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Google is hit with another lawsuit, this time targeting its Play Store for being anti-competitive and monopolistic. Some experts say that Google will have a "steep hill to climb" to battle this fight, and instead of trying to "point the finger at others," it needs to start proving its worth.
Last week, New York Attorney General and a coalition of 37 state attorney generals slapped Google with a lawsuit alleging that the Play Store has an unfair hold over app distribution on Android and that Google discourages the use of third-party app stores. It also claims that Google puts its own apps ahead of the competition by giving them prominent placement on the best Android phones as pre-loaded apps.
"Through its illegal conduct, the company has ensured that hundreds of millions of Android users turn to Google, and only Google, for the millions of applications they may choose to download to their phones and tablets," Letitia James, New York Attorney General, said in a statement. "Worse yet, Google is squeezing the lifeblood out of millions of small businesses that are only seeking to compete."
While many experts say that the lawsuit is very similar to the Epic Games trial against Apple, which states similar allegations, Sally Hubbard, director of enforcement strategy at the Open Markets Institute, an anti-monopoly think tank, said in an interview that, unlike that trial, this case is likely easier to fight in court.
"It is very similar to Apple. But the complaint involves some agreements that were imposed by third parties like phone makers," she said.
And while Epic Games is in the middle of a fight with Apple, it also sued Google for antitrust violations. In that lawsuit, Epic Games alleged that Google forced phone manufacturer OnePlus to break off a deal that would have seen a special Fortnite launcher preinstalled on OnePlus phones.
Per the lawsuit documents: "Google was 'particularly concerned that Epic Games app would have ability to potentially install and update multiple games with a silent install bypassing the Google Play Store.' Further any waiver of Google's restrictions 'would be rejected due to the Epic Games app serving as a potential portfolio of games and game updates.'"
Hubbard, whose work focuses on Big Tech, explained that unlike Apple, Google licenses its entire operating system to third-party companies, and "no phone maker can sell their phones without the Android operating system, without the Google Play Store and so, therefore, they have to accept whatever terms and conditions Google puts on."
Google has a much tighter control over OEMs than it ever has
She said that this case is entirely comparable to United States vs. Microsoft, in which the U.S. government accused Microsoft of illegally maintaining its monopoly in the PC market by the restrictions it put on manufacturers and users to uninstall Internet Explorer and use other programs like Netscape and Java.
Neil Shah, vice-president of research at Counterpoint Research, said in an interview that because there's an app store duopoly — iOS and Android, almost having similar payment and revenue structure for app developers — the narrative has to be balanced. That means that if Apple is accused of monopolistic behavior, then Google deserves to be hit as well, he said.
The problem for developers is that Google has integrated its platform so extensively that it's becoming "increasingly difficult for OEMS and developers to bypass Google as it has built a platform which is now much superior and better only when it is integrated with Google services."
In its defense, Google's senior director of public policy, Wilson White, wrote in a blog post that the lawsuit alleges the company doesn't provide other options other than to use Google Play, which isn't accurate.
Google also noted that the company provides more "openness and choice than others," adding that the Play Store is different from other app stores and "doesn't impose the same restrictions as other mobile operating systems do."
But despite that, the lawsuit states that Android is the "only viable operating system available to license by mobile device manufacturers and sell their devices to U.S. customers." It noted that Google, "which controls approximately 99% of this market," has durable monopoly power in the market and considerable leverage over mobile device manufacturers and Android app developers."
In 2020, Google Play users worldwide downloaded 108.5 mobile apps, up from 76 billion apps in 2018, according to Statista. Data shows that the Play Store "generates significantly more downloads than the Apple App Store, as it is available for a wider range of devices than Apple's closed iOS ecosystem, which is only available for Apple devices."
Find more statistics at Statista
Carl Szabo, vice-president and general counsel of NetChoice, an industry group whose founders include Google, Facebook, and Amazon, said these lawsuits are invalid.
"It's very interesting that this is being brought against Google's App Store when the case is potentially one of the weakest, and that's because the Android operating system allows sideloading," he said. "Every Android device has two or more app stores pre-installed when you get the device. And there are examples of Android-based devices that don't even have the App store of the Play store installed at all."
Szabo, who worked for former FTC Commissioner Orson Swindle, added that the lawsuit questions whether what is alleged really matches the reality, noting that they do not match.
He said that in the case of Epic Games, as soon as the judge dismisses the case, the same will happen to this lawsuit with Google's Play Store.
Google has to change its approach
Carmi Levy, a technology analyst, said that Google will have to stop "trying to point the finger at others" and instead focus on telling the story about its own business practices.
"It needs to somehow prove that, despite the accusations, its model offers more opportunity than choiceless despair to Google's often-much-smaller competition, that its rules aren't Draconian at all, and rather are designed to create opportunity and encourage innovation among all players," he said. "It's a steep hill to climb, and in the current climate, I doubt Google's lawyers will find much sympathy in open court given the evidence to the contrary."
He said that the entire app store ecosystem is at stake and how much power Google deserves to have as it balances its own profitability and growth against accusations.
Levy agreed with Hubbard and noted that, unlike Apple, Google has earned by virtue of the fact that it built the platform in the first place and continues to set and enforce the rules.
He added that the timing of this lawsuit isn't coincidental as more lawmakers around the world scrutinize Big Tech. And while no one can predict the outcome of this particular lawsuit, Levy says that "Google is no different than any tech company on the wrong side of an antitrust accusation: it disagrees with the charges, will strongly defend them, and will spend as much time, money, and energy as it can to prove its case."
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Shruti Shekar is Android Central's managing editor. She was born in India, brought up in Singapore, but now lives in Toronto and couldn't be happier. She started her journalism career as a political reporter in Ottawa, Canada's capital, and then made her foray into tech journalism at MobileSyrup and most recently at Yahoo Finance Canada. When work isn't on her mind, she loves working out, reading thrillers, watching the Raptors, and planning what she's going to eat the next day.
The US government are Apple fanboys, why aren't they going after Apple who's AppStore policies are as draconian if not more so, Apple won't give consumers choice like Google does with the Play Store and yes there's room for improvement. There's a reason why Google discourage the use of 3rd party app stores, for security reasons like them being full of malware.
The word fanboy should not come out of your mouth. Beno the king fanboy. The main difference between play store and the App Store is Google can’t contain malware.
Good grief dude. I honestly can not tell if you say the things you say to troll people or (and I hate to say it) you are really ignorant and lack the reading comprehension skills to really understand what's going on. Either way you should just stop. You are making yourself look really clueless.
So Android users have the Amazon app store, and Samsung users have the option of the the Samsung app store vs Apple that doesn't give it's users the option of any other app store. Only until recently you couldn't even set default 3rd party apps on iPhones. This lawsuit should be thrown out. It has no merit.
Exactly, the Jokers behind this lawsuit have no case and are clearly Apple fanboys LOL.
Only jokers are the ones who blindly follow Google
Only Jokers on here who blindly follow Samsung.
There is a difference between the Apple case and the Google one... With Apple you can only buy Apple hardware and the whole ecosystem is controlled and run by them... However you don't have to buy and Apple phone... With Android you have a choice, you are not forced to buy your handset from Google but Google's playstore has a monopoly with all app purchases earning them 30% commission, this on top of the data collected from all the Google apps which are installed on the phone most of which cannot be uninstalled only disabled...
The 30% is steep but again it's Google's house and they can do what they want. This lawsuit is ********.
This lawsuit have exposed what most folks knew but the fanatic refused to acknowledged for years. As this lawsuit showed, the Samsung store was a front, Google have been paying Samsung for years. Google keep saying Android is open while the have contracts in place with the carriers to block non sanctions Google Android. This suit showed the length Google goes to make sure Android stay under Google's control. Google is fine to take that stand if they wanted (Apple does). The difference is, Apple is not licensing their OS to any third parties like Google does and therefore not/can't harm themselves.
The only avenue folks can bring suit to Apple is their lock on the Appstore and the fees they charge. I don't see the government winning either of those cases against Apple. Google on the other hand is a different story, they have a ton of contracts with different vendors and entities which will bite them in the end. Google forgo control to gain market share but later wanted to apply those same controls. You can't have it both ways and this is why they will lose their case while Apple will most likely come out with minimal damage.
There used to be a setting that would allow or disallow apps from anything but the play store. Now apparently permission to download from "unknown" sources is at a app level, but presumably you could allow Chrome or some other app to download and install an app from some other store. Then you could presumably allow that app to do the same. If the user has the ability to bypass the play store and go elsewhere, there doesn't seem to be a monopoly. You can trust Google (or Samsung, or Amazon) to police their apps or open Chrome other browser to allow downloading from any source and take the risk on yourself. If I am trusting Google to police apps, I want them to be Draconian. I go to the play store to get honest descriptions of apps, and to get apps that won't rip me off or hijack my data. If an app downloads others, I want to know that and decide if I should allow it or not. Maybe that "feature" should be prominently displayed in the app store the way for-pay options are so I could decide if I want to install it at all.
This is not what the government is looking at. That's what and where Google wants everyone to focus but that is not where the focus should be, the focus is rightly place on all the contracts (unseen to the fanatics) Google have in place with different players to make sure no one can upend Google's control of Android. Its the reason everything now fall under the playstore services. Google is fine to take that stand if they want, after all Apple has. The issue is once you have an open system you open yourself up to everything that's happening now. The government can't bring those charges against Apple since Apple does not license iOS and can't harm itself. Stop pointing at sideloading, that's not the issue, the issue is all the stuffs they do behind closed doors to maintain control and make sure no other vendors appstores can succeed. Since Apple have a closed platform/shop they are not liable for such a complaint.
Android is a better place because of Google's control. The lawsuit is BS and they won't be successful. They should be going after Apple over their monopoly with the AppStore.
Not going to waste my time arguing since you present no argument and are just trolling as usual.
This isn't trolling, if the US government is going to go after Google then they should go after Apple as well for their own anti consumer business model in not allowing game streaming on the AppStore you're anti Google and that's the only thing I have to say to you, because you're a biased anti Google and Samsung troll.
Well, this is a mess. Let's see what comes out of it.
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Samsung had to kill the Note 7 after a second worldwide recall was initiated and that has cost the South Korean giant quite dearly. Apart from the billions of dollars that Samsung had to shell out in order to recall all the Note 7 smartphones and refund its customers, there is no telling how much this incident will hamper Samsung's business in the long run. According to Ming-Chi Kuo from KGI Market analyst firm, Samsung may lose as much as 5 to 7 million customers to Apple's iPhone 7 in the remainder of this year alone.
About 12 million units of the Note 7 were ordered and since each and every one of those customers will now have to opt for another smartphone, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are lucrative alternatives for them. The iPhone 7 Plus in particular will appeal to most of the ex-Note 7 customers, due to its large display, dual rear camera setup and a price tag that's quite similar to the Note 7. A portion of the remaining customers will of course stay loyal to Samsung by choosing the Galaxy S7 Edge or some other Samsung device. Other contenders for the sales gap created by the untimely death of the Note 7 are mainly the Google Pixel XL and the LG V20. We are not entirely sure about the report, but only time will tell if the Note 7 disaster is enough to make so many people change loyalties.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)
We all are waiting for the HTC One M9 to hit the markets worldwide which is scheduled on March,16th. Sadly, we might need to wait a little while longer because HTC missed the deadline. According to various reports, the Taiwanese manufacturer has delayed the release because of an urgent software update that the handset must receive before launch.
Whether or not this is true, is hard to tell, but it is a fact that the company has missed its March,16th home market shipping date. Some impatient customers, who have already payed for the flagship are reporting that the official statement they are receiving are for a delay of a couple of days to a couple of weeks.
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Vice-Chairman Lee Jae-yong of Samsung has mentioned that the S8 will feature an "improved camera" as well as a "slick design." While this certainly doesn't say anything significant about the device to be honest, it just goes to show that Samsung is now trying to center media attention towards the Galaxy S8 and away from the Note 7.
As Lee Jae-yong specifically mentioned the camera of the upcoming Galaxy S8, it could indicate that Samsung might really be opting for a dual camera setup this time around. If the rumors are true, then one 16-megapixel sensor and one 8-megapixel sensor will be embedded in a single rear mounted module.
The slick design mentioned by the soon to be Chairman of Samsung on the other hand, could point to the "full-screen" display that we have only heard about via rumors so far. However, it's worth mentioning that Xiaomi has already beaten Samsung to it with the beautiful Mi Mix, when it comes to the all-screen display. Let's see if Samsung can top that at the MWC, 2017 next year in February.
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)
As per a report from Korea, the tech giant's CEOs' are witnessing drastic drop in salaries in 2015, something the report says is because of the struggling sales figure of the company in this year. Referring to the regulatory filing done by Samsung, the report disclosed that among the three CEOs, Kwon Oh-hyun (also the vice chairman) was paid highest salary this year - 3.82 billion Korean Won ($3.25 million), in comparison to 6.25 billion Won he received last year. Yoo Boo-keun - who handles the company's consumer electronics business division pocketed 2.34 billion Won, in comparison to last year's 3.61 billion Won. Mobile business headman Shin Jong-kyun experienced the largest cut, receiving just 2.28 billion Won this year dropped from 12.03 billion Won in 2014.
The drastic drop in Salary is due to the decreased incentives, which are generally associated with the company's performance. This report has come out amid speculations that Samsung is planning to cut cost by laying-off workers in managerial level.
Nevertheless Samsung has put a lot of effort to produce smartphones like Galaxy S6, which has a good build quality. Probably this is one of the main reasons behind the sales boost (although it didn't make any considerable difference).
Although Samsung will probably resume selling the Note 7 with a safer batch of battery and maybe even a slight rebranding, analysts are of the opinion that it might not be enough to help Samsung out of the huge loss that this fiasco has landed them in. According to Mirae Asset Securities, launching the next flagship device (which is probably the Galaxy S8) prior to its expected release date could prove to be a vital move that may help Samsung somewhat counter the loss that it is suffering both due to the expenses associated with recalling the defective Note 7s, as well as the long term impact on the company's reputation due to what happened.
It has been rumoured that Samsung is currently developing two secret flagship class smartphones, dubbed as Dream (SM-G950) and Dream2 (SM-G955). If this rumor is true then these could be the two upcoming Galaxy S8 models (or not). However, if they are, then we will have to assume that Samsung is once again skipping a number (4 in this case) as the S7 and S7 Edge were codenamed SM-G930 and SM-G935 respectively. Going by how the Galaxy Note 7 performed after skipping the number 6 (the Note 7 was preceded by the Note 5), the superstitious among us may not exactly recommend that!
Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)
What we know so far about the upcoming iPhone release due September 2020?
Fall is always an exciting time for mobile users and especially Apple fans as it usually means the release of their latest flagship phone and more. Apple traditionally hold their September launch event and the internet is always buzzing with rumours and speculation around what we are expected to see, and with the iPhone 11 being somewhat of a disappoint to us tech geeks, let's see what Apple are looking to do with their phone this year.
According to @EveryApplePro and @mweinbach, 120Hz ProMotion is coming exclusively to the iPhone 12 Pro models along with larger batteries. The cameras will also see major improvements including 3x optical zoom and better low light photography. pic.twitter.com/iX82pPNXEl— Apple Hub (@theapplehub) May 10, 2020
With rumours stating about what the new iPhone will look like, well it seems as if the general consensus that there will be a total of four new iPhones coming onto the scene in September - there most since launching the iPhone 15 years ago. They range in size from 5.4" to a whopping 6.7" which will be there biggest iPhone to date also.
Accorinding to GSMArena, and surprising but welcoming news to us consumers is that we will not be seeing a price rise for the iPhone 12 despite rising manufacturing costs due to the global pandemic. That means that prices for the new iPhone will more than likely match those of the iPhone 11 release.
The camera looks as if its going to be having another make over as shown below - this might be the first iPhone in which we see a 3D camera as the rumour mill flies around, and this certainly is exciting for some of us self-proclaimed photographers. Also as shown on the image below, the iPhone 12 might have 4 cameras improving on the 3 cameras that are currently on the iPhone 11.
Technology has really seen a rise in numbers during 2020 due to the lockdown, and particularly online entertainment services like online gambling sites. This is mainly down to the fact that many have found themselves house bound and limited ways on entertaining themselves. Betting Sites on Gamstop has seen this kind of traffic on their sites, especially with the like of Virtual sports and Esports having a similar surge over the lockdown period due to not many sporting events being shown due to social distancing.
[Image: Photo Arena]
The HTC Nexus 9 was supposed to launch on T-Mobile by early December, last we heard anything about this subject. Well, it's early December now, and the tablet is nowhere to be found at the carrier's stores.
What's the reason for that... According to a leaked internal communication from T-Mobile, the launch of the HTC-made Nexus 9 on the carrier has been delayed indefinitely.
What's worse than an indefinite delay ? T-Mobile itself still doesn't know when it will actually have the Nexus 9 in stock. So if you were planning to buy this tablet from this carrier, you'll need to be patient. This delay is due to a shortage in the Nexus 9 stock for HTC. We hope T-Mobile sort this out before Christmas.
Although Google never revealed the exact date for the Android 5.0 rollout for the Nexus devices, unofficial sources had claimed that it should commence on November 3. In case you haven't noticed, it's November 6 today. So what happened to the update?
As it turns out, Google found some major bugs in the last developer preview of the Android 5.0 build, particularly one related to Wi-Fi, which drains the battery and makes the devices hotter.
Although Google has fixed the bug now (marked as "fixed" on bug report), the unofficial release date has been pushed back to November,12th roll-out after which you'll start seeing the rollout on Nexus devices, starting with Nexus 7.
If your Galaxy S6 Edge, S6 Edge+ or Note 5 is under contract from Telus, then your Samsung smartphone has probably not yet received its Android 6.0 Marshmallow update. It seems like the carrier is experiencing certain issues which are impeding them from releasing the latest updates for these smartphones on time. This was the most obvious observation after we came to know that the scheduled dates for releasing the Android M updates have been delayed.
Earlier, the scheduled date for releasing the latest Marshmallow updates for the Galaxy S6 Edge was March 16, but it has now been changed to March 30. That's a two week delay, which might disappoint quite a few customers who had been waiting for it eagerly. On the other hand, the Galaxy Note 5 as well as the S6 Edge+ were scheduled for the same on March 9, but will start receiving the updates on March 13. Customers will definitely find this gap of four days more tolerable than the two weeks delay for the S6 Edge.
The original S6 was scheduled to be the last smartphone in the S6 series to receive Android marshmallow from Telus on April 13, and as far as we know, that date has not been changed yet.
We already saw the Hands-on video of the Galaxy Note Edge and Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop 5.0.1 update. However, Samsung didn't release the update yet on any region, even the old Galaxy Note 3 got its official Lollipop update in some regions...
Where's the Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop Update ?
Well, it turns out that Samsung delayed the Galaxy Note 4 Lollipop 5.0.1 update due to compatibility issues with Samsung Gear VR. Samsung needs to make sure that the Gear VR will work well on the Note 4 Lollipop ROM, so far the Galaxy Note 4 ROM is still in the hands of Oculus VR who are tweaking the kernel to ensure its compatibility with the Samsung Gear VR.
Samsung Gear VR is Samsung's current take on virtual reality headset based on the popular Oculus Rift. While compatibility issues might explain the delay the question still stands why this can't be achieved in a later update. It looks like Gear VR is very important to Samsung that it delayed the full Lollipop roll-out for it.
Many Samsung users are waiting for their Lollipop OTA Update, few users already updated. Samsung Galaxy S4 (SM-I950x) and Galaxy S5 (SM-G900x) users who already received the Android 5.0 Lollipop update is reporting that they are facing bugs and issues with the firmware.
Today, Samsung Norway told its complaining users that the Lollipop update for both Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S5 is currently "On-Hold" in order to fix the reported bugs. The company also said that they are working full time to fix those bugs and start rolling-out a new one that includes all the fixes that will be available to all users very soon.
The reported bugs includes random freezes, Contacts app force close by itself, default Phone app "com.android.phone" crashes, alarm problems and also some performance issues. Here's what Samsung Norway said:
"We are aware of the issues some users are experiencing after installing
the update Android 5.0 Lollipop and now has stopped the current
version. We work full time with a new update that contains solutions
to the problems that have been reported to us, including a new solution for
silent mode. We hope to send out the update shortly, and will
keep you updated on Facebook." - Samsung Norway
Samsung has already rolled-out its Official Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update to the Galaxy S4 I9500 and some of it variants. We were awaiting for the Galaxy S4 mini I9515 Lollipop update confirmation for more than 2 months now, Today we've got some bad news for all S4 mini users. UK Carrier, Three, has just officially received a confirmation from Samsung that the Android 5.0 Lollipop Update for the Galaxy S4 mini has been Canceled due to Memory Limitation.
@barbs_paul Sorry for the delay in replying Paul. There's no plans for Lollipop for the S4 mini due to memory limitation. >DD
— ThreeUKSupport (@ThreeUKSupport) April 24, 2015
YouMobile team reached out to ThreeUKSupport via twitter and they confirmed that non of the S4 mini variants will get the Lollipop update. Just to remind you, the S4 mini packs a 8GB internal memory (only 5 GB available for the user) along with 1.5 GB RAM (Only 768-900MB available for the user).
@YouMobile Hi there. Yes we've received confirmation from Samsung that this is due to a memory limitation with this device...
— ThreeUKSupport (@ThreeUKSupport) April 24, 2015
Samsung considered this specifications as "limited" and won't be able to provide a smooth Lollipop experience for the users of the S4 mini. However, Samsung France has already confirmed that Android 5.0 Lollipop update is coming to Galaxy S5 mini variant during the Q2,2015 period (April - May - June). Stay tuned for more Info!
ThreeIreland just announced via its official Twitter (replying to a user query) that its Galaxy S4 mini official Android 5.0 Lollipop update is Approved and on its way, the Carrier explained that its UK firm updates is different from theirs and they have "Approved" the update version they got from Samsung after testing.
@debbiebabes Hi Debbie, good news, that update has been approved and has started to roll out so you should receive it in the coming weeks.
— Three Ireland Online (@ThreeCare) April 24, 2015
You can also check the Official Samsung updates Page for the latest Lollipop updates status and Firmwares.
Samsung is currently rolling-out its official Android 5.1.1 updates to a wide-range of its devices with lots of new features. Sadly, a device will be left of those updates.
According to SamsungUK, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 Lollipop update has been CANCELED and will not be getting any official Android 5.0 Lollipop updates. The company didn't release any info regarding the Note 8.0 Lollipop update before and its firmware hasn't even hit the development status at all.
@jamesnutbeams We don't like to be the bearer of bad news, James, but the Note 8.0 won't be receiving the Lollipop update. ^LC
— Samsung UK (@SamsungUK) August 22, 2015
We reached out for the company support team requesting more info regarding this info. Well, it turns out that the Galaxy Note 8.0 will not be able to run Lollipop with TouchWiz smoothly due to limited hardware capabilities which will not deliver an optimal User Experience, according to Samsung. We would like to point out that the Note 8.0 packs a Quad-core Exynos 4412 Cortex-A9 CPU, a Mali-400MP4 GPU along with a 2GB RAM LPDDR2 chip, the device was launched in 2013 with Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box then got the Android 4.4 KitKat OTA update later after that.
So, we guess that Samsung has just dropped the support of this device and won't be providing any more official updates for it in the future. We hope the company will reverse its decision regarding this device. Stay tuned and follow the Official Samsung updates page for more info.

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AllOver Media acquires kiosk advertising company Prime Point Media
AOM has also entered into a partnership with DolEx Money Transfer, a provider of money transfer services to Mexico and Latin America
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – July 14, 2015 — AllOver Media, Inc., the largest alternative out-of-home advertising platform in the United States, today announced the purchase of Prime Point Media, a leader in high visibility urban kiosks and kiosk advertising. In addition, AOM has entered into an exclusive partnership with DolEx Money Transfer, a leading provider of money transfer services to Mexico and Latin America, phone cards, money orders, and travel and check cashing services.
“The addition of Prime Point Media and DolEx to the AOM portfolio allows us to bring customers greater access to major metropolitan and urban marketplaces and boost multi-cultural consumer engagement,” said Tony Jacobson, CEO and Founder of AllOver Media. “These new relationships also reinforce AOM’s status as the largest provider of not only Out-of-Home advertising, but also expands our capabilities to reach multicultural consumers nationwide. We will continue to build our platform to reach on the go consumers throughout the country.”
The acquisition of Prime Point Media expands AOM’s presences in high visibility kiosk advertising at more than 23,000 urban kiosks nationwide, including 340 military base locations. Concentrated mainly in the top 30 DMAs across the U.S., urban kiosks provide another platform to engage consumers within their daily lives through the placement of customizable campaigns that reach multi-cultural audiences, target point-of-purchase locations and access consumers who are generally underserved in branded messaging. Customers include top retailers McDonalds, Starbucks, Coke and Pampers; Prime Point Media also serves public agencies to aid in promoting public health initiatives aimed at urban audiences. Financial details of the transaction are not being disclosed.
Effective September 1, 2015, AOM will form an exclusive partnership with DolEx and will be one of the largest media providers in the branded cash jacket marketplace. DolEx maintains a 20-year track record with more than 530 Hispanic-focused, proprietary, retail locations and over 1,800 third party agent locations in more than 30 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. DolEx offers money transfer services to more than 35 countries, and their branches can be found as stand-alones, in grocery stores and in multi-service stores across the U.S. Their branches also offer telephony products and services, money orders, bill payments, check cashing services and more. Top DMAs include Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, New York, Chicago and Phoenix.
“Since our origination in 2002, AllOver Media has successfully developed and deployed a diverse set of advertising mediums at high-traffic indoor and outdoor locations throughout the United States,” added Jacobson. “We have established a reputation as a top innovator in advertising products, and we serve thousands of customers nationwide.”


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On Grandgood, interesting news:
Two days ago it was revealed that someone was ebaying the identity of Banksy, but then the auction went down and we forgot about it, thinking it probably wasn’t legit. But hey, it’s back up now, skirting eBay’s tangibility requirement by now offering a “piece of paper” with his name on it, allegedly of course.
If you win this auction I will mail you a piece of paper revealing the true identity of “Banksy”.
I have uncovered his identity by matching up the prices of his sold pieces to corresponding tax records. I will reveal no more details.
The winner of this auction is the only person I will ever share this information with. The piece of paper will say his name, nothing more.
I give you 100% assurance that it is most certainly the full name of the street artist known as “Banksy”.
Ebay previously ended this auction because I was selling something that was not “tangible”.
It is now tangible.


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Food manufacturer Monde Nissin said its instant noodle products do not contain ethylene oxide, a substance used to make pesticides, in their ingredients.
The manufacturer made this statement after European countries warned their citizens about the health risks of consuming the noodle products of the Philippine-based food company due to the supposed use of the chemical “ethylene oxide.”
In a statement, the manufacturer assured its consumers that they comply with the Philippine and US Food and Drug Administration standards in the use of ethylene oxide.
“We are aware of the information being shared about certain Lucky Me! products in an ongoing recall in the EU and Taiwan due to the presence of Ethylene Oxide. The recall affects other company’s noodle brands and multiple categories such as ice cream, sesame seed, spices, calcium carbonate supplements, among others,” the statement read.
The manufacturer also pointed out that traces of the said pesticide ingredient might show up in the noodle’s seasoning and sauces because the seeds and spices used to produce such used ethylene oxide to control microbial growth.
Why EU is flagging the instant noodle products
The countries flagged the instant product because the ingredient in question, ethylene oxide, is banned in the European region.
The Republic of Malta warned its citizens not to consume the following products:
- Instant noodles Pancit Canton ORIGINAL Flavour
- Instant noodles Pancit Canton HOT CHILI Flavour
- Instant noodle soup BEEF Flavor
- Instant noodles Pancit Canton KALAMANSI Flavour
- Instant noodles Pancit Canton CHILIMANSI Flavour
“In accordance with the Food Safety Act and Regulation (EC) No. 178 of 2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council, the Environmental Health Directorate within the Superintendence of Public Health wishes to inform the public that following information received through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed said products must not be consumed due to high levels of Ethylene oxide (a pesticide),” Malta’s Department of Information’s statement read.
For the same reason, Ireland recalled the distribution of Pancit Canton in their country.
Lucky Me! Pancit Canton, a friend noodle variant of Lucky Me! instant noodles, was first introduced in the Philippines in 1991.
Despite flagging this food product, Ireland noted that the ethylene oxide does not pose an acute health risk.
“This pesticide is not authorized for use in foods sold in the EU. Although the consumption of the contaminated product does not pose an acute risk to health, there may be health issues if there is continued consumption of ethylene oxide over a long period of time,” Ireland’s Food Safety Authority said in a statement
“Therefore, exposure to this substance needs to be minimized,” it added.
The IFSA also displayed point-of-sale recall notices in stores supplied with the implicated batch.
This is not the first time the products were flagged in the European Union countries. According to the EU’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed window, the Netherlands and Denmark also flagged the said products in 2021 due to the use of ethylene oxide.
Consumer advocacy organization Consumer Notice said the chemical ingredient is “an environmental pollutant and is toxic to humans.”
According to the org, ethylene oxide, widely used by companies, is often used by food manufacturers to disinfect their products. Long-term exposure may cause health detriments such as cancer.
The Philippine Department of Health said the country’s Food and Drug Administration will be probing the instant noodle products.


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Black market bandits on the rise
If you’re any kind of music fan you’re probably aware of the madness around ticket release dates. Think Taylor Swift, Glastonbury and Beyonce, and the fans who set alarms so they can wake up at ungodly hours to try and beat the rush on Ticketmaster.
Prices keep going up and tickets are in high, high demand.
It’s possible this mania is the exact inspiration for a league of black market ‘brokers’ that has sprung up in the wake of the driving test backlog.
Not only have these unscrupulous businesses recognised a demand, but they’ve actively worked to exacerbate it by snapping up any and all available driving test slots they can.
For what end? Nothing but profit, it seems.
When test slots are available, pupils can purchase one for £62 through the DVSA booking system. But what if there are no slots available at all?
How much would you be prepared to pay for a chance to take your test, if there was nothing available to book for over six months and the situation showed no signs of changing?
As early as 2022, it was reported that learners were paying upwards of £200 to some of these firms that have been booking up driving test slots in bulk. And this is continuing to happen over a year later, with the prices steadily rising.
Those forced to use a so-called ‘broker’ to secure a single driving test slot are, in 2023, forking out around £500 on average for the privilege. And if they need to take more than one test, the cost is quickly going to stack up to eye-watering levels.
How, then, are they getting away with it?
As so many unscrupulous businesses and individuals do these days, these brokers are using ‘bots’ to snap up as many available slots as possible, shutting out the drivers who need them.
In other words, they’ve taken control of the supply to control the demand and set the going price at extortionate levels.


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South Korean tech giant Samsung has unveiled some interesting information about its upcoming memory at Samsung Tech Day 2021. Sorry, there are no photos or slideshows from this event, as Samsung does not allow it. The good thing is that the Germans “ComputerBase” made a great brief.
DDR5 memory is only now being released to the masses, and Samsung is already talking about the DDR6 standard. The final specifications for the DDR6 standard have not yet been approved, but the DDR6-12800 is expected to be the base memory speed. DDR6 memory is expected to be upgraded to DDR6-17000, of course, this is only a preliminary prediction. DDR6 memory will have four channels in one module, twice as much as DDR5 memory.
Video cards will also have faster memory in the future. In the near future, video cards will get GDDR6 + memory, which will reach 24 Gbps data bandwidth. For comparison, GDDR6 memory has up to 18 Gbps data bandwidth. Sorry, the specific release date of GDDR6 + is not disclosed.
In the very future, there will be a GDDR7 memory standard even with 32 Gbps data bandwidth. This memory will still have real-time error correction.


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Sitka, Alaska (KINY) - Ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, CBS is reminding residents that Friday and Saturday will be sales tax-free days.
During the Sitka Assembly meeting on Sept. 16th, the body had voted to authorize November 26th and 27th as sales tax-free days for 2021.
They said that exclusions include any sale of fuel, alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, marijuana, and any sale which part of a continuing obligation of the buyer is to pay the seller over time.
Finance Director Melissa Haley noted during the meeting that the sales tax-free holidays decreased revenue by approximately $50,000.
If individuals have any questions, they can contact the CBS Sales Tax Office at 747-1840.


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FINLAND – Atria Group, one of the leading meat and food companies in the Nordic countries has unveiled plans of investing €130 million (US$142.82m) in a project to expand poultry production in Finland.
The investment project includes the renovation of existing production facilities and the construction of new production facilities and lines at the Nurmo plant.
Atria is banking on the growing poultry segment in Finland, which according to the Finland based company, consumption of poultry meat has been growing strongly in Finland for several years. This year, the consumption has increased by about 4 percent in value.
Atria is responding to the growth in consumer demand and is now planning a major investment project to strengthen its position as a market leader in poultry products.
“We will initiate the project planning based on preliminary studies. If implemented, the investment would be one of the largest single investment projects in Atria’s history,” says Juha Gröhn, chief executive of Atria Plc.
“We have a strong belief in Finnish food production and the fact that the Finnish meat industry will succeed in international competition, as long as we have courage to invest in it,” Juha adds.
Atria has now started the application process to gain regulatory approvals from the relevant authorities, and a statement from the company estimates that the project is expected to be fully completed by the end of 2024 at the earliest.
The Finland-based meat and poultry company also has operations in Sweden, Denmark, Estonia and Russia – with Finland and Sweden being its major markets.
During the three months to ending June 30, Atria Finland’s net sales totaled €263.7 million (US$293.9 million), an increase from the €254.9 million (US$284.07 million) reported for the second quarter of 2018.
Atria Sweden’s net sales for the quarter grew by 6.5 percent, totaling EUR74.4 million (US$82.9 million), up from the EUR71.7 million (US$79.91 million) recorded during the second quarter of 2018.
During the first half of the year, the company saw consumption of read meat decrease by 4% compared to 6% increase the consumption of chicken. Atria projects that the structural change in meat consumption will continue to shift from red meat to chicken.


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Thai transgender businesswoman buys Miss Universe pageant for $20 million
Jakapong “Anne” Jakrajutatip, a Thai transgender businesswoman, has acquired the Miss Universe Organization pageant for $20 million.
Michelle De Pacina
Thai beauty pageant finalist denied entry into Dubai for being transgender
Thai model Rachaya Noppakaroon, who is transgender, said she wasinterrogated for hours at the Dubai airport because her passport stated tha...
65-Year-Old Thai Woman Posts Viral Ad Looking for a Boyfriend, Still Single
A 65-year-old woman in Thailand’s rural Ubon Ratchathani Province who made headlines last week after making an ad seeking a partner is still...


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The move has proved a much-needed uplift for the UK’s motor manufacturing sector following Jaguar’s impending closure of its Brown’s Lane plant and recent efficiency issues at Land Rover’s Solihull factory.
Nissan revealed its new five-door model – one of three separate cars believed to be replacing the Almera by the end of the decade – during the Paris motor show.
The carmaker followed the unveiling with an announcement that it would be built in Sunderland alongside the Micra, Micra C+C, Primera and Almera, with the creation of around 200 new jobs and an investment of some £125m. Around 100,000 units will be produced annually for domestic and export markets.
The company has now launched a manufacturing staff trainee scheme to fill the first 100 posts. Recruits will be employed for the first 14 months by the Automotive Sector Strategic Alliance, after which they will transfer to a permanent Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK contract as trainee production operatives.
After a further six months, they will take posts in the plant’s body, paint, trim and chassis shops. Nissan Europe executive vice- president Patrick Pelata says the Tone “represents our thinking” in the mini-MPV sector. “The niche market where Tone will compete is forecast to have grown by a factor of four from 2002 to 2007.”


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Social gaming giant Playfish is developing a Facebook title based on Electronic Arts’ world-conquering FIFA franchise.
The project – called FIFA Superstars – is the first to be unveiled since Electronic Arts bought Playfish late last year in a deal worth up to $400 million.
Playfish had in the past revealed its enthusiasm in working with EA’s most high profile and lucrative franchises on the Facebook battlefield. Yet the studio clarified it would still be working on its own IP.
EA Sports boss Peter Moore said the integration of FIFA and Facebook made sense.
“Our FIFA products connect fans from all over the world who share a common passion for the sport, and soon our partnership with Playfish will allow us to bring the FIFA brand to the growing Facebook community,” he said.
“Leveraging our football gaming knowledge and marrying it with the social gaming expertise of our partners at Playfish is sure to provide more great opportunities to bring hundreds of millions of new fans to compete against their friends to win the FIFA World Cup through an engaging interactive football experience.”


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One of the richest man in Singapore, banker Wee Cho Yaw, is reported to have bought all 45 unsold units at The Nassim, a luxury condominium development in District 10.
The development consists of 55 freehold units in total.
Mr Wee, 89, is the Emeritus Chairman of United Overseas Bank (UOB), and was ranked number 7 on Forbes magazine’s list of the richest Singaporeans in 2016 with a nett worth of US$5billion.
According to local media reports, the 45 units came with a price tag of S$411.6 million.
The property itself is valued at some S$407.2 million, or S$2,300 per sq ft.
The developer, Capitaland, said the price represents a discount of 18 per cent on the current unit sale price.
The Straits Times reports that the 45 units make up a strata area of 16,446 sq m.
The other 10 units were bought by individuals such as, it is believed, Mr Sigid Wonowidjojo, whose family controls Indonesian cigarette maker, Gudang Garam.
“The deal is the latest in a series of recent bulk sales of residential units which developers have done to avoid the Qualifying Certificate (QC) penalties,” the Straits Times says.
Under Singapore’s property laws, developers who are issued with a QC must finish building the project within five years of acquiring the site, and they must also sell all units within two years of obtaining a temporary occupation permit (TOP).
With Singapore’s private property sector in lukewarm state, due partly to the government’s cooling measures, sales have been tepid. Analysts said last year that while this may be so, it does not mean developers would slash prices to move the units. Instead, they may pursue other options such as bulk sales.
Capitaland estimated that it would have to pay S$9.3 million in QC penalties in the first year (by August 2016), and a whopping S$27.9 million in the third year, if it was unable to sell off the units.
Credit Suisse had estimated in March last year that the combined QC which developers would have to pay in 2016 and 2017 would be S$226 million and S$1.3 billion respectively.
However, other analysts say the figure is likely to be lower as developers sell more units.
Under the Residential Property Act’s Qualifying Certificate (QC) rules, all developers with non-Singaporean shareholders or directors are required to obtain the Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) for their housing developments within 5 years and to sell all dwelling units within two years from the date of TOP.
To extend the deadline, developers will have to fork out an additional 8 per cent, 16 per cent and 24 per cent of the land purchase price for the first, second and subsequent years respectively. The amount is pro-rated accordingly to the proportion of unsold units. Should developers fail to comply with the QC rules, their banker’s guarantee of 10 per cent of the land purchase price that they put up will be forfeited.
Send in your scoops to firstname.lastname@example.org


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Lotus and Volvo will soon be part of the same group. The Swedish brand is open to working with its new British sibling on suspension tuning. "I don't see any problem using their knowledge. I think it is pretty applicable all over the board," an engineer told Drive.
Paris-based Renault has confirmed the new Megane RS will be available with both a manual transmission and a dual-clutch automatic. Packing about 300 horsepower, the brand's next hot hatch is also expected to get a four-wheel steering system.
Raj Nair will become the executive vice president of Ford North America starting on June 1st. His current roles are executive vice president of product development, and chief technical officer. http://bit.ly/2rnLOag
German tuner Oettinger has introduced a hot-rodded Volkswagen Golf GTI. The 2.0-liter turbo four has been completely rebuilt with strengthened components and tuned to pump out 380 horsepower. The extra power is complemented by a full body kit.


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Woman who owned Stamford travel agency arrested for selling customers fake tickets
STAMFORD -- A New York woman who operated a Stamford travel agency was arrested for selling over a dozen fake airplane tickets to customers traveling to Central and South America, said police.
Stamford Police Sgt. Peter diSpagna said that Ruth Yolanda Montoya, 58 of 47 Lawton St. in New Rochelle, NY was charged with larceny in the first degree. Montoya was extradited from Maryland after police stopped her for a traffic violation and learned there was a warrant for her arrest in Stamford, he said.
DiSpagna said that Montoya had owned a small travel business in Stamford called Astral Travel, located at 283 Shippan Ave. since 2009. Montoya's travel company catered specifically to Stamford's Latino community, he said.
This past year 13 of Montoya's customers reported that Montoya pretended to book an airplane ticket to either Central or South America through her travel agency. When the customers got to the airport to pick up their ticket they were told that no ticket existed, said diSpagna.
The customers made checks or gave cash to Montoya for the tickets, said diSpagna. A total of $21,000 was lost, he said.
"I would say this was a betrayal of trust," said diSpagna. "These people did not know who to turn to when they found out that they were given fake tickets. Many of them aren't familiar with the law and that is probably why it took so long for them to go to the police."
DiSpagna said that there may be more customers of Montoya that were victims f fraud and don't realize it was a crime. Police urge anyone with information or questions to call 203-977-4407.
Montoya is being held on a $50,000 bond and has a court date on Tuesday, July 3 at Stamford Superior Court, said police.


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Over 10 Years in Business Since 2001, Collective Point of Sale Solutions has been Canada’s Choice for payment processing services and secure point of sale solutions. We have served more than 11,000 businesses across Canada and processed more than $1 billion in debit and credit card transactions.
To find out more about us, check out our timeline of press releases to see how we've grown over the years.
Mobile Payments Committee launched by industry powers
August 14, 2012 - 4:17pm
An industry-wide task force comprised of major mobile network operators and credit card schemes, banking representatives, payment processors and Google has launched a Mobile Payments Committee, with the intention of paving the way for the full-scale commercial application of mobile payment processing options, according to Finextra.
Made up of a who's who of industry powers - including AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, Wells Fargo, Capital One, Isis, Panasonic and Verifone - the task force will be operating under the umbrella of the Electronics Transactions Association. Heading the committee is Jackie Moran, executive director of federal relations for Verizon.
"There are a lot of different pathways to enable consumers to use mobile payments," Jason Oxman, CEO of ETA, told VentureBeat. "The idea behind the committee is to get all the players around the table, ask everyone to take off their company hats and put on their industry hats, and talk about what issues need to be resolved. There's definitely a lot of recognition from the tech side and the payments side of the industry that the two sides are converging."
Industry players, business owners and consumers alike are beginning to realise the untapped potential of the nascent contactless payment processing market. Part of the burgeoning development includes overcoming several issues that have prevented widespread adoption thus far. Some of these obstacles include helping participants figure out the complex business relationships that go into the effective functioning of mobile payments, educating legislators on developing mobile payments public policy and educating customers and merchants on the numerous benefits of the technology.
According to Finextra, the committee will be meeting on a monthly basis, with the first official get together scheduled for late August.
Mobile methods of payment processing have already pervaded nearly every expenditure in our daily lives, from our online shopping binges to our first cup of coffee in the morning. Now, mobile payments are entering an unexpected realm - video games.


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Tablets based on Intel's first dedicated tablet processor may not be a monster hit among consumers like Apple's iPad, but they could find adoption in enterprises, analysts said this week.
Google took another step toward the enterprise this week when executives unveiled the "Chromebook," a notebook PC that could boost both its new operating system and cloud apps.
Android and iOS mobile devices now can be corralled by a Smith Micro device management application unveiled this week at the Interop show in Las Vegas. Client-side code makes even personally-owned devices visible to enterprise IT managers.
Twitter today updated its Mac desktop software, the first time the micro-blogging service has refreshed the program since it launched last January.
Apple is in the hot seat again in a new lawsuit that says iPad and iPhone user location data and other personal information is being shared with third-party advertisers. Apple is accused of aiding and abetting the "intentional taking and transmittin...
Thirty-five percent of Android and iPhone owners in the U.S. use apps such as Facebook on their smartphone before even getting out of bed, according to a survey conducted by telecommunications equipment vendor Ericsson.</a>
Apple's possible move from Intel x86 chips to ARM processors for its MacBooks is feasible, but not practical over the next few years because of technical and performance issues, analysts said this week.
Google is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice in connection with its advertising program, and has set aside US$500 million for a potential resolution, the company said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday.
Apple's iPad hasn't materially affected consumer PC sales, as some have claimed, a research firm said today.
The iPod nano may not sell like it used to, but that doesn't mean Apple has stopped tinkering with its tiny music player. A new photo allegedly shows a next-generation iPod nano with a rear-facing camera.
The Android mobile powerhouse is cruising to new heights with 100 million activated devices, 4.5 billion applications downloaded from the Android Market, and 450,000 developers building tools for Android phones and tablets, Google said Tuesday as it ...
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer today promised that the company would continue to develop and support Skype on rival platforms.
Google kicked off its annual Google I/O developers conference by giving people what they'd been speculating about for months - an online music service.
Representatives of Apple and Google denied that they are collecting the personal information of owners of smartphones running their operating systems, but a U.S. senator questioned whether those denials were accurate during a hearing Tuesday.
Google is expected to announce Tuesday its new music service, that will allow users to store their music online, according to reports.
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First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
For work use, Microsoft Word and Excel programs pre-installed on the device are adequate for preparing short documents.
The Fujitsu LifeBook UH574 allowed for great mobility without being obnoxiously heavy or clunky. Its twelve hours of battery life did not disappoint.
The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.
My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.
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Microsoft has had its eyes on Africa for quite some time now. The company launched its first offices in the continent more than 30 years ago, and now it is introducing two development centers in Kenya and Nigeria.
Microsoft’s $100 million Africa Development Centres (ADC) will be housed in Nairobi, Kenya and Lagos, Nigeria. The centers will focus on engineering local and global impact solutions through AI, machine learning, and mixed reality innovation.
The ADC comes a year after Microsoft opened data centers in South Africa, promoting business innovation in the cloud. Executive sponsor of the ADC and executive vice president at Microsoft, Phil Spencer, said that the center will be unlike any of Microsoft’s existing investments in Africa.
“It will help us better listen to our customers, develop locally and scale for global impact,” Spencer said in a statement. “Beyond that, it’s an opportunity to engage further with partners, academia, governments and developers – driving impact in sectors important to the continent, such as FinTech, AgriTech and OffGrid energy.”
Microsoft is planning to hire 100 engineers across Africa to staff the center by the end of this year and will have 500 workers at both locations by 2023.


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Regulators will tackle the tech giants’ dominance more aggressively this year, says LBS professor
Google, Facebook and Amazon could have their freedoms curbed this year, according to Julian Birkinshaw, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at London Business School. “The tech giants are huge beasts and there is a growing sense of unease about their power,” he said.
Last November the attorney-general of the US state of Missouri launched an investigation into Google to establish whether it had broken antitrust and consumer protection laws. Other states are also examining the power that Google gains through collecting consumer data.
In Europe, Margrethe Vestager, the European Competition Commissioner, is about to hit Google with an antitrust fine of hundreds of millions of euros or more over its advertising network AdSense. The commission alleges that Google’s contracts with other websites broke competition law by preventing them from using other firms’ advertising networks within those websites’ search results.
Last June the commission ordered Google to pay E2.4 billion (£2.1 billion) for abusing its internet search monopoly to promote its online shopping service – a record penalty for a European competition case. Facebook was fined E110 million (£94 million) by the EU last year for providing misleading information about its takeover of WhatsApp in 2014. At the time, the company told the commission it wouldn’t be able to match user accounts on the two platforms before doing just that.
Professor Birkinshaw believes this is just the beginning: “Over the coming year we can expect to see more of this aggressively activist approach in tackling companies with dominant positions.”
The current regulatory and competition regimes were designed more than a century ago for traditional corporations. They can’t cope with tech companies whose profitability increases as they rapidly scale. “Companies such as Google and Facebook operate in ways that don’t fit the old supplier-manufacture-distributor-consumer model for which antitrust legislation was designed,” said Professor Birkinshaw.
Facebook now has more than two billion active monthly users. Google handles 42% of all digital advertising in the US and has more than four-fifths of online search advertising. Amazon has focused single-mindedly on growth rather than profits, and has successfully expanded well beyond its original domain as an online retailer, he said.
The tech titans show no sign of slowing down: “The more people who join Facebook or use Google, the more data the company can mine. The economies of scale become ever greater. So we need to rethink the way we monitor the power of the huge companies now dominating the business landscape.”


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Farm sector for competitive taxation
THE FARM sector, which contributes 60 to 65 per cent to the State's Gross Domestic Production (GDP), is looking forward to some special incentives in the coming budget.india Updated: Feb 19, 2006 15:59 IST
THE FARM sector, which contributes 60 to 65 per cent to the State's Gross Domestic Production (GDP), is looking forward to some special incentives in the coming budget.
The predominantly agricultural State has topped in production of pulses, oilseeds, soybean and gram in the country and has been third in food-grains. Thus, significance of this sector in the economic growth of the State cannot be over-emphasised. MP, according to government statistics, has achieved a growth rate of 4.5 per cent.
Farmers and traders dealing with farm produce and implements are demanding that Mandi Tax and development cess are reduced to one per cent.
The PHD Chamber of Commerce & Industry (PHDCCI) has suggested in its pre-budget memorandum to the State Government that the proceeds should be utilised for modernising Mandis, on-line trading facility and setting up of silos and warehouses across the State.
Referring to the Industrial Promotion Policy that aims to boost industries only in food parks, the Chamber has suggested emphasis on value-addition and promotion of food processing industries.
“Benefits of exemption of Mandi Tax and Commercial Tax should be made available to all food processing industries in MP irrespective of location,” says resident director, PHDCCI, Rajendra Kothari.
With an irrigated area of 56.68 lakh hectares and a provision of Rs 1735 crore made in the present budget for irrigation, both traders and farmers strongly feel that the sales tax on tractor and tractor parts manufactured in the State should be at par with states like Punjab and Haryana.
Although the manufacturing units located in MP will get exemption from payment of sales tax till August 2007, the vendors of such plants are not exempted from sales tax in case raw materials are bought from registered dealers in the State.
The effective rate of tax at 4.6 per cent is being paid at every stage of procurement. The total tax works out at 9.66 per cent in case of a value chain. “The cascading impact as seen in MP doesn't exist in Punjab and Haryana, and ultimately farmers get tractors in a comparatively cheaper rate there than in MP,” a vendor pointed out.
Taxation on Agricultural pumping sets is another area of concern for farmers in MP. Pump sets of 3 HP attract 4.6 per cent tax in MP, whereas it's nil in Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana and 4 per cent in Gujarat.
Similar, tax differences exist in pump sets above 3 HP and 10 HP. The other implements include threshers, gensets etc. soybean being the most important crop with 60 per cent of country's soya processing units based in MP, this segment of the farm sector needs a special focus when it comes to taxation.
The Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA) has advocated reduction of Mandi Tax on soybean from 2.2 per cent to 1 per cent at par with other states.
“In view of the implementation of the first point tax at the rate of 1.5 per cent on soybean seed in the last budget, the tax on soybean De-oil Cake (DOC) should totally be exempted like in soybean oil,” demands chairman, SOPA, Rajesh Agarwal.
MP is one of the three leading states of soybean growers accounting to 96 per cent production. The two states -- Maharashtra and Rajasthan -- have already exempted DOC from the purview of commercial tax.
The SOPA has urged government to consider input costs on export of soybean meal, which accounts to 85 per cent of the total oil meal export.
“The commercial tax on high protein value added products like soy flour, soy lecithin and soy nuggets are presently been classified under 12.5 per cent category in the proposed VAT Act, which, in fact, should be classified as essential commodity under nil tax rate,” adds Agarwal.
First Published: Feb 19, 2006 15:59 IST


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Lately, there has been trouble brewing in the crypto market. The heat has been felt by nearly everyone involved in the crypto industry, from hacking and declaring bankruptcy by the giant crypto exchange platform FTX to the suspension of transactions by Crypto.com.
Crypto investors and traders have had no chance at respite since the crypto world was chaotic a few weeks ago. Recently, an old feud brewing since 2020 between the Cayman Islands crypto exchange platform Nexo, and the fintech entrepreneurs, the Mortons, was reignited when Nexo was sued by brothers Owen and Jason Morton and their cousin, Shane Morton.
The fintech entrepreneurs, Mortons, have accused the crypto platform of freezing their accounts, stating that due to concerns about Nexo’s compliance with regulators and transparency, the Morton family had begun to slowly pull out their estimated finances of $126 million (£107 million) in December 2020 after hearing about Nexo’s regulatory status with the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
The initial plans of Owen, Jason, and Shane Morton were to slowly sell their Nexo tokens in small quantities so they would not destabilize the price of the cryptocurrency. The Mortons had tried to withdraw their funds when they noticed a “bespoke” had been placed on their accounts, limiting their daily withdrawal amount to $150,000 on 22 March 2021. This effect came unannounced to the Mortons, and so they took legal action against the company that alleges to be the first coin to pay dividends.
On the next day, 23 March 2021, Nexo further blocked the family from withdrawing all assets by disabling their withdrawal buttons and inevitably barring them from performing any actions that would result in giving them cryptocurrencies on the exchange platform.
The Mortons were likely not the only victims to have suffered such actions by Nexo. Two other traders had mentioned that their accounts had been barred from converting their Nexo tokens into other cryptocurrencies by disabling their convert buttons.
Perplexed by these sudden actions by Nexo, the fintech entrepreneurs had reached out to an employee of Nexo who supervised the coin’s exchange with the Mortons, asking for an explanation of the meaning behind their actions.
The High Court filings state that there had been a discussion with the Nexo account manager, who told the investors that their accounts had been deliberately frozen to support the price of Nexo tokens. The manager did, however, offer them a deal, stating that they could trade their Nexo tokens at a 60% discount on their market price, and the ban on withdrawals for the investors would be lifted. This unsavory deal witnessed the Mortons receiving $38,948,743 from the crypto lender platform Nexo.
Owen, Jason, and Shane Morton claimed that they were coerced into selling millions of Nexo tokens back to Nexo at a discount when according to CoinMarketCap, there was a chance for the funds to grow to $85.4 million in March.
In an account given by the three investors, they mentioned that they had tens of millions of dollars in cryptocurrencies like Pax Gold, Bitcoin, and Stellar, as well as millions of the company’s (Nexo) tokens.
Nexo boasts that all assets stored on its platform are fully backed. The crypto exchange also claims to have five million users and has processed over $130 billion in capital transactions for the past five years.
Previous Controversy Around Nexo
Nexo, the cryptocurrency exchange platform, is not new to being sued, as it had sued earlier in September 2022 by eight US state securities regulators representing California, Washington, New York, Maryland, Vermont, Kentucky, and Oklahoma.
The New York Attorney General, Letitia James, published a press release saying that Nexo and Nexo Capital both refused to enlist with the state’s securities and commodities dealers and lied to investors and traders about its registration status. Although the office of the New York claims that it warned Nexo to register, the office did not mention when it gave the warning to the crypto exchange platform.
Similarly, California’s Department of Financial Protection and Innovation released a cease-and-desist order against the company’s crypto-interest-bearing accounts.
Nexo, the crypto exchange platform, is under fire for intimidating the three investors, Owen, Jason, and Shane Morton, to sell off their tokens worth millions at a 60% discount in return for enabling their withdrawal button since it barred the entrepreneurs from withdrawing their $126 million (£107 million) on its platform.


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Evian's latest outing for its "Live Young" babies puts the adorable tots into oversized adult clothes.
The new campaign, by BETC, shows the babies swamped by the grown-up outfits. This time there's no TV ad; instead the images are running as print, outdoor and on social media including Snapchat and Instagram. Video clips feature Evian sport spokespeople Madison Keys, Stan Wawrinka, Lucas Pouille, Lydia Ko and Maria Sharapova, who drink Evian and then turn into baby versions of themselves.
The campaign, running in the U.S., U.K., France, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany, will include a limited edition Snapchat lens filter. Launching on June 10, it'll be available for 48 hours to all Snapchat users around the world and will then be available for three months through a Snapcode on Evian bottles.
Evian has also collaborated with streetwear brand Rad.co to create an exclusive Evian oversize clothes line, available online and at French department store Galeries Lafayette, and there are experential events taking place at Galeries Lafayette this weekend.
Patricia Oliva, global marketing director at Evian, commented in a statement: "We've chosen to specifically adapt to our core target's lifestyle habits with a clear focus on digital and social media, as well as exclusive collaborations. Thanks to the limitless possibilities of digital platforms, our Evian Oversize campaign will make it possible to experience the world through the eyes of a baby and reconnect with our inner youth."


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Apple has just shared a bunch of new ads featuring AirPods on its YouTube channel. All three ads feature the song “Down” from Marian Hill. They are the first set of ads for the AirPods, although all of them also make sure to include mentions of iPhone 7.
Nah, man, we’re not judging, we’re impressed. That ish is 10 years old dude!
But… we have some bad news. AT&T has announced that its 2G wireless network was officially shut down on January 1, 2017, following four years of planning for its discontinuation. Apple made the device obsolete in 2013.
This means that your original first generation iPhone will no longer get cellular service from AT&T. Which means… it’s over, dude.
You can still use it on Wi-Fi though! House phone! Wait… didn’t we used to have something like that? A House phone?
Last week the Federal Aviation Administration made a statement which said it was dropping the requirement of U.S. flight attendants to make a pre-boarding notification that the Samsung Galaxy Note7 is prohibited.
This is apparently because public awareness that the banned Note7 was a fire risk was deemed to have reached a sufficient level. So, like, everyone’s sitting there going, DUH LADY/DUDE, WE KNOW.
And no-one needs that in their lives.
Samsung has since released a statement claiming that over 96 percent of Note 7 devices have been returned so far. U.S. carriers have sent out an end-of-life software update to handsets that remain in circulation, rendering the devices unable to charge.
Samsung will be releasing the details of its investigation into what caused some handsets to explode or catch fire while charging around the end of the month.
There are some big rumors floating around the techisphere that Apple has partnered with German lens specialist Carl Zeiss to create Augmented Reality/mixed reality smart glasses.
It would make for some lovely symmetry if, when the world is expecting a great iPhone 8 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the groundbreaking iPhone, they instead produced another groundbreaking product… and a great iPhone 8.
The rumor has come about because of a (purposefully?) not-very-tightlipped Zeiss employee at CES, at a Zeiss booth, which had no Augemented Reality products, but was situated in the AR area.
So… not super concrete.
But it sounds good, right? Augmented reality, in case you’re wondering, is different from Virtual Reality, because it superimposes digital information and images onto your view of the world, instead of creating a whole new world (good luck getting that song out of your head now, suckers).
Think: Pokemon Go, but less annoying?
Apple CEO Tim Cook has talked-momentarily- about his interest in AR before, and that he considers it to be of a higher commercial value than Virtual Reality, and Apple does have some patents out that could relate to this possibility , but we’re just not sure if this might not be reaching a bit.
Exciting rumor for this Wednesday Afternoon though.
Ten years ago today, Steve Jobs introduced the original iPhone at Macworld in San Francisco.
The iPhone was officially released to the public six months later, and well over 1 billion of them have been sold since then.
From the Sauce, CEO Tim Cook:
“iPhone is an essential part of our customers’ lives, and today more than ever it is redefining the way we communicate, entertain, work and live, iPhone set the standard for mobile computing in its first decade and we are just getting started. The best is yet to come.”
Oooh… ! Them fancy iPhone 8 words! Well, actually, it’d be super weird if he said ” The best is behind us!” Right? The best better be yet to come, Apple! We do love us our iPhones though, so thank you. Ten years of iPhoning for the win!
The release of the iPhone 8 in the Fall will be the tenth anniversary iPhone and there are rather large expectations that come with it. At least one new model will feature glass casing with a curved OLED display, with (apparently) a nearly bezel-less edge-to-edge design with the Touch ID embedded directly into the display. Wireless charging, facial or iris recognition, and a vertical dual-lens camera capable of 3D photography effects are also rumored.
According to reports, Apple will shortly release iOS 10.3 on iPads and iPhones around the globe. Features of the update are supposed to include ‘Cinema Mode’ or possibly ‘Theater mode’ which will appear on the control center.
It’l be shaped like popcorn and will allow users to put their phone into a dimmed mode, whilst also muting sound and preventing notifications.
Let’s hope there’s a little more to this update, huh?
Can’t save all the good bits for the iPhone 8, Apple. We have a whole year of iPhoning before that guy comes along (with his wacky flip-body and rad teleportation features).
The Apple Watch Nike+ is a Nike-branded (duh) version of the Apple Watch Series 2 with an aluminum casing and a special perforated band. It includes exclusive Nike watch faces and it works with the Nike+ Run Club app, designed to motivate users to run each day.
Apple is expected to release the 3rd Gen in the 3rd quarter of this year, however most of the upgrades will apparently be to the interior workings of the device, such as increasing battery life and speed, rather than physical hardware changes.
Earlier today, the Chinese-language Economic Daily News claimed that this upgrade will be manufactured by Taiwan-based Quanta, which is not all that surprising, considering they were also responsible for the 1st and 2nd generation Apple Watch.
Other rumors swirling around the wearable include further reaching health sensors, adding cellular connectivity, the ability to identify a user by their heart rate, and a super rad teleportation feature.
One of those is probably not true…
If the 3rd Gen does come out in the 3rd quarter, it would be at around the same time that the (rumored) iPhone 8 – the 10th anniversary iPhone – is expected to come out. Exciting times.
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Competing against a rapidly expanding group of managed, niche varieties and trendier varieties, some traditional or legacy Eastern apple varieties are getting weaker and weaker in the retail market, shippers believe.
Two of New York’s newest apple varieties are on the cusp of major market gains, said Mark Russell, who helps lead Crunch Time Apple Growers, a grower cooperative with exclusive rights to the Cornell University-develop
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will lead a trade mission March 14 to March 18 with the goal to further expand export opportunities for U.S. agriculture in Chil
Whether through club varieties like New York's SnapDragon and RubyFrost or more-established commercial entries like Honeycrisp, gala, ginger gold and fuji, Eastern apple growers say they have apple flavors to matc
Wolcott, N.Y.-based Crunch Time Apple Growers has added Hess Bros. in Leola, Pa., and Niagara Fresh, Burt, N.Y., to its sales network, said Mark Russell, chairman of the marketing committee with Crunch Time.
DuPont Industrial Biosciences announced the launch of Optimash AD-100, a new enzyme product that will help biomethane producers improve biogas yields and process robustness, which is expected to ultimately increase thei


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RUSSIA: Government forecasts 1.6 million car market this year
Acccording to Novecon, the Russian Economic Development and Trade Ministry forecasts that 1.6 million cars are to be sold in Russia in 2002, up by 200,000 over the 2001 figure. The report says that the increase is reached by selling more new and used foreign cars. In 2002 AvtoVAZ expects to sell 600,000-620,000 cars in Russia. Another 90,000 or so are to be made and sold by AvtoVAZ via its assembly shops throughout the Russian regions. Other Russian carmakers are to produce and sell 200,000-220,000 cars.
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Plans revealed for apartment development
- Credit: Archant
AWARD-WINNING house builder Crest Nicholson has announced the launch of its latest phase of development in Portishead.
The developer has responded to the sell-out success of Sixty8 at the Marina with the early release of its new range of high-end apartments, 110 at the Quay.
The complex combines a collection of 110 one, two and three-bedroom apartments set near the lock gate at Port Marine.
Laura Osborne, sales manager for Crest Nicholson, said: “We’re really excited to be launching our latest phase of development at Port Marine. We’ve received a fantastic response from homebuyers across the region and started taking reservations for 110 at the Quay before we’d even finalised our marketing literature.”
The apartments will be in an ideal position to take advantage of the many bars and restaurants close to the marina.
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Ms Osborne added: “Portishead is experiencing a real boom in its social scene, what with the recent arrival of Hall and Woodhouse and Impero Lounge and Mezze Restaurant set to open soon. This, combined with its picturesque surroundings, makes Portishead one of the most sought after addresses in the area.”
Some of the apartments at 110 at the Quay can be purchased using the First Buy scheme which is a shared equity scheme for first-time buyers. Prices start at around £108,000.
- 1 Road closure in force for five nights on A370 next week
- 2 Exceptional house with grounds, countryside views and outbuildings
- 3 Clevedon Marine Lake drained for 'high bacteria levels'
- 4 Hundreds expected at gatherings to oppose possible development around Weston Big Wood
- 5 Long-standing Clevedon gift store transformed under new owners
- 6 Portishead's Morgan excited to make Olympic final
- 7 Overnight A&E closures continue at hospital
- 8 Yatton development welcomes first movers
- 9 Charity launches cream tea fundraiser
- 10 Legal action starts to remove Portishead traveller camp
For more information visit www.portmarine.co.uk


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The new financial year has begun and corporate financial teams are busy preparing their final numbers, which are going to give guidance to the investment market for the full year. Last week of March and beginning of April shows that investor confidence is positive. Hopefully Banks, Capital Goods and IT companies would keep their investors happy with the overall performance.
Though small compared to TCS and Infosys, HCL Tech may post growth much higher than its big brothers in the industry. With estimated PBDIT of above Rs 700 Cr Y-o-Y growth would be about 30% which is higher than even TCS and much ahead of Infosys. Hot Infosys is expected to have a Net profit of Rs 1,900 Cr. TCS with a sales of Rs 10,500 Cr will continue to hold its position as the largest IT company. In the year ahead, this segment is expecting revival of outsourcing and higher growth than 2010. Depreciating rupee helps this sector most.
Turn around in the story of Siemens will provide relief to the Capital goods market. L&T and BHEL both had good order book position which will get reflected in the results with a growth of more than 20% in net profit, but future trend is not so easy with Chinese competition and increased input costs. Both L&T and BHEL would post sales of Rs 16,000 Crore plus. The delays in project decision due to Mega Economical reasons in the country will affect the prospects of this segment. Confusing environmental guidelines fuel to the indecisiveness of the companies and loser is the capital goods segment. BHEL is expected to miss the order flow target of Rs 60,000 crore for the year ended March 2011.
The auto sector reported another quarter of brisk demand, but the concerns regarding rising cost will continue to haunt the sector in the March 11 quarter. Most likely to get hit is the nation’s favourite Maruti Suzuki. It is likely to have a net profit down by about 25% on y-o-y basis. This quarter profit for the company is likely to be below Rs 500 cr. In contrast, Tata Motors on a consolidated basis is expected to report an improved performance in the quarter, helped by strong demand conditions for its marque JLR brand in emerging markets
The banking sector is expected to show a robust year-on-year net profit growth of 18% due to improvement in credit demand and stable asset quality of the banks. The credit deposit ratio of banks which rose from 70.82% in February 2010 to 74.95% in Feb 2011 is also expected to come down this quarter due to expected acceleration in deposit growth. All major banks like SBI, Axis Bank, HDFC, BOB are likely to post much higher net profits, but for ICICI PBDIT is predicted to be negative. Increasing interest rates are putting pressure on treasury gains.
Increasing competition and rise in advertisement expenses put the FMCG companies in low growth area. Small companies like Godrej Consumer, Dabur and Marico are struggling to maintain market share and margins. ITC and HUL are relatively more comfortable in the domestic market.
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Industrial robot industry expansion bring ndfeb magnet industry opportunities
In recent 10 years, as the 80, 90, after becoming a major manufacturing workforce, they are no longer willing to a large number of engaged in monotonous, repetitive and poor working environment.
Labour shortages appear frequently, resulting in China's manufacturing industry rapidly rising labor costs.
According to statistics, nearly a decade in Beijing, Shanghai, zhejiang, guangdong, jiangsu and other developed regions in the minimum wage to keep average annual compound growth around 10%.
Labor costs rising fast, has given rise to China's growing demand for industrial robot, which will also brings to the industrial robot dynamic core ndfeb magnet industry development opportunities.
From the historical data analysis, China in the field of industrial robot utility ratio is low, China's industrial robots in the future market there are a lot of room to grow.
Today, China's industrial robot using density is still lower than the global average level, especially from Japan, South Korea, Germany, etc have very big difference.
South Korea is the world's industrial robots using the highest density, average number of robots per ten thousand workers in 395, Japan, Germany, 339 units, 274 units, respectively in China is only 23, less than half of the international average level 58 sets.
In 2012, our country manufacturing employees 42. 62 million people, according to the international average level 58 computer, need to industrial robots 24.
70000, if you want to implement the ministry of 100 units per capita goal, our country's industrial robots will reach 42.
According to the Chinese industry information network issued the '2014 -
2019 China ndfeb permanent magnet materials industry market analysis and investment outlook report: a 165 kg of welding robot for about 16.
Servo motor, which costs accounted for about 15%, that is 2.
According to public information, ndfeb magnet in the permanent magnet synchronous servo motor cost about 20%, by calculation, ndfeb magnet cost about 5095 yuan (
To 8563 yuan (
, at present the ndfeb N35SH sells for about 220 yuan/kg, on the basis of calculation, ndfeb about consumption (23 kg
To 39 kg (
Considering the cost of domestic robot adopts imported servo motor contains higher gross margin, so we think to make a 165 kg welding robots need to consume 25 kg of high performance ndfeb.
According to the international robot federation, at present the global industrial robot average annual sales growth rate of about 27%.
Industrial robot sales in all major markets around the world, more than half of the Chinese market growth.
In July 2015, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said in a news conference to take place the enthusiasm, initiative and policy guidance to study together, to mobilize various aspects strength, the industry needs to be done well.
The next step is to support the development of robot industry from four aspects: one is through the 'first sets' and other policies to help the robot industry to expand the market consumption.
Second, the innovation way of using the funds, consider using industry fund to support the development of robot industry.
Three is to increase the financial sector in the emerging field of support, increasing support in terms of loans, listing, to issue bonds.
Four is to increase international cooperation, the introduction of some foreign technology and high level talents.
At the same time, with the high-speed development of 'Internet + manufacturing', industrial 4.
In industrial 3 0 or synchronization.
0 in made in China, huge growth space robots and automation technology, policy support and industrial capital investment boom has become an important driving factor for the development of robot industry.
Agency predicts - 2015
In 2020, the total installed capacity of China's industrial robot system in 630000 - the scope of requirements
1. 7 million sets, total market size will be super billions of comprehensive estimation ontology.
Especially in the global industrial robot applications accounted for 61% of the automobile industry, the future is expected to take the lead in outbreak.
The outbreak of the industrial robot in China, to the expansion of the application of ndfeb magnet also provides good development opportunities.


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If you haven't already noticed, take a closer look at the Oat Couture Cafe. On Thursdays to Sundays, it transforms nightly into the Montgomery Scotch Lounge, featuring fine malts, scotch, beer, and small plates.
There is not much to report regarding businesses opening or closing, so here’s another roundup post highlighting some of the places that make our neighbourhood so great.
In this announcement from the October 1978 OSCAR, Larry McDonald reports on a new name in the neighbourhood.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Ottawa Antique Market at 1179 Bank Street. With over 10,000 square feet of space, the Ottawa Antique Market's 26 vendors offer a wide variety of collectibles, vintage items, as well as rare and valuable antiques. The upcoming Business Beat article in the July/August 2018 OSCAR will include a more in depth feature on the market.
Although last month I hinted that the April Business Beat would be dedicated to the exciting new development at the OTLBC restaurant, those interested will have to wait one more month to get all the details. In communicating with the tennis club and the people behind the restaurant it became clear that it makes more sense to do a write-up for May so that I can include details like decor, menus, etc. Work is already underway and the goal is for the restaurant to open in early to mid May. So stay tuned.
Instead, this month’s Business Beat features a number of different updates.
After some long waits, two businesses opened their doors in the past few weeks: clothing store/barbershop Arkadía in part of the former Folklore Centre (1111 Bank Street), and Pizza/Grill take-out spot Roost and Grills in the former Papaz Pizza spot (1202 Bank Street).


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SIME Darby, Malaysia’s top oil palm grower by market value, said quarterly net profit slumped 85 per cent as palm oil prices more than halved from last year’s record highs of RM4,486. Chief executive Datuk Seri Ahmad Zubir Murshid said in a statement today that Sime Darby would use its balance sheet to acquire undervalued assets, but did not elaborate.
The company said its industrial and property divisions were recovering, but its plantation business faltered due to the drop in crude palm prices and lower production as a result of biological tree stress.
Sime Darby, valued at about US$11.8 billion, said January-March net profit fell to RM165.68 million from RM1.11 billion a year earlier.
IOI Corp, Malaysia’s No.2 palm oil producer, said its January-March net profit slumped 97 per cent on the fall in prices, weaker output and foreign currency losses.
Singapore-listed Wilmar earlier this month said net profit grew 11 per cent as higher refining and trading margins offset lower revenues, and said it was optimistic about sustained demand from China and India.
Malaysian palm oil firms are more vulnerable to falling CPO prices than Singapore rivals as they are mostly operating in the upstream industries that supply palm oil to refineries.


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Last Chance for Animals Holds 35th Annual Fur-Free Friday Protest in Beverly Hills.
Fur-Free Friday was founded in 1986. The demonstration—held on one of the busiest shopping days of the year—aims to educate the public about the animal cruelty on fur farms, speak out against the furriers and luxury brands that sell fur, and celebrate brands and retailers that have committed to going fur-free. LCA is urging retailers along Rodeo Drive to go fur-free immediately before the California state fur ban is enacted on January 1, 2023.
Last Chance for Animals (LCA), an international non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating animal exploitation through education, investigations, legislation, and public awareness campaigns, with co-hosts Animal Defenders International, In Defense of Animals, Los Angeles Animal Save, The Animal Alliance Network, CompassionWorks International, and Orange County Animal Liberation, will be joined by artist E.G. Daily and countless supporters to protest the sale of fur products along Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills as part of the annual Fur-Free Friday observance on November 26, 2021.
“In this time of heightened social and political awareness, killing animals for a piece of high-end, luxury clothing will not be tolerated. The cruel fur industry is destined to come to an end,” said Chris DeRose, Founder and President of LCA. “Thanks to new legislative efforts across the country, our message is being heard loud and clear: killing animals for their fur has no place in modern society.”
This year’s Fur-Free Friday protest comes on the heels of efforts nationwide to stop the fur industry. Most recently in the U.S., the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan, banned the retail sale of new fur products. There is pending legislation in Massachusetts to ban the sale of new fur products statewide.


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Chanel prices for the Classic Flap Bag increase at an average 15% percent per year, which means that the bag you bought 5 years ago, is now a lot more expensive! We've come a long way since 1955 (when a Chanel bag was just €199) and it seems like Chanel won't be halting their annual price changes anytime soon. 2016 will yet again see a new price for our favorite Chanel pieces.
Chanel price increase 2016
As for 2016, the prices haven't increased yet, but this is only a matter of time. In the United Kingdom the price of the medium/large Classic Flap bag has increased from £3075 GBP to £3380 GBP. Which means that the other European countries will follow shortly. If we asumme that prices will go up on the same scale as the British market, the price increase will be around 10 percent.
Want to know know more?
Want to know more about the rise of Chanel prices? Read our extensive article in which we explain why Chanel keeps raising their prices and how the market has been evolving since the birth of the Classic Flap in 1955.