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Amy McCulloch's Breathless has been named the Thriller Of The Month for November by Waterstones.
01 November 2022
We're pleased to announce that we have two titles in the Waterstones Book Of The Year shortlist.
27 October 2022
We're pleased to announce we have three titles and two authors shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards.
20 October 2022
Voted for by crime and thriller fans, the winners of the Capital Crime’s Fingerprint Awards have been announced with Ulverscroft titles
30 September 2022
Three Ulverscroft titles have been shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction.
29 September 2022
Before You Knew My Name has won both the Best First Novel and Best Novel at the Ngaio Marsh Awards.
15 September 2022
Ulverscroft's statement on the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II
09 September 2022
The nominees for Capital Crime’s Fingerprint Awards have been announced with Ulverscroft titles across four categories.
02 September 2022
We are proud to see Nita Prose’s The Maid (Charnwood, July 2022) win Best International Crime Fiction at this year’s awards.
01 September 2022
We have partnered with the Ingram Content Group on the distribution of their large print Mint Editions titles.
Five Ulverscroft titles have been named as finalist for the 2022 Ngaio Marsh Awards.
31 August 2022
We're pleased to announce the titles in the first Penguin Random House collection.
15 August 2022


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Samsung is nowhere near inexperienced in the marketing/advertising area, and neither is filmmaker and ex-vlogger Casey Neistat. For around a year now, the two have been working together to make the South Korean brand seem more appealing to younger folks, and this Oscars ad is a culmination of all that. Read More
Video-sharing social network Beme has been racking up downloads over the last couple of months - since launching on Android in May, it's had between 100,000 and 500,000 downloads. Everything has to come to an end though, as CNN has acquired the company and its co-founder, Casey Neistat. He runs a popular YouTube channel, and will be working on a new network at the media giant, to launch in summer 2017.
Beme is, or was, an app that allowed users to share quick, raw, unedited video to their followers. Many of the users were part of Neistat's online following, but the app has been struggling recently against similar visual apps such as Snapchat or Instagram. Read More

domain: news


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Facebook last spring acquired the rights to stream 20 Major League Baseball (MLB ) games over the course of the season. Neither Facebook nor Major League Baseball disclosed the terms of the agreement, but Bloomberg reported the deal was priced at between $30 million to $35 million.
Pit and Marth aren't as iconic as the other characters seen in the trailer, but both the Fire Emblem and Kid Icarus game franchises got second leases on life thanks to the Super Smash Bros . Of course, it will also see the return of Mario , and Link. The teaser trailer for the game featured Mario, Link, and the Inklings from the Splatoon series.
Jupiter's tempestuous, gassy atmosphere stretches some 3,000 kilometres deep and comprises a hundredth of the planet's mass, studies based on observations by Nasa's Juno spacecraft revealed yesterday. "The remarkable thing about this", says Dr. Galanti, "is that we were able to directly measure the signature of the flows themselves". While that may not sound like much, Earth's atmosphere, by comparison, is less than one millionth the mass of the planet.
Amazon told The Verge it was "aware of this (issue) and working to fix it". Rival voice-activated devices have been launched onto the market to compete with Alexa in the a year ago including the Google Home and Apple HomePod. Amazon's widely used artificial intelligence, Alexa, has begun exhibiting some odd behavior which has been rightfully freaking out owners of some of the gadgets it is installed in, such as Echo and Echo Dot .
Even though we've been saying that it's coming back for the past few years, Toyota has officially confirmed that it's bringing back one of its most iconic models - the Supra . The logic behind releasing a racing concept before the production version stems from the firm's belief that competing in motorsport can directly help make better road cars .
Since then, fans have embraced the system's unique ability to alternate between handheld and TV mode and its ever-growing library of great first- and third-party games. It did not, however, indicate what may be causing the games to reset, leaving players to speculate. Update: In a statement to Polygon , Nintendo of America said that play data is now "displaying incorrectly" for some users.


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Offline Media Influences Smartphone Searches, Purchases
March 2012 — Key U.S. findings from a recent survey on smartphone usage conducted by Ipsos, on behalf of search giant Google:
Ownership is on the rise: As of October 2012, 38% of U.S. respondents owned a smartphone, up from 31% at the start of the year.
Always connected: 76% of U.S. smartphone users report having used their phone while in a store, although the most common places of use are at home (96%) and on-the-go (83%).
Mobile as Point of Purchase: 34% of U.S. respondents have purchased a product or a service via their smartphone. Of these consumers, 29% say they do so monthly, 14% do so weekly, and 20% make purchases daily.
Users notice mobile ads: 88% of U.S. smartphone internet users say they “at least rarely notice ads” on their device; 47% have noticed an ad while on a website, 46% have noticed one while in an application, 41% while using a search engine, 27% noticed ads while watching a video, 25% on a retailer website and 20% on a video website (20%).
Offline media influences mobile search: 58% of Americans use their smartphone to do a search in response to an ad seen on TV, 57% do so thanks to an ad seen while in a shop or business, 46% are motivated to search due to an ad seen in a magazine, and 36% perform a search based on a poster viewed.
Smartphone users seek local information and make purchases: 92% of U.S. users use their device to access local information and 89% have taken action on local contact (visit, shop, contact, directions); One in four (25%) have made a purchase in-store based on the info they sought out and 21% have made an online purchase.
About: The Google survey results are based on global online interviews with private smartphone users who use the Internet on their smartphone. Interviews were conducted by Ipsos in Q1 2012 (fieldwork in January/February). The U.S. sample size was 1,000 with distribution according to national representative CATI Study. For U.S. sample, ages 18- 24 (25%), 25-34 (24%), 35-44 (18%), 45-54 (24%), 55+ (9%); 49% female, 51% male.
Source: Marketing Charts, 88% of Smartphone Users Notice Ads on Device, March 1, 2012 and Google, Our Mobile Planet: Global Smartphone Users, accessed March 19, 2012
Source: Rochester Institute of Technology School of Print Media


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Latest News on Samsung Galaxy s8 Images
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Samsung Galaxy s8 Images - Total results - 2
Mar 10, 2017
Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ gets FCC certfication, will feature facial recognition; also live images leakedAs we get closer to the launch, the Samsung Galaxy S8 gets FCC certification and is tipped to have facial recognition.
Jan 20, 2017
Samsung Galaxy S8: Yet another leaked image of the phone pops up online; this time on WeiboAn image of what is alleged to be the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8 has apparently been floating around Weibo for a couple of weeks now.


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What’s Trending This Week?
This week saw the end of London Fashion Week (sad times), but the beginning of Milan Fashion Week (yay!). The most exciting – nay dramatic- news so far? Gigi Hadid got man-handled in the streets of Milan as prankster Vitalii Sediuk tried to pick her up; the display was aimed to showcase his distaste at Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner being considered as ‘high-fashion’, calling them “well-connected cute girls from Instagram”. Taking to twitter, Gigi posted: “I’m a HUMAN BEING and had EVERY RIGHT to defend myself. How dare that idiot thinks he has the right to man-handle a complete stranger. He ran quick tho.” That is girl who certainly knows how to defend herself.
Other MFW news: Bella Hadid opened the Fendi show, Fergie and Paris Hilton (?!?) made an appearance at the Philipp Plein display, and Gucci once again left show-goers lusting after pretty-much everything Michele created. The Milan Fashion Week Opening Breakfast attracted influencers such as Franca Sozzani, Donatella Versace, Anna Wintour and Giorgio Armani, and consequently was a ridiculously elegant affair. A Gigi Hadid x Max Mara event took place on Wednesday, attracting fans in the thousands. PETA also took to Milan, championing Vegan fashion the old-fashioned way: with a big, loud megaphone.
It was revealed on Tuesday that Brangelina will be no more. One half the super-couple, Angelina Jolie, had filed for a divorce – the cause their “irreconcilable differences”. A statement read that Jolie “will not be commenting, and asks that the family be given its privacy at this time.” Of course, the internet was filled with a cascade of tweets pronouncing ‘love dead’ and other exaggerated statements – after all, it’s happened all before…
(Images clockwise from top left: Milan Fashion Week Opening Breakfast guests Franca Sozzani and Donatella Versace, PETA protesters in Milan, Max Mara show, Gucci show, Brad & Angelina, BBC Mary Berry news, Emmys – Game of Thrones clean up, GiGi Twitter post and Philipp Plein show.)
The Emmys took place this weekend, with the hit-series Game of Thrones gaining 12 awards. The cast – including Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington and Peter Dinklage – came together on the red carpet to look fabulous and soak in the well-deserved success.
Victoria’s Secret angel Behati Prinsloo welcomed her first child on Wednesday. Named Dusty Rose, the child’s father, Adam Levine, cancelled many Maroon 5 concerts in anticipation of the birth – consequently causing even more hype. Up next is Candice Swanepoel, who is another angel expecting a baby very shortly.
Great British Bake Off fans had another reason to be utterly depressed this week as Mary Berry confirmed that she will leave the show when it transfers to Channel 4. #GBBO shock


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We were asked to deliver the worlds largest cake on behalf of Bompas and Parr to the Guinness Book of Records event in Westfield Shopping Central in Shepherds Bush. The event was hosted by Britain’s Got Talent judge Amanda Holden and organised by detergent brand Fairy in support of its long-term charity partner Make-A-Wish UK.
The record breaking cake measured in at 12m x 10m, a colossus deliver for us and it took up to 20 boxes to help deliver the cake intact. The rules meant that the entire cake had to be eaten, which was a task that was greatly welcomed by all of around 12000 shoppers at Westfield, each eating a slice of cake to help out.
Amanda had mentioned that the charity was very dear to her heart and this event could raise a huge amount of money. The eager shoppers was asked to donate £1 for the privilege of enjoying the cake.
Our client Bompas and Parr who deal with Architectural Installations and Contemporary Food Design organised and worked overnight with the bakers to make sure the World`s Largest Cake was ready for transportation to the Westfiled Shopping Centre. A great job done by all involved.


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The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Wednesday reported that the unprecedented fall in global trade in the final quarter of 2008 had continued in the three months to March.
Quarter-on-quarter, the OECD data showed G7 exports fell by 13.6% and imports by 10.5% in the first quarter. Year-on-year exports plunged by 22.8% and imports by 16.8%. The data were based on figures for merchandise trade.
Japan was the worst hit, with exports contracting by more than a quarter
- Uruguay’s digital currency pilot ‘close to launch’, says governor
- Central banks may be thinking wrongly about inflation – Borio
- Central banks will be using blockchain by 2019 – research
- Nigerian state uses central bank as ‘piggy bank’ – MPC member
- European Commission announces supervisory agency reforms


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Event host, Beltran Domecq, president of the CRDO Jerez y Manzanilla (pictured above with Patricia de la Puerta) commented: "This past year has continued to provide good news for our Sherry business in the UK - with new Sherry bars continuing to pop up in metropolitan areas; premium sales of Sherry predicated to rise and increasing a further 18% by 2021; as well as Majestic's recent news of growth in Sherry sales of 46%."
Domecq continued: "The event next month is the sixth annual Great Sherry Tasting, and I am delighted once again to be hosting the event on behalf of all 28 producers represented, some of who we are also pleased to welcome in person."
With new producers attending, some looking for UK agents, a selection of new wines released, and visiting winemakers, the Great Sherry Tasting always has something new, even for the most knowledgeable Sherry fans.
Also attending the event was Secretary General, Patricia de la Puerta, of the Sherry shippers association, FEDEJEREZ. Commenting on the day, de la Puerta said: "I am honoured to be here today supporting the Sherry producers, and the importers, exhibiting at this year’s event. The success of the Great Sherry Tasting supports our confidence to increase sales of these outstanding wines in this market. We’re working hard for that and we thank our Sherrylovers for their continuous support. We are optimistic for the future."
The UK Sherry industry will continue its promotion schedule this autumn with its award-winning International Sherry Week (6-12 November). Campaign director, Angeline Bayly commented: "International Sherry Week is the highlight of our annual activity in the UK and the plans for this year will give us the widest reach and impact yet."
13 September 2017


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Kim Kardashian is getting backlash for promoting appetite-suppressing lollipops on Instagram, but experts say more and more companies are using influencers like her to hawk their products.
The American celebrity posted about the Flat Tummy lollipops Wednesday night to her more than 100 million followers.
“You guys… @flattummyco has just dropped a new product. Appetite Suppressant Lollipops and they’re literally unreal,” she wrote.
More than 1 million people liked the post, but it also drew lots criticism, before Instagram removed it — accidentally, according to the social media site.
“Great role model for young women. Don’t eat,” one comment read.
“Please don’t promote this and encourage young women to do this,” said another. “Eating and being hungry is being human. This is sick.”
The lollipops are available in four flavours and contain satiereal, which the website calls “a clinically proven safe active ingredient extracted from natural plants.”
“I’m pretty skeptical when it comes to some of these products,” said registered dietician Stefania Palmeri.
“Oftentimes they have a lot of big health claims that are unsubstantiated. Taking a look at the website where these products are promoted, there’s not a lot of science. There aren’t a lot of links to research.
“There are big claims in terms of detoxing and belly fat … but nothing to back that up. So that to me is a huge red flag.”
The website recommends one or two “pops” per day to control hunger and cravings.
“They don’t have a lot of transparency on their website,” Palmeri said. “They kind of claim natural flavours and natural ingredients. But what does the term ‘natural’ mean? That isn’t a regulated term.”
A marketing expert said she expects to see more and more of this type of advertising.
“If you’re using an influencer, especially Kim Kardashian, you’re opening yourself up to a much larger audience,” said Katie Lebel, an associate professor at Ryerson University.
“You’re probably not going to catch as many people through traditional marketing means. So you’ve got automatic access to a million people that are looking to see what people are interested (in) — somebody that they look up to and role model.
“So there’s an authenticity that comes with their recommendation of a particular product. For a lot of different reasons it’s proven to be a much more effective means to reach people.”
The company admits the statements on its site have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and its products “are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.”
Flat Tummy Co. did not respond to a request for comment.


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I spoke with Hamish McKenzie at Pando Daily about the opportunities and challenges that digital publishers face when considering their content archives:
“We work with publishers all the time, and it kills me to see their archives just sitting there,” Brown says. XOXCO, for instance, designed the original website for literary Web publisher The Rumpus. Every day, thousands of readers come to the site for the first time but never read the stuff that was published in its early days. The publication has thousands of high-quality articles sitting in their database, which reaches back to 2009 and is just begging for a readership, Brown says. “To me that seems like a business opportunity.”
Get in touch if you want to start taking advantage of that business opportunity. Read more about web archives here.


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Apple on Wednesday morning announced that its annual Worldwide Developers Conference will take place June 10th – 14th in San Francisco. The event will take place at its traditional Moscone West venue, with tickets going on sale tomorrow at 10:00 AM Pacific (1:00 PM Eastern) for $1,599.
WWDC is a weeklong event that features hundreds of hands-on workshops and technical sessions by over 1,000 Apple engineers. The sessions cover a wide range of topics about iOS and OS X technologies.
“We look forward to gathering at WWDC 2013 with the incredible community of iOS and OS X developers,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Our developers have had the most prolific and profitable year ever, and we’re excited to show them the latest advances in software technologies and developer tools to help them create innovative new apps. We can’t wait to get new versions of iOS and OS X into their hands at WWDC.”
For the general public, WWDC has also traditionally served as a platform for Apple to introduce new software and hardware. Last year marked the unveiling of OS X Mountain Lion alongside a new lineup of Macs, including the MacBook Pro with Retina display, in addition to a preview of the iOS 6 software update. The year prior, the late Steve Jobs announced OS X Lion, iOS 5 and iCloud at WWDC 2011. Keep it locked on iFans for comprehensive coverage of WWDC 2013 as it inches closer.


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The FTC alleged that Match.com put misleading email marketing strategies to entice users to subscribe toward services.
Show this facts
The dating website Match.com 1st went are now living in 1995 and needed consumers to submit an extended step-by-step visibility. Getty Photographs
This story belongs to a small grouping of reports called
The government Trade percentage are suing fit cluster, the online relationships company that possesses Match.com, Tinder, and Hinge, for presumably using misleading advertising to encourage hundreds of thousands of Match.com users to subscribe to the service.
The issue, which had been submitted Wednesday, describes five “deceptive or unfair practices” complement people reportedly engaged in, including misleading visitors in “a perplexing and difficult cancellation procedure,” and guaranteeing some people a totally free subscription revival but failing to divulge the terms of the offer. What’s more, it alleges that Match made use of deceptive email marketing methods where some consumers happened to be coerced into registering for the made service under bogus pretenses.
The online dating providers promises to challenge the FTC in judge, based on an organization statement. Complement contends that “fraud isn’t good for business” and this has been invested in rooting out harmful activity from its treatments.
“The FTC keeps distorted inner emails and relied on cherry-picked facts in order to make crazy promises so we plan to vigorously protect ourselves against these promises in judge,” the report reads.
In line with the issue, no-cost Match.com people had been delivered automatic e-mail whenever a free account “Liked,” favorited, or messaged all of them. The email recommended consumers a subscription to look at the sender’s personality — except when they performed subscribe, some customers would pick either a note from a fake profile or a profile noted “unavailable.” An unavailable profile could imply that a person have leftover this service membership or that Match.com had deactivated the account for deceptive activity. Continue reading “Fit could have misled people with messages from phony dating accounts”


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Stocks are opening higher on a day full of economic data both from home and overseas. The major indexes are likely assured by positive long-term outlooks from the ECB, BOE and BOJ, though the important European Bank revised its economic projections for the current year lower. Still, news in the states showed weekly jobless claims improved to an important historical point, though monthly layoffs were up on mostly Wall Street cuts. Retailers are reporting monthly sales data today, but a slew of them stopped reporting this month, and so the monthly retail sales report will rise in its impact to markets as a result. I expect stocks to hold steady, with a lean to the upside on no serious question posed today. I published an important company specific report this morning on Annaly Capital (NYSE: NLY) at Seeking Alpha, which you should review.
Our founder earned clients a 23% average annual return over five years as a stock analyst on Wall Street. "The Greek" has written for institutional newsletters, Businessweek, Real Money, Seeking Alpha and others, while also appearing across TV and radio. While writing for Wall Street Greek, Mr. Kaminis presciently warned of the financial crisis.
The day’s data is led by two key employment reports. Weekly Initial Jobless Claims, reported at 8:30 AM ET, showed a 7,000 decrease in new filers last week, to a level of 340K. The four-week moving average also decreased by 7K, to a mark of 348,750, the lowest since March of 2008.
Challenger Gray & Christmas reported on Monthly Job Cuts for February this morning. The report showed a sharp spike in layoffs in February. Job-cuts increased by 37%, to 55,356, which is a rather high level. Planned layoffs were just 7% higher than last year’s period though, which may indicate some seasonal consequence. On the year so far, layoffs are down 9%. Challenger said the financial sector drove the decline, with J.P. Morgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) announcing the most planned layoffs in the period (19K over 2 years).
International Trade data was reported for January this morning. The trade deficit expanded to $44.4 billion in the month, versus economists’ expectations for an increase to $43 billion. In December, the deficit ran at $38.1 billion. Exports declined in January while imports rose.
The BLS revised its fourth quarter Productivity and Costs data this morning. Productivity declined 1.9%, against expectations for a 1.6% decline. The drop matched against the prior quarter’s 3.1% increase. Unit labor costs increased 4.6% in the quarter, after decreasing by 1.9% in the prior quarter.
Catch the Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index at 9:45 AM ET. This is the most regular measure of consumer sentiment, published on a weekly basis. Last week’s report showed an improvement in consumer comfort to the highest level this year (-32.8). Earlier this year, when consumer sentiment measures were indicating a poor state of affairs, I indicated things would improve once the political pushing and pulling was over in Washington D.C. Voila, yet another reason to follow our column!
Individual retailers will be reporting on their monthly Chain Store Sales starting today (for most). The nation’s most important retailer, Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT), however, does not supply regular data. Macy’s (NYSE: M), Target (NYSE: TGT) and Kohl’s (NYSE: KSS) joined Wal-Mart in keeping their monthly numbers secret this month. Look for sales calls from some of the major retailers still sharing, like The Limited (NYSE: LTD).
Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell gives testimony before the Senate Banking Committee on the subject of money laundering and bank secrecy. This will have the attention of certain island nations and territories in the Caribbean, Atlantic and Mediterranean, plus UBS (NYSE: UBS), Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS) and others.
The EIA reports on Natural Gas Storage at 10:30 AM ET today. Last week’s report covering the period ending February 22 showed a net decline of 171 Bcf, taking supply in storage to 2,229 Bcf. Stocks were 307 Bcf less than last year at this time but 308 Bcf above the five-year average. This is still supportive of low natural gas pricing, and given the still shaky economic outlook and exploration and production activities in North America, I would expect more of the same (barring external event). That’s an important notation… Natural gas futures have been increasing this year, but have steadied of late.
The latest Consumer Credit data will be released at 3:00 PM ET. The data for the month of January is expected by economists to show a monthly expansion of $15 billion, which would match against December’s increase of $14.6 billion. The forecast range extends from $12 billion to $18 billion. Increases have been driven by non-revolving credit of late, which is positive for the auto industry and illustrative of student loan lending growth.
Please see our disclosures at the Wall Street Greek website and author bio pages found there. This article and website in no way offers or represents financial or investment advice. Information is provided for entertainment purposes only.
Inquiries about Wall Street Greek advertising services can be made by phone to 347.746.3415.


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Video game retailer GameStop is looking for an accounting specialist for applications of uncounterfeitable tokens, cryptocurrencies and other blockchain technologies, according to a job posting posted on Nov. 3.
The retailer is looking to hire someone with experience in e-commerce or gaming accounting.
The person who gets the job will work hand-in-hand with GameStop’s technology and business development teams.
He or she will be tasked with overseeing the operational accounting processes for the company’s NFT platform with the “highest level of control and integrity.”
GameStop found itself at the center of a retail trader’s rebellion against Wall Street in early 2021, opening a job position as a cryptocurrency-savvy blockchain analyst in early April.
In May, it launched a new web portal for its NFT platform.
Last month, the company began looking for a “Web3 Games Director” and added a large number of cryptocurrency-related job listings.
Meanwhile, AMC, another company whose stock has become a Reddit trader’s darling, will begin accepting cryptocurrency in its cinemas by the end of the year, and it’s currently considering adding Shiba Inu.


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NBC News Business
Updated: 28 min 10 sec ago
TOKYO, July 8- Shares in Japan's Nintendo Co surged on Friday as early signs showed consumers falling in love with its new Pokemon GO smartphone game, raising hopes that the company's long-awaited shift into mobile gaming will pay off. The game, which has players walking around their neighborhoods in real life to search out and capture Pokemon characters on...
The U.S. created 287,000 jobs in June, massively topping analyst expectations.
The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved legislation that would for the first time require food to carry labels listing genetically modified ingredients.
Job growth likely rebounded in June as striking Verizon employees returned to work and wages probably rose steadily.
Stocks struggled for direction on Friday and Treasury yields remained close to this week's record low, marking their longest run in four years.
A Kentucky factory is the last manufacturer of mirrored balls.
Wendy's said hackers were able to steal customer's credit and debit card information at 1,025 of its restaurants, far more than it originally thought.
Falling oil prices saved Americans hundreds of dollars at the gas pump in 2015, and a lot of them spent those savings … at the gas station.
That's the conclusion of a study released Thursday by the AAA auto club.
Wal-Mart shoppers no longer need to carry their wallets to check out at one of its 4,600-plus U.S. stores.
Heard the term "Corporate Inversion" but not sure what it means. Find out in 30 seconds.
Share markets climbed on Thursday as upbeat U.S. economic data took some of the sting out of the Brexit scare.
France's Danone said on Thursday it would double the size of its U.S. business by buying organic food producer WhiteWave Foods.
Britain's vote in a referendum on June 23 to quit the EU has hammered financial markets, rattled businesses and punished the pound.
The downward trend comes as federal regulators begin the long-awaited review of the aggressive Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standards.
While the Fourth of July holiday marked the beginning of summer for many, for others, it signaled the beginning of sale season.
The economic power of the LGBT rights movement is about to be put to the test in the standoff over a so-called 'bathroom bill' in North Carolina.
McDonald's will be expanding its All-Day Breakfast menu to include biscuit, McMuffin and McGriddle sandwiches starting in September.
Bordeaux prices for the early 2015 harvest 'primeurs' have jumped more than 20 percent after critics pointed to a particularly good vintage.
Gold rallied to its highest since 2014 and oil struggled to recover from deep losses, on renewed fears over the impact of Britain's exit from the EU.


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In 2016 in the heart of Leeds' bustling shopping quarter, the shutters came down on the Albion Street BHS store and with it 88 years of British history.
The collapse of the once-high street giant stole the headlines that year, and saw thousands lose their jobs and a company pension scheme in disarray.
Unfortunately those headlines sound all too common in 2018. It's a year that has seen a whole host of household names forced to cut back, close stores and in some cases - shut down for good.
We've taken a look at the year so far - certainly one to forget for the big names struggling to keep afloat on high streets in Leeds and across the country.
The big High Street brands closing stores this year
Toys 'R' Us
This was a hard one to take. A trip to the Birstall store was once the best birthday treat yet Leeds said goodbye to its nearest branch in late April. Around 3000 jobs were lost across the country, with the closure of 75 stores within six weeks after going into administration.
The Regent Street store permanently closed earlier this year after the company collapsed into administration in February. All other stores are expected to close. The electronics chain ran a huge sale before it closed its doors for the final time.
The high street chain could close 20 of its restaurants as part of a restructuring plan. Its Leeds branch is on Lands Lane in the city centre - no closures have been formally announced and it's business as usual for now.
Falling profits in a 'difficult trading environment' has seen 60 stores set to close across the UK. The Leeds branch in The Core shopping centre on the Headrow is one of those - but fear not, there's still the Trinity shopping centre branch and one at the White Rose Shopping Centre too. Shoe Heaven can still be found in Leeds.
Marks and Spencer confirmed in May that it was to close 100 stores across the UK by 2022. The retailer, which was founded in Leeds in 1884, revealed 14 stores proposed for closure - none of which are in Leeds. The move is part of M&S’s wider five-year transformation plan to 'make M&S special again' so there will surely be more announcements and changes to come.
Experts say the brand's clothing sales are nowhere near its food sales - Dine in for £10? Yes please. Cardigans? Maybe not.
House of Fraser
The Briggate store is safe at the moment, though House of Fraser announced the closure of 31 stores in early May. The company's chairman said it needed to 'quickly adapt to this fast-changing landscape'. Half of its stores will close, cutting 6000 jobs in the process.
Nearly 100 stores will close across the UK this year. It is yet to be announced which stores face the chop - Leeds has 11 in total so there is the potential for the city to be affected (although we'll still have some to spare, it seems).
This leading budget retailer saw the future of its 335 stores put in doubt after officially entering administration earlier this year. In July, the company announced that it would be closing more than a hundred stores nationwide - including four in Leeds. Has the appeal of everything costing a quid worn off?
Mothercare's 'rescue plan' will see 50 stores close across the country, cutting at least 800 jobs. The company is looking to save £15m a year in costs. Leeds has one store in Crown Point which will remain open.
The rise of online shopping has often be blamed for the declining footfall in city centres in the UK - the question is, which brands will ride the storm and which will crumple under pressure?
Which brands do you miss from Leeds city centre? Which brands are you worried about?
Share you thoughts in the comments below or tweet @leedslivenews.
Visit our homepage for more of the biggest talking points across Leeds.
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Like it or not, electric cars are the future. Individually, they produce no emissions, have dramatically fewer moving parts than internal-combustion-powered vehicles, making them more reliable and easier to repair, and they deliver instant torque for a satisfying driving experience.
Even though battery technology still isn't quite where it needs to be for many motorists, EVs continue to slowly gain in popularity. And as they increase in number on roadways around the world, so does the risk of collision.
And what happens when an electric vehicle is involved in a crash? Their colossal, high-voltage battery packs can catch on fire or, potentially even more seriously than that, their severed cables can contact metallic portions of the vehicle's structure, electrocuting occupants or first responders. Not good.
German supply giant Bosch has a solution that can significantly reduce these risks, it announced earlier this week. The company is supplying to automakers computer-controlled systems that, fractions of a second after a collision, deactivate a vehicle's power circuits. This protects both passengers and rescue workers. (Bosch didn't say which automakers are using these systems.)
Here's how it all works. Special fuses ignite tiny pyrotechnic charges that in turn drive wedges through electrical cables, killing power flow through a vehicle.
Bosch's CG912 is an application-specific integrated circuit, or ASIC for short. It's been used to deploy airbags in crashes and has performed reliably in millions of situations, the company says. It's used here to operate those pyro-fuses. These ASIC units measure a mere 10 millimeters square and weigh but a few grams.
Of course, it's still possible to get shocked or have an electric vehicle catch fire even with these Bosch safety systems onboard and functioning properly, but they surely reduce the risk of these incidents occurring.
Who knew driving around with a car full of explosives could actually save lives?


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Samus Aran fans, get in gear as a new Metroid game may make its way to the Nintendo Switch. Here’s the rest of the news on the rumor mill. This is big news for fans as Metroid remains to be one of the “classics” in the gaming genre.
This also appears to be a good time for a new Metroid game to be released. After all, Nintendo is raising the stakes for its “battle” against the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. What better way to even the odds than with a return of the classic?
However, not much is known about the teased Metroid game. Still, here’s everything we know, from the rumors down to “official” announcements. Will Samus Aran make a return?
New Metroid Game: What Is It About?
Nintendo fans can thank Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime for the tease. He said some classic Nintendo franchises could return to the Switch, including our favorite Samus Aran. He announced the good news to GameSpot at a Nintendo Switch hands-on event.
Reggie said he is always being asked about games such as Metroid. However, instead of simply dismissing the questions all over, he said players can wait until next year for announcements. He easily acknowledged that there really are just IPs that consumers can’t wait to play.
Metroid: A Refresher
Of course, it’s wise to take the comments with a grain of salt. Not to mention, the project wasn’t officially announced yet. Still, with the Switch being released soon, a Metroid title may not be too far off. And if anyone would know anything about it, Reggie is the guy to go.
It can be remembered that the franchise skipped an entry for the Wii U entirely. Although according to Game Rant, Nintendo promised to bring back the franchise soon with the release of their “next console.” If there’s a perfect time to announce a new Metroid, it’s during E3 2017 in June.


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SEOUL South Korea's SK Hynix Inc said on Wednesday it received merger clearances from Chinese antitrust authorities for its acquisition of Intel Corp's NAND memory chip business, clearing the way for the world's second-largest memory chip maker to get regulatory approvals from all eight countries.
In October of last year, the U.S. chip giant agreed to sell its NAND memory chip business to SK Hynix for $9 billion, part of a move to focus on its smaller but more lucrative Optane memory business, which uses more advanced technology.
SK Hynix appreciates the merger clearance of the State Administration for Market Regulation. SK Hynix will increase its competitiveness of the NAND Flash and SSD business by continuing the post-merger integration process, the company said in a statement.
China's market regulator said on Wednesday that it had approved the acquisition deal but with conditions.
The concentration of the PCIe and SATA solid state drive businesses will have a restrictive effect on competition in those markets, so additional conditions are needed, China's State Administration for Market Regulation said in a statement.
Additional conditions are that SK Hynix shouldn't supply PCIe and SATA enterprise-class solid state drive products to China's domestic market at unreasonable prices.
The Chinese regulator said SK Hynix should continue to produce PCIe and SATA enterprise-class solid state drive products within five years of the effective transaction date.
SK Hynix should not force customers in China's market to purchase products from SK Hynix or companies that are controlled by it, nor should it enter into deals with its main competitors in China that exclude or restrict competition.
The Korean firm hopes to increase its pricing power, as well as increase its capacity to build NAND chips, which are used to store data in smartphones and data centre servers.
There is speculation that it will be difficult for SK Hynix to win China's approval for the deal or any approval for the deal, given the complex situation between the United States and China in the semiconductor sector.
The approval could come at the right time without a significant delay, as the deal is beneficial for all three countries, according to SK Hynix.
Analysts said the deal will help SK Hynix narrow the gap with market leader Samsung Electronics Co Ltd.
Park Sung-soon, an analyst at Cape Investment Securities, said that China's approval comes a bit later than what the market expected, but this is in line with the company's goal of getting Chinese regulatory approval within the next year.
This acquisition would likely help SK Hynix expand its NAND solid state drive SSD business for enterprise customers like data centres, as its NAND SSD business has been focused on consumer products such as smartphones and PCs, according to Park.


text: By Chris Lau for Kapitall.BlackBerry ( BBRY) boosted its reach once again when its BlackBerry messenger app (“BBM”) for Microsoft ( MSFT) Windows Phone exited beta. BlackBerry spent more time customizing the look and feel of the app this time around. Why do so, when Microsoft’s market share in the smartphone market is very small? Though Android and Apple dominate this market, Microsoft’s market share is growing well. It now has more market share than BlackBerry. BBM refreshed BlackBerry designed BBM for Windows so it looks different from the versions released for Apple and Android. There are three main screens that organize the user experience. There is a contact and feed screen, followed by a chat screen. Solid demand BlackBerry should expect sustained user growth over the next few weeks. During the beta stage for BBM for Windows, 10,000 users signed up within the first 24 hours. BBM offers Windows users group calendar and chat. The app extends BlackBerry’s reach beyond its own ecosystem, and makes the chat app now available on every major phone platform. Windows Phone is important for BlackBerry because demand could strengthen for the WP OS. Microsoft’s phone offers native integration for Office 360. Xbox music, which contends with Apple’s ( AAPL) iTunes, is also a solid offering. BlackBerry recently announced it would close its music store. Instead, users will be directed to Amazon’s ( AMZN) Appstore. Chart BlackBerry shares rose steadily this year, but peaked in mid-July. Since then, shares pulled back. BBM alone will not give investors reasons to buy the stock, but the firm is progressing steadily in its transformation. The company is activating corporate customers steadily on its enterprise solutions. Having an app available on all platforms makes it more appealing for customers and corporations to consolidate its messaging solution on BBM.


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According to Zacks, “Allbirds Inc. is a lifestyle brand with naturally derived materials to make footwear and apparel products. Allbirds Inc. is based in SAN FRANCISCO. “
A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on BIRD. Wedbush started coverage on shares of Allbirds in a report on Thursday, April 28th. They issued an outperform rating and a $8.00 price objective on the stock. KeyCorp cut their price objective on shares of Allbirds from $28.00 to $24.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 20th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Allbirds from $25.00 to $20.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 24th. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price objective on shares of Allbirds from $25.00 to $16.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Allbirds in a report on Thursday, March 17th. They issued a hold rating and a $6.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Allbirds has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $17.50.
Allbirds (NASDAQ:BIRD – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 23rd. The company reported ($0.09) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the Zacks’ consensus estimate of ($0.09). The company had revenue of $97.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $92.28 million. Allbirds’s quarterly revenue was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Allbirds will post -0.28 EPS for the current year.
In related news, CFO Michael J. Bufano bought 25,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of $5.17 per share, for a total transaction of $129,250.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.
Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ritter Daniher Financial Advisory LLC bought a new position in Allbirds in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Allbirds in the fourth quarter worth approximately $52,000. FourThought Financial LLC bought a new position in Allbirds in the first quarter worth approximately $37,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new position in Allbirds in the fourth quarter worth approximately $98,000. Finally, SG3 Management LLC bought a new position in Allbirds in the fourth quarter worth approximately $113,000. Institutional investors own 26.75% of the company’s stock.
Allbirds Company Profile (Get Rating)
Allbirds, Inc manufactures and sells footwear and apparel products for men and women. It offers shoes, such as running shoes, everyday sneakers, high-tops, slip-ons, boat shoes, flats, weather repellent shoes, and sandals. The company's apparel products include activewear, tops, bottoms, dresses, sweaters, underwear, and socks.
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Identity Verification and Management Leader Recognized for Industry Innovation
TEL AVIV, Israel, March 23, 2023 – AU10TIX, the global technology leader in identity verification and identity management solutions, today announced that its proprietary technology has been selected as the “Best Identity-as-a-Service Platform” in the 7th annual FinTech Breakthrough Awards Program . FinTech Breakthrough is a market intelligence organization that recognizes the top companies, technologies, and products in the global FinTech market.
AU10TIX’s ID verification platform provides critical, modular solutions to verify and link physical and digital identities, enabling businesses and their customers to connect securely. The company is the preferred customer onboarding and verification automation partner of major global brands including Google, PayPal, Airbnb, LinkedIn, Payoneer, Uber and Santander. By deploying technologies such as deep learning, biometrics and data science, AU10TIX is continually helping to shape the future of authentication.
We are excited to be recognized by FinTech Breakthrough for our commitment to creating a more secure and inclusive world. Au10tix remains ahead of the industry despite world challenges, such as the COVID pandemic or the current economic crisis, said Dan Yerushalmi, CEO of AU10TIX. “We will continue to innovate identity verification technology so that businesses and consumers are able to withstand any future challenges”.
The FinTech Breakthrough Awards is the premier awards program founded to recognize FinTech innovators, leaders and visionaries from around the world in a range of categories, including Digital Banking, Personal Finance, Lending, Payments, Investments, RegTech, InsurTech and many more. The 2023 FinTech Breakthrough Award program attracted more than 4,000 nominations from across the globe.
For more information about AU10TIX, visit www.au10tix.com.
AU10TIX, a global identity intelligence leader headquartered in Israel, is on a mission to obliterate fraud and further a more secure and inclusive world. The company provides critical, modular solutions to verify and link physical and digital identities so businesses and their customers can confidently connect. Over the past decade, AU10TIX has become the preferred partner of major global brands for customer onboarding and customer verification automation – and continues to work on the edge of what’s next for identity’s role in society. AU10TIX’s proprietary technology provides results in less than 8 seconds, enabling businesses to onboard customers faster while preventing fraud, meeting compliance mandates and, importantly, promoting trust and safety. AU10TIX is a subsidiary of ICTS International N.V. (OTCQB: ICTSF). For more information, visit AU10TIX.com.


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It was reported over the past couple of weeks that Samsung is planning to launch a Galaxy Note 3 variant that sports a flexible display based on a plastic OLED panel. A new report coming from an Asian publication comes to dismiss the rumors, saying that the new Samsung curved-screen smartphone will be part of a new series.
Money Today Korean publication writes that the new Samsung flexible smartphone will be a reminiscent of the Youm prototypes introduced by the Korean phone maker at CES 2013 tech fair in January. The same publication notes that the handset will not come with an S Pen stylus and that it will not be a rugged Galaxy Note 3 variant as the first rumors suggested.
Not long ago Samsung representatives announced that the Korean company will launch its first flexible screen smartphone later this month. Anyway, you shouldn’t be fooled when you hear about flexible smartphones, as the device itself will not bendable. The only flexible component will be the screen, which will most likely be concave, facilitating the interaction with the touch interface and being almost impossible to break courtesy of the plastic-based panel.
We even have some rumored technical specifications for Samsung’s curved smartphone coming from Ambelo Japanese blog (translated). A smartphone codenamed SM-G910S that fits the description of the Samsung curved handset was spotted in GFXBench benchmark logs, sporting a 1902 x 1080 display, Snapdragon 800 processor, and running Android 4.3.
The same benchmark log revealed that the terminal is also compatible with the LTE Advanced standard, which checks with the reports saying that Samsung will debut the handset at several Korean carriers.
Anyway, Samsung will not be the only company to launch a curved-screen smartphone, as its Korean rival also has a similar device in the works, unofficially dubbed LG G Flex. Rumor has it that the LG smartphone will be launched in November.


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Cree Appoints John Replogle to Board of Directors
Cree have announced that John Replogle, president and chief executive officer, Seventh Generation, has been appointed to the company’s board of directors, effective January 28, 2014.
“John will be a great addition to our board of directors,” said Chuck Swoboda, Cree chairman and CEO. “He has a proven track record of successfully managing global companies and brands, and we welcome the opportunity to work with John as we carry out our mission to lead the LED lighting revolution.”
Replogle assumed his leadership role with Seventh Generation, a manufacturer and distributor of sustainable household products, in March 2011. Before joining Seventh Generation, he was president and chief executive officer of Burt's Bees, Inc. from 2006 to 2011 and general manager of Unilever's Skin Care division from 2003 to 2006. Prior to Unilever, Replogle worked for Diageo, Plc for seven years in a number of different capacities, including as president of Guinness Bass Import Company and managing director of Guinness Great Britain. He started his career with the Boston Consulting Group. He has also served as a director of Sealy Corporation from 2010 to 2013.
Mr. Replogle has a Master of Business Administration degree in general and entrepreneurial management from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Dartmouth College. Mr. Replogle also serves on the board of trustees at Dartmouth.


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Hall of shame: Companies with worst customer service
As motorcycle maker Harley Davidson prepares to celebrate 110 years of hitting the road, the company released its 2014 models on Aug. 19, 2013.
The new 2014 Harley-Davidson models have been revealed. Check them out!
The president of the University of New Hampshire says Wednesday he is troubled and offended by many parts of a "bias-free language guide" posted on the school's website.
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According to Comicbook, insiders have reportedly informed that Nintendo will not host Direct events this summer. There is also the company lack of participation at Summer Game Fest, an event that has already seen next gen gameplay revealed.
Insiders claims that Nintendo is not planning anything to replace the Direct event hosted at e3’s eve, the earliest Direct may come in September 2020.
The report alleges that Nintendo is going as far as to tell its development partners to not wait or hold out for a Direct, even if it’s a big announcement, which suggests the company really has no idea when the video show will return.
Insiders told Venture Beat’s Jeff Grubb the information, and while is a reliable journalist and industry insider, there is nothing official from Nintendo. This information should be still be taken with skepticism.
Nintendo surprisingly unveiled a new Mario game, Paper Mario: The Origami King for Nintendo Switch. Is uncertain and inexplicably why the company did not shared the news at the usual livestream, there is also reports from Grubb, that several Super Mario games will be remastered for a 2020-2021 release, something that also could’ve been teased at an Direct event.
Nintendo and Microsoft has reported their financial results for previous fiscal year, speaking to investors both, Shuntaro Furukawa and Phil Spencer suggested at their respective earnings calls, that remote work might not prevent games delay, apparently, Nintendo has decided to not announce a game until the production is near completion.
But even so, we are gradually gaining experience in assessing what can and cannot be done remotely, and in determining how much progress we can make on the work we are able to do from home” …”Please be aware that the impact on game development in terms of both hardware and software may potentially increase as the amount of time spent working remotely increases. Said Furukawa in Nintendo’s earnings call.
Xbox Boss Phil Spencer gave more details of why remote work cannot work for all kind of projects, he explains that technologies like MOCAP cannot be done via remote work.
“Mocap is just something that’s basically stopped. We’re not going into mocap studios,” Spencer told Business Insider. “If you had all your animation captured and you’re doing touch up in more individual art production and in areas like textures and other things, you’re in a better position. If you’re waiting for a lot of either large audio work — when it’s with symphonies and other things — or mocap, you’re held up right now and you’re making progress in areas that you are.”


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It appears that the game of cat and mouse has begun, and Netflix is trying to make good on its Jan. 6 promise to crack down on proxy users accessing its global catalog to stream media not available in their home country. Australian VPN provider uFlix recently noted that its users began receiving an error message on Jan. 19 when trying to access United States Netflix content.
You seem to be using an unblocker or proxy. Please turn off any of these services and try again.
The VPN provider noted that the problem was only affecting a few users, but it expected the number to grow. Since uFlix makes a business out of providing access to U.S. Netflix and Hulu Plus content to Australians, it quickly began working to solve the problem. It didn’t take long, and within two days uFlix tweeted that a fix was in place.
Hi everyone! The new fix is in place. Please test it out. If anyone gets proxy/vpn error issues, please submit a ticket immediately. Thanks!
— uFlix (@uFlixDNS) January 21, 2016
Perhaps referring to this as a game of cat and mouse is a bit of a misnomer. In fact, it’s more like a game of Whack a Mole, because of how Netflix has to operate to find these VPNs and block access to them. In a statement at the Consumer Electronics Show, Netflix’s chief product officer Neil Hunt explained the difficulty in maintaining blocks against the VPN providers.
[We] continue to rely on blacklists of VPN exit points maintained by companies that make it their job. Once [VPN providers] are on the blacklist, it’s trivial for them to move to a new IP address and evade.
In other words, when a VPN exit point gets blacklisted, that provider just has to change Internet addresses. This is a pretty easy thing to do, so this game of trying to block non-U.S. users from accessing Netflix’s catalog is bound to prove frustrating for the streaming media provider. As several of our readers have noted, the content providers themselves truly need to get with the times of our global economy and allow their movies and television shows worldwide streaming.


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Pharmaceutical firm Shield Therapeutics is ramping up plans to launch its lead drug in the US after raising a further £4.2m through an open offer.
The Gateshead company announced proposals to raise funds from shareholders last February, after ditching plans to team up with a commercial partner to launch its iron deficiency treatment Accrufer in the States in favour of getting it on the market itself.
Industry experts predict Accrufer could accrue sales of as much as $300m five years after going on sale in the US, delivering significant returns for shareholders.
At the start of the month it raised around £25m from investors to drive forward the plans, through a subscription and placing of 83.3m shares - and at a general meeting the company’s plans for the funds were passed in a shareholder vote.
Following the meeting the company also said has conditionally raised total gross proceeds of approximately £4.2m through the Open Offer, which was announced on February 26, delivering £29.2m to put Shield’s plans into action.
Tim Watts, CEO of Shield Therapeutics plc, said: “On behalf of the board, I would like to acknowledge the strong support shown by the company’s shareholders and a number of new institutional investors for the equity financing announced last month.
“We will be continuing to develop our launch plans for Accrufer in the United States over the coming weeks and the board believes that this strategic initiative has the potential to generate significant returns for our shareholders.”
The iron deficiency oral therapy treatment was approved in July 2019 by the US FDA and the company had spent some time seeking a commercial partner for the US market but, after receiving a number of proposals from potential commercialisation partners, decided the best way forward was to launch the product itself.
Its US commercial team, which has been working in a consultancy capacity for around six months, has been preparing plans for a Shield-led launch in the US, in the event that a suitable licensing deal was not sealed.
The US launch will also create new jobs. Shield intends to launch Accrufer with 30 sales reps and support staff, increasing to 60 reps by the end of this financial year and around 90 by 2023.


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In December of 2018 Patagonia updated its raison d’être:
Is this feasible? Can Patagonia really “use business to protect nature”?
What concrete actions is Patagonia taking to prove this isn’t just lip-service?
(1) Patagonia’s Trump-tax-cut went to Planet Earth.
(2) Patagonia is a B-Corp. Certified B Corporations are a new kind of business that balances purpose and profit. They are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, customers, suppliers, community, and the environment. That’s a clear sign of intent.
(4) Founder Yvon Chouinard has famously said: “The accepted model of capitalism, which necessitates endless growth and deserves the blame for the destruction of nature, must be displaced.” That statement is supported by Patagonia’s now infamous “Don’t buy this jacket” advert in the New York Times in 2011. Its “worn wear” initiative speaks volumes for this mindset.
(5) Two words: regenerative agriculture:
Who’s next? Is your company ready to take on the challenge? What actions will you take?
For more on Patagonia, see this article from Fast Company.


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Jay Cutler on Week 12 Win Over TB Buccaneers: 'We Were Challenged Offensively'Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler admitted there were heated words exchanged among his Bears teammates at halftime of their Week 12, 21-13 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Chicago was down 10-0 at that point but responded in the second half to win its second consecutive game to improve to 5-6 on the season.
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Eric Decker Admits It Was Hard to Leave Denver BroncosNew York Jets wide receiver Eric Decker told The New York Daily News on Nov. 22 that it was hard to leave his former team, the Denver Broncos, who are contending for the Super Bowl in 2014. The Jets, on the other hand, are an AFC East-worst 2-8.
How to Get Best Buy Black Friday 2014 Doorbuster DealsBest Buy will offer several of the best Black Friday 2014 deals. Below we explain how you have a chance to get your hands on one of these incredible Black Friday Doorbuster deals. Best Buy is not offering the nice 1-Hour In Stock Guarantee like Walmart, this makes it as hard as in past years to score Best Buy Doorbuster deals.
The Top 25 Walmart Black Friday 2014 DealsThe Walmart Black Friday 2014 Ad is again one of the best Black Friday ads. We have analyzed the deals and identified the best Walmart Black Friday 2014 deals. See the list below.


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The agreement will receive a consideration of Rs 1037.6 crores from Jio for the proposed transfer will assume future liabilities of Rs 459 crores relating to the spectrum. According to the Bharati Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal said in a statement, The sale of the 800 Mhz blocks in these circles to unlock value from spectrum said in Indian times reports.
Reliance Jio aimed to develop home-self developed 5G solutions that only major telecom company supports the local 5G standards. However, Reliance Jio will use its own developed 5G solutions to become the very best suitable for Indian and global standards.
Moreover, Bharati Airtel still behind to support local 5G standards will push it way behind other nations to keep out of the global ecosystem. Telecom Regulator of India said that 5Gi will prove to be a “game-changer” for the industry.
The standards set by TSDSI aren’t in line with What 3GPP has recommended will prove to be very costly for India country. The 5Gi standards recommended by the TSDSI won’t work with the existing 4G network.
Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea said that the local 5G standards can prove to be very costly for us and might result in a delay in nationwide 5G rollout. Reliance Jio said that they will announce 5G based on PAN in some cities of India on June 2021.


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Demolition on the Hale Bathhouse in Hot Springs was completed last week, and renovations have begun in earnest on what will be Hotel Hale.
Ellen and Mayor Pat McCabe closed on a $1.25 million loan earlier this month, almost four years after they received a letter of intent from the National Park Service.
The overnight rooms and storage rooms on the main floor have been framed, says Pat McCabe, and electrical, plumbing and duct work will be underway this week.
The furnishings upstairs at Hotel Hale will be a mix of modern and mid-century modern, says Ellen McCabe.
“Each room is going to have its own feel,” she says.
Some of the rooms will have a view of the front over Central Avenue and some will have a small Juliet balcony in the back, overlooking North Mountain into the National Park.
“There’s only one room that doesn’t have either of those things,” she says.
Décor in the front dining room, the Zest, will blend modern with a historic feel and will be used throughout the week. The back dining room, Eden, will be lush with plants and will be available by reservation. There will also be a lounge area, called the Elixir.
“The back dining room has a huge skylight and you can see trees through that,” she says, “and there will be a live wall back there.”
Local artists’ paintings will hang in the foyer, which will be bright and cheerful, and there will be a fresh juice and smoothie bar in that area.
“We believe in really healthy eating but we want everything to taste delicious so we’re going to go for as many fresh products as we can stick on our menu,” she says.
Pat McCabe says they opted for less freezer space in lieu of more refrigeration.
“We’re not going to be heavy users of things that come in frozen,” he says.
Hotel Hale is expected to welcome its first official visitors beginning in early 2019 following a soft opening, and though it isn’t the business the McCabes originally envisioned opening in downtown Hot Springs they are excited to see its transformation.
It all started in 2013 when McCabe was a city director.
“We get the sales tax numbers and things like that related to the city of Hot Springs and the hamburger tax – and they’re public numbers so it wasn’t like inside information or anything like that – and I came home one day and I told Ellen that if she wanted to get into business downtown she better start doing it now because – I used the term tsunami effect – I thought there was going to be a big swell of business coming because the economy was improving and I really thought it was going to hit Hot Springs in a very positive way, very significantly,” he says.
The only spaces available when they started looking were two bathhouses.
Ellen McCabe owned a restaurant many years ago and has a background in catering and kitchen and restaurant equipment sales, so her plan was to open something along those lines.
“The part that kind of convinced me on this building was when I walked back to the back, which I had never seen,” she says. “I had been in the front because it had had some conditional use things in there – but I walked back to the back and all the light was streaming into the room and I said, ‘This is where I want to have the Sunday brunch. It’s really beautiful back there.”


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More than 7 million Rwandans do their banking through their cellphones, but many of the agents who facilitate the banking transactions never declared their income to the country’s tax authority. Now the tax authority has started taking a 15-percent withholding tax from these agents’ incomes with the cellphone provider, plunging some of these agents into financial turmoil.
Following an outbreak of bird flu, many African nations have instituted bans on poultry products from neighboring countries. For months, poultry breeders and merchants have been losing revenue. South Africa, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Nigeria have all had confirmed but limited outbreaks of the disease.
A 1,150 percent tax increase on used clothing and shoes (known as “caguwa”), along with a total ban on the widespread trade that will take effect in 2019, are intended to promote local manufacturing and self-reliance. Those involved in secondhand sales say these actions will ruin their livelihoods, though the government promises solutions.
A 30-year-old entrepreneur has created a successful business in her home, with a small number of employees, and she hopes to expand. Local clothing makers are encouraged to increase production, since imported secondhand clothes will soon be banned.
A collective providing transport via industrial-sized wheelchairs offers a low-cost alternative for those trading goods between Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. Owned by its disabled workers, it unites Rwandans and Congolese in a shared business venture.


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Overall: The overall market sentiment continues to be dollar negative and has been since the week of April 20th However, the market continues to trade in response to major economic news and U.S. equity markets. News that suggests the overall global economy still has a way to go before reaching a bottom tends to send U.S. equities lower and strengthens the dollar during the U.S. session and positive news on the global economy has the reverse effect. Today, disappointing retail sales pushed equities lower and the dollar strengthened across the board as traders, once again, became less risk tolerant and fled to safety. We have seen this before and in recent times the moves in the majors have been retraced. There were other factors that affected dollar based currency pairs including the BOE inflation report and, to a lesser extent, euro-zone industrial production but the strong, dollar positive, moves came after the retail sales release. There are no ‘red flag’ economic releases during tonight’s Asian session or tomorrow’s European session, which means equity markets will probably hold the key to dollar movements overnight. The same scenario sets up for tomorrow as U.S. PPI and unemployment claims will be released. A miss to the downside could see the dollar strengthen again during tomorrow’s U.S. session.
U.S. retail sales unexpectedly dropped in April as unemployment continues to take its toll and consumers are reluctant to spend. Retail sales dropped 0.4%, less than the previous months read but worse than economists had expected. The core number came in at -0.5% also less of a drop from the prior month but worse than expected. U.S. business inventories dropped 1% in March, the seventh straight monthly drop. U.S. equity markets dropped significantly with the DOW posting losses of approximately 185 points and the S&P losing more than 24 points and closing below the 900 level.
The Euro (Eur/Usd) The euro lost ground on Wednesday, giving back Tuesday’s gains, as the dollar strengthened in the broad market. The pair lost approximately 70 pips, closing below the 1.3600 level. Movement in the pair has been contained this week as the pair has been unable to close above 1.3650 or below 1.3570. Industrial production in the euro-zone fell in March by 2.0%, more than what economists’ expected. On an annual basis, industrial production is down 20.2%, the largest annual drop on record.
The Pound (Gbp/Usd) The pound was dealt a double blow on Wednesday, a negative BOE inflation report which weakened the U.K. currency and worse than expected U.S. retail sales which strengthened the dollar as traders headed for safer assets. The pair lost approximately 130 pips on the day after trading in a wide 245 pip range. Today’s movement erased almost all of yesterday’s gains and resulted in the pair closing below 1.5150. The Bank of England noted that there has been a strong deterioration in the outlook for the domestic economy but noted that some signs of improvement have been seen recently.
The Aussie (Aud/Usd) As would be expected, lower overall commodity prices and slumping U.S. equity markets led to the Australian dollar weakening on Wednesday. The aussie dropped 140 pips as worse than expected U.S. retail sales forced traders to become cautious and exit positions in the higher yielding Australian dollar. The pair is now negative for the week and closed the day testing the 0.7500 level as support. There were no Australian economic releases last night and none are scheduled for tonight.
The Cad (Usd/Cad) The dollar strengthened against its Canadian counterpart on Wednesday as economic releases indicated that the global recession may not have found a bottom, pushing equity markets lower and forcing traders to move back to the relative safety of the dollar. The pair gained 150 pips on the day and closed Wednesday’s trade above the 1.1750 level and heading closer to the 200 day simple moving average
The Swissy (Usd/Chf) At the end of the day the swissy closed very close to where it began the day. The pair closed the day higher by less than 20 pips after trading in a range of approximately 120 pips. There were no economic releases from Switzerland today but tomorrow morning will see Swiss PPI numbers revealed. SNB board member Jordan will speak in the morning and lately comments from SNB members about intervening in the currency markets has moved the Swiss franc.
The Yen (Usd/Jpy) For the fourth day in a row the Japanese yen has strengthened against the dollar as U.S. equity markets continued their skid. The pair dropped another 110 pips on Wednesday, closing below the 95.50 level and testing the 100 day simple moving average as support. There are no economic releases from Japan scheduled during tonight’s Asian session so Asian equity markets, and whether they follow on from today’s U.S. session or reverse, will likely influence the pair overnight.


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We’re now bringing you Consumer Protection information and news and wanted to let you know the status of a newly pending federal agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Agency or the CFPA.
What will the Consumer Financial Protection Agency do?
As part of President Obama’s plan to overhaul the loan and credit industries, one role of the Consumer Financial Protection Agency will be to write many new rules aimed at protecting consumers in the areas of loans and credit.
President Obama has said of the agency, “The Consumer Financial Protection Agency will prevent predatory lending practices and other abuses and will ensure that consumers get clear information they can understand about financial products like credit cards and mortgages.”
Arguments for the new agency say that it is desperately needed as banking regulators have not fairly protected consumers. On the other side, some argue that such an agency would increase the government’s reach and limit consumers input while strangling businesses.
“It’s not about protecting consumers; it’s about a new government bureaucracy making decisions for us,” said Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama on the House Financial Services Committee.
The House Financial Services Committee voted 39 to 29 in favor of the agency. The agency was not favored by Republicans and was lobbied against by banks and businesses. The votes fell closely along party lines but Democrats Walt Minnick (Idaho) and Travis W. Childers (Mississippi) voted against the bill and Republican Michael N. Castle (Delaware) was the lone Republican who supported the measure. The bill survived the first cut but not without some excisions.
The Highlights of the legislation approved to create a Consumer Financial Protection Agency:
-The Consumer Protection Agency would oversee common financial products like mortgages, credit cards, payday loans and savings account terms.
– The agency would also be in charge of implementing a law passed earlier this year by Congress that protects consumers from sudden interest rate increases on unpaid credit card balances.
-The agency would be able to ban products and practices determined to be “unfair, deceptive or abusive.”
– Only banks with more than $10 billion in assets would fall under the management of the Consumer Protection Agency. Most banks and credit unions would remain under the monitor of regulators.
-Retailers are exempt but the financial institutions that offer a store-brand credit card or the institution that provides financing for those such as auto dealers would still be subject to new agency rules.
-New powers will be granted to state attorneys general to write tougher rules within their state and offer increased enforcement.
What didn’t make the cut in the bill?
President Obama’s administration wanted a mandate that banks offer what has been referred to as “plain vanilla” products, such as a 30 year fixed mortgage.
Another proposal that was cut was a line referring to reasonable steps to ensure that customers understand what they are buying. Democrats argued that this was simply too difficult to enforce.
We’d love to hear from you. In light of the recent banking scandals, are you in favor of an overseeing agency such as the Consumer Financial Protection Agency? Does anything impress you that you’ve heard so far? On the other hand, does anything about this new agency scare you?


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The Walt Disney Company has named a new executive to head up its metaverse division, and his first order of business is to decipher exactly what the heck the “metaverse” is.
Disney has named one of its executives, Mike White, to lead the entertainment giant’s metaverse strategy. White, who has been with The Walt Disney Company for more than a decade, will be the chief of a team of senior Disney leaders, and he will also lead a team of Disney staff who specifically possess skills in technology, strategy, and storytelling. His role will be that of Senior Vice President of Next Generation Storytelling and Consumer Experiences.
Disney first announced its intent to throw its hat into the metaverse ring in November 2021, and almost immediately, the company also announced it was seeking someone to fill a role within the company that would be tasked with overseeing Disney’s metaverse.
In a recent memo to Disney’s staff, CEO Bob Chapek said that the metaverse is “the next great storytelling frontier” that Disney wants to explore. Chapek described the metaverse as a “perfect place to pursue our strategic pillars of storytelling excellence, innovation, and audience focus.” Global tech giants like Microsoft and Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta have already poured billions of dollars into the idea, and Disney has wasted no time exploring the possibilities within the metaverse.
“Teams across the company are exploring this new canvas,” Disney CEO Chapek said, “and I have been blown away by what I’ve seen.”
Part of the new metaverse exec’s responsibilities will include building partnerships, allocating the necessary resources, and encouraging the sharing of information and knowledge across the metaverse. That’s in addition to figuring out exactly what the metaverse is, what Disney’s version of it will be, and how the heck to come up with a viable definition for the metaverse so he can memorize it and repeat it to the myriads of people who will no doubt ask, “What’s the metaverse?”
According to BBC, a metaverse is “an online world where people can game, work, and communicate in a virtual environment, often using virtual reality headsets.” In laymen’s terms, the metaverse is a space in which a combination of technologies, like augmented reality, virtual reality, etc., are used to live, work, interact, socialize, etc., in a digital form. Some hail the metaverse as the internet 2.0.
Disney sees the metaverse as the next step in its “100-year-old storytelling tradition.”
“Today, we have an opportunity to connect those universes,” Chapek explained in his memo, “and create an entirely new paradigm for how audiences experience and engage with our stories.”


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Nintendo Co., Ltd. (OTCMKTS:NTDOY – Get Rating)’s stock is going to split on the morning of Tuesday, October 4th. The 4-1 split was announced on Tuesday, October 4th. The newly minted shares will be payable to shareholders after the closing bell on Tuesday, October 4th.
Nintendo Stock Performance
Shares of NTDOY opened at $53.33 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $53.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $56.98. Nintendo has a 52-week low of $49.76 and a 52-week high of $68.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.64 and a beta of 0.56.
Nintendo (OTCMKTS:NTDOY – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 3rd. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.26. Nintendo had a return on equity of 25.41% and a net margin of 29.77%. The firm had revenue of $2.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.23 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that Nintendo will post 3.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research firms have weighed in on NTDOY. CLSA reaffirmed a “sell” rating on shares of Nintendo in a report on Tuesday, May 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Nintendo in a research report on Wednesday, September 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $272.35.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nintendo
A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Gagnon Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Nintendo by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Gagnon Securities LLC now owns 15,966 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,014,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Nintendo by 57.0% in the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 92,512 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,820,000 after purchasing an additional 33,590 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Nintendo by 1.4% in the first quarter. Renaissance Group LLC now owns 133,772 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,416,000 after purchasing an additional 1,870 shares during the last quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN purchased a new position in shares of Nintendo in the second quarter worth $244,000. Finally, Farmer Steven Patrick purchased a new position in shares of Nintendo in the second quarter worth $546,000. 0.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Nintendo Company Profile
Nintendo Co, Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and sells home entertainment products in Japan, the Americas, Europe, and internationally. It offers video game platforms, playing cards, Karuta, and other products; and handheld and home console hardware systems and related software.
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01/07/2022 – Trade fairs
Intex South Asia – Bangladesh Edition concludes with success
Reviving and revitalizing face-to-face business meetings through the physical format, the 9th Intex South Asia – Bangladesh Edition concluded on a positive note in Dhaka.
Intex South Asia, the international textiles sourcing show for fibers, yarns, fabrics, trims and more for the apparel industry, was held from 16–18 June 2022, at the International Convention City Bashundhara, Dhaka.
Today, Bangladesh is considered a trusted sourcing partner across the world due to its perseverance in maintaining supplies even during difficult times. With the increase in purchase orders in 2021, many entrepreneurs have made new investments to cope with the rise in demand by increasing factory capacity. These capacity building measures have in turn, seen an increase in demand for raw materials and Intex South Asia – through its international sourcing platform – aims to fulfil these industry demands.
Biggest Indian participation ever
The show saw the participation of more than 120 companies from India, Bangladesh, Korea, China, Thailand, Singapore, UAE, Italy, USA etc., who showcased their latest offerings for the Bangladesh textile and apparel industry. Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms (ARISE IIP) was Africa Investment Partner and MGH Singapore was the Supply Chain, Logistics & Express partner of Intex South Asia Bangladesh.
Keeping in mind Bangladesh’s huge demand for innovative and trendy textiles, country pavilions from India, Bangladesh, China, Korea and Thailand were formed at the show. This year, the India Pavilion saw the biggest ever participation in Bangladesh. More than 75 Indian companies joined the exhibition to showcase their latest collections of Cotton and MMF textiles (fibers, yarns and fabrics) for export as well as domestic markets and connected with potential buyers from Bangladesh and other international markets that visited this show over 3 days.
The hybrid textile showcase from China, Thailand and Korea received good response from the visitors where buyers previewed the innovative and trendy textiles and made enquiries for their interested products as well as showed interest to organise B2B meetings after the show. In all 329 enquiries were generated at the show.
Seminars and workshops with South Asian experts
During the course of the expo, Intex South Asia once again presented the globally renowned Interactive Business Forum Seminar Series (IBF), hosting trailblazing industry seminars and workshops by global industry experts on India-Bangladesh business ties, green manufacturing, textile business and investment opportunities in Africa, latest digital technology to support RMG industry and logistics and supply chain with industry leaders and experts from the textile and apparel industry of South Asia.


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A Chinese blog is making two of the sketchiest iPhone 8-related claims yet. First, it says that Apple will be releasing not one but two iPhone 8 models. Second, it suggests that there will be no iPhone 7s.
MicGadget cites unspecified Foxconn sources for its dubious report.
Rumors say that Apple will be released two iPhone 7S and one iPhone 8 (or iPhone Edition) models. Today we can tell you , that it’s not true. In this fall we can see only two models with new technology. Very interesting that rumors leaked new iPhone 8 and big iPhone 8 Plus will have similar dual cameras. If it will be true, we can make via small iPhone 8 cool photos like on iPhone 8 Plus.
The ‘evidence’ it presents for this is ‘leaked information that Foxconn will begin to receive the first deliveries of the material for packing the goods in the last week of the June.’ Not the packaging, but a report that the packaging will be on its way later.
Despite claiming that the packaging reveals the names of the phones, and thus reveals Apple’s plans, the site continues to refer to the new device as the ‘iPhone 8 (or iPhone Edition).’
The report, via MacRumors, contradicts what is widely expected: a single, expensive iPhone 8 with OLED screen and near-bezel-free design, alongside two iPhone 7s models. A KGI report yesterday suggested that the launch of the flagship new model may be delayed until October or November, a move that would likely bother analysts and investors more than consumers.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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Water-activated eyeliner, lip stain kits, crystal-infused eye shadow and zero-waste packaging are among the many key choices propelling 2022’s prime up-and-coming make-up manufacturers.
Per information from Spate, which sourced the fastest-growing manufacturers with common U.S. month-to-month search volumes of lower than 10,000 searches, TikTok virality has performed a big position in fueling the latest surges these manufacturers have endured.
Courtney Shields’ Dibs Beauty tops the listing when it comes to development due to its hero Status Stick, a shimmering physique highlighter that has been having a second on social media this summer season, driving common month-to-month searches for the model to 2,470, a 4,845.4 % year-over-year improve.
Ok-Beauty model The Saem has additionally made a splash, largely as a result of its hero cream concealer, reaching 1,030 common month-to-month searches, whereas New-York-based Too Cool for School, which harnesses Ok-beauty influences in its substances and packaging, has risen to roughly 2,590 month-to-month searches.
“Korean magnificence has had such a huge impact on the skincare class, and now we’re beginning to see that within the make-up class, as properly,” stated Yarden Horwitz, cofounder of Spate.
Here, the highest up-and-coming make-up manufacturers, primarily based on year-over-year development when it comes to U.S. month-to-month search quantity.
Dibs Beauty: 4,845.4%
Āthr Beauty: 994%
Too Cool for School: 124.1%
Glisten Cosmetics: 120.3%


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For now, those living along the line of the Keystone XL pipeline can breathe a sigh of relief. After passing in the House, a vote on the TransCanada sponsored project came to the Senate for the first time this year where Democrats defeated the bill by one vote. Unwilling to accept the bill’s demise, Republicans say that they plan to propose the legislation again once they have control of Congress. While President Obama has voiced his stance against the pipeline, some experts speculate that he may approve the bill in exchange for cooperation from the GOP majority Congress in 2015.
As more veterans make their way from the battlefield to the farm fields, the USDA is taking notice and taking action. This week, the USDA announced a new position, the Military Agriculture Liaison, an individual who will coordinate leadership and provide information, resources and support for active military and veterans interested in either returning to or starting a career in agriculture. For many veterans, returning to civilian life poses a daunting challenge and a life in agriculture can become a therapeutic transition. The new position, created with funding from the 2014 Farm Bill, comes in addition to funding for housing, job training and financial assistance the USDA has provided for veterans in past years.
In Russia, necessity for food could steer the world’s largest country into the locavore movement. Three months into Putin’s yearlong western food import ban, lack of competition has brought consumers to organic and local food sources. For the first time, shoppers are taking notice of where their food comes from and find themselves willing to pay a higher price tag for homegrown goods. Still, local food sources cannot support the entire nation. Russia has taken major agriculture hits throughout its stormy 20th century history and local operations are few in number. Many hope that this transition to buying locally will inspire more to take on farming and encourage citizens to support Russian agriculture even after Putin’s sanctions expire.
As technology becomes more prevalent on the farm, big data becomes another issue to tackle. Tractors and combines record data and upload it to the cloud, but what happens next? The amount of fertilizer used, type of soil and yield can all be found here, and farmers worry about leaks of that data. Top agriculture companies, including Monsanto and John Deere, have moved into the information businesses and extended their hand in an offer to collect, store and analyze data, but some are skeptical about the roles these groups will play. While many initially worried about exploitation, for now big businesses and farmers have come to an agreement: farmers have full ownership of their data and can determine who uses it and prevent unwanted sharing.
You might be having a bad week, but for Syngenta, it’s been a rough year and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM), the world’s largest corn processor, has filed a lawsuit against the manufacturing company for the irresponsible practice of selling genetically modified corn seeds that China has banned. The farmers who bought and planted the corn then had their export crops refused by China. ADM isn’t the first company to fire back at Syngenta – more than 100 farmers and exporters have already sought damages from the Swiss company. China has rejected over 1 million tons of imported foods in the past year, resulting in an estimated loss of $1 billion for U.S. farmers.


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While most people look at trends in the United States as a guide to what will happen in the future, a report from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), Australia’s answer to the Federal Reserve, gives us a good indication of where the global economy is headed.
In its one of its recent annual reports, the RBA’s Payment Systems Board looks at how consumers in Australia pay for retail items. They also track the frequency with which consumers withdraw cash from ATMs. All of this is done to “promote the efficiency of the payments system and promote competition in the market for payment services, consistent with the overall stability of the financial system.“.
Let’s start by looking at the RBA’s statistics for the change in the number and value of ATM cash withdrawals, a key metric of how much cash is used in Australian society since ATMs are the primary method by which individuals obtain cash:
1.) consumers’ adoption of new technologies including contactless card payments.
2.) growth in online commerce.
Cash payments continue to be used but are mainly utilized in low-value transactions although that is changing as well.
On the other hand, Australian consumers have become quite fond of using debit cards as we can see on this table:
The average annual growth rate in the use of debit cards between 2009/2010 and 2014/2015 is 13.7 percent compared to only 5.2 percent for credit cards. BPAY is an electronic bill payment system that is owned by the four major Australia retail banks. It allows consumers to make bill payments through a financial institution’s online, mobile or telephone banking system. BPAY payments have risen by an average of 5.9 percent annually over the same time period.
In 2014/2015, an average Australian made around 400 non-cash transactions per person with card payments accounting for nearly two-thirds of those payments as shown on this graph:
It is interesting to see that the average transaction value for both credit and debit cards has continued to fall as shown on this graph:
The RBA is even so kind as to provide us with a summary of per capita non-cash payments for other countries for the year 2013 as you will see in this table:
Here is a graph showing how the percentage of non-cash payments has skyrocketed since 1997:
In 2013, nearly 60 percent of all non-cash payments in the nations that make up the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI) were made using either debit or credit cards.
Lest the banking system try to fool us into thinking that debit and credit cards are safer for them and us, here’s a graph showing how the losses associated with fraudulent use of credit cards in Australia has mushroomed since 2006:
In 2013, Australian debit, credit and charge cards wound up with total fraud losses of $421 million, up 30 percent from $322 million in 2013. The increase in card fraud was driven by a 61 percent increase in losses associated with Australian cards being used to make fraudulent purchases overseas in a “card-not-present” transaction (i.e. where a card is used online, by telephone or by mail). For those of us that have suffered fraudulent use of one of our cards, we can attest to the pain that is created when a card has to be cancelled and reissued.
Recent research by Australia’s Westpac Bank shows that 79 percent of Australian smartphone users agree that making payments by a smartphone will soon become the norm. Those who use their smartphones for payments also believe that Australia will be cash-free by 2022. Westpac has gone so far as to invest in a smartphone app called “HeyYou” which allows Westpac customers to preorder takeaway food and coffee directly from their Westpac app without having their wallet. This saves frustrated consumers thousands upon thousands of hours spent every year waiting for food and drink to be served (sarcasm noted). Westpac notes that:
“As well as making the customer’s life easier, Hey You helps cafe owners run more efficient businesses. The Hey You app allows cafes to process more orders by removing cash and reducing the time and cost to serve each customer.” (my bold)
Not to mention increased transaction fees charged by the bank! You’ll even note that Westpac is offering a $5 credit for customers that order through their app:
With the United States being among the highest per capita users of cashless transactions, it looks like our future has been determined. All we need now is for the Federal Reserve and the federal government to sell the benefits of a cashless society to American consumers, particularly to those that still insist on using checks as a payment method.
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