bates, an associate professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Ta. “In fact, during my own pregnancy, I was advised to take CBD to reduce nausea. However, there was little published data on how CBD affected fetal development. .”
To investigate the effects of fetal CBD exposure, researchers conducted a comprehensive study using female mice. They administered CBD to one group of pregnant mice and a control substance (sunflower oil) to another group, reproducing the measured oral CBD consumption. The doses used were comparable to those recommended by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) for intraperitoneal injection in mice.
The study included 27 pregnant mice in each group, and the researchers closely monitored the animals throughout pregnancy. They tracked weight gain to ensure healthy fetal development and removed any mice that did not gain adequate weight during pregnancy.
Blood samples from mice were collected at different time points and analyzed to quantify CBD and its metabolites using specialized equipment. This allowed the researchers to confirm the presence of CBD and its breakdown products in the plasma of mice.
Researchers found that male offspring exposed to CBD during fetal development had increased sensitivity to heat pain. This means that they responded more strongly to thermal stimuli. This effect was associated with the TRPV1 receptor, which is activated by CBD and heat. Interestingly, the researchers found that this increased susceptibility was not observed in female offspring.
On the other hand, the offspring of women exposed to CBD during fetal development showed decreased problem-solving abilities. This was assessed using the puzzle box test, which measures cognitive functions related to the prefrontal cortex. The study also found that fetal CBD exposure reduced the excitability of pyramidal neurons in the prefrontal cortex in women. This effect was not observed in male offspring.
“These preclinical studies suggest that CBD consumption during pregnancy is not without risk to the developing baby,” Bates told PsyPost. “Pregnant people should talk to their doctor about the best alternatives for treating nausea and other pregnancy symptoms.”
In contrast to previous studies, fetal CBD exposure did not appear to have a significant effect on anxiety-like behavior or obsessive-compulsive behavior in offspring. Multiple behavioral tests were conducted, including an open field test, a light-dark box test, and an elevated zero maze test. However, the results showed no substantial differences between the CBD-exposed and control groups in these aspects.
“We were surprised that CBD exposure during pregnancy had no effect on anxiety behavior in mice, as cannabis exposure during pregnancy is associated with increased incidence of anxiety in humans, and CBD may reduce anxiety. “Because it activates the receptors that regulate it,” Bates said. “But we tested anxiety thoroughly and found no difference with treatment.”
Although this study provides valuable insight into the potential effects of CBD exposure on the fetus, there are some important limitations that should be considered. First, this study was conducted in mice, and it is still unclear how well these findings apply to humans. Second, this study focused on a specific set of behavioral and physiological responses, and the broader effects of CBD exposure on neurodevelopment require further investigation. Additionally, this study used a specific dose of CBD, and different doses may have different effects.
“Our study was completed using very high doses of CBD to uncover the subtle effects of CBD on brain development,” Bates explained. “However, we are currently studying how low-dose maternal CBD intake affects offspring development.”
the study, “Fetal cannabidiol (CBD) exposure alters thermal pain sensitivity, problem-solving ability, and prefrontal cortex excitability” is written by Carly S. Swenson, Luis E. Gomez Urschner, Victoria M. Hoelscher, Lillian Foltz, Kamryn M. Korth, Wong Chan Oh, and Emily Ann Bates.


text:
Garic innovations at ScotPlant 2018
Company to unveil many new welfare and site set-up innovations at Edinburgh show later this month
GARIC, one of the UK’s largest welfare and site equipment providers, will be showcasing an array of new products and equipment upgrades at ScotPlant 2018, which is being held at the Royal Highland Centre, in Edinburgh, from 20–21 April.
The company will have an extensive selection of welfare, environmental protection and mobile lighting products on display at the show, including: Armadillo welfare units, turbine dust-suppression units and Generac tower lights.
According to Garic, their award-winning, eco-efficient, 12V solar-powered Armadillo towable welfare units are robust enough for even the most remote and demanding of environments. Complete with canteen and toilet, the Armadillo has many additional security features including hydraulic isolation switches, fully secure window shutters and five-point deadlocking systems.
Garic’s turbine dust-suppression units are capable of spraying an ultrafine mist at 130 miles/h and have been designed to eradicate airborne particle emissions at demolition and construction sites, quarries, landfill and coal mines.
Built to withstand rugged environments, the company’s advanced solar hybrid Generac tower lights are designed to reduce operator interactions and CO2 emissions, and use up to six times less fuel than conventional models.
Visitors to Garic’s stand will also be able to see demonstrations of the company’s most popular hire products, including welfare vans, solar loos, drying rooms, boot washers and a newly introduced range of transportable, stacking, steel bunded fuel bowsers.
The vast majority of Garic’s products now benefit from the addition of integral smart technology systems for the remote monitoring of fuel, water and waste. This new i-SITE technology, which was developed and launched late last year, significantly reduces downtime and servicing costs.
The company has also recently opened a new depot at Whitehill Industrial Estate, in Bathgate, West Lothian. Having supplied welfare and site set-up products to customers throughout Scotland for many years, Garic say the new base will make for an even more responsive service with quicker delivery times for their rental products.
Managing director Colin Hotchkiss commented: ‘We have completed some very significant contracts in Scotland recently and felt the time was right to establish a permanent base.
‘Over the past 12 months we’ve made significant strides in delivering our business strategy, which has resulted in growth across all areas of the company, and we’ll continue to invest in our people, fleet, depots and transport infrastructure to support this.
‘We already have one of the largest and fastest-growing welfare fleets in the UK, and our new Scottish depot gives us another great outlet we can be proud of.’


text:
Reserve Bank of Australia governor Philip Lowe says higher interest rates are leading to greater uncertainty about the outlook for household spending — which may now fall.
In announcing on Tuesday the third increase to the official cash rate in three months, Dr Lowe said despite record retail spending this year, the rising cost of living was putting pressure on household budgets.
“One source of ongoing uncertainty about the economic outlook is the behaviour of household spending,” Dr Lowe said in his post-board meeting statement.
“The recent spending data have been positive, although household budgets are under pressure from higher prices and higher interest rates.
“Housing prices have also declined in some markets over recent months after the large increases of recent years.”
Economists at both ANZ and Westpac now expect the RBA to pass on another 50 basis point hike next month — which would be the third in a row and the fourth successive hike since May.
The Commonwealth Bank at this stage expects a 25bp increase next month and its head of Australian economics, Gareth Aird, pointed out another 50bp hike in August would mean the RBA had tightened much more aggressively than any other central bank apart from the US Federal Reserve.
Mr Aird expects economic momentum to cool from now, bringing inflation down next year. This year’s data would continue to be strong regardless of RBA action.
“Higher rates will take some time to put downward pressure on inflation because there is a lag between changes in monetary policy and the impact on consumer prices,” he said.
ANZ head of Australian economics David Plank said the continuing tightening of the labour market increased the urgency of the RBA to return the cash rate to “at least” neutral — or about 2.5 per cent.
In his statement, Dr Lowe said “medium-term inflation expectations remain well-anchored and it is important that this remains the case”.
Mr Plank said this suggested the RBA would respond to inflation strongly to keep expectations in check — particularly given Dr Lowe did not refer to strong consumer spending being its “central scenario”, as he did last month.
BIS Oxford Economics head of macroeconomic forecasting Sean Langcake said the RBA was “attempting to walk a fine line” between responding to the bleak inflation outlook and supporting growth.
“While some drivers of inflation will be unaffected by higher rates, tighter policy is needed to dampen demand-driven inflation,” he said.
“But the RBA will be wary of too sharp a correction in household spending given the current pressures on household budgets from rising prices and interest rates.”
Westpac chief economist Bill Evans said there now appeared to be increased confidence for the prospects to lower inflation. He said Dr Lowe made no reference to the unprecedented nature of two successive 50bp hikes — which he may have done “if he was signalling the intention to scale back the moves”.
Mr Aird said that despite Dr Lowe’s “pragmatic” statement, there remained a risk the RBA would over-tighten.
“The stock of household debt has not disappeared and the Australian household sector is more sensitive to changes in interest rates than at any other time because the level of household debt to income sits at a record high,” he said.
Home values in Sydney and Melbourne, the country’s most expensive markets, slipped again in June, according to CoreLogic, while growth in Brisbane — where prices are up 27 per cent in a year — is flat.
Mr Aird said although there was no linear connection to property prices and the economy, the impact of falling house prices on the economy would intensify and continue the longer that they fell.


text:
Mazda also says this new model is more refined.
Mazda's best-selling mid-sizer, the CX-5, is getting an update for the 2020 model year. The 2020 Mazda CX-5 will arrive at dealerships in the Fall of 2019 starting at $25,090. This is a small increase over the 2019 model, which had a starting MSRP of $24,350. Mazda says the 2020 CX-5 costs a bit more because it offers improvements at every trim level including performance upgrades and more standard safety features.
The engineers have even improved the CX-5's noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH), to create a more peaceful ride. NVH has been a common sore point for Mazda recently, so this should be a welcomed change for the 2020 CX-5.
The base engine is still a 2.5-liter Skyactiv-G four-cylinder producing 187 horsepower and 186 lb-ft of torque mated to a six-speed automatic transmission going out to front- or available i-Activ all-wheel drive. Upgrading to the Grand Touring Reserve trim rolls in a turbocharged Skyactiv-G 2.5T engine which, like the 2020 CX-9, sees a torque increase for a total of 320 lb-ft (on 93 octane fuel) while power remains the same at 250 hp.
Mazda has also improved the Skyactiv-G 2.5T with a new Engine Harmonics Enhancer, which gives the motor a more refined and powerful sound while also improving emissions. As with the new CX-9, a new off-road traction assist replaces traditional traction control to diagnose wheel slippage on loose surfaces.
Pricing for the nicer Touring trim starts at $26,730 while the Grand Touring Trim costs $30,210. Adding AWD to any of the three lowest trims adds an additional $400 to the price. The Grand Touring Reserve trim includes AWD plus the turbocharged engine for $35,035 while the top Signature trim is priced at $37,055. Mazda's press release for the 2020 CX-5 does not mention the diesel model, which starts at an even $41,000 for the 2019 model year, though we assume it will also make a return for 2020.


text:
Cyber criminals hijack Google Looker Studio in order to put their malicious websites at the top of search engine result pages, promoting spam, pirated content and torrenting.
The campaign uses a technique known as SEO poisoning. This method uses a legitimate copy of the website and fills it with links leading to these malicious sites. In the eyes of Google's search engine algorithm, links give spam sites enough credibility for the tool to rank them high for specific keywords.
This specific attack uses Google's datastudio.google.com subdomain.
Fake hit movie downloads
BleepingComputer says it found several Google search results pages "flooded with links to datastudio.google.com" after being warned by a concerned reader. The links do not lead to an actual Google Data Studio project, but to websites hosting pirated content, such as current blockbuster movies (Black Adam, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, etc.).
Before actually landing on these pages, the victims will also be redirected several times.
SEO poisoning is a known method that threat actors often use to improve their chances of landing malware on more endpoints (opens in a new tab).
Most of the time, SEO poisoning is used to push torrent sites to the top of Google results pages for queries like commercial software, latest movies, or computer games. Consumers looking to save a few bucks on software and games sometimes turn to shady sites that promise cracks and activators that would allow them to use the products without paying a license fee.
Most of the time, activators and cracks don't really work as advertised, and all they do is distribute viruses or malware. These malicious programs are capable of causing all sorts of havoc, from installing cryptocurrency miners, stealing sensitive data, deploying ransomware, and rendering devices completely useless.
Via: BleepingComputer (Opens in a new tab)


text:
Updated: Jun 16, 2020
Gulf Agency Company (GAC) has partnered with Singapore-based start-up F-drones to develop large-scale drones that can deliver up to 100kg of supplies over 100km to vessels and offshore platforms.
The international ship agency said that testing was underway on F-drones’ 3rd prototype that is capable of handling items up to 5kg over 50km.
Employment of drones in the supply of spare parts and supplies is expected to bring numerous benefits, especially with respect to cutting costs, saving time and increasing efficiency of the process.
Furthermore, since F-drones employs fully electric drones, the environmental footprint of the supply process would also be improved, GAC said.
At a time when social distancing as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is at the top of the agenda for many, delivery by drone can also help reduce social contact.
“Joining forces with F-drones is part of GAC’s drive to embrace technology to develop new ways to meet the demands of the maritime industry we serve,” says Lars Bergström, GAC Group Vice President, Asia Pacific & Indian Subcontinent.
“When fully commercialised, drones can be an attractive alternative to launches and helicopters for delivering supplies to vessels, especially for on-demand deliveries.”
GAC said that its Singapore office will be supporting F-drones in a test flight to deliver packages to vessels in the near future.
F-drones has received Singapore’s first Beyond-Visual-Line-of-Sight (BVLOS) drone delivery permit and is now scaling up commercial delivery with an off-the-shelf drone.
“We are working towards launching our first commercial drone flight of our proprietary drone which can fly 10 times further later this year,” says Nicolas Ang, Co-founder & CEO of F-drones.
“The support of GAC and all our partners is vital in helping us make this happen.”
Besides GAC, F-drones counts Eastern Pacific Shipping, the Schulte Group, Techstars, Port XL, Entrepreneur First and Hafnia among its supporters.
Source: Offshore Energy


text:
Nelson shoppers have it in the bag – that’s what one local supermarket is saying.
It’s been exactly two months since Countdown supermarkets in Nelson axed single-use plastic carrier bags at their checkouts.
Manager of Countdown Trafalgar Park, David Smale, says they couldn’t have asked for a better transition.
“We’ve only had one complaint … which is very positive, we think.”
Customer services manager Christine O’Connell says “Nelson was ready for this”.
She says most customers bring fabric bags, otherwise they are happy to take a box or carry items.
Their 15 cent ’emergency’ plastic bag is the least popular choice.
David says the next step is to remove and reduce plastic and packaging in other departments.
“Across the country we’ve already removed 70 tonnes of plastic from our produce section.”
This includes removing packaging from bananas, which saved 15.8 tonnes of plastic.
“We are looking for alternatives where we can and encouraging our suppliers to work with us.”
Plastic straws were also given the flick on 1 October and instore soft plastic recycling remains well utilised with their 240-litre bin getting emptied four times a day.
FreshChoice Nelson was the first supermarket in the region to make the plastic change in June. New World and Pak ‘n Save say they will be ‘banning the bag’ from January.


text:
Continuing its upward march, gold rose another 0.15 per cent to Rs 26,607 per 10 grams at the futures trade today as speculators widened positions, taking positive cues from global markets.
On the Multi Commodity Exchange, gold for delivery in February 2016 was up by Rs 41 or 0.15 per cent at Rs 26,607 per 10 gm in a business turnover of four lots.
The metal for delivery in December moved up by Rs 25 or 0.09 per cent to Rs 26,408 in a turnover of 423 lots.
Market analysts said persistent rise in precious metals in global markets, where it traded at a one-week high after bets shrank for a US rate rise this year, boosted the outlook for the metal which does not pay interest or give returns like other assets such as bonds and equities.
Globally, gold was trading higher at $1,136.50 an ounce in Singapore today from $1,135.75 yesterday.


text:
World Travel Awards (WTA) has arrived in the paradise destination of Seychelles ahead of the Africa & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony 2015.
The prestigious red-carpet ceremony will welcome industry leaders from across the regions to Kempinski Seychelles Resort Baie Lazare on Saturday, June 20th.
The Gala Ceremony – which will welcome nearly 200 industry leaders to the luxury resort – will be hosted by the glamorous former Miss Seychelles, Sherlyn Furneau, and leading presenter Galen Bresson.
Read More: http://goo.gl/kl5jMa
The famous blue and gold braided beard, burial mask of Tutankhamun was damaged when the relic was being cleaned in the Egyptian museum where it lays. The bearded was knocked by a conservationist.
The mask among a few other contents is the top exhibit of the museum. It is a highly visited tourist site but not completely kept in full maintenance. Relic as important as the 3,300 year old Tutankhamun mask should be kept in great care feet expert conservationists.
The conservators from the museum have varied opinions on what actually happened with beard. They say that the mask was knocked off by accident while the mask’s case was being cleaned or removed when it was loose.
The beard was fixed quickly with inappropriate adhesive and irreversible material, epoxy which has a high property for attaching and is generally used on metal, stone but was in every way inappropriate for Tutankhamen’s golden mask.
WTM Africa 2015 has been expanded to a three-day event, following the hugely successful inaugural show.
Following the success of WTM Africa 2014 – and in response to demand among exhibitors and visitors – the event has been expanded by a full day into a three-day event.
Furthermore, WTM Africa 2015 exhibition floor space will be 50% bigger due to increased interest from both private and public sector companies around the world looking to take part.
The 2015 show will again take place at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) and will run from 15-17 April, 2015.
Sheree Simpson, WTM Africa Exhibition Manager commented, “WTM Africa 2014 attracted exhibitors from all over Africa and beyond, and is the only tradeshow of its kind on the African continent to focus on inbound and outbound travel, resulting in $314 million of travel industry deals.”
“The 2015 edition of WTM Africa will see a greater number of business deals and amount of business conducted over the event’s three days.”
The extended WTM Africa will include an enlarged events programme which will include the International Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations – bringing together travel companies, organisations and individuals interested in mainstreaming sustainable practices in the travel industry.
As the recent recipient of The Indonesia Travel and Tourism Award in the category of ‘Indonesia’s Leading Family Resort,’ InterContinental Bali Resort is pleased to confirm its ongoing commitment to the provision of top class family facilities as well as a wide and exciting range of activities aimed at parents, teens and children.The beachfront resort welcomes families with open arms with its extensive landscaped gardens offering a vast choice of leisure and recreational facilities, including six pools, tennis courts, a spa, and a 24-hour fitness centre.
Additionally, the beautiful beach environment is a natural playground for adults and children alike, lending itself to numerous recreational pursuits from beach volley ball to a diverse array of water sports.
The 35-metre Main Pool is especially family-orientated with a shallow water area for children; it is conveniently flanked by Jimbaran Gardens restaurant and Pool Bar, which makes for casual family-style poolside drinks and dining. Additionally the two Fun Pools are ideal for children with two water fountains providing – as the name suggests – lots of fun, while the Fountain Pool is especially suitable for adults and teenagers, and quality family time.


text:
Japan’s Casio Computer is going back to basics–in emerging markets, at least.
While the maker of G-shock watches has decided to jump into the still-infant smartwatch market in Japan and the U.S., it also plans to expand its traditional calculator business in developing countries.
“There is a huge market for scientific calculators outside of Japan,” Casio President Kazuhiro Kashio said in an interview during his first week at the helm of the company. “Not many people are using them in emerging nations, such as in Asia.”
He said he wanted to double sales of the specialized calculators and electronic dictionaries in those markets, since these core products were important to the company’s performance, given the stiff local and global competition for other gadgets.
Casio has deep roots in the calculator business. The company was founded in 1957 by the four Kashio brothers, who developed the world’s first compact electric calculator.
In a recent attempt to strengthen the business, Casio merged the teams developing scientific calculators and electronic dictionaries in April, Mr. Kashio said.
The company sells the specialized calculators in about 90 countries–including 41 countries where the devices cater to various languages such as Japanese, English, Chinese, Arabic, Spanish, German and French.
In the year ended March 2015, 24% of its ¥287.1 billion ($2.3 billion) sales in the consumer goods segment were made on calculators and musical instruments, and 11% on electronic dictionaries. Of Casio’s total sales, 41% come from regions outside Japan, the U.S. and Europe.


text:
Q: What will it take to make the region’s real estate market close out 2012 with better numbers than we saw this past year?
A: “I think retail will continue to be active with new retailers coming into town, reshuffling of existing players, rebranding efforts by the more seasoned ones, things like that. Retailers will continue to look for good locations. When it comes to the office segment, I think we will see more activity in the downtown and Park East. This is a decisive year for a couple of players with regard to where they will be ‘officing’ for the next decade. With a gradual improvement in the economy, we should see the outlying markets start to improve.
“Industrial will continue to improve and there might be some speculative development in 2012, definitely a couple of build-to-suit projects and continued absorption of existing product. I think we have come to realize that we are really not a big distribution market but more a manufacturing-based market, which will dictate the kind of new construction and speculative market for the next few years.”
Sean Ryan reports on real estate, construction and public transit in southeast Wisconsin
Should city of Milwaukee employees who move out of the city be required to pay toward their pensions?


text:
Telus' early upgrade program, T-UP!, will be discontinued on April 18. This change will not impact those who already are enrolled in the coverage until their 2-year T-UP! enrollment expires, they renew their contract or replace their smartphone. With this program, customers could pay $10 a month to be able to trade in their phone for a new one after 12 months.
In an email statement to us, Telus confirmed the program is shutting down and said "this change is a result of careful consideration and evaluation of the T-UP! program, and TELUS' ongoing efforts to ensure we are offering our customers the most valued products and services. TELUS' Trade-in program is a great alternative option available for all customers wishing to reduce the cost of their new device when they upgrade."
The program was first made available in 2013 for the iPhone, and then later expanded in 2014 to additional phone models.
More smartphone makers to follow Apple in ditching headphones from boxes
A recent DigiTimes report includes an indication that more smartphone makers will follow Apple's lead in ditching headphones from their smartphone boxes, a move that will benefit sales of true wireless products.
The MagSafe Charger may leave a circular imprint on leather iPhone cases
According to a new Apple Support document, the company is warning those who use a leather case with their iPhone of potential imprints.
Apple Stores get huge neon window dressing to celebrate iPhone 12 launch
Some Apple Stores now have some huge, neon window dressings as the company releases iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro to the world.
Protect your iPad Air 4 and add some personal flair with a great case
The iPad Air 4 is a powerful tablet that will let you do work, play games, and get creative. If you want to get the most out of your iPad Air 4, a well-designed case will go a long way.


text:
Norway bereft of NOK 30 bn by exporting fish “au naturel”
Norway could have made NOK 30 bn more by processing fish before exporting it: “Good”, according to a Professor of Economics.
The fact that Norway loses jobs to Denmark and Poland is not necessarily a bad thing, Professor of Economics at the North Univerity, Frode Nilssen, believes.
Monday it became clear that Norway exports seafood for around NOK 99 billion. The Norwegian Seafood Council believes that the amount could have been NOK 30 billion more.
It was the financial newspaper, Dagens Næringsliv, which reported these figures first.
Recently, NRK reported that the fishing nation Norway sells 95 per cent of all fish it harvests from the ocean directly out of the country. At the same time, Norway import large quantities of cheap industrial fish that it uses in its own seafood products.
Fish out = goodwill in
The fish that is exported unprocessed out of the country, are processed in countries such as Denmark, Poland, Germany and Sweden instead of back home in Norway.
This export makes for almost 26,000 workplaces in the EU. These are jobs that in theory could have been in Norway. Professor Frode Nilssen does not think that Norway ought to wish to have these returned.
“Norway is one of the world’s richest countries, with low unemployment. Then it is not such a bad solution that other nations that have a larger population density and high unemployment rates are granted the job of processing the seafood,” Nilssen explains and adds:
“We share a little of the natural resources that Norway is fortunate to have at its disposal. These jobs are important both for Norway and the EU. It improves the mood and ensures good access to the European market.”
Being benevolent towards the EU may have proven to be a good idea. Of the 99 billion Norway receives from seafood exports, 70 per cent come from EU countries.
Nilssen believes that such labour sharing is lucrative for several reasons:
“To say that we are bereft of values is not quite correct, as we have to pay considerably higher tariffs for processed than for raw fish.”
Today’s tariffs for the EU are two per cent for round fish and fillet, as opposed to 20 per cent for processed fish. Unprocessed fish and seafood are also what customers around the world prefer.
“They have their own taste preferences and traditions for how the fish should taste. That varies quite a lot from one area to the other,” the Economist explains.
Rather create alternative workplaces
The economics professor believes Norway has a big potential to develop seafood exports even further:
“Many have talked about the fact that it is the ocean that will save us and secure prosperity and workplaces after the oil runs out.”
But instead of bringing jobs back home, Nilsen opinionates that it will be more relevant to create additional jobs in Norway.
“Norway has enormous production areas that can be utilised much better than today. We can imagine more farming and better and different use of raw materials or residual raw materials. The sky is the limit,” Nilssen concludes.
This article is an excerpt of an article from NRK Nordland. Translated and edited by Norway Today.
© NRK / #Norway Today


text:
Five companies with factories in Britain are in the top 10 of the satisfaction survey of 16,000 motorists conducted by What Car? and information services company JD Power and Associates.
But it is Land Rover which has made the most dramatic improvement, leaping up from 12th last year to 6th place in 2013.
Experts believe much of the credit should go to Tata, the company’s Indian owners, whose investment has rescued an iconic British brand.
Back in 2004, Land Rover languished in 32nd place.
Jaguar, Land Rover’s sister company, has retained top spot for the second year in succession, having ousted Lexus which had reigned supreme for the previous 11 years.
The recovery of the prestige British brand has also been dramatic. In 2004 the luxury car maker came 13th in the survey, two places behind more modest manufacturers such as Skoda, Daihatsu and Proton.


text:
Efectis won the 2022 Business Award in the Technology category that is awarded annually by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry France Netherlands.
Organised every year since 2012, the Business Awards recognise and reward initiatives and excellence in economic and trade relations between France and the Netherlands. The jury, made up of representatives from the French Embassy, Business France and CEOs of major companies, distinguishes companies whose performance illustrates the dynamism of Franco-Dutch exchanges, thereby giving inspiring, innovative and successful companies visibility and renown within the Franco-Dutch business community.
Harm Verster and Eric Guillaume had the honour of receiving the award at the ceremony, which took place at the French Embassy in The Hague on 15 September. This success is synonymous with technical excellence, commercial efficiency and the very strong links between France and the Netherlands that underlie the success of Efectis.
We would like to congratulate all our teams.


text:
Langham Hospitality Group has opened the doors to The Langham, Jakarta, marking a highly anticipated entry of the brand into South-east Asia.
The hotel is located within the up-market mixed-use District 8 at SCBD (Sudirman Central Business District) complex, in close proximity to the city’s prime financial, cultural and entertainment centres.
It offers 223 rooms, including the 336m2 Presidential Suite; various F&B facilities such as celebrity restaurant Tom’s by Tom Aikens; meeting facilities; and the brand’s signature Chuan Spa.
Speaking at the opening press conference on September 9, CEO Brett Butcher said the opening was the “culmination of many years of hard work and dedication to delivering the very best product, facilities and service in this international gateway city”.
The Langham, Jakarta is a project delivered with Indonesia’s premier developer Agung Sedayu Group. Butcher said the partnership allowed Langham Hospitality Group to “create something truly remarkable” and to take “luxury to new heights”.
Alex Kusuma, CEO of Agung Sedayu Retail Indonesia, tracked the partnership back to eight years ago, when Agung Sedayu Group decided to create a prestigious complex that would become the group’s flagship.
Alex said “District 8 has been (created) to become a new benchmark, not just for ourselves but for the city as well”. It houses offices, apartments and a shopping mall.
When quizzed on the opening during a tourism crisis, Alex said: “People are just tired of the situation (and) want to look forward to something different. We hope that the hotel will provide a breath of fresh air.”


text:
Australian footwear brand, Alias Mae, will extend its partnership with e-commerce cause marketing platform, i=Change, for 24 hours on International Women's Day.
The footwear business will increase its donations from $1 to $5 for every purchase made on the website on March 8 - International Women's Day - in support of i=Change's Shop for Change initiative.
Alias Mae has been partnered with i=Change since mid 2018 and has so far raised close to $7000 for the initiative. From October to December last year, the amount raised totalled $3471, impacting the lives of over 2950 people.
Alias Mae founder, Tom Kirkhope, said that the business is excited to be able to involve its customers in a good cause.
"Alias Mae is passionate about empowering Australian women, so we're really proud and excited to be involved with i=Change.
"It’s a great chance for us to help make a difference, and we’re thrilled to be able to actively involve our customers in this fantastic initiative."
Donations made via Alias Mae go towards the charities Build a Woman's Future, Feed Aussies in Crisis and Support Syrian Refugees.


text:
Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield and Huntsville-area officials held meetings this week with executives of Mazda and Toyota to expand relationships as the automakers prepare to officially launch construction on a $1.6 billion Alabama assembly plant.
The mission began Monday, when the Alabama group traveled to Toyota’s Motomachi assembly plant and met with members of the Toyota USA executive team. On Tuesday, the group was in Mazda’s hometown of Hiroshima to learn more about Alabama’s newest automotive manufacturer.
“During these visits with the executive headquarters teams of Toyota in Toyota City and Mazda in Hiroshima, we have learned more about each company and their vision for this joint venture that is already taking shape in Huntsville, Alabama,” Canfield said.
“We have had rare opportunities to learn more about the new technologies that will be employed and how each company’s respective philosophies will be reflected at the new Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA Inc. production facility,” he added.
Alabama assembly plant
Mazda and Toyota announced their plans for the joint Huntsville production center in January. The plant will employ 4,000 people and produce 300,000 vehicles per year, split evenly between a new Mazda crossover and the Toyota Corolla sedan.
The first vehicles are expected to roll off the assembly lines at Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA, as the venture is called, in 2021, indicating a rapid time line for construction at the Huntsville site.
Those joining Canfield on the trip to Japan include Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, Madison County Commission Chairman Dale Strong, Huntsville/Madison County Chamber CEO Chip Cherry and Lucia Cape, the chamber’s senior vice president for economic development.
Others are Paul Finley, mayor of Madison; Jason Black, Limestone County commissioner; Rick Tucker, executive director of the Port of Huntsville; and Kim Lewis, chair-elect of the Huntsville/Madison Chamber.
Hollie Pegg, assistant director of business development for Asian strategy at the Alabama Department of Commerce, is also on the mission. Representatives of Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Alabama attended as well.
“These meetings in Japan with the Mazda and Toyota corporations have created an even greater sense of understanding of the partnership and commitment that has been created with two of the world’s most renowned automakers, while engineering, road design and site prep continues on more than 2,000 acres locally,” Strong said.
He added that the Mazda Toyota assembly plant project “will be a redefining moment for North Alabama.”
While Alabama officials have long had deep ties to Toyota, which has operated an engine plant in Huntsville for more than a decade, Canfield said this week’s discussions in Hiroshima provided an opportunity to forge a deeper relationship with Mazda and its executive team.
In addition, the discussions centered on how AIDT, the state’s primary workforce development agency, will help the automakers reach an aggressive employment ramp-up at the new plant. Ed Castile, director of AIDT and deputy secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, will be in Hiroshima on Friday to tour Mazda’s production and training facilities.
Canfield said the meetings with the Mazda executives will help the Alabama team develop a strategy for securing the supply chain for the automaker’s first U.S. assembly plant.
“Our meetings with the Mazda executive team, and the production facility visits that accompanied them, afforded Team Alabama the best opportunity to deepen our understanding of what is at the core of Mazda,” he said. “We have learned how Mazda embraces the principle of ‘Monotsukuri Innovation’ in pursuit of achieving quality in production that reflects the belief that though they make many vehicles, each customer sees only the one vehicle.
“This is a very driver-driven company,” he added. “They want drivers of Mazdas to have fun with the driving experience. They want their customers to feel the ‘Zoom Zoom’ that is built into every Mazda.”
Besides touring Toyota’s Motomachi plant, the Alabama group visited the automaker’s Kaikan Museum, seeing some of the company’s newest automotive technologies and smart cars.
“I can’t stress enough the importance of relationships in doing business with our overseas partners,” Battle said. “If we had not already established a long-standing collaborative relationship with Toyota, we would not have landed the new Mazda-Toyota plant. These commitments don’t just happen in 15-minute meetings or phone calls. There is a long process of communication, listening and work toward mutual respect before we develop a trusted business relationship.”
Cherry said the longstanding relationship with Toyota played a key role in securing the new assembly plant for Huntsville.
Later this week, an Alabama delegation will attend the 41st annual meeting of SEUS Japan, an international conference in Tokyo that aims to broaden economic and cultural ties between seven Southeastern states and Japan.
This story originally appeared on the Alabama Department of Commerce’s Made in Alabama website.
Republished with permission from the Alabama NewsCenter.


text:
Samsung has announced the Android 11-based One UI 3.0 Beta program for the Galaxy Note 10 series and Galaxy S10 series. The company has already started rolling out the One UI 3.0 Beta update for the Galaxy Note 10 series in Korea and the UK.
After the rollout, many Galaxy Note 10 series users have started facing several problems, normal for the beta build. Now, according to the official information from the South Korean community, Samsung delayed the One UI 3.0 beta rollout plan for the Galaxy S10 series and other eligible models.
The community manager confirmed that the delay is due to bugs in the Galaxy Note 10 One UI 3.0 Beta build. The Beta manager said (translate):
We are working on stabilizing errors that have occurred since the beta launch of the Note10 series. When the stabilization work is completed to some extent, the S10 and other models will be opened sequentially, so please wait a little.
The One UI 3.0 Beta program is now delayed for the:
- Galaxy S10e
- Galaxy S10
- Galaxy S10+
- Galaxy S10 5G
- Galaxy Z Flip
- Galaxy Z Fold 2
Samsung is likely to roll out the first One UI 3.0 Beta build for the Galaxy S10 series next week. Stay tuned.


text:
The side mirrors assembled for new Malibus are stylish but of little use for looking into the future of local parts suppliers for General Motors' Fairfax plant.
Parts providers such as The Woodbridge Group, which puts together those mirrors, steering wheels and consoles in the Northland and sells them to the Kansas City, Kan., operation, are watching uneasily for clues of how the restructuring of America's largest carmaker shakes out.
Six of GM's 1,500 suppliers — largely unnoticed locally and only marginally included in national debate — operate in the Kansas City area.
Those businesses employ 900 workers, most of whom don’t enjoy the same pay or benefits as those at the big car assembly plants, but hold their breaths just the same as talk of shutdowns swirls ahead of GM’s June 1 restructuring deadline.
GM projects its supplier network shrinking by 30 percent, partnering with the most cost-efficient suppliers.
The company's downward spiral has led dozens of parts companies into bankruptcy in the last year. In the coming weeks, many survivors on the financial brink must choose how best to ride out what is coming: Take Washington's hand or swim for themselves.
When GM's extended summer shutdown didn't strike Fairfax last month, many at the satellite operations naturally were relieved.
"Fairfax has always been a real good plant for us," said Jerry Norsworthy, general manager of two area Woodbridge facilities. "The Malibu is a great car. This downturn in the economy was unfortunate, because the Malibu was becoming a top GM seller before all this happened. The fact that they’re launching the new Buick here gives you an indication of what GM thinks of this plant."
Rick Klingenberg, vice president of United Auto Workers Local 710, is "more confident now that Fairfax is continuing to operate, while other GM plants have to close."
But a possible GM bankruptcy puts scary industry-meltdown scenarios into play for everyone in the company food chain, he said, despite President Barack Obama’s promises of an orderly process.
"If there is a GM bankruptcy, you just never know which plants will survive and which won't," he said. "If a major supplier goes down because GM files bankruptcy, that could set off a domino effect. At that point, any plant could be in jeopardy of shutting down because of a parts shortage."
GM and the administration contend that the flow of parts to GM plants and the flow of money to its critical suppliers will not be disrupted once the restructuring happens. To that end, the Treasury Department has made $2 billion available to GM suppliers (along with $1.5 billion to Chrysler's).
Under the program, suppliers can pay a small fee to get paid for delivered parts quicker than the usual 45-day wait. Or they can use the program's guarantee to banks that they will be paid to help the suppliers obtain tide-over loans.
But a looming bankruptcy puts suppliers between a rock and a hard place. If they go to Treasury, said Laura Marcero, partner with Grant Thornton’s corporate restructuring services group, they must keep their current contract with GM. But that may no longer be profitable because of production cuts.
"Suppliers are facing a dilemma," Marcero said.
Read more at KansasCity.com


text:
HTC has released a cryptic teaser on their Facebook page for a device to be announced tomorrow. It really doesn't say much, and it's anybody's guess what 10:08 means; presumably that's the time we'll have to tune in to HTC's various channels to see what's up.
We've heard of at least two potential devices that HTC could be introducing. There's the One X 5, which is looking more real than ever at this point, and there's the considerably murkier Droid Incredible X, with what could be a 1080p-resolution display (that that would fit in pretty nicely with the 10:08 on the clock, wouldn't it?). Of course, there's also the very real possibility that there's nothing Android going on here at all, and that HTC will in fact be announcing a Windows Phone instead.
That clock font sure looks Windows Phoney to me, but what do you guys think? What kind of Android devices is HTC going to announce tomorrow? Do you think they'd lump in a Windows Phone on the side?


text:
Former Hi-Spirits boss Hill joins Proof Drinks team
Drinks brand owner and distributor Proof Drinks has appointed Jeremy Hill, founder and former chairman of Sazerac-owned Hi-Spirits, as managing director.
Hill is joining Proof founders James McDermott and Paul Ferguson in its senior management team and has taken an equity stake in the business.
Proof owns and distributes Cazcabel tequila and Cut Rum, and distributes brands including Swedish craft beer Pistonhead and coca leaf liqueur Agwa De Bolivia.
Hill said: “I’d always planned to return to the drinks sector once my non-compete agreement [with Sazerac] expired.
“I’d been following what James and Paul have been doing with Proof Drinks, and I see a lot of similarities between Proof and Hi-Spirits in the early days. It's my mission to help the guys position Proof as the UK’s leading independent drinks agency.
“The fact that we have such a diverse portfolio of brands enables us to have interesting conversations with both existing and potential customers across the on-trade and off-trade.
“Proof has demonstrated that it is able to create and grow its own brands too, at the same time as adding value for its partners.
“Cazcabel is already a category leader in terms of its growth rate, while the recent launch of Cut shows that Proof can create differentiated products even in the most competitive categories.
"As I’ve always maintained innovation is the lifeblood of the drinks sector and that will continue to be our focus.
“There are many opportunities out there, both established and evolving, and we will ensure that we have the right fit within the Proof Drinks portfolio.”
McDermott added: “We’re very proud of what Proof Drinks has achieved so far.
“We’ve seen double-digit sales growth each year, have always made a profit, and now employ 20 people.
“The opportunity to bring Jeremy’s knowledge and experience into play alongside our own will be invaluable as we continue to grow.”
Ferguson said: "We've seen Cazcabel become a 40,000 case a year brand in just four years, while with Pistonhead we were ahead of the curve on the craft beer market’s shift into cans.
“The drinks sector in hugely competitive, but there are always opportunities.”