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united states articles
As reported earlier, India will be allowing individual foreigners to visit India for tourism purposes from November 15. As per the reports, tourists from the United Kingdom, Canada, Malaysia, Ira... more
The United States will not be lifting existing travel restrictions anytime soon due to the rising number of COVID cases and concerns over the highly transmissible COVID-19 Delta variant. The same... more
Travellers from Croatia will not require a visa to travel to the United States in the near future. According to the US government, Croatia will join the countries whose people do not require a vi... more
A special arrangement for air travel connectivity is likely to roll out within a week. Reportedly, it will be between India and France, the United States of America and Germany.
Reportedly, the air bubble between India and Canada is now operational with the national carriers of both the nations all geared up to restore travel between the countries.
This might be a dream come true for all the ardent beer fans out there! A hotel in Columbus, Ohio, has opened recently and has earned the tag of being ‘the world’s first beer hotel’. Yes, you rea... more
In a recent analysis by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), and an online travel agency, it was said that low-cost, long-haul flights in India have the potential to open up a multi-billi... more
Every single minute spent in the American Village of Osaka is like attending Comic Con. The cosplayers range from popular Manga and Anime characters to those from blockbuster franchises. From an ... more


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Shares of companies that provide the technology for casino gambling had a strange day on Wednesday, to say the least. Shares of IGT (IGT 0.46%) fell as much as 12% and the stock of Everi Holdings (EVRI 0.58%) plunged as much as 14.3%. The stocks closed down 11% and 12.3%, respectively, for the day.
The one news item came when Canaccord analyst Michael Graham initiating coverage on DraftKings with a buy rating and a $25 price target. His thesis is that online gambling is just getting started and could grow from an estimated $430 million in 2018 to $26 billion when the market matures, which is an unknown timeline.
That has kicked off a trading trend away from companies that are providing physical products for casinos to more digital offerings like online gambling, which is all that DraftKings does. So despite the fact that it's losing money and can't legally be used in a vast majority of the U.S., it's the default winner for today.
What we do know is that casino companies like MGM Resorts International and Las Vegas Sands have reported earnings from the first quarter, and there's little doubt that 2020 will be a terrible year for the industry. That could put a big damper on new hardware investment over the next couple of years, which would hurt companies like IGT and Everi. Whether or not those gambling dollars move online is currently unknown.
It may ultimately be true that gambling online grows at a much faster rate than gambling in casinos. And the budget deficits building at a state level may give politicians a reason to legalize online betting. But there's reason to be cautious as well.
Right now in the U.S., most online sports betting has to be tied to a physical location, and often a casino license has to be tied to that location. So a company like DraftKings may be the software behind online gambling, but a company like MGM or Las Vegas Sands may hold the gambling license. That could limit the upside for a service provider. And let's not forget that DraftKings isn't yet profitable or legal in most states.
I'm a big believer that online gambling will be a big growth business long term, but I want to see DraftKings make money and get licenses in more states before believing in its future. I think there will be a lot more competition from suppliers like IGT, which has an online betting platform and a market position to defend. But today, investors are excited about the online-betting pure play DraftKings.

domain: news


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Azets is urging businesses to take advantage of new and extended tax schemes, ahead of rising inflation forecasted to last through till next year.
Praveen Gupta, national head of tax with Azets, is predicting that “harsher rules” could be introduced in the Spring, along with the withdrawal of existing support measures.
In last week’s Autumn Budget, the chancellor confirmed that the economy is forecast to return to its pre-Covid level, with a 6.4% growth planned by the end of 2021.
Despite a “business friendly” Budget, Gupta warns of further challenges for SMEs, with inflation at 3.1% in September and expected to rise to an average of 4% in the next year.
He is urging SME businesses to take advantage of these schemes, with 1.25% increases to National Insurance contributions already confirmed from April 2022 and corporation tax increasing from 19% to 25% from April 2023.
Gupta said: “The chancellor delivered a relatively upbeat Autumn Budget, but more challenges lie ahead and, for many SMEs, the support measures available today won’t be sufficient to offset higher bills over the coming 12 months.
“SMEs should seek professional advice to ensure they take full advantage of every available allowance, with inflation set to keep rising and the extended Recovery Loan Scheme ending on 30 June 2022.”


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The platform called MasterPass provides a quick, safe and simple online checkout process from any connected device including PC, laptop, tablet and mobile, says MasterCard New Zealand manager Peter Chisnall.
“MasterPass is a crucial step in the evolution from plastic cards to digital wallets,” says Chisnall. “Payment should be facilitated securely and conveniently in the background, that is what we are driving towards."
MasterPass is a crucial step in the evolution from plastic cards to digital wallets.
Chisnall points out New Zealand consumers are financially and technologically savvy. “There is a real appetite in the market for a safe and efficient way to make digital payments.”
Users can conveniently and securely store MasterCard and other branded credit, debit and prepaid card information and address books, removing the need to manually enter payment details that are required by most existing online payment systems.
"With this technology, consumers can safely do their grocery shopping on the bus on the way home from work, or make a last minute gift purchase during their lunch break, without the need to re-enter card and shipping details,” he states.
The technology was launched 12 months ago and is now in 20 countries including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia.
Matthew Barr, head of market development and innovation for Australasia for MasterCard, says more than 40,000 businesses globally now accept the option to make online payments with MasterPass.
Westpac is the first local bank that has gone live with the technology but MasterCard says it is working with additional partners including ANZ, BNZ and Kiwibank.
Local retailers accepting MasterPass include Webjet, BuyInvite, DC Shoes, Jeanswest, LivingSocial, NZSALE, QuikSilver and Roxy. Retailers looking to implement it include Briscoes, Event Cinemas, Rebel Sport, Living & Giving and Ticketmaster.
“This is the next step in our journey to be the leading digital bank in New Zealand,” says Shane Howell, Westpac NZ chief product officer.
This is the next step in our journey to be the leading digital bank in New Zealand
"Digital devices are giving customers more control over the transactional side of their banking and more ability to self-serve at a time and place that suits them,” says Howell. "MasterPass is an extension of this and we expect it will quickly become very popular with our customers."
Next up:Removing friction from online transactions
Join the CIO New Zealand group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.


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While the Golden Globes may have ditched it's animal-friendly option for attendees this year, those of the vegan persuasion (Woody Harrelson, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, and Joaquin Phoenix to name a few) will certainly find themselves right at home at the 2013 Screen Actors Guild Awards.
The 19th annual show has in recent years become a model of sustainability - with each year building on previous initiatives successful in reducing the environmental impact of the massive event. Organizers in particular have always been proud of the evening's menu - which is locally sourced from family farms (11 this year) and other purveyors.
Besides conventional options such as beef and salmon, this year's new vegan menu features roasted beets and blood oranges with mint and black olives, cauliflower couscous with pomegranate salsa, and farro with kale, young broccoli, currants and pine nuts.
“We know the people we get everything from,” chef Suzanne Goin told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s not just a stockpile of food that you’re ordering from.”
Additional initiatives include a comprehensive recycling and composting program, a no-idling zone around the Shrine Auditorium, an online digital press kit, iTunes distribution for many films, electronic balloting options, reused stage components, red carpets and sustainable procurement.
This year's awards show will also continue the successful tree planting program started last year in partnership with the for-profit reforestation company Patagonia Sur.
“Patagonia Sur is planting 3,400 trees — two for each of the 1,700 guests at the Post SAG Awards Gala hosted by People magazine and the Entertainment Industry Foundation," organizers shared. "In their gala gift bags, guests will find a code enabling them to log on to affix their names to the trees being planted in their honor within a part of Chilean Patagonia, now called the SAG Awards Forest. Viewers inspired by these efforts can also evaluate their personal carbon footprint by going to the same website.”
This past October, the Environmental Media Association recognized the SAG Awards with their fourth consecutive Green Seal award - the only special event to have achieved that honor.
The SAG Awards will be held Sunday, Jan. 27, at the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center and broadcast on TNT and TBS at 8 p.m. EST.


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Amazon.com has a problem with its hugely successful Prime membership program — namely that the program is hugely successful. The e-tailing giant recently raised the price of the annual subscription program, which offers free two-day delivery service to members along with other perks, from $79 to $99. But Prime is an expensive program to run and now Amazon is offering credits to wait longer for their deliveries.
According to CNET, Amazon is now offering a $1 credit toward an Amazon Instant Video for Prime members willing to wait five to seven days to receive their shipment instead of the typical two.
Last week, Amazon reported a loss of $126 million for its second quarter, more than offsetting its profit of $108 million during its first quarter.
How likely is Amazon over the next year to either raise the price of a Prime membership again or cut perks associated with the program to reduce costs?


text: Forms for the citrus fundraiser will be distributed to string, band, and orchestra members during the week of October 15. Online ordering will be available, but the fruit will still be delivered to the school, and the student who sold the citrus is responsible for pick-up and delivery to their customers. The deadline to order is November 18. Fruit pick-up will be on Saturday, December 8, at the high school. Volunteers are needed on Friday, December 7, to unload the fruit off the truck.


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While many attend their local record stores on Record Store Day to purchase rare and limited vinyl for their personal collection, others use the opportunity to turn a profit. Such is the case for the person who bought Boards Of Canada’s surprise release, which marked the beginning of wild promotional campaign behind their new album. The owner of that vinyl has put it up for sale on eBay and, as of this writing, it’s currently going for over $4,000! On today’s Rock it Out! Blog, Sami wants to know if you approve of such practices. Are you someone who buys albums on Record Store Day solely for personal use or do you see no issue in flipping those records to make some extra cash? Let us know in the comment section.
Other headlines covered on today’s episode include the new song from MGMT, the soundtrack for this season of True Blood, and the lineup for this year’s Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit.
Make sure to follow Rock it Out! Blog on Twitter and Facebook, and subscribe to its YouTube channel.


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Walmart announced Friday that it’s acquiring the assets of Art.com, the largest online retailer of art and wall decor. The retail giant did not disclose for how much it’s acquiring the assets, which include Art.com’s catalog, IP, trade name and US operations. The deal is expected to close early next calendar year. Founded in 1998, Art.com boasts 2 million curated images, including a growing exclusive assortment. Walmart plans to operate the assets of Art.com as a standalone and complementary site, eventually adding the inventory to Walmart.com, Jet.com and Hayneedle.com. The purchase aligns with Walmart’s efforts to boost its digital home goods sales, which included the launch earlier this year of a digital specialty home shopping experience. As a $10B annual market in the US, Walmart said it sees art and wall décor as “fundamental to winning the home.” “A big factor in creating that space starts with the wall,” Anthony Soohoo, GM of the Home group for Walmart US eCommerce, wrote in a blog post. “When decorating, redecorating, or even just infusing some new life into a room – many times the best and lowest-priced place to start is by hanging a piece of art on the wall.” On top of that, Soohoo points out that art sales will enable Walmart to offer more “personalized experiences” for shoppers. Using tools powered by machine learning, a growing number of retailers are using the vast troves of data in their possession to give customers “personalized” experiences. Sales from Art.com, Soohoo wrote, will… [Read full story]
ZDNet is a business technology news website published by CBS Interactive, along with TechRepublic. The brand was founded on April 1, 1991, as a general interest technology portal from Ziff Davis and evolved into an enterprise IT-focused online publication owned by CNET Networks.


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Buying recovered paper always has been the "backwater" of purchasing, not to mention it frequently has been relegated to a close-knit group who are seen as being apart from the paper industry. However, this important fiber source has significant impact on many mills' bottom lines. With the emergence of e-commerce, selling recovered paper soon will jump into the new millennium and on to the Internet.
As the nimble and efficient business-to-business e-commerce world unfolds, it's clear that industrial sectors are gravitating toward purchasing materials online. Currently, at least seven companies offer or have stated their intention to offer e-commerce solutions for selling recovered paper, even if it may only be a part of their business. They are:
* Paper Exchange: www.paperexchange.com
* Fibermarket.com: www.fibermarket.com
* Paper Loop (Miller Freeman): www. paperloop.com
* TheFiberExchange.com: www.the fiberexchange.com
* Paper2paper: www.paper2paper.net
* E-cycled.com: www.e-cycled.com
* E-scrap: www.e-scrap.com
A number of the companies are operated like exchanges, others feature more informational content. And others almost can be termed as virtual outsource procurement providers. For all of these sites, the bottom line is that e-commerce provides an easier and wider exposure of buyers and sellers to each other.
Individual company sites, such as Waste Management Inc., Houston, www. wastemanagement.com, also are being used to sell recovered commodities. Three of the largest paper companies, International Paper in Purchase, N.Y., Weyerhaeuser in Tacoma, Wash., and Georgia-Pacific in Atlanta, have announced an e-commerce company of their own - Forest Express. Their intention is to use the site to buy recovered paper for their own use.
To date, the actual tonnage being transacted on the sites has been minimal because this still is an emerging business. For example, some of the operations, such as Paper Exchange, have a strong focus on finished product transactions, while others, such as Paper Loop, offer a great deal of information about the worldwide pulp and paper industry.
Fibermarket.com, Fiberexchange, E-Scrap, and E-cycled have dedicated much of their effort to trading recovered paper. Also, Fibermarket.com offers an extensive, full-range virtual procurement system.
In the future, it's anybody's guess what will happen. Will the typically sluggish recovered paper transactions move at the electron speed of the worldwide web?
The two important driving forces that will make this happen are the current high transaction costs and the lack of real-market pricing information. Both of these lead to very inefficient buying and selling.
My advice, at this time, is to try the sites. You might like them.


text: SMM7 March 22: Shandong dealers report that the terminal consumption of electric batteries is mediocre. Due to the rise in lead prices, some models of batteries have narrowed their promotion efforts. At present, the main model 48V12Ah is 350 Mel 360 yuan per group. Anhui manufacturers reflect that the electric battery market is approaching the traditional peak season, and the purchasing mood of dealers is OK. At present, the factory operating rate is maintained at 70% 80%, and raw material lead is purchased on demand. Zhejiang manufacturers reflect the general consumption of electric batteries in the market, but due to the rise in lead prices, dealers' inventory has been digested, and they have begun to replenish the inventory in an appropriate amount. Recently, the inventory pressure of finished batteries has dropped, and the first factory operating rate is more than 80%.


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The quirky combination of a new federal law and a case of the cutes may boost the power of a slow-moving car.
Formally known as a low-speed vehicle, it is affectionately described by its owners as anything from a cart to a toaster on wheels.
The Bombardier NV electric car gets up to 35 mph. Company executives in Montreal are marketing the car to Sunbelt residents and police stations.
"They're cute, and they're fun to drive," said Lt. Cathy McElrane of the Key Biscayne Police Department. "But it's not a traditional patrol vehicle where an officer's going to spend the majority of his shift in the car writing reports."
Federal lawmakers established a new category for low-speed vehicles on June 15. The move was in response to a 1996 petition by Bombardier after the car was held up by U.S. Customs because it didn't pass federal passenger car safety regulations.
According to the new ruling, the slower cars do not have to comply with federal crash-test and air bag rules. Nor are they in the same class as golf carts, most of which do not go faster than 15 to 20 mph.
The new category of slow-moving vehicles must have seat belts, headlights, crash bumpers, turn signals, rearview mirrors and safety-tested windows, according to Tim Hurd of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The Bombardier NVs seat two people and have a trunk that can fit a few bags of groceries. Air conditioning and radio are considered options. According to company spokesman Adam Leish, the selling price starts at $6,199, but South Florida dealers are asking about $7,200 on average.
There are no gas fees, no upkeep and no maintenance. Residents who use the car said their electric bills were not inflated.
Key Biscayne Councilwoman Michele Padovan purchased a Bombardier last year. After 2,000 miles, she has concluded that no one can resist treating her like a cartoon character when she is behind the wheel.
"They give me a cute smile, and they do that little wave like you do to a baby," she said. Leish said the electric car will not replace the typical automobile. "It's designed to replace a second or third automobile for short daily trips," he said.
Owners say it is ideal for residents of gated communities, or older people who limit their car travel to slow, neighborhood errands.
At Dean's Elite Wheels and Water Sports in Vero Beach, salesman Dennis Ryan said the store has sold about 3,000 cars since May 1997.
Tom Speedy, a salesman at Hideaway Yacht Sales in Pompano Beach, said the new law should boost his bottom line. "We expect to see a pretty decent improvement in sales," he said.
Still, the car is a novelty. And, like most new toys, it remains an indulgence.
Terry Stiles, chief executive officer of Stiles Corp. in Fort Lauderdale, has cruised around the Florida Keys in his Bombardier since May 1997.
He was so pleased with his white and gray cart that he gave one as a Christmas gift to Fort Lauderdale tycoon H. Wayne Huizenga, the man who has everything. "He had never seen one," Stiles said.


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Does 'Smart Technology' In Cars Create Dumb Drivers?
Auto manufacturers are increasingly adding technology to their cars, from larger touch screens and GPS devices to connections for drivers' smartphones and MP3 players. But safety experts have been warning all that technology means more distractions for drivers, creating unsafe situations on the road. Car makers have been touting their hands-free technology as the answer. But a report issued this week by the AAA Foundation, based on a study at the University of Utah, found that talking on a phone and using voice-based interactive technology with in-vehicle systems still created "significant levels of cognitive distraction," according to a Christian Science Monitor story. In other words, hands-free technology doesn't solve the problem.
A statement issued by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers played down these findings, expressing concern it gave the impression that handheld and hands-free devices are equally risky. But car makers should take the report's warnings to heart and seriously consider what all this convenient technology means for road safety.


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Giant Christmas baubles. Prancing reindeer. Boney M’s “Christmas Album“ filtering through the sound system. It’s Christmas at malls in South Africa, and despite the outside temperatures hovering around 26°C (80°F), inside it’s a winter wonderland.
This seasonal disparity, and South Africa’s diversity, pose a vexing question for retailers: What does African Christmas decor even look like? And what might get South Africans to dip into their wallets to buy the latest toys and trinkets to put under their Christmas trees?
In the two decades since apartheid ended, South Africa’s consumer class has grown rapidly. In the days when malls catered to the country’s minority white, Christian middle class, fake snow-flecked windows, and towering Christmas trees became the norm. But even as the country’s consumer base has become more diverse and sophisticated, Western visions of Christmas still appear to be a huge draw to the country’s multitude of malls. For mall managers, this wholehearted embrace of “atmospherics,” or the Western-perfected practice of using decor, sound, and smells, to put people in the mood to shop, has taken on an even greater importance during an economic downturn that is seeing consumers adopt more measured, rather than merry, shopping habits.
The Magic Christmas Co. (TMCC) has been decorating malls and shopping centers in South Africa for 30 years, working to keep up with changing tastes and malls’ desire to accommodate more religious and cultural groups. In February, the company starts working with some of the biggest malls in South Africa on their design plans; installations start in the first two weeks of October. Decorations stay up until just after the new year, when the whole process starts again.
At The Glen shopping center in southern Johannesburg, TMCC hung white sparkly branches wrapped in fairy lights from the ceiling. Large baubles were also strung up, and traditional Christmas trees punctuated the main thoroughfares. The mall’s architecture is a nod to the Portuguese community in the neighborhood, but the decorations showed no hints of a Mediterranean or an African Christmas, though.
While malls like The Glen reflect traditional themes, TMCC co-owner Jan Griesel says there has been a growing effort in the last 15 years to recognize local traditions. These range from using Ndebele prints to replace ribbon, a giant baobab tree instead of a fir tree, and handmade wire reindeer, sheep, and cows. “What we’re trying to do is incorporate more local people to produce more local things, so we can put it it together in one statement,”Griesel says.
What hasn’t changed, Griesel says, is expectations that malls be decorated come Christmas. “They do demand it actually; if you don’t do it, then there’s a problem,” he says. And malls are generally happy to comply, even though the effect of this decor on sales can be hard to measure. A survey by trade show organizers Messe Frankfurt of mall managers in Germany found most felt the ”emotionally charged retail world” created by Christmas decor provides an important boost (pdf) to end-of-year sales.
Johannesburg-based CPS Promotions has had such success with their business decorating malls that its owners, Veta and Bevin Masters, have opened their own small factory so they can manufacture pieces instead of importing them. They employ nearly 30 permanent staff and the number jumps to about 100 as Christmas planning ramps up around June.
The company’s factory floor in an industrial park in northern Johannesburg is a Christmas bonanza. Dozens of plastic-covered red and gold Santa thrones sit next to reindeer frozen in mid-leap. Rows of workers weave baubles and tinsel into garlands of plastic pine branches, preparing them to hang from the ceilings of malls around Johannesburg.
Veta Masters says the firm’s been most successful in providing malls with traditional Western Christmas-style decor. “I’ve learned that the hard way after 16 years,” she says. Her desk is covered in files filled with floor plans and photos of Christmases past. In an adjoining office, a team of graphic designers brainstorm ways to give the interiors of South African retail spaces that warm Christmas feeling. Savvy clients have already been in touch with Masters since February, but a few last-minute orders put through in early November are being put together on the factory floor.
“We do Christmas all year long,” Masters says.
CPS recreates a winter wonderland for malls using twinkling lights to evoke glistening snow. Masters recommends a standout feature like oversized presents stacked in the middle of the mall floor or a giant ribbon wrapped around the exterior of the mall.
But she draws the line at fake snow, be it foam, powder, or plastic. “People love the idea of snow but they get tired of it too quickly,” said Masters, who was born in Bulgaria and knows a little something about what Christmas in the cold is actually like.
Some malls have tried to strike the balance between South African and western traditions, but looking around the country’s malls today, it seems like white Christmas is here to stay.
At Southgate mall in Johannesburg, which serves South Africa’s largest black township, Soweto, decorators tried to move toward a more African theme by having six-foot-tall baobab and acacia trees made of wire greeting visitors at the mall’s entrances. Still, most of the mall’s décor harkens to the northern hemisphere’s December. Naked branches made of wire frames and draped with yellow fairy lights hang throughout the mall, and rows of fairy lights drip from the malls balconies, reminiscent of icicles.
The Mall of Africa is celebrating its first Christmas since opening in April. Its interior features modern pillars that hint at the thick trunk and high branches of a baobab tree. To complement those, decorators from TMCC have hung light fixtures in the shape of large silvery snowflakes above the busy food court. Elsewhere, a large conical wire Christmas tree fills the space between escalators. Around it are the outlines of the African continent, woven in gold tinsel between the wire frame. The decorations feel like Christmas, but are at odds with the beachwear, sunglasses and summer specials on sale in the shops themselves. And many of the shop fronts have gone for an even more traditional feel, weaving plastic green pine branches between till points.
The décor “acts as a huge draw card,” says Vanessa Fourie, brand manager at Mall of Africa, who has been working with South African malls for years. “Be it on your head if you actually don’t [decorate].” Even though malls might be catering for more diverse communities, religions and races, “the cross purpose is that there is an expectation for beautiful, traditional stuff,” says Fourie. Regardless of how malls decorate, “certainly the belief is that it does add to the shopping experience, which obviously then results in our tills.”


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Nokia’s got a cool free Lumia 800 handset for you, if you’re the competitive type… There’s a countdown posted on the Finnish company’s Facebook wall and it signals the start of a new chance to win the first Windows Phone Nokia model.
About 4 hours are left of this initiative, so hurry up and enter the Facebook page for your chance to win the handset. I’d like to remind you that this is basically a Nokia N9 with some design tweaks, Windows Phone 7.5 Mango as the OS, a camera button integrated and a 3.7 inch display. There’s also an 8 megapixel camera on board and a 1.4GHz Qualcomm CPU inside.
I’ve been hearing that carriers in some Eastern European countries have started selling the Nokia N9, while also offering contests and promotions that aim at offering the public free N9 units. Which of these models appeals to you more?


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THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION IS PUSHING FOLKS OFF OF TRANS FATS…I should say “nudge” because that’s the favorite term of the liberals. We all know it’s really a shove to do what they mandate. It’s doubtful trans fats in small quantities will be devastating to anyone. The taste and texture of foods like donuts will change. Will be start to have underground donut shops that are made with banned trans fats? The food police are making DAMN sure you conform to their mandate but isn’t palm oil just as bad?
The Obama administration is expected to all but ban trans fat in a final ruling that could drop as soon as next week, killing most uses of an ingredient that has been put in everything from frozen pizza to Reese’s Pieces but since deemed harmful to human health.
The agency may create some very limited exemptions, but the ruling could force food companies to cut trans fat use beyond the 85 percent reduction already achieved over the past decade — a key piece of the Obama administration’s broader agenda to nudge Americans toward a healthier diet.
The food industry believes low-levels of trans fats are safe. Industry leaders have banded together behind-the-scenes to craft a food additive petition that will ask FDA to allow some uses of partially hydrogenated oils, such as in the sprinkles on cupcakes, cookies and ice cream. The industry hasn’t shared details, but officials maintain the uses will represent “very limited amounts.”
For more than 60 years, partially hydrogenated oils have been used in food products under the status generally recognized as safe, which does not require FDA’s approval. But since the 1990s, reams of studies have linked trans fat consumption to cardiovascular disease, causing somewhere between 30,000 and 100,000 premature deaths before the industry started phasing it out.
In late 2013 the Obama administration issued a tentative determination that partially hydrogenated oils are not generally recognized as safe. The move sent shock waves through the food industry, which has already brought down average consumption from more than 4 grams per day to about 1 gram per day — an exodus largely fueled by mandatory labeling imposed a decade ago. Scores of popular products, including Oreos and Cheetos, have quietly dropped partially hydrogenated oils over the years, but it remains an ingredient in many products, including Pop Secret microwave popcorn, Pillsbury Grands! Cinnamon Rolls and Sara Lee cheesecake, as well as some restaurant fryers and commercial bakery goods.
If FDA sticks to its guns in its final determination — and most in food policy circles assume it will — the agency will be taking a firm step toward pushing out more of the remaining uses of trans fat.
Read more: Politico


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Arma gets a make over.
ARMA II Operation Arrowhead
Latest News for ARMA II Operation Arrowhead
Get breaking news, announcements, releases and commentary for ARMA II Operation Arrowhead.
Delivering a new chapter in the Arma series, Meridian4 today announced that both Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead, the stand-alone expansion pack, and Arm
Meridian4 today announced that Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead, the eagerly-anticipated massive standalone expansion pack for Arma 2, has gone gold, with
Meridian4 today announced it has secured the North American retail publishing rights to Bohemia Interactive’s new stand-alone, expansion pack, ArmA


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Controversy over GameStop’s trade halt
Retail platform Robinhood Markets, Inc. saw its popularity skyrocket in 2020. The pandemic has brought a flood of new consumers filled with stimulus cash. And the commission-free investing app found itself inundated with new listings. Rumors of an initial public offering flourished and peaked in 2021.
Twitter, TIC Tac and a slice of Ease of Investment application entrepreneurs brought many more new clients to Robinhood. Then came the rise of actions even and the race for retail riches was on. This very entertaining week of stock market chaos started around January 22 and continued until the following week.
Controversy Robinhood GameStop – Photographer: Clay Banks | Source: Unsplash
An online discussion board on Reddit called WallStreetBets gathered the masses to buy stocks GameStop (NYSE: GME) and a few others (AMC Entertainment, Palantir, Blackberry). The stocks were bet against by the short sellers and the WallStreetBets the crew wanted to rise up against them. As the hype spread and the prices of these stocks rose steadily, speculative retail traders jumped into the action. In turn, Robinhood has seen record levels of new customers signing up to the platform.
A brutal reality shock
But then things took a turn for the worse. As the GameStop share price skyrocketed and wiped out hedge funds, Robinhood stopped buying the stock (and a few others). But controversially, it allowed the shares to be sold again. This created panic and many investors lost their temper, selling their shares, causing the price to drop.
In response, Robinhood received a huge backlash, with calls for the platform’s cancellation and the resignation of founder Vlad Tenev.
While the initial backlash seemed certain to spell the end of the Robinhood platform, it quickly became clear that he had the first player advantage in every way. And the controversy did nothing to weaken the reputation of its brand.
The news was not only important among Wall Street and the investing communities. Celebrities join the debate, followed by politicians and the mainstream media. All of this free coverage has given Robinhood a new level of notoriety and a wave of new leads.
Greg Martin, Managing Director and Co-Owner of Rainmaker Securities said:
“From a brand recognition standpoint, who doesn’t know who Robinhood is? Despite the positive and negative press, everyone knows who Robinhood is. They couldn’t have had better free advertising.
According to estimates by JMP Securities, Robinhood could have gained 3 million users last month alone. Which seems doable given that Vlad Tenev, co-founder and CEO of Robinhood Markets, Inc. tweeted, that in January and February, Robinhood welcomed 6 million new clients to its crypto branch. That’s more than all of its crypto listings for all of 2020.
:: wow steps up :: Six million new customers traded through Robinhood Crypto in the first two months of this year. This is more than the number of new crypto traders at Robinhood during the whole of 2020. https://t.co/53tLicYBAw #crypto #doge #bitcoin pic.twitter.com/qxJ9JdY90g
– VLAD (@vladtenev) February 25, 2021
Vlad Tenev – co-founder and CEO of Robinhood Markets, Inc.
Is a Robinhood IPO imminent?
According to sources, and reported by Bloomberg, Robinhood management had discussions last week with underwriters regarding the possibility of going ahead with a potential deposit.in a few weeks, “. This is still in the rumor stage and no final or final decision has been confirmed, including the timing of the IPO. But rumor has it that the IPO could take place this month.
In an investment round last year, the company was valued at around $ 11.7 billion.
However, it has since managed to secure additional funding this year which is expected to be converted to equity during the IPO. A first installment is expected to convert to a valuation of around $ 30 billion or a 30% discount from the public offering (whichever is lower). With the second installment at the lower of the 30% IPO haircut or a valuation of $ 33 billion, Bloomberg confirmed.
Too big to fail?
While the company must face the realities of running such a large company at the behest of the public, while appeasing these powerful Wall Street supporters, it seems like it is well positioned to do so.
With its users growing and valuation on the rise, the company appears in many ways to be in a stronger position than it was a year ago. In response to the trading halt, the government asked Tenev to testify before the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee. This is part of his statement:
“Robinhood has opened the markets to millions of individual investors. I want to be clear from the outset: Any claim that Robinhood has acted to aid hedge funds or other special interests to the detriment of our clients is absolutely bogus and distorts market rhetoric. Our clients are our top priority, especially the millions of small investors who use our platform every day to invest for their future. “
The billionaire Bulgarian-American entrepreneur went on to say:
“We have since taken steps to raise $ 3.4 billion in additional capital to allow our clients to resume normal trading on the Robinhood platform, including trading in the stocks we restricted on January 28. . “
Friends in high places
The unprecedented increase in business activity caused by the GameStop race has led Robinhood to nearly run out of credit. Raising the additional $ 3.4 billion in such a short time was necessary and impressive. He shows confidence in his platforms and his friends in high places. This enabled Robinhood to deposit the necessary collateral with the Depository Trust & Clearing Corp., the industry’s clearinghouse.
Apparently, demand for Robinhood shares in the private markets is booming. And to appease his loyal customers, he would consider selling some of his shares in his IPO directly to his own users. This could be a very impressive publicity stunt, which could go a long way in rebuilding confidence. Under usual circumstances, retail investors do not have the opportunity to purchase new listings until they are launched during the IPO. In the last year or so, this has resulted in a lot of stocks being launched at a very inflated price. While this does not always lead to losses, it does come with considerable risk.
As GameStop stocks and other meme stocks continue to experience unexplainable stock price volatility and price spikes, Robinhood will need to keep its customers happy. But so far, it’s been proven that even bad publicity can be good.


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Canon EOS 5D Mark 4 Expected Release Date
More and more information is surfacing in the net about the new Canon 5D series body – the 5D Mark IV EOS camera. The rumours are getting more serious and some of them seem to be quite likely to be true.
As far as we know chances are that the
Canon 5D Mark IV will be announced at Photokina 2016.
It starts September 20th 2016 and it will be on till September 25th. We think it would mirror the launch of it’s predecessor – the 5D Mark III – and the ship date will be similar as well. We really believe there is a decent chance that you can hold it in your hands by the end of October 2016. The expected shipping price it will be around $3500, but there might be some bundle deals available as well, just like the Mark III.
We can not confirm any specifications just yet, but we know almost for sure that it will record 4K footage, it will have built-in WiFi and GPS modules and maybe it will have touchscreen display, but we can not confirm how reliable this information is. There are also suggestions that it will share the CFast media with it’s big brother – the Canon 1DX Mark II, but the source is not 100% reliable so we can not confirm or deny this information. We are positive that the camera will have dual card media slots but we don’t know just yet what the configuration will be.
There should be plenty of discussions around NAB show in Las Vegas this month so we’ll have to wait and see!


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A KEY road to success these days is by helping companies become as green as possible because with global warming being a grave threat to ecology this vital effort is good for their public image and along with it their earnings.
This is exactly what Richard Cohen, who is well-known in Koh Samui and Phuket real estate markets, and his partner Narin Apichairuk are doing by setting up their company, Rayport Energy Solutions, to market two very interesting products from US.
One of them is an air-conditioner additive called Cold-Plus which has been working in US for eight years now and typically reduces air-conditioner electricity expenses by 10-30%.
“As air-conditioners are normally 50-60% of electricity bills, this can make a very large impact on a company’s costs.
“And the best thing about this is that Cold-Plus is cheap! The payback of the investment is normally about 18-24 months, unlike solar panels for example, which typically pay back an investment in more like seven years,” Mr Cohen said.
The other product is Airlite which is a coating applied like paint to buildings and was named one of the top 50 most innovative products by Time magazine in 2014.
It does two things with one being reflecting the sun’s rays and keeping the building it has been applied to much cooler and the second is that it also actually cleans the air in the buildings where it is painted
“In fact one square meter of Airlite cleans the air as well as a full grown tree. To me this is a miracle and aside from cleaning up air pollution it can help people who have any sorts of breathing issues.
“In addition, germs, molds, bacteria, and so forth are not able to grow on Airlite,” Mr Cohen added.
Rayport recently completed a pilot test of Cold-Plus at Makro Hypermart and Anantara Vacation Club and will be performing such tests at a number of other big concerns such as Holiday Inn and Hilton hotels plus TMB Bank and Kasikorn Bank.
“The main focus of most of these companies is Cold-Plus and I tell you why, the reason is Cold-Plus is very inexpensive.
“Now in Europe Airlite sells particularly well for interiors because cleaning the air is great for the employees who work there and the customers.
“So for instance banks are using this a lot. People walk into the bank and they don’t realize it but they are breathing much fresher air and the employees are breathing much fresher air.”
This is particularly important in light of the prevalence of the sick building syndrome and the outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease a few years ago.
“There is one group of buyers for this product in Asia who will be using it for the interior and that would be hospitals.”
Mr Cohen said he and his partner Mr Narin have been marketing these two products in both Thailand and Malaysia and have been successful in both countries.
“We have found that a few years ago most big companies said that they care about saving energy and being socially responsible when it comes to pollution, but this was just something that they put on their websites and maybe they wrote a check once a year to a charity for a photo op.
“Now, we are finding that most big companies have an entire department focused on this and they are all very excited when we tell them about our products.”
TOP: Mr Cohen says big companies here are now truly keen on saving energy
INSET: Cans of Cold Plus air-conditioner additive which helps reduce power bills.
By Nina Suebsukcharoen


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Most of the shallots sold in Europe come from France. Diseases, the abundant rainfall that hit the country's main production region (Bretagne) and the fact that there is a lot of waste, despite volumes not being larger than last year, means prices are quite high.
Shallot. (Archive photo)
The price of the French produce was already high at the beginning of the campaign - some report it was 15% above average. So far, quotations have done nothing but increase. The latest data report €1.10/kg, much higher than in the past, when producers complained about the scarce profits.
To understand just how expensive the French shallot is, think that, in the past, the produce was sold at 80/85 eurocents/kg on average.
And it seems as though prices will keep increasing, at least during December, as demand for this niche product peaks during this month.


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The transparency brought by the internet has changed the way we do business. Business owners no longer size themselves against the competitor on the adjacent street because, irrespective of locality, all stand side-by-side in a list of online search results; each just a click away from the other. But while this ultra-competitive, virtual environment has served the consumer well when it comes to choice and comparison, this transparency appears to be failing business owners themselves in their quest for real insight to drive improvement. Welcome to the minefield of online review websites.
‘Only 1.5 percent of customers wrote reviews’
In a 2014 study involving product reviews at a prominent private label clothing company, it was discovered that only 1.5 percent of customers wrote reviews. Further, the study revealed that 5 per cent of reviews were written by people who hadn’t purchased the product in question. As a result, feedback provided through the plethora of review websites often struggles for credibility and influence. One UK-based start-up believes they have the answer to this problem with a solution that promises to change the way people give feedback on their experiences, whether it be in a shop, restaurant, bar, or hotel.
Founded by Georgina Nelson, point-of-payment rating system, truRating, has today announced its official launch in the Australian market after a successful six-month pilot program. Headquartered in London with a team of 45 employees, Sydney will now be home to the organisation’s first international branch which, so far, has a team of 10.
Using the familiar electronic payment terminal, truRating presents customers with a single feedback question asking them to rate an aspect of their experience using a scale of 0-9 on the keypad. This feedback is then used by truRating to provide companies with a real time view of customer satisfaction and business performance based on key metrics such as service, value or product selection. The data collected can subsequently be used to implement immediate changes and improvements to the business and make better informed decisions that impact the bottom line.
‘The potential to give Australian consumers a real voice’
Unlike many other feedback initiatives implemented by companies, Ms Nelson believes that customers will be incentivised by the anonymity afforded by the system and the ease and speed at which feedback can be passed on. Proving this theory correct, truRating reports that on average, 88 per cent of customers provide a rating. Ms Nelson also comments that the system is particularly useful in scenarios where head offices struggle for visibility on localised issues.
“Until now, there has been no straightforward system that provides merchants with validated and trusted ratings of their business, in real-time. Our vision for truRating Australia is to leverage our new technology to transform the way merchants collect feedback from their customer base to drive greater loyalty and profitability,” said Ms Nelson.
Since its introduction to the the UK market in January 2015, over 1.3 million ratings have been collected worldwide with 60,000 collected in Australia during the 6-month pilot program.
Paul Greenberg, Executive Chairman of the National Online Retailers Association (NORA) believes that the technology will provide a more accurate reflection of consumer opinion.
“It’s great to see that Australia’s startup economy is beginning to attract world-class entrants from leading fintech industries such as the UK. truRating is a welcome addition to our market. Its technology has the potential to give Australian consumers a real voice and transform the way merchants engage with customers,” he said.
‘Looking to capitalise on rapid growth and technology advancements in the region’
The 6-month trial has involved a number of local merchants including: Rolld, the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, TONI&GUY and Crisp and Jones the Grocer. All of which are now live with the system.
Ray Esquieres, Co-Founder and CFO at Rolld said: “From a franchise perspective, truRating gives us the ability to benchmark performance across our stores, which is very beneficial from a business point of view.”
truRating has also secured partnerships with some of the top-tier institutions in the payments space, including a formal partnership with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, as well as PC- EFTPOS to introduce the first iteration of their technology in Australia.
Now, after winning a number of awards for their ground breaking technology, Ms Nelson comments that she’s thrilled truRating has been able to partner with some of the biggest names in the Australian payments and banking industries, who “are embracing innovative solutions in order to continue to provide fantastic support to their merchant customers”.
For the months ahead, the APAC team will be looking to capitalise on rapid growth and technology advancements in the region.


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Fog at Liverpool Airport caused disruption, with flights being cancelled Bride-to-be Marilyn Williams, 21, saw her honeymoon delayed for groom Mark Marshall's charity rowing race against the Gas Board, at Crosby's Marine Lake - the morning after their wedding We're turning the clock back 33 years to the launch of the ECHO as a tabloid newspaper this week in 1983 - and today we're recalling some of the more unusual stories from that week readers the chance to win 'the very latest in home video games entertainment', a CBS Colecovision
system, complete with free Donkey Kong cartridge.
After that night, our crew grew incrementally to resemble a pack of zombie-eyed preteens wild with the night's musk, liberated from our circuits between school and ColecoVision
Thanksgiving Day-only specials included Sega, Atari, Colecovision
or Intellivision gaming consoles for $28; 12-packs of Pepsi or Mountain Dew cans for $2.
The Internet Archive presently hosts games from five early systems, including the Atari 2600 and 7800, the ColecoVision
, the Magnavox Odyssey, and the short-lived Astrocade.
Long-obsolete consoles like the ColecoVision
that powered 'Donkey Kong' and the Commodore 64 that made 'Attack of the Mutant Camels' possible are encased in Plexiglass display boxes like pharaonic Egyptian artefacts.
As video games crept into my life in middle school, we still were playing Atari, ColecoVision
, and Intellivision.
Shane Poon, who oversees the store's day-to-day operations, has been a gamer since the Atari and ColecoVision
En 1982 aparecio un equipo mucho mas potente que el 2600 de Atari: el Colecovision
, en tanto que seguian apareciendo juegos para computadoras personales como las Apple II, Commodore 64 y ZX Spectrum.
Boone took a few community college courses - he meant to become a firefighter - but he was schooled by Atari, ColecoVision
Laservision, betamax Skywriting 78-rpm records 8-track tapes Colecovision
Intellivision Teddy Ruxpin The Altair 8800, Amiga 500, Apple I, II, IIc, IIe, II+, IIgs, III, Apple Lisa, Apple Lisa MacXL, Commodore C64, Commodore Pet, IBM XT, IBM Portable, IBM PCjr, Intertek Superbrain II, Kaypro 2x, Osborne 1, Tandy 1000, Tandy 1000SL, TRS-80, and hundreds of other personal computers
Previously, he was Senior Vice President of Marketing for Coleco Toys, the original company behind the Cabbage Patch Kids and ColecoVision
The museum will also feature the early 1980s consoles such as the Atari 2600, the Intellivision and Colecovision
and move on to today's multi-faceted home gaming systems.


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After threatening to remove 46 TV Everywhere channels from the Roku platform, NBCUniversal is finally getting what it wants. Roku will distribute the Peacock streaming app on its devices, along with the 46 NBCU apps that had been in the cutting block just four days ago.
Peacock is a single destination for NBC programs and movies, including Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Parks and recreationand Keeps track of Kardashians. It is the only “premium”; streaming service with an ad-supported free level and a live TV feature that mimics a 24-hour cable format.
But Roko’s standard distribution terms require 30% of the app’s advertising revenue, which does not fit well with NBCU. According to a report from Amount, NBCU and Roku argued for several months about Peacock distribution terms, which led to the TV broadcaster’s threat to remove their TV Everywhere apps from Roku the weekend after September 18th. The threat proved to be successful, as Peacock is now available on Roku.
Peacock is available on most streaming devices, including Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast and of course Roku streaming sticks. You can also watch Peacock on your desktop, game console or smart TV, even though the Peacock app is still not available on Amazon devices.
Source: Roku & Comcast


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Post by Caleb Rockwell, Feb 6, 2012 at 3:45 am
Fans are looking forward to the official release of the Air Jordan 11 Low in white and varsity red not only due to the fact these are a hot colorway, but also due to the fact that it has been a while since we’ve witnessed a pair of low top Air Jordan 11 sneakers hit the shoe game.
These kicks feature an almost all white upper paired with contrasting varsity red hits found on the branding along with the outsole. The original low tops only rocked a 23 on the heel, while these ones are also stamped with a varsity red Jordan Jumpman logo. These sneakers will be released on May 5th, 2012 with a retail price of $ 140.
Trackback from your site.


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In its latest earnings report Microsoft said it generated $893 million in revenue from Surface tablet sales in the fiscal quarter ending December 31st, 2013.
That’s over twice the $400 million revenue the Surface division brought in during the previous quarter, but the news isn't all good.
Microsoft actually spent $932 million in order to make $893 million. In other words, Microsoft, at least for now, is actually losing a bit of money on each Surface tablet it sells.
(For Windows tablet news, reviews, apps and advice, sign up for the free TabTimes for Windows newsletter)


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Update: Nintendo has released the official list of amiibo supported in Ultra Smash. See the press release below for details:
amiibo Compatibility: Players can choose supported amiibo figures to be partners in online doubles matches, or players can enlist them to battle strong computer-controlled opponents in the offline Knockout Challenge mode. The more matches an amiibo plays, the more experience and skill it will gain. Currently available compatible amiibo include Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, Yoshi, Yarn Yoshis, Rosalina, Wario, Toad and Donkey Kong.
The official U.K. Wii U YouTube channel has uploaded an all new trailer outlining some of the features in the upcoming game Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, including how amiibo will function in game.
Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash will release on November 20th in the U.S. and U.K. and can be pre-ordered on Amazon now.Leave a Comment


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The claim that Starbucks released a watermelon mug in support of Palestinians is false. The mug, featuring a watermelon design, sparked controversy when it was misinterpreted as a nod to Palestinian support amidst the Israel-Hamas conflict. However, factual evidence reveals that the design has no connection to the war and was actually part of a summer collection released in select UK Starbucks locations in May 2023, months before the conflict began.
Watermelons have indeed become associated with the Palestinian cause due to their color resemblance to the Palestinian flag. This symbolism allows supporters to convey their solidarity without facing potential censorship on legal and social media platforms. Calls for a Starbucks boycott emerged in October 2023 following the company’s response to a pro-Palestinian social media post from its workers’ union, which led to legal disputes over copyright infringement.
Starbucks spokesperson Jaci Anderson clarified that the watermelon mug was not intended as a gesture of solidarity but was simply a seasonal merchandise item sold in select UK stores. Although the mug continued to be available after its initial release, it was only present in a few UK locations.
Evidence from various sources, including Starbucks UK’s social media posts, eBay listings, and TikTok videos, confirms that the mugs were being sold well before the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Additionally, fact-checking organizations such as USA TODAY, The Associated Press, Check Your Fact, and AFP Fact Check have debunked the claim.
Despite widespread dissemination of the false claim on platforms like Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter), Starbucks reiterated that the design was not meant to pander to any specific group. However, the misunderstanding underscores the complexities of interpreting symbolism in contentious geopolitical contexts.
In summary, the assertion that Starbucks released a watermelon mug in support of Palestinians is unequivocally false. The mug’s design predates the Israel-Hamas conflict and was part of a seasonal collection in UK Starbucks stores, with no intended political message.


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3 August, 2018 | Burberry gets a makeover, Pagani is the world’s most expensive car, while Aerion Supersonic competes with the speed of sound; and a beloved entertainer’s memorabilia on auction in this week’s luxury briefing.
Aerion AS2’s private supersonic offering
Aerospace firms, Aerion Supersonic and Lockheed Martin have teamed up to build a 12-passenger business supersonic jet. Rumoured to reach 1.2 Mach, the Aerion AS2 is 15 years in the making and a contender for the speed of sound. Though a prototype has yet to be built, Aerion hopes to achieve first flight of the AS2 by 2023 and to bring the supersonic jet to market by 2025.
Pagani is the world’s most expensive car
According to Top Gear, the Zonda HP Barchetta belonging to Horacio Pagani is the most expensive car in the world. It is reported to cost $17.5 million. The Zonda HP Barchetta is the first of just three open-topped supercar models. However, there are still a handful of special editions roaming around, including a Pagani Zonda R in a condo in Miami.
Robin Williams lives on
Sotheby’s is hosting a dedicated auction of the late Robin Williams and his wife of 20 years, philanthropist Marsha Garces Williams. Creating a Stage: The Collection of Marsha and Robin Williams auction will be held in New York on 4 October, showcasing the beloved duo’s personal and career memorabilia.
Burberry revamps tradition
Riccardo Tisci has given Burberry’s logo and monograms a makeover. The Italian designer revealed a series of email exchanges between himself and Peter Saville, the art director behind Calvin Klein’s logo redesign. This is the British fashion house’s first to revamp in 20 years and will officially debut at London Fashion Week in September.
The Swatch Group quits Baselworld
Earlier this week Nick Hayek Jr, the CEO of The Swatch Group, announced the show’s largest exhibitor at the Baselworld Watch and Jewellery Show will not be returning in 2019. The show has lost around an estimate of 850 exhibitors over the last few years and this will now include Breguet, Harry Winston, Blancpain, Omega and 13 other brands under The Swatch Group.


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KOLKATA: Spencer’s Retail
Ltd on Monday reported a 27 per cent fall in standalone revenue from operations at Rs 439 crore for the first quarter ended June 30 as compared to the same period last year, while it posted a net loss of Rs 47 crore as compared to a net profit of Rs one crore in the year ago period.
The food and grocery
retailer said the result reflects the impact of lockdown
, limited operational hours, and restrictions on selling of higher margin non-essential items such apparel, general merchandise and other non-food items.
Spencer’s said the loss of business hours was partly offset by the e-commerce
business which grew five-fold in the quarter under review, while the out-of-store business such as e-commerce, sales
in resident apartments and delivery business constituted double digit share of sales.
The Spencer's Retail scrip fell 4.55 per cent at Rs 78.65 on Monday's closing at the Bombay Stock Exchange
, when the Sensex fell by 0.14 per cent.
The gourmet format, Natures Basket Ltd reported standalone turnover of Rs 108 crore for the quarter ending June which grew by 25 per cent sequentially and reported its first ever positive EBITDA within one year of acquisition of the business by Spencer’s Retail from the Godrej Group
. Since the business was acquired last July, Spencer’s said quarterly comparisons of financials were not done.
Shashwat Goenka, sector head of retail for RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, said the past quarter was an extremely challenging one for the economy. He said about 90 per cent of its stores were operational from the first day and throughout the Covid-19 lockdown.
“We treated the pandemic
as an opportunity and responded with agility to treat our stores as hubs to reach out to our customers through our out-of-store program. This includes initiatives such as hyper-local customer connects, e-commerce, phone delivery, order-taking chat-bots, as well as quickly tying up with partners to enable quick deliveries. These initiatives we believe will be instrumental for our future growth as well,” said Goenka.
He said Natures Basket has reported positive EBITDA within one year of acquisition due to successful integration efforts and has witnessed significant growth despite the challenging conditions.
While Spencer’s operates 158 Stores, Natures Basket has a network of 31 stores.


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Chocoholics, rejoice! The personalised Nutella jar is back
Christmas is slowly but surely approaching, and whether you've already started shopping or leave it until Christmas Eve, Brown Thomas has the ideal gift for the chocolate-lover in your life.
Personalised Nutella jars were released last year just in time for Christmas and following their roaring success, the Irish department store has brought them out once again.
The individualised tubs will cost €5.50, making them the perfect stocking stuffer and Secret Santa gift.
New to Brown Thomas this year, the option of a gift box is available for an extra €2.
To further impress any sweet-toothed acquaintances, boxed gift sets will also be up for grabs.
Gift sets include a personalised jar and a Nutella mug, priced at €20, and a Nutella spatula and bread board, priced at €25.
The Nutella personalisation service is available at the Brown Thomas Dublin store now, and will be available in the Cork store from Friday 14th October and in Limerick from Tuesday 18th October.


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Facebook nixes rumors on copyright shift
Facebook is telling its users to ignore rumors spreading on the social network that they need to post a statement to protect their copyrights of their comments and other materials.
India tops list of spam e-mail spewers
A few years ago, Ankur Suri saw a friend beaten up by fellow classmates after he e-mailed pornography to female friends - or rather, his computer had.
Cyber scams are getting more personal, thanks to social media
Old high school classmates aren't the only ones making connections on Facebook. The crooks are too.
Google has a new sheriff keeping watch over the wilds of the Internet.
Somewhere on Earth a computer hacker types a malicious command and hits enter. Half a world away, an urban commuter train speeds out of control, derails and crashes into a building.
The boom in smartphones among often careless users has made happy hunting for hackers, whose virus attacks and hijacking of unprotected mobiles are multiplying, experts warn.
Faced with rising cybercrime like the attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment, companies worldwide are under pressure to tighten security but are hampered by cost and, for some, reluctance to believe they are ...
As rival football teams have been battling it out in this year's World Cup, cyber criminals have had their eye on a different goal – to cash in on this global distraction at any opportunity.
James Lyne from IT security firm Sophos recently carried out a two-day public awareness exercise as part of the InfoSec 2014 conference. ...
US online giant eBay said Wednesday cyberattackers broke into its database containing customer passwords and other personal data in what could be one of the biggest breaches of its kind.
There is nothing worse than having a fake healer offer a cure that does absolutely nothing. History is full of tales of frauds and quacks offering a cure for all, which eventually turn out to be nothing more ...
European IT security firms have flocked to the world's biggest high-tech fair with hopes of benefiting from the fallout from shock revelations of mass US and British spying.
Apple said Monday it was developing a security fix for its Mac OS X computer operating system after a patch released for its iPhones and iPads to thwart hacker attacks.
List of search results for sophos


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Putting on a wash is no longer a simple matter of deciding what temperature to use and pressing the start button.
Householders are today faced with a never-ending list of options, and often have to decide whether they want a reduced-ironing program, whether they're cleaning sports equipment and whether an allergy cycle is the way forward. But are all these extra options strictly necessary?
According to an article by The Guardian, research has suggested that half of consumers are actually put off by seeing a huge choice of buttons and functions on a domestic appliance. When it comes to washing machines, for example, more than two-thirds tend to use the same setting every time they wash.
The newspaper said everything from ovens to toasters now have a plethora of options for users to choose from, and some believe this has made everyday tasks more complicated than they really need to be.
David Mattin of trendwatching.com told The Guardian: "I'd say function inflation is one consequence of the ever-increasing consumer thirst for the new - new products, services, brands, and yes, new functionality and features – and the way brands and businesses typically respond to that thirst."
"Throwing more functions and features on to an essentially standard product is one easy way for consumer-facing brands to serve the consumer demand for new, more, and better; or at least claim they are serving it."


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Century Textiles Industries likely to issue one crore warrants to largest shareholders
These warrants will be convertible into equal number of shares in the following 18 months. Kumar Mangalam is the grandson of Century’s founder BK Birla.
Textile industry growth hindered due to costlier MMF: SIMA
Country's textile sector could not achieve the envisaged growth rate primarily due...
Private equity funds, textile companies vie for debt-ridden Alok Industries
The potential suitors are believed to be more keen on individual ...
Taiwanese textile companies looking to partner Indian firms
Nineteen leading Taiwanese companies producing high-end composites, innovative technical textiles will exhibit their products at Technotex 2016 in Mumbai.
Tirupur’s textile industry struggling to stay afloat
Textile makers began to send their goods to Ludhiana, Kolkata and Ahmedabad for dyeing since most units in Tirupur were forced to shut down.
Sell Century Textiles with a target of Rs 595: Sameet Chavan
Sell Century Textiles with a target of Rs 595 and a stop loss of Rs 628
Tamil Nadu textile companies now look to conserve air
In weaving machines of this day, compressed air ejected from fine nozzles moves weaved threads from one end of the machine to another, a process that was done manually earlier.
Autocar Confidential: Buzz in auto industry
Check all about the buzz going in the auto industry with Autocar Confidential.
Buy Century Textiles with a target of Rs 570: Sumeet Bagadia
Buy Century Textiles with a target of Rs 570 and a stop loss of Rs 520.
Imported chocolates, medicines, textiles to see 'swift' custom clearance at Indian ports
India is ranked 133 in the World Bank’s ease of doing business ranking on the “trading across borders” parameter because of time-taking paper work and high costs.
Europe heads for an industrial slowdown
According to the latest data released by Eurostat, the European statistical authority, industrial production across the single currency area dropped by 0.8% in Feb.
Oil profits plunge as industry eyes a bottom
ExxonMobil, which was downgraded from the highest triple A credit rating earlier this week, managed to stay in the black with $1.8 billion in profits.
'Started new textile dyes plant with capacity of 3000 tn per yr'
In a chat with ET now, Punit Makharia, chairman & MD, Shree Pushkar Chemicals & Fertilisers, said the company is expecting to add revenues with the two new products it has launched recently including a new textile dyes plant with capacity of 3000 tn per year.
Traditional textile artists want to market themselves as brands
At Kairi 2016, a 3-day exhibition, scores of traditional hand weavers and printers have brought the best of their products not only to sell but to market themselves as brands.
‘Infosys will continue to lead the IT industry growth’
In a chat with ET Now, Sreesankar Radhakrishnan Head - Institutional EquitiesPrabhudas Lilladher shares his views on market outlook, crude check, monsoon prediction and its impact on overall rally.
Reliance Industries Ltd partners with Star Cotspin Limited
Star Cotspin will be the first company in North India to be certified under the Recron SHT Branding Program.
CITI to conduct study on status of textile industry
CITI is exploring to conduct a detailed study on the status of textile industry and is in the process of identifying a competent agency for it.
Brokerages up Reliance Industries' share price target
While the company remained non-committed about launch date of its broadband services, Reliance Jio, brokerages are factoring in a successful launch soon.
Reliance Industries takes steps for talent retention
These are part of the group’s efforts to strengthen the employee-employer relationship as it gears to launch the data-focused mobile telephony business this financial year.
Naishadh Parikh is the new chairman of Confederation of Indian Textile Industries
Parikh will be assisted by Mr. Mukund Choudhary and Mr. J Thulasidharan who will continue as the Deputy Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively.
Textile machinery industry likely to touch Rs 45K cr by 2022
The Indian textile machinery industry is expected to touch Rs 45,000 crore mark by 2022 from the present Rs 22,000 crore, buoyed by growing demand.
Piramal Enterprises invests 256 cr in Sanghi Industries
Piramal Enterprises has invested 256 crore in Sanghi Industries, a Kutch-based cement company with production capacity of 4.1 million tonnes a year.
How KNR is above the rest in constuction industry
KNR Constructions has an order book of Rs 3,470 crore consisting of road and irrigation projects. This presents revenue visibility for 2-3 years
Textiles, pharma firms topped the table in stock splits in FY16; who will lead in FY17?
As many as listed 50 companies, including Bata India, Natco Pharma and Titagarh Wagons, went for stock splits during the tough financial year in 2015-16.
Sharad Pawar defends sugar industry in Marathwada
Pawar came in defence of the sugar mills in drought hit Marathwada, being blamed for the water crisis in the region saying Marathwada had sugar mills from last 20 years but water scarcity happened now due to the drought.
Repo rate cut, a major relief for textile industry: SIMA
Southern India Mills' Association today hailed the RBI for slashing key repo rate by 50 basis points to bring it at 6.75 per cent and said the move will greatly benefit the capital intensive textile industry to improve its competitiveness in the globalised environment.
Economic gravity in the oil industry: What goes up comes down
People who hold leases to drill for oil on their land said they treat the money they receive from leases on wells on their land almost like found money.
Market access policy urgently required for textiles industry: SIMA
Textile exports declined in August 2015 for the ninth straight month by 20.66 per cent with overall exports reaching $26.8 billion.
'Rs 500 cr earmarked for textiles industry'
A sum of Rs 500 crore has been earmarked by the govt under 12th five year plan to enable the textile industry to meet the required environmental standards.
Technical textile industry to touch $30 bn over next five years
India's technical textile industry is expected to grow at a rate of 20 per cent annually to touch $30 billion over the next five years.
Textile mills to meet and discuss industry crisis
The predominantly cotton based textile industry has been facing several challenges in the recent period owing to higher tariff rates imposed on Indian textile products in all the major international markets when compared to the competing Nations, Sima Chairman T Rajkumar said.
Hold Exide Industries with a target price at Rs 140: Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank maintains hold rating on Exide Industries post March quarter results but raised its target price to Rs 145 from Rs 140 earlier.
Buy Exide Industries with a 12-month target at Rs 182: UBS
UBS maintains buy rating on Exide Industries post March quarter results with a 12-month target price of Rs 182. The total sales rose 4 per cent which was ahead of expectations, and the overall results were also ahead of consensus.
No guarantee over future of UK steel industry: David Cameron
Prime Minister David Cameron said on Wednesday there was no guarantee that efforts to save the British steel industry would be successful.
Exide Industries Q4 net up 29% at Rs 178 crore
Net sales of the company rose 6.8 per cent to Rs 1,756.29 crore during the quarter under review as against Rs 1,643.27 crore in the year-ago period.
No guarantee over future of UK steel industry, says David Cameron
But speaking in parliament, he underlined the precarious situation of the industry, which has been hurt by cheap Chinese imports, soaring costs and weak demand.
India an excellent alternative to China for global industry: Top official
With a strong domestic demand, India provides an excellent alternative for the global industry as Chinese economy is slipping into painful slowdown, a top official has said.
Sweet on private banks, cyclicals and industrials: Andrew Holland, Ambit Investment Advisors
A lot is riding on the monsoons being normal or above normal and if we get that momentum, then we will reposition going into the back end of the year
Buy Exide Industries with a target of Rs 152: Manish Sharma
Buy Exide Industries with a target of Rs 152 and a stop loss of Rs 143
Indian private defence industry divided over strategic partnership
The differences came out during a meeting of representatives from various industry chambers and Defence Minister Minister Manohar Parrikar last evening.
'Traction in cement industry could last for next 2-3 yrs'
In a chat with ET Now, Amisha Vora, Joint MD, Prabhudas Lilladher, says traction in cement industry could continue for next 2-3 years.
Government seeks industry's views to improve ease of doing business
DIPP) wants to identify all points of public interface at regulatory bodies and ministries and thereafter reduce them to a bare minimum.
Textile firm Filatex begins commercial production at Dahej plant
Textile firm Filatex India has commenced commercial production of polyester fully drawn yarns at its plant in Dahej, Gujarat.
Green Finch Textiles launches Gas Odour Neutraliser
The company has invested Rs 4 cr on the plant that can produce 10-15 lakh pieces per month, he said.
Water shortage to affect industrial output: Experts
The impact of poor rain on agri is widely discussed, but the current water shortage hitting the industrial sector is an emerging 'headwind' for India.
Buy Exide Industries with an intraday target at Rs 149: Reliance Securities
Reliance Securities recommends a buy rating on the stock with a target price of Rs 149 and a strict stop loss of Rs 137.
Too early to decide on support for Mitsubishi Motors: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Mitsubishi Heavy is the biggest shareholder of Mitsubishi Motors, which is being investigated by Japan's transport ministry.
'Normal monsoon to aid strong rebound in tractor industry'
In a chat with ET Now, Sanjeev Prasad, Kotak Institutional Equities, said the normal monsoon will aid strong rebound in tractor industry.
Pollution comes from trucks, industries, diesel generators and open burning
In an alarming bad-air situation like in Delhi, the public transport should ideally be based on electric. There are other sectors that demand simultaneous action.


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Logistics startup Mylerz plans Egypt + Africa expansion after raising USD 9.6 mn in funding
Cairo-based logistics startup Mylerz has raised USD 9.6 mn in equity funding from private equity outfit Lorax Capital Partners, the startup announced in a press release (pdf). E-payments giant Fawry participated in the round and will also provide payments services for the company.
About Mylerz: Founded in 2019 by Samer Gharaibeh, the firm offers same-day, last-mile delivery for e-commerce merchants. Mylerz currently operates 21 fulfillment centers across the country and plans to open its largest fulfillment hub yet in West Cairo by 4Q 2022. The startup delivered 2 mn packages within two years of its launch.
The funding will go towards helping the firm expand across Egypt and enter new North African markets, as well as to develop its platform, Gharaibeh, also the company’s CEO, told Enterprise. Gharaibeh remains the largest shareholder in his company following the funding round.
Mylerz plans to expand to Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco “in three months’ time,” Gharabeih said. The company is also eyeing Libya, Sudan, and East Africa’s growing e-commerce markets for potential expansion next year, he added. Fawry will provide payment services to Mylerz in all of its new markets.
This isn’t Fawry’s first partnership with Gharaibeh: The e-payments giant in February partnered with Gharaibeh, tech solutions firm Softec, and Confida Ventures Managing Partner Ammar Zawaideh to set up courier delivery platform Roaderz. The crowdsourcing platform connects couriers and small delivery firms with e-commerce merchants, while allowing sellers to request couriers on demand or schedule their services in advance.


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Teton County police report increase in reports of fraudulent calls
By Kate Ready
Jackson Hole Daily
Via- Wyoming News Exchange
JACKSON — For the third year in a row, law enforcement saw an increase in fraud calls from Jackson Hole residents.
Since Jan. 1, Teton County dispatch has received 199 calls for service that reported fraud in both the city and county. With a month left in the year, 2023 has already bested 2022’s record-setting year of 189 calls reporting fraud.
In 2021, law enforcement saw a small dip, at 173 calls, after receiving 187 such reports in 2020.
Seventeen reports mentioned some form of “Facebook” or “Marketplace” in their call notes compared to “Craigslist,” which was mentioned in only two calls, according to Lt. Russ Ruschill of the Jackson Police Department.
“Facebook Marketplace has taken over for Craigslist,” Ruschill told the Jackson Hole Daily.
“Credit cards” were mentioned in 12 calls with “rental” yielding five results.
“If it seems too good to be true, it probably is,” Ruschill said.
Beware of local online “For Sale” groups, Ruschill warned, as those seem to be getting targeted “heavily.”
Ruschill recounted a recent trailer listing he saw on Misty’s List, a Facebook group that operates as an online garage sale for people in Star Valley and neighboring communities. The private group now has 52,000 members, more than “twice the population of Star Valley and Jackson Hole.”
A woman in the group posted that after putting her father in a nursing home, she was selling a bunch of his stuff.
“[She] had a dump trailer, which are usually about $10,000 to $15,000, listed for about $2,200,” Ruschill said. “And I’m looking at this and I started looking through the photos, and I’m like, ‘That’s nowhere near Jackson. The architecture is wrong. The backdrop is wrong. It’s nowhere near Star Valley.’ ”
Everything about it screamed “scam,” he said.
Scammers like to sell higher ticket items like vehicles, tractors, and fake apartments or homes for rent. Fraudsters likely won’t bother with small ticket items such as art supplies, clothing or plants.
Another thing to be on the lookout for is leaving your car unlocked when you park it at a trailhead.
“A large group of folks throughout the county” are targeting unlocked vehicles in order to snag credit cards out of purses. The kicker is they’ll leave the purse, so it may take some time before you notice anything is gone. Especially if the cards taken are not your primary mode of financial transactions.
The scammers then go into Target or Smith’s and max out your credit card to buy gift cards, a common form of money laundering that’s virtually untraceable.
Ruschill recommended using credit cards, rather than debit cards, for retail and online transactions.
“A debit card is a direct link to your money,” Ruschill said. “If you use a credit card, that goes on to a negative balance on your credit and then at the end of the month, the bank sends you a statement that says ‘You owe us money.’ So there is almost an ‘air gap’ if you will, between your money and the person who you purchase from.”
Disputing fraudulent charges on a credit card often results in quicker refunds since the money is considered the bank’s, rather than yours.
“American Express immediately takes my side and refunds the money back to my account while they do their investigation into the fraud, and … they become the victim and it’s their money that’s taken, not yours,” Ruschill said.
In a weekly newsletter summarizing scams reported in Wyoming, CyberWyoming told citizens to be wary of opening any links or attachments.
“A Laramie resident recently received a suspicious email from a Gmail address with an attachment from someone posing as ‘PayPal,’ ” the newsletter said.
The resident rightfully refused to open the email but reported that it showed an order confirmation.
“It appeared to be a bill stating, ‘You’ve sent a payment of $420.50 USD to Coinbase Inc.’ The email stated, ‘Thank you for your order. Verify follow Your order is going astonishing,’ ” the newsletter said.
The Internal Revenue Service also is chiming in on the fraud conversation, warning that cyber crime is threatening small businesses too.
“Hackers are increasingly hiding within services such as Slack and Trello to deploy malware,” the press release said. “Criminal hackers have always abused legitimate web services such as Gmail and Facebook to do their bidding, but increasingly they are finding new ways of blending into popular applications to avoid detection and find unsuspecting victims.”
The organization strongly urged businesses to rigorously safeguard their business and trade information as well as protect customer and employee data.
“Criminals can target a business’ credit card or payment information, business identity information or employee identity information,” the IRS wrote. “This information can also be used to file fraudulent business and personal tax returns.”
Business owners are encouraged to follow best practices from the Federal Trade Commission: Setting security software to update automatically, backing up important files, requiring strong passwords for and encrypting all devices, and using multi-factor authentication.


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UK Travel Costs Reduced for UAE and Gulf Nationals with New Electronic Travel Authorization Scheme
In an effort to enhance travel convenience and promote tourism, the United Kingdom (UK) has introduced a new Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) scheme that will significantly reduce travel expenses for Emiratis, nationals of Gulf countries, and Jordanians. Under this scheme, the cost of the ETA will be only £10 (AED 45.50) per traveler.
Currently, visitors from the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia pay £30 (AED 137) per visit under the Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW) scheme, while Jordanians pay £100 (AED 456) for a visit visa.
The ETA serves as digital permission for short stays or transit in the UK, allowing multiple visits within a two-year period and eliminating the need for a traditional visa. This initiative aligns the visa requirements for GCC states and Jordan with countries like the United States and Australia. As part of its goal to digitize border control by 2025, the UK aims to enhance security measures and provide an improved customer experience.
The ETA scheme will be rolled out in phases, with Qatar nationals being able to apply starting from October 2023. The rest of the GCC states and Jordan will follow in February 2024, with plans for global expansion later.
Applying for the ETA is a simple and fast process, conducted online or through the designated app. Applicants are required to provide biographic and biometric details, including a digital photo, and answer a few questions.
Recognizing the significant contribution of Gulf states and Jordan to UK tourism, Robert Jenrick, the UK’s Immigration Minister, expressed appreciation for their support. In the previous year, over 790,000 visitors from the Gulf region spent approximately £2 billion (AED 9.12 billion) during their stays in the UK, bolstering the country’s economy.
The introduction of the ETA scheme marks a positive step towards fostering stronger ties between the UK and the UAE, Gulf countries, and Jordan, while making travel to the UK more affordable and accessible for their nationals.


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Design engineering is becoming much less complicated at Ford Motor Co, which is clearly the most successful American auto company in recent years. Under the “One Ford” plan initiated by CEO Alan Mulally, The auto producer is dramatically reducing the number of options available and is reducing the number of nameplate vehicles from 97 a few years ago to 20. One of the goals is to make Ford brands more universal on a global basis; that is, much less local customization. At one point, for example, Ford had three regional versions of the Focus, requiring three different engineering teams.
The Ford approach flies in the face of longtime American automotive conventional wisdom. General Motors, for example, achieved great success by developing a Buick platform in China with Chinese engineers.
The implication of the Ford strategy for materials is clear: there will be an accelerated trend toward common chemicals platforms within car areas. For instance, look for even greater emphasis on polyolefin polymers in auto interiors. The trend had already begun to facilitate recycling.
An MIT research team has invented what they see as a solution to the need for biodegradable 3D-printable materials made from something besides petroleum-based sources: a water-based robotic additive extrusion method that makes objects from biodegradable hydrogel composites.
Alcoa has unveiled a new manufacturing and materials technology for making aluminum sheet, aimed especially at automotive, industrial, and packaging applications. If all its claims are true, this is a major breakthrough, and may convince more automotive engineers to use aluminum.
NASA has just installed a giant robot to help in its research on composite aerospace materials, like those used for the Orion spacecraft. The agency wants to shave the time it takes to get composites through design, test, and manufacturing stages.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is working with architects Foster + Partners to test the possibility of using lunar regolith, or moon rocks, and 3D printing to make structures for use on the moon. A new video shows some cool animations of a hypothetical lunar mission that carries out this vision.
Focus on Fundamentals consists of 45-minute on-line classes that cover a host of technologies. You learn without leaving the comfort of your desk. All classes are taught by subject-matter experts and all are archived. So if you can't attend live, attend at your convenience.


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Source Found in Latest Chipotle Norovirus OutbreakJuly 26, 2017
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has traced the source of a recent norovirus outbreak at its Sterling, VA, restaurant to a sick employee.
Earlier this month, dozens of customers reported symptoms of the gastrointestinal illness, prompting Chipotle to temporarily close the restaurant for a thorough sanitization. Chipotle Chief Executive Steve Ells reported to analysts that the outbreak may have been caused by an employee working while sick.
Chipotle executives have ordered a zero-tolerance policy for any sick employees and the company is retraining its staff on proper food safety procedures, Reuters reports.


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Mondelez International, the packaged-food giant renowned for its delicious Oreo cookies, experienced a decline in product sales during the fourth quarter as inflation finally began impacting consumer demand.
During the quarter that ended in December 2023, Mondelez achieved $9.3 billion in net sales, a 7.1% increase compared to the same period last year and in line with analysts' expectations.
The company reported adjusted earnings per share of 84 cents for the quarter, which represents a 23.5% increase from the previous year and exceeds analysts' estimated figure of 78 cents.
While both earnings and sales figures appear strong, investors interpreted the latest report as a negative signal. Consequently, Mondelez shares dropped by 3.6% on Wednesday morning following the earnings announcement made after the market closed on Tuesday.
Although Mondelez managed to secure higher prices due to inflation, consumers are becoming more cautious before purchasing packs of Oreos from grocery stores.
Organic net revenue growth stood at 9.8%. The growth was primarily driven by increased prices of Mondelez's product mix, contributing 10.2 percentage points. However, this positive aspect was offset by a decline in sales volume, which lowered the overall growth by 0.4 percentage points. Notably, sales volume in North America witnessed a significant decrease of 5.5% compared to the previous year.
Throughout much of 2023, consumer demand remained strong despite rising product prices caused by intense inflationary pressures. People continued indulging in their favorite snacks, supporting Mondelez's top-line sales growth of 17% during the first three quarters of the year. The price mix of its products rose by 14.6%, while sales volume increased by 2.4% across all segments.
However, Mondelez's resilience seems to have faltered in the latest quarter, and further challenges may lie ahead. Commodity prices for cocoa, sugar, and butter continue to rise due to abnormal weather patterns and disruptions in the global supply chain.
During the earnings call on Tuesday, Mondelez management disclosed that they anticipate single-digit price hikes in 2024, mostly driven by a significant increase in cocoa prices. The price of cocoa has reached a four-decade high, exceeding $4,700 per metric ton.
Nevertheless, Mondelez executives remain hopeful that sales volume growth will return to positive territory in 2024.
Sales in the Middle East have been negatively affected by tensions in the region. Mondelez expects this impact to persist in the first half of 2024 but anticipate that it will gradually diminish over time.
Mondelez's Growth Outlook for 2024
The integration of new acquisitions, such as Clif Bar, has impacted sales volume for Mondelez in the U.S. market. Additionally, the company made the strategic decision to discontinue the sale of certain products due to lower profit margins.
Despite these changes, CEO Dirk Van de Put remains optimistic about the company's performance in North America. During an earnings call, Van de Put stated that the Q4 situation was a "one-off" and emphasized that there is no perceived slowdown in the region.
Looking ahead to fiscal 2024, Mondelez's management anticipates a 3% to 5% growth in organic net revenue, excluding the impact of foreign exchange. However, this projection falls short of the 6% growth forecasted by analysts surveyed by FactSet.
In terms of adjusted earnings-per-share, Mondelez expects a high single-digit increase in 2024 on a constant currency basis.
Mondelez and other food stocks faced a challenging period during the summer as concerns arose regarding the potential impact of new weight-loss medications, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, on consumer calorie consumption and the food industry as a whole. As a result, Mondelez shares plunged by 16% between September 14th and October 12th, along with other similar companies.
However, confidence in the industry has since been restored. Executives from food and drug companies, as well as Wall Street analysts, have dismissed fears of a significant decline in calorie consumption. Bank of America analysts estimate that if 25 million to 50 million Americans use these weight-loss drugs by 2030, the nation's total calorie consumption could decrease by only 1% to 3%.
The potential impact on Mondelez is even less pronounced due to the fact that only one third of the company's sales are generated in North America. This means that Mondelez is less exposed to the potential decline in calorie consumption by obese consumers in this region. Additionally, the company offers a range of healthier options, such as Clif Bars, which may appeal to consumers on weight-loss journeys.
Nik Modi, an analyst at RBC Capital, wrote in a recent research note that while there are indications of deceleration in the U.S. market, any weakness domestically can be offset by continued strength in emerging markets.
In summary, Mondelez's growth outlook for 2024 includes moderate organic net revenue growth and high single-digit growth in adjusted earnings-per-share. Despite concerns about weight-loss medications impacting calorie consumption, the company remains confident in its ability to thrive globally and adapt to evolving consumer preferences.


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Jayson Lusk, Distinguished Professor and Head of the Agricultural Economics Department at Purdue University, has been confirmed as a key speaker for Meristem’s Breakthrough to Excellence Dealer Partner event at Lake Lawn Lodge in Delavan, Wisconsin August 10-12.
Lusk’s book The Food Police: A Well-Fed Manifesto about the Politics of Your Plate, is a critical account of food and agriculture economics. Following many years of studying food regulation and comparing costs and benefits of the policies in question, Lusk grew disenchanted with a movement that he feels ignores the realities facing most American consumers and farmers. In another book, Unnaturally Delicious: How Science and Technology are Serving Up Super Foods to Save the World (2016), Lusk writes about how technology and agriculture can work together to help solve the world’s largest food issues and improve our farming system. Jayson Lusk has won numerous research awards and has been interviewed in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Fox and Friends, the John Stossel Show, and Wall Street Journal Live, among others.
“A very important piece of our mission at Meristem is opening up a faster pathway to more farmers and millions of acres for new innovative technology,” said Meristem Founder and CEO in relating Lusk’s participation in the Breakthrough to Excellence event. “With the threat of global hunger increasing, we need economists like Jayson — technology advocates – challenging food elitists who would send American agriculture backwards. We are glad he will be able share his views with us.”Back


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Following a successful launch of a gold iPhone 5S we saw many other manufacturers eventually offer something similar, and now LG is looking to join the stylish fun.
After Apple we saw an HTC One in Gold, as well as a few gold phones from Samsung with the Galaxy Note 3, and now a James Bond looking “Gold Edition” LG G2 is apparently in the works and could be released next month. New leaks courtesy of ePrice have confirmed the new color option, as well as the price.
Found overseas in Taiwan, the new LG G2 Gold Edition won’t be a fancy smartphone with a huge price tag. Instead they’ll take the same approach as the many others and merely paint the back gold to keep it affordable. According to the leak the Gold Edition G2 won’t cost any more than the current model, it’ll just be a different color.
So while HTC has full-out 18k Gold smartphones for a few thousand dollars, LG fans will be able to get the 5.2-inch flagship G2 for the same price as the others.
Read: LG G2 Review
ePrice states the device could go up for sale in the coming months, but that’s just for Taiwan, and at the moment there’s no confirmation or details regarding a launch elsewhere. As a reminder the 5.2-inch quad-core smartphone runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, and should be getting KitKat soon in regions outside of Korea, and has those unique power and volume buttons on the back rather than the sides.
If you fancy gold, the LG G2 may soon have that as an option.
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