text:
In a tight market, stores lure holiday workers with perks
NEW YORK (AP) — Retailers are dangling perks like higher pay, extra discounts and more flexible schedules to lure temporary holiday workers in a tighter labour market.
They’re also more determined to lock in their workers earlier. Macy’s and Target are holding their first nationwide recruitment fairs, and others like consumer electronics chain Hhgregg Inc. are making it easier to apply for temporary holiday jobs via mobile devices.
Some companies are also widening their standards. Significantly more companies said they would be more willing to hire temporary workers with criminal backgrounds than two years ago, according to job listing site Snagajob.com.
Brexit: where we are now in Britain’s decision to leave EU
LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May has outlined a broad timetable for the country’s departure from the European Union. That should bring more clarity about Britain’s future, right? Not necessarily.
May offered the first clear date for the start of the Brexit process, rallying the Conservative Party troops at their annual conference with a promise to trigger Article 50 of the EU Treaty by the end of March 2017. Invoking Article 50 is the starting gun to begin formal negotiations to leave and determine what the new relationship will be like. European leaders and company executives have been pushing the government to say when it plans to trigger Article 50 so they can begin preparing for a post-EU Britain.
Stocks fall broadly, led by drops in real estate, utilities
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks fell in light trading Monday as investors dumped former darlings of the market, real estate companies and utilities.
Indexes slumped from the start of trading and remained down throughout the day as investors continue to speculate about when the Federal Reserve is likely to raise interest rates as the economy strengthens. A report earlier in the day showed U.S. manufacturing picking up.
The selling was modest, but broad. Eight of the 11 sectors of the Standard and Poor’s 500 index closed down for the day.
US factory activity picked up in September
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. manufacturing rebounded in September after contracting in August. New orders and production at factories increased, although employment fell — a sign that manufacturers have yet to fully stabilize after a difficult year.
The Institute for Supply Management said Monday that its manufacturing index rose to 51.5 in September from 49.4 in August. Any reading above 50 signals expansion.
U.S. factories have faced a brutal slowdown over the past year. The strong dollar made their goods less affordable overseas, hurting exports. Lower oil prices caused energy companies to cut back on orders of equipment and pipeline. Auto sales have also levelled off this year after reaching a record level in 2015. The result has been layoffs and declining levels of production, with the ISM index being among the few signs of recovery until August when the index showed a manufacturing pullback.
US construction spending fell again in August
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. builders trimmed spending on construction projects in August for a second straight month with housing, non-residential and government activity all seeing declines.
Construction spending dropped 0.7 per cent in August after a 0.3 per cent slip in July, the Commerce Department reported Monday. It was the third decline in the past five months.
Residential construction decreased 0.3 per cent, while non-residential activity was down 0.4 per cent. Spending on government projects fell 2 per cent, dragged down by a sharp drop in activity at the state and local level. That has fallen to the lowest point since March 2014.
More free money, please: Alaskans bemoan sum of yearly check
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Yes, you could call it free money.
But that doesn’t mean all Alaskans are happy about the $1,022 dividend checks nearly every resident will receive starting Thursday from the state’s oil wealth fund.
Folks were looking at getting more than twice that amount.
Each year, residents get the checks from the Alaska Permanent Fund, a reward of sorts for living here at least a full calendar year.
Automakers report mixed US sales results in September
DETROIT (AP) — U.S. auto sales fell slightly in September as demand for new cars and trucks sputtered.
Sales dropped 0.5 per cent to 1.4 million in September, according to Autodata Corp. It was the fourth month of year-over-year sales declines so far this year.
Automakers reported mixed results Monday. Nissan’s sales rose 4.9 per cent over last September. Hyundai and Subaru reported 4-per cent sales gains, while Toyota’s sales rose 1.5 per cent. General Motors’ and Honda’s sales were flat for the month. Fiat Chrysler’s sales fell 1 per cent. Ford and Volkswagen both reported 8-per cent declines.
Slowing sales aren’t necessarily bad news for automakers or consumers. Sales remain near historic highs, and some analysts suggest 2016 sales could still top the record of 17.5 million set last year. Favourable conditions such as low interest rates and low gas prices remain in place. Consumer confidence hit a nine-year high in September, according to the Conference Board’s index.
Outdoor giant Bass Pro to acquire rival Cabela’s for $4.5B
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Outdoor gear giant Bass Pro is snapping up rival Cabela’s in a $4.5 billion deal announced Monday.
Bass Pro is paying Cabela’s shareholders $65.50 cash per share, a 19 per cent premium to Friday’s closing price. The deal combines two companies known for their giant destination superstores.
It also creates uncertainty about jobs in Cabela’s home state of Nebraska. The combined companies plan to keep some operations in Sidney and Lincoln, Nebraska, but it’s not immediately clear how many jobs might be lost.
Cabela’s employs about 2,000 people in the western Nebraska town of Sidney, which has about 7,000 residents. State Sen. Ken Schilz, who represents the area, said the deal is concerning because of the duplication between the two companies’ headquarters that will be eliminated.
Illinois suspends $30B in Wells Fargo activity; bank ‘sorry’
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois state Treasurer Michael Frerichs suspended $30 billion in state investment activity with Wells Fargo on Monday, joining a swelling chorus of outrage over the scandal which saw bank employees opening millions of phoney accounts to meet sales goals.
Frerichs was uncertain how much the yearlong suspension would cost the nation’s second-largest bank, which serves as broker-dealer for state investments, but said it likely amounts to millions of dollars.
The move by Illinois, which has nearly $1 trillion a year in banking activities, follows closely on similar action last week by California after regulators in that state and the federal government fined the company $185 million.
Investment firms Henderson and Janus to combine
NEW YORK (AP) — Henderson, a London-based investment firm, plans to combine with U.S. rival Janus Capital and create a new company that would manage more than $320 billion in assets.
The combined company will be called Janus Henderson Global Investors and its stock will be traded on the New York Stock Exchange when the deal closes, which is expected to happen in the second quarter of next year. The new company will be headquartered in London and keep offices in Denver, where Janus is based.
Bringing the two companies together will create one company that manages assets across the world. Henderson’s biggest market is the U.K., while Janus has its strongest presence in the U.S. The combined company will also manage assets in Asia, South America and Australia.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 54.30 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 18,253.85. The S&P 500 index lost 7.07 points, or 0.3 per cent, to 2,161.20. The Nasdaq composite declined 11.13 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 5,300.87.
Benchmark U.S. crude oil rose 57 cents to close at $48.81 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 70 cents to close at $50.89 a barrel in London. Wholesale gasoline edged up 1 cent to $1.47 a gallon, heating oil rose 1 cent to $1.55 a gallon and natural gas increased 2 cents to $2.923 per 1,000 cubic feet.


text:
Officials with an Atlanta company told California newspaper The Sacramento Bee people are spending more money for funeral services and cemetery arrangements for their pets. Pet cemeteries are nothing new, but the number of funeral services with viewings, prayers, and blessings has substantially increased, according to the International Association of Pet Cemeteries and Crematories in Georgia.
Doyle Shugart, who serves on the organization’s board of directors and runs a pet cemetery in Atlanta, told the California paper he’s seen people dress in black to grieve at a pet’s gravesite. He’s also noticed that pet owners don’t mind spending money on their beloved.
The Sacramento Bee reports people are expected to spend $51 billion on pets in 2011 based on a survey by the American Pet Products Association, but it was unclear from the survey how much owners would spend on pet burials. The newspaper reported, however, pet funerals with viewings and prayers are becoming more common and cost $800 and up, according to industry experts.

domain: news


text:
GRIFFIN - Tim Williams' goal was to create a device to test soil moisture around peanut pods, but his modest invention is now helping probe the soil of the Red Planet for traces of water.
Williams was on sabbatical in 1987 working with a Washington State University team led by soil scientist Gaylon Campbell when he started to design a device to measure the water content around delicate peanut pods without destroying them.
His handheld contraption has two parallel needles - one is heated with a known quantity of energy and the other measures what happens to that heat when it's put into the ground. The tool was uncomplicated. Most of the University of Georgia agronomist's half-dozen or so inventions are simplifications of more complex measuring instruments.
Williams also designed a device to measure radiation in crops to help scientists understand the productivity of a crop, and he devised a gauge of leaf coverage on the ground to estimate how much light penetrates ground cover.
He'd forgotten the peanut invention until he got a call last year saying it would be part of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander.
Campbell's company, Decagon Devices, had updated the contraption for the Mars mission, making it more durable and adding the capacity to measure the thermal and electrical properties, air temperature, wind speed and water vapor.
It is mounted on a robotic arm that will excavate a trench in the planet's surface.
For Williams, who has researched peanuts for 38 years, it's exhilarating to see his brainchild delve into the subsoil of the Red Planet.
"I got much more excited when it hit Mars and survived the impact," Williams said. "It's one of those little things you look at and say, 'Wow.' "
Study: All employees surf Internet for personal use at work
NEW YORK - It's no secret that people sneak in some personal e-mail and Web surfing when they're supposed to be working.
A new study attempts to shatter perceptions that these Web surfers are just slackers trying to avoid work. In fact, it turns out everyone does it, from senior managers to entry-level employees - and researchers figure that means management attempts to clamp down on Internet use may be missing the mark.
Many legitimate reasons may be at play, speculates R. Kelly Garrett, one of the study's authors and a communications professor at Ohio State University. For example, people may use the Web at work to help balance job and life responsibilities; with the personal matters taken care of from work, they can focus on the task at hand.
"It's appropriate to just avoid the knee-jerk response that all personal Internet use is detrimental," Garrett said.
Installing filters to block access to Web sites and e-mail services could backfire by reducing job satisfaction and thus productivity, researchers wrote.
The study on "cyberslacking," based on statistical analyses of responses in a phone survey of 1,024 people during the summer of 2006, was published in the June issue of the CyberPsychology and Behavior journal.
Garrett's co-author was James N. Danziger, a professor at the Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations at the University of California, Irvine.
The study didn't attempt to go much beyond trying to gauge the types of employees who use the Internet for personal reasons. Garrett said more research is needed to determine motives and measure effects on productivity. Those studies, researchers say, would then help companies figure out how best to control and accommodate personal use.
Internet domain name for China surpasses '.net' used worldwide
A study by VeriSign Inc., which runs the ".net" databases and other core directories for helping computers find Web sites and route e-mail, found that ".cn" overtook ".net" sometime in the first quarter of 2008.
VeriSign did not provide registration breakdowns but said ".cn" registrations grew 23 percent from the previous quarter and were triple those in the same period in 2007.
The findings come as China reported the number of Internet users there has soared to 221 million, by some measures tying the U.S. online population as largest in the world.
There's no threat of ".cn" overtaking ".com" any time soon, however. The ".com" suffix, which VeriSign also runs, is the overwhelming leader, with 76.5 million registrations worldwide, while ".de" is second with 12.1 million, according to the German group.
Both ".com" and ".net" are global domain names, available to individuals, groups and companies worldwide on a first-come, first-served basis. They are typically used by U.S. entities, however. Elsewhere, country-specific addresses such as ".de" and ".cn" are typically preferred.
Hyundai offers 3-D TV for Japan market
TOKYO - Badminton matches look so real playing on Hyundai's new 3-D TV that you may reflexively dodge the virtual shuttlecock. A polar bear pawing the glass of his tank may seem to be inside the TV pushing on the screen.
Hyundai is offering - in Japan only - the first product for watching the 3-D programs that cable stations in Japan now broadcast about four times a day.
There are a few catches:
The 46-inch liquid-crystal display requires 3-D glasses.
It's expensive - $3,960, including two pairs of glasses, or about 25 percent more than a comparable regular LCD TV.
The only programs available so far include just a few minutes of video from the northern island of Hokkaido - shots from the zoo, motorcycle-races and other short scenes.
Seen on regular TVs, 3-D programs split the screen vertically so the same image appears in both the left and right halves. Conversely, wearing the 3-D glasses while watching regular programming on the Hyundai 3-D TV produces a slight 3-D effect.
The TV uses stereoscopic technology called TriDef from DDD Group Plc in Santa Monica, Calif., which works by sending the same image separately for the left eye and the right eye.
Ryo Saito of BS 11, the cable channel that runs the 3-D shows, says more content is needed for the technology to catch on, and other manufacturers need to start making 3-D televisions.
"People are showing interest in 3-D programs, but most homes don't have the special TVs," he said.
Samsung already sells 3-D rear projection TVs in the U.S., but there are no 3-D TV broadcasts in the United States. The technology is also available on desktop monitors and for video games.
Hyundai IT is hoping to boost its image by gaining a niche audience in Japan, where the TV market is dominated by Sony Corp. and Sharp Corp. The South Korean electronics maker's 3-D TV went on sale in April, but unit sales numbers weren't available.
There is no plan to sell the TV overseas, said senior manager Kim Pyeng-joong.
YouTube opens virtual screening room
LOS ANGELES - Google Inc.'s YouTube is setting up a virtual screening room to bring the work of independent filmmakers to a global audience.
Struggling filmmakers already use YouTube to kick-start viral marketing campaigns. The new feature, which debuts Wednesday, gives them an easy-to-find home - and makes them partners in drawing new ad revenue.
"Hopefully as they see thousands of people watching their films, it's going to be a very eye-opening experience," said Sara Pollack, YouTube's film and animation manager.
The screening room will highlight four new films a week, picked by a YouTube editorial panel.
Submissions are welcomed. The panel also will scour film festivals and work with partners such as the Sundance Channel to identify prospects.
Among the first eight titles to be showcased are "Love and War," a stop-motion puppet movie by a Swedish director; the Oscar-nominated short "I Met The Walrus," about an interview with John Lennon; and "Are You the Favorite Person of Anybody?" by performance artist Miranda July.
Filmmakers can choose to have a "Buy Now" button attached to their work for sales of DVDs or digital copies. They will also collect a majority share of ad revenue generated from views of their work.
YouTube said people whose clips regularly attract a million viewers can make several thousand dollars a month.
The bigger prize can be exposure.
When YouTube featured the nine-minute short "Spider" by Nash Edgerton in February, it became the fifth-best-selling short on iTunes, Pollack said.
The creators of the full-length feature "Four Eyed Monsters," Susan Buice and Arin Crumley, got their break when more than a million YouTube views helped land them a TV and DVD distribution deal, she said.
"They ended up doing really, really well, ironically by putting their film online for free," Pollack said.
To view the YouTube screening room, go to www.youtube.com/ytscreeningroom.


text:
McDonald's future isn't about America anymore
For the first time in more than 40 years, the number of McDonald's restaurants in America is shrinking.
Executives told the Associated Press that closures are outpacing new fast-food restaurants in America. US sales have been on the decline for the past five years.
The company will close 700 underperforming restaurants this year, many in the US. It has more than 36,000 total locations.
The changing attitude of US consumers is one of the greatest challenges for McDonald's, former CEO Don Thompson said in a call with investors last year.
"Customers want to personalize their meals with locally relevant ingredients. They also want to enjoy eating in a contemporary inviting atmosphere. And they want choices: choices in how they order, choices in what they order, and how they’re served," Thompson said.
Thompson has since been replaced by Steve Easterbrook.
As McDonald's loses market share in the US, it's increasingly looking like its future is overseas.
The company is opening hundreds of restaurants in Europe and Asia.
One of McDonald's most successful current markets is in France. The company has 1,200 locations there and is investing 200 million euros to expand more.
Business Insider's Pamela Engel notes that McDonald's franchises in France are far superior to the ones in America.
Customers place orders on touch screens that feature different languages. The restaurants also have high-end offerings like an elevated McCafe and a blue-cheese burger.
At McDonald's in Australia, workers prepare fresh food orders in front of customers. Items feature fresh ingredients like pineapple and guacamole.
While McDonald's has tried some of these innovations in America, its store fleet is so big that the company can't scale new ideas as easily.
For instance, when McDonald's tried to launch a customizable-burger program, it was plagued by operational challenges like high cost to franchisees and long wait times for customers.
McDonald's also has more competition in the US than it does overseas, where chains like Panera Bread and Chipotle aren't prevalent.
McDonald's might have trouble innovating in the US.
But it can still dominate overseas.
NOW WATCH: 8 fast food hacks that will change the way you order


text:
Benjamin Franklin once said, “No nation was ever ruined by trade.”
Donald Trump seems determined to prove the US founding father wrong.
In 1960, trade was nine percent of US GDP; today trade comprises some 28 percent of US GDP. At the same time that trade is increasingly important to the American economy, the US president’s actions and policies will make it harder for other nations to find common ground with Washington on trade agreements.
During the presidential campaign, Trump promised to disrupt America’s long-standing efforts to negotiate bilateral, regional and multilateral rules to govern trade. With his usual flair for hyperbole, he called the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) “the worst trade deal maybe ever signed anywhere.” He stated that if he were president, the United States would drop out of “job-killing” agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He promised to abandon some agreements and renegotiate regional and multilateral trade agreements on a bilateral level. Trump wanted the world to understand he would “put America first.” In so doing, he made it clear, he would give short shrift to the concerns of US trading partners.
As president, Trump has centralized trade policy making in the White House, while vacillating between protectionist rhetoric and mildly protectionist actions. For example, he threatened to label China and Germany currency manipulators, although the Treasury Department decreed neither nation met the criteria for such naming and shaming. Trump also used his bully pulpit to trash America’s closest trade partners, Canada and Mexico. Canada buys 18 percent of all American exports, more than any other country, yet Trump blasted Canada for dumping softwood lumber (a long-standing trade dispute). Trump also criticized Mexico for taking jobs from Americans — although one of the key objectives of NAFTA was to create enough economic growth in Mexico so that fewer Mexicans would illegally cross the border to find jobs in the United States.
Spring brought even more bellicose signals. In late April, Trump suggested that the White House is willing to disrupt long-standing trade relationships and risk trust in the United States. In an alarming move, Trump threatened to sign an executive order directing the United States to withdraw from NAFTA. He backpedalled after receiving advice from his cabinet, criticism from many members of Congress, and calls from the Canadian and Mexican leaders that they were willing to renegotiate the agreement — although US Commerce secretary Wilbur Ross added to the uncertainty this week, saying on Tuesday that “we have not yet decided whether to go the trilateral route or whether to pursue two matching bilateral deals.”
The president also directed the Commerce Department and the Office of the US Trade Representative to review all of America’s recent trade agreements. The executive order states that the president believes that trade agreements “must increase economic growth, contribute to the balance of trade, and strengthen the manufacturing base.” The order explains that these agreements are unfair if they harm “American workers, manufacturers, ranchers, business, intellectual property rights, innovation, or research.” And in a sign of the administration’s lack of understanding of trade and of fairness, the order stated that the United States would rely upon annual trade deficits as the one metric to determine if America is being treated “fairly” by its trade partners. Some observers were left to wonder how this metric, which generally moves in lockstep with net national borrowing, could illuminate whether a trade agreement’s provisions are fair. Taken in sum, Trump’s rhetoric and actions alienated allies and trade partners whose help and understanding America has relied on and whose support might be needed in other areas of foreign policy.
Trump and his advisers appear not to understand key aspects of trade policy.
First, many Americans are deeply tied to the global economy as consumers, producers, taxpayers, citizens or shareholders saving for college or retirement. Recent polling data reveals that they are supportive of trade and trade agreements as tools to shape globalization and do not necessarily embrace protectionism. Gallup surveyed 1,035 Americans in February 2017, and found a record-high 72 percent see foreign trade as an opportunity for economic growth, up from 58 percent in 2016. Some 71 percent of those polled say promoting favourable trade policies is “very important” (although “favourable” was not defined). While many Americans blame trade for job loss, and the decline of manufacturing employment in particular, in April 2017 the Pew Research Center reported that some 52 percent of Americans say free trade agreements are good for the United States, while 40 percent view them as bad. Pew also found younger and more educated people tend to be more supportive of trade agreements. Clearly, Americans see opportunity in the global economy, although they have concerns about the potential effects of trade agreements.
Second, Trump has indicated that any new trade deals will be bilateral rather than among several or many nations at a time. Trump and his team presume the United States will have more leverage in one-on-one talks. But his vision of US leverage in the global economy is a bit outdated. The US economy is growing, but its share and influence are shrinking relatively as the share of other countries in global GDP and trade grows. At the dawn of the twenty-first century, the United States contributed some 30 percent of global GDP; in 2015, the US share of world GDP was 24.32 percent. In 2016, the EU 28 comprised the world’s largest exporter of goods, followed by China and the United States. While the United States is the largest exporter of services, and services are increasingly important to trade, China is now the world’s largest manufacturer and trading nation. Thus, the United States has less leverage in many aspects of trade talks. Moreover, for many sectors, countries have alternative suppliers, which could make the United States relatively less attractive. Meanwhile, there is no evidence that negotiators can achieve better results with bilateral negotiations. Bilateral negotiations are more time- and labour-intensive. And bilateral trade talks simply would not be useful in negotiating rules for new sectors such as digital trade. The platform for facilitating information flows — the Internet — is designed to be universal and global. Hence, the system of rules governing trade in information flows needs to be global as well.
Third, many Trump administration officials talk about trade as if it is some form of sport with two teams that can have only one winner. Trump insists that after he renegotiates these agreements, America and Americans will again be winners. But the United States and many of its trade partners are diversified modern economies with many different sectors — from agriculture to 3D printing to health care. Each sector could be affected differently through trade negotiations; hence, there can be no overall victory for US citizens and companies. Depending on a sector’s competitiveness and other factors such as governance, some sectors and individuals may benefit more than others from trade liberalization, and some sectors and individuals may not benefit at all. Moreover, the effects of trade agreements are likely to vary over time, as markets, technologies and governance evolve over time. In any trade negotiation, the United States has many issues that it wants to promote — from regulating in a fair transparent manner, to advancing labour rights. Here, too, shrewd negotiators will have to pick and choose their priorities. No country can get everything it wants. In recognition that trade negotiations are complex, trade negotiators strive to achieve reciprocity; Country A trades off market access or a system of rules in one sector for another sector and Country B does the same. Reciprocity makes it easier for negotiators to find compromises on an issue or in a sector.
Fourth, while the president sets the tone, he does not set the objectives and strategy for the United States on trade. Under the US Constitution, he cannot make trade policy on his own. Trade policy-making authority is shared between the executive and legislative branches. Many members of Congress are deeply concerned with the direction of trade policy and disagree with how Trump is treating America’s trade partners. Democrats and Republicans are publicly criticizing his approach and perspective.
Finally, Trump does not seem to understand what trade agreements do and why they are helpful to individuals and firms engaged in trade as consumers, producers, taxpayers and investors. They are designed to build trust among people and firms who may not know each other but want to engage in trade. In fact, humans have drafted trade agreements since ancient times. The ancients didn’t know who made the goods they desired or how these goods were produced. They learned to rely on trade agreements, which allowed them to make commitments, take a leap of faith and exchange goods for money.
Trump is not alone in his misunderstanding of what trade agreements do. These agreements are long and complicated, and cover a wide range of issues that at first blush don’t look like trade issues. Really, they are governance agreements that set rules to govern trade. Policy makers use these agreements to limit how and when nations can erect barriers to trade and when nations might take exception to these rules. Over the years, policy makers have negotiated and renegotiated trade agreements to ensure that they reflect how markets, technologies and governments have evolved. In the nineteenth century, trade agreements covered only border measures such as tariffs and quotas. But in the twentieth century, policy makers began to focus on domestic policies such as regulations, standards and subsidies, which also could distort trade. As they included such non-tariff barriers, trade negotiators expanded the definition of unfair trade beyond the misuse of border measures and got deeper into domestic regulatory policies. Not surprisingly, some critics see these agreements as breaching sovereignty, undermining democracy and being unfair, because they essentially “re-regulate.”
However, Trump administration officials don’t acknowledge the many types of “fairness” governed by recent trade agreements. Since 1974, the Congress has required that trade agreements signed by the United States include language on non-tariff trade barriers such as health and safety regulations, product standards and, more recently, even language on online privacy and regulatory transparency. Signatories must ensure that when they regulate they do so in the least trade-distorting manner. The United States also requires that its trade partners allow their citizens and foreign producers not only to comment on potential regulations that can have trade effects but also to challenge regulations that distort trade. Because trade agreements require trade partners to regulate transparently and in the least trade-distorting manner possible, these agreements could make trade “fairer” for more people more of the time.
In sum, trade agreements are all about creating and maintaining trust among citizens, policy makers and firms in different nations. However, with his recent executive order on trade and his threats to pull out of NAFTA, Trump is telling citizens, executives and policy makers from other countries that he not only distrusts these agreements, he distrusts them because he presumes they are acting in ways that are unfair to Americans. Moreover, should his administration determine that an agreement needs renegotiation, Trump will struggle to regain the trust of other countries he has labelled “unfair.” As the United States dithers, the European Union, China, Canada and Mexico will continue to negotiate trade agreements, pivoting away from the United States as the fulcrum for trade policy. These nations will set the rules for key sectors such as digital trade. Trump’s rhetoric and policies will likely to make it harder for Americans to lead and effectively participate in twenty-first-century markets. That could be ruinous for America.


text:
March 9, 2022
During the pandemic, the San Francisco-based Autodesk Gallery remained shuttered, but now that the cities are relaxing the pandemic rules, the Gallery is planning to reopen its doors for guided tours in the future. The exhibits highlight, among other things, Lightning Motorcycle's use of Autodesk Fusion 360's generative design to build a swing arm; NASA JPL's use of generative design to build an interplanetary lander; and Hyundai Motor Group's New Horizon Studio's use of Autodesk software to design a vehicle that can literally walk.
Watch editor Kenneth Wong's video report from his visit.
More Autodesk Coverage
Subscribe to our FREE magazine,FREE email newsletters or both!
About the Author
Kenneth Wong is Digital Engineering’s resident blogger and senior editor. Email him at [email protected] or share your thoughts on this article at digitaleng.news/facebook.Follow DE


text:
Hasbro (NASDAQ:HAS) is scheduled to post its quarterly earnings results before the market opens on Monday, April 23rd. Analysts expect Hasbro to post earnings of $0.42 per share for the quarter.
Hasbro (NASDAQ:HAS) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $2.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.82 by $0.48. Hasbro had a net margin of 7.61% and a return on equity of 36.36%. The company had revenue of $1.60 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.72 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.64 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect Hasbro to post $5 EPS for the current fiscal year and $6 EPS for the next fiscal year.
Shares of NASDAQ:HAS opened at $82.81 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 2.56 and a current ratio of 2.90. Hasbro has a 12-month low of $82.45 and a 12-month high of $116.20. The firm has a market cap of $10,503.02, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.17, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.87.
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.63 per share. This is an increase from Hasbro’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 30th. Hasbro’s payout ratio is 41.76%.
Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. BidaskClub raised shares of Hasbro from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Hasbro from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 10th. Wells Fargo restated a “market perform” rating and set a $100.00 price target (up from $95.00) on shares of Hasbro in a report on Thursday, February 8th. B. Riley boosted their price target on shares of Hasbro from $108.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. Finally, Jefferies Group set a $110.00 price target on shares of Hasbro and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $105.07.
In related news, EVP Wiebe Tinga sold 3,955 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.19, for a total value of $384,386.45. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Thomas J. Jr. Courtney sold 8,884 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.51, for a total transaction of $866,278.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 394,435 shares of company stock worth $38,337,975. 9.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
COPYRIGHT VIOLATION NOTICE: “Hasbro (HAS) to Release Earnings on Monday” was first reported by Dispatch Tribunal and is the property of of Dispatch Tribunal. If you are reading this piece on another website, it was stolen and reposted in violation of U.S. & international copyright and trademark law. The correct version of this piece can be read at https://www.dispatchtribunal.com/2018/04/22/hasbro-has-to-release-earnings-on-monday.html.
Hasbro Company Profile
Hasbro, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a play and entertainment company. The company's U.S. and Canada segment markets and sells action figures, arts and crafts, and creative play products; electronic toys and related electronic interactive products; fashion and other dolls, infant products, play sets, preschool toys, plush products, and sports action blasters and accessories; and vehicles and toy-related specialty products, as well as traditional board games, and trading card and role-playing games primarily in the United States and Canada.
Receive News & Ratings for Hasbro Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hasbro and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.


text:
TOKYO, March 16 (Reuters) - Japan’s Fast Retailing said only 30 out of its 750 Uniqlo stores in China were still closed, meaning most of its shops outside Hubei province, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, had now reopened.
Uniqlo had closed around 350 of its popular casual clothing stores in China a month ago. China has been a key growth market for the company, which faces a saturated market and weak consumer spending in Japan.
A spokeswoman said it had not yet decided on any closures in the North America, where it has around 60 stores. Retailers including Nike Inc and Lululemon Athletica Inc have said they were closing stores in the United States to help limit the spread of the coronavirus.
Reporting by Ritsuko Ando, editing by Louise Heavens


text:
The trucking industry faces many challenges, including the fact that most long-haul commercial truck drivers don’t stay on the job very long. Because of this turnover, many companies rely on inexperienced drivers and those with poor driving records. Amazon relies on trucking companies that bend the rules and are less safe than the industry average.
Amazon has bought or leased about 63,000 trailers since 2015. Outside companies drove them about 1.5 million miles in August. Steve DasGupta, Amazon’s freight unit safety director, told the Wall Street Journal that about 50,000 trucking companies rotate through its network.
The Journal article illustrates the problems with the trucks and drivers it hires:
- A driver, later convicted of driving while intoxicated, was found with a crack pipe after driving the truck into a ditch.
- A driver was in a fatal accident after losing control of his truck while braking. It happened two months after the trucking company ignored a police order to repair the truck’s brakes
- Another driver was involved in two accidents in a single trip between warehouses. The second involved crossing a highway and hitting another truck head-on, killing the other driver
All three companies involved received unsafe driving scores from the US Transportation Department (DOT). These scores are an industry standard for assessing trucker safety. From February 2020 to early August 2022, more than 1,300 Amazon trucking contractors had scores worse than the level where the agency normally takes action against a company.
Amazon Needs Freight Shipped and Isn’t Always Picky About Who’s Hired for the Work
As Amazon ramped up its freight effort due to the COVID-19 pandemic boom in online shopping, it used trucking contractors with repeat safety violations. Trucking contractors frequently working for Amazon were more than twice as likely as similar companies to have unsafe driving scores.
More than 75 people were killed by trucking companies hired by Amazon since 2015. Amazon claims this is less than the industry average for fatalities per vehicle mile. Amazon states the three companies involved in the above accidents are suspended.
The company states it’s changed its trucking contractor screening process. Now 96.5% met Amazon’s internal acceptable safety scores, which is more stringent than DOT’s. The company claims in September only 1% of its trucking network fell short of its standards.
The Numbers Tell a Grim Story Amazon Doesn’t Want to Talk About
The Journal looked at 3,512 trucking companies that authorities inspected three or more times while hauling Amazon trailers since February 2020. They carried 75% of Amazon tractor-trailer shipments documented in government inspections.
Among this group, the DOT scores of 388 ranked in the worst 5% of their peers. These bottom-of-the-barrel truckers were twice as likely as others to be involved in a crash while working for Amazon.
According to the Journal,
‘The data show companies that “frequently haul Amazon’s freight are systematically more likely to have poor driving safety scores,” said Jason Miller, a Michigan State University professor who studies transportation safety and validated the Journal’s methodology and findings. The result, he said, is that “American motorists are put at greater risk.”’
Not surprisingly, Amazon would disagree with that conclusion.
Amazon Sets Safety Rules It Doesn’t Follow
Government records show that 48 companies with conditional ratings were hired by Amazon since early 2020, violating the company’s own rules. The company claimed it suspended 39 of them and had no record of working with the other eight.
Companies continued hauling Amazon freight after their scores became worse than Amazon’s internal standard. One problem Amazon has is companies with good safety ratings will book loads that are actually driven by companies suspended by Amazon.
To put Amazon’s safety issues in perspective, United Parcel Service (UPS) truck drivers since early 2020 have been cited by state inspectors and police for keeping false driving hour logs (meant to document that drivers get required rest breaks) in less than one in a thousand inspections. Amazon contractors violated this requirement at a rate about 70 times higher than UPS drivers.
How Does This Play Out in Court?
After being sued by victims of crashes involving trucks hauling Amazon freight, the company’s defense is it’s not its job to oversee its contractors’ safety on the road. They will blame the trucking company and possibly the victim if they drove the car involved in the crash. Plaintiffs will argue Amazon knew its contractor was unsafe or should’ve known it, but continued to hire it, putting others on the road in danger.
Take the Next Step. Call Tyler Fleck
If you or a loved one are injured or killed in an accident involving a commercial truck, contact The Fleck Firm today for a free consultation by calling us at (270) 446-7000. We’ll talk about what happened, your injuries, the law, and your best options to proceed. Insurance companies have lawyers. You should have one too.


text:
WAKEFIELD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Recognizing that Near Field Communication (NFC) is the de facto standard for short-range communication and that NFC innovation and deployments have expanded the NFC ecosystem, the NFC Forum announced today a new reduced membership fee for startups. The Startup Implementer Membership fee is exclusively for NFC-focused startup technology companies. It allows these young and developing companies to participate in the NFC Forum's technical, marketing, and educational efforts via the Forum's Special Interest Groups (SIGs). Startup Members are also granted free access to NFC Forum technical specifications and may participate in the Certification Program.
Organizations with revenue under $5 million (USD) and incorporated in the last five years are encouraged to join. The Startup Implementer Membership fee is $2500 per year.
"NFC functionality is available on all the major smartphones and consumers are aware of the convenience and ease of use of NFC," said Koichi Tagawa, NFC Forum Chairman. "The NFC ecosystem is experiencing tremendous growth, creating an ideal environment for innovative companies to develop new NFC-enabled services and applications. The opportunity for startup companies to get involved in the NFC Forum provides them access to the NFC ecosystem and will have a decisive impact on their business and the industry."
"As co-inventors of NFC, we are happy to see that this technology has enabled a variety of new business models and revenue streams. The innovation in the NFC field is often driven by startup companies, which makes it important to support them in their daily business – and this is exactly what the NFC Forum is now doing with the Startup Company Membership," said Alexander Rensink, Business Segment Manager at NXP Semiconductors and Vice Chairman of the NFC Forum.
- Find out more about the Startup Implementer Membership
- Watch this brief video to learn about NFC
- Visit the NFC Forum website
Establishment of the Startup Implementer Membership comes at a time of accelerating momentum for NFC, as over two billion NFC devices are expected to be in the global market by the end of this year, according to Juniper Research. Currently, the payment industry dominates the NFC market, but many analysts predict that public transportation, Internet of Things (IoT), wearables, and retail sectors will experience rapid NFC growth and consumer acceptance.
About NFC Forum Startup Implementer Membership
NFC Forum Startup Implementer Membership allows members to participate in NFC Forum meetings as well as participate in or chair a SIG Working Group. This is a significant new benefit added to the overall Startup Implementer Member package. They will also have access to final draft specifications after Technical Committee approval, as well as the ability to attend Plenary meetings and SIG Working Group and Task Force meetings. Other benefits can be found here.
Any organization with an interest in furthering the development and adoption of NFC technology is encouraged to apply for NFC Forum membership. In addition to its ongoing work via conference calls and online meetings, the NFC Forum holds face-to-face, all-members meetings three times a year to advance NFC initiatives, and to address specifications and other projects under development. The next all-members meeting will be held in Vienna, Austria, October 17-21, 2016.
About the NFC Forum
The NFC Forum (www.nfc-forum.org) was launched as a non-profit industry association in 2004 by leading mobile communications, semiconductor, and consumer electronics companies. The Forum's mission is to advance the use of Near Field Communication technology by developing specifications, ensuring interoperability among devices and services, and educating the market about NFC technology. The Forum's global member companies are currently developing specifications for a modular NFC device architecture, and protocols for interoperable data exchange and device-independent service delivery, device discovery, and device capability. The NFC Forum's Sponsor members, which hold seats on the Board of Directors, include leading players in key industries around the world. The Sponsor members are: Apple Inc., Broadcom Corporation, Dai Nippon Printing Co. Ltd., Google, Inc., Intel, MasterCard Worldwide, Nokia, NXP® Semiconductors, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sony Corporation, STMicroelectronics, and Visa Inc.


text:
South Africa has been moving towards open finance in recent years. Based on the adoption of similar open finance structures around the globe, the benefits to its consumers, innovative financial ecosystem and society are clear.
For consumers, open finance provides better choice, protection and personalised service aligned with their financial needs. Furthermore, if done in the right way, they will have more ability to understand and adjust their financial behaviours. For the innovative financial ecosystem, open finance offers financial institutions and fintechs alike better access to consumer-permission financial data, enabling them to better understand their customers’ positions and improve their services to meet specific consumer demands. For South African society, open finance promises to provide a stable and safe financial system that protects consumers against fraud and money laundering, along with greater data overview to improve public policy.
Despite these benefits, the specifics of implementing open finance in South Africa have yet to materialise fully. However, debate is underway within the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) and the wider industry.
A step in the right direction towards regulation
In 2020, the FSCA released a report1 identifying routes to regulation. It revealed an openness to data-led innovations a regulated open-finance framework would enable. If implemented, a well-connected framework of regulations, standards, implementation, and enforcement, South Africa can go beyond open banking systems already in place and reap the full advantages of open finance. Meanwhile, South Africa can not only learn from other open-finance implementations but improve on them, too.
What approach has the United Kingdom taken?
In 2016, the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority formed a new entity to define and deliver customers’ rights to access, control and share their customer, transaction and value-added financial data. The mandate has been largely successful, with nearly five million people leveraging open banking in the UK.2
While this number seems large, it could be bigger given the system’s maturity. One roadblock has been a requirement that providers must reauthenticate users’ permissions to remain connected to third-party applications every 90 days. It may sound simple, but has presented a serious hurdle for consumers. Only recently has the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority made changes that will unlock this issue.
Where is Australia in its journey towards open finance?
Under Australia’s open-banking regime, the Consumer Data Right, consumers may opt in to share their data with accredited organisations. But unlike the UK, Australian citizens can benefit from other types of financial data than just banking transactions alone, as they have the option to share their data from home loans, bank accounts, personal loans and offset accounts with these same accredited organizations.
However, while Australia continues to expand its data availability, banking-data providers, and accreditation of third-party organizations, Australian banks and fintechs have yet to be fully transformed. Data feed reliability needs improvement, so traditional forms of data gathering will be relied upon until those issues are ironed out.
What is next for South Africa?
South Africa’s vision is to deliver an open-finance framework that supports third-party financial-services providers in retrieving customer financial data and developing products and services around it. Clearly, it is already on a journey to creating such a framework. The question is not if but when and what lessons can be learned from other international rollouts.
Note: This article has been condensed for blog purposes. View it in its entirety at InternationalBanker.com.
1Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA): “Regulating Open Finance Consultation & Research Paper,” Kagiso Mothibi, Dino Lazaridis and Awelani Rahulani.
2Open Banking: “Three years since PSD2 marked the start of Open Banking, the UK has built a world-leading ecosystem.”


text:
Electrum and MyEtherWalle users face phishing attacks.
When an Electrum wallet queries a third-party Electrum server, the server can link two transactions together and know which address is a zero address.
Three former U.S. government military personnel have split from Zclassic and, like Zcash, ZenCash, which is based on the Equihash algorithm and uses GPU to mine.
ZClassic (ZCL) will be forked today, and according to the rules, all BTC and ZCL users will receive BTCP (bitcoin private) in a 1:1 ratio. The question, however, is whether 93 per cent of ZCL's trading volume comes from the Bittrex exchange, which did not say until a few hours ago whether it supported the fork and said bittrex would not support BTCP trading because of problems with Zclassic wallets and would not issue BTCP to BTC holders by a 1:1 ratio. Although ZCL's holders breathed a sigh of relief when they learned of the news, it caused some anger that it was too late to be announced, and the price of ZCL had fallen by 50% in a week.
e.g. Zcash, Horizen, Komodo, Zclassic, Bitcoin Private.
UH: What was the original inspiration behind the Zclassic fork to ZenCash?
According to HitBTC official sources, BTCP has been online on the platform. HitBTC had previously tested BTCP. Bitcoin Private (BTCP) was launched on March 4 by ZClassic fork BTC.
Bitcoin desktop wallet client Electrum has released a 4.0 beta version, adding several important updates, including support for the Lightning network, nearly a year after the previous version of Electrum, 3.3.8 (last July). In the 4.0 beta version, Electrum mainly added features such as PSBT (partially signed Bitcoin transactions), Lightning Network, watchtowers (暸 watchtowers) and Submarineswaps (subliminal switching). (Github)
According to Reddit user u/normal_rc, electrum's wallet was hacked and nearly 250 bitcoins (243.6 BTCs, nearly $1 million) were maliciously stolen, according to coinelegraph. Electrum then confirmed that the attack included creating a fake version of the wallet to trick users into providing password information. Electrum responded on Twitter that "this is a persistent phishing attack on Electrum users" and warned users not to download Electrum from any source other than the official website.
(merge future upstream changes), for example, the Zclassic team (a branch of Zcash) eliminated Founder's.
The founder of ZClassic announced the success of the BTCP fork
Grayscale added Zendash, a Zcash branch, to its digital currency investment list, according to Coindesk. Silbert says ZenCash is more widely used than zcash to support messaging and media applications, and has added ZenCash to the digital currency investment list. ZenCash is the cross coin of ZCash fork coin ZClassic.
ZClassic (ZCL) has released a beta version of the ZCL Electrum wallet.
ZCLassic (ZCL) is about to fork out today, with ZCL rising more than 22 per cent at one point and the currency rising to $122 at one point before falling back, according to CoinMarketCap. ZCLassic (ZCL) focuses on using centered and open source technologies to develop privacy transactions. ZCL's current global average price is $93.69, up 16.63% in 24 hours
Electrum uses the guide Qtum Electrum.
Electrum Wallet is one of the most popular Bitcoin wallets and has been around for several years. However, Electrum wallet users often rely on electrum servers, which presents some security and privacy trade-offs. If you use an Electrum personal server, Electrum wallet users can connect locally to their own private servers, enjoying the convenience of Electrum without any trade-offs.
Zcash / ZClassic / Zencash mining operation tutorial.
A clone site masquerading as an Electrum SV wallet has emerged. The cloning site has nothing to do with electrum SV and is designed to steal tokens and create chaos in the BSV community.
In a forum post on Bitcointalk, website administrator Theymos explained: "If at any time in the past you've logged in to Electrum without a wallet password and opened a web page, your wallet might have been stolen." Particularly paranoid people may want to send all bitcoins (BTCs) from their old Electrum wallets to the newly generated Electrum wallet. "
Zone 45 (ID: block-45) learned that BTCP's fork was not simply to modify Segwit or resize the block, but to add zk-Snarks. This privacy enhancement is known for Z-series coins such as Zcash, zclassic and zencash.
Users of Bitcoin wallet Electrum are facing a phishing attack, according to the Devi Security Lab. Hackers broadcast messages to the Electrum client through a malicious server, prompting the user to update to v4.0.0, and if the user follows the prompt to install this "backdoor-carrying client", the private key is stolen and all digital assets are stolen. At the time of writing, at least 1,450 BTCs worth about $11.6 million had been stolen from phishing attacks that faked Electrum upgrade tips. DeViable Security Labs hereby suggests that versions of Electrum below 3.3.4 are vulnerable to such phishing attacks, and users using Electrum Wallet are requested to update to the latest version of Electrum 3.3.8 via the official website (electrum.org), which has not yet been officially released, and do not use the link in the prompt to avoid asset losses.
In this demo, Electrum developer Chris Belcher shows how to set up and use electrum personal servers.
ZClassic (ZCL) wallets are in the final stages of testing and are expected to be released on January 8.Download DOCX about We Love Zclassic


text:
There is a patent law case that may change the way small businesses protect their business methods. According to Inc.com, a recent case argued before the Supreme Court of the United States, Bilski v. Doll, may alter the extent to which small and large businesses are able to patent business methods.
The case directly involves questions regarding the patentability of business methods, but has ramifications on the patent issues relating to computer software. Can a patent be granted to something that is not tied to a machine or transformation? Can business methods be patented? According to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the answer is no. However, the Supreme Court had agreed to hear the case and decide on the issue.
This issue is intregral because small businesses are shifting more and more of their business towards rapidly developing technologies related to e-commerce and the internet. The majority of business method related applications are filed in the area of U.S. Class 705 since the methods claimed in these applications are somehow related to financial data processing.
All of this talk brings about one question:


text:
CRA Insurance News – South Africa
By Admire Moyo
Big four bank Standard Bank is experimenting with blockchain technology for processing motor vehicle claims.
So says Deepesh Thomas, digital head at Standard Bank Wealth, in an e-mail interview with ITWeb.
This as the big four bank is aggressively pursuing the digital insurance space, which has been shaken up by the emerging insurtech start-up companies.
South Africa’s big four banks recently upped the ante in launching online insurance products amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The banks have seen a massive decrease in consumers visiting branches amid the coronavirus pandemic which has claimed over 16 000 lives in SA.
Insurtech start-up companies in SA have also been unveiling several digital insurance products that are disrupting the market.
Standard Bank Insurance, through its Direct Life Insurance Services division, recently announced it is offering consumers the option of purchasing life insurance online.
Thomas points out that Standard Bank recently invested in a low-code insurance platform that allows the bank to rapidly innovate and create products that can be tested with customers in a matter of weeks, as opposed to the traditional platforms that take years of customisation and implementation to get into the hands of customers.
He explains that the platform is powered in the cloud and is based on a software-as-a-service model. “The first product we created was a commercial cyber insurance product, which took us a couple of weeks to roll out.
“The investment in this specific capability allows us to focus on what we call a ‘two-speed architecture’, focusing on enhancing our existing products, services and operations and at the same time investing in our future-ready business by enabling rapid prototyping, new product development and partnering for speed,” says Thomas.
“Using this approach, we can cut product development time down from two or three years to six weeks, giving us the agility needed to meet consumer needs as quickly as they change.”
Regarding blockchain technology, Thomas is of the view that there is a need to make insurance more transparent for both customers and insurers.
He points out that this is especially true for the claims process. “Blockchain allows us to automate certain claims and at the same time make the process wholly transparent.
“For example, we are investigating using blockchain in the motor claims process. A windscreen replacement can be costly. In that process, the cost of assessment of that claim itself is high.
“Blockchain allows us to automate the process, reduce costs of claims and track previous claim behaviour and integrate it with the service provider. Both the insurer and the customer have visibility to the entire value chain as a result.”
Legacy IT pain
Thomas adds that Standard Bank is constantly looking at investing in innovation and strategic partnerships so it can respond to the needs of customers and the market in general.
“We have plans to scale our investment across our footprint in Africa and to further develop complementary products that we don’t currently have available.”
According to Thomas, generally incumbent insurers all share the same pain-point – legacy IT systems which create inflexibility in product development and innovation.
“We believe our investment in this platform will allow us to occupy a unique space in the market; an incumbent with the agility of an insurtech. We also see further opportunities of partnering with other incumbents to help them solve their legacy system pain-points.”
On the competition posed by the insurtech start-ups, Thomas says they are both a threat and an opportunity for Standard Bank.
“On the one hand, they have the agility and nimbleness to innovate and react quicker to customer needs than traditional incumbents; however, what we have seen in the market is that they have struggled to obtain the reach or scale needed to fully transform the insurance market, since establishing of a new brand, marketing and distribution in insurance is typically expensive.
“On the other hand, we see an opportunity to partner and create strategic alliances with some of these insurtech start-ups that fit into our overall vision and customer value proposition. In this model, we bring our brand and scale of distribution to help create a successful partnership and solve some of their pain-points.”
Article Credit to IT Web.


text:
It is certainly not game over for Huawei, as many tech analysts are concluding. They have already pronounced the game over twice, once over Google’s Android system denial, later on ARM processor ban
The UK ban on Huawei is a direct result of US pressure on its allies to not allow the Chinese company into their markets.
Newsclick’s Prabir Purkayastha talks about the decision of the United Kingdom to ban Huawei from its 5G network
The extension of the deferred ban on 46 affiliates of Huawei is seen as an attempt to pressure China for leverage in the ongoing trade negotiations.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit to Delhi will see the US try to resolve certain outstanding issues with India in its favor and bring the latter back to its fold
IEEE had decided to bar employees of Huawei from reviewing submissions to its journals. Following this, China declared that it would suspend ties with the society. Several professors of premiere universities also resigned from the from IEEE


text:
Reebok appears to have increased its commitment to mobile, accented by its first-ever geo-social campaign that’s running on Scvngr.
Through June 13, geo-social users on the platform who check in at Dick’s Sporting Goods stores and meet “challenges” can earn $10 off Reebok’s new RealFlex shoe. To get the reward, users need to accrue 30 points via the game-oriented Scvngr app at one of the 220 participating Dick’s locations. There, they can knock out so-called challenges like taking a photo of running shirts or shorts and uploading it for other Scvngr users to see. A Scvngr spokesperson told ClickZ the $10 coupon can typically be achieved in “a few” store visits. The players will also be entered into a sweepstakes giving away 50 pairs of the shoes and various Reebok swag items.
The campaign comes two weeks after the Canton, MA-based shoe manufacturer released a new iPhone/Android app called “The Promise Keeper,” which lets users tell their Facebook friends and Twitter followers when they run or jog. And, it automatically posts or tweets when the user doesn’t exercise based on a schedule he or she committed to.
Indeed, the app is designed to create brand engagement for Reebook while prodding users – who likely want to avoid a bit of public embarrassment – to utilize the company’s products. It specifically promotes the brand’s ZigTech running shoes.
Meanwhile, two-year-old Scvngr says it has well over 1 million users, gaining half of them from October 2010 to February. While the Boston-based company has partnered with national entities like Nissan and Hot Topic, it hasn’t had the flurry of brands jump on board so far in 2011 that competitor Foursquare has garnered.
President Trump's digital savvy isn't limited to social media. As it turns out, the Trump Organization owns thousands of domain names, possibly even more than 10,000.
According to Matt Hoggatt, CEO of mobile audience network ReachMobi, there are rich opportunities in the realm of mobile web, if only mobile companies knew how to realize the platform’s potential. We caught up with Matt for a glimpse into the future of mobile web, and to find out what web push notifications have to offer marketers.
Last week, a panel of ecommerce and mobile experts joined together for a webinar to discuss key topics surrounding the mobile app ... read more
As we have learned from the previous columns in this series, images are the major contributor to bloated, slow-loading mobile pages.


text:
All the big names like Gigi & Bella Hadid, Karlie Kloss and all the Victoria's Secret alums have been announcing their return to the biggest fashion show in the world on social media... but Kendall Jenner has been silent.
So what's the go? Kendall walked the 2015 and 2016 Fashion Show, but it looks like 2017 will be missing her entirely, because of her "multi-million dollar deal" with La Perla lingerie, according to TMZ.
Since La Perla is one of Victoria's Secret's biggest competitor, a non-compete clause is reportedly part of the contract, so wearing her angel wings is a big NO for Kenny.
So that's that. Kendall brushed the VS show aside for a totally different brand. Huge.


text:
Emaar Hospitality Group, the hospitality and leisure business of global developer Emaar Properties, will open five new hotels in Dubai in 2019, adding a total of 1373 rooms and suites.
Four of these hotels are under Emaar’s premium luxury Address Hotels + Resorts and upscale lifestyle Vida Hotels and Resorts. The fifth is the midscale Rove Hotel, a joint venture of Emaar Properties and Meraas.
“The five new hotel openings this year further cement our credentials and competencies as the leading homegrown hospitality provider, welcoming visitors from around the world with a diverse portfolio of hotels that meet their lifestyle aspirations,” said Chris Newman, Chief Operating Officer of Emaar Hospitality Group.
He said the new hotels strengthen Emaar’s role as the official hospitality and hotel partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, with the city gearing up to welcome over 25 million visits during the six-month period. “We are committed to supporting the Dubai Tourism Strategy to welcome 25 million annual visitors by 2025 through our robust portfolio of upcoming hotel projects and will also focus on expanding our geographic footprint through new hotel management agreements.”
The UAE’s hospitality market is expected to reach $7.6 billion by 2022, growing at a five-year CAGR of 8.5 per cent between 2017 and 2022. Dubai’s hotel supply, in particular, is expected to reach 132,000 by 2019.
Emaar said in a statement that two hotels would open under Address Hotels + Resorts – both in Downtown Dubai: Address Fountain Views and Address Sky View. The new hotels to open under Vida Hotels and Resorts are Vida The Hills and Vida Harbour Point. The new Rove Hotels property to welcome guests this year is Rove At The Park. All the hotels have commenced online booking and the response from guests is strong.
The hotels to open this year are located in central locations and will appeal to both business and leisure guests, who seek refreshing hospitality experiences in Dubai, one of the world’s top 10 tourist destinations. These include Address Fountain Views featuring 193 hotel rooms and suites; Address Sky View with 169 rooms overlooking the iconic Burj Khalifa; Vida Harbour Point is a new haven in Dubai Creek Harbour featuring 275 rooms; Vida The Hills, situated in the tranquil Emirates Hills neighbourhood featuring 157 rooms and suites, and Rove At The Park, located within Dubai Parks and Resorts, featuring 579 comfortably-sized rooms.
Emaar Hospitality Group will be showcasing its extensive portfolio of operational and upcoming hotel projects in the UAE and international markets at the Arabian Travel Market, the region’s leading travel and tourist industry event.
All rights reserved to the initial publisher for Khaleej Times.
Collected and published by Arms &McGregor International Realty® editorial team. Get in touch with us at [email protected]


text:
Traffic was strong both days at the United Fresh 2013 trade show, held Tuesday, May 14 to Thursday, May 16 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego. Attendees had a chance to view the latest offerings from around the world.
Brianna Murray shows off Chiquita's Fresh Express peeled apple Bites.
“We are looking forward to a great California avocado marketing season" with a crop that is expected to be more in the average r...
FPFC goes to the races Penny Radtke and Alexis Morgan of DiMare International.
THE PRODUCE NEWS | 800 Kinderkamack Road, Suite 100 | Oradell, NJ 07649 | Tel: (201) 986-7990 - Fax: (201) 986-7996


text:
* Leroy Brinkley retired last week after four years as general manager at Gwaltney Motor Group in Smithfield. He was in the automobile field more than 25 years.
Owner/president Maynard Gwaltney says he is assuming Brinkley's duties ''for a while."
* Charlie Gary has been named service director at Smithfield Chevrolet/Geo, says general manager Samuel Trapani. Also, Kevin Brown, a seven-year Pomoco Group veteran, is backwith the dealership sales staff.
Gary has been on the service and parts staff with Peninsula dealerships for more than 37 years and was a former member of the Buick National Advisory Council on Parts and Service, says Trapani.
* General sales manager Jackie Paschall reports the addition of Pennsylvanian Sandy Nusbaum to the Hampton Nissan sales staff where Nissan veterans Paul Small and Milton Cooper have returned. Paschall also reports promotions of Lloyd Rose to finance manager and Gary Thomas to inventory control manager.
The sales and parts division's service hours have been extended Tuesdays and Thursdays to 9 p.m.
* Sales leaders at Suttle Motor Corp. for January, says general sales manager Steve Suttle, were John Lucas in new cars and Carles Luckes in used cars.


text:
The New England Journal of Medicine has recently published a study that seems to suggest coffee is an elixir of life. Most coffee drinkers, whether decafâ€™ or full-bodied, like to believe this in their heart of hearts, but now this study actually gives credence to the view.
[box type=”important”]Males who take 2 to 3 cups a day are 10% more likely live longer those who do not drink coffee at all. Itâ€™s even better news for females who have a 13% better survival rate than other women who avoid coffee. [/box]
Itâ€™s the National Cancer Institute that discovered this â€˜philosopher stoneâ€™ effect of coffee in the largest ever survey of coffee drinkers compared to non coffee drinkers. It seems that a couple of cups of joe each day may well keep heart disease, diabetes and breathing problems at bay. The studyâ€™s authors are quick to point out that it is just a relationship, albeit statistically significant.
[box type=”note”]There is no reasonable explanation of the statistic and no suggestion of cause and effect. It is very reassuring. However, for those who worry about possible adverse health effects from their favorite daily beverage.[/box]
The precise link between coffee and longevity is simply not known. Much more research is needed to pin it down. This study is an observational one and given the popularity of coffee it is also a social one. American consumers drank more than 77 billion cups, worth almost $36 billion, in the year to June last year. For 65% of Americans coffee is the drink of choice each day. 73% take some every week. The average consumption is more than 3 cups per day. So are those who donâ€™t drink it, missing out?
The figures came out of a survey of over 400,000 people and just one element in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study. The respondents were aged 50 to be 71 years old at the beginning of the trial. Coffee consumption was measured once, as the subjects entered the trial.
Males who take the average number of cups each day had a 14% lower risk of death by heart disease, a 17% lower risk of dying from respiratory disease, a 16% reduced probability of dying of stroke and a 25% improvement in freedom from diabetes. Remember this is when compared to people who drank no coffee at all. The figures for females are 15% for heart disease, 21% for respiratory disease, 7% for stroke and a 23% for diabetes.
Further good news for big coffee fans is that 6 plus cups per day reduced their risk numbers even further. There was little association between coffee consumption and the risks of dying from cancer, although the real coffee addicts among men did have a small increased risk of dying from cancer. This research was paid for by the National Institutes of Health. Be aware of the caveats.
However, because it may not indicate lifelong patterns of coffee drinking and there is no data about the coffee-making processes involved. There are over a thousand different compounds in coffee that may contribute to these health relationships.


text:
Nothing can substitute the motivation and kick that coffee provides. For many people around the world, the aroma of fresh coffee is as integral as the air they breathe, to carry them through the day. It has been proven that coffee provides the necessary energy which makes many say “We are going to accomplish this today!” From reaching office on time and tackling tons of workload, a cup of coffee is the secret ingredient for many workers around the world.
A new study commissioned showed, just how many employees rely on a mind-cracking and eye-opening cup of strong coffee; nearly 43 percent of those surveyed claim that their productivity decreases without a cup of their favourite coffee. The survey also showed that for a majority, coffee has become a regular and vital part of their work day with over 63 percent of coffee-drinking workers who rink two cups or more each day, and a total of 28 percent drink three cups or more. Seeing the imperative pedestal that coffee holds in our lives, September 29 has been declared National Coffee Day in America in celebration of the beverage that fuels productivity worldwide.
Part of the job
Coffee though a popular choice of beverage for many, working in wide spectrum of professions, yet there are few careers where it has become an absolute necessity. In the survey conducted, many workers who stated that their productivity decreases without coffee were found ranging in several different professions but the careers where there were the highest numbers of workers who need coffee to get through the workday are as follows:
1. Food preparation/service workers
3. Sales representatives
4. Marketing/public relations professionals
5. Nurses / physician assistant
6. Writers/ Editors/media workers
7. Business executives
9. Engineering technicians/support
10. IT managers/network administrators
Are you a coffee addict too?


text:
Facebook is trying to move forward with security in the 21st century. They are trying to combat a growing negative trend, revenge porn. So the company is asking for users to send in nudes of themselves.
Revenge porn is a type of abuse where images once taken consensually, for example by people in a relationship, are shared online at a later point.
"The proposed system would work by “hashing” abuse images that victims send to themselves using Facebook Messenger, using the same technology that social media companies use to identify terrorism-related or child abuse images.
Facebook would create a digital fingerprint of the image that would be stored after the original image is deleted. That fingerprint, or “hash,” would be used to stop the image being uploaded in the future. The technology works even with images that have been manipulated."
So then we ask the question, if it only stores that one image, how would it stop other images of the same person but different than the original sent? What do you think?


text:
The new service was announced at a press conference this afternoon by Franck Cadoret, Deputy Managing Director in charge of France, and Maxime Saada, Chairman of the Group’s Management Board.
Canal+ Séries will offer a combination of Canal+’s Créations Originales shows as well as international series from FX, FoxPlay, Showtime, and others. The move is to attack Netflix, which currently has more paying subscribers than Canal’s own CanaklPLay service.
The new Canal Plus service will launch with the French premieres of Syfy’s Deadly Class, based on the comic book series of the same name about an elite academy specialised in training assassins, and the new season of Gomorra. At the start, about 150 series will be available, good for about 5,000 episodes.
Subscription cost €6.99 for one user, €9.99 for two users and €11.99 for four users.


text:
Downwell, one of 2015’s top mobile titles – it was prominently featured in our 2015 holiday game gift guide – has finally made its way to Android’s Google Play Store.
Sorry for the wait! Android version will hit tomorrow 😉 pic.twitter.com/FyZKW6l4zJ
— Ojiro (@moppin_) January 26, 2016
The arcade style vertical shooter landed on iOS and Windows back in October, but like many games released on other platforms first, Ojiro Fumoto’s Downwell was always expected to land on Android devices at some point.
The game was created by a single developer and pays homage to popular, ultra-difficult, randomly generated games like Spelunky and FTL, as well as retro, reflex-based platformers.
Downwell has garnered a significant amount of praise and some notable gaming websites, Polygon for example, have even published stories citing it as their favourite title of 2015.
Related reading: Holiday Gift Guide 2015: Six stellar smartphone games worth gifting


text:
September 5, 2013 Elie Tahari Seeks ChannelAdvisor’s Expertise for Optimal Marketplace Management
Research Triangle Park, NC – September 5, 2013 – ChannelAdvisor (NYSE: ECOM), a leading provider of cloud-based e-commerce solutions that enable retailers and manufactures to increase global sales, today announced that designer Elie Tahari will employ ChannelAdvisor’s Marketplaces solution and Managed Services team to maximize results on eBay and other marketplaces. ChannelAdvisor’s Managed Marketplaces solution will help Elie Tahari develop an advantageous expansion strategy and optimize product listings to increase online sales.
“It’s all about multichannel, so when we decided to expand our presence in various marketplaces we wanted a solution provider that understood our industry and business,” said Elie Tahari, Chairman. “ChannelAdvisor works with a number of fashion brands and offers a full service solution that manages marketplace expansion from start to finish. This, along with the company’s proven track record for marketplace growth, makes us certain that we are working with the perfect partner for our specific e-commerce objectives.”
ChannelAdvisor’s Managed Services team has hundreds of years of combined experience as e-commerce experts, offering retailers unparalleled opportunities to maximize results across marketplaces and other online channels. Managed Services team members provide strategy development and use ChannelAdvisor’s leading platform to automate and optimize product listings for customers such as Elie Tahari seeking an end-to-end outsourced solution.
“Elie Tahari is a prestigious fashion brand, and we are thrilled to be the company’s chosen strategic partner for online expansion,” said ChannelAdvisor President and COO David Spitz. “We’ve been dedicated to e-commerce for more than a decade and have abundant experience working with the fashion industry. We understand how important it is to maintain brand identity across the Internet and how seasonality is crucial for fashion retailers. With this expertise, we are confident that we will be able to help Elie Tahari reach its e-commerce goals.”
ChannelAdvisor offers retailers and manufacturers leading cloud-based solutions to efficiently manage and automate the online selling process across multiple channels including third-party marketplaces, paid search and comparison shopping engines. ChannelAdvisor’s Marketplaces solution supports several online marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, Newegg, Sears, SHOP.COM and more. By eliminating the tedious tasks of optimizing online listings and analyzing performance, ChannelAdvisor allows sellers to increase sales and successfully scale their e-commerce businesses.
To learn more about ChannelAdvisor’s Marketplaces solution and e-commerce solution suite, please visit http://www.channeladvisor.com/solutions/.


text:
Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War and Warzone fans are looking forward to the big mid-season update.
The Call of Duty mid-season Reloaded update goes live on May 20. It will be available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC.
Needless to say, the new update will usher in lots of new content, including the brand new 80s Action Heroes event.
With an update containing this much content, fans can expect a pretty sizeable download when it launches on May 20.
Fortunately for PlayStation users, Activision will make the update available to pre-load ahead of time.
That’s according to a recent CharlieIntel tweet, which claims that the new update will be available to pre-load on May 18.
“Several PlayStation players are getting the Black Ops Cold War mid season update to pre-load,” reads a CharlieIntel tweet.
“The update is 11GB and will be installable at 9PM Pacific on May 18.”
Because of the time difference, UK fans should be able to download and install the mid-season…


text:
Upcoming Apple Pencil could detect colours and textures
Colours on tap
We’re only a few days into 2023, and we’re already hearing about upcoming Apple products! While the Apple Pencil is a pretty advanced stylus, it’s not changed much across generations. But thanks to a recent patent, it looks like future versions of the smart stylus could pack some extra smarts.
In a patent filed in the US, Apple details a future Apple Pencil that samples colours and textures from the real world. The stylus would use colour sensors in the tip to detect the colour of objects, and then send that information back to a connected iPad. Ambient light sensors and light emitters would also help the Pencil to detect the texture of an object’s surface.
With the Apple Pencil used mainly by creatives, this upcoming feature could bring some exceptional functionality to the stylus. It would make designing or drawings objects easier, with colours and textures applied at a touch of the Pencil. We’d certainly expect it to boost the stylus’ popularity as well.
Since this is currently only a patent (and a recently filed one at that), there’s no telling when we might see the feature. The second-generation Apple Pencil launched in 2018, so a third-gen option should be coming soon. We’d expect the release alongside new iPad Pros – and we’re set for a big iPad Pro refresh in 2024 with the M3 chipset and OLED panel.


text:
BERN – The discovery of pork traces in halal food in several stores is shocking the Muslim community in Switzerland and igniting debates for launching a Swiss halal label.
“Sample analysis show a very low proportion” of pork meat, or less than 0.1 percent, the Swiss Central Islamic Council (CCIS) said in a statement cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Tuesday, February 26.The CCIS has found traces of pork in halal kebabs in famous meat stalls in several Swiss cities including Bern, Biel, Zurich, Winterthur, Basel, Lucerne, Kreuzlingen, Lausanne and Geneva.
The test sampling was ordered by the Muslim group after being “alarmed by the scandal that recently erupted in Germany where 7 percent of pork meat was found in meat for kebabs.”
The CCIS said it was “shocked” by the discovery that pork traces were confirmed in seven out of 20 Swiss kebab samples tested.
Muslims do not eat pork and consider pigs and their meat filthy and unhealthy to eat.
The concept of halal, -- meaning permissible in Arabic -- has traditionally been applied to food.
Muslims should only eat meat from livestock slaughtered by a sharp knife from their necks, and the name of Allah, the Arabic word for God, must be mentioned.
Switzerland is home to an estimated 400,000 Muslims, out of a population of more than 7 million, most of whom are immigrants from Albania and elsewhere in the Balkans.
The discovery of pork traces has ignited debates about launching a Swiss halal label.
Since the end of 2011, the CCIS has been championing a campaign to launch a new agency for halal standards.
The leading organization also filed a complaint last October with the Swiss Association for Standardization (SNV) about the issue, which was blocked.
European countries have been marred by a horsemeat scandal over the past weeks.
Since the first horsemeat was discovered in frozen meals and burgers in Britain and Ireland last month, traces have been found in meat products across Europe.
Swedish furniture giant Ikea has withdrawn meatballs from sale in 14 European countries after tests in the Czech Republic found traces of horsemeat in a batch made in Sweden.
Swiss food giant Nestle also said it had found horse DNA in meat from the Spanish supplier, Servocar.The discovery comes as European agriculture ministers meet for talks expected to focus on the growing horsemeat scandal.
Related Links:Swiss Muslims Eye Umbrella Body
Mosque Pig Burial Outrages Swiss Muslims
Cemeteries Bring Swiss Muslims Under Fire
Politics, Media Taint Swiss Muslim Image
Swiss Muslims Promote Understanding


text:
Epic says that Apple has threatened to cut off its access to all iOS and Mac developer tools as retaliation for sneaking a new payment option into Fortnite last week — a stunt that ended in the app being banned from the App Store and Epic filing a blockbuster antitrust lawsuit against Apple, claiming it places illegal restrictions on the distribution of iOS apps.
Apple told Epic that its access to development tools would be cut off if the company did not “cure your breaches” to Apple’s licensing agreement, according to a letter from Apple that was shared by Epic. Failing to do so means that Apple will terminate Epic’s inclusion in the Apple Developer Program, a membership that’s necessary to distribute apps on iOS devices or rely on any Apple developer tools. The company won’t be able to notarize Mac apps either, a process that could make installing Epic’s software more difficult or block it altogether. Apple requires that all apps are notarized before they can be run on newer versions of macOS, even if they’re distributed outside the App Store.
Epic has filed for a preliminary injunction against Apple, asking the court to stop the company from cutting it off. Epic says it will be “irreparably harmed long before final judgment comes” if it does not obtain the injunction. “Apple’s actions will irreparably damage Epic’s reputation among Fortnite users and be catastrophic for the future of the separate Unreal Engine business,” Epic writes.
Apple declined to comment on the motion. A spokesperson for the company pointed to a statement Apple released last week, saying that Epic “took the unfortunate step of violating the App Store guidelines” and that it would “make every effort to work with Epic to resolve these violations.”


text:
Most people rely heavily on multiple electronic devices every day, with televisions, smartphones, laptop and desktop computers serving as some of the biggest examples. However, the continually improving nature of technology has made many of these devices short-term possessions, which are discarded after a few years.
This has led to the world producing unprecedented levels of electronic waste, or e-waste for short. According to e-waste statistics published by Statista, globally, more than 50 million metric tonnes of e-waste is produced every year, leading to major problems, including e-waste pollution, lead poisoning and the loss of precious resources.
The Rise of Electronics and E-Waste
Consumption of electronics has increased rapidly in modern times. This is partly because manufacturers are locked into battles to add new features, which then leads to consumers upgrading to a newer device before existing devices reach the natural end of their lifecycle and partly because the world has turned increasingly digital.
This shows no sign of slowing down either. In fact, the global consumer electronics market size is projected to increase from a value of $773 billion in 2023 to $1,239 billion by 2030, according to Fortune Business Insights.
While this is great for companies producing electronics, it is haunting our planet. The frequency of modern electronics disposal and the methods used are leading to unimaginable e-waste horror stories. This explains why there has been such a push for more responsible electronics disposal methods and calls for greater e-waste regulations.
However, it is also fair to say that current consumer behaviour needs to be reconsidered too.
The Environmental Consequences
The environmental consequences of e-waste and improper electronics disposal are grave. As an article for Earth.org explains, soil contamination from the lead and mercury in electronics is commonplace in areas around e-waste landfill sites. These materials can eventually seep into groundwater too, impacting land and water-based wildlife. On top of this, these toxic materials pose a serious risk to human health, as we will cover in the next section.
In addition to the issues with e-waste pollution and contamination, the improper disposal of electronics also depletes the Earth's natural resources. A post from The World Counts highlights the fact that many devices contain precious metals, such as gold and silver. In fact, $60 million worth of gold and silver is thrown out annually in the US alone.
Health Risks of E-Waste for Communities
The health risks of e-waste mounting up in the way that it currently is are numerous and far-reaching. One of the biggest examples, explained in an article for the Geneva Environment Network, is related to open-air burning and acid baths, which are two common techniques used to recover valuable materials from e-waste.
These practices expose workers to high levels of contaminants, like mercury, arsenic and beryllium, and this exposure can lead to serious and irreversible health problems, which include various types of cancer, neurological damage and miscarriages. It has even been observed that exposed workers can experience a drop in their IQ.
Pollution resulting from e-waste ending up in landfill or being burned to extract valuable materials can impact the local population too. This can lead to a decline in life expectancy, various lung conditions and more.
A failure to achieve meaningful e-waste reductions and proper e-waste recycling also greatly limits the amount of cobalt that is recovered from electronics. This, in turn, necessitates the extraction of more cobalt for use in laptops and other electronics.
Regulatory Efforts and E-Waste Management
Several e-waste regulations have been introduced, in an effort to tackle this mounting problem. One of the biggest examples, which applies across the European Union and in countries like the United Kingdom, is the Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive, or WEEE Directive for short.
This directive requires the separate collection of e-waste and sets targets for recovering e-waste. It is also designed to help countries fight illegal e-waste exports by making it more difficult for exporters to disguise what they are exporting. Some aspects of the directive have been successful, such as the provision of more e-waste recycling facilities across Europe and the introduction of separate collections for electronic waste.
However, the legislation has also been criticised for prioritising recycling and even encouraging recycling and recovery of materials over reuse. Of course, reuse, such as the sale of refurbished electronics and refurbished IT equipment, is far preferable to recycling, because it prevents any of the device from becoming e-waste.
The Importance of Responsible Recycling
This criticism is not to say that responsible recycling should not be encouraged. Responsible electronics disposal through recycling can allow valuable materials to be recovered from devices and reused to make new ones. It also helps to prevent many of the health risks associated with improper e-waste disposal.
Recycling remains one of the most crucial e-waste solutions, but should not be pursued at the expense of reuse. When you do need to dispose of electronics, you should consider resale. If this is not possible, use dedicated e-waste recycling facilities. If you are unsure where facilities are available, check with your local authorities.
Innovative Solutions and Technologies
Electronics manufacturers around the world are using innovative e-waste solutions and technologies to help tackle this problem. Apple, for example, are striving to become carbon neutral across entire product lifecycles by 2030 and are increasingly using recycled materials in their iPhone, iPad, MacBook and Apple Watch devices. The company uses a new robotics technology, named 'Dave', which can better recover key materials from recycled devices.
Meanwhile, away from manufacturers, other companies are pioneering new hydrometallurgical methods for recovering precious metals, milling them to a sand-like consistency, before separating gold, silver, platinum and other materials.
Success Stories and Role Models
The Republic of Ireland is broadly viewed as an e-waste recycling success story, beating its 2019 e-waste recycling target by two years. In the UK, Material Focus run the 'Recycle Your Electricals' campaign and their Electricals Recycling Fund has so far funded over 60 projects, helping to make it easier for ordinary people to recycle their electronics.
However, it is important to highlight the role that companies are playing in facilitating the reuse of devices too. The Wisetek Store is a great example of this, as we resell high-quality, refurbished electronics such as refurbished phones, refurbished laptops, refurbished desktops and more to an 'as new' standard, at affordable prices. This allows more people to access high-quality devices, while achieving e-waste reductions.
Current e-waste statistics make for harrowing reading and it is clear that electronics are currently haunting our planet, causing unimaginable suffering and misery, while polluting our air, land and waters. However, there are signs of hope and some success stories, encouraging recycling and the sale of refurbished IT equipment and other electronics.
You Might Also be Interested to Read:


text:
BRAZIL - Brazil will resume exports of fresh pork to South Africa following the lifting of the ban South African Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF).
Since 2005, negotiations for reopening the market have been held between the two countries.
The ban was implemented due to outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in Brazil that year and only cuts intended for the sausage industry were accepted.
In 2014, shipments of pork to South Africa totaled $25,000. In 2015, shipments were $538,000 and last year $3.7 million.
ThePigSite News Desk