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Liqui Fruit recall — it wasn't glass
Pioneer Foods recalled about 270,000 cans of its Liqui Fruit grape juice after three consumers reported finding “small glass shards” in their cans, only to discover that the glass was, in fact, harmless cream of tartar crystals.
Two-thirds of the batch of grape juice cans in question was still in the food manufacturer’s warehouses or distribution centres when the recall was actioned, and the rest were being pulled off supermarket shelves as a precaution. This while a private lab in Stellenbosch ran tests to confirm what the glass-like “foreign objects” were.
There have been no reports of any consumers being harmed by the particles, Pioneer Foods says.
In newspaper adverts placed on Thursday, the company said the particles had been independently found to be “potassium bitartrate crystals”, a naturally occurring substance in products made from grapes, such as grape juice and wine.
“Crystallisation occurs under certain conditions, such as low temperature,” the adverts said. “In this case it occurred after processing and canning.”
“Potassium bitartrate is more commonly known as cream of tartar when used as a cooking aid.”
Asked to comment, Pioneer Foods CEO Tertius Carstens said because the crystals looked exactly like glass, the company was not prepared to put its customers at risk while waiting for the results of laboratory analysis of a sample provided by one of the complainants.
“We made the right call,” he said. “And we are continuing with the recall, because while it's a natural substance and it’s not toxic, those crystals should not be there,” he said.
Cartens said this was the first time crystallisation had occurred in Liqui Fruit grape juice, which is produced at Pioneer’s beverage plant in Ceres.
“Consumers are still advised not to consume or dispose of the product, but to return it to the retailer where it was purchased, for a full refund,” the advert reads.
“Pioneer Foods apologises for any anxiety and concern caused while we awaited the outcome of detailed analysis of the crystals.”
Prof Gunnar Sigge, head of Stellenbosh University’s Food Science department, said the use of potassium bitartrate or tartaric acid in foods within the recommended levels posed no health risk to humans.
“The FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius General Standard for Food Additives, which SA legislation follows, lists a maximum usage level in juice of 4,000mg/kg,” he said.
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San Jose, Calif. (KTVU) - Apple CEO Tim Cook disclosed a tentative launch date for its credit card at the company’s third-quarter earnings call Tuesday. "And we plan to begin the rollout of Apple Card in August," he said, which puts the Apple Card well within the promised summer launch window.
First announced in March 2019 at its services-focused event held in Cupertino, Apple Card is mostly virtual - built into the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone, though the company is also offering a physical titanium Apple Card to shop at locations where Apple Pay is not accepted yet.
At its announcement, Apple said that the card would have no annual, late, international or over-the-limit fees, and would provide interest rates that are among the lowest in the industry. The card is being developed in partnership with Goldman Sachs and Mastercard. Purchases would be authorized by Face ID or Touch ID, keeping in mind the user’s privacy and security – Apple claimed that it would never share or sell data “to third parties for marketing and advertising”.
The card offers a Daily Cash rewards program that gives users two percent of every purchase made with the card through Apple Pay, and three percent Daily Cash on purchases made at Apple stores, the App Store, and Apple services. There’s a 1% Daily Cash reward when you use the titanium Apple Card.

domain: news


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IN just over a week more than $30,000 has been pledged to help Timboon’s Schulz Organic Dairy shift away from using plastic milk bottles.
Since August 1 about 480 people have pledged more than $33,000 to the campaign, which would help the dairy purchase equipment needed to package more of their milk in returnable glass bottles.
Schulz Organic Dairy principal Simon Schulz said the response had been very humbling and showed there was a huge community sentiment to reduce the use of plastics. “It shows the direction our business is looking at is viable and valuable,” he said.
“There’s still a long way to go. There are a lot of other products we have using plastic.”
Mr Schulz encouraged consumers to ask other businesses what they’re doing to curb their environmental impact.
The business’s target of $48,000 would allow them to buy the equipment needed to produce 3000 bottles a week in glass, saving six tonnes of single-use plastic bottles from ever being used.
If the business raised $144,000 it could bottle 10,000 per week and reduce its use of plastic bottles by 20 tonnes per year.
The campaign runs on pozible.com until midnight, August 31.
Pozible CEO Alan Crabbe said on average, successful Pozible campaigns had 67 supporters.
“So for Schulz Milk In Glass to have over 400 supporters, not even a week in, was outstanding,” he said.


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AAR decries Amazon’s treatment of authors; the British Library unveils a new online collection; Ian McEwan’s archive heads to Austin; and other news.
The detective work that exposed memoirist Misha Defonseca; Tennessee school board overturns ban on Mark Haddon novel; the struggle to avoid a monopoly in the publishing industry; and other news.
Andrew Wylie versus Amazon; an online reading in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month; North Korea’s bookstores; and other news.
An Orlando-based bookstore goes local; Margaret Atwood and Dave Eggers in comics; Urban Dictionary’s take on Virginia Woolf; and other news.
Penguin Books India recalled and intends to pulp Wendy Doniger’s The Hindus: An Alternative History; Grove Atlantic will publish a collection of stories by actor Jesse Eisenberg; Francine Prose and Zoë Heller discuss the need for negative book reviews; and other news.
Amazon’s editorial director offers a bevy of love stories for Valentine’s Day; Open Road will acquire digital publisher E-Reads; Eric Bennett details his time at the venerable Iowa Writers’ Workshop; and other news.
Another executive of Barnes & Noble’s Nook division has reportedly left the company; Amazon is expanding its Kindle business in Brazil; the Irish Times examines the last days of William Butler Yeats; and other news.
The University of Central Lancashire has created an MA program designed to teach students self-publishing; the Seattle Times investigates Amazon’s long-term strategy; Roxana Robinson shares her thoughts on the death of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman; and other news.
J. K. Rowling has filed a libel lawsuit against the Daily Mail; Amazon announced its net sales increased 22 percent in 2013; classicist Dirk Obbink discovered two unknown poems by Sappho; and other news.
Vice magazine features Yahya Hassan, a teenage Danish Palestinian poet whose first collection is the most popular book of Danish poetry in history; NBC News spotlights the income disparity between adjunct and tenured professors in the United States; BuzzFeed wants to know if you can guess the identity of a classic novel after reading its first sentence; and other news.


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In order to reach a wider range of audience, e-commerce portals are now planning to go offline. After Flipkart’s plan of going offline to target smaller cities, now furniture marketplace Urban Ladder is also planning to go offline.
The company is looking to widen offline distribution channels beyond company-owned centres and streamline product offerings. Along with the offline route, the company is also going to create a new brand identity.
With this move, the Bengaluru-based start-up is aiming to evolve from an online furniture store into a brand. As per the company’s CEO, they are awaiting approval from the department of industrial policy and promotion for its single-brand retail licence.
Urban Ladder, which is already listed on online marketplaces such as Amazon India and Flipkart, is planning to launch at least three experience centres over the next 8-12 months in Bengaluru. Further, the company is also exploring large format retail stores by setting up pop-up stalls.
Ashish Goel, Urban Ladder’s co-founder and chief executive, said,
Multiple customer segment identification is the key. Somebody else can own the distribution channel—for instance Amazon and Flipkart. There are also a few things we are trying to do offline, beyond the experience stores, say pop-up stores among others. One piece is partnering with product brands which are operating in the broader space that we are operating. The other is point of sale partnerships with retail stores.
The company has also initiated a branding overhaul with the creation of a new logo and tag line to support its transition from an online furniture store to a brand. Christened “Let’s Create”, the new identity is expected to help the company retain its premium positioning despite the presence of the company on multiple marketplaces.
The new logo of Urban Ladder will have an empty box — symbolising an empty room, with the text below it. The company has also changed the colour of its logo to orange from a combination of orange and grey earlier.
Sanjay Gupta, Chief Marketing Officer of the company, said,
The idea is to convey the message that Urban ladder will bring back the joy of creating, starting with your homes. We call it Let’s Create, where we create homes that reflect the consumer as an individual.
Urban Ladder was founded in 2012 by Ashish Goel and Rajiv Srivatsa. So far, the company has raised $77 million in 4 funding rounds from around 7 investors. It competes with Pepperfry, which has so far raised more than $160 million from various investors.


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Malawi needs to organise its cotton sector if it is to reap the opportunities that regional and global markets offer, according to a report released by the African Institute of Corporate Citizenship (AICC).
The report is prepared by the Cotton Unit of the AICC and is released quarterly focusing on the future prospects of the cotton value chain in Malawi.
Government through the Cotton Council of Malawi has earmarked production of 80,000 tonnes of cotton in 2016/17 season.
But in the outlook, AICC notes that to achieve this target, there is need to have clear mechanisms in place to ensure that quality production inputs and seed are available to farmers on time.
In the absence of such mechanisms, AICC fears 2017 production is likely to mirror the 2015/16 season when less than 15,000 metric tonnes of cotton was produced.
The estimated area under cotton cultivation is 133,333 hectares which requires about 2,000 tonnes of seed.
At the moment, about 35 percent of the required cotton seed is available in stock for consumption according to official reports.
AICC notes that the country will have to bridge the gap by sourcing the seed elsewhere before the onset of rains to achieve the target set.
“With declining yields and production levels, the country ought to devise strategies aimed at boosting cotton production in 2016/17 season. Currently, the major limitation to increase yields and production is limited access to production inputs by small holder farmers,” the report said.
While all effort is being made by government and other stakeholders in the cotton value chain to increase production, operationalization of production turn around strategies remain elusive.
In the next six months, cotton prices are expected to be relatively stable in nominal terms after an anticipated further drop until December, 2016 and will revert to average in the first quarter of 2017.
This is despite world cotton prices being under pressure from substantial high s tock levels and fierce competition from synthetic fibres.
“Generally, world cotton prices are expected to be lower than the average in both real and nominal terms. World production is expected to grow at slower pace than consumption in the next six months reflecting the anticipated lower price level resulting from the large global stocks that accumulated between 2010 and 2014. Stock-to-use ratio is expected to be hovering around 40 percent in 2017,” AICC said.
The Cotlook A Index is projected to decline marginally to $1.46 in 2016/17 from $1.49/Kg in 2015/16 as growth in demand for alternative fibres and pressures on China’s trade policies continue to sharpen world cotton prices.
The report notes that given these global cotton trade dynamics, African countries, including Malawi, are likely to benefit from the cotton export market if adequate and quality supplies are made available.
“Empirical evidence from demonstration programme that African Institute of Corporate Citizenship has been coordinating as a Secretariat of the now defunct Cot t on Development Trust showed yields as high as 1000 Kg/ha can be obtained by smallholder farmers when an input package was used coupled with good agricultural practices,” part of the report reads.
Demand for cotton is derived from demand for textiles which is influenced by several economic factors. Any sudden changes in the global economy would result into a corresponding change in textile consumption hence affecting market stability.


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InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – President Joko Widodo took got some representatives of independent smallhlders at Istana Merdeka, Jakarta on Wednesday (23/3/2022). In the meeting, the smallholders told many things, startin from their issues until their innovation that they developed.
“We told some innovations that independent smallhoders developed. Alhamdulillah the president responded us well namely about the fund from Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency to be distributed to smallholders maximally,” representative of smallholders, Rukaiyah Rafik said, as in the official statement to InfoSAWIT.
When meeting the president, they also proposed that there should be representatives of smallholders to be in PFMA to get what they really need to develop palm oil plantations.
About biodiesel program, the independent smallholders proposed biodiesel companies could do partnership with them by direct cooperation. Rukaiyah thought, this would be good news for independent smallholders if it is realized.
“This is enough and good news for us to be here as the representatives of independent smallholders in Indonesia. But if the direct cooperation (partnership) happens, we believe, we will be better and independent in the future,” she said.
Rukaiyah told, 45% of palm oil production derived from independent smallholders.
“We thank the president for his warm welcome and some leads he told. The president would discuss with the unions and would make one model that smallholders could directly produce palm cooking oil,” she said.
Meanwhile, President Joko Widodo also encouraged the independent smallholder‘s cooperation to produce palm cooking oil to be not rare, easily bought in economic price. (T2)


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GLOBALG.A.P., a leader in certifying responsible agriculture, has selected ADAS (an RSK company) to lead a project assessing the interest in a responsible agriculture standard for the cannabis sector. The project, which started in January 2020, reviews the regulatory frameworks that control cannabis use issues in key countries around the world and across four main areas of the
- production and consumption of cannabidiol (CBD)
- use of recreational cannabis; medicinal cannabis
- use of cannabis for the production of seed
- fibres that can be used for applications ranging from bioplastics and textiles to construction materials.
Cannabis has been a highly controversial plant for many years, but the legislative framework policing it is changing; recreational use is now legal in countries such as Canada and regulations permitting medicinal use are increasing in countries such as the UK. In many countries, CBD is a booming product for the health and well-being market. Cannabis can no longer be ignored or treated only as an illicit substance; although staying on top of the legislation for how it can be grown and used in countries around the world is a challenge.
GLOBALG.A.P. is working with stakeholders to consider developing a standard aimed at the agricultural producer level of the cannabis sector. To help support GLOBALG.A.P.’s research and investigation into the potential uses and benefits of a standard, ADAS will lead market analysis.
The project will enable GLOBALG.A.P. to gain an understanding of what the market expects from a cannabis standard at the agricultural level and thus to design an industry-leading relevant standard. ADAS, because of its independence and objectivity regarding cannabis issues, is a natural partner. Although the development of the cannabis market is in a relatively early stage, ADAS will share the results of the investigation with GLOBALG.A.P. and offer market perspectives from a wide range of stakeholders across key potential countries that could benefit from a potential future standard.
“We were delighted to be selected by GLOBALG.A.P., a well-respected organisation in the development and ownership of standards, to deliver a project that requires an independent mindset and knowledge of agriculture and standards in the rapidly expanding cannabis sector,” said Dr Colin Morgan, Business Development Director at ADAS. “The cannabis sector is fascinating and confusing, and everyone in the sector is learning every day.”
“Even the word cannabis is used interchangeably with terms such as hemp, so we wanted to bring clarity to an area of analysis that could contribute to the development of standards in the sector and drive trust and confidence in the entire cannabis value chain across a range of applications. In the UK, for instance, we have seen a massive increase in the use of CBD, but consumers are not always clearly aware of the origins, traceability and production methods of the products they are consuming.
“However, standards such as those from GLOBALG.A.P. could be used by the cannabis value chain to support trust building, if that is what the market is looking for. ADAS brings its extensive connections with a range of cannabis value chains to the research. We can provide GLOBALG.A.P. with fundamental insights into the views of the sector.”
For more information, please contact Colin Morgan.


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The COVID-19 crisis is hitting Germany and with it the export-oriented medium-sized companies and world market leaders. EURACTIV’s media partner WirtschaftsWoche surveyed these companies, who spoke of “opened flanks”, but also of “hope and optimism”.
Is Germany’s economic strength becoming a weakness?
The University of St. Gallen counts around 450 world market leaders in this country with more than 50% of sales each coming from abroad. A survey by WirtschaftsWoche shows nearly all these companies have introduced travel restrictions in recent days and switched to teleworking and video conferencing.
But how do they assess the COVID-19 crisis’ consequences on their financial year? And how are they dealing with the turbulence in the important markets of China, the US, and Italy? There are pessimists, optimists, and profiteers.
What impacts do you expect from the coronavirus on your overall economic development for the current year?
The confident and the profiteers.
One of the first German winners of the coronavirus pandemic was Teamviewer. The Stuttgart-based company offers solutions for video conferencing and remote access to computers.
The insurance company Allianz is also pleased with “a broadly diversified business model and products that are in demand in every economic situation,” while colleagues at reinsurer Munich Re do not expect the outbreak of the coronavirus to have a significant impact on their business either. “However, our business unit ‘Epidemic Risk Solutions’ has seen a sharp increase in demand from companies for our epidemic/pandemic insurance products since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus,” the added.
Sports goods manufacturer Adidas is also “extremely confident about future growth prospects.” Hessian medical technology and health care giant Fresenius (sales of €3.5 billion) sees “no significant limitations at present,” but says this “with all due caution.”
The Frankfurt-based forklift truck manufacturer Kion is confident “that production and delivery backlogs as a result of the extended New Year holidays in China and the current coronavirus situation in Italy can be made up later this year.”
Even smaller companies are emphatically optimistic.
For example, Wolfgang Spreitzer, the executive board member for the Actuators Division of relay manufacturer Gruner AG in Wehingen, Baden-Württemberg, explains: “If this situation were not to worsen further, meaning a halt of demand, economic development would be no better or worse than in 2019 or 2018.”
Peter Wimmer, the executive board member for Innovation & Products at the Tuttlingen-based medical technology company Binder said that “production is still running smoothly”. He also emphasised the opportunity for his company, saying it “is involved in corona research on a large scale. Research is carried out on the virus itself using our freezers and in a second step, our CO2 incubators are used in large pharmaceutical companies to develop a vaccine.”
Deutsche Post DHL was more hesitant: “If the macroeconomic situation returns to normal, there could also be positive effects for logistics companies,” said the Bonn-based logistics group. “If the current situation lasts longer or deteriorates in the coming months, the negative effects for the group are likely to outweigh the positive ones,” the company added.
However, other companies have already felt the negative effects of the crisis.
For instance, the Lufthansa Group is one of the first to feel the negative effects of the Corona crisis. It is currently examining “the implementation of shortened working hours. Initially, however, it is a matter of finding ways to keep all employees on board even during the crisis,” a spokesperson said.
Lufthansa had already offered its employees “the use of voluntary individual personnel measures” in recent weeks, including unpaid leave, an advance on annual leave, and “the expansion of part-time work”.
The group has cancelled the payment of dividends to its shareholders. This step is intended to help ensure solvency. The group is also taking out additional loans and is contributing its aircraft fleet as collateral. In the event that the crisis gets worse or lasts longer, Lufthansa is even considering the possibility of government aid.
Mark Hiller, the managing partner of the aircraft seat manufacturer Recaro Aircraft Seating from Schwäbisch Hall, Germany, is suffering for similar reasons. The pandemic “leads to massive losses in sales and thus to enormous cost pressure.” As a consequence, there are “in individual cases programme deferrals.”
The Ludwigshafen-based DAX group BASF, which has a €59 billion in revenue also noticed a deterioration: “This year we are already experiencing a high level of uncertainty in the global economy in the first two months. With the coronavirus, a new factor has been added that is significantly hampering growth at the beginning of the year, especially in China,” the company announced.
The chemical company expects “that the negative effects of the coronavirus will have a significant impact worldwide, particularly in the first and second quarters of 2020,” under the assumption that “the virus will not spread globally.”
More concretely, the BWF Group (revenue: €285 million), a manufacturer of filter materials and felt from Offingen in southwestern Germany, expects “a double-digit percentage decline in turnover and earnings.” The Essen-based energy group Evonik with €15 billion in revenue announced at the beginning of March in its balance sheet PC that it expects a loss of around €30 million in the first quarter.
Several market leaders are not ruling out reducing working hours.
Jörgen Hofmann, CFO of the foam cutting machine manufacturer Albrecht Bäumer from the Siegerland region between Bonn and Frankfurt, said that “we expect to feel the effects until summer 2020 and currently do not expect to be able to compensate for the negative consequences in any way by the end of the year,” which could lead to “partial or total plant closures” in the worst case.
“Shortened working hours will definitely be introduced,” fears the firm E-T-A, with €90 million in revenue, a manufacturer of power distribution systems based in Altdorf near Nuremberg.
How do you deal with the US closing the border?
Nearly all market leaders have introduced teleworking and travel restrictions.
In addition, the ban on entry into the US, which US President Donald Trump imposed on Europe on 12 March, is not a major problem for many companies because they have local offices, including, for instance, large corporations such as Siemens (which employs more than 50,000 people in the US), Volkswagen, Allianz (“hardly any direct effects”), Munich Re (“no negative effects”).
The Gütersloh-based washing machine and dishwasher specialist Miele also has its own sales company in the US with almost 500 employees and believes that “the effects of the temporary entry ban are therefore limited.”
But even less known medium-sized companies are prepared.
The corrugator manufacturer BHS from Weiherhammer, near the Czech border, generates around a third of its €575 million in revenue in the US and maintains a production site and a service branch in the country. Service and installation personnel are also on site. This makes it possible “to continue to serve all customers. Unfortunately, the flexibility for our internal planning of field service personnel is now somewhat limited”, the company said.
“The American president is always good for surprises”
However, the situation is different for some machine and plant manufacturers.
For the Albrecht Bäumer company, for which the US is also the largest sales market, the entry ban means “that we are currently unable to send any fitters, have to cancel commissioning, delivery and repair appointments.”
Machine manufacturer Haver&Boecker (revenue: €515 million) from the northwestern town of Oelde is forced to reduce its recently launched “USA offensive,” due to the entry ban, and two “larger projects” in the US for the Swabian plant manufacturer Lingl, are affected.
They assume “that it will not stop at these 30 days and that other countries will also close their borders. In fact, we expect half of the EU countries to close their borders in two weeks.” Still others, like Bausch+Ströbel, packaging machine manufacturers for the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, hope for “special permits.”
The ban also has concrete consequences for Recaro CEO Mark Hiller, the world market leader in aircraft seats. The company must now hold its spring management meeting, originally planned at the site in Fort Worth, Texas, in Stuttgart. Hiller writes that he “sent a US colleague, who works two-thirds of the time in Schwäbisch Hall and one-third at his home in the US, on a plane to the US yesterday”.
Heribert Rohrbeck, head of Bürkert Fluid Control System, a measurement and control system specialist for gases and liquids with a €532 million revenue, accepts the situation with fatalistic humour.
“We have a strong local presence in the USA and are, therefore, not particularly affected by this arrangement. Moreover, the American president is always good for surprises,” it said.
What is your current situation in China and Italy?
Volkswagen announced that “almost all” VW plants in China are producing again, “albeit at a lower level,” due to decreases in customer demand.
However, deliveries to the plants are working, mainly because the employees in the logistics chains and purchasing departments have been doing the “hard work” in recent weeks as the supply chains were functioning, although not on the usual routes everywhere.
VW now ships certain components by plane instead of by ship. The Brenner Pass between Austria and Italy in South Tyrol is also jammed.
The optimism in China is widespread among Germany’s market leaders:
While BASF’s major production sites in China have resumed operations since 17 February, Merck, which employes 4,100 people in China, announced that it has “now resumed most of our business operations in China.”
Besides, Continental has gradually resumed its production at Chinese plants since 10 February. And ZF Friedrichshafen’s 40 plants based in China have “resumed production or are in the ramp-up phase,” although the production volumes are “not yet at 100%.” For Covestro, “operations have largely returned to normal. The supply chains are largely intact again and the production facilities have resumed normal operations”, while “all GEA locations around the world are open and operating at normal levels for the most part; this is also the case in China and Italy.”
Smaller SMEs also emphasise the return to normality.
Grebe Holding, a manufacturer of industrial coating materials in Weilburg, Hesse (revenue: €211 million), had to close its production site in Tianjin for five weeks.
However, the loss was “bearable.”
Since 2 March, production has resumed at a 40% level, and Grebe intends to increase capacity utilisation to 70% to 80% by the end of March. Hawe Hydraulik SE also observed “a significant increase in business” in China and expects “a strong catch-up effect of the sales losses from January and February.”
But not all German market leaders are so optimistic about business in China.
Agricultural machinery manufacturer Claas, for example, is currently struggling with a declining agricultural machinery market in China which pre-dated the corona crisis. Production there is “delayed in the new year and then started with a reduced workforce. The losses “cannot yet be estimated precisely.”
Numerous companies point out that their business activities in China have been “considerably impaired” (Ottobock) or “negatively affected” (Fuchs Petrolub), while Bürkert CEO Heribert Rohrbeck said that “two months on the market” in China had been missing.
Emka, a North Rhine-Westphalian manufacturer of locks, hinges and sealants for switch and control cabinets (revenue: €285 million), calls the current economic situation in China “tense.”
Emka companies in China had to close for between four and six weeks.
“Although the Chinese state covers the costs for social security and taxes, we bear the lion’s share of the costs.” Emka is “currently a considerable distance away from the forecast annual profit. A quick revival would be helpful.”
The filter material and felt manufacturer BWF estimates its sales losses to date in China and Italy in 2020 at €15 to €20 million.
It is not yet foreseeable whether and to what extent these losses can still be recuperated in the course of 2020.
“A certain amount of compensation can result from our technological diversification into different business areas. In the event of a broad recession, however, all divisions are likely to feel the consequences,” according to BWF.


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While the pools are running that Jazztel has many ballots to end up in the hands of Orange, after the purchase of ONO by Vodafone, from the virtual you seem to have long term as independent company plans, today is showing a new news.
And is that Jazztel has signed new agreements with different distributors to gain presence in the streets, with up to 400 stores, It will make you leap from attention almost in exclusive by phone and the Internet to try to attract new customers at street.
Jazztel maintained Until now an agreement with Topmovil, distributing its products in 120 stores exclusively, so their presence on the streets was rather low. But to continue exploiting this way acquire new customers the operator has expanded its current distribution agreement, incorporating new distributors.
Expanding the agreement with Topmovil distributors ALN and Novantia were incorporated into the network of shops of Jazztel, either with own stores or franchises. In this way the company It expects to end the year with 400 shops in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Valencia, Tarragona, Alicante, Malaga, Jaen and León and Extremadura and Galicia.
Following in the footsteps of Telstra and mobile Tuenti
With this step Jazztel follows in the footsteps of other companies, that he moved from offering their services by telephone and/or Internet to have presence on the streets. These include Telstra, which began without shops although it soon started to weave a wide network of shops of dealers, or Tuenti mobile, distributed in Movistar shops and other distributors.


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The Joe Camel syndrome of Facebook
Rumors that Facebook wants to officially open up its pages to preteens have been floating around for a couple months. Currently Big Face says you have to be 13 to have an account, but there are lots of moms and dads out there that are already giving their blessing to kids 12 and under. Yesterday a consortium of consumer groups wrote a letter to Facebook asking that it not to market or track the preteen set.
The groups that sent the letter on Monday to Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive of Facebook, include Consumers Union, the Center for Digital Democracy, Consumer Action and the Consumer Federation of America. They called on Facebook to refrain from tracking children under 13 both on the Facebook site and on other sites that have Facebook widgets, such as the “like” button. In addition, they called on Facebook to enable parents to monitor and review their preteen children’s activities, offer parents “granular control” over every application they use on the Facebook platform and keep children’s account settings as private as possible.
There’s been a lot of chatter about keeping kids safe online lately. Recent, creepy activity on the flirting app Skout and online game Habbo Hotel have caused both to close off portions of their businesses aimed at minors. And there’s still no real, reliable way to determine whether a person is telling the truth when they sign up for these services.
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The new Model 3, under the Highland Project program, expands its testing program and, for the first time, can be seen on the Old Continent with German license plates. We are getting closer to one of the most important revelations in recent years. When Tesla launched the Model 3 on the market, it became a mass success that brought 100% electric mobility closer to the general public. In these years, the American sedan has gained followers and qualities that must be improved in its next generation. The Tesla Model 3 2024 must fulfill many promises released by the company. To make them a reality, the team in charge of the development is fulfilling a demanding and complete testing program that has taken them halfway around the world. Now, finally, it is already circulating in Europe.
Known internally as Project Highland, the new generation of the Model 3 will bring with it important innovations. One of them, one of the fundamental ones, will be the aesthetic change. Many months ago his image was discovered to the world through the first spy photos. Since then, a cascade of information has emerged that is still to be confirmed. More range, more technology, and larger and new features will delight its new owners. Elon Musk himself has recognized that this will be one of the most important launches in Tesla’s history.
Recently, we have learned that the marketing of the new Model 3 is almost imminent. A Chinese report reveals that the model could go on sale in just a few weeks, although primary estimates have not been met. Before the end of the year, it will be able to be bought. Everything indicates that it will first go on sale in the United States and China to, shortly after, make an appearance in the Old Continent. The first units have already been assembled at the Shanghai Gigafactory, though those early Model 3s have been sacrificed to test the updated assembly lines.
On this occasion, it should be noted that for the first time in all these months of testing and development, the renewed Model 3 has been seen driving on European roads, more specifically in Germany. A user of X (formerly Twitter) has intercepted a development mule with German license plates, sparking a flurry of comments and speculation. What are you doing in Europe? The most logical thing is to think that Tesla wants to adapt the configuration of its cheapest saloon to the driving standards of our continent, known throughout the world for being the most demanding in these terms. We can also imagine other goals.
It would not be strange to see the new Tesla Model 3 put to the test in the mythical north layout of the Nürburgring. The German circuit is a worldwide reference for being one of the most common test scenarios for brands. Tesla has already attacked the Nordschleife on more than one occasion. The last time it was to beat the lap time of an electric car, using the most extreme version of the Tesla Model S. What is clear is that Tesla’s development program has grown in recent years, somewhat that we have also been able to verify with the Tesla Cybertruck, which will also see the light of day imminently. Elon Musk himself has already driven one of the definitive units.
For a long time, the American company has been criticized for sacrificing a large part of the development of its cars to launch them on sale as soon as possible. This has led to a long list of inconveniences and failures that have been minimized with small updates throughout the operational life of each model. Manufacturers, in general, allocate many resources, millions of kilometers and hundreds of hours of work to fine-tune the behavior of their cars. These tests not only make it possible to adjust the car’s settings but also to detect possible failures in real-use conditions. Finally, we can say that Tesla is sticking to the agenda like any other manufacturer, which should translate into improved cars compared to those of the past.


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Music Streaming Services Payouts: How much do they pay artists in 2021?
According to ex-Design Ethicist at Google Tristan Harris, “We all ‘live in a city called the attention economy.'” Digital service providers, a.k.a. music streaming service, thrive on the attention economy. Whil
Spotify’s 15th anniversary: Its impact on the music industry
In commemoration of Spotify's 15th anniversary, we'll be exploring Spotify's impact on the music industry through 13 features that the Spotify team has introduced to the world.
The lockdown winners on Spotify
We are now mostly coming out the other side of the COVID-19 pandemic, who were the artists and genres that grew during the lockdown period?
Are music magazines dead?: The demise of print magazines, explained
Q Magazine’s closure in July 2020 seemed to spell the end of music magazines. A lot of people in the industry weren’t surprised – after all, other iconic publications, such as NME, decided to ditch prin
Spotify’s listener-to-follower ratio: What it reveals about audience engagement
Some artists have millions of streams on Spotify, but only a couple of hundred followers. Why does this happen? Well, playlists play a huge role in boosting streams and listener numbers. Every artist out there is vying f
How established acts are using TikTok to reach new audiences
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The 7 stages of being a professional musician
Multi-instrumentalist and YouTuber Benn Jordan a.k.a the Flashbulb knows a thing or two about being a professional musician. He’s been a professional musician since 1999 and launched a successful YouTube channel in
How does inflation impact the music industry?
Inflationary pressures are a massive talking point across the world this week, but how will this affect the music industry specifically...
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As part of a Salesforce fund established to combat the impact of COVID-19, grants were distributed to a diverse group of businesses from neighborhoods across the city
Today, Salesforce announced it has distributed $870,000 in grants as part of the 2021 Salesforce San Francisco Small Business Grants program. The $1 million fund, announced in September, provides support for San Francisco small businesses impacted by the continued emphasis on virtual work and events resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Grant recipients were selected from diverse industries and neighborhoods, showcasing the strong, vibrant local business community in the city Salesforce calls home.
“The success of our small businesses is in part closely tied to the well-being of our communities,” said Ebony Beckwith, Chief Philanthropy Officer, Salesforce. “I’m excited about this grant program because it supports an equitable recovery through the pandemic, and deepens our ongoing investment in diverse local entrepreneurs.”
This is the second time that Salesforce has sponsored a grant program specifically for San Francisco small businesses. This year’s grants were distributed to 87 small businesses, with grantees made up of 54% women, 28% Black or African American, 28% Hispanic, 38% Asian, and 9% LGBTQ+-owned businesses. Recipients included a broad range of industries, most prominently restaurants and bars, retail, professional services, personal services, and healthcare.
“Small businesses have remained integral to the communities they serve, even throughout the pandemic,” said Enrique Ortegon, SVP, SMB, Salesforce. “As part of the San Francisco community, Salesforce is proud to give back to small businesses in our own backyard through this grant program.”
Grant recipients include:
Paula Tejeda is the owner of Chile Lindo, a beloved deli, coffee, and empanada shop in the Mission District. Chile Lindo’s vision is to share and spread Chilean cuisine and culture throughout the Bay Area and beyond. Tejeda will use this grant to continue supporting her community by employing local artists and musicians, and providing immigrants with jobs and training that set them up for lifelong success.
Lawanda Dickerson is founder and owner of U3Fit, which offers nutrition, fitness, and life coaching in the Bay View neighborhood. Dickerson’s vision is fueled by her belief that everyone has a right to a healthy mind, body, and soul. This grant will help her expand the business to serve even more people in her community, and will allow her to continue offering discounts to those who need them.
For more than 20 years, Chicago II Barbershop has been a critical community hub for San Francisco’s Western Addition neighborhood. Founder and owner Robert Harlin, who started the shop in 1997 to carry on the tradition of the great Chicago Barbershops, said: “Receiving this grant makes me feel more confident for the future of this barber shop.”
Asima Arif founded Earthfire Arts in the Inner Sunset to provide do-it-yourself ceramic painting in a creative, relaxed environment. She believes that being creative is an essential activity that helps people connect, and she looks forward to hosting many parties and events in the coming year.
Johnson Leather creates custom garments and provides repairs and alterations. The business has been in its current Polk St location since 1988. Owner Damon Lew plans to use some of the Salesforce grant money to update his shop’s technology so it can serve even more customers and continue to grow.
Abi’s Flowers is a floral boutique in the Polk Gulch neighborhood that specializes in custom bouquets and arrangements. After nearly two decades of running a small business in San Francisco, Owner Anne Siu will use the grant to continue bringing beauty to her neighborhood, her community, and her customers.


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Macedonia Economic Outlook
September 8, 2020GDP will have contracted notably in Q2 on the blow from the coronavirus health crisis. Industrial output nosedived in the quarter as the full force of containment measures hammered activity, particularly in the manufacturing sector. Moreover, retail sales declined sharply in Q2, spelling trouble for household spending. Turning to Q3, although containment measures have been relaxed, incoming data continues to paint a bleak picture: Industrial production fell markedly in July, while retail sales tumbled further in the same month. In politics, on 30 August, the parliament approved the new coalition government led by the Social Democrats, following snap elections on 15 July. Reform continuation for potential EU accession is to be expected.
North Macedonia Economic GrowthThe Covid-19 pandemic is set to pummel the economy this year. Weak EU demand and travel restrictions will constrain the external sector, while containment measures will hammer domestic demand. Although fiscal relief measures should cushion the fallout somewhat, a potential second wave of Covid-19 infections poses a downside risk. FocusEconomics panelists forecast GDP to contract 4.9% in 2020, which is down 0.2 percentage points from last month’s estimate, and to grow 5.5% in 2021.
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India ranked behind Kazakhstan and Ghana, scoring poorly on metrics like trade and monetary freedom and tackling challenges like corruption and violence
It said the sovereigns having little policy room to protect growth and buffer themselves from external shocks are likely to be affected the most
They pledged to work together with other G20 members to reduce potential risks to economic growth
According to the report, the sharp drop in the price of oil is having a large impact on global current account imbalances
World Bank sees India's GDP growing at 8% in FY18
The current volatility in domestic market may have taken some sheen off the second-rung stocks, but the market still has a lot of appetite for quality mid-cap players
RBI governor Raghuram Rajan said at the meeting that they are surrounded by economic gloom probably hinting at concerns over slowdown in China
Market breadth ended weak with 2,075 stocks declining against 763 advances on BSE.
After the first rate increase, Ms Yellen said, a further, gradual tightening in monetary policy will likely be warranted
The Indian consumer goods and retail industry is estimated to witness its online sales growing by 40 percent till 2019, which is the fastest among the emerging markets, while store-based sales will grow by just 10 percent, according to a report.
Geographically, the emerging markets continue to shine. The 3-year CAGR in emerging markets is expected to be 6.7 percent between 2015 and 2018, which is double that of mature nations.
The global economy is down and the US is the only growth engine left. But it is not strong enough to pull all economies out of slowdown as China is slowing. India's revival will depend entirely on domestic reforms and investment
Emerging markets' popularity with investors is ebbing as a strong dollar lures money away and commodity prices fall, but some governments promising tough economic reforms may stem the flow of capital leaving.<br />
Christopher Wood, Equity Strategist at CLSA believes India is the most promising story from a five-year perspective within Asia and expects the Sensex to touch 40,000 if the investment cycle picks up
Mutual funds specialising in Indian stocks account for 25 of the top 30 performers out of more than 3,400 funds available for sale in the UK for the first nine months of 2014
The Fed also released a new blueprint for how it plans to exit the extraordinary monetary stimulus
The global tablet market is now expected to grow 6.5 percent year-over-year, which is well below the 12.1 percent growth rate previously forecasted.
While the worldwide PC market stopped two years of declining shipments in the second quarter, there were mixed results, as stabilisation in developed markets was offset by a decline in emerging markets


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Vodafone UK and O2: iPad 3G price plans coming end of May
Well as long as Apple has delayed their international iPad rollout until the end of May, Vodafone might as well announce on Twitter that they'll be providing 3G data plans to go with them, right?
UPDATE: O2 and Orange UK have released an almost identical statement to Vodafone now. iPad 3G prices coming late May.
Anyone waiting to get their iPad on Vodafone? Any guesses as to whether they'll offer the same unlocked, no-contract, reasonable rates as AT&T in the US?
[Thanks Dave for the tip!]
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Our news, reviews, opinions, and easy to follow guides can turn any iPhone owner into an Apple aficionado
Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.


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SANTA CLARA — Hard to say what the better story was today — Gary Bettman indicating the Feb. 21 outdoor game between the Sharks and Los Angeles Kings at Levi’s Stadium is almost sold out, or Todd McLellan extolling the training camp virtues of deposed captain Joe Thornton.
(Brief aside: Maybe the best story of the day actually was when the NHL commissioner proudly noted it was “not by accident” that the Sharks will be in Staples Center on opening night when the Kings raise their Stanley Cup banner next Wednesday night. He was hyping the rivalry between the two teams that will battle at Levi’s Stadium, but still . . . )
We went with the Thornton angle in the print edition, so I’ll flip things around here and focus first on the NHL’s press conference at Levi’s Stadium. We knew that there would be an announcement on ticket sales to the general public, but we didn’t know that announcement would indicate fewer than 5,000 seats remain unsold and those could be snapped up immediately.
Bettman did not provide that number — he went with “I think it’s in the small handful of thousands” — but it came from Sharks chief operating officer John Tortora and that’s good enough. There were some reports those 5,000 already had been sold, but I just checked again on the Ticketmaster web site and could still a score a pair in different price ranges.
The high volume of ticket sales did surprise me. After all, they didn’t reach a sellout at Dodger Stadium (capacity 54,000) until they lowered the top ticket prices that were below the $350 some seats at Levi’s are fetching face value.
But Bettman said repeatedly they expected the home of the 49ers to fill up fast.
“If this were the first year we were doing it and nobody knew what to expect in California, maybe,” he said of any potential concern about ticket sales. “But when we put the tickets on sale for the first Winter Classic in Buffalo, we were amazed we sold out in 18 minutes.
“And,” he continued, “now that people have had an opportunity to see these games – the Winter Classic, the Coors Stadium Series – people want to be a part of it.”
(For the record, I am a proven-wrong naysayer. I thought outdoor NHL games would be a failure because who can follow the puck from seats that far away from the ice. Hah. Shows what I know about the power of marketing and special events.)


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Taipei-Two consumers who bought rice balls at separate convenience stores in Taipei were among the seven lucky winners of the NT$10 million (US$ 325,044) jackpot in the September-October uniform invoice lottery, according to the list of winners released by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) Tuesday.
One of the two winners of the NT$10 million special prize bought a tuna-flavored rice ball for NT$27 from a FamilyMart convenience store in Shilin District, while another winner spent NT$43 on a pork floss rice ball and a cold drink at a 7-11 convenience store in Wanhua District, the ministry said.
The exact dates of the purchases were not indicated on the MOF list.
The record low number of seven winners will each take home NT$10 million, the MOF announced, adding that another 18 people won the NT$2 million grand prize.
Of the 18 winners of the NT$2 million prize, 11 spent less than NT$100, the MOF added.
The winning number for the NT$10 million jackpot for September-October is 41482012 while that for the NT$2 million grand prize is 58837976. Winnings can be claimed from Dec. 6 to March 5, 2020, the ministry said.
The uniform invoice lottery system, which draws winning numbers every two months, was created to encourage consumers to collect sales invoices as part of the ministry's efforts to prevent tax evasion by business establishments.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel


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Plaintiffs Michael Warshawsky of Florida, and Michael Steinhauser of California, filed a class action lawsuit accusing cbdMD, Inc. of failing to protect their personal data, along with thousands of other customers who placed online orders from March 30, 2020 through May 8, 2020 and May 14, 2020 through May 18, 2020.
The retailer’s e-commerce platform was hacked with malicious code that allowed customer information to be skimmed by an unauthorized third party.
The plaintiffs are represented by M. Anderson Berry and Leslie Guillon of Clayeo C. Arnold, A Professional Law Corp. and Jean Martin, John A. Yanchunis and Ryan J. McGee of Morgan & Morgan Complex Litigation Group.
The case was filed on October 9, 2020 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, Charlotte Division.
If you made an online purchase from cbdMD.com between March 30, 2020 through May 8, 2020 or between May 14, 2020 through May 18, 2020 and have received a NOTICE OF DATA BREACH from CBD Industries, contact the data breach lawyers at the Arnold Law Firm to discuss your situation and possible legal options.
Call us today at (916) 777-7777.


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Nintendo and SNK have announced that ACA NeoGeo version of The King of Fighters '99 will be available on Nintendo Switch from May 25 on the eShop downloadable at a price of £6.29.
My favorite KOF, hopefully one day they will rerelease the D.C. Version
Loving these SNK games as I missed out on most of them. Been playing a lot of Garou lately. Might buy this one too.
N4G is a community of gamers posting and discussing the latest game news. It’s part of NewsBoiler, a network of social news sites covering today’s pop culture.


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Another Animal Dies at SeaWorld Bringing Death Toll to 4 Large Mammals in Just 4 Months
It’s business as usual for SeaWorld.
Yet another animal has died under SeaWorld’s watch, bringing the embattled theme park’s death toll to four large marine mammals in just four months. Three of the deaths occurred at SeaWorld San Antonio. Dart, a male dolphin, was the latest to die while kept in captivity.
R.I.P., Dart: Died February 2016
BREAKING: Pacific white-sided dolphin named Dart has just died at #SeaWorld San Antonio. He was only 12-years-old. https://t.co/0gEJnj8cJh— PETA (@PETA)1454872202.0
This dolphin is the fourth cetacean to die prematurely at SeaWorld San Antonio since July. Just like many of the dolphins, orcas, belugas and walruses who died before him, he never knew the world outside SeaWorld’s tiny concrete tanks, never had the chance to swim freely with his family pod and never got to feel the ocean currents.
R.I.P., Betsy: Died January 2016
Betsy was 1 of 12 Commerson's dolphins captured from the wild in 1983. Half were dead within a year, some within days. #SeaWorld— PETA (@PETA)1453749001.0
Though Betsy lived to a mature age for a Commerson’s dolphin—an anomaly for an animal held at SeaWorld, which has a history wrought with premature animal deaths—the circumstances surrounding her death are troubling. Days before she died, she was transferred from SeaWorld San Diego to SeaWorld Orlando, a transport that was undoubtedly hard on the older animal. Betsy was reportedly stolen from her ocean home in 1983, along with 12 other Commerson’s dolphins, half of whom died within a year of captivity. SeaWorld recently announced that it will no longer keep Commerson’s dolphins in captivity, but 20 have reportedly already died in its care over the last 30 years. Hopefully, the remaining Commerson’s dolphins at SeaWorld will be the last to experience the abusement park’s concrete tanks.
R.I.P., Unna: Died December 2015
BREAKING: Young orca, Unna, has just died at #SeaWorld after suffering from a fungal infection for months. https://t.co/sKEalGJ5ax— PETA (@PETA)1450744443.0
Unna, an 18-year-old orca imprisoned at SeaWorld San Antonio, died after prolonged suffering caused by the fungal infection candida. She was the 38th orca held by SeaWorld to die far short of her maximum life expectancy, which can be more than 100 years for female orcas in the wild. Her “life” in captivity consisted of being taken away from her mother just before her sixth birthday, being impregnated when she was only 8 years old, giving birth to a stillborn calf and being so deprived of enrichment and opportunities to engage in natural behavior that she obsessively picked at the paint on the bottom of SeaWorld’s show-pool floor until her face became badly injured.
R.I.P., Stella: Died November 2015
BREAKING: She was only two years old & could have lived DECADES longer. This isn't the first young beluga SeaWorld lost this year. http://peta.vg/1o3d
Posted by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) on Monday, November 16, 2015
Stella died at SeaWorld San Antonio at just 2 years old, well short of a beluga’s natural life expectancy of up to 50 years. Her death added to a tally of at least 58 beluga deaths at SeaWorld locations. SeaWorld and other aquariums have proved again and again that belugas cannot be bred successfully in tiny concrete tanks, where they’re denied everything that is natural and important to them.
Disturbing Pattern in Captivity
Thirty-eight orcas and at least 58 belugas have died on SeaWorld’s watch, along with more than a hundred dolphins. Reports indicate that another dolphin at SeaWorld San Antonio named Betty is currently being treated for a possible infection.
Though SeaWorld’s website claims that “there are no apparent connections” between the recent deaths at its San Antonio facility, the high number of premature and unusual deaths there and at the other SeaWorld locations points to a serious common denominator: captivity.
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Material Revolutions: Shirts Made from Shellfish, Biodegradable Rum Bottles and Reusable Fast Food Containers
In the age of consumption, sustainability innovations can help shift cultural habits and protect dwindling natural resources. Improvements in source materials, product durability and end-of-life disposal procedures can create consumer products that are better for the Earth throughout their lifecycles. Three recent advancements hope to make a difference.
1. Allbirds Shirts Made From Shellfish
Sustainable sneaker start-up Allbirds is known for its thoughtfulness for consumers and the environment. The four-year-old shoe company has become hugely popular by creating comfortable shoes made from responsibly sourced materials like tencel and wool, reported Fast Company.

Recently, Allbirds launched its debut apparel line with garments for men and women made with eco-friendly materials that have a low carbon footprint, the report said.

Introduced along with the line is a new t-shirt material called "TrinoXO," which is made from wool and discarded snow crab shells from Canada's seafood industry, reported CNBC and CNN. The shells are the "number two discarded resource on earth," Allbirds claims, reported Men's Health.

"Discarded material is the holy grail when it comes to sustainable fibers," Jad Finck, Allbirds head of innovation and sustainability, told Fast Company. "It's far better for the environment than getting raw materials from scratch."

The shells have antimicrobial properties that keep clothes fresh even after hours of wear, without the need to add "extractive" materials like zinc or silver, Men's Health reported. This allows for longer periods of wear between washes, reducing clothes' environmental footprint.

"We knew we wanted to be a real brand, and had this vision that we'd be an innovation company first, and a product company second," co-founder Joey Zwillinger told Vogue. "And our products would solve problems for people in a natural way, and show the world that you don't have to compromise on the planet for amazing products."

2. Bacardi Biodegradable Rum Bottles
By 2023, Bacardi rum will be sold in 100% biodegradable bottles, Business Wire reported.

The alcohol giant is collaborating with Danimer Scientific, a leading developer of biodegradable products, to create the new bottles using the natural oils of plant seeds such as palm, canola and soy, the report said.

According to Yahoo Finance UK, the new bottle will biodegrade in a wide range of environments, including compost, soil, freshwater and seawater. After 18 months, the bottle will disappear completely without leaving microplastics.

"Nodax PHA is one of the most promising eco-friendly materials in the world today because it delivers the biodegradability that consumers demand without losing the quality feel they receive from traditional plastic," said Danimer Scientific chief marketing & sustainability officer Scott Tuten, reported Thrillist. "The material provides the best of both worlds, and we look forward to working with Bacardí and incorporating PHA into their iconic packaging."

Bacardi is also creating a sustainably sourced paper bottle, Yahoo reported.

The manufacturing of both new bottle types will save energy over petroleum-based plastic ones. Bacardi plans to share the technology with competitors to help in the global fight against plastic pollution, and aims to be 100% plastic-free by 2030, reported Thrillist.

3. Burger King Reusable Fast Food Containers
Fast food giant Burger King plans to launch reusable Whopper boxes and soda cups by next year. Partnering with TerraCycle's zero-waste packaging division Loop, Burger King will nudge customers to return the specialized packaging for hygienic washing and reuse, similar to how milk bottles used to be returned, reported MarketWatch.

"During COVID, we have seen the environmental impact of increased takeaway ordering, which makes this initiative by Burger King all the more important," said Tom Szaky, TerraCycle and Loop CEO, according to MarketWatch.

Customers who don't feel comfortable can opt-out of the service, ABC News reported. Those who are willing to try will be charged a small deposit upon purchase, and when the packaging is returned, they will receive a refund, reported CNN.

Burger King and TerraCycle are aiming for a container that can be used at least 100 times, reported Fast Company.

"The benefit is, you're able to serve your guests without having to create that single-use item in the first place," Matt Banton, global head of innovation and sustainability at Burger King, told Fast Company. "This product is durable enough to go through the system multiple times, so it's ultimately reducing our environmental impact, and minimizing the amount of single-use packaging that we have to produce as well."

Burger King has also committed to sourcing 100% of its customer packaging from renewable, recycled or certified outlets, and recycling all customer packaging at its restaurants in the United States and Canada by 2025, reported CNN.

EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
The ghoulishly named ogre-faced spider can "hear" with its legs and use that ability to catch insects flying behind it, the study published in Current Biology Thursday concluded.
"Spiders are sensitive to airborne sound," Cornell professor emeritus Dr. Charles Walcott, who was not involved with the study, told the Cornell Chronicle. "That's the big message really."
The net-casting, ogre-faced spider (Deinopis spinosa) has a unique hunting strategy, as study coauthor Cornell University postdoctoral researcher Jay Stafstrom explained in a video.
They hunt only at night using a special kind of web: an A-shaped frame made from non-sticky silk that supports a fuzzy rectangle that they hold with their front forelegs and use to trap prey.
They do this in two ways. In a maneuver called a "forward strike," they pounce down on prey moving beneath them on the ground. This is enabled by their large eyes — the biggest of any spider. These eyes give them 2,000 times the night vision that we have, Science explained.
But the spiders can also perform a move called the "backward strike," Stafstrom explained, in which they reach their legs behind them and catch insects flying through the air.
"So here comes a flying bug and somehow the spider gets information on the sound direction and its distance. The spiders time the 200-millisecond leap if the fly is within its capture zone – much like an over-the-shoulder catch. The spider gets its prey. They're accurate," coauthor Ronald Hoy, the D & D Joslovitz Merksamer Professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior in the College of Arts and Sciences, told the Cornell Chronicle.
What the researchers wanted to understand was how the spiders could tell what was moving behind them when they have no ears.
It isn't a question of peripheral vision. In a 2016 study, the same team blindfolded the spiders and sent them out to hunt, Science explained. This prevented the spiders from making their forward strikes, but they were still able to catch prey using the backwards strike. The researchers thought the spiders were "hearing" their prey with the sensors on the tips of their legs. All spiders have these sensors, but scientists had previously thought they were only able to detect vibrations through surfaces, not sounds in the air.
To test how well the ogre-faced spiders could actually hear, the researchers conducted a two-part experiment.
First, they inserted electrodes into removed spider legs and into the brains of intact spiders. They put the spiders and the legs into a vibration-proof booth and played sounds from two meters (approximately 6.5 feet) away. The spiders and the legs responded to sounds from 100 hertz to 10,000 hertz.
Next, they played the five sounds that had triggered the biggest response to 25 spiders in the wild and 51 spiders in the lab. More than half the spiders did the "backward strike" move when they heard sounds that have a lower frequency similar to insect wing beats. When the higher frequency sounds were played, the spiders did not move. This suggests the higher frequencies may mimic the sounds of predators like birds.
University of Cincinnati spider behavioral ecologist George Uetz told Science that the results were a "surprise" that indicated science has much to learn about spiders as a whole. Because all spiders have these receptors on their legs, it is possible that all spiders can hear. This theory was first put forward by Walcott 60 years ago, but was dismissed at the time, according to the Cornell Chronicle. But studies of other spiders have turned up further evidence since. A 2016 study found that a kind of jumping spider can pick up sonic vibrations in the air.
"We don't know diddly about spiders," Uetz told Science. "They are much more complex than people ever thought they were."
Learning more provides scientists with an opportunity to study their sensory abilities in order to improve technology like bio-sensors, directional microphones and visual processing algorithms, Stafstrom told CNN.
"The point is any understudied, underappreciated group has fascinating lives, even a yucky spider, and we can learn something from it," he told CNN.
There are many different CBD oil brands in today's market. But, figuring out which brand is the best and which brand has the strongest oil might feel challenging and confusing. Our simple guide to the strongest CBD oils will point you in the right direction.
In 'Road Map for a More Sustainable Future,' NY Regulator Tells Banks to Consider Climate Risks in Planning
By Brett Wilkins
Regulators in New York state announced Thursday that banks and other financial services companies are expected to plan and prepare for risks posed by the climate crisis.
A NASA spacecraft has successfully collected a sample from the Bennu asteroid more than 200 million miles away from Earth. The samples were safely stored and will be preserved for scientists to study after the spacecraft drops them over the Utah desert in 2023, according to the Associated Press (AP).


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Sinking Kohl's store set to close in Biddeford
BIDDEFORD (WGME) -- Attention Kohl's shoppers: the Biddeford store is now closed for the next six months.
It's hard to tell from the outside, but Biddeford's code enforcement says the store is sinking. The ground beneath the franchise has moved and settled over the past 7 years.
The chain plans to spend the next six months tearing down the current building. It will then rebuild on sturdier ground in the same complex.
The project will cost $2.8 million dollars.
Kohl's hopes to have the new store open by fall.


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Hundreds of cars from yesteryear will roll into Hebden Bridge next month when a popular charity event returns.
The Hebden Bridge Vintage Weekend, organised by the town’s rotary club, takes place on Saturday, August 3, and Sunday, August 4, from 10am to 5pm in Calder Holmes Park.
The event is now a well established premier attraction for the display of veteran, vintage and classic cars, motor cycles as well as military and commercial vehicles from all over the country.
Rotary club president Brian Boocok said: “This event is more than just an occasion for vehicle entrants and enthusiasts. It is an event for families looking for a thoroughly interesting and entertaining day or even weekend out.
“There will not only be splendid vehicles on display but also varied entertainment, including a live jazz band, fun rides for children, craft and product stalls, autojumbles and much more, with a range of quality catering and refreshment outlets for Indian food, crepes, speciality teas and coffees, ice creams as well as hot and cold roast sandwiches.”
On display on the Saturday will be classic cars from 1970 to 1992; motorcycles and scooters from 1970 to 1992; Rolls Royce and Bentley cars of any age; replica or kit cars of any age; military vehicles; pre-1972 tractors; pre-1970 registered vehicles and an array of novelty vehicles.
On display on the Sunday will be vintage cars up to 1930; post vintage cars from 1931 to 1939; post war cars 1940 to 1971; motor cycles and scooters up to 1971; commercial vehicles up to 1971; American vehicles up to 1971 and military Vehicles.
There will be prizes for best in class and the usual Sunday morning scenic run.
For more information, visit www.hebdenbridge-vintageweekend.org.uk.


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A new brand of laptop brand, Avita, will be entering the Malaysian market, starting with its fashion-oriented Liber range.
The brand, under Hong Kong-based Nexstgo Company Ltd, has begun sales in the region since last year, rolling out in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan.
Nexstgo chief executive officer Alex Chung said Avita would be aimed at younger users, as its design reflected their more fun and colourful attitude.
“Avita’s brand philosophy is to allow our customers to express themselves through technology and we aim to do this through out vibrant Liber range,” he said, during the launch in Kuala Lumpur.
The company would be collaborating with local designers to create customised casing patterns, and by late 2018, customers would also be able to customise their own casings.
For the first phase, the laptop would come in 10 colours – Purple, Angle Blue, Cloud Silver, Champagne Gold, Fragrant Lilac, Matt Black, Pearl White, Princess Pink, Space Grey and Urban Ruby. More colours would be released later.
Liber comes in two sizes – 13.3in and 14in – and both run on processors ranging from Intel Celeron to Core i7 and feature Intel HD graphics chip and battery rated to run for 10 hours.
Memory size ranges from 4GB to 8GB RAM, and storage from 128GB to 512GB.
The Liber has a multipurpose Type-C USB port which is also its charger, two USB 3.0 inputs, micro SD slot, mini HDMI and 3.5mm headphone/microphone jack.
The 13.3in weighs 1.37kg, while the 14in weighs 1.49kg.
Prices range between RM1,799 to RM4,399.
Nexstgo product planning and business development director Joe Lee revealed that the company also has a flagship laptop, the Nexstgo Primus and a smart mirror Imago in the pipeline, tentatively to be available by March.
The Primus was a more rugged laptop, rated to survive drops and spills of up to 350ml of liquid in four seconds.
Lee said the Imago is a smart mirror that ran on Android, and would be paired with a smart-scale to generate health reports on the user’s weight, skin condition, sleep quality and more.
The Liber would be the first to go on sale, available at Digital Mall in Petaling Jaya from Feb 10 onwards.
As part of the launch rollout, Avita is offering its 13.3in model at RM688, down from RM2,299, for the first 50 customers who purchase from its popup store in Low Yat Plaza or Digital Mall outlet, on Feb 10.


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KUALA LUMPUR, 16 February 2022 – The Malaysian-owned payment service provider, Axai Digital Sdn Bhd (“Axaipay”) has inked a tripartite Memorandum of Collaboration (“MoC”) with Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (“Huawei”) and Duogo Sdn Bhd (“Duogo”), to formalize the collaboration to develop cloud-based digital transformation solution for franchise in the country.
The signing was witnessed by the Malaysia Franchise Digital Association’s Honorary Chairman & Advisor, Yang Mulia Dato’ Paduka Seri Hasnizal Haji Hassan and the Chairman, Dato’ Dr. Denming Ho.
The partnership will focus on enabling franchisors to centralize their franchisees’ inventory, customer information, financial performance and other important business data and use the business intelligence powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to strengthen their operation and reduce the operating expenses.
“We believe our collaboration with Huawei and Duogo will assist franchisors and their franchisees to streamline their operation so that they can spend more time and put their focus on generating revenues,” said Mr. Terry Yee, CEO and Founder of Axaipay.
“Huawei remains committed to work with customers and partners to realise our vision of Everything-As-A-Service which helps accelerate digital adoption for the nation and organisations. The collaboration with Duogo & Axaipay will see a joint innovation in developing a cloud-based franchising solutions that aims to improve the development and maintenance of franchisees’ and franchisors’ operations, allowing business owners to focus more on their core business,” said Mr Lim Chee Siong, Vice President, Cloud & AI Business, Huawei Malaysia.
"Through this collaboration, we aim to enable many retail businesses and pre-franchisors to adopt new digital technologies that will not only level the playing field but also transform them into globally competitive businesses,” said Dr. Abdul Razak, CEO and Co-Founder of Duogo.
From left: Dr. Abdul Razak (CEO of Duogo), Mr. Terry Yee (CEO of Axaipay) and Mr. Lim Chee Siong (VP, Cloud & AI Business of Huawei Malaysia)


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Will The Cyptocurrency Market Recover Thanks To Cosmos And HUH Token?
A quick glance at coinmarketcap.com will show even the most devout crypto lover a horror-filled sight, and that’s because the market is currently seeing an overall downward trend after the success of the market’s December.
As crypto holders worry that their investments could be doomed for the rest of the year, the likes of Cosmos and HUH Token are taking strides to revitalise the cryptocurrency market and with it, the value of crypto.
The cryptocurrency market is no stranger to bearish and bullish states but holders seem to be losing that previously present sparkle for cryptocurrency.
If you happen to be one of these crypto lovers or are new to the crypto sphere and can’t find the reason people love cryptocurrency so much, this article’s for you.
Taking Over The Cosmos
The ever-expanding ecosystem, formerly known as Cosmos, could be one of the cryptocurrencies on the market that will be a part of the 2022 crypto market resurgence and with it, hail in a new age of crypto along with it.
Cosmos, and HUH Token, have been designed to move crypto into a decentralised future, where these cryptos can encompass a large variety of applications, projects and capable technology under those crypto names.
Currently, the owner of ATOM manages a whopping $153 billion worth of assets on its blockchain technologies and because of this, could become the one-stop shop for all things crypto.
Though that might be some time away, Cosmos is a breath of fresh air and an otherwise stagnant crypto market where numerous cryptocurrencies are making foundational changes to their blockchains and entering new phases of their lives, Cosmos is continuously building on what already exists within it.
You can find out more information on Cosmos and their currency ATOM, by visiting their website.
The Market Will Recover, HUH?
HUH Token launched on December 6th, 2021, and saw a tremendous reaction from crypto lovers and because of this, pre-sale holders who deposited $1000 saw returns of $10,000 and HUH Token aim to do this once again.
HUH Token exists on the premise that influence is currency and popularity can increase this, as evidenced throughout key points on the token’s short time map. For instance, HUH Token burned $4 million worth of HUH, and with it, increased the value of the coin exponentially. Not only this, but these marketed announcements called to new HUH holders and also increased the value of the currency.
You’re probably wondering how HUH Token will harness this ‘influence to value’ system to reinvigorate the crypto market, and the first step to be taken is HUH’s 500 strong influencers to take place next week.
This launch is set to skyrocket HUH Token and in turn, the value of HUH.
Ahead of its laid roadmap, HUH Token will later launch its MetHUH which will integrate the use of social media and crypto technologies all to the benefit of HUH holders.
Given that Cosmos and HUH Token could be the driving force behind the crypto market regaining value, you might want to invest in these cryptos.
Remember to always research crypto before you buy and if you’d like a detailed explanation of what HUH Token can offer you the links below have all the information, discussions and roadmaps you’ll need.


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Apple Closes Australian Gap With Samsung
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) closed its market-share gap with SAMSUNG ELECT LTD(F) (OTC: SSNLF) in Australia during the the first three months of the year, where the two companies are now effectively running neck-and-neck, according to market research issued Tuesday.
Australia's mobile phone market grew more than 29 percent in the first quarter, to a total of 2.3 million units, according to Framingham, Massachusetts-based IDC.
Apple saw its Australian market share rise to 49 percent in the period, from 38 percent a year earlier, while Samsung's share fell to 32 percent, from about 40 percent in 2014.
IDC's data suggests that about 1.2 million iPhones were sold in Australia during the first three months of 2015.
Apple says it sold more than 61 million iPhone units worldwide during the quarter ended March 28.
Australia has a population of about 24 million, or about 32 percent fewer people than Canada.
Much of Australia's smartphone market growth is attributed to the continued popularity of Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, according to IDC.
Down Under momentum is also seen in the entry-level smartphones, such as the Telstra Tempo and Rush, with both phones selling for around $75 USD, IDC said.
Mobile phone operators engaged in minor Australian price warring, with several flagship smartphone models also becoming available at a cheaper monthly-plan, including the Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8.
Image Credit: Public Domain
© 2017 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.


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Pidilite Industries Ltd is planning to set up 50 ‘Dr Fixit Service Centres’ to meet the evolving needs of contractors, builders and end-consumers with regard to providing services such as waterproof treatment, ceramic tile fixing, sealing gaps around window frames, plumbing jobs and filling surface tracks on walls targeted at the three categories.
For the purpose, the company is planning to appoint nationwide service representatives who will operate through Dr Fixit’s Service Centres, Pidilite Industries Ltd head (sales and marketing) construction chemical business Ajay Acharya told FE.
The chemical construction division of Pidilite Industries is also planning to expand its number of shop-in-shops from 300 to 1,000, within two years.
According to Mr Acharya: “We hope to spur our market share from 15 per cent to 35 per cent in the next two years. At present, consumer products from Pidilite’s stable—Fevicol, Fevistic and Ranipal, among others contribute around 70 per cent to its overall sales turnover.”
“Since MNC brands such as Laticrate and Roffe & Bal have already captured a major chunk of the market, Pidilite’s Dr Fixit’s strategy may not bear fruit. However, Pidilite is still planning to drive its marketing vehicle for promoting Dr Fixit’s range of construction chemicals,” he said.


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Verb Technology Company Inc (NASDAQ: VERB) could as well have hit the floor and due for a correction higher if recent price action activity is anything to go by. Since the start of the second quarter the stock’s price action activity has remained subdued between $2 and $3 a share.
The subdued market activity comes on the heels of the stock shedding more than 80% in market value in March alone. The stock holding steady above the $2 a share level indicates waning short selling pressure.
VERB Catalysts And Price Analysis
The confirmation of a strategic partnership with Waymark is one of the developments that continues to strengthen the stock’s market sentiments, consequently averting further slides.
The addition of direct selling market leader, Stream Energy, into the company’s client roaster underscores market acceptance of Verb Technology’s newly combined digital platform. The company has also sought to strengthen its prospects in the industry given the acquisition of Sound Concepts, which is a leading provider of digital technology solutions.
Verb Technology share price is yet to reflect the tremendous potential in response to recent developments that underscore growth prospects. With short sellers taking a back seat after the 80% plunge, the stock is likely to correct higher.
Standing in the way of Verb Technology turning bullish, in the short term, is the $3 resistance level. A breach of the resistance level on huge volumes could pave the way for the stock to make a run for the $6 a share level. Above the $6 mark, the stock should be bullish.
What Does Verb Technology Do?
Verb technology is engaged in the development and distribution of sales and marketing applications utilizing proprietary interactive video data collection. Following the acquisition of Sound Concepts, the company is increasingly becoming a marketing and customer relationship, Management Company.
Sound Concepts Acquisition Impact
The pioneer of augmented sales intelligence software has confirmed the acquisition of Sound concepts as it seeks to become a leading provider of sale and marketing tools. The Acquisition should also expand the company’s footprint into the business of supplying digital technology solutions in the direct sales and affiliate-marketing sector.
According to Sound concepts, Senior Vice President of Digital, Brycen Rhinehart, and a merger of the two companies will result in a unique and effective product, unmatched in the industry.
“The VERB technology and the combined experience of the VERB executive team and board members, coupled with VERB’s successful public offering and listing on NASDAQ, adds enormous resources that will translate into immediate and long-term value for our current and prospective customers,” stated McKinley Oswald, Sound Concepts President.
Stream Energy Deal
With the Sound Concept acquisition, Verb Technology has already signed its first client in the name of Stream Energy. The direct selling market leading client is looking to adopt the newly combined digital platform, launched on the merger of the two companies.
The new digital platform combines Sound Concept’s Brigtools technology with Verb’s interactive video technology, to meet the needs of clients with prospects in the direct selling space. Stream Energy will now be able to leverage the new digital platform to share video-based product and company information, with prospective clients as well as track engagement levels.
Verb Technology has also inked a strategic partnership with Waymark, an art technology company that develops smart marketing tools. Under the terms of the deal, Waymark is to offer Verb’s Technology interactive video technology within its video creation platform.
With the integration, users will be able to track engagement and interact, better, with customers. With the help, Verb’s technology Waymark users should be able to make their videos more engaging with the addition of clickable tags.
“Waymark is a leading-edge, forward-thinking company with amazing video creation tools. Combining our interactive video ‘tagg’ capabilities with Waymark’s platform should produce enormous value for our respective clients, customers, and stockholders,” stated Rory J. Cutaia, CEO of VERB.
A plunge to recent lows could as well have presented an opportunity to buy into a company with tremendous potential on the provision of digital marketing tools. Verb Technology has strengthened its portfolio of digital marketing tools as it continues to position itself to become a leader in the multi-billion-dollar advertising business.
That said the future can only be bright, as Verb Technology digital marketing tools continue to gain traction with users. Overall, we expect a strong bounce, especially once short-sellers start covering.
We will be updating our subscribers as soon as we know more. For the latest updates on VERB, sign up below!
Disclosure: We have no position in VERB and have not been compensated for this article.


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In the afternoon of January 19, 2016, a product launch and a social meeting of Gree Taiwan distributors were held in Taipei, attended by nearly 300 distributors.
Organized by the holding company, YaKuang Co, Ltd, this product launch and social meeting of distributors were held especially for Gree. Mr Liao Quanping, Chairman of Gree Taiwan and President of Taipei Association of Electric Appliances, Mr Wu Xingzhi, General Manager of Gree Taiwan, Mr Chen Tiangui, Vice General Manager of Gree Taiwan, Mr Zhang Zhenghu, General Manager of Gree Overseas Sales Company and Ms Yu Hua, Asia-Pacific Vice General Manager of Gree Overseas Sales Company took part in this event.
President Liao and General Manager Mr Wu co-hosted this event. They expressed their confidence in Gree brand and their commitment to Gree. They promised that Gree brand sales would be still based on traditional channel instead of price war or store channel. Thanks to the technological advantage and quality advantage of Gree Headquarters, Gree Taiwan will continue to provide high quality products in order to bring benefits to every Gree distributor. President Liao also invited an expert with more than 30 years of air conditioning experience and 15 years of experience in managing air conditioner exclusive shops to share his knowledge and skills as how to seize opportunities under the challenge of the fast growing electric business.
During the meeting, General Manager Mr Zhang introduced the development of Gree automation and patented technology, illustrated Gree's advantages comparing to other brands. Then he announced Gree's new slogan "Gree, Made in China, Loved by the World", showing the determination of Gree brand expansion in Taiwan. In the end, he expressed gratitude to everyone for their hard work and effort on behalf of President Dong Mingzhu, and wished everyone well in the New Year.
Vice General Manager Mr Chen and Director Wang, on the other hand, offered training on new RAC and CAC products. Following the training was the flash sales, which brought the event to a climax. 1,000 sets of air conditioners were purchased in a flash. Afterwards, a warm and enthusiastic social meeting was held for everyone to share happiness and exchange good wishes.
This event elaborately showcased over 10 categories of air conditioners and home appliances, accompanied by a variety of activities to live up the atmosphere, such as sales incentives, new product introduction and a professional training. What’s more, it is the first time that the video of Gree automation was presented to Gree Taiwan distributors. They were full of praise for Gree’s strong technology power, strict quality control and advanced management concept.
In recent years, Gree is making more and more investment in Taiwan market, focusing on sales business and exploring deep into the market. Since December 2015, Gree Taiwan has successfully held 15 times of product launch. This is the last product launch of this refrigeration year. This year’s product launch was taken earlier than before, which is for the purpose of immediate deployment so as to grab a head start. We believe Gree brand will bring us more surprise in Taiwan market in the New Year.


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QR Codes: Cracking the (QR) Code
As we reach the midpoint of 2011, it's clear that mobile has become a formidable marketing channel and will continue to blaze its trail into retail. Nielsen predicts that by the third quarter of 2011 smartphones will be the dominant mobile device in the U.S., overtaking feature phones. At some point we may stop referring to these handheld computers as phones and come up with a more accurate name that conveys the multidimensional communications and connectivity they provide.
A generation ago, the thought of nearly every adult walking around with an always-on communications portal, replete with camera and location awareness, was science fiction at its best. The real-world impact of mobile can't be overestimated, nor is it likely that we've seen all there is to see in terms of capability for marketers. Mobile technology has spawned or repurposed a number of other technological advances as well, of which one of the fastest growing is QR codes. QR (for quick response) codes are an upgrade to the well-known barcode. They allow in excess of 7,000 characters to be embedded into the code itself. More importantly, they can be used to provide a connection to the web for those scanning them with a smartphone.
While these codes are ubiquitous in Asia, they're just starting to be discovered in the U.S. Awareness and use of QR codes is growing exponentially. Indeed, 32 percent of U.S. smartphone users have scanned a QR code and another 70 percent said they plan to use one again or for the first time, according to MGH's QR Code Usage and Interest Survey taken in February.
eMarketer reports usage of QR codes is up over 180 percent in the first quarter of 2011. For retailers, the question isn't whether to incorporate QR codes into their marketing strategy, it's how to do it.


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March 31, 2014 08:03 CET The retirement from Daimler's supervisory board of combative trade union veteran Erich Klemm may smooth management-labor relations at the company and boost the career of Wolfgang Bernhard, who is seen as a candidate to succeed CEO Dieter Zetsche.... Read More »
12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 24, 2014 Daimler AG nominated former Volkswagen AG CEO Bernd Pischetsrieder to its supervisory board.... Read More »
Feb. 21, 2014 13:34 CET Daimler nominated former Volkswagen CEO Bernd Pischetsrieder to the company's supervisory board. Pischetsrieder, 66, also a former BMW CEO, will run for election at the annual shareholders meeting in April.... Read More »
Dec. 12, 2013 09:41 CET Daimler will name Bernd Pischetsrieder, a former CEO of rival premium carmaker BMW, to its supervisory board next year, a German business newspaper reported.... Read More »
July 18, 2013 06:01 CET Bernd Pischetsrieder, former chief of BMW and Volkswagen, has a lot of experience selling new cars. Now he's focusing on old ones after acquiring a controlling stake in a vintage car dealership in Germany.... Read More »
12:01 am U.S. ET | July 15, 2013 Bernd Pischetsrieder, former chief of BMW and Volkswagen, has a lot of experience selling new cars. Now he's focusing on old ones.
Pischetsrieder, 65, has acquired a controlling stake in C. F. Mirbach, a vintage car dealership in Germany. The store sells such exotic vintage models as Ferrari Dinos, Mercedes SL Gullwings and Duesenbergs.
... Read More »
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS EUROPE E-MAGAZINE
July 1, 2013 06:01 CET Rapid growth at Volkswagen Group has the CEO of Europe's largest automaker convinced that the company will not only be the first automaker to sell 10 million cars in a year, it will do so ahead of his target year of 2018. Martin Winterkorn shared this bold prediction during a recent interview.... Read More »


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THE WHAT? Coty has announced a licensing agreement with luxury brand Orveda, expanding its reach in the premium skin care market.
THE DETAILS As part of the deal, Coty plans to integrate Orveda into its prestige portfolio, with Coty developing, manufacturing and distributing the full line of Orveda products globally.
According to a press release, Orveda’s brand and product development, as well as global marketing, will be handled by Coty Prestige Brand Director Constantin Sklavenitis. Meanwhile, Orveda co-founder and sole owner, Nicolas Vu, will continue to lead the company as CEO and work closely with Coty on brand development, in addition to advising the company on its program. diversity, equity and inclusion.
THE WHY ? With a 22 SKU line of healthy skin radiance activators, Orveda’s luxurious appeal aligns with Coty’s mission to lead the premium skin care market.
Sklavenitis said, “We are delighted to welcome Orveda to Coty and look forward to further accelerating the industry-disrupting high performance skincare line that has built a cult following in just a few short years.
“Creating a premier skin care offering is a key strategic priority for Coty and the addition of Orveda to our product line is a major step towards achieving our goal, especially as the ultra premium is the fastest growing category. We also see great potential for Orveda in the Chinese market, a key strategic focus for Coty. “