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Regular readers will have noticed that we rebranded this week, but it’s business as usual for us. This week we saw Tencent look overseas, a local Pinterest clone hinted at something big, and we realised that no-one wants to leave China Mobile just because it involves changing your phone number.
And that’s pretty good going for the company that doesn’t even officially sell the iPhone, and whose 3G network doesn’t even support it.
One of our bloggers was in Jakarta most of the week, and heard Tencent’s mobile director reveal how the Chinese social media giant was keen to get in on the action in Indonesia.
We got a teaser of what might be a major social commerce venture when the CEO of Mogujie, China’s biggest indie Pinterest clone, said he was working with e-commerce giant Alibaba on a new product.
Alibaba’s own ad platform turned out to be the biggest grower in 2011 in new stats we looked at from Analysis International. There wasn’t such good news for Google though.
No, we’re not talking about a RoboJobs here (more’s the pity), but rather how far the Chinese government should go in encouraging entrepreneurs (and when it should butt out).
With China’s Congress now in session, we saw one representative try to bring the hammer down on telcos for their practice of rounding-up your call time – and thereby making money for doing nothing.


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Blog: Gutsy radish
Catherine Sleep | 14 March 2006
Out with bullet trains, teahouses and kimonos: the Japanese have a new national icon. It’s kind of low-tech too.
A humble daikon radish that pushed its way through an asphalt pavement has become a symbol of the real meaning of perseverance, a trait highly valued in more traditional Japanese circles.
The radish has become a media star, prompting a rash of copycat root vegetables, and developed into one of these seemingly random incidents that capture the public imagination in an unanticipated way. It quite puts me in mind of the Tamworth Two, a pair of pigs which escaped on their way to the abattoir in 1998 and after much public excitement were saved from becoming pork chops and allowed to live out their days in an animal sanctuary.
Ask any FMCG executive to list the trends shaking up the sector and digital and e-commerce will be pretty high on the list. Drill down into that and Amazon will be one of the subjects in the digital s...
Since Theresa May took over as UK Prime Minister in the wake of the country's referendum vote to quit the European Union, she and her ministers have been at pains not to divulge their negotiating posi...
Greenpeace's long-running campaign against UK tuna brand John West, owned by seafood giant Thai Union, is now directing its fire against Sainsbury's....
- Unilever 2016 investor day - the top takeaways
- The key questions for digital strategists in 2017
- Wessanen's move for Spain's Biogran - analysis
- Have food promotions reached tipping point?
- Burger King, Jollibee: foodservice focus, Nov 2016
- General Mills jobs to go in business revamp
- Verlinvest, China Resources invest in Oatly
- B&G acquires pasta sauce group Victoria Fine Foods
- Japan's Nagatanien buys Chaucer Food Group
- Tyson sets up US$150m investment fund

domain: news


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What's new: Career Wardrobe plans open house in Bristol
Bucks County Courier Times
- Career Wardrobe will hold an open house at its new boutique from 10 a.m. to noon May 10. Attendees are invited to enjoy a ribbon cutting, boutique tours and light refreshments. The Career Wardrobe Boutique is located 1260 Veterans Highway in Bristol, inside Bucks County CareerLink. The nonprofit boutique provides professional clothing and job development services to unemployed women in transition. RSVP by calling 215-568-6693 or email email@example.com.
- Citizens Bank and the Philadelphia Phillies have launched the 2016 Phans Feeding Families program, which supports Philabundance, the region's largest hunger relief organization. As part of the initiative, Citizens Bank has contributed $40,000 to Philabundance, and food will be collected throughout the summer. The Phillies will donate a portion of ticket sales from Saturday's game against the Cleveland Indians, and fans also can participate in raffles and a silent auction, bring non-perishable food donations or make monetary donations at Philabundance.org. Fans also can donate food at Citizens Bank Park during the ShopRite Partners in Caring Food Drive on Sept. 18. For complete program details, visit phillies.com/feedingfamilies.
- Richland Crossings owner Wolfson Group Inc. is preparing to welcome retailers TJ Maxx and HomeGoods in fall 2016. The sister properties will occupy 39,800 square feet presently under construction in a former Acme store, adjacent to Walmart Supercenter in Richland Township. In addition, Wolfson is adding an additional 50,000 square feet for other retailers, and upgrading the exteriors on all storefronts connected to the Walmart complex.
- QNB Bank is seeking artwork for its 2017 Student Art Calendar Contest, which is open to students in grades 9-12. The theme for this year is “Transportation through the Years.” Entry forms with a full list of rules and regulations for the contest can be picked up at any of QNB branch or at participating schools’ art departments. All artwork must be received by May 31.
- Doylestown-based Monument Bank has opened residential mortgage division and commercial lending offices in the Warminster Corporate Center on West Street Road. The complete mortgage process, from application to funding, will be done at the Warminster location. To learn more go to www.monumentbankpa.com.
- Sagefrog Marketing Group, a full-service, business-to-business marketing agency with specialties in health care and technology, has launched its new corporate branding and redesigned website, Sagefrog.com. The revamped site offers quick and intuitive access to essential information about its services, work and culture. The website also boasts a blog and resource center featuring company-issued news, eBooks and infographics, among other content.
- Peloton, an at-home fitness solution for live and on-demand fitness group classes, will open at the King of Prussia Mall the week of May 2. Peloton bikes, accessories and clothing are available for purchase at the new Peloton Boutique, which also will host in-store classes. This is Peloton's 13th showroom and first in Pennsylvania. The showrooms resemble Tesla and Apple showrooms where customers go in, check out the product and either buy it there or online.
- Certified professional electrologist Kim Rimmer will begin seeing clients May 1 at her new business in Ottsville. Rimmer is the owner and operator of Electrolysis by Kim LLC. She is certified by the International Board of Electrology and received training in the practice of permanent hair removal at the American Institute of Education and the Atlanta School of Electrolysis. Located at 4225 Durham Road in Ottsville, Electrolysis by Kim LLC is in the same building as Tammy's Hair Invisions. For more information, visit ElectrolysisbyKimLLC.com.
- Philadelphia Mills will open new dining options within its South Food Court, which is now under construction and expected to re-open this summer. Kicking off the additions is Japanese eatery Suki Hana, which features dishes including sushi, tempura and teriyaki. Philadelphia favorite Charleys Philly Steaks also will occupy the South Food Court space.


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Clare Waight Keller Is Givenchy’s New Creative Director
Givenchy has a new woman in town ” Clare Waight Keller was finally announced as its new artistic director. There have been rumors floating around the fashion industry over the last few months that Waight Keller would be joining the Givenchy team, so now it’s great to finally see that they were proven true.
At Givenchy, Clare Waight Keller will be in charge of the creative duties pertaining to the brand’s womenswear and menswear ready-to-wear collections, accessories, and haute couture.
Phillippe Fortunato, Givenchy’s CEO released a statement in which he announced Waight Keller and gave her a warm welcome into the brand’s “family” on behalf of the whole team.
“I am very excited to see Clare bring her singular sense of elegance and modernity to Givenchy,” Fortunato said. “By exploring out mason’s 65-year heritage and the outstanding savoir faire of its ateliers, I am convinced Clare will help Givenchy reach its full potential.”
The position opened up after former-artistic-director Riccardo Tisci left the label after he showed his fall 2017 menswear and spring 2017 haute couture combination runway show. It has been speculated that he left for Versace, but there has been no official appointment since his Givenchy departure. Those associated with the LVMH Group-owned Givenchy are happy to see who has taken over the position.
“I believe her widespread expertise and vision will allow Givenchy to enter the next phase of its unique path,” said LVMH chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault during the same statement.
Waight Keller used to be the creative director for Chloé, and now is moving on to be the first female leader within Givenchy. There have been many great men to run the show ” John Galliano and Alexander McQueen, just to name two ” so this changeup will certainly bring a new age for the fashion house.
She has a much more bohemian, sporty aesthetic, whereas Tisci’s was all about being racy and provocative. Waight Keller proved her design sensibilities to be high fashion during her time with Chloé, where her six-year tenure showed a growing and bursting social media presence, great turnouts for her runway shows, and a series of fabulous handbags that hit the markets running.
“Hubert de Givenchy’s confident style has always been an inspiration, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this legendary house’s history,” Waight Keller said. “I look forward to working with the teams and writing a new chapter in this beautiful story.”
Waight Keller will officially begin her new position on May 2, 2017, and her first Givenchy collection will be shown in October for Paris Fashion Week’s spring 2018 schedule.
Photo courtesy of @givenchyofficial


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More jams, local fruits sauces, flours, gluten free biscuits, artisan beers have entered or increased their presence in the racks of local supermarkets.
Part of this is due, according to the intendant of zone 8 of the Superintendency of Market Power Control, Juan Carlos Jacome, to current regulations in force since 2014 that promote the incorporation of local products of small and medium enterprises in the supermarkets.
This is contained in the Manual of Good Practice for supermarkets, which in 2015 added the Regulatory Standards for these chains and their suppliers.
According to Jacome, since the Manual of Good Practices governs until 2015, new national companies grossed an estimated of $ 293 million in sales to supermarkets in the country.
This is because the manual established that supermarkets must gradually place in their hangers more products from small businesses. So, by the end of 2016, chains shall allocate 7% of their annual purchases to companies with sales up to $ 50,000. And this shall surpass an 11% in 2017.
Rolando Carrion, sales representative for Deli Natura admits that the legislation has helped the company to have more presence in hangers. Being a traditional company, it managed to sell between 18% and 20% more in two years.
He adds that one of the biggest benefits is that the standard requires that companies with a turnover of up to $ 50,000 are paid within 15 days maximum. Supermarkets could pay the bills after 60 days before.


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BWPA/Hawkins Wright symposium on Nov. 8 during London Pulp Week to address fine paper, tissue trends worldwide, pulp and paper trends in China, along with global market pulp, economic outlooks
October 9, 2012
(Industry Intelligence Inc.)
– The thirteenth annual London Pulp Week symposium hosted by the British Wood Pulp Association and Hawkins Wright Ltd. is set for Nov. 8 at Savoy Place in London.
The speakers will discuss matters of particular interest to the market pulp industry.
The speakers at this year’s Symposium and their topics are:
• Economics Professor Andrea Boltho, Oxford University, who last addressed the symposium in 2010 - The global economic outlook
• Julian Ingram, Executive Vice-President, McCann Worldgroup Europe - The advertiser's view
• Emanuele Bona, Director General, Euro-Graph; Vice-President Europe, Pulp and Paper Products Council (PPPC) - Trends in fine paper and tissue
• Haidong Weng, Head of Strategic Initiative, Paper and Pulp of trading and logistics business Xiamen C&D Corporation - Chinese pulp and paper trends
• Tom Wright, Hawkins Wright - The outlook for market pulp
London Pulp Week, which draws pulp sellers and buyers and others involved in the industry, begins on Nov. 4.
To register for the symposium, contact Amanda Marcus at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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India by storm is about to get even better. The student and education-based government subsidized tablet might soon become free for students, instead of the current $35 price tag they are paying today. This would be a huge move and would see sales skyrocket -- although it's been widely popular already.
local equivalent of $35 to students and teachers. The original has reportedly sold over a million units. Now there's a slightly improved commercial version available, going by the name "Ubislate 7+" (though the original device had so many codenames and monikers that it might not be the final or only one). The new model gets a modest bump in specs and runs Gingerbread as well.
Aakash Android tablet, bringing its student price down to a mere $35. The question on hardware junkies' minds is, is the experience on such a low-grade device acceptable at all? VentureBeat smuggled one of the tablets out and put together a hands-on, and surprisingly, the Aakash came away with a pretty solid showing.
$45 to the general public, with subsidized $35 versions selling to students and teachers. In local currency it's about 1,700 Rupees. The basic tablet is being made by budget manufacturer DataWind.
Ratnagiri India beach or is behind the lens of the camera taking the photo.


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It’s no secret to Columbia Sportwear CEO Tim Boyle and Prana CEO Scott Kerslake.
When the $190 million deal was announced for the former’s company to buy latter, there was some head scratching in the in the industry along with plenty of consumer worry — we won’t mince words — that yet another small, progressive brand had been gobbled up by a big corporate overlord.
Boyle and Kerslake told SNEWS they were very aware of those sentiments from day one of discussing a deal in early 2014.
“I told them [Prana],” Boyle said, “we don’t need another Columbia. Frankly, we need them to be very different from us. They talk to a completely different customer than ours.”
And this isn’t one of those deals where you’ll see Prana’s existing management slowly walk out the door during some “transition period,” Boyle and Kerslake promised.
“We bought Prana for the quality of management,” Boyle said. “We don’t want a distraction of having to fix or rebuild a brand. We need them to run it as they have been running it.”
Prana’s management grew the brand on a 30 percent annual basis from 2010 to 2013, officials said.
While Prana co-founders Beaver and Pam Theodosakis, who were part of the ownership team that sold to Columbia, are stepping away from day-to-day operations, they don’t plan to go very far. There’s talk of the couple heading up a Prana Foundation to handle the non-profit side of the business.
Beyond those tweaks, the ship is steady, Kerslake said, who has led the Prana since 2010.
“I can honestly tell you that I haven’t even contemplated leaving,” he said. “I’m excited about the fit. This is the future path for me. Tim told me, repeatedly, ‘if you’re not in, we’re not in — it’s all about the people.”
Of course, most anyone who’s ever been part of an acquisition in any industry has heard all this before. Smaller, fast-growing brands can sometimes slow their gains under a larger parent — profits are shuffled, changes are made and people leave. One could argue that reality hit Columbia’s other acquisitions at Mountain Hardwear and Montrail.
Then again, from Kerslake’s perspective, there’s another possibility — that Prana will help Columbia evolve into a better company, one that he was surprised to find already heading the right direction.
“Larger companies are all very different, and what we discovered about Columbia is that it is a very values-oriented company from a community and workers’ conditions standpoint,” Kerslake said. “They are very humble about it and it isn’t publicized. A lot of people on the outside don’t realize what Columbia is like on the inside.”
A point to note here, Columbia wasn’t Prana’s only suitor — there was a mix of other outdoor brands and financial companies in play for the deal — but Prana chose Columbia.
Prana can help Columbia expand that above-mentioned drive to do good on the sustainable front, Kerslake said, while taking advantage of its soon-to-be parent company’s global reach to spread its gospel worldwide.
“It’s pretty clear that Prana stands for more than just hocking clothes,” Kerslake said. “People are getting much smarter about not only their health, but the origin of their clothes. They’re making purchase decisions because of it. I think Tim is very aware of that … he sees it as a trend. Collectively, we can make a bigger impact.”
The deal makes business sense too, Boyle and Kerslake said — the reasons you heard of all last week.
>>Prana will help Columbia balance its winter/outwear dependency with more spring/summer climbing and yoga lifestyle lines, along with a customer base that dominated by women, versus Columbia, Mountain Hardwear and Montrail’s largely male audience.
>> Columbia will bring funding, logistics, buying power and international sales to Prana, the latter of which accounts for less than 5 percent of Prana’s current sales. For retailers, Columbia will also help Prana increase its visibility in stores with more shop-in-shop and display investments, Kerslake said.
SNEWS asked Boyle whether Columbia might have Prana give up its independent rep force in favor of Columbia’s in-house team.
“That’s up to Scott,” Boyle replied. “I wouldn’t think so … we’re leaving those kind of management decisions up to them.”


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This afternoon, Yves Saint Laurent‘s official Twitter account tweet-smacked all of the blogs that have reported that Stefano Pilati is leaving the French fashion house with this message: “From YSL HQ in Paris… Pilati busy working on the next collection. All the rumors unfounded – he is here to stay.”
The brand tweeted at a selection of blogs that have published stories suggesting that Hedi Slimane would replace Pilati in the coming months. Some of those blogs cited insider information, which we have no choice to believe must have been faulty.
We reported that the rumors were in the ether: many wrote that a track record of low sales and low acclaim had forced the top brass at YSL to consider ending Pilati’s contract. This was seemingly supported by the recent departure of CEO Valerie Hermann. But a recent spike in sales at the brand would seem to dispel any concerns for Pilati’s job security.
There was also the idea floating around that when Slimane took over, he’d hire Carine Roitfeld as a collaborator. Her other option in this version of future events is starting a Paris edition of Harper’s Bazaar, but that idea seems pretty unlikely, too.
At the end of the day, everyone seems to be staying where they are. And what have we learned? Be careful what you post.


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But "with opportunity comes hurdles," says Shushmul Maheshwari, head of New Delhi-based market-research company RNCOS. Nowhere is that more true than in India, where poor infrastructure and bureaucracy can combine to thwart even the best-laid plans. When Reliance, which has interests in oil and petrochemicals and opened its first retail store only last November, began exploring the possibility of a nationwide chain of grocery storesit wants to open 2,000 by next Aprilit quickly realized that it would need to build its own distribution network almost from scratch. "If we are putting up a pan-Indian business in terms of the front end, then we needed to put up a pan-Indian business in terms of the procurement," says Sanjeev Asthana, president of Reliance's agri-and-food supply chain. Because profit margins are thin in the grocery business, shipping delays and spoiled merchandise can be harmful to the bottom line. "You cannot afford to have an unreliable supply," says Asthana.
In India, that means investing in systems that retailers take for granted in other countries. To ensure refrigeration units keep humming during the country's frequent power outages, Reliance is installing diesel generators not only in all its shops but also at its rural collection hubs, where farmers bring their produce, and at its processing centers, which usually sit on the outskirts of a city. A reliable supply of safe water in which to wash fruits and vegetables is also a basic necessity. Because city water often runs dry and can carry dangerous bacteria, Reliance has installed reverse-osmosis machines at its processing centers to clean the local water supply. Reliance says it will invest $6 billion in retail over the next few years, with some 60-70% of that going to its distribution network. "It's the cost of providing clean, safe food to consumers," says Gunender Kapur, head of Reliance's foods business.
Transport is also a challenge. India's government is pouring billions of dollars into its highway system, but thanks to a swelling middle class and booming car sales, the roads are filling up faster than they can be built. For now, Reliance plans to buy mostly from farmers located within a couple of hours of major cities to shorten transport times. The company will build up its own fleet of trucks, but will also outsource some of its transport needs. Eventually, trucks will be fitted with radio or satellite transmitters that will allow a central control room to track locations and cargoa far cry from the bullock carts and rusty trucks that currently link producers and customers. Still, even the fanciest trucks must slow for bureaucracy. The country's 35 states and territories run separate tax and duty systems. To get from Bangalore to Hyderabad, about 550 km away, for example, the driving time is about 16 hours, but stops at border and tax-inspection checkpoints add two to three hours to the trip.
There are other headaches. Reliance wants to start selling meat but will have to set up a completely independent supply chain so as not to offend vegetarians, who make up almost half of all Indians. Everything, from delivery vehicles to doors leading to meat and produce sections at individual stores, will be segregated. Because mass merchandizing is so new in India, there is also a dearth of experienced managers. Companies have had to lure Indians home from the U.S., the Gulf and Europe. Reliance says it has more than 100 returnees now working for it.
The goal, says Reliance's Asthana, is to "ultimately have the ability to link up all the country's markets in a ... seamless supply chain. That will reduce wastage, give the farmers more money and consumers better quality produce." But building the infrastructure may be the easy part. Convincing government and those invested in the old system that it's time for a change is still a major struggle. While the national coalition government in New Delhi says it is committed to reform as a way of helping farmers boost their incomes, its left-wing members are horrified by the prospect of a flood of organized retail outlets putting mom-and-pop stores out of business. Wal-Mart, which has tied up with Bharti to set up a chain of retail stores to take on Reliance, has drawn protests, including a demonstration last February in which a generic Wal-Mart executive was burned in effigy, even before the opening of the first store. (Wal-Mart said it would not comment for this story.) Earlier this month, thousands of vegetable-selling middlemen in Ranchi, a city in eastern India, attacked three recently opened Reliance stores, which they say are putting them out of business. "We are being strangled by the capitalists," one of the protesters told a local newspaper. "After Reliance began to pay the farmers more, we also now have to pay more. But our sales have dipped as customers are being lured by air-conditioned shops." In the nearby state of West Bengal, the government is likely to block licenses that would allow Reliance and Metro Cash & Carry to deal with farmers directly. "We will not allow anyone to disturb the [existing] chain," says Naren Chatterjee, chairman of West Bengal's State Marketing Board.
But the new retailers argue that farmers, consumers and governments will benefit from the competition. "By structuring and organizing the trade, by getting more Reliances and Wal-Marts or Bhartis or otherwise, the government revenue is only going to go up because the corporates will pay taxes, they will not hide taxes," says Reliance's Asthana, who points to studies estimating that mandis regularly underreport their trade by up to 50% to avoid government levies.
Expect more protests, and further political wafflingespecially on the issue of foreign chains investing in Indiaeven as the benefits of the revolution become apparent to ordinary consumers. Reliance says it has cut spoilage and wastage in places like Bangalore to less than 5%. The federal government is contemplating the introduction of a single nationwide sales tax that would replace state taxes complicating distribution. It is also now talking about building its own massive cold-storage facilities outside major cities such as New Delhi to spur the transition to a more efficient supply chain. While middlemen may be feeling the pinch, farmers selling to Reliance say they're happy to be paid in cash as soon as they hand over their goods. "We were dealing with thieves who always used to cheat us," says Karnataka grape farmer Veeranna Gowda. "But we Indians believe in rebirth and because of good things I've done in the past, I am now benefiting." Reliance hopes all Indians will soon share that sentiment.


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In the wake of coronavirus, there are many organizations that have reduced operations and gave a pause to their recruitment process. However, the hiring trends for specific job roles haven’t seen the pandemic influence, meanwhile.
There are certain organizations specifically hiring for freshers and interns with their new digital onboarding process. Recently, IT consulting company ‘Capgemini’ which has over half its global employee base in India, onboarded employees digitally with 2,000 fresher candidates. They looked over for developing technologies like artificial intelligence, analytics and machine learning. In addition, HCL technologies CEO said ‘IT Company is expected to get 15,000 freshers onboard in 2020.’
By looking at the above facts, it is clear that the demand for IT job positions will soar in fields like:
- Data Analytics
- Machine Learning
- Artificial Intelligence
Technology jobs increased by an overall of 31% during the period of February 2014 to February 2019, while the job searches for these roles during the same period increased by 8%.
On the other side, e-commerce in India is growing extensively in terms of employment and process operations. Currently, India’s e-commerce market accounts for 3.4% of the overall retail market with an online GMV of $30 billion. There is increasing mobile and internet penetration with improved payment and logistics process. Therefore, demands for more employees will grow over a period of time, focusing more on e-retail. Some of the trending job positions in e-commerce are;
- Web designer
- Content developer
- E-commerce project manager
- Product Manager
Similarly, if we talk about the healthcare industry, India is expected to rank amongst the top three healthcare markets in India by 2020. The industry will employ 319,789 employees, being the fourth largest employer in India. The sector is expected to highlight over 100,000 jobs created by Ayushman Bharat, the national health protection scheme.
Therefore, the demand for healthcare jobs will increase in India. Some of the job positions which can be trending are:
- Physician assistants
- Health finance planner,
- Home Health Aid,
- Physical therapists
- Genetic counsellor.
There exist both full time and part-time opportunities for graduates, and with every process going digital, organizations are focusing more on recruiting freshers with new innovative ideas and a fresh mindset. If you are looking for a job in a particular industry, apply for the jobs on various portals online. Keep your online presence updated and apply for jobs daily.


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Check out the on-demand sessions from the Low-Code/No-Code Summit to learn how to successfully innovate and achieve efficiency by upskilling and scaling citizen developers. Watch now.
The surveillance age is here, and it’s tough not to feel a bit helpless about it.
With cameras pinned to buildings, embedded in smartphones, and floating in the sky, it’s impossible to imagine going outside and not being photographed at every turn. And the rise of Google Glass will only make it worse.
But perhaps we shouldn’t surrender quite so easily. As the New York Times points out, researchers are already working on so-called stealth clothing that offers a variety of ways to combat unwanted surveillance and photography. One solution, developed by School of Visual Arts design professor Adam Harvey, is Stealth Wear, clothing that foils drones by suppressing the wearer’s heat signature.
Devices like Google Glass are core to the wearables trend, which is hitting big this year. We’ll be debating the future of wearables at our big MobileBeat event in San Francisco next week. Buy your ticket now!
“Collectively, Stealth Wear is a vision for fashion that addresses the rise of surveillance, the power of those who surveil, and the growing need to exert control over what we are slowly losing, our privacy,” Harvey writes on his website.
Another, probably more practical, solution is Harvey’s Camoflash, an “anti-paparazzi fashion accessory” that emits its own flash when it detects the flash of paparazzi cameras. The idea, while certainly an attractive one for celebrities, could one day be bad news for the likes of celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton, who is well-known for his annotated paparazzi shots. (“We’re not happy about this,” Hilton wrote back in 2009, mostly facetiously.)
A similar anti-camera approach comes from researchers at Japan’s National Institute of Informatics, who are working on a visor that foils camera sensors and facial recognition via a face-blurring light.
If these concepts prove anything, it’s that the only defense against technology-enabled surveillance (besides never going outside) is technology itself. Hate the idea of Google Glass owners photographing your face in the street? Wear a pair of anti-Google Glass sunglasses. Uncomfortable with drones scanning your thermal signature from thousands of feet in the air? Wear an anti-drone hoodie.
Perhaps privacy isn’t dead just yet after all.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Discover our Briefings.


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Since its launch, Reliance Jio 4G VoLTE phone has created a buzz all across India and the world. Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani shocked everyone when he announced that the new Jio phone will be available at an effective price of Rs 0. However, Jio users will have to pay Rs 1500 as security deposit for the first three years, which they can get back by returning the phone (if they wish to) after the mentioned period.
The pre-booking of the phone will commence from August 24 and its shipment will start from the first week of September. However, the company will give out its phone for user testing (beta) from August 15. Reliance Jio has arranged online facility for its customers to book the phone.
ALSO READ: For JioPhone booking Reliance comes up with 'Keep Me Posted' facility
How to book Jio Phone online:
In order to make it easy for their customers, Reliance Jio has come up with a "Keep me posted" link on its website for the bookings. Users need to fill their details (name, email and phone number) on the website to initiate the process.
Once the process is done, an email notification will be followed to the given email address by "Team Jio" stating, "As we are in the process of fulfilling existing demand, we will contact you at the earliest for booking your slot."
Mukesh Ambani on Friday announced the launch of a 4G-enabled feature phone priced at “effective” zero that bundles life-long free voice calls with dirt cheap data in a bid to woo 50 crore low-income users to his 10-month old Jio.


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updated 12:15 pm EST, Wed January 24, 2007
Needham: Apple on track
Apple is on the right track to lure curious Windows users into its Mac camp, according to Needham & Co. analyst Charles Wolf. "The Apple Stores were originally conceived to provide Macintosh users with a shopping experience that was superior to what they found in computer and consumer electronics chains," Wolf said. "As store traffic swelled, Apple discovered it had an opportunity to attract Windows users to the Mac platform as well." The analyst points to iLife, Apple's suite of digital content applications for managing music, photos, and more as the initial lure for non-Mac users. "The iPod and iPod accessories subsequently became a potent combination in the seduction," Wolf added. Apple reported a lower than expected figure for visitors per retail store, down 18 percent from the previous period. Wolf believes the 18 percent drop is a result of the Cupertino-based company's higher store count, as the company reported a record 28 million store visitors in spite of declines in its per-store figures.
"The decline in same-store sales solely reflected a sharp decline in iPod sales," the analyst wrote in a research note obtained by MacNN. "Last year, the Apple Stores were the only reliable source for iPods. This year, iPods were available in 40,000 locations, mostly in the U.S. There was an inevitable decline in iPod sales at the Apple Stores, then, because of the rapid expansion of the iPod's distribution."
Apple's same-store Mac revenues increased 25 percent over the same period, which failed to offset a 38 percent decline in non-Mac revenues. Mac sales represented 47 percent of total store sales in December, a 17 percent rise over its 30 percent figure a year ago.
"The stores are shifting their strategic focus," said Wolf. "Their key priority is to convert Windows users to the Mac and grow Mac sales. This spring, Apple will introduce Mac OS 10.5. Boot Camp, a key component in 10.5, will enable Mac to run both Windows and Mac applications. We expect the stores to play a pivotal role in educating the hoards of Windows users visiting the stores about this feature."
Apple retail stores will also likely play an important role in signing up customers for Apple's forthcoming iPhone -- slated to ship in June -- alongside Cingular carrier stores which will also sell the multimedia device.


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Xiaomi has finally announced its recently leaked Mi A1 device in India in partnership with Google, which is the company’s first Android One smartphone. At an event held in Delhi, Xiaomi revealed that its latest Android phone will be among the first to receive Android 8.0 Oreo update this year. Also, being on Android One means the Mi A1 is on Google list of device that’ll receive update for two consecutive years, this auto qualifies it for Android P update when it launch.
The Mi A1 doesn’t have all the bells-and-whistles of MIUI as it runs a stock Android 7.1.2 Nougat OS out-of-the-box. It is clad in a metal unibody that is 7.3mm thick, weighing 165 grams. In terms of specifications, it features a 5.5-inch LTPS 2.5D curved display with full-HD (1920×1080) resolution, 1000:1 contrast ratio and 450 nits brightness, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass.
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Under the hood is an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor running at a speed of 2.0GHz, paired with 4GB of RAM and Adreno 506 GPU. There is a 64GB of storage inside that users can expand up to 128GB via MicroSD slot provided, which also acts as a SIM slot and can accommodate a Nano SIM card if an user is contended with the phone built-in storage. A secondary Micro SIM slot is provided as well.
Moving on, the Mi A1 sports dual 12-megapixel rear-facing wide-angle camera lenses, the first (primary) touting an f/2.2 aperture, while the secondary one has a telephoto lens and f/2.4 aperture for depth of view, background blur and other effects. A 5-megapixel camera is equipped at the front for taking selfie.
The phone has a fingerprint sensor at the back for smart security and it also comes with an Infrared sensor, which can be use with a remote control app to operate home electronic appliances. It offers Bluetooth 4.2, WiFi 802.11ac (dual band), 4G VoLTE, 3G, 2G, GPS + GLONASS, and USB Type-C as connectivity options and is backed by a 3080mAh/3000mAh battery.
Painted in Black, Rose Gold and Gold colors, the Mi A1 will be available at online (FlipKart, Mi Store) and offline stores across India starting September 12th at a price of Rs 14,999 ($225).
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A U.S. appeals court has upheld a judgement against Apple worth $440 million, reports Reuters. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit denied the iPhone-maker’s request to throw out the 2016 jury verdict, which found it guilty of infringing on patents belonging to VirnetX.
As a result of the eighth year of contentious legal battles between Apple and VirnetX Holding Corp. involving iMessage, FaceTime and VPN on Demand technologies, the iPhone maker has been ordered by a jury in Texas to pay the notorious patent troll more than half a billion buckaroos.
A jury has ordered Apple to pay $302.4 million to VirnetX Holding Corp over using its patented virtual private networking protocols in FaceTime and iMessage on the iPhone, iPad and Mac. The case will now go to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington DC before VirnetX sees any payout, Reuters and Bloomberg reported today.
In February 2016, a federal jury ordered that Apple pay $625 million to VirnetX Holding Corp after being found guilty of willfully infringing on technologies found in VirnetX’s patents related to virtual private networking protocols. Friday, the judge voided that ruling after determining that the case should be revisited, CNBC reports. VirnetX alleges that its patented technology is used in FaceTime and iMessage on the iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Apple has been ordered by a federal jury in east Texas to pay $625 million for patent infringement, Reuters reported late Wednesday. The jury found the iPhone maker guilty of using VirnetX’s security technology without its permission.
More specifically, Apple was found guilty of willfully infringing on technology found in VirnetX Holding Corp’s patents related to virtual private networking protocols, which Apple uses in its FaceTime and iMessage apps on iPhone and iPad.
Patent holding firm VirnetX yesterday told a federal jury that Apple should be slapped with a $532 million fine over an alleged patent infringement pertaining to FaceTime, iMessage and VPN technologies used in its products, which is nearly 45 percent higher than an initial damages award vacated last year.
According to Bloomberg, the notorious patent troll “keeps moving the boundary, asking for more and more and more,” said Apple’s lawyer.
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today denied five petitions for so-called inter partes review filed by Apple, which sought to challenged the validity of certain claims of three of VirnetX’s U.S. patents at stake.
The patent board has determined that the five petitions were not filed within the time limit imposed by the statute and therefore has declined to institute review of these claims between the parties involved.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit tossed out a verdict today handed down by a Texas jury in late 2012 that would’ve forced Apple to pay $368 million to patent holding firm VirnetX. The jury determined that Apple’s FaceTime feature infringed on on the firm’s intellectual property.
The Wall Street Journal reports this afternoon that the appeals court has ruled that the verdict was “tainted” by erroneous jury instructions in the case and therefore is invalid. It also held that some trial testimony from a VirnetX IP “expert” should have been completely excluded from the case.
In March, U.S. District Judge for Eastern Texas Leonard Davis awarded patent holding firm VirnetX with an ongoing 0.98% royalty on iPhone and iPad revenues. Apple has been fighting vigorously to avoid that outcome, but its last-ditch efforts have been unsuccessful. On Friday, the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board denied a creative strategy that Apple used to challenge the patents…
If you’re not familiar with the name VirnetX, you should be. The Internet security software and technology company (also known as a patent troll) has filed a patent infringement suit against every major tech company in the business, including Apple.
In fact, last fall Apple was ordered to pay VirnetX a staggering $368 million after a Texas jury found the iPad-maker guilty of infringing on its IP. And the battle is far from over, as the security firm just announced that it’s been awarded two new patents…


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Ford has announced the inclusion of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to its SYNC 3 infotainment system. Set to be debuted at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the system also adds a host of other features including the new SYNC Connect technology.
Compatible with the iPhone 5 and later models, the Apple CarPlay seamlessly integrates an iPhone with the car’s built-in display and controls via USB. It features Siri voice control, which will allow users to to make phone calls, access music, send and receive messages, get directions and others without having to take their eyes off the road.
On the other hand, the Android Auto is available for users of Android devices 5.0 and higher. It enables users to access plenty of Google-based functions including voice search, maps and music playback through the use of steering wheel controls and touch screen.
The new SYNC Connect technology powered by 4G LTE gives owners the ability to remotely access features of their car – they can now program a remote start, unlock doors, check fuel level or even locate a parked vehicle via their smartphone.
In addition, apps using available vehicle information such as GPS location and mileage will be available this year under the AppLink. The apps include American Automobile Association (AAA) member services (or CAA for Canada), Concur business trip data logger, and Tencent Chelian, which allows users to access China’s most popular social media platform, QQ’s messaging app, as well as music, real-time traffic conditions and streaming radio.
Not only that, those looking to spend the night out can use Eventseeker and Cityseeker, both of which will use data from the GPS to help users find the best events, restaurants, nightlife and other attractions in more than 500 cities worldwide.
The update will be available in North America on all 2017 vehicles equipped with SYNC 3, starting with the all-new Escape. Owners of 2016 model year vehicles will be able to get their hands on the latest infotainment at some point later this year.
SYNC Brings New AppLink Apps to Millions of Customers,Adds Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, 4G LTE to New Vehicles
• Ford SYNC® report tracking and Eventseeker to find nearby music and other entertainment
• Apple CarPlay added to SYNC, giving iPhone users access to Maps, Messages, Phone and Music through Siri voice control or touch screen
• Android AutoTM enables easier and safer access to Google voice search, Google Maps, Google Play Music and more via steering wheel controls and touch screen
• New SYNC Connect technology powered by 4G LTE enables remote start, unlock doors, check fuel level and locate a parked vehicle via smartphone
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 4, 2016 – Ford is expanding its SYNC® connectivity system, adding Apple CarPlay, Android AutoTM, 4G LTE and several new AppLinkTM apps to help millions of consumers stay connected behind the wheel and even when they are away from their cars.
“SYNC allows customers to bring the smartphone technology they’re comfortable with into a vehicle and use it without hassle,” said Don Butler, Ford executive director, Connected Vehicle and Services. “With SYNC, we move at our customers’ pace – making it easy for them to maintain a connected lifestyle no matter their choice of smartphone, apps or services inside and outside their vehicle.”
With more than 15 million SYNC-equipped vehicles on roads around the world today and 43 million expected by 2020, Ford’s industry-leading communications and entertainment technology is offering customers even more connectivity. Connectivity is one part of Ford Smart Mobility, the plan to take the company to the next level in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experience, and data and analytics.
Starting this year, owners of SYNC 3-equipped vehicles will have more choice in how they access their smartphones in the car. iPhone users can activate Apple CarPlay, and Android users can activate Android Auto, two interfaces built specifically for those types of smartphones.
In addition, new SYNC Connect technology powered by 4G LTE gives owners the ability to remotely access features of their car. Owners can program a remote start, unlock doors, check fuel level or locate a parked vehicle via their smartphone.
In North America, Ford is making Apple CarPlay and Android Auto available on all 2017 vehicles equipped with SYNC 3, starting with the all-new Ford Escape. Owners of 2016 vehicles equipped with SYNC 3 will have an opportunity to upgrade later in the year.
SYNC Connect technology expands globally, reaching more than 20 million customers by 2020.
Take your apps with you
With AppLink – the SYNC feature enabling drivers to voice-control smartphone apps from the driver’s seat – Ford is making it even easier to create unique, personalized experiences.
The first apps using available vehicle information such as GPS location and mileage will be available this year, taking the in-car app experience to a more personal and customized level.
• AAA/CAA: The app for AAA members in the U.S. and CAA members in Canada uses vehicle GPS data to allow users to access fuel prices, locate fueling stations and use the Here2there route planning feature, which includes traffic, on the move
• Concur: Upon starting a Ford vehicle, Concur users receive a prompt asking if they want to log a business trip. The app then starts clocking mileage from the odometer using vehicle data. Each time the car is turned off, this constitutes one trip recorded in the Trace Trip Journal. At the end of the day, the journal is complete, and the driver is prompted to reconcile the day’s trips
• Eventseeker: Users can discover events from behind the wheel that fit their interest profile based on vehicle location data, finding out more about artists playing nearby, wherever they travel in their Ford vehicle
• Cityseeker: Vehicle GPS data brings the best restaurants, nightlife and other attractions in more than 500 cities worldwide directly to the driver
• Tencent Chelian: Drivers can access China’s most popular social media platform, QQ’s messaging app, as well as music, real-time traffic conditions and streaming radio
Ford is further enhancing AppLink capabilities for developers. A new Send Location feature allows an app to integrate directly with the vehicle navigation system to provide seamless operation without the user having to touch his or her phone.
Debuting on Glympse, the vehicle automatically recognizes if a driver is actively sharing the real-time location via the app. SYNC AppLink will ask if the driver would like to be routed to that destination. The driver can then press Yes to start turn-by-turn navigation.
Apple CarPlay is compatible with iPhone 5 and later models. It works by plugging in the iPhone via USB, then the CarPlay interface appears on the touch screen. Apple CarPlay features Siri voice control, and seamlessly integrates an iPhone with the car’s built-in display and controls.
The integration makes it easy to make phone calls, access music, send and receive messages, get directions optimized for traffic conditions and other features – all while keeping your eyes on the road.
Users of Android devices 5.0 and higher can bring their smartphone experience into their vehicle safely and easily. Convenient information, including Google Maps, Google Play Music and apps are projected onto the SYNC screen, offering seamless integration of the smartphone into the car. Google voice search answers any questions customers may have also while on the road.
SYNC: Nearly a decade of connectivity leadership
Ford SYNC is the world’s leading in-car entertainment and communications system, with more than 15 million vehicles on the road worldwide.
Launched in 2007, Ford SYNC was the industry’s first system to widely and most affordably offer voice-activated technology to control smartphones. The latest-generation system – SYNC 3 – features all-new hardware and software for faster performance, more conversational voice recognition, a smartphone-like touch screen, and easier-to-understand graphical interface for a growing number of Ford vehicles in North America.


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General Motors shocked what has been an anemic industry with an ugly projected outlook for 2019 when it came out Friday morning and not only stated that its 2018 earnings were going to exceed expectations, but also that its guidance for 2019 is better than it had already anticipated.
GM shares jumped over 9% on the company announcing it expected to report 2018 adjusted earnings of between $5.80 and $6.20 a share and adjusted automotive free cash flow of $4 billion.
Even stranger, the company’s CEO, Mary Barra, stated that strong sales in China were acting as a catalyst for the company. On Wednesday we reported that China
This post is from ZeroHedge. We encourage our readers to continue reading the full article from the original source here.


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Church Street Station’s foreclosure issues have become too much for Brick & Fire Pizza and Wine Co.
On its Web site, the restaurant said it’s closing its doors at Church Street Station Nov. 15 to move into a new freestanding building on South Orange Avenue, across the street from Orlando Regional Medical Center.
Brick & Fire will open in its new location by mid-December, said Chef Mark Dollard.
Deck the mall
The Florida Mall, owned by Simon Property Group Inc. (NYSE: SPG), invested more than $100,000 in new soft seating and carpeting for eight areas in the mall, including one in front of the popular Apple Store.
The mall also launched FedEx shipping at guest service, so shoppers don’t have to leave the mall to send gifts. In addition, the mall offers free valet parking to anyone with four or more people in their vehicle.
Also look for free samples of food from California Pizza Kitchen and Buca di Beppo on the weekends.
Eyes on the road
The areas may be separated by more than 50 miles, but a video monitoring system installed in rural areas along Interstate 95 may improve the Interstate 4 commute.
The Florida Department of Transportation has switched to automated video monitoring of sections of I-95, freeing up workers to concentrate on monitoring traffic in downtown Orlando.
Five workers in a regional center watch over more than 500 miles of interstate, toll roads and other major roads in Central Florida.


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Updated: 6:20 pm
TORONTO — Telus Corp.’s head of technology said Tuesday the mobile giant is rebranding its wireless network as “4G” as it ramps up the nationwide system’s speeds.
“It is in fact a 4G network,” Eros Spadotto, executive vice-president of technology strategy, told reporters at the company’s Toronto offices.
The claim — the first among Canada’s incumbent operators — is based on larger operators such as T-Mobile in the United States marketing their networks as being capable of delivering super high-speed mobile data associated with next-generation technology.
Telus, as well as chief rivals Rogers Communications Inc and BCE Inc.’s Bell Mobility, run a so-called HSPA+ wireless network commonly called 3.5G until very recently.
T-mobile began using the claim as a marketing tool late last year after an international standards body ruled the speeds offered by HSPA+ are comparable to 4G or “fourth-generation” rates, touted to deliver mobile broadband superior to most desktop connections today.
Mr. Spadotto said the first devices, mobile data sticks that attach to laptops, will be in market next month. Between five and 10 smartphones will be available by the end of the year.
Telus is touting its existing network as 4G, but is in the process of ramping up speeds to support higher transfer rates to new devices in major cities by year-end, he said.
Bell already sells a higher-tiered mobile stick, but has not labelled it 4G while it is only supported in Toronto’s core.
The announcement Tuesday underscores the competitive battles erupting between the country’s biggest carriers as each face a crowding market place filled with new competitors such as Wind Mobile and Vidéotron Ltée.
Telus likely hopes the new marketing approach combined with a fast improvement to so-called Dual Cell HSPA+ in certain markets will attract subscibers from Rogers and Bell while keeping higher-value smartphone users from leaving.
However, the boost may not last long, as Mr. Spadotto admits. “I expect the industry to follow,” he said.


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Aurora Labs has formed an equal joint venture with leading Australian mining services and engineering group, WorleyParsons, to provide 3D printing services to the oil and gas, mining and major infrastructure industries. This will allow the company to offer its innovate 3D printing technology and expertise to existing and new clients of WorleyParsons.
In a sign that the 3D printing market is coming of age, leading 3D technologist, Aurora Labs, has teamed up with giant engineering and mining services group, Worley Parsons, to form a 3D printing and consulting joint venture.
Finding the right partner is often the key to success for junior tech companies and Aurora Labs has locked down a partnership with about the best possible counterparty in the market place that has the capacity to quickly take its 3D printing technology to market.
The two companies have formed an equal joint venture to be known as “AdditiveNow,”in a nod to the fact that 3D printing technically “adds” metal to build up a product, whereas spare parts are usually built by taking metal away with lathes and milling machines.
The new JV will provide a complete suite of additive manufacturing, or 3D printing services to oil and gas, mining and major infrastructure clients.
It will also provide consulting services to major industrial clients who are looking to make the leap from traditional replacement part purchasing to “printing their own items courtesy of 3D printing technology.
The JV has the potential to be a company maker for Aurora Labs by throwing open the doors for its ground breaking 3D printing products to WorleyParsons’ extensive network of existing clients and industry contacts.
Amongst the services that AdditiveNow will provide are assisting clients with their 3D manufacturing plans, part designs, bespoke 3D printing and parts certification.
More specifically, the JV will examine potential clients’ most commonly used parts and create a custom computer file that will allow the client to print the part using Aurora’s 3D printers at a lower cost and with less downtime.
Parts certification will also provide clients with the certainty that the 3D printed components are fit-for-purpose.
The agreement with WorleyParsons comes just two months after Aurora signed a partnership agreement with Fortescue Metal Group to explore the possibility of using its 3D printing technology to reduce production and operational costs in the mining and resources sector.
This will be achieved by printing replacement mechanical parts on-site using its proprietary 3D printers.
Aurora Managing Director David Budge said: “As our technology comes to market, Aurora is optimistic that interest in 3D printing technology across these industries increase, and Aurora will follow any growth opportunities.”
“We have already identified and initiated discussions with specific customers for efficiency opportunities to reduce their capital committed to spare parts and inventory, potentially replacing aspects of traditional supply chain with 3D metal printing technology. This has the potential to result in reducing inventory holding costs, freight and manufacturing lead times.”
The company recently unveiled its multi-level Rapid Manufacturing Technology, which allows multiple layers of metal 3D parts to be printed in a single pass.
Whilst its current machines can print about 30 layers at a time, Aurora is aiming to churn out its full-sized machines that are capable of printing up to 100 layers at a time within the next 6 to 12 months.
This translates into the ability to produce a metre tall part in just 100 passes, which is a step change in the amount of time required to 3D print objects.
The same machine will also be capable of printing up to a tonne of metal product a day.
Management said previously that having the ability to print between 100 and 300 kilograms a day would rapidly reduce the amortisation cost of the machine, to the point where the primary cost of 3D printing will become the cost of the powder feedstock.
Aurora is also building processes to allow the download of certified part designs with DNV-GL, the world’s largest classification company.
This work dovetails neatly into its development of an online store for purchasing vetted digital designs to download directly to the printer for manufacturing.
The other major component of Aurora’s process is its proprietary powder production technology, which will not only allow the company to control the quality and cost of consumables, but also unlock the international powdered metals market that is potentially worth billions of dollars.
The company’s prototype powder production unit has already produced its first laboratory test scale powder that demonstrates very tight size distribution according to management.
Aurora is also aiming to build a full sized production unit capable of producing 5 tonnes of powder per day, a potential game changer for large industrial consumers and even manufacturers of spare parts.
Teaming up with WorleyParsons could well be the key for Aurora to get its innovative 3D printing technology in front of clients who will be able to use it to produce parts quickly and cost efficiently.
With its new machines capable of multi-level printing due to be available soon, the timing is spot on for Aurora as it moves into 2019.


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The fact that gun sales surged across the country during the last calendar year is no surprise. We've said a few different times that it was going to be a record breaking year, and it was. If my memory serves me correctly we broke the 2019 sales numbers, or at least the NICS checks conducted at some point in September.
And of course, September is just the start of the buying season. Gun sales continued to surge at a fast pace as we went into the holiday rush which is when the most guns are usually sold.
2020 crushed the previous record which was 2019. In 2019 there were over 28 million NICS background checks done, and in 2020 there were almost 40 million checks done. That's insane.
On one hand this is great news because many of the people buying guns were new gun buyers. Any time we can add new people to our cause is going to be a good thing.
On the other hand, it created a dilemma for those of us who have already owned guns, and that is that we couldn't find anything for ourselves. In looking for graphics for this phenomenon, I found something that was dated to May of 2020, but illustrates some of the things that I think are important for us to consider going forward.
From January to April, the NSSF's study found that more than 40% of the gun owners heading into gun shops to buy were first time gun buyers. And, the most-purchased gun by these new gun owners was a semi-auto pistol.
The ammunition sales were even higher as we all failed to be able to find enough ammo to feed our hungry guns.
And of course this brought forth some nasty rumors about the ammunition manufacturers. These rumors ranged from the companies were hording ammo and storing in their warehouses to they're only selling to the feds for gun confiscation so we couldn't fight back.
In reality, I think what is going on is that the companies couldn't keep up with all of the things that happened at the same time. We had a pandemic that scared the crap out of people, which in turn caused a massive rise in the amount of new gun owners, oh and this all happened in an election year.
Election years are already notoriously high buying times, and when added with the above things and the fact that we saw massive civil unrest across the country, it was a recipe for ammo sales (and prices) to skyrocket to heights we've never seen before.
The ammo manufacturers are, I think, doing the best they can with what they've got. Here is a message from the President of Federal, CCI (Blazer), Speer, and now also Remington explaining what is going on and how they're handling things:
So where do we go from here? What does 2021 have in store for us? Well, a couple of years ago when DJT was only a year or two into his presidency I said that you should go buy guns and ammo now while everything was cheap and plentiful and that it wouldn't last.
In that article I warned that at some point this honeymoon period of ours would be over as a new president would undoubtedly one day be elected.
And, unless you've been living under a rock it is, in fact, over. I didn't think it would be over so quickly, but barring some miracle, Biden and his plan to heavily regulate firearms and ammo is coming.
You should always continue to buy guns and ammo while the getting is good, and easy.
I obviously never saw the rest of the stuff, like the pandemic and civil unrest that last year would bring, but there are some things that I can say with relative certainty for not just this year, but the few that follow it.
First, guns and ammo will continue to be scarce going forward. Because of fear that civil unrest will continue to rise and that Biden will make an attempt to restrict guns in some way, guns and ammo will continue to get harder to find and will also continue to stay expensive. Ammo may or may not continue to go up in price, but it won't be coming down anytime soon.
And, it will continue to be hard to find.
How long will this last? I don't have a crystal ball, and question anybody who says they do have one. However, I don't see this thing ending at any point in the near future.
At this point in the game, it's my hope that you're sufficiently armed for the future. I hope you have what you'd consider to be enough guns and ammo. Then again, it never really is enough, is it?
Leave your thoughts on this mess in the comments below. Any predictions?
Read this next: Buy parts and other stuff, just in case.


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In a report released today, Christopher Howe from Barrington reiterated a Buy rating on Columbus Mckinnon (CMCO), with a price target of $50.00. The company’s shares closed last Monday at $35.06.
According to TipRanks.com, Howe is a 5-star analyst with an average return of 21.4% and a 52.9% success rate. Howe covers the Industrial Goods sector, focusing on stocks such as Woodward, Harsco, and Kadant.
Currently, the analyst consensus on Columbus Mckinnon is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $49.00.
See today’s analyst top recommended stocks >>
Based on Columbus Mckinnon’s latest earnings release for the quarter ending December 31, the company reported a quarterly net profit of $15.25 million. In comparison, last year the company had a GAAP net loss of $782K.
Based on the recent corporate insider activity of 121 insiders, corporate insider sentiment is negative on the stock. This means that over the past quarter there has been an increase of insiders selling their shares of CMCO in relation to earlier this year.
TipRanks has tracked 36,000 company insiders and found that a few of them are better than others when it comes to timing their transactions. See which 3 stocks are most likely to make moves following their insider activities.
Columbus McKinnon Corp. engages in the designing, manufacturing, and marketing of material handling products and systems. Its products include hoists, chain and rigging tools, digital power control and delivery systems, actuators and rotary unions, industrial cranes, and elevator application drive systems which are distributed through STAHL, Herc-Alloy, Magnetek, Duff-Norton, Pfaff, and other brands. The company was founded in 1875 and is headquartered in Getzville, NY.


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The deal can be announced as early as next week
The grandmothers in the story embody the collective who endured the same horrors.
So, who really runs the hilarious fan account?
Sonu Sood and his team helped Bengaluru Police in averting a major tragedy at a city hospital, saving the lives of many COVID-19 patients.
Watch: Sara Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor's new partner workout video; the actresses are giving major fitness goals
The duo posted an Instagram reels video in which they are seen working out together
Mahesh Babu, Salman Khan, and Prithviraj released the teaser of Adivi Sesh's Major
Dua is winning Grammys with her fashion
Tidal is a high-fidelity audio and video streaming service
Adivi Sesh's Major gets a release date. The makers announced that the biopic is scheduled for a July release.
VR support has been one of the FlightSim community's most-wanted features and it was initially expected to release this Autumn before a slight delay
Mahesh Babu releases the first look of Adivi Sesh's next - Major.
With Gmail, problems reported by users ranged from accessing website, logging and messages issues
Samsung's journey in India dates back to 1995, Since then, the South Korean giant has grown to become the country's largest mobile phone and consumer electronics company
On the death anniversary of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who was martyred in the 26/11 attacks, Mahesh Babu launches Adivi Sesh's test look from the biopic, Major.
In an interview given to a leading lifestyle magazine, the star revealed two red carpet looks that she felt most uncomfortable in.
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SAN FRANCISCO – April 7, 2016 – Kwilt, the maker of the Kwilt Personal Photo Platform, released today its latest version of KwiltKeys for iOS optimized for Facebook Messenger.
KwiltKeys, the first iOS personal photo keyboard, is now optimized for the popular Facebook Messenger platform, allowing users to share photos from any source including Facebook, Instagram, their mobile phone and many more, right within their chats.
“With 1B users, Facebook Messenger is the perfect chat platform to host the Kwilt photo stream” said Marc-Antoine Benglia, CEO of Kwilt Inc. “Today, one out of four chat messages includes a photo, only from the camera roll however. With KwiltKeys on Facebook Messenger, consumers can now illustrate their stories with way more photos stored anywhere. Finally, their photos from today or from the past form one cohesive and easily searchable photo stream”.
KwiltKeys for iOS optimized for Facebook Messenger is available immediately for free from the Apple App Store.
Founded in 2014 with offices in San Francisco, California, and Ottawa, Canada, Kwilt, an award-winning digital media solutions innovator, gives consumers direct access, on multiple platforms, to all their digital photos wherever they are stored—at home, on their mobile, in the cloud or on social networks in real-time through its unique photo platform. For more information, visit: www.kwilt.it.
Kwilt’s latest press releases and Media Kit can be found at kwilt.it/media.


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Honda to launch 30 EV models by 2030
Honda has unveiled a massive electrification plan, including a $40 billion (5 trillion yen) investment in developing its electric vehicles and software over the next decade.
The electrification plan of the Japanese automaker aims to release 30 EV models by the end of the decade and manufacture more than 2 million vehicles per year.
Electrification grabs the lion's share in the total budget for the same period, amounting to $64 billion (8 trillion yen). The Japanese automaker will spend the rest of the budget to conduct R&D in multiple areas, including space exploration, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and avatar robots.
The investment also includes an additional $80 million (10 billion yen) each year for startups to ease Honda's efforts to expand the business and provide combined solutions to customers.
Affordable EVs for the world
Under the recently announced partnership with GM, Honda will make use of the Ultium architecture and EV platform of its partner. Nevertheless, Honda is determined to design and build its EV architecture, integrated with software development.
Honda's ambition to sell affordable EVs has clearly benefited from the new collaboration and investments. The automaker plans to introduce a mini-EV model in Japan in 2024 for only $8,000 (1 million yen).
In the US, Honda plans to launch two SUV models, Prologue and Acura, developed in collaboration with GM and to be offered at a price similar to that of ICE vehicles. Honda will use GM's Ultium platform to produce EVs for a price tag around $30,000, while it appears to have the desire to develop its own architecture for other regions.
Expansion in China will also accelerate, as Honda has already announced the plan of rolling out ten new EV models in China, two of them expected this year. Honda is also preparing to set the foundation of two EV plants in Guangzhou and Wuhan.
Image courtesy of Honda.


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Wal-Mart is expected to introduce an index that would determine the social and environmental impact of all the products it sells today during a Web cast of its Sustainability Milestone Meeting.
The index could help buyers decide what items to put in stores; consumers referring to the index could see how brands compare in the sustainability department. The move has lots of implications, including potentially higher costs for manufacturers. There could also be more competition among brands for shelf space as manufacturers vie for higher rankings.
"You start one way as a baby, but why shouldn't you be able to choose your own path as opposed to culturally people telling you which way to go?" - Thom Browne at his men's spring 2018 show, where he celebrated gender fluidity. #pfw #wwdmens (📷: @delphineachard)
"I think that all anyone really wants in life is to have people understand us for who we actually are, despite everything," says Ruth Negga. The actress talks "Preachers" season 2 and more on WWD.com. #wwdeye (📷: Dan Doperalski)


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The powerhouses forces behind the Friends of Shaukat Khanum proudly hosted the fifth edition of the renowned Festival of Life in collaboration with Pakistan’s leading fashion and entertainment fraternity. An all-day carnival for families, the Festival of Life was held at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital in Lahore on 18th February 2018. This year’s festival was attended and supported by a number of celebrities including Hamza Ali Abbasi, Umair Jaswal, Ali Sher and Faisal Rehman. The festival’s long term supporters “Quadrum” also performed live at the event.
Indeed the Hospital has now embarked upon the construction of Pakistan’s third Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Karachi, following Lahore and Peshawar. It is to this end that the Friends of Shaukat Khanum had organized this year’s festival of Life to help raise awareness and funds for the project.
Speaking about the very ethos of the Festival of Life, the inspirational cancer survivor and President of the Friends of Shaukat Khanum, Bina Chaudhry has said “Reaching out to those in need is happiness. Generosity is love. It’s not about how much you give it’s about how much you open your heart. Then the cycle goes on.”
The fifth Festival of Life was a full day of family fun, fashion, festivities and compassion across all age groups, for a great cause. As per previous iterations of the Festival, the event included an exciting fashion lounge by event partner PFDC, with clothes donated from over 50 leading designers and retail brands across Pakistan with event attendees able to purchase these top brands at up to a 70% discount. Additionally, there was a Food Court with dozens of food stalls, a spacious Children’s Play Area that had a lot of fun filled activities including jumping castles, mini golf, train, merry go round, face painting, etc


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On the one hand, artificial…
The European Union and United…
The massive roll-on, roll-off ship ablaze off the Dutch coast is transporting 500 electric vehicles. The ship's total cargo is around 3,800 vehicles, some of which are BMWs and Mercedes.
Shipping blog TradeWinds reported Japan's K Line is the operator of "Fremantle Highway." According to K Line's figures, there are 3,783 vehicles, of which 489 are EVs. Earlier estimates had the number of EVs at 25.
"The figure is far higher than first estimated and appears to raise the likelihood that a lithium-ion battery in an EV either caused the blaze in the 6,210-ceu Fremantle Highway (built 2013) or added to its severity," TradeWinds said.
Reuters pointed out that the Dutch coastguard said the fire's origin is unknown, but Dutch broadcaster RTL said emergency responders were heard saying, "The fire started in the battery of an electric car."
The fire broke out late Tuesday night on board the vessel. Coastguard officials said the fire "could still burn for days." The latest known position of the ship was off the northern Dutch coast on Wednesday.
Nathan Habers, spokesperson for the Royal Association of Netherlands Shipowners, told Reuters, "When transporting electric cars powered by batteries - which when they catch fire can't be extinguished with water, or even by oxygen deprivation."
One significant risk for lithium-ion batteries is "thermal runaway" during a fire that is hard to extinguish and can spontaneously reignite. Yet another risk emerges as governments set decarbonization targets for the transportation sector/
The leading economics blog online covering financial issues, geopolitics and trading.


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While Microsoft is keeping quiet about the next version of Office, early today we saw new screenshots of how Office 16 looks like in its current state. However, there is a new report coming from Mary Jo Foley from ZDNet that claims more features are coming to the next version of Office, which may or may not be called Office 2015, and a public preview has a potential release date in October.
As I previously shared, the recent information revealed a new black theme will be included, Tell Me, the Clippy-like helper, already in Office Online will also be part of the new version of Office. There is the new feature that enables images to rotate to the correct orientation using camera metadata. And we heard of that Outlook 16 will feature some improvements to play well with devices with limited storage, such as the new low-cost Windows devices, with new syncing feature.
The ZDNet report goes even further claiming more features tailor to business uses will be included in the new version of the suite.
“The Excel Data Model is going to be silently updated to a version that will be supported fully only in the new Excel versions moving forward. (The Excel Data Model also is known by some as the “Power Pivot model.) Refresh, edit and query of files using this model, won’t be supported without the new Excel version, […].”
The report continues stating that “Microsoft also is enabling panning and zooming on large charts and smart art diagrams in the coming Office 16 release. In Project, Microsoft is enabling users to have multiple Timeline bars and custom date ranges in a single view. And in the new version of Visio, Microsoft is adding information rights management protection for Visio files, […].”
Alongside these changes, Microsoft is including the ability to attach and share recent used local and cloud files on OneDrive for business and consumers. Users will also have the ability to share these documents as an edit or view-only link, instead of a traditional attachment.
It’s not confirmed, but according to Mary’s information, Microsoft may be planning to release a public preview of Office 16 later this fall, a possible release date could be sometime in October 2014, with a final release in spring of 2015. No surprising, this is the same timeframe when Microsoft is also planning to make available Office “Gemini”, the touch-first version of Office.


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The Federal Trade Commission petitioned the Supreme Court for review. The court granted review on 9, 2020, and consolidated the case with AMG Capital Management, LLC v. Federal Trade Commission july.
Truth in Lending Act
The facts in Lending Act (TILA) is really a federal regulation that is financial passed away in 1968. In accordance with the workplace for the Comptroller associated with Currency, the work ended up being meant to market accurate credit payment and charge card techniques.Detalles


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To be held from 12 to 15 April 2016 in Singapore, the inaugural ProWine ASIA 2016 has attracted strong global interest from international wine and spirits producers, as well as distributors and industry stakeholders. International group pavilions and individual exhibitors include 17 countries and regions.
Asia is experiencing growing market opportunities thanks to its emerging middle class, with a 13 percent increase in spending and seven million new prospective drinkers joining the market each year. By 2020, Southeast Asia is set to account for 30 percent of Asia’s wine business. Trade visitors will have the chance to participate in over 300 tasting sessions, masterclasses, in-depth seminars, workshops and presentations, whilst exhibiting companies will get into close contact with buyers from across Southeast Asia.


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‘AMERICAN Idol” run ner-up Justin Guari ni’s 15 minutes of fame may be up.
Guarini, 25, failed to show at Fox’s “American Idol” Christmas show last week – despite being advertised as one of the hosts – and now comes word that he may be dropped soon by his record label, RCA.
Guarini said in a statement that he didn’t show for the “AI” Christmas special due to “unresolved” contract issues.
“Because of several unresolved issues, I elected not to host the ‘American Idol Christmas Special’ on Fox despite being asked to do so by them.
“I am grateful for all that ‘American Idol’ has done for me and look forward to resolving my differences with 19 Management and again being part of the ‘American Idol’ family.”
Guarini finished behind Kelly Clarkson in the original “American Idol,” which wrapped in August ’02 – but it’s been tough sledding for him ever since.
While Clarkson’s first album, “Thankful,” has sold 1.7 million copies thus far, Guarini’s debut disc, “Justin Guarini,” has sold only 134,000 copies – spurring rumors that RCA is dropping him from its roster.
(By comparison, “AI2” runner-up Clay Aiken’s debut album has sold 1.3 million copies so far, according to industry figures.)
“Neither Justin nor I have been notified by RCA that he is no longer with them,” Guarini’s publicist, Jeff Ballard, told The Post yesterday.
A call to RCA didn’t exactly result in a ringing endorsement for Guarini. “At this moment, he is with the label,” an RCA spokesman said.


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The AR campaign includes the launch of original AR camera effects, giving fans a chance to pose alongside their favorite Dragon Ball Legends characters.
It’s officially been two years since the launch of mobile card battler Dragon Ball Legends, so Bandai Namco is celebrating with some new additions.
All players of Dragon Ball Legends can get in on the celebration themselves, with access to 10x Summon events to be held every day from May 30 to June 12.
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Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin to travel to India on economic and scientific mission
Bern, 29.09.2022 - From 3 to 4 October, Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin will travel to Mumbai and Delhi to meet key national and Swiss economic players in India, and hold talks with his Indian counterpart, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. Discussions will focus on bilateral economic relations and negotiations on the EFTA-India Free Trade Agreement. A large economic and scientific delegation will accompany him on the visit, which will provide an opportunity to deepen bilateral economic relations and reaffirm Switzerland's commitment to economic and scientific cooperation with India.
In Delhi, Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin will have the opportunity to encourage the continuation of negotiations on a free trade agreement and on a new investment protection agreement with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. In addition to a free trade agreement, negotiations on an investment protection agreement are also of particular importance to ensure a sound legal framework for Swiss businesses. At a round table discussion with Minister Piyush Goyal, Swiss companies will also set out the challenges and opportunities they face in India. Mr Parmelin, accompanied by the scientific delegation, will also meet Srivari Chandrasekhar, Secretary at the Department of Science and Technology. Together, they will open the meeting of the Swiss-Indian Joint Scientific Committee, which will, among other things, strengthen collaboration with India.
During his visit to Mumbai, Mr Parmelin and the economic delegation made up of representatives of Swiss companies will hold talks with major Indian and Swiss companies operating in India. They will also take part in a discussion on opportunities in the infrastructure sector.
With a population of 1.4 billion, recognised expertise in cutting-edge technologies and a high demand for infrastructure, the Indian market offers considerable potential for Swiss businesses and the scientific community. India is a market for business development, as well as a location for production and for the purchase of components. With bilateral trade of CHF 30.8 billion in 2021, India is Switzerland's second largest economic partner in Asia after China. Switzerland is also an important investor in India. More than 300 Swiss companies operate in India investing CHF 5.9 billion as of the end of 2020.
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State Secretariat for Economic Affairs
State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation


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June 15, 2016 3:39 pm | Updated 5 years ago.
Apple announced the launch of its iOS 10
In the Worldwide Developers Conference held in San Francisco, Apple announced the launch of its iOS 10. The beta version will be made available as early as next month. The iOS 10 will come with a minimum of ten new features like a regenerated screen lock with rich notifications, the expanded 3D Touch and a fast interaction with apps. The notification center in the iOS 10 bears a close resemblance to the Apple Watch control center.
Apple also announced a huge overhauling of Siri that will help it to integrate the iOS 10 with third party apps. Siri will be able to send WeChat messages, book rides with Uber, Didi in China, MapMyRun and Skype (among others) for VoIP calls. It also makes intelligence suggestions based on contact information, current location and much more. Apple Maps,Apple Music,Apple News are getting a big update in iOS 10. The iOs 10 will be made available as a free update this fall for apple devices like iPhone 5, iPod touch 6th gen.
Date of Publication: June 15th, 2016


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New car sales in 2019 sunk to lowest level for six years and average carbon emissions have INCREASED due to fall in diesel demand
- New figures show 2.31m new cars were registered in the UK in 2019
- That's down 2.3% on 2018 sales and the lowest level recorded since 2013
- Official figures confirm a third year of declining registrations
- Low consumer confidence and huge decline in demand for diesel cars blamed
- Diesel made up just a quarter of new car sales and has resulted in CO2 increases
- Record market share for alternative fuel cars and pure electric demand was bigger than plug-in hybrids for the first time
New car sales sunk to a six-year low in 2019 due to low consumer confidence and a 22 per cent decline in demand for diesel vehicles, the automotive industry confirmed this morning.
Figures released by industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show 2.31million new cars were registered in the UK in 2019, down 2.4 per cent on the previous 12 months.
It is the third consecutive year of decline and is the lowest annual total since 2013.
Decline in demand for diesel cars has meant average carbon emissions of new cars has risen, despite big increases in sales of alternative fuel models, mainly pure electric vehicles.
Six year low: UK car registrations fell to their lowest last year since 2013, industry figures confirmed today
Records show that 2,311,140 new cars were registered in 2019, down from 2,367,147 the year previous.
This was a year-on-year decline of 2.4 per cent, down 5.7 per cent on 2017 figures and behind by 14.2 per cent of the record high vehicle sales recorded in 2016.
Much of this was due to a 22 per cent fall in diesel registrations.
Before the demise of diesel, triggered by the Volkswagen emission cheating scandal in 2015, oil burners made up 50 per cent of all new vehicle sales. In 2018, diesels had a market share of almost a third.
But last year, diesel contributed to just a quarter of all registrations, showing the marked dip in demand.
This drop in volume of diesel sales has not only strangled the industry but had a negative impact on the environment.
The 2,311,140 registrations in 2019 was the lowest since 2013 when 2,264,737 new cars hit the road
Preliminary figures show 2.3 million new cars were registered in the UK in 2019
The shift away from diesel to petrol alternatives has sparked a rise in the average carbon dioxide emissions of new cars, despite manufacturers facing strict targets for the outputs of their latest vehicles across the range.
The average amount emitted by new cars in the UK in 2019 rose by around 2.7 per cent to 127.9g/km, the SMMT predicted.
Chief executive Mike Hawes told reporters that 2019 was 'a turbulent 12 months' and described the fall in sales as 'a major challenge'.
He said: 'A third year of decline for the UK new car market is a significant concern for industry and the wider economy.
'Political and economic uncertainty, and confusing messages on clean air zones have taken their toll on buyer confidence, with demand for new cars at a six-year low.'
New car registrations over the last decade
Bristol City Council, for example, is bidding to ban privately-owned diesel cars from part of the city at certain times – a much more stringent proposal than other areas, including the capital's Ultra Low Emission Zone.
The potential for a 'patchwork of different standards' across the country means many people are 'keeping hold of their older cars for longer', Mr Hawes warned.
And he suggested that the same issues would continue into 2020, predicting a further drop in demand this year of 1.6 per cent.
'A stalling market will hinder industry’s ability to meet stringent new CO2 targets and, importantly, undermine wider environmental goals,' he went on.
'We urgently need more supportive policies: investment in infrastructure; broader measures to encourage uptake of the latest, low and zero emission cars; and long term purchase incentives to put the UK at the forefront of this technological shift.
'Industry is playing its part with a raft of exciting new models in 2020 and compelling offers but consumers will only respond if economic confidence is strong and the technology affordable.'
Alex Buttle, director, car selling comparison website Motorway.co.uk, described 2019 as 'one of the car industry's gloomiest on record', with political and economic instability 'sucking all optimism out of the market', but said demand had improved following the decisive December General Election result.
'There's still a huge dark cloud hanging over us with no EU trade deal on the table, but if consumers needed certainty to start buying again, they received it in the form of a majority Conservative government,' he told This is Money.
'Leaving the EU on 31st January may stall a recovery in car sales in the short term, although early signs are encouraging. We are already seeing more activity in the used vehicle market, with a strong December in terms of people looking to sell their cars.
'But at the very least, we now have a government that can make decisive decisions and the first should be agreeing a positive future relationship with the EU for our auto industry, which avoids punitive tariffs and barriers that could lead to higher prices and less retail choice.'
Record market share for alternative fuel vehicles as pure electric demand overtakes plug-in hybrids
While registrations were down by 2.4 per cent for the full year, December 2019 sales had actually increased.
Year-on-year registrations were up by 3.4 per cent in the last month of the year, with almost 149,000 new models entering the road network in December.
However, this rise did little to claw back the huge ground lost earlier in the year, with registrations down for most of 2019.
Private sales of new cars were down 3.2 per cent for the whole year, while fleet demand was up 0.8 per cent.
Registrations increased in December but did little to claw back the lost ground generated throughout 2019
The one small success story in the data was the rise in demand for hybrid and electric cars.
Demand for alternatively-fuelled vehicles was up 20.6 per cent, taking a record market share of 7.4 per cent.
This includes the sale of around 38,000 pure electric cars, which overtook plug-in hybrids in popularity for the first time, following changes to Government grants for low-emission cars in October 2018.
Pure electric (BEV) registrations were up by 144% in 2019 and overtook sales of plug-in hybrid models for the first time
'Manufacturers will be pinning their hopes on EV sales exploding in 2020, but we need to be mindful that fully-electric car registrations still account for less than 2 per cent of all registrations,' Alex Buttle from Motorway said.
'And if diesel sales continue on their relentless downward path, it's hard to see a full reversal of fortunes, at least in the first quarter of this year.'
Justin Benson, head of automotive at KPMG in the UK, added: 'Over the next couple of months we will see if consumer confidence improves, with increased certainty around the economy.
'I believe that 2020 will also be the year the industry sees sales of electric vehicles double again. Although still a low base, new emissions regulations and increased consumer awareness around climate change will drive continued growth in battery electric vehicles.'
Mr Hawes said the industry had been challenged to meet 'some very aggressive goals' over cutting vehicle emissions, such as a Government target of pure electrics having a market share of 50 to 70 per cent by the end of the decade.
The 2019 figure of 1.6 per cent 'shows just how far we need to go', he warned.
Petrol car registrations saw a modest growth of 3.2 per cent, but this was not close to offsetting the 21.8 per cent plummet in demand for diesel cars.
The market share of diesel cars has nearly halved in three years to around 25 per cent amid concern over their impact on air pollution.
Mr Hawes warned that the falling market share of diesel cars was making it harder for manufacturers to meet targets on cutting CO2.
The average amount emitted by new cars in the UK in 2019 rose by around 2.7 per cent.
EU regulations – which are also expected to be adopted by the UK after Brexit – state that by the end of 2020, new cars must only emit an average of 95g of CO2 per kilometre.
Decline in demand for diesel cars has resulted in the average CO2 emissions of new models to increase
The Ford Fiesta was, again, the most in-demand car of the year, beating the VW Golf and Ford Focus
He said the UK needed a 'massive shift' to cut its average by around 35 per cent to meet that level.
'We need to get there because the fines are swingeing,' he commented.
He added that UK car makers could face millions of pounds in penalties if they missed the target.
Mr Hawes claimed the industry was 'doing its part' by making around 50 plug-in models available in the UK but 'societal ambition and Government aspiration' were also key factors.
He added: 'The pure finances do come into effect. These are still expensive technologies. They carry a price premium.
'That's why incentives are so significant in determining the uptake.'
Final new car registration figures for 2019 were being released at 9am on Monday.
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The latest insights from retail analysts MRI Software (previously Springboard) show footfall on Boxing Day rose year on year by +2.3% across all UK retail destinations up until 3pm, largely driven by high streets (+6.5%). However, full day results reveal that footfall still remained -22.1% lower than last year across all UK retail destinations.
Notably, Central London was the only town type to experience an increase in footfall, with a 12.9% rise versus 2022.
Week on week, footfall was -32.9% lower across all destination types monitored by MRI Software (high streets, retail parks and shopping centres). Shopping centres and retail parks witnessed a more severe decline of-34.8% and -47.5% from the same day in the week before.
Rise of Online Shopping Hitting Bricks and Mortar retail
Compared to 2019 levels, footfall remains -33.8% lower, indicating the continued impact of the rise of online shopping, the close proximity of Black Friday deterring further spend and the potential restrictions of the cost of living crisis.
Historical data from MRI Software’s OnLocation Footfall Index (from 2014 to 2022, excluding the Covid years 2020 and 2021), highlights that footfall in the week following the final trading week before Christmas tends to witness a week on week drop averaging -20%, which is to be expected given the significant boost observed in the week prior.
Jenni Matthews, Marketing and Insights Director at MRI Software comments: “It was encouraging to see Boxing Day footfall rise year on year by +2.3% across all UK retail destinations up until 3pm, however it wasn’t enough to bridge the gap between the figures last year in 2022.
“The footfall drop of -32.9% week on week across all destination types is not surprising given that last week consumers were finalising their festive shopping. The fact that compared to 2019 levels, footfall remains -33.8% indicates the long-term impacts of the continued rise of online shopping, as many consumers may have started their sale shopping on Christmas Day evening, and with Black Friday only a few weeks ago many will have grabbed their bargains back then. We also can’t forget that many people may be tightening their purse strings given the cost of living status, or may still be spending time with their families on Boxing Day and not be heading out to stores and destinations until later in the week.
“Therefore, it will be interesting to see how the rest of the week pans out for retail as we close out 2023.”


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The UPC code for the product is 7-85030-55557-6. Only the products with sell-by dates of April 9, 2015 are included in the recall.
Giant and Martin's food stores said in a news release that the product has been removed from shelves.
US court says drug-sniffing dog fails the smell test
CHICAGO (AP) — Lex the police dog from central Illinois is far from top dog in drug-sniffing skills. Full Story
Vincent Kartheiser's next role is opposite of 'Mad Men' part
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Vincent Kartheiser (KARTH'-eyes-er) plays the antithesis of his smarmy "Mad Men" character Pete Campbell in the upcoming NatGeo miniseries "Saints & Strangers. Full Story
Is Ben Affleck dating kids' nanny?
The actor's reps deny a report that he started to get close with his kids' 28-year-old nanny during his separation from Jennifer Garner.