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Making local tree fruit a number one choice for Ontario consumers
April 27, 2022
For immediate release
Vineland Station ON, 26 April 2022 – It will soon be easier for Ontarians to buy local apples and other tree fruit when they’re doing their grocery shopping. Ontario Apple Growers are receiving cost share funding from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs to support promotional activities for the next two years.
“We are excited at the diverse range of promotional activities we will be able to undertake over the next two years to promote local food production and talk to Ontarians about the quality and sustainability of locally grown tree fruit,” says grower Cathy McKay, Chair of the Ontario Apple Growers. “Ontario apple and tender fruit growers have seen tremendous support from consumers particularly since the pandemic, and we are looking forward to reaching even more Ontarians through this upcoming campaign.”
With the funding, Ontario Apple Growers are working with Ontario Tender Fruit Growers to promote seven different tree fruit crops that grow in Ontario: apples, peaches, pears, nectarines, plums, apricots, and tart red cherries. A digital campaign on social media, television and radio will enhance awareness and support for local food by informing consumers which tree fruit is available and where, what is on sale every week during the growing season, and what shoppers should look for in stores to find the fruit of their choice.
Transit and billboard ads placed throughout the Greater Toronto Area, along with point-of-sale materials, recipe cards, eye-catching in-store displays, and sampling events will inspire consumers to support local food production. In addition, food influencer tours will give participants behind-the-scenes access to food production that they will be able to share with their followers across their various platforms.
“Recent research has shown us that Ontarians want to eat more local food which means that as growers, we have a real opportunity to connect and engage with consumers about locally grown tree fruit,” says grower Phil Tregunno, Chair of the Ontario Tender Fruit Growers. “We appreciate the support from the provincial government which will help us make it easier for consumers to identify and purchase the healthy, nutritious tree fruit grown by farmers right here at home.”
Almost 80% of respondents in a recent consumer survey of 1,500 grocery shoppers led by the Ontario Produce Marketing Association indicated that they are actively trying to eat more produce. The same survey showed that price and quality are the most important factors in produce buying, and that a majority of shoppers would increase local produce consumption if retail flyers showed what products were available. A Usage and Attitude study completed by Foodland Ontario returned similar results.
“We are proud to support the Ontario Apple Growers who are working with Ontario Tender Fruit Growers to promote delicious Ontario grown apples,” said Lisa Thompson, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “By supporting our farmers in promoting all the good things that grow in Ontario, we are making sure that consumers can choose to buy local food and help our communities and our province be more prosperous.”
The Project is funded in part by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
The Ontario Apple Growers represents the province’s 200 commercial apple farmers. Visit www.onapples.com for recipe ideas and grower profiles or follow Ontario Apple Growers on Twitter and Instagram (@ontarioapples) and Facebook (@Ontarioapples).
The Ontario Tender Fruit Producers' Marketing Board is a not-for-profit, independent farming organization governed by grower members. Visit www.ontariotenderfruit.ca for more information or follow Ontario Tender Fruit Growers on Facebook and Instagram (@ontariotenderfruit).
Cathy McKay, Chair, Ontario Apple Growers, 905-440-0966 or firstname.lastname@example.org
Kelly Ciceran, General Manager, Ontario Apple Growers, 905-688-0990 or email@example.com
Phil Tregunno, Chair – Ontario Tender Fruit, 905-984-0437 or firstname.lastname@example.org
Sarah Marshall, Manager - Ontario Tender Fruit, 905-688-0990 or email@example.com


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18 January 2010, MANILA, PHILIPPINES—What a way to start the year.
RedFox, the first Filipino laptop and PC system brand, started the year right by launching its newest lineup of products to both the press and its channels last January 15, 2010 at the Crown Plaza Galleria Manila. To date then, the brand has a total of three laptop series (Wizbook, Razor, and Optima), and four lines of desktops (Deskpod, Ultima, Vengeance Evo, and RDX V7/V8). The Wizbook series and the Deskpod and Ultima lines are not actually new but include revamped models to address the ever-changing needs of consumers. In addition, RedFox's gaming desktop, the Vengeance Evo, comes pre-packaged with accessories such as the controller and the Wizbar, the brand's venture into PC Wii gaming.
At the press launch, a short demonstration by RedFox's Regional Marketing Director, Jay Rañola, also highlighted the shockproof and waterproof features of gaming keyboards from RedFox.
Three lucky members of the press won two (2) Wizbars and one (1) Wizbook N1020i, while trips to El Nido, Palawan were raffled off during the RedFox channel launch.
Also in attendance were the brand's technology partners—Intel, AMD, and Intraco Technology, AMD's biggest distributor in Asia.
According to Michael Mondragon, VP for Sales and Marketing for RedFox, “RedFox has been in the industry for more than 10 years. This year, as we become more aggressive, we're positive that we'll be sticking around for more than 10 more.”
Entertainment was provided by Akafellas, an a capella singing group, at the channel launch.

domain: news


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LITT, the social media and e-commerce hybrid app, is celebrating their recent launch by placing hundreds of dollars in cash on the Burswood Peninsula ahead of Sunday’s West Coast v GWS game.
LITT will be placing dozens of ‘cash bags’ in Augmented Reality around the precinct, to reward fans heading to Sunday’s game, supported by The Happiness Co.
Anyone who has the LITT app on their iOS or Android smartphone will receive a push alert when they enter the geo-fenced area around the Burswood Peninsula.
LITT users will then be able to hunt for and catch these virtual ‘cash bags’ and be instantly rewarded. The activation will be live from 2.30pm Sunday August 23rd to just before bounce down.
Anyone arriving by foot from the Perth Stadium train station or over the Matagarup Bridge and surrounding areas, will enter the geofence and be able to find LITT Cash bags.


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Essel Propack has capitalised the opportunities by launching timely products, which supported the revenue growth and will continue to aid the performance in the coming quarters as well
Essel Propack shares zoomed 18 per cent to hit a fresh 52-week high of Rs 242.15 apiece, a day after the company reported a 14 per cent on-year rise in consolidated net profit at Rs 45.62 crore for April-June quarter. The company had posted a net profit of Rs 40.03 crore in the corresponding quarter of last year. Research and brokerage firms are upbeat on the stock with a buy rating. “In the medium-to-long term, the COVID-19 impact is expected to be minimal on Essel Propack’s performance as its products are classified as essential items. Moreover, the company’s diversified presence across the globe reduces the impact of the lockdown,” said Motilal Oswal Financial Services in a report.
The brokerage firm has recommended to buy Essel Propack with a target price of Rs 253, which is a 23 per cent upside from the previous close. The introduction of the hand sanitizer tube has resulted in another source of revenue generation for the company.
At 11.40 AM, Essel Propack shares were trading 16 per cent higher at Rs 237.80 apiece, as compared to a 0.30 per cent fall in the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex. “Personal care growth was boosted by a surge in demand for hand sanitizers, which Essel Propack capitalised by signing up with 50 brands globally,” said Emkay Global Financial Services in a research report. The brokerage firm has given a ‘buy’ rating to the stock. Management of the company mentioned that there was some spillover from the quarter ended on March 31 to the first quarter of this fiscal. “However, like-to-like growth was robust at over 70% in Personal Care after considering the effect of the spillover,” it added.
Essel Propack’s revenue from operations was up 17.72 per cent to Rs 741.49 crore, as compared to Rs 629.83 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous financial year. Total expenses came at Rs 669.04 crore. Research and brokerage firm Kotak Securities has maintained an ‘add’ rating to the stock, as Essel Propack’s quarter results were above its estimates. “Essel Propack’s focus on improvement in operating efficiency will augur well in the long run. We continue to remain positive on the stock given the strong business model,” the brokerage firm said. Kotak Securities also said that the company has capitalised the opportunities by launching timely products, which supported the revenue growth and will continue to aid the performance in the coming quarters as well.


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New tariffs hit Chinese goods
by Harvest Prude
Posted 5/10/19, 11:14 am
The United States imposed new tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods on Friday after trade talks between China and the United States didn’t immediately resolve disagreements Thursday. Tariffs on certain items exported from China jumped from 10 percent to 25 percent. The Chinese government vowed to take “necessary countermeasures,” but did not give specifics.
President Donald Trump announced on Sunday he would escalate tariffs after learning that Chinese negotiators backtracked on previously agreed upon commitments, jeopardizing key points of the trade deal. The Trump administration imposed tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods last year. China responded by adding tariffs on $110 billion of American products, primarily U.S. soybean exports.
Trump told reporters Thursday that he received a letter from Chinese leader Xi Jinping, suggesting that a trade deal is still on the table. A Chinese delegation, led by Vice Premier Liu He, arrived in Washington on Thursday for two days of discussions with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Trump tweeted Friday that “talks with China continue in a very congenial manner—there is absolutely no need to rush.” He added, “In the meantime we will continue to negotiate with China in the hopes that they do not again try to redo deal!”
Read more from The Sift Sign up for The Sift email
Harvest is a graduate of the World Journalism Institute and a reporter for WORLD.


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It appears the beginning of the end is in sight for Harley-Davidson’s long-lived Sportster platform with the announcement that the Iron 883, Iron 1200 and Forty-Eight models will be discontinued in Australasia after the 2021 model year.
In a statement sent to onthrottle.co.nz Harley-Davidson Australia confirmed that the models would not return in 2022 due to a number of factors. “The Harley-Davidson brand continues to evolve, with MY21 shaping up to be a historic model year with innovative fleet additions including our first adventure model – the Pan America, our first-ever Icons range, featuring the Electra Glide Revival model as the debut in this series.
We do not take decision to discontinue models lightly and while all three models have been valuable contributions to our portfolio, we have seen lower demand over recent years.”
We’ve suspected for a while that the Sportster’s time was coming to an end, in its current air-cooled form at least.
The longest continuously running nameplate in the Harley-Davidson range traces its lineage back to 1957, with the current range of the Iron 883, Iron 1200 and Forty-Eight essentially unchanged since the Iron 1200 entered the market in 2018.
After being pulled from the European market in 2020 due to the engines not being Euro5 compliant and riders here favouring the new Softail line in dealerships, the writing was on the wall for the Sportster.
However, with the new Revolution Max 1250 V-twin (as seen in the soon to arrive Pan America) having been shown in a custom cruiser concept previously, we wouldn’t put money against the Sportster returning in water-cooled guise as a 2022 or 2023 model and going head-to-head with Indian’s Scout to on more even terms.
For now, there is still time to get on board the authentic Harley-Davidson experience that is the Sportster line with the 2021 model range already in dealers.


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Igus India more than doubles revenue in 2 years and invests to accelerate growth further
Igus India currently is the 6th largest among 38 subsidiaries, and the company’s growth plans in the country have gained further momentum after doubling its growth in the market in the last two years.
Plans to invest 100 crores (12 Million euros) in setting up a new four-acre, 84,000 sq ft integrated campus in Bangalore. Also Rolls out global programme “Enjoyneering” in India, advocating fun with innovation
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], June 6: Igus, a world leader in motion plastics, today announced the setup of a new facility at Bengaluru in India and further strengthen and grow its successful operations in the country for over two decades since it was established as a subsidiary in 2000. Igus India, a wholly owned subsidiary of the German motion plastics company igus GmbH, announced at a press conference held in Bengaluru today that the company plans to invest INR 100 crore to enlarge the availability of items and establish value-adding processes at its new plant. Igus India has taken up a new four-acre facility near Budigere in Bengaluru. Igus’ new facility will be spread over 84,000 sq feet with world-class equipment and infrastructure in motion plastic production. Igus has already invested around INR 15 crore in the first phase of construction of the facility, which is expected to be operational in the coming months.
Igus India currently is the 6th largest among 38 subsidiaries, and the company’s growth plans in the country have gained further momentum after doubling its growth in the market in the last two years. Igus India revenues have grown from INR 118 crores in 2020-21 (during the pandemic) to INR 199 crores in 2021-22 and to INR 284 crores in 2022-23. Igus India forecasts to sustain and further accelerate growth with additional investments to strengthen its operations.
Igus India’s growth plans are coupled with a continued quest for innovation within the space that Igus is globally recognized. The company launched 190 new products in 2023 for the Indian market and several digital services and solutions under its global program, “Enjoyneering”, advocating fun with innovation in engineering. “Enjoyneering” aims to make the job of engineers fun, helping them unleash their engineering power with innovation for better productivity and success at work.
Elaborating on the growth plans for India, Deepak Paul, Managing Director, igus (India), said: “Our continued investments in our manufacturing capabilities in India reiterate our commitment to deliver cutting-edge products and solutions to customers here and globally. Igus has a global focus on cost-sensitive and sustainable solutions designed to meet customer demands, in line with our motto ‘Tech up, cost down’, which is also the Indian approach to technology and innovation, a key factor that has led to our significant growth in the country. With the economy looking buoyant and with our continued commitment to invest in growth, we are looking to further double our current revenues in a shorter span of the next 3-4 years.”
Santhosh Jacob, Country Manager and Director of Igus India added, “Technology and innovation have always been Igus’s cornerstone and prime focus. Along with the 190 new innovations, we have launched the iguverse, an igus metaverse and an efficient, user-friendly platform that empowers sales and engineering with virtual reality. This enables companies to save time, money, and resources in product development, optimization, and maintenance and virtually simplifies engineering. The digital twin in iguverse can also be used for training. Our aim is to develop new solutions for smaller companies with limited budgets and easy applications.”
Talking about Igus’ focus on sustainability and commitment to the environment, Stephen Moreno Simpson, International Group Development, Igus GmbH, said, “Igus has been concerned about the environmental impact of plastic and is committed to the concept of recycling to ensure sustainability. Keeping this in mind, we have initiated ‘Change’, a recycling program wherein customers can send their discarded energy chains to igus for recycling, irrespective of the company they purchased from, and this will be recycled responsibly. In a path-breaking initiative, the igus-bike is the world’s first robust and durable fully-designed bicycle using recycled plastic. The bike uses plastic rim brakes, ensuring maximum safety, and is compatible with the common V-Break brake pads.”
For more information, please visit https://www.igus.in/
If you have any objection to this press release content, kindly contact pr.error.rectification[at]gmail.com to notify us. We will respond and rectify the situation in the next 24 hours.


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Earlier this week, two men were arrested in Japan for selling bottles of fake Hibiki. The bottles were real, but the whisky inside was bogus.
Tagged With drinktaku
In the past few years, there has been a capsule hotel revival in Japan. Th lodgings are more plush and comfortable than ever. One new chain is offering more than slick interiors- it has free beer on tap.


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Some people are volunteering to save soon-to-be extinct varieties of their favorite product.
In a recent Beverage Magazine story, die-hard fans of Coca-Cola’s Surge soft drink have organized a grassroots campaign to save the drink.
The campaign website, SaveSurge.org, is better than most community political campaigns. The group has an email newsletter, lists of Surge sitings, template letters for local bottlers, and phone numbers and email addresses of Coca-Cola corporate managers — all to plead for saving the drink. As chronicled on the site, Coca-Cola corporate has sent form letters back to the fans saying basically “It’s out of our hands….the independent bottlers control what is sold locally.” Right.
If Coke were to devise a plan to bring the citrus-flavored, green-hued, caffeine-infused carbonated beverage back to life for its best customers, the buzz would be enormous. Even a plan for ordering the product from a web site could create tremendous word-of-mouse among Surge’s thirsty masses. Listen to your best customers and give them what they want? Now that’s a marketing idea.
Thanks to my cousin, Mark Huba of Suntory Water Group (maker of many brands of bottled water) for being an alert reader!


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So it’s now official that Apple will hold an event “Far Out” on 7th of Sept. Where it’s pretty much expected to see the launch of iPhone 14 series and watch series 8.
This year the iPhone 14 series will have 4 models but will not have a mini model. The lineup will look like this.
iPhone 14 Max
iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro Max
The Apple Watch range will also see a new lineup.
Apple Watch Series 8
Apple Watch Pro
Apple Watch SE 2
The pre-order date is rumoured to be the next Friday after the event, 9th of Sept
The release date could very well be 16th of Sept. Really Exciting!


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Thom Yorke Is Streaming His Albums on Apple Music Despite Past Criticism of Spotify
First it was Taylor Swift, now it's Thom Yorke. Yorke -- who has been staunchly opposed to streaming services’ low royalty payments to burgeoning artists -- has apparently signed a licensing agreement with Apple Music.
Yorke’s solo albums, The Eraser and Tomorrow's Modern Boxes, along with the 2013 Atoms for Peace LP, Amok, have surfaced on the newly launched platform despite the fact Yorke previously took them down from Spotify, Rdio and Deezer. Likewise, Radiohead's In Rainbows have also appeared on Apple Music, as Consequence of Sound notes.
Back when Yorke yanked the albums from Spotify, he expressed his dissatisfaction with the streaming industry in no uncertain terms:
I feel like as musicians we need to fight the Spotify thing. I feel that in some ways what’s happening in the mainstream is the last gasp of the old industry. Once that does finally die, which it will, something else will happen. But it’s all about how we change the way we listen to music, it’s all about what happens next in terms of technology, in terms of how people talk to each other about music, and a lot of it could be really f---ing bad. I don’t subscribe to the whole thing that a lot of people do within the music industry that’s ‘well this is all we’ve got left. We’ll just have to do this.’ I just don’t agree."
He also suggested that artists will eventually have to take matters into their own hands:
When we did the ‘In Rainbows’ thing, what was most exciting was the idea you could have a direct connection between you as a musician and your audience. You cut all of it out, it’s just that and that. And then all these f---ers get in a way, like Spotify suddenly trying to become the gatekeepers to the whole process. We don’t need you to do it. No artists needs you to do it. We can build the s--- ourselves, so f--- off. But because they’re using old music, because they’re using the majors… the majors are all over it because they see a way of re-selling all their old stuff for free, make a fortune, and not die. That’s why to me, Spotify the whole thing, is such a massive battle, because it’s about the future of all music. It’s about whether we believe there’s a future in music, same with the film industry, same with books. To me this isn’t the mainstream, this is is like the last fart, the last desperate fart of a dying corpse. What happens next is the important part."
Worst to First – Every Radiohead Album Ranked


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You are here
SCARBOROUGH, Maine -- Almost a year after acquiring Leominster, Mass.-based Victory Supermarkets for $175 million, Hannaford Bros. Co. here is interested in further growth in the state.
Hannaford spokeswoman Caren Epstein confirmed to Progressive Grocer that the company has a goal of growing its business in Massachusetts, after reports in the local press alluded to the strategy.
In a recent interview with the MetroWest Daily News, Rick Meyerkopf, v.p. of retail operations for Hannaford's central division, said the chain is "committed to Massachusetts. We really like being here so we have our eyes and ears open. We feel like we've been warmly received and we're interested in doing more business here."
Meyerkopf's comments came after Hannaford's parent company, Belgium-based Dalhaize Group, told investors that the company might soon look for more acquisitions in Massachusetts.
According to Meyerkopf, any acquisitions by the company would probably be single grocery stores or small regional supermarket chains, although he declined to name any specific targets. Additionally, Hannaford may take over empty retail spaces or construct new stores.
"We don't have any imminent plans," said Meyerkopf, "but we like to have open dialogue and communication and awareness of the marketplace."
Hannaford had only six Massachusetts stores until it acquired Victory locations in the state, upping its Massachusetts store count to 23. The grocer also intends to open two new stores in Taunton and Easton, Mass. in early 2006 and additional location in Lowell in late 2006. Hannaford is also planning a major remodeling project at the Marlborough store next year.
Hannaford has upgraded the technology section and expanded some food sections in former Victory stores, as well as adding its "Nature's Place" organic food section in five of the locations. Pharmacies will also added in as many stores as possible, noted Meyerkopf, who explained that some plazas with Hannaford stores already feature a pharmacy with lease terms that bar a supermarket-based drug store in close proximity.


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As the long, hot summer continues, supplies of cider, cola and lemonade may be hit by a shortage of carbon dioxide (CO2) - the gas that makes drinks fizzy.
Terra Nitrogen, the UK's biggest CO2 producer, has confirmed that production problems following an explosion at its plant in Billingham, Teeside on June 1 are likely to continue. Repairs at the plant are continuing, with production not expected to restart until the end of this month.
Terra produces CO2 as a by-product of fertiliser manufacture. The gas is then injected into carbonated drinks at high pressure, with the bubbles forming when the dissolved gas is released by opening the bottle or can.
On Friday, Magner's owner C&C said that the CO2 shortage had led to "some disruption to the supply of both soft drinks and cider" to customers in the UK and Ireland since late June. The company is now understood to be importing gas supplies from Poland.
Warm, sunny weather is forecast to continue across the UK for the rest of this week, generating continued demand for chilled, fizzy drinks.


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The labour union expressed worries and concerns about the parlous state of the economy.
In a statement signed by its National President, Comrade Achese Igwe, and made available to Tribune Online on Tuesday, the union added that the Buhari administration is yet to fully tackle the economic challenges facing the country.
“NUPENG is concerned about the weak state of the naira, growing inflation, rise in the cost of prices of goods and essential services, unemployment and growing incidences of crime rate in the country,” it said.
The Union argued that the current sufferings of the masses, which Mr President, Muhammad Buhari, recently acknowledged should be uppermost in the administration and (must be) tackled.
The Union however called for the declaration of a state of emergency on the economy with a view to urgently address the issues.
NUPENG called on President Buhari to involve other stakeholders into the economic team headed by the Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, to meet on the way forward.


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Thomson Reuters is stepping into the world of mobile small business accounting with the launch of a new app, OnBalance Express.
Announced this week, the solution is a cloud-based app that provides accounting services with added functionality, including invoicing, online payments, expense management, vendor tracking, reporting, banking and other tools. In its announcement, Thomson Reuters said it collaborated with entrepreneurs on the solution to meet their day-to-day operational needs and provide real-time data.
The tool allows users to log expenses through the use of optical character recognition (OCR) technology to automate entry of receipt data into businesses' accounting systems. OnBalance Express works with financial institutions (FIs) to pre-categorize expenses when transactions are completed, and the tool includes a mileage tracker for seamless expense management.
In a statement, Jon Baron, managing director of Thomson Reuters' Professional segment of Tax & Accounting, said the tool was designed for accountants to meet their small business clients' needs, and enables accurate and efficient services to augment accountants' consulting to those customers.
The app signals Thomson Reuters' increasing focus on small business customers. In its announcement, the company pointed to the previous launch of OnBalance Self-Employed, which debuted last November to enable self-employed individuals to track and manage expenses via mobile app.
Last month, the company enhanced its offering for larger enterprises when SAP announced an integration with Thomson Reuters, to link corporate treasurers to data on the cost and FX rate of a cross-border transaction as part of the SAP Market Rates Management tool. The company also previously introduced new solutions to address the friction of corporate tax filing, upgrading ONESOURCE to compute tax provisions across an organization's multiple subsidiaries, units and locations.


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Originally published on CleanTechnica by Derek Markham The Silicon Valley startup SolPad has just announced the specs, pricing, and pre-order date for its all-in-one solar plus storage mobile solution, which could help usher in a new era of entry-level solar. We first covered the SolPad product back in October of last year, with writer Matthew Klippenstein calling it […]
Browsing the "SolPad" Tag
Living in a mobile home or manufactured home doesn’t prevent people from enjoying clean, renewable solar power. Here are several ways to get in on solar using innovative strategies.


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Rick Kern/Getty Images
Green Day is officially working on a new album.
In an Instagram post reflecting on their 2022, Billie Joe Armstrong and company reveal that they’ve been “working recording our record” in London and Los Angeles in between all the touring they’ve been doing this year.
The confirmation that a new Green Day album is indeed in the works follows various teasers the punk outfit shared earlier this year relating to the year 1972, which, perhaps not coincidentally, is the year that Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tré Cool were all born.
Green Day’s most recent album is 2020’s Father of All… Last year, they dropped a trio of one-off singles: “Here Comes the Shock,” “Holy Toledo!” and “Pollyanna.”
Meanwhile, Green Day is also prepping a reissue of 1997’s Nimrod in honor of the album’s 25th anniversary. The expanded package will arrive January 27.
Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


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This week this happened in costume… Diana Rush, Alpha Papa and now Diana, costume designer Julian Day is everywhere at the moment (good, because he’s very talented). Here Day explains a little about undertaking what[…]
Must admit, we kind of saw this one coming. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire costume designer Trish Summerville has teamed up with online fashion retailer Net-a-Porter to produce 16 ready-to-wear outfits, leather goods and jewellery[…]
The week’s big costume design stories and links.
The very first trailer for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and it’s more uniform than glamour.
To celebrate the release of Oz the Great and Powerful, here is a round up of the best fantasy costume posts at Clothes on Film.
A fun glimpse at the bizarre fashions to expect in Catching Fire thanks to costume designer Trish Summerville.


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All Leisure Goes Out of Business, Takes Two Cruise Brands with It
British operator All Leisure Holidays has gone out of business after selling some of their brands in recent days. But the closure has also caused two specialty cruise lines owned by the company to cease operating. Swan Hellenic and Voyages of Discovery were marketed to a limited extend in North America.
The company's one-ship luxury line, Hebridean Island Cruises, was sold ahead of the bankruptcy filing and is not believed to be affected.
The complete story appeared in the January 4 edition of Cruise News Daily.


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By getting its focus back on the sub-Rs 10,000 and other price segments, Vivo is filling key gaps aggressively in a bid to grab share and regain strength in smartphone market.
Smartphone player Vivo, best known as the title sponsor of the Indian Premier League, is quietly stitching up a revival strategy aimed at helping it get back into the top three club of brands.
Vivo, manufactured by Chinese company BBK Electronics, had a share of 13 per cent a year ago, which is now down to 6.7 per cent, half of what it was earlier. The dip in share has pushed Vivo to the fourth spot after rivals Xiaomi, Samsung and sister Oppo, reason enough for the brand to revisit its strategy.
Market experts say that at the heart of Vivo's problems has been a hyperactive Xiaomi and effort put by both Oppo and One Plus, also produced by parent BBK Electronics, to protect their turfs.
While Xiaomi has added 13 per cent share to its 17 per cent (market share) in a year, Oppo and One Plus, in the interim, have held on to share in key price bands such as Rs 15,000-Rs 25,000 and Rs 28,000 respectively.
Vivo, say experts, has suffered on account of this three-way assault, resulting in market share erosion. While advertising and sponsorships of key properties in cricket have allowed Vivo to stay in the minds of consumers, it has clearly not translated into share gains on the ground.
Nipun Marya, director, brand strategy, Vivo India, while admitting there have been slip-ups in the last one year, says it is time for the brand to move on.
The strategy now, according to Marya, is to get its focus back on the sub-Rs 10,000 price point to complement its presence in the Rs 15,000-Rs 25,000 price bracket, considered Vivo's mainstay.
Parallely, Vivo will also add new products in the Rs 10,000-Rs 20,000, Rs 20,000-Rs 30,000 and Rs 35,000 price bands, dominated by the likes of Oppo, One Plus, Xiaomi, Motorola and Samsung.
Marya says the idea is to broad-base Vivo's presence rather than focus on sweet spots (such as Rs 15,000-Rs 25,000). In many respects, Vivo is taking a leaf out of the marketing manual of Korean chaebol Samsung, which is the only other player in the market to straddle the price pyramid.
Experts say the pressure on Vivo to reinvent itself is growing as staying relevant remains key. In a competitive market where brands fall off the map quickly, Vivo could meet a similar fate if it fails to act fast and respond to consumer needs.
“We went back to the drawing board and felt becoming a full-range smartphone player was the best bet for us. In the future, we will further expand our portfolio to close every single price gap," Marya says.
Vivo has lined up nearly half a dozen launches in the next few months in keeping with its new strategy.
Some four new models have already hit the market, covering the sub-Rs 10,000, Rs 10,000-Rs 20,000, Rs 20,000-Rs 30,000 and Rs 35,000 price bands respectively.
According to IDC, the Y-series of devices by Vivo that cover the sub-Rs 10,000 and Rs 10,000-Rs 20,000 price segments have helped the brand revive sales in these categories, coming as a shot in the arm for it.
Marya claims that two new launches, V9 (Rs 22,990) and V9 Youth (Rs 18,990), will further strengthen its presence in the Rs 20,000-Rs 22,000 price bracket where Vivo has a 57 per cent market share.
And with X21 (Rs 35,990), also a new launch, Marya says, the firm will change the dynamics of the game at the upper end of the market, where One Plus is the dominant player. Marya claims that features provided by the X21 are targeted at the tech junkie, something experts argue is also the same space enjoyed by One Plus.
So is a cannabalisation on the cards?
Marya believes this is only the start of the journey for Vivo as a full-range player and discussing cannabalisation now is way off the mark.
In the coming months Vivo is expected to make a splash with more high-end, feature-rich phones as well as affordably priced models as it looks to take on rivals aggressively.
The new approach, Marya says, will also allow Vivo to differentiate itself from me-too Chinese brands that typically focus on sweet spots to gain share.
While Xiaomi's focus is the sub-Rs 15,000 market, Lenovo has opted to keep its eyes peeled on the sub-Rs 10,000 segment and Motorola's hotspot is the Rs 14,000-Rs 15,000 price bracket, where it enjoys significant market share.


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Railtrack withdraws fine appeal
Railtrack is withdrawing its appeal against a £10.8m fine it must pay for not meeting punctuality targets in the 1999-2000 financial year. Regulators told the rail infrastructure company last year to reduce delays on its network by 12.7% and that it would be fined £4m for every percentage point shortfall.
Railtrack reduced delays by 10% so it owes £10.8m. But the company lodged an appeal in January with the High Court against the fine and the case was due to be heard on 23 October.
'In view of the range of issues which the industry needs to address following the Hatfield crash, Railtrack has decided that it would be inappropriate to pursue the case,' the company said in a statement.
A high-speed train derailed near Hatfield, north of London, on Tuesday, killing four people and injuring more than 30.
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On Sunday, April 18, at around 3:00 p.m. an American Registered yacht named “Kasevve” docked at the Caribeña Gas Station on the front side to re-fuel. The boat belongs to Mr. Alfonso Rodgriquez of Honduras and the boat captain was one Mr. Deston Leserra.
According to reports after they had re-fueled they went to eat in a nearby restaurant when dock masters of Amigos del Mar saw that smoke was coming out of the boat. The owners of the boat were quickly located and informed of what was happening and they removed the yacht from the dock so as to prevent a catastrophe.
As the boat was removed from the dock the engine stopped and the small fire which was coming from the engine compartment was put out. The yacht received smoke damage in the cabin and the engine was completely damaged.
Fire department personnel checked the boat and found that the fire was caused by an electric problem with a light bulb in the engine cabin. Owner of the boat reported a loss of $600,000 US on the boat and according to boat Captain, Mr. Leserra, they had just purchased the boat in Miami and they were on their way to Honduras.


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Huge has been chosen as RumbleOn’s first creative agency of record as it looks to seriously disrupt the trillion-dollar vehicle marketplace.
The shop is tasked with helping build out its business strategy by conducting research, assessing the brand and its potential evolution, and creative development.
"Our partnership with Huge is a first of its kind for RumbleOn, and together I believe this match will better position our brand as we continue to expand further into multiple verticals," said Marshall Chesrown, CEO of RumbleOn. "Huge has a unique understanding of who we are, what we do, and most importantly, our customers. Their plans included disruptive solutions and new opportunities that matches the ethos of RumbleOn."
Heather Harrington, SVP of marketing at RumbleOn, added: "When we issued this RFP, we were looking for an agency that had experience in the vehicle space, but more importantly could tackle scenarios using data-centric approaches. Huge was the perfect fit – they see the vision for where RumbleOn is headed, have access to the latest analytics, and know how to turn trends into tangible campaigns. I’m excited to see this relationship grow in the coming months."
Hug, part of the Interpublic Group, recently announced a series of leadership changes as it restructures its operating model to streamline the U.S. offering.
Huge Detroit and Huge Chicago will merge under one leadership team for the Midwest, as will Huge DC and Huge Atlanta for the Southeast.
Dan Hou has been appointed president, Southeast, while Ranae Heuer will assume the role of president, Midwest.
Paul Randall, who was Chicago’s managing director, has been elevated to global head of delivery, the agency’s newly-created practice area that aims to ensure seamless experiences for clients across its global network.
Heuer said: "It is an exciting time for RumbleOn and we're thrilled to be named its first agency of record. Our agency in Detroit is uniquely positioned to partner with RumbleOn as we bring to the table our extensive expertise in DTC platforms. Together we'll partner in developing an unmatched creative experience for the brand. Watch this space."


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The makers of the InkCase, Gajah, posted an update on the Kickstarter campaign with an explanation for the delay. They're having trouble manufacturing one of the modular components of the InkCase Plus: Continue reading
Gajah's E-ink case for smartphones cleared one last hurdle this week when it showed up on the FCC website.
The InkCase Plus is designed to be a universal smartphone case which adds a secondary E-ink screen to almost any smartphone. Launched as part of an incredibly successful KickStarter campaign in July 2014, this smartphone accessory is scheduled to ship to backers in October and hit store shelves. Continue reading
Never one to fight a single battle at a time, Amazon is in conflict with publishers in multiple countries, including Bonnier in Germany, Hachette Book Group in the US, and (reportedly) unnamed publishers in the UK.
And now we can add Japan to that list.
The Alcatel Magic Flip was one of the high points of CES 2014, and I have just learned that this smartphone accessory slash ebook reader showed up at Computex last month.
The MagicFlip is now called the e-Card. From what I can tell it's still not available yet, but on the plus side this ereader now works a lot better. Continue reading
Last summer Gajah (aka Oaxis, their consumer brand) unveiled a trio of smartphone cases which added E-ink screens to the back of the iPhone 5 and 2 of Samsung's smartphones. As cool as these products may have looked, they suffered from an unfortunate limitation: they only worked with specific models.
Gajah is back again today with a new modular case system that overcomes this limitation.
I spent some time today with the CoverReader, Pocketbook's entry into the smartphone case market, and I'm not terribly impressed with the idea. Sure, the demo unit worked okay, but I've begun to realize that I think there's a better option than adding an E-ink screen to a smartphone case. Continue reading


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Nordstrom slump threatens Spokane grants
Published 10:00 pm, Tuesday, May 8, 2001
SPOKANE -- Sales at the new Nordstrom store in downtown Spokane are so sluggish that they threaten the city's federal community block grants, a city official said.
The city receives about $4.75 million a year from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which is usually used for projects in Spokane's poorest neighborhoods.
The city received a loan from HUD to build a portion of the upscale River Park Square mall, which Nordstrom anchors. Money to repay that loan includes a small percentage of Nordstrom's sales over the first $40 million the store makes every year, Community Development Director Mike Adolfae told the City Council late Monday.
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Adolfae said Nordstrom didn't clear the $40 million threshold for its first reporting period, and predicted that the store will not clear the mark in the future.
An attorney for Nordstrom's landlord, the prominent Cowles family of Spokane, said he is unaware of any problems at Spokane's Nordstrom store and he doubted Adolfae's projections.
"I am deeply skeptical about the city's ability to predict retail sales five years out," Les Weatherhead said. "These people are looking for every opportunity to cry wolf."
The River Park Square controversy has consumed local politics for several years. Developers of the mall contend the project has reversed the decline of downtown, employs hundreds of workers and generated millions in tax revenues.
Opponents have attacked the government subsidies as corporate welfare.
Lawyers on both sides have been prospering as a flurry of lawsuits have been filed in state and federal courts.
Nordstrom, based in Seattle, has been financially battered in recent years. In February, the company reported a 59 percent drop in fourth quarter profits, blaming slow sales in the holiday season. The company recently closed its store in downtown Yakima.
Adolfae warned the city could default in 2006 on the federal loan that helped build the mall. Should the city, which administers the loan to the mall developer, be unable to make its payments, it must make up the difference from its community development block grants.
Adolfae would not comment on his projections on the advice of Lauri Siddoway, the city's special counsel on River Park Square matters.
The council had previously been alerted to a possible default in 2004 due to a shortfall in another component of the repayment package, which calls for the developer to pay 41 percent of the money it receives in rent for ground beneath the mall parking garage.
The developer has not been paying the percentage of ground rent, about $26,000 a month, because it has not received any money from the agency that runs the garage.
That agency, the Spokane Parking Public Development Agency, is near bankruptcy in part because the City Council refused to lend parking meter money to keep the garage afloat. That issue is the subject of lawsuits.
The developer maintains that a 1997 city ordinance pledged a loan of city parking meter money in the event that the mall's garage revenue could not meet its expenses.
Last year the City Council refused to provide the money, saying that without guarantees of repayment, such a loan would constitute an illegal gift.


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The private sector is calling on the government to roll out relief measures to lessen the impact of the latest COVID-19 control measures which come into effect today, including a ban on dining-in at restaurants across high-risk areas.
Published on the Royal Gazette’s website late on Saturday night, the restrictions apply to Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Pathum Thani, Narathiwat, Songkhla, Pattani, and Yala – provinces which have been classified by the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) as “maximum and strict control zones”, also known as “dark red” zones.
The restrictions, according to the announcement, will be in effect for 30 days.
Under the new curbs, all 575 construction worker camps across Greater Bangkok have been sealed off while restaurant dining in Bangkok and its five surrounding provinces are banned to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Deputy spokesman for the Royal Thai Armed Forces, Maj Gen Thiraphong Patthamasing, said more than 10,000 soldiers and police will be deployed to ensure law and order at the camps.
The ban on dining-in has prompted protests from restaurant owners, with the president of the Thai Restaurants Association, Thaniwan Kulmongkol, likening it to being struck by lightning multiple times, without any help from anyone.
“Dine-in services normally account for 90% of restaurants’ income,” she said.
Ms Kulmongkol called on the government to help affected restaurants by buying 200,000 meal boxes per day from them at a cost of 50 baht per box – which comes to about 10 million baht a day – until the ban on dining-in is lifted.
“These meal boxes will be delivered to construction workers who are locked down in their camps,” Ms Kulmongkol said.
Sanan Angubolkul, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC), said he understood the government needed to roll out these stringent COVID-19 measures, saying the TCC is equally concerned about public health and the economic situation.
If these stringent measures work, Thailand should be able to regain international confidence in time for its plan to reopen the country, he said.
However, he warned that these measures should not be maintained for too long as they are hurting certain businesses, particularly those in the restaurant, tourism and service sectors.
“It’s sad but true, many more people in these businesses will lose their jobs as a result of these COVID-19 control measures,” he said, adding the government should also review its economic stimulus and COVID-19 relief programmes to keep up with the changing outbreak situation.
According to a projection by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC), the ban on dine-in services alone will cost between 30-60 billion baht in losses per month, or about 0.1% to 0.3% of gross domestic product (GDP).
Lisa Ngamtrakulpanich, president of the Thai Contractors Association (TCA), meanwhile, urged the government to consider compensating contractors which are affected by its new COVID-19 control measures.
“Most, if not, all contractors will be fined for construction delays,” she said.
Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri on Sunday urged the media not to report the restrictions as lockdowns. “They simply are stricter control measures targeting businesses that are found to be sources of infections,” he said.


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A trade deficit occurs a country's imports exceeds its exports it is an economic measure used in the field of international trade. Us trade deficit with china what is the us trade deficit with china in 2012, the us trade deficit with china was 315 billion dollars this was up significantly. The us trade deficit with china is the world's largest and a sign of global economic imbalance it's because china provides low-cost consumer goods. President trump is currently focused on imposing tariffs to reduce the us trade deficit our new graph illustrates how this one economic issue has exploded over the last 30 years to become.
Using a rough calculation, that implies the iphone 7 series added $157 billion to the us trade deficit with china last year, about 44 percent of the total. Foreign trade of the united states comprises the international imports and exports of the united states by 2012, the us trade deficit, fiscal budget deficit. The trade deficit with china hit a record high in 2017, defying president trump’s repeated promises to shrink a number that he regards as a test of whether other nations are treating the. There are many good economic reasons why president donald trump is wrong to obsess over the us trade deficit with china one is that this bilateral deficit isn't as severe as he thinks -.
Us international trade in goods and services february 2018 the us census bureau and the us bureau of economic analysis announced today that the goods and services deficit was $576. The us census bureau censusgov business & industry foreign trade us international trade data trade in goods and services deficit: $576 billion. The us trade deficit increased to a more than nine-year high in january, with the shortfall with china widening sharply, suggesting that president donald trump's america first trade. The president keeps claiming that the us has a trade deficit with canada but government data says he's wrong.
America's trade deficit with china was $288 billion in 2017, according to chinese data if you think that's big, just wait until the us reports its official figures on february 6. Censusgov business & industry foreign trade us international trade data us trade in goods with trade in goods and services deficit: $57.
The us monthly international trade deficit increased in july 2017 according to the us bureau of economic analysis and the us census bureau. The us trade deficit was $566 billion in 2017 consumer products and automobiles are the primary drivers of the trade deficit.
President donald trump claimed the us has a large trade deficit with canada but, the real answer is not so clear. The trade deficit that president trump has often railed against hit historic highs last year. President trump has made reducing the us trade deficit a priority, blaming trade deals like nafta, but economists disagree over how policymakers should respond. The us trade deficit widened to the biggest monthly and annual levels since the last recession, underscoring the inherent friction in president donald trump’s goal of narrowing the gap.
Us trade representative robert lighthizer maintains his country has a $87 billion trade deficit in goods with canada but cbc news has learned lighthizer's figures come from a. The us goods trade deficit with china was $3470 billion in 2016 trade in services with china (exports and imports) totaled an estimated $703 billion in 2016.


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Google Play Services on Android telephones will probably be used to push COVID-19 contact tracing system that the corporate is constructing in collaboration with Apple. This is a sensible and dependable method of pushing the coronavirus contact tracing resolution, contemplating system updates are normally delayed both by carriers or producers relying available on the market. Google says that it applies to each phases of Bluetooth contact tracing framework — the preliminary rollout that’s due subsequent month, and the subsequent stage that will carry the APIs constructed into the OS.
This is much like the Project Mainline system technique that Google launched in 2019. While the Project Mainline updates are explicitly open supply, Google didn’t say whether or not the coronavirus system could be open or not. However, the corporate did point out it could provide code audits to OEMs that want to undertake an identical system. This implies that Android telephones bought in China and Huawei handsets could be ignored. For these, Google will publish a framework to implement the safe COVID-19 tracing system that’s developed in partnership with Apple.
As for Apple, initially, it could launch an iOS app that customers can obtain by way of the App Store. This opt-in, downloadable app will let customers report in the event that they’re been identified with the coronavirus with public well being apps and as soon as they do, others who they’ve come into shut contact inside the previous few days will probably be notified. The caveat with that is that it solely works if the COVID-19-positive consumer downloads the app and wilfully shares the well being knowledge. However, going ahead, Apple would bake the contact tracing performance into the platform so there isn’t any want for downloading the app. This may cowl round three billion customers world wide.


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NounsDAO is facing an internal crisis as a considerable portion of its NFT holders opt for a “rage quit.” This move allows these holders to exit the project and claim a share of the treasury, bypassing the open market where NFTs are currently experiencing a decline. The situation has raised questions about the stability and future of NounsDAO, as well as the broader implications for NFT projects with similar governance structures.
The Mechanics of the “Rage Quit” Rule
The “rage quit” option is a part of NounsDAO’s governance mechanism, recently enacted to provide an exit strategy for disenchanted members. According to this rule, if holders of at least 20% of all Nouns NFTs call for a “fork,” they can separate from the main group. These departing members are then entitled to claim their proportionate share of the project’s treasury, which currently holds 30,620 ether tokens, equivalent to roughly $50 million.
As it stands, holders owning 25% of all Nouns NFTs are choosing this route, which would result in a forked treasury worth approximately 7,598 ETH or around $12.4 million. This move is seen as a way to secure better financial returns, especially when the open market for NFTs is not favorable.
Implications for NounsDAO and the NFT Ecosystem
The unfolding situation at NounsDAO serves as a cautionary tale for other NFT projects, particularly those with decentralized governance models. The “rage quit” option, while providing an exit for unhappy members, also poses a risk of destabilizing the project’s financial standing. A treasury split of this magnitude could impact NounsDAO’s ability to fund future initiatives, thereby affecting its long-term viability.
Moreover, the event raises broader questions about the sustainability of decentralized governance models in the NFT space. While these models aim to empower individual holders, they also expose projects to the risk of internal financial crises, especially when market conditions are unfavorable.
A Critical Juncture for NounsDAO
NounsDAO is at a pivotal point, with its treasury and, by extension, its future hanging in the balance. The “rage quit” phenomenon has exposed vulnerabilities in the project’s governance structure and has broader implications for the NFT ecosystem. As the situation continues to evolve, it will be crucial to monitor how NounsDAO and similar projects adapt their governance and financial strategies to mitigate such risks effectively.
The event serves as a case study for other NFT projects, emphasizing the need for robust governance mechanisms that can withstand market volatility while balancing the interests of individual holders. As the NFT landscape continues to mature, the lessons learned from the NounsDAO situation could prove invaluable for shaping more resilient and sustainable projects.


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Gossip Girl: After a global departure from Netflix two years ago, it has been revealed that Gossip Girl will make a comeback on the platform in July 2023.
Gossip Girl: Blair Waldorf is a popular student at her private school and envied by one and all. But, her perfect life is unsettled when her ex-best friend enrols in the same institution.
Narrated by: Kristen Bell
First episode date: September 19, 2007 (USA)
Adapted from: Gossip Girl
Developed by: Josh Schwartz; Stephanie Savage
Genre: Teen drama
Opening theme: “Steps of The Met” by Transcenders
Gossip Girl Trailer
Gossip Girl Trailer
Gossip Girl Leaving And Returning To Netflix
The original Gossip Girl series, which aired from 2006 to 2012 with 121 episodes, is making a return to Netflix after a two and a half year hiatus. The show features notable actors such as Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, and Ed Westwick, and follows the lives of students at an exclusive New York City boarding school.
Previously, Gossip Girl was available on Netflix globally until January 1st, 2021, when it was removed from the service. However, it continued to be available on Netflix Japan since 2018.
The show was a significant part of HBO Max’s lineup and even had a rebooted series (which got canceled after two seasons) exclusively available on HBO Max. Rumors have also been circulating about another potential reboot or reunion.
Gossip Girl Will Return To Netflix in July 6th
What regions of Netflix are getting Gossip Girl? So far, we’ve had confirmation of a couple.
The return of Gossip Girl to Netflix has been confirmed for several regions, including Netflix UK, Netflix France, Netflix Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, etc.), and Netflix Spain. However, specific details about all regions receiving the show have not been disclosed yet.
There’s uncertainty about whether Gossip Girl will be available on Netflix in the United States in July 2023. Although it is not part of the monthly lineup, there is a possibility that it could be added, considering the show was previously licensed to The Roku Channel.
This move by Warner Bros. Discovery to license its shows back to streaming platforms comes as an attempt to address its growing debt and counter the slowing growth of its streaming service.
Netflix Recent Activity(Gossip Girl)
In recent times, various distributors have been licensing their content back to Netflix, and similar changes have been observed in the United States with the return of Cartoon Network shows and the licensing of popular titles like S.W.A.T. and Suits for the first time. Reports have also suggested that select HBO content might be coming to Netflix.
The article concludes by asking readers if they want Gossip Girl back on Netflix in their respective regions and promises to provide further updates as more information becomes available.


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Jay Yarow | Business Insider
The Pew Research Center released a big study
focused entirely on Twitter
. According to its findings, 8% of American adults that are online are now using Twitter. Below is a breakdown from Pew about how those people are actually using Twitter.
Follow the Chart Of The Day on Twitter: @chartofthedayJoin the conversation about this story Â»
The original version of the story appears here: http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-twitter-2010-12
Business Insider is a new business site with deep financial, entertainment, green tech and digital industry verticals. The flagship vertical, Silicon Alley Insider, launched on July 19, 2007, led by DoubleClick founders Dwight Merriman and Kevin Ryan and former top-ranked Wall Street analyst Henry Blodget.


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“Apple is preparing to release a free software update designed to improve the fingerprint recognition experience of Touch ID, potentially fixing a ‘fade’ issue that has been experienced by some iPhone 5s users, AppleInsider has learned,” Daniel Eran Dilger reports for AppleInsider.
“A source familiar with Apple’s development plans said the company is well aware of early adopter issues that many iPhone 5s users are experiencing with Touch ID, the fingerprint recognition feature introduced last year after acquiring AuthenTec in 2012,” Dilger reports. “After launching iPhone 5s last fall, Apple has continued to work with the original AuthenTec team to improve its recognition software and will release an update relatively soon, the source confidently reported.”
“Multiple users affected by the ‘AuthenTec Fade’ problem have noted that reconfiguring their prints seems to return the system to its initial performance, but after several weeks the so-called ‘fade’ creeps back,” Dilger reports. “Another trick suggested in user forms is to configure your most commonly used finger multiple times as separate fingers, under the assumption that this makes it more likely that the system can recognize the print on the first try. ”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dan K.” for the heads up.]


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Jul 27, 2015
Kering's Gucci makes unexpected rebound in Q2
Jul 27, 2015
Gucci, the flagship brand of French luxury and sportswear group Kering, posted a 4.6 percent rise in underlying second-quarter sales on Monday, marking a much sooner-than-expected rebound under its new creative and management duo.
Kering Finance Director Jean-Marc Duplaix said the brand had benefited from strong demand from Chinese tourists in Japan and Western Europe, while Gucci's sales in China were boosted by discounted sales of its previous designer's collections.
Analysts had expected Gucci, which accounts for nearly 60 percent of Kering's operating profit, to suffer a 2.5-3 percent drop in like-for-like sales in the three months to June 30, slowing from an 8 percent fall in the previous three months.
Kering's first-half operating profit fell 5.4 percent to 773.2 million euros ($859 million), which Duplaix said was partly due to significant investment in marketing and communications at recovering sports brand Puma.
Many analysts expected Gucci's repositioning under Chief Executive Marco Bizzarri and creative head Alessandro Michele, in place since the start of the year, to take several quarters, and longer than the six months Kering initially predicted.
Gucci has been ailing for more than two years, partly due to a lack of innovative designs, excessive price increases and a focus on high-end products, as well as tough trading conditions in China.
It was not yet clear whether Gucci's latest strong sales performance indicated a lasting improvement in its desirability or whether it was a blip influenced by short-term boosts such as discounted sales.
"Gucci delivered a significant positive surprise in terms of organic growth," Exane BNP Paribas analyst Luca Solca said, cautioning that the performance could in part be due to "de-stocking activity, especially in China".
Duplaix said Michele's first collection, shown in New York in June, had been very well received but that it would only hit the shelves at the end of the third quarter.
Kering earlier on Monday named Grita Loebsack, ex-head of skincare at Unilever, to lead its emerging fashion brands unit regrouping Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Tomas Meier and Balenciaga.
The move is the latest in a series of high-level management changes at the group over the past year that have included a new head of watches and jewellery and a new chief executive for the Boucheron jewellery brand.
© Thomson Reuters 2023 All rights reserved.


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While the pandemic has yet to run its course, analysts are starting to assess the damage it has done to the U.S. economy.
With regard to local advertising, BIA Advisory Services just reduced its full-year estimate by about 10% -- from $161.3 billion to $144.3 billion.
Year-over-year, the new estimate represents a 3.6% decline in local ad spending, even though the firm anticipates an additional $7.1 billion in political advertising, this year.
Mark Fratrik, senior vice president-chief economist at BIA, remains cautiously optimistic about the local ad market’s ability to rebound toward the end of the year.
“A realistic view of the virus is that it will continue to have a negative impact on the second quarter, with some continuation into the third quarter,” Fratrik suggests in the new report.
“We have assumed there will be a strong rebound in the latter part of the year, but we will have to re-evaluate as the ongoing economic impact becomes clearer,” Fratrik added.
Among other major verticals, BIA now expects local businesses to spend $24.8 billion on mobile this year. This represents about an 8% decline, compared to its earlier estimate.
Local advertising via direct mail has been revised downward by about 10% -- from $37.3 billion to $33.5 billion.
Local radio and television have also been affected by decreased ad spend by leisure and entertainment, restaurants and retail companies, as well as sports cancellations.
Likewise, out-of-home outlets have been negatively impacted by decreases in spending from leisure and entertainment companies, which are typically the biggest OOH advertisers.
Additionally, local cable systems have seen a decline as the absence of live sports has hurt viewing.
However, BIA expects local cable and local OTA television to benefit from an increase in political adverting this year.
When reassessing its previous estimates, Fratrik said BIA considered several factors, including unemployment, local market specific factors, and the weakening ad spend of major business verticals.


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US FDA Lays Out High And Low Options At MDUFA Talks
This article was originally published in Clinica
Minutes from the most recent Medical Device User Fee Act negotiation meeting, posted by the US FDA, suggest regulators and industry are getting closer to agreeing on components of a MDUFA IV proposal. Returning to the negotiating table on May 16, the agency presented two proposals to industry that are approximately $30m apart.
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Everyone knows that September means fashion week, but few know that it is also spinal cord awareness month? Last night a group of glamorous guests gathered at the Mondrian Soho where the Reeve Foundation and Clark’s Botanicals hosted “Night for a Cure.” Jam-packed into one of the hotel’s penthouse suites, Kara DioGuardi, Julianne Moore, Nate Berkus and Ari Gaynor mingled with guests, sipping champagne and summer cocktails.
The Observer asked W editor Stefano Tonchi what brought him to the event. “In beauty and fashion its so important to take care of people with disabilities,” he said. “I think that not enough people are concerned… Not only in the fashion community but all over society,” Mr. Tonchi added. Although the evening was focused on the foundation, guests were atwitter with fashion week gossip. We asked Mr. Tonchi which shows he was most excited to see. “I suppose we will have to wait until the end of the week to see Marc Jacobs. He will keep us hungry,” said Mr. Tonchi.
Founder of Clark’s Botanicals Francesco Clark, himself a victim of a spinal cord injury, was excited by the event’s impressive turnout. “I lost my voice, so that’s a good sign,” Mr. Clark said. “I feel really lucky and honored and blessed. And it feels like I’m at prom,” he added.
People chatted and sipped their drinks, trying to maneuver through the small space which proved less than ideal for guests in wheelchairs. The terrace, with views of the foggy city, was open until it began to rain. Guests began to file out around 9:30, heading back down the elevator and into the wet night. We spotted several having an additional nightcap at the hotel’s bar in the lobby.


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At the end of the day, people who have bank accounts and are thus included in a country's financial system choose the payment methods with which they are comfortable. Unfamiliarity with digital payments is the main reason such people stick with cash.
During the pandemic, much of the Philippines has been under strict lockdown, reducing opportunities for cash transactions. Even when people pay for items in retail stores, they are concerned about physical contact. Swiping a mobile wallet and paying by QR code or NFC results in less contact than handing paper notes and coins to a cashier.
Alibaba-backed GCash, one of the Philippines' leading mobile wallets with 20 million registered users, said payments made on its platform rose 700% year-on-year in May. About 63,000 stores accept GCash in the Philippines.
That's just the tip of the iceberg. GCash plans to partner with the government to install scan-to-pay systems in taxis. Passengers will pay by scanning QR codes displayed on fare meters with their smartphones.
If that initiative is successful, GCash will widen its lead over competitors like GrabPay. In fact, although Grab's ride-hailing services are app-based, many passengers in the Philippine still pay for them with cash.
According to Ney Villasenor, GCash's vice president and chief corporate affairs officer, as demand for GCash's services surge, the company is boosting its digital infrastructure and strengthening its partnership with Ant Group. "Before the 'new normal,' payment through QR codes and apps like GCash were deemed optional. Nowadays, having a digital wallet is considered necessary," Villasenor wrote in a July commentary published in The Business Mirror.
PayMaya, another of the Philippines' top digital wallets, is involved in several QR code-based payment initiatives as well. PayMaya is cooperating with the Makati Medical Center, facilitating payment for telemedicine services. It is also working with the city of Manila to enable QR code payments at cashless stalls near Manila City Hall and the bargain shopping market Divisoria, the city’s popular bargain shopping market.
Further, major fast-food restaurants in the Philippines such as McDonald’s and KFC use PayMaya's digital payments solutions, which include point-of-sale devices, a digital payment gateway and digital invoicing.
Meanwhile, TendoPay offers consumers digital payments installment plans ranging between 15 days and 24 months that can be used at the Philippines' 2,900 7-Eleven stores.


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Get ready to do a Doublemint doubletake. Wrigley announced that its new ad campaign is actually an update of a golden oldie, the Doublemint Twins, an ad concept that dates back to the 1930s. Those early twins, if they’re still around, have most likely given up doubling their pleasure and doubling their fun, as the jingle went in the Eighties.
Sure, it was a successful campaign, but hasn’t Wrigley gotten enough mileage out of it? Last month, Hanes jumped on the nostalgia bandwagon. Its new campaign, “Look who we’ve got our Hanes on now,” is nothing but a variation on its 90s slogan, “Just wait’ll we get our Hanes on you.”
These companies want to be true to their brand and their history. Fine. But isn’t there room for more creativity? These remakes aren’t clever. They’re lazy. Don’t these advertisers have any new ideas? And doesn’t Wrigley know that twins aren’t as wholesome as they used to be? They pitch beer now (see Coors), not gum.


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Energy regulator Ofgem has published the latest results of its annual Energy Consumer Satisfaction survey. For the first time it names the best and worst suppliers, as perceived by home consumers.
On average around 69% of billpayers say they are happy with their provider. Significantly higher than that average is Octopus, scoring 84%. Suppliers with lower satisfaction results were EDF Energy, on 61%, OVO Energy on 61%. and Scottish Power on 62%.
A pool of more than 3,700 home energy users were asked last September to rate their supplier first for overall satisfaction, and then for its customer service delivered. The regulator commissioned the research in collaboration with Citizens Advice.
For customer service, suppliers scored on average 62%. Octopus again beat that industry benchmark, achieving 76% for its service.
Again EDF, on 54%, Scottish Power on 55%, and OVO on 57%, all came up short, serving their customers worse than rivals.
Top reasons given by customers unhappy with levels of service they received were
- not being able to contact their supplier at the time they needed (37%),
- not feeling they were being listened to (34%) and
- length of time it took to resolve their query (34%)
Overall satisfaction with customer service as reported by real users fell, the regulator notes, from 66% at the end of 2022 to 62% in the latest research.
Ofgem says it will continue to publish its supplier-specific data as part of its commitment to improve transparency in helping customers make more informed decisions on supplier choice.
In December the regulator announced new rules designed to improve customer service standards, including requirements for suppliers to be easier to contact and provide proactive support for vulnerable customers, and people struggling to pay their bills.
Under these rules, energy companies are already required to prominently display their Citizens Advice Star Rating for customer service satisfaction.
Tim Jarvis, Ofgem’s director general of retail, commented: “Transparency is crucial to allow energy users to make informed choices, and we are determined to give customers the information they need so they can choose a supplier that works for them.
“We have already seen improvement to fix issues we identified in our deep-dive review of customer service in 2022.
“This latest data is a reminder that there is still work to be done, and publishing company-specific data adds another incentive for suppliers to keep pace with their rivals – or risk losing customers.”
Early last year the regulator’s Market Compliance Review into customer service raised severe or moderate weaknesses at twelve energy retailers. It says suppliers have listened, with all making noticeable improvements.


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(Bloomberg) — Peter Hames was born in the northern English city of Leeds, educated at Oxford, and founded a digital health startup in London in 2010. Six months ago, he and his company moved to San Francisco.
Hames had the backing of doctors, patients and venture capitalists for Sleepio, an online insomnia treatment. But he couldn’t see a way to sell the idea to the U.K.’s National Health Service, which controls virtually all medical spending in Britain. In California, by contrast, he’s marketing to companies that self-insure their employees.
“The bigger opportunity was here,” Hames, 35, said by phone from San Francisco’s Mission District. “I wanted to see it happen in the U.K. but it was clear it wasn’t going to.”
Venture capital investors plowed more than $4 billion into digital health startups in the U.S. last year, more than twice the total of 2013, according to Rock Health, a fund in San Francisco. Though no directly comparable data exists for Europe, the total is likely less than 100 million euros, according to the European Private Equity and Venture Capital Association.
The gap means fewer opportunities for European entrepreneurs in one of the fastest-growing areas of technology, so there’s less likelihood that a startup might grow into a major employer. And it means any health benefits and cost savings from digital initiatives will take longer to reach the region’s medical systems and taxpayers even as the NHS — projecting a 30-billion pound ($47 billion) shortfall by 2021 — says it’s counting on innovation to cut costs.
Index Ventures, a fund with offices in London that was an early investor in Skype, Soundcloud and Dropbox, backed Hames and encouraged his move to the U.S. The firm has looked into another half-dozen or so digital health companies in Europe, but could never envision a market, said Ophelia Brown, a principal at Index.
“We see so many great ideas, but health-care solutions don’t have a great revenue model,” Brown said. “You need to see who will pay for it.”
The problem is particularly acute in the U.K. In Germany and France, not all medical services are free for consumers, so they’re willing to pay for online products. In Britain, by contrast, the NHS covers virtually all health expenses, so entrepreneurs can’t avoid dealing with its bureaucracy.
To sell to the NHS, a vendor must first become an approved supplier by getting on one of the lists the government maintains. The lists, called frameworks, cover everything from pacemakers to office shelves to ambulances, and can expire after three to five years. Figuring out how to get on them can be baffling for startups, particularly those with technologies that don’t fit into neat categories. Once approved, a supplier must convince buyers at each of the NHS’s 209 regional units or one of dozens of other groups that control health-care spending.
“The complexity is massive,” said Mark Doorbar, chief executive officer of Safe Patient Systems Ltd., a company outside Birmingham that makes software for monitoring vital signs via mobile devices.
In 2011, Doorbar got his company onto a national framework for mobile health providers, and started signing up local NHS units. When the framework expired last year, his sales stalled and while he has a few existing contracts, he’s struggling to find funding. After months of talks with venture capitalists in 2013, he came away empty-handed.
“It was frustrating and disappointing,” Doorbar said. “We got fairly consistent feedback: ‘How can you penetrate the market?’”


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GREEN BAY – Not many people come to Green Bay to surf, but a local company’s surfing and action sports app recently got some love from Apple.
Sessions is a new app developed by Xensr for the Apple Watch that tracks calories burned, the height of waves and the number of runs a surfer makes.
Apple Vice President of Technology Kevin Lynch talked about the app while unveiling upgrades to the Apple Watch during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference keynote address on June 5. The annual conference showcases major upgrades, enhanced capabilities and other innovations Apple plans to introduce each year.
Green Bay native and Xensr CEO David Troup said the company’s capabilities over the last year impressed Apple engineers, especially considering Xensr’s located in the Silicon “Tundra,” not Silicon Valley.
“We got a call from Apple and the first question was ‘Are you guys really in Wisconsin?’” Troup said. “We get that a lot. … The Midwest thing is kind of a shock to people, but it was funny this time around given what a Green Bay company is doing with surfing.”
Read the full article here.
Read the Fast Company article here.


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Italian restaurant chain Carluccio’s has been bought out of administration by the owner of Giraffe restaurants.
The deal saves 800 jobs and 30 sites, but 40 restaurants and more than 1,000 jobs will be lost, more than half the total workforce.
Administrators ARP said the coronavirus lockdown meant difficult decisions had to be taken.
New owners Boparan Restaurant Group also own Fishworks and Ed’s Easy Diner restaurants.
Until the sale, most of the company’s 2,000 employees were being paid through the government’s job retention scheme.
This allows for staff to be paid up to 80% of their salary.
“The COVID-19 lockdown has put incredible pressure on businesses across the leisure sector, so it has been important to work as quickly and as decisively as possible in an extremely challenging business environment to secure a sale,” said Phil Reynolds, Joint Administrator at FRP.
Satnam Leihal, managing director of Boparan Restaurant Group, described Carluccio’s as a “quality brand” and said good restaurants “will recover in the long term as people return to eating out”.
Before the outbreak it was hit by the crunch in the casual dining sector and recently urged the state to step in.


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Starbucks cafe sales up 6% in second quarter
STARBUCKS Corp posted quarterly cafe sales that missed analysts' growth estimates for every region where it operates and issued a disappointing full-year forecast, sending its shares down about 4 per cent.
The world's largest coffee chain said that global sales at cafes
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Technically Incorrect: It seems like a normal takeoff for this MiG-29. Until it isn't.
Road Trip 2015: The second half of a two-part series about Vietnam's startup scene takes a deeper look at some rare success stories and how the country is fostering -- and hindering -- its homegrown tech community.
The carrier expects to offer 4G LTE connectivity in 98 percent of its footprint by year end.
The self-healing, curved smartphone will be offered at $150 with a two-year service agreement.
Not to be outdone by larger rivals, U.S. Cellular drops prices for a number of its Shared Connect options.
Attacks were allegedly part of an anti-copyright campaign called "Operation Payback," which was in retaliation for the 2010 shutdown of The Pirate Bay.
The U.S. International Trade Commission says Samsung infringes on a pair of Apple patents with some of its older phones.
Need a geeky gingerbread treat? Make it so with this tasty "Star Trek" tribute to the U.S.S. Enterprise made by Trekkie bakers.
This Sony leak is the gift that keeps on giving. We'll discuss the latest round of revealing leaks, a new upsetting U.S. obesity report and a cafe in London that only serves breakfast cereal.
It's not exactly easy to land a Boeing 777 in 60 mph winds. Or, at least, it doesn't look as if it is.


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‘Zombie Panic in Wonderland’ game coming soon.
I know there’s been a lot more video game coverage this week than usual (thanks to E3, of course) but don’t get used to it. I hardly have time to play video games these days, what with all of this TV- and movie-watching I’m doing. It’s hard to keep up with all forms of media.
Anyway, obviously the big zombie-centric news to come out of E3 has been the release of the Left 4 Dead 2 trailer and the trailer for Dead Rising 2, which wasn’t exactly released at E3 (Capcom, to my knowledge, isn’t appearing at the Expo) but conveniently found its way online yesterday.
But there’s another zombie game that’s kind of flown under the radar, mostly because it’s from a developer that nobody’s ever heard of, and probably also because it’s for the Wii, which I’m not sure that anyone gives a crap about anymore. But whatever, here’s the press release in its (short) entirety:
Up and running since November of 2008 and only seven months old, the video game creator Akaoni Studios is undergoing its first project.
“Zombie Panic in Wonderland” will be available for Wii Ware during the last term of this year and its creators assure it to be a frantic action game with great amounts of humor too macabre for Nintendo to handle.
“Humor too macabre for Nintendo to handle”? What the eff does that mean? This is, in fact, on Nintendo, so I’m not sure that it makes any sense at all. Maybe something was lost in translation.
Eh, this game’s probably gonna suck.


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Dr. Igor Kovalchuk
CEO of Pathway Rx
Speaking about Radical Life Extension Using AI + Cannabis on Thursday, June 21, 2018
Dr. Igor Kovalchuk (PhD/MD) is an award winning expert in genetics and molecular biology of plants and animals and a CEO of Pathway Rx. Pathway Rx is a company uniquely combining fields of medicinal cannabis and one of the applications of artificial intelligence, machine learning, creating personalized cannabis products for fighting chronic ailments and extending healthy lifespan. Pathway Rx is partnering with AI companies such as InSilico Medicine and with Canadian naturopathic doctors to formulate unique natural products combining the power of cannabis extracts and other proven remedies for fighting pain, inflammation and supporting healthy living.
Dr. Kovalchuk has over 20 years of demonstrated expertise in plant biotechnology, genetics and breeding. His other company, InPlanta Biotechnology, established with his business partner Dr. Darryl Hudson, is breeding cannabis strains with unique medicinal properties. The company has developed over 300 hybrids and is rapidly characterizing their medicinal properties using animal cell and tissue culture models and animal models of various diseases. Through his affiliation with the University of Lethbridge, Dr. Kovalchuk is developing a unique BSc program in Industrial and Medicinal Cannabis.


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There is just one more thing?
By Jerrison Oracion, Senior Columnist
Maybe the reason why it had such a short length was that they wanted to show how fast the M1 chip is.
This fall, Apple surprisingly produced more announcements than usual—the total number of announcements being three! Out of all the news that the major tech companies aired during the coronavirus pandemic, Apple had the best ones because of their cinematics and seamless quality. They announced new products that set new standards in technology and initiatives to reduce the number of carbon emissions in the air.
When I looked through Twitter and found out that Apple scheduled another announcement almost a month after they announced the iPhone 12, I was thinking that they were going to broadcast a major new product, possibly the Apple TV which will be their smart TV. When I watched the announcement on November 10 in their headquarters and was still pre-taped, it is the quickest announcement that they did.
It began with Tim Cook talking about how high-quality content can be made at home with their products using Billie Eilish as an example and her brother, Finneas O’Connell, who is also her producer, made an appearance at the end of the announcement. Half of the announcement involved an explanation of the new chip that will installed in their computer products made with Apple Silicon with the Apple-designed M1 chip. It replaces the Intel processor that was in the previous models of the iMac and is like the chip that is in the iPhone and the iPad.
The interesting thing about the M1 chip is that they put various parts of the computer, including the processor and the graphics card, all in one. This allows the iMac to be faster, use less power, increase battery life, and improve graphics to make them sharper. The chip is very powerful and is the fastest processor in computer products.
Essentially, the iMac is faster, and you can get more things done faster and make content sharper. After that, Craig Federighi talked about how the M1 chip will improve the performance of the next version of macOS with macOS Big Sur which is available now. While the explanation of the M1 chip is mind-blowing, Federighi’s explanation of the MacBook is like watching a porno.
Then, they announced the next versions of almost all their computer products with new versions of the MacBook Air, the MacBook Pro, and the Mac Mini. There are not a lot of new things in these products, and they are pretty much just faster and have improved cooling systems. Although, the Mac Mini is now cheaper at $699.
The announcement ended with various people using the new MacBook with the new chip and it showed that when you use it, you are playing with it instead of working in it. On average, an Apple announcement usually has a running time of two hours. Because the announcement was pre-taped, it caused the running time to be 46 minutes, which is the quickest announcement that they’ve ever done.
Maybe the reason why it had such a short length was that they wanted to show how fast the M1 chip is. While a major new product was not announced, Apple set the standard for computers yet again.


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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said flatly at a press event this week that the social networking company has no plans to introduce a Facebook phone. Instead, Zuckerberg announced a bunch of new updates to its iOS and Android Facebook apps, as PC World reported. There’s nothing new on the way for iPad, but the updates […]
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said flatly at a press event this week that the social networking company has no plans to introduce a Facebook phone.
Instead, Zuckerberg announced a bunch of new updates to its iOS and Android Facebook apps, as PC World reported. There’s nothing new on the way for iPad, but the updates will help bring the Android app in line with the iPhone version. Facebook on Android has a few problems (like being hard to read), and Zuckerberg mentioned that the developer Facebook had hired to make the app was acquired by Google (GOOG) during the process, which he remarked was “obnoxious.”
Facebook’s major updates to its apps are focused mostly on its location-based service Places. Along with a new connection feature that works basically like Facebook Connect on the web, any app authorized third-party app will now be able to write to, read and search the Facebook API for Places. That means other location-based services, such as Loopt, can work in tandem with Places.
Will “Deals” be a Foursquare killer?
Along with adding further support for the Places feature, Zuckerberg announced a new Deals feature, which uses users’ locations to let businesses offer them coupons and other offers. It’s a pretty big shot across the bow of Foursquare and similar services, which are working to make location-based coupons more ubiquitious and, well, useful. They and Facebook still probably have time, however — only four percent of Americans use check-in services as it stands, according to an MSNBC report, so unless Facebook or some other service suddenly blows up, they should have time refine the process and make check-ins more enticing.
A crowded smartphone galaxy
Meanwhile, even though Facebook won’t be jumping directly into the smartphone market, another phone is making headway against Apple’s (AAPL) juggernaut iPhone — at least in Japan, and at least for this week.
According to Japanese news site The Chosonilbo, Samsung’s (005930.KS) Android-running Galaxy S outsold the iPhone 4 last week, leaving the 32GB iPhone in second place and the 16GB iPhone in third. Add the sales of both types of iPhones together and they outrank Galaxy, but up until now, both iPhones have been Nos. 1 and 2 in the country for 18 straight weeks.
Sure, the last week of October was the Galaxy S debut in Japan, so it remains to be seen if the Android phone will hang on to its spot atop the pile, but it does indicate that there is excitement for the Galaxy S. Could this also be an indication of similar success for the Galaxy Tab when it comes out later this month to do battle with the iPad?


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After releasing iOS 16.1 last month, Apple is rumoured to release iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 in mid-December. Mark Gurman, a trusted reporter for Bloomberg, recently shared his forecasts for the remainder of 2022 in his Power on newsletter.
iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 “began beta testing this past week” and “should be published around mid-December,” Gurman writes in his newsletter.
Live Activities integration
It is anticipated that Apple’s forthcoming update would reinstate Live Activities integration. Live Activities on the Lock Screen, or, on the iPhone 14 Pro, the dynamic island, will allow users to keep tabs on games in real time.
New Sleep Widget
Additionally, a new Sleep widget will be accessible from the locked screen. It has three widget options – one that displays the total amount of time spent in bed, another that displays a bar chart demonstrating the quality of sleep, and a sizable widget that does the same thing visually.
Freedom, a new app announced at WWDC, is also slated to launch. It will let users to collaborate with friends and coworkers on a single board via drawings, text, videos, pictures, and more
Which iOS devices are going to be upgraded to version 16.2?
If all goes according to plan, next month’s version of iOS will provide a 5G upgrade to customers of the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPhone 14, and iPhone SE (third generation). As an added bonus, users will also experience better gaming support.


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Honda Tweaks Minivans to Transport Coronavirus Patients in Japan
Honda Motor mentioned it has remodeled 50 of its minivans to transport COVID-19 sufferers to hospitals and quarantine facilities in Japan, sealing off the rear section of the autos to keep drivers safe from infection.
The Japanese auto manufacturer has placed an airtight divide between the driver and the rear passenger areas of the vans and tweaked their air conditioning systems to allow fresh air to enter through the front close to the base of the windshield wipers, pass via to the rear passenger area via vents and exit through the back.
The car manufacturer stated that the one-way ventilation system installed in its Odyssey and Step WGN minivan models ensures that air from the rear section doesn’t enter the driver’s space, decreasing the risk of infection.
The company started lending these automobiles to health authorities in Tokyo, and as of Tuesday, two autos had been delivered, an organization spokesperson stated. Ultimately, it plans to also provide the automobiles to nearby Saitama prefecture, he added.
Japan had 8,885 cases of infections of the coronavirus as of Wednesday morning, excluding those from a cruise ship quarantined in February, with 174 deaths.
Toyota Motor has said it’s contemplating ways to equip its JPN Taxi models utilized by taxi operators in the nation to move infected sufferers.