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Struggling electric automaker Faraday Future, once seen as becoming the biggest rival to Tesla, has suffered another major setback and is on the brink of insolvency. A federal judge has frozen Faraday Future CEO Jia "YT" Yueting's ownership stake in the company, according to new court documents filed Thursday.
Dec 14, 2018 5:23 PM PT
Hyundai Motors has announced the price of its new Kona, the company's first fully-electric SUV. The under $30,000 price tag an important price target for electric vehicle buyers and makes the Kona EV one of the most affordable electric vehicles in the U.S.
Dec 14, 2018 2:21 PM PT
China will temporarily suspend additional 25 percent tariffs on U.S.-made vehicles and auto parts the finance ministry said on Friday, following a truce in a trade war between the world's two largest economies. China agreed to suspend the tariff on 144 U.S. vehicle and auto parts.
Dec 14, 2018 12:41 PM PT
Daimler is taking the next steps towards its commitment to electric vehicles. The luxury automaker announced this week that it will spend $23 billion buying battery cells through the year 2030.
Dec 13, 2018 4:31 PM PT
German automakers BMW and Porsche, along with a consortium of industry partners, have developed a new EV charging prototype that can deliver 450 kW of juice, more than triple the capacity of Tesla's Supercharger network.Dec 13, 2018 11:55 AM PT
German automaker Daimler announced earlier this year it was working with semiconductor company Xilinx to develop an AI-powered in-vehicle system for future Mercedes Benz models, including the new Mercedes Benz A-Class. This week at the Xilinx Developer Forum keynote in Frankfurt, the two companies unveiled for the first time details of the new in-vehicle system.Dec 12, 2018 3:58 PM PT
Ride-hailing company Lyft Inc. was granted a U.S. patent for a "autonomous vehicle notification system" that communicates with pedestrians and other road users.Dec 12, 2018 12:24 PM PT
There has been some progress made in settling some of the trade tensions between the U.S. and China. The Trump administration announced that China has agreed to to reduce the import tariff on U.S. made vehicles and auto parts by 25 percent.Dec 11, 2018 4:57 PM PT
Hyundai Motor Group, which includes automotive brands Hyundai and Kia, today announced its long-term roadmap called ‘FCEV Vision 2030' plan, as the company reaffirms its commitment to accelerate the development of hydrogen fuel-cell technologies.Dec 11, 2018 12:40 PM PT
General Motors is fighting to retain a valuable $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit as the company deals with the political fallout triggered by its recently announced plan to shutter several U.S. assembly plants and cut thousands of jobs. The EV tax credit is designed to promote the adoption of electric vehicles.Dec 10, 2018 5:27 PM PT
Silicon Valley startup DeepMap, a provider of high-definition (HD) mapping and localization technology for autonomous vehicles, has announced licensing deals with San Francisco-based mobility platform provider Ridecell and Sweden-based Einride. As part of the deal, Ridecell and Einride will integrate DeepMap's HD mapping software in their autonomous fleets.Dec 10, 2018 12:22 PM PT
A recent report revealed that Nissan and its luxury subsidiary Infinity will bring the company's next-generation electric vehicles to the 2019 North American International Auto Show.Dec 09, 2018 11:04 AM PT
Korean automaker Kia showcased its 2020 Soul EV at last week's Los Angeles Auto Show. The new Soul EV gets technical updates in addition to refined aesthetics.Dec 08, 2018 6:00 AM PT
Scientists from the Honda Research Institute have collaborated with researchers at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to develop a breakthrough new battery chemistry that enables the use of materials with 10 times the energy density of current lithium-ion technology.Dec 07, 2018 5:43 PM PT
San Francisco Premium Outlets became California's first location for electric vehicle (EV) chargers featuring ultra-fast recharging speeds up to 350 kilowatts (kW). The 350 kW chargers are capable of recharging an electric vehicle quickly, providing another 200 miles of range in just 10 minutes.Dec 07, 2018 3:27 PM PT
As General Motors announces massive layoffs and the closure of several U.S. plants, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is looking to reopen a idle Detroit assembly plant to build the upcoming full-size Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV.Dec 07, 2018 11:57 AM PT
Eric Walz    Sep 29, 2017 6:52 PM PT
Eric Walz     Sep 07, 2017 6:58 PM PT
Eric Walz     Jul 28, 2017 3:51 PM PT
Eric Walz Nov 27, 2018 12:36 PM PT
FutureCar Staff Nov 22, 2018 6:00 AM PT
Eric Walz Nov 15, 2018 1:05 PM PT
Mia Bevacqua Oct 21, 2018 12:00 PM PT


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Bestselling author of Ask More, Get More and DRTV host Michael Alden releases his second book: 5% More: Making Small Changes to Achieve Extraordinary Results. The book, which has gained acclaim by industry leaders during its pre-sale launch, presents readers with a painless route to change promising results that stick. The Amazon Editorial staff has chosen 5% More as one of the “Best Books of the Month” for August in the Business & Leadership category, alongside other notable authors John C. Maxwell and James Andrew Miller. 5% More also is currently available for pre-sale at Barnes & Noble and officially releases on August 29.
Manhattan Media becomes agency of record for four clients: Developlus, a beauty and hair care company; Strides Pharma Inc., a pharmaceutical company; Inova USA (Maxi Climber System); and Next Gen Health SolutionsLLC (Red Fortera).
Viacom network Logo and Big Gay Ice Cream promote the hit series “RuPaul’s Drag Race” with a “big gay ice cream truck” serving free mini cups of ice cream and rainbow popsicles around New York on August 24-25. The truck will feature a flat-screen TV showing clips to the upcoming season.
Time Warner's Turner makes an equity investment in millennial women's digital content company Refinery29. Turner and Refinery29 will work to create content and programming for Turner networks.
3Cinteractive (3C) and Sparkfly partner to let brands create and distribute mobile offers, through 3C’s messaging platform, that are redeemed at point-of-sale.
An appellate court reverses a Federal Communications Commission (FCC)order aimed at encouraging municipal broadband. A three-judge panel of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the FCC lacked authority to invalidate state laws hindering muni-broadband and that Congress never empowered the agency to trump states' ability to regulate how their "subdivisions" – meaning cities and towns – provide web service.
In July, the national TV cost index climbed to 121, up nine points from June, according to the RealCost Index, a collaboration of MediaPost and SQAD indexing the average cost of national TV advertising time. The index rose four points higher than July 2015, showing some year-over-year momentum. According to historical data, July 2016 generated the highest national TV prices since July 2013, when he index stood at 126.
The National Advertising Division (NAD), a self-regulatory unit administered by the Better Business Bureau, tells Comcast it should stop saying it offers the "fastest Internet" in America based on Ookla’s 2015 Speedtest.net testing. NAD found that Ookla's methodology didn't support Comcast's ad claims.
Gian Fulgoni, comScore’s co-founder, becomes CEO of the media audience measurement giant, replacing Serge Matta, who moves to executive vice chairman. And comScore’s Bill Livek, executive vice chairman and president, now heads the company’s TV, cross-platform, and movies measurement businesses.
eMarketer downgrades U.S. Twitter usage projections amid nearly stagnant growth reported by the company in second quarter of 2016. By the end of this year, 52.2 million U.S. users will access their Twitter accounts at least once a month – a 2-percent increase over last year.
Ratings for the Rio Olympics are lower than the numbers NBC scored four summers ago in London, but NBC Sports Group Chairman Mark Lazarus says the Olympics will be the broadcaster’s “most economically successful Games in history.”
August 2016 research by Trusted Media Brands (formerly Reader's Digest Association) says almost one-fifth of U.S. media decision-makers are planning to invest in live stream video ads by the end of the year.
Pinterest invites advertisers to buy CPM campaigns using an auction-based system. The change will help brands “get more impressions for their campaigns at more efficient rates which ultimately drives higher results,” a Pinterest spokesman says.

domain: news


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Record Precipitation Drives Category Growth In US Automotive Aftermarket During The First Half Of 2019, According To NPD
“Extreme weather weeks impacted month-by-month performance in the automotive aftermarket, with January – when the Polar Vortex occurred – and March – when we saw record rainfall throughout much of the country – representing 8 percent and 7 percent dollar growth, respectively,” said Nathan Shipley, executive director and automotive industry analyst for The NPD Group.
Officials from WVE are currently on the ground in Centerville, Iowa, working closely with local authorities to assess the damage, which is isolated to one corner of the building.
US Automotive Aftermarket Industry Swayed By Lower Retail Pricing, Weather Patterns In 2016, Reports NPD Group
Macro trends, including an increase in miles driven and new car sales, lower-priced gasoline and unpredictable weather patterns, impacted the industry’s annual performance.


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+++ Cover +++
Charged with revitalizing a downtrodden railway area in Birmingham, AL, the REV Birmingham organization turned to lighting sculptor Bill FitzGibbons, who highlighted the Art Deco style elements of the "LightRails" project with a mix of Philips Color Kinetics color-tunable luminaires and a controller (see page 33; all images courtesy of Bill FitzGibbons).
+++ Features +++
SIL Europe fosters communication amongst technology innovators and financiers
The full-day Investor Forum at the 2013 Strategies in Light Europe event is just one of the opportunities that should inspire collaboration between financial entities, solid-state lighting companies, and startups to keep this high-growth industry moving, reports Katya Evstratyeva.
Birmingham celebrates railroad history, connects city center with LEDs
Maury Wright explores how a renowned light sculptor used dynamic LED lighting to connect a new urban park with the city center in Birmingham, Alabama, and to simultaneously celebrate the historic role the railroad played in the city's history.
LEDs ready to displace halogen in MR16 lamps
Despite the small size, thermal challenges, and high-CRI requirements of LED MR16 retrofit lamps, Mark Youmans and Mark McClear write that it is now "game over" for the halogen incumbents.
Energy efficiency may come at the cost of consumer confidence
As the European Union's EcoDesign Regulation requirements continue to escalate, Caroline Hayes reports that LED replacements for mains-voltage halogens may not deliver on consumer expectations on time, while directional SSL lamps are moving faster than the pace of the scheduled phase-out.
LED modules advance in performance, standardization questions persist
Modular LED light engines can without question accelerate SSL product development, especially with the better color consistency offered today, reports Maury Wright, but the market remains fractured with a mix of proprietary and Zhaga-compatible products.
Careful design delivers halogen-like LED dimming
Enabling LEDs to follow the black-body radiation curve isn't black magic, and Uwe Thomas explains a successful approach to the challenge of dimming SSL products to warm CCTs.
Increase LED driver efficiency without a sense resistor
Seeking to improve driver efficiency for portable power applications, Chris Glaser and Jim Chen explain a voltage-regulation technique known as high-side sensing, which eliminates the lossy sense resistor component by relying on a MOSFET.
Optical silicones enable LEDs to compete for lighting applications
Kaz Maruyama, global industry director for lighting solutions at Dow Corning, states that the choice of silicone materials in LEDs can enable a more cost-effective efficacy boost than chip innovation in some cases.
+++ Columns/Departments +++
Color consistency matters, but to whom?
NEWS + VIEWS
- GE Lighting supplies Evolve area LED fixtures for Kia front line
- Philips LED Hue highlighted in Photon Pod at London Design Festival
- Colnatec and Novaled partner, University of Utah pursues white OLEDs
- Retrofit lamps: Cree, Osram Sylvania, GE Lighting
- TowerJazz and DMB launch AC driver, Linear Tech offers 110V controller
- Patents: Intematix, Nichia
- Packaged LEDs: Cree, Lumileds, Osram Lighting networks at SALC
Philips Lumileds CEO moves to expand breadth of LED offerings
Ella Shum interviews Philips Lumileds CEO Pierre Yves Lesaicherre, asking tough questions about the increasingly competitive LED market, Lumileds' plans for the future, and the challenge of serving a vertically-integrated lighting manufacturer and the commercial market.
FUNDING + PROGRAMS
- LightingEurope publishes research on LED-based human-centric lighting
- EPA publishes final Energy Star Lamps v1.0 specification
- DOE publishes fact sheet on the lifetime and reliability of LED-based lighting


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I heard recently that the best-selling non-fiction audio book of all time is Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. (More books by Stephen R. Covey). It is now available for download on mp3books.com–a new source of audio books. If you have never read or listened to this book, you\’ve got to do it. It\’s a classic.
New Jersey has a new economic development program that guarantees up to 1/3 of the investments made by angel investors in startup companies. More details here. Members of the Jumpstart angel investing network (a pretty forward looking group) are the first to receive this government guarantee, for a $285,000 investment in software company Knowtions. Interesting concept.
One of the fastest ways to build a high-traffic revenue-generating content-based web site is to get permission from hundreds of bloggers to syndicate their blog. Most bloggers write for the love of it, more than for money. So companies that syndicate have a great opportunity to pick up a lot of traffic at no cost to them.
I\’ve been syndicated recently by a blog network called The Money Blogs, and they\’ve asked me to link to them, so I am.
I just got an email from Ancestry announcing new affiliate commission and better support for affiliates starting on August 1st. The new commissions include 5 tiers and get top affiliates up to 50% commissions. Plus, the call center now has a way to track phone calls and credit affiliates for generating the calls.
Okay, not really…
But in a big vote of confidence for all of us Utah guys, here\’s the real news. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will be the keynote speaker at the October 27th Utah Technology Council Hall of Fame dinner at the Little America Hotel in Salt Lake City. I didn\’t believe the email I got until I confirmed the truth of this in the Deseret News article.
I\’ve been doing internet marketing so long that sometimes I forget about all the pre-internet marketing possibilities that exist to help companies grow. I started a Library Science Masters Degree at BYU before dropping out to run Infobases. I used to have dozens of extremely valuable reference books in the BYU library that helped me with direct marketing, public relations, and media planning/advertising. So I\’ve been digging in my 1990s knowledge base to see what sources I can draw from now to help promote a new product.
If you run a business with an internet strategy, hopefully you\’ve started thinking about a mobile strategy as well. You need to skate where the puck is going and not where it has been.
IDC estimates that 24 million US mobile phone users will pay for some kind of TV/Video content or services by 2010, up from 7 million this year. That is a sizeable market share. And it will only get bigger.
I know my blog title sounds like an infomercial. Well, it kind of is.
We recently discovered an amazing product for Moms that we liked so much that we bought all the inventory we could and are starting to promote it online for its inventor (a mother of six).
It\’s called Childrens Miracle Music. The web site has a short video clip from the Mom who developed the product to help kids do all their daily chores automatically, prompted by a musical CD and motivated by a chart and point system.
A recent MarketingSherpa report shows that more than half of online sales at high-growth e-commerce sites come from search engine marketing (that includes PPC and SEO). Here\’s a quote:
According to MarketingSherpa 2006 study data, high-growth ecommerce sites get 19% of their overall traffic from search engine optimization (SEO) and 32% from paid search ads. That\’s 51% of ecommerce site traffic driven by a handful of search engines.
About a month ago I was reminded that many famous people in history are overlooked these days in our public discourse. The best ideas from the past are often ignored. Our modern culture doesn\’t integrate them into our media, and even some history textbooks devote more space to celebrities like Madonna than to important leaders like George Washington. Sex sells. History doesn\’t.
So I decided that maybe hundreds or thousands of historic figures should become bloggers, or that someone should start blogging on their behalf, using their own words.


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Underwater Photographer of the Year 2020
UPY2020 results were announced at a packed award ceremony at the Go Diving show in Coventry, UK
The Underwater Photographer of the Year 2020 has been named as GREG LECOEUR from France, for his stunning image: 'Frozen mobile home'.
The full set of UPY2020 results is now available to view in the winners gallery.
And don't forget you can download our Yearbook too.
The UPY team would like to thank everyone who entered this year's competition, we are humbled that so many of you choose to support us year on year. We would also like to thank
our loyal sponsors too, their support makes this competition possible.
UPY on the road
Want to attract visitors to your venue? See how you can host the UPY 2020 Exhibition
Stories from our winners
See what it means to be a winner with some stories of past entrants enjoying their prizes
Please make sure you are 100% sure of the rules and image submission guidelines
UPY Important News Updates
Sign up to receive the latest updates about the Underwater Photographer of the Year competition.


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In May, we heard about how Facebook plans to take on YouTube with music videos, and now plans to bring offline video viewing ability to users. According some reports floating online, the social giant plans a pilot testing in order to introduce video downloads in India.
Now, though India is among the top 3 biggest smartphone markets in the world, we aren’t even remotely close to such numbers when it comes to Internet connectivity. In the past, we have seen companies like Google introduce free Wi-Fi on stations in the bid to bring as many people online as possible. With the new Facebook feature, users will be able to download and save videos to watch later.
A Facebook spokesperson told VentureBeat, “We’ve heard feedback that in markets like India, mobile data and internet connectivity is limited and many people struggle with poor video experiences. So we’re testing an option for people to download videos to Facebook while they’re online on good internet connections, to view the video at anytime, online or offline, without using extra mobile dataAccording to a report by TechCrunch, Facebook plans to start the testing with a small group of people starting 11 July. The report reveals that Facebook has sent out an email to the select group explaining people will be able to download videos when with good Internet connection, and watch later at anytime..


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WASHINGTON — Paul Charron, the former chairman and chief executive officer of Liz Claiborne Inc., who is credited with transforming the sportswear firm, is trying his hand at a new kind of endeavor — this time it’s on the board of a textile company.
Charron has been elected a member of Unifi Inc.’s board of directors. Unifi is a publicly traded multinational manufacturing company that produces and sells textured and value-added polyester and nylon yarns.
“We are excited that Paul has agreed to join our board, bringing his extensive experience and insights from years of working with leading companies on marketing and strategic growth planning and implementation,” said William L. Jasper, chairman and ceo of Unifi. “Paul not only expands the skill sets of our board and its ability to provide strategic direction for the company; he will also be an invaluable asset and resource for our entire management team.”
Jasper said Charron will help provide guidance and mentoring to Unifi’s management team as “we continue our efforts to plot Unifi’s future growth and sustained profitability that will enhance long-term shareholder value.”
In an interview with WWD, Charron said he is starting on his “next career.”
He is best known in the fashion industry for his 12-year career at Liz Claiborne, which he is credited with being the driving force behind and transforming into a $4.8 billion multibrand, multicategory and multichannel business. Charron left Liz Claiborne at the end of 2006, when his contract expired.
Charron is also no stranger to the U.S. textile and apparel industry, having held positions at Cannon Mills in the Eighties and also overseeing Vanity Fair Mills when he was with VF Corp. in the early Nineties.
A veteran of the fashion industry, Charron brings a global, strategic outlook, with a keen eye on domestic expansion, to the table at Unifi.
“I bring a front-end orientation,” he said, pointing to extensive experience in sales and marketing.
“The Unifi story is that they are shifting from maximizing both manufacturing and sales efficiency and they’re trying drive global strategic and profitable growth,” Charron said. “I’ve spent a good of deal time in my career helping to grow companies. They didn’t bring me on the board for my manufacturing know-how or my finance know-how, but for my exposure to growth that is global, strategic and profitable, which are areas of focus for the company.”
Charron said he believes Unifi wants to get closer to its customers and the ultimate consumer, which he said “will help them channel their R&D capability, which is significant, and help them be more responsive to the people they sell to.”
“The whole idea of getting close to your customer and close to building consumer insights is a powerful one and one that we tried to use at Liz and is certainly frequently used in the packaged goods space at companies like Campbell’s and Proctor & Gamble,” he said.
Charron said Unifi’s Repreve recycled fiber brand is critical, particularly in light of the Millennial generation’s emphasis on sustainability. Unifi broke ground last July on an 85,000-square-foot addition to its Repreve Recycling Center in Yadkinville, N.C. It was a $10 million investment that is expected to create jobs and increase capacity by up to 60 million pounds annually.
“Everybody wants something that is distinctive or unique about their product,” Charron said. “Certainly Repreve is a topical product right now and I think that people at Unifi will tell you that there is a very important thrust and it certainly would resonate with the Millennials that everybody is trying to capture, whether you are Nike or Macy’s or any one of a number of specialty stores.”
Unifi has faced price and currency challenges recently. Its second-quarter earnings dropped 31 percent, but its strong domestic texturing business and premier value-added products such as Repreve helped curb the decline.
“The way to address problems is with innovation and streamlining; being faster, smarter and better, which is what we tried to do at Liz. I realize Liz is getting further and further in my rearview mirror but I still find that a lot of things we employed still have resonance,” Charron said. “It is a question of focus and execution and if you are focused on the right thing and execute it precisely, shareholders will appreciate the outcome.”
Charron has been an independent consultant since 2013 in the area of consumer products, fashion and retail, with “a particular focus on growth strategies, management structure and the mentoring of senior management teams,” according to a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. His clients have included major publicly held companies and several portfolio companies of major private equity firms.
Prior to establishing his own consultancy business, Charron served as senior adviser to global private equity firm Warburg Pincus from 2008 to 2012.


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(Illustration) The main points of NALED's Environment Protection Alliance activity in the past six month were the design of circular economy development plan until 2023 as well as managing packaging waste, the Alliance stated in an online session.
The complex task of designing the plan was performed together with German Agency for International Cooperation GIZ. According the president of the Alliance, Jelena Kis, they detected the sections that need to be modified in order ti introduce and implement the circular economy program.
Beside these two subject, in the upcoming period, the Alliance will focus on improving tax system in the area of environmental protection and proper food waste management and managing special waste flows.
The members of the Alliance have also chosen new management for the next two years.
Jelena Kis remains the president of the Alliance while Slobodanka Cucic and Bojana Peric are appointed Vice Presidents.


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Tata Consumer Products Limited (TCPL) has created an autonomous and integrated supply chain with Blue Yonder, the world leader in digital supply chain and omnichannel commerce fulfilment, and implemented by Accenture. Leveraging solutions in Blue Yonder’s Luminate Planning, the digital transformation of TCPL’s supply chain will improve end-to-end visibility across the value chain to meet growing consumer demands and enable purposeful growth.
The project was powered by Microsoft Azure, Blue Yonder’s strategic partner for SaaS-based solutions.
Based in India, TCPL is a consumer products company uniting the food and beverage interests of the Tata Group. The company’s portfolio of products includes tea, coffee, water, salt, pulses, spices, and packaged food offerings. The company is innovating with new marketplace models and expects a larger play in the food and beverage industry, which requires enhanced capabilities for demand planning, inventory optimization, sales and operations planning (S&OP), and supply planning and replenishment to be successful.
“With more people working from and staying home, tea consumption by consumers has gone up. By digitally transforming its supply chain, TCPL can be better prepared for these kinds of shifts in behaviour thanks to the strong demand, inventory optimization and S&OP capabilities of Luminate Planning powered by Microsoft Azure,” said Vishal Dhawan, vice president, APAC sales, Blue Yonder.
By working with Accenture and choosing Blue Yonder’s Luminate Planning solutions, TCPL will increase service levels, reduce logistics costs and emissions and improve delivery responses, as well as put the decision-making power at the frontline of the sales organization.
“The digital transformation of TCPL’s supply chain will allow for more intelligent planning and better execution that helps achieve greater efficiency, sustainability and resilience,” said Vineet R. Ahuja, a managing director for Accenture in India. “With the combined value of our consumer goods industry experience and responsible supply chain expertise, TCPL will now have a future-proof, customer-centric supply chain and dynamic retailer sales intelligence that brings TCPL closer to end consumers.”
By underpinning its SaaS-based supply chain footprint with Azure, TCPL can combine rich internal and external data from across its digital supply chain assets, allowing the company to gain real-time visibility into issues, take quick resolution actions and plan for scenarios. In APAC, Azure fuels Blue Yonder’s ongoing SaaS momentum allowing its Luminate Planning solutions to deliver a seamless experience for Blue Yonder customers who can then make smarter business decisions that lead to profitable business growth.
“Companies like TCPL add value by integrating the Blue Yonder Luminate Planning solutions with Microsoft Azure,” said Venkat Krishnan, executive director, Commercial Partners, Microsoft India. “LuminatePlanning helps TCPL tackle a variety of planning needs, ensuring customers have the right products when and where they need them thanks to the enterprise-grade reliability that Microsoft Azure provides.”


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A leading brand enrichment company dedicated to luxury, travel, hospitality and destination brands.
Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort launches Treasure Hunt
Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort, hailed as Morocco and Africa’s Leading MICE Hotel at the 2015 World Travel Awards, has unveiled its new ‘Mazagan Treasure Hunt’, offering team-building exercises at the resort as well as in the nearby town of El Jadida, and its UNESCO protected Portuguese fort. Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort is the ideal setting for a team building activity with a competitive edge.
We pride ourselves on our intrinsic knowledge of the hospitality industry, which helps us create compelling communication for our partners.
Airbus Middle East & North Africa has appointed Insignia Worldwide as its lead Agency to provide turnkey brand, digital and marketing solutions across the region.
Diamonds La Gemma dell’Est to host World Travel Awards Africa & Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony
World Travel Awards has revealed Diamonds La Gemma dell’Est, Zanzibar, Tanzania, has been selected to host the Africa & India Ocean Gala Ceremony 2016. Set to take place on Saturday, April 9th, 2016, the dazzling red-carpet ceremony will welcome hospitality leaders and luminaries from across the regions.


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Oil giant BP has announced that it will invest $20m (£14.8m) in StoreDot, a company which is in the process of developing batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) that will take the same time to recharge as refuelling a normal petrol car.
The investment in the Israeli battery company is part of BP Venture's effort to expand its presence in the EV infrastructure sector.
Tufan Erginbilgic, chief executive of BP downstream, said: “Ultra-fast charging is at the heart of BP's electrification strategy. StoreDot's technology shows real potential for car batteries that can charge in the same time it takes to fill a gas tank.
“With our growing portfolio of charging infrastructure and technologies, we're excited by our opportunities to develop truly innovative EV customer offers.”
The company received $60m from Mercedes-Benz owner Daimler in September of last year to develop ultra-fast mobile charging technology using lithium ion batteries which will on the market in 2019.
Doron Myerdorf, co-founder and chief executive of StoreDot, said: “Working closely together with a global energy leader is a significant milestone in StoreDot's direction of strengthening the EV ultra-fast charging eco-system.”
“The combination of BP's impressive presence and StoreDot's eco-system of EV partnerships enables faster implementation of ultra-fast charging stations and could allow a better charging experience for drivers.”


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Recently, Microsoft confirmed that there will not be any new models or feature updates to the Windows Phone. Regardless of that, they will continue to support the platform in terms of bug fixes and cybersecurity updates.
Over a year ago, Microsoft decided to shut down their smartphone devices business, having to let go several employees, and doubling down on Microsoft apps for iOS and Android.
One of the main problems was the lack of Windows mobile apps. Even though the company tried to attract app developers by offering to build the apps for them, developers primarily rejected the offer due to the small number of Windows mobile users.
Earlier this year, Microsoft dropped support for Windows Phone 8.1. Last week, HP revealed that they are halting the development of Elite X3, a well-known third-party Windows 10 Mobile handset.
Microsoft has also tried to keep their operating system relevant in the mobile world by trying to bring Edge, a Windows 10 browser, to iOS and Android. One of its strong points is its built-in functionality allowing users to share websites, apps, photos, and other information between the smartphone and the PC.
This functionality is also available in the Microsoft Launcher for Android, which is a redesigned version of the Arrow Launcher that was released in 2015.
According to Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, the company is not backing out of the mobile hardware business, claiming that HoloLens, an augmented reality headset, is, in fact, a mobile device.


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Developed By: iNFOTYKE
TURA: Tura MP Conrad K Sangma has led a farmers’ delegation to meet the union minister for food processing industries in New Delhi to seek the establishment of a food processing centre at Kharkutta in North Garo Hills district, where the much sought after banana is produced in abundance.
On Thursday, the farmers’ delegation headed by Rupert Momin was taken by the Tura Lok Sabha MP to a meeting with the union Food Processing Industries minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal where they apprised the minister about the mass cultivation of organic bananas in the Kharkutta region and the need to set up a processing centre to ensure regular supply of the commodity.
Banana, which is the fifth most traded agricultural commodity in the world also happens to be the second most important fruit crop in India, next only to the mango.
Kharkutta region has been known for ages for its supply of the fruit that is available all year round and is made famous by the fact that farmers do not use any chemicals while growing the crop.
The fruits from Kharkutta region make way to various states in the country, particularly to West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha.
However, banana farmers have for long been experiencing unstable market pricing and the absence of a supply chain has compelled farmers to go across the inter-state border into Darranggre market of Dudhnoi in Assam where their produce is lifted by middlemen at a throwaway price.
“A processing centre would lead to competitive pricing with other banana growers in other parts of the country and benefit the farmers of Garo Hills,” said Tura MP Conrad Sangma.
He added that the Union minister had given a positive response to their demand adding that ground work would need to be cleared for the establishment of the food processing factory in Kharkutta.


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Cheese, dairy products recall grows over listeria fears
Five cheeses distributed in Ontario and Quebec have joined dozens of dairy products recalled in the last month.
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Another five cheeses and dairy products have joined dozens of products from a single Quebec manufacturer recalled in the last month because of fears of deadly listeria contamination.
Four Clic brand cheeses and two sizes of Clic Desi Butter Ghee are being recalled with best before dates stretching to November 2012.
The products, all manufactured by a numbered company, 3903052 Canada Inc., in Boisbriand, Que., have been distributed in Quebec and Ontario, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
The latest recall follows three earlier warnings from CFIA involving dozens of cheese products manufactured by the Boisbriand company under the Clic, Deschamps, Fromagerie Marie Kadé and TIFCO brand names.
The products range from fermented dairy drinks to unripened cheeses in Lebanese, Peruvian, Mexican, Spanish and Middle Eastern styles
One illness has been reported from eating the products.
The CFIA warned that foods contaminated with listeria may not look or smell spoiled but can cause high fever, headache, neck stiffness and nausea. Pregnant women and the elderly are particularly at risk, the CFIA said.
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- Tory MPP Lisa MacLeod wants to be Premier Soccer Mom
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San Diego-based Dlush, a fast-casual restaurant chain that serves items including health-oriented gourmet drinks and salads, is opening a new flagship campus location at University of California, San Diego in La Jolla.
Company officials said a Jan 20 opening is scheduled for the company’s first campus lounge location, a 2,000-square-foot restaurant in the center-court area of the university’s Price Center. The company was picked over mainstream national brands to locate at the student center, as part of a larger campus initiative in include more locally based brands, according to a statement.
The new campus location will serve handcrafted drinks and comfort foods in a space similar to a coffee shop, with tabletop whiteboards, chalkboard surfaces and iPad docking stations to enable sharing and discussion among students.
Dlush was started in 2001 and has nine locations, including one at Rock Church at Liberty Station in Point Loma. Others are in Los Angeles, Kuwait and Qatar.


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Google has partnered with Indian smartphone makers to launch cheap smartphones based on the Android Go Oreo edition release. The search giant has been in talks with manufacturers like Micromax, Intex, Lava, and Karbonn to launch affordable Android devices for the Indian market according to sources.
According to a report by Factor Daily citing sources familiar with the matter, Google is currently working with several OEMs in India to launch smartphones based on Android Oreo Go Edition. These phones will vary in price depending on the OEM, but they could be priced as low as $30 (Rs. 2000 approx.).
“We expect Android Oreo (Go edition) devices to launch in early 2018,” said a Google company official, as reported by Factor Daily. The report states that Micromax could be the first company to launch its phone based on Android Oreo Go at around Rs 2,000 later in January with others to follow in the weeks after.
Google announced Android Oreo Go for smartphones with less than 1GB RAM last month in India. Android Oreo Go can be used by smartphone manufacturers using a simple flag. This enables ‘Go’ versions of other Google apps like the main Google app, Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps and more.
Saving up on the internal storage in the form of smaller apps and a slimmer OS could help improve the device performance on low-end smartphones. Google also enables to cut down on not just memory but also processor capacity, thus helping them to come up with cheaper smartphones.
Android Go Oreo edition is being first adopted by Indian handset makers who have already targeted feature phones. This new move will help more users to access internet in India with their Android smartphones. With cheap smartphones, Google and smartphone makers hope to rise the internet access on mobile phones in India.
Google official further added,
“As more users come online for the first time, the number of entry-level Android devices available has been rising quickly, and is expected to make up a much larger percentage of all smartphone sales going forward. Given the acceleration, we thought it is time to take our investment to the next level.”


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KFC hopes to improve its chicken sandwiches by breading them in the store to better compete with Popeye's and Chick-fil-A
- KFC will start breading its filets in stores, instead of shipping them breaded
- Switch mirrors the way competitors Chick-fil-A and Popeye's prep chicken
- Louisville, Kentucky-based KFC hopes to take a bigger share of the market
- Chain believes it can take customers from burger chains with chicken offerings
KFC is aiming to take a bigger bite out of the chicken sandwich market by changing how it prepares them.
The Louisville, Kentucky-based chain says it is hoping to improve the taste and is switching from filets that were breaded and frozen offsite before being shipped to the stores in favor of filets breaded at the stores.
That's similar to how rivals Chick-fil-A and Popeye's already prepare their chicken.
The move reflects how big fast-food chains are trying to step up the image of their offerings, and follows an announcement by McDonald's that it would start using fresh instead of frozen beef for its Quarter Pounders next year.
Competitors: Chicken sandwiches are shown from (left to right) KFC, Popeye's and Chick-fil-A
For KFC, the switch is part of a push to revive business and court younger customers. The efforts have included TV ads starring celebrities as founder Colonel Sanders.
A key step is gaining a bigger share of the chicken sandwich market, which KFC says accounts for 40 per cent of the fast-food industry's chicken category.
KFC says it's not looking to take business from other fried chicken chains and is instead targeting burger chains that use filets that are breaded offsite and shipped to stores frozen.
KFC says it removed sandwiches using similar filets from its menu earlier this year.
'Frankly, it is not the kind of fried chicken sandwich we should be serving as the fried chicken experts,' says Kevin Hochman, president of KFC in the United States, which is owned by Yum Brands.
KFC says it wants to take a bigger bite out of the chicken sandwich market. The chain says it is switching from 'freezer-to-fryer' filets in favor of filets breaded in stores (file photo)
Instead, the chain will introduce a 'Zinger' chicken sandwich next week made with a filet that is breaded in stores. The company is hoping that can help it push up sales.
Although KFC's sales have been climbing at established locations, the chain has been shrinking its base of domestic stores and ended last year with around 4,200 U.S. locations.
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Following an initial product that brings a “dual-band” architecture to DOCSIS 3.1-based modems, Peregrine Semiconductor has introduced a new RF switch that will help operators future-proof as they consider new spectrum splits that could widen (and speed up) an MSO’s upstream data path.
Its new UltraCMOS PE42723 RF Switch, an upgrade of the PE42722, is designed to boost performance in a smaller footprint (12-lead 3x3 mm QFN package)
And, like its predecessor, the new switch ($1.56 each in order quantities of 10,000) will support a range of spectrum splits.
In North America, most MSOs use a “sub-split” upstream that lives in the 5MHz-42 MHz range, but some are also looking at a “mid-split” that would raise the ceiling to 85 MHz, or a “high-split” that would push it up to 204 MHz.
“The mid-split will be the new sub-split,” Kinana Hussain, director of marketing at Peregrine, predicted.
“The ability to support dual upstream/downstream bands in the same CPE device is a critical enabler to making DOCSIS 3.1 a reality,” Jim Koutras, director of product management at DOCSIS tuner/silicon maker MaxLinear, said in a statement.
Peregrine’s earlier-generation technology has already begun to gain some market acceptance in the newest wave of D3.1 modems. Products from three of the first five DOCSIS 3.1 modem vendors that recently achieved certification at CableLabs – Netgear, Ubee Interactive and Technicolor – use Peregrine’s switchable-band selector technology in their respective products. Those modems are hybrids in that they are capable of supporting both DOCSIS 3.0- and DOCSIS 3.1-based data signals.
Peregrine’s approach is also emerging as CableLabs continues work on a “Full Duplex” approach that could eliminate the need to do spectrum splits and put MSOs on the path toward more symmetrical DOCSIS offering.
DOCSIS-based services are considerably asymmetrical. For example, Comcast, the first MSO to deploy D3.1, is starting off with a trial offering that pairs a downstream that maxes out at 1 Gbps with an upstream that delivers up to 35 Mbps.
CableLabs is currently in the feasibility phase with Full Duplex, but says it’s on a “fast track” to become an extension to the current D3.1 specs. But it will involve some hardware additions, and there’s still no telling when Full Duplex will become a deployable reality for the cable industry.
In Hussain’s view, Full Duplex could become a commercial option for the cable industry in four to five years.
Speaking at a Light Reading event in Denver last week, Jorge Salinger, Comcast’s vice president of access architecture, said the potential presented by the Full Duplex concept should not change operator plans to do spectrum splits that provide more upstream spectrum.
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A parade of 55 autonomous cars in the largest parade, a test track to set a new Guinness World Records title.
Bosch autonomous electric e-shuttle with minimalist design and futuristic outer shell.
The Stan autonomous parking system, making more efficient use of parking space, is on its way to Gatwick Airport, London.
Boeing’s autonomous passenger air vehicle (PAV) prototype completed a controlled takeoff, hover and landing.
Using autonomous delivery devices, Amazon Scout is a fully-electric delivery system designed to safely get packages to customers.
Australia’s autonomous train is the world’s largest robot, will carry iron ore 500 miles in just two days.
Honda in now start testing the off-road, self-driving “autonomous work vehicles.”
Elon Musk’s Boring Company to to reveal ‘fully road legal autonomous transport cars’ this month.
Volvo Trucks first commercial autonomous transport solution for carrying limestone from a Brønnøy Kalk mine in Norway.
As one of the world’s first fully functional autonomous aerial vehicles, Elroy is sleek, simple and environmentally efficient.


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Through customer feedback, the company found the potential for the male luer of the Alaris extension set to become disconnected from the female luer of the connecting device, both upon initial connection and/or during infusion. Disconnection of the luers could result in leakage of medication and potential interruption of therapy, according to the safety notice.
The Alaris extension sets are manufactured by Shanghai Kindly Enterprise Development Group and distributed by Becton Dickinson subsidiary CareFusion.
In July 2019, BD updated recalls on the Alaris pumps and infusion sets following an initial recall on April 15, when BD notified clinicians that the manufacturing process of the pumps resulted in weakened plastic. Over time, the weakened plastic could lead to free flow, over-infusion, under-infusion or interruption of the infusion. The July recall urged hospitals to destroy all affected products found in their inventories.
Becton Dickinson also acknowledged that ongoing issues with the Alaris pump resulted in the company lowering its 2020 financial guidance.
The latest issue with the device has prompted the medtech giant to urge users to inspect inventory and quarantine any impacted devices. BD also said users should destroy unused units of specific products as well.


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The FDA seeks comments on a proposed collection of information, regarding humanitarian device exemption applications.
The FDA this week released new information to accompany humanitarian device exemption applications and related requirements.
The new guidelines build on an announcement the FDA issued last year, detailing the process for classifying a product as a humanitarian use device.
The humanitarian use device program applies to devices that diagnose or treat diseases and conditions affecting fewer than 4,000 people in the U.S. per year.
The program also applies to a device which has no comparable device available to patients, which will not expose an unreasonable or significant risk of illness or injury or the probable benefit to health outweighs the risk of injury or illness from its use, FDA noted.
HUD approved devices under an HDE may not bring in revenues in excess of the R&D costs incurred by the issuing company, except some device for use in pediatric patients or in a pediatric subpopulation, according to FDA.
The watchdog agency is accepting comments on the proposed guidance either online or
mail until February 15, 2013.The topics are as follows:
1. Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of FDA's functions, including whether the information will have practical utility;
2. The accuracy of FDA's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
3. The ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected;
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Peak Neodymium? A recent Reuters article quotes Jack Lifton, an independent commodities consultant and strategic metals expert, as raising an alarm about the use of rare earth materials (like Neodymium) in hybrid and electric cars like the Prius. The article raises the specter of running out of these rare earth materials dooming the possibility of adoption of electric vehicles and other technologies such as high powered wind turbines. It may not be as dire as Mr. Lifton suggests, however.
Among the many reasons for adopting electric vehicles is the looming shortage of oil. The shortage is predicted by the peak oil theory which is based on observations over decades oil field operation. The peak oil theory says that when an oil field is approximately half full it becomes harder to extract the oil and the production on that field begins to decline. Averaging the observations over all the oil fields on this planet indicates the peak of oil production either has already occurred, or will occur within a few years.
Any nonrenewable resource existing in a fixed quantity will, with continuing use of that resource, obviously face exhaustion of the resource over time. Further it should become harder to extract the resource as the supply runs low. There will be a peak of coal production, a peak of uranium production, and so on. There are lots of resources we use to run our society which exist in a fixed quantity.
Neodymium and other rare earth materials are used in a wide range of electronics gizmos. Neodymium, terbium and dysprosium are key components of an alloy used to make the high-power, lightweight magnets for lightweight powerful electric motors. Lanthanum is a major ingredient for some batteries. Production of both electric vehicles and wind turbines is expected to rise due to the move to green technology.
It’s possible to substitute other materials if there is indeed a shortage of these rare earth materials. Prabhakar Patil, CEO of battery-maker Compact Power suggests the car makers could switch to induction motors and other electronics choices that are not dependent on the rare earth materials. Worldwide demand for at least 15 rare earth materials is expected to exceed supply by 40,000 tons per year, according to a recent Reuters report.
There is a China angle to this story in that China largely controls the rare earth material industry. There are several deposits of rare earth materials around the world. However a few years ago most shut down due to China undercutting the prices. China mines more than 95 per cent of the world’s rare earth minerals, which mostly come from Inner Mongolia and are a crucial component of numerous technologies. Recently some of the mines outside China began to go back into production. There is an obvious geopolitical danger for any one country (whether or not that country is China) to have tight control over a vital resource.
The Chinese government appears to be planning to tighten export of rare earth materials. Some have seen a draft report titled “Rare Earths Industry Development Plan in 2009-2015” which would limit exports and completely ban export of dysprosium, terbium, thulium, lutetium and yttrium. Recently the United States and the European Union jointly filed a suit with the WTO over China’s restrictions on exports of precious metals, claiming their interests are hurt by the restrictive measures taken by China. On their part China says every country has the right to control the exploitation of its resources, and that’s all they are doing.
- Amazon investing in Rivian, GM possibly to follow - February 15, 2019
- Pres. Trump selling Paradise to coal baron who donated money to his campaign - February 13, 2019
- GM, Amazon, looking to invest in Rivian, no sign of GM/Tesla EV truck joint venture - February 12, 2019
- Tesla’s goals may require rumored joint venture with GM on electric pickup truck - February 12, 2019
- Green New Deal outline proposed in US Congress - February 7, 2019
- Nissan delays 60 kiloWatt-hour Leaf, but moves forward with EV energy ecosystem plans - November 28, 2018
- Rivian unveils an all-electric pickup truck for the “adventure vehicle” market - November 27, 2018
- GM cancels Chevy Volt production while Tesla Model 3 sales go through the roof - November 26, 2018
- American climate refugees living in tents and cars after Paradise destroyed by fire - November 21, 2018
- Ghosn to be kicked out of Nissan, arrested for securities/compensation fraud - November 19, 2018


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The lack of masks may be most troubling of all of the coronavirus issues faced by the United States of America. Masks are now so complicated to locate that health workers use their most consecutive days. For months, supermarket employees with a high risk of the virus are refused masks. Every day people make fabric scraps their own.
One reason why the US struggled to produce masks is that many of them were made in China, and during its outbreak of coronavirus, the country slowed down the production and discontinued to ship to the US. But America was supposed to have its own mask supply in the Strategic Arsenal, a hidden stash in an unrevealed number of warehouses throughout the world. It was nearly out on April 1.
The inventory of pandemics has been the subject of intense criticism over COVID-19, and the complaint is obvious: how has the wealthiest country in the world failed to keep adequate maskings for pandemic influenza? The Critical National Stockpile, along with millions of other safety masks, distributed eighty-five million N95 respirators during the 2009 swine flu pandemic. This commitment to distribution led to the overall success of this outbreak by the federal government. But the masks were never filled up.
Amazon sold mainly out of various styles of the mask. Keepa, which records the prices of the goods sold on Amazon, reveals that a ten kit of 3 M N95 aircraft sold for 18.20 dollars approximately a month ago now costs 99.99 dollars. And one seller from Amazon is selling a 3 M N95 breather pack for $198.98. On eBay, there is a two-pack 3 M N95 face mask for $59.99. Some stores typically sell less than $6 masks but are out of stock now. A customer from Amazon told that they were purchasing 100 3 M N95 respirator for $10 each this week, expending a total of $1,000 — showing the consumer awareness of the risks that coronavirus can pose in the United States.
Sellers of Amazon set their own price for items sold through the online marketplace of the eCommerce giant. But this is an effort by the company to ensure "fair price", and some sellers have this week warned that if they break their price rules, they risk being suspended. The price of a product or services that are "significantly higher than the price provided on or off Amazon" or charges unreasonable shipping and handling costs may be used.
Prices increase as stocks of masks are low. Prestige Ameritech, the U.S.'s largest operating mask maker, said it struggles to keep demand for its products, including facial masks and respirator, up to date this week. And 3 M Company masks are also available online at stores such as CVS, Home Depot, Sam's Club, Target and Walmart. Mike Bowen, Vice President of Prestige Ameritech, said that since COVAD-19 was born in China, there has been a thousand times higher demand for its face masks and respirators. The business sells all 17 masks and shields on its website.
Home Depot in North America has ordered all 2,300 stores to stop N95 sales masks from protecting them from emergency reactions for those on the front lines of coronavirus. Ms Gorman said the organisation donated P.P.E. equipment millions of dollars and delivered N95 masks into hospitals and healthcare staff and urgencies throughout the United States.
Owing to the recession, Home Depot was not the only major retailer to divert supply.
More than 3,000 companies have developed new business areas for face masks or converted some of their manufacturing lines into masks, protective equipment and other necessities, including 700 technology firms.
During the Spring Festival holidays, some domestic mask companies changed plans to suspend production and others resumed operations on the edge of banking.
Large firms such as electronics manufacturer Foxconn and Chinese car manufacturer BYD have changed their industrial and commercial registrations also to start making masks. Foxconn revealed plans to manufacture 2 million masks a day.
Alpha Pro Tech has started another N-95 PRR at its Salt Lakes City facility in Utah, and it is anticipated that production will increase further by early February, said Lloyd Hoffman, President and CEO of Alpha Pro-Tech. Management commits itself to increase our production efforts to meet this unprecedented demand for N-95 face masks and to help communities worldwide to tackle this outbreak.
In addition to N-95 facial masks, Hoffman has further continued to increase the market for facial shielding and other PPE products. The business tracks inventory levels in our full line of PPE items and will take suitable measures to improve production to meet customer demand.
The government has an inventory of 30 million masks of various species, but Alex Azar advised that N95 masks need to be fitted and checked to be successful. The government plans to manufacture approximately 300 million N95 masks more, but it is not clear when. However, it is manifested that all the companies are trying to cope with the situation in their own ways, hoping to help the world with the PPE that is unavoidable in this situation. They are increasing production, donating mask to the healthcare in the industry, creating awareness for the reuse etc. Hopefully, we will all together overcome this situation of COVIFD-19 so that we don’t need this mask anymore.


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Torchlight Frontiers Gameplay Reveal Trailer Resleased Get a taste of how you'll hack and slash and cast and.... 08.22.18 - 6:35 PM
Earlier this month, action-RPG fans were abuzz with the announcement that a new installment in the Torchlight series would grace us in 2019. And to whet your appetite, publisher Perfect World Entertainment and developer Echtra Games have released a gameplay reveal trailer, which you can conveniently view below:
According to a statement from publisher Perfect World Entertainment, Torchlight Frontiers is indeed set in the same universe as the previous installments in the franchise (Torchlight I and II) and will bring back plenty of familiar mechanics from those earlier titles. Perhaps more important (especially for ARPG aficionados) is the knowledge that the development team is being led by Max Shaefer, former Blizzard North and then Runic games co-founder. What's more, the development team is apparently flush with genre veterans, as many have worked previously on the Diablo and Torchlight franchises. All of this is news most wondrous indeed.
Torchlight Frontiers will release sometime in 2019 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.


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The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has impounded two containers of 80,882 pirated textbooks and dictionaries worth N80 million.
The Deputy Comptroller, Enforcement, Tincan Port, Mr. B.N. Obiakulus reportedly emphasized NCS commitment in the fight against contraband goods, particularly pirated books brought into the country through the ports.
Obiakulus reportedly said that the two containers contained pirated books worth N80 million from Learn Africa Plc, Lantern books, Africana First Publishers Plc, Tonad Publishers Ltd, and Oxford University Press.
The event had representatives of the publishers, whose books were pirated, including members of the booksellers association of Nigeria.
Obiakulusi reportedly said that Customs also intercepted two more containers of pirated books under investigation which it hopes to hand over to NCC anytime soon.
“Before now people carry all these books and like the DG said, you can’t differentiate between the original and the pirated copy, but through our collaboration with NCC, we are able to intercept the pirated books.
“I assure you no pirated book will escape our watch. As we speak we have two more containers which will be handed over to NCC anytime soon. We are working earnestly to make sure we bring all these things to a stop. I commend NCC DG for his efforts at fighting piracy, and his staff for their aptness in searching for pirated books,” Mr B.N. Obiakulus reportedly said.


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Politicians regularly remind us that freedom isn’t free. Celebrating freedom isn’t free, either.
According to the National Retail Federation, which bases its estimates on survey data, consumers will spend around $6.8 billion just for food while celebrating this Fourth of July.
Eighty-six percent of Americans are expected to take part in Independence Day festivities of some kind. Sixty-one percent will celebrate at a cookout, 40 percent will attend fireworks displays, 14 percent will travel, and 11 percent will attend parades.
Party in the USA
It should come as no surprise that a majority of Americans associate the holiday with grilling out. After all, what’s more American than having a cold drink in one hand and a burger or hotdog in the other?
The National Sausage and Hot Dog Council says 150 million hot dogs are consumed for the holiday — “enough to stretch between L.A. and Washington, D.C., more than five times.”
No trade group has produced an analogous number for hamburgers, but one estimate suggests Americans eat as many as 375 million. The U.S. population, for context, is around 327 million.
Raise Your Glass
Independence Day is also the No. 1 beer-drinking holiday in the United States. Americans purchase around $1 billion of the stuff and an additional $568 million of wine.
NRF’s estimate for food spending this year is about $400 million shy of the peak estimate in 2017. On average, American adults will spend about $73 per person on food. Men seem to spend a little bit more than women.
More Money, More Patriotism?
The biggest age group of spenders on the Fourth of July are expected to be the 35-to-44-year-olds. On average, NRF says they will spend more than $81 per person. The U.S.’s northeast will be the highest spending region, shelling out around $78 per person.
If planned spending for food and drink on the Fourth of July is a measure of patriotism, the Midwest is the least patriotic region in the United States, spending around $68 per person. Or maybe hot dogs and burgers are just cheaper there.
Rockets’ Red Glare
Food, of course, isn’t the only thing people buy for the Fourth. More than 16,000 official firework displays light up the sky each Independence Day. These typically cost municipalities between $25,000 and $100,000. In total, more than $1 billion will be spent on fireworks around July 4.
Road to Freedom
Besides being a day for celebrating liberty by setting off small explosives, Independence Day is also a travel holiday. In 2018, a record-breaking number of Americans traveled more than 50 miles: 46.9 million, according to AAA. Even more, 49 million, are expected to hit the road this year.
The overwhelming majority of Independence Day travelers, 85 percent, will drive. They’ll benefit from gas prices that are on average 19 cents lower than last year.
Image by Pexels.


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Two young entrepreneurs are using leftover coffee cherry husks to create a new range of natural plant-based energy drinks. Nomad Trading Company is the “not-just-for-profit” startup looking to turn a coffee by-product into an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable supply chain.
Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world behind crude oil. An individual’s morning latte habit scales up to a global caffeine hit of 2.25 billion cups of coffee a day. The world is running on the stuff. And for the 12 billion pounds of green coffee grown every year, there's also 20 billion pounds of coffee fruit.
This coffee fruit, or cascara, is a massive scale waste product of the coffee industry. But, Nomad Energy’s co-founders Max Keilson and Jon Epstein, argue it doesn't have to be. They’re hoping to put it to good use as a new natural and sustainably-sourced energy drink.
A thousand years ago, the Oromo people of Ethiopia created what was arguably the world’s first energy bar. Mashing together goat fat and cascara, the Oromo realized the coffee fruit’s energizing potential early on, but since then cascara has been widely overlooked as a product in its own right.
Instead, it is either trucked away to garbages dumps, tipped into rivers and streams, or unsuccessfully composted. Given the low pH of the fruit, it has the potential to acidify the water table and surrounding soils. Just by using the cascara for anything, argues co-founder Max Keilson, you’re having a positive environmental impact.
According to Keilson, Nomad’s sustainability commitment extends beyond simply making use of the cast-off cascara. The brand holds itself to a standard of not just environmental sustainability, but economic and personal sustainability too. Tapping into what they call a “not-just for-profit” business model, the brand’s aim is to foster sustainability at all levels of the supply chain.
The team’s quest to find a supplier took them to over 32 different farms across three countries: they chose to work with Finca Las Lajas, a family-run organic farm in the Central Valley of Costa Rica.
“Not only did Oscar and Francisca, the farm’s owners, produce the best cascara that we cupped on the entire trip, they cared more about their people and their environment than any other farm that we saw,” Keilson says. “It was a very natural fit.”
Nomad pays the team at Las Lajas over double the current global commodity price for coffee which, according to him, has had a very real impact on the conditions both for workers and the farm itself.
“It allowed them to make some much-needed facility improvements,” he says. “Their workers and pickers are paid well above the fair trade required prices, and well above what the labor market is in the area.”
Originally Nomad took a inspiration from the traditional usage of the coffee fruit in Yemen and Bolivia, and used the product to create a range of tea-like beverages. With the cascara itself containing as much caffeine as a cup of coffee and the tasting like a fruity black tea, the range did well in New York and is stocked in the city’s Whole Foods stores.
But following customer feedback, the team made the decision to take cascara in a new direction: adding energy drinks to the mix.
“We've been brewing Cascara as a tea for the past year,” explains the brand’s Nomad Energy Kickstarter, which met its funding goal within less than 24 hours of going live. “Overall, the response has been very positive. In that time, people have asked us for a version with bubbles. They wanted the convenience of a can. And a few months later, here we are.”
Right now, brands like Red Bull own the market. But Nomad is hoping their all-natural alternative will appeal to customers who want to avoid the sugar-crashes and jitters that accompany the energy-boost of most mainstream energy drinks.
Nomad Energy uses six ingredients to achieve what the team claim is a better result; cascara, water, lemon juice, maple syrup, Himalayan pink salt, and some carbon dioxide to give it a fizz.
Although we’re starting to see caracara products on the menu at big-name brands like Starbucks, they very much remain an almost-gimmicky alternative to the standard brews that make up the majority of the company’s sales, Keilson says. For Nomad Trading Company, the priority is different.
“For those brands, cascara is a new, trendy, summer iced beverage. For us it's a massive opportunity to shift agricultural patterns and create a secondary market for one of the world's largest scale waste products,” he argues.


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While in the middle of last year in Parrot They were promised very happy thanks to the fact that, after a long time and delays, they were finally in a position to launch their new drone on the market, six months later, they are experiencing too negative a time, so much so as to announce yesterday that they were going to lay off 290 employees, about a third of the total number of people who work on projects related to drones, due to the losses suffered by the company during the fourth quarter of last year.
Due precisely to these losses generated by the enormous failure during the launch of your first drone, the company announces that one of its first intentions for 2017 will be to redirect your product offering to focus on all those areas where their products are highly recognized and have higher profitability. In this line and always according to Parrot, apparently the main reason for these layoffs is the low profit margin offered by the drone market.
Parrot announces that it will lay off 290 employees from its drone division.
This is Parrot's way of recognizing not only that they have arrived late to the drone market, but that it is practically impossible at this point to launch a model and be able to stand up to companies of the size and draft of DJI, Chinese company that dominates the consumer drone market with an iron fist, something that gives them the option of, at a given moment, reducing the price of their models by reducing profit margins at prices at which other companies cannot compete.
This is not the first time that a company has spoken openly and even lashed out at DJI prices, not too long ago the American one 3D Robotics already blamed low prices on DJI when drone hardware had to be withdrawn from the market to focus on the development of software for unmanned aircraft and their navigation.


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206w ago - VGChartz.com (linked above) reports that Sony PS3 worldwide sales have now crossed the 30 million threshold, which many are attributing to several factors including the late August PlayStation 3 Slim release, the $299 PS3 price cut and recent Final Fantasy XIII sales.
Approximately five months ago, the PS3 hit the 24 million point, which means in a little less than half a year six million PS3 entertainment systems were sold!
These latest weekly sales numbers show that PlayStation 3 has reached another milestone, and that Sony has indeed made great progress in closing the gap between PS3 and the Xbox 360 console.
To quote: "Thanks to Final Fantasy XIII, the Slim, the price cut, and new marketing, the PlayStation 3 has not only shattered expectations once again, it is ahead of it's closest competitor in EU, sells 1 million units Worldwide, and has now crossed the 30 million unit milestone! Congratulations PlayStation 3!"
220w ago - Today a rumor has been making its rounds on the Internet that Electronic Arts, among several other companies, may be considering a takeover of THQ.
According to a THQ stockholder on Minyanville.com (linked above), he looks favorably on the potential acquisition.
To quote: "I usually ignore takeover rumors because 99.9% of the time, they're 100% false. However, I'm giving some credence to today's gossip - that video-game software publisher THQ (THQI) is being looked at as a target for media companies, including Electronic Arts (ERTS), Time Warner (TWX), and News Corp. (NWS). The stock is up sharply on heavy volume, and options-traders are busy scooping up calls.
As a THQ shareholder, I'm obviously biased in favor of a deal. But just take an objective look at the video-game industry landscape, and you'll see that the rumor-mongers just might be on the money, with EA playing the part of buyer."
225w ago - Online retailer Amazon.com has now instituted a purchase limit policy for PlayStation 3 Slim consoles, allowing just ONE per household or you could risk getting your account closed.
To quote: PlayStation 3 120 GB Purchase Policy
As you may know, the PlayStation 3 120 GB is in great demand, and there are shortages of this product across the U.S. In an effort to provide as many customers as possible with the opportunity to purchase PlayStation 3 120 GB, we are limiting the total number of PlayStation 3 120 GB units that can be purchased. As a result, each household may only purchase one PlayStation 3 120 GB unit.
Failure to comply with this policy will result in account actions including, but not limited to:
• Cancellation of all outstanding orders, including PlayStation 3 120 GB orders and other orders.
• Closure of the offending customer account and related accounts, including:
• The customer account used for making purchases and selling items on Amazon.com Seller accounts
• Any international accounts at Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de,...
226w ago - There has been a lot of talk about video games making their silver screen appearances, however, the latest videogame-based movie Halo has officially been put 'on hold' according to Microsoft.
To those who may be looking forward to the movie, 'on hold' would definitely be better than 'canned' right? The Halo movie has long been talked about, and yet pertinent details about the movie have yet to be revealed.
A Microsoft spokesperson told Kotaku (linked above), to quote:
"We're glad there's still a lot of enthusiasm in the entertainment industry surrounding the idea of a Halo movie.
That said, the Halo feature film remains on hold as we focus on projects like Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach."
229w ago - SCEE Content Manager Nina Scherer has announced news of the latest SingStar update today, as follows:
It's time for the SingStore update and without further ado, let me introduce you to this week's brand new tracks.
SingStar must-haves this week include 'Smooth Operator' by Sade, Gloria Estefan's 'Dr. Beat' and Roy Orbison with 'I Drove All Night'. For all fans of the hottest tunes of the moment there's Kasabian's recent single 'Fire' plus some great tracks by Coldplay, The Hold Steady and P!nk.
We've recently had some reports from the community about 'Charmless Man' by Blur being slightly out-of-synch. I'm glad to say that this has been fixed so if you have previously downloaded this track, please delete it from your hard drive and re-download it from the store anytime after Thursday and everything should be 'nanana' again.
Also, for those of you eagerly awaiting the release of SingStar Queen, we're happy to announce that the release date for the standalone disc has been pushed up and SingStar Queen will now be available for purchase on August 4.


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The E Star Award is given to companies who have previously won an E Award and is in recognition of their "continued superior performance in increasing or promoting exports". Both awards are the highest US government recognition any domestic entity may receive for supporting export activity.
The award was accepted by Ned Trigg, Senior Vice President Global Systems Sales and Doug Whyte, President Dometic LLC from US Commerce Secretary, Gary Locke in a ceremony in November 2009. On presenting the award Secretary Locke said, "I’m a great believer in the ability of American companies and workers to compete anytime, anywhere in the world, on a level playing field. We’re here today to honor the people, firms, and organizations that produce and promote US goods and services that support American jobs. Trade has always been crucial to American prosperity. But, in today’s difficult economic times, with other drivers of growth like consumer spending flagging, it’s even more important for American industry to take advantage of every opportunity for export-driven growth."
Following the presentation Frank Marciano, President of Dometic’s US marine division paid credit to his team. "This is a great honour for our company and employees to be recognized once again as one of the top performers in exporting."
The US marine division‘s export business represents about 42 percent of the its annual revenues and exports have grown by an average of 35 percent a year from 2005 through 2008.
For more information please contact:
Tel: +1 954 633 3110


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The New York Times has reported that Goldman Sachs (Of the Republican bailout everyone blames on Obama fame) and a mysterious Russian investor have sunk $500 million of other people's money into Facebook.
Facebook, you know as a social network with it's face being Mark Zuckerberg. But there's more to it. Facebook is a privately-traded company, meaning that only large firms and early investors can buy and sell shares on their own exchanges like SharesPost and SecondMarket. The purchase suggests that GS hopes that Zuckerberg will go public, something which he is against doing at this point in time. It also suggests that Facebook is worth in the neighbourhood of $57 billion at a $25 per share SharesPost valuation. Following me, so far?
Companies can stay under the SEC radar if there are fewer than 500 shareholders. According to Canada's Globe and Mail " Goldman is planning to create a “special purpose vehicle” that may be able to circumvent the 500 shareholder rule because it would be managed by Goldman and considered just one investor, even though it could conceivably be pooling investments from thousands of clients. As part of the deal, Goldman could raise as much as $1.5-billion total based on the $50 billion valuation."
But what of the $50+ billion valuation? According to eMarketer, Facebook will earn roughly $1.8 billion in advertising revenues in 2011, a significant jump from the $1.3 billion made in 2010. Yet, Facebook has a speculative value of double that of Yahoo. Yahoo has more than a brand- it has social networks and gaming to be sure, but also owns numerous interests that include blogging services, hosting services, software companies, and many more. Yahoo is also constantly acquiring other products and services, recently buying up Maktoob.com and Associated Content. The point is- Yahoo is big business, with a diverse array of products and services in their portfolio.
Facebook is Facebook. It's a social network based on framework that can be replicated very easily. If you take that away, you have 500 million peoples' information which Facebook claims not to share. 500 million profiles and a brand that means very little, as the folks at MySpace discovered. Without users, Facebook has an actual value of close to zero.
Goldman Sachs is trying to sidestep the SEC with their SPV exception which will make the little guy feel "special" because he can have part of Facebook. Facebook is not going to go public, and certainly not for a puny $500 million investment. Goldman wants to create market interest because prices will rise, but they know that Facebook is not Google or even Yahoo. They're hoping that nobody will notice that Facebook has little real value to sell off Facebook stock to little guys for big profit; stocks that they manage and charge fees to do so. Thusly, if Facebook stock skyrockets, Goldman Sachs wins, if stock prices tank or Facebook never goes public, Goldman Sachs wins.
Guess who loses?


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Aristocrat Technologies is suing rival poker machine supplier Ainsworth Game Technology for copying the design of one of its most successful games, with the case to be heard at Australia’s federal court.
Aristocrat has filed a claim of breach of intellectual property law regarding its Lightning Link machine.
Lightning Link has been installed in casinos across the world and won the Land-based Product award at last year's Global Gaming Awards.
Aristocrat alleges Ainsworth stole the technology developed for Lightning Link and used it in one of its own machines.
Aristocrat said: “This case goes well beyond simple copyright infringement and concerns allegations of extensive and deliberate misappropriation of trade secrets, confidential information and intellectual property.
“Upholding appropriate standards is part and parcel of ensuring ongoing trust in our business and industry, and is an important part of Aristocrat’s high compliance culture.”
In response, Ainsworth said: "Ainsworth will be vigorously defending the claims made by Aristocrat in these proceedings."
The issue between the Australian casino suppliers has been developing since last year when Aristocrat took legal action demanding Ainsworth release documents on how it developed one of its new machines, Jackpot Strike.
Aristocrat wanted to see all Ainsworth source code, mathematical tables, game rules, artwork and commercial documents relating to the machine.


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Greenhouse Gas Emission Giants: Why Tyson Foods Rivals Exxon
By Joe Loria
According to The Guardian, JBS, Cargill and Tyson—three of the world's largest meat producers—emitted more greenhouse gas last year than all of France and nearly as much as the biggest oil companies, such as Exxon, BP and Shell.
Hardly any meat or dairy companies publish their climate emissions, so it's almost impossible to know the exact amount of greenhouse gas generated. But using the most comprehensive data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, The Guardian estimated emissions from animal agriculture, and the results are staggering.
The top 20 meat and dairy companies emitted more greenhouse gas in 2016 than all of Germany, Europe's biggest climate polluter. This means if these companies were a country, they would be the world's seventh-largest greenhouse gas emitter.
It's impossible to take world leaders seriously when they fail to mention animal agriculture in addressing climate action. Raising animals for food emits more greenhouse gas than all the cars, planes and other forms of transportation combined.
What's more, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, carbon dioxide emissions from raising farmed animals make up about 15 percent of global human-induced emissions, with beef and milk production as the leading culprits.
But simply by avoiding animal products, you cut your carbon footprint in half. Keep in mind that a pound of beef requires 13 percent more fossil fuel and 15 times more water to produce than a pound of soy. Additionally, a recent study found that switching to a plant-based diet reduces your personal carbon emissions more than replacing your gasoline-powered car with a hybrid.
There is no such thing as "sustainable" meat, and plant-based alternatives to meat, dairy and eggs take a mere fraction of the resources to produce as their animal-based counterparts.
A vegan diet is not just good for the planet. It also spares countless animals lives of misery at factory farms. Pigs, cows, chickens and other farmed animals suffer horribly. These innocent animals face unthinkable horrors: cruel caged confinement, brutal mutilations and bloody, merciless deaths.
Reposted with permission from our media associate AlterNet.
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
By Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner
Over six gallons of water are required to produce one gallon of wine. "Irrigation, sprays, and frost protection all [used in winemaking] require a lot of water," explained winemaker and sommelier Keith Wallace, who's also a professor and the founder of the Wine School of Philadelphia, the largest independent wine school in the U.S. And water waste is just the start of the climate-ruining inefficiencies commonplace in the wine industry. Sustainably speaking, climate change could be problematic for your favorite glass of wine.
By Jeff Turrentine
From day to day, our public health infrastructure — the people and systems we've put in place to keep populations, as opposed to individuals, healthy — largely goes unnoticed. That's because when it's working well, its success takes the form of utter normalcy.
Cell Phone Tracking Analysis Shows Where Florida Springbreakers and New Yorkers Fleeing Coronavirus Went to Next
By Eoin Higgins
A viral video showing cell phone data collected by location accuracy company X-Mode from spring break partiers potentially spreading the coronavirus around the U.S. has brought up questions of digital privacy even as it shows convincingly the importance of staying home to defeat the disease.


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Authorities have found irregularities in storing and packaging of rice by Square Group and Akij Group, and a case has been filed against the former, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder said.
Speaking to journalists at the secretariat, the minister alleged that some corporate houses are involved in controlling the rice market amid soaring prices of the commodity.
Square and Akij Groups' officials did not respond to requests by The Business Standard for comment on the allegations.
The minister said, "A drive was conducted at a warehouse owned by Square in Dinajpur, where they have a mill. According to [government] policy, a warehouse of a mill can be used to store up to three times the fortnightly production capacity of the mill. A portion of the goods will go to market, a portion will be in production and another portion will be fully in stock.
"There was an additional 5,000 tonnes of goods at the warehouse than the mandated capacity. The warehouse has been sealed and they've been sued."
Dinajpur District Food Controller Kamal Hossain told TBS, "We carried out raids in 20 mills in several upazilas of Dinajpur on Tuesday night."
He said apart from Square's warehouse, irregularities were found at a separate mill and it was fined Tk20,000.
Parvez Saiful Islam, chief operating officer of Square Food and Beverage Ltd, did not respond to calls by TBS for his comment on the allegations.
Speaking about irregularities by Akij Group, Sadhan Chandra alleged, "Akij Group has rented two mills in Mahadevpur. If an organisation rents a mill, they will have to pack rice with the mill's name. We have confiscated rice sacks with Akij Group's name from one of the rented mills."
Akij Group officials could not be reached for their comments on the allegations.
The food minister said, "Six companies are selling rice in packets. They are packing rice priced at Tk60-65 per kg and selling those at Tk80-90. They are paying millers in advance. Even providing them with bags in advance in areas including Naogaon, and Dinajpur. We are closing them down with the help of deputy commissioners."
Regarding instability in the rice market, he alleged that paddy sourcing by corporate companies at high prices increased the competition.
However, industry insiders say that it is not possible for business groups to control the market.
The groups, in total, are marketing a total of 6-7 lakh tonnes of rice in packets, whereas their total production is nearly 4 crore tonnes, said FH Ansarey, managing director & CEO of ACI Agribusinesses.
"There is no chance of them influencing the market with such a small amount," he said.
Meanwhile, Pran RFL Director (Marketing) Kamruzzaman Kamal said, "The inspection team did not find any problem in Pran's mill in Dinajpur. We are within the rules."
Produce, sell own rice only
Sadhan Chandra Majumder said authorities are discussing banning companies from buying rice from the local market and selling those in their own branded packets.
He said, "If they have their own mills, they can market packet rice. But we will not let them source it from the market and then market it."
On the issue of stockpiling across the country, the food minister said, "Some who have never traded rice or have food grain licences are stockpiling paddy or rice."
Paddy stockpiled were even found in brickfields and under the possession of a school teacher, he added.
"We have instructed the divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners to determine the extent of the loss of paddy in natural disasters. We will sit with the prime minister and decide future steps. We do not have accurate information on demand and production. We are expecting a report on this within seven days," he said.
"If the production is found low, we will decide to import," the minister said and added that rice would be imported by reducing taxes if necessary to break the syndicate.
Crackdown on rice hoarding
Meanwhile, irregularities were found in several places across the country, including Dhaka, during a nationwide drive against rice hoarders. The Consumer Rights Protection Department has fined a trader Tk50,000 for having two prices on the same receipt in a rice warehouse at Taiyeba Rice Agency in Mirpur, Dhaka.
In Anandabazar of Brahmanmbaria, Abul Khair Enterprise was fined Tk10,000 for storing rice in plastic bags during a raid on rice shops. Another shop Shamim Enterprise was fined Tk20,000 for stocking rice for over a month.
Besides, five companies in Sylhet and three companies in Cumilla were fined for selling rice at exorbitant prices.


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Poloniex is no longer accepting US customers and from tomorrow will not allow US residents to execute trades.
The reason for this decision is not too clear, but the US based crypto exchange is spinning out of Circle to Polo Digital Assets “with the backing of a major investment group,” they say.
“In order to be competitive in the global market, we will not be able to include US customers in the spin out, so Circle will be winding down operations for US Poloniex customers,” the crypto exchange said before adding:
“Beginning today, US persons will no longer be able to create new accounts on Poloniex. Starting on November 1, 2019, US customers will no longer be able to execute trades on the exchange.
When trading ends, US customers will still be able to withdraw their assets through Circle until at least December 15, 2019.”
In an email to their customers, they say “Circle Invest will continue to serve US customers and USDC and Circle Trade will be available to both US and non-US customers.”
Meaning it’s just the crypto exchange itself that is now being closed down to US customers for unknown reasons.
This is the latest in crypto exchanges banning US specifically with Bittrex announcing earlier this year they wouldn’t be able to trade certain tokens, presumably because of securities related regulations.
Bitmex went as far as to ban its own country, presumably because it offers very high margins in an unregulated way.
Poloniex offers both margins, although far lower than Bitmex, and trading in tokens that could potentially be securities.
So this move to close down their US market may be related to regulatory requirements, but Poloniex itself says it in order to be “competitive.”


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by Jean Lowrie-Chin | excerpt from Jamaica Observer column | 26 JAN 2015
It was good to learn that the recent business survey sponsored by the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce showed a resurgence in confidence. More of us are understanding that positivity is energizing while negativity is draining. Positivity demands energy to follow through on one’s resolve while negativity robs us of our will to succeed.
|PSOJ President William Mahfood (from Jamaica Gleaner)|
A JIS report mentions the response of PSOJ President William Mahfood to the survey: “Mahfood says he is optimistic about Jamaica’s continued economic recovery and growth over the medium to long term, noting that a number of other private sector stakeholders share similar sentiments. This optimism, he informs, has manifested in “tremendous” investments which they have made, particularly over the last 18 months, to expand their operations.”
“I think a lot of these will now begin to reap the rewards,” he is quoted as saying. “There are still companies on the sidelines, which have been waiting for stability (in the economy), and I advise them that now is the time (to invest) as never, I think, in the future will we see an opportunity like now, to invest in the country."
I met the dynamic V. Sherry Tross, Executive Secretary in the OAS Secretariat for Integral Development last Friday, just before her organisation’s signing of a partnership with our Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce to support small businesses. As we discussed the importance of small business, she told us of a Guyanese young man who was chosen to display his solar-dried fruits at an exhibition in Central America some years ago.
“He arrived two days before the event and practiced important phrases in Spanish that would help him to market his products, working hard for a modest cash prize which he needed for his business,” recalled Ms. Tross. She said that he had prepared small packets of his products so visitors could sample them on the spot. Lo and behold, a Brazilian distributor (yes the Portuguese and Spanish languages are quite similar) was bowled over and the young man is prospering, as his products are now being sold throughout Brazil!
As Cuba opens up and we aspire to wider markets, it is important that we focus on Spanish language training in our schools and indeed all sectors. Ms Tross noted that the Government of Panama is moving to make their country a bilingual nation. Our own world champion boxer Nicholas “Axeman” Walters is virtually bilingual after using Panama as his training base.
The Jamaica Chamber of Commerce is onto something with a plan to equip businesses with Spanishlanguage skills. Their executive director Trevor Fearon noted in a letter to the business community, promoting a new Spanish learning project:"One fact that emerged during the JCC’s 2013 Procurement Seminar was that firms from the English-speaking Caribbean were at a competitive disadvantage in attempting to take advantage of the multi-billion markets … Now, with Jamaica positioning itself as one of the hemisphere’s logistics nodes, it may be all the more important for our businesses to prepare themselves for greater interaction with the countries and businesses of the region – and a crucial step in that direction is literally speaking the same language!”


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Lamborghini plans to cap production of their successful Urus SUV in order to maintain brand exclusivity.
Supercar makers are different from regular carmakers. Whereas a company like Ford or GM would be happy to sell as many of their cars as possible, Lamborghini knows they could sell a lot more Urus than they currently are. They just don’t want to.
Last week, Lamborghini revealed their second quarter results and they were astounding. The Urus now accounts for over half of all Lamborghinis sold in the world, outselling both the Huracan and Aventador combined. Almost 2,700 Urus SUVs were moved in the first 6 months of 2019, single-handedly doubling Lamborghini’s yearly deliveries.
These facts and figures make Lamborghini’s shareholders hungry for more, but brands like Lamborghini have a careful calculus to consider. It’s the old law of supply and demand; part of the reason Lamborghini can charge a high price for their vehicles is their incredible performance and luxury, but also because there just aren’t that many of them.
And as much as Wall Street would love for Lamborghini to keep making them more money, Lamborghini’s executives are reigning in everyone’s expectations. "We must not go on growing forever. We now have to consolidate these results and preserve exclusivity," said Lambo CEO Stefano Domenicali at the recent unveiling of a new paint shop at their Sant’Agata Bolognese facility.
Domenicali said that he expects Lamborghini to sell around 8,000 cars this year, and that will be the number they plan to cap production at for the near future. This will likely mean around 5,000 Urus will be sold per year, then around 2,000 Huracans and 1,000 Aventadors.
However, Domenicali did leave the door open to raising that 8,000 cap should a fourth model be added to Lamborghini’s fleet. That model won’t be an electric car though, as "our customers are currently not interested,” according to Domenicali.
Hybrids are a likely addition in order for Lamborghini to meet stricter emissions regulations, and the Huracan might get a turbocharged engine, but the Aventador will always be naturally aspirated.
(via Automotive News Europe)