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Kenya: Safaricom Holds Dividend Steady Despite Drop in Profit
Telecoms giant Safaricom held investors' take home steady at Sh8 billion even as it announced a 13.2 per cent drop in net profits in a year that was marked by vicious price wars, high inflation and exchange rate turbulence.
That company will pay out 61 per cent of total profits in dividends or 20 cents per share.
Investors traded 502,000 Safaricom shares at Sh3.90 each, down from Sh3.95 on Tuesday in a market that closed just one and half hours before the results were announced.
The progressive dividend policy that Bob Collymore, the CEO, announced puts Safaricom in line with other big Kenyan corporations such as BAT, BOC Gases, Barclays Bank, beer maker EABL and Bamburi Cement that have made huge dividend payouts despite a decline in profits growth.
Safaricom returned a net profit of Sh13 billion compared to the previous year's Sh15 billion on the back of a Sh9 billion revenue growth to Sh94.5 billion signalling that the near halving of key voice call tariffs, though painful, did not push the firm off the growth path.
"This outcome shows that revenue growth is not all about price - it's about diversification in the provision of both voice and data services," said Bob Collymore, the company's chief executive.
Collymore acknowledged that the results had been realised in a difficult business environment marked by a steep rise in cost of living that deeply eroded disposable incomes of consumers and a weak shilling that significantly increased the cost of imported equipment.
The results, however, show that Safaricom is on course to establishing a more diversified revenue base away from voice calls that have been the key growth driver since the company was founded 10 years ago.
A diversified revenue base was critical to cushioning Safaricom from deep cuts in voice call tariffs in the second half of the year and its impact on the Average Revenue Per User (ARPU), the company's chief financial officer, Chris Tiffin, said.
"Overall rate of ARPU fall was less than five per cent to Sh437 despite tariffs having dropped by more 80 per cent in some segments of the business mainly because of strong ARPU growth in M-Pesa and text messages," Tiffin said.
Voice calls, however, remain Safaricom's biggest revenue driver that accounted for 66.9 per cent of total revenue last year down from 68.6 per cent in 2009.
Safaricom is banking on strong growth in internet penetration, whose revenue increased 80 per cent to Sh5.4 billion, accounting for eight per cent of total revenue.
The combined income from SMS, M-Pesa, data and acquisitions accounted for one-third of total revenue. Tiffin said Safaricom had sold more than 900,000 mobile phone handsets in the year one third of which were internet-enabled demonstrating mobile phone's position as the key platform for internet penetration in Africa.
The decline in profits despite the growth in revenues signaled that Safaricom walked through the year with a bigger cost burden whose management Mr Collymore promised will be the centerpiece of operations in the current year.
EBITDA - a measure of revenues less the cost of goods sold, general and administrative expenses - stood at Sh35.7 billion, down from Sh36.6 billion in what Mr Tiffin attributed to enhanced rate of depreciation in the company's assets, while operating expenses increased from Sh36.5 billion to Sh45.7 billion.
For Kenya's telecoms operators, 2010 must feel a lot like 2008. Three years ago the industry was in the throes of its first major price war but the operators earned more revenues as lower prices encouraged subscribers to talk to each other more. Last year, those same dynamics came into play once again as calling rates fell by an average of 70 per cent or from Sh10 to Sh3 for on-network calls within the network.
For Safaricom, a new competitor in the form of Bharti Airtel and the continued assault on its market share by Telkom Kenya and Essar meant lower earnings from each call. The average voice revenue per user for voice calls dropped to Sh300 compared to Sh376 in 2008.
In addition, many of the factors that initially led to Safaricom's fast paced growth - a lack of effective infrastructure and the need for cheaper communication - have been largely resolved over the last couple years, leaving mobile operators with the task of identifying value added services that keep subscribers on their networks.
To defend its position, Safaricom has increasingly turned to internet services, a segment that grew by 85 per cent over the last year for mobile subscribers and at over 400 per cent for corporate customers raking in Sh31.3 billion.
"The areas of focus for the company promise to remain data and M-Pesa, where earnings have been increasing over the last few years. This is a company that is looking for new revenue streams," said Eric Musau, an analyst at African Alliance.
Earnings from the money transfer service M-Pesa - which broke even a year ago and is now contributing to the firm's profits - grew by 56 per cent to Sh11.8 billion, with 81 per cent of Safaricom's subscribers now using the service to send money to each other.
"Our strategy in diversifying away from voice has delivered strong growth in data. This focus on data is more than just finding a new revenue earner, it is about finding a sustainable business that we can rely on for the next few years," said Mr Collymore.
As Safaricom works to alleviate its dependence on voice revenues, it will turn to new business segments that analysts say will provide it with a stable income generating machine as earnings from voice continue to shrink.
Over the last year, the company upped its investments on building its data business, inking agreements with partners and signing up large internet consumers in the corporate world to boost its earnings from the segment.
A new partnership with Chinese mobile handset manufacturer Huawei has seen Safaricom deepen its presence in the gadget retail sector. It has made aggressive in-roads into becoming a key player in the music industry, with its ringtone business Skiza being used by nearly 4 million subscribers.
Safaricom also diversified its M-Pesa offering, signing an agreement with Western Union that allows international transfers in 46 countries and moving into the e-commerce space with a M-pesa powered Visa travel card.
The company also intensified its efforts to become a player in the internet market through a new division named Safaricom Business, which focuses on providing solutions for SMEs and corporates.


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After lots of rumors and renders, finally, the tech giant Google officially announced its new flagship and most awaited smartphones, of course, I am talking about the all-new Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL that are now entering the world of artificial intelligence, come to help the user even more. King Is Back! […]
The post King Is Back! Google Just Launched Pixel 3 & Pixel 3 XL appeared first on Tech Viral.
Source: Viral tech

domain: news


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Course Asks Business, ‘What’s Your Green Strategy?’
Posted: October 31, 2008 at 1:00 am, Last Updated: November 30, -0001 at 12:00 am
If you shop at one of the local Whole Foods markets in the D.C. area, you might notice that the store has increased its selection of locally grown produce, or that it is now selling its compost back to customers.
These environmentally friendly practices are in place because of a new course at Mason that teaches students how being ‘green’ not only benefits society but can actually help businesses boost their bottom line.
Photo courtesy of Nicole Darnall
Nicole Darnall is a professor of environmental science and policy (ESP) at Mason who focuses her research on business strategy. One of her courses, Corporate Environmental Management and Policy, often enrolls more management-focused students than scientists; however, the principles she covers in the course can apply to and impact students of all majors.
“Environmental concerns have become a strategic issue for businesses across all sectors,” says Darnall. “Future business leaders need to be prepared to make decisions based on sustainability criteria, and they must realize the ethical and financial reasons that support these decisions.”
In this graduate-level course, students have readings, lectures and case studies that assess companies’ sustainable business practices. From studying the practices of companies such as Walmart, Xerox and Dow Chemical Company, students get a sense of how organizations’ independent actions may improve the environment while enhancing their internal efficiencies, market opportunities and reputation.
In one of the course projects, student teams select a company and assess its opportunities to improve the environment and enhance firm value. The students talk with managers or regional managers to determine how their company’s strategies and production processes affect the natural environmental. Student teams then formulate recommendations for change.
John Patrick, a PhD student in ESP who took Darnall’s course last year, worked with other students to analyze Whole Foods stores in the mid-Atlantic region. Their efforts led to many stores implementing a stronger “Buy Local” program and a comprehensive compost program to deal with food waste.
“The Whole Foods representative was really pleased with our efforts,” says Patrick. “He said our assessment gave him external credibility to push forward some things that he had wanted to do for a long time.”
Which brings up a point that Darnall teaches in her class — often managers want to implement environmentally friendly practices, but don’t know how to do so or can’t seem to justify the initial costs and changes it would require.
“Many businesses want to be sustainable, but they don’t know how to begin,” she says. Darnall’s hope is that in working with her students, “these companies can move forward with adopting stronger sustainability goals and do so with greater confidence about the business advantages of their decisions.”


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A Nielsen survey conducted from July to September 2010 showed a thid of consumers wanted iPhones, 26% wanted Androids, and 13% wanted BlackBerry's. A Nielsen survey from January to March 2011 shows that consumers ae very fickle.
According to The Nielsen Company’s monthly surveys of U.S. mobile consumers from July-September 2010, consumers planning on getting a new smartphone had a very clear preference: A third (33%) wanted an Apple iPhone. Slightly more than a quarter (26%) said they desired a device with the Google Android operating system (OS). And 13 percent said they wanted a RIM Blackberry.
The same surveys for January 2011 to March 2011 show just 31% of consumers who plan to get a new smartphone wanted Android. Apple’s iOS slipped slightly in popularity to 30% and RIM Blackberry fell to 11%. Almost 20% of consumers are unsure of what to choose next.


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September 2, 2013 by Cheats.co Staff - Leave a comment
If you’re in the EU and were looking forward to getting a free copy of FIFA 14 with your Xbox One pre-order, then I hope you got the Day One edition of the console, because Microsoft has come out and clarified that it’s the only edition that will get the free game. If you’ve only ordered the standard edition, you won’t be getting FIFA 14 – free at least!
To quote what Phil Harrison, Microsoft corporate VP previously said:
All pre-orders for Xbox One this holiday will include a copy of FIFA 14 at no extra cost.
The official Xbox Twitter account even said the same thing:
@Ianoconnor22 All pre-orders come with FIFA 14 in Europe, Ian. Doesn’t matter if it’s a Day One console or not.— Xbox (@Xbox) August 27, 2013
Now, you’d think based on those statements that ANY pre-order for a Xbox One would get the free game right? Apparently not. Another person, this time Microsoft social marketing manager Graeme Boyd, just tweeted the following:
@brownmurder That's incorrect. Day One Editions only. I've let the team on that Twitter account know.
— Graeme Boyd (@AceyBongos) September 2, 2013
Given that the original Xbox Twitter account tweet above has now been deleted, it’s safe to say that this is Microsoft’s official position… for now.Tags: day one, fifa, free, game
September 1, 2013 by Cheats.co Staff - Leave a comment
A week or so back we posted that if you pre-order a Xbox One in Europe, you’ll also receive a free copy of FIFA 14 with your console. That still stands.
The thing is that we’ve been wondering the whole time what pre-order-ers in other parts of the world (ie the United States, Australia, etc) will get as a bonus if they’ve pre-ordered an Xbox One.
The answer is nothing.
Someone posed the question to Major Nelson (director of programming for Xbox at Microsoft) via reddit:
Are there any plans for preorder bonuses (like FIFA 14 in EU) in other regions?
Who responded (unfortunately) as follows:
There is not
While it certainly would have been nice for Microsoft to extend the free game offer to other parts of the world, we don’t think that not doing so will do too much damage in terms of people now not buying an Xbox One whereas they would have before.
It wouldn’ve be good, but this isn’t changing our views on the console!Tags: bonus, eu, fifa, free, game, pre-order


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Let’s face it. Having a Yahoo email address these days is seen as a stigma and a liability. Aside from being “old”, recent revelations have called into question the security of having a Yahoo account. As such, it won’t be surprising if Yahoo experienced a mass exodus of users trying to protect themselves from hacks and massive leaks. Attempting to keep its email app from descending into obsolescence, Yahoo is now removing the requirement to have a Yahoo account to use its Yahoo Mail app, potentially turning it into something akin to a third-party email client like K-9, Boxer, CloudMagic and the like.
Yahoo has long opened its Yahoo Mail app to other email accounts, allowing you to use it as the single gateway for Yahoo, Gmail, Outlook, AOL, and even Exchange email accounts. However, before you could even add those non-Yahoo accounts, you needed to still sign in with your Yahoo account. It just allowed you to add other accounts on top of your Yahoo account.
This latest announcement does away with that final requirement. Now you can simply open the Android or iOS app, tap your email provider, and you’re good to go. Of course, Yahoo would prefer if you also used your Yahoo Mail account, but it’ll take what it can.
But why would you want to use Yahoo Mail as your all-in-one email client? Yahoo thinks it has strong answers for that. The app has features like getting notifications only from an individual instead of for every email, including automated ones from companies and newsletters. It also offers some level of personalization via themes. Some features, like customizable swipe gestures and multiple mailbox management, are already present in many other email clients.
Of course, there are equally strong reasons not to use the app as your single hub for emails. Yahoo has proven itself rather weak when it comes to securing its own users data. Privacy and security are now known to be not its forte, and those are exactly the two most important things as far as emails are concerned.


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三肖中特精准24码免费公开 www.syysp.icu Huawei puts Honor above Android at new smartphone launch
By Paul Sandle
LONDON (Reuters) - Huawei put uncertainty over the future of its devices business to one side on Tuesday with the launch of new Honor smartphones, in a confident display of the Chinese firm's technology.
The world's second-biggest phone maker runs its devices on Google's Android platform outside China, but the U.S. Commerce Department blocked Huawei from buying U.S. goods last week, throwing future software updates into question.
The United States temporarily eased restrictions on Huawei on Tuesday, granting it a licence to buy U.S. goods until Aug. 19, meaning that updates of Google apps like Gmail and YouTube can continue until then.
George Zhao, president of Huawei's youth-focused brand Honor, told hundreds of reporters, bloggers and analysts that he was "really happy to see so many friends".
"No matter what happens, no matter what kind of challenges ... just smile and overcome them," he told the audience, a mantra that could apply equally to Huawei as to its young customers.
"We will talk and communicate with the world using our products, technology and innovation," he added, as he showed off the Honor 20 Pro, which features four rear cameras, including wide-angle and telephoto, and a 48-megapixel main camera.
Francisco Jeronimo, associate VP for devices at IDC, said Honor had been successful for Huawei with an appeal that went way beyond the young customer they were targeting.
Zhao highlighted a triple-layer back panel that gives an illusion of depth to colours such as "Phantom Blue" and "Phantom Black" on the 20 Pro.
A Huawei spokesman said the smartphones had already been certified by Google before it announced any restrictions.
The Honor 20 Pro will soon be available at a price of 599 euros ($669), Zhao said, while the Honor 20 and Honor 20 Lite, would retail at 499 euros and 299 euros respectively.
($1 = 0.8957 euros)
趙明表示，華為20 Pro很快將以599歐元(669美元)的價格上市，而榮耀20和榮耀20 Lite的零售價分別為499歐元和299歐元。
譯文來源：三泰虎 //www.syysp.icu/47684.html 譯者：Jessica.Wu
cp13 hours ago
I've used the Honor for over a year now, never had in issue, paid only $250.
Censored15 hours ago
With China's technological advancement, the "free trade" fairy is gone too.
Cassio15 hours ago
No big deal for a company worth billions of dollars. Great opportunity for microsoft Bing to take some business from Google
Jerry15 hours ago
IN THE END THE U.S. COMPANIES WILL BE THE BIG LOSERS, BECAUSE THOSE FUTURE ANDROID OS WILL BE MADE IN CHINA
VQG16 hours ago
If Huawei is so powerful and innovative and capable, develop your own OS and stop using Android, Windows.
Casla12 hours ago
Can Trump stop China from becoming the worlds largest economy?
felipe de jesus11 hours ago
USA, for a long time took advantage of its position as the number one economy and the dollar as international reserve to impose its version of "fair trade" in its favor. His problem is that now he is still the biggest economy but he faces real competition and the dollar is being questioned and he does not like it, hence the hysteria of threats against the whole world and especially against those who do not fold at his command.
emilio16 hours ago
Did anyone remember what China did to the South Koreans when they wanted THAAD for protecting their country against North Korean? China caused the South Koreans billion or billions for having THAAD. If this is not bullying the South Koreans, what do you call it? What goes around, comes around. China must be a saint. They can never do wrong. Only the world is wrong.
Abhaya12 hours ago
who will trust US companies anymore for OS or even hardware. its probably best to go with another solution
Democracy Exporter14 hours ago
Huawei is so hurt by Google's suspension of support/licensing of android to the company
Tough11 hours ago
I work in software. Since Android is open source, they can easily clone it and build their own App Store. Our companies lose access to 1 billion users. Stupid move by a tech illiterate president.
Pain16 hours ago
John11 hours ago
Don’t let Huawei fool you into believing that their newly introduced photo is technologically advanced. Their product is merely just being face lifted and the rest of inside is copied from the pioneer Apple, another word, they did not invent it, they STOLE it.
Carol12 hours ago
Junaise3 hours ago
Ironic brand name - "Honor" by China.
Alec12 hours ago
China needs to be dealt with. Time to eliminate these slopes once and for all.
Matt11 hours ago
So much for a tough stance by Trump, folded pretty quick.
Boomer, Sooner16 hours ago
"Huawei puts Honor above Android" LMAO. My god they stole all the technology from the U S. This is the major part of the trade war
a spades a spade11 hours ago
The words China, Chinese, and Chinese Businesses, should NEVER be used in the same sentence as "Honor". They are the slimiest cheats of all. Not to be trusted in any sense. They will cheat, lie, steal, and do anything to get ahead and get money
CG12 hours ago
China is poisoning us, we need to STOP importing food and other goods we already make here. There is NO reason to import food when it’s already made here and better and to our standards. Chinese food is NOT held to our standards yet you go to the store and buy it thinking it’s American.... Iut go nment sold us out 20 years ago. Trump is literally saving your lives, and he doesn’t even know that part...
Illusion11 hours ago
I'm kinda against buying Chinese products, Forever.
Ira10 hours ago
Good riddance, let China go do its own thing.... they don’t always need to be the copy cat on the playground.
Jame11 hours ago
China can cut of rare earth mineral for computer chip. The End
Paul3 hours ago
Reporters are China's friends.
Patrick5 hours ago
Lol, more like just smile and copy them..
zho6 hours ago
i'm using mate 20, i will stay with huawei.
Ray7 hours ago
I would never buy Huawei trash phones.
tim10 hours ago
It'll certainly outsell Apple in the US, if it is allowed to sell, a much better phone, consumers aren't stupid if they can have a choice to choose.
test16 hours ago
Never trust the chinese. They have no morals


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Shu Uemura + Karl Lagerfeld Holiday Collection to Drop This Weekend
Posted Thursday October 18, 2012 3:29 PM GMT
Everyone looks forward to Friday, and this week there’s even more excitement for the weekend as Shu Uemura and Karl Lagerfeld will release their new cosmetics collaboration.
And according to industry insiders, the forthcoming range is worthy of all the pre-release buzz being generated, especially given that they’ll only be sold until December 1st.
Included in the lineup are products like the Mon Shu Mini Brush Set, a Smoky Velvet Palette, Shu Shu Red Nail Color, and Blackish Satin Purple Eyeliner.
Shu Uemura + Karl Lagerfeld’s goodies will be priced between $18 and $69 and will go on sale October 20th.


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Cranes at port of Oakland. File Image / Pixabay.
Getting ports to zero-emissions formed the centrepiece of talks between Japanese government officials, the California State Transportation Agency and the Californian Port of Oakland.
Electrification, the turning basins widening project and the Seaport Gateway project at Oakland all featured in the talks held in the port this week, the port said.
"We hope this new collaborative effort will deepen cooperation in our industry to reach our zero-emissions goal set in our Seaport Air Quality 2020 and Beyond Plan that our Board unanimously adopted four years ago," said port commissioners president Barbara Leslie.
Japan, which aims to reach carbon neutral port operations by 2050, accounts for 16% of Oakland port's exports.


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Booking.com moves towards prioritizing third-party certifications to make more sustainable travel choices easier for everyone
03.04.2024 - 12:21
/ Vicky Karantzavelou
Booking.com will continue to explore the most impactful role it can play in this space, maintaining its support of its partners, customers and the broader industry as they collaboratively strive to make more sustainable travel the way everyone can experience the world.
Reaffirming Booking.com’s commitment to showcase more sustainable travel options to all of its customers, and to help support accommodation partners on actions they can take to operate more sustainably, the leading digital travel platform has announced some updates to how it will display more sustainable choices to travelers around the world, focusing on third-party certifications.
Booking.com will now introduce a label to acknowledge when a property has achieved a third-party sustainability certification coupled with the ability to filter searches accordingly. To date, over 16,500 properties have a third-party sustainability certification displayed on the platform. Moving forward, the Travel Sustainable name, logo and levels will no longer be displayed.
Sustainability is a core component of Booking.com’s mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world, and over the past decade the company has been shaping its work in this space. Booking.com’s approach continues to be developed in consultation with independent experts and organizations such as the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and UN Tourism, striving to explore how best to address some of the challenges travelers face in making more sustainable choices. The goal is to find new ways to help bridge the gap between the number of accommodations with third-party certifications and the breadth of choice available in the market, encouraging accommodation partners to progress towards third-party certification.
Partners will continue to be supported as they progress with tailored educational resources, from a wealth of informative materials on the company’s Partner Hub, including a handbook on more sustainable hospitality, to online courses developed in partnership with UN Tourism. On their individual property listings, partners will also be able to indicate practices they have adopted across categories including water, food waste, energy, plastic and local community, helping travelers understand the efforts underway.
The broader sustainability space has developed significantly in recent years, particularly the regulatory environment, which has been evolving to reflect the central role that sustainability now has in business operations across all industries, alongside growing consumer expectations around the clarity, availability and veracity of information they receive on sustainability.
In the context of those shifts and in anticipation of relevant legislation


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Food markets still face a challenging time due to the weakening of the pound, rising cost of living, global inflationary pressures and other known factors such as the war in Ukraine and Brexit.
The current scenario shows a significant increase in energy and packaging costs, labour shortages, and difficulties in the supply chain. On top of that, the UK implemented additional checks, along with industrial actions, which has caused port delays and containers held up for extended periods of time.
Both dairy and fish markets have experienced rises in animal feed, labour, packaging, energy, and fuel costs. This significantly impacted the prices of milk, butter, cheese, fish, and seafood. Moreover, frozen white fish has been particularly difficult due to the war in Ukraine, as Russia is a major contributor to worldwide stocks.
Christmas: With the festive season fast approaching, there are concerns around availability of turkey due to Avian Flu, salmon prices are likely to be very high with smoked salmon being as cost effective as fresh salmon, and the cost of 80:20 pork trim will increase, with prices of other pork cuts following.
Take a look at the price movements by category below:
Key Price Movements:
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable
Long periods of drought followed by heavy rains caused a large reduction in the assortment of courgettes, strawberries, and Scottish broccoli.
Mixed leaf and lettuces from the UK will be coming to an end and will be imported from Spain, France and Italy, which will dramatically increase prices. The same can be expected for potatoes, onions, cauliflower, white, and red cabbage. Strawberries, melons, figs, and pineapple will also be priced higher as freight, labour, and inland fuel costs have escalated significantly .
There are also possibilities of shortages of products, mainly tomato, peppers and cucumbers varieties due to the extreme heat in summer and rising energy costs. In addition, orange supply has been extremely short due to late harvest and delayed shipping from South Africa.
Ambient, Frozen, Grocery
UK bread producers are continuing to experience severe hyperinflation pressures due to a number of factors, including wheat prices hitting an all-time high, gas and electricity prices rising at unprecedented levels, and all other input costs following suit, in particular seeds, cereal blends, gluten, and yeast.
The frozen market remains hugely challenging. Some frozen plaice lines have also increased as a result of 80% of the European fleet tying up due to high diesel prices, and Iceland increasing their prices.
There have been quota cuts on cold-water prawns, and a risk of import duty due to the unknown future of cold water quotas. This has affected the price of cold-water prawns across the board. Core fish finger lines have increased as a result of the Russian conflict. Keeping raw material non-Russian in origin is having an upward effect on the price.
Frozen bass fillet prices have risen on the back of increased feed costs, increased demand, and lack of raw material. Frozen scallops are a real problem, and this was expected due to the significant increases seen on the fresh lines over the last year. Scallops remain in short supply, and the new season pricing is up substantially. Frozen squid tube prices are up due to lower catches and slow production.
Value added products (breaded and battered fish and prawns) seem to keep increasing in price due to a severe lack of processing capacity and the exchange rate. There is still a lack of frozen salmon product available and prices are high on the product which is available.
Seafood prices on all core species have raised to varying levels. The price of crayfish tails in brine is increasing significantly by 12% and prawns in brine by 5%. Analysts are saying that salmon prices will be very high through 2022 and heading into 2023. Smoked salmon will be as cost effective as fresh salmon. Flat fish, tuna, and swordfish prices have also risen.
Dry weather has impacted the growth of grass and other livestock feed supplements which was reflected in increased pressure on meat prices.
Beef: Prime cattle prices are 36p per kg higher than the same period a year ago, and 79p higher than the five year average. With an increased demand for beef in both the UK and the EU against an overall global backdrop of produce, tighter supply looks likely to continue, with cattle prices nearly £1 per kilo higher than the 5-year average, and only 60p behind the average price for prime cattle.
Lamb: Prices continue to rise and this trend looks set to persist. Current average price of New Season UK Lamb Standard Quality Quotation is 63p higher than for the same period last year.
Poultry: Prices for whole chicken imported from Europe are now 29% higher than the same time last year. Duck and related products - due to the Avian Flu, levels of flocks are nowhere near where they should be, which has resulted in prices increasing month on month. There is some thought that prices will increase again as we get closer to Christmas.
UK turkey suppliers have advised of possible shortages in Q4 this year. This is due to a large number of small and medium sized producers leaving the industry. Many of the larger producers have converted their sheds from turkey to chicken, and the increased production costs throughout the UK and Europe have forced producers to cut numbers due to cash flow constraints.
Pork: Current UK price is just over £2 per kg and is set to rise as shortages occur due to farmers exiting the sector. This could be as much as 20%. This is clearly a pan-European issue and EU prices have risen by over 50p per kg relative to this time last year. Sausage manufacturing has seen increases on all ingredients required to produce, leading to large cost rises on finished products. With Christmas fast approaching, 80:20 trims will face the biggest pressure and are likely to go to over £3 per kg in the run up to Christmas, with other cuts following.
Prices across all dairy formats have increased significantly since the autumn of 2021. Warm weather has also had an impact on milk produced by herds, with production continuing to track 1-2% below last year. Grass used for winter silage has been affected, which will require farmers to buy in feed for cows over the colder months, adding yet further costs to the production process. This has a significant cost impact on milk, butter, and cheese and has led to steep rises in the market this month.
Non-foods and Packaging
Enquiries to the UK from Europe are very high, where the summer drought has been “as bad or worse” than that experienced in the UK – this is putting a high base price in the UK for both frying and pre-packing material. Costs of plastic for packaging have increased since early part of 2022 and do not show any signs of easing dramatically.
Sources: Bidfood UK, Campbell Brothers UK, Direct Seafood UK, Freshview Foods Ltd UK, Oliver Kay UK.


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This is the second in a series related to Forisk’s Q4 2016 forest industry analysis and timber price forecasts for the United States and Canada.
In October 2015, the Softwood Lumber Agreement (SLA) between the United States and Canada expired. Now in October 2016, a one-year freeze on tariffs that prevented the filing of any trade complaints expired. U.S. lumber producers want a cap on Canadian exports, while Canadian producers want to enact an agreement similar to the 2006 SLA. The previous agreement implemented an export tax when the benchmark lumber price in the U.S. fell below $355/MBF.


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Services :: Transportation
Reliance Buys Stake in Logistics Company
4:13 AM MDT | April 16, 2010 | Deepti Ramesh
Reliance Industries says one of its wholly owned subsidiaries will invest in the logistics company Deccan 360 (Bangalore, India). Further details of the deal were not disclosed. According to Indian media reports, Reliance will acquire between 26% and 50% stake in Deccan 360 and will pay about $20 million-$30 million for the stake. Deccan 360’s air and surface transportation network supports the transportation needs of various industries such as pharmaceuticals, machinery, manufacturing, retail, electronics, textiles, and banking. The investment will help...
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A Burj Khalifa-Themed Water Bottle to Launch in Dubai
Danish inventor Tayseer Hadi has come up with the idea of a line of luxury Burj Khalifa-shaped water bottles ahead of Dubai’s Expo 2020.
Made of K9 crystal, it will include LED lights in its removable base to give the water inside a blue glow. The bottle will cost Dhs700.
The inventor told Khaleej Times: “When I first came to Dubai, I was sitting in a restaurant wondering why everyone was drinking Voss and Evian water.” He then added: “It suddenly hit me that I should make a water bottle in the shape of the Burj Khalifa.”
Due to its unique form, it took three years for Hadi to find a manufacturer willing to turn his incredible vision into a reality. He’s now planning to launch Burj Khalifa Water at a charity event, where he’ll auction one platinum, one diamond and three gold versions of the bottle.


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Sony expects the investigation and remediation costs of the devastating November 2014 cyber attack on its movie subsidiary will amount to $15m.
The company was forced to release a financial results forecast for the quarter ending 31 December 2014 because of the serious disruption to its network systems caused by the cyber attack.
As a result of the attack, Sony said its movie subsidiary Sony Pictures Entertainment was unable to close its financial statements for the last quarter in time to report actual financial results.
Sony announced the results of its other segments – whose results were not affected by the cyber attack – for the last quarter.
The company said the forecasts for consolidated results and the Pictures segment are based on the information currently available to management.
Sony plans to announce its actual results for the last three months of 2014 by 31 March 2015.
According to the forecast for Sony Pictures Entertainment, sales are expected to have decreased 11.7% year-on-year to $1.6bn.
Rise in net income
The expected significant decrease in sales is primarily due to a decrease in sales for motion pictures and television productions, Sony said.
Operating income is expected to have decreased just over 90% to $20m, mainly due to the decrease in motion pictures and television productions sales, said the company.
While the cyber attack does not appear to have had much impact on the bottom line for the last quarter, the current quarter is expected to include approximately $15m in investigation and remediation costs relating to cyber attack, Sony said.
Overall, Sony expects a net income of $736m, which represents a 238% increase compared with the same quarter in 2013.
Operating income is forecast at $1.47bn and revenue is expected to have increased 6% year-on-year to $21.13bn.
Sony ascribed this increase to the favourable impact of foreign exchange rates and “significant” increases in sales for the mobile communications segment, the devices segment, and the games and network services segment.
Forecast income for the mobile communications segment in the last quarter is up 46% to $76m; game and network services is expected to be up 16.8% to $4.39bn; a 90% increase is forecast imaging products to $190m; home entertainment and sound is expected to up 295% to $209m; music is expected to be up 17% to $210m; and financial services is expected to be up 9.7% to 420m; while devices is expected to earn $451m compared with a loss of nearly $200m the in the same period in 2013.
However, the company said all increases are expected to be partially offset by a significant decrease in sales in the “all other” segments, mainly related to Sony’s exit from the PC business, and a significant decrease in sales in the pictures segment, mainly due to lower motion pictures and television productions sales.
Sony has revised its forecast for the financial year ending in March 2015. While the company still expects to make a loss, it now estimates that it will be $1.44bn after previously predicting $1.95bn.
Security and communications supplier ViaSat UK said that by setting aside $15m shows that it has learned that data is more than ever most businesses’ most valuable asset.
“However, money on its own will not help,” said ViaSat UK chief Chris McIntosh.
“Organisations such as Sony need to develop a clear strategy and approach to what they secure, and how they secure it,” he said.
According to McIntosh, this means having both the right technology and the right education at an operational level.
“The most expensive, high-tech security solution is absolutely useless if employees don’t know how to use it, or why it’s so important in the first place,” he said.
But even with all the education in the world, McIntosh said there is still the chance of human error, which means businesses must take steps to limit the impact that employee actions such as sharing passwords or clicking on the wrong link can have.
“In the best case, sensitive information should be deleted when no longer needed or at the very least encrypted. Only then will organisations like Sony be assured that, when the next inevitable cyber-attack happens, the damage to their reputation can be limited,” he said.
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Russian phone company Yota plans to unveil its next dual-screen smartphone on December 3rd. Like last year’s Yotaphone, the new Yotaphone 2 appears to have a color screen on one side and an ePaper display on the other.
The original YotaPhone made a big impression by offering an always-on epaper display on the back, complementing the traditional LCD panel on the front of the handset. The newest version looks largely the same, though the phone’s overall design is rounded and brings with it a more modern look.
The prototype had 2GB of RAM, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor, 802.11ac WiFi, and Bluetooth 4.0. It’s possible some of those features may be different now: Yota started showing its prototype in February so there’s been plenty of time to make changes.
Since ePaper displays tend to use a lot less power than color screens, a device like the Yotaphone 2 could offer long battery life if you keep the color display off while reading eBooks or other text-heavy content.
The original YotaPhone retailed for about $295 (RUB 13990) and we hope the new one wouldn’t be far from this price point.


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Diesel prices have almost reached the dreaded £2 a litre milestone in Hull at some forecourts.
Fuel prices are continuing to rise across the UK and the story is no different in Hull. At Sewerby-on-the-Go in Chanterlands Avenue diesel now stands at 199.9p a litres while Jet in Princes Avenue is not far behind on 195.9p.
The cheapest prices are at Gulf in Goodhart Road in Bransholme which stands at 188.7p with Hedon Road service station at 188.8p. The cheapest petrol process are at Hedon Service station which stands at 176.9p and Tesco St Stephen’s at 180.9.
But there is no sign of prices dropping any time soon. Nationally, petrol reached 187.51p a litre on Thursday, having been 185.04p leading into the start of the week and 130.77p a year ago, according to the AA. Compared to this time last year, filling the typical 55-litre car tank has leapt from £71.92 to £103.13.
Diesel, with wholesale costs that had risen as much as 11p a litre in a fortnight before falling back more than 5p yesterday, now averages 194.17p a litre at the pump. Twelve months ago, it stood at 133.16p. For a Transit-size fuel tank of 80 litres, the cost of refuelling a van can now be as much as £155.34 compared to £106.53 a year ago.
An AA spokesman said: “The lag in supermarkets passing on big cost increases, as new contracts updated their pump prices, might have explained why petrol prices continued to rise in the short term. However, a fortnight on from wholesale prices starting to fall, these crippling pump price rises have yet to come to a halt let alone go into reverse.
“With yesterday’s wholesale prices nearly 9p below the peak just before the Jubilee bank holiday, drivers should be seeing a drop in pump prices. The fuel trade’s failure to cut prices this weekend will be nothing less than shameful.
“Pre-pandemic, such a drop in wholesale prices would have seen one or more of the ‘cost-cutter’ supermarkets rushing to announce 1p or 2p off a litre of petrol. That would have triggered further price cuts as other retailers followed suit. This competitive behaviour has gone and has contributed to record pump prices.”
- Forecourt reveals startling fuel cost breakdown after driver's angry protest
- Residents invited to give their views on Hull's traffic problems
- No train services in and out of Hull on these three days


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The increase in the sale of vehicles and mobile phones contributed to offsetting a plunge in revenue in the other sectors of Vingroup.
|Vingroup has been making headways in vehicle sales and mobile phones |
According to the accumulated financial report for the fourth quarter of 2020 of Vingroup, the group acquired VND35.81 trillion($1.56 billion) in accumulated net revenue, down 4 per cent on-year.
The group acquired VND4.38 trillion ($190.43 million) in net profit in 2020, equaling 88 per cent of its initial expectation.
The group's gross profit in decreased in almost all sectors due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, the revenue from the tourism and amusement sectors in the final quarter decreased by 40 per cent to VND1.05 trillion ($45.65 million).
The financial revenue increased by 36 per cent on-year thanks to handing over some investment projects.
However, there was still growth in the real estate sector. Notably, in the final quarter of last year, Vingroup earned VND22.15 trillion ($963 million) from this sector, up 47 per cent on year.
For the whole year 2020, the group’s net revenue declined by 15 per cent on-year to VND110.46 trillion ($4.8 billion). Its pre-tax profit was VND13.96 trillion ($606.96 million) while its after-tax profit was VND4.38 trillion ($190.43 million), dropping 11 and 43 per cent, respectively.
The group had yet to recoup its investment in the manufacturing sector. However, the revenue from this sector increased from VND9.35 trillion ($406.5 million) in 2019 to VND19.56 trillion ($850.43 million) in 2020 thanks to increasing sales of vehicles and mobile phones. Notably, last year, the group sold 31,500 automobiles. In the first quarter of 2021, Vingroup announced three brand new self-driving electric SUV models, using AI with many outstanding smart features.
The group targets increasing the revenue ratio of the technology and manufacturing sectors from the existing 20 per cent to 50 per cent in the upcoming time.


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Mediageek has a “great post”:1 questioning FCC Chair Kevin Martin’s support for “tiering”:
bq. Martin also expressed support for “tiering” broadband packages, allowing providers to charge more for richer content. Yet it doesn’t seem clear to me whether Martin is just supporting the idea that a consumer would pay more to get a 10 megabit connection than for a 2 megabit connection, or if he actually supports the ability of AT&T to charge content providers in order to reach households via their internet connections. He might even support the ability for an ISP to charge consumers a higher price to receive internet content from providers that haven’t struck a deal with that ISP. It’s simply not clear.
bq. There’s a crucial difference between these interpretations of “tiering” and because this word is being thrown around so much it’s often difficult to know who’s supporting what.
I, for one, would like Martin to be crystal clear on this subject, since his interpretation of “tiering” is critical to the Net Neutrality debate.


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Most Online Fraud Occurs in U.S.
A recent Experian survey finds the US suffers the most from online fraud. Experian polled 1,000 large companies and around 10,000 consumers in 21 different countries and concluded eight of ten businesses reported online fraud within the last 12 months. Experian stated this is because of the large target rich environment found in the US as compared to the other countries.
As a small business owner or employee, it is important to stay vigilant of potential phishing emails, online scams, bad websites, fake phone calls, etc. Some of the best ways to protect the small business is by having strong and complex passwords, limiting access to data to only those who need access, employee cybersecurity training, and by having properly configured firewalls and anti-virus solutions.


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Kraft Foods has confirmed that it is increasing prices of many of
its products in the United States by an average of 3.9 per cent
because of rising energy and packaging costs caused by higher
global oil prices.
On the back of growing consumer interest in healthy eating, leading
US food maker Kraft Foods is focusing on its increasingly
successful health and wellness segment, announcing plans to further
limit products advertised to children...
Kraft Foods, the world's biggest food company, has announced its US
operation is to provide consumers with more nutritional information
about its products - a precedent already set by its UK division,
Tom Armitage reports.
The rising pressure on US food producers to play their part in
improving the health of the world's fattest nation has led Kraft
Foods to promise more nutritional information on selected snack,
dairy and beverage products - a...
Increasingly health conscious US consumers chose to bypass the
snack packs of food giant Kraft in the second quarter, a trend
which weighed heavily on profits at the country's biggest food
maker. But a major marketing push highlighting...
America's biggest food company, Kraft Foods, announced a rise of 20
per cent in earnings for the 2002 first quarter, attributing strong
volume growth in beverages, desserts and new products to the


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Toy makers have 'iron' will for industry
Date: 2/22/2010 Feb. 22, 2010
By G. Michael Dobbs
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Local toy manufacturers exhibiting at the annual Toy Fair at the Javits Center in New York City said that while sales might not be significantly improved, there was an optimism among buyers not seen at last year's trade show.
The 2010 edition of the Toy Fair also showed that even the most traditional toys still have a place in the marketplace. From a sock monkey doll to robotic bugs, buyers saw a dizzying array of toys, games, dolls and action figures. Of the 100,000 toys were on display, 7,900 of them were new, according to information supplied by the Toy Industry Association (TIA).
Once again manufacturers seemed hesitant to invest in licensing books, movies or television shows for toys, sticking to tried and true properties with built-in appeal. Several companies were celebrating the 30th anniversary of "The Empire Strikes Back," though, with pens that look like lightsabers, and one company has designed chopsticks to resemble Luke Skywalker's favorite weapon.
Considering the success of the Disney/Pixar film "Up," or the box office explosion of "Avatar," it was a little surprising this reporter saw no products on display from either of those two animated films.
The TIA reported that despite the economic crisis, the unit share for toys priced under $5 decreased in 2009, both for the full year and in the fourth quarter. Consumers weren't buying the cheapest toys, but instead went for items in the $5 to $10 range.
The TIA also noted U.S. retail sales of toys generated $21.47 billion in 2009 compared to $21.65 billion in 2008, a decline of under 1 percent, and the categories showing the most significant increases were Building Sets and Arts & Crafts. The categories that took the biggest drop were Youth Electronics and Plush. Action Figures and Games/Puzzles also saw increases.
Local buyers came away from Toy Fair with different opinions. Rosa Falvo, co-owner of Sister's Kids in Springfield, thought the trade show was "very flat."
"The booths were smaller and showing less product," she said.
Falvo said for her there was "nothing new or exciting."
"It used to be mobbed [with buyers]," she added.
She believed this year's Toy Fair was a reflection of the nation's ongoing economic problems.
On the other hand, Joy Leavitt, co-owner of Kiddly Winks in Longmeadow, thought the Toy Fair was "wonderful."
She beleived that manufacturers and buyers were both upbeat.
Leavitt said she saw many exciting new toys with Hexbugs (covered later in this story) as a standout. She also noted there were many new outdoor products for the summer she intends to carry.
She said she was very excited to fill out her order forms for the new inventory.Hasbro
For the largest toy company in the world, this year is a year of anniversaries. Monopoly, created in the Depression of the 1930s, is noting its 75th birthday and The Game of Life is turning 50.
The company is also continuing its evolution from being just a toy company to an entertainment company with a third Transformers film planned as well as movies based on the games Battleship, Candyland and Monopoly in various stages of development. Even the company's Ouija board is being given the movie treatment.
On the day this reporter visited the Hasbro showroom, actor Taylor Lautner, the breakout star of "New Moon," was also at the showroom. Lautner has signed up to star in a movie version of the 1970s Hasbro toy Stretch Armstrong.
Robert Downey Jr., who is continuing his role as Iron Man in the second film due out later this year, visited the showroom the previous evening. The company is offering a large line of Iron Man toys.
Hasbro is at the point where other companies are coming to them for licensing Hasbro toys and games into products. Dominos Pizza is adding board games to its pizza boxes and Cheez-It Crackers have a special line of crackers resembling Scrabble letter blocks.
Hasbro, a long time producer of "Star Wars" toys is among the companies noting the 30th year of "The Empire Strikes Back," and is sticking to other well-known names: the new Iron Man movie, Marvel comic book heroes and Disney properties such as "Toy Story 3."
Family Game Night continues to be a success for the company, encouraging families to set aside one night a week to play a board game together. This year, not only will the company be releasing new games such as Funglish, but it will also offer variations of classic games such as Sorry and Scrabble with quicker playtimes.
There will be two new Monopoly board games in honor of its anniversary - Monopoly: Revolution, with a round board and an electronic game unit, as well as Monopoly U Build, in which the players build the game board and determine the length of play.
The toy that caught this reporter's eye, though, was a flying model of Han Solo's spacecraft, the Millennium Falcon. Retailing for $49.99, the remote control spaceship flies like a helicopter.
Also for the "Star Wars" fan is a spinning electronic lightsaber and a two-foot tall toy version of the AT-AT military vehicle seen in "The Empire Strikes Back." Fantazia Marketing
The Chicopee firm that is known for making oversized plastic and metal version of ice cream cones, scissors, baby bottles and many more items as well as offering banks, lights and clocks was displaying new electronic banks with sports themes and novelty clocks this year.
Owner Joel Nulman said the mood of the buyers was better than last year and the traffic at the show was better. While there seemed to be greater optimism, the verdict was still out on whether buyers would spend more at the show.
"It's like fishing and catching," he said. "It's two different games."Omniglow
The Indian Orchard-based company that sells a wide variety of glow products and party goods was introducing a glow sticker in the shape of a circle or heart at the Toy fair that could be customized.
Company spokesperson Susan Roy said the Spotglow was attracting buyers at the show. Another new product was a glow pirate's eye patch.
Roy said the party good line for the company had good sales last year. She added that buyers did seem more upbeat at this year's show, but were exercising caution. Janlynn
Thomas Lonergan, executive vice president of the Chicopee-based crafts company, said the surprising hit of last year's sales was a product that had long been part of the company's offerings: sock monkey kits.
Sales, he said, "have been off the charts."
The modest doll was born out necessity during the Depression when families would take used socks and fabricate a monkey doll from them. Lonergan said the company's sock monkey kit sales have "skyrocketed" during the last two years. They have been part of the company's line-up of craft kits for the past 15 years, he added.
Overall, Lonergan said the company has seen solid increases in orders and sales leads. One of the reasons for the sales increase, he believes, is that retailers who did not buy much inventory last year have empty shelves at the same time consumer confidence is growing.
Janlynn acquired a line of sport-oriented craft kits from another company last May that Lonergan said has also proven quite popular. The kits allow kids to customized their own soccer ball, football, baseball, flying disc and skateboard.The cool and the inexplicable
Want to spend $175 dollars on a doll depicting David Tennant as Dr. Who? The Toy Fair is where one sees such esoteric items. Tonner, the company that manufactures the doll - which is over a foot in size - also makes a Captain Jack doll from the cult hit show "Torchwood."
Or how about chopsticks that look like lightsabers from "Star Wars"? Kotobukiya, a Japanese company that specializes in collectible statues of comic book heroes, is selling chopsticks they say are "suitable for sushi or defending the galaxy."
One of the neatest items was the collection of Hexbugs being demonstrated. Innovation First Labs spokesperson Doug Galletti explained the small robotic creatures are designed to help spark interest in science and technology. The company makes five different robots from a six-legged toy that looks like the cockroach of the future to a crab and now a new model, the Nano, that doesn't have moving legs, but is propelled by vibrations.
The robots retail from $11.99 to $19.99 and the company has designed tracks for the Nano so they can be raced.
The hands-down oddest item, though, was TV Hat, billed as your personal theater. The young woman at the company's booth spotted my press pass and asked if she gave me a TV Hat would I write about it? How could I resist such a bribe?
The TV Hat is a standard baseball hat with a long bill and cloth flaps that create a private little space in front your head. Slip your iPhone or other device that plays video into the special holder at the front of the hat and adjust a magnifying lens and voil ! instant personal theater.
I found the experience rather appealing in a goofy way, but TV Hat may not be for you if you suffer from claustrophobia, the company warns. Also, the company advises not to use the TV Hat to watch a movie and jog or walk at the same time.
The cost? Just $19.95.
Progress is wonderful.


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The company sold 750,000 shares between 23 September and 2 October, reducing its stake to 15.97mln Polarean shares, equivalent to roughly 13.96% of the company.
Proceeds of around US$172,000 from the sale will be used to reduce the company's loan, which has been secured against its holding in Polarean and is due to be repaid by 30 September 2020.
The size of the loan has now been cut to around US$2.3mln, excluding the lender's share of the pledged share price appreciation, which is currently in the region of US £172,500.
As at last night's closing price, Amphion's stake in Polarean was valued at around US$3.3mln.
Amphion indicated it was a reluctant seller of the shares and said it remains excited by the future prospects of Polarean, which is a medical imaging technology company that is developing a proprietary drug-device combination product.
Amphion said it remains highly cash-constrained and continues to consider both its short-term and medium-term financing options.


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Like Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin, the L.A. City Council and local marijuana dispensaries have spent many years grappling with each other and, like that famous rivalry, it might all come to an end this month as our leaders vote on a watertight pot-shop ban.
But don't count on dispensaries just packing up and retiring just yet. Besides several court challenges that could call such a ban into question, pot shop operators are also going to put everything they have into trying to convince the council to let them be:
A “Save Our Dispensaries” rally is scheduled for July 20 at 10 a.m. in front of L.A. City Hall.
At issue is a lock-out for the 500 or so pot stores that now call L.A. home. The ban is being proposed by Councilman Jose Huizar, who has said that only nonprofit, non-storefront growing collectives would be allowed under the new rules.
Dispensaries are up in arms, citing a recent court ruling that favors them as well as the language of the law, which might or might not support their cause.
SB 420, which gave birth to California's dispensaries, allows a for-profit environment, its author, John Vasconcellos, previously told the Weekly.
However, L.A. City Attorney Carmen Trutanich says the law was never meant to foster the kind of retail scene we see with local pot shops; it simply legalized the nonprofit sharing of weed for the seriously ill.
Those issues are still being worked out in court.
In the meantime, organizers expect a big turnout for the July 20 rally, which precedes a scheduled, July 24 vote on the ban proposal.
An organizer told the Weekly:
We'll be flyering most of LA's dispensaries so we expect a big crowd.
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.


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RILA report highlights retail sustainability leadership and innovation
Washington, D.C. — The Retail Industry Leaders Association has released its first report on sustainability practices among some of its retail members. The 2012 Retail Sustainability Report highlights sustainability leadership in the retail industry and highlights company examples to highlight the innovative work of the industry and illustrate what it can anticipate over the coming years.
The report also emphasizes the important role of other stakeholders – be it landlords, municipalities, product manufacturers, transportation providers, or customers – in the sustainability journey and how various groups can work together to achieve common goals.
Key retail sustainability trends identified in the report include: working across sectors to achieve sustainability goals, turning from sustainability as a cost and risk reduction measure to an opportunity for business growth, developing systems for continuous improvement, and fostering transparency in operations and in the supply chain.
“I think one of the biggest takeaways from the report is that creating lasting change in retail sustainability is not something the industry can do alone,” said Adam Siegel, RILA VP sustainability and retail operations, continued Siegel. “Retailers are reaching out to nonprofits, academics, and governments as well as to their suppliers, consumers, investors, and communities to provide their diverse perspectives and partnerships and help accelerate sustainable innovation for all.”
The report offered four predictions on the growth of sustainability within the industry and said that in five to 10 years:
- Sustainability will become integrated into the business;
- The drive to manage supply chain impacts will transform retailer-supplier relationships;
- Industry collaboration will become the standard;
- Business models will evolve as consumption habits change;
- The report identified four key trends and found that leading retailers are;
- Working with stakeholders across sectors to achieve sustainability goals;
- Turning from sustainability as a cost and risk reduction measure to an opportunity for business growth;
- Developing systems for continuous improvement by pulling together controls, measurement and management tools and IT systems;
- Fostering transparency in operations and in the supply chain.
The report is available at rila.org.
Leadership Workshop to kick off SPECS 2012
New York City — A special Leadership Workshop on negotiating techniques will kick off Chain Store Age’s 48th annual SPECS (store planning, equipment, construction and facilities seminars) Conference. The industry’s leading retail store development event, SPECS will be held March 4 – 7, 2012, at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Fla.
Designed to help attendees improve their negotiating skills, the Leadership Workshop will be held on Sunday, March, 4, and attendance is limited. For more information on SPECS, and to register for the event and leadership workshop, click here.
Ikea completes solar installation at Cincinnati-area store
West Chester, Ohio — Ikea said Tuesday that it has officially plugged-in the solar energy system installed at its Cincinnati-area store in West Chester, Ohio.
The 128,000-sq.-ft. PV array consists of a 1,026-kW system, built with 4,186 panels. Ikea West Chester’s program will produce approximately 1,334,300 kWh of clean electricity annually, the equivalent of reducing 1,014 tons of carbon dioxide, eliminating the emissions of 180 cars or powering 115 homes yearly.
Ikea owns and operates each of its solar PV energy systems atop its buildings – as opposed to a solar lease or power purchase agreement – and the West Chester installation represents the 14th completed solar energy project for Ikea in the United States, with 23 more locations underway, making the eventual U.S. solar presence of Ikea nearly 85% and a total generation of 30.8 MW.
For the development, design and installation of the West Chester store’s customized solar power system, Ikea contracted with REC Solar.
The 344,000-sq.-ft. West Chester Ikea store opened in March 2008.


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TrolleyKaro, a one-stop solution for all your online orders like groceries, medicines, fruits and vegetables. Now order unlimited deliveries of groceries, medicines, fruits and vegetables from...
Washington: Parents, take note! Filling half of a child's plate with fruits and vegetables isn't just recommended by the United States Dietary Guidelines, it...
Saraswathi Raju has gorintaku trees growing in her farm and her husband Kothapalli Bhaskara Raju and son Kothapalli Subba Raju help her in taking care of the farm.
Kids turned up in a wide array of costumes ranging from nature, fruits, vegetables, electronic gadgets and day-to-day utility items.
Govt floats tenders for construction of over 70 vegetable and meat markets
Areas with high caseloads will be declared micro-level containment zones
The study found no link between diet and hemorrhagic stroke, which happens when an artery in the brain leaks blood or ruptures.
Akali Dal President Sukhbir Badal announced that the party would not only implement the three agricultural laws in Punjab but will also provide minimum support price.
Welcome the New Year with the soft, spongy Wheat Flour Cake worth to bookmark special occasions in our life
Ravula Mohan Reddy of Edullagudem of Valigonda mandal in the district had been supplying fruits to monkeys in the forest area between Kothagudem and Bhoodan Pochampally for a long time.
Monkey attacks on villages and kirana stores have increased significantly over the recent years
Two-year-old Devaansh Surpur's highly developed mental capability has brought him not just laurels, but also records
- Advertisement -


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Google recently celebrated its 13th birthday. The news sparked various tales around our office of what we were each up to in the late 90s when the Google brand was born...
What we all acknowledged was at the time Google registered on each of our radars, none of us had any inkling of how significant words like ‘search’ would become.
In terms of how fast things move in the digital world, it’s surprising Google is only celebrating 13 years. Maybe digital years are like dog years and we need to multiply that number by seven or some other enigmatic integer? In any case, the search giant has made the symbolic move from child to adolescent.
If Google’s formative years were about pioneering first steps, overcoming teething troubles and domineering the search playground, its teens look set to bring a raft of new social ventures. While frolicking with its peers may not be on the cards just yet, at least not in the same way that Apple and Facebook’s relationship has recently been warming up, the search supremo has nevertheless got its sights set on the social network scene. Indeed further news of Google Plus traffic increasing 1269 per cent suggests the likes of hangouts and circles will play a key role in its future growth. Alongside this social experimentation, the tech titan is also hoping to boost its street cred among start-ups with its multi-million pound technology community centre opening in the heart of East London next year.
Google’s latest efforts essentially boil down to having the most mates, the coolest clobber and thinking itself the centre of the universe. And if that’s not your typical teenager, I don’t know what is?


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Why Tesla Is A Bad Investment
Investors are still learning a lot about Tesla, and Elon Musk’s company isn’t done surprising everyone. However, there’s no doubt that the company has reached a critical juncture. The electric carmaker is in need of billions of dollars after burning through more than $1 billion every quarter for the past year. So far, Musk has managed to pull cash out of investors’ pockets by offering equity and debt sales that he hopes will bring the amount raised up to $3 billion by the end of 2019. But if Tesla burns through all that money—and it likely will, given its track record—it will likely have to go back to investors again in 2020 or 2021. And if investors keep throwing good money after bad, they could end up watching their investment evaporate before their very eyes.
Tesla’s big problem is its founder.
Elon Musk is a fine engineer, but he’s a terrible manager. He has demonstrated time and again that he can’t manage the company he created. And it’s not just me saying that—it’s everyone else who works for him, too.
When you’re considering making an investment in Tesla stock, remember that Elon Musk has failed to prove himself capable of leading any enterprise successfully over time (he was fired from Paypal and SpaceX). Instead of being motivated by building great products or making money for shareholders, Musk has always been motivated by ego and the desire to be famous and adored by people around him. This means that instead of focusing on what matters most (building great cars), his focus is often on things like using Twitter as a platform for personal attacks against other CEOs or calling Tesla customers “boneheads” for buying their cars from dealers rather than directly through Tesla itself.
Its solar business is a total mess.
If you are interested in investing in Tesla on the theory that its car business is going to explode, and you want to diversify your portfolio with a smaller investment in solar power, then you may want to consider buying shares of SolarCity instead.
SolarCity seems like an ideal partner for Tesla: they both have a strong focus on technology innovation, they share similar cultures (and are both headquartered in California), and they’re both led by Elon Musk. However, there are three problems with this idea:
- The solar business distracts from its main focus on cars. The two companies have different management structures—SolarCity was founded by Lyndon Rive (the company’s CEO) and his brother Peter Rive (its CTO). While Elon Musk serves as chairman at both companies and sits on their boards, he doesn’t actually run either one day-to-day. It’s true that Elon Musk spent ten years as chairman of SolarCity before stepping down earlier this year after being named CEO at Tesla; however since then all we’ve seen from him are tweets about other things like space travel or electric skateboards…
- The solar business isn’t making money yet—or growing fast enough for investors who want high returns from their investments.* When it comes time for investors who own shares of Solar City Corp., which itself owns shares of other subsidiaries including Sunrun Inc., Vivint Solar Inc., and Zscaler Inc., there will be more paperwork involved than simply selling those same shares directly over again through another brokerage account.”
The company is losing oodles of money.
The company lost $2.2 billion in 2018, according to Bloomberg. It lost $619 million in the first quarter of 2019 and $1.7 billion in the second quarter of 2019, according to CNBC. During its third quarter, which ended September 30th, Tesla reported a loss of $2.2 billion dollars—the largest quarterly loss it had ever seen up until that point in time. The reason for all this money-losing? Well, some say it’s due to poor management decisions made by CEO Elon Musk himself (for example: buying a floundering solar panel company called SolarCity). Others think that Tesla has just been spending too much money on things like new offices and factories around the world—a luxury that few other companies have access too due to their need for profits rather than growth prospects like Tesla does at present time (or so they say). Either way you slice it though…
Tesla has done a terrible job of delivering the cars it sells.
Tesla is notorious for delays when it comes to delivering cars. In 2016, the company delivered just 76% of its vehicles on time and even that number was down from 89% the previous year. In 2018, Tesla has been struggling with delivery problems once again.
In September 2018 alone there were more than 200 complaints about delayed or missing Model 3 deliveries from customers who had ordered their cars months earlier — most notably actor Kevin Spacey and his manager Richard Thomas. These problems aren’t unique to Tesla: other luxury carmakers like BMW and Audi have also been criticized for poor customer service in regards to delivery delays in recent years.
Tesla’s cars are very expensive.
Tesla’s cars are very expensive.
A Tesla Model 3 starts at $35,000 and can get as high as $55,000 with options. That’s a lot of money to pay for a car that has been called “the least reliable car in America.” The Model 3 was awarded the title based on several factors: low reliability ratings from Consumer Reports, poor performance in crash tests performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and an overall low owner satisfaction rating—only 51%. In addition to all this bad news about Tesla’s quality, there is also bad financial news for consumers who want to own one of their vehicles. With such poor resale values (according to Kelley Blue Book), you’re better off buying a new model every year or two than holding onto your old one.
Autonomous driving isn’t going to happen tomorrow.
Tesla’s autonomous driving program is an expensive distraction. The company has long insisted that it will be the first to produce a self-driving car, even though companies like Waymo and General Motors have been testing their own automated vehicles for years. In 2016, Tesla founder Elon Musk announced that he expected fully autonomous cars to be available by 2017. A year later, he revised his prediction to 2019; and in 2018, he said 2020 was more realistic.
However, Tesla’s technology appears inferior to its competitors’ offerings—but what’s worse is that it doesn’t appear as advanced as Tesla would like us to think it is either. In November 2018, Consumer Reports performed side-by-side tests of cars equipped with various levels of driverless tech: The magazine found that each manufacturer was able to steer around obstacles at roughly the same rate (and some were far better than others). But when it came time for automated braking systems on those vehicles—which should be able to stop themselves much more quickly than humans can—Tesla wasn’t one of them; only Mercedes had managed such functionality among the automobiles tested by Consumer Reports.*
Tesla buyers are getting fed up.
In recent weeks, Tesla customers have been complaining about the quality of Tesla’s cars. Some customers have said that their vehicles were not properly assembled and had to be returned for repairs. Others have complained about the lack of service at Tesla’s stores, which are often poorly staffed with young employees who are unable to provide satisfactory answers to questions about their cars or get parts in a timely manner. Customers also criticize Tesla for its lack of communication, even when there are problems with orders or deliveries — some customers say they waited months before receiving their vehicles because no one from the company would answer their calls or emails.
You should not invest in Tesla
If you’re thinking of investing in Tesla, you should reconsider. Tesla is not a good investment to make right now and it probably won’t be a good investment for the long term either. The company is facing challenges on multiple fronts and has yet to prove itself as an effective money-maker. In fact, if you invest in Tesla today, there’s no way to know whether or not it will be worth the cash later on—but there’s also no way of knowing if it won’t be!
So why should we believe that buying into Elon Musk’s electric car company will do us any good? Because he wants us to? No thanks! The only thing worse than being wrong about whether or not we made money from our investments would be being wrong because someone else wanted us too much money from them (unless they were trying something illegal).
In summary, this is not a company that has its act together, and I would urge investors to avoid it. If you are looking for a disruptive idea in the automotive space, try Toyota.


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Last week, when numerous people moved down on Las Vegas for CES 2017, many should’ve felt that they had seen two apparitions. Well, Nokia and BlackBerry smartphones seriously appeared like ghosts among all bright new devices and gadgets. So, it was seen by the people that two established names of the smartphone industry again came back to compete the modern Android devices. You already know that Nokia was the biggest mobile brand with its superb calling and messaging features and battery quality. On the other hand, BlackBerry was in the list of secure mobile brands with the iconic QWERTY keyboard.
Well, these two popular brands have been associated with licensed phone makers which are presently trying to maximise the brands’ familiarity for their new devices. The all new Nokia 6 is the first smartphone from HMD Global which is a Finnish firm that was particularly put together for making Nokia mobile devices so that Nokia can compete against its rivals such as Samsung and Apple.Hopefully, HMD has put very much effort in manufacturing unibody for the smartphone and the specification sheet displays a really challenging Android device that features a 5.5-inch full HD screen covered by Gorilla glass, 4GB of RAM, and Snapdragon 830 processor. Yet the company’s capacity of delivering on its hype is as yet completely untested, and while it has made the decision of launching just in China because, in accordance with them, this is methodically crucial, it could only as easily be read as a reluctance of launching into the more insightful markets of the West.
The more amazing phone at CES 2017 is the BlackBerry Mercury. China’s TCL gained the right of making phones and calling them BlackBerry in 2016. Well-known in Australia for its budget TV’s and its phone-making assistant Alcatel, it’s also the organisation which quietly made the final phones for the real BlackBerry firm, the DTEK50 and DTEK60 which were repackaged as Idols of Alcatel. The Mercury is simply a prototype BlackBerry TCL and actually doubles down by looking somewhat like the previous device which made its name. Featuring a leather-like back and a physical keyboard, the designers have worked hard to ensure you know this looks like a BlackBerry. This is the first TCL-made mobile which was made for being the BlackBerry from the starting, and in that sense, it might be an amazing comeback for the brand.


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Wal-Mart couldn’t muster a single vote early this morning when it came before the Town Council in Davie, Florida. Sprawl-Busters reported on May 22nd that Wal-Mart had hit a snag in Davie. The retailer’s plans for a 202,853 s.f. superstore on 36 acres of commercial land, relied on a legal settlement from 17 years ago that allows larger stores than the town now allows. According to a report submitted to Sprawl-Busters by a local resident, “At 2 AM on July 20th the Davie Town Council denied Wal-Mart’s application to build a 24 hour Super Wal-Mart on a parcel that bordered 2 residential neighborhoods. For the past year Davie residents have organized and worked to stop Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart will probably sue the Town of Davie, and we will see where that leads. But for now it is a clear victory for the residents and the Town of Davie.” Sprawl-Busters noted last May that “the town has the right to rule that the intensity of this land use is incompatible with the surrounding properties, and would cause the residential properties to lose value.” Basically that’s what happened. With six hours of testimony under its belt, the Town Council voted 4-0 to reject the 24 hour Wal-Mart proposal, saying that the plan did not fit in with the neighborhood. According to a traffic study, the Wal-Mart, which would have a parking lot for 855 cars, would increase traffic on Orange Drive and add to existing traffic woes on Griffin Road and University Drive. Wal-Mart’s lawyer made the usual statement in response to the vote that Wal-Mart was likely to sue the town. As we noted last May, the land Wal-Mart wants to build on was part of a settlemet in 1999 that allowed builders to construct larger stores than currently allowed in Davie. Because of that 1989 settlement, Wal-Mart did not have to apply for a zoning change. But Attorney Tucker Gibbs, representing the citizen’s group, argued that the settlement was no longer valid, and that Wal-Mart’s huge store was incompatible with Davie’s plans for small-business redevelopment along Davie Road. Councilwoman Susan Starkey also challenged the validity of the 1989 agreement and said it was outdated. The massive retail project, with a building the size of four football fields, is located between the Rolling Hills Lake Estates to the north and the Alpine Woods neighborhood to the west. Wal-Mart attempted to placate neighbors by promising to lower lighting fixtures by 17 feet and building an 8-foot wall on the store’s west side, plus a 6-foot “decorative fence” along the north side to cut down on noise. Wal-Mart’s lawyer told one newspaper, “many of them just don’t want a Wal-Mart there.”
For more background on the Davie victory, go to www.savedaviestopwalmart.com. Opponents say they are gearing up for a legal battle, and will not let Wal-Mart get by litigation what it could not get by regulation. For now, another one bites the dust. The ball is now in Wal-Mart’s legal court. For earlier stories, search Newsflash by “Davie”.


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(KGTV) — High gas prices and concerns about the environment have made the move toward electric cars bigger than ever right now.
But a post going around social media claims Japan developed an electric car that could go 124 miles in a single charge all the way back in 1949.
Although some of the details are wrong, the basic premise is fact.
The car was made by a company that eventually merged with Nissan.
According to Nissan's website, the Tama electric car was rolled out in 1947 when Japan was facing a shortage of oil following World War II.
The car had a driving range of nearly 60 miles and a maximum speed of 22 mph. It lasted until 1951.


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A couple of pending trademark applications for registration stand to shed some light on how the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and potentially, Nike, are approaching web3-focused trademarks. This time last year, gamified non-fungible token (“NFT”) marketplace Tacvue filed a trademark application for a mark that it intends to use in connection with the creation of “an on-line community for gamers, NFT gurus,” etc., in Class 42. The trademark at play: “Just Dao It.” Fast forward to February 2022, and an unrelated entity, a blockchain tech service provider called BLOCKS DAO, filed an application of its own, claiming actual actual use of the “Just Dao It” mark on “on-line non-downloadable software for enabling users to electronically create, exchange, store, send, receive, accept and transmit … NFTs based on the blockchain technology, smart contracts, and DAOs” (Class 42).
The two DAO – or decentralized autonomous organizations – centric trademarks are potentially slated for a face-off, with U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) examining attorney Caroline Wood alerting BLOCKS DAO in an Office Action in September that while she had not found any “similar registered marks” that would bar registration of its mark, she did come across a trademark application that was filed before BLOCKS DAO’s application that could stand in the way of a registration. That previously-filed application was lodged by Tacvue. In the non-final Office Action that she sent to BLOCKS DAO on September 20, the USPTO examiner stated that there may be a likelihood of confusion between BLOCKS DAO’s mark and the mark cited in Tacvue’s application, and “if the earlier filed application matures into a registration, the [USPTO] may refuse registration” for BLOCKS DAO.
A potential clash between the two applications was not the only refusal basis raised in that USPTO’s Office Action. The examining attorney also took issue with the specimen that BLOCKS DAO provided in order to show how it is actually using the “Just Dao It” trademark in commerce. (Unlike Tacvue, BLOCKS DAO filed its application on an “actual use” – as opposed to an intent-to-use – basis.) The specimen consists of a screenshot of a January 25 BLOCKS.dao Twitter Space event, the title of which is “State of the Dao … Just Dao It w/ Ghost, Calvin Weight & Guests.” According to Wood, registration of BLOCKS DAO’s mark is refused because “the specimen does not show a direct association between the mark and the services and fails to show the applied-for mark as actually used in commerce with the identified services in International Class(es) 42.”
In this case, Wood states that the specimen “does not show a direct association between the mark and services in that there is no reference or a nexus between the mark and the services in the mark, ‘computer software services,’” and thus, BLOCKS DAO must either submit a different specimen or amend its filing basis to intent-to-use in order to avoid having to submit a new specimen at this time.
As for Tacvue’s application, it has not faced any pushback from the USPTO, and in fact, the mark was published for opposition on September 13, thereby, opening the door for “any member of the public who thinks that they will be harmed by the registration of the trademark to oppose it.” This is, of course, where both applications stand to become particularly interesting given that Nike casts a wide net when it comes to oppositions, routinely taking issue with marks that it deems to be too similar to its famous “Just Do It” mark. Recent marks that have landed on the end of an opposition from Nike range from “JUST WINE IT DOWN” for use on “hats; loungewear; sweatshirts; [and] t-shirts” to “JUST FIGHT IT CANCER” for use on “on-line wholesale and retail store services.”
To date, Nike – which lodged an array of web-focused trademark applications with the USPTO last year, including one for “JUST DO IT” for use in Classes 9, 35, and 41 – has not filed a notice of opposition in response to Tacvue’s relatively-recently-published “Just Dao It” mark. However, an opposition may be in the works, as counsel for the Swoosh filed a request for extension of time to oppose the mark on October 12, seeking that “the time period within which to file an opposition be extended until 11/12/2022.” At that point, Nike can either file a notice of opposition or request an additional extension of time.
Interestingly, Tacvue and BLOCKS DAO are not the only companies looking to make use – or actually making use – of “Just Dao It.” A quick sweep of the market reveals that there is a collection of “Just Dao It” NFTs on OpenSea, for instance, with the NFTs consisting of images of stylized versions of the phrase. Meanwhile, MetaGolden, which offers up “physical jewelry and fashion paired with digital assets,” has a JUST DAO IT-emblazoned t-shirt in its lineup. (The t-shirt is sold along with a “featured MP4 NFT,” according to MetaGolden.) And Adam Miller, the founder of MIDAO, a company that provides legal entities for DAOs, has a podcast called “Just DAO It!,” aimed at individuals who are starting DAOs.


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BEACON TRANSCRIPT – The developers of Final Fantasy XV revealed that some story-driven downloadable content packs (DLC) will soon be released. They even revealed some information regarding one of the packs, namely Episode Gladiolus.
As the name suggests, this DLC pack will feature the adventures of Noctis’ close companion, Gladiolus Amicitia. A post on their website revealed that Episode Gladiolus would feature the powerful fighter who chose to separate from his friends for a period of time, in an attempt to become stronger.
As part of this attempt, he will start training with Cor Leonis, but the greatest challenges will be posed by several face-to-face combats with powerful enemies. As a hint, one of the enemies that Gladiolus will have to face is quite well-known to long time fans of the Final Fantasy franchise.
VG24/7 have recently revealed a report where they stated that the special edition of a book featuring the game would be available and it contained some commentaries from the producer Haruyoshi Sawatari. According to the report, Sawatari revealed in the book that the Final Fantasy XV players who would purchase Episode Gladiolus might encounter an enemy called Gilgamesh while playing the DLC.
If you do not know who Gilgamesh is, he is a sword hunter that was present in several installments of the Final Fantasy series. He played different roles throughout the development of the game. At times, he acted as an ally, but at other times he could prove a mysterious and tremendous enemy.
In the Final Fantasy installment in question, Gilgamesh appears to play the role of the enemy again. Make sure you purchase the game and the DLC, since the combat between him and Gladiolus promises to be one no fan should miss.
Also, Episode Gladiolus is expected to present a whole new different gameplay, which should make everything more exciting and should kindle the interest of the players.
The DLC is set to be released on March 28th, but more details regarding it are soon to come. However, some information regarding the price and the way of purchase are already available. The players will be able to purchase the DLC on its own for $4.99 or they can get it as part of Final Fantasy XV’s season pass.
Image Source: Flickr


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Shareholders of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Ltd., a unit of U.K. pharmaceuticals company GlaxoSmithKline PLC, have approved the proposed €3.3 billion sale of the business to Hindustan Unilever Ltd., the Indian listed subsidiary of The Unilever Group.
On Dec. 3, 2018, Unilever, whose listed entities are Unilever NV and Unilever PLC, agreed to acquire GSK's health food drinks portfolio, collectively called GSK Consumer Healthcare, after GSK put the business up for sale as part of a strategic review.
The consumer health unit offers a range of food and drinks brands, including malted milk drink Horlicks.
In a June 1 filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India, GSK Consumer Healthcare said the majority of its shareholders approved the proposed sale to Hindustan Unilever. The approval comes over four months after the Competition Commission of India greenlighted the deal.
The transaction comprises an all-equity merger of Hindustan Unilever and GSK Consumer Healthcare, as well as the acquisition of an 82% stake in GSK Bangladesh Ltd. and other commercial operations and assets outside India.
The deal is still subject to approval by Hindustan Unilever shareholders. The companies initially scheduled the completion of the deal to take place within 12 months from December 2018.


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Amazon is all set to hire 75,000 workers in Canada and the US to meet the growing demand of logistics operations. The Online retail company also said that it will also offer a $100 bonus to its staff who already have been vaccinated
Amazon said that the jobs will offer starting pay of $17 per hour, which was earlier $15 an hour reflecting fresh hikes of between 50 cents and $3 an hour for about half a million workers in the United States
The hiring comes into the picture as the company is gearing up for Prime Day next month. It’s one of the busiest shopping day’s events for Amazon every year.
To attract more staff, companies like Chipotle and McDonald’s have declared wage hikes in recent days
Mandy of its job openings is in 14 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Amazon also said that it will offer a sign-on bonus of up to $1,000 to attract new staff in certain locations. Amazon has claimed that it safeguards workers’ health and safety.
Amazon advertised the COVID-19 safety measures at facilities and said it’s expanded its on-site vaccination program.


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Two New York City mailmen—including one who allegedly trashed a bunch of packages after becoming "overwhelmed" by holiday mail—are facing up to five years in prison after being arraigned Tuesday, the New York Post reports. Daniel Darby started a new route in Queens on Dec. 2 but found himself completely stressed out by the increase in mail. According to court documents, he bought three garbage bags, filled them with mail, and threw them away. The New York Daily News reports Darby is estimated to have tossed 1,000 packages, cards, and other pieces of mail. Court documents state he also opened some of the mail to see what was in it before throwing it away. The bags of mail were found in a residential garbage can two days later.
Meanwhile, Brooklyn mailman James Hayden allegedly opened mail and stole 50 gift cards throughout the past year, using them to buy at least $1,000 worth of stuff, the Post reports. The authorities caught on to Hayden after a Florida mom complained to the post office that a $100 gift card she sent her son never arrived. According to court documents, surveillance footage showed Hayden using that gift card while still wearing his uniform. He allegedly even used the cards to have goods delivered to the post office where he works, the Daily News reports. According to the Post, Darby was charged with unlawfully delaying and destroying mail, and Hayden was charged with stealing mail. Both men have been suspended without pay, NBC New York reports. (More mail stories.)


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LG Electronics says it will unveil a new 4K ULTRA HDTV with quantum dot technology as a new component of its expanded TV line-up at the 2015 International Consumer Electronics Association (CES) holding from January 6-9, 2015 in Las Vegas, USA.
LG’s 4K ULTRA HD TVs with quantum dot technology will offer a wider colour palette and improved colour saturation than conventional LCD TVs and will be available in 2015 to complement LG’s other ULTRA HD TV and OLED TV offerings.
According to LG, the quantum dot technology displays an extremely wide colour gamut, making it ideal for 4K content. The technology works by harnessing nano crystals that range in size from 2 to 10 nanometers. Each dot emits a different colour depending on its size. By adding a film of quantum dots in front of the LCD backlight, picture colour reproduction rate and overall brightness are significantly improved.
LG’s 4K ULTRA HD TVs with quantum dot technology will employ technology designed with the environment in mind as they contain no cadmium or any other toxic heavy metals.
“Quantum dot’s vibrant and vivid colour reproduction capabilities brings LG’s LCD TVs to the next level when it comes to picture quality,” said In-kyu Lee, senior vice president and head of the TV and monitor division at the LG Electronics Home Entertainment Company. “The addition of ULTRA HD TV with quantum dot technology to our TV line-up positioned under our award-winning OLED TVs further establishes LG as a leading provider of the most diverse and innovative TV display technologies in the industry.”
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Elon Musk recently unveiled “Part Deux” of his Tesla Master Plan, which included a shift toward energy among other things. But, there’s also been talk of a Volkswagen-Inspired Minibus… which the CEO has seemed to confirm.
Following a piece by Jalopnik, who offered up the above rendering, Musk took to Twitter to offer details.
He says it will be built on top of the Model X chassis, and be “autonomous or semi-autonomous urban vehicles ideal for moving lots of people around while being quicker and more agile than larger traditional buses,” writes Jalopnik.
However, its unclear when these awesome Minibuses would be released.
Some good guessing by @Jalopnik. The Tesla Minibus will be built on a Model X chassis. People density potential is surprisingly high.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2016