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Counterfeit consumer goods
Counterfeit consumer goods (knock-offs in colloquial language) are by legal definition goods infringing the rights of a trade mark holder by displaying a trade mark which is either identical to a protected trade mark or by using an identification mark which "cannot be distinguished in its essential aspects from such trade mark, and which thereby infringes the rights of the holder of the trade mark."
At a practical level, counterfeit goods are typically of inferior quality, not subject to corporate quality control or government safety standards. While these may include nothing worse than shoddy Lululemon or Nike knockoffs, in many cases, fake consumer goods have proven to be unsafe, if not outright deadly. The counterfeit market has expanded into areas in which a reasonable person would most expect to be able to rely on some standard of quality. Counterfeit cancer drugs, HIV medications, antimalarial drugs, vehicle airbags, baby formula, cosmetics, consumer electronics and food products  have all resulted in fatalities in recent years. Both sponsored and independent news aggregators monitor ongoing developments in counterfeit consumer goods.
The range of counterfeited consumer goods is immense. Besides numerous small items such as watches, purses, cigarettes, movies and software, larger items such as cars and motorcycles are also being knocked off, including Porsches and Ferraris. There is a rapidly growing trade in counterfeit computer parts, with some fakes discovered inadvertently in use by NASA, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army, which alone estimates that the growth in counterfeit electronics has more than doubled between 2005 and 2008. There are several causes for this increase, including that more of the world's manufacturing is being transferred to developing nations, the growth in Internet e-commerce sales, and the fact that consumers hit by the recession will seek out lower-cost items.
The spread of counterfeit goods has become global in recent years. According to the Counterfeiting Intelligence Bureau (CIB) of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), counterfeit goods make up 5 to 7% of world trade. A report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) states that up to $200 billion of international trade could have been for counterfeit and pirated goods in 2005, and around $250 billion in 2007. Other estimates conclude that a more accurate figure is closer to $600 billion lost, since the OECD estimates do not include online sales or goods counterfeited and sold within the same country.
Revenues from the counterfeit market feed back into a variety of criminal and terrorist organizations. Illicit cigarettes are a vivid example of the multi-pronged threat of counterfeiting, providing hundreds of millions of dollars per year to entities such as Hamas, Hezbollah, al-Qaida, Islamic Jihad and the PKK, counterfeit cigarettes cost taxpayers in every nation billions in lost revenues while foisting on an unsuspecting public a product found to contain things like human excrement, asbestos and dead flies. The harm arising from this amalgam of contaminants sits on top of any baseline hazard ascribed to commercial tobacco products.
The United States faces the most economic impact, being the world's largest consumer nation. Underwriters Laboratories (UL) confirms that counterfeiting is "a thriving multi-billion dollar global industry," where the risks of legal consequences are low. In addition, counterfeiting profits fund other organized criminal activities. In 2007, it estimated 750,000 jobs had been lost in the U.S. alone due to counterfeiting. The value of counterfeit goods seized at U.S. borders jumped 40% in one year, from 2007 to 2008, while Europe seized over 50% more during that same year.
Counterfeiters use the reputation of a trademark, which brand manufacturers have built up on the basis of the quality of their products, to fool consumers about the true origin and quality of the goods.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder stated that "intellectual property crimes are not victimless. The theft of ideas and the sale of counterfeit goods threaten economic opportunities and financial stability, suppress innovation and destroy jobs.” Director John Morton of the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) adds that "the sale of counterfeit U.S. brands on the Internet steals the creative work of others, costs our economy jobs and revenue and can threaten the health and safety of American consumers. . . we are dedicated to protecting the jobs, the income and the tax revenue that disappear when counterfeit goods are trafficked.” According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, for every $1 invested in fighting against counterfeits, the country gains $5 in extra tax revenue. Counterfeited spareparts (speaking for example of forged brake linings or safety valves) endanger road transport and general aviation as well as the associated industries. Counterfeit products are often produced in violation of basic human rights and child labor laws. As widely reported the profits support terrorist groups, drug cartels, people smugglers and street gangs. Crackdown on counterfeit goods is thus not only a matter of job security for various countries, but one of national and international security.
- 1 Types
- 2 Enforcement
- 3 Anti-counterfeiting packaging
- 4 Counterfeit products
- 5 See also
- 6 Further reading
- 7 References
- 8 External links
According to the OECD, counterfeit products encompass all products made to closely imitate the appearance of the product of another as to mislead consumers. Those can include the unauthorised production and distribution of products that are protected by intellectual property rights, such as copyright, trade marks and trade names. In many cases, different types of those infringements can often overlap: Music piracy mostly infringes copyright as well as trade marks; fake toys infringe design protection. The term "counterfeiting" therefore addresses piracy and related issues, such as copying of packaging, labelling, or any other significant features of the goods.
Among the leading industries that have been seriously affected by counterfeiting are software, music recordings, motion pictures, luxury goods and fashion clothes, sportswear, perfumes, toys, aircraft components, spare parts and car accessories, and pharmaceuticals.
Apparel and accessories
Counterfeit clothes, shoes, jewelry and handbags from designer brands are made in varying quality; sometimes the intent is only to fool the gullible buyer who only looks at the label and does not know what the real thing looks like, while others put some serious effort into mimicking fashion details. Others realize that most consumers do not care if the goods they buy are counterfeit and just wish to purchase inexpensive products. The popularity of designer jeans in 1978, spurred a flood of knockoffs. Factories that manufacture counterfeit designer brand garments and watches are usually located in developing countries. International tourists visiting Beijing, China, will find a wide selection of counterfeit designer brand garments at the infamous Silk Street. Expensive watches are vulnerable to counterfeiting. In Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, authentic looking but poor quality watch fakes with self-winding mechanisms and fully working movements can sell for as little as US $20 to good quality ones that sell for $100 and over. Also some fakes' movements and materials are of remarkably passable quality – albeit inconsistently so – and may look good and work well for some years, a possible consequence of increasing competition within the counterfeiting community. Thailand has opened a Museum of Counterfeit Goods displaying over 4,000 different items, in 14 different categories, which violate trademarks, patents, or copyrights.
In China, counterfeit high-end wines are a growing beverage industry segment, where fakes are sold to Chinese consumers. Knock-off artists refill empty bottles from famous chateaux with inferior vintages. According to one source, "Upwardly mobile Chinese, eager to display their wealth and sophistication, have since developed a taste for imported wine along with other foreign luxuries." In China, wine consumption more than doubled since 2005, making China the seventh-largest market in the world. The methods used to dupe innocent consumers includes photocopying labels, creating different and phony chateaux names on the capsule and the label. Sometimes authentic bottles are used but another wine is added by using a syringe. The problem is so widespread in China, the U.S. and Europe, that auction house Christie's has begun smashing empty bottles with a hammer to prevent them from entering the black market. During one sale in 2008, a French vintner was "shocked to discover that '106 bottles out of 107' were fakes." According to one source, counterfeit French wines sold locally and abroad "could take on a much more serious amplitude in Asia because the market is developing at a dazzling speed." Vintners are either unable or hesitant to fight such counterfeiters: "There are no funds. Each lawsuit costs 500,000 euros," states one French vintner. In addition, some vintners, like product and food manufacturers, prefer to avoid any publicity regarding fakes to avoid injuring their brand names. Counterfeit wine is also found in the West; it is primarily a problem for collectors of rare wine, especially of pre-WWII French wines, as producers kept spotty records at the time. Famous examples of counterfeiting include the case of Hardy Rodenstock, who was involved with the so-called "Jefferson bottles," and Rudy Kurniawan, who was indicted in March 2012 for attempting to sell faked bottles of La Tâche from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Clos St. Denis from Domaine Ponsot. In both cases, the victims of the fraud were high-end wine collectors, including Bill Koch, who sued both Rodenstock and Kurniawan over fake wines sold both at auction and privately.
Compact Discs, videotapes and DVDs, computer software and other media that are easily copied can be counterfeited and sold through vendors at street markets, night markets, mail order, and numerous Internet sources, including open auction sites like eBay. In some cases where the counterfeit media has packaging good enough to be mistaken for the genuine product, it is sometimes sold as such. Music enthusiasts may use the term "bootleg recording" to differentiate otherwise unavailable recordings from counterfeited copies of commercially released material. In August 2011, it was reported that at least 22 fake Apple computer stores were operating in parts of China, despite others having been shut down in the past by authorities at other locations. The following month, also in China, it was discovered that the popular mobile game Angry Birds, had been re-created into a theme park without permission from its Finnish copyright or trade mark owners.
According to the U.S. FBI, the counterfeiting of pharmaceuticals accounts for an estimated $600 billion in global trade, and may be the "crime of the 21st century." They add that it "poses significant adverse health and economic consequences for individuals and corporations alike." The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over 30% of pharmaceuticals in developing countries are fake, stating that "Anyone, anywhere in the world, can come across medicines seemingly packaged in the right way but which do not contain the correct ingredients and, in the worst-case scenario, may be filled with highly toxic substances.” The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) describes counterfeit drugs as those sold under a product name without proper authorization:
- "Counterfeiting can apply to both brand name and generic products, where the identity of the source is mislabeled in a way that suggests that it is the authentic approved product. Counterfeit products may include products without the active ingredient, with an insufficient or excessive quantity of the active ingredient, with the wrong active ingredient, or with fake packaging."
Experts estimate that counterfeit medications kill at least 700,000 people a year, mostly in undeveloped countries. According to The Economist, between 15%-30% of antibiotic drugs in Africa and South-East Asia are fake. The UN estimates that roughly half of the antimalarial drugs sold in Africa—worth some $438m a year—are counterfeits. Pfizer Pharmaceuticals has found fake versions of at least 20 of its products, such as Viagra and Lipitor, in the legitimate supply chains of at least 44 countries. Pfizer also found that nearly 20% of Europeans had obtained medicines through illicit channels, amounting to $12.8 billion in sales. Other experts estimate the global market for fake medications could be worth between $75 billion and $200 billion a year, as of 2010. Other counterfeit prescription drugs that have been found in the "legitimate" supply chain are Plavix, used to treat blood clots, Zyprexa for schizophrenia, Casodex, used to treat prostate cancer, Tamiflu, used to treat influenza, including Swine flu, and Aricept, used to treat Alzheimers. The EU reported that as of 2005 India was by far the biggest supplier of fake drugs," accounting for 75 per cent of the global cases of counterfeit medicine. Another 7% came from Egypt and 6% from China. Those involved in their production and distribution include medical professionals such as pharmacists and physicians, organized crime syndicates, rogue pharmaceutical companies, corrupt local and national officials and terrorist organizations. The Philippine Department of Health has found that 10% of drugs sold in their country were counterfeit. In 2005, counterfeit pharmaceuticals affected less than one percent in developed countries, such as the U.S. , Australia, and countries within the EU, with the problem growing due to increased global sourcing and manufacturing. A study by the OECD concluded that "a worrisome trend is that counterfeits are increasingly being detected as having entered the supply chain of some of the most regulated jurisdictions," noting an example of one source reporting a 27% increase in number of incident over one year." According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2006 developing countries had a counterfeit prevalence of 10-30 per cent or higher.
Food fraud, "the intentional adulteration of food with cheaper ingredients for economic gain," is a well-documented crime that has existed in the U.S. and Europe for many decades. It has only received most attention in recent years as the fear of bioterrorism has increased. Numerous cases of intentional food fraud have been discovered over the last few years:
- In 2008, U.S. consumers were "panicked" and a "media firestorm" ensued when Chinese milk was discovered to have been adulterated with the chemical melamine, to make milk appear to have a higher protein content. It caused 900 infants to be hospitalized with six deaths.[dead link]
- In 2007, the University of North Carolina found that 77 percent of fish labeled as red snapper was actually tilapia, a common and less flavorful species. The Chicago Sun-Times tested fish at 17 sushi restaurants found that fish being sold as red snapper actually was mostly tilapia. Other inspections uncovered catfish being sold as grouper, which normally sells for nearly twice as much as catfish.[dead link] Fish is the most frequently faked food Americans buy, which includes "...selling a cheaper fish, such as pen-raised Atlantic salmon, as wild Alaska salmon." In one test, Consumer Reports found that less than half of supposedly "wild-caught" salmon sold in 2005-2006 were actually wild, and the rest were farmed.
- French cognac was discovered to have been adulterated with brandy, and their honey was mixed with cheaper sugars, such as high-fructose corn syrup.[dead link]
- In 2008, U.S. food safety officers seized more than 10,000 cases of counterfeit extra virgin olive oil, worth more than $700,000, from warehouses in New York and New Jersey. Olive oil is considered one of the most frequently counterfeited food products, according to the FDA, with one study finding that a lot of products labeled as "extra-virgin olive oil" actually contained up to 90% soybean oil.
However, in the U.S., where the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the primary regulatory body for food safety and enforcement, they admit that the "sheer magnitude of the potential crime" makes prevention difficult, along with the fact that food safety is not treated as a high priority. They note that with more than 300 ports of entry through which 13 percent of America's food supply passes, the FDA is only able to inspect about 2 percent of that food. "[dead link]
Food counterfeiting and piracy is a serious threat in Europe, especially for countries with a high number of trademark products such as Italy. In 2005, EU customs seized more than 75 million counterfeited and pirated goods, including foods, medicines and other goods, partly due to internet sales. More than 5 million counterfeit food-related items, including drinks and alcohol products were seized. According to the EU's taxation and customs commissioner, "A secret wave of dangerous fakes is threatening the people in Europe."
British undercover detectives have found that counterfeited cigarettes frequently contain human excrement, asbestos, mold and dead flies. With the sales of illicit cigarettes in Turkey exceeding 16.2 billion cigarettes per year, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan labeled counterfeit tobacco as "more dangerous than terrorism".
There has been at least one instance of an entire fake parallel manufacturing / distributing / retail system. NEC, a large Japanese electronics company, was apparently copied and sold throughout South East Asia. A persistent customer, dissatisfied by the fake NEC's warranty service, complained to the real NEC headquarters in Japan, who thereupon found that they were manufacturing and distributing products they had never heard of.
In China, an underground factory disguised as a prison which produced counterfeit cigarettes was uncovered by police in Sichuan.
According to a U.S. Senate committee report in 2012 and reported by ABC News, "counterfeit electronic parts from China are 'flooding' into critical U.S. military systems, including special operations helicopters and surveillance planes, and are putting the nation's troops at risk." The report notes that Chinese companies take discarded electronic parts from other nations, remove any identifying marks, wash and refurbish them, and then resell them as brand-new – "a practice that poses a significant risk to the performance of U.S. military systems.
On November 29, 2010, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security seized and shut down 82 websites as part of a U.S. crackdown of websites that sell counterfeit goods, and was timed to coincide with "Cyber Monday," the start of the holiday online shopping season. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that "by seizing these domain names, we have disrupted the sale of thousands of counterfeit items, while also cutting off funds to those willing to exploit the ingenuity of others for their own personal gain.” Members of Congress proposed a PROTECT IP Act to block access to foreign Web sites offering countefeit goods. Some U.S. politicians are proposing to fine those who buy counterfeit goods, such as those sold in New York's Canal Street market. In Europe, France has already created stiff sentences for sellers or buyers, with punishments up to 3 years in prison and a $300,000 fine. Also in Europe, non-profit organizations such as the European Anti-Counterfeiting Network, fight the global trade in counterfeit goods. During a counterfeit bust in New York in 2007, federal police seized $200 million in fake designer clothing, shoes, and accessories from one of the largest-ever counterfeit smuggling rings. Labels seized included Chanel, Nike, Burberry, Polo, Ralph Lauren and Baby Phat. Counterfeit goods are a "...major plague for fashion and luxury brands," and numerous companies have made legal efforts to block the sale of counterfeits from China. Many of the goods are sold to retail outlets in Brooklyn and Queens.
For trade mark owners wishing to identify and prevent the importation of counterfeit goods, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency supports a supplemental registration of trade marks through their Intellectual Property Rights e-Recordation program. These registrations may be supported by brand manuals prepared by, or on behalf of, brand owners to facilitate the identification of counterfeit goods, including use as evidence by trade mark owners as evidence in obtaining court orders for the seizure of infringing merchandise.
From 2010 – 2012, the international organization Oceana had studied more than 1,200 samples of seafood from various retailers nationwide. Their investigations showed that 33 percent of these samples were mislabeled. With a rate of 87 percent, snapper had been the most frequently mislabeled fish type – followed by tuna with 57 percent. Another type of seafood fraud is the so-called short weighting. The weight of a fish is manipulated through overglazing (excessive ice) or soaking (using additives).
Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)
In October 2011, a bill was introduced entitled Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). If the bill had been passed, it would have expanded the ability of U.S. law enforcement and copyright holders to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods. The bill would have allowed the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as copyright holders, to seek court orders against websites accused of enabling or facilitating copyright infringement. Opponents of the bill stated that it could have crippled the internet through selective censorship and limiting free speech. In regards to the bill, the Obama administration stressed that "the important task of protecting intellectual property online must not threaten an open and innovative internet." The legislation was later withdrawn by its author, Rep. Lamar Smith."
On October 1, 2011, the governments of eight nations including Japan and the United States signed the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), which is designed to help protect intellectual property rights, especially costly copyright and trade mark theft. The signing took place a year after diligent negotiations among 11 governments: Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland and the United States. The EU, Mexico and Switzerland have not yet signed the agreement. Neither did China, a notoriously prolific producer of faked goods. Due to the latter, critics evaluated the agreement as insubstantial. In China counterfeiting is so deeply rooted that crackdowns on shops selling counterfeit cause public protests during which the authorities are derided as "bourgeois puppets of foreigners." Countries like Nigeria fight brand piracy on a national level but the penalties are dwarfed by the earnings outlook for counterfeiters: "As grievous as this crime is, which is even worse than armed robbery, the penalty is like a slap on the palm, the most ridiculous of which is a fine of 50,000 naira ($307). Any offender would gladly pay this fine and return to business the next day."
Internet Shopping Sites
Major internet shopping sites, such as Amazon.com, ebay.com, and Alibaba.com, provide complaint pages where listings of counterfeit goods can be reported. The reporter must show that it owns the intellectual property (e.g. trademark, patent, copyright) being presented on the counterfeit listings. The shopping site will then do an internal investigation and if it agrees, it will take the counterfeit listing down.
Packaging can be engineered to help reduce the risks of package pilferage or the theft and resale of products: Some package constructions are more resistant to pilferage and some have pilfer indicating seals. Counterfeit consumer goods, unauthorized sales (diversion), material substitution and tampering can all be reduced with these anti-counterfeiting technologies. Packages may include authentication seals and use security printing to help indicate that the package and contents are not counterfeit; these too are subject to counterfeiting. Packages also can include anti-theft devices, such as dye-packs, RFID tags, or electronic article surveillance tags that can be activated or detected by devices at exit points and require specialized tools to deactivate. Anti-counterfeiting technologies that can be used with packaging include:
- Taggant fingerprinting - uniquely coded microscopic materials that are verified from a database
- Encrypted micro-particles - unpredictably placed markings (numbers, layers and colors) not visible to the human eye
- Holograms - graphics printed on seals, patches, foils or labels and used at point of sale for visual verification
- Micro-printing - second line authentication often used on currencies
- Serialized barcodes
- UV printing - marks only visible under UV light
- Track and trace systems - use codes to link products to database tracking system
- Water indicators - become visible when contacted with water
- DNA tracking - genes embedded onto labels that can be traced
- Color shifting ink or film - visible marks that switch colors or texture when tilted
- Tamper evident seals and tapes - destructible or graphically verifiable at point of sale
- 2d barcodes - data codes that can be tracked
- Copyright infringement
- Counterfeit electronic components
- Counterfeit medications
- Counterfeit money
- Counterfeit watch
- Intellectual property infringement in the People's Republic of China
- Knock Off
- Packaging and labelling
- Parallel import
- Reverse engineering
- Trade dress
- Trademark infringement
- Game clone
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- Wilson, Bee. Swindled: The Dark History of Food Fraud, from Poisoned Candy to Counterfeit Coffee, Princeton University Press (2008)
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- [dead link]
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- How Anti-shoplifting Devices Work”, HowStuffWorks.com
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Counterfeit objects.|
- National Food Safety and Toxicology Center The Counterfeit Food Scope and Threat Seminar at the Michigan State University
- Food Fraud and “Economically Motivated Adulteration” of Food and Food Ingredients Congressional Research Service
- Fingerprinting food: current technologies for the detection of food adulteration and contamination


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We spoke with Capcom's Ryozo Tsujimoto about the decision to bring Horizon Zero Dawn back to Monster Hunter World.
We spoke with Lance James from Versus Evil about the challenges of porting the title to consoles.
Cyanide Studio's adventure has been out almost a year, and now it returns with a whole new audience in mind.
Featuring various lessons on Ancient Greece, this lets you explore the world of the game without any other constraints.
Dr. Jonathan Reid is out on the hunt again, and this time it's Nintendo players who get to see 1918 London.
Just as Gears 5 is released, NRG picks up the most successful team in Gears of War esports.
The Coalition's explosive entry in the Gears of War franchise is here, and we're showcasing it for a few hours.
Capcom's Kaname Fujioka, gave us an insight into creating the sub-zero environment of Iceborne's Hoarfrost Reach.
The finals will take place in January, with the quarter- and semi-finals getting the heat going in December.
We've got a rough autumn release date for Lucas Pope's game, which received a lot of praise when it arrived on PC in 2018.

domain: news


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Continuing its quest to conquer every conceivable platform, Netflix will be bringing its instant streaming capability to the iPhone later this summer. There was already an app out for the iPhone's larger, trendier sibling, the iPad, so the only real surprise is that it's taken this long.
Engadget is reporting that the iPhone app will have all the expected bells and whistles -- playback from where you last left off, ability to search through your instant queue, multiple-network support, and 3G streaming. It's one small step for Netflix, one giant leap for people who want to watch movies on a tiny little screen.
And remember, all you future iPhone Netflix streamers, you can keep track of new Instant Watch additions each week in FlixWorthy.
Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News
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NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) — Liberty Media-backed SiriusXM has renewed talks to acquire streaming music service Pandora, the New York Post reported.
While there was no agreement on a potential price for Pandora, the Post quoted one unnamed source who stated the bid as high as $12 to $13 a share, which while sounding optimistic, would put Pandora's value at approximately $2.88bn.
The renewed talks come after Pandora rejected an offer from Liberty Media last July, which, according to the Wall Street Journal, came in at $15 per share.
After a series of acquisition talks, including a failed bid by Liberty last summer, Pandora, run by founder Tim Westergren, had positioned itself as an active competitor in the burgeoning streaming music market. However, activist investors, including Matrix and Corvex have pushed the company towards a sale, the Post reported.
“Given the high level of shareholder involvement and what we see as significant strategic value in Pandora’s user base, advertising inventory, data, and home screen position, we believe the likelihood of strategic action remains high,” Goldman Sachs analyst Heath Terry wrote in a report on Pandora released this week and quoted by Barron's.
Pandora's April launch of a premium edition of their service likely only fueled the fire of those activist investors. As reported by Hypebot, the company revealed in a recent round of investment from KKR that just 500,000 customers had signed up for a free trial of the premium service, representing just 00.67% of Pandora's 76.7 million active users. As well, active listeners on the service slipped by 2.7 Million in the first quarter of 2017, down to 76.7 million, compared to 79.4 million for Q1 2016. – Staff Writers


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All Blockbuster UK stores will be closing before Christmas, as the chain admits it is unlikely to find a new buyer.
Managers at Blockbuster stores across the country have been told that every outlet will close, with dates tipped all before Christmas.
According to MCV sources, the closure news was delivered by Blockbuster UK operations manager Dave Potter over the phone.
The gaming site received word from three separate Blockbuster stores not included in the original list of 72 that they will close before the year is out.
Sources suggest that all Blockbuster UK stores will shut up shop by December 15.
The rumour was then seemingly confirmed by a commenter on the site who is a Blockbuster manager themselves.
“Store Manager in one of the remaining stores myself. Message from Dave Potter said administrators are 99 per cent sure no buyer will be found. Two dates given for closures 13th & 20th,” added commenter Chillisteak.
No official information has yet come from Blockbuster UK or administrators Moorfields Corporate Recovery.
The closures will mean 2,000 jobs lost across the 264 Blockbuster UK stores. Just in time for Christmas.
Blockbuster UK announced it was entering administration for the second time late October. It originally entered administration in January due to increased competition from online retailers.
The company was sold to private equity firm Gordon Brothers Europe in march, but has since re-entered administration.
Gordon Brothers Europe said it had “striven to turn around the historically loss-making company by restructuring the business, investing significantly in strategic marketing activities and negotiating with the landlords of its retail outlets.”
“The company also tried to develop a new digital platform but was unable to broker a licensing deal with Blockbuster UK’s parent company in the US. Regrettably, the months since the acquisition have also coincided with a period of poor trading performance across both rental and retail sales.”
Next, read our pick of the best games of 2013.


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Leading logistics provider, Hellman Worldwide Logistics UK, has announced a new road freight partnership with H. Essers, Belgium’s leading groupage logistics company. From September 1st, Hellmann and H. Essers will launch a new daily shuttle system servicing both the UK and Belgium.
The new network partnership will be provided in accordance with System Alliance standards and will link Belgium and the industrial regions of the UK with a 48-hour door-to-door service.
This latest announcement follows Hellmann’s recent partnerships with Diehl Spedition in Stuttgart and Itella Logistics in Scandinavia.
Guido Van Dessel, General Manager at H.Essers’ Genk headquarters, commented:"This partnership represents a way for both companies to further improve the scope and range of their customer service. We are one of Belgium’s leading freight forwarding companies, while Hellmann brings an equivalent level of expertise and resource in regards to the UK so, in terms of providing the very best logistics provision, this is a fantastic union".
Matthew Marriott, Commercial Director of Hellmann UK, commented:
"H. Essers is one of the most renowned and respected logistics providers in Europe and has a similar background to Hellmann due to being a family run business – we are delighted to have announced this partnership. We are committed to consolidating and improving the quality of our services across Europe, and this new partnership is a really positive step for both companies. The daily shuttle means that we can offer a 48-hour door-to-door groupage service – something I’m sure customers on both sides of the channel will really appreciate".


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From the preceding news that Amazon is developing a new operating system called Vega to replace the latest Fire OS, it has been discovered that this operating system is already being used on at least one model of the Echo Show smart display. Dave Zatz, from the website Zatz Not Funny!, posted a picture of the 3rd Gen Echo Show 5, a small screen model from 2023, displaying the version of the operating system labeled as “OS 1.1,” which differs from previous versions that clearly specified Fire OS along with a version number of 6.5.
Although Amazon did not explicitly mention the name of the Vega operating system (presumably, it is just a code name), another piece of evidence is that Echo Show 5 is using a new operating system. Amazon announced to its customers that this particular model does not support Netflix, which is different from other Echo Show models. This implies that the new operating system still does not have a large enough customer base for Netflix to develop and support their app.
TLDR: Amazon is secretly testing a new operating system called Vega on the Echo Show 5, as revealed by a photo shared by Dave Zatz from Zatz Not Funny!. This new operating system, labeled as “OS 1.1,” replaces the previous Fire OS and indicates Amazon’s effort to differentiate their software offerings. However, due to the lack of Netflix support on this model, it suggests that this new OS has yet to gain a significant user base.


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The Lundberg Survey says the nationwide common retail value of regular-grade gasoline dropped 3 cents up to now two weeks to $4.24 a gallon
CAMARILLO, Calif. — The nationwide common retail value of regular-grade gasoline dropped 3 cents up to now two weeks to $4.24 a gallon, the Lundberg Survey reported Sunday.
That brings the full decline over six weeks to 19 cents a gallon, leaving the present value $1.27 above its year-ago level, the survey mentioned.
Mid-grade gasoline averaged $4.57 a gallon and premium averaged $4.83.
Nationwide, the best common value for regular-grade gasoline within the April 22 survey was $5.71 within the San Francisco Bay Space. The bottom common was $3.70 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Lundberg surveys a nationwide panel of markets twice month-to-month.
“Though crude oil costs rose on this interval, the previous few days noticed them drop,” trade analyst Trilby Lundberg mentioned. “This with a giant lack of enterprise margin by retailers allowed the typical value to say no. Except oil costs fall additional, further drops in pump costs are prone to be small or none.”


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SINGAPORE/BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese gold imports are likely to swell further after more than doubling to an all time high in March as retail consumers pounced when prices plunged to a two-year low last month.
China is the world’s second largest buyer after India, and in both countries the steep fall in international gold prices in April unleashed years of pent up demand for coins, bars and jewellery.
That will help bolster prices for the metal, which has been abandoned by funds in other parts of the world in the wake of its historic fall.
“Physical demand picked up significantly over the last couple of weeks. Consumers and industrial users tend to see price drops as buying opportunities,” Zhang Bingnan, secretary-general of the China Gold Association, told Reuters.
“Investment demand should continue to stay strong through the rest of the year because of limited investment alternatives,” said Zhang, adding that gold sales and processing volumes both spiked in April.
Net gold flows from Hong Kong to China, the world’s No. 2 gold consumer after India, jumped to 223.519 tonnes in March from 97.106 tonnes in February, smashing a previous record of 114.372 tonnes in December, data from the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department showed on Tuesday (www.censtatd.gov).
That makes up more than half of record gold exports to China from Hong Kong in 2012, which stood at 557.478 tonnes.
In March, Shanghai gold futures fetched premiums of more than $30 (19.38 pounds) to global prices, making it cheaper to buy the metal overseas.
April could see imports swell further after the drop in international prices spurred frenzied buying in Asia, leading to a shortage of gold bars and coins in Singapore as well as Hong Kong, which is China’s main source for gold imports.
Appetite for gold from India and China is a major factor in international gold prices. The two countries account for more than a third of global demand, according to the World Gold Council. China produced 403 tonnes of gold in 2012, but consumption was more than double at 832.2 tonnes.
Gold tumbled to around $1,321 an ounce on April 16, its lowest in more than two years, after a fall below $1,500 and fears of central bank sales led to a sell-off that stunned investors and prompted them to slash holdings of exchange-traded funds. It stood at around $1,460 on Tuesday.
“April imports will be stronger than March,” said Ronald Leung, chief dealer at Lee Cheong Gold Dealers in Hong Kong. “The world was buying gold and China was no different at all.”
The drop in prices has prompted a gold rush in China, with Chinese shoppers flocking to retailers to buy jewellery and bars.
A spokesman for Hong Kong jewellery chain Chow Tai Fook 1929.HK, the world's largest jewellery retailer by market value, told Reuters that traffic at its China stores jumped by 50 percent during the May Day holidays.
The surge in Chinese travellers during the three-day May Day holiday also drove gold sales in Hong Kong to rise by an estimated 50 percent, with total gold sales from April 29-May 2 reaching some 40 tonnes, local media quoted Haywood Cheung, president of the Hong Kong Gold and Silver Exchange, as saying.
The jump in Chinese physical demand also prompted some banks to ship in more supplies from London and Swiss vaults, traders said.
With China’s economy still on shaky ground, investors there with limited options for their cash could still see gold as attractive. The fall has hurt big funds elsewhere that bet on gold continuing a 12 year bull run, eroding investor confidence in the yellow metal.
China’s annual export growth may have picked up slightly in April due to a low comparison from a year ago, while import growth probably eased, a Reuters poll showed, suggesting the underlying momentum for both the domestic and global economies remains tepid.
Additional reporting by Manolo Serapio Jr; Editing by Joseph Radford and Simon Webb
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


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Black Friday 2015 is here. The early Black Friday 2015 Sales launched. I4U News is features in-depth coverage of Black Friday 2015 ads, deals, and sales. We have more Black Friday services and content than ever before. Find below the highlights.
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With polls showing dwindling support for Proposition 37 just days before the Nov. 6 election, Whole Foods Market is ramping up its support for the ballot measure, which seeks to require food manufacturers to label genetically modified food (or GMOs - genetically modified organisms).
Whole Foods Market Co-CEO Walter Robb appeared Thursday at the Mill Valley Whole Foods on Miller Avenue, the site of the grocery store he started in 1992 before working his way up the Whole Foods hierarchy, to show support for Prop. 37. Robb, who has a home in San Rafael, bought Jerry’s Meats and Deli in the Miller Ave. location and sold the market to the Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods in 1992.
Whole Foods officials formally announced the company's support for Prop. 37 in September. But as the election approaches, additional signage is going up at its stores and employees throughout the state have been trained on GMOs and the ballot measure, Robb said.
Robb told Patch that it’s unclear if Prop. 37’s passage would create a financial burden for Whole Foods, but nevertheless he said the company is “enthusiastically” supporting it because the company's major priorities include “transparency” and “customers’ right to know.”
That issue - the alleged cost of labeling foods containing genetically altered ingredients and manufacturers passing on those costs to consumers - has been a central argument by 37's opponents. Food giants like Monsanto, DuPoint, PepsiCo, General Mills and Kellogg have raised $44 million for No on Prop. 37 to pay for TV advertising making that case, while the Yes on 37 campaign has raised roughly $7 million, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Despite the uphill fundraising battle, Whole Foods has been working in partnership with the Yes on 37 campaign and helped start the Non GMO Project, Robb said.
He said Whole Foods carries 5,000 products that are verified by the Non-GMO Project and encourages other food makers to get verified. The USDA National Organic Standards also prohibit the use of GMOs, Robb said, meaning the company’s 365 Everyday Value organic products and other organic items are also GMO free. For Non-GMO month in October, Whole Foods had a three-day sale on Non-GMO Project verified items.
Prop. 37 will require manufacturers to spend some cash to change their labels, but Robb argued they won’t have to make the modification until 2014, which should provide plenty of time to adjust and may come at a time when they would already update labels.
Some have questioned the claim of increased costs. An analysis by the LA Times' opinion staff concluded that the labeling wouldn’t result in significant increases in food costs. “After all, food companies regularly change their labels in one way or another," the Times said.
Whole Foods has put the bulk of its Yes on 37 efforts into social media and also has some radio ads that will become more prevalent in the days before the election.
To date, it hasn't been enough to sway public opinion. A recent poll by the California Business Roundtable and Pepperdine University School of Public Policy revealed 39.1 percent of likely California voters support the Prop. 37, according to the LA Times. The poll also found that 50.5 percent oppose the labeling and 10.5 percent are undecided.
GMOs are created by gene splicing techniques. Opponents argue it creates unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes. GMO labeling is mandatory is almost 50 countries in the world.
According to the nonprofit Non GMO Project, “high-risk crops” that are .
MANY IN MARIN SHOW SUPPORT FOR PROP. 37
Prop. 37 will create a national standard for Non-GMO products, said Robb, who isn’t the only Marin grocery leader to take a stance supporting Prop. 37.
Mark Squire, owner of Fairfax’s Good Earth Natural Foods, had a heavy hand in the creation of the Non-GMO Project and sits on its board.
“I’ve been kind of a foodie activist my whole life. This is a huge opportunity for the people to take the power back from these corporations,” Squire told the San Anselmo Town Council recently. “It’s a law that just requires them to put it on a label. I think they feel very threatened because they know people won’t want to eat it if they know what they are eating.”
Fairfax’s Good Earth Natural Foods also participated in non-GMO month, with specials, shelf tags, displays and educational materials to help shoppers identify Non-GMO Project verified options.
Support for Prop. 37 appears strong in Ross Valley, as Yes on 37 signs are in no short supply and local groups, including Sustainable Fairfax and San Anselmo’s Quality of Life Commission have endorsed Prop. 37.
The Fairfax Town Council audience erupted into applause and cheers Aug. 1 after the council adopted a resolution in support of Prop. 37.
The San Anselmo council didn’t take a stance on Prop. 37 because they have an agreement to not make political endorsements.
Genetically modified food is created by “the introduction of foreign genes in a violent way into other species,” Squire told the San Anselmo council at its Oct. 9 meeting. “There is a lot of misinformation going around that somehow it’s the same kind of technology we’ve been doing for centuries.”
Are you in favor of Prop. 37? Tell us why or why not in the comments!


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The long-touted Netflix password sharing rules landed in the United States streaming market in May.
After months of delays and scrambling behind the scenes, the streaming giant rolled out the consequential changes affecting millions of subscribers who share accounts across multiple households. New reporting sheds light on how Netflix's big pricing gamble is playing out.
Netflix password sharing changes
On May 23, Netflix officially announced its plan to reduce unauthorized password sharing in the United States among customers who share logins with friends and family outside their household. Netflix announced on its corporate blog that “Your Netflix account is for you and the people you live with your household.”
The company is cracking down on customers who share their accounts with people outside a single geographic household, introducing an $8 monthly charge in a long-threatened bid to retain customers and stanch a slowdown in subscription growth. Netflix uses location tracking to ensure subscribed users are logged in at a single home subscriber base, which is sure to test users already sensitive to growing threats to their online privacy.
Current customers can buy an extra membership to their main subscription for an additional $7.99 per month. They will be also able to transfer a profile to a new membership starting as low as $6.99 for the ad-supported tier.
Since the end of June, Netflix has blocked devices that attempt to access a Netflix account without paying the proper fees, according to TechRadar. Subscribers in a compliant household can keep using the service on the road, like on laptops or hotel TVs, without paying additional fees.
Netflix warned ISP partners of backlash
The Financial Times previously reported that Netflix had alerted internet provider partners in the UK that they should expect angry calls and support questions about the sharing price hike and location tracking features.
This move suggested that despite Netflix's best efforts, the company predicted a large number of subscribers would only detect the change when Netflix demanded an extra $8 for sharing the account outside their new "home" location.
Pricing gamble apparently pays off – so far
Despite preparing for hordes of angry subscribers, it appears that Netflix has very much come out on top of their paid sharing gamble. According to a customer data analysis from Bloomberg Second Measure released in July, Netflix saw its new U.S. subscriber count jump 117 percent week-over-week after Netflix’s initial password sharing crackdown rollout in the week ending on May 28, 2023.
The reported data shows Netflix’s subscriber acquisition grew throughout the following two weeks. U.S. subscriber count increased 59% week-over-week by June 4, and increased another 35% week-over-week by June 11, according to the report.
Netflix’s subscriber growth slowed during the week ending on June 18, 2023, but new subscribers remained elevated compared to pre-crackdown totals. Overall, Netflix’s new subscriber count grew 236% between the weeks ending on May 21, 2023 and on June 18, 2023, according to Bloomberg. New subscribers were up 204% in the week ending June 25, compared to the week ending on May 21, 2023.
At this rate, Netflix is certainly winning the tug of war between increasing prices and shedding customers. Time will tell if they stay on top of other streaming services for control of viewers' wallets and attention spans.
Time to shop around?
Netflix customers have a few options at hand for dealing with this new account sharing reality. They can pay the extra member fee for $7.99 or get a new account for as little as $6.99.
Or they can shop around to see what streaming competitors are offering. We've broken down the latest deals below:
Ben Demers manages digital content and engagement at Kiplinger, informing readers through a range of personal finance articles, e-newsletters, social media, syndicated content, and videos. He is passionate about helping people lead their best lives through sound financial behavior, particularly saving money at home and avoiding scams and identity theft. Ben graduated with an M.P.S. from Georgetown University and a B.A. from Vassar College. He joined Kiplinger in May 2017.
Why More Retirees Might Come Out of Retirement
It’s often not solely because of financial reasons, but because of a lack of purpose in retirement. This financial expert can relate.
By Chris Blunt Published
What Would Accreditation Change Mean for Real Estate Investors?
Investors determined by a test to be ‘financially savvy’ would be allowed to invest in ways that they can’t now without having a certain level of assets.
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Every time Amazon gets into a new business area, it makes waves. The recent announcement that Amazon is launching its own delivery service is no different. As of 2016, products sold on Amazon accounted for around 600 million annual shipments—and Amazon’s revenue has been growing at around 10% annually, at least part of which is likely due to increased volume.
That’s a lot of packages. UPS handles the largest share of Amazon packages, around 30% of the total—200 million packages annually.
So how worried should UPS and others in the logistics industry be about Amazon’s delivery service?
Why Is Amazon Getting Into Shipping
According to Fortune, Amazon has three interrelated reasons for starting its own delivery service. First of all, Amazon’s overall business model is to handle as much of the sales process as possible—for example, Amazon doesn’t just sell books, it has both a publishing house and its own device to read books on. In addition, at the moment Amazon loses money on last-mile shipping and doesn’t have much control over shipments that come from third-party sellers rather than from an Amazon warehouse.
Handling shipments in-house is a way for Amazon to control more of the sales process, to cut delivery costs and to offer two-day delivery on a wider selection of products. Of course, there is also a lot of money in last-mile delivery, which make it an attractive area to expand into.
A Reality Check
Even though Amazon ships a huge number of packages annually, even the most-exposed logistics company, UPS, probably wouldn’t suffer enormously even if it lost all Amazon-related businesses. According to the most recent numbers, UPS ships 20 million packages and documents every day, so Amazon’s share, even in the unlikely event that UPS lost 100% of it’s current Amazon shipments, wouldn’t be more than 10-15 days worth of deliveries.
More importantly, e-commerce has been growing steadily at around 15% percent annually, which has created tremendous challenges and growth opportunities for last-mile logistics companies like UPS. Especially around the holiday season, there is often more demand for last-mile deliveries than existing companies can handle, and as e-commerce continues to expand that trend will likely continue.
The bigger threat to traditional last-mile carriers is if Amazon started to offer delivery for products not purchased on Amazon, because that represents a much larger portion of total shipping volume That threat is harder to evaluate—but also less likely to materialize.
Amazon has proven that it can build a global infrastructure network in a relatively short amount of time—but it would still be years before it would have the kind of fleet that could take on big industry players like UPS or FedEx.
Amazon’s entry into an industry has often pushed legacy companies to streamline their operations, through greater adoption of digital tools and better efficiency. Small and midsize last-mile delivery companies are most likely to feel the pinch if Amazon starts gobbling up market share—and they can benefit enormously from using digital tools to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty now.


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The Nexus is raising quite the ruckus. From the squabble over the device's name to complaints over poor 3G performance and subpar support, Google's first foray into phone sales is taking some unfortunate twists.
The Google Nexus One, Motorola Droid, and the iPhone have been put to the test to find out which smartphone has a better touchscreen. But despite overall more capable hardware, the iPhone still has a better display, it has been revealed in a recent t...
Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo called on smartphone application developers to turn their attention to emerging countries, highlighting the vast business potential in these markets and the opportunity to improve the lives of the billions of people liv...
Symbian Foundation, responsible for development of the Symbian mobile OS, is readying its Symbian^3 and Symbian^4 versions of the platform, with version 3 likely to be feature-complete next month, a Symbian blogger said this week.
Microsoft doesn't have a business model problem in the mobile market, but its phones are skewed toward business users at the expense of consumers and are not as modern as they need to be, Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and device...
While augmented reality apps have been positioned as the "new hotness" on smartphones for a while now, there have been very few games that blend all of the requisite parts of the technology to make something fun. Shadowforce seems to be onto somethin...
Google support forums are awash with people looking for help for problems with their Nexus One phones -- and unable to find it.
Apple may not see a need to add support for Adobe Systems' Flash multimedia software to a smartphone, but other handset makers do and plan to release software updates soon.
Android developers are grumbling about Google's delay in releasing software development kits for new versions of the mobile operating system.
Google's Nexus One, built by Taiwan's HTC, offers much of what one expects in a high-end 3G smartphone. Yet is it enough, and good enough, to give the iPhone 3GS a run for the money? Initial reviews like its design, speed and integration with the Web...
Motorola will introduce more Android handsets as the company aims to offer an array of devices based on the mobile operating system, each targeting different segments of the consumer market, the CEO of Motorola's handset business said Wednesday.
Apple sold more than 11 million iPhones in the last quarter of 2009 and will sell an additional 37.3 million during 2010, a financial analyst said in a recent research note to clients.
Perhaps as interesting as describing Google's Nexus One, unveiled on Tuesday, is examining what the phone isn't.
Three years after rumors of a Google phone first surfaced, the search giant has taken the wraps off its own branded and designed mobile phone, the Nexus One.
An early review of Google's Nexus One smartphone published Saturday on Engadget.com concluded that the device is "not really" an iPhone killer.
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Glenn Polyn//April 11, 2023//
Glenn Polyn //April 11, 2023//
Press release: CULT Food Science Corp.
CULT Food Science Corp., a pioneer in the investment, development and commercialization of cellular agriculture technologies and products, has announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) partnership with JellaTech to launch a line of collagen-enhanced pet foods under the Indiana Pets brand created by CULT.
With cell-cultured collagen, Indiana Pets can deliver wholesome, premium nutrition to dogs, with lower environmental impact. Collagen is a vital protein that plays a significant role in maintaining the structural integrity of our bodies. It is found in our bones, skin, tendons and cartilage, among other tissues, and provides support, elasticity, and strength. Collagen production decreases with age, leading to the loss of skin elasticity, joint pain and other age-related ailments.
Collagen has been shown to benefit dogs with mobility issues, including osteoarthritis. This high purity, tier-1 collagen, is formulated specifically for active and senior dogs. As pets age, they may experience joint pain, stiffness, and reduced mobility. Supplementing their diet with collagen can help support joint health and improve mobility, allowing them to live a more comfortable and active lifestyle.
Moreover, collagen has been shown to promote gut health by strengthening the intestinal lining and reducing inflammation. Given its many benefits, collagen has become increasingly popular across a wide range of industries, including biomedical, health, personal care & beauty, materials and food & beverage.
Producing collagen in a lab also offers significant environmental benefits compared to traditional animal-based sources. Animal-based collagen production involves slaughtering animals and processing their skin and bones to extract collagen. This process results in significant environmental impacts, such as greenhouse gas emissions, water use and land use.
The partnership between CULT and Jellatech is expected to have a significant impact on the pet food industry and the environment. With a commitment to sustainability and ethical production methods, CULT is paving the way for a more humane future for the pet food industry.
The availability of Indiana Pet products will be announced in the near future.
Founded by Stephanie Michelsen, JellaTech focuses on making functional, native collagen – without animals. Today, the only way to source native, functional collagen is to extract it from animals. This is what Jellatech is focused on changing.
Collagen produced through cellular agriculture allows for a more sustainable, smarter high quality collagen that breaks the cycle of relying on an inefficient and unethical supply chain of live animals.
Jellatech recently announced multiple achievements, including the successful development of a full length, triple helical, bio-identical and functional human collagen made from their own proprietary cell line. This announcement comes just eight months after Jellatech’s showcase of cell-based bovine collagen.
JellaTech is a venture backed company which includes investors CULT Food Science, Yellowdog, Big Idea Ventures, Bluestein Ventures and others.
“We are thrilled to partner with Jellatech to offer cultured collagen for pet food brands,This partnership is a significant step forward in our mission to provide sustainable and ethical alternatives to traditional animal agriculture. We are excited to be the first company to offer animal-free collagen to pets and look forward to working with Jellatech to bring this innovative product to market.” said Lejjy Gafour, CEO of CULT.
“Collagen has a largely unregulated supply chain, in which the environmental damage caused by this product are unreported,” said Joshua Errett, VP of product development at CULT. “But as we’ve seen from independent investigation, the collagen craze in both pet and human products has been shown to be a major driver of Brazilian rainforest destruction. I think pet owners will be all-too-ready to buy high-quality, high-purity collagen from a source that doesn’t have such harsh consequences for the planet.”
CULT Food Science Corp. is the first publicly-traded company of its kind in North America, pioneering the investment, development and commercialization of cellular agriculture technologies and products. Through its global portfolio of companies and its venture studio, CULT Food Science provides investors with unprecedented exposure to the most innovative start-up, private or early-stage cultivated meat, cell-based dairy, and other cultured food companies around the world. CULT Foods, a division of CULT Food Science, creates breakthrough products that provide a sustainable, environmental, and ethical solution for the future of food.


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Priyanka Chopra, who is currently in New York, shooting for her television series, Quantico, is seen flaunting the best of her winter wardrobe while there. However, lately, the actress' fashion choices have disappointed the fashion police majorly. Priyanka was seen wearing knee-busted jeans and had got layering all wrong, when she stepped out on an earlier occasion. One look at the mismatched attires and you would know it wasn't PC's usual style. While earlier we were totally digging PeeCee's winter fashion, her wardrobe went from fab to drab in no time. After committing a series of fashion blunders, the actress is back on track and we can't stop obsessing over her latest outing. Also Read: Revealed: Priyanka Chopra’s badass avatar on the sets of Quantico
PeeCee was spotted in New York City recently and shined bright in a new golden jacket. The actress was seen wearing a metallic puffer jacket from Hunter. She paired the fur collar jacket with a pair of ankle length jeans and black shiny boots. It's not just her attire which grabbed our attention - her swag in this picture is hard to miss too. The actress sported a bob cut with soft curls and looked badass. She added a pair of funky red sunglasses with white edges to her look and it was too cool to be missed. Check out the pictures below:
Priyanka Chopra has now become the first Indian to make it to the list of the 25 celeb influencers on LinkedIn. The 35-year-old actress has been one of the most influential personalities not only in India but also across the globe. The actress recently spoke about it to DNA and said “I’ve never been someone who worries about making it to a list, but it’s nice to be on one with such amazing people. I keep great company. It’s a way to connect one-on-one with people from across the world. It’s nice to know that they want to stay in touch with me, too, and are interested in what I have to share. What’s great about this list is that all of us seem to have the same idea connect, spread love and just be you.”
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Stefan Guglieri, the executive director of the First Ukrainian International Bank, decided to leave his post. In turn, the Supervisory Board of FUIB decided to terminate the powers of Stefan Guglieri as a member of the Board of the bank and to remove him from the Management Board.
Stefan Guglieri will continue to cooperate with the FUIB as a consultant on the development of retail business. Despite the fact that the format of Mr. Guglieri’s presence in FUIB changes, he stays in the bank.
Stefan Guglieri joined FUIB’s team in April 2012, taking the post of executive director and member of the Board in charge of the retail business. At the same time, Stefan was the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of JSC “Renaissance Capital Bank”.
Management Board of FUIB thanks Stefan Guglieri for his significant contribution to the achievements of FUIB’s Banking Group. Retail team headed by Stephen Guglieri implemented a number of momentous projects for the bank in 2013.
Thanks to the already established basis, First Ukrainian International Bank will continue the development of retail business to become a bank of first choice for customers – a financial advisor and assistant who understands customers’ needs, predicts their requirements and offers effective solutions.
- FUIB's VSEMOZHU card is the best credit card according to Prostobank Awards in the first quarter of 2021
- FUIB together with Prometheus launch Simply About Money training course
- Information on the work of the Bank's branches during the quarantine perio
- FUIB's retail deposit portfolio of individuals in hryvnia reached 11 bln
- FUIB recognized as the leader of the SME Support nomination in the Financial Oscar rating!
- Raiffeisen Bank International нагородив ПУМБ за високий рівень автоматично оброблених платежів у євро
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THQ's CEO, Brian Farrell, has explained that he doesn't believe that, despite adding Big Huge Games and Elephant Entertainment to the company's portfolio since the beginning of the year, further acquisitions are necessary for further growth.
But speaking to Reuters, he did note that the current business landscape, with the tectonic merger between Activision and Vivendi Games going through, and the continuing possibility of a deal between Electronic Arts and Take-Two, that he was seeing new potential.
"We are seeing some opportunities in the marketplace given the two transactions going on," he said. "It's going to create some opportunities because we are actively looking at every developer, every license out there and with our size now we can be more aggressive than larger, slower firms."
Meanwhile, although THQ's net income for the third fiscal quarter was down 75 per cent, Farrell believes that the games industry in general is avoiding any repercussions from the wider economic strife: "We haven't seen any signs of slowdown," he said.
Key titles for the publisher this year will be GTA-style sequel Saints Row 2 and the videogame based on Disney/Pixar's WallE.


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ShipBob CEO and Co-Founder Dhruv Saxena explains the benefits of transitioning traditional 3PL relationships to an innovative, tech-first solution.
By Dhruv Saxena
Published on February 14, 2018
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Over the last couple of years, we have really tried to open everyone’s mind to the idea that there are options outside of carrier contracts and the subsidy phone discount. From covering the best prepaid providers to talking about full retail phone prices and the initial launch of carrier device payment plans, you should all be well versed on the methods available for buying a new phone without a lengthy agreement. But even with all of that coverage, some of you are perfectly happy with the subsidy model and do not have a problem buying a phone on-contract or you are using the last few work-arounds remaining to keep things like unlimited data plans. And you know what? There is nothing wrong with that.
This morning, though, I was listening to Verizon CFO Fran “ShamWow” Shammo speak at a conference about the current trends in wireless, which just so happen to be device payment plans. Verizon has Edge, T-Mobile has Jump, and AT&T has Next, to name a few. Shammo insisted that while they will continue to offer Edge, 70% of their customers still to this day choose the subsidy model.
And that got me thinking – I wonder what the DL community is trending towards? Are you still locked into a wireless contract or are you now fully month-to-month?


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It looks like mobile version of the interface update for Gmail is now live, Google just released an update to its Gmail app for Android which should be available in the Play Store if not immediately, then maybe by these couple of days. The new version, v4.5, will feature the multiple tab interface found on the desktop Gmail, and some swiping action to get work done.
It’s not available over at our side yet though, but according to those who have already gotten it, for Android devices running on Android 4.1 and above, users can now reply, archive or delete emails from the notification area, without opening up the app at all. The new version also allows users to “Swipe down to refresh” their inbox.
The app will be different for those running on different versions of Android though, those on Android 4.0 and above will have a faster search, even when offline. If you don’t see it yet, be patient, Google should be rolling it out very soon.


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PENANG: The state government will soon launch a massive promotion to boost the tourism sector now reeling from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) crisis.
Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon named the new Penang National Park in Pantai Acheh, Pulau Jerejak eco-tourism development, the Penang Hill bungalows now being renovated and the Penang Hill Railway which had an improved electrical system as attractions for the upcoming promotion.
“These are ongoing jobs that need to be consolidated so that they are ready within the next few months to further attract tourists.
“But while the SARS scare still looms, any promotional effort now is not going to bear fruit,” he said after launching a book in Chinese, Bloodshed in the Middle East: The Story of the Arabs and Jews, by Cheah See Kian.
Dr Koh said the Government was using the lull period now to re-strategise its promotional packages and upgrade tourism products.
He said tour agencies were the worst hit by SARS with tours reduced to between 10% and 20% while hotel occupancy rates had dropped to between 30% and 40% compared to the previous rate of between 50% and 70%.
Although the electronic sector was also affected by SARS due to the postponement of decision-making trips overseas, Dr Koh said retrenchments in the manufacturing sector were not as severe as those in 2001.
He said the retrenchment of 180 workers by Solectron Corp accounted for only a small percentage of the workforce in Malaysia.


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The lure of Black Friday has done little to dent consumer spending in January. With the most anticipated shopping day out of the way consumers have continued to splash the cash in December. The latest report from Salmon shows that while Black Friday sales were more successful than ever before, consumers are spending significantly more in December than they did just 12 months ago.
Online traffic in the first two weeks of December is up 17 per cent compared to the same period last year, with total number of orders up by a fifth (20 per cent). Conversion rates – where customers not only visit but purchase items online – was also up 7 per cent in the same period.
Black Friday day itself remained hugely fruitful for retailers despite an increase in inflation and a tightening of purse strings due to economic uncertainty; Salmon data shows orders up a massive 64 per cent year-on-year (orders for the whole Black Friday week were up 74 per cent) and traffic up 50 per cent compared to the same period. Conversion was also up 31 per cent.
As predicted by many industry experts, mobile dominated proceedings on Black Friday. IMRG reported that 39 per cent of retail UK retail sales were completed on a smartphone, with the device taking the highest share of sales against desktop and tablet. Salmon’s own data even showed a record high of 66 per cent of traffic coming from mobile devices (tablet and mobile).
But it may not just be mobiles that will decide Christmas spending; this December could also see the first Christmas where consumers order their gifts through voice-led Zero-UI (User Interface) devices such as Google Home or Amazon Echo. Research shows that 45 per cent of consumers are already using or plan to use digital assistants in the near future. And there’s appetite for it, with 41 per cent saying they would love to be able to shop using voice activation devices.
Patrick Munden, Global Head of Retail and Marketing at Salmon, said: “In what has been a bumper year for many retailers during the Black Friday period, a fresh opportunity awaits in the run-up to Christmas. While some have legitimate concerns over whether Black Friday has hijacked their December profits, what we’re seeing in our operations room is a strong upsurge in number of orders and traffic compared to this time last year.
“With voice-enabled devices currently the biggest craze – and lots more of these devices purchased around Black Friday! – retailers need to be prepared for this new channel for customers to purchase goods. As we head towards the end of December, every retailer will need to ensure they have all their back- and front-end systems in place to cope with the increase in demand if they are to really reap the rewards of seemingly indulgent consumers.”


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The death of a beloved red-tailed hawk in Cambridge, Mass., has drawn attention to the issue of how rat poison is affecting wildlife.
Veterinarians say the hawk likely died from eating a rodent that consumed rat poison. Local birdwatchers had followed the exploits of the hawk and her mate, which they named Ruby and Buzz, for years.
The state of California recently announced a ban on the retail sale of certain rat poisons, known as second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs), because of the hazards they pose to pets, children and wildlife. California officials say rat poison is responsible for thousands of wildlife animal deaths in at least 25 different species of animals.
The Environmental Protection Agency has also recommended a retail ban on SGARs. Both bans are being challenged in court.
Veterinarian Justine Lee of St. Paul, Minn., tells Here & Now's Robin Young that 100,000 people call poison control centers after their pets have eaten rat poison.
Lee believes people should opt for snap traps instead of poison, because they are ultimately more humane and don't put other wildlife at risk.
This segment aired on April 16, 2014.


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The Goldman Sachs technology M&A team, led by Sam Britton, has cashed in on its software focus and decades of experience to dominate 2019's biggest deals.Technologyread more
American small and medium-size companies that rely on China are scrambling to adjust their business plans in response to the escalating trade war.Traderead more
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The United States and United Kingdom have reached an agreement to maintain air service between the two countries after Brexit.
U.K. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling confirmed the so-called open-skies agreement on Wednesday.
The deal will maintain the same access to the U.S. that planes flying from the U.K. enjoy under the current U.S.-Europe air treaty. The U.K. will no longer be under that U.S.-Europe treaty after it leaves the European Union.
Airlines for America, a trade group representing most big U.S. airlines, is praising the agreement, saying it will ensure the continuation of key transatlantic routes.
Flights between the two countries carry about 20 million passengers a year, accounting for nearly one-third of all air travel between the U.S. and Europe.


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Major discount retailer Poundland will replace the departed Argos store in Arnold town centre.
The discount retailer has submitted planning permission documents requesting that they can replace the store front at the empty property on Front Street.
The building used to house Argos until it closed and moved to the Sainsbury’s store in the town.
The site is located next to the popular Wilkinson’s store in the town centre.
It’s welcome news for the town, which has suffered numerous high profile closures recently as a result of the recent pandemic.
Poundland, which sells mostly items at the single price of £1, including clearance items and proprietary brands, opened its first store in Burton Upon Trent in 1990 and has since opened 896 stores across the UK.


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BY LEYL MASTER BLACK
2014 has been a huge year for health tech. According to digital health incubator StartUp Health, digital health funding in the first three quarters of 2014 has already surpassed $5 billion, close to double what was invested in all of 2013 ($2.8 billion).
“Digital health funding for the year is on track to double last year’s total,” said Unity Stoakes, co-founder and president of StartUp Health. “Some trends we’re watching include a growing corporate interest in digital health, more global cross-pollination of ideas, as well as increasing health consumerism as people move into the driver’s seat when it comes to their care.”
With this kind of capital pouring into the market, the health tech space should be exciting to watch in the coming years, but here’s a sneak peek at what’s coming in 2015.
1. Wearables for the ear
Tired of clip-on trackers and bracelets? Your next wearable device just might be hooked around your ear.
“Due to the proximity to the temporal artery,
devices worn on the ear can conduct completely unobtrusive, passive monitoring
devices worn on the ear can conduct completely unobtrusive, passive monitoring and offer far more precise measurements,” says Dr. Vahram Mouradian, founder and CTO of Sensogram Technologies. “Moreover, they can deliver a wealth of wellness information, including real time blood pressure, respiration rate and oxygen saturation, in addition to the typical readings of heart rate or steps taken.”
We’ve already seen a few of companies introduce ear buds with basic health monitoring, such as IriverOn and FreeWavz. Watch for increasing sophistication in ear-based devices over the coming year.
For example, Sensogram’s SensoTRACK — slated for general availability in March 2015 — is an elegantly designed device that fits snugly on your ear, where it measures heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and respiration rate. It also counts steps and calories burned, while sensing your speed, activity level, geolocation, altitude, body posture and pace.
[READ REST OF STORY]


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Three quarters (75%) of UK marketers openly admit to knowing that their team has customer data inefficiencies hindering their marketing efforts during a time when brands must pivot and manage changing consumer needs.
That’s according to the latest research commissioned by enterprise customer data platform, Treasure Data, which also finds that marketers believe they have wasted on average 31% of their budget or the equivalent of £1.6 million in the last six months due to poor data optimisation.
This comes as the impact of the cost-of-living crisis is showing up starkly in Brits’ consumption habits, with consumers increasingly re-categorising items once considered essential as “nice to have”.
The sectors most severely affected by this shift are retail, where some 35% of Brits have downgraded products, entertainment and media (also 35%), and travel and hospitality (30%).
And consumers expect brands to get their response right. An overwhelming majority (83%) of Brits think marketing campaigns should be adapted to be sensitive to consumers’ changing priorities and needs during the cost-of-living crisis, and almost two thirds (63%) believe they should be marketed to less altogether.
Marketers do recognise the overwhelming need to be sensitive at this time, as three quarters (73%) report changing their marketing strategies in the face of rising prices and cost-of-living increases, but the majority (61%) don’t feel properly equipped to get the most out of the data they use for marketing.
Andrew Stephenson, Director of Marketing EMEA & India at Treasure Data, commented on the research: “Our research has revealed that the cost crisis has put brands in a very difficult bind – shrinking budgets, an audience with less spending power and high consumer expectations. There is an urgent challenge at hand; consumers want marketers to adapt their campaigns to be sensitive to their changing priorities, but marketers are hamstrung by slashed budgets and inadequate data management strategies.
“Marketers have no time to waste when it comes to making their data work harder for them – only by increasing their data efficiency will they be able to make better decisions in the volatile context of the cost-of-living crisis. Ultimately, it’s those who get to grips with the unfolding customer data emergency – and stop it in its tracks – which will be best equipped to properly engage with their audiences and swim rather than sink over the coming months.”
The need to stem data wastage and improve media efficiencies is quickly becoming urgent as budgets are shrinking again. Almost two thirds of marketers (65%) have had to make cuts to budgets as the cost of doing business rises, and a further 65% are predicting more cuts to come.
And despite operating with smaller spend and holes in their data management strategies, the expectation for marketers to deliver demonstrable results for their business continues to grow. Most marketers (72%) believe the cost-of-living crisis has led to increased pressure on them and their team to deliver ROI/ROAS.


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Tatsujin has announced action game Snow Bros. Wonderland for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Switch. It will launch in 2024 worldwide. It will be playable at Tokyo Game Show 2023, which will run from September 21 to 24 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan.
Get the first details below.
Snow Bros., which was developed by the former Toaplan in 1990 and gained worldwide popularity, is now available as a completely new game, keeping the same worldview along with the name.
The game’s gameplay has been greatly expanded with a 3D game field with depth, not to mention the beautiful graphics depicted on the new generation of platforms. Most importantly, however, the basic gameplay is the same as the original.
Old fans will be able to fully enjoy the sense of control inherited from the original game, as well as the nostalgic characters and their actions that have been reincarnated.
For the current generation, this new action game will be the first step in a new development of the Snow Bros. franchise, as they can fully enjoy the essence of the fun of the original.
Watch the announcement trailer below.