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This time last year, Audi revealed its first series-production electric vehicle. Sort of. The e-tron was still wrapped in camouflage at the time. Now, again at the Geneva show, Audi is letting us see an electric with an advance look at the Audi Q4 e-tron concept. The brand’s fifth electric model.
The new electric Q4 will get a pair of motors offering 301 hp. That’s enough power to move this compact crossover to 60 mph from a stop in 6.3 seconds. It’s limited to 112 mph in an effort to help ensure top speed range isn’t overly reduced.
The 82 kWh battery is fitted under the car, between the axles. It offers up a range of more than 280 miles on the WLTP cycle. The Q4 e-tron is based on the new MEB Volkswagen Group electric platform.
The concept is a look at the production car that’s expected to be introduced at the end of next year. By then, Audi will have four other electric models on sale, including the e-tron Sportback and the China-only Q2L e-tron.
Audi says the Q4 will be in the “upper third of the compact class.” At 181-inches long, it’s about eight inches longer than the Q3. But with no transmission tunnel, Audi says it offers more space than one would expect given the footprint.
Audi is planning the production Q4 e-tron to debut at the same time as the production e-tron GT. So we can expect to see both in the second half of next year.


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AUSTIN, Texas (CBS.MW) -- Hoover’s said Wednesday that it would buy Powerize.com for $17.1 million to boost the business news and information site’s technological capabilities.
The deal marks the Austin, Texas-based company’s second purchase in less than a week. On July 6, Hoover’s said it would acquire one-fifth of full-text-search-engine company 10K Wizard Technology, and has the option to purchase the company outright at a later date. The price was undisclosed. See full story.
Hoover’s (HOOV) decided to deal for Powerize.com because of the company’s content and syndication technology, Patrick Spain, chairman, president, and CEO of Hoover’s, told CBS.MarketWatch.com.
“The thing we’re really interested in is Powerize.com’s great searching and sifting tools, which will allow us to make Hoover’s better,” Spain said. “It will also give us the ability to syndicate out to Intranets of large companies to allow clipping of relevant news articles and research.”
Following on the heels of the investment in 10K Wizard, Reston, Va.-based Powerize.com enhances Hoover’s position as a player in the area of syndicating tools and services, the company said.
Powerize.com is a business research site, similar to Hoover’s, but it offers no unique content nor is it as comprehensive, Spain said.
Another aspect of Powerize.com that appealed to Hoover’s was the company’s ability to develop and deliver 12 million advertising-supported monthly newsletters from that site, which Hoover’s gets in the deal. Hoover’s also gets to add 600,000 registered users to its current count of 3 million.
In September, when the transaction is expected to close, Powerize.com will cease as a destination site but will continue to exist as a syndication site, Spain said.
Hoover’s will pay for the purchase of Powerize.com with $2.42 million of cash and the issuance of 1.48 million shares of stock. The company has about $50 million of cash in the bank.
Shares of Hoover’s closed up 3/16 to 7 7/8 ahead of the announcement.

domain: news


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The arrival of COVID-19 not only changed social interactions and the economy in Costa Rica, but also the dynamics of criminal organizations who engage in contraband, counterfeiting and other forms of illegal trade. An increase of 42% in the total of products seized during the first half of 2020 (16,301,243 units seized), compared to the same period in 2019 (11,468,375 units).
The statistics of the Fiscal Control Police reflect important differences in some categories of seized items, compared to 2019. It highlights an increase of 76.5% in seized personal use products. The months that documented the highest increase were March and April.
Guillermo Varela, director of the GS1 Costa Rica Association explained that “the world of contraband moves like the market: under the principle of supply and demand. This is precisely why we could explain the increase in seized personal use products, because although the Police do not detail the articles, we presume that they are related to hygiene and cleanliness, which have been highly in demand due to the current circumstances.”
Another type of product that experienced a considerable increase (161%) is cigarettes. In June of last year, a semester total of 15,096 packets seized was reported and for the same accumulated month of this 2020, 39,421 packets were counted.
- The Central American Bank for Economic Integration Approves $ 300 Million to Costa Rica to Mitigate the Effects Caused by the Pandemic
The Country is in need of tools to combat smuggling and counterfeiting
The lack of tools that can provide more control to the authorities is one of the main weaknesses of the country, which prevents adequately fighting this social problem. This despite the fact that there are merchandise traceability solutions under global standards, which allow products to be traced throughout their production and marketing process.
There are dozens of companies in the world that can implement systems to monitor the batch number, expiration date and serial number of each product, allowing an accelerated tracking of each unit and allowing it to be withdrawn from the market in the event of detected anomalies.
Regarding cigarette traceability, some years ago the Ministry of Health wanted to directly contract RACSA services; however, the recruitment was stopped at the request of several commercial chambers; and by indication of the Minister of the Presidency at that time, Sergio Alfaro.
Regarding the traceability of products with alcoholic content, some deputies also assured that there was interference from the liquor industry when considering draft law 20.961 against adulteration and smuggling of alcoholic drinks.
The smuggling of gasoline for drug trafficking and for resale has also been publicly denounced on several occasions. It has even caused entire communities to run out of water due to contamination by the illegal extraction of fuels in the RECOPE pipeline.
Medicines have experienced a notable drop compared to the previous year: in the first six months of 2019 a total of 919,688 were seized and for that same period of this year, only 39,884 were registered. In fact, the month that just ended did not record a single product of this type seized.
Varela affirms that this phenomenon may be due to the fact that there is currently a greater presence and vigilance of the police in the border areas. For this reason, criminals modified their methods of operation to circumvent the authorities controls.
Smuggling or counterfeiting has several negative consequences for the country. Among them, authorities highlight that it contributes to the country’s fiscal deficit, since the products marketed under these conditions are evading the payment of taxes.
On the other hand, counterfeit or altered products can cause harmful effects on the health of consumers, since they are “cloned” using toxic substances, which can only be determined by chemical analysis. It also affects the image of companies that are dedicated to legally market products.


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|A screen above the floor of the New York Stock Exchange shows the rise of the Dow Jones industrial average shortly after the opening bell, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019. AP-Yonhap|
By Jodi Xu Klein, US correspondent
The United States Trade Representative office announced the products will have tariffs delayed include "cell phones, laptop computers, video game consoles, certain toys, computer monitors, and certain items of footwear and clothing".
Some categories were being removed from the tariffs list because of "health, safety, national security and other factors" while tariffs on other items would be delayed until December 15.
The office said that a new 10 per cent tariff on about half the Chinese imports would still take effect on September 1, as announced by US President Donald Trump on August 1.
The delay on tariffs of about US$300 billion of Chinese consumer goods will allow US retailers to stockpile the products they need for the back-to-school and holiday shopping seasons.
When imposed, the tariffs may mean more job cuts and store closings for US retailers during this holiday season, as the fragile sector already faces decreased revenue due to online competition like Amazon.com.
US stocks rebounded on the announcement after the markets had dropped Monday on the prospects of the trade war escalation. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 1.44 per cent and the Nasdaq Composite was up 2 per cent.
|Large televisions on display at a Costco Club store in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA 13 August 2019. EPA-Yonhap|
Shares of Best Buy, the electronics retailer, shot up as much as 8 per cent in trading Tuesday morning, while those of Target were up 6 per cent. Tech stocks were also up, with Apple shares rising as much as 6 per cent early in the trading session.
US retailers are already cutting jobs at the highest level in a decade, losing almost 43,000 positions this year through July, up 40 per cent from the same period last year, according to a report from outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas.
The announcement to delay imposing tariffs "is welcome news for American businesses and consumers", according to a statement by the US Chamber of Commerce.
Earlier Tuesday, Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He, China's lead trade negotiator, reportedly lodged a complaint about the US decision to increase tariffs on Chinese imports.
In a telephone discussion, Liu had a "serious negotiation" with his US counterparts about the 10 per cent of duties slated to take effect on September 1, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping reached a ceasefire in the two nations' trade war at the G20 meeting in Osaka, Japan, in June.
Trump said at that time that the US would lift a ban against American suppliers from selling components to China telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies, a prohibition that had been enacted for national security concerns.
|In this June 29, 2019, file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump, left, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, western Japan. AP-Yonhap|
But the two sides have made little progress since. Talks were reportedly not advancing on a number of issues key to US concerns, including China's reform of its market structure, its protection of US companies' intellectual property and its easing of forced technology transfers.
On August 1, Trump announced the new tariffs, citing a slowness by China to resume US agricultural purchases and its failure to stem the flow of the synthetic opioid fentanyl to the US.
US government clearance for American tech companies to supply some components to Huawei has also seemingly been suspended.
In retaliation China announced a suspension of all US agricultural purchases.
On the phone call Tuesday, China's Liu spoke with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Xinhua reported.
Also attending China's side of the call were Commerce Minister Zhong Shan; Yi Gang, the governor of the People's Bank of China; and Ning Jizhe, director of the National Bureau of Statistics of China.
The two sides have decided to have another telephone call in the next two weeks, Xinhua reported.


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Reliance Jio is one of the leading telecom industry in India, Jio launched the cheapest internet and calling system and now the company is giving tough competition to its rival companies. Now Jio is planning to enter into cryptocurrency business and may launch it Jiocoin. According to a report, Reliance Jio Infocomm is drawing up plans to create its own cryptocurrency, Jio Coin. The new bet, a Mint report claims, is the mandate of a 50-member team working on blockchain technology, which is being helmed by Ambani’s elder son Akash.
According to livemint “The company plans to hire 50 young professionals with average age of 25 years for Akash Ambani to lead. There are multiple applications of blockchain (for the company). The team would work on various blockchain products,” a person familiar with the development said on condition of anonymity.
Cryptocurrency has boomed in very less time and Bitcoin is one of the fasted growing cryptocurrency and people are also investing in it for high profit but there are some flaws in it. Back home, the finance ministry, Arun Jaitley and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have warned bitcoin users on the risks such cryptocurrencies carry. Jaitley has even said that cryptocurrency is not legalised as of now, while the RBI has made it clear multiple times that the creation, trading or usage of all virtual currencies, including Bitcoins, as a medium for payment are not authorised by any central bank or monetary authority.


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IDENTITY checking firmGB Group
said pre-tax profits more than trebled from £41,000 to £135,000 between April 1 and yesterday, despite a drop in revenues.
Chester-based GB, which checks the identity of customers for companies such as online retailerASOS
, said it had offset a fall in overall sales from £5.7m to £5m through efficiency improvements and client wins.
GB Group, led by chief executive Richard Law, said last year's revenues for the same period included a one-off settlement of £400,000 for licence arrears.
He added: "We remain confident that the ability to prove age and identity electronically and subsequently to manage customers effectively over the internet is a prerequisite for every online business, and that GB is well placed to address this market."
Shares slipped 0.5p , or 2.13 per cent, to 23p, valuing the company at £19.6m.


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As the popularity of cryptocurrency continues to rise, it’s not surprising to see that more companies are starting to accept it as a valid form of payment. For those of you who shop on eBay often, there might be some good news on that front. This will make you happy.
According to an interview with TheStreet, eBay CEO Jamie Iannone hinted that support for cryptocurrency could be coming soon. Iannone says, “We’re just completing our transition to manage payments where we’re now managing $85 billion of volume on our platform directly. This gives us the ability to open up new forms of payment.”
While Iannone does not explicitly confirm support for crypto by name, the CEO did hint at it by saying that they are trying to appeal more towards the Gen Z audience. “We opened up Google Pay and Apple Pay. We have a partnership with Afterpay in Australia, which is a platform that appeals to Gen Z, and that is a buy now pay later platform on the marketplace.”
Iannone does note that right now, crypto payments aren’t supported on eBay, but says that more details are expected to be revealed on March 10th when they will be discussing more about things like payments. For those of you who might be holding a lot of crypto, this could be good news as it would represent another way to spend it or even earn from it. It’s a great extra option.
Source and Image Credit Ubergizmo


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New film highlights Belfast design and creativity to potential visitors around the world
Tourism Ireland has launched a new online film, ‘Belfast – Design City’, specially created to highlight Belfast, its wonderful architecture and world-class designers (and, of course, its great coffee!).
This year has been designated ID2015, the year of Irish design – a showcase of the best of our design. Tourism Ireland’s short, fast-paced film was produced to coincide with ID2015, highlighting Belfast to potential visitors and urging people around the world to come and “be enticed and surprised by beautiful design in Belfast”
. It features wonderful images of the city and includes places like Derek Wilson Ceramics, John Piekaar bespoke furniture, The Bureau Belfast, Maven interiors and gift shop, Oscar and Oscar architects, The Mac, St George’s Market and the Lyric Theatre. And, bearing in mind that design is not just a ‘feast’ for the eyes but for the taste buds too, some of our culinary and coffee creativity is also showcased in the film – including Established Coffee on Hill Street.
To view the film, click here
Tourism Ireland is highlighting the year-long ID2015 programme, our creativity and design in its promotions around the globe throughout 2015 – celebrating design in just about every form, including events across the island, as well as activities and showcases at design weeks and fashion weeks. Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: “In this year of Irish design, ID2015, we are delighted to unveil our latest online film, showcasing Belfast and its dynamic design creativity, whetting people’s appetites to come and visit the city. We are inviting them to come and ‘be enticed and surprised by beautiful design in Belfast’. It’s a wonderful opportunity to discover Belfast creativity, local craft and style in context and perhaps take home a bit of Belfast design flair.”
The ‘Belfast – Design City’ film, and accompanying feature article, will be promoted on Tourism Ireland’s website, Ireland.com, which attracted more than 14.25 million visitors in 2014. Tourism Ireland is also sharing the film on social media – with its Facebook fans (3 million fans worldwide) and Twitter followers (270,000+), and on its YouTube channel
Notes To Editors
- Tourism Ireland is the organisation responsible for promoting Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland overseas as a leading holiday destination.
- Tourism is responsible for in excess of 5.2% of GDP in Northern Ireland and supports approximately 43,000 jobs.
- In 2014, we welcomed almost 1.8 million overseas visitors to Northern Ireland, delivering revenue of about £446 million.
- Tourism Ireland’s international website is www.Ireland.com, available in ten different language versions for over 30 individual markets around the world. In 2014, Ireland.com attracted about 14.25 million visitors.


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An Apple store in Paris was hit by an armed raid on New Year's Eve, with authorities warning that thieves are now actively targeting Apple devices.
Police said that four masked men forced their way into the shop behind the Paris Opera at around 9pm on Monday (December 31), three hours after it had closed.
They stole a range of goods and then escaped in a van. Paris police did not reveal the value of the products stolen, but the BBC says that the heist is estimated to have netted stock worth one million euros (£813,000).
A spokesman for the Paris police said: "As the majority of police were busy watching the Champs-Élysées [for the New Year's Eve celebrations], the robbers took advantage of this opportunity."
Apple stores and distribution networks have often been targeted by thieves due to the big demand for devices such as iPhones and iPads.
In October 2011, the flagship Apple Store in London's Covent Garden was hit by a smash-and-grab raid that saw a gang of motorbike thieves steal up to £75,000-worth of goods.
Then last November, criminals stole a shipment of Apple's iPad Mini tablet computers worth around $1.5 million (£945,000) from a cargo building at JFK airport in New York.
Photo gallery - Apple iPad Mini launch:
Apple products are also apparently driving an increase in street crime. According to the New York Police Department, around 3,890 Apple products were stolen in 2012, prompting the city's mayor Michael Bloomberg to warn that thieves were showing a preference for the devices.
Bloomberg's office said that if the increase in stolen Apple products was removed, then the city's figures would have shown a fall in crime for last year.
London's Metropolitan Police also warned that criminals in the capital are going after electronic gadgets as they are easy to steal from people.
A spokesman for the Met told BBC News that street thieves were now more likely to demand phones than cash due to them being "highly sellable on the second-hand market".
"Victims now are far less likely to be a bashed-up pensioner and more likely to be a young professional who has had a phone grabbed out of their hand or pocket," he said.
The spokesman did not indicate a preference for Apple devices but said that "in general the more you paid for a gadget the more interest it will be to street robbers".


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7-Eleven coming back to Detroit
Chain plans to open three stores downtown
Detroiters may soon be able to purchase a 7-Eleven Slurpee within the city limits for the first time in nearly two decades.
The convenience store chain plans to open three stores in the downtown Detroit business district by the end of this year.
The company says it is negotiating several sites around the Renaissance Center and Comerica Park.
While crime is a concern for the 24-hour stores, 7-Eleven says their stores tend to become assets in communities with similar struggles.


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In 2014, telco Safaricom announced it was launching the Safaricom Spark Venture Fund, a $1 Million fund with an objective of allowing techpreneurs in Kenya access financing, mentorship and resources to scale their businesses. Eligible start-ups were set to receive amounts between $75,000 and $250,000. The fund was set-up for an initial two-year period and administered by international tech fund TBL Invest, as the principal fund managers.
In the first year (2015), 200 Kenyan start-ups submitted inquiries and applications with the selected startups giving a minority stake in exchange of the investment. Sendy, a logistics startup based in Nairobi that allows users to send, track and receive packages from within the App become the first beneficiary of the fund. Sendy did not however disclose the investment amount. In the recently released Safaricom Annual report, the telco announced it had invested in several startups key among them Sendy and M-Ledger. Also added to the list were Eneza and M-Ledger, which are the newest beneficiaries of the Safaricom Spark Fund.
mSurvey is a mobile data collection tool that collects information by SMS. So basically, businesses contact mSurvey to conduct surveys on customer success or even on products and services. It counts Safaricom, KCB, Harvard University and even McKinsey & Company as some of its clients.
Eneza on the other hand is a mobile platform that unites students, teachers and parents. Using Eneza, students can access quizzes, mini-lessons, access to textbook material and ask teachers questions, search Wikipedia via web, mobile web or a USSD/SMS-based system. It also displays reports to teachers and parents on students performance. The platform has 527,000 users with 469,000 primary, 86,000 high school users and 17,000 teachers. So far, over 1 million lessons have been taken, 10 million questions and 90,000 questions asked with users charged Kshs. 10 per week to use the service. According to our source, Eneza closed the Spark investment in June, as part of an investment round.


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ISTANBUL — For years, Varan Suzme has frequented the Kiral Coffeehouse near his home, where men of his Istanbul neighborhood while away hours chatting, sipping from tiny, steaming cups and playing backgammon and cards.
“Every day I used to come here,” said Mr. Suzme, 77, a retired textile salesman. “This is our second home. It’s a place I love, I see my friends, and I am happy and I play games.”
Until the pandemic. A lockdown earlier this year closed coffeehouses across the country, along with bars and restaurants, and when the government allowed them to reopen in June, it forbade the usual games, saying they increased the risk of viral transmission.
Customers, who are mostly middle-aged and retired, stopped coming for fear of the virus, and with games banned, coffeehouse owners saw business dwindle. Even before another lockdown took effect this month, they had been worried that the coronavirus could endanger the survival of many coffeehouses, robbing the country of an essential hub of Turkish life.
A uniquely male preserve, the Turkish coffeehouse is everything from a post office to a social club, fueled by cups of coffee — or these days, as tastes change, tea. In every neighborhood, from Istanbul’s narrow back alleys to the ancient towns spread across the country, it is where men stop on the way to and from work, pensioners meet up and swap gossip, and political parties campaign.
“We miss our friends and playing backgammon,” said Mamuk Katikoy, 70, when he recently came by the Kiral Coffeehouse in the Istanbul neighborhood of Yesilkoy for an interview. “I haven’t seen this man for eight months,” he said, greeting a 90-year-old friend who also stopped by.
Several coffee shop owners complained that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s religiously conservative government was opposed to the games because of their association with gambling, and that the ban was more ideological than hygiene related.
The country was already in an economic downturn when the pandemic hit, and with government help scarce, many businesses have been forced to close for good.
Several famous cafes in the artistic neighborhood of Beyoglu have shut down in recent months. They had introduced Italian espresso to Istanbul society — Simdi Cafe, now closed, was famous for its 1960s-era espresso machine — and came to represent a flowering of Turkey’s intellectual and artistic life.
The traditional Turkish coffeehouse is a more humble affair, where the regulars are mainly working-class people, playing cards, backgammon and ”okey,” a game similar to rummy, played with numbered tiles. Some coffeehouses charge for running games by the hour, while others just make their money from the drinks they serve.
But without games, business between lockdowns was so poor that most coffeehouses closed or have few patrons. Owners warn that without more government aid they may have to close permanently.
“Our businesses are empty,” said Murat Agaoglu, the head of the Turkey Coffee Houses and Buffets Federation, who predicted that 20 percent of country’s coffeehouses would go out of business.
That could rob Turkey of a mainstay of its communities that is almost as old as coffee drinking itself. The custom spread from Arabia northward to Turkey and on to Europe in the 16th century.
The first coffeehouses in Turkey were founded by two Syrian merchants in the Tahtakale district of what was then called Constantinople, close to the seat of power of the Ottoman Empire and among the teeming alleys of the spice bazaar.
“At that moment, Istanbul was one of the most populous cities in the world,” said Cemal Kafadar, a professor of Turkish Studies at Harvard University. “Imagine the commercial potential of this innovation. There were hundreds of coffeehouses in the city within half a century. And since then, we are able to enjoy the blessed brew of this blessed bean in private or in public.”
The Ottoman sultans’ court embraced coffee drinking. Artisans crafted tiny, delicate cups and slender-necked coffee pots, women began serving coffee to guests in their homes, and the men gathered in the coffeehouses, smoking tobacco in extravagantly long-stemmed pipes. Later the water pipe became fashionable.
The coffeehouses developed into meeting places where men of business socialized, but they also became centers of literary activity and public entertainment. Some had reading rooms or hosted storytellers and puppeteers. Many still bear names that hark back to their Arabic origins, “kahvehane,” meaning a coffeehouse, and “kiraathane,” meaning a reading house.
Inevitably, the coffeehouses became centers for political gossip and activism, as they did across Europe, and were periodically shut down when political agitation rose, Mr. Kafadar said.
Dec. 15, 2020, 8:47 a.m. ET
Over time they lost their standing in the eyes of the better-educated urban public and gradually became inexpensive haunts for workers. “From the mid-19th century onward, modernizers associated them with idleness and backwardness,” Mr. Kafadar said.
The traditional coffeehouses, regulated by the government, are licensed to sell tea and coffee and other soft drinks, including salep, a popular beverage made from orchid bulbs that dates from Ottoman times.
The drinks and games, together with the prices, are listed on the license which is posted on the coffeehouse wall. Prices are regulated and set low.
They serve traditional Turkish coffee, each cup brewed individually, bitter or sweet to taste, and small glasses of strong black tea. Water pipes are still listed among the offerings, but the government of Mr. Erdogan banned use of them indoors more than a decade ago.
For Guven Kiral, running a coffeehouse has been his life. He inherited his from his father and moved it to new premises in the same neighborhood.
“This place is like my child,” he said. “I have a son, but it is like a second son to me.”
On busy days he would have 60 people playing, he said, but the pandemic has ended that, silencing the shuffle of cards and the sharp click and slap of backgammon pieces.
“If I open, customers come for a tea and they sit for a while, but then they say ‘Sorry, there are no games,’ and they leave,” said Mr. Kiral, who is worried he’ll be forced to close down for good. “We are hurtling downhill. The pandemic has caused us a huge loss.”
He demonstrated his antivirus hygiene regime: spreading disposable tablecloths, breaking out a new deck of cards for every game, and soaking the backgammon counters in detergent. Tables would be widely spaced and even expanded to distance customers from each other, he said.
“The big issue is the ban on games, both for the customers and the people who work in these places,” said Bendevi Palandoken, head of the of the Turkish Chamber of Artisans, which represents owners and workers in 120,000 coffeehouses nationwide. “We want the government to lighten the burden with social security premiums and cash support for people who are breadwinners.”
A flyer on the wall in the Kiral Coffeehouse reads: “We ask the government, don’t we matter to you?”
Mr. Kiral said he would be heartbroken to lose the business.
“For my regulars the first thing will be separation. They will not see people anymore,” he said. “We would lose our jokes, our laughter.”
On a broader level, he said the entire older generation would be penalized. “The cost will be to a certain age group. They will have nowhere to go.”


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Sportswear giant Nike is set to open a new outlet in the former BT2 store at Dundrum Town Centre this summer.
The 5,666 sq ft store on Level 1 of the south Dublin shopping centre will be the first Nike location in Ireland to have the 'Nike Live' concept, offering a curated assortment of sport performance apparel, footwear, and accessories.
Conor Owens, managing director of asset management in Ireland and Scotland for Dundrum co-owner and manager Hammerson, said the Nike store would offer "an interactive, customised retail offering to customers hungry for quality sportswear.
"Athleisure is a top-performing category across our portfolio, so we’re excited to see how our customers respond to this innovative new concept.”
Brown Thomas, Donnybrook Fair, Watches of Switzerland and Lush have all opened new stores at Dundrum in the past 18 months, with Penneys set to reopen at a larger location in the shopping centre this year.
Elsewhere, Foot Locker is set to open its largest location in Ireland at the Ilac Centre in Dublin city centre, and the athleisure brand has committed to a new store-fit out and relocation at Swords Pavilions.
Foot Locker's 13,000 sq ft Ilac store will occupy a prime location at the main entrance to the shopping centre facing out onto Henry Street, and the company will relocate its stores at Swords Pavilions to a 4,800 sq ft unit in the ground floor.
Hammerson and Irish Life Investment Managers, the co-owners of Ilac, plans to "reinvigorate" the centre with household brands, new retail concepts and experiences. Hammerson said the Foot Locker would appeal to a new younger audience.
“Athleisure continues to be a top-performing category across our portfolio, and Foot Locker is a global leader in this space," Owens said.
"Its exclusive range of footwear, sports apparel and campaigns are hugely popular with consumers worldwide, so we know this is just the type of brand which will resonate particularly amongst our younger customers. Harnessing our placemaking and operational expertise, it will also further enhance The Ilac consumer experience and widen the range of top retail brands on offer.
"Foot Locker’s relocation and renewed commitment in Swords Pavilions also highlights both the growing national demand for this athleisure brand, as well as Hammerson’s unrivalled ability to connect top brands with strong consumer demand across our destinations.”
John Lowry, director of real estate at Foot Locker Europe, commented: “Ireland is very much a market we would like to improve our presence, subject to positioning ourselves in the right locations and at the right terms.
"We have spent recent years debating whether we would exit Ireland altogether given lack of store performance however after some deliberation and consolidation, we have chosen to re-invest in Ireland and support a market that we believe has much more to offer. We are delighted to support Irish jobs and the local economy in Ireland.”
Photo: Dundrum Town Centre.


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Zypp Electric’s annual revenue jumps 459% in FY23 as it gears up for expansion in Bengaluru
Zypp Electric was founded in 2017 as a bicycle rental platform. A year later, it pivoted to an EV-as-a-service model. The startup is now looking beyond Delhi-NCR—its biggest market so far—to Bengaluru for expansion.
Electric vehicle (EV) fleet platform Zypp Electric's revenue for FY23 surged by over 5X, reaching a staggering Rs 125 crore, thanks to its partnerships with prominent logistics firms, including Blue Dart, DTDC, and Ecom Express, and delivery giants such as, , and .
In an exclusive conversation, Akash Gupta, Founder of, told YourStory that the startup's average gross margin was 35% for FY23.
Its contribution margin—representing the amount earned by subtracting the variable cost from the selling price per unit—had become positive, indicating the company was making a profit on each unit sold or leased.
By March 2024, Gupta anticipates the startup will reach breakeven and become profitable by FY25. This, however, is slightly later than his previous statement to Moneycontrol, where he indicated Zypp would start earning net profit from October 2023 onwards.
He says the business was “already profitable this year in Delhi-NCR, but due to rapid business expansion plans that changed.” Zypp did not disclose the exact profit or loss figures to YourStory and refrained from commenting on its expenses for the year. It is worth noting that historically, Zypp's expenses have outpaced its revenue growth.
Nonetheless, there has been growth, and the company expects to continue to grow, given the government’s target to electrify 30% of the country’s total fleet by 2030.
Zypp’s biggest competitor is, which has raised a total funding of $10 million from JSW Ventures, Strides Pharma Science, LetsVenture, N+1 Capital, and others.
The Gurugram-based startup also competes with, which provides EV bikes and scooters for personal and commercial use. Recently, Yulu signed a deal to provide up to 35,000 bikes to its delivery partners.
Bengaluru in focus
Founded by Gupta, Tushar Mehta, and Rashi Agarwal, Zypp started in 2017 as a bicycle rental platform. In 2018, it launched its e-scooter rental service, particularly targeting the last mile. Its two-wheeler commercial delivery fleet segment provides an electric two-wheeler and a driver.
Gupta says that while deploying EV two-wheeler fleets was a logical step for the company due to the widespread use of scooters and bikes in India for last-mile delivery, he saw an opportunity to offer additional value by addressing the challenges faced by companies like Swiggy and Zomato with regards to their drivers.
“There’s always a lot of churn in the delivery partner segment… People jump from one company to another very quickly, which sometimes can leave companies understaffed. We realised that providing a delivery executive, along with an e-bike was more valuable for a company like Swiggy than just selling them the bike,” he explains.
Further, Zypp having its own set of drivers enables the company to train them to handle and ride an EV, ultimately enhancing the safety of the rider and the bike.
At present, Zypp has 12,000 e-bikes in operation—mostly in Delhi-NCR, its biggest market—with plans to significantly expand its presence in Bengaluru before branching out to other cities.
For Bengaluru, the company has earmarked an investment of Rs 100 crore over the next couple of years, of which it has already invested Rs 20 crore to Rs 25 crore.
Gupta says he wants to put 2,000 e-bikes on Bengaluru roads in the next couple of months. The startup has partnered with multiple delivery companies such as Zomato and Swiggy to expand its presence in the city.
Zypp is essentially a bridge between driver partners and e-scooters and bikes.
It leases out e-bikes from financing companies such as NBFCs and others who want to bet on EVs as an investment and further leases them out to drivers.
The asset-light business model helps Zypp upgrade its fleet regularly and scale rapidly since leasing is cheaper than buying the vehicles, thus making it affordable for its driver partners to rent them out from the company, Gupta explains.
Drivers pay Rs 200 per day as a rental fee to the company, but the financials can be customised as per their needs.
“If a driver wants to drive more days a month, or fewer days a month, we can help figure out a rental model for them,” Gupta says.
Typically, Zypp Electric drivers earn between Rs 16,000 and Rs 18,000. According to Indeed.com, Swiggy delivery partners in Karnataka earn an average of Rs 26,500 per month, while Zomato drivers earn around Rs 18,740.
The Gurugram-based startup has partnered with Taiwan’s Gogoro’s swapping network for its energy needs.Inc to pilot its B2B offering. Zypp also plans to use
Zypp has raised a total of $37.5 million in its funding round from investors, including Gogoro, Wells Fargo, LetsVenture, 9Unicorns, We Founder Circle, and others. It raised $25 million in a Series B round earlier this year from Gogoro.
The startup said it does not have any immediate plans to raise a fresh round since it’s well-capitalised, but it is engaging with multiple investors to calibrate its next round.
(The story was updated to correct Tracxn data on total funding raised by Zypp Electric and MoEVing)
Edited by Suman Singh


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Update: Due to the impending snow storm the 2016 Rosebud Film Festival will be postponed to January 30-31, 2016. Rosebud Film Festival, “The District’s festival for local independent filmmakers” according to the Washington Post, will showcase the area’s best budding...
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For three years now, Marbach has been one of the few diemakers to operate a die-cutting machine at its site in Heilbronn. The Eterna machine (formerly Brausse) is used for customer and employee training, for tests of in-house developments and also for customer projects with well-known brand owners. In July this year, Marbach and Eterna can look back on 3 years of successful cooperation.
Jan Brunner, Head of Business Development at Marbach: "We are very happy that we decided to invest in a die-cutting machine back then. During the last three years we have been able to carry out numerous projects and training and so optimally support our customers in their daily challenges. We are very satisfied with our die-cutting machine and will continue to use it in the coming years. Many thanks to Eterna for their great cooperation."
Michael Münchow, senior sales director folding boxes at Eterna, adds: "A lot has happened for us in past few years. Brausse has been re-marketed under the name Eterna (a BOBST Group company). For this reason the machine which is located at Marbach has received a new name. The Brausse 1060 ER is now called ECut 1060 elite ER. Cooperation with Marbach has been excellent from the very beginning. The chemistry was simply perfect."
Brunner: "Because tool specifications of the Eterna machines follow the BOBST Group standard exactly, and have a corresponding operating concept, most participants in our training courses can effectively implement taught methods and learning content, directly on their own company's die-cutting machines. This is why we decided to purchase this machine at that time. In the last few years we have increased and intensified our cooperation with Eterna. We are looking forward to further exciting joint projects."
Marbach has been a specialist for the production of cutting-dies for the packaging industry for many decades. In addition, the Marbach portfolio also includes tools for special technical solutions. One of which is the production of cutting-dies with particularly high cutting rules.
In May of this year, Marbach launched its new lower pin unit with high precision lower pins. This is mainly used for jobs where very small amounts of waste have to be stripped and where requirements for die-cut blanks to be waste-free are very high. With the lower pin unit, waste is stripped very safely in these areas of application. In the last months, several customers have already been using the new Marbach technology. Customer feedback has been consistently positive.
Marbach is working at full speed on various digitalization and Industry 4.0 projects.


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Thursday 26th January 2017
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Phitek Systems, which supplies noise cancellation and audio enhancement equipment, has been sold to New York-listed Amphenol Corp for $60 million before adjustments.
Connecticut-based Amphenol announced the deal in a statement to the New York Stock Exchange when reporting its fourth-quarter earnings, saying the Phitek purchase was part of a broader acquisition programme, without disclosing a price. However, local filings to the Companies Office show Amphenol agreed to pay $60 million plus net cash, minus the New Zealand company's indebtedness, the levels of which have not been disclosed.
"Phitek, based in New Zealand, designs and supplies aircraft in-flight entertainment interconnect products for the commercial aerospace industry, and generates annual sales of approximately US$20 million," Amphenol chief executive R. Adam Norwitt said in a statement. "This acquisition strengthens the company’s global capabilities and enhances our product offering in this important end market."
Auckland-based Phitek reported a profit of $3.9 million in the 12 months ended March 31, 2016, up from a profit of $1.6 million a year earlier, with revenue up 32 percent to $22.6 million. The company received government grants totalling $795,824 in the 2016 financial year and $485,463 in 2015.
The New Zealand firm's subsidies from Callaghan Innovation were taken into account by Amphenol, with $2.4 million of the purchase price set aside "to satisfy future non-payment under an existing grant available to Phitek from Callaghan Innovation", the amalgamation proposal said.
The New Zealand government agency introduced clawback provisions on its research and development grants after local firm Endace was sold to overseas buyers without having to repay $11.1 million of the taxpayer funding it received.
Phitek's vendors will also have $4.3 million held in escrow to satisfy any warranty claims.
The US company will keep Phitek's New Zealand operations on a 'business as usual' basis and adopt the Phitek brand and logo.
Phitek's shareholders include Direct Capital-managed TMT Ventures, which has been invested in the audio company since 2005, with a direct 27 percent and a 14 percent holding shared with the New Zealand Venture Investment Fund, while Stephen Tindal's K1W1 investment vehicle owns 39 percent.
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24th October 2019 Morning Report
OPINION: All the questions the convention centre fire asks


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Nike claims that almost 7 million individuals from around the world have visited Nikeland, its metaverse store, since it opened five months prior.
There is a great deal of brand aversion around the metaverse, because of an absence of lucidity on everything from income offer to mark security, however what can’t be questioned is the capacity of great metaverse executions to draw in colossal crowds.
To date, media outlets has been the greatest recipient of that crowd hunger, however the outcome of Nike shows that brands are turning into an attract their own right.
Nikeland, which is the outdoor supplies brand’s miniature metaverse worked in Roblox, has drawn in 6.7 million individuals from 224 nations since its send off in November. The space permits clients to take a stab at virtual items as well as playing to the qualities of Roblox as a stage with games, for example, dodgeball.
On its Q3 profit call, Nike’s CEO and president Jack Donahoe clarified how the organization has been driving shoppers for it, saying: “During NBA All-Star Week, LeBron James visited Nikeland on Roblox to rouse its local area towards actual development in play.
“On the Nikeland court, LeBron instructed and drew in with players, and members were compensated for physical ongoing interaction with the capacity to open virtual items.
“We plan to continue driving energy there with virtual products like LeBron 19 styles special to Roblox.”
Donahoe also noted that the key revenue strategy for Nike in the metaverse is branded NFTs. Nike has been among the first big brands to push the idea of virtual goods having value on parity with their real-world counterparts, in line with Burberry and some luxury manufacturers. It also adds some utility to the brand extension rather than just being a collectible for the sake of it, which is necessary to prevent NFTs simply becoming a fad.
It builds upon its creation of Nike Virtual Studios, following the brand’s acquisition of agency RTFKT in December last year. Donahoe said: “With Nike Virtual Studios, our vision is to take our best-in-class experiences in digital and build web3 products and experiences to scale this community so that Nike and our members can create, share and benefit together.“
In Q3, RTFKT released the first official Nike-branded NFT – its first step into the world of digital product creation.
“We’re pleased by the positive momentum and energy we’re already seeing in the space and we’re excited by the future as we continue to extend our digital leadership in the industry,“ said Donahoe.
Nike’s outcomes conveyed contrasted and expert assumptions. Nike Digital keeps on being the quickest developing part of its commercial center, presently addressing 26% of our all out Nike Brand revenue.
As an outcome, and to benefit from the development across genuine world and virtual items, the organization said it had developed its promotion spend by 20% across the quarter, with the complete now approaching $854m.
#Million #People #Visited #Nikes #Metaverse #Store


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Well, maybe that's the new form of "BUSTED! "
The latest issue of the US version of Official Xbox Magazine has a new GTA IV screenshot we haven't seen before. It depicts Niko getting arrested by two cops, very similar to how CJ was arrested by Pulaski and Hernandez in San Andreas. We'll hopefully have a hi-res digital version of the screen soon.
See the image, found by Freedom360, over at GTAForums
Some of our affiliates:


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CHICAGO (June 26, 12:20 p.m. EDT) — Specialty compounder Polymer Resources Ltd. will boost capacity in Rochester, N.Y., and is considering the addition of a new facility in the Southeast.
The investment in Rochester will include a combination of single-screw and twin-screw equipment, as well as other secondary equipment, regional sales manager Steve Bruno said in an interview at NPE in Chicago.
A Southeastern site would provide Farmington, Conn.-based Polymer Resources with better proximity to customers and also improve the firm's overall efficiency, Bruno said.
PRL has “no definite timetable” for either project, but the company is seeing growth in both its color products and its standard line of compounds based on engineering resins. Growth is coming both from new customers and from general economic growth, Bruno added.
New work for PRL has come from the electrical, construction and business equipment sectors, as well as in tools and hardware. The firm also has seen increased activity in construction lighting, including traffic lights and pedestrian signage. Work in battery cases and lighting on vehicle housings also is growing in both the military and civilian markets.
Material growth has been in polycarbonate, polybutylene terephthalate, PC/ABS, PC/polyester and modified polyphenylene oxide/polyphenylene ether. Custom color applications also are providing growth opportunities for PRL.
In 2006, PRL expects to post sales of $50 million — a jump of more than 20 percent from the previous year. Sales at the 32-year-old firm have more than doubled since 2003.
Since mid-2005, PRL has added a total of three extrusion lines in Farmington and Rochester. The sites have a combined annual capacity of more then 40 million pounds. PRL also hired two new sales reps and a new technical engineer in 2005. Additional staff increases are expected in 2006.


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Walmart Mexico engulfed in bribery scandal
Apr 27, 2012 | Posted by: roboblogger | Full story: Guadalajara Colony Reporter
Mega-retailer Walmart has been in hot water this week, after the New York Times published a lengthy article alleging that company executives shut down an investigation of bribery in its Mexico operations.
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
#1 May 31, 2012
What a joke. If you don't bribe in Mexico nothing ever gets done.
I've been living in Mexico for 8 years and pay them all the time. It's part of the calture here.
There are rules in the U.S. and different rules out side the U.S.. It's a way of life.
" From money dances the dog, if you have no money you have to dance like a dog." as they say
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Why Is LaserShip So Bad?
LaserShip does not deliver packages on time and lie about your package being delivered. If you’ve ever shipped a package via LaserShip, you know how annoying it can be to wait weeks for it to arrive. And the fact that LaserShip drivers are untrained and don’t speak English makes the whole process even more frustrating. They’ll sometimes even toss your package without leaving the vehicle. It’s just unacceptable. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to complain about LaserShip.
Drivers are untrained
The company’s philanthropic Time of Need program was announced in October 2020, in response to the COVID-19 epidemic. The program will focus on three main areas of need, including disaster response, health improvement, and hunger relief. The company has already pledged a $10,000 donation to Food For Others, a nonprofit in northern Virginia that distributes free groceries to those in need. But there are many concerns regarding the company’s drivers.
One major complaint about the service is that drivers are not properly screened or trained. Many people have reported that LaserShip drivers stole and damaged packages. They have also been fined by multiple governments for misclassifying their drivers as independent contractors and delivering illegal cigarettes. Considering these problems, some consumers may not be happy with the service. However, many customers are pleasantly surprised by the speed of their packages. After all, that’s the whole point of getting packages.
There are many other complaints about the company, including shoddy handling of packages. However, there are some valid complaints that can be addressed. While the company has a poor reputation for its service, it still makes it possible for drivers to earn a living. The company relies on independent contractors to deliver packages, which means drivers must pay for gas and vehicle repairs. Drivers earn $2 per package delivered. But this system can be a major turn-off for some customers.
While it’s difficult to blame the company for the safety hazards, it is understandable that the company is in a high-risk situation, and that many of its employees are untrained. The company has to adjust its prices, terms of service, and drivers. But the main problem with this company’s drivers is that they are not trained for their jobs, and there is no clear policy on whether they are untrained.
They don’t understand English
If you’ve ever purchased a product from LaserShip, you know how annoying it can be to wait days for it to arrive. The company is notorious for careless handling of packages. The company’s drivers also tend to mark packages as delivered when they are not, which is a financial incentive for couriers. Here are some tips for resolving this issue. If you’re not satisfied with your shipping experience, don’t waste your money on LaserShip.
Most consumers don’t have the patience to wait for their packages, which makes the delivery process even more frustrating. The main problem with Lasership is that they leave deliveries unattended on the doorstep, even when they haven’t been delivered. While Lasership does send a “Delivered” status when a package hasn’t been delivered, it also doesn’t always follow through with that status, making it difficult for customers to retrieve their packages. This is especially frustrating if the package is valuable or if you’ve made adjustments to your schedule to receive it.
They don’t bother leaving the vehicle
The drivers at LaserShip don’t bother leaving the vehicle to make the delivery. Unlike Uber drivers, who have to leave the vehicle after a few steps, LaserShip drivers never bother to leave their vehicle. The service is similar to Uber, except drivers are generally unskilled labor, with little to no education. They also have a reputation for throwing packages into the backseat of a moving vehicle and not bothering to leave the vehicle. This is a huge concern for people who have valuable or fragile packages.
Despite the fact that LaserShip employs over 1,500 people in the United States, the company relies on independent contractors. These independent contractors drive their own vehicles and must pay for gas and vehicle maintenance. Drivers are paid by the package they deliver, which can add up to a lot of laziness. The drivers are paid $2 per package, so they’re not making a full-time salary, but they’re still responsible for paying their own gas and vehicle repairs.
They toss packages
When shipping tosses from LaserShip, you’ll want to be aware of all applicable surcharges and fees. These surcharges are included in the price of shipping your packages, and are paid by the shipper. These fees apply to packages with longer or taller second-longest sides than 30 inches. You’ll also need to consider the shipping method if your items aren’t fully enclosed in corrugated cardboard, soft plastic, or expanded polystyrene foam.


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Industrial Pack, the UK’s only dedicated show for industrial, transit and protective packaging, is set to make its debut alongside Packaging Innovations, Empack and Label&Print at Birmingham’s NEC on 27 & 28 February 2019.
The Ghent Workgroup (GWG) has created a new landing page and published a new White Paper focusing on Packaging and Label production. This follows the recent announcement of a new ISO Standard 19593-1. The paper reviews today's trends, while the landing page includes discussion with leading players regarding the growth of the packaging sector and the upsurge in specialist and unique applications. It also reviews the development of digitization for printing and packaging technologies and processes. It focuses on GWG's work with packaging production specifications to date and the opportunities for the future of the entire packaging pre-production workflow.
The organizer of Labelexpo India is pleased to report its 6th edition of Labelexpo India, which took place at India Expo Centre & Mart in Greater Noida from 22 to 25 November 2018, was its largest show to date in the region. A total of 9,851 visitors from 55 countries passed through its doors over the four days of the show, 22.7 percent more than in its last edition in 2016 and the biggest visitor increase to date.
During its world Congress, held last month in Amsterdam, both the AIPIA President and its Chief Executive emphasized that the AIPIA (Active & Intelligent Packaging Industry Association) message has changed emphatically during 2018. No longer are we talking about ‘How it Works’, said Dick de Koning in his presidential opening address, it is now all about ‘What it can do for the Brand Owners’ he proclaimed.
The Onset X3, a full-bed wide format UV inkjet flatbed printer provides more opportunities at Southern Carton, a family owned and operated third generation solutions company specializing in packaging, based in Lewisburg, Tennessee.


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Welcome to episode 970 in which host Polly Hammond interviews Chinedu Rita Rosa, this week on Uncorked.
This week, we welcome Chinedu Rosa, founder of Vines by Rosa and co-founder of Bordeaux Mentor Week. Chinedu was one of the very first certified wine experts in Nigeria and has channeled over 20 years of wine expertise into helping European wine brands embrace the West African markets…But even more, she’s bringing her Nigerian heritage to her European home, hosting hands-on wine and food events that showcase the possibilities when we think beyond our borders.
This week we get super chatty talking about owning our spaces, building new ones, education through passion not tech notes, and how much spice is too much spice.
More about today’s guest:
A banker turned wine export consultant with over 22 years of experience in retailing and wholesale of fine wines in Lagos, Nigeria, her native country, Chinedu now runs her own consulting firm “Vines By Rosa” in Bordeaux, working with wine importers and exporters on both continents. She specializes in methodical wine selection, Exporting, Wine branding, and marketing strategy tailored for Africa.
With the firm intention of being a “bridge between the wine world and Africa”, Vines by Rosa” is the first Nigerian and female owned Wine Export consulting firm in Bordeaux.
Her sense of tasting and being a natural cook, inspired a sub brand “Wining and Dining with Chichi” in her monthly Column in Highbrow Lifestyle Magazine, she writes about food and wine pairings, Undiscovered notes of tastes from the African point of view, and the need for inclusion and diversity in the International Wine world and tasting Encyclopedia.
She has just concluded the 2nd edition of The African food and French Wine pairing event in France, with plans for more to come, in different locations in Europe and Africa, with the intent to highlight the importance of Africa and its Cuisine in the wine World.
She is founder and President of the Bordeaux Business Network and also President of Circle of Global Business Women.
To learn more visit:


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What Is The Prince George Effect
Ever since his birth in 2013, Prince George, the eldest of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s children, has somehow become one of the biggest fashion icons or Prince George Effect, to ever come out of the royal family. Even as a toddler, he was making headlines, with any outfit he was seen in becoming an instant must-have fashion item.
And as he is growing up and his outfits change, he has only been getting more and more attention. Every time the little royal steps out for a public appearance, the outfit he is wearing immediately hitting headlines and selling out, both in stores and online. His ability to make any fashion item and instant sell are quite remarkable.
For this, he was crowned most influential royal when it comes to trendsetting, after triggering the most searches according to reports by eBay. He was even featured on GQ’s Best Dressed Men list in 2015. This should have been expected, as his mother, Kate Middleton, is one of the biggest fashion icons in the world.
Just to show you what is Prince George Effect, back in 2013 he was seen wrapped in a blanket from Aden+Anais, which in turn caused the company website to crash within four hours and in those four hours they saw a stunning 600% increase sales in the blanket.
When he was on his very first royal tour in New Zealand in 2014, he was seen wearing items from Early Days children’s clothing line. After that their sales shot up over 40% in the items that he was seen wearing.
At the start of the 2015 royal tour of Canada, the Prince was seen in an adorable sweater by Spanish brand Pepa & Co. This sparked the company to have an increase of 200% in searches for “blue jumper”.
Another item that became extremely popular due to the Prince was a My 1st Years bathrobe, which he wore when he met President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in 2016. He did look quite casual and comfortable for a meeting with the president of the USA.
For the Cambridge’s 2017 Family Christmas card Prince George went with an Amaia Kids blue and white shirt, and as you might guess, it sold out right away.
The Prince is only going to continue to grow as a fashion icon as he grows up and creates his own style. Mom Kate better watches out.


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Congratulations are in order for Valve, as they’ve announced that Steam “has surpassed 15 million accounts and realized year-over-year sales growth of 158% through the holiday season.”
If you aren’t one of the millions of gamers with a Steam account, you probably think that PC gaming is on its way out and will magically disappear any day now. Fortunately, that isn’t the case — so long as people continue to not like paying for online gaming and prefer the mouse/keyboard setup to a standard gamepad.
Steam members should be pleased to know that the future of the platform is looking bright: “We are accelerating our release of new functionality in the next year as well as finding new ways to work with our partners such as the release of Steamworks, which allows them to bring the many benefits of Steam to their packaged products,” says Gabe Newell.
Oh, and while we’re on the subject, make sure you check out the Destructoid Steam Group. You’ll be happy you did.


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FUW welcomes 'ambitious' food and drink action plan
The union stressed that the primary production sector is a vital aspect of the food and drink industry in Wales and a profitable farming industry will help deliver the ambitious targets within the plan.
FUW president Emyr Jones said: "Wales has been without a strategic direction for food and drink over the past few years so today’s launch will begin the process of growing the Welsh food chain from farm to fork which, if implemented properly, could help farm businesses become more sustainable economically.
"The programme aims to grow sales within the food and farming sector by 30% and the FUW welcomes the fact that many of its comments and suggestions submitted during the consultation process have been adopted as part of the strategy."
The strategy itself comprises 48 action proposals ranging from upskilling the labour force to public sector procurement and business growth and development.
"The FUW will now consider the detail of the Action Plan and will contribute to the ongoing discussions on its implementation," Mr Jones added.
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Sea Launch Delivers Galaxy 18 For Intelsat
[Satellite Today – 5-21-08] Sea Launch placed the Galaxy 18 satellite into orbit for Intelsat, the companies announced May 21.
The satellite, manufactured by Space Systems/Loral, features 24 C-band and 24 Ku-band transponders and will serve programmers, government and corporate broadband customers in the United States.
“Galaxy 18 will provide our customers valuable 50-state coverage and reach Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico, operating in a powerhouse role, delivering some of the most popular programming to millions of American homes,” Intelsat CEO David McGlade said in a statement. “This is the first of two launches for Intelsat this year, both focused on enhancing our North American Galaxy fleet.”
This was the third mission for Sea Launch in 2008.


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Congratulations to the Seris Konsalnet companies - Seris Konsalnet Ochrona and Seris Konsalnet Holding - recognised by the Forbes business magazine by receiving the title of Forbes Diamond!
Both companies were actually placed in the top 100 fastest growing companies with a turnover of over PLN 250 million (EUR 55.5 million) in Mazowieckie, the most economically developed region in Poland. Almost 20% of the country's companies are registered in this region, so the competition was very strong.
Forbes Diamonds are awarded to companies with positive financial results and credibility. Companies must also have high current liquidity and not be in arrears according to the Dun & Bradstreet Poland rating.
This is another prestigious award from Forbes magazine, which not only confirms Seris Konsalnet's strong and stable market position, but also testifies to the company's consistent implementation of an effective business strategy, even during the difficult period of the pandemic.


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How much would you be willing to spend on a pair of used shoes? The ancient Birkenstock sandals Steve Jobs wore and owned recently sold for more than $200,000 breaking a record for the most money ever paid for a pair of sandals at auction, according to the auction house.
The ancient Birkenstock sandals Steve Jobs wore and owned recently sold for more than $200,000 breaking a record for the most money ever paid for a pair of sandals at auction, according to the auction house.
The tech pioneer’s brown suede Arizona sandals which were estimated to bring in $60,000, unexpectedly fetched $218,750 when they were auctioned off this past weekend at Julien’s Auctions together with an NFT.
The sandals, which were described as “well used” but still “intact” by the Californian auction house prior to the sale were a mainstay in Jobs’ wardrobe during the 1970s and 1980s. Jobs passed away in 2011 as a result of pancreatic cancer complications.
According to the auction house’s website, “the cork and jute footbed maintains the impression of Steve Jobs’ feet, which had been molded after years of use.” According to the report, Mark Sheff, a former home manager to Steve Jobs rescued the Birkenstocks from the garbage during one of the tech icon’s numerous cleanouts.
The CEO and creator of Julien’s Auctions, Darren Julien, told CNN on Monday that Steve Jobs “changed the world not only with his groundbreaking discoveries but with his business leadership style and fashion in wearing sandals.” Jobs made history while creating the Apple computer and these popular Birkenstocks were a mainstay of the tech icon’s wardrobe.
The shoes were offered for sale in Julien’s Auctions’ “Icons and Idols: Rock ‘n’ Roll” public auction which also included items of apparel, jewelry, musical instruments, and memorabilia from artists and icons like Elvis Presley, Kurt Cobain and John Lennon.
A pair of Michael Jordan‘s Nike Air Ships broke the record for the most expensive pair of sneakers ever sold at auction when they fetched $1.47 million in October of last year.
Stay connected with us on Journalistpr.com for more news like this.


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IBEX 365 News
At Composites One, Safety Comes First
Special Promo on DuPont™ Tyvek® Coveralls Now Available
What’s one of the key challenges facing boatbuilders today? Keeping their workers safe and reducing hazards.
“There’s a perception that being focused on safety can slow down production,” said Cynthia Tarka, Director of Health, Safety & Environmental Responsibility (HS&E) at Composites One. “But in reality, your people are your biggest resource, so it’s important to keep them healthy.”
According to industry research, companies that prioritize worker safety experience an increase in productivity. Boatbuilders are no exception to this trend, and leaders like Tarka at Composites One are driving the movement towards creating a safer work environment.
All employees at Composites One distribution centers undergo a comprehensive safety orientation. Training on safety standards and protocols begins on day one of employment for new hires, including the necessity of wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) in the work setting. “It is important that employees are informed about the machinery and equipment in their work environment and the types of tasks that they’ll be doing,” said Tarka. “Managers dedicate time to hands-on training to make sure their team members practice performing the tasks that they’ll be responsible for,” she added.
A key aspect of the program is the safety pledge signed by every employee at Composites One. This safety pledge is not just a formality; it is a heartfelt commitment made by every employee to ensure their well-being and that of their colleagues.
This culture of personal responsibility has led to more proactive discussions on safety among team members at Composites One’s 40-plus distribution centers throughout the US and Canada. It’s also resulted in fewer workplace accidents and incidents, and helped foster a tight-knit and safety-conscious community within the company.
This adherence to safety has paid off. Last year, Composites One was presented the Platinum Award from Great West Casualty Company as part of their 2022 National Safety Awards Program. This is the 21st consecutive year that Composites One LLC has been named an award recipient and the 20th Platinum Award in as many years.
“Operating safely directly impacts our value proposition to our customers in providing quality service and dependability,” said Leon Garoufalis, President and CEO, Composites One. “We are proud of our team members and our company-wide focus on safety and compliance each and every day,” he added.
Composites One goes beyond its own workforce to support marine manufacturers in their safety endeavors. That includes providing customers with access to HS&E safety resources such as training videos that they can share with their employees. It also means offering customers an extensive line of PPE and other safety products.
The line includes DuPont™ Tyvek® Coveralls, which help protect workers against hazardous substances and materials. Made of an innovative fabric that acts as a barrier against chemical splashes and airborne particles, DuPont Tyvek Coveralls minimize the risk of skin contact, contamination, and respiratory issues. What’s more, their ergonomic fit ensures comfort and unrestricted movement, reducing fatigue and improving productivity.
Now available from Composites One is a limited time promotion enabling customers to obtain a sample of DuPont Tyvek Coveralls. With PPE that is durable, comfortable, and effective, manufacturers can better ensure the safety of their workers and build a more productive work environment. For more information on this special offer, visit www.compositesonesafety.com.
In addition to Tyvek Coveralls, Composites One also offers N95 masks, respirators, earplugs, safety glasses, gloves and other protective gear. For more information about safety products available from Composites One, go to www.compositesonesafety.com or visit https://www.compositesone.com/product/process-consumables/ppe/.
By adopting safety measures on the manufacturing floor and ensuring that workers have access to protective clothing and equipment, boatbuilders can create a safer, more productive work environment. For more information on Composites One’s Safety, Health and Environmental Responsibility program, please go to https://www.compositesone.com/people/health-safety-environment/.


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Tags let us describe our content with keywords, making it easier to find what you're most interested in. Use the search box to look for tags, or explore our coverage with the lists below.
Capital One has agreed to pay an $80 million fine to U.S. regulators over a major hack last year in which authorities say about 100 million credit card applications were illegally accessed.
At the behest of the U.S. government, German authorities have seized a computer server that hosted a huge cache of files from scores of U.S. federal, state and local law enforcement agencies obtained in a Houston data breach last month.
A former Amazon software engineer arrested last month on charges she hacked into Capital One bank and more than 30 different companies has been indicted by a federal grand jury
The Wall Street Journal says Equifax will pay around $700 million to settle with the FTC over a 2017 data breach that exposed some 150 million people’s social security numbers and other private information
A government watchdog has found the Federal Emergency Management Agency wrongly released to a contractor the personal information of 2.3 million survivors of hurricanes and wildfires in 2017; FEMA says it’s correcting the problem
Fewer Marriott guest records than previously feared were compromised in a massive data breach, but the largest hotel chain in the world confirmed Friday that approximately 5.25 million unencrypted passport numbers were accessed.
Personal data and documents on hundreds of German politicians and others have been posted online, and German cyber-defense experts were trying to figure out Friday how the information was obtained.
Hackers stole information on as many as 500 million guests of the Marriott hotel empire over four years, obtaining credit card and passport numbers and other personal data, the company said Friday as it acknowledged one of the largest security breaches in history.
Hackers obtained the credit card details of some 380,000 British Airways travelers during a two-week data breach this summer that leaves the customers vulnerable to financial fraud, the airline says.
A former software developer for Equifax faces insider trading charges related to the company’s massive
Best Buy is warning that some of its customers’ payment information may have been compromised in a data breach.
A data breach at department store chains Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks Off Fifth and Lord & Taylor has compromised the personal information of customers who shopped at the stores.
Orbitz says a legacy travel booking platform may have been hacked, potentially exposing the personal information of people that made purchases between Jan. 1, 2016 and Dec. 22, 2017.
Insider trading charges were announced Wednesday against a former Equifax executive who sold his shares for nearly $1 million before the company’s massive data breach was revealed to the public and the stock price plunged.
Washington state is suing the ride-hailing company Uber, saying it broke state law when it failed to notify more than 10,000 drivers in the state that their personal information was accessed as part of a major data breach.
After Uber revealed that it paid hackers $100,000 to keep quiet about stealing the personal information of 57 million customers and drivers, the company is now facing at least three potential class-action lawsuits and separate investigations by the attorneys general of New York, Missouri, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Illinois.
Uber is coming clean about its cover-up of a year-old hacking attack that stole personal information about more than 57 million of the beleaguered ride-hailing service’s customers and drivers.
A day after posting sizeable profit declines due to a massive data breach, Equifax said it expects to incur related costs of between $60 million to $75 billion in the current quarter.
House Republicans and Democrats on Tuesday lashed out at the former head of Equifax, demanding answers for the massive data breach that compromised the sensitive personal information of an estimated 145 million Americans.
A week after Equifax disclosed that it suffered a massive data breach that may have compromised sensitive information belonging to 143 million people, the credit reporting agency’s chief information officer, David Webb, and chief security officer, Susan Mauldin, are retiring, effective immediately, the company said in a statement Friday evening.


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Telecity Group has announced the availability of Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute for Office365 via the Cloud-IX platform. This will allow customers to establish a private network connection between their own networks and Office365 through the Cloud-IX ecosystem that stretches across Europe, Middle East and African countries. We discussed this latest addition to the Cloud-IX portfolio with Adi Ayyagari, Telecity Group’s head of Cloud-IX, looking at the drivers behind it.
Telecity are not the only company due to implement this, others including Equinix, who are in the process of purchasing Telecity have also just announced that they will be rolling out Microsoft Azure ExpressRoute for Office365. There is no coincidence as it is likely that most hosting companies that have Microsoft ExpressRoute will soon be announcing the availability of Office365 as well.
Supply and Demand & Co-Location
In asking why it was important to deliver the Office365 through ExpressRoute Adi explained this was not just about deploying Office365 for its customers but in a wider sense the strategy that support this. Adi perceives two broad trends from the Telecity point of view, one of demand and the other of supply.The trick that Telecity are hoping to deliver is that they sit between the two.
In clarifying the demand side trend Adi said:
“A demand side trend that we are seeing is that a number of our customers are increasingly deploying hybrid architectures to accelerate additional transformations. For example, as our customers embrace digital products, digital customer experiences or digital content, hybrid architectures basically help them accelerate embracing all things digital as they integrate any internal or on-premises infrastructure and applications with public cloud resources.“
This move towards Hybrid cloud has been signposted for some time, but as a co-location provider Telecity group are in the position of observing these trends with a fair degree of neutrality. Hybrid cloud, is something to be taken advantage of but it would be foolish for them to only drive the market in that way. Adi referred to nine use cases they have used to make decisions around their strategic direction on what to offer their customers.
Telecity Group not only play host to end user customers but also service providers, be they MSP’s (Managed Service Providers) , CSP’s (Cloud Service Providers) or even SI’s (System Integrators). Adi continued to elaborate on the second trend Telecity are seeing.
“…There are a number of PCSP’s (Public Cloud Service Providers) [that] are themselves going local with a European footprint with a European datacentre and with a secure and dedicated offering. For example, we are seeing with the likes of Microsoft offering an increasing array of services such as Office365. We find ourselves at the heart of this, colocation. Data centres … are at the heart of interconnectivity that underpin the internet in Europe.”
The problem for Telecity Group is clearly how they can take advantage of these two trends. As business leaders know, the only constant in business nowadays is change. It is not just about seeing these trends but taking advantage of them. Adi explained how they are already doing this or rather what the market is already demanding of them saying:
“On the one hand we are seeing our customers increasingly demanding private, secure and dedicated access to public cloud service providers and that is leading to increased co-location uptake itself. On the other we are seeing a number cloud service and technology service providers who also happen to be our colocation customers using the interconnectivity available within our facilities either to offer their cloud services directly.
“We are seeing, for example, some of the CSP’s run their cloud services from within the walls of our data centres or they are running core or edge network nodes that provide the secure dedicated access into the cloud regions they operate as is the case with the likes of Microsoft, AWS and Google.”
(Next: Telecity Strategy)


text: Seoul, South Korea is considered to be one of the best 10 cities to receive cosmetic procedures. Since quarantine restrictions have been lifted, more and more people are rushing to visit Korean plastic surgeons before going on their summer vacation. The demand for facial surgeries has particularly increased after the mandatory wearing of masks during COVID-19 restrictions was partially canceled. These days the most popular consultations are those for anti-aging plastic surgery, lower blepharoplasty, under-eye fat repositioning, and nasolabial folds implants. For your convenience, we’ve prepared a list of the most common facial anti-aging procedures and surgeries available at Seoul's most famous plastic surgery clinics.


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Pretec Electronics Corp. has unveiled what it calls the largest capacity CompactFlash card in the world — a 640MB model. The new flash RAM card has been added to company’s existing model line, which ranges in size from 8MB to 320MB. Pricing was not available as MacCentral went to press with this article.
High-capacity flash RAM cards have become an increasingly important commodity, especially as new high-resolution digital cameras are beginning to make their way into the marketplace. This year several companies have introduced 4.1 megapixel cameras that can make use of the higher-capacity cards.
Pretec indicates that it has also developed an industrial and military-grade 640MB CompactFlash card that incorporates full metal protection, a wider range of working temperatures and new data protection and security features. Pretec claims the CF card is suitable for applications including military aviation, medical instrumentation, transport vehicles, and test and measurement equipment.
Pretec is showing off the new hardware at this week’s
PC Expo at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City. They’re exhibiting at booth 4516.


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Mumbai, May 22 (UNI) Tata Group's retail expansion was partially hit due to soaring real estate prices and there was slow growth pace due to multiple macro-economic facts, a top official of the group said today.
The group's retail venture Trent under the brand name 'Westside' faced multi-challenges including high inflation, rising cost of credit and intensive competition in the sector during last fiscal, Trent Limited Head Marketing Neeti Chopra told newsmen here today.
''For expansion of business, it (high real estate prices) was a big bottle-neck,'' Ms Chopra said.
However, she later said, that was not a big issue for the group as it has well established business in Tier-I cities. ''Infact, for us the problem was due to unavailability of places for the stores in time,'' Ms Chopra asserted.
When asked about the revenue growth, she replied, ''Last year has been tough for the retail sector as hardly any firm was able to cross single digit growth. Moreover, the cause was based on macro-economic facts.'' UNI PP GR SM1508


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American Beverage Association Supports First Lady's Announcement on School Wellness
Source: American Beverage Association, February 25, 2014
WASHINGTON, D.C. – America’s non-alcoholic beverage industry applauds First Lady Michelle Obama’s common-sense efforts to strengthen school wellness policies, including support for aligning food and beverage signage in schools to reflect what is allowed under U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations.
“Mrs. Obama's efforts to continue to strengthen school wellness make sense for the well-being of our schoolchildren,” said ABA President and CEO Susan Neely. “Our industry helped lead the way with our voluntary national School Beverage Guidelines, which removed full-calorie soft drinks, cut beverage calories in schools nationwide by 90 percent, and set the stage for the USDA’s regulations that take effect in schools this July. Now, we look forward to working with the USDA on their proposed rule to align food and beverage signage in schools with the new regulations as the logical next step.”
The beverage industry – whose leading companies include The Coca-Cola Company, Dr Pepper Snapple Group and PepsiCo – has long been committed to the health and wellness of Americans. These efforts are having a real and lasting impact:
• School Beverage Guidelines: America’s beverage companies successfully implemented voluntary national School Beverage Guidelines, removing full-calorie soft drinks from all schools and replacing them with more lower-calorie, smaller-portion options. Developed with the William J. Clinton Foundation and its Alliance for a Healthier Generation, these guidelines helped form the basis for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s interim final rule on competitive foods and beverages sold in schools.
• Clear on Calories: In 2010, in support of the First Lady’s launch of her “Let’s Move!” campaign, America’s beverage companies announced the Clear on Calories initiative – a voluntary commitment to place easy-to-use calorie labels on the front of every bottle, can and pack they produce. By placing total calories on the front of all bottles and cans up to and including 20 ounces, consumers know exactly how many calories are in the beverage before making a purchase. For packaging larger than 20 ounces, the labels provide calories per serving. The calorie labels put this information right at the fingertips of consumers so they can make a choice that’s right for them.
• Drink Up: In 2013, America’s beverage companies teamed up with the First Lady and the Partnership for a Healthier America in supporting “Drink Up” Building upon previous industry initiatives, companies supported this effort by placing the water drop logo on bottled water, company trucks, on their websites or in their advertisements.
To learn more about all the ways that our industry is innovating and supporting all of its consumers, visit DeliveringChoices.org.


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The roadmaps of the gifts & houseware and holiday décor industries – the blueprints that will provide strategic directions leading to improved competitiveness and productivity of these two sectors – will be presented today (July 21, 2016) at the 16th Trade and Industry Development (TID) Updates, a multi-sector forum aimed at informing and updating various stakeholders on the industry development initiatives of the Board of Investments (BOI).
“These two industries are unique in a sense that majority of the products under the sectors are handmade. The Philippines is known in the world for its quality craftsmanship and now that the industry roadmaps for these sectors are ready for implementation, the industries will have a definitive strategic guide to recover and regain its lost market share, re-develop, and achieve sustained growth,” said Trade Assistant Secretary for Industry Development Dr. Rafaelita Aldaba.
“We are pushing for these industries to be revitalized because these provide the much-needed employment in the regions. As entering the market of these industries require minimal capitalization, many startups venture into these industries, which are composed mostly of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). These industry roadmaps will allow our MSMEs to participate in the value chain and in the vast ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) market,” Assistant Secretary Aldaba added.
The AEC establishes a single market and production base with free movement of goods, services and investments across the 10 ASEAN member countries. To date, some 96 percent of goods traded intra-ASEAN enjoys zero duty.
Gifts & houseware and holiday decor fall under the bigger umbrella of the lifestyle industry. Both industries are small sectors comprised mostly of MSMEs and, to a great extent, depend on processed agricultural crops and other industrial raw materials.
“What is more unique in the industries is the use of indigenous materials in the manufacture of products, which lend a Filipino touch to the articles produced,” noted Assistant Secretary Aldaba.
Through the BOI’s Industry Roadmapping Project, the crafting of the industry roadmaps of the two sectors was prepared by the University of the Philippines’ Institute of Small Scale Industries (ISSI) on behalf of the industry players. The crafting was based on gathered primary and secondary data through survey questionnaires, focused group discussions, interview of experts, and workshops, including materials from the industry, academe and government.
Dr. Nestor Raneses, Assistant Vice President for Administration of the University of the Philippines Dilimanand Ms. Nova Navo of the Office of the Director of the UP ISSI will jointly present the roadmaps of the two sectors. There will also be reactions from panelists composed of Dr. Mina Gabor, former Department of Tourism Secretary and founder of the Trade Promotion Organization; Mr. Delfin Bibat, a passionate supporter of the industry, and Mr. Leonardo Rosete, Dean of the College of Fine Arts of the University of the Philippines. An open forum follows after the presentations and reactions.
A plaque of appreciation will also be given by the industry stakeholders represented by the Home Accents Group of the Philippines and PHILDDA to former Trade Secretary Adrian Cristobal Jr. in recognition of his valuable contribution towards the crafting of industry roadmaps.
At the TID Updates, some of the industries’ works will also be showcased. A bigger display and exhibit of these sectors meanwhile is currently running at the Glorietta Activity Center.
The Industry Roadmapping Project launched BOI’s strategic partnership with various industries and sectors in the development of industry roadmaps. The IRP involves the crafting and implementation of industry roadmaps that define its vision, goals, and targets (in the short, medium, and long term), assess the industry’s state and economic performance, identify the binding constraints to its growth, and recommend strategies for industry upgrading and development. The roadmaps are crafted and implemented by the industry in collaboration with the BOI and other concerned stakeholders.
To date, there are 40 sectoral roadmaps submitted to the BOI. Of these, 32 roadmaps have been completed and are currently being implemented or for implementation, while the rest are still subject to finalization.


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Interserve to offload its plant at auction
Image: Ekkaluck Sangkla/Dreamstime.com
Interserve is preparing to sell off its plant at an auction next month in what has been billed as a “complete dispersal”.
Auctioneer Ritchie Bros will hold a sale of around 500 different items at Rockingham near Corby, Northamptonshire, on 9 May.
Among the items for sale are a total of 26 excavators, 10 site dumpers, 14 tandem rollers, 32 telehandlers and forklifts, and more than 400 smaller items.
News of the sale comes ahead of the publication of Interserve’s 2017 full-year results on 30 April, in which it is expected to reveal “significant writedowns” to its balance sheet.
Last month, the company announced that it would extend its cash borrowing facilities to £834m, after agreeing a new refinancing package with lenders totalling nearly £300m.
However, there is no suggestion that the sale of Interserve’s plant is linked to its upcoming results or levels of borrowing.
Interserve’s decision to sell its plant and rent instead contrasts with a recent move last month by Balfour Beatty to start building its own earthmoving operation, after taking delivery of 222 specialist earthworks machines.
The collection of new machines, which includes Komatsu excavators, Volvo articulated dump trucks and Caterpillar bulldozers, is worth a total of £3.2m and forms the first tranche of Balfour Beatty’s wider £9.6m owned plant investment programme in 2018.
Interserve has been contacted for comment.


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Bangladesh's July-October exports hit nearly $11 billionStaff Writer | November 8, 2016
Boosted by ready-made clothing sales, Bangladesh's total goods export income in the first four months of the current fiscal year (July 2016-June 2017) grew about 7 percent year on year to nearly $11 billion.
Trade The Export Promotion Bureau:
Bangladesh shipped goods worth $2.71 billion in October, the 4th month of the current fiscal year 2016-17, which was about 14.39 percent higher than the same month a year ago, said the official who preferred to be unnamed.
The export growth in the first 4 months of the fiscal year was attributed to demand for the country's ready-made garments in key global markets.
The export earnings, however, fell short of target of 11,584 million set for the period, said the official.
Bangladesh set its export target for the whole 2016-17 fiscal year at $37 billion, including about $30.38 billion from readymade garment products, the EPB data showed.
In the July-October period, Bangladesh earned $8.82 billion from garment exports with knitted items such as T-shirts growing 8.75 percent and woven items such as jeans rising 5.37 percent.
During the period, he said knitwear garment export stood at $4,535.14 million dollars while income from woven garments reached $4,286.30 million. ■


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Mylan, the company that came under fire recently for raising the price of the life-saving EpiPen more than 400 percent, on Friday announced it would sell a generic version for $300, or half the price.
The EpiPen is used to treat severe allergic reactions like those that can occur from bee stings and foods like nuts.
The company evoked a firestorm of criticism after it was revealed in August the drugmaker increased the price of the EpiPen since 2008 from $100 to $600. Mylan was the target of a Department of Justice and Congressional investigation.
Mylan CEO Heather Bresch said that the company produced the cheaper generic version out of concern for rising drug prices and the ability of families across the country to afford them. The cheaper version of the treatment should be in stores next week.
"While it is important to understand the outdated and complex system that determines what someone pays for medicine in the U.S., hardworking families don't need an explanation, they need a solution,” she said in a statement. "This is why we took decisive action with our EpiPen product and have launched the first generic version at half the WAC price."
Bresch was called before Congress over the dramatic price increase. Mylan announced in late August that it would produce a $300 version.
Mylan didn’t invent nor does it produce the EpiPen. The company bought the rights to the EpiPen in 2007, which received approval in 1987 and has dominated 90 percent of the market.
Today, Mylan buys the Epipen from a Pfizer subsidiary for $34.50 per pen and enjoys a near-monopoly since its chief competitor faced a recall last year.
In October, the company paid the Department of Justice $465 million to settle the question whether they manipulated the classification of EpiPens to pay lower rebates to Medicaid and Medicare.
Mylan’s announcement arrives one day after 20 states filed a joint lawsuit over the prices set by generic drugmakers, Reuters reported. The state governments have focused their attention on Mylan and five other generic drug-producing companies.


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Christopher Polk/Golden Globes 2024/Getty Images
Kylie Jenner danced around a question about Timothée Chalamet in her latest interview with The New York Times. Her response naturally invited speculation as breakup rumors swirl around the pair, who haven't been spotted together since the 2024 Golden Globes on January 7.
When asked whether Chalamet could be credited with inspiring her recent shift in personal style from Instagram baddie to “clean girl,” the beauty and fashion mogul all but declined to comment.
“I don’t know how I feel about that,” she told the outlet. “I just don’t want to talk about personal things.” The Khy founder went to add that she reads follower feedback only on posts related to her businesses.
She and the Dune actor began dating last spring, marking her first public romance since her years-long relationship with rapper Travis Scott, with whom the 26-year-old shares two children: a six-year-old daughter named Stormi and a two-year-old son named Aire.
Kylothée is still going strong.
Rumblings of a possible breakup can be traced to a morning routine TikTok posted by Kylie Jenner that notably did not feature Chalamet. From there, followers started to wonder whether a breakup announcement might be coming. That said, it's possible Chalamet is merely busy with work given the release of Dune: Part Two and all of the promotional appearances he's been doing around it.
Originally Appeared on Glamour