text:
Cook Inlet salmon fishers are in for another slim year, with an average catch hobbled by below-average prices, but halibut will continue to buoy the industry with near-record high stocks.
While the salmon industry is reeling from low prices, Cook Inlet fishers are among those fighting to reclaim a larger share of the market through a proven marketing program.
"It's not all doom and gloom," said Barbara Belknap, executive director of the industry-funded Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.
"We have the most exquisite salmon in the world," she said in Homer last spring.
The challenge is convincing the industry to treat the fish that way. As quality improves, markets will strengthen and prices should follow.
In the meantime, however, Cook Inlet salmon fishers will have to suffer through another bleak season. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game predicts a sockeye harvest of 2.7 million fish in upper Cook Inlet, which is more than the last few years but well below the heyday, when drift and setnet fishers landed double or triple that amount year after year.
And even though the 2002 forecast is in line with long-term averages, there's no promise that the run will come in as projected, said Fish and Game research biologist Mark Willette. Last year's forecast was similar to 2002, but the actual return was about 1 million fish lower.
In the old days, salmon prices followed the laws of supply and demand, so a low catch usually meant prices would rise. That changed as salmon farming exploded in the 1980s. A flood of Chilean fish on Japanese markets has caused the bottom to fall out for Alaska salmon.
A double whammy affecting Alaska fishers is the continuing dismal state of the Japanese economy. As the world's leading seafood customer trims its spending, salmon prices have plummeted. The same Cook Inlet sockeye that in 1988 fetched $3.25 a pound last year brought just 65 cents. Last year Cook Inlet fishers earned $8.8 million; they averaged more than $25 million in each of the previous seven years.
This year looks no better and could be even worse, said Eric Olsen, a member of Seasonal Seafoods, a fishers' cooperative that both catches and sells sockeyes. Market demand appears to be about the same as last year, he said, but the yen has dropped some 10 percent in value, putting further downward pressure on prices.
Seasonal Seafoods, like most processors, has traditionally sold the bulk of its red salmon in Japan, Olsen said. That's starting to change, however.
"More and more we're holding our fish in Seattle and moving them on domestic markets," he said.
Americans have never been especially interested in salmon, usually choosing their fish according to price rather than species. Consequently, the higher-priced salmon such as sockeyes and troll-caught kings have never developed the following in the United States that they have in Japan.
So while fishers may be singing the blues over low prices, Olsen is optimistic.
"Prices are so low it's an opportunity" to attract new buyers to salmon they've never tasted before, he said. "Now it's as cheap as codfish, and all of a sudden people are saying this 40-cent or 60-cent salmon looks like a bargain."
If Americans get hooked on red-fleshed, tastier sockeyes -- as they have on dark-roasted, tastier coffees -- the future begins to look brighter.
"If ever there was a time, it's now," Olsen said. "When wholesale prices are this low, we can undersell farmed salmon."
Numerous efforts are under way to help strengthen those marketing attempts. Congress is considering new labeling regulations that would require restaurants and stores to declare whether their salmon is wild or farmed. The Alaska Legislature has been asked to beef up the budget for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.
And fishers, themselves, are tackling a problem long considered one of the failings of the Alaska salmon industry -- quality. When wholesale buyers open a box of frozen Alaska salmon, it could be in perfect condition, but often is not. Improving quality is seen by many as the best way to regain market share.
Work has already started on a program to create a Cook Inlet salmon brand name, with hopes that buyers eventually will recognize the name and feel it's a product worth buying again. The idea has worked for California raisins, Washington apples and Copper River salmon.
To qualify for the Cook Inlet label, the fish will have to pass quality standards. In turn, fishers will have to ice their catch and handle it far more gingerly than in the past. A third-party contractor will assure quality.
Fishers and processors will pick up the tab for the effort, but until the program gets started, the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly has been asked to forward-fund it to the tune of $300,000. Grants may be available to help pay that down, assembly member Chris Moss of Homer said recently.
The first Cook Inlet brand salmon could be on the shelves in a year.
Plans announced last year to do a comprehensive study of Cook Inlet salmon fisheries with an eye toward buying out commercial fishers have been put on ice by the University of Alaska Anchorage.
"Not by a long shot is that the best use of the university's resources," said economist Gunnar Knapp of the Institute of Social and Economic Research.
Instead, the Alaska Legislature, the Alaska Board of Fisheries and individual fishers are considering measures to improve the economic health of fishers who stay in the business. Last month, for example, the board approved a proposal by Chignik salmon seiners to form a cooperative, allowing a few boats to harvest the run and saving everyone else the cost of gearing up and fishing.
Rep. Drew Scalzi, R-Homer, has several bills in the Legislature that would help fishers revamp their fisheries through such means as providing incentives for two permit holders to fish on the same boat, and changing the state's permit buyback program to make it easier for fishers to reduce competition in their fleet and improve efficiency.
Salmon isn't the only fish in Cook Inlet, however. Halibut quotas are up slightly over 2001, to 61.8 million pounds. Homer has consistently been the top port in Alaska for halibut landings and is likely to be No. 1 again in 2002. Most of that fish is put on trucks and hauled to Anchorage or the Seattle area for processing.
Brad Faulkner of Alaska Custom Seafoods in Homer said he expects halibut prices to be at or slightly lower than last year due to the flat American economy. That would give fishers $1.80 to $2 a pound once the dust settles after the March 18 opening.
Cook Inlet's biggest herring fishery, the sac roe seine fishery in Kamishak Bay, is closed again this spring due to low stocks. The Department of Fish and Game continues to monitor the herring population, and has adopted a new, more conservative management plan that should help maintain the fishery when it reopens.
Shellfish farming continues to mature in Kachemak Bay, with about a dozen farms in operation. Restaurants and seafood shops from Homer to Anchorage sold about $600,000 worth of their product last year, according to the Kachemak Bay Shellfish Growers Association.
© 2018. All Rights Reserved. | Contact Us


text:
Gravity Rush, Silent Hill, and Siren creator Keiichiro Toyama in an interview with IGN, stated that Bokeh Game Studios‘ debut game will be a horror action-adventure.
Bokeh Game Studios is a most recently established studio by Keiichiro Toyama, Kazunobu Sato, lead designer for who worked on The Last Guardian; and Junya Okura, lead designer on the Gravity Rush series. It was founded on August 13 and declared publicly during December.
If “hardcore” horror is not your cup of tea, do not fret, since Toyama went and further clarified what kind of game they are developing when pressed during the interview.
Toyama said that he is working on “an action-adventure game that will appeal to fans of my previous work” and that it will feature “battles and story elements.”
Toyama mentioned the following:
If anything, this will be more of a horror-oriented game. But we will focus on making this a broader entertainment experience, rather than a hardcore horror game. We are developing with PC as the lead platform, but we hope to release the game on as many console platforms as possible.
It is Still in its Early Stages
Considering the studio was founded recently, they are still in the early stages, and it was confirmed by Kazunobu Sato. He did comment on how the game is still in its early stages and has estimated the target release date to be 2023. However, the new title is being created by a “fairly large” team.
We’re just entering prototype development, and development will probably take nearly three years. So we hope to get this game into your hands in about three years from now.Kazunobu Sato
Future is Looking Bright
Silent Hill, and Gravity Rush creator, Toyama used to be a first-party developer and is now seemingly going for a multiplatform release, which does create the possibility of his work on previous games translating spiritually into his future projects, allowing for more players to enjoy the essence of his previous projects through the new ones.
In the words of Toyama:
“I want to enjoy creating from now on. Many people we’ve worked within the past are joining us too. I’m convinced that we’ll be able to deliver something everyone will enjoy.Keiichiro Toyama
Bokeh Game Studios launched a Twitter account and Facebook account, where they plan to update us with their behind the scenes progress and “share as much” as they can, as mentioned by Sato.
To which he elaborated with the following:
When you work at a major studio like Japan Studio, there is a limit to what you can share publicly, so now that we are free from those restraints, we’d like to take the opportunity to share as much as we can so that the audience can see how the game comes together over time. We hope it might help people to not forget about us.Kazunobu Sato
It is always delightful to see how veterans of the industry get together and share their passion of video games, and this is one such situation. Toyama, Sato, and Okura are part of what make this industry so engaging and ever changing.
Combining years of experience and creating brand new experiences, with not just any veterans, but with minds that worked on titles such as Silent Hill, Gravity Rush, and The Last Guardian; games that were heartfelt, and memorable.

domain: news


text:
Inflation has risen from 4.2% to 5% in the US, marking the largest annual rise since 2008.
There are several factors behind these figures, such as the easing of the lockdown allowing consumers to go out and shop once more, but there are other factors too, such as the increase of prices in the used vehicle sector.
This is just a snapshot of what is actually going on, the true picture will slowly begin to form over the next few months.
Subscribe to Blog via Email
@TechmashUK @Biz_Nooz #Biz_Nooz #TechmashUK #Inflation #US #USTreasury #USInflation #Consumers #Prices #WallStreet


text:
Here Is The Easy Money-Making Trick Everyone Is Talking About! Learn More Here!
The Nigerian government has announced that citizens can now request their commercial banks to issue them with a debit card that doubles as their national identity card.
This announcement was made by Prof Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, who stated that the approval was obtained at a meeting of the Federal Executive Council.
The National Identity Management Commission has allowed banks to print multipurpose debit cards that double as national identity cards.
The card will serve as both a national identity card and a bank card, either Mastercard, Visa or any other kind of card.
The NIMC Act 2007 mandates Nigerians to have a National Identity Number, not necessarily a printout card, but demands for cards have swelled nonetheless.
To ease the difficulty, NIMC has partnered with the Central Bank of Nigeria to print the card along with either a Mastercard or Visa card, without any additional costs to citizens.
The bank will need to connect to the NIMC through their database to verify the person’s details, which must be in tandem with the record in the NIMC database.
The Minister also announced that FEC approved a memo proposing the deployment of an automated system to integrate NINs with individual SIM cards, which would consolidate the implementation of the NIN-SIM linkage.
This article was updated 4 months ago


text:
Sugi International Limited has entered into a long-term licensing agreement with Italian sportswear brand Sergio Tacchini. The partnership, announced Monday, will kick off with the label’s fall 2022 line, with products sold to retailers across Europe, Russia, North Africa and the Middle East.
The deal will allow Sergio Tacchini to upgrade the quality and assortment of its footwear line, which currently showcases sneakers and slides, while expanding across territories and new retail customers, the company said. The design, manufacturing and distribution firm plans to align with Sergio Tacchini’s design team to develop a line that feels continuous with the brand’s apparel and accessories.
Founded in 1966 by the eponymous Italian tennis champion, the Sergio Tacchini brand became known for its tennis apparel, tracksuits, polo shirts and other sportswear for men and women. The brand gained international traction through partnerships with athletes like John McEnroe, Pete Sampras and Martina Navratilova, and was adopted as a de facto uniform by European soccer fans during the ‘80s. Distributed in more than 70 countries internationally, Sergio Tacchini has also developed a following of streetwear fans due to its classic Italian styling.
“The Sugi organization led by Massimo Sinigaglia is perfectly aligned with our overall brand strategy as well as our goals for product quality and distribution,” Sergio Tacchini CEO Howard Cohen said.
Vincent Touzet, director of Sergio Tacchini Europe and CEO of Movin Sarl, added that Sugi’s product and brand vision “are a great complement to our strong and rapidly growing apparel business in Europe.”
“As we improve the profile of the brand in existing territories and access new markets, we are looking forward to partnering with Massimo and the fantastic team he has developed,” he added.


text:
Harvest Fest Features Local Food
Prince George, B.C. -The Prince George Farmers Market is planning what it hopes will become an annual event.
The Farmers Market features locally grown products as well as locally produced crafts, and is looking to grow in size, so the seeds were sown for Harvest Fest.
The special dinner and dance is set for October 29th and is aimed at raising dollars for an expansion of the current year ’round farmers market in downtown Prince George.
“We are hoping to raise funds to expand the market” says Association President Phillip Myatovic ” We would like to have something where there might be a food court in the middle, and artisans all around that centre court.”
The expansion plan could see the Farmers Market Association look towards finding a new building if the current space can’t be renovated to meet their future plans.
But expansion costs money so Harvest Fest was put into motion says Myatovic “The evening will include a dinner from locally produced foods, except for perhaps some of the desserts.” There will be a silent auction as well and the Association is hoping local companies will want to be part of this event by donating goods or services for that auction.
The timing of the Harvest Fest coincides with the first Northern Wine Festival, which will take place in Prince George from October 28th to November 5th.
Tickets for harvest fest are available at the Prince George Farmers Market at 6th and George Streets.
This is a good news story.
Anything that promotes local agriculture, local food is all good.
Comments for this article are closed.


text:
MARKET HIGHLIGHT, MARCH 2007
NEW YORK CITY MARKET HIGHLIGHTS
Despite an increase in vacancy on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, this thriving retail market there saw an 11 percent increase in average asking rents, which now hover at $300 per square foot. Retailer activity was led by Best Buy’s 46,000-square-foot lease at 1880 Broadway, the retail component of Zeckendorf’s luxury residential development at 15 Central Park West. The new development represents one of the most significant new retail components on the Upper West Side, and will fill a long-dormant Manhattan block front. Best Buy’s commitment as the anchor tenant will close the gap between Columbus Circle and Lincoln Center.
Unceasing demand from both leading national and international apparel retailers has pushed Soho retail rents up $40 to $210 per square foot. French-owned fashion house Cotelac leased 3,200 square feet at 94 Greene Street for its first Manhattan boutique and Japanese luxury denim brand Evisu will open its U.S. flagship store at 92 Greene Street. The North Face opened its second Manhattan location in 2006, taking 4,300 square feet at new development 139 Wooster. The retail space, located between West Houston and Prince Streets, is part of a new luxury loft-style condominium development by the Arun Bhatia Development Corporation.
Upper Fifth Avenue continues its reign as the most expensive retail location in the world, with rents approaching $1,500 per square foot. A lack of available space on the premier corridor has drawn interest south of 49th Street, an area once overlooked by major national retailers. Ann Taylor expanded its Manhattan presence with a 9,600-square-foot lease at 600 Fifth Avenue, located on the northwest corner of 48th Street, and H&M took nearly 25,000 square feet of retail space at 505 Fifth Avenue, the new office building on the northeast corner of 42nd Street.
Retail rents are rising steadily on Madison Avenue, up nearly $70 per square foot from 2005, with many spaces asking in excess of $1,000 per square foot. Designers continued to bring their fashion to Madison Avenue, with Issey Miyake signing a lease at 804 Madison Avenue, Dolce & Gabbana taking space at 827 Madison Avenue and Nicolas Petrou opening a new location at 846 Madison Avenue. Tom Ford also announced plans for his first menswear boutique at 845 Madison. Shoe retailer Taryn Rose relocated from 30 East 60th Street to a more prominent Avenue spot at 681 Madison Avenue.
— Gene Spiegelman, executive director; Jim Downey, senior director; Joanne Podell, senior director; and Alan Napack, senior director, Cushman & Wakefield’s Retail Services
After several years of New York City multifamily properties appreciating rapidly and selling at higher and higher multiples it seemed likely that the beginning of 2007 would be the time when the dust finally began to settle. Over the last 3 to 5 years, multifamily properties in every neighborhood of every borough have been increasing both in value and in volume of sales. However, this predicted downturn has not happened and the new year has simply brought lines being drawn around hot neighborhoods and areas that are simply leveling off.
An area of the city that continues to be hot is Manhattan. According to GFI research, the volume of investment property sales fell 10 to 20 percent during the summer and early fall months from over the same period last year. However, in November, the volume of trading began to increase gradually until 2007, when properties began trading hands at a frenzied pace. A major reason is the influx of capital into the investment sales market. Every day banks are looking for interesting ways to invest into the still-growing market and every day GFI brokers field incoming calls from aggressive buyers looking to find multifamily properties — especially in the white-hot Upper West and Upper East sides. The volume of trades and the prices of investment deals are as high as they have been.
In addition to the thriving income-producing market, a once declining multifamily development market is also on the rise again with the passage of amendments to the city’s 421-a tax plan. The amendments now require any new developments that begin after 12/31/07, in certain designated areas of Manhattan and Brooklyn, to build 20 percent of the on-site apartments as affordable housing. Countless developers are finding themselves grasping for development opportunities before the 12/31 cutoff date. Because of these new amendments, new developments may no longer be feasible as a result of lucrative land prices that already leave developers with extremely tight profit margins. With the cost of money still low, the tremendous amount of money coming into investment sales from the capital market, the looming 421-a amendments, and the average Manhattan apartment selling at $1,007 per square foot, developers throughout the city are searching for development opportunities that will allow them to take advantage of the current market conditions.
— Michael Kerwin, senior investment sales broker, GFI Realty Services
New York City Investment Market
The year 2006 may be remembered as the year that the general public finally became aware of the investment sales market. Throughout the tri-state region, the average resident was bombarded by stories of investment sales activity which included the $5.4 billion record setting Stuyvesant Town, Peter Cooper Village sale, and the $1.8 billion 666 Fifth Avenue transaction, both spectacular investment sales records. So many well known buildings have traded recently that it is hard to keep track of all the major commercial, residential and hotel sales.
The past year of frenzied activity resulted in many investment sales firms achieving property transaction records as well. For example, Eastern Consolidated completed more than $2 billion in sales, with the great majority of that activity in Manhattan. The story of 2006 was really about adaptive re-use of older structures, and the rise in values for cash-flowing investment property, as opposed to the year before, which was about the frenetic sale of sites for ground-up new construction of residential condominiums.
Moving forward into 2007, there remains a tremendous amount of investment capital available for prime Manhattan residential, commercial and hospitality properties. Capital is flowing so freely that large-scale transactions are being bought and resold in a very short period of time, months rather than years as in the past. Buildings such as 2 Park Avenue, which were bought and then resold for more than $100 million profit are recent evidence of this trend. When properties are made available to the investment community through an exclusive broker, the seller is strongly in control of the process and can require buyers to move much faster than ever before. Information review periods of weeks, instead of months are now common, and contract negotiations are now extremely one-sided, and are presented pretty much as “take it or leave it” by the seller.
Investor sentiment is strong for all areas of Manhattan, but most investors are seeking to be on major Avenues in Midtown for commercial properties, and for residential properties the hot area is still Lower Manhattan, south of 23rd Street. The hospitality market has been so strong, with rates achieving pre-9/11 highs, that hotel properties in all locations throughout Manhattan are commanding record pricing levels. Some of the most active investors are now coming from Ireland and England, as well as the Middle East and China. The Irish in particular are now enjoying a strong economy and favorable tax treatment if they invest abroad. Israeli real estate companies are also continuing to invest in New York, particularly on the residential side.
Another striking aspect of the current market is the willingness of almost all types of investors to spend a great deal of money on renovation and capital improvement projects. Unlike past decades, buyers these days seem willing to spend the money to really upgrade properties to first-class, modern status. Apartment building buyers are eager to create in-house gyms, even in small- to medium-sized properties. Similarly, commercial property owners are planning to create building amenities for tenants and are upgrading lobbies, technology, and services, all in the pursuit of higher rents.
2007 should be a great time for the investment market, the only challenge will be the lack of product to satisfy all the new buyers entering the market.
— Eric Anton, executive director, Eastern Consolidated
New York City Office Market
Even as rents for office space in New York City spiked at the end of 2006 and are expected to continue to escalate in 2007, tenants are agreeing to pay these high rates. Businesses are becoming accustomed to hearing asking rents of $100+ per square foot for premium Class A Midtown space, which isn’t surprising since the average rental rate for Class A space in that market is $75.21, nearly one and a half times the city’s overall average rental rate of $54.40.
Limited supply today and in the near term and increasing demand are driving these rent increases. New York City’s availability rate closed the year at 7.7 percent overall and 6.6 percent for Class A buildings — numbers reminiscent of 2000. Although absorption in 2006 was marginally lower than in 2005, as of mid-January, only 31.24 million square feet was on the market for lease in a city with more than 400 million square feet of office space.
Downtown has also gained momentum. Although a portion of the absorption came from significant Midtown tenants moving Downtown, its growth was primarily driven by tenants who were already located in the submarket. This year, Downtown started off slowly, however, with 5.1 million square feet of Class A space available, but ended it with a bang with only 1.94 million square feet available — a rate of 5.1 percent, earning the distinction of being lowest availability rate among the nation’s major central business districts.
New York City has always been and continues to be a unique marketplace, a virtual magnet for companies wishing to debut, expand, or consolidate. The city’s economy continued to expand in 2006 and as of November, the greater New York Metropolitan area led the nation in annual job growth adding 72,500 new jobs. The challenge of course in commercial real estate remains being able to accommodate existing and incoming tenants, at affordable rents, in appropriate neighborhoods, while suppressing the pressure to overbuild, a pressure that can be difficult in a city that is home to so many Fortune 500 companies, major law firms, financial institutions and support industries like advertising, information technology and graphic design.
The commercial real estate market in Manhattan will continue to tighten, at least in the short term. With no new building relief in sight until 2009 ,when 11 Times Square is delivered to the market, future supply in the near term is dependent on companies giving back space as a result of move-outs, mergers, consolidations or downsizing.
— Steven Coutts, senior vice president, National Research Services, Studley
©2007 France Publications, Inc. Duplication
or reproduction of this article not permitted without authorization
from France Publications, Inc. For information on reprints
of this article contact Barbara
Sherer at (630) 554-6054.


text:
The retailer is in discussions with primary care trusts throughout the country, with the support of the government. It is also considering offering emergency weekend GP surgeries in its shops.
Boots will act as landlord, renting space to the NHS "on favourable commercial terms for a city centre location", according to a source close to the retailer.
The move will be viewed as a breakthrough for the government. The Department of Health has been determined to prise consultants out of hospitals and believes the move will help cut waiting lists. But it is also likely to attract criticism as a form of back-door privatisation of NHS services.
The chemist's chain has been liaising with Paul Corrigan, Tony Blair's senior policy adviser on health, about the plans. On Wednesday Mr Blair is expected to underline his support for the initiative in a speech on healthcare he is due to deliver in Nottingham - home to the Boots head office. Richard Baker, Boots' chief executive, is hosting the event. The prime minister will also hold a private meeting with senior executives.
Mr Blair's speech is one of a series entitled "Our Nation's Future", which are designed to kick off debate on a range of issues. On Wednesday he is expected to encourage people to take more responsibility for their health, and emphasise the role of the commercial sector in helping to provide "convenient healthcare".
Downing Street is understood to have been impressed by an NHS walk-in chlamydia-testing service run by Boots in 200 London stores. Mr Blair will also show his support for a Boots plan to open 60 midnight pharmacies across the country.
A source close to the discussions between the retailer and No 10 said: "The government thinks Boots is someone they can do business with."
The first consultants' clinics will be tested at a Boots store in Poole, Dorset. An agreement with the local primary care trust is close to being signed and it is due to open before Christmas. Patients referred by their GPs to consultants in orthopaedics and podiatry or for healthy heart checks or physiotherapy may be offered treatment at the store. Yesterday a spokesman for Boots said: "We are in detailed discussions with the local PCT. It is a great opportunity for Boots and for Poole and fits the aim of making healthcare more accessible."
He confirmed the retailer was in talks to open full service and weekend GPs surgeries around the country.
Boots has been under increasing pressure from supermarket groups and has been trying to find ways to boost flagging sales, including offering services such as dentistry, alternative therapies, counselling and beauty treatments. But they ran up huge losses. Mr Baker, who joined the company three years ago, aims to reposition the chain as a healthcare destination. Hosting GP surgeries would provide an immediate boost to Boots' pharmacy business.
But the Liberal Democrat health spokesman, Steve Webb, cautioned against doing deals with retailers: "The danger is there are no guarantees. What if Boots' corporate plan in five years' time says this doesn't make sense, it doesn't make money, so let's pull out. Healthcare is not a one-off transaction, it is a long-term relationship."
A British Medical Association spokeswoman said doctors would also be worried about private sector involvement: "When you bring in the private sector, profit becomes part of the deal."
Boots is not the only chain interested in the primary healthcare sector. The Sainsbury's chief executive, Justin King, met the health minister Caroline Flint this year to discuss relocating doctors into its stores. The grocer plans to open its first GP surgery by March.


text:
VERO Production Studio and Production AV Produce New BMW Car Promo
Bristol’s VERO virtual production studio was the setting for a new promo film for BMW’s new all-electric iX3 Premier Edition recently — using its Desay 2.6-millimeter pixel-pitch LED screen technology for the road visuals.
The VERO team was approached by BMW to create a studio space to house the iX3 Sports Activity Vehicle with an LED wall that could surround it with immersive, realistic graphics. Cheltenham-based AV expert Production AV supplied the 2.6-millimeter Desay screen. The company’s technical production manager Nathan Dunbar and project manager Sam McCrea oversaw technical pre-production and delivery.
“We spent a good few months focusing on research and development to ensure every panel was pixel perfect and updated to run the HDR content required by the production agency and BMW,” said Dunbar. “We also needed to certify the color profile was maximized to give the best canvas for the designers at MadeWithVERO, who created the backdrop visual content.”
The Production AV and VERO team constructed a 19-meter-wide and 4-meter-high curved LED wall using the Desay panels, running full 10bit and HDR that encircled the iX3. A number of shots from different angles were filmed with the vehicle stationary at alternating standpoints.
Here’s a video of how it worked:
To complete the array, the VERO team installed a Desay 6-millimeter LED roof for reflections with diffusion. All of the visual content was driven by VERO’s disguise media servers, using NovaStar 4K processing with Genlock to ensure there was no tearing of the image across the full 19-meter-wide canvas.
“The BMW iX3 Premier Edition is marketed as a design innovation with ‘amazing levels of refinement and flair and a new look and feel’,” said MadeWithVERO’s Robert Tyler. “We pulled out all the stops to combine the latest camera tracking, gaming engines, and LED screen technology with high definition, lifelike graphic creation to shape VERO – and the results for the iX3 promo film look fantastic. We’re thrilled with it.”
VERO was launched in the spring as a studio to “revolutionize traditional VFX workflows,” which rely on combining physical footage captured in front of a green screen with digitally generated backgrounds in post-production. It is already dramatically reducing costly set builds, location shooting and enhancing visual FX across a range of projects.
“Working in this way, VERO enables directors to see the visual backdrop in real-time during filming on set, with the powerful graphics engine tracking technology meaning the action is always realistic,” Tyler said.


text:
Virgin Active Goes Offline After Being Targeted By Cyber Criminals. Virgin Active SA says it was forced to go offline after being targeted by sophisticated cyber criminals. Forensic experts are probing the extent of the attack to determine if any information was compromised.
The gym group said it had become aware of the cyber attack on Friday and immediately started working with cyber security experts to address the threat. “While we take the necessary steps to protect data, we have been targeted by sophisticated cybercriminals. As a precautionary measure, we have taken all systems offline while we resolve this,” it said in a statement.
Virgin Active is a chain of health clubs in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Italy, Australia, Singapore, Thailand and the United Kingdom. Virgin Active was founded in 1999. Their first club opened in Preston, Lancashire that year. Initially headquartered in Milton Keynes, in 2013 headquarters were moved to the Barbican in London leaving a small call centre in Milton Keynes which closed in 2018.
In South Africa the company bought the assets of the ‘Health and Racquet Club’ chain after the latter’s parent company, Leisurenet, had been placed in liquidation in October 2000 for R319.6 million (approximately £24.5m). The South African company also runs Virgin Life Care.
“There is currently no indication that any data has been removed from our systems, however we urge all stakeholders to remain vigilant of any suspicious activity online. We are working with law enforcement and have notified the Information Regulator as a precaution. The security of our systems and data is a top priority for us and we are doing everything we can to rectify the situation. We will provide any necessary further updates as soon as we are able to do so.” The company told Sowetan Live.
On 16 April 2015, it was reported that Virgin Group and their private equity backers had sold 80% of Virgin Active to the South African investment firm Brait, owned by the billionaire Christo Wiese. The sale price was £682 million for an 80% stake, valuing the business at £1.3 billion, including debt, and the transaction was completed in July 2015. The company continues to operate under the Virgin Active brand.


text:
Welsh produce took centre stage at a St David’s Day London lunch celebrating seafood excellence, with the dishes created by top chefs.
Held at London boutique hotel L’Oscar, the celebration lunch was attended by a host of award-winning chefs, food writers and representatives from prestigious restaurants, including the Dorchester Hotel, Chotto Matte and One Aldwych.
They enjoyed a specially created menu featuring Welsh crab, lobster, mussels and scallops.
The event was instigated by the Wales Seafood Cluster. This Cywain-led project encourages collaborative working among companies and individuals in the seafood industry.
Nia Griffith, North Wales Seafood Cluster manager, said: “The lunch aimed to bring Welsh seafood to the attention of potential restaurant customers in the London area, and demonstrate its flavour, quality and versatility.”
Co-ordinated by the Chef’s Forum, the lunch was jointly hosted by the Wales Drinks Cluster, and the dishes were paired with beverages from Cluster members.
Assisting the chefs were catering and hospitality students from West London College, Central Bedfordshire College, Pembrokeshire College and Coleg Gwent, who have participated in Welsh Seafood Chef’s Academy sessions with the Welsh Seafood Cluster.
Richard Davies, executive chef of Calcot Manor, said: “Cooking with this level of quality makes my job easy, and the Welsh lobster ravioli were stunning.”
The event was billed as being ‘an opportunity for Welsh fishers to meet with prospective customers and discuss the attributes of Welsh seafood’.
Nerys Edwards of Pembrokeshire wholesaler Syren Shellfish said: “It was great seeing Welsh seafood displayed on such a prominent stage and prepared by such distinguished chefs.
“For me, it was a brilliant opportunity to network in the heart of London with representatives from high-end restaurants and eateries.”
This story was taken from the latest issue of Fishing News. For more up-to-date and in-depth reports on the UK and Irish commercial fishing sector, subscribe to Fishing News here or buy the latest single issue for just £3.30 here.


text:
BMW has turned up the wick on its already frightening M5 Competition to create their most powerful, and quickest, car ever – and it will arrive in Australia this year.
BMW has ripped the covers off the new CS variant of the BMW M5, with the incoming Club Sport promising to be the super-sedan’s most extreme iteration yet, while also delivering a more agile experience on track.
The BMW M5 CS is officially the manufacturer’s most powerful car ever, with the 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 producing 467kW – an additional 7kW over the M5 Competition – while torque remains the same at 750Nm.
That engine is coupled to an eight-speed torque converter automatic, that feeds power to a specifically tuned xDrive all-wheel-drive system that can launch the M5 CS from 0 to 100km/h in just three seconds – a 0.3-second reduction over the M5 Competition.
The V8 will keep pulling well beyond local highway speeds and will reach 200km/h in just 10.4 seconds, 0.4 seconds faster than its predecessor, before topping out at an electronically limited 305km/h.
M5 CS has trimmed 70kg from the M5 Competition’s hefty 1,851kg kerb weight by making some drastic changes to the interior including swapping out the glove box for a lightweight carbon centre console.
Accommodation in the front sees a switch to carbon fibre bucket seats in the name of weight saving, while the rear middle seat is ditched entirely – with back seat passengers enjoying shapely buckets of their own.
But not all standards have been thrown to the wind: the lightweight seating is still covered in a supple layer of high-grade Merino leather upholstery.
BMW has cut the weight and enhanced the muscular appearance of the M5 CS with a carbon fibre splitter, mirror caps, boot lid, rear diffuser and ventilated bonnet.
The M5 CS’s iconic kidney grille has been trimmed with a distinctive gold-bronze surround, while the interior features an alcantara steering wheel and headliner along with red and blue BMW-coloured stitching on the seatbelts.
BMW has given the M5 CS a chassis tune specific to the model, along with a set of 20-inch forged gold-bronze wheels dressed in unnamed ‘high-performance tyres’ – with Pirelli P Zero Corsa track tyres able to be optioned as a no-cost extra.
In line with the M2, M3, and M4 CS grades, BMW has worked to enhance the agility of the M5 by tweaking the suspension set up and sway bars, dropped the ride-height by 7mm and added the shock absorbers from the BMW M8 Gran Coupé.
BMW says these modifications have given the M5 CS a less fussy ride on the highway while also giving the car a more stable feel when on the limit at the track.
Bringing the M5 CS to a stop is a set of carbon-ceramic brakes with six-piston fixed calliper units at the front and single-piston floating callipers at the rear. The combined setup is 23 kilograms lighter than the brakes fitted to the M5 Competition.
BMW will ship 20 examples of the M5 CS to Australia at a price of $305,900 driveaway, ordering will be done exclusively online through BMW Shop. Ordering will go live at 12:00pm AEDT on January 27, 2021.
Australian M5 CS buyers should expect a delivery date of sometime in the second or third quarter of 2021.
All prices listed are before on-road costs.
Car news today: new Triton reviewed, Maserati GranCabrio unveiled, and an electric Audi TT replacement – 1 March 2024
Car news, 29 Feb ’24: Infiniti QX80 previews future Patrol look, Renault in talks to build EVs with Volkswagen, and more
About Chasing cars
Chasing Cars reviews are 100% independent.
Because we are powered by Budget Direct Insurance, we don’t receive advertising or sales revenue from car manufacturers.
We’re truly independent – giving you Australia’s best car reviews.


text:
Tay Tuu flower village: Braving ups and downs to provide Tet flowers
Tay Tuu is a traditional flower-growing village that has existed for around 100 years.
Farmers at the flower orchards in Tay Tuu are busy taking care of flower crops for Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday these days. Cultivating and cherishing each pot of flower, the farmer has high hope for the upcoming Lunar New Year amid the pandemic.
Located in Bac Tu Liem District, some 20km from the Hanoi’s downtown, the 250ha village is famous for flower growing and the main flower provider for Hanoi and other northern provinces during the Tet holiday.
Floriculture has helped raise people’s incomes and living standards while making an important contribution to local socio-economic development.
That’s why, flower farmers are having a dire wish for the pandemic to end as soon as possible, so they can sell their flowers and make up for some losses.
Daisies are one of the most popular flowers in Tay Tuu flower village. Photo: Duong Lan
“Tet is a once-a-year occasion for farmers to earn big. We have decided to grow flowers to sell at Tet then we just have to do it, though sometimes man proposes, God disposes”, said Do Dac Nguyen, a farmer in Tay Tuu flower village.
Nguyen, a lily grower, said his business used to create jobs for 10 farmers with salaries of from VND2-3 million (US$96-114) each per month.
“Before the pandemic, the crops produced good profits and the living standard in the village improved remarkably. Just one hectare of flowers provides each family with up to VND300-500 million (US$14,000-24,000) per year. Most families had built spacious news houses with modern furniture thanks to the success of flower growing,” Nguyen told The Hanoi Times.
Nguyen has been growing lily for more than ten years, with too many ups and downs to tell them all. There were times when the profit would reach hundreds of millions of dong per crop, but there were also times when it was lucky to break even.
"Aside from worrying about the weather, there is also the fear of the pandemic, which would cause the flower market to plummet as the buyers could spend less on flowers. We take care of the flower for six months, but we’d have to wait until New Year's Eve to know if the crop is successful or not. Everything is like a gamble," Nguyen added.
The old farmer Nguyen Van Hong said that growing flowers is only one part of the job, finding output for them is equally important. In addition to selling at Tet flower markets as in the years before, farmers now are selling at their orchards taking advantage of the improved road condition.
Farmer Nguyen Van Hong waters his violet field so that the flowers can be in full bloom on the occasion of Tet. Photo: Duong Lan
Therefore, in recent years, in addition to sending flowers to traders from afar, he also sells at home through advertising on social networks. This saves a lot of costs, leading to the cheaper price of flowers.
Hong said he was not afraid of the weather. He just hoped the pandemic would soon be under control, so the people could make a living and earn money to buy flowers for Tet.
"Sellers and buyers need each other, the market rotates in a cycle, as the life of the flower bouquet. Local growers in the village have tried to adapt to the Covid-19 pandemic and are hoping to have a good year-end flower crop, with only one month left until the Tet holiday," Hong told The Hanoi Times.
Nguyen Tuan Nam, a perennial chrysanthemum grower in Tay Tuu village, said although he and other growers were not sure about the yield of the year-end crop due to the pandemic’s impact, they had still grown flowers as an old habit.
However, they grow in smaller area flowers with lower costs to limit risks. “We hope that the pandemic will be controlled as soon as possible so that we can earn profits to have money to re-invest for the next flower crop,” Nam said.
In an interview with The Hanoi Times, Chairman of the Tay Tuu People's Committee Dang Tran Phi said Tay Tuu villagers initially planted daisies, violets, and dahlias, using their experience and family capital. Then they were offered loans from the city's agricultural extension fund to invest in growing luxury flowers.
"Although the weather is favorable this year, flower growers are still worried because the Covid-19 pandemic remains increasingly serious. Currently, many households are still taking care of flowers for the Tet market, but the output is expected to reach only 60% compared to the same period every year," Phi said.
He expressed hope that the municipal authorities would invest more in flower farms to improve people's living conditions.
Chairman of the Bac Tu Liem District People's Committee Luu Ngoc Ha stressed that the pandemic has greatly affected the income of many families.
"We advised local growers to plant more vegetables to meet food demand during Tet," Ha said, adding that the district has supported local growers to apply science and technology to improve flower quality, he added.
"The district authorities will continue to coordinate with relevant departments to open forums, e-commerce marketplaces, support trade promotion, facilitate trade to help ensure the flower supply," Ha told The Hanoi Times.
Tay Tuu is a traditional flower-growing village that has existed for a long time. Flower growing has started in the village since the 1930s, but until the early 1990s, it really became a serious income earner of the local people.
The village attracts both local and foreign visitors. Photo: Kim Chung
After nearly 100 years, Tay Tuu was recognized as a traditional craft village of Hanoi and has become an attraction for domestic and foreign tourists. The best time to visit the flower village is the 11th month and the 12th month of the lunar calendar.
Gardens in Tay Tuu village draw crowds of tourists who wish to bathe in colorful flowers, snap stunning photos, or even get a first-hand experience of taking care of and watering flowers.
Daisies, roses, and lilies are the three main flower species grown in Tay Tuu Flower Village. In recent years, there are also some new and more expensive species such as dahlia, gerbera, violet.
If you visit Tay Tuu Flower Village one day before the first or the 15th day of lunar months, you can take part in a local flower market held by sellers and traders where you can have an authentic and local trading experience.
Coming to Tay Tuu Village these days, tourists will see a variety of colorful flowers, meticulously manipulated to ensure that they will bloom beautifully just in time for Tet.
During this time, the flowers are being covered up as protection from the weather. The light bulbs also provide more heat and regulate the growth of the flowers.
- Hanoi to push for decentralization scheme in local units: City Party chief
- Hanoi determined to preserve its "green lung"
- Hanoi to build two new cities, creating springboard for Hoa Lac, Noi Bai areas
- UNESCO promises tight partnership with Hanoi in heritage and relic conservation
- Hanoi targets 100% of population with accounts on public services portal
- Hanoi holds Olympic Day Run 2023
- Re-enacting an 80s and 90s style wedding in Hanoi's Old Quarter
- Hanoi urged to speed up digital transformation in smart city construction
- Cultural heritage to propel Hanoi’s future development
- Hanoi seeks UNESCO’s support in preserving cultural heritage
Vietnam, China enhance border ties
There cannot be another genocide: Ambassadors
Balade en France gastronomic festival - Walking in France in the heart of Hanoi
Vietnam considers issuing e-visas to citizens of all countries and territories
Business executives to face disciplinary action for failure to stop smuggling activities
Travel enthusiasts flock to Hanoi Tourism Festival 2023
Effective public investment as a top political mission: PM
Hanoi named among Vietnam's most beautiful places
Hanoi among cities with most trees in the world


text:
Farming – solution to economic woes?
The following column I wrote was printed in the Guelph Mercury yesterday.
Agriculture proving its worth in today’s economy
There’s a lot of worrying and hand-wringing going on in Ontario these days about the economic mess we now find ourselves in – and just as much hand-wringing and worrying about how we’re going to pull ourselves back out. But the answer could be right in front of us: farming.
Agriculture has escaped relatively unscathed from all that’s going on so far. That’s not to say we don’t have our own share of troublesome issues that need addressing and sorting out, but on the whole and at the moment, we’re doing ok. After all, everyone needs to eat – both here and elsewhere – and if it’s anything that Canada is good at, it’s providing the world with safe, high quality food.
But I think agriculture can do more and be more than that. Farmers and farming could possibly just be our ticket down the road to recovery. All it takes is for Ontarians to look at agriculture as a source of solutions and innovations, albeit one that goes beyond traditional food production.
We’re already seeing food with benefits on our shelves, like milk and eggs with Omega 3 fatty acids in the form of DHA that can help prevent disease. Many of these nutraceuticals and other innovative food products – like a healthy alternative to the artery-clogging trans fats found in so many of our processed foods – are coming right out of our own University of Guelph, a world leader in food and agricultural sciences.
The recent Agri-Innovation Forum, hosted in Toronto by a few Guelph-based organizations like MaRS Landing and Ontario Agri-Food Technologies who are dedicated to building linkages between agriculture and other sectors such as health, highlighted some of these developments.
But those still involve food. There’s also innovation and opportunity in agriculture beyond the dinner plate.
Stonehedge Bio-Resources is an Ontario company trying to establish markets for industrial hemp but developing a new industry isn’t easy. Without a processing plant, few farmers will grow a crop and without a crop, few investors will put money into processing capacity. But recently, with help from the Ontario government, they’ve received a $2 million boost from a group of investors to start construction on a bio-refining facility in eastern Ontario that will produce things like hemp fibre, wood-like chips and pellets.
In January, the provincial government announced it was providing research funding to three Ontario companies working on new ways to make car parts out of plants. Bumpers and foam for car seats made partially from soybeans are already on the market, and global demand for more eco-friendly products and materials is growing, offering possibilities for farming and manufacturing alike.
A little further down the road is using an enzyme found in soybean hulls, normally a waste or at least low cost by-product of oil extraction, to treat industrial wastewater. It’s still being researched and refined, but how cool would it be to use a renewable resource – soybeans – to clean and allow reuse of one that is not – water?
With support from our governments, our emerging bio-economy – applying agriculture and agricultural products beyond traditional food production – has the potential to lift Ontario out of its economic doldrums. Throughout the past decades, we’ve proven that we’re good at manufacturing here in Ontario; maybe it’s just time to switch our focus to include new and different products.
Agricultural innovation could offer those new opportunities for our beleaguered manufacturing sector. It’s a chance for the government to prove it’s serious about investing in our future in eco-friendly ways. And it can open up new markets for farmers, offering higher value alternatives to traditional commodity crops and decreasing their dependence on government support and disaster relief programs.
Farming is the historic foundation that helped build our province. It can also be a key to assuring and growing our future.


text:
UK retail sales rebound as shoppers snap up clothing and footwear
Retail sales rebounded last month as consumers flocked to buy clothing and footwear in the January sales.
The Office for National Statistics said sales increased by 0.9%, reversing a 0.6% decline during December.
Drawing a line under the worst year on record for retail sales in 2019, the value of goods bought also increased after the amount spent rose by 1.2%.
Analysts said the increase was even more impressive as the figure included a 5.7% month-to-month drop in petrol and diesel sales – the biggest since March 2015 – which was driven by higher fuel prices and bad weather.
The latest official barometer of high street and online sales is expected to persuade any wavering members of the Bank of England’s interest rate-setting committee against voting for a cut in the cost of borrowing.
Two members of the Bank’s monetary policy committee voted for an interest rate cut in January to boost the economy but are not expected to repeat their demand at the next meeting in March.
The January increase in retail sales failed to reverse steep declines at the end of last year. The ONS said a measure of sales volumes during the three months to January was down 0.8% compared with the three months to the end of October last year. The amount spent in retail fell during the period to January by 0.5% when compared with the previous three months.
Earlier this month, the Confederation of British Industry’s monthly distributive trends survey showed that the effects of weak demand across the high street translated into flat sales for a third month in a row.
Sales last year fell for the first time in 24 years as a dire performance on the high street dragged down the industry. A study by the British Retail Consortium and the advisory firm KPMG found total sales slipped by 0.1% in 2019, the lowest since they began monitoring the sector in 1995.
The downturn was influenced by a 0.9% fall in sales in the crucial final two months of the year, when many retailers achieve the bulk of their annual profits. That decline was partly driven by online sales rising by 2.6% in November and December.
Samuel Tombs, the chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said the rise in January sales confirmed that “the decisive general election has released the handbrake of political uncertainty on consumers’ spending”.
He said: “Fuel store sales should recover soon, given that oil prices have fallen back since January, though the recent storms might prevent demand recovering as soon as February.
“Looking ahead, the outlook for growth in households’ disposable incomes remains bright. CPI inflation looks set to hover about 1.5% over the next six months, thanks to falls in energy and import prices.
“Hiring indicators have picked up since the election, while more workers than in previous years will benefit from April’s 6.2% increase in the national living wage.
“Meanwhile, the government’s plans for a big increase in the threshold for national insurance contributions will boost households’ disposable incomes by 0.2% in April, while benefit payments are set to rise in April in line with inflation for the first time since 2015,” he added.
Source: Read Full Article


text:
Apple, the first company to introduce an elegant digital music download service, also widened the digital debate, introducing access to over 5,000 audio-books through its iTunes Music Store.
The company is using its long-standing relationship with Audible.com to introduce the new feature. Like its music offering, these audio-books can be purchased in one click, and a digital swipe of an existing US credit card.
Once a title's acquired (and the store offers free previews of titles, just like its music offering), they can be heard on any Mac, or a Windows XP or Windows 2000 PC, and also on an iPod. iPods also know where you stop reading a book.
Shrewd move Apple CEO Steve Jobs said this was an exclusive, multi-year deal with Audible.com. It's a shrewd move for Apple, which recognizes the wide swathe of digital content today's consumers hope for. Users can buy a book, or buy a tune, seamlessly - if they are US citizens, that is.
Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing Phil Schiller said: "With the addition of Audible's exclusive content to iTunes, now Mac and Windows customers can download audio-books and music from one integrated online music store."
Audible.com CEO Donald Katz said: "Audio-books - and spoken word programming in general - can change peoples’ lives for the better. Audible's award-winning information and entertainment audio deserves to be marketed in an integrated way alongside music. With this iTunes Music Store announcement today, we have reached an important strategic milestone for our company."
iTunes audiobooks are professionally-encoded and the collection includes New York Times bestsellers and radio shows from NPR and PRI.
Exclusive titles include: 'Whipping Mek', an original story by Brian Herbert; Kevin J. Anderson's 'The Butlerian Jihad' and 'The Machine Crusade', which bridge the Legends of Dune trilogy.
Book readers with lazy eyes could note: A 40GB iPod can hold over 800 full-length audio-books.


text:
Citigroup, one of the largest banking groups in the world, has decided to change its strategy regarding its Mexican subsidiary, Banamex. Instead of selling it to a local or foreign buyer, as it had planned for years, Citigroup is now preparing to launch an initial public offering (IPO) of Banamex shares.
This decision comes after Citigroup failed to find a suitable buyer for Banamex, which is the second-largest bank in Mexico by assets and has a strong presence in the country’s retail and corporate banking sectors. Citigroup had been looking to sell Banamex since 2017, when it faced regulatory and legal troubles in Mexico over fraud and money laundering allegations.
However, Citigroup’s asking price of around $20 billion was too high for potential buyers, who also had concerns about Banamex’s profitability and growth prospects amid a challenging economic environment in Mexico. Moreover, Citigroup faced political pressure from the Mexican government, which wanted to keep Banamex under foreign ownership to maintain competition and stability in the banking system.
How an IPO Could Benefit Both Citigroup and Banamex
By opting for an IPO, Citigroup hopes to unlock the value of Banamex and raise capital without losing control over its operations. According to analysts, Banamex could be valued at around $15 billion in an IPO, which would make it one of the largest listings in Latin America.
Citigroup plans to sell a minority stake of around 20% to 30% of Banamex in the IPO, which could take place in the second half of 2023. The proceeds from the IPO would help Citigroup boost its capital ratios and invest in its core businesses in the US and other markets.
Meanwhile, Banamex would benefit from having more autonomy and flexibility to pursue its own strategy and growth opportunities in Mexico. Banamex would also gain access to a wider pool of investors and customers, as well as enhance its brand recognition and reputation.
What This Means for You as an Investor
If you are interested in investing in Banamex’s IPO, you should keep an eye on the developments and announcements from Citigroup and Banamex in the coming months. You should also do your own research and analysis on Banamex’s financial performance, competitive position, growth potential, and risks.
Banamex’s IPO could be a lucrative opportunity for investors who want to tap into the Mexican banking market, which has a large and growing population of middle-class consumers and businesses that need financial services. However, you should also be aware of the challenges and uncertainties that Banamex faces, such as regulatory changes, political instability, currency fluctuations, and competition from other banks.
In conclusion, Citigroup’s decision to abandon the sale of Banamex and pursue an IPO instead is a bold move that could benefit both companies in the long run. However, as an investor, you should weigh the pros and cons carefully before making any investment decisions.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings


text:
Gasoline costs have not too long ago been a matter of nice public concern. Right here, on June 13, the Ministry of Business and Commerce and the Ministry of Finance will regulate the retail worth of gasoline as a substitute of tomorrow (June 11). As a result of June 11 is a Saturday and a vacation, the governing physique postpones the adjustment of petrol costs to subsequent Monday.
In accordance with the replace of the Ministry of Business and Commerce to June 9 on retail gasoline costs on the Singapore market, RON92 gasoline worth is at 148.6 USD/barrel for RON 92 gasoline, RON 95 gasoline is 154.1 USD/barrel. bin. Notably, diesel oil on June 6 spiked to 170.6 USD/barrel.
In the meantime, the common worth of petroleum merchandise on the earth within the earlier working interval was at USD 144/barrel of RON 92 gasoline; $151.9/barrel of RON 95 gasoline.
Trade with on-line information, The chief of a key enterprise in Ho Chi Minh Metropolis stated that as of June 11, the common worth of gasoline and completed oil merchandise within the Singapore market is presently 500-870 VND/liter larger than the home retail worth of gasoline, whereas oil diesel, kerosene about 2,900-3,100 VND/liter.
Subsequently, within the working interval on June 13, gasoline costs could improve by about 500-900 VND/liter, of which E5 RON 92 gasoline will increase extra. For oil merchandise, diesel oil elevated strongly by almost 3,000 VND/liter. If the administration company releases the stabilization fund, gasoline costs could improve much less, about 400-700 VND/liter.
If the forecast is true, the worth of home gasoline merchandise can have the sixth consecutive improve and the twelfth improve within the first half of the 12 months, bringing the worth of gasoline to over 32,000 VND/liter.
Concerning the scenario of gasoline costs, which is caring not too long ago, within the press there was a publication “Value is simply 13,000 VND / liter, Malaysia desires to export gasoline to Vietnam” receiving the eye of public opinion.
Not too long ago, information from Vietnamnet stated that the Authorities Workplace has additionally despatched a doc to the Ministry of Business and Commerce, conveying the route of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on details about petrol costs and the power to provide gasoline. Malaysian oil for Vietnam. Accordingly, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested Minister of Business and Commerce Nguyen Hong Dien to carefully monitor and coordinate with related companies to overview and course of data on gasoline costs and provide capability. Malaysia’s petroleum provide to Vietnam.
Beforehand, on the seminar on Export promotion to Malaysia and Muslim nations organized by the Funding and Commerce Promotion Heart of Ho Chi Minh Metropolis (ITPC), Mr. Tran Viet Thai – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Vietnam Nam in Malaysia, stated that the Vietnam Commerce Workplace in Malaysia is able to assist and join Vietnamese companies to import petroleum from Malaysia to stabilize the home market, Labor reported.
In accordance with Mr. Tran Viet Thai, the worth of gasoline in Vietnam is already 31,573 VND/liter, whereas RON 95 gasoline in Malaysia is backed by the Authorities for the worth of 13,000 VND/liter for individuals. “So as to guarantee petrol worth stability, the Malaysian Authorities has agreed to export 300,000 liters of RON 95 gasoline to Vietnam, however presently, it has not been deployed a lot,” Thai stated.
On June 3, the Ministry of Business and Commerce additionally stated that within the present gasoline worth construction of Vietnam, taxes and charges account for about 30-32% (equal to 10-11 thousand VND/liter). Thus, with out taxes and charges, the worth of gasoline in Vietnam can be about 20 thousand VND / liter (equal to 0.86 USD / liter).
In Malaysia, the State doesn’t levy taxes on domestically consumed gasoline, and even has a subsidy coverage. The federal government is subsidizing RM 1.65 ($0.4) per liter of RON 95 petrol and RM 1.85 per liter of diesel. The Ministry of Business and Commerce calculates that if there is no such thing as a subsidy and nonetheless no taxes, the worth of RON 95 gasoline in Malaysia will now be $ 0.87 / liter, whereas the worth in Vietnam if taxes and charges are eliminated is about 0. 86 USD/liter.
The Ministry of Business and Commerce stated that with out authorities subsidies, the worth of petrol in Malaysia can be equal to the worth of petrol in Vietnam. Specifically, Malaysia’s petrol subsidy coverage solely applies to locals. Exported petrol right here is bought on the frequent market worth of the area.
Subsequently, the knowledge that Malaysia desires to export gasoline to Vietnam within the context of the home worth of this merchandise has elevated to a file excessive, the Ministry of Business and Commerce confirmed that that is unlikely.
In accordance with the Ministry of Business and Commerce, in Singapore, a serious petroleum exporter in Asia, gasoline costs are additionally fairly excessive, Singapore’s RON 95 gasoline worth is presently at $2,315 per liter (equal to about 54,000 VND). /liter).
Not too long ago, some companies nonetheless import petrol from the Malaysian market on the identical worth as these from Asian markets comparable to Singapore (in line with MOP’s worth is the common day by day worth printed by Singapore’s Platt information company). father).


text:
KATHMANDU – With the resumption of border points, closed due to Chinese Lhosar, import of goods has increased in a noticeable manner daily.
Seven containers of goods have been imported daily from the border points with China with the resumption of the transit points, according to the concerned Customs Office. Goods from readymade clothes to construction materials are being imported from Tatopani Customs Office, Sindhupalchowk, and Rasuwagadhi Customs Office in recent period.
Chief of Rasuwa Customs Office, Ram Prasad Regmi, said that seven container goods are being imported everyday with the resumption of the border points. Though goods are being imported significantly in last few days, there is no smooth import of goods as of previous. He said, “Although all staffs working at border points have inoculated vaccine against COVID-19, there is no smooth import of goods due to obstruction of Chinese side.”
There is still obstruction of Chinese side even after Rasuwa district has become coronavirus free district since two months, added Regmi. The border point, which was closed for long due to coronavirus, has come into one-way operation from November, 2020.
Similarly, Chief of Tatopani Customs Office, Lal Bahadur Khatri, shared that seven containers entered Nepal everyday via the border point, adding that out of seven containers, five containers are carrying chemical fertilizer.
Tatopani border point, closed for long, had resumed from October 29, 2020. Export at standstill
Exports have come to a standstill despite low imports from Rasuwagadhi and Tatopani border points. Exports, stopped from last year’s Chinese Lhosar, from Rasuwagadhi border point has not been resumed yet.
Regmi added, “Though we have taken efforts for resumption of export time and again, it is stopped for the past one year as Chinese side did not pay any interest on it.” Exports have been stopped at Rasuwagadhi border point from one year and Tatopani border point from Gorkha earthquake.


text:
UK to host international Zero Emission Vehicle Summit next autumn
The UK is to host a global Zero Emission Vehicle Summit in autumn 2018 as it looks to expand the development of the low emission and electric car market.
Announced by the Prime Minister as she attended the One Planet Summit in Paris yesterday, the event will bring together Ministers, industry leaders and sector representatives from around the world.
The summit will build on the Government’s manifesto commitment for almost all cars and vans to be zero emission by 2050, with the Department for Transport having confirmed earlier this autumn that all cars and vans sold in the UK from 2040 will need at least full hybrid technology and the ability to drive only using electricity.
The Government also suggested at least 30% of new car sales and up to 40% of new vans could be ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEVs) by 2030 in October’s Clean Growth Strategy, which also outlined that £1bn will be spent to support the take-up of ULEVs including helping consumers overcome the upfront cost of an electric car – likely to support the government’s plug-in car, van and bike grants – while infrastructure supporting electric vehicles will be aided by a further £80m, alongside £15m from Highways England. The Clean Growth Strategy also saw the Government announce that it will introduce a ‘Green Great Britain’ week to promote clean growth.
Now, the Prime Minister has announced a number of new climate-change measures at the One Planet Summit, including £140m of new funding to help the world’s poorest communities address the effects of climate change and the expansion of the UK and Canada-led alliance to reduce international use of unabated coal.
The Prime Minister commented: “Tackling climate change and mitigating its effects for the world’s poorest are among the most critical challenges that we face.
“By redoubling our efforts to phase out coal, as well as build on our world leading electric car production, we are showing we can cut emissions in a way that supports economic growth.”


text:
EA has revealed some of the games you’ll be able to get your hands on at its EA Play event just before E3 2017.
We already know that EA doesn’t plan to have a booth at E3 2017, but it will be in LA at its own event: EA Play. Yesterday, the company announced some of the games attendees to that event will be able to check out, as well as how you can get tickets.
The event will have a number of games to show off, and although EA hasn’t revealed the full list, it’s started off with some of its largest franchises. Attendees will be to get hands-on time with the next Star Wars: Battlefront, as well as the newest installment in the Need for Speed series. EA also mentioned that its annual sports titles will be there, including Madden NFL 18, FIFA 18 and NBA LIVE 18. There will be more games at the event, but EA is holding out saying that it will “have more to share in the coming months.”
EA Play will be held at the Hollywood Palladium June 10-12, and if you want to attend, you should probably clear April 20 on your calendar, at least around 12 PM ET. That’s when tickets will be made available, although EA has yet to detail exactly how that process will work. If you want to keep up with all the announcements, you can sign up for updates on the EA Play website.


text:
The update comes after the company announced it has signed up its latest Android customer, DSL, for its team of 22 field engineers to use the app on their phones to record job details.
The pay-as-you-go app, the first of its kind in the UK, lets field workers capture information in real time on site, via Android, Windows Mobile or rugged devices.
It works by enabling field workers to feed job information via the app into a back office system, allowing staff to monitor their progress and allocate jobs.
Founder of MyMobileWorkers, Graham Whistance, said: “We have an active product development programme for the app, which is particularly important in the constantly evolving world of mobile.
“DSL liked the flexibility of MyMobileWorkers and the fact it’s available as pay per job, avoiding costly and lengthy contracts. Like all of our customers, we have worked closely with DSL to gain valuable access to their experiences with the app so they can influence and benefit from the direction it is moving in.”
Ian McGregor, contracts director from DSL which is based in Kent, said: “What impressed us about this new technology is that our workers already have Android phones so we didn’t have to buy expensive new equipment.
“Apps have become increasingly popular for business use to increase efficiency and save money and I think they are the way of the future. This latest version of the MyMobileWorkers app offers the exact features we were looking for, something that previously, only companies larger than ourselves could afford.”
Some of the new features include:
•Full calendar view for managers to see workers schedules and book jobs accordingly
•Email job details to customer via PDF
•Ability to edit or delete a job before it is sent to the phone and rebook a job when it is completed or failed
•Improved vehicle check process- a list of safety checks for the worker to sign off to make sure the vehicle is road worthy
Customers will be upgraded to MyMobileWorkers Version 5 at no extra charge and a full list of additional features can be found on the MyMobileWorkers website.
Version 5.2 is already scheduled for release next month and will include a customer registration option to enable user’s customers to log-in to create and view jobs and a Resource Planner View.
The MyMobileWorkers app has enabled a number of companies, including a food waste recycling company and a building maintenance company, to save thousands of pounds and benefit environmentally as field workers have been able to scrap paperwork and log jobs from their phones.


text:
In an article published this morning by Games Industry.biz, it was revealed that Sony will be investing nearly $2 billion dollars in the development of its next console, the PlayStation 3. The scary thing is, that figure is only for the CELL chip technology that will power the system and other network devices, and not the console's other internals.
A brand new factory located in Nagasaki, Japan will head up this production and will be among the most advanced chip fabrication plants in the world. It'll boast impressive 65 nanometer-wide circuits, which is almost 30% smaller than the existing 90 nanometer circuits used in today's high-end chips.
Early estimations from industry insiders say that the CELL chip (developed in conjunction with Sony, IBM, and Toshiba) will be more than a thousand times faster than the 300MHz MIPS core found in the PlayStation 2; and that it has been designed from the very beginning with network computing application optimization in mind. As of this writing, four to eight CELL processors are speculated to comprise the PS3's eventual chipset.
The CELL technology won't just be limited to the PlayStation 3, either. Toshiba has plans to use the CELL in set-top boxes, hard disc recorders, mobile phones, and even HDTVs sometime in the near future. While Sony's EDP Ken Kutagrai described the chip as "the basic processor for building networks."
This leads to wonder how many of our readers have seen The Terminator -- as Skynet-like ramifications definitely seem to be on the horizon. Break out those laser rifles now folks, because the Rise of the Machines seems to be coming.


text:
Subaru Corp (7270.T)
20 May 2019
* Last year's profit fell 48.5 pct, meeting analyst estimates
TOKYO, May 10 Subaru Corp released its earnings results hours ahead of schedule on Friday after the Japanese automaker inadvertently uploaded its financials on its website earlier than planned.
TOKYO Subaru Corp plans to recall around 2.3 million vehicles globally over a brake light problem, in what would be the automaker's biggest-ever recall as it grapples with a series of quality-related issues following rapid expansion. | Video
TOKYO, March 1 Tokyo's Nikkei share average surged to 2-1/2-month highs on futures buying after the dollar rose against the yen on the back of strong U.S. economic growth, giving Japanese exporters a boost.
TOKYO, March 1 Subaru Corp plans to recall around 2.3 million vehicles globally over a brake light problem, in what would be the automaker's biggest-ever recall as it grapples with a series of quality-related issues following rapid expansion.
TOKYO, March 1 Tokyo's Nikkei share average pulled ahead on futures buying after the dollar rose against the yen on the back of stronger-than-expected U.S. gross domestic product data, giving Japanese exporters a boost.
DETROIT, Feb 21 Consumer Reports on Thursday pulled a recommendation for Tesla Inc's Model 3, citing reliability problems, and the influential U.S. magazine turned up the pressure on other automakers to include crash-avoiding automatic braking as standard equipment.
DETROIT, Feb 21 Influential U.S. magazine Consumer Reports on Thursday turned up the pressure on automakers to include automatic emergency braking (AEB) as standard on new U.S. models by withholding its 2019 annual top vehicle picks from best-selling brands like General Motors Co's Chevrolet.
TOKYO Japan's Subaru Corp cut its full-year earnings forecast by 16 percent to flag its weakest profit in six years due to a production stoppage but its shares climbed 6 percent as some investors were optimistic the worst was over for the automaker.
* Sees FY operating profit 185 bln yen vs pvs forecast of 220 bln


text:
The Agri-Forum Pakistan has claimed that exports can easily be increased to 35 billion dollars per annum with better planning and handing over the Commerce Ministry to a better person. Forum Chairman Doctor Ibrahim Mughal, who was critical of what he called “inept ministers”, on Monday told journalists, “We have to call back the corrupt and inept commercial attaches and appoint active and hardworking people and pay attention on value additional of our products to meet the target of enhancing exports.”
He also voiced his concern over the 22-billion-dollar trade deficit, claiming that it had never happened in the history of Pakistan. He termed these inept ministers and bureaucrats and nepotism as the reasons for this trade deficit. “If power outages have decreased, as the government claims, exports should increase, but instead they had decreased by 3 billion dollars as compared to last year,” he said.
He then claimed that the deficit could never be reduced unless nepotism ended and inept people in the Trade Ministry removed and proposed that Pakistani commercial counsellors and commercial attaches should be appointed on their honesty and hard work. “They should be assigned targets so that they could work to enhance the exports,” he added.


text:
The smartphone industry is rough and older devices are replaced by newer ones every year. In fact, Google’s famous original Pixel and Pixel XL have just been removed from the Android parent’s official stores. Considering that the original Pixel smartphone was launched in 2016, we think it’s safe to say that no one expected Google to discard it so fast.
Pixel and Pixel XL Are Now Removed
Even though the two smartphones have been removed from Google’s official stores, this doesn’t mean that they are not accessible to customers anymore. There are still hundreds of third party vendors such as Amazon that will keep selling the two smartphones for the years to come.
Now that Google removed the two smartphones from its official stores, Android fans might want to keep their eyes peeled at third party vendors because the price for the original Pixel and Pixel XL might go down.
In addition, the standard Pixel is selling for $299,99 at the moment and its still more than capable of being used as a daily carrier. In fact, let’s check out its specs and see what type of hardware performance it has to offer.
The original Pixel took the smartphone industry by storm when it was launched back in October 2016. The reason behind this being that Pixel was marketed as “Google’s vision of a perfect Android powered smartphone” and this grabbed the attention of customers.
Nonetheless, the original Pixel ships with a 5.0-inch AMOLED display that features a pixel resolution of 1080 x 1920. Moreover, the display is coated in Corning Gorilla Glass 4 for extra protection against scratches and cracks.
The smartphone is downright impressive when it comes to performance power because it is fueled by a quad-core Snapdragon 821 CPU that’s paired with an Adreno 530 GPU and 4GB RAM.


text:
A California lawmaker has proposed a new bill that would allow adult-use weed to be sold at farmers markets and other outdoor events throughout the state.
Assembly Bill 2691, proposed by Assemblymember Jim Wood (D), would allow small cannabis cultivators to apply for temporary permits allowing them to sell legal weed at specific events. Farmers markets or other outdoor events that wanted to allow weed sales would also need to apply for a permit. All licenses would need to be approved by the state Department of Cannabis Control, which would also have the authority to deny permits to events that do not meet a strict set of guidelines.
Local cannabis industry advocates are excited about the new bill, as it would offer smaller businesses a chance to connect with local buyers. Genine Coleman, executive director of Origins Council, an advocacy organization that represents about 900 small local pot producers, told KCRA 3 that the bill “is definitely a huge potential opportunity for our membership.” Coleman added that since most of the cultivators represented by Origins produce less than an acre of weed each, having “direct marketing and sales opportunities with consumers is really critical."
Some market owners are less than enthusiastic about the new bill, though. "We really are interested in selling food, so at this point, cannabis is not a food,” said Davis Farmers Market Alliance Executive Director Randii MacNear to KCRA 3. "I'm sure you'll see some of this product at other markets but not here in Davis.” The vast majority of California localities have already banned all local cannabis sales as well, which would limit the total number of events that would be able to sell weed if the bill were to pass.
The bill has already passed one Assembly committee, but to become law it must still pass another committee and then be approved by the full state legislature and Governor Gavin Newsom. If the bill does succeed, it would certainly provide assistance to many of the state's smaller weed businesses, many of which are struggling to even turn a profit. High taxes, robberies, and fierce competition with multi-state cannabis corporations and black market dealers have made times especially hard for small local pot growers.
“It is no secret that cannabis businesses throughout the state are struggling, whether it’s taxes, compliance costs, competing with the illicit market or other challenges, but the focus of AB 2691 is to help legal cannabis farmers who grow less than 1 acre of cannabis get consumer recognition for their unique products, much as has been done for craft beer, artisanal wine and other family farm agricultural products,” said Assm. Wood in a statement sent to KCRA 3.
“Giving these smaller farmers opportunities at locally approved events to expose the public to their products increases consumer choice and offers farmers a better chance to reach retail shelves which is their ultimate goal,” Wood continued. “This is not about circumventing retailers, but growing the industry overall.”


text:
As April’s business rates rise looms, new Simply Business analysis finds that small businesses in the hardest-hit areas also have the least cash to spare for the tax-collector.
Small businesses in Milton Keynes and Reading will see business rates rise well above any increase in their sales in recent years, according to new data from business insurance broker Simply Business.
Reading and Milton Keynes will see business rates rise by 70 per cent and 60 per cent respectively, increases well above any seen outside of London.
Simply Business is one of the UK’s largest business insurance brokers, with over 500,000 customers nationwide, and specialises in microbusinesses and SMEs.
Its database reveals that the proportion of premises-based businesses – including shops, restaurants, pubs, bars and clubs – within higher sales turnover brackets was smaller in those two towns than in any UK city earmarked for large hikes in business rates (see table).
|City||Projected rates rise (%)||Businesses with turnover <£50k (%)||Businesses with turnover >£50k (%)|
Cambridge and Croydon – in third and fourth place facing rates rises of 57 per cent and 50 per cent respectively – have a far higher proportion of thriving businesses, thanks to initiatives like the Croydon Partnership and the Cambridge Business Improvement District, attracting more growing businesses to the area and providing ways for small businesses to save running costs. Businesses in Milton Keynes voted in favour of a proposed Business Improvement District on Friday 3 March, unlocking £6 million in investment for the city centre.
However, the evidence still raises questions about the way in which the government calculates the sums small businesses pay in tax.
Fiona McSwein, Chief Customer Officer at Simply Business, said:
“In expensive areas, we would expect small businesses to have higher costs of business and higher turnover but the property price rises in some areas are a result of speculation rather than successful business growth.
“In Milton Keynes and Reading, small businesses have not yet felt the benefit of property developments, higher customer footfall, higher spending and greater earnings. They are still waiting for those benefits to come.
“With the rise in business rates, the cost of doing business should rise roughly in line with the increase in sales, as it does in Cambridge and Croydon. Instead, the growth in some areas of the country will face a huge setback. To base tax on property value rather than business turnover or profit is unfair.”
– ENDS –
Notes for Editors:
Simply Business compared data from RFQs (online requests for quotes on the cost of a new insurance policy) with data compiled by commercial property specialists JLL.
Earlier this year, a report by JLL detailed the estimated average business rates rises in towns and cities across the UK. Simply Business compared these figures with sales turnover data collected from over 10,000 businesses across the UK who applied for a quote on insurance cover in 2015-16. The figure includes businesses that qualify for business rates such as shops, restaurants, bars and pubs, and excludes businesses that have no premises and no rateable value.
Nithiya Gnanathas / Sean Canty
020 7199 6196
Launched in 2005, Simply Business provides an online brokerage service, delivering policies tailored to individual business requirements. Using the power of tech and data to create the best possible customer experiences, Simply Business employs over 600 people across offices in London, Northampton, and Boston in the US.
Owing to its internal underwriting capability, Simply Business can cover over 1,000 trade types – ranging from plumbers to accountants to dog walkers. An accredited B Corp for their positive social impact, Simply Business has also been voted the Sunday Times Best Company To Work For twice in a row.
Keep up to date with Simply Business. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter and follow us on social media.Subscribe to our newsletter
6th Floor99 Gresham StreetLondonEC2V 7NG
Sol House29 St Katherine's StreetNorthamptonNN1 2QZ
© Copyright 2019 Simply Business. All Rights Reserved. Simply Business is a trading name of Xbridge Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Financial Services Registration No: 313348). Xbridge Limited (No: 3967717) has its registered office at 6th Floor, 99 Gresham Street, London, EC2V 7NG.


text:
Apple's share of China's smartphone market dropped by almost half to 10 percent in the second quarter from the previous one, research firm IDC told Reuters today.
The numbers suggest the company's customers are either waiting for the next iPhone, expected in September, or have jumped ship entirely in favor of rival smartphones.
The shift puts Apple in the No. 4 smartphone slot in China. Apple was No. 2 in the first quarter.
Samsung kept the lead in Q2 with 19 percent share. No. 1 Samsung was followed by Lenovo rose to No. 2 with 11 percent share and was the main reason for Apple's drop. ZTE was No. 3, and Huawei was No. 5
IDC said smartphone shipments in China totaled 44 million devices in the second quarter, pegging around 51 percent of the country's overall 87 million mobile shipments.
This story originally posted on ZDNet.
reading•Apple's smartphone share in China plunges
Dec 10•Selling iPhone X. T-Mobile and Verizon salespeople speak out
Dec 9•iPhone takes top rank as Flickr's most used camera
Dec 8•Apple's Jony Ive is back managing the company's design teams
Dec 8•Is Apple bringing back the iPhone with a metal back? (Apple Byte Extra Crunchy, Ep. 113)


text:
Periodic monitoring of consumer prices revealed an inflation rate of 5.6% during the month of August 2012, unchanged from July of the same year, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS).
This stability is due, in part, to the year-on-year increase of tobacco group which rose from 9.8% in July to 18.2% in August, because of the last increase in tobacco prices, and secondly, the decline in the inflation rate of the food and beverage group from 7.5% in July to 6.8% in August 2012.
Moreover, the price index for household consumption grew by 0.5% during the month of August 2012 compared to July of the same year. The furniture and appliances group rose 0.5%, due to higher prices of housing maintenance services at the rate of 0.6%, household appliances (0.7%) and kitchen equipment (0.7%), while the telecommunications group posted an increase of 0.7%.
In contrast, the clothing and footwear group fell 0.4% at the start of the summer sales season.


text:
The Berlin-based company FUEL has today announced that they have raised €1.5m to become “Shopify for NFTs”, enabling creators of all levels and skillsets access tools that allow them to build their own custom branded crypto-asset shop without any technical knowledge required.
FUEL, founded by Csongor Barabasi, Thanh Binh Tran, Stefan Tietze and Patrice Deckert, is aiming to bring NFTs further into the mainstream – in the hands of millions of creators and their fans.
“Even though we see growing adoption, NFTs are still in an early phase. Currently, the barrier of entry for creators is very high. The market has outgrown the basic sales functionality of aggregation platforms like OpenSea, and creators need more tools to succeed in the next phase”, said Barabasi.
The company is already working with “Tomorrowland-DJs Mat.Joe and several other yet-to-be-announced top artists and labels, aiming to launch several NFT drops in the next couple of weeks”, Tran adds.


text:
In case you missed it: Thoughtful, newsworthy comments from industry professionals, consumers and legislators.
“We have a major problem that we don’t even see."
— Author Jonathan Bloom regarding the nation's food waste crisis. According to a recent USDA study, 133 billion pounds of food were wasted in 2010, which amounts to 429 pounds of food per American.
"A cow — as you remember from high school biology — has four stomachs, eats hay and out the back end comes methane and fertilizer ... So we use the exact same microbes, but we’re commercializing it."
— Mike Silva, a civil engineer with CR&R, regarding the waste and recycling company's anaerobic digestion project in Perris, CA.
"This incident in California is obviously devastating to all involved. Intersections are one of the most challenging road features any driver encounters. A task as commonplace as a right turn requires skill and attention to detail in a large truck."
— NWRA Safety Director John Haudenshield in an e-mail to Waste Dive, regarding a collision between a pedestrian and trash truck in Los Angeles that resulted in the pedestrian's death. A lawsuit filed by the pedestrian's family was just settled for $5 million.
"We are challenging apparel manufacturers to be more sustainable and restructure their supply chain to divert waste from landfill."
— Giulio Bonazzi, chairman and CEO of Aquafil, on the company's partnership with Speedo. Together, the companies have developed a swimwear line made of recyclable materials, such as old carpets and abandoned fishing nets.
"These disposable wipes seem to have grown and multiplied ... If we were to say the city should be paying for [damages], then that’s money coming from taxpayers."
"This cup is accepted in the District of Columbia’s municipal recycling program, which means it can be diverted from local landfills if the guest properly disposed of the cup in one of Washington D.C.’s recycling receptacles ... We will continue to evaluate and test all available cups until we believe we have found the best solution based on cost, performance, commercial viability and environmental impacts."
— Lindsay Cronin, a Dunkin’ Donuts spokeswoman, on the company's compliancy to the new Styrofoam ban hitting D.C. on January 1. Dunkin' Donuts will instead serve coffee in #5 recyclable polypropylene cups.


text:
A demand for smartwatches is forecast to drive worldwide shipments of wearable devices to reach 110 million by the end of 2016, a 38.2 per cent growth over the previous year. Shipments are expected...
Rupert Collier of Paessler examines the disconnect between IT salespeople and their clients
But vendor vows to come back stronger and pledges business as usual
Forrester analyst discusses where Europe's public cloud explosion will hit next
Sales projected to grow sixfold


text:
The latest Final Fantasy XIV patch may have caused issues for Steam Deck users, with the game now reportedly no longer playable on Valve’s new handheld console.
As part of the new update, players who purchased the game on Steam will need to link their accounts to a Square Enix login, which is something that will need to be completed via the new launcher, which isn’t currently supported on Linux.
“Account linking between Steam accounts and Square Enix accounts has been implemented for the Steam version,” the patch notes read. “Following this maintenance, users will be prompted to log in with the Square Enix account they wish to link when launching the game from the Steam software for the first time.”
Given this, Steam Deck users have been having trouble launching the game. Reports claim the problem sees the game pause on its logo, with no way to get through.
The game is still accessible for players who have purchased the game outside Steam. For those who do use Steam as a launcher, some users have reported a fix working and you can check that out on YouTube here.
Steam boss Gabe Newell himself has showcased the Steam Deck’s capability of playing Final Fantasy XIV, so it would seem likely the company would move to fix this issue if possible. However, the game is still listed as “unsupported” on the Steam Deck’s list of compatible games, where it has been since the device launched in late February.
While the latest update has caused issues for some players, perhaps a future update will remedy these. For now, however, it seems players will need to find a workaround to continue playing Final Fantasy XIV on the Steam Deck.


text:
Nine lobbying groups involving the US Chamber of Commerce have urged India. To delay a new digital tax that will hit firms like Facebook and Google. As they are battling the fallout of the coronavirus, a letter discerns by Reuters showed.
From April 1 India inflicts a new 2% tax on foreign billings or transactions where companies take payment abroad for digital services provided in India. The tax also appeals to foreign e-commerce transactions on sites like Amazon.
Presented in parliament a month earlier the tax, put into budget amendments passed in March. Might the industry off guard as it was not part of the main proposals India’s finance ministry.
On Wednesday the nine groups, from the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. They wrote a joint letter to India’s finance minister, urging that the tax detained by nine months. Along with an industry-wide consultation before implementation.
The time frame within which this expansive new measure accepts along with entered in to force permits for neither the dialogue nor the significant structural changes that would require (for companies to comply).
The government’s new tax is discerning to aimed at taxing foreign companies that have a significant local client base. In India yet was billing them through their offshore units, successfully escaping the country’s digital system.
In India, the tax also appeals to advertising revenue earned from companies overseas if those advertisements eventually target customers.
Google especially worries that it would not be able to swiftly identify countries where advertising arrangements were in place, Reuters has announced.
The tax moreover risks souring India’s trade relations with countries like the United States. That had earlier been concerned with New Delhi’s stricter rules for sectors like e-commerce.
Do you agree with the above all? We welcome your feedback and suggestions on any gadget/device that you think needs to be a part of this list. After that, please leave your comments below. In Contrast for more stuff, you can Subscribe to our YouTube Channel.