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Leading up to IntercontinentalExchange's (ICE) announcement of its third quarter earnings on Monday, November 5, 2012 analysts have become more wary as expectations have fallen over the past month to earnings of $1.72 per share from earnings of $1.83 per share.
Current Wall Street estimates reflect a 8% decline from the year-ago quarter, when the company reported earnings of $1.87 per share.
The consensus estimate has fallen over the past three months, from $1.90. Analysts are projecting earnings of $7.57 per share for the fiscal year. A year after being $340.8 million, analysts expect revenue to fall 4.6% year-over-year to $325.1 million for the quarter. For the year, revenue is projected to come in at $1.38 billion.
The company's net income has been increasing for three consecutive quarters. In the second quarter, net income rose 18% while it rose 14.7% in the first quarter and 27.9% in the fourth quarter of the last fiscal year.
The majority of analysts (75%) rate IntercontinentalExchange as a buy. This compares favorably to the analyst ratings of its nearest nine competitors, which average 42.5% buys. Analysts have grown increasingly optimistic about the stock in the last three months. The stock price has thus risen from $128.71 on August 2, 2012 to $131.19 over the past quarter.
IntercontinentalExchange operates global commodity and financial products marketplaces One of IntercontinentalExchange's main competitors in the investment services industry is CME Group (CME). Other competitors in the financial sector include: NYSE Euronext (NYX), Nasdaq OMX Group (NDAQ), and CBOE Holdings, Inc (CBOE).
Earnings estimates provided by Zacks.
Narrative Science, through its proprietary artificial intelligence platform, transforms data into stories and insights.


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The average Irish shopper is expected to spend up to €300 on Black Friday this year. But the shopping frenzy has sparked concern among the climate conscious, with thousands of delivery trucks expected to take to the roads - not to mention the mounds of packaging.
In 2017, Ireland produced more than one million tonnes of packaging waste for the first time, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
After a successful first year, the team behind the Wild Design Collective, supporting Irish and ethically made gifts, are encouraging the public to shop green this year.
The Co Cork-based shop is also asking businesses to consider alternative methods to mass discounts on products this Friday.
In 2018, over 170 small businesses joined in on the Green Friday movement, reaching more than 25,000 people on social media, Wild Design founder Bronwyn Connolly said.
Ms Connolly said Black Friday can put pressure on small businesses to discount during the Christmas season.
"It's not a sustainable model for small business owners to give things away at 50pc off," she told the Irish Independent.
"It's a difficult balance to strike; on the one hand retain that authentic value in your work and in your business that so many people do want nowadays, but also compete pricewise with retailers that can offer hardcore discounts on products that they can make or purchase much cheaper.
"So, Black Friday as a sales concept doesn't really work for small business, particularly those involved in the artisan production or craft side of things."
Last year, a number of smaller retailers offered free gift wrapping or discounts on neighbouring shops as an alternative to slashed prices. Others hosted live music and discussion panels in store.
This year, Ms Connolly has pledged to plant a tree for every customer that shops with them on Friday.
"We're thinking of it as more of a thank you to customer, and an experience on the day. A customer won't remember 10pc off an item, but they will remember the experience," she said.
Ms Connolly noted it's also a way for people to take small steps towards cutting down on packaging this Christmas.
"There's definitely a focus on sustainability this year. Some retailers are using brown paper for wrapping, others using compostable packaging."
Also launching a Green Friday initiative this week is the Kilkenny group, which is encouraging the public to champion local businesses and support the creative community.
Kilkenny CEO Marian O'Gorman said a survey by the group found 84pc of shoppers prefer to buy from Irish retailers.
"We, as consumers, need to appreciate the fundamental fact that by keeping money in circulation in our own communities, we are protecting jobs and public services," Ms O'Gorman said.
In Dublin, Irish online store Chaos+Harmony has launched 'Fashionably Upending Black Friday' (FUBF2019).
Over 40 retailers are taking part in the market at The Well, St Stephen's Green, from 10am until 6pm on Friday for a "celebration of small independent businesses", with vendors donating money to Pieta House in exchange for a spot.
Founder Róisín Scott recalls the "chaos" of her first Black Friday - which landed three weeks after she first launched her company.
After seeing a similar initiative in New York, she launched a pop-up market on Black Friday last year with only five businesses, growing to over 40 this year.
"Black Friday is a really difficult time of year for small businesses to navigate. You're kind of thinking, after building up your brand and brand values, are you doing yourself a disservice by feeling under pressure to discount your products," Ms Scott said.
She created the FUBF website and social media pages for potential customers to see what's in store on Friday ahead of time, in a bid to turn away from panic buying for Christmas.
"We're hoping that people can arrive, maybe have a list with them and make a more informed buying decision," she told the Irish Independent.
"It's about making a more conscious effort with where you're putting your money.
"We're trying to move away from buying presents for the sake of it."

domain: news


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San Diego Comic-Con is right around the corner, and this year, the good folks at Nickelodeon are bringing the sights and sounds of Bikini Bottom to the Gaslamp District.
In honor of 20 years of SpongeBob Squarepants, Nickelodeon plans to mark the milestone with an interactive experience on the convention floor.
The booth plans to tease the senses with an array of panels featuring the talent behind the toon, talent signings and interactive design elements featuring The Krusty Krab, in which contestants must race to get food orders ready, The Chum Bucket (a retail area) and a photo op at Mrs. Puff’s Boating School.
There will also be costumed character experiences, daily giveaways, and custom t-shirt station for you creative types.
During SDCC, Nickelodeon will present the panel “SpongeBob’s Big Birthday Blowout,” which will take “a deep dive into the series.” The panel marks the two-decade milestone of the celebrated show.
(Nick will also present the panel “To Shell and Back,” a creator panel for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, comprised of three generations of Turtle creators.)
Nick’s SpongeBob Squarepants booth is located at Booth #4113 on the convention floor during the run of Comic-Con.
San Diego Comic-Con runs July 18 – 21, 2019.


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Since the PS2 hit shelves before the Cube and the Xbox it certainly had a jump on the competition. Not to mention a slew of third party titles to kick of a massive game library. Regardless of DRE’s, and the failed hard drive experiment the PS2 has now shipped 90 million units worldwide. Now that, is a lot of gaming going on right there. Of course you can attribute the latest surge in sales to the slimmer PS2, with the internet gaming capabilities already built in.
The next generation of consoles will be led by the Xbox 360, will they garner the same out of the gate success that Sony had?


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Kickstarter may have started slow when it came crowd-funding games but it’s since grown to encompass roughly $108.58 million dollars in pledged funding. This was fact was revealed on the updated statistics page for the site, which also revealed that of almost 4,700 gaming projects that looked for funding, about 1,481 managed to meet their goals. This made up about $90.83 million in funds.
And of course, gaming itself is the largest funded area of the site with 13 of 22 projects that attracted more than $1 million in funding being games.
Kickstarter’s success sky-rocketed last year thanks to the participation of companies like Obsidian, Double Fine Productions, OUYA, Oculus Rift and many others. It’s amazing that only as far back as 2009 that only $60,000 had been pledged to game projects, with 2011 seeing a jump to $3.86 million in funding.
Thus far, the amount of funds pledged to games via Kickstarter is about $22.42 million. And considering that the year is still just getting started, there’s a long way to go from here.


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Just days ago Cruise Hive reported that the Carnival Miracle would be off loading relief supplies to locals on Hurricane Odile hit Cabo San Lucas. Well now Princess Cruises has also announced that it will be doing the same.
The Star Princess will call at the port on Saturday October 11th with much-needed supplies. The Princess cruise ship will deliver pallets of bottled water, milk and paper products, among other supplies.
“The residents of Cabo San Lucas form one big hospitality community that regularly welcomes our ships’ guests. We want to return that hospitality by giving back to them as they work to recover and prepare to receive visitors once again,” said Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises.
“The entire destination has been working tirelessly to reopen restaurants, shops and tours, and all of us at Princess appreciate and applaud their commitment to tourism and their tremendous effort to rebuild and restore so quickly,” she added.
The Star Princess will be one of the first to visit the popular cruise destination which is in southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico. The popular Princess Cruises west coast fall 2014 and spring 2015 sailings program includes a variety of 7, 9- and 10-day Mexico cruises on Grand Princess, Crown Princess and Star Princess. Panama Canal cruises on Island Princess also call on Mexico destinations including Cabo San Lucas.
Hurricane Odile has been one of the strongest Hurricanes of the 2014 season so far when it caused huge damage on the Mexican west coast back in mid-September 2014.
Photo By: Princess Cruises


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DENVER, March 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — M.C. Squares, manufacturer of direct-to-consumer home and office products, is pleased to announce it is the first company to launch a crowdfunded investor raise under recently updated SEC rules. The new regulations simplify the process for startups and investors, balancing consumer protections with the need for startup fundraising.
Working with equity crowdfunding platform StartEngine, along with Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary, M.C. Squares will be the first company to work within a new set of regulations finalized by the SEC in January that just went into effect today. The newly updated Regulation Crowdfunding rules increase the previous funding cap almost fivefold from $1.07 million to $5 million.
Established as part of the 2012 JOBS Act, RefCF rules were initially introduced under President Obama’s administration to give everybody the same access to startup investing to which previously only accredited investors like hedge funds and venture capitalists had access. The guidelines provide a framework loosely modeled on crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, or GoFundMe. Instead of raising money to develop physical products, apps, or community projects, RegCF guidelines allow companies to raise capital from large numbers of small-scale investments from private individuals.
“I’m thrilled we can now invite more of our customers to participate in our success as shareholders alongside our shark-of-a-partner, Kevin O’Leary,” said M.C.Squares founder Anthony Franco.
“The market is finally opening up to everyday investors. And it’s about time. You look at what’s happening with hedge funds and Redditors, and it’s becoming pretty clear that you don’t have to be an accredited, full-time investor to make sophisticated and savvy investments,” says Kevin O’Leary, best known for his role on ABC’s Shark Tank.
Not only will the increase significantly improve companies’ direct access to investor capital, but many business owners expect the increase to attract investors looking for larger equity opportunities. To learn more about the mcSquares raise go to http://www.startengine.com/mcsquares
About M.C. Squares
Based in Denver, Colorado. M.C. Squares is a young, fast-growing company modeling the future of eCommerce. With an explosive sales trajectory, their products are building momentum and getting serious attention. They design and manufacture ingenious home and office products while marketing and selling directly to consumers.
The company was founded by Anthony Franco, a serial entrepreneur with a remarkable track record of founding four successful high-tech startups. His tech experience allows him to bring the efficiency of digital delivery to the physical manufacturing process. And, unsurprisingly, he’s a total dry-erase nerd.
SOURCE M.C. Squares


text: In a blog post on its website Wednesday, Verizon Communications Inc. accused Netflix Inc. of "misleading" consumers about the source of buffering issues that viewers may have experienced. The post from David Young, Verizon's vice-president of regulatory affairs, cited a Twitter posting showing a screen-grab from Netflix that said: "The Verizon Network is crowded right now." Young went on to say: "This claim is not only inaccurate, it is deliberately misleading." He said that the "most likely" reason for any transmission problems stems from the connection Netflix uses to connect to Verizon's network, which is something Netflix is "solely responsible for." "It is sad that Netflix is willing to deliberately mislead its customers so they can be used as pawns in business negotiations and regulatory proceedings," Young said. It's not the first spat between Netflix and Internet service providers. A blog post by Netflix CEO Reed Hastings in March said ISPs "are willing to sacrifice the interests of their own customers to press Netflix and others to pay,” using, as an example, the deal the company struck with Comcast Corp. to pay for reliable delivery of Netflix content to Comcast subscribers.


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One of every five beauty purchases online is made via the Amazon marketplace, according to a new report.
Pennsylvania authorities this week arrested four people accused of shoplifting hundreds of thousands of dollars of merchandise and selling it through eBay live auctions and local pawn shops.
Pennsylvania law enforcement authorities this week arrested four people accused of shoplifting hundreds of thousands of dollars of merchandise and selling it through eBay live auctions and local pawn shops. A statewide investigating grand jury indicted the four after a 22-month long investigation dubbed “Operation eBay.”
According to the grand jury indictment, the four people allegedly were ringleaders of schemes in which heroin addicts and others were recruited to steal merchandise from stores. Those items-often in their original packaging that displayed price stickers and other labeling from the stores from which they were taken-included sporting goods, appliances, and electronics. The ring also sold industrial equipment, including compressors, paint sprayers and other heavy-duty equipment stolen from businesses and construction sites, the indictment charges.
Named in the indictment were Michael Daniel Friedenberger, Brian Patrick Wyland, Lynette Michelle Friedenberger, and Pamela Marie Cross, all of Altoona, PA. They are facing a variety of charges, including retail theft, receipt of stolen property, money laundering, criminal use of a communications facility, and conspiracy to deal in the proceeds of illegal activity.
The thieves targeted a variety of retail businesses, including Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, Kaufmann’s, Dunham’s Sporting Goods, Radio Shack and Sears, according to the grand jury indictment. At Dunham’s alone, the theft loss allegedly totaled as much as $139,000 per year, the indictment said.
Individuals unwittingly purchasing the items on eBay often used checks or PayPal, according to the indictment. PayPal payments totaling $220,000 were directed to bank accounts opened or controlled by the defendants, the grand jury charged.
The defendants also allegedly set up 17 eBay accounts to force the prices higher on items-so-called ghost bidding, according to the indictment. EBay suspended those accounts.
EBay supplied information on the accounts after being approached by the attorney general’s office, an eBay spokeswoman says. EBay asks people who see stolen property on the site to file a police report and have law enforcement contact eBay.
“Once there’s an official police report and law enforcement is involved, what we’re able to do is then go back and immediately pull any related reported listings and gather information and provide that to law enforcement,” she says.
Although most transactions on eBay are legitimate, eBay takes the problem of stolen goods sold on its site very seriously, and has a team dedicated to the safety and security of its marketplace, the spokeswoman says.
“What we’ve been told oftentimes by law enforcement is that eBay is one of the worst places criminals could go to try to sell stolen goods, because in order to list something on our site, you have to give us information for a financial account-credit card or checking account information-a physical address, a name, phone number and e-mail contact information,” she says.


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Study: 'The war on phishing is far from over'
Phishing attacks increased in number, decreased in damage
More consumers were victims of phishing attacks in 2008 -- a 39.8 percent increase from a year earlier -- but the average dollar amount lost decreased, according to a survey conducted by technology research company Gartner.
Phishing is a form of identify fraud where a criminal acquires secure information -- such as credit card numbers, usernames, or passwords -- by pretending to be a person or company that the holder of sensitive information trusts. Phishing usually occurs when a cybercriminal sends a user an e-mail with a link to a phony website that asks users to reveal identifying information.
The Gartner study -- which included data gathered between September 2007 and September 2008 -- indicated that more than 5 million American consumers lost money in 2008 to phishing attacks, but the average losses among consumers decreased 60 percent to $351 per incident. In addition, consumers recovered 56 percent of their losses, with most of the costs from fraud incidents absorbed by financial service providers.
Avivah Litan, vice president and analyst at Gartner, said several measures help combat phishing, including e-mail blocking, safe browser surfing features and checking website authentication to determine legitimate sites. But he warned that "the war against phishing is far from over."
The survey also recommended that enterprises that service accounts should provide their customers with site authentication tools and secure e-mail gateways to help them best guard against phishing attacks. According to Litan, no one solution guarantees safety, and that the best security practices call for layers of anti-phishing tools.
- Credit card rewards and cardholder satisfaction statistics – Rewards are key factor in cardholder satisfaction, with cash rebates being the most popular form of reward ...
- Study: Credit cards carry more types of bacteria than coins, cash – There's a good chance your credit card carries nasty bugs that can cause infections and food poisoning, but it's not likely to make you sick ...
- Discover reclaims top rank in J.D. Power Satisfaction Study – Rewards programs are a top factor on people's satisfaction with credit cards, JDPower's annual survey found. In 2018, Discover reclaimed the top position, with American Express in close second ...


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Where double cab vehicles are family orientated because of the additional passenger space, a single cab’s aim is primarily for utility aimed at individuals who require more loading space; be it for a hobby or work purposes.
Lightstone, the provider of vehicle information, shares findings on vehicles sold in the last five years within the utility category:
A total of 30 644 one-ton double cab utilities were sold through dealer networks in 2012 as opposed to 48 104 one-ton single cabs in the same year. Five years later in 2017, analysis of the first 10 months indicate that more than 39 000 double cabs have been bought in comparison to 37 000 single cabs.
This significant change in buyer behaviour came about in 2016 when, for the first time ever in the one-ton market, double cabs outsold single cabs. According to Hein Coetzee at Lightstone Auto, this change in the market is attributed to the fact that manufacturers are offering double cabs with improved levels of driveability, luxury and comfort.
With all the latest attributes Double Cabs are becoming a realistic alternative to the previously modern Sports Utility Vehicle,” adds Coetzee.
A vehicle that has become the benchmark in the double cab segment is the Ford Ranger. This vehicle began the process of changing the way consumers looked at double cabs when it was originally released in 2011. The new and improved Ranger was launched during the latter of 2015, along with the new Toyota Hilux, Isuzu KB and the Volkswagen Amarok, which were all launched within a nine month window.
The introduction of updated vehicles, particularly from the leading vehicle brands, usually generates a fair amount of interest. The hype, allied to the SUV-like qualities the manufacturers introduced with these new double cab ranges, quickly catapulted the body shape passed the single cab.
The spike in sales during 2016 can be attributed, not only to the launch of the upgraded version of the Ranger, but also to an amalgamation of all the new and improved double cab offerings on the market.
Sales of the Ranger during this period is an indication of the dominance of the model in this segment. One of the most significant findings by Lightstone is that since the beginning of January 2015, 41% of all double cabs sold in Southern Africa have been Ford Rangers.


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As the year drew to a close, we took a look at all 30 stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, starting with the worst performers— Boeing and Walgreens Boots Alliance —and working our way up to the highest-flying stock in the benchmark— Apple.
Walt Disney (ticker: DIS) stock took quite a round trip in 2020. After dropping some 40% in the first three months of the year, it has more than doubled since—and unexpectedly ended the year with a 25.3% gain.
The rapid growth of Disney’s streaming services—and their future potential—far outshined a near-perfect storm for the rest of the company’s businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic. With movie theaters and theme parks closed, sports seasons shortened and delayed, and television and film production disrupted, it’s no surprise that Disney’s revenues tumbled, earnings went negative, and the dividend was shelved in 2020. During the most severe months of global Covid-19 lockdowns in the calendar second quarter, the entertainment conglomerate’s sales were 42% lower than they were a year earlier and its quarterly net loss totaled nearly $5 billion.
However, none of that mattered to forward-looking investors. While the pandemic has been an unprecedented drag on Disney’s legacy businesses, it’s been a tremendous boon for its streaming services: Since launching in November 2019, Disney + has rapidly grown to 87 million subscribers worldwide, and Hulu and ESPN+ have added about 39 million and 11.5 million subscribers, respectively, as of early December.
That’s where Disney’s future lies—and the pandemic, if anything, has given the company cover to accelerate its transition to a streaming-centric operation. The decision to debut big-budget films on Disney+—including the live-action remake of “Mulan” for an extra fee and Pixar’s “Soul” at no additional charge—was much easier by the fact that movie theaters were largely closed in 2020. Millions of people worldwide who were stuck at home during quarantines and lockdowns turned to streaming services for entertainment, boosting signups.
Investors have come around to viewing Disney as more of a growth-oriented streaming play similar to Netflix (NFLX) rather than an old media-dependent entertainment conglomerate. That’s what’s behind the stock’s outperformance in 2020: the value of its still-unprofitable streaming segment has grown faster than its pandemic-impaired businesses have declined. But that was happening anyway, the logic goes—and Covid-19 vaulted Disney several years into the future.
The coming year will an eventful one for the Mouse House: the company will debut Star, a new international service, in numerous markets in Europe, Asia, and Latin America starting in February 2021. It will include general entertainment programming, similar to Hulu in the U.S. Depending on the country, Star may be packaged with Disney+ and include sports content, too. A price hike is also in the cards for Disney+ next year: The cost will rise by $1 a month, to $7.99, in the U.S. starting in March, with other countries seeing similar increases in their local currencies.
Disney also unveiled ambitious new goals at an investor day in December: The company expects to have as many as 350 million subscribers globally across all its services within four years, when it could be spending $16 billion on new shows and movies to keep subscribers signing up and engaging. Investors and analysts will be keeping tabs on its progress in 2021, when the pandemic will eventually cease to be such a streaming tailwind.
As for Disney’s non-streaming businesses, the widespread rollout of Covid-19 vaccines and a healing global economy will likely mean a return to more “normal” activity. If local restrictions are lifted, the company’s theme parks could see a major rebound: Disneyland and Disney World could be popular destinations for families still wary of international travel.
Disney’s TV networks—such as ABC, ESPN, and FX—should see a rebound in advertising as sports seasons resume. The future of movie theaters is more of an open question, and one that might not have a clear answer for several more years. Disney management has kept its options open for future films, and will likely continue to experiment with its release strategy. Big-budget Marvel and Star Wars movies could be released in theaters, while lower-profile films could be slated for streaming-only debuts.
The fate of Disney’s semiannual dividend is also a question that will be answered in 2021. The company suspended its last two payouts, citing the pressures of the pandemic and desire to continue investing in its streaming initiatives.
“Disney brings with it all three themes: secular growth [through streaming,] reopening through Parks, and cyclical exposure through advertising and consumer products,” Morgan Stanley analyst Benjamin Swinburne wrote in a recent report. “In [2021,] we think the reopening trends at the Parks could be a large driver of shares as the streaming debate plays out over a longer period of time.”
Swinburne has the equivalent of a Buy rating on Disney stock. His $200 price target ascribes about $120 per share in value to Disney’s streaming business.
Disney closed out the year at $181.18 per share—while the average price target is $179.54, according to FactSet. Nearly three quarters of analysts tracked by the service have a Buy or equivalent rating. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has returned 9% including dividends in 2020.
Write to Nicholas Jasinski at [email protected]


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Photos: Scottish Parliament Gets Free Vegan Cheese Pizza From PETA’S ‘Lettuce Lady’
For Immediate Release:
6 November 2014
Ben Williamson +44 (0) 207 837 6327, ext 229; [email protected]
Dairy-Free Slices From La Favorita Delivered Dished Up in Celebration of World Vegan Month
Edinburgh – Members of the Scottish Parliament were able to leave their lunch boxes at home today because PETA was on hand with free vegan cheese pizza from La Favorita Delivered, dished up by 24 year-old Glasgow native Jenna McGuinness, who wore a gown made entirely of lettuce leaves for the occasion. The event, which took place immediately after First Minister’s Questions, came at the start of World Vegan Month.
“PETA and I are eager to show everyone, from MSPs to everyday Edinburghers, how delicious and healthy vegan food can be”, McGuinness says. “November is World Vegan Month, so there’s never been a better time to try the delicious vegan meals on offer at so many of Edinburgh’s restaurants, including pizza, sushi, curry and more.”
La Favorita Delivered is the first Italian restaurant in Scotland to offer pizza topped with vegan cheese – the carefully sourced rice milk–based MozzaRisella. Demand for dairy-free products is on the rise: according to recent reports, one in five Brits now includes non-dairy milks in his or her weekly shopping trip, and research group Mintel has found that the market has increased by a staggering 155 per cent in the last two years. Choosing vegan snacks and meals is a great way to reduce the risk of suffering from heart disease, strokes, diabetes, obesity and cancer – and of course, each person who goes vegan saves more than 100 animals every year from daily suffering and a terrifying death.
PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat” – offers free recipes and tips for going vegan on its website. For more information on adopting a vegan diet or to order a free vegan starter kit, please click here or visit PETA.org.uk.
Photos of La Favorita Delivered’s new pizza with SmokeyRisella vegan cheese are available here, here and here (please credit photographer Wojtek Gasiorowski). For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk.
Note to editors: La Favorita Delivered is the home of Scotland’s Best Pizza after picking up the top prize at this year’s Italian Awards in October. Edinburgh’s favorite pizza delivery business already has 4 very successful stores in the capital and is preparing to open two new branches in Glasgow in early 2015. La Favorita Delivered is being personally backed by famous financier Jon Moulton who valued the business at £4m and is about to undertake fund raising through the entrepreneur’s crowd funding platform Investing Zone.


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Google is reportedly planning to launch a new Nest Thermostat in the coming weeks. Bloomberg says that the new Nest Thermostat will cost $129, which is considerably cheaper than the $249 flagship thermostat and the $169 Nest Thermostat E (shown above).
This new thermostat will achieve the lower price by using a body that's made of plastic rather than metal like the high-end Nest Thermostat.
Today's report also claims that Google will replace some of the touch controls of existing Nest Thermostat with a system that'll use hand gestures, similar to the Soli-based Motion Sense gestures used on the Pixel 4. It's expected that you'll be able to do things like swipe your hand up or down to control the temperature or move your hand toward or away to navigate menus.
We've seen Google placing a focus on lower-priced devices lately. The Pixel 5 starts at $699, a couple hundred dollars less than last year's Pixel 4 flagship, and it's also got the Pixel 4a that starts at $349. The new Nest Audio smart speaker is also $30 cheaper than the Google Home it replaces.
This rumored Nest Thermostat looks to continue that trend of new, lower-cost Google devices. It could be a good way to get new folks into the Nest ecosystem.
It'll be interesting to see how well the gestures of the new Nest Thermostat perform. When the Pixel 4 launched, reviewers said that the Motion Sense gestures could be a bit hit or miss, but Google has now had a year to improve things.


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Health care will be major driver of plastic packaging Packaging World The global plastic packaging market — defined as bags, pouches, films, containers, and envelopes made from plastic — was valued at $259.65 billion in 2013 and is expected to reach $370.25 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of 5.2 percent over the forecast period between 2014 and 2020. In terms of volume, the plastic packaging market was worth 78,400.2 kilo tons in 2013. That’s according to a new study, “Plastic Packaging Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2014 – 2020,” from Transparency Market Research.
4 design trends in ecommerce packaging Packaging Digest In the past, retailers have treated shipping cases as an afterthought. Over the past several years, that has started to change as packaging has been elevated past the plain poly bag or brown box. More brands are putting greater emphasis on their packaging, and that’s an important trend to note. What’s even more interesting is how much consumers care about the specialized packaging.
Recycling reduces bacterial loading for corrugated shippers Packaging World Testing and analysis conducted by the University of California-Davis and toxicology experts Haley & Aldrich investigating the cleanliness of corrugated shipping containers confirmed that all corrugated containers tested met acceptable sanitation levels. "One hundred percent of the samples evaluated were below the sanitation levels of 1,000 colony forming units [CFU] per swab for the organisms tested," says Maryann Sanders, Senior Toxicologist, Microbiologist, and Regulatory Compliance Specialist at Haley & Aldrich.
Fully Automated WVTR and OTR testing MOCON has virtually reinvented permeation testing with its fully automated oxygen and water vapor permeation systems. Faster testing, easier to use, increased accuracy, lower cost.
Are plastic bottles the next big target for bans? Promo Marketing A number of U.S. cities and counties have passed legislationOpens in a new window banning plastic bags, and others have bans in the works. The reasoning is straightforward: According to the Environmental Protection AgencyOpens in a new window, Americans generated 32 million tons of plastic waste in 2012, with a recycle rate of just 12 percent. All that waste is bad for the environment — and it's expensive
Compact dual-dispenser targets skin care 'nomads' Packaging Digest A new 30ml size of the patented VariBlend dual-dispensing technology lets beauty and health care companies tap into the global megatrend of “nomadism.” With this on-the-go package, busy consumers can easily take their favorite skin care products with them — for use at work, while traveling or during leisure activities.
Quality doctor blades and end-seals
In addition to being a manufacturer of quality metal, composite, and plastic doctor blades, Allison Systems now offers OEM and custom design chamber end seals. MORE
In-mold labeling still a niche, but growing, application Plastics Today While we've been talking about in-mold labeling (IML) for nearly two decades now, the technology is still a niche application, with a 26 percent share of the label market in North America. With all of the advantages of IML, one of the biggest deterrents is the long, complex supply chain that often means greater up-front costs. "The supply structure is complex with myriad suppliers," noted Corey Reardon, President and CEO at Alexander Watson Associates, in his keynote presentation at the annual IMLCON/IMDCON conference that was held in Miami, Florida, on Feb. 18 and 19.
Packaging giant RPC buying Dutch blow molder PET Power BV Plastics News Packaging giant RPC Group plc has continued its investment and growth in the PET sector through the acquisition of Etten-Leur, the Netherlands-based PET Power BV. The purchase brings together two of the principal players in the European packaging market. PET Power makes plastics packaging for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and foodstuffs industries. The PET blow molding specialist was established in 1995, employs more than 200 and has sales offices in 19 countries.
Business reviews now available on the TAPPI Buyer's Guide MultiView Nearly seven out of 10 people read online reviews before making a purchase, and in the business-to-business world, reviews are even more important in the decision-making process. To help in your purchasing decisions, we are pleased to announce that we've now incorporated business reviews into our TAPPI Buyer's Guide. Now you have the opportunity to share your experiences with a company's products or services with your fellow colleagues, or read what others have to say about a potential future vendor. Visit the TAPPI Buyer's Guide to search for qualified product and service providers and write a review.
3-D printing advantages solidify for packaging Packaging Digest At Pack Expo East, David Macfie of Cimquest provided an overview and update of 3-D printing technology, citing companies including The Dial Corp. and Silgan Plastics that were using it for packaging. “By noon today, everyone in this room will have been impacted by 3-D printing,” declared David Macfie of Cimquest, a Value Added Reseller (VAR) of 3-D printing systems operating throughout the northeast U.S. that also offers 3-D scanning services.
New coconut 'So Delicious' beverages introduced in aseptic cartons Brand Packaging They are made exclusively from GM-free organic coconuts and are guaranteed dairy-free: The "So Delicious Dairy Free" creamy coconut beverages from U.S. food manufacturer So Delicious Dairy Free are made for everyone who, for health reasons or simply on principle, wants to avoid dairy products or is just looking for new ways to eat a varied and healthy diet. In addition to Cococcino Mocha and Cococcino Latte flavors, for the winter season Pumpkin Spice, Nog and Mint Chocolate varieties are also on sales shelves in the aseptic carton pack combifitMidi from SIG Combibloc.
Be comfortable in your role as a packaging leader Packaging Digest Packaging leaders not only guide their own teams, they help direct the industry at large. One way of doing that is to be active, visible and vocal in the community. When Denise Lefebvre spoke at Packaging Digest’s Global Food & Beverage Packaging Summit in 2014, she was frank about the consumer and packaging trends PepsiCo is tracking and why, including emerging packaging challenges in e-commerce and modular machines for right-sized production.
Loop-and-hook closure keeps bath salts fresh Packaging World Dr. Teal's, part of the PDC brands family, has integrated the VELCRO Brand's PRESS-LOK closure from Velcro Industries into the packaging of its range of Epsom salt bath soaking products — the first application of the VELCRO closure in the wellness and beauty category. Dr. Teal’s prides itself on providing the best quality and cut of Epsom salt by using premium Magnesium Sulfate U.S.P. grade with essential oils. Utilizing PRESS-LOK ensures freshness while allowing for easy alignment and secure fastening, ideal for the packaging containing Dr. Teal's fine-grain, therapeutic Epsom salts.
Packaging more important than celebrity for teen shoppers Packaging News A special in-depth study by Easyfairs, organizers of Packaging Innovations, has found that teenage girls are big fans of limited edition packs. The study tracked the daily routine of teenage girls when shopping on and offline. Results showed that when it comes to packaging, teenage girls "love" limited edition packs and special deals; rarely use QR codes; switch between low-cost brands; view celebrity endorsement as irrelevant and are clueless on packaging symbols.
US film recycling leaps 11 percent Plastics News Post-consumer plastic film packaging recycling jumped 11 percent year-over-year, according to new findings from the American Chemistry Council. The new statistics, based on 2013 numbers, were released Feb. 24 as part of the Plastics Recycling 2015 conference in Dallas. The jump of 116 million pounds, to an estimated 1.14 billion pounds, marks the highest annual collection total since the ACC started surveying collection in 2005.
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13th TAPPI European PLACE Conference Proceedings
The 13th TAPPI European PLACE Conference (Polymers, lamination, Adhesives, Coating & Extrusions) was held May 30- June 1, 2011 in Bregenz, Austria. his event focused on the extrusion coating and laminating industry featuring the latest technology and developments in: • Raw materials • Processing • Inspection and applications These proceedings contain papers presented throughout the conference. Fully searchable CD-ROM.
Disclaimer: TAPPI makes available the PLACE Weekly Wrap-Up as a resource for association members and subscribers. The companies, products and services advertised in display advertising within the news brief, as well as the content found on the advertisers' websites, are not endorsed or recommended by TAPPI.


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According to the Inc.com blog, there are currently four pieces of federal legislation up for consideration that may help businesses. Here’s a quick look at the bills discussed:
- One will allow investors to put as much as $10,000 into a business via crowdsourcing sites.
- Another allows small businesses to utilize advertising to market securities to investors, which is currently banned by SEC rules.
- A third bill will raise the limit on the number of shareholders that a company is allowed to have from the current limit of 500 to 1,000.
- The final bill would raise the current limit on crowdsourcing investments for a business from $1 million to $2 million.


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"China is becoming an increasingly important market. Everywhere you go there is this great drumroll that started five years ago of ‘what do you think about China?’ We decided it was time to make our own visit and to form our own opinions. In a way, American brands are a bit behind coming to China compared to the European brands, and I wanted to encourage them all to visit and open stores here." - Anna Wintour
The editors wearing specially made 'Asian' look dresses made with fabric sourced in People's Park Complex.
Li Bingbing is sooo pretty!
Vogue China editor Angelica Cheung hosted Anna Wintour in Shanghai and Beijing. Ms Wintour spoke at a forum at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, with Vogue lieutenants Mark Holgate and Sylvana Soto-Ward in attendance.
In case there's any doubt, Ms Cheung is the overdressed fatty in a bowl cut... and those dreadful cement boots.


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HMV boss Simon Fox departs after six years - but troubled chain cajoles Jessops chief into the hot seat
Struggling music chain HMV has recruited Trevor Moore, ex-chief of camera retailer Jessops, to replace its outgoing boss of six years.
Simon Fox, who is credited with keeping the music stores afloat during a stormy period, will hand over in September.
Moore resigned from Jessops last month but his next destination was kept under wraps until today. He has also worked for HSBC and Whitbread in the past.
Battle plan: HMV made a breakthrough earlier this year when it secured a deal with banks and better terms with key suppliers
Much of Fox's time in charge has seen HMV locked in a battle for survival as it tackled high debts and a declining market.
It made a key breakthrough earlier this year when it secured a refinancing deal with banks and better terms with key suppliers such as Universal Music.
Fox, who also oversaw the sale of Waterstone's book chain before its sale, said: 'I am proud to be leaving HMV with a profitable future secured.'
HMV chairman Philip Rowley said Moore had the 'right skills and experience' to lead HMV over the coming years.
He also paid tribute to Fox, saying: 'I want to thank Simon for his contribution to HMV. He has led the company through a turbulent period for the entertainment retailing industry and has played an invaluable part in securing HMV's future.'
As part of its turnaround strategy, HMV has focused on its specialist ranges of music and DVDs and growing sales in portable technology and online and digital offers.
The chain has felt the pressure of the consumer spending squeeze as cash-strapped customers turn to cheaper deals on the internet for music and film.
The shares were down 0.03p at 3.4p in mid-afternoon trading.
Income shares watch: HMV shares currently yield 25.9 per cent, reflecting the tough challenges faced by the retailer.
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Motorcycle Show: February 6, 2015
The Progressive International Motorcycle Show (IMS) comes to the Minneapolis Convention Center the weekend of Feb. 6.
See and sit on new product from BMW, Can-Am, Ducati, H-D, Honda, Indian, KTM, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Triumph, Victory, Yamaha and more.
IMS began its nationwide tour the weekend of Oct. 31 in San Mateo, Calif. and culminates in Chicago the weekend of Feb. 13
MN ABATE Priority: Biker Profiling
The Straight River Chapter of American Bikers for Awareness, Training and Education (ABATE) says stopping the profiling of bikers will be a legislative priority in the coming year.
The group made the announcement in a meeting with candidates for state representative running in district 24A, which includes Waseca and Owatonna, and 24B, which covers Faribault and Medford.
Chapter leaders, as well as many members of the audience, talked about a growing issue of businesses refusing to serve people who wear motorcycle gear such as vests with patches. Others said that police will pull bikers over, go through long searches and questioning, and issue no ticket in the end.
“One of our legislative priorities this year is to get an anti-profiling bill passed,” said Chris Nagy, a representative for the Straight River Chapter, according to the Owatonna’s People Press.
Another legislative topic that the group brought up was helmet laws. ABATE, which has 25 chapters in the state, opposes the instatement of a mandatory helmet law for adult riders.
Motorcycle Laws in MN
Although Minnesota lawmaker this past year mulled 10 pieces of legislation that could have impacted motorcycles, only one was passed into law.
– HB 723 & 2017 were to establish standards for use of data collected by an Event Data Recorder (EDR). They failed to pass.
– HB 2542 prohibited lead and mercury in wheel weights. It failed to pass.
– SB 906 & 2038 were to establish standards for use of data collected by EDR. They failed to pass.
– HB 1211 & 1730, and SB 724 & 737, all were efforts to create “Start Seeing Motorcycles” license plates. They all failed to pass.
Only SB 2192, which prohibits the sale, distribution or use of lead and mercury in wheel weights, was passed into law. It takes effect Jan. 1, 2016.
MN #11 in Dealer Outlets
Minnesota in 2013 was home to 262 retail outlets specializing in power sports vehicles such as motorcycles and scooters, according to a Retail Outlet Audit performed by the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC). That number includes 178 retailers of new vehicles and 84 retailers that specialize in used vehicles, parts & accessories and service.
Minnesota ranks 11th in the number of power sports retail outlets per state, behind California (799), Texas (726), Florida (700), Pennsylvania (493), New York (413), Ohio (403), Illinois (332), Michigan (313), Wisconsin (302) and North Carolina (280).
CHP Concludes Lane-Splitting Study
A yearlong California study of motorcycle lane-splitting has concluded the practice is no more dangerous than motorcycling in general, if the rider is traveling at speeds similar to or only slightly faster than the surrounding traffic.
The maneuver becomes more dangerous, however, when a motorcyclist is speeding or riding more than 10 mph faster than the traffic the cyclist is passing.
“What we learned is, if you lane-split in a safe or prudent manner, it is no more dangerous than motorcycling in any other circumstance,” Calif. Office of Traffic Safety spokesman Chris Cochran told the Sacramento Bee. “If you are speeding or have a wide speed differential (with other traffic), that is where the fatalities came about.”
California is the only state that does not ban the practice.
The lane-splitting crash study, conducted by UC Berkeley and commissioned by the California Highway Patrol and the Office of Traffic Safety, was conducted statewide by 80 law enforcement agencies who filled out a supplemental information sheet involving 8,262 motorcycle riders in collisions.
AMA: CDC ‘Scope Creep’ Involves Motorcycling
While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a mission to prevent the spread of disease, “They’ve involved themselves in motorcycle safety,” said Rob Dingman, President & CEO, American Motorcyclist Association. “They’ve involved themselves so much, that they’re trying to prevent people from motorcycling as a part of their ‘health initiative’.”
“They are trying to prevent people from motorcycling, because they figure if they can stop people from motorcycling they can stop people from dying.
“To me, that’s just such a huge scope creep for a federal agency. It’s just insane to me that they are preoccupied with us instead of following what they should be doing.”
What Dingman may be referring to is the CDC’s new online “Motorcycle Safety Guide” that appears to be geared toward state lawmakers. Among the chapters is one titled “People Who Ride, People Who Die” … Read it for yourself here: http://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/mc/guide/ride.html


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BANGKOK — Thailand plans to distribute about 10,000 bottles of cannabis oil subsequent week for hospital individuals, a government official mentioned on Thursday, the initial official use of healthcare marijuana because a law legalizing it came into impact this year.
The Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) will provide four,500 5ml bottles of cannabis oil to the Ministry of Public Well being to be distributed to hospitals on Aug. 7 for about four,000 registered individuals, GPO executive managing director, Withoon Danwiboon, told a news conference.
The remaining five,500 bottles will be progressively distributed later.
Cannabis oil will be utilized to treat individuals who endure from nausea from chemotherapy, epilepsy, and aches and pains, Withoon mentioned, adding that individuals with Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and in palliative care would also advantage.
The GPO will commence planting its second crop of cannabis plants later this month and by early 2020, it plans to expand production to greenhouse cultivation and aims to generate 150,000-200,000 bottles of the oil.
“We have to speed up production since there is an beneath provide,” Withoon mentioned.
For 5 years, foreign investors and imports of cannabis will be prohibited to enable the domestic sector to construct up capacity and expertise, he mentioned.
Thailand’s Rangsit University mentioned on Friday that it has developed 4 sorts of healthcare cannabis goods.
The university’s Health-related Cannabis Analysis Institute has launched prototypes of cannabis water tablets, cannabis oil, an oral spray and phrasa kamcha, a recipe primarily based on standard medicine.
“We’ll continue analysis on the medicine on cannabis since we think there is good possible on it,” the university’s rector, Arthit Ourairat, told reporters.
Anutin Charnvirakul, a politician who campaigned for legalizing marijuana and is now wellness minister, mentioned in a separate statement on Thursday that cannabis need to only be utilized for healthcare purposes, not for recreational ones.
Methods would be taken to enable public wellness volunteers to develop cannabis at household for wellness advantages, but it would not be permitted to be sold.
A new civilian government has mentioned it has produced establishing the healthcare marijuana sector a prime priority to produce financial possibilities in rural places.
(Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng Editing by Robert Birsel and Alex Richardson)


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Pulse Canada is always looking for ways to diversify markets, helping to create price stability for the commodity.
In this episode of the Pulse School, field editor Dale Leftwich talks to Jackie Tenuta, director of market development for Pulse Canada, about the 25 by 2025 strategy.
Tenuta explains “Essentially what it comes down to is finding new use opportunities for about 25% of the pulse crop in Canada, which equates to about 2 million tonnes of product.”
Tenuta continues, “It is about diversifying our market away from these traditional markets, where our product is sold primarily in bulk, into some new use areas such as processed foods, or pet foods or other areas that would be considered non traditional.”
There have been several curve balls thrown at pulse industry recently, through tariffs and fumigation rule changes. Tenuta talks about this situation and why a diversification strategy is so important. “We have a lot of volatility in the market place in general and that’s always been a risk for us but with tariff challenges in India and other market access issues in other places potentially developing we see it as being very important that we really diversify our markets and where we’re headed as an industry so that we can reduce that risk.”
According to Tenuta there are a couple of pillars that go into the strategy to create more market stability. One is on the use of whole and split pulses in food service and retail markets and the other is a focus on processed foods using pulse ingredients.


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TKO rose by 100% on reviews of the acquisition of Tokocrypto by Binance
The cryptocurrency has slid by 28% since forming a neighborhood prime at $0.57
TKO may appropriate to $0.34
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The positive factors in TKO come amid reviews that Binance is buying the Indonesian crypto change Tokocrypto. We all know that Binance is the world’s largest crypto change. Thus, any strategy to acquisition is prone to construct optimism. TKO, the native token, reacted to the information, rising sharply from $0.283 to $0.57.
Binance is especially fascinated with Tokocrypto since it’s domestically regulated. It’s the first entity to be registered beneath Indonesia’s Commodities Futures Buying and selling Regulatory Company. Binance already holds an funding within the Indonesian change since 2020.
However the sharp positive factors in TKO could show troublesome to carry, not less than for now. As of press time, TKO traded at $0.42, a decline of 28% from its native excessive. The buying and selling quantity had additionally fallen sharply and was solely up 2.99%. Nonetheless, to an investor monitoring the constructive developments of Tokocrypto with Binance, TKO ought to stay on the waitlist.
TKO corrects however is but to search out assist
TKO/USDT Chart by TradingView
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TKO faces additional positive factors if the reviews of the acquisition of Tokocrypto get confirmed by Binance. Nonetheless, at the moment, buyers face a correction.
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Would you Give Your Fake Friend up to the Facebook Police?
Facebook is in a war. They're not in a war against other social networks however. They're in a war against the fakers. It was revealed earlier this year by Facebook itself, that 8.7% of its users are fake.
That's bad news for them as they look to increase revenue. There have already been stories of advertisers spending big bucks and only attracting a tribe of fakes, whileresearch has shown that 40% of mobile ad clicks on the site aren't real either.
Facebook, however, is enlisting an unlikely ally in this battle however - you.
That's right. They're asking you to report anyone in your friends list that you know to be using a pseudonym. Check out the screenshot below of the new Facebook fakers reporting screen.
Here's the official word from Facebook on this new strategy:
We are always looking to gauge how people use Facebook and represent themselves to better design our product and systems. We are showing people information that their friends have made available to them and we indicate to the person taking the survey that their response will be anonymous to ensure them that we are not sharing their data with anyone and only looking to understand the results in an aggregate sense. Additionally, it is important to understand that we will not be using this data for enforcement actions.
What do you think? Are there valid reasons to use a pseudonym on Facebook? Would you ever snitch on a friend for not using their real name?


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Hyundai Issues Service Bulletin for Sonata Steering
Around three percent of 2011 Hyundai Sonata owners have complained about a steering issue affecting their cars, and now the automaker has found a solution to the problem. Hyundai recently issued a service bulletin to its dealers advising them of a fix to the Sonata's tracking issues, which only appear in 2011 models with 18-inch wheels built between September 1, 2010 and April 30, 2011.
According to Hyundai, the fix requires dealers to inspect wheel alignment and vehicle tracking, as well as install new front suspension struts if necessary. The automaker says it will inform owners of affected Sonatas about the problem and invite them to come in for the fix. The work should take between 4 and 5 hours at most, and any work done will be performed free of charge. Hyundai even says customers with affected vehicles will get a loaner free of charge while the service is being performed.
Hyundai says that around 4,000 owners complained of the issue, which involved their Sonata pulling to the left under normal driving. In all, nearly 200 complaints were filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Hyundai stresses its campaign to fix affected Sonatas is not a recall, but rather a service action performed proactively before a full recall is needed.
The automaker says around 200,000 Sonatas were built during the eight-month production window mentioned in the service bulletin, but that only around 40,000 were equipped with the 18-inch wheels affected by the steering issue. Of those, Hyundai says it's probable only a small percentage will need the suspension struts replaced.
With nearly 150,000 units sold already this year, the Sonata has been a runaway success for Hyundai since its debut as a 2011 model. The midsize sedan offers no V6 options, but rather three four-cylinders: one with a turbocharger, one without and a gas-electric hybrid variant for drivers looking to save fuel.


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TVS Motor Company has announced the successful acquisition of Switzerland’s largest e-bike player, Swiss E-Mobility Group (SEMG) in an all-cash deal, while French-Japanese auto alliance of Renault and Nissan has announced to invest 23 billion euros ($26 billion) in electric vehicle (EV) technology over the next five years.
TVS Motor Company has acquired SEMG through TVS Motor’s Singapore Subsidiary, TVS Motor (Singapore) Pte Ltd. SEMG is a provider of e-mobility solutions within the DACH region, operating the largest pure-play e-bike retail chain M-way in Switzerland with close to $100 million in revenue.
Venu Srinivasan, the Chairman of TVS Motor Company, said, “TVS Motor has always been committed to sustainability and has been investing in electric vehicles for over 10 years. The increasing global focus on the environment and personal well-being is rapidly accelerating demand for newer mobility solutions, and TVS Motor is investing to drive this change.”
Meanwhile, the auto alliance between Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co. outlined a 23 billion euro ($26 billion) electrification plan that will deepen ties within the struggling Franco-Japanese alliance as competition intensifies. The companies will invest the fund in EV technology over the next five years. The funds, announced separately by the carmakers last year, will help roll out 35 new battery-powered cars by the end of the decade across five common manufacturing platforms, say reports.
The plans mark a step forward in the three-way alliance that also includes smaller Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors Corp. After Renault and Nissan began well in the market with their best-selling Zoe and Leaf models, the companies now face intense competition with players like Tesla Inc. and Volkswagen AG, says a Bloomberg report.
Under the alliance, Mitsubishi will expand its presence in Europe with two models based on Renault vehicles, Nissan will take the lead on developing solid-state battery technology, and Renault will work on a model enabled for over-the-air software updates.


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Today in sports: Reebok is making amends for silly fitness claims, the owners of the New York Mets find out how much they're on the hook for investing with Bernie Madoff, and there's new optimism in the NBA lockout talks.
- In 2009, Reebok launched an ad campaign claiming their toning shoes were the "better way to a better butt," and had been "proven" to "tone your butt up to 28 percent more than regular sneakers." Like most claims involving shoes, vibrating belts, and creams from Korea that are supposed to be able to miraculously reshape parts of the body, these "proven" claims were not proven at all, which is why the company has reached a deal with the Federal Trade Commission to pay $25 million in refunds to customers who bought the haunch-sculpting miracle kicks. As part of the FTC settlement--which still has to be approved in court--Reebok is also banned from "making claims that toning shoes and other toning apparel are effective in strengthening muscles" in future marketing campaigns. According to Ad Age, the company invested "$23 million, or more than 80% of its total measured-media budget on advertising EasyTone in 2009" plus another $31 million in 2010 and $10 million in the first half of 2011. So really, the company has spent $81 million in less than three years marketing a product that it is now prohibited from describing as "asstounding." [The Washington Post]
- Dallas Cowboys center Phil Costa says the Washington Redskins defensive line confused him Monday night, and that's why he botched four shotgun snaps and nearly cost his team the win. Or at least that's what Dallas Cowboys quarterback says he said. "Costa said the D-line kept calling out the snap count. We'll get that worked out," Romo told reporters Tuesday. "We'll tell the league and see if that's something that can be fixed because you're not supposed to be able to do that. So we'll see. But we can't have that happen. We shouldn't have been in that situation." Technically Romo's right. Mimicking the snap count is grounds for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. But it's rarely called and almost impossible to catch on the field. So even if the defense really was trying to trick Costa into snapping the ball before Romo was ready, griping in public just makes the Cowboys look like the little kid who gets all worked up about someone who won't stop making faces at him. It should also be noted that during the game, it sure looked like Romo thought his center was the one at fault. [ESPN]


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Source: Chicago Tribune
The sudden announcement from Apple that Steve Jobs is stepping down as CEO is a stark reminder that companies and organizations need to have a media relations plan for the bad news everyone knows is coming, but are not sure just when.
Jobs has been ill for some time, and had taken a medical leave in January. With Jobs and Apple so interconnected, the news that he's relinquinshing daily control of the firm he co-founded in his parents' garage back in 1976 sent Apple shares plummeting.
When difficult circumstances affect a firm's public image and persona, it's essential to have the tough conversations behind the scenes early on about what will be said from a crisis communications and public relations standpoint. In the case of Apple, it was a brief statement released late in the day.
It's important to remember the various constituents who will be affected by such difficult announcements:
There aren't many firms whose identity is so publicly tied with the CEO as are Apple and Jobs. Yet, every organization has a duty to communicate to its stakeholders, no matter how tragic or difficult the circumstances.


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THE Port of Malaga is looking forward to a busy autumn, with 113 passenger ships expected to dock in the city.
The autumn cruise season in Malaga, which commenced on September 15, together with Spring, is one of the high seasons for cruise tourism in the Port of Malaga.
According to data from the port’s official website, October will see 55 cruise calls to the capital of the Costa del Sol and another 49 in November.
Despite almost matching pre-pandemic figures, the actual number of tourists on passenger ships since January have been less than those of 2019, as cruise ships have not yet been allowed to operate at maximum capacity, although full recovery is expected in the final months this year.
The autumn forecast comes following the successful hosting of ‘Málaga Cruise Days,’ an event which brought the world of cruising closer to locals and where all kinds of activities took place.
During this time, the Port of Malaga welcomed exclusive sailboats, large cruise ships and replicas of historic ships, including the world’s largest wooden sailing ship the ‘Götheborg’.
An event that many entrepreneurs in the city centre benefited from as thousands of potential customers poured into the centre.
The Port of Malaga expects to close the year with a total of 267 cruise calls, just 21 calls shy of pre-pandemic figures when 288 cruise ships loaded with tourists called in the city throughout 2019.
So even though the cruise industry has been one of the last sectors to resume activity after the worldwide coronavirus crisis broke out, it is back to smooth sailing again.
- World’s largest wooden sailing ship the ‘Götheborg’ docks in Spain’s Malaga port
- Malaga cruise gathering in south Spain features 18th Century replica sailing boats


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Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd reported a better-than-expected 59 percent jump in quarterly revenue on Thursday, defying a slowdown in the Chinese economy.
Alibaba's total revenue rose to 32.15 billion yuan, or $4.84 billion, in the quarter ended June 30 from 20.25 billion yuan a year earlier. Analysts on average had expected revenue of 30.17 billion yuan, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Mobile revenue from the company's China commerce retail business increased 119.3 percent to 17.51 billion yuan, while monthly mobile active users increased 39 percent.
Read more at Reuters.


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Realme 3i Goes on Sale Today at 12pm, price starts at Rs. 7,999.
The new Realme 3i recently launched in India. Now, its good news for those who are waiting for this budget smartphone. The Realmi3i will go to Sale in India, today via Flipkart and Realme Official website. This is the first time to Sale this Phone in India.
Highlighting the specification of the smartphone, the Realme 3i packs dual rear cameras, powered by the MediaTek Helio P60 SoC and equipped with a 4,230mAh battery.
Moreover, Realme fans can grab the device in Diamond Black, Diamond Blue, and Diamond Red colour options.
Realme 3i Specification
The device features a 6.2-inch HD+ (720×1520 pixels) display with 19:9 aspect ratio and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top for protection. The phone is powered by the octa-core MediaTek Helio P60 SoC ticking alongside up to 4GB of RAM, runs ColorOS 6 based on Android 9 Pie.
Storage options include, up to 64GB of internal storage that is expandable via microSD card (up to 256GB) and packs a 4,230mAh battery.
In terms of optics, sports dual rear camera setup that consists of a 13-megapixel main snapper with an f/1.8 aperture, assisted by a 2-megapixel depth sensor. A 13-megapixel front camera is there to handle selfies.
Realme 3i Price
The smartphone is priced at Rs. 7,999 for the base 3GB RAM + 32GB storage variant, 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant of the phone carries a price tag of Rs. 9,999.
Launch offers: There is no-cost EMI, 5 percent discount if the purchase is made using a Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card or an Axis Bank Buzz Credit Card on Flipkart. Also, Jio benefits worth up to Rs. 5,300 and MobiKwik SuperCash worth Rs. 1,500.


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The Aston Martin DB10 has been revealed and will be used in the upcoming 24th installment of the James Bond Movie.
Aston Martin DB10 to co-star with James Bond in next movieThis announcement was made at a special at Pinewood Studios in London, where it was also revealed that the model will be developed specifically for the film and built in-house by the brand's design and engineering teams.
Aston Martin says that its design team, led by Aston Martin Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichman, worked with Spectre director Sam Mendes to create a new bespoke car for Bond.
Limited to only 10 cars, the car features evolutionary styling which the company says "gives a glimpse to the future design direction for the next generation of Aston Martins."
The James Bond movie is said to be showcased on November 6, 2015 and will be called SPECTRE (Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion) as a reference to the fictional global terrorist organisation featured in Ian Fleming's novels.
More details and additional images should be available soon leading to the release of the movie.


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DALLAS – March 10, 2022 – Lightovation, the largest residential lighting trade event in North America, has announced new dates for its January 2023 show: Tuesday, January 10 through Friday, January 13. The Total Home & Gift Market will remain January 4-10, 2023.
The date shift was made after extensive feedback from the lighting retail community and in collaboration with Dallas Market Center’s Lighting Board of Governors, which had also consulted with customers and sales representatives to inform a recommendation.
The new dates allow for more time after the new year for travel to the global show and for exhibitor set-up. An optional preview day for Lightovation will take place on Monday, January 9.
“Listening to the lighting industry we are making this adjustment in order to better serve lighting retail showrooms, many of which travel long distances to attend the show,” said Cindy Morris, president and CEO of Dallas Market Center. “As a permanent marketplace we have the flexibility to be ready when the customer is ready. At the same time, we heard from the lighting retail community that they wanted to attend our Total Home & Gift Market, and these new dates meet their complete needs. I want to thank our Lighting Board for their leadership and cooperation that place customer interests first.”
Lightovation, held each winter and summer in Dallas, welcomes attendees from around the world to review new products from among more than 200 leading brands across a 1 million square foot lighting marketplace. Participants include independent retailers, buying groups, plumbing and electrical distributors, lighting designers, architects, builders, specifiers, and interior designers.
The next edition of Lightovation takes place June 22-25, 2022. Registration for that event is open at www.dallasmarketcenter.com/lightovation. Summer 2023 dates (June 21-24, 2023) remain unchanged.
Additional information about the largest residential lighting show in North America is available on the Lightovation page of the Dallas Market Center website. Keep up with the latest developments by following the #Lightovation hashtag on social media, via the Lightovation Facebook Page and Lightovation – Lighting Industry Discussion Group.
About Dallas Market Center
Dallas Market Center is a global business-to-business trade center and the leading wholesale marketplace in North America connecting retailers and interior designers with top manufacturers in lighting, home décor, furniture, gifts, and fashion. Inside its dynamic, five million square foot campus near downtown Dallas, nearly 200,000 customers from all 50 states and 85 countries seek industry trends, business education and new products via open-daily showrooms and from exhibitors participating in trade events held throughout the year. The Dallas Market Center website is available at dallasmarketcenter.com.


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Federal authorities have charged two men suspected of running an international operation that used electronic devices planted at automatic teller machine locations to compromise more than 6,000 bank accounts.
The operation—which targeted Capital One, J. P. Morgan Chase, and other banks—netted, or attempted to net, about $3 million according to an indictment filed in Manhattan federal court. It allegedly worked by obtaining payment card readers from Hungary and other countries and installing them on top of card readers already located on ATMs and doors to ATM vestibules. The fraudulent readers were equipped with hardware that recorded the information encoded onto a card's magnetic stripe each time it was inserted. A hidden pinhole camera with a view of the ATM keypad then captured the corresponding personal identification number.
Antonio Gabor and Simion Tudor Pintillie allegedly led a gang of at least nine other people who regularly planted the skimming devices in the Manhattan, Chicago, and Milwaukee metropolitan areas, prosecutors said. They would later revisit the ATM to retrieve the information stored on the skimming devices and cameras. Gang members would then encode the stolen data onto blank payment cards and use the corresponding PINs to make fraudulent purchases or withdrawals.
Gabor and Pintillie allegedly maintained "stash locations" to store the tools of their illegal trade. One self storage facility in Queens, New York, contained computer equipment storing data for about 6,100 compromised accounts and hundreds of hours of video footage depicting bank customers inputting their PINs into ATM keypads. The locker also contained more than 1,000 plastic cards with magnetic stripes that were encoded with stolen account data, as well as components for fraudulent card readers and hidden pinhole cameras.
The pair has been in federal custody since they were arrested in Skokie, Illinois in December. Pintillie is scheduled to be arraigned next week. A hearing for Gabor hasn't yet been scheduled. They were charged with one count each of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, conspiracy to commit access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft. If convicted on all charges, they face a maximum of almost 40 years in prison. Prosecutors have also begun proceedings to seize up to $3 million worth of property from the men.
The dark art of ATM skimming has been around for more than a decade, and advances in the equipment crooks use to ply their trade suggest it's not likely to go away any time soon. Indeed, much of the gear is so miniaturized and authentic-looking that it's next to impossible for a casual ATM user to spot. Security site KrebsOnSecurity has images of devices used in real ATM skimming scams here and here.


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Amazon on Thursday released its annual letter to shareholders, revealing a smattering of tidbits about what’s happening in the company now and what’s in store for the future.
The running theme throughout the letter is innovation. The entire company innovates with the customer in mind, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos wrote, touching on its ethos of failing early while inventing and iterating to perfect a project.
Among the highlights of the letter are details on the drone delivery program, the Amazon Fresh food delivery service, and the “Pay to Quit” program that offers unhappy warehouse employees a sizable payoff to leave their jobs.
Bezos last year laid out his vision of a future in which Amazon customers could receive their deliveries by drone. In some cases, customers would be able to receive their packages within 30 minutes of ordering.
While there are safety and regulatory issues to contend with — not to mention critics who believe the scheme is little more than a publicity stunt — Amazon seems serious about the Prime Air Program.
The project team is testing the fifth and sixth generations of the drones, and is in the design stage of generations seven and eight, Bezos said.
“Given the huge amount of attention Amazon received over the drone story — due to Bezos’ 60 Minutes interview — I would have thought the Prime Air effort deserved more than a single sentence at the end of a paragraph on page 5 of the letter,” Charles King, principal at Pund-IT, told the E-Commerce Times.
“That may suggest that the company is trying to dial back expectations a bit. The fact is that the drone story has repercussions far beyond the technology itself — which is actually evolving pretty quickly — and will be impacted by a range of challenging financial, regulatory and liability issues,” he pointed out.
“Amazon is extremely serious and very committed to the delivery drone market,” Laura DiDio, principal at ITIC, told the E-Commerce Times. “That said, it remains to be seen whether the consumer and corporate purchasing public will embrace delivery drones and how quickly they will adopt them.”
With regard to Amazon Fresh, the company is planning to expand the project to new cities. It trialed the grocery delivery service in Seattle before taking it to Los Angeles and San Francisco. Bezos confirmed the expansion in the letter, but did not offer details on the next areas to have Amazon-delivered fresh goods.
Bezos did discuss Amazon’s Pay to Quit program for warehouse employees in some detail. Fueled by the belief that unhappiness on the job is healthy neither for the company nor the worker, Amazon adapted an idea from its Zappos subsidiary to offer employees several thousand dollars once a year to leave the company.
The first time an employee receives the offer, it’s for US$2,000. That figure rises by $1,000 per year until it hits $5,000. The deal comes with a prompt urging workers not to take the offer; instead, it’s designed to make sure people are working at Amazon because they want to be there.
The letter touches on many other aspects of Amazon’s business, including some of the more interesting requests for help from customers who tap the Mayday button on their Kindle Fire HDX tablets.
Amazon’s experts can help out customers who hit the button by drawing on their screens to talk them through a feature, talking them through how to carry out a process — or simply just doing something for them. Customers have proposed marriage to Mayday advisors, looked for advice in ordering pizzas, and asked for a bedtime story.
“If Amazon can deliver this capability with some depth, it will have a great impact,” Roger L. Kay, principal at Endpoint Technologies Associates, told the E-Commerce Times.
“For example, IBM has Watson-based assistive software that can help video reps be instant experts. It’s a query system for them,” he said. “Amazon is probably using its own version of that machine intelligence to bolster its reps. Think of it as the cyberversion of the smart exoskeleton for medical and military ops.”
More than 1 million customers signed up for Amazon’s Prime delivery service in December, the letter reveals. Three months later, the company raised the price from US$79 to $99.
Amazon now has tens of millions of customers worldwide who use Prime, the letter claims.
The company added 280 services and features to Amazon Web Services in 2013, it also notes.
However, the letter does not reveal specific sales numbers for products such as the Kindle tablet line, Amazon Prime, and the newly launched Fire TV set-top box.
The letter throws up some compelling hints about Amazon’s future, with one conclusion being that the company wants to expand into as many market segments as possible.
“They are going broad. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them selling cars, trucks, and even some common industrial equipment in the future. They might even partner with Tesla to do it, since they’ll need product and Tesla needs to expand more rapidly,” suggested Rob Enderle, principal at the Enderle Group.
“If it sells in reasonable volume, Amazon wants to sell it to you,” he added.
“They are moving broadly against virtually all retailers, from small stores to super chains,” Enderle told the E-Commerce Times.
“Those folks are likely to fight back, and it is the innovation that will either ensure their success or doom them to failure. Maintaining that innovation will be the key to their eventual dominance — as well as staying out of antitrust trouble, given their scale,” he predicted.
“There is so much in the letter,” Jim McGregor, principal at Tirias Research, told the E-Commerce Times. “I think the most important points are AWS and the things they are doing to improve the business from software to distribution centers. I do think Mayday is a differentiator and one that we are likely to see in future platforms and from other vendors going forward. However, I still think the use of drones is too far out to predict at this time.”
Meanwhile, the letter might be seen as papering over Amazon’s cracks.
“Most companies use shareholder letters as good news vehicles, and Amazon’s is no exception,” Pund-IT’s King pointed out. “So Bezos — or his marketing communications team — focuses mainly on the value or innovation of the company’s various efforts and services with no mention of controversies or complaints.
“Those include the $20 increase in annual Prime memberships and employees’ complaints over working conditions, injuries and compensation,” he continued. “There’s also no reference to the fact that the company’s stock value has fallen by nearly a quarter since attaining its historic high of around $408.00 back in January.”
Amazon shares closed the week at $311.73.


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Logitech has introduced a portable speakerphone/smartphone stand that makes use of NFC pairing to enable business travellers to quickly and easily set up hands free audio and video calls. The P710e is shipping now for US$169.99.
- Mammut uses NFC to create next generation customer experiences for outdoor sports fans
- Visa seeks product manager for cryptocurrency team
- Xiaomi expands its Mi Pay mobile payments service to India
- Decathlon adds RFID tags to make in-store self-checkout easier for customers
- Ysplit makes money from split bill payments


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Today Standard Chartered signed an agreement with Safaricom which will allow business customers and M-PESA agents deposit and access their float in real time. Standard Chartered is the first bank to pioneer this real time merchant payment system.
Now merchants will be able to convert their e-value into cash in real time. This process previously took a minimum of 6 hours and would sometimes delay. Safaricom has integrated the M-PESA platform with the Standard Chartered payment systems which now eliminates the use of manual RTGS. The transactions have no cost for the transfer. The Standard Chartered clients will push e-value from merchant paybill or till to Standard Chartered paybill 329329. On receipt of the e-value, Standard Chartered will automatically credit the client’s account.
Lamin Manjang, CEO, Standard Chartered says that the partnership will be an advantage to merchants as it leverages on the power of convergence between telecommunications and banking. This will bring convenience and enhanced security to client’s business transactions.
According to Lamin Manjang, the real time merchant solution will enhance the value preposition for its clients and will also provide a competitive advantage. The new system allows for increased limit in how much one can settle. Before it was 5 million shillings and now it is 50 million shillings. Merchants can transfer as little as Ksh. 50, down from the current Ksh. 35,000. Funds transfer will be allowed only from a merchant headquarters or through a Paybill to Paybill Number belonging to their bank. This new system will work 24 hours a day.
“We endeavour to improve the lifestyles of our clients and their banking experience, by collaborating with like-minded partners, and leveraging on our collective digital capabilities,” said Lamin Manjang. The bank is keen on develop supply chain solutions by investing in better technology, and service delivery by improving customer experience.
Bob Collymore, CEO of Safaricom said that they are looking at collective advantage by creating collaborative advantage. He said that it is possible for companies to be seen as selfish but it was important for companies to move from the ego system to ecosystem, where it is all about the customers not all about the company. M-PESA has been a lubricant for the economy since its launch 8 years ago. Safaricom is looking at the challenges that merchants are facing and asking “how to we make customers more productive?” This partnership with Standard Chartered is part of the solution and cements their collaborative relationship.
“M-PESA has emerged as the biggest and perhaps the most important positive disruption to the financial services space. This has been made possible by strategic partnerships.” said Bob Collymore.
The two corporates have partnered before to create a widely used digital platform that allows customers to make loan payments using M-PESA via mobile banking, real time loan top tops, make bulk payments and easy collection for SMEs using mobile money.
Potentash Founder. A creative writer. The Managing Editor at Potentash. Passionate about telling African stories and stories about the inclusion of minorities. Find me at email@example.com.
“We're all stories, in the end.” ― Steven Moffat


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Chr. Hansen has entered the human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) market as it signs an agreement to acquire Jennewein Biotechnologie for a total consideration of €310 million.
The deal includes all the shares of the international industrial biotechnology company and is in line with Chr. Hansen’s 2025 strategy of pursuing acquisitions that extend and strengthen its microbial and fermentation technology platforms.
According to Chr. Hansen, functional ingredients such as HMOs and probiotics are driving the premiumisation trends in infant formula.
Headquartered in Bonn, Germany, Jennewein manufactures a range of HMO products such as 2′ fucosyllactose, Lacto-N-neotetraose, and lacto-N-tetraose. The company has around 100 employees, a global customer base and an IP portfolio of more than 200 patents granted in key markets.
Chr. Hansen claims that Jennewein’s products will have strong functional synergies with its probiotic bacteria and combining the companies will create an even stronger competitive advantage.
Following the deal, Chr. Hansen plans to invest more than €200 million in production assets until 2025, including an investment in a brown-field factory to expand its HMO capacity.
“The fast-growing HMO market is a new space that we have been following with strong interest for some years. In truth, we are making a long-term investment and commitment to HMOs, which I am convinced will bring long-term value creation to our shareholders,” said Mauricio Graber, CEO of Chr. Hansen.
He added: “For us, Jennewein is a strong fit to our microbial portfolio, as its fermentation platform is also scalable and offers good long-term margin potential as volumes increase. Jennewein is a leader in the HMO industry with a superior product offering and IP portfolio, and we believe the company holds a leading position in this relatively new and very exciting market.”
Dr Stefan Jennewein, founder and CEO of Jennewein, said: “Whereas initially we were very much intrigued by the anti-infective effects of HMOs, in particular against human pathogenic viruses, today it is clear that even more beneficial effects can be expected from the combination of HMOs with probiotics. Thus, Chr. Hansen is the perfect match for Jennewein to bring the HMO story to the next level.”
Upon completion of the transaction – which is expected later this month – Jennewein will transfer into the role as chief science and technology advisor. The HMO business will join Chr. Hansen’s health & nutrition division and will operate as a separate, full value chain.
Also Read:- Mondelēz Seeks Acquisition of Healthy Snack Brands, Says FT


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26 NOVEMBER 2018
© 2022 Business Travel News Ltd.
Good financial results for year to 30 September were reported last week by easyJet, with profit before tax up £60m over 2017 to £445m. Passenger numbers rose by 10.2% and revenue was up by 16.6% to nearly £5.9bn.
Reporting forward bookings also looking good despite Brexit, CEO Johan Lundgren said the results were driven by “continued focus on the customer offer and easyJet’s primary airports strategy, including expansion into Tegel, and gaining seven new number-one airport positions”.
He added: “EasyJet has delivered a great performance during the year, growing headline profit before tax by 41% and once again flying a record number of passengers at our highest ever annual load factor.
“The integration … at Tegel has also progressed well and our brand consideration in Berlin has grown strongly. Our financial success and increasing customer loyalty demonstrate the resilience of our operations, the underlying strength of our business and our unrivalled customer experience.”
Lundgren said easyJet’s strategy continued to ensure the airline well positioned for the future: “We have made considerable progress on our new initiatives in holidays, business and loyalty, which will enable us to grow profitably,” he added.
“While disruption continues to be a major challenge for the industry, we are investing in resilience to help to mitigate the impact on our customers.”
(See also Emirates joins Worldwide in this issue).
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