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Dubai to have world’s biggest and UAE’s first Apple store very soon
The store at Mall of the Emirates is under construction and it is expected to open doors to Apple fans in August 2015.
Another biggest for Dubai? Getting dressed up behind the curtain could be Apple’s largest retail store in the world.
Dubai - Apple’s first store in the Middle East will be located at Mall of the Emirates and it will be the world’s largest retail store of the iPhone maker, sources have confirmed to Khaleej Times.
The store is under construction and it is expected to open doors to Apple fans in August 2015. The estimated 50,000-sq foot store is close to the new Fashion District in the mall with the main entrance most probably from level 2.
Abu Dhabi’s newly opened Yas Mall is likely to host the second Apple store in the UAE.
Apple’s Dubai office did not respond to Khaleej Times queries regarding the store location and its opening date, but a spokesperson for the Mall of the Emirates owner said: “As a company policy, Majid Al Futtaim does not comment on speculation or unverified stories with regards to new store openings in our shopping malls.”
On the other hand, the mall has mentioned on its website that 30 new stores are set to open, including several first-to-the region brands, and named half of them on the website. The mall is expected to complete the work on a multi-stage redevelopment project called ‘Evolution 2015’ by October this year worth Dh1 billion.
Earlier this year, Apple opened its regional headquarters in Emaar Square in Dubai. Two months ago, the company advertised several positions in the UAE for sales, marketing and retail with job titles such as ‘Expert’ and ‘Genius’. All Apple Stores feature a Genius Bar, where customers can receive technical advice or set-up service and repair for their products.
In the UAE, the iPhone is ranked second after Samsung in terms of unit sales but both smartphone manufacturers enjoy almost equal market share in terms of value, according to power retailers.
The Korean brand launches a couple of new models every year, where as Apple introduces only one or two models a year.
Apple sold 74.47 million iPhones in the latest quarter (Jan-March 2015), about 25 million more than it’s previous best quarter and 16 million more than analysts expected. iPhone sales have doubled in Asia, recording the fastest growth among all geographies.
Etisalat and du are the authorised distributors of iPhones in the UAE but a couple of key retailers buy smartphones directly from Apple.
According to the latest data available with the UAE’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, the iPhone is gaining its market share. While the iPhone 5s is the most commonly used mobile handset in the country, the iPhone 6 is also being sold like hot cake since its launch in the country.
The Cupertino-based company has more than 450 retail stores in 16 countries and online stores are available in 39 countries. Turkey was the last country, which got an Apple store in Istanbul on April 5, 2014.
Apple’s many stores are located inside shopping malls, but the company has built several stand-alone ‘flagship’ stores in high-profile locations and those are around 40. The tech giant’s stores sell Macintosh personal computers, software, iPods, iPads, iPhones, Apple TV, third party accessories and now Apple Watches.
In 2011, the company launched the Apple Online Store UAE that offers a range of products, such as iPhones, iPads, iPods and MacBooks. Apple products are already being sold by its authorised resellers at around 100 locations across Dubai, including all terminals at Dubai International airport.
Its authorised resellers — Sharaf DG, Jumbo Electronics, Plug Ins and Virgin Megastore — have designated areas of Apple products on the ‘shop-in-a-shop’ concept basis at eight locations in the emirate, according to Apple website. Apple’s premium reseller in Dubai is iStyle, which has stores at three locations in the emirate. -email@example.com
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Ctrip has announced a strategic partnership with Sicily that promises to bring a bigger share of the world’s largest outbound tourism market to the Mediterranean island.
Tourism is a vital aspect of Italy-China bilateral co-operation. Italy is already one of the most popular destinations in Europe for Chinese visitors and continues to attract more visitors every year. In the first half of 2019, according to Ctrip data, hotel reservations in Italy experienced year-on-year growth of 200%, making Italy the top destination for Chinese tourists in Europe.
“Over 300 million users in China.”
As the 2020 Italy-China Year of Culture and Tourism approaches, Ctrip and Sicily’s partnership will go a long way to help the island to tap the potential to attract more Chinese visitors.
“With over 300 million users in China, Ctrip will allocate its online platforms and media connections to promote Sicilian tourism destinations and unique local experiences to the Chinese high-end outbound tourism market, from seaside resorts and medical spas, to food and wine tours; art and history itineraries, such as the Segesta and Selinunte archaeological parks and the Valley of the Temples of Agrigento; natural tracks such as skiing on Etna Volcano and diving in Ustica; and, even local events, including the Taormina film festival and the Carnival of Acireale,” Bo Sun, chief marketing officer of Ctrip said.

domain: news


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AppleInsiderJan 18, 2022, 5:33 pm177 ptsOn Tuesday, the 53rd annual NAACP Image Awards nominations were announced, with Apple TV+ pulling down nine nominations for its original films and series. Five Apple Original films have received nominations, including Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture for stars Denzel Washington and Mahershala Ali in…
Trending Today on MacHash
MacHash is your up to the minute Apple news source. It's a content discovery engine that continuously delivers the latest Apple, Mac and iOS headlines from the web's best sources.


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With more than 100,000 followers on Snapchat, graphic designer Cyrene Quiamco (known as CyreneQ on social) has run influencer campaigns on the platform for brands like Walmart, Samsung and Burger King since November 2014. Yet app parent Snap hasn’t been known for cultivating influencers. CyreneQ rarely received guidance from the company on how she could grow her following and views.
But on Wednesday, Quiamco received an email from Snapchat saying the company wanted to set up an Official Stories account for her, which is similar to a verified account on Instagram and Twitter. That means her profile will be featured when Snap users search for “art,” for instance, or in curated Live Stories.
“I’m so excited,” said Quiamco. “Snapchat has never verified creators or influencers before — only celebrity accounts. It’s a huge move from Snap, since it really didn’t show interest in creators a few months ago.”
Snapchat introduced Official Stories in 2015, but the feature was reserved mostly for public figures like Rihanna and Kylie Jenner, agency executives said. Now, the platform is extending Official Stories to influencers.
“Snapchat-only stars have expressed irritation with its neglect of them for a while now and have been leaving in droves for Instagram Stories,” said Marie Cravens, influencer and partnerships manager for We Are Social. “Snapchat is finally trying to woo them back and show [its] appreciation.”
Official Stories accounts come with benefits. They feature a emoji symbol selected by the account holder and receive customized filters for special occasions. Perhaps most importantly, Official Stories accounts will be more visible in search results, as discoverability is a big hurdle for both brands and social stars on Snapchat, according to Quiamco.
Snap confirmed it is expanding Official Stories and will include more “top creators” in the coming months. The company wouldn’t specify how it defines “top creators.”
It’s been a tough year for Snap, with Facebook-owned Instagram looming. In its first quarterly earnings in May, Snap reported a total loss of $2.2 billion and lower than expected user growth.
Gil Eyal, CEO of influencer marketing platform Hypr, thinks Snapchat needs to make a quick shift after two “terrible” quarters. He said there has been a huge decline in influencer marketing on Snapchat from his agency clients over the past year, with the majority shifting to Instagram, because of Snapchat’s lack of analytics and negative news about the platform.
“After completely abandoning influencers under the belief that they will stay because of the platform’s cool factor, Snap is understanding that Facebook stole its thunder,” said Eyal. “Remember Vine? It made the same mistakes, alienating its influencers instead of embracing them.”
Tom Buontempo, president of agency Attention, said he thinks Snapchat is wooing influencers to boost its stagnant user growth through benefits like Official Stories. And with more content from social stars, more advertising opportunities will emerge on Snapchat.
“Snapchat didn’t realize how fast Instagram brought Stories on board, and creators were moving to that platform,” he said. “Snapchat really needs to change its relationship with content creators to keep its audience engaged. After all, advertisers go where the audience is.”
Agency executives think it might be too late for Snapchat to build trust with content creators, as many already started building a large presence elsewhere. They also predict Snap will give influencers more analytics tools along with Official Stories.
“At this point, [social stars] have begun moving on. With the amount of monetization opportunities and the relationships that the Facebook and Instagram ecosystem is creating, it’s hard [for Snap] to compete,” said Marco Hansell, founder and CEO of influencer marketing platform Speakr.
Snapchat seems to be making progress in how it collaborates with social stars. Quiamco had a Skype conference call with about five executives on Snapchat’s partnership and product planning team two weeks ago, discussing what features she would need as a Snap creator. The Snap team also suggested it should host such meetings more often.
“I’m really happy that Snapchat is changing 180 degrees,” said Quiamco. “They asked about the community and were interested in knowing what would make our Snapchat experience better. They also mentioned that they were talking to other creators, not just me.”
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Gavin Dedeney owns three tropical islands. Along the white sandy beach are stone buildings for rent, each separated by canals and linked by rope bridges. Every day is perfectly sunny, and tenants can sail across a motionless ocean without the slightest breeze. This surreal real estate is just one investment in Second Life, a 3D online realm inhabited by more than 13 million residents from 100 different countries. As its population grows, so does the opportunity for profit. With the real world moored in recession, more and more individuals are turning to this dynamic digital domain for employment and investment.
"We live our lives in 3D, so it's only natural that our technology should mimic that reality," says Mr Dedeney, an online entrepreneur based in Spain. "Second Life is here to stay. " I give it three to five years before we're all interacting in a 3D way." And now, companies in the UAE are entering the virtual world to improve their bottom lines. Last month, Anantara Solutions, an international business consultancy, launched an initiative to help businesses make the leap.
"A number of UAE-based companies are showing interest," says Sundararaj Subbarayalu, a partner in Anantara Solutions, from its headquarters in India. "While these are still in the initial evaluation stage, we are helping them evaluate their best options of what they would have to do. The inquiries are from an educational institution, a real estate business and a leading marketing company, to mention a few."
The idea, he says, is to harness the rich possibilities for profit in Second Life - something that even the average investor can achieve. The potential is so great that Dubai Women's College (DWC), since opening its Second Life campus last year, has created virtual shops to teach its students how they can profit, while they learn valuable business lessons along the way. Second Life, launched by Linden Lab, a privately owned companybased in San Francisco, went online in 2003. Since then the size and scope of the virtual world has grown rapidly. Second Life has an entrenched economy, represented by its own currency, the Linden dollar. Each US$1 (Dh3.67) is roughly equivalent to L$270. Lindens in Second Life can be exchanged for actual greenbacks by visiting the LindeX, the virtual world's currency exchange, and having the funds transferred to your bank account. In 2008, more than US$100 million in Linden dollars were bought and sold in this world. Corporations such as IBM, Toyota and Sony have established a presence. IBM, for example, uses the space for corporate communications, whereas Toyota and Sonytake advantage of brand promotion and product testing. Residents of Second Life can walk, fly, swim or teleport across expansive landscapes using an avatar, a life-like 3D character. Clothes, cars and plots of land have become coveted commodities in this world, and millions of dollars are made by individuals around the world selling them. Moopf Murray, for example, (http://secondlife.moopf.com/index.php), one of Second Life's more famous entrepreneurs, earns tens of thousands of Lindens every month selling computer-generated roller skates to legions of eager avatars. Anshe Chung, (http://imvu.anshechung.com)a Second Life property developer, is poised to become the world's first virtual tycoon. She has amassed an empire worth about L$250 million, which translates into around US$1m. Need a job? Second Life's countless shops are typically staffed with actual employees, which is important to uphold the social and community feel of the programme. Mr Dedeney, communication and education is at the heart of his business strategy.Originally from the UK, he first arrived in Spain more than 20 years ago to teach English. But in 2006 he left the physical world behind, and hasn't looked back. Still based in Barcelona, Mr Dedeney and his business partner, Nicky Hockly, rent virtual seaside space to educational institutions such as Wales University in the UK and the Uiversity of Alabama in the US. His virtual seaside properties are hubs of communication at which people can meet and teach from around the world at a moment's notice, or reach a surging online audience that's just a click away. They also run The Consultants-E, an agency that constructs private islands for universities, and on the side, teaches corporations how to use the technology. Mr Dedeney says companies are beginning to take advantage of Second Life's communicative and cost-effective potential. Instead of sending employees on expensive business trips and putting them up in costly hotels, employees can meet online, work from their normal offices and speak in real time. In times of economic distress, it's an efficient, and perhaps necessary, way of doing business. "There is still a distinct lack of understanding," Mr Dedeney explains. "If you show this to a lot of people they see a cartoon. But things are changing. "This is replacing video conferencing. In Second Life people arrive early and leave late, and take the time to speak with colleagues. The ability to wander around is unique. You can peel off into subgroups, and it replicates a true meeting experience. Most companies miss the concept." With this concept in mind, Mr Dedeney and his partner have profited. After spending months learning the technology, they purchased three islands for about US$1,500 each, and pay an additional US$300 each month in rent to Linden Lab. The islands - called EduNation One, Two and Three - cater specifically to educational institutions. Dozens of universities and smaller English-teaching schools pay around US$15 monthly to rent a two-storey house, complete with a reception area, boardroom and PointPoint theatre for presentations. In addition, EduNation Two is completely free. And while this revenue might seem modest, Mr Dedeney says these islands are just the tip of his virtual iceberg. "When people come to us to rent land, they often look on our website and see what we do. In a way it is an advertisement," he explains. The Consultants-E, the more profitable branch of his Second Life enterprise, captures the reputation of his cheaper islands to entice the big fish in the lucrative online pool. "We do design work for people who want to enter Second Life and have specific requirements," he says. "Colleges decide they want their own island and see the potential, but they don't have the skills to design the island or build and landscape. Most of the time we do complete projects, and they hand over a virgin island." For consulting, building and training, Mr Dedeney charges between US$5,000 and US$20,000, depending on the size and scale of the project. The London School of Economics, for example, commissioned him to design its campus so they could offer architecture students a virtual canvas on which to create building designs of the future. The actual construction of an island usually requires about a week, but it often takes much longer before designers can "hand over the keys". Clients need to be immersed into the Second Life programme slowly and learn how to move and communicate. The Consultants-E is supported by a group of IT freelancers from Columbia, Brazil, Russia and Turkey who provide technical and administrative support. They convene in a virtual office, so overhead remains low, around US$25,000 a month. But the largest source of revenue for Mr Dedeney comes from teaching companies to use Second Life. With nine training programmes currently running, at a rate of about US$200 per hour, they quench a thirst for the virtual. One of his most recent clients was Cambridge University Press. Mr Dedeney says the company was seeking new business models for the world of publishing, including conferences and readings with authors using Second Life as the venue. "They have an innovations department that is constantly looking at new technologies," Mr Dedeney says. "Someone there had taken an interest in Second Life and thought their department needed training in the basic skills. "We often do training for those looking to make money and cross over into online commerce." Dubai Women's College, the first school in the region to join Second Life, has also embraced the shift to digital. Since opening its virtual gates last year, the campus curriculum focuses on helping students understand and profit from the Second Life economy. And recently, Renato Quero, a multimedia developer and designer at the school, has worked with information technology students to establish the campus's first abaya shop. Located in the college's public forum, just outside the gates, visitors can put on an abaya, if they wish to, before entering campus. Abayas range in cost between L$500 to L$1,000, or about Dh16. While the shop does make money, the idea is to teach DWC students the basics of how start a business and profit in Second Life. "As part of virtual space, they are using it to absorb the concept of e-commerce trade," Mr Quero says. "You can simulate it all, the concepts of money and marketing." Sharifa Hjjat, the e-learning coordinator at the college, hopes simple business concepts, such as the abaya shop, are only the beginning of e-commerce at the college. The programme, she says, has tremendous room to expand. "I think we can take this project even further by bringing the school's business department forward," Ms Hjjat adds. "We are open to finding different ways for online business to grow." Anantara's Solution's recent move into Second Life consulting, and the involvement of several UAE companies, is another leap of faith into the potential for profit online. Mr Subbarayalu says he couldn't identify the companies until they have progressed beyond the negotiation stage. Having a presence in the popular virtual world, he says, is similar to starting a website eight to 10 years ago. The goal is to help people make the shift to virtual investment. "We help our customers identify the right approach to a presence in Second Life and create a business model for them," he says. "We also create their physical presence in Second Life and do all the technical work required to create the presence." Mr Subbarayalu estimates the cost of renting a space of about 20,000 sq ft with consultancy from Anantara Solutions would require an investment of US$10,000. But before you make an investment, says Mr Dedeney, it's a good idea to spend time in Second Life to get a feel for the culture. Too many people, he says, enter and expect to do business as they would in the real world. The difference, he says, is that users demand a personal approach. Humility and respect is important to Second Life residents. "It's not a matter of just setting up and wandering off," Mr Dedeney explains. For example, providing cheap and accessible rental space on his three tropical islands was a springboard to more substantial building and training projects. . He recommends that people interested in starting a business spend time as an everyday user in to get a feel for the community before making an investment. Navigating Second Life effectively involves a considerable learning curve. He says it took several months before his business began producing revenue, so patience is required. Second Life, he says, is a radically different land of opportunity. "It's like moving to a foreign country," Mr Dedeney explains. "You don't run around and shout out your presence. You take your time, and learn the language." firstname.lastname@example.org


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A new report from Yes Lifecycle Marketing points out that Gmail has grown massively in recent years, and that means that email marketers need to pay extra special attention to its myriad features.
Over the years, email marketing has grown from a modest part of the messaging pie to a dominant one. And likewise, one email client has come to define that experience for many: Google’s Gmail client.
The Gmail Effect, a new report from Yes Lifecycle Marketing [registration], highlights the way that the email provider, which is closely integrated with the Android operating system, has come to dominate the process of sending and receiving messages.
Case in point: According to the marketing firm’s research, around 17.3 percent of email users had a Gmail account in 2014, putting it behind Yahoo as the largest email provider. Now, it represents 29.6 percent of all email users, while its competitors have all reported modest declines in the years since. Additionally, while more than 40 percent of users were likely to use a non-webmail email client in 2014, that number has now fallen to 34.1 percent—a significant decrease in the past three years.
And those users, per Yes’ findings, are far more likely to opt in to an email through Gmail than its competitors. Of those users that have opted in within the last 90 days, per the firm’s analysis, 48.9 percent used Gmail, far outpacing every other kind of email client. The trend is growing, as well; of those who opted in over a year ago, the number who used Gmail was 26.6 percent.
And of the users who are active readers of an email, 39.5 percent of them are Gmail users, far above any other service.
“While the share of the ‘big four’ has increased since 2014, this is driven exclusively by the growth of Gmail,” the report states. “Individually, the subscriber share of each of the other top four ISPs has shrunk or remained stagnant since 2014.”
The dominance of Gmail has been something of an Achilles’ heel for email marketers in the past, due to the web-based client and its mobile versions lacking certain technical capabilities that competitors like the iOS-based Apple Mail were able to take advantage of years ago. Things changed last year, however, when Google expanded its capabilities for cascading style sheets (CSS), allowing for responsive design.
On the other hand, though, Gmail has had other technical capabilities over the years that help to drive engagement, including tracking opens, clicks, and the amount of time that people spend with a message.
The report recommends taking steps to target Gmail’s specific needs, including putting a heavy emphasis on email authentication to prove that your organization is a valid sender, working to re-engage inactive users, and potentially pruning your list to ensure that inactive users don’t hurt deliverability.
Beyond Gmail, the report also breaks into a number of suggestions to drive marketing reach, including personalizing your messaging, using more GIFs and videos, and integrating data in ways that allow for more dynamic or localized content.
“Even if content cannot be customized to each of your 12 unique customer profiles, is there an opportunity to create two versions? How about three? Try and go that extra mile to find ways to increase relevance—the smallest variations can produce surprising outcomes,” the report concludes.


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Your chance to run a takeaway pitch on Gorleston seafront
- Credit: Karla George
Time is running out for takeaway vendors to apply for two new pitches on Gorleston seafront.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council is inviting businesses to apply for two newly available mobile concession units at South Marine Parade car park
Businesses offering retail or takeaway hot food have up until May 26 to submit their applications.
The successful traders will be able to operate between March 1 and September 30 each year, but the council has said it will also consider several shorter tenancies.
The new slots will sit alongside Barista Buoy and the long-serving ice cream van.
Daniel Candon, chairman of the council's economic development committee, said: “This is a great opportunity for small, mobile businesses to serve visitors at an attractive and popular seaside location for the upcoming summer season.
“We’re looking to offer a variety of traders for our residents and visitors to purchase from when vising Gorleston seafront, therefore there will be no further ice cream or coffee sales, as these concessions are already occupied.”
To apply visit the council's website.


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- Ad agencies have had a trust problem since a 2016 study by the Association of National Advertisers revealed illegal agency rebates and other misuse of clients' money.
- A new global survey from consulting firm ID Comms that involved all major holding companies found that trust in them continues to drop.
- Trust among brands, agencies, and publishers is also dropping.
- The only group that has a more favorable view of advertising is marketers' procurement departments.
- The decline in trust could mean agencies' services lose value over time.
- Click here for more BI Prime stories.
Ad agencies face growing pressure from clients and publishers alike as Facebook, Google, and emerging platforms gobble up an increasing share of digital ad spend. And according to a new survey, trust in agencies has never been lower.
Trust is also declining among agencies, brands, and publishers, but for the agencies, the decline threatens to undermine their main revenue source. It also comes at a time when their model is under threat from new competitors like consulting companies.
Management consultancy ID Comms, which has recently overseen global agency reviews and audits for brands like Mars, GlaxoSmithKline, and Puma, spoke to 177 clients responsible for more than $20 billion in annual spending.
Business Insider reported earlier this week that nearly 70% of marketers have updated their media buying contracts since a bombshell 2016 Association of National Advertisers report confirmed the widespread use of illegal rebates and other dubious financial practices among agencies. Yet most respondents to the ID Comms survey still see paid advertising as a "complex headache" rather than a key investment.
ID Comms consultant and survey author Paul Stringer said, "At a time when the challenge of media has never been greater, it is disappointing to see that so many marketing and media professionals are struggling to implement media strategies or forge relationships that deliver long-term growth."
The only group whose opinion of advertising improved is marketers' procurement departments. They were historically tasked with acquiring commodities like phones, laptops, and building materials but are increasingly overseeing marketing contracts as well, and many industry insiders see them as the primary factor behind the value of such services dwindling over time.
Media companies don't trust agencies, agencies don't trust marketers, and marketers don't trust themselves
"Overall, procurement is making marketing feel like the new IT," Omnicom Media Group CEO Scott Hagedorn, who leads the world's second-largest ad buying network, told Business Insider. "It's about cost containment versus strategic growth."
Brands gave agencies an average score of 2.4 out of 5 for providing "neutral and objective" recommendations regarding ad strategy. As one anonymous marketing executive put it, "Media agencies are factories for account management and provide no innovative or added value thinking or strategy and implementation."
Publishing executives were even less forgiving, scoring agencies 2.45 and 2.12, respectively, on their ability to share data-based insights and integrate owned, earned, and paid media.
"We are trying to solve new challenges with old processes, and the results are underwhelming," said Joy Robins, chief revenue officer at The Washington Post. She said publishers sometimes see agencies as "RFP dispensers" while agencies view media partners as "commodified idea factories."
Robins added, "Figuring out what is best left automated is an important step, but there has to be a recognition of the value exchanged when advertisers, agencies and publishers share a collaborative relationship."
The survey wasn't just an exercise in finger-pointing. Clients also rated their own media management abilities poorly, with an average score of 2.56. And all numbers in the ID Comms Global Media Thinking Report 2019 are down from the firm's previous report of two years ago.
The trend shows no sign of stopping as cost drives everything
These results reflect a tension in the advertising model as big brands try to do more with less by treating marketing like any other commodity and judge it by its ability to meet budget goals.
Hagedorn suggested the main reason procurement sees advertising agencies positively is that desperate agencies are increasingly willing to work for less — even if it makes their own long-term profitability more tenuous. Clients simultaneously write contracts that pay agencies every 120, 150, or 180 days instead of monthly or bi-monthly. These sorts of agreements make it harder for media buyers to properly compensate their publishing partners, and many media executives simply refuse to play ball.
Hagedorn said distrust will persist as long as key players keep fighting over smaller and smaller pieces of the industry pie.
"I hope that marketers snap out of it and get back to thinking about value creation," Hagedorn said. "Otherwise, why are we doing this?"


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GERMANY: This year marks the 100th anniversary of Persil, which is billed as the first self-acting detergent. Today, Persil from Henkel is available in approximately 60 countries. Moreover, the quality for which Persil is known is also available under local brand names such as Le Chat marketed in France, Wipp in Spain or Dixan in Italy, Greece and Cyprus. Now, this centennial year is to see the largest relaunch in Persil’s history. The premium detergent brands of Henkel are to be given a new, significantly more modern design.
For its 100th birthday, Persil is getting a thorough makeover and is about to undergo the biggest relaunch in its history. Persil is now available in Germany as “better than ever.” This claim is also to be visualized by a new, more modern and also more emotionally appealing look, which will be applied in all of western Europe. The national premium products of the family such as Le Chat in France, Wipp in Spain or Dixan in Italy, Greece and Cyprus will be adopting this new brand identity.


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Apple's swanky new extended reality headset is on the way, and leaks are hinting at a 2023 launch. We've heard a lot about what is coming, and it appears that Apple's offering will be a premium headset that will land at a price that is between $2,000 and $3,000. As such, you can expect it to be packed with hardware and software innovations that justify that asking price.
Patently Apple recently reported that Apple has snagged a patent for a Gyroscopic Precession Engine for HMD (head-mounted display). It appears that this will be one of the technologies used in the upcoming Apple VR headset.
The engine will deliver an immersive experience for movies and games, says report
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted the patent to Apple, and it has to do with a gyroscopic precession engine for head-mounted displays. What this means is that this engine will process a bunch of motion data and give better haptic feedback to deliver a better movement experience when playing games or watching movies.
Patently Apple notes that the patent filing discusses that an engine like this, consisting of torque delivery, is needed for immersive content to deliver better haptic feedback as opposed to the regular haptic feedback found in phones and such.
The engine will provide a force sensation on the viewer's face instead of just vibration and can be used in several places in the headset. Here are the advantages of the engine, as per the report:
"The gyroscopic precession engine also improves immersive media content for movies and games by providing a continuous torque/force on a user's head/neck or other body part that is synced with visual content, such as creating a sensation of air wave pressure (e.g., from an explosion scene), creating a sensation of centrifugal force (e.g., a bumpy roller coaster ride or car racing), head/neck/hand/wrist exercising (e.g., providing a counter torque to the user's motion), ergo correction (e.g., notify or guide the user to a fix bad sitting or standing posture) and providing reaction force feedback in VR applications (e.g., boxing an object and feeling a reaction force on the hand/wrist)."
The patent showcases a headset with the engine embedded in it that could be close to the final product. As such, we can expect to see some sort of facial feedback powered by this newly-patented engine in the Apple VR headset when it arrives.
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Palash has been a technology and entertainment journalist since 2013. Starting with Android news and features, he has also worked as the news head for Wiki of Thrones, and a freelance writer for Windows Central, Observer, MakeUseOf, MySmartPrice, ThinkComputers, and others. He also worked as a writer and journalist for Android Authority, covering computing, before returning to freelancing all over town.


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PARTNER NEWS: Mobile financial solutions firm Mahindra Comviva has supplied the technology behind the host card emulation (HCE) based payments feature in ICICI Bank’s Pockets app, which was announced earlier this week. The service allows the bank’s customers to make NFC mobile payments at any contactless terminal and is expected to launch at the end of this month.
- Manhattan skyscraper secures fire safety system with tamper-evident NFC tags
- NFC mobile payments roll out in Saudi Arabia
- VTB switches on Huawei Pay at retail outlets across Russia
- P2P payments gain acceptance across all US age groups
- Malibu adds NFC tags to 300,000 bottles for ‘Because Summer’ campaign


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Annual event Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, has officially been canceled for the year amid concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) which has just been classified by WHO as a pandemic.
E3 2020 was scheduled to be held on June 9-11 in Los Angeles, California and draws more than 65,000 industry professionals and fans worldwide who want to see and experience what the next big games are.
The organization said that it is “exploring options with our members to coordinate an online experience to showcase industry announcements and news in June 2020,” though no further details have been revealed regarding it. The organization will also start reaching out to exhibitors and attendees for refund procedures.
In light of this hiccup, many game publishers have announced plans to hold separate digital events for their loyal fans and gamers. Here’s what they had to say:
E3 has always been an important moment for Team Xbox. Given this decision, this year we’ll celebrate the next generation of gaming with the @Xbox community and all who love to play via an Xbox digital event. Details on timing and more in the coming weeks https://t.co/xckMKBPf9h
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) March 11, 2020
“E3 has always been an important moment for Team Xbox. Given this decision, this year we’ll celebrate the next generation of gaming with the @Xbox community and all who love to play via an Xbox digital event. Details on timing and more in the coming weeks.”
“Nintendo supports the ESA’s decision to cancel this year’s E3 to help protect the health and safety of everyone in our industry–our fans, our employees, our exhibitors and our longtime E3 partners. We would like to express our concern and support for all those affected by the COVID-19 outbreak during this challenging time.
“We”ll continue to be flexible and redirect our efforts to other ways of keeping our fans up to date about our activities and products. Because of the COVID-19 outbreak, large industry events may be untenable for the foreseeable future. But we are considering various ways to engage with our fans and will have more to share as the year continues.”
An update regarding E3 2020. pic.twitter.com/cThkDIkfVm
— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) March 11, 2020
“The health and well-being of our teams, players and partners is our top priority, so while we’re disappointed, we fully support the ESA’s decision to cancel E3 2020. E3 is and will continue to be a moment where we come together as a community and share our love of games. We’re exploring other options for a digital experience that will allow us to share all the exciting news we have planned.”
“We’ve continued to follow the coronavirus developments around the world very closely. Clearly the situation is evolving by the day, and we’ve been reviewing how it will change our plans for EA PLAY 2020. We will share more soon.”
The week of E3 has always been a big part of what we do and are genuinely bummed about the cancelation of the event itself.
Lots to juggle but right now we plan on having a livestream Devolver Direct / press conference and possibly more. pic.twitter.com/nGDAEsIzUs
— Devolver Digital (@devolverdigital) March 11, 2020
“The week of E3 has always been a big part of what we do and are genuinely bummed about the cancelation of the event itself. Lots to juggle but right now we plan on having a livestream Devolver Direct / press conference and possibly more.”
(ALSO READ: A New Console Game on Beloved Cartoon ‘Samurai Jack’ is Finally Coming)
Meanwhile, other gaming publishers like Square Enix and Bethesda have yet to reveal their plans.
What are your thoughts about this news? Sound off in the comments below.
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London, United Kingdom, September 02, 2017 --(PR.com
)-- The Nigerian real estate and hospitality industries have attracted investors for many years now and multiple new developments and refurbishments are taking place; meaning lots of exciting projects for local designers.
One of the most exciting builds currently underway is the Eko Atlantic development; a new build city modelled on metropolises such as Dubai and Abu-Dhabi. This multi-million dollar development will contribute 10 million square meters of new residential, commercial, retail and recreational space and be home to a number of new hotels, including a 500-key 4-star hotel and resort.
Omon Anenih Mordi, CEO of Blue Mahogany and advisory board member of home décor & giftware Nigeria is working on this project: “We are working on commercial offices and a restaurant in the desirable Eko Atlantic development, as well as a Boutique hotel in Abuja’s central business district. Other current projects include over 1000 square metres of office space in the prestigious Wings building in Victoria Island, Lagos.”
Other notable developments in this sector include the upgrade of Starwood’s Le Meridien Hotels, Marriot International’s proposed multi-million dollar investments in the subsector, the entry of Sheraton’s Four Points into Akwa Ibom State, the expansion of Hilton into several cities in the country and the recently opened Grand Pela Hotel, part of the growing BON Hotel chain Nigerian portfolio which currently stretches across half the country and includes hotels in Abuja, Warri, Ikeja and Victoria Island, with three other properties currently under construction and due for completion in 2018 (Nigeria real estate industry outlook 2017 report).
The market opportunities for suppliers to this industry have remained abundant and exports to Nigeria are staggering: Furniture imports and clothing and accessory imports have, despite a recent economic downturn, continued to stay high at $250 million and $763.3 million per annum retrospectively (worldstopexports.com) with $153.8 million worth of furniture imports from between 2014 and 2016 coming from China alone (International Trade Statistics - ITS).
Despite these huge figures, local buyers still have difficultly sourcing the variety of products they need to produce cutting edge designs: “Availability of good quality, good value, design-led products locally, has been a huge challenge.” - Omon Anenih Mordi, Blue Mahogany.
In a bid to bring the latest in international design to this massive market, the African Association of Interior Designers (AAID) and Interior Designers Association of Nigeria (IDAN) have teamed up with exhibitions organiser Clarion Events West Africa to bring about home décor & giftware Nigeria, a b2b buyers fair.
“For the past 12 years I’ve planned my annual holidays around design week in London and made sure to visit shows like Pulse, Top Drawer and Home & Gift as often as my schedule and air fares would allow. I was elated to hear that Clarion events would be coming to us this time. There is such a huge market out here and this says to me that finally, Nigeria truly is a part of that Global village we all talk about.” - Omon Anenih Mordi, CEO of Blue Mahogany
Many key industry stakeholders and buyers form the home décor & giftware Nigeria Advisory board and look forward to attending the exhibition holding 14 – 16 November 2017 at the Landmark Exhibition Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria:
“It is a known fact that Nigeria is a leader in Africa as far as home, décor & giftware is concerned: There is a lot of market potential and there also exists a huge and unending demand for homeware, furnishing, interior décor, textile and gift products. We strongly believe that this exhibition is a long awaited opportunity for the industry.” - Obinuga Olubunmi Samuel, CEO, Vibrant Interiors Limited.
To find out more about how to exhibit, check out the latest advisory board or read more on the market potential visit: www.homeandgiftnigeria.com/moreinfo or call +44 20 7384 7952.


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Acclaimed London restaurant’s new venture uses Pay Per Wash equipment to beat the post lockdown odds
The Covid-19 crisis has forced restaurants to take drastic measures in order to survive. With social distancing requirements reducing the amount of customers that can be served at any one time and an increased focus on hygiene, many businesses are having to think big and come up with bold new strategies.
Nobody knows this better than Brian Hannon, co-founder and director of Super 8 Restaurants. The group owns three of London’s best eateries, The Smoking Goat, Brat and Kiln. Equipment from Winterhalter is installed in each location. “Our team love them,” says Brian. “They’re simple to use, but the results are always outstanding.”
As lockdown began to ease at the beginning of July, he was faced with having to cut the capacity of the restaurants by 50%. “We employ 135 people,” says Brian, “and we were facing the possibility of having to let some of them go, which we really didn’t want to do as they’re a great team. So we started looking for ways to keep the staff not required at our restaurants employed.”
Brian began searching for an outdoor space suitable for use as a restaurant. After reaching out to one of London’s most renowned speciality coffee roasters, Climpson’s and Sons, they arranged to open a pop-up on the outdoor space at Climpson’s Arch cafe in London Fields, Hackney for three months, serving the menu from Brat. They worked with Advance Catering to specify and install the new operation. “Advance were fantastic,” says Brian. “We wouldn’t have been able to get up and running on such a tight schedule without them.”
The new pop-up is based underneath a railway arch, and has plenty of space outside for safe, socially distanced dining. “It’s an amazing space, in one of the busiest and coolest neighbourhoods in London,” explains Brian. “We have a maximum of 50 diners at once here. On the weekdays that’s working out at about 150 covers a day, but at the weekend it’s over 200. The menu offers many of the classic dishes from Brat, including whole turbot and our amazing Cornish beef.”
Winterhalter was the obvious choice for the new location’s washing needs. “We have them in our existing restaurants, so the staff already know how to use them which makes it easier for us to hit the ground running,” says Brian.
Two undercounter models were chosen for Brat at Climpson’s Arch, one for dishes and one for glasses. As well as the staff’s familiarity with Winterhalter, the fact that the range is hygienically certified was very important. “Knowing that the Winterhalters are powerful enough to kill virtually all germs makes them a key part of reaching the higher standards for cleanliness required now,” says Brian.
As with any start-up, keeping the costs down was very important. To this end, Brian took advantage of Winterhalter’s Pay Per Wash contract. This is a no risk, no money up front option that includes not only the dishwasher, but all chemicals and consumables as well as a comprehensive service and support package. Operators only pay when the equipment is operational, helping to reduce costs and eliminate the upfront costs.
“Pay Per Wash is fantastic value,” says Brian. “It means we can use the same best-in-class equipment that our staff already know and trust, without the initial outlay.
“Pay Per Wash is also very easy to use, you just log on to the portal and buy the wash cycles you need and it’s ready to go immediately.”
Pay Per Wash is one of Winterhalter’s latest innovations, but the company is not resting on its laurels. The company has been working hard to further improve its range of chemicals, and Brian is impressed. “We were offered the chance to trial the new Winterhalter chemicals and they’ve knocked my socks off,” he says. “The range is going to be another huge step change when it’s launched, Winterhalter is raising the standard again!”
Pay Per Wash is designed to be flexible in order to help businesses adapt to changing circumstances. “Initially we’re looking at a three month residency here,” says Brian, “but if we decide that we need the equipment for longer, we can easily extend the term, or even buy the machines outright.”
Pay Per Wash uses Winterhalter’s networking technology, called Connected Wash. This records all the operating data and allows it to be accessed easily by managers and service providers. “Connected Wash is really useful,” says Brian. “It lets us keep full accurate records of each wash, as well as helping to identify issues and get them fixed quickly. With the standards we’re working to, we need the equipment to be working at peak efficiency all the time, and Connected Wash really helps with this.”
The pop-up at Climpson’s Arch only took two weeks to set up, and already looks to be a huge success. “We’re fully booked up for the three months, to the extent that we are very likely to be employing extra people – as far as we know we’re the only restaurant group currently doing this, which is great news!”


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The holidays wouldn’t be complete without watching the classic holiday specials we grew up with. Peanuts fans will have even more ways to watch Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang as Apple and PBS team up for special, ad free broadcasts of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and A Charlie Brown Christmas.
To complement their release on Apple TV+, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving will also air on PBS and PBS KIDS on Nov. 22, 2020 at 7:30 p.m./6:30 p.m. CT and A Charlie Brown Christmas will air on PBS and PBS KIDS on Dec.13, 2020 at 7:30 p.m./6:30 pm CT.
The classic holiday Peanuts specials will also stream ad free and in HD on Apple TV+. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving will start streaming on Apple TV+ Nov. 18, and the special will be available for free from Nov. 25 through Nov. 27. The Peanuts gang will also deck the halls with the premiere of A Charlie Brown Christmas, streaming on Apple TV+ on Dec. 4. The holiday special will be available to enjoy for free from Dec. 11 through Dec.13.
All photos courtesy of Apple TV+


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Ola has raised $300 Mn from South Korean auto giant Hyundai and its affiliate Kia Motors to fund a strategic partnership to build India-specific electric vehicles and infrastructure
Ride-hailing service provider Ola has raised $300 Mn from South Korean auto giant Hyundai and its affiliate Kia Motors to fund a strategic partnership under which the three companies will collaborate to build India-specific electric vehicles and infrastructure.
Indian ride-hailing company Ola, which made its international debut last year, is rapidly doing some serious groundwork for its smart mobility solutions and electric vehicle plans. The company has secured a $300 million investment from Hyundai and Kia to collaborate on building new fleet solutions and explore mobility for global markets.
Ola said the companies will also work on improving local infrastructure in India and building electric vehicles for the nation, as well as developing solutions to operate and manage fleet vehicles.
Bhavish Aggarwal, cofounder and CEO Ola said, “This partnership will also significantly benefit driver-partners on our platform, as we collaborate with Hyundai to build vehicles and solutions that enable sustainable earnings for millions of them, in the time to come.”
As part of the deal, Hyundai and Kia will provide Ola’s driver partners with customized vehicles and the financial support to lease vehicles and pay in multiple installments. The carmakers will also provide maintenance and repair services for these vehicles. This should help lower the final cost of ownership, said Ola, which has inked similar tie-ups with other carmakers in recent years.
According to Ola, the move will create over 2 million jobs through its mobility ecosystem by 2022. Ola reportedly has over 1.3 million driver partners on its platform.
For Hyundai the move will see it transition from a pure-play automaker to a fleet operator. The three companies said they will accumulate data during Ola’s services operations to improve their vehicles and make changes to their product roadmap.
“Hyundai will proactively respond to market changes and persistently innovate to deliver greater value to our customer.”
“India is the centerpiece of Hyundai Motor Group’s strategy to gain leadership in the global mobility market and our partnership with Ola will certainly accelerate our efforts to transform into a Smart Mobility Solutions Provider,” said Euisun Chung, executive vice chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, said in a joint statement.
Earlier this month, Ola spun out its electric vehicle business, which is now called Ola Electric and has raised $56 million in a round led by two of Ola’s investors.
The $300 Mn funding is said to be part of Ola’s larger ongoing $500 Mn equity financing round, which has also seen the participation of Flipkart cofounder Sachin Bansal and Mirae Asset-Naver Asia Growth Fund. Eight-year-old Ola, which has raised about $3.5 billion in funding from a range of investors, including SoftBank and Tiger Global, is slowly inching toward profitability.


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Hi-tech medical device company Oridion Systems Ltd. (ORIDN on SWX New Market) announced Tuesday that it has received a 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for another one of its capnography products - the Oral/Nasal FilterLine. This product is the first in the company's FilterLine family of patented consumable products to monitor the carbon dioxide released from both the patient's mouth and nose.
The product's technological advantages are especially important for cases in which medical treatment is provided under procedural sedation. Under such circumstances, there is an increased chance of CO2 being exhaled through a patient's mouth - a problem that the firm's latest product addresses.
Oridion developed the product to prevent sampling difficulties and inaccurate CO2 readings that may occur when carbon dioxide is only monitored from a patient's nose, with a conventional nasal cannula.
Oridion Capnography Business Unit's VP of Marketing, LuAnn Joy, said that the use of procedural sedation continues to grow. "Accordingly, new healthcare standards and guidelines continue to emerge in the U.S. and worldwide regarding CO2 monitoring" "We clearly saw the need for a device that would help ensure accurate monitoring in these situations, and help care providers meet these patient safety standards...," she said.
The new product can be used with any of the company's Microstream capnography monitors.


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The Balenciaga casting directors accused of mistreating models have fired back at the allegations.
n Tuesday (28Feb17), casting director James Scully took to Instagram to accuse multiple designer brands of poor treatment of models at Paris Fashion Week.
Scully also alleged that at an audition for the Balenciaga show last Sunday, Maida Gregori Boina and Rami Fernandes left 150 models waiting in a dark stairwell for three hours while the two went to lunch.
In response, the French fashion house, owned by luxury conglomerate Kering, immediately released a statement, claiming it had cut ties with Boina and Fernandes, and had sent apologies to the models' agencies.
But Boina has now issued a rebuttal, criticising Scully for his "inaccurate and libellous" remarks.
"It is important to stop the spread of rumours and set the record straight," she told Business of Fashion. "To directly address these accusations, the models did not wait for three hours in the dark, not even one hour. We personally ate our lunch in the casting facility and - without question - we did not lock the models in the stairwell and turn out the lights."
Boina went on to explain that the "most comfortable" conditions were available in the facilities provided, though noted that the building's electricity went out "for a period of time" late Sunday evening, a fact confirmed by Balenciaga chief executive Cedric Charbit, and that the reception area of Balenciaga’s headquarters was unavailable, meaning that some models were made to wait on a staircase.
She continued that she was "saddened to be released from the casting without a discussion of what actually took place".
In his original Instagram post, Scully also called out Lanvin for racial discrimination against models.
While the fashion house denied the allegations, its fall 2017 show on Wednesday only showcased two non-white models on the runway, one being Joan Smalls.
Once a fire fighter, always a fire fighter.
Today (September 14th) marks the 25th anniversary since the album's 1993 release.
Labrinth has teamed up with Sia and Diplo to form a new supergroup: LSD.
The Struts teamed up with Kesha for a red and gold themed music video as part of their collaboration on 'Body Talks'.
Sometimes actors are not acting.


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(AP) - The price of stamps will go up by one cent on Sunday.
The Postal Regulatory Commission approved the proposed rate increase in November, which raises the price of a first-class domestic stamp to 46 cents.
The price of a postcard will increase from 32 cents to 33 cents, while a new global "Forever" stamp will allow customers to mail letters anywhere in the world for one set price of $1.10. Currently, the prices for international letters vary.
The prices go into effect Sunday, January 27.
You can temporarily avoid the cost if you purchase "Forever" stamps before Sunday.


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AUSTIN, Texas - Austin-based tequila brand Tequila 512 is filing a lawsuit against Kendall Jenner's tequila company "for brazenly ripping 512 off and even getting Kendall's famous sister involved," according to a report from TMZ.
Tequila 512 claims the use of the area code in the name is an idea stolen straight from them, according to TMZ. 512 is the area code for Austin, and Jenner's brand is called 818 Tequila, which includes the area code for the San Fernando Valley.
The name is not the only reason the Austin company is suing — it's also the eerily similar packaging. TMZ reports, 512 claims the bottles are designed so similar that it's meant to confuse consumers.
Jenner's company started in 2021, while 512 was started in 2015.
TMZ says Kendall herself was not named as a defendant, only the company is being sued. A company rep says, "We are reviewing the complaint and believe the allegations are without merit."
The Austin-based tequila brand wants a judge to halt the production and sales of 818 Tequila, and they also want the profits the company has made from it, according to TMZ.


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Jordan Greer is the founder of gtplanet, a major website in the eRacing world and especially famous for covering and creating an online community for Sony/Polyphony Digital's Gran Turismo franchise for over 20 years. Jordan has also been a commentator for live Gran Turismo events in the past. We asked him how he got started and even some of his favorite cars in the game. His story on the first time he met the creator of Gran Turismo, Kazunori Yamauchi is definitely not to be missed.
Sam reports on a new Civic Type R in the works and renderings from Best Car on the new Z car.
James gives us the skinny on the new livery of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas, eSports and his review of the Volkswagen Passat 2L turbo SEL.
Taro introduces a new Altezza drift car video hosted by Robbie Nishida and shows off the new GTChannel.com website with micro-moments full integration.


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Samsung is holding an event on August 13th where the company is expected to unveil the Galaxy Note 5. But the company may also introduce another phone, called the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus.
We got our first look at the phones when Evan Blass posted a leaked picture last week. Now he’s shared another image showing an odd little accessory: a keyboard that clips onto the bottom of the Galaxy S6 Edge.
The Edge 6 Plus is expected to have the same basic specs as the Galaxy 6 Edge, but it’ll have a roughly 5.7 inch display instead of a 5.1 inch screen.
The clip-on keyboard looks like something out of smartphone history, complete with thumb-sized QWERTY keyboard, designated number keys that you can use to dial phone numbers, and special character keys.
There are also a few modern touches including a microphone icon, emoticon button, and home, back, and recents buttons below the keyboard.
Basically it looks like a phone for someone that would prefer a classic BlackBerry or Palm Treo-style phone if only those devices ran Android Lollipop.
via Cult of Android


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Recently, German auto parts manufacturer Continental Group announced that it will start layoffs in order to enhance the competitiveness of the auto group's business and improve the R & D efficiency of its automotive department. According to earlier officials, 1750 R & D jobs will be cut in the automotive business, while about 5400 administrative positions will be streamlined and cut a total of about 7150 jobs, accounting for about 3.6 per cent of Continental's global workforce.
Officially, the layoffs will be completed by the end of next year.
It is worth noting that the news of the layoffs of Continental Group is not surprising. As early as November, officials announced that the auto group was simplifying and adjusting its business and administrative structure, hoping to cut costs by 400 million euros (30.8 billion yuan) a year by 2025. In December, officials launched a "lead-focus-execute" strategy that hopes to enhance long-term competitiveness by improving efficiency, strengthening cooperation and focusing on growth areas. With regard to the layoffs, Philipp von Hirschheydt, a member of the executive board of Continental Group, said that by integrating the R & D network, achieving synergies and cost reduction, while shortening the development cycle and focusing on high-growth prospects, the company will further enhance its long-term competitiveness.
Of course, Continental's layoffs also have something to do with perennial losses in its automotive business unit.
The data show that Continental Group was founded in 1871 and mainly produces rubber products such as tires, braking systems, body stability control systems, engine injection systems, tachometers, and other automotive and transportation industry parts. It is currently the fourth largest tire manufacturer in the world and the top ten auto parts suppliers in the world. At present, Continental Group has four sub-groups of automobile, tire, ContiTech and contract manufacturing, of which the main source of profit of Continental Group is Tire Group.
Data show that in the third quarter of last year, Continental's group sales were 10.2 billion euros, down 1.5 per cent from a year earlier. Of this total, Tire Group's sales in the third quarter were 3.4 billion euros, down 5.4 per cent from a year earlier. The adjusted profit margin before interest and tax increased to 13.2%. Continental Group said that the high profits are mainly due to the continued high market share of luxury tires and the reduction of raw material costs. ContiTech's third-quarter sales were 1.7 billion euros, down 1.0% from a year earlier. Sales of the automobile group rose 1.8 per cent to 5 billion euros in the third quarter. Compared with the previous two quarters, the auto group's earnings improved, but the loss was still large, with a loss of about $28.23 million in the first three quarters. In fact, for the auto group, officials also made adjustments last year to consolidate the car business into a separate unit focused on electric vehicle technology. Although the auto sector's earnings improved in the third quarter of last year, the results are still not satisfactory.
In fact, with the rapid development of electric vehicles. In this context, traditional auto parts suppliers are also facing tremendous pressure.
Recently, it is not only Continental Group that has started big layoffs. As early as January, auto parts supply giants such as ZF, Bosch and Valeo have already started layoffs. On January 17th, ZF announced plans to cut 12000 jobs in Germany over the next six years. On January 19th Valeo announced that it would cut 1150 jobs worldwide in order to improve the group's competitiveness and efficiency in the context of car electrification. On the same day, Bosch announced that it would cut 1200 jobs by 2026 due to sharp increases in energy and raw material costs, recession and high inflation, of which 950 would be laid off in Germany.
From the layoffs of several auto parts giants, it is not difficult to see that with the rapid development of electrification, in order to keep up with the transformation of the auto industry, auto parts companies have to start layoffs in order to survive. Of course, to a certain extent, reducing costs and increasing efficiency can solve the urgent needs of these traditional auto parts suppliers and preserve their strength. However, in the challenging market environment, it is still necessary to speed up the pace of change.
Welcome to subscribe to the WeChat public account "Automotive Industry Focus" to get the first-hand insider information on the automotive industry and talk about things in the automotive circle. Welcome to break the news! WeChat ID autoWechat
On April 23, Xiaopeng officially posted on Weibo that it had taken note of media reports about Xiaopeng's employees cooperating with the investigation, and explained the information: 1. Hebei police have recently launched an operation against the Internet Water Army. Xiaopeng Motor is also actively cooperating with the police in the investigation of suppliers. The case is under investigation
On the afternoon of April 23, the new M5 was officially launched. Yu Chengdong, managing director of Huawei, terminal BG CEO and chairman of smart car solution BU, announced at the press conference that the new M5 has launched a total of three models, of which the extended range Max version (rear drive) sells for 249800; pure electric Max
On April 22nd, the Nezha L extended-range model was officially launched. The new car has launched a total of four models with a price range of 129900-159900 yuan. It is understood that Naxi L is based on Shanhai 2.0 platform, positioning medium-sized new energy SUV, and provides pure electric version and extended range version of two power options this time.
Following the Wisdom S7, Weilai was also exposed to "cut off Hu" millet SU7 order. On April 23, the Financial Associated Press visited a number of Weilai stores and found that Lulai had launched a corresponding subsidy for consumers who had decided on Xiaomi SU7. Weilai store sales said: "as long as you place an order, we also subsidize 5000 yuan."
Xiaomi has attracted a lot of attention since its launch, and there has been a lot of news lately. Lei Jun announced at the Xiaomi investors' meeting on April 23 that as of April 20, Xiaomi had locked more than 70, 000 SU7 units, and that the delivery target of Xiaomi SU7 in 2024 was more than 100000. Interestingly, before Citibank,
On May 5, the new BMW i3 officially went offline at the Lida factory in Shenyang. It is worth noting that the new BMW i3 has been unveiled as early as the end of March this year, its price has also been announced, a total of eDrive 35L model, the price is 349900 yuan. In terms of appearance, the new BMW I
According to the car quality network, BMW X3 has received a large number of collective complaints from car owners, with a total of 61 complaints in the past week. In the last 30 days, the number of complaints against BMW X3 has reached 276, ranking first on the list of car quality networks. the main problems of complaints are that the car engine system is not in line with the manufacturer's propaganda, burning engine oil, body accessories and electrical appliances, video and sound system.
Lin Zhiying has been on the hot search site of Weibo again since the famous actor Lin Zhiying had an accident driving Tesla in 2021. According to media reports, Lin Zhiying was recently fined by the local traffic police for illegal parking. Lin Zhiying was fined NT $600 to NT $1200 for parking his car in a truck parking space, the report said.
With the continuous loosening of pickup policy, pickup has become one of the choices for consumers to buy cars. As the first domestic independent brand sales, Geely also plans to do a big job in the pickup market, its first pickup model arises at the historic moment. On Sept. 19, Geely's commercial vehicle brand long-distance car announced that the long-range FX pickup truck was officially available for pre-sale, with a total of two configurations, with a pre-sale price range of 12.69-136900 yuan. Remote FX is not a pickup in the traditional sense. The appearance of the use of a shield straight waterfall grille design, coupled with the engine cover on the raised lines and sharp headlights on both sides, there is indeed the smell of hard pickups.


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AS the Hispanic population in the United States continues to grow, major advertisers are seeking new ways to attract Hispanic customers. These advertisers are increasingly trying to deliver their message in Spanish through Web sites, special sites for mobile phones and texting campaigns.
“What we’re seeing is clients who are looking for growth outside their normal market, and often that market speaks a different language,” said Charles Whiteman, senior vice president of client services for the MotionPoint Corporation, a company that offers Web site translation services for marketers. “If we’re serious about targeting this consumer, this target market, we need to speak their language.”
Read the entire article at The New York Times.


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According to recent data released by the Institute for Supply Management, the United States service sector has grown at a faster rate in May which point to the solid economic growth.
Earlier on Wednesday, the organization said that its non-manufacturing index increased to 56.9 from 55.5 in April. However, this is lower than the figure last year as the last year’s strong growth was result of tax cut in the late 2017.
On the other hand, the Gross domestic product rose at an annual rate of 3.1% during the first quarter of this year. According to the commerce department, this was result of higher exports and investments. However, as recent trade tension grew, sector growth has slowed down in last month.


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Ever since Apple announced it would be moving to its own chips to power Mac devices, we have been seeing a shift in the chipset landscape. It’s not a major shift, but a noticeable one. Apple Silicon, as Apple calls it, will be based on the ARM architecture, made by Arm Holdings, currently owned by SoftBank. Now, it looks like NVIDIA is inching closer to buying Arm from SoftBank.
We had recently reported about the possibility of NVIDIA buying Arm, and it seems like the discussion has advanced since then. Bloomberg has reported that NVIDIA is in advanced talks to acquire Arm, which means it might soon be a proper race between Intel, AMD, and the big green.
Now, of course, just acquiring Arm won’t do much, as the company operates mostly on a licensing basis, and NVIDIA could not possibly touch that aspect without bringing in antitrust attention. However, we need to remember that NVIDIA made Tegra, some of the best ARM chips ever. With Arm in its corner, and Intel not showing any interest in making headway with ARM chips, it might be NVIDIA who tries to match Apple’s performance gains, for Windows systems.
The deal holds exciting possibilities, as well as major regulatory attention, so we will have to wait and watch how it unfolds. What do you think? Talk to us in the comments, down below!


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In a Korean press release, LG has confirmed that they will be showing off their upcoming Optimus Pad at the Mobile World Congress 2011 in Spain, Barcelona in just over a week. The Android tablet that was first talked about in the middle of last year is said to be the European counterpart of the recently unveiled T-Mobile G-Slate. The Optimus Pad packs an 8.9″ 3D-capable multi-touch display (1280 x 768), an NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core processor, a front facing camera for video-calling, 5 megapixel rear camera with dual LED flash, 32GB of internal memory, and a 6400mAh battery. It will support 1080p Full HD video playback on the tablet itself as well as through its HDMI output. The Optimus Pad runs on Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) and supports Flash as well. Stay tuned for more details at the Mobile World Congress.
Filed in Android, Android 3.0, Android Tablet, Honeycomb, LG, Mobile World Congress 2011, MWC, MWC 2011 and Tablet.. Read more about


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Uber’s foray into developing self-driving trucks appears to have come to an end for the time being. The head of Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group, Eric Meyhofer, stated that Uber has decided to stop its operations in developing self-driving trucks to focus exclusively on developing self-driving car technology. Meyhofer went on to say that because the company’s self-driving cars have recently returned to the roads for testing purposes on public roads in Pittsburg that the company will shift to focusing exclusively on devoting their energy to their autonomous cars operation. The return to public roads for Uber’s self-driving trucks comes after a few months off the road following an incident where a woman was hit and killed in Tempe, Arizona by one of the company’s test vehicles. Uber has made it a point since then to test their automobiles by having humans behind the wheel rather than being completely autonomous. Continue reading “Uber Abandons its Self-Driving Truck Efforts to Focus Exclusively on Self-Driving Car Division”
Technological improvement is necessary to continue to develop, this is true whether we are discussing the survival of our species or the survival of businesses. Businesses are demanded to change with the times and adopt new technologies within their respected industry to stay competitive within the market. Consider it a Darwinian survival of the fittest type of dynamic. In the current day and age, we live in, businesses have become increasingly more reliant on technology to operate, whether that be through email communication, software, or their website. Continue reading “Transportation Companies Face New Threats to their Business Operations due to Ransomware Technology”
June was a challenging month for flatbed truck companies as we reported last month. Flatbed trucking companies had to sift through a market where spot truckload rates hit all-time highs and capacity struggled to meet flatbed shipping company demands. Continue reading “Spot Market Rates and Shipping Demand Decreases in July as the Market Corrects Itself”
American automobile manufacturer Ford Motors is the latest company to throw its hat into the fold in the race to build autonomous vehicles. This announcement comes as a surprise as it shows the company’s undoubted commitment to developing autonomous vehicle technology and a business around it. The subsidiary of Ford Motors will be known as Ford Autonomous Vehicles LLC. Ford has been interested in developing autonomous vehicle technology, so this consolidation of its departments into a new company was a logical decision. Continue reading “American Car Manufacturer Ford Motors Throws its Hat into the Autonomous Vehicle Ring”
At the recent 2018 Code Conference in California, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced that Uber is in discussions with Waymo, an autonomous car company and subsidiary of Google’s parent company, Alphabet. This news comes roughly four months after the two companies settled a major lawsuit between each other. Continue reading “Uber Announces Potential Partnership with Google’s Self-Driving Car Company Waymo to Disrupt the Ride Hailing Industry”
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s annual Operation Safe Driver Week has commenced as of July 16th, 2018 and will persist throughout the week. During this week law enforcement will be monitoring for commercial motor vehicles practicing unsafe driving behaviors. The types of practices that qualify as unsafe driving behavior that law enforcement will be looking out for throughout Safe Driver Week are acts such as; speeding, failure to use a seat belt, distracted driving, failure to obey traffic control devices, improper lane changes, and more. The purpose of this operation is to try to promote attention to the primary causes of crashes. The operation’s goal is to combat these unsafe practices through stricter enforcement of these rules on the road. Continue reading “Rates Rise and Capacity Struggles During Operation Safe Driver Week 2018”
The flatbed trucking industry has experienced rising rates throughout the month of June with a major contributor to rising rates being fuel prices, but also in part due to the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance Roadcheck that occurred in North America from June 5th to June 7th. This is the first roadcheck to occur during the era of ELD. The roadcheck comes just two months after April 1st where Electronic Logging Devices would begin to be strictly enforced. Flatbed shipping companies have struggled this month to secure trucks for reasonable rates, if they could book a truck at all. Continue reading “June Flatbed Rates Hit Record Highs as 2018 Roadcheck Enforces New ELD Mandates”
By David Bansleben
The trucking industry has been dealing with driver shortage for several years now. In recent times the driver shortage in the flatbed shipping industry has been pushed to the forefront as the trucking industry attempts to manage this issue. Bob Costello, the chief economist at the American Trucking Association stated that the country was experiencing a shortage of drivers by a number estimated to be 51,000 in 2017. The 2016 numbers indicated the shortage to be around 36,000, indicating a drastic increase that is only expected to continue Costello predicts. The reason this issue is so prevalent in the transportation industry is because a shortage of active drivers means there will be less trucks on the road to transport freight. The shortage of available trucks to transport freight combined with the increased demand for trucks by businesses has combined to create a perfect storm in flatbed hauling. Continue reading “The Trucking Industry’s Driver Shortage and its Implications”
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Ruan Transportation Management Systems has reserved five of Tesla’s new electric tractor trailers for testing and delivery next year.
Des Moines-based Ruan Transportation will add at least five Tesla semis to its fleet in 2019. The company plans to test the vehicle prototypes in California before they’re delivered.
“These new trucks stand to revolutionize interstate transport and change the way we do business. Ruan has always been a leader in efficient transport and logistics, so it makes perfect sense to explore what these trucks could do for us and our customers,” James Cade, vice president of fleet services for Ruan, said in a news release.
Ruan officials say they’ve been in touch with Tesla throughout its development process leading up to CEO Elon Musk’s November announcement of the Tesla Semi prototype.
Ruan will pay about $180,000 per vehicle. For comparison, most diesel-powered tractors cost about $100,000. Tesla predicts the electric vehicle will pay for itself within two years due to savings in fuel, aerodynamics and reliability.
Lowa trucking company reserves five Tesla electric semi trucks


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KPMG and CII launched a report titled, “Shifting Gears: the evolving electric vehicle landscape in India highlight that Electric vehicle is emerging as a disruptive force with OEMs making investments in product development, players across the ecosystem testing and discovering new innovative business models and use cases. KPMG in India expects 25 to 35 per cent 2W penetration and 65 to 75 per cent in 3Ws by 2030
Since the running cost of EVs is much lower than ICE vehicles (one-tenth for 2W and 3W), a strong case emerges for a shift to EVs in B2B. Many large B2B players in e-commerce, grocery, food, courier delivery have been piloting EVs and some have moved into advanced stages of deployment. Battery swapping, Energy as a Service etc. are being deployed to reduce upfront investment, improve vehicle uptime, eliminate range anxiety etc. Thus, we see the entire EV ecosystem come together and make EV ownership with accelerated timelines a reality.
The report further states that 4W passenger vehicle (PV) electrification is expected to follow, with 10 to 15 per cent penetration in the personal segment and 20 to 30 per cent in the commercial one by 2030. The report also suggests that about 10 to 12 per cent of the overall market for buses is expected to be electrified by 2030. It says that Innovative business models such as battery swapping have emerged and will become mainstream to enable widespread EV adoption. In line with Make-in-India initiatives and global supply chain realignments, the government is strongly pushing the localization of production to achieve the twin objectives of self-reliance and job creation.
The report also states that to drive EV adoption, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and the government, both at the state and central levels, need to work collaboratively towards an integrated policy, creating a conducive ecosystem for India’s electric mobility vision. Currently, only a few state EV policies provide guidelines and incentives on battery recycling. Given this, a coherent recycling policy is the need of the hour.
Rohan Rao, Partner – Industrials and Automotive, KPMG in India said, “ Electric Vehicles (EVs) are on course to fulfil their promise as a game-changer for the automobile industry. Two-wheeler (2W) and Three-wheeler (3W) auto segments are likely to lead the adoption curve followed by e-buses and passenger taxis. Directionally several factors, including the availability of charging infrastructure, robust financing ecosystem, reduced battery prices and increased customer awareness, are paving the way for the new era of EV adoption. The government is also pushing the EV policy to address some of the adoption barriers. EV is, thus, emerging as a disruptive force, with several players experimenting with and discovering new innovative business models and use cases. Since the running cost of EVs is much lower than Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles (one-tenth for 2W and 3W), a strong case emerges for a shift to EVs in B2B segment. Ecosystem creation is the key. A widespread network of charging stations is vital for ensuring the fast adoption of EVs. Moreover, the local component ecosystem needs to be established. The government has launched a Phased Manufacturing Programme under FAME-II through which it is pushing the indigenisation of parts. The government has also outlined plans to set up a battery manufacturing plants in India Overall, there seems to be great promise in India’s EV story, as all the above factors come together to drive long-term growth.”
The report also highlights the key gaps in the existing policy ecosystem and also recommended that state EV policies could lay a greater focus on demand incentives that shall bring down the upfront cost differential. It is further recommended that state EV polices could have certain targets for the conversion of EVs, at a segment level or for a particular industry/use case. It is also suggested to set up an adequate charging infrastructure is key to encourage users to consider EVs. EVs could be promoted by encouraging users to purchase/use EVs over ICE vehicles with measures such as increasing road tax/registration fees on ICE vehicles, levying cess on the sale of petrol/diesel or parking surcharge, providing incentives on scrapping and deregistering of ICE vehicles. As more EVs enter the market, there is a need to formulate clear policies on sustainable end-of-life and disposal practices for the EV industry.
The report also highlights the total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis for different vehicle segments, few models that have been introduced in the Indian market to boost the adoption of EVs, and how the B2B segment is likely to lead growth in the next few years on account of established use cases, fixed/ pre-defined routes and cost savings due to higher utilisation.


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In the past decade, Jim and Gina Sullivan of the James J. Sullivan Corporation have been a major force in the revitalization of Poughkeepsie. Their renovation of the c.1915 architectural icon the Kings Court Hotel, with its storied past, created 40 Cannon Street, which debuted in 2019 as a multiuse space with apartments, a brewery, a wine bar, and an art gallery.
Next door, the couple turned a c.1845 Gilded Age church into nightclub and event venue Revel 32, which has hosted parties, galas, tapas pop-ups, and concerts since coming online in 2020. Now in their next master stroke, the Sullivans, in collaboration with catering partner and CIA grad chef David Burke and 40 Cannon Street tennant 1915 Wine Cellar, will give Poughkeepsie its first wine festival. The first annual Queen City International Wine Festival will take place over two days on February 17 and 18.
“When we purchased the building, we did so with the intent to program events for, and
create partnerships with, the community and the City of Poughkeepsie because we love
the Hudson Valley,” says Jim Sullivan. “We have been successful in bringing extraordinary events to Poughkeepsie that guests would otherwise have to travel to New York City for.”
Things will kick off Friday evening, February 17, with a dinner prepared by Chef Burke and wine pairings, followed by live music and dancing. The main event, dubbed the Grand Concourse, will take place Saturday afternoon, February 18, with over 100 vendors spread across three of Revel 32’s grand rooms. Each space is themed with one room dedicated to Hudson Valley producers and one each for Old World (Europe) and New World (Americas, Africa, Australia) producers. Splurge on a VIP ticket for access to the Room of Bubbles, with a selection of sparkling wines from around the globe. James Beard-winning wine educator Kevin Zraly will also be leading a seminar. The grand concourse will have two time slots: 1-4pm and 5-8pm, offering guests maximum flexibility.
“It had always been a dream of ours to open a wine bar,” said Russell Beck, who co-owns 1915 Wine Cellar with his wife Elke and son Kai. “We were told that we wouldn’t be successful in Poughkeepsie, but we knew that wine lovers speak a universal language and we have defied the odds. Now we’re ready to present this fantastic international wine event and expect a huge response from wine lovers who want to beat the winter blues and don’t want to wait a year for a fall festival.”
The Queen City International Wine Festival is a 21+ event. Tickets begin at $75 and are on sale now.


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Latest updates suggest that internet advertising spend is about to surpass TV advertising spend. According to reports, the internet, which is undisputedly the world’s fastest growing advertising medium will likely surpass the television in terms of advertising spend by 2020. Other reports also suggest that judging by the rate at which internet advertising spend is growing, it has been calculated that it will possibly surpass that of the traditional television this year.
This is not surprising as it was reported last year that internet advertising spend will likely surpass television advertising spend in 2017. The report stated that television advertising spend will only surpass that of the internet with only four percent, which is a huge improvement compared to the 11 percent difference in 2016. Interestingly, the report noted that television advertising spend is expected to drastically drop to less than one-third in the year 2020.
The report was based on the prediction of the Advertising Expenditure Forecasts of Zenith Media. The report from the forecast predicted that the internet advertising spend worldwide will grow up to 13 percent more than it did in previous years. This invariably means that in 2017, internet ad spend will reach £163bn, which is roughly equal to $205bn.
It is reported that the prediction from Zenith Media, stems from other reports and statistics, which suggest that advertisers will likely invest up to 36.8 percent of advertising spend from all advertising mediums globally in internet advertising. This is said to be an impressive improvement compared to the 34 percent in 2016.
Zenith Media’s report also went ahead to state that social media will take the biggest chunk of the internet advertising spend as it is expected to have an average growth rate of 20 percent every year. This is predicted to remain constant from 2016 to 2019 when social media advertising spends is expected to hit £43.8bn, which is roughly equivalent to $55bn. The report added that internet advertising has already surpassed total advertising spend of the traditional television in seven countries in 2014. These countries are Norway, Australia, Netherlands, Sweden, Canada, the United Kingdom and Denmark.
The report also predicted that internet advertising will most likely dominate the total ad spend in five more countries in 2017 – Germany, China, Ireland, Finland and New Zealand. According to the statistics from Zenith Media, these 12 countries put together compose of 28 percent of the total spend across all advertising mediums globally. It is reported that Zenith Media has also predicted that global advertising market will grow constantly at a rate of up to five percent every year until 2019.
However, other reports suggest that these predicted figures would likely be affected by the crises related to loss of confidence by major advertisers in Google. It is also reported that some advertisers have refused to continue to place their ads on Youtube due to issues relating to brand safety and sometimes ad misplacement. But it is believed that Google and other affected networks are working actively to resolve issues and regain the confidence and trust of their customers.
It is reported that even with the crises, Zenith Media’s president, Vittorio Bonori is still confident of the internet advertising spend will surpass that of television by 2020.
“Internet advertising has contributed all of the growth in global ad spend since the beginning of the decade, and has stimulated much of the innovation we’ve seen in the market,” Bonori says. He added that innovation is progressing really fast and he is confident that it will continue to enhance the growth of brands for brand owners.
Categorised in: Marketing
This post was written by Webpinas Online Solutions


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Spotify recently broke news when word got out that the company may be buying out its rival, SoundCloud. Now, the music streaming platform has made waves again, but with a setback instead of a success.
Spotify Free – the limited version of the software that’s free for all users – has been infecting listeners’ computers with viruses through its advertisements. The advertisements periodically play throughout the user’s listening within the free service.
The viruses affected Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems.
A post from the Spotify community said when open, the program would launch the default Web browser and subsequently direct the listener to malware-filled websites.
PSA: uninstall Spotify free, their ads are plagued with malware right now. pic.twitter.com/DUOqDrnDUZ
— Volp (@VolpRS) October 5, 2016
@SpotifyCares Yesterday the Spotify Free software started launching malware on my Mac’s Safari on its own. Many have the same experience atm
— Taru Kalvi (@tarukalvi) October 5, 2016
Spotify claimed the problem was being caused by one particular advert, which they have since removed, according to The Telegraph.
“We’ve identified an issue where a small number of users were experiencing a problem with questionable website pop-ups in their default browsers as a result of an isolated issue with an ad on our Free tier,” Spotify said. “We have now identified the source of the problem and have shut it down.”
A similar incident involving malware-ridden ads occurred in 2011 as well.


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Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA)’s eight EPZ zones have achieved a record high growth rate in export by 19.66pc during the current fiscal year (FY) ended 2017-18 under the tenure of current government.
“476 operational enterprises have exported goods worth US$ 7,208.27 million in the recently ended fiscal year 2017-18… At the same time, the total national export of the country was US$ 36,668.17 million. Thus, the contribution of BEPZA to the national export has reached to 19.66pc which is record high of any previous time,” a BEPZA press release said.
Meanwhile, Export target was fixed US$ 6,200 million for the FY 2017-18. However, the enterprise of EPZs exported goods worth of US$ 7,208.27 million as per Annual Performance Agreement (APA), a yearly target based agreement signed with Prime Minister’s Office.
Among them, Chattogram EPZ earned US$ 2,442.99 million, Dhaka EPZ US$ 2,203.26 million, Karnaphuli EPZ US$ 978.92 million, Adamjee EPZ US$ 765 million, Cumilla EPZ US$ 408.64 million, Mongla EPZ US$ 53.13 million, Ishwardi EPZ US$ 131.42 million and Uttara EPZ US$ 224.91 million.
The cumulative export earnings from eight EPZs stand at US$ 66,575.12 million till June 2018, the release added.
BEPZA also exceeded investment and employment target in the FY 2017-18 set by APA.
The operational and under construction enterprises of EPZs have attracted US$ 339.54 million investment against target of US$ 325 million. The cumulative investment stands at US$ 4680.85 million as of June 2018.
BEPZA’s target was to create 19,500 job opportunities in the FY 2017-18 where the enterprises of eight EPZs created job opportunities for 21,726 Bangladeshi nationals. 5, 02,013 Bangladeshi nationals are working in eight the EPZs of the country as on June 2018.
The previous highest export earnings from the enterprises of EPZs were US$ 6676.32 million in the FY 2015-16 and the previous highest contribution was 19.59pc in the FY 2014-15.