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A Swiss company, Mootral, has found that a garlic extract can be fed in cattle rations to reduce methane emissions and boost milk production.
The research follows similar successful work with humans..
Mootral figured governments would be interested, in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in cattle burps and farts, so it began researching its garlic-based product in cattle rations.
It has determined optimum amounts and now is going to test its recipe on different breeds. The Mootral supplement is alicin extracted from garlic by a company in China.
Mootral was concerned that too much alicin might give milk and meat a garlic flavour, hence its research for the optimum amount.
Mootral said its supplement will cost about $75 per cow per year.


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Despite its Life’s Good slogan, this week delivered a bleak outlook for followers of LG Electronics’ mobile handsets, as the company confirmed it would axe the loss-making division rather than selling it or following BlackBerry and Nokia down the licensing route.
But how did it come to this, and where does this leave the mobile phone market in 2021?
LG’s abandonment of the smartphone business comes as no shock to those who have followed the drip-feed of rumours in South Korea’s media tipping its imminent demise, or anyone who had read its recent financial results statements, with the division frequently dragging down the entire business.
The company’s general narrative was that competition, especially in the premium segment, was just too hot.
When it revealed Q4 2020 earnings in January, the electronics giant confirmed the future of the mobile division was under review, noting it expected competition would continue to intensify going forward.
It also blamed “sluggish” sales of premium handsets and a shortage of 4G chips for helping inflict the division’s latest loss, LG’s only segment to record a significant figure in the red.
While it may not have featured as one of the principal contenders in the global smartphone market for some time, in recent years it actively sought to develop innovative and alternative form factors, latterly under its experimental Explorer Project.
Among its attempts to persuade consumers to move away from what has become the generic black rectangular smartphone, LG launched dual-screen premium options the LG G8X ThinQ and finally the T-shaped Wing. However, it appears the latter was unable to elevate the division’s fortunes.
The device maker has also been working on rollable display technology, though a handset sporting it was never released and now looks unlikely to be unless the tech is adopted by a rival.
Attacked on all sides
So what went wrong?
Research company IDC noted LG hit a high of being the fourth-largest manufacturer by shipments in 2013, but by 2020 held less than 2 per cent of the market.
Across the entire mobile handset business Strategy Analytics placed LG’s peak at a 10 per cent share in 2009 (see chart, right, click to enlarge).
Strategy Analytics executive director for wireless device strategies Neil Mawston told Mobile World Live the soon-to-be defunct smartphone brand had been “trapped in a pincer movement between Apple iPhone at the high end, Samsung in the middle, and a tsunami of Chinese brands like OPPO at the low end”.
He also noted LG had “lacked motivation and hunger for many years”.
“While Samsung, Huawei and others were flooding the market with new 4G or 5G phones and thousands of salespeople, LG would often sit on the sidelines with a much smaller device portfolio and only a handful of staff,” Mawston added.
ABI Research research director for consumer devices David McQueen said the move was a “long time coming,” explaining LG’s “marketing has been poor and nowhere near as aggressive as Samsung, while it has made some bad pricing decisions and probably tried to launch one too many duff types of product over the years, such as 3D and Flex”.
McQueen added its rollable could have “been a serious growth opportunity when pitted against foldable devices”, had it made it to market.
IDC EMEA research manager Marta Pinto pointed to the company being a “powerhouse of innovation” given the Wing and its LG Flex device in 2013, though she agreed there were issues with marketing and its go-to-market strategy.
“As the smartphone segment became a mature market and the devices were commoditised, competing became harder,” she added. “Marketing, strategic alliances and partnerships, choosing the right channels, creating brand awareness and delivering value became even more relevant and LG could not keep up with the pace of new entrants and market developments.”
Pinto noted LG mobile’s global footprint had also been contracting in recent years, with distribution eventually concentrated in specific areas. In 2020, she stated, this was the US and Brazil.
In a blog, CCS Insight chief analyst Ben Wood said in addition to the level of competition, LG management’s decision to jettison the unit may also partly be due to ongoing industry-wide chip shortages, making an already difficult market condition worse.
“Unlike its domestic rival Samsung, LG has undoubtedly found it hard to secure stable chip supplies and other components for its smartphones,” he added. “This added hassle of bringing devices to market, and doing so at a loss, is likely to have been a major factor in LG’s cut-or-continue decision.”
Trouble at the top
LG is far from the only large business to decide competition was too hot in the mobile handset market, with three of the top five smartphone vendors by shipments this time a decade ago nowhere to be seen in comparable lists today.
IDC figures for Q1 2011 have Nokia as the largest with a 24 per cent share followed by Apple (19 per cent), BlackBerry parent Research in Motion (14 per cent), Samsung (10 per cent) and HTC (9 per cent).
Of these only Samsung and Apple are still in place as truly global brands in the same guise, with the newest Nokia and BlackBerry devices produced by licensees and HTC’s mobile devices business, which is still haemorrhaging cash, now focused primarily on China.
The exit of LG, McQueen noted, could potentially leave an opportunity for a fallen giant or former big brand name to make some gains.
“I do wonder who will fill the gaps left behind by LG and also Huawei, notably in Europe because of the US-China trade war? Apple clearly only really wants to play in the high-end, and the likes of Xiaomi, OPPO, and Vivo aren’t yet getting that much traction outside the main markets in Asia, for the time being anyway. Perhaps brands like Motorola, HTC and Nokia might start to grow share again, too.”
However, Mawston provided a less optimistic outlook: “The pool of suppliers will continue to shrink through the 2020s. The industry’s problem is that Apple iPhone and Samsung gobble up almost all the world’s smartphone profit, leaving hundreds of other Android manufacturers with little or no profit to survive.”
While local reports on the future of LG’s mobile devices unit floated the idea it could go down the well-trodden licensing route, the analysts spoken to by Mobile World Live agreed this had probably been blocked-off by the success of electronics provided under the wider LG brand.
Pinto added it was a “matter of keeping the brand equity intact”, explaining licensing would be a “problematic” option “if the new owner of the brand diverged dramatically from the quality LG is trying to imprint in the other devices it is focused on”.
Although the company is set to wind down the unit by the end of July, hopefully this is not the end of some of the unusual form factors it brought to market and, given its role in a range of related technologies such as displays this is almost certainly not the end of LG innovation in mobile.
In fact, in its statement announcing its decision, LG noted it would continue with “mobility-related technologies such as 6G to help further strengthen competitiveness in other business areas”.
Given the barrage of very similar handset designs currently on the market, hopefully this will extend to it providing technologies and designs to others: maybe its rollable displays and winged designs aren’t as doomed as it seems.
The editorial views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and will not necessarily reflect the views of the GSMA, its Members or Associate Members.

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October is National Women's Small Business Month
CELEBRATE WY'S WOMEN & WIN
October is National Women in Business Month and the Wyoming Women's Business Center wants to celebrate the creative and hardworking entrepreneurs who have built their businesses despite the gender barrier. In 1972, women only owned 4.6% of all businesses in the United States. Now women own 42% of businesses in the United States!


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For the first time ever, Screenlife Games has created two signature embossed Deluxe Edition collector's tins for Scene It? Star Trek, including a Captains box, and a limited edition Ships version. All Scene It? Deluxe Edition games contain more content than standard editions and all feature signature embossed collector's tins. The will be available at the MSRP of $39.99 and $49.95, respectfully.Check out the box art below:
Stay tuned to IGN DVD for more information about this and other upcoming releases!
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Hungarian inflation may go above 3% next year, OTP says
With consumer inflation data due to be published on Wednesday by the Central Statistical Office (KSH), analysts forecast a rate of between 3.1% and 3.3%. In addition, the central bank expects a sovereign rating upgrade soon.
Fuel prices have grown significantly, while prices of food and products with excise taxes have gone lower. Taking these factors into consideration, OTP Bank expects inflation to be 3.1%, while Bloomberg forecasts 3.3%.
Gábor Dunai, a macroanalyst at OTP Bank, told business daily Világgazdaság that, beginning from August, fuel prices will have a lower impact on inflation, therefore the bank expects inflation to go as low as 2% by the end of this year. However, by mid-2019, inflation may rise above 3%, which will probably trigger countermeasures from the National Bank of Hungary (MNB), Dunai added.
Meanwhile, MNB Deputy Governor Márton Nagy told state news wire MTI that Hungary is due for another upgrade of its sovereign rating, which could take place as soon as next week, when a review by Standard & Poorʼs is scheduled.
All three big ratings agencies have left Hungaryʼs ratings one notch above the investment grade threshold since bumping them up from speculative grade in 2016. S&P is scheduled to review Hungaryʼs sovereign rating on August 17. Reviews by Fitch and Moodyʼs are set to follow on August 31 and November 23, respectively.
Nagy said that the ratings agenciesʼ methodologies and the justifications for their decisions have become much more transparent in recent years, which allows those factors that could result in a ratings action to be determined precisely. On the basis of these, Hungaryʼs economic fundamentals would put the country up another notch, Nagy said.
In the case of S&P, the assessment of the banking system could be the decisive factor for an upgrade. The ratings agency considers the declining stock of non-performing loans (NPLs), sustainable improvement in lending, and a reduction in the banking sectorʼs dependence on external financing to be of prime importance. S&P has noted improvements in these areas in its past two reviews of Hungary, and experts calculate that further favorable changes in the past year give cause for confidence, Nagy added.
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Freshworks reports higher GAAP (loss) from operations; revenue up 42% to $114.6 m
Software company Freshworks reported GAAP (loss) from operations of $47.1 million in the quarter ended March 31, 2022, against $1.7 million in the same quarter of 2021. Revenue was at $114.6 million, a growth of 42 per cent compared to 2021.
Non-GAAP (loss) from operations was $0.6 million in Q1 CY22, the same as in the corresponding quarter of 2021.
Tyler Sloat, CFO, Freshworks, told analysts that the non-GAAP numbers exclude the impact of stock-based compensation and related expenses, payroll taxes on employee stock transactions, amortisation of acquired intangibles, and other adjustments. He stressed that non-GAAP numbers were a better reflection of the company’s performance.
The number of customers contributing over $5,000 in annual revenue run rate (ARR) was 15,639, an increase of 27 per cent year-on-year. Some new customers to the Freshworks community include California Credit Union, Kuka, Marymount Manhattan College, Sodexo, Ticket Network and Thermo Fisher.
CEO Girish Mathrubootham said in a release, “We’re off to a strong start to the year with Q1 revenue growth of 42 per cent year-on-year. We made progress on our 2022 product priorities with the launch of Freshworks CRM for e-commerce, while increasing net dollar retention to 115 per cent, and continuing to run our business efficiently.”
For the next quarter, the company expects revenue to be $117.0–119.0 million, non-GAAP loss from operations of $18.5–16.5 million, and non-GAAP net loss per share of $0.08–0.06
For the full year 2022, the company expects revenue of $495.5–501.5 million; non-GAAP loss from operations of $43.5–37.5 million and non-GAAP net loss per share of $0.18–0.16, the release said.
May 04, 2022


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Fabindia enhances retail therapy with their newly launched Experience Centre in Kolkata
Fabindia is not just about shopping anymore; it’s about having an experience of a different kind while you are on a retail therapy. The retail platform launched its new format, the Experience Center at Loudon Street.
Spread across 8,960 sq ft, this store has been designed keeping in mind the multi-dimensional Fabindia offering that extends across a number of categories and services catering to every age group and their distinct needs. In addition to the brands signature offering across garments, organics, home and personal care, this Fabindia Experience Center houses a FabCafé, an Interior Design Studio, Organic Wellness Center, Alteration Studio and a Kids Zone that serves as an exclusive recreational area for children to relax, play, discover and create.
Fabindia’s Experience Center in Kolkata is the first in the region and the thirteenth in the country. Following the success of its other Experience Centers in Delhi, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, Pune and Bombay, Fabindia plans to launch more such formats in various other cities in India.
Speaking on the occasion, Viney Singh, Managing Director, Fabindia said, “It gives us immense pleasure to open an Experience Center in Kolkata. As we take forward the success of the ECs in Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bombay, we look forward to making the same holistic experience that extends from Fabcafe to the entire Fabindia offering available to our customers in Kolkata as well.”


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Kyrenia Castle has opened a new Bronze Age workshop which is exhibiting Bronze Age artefacts and selling high quality replicas.
The workshop located just inside the fortress gates is exhibiting pottery dated between 750 – 475 BC.
Items for sale are very realistic copies of artefacts depicting animals and containers for oil and wine. Each artefact is individually certified and sales are being made under the supervision of the Antiquities and Museum Department. Any item purchased can easily be taken through customs.
Sevket Piro who runs the workshop says that the copies have been a major tourist attraction and he hopes that locals will show a similar interest in the history of the island.


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When the body is over-stressed, either physically or emotionally, an increased demand is placed on the adrenal glands to produce the adrenaline hormone.
I'm sure you've heard the term "Clean Eating", but what does it mean and how do you start? Basically, clean eating is ditching the bad things from your diet: processed foods, chemicals, added hormones and eating nature foods - foods that are naturally grown and produced like vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, fish and lean meats.
Heartburn medications have been making the news and have recently been linked to certain kidney complications. Already linked to a risk of fractures and infections, this new study finds there may be more complications to be aware of if you are taking these drugs.
Over consumption of energy drinks can lead to a host of issues and recent research in Australia has highlighted top risks listed in order of most common to least common:
Most people are in desperate need of a Liver Cleanse. Our liver and kidneys are constantly overloaded and over stressed to keep our bodies working disease free. With all the toxins we are exposed to and all the "stuff" we put into our bodies, our livers are in need of a serious detox.
Wow, there's a pill to eliminate wrinkles? Flipping through a woman's "health" magazine while getting my hair cut, I happened upon a two page advertisement for "The European Anti-Wrinkle Pill" that claims on the front of the box:


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Burgdorf – Ypsomed opens its new and renovated buildings at the headquarters in Burgdorf. With this expansion, Ypsomed secures the additional capacities and workplaces it needs to continue growing in the future.
Following the expansion of the insulin pen production in Solothurn in April of this year and the opening of the ultramodern production plant for injection and infusion systems in Schwerin in north-eastern Germany last week, the new and renovated buildings at Ypsomed's headquarters in Burgdorf will be officially opened today. The expansion ensures that Ypsomed has sufficient capacities and jobs for future growth at its headquarters.
Modernisation and expansion
The tool shop, in which the injection moulding tools are manufactured and validated, has been modernised and extended. The laboratory, in which the products are tested, especially during the development phase, has also been renovated and expanded. Besides the extended tool shop and the expanded laboratory, an additional 100 office workplaces and rooms for training courses and creative workshops have been created. Furthermore, a glass porch and a terrace have been added to the canteen. Complimentary charging stations for electric cars are also available to employees.
Clear commitment to Burgdorf
In April of this year, Ypsomed announced the relocation of 110 existing workplaces from Burgdorf to Solothurn in order to create free capacities in Burgdorf. “According to our current plans, our headquarters will again employ around 600 people by the end of 2020,” explained Simon Michel, CEO of Ypsomed, and confirms the company’s long-standing commitment to Burgdorf, where the company’s roots lie.


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SOMERS POINT — The city is enacting a plastic bag ban, like those that have been adopted in Brigantine, Avalon and Stone Harbor.
The ordinance amended Somers Point’s previous policy, which allowed customers to purchase plastic bags for a 5-cent surcharge. That fee has now been eliminated, and plastic bags will no longer be offered at stores such as ShopRite.
City Council voted 4-3 in favor of the ban Sept. 12.
There will be a 120-day grace period after the acceptance of the policy for retailers to use their existing supplies before the ban goes into effect.
Council members Kirk Gerety, Dennis Tapp, Janice Johnston and James Toto voted in favor of the ban, while councilmen Carl D’Adamo, Howard Dill and Sean McGuigan opposed it.
Among those voting against the ordinance, there seemed to be a desire to let the state dictate environmental policy rather than cities and towns taking the lead.
“The state is acting on this, and it would be better with a statewide regulation,” D’Adamo said, feeling that people might look to shop elsewhere if there is no consistency in the surrounding areas’ policies.
Gov. Phil Murphy vetoed a bill that would have resulted in a statewide fee on single-use plastic and paper bags in August 2018, arguing the bill did not go far enough in protecting New Jersey’s environment. A new proposal has yet to make it to Murphy’s desk.
Somers Point grocer donating bag fees to Brigantine stranding center
“The city has anti-littering laws in place that are used to combat pollution and garbage in our streets, parks and waterways,” Council President McGuigan said. “I don’t believe that it is in a local municipal government’s purview to regulate local businesses in this way.”
Some Somers Point businesses, such as Santori’s Deli & Produce, rather than keep the fee, donated to nonprofit organizations, ensuring they were doing their part to help the environment even when customers asked for plastic. Santori’s made monthly contributions to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, which helped fund federally mandated lab tests.
The pressure to enact these bans is especially high in shore towns due to the level of ocean pollution attributed to plastics.
Former Councilman Ron Meischker, who resigned in July, spearheaded the initial plastic-bag ban initiative. He said he felt a full ban was the next logical step.
“A full ban on single-use plastic bags was the next natural progression in the process of eliminating single-use plastic bags,” Meischker said. “I support and applaud my former council colleagues for taking the next step to protect our environment.”


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Payments giant Mastercard claims to have developed a new way of keeping cryptocurrency transactions private.
According to a patent application published Thursday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the payments giant has proposed a system of conducting transactions over a blockchain which would obfuscate both the point of origin and the amount being transacted.
As explained, the system would work by using an intermediate address during a transaction that interacts with the public key. The transaction data is then stored, while a new transaction and digital signature are generated using a private key. The new transaction data, which would contain the destination address and the payment amount, would be sent on.
The method “would result in showing the user only transferring funds to and receiving funds from a small number of addresses that are also involved in a significantly large volume of transactions with various other users, thereby rendering the data innocuous,” the filing states.
The amounts too may also be hidden through the use of multiple transfers using multiple addresses.
The application goes on to note that blockchain platforms are being increasingly used to conduct transactions, with users “flocking to various digital currencies” like bitcoin.
Some users prefer cryptocurrencies “for the anonymity that blockchain transactions can provide,” Mastercard says, explaining that “specifically, it is often extremely difficult to identify the user behind a blockchain address, meaning that an individual can transfer or receive funds utilizing a blockchain while keeping a high level of anonymity.”
However, most blockchain ledgers are not actually anonymous. The application explicitly notes that transactions can be traced due to “the nature of the blockchain as an immutable ledger.”
As a result, it’s possible to identify all of the transactions that are associated with a specific blockchain wallet using public data.
Ultimately, users may be identified in this way, the patent says, explaining:
“For instance, such data may, as it is accumulated and analyzed, eventually reveal the user behind a wallet or at least provide information about them … However, the existing communications and attribution structure of blockchain technology such as bitcoin require identification of where the transactions are emanating and terminating, in order to maintain the ledger.”
“Thus, there is a need for a technical solution to increase the anonymization of a wallet and the user associated therewith in a blockchain,” the application concludes.
The patent application echoes comments made by proponents of privacy-focused cryptocurrencies like monero and zcash, both of which incorporate features to hide the source or destination for transactions, as well as the total amount being transferred.
While users may prefer anonymity when conducting transactions, the prominence of coins like monero and zcash has risen enough that government agencies like the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are looking for ways to trace funds sent through the privacy coins.
The agency published a pre-solicitation document earlier this week which included a proposal for studying forensic analysis techniques to track privacy coin transactions.
Mastercard image via Alexander Yakimov/Shutterstock


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Anadolu AgencyGetty Images
The first independent Louis Vuitton store in Russia opened on Stoleshnikov Lane in Moscow in 2003, part of a retail boom that marked the decades following the end of the Soviet Union. Last week, LVMH, Vuitton’s parent company, was at the forefront again, this time announcing that it was closing its doors there indefinitely amid the devastating invasion of Ukraine.
As the geopolitical and economic fallout of the conflict reverberates around the world, the luxury industry is just beginning to grapple with its response to a sector that accounts for a fraction of global sales but has taken years to cultivate. .
“Most luxury companies have already ‘suspended’ all operations in Russia, as it would be next to impossible to maintain a flow of goods and funds,” said Luca Solca, senior analyst at research firm AllianceBernstein, in a note. this week, adding that purchases from Russia and Ukraine account for about two to four percent of the market. Brands asked for comment declined to elaborate beyond their initial publicly released statements.
At the consumer level, billionaires – some with ties to President Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin – fled to financial havens while average luxury shoppers were in a rush to buy designer handbags and items ahead of the official store closings. In the day between the Vuitton announcement and the store closing, shoppers tried on their potential purchases next to the shelves instead of wasting time waiting for a cloakroom, observed Alina Lysova, founder of Moscow boutique Vintage Voyage. Trousers and jackets stacked in piles on display counters. High Street staples like Zara and H&M, which have also gone out of business, have also seen heavy foot traffic.
“We don’t know what to expect [next]added Lysova. Some customers treated the latest shopping sprees as investments as the value of the Russian ruble plummeted. Bulgari, for example, saw its sales soar in the first days after the deployment of sanctions in the United States and Europe, Bloomberg reported.
The list of companies that have suspended operations in Russia has only grown in recent weeks. Hermès and LVMH were the first to emerge, followed by Chanel, Kering, Prada, Richemont and others, joining other major Western consumer brands like Apple, Nike and McDonald’s. E-commerce players like Net-a-Porter and MyTheresa have also stopped shipping. All expressed support for Ukraine in one form or another and expressed concern for their Russian employees. LVMH said its employees in the region are eligible for assistance from its Heart Fund, central to its social responsibility efforts; the group has also donated 5 million euros to the International Committee of the Red Cross, according to a message it published on LinkedIn. Chanel also made a similar donation to humanitarian organizations, writing in her own LinkedIn post, “Chanel stands firmly for peace and all those affected by the war in Ukraine.”
When Fast Retailing president Tadashi Yanai said the Japanese juggernaut would stay in Russia, explaining that brands like Uniqlo shouldn’t make political comments, the company was widely criticized and a “boycott Uniqlo” hashtag went up. spread online. He has since reversed Classes.
“It’s really easy to post things on social media, you know, ‘We stick to filling in the blanks’ – but what are you going to do about it? And that’s what people are looking for now” , said the brand consultant. Carineh Martin. “Luxury shopping in particular is driven by emotions, so brands need to behave in ways that elicit positive emotions in existing and potential customers.”
The actions of the industry are not limited to respecting the social values of its clientele. It is far from possible to operate in Russia at the moment, and the logistics of getting stocks and cash in and out will only become more difficult. Several Russian banks have been banned from Quick, the payment network that allows money to travel internationally, and FedEx and UPS have halted shipments. Visa and Mastercard have also suspended service in the country.
And yet, these decisions were not without complications. While Russia represents part of the sector, these measures threaten to undo decades of investment in the market. In recent years, designer brands catered to wealthy Russians who traveled less due to the pandemic and earlier sanctions by opening stores or expanding their retail accounts, expecting to have physical operations in the region for the foreseeable future.
Today, one of the likely consequences of the wave of closures is a stimulation of the gray market or the resale market, exactly the type of behavior that the fashion industry had tried to undermine by expanding in the global scale and standardizing its prices. Affluent Russians are expected to do more of their high-end shopping abroad in destinations like Dubai that are still open to them, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the market. And others are likely to call on their personal shopper to access the latest collections.
It remains to be seen how much this cohort has left to splurge on status looks and leather goods. As Solca pointed out in its note, overall consumer confidence could be severely undermined in 2022 due to continued sanctions against Russia, soaring energy costs and inflation. “This is particularly relevant for Russian high net worth individuals whose assets are being seized across the world,” he wrote. The UK on Thursday froze the assets of Roman Abramovich, the owner of football club Chelsea FC whose net worth is estimated to be north of $12 billion.
At the end of last week, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index released a telling figure: A third of the wealth belonging to Russia’s top 100 billionaires has been wiped out by economic sanctions, and many are scrambling to sell off assets ahead of further restrictions.
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Supreme Court internet sales tax ruling: What it means for you in Tennessee
In a 5-4 decision on Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states can collect sales taxes from online retailers — even if the retailer does not have a physical presence in the state.
The ruling is a big deal to states like Tennessee which rely heavily on sales tax revenue to fund state government.
But the ruling could come at the expense of consumers, who have long dodged paying sales taxes on some online purchases.
Here's what the ruling could mean for you.
Will I have to pay sales taxes on all of my online purchases?
Technically you already owe the tax. But there's a good chance — at least at some point in the future — that retailers that don't already collect it on your behalf will start doing it.
Retailers will need to figure out how to adopt to the ruling and states likely will weigh in on whether to exempt any small retailers from sales tax collections from the items you buy online.
The justices did not specify what types of exceptions states may impose to limit the burden on small businesses. Chief Justice John Roberts in his dissent warned about that impact.
"The burden will fall disproportionately on small businesses," Roberts said. "The court's decision today will surely have the effect of dampening opportunities for commerce in a broad range of new markets."
The South Dakota law at the center of Thursday's ruling sought to collect sales taxes from retailers with more than $100,000 in annual sales or 200 transactions in the state.
What about when I buy things from Amazon?
In Tennessee, Amazon has been collecting sales taxes on your purchases here since 2014. That came as a compromise after the retailer began opening warehouses and distribution facilities — a physical presence — in Tennessee.
Roberts noted that Amazon already voluntarily collects and remits sales taxes to every state that assesses one. Only five states don't have some type of sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire and Oregon.
Other large online retailers, such as Walmart, also collect sales taxes on online purchases since they have brick-and-mortar stores in most states.
But don't forget ...
Technically, as a consumer, even if the retailer doesn't collect the sales tax and send it to Tennessee on your behalf, you still owe the state the money.
State laws require you to keep track of how much you spend online for untaxed items, calculate your tax bill, and pay that amount to the state at least annually. It even applies to items you purchase out of state and ship home.
It's just that not many people know that and it's difficult to enforce.
Here's exactly what the state Department of Revenue has to say about it:
If Tennessee sales tax is added to the purchase price, use tax is not owed. However, if merchandise is bought through the internet, over the telephone, from mail-order catalogs, etc., and sales tax is not added to the price, the purchaser is responsible for paying use tax directly to the Department of Revenue. Also, Tennessee residents who travel outside the state and purchase untaxed merchandise that is shipped to their homes in Tennessee are liable for use tax.
Even top elected officials or their campaigns in the past have been unaware.
In 2012, before Amazon collected sales taxes here, The Tennessean reported that Gov. Bill Haslam's campaign spent $4,242 on Amazon purchases. Only after The Tennessean began asking questions did the campaign pay $434 in taxes.
USA TODAY contributed to this report.


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The anticipation is tangible. The excitement is palpable. The hype is real. On Friday, the inaugural edition of Panini America’s Mosaic Football brand arrives in hobby shops and on group-break sites across North America. And as new-release days go, this one is going to be nuts. Few football products in recent memory have generated as much pre-release buzz as 2020 Mosaic Football.
A lot of that can be attributed to the wild success of this year’s NBA release; but just as much of it, perhaps, can be attributed to the undeniably sweet mix of designs, colors, inserts and players. It’s an intoxicating blend that promises to set an incredibly high bar for every Mosaic Football to follow.
On average, each hobby box of 2020 Mosaic Football will deliver two autographs, five Silver parallels, 15 Mosaic parallels and 20 inserts. Hobby-exclusive inserts include Men of Mastery, Stare Masters, Blue Chips, Introductions and Montage.
Look for exclusive parallels and inserts across retails all SKUs. Inserts found exclusively in retail include Will to Win, Got Game?, Flea Flicker, Touchdown Masters and Old School.
In the spectacular Quality Control Gallery that follows, we deliver a stunning array of images from the much-hyped debut of 2020 Mosaic Football. Enjoy the deep dive and stay tuned for additional coverage.
2020 Mosaic Football will be available at the official online store of Panini America beginning Friday at 10 a.m. CST.


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FullStory, which sells analytics instruments for apps and web sites, secured $25 million in new fairness financing, paperwork filed with the U.S. Securities and Trade Fee this week exhibits. Tdexx couldn’t independently affirm the buyers and the corporate hadn’t responded to a request for remark as of press time. However in response to Crunchbase, the infusion is FullStory’s first since August 2021, and brings the corporate’s whole raised to round $200 million.
Atlanta-based FullStory was based in 2014 by Bruce Johnson, Joel Webber and Scott Voigt, who sought to construct a product that helps manufacturers create higher buyer experiences throughout the online and cell. Previous to launching FullStory, the co-founders — all Georgia Institute of Expertise graduates — teamed within the early 2000s to start out a DevOps firm referred to as Innuvo, which was acquired by Google in 2005 for an undisclosed sum.
Initially conceived as a advertising and marketing instrument, FullStory pivoted to analytics, buyer success and engineering after the co-founders realized that the tooling they created to determine why their preliminary thought wasn’t working had industrial potential.
FullStory claims its strategy gives a straightforward technique to perceive if a buyer is, for instance, comparability buying or just performing a search. In a earlier interview, Voigt stated a house enchancment vendor used FullStory to establish a spike within the sale of storage mats through the pandemic and replace its advertising and marketing supplies accordingly.
The digital transformation efforts spurred by the pandemic have been a boon for FullStory, which at present has over 3,200 prospects together with Groupon, Automattic, Peloton, Constancy and JetBlue. In 2021, the corporate — who’s gotten backing from VCs together with Permira, Kleiner Perkins, GV, Stripes, Dell Applied sciences Capital and Salesforce Ventures — claims to have elevated annual recurring income by over 70% yr over yr.
FullStory claims it analyzed greater than 15 billion person periods in 2021, together with almost 1 trillion clicks, textual content highlights and scrolls.
“As folks handle extra of their work and private lives on-line, firms throughout industries have embraced FullStory for the insights they should ship premium digital merchandise and experiences,” Voigt stated in a latest press launch. “FullStory’s complete DXI platform gives a novel view of actual person habits and surfaces the ‘unknown unknowns’ to drive product analytics, UX analysis, conversion optimization, and extra.”
Constructing differentiated digital experiences is plainly difficult. Fifty-eight % of shoppers consider most manufacturers’ experiences have little to no impression on what they find yourself shopping for and almost half can’t inform the distinction between experiences, in response to a Gartner ballot. A part of the issue lies with the C-suite, which continues to push for digital experiences with out thorough bug testing and absolutely understanding what would inspire their prospects to strive them.
Lifeless hyperlinks, glitches and unsubmittable types can litter firms’ apps and web sites. Not solely do these current boundaries to work and leisure, they’ll result in overwhelmed customer support groups, employees shortages and hours-long wait occasions. Prospects hardly ever forgive — 64% admit to having jumped to a competitor following a poor buyer expertise.
The demand for extra considerate deployments has benefited not solely FullStory however its rivals within the digital buyer expertise analytics area, like Clootrack. Glassbox and Decibel are maybe probably the most formidable, having raised tens of hundreds of thousands in enterprise capital between them.
Eager to set the tempo (or in any case keep it), FullStory expanded its management crew in 2021, hiring Edelita Tichepco as CFO and Google veteran Jim Miller as VP of recruitment. Will Schnabel additionally joined the corporate as SVP of alliances and partnerships, bringing expertise in forging partnerships and integrations from his time at Accenture and IBM Watson.
FullStory additionally greater than doubled its headcount in 2021 to over 500 staff, with groups across the globe together with San Francisco, London, Sydney, and Singapore past Atlanta.


text:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tickets to this year’s Iroquois Steeplechase are now on sale after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the event’s cancellation in 2020.
The annual event is returning to Percy Warner Park on June 26. With local health guidelines in place, in-person attendance will be allowed at this year’s race.
Event organizers said they’ve been working with Metro Public Health and the Metro Parks Department to create a “safe environment for all fans across the grounds.”
“We couldn’t be more excited to open ticket sales for the Iroquois Steeplechase. Our patrons are eager to enjoy a full day of horse racing, food and fashion with their friends in one of Nashville’s most beautiful outdoor settings at Percy Warner Park. Tickets will be limited, and we encourage those that want to attend to get their tickets early,” said Iroquois Steeplechase Chairman Dwight Hall.
Event organizers said all ticket options remain open except individual tickets due to the current health regulations, but individual tickets may be added at a later date. Click here for more information.


text:
Overwatch’s Halloween Terror event for this year will return from October 9 to 31, 2018, and will bring back the spooky loot boxes and the chance to earn special skins and other cosmetic items exclusive to this event. Once the event ends, you’ll have to wait until 2019 to unlock Overwatch’s Halloween-themed content again.
This event will become a huge celebration for the Halloween. As being teased by Overwatch’s tweet saying “There’s a rumor among explorers, About a monolithic lair, Home to terrifying horrors, Heroes, how will you prepare?”, we can expect a lot of action-packed adventures throughout this event.
There’s a rumor among explorers
About a monolithic lair
Home to terrifying horrors
Heroes, how will you prepare? pic.twitter.com/XK7W7e0SKA
— Overwatch (@OverwatchEU) October 1, 2018
Every year, Overwatch offers a Halloween Terror event giving out new Legendary skins for players to unlock, each priced at 3000 credits. This event features Overwatch’s heroes dressed up in costumes, such as Dragon Symmetra, and many more.
It will allow the players to obtain new and previous holiday cosmetics, they can also participate in the Junkenstein’s Revenge game mode. This special arcade mode will need four players that will play cooperatively by controlling McCree, Soldier 76, Hanzo, and Ana to have a close fight against waves of AI-controlled enemies together with heroes such as Reaper, Roadhog, Junkrat, Symmetra, and Mercy in their Halloween skins.
The skins from previous Halloween Terror events came at a discounted price. Some of the maps received a Halloween-themed update as well, which was decorated with spider webs and jack-o-lanterns.
There is also an interesting thing that we must look forward to this event. During the September developer update for Overwatch, Jeff Kaplan, the game director revealed that Roadhog will receive a very special skin in the Halloween Terror update. We can also expect the modified Torbjorn who is currently in PTR and has not yet been officially released.
There will be more announcements regarding this event as its date is quickly coming over us, so stay with TechnoCodex and we will bring you its latest updates.
For latest tech news and updates follow TechnoCodex on Facebook, Twitter, Google+. Also, if you like our efforts, consider sharing this story with your friends, this will encourage us to bring more exciting updates for you.


text:
S. D. Shibulal, better known as Shibulal, who is former CEO and co-founder of Infosys, has launched EduMentum — an incubator for early-stage startups working in the space of offline education transformation.
EduMentum is launched in partnership between his Advaith Foundation and Mantra4Change, a Bengaluru-based NGO.
The incubator platform will offer funding of Rs 7.5 lakh per annum to each selected organisation or startup along with a series of workshops for the incubatees.
Speaking on the launch of EduMentum, Shibulal said, “EduMentum is designed to promote social entrepreneurs who are working to transform the education ecosystem. EduMentum will encourage development and use of indigenous body of knowledge in the area of school education through ShikshaLokam.”
ShikshaLokam is an education leadership platform under Advaith. The Advaith Foundation was set up by Kumari Shibulal and SD Shibulal to promote philanthropic ventures in the field of education and research.
The first cohort of the programme, which has five startups, started in September last year. The startups in this program include Loop Education Foundation, Vidhya Vidhai, Samarthya, Sanjhi Sikhiya and i-Saksham.
During the end of the programme, the startups get to pitch to potential investors. The programme aims to incubate 50 organisations across different parts of the country by 2022. The next batch will start in June.
The development was first reported in Economic Times.
Notably, EduMentum is second such initiative for startups by Shibulal as earlier, In 2014 Shibula co-founded Axilor Ventures, a venture capital service for young entrepreneurs.
To recall, in December last year, Paytm too had announced the launch of startup incubator called ‘Build For India’ initiative.
Last month, Ratan Tata, in his ₹900 million plan, has also announced that Tata Trusts will be setting up number of lab-style startup incubators across India.
Additionally, in this month, Haryana state government has also announced the plan to set up an startup incubator called ‘Global Start-up Village’, which will be India’s biggest startup hub and will be located in Gurugram in next couple of years.
Prior to that, Kejriwal govt in Delhi has also announced to launch startup incubator in lines of T-Hub.


text:
MILLEDGEVILLE — When David Olinger’s corporate company downsized, he decided to pack up and move his family from the easternmost state in the United States to a place with a much warmer climate and southern hospitality — Milledgeville.
“My wife [June] is from Pennsylvania and I’m from Indianapolis, and we met in college in North Carolina. My work led us to move to the Maine area and after an early retirement as a regional sales manager for a specialty chemicals company, I looked at different opportunities with Sears since I’ve always been interested in the company,” David said. “I figured if I was going to make a major change then I was going to go to a better climate where it doesn’t snow anymore, and this location just stuck out as one of the best.”
The Olingers officially purchased the local Sears Hometown Store off North Columbia Street in May 2012 after the previous independent owner Kimberly Stewart sold it to Sears, which served as the interim owner for five months.
“Sears has been in Milledgeville for over 20 years with its first location on the south side of town. It has been at this current location for about 10 to 12 years now. We focus on what Sears has always done best in hometown stores with our level of service we provide. In fact, Sears Hometown Stores are growing with over 900 hometown stores nationwide,” David said. “Mall stores are full-line and they carry clothing, shoes and soft-line goods, but the soft-line market has become very competitive. As a hometown store, we focus on appliances, lawn and garden, tools and mattresses; If you look at Sears’ history, that’s their bread and butter. Their well-known brands have been out since 1927.”
David said the buisness’ top priority is providing excellent customer service and making sure shoppers find quality products at fair prices that meet their needs.


text:
A new report has shown that the trade war waged by U.S. President Donald Trump against China has put pressure on the manufacturing industry and the staggering loss in factories of many businesses can also be attributed to the conflict between the two superpowers.
The report revealed that in the month of September alone, factory imports have contracted for the second straight month. The slowdown in the manufacturing and factory imports is an indicator of the health of the greater economy and analysts believe that September, in some measures, was the worst month in a decade.
The news over the health of the manufacturing industry even shocked investors, pushing the Dow to fall at least 350 points or 1.3%.
Of course, as expected, President Donald Trump started the blame game by pointing figures somewhere else when he and his trade war has to take responsibility for the staggering industries in the United States.
“As I predicted, Jay Powell and the Federal Reserve have allowed the Dollar to get so strong, especially relative to ALL other currencies, that our manufacturers are negatively affected,” Trump tweeted minutes after the report was released.
Trump threw jabs to Fed policies and has even called the central bank as “pathetic.” However, the Institute for Supply Management’s report did not mention the feds in the possible reason for the slowdown. In the report, the researchers have noted that many corporate and manufacturing executives are blaming the trade war for their financial problems.
“The tariffs have caused much confusion in the industry,” one electrical equipment, appliance, and components manufacturer said.
“Chinese tariffs going up are hurting our business. Most of the materials are not made in the U.S. and made only in China,” a food, beverage and tobacco products executive also chimed in.
The mouse and cat conflict between the U.S. and China is amplified as both countries started imposing additional tariffs on each other’s exports without a clear trade deal in the horizons.


text:
The world is alive with gossip. I wonder if any of this will prove to be true.
All of this will be revealed at their event next week. Rough transcription:
CDPR has a two-year plan to redesign Cyberpunk 2077 from scratch.
Their plan is that people who come back to recreate it will experience something completely new.
Their goal is to make version “2.0” a completely different product, more focused on role-play, like it was at E3 2018.
A long taped apology is coming. They address fans and investors, explain why the game has bugs (hint: they got greedy), explain why the game lacks an RPG department. They say something about how they stunned their stars and changed the direction of the game way too late to focus more on the action and Johnny Silverhand, and apologize for not publicly announcing the change of direction They promise to keep those old promises by fixing the story to give players more freedom.
at least 10 free DLCs coming this year + additional content in patches. A short clip of the closest free DLC is shown and it’s a plastic surgeon (character gene) + new character customization options. They show silver-gold skin, scales, feathers, new eyes, hairstyles, metal jaws. They then tease the rest of the free DLCs and mention that they will include even more customizations, vertical city expansion, side quests, new guns.
there will be three paid DLCs, the first of which will appear next year and the rest after version 2.0.
say they will be fully focused on fixing bugs for now, and then move on to other, more complex issues such as lack of freedom of choice, AI (including the wanted system).
the multiplayer game has NOT been canceled. Although it will be integrated into the main game, rather than being a standalone product. It will be heavily table-based with the Gamemaster hosting sessions for up to 12 players. The game master can spawn entities and objects. There will also be a scenario (mission) editor. Unlike the main game, there will be a class system.
The text was translated quickly thanks to Google translator 👀
Do you believe that, for example – Cyberpunk 2077 is about to be “redesigned”?
Two Souls & Yin Yang


text:
Peloton Interactive Inc. shares plummeted 32% in early trading Friday after the company cut its annual revenue forecast by as much as $1 billion and lowered its projections for subscribers and profit margins.
The fitness company—best known for its exercise bikes and remote classes—now expects sales of $4.4 billion to $4.8 billion in fiscal 2022, which ends next June. Less than three months ago, it had been predicting revenue of $5.4 billion. On an earnings call with analysts, Peloton said it underestimated the impact of economic reopenings.
The grim outlook sent the stock down to as low as $56.80 in premarket trading. Several analysts downgraded their ratings on the stock.
The news comes in the same week the brand debuted its holiday campaign—its largest spend yet—positing actor Brett Gelman as Scrooge.
Even before the swoon, Peloton shares were down 43% this year.
Peloton was a pandemic phenomenon, with customers flocking to home-exercise services during lockdowns. Now people are heading back to the office, school and gyms, sapping demand for the company’s equipment. Supply-chain constraints, as well as the soaring costs of commodities and freight, also are weighing on Peloton.
“We anticipated fiscal 2022 would be a very challenging year to forecast,” management said in a letter to shareholders Thursday. “We will be taking concrete steps to reexamine our expense base and adjust our operating costs.”


text:
NRMA Insurance has released the next instalment of its annual Christmas campaign, asking drivers to take extra care on our roads during the most hectic time of the year.
Titled ‘Don’t Drive Naughty, Drive Nice’, this year’s campaign by The Monkeys harnesses the power of kids in the back seat to remind us what Christmas time is really about – them.
The integrated campaign kicks off with a film directed by Marc Forster, who recently released Hollywood movie Christopher Robin, telling the story of a young girl who must find a way to get her stressed out dad to drive nice before it’s too late.
To reinforce this message while on the road, kids from around New South Wales and Queensland were asked to show us why adults should ‘drive nice’, with their answers becoming the hero out-of-home advertising creative.
On radio, a group of kids adapted the drive nice message to the tune of famous Christmas carols.
An across mobile, a Facebook augmented reality camera effect has been created that allows viewers to look like the brand film’s hero toy bunny and share the ‘Don’t Drive Naughty, Drive Nice’ message.
The campaign is also supported by a podcast platform titled ‘Are We There Yet?’ that includes Australian celebrities reading beloved stories.
NRMA marketing director Sally Kiernan said: “We know that Christmas is a time of the year when the importance of family is heightened, bringing with it a spirit of togetherness and connection.
“It is also one of the busiest periods on our roads, so it’s more important than ever to ‘Drive Nice’.”
The Monkeys co-founder and group chief creative officer Scott Nowell said: “Christmas holidays are a joyous time, but there’s immense stress around finishing work and getting the family on the road.
“NRMA Insurance wants to make sure that Australians are driving safe, bringing to light what is most important – family.”
This is the third major piece of work created for the NRMA Insurance brand in partnership with The Monkeys, part of Accenture Interactive.
Brand: NRMA Insurance
Chief marketing officer: Brent Smart
Marketing director, NRMA: Sally Kiernan
Creative and innovation lead: Elizabeth Stokes
Creative and innovation specialist: Danielle Picker
Content director: Zara Curtis
Social media lead: Gerry Avalos
Creative and content development lead: Simeon Bartholomew
Integrated content producer: Vanessa Buckley
Creative agency: The Monkeys
Co-founder and chief creative officer: Scott Nowell
Co-founder and CEO: Mark Green
Managing director: Matt Michael
Chief strategic officer: Fabio Buresti
Executive creative director: Vince Lagana
Creative director: Ben Sampson
Innovations director: Jay Morgan
Art director: Tessa Chong
Copywriter: Max Rapley
Planning director: Michael Hogg
Strategic planner: Charlotte Marshall
Business director: Humphrey Taylor
Group content director: Katie Wong-Hee
Content managers: Katherine Kennedy and Sophie Finckh
Head of production: Thea Carone
Senior broadcast producer: Jade Rodriguez
Senior integrated producer: Sonia Eberington
Digital producer: Tamara Wohl
Producers: Tanith Williamson and Alex Watson
Digital design lead: Eva Goodney
Designer: Laura Ives
Digital designer: Lauren Elliott
Designer/finished artist: Lucinda Hansen
Front-end developer: Han Lee
Production company: Exit Films and Tool of Nth America
Director: Marc Forster
Executive producer, Tool of Nth America: Brad Johns
Producer, Tool of Nth America: Lee Trask
Executive producer, Exit: Leah Churchill-Brown
Producer, Exit: Karen Sproul
Director of production: Ginny Loane
AR camera effects production company: Alt.VFX
Post-production company: The Editors
Editor: Alexandre De Franceschi
Producer: Nicoletta Rousianos
Animation: Framestore LA
VFX supervisor: Michael Ralla
Post-producer: Rachel Mariscal Creasey
Sound design company: Song Zu
Engineer: Simon Kane
Producer: Katrina Aquilia
Music composition: Elliot Wheeler, Turning Studios


text:
Wide range of investment properties around country for online sale
Based on the success of BidX1 South Africa’s last property auction in December, property buyers are finding online bidding a convenient way of transacting, says MC du Toit, chief executive Auctions and Sales BidX1 SA.
“The user-friendly online platform allows buyers to bid with ease on a specific property up to the price they are comfortable with, and this gives the seller the opportunity to accept an offer that, under normal circumstances, he or she may not have been able to do. The online auction process is open and transparent – a ‘digital property marketplace’ where buyers and sellers can transact openly with the bids showing in real time,” Du Toit says.
In the current market an important reason for sellers not receiving offers for their properties is high price expectations which eliminate the opportunity to consider buyers’ offers.
“In our previous auction, we saw sellers achieve higher prices than expected, while in other instances realistic bids were accepted – with some sellers previously having had their properties on the market via other means for more than a year without any offers.”
BidX1’s December auction drew 173 bids for a total of 31 properties. In all, 60% of the properties on auction were sold. Three frail care centres in Cape Town’s northern suburbs achieved very brisk bidding activity with Fontaine Bleau Retirement Village sold for R7million, Villa Cortona Retirement Village achieving a final bid of R5.8m, and La Vie Est Belle Retirement Village was knocked down for R2.55m.
Du Toit says the company’s next auction on February 26 will offer a varied selection of residential and commercial properties around the country, and across all price ranges.


text:
June 12th 2022 will remain indelible in the mind of reality TV star, Nengi as she officially launched the store for her shoe brand, ‘Shoes by Flora. From the way her fans turned up at the event one could tell that Nengi truly is loved by many. She was beaming with smiles as she attended to fans and friends who shopped at the store.
At the store opening, held at Whiterose mall Lekki Lagos, show biz stars like Neo Akpofure, Lilian Afegbai, Kaisha, Lucy Edet, Pretty Mike gathered to celebrate one of their own..
Fans also engaged in a quiz competition where they were asked questions about the brand and about Nengi’s favourite food. At the end of the quiz, some of them one cash prizes.
The duo of comedians Davidsyn and Senibo added humour to the event, with their rib cracking jokes


text:
AT&T Contracts Have Always Stipulated Data Throttling Despite Customer Complaints
March 6, 2012 9:54 AM
AT&T's contracts for unlimited data users have always stated that restrictions could be applied
After catching some heat for
throttling unlimited data last month
, AT&T may receive a little less flack due to contract clauses that always stated it had the power to limit such services.
AT&T currently does not offer unlimited data plans for new subscribers. Instead, it
switched to tiered data plans
where a certain amount of data was allotted to customers for a set price. Currently, these plans are set at 300 MB/month for $20, 3 GB/month for $30, or 5 GB/month for $50. However, customers who did have unlimited plans before they were axed had the option to hold onto the unlimited package.
Last year, AT&T said it would throttle unlimited smartphone users starting October 2011, which was set to affect the top 5 percent of heavy data users. AT&T planned to slow data speeds once the customers reached a certain point, but never specified when that point was.
Just last month, AT&T unlimited users took to the internet when some realized that their unlimited data was throttled only after 1-2 GB. Some complained that they received notices from AT&T saying they were reaching their slowed point only after 1.6 GB, and others have said their download speed dropped to 256 Kbps after 3 GB of data.
Now, a website called TOSBack, which tracks changes to the terms of service of different companies, showed that AT&T has had a clause in its contracts regarding unlimited data plan restrictions since 2007 -- right before the iPhone came out.
"AT&T reserves the right to (i) limit throughput or amount of data transferred, deny Service and/or terminate Service, without notice, to anyone it believes is using the Service in any manner prohibited above or whose usage
adversely impacts its wireless network
or service levels or hinders access to its wireless network," said the clause in AT&T's contract from June 26, 2007.
Today's version is quite similar, where section 6.2 points out that AT&T can restrict those who negatively impact its wireless network.
"AT&T reserves the right to (i) deny, disconnect, modify and/or terminate Service, without notice, to anyone it believes is using the Service in any manner prohibited or whose usage adversely impacts its wireless network or service levels or hinders access to its wireless network," said today's AT&T contract.
"Let's face it, we're not changing the world. We're building a product that helps people buy more crap - and watch porn." -- Seagate CEO Bill Watkins
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text:
Comcast’s proposed purchase of fellow cable television and broadband provider Time Warner Cable would give it even more leverage in an Internet backbone market where the company has already begun extracting tolls from competitors, a backbone provider said Thursday.
Comcast’s proposed $45.2 billion deal would “threaten the innovative and entrepreneurial character and future of the Internet,” said Dave Schaeffer, chairman and CEO of Cogent Communications Group, a backbone provider recently bypassed in a deal in which Netflix agreed to pay Comcast for faster access to its broadband subscribers.
The proposed merger has “the potential to cause grave anticompetitive and consumer harms for tens of millions of Americans who require access to high-speed, high-quality, affordable broadband Internet access,” Schaeffer told the U.S. House Judiciary Committee’s antitrust subcommittee.
Comcast Executive Vice President David Cohen dismissed Schaeffer’s concerns during the hearing, saying it was Netflix’s choice to bypass Cogent and sign a traffic priority deal with Comcast.
Comcast’s gain in broadband market share through the Time Warner deal shouldn’t have “any impact whatsoever” on the separate Internet backbone market, Cohen added.
A “intensely competitive” market?
The Internet backbone market is “an intensely competitive market with dozens of network operators, content delivery networks, peering organizations, transit providers,” he said. “The Netflixes of the world, the Googles of the world, the Internet content companies, the young man working in his garage … who wants to be the next Netflix, has dozens and dozens of choices on how to get his or its content onto the Internet.”
But Schaeffer told a different story, saying Comcast has already used its position as the largest U.S. broadband provider to get favorable peering agreements. Since mid-2012, when Cogent and Netflix signed a deal, Comcast has refused to make inexpensive improvements to its connections with Cogent—and has refused Cogent’s offer to pay for those upgrades, he said.
“The result was degradation of service for our customers and for Netflix’s viewers,” Schaeffer said. “By refusing to augment capacity to reach its subscribers at any time, Comcast is effectively blocking its subscribers from accessing any Internet content they want and for which they already have paid.”
Antitrust authorities don’t need to look at the Internet backbone peering market, countered C. Scott Hemphill, a professor at Columbia Law School. Payments to exchange Internet traffic are not new, although in many cases, the payment was a simple exchange of traffic, he said.
The real fight: who should pay
“What’s really going on is a fight about who should pay for what in this highly competitive business of interconnection,” he said.
Schaeffer’s criticisms of Comcast’s interconnection policies echo recent complaints from Netflix and from backbone provider Level 3. While Netflix signed a deal with Comcast, executives there have complained about paying Comcast to deliver traffic and called for the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to pass strong net neutrality rules prohibiting pay-for-priority arrangements.
This week, backbone provider Level 3 accused six unnamed broadband providers—five U.S. and one European—of deliberately allowing congestion on their networks in an effort to extract payments from widely used Web services.
The backbone peering controversy is also tied to an outcry in recent days after FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler announced new net neutrality rules that would allow broadband providers to engage in commercially reasonable traffic management. Many consumer groups and Internet companies have called on the FCC to pass stronger rules that would prohibit pay-for-priority traffic arrangements.
Several committee members said they are concerned that the Comcast acquisition of Time Warner could raise cable or broadband prices, or give Comcast an incentive to discriminate against online content that competes with its own NBC networks and on-demand video service.
Does Comcast compete with Netflix?
While it may be difficult to kill the deal using existing antitrust law, it raises questions about Comcast’s competition with Web-based video, said Representative Darrell Issa, a California Republican. Old antitrust questions may not cover the issues raised in this merger, he said.
Issa questioned if net neutrality rules Comcast agreed to during its 2011 acquisition of NBCUniversal would require the company to carry Netflix through its X1 on-demand video service, delivered through a TV set-top box.
“You are a major buyer and reseller of content,” he told Cohen. “You are a major owner and developer of content, and your in-house products compete against products that you may choose to buy.”
Video delivered through set-top boxes is not covered by that agreement, Cohen said. The X1 is a cable service, not a broadband service covered by net neutrality, he said.
Congress needs to have a “robust discussion” about market access and video competition, Issa said. The cloud-based X1 service allows Comcast to deliver “anything video to that one unit, and there’s really no difference in the bandwidth asked for,” he said. “There’s only a difference whether I’m using a product recorded online or I’m using a different product.”


text:
. . . just how much individual families will receive from the recently passed $1.9 trillion COVID stimulus bill, here is what a married couple earning $150,000 with 2 children will receiv:
- Six checks at $1,400 each: $8,400;
- Two childcare credits at $3,600 each: $7,200;
- Two child credits at $3,000 each: $6,000;
- Total walking around money: $21,600
Note that a couple making $150,000 a year puts them in the top 15% of households. The couple did not have to suffer any loss of income to receive the $21,600. As for the balance of the $1.9 trillion bill, it will go primarily into pork barrel spending, such as bailing out blue states.
Further, The Economist recently ran an article estimating that “the world’s consumers” have an extra $3 trillion, which they saved during the COVID lockdowns. Had the pandemic not happened, The Economist estimates households would probably have stashed away $3 trillion in the first nine months of 2020. In fact, they saved $6 trillion.
So, how will these funds, “an extra $3 trillion,” be spent, along with the $925 billion the COVID stimulus bill is handing out. And what if consumers spend more than the “extra $3 trillion?” What if they dip into the $6 trillion they saved?
If these guesstimates are any where near accurate, there will be a lot of spending ahead. Consumer goods, autos, new homes, and stocks. And with all this spending, how can inflation be held back? Certainly, inflation will over shoot the Fed’s target of 2%.


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Banking Trends Brief
Banking trends changing pattern to the banks is like adapting to new change as per the era. The pandemic can already be considered a turning point in banking history. Thanks to a nexus of dynamics altering the sector. Banks are becoming more proactive, questioning their ingrained beliefs, and becoming more adaptable and innovative due to COVID-19.
Today, people are more likely to look ahead at their chances than backward at their progress.
We’ve selected the top 10 trends that, in our opinion, will revolutionise the sector in 2022 and usher in a bright new era in the industry.
Banking Trends 2022
There have been many watershed events in history, but most are only apparent retrospectively. However, the epidemic represents a clear, in-the-moment boundary for the sector.
In 2021, banks gave up their defensive stance after the Great Recession. They took the initiative and began challenging several entrenched presumptions. They learned they could change far more swiftly and drastically than anticipated.
Additionally, they are shifting their digital innovation’s emphasis from enhancement to invention. As banks discard outdated ideas and rethink banking from scratch, we can see indications of this everywhere.
The factors that have made the epidemic a turning point have been carefully examined by Accenture’s head of global finance, Michael Abbott.
“I think the future of banking is fantastic. I see this as a break in the continuity, a moment that will be remembered in retrospect as the one when everything underwent a major transformation.”
— Michael Abbott, Senior Managing Director, Accenture
The following are the ten trends he believes will impact the sector in 2022.
Top 9 Banking Trends for 2022
1. Everyone aspires to become a super app
Super-apps are dominating more facets of human connection and the digital world. Banks must decide whether to compete or work together, which is risky.
2. Return of innovation in the sector
Banks are rediscovering their creative spirit and posing a straightforward, persuasive argument to keep up with fintech and other rivals. “Why not?”
3. Green gets sincere
Banks are being pushed to protect the environment as ESG worries increase. There will be expenses, but the benefits will undoubtedly outweigh them.
4. Payments are accepted at any time, anywhere, and 24*7
Open networks, which enable banks to rethink their payment products for more demanding customers, will be the source of the next payments revolution.
5. Banks resume driving
In 2022, the search for expansion will extend to foreign markets. Cross-border players will likely look for digital banks set up for attacks.
6. The talent war gets more competitive
The epidemic messed up the supply chain for the bank’s most important resource: talent, as competition increased. Winners will change how they conduct business.
7. A fantastic mystery trip with fees “Free” digital goods
Only rivals and BNPL companies are putting pressure on banks to be more innovative and transparent with their pricing structures.
8. Cryptocurrencies enroll in colleges
Experiments like CBDCs are gaining traction now that cryptocurrencies are a permanent fixture. We are looking for use cases that demonstrate the financial advantages.
9. The computerized mind gains compassion
Banks are seeking ways to engage customers in meaningful conversations online. AI-based technology can facilitate human connections.
What are some current banking trends in the industry?
Cloud migrations, the application of DevOps and omnichannel strategies, and more usage of AI are trends to look out for in 2019.
What is ahead for the banking trends in the sector?
By 2024, there are projected to be more than 3.6 billion digital banking users worldwide.
What is digitization in banking trends?
Data is transformed into a digital representation through digitization when technology is used.
What will banks look like in 2030?
Banks will be invisible by 2030. Leading banks may often sacrifice brand recognition to provide financial services when consumers need them, using technology and significantly greater customer information.
What’s the biggest challenge in banking trends at the moment?
Implementing new technologies is currently one of the banks’ biggest challenges.
To earn and learn in the finance sector, read more blogs about banking, trading, and finance on our Home Page.
Riya Gote is the Founder of Scriberlee. A digital marketing firm features in Forbes 2020 for providing quality content to global clients. She is an enthusiastic writer who helps firms attract visitors with her writing style and marketing strategies. Having 4+ years in SEO-based content writing, Riya has worked with different content platforms for 18+ industry sectors. She was featured in more than 70+ global newspapers. She has expertise in academic writing as well. She is emerging motivational speaker and a tarot card reader.


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Halloween as we know is officially back — and better than ever, according to Hershey’s (HSY).
The candy giant noted strong sales heading into the final days of Halloween in its recent third quarter earnings call. President and CEO Michele Buck called this Halloween season “very strong” and “the biggest” in Hershey’s 127-year history, with anticipation for trick or treaters to be out in full force this Sunday, which may reach pre-pandemic levels.
Buck noted the company expects “very strong double-digit growth on top of the strength that we had last year” this Halloween. Category sales in the early and mid-season were up 18% compared to 2020, and increased 12% compared to 2019 levels.
Meanwhile, America’s hunger for chocolate has driven up sales of branded Hershey Halloween candy, like the REESEʼS Halloween milk chocolate peanut butter pumpkins, up 14% from 2020 — and have spiked 23% in the past two years.
In all, Hershey’s noted it retained approximately 75% of the gains made during the 2020 Halloween season, and expects the same strength this holiday season with the lineup it revealed in September.
As far as fulfilling the all-time high demand, Buck noted current supply strain is expected to “hit every aspect of the business” making Halloween no different.
Steve Voskuil, Hershey’s CFO, weighed in on the growth made in 2020 in an interview with Yahoo Finance earlier this year. He called last year “a record setter” for the company with “high expectations” for this Halloween.
“We think seasons is one of those areas ….its kind-of become a special place of celebrating those family traditions, sometimes in different ways than we did in the past…this will be an interesting Halloween to see what traditions from pre-COVID carry over,” Voskuil added.
Meanwhile the competition is on for which candy trick or treaters will snatch up first.
According to new data from social media analytics company Sprout Social (SPT), candy bar Snickers, which is owned by Mars, sits at the helm of consumers’ favorites as the number one Halloween candy. That’s followed by Candy Corn, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, then Mars-owned Twix and Skittles.
Brooke DiPalma is a producer and reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at @BrookeDiPalma or email her at firstname.lastname@example.org.
Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance.
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Credit: Source link


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U.S. Treasury Secretary told Chinese leaders Washington is making progress in resolving the U.S. credit crisis, but cautioned there will be 'more bumps' ahead.
Automakers reported double-digit U.S. sales declines as demand for trucks and sport utility vehicles plummeted due to high gas prices, the housing slump and tightening credit.
Airbus parent vowed to defend top managers against charges they breached insider trading and market disclosure rules.
Germany's unadjusted jobless rate declined to 8.4 percent in March as an economic upswing in Europe's biggest economy helped support the labor market.
World Bank trimmed its 2008 growth forecast for China to 9.4 percent from 9.6 percent but said it should be robust enough to help drive the global economy.
Consumer-product maker acquired Aprica Childcare Institute Aprica Kassai Inc., a Japanese maker of strollers, car seats and other children's products.
U.S. drug maker announced plans to expand its manufacturing and research facilities in Ireland and hire another 170 people.
South Korea’s second-largest shipping company set up wholly owned overseas units in Russia and Dubai in a move to expand into the oil-rich countries.
Japanese automaker is establishing a North American research institute and plans to spend $100 million over the next four years on advanced research activity.
France's market regulator is initiating sanctions procedures and deepening its probe into market abuses at the parent company of Airbus.
More than 20,000 Vietnamese workers walked off the job at a plant that makes shoes for Nike, demanding higher pay to keep pace with skyrocketing prices.
Plane maker denies production delays for A350, as it unveiled a new interior for the midsize passenger jet to better compete with Boeing's fast-selling 787.
Plant will make small work trucks for GM's joint venture with Chinese automakers Wuling and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp.
Memory chipmakers' shares rose on news Asian chipmakers will seek higher prices from customers after a year of depressed profit margins.
Airline will acquire up to 55 new Boeing 737-800 jets, and go ahead with previously-announced plans to buy six Airbus A380s as part of its fleet expansion.
World's largest chocolate producer, Barry Callebaut, will acquire a 60 percent stake in KL Kepong Cocoa Products as part of its expansion in Asia.
French liquor group outbid three other companies to buy Sweden's state-owned Vin & Sprit for $8.89 billion.
Yearly inflation in the 15 nations that use the euro hit a record high of 3.5 percent in March driven by rising fuel and food prices.
Malfunction risks in the rear wheel bearing force Malaysia’s national automaker to recall 34,000 Savvy supermini cars.
Generic drug maker Teva will pay $360 million for Bentley Pharmaceuticals in a move to expand operations in Spain.
Industrial production dropped 1.2 percent from the previous month as demand decreased for electronic parts.
Brazilian steel maker has held talks with French government officials on the possible purchase of an ArcelorMittal plant that unions say is set for closure.
Ontario government to give Ford Motor of Canada $17 million to reopen its Essex engine plant in Windsor and restore about 300 jobs.
India's investment in international companies and its rising middle-class has reshaped the country, spurring a national economic boom.


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Corporate mobility specialist The Miles Consultancy plans to launch by year-end an app that will offer corporate travel managers an aggregated ground transportation solution, the company recently announced.
Dubbed Mobility iQ, the app will assess transportation options including rental cars, taxis, ride-hailing services and rail to provide recommended modes and routes that can be configured by multiple factors, including cost and carbon output.
It also will offer the ability to add all on-demand transactions not pre-booked via iQ and paid for by corporate card, according to the company.
“In the same way that you can scan a receipt into [an expense solution], we will enable you to scan into Mobility iQ and then manage the policy, compliance and push all line-item data into your [travel and expense provider] for the user,” said The Miles Consultancy president of mobility Stuart Donnelly, who joined the company earlier this year to manage the launch of Mobility iQ.
“It’s one seamless digital platform that, pre-trip and in-trip, provides best-practice recommendations to people in an intelligent, dynamic manner to move from A to B for those locations,” he added. “The most critical part is that you can steer travelers at the point of sale to choose the more sustainable and efficient form of mobility.”
With the use of artificial intelligence, the app also “will know if there are weather events, traffic or train strikes, and it will change the routing, even in-trip,” Donnelly said. He added that the app also can calculate parking costs in addition to a car rental and compare the total cost to a ride-hail. “There is a big savings potential.”
The app also will use supplier and travel and expense partner application programming interfaces.
The first phase of Mobility iQ is scheduled to launch by the end of summer, according to Donnelly, and it will “help people understand the four Cs—cost, carbon, clock and calories,” he said, referring to a trip’s price and carbon emissions, as well as its time efficiency and fitness calculation. “It will provide a benchmark against [a traveler’s] personal footprint. We’ll send users weekly travel plans to help them understand how they could have traveled differently.”
The second phase, currently scheduled for release in the fourth quarter, will give people the ability to search, book and pay for all ground transportation in one place, Donnelly said.
The app will be priced with two options: a per-transaction fee or a monthly user fee independent of the number of transactions. The initial focus is on “direct to corporate,” but The Miles Consultancy is “engaged in discussions with online booking tools as a means to enriching their proposition to their customers,” Donnelly added. “Either way, the data would flow into the travel and expense. It can integrate with existing payment tools.”
Image and article originally from www.businesstravelnews.com. Read the original article here.


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Richard Neudegg, head of regulation at Uswitch.com, says: “At long last Ofcom is looking at bringing mobile and broadband providers in line with other industries by ensuring that consumers are told when their contracts are coming to an end.
“This comes not a moment too soon – uncertainty over contract dates is currently costing consumers £40 every second in overpayments.
“Ofcom needs to stick to its timetable. It is currently proposing to take ten weeks to consult before it goes through the process of making a final decision. Coupled with a likely implementation period of six months, we could be waiting at least a year before we see any changes – and all this time consumers in expired contracts will be continuing to throw their money down the drain.
“This consultation is just the first step and inevitably the devil will be in the detail. Notifications need to show consumers exactly what their package is and how much it has cost them, as well as clarifying what the new price will be and when they are free to move to a better deal without penalty.
“Telecoms providers have avoided giving out this information for years. The proposal for a one-off notification to customers who are currently out of contract is especially important to redress this gap. Ofcom needs to make sure that there are no loopholes in its proposals, to ensure they are as helpful to these consumers as possible, and do not allow important details to be hidden in the small print.
“As industry, government and regulators focus on upgrading communication networks to make mobile and broadband services faster and more reliable, notifications also represent a great opportunity to alert consumers to the faster and more reliable services now available.”
Uswitch’s Connectivity without Complexity campaign has been looking at these key issues and exploring their impact on consumers. We believe it’s time the industry gave the facts – being open and upfront with the information that matters, removed the needless hoops that consumers are made to jump through and worked to ensure the road to faster, more reliable connectivity is a journey for all. To find out more, visit www.uswitch.com/connectivity.
3,354,253 mobile customers are out of contract, overpaying by an average of £8.17 monthly (Source: Uswitch.com January 2018)8,144,790 broadband customers are out of contract, overpaying by an average of £9.51 monthly (Source: Uswitch.com July 2018) Total monthly overpayment = £104,861,202.90 which is equivalent to £39.90/second.
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Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 be unveiled in early 2020?
Samsung Galaxy Fold, for illustration purposes only.
Based on an article by thelec.kr, it seems that the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 is currently in the planning phase and it should be available for purchase somewhere around early 2020. While not much is known in regards to the tech specs, the upcoming foldable smartphone is expected to feature an 8-inch fold-in display as well as S Pen support.
It is best to note that the first generation Samsung Galaxy Fold has yet to be available in the market, due to several technical defects that were found in the display and hinges of the device. That being said, Samsung mentioned that they’ve managed to fix the technical defects and plans to have it officially available for purchase worldwide around Q4 2019.
As of now, there is no official information regarding the Malaysia release date as well as the local pricing of the device. Do you think the S Pen would improve the user experience of the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2? Let us know on our Facebook page and for more updates like this, stay tuned to TechNave.com.


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“Hello, it’s Capital One, can I come in? I brought lemonade!”
That’s something credit card customers of the Capital One bank are worrying they might hear on their front doorsteps. The credit card issuer said in a recent contract update to cardholders that it can contact customers “in any manner we choose.”
That includes calls, emails, texts, faxes or a “personal visit,” reports the Los Angeles Times. The company has also reserved the right to suppress its caller ID and identify itself however it wants, a tactic known as spoof calling.
Capital One said that, despite the legal language, it doesn’t typically pay home visits to its customers. “Capital One does not visit our cardholders, nor do we send debt collectors to their homes or work,” the company spokeswoman said.
The bank told the L.A. Times it might occasionally “as a last resort” visit a customer’s home to repossess costly goods involved in credit promotions. But the spokesperson added that Capital One is “reviewing this language” in its contracts.
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New limited-edition Battista Anniversario to be given world premiere online by Chief Design Officer Luca Borgogno
Automobili Pininfarina CEO Per Svantesson shares vision for a pure-electric future, inspired by a glorious past
The technology at the heart of the most powerful Italian sports car of all time will be presented to the world for the first time on 07 August 2020, by Automobili Pininfarina Chief Product and Engineering Officer Paolo Dellacha. As part of a series of exclusive new films shown on a day dedicated to Automobili Pininfarina and the new Battista pure-electric hypercar, this preview of the Battista and its rigorous test programme will be broadcast online at the website of the inaugural Concours Virtual (https://concoursvirtual.com/conceptcars/pininfarina-battista-anniversario/) at 14:00 CET on 07 August.
Automobili Pininfarina CEO Per Svantesson said: “The opportunity to showcase the work of the Automobili Pininfarina team as part of the Concours Virtual coincides with the first Battista prototype test vehicles nearing completion at the home of our hypercar and Pininfarina SpA in Cambiano, Italy.
“Throughout a challenging period, our engineers and experts across the business have worked tirelessly to ensure we bring Battista to life this year. We now have the opportunity to show our prospective clients and the community gathering online for the Concours Virtual the remarkable progress we have made.”
Geoff Love, Co-Chairman of the Concours Virtual said: "We are delighted that Automobili Pininfarina has chosen the Concours Virtual to showcase their prototype technology. With so few physical events taking place this year, manufacturers have searched for innovative ways to present their future plans.
"Concours Virtual is the perfect environment with its global audience of collectors and true enthusiasts. We are very much looking forward to presenting Automobili Pininfarina on the 07 August."


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Netflix is offering streamed movies from its library for the iPad. The rental firm has also announced that it will be offering a similar app for the iPhone and iPod Touch as we have reported
, most likely to be ready this summer. But Netflix is not stopping there. The company has posted on its site a job listing seeking an Android Video Playback Expert to help them build an instant streaming video client for Android devices. You can see if you are qualified for the position by checking out the source link. But with this listing, there is no disguising Netflix's intention to expand the reach of its library to the green robot. After that, who knows? For Netflix, adding an Android app to the ones for the Apple devices will allow them to cover the fastest growing operating systems in the business.


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SAN FRANCISCO, March 30 (Reuters) - California electric start-up Coda Automotive said on Tuesday that its battery joint venture has secured $394 million in equity capital and loan commitments, and is looking at setting up a U.S. battery facility.
Coda said that it, together with its Chinese joint venture partner Lishen Power Battery, has added $100 million in equity capital and has secured a line of credit for $294 million from Bank of Tianjin Joint-Stock Co, a Chinese bank.
The privately held company is planning to sell a fully electric car with a range of up to 120 miles, priced in the low $30,000s, Coda Automotive President and CEO Kevin Czinger told Reuters in an interview.
The company plans to deliver 14,000 of the electric cars in the California market by the end of 2011.
For U.S. production, Coda’s battery joint venture is considering sites in California, Ohio and North Carolina, Czinger said.
“We are looking at sites and DOE funding as well.”
The U.S. department of Energy has various funding programs aimed at encouraging the development and commercialization of fuel-efficient vehicles.
Reporting by Poornima Gupta; Editing by Richard Chang
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


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European markets have increased U.S. soybean imports by millions of bushels
By Diego Flammini
New export markets have emerged for U.S. soybeans while America and China remain entangled in a trade war.
American soybean and soybean meal exports to Europe, the Middle East and North Africa (EU and MENA) are up by 243 percent and 105 percent, respectively, during the marketing year that began Sept. 1, Brent Babb, regional director for the U.S. Soybean Export Council, said during the EU/MENA Regional Trade Exchange in Barcelona, Spain.
Egypt, Spain, Netherlands, Italy and Portugal have each increased U.S. soybean imports by between 10 and 30 million bushels this marketing year, the U.S. Soybean Export Council said.
The trade war with China has led to the export opportunities in the EU and MENA regions.
Brazil, whom used to rely on Europe for most of its soybean exports, is now China’s main soybean supplier. Brazilian soybeans are also receiving a premium of US$89 per metric ton, which makes U.S. soybeans more attractive to customers in the EU and MENA regions.
Drought conditions in Argentina are also turning customers towards U.S. soybeans.
But despite those factors, the U.S. needs China, said Moe Agostino, chief commodity strategist with Farms.com Risk Management.
American soybean exports to China fell by 94 percent in 2018 due to the ongoing trade stalemate. The only way for markets to fully rebound is to regain access to China, Agostino said.
“China is the elephant in the room,” he told Farms.com. “The markets in Europe and that part of the world are small buyers compared to what the U.S. was shipping to China. They just don’t compare.
“China has bought some U.S. beans recently and there are reports they may buy more.”