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Flickr is something of a dinosaur in the rocket-paced world of online photo services, but pros and amateurs alike have stuck to it in the millions. Sadly the Android app hasn't always kept pace with the many options provided on Yahoo's web service. The gap between app and web grows a little smaller today as Flickr 1.5 hits the Play Store, keeping its freemium service but adding a visual overhaul and a handful of new features.
Today, the folks behind the immensely popular Humble Bundle announced a few new games for the third edition of its Android package deal. Four new titles have been added for previous or future customers who pay more than the average (which, as of this writing, is sitting at $6.14). The new entries are Anomaly: Warzone Earth, EDGE, Osmos, and the crowd-favorite World of Goo, which, together, cost about $15 on the Play Store.
Way back in March of '12, we heard that ARCHOS would be releasing a new line of thin, keyboard-packing tablets. The first of those rumored devices has now emerged as the 101 XS, and it actually looks pretty neat.
The device itself is a fairly typical 10" tablet: 1.5GHz dual-core OMAP 4470, 1GB RAM, 16GB storage, Android 4.0 (4.1 OTA update is expected to roll out in "Q4 2012"). What makes this device unique(ish), however, is its magnetic keyboard dock, which ARCHOS has named the Coverboard.
Light and floating wisps Tranquil music serenades You're playing Lemmings
Okay, now that I've got that out of my system, let me introduce you to Spirits. This game features a series of ethereal spirit beings (see where they got the name?) that steadily stream out of the entrance to a level. Your job is to transform some of the aural manifestations into clouds, vines, and all manner of natural tools to lead the remaining wisps to the exit of the level.
The junior member of HTC's One family has yet to see great adoption in the United States, with US Cellular and Virgin being the only carriers of note to offer the HTC One V. Fellow budget carrier Cricket Wireless is finally getting their own version of the Android handset, and will be releasing it to its contract-free customers on Sunday, September 2nd. Cricket has yet to announce a price for the phone, but given its competitors' prices, I'd guess that somewhere between $100 and $200 is likely.
US Cellular's LTE selection just gained an additional member: the Samsung Galaxy Metrix 4G. Available online today for $179 after a $100 mail-in rebate, the device comes with fairly middle-of-the-road features, such as:
A slide-out QWERTY keyboard
A 1GHz processor
A 4.0-inch touchscreen
A 5MP rear-facing camera and camcorder
A front-facing camera
In an effort to promote its LTE network, the carrier will be lowering the handset's price to a somewhat more reasonable $129 (also after a mail-in rebate) in markets where 4G is either currently available or will be accessible by the end of the year.
Update: HTC has officially denied the veracity of this rumor, and stated that it has no plans to discontinue use of Beats Audio in its handsets.
Original Article: I don't like Beats. You probably don't like Beats. In fact, it's really, really easy to not like Beats. According to news site MyDrivers.com, HTC might not like Beats anymore, either.
After ditching bundled Beats earbuds in April, and then selling 50% of its stake in the headphone and, uh, sound enhancement company, industry sources (yeah, yeah, we know how that goes) are saying that HTC is going to drop Beats Audio from its handset lineup entirely.
Are you looking for a new game to fill your daily commute? Pebble Universe might just fit the bill. The physics-based puzzle game has made its way over to Android from iOS, and offers 25 levels of gameplay for free.
The storyline behind the game is quite straight forward: you're responsible for a group of Pebbles (naturally), who are being attacked by soot-lump creatures wanting to eat delicious Pebble meat.
Now, in order to protect themselves against the evil creatures above, the Pebbles take advantage of the fact that their hats explode when they bump into each other.
Gameloft has released the first gameplay trailer for its upcoming Android game, Wild Blood. The game will be the first Gameloft title based on the Unreal Engine, and the action-packed, blood-filled trailer certainly doesn't disappoint.
This is the second trailer to be released for the game, with a teaser trailer being unveiled a few weeks ago. Gameloft has promised that the game will be coming "very soon" to Android. It will likely be followed by the company's other title based on the Unreal Engine, March of Heroes.
One small and two major sites that have a long history of distributing pirated Android apps have been seized in a first of its kind operation conducted by the FBI, DoJ, and a variety of U.S. and foreign governments. These sites are:
Each of the taken down hosts is now displaying this FBI seizure notice
According to PC World, FBI agents downloaded numerous copies of paid Android apps as part of the operation before seizing all three domains and executing nine search warrants on August 21st.


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RiRi and Eminem are in Detroit since Tuesday (November 19) to shoot a music video for their latest collaboration, “The Monster”! Today Eminem released the first photo of them on the set. Can’t wait to watch it!
RiRi is currently in Thailand shooting a video for her new single, “What Now!” She shared a few photos on Instagram today, take a look at them after the jump.
Don’t forget to watch Rihanna’s first “What Now” performance on TV on September 27 on Allan Carr.
RiRi shot a new magazine cover in Barbados yesterday (August 3). Take a look at a few pictures of her with stylist Mel Ottenberg after the jump.
Rumour has it that the photos are for Glamour Magazine. Can’t wait to see the final result!
UPDATE: Paparazzi photos have now been added to our gallery:
Rihanna has shared a photo of her on the way to the set of her new music video, “Stay”. Rumour has it that the video will be directed by Sophie Muller, who has worked with Beyonce, Shakira and more.
Heading to set, M$$ rapping in the backseat @mforde11 #STAY
RiRi was on the set of another secret photo shoot in Los Angeles yesterday (January 27). The pictures were taken by fashion photographer Mert Alas. Take a look at a sneak peek after the jump.
As you may already have heard, Rihanna has worked with River Island for their new collection “Rihanna for River Island”, which will appear in stores in Spring 2013. Rihanna has teased us with a sneak peek last night when she wore a jump suit.
For the past few days she has been shooting a commercial for the line and today she posted some behind the scenes pictures of singers “off duty”. Which means we need to wait a little longer for actual clothes images. We can’t wait!
Posting a picture of herself and models on Instagram and Twitter, Rihanna said that she had teamed up with Mario Sorrenti on a two-day shoot. She revealed:
“My bitches so Bvalgari… Just directed my first ad campaign for my new collection with River Island, Spring/Summer 2013!! And that’s a wrap at the end of a 2 day shoot w/ MARIO SORRENTI.”
Right now you can purchase at River Island a special Rihanna collection featuring images from her brand new album, “Unapologetic”.
Check out Rihanna’s Facebook in case you still haven’t seen her amazing pictures taken on the set of “Diamonds” music video! We’re loving them!
In case you’ve missed in, “Diamonds” hit the #1 spot on iTunes today!
Rihanna was seen shooting the final scenes for her “Diamonds” music video last night (October 23) in a desert in California. She also shared two behind the scenes pictures on her own. Check here one more image posted on Instagram. We really can’t wait to see the video! Hopefully it won’t take so long until it gets released.

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Now one million people look like they just picked up a little something chic from Casablanca’s Studio 14 or Kuala Lumpur’s Club 21 at Malaysia.
International luxury e-tailer Farfetch has just reached its millionth customer, and since its founding in 2008, big numbers have become a bit of a trend for the London-based company.
Farfetch, whose mission is to sell online the unique wares found in boutiques from around the world, delivers to anywhere that DHL does, and its growing customer base, which spans 190 countries, means the company’s geographic — and financial — footprint have expanded along with it.
To date, Farfetch has raised $305 million in funding and was last year valued at $1 billion. Its total transaction value is at more than $500 million; this is a number that grew more than 70 percent in 2015. Total transaction value for 2016 is expected to exceed $800 million.
The company, founded by Portuguese entrepreneur José Neves, now has web sites in more than nine languages and offers products from 400 boutiques in a total of 38 countries; by way of reference, it started with 25 boutiques in five countries.
“From that day in 2007 at Paris Fashion Week when I dreamed about creating a global platform for the luxury industry, to the launch in 2008 with 25 boutiques in the trenches of one of the world’s greatest recessions, onward to the vibrant company and community we’ve built today, it’s been an exhilarating journey,” Neves said. “And serving our one-millionth customer feels like a dream and ironically at the same time, the start of an even bigger adventure.”
Farfetch’s 1,000 employees work in offices in 11 cities. The U.S. accounts for most of its business, followed by the U.K., Australia and Brazil.
Farfetch is known for a more diverse assortment than that traditionally found in larger department stores or major online marketplaces because it reflects the typically more curated and risky offerings in independent boutiques. Items cost between a few hundred dollars to those that are thousands of dollars.
Last September it introduced Farfetch Black & White, which allowed brands to use its e-commerce platform to use as an independent e-commerce site or to create a mono-brand boutique that was directly on Farfetch.com. In February, it expanded to include kids and beauty.
The first Farfetch order on Oct. 4, 2008, was a handbag, shipped to a woman in Italy from London. Since then, Farfetch has sold enough shoes to circle the equator six times and enough clothes to cover the Empire State Building six times.
In addition to popular women’s brands such as Chloé, Valentino and Givenchy, other women’s brands that do well include MSGM, Sacai, Rosie Assoulin and Erika Cavallini. The most popular men’s brands include Givenchy, Thom Brown, Rick Owens, Philipp Plein and Brunello Cucinelli. Of the 1,500 brands on the site, the most rare are housed under a dedicated page called Farfetch Finds, which boasts the most unique pieces.


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Downtown business damaged in break-in
NEWARK - Bob Evans came to work Thursday morning and expected to see a nice, clean store that looked like how he left it Wednesday.
Instead, he found a broken window and items missing from the Newark Family Shoe Store.
Evans, who is the manager of the store, said someone may have used a rock or brick to shatter a glass window into the business overnight.
Evans said he wasn't sure exactly what was missing, but it appears someone tried to take property.
"This is the first time this has happened," he said. "We're just trying to clean up now."
Evans called Newark police and filed a report Thursday morning. The store will be open while the clean up occurs.
Police are investigating the break-in.


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Does your business have the right to refuse service to customers?
It's a free country, and a business can turn away anyone they find undesirable, right? Wrong. If this were true, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Colorado would not have found himself on the receiving end of a discrimination lawsuit for refusing to sell a wedding cake to a same-sex couple, citing his personal religious beliefs as the reason behind his rejection.
Just because another person's lifestyle choice may offend you or go against your religious beliefs, it's not always OK to refuse to serve a customer.
Is it ever legal to refuse service?
The United States has local, state, and federal laws that address refusing service to customers. Chief among these is the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
"The federal Civil Rights Act covers all businesses which are places of public accommodation [restaurants and stores, mostly]. Under that law, you cannot discriminate on the basis of protected classes: race, gender, religion, etc.," says Matthew Kreitzer, an attorney with Booth & McCarthy in Winchester, Virginia. Americans with disabilities are also protected from refusal of service.
The combination of federal and state laws is one big reason Masterpiece Cakeshop ran into so much trouble. While some states have enacted Restoration of Religious Freedoms Acts, attempting to grant extra protections to business owners who refuse service on the basis of their religious beliefs, "These laws have come under strict scrutiny by the various courts of our nation," Kreitzer says.
There's no such thing as bad publicity?
While some people may take stock in the idea that there is no such thing as bad publicity, there are indeed some behaviors or actions that can tank your business in a heartbeat. Refuse a bridal couple from purchasing one of your wedding cakes in a largely liberal community and you're likely to feel the heat from colleagues, customers, and complete strangers.
"Generally speaking, it is probably never a good idea to refuse an individual service. It can quickly come around to be bad for business from a press perspective," says Kreitzer. Take the flurry of news that hit a Catholic hospital after a New Jersey transgender man filed a lawsuit, in which he alleged the hospital had illegally discriminated when it declined to perform a hysterectomy as part of his gender transition.
Or the case of Memories Pizza in northern Indiana, whose owners said they'd refuse to cater a gay wedding. Public reaction on both sides was swift: first a rash of condemnation, which forced the pizzeria to temporarily shut down; then a show of support, as backers pledged money to help the pizza place reopen. While Memories Pizza survived, few businesses would like to endure such a publicity storm.
When it's OK to "just say no" to a customer
Perhaps you've never turned anyone away from your place of business. But you may have thought about it. Rest assured, you can get into a legal mess if you refuse service to the wrong person, but you are also within your rights as a business owner to call the shots.
"Many common reasons for denying a person service is if they are creating an unsafe or hostile environment," says Kreitzer. "Even if you have an innocuous reason for denying service, such as [the customer] being belligerent, drunk, etc., you may find yourself facing a lawsuit down the line."
So how do you protect your customers and your business from the bad seeds without ruining your reputation in the process? Rely on law enforcement to do the job of kicking a troublemaker to the curb. But keep good records, too.
"Many businesses have instituted 'incident reports.' Whenever something out of the ordinary happens in customer service, managers will have employees record it in a book," says Kreitzer.
While such habits can be helpful, Kreitzer does caution that businesses should consult a lawyer about best practices regarding customer discrimination in general and for their particular line of business.
Ultimately, you may not like someone's choice of footwear (or lack thereof), you may not approve of their vulgar tattoos, and you may not care for their lifestyle choices.
"Whenever any business denies service to anyone, it is possible that an individual will find an attorney somewhere to file a lawsuit," says Kreitzer. "Denying service should always be a last resort. Even if you have good intentions, it can come back to haunt you."
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The US government agency has sent an official warning to the Netflix users as a new phishing scam is identified. The hackers are trying to steal the money by requesting the consumers to update their payment information.
Image credit: Unsplash
The FTC shared a screenshot of an Email scam that revealed how the hackers are trying to steal the financial information of users. In this email, the users are asked to update payment details due to the trouble with current billing information. The email also contains an international phone number for the assistance of consumers.
Usually, nobody bothers about reading emails very carefully but this kind of scams force us to be careful even when we receive official messages or emails, especially when we are asked to take an action.
Here’s the screenshot of the Netflix email scam, if you notice, there are some suspicious terms or spellings such as “Hi Dear” and “Centre”. Netflix addresses the users by their actual names instead of common terms and uses US English instead of British English.
Without an iota of doubt, Netflix takes the security matters very seriously but like others, it has become the target of scams. Netflix encourages its users to be alert about suspicious activities. The users are suggested to change their password periodically and report whenever they notice fraudulent or suspicious activities. Even if they find security vulnerability on the Netflix app, they are encouraged to inform Netflix for the timely solution.
The FTC asked Netflix users to beware of phishing scams and if they doubt on an email or message, they can forward the details to firstname.lastname@example.org or visit ftccomplaintassistant.gov to report phishing scam. They can also forward the scam details on email@example.com.
Avoid clicking on links or sharing personal/financial information. Clicking on unverified links can lead to the installation of malware on your PC and sharing info can let others steal your money.
For more latest security news, stay tuned to Digital Riser.


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BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — As Christmas approaches, more cars and homes become hot spots for burglaries. While for many, Christmas is a time of giving, for criminals, it’s the perfect time to steal.
“There’s always an increase during the holiday season because those suspects who are out there, those criminals know that people are out there buying presents for their families,” stated Baton Rouge Police Department Public Information Officer Sargeant L’Jean McKneely.
Porch Research noted in 2021, over eight percent of annual burglaries in the U.S. took place in December.
“You don’t want to become a victim, right?” asked McKneely. “You don’t want to have that aspect of having to buy additional gifts or if you spent your last in buying gifts.”
He said there are ways to protect your belongings.
“When you’re out shopping, be aware of where you park your car, when you walk into your car, not being overloaded with bags in your hands, and scan the parking lot.”
Also, while you’re store hopping, avoid leaving your gifts in your car in plain sight.
“Secure those packages inside the car while you were out there doing your holiday shopping. Also, make sure you don’t have an extra key inside your car. Make sure your door’s locked. That’s a big thing,” said McKneely.
For your home, he said to stay alert.
“We recommend that you have items that are being delivered to your home, being delivered while you’re there, or have them delivered to your job,” McKneely says.
He said trouble can strike even after Christmas.
“Don’t advertise the gifts that you might have big boxes in front of your homes like the big TVs, the computers, those are items that people are going after,” he said.
Law enforcement leaders said installing cameras can help with security.
If you fall victim to theft, they say to report it at your local police station.


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On December 18, the 15th China Brand Festival Annual People Summit and Awarding Ceremony was grandly held at the Golden Hall, Beijing Hotel. Sponsored by the Brand Alliance, the event this year is themed on "Those Winning Honor for China". More than 600 guests were present to review and recognize brand building achievements in China over the past year. They are Chen Changzhi (Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the 11th and 12th NPC; Former Chairman of China National Democratic Construction Association; Chairman of China Siyuan Foundation for Poverty Alleviation), Xu Jinghong (Chairman of Brand Alliance Think Tank; Chairman of Beijing Zhongguancun Longmen Investment Co., Ltd.; Vice Chairman of China Entrepreneur Club), Yuan Zaiqing (President of China Convention and Exhibition Society), Feng Bing (Former Editor-in-chief of Economic Daily; Honorary Chairman of Economic Media Association of China), Lang Zhizheng (Former State Counselor; Academician of the International Academy for Quality), Cheng Lu (Vice Chairman of the 9th Executive Committee of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce; Chairman of the Association for Promotion of West China Research and Development), Li Xiaolin (Executive Chairman of Brand Alliance Think Tank; NPC Deputy; Chairman of Board of Directors at Linda Group; 2018 Top Ten Brands "Person of The Year"), Ren Yinong (Deputy Director of China Development Research Institute; Chief Training Consultant for the People's Daily), and Wang Yong (Founder & Secretary General of China Brand Festival; Chairman of Brand Alliance).
Frank Liu, Chairman of INTCO Medical, won the 2020 China Top Ten Brands "Person of The Year" at the summit.
Frank Liu has always put social responsibility in his heart and
strives to protect public health. He has survived the storms in business
operation as a start-up and decided to follow a path that combines
manufacturing with commerce after two investment failures. INTCO Medical thus
came into being to serve human health. Under his leadership, INTCO Medical has
built a global marketing network and automatic production lines, and improved
production efficiency and the quality of products and services through energy
conservation. It is now the largest manufacturer of disposable gloves in China.
As the COVID-19 outbreak brings huge opportunities, INTCO Medical has raised
its voice in the industry by selling medical products to more than 100 countries
and regions, making great contributions to global pandemic prevention and


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18 June 2013
18 June 2013
ThyssenKrupp is concentrating its activities in carbon fibre reinforced plastics at Kesselsdorf near Dresden, Germany.
Today Stanislaw Tillich, Premier of the Free State of Saxony, and Dr. Heinrich Hiesinger, Executive Board Chairman of ThyssenKrupp AG, officially inaugurated the Tech Center Carbon Composites and the ThyssenKrupp Carbon Components production plant. While the TechCenter's task is to support carbon composite projects throughout the Group, ThyssenKrupp Carbon Components will focus on the development and production of vehicle components such as lightweight carbon wheels.
"Our TechCenter stands for increased research and development, investment in future technologies and greater cooperation with leading universities and institutions. ThyssenKrupp Carbon Components, for example, is a joint venture with a spin-off of Dresden University," says Dr. Heinrich Hiesinger, CEO. "We see the technological advantages and growing market potential of fibre reinforced plastics. As a technology group with strong materials expertise, ThyssenKrupp has a lot to offer in this field.
"Our research funding is having an effect. ThyssenKrupp setting up shop in Dresden is proof that by focusing support on science and research the Free State of Saxony is creating attractive conditions for businesses."
Lightweight design is a central issue today. In areas such as aircraft construction, shipbuilding, general industry and wind turbines, the use of carbon fibre reinforced plastics is playing an increasingly important role. In the auto sector this trend is reinforced by emissions and fuel economy standards. For ThyssenKrupp, numerous promising applications are opening up, e.g. multi-material designs in combination with innovative steel solutions, automation and tool technology, and lightweight vehicle components. With carbon wheels alone, weight savings of 30 to 50% are possible compared with conventional light alloy wheels.
AREVO has announced a partnership with boutique bike manufacturer Franco Bicycles to deliver the world’s first 3D printed, continuous carbon fibre single-piece unibody frame for a new line of eBikes Franco will sell under the ‘Emery’ brand.


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Amazon.com has trained people to buy everything online. Now it is having second thoughts about some of those sales because they don’t make money—and is pushing big brands to change how they use its site.141
Facebook said unshared pictures of up to 6.8 million users may have been exposed by a software issue that granted app developers access to the photos, the latest in a series of privacy snafus at the social-media company.
A tech-driven concentration of talent since the 1980s has helped the rich get richer. But it has also sharpened an urban-rural divide that, some say, threatens growth. Columnist Christopher Mims explores the phenomenon.325
The company that was once America’s biggest and most admired, the maker of power turbines, the seller of insurance, the broadcaster of “Seinfeld,” has become a shadow of its former self. This is the story of how generations of managers, who thought they could fix any company in any industry, finally ran into a problem they couldn’t solve.560
Social media’s so-called influencers have become sought-after brand ambassadors, with millions of followers and lucrative advertising deals. Now, the computer-generated Miquela Sousa character is testing the power of online celebrity.106
Lab-grown meat is raising new questions for religious leaders, including Rabbi Yuval Cherlow, who is considering whether meat grown from animal cells in a petri dish will fit into the kosher tradition.


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WINTER PARK — The city's biannual public auction of surplus and confiscated goods will be at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Farmers Market on the corner of Lyman and New York avenues.
Money from the auction is placed in the city's general fund. The sale last October netted about $600.
A list of the 68 items being auctioned is available at city hall and the Winter Park Public Library, said city purchasing agent Bernadette Hitchins.
The items will be on display an hour before bidding starts.
The items are mostly old city furniture and equipment and things confiscated by police that were never claimed.
Before they are auctioned, the city tries to find some use for them, Hitchins said.
Among the items being sold are gold jewelry, stereo equipment, two radar detectors, a CB radio, 16 bicycles, electric hair dryer, drafting table, adding machine, typing stands, typewriters, gas-powered edgers and lawn mowers.
Four large items -- a mower, turf sweeper, well-point pump and air compressor -- can be inspected by appointment at the city's motor transport building, 500 Virginia Ave. Because of their sizes the machines will not be at the auction but photographs of them will be there.


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Today is your last chance to apply for your own top-level domain name—.engineer, for example, or .reallywhateveryouwant. (That's assuming you already registered, or else you're out of time already.)
For the past three months, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which regulates addresses on the Web, has been accepting such applications (at US $185,000 a pop) as part of a controversial program it says will “expand the domain name system (DNS) and change the Internet forever.”
ICANN originally anticipated approving between 300 and 1,000 new top-level domains. That’s a huge jump from the existing 22 generic ones (.com, .gov, .edu, .biz, etc.) plus another 250 or so country codes (.fr, .ly, .ru). Under the new paradigm, any name is up for grabs (including non-Latin characters), although you must prove you are financially and technically capable of running a domain registry under your new name.
Proponents of the expansion say it will spur innovation and entrepreneurship online by allowing more businesses and communities to create and manage their own top-level domains. However, critics—including the Association of National Advertisers and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration—worry that the explosion of new addresses will increase spamming, confuse consumers, and pressure companies uninterested in running registries to buy them just to protect their brands.
It’s still a bit of a mystery as to who is applying to run these new registries under which names. But it seems that large brand-name companies from the entertainment and financial sectors are the most likely candidates, according to research released last June by the Australian domain name registration company Melbourne IT. Of 150 organizations surveyed, 92 percent said they’d probably pick a ".brand" domain name. For example, Canon said publically it would apply for .canon, and Hitachi hopes to own .hitachi. Other companies seem to prefer generic extensions, such as .hotel, .phone or .book.
ICANN says it will release the official list of applicants and their proposed names on April 30th, give or take a few days depending on how flooded they are with proposals. As of March 25th, 839 applications had registered with their system, each of whom are allowed to apply for up to 50 new names. If all goes as planned, the first new domain names should start to appear within a year.
[Image source: Melbourne IT]


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Italian supermarket chain Famila, which opened 63 new stores in January 2020, plans to open seven more outlets by the end of 2021.
The new openings will take the total number of stores under the Famila banner to 274.
The retailer, a part of Gruppo Selex, attributed the rapid growth to the rollout of the new Famila Market store format, spread across an area of up to 400 square metres.
The company also highlighted its return to Sicily and the opening of shops in new areas of Italy as factors contributing to its growth.
The Famila Network
Present in 12 Italian regions through four declinations, the banner arrived in Sicily at the beginning of this year, with the Famila and Famila Market formats.
Initial feedback has been positive, with customers appreciating the brand's distinctiveness, which combines quality at attractive prices.
At the end of May 2021, the Famila network comprised 140 Famila, 44 Famila Market, 73 Famila Superstore, and 10 Iper Famila stores, with a total retail area of 452,797 square metres.
In addition to the physical channel, Famila is also a key player on the group's e-commerce platform CosiComodo.it.
Famila is owned by Italy's second-largest retail distribution group Selex Gruppo Commerciale, comprising 18 associated companies, out of which five operate under the Famila banner.
The brand reported a turnover of €2.3 billion in its full financial year 2020, up 12.8% year-on-year, which is also its best performance in ten years.
The positive trend continued in the first four months of 2021, with a 4.5% increase in turnover on a like-for-like basis.
Maniele Tasca, general manager of Selex Gruppo Commerciale, said, "Famila's results are among the best at national level and in the group. Decisive factors were the people who worked in the shops and the investments made in the network by our entrepreneurs over the last few years."
"For the near future, the priority is to maintain and improve the distinctiveness of the brand and to invest in competitiveness, taking into account the difficult economic phase that many of our citizens are experiencing."
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine


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A collection of local businesses are rallying behind a tattoo fest later this month to benefit a resident of Ocala who has been battling health issues and mounting medical bills.
The tattoo fest will take place on Saturday, October 19, from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Crawling Panther Tattoo (500 SW 10th St, Ste. 103). It will include food, t-shirts, artwork from local artists, and custom tattoos made for the event.
Crawling Panther Tattoo, which is hosting the event, created a GoFundMe to benefit Brandon “Ziggy” Ziegler last month. Ziegler, who previously worked at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, had been facing health issues in recent weeks before his friends and local business owners stepped in to host the benefit.
Raffle tickets will be sold for $10, with prizes including a $300 gift certificate to Crawling Panther Tattoo, CBD gift basket, scuba lessons, and a massage, among other items.
Ziegler, who celebrated his 40th birthday earlier this spring, has been maintaining a “Save Ziggy” Facebook page with health updates.
“Thank you guys for all the love and support. It has been truly awe inspiring the outpouring of love and support,” said Ziegler in a recent Facebook post.
Multiple local businesses have lent their support for the event, including Death or Glory Tattoo Parlor, The Krafty Kettle, The Mojo Grill, and The Keep Downtown have lent their support to the event, with many of the owners having personal relationships with Ziegler.


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The wood industry in Poland is currently experiencing a substantial decline in profitability. In the third quarter of 2023, the sawmill industry witnessed a negative net profit rate, and the profitability of wood product producers, pulp and paper manufacturers, and wood-based panel companies also decreased.
This drop in profitability is the most significant challenge currently faced by the wood industry. During Q3 2023, the sawmill industry reported a negative net profit rate, and the sales profitability of wood product producers plummeted to a level of 3%, which has not been observed in a long time. Furthermore, there were notable declines in profitability across the board.
The decline in profitability within the wood industry can be attributed to various factors. One key factor is the rising costs of raw materials. As the prices of timber and other necessary materials continue to increase, it becomes more difficult for businesses to maintain their profit margins. Additionally, the global economic slowdown has resulted in reduced demand for wood products, further exacerbating the profitability issue.
The negative net profit rate in the sawmill industry is particularly concerning. Sawmills are crucial players in the wood industry, as they process raw timber into lumber for various applications. The decline in profitability for these businesses indicates a challenging market environment, with reduced demand and increased costs.
Producers of wood products, including furniture manufacturers and other wood-based product makers, have also seen a significant drop in profitability. The sales profitability of this group has reached a level not seen in a long time, standing at a mere 3%. This decline is alarming and requires immediate attention from industry stakeholders.
The pulp and paper sector, which relies heavily on wood as a raw material, has also been affected by the decline in profitability. The increased costs of raw materials, combined with reduced demand for paper products, have put significant pressure on the profitability of pulp and paper manufacturers.
Wood-based panel manufacturers, who produce products such as plywood and particleboard, have also experienced a decrease in profitability. These manufacturers face similar challenges as other wood industry sectors, including rising raw material costs and a slowdown in demand.
To address this decline in profitability, industry stakeholders must come together and explore potential solutions. One possible approach is to focus on cost optimization and efficiency improvements. By identifying areas where costs can be reduced and implementing more efficient processes, businesses can mitigate some of the financial challenges they currently face.
Furthermore, it is crucial to diversify the product offerings and explore new markets. By expanding into new product categories or targeting untapped markets, wood industry businesses can potentially find new sources of revenue and increase their profitability.
Government support and incentives are also essential to help the wood industry overcome its profitability challenges. This can include measures such as tax breaks, subsidies, and funding for research and development. By providing support to the industry, the government can help stimulate growth and create a more favorable business environment.
In conclusion, the wood industry in Poland is currently grappling with a significant drop in profitability. The sawmill industry has recorded a negative net profit rate, while wood product producers, pulp and paper manufacturers, and wood-based panel companies have also experienced declines in profitability. Addressing this issue requires a collaborative effort from industry stakeholders, with a focus on cost optimization, market diversification, and government support. Only through these measures can the wood industry regain its profitability and secure a sustainable future.


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A suspiciously well-timed announcement from Sprint could help put those big, beautiful new iPhone 6s in more pockets: Their “iPhone for Life” plan will upgrade your phone every two years, plus give you unlimited data, starting at $70 per month. And I assume this deal is valid until you no longer have a need for a phone on this Earth. The pricing announced is for a 16 GB iPhone 6, no pricing yet announced for the Plus, or the more expensive 6 models. The $70 you pay each month includes the cost of the data plus the phone price, which Sprint claims will save you $575 over two years compared to their regular two-year contract. Essentially, in this deal, you’re renting the phone instead of buying it outright.
Sprint Corp. (S) introduced an “iPhone for Life” plan that lets customers get a new version of Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s smartphone every two years as it moves to win back customers lost to rivals including T-Mobile US Inc. (TMUS) The service costs $70 a month and includes unlimited data, Sprint said on its website yesterday. Customers make no initial payment for the phone or related taxes on the device because they are essentially renting it, the company said. Chief Executive Officer Marcelo Claure is counting on the new iPhone 6 to help Sprint start adding subscribers again after a seven-year streak of customer losses. By tying promotions to Apple’s device, Sprint is following in the footsteps of controlling shareholder SoftBank Corp. (9984), which used an exclusive iPhone deal to gain market share in Japan. “I challenge anyone in this industry to beat this,” Claure said in an interview yesterday. “Nobody is going to do it.” Sprint is up against steep promotions from its competitors, which are clamoring to use Apple’s new iPhone to drive customer growth. Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) is offering an iPhone 6 for free to customers who trade in older models and sign up for a new two-year contract. The offer comes in the form of a $200 gift card that can be applied to the regular $199.99 price for the basic 16-gigabyte version of the device. The Verizon offer is a “gimmick,” Claure said. A two-year smartphone contract on Verizon starts at $70 a month for 500 megabytes of data, according to its website.


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Novi, Mich. — The partnership by three mold makers that created the Plastics Technology Alliance produced a team that can handle large mold and production programs. That's the obvious part.
By functioning as a single group, the three — Mold Craft Inc., Westminster Tool Inc. and Extreme Tool & Engineering Inc. — can make a larger range of molds than any one member could and win work from a wider range of customers.
But management and employees of Mold Craft, Westminster Tool and Extreme Tool have learned more about each other's systems, about how they organize work, organize quoting and scheduling, and information systems — things like that.
That's the subject of this month's Best Practices.
"I think we're getting more benefit individually from this sharing of the best practices than anything," Westminster Tool President Ray Coombs said at Amerimold in Novi. Westminster exhibited at the trade show, from June 13-14, and raised the Plastics Technology Alliance flag.
For example, the companies have tried to align quoting and progress reporting since the idea was to offer customers a single-source place for molds.
"We realized when we looked at our sales processes, we did a value stream map on all three companies and then we streamlined it into one. You know what happened? We're all adopting the same because we found this process, by comparing notes, is way more efficient, which is way more efficient for our customers," Coombs said.
Mold Craft of Willernie, Minn.; Westminster Tool of Plainfield, Conn.; and Extreme Tool in Wakefield, Mich., already shared common core values when they announced their alliance back in April. Each company works hard to create strong corporate cultures and is active in workforce development and teamwork.
And the company owners are good people who give back to the industry through work in trade associations and their community. Tim and Kim Bartz spearhead the iWarriors program that provides iPads for wounded veterans.
In a news conference at NPE2018, Plastics Technology Alliance members said they have a total of more than 160 employees. They each bring specialized experiences. Mold Craft makes micromolds and small precision molds for markets like medical. Westminter builds molds for a range of industries, like medical, aerospace and defense, consumer packaging, automotive and industrial. Extreme Tool uses advanced manufacturing systems to make molds for insert molding, conformal cooling, high-cavitation molds, stack tools, two-shot molds and other areas.
Coombs said the focus is not on members using the same machining technology. It's more on things like how the three firms process a job through the shop, do machine scheduling or figure out internal hours of production, he said.
"We're not probably going to standardize and say, 'OK, we're all going to use the same tooling system, right?' But there are things that we can adapt to from each other," Coombs said.
So, ideas and systems concepts get exchanged among Mold Craft, Westminster and Extreme. Of course, some of that happens at trade shows and conferences, where the people talk to each other and share best practices.
But in the Plastics Technology Alliance, employees get exchanged, too — working at the other member tool shops. That's only going to happen with a close group like the alliance members.
Exposing employees directly to other companies is a great benefit. Extreme Tool President Mike Zacharias called it "getting out of your closet."
Executives of the three companies regularly get together at one of the member plants.
"We're taking turns at each facility to standardize the process. We want to make sure that our customers are seeing something more consistent," Coombs said.
Team members plan to work on other areas.
"We're going to go to engineering next, and then right after engineering, we're going to right through our organizations," Coombs said. "Maybe even down to shipping and receiving, I joke about.
"We're just looking at how does each of us do things. And then we're kind of standardizing it. And what we're finding is, there's a lot of tribal knowledge" at each company, he said.
The owners of Mold Craft, Westminster Tool and Extreme Tool formed a joint venture agreement. The companies remain independently owned. That strategy might not be for everybody, but it makes sense for smaller mold makers that don't directly compete against one another. The business of building molds is not like high-volume injection molding. Mold making combines metalworking technology with craftsmanship or craftswomenship given the growing number of women in the trade.
Even with automation and the advent of ERP systems, mold making remains largely a one-off process. Most mold makers specialize in certain areas, say tooling for automotive or packaging.
Every mold maker does some of the same things, but there is still a lot of variation, especially in systems and organization. That's where collaboration can make sense.
"It's going to make a huge difference," Coombs said.


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“The new cutter from Zünd is based on growing demand from packaging manufacturers and print service providers. The new cutter features a variety of technological innovations as well as flexibility in handling the widest possible range of materials,” says Roman Hasler, product manager packaging. Zünd is showing the new cutter in conjunction with the Board Handling System (BHS) for fully automated board loading and unloading.
The modular design of all Zünd cutting systems allows the user to be responsive and flexible in reacting to customer demand. Another system on display will be a Zünd S3 with automatic sheet feeder. An example of a total automation production system, the S3 is equipped with QR-code capture capabilities for automatic file retrieval as well as a collaborative robot for automatic off-loading and stacking. By significantly increasing net throughput, this fully automated cutting system helps customers become more profitable and competitive.
Having an intelligent digital production workflow is paramount to efficient, optimized production with the shortest-possible time to market. Zünd Cut Center (ZCC) is a user-friendly software suite that functions as a virtual control centre for the entire digital finishing process. With such new features as a powerful nesting module and user-definable register marks, ZCC now offers even greater flexibility and ease of use.
“Our digital cutting solutions make up a significant portion of overall productivity increases; however, just as importantly, the trend towards automation involving different phases of production also demands seamless data flow. By combining the new Zünd ultra high-performance cutter with modular automation solutions and Zünd Cut Center – ZCC software, we can offer obvious added value to customers looking to make their production both efficient and more profitable,” says Lars Bendixen, product manager graphics.
Packaging South Asia is the cooperating media partner for drupa 2016 which is scheduled to be held from 31 May to 10 June at Dusseldorf, Germany.


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The effects of a possible further worsening of the escalating Russian-Ukrainian conflict will hit the Polish one hardest among the Central European economies. Citigroup, the third largest bank in the USA, predicts this in its forecast. According to her, the Polish currency, the zloty, will be hit worse than the Czech koruna or the Hungarian forint.
Poland is more dependent on Russia than the Czechia or Hungary. At the same time, the currency market with the zloty is larger than the one with the koruna or the forint. However, this leads to him global investors use if they want in general, without a clearer focus invest in “Central European assets” or “Central European currencies”. However, in the event of a more serious worsening of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, such general, superficial investors will withdraw from the Central European region first and foremost.
According to Citigroup, the possible introduction of further sanctions against Russia and its response in the form of additional counter-sanctions, including a potential restriction on gas exports, would lead to a weakening of the zloty against the koruna or the forint. However, this means that cross-border shopping would be further cheaper, especially for Czechs at the Polish border.
This year, the koruna strengthened against the euro as the only currency of the Visegrad Group
For the first time since February 2020, ie before the outbreak of the pandemic, the Czech koruna strengthened below the level of 25 crowns per euro. According to Bloomberg, she broke this psychological frontier shortly before 2:30 p.m. CET. It strengthened to the level of 24.972 per euro. Subsequently, however, she handed over part of her profits and the exchange rate returned above the level of 25 crowns per euro. Even so, the Czech currency is the only currency in the Visegrad Group to strengthen against the euro this year.
Read the article
Cheaper shopping over the line
The zloty is the weakest in history this week free convertibility of both currencies, which has been written since April 2000. On Wednesday, the price of one zloty fell to the lowest in its history, when it sold for only 5.35 crowns. Now its price is only slightly higher, 5.36 crowns.
As part of the transformation, the Czechia adopted a free floating exchange rate regime in May 1997, and Poland in April 2000. For comparison, for example, in April 2015, the zloty was sold for almost seven crowns, and in 2001 for more than ten crowns.
The weak Polish currency favors shopping, especially for Czechs on the Polish border, who, thanks to an extremely advantageous course, go to the northern neighbor’s shopping even more in droves than usual. A further escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict could therefore further benefit these purchases.
Czechs in particular from the northern parts of our country are already going to Poland more often than ever to buy not only food, but also clothes, fuel, or even furniture.
Bitcoin has fallen below $ 38,000, the lowest since August
The most famous cryptocurrency, bitcoin, reached its lowest level in more than five months on Friday as global risk aversion gripped it again. Eternal, which falls below three thousand dollars, does not succeed either.
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A gap in the user experience between consumer and corporate
travel platforms leaves many business travelers frustrated – and booking
outside of approved tools.
Nevertheless, a majority (90%) of business travelers believe
travel is essential to driving growth for their companies, and 91% prefer to
close a deal in person, even if it requires air travel.
Those are some of the results of a survey of 2,900 business
travelers in the United States conducted by TripActions in June 2018 and
detailed in its 2018 State of Business Travel Report.
Respondents said they were frustrated by the limited inventory
options in corporate travel management solutions, which causes them to spend
too much time in the booking process. Eighty-three percent of those surveyed
said it take them more than an hour to book a trip.
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Two-thirds of respondents said they feel like they are on
their own to handle things such as delays, cancellations and overbooked hotels
while traveling for work. Only 8% said their travel agent proactively reaches
out to them when plans change.
Because of these frustrations, 50% of respondents said they do
not use the corporate travel solution provided by their company.
Despite these concerns, 90% of those surveyed see traveling
as a perk of their job and 80% say they are more excited about their job after
While video conferencing systems enable virtual meetings,
67% of those surveyed said it is difficult to build business relationships over
TripActions suggests “high-value meetings should be held in
person, while technology can do the job in the case of quicker check-ins or cross-functional
Companies are also advised to understand the expectations
that millennial and Gen Z employees have about travel.
The survey found 36% of respondents
from these generations seek unique accommodations such as boutique hotels and
private rentals, they prefer shared car services for ground transportation and
are less interested in loyalty programs.
In March, TripActions raised $51 million in a Series B round
to continue building its corporate travel management solutions. The company
launched in 2016 and has raised just under $80 million to date.
REGISTER NOW! Corporate travel execs, tech vendors and others speak at The Phocuswright Conference 2018


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The total number of portability of the National Food Security Act 2013 (NFSA) in Meghalaya from August 2019 to November 30 is 141.
This includes 38 intra-state portability transactions and 103 inter-state portability transactions.
One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) plan, for nation-wide portability of the National Food Security Act 2013 (NFSA) benefits, is presently enabled in all the 36 states and union territories (across the nation), covering entire NFSA population (around 80 crore NFSA beneficiaries) in the country.
Under the plan, the NFSA beneficiaries have been empowered with the choice to lift their entitled food-grain from any Fair Price Shop (FPS) of their choice, anywhere in the country, by using their existing ration card with biometric authentication on an electronic Point of Sale (ePoS) device.
ONORC plan is particularly beneficial for those NFSA beneficiaries who frequently change their place of dwelling in search of temporary employment or for other reasons and miss out their food security benefits due to migration – such as numerous workers/labourers, daily-wagers, urban poor like rag-pickers, street-dwellers, temporary workers in both organised and unorganised sectors, domestic workers, etc.
So far, a total of 93.31 crore portability transactions are recorded under ONORC in the country.


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Container volume at West Coast ports declined 2 percent year-over year in September, as a 7 percent drop in imports further reinforced a disappointing peak shipping season.
Containerized exports, which had been rather strong all year, increased only 1 percent compared to September 2010, according to numbers published on the Pacific Maritime Association website.
September’s container volumes were also down compared to the previous month. Total container volume declined 4 percent from August. Imports were also down 4 percent and exports dropped 3 percent from August.
Container volumes year-to-date remained positive, due to a strong beginning to the year. Total container volume through September was up 3 percent. Exports increased 9 percent but imports were down 1 percent compared to the first nine months of 2010.


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Tiffany & Co. (NYSE:TIF) [Trend Analysis] knocking active thrust in leading trading session, shares an advance of 2.71% to 92.42 with around 6.26 Million shares have changed hands in this session. Tiffany & Co. (TIF) rose the most in more than two months as new stores in Asia and higher-priced jewelry helped the luxury chain exceed fourth-quarter earnings estimates.Excluding some items, profit was $1.45 a share last quarter, the New York-based company said Friday.
That topped the average projection of $1.38.The results signal that Tiffany is coping with a slowdown in its home market, where it’s been battered by sluggish tourism spending and shrinking mall traffic as more consumers shop online. Price increases and changes to its product mix helped boost the company’s gross margin by more than 1 percentage point in both the fourth quarter and full year. The stock is going forward its fifty-two week low with 64.91% and lagging behind from its 52-week high price with 0.15%.
Similar, the positive performance for the quarter recorded as 12.30% and for the year was 35.02%, while the YTD performance remained at 19.96%. TIF has Average True Range for 14 days of 1.56.
Shares of Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) [Trend Analysis] swings enthusiastically in regular trading session, it a decrease of -6.38% to close at $168.61. Amgen Inc (AMGN) said that 27,564-patient Repatha or evolocumab cardiovascular outcomes study, FOURIER, established for the first time that maximally reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels with Repatha, beyond what is possible with the current best therapy alone, leads to a further reduction in major cardiovascular events, including heart attacks, strokes and coronary revascularizations.
The study was statistically powered around the hard major adverse cardiovascular event or MACE composite endpoint of first heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death (key secondary composite endpoint) and found that adding Repatha to optimized statin therapy resulted in a statistically important 20 percent (p<0.001) reduction in these events. Moving forward to saw long-term intention, the experts calculate Return on Investment of 13.00%. The stock is going forward its fifty-two week low with 27.90% and lagging behind from its 52-week high price with -8.47%. AMGN last month stock price volatility remained 1.57%.


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The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley has said that it is in the larger interest of every country to ensure that trade barriers are brought down and trade facilitation is done to the largest extent possible, within the domestic legal framework. Trade barriers will have an impact on transactional costs; any delay adds to the costs, takes away competitiveness, and domestic economies themselves start suffering, noted the Minister. He was addressing the opening session of the 80th Session of Policy Commission of World Customs Organization in Mumbai today December 3, 2018. Shri Jaitley joined the session from Delhi, through video conference. The three-day session is being organized by the WCO and hosted by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), India in Mumbai.
The Finance Minister recalled that there was a lack of clarity on the issue when trade facilitation came up initially in 1996 on the agenda of global trade talks. Despite this, every country was in due course compelled to realize that the matter needs attention. He expressed happiness that by 2014, most countries had come to agree on the importance of trade facilitation and that WTO had finally reached an agreement as regards trade facilitation.
Thanking WCO for inviting him to address the opening session, Shri Jaitley said that the Policy Commission is an extremely important forum of the WCO and that its role has been of great significance to the global economy. As the world economy grows, trade itself is going to increase immensely. He stated that trading across barriers of nations is an economic imperative of our times, which is going to increase in times to come. Further, increase in trade itself gives an impetus to global as well as national economies. Shri Jaitley added that the single biggest factor that dominates global trade is the larger interest of consumers, who are entitled to the best and cost-effective goods and services.
The Finance Minister said that India has been at the forefront of improving its capacities, as reflected in India’s performance in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings, which leapfrogged from 142 for 2014 to 77 for 2019. He observed that India’s ranking in the parameter “Trading across Borders” has improved greatly, from 146 to 80 in one year itself. Shri Jaitley informed the gathering that India is investing in infrastructure, using technology to the best extent possible, and is willing to adopt global best practices. He expressed confidence that the Policy Commission meeting will be a great forum to discuss the future roadmap as regards trade facilitation and the policy changes required; nations would be able to learn from each other’s best practices and would stand better informed and educated by the discussions of the forum. He said that the deliberations would be useful not only to participating nations, but also to the WCO’s policy, which will thus be helpful to all emerging and developing countries as well.
Welcoming the delegates from various countries, Revenue Secretary, Shri A.B. Pandey said that right since India became a member of WCO in 1971, India and WCO have evolved towards generating, preserving and sustaining a momentum for promoting legitimate trade as a harbinger of growth. He said that this commonality of purpose has always led to a constructive relationship between India and the WCO.
He said that customs administrations globally envisage a digitally connected technology-driven paperless secure and high velocity customs. With the implementation of GST, India is at the cusp of a transformative moment. He said that the reforms made in Indian customs administration have become visible, with the improvement in India’s position in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings.
Shri Pandey highlighted that while continuing to perform its traditional role, Indian customs has reengineered its processes to enhance trade facilitation and ease of doing business in the country. There has been a heightened focus on improving efficiency, in reducing time and cost. He said that the trade initiatives have become fast-paced and aligned with WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement. As trade facilitation becomes a global priority, simplification of procedures and harmonisation of processes became the way forward for Indian customs. There has been a change in mindset – from that of a regulator, to that of a facilitator.
Focus of customs clearances is now on simplification in procedures, reduction in time and cost and transparency in rules. The WCO theme of “Smart Borders for Seamless Trade, Travel and Transport” aligns well with the whole-of-border approach that is shaping India’s current customs policy, said the Secretary. He underlined the critical importance of communication and collaboration among government agencies at the border, both within the country and between countries.
Shri Pandey said that the key challenge for customs today is creating a convergence of facilitation and enforcement. Leveraging digitization and technology for non-intrusive operations is vital for a data-empowered and digitally enabled customs. Observing that the WCO has been at the forefront of using digital technologies, the Secretary said that the response of WCO in harnessing new technologies such as blockchain and big data should continue to be proactive.
In a media interaction after the opening session, Chairman, CBIC, Shri S. Ramesh informed that WCO is a representative body of 180 customs administrations, representing more than 90% of world trade. India has been an integral member of the organization. The 33 countries present for the meeting represent all 180 countries. He said that India has the unique privilege of hosting the 80th meeting of the Policy Commission, more so since India is at present the Vice-Chair of the Asia Pacific region. Recalling India’s improvement in “Trading across Borders” parameter in World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Rankings, the Chairman said that the formulation of the National Trade Facilitation Action Plan and the Trade Facilitation Committee headed by Cabinet Secretary shows the Government of India’s commitment to advancing trade facilitation. The Policy Commission will discuss trade facilitation at length and ensure that all customs administrations are geared up on this front, he added.
India feels that it is very important to ensure that small island economies in the Asia Pacific region are brought into the mainstream and integrated into the global economy, said the Chairman. He informed that the Union Finance Minister has sanctioned a sum of 5 crore rupees towards capacity building in customs matters at the WCO; he said that this is the first ever contribution by India towards the Customs Appropriation Fund of the WCO.
Shri Ramesh further informed that active discussion and dialogue with the World Bank on the subject of trade facilitation, for effective implementation of trade facilitation measures, is another discussion point of the meeting.
Chairperson, WCO Council, Mr. Enrique Canon said that the meeting will discuss and seek to agree on the future of customs, of trade and hence of the world. Speaking of the importance of keeping up with the pace of change, Mr. Canon said that technology is the most important change that is happening; if customs and WCO does not keep up to its pace, the people of the world will suffer. He expressed confidence that WCO will deal with the challenge successfully and come up with the best solutions for an ever-changing world.
Secretary General of WCO, Mr. Kunio Mikuriya said that improvement in India’s trade facilitation measures has been remarkable and that the Indian experience is going to be very significant for all members. He said that India has a comprehensive policy which goes beyond customs and trade facilitation. He complimented India’s contribution to the WCO, adding that in the era of knowledge-based customs, Indian professionals both inside and outside WCO have been playing an important role in disseminating knowledge on customs matters.
Mr. Mikuriya stated that consumer protection and security is an important element for competitiveness, which would be discussed at the forum. He informed the media that the meeting is a good opportunity for members, and that many bilateral agreements would be signed and built upon. He appreciated India’s hospitality and leadership, not only in Asia Pacific, but also in the global customs community and hoped that the meeting will be able to chart out a roadmap for the future.
Member, CBIC, Shri Pranab Kumar Das said that the meeting will witness the signing of a customs mutual assistance agreement between India and Peru and a joint action plan with Uganda. Bilateral talks would be held with various customs administrations including USA and Japan. Stating that the future of customs lies in collaboration and cooperation, he informed that the meeting will discuss how technology-driven customs administrations can march ahead.
Some of the important topics to be discussed during the meeting include trade facilitation, controlling illicit financial flow, performance measurement, challenges of small island economies, etc. Hosting of the Policy Commission session will give global presence and leadership role to the country in the area of customs procedures and will also give a boost to India’s thrust in facilitating trade.


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Diana Marszalek 30 Jan 2023 // 5:50PM GMT
NEW YORK — Finn Partners has been reappointed The World’s 50 Best Restaurants lead global agency, adding a newly expanded focus on the US to its remit.
Finn Partners retained the business following a five-agency competitive review. The firm’s primarily charge is handling global PR for the organization’s 2023 awards ceremony in Valencia.
Finn Partners has been handling 50 Best’s global business since 2021 and Asia’s 50 Best for 10 years. While the London office will continue to serve as the account hub, the agency’s expanded US focus means New York’s luxury travel & lifestyle team will be more involved in the work.
"We are delighted to be working with the FINN Partners team for a third year. We feel confident that the team will work hard and deliver great results for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023, with a strong push in the US,” said 50 Best director William Drew. “Their proposal really captured the level we were looking for in terms of overall PR strategy, pitching and media engagement. We have always felt there was good chemistry between our teams and we’re looking forward to getting to know the US team more, as they become an essential part of the core PR team.”
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants has compiled an annual list of the world's most prestigious restaurants since 2002. The company also names the 50 best restaurants in Latin America, Asia, Middle East & North Africa as well as the 50 best bars in Asia and North America.


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Why inflation-linked bonds could offer value in the post-COVID-19 environment
- Inflation in 2020 will be close to zero, a level priced in by the market
- Expectations for inflation are depressed, but we see upside risks
- Those include the oil price base effect and rising prices in some key sectors
- Downward pressure may come from more online pricing, while COVID-19 has given statistical agencies a headache in terms of data construction
- We see quantitative easing providing support for inflation-linked bonds in the medium term
- Other inflationary factors might include protectionist trade policies or a regulatory effect from green policies
- In this environment, we believe inflation bonds could offer value to long-term investors, particularly at the front end of the curve
As global markets attempt to recover their poise in the relentless shadow of COVID-19, one hot topic has perhaps challenged economists more than any other: What will be the pandemic’s effect on inflation? We are sure of one thing – in 2020, the inflation rate will be between zero and 1%, and this is already priced in the market. But the picture for 2021 is only now starting to clear, and we think reveals a potential opportunity for investors through inflation-linked bonds.
Many experts predicted the global coronavirus lockdown would be disinflationary – and they were right. The fall in activity did have a clear effect on prices for a variety of reasons. At AXA IM, we now forecast 2020 inflation to average 0.4% in the Eurozone, 1.0% in the US and 0.7%1 in the UK – rising to 0.7%, 1.4% and 1.5% respectively for 2021. The impact, however, has not been a one-way street – we are already starting to see signs of higher pricing in some sectors which could suggest market expectations are too low.
One factor that has served to depress core inflation has been the inclusion of more online pricing into the data, an understandable measure given the impact of the lockdown on consumer behaviour. However, we believe several other factors are having the opposite effect. Food prices, for example, have tended to climb during this period, as have telecoms prices after a long period of decline.
In some areas we are still assessing the longer-term trend, although there does appear to be some evidence that education and health prices could continue to rise, alongside some localised trends in leisure and tourism services where consumers are no longer travelling to cheaper destinations. Inflation surveys could have a difficult job adapting to new realities in consumption patterns.
More fundamentally, there is evidence that the post-lockdown response from consumers has pushed some economies towards a more aggressive rebound than had been feared, accompanied by a parallel rise in prices. Figure 1 below shows that recent inflation numbers in the US have been the most solid seen in years, and that the rebound has been broad-based. In addition, as we move into 2021, inflation numbers worldwide will reflect a negative base effect from oil prices, which slumped as the pandemic spread.
From a more macro perspective, we see a medium-term risk that the COVID-19 outbreak could exacerbate tensions in the current model of globalisation. Pre-pandemic – alongside US President Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ approach to trade – there had already been a shift towards a more protectionist tone in global markets. Now the virus has forced countries and businesses to re-assess the flow of goods, services and people across borders.
Hedging into view
These observations mean we believe there is a general risk to the upside for inflation as we move into 2021. And it is a risk that we believe has not been adequately reflected in market expectations.
One way to gauge how markets expect inflation trends to evolve is to look at inflation swaps. The chart below (Figure 2) shows that realised inflation since June is consistent with the top-end outlooks for inflation. The inflation swap market, however, is still pricing in the lower end, particularly in Europe but also to some extent in the US. Our expectation is for a potential aggressive rebound of inflation at the beginning of 2021, and we believe investors should consider preparing for that eventuality.
Naturally, these factors to the upside are encouraging more investors to explore ways they can hedge inflation risk. This is adding a further boost to an inflation bonds market already underpinned by the twin effects of active monetary policy and supportive fiscal policy. In fact, we expect sustained quantitative easing (QE) programmes will help the inflation-linked bond market in the medium term. Consumer behavior, the rise of protectionism and the possibility of regulatory price effects (for example through green policies) will be central to the potential uptick in prices – but central banks will also do what they can to push inflation higher from this point.
Our strategy for these market conditions is to take a selective, active approach. For example, we were underweight inflation-linked bonds in February and March, and benefited from a drop in oil prices and the subsequent fall in inflation expectations. As central banks unveiled stimulus measures to support their economies and began to aggressively buy bonds, in a move that we believed would push real interest rates lower, we increased our weighting in long-dated inflation-linked bonds.
Right now, we believe that there likely exists a better risk-reward ratio at the front end of the curve, in short duration bonds, particularly when factoring in the negative base effect from oil prices we expect early next year. Valuations are not as cheap as they were immediately after the March shock, but our assessment is that this part of the market still holds potential pockets of value.
For investors keen to keep some duration, an ‘all-maturities’ strategy remains an alternative. With interest rates tending to stay low and QE here for the long haul, investors could perhaps look to hold duration in an inflation-linked strategy. We currently see potential opportunities in areas including short-duration core Eurozone inflation-linked bonds, and US Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities, which we expect to benefit from QE, as well as Australian inflation-linked bonds.
In both cases, a global diversified approach can potentially offer a better risk-return profile. Inflation is a global phenomenon, after all, and diversification in sovereign bonds has clear potential advantages, particularly now that currency hedging costs have fallen2 .


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MainStreet Port Huron to set priorities
A walkable downtown with robust retail and inviting landscape — that’s the vision that was talked about for downtown Port Huron at a special city council meeting with MainStreet Port Huron Tuesday.
The meeting was one of many that MainStreet is hosting during a three-day event that is gathering various city stakeholders and organizations in order to generate a list of downtown development priorities for the community to work toward.
Port Huron Mayor Pro Tem Sherry Archibald said one challenge is having a four-lane state road cut through the downtown.
“I would like to see the road go back to two lanes,” Archibald said. “I’m not sure if we ever would have that possibility, but I would like the quaint, walkable downtown atmosphere. Four lanes with traffic buzzing by cuts one side of the road off from the other.”
Another problem the council cited was downtown business hours.
Mayor Pauline Repp said she would like to see the downtown stores have unified, consistent hours.
Archibald said she would like stores to consider longer, or altered hours.
“I work in downtown (Port Huron),” Archibald said. “I go in at 7:30 a.m. and leave at 5 p.m. Nothing is ever open that I can stop in on my way to or from work. We also don’t have anything downtown that allows anyone to stop in real quick if they need anything like aspirin or pantyhose, or even to stop to pick up food for dinner on the way home. I would like to see a drug store and small grocery store with fresh meat and produce right in our downtown. Currently you need to leave the downtown to get those essentials.”
Archibald also said she thinks current and new restaurants can capitalize on the downtown atmosphere and water views with more outdoor eating — she said customers gravitate toward restaurant patios during the summer.
Norma Ramirez de Miess, National MainStreet Center senior program officer, said the Port Huron government needs to be inviting and collaborative in order to attract more businesses. For example she said the city needs to offer incentives to businesses.
City Manager James Freed said the city is already doing that.
“We have façade grants, tax abatements and brownfield plans,” Freed said. “That is why you are seeing loft development, those lofts were developed with brownfield plans. There is no program we haven’t been aggressively pursuing.”
Repp said the success of the downtown will not come from a single organization saying it wants to see development or even the city saying it wants more economic development, but by the whole community investing.
“We have to give (the community and business owners) deliverables and tangibles,” Freed said. “Saying we have a vision and that we want a grocery store and all retail downtown doesn’t make that happen. Government can’t regulate that.”
Laura Krizov, Michigan MainStreet Center manager, said the MainStreet board will combine all ideas and feedback heard during the meetings in order to make a list of city priorities. Kirzov said the priorities will be turned into projects headed by MainStreet Port Huron’s four committees — design, organization, economic development and promotions.
Krizov said the tangible impact that MainStreet delivers to the community is by starting projects through the various committees that focus on improving and developing the downtown.
The committee meetings are open to the public, and anyone from the community is welcome to join any of the four committees.
The committees will meet at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday to decide which projects will be focused on. The meetings will be held on the sixth floor of the Port Huron Office Center, 511 Fort St., Port Huron.
Contact Nicole Hayden at (810) 989-6279 or email@example.com. Follow her on Twitter @NicoleHayden_TH.


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Wisconsin firm moving to old Antioch car lot
By Diana Kuyper Special to the News-Sun November 6, 2012 7:24PM
Updated: December 8, 2012 6:35AM
A long-vacant and abandoned Antioch car dealership on five acres at the corner of Tiffany Road and Route 173 is getting a new owner, a new use and a new look next year.
The former Country Pontiac property will be the new and expanded home for Concrete Solutions, now located in Trevor, Wis. Owner Steve Swerbenski plans to expand his business with an outdoor sales area and renovate the existing building to include three or four retail or service stores fronting Route 173.
“I expect to use about 16,000 out of the 23,000 square feet of space with the remaining space remodeled for retail storefronts,” he said.
He shared his proposal with the village board Monday night in a public hearing to annex one-quarter of an acre of the property that was used as a parking lot by the previous owners. The property will have to be rezoned for business use to match the 4.5 acres now in the village and Swerbenski’s plan for the property will require Village Board approval. He expects to relocate in spring 2013.
His plan includes indoor and outdoor sales areas of concrete forms and other supplies, culvert and drainage products, and sale and rental of equipment.
The tall and intrusive lights that were used by the car dealership will be removed, and landscaping and a sidewalk will be incorporated into the plans.
The plan also includes setting aside the southeast corner of the property at the intersection of Route 173 and Tiffany Road for future intersection improvements. It would be acquired by the state as part of Illinois Department of Transportation future plans to upgrade Route 173, said Dustin Nilsen, Antioch director of planning and zoning.
Mayor Lawrence Hanson sees the proposal as a benefit to the west side of the village.
“If they develop the plan they have shown us on paper it is going to bring a fresh look to this part of Antioch,” said Hanson. “The site and building improvements and taking down the lights will make it a better fit with residential neighbors and the addition of retail business potentially could energize the western area of the village. It certainly will look much better than what is there now.
“Any time we get economic growth and reduce vacant buildings it is positive,” the mayor said. “We would be happy to have them come into village.”


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Interested parties can now place pre-orders for the Xolo Play which is set to release in India this month, with its price tagged at Rs 15,999. This Tegra 3 processor-equipped Xolo phone was being teased a lot for the past few days by means of TVCs, and it has finally landed on Flipkart, which seems to be the only e-retailer listing it right now. Its estimated release date at the moment is being revealed to have been set during the third week of July.
Contrary to the recent trend among handsets in the similar price bracket, this one comes infused with only one SIM card slot. Android v4.1.1 is the preferred OS, while its screen has been mentioned to be 4.7 inches in size. This IPS display grabs a resolution of 720p, and bears the One Glass Solution technology. 1GB worth of RAM has been allotted to the smartphone, and its internal memory has been locked down at 4GB. A microSD expansion slot is present on the Xolo Play as well.
There’s no doubt about its processing power, for the Nvidia Tegra 3 chipset finds its way inside it with its ‘penta core’ offerings. For refresher’s sake, it’s a 1.5GHz quad core processor, with a fifth core aimed at battery-saving. Apart from that, there’s even the 12 core Nvidia GeForce GPU that can be found inside the Xolo Play. Sized at 70mm x 138.4mm x 10.4mm, it grabs hold of an 8MP camera at its rear and a 2MP webcam on its front. While the former offers 1080p videos, the latter is able to dole out 720p ones.
Lastly, the Play comes with a 2,000mAh battery fitted inside it, delivering 9 hours worth of talktime on 3G. It can be pre-ordered now through Flipkart at the price we’ve mentioned above.


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GOALS, a Swedish game startup, today announced a $15 million seed investment round sponsored by Northzone, a venture capital firm.
GOALS is working on an online multiplayer game with a play-to-own system for in-game assets like players, clubs, and skins. These will be kept on a blockchain network as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), a unique code that represents ownership, following in the footsteps of fantasy soccer platform Sorare.
“With FIFA, you only own the skins for a limited time,” noted Andreas Thorstensson, a partner at EQT Ventures and the founder of e-sports group SK Gaming. “You can’t sell them, you can’t control them, and you don’t have transparency – blockchain is the ideal solution to all of these problems.”
Because the game is free to play, it will rely on taking a percentage of every NFT marketplace sale, as well as monetizing through add-ons that do not rely on users willing to sell their assets.
Selecting a Chain
The organization has been researching which blockchain network to build on for the past four months. Polygon, Starkware, and Solana are examples of proof-of-stake networks that are now at the top of the food chain.
Each GOALS user has fifteen players, each of which is minted as an NFT and saved. This might result in a huge number of NFTs, depending on the number of users, and Thorstensson stressed that the supporting network must be both cost-effective and low-emission.
He hasn’t ruled out the possibility of creating an Ethereum sidechain similar to Ronin, the blockchain that underpins Axie Infinity. The Ronin bridge, which connects Ethereum to the sidechain, was targeted by a $600 million exploit last week.
“First and foremost, bridges are a security issue,” he concedes, stressing that the attack will likely encourage more attention to bridge security. “We just need to make sure the chain is very decentralized and that there are enough nodes and validators [to assure majority control] from a security aspect.”
The ultimate goal
The ultimate goal
Thorstensson stated that he wants to reach out to those who aren’t crypto natives. That’s why he chose generalist equity-based funds with a strong web3 element over specialised crypto funds, which he thinks “make a better fit for companies that delve deeper into tokens.”
The company plans to hire another 30 game developers with the fresh funding, which will coincide with a public release by the end of 2022.
Related Posts – XRP Price Goes Up After Unexpected Reappearance On Coinbase


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The Opportunity For Brick-And-Mortar Retailers In Utilizing Exterior Space
Even as COVID immunization has ramped up in recent months, the effects from the abrupt shifts in consumer behavior are far from over for the retail industry. The pandemic has all but wiped out the concept of casual browsing. Foot traffic is down by an astonishing half from the previous year, and conversions are sky-high. This indicates that whenever a customer comes into a store, they’re not there to browse. They’re there to purchase.
But here’s the problem. Any decrease in footfall is still a considerable shortfall under anything approaching typical circumstances. It’s not a preferable position for retailers with a physical presence with COVID continually rearing its ugly head throughout the United States. Desperate times call for innovative solutions. Retailers desperately try out new solutions to encourage their customers’ return to a safe shopping environment. One option for the retail industry is to take inspiration from the restaurant industry’s solution, which is open-air shopping.
Extended lockdowns and social distancing have resulted in one thing: cabin fever. Whenever there’s a break in the weather, people try to take advantage of being outside. The danger of COVID transmission is considerably lower outdoors as opposed to indoors. People love being in the fresh air, which presents savvy retailers with an opportunity to take advantage of this mindset.
But not all retailers have the opportunity to take advantage of the exterior space surrounding their stores. Limited space in densely packed urban environments could present a challenge for these types of retailers. Health restrictions could impact this option. Not to mention that there are limitations with the weather cooperating, especially during the peak of the winter season.
But those retailers can take advantage of utilizing the exterior space of their shops. These retailers also have the opportunity to gauge customer reaction to this open-air shopping concept. If they approve, then this trend is likely to become a permanent option for retailers. Before considering the possibility of open-air shopping, retailers must take into consideration the following:
The Option of Curbside
Before 2020, the in-store pickup was a specific niche offering for certain retailers and big-box shops. BOPIS, otherwise known as Buy Online Pickup In-Store, was an option offered to customers that afforded the convenience of online buying with the instant gratification of same-day fulfillment. However, this benefit came at a price to brick-and-mortar merchants. If consumers were no longer required to trudge through a store to find what they wished to buy, they were also unlikely to make those unplanned additions to their total purchase along the way. That’s good news to a customer’s bank balance, but not so good news for a retailer’s bottom line.
What started as a necessary option during the first wave of lockdowns in the United States has become a permanent fixture as an additional sales channel for retailers. Customers have the option of shopping in a shop without ever setting foot in it. And research shows that customers love the choice, with the majority planning on using the service even after the pandemic subsides. Innovative retail firms are checking out brand-new means to simplify the curbside experience as part of their total retail strategy.
After being cooped up from pandemic-induced boredom, getting out of the house highlights that shoppers crave the simple act of making a journey to the store; leaving your car isn’t necessary, making a quick trip to the shopping center car park could be regarded as just as satisfying as a visit to the shopping center in pre-pandemic times.
From Startup to Growth
One of the primary casualties of post-lockdown retail remains experiential retail. Before COVID, many retailers were toying with the idea of experiential retail. Macy’s acquired Story to beef up their overall shopping experience. But experiential retail required high touch, something that COVID all but wiped out. Bringing customers right into an encased space for up-close-and-personal interactions and retail cinema for a factor, went from being the darling of the retail market in 2019 to a burdened scheme almost overnight.
Retailers are beginning to reimagine experiential retail in a post-pandemic landscape. Lowe’s offered curbside trick-or-treating during the Halloween season, which proved a great success at bringing customers to the store. Walmart transformed their parking lots into a Drive-In, featuring a collection of pop-up film screenings that the entire family could enjoy.
These experiences are a great way to build customer loyalty. Customers are most likely to remember a memorable in-person event at a specific retailer. It doesn’t matter if they bought anything or not. It’s all about building a long-term relationship with the customer. They’ll be more likely to shop with that retailer in the future.
Whether space is used for experiential retail, BOPIS, or a place where the customer transitions from outside to inside, retailers see the importance of utilizing the space; often, retailers use the store entry as a sensory buffer for customers from the outside world. But this can quickly become a bottleneck.
Utilizing the store entrance to give customers vital information about store safety and in-store navigation can help make the customer’s journey through the store as efficient as possible. That is if the customer decides to make the journey into the physical retail space. In a time of decreased store capacity, better effectiveness implies higher throughput and potentially more significant overall sales.
Open-air retail isn’t a magic bullet that will cure the retail industry’s issues in the post-COVID environment. It is, however, an option that retailers can use to their advantage to weather the storm. BOPIS is likely here to stay for the long-haul. And the more ways that retailers can utilize their external environments, the more likely they will benefit going forward.


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Updated October 23, 2019. UK supermarket chain Morrisons is launching a vegan Christmas range.
The new festive food options include the ultimate Christmas dinner staple: vegan pigs in blankets. Unlike the traditional version — which features pork sausages wrapped in bacon — Morrisons’ bites are made with jackfruit and chickpea sausages, which are wrapped in streaky pastry.
If you want to stray from tradition, the supermarket chain is also launching katsu croquettes. The croquettes are packed with sweet potato, carrots, and red peppers in katsu sauce. Korean Jackfruit Bao Buns are also on offer. If you want to try out some new flavors this Christmas, steam the buns at home and add pulled jackfruit and BBQ sauce.
For the main event, customers can opt for the Vegetable Layered Tart. The tart is filled with festive veggies and topped with roasted chestnuts. The dish took home the title of the best Christmas Vegetarian Main in the BBC Food’s annual blind taste test. The BBC panel credited the dish’s flaky and “buttery” puff pastry and layers of spiced beetroot, butternut squash, spinach, cranberries, and onion chutney for the win.
Brits Embrace Vegan Food
Vegan food is becoming more popular in the UK. According to a recent study, more than two million Brits now regularly have meat-free days. In 2018, Brits ate 150 million more meat-free dinners than 2017, according to a Kantar Worldpanel survey.
“One of the most notable consumer trends is the shift to a more plant-based diet,” said Fraser McKevitt — the head of retail and consumer insights at Kantar Worldpanel — earlier this year.
He added, “today, [one percent] of all households include a vegan, [five percent] have a vegetarian and [10 percent] have flexitarians in their ranks. This move has contributed to consumers eating a total of 4.4 billion meat-free dinners in 2018, an increase of 150 million meals on the year before.”
This year, like Morrisons, a number of supermarkets have responded to the demand for more plant-based foods.
Marks & Spencer, Tesco, and Asda have all announced vegan Christmas ranges. Earlier this month, Sainsbury’s announced its vegan festive food-to-order menu, which includes a Vegan Trimmings Selection, a Vegan No Beef Wellington, and a Vegan Three Nut & Mushroom Roast.


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Hello world, Storm in a Teacup has been officially announced today and the whole team is very excited about the official kick-off of the studio here in StormVille. You can read the full press release here:
HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER: STORM IN A TEACUP IS READY TO ROLL!
Rome January 8, 2014 – Today Carlo Ivo Alimo Bianchi and Alberto Belli, announced the formation of a new development company: Storm in a Teacup. The studio will focus on shaping state of the art gaming experiences working on original intellectual property for PC and consoles.
“We are currently assembling a world-class team in Rome and STC marks a fresh start for Alberto and me” said Carlo Ivo Alimo Bianchi, CEO & Creative Director of Storm in a Teacup. “For the past years we’ve worked with great development teams into producing great game franchises. We’re very proud of what we’ve done with our partners. Today we hope to do it all over again by ourselves, creating brand new story driven games with unique gameplay and style”.
“We’re really excited and we’ll be focused on building hit games and achieving efficiencies within our studio organization. The experience we made working with top class professionals in the past, will play an integral role in achieving both of these objectives” added Alberto Belli, Executive Director of the studio.
Storm in a Teacup has been named by Develop Magazine as one of “Europe’s most exciting game start-ups” to look after in 2014. The team is actually working on its first unannounced title that will be unveiled in Q1 2014. You can read more about the company, the founders and future projects atwww.stcware.com just gone live.


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The Earth Alliance, Leonardo DiCaprio’s environmental foundation, has pledged US$5 million to help recover the Amazon Rainforest. 100% of the donations given towards the Amazon Forest Fund will go to partners on the ground, as announced by Leo on Instagram.
These funds will be distributed to local partners and the indigenous communities protecting the Amazon, the incredible diversity of wildlife that lives there and the health of the planet overall. These groups are:
- Instituto Associacao Floresta Protegida (Kayapo)
- Coordination of the Indigenous Organisations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB)
- Instituto Kabu (Kayapo)
- Instituto Raoni (Kayapo)
- Instituto Socioambiental (ISA)
Leo has been active on Instagram trying to raise awareness of the global crisis.
Earth Alliance was created last month by DiCaprio and philanthropists Laurene Powell Jobs and Brian Sheth.
You can donate to the Amazon Forest Fund here.


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August 17, 2018 @ 13:37 +03:00
The extra boost Nvidia Corp. received from selling its graphics chips to cryptocurrency miners appears to be over, at least for now. Nvidia NVDA, -0.63% Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress surprised investors — who had already been anticipating lackluster crypto sales — with an even more downbeat forecast for crypto-mining sales Thursday. Nvidia released second-quarter earnings and noted a shortfall in crypto sales in addition to the forecast.
“Our revenue outlook had anticipated cryptocurrency-specific products declining to approximately $100 million, while actual crypto-specific product revenue was $18 million,” Kress said in prepared remarks. “Whereas we had previously anticipated cryptocurrency to be meaningful for the year, we are now projecting no contributions going forward.”
After reporting $289 million in revenue from cryptocurrency miners buying its graphics cards in that report, the consensus among Wall Street analysts for full-year crypto revenue was $498 million, according to FactSet. That forecast is likely going to drop sharply. And not many analysts asked questions about the crypto shortfall on the company’s call with analysts. One analyst asked if Nvidia knew how much of its GeForce graphics card business had been driven by crypto.
Nvidia shares fell 5% in after-hours trading, even though the company’s second quarter came in better than expected. The downturn in crypto pressured its third-quarter revenue forecast, which called for sales of $3.19 billion to $3.32 billion, lower than the FactSet consensus of $3.34 billion.