text:
The mega capital expenditure programme of India's top private company Reliance Industries Ltd is coming to a close and the diversified firm expects the full benefit of its investment cycle to start showing up from next financial year, the company's chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani said on Friday.
Addressing shareholders in the company's AGM in Mumbai, Ambani said the Rs 2,00,000 crore ($32 billion) investment programme would be completed in 12-18 months and he expects the benefits to accrue from 2016-17 or the year ending March 31, 2017.
Ambani gave a broad segmentation of the overall capex and said half of the total went to support its refinery and petrochemicals business, which remains its core. The other half, he said, is used to push the digital business.
The firm, which has businesses spanning petrochemicals, retail, media and telecom, among others, invested over Rs 1,00,000 crore ($16 billion) last year alone.
"These investments will build new capabilities, strengthen our global positions, improve the return on capital and make our existing refinery and petrochemicals businesses among the most competitive in the world...We are also building a brand new business of digital broadband telecom services under the Jio name," he said.
Ambani spent more time talking about the company's initiative in digital field spanning e-commerce as an extension of its existing offline retail business besides upcoming 4G telecom services launch in December (Click here for more on that) than his core energy and retail business combined.
This shows how he is now stressing on the big investments through Reliance Jio as a pillar for future growth.
In the retail business too the company is looking at the second successive year of big expansion.
Reliance Retail, already the country's top retailer by number of stores and revenues, is looking to expand its presence from 200 cities and towns to over 900 by next year, Ambani said. The firm had last year opened 930 stores or five every two days to take its total store count to 2,600 pan India.
It would seek to extend its lead over Future Retail which has announced an ambitious deal to merge Bharti Retail with itself to give a better fight to Reliance Retail and online retailers.
Ambani also talked about expanding its media business with entry into cable distribution through Reliance Jio. Early this year, Reliance Jio had applied for a pan-India licence to become a multi-system operator to enter broadcast TV distribution.
Reliance has a large exposure to the media business through Network18, a holding firm for various TV channels, including CNBC TV 18 and CNN IBN, among others.
On Friday, shares of Reliance Industries closed at Rs 889.15, up 1.36 per cent on BSE in a flat Mumbai market.


text:
A southwest Kansas dairy is one of eight operations that will give virtual farm tour presentations at the 2010 World Dairy Expo this fall.
The expo runs from Sept. 28 through Oct. 2 in Madison, Wis.
Garden City-based Royal Farms Dairy will give a 30-minute pictorial of its facility at the gathering of dairy operators from around the globe.
It's the first time a Kansas dairy as been selected to give a virtual farm tour at the expo.
The Kansas Department of Commerce says it sponsored Royal Farms' application because of the dairy's resource conservation efforts and community leadership.
Royal Farms employs 62 people, milks 6,200 cows and houses 5,600 heifers.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.
SW Kansas Dairy To Present At World Dairy Expo
- DHM Numbers: Cattle on feed, dairy CPI/PPI forecast
- Commentary: Yogurt redux: Readers react
- Protect yourself; MPP-Dairy is easy, LGM-Dairy may be better deal
- Penn State: Understanding the Farm Bill’s MPP-Dairy
- Calves with Sam: Another note on cross-sucking
- Employee Turnover Affecting Your Operation?

domain: news


text:
Latest News on Ad
Showing of 0 - 10 from 1006 results
Ad - Total results - 1006
Feb 20, 2018
SC orders Rajinikanth's wife to pay Rs 6 cr to distribution firm in case related to selling rights of KochadaiiyaanThe SC has ordered Rajinikanth's wife, Latha Rajinikanth, to pay AD Bureau Rs 6.2 crore along with the interest amount within two weeks
Feb 18, 2018
Facebook to use postcards sent by US mail to verify IDs of people wanting to buy US elections related advertisingThe postcard verification is Facebook’s latest effort to respond to criticism from lawmakers
Feb 16, 2018
GST Network crash: Will e-way bills system bring back border check posts and Inspector Raj in new form?GST Council finalised e-way bills rules in August, but a planned rollout in October was deferred after GSTN portal had crashed last year.
Feb 14, 2018
Google Chrome will be updated to include a native ad-blocker from 15 February; here's how it worksGoogle will evaluate, inform and then allow websites to fix the problems before blocking the ads. The evaluation will result in either a pass, warning or failing.
Feb 13, 2018
Falling inflation, GDP pain: Why RBI will have to give in to growth lobby sooner than laterPick up in factory output and slowing inflation augurs well for the economy and, if sustains, can support the revival in GDP growth
Feb 08, 2018
RBI monetary policy review: Three reasons why MPC chose to hold repo rate at 6% on WednesdayRBI considered first advance estimate for GVA growth that central statistics office (CSO) revised down to 6.1 percent for 2017-18
Feb 07, 2018
Hollywood actor and comedian Jim Carrey tweets about deleting his Facebook page and starts #unfriendfacebook hashtagJim Carrey known for his comic roles, before removing his account from Facebook had put a caricature of Mark Zuckerberg along with a "thumbs down".
Feb 06, 2018
In Seattle, Facebook faces the brunt for violating laws which required disclosure of elections ads purchasedThe unregulated nature of US online political ads drew attention after Facebook said Russians using fake names bought ads on Facebook to try to sway voters.
Feb 02, 2018
Alphabet misses quarterly profit forecasts as rising ad sales were countered by gadgets, YouTube app and cloud servicesShares of Alphabet dipped more than 5 percent after-hours, before steadying with a 2.7 percent loss at $1,149.93.
Feb 01, 2018
Twitter to notify 1.4 million users who were exposed to Russia-linked propaganda contentTwitter said it would not notify every person who saw the content and would instead focus its efforts on certain types of interactions.


text:
The Progressive Women’s Association will host the annual Fall Scholarship Auction on Friday, November 2 2018.
This event will begin at 6:00pm at White Hall City Hall.
“The Progressive Women’s Association is committed to helping women in our area further their college education,” according to a news release. “Presently, the organization is providing scholarships for Megan Tyler, Emily Grace Welch, Camryn Williams and Sabrina Self.”
Proceeds from the auction will help fund the scholarships. Auction items will include restaurant gift certificates, hunting supplies, arts, quilts, clothing store gift certificates, jewelry and other items.
Also as a fundraiser, the group is raffling off an afghan made by Linda Hurd. Tickets are being sold by members. The drawing for the afghan will take place at the auction.
Tracy Robinson, of Robinson Auction Company, donates his time to auction the items. Refreshments will be provided by Catering by Scotty Ray.
“Get your Christmas shopping done early and come to a party at the same time,” a spokesperson said in the news release.
To donate an auction item, call 870.489.3600 or 870.536.6500.


text:
Motorola reveals that it shipped 6.5 million smartphones in the first quarter
Where Motorola did well was with the entry-level Motorola Moto G. Taking on the value niche, home to phones like the Nokia Lumia 520, the Moto G provided Android fans with a way to get a decently spec'd phone at an entry level price. We're talking about a phone sporting a 4.5 inch screen with a pixel density of 329ppi. A quad-core processor drives the phone, which has 1GB of RAM, and is now driven by Android 4.4.
Now that Lenovo owns the company, there might be less pressure on Motorola to shock the world with its smartphone releases. When Google owned the company, there was always the feeling that the next release would offer some incredible new technology from Google.
source: @Motorola via MobileBurn


text:
The latest solution from Geographic Information System (GIS) technology giant Esri Australia will enable retailers to place an invisible perimeter – known as a geo-fence – around a storefront, triggering push notifications to customers’ phones when they cross the boundary.
Personalised special offers – promotions, time-sensitive discounts or loyalty bonuses – will be delivered directly to the customer to attract them into the sender’s store.
Esri Australia Principal Consultant Gary Johnson said the geo-triggered messages allowed retailers to start a tailored conversation with consumers at crucial moments during their shopping experience.
“Retailers place a high price on personally engaging customers as they walk through a shopping centre or district,” Mr Johnson said.
“Unlike SMS or email campaigns, the technology doesn’t bombard shoppers with random promotional material at an inappropriate time or place.
“Instead – by taking advantage of smartphone GPS features – GIS technology can provide retailers with precise details of customers’ movements in and around their business.
“This insight can be used to deliver targeted messages as part of a strategy to improve personal service to customers or as a value-add for a complementary business.
“For example, a shoe retailer could reach out to customers leaving a clothing store with a notification that reminds them to purchase footwear to match the new clothes they’ve just bought.
“Conversely, a retailer could establish a geo-fence in the vicinity of a competitor’s store which would trigger a time-sensitive special offer to tempt customers back.
“The technology will enable businesses to provide a greatly improved retail experience to shoppers while taking ground back from competitors.”
Mr Johnson’s comments follow a recent report by commercial property firm Colliers International which revealed 28 international retailers such as H&M, Sephora, Next, Gap and Zara are looking to establish 235 new stores in Australia within the next five years.
The report also expressed concerns that the international retailers’ global reach would enable them to bring products to Australia at greatly reduced prices and undercut smaller, local retailers.
Mr Johnson said introducing geo-trigger technology now would give local businesses time to consolidate customer loyalty ahead of the expected international competition.
“Early adoption of the solution will give established local businesses an edge over incoming retail juggernauts by enabling them to provide superior, personalised customer service,” Mr Johnson said.
“A major convenience store in the US has already seen a 10 per cent rise in sales nationwide using this technology.”
Mr Johnson said – as with many of the standing loyalty schemes – participation would be voluntary, with consumers needing to ‘opt-in’ before their personal data and location are shared.
“It is an equal exchange, the customer is prepared to provide some personal information, for example, their location and shopping habits, in return for special offers or higher quality service,” Mr Johnson said.


text:
Colorado Made $4M Off Marijuana in One Month. They're on Track for $134M by Next Year.
Both the Colorado public and the government have spoken, and the answer is loud and clear: Pot is here to stay, and it's going to make to make a lot of money for the state.
In its first month of business, Colorado's pot dispensaries made a staggering $14 million in profit. And thanks to the aggressive tax measure, the state coffers received a nice bump as well, with $2 million in taxes from recreational marijuana sales. Plus, when you factor in medical marijuana taxes and fees, the state made nearly $4 million in one month from just 59 businesses.
The figure is even more impressive when you consider that most of the dispensaries didn't even open at the beginning of the year. Only 24 recreational stores opened on Jan. 1, most of them just in Denver County. By the first week of business, the 37 dispensaries around the state made $5 million in total sales.
But the future looks even brighter. According to state figures released on Monday, Colorado stands to make nearly $1 billion in the next fiscal year, with $610 million coming from recreation marijuana alone. Between taxes and fees, the state will make a nifty $134 million in tax revenues as well.
In comparison, Colorado's liquor business only made only about $2.7 million in tax revenue last January. (Figures for January 2014 have not been announced yet.)
Of course, these numbers continue to change as the industry expands. Colorado's original estimate for tax revenue was a conservative $70 million for the next fiscal year. That number changed to $90 million and now to $134 million. Now, more than 160 recreational marijuana dispensaries are licensed, and more are added to the list every month as pot becomes an increasingly profitable and attractive business.
What will happen with all this money? Colorado governor John Hickenlooper is already finding creative ways to utilize the state's brand new revenue stream. From the 15% excise tax, $40 million is going to education and school construction around the state. The rest of the money, as well as the revenue from the 12.9% sales tax, is expected to go toward programs for drug prevention and substance abuse, as well as public health and law enforcement.


text:
By Amrith Ramkumar WSJ Mon., Jan. 14, 2019 Here are some of the companies with shares expected to trade actively in Monday’s session. Check back closer to the market open for an updated list. Bed Bath & Beyond: Shares of the beaten-down retailer have risen 24% in the past two sessions after reporting quarterly profits roughly in line with Wall Street expectations and missing on sales. UnitedHealth: The health-care company has climbed in six consecutive sessions, the longest such streak in nearly a year. Lennar: The home builder rose 13% last week after topping earnings expectations and announcing a share repurchase program, its largest weekly advance since June 2012. Starbucks: The coffee chain finished down 0.7% Friday after earlier falling as much as 3.9% following a Goldman Sachs downgrade to neutral from buy. Article Continued Below This is a version of the “Stocks to Watch” section of our Markets newsletter. To receive it every … [Read more...] about Stocks to Watch: Bed Bath & Beyond, UnitedHealth, Lennar, Starbucks
The home-goods company had a massive day on Wall Street. Andrew Osterland Published 4:25 pm CST, Thursday, January 10, 2019 Photo: Michael Brochstein | Getty Images Photo: Michael Brochstein | Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Image 1 of 1 Photo: Michael Brochstein | Getty Images Bed Bath & Beyond Was a Monster in the Stock Market Today. Here's Why. 1 / 1 Back to Gallery Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. was a monster in the stock market today, rising 16.56 percent -- by far the biggest gain on the Entrepreneur Index™. The specialty retailer beat earnings estimates by only a penny, but gave a surprising outlook on 2019. The company said it expected earnings for this year … [Read more...] about Bed Bath & Beyond Was a Monster in the Stock Market Today. Here’s Why.
Bed Bath & Beyond slightly missed on sales but beat on profits in the third quarter. The retailer’s comparable sales decline was worse than expected. The company maintained its earnings guidance that topped Wall Street estimates. Watch Bed Bath & Beyond trade live. Bed Bath & Beyond soared 9% to $US13.36 a share early Thursday as investors brushed off soft sales and instead focused on its better-than-expected profit. The home-goods seller announced late Wednesday that it earned $US0.18 a share in the third quarter – $US0.01 better than the Wall Street consensus, according to Bloomberg data. Its revenue totaled $US3.03 billion, slightly missing the $US3.04 billion that was expected. But the results weren’t all good. The company’s same-store sales declined 1.8%, missing the 0.2% decrease that analysts estimated. Looking ahead, Bed Bath & Beyond maintained its earnings guidance of $US2 per share, topping the $US1.97 that analysts were … [Read more...] about Bed Bath & Beyond jumps after beating on profits
(Reuters) - Home furnishing retailer Bed Bath & Beyond Inc (BBBY.O) on Wednesday reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit and forecast earnings for 2019 above Wall Street estimates, sending its shares up 16 percent in extended trading. FILE PHOTO: Shoppers leave A Bed Bath & Beyond store in Boca Raton, Florida in this March 19, 2016 . REUTERS/Carlo Allegri Bed Bath & Beyond, which sells everything from bath towels and bed sheets to kitchen appliances and home furnishings, has been heavily investing in revamping its stores and digital platforms as well as its loyalty programs to ward off online retailers such as Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) and Wayfair Inc (W.N). The company has also been spending on its decorative furnishing business, adding more assortments to its store and websites while developing its own brands that will be introduced over the next two years. And the efforts seems to be paying off, with the retailer saying it is ahead of plans on its … [Read more...] about Bed Bath & Beyond forecasts 2019 profit ahead of estimates, shares…
FILE PHOTO: Shoppers leave A Bed Bath & Beyond store in Boca Raton, Florida in this March 19, 2016 . REUTERS/Carlo Allegri (Reuters) - Home furnishing retailer Bed Bath & Beyond Inc (BBBY.O) on Wednesday reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit, bolstered by its online business, and forecast earnings for 2019 above Wall Street estimates. The company’s shares, which had nearly halved in 2018, rose 21 percent in extended trading. However, short interest in Bed Bath & Beyond has climbed to at least a five-year-plus high, representing about a quarter of the company’s free float, according to Refinitiv data. The retailer forecast 2019 earnings per share to be about the same as fiscal 2018 at $2 per share. Analysts on average had expected a profit of $1.99 per share. The Union, New Jersey-based company’s net income fell 60 percent to $24.4 million, or 18 cents per share, in the third quarter ended Dec. 1. Analysts on average had expected a … [Read more...] about Bed Bath & Beyond posts better-than-expected profit, shares soar


text:
Nissan races ahead
NISSAN has come out tops in the Synovate quality awards for sales and service delivery with a first in the sales experience of selling a passenger car, second in servicing a light commercial vehicle and fifth in servicing a car.
A major factor in the research, however, is the fact that dealers and manufacturers are doing a better job in the market place and that from 2000, when the highest score in purchasing a car was 86,9 percent, Nissan now scores 93,9 percent.
In fact the top 19 brands' scores for 2007 were all above the 86 percent figures of seven years ago.
This in a marketplace that, though down by 18 percent on last year for the first quarter of this year, still has 1267 passenger models available and 294 light commercials on the market, making it extremely competitive.
Synovate, the market research arm of the Aegis group, is represented in 121 cities in 57 countries, and conducted 50000 interviews in South Africa over a period of a year from January to December last year.
Richard Rice, client services director at Synovate, said that it was truly impressive that the motor industry had again managed to improve its customer experience. The results are studied by the manufacturing and dealer sectors.
Second in purchasing a car was Chevrolet and third BMW. Last on the list was Chrysler Jeep.
Servicing went to Mitsubishi, followed by Toyota and Jaguar with Peugeot finishing last.
Leading the field in purchasing light commercial vehicles was Nissan, ahead of Toyota and Isuzu, while best for servicing was Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi. Last was Fiat.
While servicing is considered a "grudge purchase" the industry average for servicing is increasing every year. Last year, the industry score for passenger vehicles had broken through the 80 percent barrier for the first time since 2003, said Rice.
"One must remember that with new entrants into the market, it is harder to maintain a high industry standard. New entrants often start out on a lower level when it comes to satisfying their customers. However, the industry average continues to improve despite this challenge," he said.
"Going forward into 2008, we can expect scores to increase, primarily due to the drop in vehicle sales that manufacturers are experiencing."


text:
Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Tuesday, February 24th 2015 [ME NewsWire]
in5, the innovation centre launched by Dubai Internet City (DIC) in 2013, welcomed SMEs from across DIC and TECOM Investments’ business communities to learn and be introduced to online tools such as Google AdWords and connect with Google Partners who are certified vendors of similar products. The aim of the event to help SMEs develop and reach bigger markets online in an effective manner.
The UAE has nearly 300,000 SMEs who, according to recent statistics from Dun and Bradstreet, are providing over 86% of employment opportunities in the private sector alone. With an internet penetration rate of 88% in the UAE, the highest in the Middle East, it is vital that businesses have a robust online presence. However, as revealed by a Google survey last year, only 18% of businesses in the UAE are online, which highlights significant room for growth.
During the workshop, titled ‘Grow your Business on the Web’, Google demonstrated how SMEs can leverage online presence to grow a business, and highlighted the different opportunities associated with being online.
The workshop provided an ideal platform for SMEs to network, connect with industry experts from Google, learn about the different online tools available to them, and discover the most effective ways to promote a business online.
Commenting, Majed Al Suwaidi, Managing Director of Dubai Internet City and Dubai Outsource Zone, said;
“Google has played a major role in driving the online presence of SMEs and increasing understanding about the importance of being on the web for any business. Given the rising number of SMEs in the UAE, who play such an instrumental role in contributing to GDP as well as wider creativity and enterprise, it is of the utmost importance that SMEs are educated about the different opportunities and products available to them.”
“in5 is committed to supporting and encouraging innovation and creativity among companies of all sizes, and providing opportunities for businesses to learn from experts about the most effective ways to reach their customers online. We shall always try to provide small businesses and start-ups the opportunity to grow, expand and in turn, succeed, and continue to look at ways to foster innovation, enterprise and entrepreneurship over the coming years.”
Shant Oknayan, the Google Marketing Lead for SMEs in the Middle East and North Africa discussed the different ways to create, manage and optimize online advertising campaigns, and the most effective ways to reach more customers.
Commenting, he said;
“Google is committed to supporting the development of digital economies in the region, particularly SMBs as they constitute over 80% of overall MENA businesses. Small businesses in the region are missing a great economic opportunity by not embracing the web and reaching out to customers online. We want to help them leverage the web and maximize its benefits.”
About Dubai Internet City
Dubai Internet City (DIC), part of TECOM Investments, a member of Dubai Holding, is the Middle East and North Africa’s largest ICT hub. Since the year 2000, DIC has successfully developed a prosperous ecosystem for technology organisations and today is home to Fortune 500 listed companies and multinationals as well as some of the region’s most dynamic and successful technology SMEs and start-ups from all elements of the ICT value chain.
DIC provides a wide range of facilities including state-of-the-art offices, a robust IT infrastructure, 24-hour security, retail services and hotels, spread across the business park’s unique and tranquil landscape; an environment that helps ICT businesses develop, innovate and grow.
For more information, please visit: www.dubaiinternetcity.com.
Alexa Hooft Graafland
+971 5 5559 7404


text:
Based on a recent study, Twitter users on mobile are younger and more active, and tend to follow more brands on the network. They also interact and spend more time on the network.
Trends on Twitter Mobile Users
Based on study that Twitter conducted with Compete, the following statistics were found:
• Although the typical Twitter user follows just five or more brands, those who usually access the network through mobile devices are 96% more likely to be a follower of 11 or more brands.
• Twitter mobile users are 301% more likely to Tweet while commuting, while 168% are more likely to Tweet while on a shopping spree.
• Twitter mobile users are 58% more likely to remember viewing an advertisement.
• Twitter mobile users are more interactive: 85% are more likely to add a Tweet to favourites; 78% are more likely to “re-tweet,” and 63% are more likely to click on a link.
A Younger Generation of Twitter Users
Likewise, the study also discovered that younger Twitter users, specifically those in the 18 to 34 age range, are 52% more likely to use the network via a mobile gadget. What’s more, they are 86% more likely to log on twitter several times on a single day, as compared to the usual Twitter user.
Competition is Tough
Nonetheless, Twitter still faces a tough competition for mobile-based revenues. It was estimated recently that Twitter earns more through mobile media than Facebook and Apple, but much less than what Google makes. On the other hand, Facebook is also concentrating on the mobile market. It was reported recently that the network gains 23% of their entire ad revenues through mobile means.


text:
Category Archives: PAX 2009
Mon, Aug 17, 2009 | 01:55 BST
Loads of stuff happened this week with MMOs. Bethesda laughed off an Elder Scrolls MMO, APB started the Beta application process, Aion released pretty trailers, Star Wars will be playable at GamesCom and all other sorts of interesting things happened.
What we didn’t tell you about was that Lord of the Rings Online got some new jewelry and bounty quests in Esteldin, Funcom will announce Conan stuff at PAX, and there were some rumored leaks on the upcoming WoW expansion posted all over God’s green earth.
For all of this and more, read on past the break.
Thu, Aug 13, 2009 | 12:42 BST
Thu, Aug 06, 2009 | 21:17 BST
Penny Arcade Expo goes off on September 4 and lasts until September 6, and today organizers released an updated list of exhibitors attending.
So far, 90 different exhibitors will be on hand and include such grand events as Bioware’s first public showing of Star Wars: The Old Republic, Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed II and Splinter Cell: Conviction, and the prerequisite parties and concerts, reports Kotaku.
The full list of exhibitors, we can’t say that word enough, are listed after the beak.
Thu, Jul 16, 2009 | 20:33 BST
PAX has announced this year’s winners for the PAX 10 Independent Games Showcase.
The ten winners were picked from over 150 submissions.
Winners last year included indie titles Audiosurf, Schizoid, and The Maw.
Here’s the list for this year:
- CarneyVale: Showtime by the Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Games Lab (Xbox 360)
- Closure by Tyler Glaiel and Jon Schubbe (PC)
- Fieldrunners by Subatomic Studios (iPhone/iPod touch)
- Liight by Studio Walljump (Wii)
- Machinarium by Amanita Design (PC)
- Osmos by Hemisphere Games (PC)
- Puzzle Bloom by Team Shotgun (PC)
- Tag: The Power of Paint by Tag Team (PC)
- Trino by Trinoteam (Xbox 360)
- What is Bothering Carl? by Story Fort (PC)
Full details on each game through the link.
Fri, Jun 26, 2009 | 08:39 BST
Bungie Studios will be on hand at PAX 2009 this year, taking place September 4-6.
Public hands-on with Halo 3: ODST is pretty much a given, as the UK press has now been confirmed as getting to play it next month.
The developer will also appear in the “Prepare to Drop” panel on the show’s Friday afternoon.
More on IGN.
Thu, Jun 25, 2009 | 07:45 BST
Speaking to MTV, Capcom’s Chris Kramer’s confirmed that Dead Rising 2 – and E3 no-show – is going to miss both Gamescom and PAX.
“You’re gonna be seeing Dead Rising 2 next at Tokyo Game Show,” he said.
“Lost Planet 2 will have all new stuff at Tokyo Game Show, and also a couple new titles from us, as well as updates of the stuff we showed at E3.”
The zombie sequel’s got no firm date as yet.
Thu, Apr 23, 2009 | 21:16 BST
Exhibitors and musical acts were announced today for the Penny Arcade Expo.
Attendees can expect exhibits from: Bethesda, BioWare, Blizzard, Capcom, EA, Microsoft, Nintendo, Rockstar, Telltale, Ubisoft, Valve, and WB Games.
Musical acts include: Anamanaguchi, Freezepop, Jonathan Coulton, MC Frontalot, Metroid Metal, and Paul & Storm.
More announcements are expected before the show, and floor space is filling quickly.
PAX runs September 4-6 in Seattle.
Thu, Feb 19, 2009 | 20:30 GMT
Penny Arcade Expo dates for 2009 have been announced and pre-registration opened.
PAX 2009 will take place September 4-6 at the Washington State Trade and Convention Center in Seattle.
It’s going to be massive this year, so get involved now.
“Every year, we essentially double our attendance, but let me say right now that’s not happening for 2009,” said Penny Arcade’s Robert Khoo.
“We’ve rented every square foot in the center and it still won’t be enough. The facility has requested that we not exceed capacity, so we’re going to be closely monitoring the number of badges we sell this year.
“But, fear not. Our goal is the same as ever: to offer a world-class show to all attendees, focusing on amazing content and experiences for the truly hardcore.”
Last year’s keynote was given by Ken Levine, but there’s no word yet on who will deliver it this year.


text:
The mom-and-pop organic market that was a hub of the organic movement is closing its doors for good.
The mom and pop market, which sold fresh produce from around the world, was in operation for nearly 20 years.
The new grocery store will be operated by Zion Foods.
The organic grocery market in California, with its emphasis on organic, has been the epicenter of the California organic movement.
It has long been the largest and most successful of all the California markets.
Zion Foods plans to open its new store in Pasadena sometime in March 2018, but it doesn’t know when exactly that will be.
“We’ll be opening up in Pasadena as early as April 2018,” Zion spokesman Greg Schulz said.
“The market has been a tremendous success for us and for the local community.”
Zion is looking for a location with a good parking lot.
A lot of the stores have already had some renovations, but the store that opened in 2015 had a garage that had been renovated and it had a parking lot, he said.
The store will sell produce from all over the world.
The company will be selling produce from the United States, Canada, China, Europe, Asia and Australia, Schulz told ABC News.
Zions grocery store, Zions, opened its doors in Pasadena in 2015.
Schulz said the new store will not sell meat, eggs, dairy or seafood.
Zioned is one of the only California grocery stores that still carries groceries.
But Schulz has said Zions food choices are now limited to produce from its own farms.
He said the company is looking to move some of its organic produce to its own warehouses in Southern California.
Zions grocery stores are located in Los Angeles, Orange County, Ventura and Riverside.
The grocer’s future is in jeopardy after California regulators banned organic farming, citing a lack of scientific evidence for the safety of organic foods.
Schulz was not available for comment.


text:
Fuyao has invested a total of US$200 million to build three float glass production lines. The two other lines will become operational in August 2005, according to a senior official from the group.
Currently, 70 per cent of the country's high quality float glass is imported from abroad, the remainder is purchased from some domestic joint venture enterprises.
Installed with the world's most advanced float glass equipment and technology, each of the three lines will be able to melt 600 tons of high quality float glass daily. The annual production value generated by the three lines is estimated to reach 900 million yuan (US$108.74 million).
The products will be used as raw materials for Fuyao's own products, and the remainder will be deep processed for special types of float glass.
"The new lines will meet our increasing needs and solve the technological problems currently faced in the production of raw glass," said Cho Tak-wong, Fuyao's Chairman.
When all the three production lines are launched, the headquarters of Fuyao, established in Fuqing in East China's Fujian Province, will become a complete industrial base for producing float glass and processing auto glass, Cho said.
"Furthermore, the ability to produce raw glass by ourselves makes Fuyao more competent to grow into an international brand, which is our new goal," said Cho.
Operating a branch in Hong Kong and a subsidiary in the United States, Fuyao plans to upgrade the function of its five agencies in the world in order to improve the group's global service, according to Cho.
So far, Fuyao has been supplying auto glass to a number of foreign automobile makers such as GM, Ford and Mitsubishi.
Cho said Fuyao is currently negotiating with Volkswagen, Benz and BMW to explore new opportunities for co-operation.
Having won a close-to-zero rate in an anti-dumping case in United States in May, Fuyao is China's only auto glass maker that does not have anti-dumping taxes levied on its exports to the United States.
Founded in 1987, Fuyao is the leading Chinese firm in auto glass manufacturing, occupying 52 per cent of the market share in the domestic OEM (original equipment manufacturing) market and 25 per cent of the automotive market last year.
In 2003, Fuyao's recorded a revenue of 1.7 billion yuan (US$205.4 million).


text:
Market Rasen Town council is hoping to get a cash boost to its fund for a new skate park.
The project has been adopted as part of the Tesco ‘Bags of Help’ initiative.
The community funding scheme sees grants of £4,000, £2,000 and £1,000 – all raised from the 5p plastic bag levy – being awarded to local community projects.
Three groups in every Tesco region are shortlisted to receive the cash award and shoppers can vote for who they think should take away the top grant.
Voting is open in stores throughout May and June.
Customers can vote using the token given to them at the check-out every time they shop.


text:
Here is an excerpt from an article we found on a great new kiwi app which is set to take off in the hospitality industry.
Wellingtonians Danesh Abeyratne, Connor Finlayson and Josh Brake have developed what they hope will be the Tinder of the hospitality industry, to introduce people to the bargain of their dreams.
The trio said they often found themselves with an open evening or lunch break, keen to try something new but unsure of where to begin or what their friends were up for, Abeyratne said.
"Before the internet, you had to plan things out, there wasn't a choice. But people are inherently lazy."
Their recently launched app Hatcher presents people with a collection of food and drink specials, pub quizzes and live music, all happening now or in the next three hours.
"We haven't found anything that does quite what this does ... this is specifically for people who realise they're free, want to do something, and just want to see what's available then and there."
Like Tinder, Hatcher highlights one offer at a time. Users can swipe left if they are uninterested, or right if it appeals to "hatch a plan", Finlayson said.
"You can also see what Facebook friends of yours said yes to. So if I do decide to go there I know exactly who to ask. You can pick the people you want to go with and it will send them all a text message."
Hatcher grew out of an idea Finlayson had as a recent graduate from Victoria University, working at the Renouf tennis centre. "I always ran into lots of people who were looking for people to play tennis with – and I had an idea for an app where you'd get all those people and get them together. But I never had a background in coding."
Abeyratne, a former army officer, and Brake, the developer, joined during an entrepreneurial boot camp, and the idea to get people together was stretched beyond the tennis courts. Hatcher is free for users, though the hope is that restaurants and bars will eventually pay to promote their events.


text:
U.S. auto sales will increase but stay below 16 million annual deliveries — a target hit from 1999 through 2007 — through 2015, according to a new report from AlixPartners LLC. Why? Blame factors like lingering unemployment, which has been over 8% seasonally adjusted since January 2009, and rising overhead costs to build cars. But the most interesting shift is demographic: AlixPartners says Baby Boomers "simply have less reason to drive," and young people care less about cars. We've reported on the latter trend before, but AlixPartners says less driving among Boomers contributes to 13% of the slack in future demand. The firm suggests automakers make "aggressive, well-informed investments" in better cars and trucks and expect the economy to generate little tailwind. Global "mega-platforms" that are used on numerous cars — think Ford's C-platform, which underpins cars like the Focus, Escape and C-Max — will proliferate.
In other news:


text:
Microsoft launches anti-piracy campaign in 49 countriesOctober 21st, 2008 - 10:22 pm ICT by IANS
New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) In its bid to clamp down on rampant software piracy, Microsoft Tuesday announced a global initiative under the banner of ‘Global Anti-Piracy Awareness Day’ that will include educating consumers as well as enforcing legal action.Even though the initiative was rolled out in 49 countries, Microsoft’s director of intellectual property in Australia told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper that the Redmond-based software giant would not be able to solve the problem fully ever.
“Are we able to solve absolutely every problem? No… there are some people who will always not want to pay for something and there are always people who will want to exploit,” she said in an interview to the Australian newspaper.
The programme, launched in 49 countries spanning six continents, aims to combat the trade of pirated and counterfeit software.
The initiative includes intellectual property awareness campaigns, engagements with partner businesses, educational forums, local law enforcement training, and legal actions against alleged software counterfeiters and pirates.
“Software piracy and counterfeiting is a sophisticated global trade and Microsoft is committed to working with industry partners in India and around the world to stay a step ahead of this criminal industry,” said Vipul Sant, director - original software initiative, Microsoft India.
For the India chapter, the company has tied up with the Kolkata-based Computer Association of Eastern India (COMPASS) and the Guwahati-based North East Computer Traders Association (NECTA) to educate members on the pitfalls and risks of piracy.
“Sustained industry efforts have helped reduce software piracy in India by four percentage points in as many years and we are committed to continuing on this path and working closely with the government, law enforcement agencies and our customer and partner communities to protect legitimate businesses from this illegal trade,” Sant added.
As part of its enforcement measures, Microsoft has taken 15 civil enforcement actions against resellers indulging in hard-disk loading case, involving Microsoft Windows and Office.
- US lists Delhi's Nehru Place among 30 'notorious markets' - Dec 21, 2011
- Counterfeit, fake and smuggled goods impacting 'Brand India' (Comment) - Jul 08, 2012
- Microsoft ups the ante against pirates - Dec 16, 2009
- Is Indian music industry losing battle against piracy? - Dec 15, 2010
- Computer piracy thrives here, but no complaints! - Mar 28, 2011
- IPR deals outside WTO not acceptable to India: Minister - Apr 26, 2011
- Piracy causes $1 bn loss to Indian entertainment industry - Aug 21, 2010
- Indian products will have edge using genuine IT: Microsoft - Dec 22, 2011
- Microsoft eyes opportunities in China's push for innovation - Sep 18, 2012
- US places India, China on IPR watch list - May 01, 2009
- AACT Cracks Down North India's Piracy Hubs - Oct 23, 2010
- Mumbai Police Arrested 46 Accused For Selling Pirated DVDs - Dec 03, 2010
- 13 mn illegal publications seized in China - Sep 04, 2011
- Wikipedia, Google join anti-piracy bill protest (Lead) - Jan 18, 2012
- Reducing software piracy can inject $142 bn into economy - Sep 16, 2010


text:
The FlyWheel website is the latest company to be hacked and taken over by a government-backed cybercriminal.
The hack has taken down the website of the US Federal Trade Commission, which serves as the US government’s main website.
The FTC has been plagued by cyberattacks in the past year and has suffered major setbacks since its founding in 1946.
The website was hacked in early April, just days after a government contractor said he had been targeted by a Russian hacking group.
The cyberattack came two days after the Trump administration announced it would ban the import of Russian military equipment and the sale of U.S.-made Russian arms to Russia.
The USTR website was not the only site to be compromised.
The Federal Trade Office was also hacked and had its domain and login information compromised in March, according to an Axios report.
The government agency handles a variety of issues, including trade, energy, transportation, health, finance, food safety and the environment.
The Axios article also revealed that the FTC’s website was briefly inaccessible in early June, after the website was taken over for two days by a group calling itself the Federal Trade Alliance.
The hackers were able to redirect traffic to the FTC site for about a week before they were able, the Axios reported.
Federal Trade officials said the hackers were targeting the FTC website in an attempt to steal data.
The group claimed it had obtained a large number of documents on the FTC, the report said.
The data was stolen by a separate hacker.


text:
The tomatoes of the future could help boost your levels of the sunshine vitamin. Researchers in the UK say they’ve developed genetically edited tomatoes that can produce high levels of vitamin D with just an hour of ultraviolet light exposure. These edited tomatoes would ideally help provide a rich and plant-based source of the essential nutrient, which is commonly lacking in much of the population.
The edited plant was created by researchers at the John Innes Centre in the UK. They used CRISPR technology to knock out an enzyme that limits the production of a compound naturally found in tomatoes called 7-Dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC), or provitamin D3. Without the enzyme, the fruits and leaves of these tomatoes accumulated higher levels of 7-DHC.
When 7-DHC is exposed to ultraviolet B light (the short-wavelength light that causes sunburns), it turns into vitamin D3. The same process occurs naturally in human skin and is how we get vitamin D from going outside in the midday sun. After just an hour of UVB exposure, one single tomato contained as much vitamin D3 as two medium-sized eggs or 28 grams of tuna, two other well-known sources of the nutrient, the researchers found.
7-DHC is also a precursor to cholesterol and other important compounds in tomatoes, but research has shown that tomatoes can produce these compounds in other ways, lessening the risk that altering how 7-DHC is used would harm the plants somehow. And at least in this research, the editing process didn’t seem to negatively affect the growth or yield of these tomatoes.
“We’ve shown that you can biofortify tomatoes with provitamin D3 using gene editing, which means tomatoes could be developed as a plant-based, sustainable source of vitamin D3,” said study author Cathie Martin in a statement from the Centre. The team’s findings are published this week in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Plants.
While there are several natural and fortified foods rich in vitamin D, most sources are animal-based. These same sources are also used for supplements, which may dissuade some vegan people from taking them. So even the usually discarded leaves of these plants could provide a new source of supplementation.
Many people aren’t getting enough vitamin D in any form. Estimates vary, but as much as 1 billion people may be low or deficient in vitamin D. Low levels of the vitamin can then raise the risk of bone fractures and other health problems, possibly including a higher vulnerability to severe or fatal covid-19.
Promising as these CRISPR’d plants are, it will take further research to vet their potential and capability. According to New Scientist, larger trials are set to start this June in the UK, which will test out how much vitamin D3 these plants can produce under actual sunlight.


text:
Yeah, that beach is nice, but what’s on Snapchat today? (Photo: Thinkstock)
Unplugging from your devices when you travel may be a Zen idea, but according to one survey, most people’s favorite travel companion is their smartphones.
A study by Expedia found smartphones to be the thing travelers can least do without – 60 percent of the 9,642 travelers surveyed said they wouldn’t go on vacation without a mobile device, ranking higher than a toothbrush, deodorant, and driver’s license.
Another 60 percent of those same travelers, polled from 19 countries, said they never truly unplug on leisure trips. Thirty-five percent said they actually use their devices more on vacation than at home.
“Just because a traveler can use their device to read work email and stay connected to the office, they also believe it improves the quality of their vacations,” said Aman Bhutani, president of Brand Expedia Group.
The study looked at mobile-device use for both leisure and business travel. The countries where the most people called their devices an important travel companion were all in Asia: China (94 percent of respondents), Taiwan (94 percent), and Thailand (91 percent)
The countries where people were less dependent on their devices were all in Europe: Germany, Norway, and Sweden.
The study found that people have a hard time keeping work from pleasure separate: more than half of respondents admitted to checking in on work at least once a day while on vacation.
The Expedia study also asked people what annoys them the most about other people’s use of mobile devices. These faux pas get the most hate:
- Playing music, games or videos without headphones: 58 percent of respondents
- Making/taking calls while on speakerphone: 57 percent
- Taking photos/videos of strangers: 48 percent
- Making / taking voice calls while dining at a restaurant / café: 39 percent
- Enabling notifications on the loud setting: 39 percent
WATCH: 10 Instagram-Worthy Spots That Can Kill You


text:
On Monday, GroupM, WPP’s media unit, announced plans to exclude Made For Advertising (MFA) websites from campaigns. The move follows the Association of National Advertisers’ (ANA) finding that 15 percent of programmatic ad spend goes on MFA sites, representing 21 percent of total impressions. But what is MFA, and why has it taken until now to discover this $13 billion black hole?
The first issue is the lack of a clear definition. The industry is looking to fix this; there is talk among trade bodies about working to formulate a definition, and the ANA is conducting a follow-up study where MFA will be more clearly defined. But for now advertisers are slightly fuzzy on the precise nature of the domains they want to avoid.
However, there are certain red flags to look out for. As the name suggests, these sites are made for advertising rather than content, existing for the sole purpose of serving ads in a manner highly unlikely to have any meaningful impact. As such the websites are dominated by ads to the detriment of the user experience. Bill Duggan, group EVP at the ANA, shared three core components of MFA websites:
- A high ratio of ads to content
- Rapidly refreshing ad placements; display ads popping up for 5-10 seconds before disappearing and being replaced
- Video autoplaying
While this definition provides the basic attributes of MFA websites, it still leaves grey areas. We have all visited sites where we had to scroll past multiple ads just to see what the baby from Friends looks like now, or 17 croissants that look like Heath Ledger. We’re only human. But publishers rely on traffic to compete for ad spend, and could reasonably employ some of the methods of MFA in order to maximise ad revenues.
“It is easy to incorrectly label a website, like a mum blog or a motorcycle enthusiast forum as MFA just because it runs a lot of ads,” notes Vanessa Otero, founder and CEO at Ad Fontes Media, a watchdog that rates the legitimacy of news outlets, and recently starting rating MFA sites.
You won’t believe what happened next
Ad Fontes Media found that that even legitimate publishers use “curiosity gap” headlines, also known as clickbait, and many of these outlets are rated as reliable. Celeb-based listicles are Buzzfeed’s bread and butter, for example, but the site is clearly distinguishable from MFA, even winning a Pulitzer Prize for BuzzFeed News before it closed. Therefore clickbait is not necessarily MFA, as long as it is actively serving a community or deployed alongside actual news. “There are legitimate sites that use these tactics,” says Otero.
MFA sites on the other hand do not serve a community, lacking the editorial infrastructure to curate its content to an audience. “To us a valuable publisher is about being audience-first,” says Steven Filler, UK Country Manager at ShowHeroes, a video ad tech firm. “The MFA approach is not even advertiser-first. It’s just revenue-first.” They are set up to deliver on advertising metrics, offering cheap CPMs and reach, but in a low-engagement environment where the ads’ only real impact is on the atmosphere.
Scope3 found that MFA sites are among the most carbon intensive due to their constantly reselling and densely packed programmatic advertising. The 10 percent most carbon-intensive publishers contribute 33,500 metric tonnes of CO₂ per month, according to the emissions data company, the equivalent of driving around the world 3,449 times, or to the moon 360 times (if you have access to rocket fuel).
In any case, this is not an environment where most advertisers want to spend their money. Bill Duggan says when he debuted the ANA’s findings to members on a Zoom call, he asked if any of them deliberately have MFA sites on their media plans. “I got faces like they’d drank sour milk,” he says. None of them were buying MFA on purpose. So how did they end up spending $13.2 billion? “You don’t know what you don’t know,” says Duggan.
While MFA activity has been around for over a decade (Vanessa Otero estimates it grew into an industry from 2008 to 2011), the massive extent of the waste has only recently come to light. “The ANA study is probably just the first major study quantifying this issue,” says Otero, “and I bet there will be more to come.”
1,090 MFA domains that look like news websites
YouTube’s recent scandal illustrates the scale of the problem, with billions of dollars in ad spend ending up on third-party websites, including 1,090 domains that publisher intelligence company DeepSee.io classifies as MFA. Google told advertisers they were buying high-quality inventory, and a lack of transparency made them unable to see where the ads ended up.
Meanwhile the availability of AI tools is escalating the issue, making it easier to spawn MFA sites, generate their content, and mask their true nature. AI also enables individuals to build these websites, while significantly speeding up the process for larger fraud organisations. “AI makes MFA harder to detect,” says ShowHeroes’ Steven Filler. “You’re not just trying to track everything back to one source. It’s hundreds and thousands of different sources, of different scale.”
But the industry is waking up to the problem, and companies are developing tools to help identify MFA, including programmatic specialist Jounce Media and advertising auditing firm Ebiquity. The ANA also advises advertisers to reduce the number of domains where they run ads, after discovering that the average programmatic campaign ran on 44,000 websites. “Advertisers can reach a high percentage of target audiences using a few hundred websites,” said the trade association.
And by eliminating wasted ad spend, advertisers can improve the health of their brands and the publishing industry, redirecting billions of ad dollars into struggling news outlets. “If publishers don’t survive and thrive, there will be no content, there will be nothing of high quality to engage audiences and deliver that trust that most brands value,” says Filler.


text:
The subscription fervor that's grown from Netflix to MoviePass is making its way to the road.
Invites through the Lyft app started going out this week to high-frequency "insiders" who want a chance to sign up for a $200 per month plan. (Note: That will set riders back more each month than Amazon Prime's new annual rate.)
Once on the waitlist for the all-access pass — an upfront subscription for a certain number of rides each month — users can opt into a Lyft ride pass the company is testing out. The plan includes 30 standard Lyft rides. At $6.67 per ride, that could save a few bucks on longer, more expensive routes.
But at that price, the pass is probably only worth it for someone riding Lyft at least once a day, if not more. For the occasional or shared-ride user, it's a lot to shell out. After all, an unlimited New York City MetroCard pass is $121 per month.
Back in March, Lyft offered various ride passes at different prices and rates for extreme users. It looks like they settled on the $200 price point for 30 rides from that user testing. This is the next round of testing as the company explores a more permanent Lyft subscription.


text:
The Rally in Square Stock Isn’t Over Just Yet
By: InvestorPlace | July 12, 2019
For all of 2017 and most of 2018, payments processor Square (NYSE:SQ) was a shining star on Wall Street, as investors bought into the secular growth narrative of Jack Dorsey’s next new thing becoming an important player in the global commerce ecosystem as an enabler of non-cash payments. SQ stock subsequently roared from $15 to $100.
But, in late 2018, SQ stock lost its footing. Part of the stumbling was Square’s fault. Growth started to slow against the backdrop of rising competition. The entire market turned upside down in late 2018 as rates were on the rise, trade tensions were boiling up, and global growth was cooling. The SQ stock price halved to $50.
So far, 2019 has been a better year as Square stock has rebounded. Here again, the rebound is one part Square, one part market. Square’s growth rates have remained robust and margins have powered higher, while the market has been boosted by falling rates, cooling trade tensions, and stabilizing global growth. SQ stock has consequently rebounded to $80. SQ Stock Rally has Legs
This 2019 rally in SQ stock isn’t over just yet. Square’s internals will remain favorable. Growth rates should remain robust, and margins should continue to march higher. At the same time, the market’s externals will likewise remain favorable, as rates project to remain lower for longer, the U.S. consumer economy is positioned to remain healthy, and trade tensions will likely continue to cool off.
Net net, I’m sticking with the rally in Square stock. This is a long-term winner that has found its winning stride again in the first half of 2019, and will maintain that winning stride into the back-half of the year, too. Square’s Internals Improve
Square’s internals improved in the first half of 2019, and as they did, SQ stock rallied. Fortunately, those internals should keep improving in the back-half of the year, too, paving the path for further gains in Square stock.
The secular growth narrative here is quite favorable. The world is pivoting from cash transactions, to non-cash transactions. As it does, merchants of all shapes and sizes need help processing non-cash transactions effectively, rapidly, and at scale.
Square provides technology which helps them do that. On top of that, Square is building an ecosystem of software services around those non-cash payment processors, in order to increase merchant and consumer wallet share during this transition towards non-cash payments. Non-Cash Growth Fuels Trajectory
So long as consumers keep pivoting towards non-cash payments (they will) and Square keeps innovating to expand its ecosystem of products and services (they will), Square will remain on a robust long-term revenue and profit growth trajectory.
This trajectory will remain favorable in the back-half of 2019. Around 30% of all transactions are cash transactions, yet only ~10% of consumers favor cash transactions. This disconnect ensures that Square’s volume growth through its non-cash payment processors will remain robust for a lot longer. Further, Square’s business debit card is reportedly gaining traction and the Cash App is gaining momentum, all while margins continue to ramp.
Broadly, Square’s revenue and profit growth trajectories should remain favorable in the back half of 2019. As they do, SQ stock should continue to trend higher. Market Externals Remain Favorable
Also helping sustain the rally in SQ stock in the back-half of 2019 will be favorable market externals.
Rates are low, and with rate cuts coming, they should only go lower over the next few quarters. As they go lower, they will help support stretched valuations for growth stocks and risk-on attitudes in the equities market. They should also support continued robust credit card spending, which will provide a direct tailwind to SQ stock.
7 Retail Stocks to Buy for the Second Half of 2019
Meanwhile, the U.S. consumer projects to remain healthy in the back-half of 2019. Unemployment rates are at record lows. Wage gains are hovering near decade highs. Trade tensions are cooling off. Credit is good. The personal savings rate remains healthy. Consumer debt levels are relatively low. All in all, the consumer environment should remain healthy.
Further, trade tensions between the U.S. and China should continue to cool after the two countries agreed to a trade war truce at the G-20 Summit.
Putting it all together, the market externals in the back-half of 2019 lend themselves to further strength in Square stock. Bottom Line on SQ Stock
SQ stock is a long-term winner that reasonably projects as a 25%+ revenue grower over the next several years, with healthy margin drivers that could spark 35%+ profit growth. By 2025, $4.50 in EPS is doable for Square. Based on a payments average 30x forward multiple and a 10% discount rate, that $4.50 in EPS provides fundamental support for a near $85 price target for SQ stock by the end of 2019.
Given favorable outlooks for Square’s internals and externals, I think that is exactly where SQ stock will wind up by the end of the year. As such, with SQ stock presently hovering below $80, the bull thesis here remains favorable for healthy upside in 2H19. Read Full Story »»» • DiscoverGold


text:
Samsung gets fewer iPhone 5 orders
The iPhone maker did not place parts orders with its Korean archrival for the initial batch of the new iPhone, which is widely referred to as the iPhone 5, according to industry sources yesterday.
Instead, Apple turned to Korea’s SK Hynix, a semiconductor arm of SK Group, and Japan’s Elpida and Toshiba to manufacture memory chips such as NAND flash memory chips and dynamic random access memory chips.
LG Display, a rival of Samsung, and Japan Display have received orders for the next iPhone’s liquid crystal displays, while China’s ATL and Japan’s Sanyo have been picked as suppliers of batteries.
“Apple has listed Samsung as one of its memory chip suppliers for the iPhone 5,” said an industry source familiar with the situation. “But Samsung has failed to obtain orders for initial production volume. Samsung SDI [Samsung Electronics’ affiliate] has also been selected to supply batteries but hasn’t been asked yet to start producing.”
A Samsung spokesman refused to confirm any matters related to contracts with Apple, citing confidentiality rules.
“It is true that Apple has been trying to taper off the volume of orders with Samsung recently,” said another Samsung worker on condition of anonymity. “It has been kind of anticipated because Apple already mentioned its move to vary its suppliers in the past.”
Samsung, the world’s top smartphone and memory chip producer, has been supplying around 40 percent (in terms of contract price) of parts in the past generations of iPhones over the last five years.
Samsung still remains the sole maker of the Apple-designed application processor, the brain powering iPhones and iPads.
Apple purchased an estimated 10 trillion won ($8.8 billion) worth of parts from Samsung last year, about 6 percent of the Korean tech giant’s annual revenues that year.
Some analysts have warned Apple not to risk ruining its relations with Samsung.
“Apple needs strong suppliers,” according to Ben Rogoff, who manages $1.3 billion in technology funds at Polar Capital in London, as quoted by the Telegraph earlier this week. “Apple needs to be careful what it wishes for. If this relationship deteriorated, you’d see Apple looking to diversify its supplier base, but that’s hard to do.”
On Tuesday, Apple invited members of the media to an event next Wednesday in San Francisco, and the invitation suggested it would be the introduction of the long-anticipated new iPhone.
The American tech titan could sell six million to 10 million iPhone 5s in the final week of this month, according to Gene Munster, an analyst with U.S. investment bank Piper Jaffray, in a Wednesday research note.
The iPhone 4S, currently the latest model, sold four million units in its first weekend, while the preceding model 4 sold 1.7 million units in just three days. By comparison, sales of Samsung’s Galaxy S3, potentially the biggest iPhone 5 rival, have passed the 20 million mark since its release in late May.
Meanwhile, U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh has turned down Apple’s request to delay a scheduled Sept. 20 hearing where Samsung is set to oppose a preliminary injunction blocking U.S. sales of its Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer, court documents showed Thursday.
The judge also refused to accept the request by the world’s most valuable firm to bring forward a Dec. 6 hearing for a permanent barring of eight Samsung smartphones and tablet PCs in the U.S.
By Seo Ji-eun [firstname.lastname@example.org]


text: Four community colleges in the San Fernando Valley will offer a cloud computing certificate program through a partnership with Amazon.com Inc.’s Amazon Web Services. The Valley schools that will offer the program are Glendale College, Los Angeles Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles Valley College in Valley Glen and Los Angeles Mission College in Sylmar, according to an announcement made Thursday by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp.’s Center for a Competitive Workforce. The 15-credit curriculum will be focused on giving students the training they need for jobs in the fast-growing cloud computing market, the value of which is expected to reach $159 billion by 2020, according to market data provider Statista. The program also will include curriculum development workshops and trainings on the Amazon Web Services cloud computing platform. Additionally, participants will get access to AWS Educate, Amazon Web Services’ online resource center for those interested in cloud computing careers. The partnership with Amazon will include a total of 19 community colleges in the greater Los Angeles market.


text:
However, Wall Street strategist Tom Lee believes that the long-term prospects of the bitcoin price remain quite promising.Up-to-the-minute news and analysis on deals, markets and finance around the world.Previous Post Meet LEOcoin: A New Digital Currency and Bitcoin Rival Next Post 2 Former U.S. Agents Charged with Stealing Bitcoin During Silk Road Trial.Existing Barriers to Adoption There are a few barriers to widespread blockchain adoption on Wall Street at present that have garnered the most attention, according to Quaranta.
A panel at a recent cryptocurrency event hosted by the Cato Institute discussed the differences between public blockchains (such as Bitcoin) and the.
SecondMarket CEO: Wall Street Will Put 'Hundreds ofIn the upcoming months the growing demand from institutional investors and professional traders will only increase, bringing bitcoin price to new highs.
Try the Wall Street Examiner Pro Trader Reports RISK FREE for NINETY days. 13 services to choose from,.Wall Street and venture capitalists see bitcoin as the beginning of an investing and trading revolution.
[BREAKING NEWS]: Wall Street Predicting Bitcoin To HitWall Street Goes Blockchain With Factom, Intrinio. and no matter what your opinion on bitcoin we.It seems the only thing Wall Streeters want to discuss is the meteoric rise in the price of bitcoin -- and not.
Tencent Teams up with Intel for Internet of Things Blockchain Solution.Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Coinspeaker Ltd.Weeks later, after five years on Wall Street, I decided to leave behind the bulge-bracket.Amid global market uncertainty, onerous regulations and a cautious investment.Unlike traditional currencies such as dollars, bitcoins are issued and.
Known as blockchain technology, this distributed ledger advancement promises to create a leaner, more efficient and more profitable financial services world.
The World of Digital Currency - CFA Institute - SocietiesBitcoin infrastructure explodes as both investors and businesses accept the cryptocurrency.
Blockchain Capital Lures Bitcoin Analyst Away from Wall
The cryptocurrency, up over 300% this year alone, is also maybe too loved by investors, according to Bank of America.In addition to that, in January, digital currency-based payments platform Ripple Labs named former National Economic Council director Gene Sperling as a director, reports WSJ.For the first few years, there was no response from Wall Street.Successful EU Payment Institution Worldcore Launches ICO on October 14.Bitcoin is attracting attention as a wildly volatile, all-digital currency.These symbols will be available during your session for use on applicable pages.The industry is still weighed down by a lack of a cohesive regulatory framework around digital currencies and blockchain technology, with multiple federal and state agencies weighing in with proposed rules and oversight that make it difficult to develop a longer-term strategy.
Ten months ago, I set up my digital wallet and bought my first bitcoin.
Wall Street Meets Bitcoin Boulevard – The World of HighBitcoin exchange trade volumes have soared over the past week as the bitcoin price hit its high for the year.
Bitcoin Believers See a Role for Wall Street - The New
This year marked a watershed moment in mainstream investment in the bitcoin economy.Currently she works as a business analyst, freelance interpreter and tutor.A new book chronicles the remarkable rise of Bitcoin, and the investors who aspire to disrupt the currency market.
Big Wall Street Players Investing in Bitcoin Startup
We try to block comments that use offensive language, all capital letters or appear to be spam.The founder of the Bitcoin Investment Trust has been meeting with Wall Street players whom he says are preparing to pour vast amounts of money into the digital currency.The Wall Street Journal asks whether or not bitcoin has a future, and it presents evidence to suggest either way.
Software engineers have started developing multiple applications for the blockchain, including a land title record system in Honduras to the clearing of.


text:
Things are starting to look up for Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (NYSE: SKT) investors. Shares of the outlet mall operator recently hit a 10-month high, and that’s saying something since it’s been that long since the country was paralyzed by the COVID-19 crisis.
Things haven’t been easy for the operator of 38 upscale outlet shopping centers. It suspended its beefy quarterly distributions in May. Some of its tenants have gone out of business. However, with shoppers starting to come back and a value proposition that makes sense in the new normal it’s just a matter of time before the payouts return. Tanger Factory Outlet Centers is starting to win back investors, too — but where will it be a year from now? Let’s take a closer look to see where the company and the stock should be in early 2022.


text:
Here’s a late-afternoon shot of the drive-thru in action at Taqueria Taconmadre’s extended taco schoolbus, parked in its usual space this past weekend at the corner of Crown and Brownwood streets. The Taconmadre taqueros have been frequenting the concrete slab on the lot across the street from X-IT Bail Bonds for at least a decade, though the green vehicle employed has been upgraded from truck to bus to bus-plus during that time; the drive-thru setup was added in the most recent expansion a few years back. Those not comfortable breaking with standard foodtruck transaction protocol can still order on foot from the bus’s passenger side.
The taqueria operates a brick-and-mortar drive-thru-or-sit-down spot at 905 Edgebrook Dr., between Ryan’s Express Dry Cleaners and Casa Tires; Taconmadre also lists Bellfort St. just west of I-45 as the normal location of another green (but non-drive-thru) truck, between dry cleaner St. Mary’s Washateria and GG’s Wheel & Tire.
Photo of Taqueria Taconmadre truck at 610 Crown St.: CW
The Rodriguez Brothers have produced more than 200 food trucks out of their warehouse on the corner of Garrow and Roberts just east of Settegast Park, reports food critic and soon-to-be-restaurateur Robb Walsh. Inside on a recent visit, Walsh finds 14 vehicles in various stages of customization — including catering trucks, taco trucks with “California-style” cantilevered skylights, and vehicles outfitted with elote cookers, shaved-ice machines, or other specialty equipment. “The kitchen is designed for the kind of food being served,” co-owner Daniel Rodriguez tells him.
Sure, Houston has about 1,000 licensed mobile food vendors. (Yes, most of them are taco trucks.) Why aren’t there more? Ruthie Johnson explains a few of the regulations — and other roadblocks:
Most of the standards are a welcome way to ensure food safety, but some are annoying — or downright ironic. Street vendors, for example, must be at least 100 feet from any seating area, yet must have notarized proof of a usable restroom within 500 feet. The tiniest of carts must have a massive vent hood. And vendors are never allowed to be on a sidewalk. Jason Jones of Haute Texan Tacos says that actually “the biggest problem is that there aren’t really any decent pedestrian areas for street vendors in Houston.” Jones, who recently put his truck up for sale, goes on to explain that a fire code which prevents propane-powered businesses from selling anywhere downtown or in the Medical Center takes away a street vendor’s two largest pedestrian areas.
Other obstacles? Powerful restaurateurs don’t want the competition from street vendors, consumers don’t appreciate them, and city officials make it difficult to get questions answered and inspections scheduled. Sean Carroll of Melange Creperie says that “Anyone looking to start a mobile food service business in Houston should expect to be on the sidelines for six months at the very least.


text:
Sponsored content about the new initiative is published today across the UK in print and online.
As the country continues to reopen, branded stories run in today’s news brands celebrate the remarkable way businesses and their employees have responded to the Covid-19 pandemic.
From innovating production lines to delivering goods to the vulnerable, the GREAT inspirations campaign shines a light on untold stories from up and down the country.
One example is Brompton Bike Hire, the bicycle company supported the NHS with the launch of an initiative delivering over 1,000 newly-manufactured Brompton bikes to key staff. The ‘Wheels for Heroes’ campaign saw Brompton Bike Hire launch a crowdfunder and commit production costs equating to an investment of up to £100,000 (via Daily Mail).
Another sponsored story from Bristol, comes from Fears Watch Company, the UK’s oldest watch company. The company’s MD took a full-time night job at Asda during the crisis so that he didn’t have to make his staff redundant and to enable them to pay all their suppliers (via Liverpool Echo).
This is the latest branded content that has gone live as part of an advertising partnership launched between the government and newspaper industry in April.
Stay to up to date with the latest news from the “All in, all together” campaign here.
You can explore the campaign here: https://www.greatbritaincampaign.com/inspirations.


text:
The Impending Impact of Costly Decarbonization Measures on Global Shipping: The Potential Rise in Export and Import Costs from January 2027
Global shipping has long been the lifeblood of international trade, facilitating the movement of goods across borders and connecting economies worldwide. However, the industry is now facing a significant challenge in the form of decarbonization. As the world grapples with the urgency of combating climate change, shipping companies are under pressure to adopt costly measures to reduce their carbon emissions. This article delves into the potential consequences of these decarbonization efforts, focusing on the foreseen increase in export and import costs from January 2027.
The Importance of Global Shipping:
Global shipping plays a vital role in the modern interconnected world. Approximately 90% of global trade relies on maritime transport, enabling the efficient movement of goods on a massive scale. It has been the backbone of international trade, supporting economic growth and prosperity. However, the environmental impact of shipping, particularly in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, cannot be ignored. The industry is responsible for a significant portion of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, which has prompted urgent action to mitigate its environmental footprint.
The Drive for Decarbonization:
The International Maritime Organization (IMO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, has taken a leading role in addressing shipping’s carbon emissions. In 2018, the IMO adopted an ambitious strategy to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping by at least 50% compared to 2008 levels by the year 2050. Achieving this goal necessitates the implementation of costly decarbonization measures.
The costliest measure proposed is the transition to low-carbon or zero-carbon fuels, such as hydrogen or ammonia, as alternatives to traditional fossil fuels. These fuels offer the potential to significantly reduce shipping’s carbon footprint but come at a high cost. The production, storage, and distribution infrastructure required for these fuels would require substantial investment and technological advancements.
Additionally, retrofitting existing ships with new technologies and building new vessels that comply with stricter environmental standards also contribute to the mounting expenses. The implementation of energy-efficient technologies, the adoption of wind-assisted propulsion systems, and the optimization of routes and operations are further avenues that shipping companies are exploring to reduce emissions. However, these initiatives are not without their financial implications.
The Potential Increase in Export and Import Costs:
The transition towards a more sustainable shipping industry undoubtedly comes at a price. The investment required to meet decarbonization targets is expected to be substantial, and these costs are likely to be passed on to consumers. As shipping companies grapple with the financial burden of implementing decarbonization measures, export and import costs are likely to rise.
One of the primary drivers behind the potential increase in costs is the higher price of low-carbon or zero-carbon fuels. These fuels are still in the early stages of development and production, lacking the economies of scale enjoyed by traditional fossil fuels. Consequently, their prices are significantly higher, and shipping companies will have to bear the brunt of these expenses initially.
Moreover, the retrofitting and construction of ships to comply with stricter environmental regulations will also contribute to higher costs. Retrofitting existing vessels to meet new standards can be a costly and time-consuming process. Similarly, building new ships with sustainable technologies and materials adds to the overall expenditure.
The effects of increased costs in the shipping industry are not confined to the shipping companies themselves. Importers and exporters will also be impacted as the higher expenses incurred by shipping companies are likely to be passed down the supply chain. Ultimately, consumers may face increased prices for imported goods, impacting affordability and consumption patterns.
The global shipping industry is on the brink of a significant transformation driven by the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions. While decarbonization measures are necessary to combat climate change, they come at a considerable cost. From January 2027 onwards, the export and import costs associated with shipping are expected to increase as shipping companies invest in costly decarbonization measures.
The higher prices of low-carbon or zero-carbon fuels, retrofitting existing ships, and constructing new vessels will contribute to these rising costs. Importers and exporters, as well as consumers, may bear the brunt of these expenses, leading to potential shifts in trade patterns and consumption habits.
To minimize the impact on global trade and ensure a smooth transition, collaboration among governments, shipping companies, and other stakeholders is crucial. Encouraging research and development in sustainable fuels, providing financial incentives, and establishing international frameworks for carbon pricing are among the strategies that can facilitate the transition to a greener shipping industry without excessively burdening the global economy.


text:
THE beef industry’s Pasturefed Cattle Assurance System has attracted another large supply chain, with Thomas Foods International this week signing license agreements to take up the third-party audited program to underpin its grassfed branded beef offer.
TFI joins another recent license signatory, Queensland’s Stanbroke Beef, and foundation PCAS program supporter Teys Australia.
Stanbroke is understood to be processing small numbers of bought PCAS-eligible cattle on a trial basis at its Grantham, Queensland plant, for its Diamantina Grassfed brand.
The addition of two new large and well-resourced grassfed supply chains to the PCAS program comes is welcome news to Cattle Council of Australia and program managers, following recent questions surrounding the disappointing level of uptake by brand managers.
Since its launch in 2013, Teys Australia has been virtually the only brand manager user of the PCAS system. Other large red meat supply chains, like JBS Australia’s Great Southern brand program, have elected to use their own independently verified third-party audited programs.
In a Cattle Council statement, CCA president Howard Smith said the commitment by Thomas Foods International to PCAS was a great step forward for the program.
“This signing demonstrates that processors and producers are working together to ensure full integrity of the grassfed products delivered to consumers,” Mr Smith said.
PCAS is an assurance program that enables the industry to prove claims relating to pasturefed or grassfed production methods. Underpinning PCAS are the PCAS Standards which govern the on-farm feed requirements and traceability of the cattle as well as pre-slaughter handling practices which influence eating quality. Supplier members undergo an annual audit, at their own cost. PCAS cattle have typically attracted premiums of 25-40c/kg over equivalent MSA cattle.
Thomas Foods International chief executive Darren Thomas said TFI was proud of its global reputation for high quality product.
“We see our membership of PCAS as further validation of the strict quality assurance protocols we undertake from the farm-gate to the plate,” Mr Thomas said.
“Obtaining PCAS is also in line with our company’s ongoing support of our national suppliers and reflects the increasing global demand we are seeing for high quality pasturefed cattle,” he said.
Beef Central understands TFI will conduct PCAS kills at its Murray Bridge plant in South Australia, underpinning its existing TFI grassfed brands.
What is PCAS?
PCAS was developed by Cattle Council as an assurance program that enables the industry to prove claims relating to pasturefed or grassfed production methods. Find out more at http://www.pcaspasturefed.com.au/.
About Thomas Foods International
Thomas Foods International processes about 120,000 sheep, goats and lambs and 5000 cattle per week across the group for national markets and 85 overseas destinations. Product is sourced from producers across Australia then processed and packaged at facilities in SA and NSW with distribution hubs in Adelaide, Coffs Harbour, Brisbane, Darwin and in the United States.


text:
The boss of Australia’s largest data provider believes the online mortgage market is set for a significant breakthrough as disruptors embrace revolutionary new technology.
Just as mortgage brokers and non-bank lenders brought competition to the market by offering an alternative, new online players are set to shake-up the local home loan market and become the catalyst to drive innovation in both new and existing mortgage businesses.
CoreLogic chief executive Graham Mirabito told The Adviser that while fintech players are still in their infancy in Australia the sector is “about to explode”.
“We are very excited with where it is going. In the United States, CoreLogic provides services to Wells Fargo and Quicken Loans. They are all big customers of ours as are the peer-to-peer lenders,” Mr Mirabito says.
“The key here is that digital enablement has to back it up with fulfilment. It is no good doing a mortgage application online and then filling in a bunch of forms afterwards,” he says.
“I think Click Loans is probably one of the best examples we’ve got here in Australia; just as good if not better than Quicken in the US in terms of their speed and the way they go about their business. That is the new norm.
“This may be in its infancy but it is about to explode.”
Australian Credit and Finance launched Click Loans last year, inspired by recent disruptors like Uber and Airbnb.
David Hyman, managing director of Australian Credit and Finance, said the new venture was in response to changes in technology and consumer attitudes.
“Consumers have become used to platforms such as Uber and Airbnb which have changed the delivery of products and services to them,” he told The Adviser.
“We really saw an opportunity with Click Loans to communicate with people about their loan application in a way that they’re used to by bringing a great online experience in a very simple and easy fashion.”
Mr Hyman said many of his customers are already using online mortgage providers to compare mortgages, but are not satisfied with their level of personal service.
Meanwhile, as the key data provider for the Australian mortgage and real estate industry, CoreLogic has been doing extensive work around machine learning and artificial intelligence. Mr Mirabito said these and other new technologies such as voice recognition and the internet of things (IoT) will speed-up the digital delivery of mortgages over the next few years.


text:
A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences explores a different side of food waste, the “opportunity food loss” of producing animal-based products and the advantages of plant-based alternatives.
Unlike conventional food waste, the researchers looked at “hidden food that can be recovered via changes in diets.” To explore the opportunity food loss, the researchers compared various animal products – beef, pork, dairy, poultry, and eggs. The study found that: “plant-based replacements for each of the major animal categories in the United States can produce twofold to 20-fold more nutritionally similar food per unit cropland.”
The most resource intensive product was no surprise, beef. For every four grams of beef that is produced, we could have produced 100 grams of nutritionally equal plant-based protein. Following beef, in terms of next largest opportunity loss were pork, dairy, poultry, and eggs. Specifically by replacing animal products with plant-based alternatives, the researchers concluded we could feed an additional 350 million people with the same land resources. 350 million people!
By converting land for animal production to nutritionally equivalent plant protein production, we could move towards a more sustainable food system and have a significant impact on the environment while helping to meet the demands of our growing global population. The study author, Ron Milo, notes: “Together, waste reduction and dietary shifts offer substantial food availability gains”.
In other words, building a sustainable food system requires us to both waste less food and shift towards a plant-based diet.
Thanks to PBFA nutrition advisor Sherene Chou for drafting this post.


text:
Islands in the Pacific Ocean are some of the most practical places to install solar panels. Since there’s no natural gas pipeline or rail line to haul in coal, islands like Kauai in Hawaii have traditionally generated electricity by shipping in many barrels of diesel fuel.
These days, because so many residences and businesses have installed solar power, there’s a greatly reduced need to burn fossil during the day — but at night, the generators kick in. Tesla wants to change all that, with a massive new solar farm and energy storage project on the island.
Much of renewable energy generation is intermittent: wind and solar power generation peaks are often around times of low demand. So Tesla (which changed its name from Tesla Motors last year largely because of projects like this) offers the Powerpack, a massive battery that can store electricity during the day when supply is abundant, and discharge it when demand goes up after the sun goes down.
The Kauai project consists of a 52 megawatt-hour battery installation plus a 13 megawatt SolarCity solar farm. Tesla and the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, the power company that ordered the project, believe the project will reduce fossil fuel usage by 1.6 million gallons per year.
Like with the solar/battery microgrid installed on the island of Ta’u in American Samoa last year, the KIUC project uses Tesla’s Powerpack 2 battery system, built at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Nevada.
Tesla is now in the business of selling electricity
KIUC didn’t purchase the solar panels and battery system from Tesla outright. Instead, the utility contracted with Tesla to purchase electricity. There’s a 20-year contract in place to buy the solar-generated power for 13.9 cents per kilowatt hour — in effect, Tesla is now in the power generation business.
It’s the first major solar-plus-storage project for Tesla since its $2.6 billion acquisition of SolarCity last year, and Tesla said in a statement that it “will work with energy providers around the world seeking to overcome barriers in the way of building a sustainable, renewable energy grid of their own.”
Stationary storage is "something I think will probably be as big as the car business long term," Tesla CEO Elon Musk said during a tour of the Gigafactory last year. "And will actually have a growth rate probably several times that of what the car business is per year. The growth in stationary storage is really under appreciated. That’s a super-exponential growth rate."
Earlier this year, Tesla opened a massive energy storage facility in Ontario, California that was designed to reduce the need for “peaker plants,” or pricey electricity generators that only run when demand is particularly high. Use of Tesla’s Powerpacks both as replacements for peaker plants and to time-shift renewable power generation appears to be growing in popularity, and the company has a number of projects underway at the commercial, industrial, and utility levels.
Tesla also offers a residential power-storage solution called Powerwall that uses the same technology as Powerpack. In fact, a Powerpack is simply 16 Powerwall battery pods encased in a weatherproof box.


text:
Trade war: Now, US’s own allies hit back at Trump’s tariff politics
After China, the US surprisingly took on its traditional allies in the trade war and the Donald Trump administration's decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium manufacturers invited strong reaction from Europe and Canada, the US's traditional friends.
The president of the European Commission, Jean-Calude Juncker, promised immediate retaliation against the Trump administration's measures after America's Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said European Union companies would face a 25 per cent duty on steel and 10 per cent duty on aluminium starting from Thursday midnight.
Juncker said the US's decision was "unjustified" and added that the EU too had no choice but to hit back with counter tariffs on US goods besides registering a complaint with the World Trade Organisation, Geneva,
Juncker called the US move "unjustified" and said the EU had no choice but to hit back with tariffs on US goods and a case with the World Trade Organisation in Geneva.
The US, while escalating its trade war with China a few months ago, had granted a temporary reprieve to Europe, along with Canada and Mexico - two of its neighbours - but Ross later said that talks with Europe, Canada and Mexico did not produce the desired results in lessening the US's trade deficit and hence it was decided to lift the waiver. Ross's statement sent shock waves through the global markets, second time after the US's unrelenting confrontation with China.
While the EU already announced a tit-for-tat measure targeting motorcyles, whiskey and jeans industries, the UK also raised alarm over the Trump administration's decision. London is hoping to build free trading terms with the US once it officially quits the EU in March next year but now its plans look to have landed in a serious jeoparday.
"Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, said Britain would not rule out countermeasures or taking Washington to the WTO, which arbitrates on global trade disputes," the Guardian reported.
French President Emmanuel Macron who President Trump hosted over a state dinner in April, criticised the US's tariffs as illegal and mistake while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau imposed a tariff up to 25 per cent on American imposts worth over 16 billion Canadian dollars.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, called the US tariffs illegal and a mistake, while the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, issued an immediate like-for-like response - announcing tariffs of up to 25% on US imports worth up to 16.6bn Canadian dollars (£9.6bn), which was the total value of Canadian steel exports to the US last year. The tariffs will cover steel and aluminium as well as orange juice, whiskey and other food products. Trudeau even went to the extent of saying that the "totally unacceptable" move by the US is a turning point in the relationship between the two neighbours who have known to be allies for a long, long time, Newsweek reported.
Mexico also lashed out at the decision, saying it deeply regretted and disapproved of the US's decision. In January, Mexico had criticised the US decision on import of solar panels and washing machines.
Trump's decision is the second instance within a month which has seriously offended its allies. On May 8, Trump scuttled the multilateral Iran deal of 2015 saying it was "flawed" and helped Iran unjustly. Washington's allies like the UK, France and Germany - which are also part of the pact - were left disappointed with such a hasty call which they opined would only encourage Iran to go ahead with its reckless nuclear ambitions.


text:
Warzone Mobile Beta Release: All the players worldwide are undoubtedly super excited about the release of the new game platform Warzone mobile. Warzone Mobile aka Call of Duty Mobile 2 is being hyped for nowadays. The previous leaks about the game were super interesting. Moreover, one of the leaks suggested that we will get a whole campaign for this new upcoming game. In the heat of the moment, Activision decided to give us a massive hunt about the game.
The New Job Post By Activision Hints At The Beta Release Of The Game
Recently, Activision posted a job opening for a studio tester. The developers need a great studio tester and while this is just an assumption this could be for Warzone Mobile. While it may sound a little bit too unbiased, the description for the job states otherwise. The company mentioned that they are looking for the world’s best as they want to give the players the best AAA mobile gaming experience. And they welcome you to their team and start making something special.
— PD (@PrafulDwivedi12) July 23, 2022
As you can see in the player’s profile it clearly says that ‘You will be the first one at the line of defense for title’s quality Now it is pretty clear as the job post is by Activision mobile and the next call of duty game that we expect in mobile is Warzone mobile. The players can expect the new game’s beta release pretty soon after seeing this job post. Nevertheless, it is surely going to be a heck of an experience to play the game when it releases. Make sure to stay tuned with us for more future updates.


text:
Novosibirsk police have arrested two college students who are believed to have rigged a vending machine to dispense packs of Mentos containing a smokable form of synthetic cannabis.
The machine was located in a store owned by one of the suspects. The store contained only a few products — bottles of beer, ramen noodles and bags of chips — along with the vending machine, which sold packs of Mentos at several times the usual price, the Federal Drug Control Service said Wednesday.
The two men — born in 1991 and 1992 — would replace a single Mentos mint per pack with a serving of JWH-018 synthetic cannabinoid, investigators said.
The drug, which is manufactured in laboratories, is legal in some countries and is sometimes sold as "herbal incense."
It produces an effect similar to marijuana and was banned within Russia in 2010.
A search of the suspects' rented apartment discovered 533.5 grams of the drug.
A criminal case has been opened in respect to "the illegal distribution of a narcotic in an especially large amount."
The suspects, whose names were not released, face up to eight years in prison if convicted.


text:
Transport services providers, including the app-based “ride-sharing”
company Uber, will have to register their revenue using electronic cash
registers as of this autumn. Uber CEO Alexei Stakh signed a new tax
memorandum on Thursday committing the company to using the system, known by
its Czech acronym EET. However, only new Uber drivers will be required to
In April, Uber also committed to operating a licensed service in the Czech Republic, thereby putting the company on an equal footing with traditional taxi companies, as its drivers will have to register with the appropriate authorities and have their earnings taxed.
More than one million tourists who visited the Czech Republic last year were accommodated via Airbnb, which is an increase by over 50 percent on the previous year. The number of Airbnb travellers in the regions outside of Prague increased even more significantly, by 108 percent. The data was released on Wednesday by Anita Roth, head of policy research at Airbnb.
Prague City Hall and the app-based ride sharing service Uber have signed a
memorandum of understanding in which Uber has agreed to meet conditions
which would put it on an equal footing with taxi drivers.
The company has agreed to operate a licensed service, with drivers registering and taxing their earnings in the Czech Republic. Uber has also pledged to join the electronic evidence of sales system introduced last year.
Prague and Brno taxi drivers who consider Uber unfair competition, have been protesting against the ride sharing service for months.
The ride-sharing service Uber has reached an agreement with the government
on conditions which would bring the service on an equal footing with
regular taxi drivers.
Following a meeting with Uber representatives on Thursday, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said the app-based service had agreed to use licensed-only drivers who would register and tax their earnings.
Prague and Brno taxi drivers have repeatedly protested against Uber, which they see as unfair competition.
Prague taxi drivers are planning to stage fresh protests against the
app-based services such as Uber and Taxify, the deputy leader of an
association of taxi drivers, Karolína Vencelová, told the Czech News
Agency on Wednesday. The protests are likely to start on Monday. Official
taxi drivers, who have to pay the city for their licenses, say competition
from unofficial drivers is undercutting their business.
The drivers have been pressing city and national authorities to put both types of taxi drivers on the same footing. Several protests, which included blocking the traffic in the city, have already taken place in the previous weeks.
Taxi drivers assembled in Prague on Monday for further protests against
services such as Uber. Scores of taxis converged at Strahov Stadium in the
afternoon before driving into the city centre, where they caused
cojsiderable traffic holdups.
On Thursday and Friday last week hundreds of taxi drivers drove through central Prague in demonstrations that they said were aimed at making clear to the government their grievances about Uber and similar services, which they regard as unfair competition.