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London (CNN) -- World food prices rose to an all-time high in January, according to the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The FAO's Food Price Index measures the cost of a basket of basic food supplies -- sugar, cereals, dairy, oils and fats and meat -- across the globe.
The index rose by 3.4% in January -- the seventh monthly increase in a row -- to its highest level since records began in 1990.
The cost of sugar, cereals, dairy and oils and fats all went up last month, while meat prices remained steady.
FAO economist Abdolreza Abbassian said high prices were likely to persist in the months to come.
Rising commodities costs are one of the major factors behind a growing wave of civil unrest across the Middle East and North Africa.
"High food prices are of major concern especially for low-income food deficit countries that may face problems financing food imports and for poor households which spend a large share of their income on food," said Abbassian.
Responding to the FAO's announcement, Oxfam said the latest price rises "should ring alarm bells in capitals around the world."
"If prices remain high, it will be just a matter of months before the world's poor are hit by another major food price crisis," said Chris Leather, the charity's policy advisor. Governments need to act now and act together to stop the rot.
"High global food prices risk hunger for millions of people. Poor people in developing countries spend up to 80% of their income on food. For them high food prices mean selling off their land or sacrificing their child's education simply to put food on the table."
Last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, economist Nouriel Roubini warned that rapidly rising food prices posed a serious threat to global stability.
"What has happened in Tunisia and is happening right now in Egypt, but also the riots in Morocco, Algeria, Pakistan, are related not only to high unemployment rates and to income and wealth inequality, but also to the very sharp rise in food and commodity prices," he told CNN.


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The news and headlines that grabbed our attention last week:
On Planet Proenza via NYTimes: The New York Times reviews the new Proenza Schouler store on Madison Avenue.
Top Retailers Going Mobile Fast via Practical Ecommerce: America’s top retailers, including Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and Target, are enjoying significant mobile traffic as 4 in every 5 smartphone owners access retail ecommerce sites in a typical month.
How to Make Your Ecommerce Site Link Worthy via Search Engine Watch: Great insight how to help drive your e-commerce site to the top of organic search.
With Facebook Gift-Giving Service, Is More E-commerce To Come? via Forbes:
Facebook has launched a new service that enables people to send gifts to friends through Facebook, signalling the company’s larger opportunities in e-commerce.

domain: news


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EA and Chronicles of Riddick developer Starbreeze Studios have announced plans to revitalize "[one of EA's] most acclaimed classic franchises" for the Xbox 360 and PS3. While details on which project are slim the codename for the title is Project RedLime, which sounds like it could be a new Gatorade flavor.
According to Starbreeze CEO Johan Kristiansson Project RedLime is "already deep in development." Remember when we just said deets were slim? What I mean is they are none. Nothing is known about the mysterious project, but details are promised in the coming months. We're calling it now, Populous. Actually, we hope we're wrong.


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Many iPhone fans have been eagerly awaiting the release of iOS 6.1. Today, that wait ended. All across the world, iPhone users were greeted with a message like the one to the left in iTunes, or they received happy news when they checked for a software update on their devices.
After JailbreakMe was recently updated for compatibility with all iOS devices running software version 4.3.3 and earlier, including iPad 2 for the first time, it did not take long for Apple to develop its own update in its fight against exploits that allow iOS to be jailbroken. This time around,
Gone may be the days of time-consuming iOS updates constrained by iTunes. iOS 5 could bring over-the-air updating according to 9 to 5 Mac, allowing you to install the latest software version wirelessly from your device. A user would simply receive a notification when a new version is available beginning
A number of iPad 2 owners who chose a model with Verizon 3G connectivity have been unhappy with their 3G service – or lack thereof. There has been a growing amount of complaints regarding issues connecting to Verizon’s 3G network on some iPad 2 tablets. Users have been complaining in
Yesterday during the Apple event we were told that Apple would release the iOS 4.3 update on March 11th. So what does this update mean and what exactly will it include? Improved Safari performance, better AirPlay, updated Home Sharing, Personal Hotspot for iPhone 4, and more will be included in
Yet another iPhone 3G ad has been banned in the UK for misleading advertising. Not long after the first ad was banned for claiming that the iPhone access to "all parts of the internet", we heard that Apple had changed the wording to their ad 'Vicinity' from saying the new iPhone was "twice as fast" to just being "really fast". Unfortunately it looks like that wasn't enough.
We've just received word from a reader that Apple may be changing their iPhone ads in the UK to be more truthful to avoid a clash with the ASA. A while back we told you about how the ASA in the UK had banned one of Apple's ads from airing on television due to complaints that their claim of the iPhone offering "all the parts of the internet are on the iPhone" was misleading, as it doesn't support Flash or Java.
Apple's gotten some criticism in the US for their slight exaggeration in their iPhone 3G ads, such as their claim that the iPhone 3G is twice as fast as the 2G iPhone, and is even facing a possible class action, but has otherwise garnered no bad consequences. The UK government appears to have taken the matter more seriously and has banned the ads from airing in the country.


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Retailers are opening more stores in strip malls or open-air shopping centers — and they’re rethinking what these locations should look like.
Locations of Macy’s new off-mall chain, Market by Macy’s, for example run only 20,000 square feet, tens of thousands of feet smaller than the typical department store. The second location of this new chain opened in Texas last week, and carries carry a smaller selection of the companies’ top-performing brands like Ralph Lauren and Levi’s — as well as some of Macy’s private label brands. There’s also a dedicated section for people to make returns and pickup buy online, pickup in-store orders.
As other retailers like Sephora and Foot Locker are looking at opening more off-mall locations, they’re following similar playbook as Macy’s: The off-mall stores are smaller and offer fewer products and services, albeit ones that are catered more towards customers in that particular neighborhood. In these locations, retailers are trying to attract more regular customers, who are less interested in browsing the store and instead want to get in and out as quickly as possible.
Retailers have been in the process of opening more off-mall stores for the past couple of years — Macy’s for example, opened its first Market by Macy’s location last February, also in Texas. But the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the trend. “Our team continues to work our portfolio really hard to [identify times] and places to pivot out of malls,” Foot Locker CEO Richard Johnson said during a company earnings call in September. Sephora had previously said it intended to open roughly 100 off-mall stores in 2020, though the pandemic put some of those new store openings on hold.
After non-essential retailers were allowed to reopen in the spring, some states like Wisconsin and New York allowed retailers to open stores in open-air centers ahead of stores in enclosed malls. And, services like curbside pickup were easier to offer at strip malls or open-air shopping centers, where all the stores are located right next to the parking lots.
Rebekah Kondrat, founder of consultancy Kondrat Retail, said that she is increasingly seeing retailers looking to open more stores in what she calls “community centers,” citing the Domain shopping center in Austin, Texas as one example. These community centers are open-air shopping centers that are laid out in a format similar to a strip mall, but have a grocery store, restaurants and perhaps a gym. All of these are attractions that, in pre-coronavirus times, may draw people there a few times a week.
“I think there is a really big opportunity as retailers and brands are opening [stores] in more of these community centers to build lasting relationships with customers,” said Kondrat. “It’s a very different animal than like a Macy’s Herald Square, where you have predominantly tourists or one-off traffic.”
Foot Locker is an example of one such location that’s tried to take a more localized approach in its new off mall stores. For the past couple of years, the footwear retailer has centered its new store strategy on opening more of what it calls “Power Stores,” which are meant to double as community centers. Foot Locker’s Power Stores include an event space, are decorated with the work of local artists and might feature a few localized products, like sneakers featuring the color scheme of local sports teams.
Foot Locker opened these stores more slowly in 2020 due to the coronavirus — the retailer only opened three Power Stores in 2020 after opening six in 2019 — but the company has previously said it plans to open 20 of these locations.
Tiffany Hogan principal analyst for beauty and apparel at Kantar Consulting, said she saw more retailers experiment with opening off-mall pop-ups over the holidays, citing apparel retailer Express as one such example. Express opened a pop-up in Ohio over the holidays called “The Express Edit” featuring a slimmed down assortment of apparel, mostly focusing on denim, jackets and holiday apparel. The store also carried some items from local Ohio business and artists. Express CEO Tim Baxter told a local news outlet that the company wasn’t planning on opening any more off-mall stores yet outside of the one pop-up.
As more retailers look to open more off-mall locations, there could be more competition to snag a lease in the most desirable strip malls, Hogan said. Two retailers who have previously made off-mall key to their expansion strategy– Ulta Beauty and Sephora — have also recently announced deals to open more shop-in-shops within Target and Kohl’s respectively.
Both Target and Kohl’s stores are predominantly located outside of malls, and Ulta Beauty and Sephora striking deals with those two retailers, “kind of shows you that that was their easiest route to expand quickly,” said Hogan. As such, striking more partnerships with off-mall retailers could be another way for retailers to exit the mall.


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Hunger for Apple's iPhone 6 and increased spending on mobile data services by Australian consumers have fueled earnings improvements at Telstra for the last six months of 2014.
The Australian incumbent, whose chief network rivals are SingTel Optus Pty. Ltd. and Vodafone Hutchison Australia , said net profit from continuing operations rose 7% in the half, to 2.1 billion (US$1.6 billion) Australian dollars, compared with the last six months of 2013. Overall revenues increased by 1.6%, to A$13 billion ($10 billion), over the same period.
Telstra Corp. Ltd. (ASX: TLS; NZK: TLS) told investors to expect "broadly flat" revenues and EBITDA over the July 2014 to June 2015 period, compared with the preceding 12 months, implying that in the first six months of 2015 revenues will shrink by 1%, on a year-on-year basis, and EBITDA will remain unchanged.
Free cash flow is expected to come in at A$4.6-5.1 billion ($3.5-3.9 billion) over the June 2014-July 2015 period, compared with A$5.1 billion ($3.9 billion) in the 12 months before.
Telstra excused the forecast by noting that it no longer includes results for Hong Kong CSL Ltd. , the mobile operator it sold for $2.425 billion in May 2014.
Even so, while Australia's economy has flourished on the back of a commodities boom, there have recently been worries about long-term prospects and signs of an economic slowdown following the more recent fall in commodity prices.
The country's mobile market is also showing signs of saturation -- Telstra added about 600,000 customers last year, compared with around 1.4 million in 2013, while growth at its more lucrative postpaid customer base shrank from 261,000 in 2013 to 153,000 last year.
Despite that slowdown, mobile revenues leaped to A$5.3 billion ($4.1 billion) in the last six months of 2014 from A$4.9 billion ($3.8 billion) in the year-earlier period. In contrast to operators in Europe's crowded mobile markets, Telstra has been able to flag continuing growth in average revenue per user, with customers racing to make use of data features on iPhones and other smartphone devices.
"We had our best ever iPhone launch and we have seen growth in the number of connected tablets," said Telstra CEO David Thodey in reference to the recent introduction of the iPhone 6.
Consumers in Europe have been similarly enthused by the latest smartphone gadgetry, but competition has been driving down prices.
Although Australia's market is relatively small in comparison with the biggest in Western Europe, some prominent MVNOs have gone out of business over the last couple of years, reducing pricing pressure in the market.
Nevertheless, Telstra also believes the strong mobile performance is a vindication of its investment in higher-speed mobile broadband technology. The operator spent 13.7% of revenues on capital expenditure in the last six months of 2014 and much of that went on the deployment of a 4G network that now covers 90% of the Australian population.
Telstra aims to spend 14% of revenues on capex over the July 2014 to June 2015 period and extend 4G services to 94% of the population by mid-2015.
Predictably enough, the performance at the operator's fixed-line business was less encouraging, with an increase in revenues from data services failing to offset the steady decline in the old-fashioned telephony business. Overall fixed-line revenues fell by 1.7% in the last six months of 2014, to A$3.5 billion ($2.7 billion), compared with the same period of 2013.
In December, the operator agreed to a new A$11 billion ($8.5 billion) deal to sell its copper and HFC networks to state-backed NBN Co, which is building a high-speed fiber network that retail operators can use to provide broadband services.
Telstra booked a 7% year-on-year rise in wholesale revenues in the last six months of 2014, to A$1.2 billion ($900 million), driven mainly by an increase in NBN infrastructure payments under an existing arrangement.
Proceeds from the NBN sale are supporting Telstra's investment strategy and allowing it to raise dividend payments to shareholders, although retail competition in Australia's broadband market is set to intensify as NBN rolls out services.
As well as ramping up its mobile data business in Australia, Telstra is also keen to expand its presence in Asian markets. It agreed a $697 million takeover of undersea cable operator Pacnet in December and expects this to double the scale of its Asian enterprise business.
The performance of the Network Applications and Services (NAS) product line was another bright spot for Telstra, with revenues up 18.1% year-on-year, to A$1 billion ($770 million), in the last six months of 2014.
The NAS division sells a range of managed network, unified communications and cloud services.
Telstra's share price dipped 0.62% on the Australian Securities Exchange following the publication of results.
— Iain Morris, , News Editor, Light Reading


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Turntable.fm is going legit, with licensing agreements with all four of the major labels now in place. The announcement was made today at South By Southwest by Turntable.fm founder Billy Chasen and co-founder Seth Goldstein during the panel “Turntable.FM: The Future of Music Is Social,” and follows reports last week that the site was nearing agreements with several labels.
“This feels like an all-time record speed launch – when we launched we really didn’t come at this from the music industry, it was all new to us,” Goldstein told Billboard.biz of the nine-month-old service’s new licensing deals. “Our model is unique – we’re not a radio service, not an on-demand service. We have interesting aspects that really require some out-of-the-box thinking. We felt that from the get-go the labels were absolutely different from what I’d been led to believe. They gave us a lot of time and attention. Compared to their user base, we’re a tiny service in the broad scheme of things.”
Indeed, the traffic numbers of Turntable.fm tell a different story from that of Pandora and Spotify. Since debuting in late June 2011, Turntable.fm has yet to eclipse the monthly traffic record it reached during its full month in July – 207,000 unique web-based visitors, according to Comscore, although it has been steadily regaining traffic in recent months, achieving its third-highest month in February with 176,000 visitors. Pandora, by comparison, reached 17.4 million web-based uniques and the still-nascent Spotify was visited by 1.1 million uniques during the same period. (By Andrew Hampp, New York)


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Even without Hard science to back this up! most of us have put on a turmeric mask, be it because of our culture or the current craze around turmeric as a super food. Turmeric’s scientific name is Curcuma Longa, it has a beautiful yell..
Biking turned out to be one of the most popular outdoor activities today. According to the information generated by the 2019 National Cycling Participation Survey, about 3.43 million Australians were using their bikes for transportation or recreation..
Bread is a staple food across the world. Yet, despite its widespread popularity, many people limit bread and other carbohydrates when trying to eat a healthier diet or lose weight. Dozens of varieties of bread line store shelves and fill cookbooks, t..
The Sports for Health Conference, which incorporated the 4th annual meeting of Sports is Medicine, shed light on the health benefits of football. It took place as part of the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH 2022), which launched earlier toda..
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Smoke-free stadiums and bans on tobacco marketing
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World's deepest shipwreck discovered
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Iluka Resources was the second-best performer on the share market on Wednesday after giving shareholders an upbeat view of the long-depressed mineral sands market.
Iluka expects total sales of its zircon, rutile and synthetic rutile products in 2014 to exceed production and be above last year's sales levels of 580,000 tonnes.
Production volumes are expected to be in line with guidance, managing director David Robb told the company's AGM.
That can be regarded as a win given the company's actions in recent years, including a dramatic downgrade of sales forecasts and production in July 2012 that led to a 24 per cent one day fall in the share price.
Mr Robb said cash and non-cash costs and capital expenditure were trending at, or better than, guidance numbers for calendar 2014.
Iluka shares closed 52 cents, or 6.1 per cent, higher at $9.08, making it the second best performer of the market's top 100 and 200 stocks.
"It is evident that more favourable demand dynamics are emerging in the pigment sector (the major end use sector for titanium dioxide) which, if sustained, should lead to improved sales opportunities for both rutile and synthetic rutile," Mr Robb said.
"In the near term, this does, however, remain dependent on paint and pigment demand over the Northern Hemisphere summer season."


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The soft drink industry's biggest rivals each made substantial commitments to mitigate their use of fresh water.
A recent analysis by Fortune magazine, however, says that Coca-Cola, the world's largest beverage company, is also ahead of PepsiCo in water conservation.
Coke pledged to return the equivalent of 100 percent of the water it uses in its soft drinks and bottled waters to the environment by 2020, but company officials told Fortune that it is on pace to meet that goal by the end of this year instead.
Currently, Coke returns about 94 percent of the water it uses; the company also contributes to more than 200 water conservation and replenishment projects worldwide.
Pepsi, meanwhile, supports water-efficient farming partnerships and is also ahead of schedule on its water conservation goals.
But Pepsi met a target of improving the efficiency of its water use by 20 percent compared to 2006 levels. The company's efforts are complicated by its extensive snack food offerings, which add agriculture operations to its overall water consumption.
Fortune notes that Coke is under fire this week for questionable research practices, but concludes that "in water replenishment, at least, Coke is the real thing."


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West Africa’s leading connectivity and data center solutions company, MainOne, has thrown its weight behind the eCommerce industry in Ghana, with its sponsorship of the 3rd Ghana eCommerce Expo.
eCommerce Expo the country’s largest gathering of eCommerce and digital companies, vendors and suppliers.
As part of its commitment to the event, MainOne provided over 100MBPS free data capacity to the 4000+ persons that attended the summit, allowing attendees at the event to take advantage of its ultra-fast access to the Internet.
Members of the public were able to freely browse the Internet, conduct free downloads of documents and music, and make Skype calls via Wi-Fi-enabled laptops.
Live-streaming of the event was equally facilitated by MainOne’s internet services, allowing both local and international online access to the event.
MainOne’s Business Executive for West Africa and Ghana, Kazeem Oladepo also presided over a panel discussion on “How ISP’s can drive ecommerce in Ghana”.
During that session, Oladepo emphasized the importance of eCommerce as a driver for economic growth and the foundation for innovation.
He stressed that MainOne’s support of the forum is a demonstration of the organization’s focus on driving the key success factors for the growth of the eCommerce sector through continued interaction with key players in the sector with a view to defining affordable tailor-made communications solutions to meet their needs.
The MainOne Executive added that the company is committed to supporting the drive for more organized public/private sector collaboration and support for the growing industry.
Speaking at the Summit, MainOne’s General Manager for Sales in Ghana, Angelo Govina emphasized the critical role technology plays in enhancing cost effectiveness and competitiveness for eCommerce companies.
In his view, “eCommerce businesses, just like other businesses, require infrastructure to support their operations, which also must be in sync with their strategy. Most eCommerce businesses are SMEs and startups, and require a high degree of flexibility and control over cost to remain agile, flexible and responsive to market and competitive pressure.”
He said MainOne is in a unique position to partner eCommerce businesses by providing connectivity, data center and managed services solutions, which are not only scalable and flexible, but also ensure content and infrastructure security, attested by our PCI DSS industry certification.
Govina added that “the fact that MainOne can provide a suite of these technology solutions required by these businesses provides them the opportunity to source from a single supplier with attendant cost savings”.
Themed “Transforming Ghana’s Online Businesses through Technology, Innovation & Opportunity”, the 3rd Ghana eCommerce Expo, was well attended, with participants from eCommerce companies and service providers, including online payment providers, eBanking Services providers, Software companies, Start-ups as well as Telecom companies among others.
The Summit also provided stakeholders and other industry players in the eCommerce space the platform to network, share ideas, experience and information; and discuss Ghana’s online businesses, financial inclusion, Digital Advertising and Social Media and the growing impact of Cybercrime on eCommerce in Ghana.


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Study shows that fresh foods, fruits and
vegetables can lower your BPA intake
- By Sun-Times Media - April 1, 2011
Bisphenol A, more commonly known as BPA, is a highly carcinogenic chemical that has been used for more than 40 years in the manufacture of many hard plastic food containers such as baby bottles and reusable cups and the lining of metal food and beverage cans, including canned liquid infant formula. Trace amounts of BPA has been found in foods packaged in these containers.
People can reduce their exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals, including bisphenol-A, by eating more fruits and vegetables and less food from plastic containers and metal cans, a new study shows.
A group of 20 San Francisco residents had 66 percent less BPA in their urine after three days on a diet of fresh, organic and unpackaged food, scientists found. Their levels of another chemical, bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate or DEHP, fell 53 percent to 56 percent.
"The is the first study to provide clear evidence that food packaging is a major source of BPA and DEHP exposure in children and adults," says co-author Julia Brody, executive director of the Silent Spring Institute, a Massachusetts-based non-profit that studies environmental factors in women's health.
BPA is so prevalent in food packaging and other consumer items that prior research has detected its presence in at least 90 percent of Americans. It's used to harden plastics in products such as bottles and cups and is also found in the linings of metal cans and thermal cash register receipts. Phthalates such as DEHP are used to soften PVC and other plastics.
Much debate exists about the safety of these chemicals, which have been linked in studies to breast cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other health problems.
But, in January 2010, the federal Food and Drug Administration expressed "some concerns" about its potential effects on the brain development of fetuses, infants and children. Though the federal agency did not say the chemical is unsafe, FDA spokesman Douglas Karas, noting that infants are particularly sensitive because their neuorological and endocrine systems are still developing, said, "FDA supports reasonable steps to reduce exposure of infants to BPA in the food supply."
More American cities and states, led by Chicago, Connecticut and Minnesota, are banning the use of BPA in food and drink containers intended for children 3 and younger. Canada has banned its use in baby bottles.
Gannett News Service
BPA Banned in New York State
- By Long Island Press on June 26th, 2010
The State Senate and Assembly have approved legislation prohibiting the manufacture, distribution, and sale of certain child products containing bisphenol-A (BPA) which are intended for use by or upon a child.
The law prohibits the use of BPA in products intended for children three years of age or under. Child products targeted include pacifiers, unfilled beverage containers, baby bottles, baby bottle lines and cups, cup lids, straws, and sippy cups. Provisions in the law lay out civil penalties for violations that occur.
The legislation passed unanimously through both houses, with the Senate voting 58-0 and the Assembly approving the bill 113-0.
"New York State has taken a significant step forward in the battle to remove BPA from products designed for infants and young children," says Assemblyman Steven Englebright (D-Setauket). "Until the Federal government acts decisively on BPA we must continue to push the envelope through state legislative action and public awareness campaigns until BPA ceases to be an issue because it is no longer used in children's products."
BPA is an estrogen-mimicking endocrine disrupter chemical used in the production of epoxy resins and polycarbonate plastics, and is the main ingredient in hard polycarbonate plastics. BPA has been linked to breast and prostate cancer, early-onset puberty, and polycystic ovary syndrome.
Four counties in New York have enacted local laws restricting the use of BPA in sippy cups and baby bottles. New York State joins other states in trying to combat child exposure to BPA. Vermont, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Maryland, and Connecticut have enacted similar laws. In addition, Canada has announced that it is placing strict limits on BPA in infant formula cans, and WalMart Canada has announced that it will immediately stop selling baby bottles, sippy cups, pacifiers, food containers, and water bottles that contain BPA.


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Founded in 2006 and located in Berlin, Germany, Softgames is the developer of several free-to-play web games, such as Garden Tales and Solitaire Farm Seasons. The studio has partnered with several companies to expand the reach of its games, such as Facebook and Samsung. These can then be accessed via any smartphone device.
With the acquisition of Softgames' web business operations, Azerion now provides over 300 web games through its platform. Azerion will publish previously released games developed by Softgames, as well as future releases.
"Over the last decade, Softgames has built a unique and massive ecosystem around the distribution and monetization of HTML5 casual games across the web," said Softgames co-founder and CEO Alexander Krug.
"As the web games market has reached maturity and our focus has shifted more and more towards instant games in the past years, the deal with Azerion is the next logical step for us."
Azerion executive vice president of games and strategic partnerships Erol Erturk added: "This deal offers Softgames’ partners the ability to leverage Azerion’s growing ecosystem and technology providing additional and long-term monetisation opportunities for media companies while improving reach for advertisers."
This is one of several moves made by Azerion over the last few months. Namely, it acquired Habbo developer Sulake and social casino developer Whow games, both for undisclosed amounts. In April, the firm secured $242 million via a bond issuance on Nasdaq Stockholm to be used for acquisitions and expansions, suggesting there may be more to come in the near future.


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- For Q3 2021, InterContinental Hotels Group achieved an average daily rate in line with 2019 levels and occupancy of approximately 60%.
- In H1 FY22, Whitbread benefitted from £141.6 million received from the government in the form of COVID-19 support schemes.
- In November, PPHE Hotel Group, through its wholly owned subsidiary Londra Cargill Parent S.r.l, completed the takeover of the 4-star Londra & Cargill Hotel in Rome.
Top executives from the UK’s hospitality sector have warned a huge impact on the hospitality business after messages from health officials started coming to limit socialising amid the growing spread of the Omicron Covid-19 variant. The Head of the Health Security Agency requested people to avoid socialising to curb the spread of the new strain.
UKHospitality has already reported booking cancellations and plan changes by customers on the back of growing concerns related to the spread of the new Omicron variant. The new health warning is expected to be a huge blow for hospitality sector players ahead of the key Christmas period. Below is the review of investment opportunities in 3 hospitality sector stocks - InterContinental Hotels Group, Whitbread and PPHE Hotel Group Limited amid the changing circumstances.
(Data source: Refinitiv)
InterContinental Hotels Group Plc (LON: IHG)
InterContinental Hotels Group is an FTSE 100 listed international hospitality firm. Recently, the company announced the launch of the Holiday Inn Express brand in Japan at the Osaka City Centre Midosuji in December 2021. It reported the opening of 79 hotels in Q3 and adding another 91 to the company’s pipeline of 1,800 properties.
For Q3 2021, InterContinental Hotels Group achieved an average daily rate in line with 2019 levels and occupancy of approximately 60%. The company’s gross system growth stood at 5.2% year-on-year, along with the opening of 12.3k rooms (across 79 hotels) in Q3.
The shares of Intercontinental Hotels Group closed at GBX 4,449.00, down by 3.28% on 30 November 2021. The market cap of the company stands at £8,427.95 million.
Whitbread Plc (LON: WTB)
Whitbread is a hospitality and restaurant business based in the UK. The company owns the Premier Inn, one of the UK's largest hotel brands. The company’s statutory revenues for H1 FY22 were down by 39.0% compared to H1 FY20 (pre-pandemic) due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Whitbread’s adjusted loss before tax stood at £56.6 million in H1 FY22 that benefitted from £141.6 million received from the government in the form of COVID-19 support schemes. Its statutory loss before tax was £19.3 million during the period. Its statutory revenue stood at £661.6 million in H1 FY22 compared to £1,084.0 million in H1 FY20.
The shares of Whitbread closed at GBX 2,803.00, down by 2.50% on 30 November 2021. The market cap of the company stands at £5,807.43 million.
PPHE Hotel Group Limited (LON: PPH)
PPHE Hotel Group is an international hospitality real estate company that owns, develops and operates resorts and hotels. In November, PPHE Hotel Group, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Londra Cargill Parent S.r.l, completed the takeover of the 4-star Londra & Cargill Hotel in Rome.
For the quarter ended 30 September 2021, PPHE Hotel Group’s total revenue stood at £75.7 million, representing an increase of 142.2% year-on-year, propelled by high leisure demand and increasing average room rates. Its occupancy rate stood at 54.3% for the three months ended 30 September 2021 compared to 29.8% in the previous year’s comparable period.
The shares of PPHE Hotel Group Limited closed at GBX 1,380.00, up by 2.07% on 30 November 2021. The market cap of the company stands at £575.13 million.


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEPressnews.biz (Press Release) Jan 21, 2014 -- With the right ideas, any bedroom can turn out to look amazing, no matter its overall size, its layout or the financial resources a person has. The truth is that there are many styles worth adopting these days and choosing out bedroom furniture Leeds has become something more than picking out a bed or a wardrobe. A homeowner has many decisions to make, starting with materials and up to the furniture manufacturer Leeds who will be in charge of making everything possible. It is important to make the most out of a space, no matter how small, narrow or large it may be.
|Issued By||:||Johny Dean|
|Tags||:||furniture manufacturer Leeds,bedroom furniture Leeds|
|Last Updated||:||Jan 21, 2014|
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Mark Beazley, a deaf animator and cartoonist, has officially launched a Kickstarter campaign for ‘Deafy Toon Studios’, a new animation studio that caters to the deaf in the United States.
Moore Legal Technology are pleased to welcome solicitor turned online business generation expert Alasdair Thomson (Ally) to the team as a consultant.


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Whereas the vast majority of companies across industries are still struggling to keep up with the times, Slotegrator has already adapted to all the critical shifts in the iGaming sector. In an interview with Focus Gaming News, Slotegrator’s Vendor Manager Maria Areshchenko shares her views on current business tendencies and the future of the online gambling sphere.
There have already been more than five months since the crisis outbreak upended the normalcy of our day-to-day life challenging quite an optimistic idea of the world without boundaries and borders. Meanwhile, the crisis has not only demonstrated the power of external forces uncontrolled by people but dispelled the myth about the stability of many vital industries that were set to face inevitable waves of the crisis’ consequences.
Speaking of the gambling business, while land-based activities across the globe had to shut their doors (either temporarily or permanently), the online environment saw an immediate surge in numbers of active users. The demand for online entertainment essentially had a ripple effect on the iGaming industry — many operators decided to break into the online gambling landscape, primarily, chasing an excellent business opportunity, while game content developers began producing such services as virtual sports, live dealers games, and video slots within tight deadlines to satisfy operators’ wants and needs.
As a result, the iGaming community sprang into action seeking new methods of acquiring different audiences as well as expanding their own portfolios of partners and games.
During times of instability, the Slotegrator company appeared to be resilient to the effects of the crisis. Keeping the head above water, we managed to save face as a reliable and trustworthy software developer. In an interview with Focus Gaming News, our Vendor Manager Maria Areshchenko talks about that turbulent period of life shedding light on some paradigm shifts in the iGaming industry and outlooks on the online gambling markets.
Focus Gaming News: You’ve recently struck some new partnership deals. Do you think the crisis and isolation measures led more companies to reach out to you?
Maria Areshchenko: First, I’d like to point out that Slotegrator is continuously expanding its portfolio of partners, regardless of the circumstances — that’s how we keep growing! In 2019, we sealed around 20 partnerships, and this year, we’re on a similar track. As everyone knows, new partners mean fresh takes on games and new angles from which the audience can view game content. This is what operators are searching for! So, it’s not all about the effects of the crisis, from my perspective. Moreover, when self-isolation became a part of our lives, most companies continued their normal day-to-day operations. It was only later on that it became clear that the crisis would have a significant impact on online gambling and there was no time to waste. As we all know, land-based casinos had to be temporarily shut down while people across the world were required to stay home as a preventive measure. Consequently, online gambling witnessed a sharp surge in activity — and so the amount of work we had did not decrease, to say the least. We’ve seen that many companies have become more active than usual in offering their products: for example, betting content suppliers began to sell more virtual sports products, making the most of the high demand they were experiencing while traditional sports had to take an indefinite pause. The same goes for esports betting data. Obviously, the crisis has left its mark on our industry’s growth, but we are on the same path as before — growing and expanding.
FGN: Where do you think the industry will go in the post-crisis era?
МА: There are many different roads, any of which might be our potential future. Now we can only guess what’s waiting for us around the corner, as trends change very quickly in the iGaming industry. Some of them gain a certain level of steam and then disappear, while others show their staying power and come to be seen as the shape of things to come. Nevertheless, there’s no doubt that game content providers will always need to develop new types of games, methods of content supply, bonuses, features, etc., to stay on top and enthrall new players. I can definitely say that those companies who are able to respond to fast-evolving global trends in a timely manner are the ones who will be successful, especially now that the crisis has shown us the importance of combining mobility and agility. Companies must learn how to automate and scale their businesses while working remotely, as well as how to be prepared for unexpected circumstances, as there is no knowing what the future holds.
FGN: Countries have started turning their attention to iGaming regulation after witnessing the segment at full steam in recent months. How important is it for iGaming companies to work in a regulated market?
МА: The growing number of countries where online gambling is picking up in popularity means operators don’t have to depend on offshore jurisdictions and their particular regulations. Bureaucracies can be very complicated and frustrating, especially compared to the relative ease of operating in an unregulated market. Meanwhile, as an aggregator, we are certainly focused on expanding our portfolio of providers with developers who obtain not only international licenses but domestic ones, as well as offering license acquisition services to operators, making everyone’s spectrum of opportunities incomparably wider. I would call regulated markets the firm ground under your feet that gives you confidence and grants your business legitimacy. At the same time, we should mention that the governments of many countries have finally realized the economic potential of the iGaming industry, which is a great sign for all concerned, as regulations lead to the creation of white markets in place of black and grey ones. So, really, “Is it important to work in a regulated market?” seems to me like a rhetorical question.
FGN: What is the biggest challenge for Slotegrator going into the future? What about the challenges facing iGaming as a segment?
МА: At present, it’s important for us to continue establishing our position as one of the industry’s leaders. Some might say that there is no greater challenge. Slotegrator as a brand is becoming more and more renowned, and we are extremely pleased with our reputation as a successful and rapidly growing company. However, it’s also a good thing to stay grounded, and we’re constantly working on improving our products and services so that we don’t lose our momentum. Speaking of iGaming’s challenges, it looks to me like the biggest one is the lack of diversity when it comes to products, quality, methods, and strategies. And the crisis has provided an example of the kind of changes the industry needs to make – new, creative ways of thinking have to be adopted, as the world, people, and trends change. In our industry, it is crucial to lead the pack when it comes to entering new markets, as well as providing high-quality products and services. However, even once you’ve climbed to the top, you have to discover how to keep on developing yourself further. This is a critical challenge that shouldn't be ignored.
FGN: Which markets are you keeping an eye on, and which ones do you have the strongest presence in at the moment?
МА: It wouldn’t be wise to solely rely on just a few markets, as our industry is fast-changing and quickly growing, and as more and more untapped regions are choosing to regulate their markets and enter the world of iGaming. However, it’s fair to mention that we have a huge presence in the Eastern European market. We are also constantly building up strategic connections in Europe, piece by piece, placing ourselves on a sound and stable footing. That’s why operators and developers looking for help with making their business bloom reach out to us. We are also always keeping our fingers on the pulse of the African and Latin American regions, both of which have already proved the longevity, sustainability, and profitability of their business opportunities.
And yet, there’s an unpolished diamond left in the industry, which is the Indian market. Several industry giants have already set foot in the country’s online niche, but a majority of both global and local operators of a smaller caliber are struggling to establish their presence in India. Our aim is to make this market accessible to everyone who wants a piece of the pie by bridging the gap between the Indian network of software providers and operators and the rest of the iGaming world.
Blazing a new path is never easy, but if anyone’s up to the challenge, it’s us.
BLAZE YOUR PATH


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A collection of news and information related to Whole Wheat Bread published by this site and its partners.
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For state Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, this was the last straw: A food stamp recipient in his district used her Link card to bail herself out of jail. "We are losing a couple billion dollars in fraud and we know that," Bost says of Illinois' Link...
In a review of data covering 13 years and millions of patients, researchers found no evidence of a link between being vaccinated against tetanus, hepatitis, pneumonia or flu and developing the nerve-degenerating disorder Guillain-Barre syndrome. "The...
You've distributed the presents and recycled the paper. Now it's time to enjoy the real gift of the season: spending time with the people you love. In order to unite the tiny tots of your home, we found the perfect recipe for the waning winter break. It's...
May signals the arrival of fresh garlic and green onions. Combine these signs of spring with tender young zucchini into one delicately flavored dish that tastes great and benefits your health. Green onions and garlic have reduced cold and flu symptoms...
Tags: Symptoms, Salt, Lemons, Vegetarian Diet, Zucchini
Just as most vegetarians eat more than veggies, a veggie burger contains more than vegetables. Usually these meatless wonders are grain- or bean-based and sometimes bland. But this tasty version has millet, oats and whole wheat perked up with a blend...
Tribune ReporterIn a series of changes aimed at improving its health profile, Walmart today launched its "Great For You" label that it will attach to a list of foods that meet certain health criteria. Unsurprisingly, these foods make up only a tiny fraction of the...
Tags: Breads, Lima (Peru), Foods and Beverages, Salt, Arugula
Tribune NewspapersThe night before my son started first grade, his foodie mother stayed up to lovingly prepare a sandwich of free-range turkey on homemade organic bread with a crisp organic apple, a homemade granola bar and a cold box of organic milk. When I asked how...
Tags: Breads, Foods and Beverages, Alcoholic Beverages, Cheese, Salt
Staff Writer, Copy EditorMighty Melon, Light-speed Lemon and Tornado Tomato have joined forces with three Valley restaurants to help encourage young children to make healthier food choices. The collaborative effort is part of the Power Up campaign, a program that launched...
The Lexington Herald-LeaderAnita Courtney, Lexington's resident good-eating guru, has a guilty secret. She's eaten junk food in her past. Plenty of it. Yes, Courtney, who is known for tirelessly promoting exercise and healthy snacks, said she "grew up eating Pop Tarts, Tang,...
The Columbian, Vancouver, Wash.Reader poll Where do you purchase groceries? * 1614 National supermarkets (Safeway, Albertsons, Fred Meyer). * 1615 Smaller specialty stores (New Seasons, Whole Foods, Chuck's Produce). * 1616 Discount retailers/grocers (Walmart, Target, WinCo,...
Tags: Dietary Supplements, Health Treatments, Recipes, Breads, Onions
Victoria Advocate, TexasEven at 5 years old, Mercedez O'Neal knows an apple is good for her. "I like to eat most of my apple," said the John C. French Elementary School pre-kindergarten student as she held her lunch tray in the school cafeteria. "Sometimes all of my apple."...
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Tag Archives : UM Renegade Commando
The UM Renegade Commando is the most expensive UM Global product available in India right now. The UM Renegade Commando will soon be gained a.
UM Motorcycles becomes the latest manufacturer to raise prices due to higher input costs. UM Motorcycles has announced a price hike of up to 5.36.
To sell only cruisers for now. UM Motorcycles India has announced 25 dealerships that will take care of the phase one of operations in the.
After making its Indian debut at the Auto Expo 2014, UM Motorcycles today launched three models for the Indian market. The Renegade range consists of.
Get a six-speed gearbox. Autocar Professional reports that UM Motorcycles is planning to introduce the three Renegade variants – Commando, Classic, and Sport S –.
Bookings to open at Auto Expo. UM Motorcycles has formally announced its plan to introduce three models at the 2016 Auto Expo in Greater Noida.
To debut on February 3. The UM Renegade Commando and the UM Renegade Sport S models have been teased by the company before their premiere.
In a recent interview with Mr. Juan Villegas, the Global Director of Business Development, UM International LLC, IndianAutosBlog learnt the company’s plans to make India an.
First launch confirmed at Auto Expo 2016. In an interview with Mr. Juan Villegas, the Global Director for Business Development, UM International LLC, IndianAutosBlog has.
Three cruisers are expected to be launched initially. UM Motorcycles has confirmed that their first product in the Indian market, the UM Renegade Commando, will.
UM Global Motorcycles participated at the recently-concluded EICMA 2015. UM Global Motorcycles, the America-based company that has tied up in India with Lohia Auto, has.
UM already sells its models in Bangladesh. United Motorcycles, the brand that has partnered with UP-based Lohia Auto to launch a wide range of two.
Expected to introduce three products initially. According to Motoroids, UM Global has set up its registered office in Okhla, New Delhi, further bolstering an earlier.
Manufacturing to begin at Kashipur,Uttarakhand. U.S.-based UM Global Motorcycles is on the final stages of making its entry into the Indian market, sources told Indian.
Will begins operations with 250 cc and 300 cc motorcycles. Constant speculations have been in the air surrounding the launch of UM Motorcycles, a US.


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Croda has announced a new addition to its North America personal care sales team, having confirmed that Peter Muller is to become the latest sales executive, based in Edison, New Jersey.
He holds a BS in biology from NJIT, is currently studying for his executive MBA and joins Croda from Salvona Technologies, where he was a senior technology specialist.
Muller’s role will be focused on providing service and support to Croda’s personal care customers in the Eastern part of the United States.
Amyris makes two exec appointments
Amyris is specialized in biotechnology-based skin care solutions, and in connection with that area of the business it has made two executive appointments, as part of plans to further grow the business in 2015.
The appointments are Caroline Hadfield as senior vice president Personal Care and Cynthia Bryant as senior vice president Corporate Development & Collaborations, with both appointments having already been made this month.
“Caroline brings significant experience to Amyris in the skin care sector, branded product development, merchandising, and a strong track record of profitable business growth, which will support our new direct to consumer products in the skin care segment, where we recently launched our premiere Biossance product,” said company CEO and president John Melo.
“Cindy brings proven global business development and partnership expertise to Amyris to support our significant current expansion in collaborations."
Gooding appoints VP of sales and marketing
Labeling expert Gooding has announced the appointment of David Conners as vice president of sales & marketing.
According to the company, Conners will be responsible for the development and coordination of Gooding’s sales and marketing efforts in the areas of pharmaceutical and consumer packaging solutions as well as new product development.
A New England native, Conners has previously held executive positions in sales, marketing, and general management with firms in the Boston area. He has a B.A. in economics from Fairfield University.


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By: The Mobile Indian network, The Mobile Indian, New Delhi
Last updated : June 19, 2017 3:39 pm
The 6GB RAM and 64GB storage variant of the OnePlus 5 will be priced at Rs 32,999, whereas the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant of the device will cost Rs 37,999. It will be an amazon exclusive sale, rumours claim.
OnePlus 5 launch is around the corner and the rumour mills are hot with the expected price of the device. The 6GB RAM and 64GB storage variant may be priced at Rs 32,999, whereas the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant of the device is expected to cost Rs 37,999. It will be an Amazon exclusive sale.
In addition to that, during yesterday’s India vs Pakistan ICC Champions Trophy, One Plus had released an advertisement starring Amitabh Bachchan where he mentioned the release date of OnePlus 5
Recollecting some previous rumours, the device is reported to be powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor along with Adreno 540 GPU. It will feature a Full HD display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels, which contradicts previous rumours predicting a Quad HD display for the upcoming flagship device. The screen size will be of 5.5-inch.
The phone is reported to run on the latest Android 7.1.2 Nougat and will come with a bigger 3600 mAh battery (Evan Blass leaked a 4000 mAh non-removable battery). This is not the first rumour which declared the price of OnePlus 5. Earlier, there were reports by another website regarding the same, and interestingly it has also quoted Rs 32,999 price.
Image Source: Weibo
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NEW YORK--Now that Sassaby Inc. a manufacturer of organizers, has edged into the color cosmetics market with the development of its Jane cosmetics line, the company wants to take the next step. Since being launched last July, Jane's distribution has expanded from an initial 800 Target and Wal-mart doors to 1,000 doors within those chains. Now the company is eyeing a third account. Next month, the 144-item line will be launched in 600 Kmart stores, according to Don Petit, president of Sassaby Cosmetics, a wholly owned subsidiary set up by Sassaby Inc. to market the line. According to Petit, the company is planning to expand to a total of 4,000 to 5,000 doors by early next year. "These new doors will be both within our existing accounts and in new ones," he said. "We are talking with some chain drugstores right now." According to Petit, right now Jane is about 20 percent ahead of plan in terms of shipments. While he declined to be more specific, industry sources are now projecting a first-year wholesale volume of up to $15 million. As reported, initially, sales projections ranged from $8 million to $10 million, according to sources. "Jane is doing exceptionally well for us," said a Target cosmetics buyer, whose name could not be used, due to store policy. "We are very excited about having the products in our stores and expect the line to continue to do well with this age group." She was referring to Jane's target audience of adolescents aged 12-to-18. The buyer attributed Jane's success to the line's original products and to its value-oriented price points. Each item in the line is sharply priced at $2.99. Jane was introduced with a broad range of basic items such as lipsticks, mascaras, blushes, pencils, eyeshadows, foundations, concealers and powders. Now, the company is planning to expand the line through more trendy and fashionable products--such as One For All, a cream stick that can be used to shade the cheeks, lips, and eyes--in the form of seasonal promotions. "Typically mass cosmetics companies have seasonal shade promotions that dictate a color direction and recycle existing products in the line," Petit said. "Our promotions will be new-product driven. This way, we have a testing ground to see what will work for our consumers." "The basic line is of course our bread-and-butter business," added Howard Katkov, Sassaby's chief executive officer. "We needed to start with that core [of basic products] to establish credibility with both consumers and retailers. Now that the line is in place we will be looking toward newsy items as a hook." Petit noted that these promotional items will be displayed on separate countertop units from the Jane display. "This way we will have secondary locations in stores," he continued. The first promotion, called HipLips, which will be on counter this November for the holiday season, is built around six shades of a new lip item with the same name. HipLips Matte lip gloss was created to combine the moisturizing properties of a lip gloss with the finish and staying power of a matte lipstick. Traditional glosses are shiny and must be reapplied frequently. One shade of HipLips will be packaged in a black vinyl tote along with the company's new Vitamin E ConditionStick lip moisturizer and a pot of Jane's existing Wild Cherry lip gloss. The suggested retail price will be $6.99. The second promotion, which will make its debut in March, will be called Grin and Bare It and will group together four new products that have sheer finishes.A countertop display will hold eight shades each of Barely Lips lipstick and Barely Nails nail enamel, which marks the company's first foray into nail enamel. There will also be six shades each of Soft Shakes loose powder and the One For All shading stick. Some or one of these promotional items may be incorporated into Jane's permanent lineup. "If, for example, Barely Nails blows out of the stores, we will be in nail enamel by the following January," Petit said. Petit noted that one of the new sheer lipstick shades will be named by Jane consumers, who communicate with the company through Jane's Brain, a Prodigy computer network bulletin board that the company set up last month. Jane consumers, voting via the computer network, decided that the proceeds from that lipstick should go to the National Runaway Switchboard, a hotline for troubled youth.
“I see things on the hanger and I’m, like, ‘I never knew that color worked on me.’ It’s things you necessarily wouldn’t choose to wear, but once you put them on, you see why Janie is who Janie is." — Lily Collins on working with former "Mad Men" costume designer, Janie Bryant on creating looks for her role as Celia Brady's in Amazon series, "The Last Tycoon." 📸@jilliansollazzo #wwdeye
EXCLUSIVE: Sarah Rutson has been tapped to Build New American Fashion Group. The parent of Joie, Equipment and Current/Elliott hired the merchant to rev up its brands and expand its portfolio into designer, beauty and lifestyle categories. Read more on WWD.com, link in bio. #wwdfashion
Michael Kors' $1.3B Jimmy Choo deal has the company squaring off with Coach Inc. as both seek to build American powerhouses. Coach bought Stuart Weitzman in 2015 and Kate Spade just two weeks ago, but Michael Kors' acquisition may be putting pressure on its rival in the new push for scale. #wwdnews (📷: George Chinsee)
Meet actress Lucy Boynton, who plays opposite Naomi Watts in the recently released Netflix series "Gypsy." Boynton stopped by WWD to talk about her upcoming projects and her nomadic lifestyle. Get all the details on WWD.com. #wwdeye (📷: @dandoperalski)


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SWITZERLAND – The long and protracted sale of Syngenta has finally been sealed after China National Chemical Corporation (ChemChina) and Syngenta announced a definitive deal for ChemChina to acquire the Swiss agrochemicals and seed giant for an all-cash US$43 billion.
In the deal, ChemChina will acquire Syngenta at US$465 per ordinary share plus a special dividend of CHF 5 to be paid conditional upon and prior to closing.
The offer is equivalent to a Swiss franc value of CHF 480 per share. Syngenta shareholders will in addition receive the proposed ordinary dividend of CHF 11 in May 2016.
The state-owned ChemChina-Syngenta deal, if approved, will be the biggest foreign acquisition by a Chinese company, and comes after the Chinese company’s recent acquisition of the German equipment maker KraussMaffei.
In announcing the deal, Syngenta Chairman Michel Demaré is confident the ChemChina deal offers Syngenta shareholders the best alternative and “respects the interests of all stakeholders.”
“In making this offer, ChemChina is recognizing the quality and potential of Syngenta’s business. This includes industry-leading R&D and manufacturing and the quality of our people worldwide.
The transaction minimizes operational disruption; it is focused on growth globally, specifically in China and other emerging markets, and enables long-term investment in innovation.
Syngenta will remain Syngenta and will continue to be headquartered in Switzerland, reflecting this country’s attractiveness as a corporate location,” Demaré said during the announcement.
The ChemChina deal provides current Syngenta management with the opportunity to continue to run the company, with Ren Jianxin, Chairman of ChemChina becoming Chairman of the company, and Michel Demaré, Vice Chairman and lead independent director.
John Ramsay, the current CEO will continue in the interim in his position.
A new Board will include four independent directors of Syngenta, and ChemChina has committed to float the company’s shares in an IPO in a few years time, further sweetening the deal for Syngenta shareholders.
The deal comes at a time of industry consolidation as low commodity prices and tough environment force the agro giants to look at ways to cut costs while increasing output and profit to their shareholders.
It follows the recent announcement by Dow and DuPont to merge their operations, creating a US$130 billion agrochemicals, materials and specialty giant called DowDuPont.
Syngenta had last year refused to sign a deal with Monsanto, the world’s leader in seed technology and sales worldwide, in a deal that could have given Syngenta shareholders US$46 billion, more than the ChemChina offer.
However, Monsanto’s deal was in a combination of both cash and stock as opposed to ChemChina’s all-cash transaction. Further, the level of flexibility and control that ChemChina has provided to the Syngenta management and shareholders seemed to have made all the difference.
“The discussions between our two companies have been friendly, constructive and co-operative, and we are delighted that this collaboration has led to the agreement.
We will continue to work alongside the management and employees of Syngenta to maintain the company’s leading competitive edge in the global agricultural technology field.”
The transaction will enable further expansion of Syngenta’s presence in emerging markets and notably in China, the companies note in their statement. The deal is expected to close by end of this year.


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Data science is a changing landscape that we stay proudly at the forefront of. Discover the latest whitepapers and company news here, along with our thoughts and insights on the latest industry news.
From 2018 to 2019 the demand for Data Scientists rose by 56%. This rise in demand is only expected to increase in 2020 and beyond. It is clear that the supply of Data Scientists is unable to keep up with global demand.
ModelOps is the latest evolution in the Machine Learning and AI industry designed to get the data science field over its biggest hurdle. The percentage of data science models that makes it into production is around 20%, so why are so few models making it into production and how does ModelOps help?
Bellrock Technology has joined FinTech Scotland, a community of over 120 financial technology companies looking to bring innovation to the financial sector.
Bellrock Technology has appointed Dave McConachie as its new Chief Commercial Officer and Hugh Lennie as Chief Financial Officer.


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With the festive corner just around the corner and vendors going crazy with discounts and offers, Microsoft has announced a cash back offer on its popular Lumia smartphones.
Microsoft has introduced a new cash back offer for its Lumia 530 and Lumia 630 smartphones. The offer, crafted specially for the festive season, would give customers a cash back of Rs. 1001 and Rs. 1501 on the purchase of the Lumia 530 and the Lumia 630 respectively. Considering the cash back, the effective price of the handsets would be Rs. 6198 and Rs. 9498 respectively.
While this cash back would be offered to all customers, 1050 lucky customers would get a chance to win 100 percent cash back on their purchase based on a lucky draw. To enter the draw, customers who purchased the new handset should type CASH<space><scratch code><space><IMEI number of the purchased handset> and message it to 55555. The offer would be valid till October 23.


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A series of training programmes launch next week to help the UK travel trade prepare for the growing number of Chinese tourists.
Capela Training is offering a range of courses to the UK inbound travel industry in welcoming Chinese visitors.
“The Chinese are coming,” said Capela Training MD Gary Grieve.
“The UK lags behind the rest of Europe in volume so far but this is already changing.
“Since the Olympics London is firmly on the Chinese tourism map and repeat visitors are venturing further and wider across the nation.”
A ‘Chinese Tourist Welcome’ package is available to individuals, businesses and destinations through online or face-to-face training.
It has been designed in conjunction with the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI).
COTRI Director Professor Wolfgang Arlt said: “As more and more Chinese travel, market segments evolve and sophisticated guests from China are seeking more unique experiences, niche tailored products and less-travelled destinations.
“Companies and organisations need to learn how to treat these tourists and to communicate to the Chinese market their readiness for the biggest international tourism market in the world.”


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Earnings watch: LinkedIn, AIG
The social network and the insurance giant are expected to report losses for their most recent quarters.
By Joseph Woelfel, TheStreet
Updated at 8:30 a.m. ET
Social network LinkedIn (LNKD) is expected to post its second quarterly earnings report as a public company. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect a loss of 4 cents a share in quarter ended in September on revenue of $127.6 million.
American International Group (AIG) is expected by analysts to post a quarterly loss of 27 cents a share on revenue of $13.6 billion. On Tuesday, AIG paid back the Treasury Department $972 million of the billions it received in a rescue package from the U.S. government in 2008.
Kraft Foods (KFT) reported a third-quarter profit of 55 cents a share, excluding costs related to the Cadbury acquisition. The company beat the 58-cent average estimate of analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters. It also increased its full-year forecast.
NYSE Euronext (NYX) said third-quarter profit rose 54% to $186 million on strong trading volumes. NYSE said it is continuing talks with European regulators about receiving clearance for its $9 billion merger with Deutsche Boerse.
CVS Caremark (CVS) posted adjusted third-quarter earnings of 70 cents a share, beating the 67-cent average estimate of analysts. The drugstore and pharmacy benefits manager said it expects adjusted full-year earnings of $2.77 to $2.81 a share, a 2-cent increase for the bottom end of the range.
Imaging company Eastman Kodak (EK) posted a third-quarter loss from continuing operations of $222 million, or 83 cents a share, wider than a year-earlier loss of $43 million, or 16 cents. Analysts were expecting Kodak to post a loss of 42 cents a share in the third quarter. Kodak said it expects a loss from continuing operations in 2011 of $400 million to $600 million. It previously forecast a loss of $200 million to $400 million.
In other news, Costco Wholesale (COST), the warehouse retailer, said same-store sales in October jumped 9%, while total sales rose 11% to $7.01 billion.
Amazon.com (AMZN) on Thursday launched a program in which Kindle and Kindle Fire users who have Amazon Prime memberships can get access to Amazon's new digital book library service.
Copyright © 2014 Microsoft. All rights reserved.
New study finds members of this global elite are stashing an average $600 million each in cash -- 10 times more than a year ago.
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The world-leading online bingo, slots and casino game developer, Pragmatic Play, has announced a new senior member of staff in the form of Bhotesh Maheshwari.
39-year-old Maheshwari previously worked for Rank Digital where he was Head of Gaming Product, and his latest move will see him take on the role of Vice President of Commercial Strategy and Operations. He has held a variety of industry jobs over the past 15 years which should stand him in good stead for his latest venture, beginning his career with William Hill where he worked as a retail manager.
The new VP will work alongside a team of three executives based at the company’s Gibraltar office which serves gambling operators based in the UK, Portugal, Spain and Germany.
His key responsibilities as Vice President of Commercial Strategy and Operations include building closer partnerships with European gambling operators, overseeing commercial operations, and helping Pragmatic Play to expand its footprint in newly regulated territories around the world.
Pragmatic’s Chief Executive Officer, Julian Jarvis, says that Maheshwari’s “impressive industry experience” gained from his previous roles “bode very well for his future with us” while Bhotesh himself says that he’s looking forward to helping implement the company’s “hugely exciting expansion plans” within new product verticals and regulated regions.
Pragmatic Play was founded in 2015 and today it creates around five new slot games per month. Its multi-product portfolio also includes bingo games and live casino games.
The company launched its mobile-first bingo product at the beginning of 2018, and in April 2020, it launched its newest online bingo variant, Bingo Blast which is 3 to 4 times fast than the average 90-ball bingo game.
Last week, Pragmatic Play unveiled its latest live casino game, Mega Roulette, along with a brand-new video slot called Gates of Olympus.


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One of the hardest journeys in life is going from amateur to elite. It’s difficult to do in several years, let alone in under eight months.
Since October 2017, when The Saudi Arabian Federation for Electronic and Intellectual Sports (SAFEIS) was initiated, the federation has already held two major eSports events and now its president, Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, has announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation President Adel Ezzat to develop the first Electronic Saudi Professional League (ESPL).
The prince said: “Here in the Kingdom we have great talent, and our duty toward (it) is providing these platforms where the best come to shine. We are also on a mission to grow the eSports economy and industry.
“This is a major step toward positioning the Kingdom as a main eSports hub in the Middle East and the world.
“My message to all the gamers: Today you might be an amateur, but if you work hard and compete you can become an athlete.”
Vowing his support to both the federations, the vice president of the General Sports Authority, Prince Abdul Aziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, said: “This is a major leap in sports in the Kingdom and I am proud to see such collaborations between the federations.”
This MoU comes on the final day of the GSA FIFA 18 Tournament, where eight finalists are competing for one of the two seats at the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series qualifier. Abdullah Al-Judi won the Xbox seat to the eWorld Cup qualifiers and Abdulrahman Al-Masri won the PlayStation.
The two champions then battled it out for the Inter-Console Super Cup and a grand prize of $100,000. Al-Masri emerged as the victor.
To follow the details of the GSA FIFA 18 Cup and more tournaments and developments, the SAFEIS Twitter and Instagram accounts (@SAFEISKSA) will be sharing updates, streaming links, stingers and other content. EA is brings competitive FIFA to millions of fans around the world through the EA SPORTS FIFA 18 Global Series on the Road to the FIFA eWorld Cup 2018 in August.


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In a significant development within the payment solutions landscape, Alto Global Processing has officially partnered with WLPayments. This collaboration is poised to utilize the white-label payment orchestration platform technology provided by WLPayments, enabling Alto Global Processing to deliver advanced and seamless solutions to its clients. The integration of WLPayments’ payment orchestration platform technology marks a strategic move for Alto Global Processing, aimed at elevating its suite of client solutions. The alliance is driven by a shared vision of providing top-notch experiences and a joint commitment to simplifying complex payment processes.
Empowering Client Solutions
Alto Global Processing’s collaboration with WLPayments underscores its commitment to employing cutting-edge technology for exceptional client service. By harnessing the capabilities of WLPayments, the partnership seeks to offer tailored, efficient solutions that cater to diverse client needs. Luca Bizzotto, CEO of Alto Global Processing, emphasizes the dedication to enriching businesses’ online payment capabilities through this collaboration. The goal is to equip merchants with the means to refine processes, encompassing fraud management, dispute resolution, and data analytics, all contributing to sustained growth.
Sunil Jhamb, CEO of WLPayments, highlights the collaboration with Alto Global Processing as a genuine partnership. The forward-thinking team and visionary leadership at Alto Global Processing position the company as a powerful and trusted ally. The mutual outlook on the future of payments is expected to drive ongoing enhancements in solutions, ultimately enhancing the global merchant experience. The partnership signifies a commitment to excellence and innovation in the realm of payment orchestration.
Microservices Architecture Approach
WLPayments brings its microservices architecture approach to the partnership, strategically positioning the collaboration to meet the needs of businesses seeking rapid scalability and adaptability. This approach empowers enterprises to respond swiftly to evolving market trends and innovations, fostering agility in their operations. The synergy between Alto Global Processing and WLPayments heralds a new era of efficiency in payment orchestration, promising streamlined and responsive solutions for clients.
Global Recognition for WLPayments
This strategic collaboration coincides with WLPayments’ noteworthy achievements at the Global Payments Innovation Awards hosted by The Digital Banker. WLPayments secured victory three times at this prestigious event, underscoring its commitment to delivering exceptional solutions that redefine the landscape of payment orchestration. The recognition received further validates the company’s innovative approach and dedication to excellence.
The partnership between Alto Global Processing and WLPayments signifies a pivotal moment in the evolution of payment solutions, combining technological expertise and forward-thinking leadership. As Alto Global Processing aims to enhance its client solutions with WLPayments’ cutting-edge technology, the collaboration is expected to bring about significant advancements in fraud management, dispute resolution, and data analytics. With a focus on agility and adaptability through microservices architecture, the partnership is poised to address the dynamic needs of businesses in the rapidly evolving payment landscape. WLPayments’ global recognition adds an extra layer of credibility to the collaboration, reinforcing the commitment to excellence and innovation in payment orchestration.


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Microsoft's OneCare security suite is apparently having little if any impact on rivals such as McAfee and Symantec. In a research note, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, citing NPD data, said Microsoft's security suite has less than 1 percent (technically 0.
Between the Lines
Larry Dignan and other IT industry experts, blogging at the intersection of business and technology, deliver daily news and analysis on vital enterprise trends.
Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and SmartPlanet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet's sister site TechRepublic.
Andrew Nusca is a former writer-editor for ZDNet and contributor to CNET. During his tenure, he was the editor of SmartPlanet, ZDNet's sister site about innovation.
Rachel King is a staff writer for ZDNet based in San Francisco.
While Macworld is running strong January 9 to January 12, lawyers will be filing documents for an antitrust complaint in the U.S.
Wondering how 2007 will turn out? Look no more. Here are a few fearless predictions to ponder.
Headlines of the day.CSpan's Webcast of President Ford's funeral.
News.com's Michael Kanellos writes: A few years ago at the Consumer Electronics Show, the big topic of discussion was how Dell and the computing giants were going to change the TV market.
Like many companies under the gun in the ongoing stock options trading scandal, Apple is playing a dangerous game with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S.
Apple Computer filed its tardy quarterly and annual statements with the Securities and Exchange Commission Friday and indicated that Steve Jobs was "aware or recommended" backdated options. However, Apple's board has "complete confidence in Steve Jobs and the senior management team.
Here's a look at the most popular downloads on ZDNet in 2006 to close out our recap of what was hot in news, blogs and reviews during the year.
For the last ten years, Yahoo held the most-visited site title in the U.S.
Throughout the week, we'll be looking at the top news stories, blogs, reviews and downloads of 2006. Here are the most popular ZDNet reviews of the year based on traffic.


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Back in July of 2019, Latvia became one of the first countries in the world to introduce the new-generation 5G mobile network. The country’s leading mobile network operator “Latvian Mobile Telephone” (LMT) offers full access to the 5G network to anyone with a device supporting 5G technology.
In a nutshell, 5G will dramatically improve the responsiveness of all the current technologies on your phone, as well as make it possible for your home internet to come over the air rather than a telephone wire, cable or satellite dish. Later it will make possible new experiences that are still fringe, like augmented reality that works well anywhere, smart cities that are safer, cleaner and more efficient, and a truly connected car.
On July 19, 2019 the President of Latvia, Egils Levits said: “I am proud that thanks to LMT’s activities and cooperation with global companies such as NOKIA and INTEL, Latvia has positioned itself in the world’s avant-garde of the 5G communication network. I would like to see Latvia in the first row in many areas.”
// Ingmārs Pūķis, VP of LMT will lay out LMTs evolution from phones – the standard mobile operator modus operandi – to drones – exploring the opportunities afforded by 5G. The question of what’s in store for telecommunications within the next 5 years will be answered in detail, making sure to not miss the future of ICT.
// Jānis Sārts, Director of the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence in Riga. Don’t miss his keynote on 5G and Blockchain, and how both are new technologies and there are powers who use them to scare people.
// Rowan Högman is Research Leader 5G Industry Collaborations at Ericsson. During his keynote, Rowan will take you through a value chain with some practical examples and results showing how pioneers are implementing wireless technology and 5G today in the industry. Furthermore, what are the key manufacturing industry’s requirements on ICT and its players and what challenges are there to get there?
5G block is powered by Latvian Mobile Telephone (LMT)


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Share of the action for DB
Deutsche Bank brought its bulk to bear on the future shape of European share dealing by becoming a shareholder in the consortium holding a majority stake in Tradepoint Financial Services, owner of the electronically based trading system that wants to be a pan-European stock exchange.
The German bank takes a 9.74% stake for an undisclosed sum, joining investors headed by Reuters' Instinet, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, Dresdner Kleinwort Benson and Merrill Lynch.
Most watched Money videos
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- Watch the BANNED Land Rover ad that 'misrepresented' parking sensors
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Dutch consumer price inflation increased to its highest level in nearly two years in August, data from the Central Bureau of Statistics showed on Tuesday.
The consumer price index rose 2.4 per cent year-on-year in August, after a 1.4-per-cent increase in July. The latest inflation level was the highest since December 2019, when it was at 2.7 per cent.
The latest inflation level was mainly due to higher prices for package holiday abroad and stays in holiday parks, the agency said.
Prices for foods rose 0.2 per cent in August, after a 0.9-per-cent fall in July. Prices for holiday packages were 16.4 per cent cheaper. Inflation based on the harmonized index of consumer prices, or HICP, rose to 2.7 per cent in August, from 1.4 per cent in the previous month.


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NEW JERSEY — In the face of a budget crisis, New Jersey residents voted to legalize marijuana, which could be a huge source of revenue for a state still reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.
Gov. Phil Murphy had pledged to legalize marijuana when he ran for election. He said the hundreds of millions in estimated tax revenue would go toward the state’s public pension payments and school aid.
New Jersey State Sen. Nick Scutari said he would introduce a bill to regulate the new industry as early as Thursday.
“Just because it passes today or tomorrow doesn’t mean it’s legal today or tomorrow,” Scutari said.
Currently, New Jersey spends about $143 million per year on marijuana enforcement, according to a 2017 report by the American Civil Liberties Union.
There had been efforts to legalize recreational usage through the state legislature, but it was ultimately added to November’s ballot instead.
All sales of marijuana products would be subject to New Jersey’s 6.625% sales tax. Towns can pass ordinances to charge local taxes as well.
New Jersey is the 12th state, in addition to the District of Columbia, to legalize recreational marijuana.
Only those 21 and older can purchase marijuana under the newly approved measure.


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- MagnaChip Semiconductor (MX) +24.6%. Raises 2Q revenue outlook.
- CymaBay Therapeutics (CBAY) +6.1%. Raymond James upgrades.
- Beyond Meat (BYND) +5.2%. Privately held Tim Hortons adds Beyond Meat products to menu.
- Mattel (MAT) +4.1%. Rejects merger offer from competitor MGA Entertainment.
- Tesla (TSLA) +3.4%. CEO Elon Musk says the company may have a record quarter.
- Dave & Buster's Entertainment (PLAY) -17.5%. Lowers full-year revenue and net income forecasts.
- Trade Desk (TTD) -4.9%. Downgraded from "neutral" to "reduce" at Nomura Instinet.
- Lam Research (LRCX) -3.6%. Downgraded from "outperform" to "in-line" at Evercore ISI.
- Medidata Solutions (MDSO) -4%. Dassault Systèmes to acquire MDSO for $92.25/share, a 2.6% discount to last night's close.
- Qualcomm (QCOM) -2.5%. Federal Trade Commission says antitrust decision against QCOM should not be put on hold while the company appeals the ruling.


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Builders and plumbers merchant group Grafton Group is to become one of the first Green Deal Providers.
In all, 22 organisations including power companies, SMEs and a community group have signed the agreement. Green Deal Providers will be offering energy efficiency packages to consumers when the scheme launches later this year.
Paul Roche Grafton Group’s director of sustainability and renewables, said: “As a builders and plumbers merchant, we have an important role to play, supporting installers and product manufacturers across the Green Deal product range. The Green Deal is a very exciting opportunity and we will be working hard to help our trade customers and consumers understand how they can benefit.
“We take our commitment to sustainability very seriously and are proud to be part of this agreement and all it stands for. This initiative brings together major players within the industry and demonstrates how we are all working towards that common goal, to reduce carbon emissions.”
The Green Deal is the government’s plan to improve the nation’s draughty homes at no upfront cost to the consumer.
Climate Change Minister Greg Barker MP said: “The signing of this agreement between government and business pioneers represents a watershed moment in the development of the Green Deal.
“The commitment shown today highlights the opportunity that organisations see in the Green Deal from community groups, SMEs to big business which only bodes well for the scheme’s future success.”
Grafton Group’s principal merchant businesses are Buildbase, Plumbase, Selco and Jackson Building Centres.


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The head of Britain’s largest specialist wine retailer has insisted that his company’s stores will be fully stocked this Christmas, despite supply chain problems affecting the drinks sector.
John Colley, the chief executive of Majestic Wines, said that the firm had planned months in advance and had 20 per cent more stock than it did last year, including 1.8 million wine bottles in its warehouses.
His comments stand in stark contrast to a letter published yesterday by the Wine and Spirits Trade Association (WSTA) and co-signed by dozens of firms, which warned that the country could face an alcohol shortage during the festive season.
Majestic Wine’s boss said his company’s ‘shelves will remain full’ this Christmas despite supply chain problems affecting the alcohol sector
The letter warned that unless the HGV driver crisis and disruptions in the freight industry were sufficiently addressed, certain tipples could disappear from supermarket shelves, and businesses would lose significant trade.
It urged the UK Government to extend the incoming temporary visa scheme for lorry drivers to at least one year, improve freight routes from ports, and provide regular updates on the processing of HGV tests and driving licences.
Majestic Wine was not one of the signatories to the letter, and has largely bypassed the problems affecting the alcohol sector, though it warned earlier this year that it was experiencing trouble with freight arriving from Europe.
Colley said: ‘This Christmas may be the year we see other regions rise in prominence in the face of shortages in certain areas.
‘For instance, we are anticipating record South African and English Sparkling sales – in place of New Zealand and Champagne respectively.
‘With the extra stock we are bringing in and the focus on intuitive sourcing from up and coming regions, we are confident this will mean, at Majestic at least, our shelves will remain full.’
A letter by the Wine and Spirits Trade Association warned that the UK could face an alcohol shortage this Christmas, unless the Government dealt with the shortage of HGV drivers
His remarks came on the same day the shortfall in British crisps showed signs of easing, according to a survey from global research group Kantar Public on behalf of the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
A fifth of shops said they had low supplies of multi-packs of crisps, compared to 30 per cent the week before – though 4 per cent of stores revealed they had no stock whatsoever.
The scarcity has its origins in popular snack food manufacturer Walkers reducing production at its Leicester factory, following technical issues arising from the site’s IT system being upgraded.
Though the IT problem was eventually fixed, the problem led to lower availability of consumer favourites such as Monster Munch, Quavers and Wotsits, and in some cases, supermarket shelves that were virtually empty of crisps.
Supply issues: A fifth of shops said they had low supplies of multi-packs of crisps compared to 30 per cent the week before according to the Office for National Statistics
Many stores also reported being affected by shortages of painkillers Ibuprofen and Paracetamol, as well as fresh pork and frozen turkey, while a few stores reported lacking, beer, fresh fruit and toothpaste.
Supply chain problems have been common in Britain and elsewhere as businesses adjust to shifts in consumer demand, as well as the availability of workers following the Covid-19 pandemic and, in Britain’s case, Brexit.
The ONS said 14 per cent of businesses it surveyed reported labour shortages in late November, a similar level to the month before.
This rose to 38 per cent in the accommodation and food services sectors, which shed many staff during the pandemic and previously relied heavily on European Union workers.
The Bank of England is looking closely at the job market for signs of pay pressures – or, conversely, higher unemployment after the end of furlough support on October 1 – as it considers whether to raise interest rates on December 16.
Earlier official data showed a record 1.17 million job vacancies in the three months to the end of October.
Thursday’s data showed the volume of online job adverts was 44 per cent above its pre-pandemic level, the same as the week before, while consumer spending on credit and debit cards was 3 per cent higher than before the pandemic, on a non-seasonally adjusted basis.
Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.


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By Canon Cinema EOS Rumors
| April 17, 2017 |
It looks like the lens is a T4.4 and not a T2.8 like previously reported.
We reported that a cinema zoom lens was coming from Canon for NAB, and it looks like it’s going to be a CN-E 70-200mm t/4.4 lens.
We’re also expecting new firmware for the EOS 5D Mark IV to be announced this week alongside the new CN-E lens.
More to come…
By Canon Firmware
| April 13, 2017 |
The calm before the storm?
Canon has released firmware version 1.0.4 for the EOS 5D Mark IV.
Firmware Version 1.0.4 incorporates the following fixes and improvements:
- Fixes a phenomenon in which a red-colored area may appear at the bottom-center of a captured image when shooting in bulb mode or during a long exposure.
- Fixes a phenomenon in which the autofocus may not respond when the autofocus is initiated via pressing the shutter button, the AF-ON button or the AE lock button when configured in the custom control menu.
- Enhances the reliability of communications between the camera and SD card.
- Fixes incorrect wording on the Finnish language menu screen.
Download firmware v1.0.4 for the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV | EOS 5D Mark IV at B&H Photo
By Third Party Software
| April 12, 2017 |
The goal of this release is to provide additional camera raw support, lens profile support and address bugs that were introduced in previous releases of Lightroom.
Today, we also released versions of Lr for iOS and Android that provide updated camera support. Check them out here.
New Camera Support in Lightroom CC 2015.10 / 6.10
- Canon EOS M6
- Canon EOS Digital Rebel T7i (EOS 800D, EOS Kiss X9i)
- Canon EOS 77D (EOS 9000D)
- Pentax KP
By Third Party Lenses
| April 11, 2017 |
The-Digital-Picture has completed their review of the brand new Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2.
While I take camera and lens marketing statements with a grain of salt, Tamron in this case delivered on the “… enhanced optical performance, improved VC (Vibration Compensation), faster AF speed and accuracy, and shortened MOD (Minimum Object Distance) …” promise. The Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2 Lens design is both visually attractive and functionally very nice. This lens delivers accurate autofocusing and remarkable image quality for an ideal combination that translates to dependably great results. The low price will seal the deal for many. Read the full review
Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2 at B&H Photo
By Canon Lens Rumors
| April 8, 2017 |
The next EF lens announcement from Canon will be for the EF 85mm f/1.4L IS. We originally reported on this lens back in November and unfortunately eately we don’t have any more information to report.
We’re thinking the EF 85mm f/1.4L IS will be announced some time in Q2/early Q3 but we hope to nail down an announcement date soon.
We have been told that this lens will not replace the EF 85mm f/1.2L, and that the classic 85L will remain current in the lineup for the foreseeable future.
As for NAB in a few weeks, we do expect to see some announcements on or around April 20, 2017. We’re now being told that there will be no Cinema EOS prime lenses announced for the show, instead we’ll be getting a cinema zoom lens.
The only thing we know for sure is that EOS 5D Mark IV will get a big firmware update announcement on or around April 20, 2017. We haven’t confirmed with absolute certainty that our previous report on the updated features is 100% legitimate.
There is a new Cinema EOS camera body coming, but as we reported earlier, it won’t be announced for NAB and will come later in the year. If we go by the little bit of information we’ve heard about the camera, it will be a “baby” C300 Mark II. A Cinema EOS C200 perhaps?
All is still quiet on the EOS 6D Mark II, but we definitely expect things to heat up soon.


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American sanctions did not prevent.
Such a good sale of Huawei devices may come as a surprise, especially considering the American sanctions imposed on the Chinese giant, which effectively limit its activities in many markets. The trade war and concerns about national security have led to a situation where US companies cannot cooperate with Huawei and provide them with their technologies.
Salvation for Huawei turned out to be internal market where the company has nearly 40% shares. According to Strategy Analytics, global sales of Huawei smartphones in 2019 reached a level 240.5 million pcs against 205.8 million units sold a year ago. This means that the company currently has 17% of the market mobile devices.
Apple is ahead of Samsung
Although Samsung is still a leader globally, the data from the last quarter of 2019 give food for thought. It is estimated that the American giant delivered to customers in the hottest sales year of the year 70.7 million iPhones. Samsung's result was slightly worse (68.8 million), and Huawei came third (56 million). In the same period, Chinese also achieved significant growth Xiaomi selling 33 million smartphones (compared to 26 million in Q4 2018).
Good reception of the iPhone 11 and greater demand in Asia and North America have brought Apple back into shape. In 2019, 1.41 billion smartphones hit the market, a decrease of just 1% compared to the previous period. Analysts believe that the U.S. trade war with China and fear of coronavirus could be a career in market growth in 2020.