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Gartner announced today that Apple became the world's biggest buyer of semiconductors in 2011, leaping ahead of both Samsung Electronics and Hewlett-Packard. As Macworld notes, PC and phone vendors' semiconductor spending is related to sales of their finished products. Apple's spending on ...
Apple's buying spree for chip technology companies continues, with The New York Times reporting that the company has acquired Intrinsity. The Texas-based fabless semiconductor company was widely thought to be the engineering brains behind the iPad's A4 system-on-a-chip. Intrinsity's 1 GHz ...
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As New Zealand moves towards reconnecting with the world, 62% of the business leaders surveyed in the NZ Herald’s “Mood of the Boardroom” say they are not satisfied with the government’s plan for reopening the country. International business is being lost due to border difficulties.
So the NZ economy again looks likely to be propped up by the primary sector. On that front, the news is positive. International markets are exhibiting strong demand for our products, with the result that export prices are even more buoyant than seemed likely just three months ago.
Lamb is fetching record prices and dairy, despite some earlier predictions that global production would push down prices, has moved in the other direction, to the extent that Westpac senior agri-economist Nathan Penny this week raised his forecast for Fonterra’s farmgate milk price this season by 75c to $8.50kg/MS. That would surpass the co-operative’s previous record high of $8.40kg/MS paid in the 2013/14 season.
Fonterra’s own forecast is for a payout between $7.25 and $8.75kg/MS, with a mid-point of $8. That’s ahead of its $7.54 last season.
Penny said he lifted his forecast after downgrading his expectation for milk production. He now expects NZ production to fall 1%, compared with his previous expectation for a lift of 1%.
Fonterra itself is in good shape, after achieving a strong set of results for the 2021 financial year. These are reflected in normalised earnings per share of 34c and a final dividend of 15c, taking the total dividend for the year to 20c per share.
The results come as Fonterra moves through its business reset and into a new phase of growing the value of its business.
The question here is whether Fonterra, after three years of re-setting its business and cutting debt, can find new ways to maximise the value of NZ milk.
Miles Hurrell has gone about the job of shoring up the co-op since he took over as CEO, despite the challenges of operating in a COVID-19 world.
Although the higher milk price and tightening margins put pressure on earnings in the final quarter, this is a strong overall business performance, allowing us to deliver $11.6bn to the NZ economy through the total pay-out to farmers.
Hurrell will be striving to improve this season the group normalised EBIT (which reflects underlying business performance) of $952m, up 8%.
What was significant over the past 12 months has been the outcome of the drive to lower debt: net debt was down $872m to $3.8bn. Cashflow improved again and at 2.7x (improved from 3.3x), Fonterra is now within its long-term target Debt/EBITDA ratio.
While a high milk price is good for farmers and for the NZ economy, it does have the potential to squeeze sales margins and impact earnings.
What Hurrell has to do now is find new ways to achieve value growth. Since its foundation the co-op has talked up how it aims to broaden its product range and produce better returns for its milk, but has never succeeded in doing so.
Now Hurrell and his team plan to spend more on product innovation and science to move its milk into higher value specialty nutrition products as it looks for ways to increase profit in an environment where milk volumes are no longer increasing. They will outlay $1bn to make higher value products, and may look to partner with others to blend and pack them.
The co-op in effect has had to rethink how it grows profits as the rapid expansion of dairy farming comes to an end, with the Climate Change Commission suggesting dairy cattle numbers could fall 13% from 2019 levels by 2030 due to environmental constraints.
The idea of reducing cow numbers is a dubious strategy but given the Ardern government’s apparent indifference to encouraging the farming industries the Climate Commission’s proposal to cut cow numbers may be enforced.
In that context the Hurrell strategy of driving more value from milk makes sense. Hurrell says Fonterra is aiming to increase its total annual R&D investment by over 50% to around $160m a year, with about $60m a year specifically targeted at growth in Active Living, to develop new innovative products
“As we move more milk into Foodservice and Consumer, we will direct less through our Ingredients channel and aim to shift more towards higher value ingredients such as in our Active Living business.”
Hurrell says the co-op aims to play more boldly in nutrition science solutions, which underpin a $500bn slice of the global health and wellness category.
He and the team around him may have more success diversifying the product range than some of his predecessors. The country—and his farmer-shareholders—certainly need it.

domain: news


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Nokia Lumia 910 to Land with NFC and Wireless Charging
I brought you news that the iPhone 5 could well be packing wireless payment NFC tech and now Nokia’s design chief has revealed that the Lumia range will shortly packing NFC and wire free charging.
The big deal is that, should it happen soon, the Nokia would grab that coveted ‘World’s First’ title for being the first mobile phone to come with wireless charging built-in.
Sure, you could add something like the Duracell myGrid, but to be wireless charging straight out of the box – that’s got to be worth cool points right?
If Nokia can manage to pull off wireless charging and all the loveliness packed into the Nokia 900 then they could well be onto a winner.
Chances are, all will be revealed at MWC 2012.


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Today's Executive Interview features Stan Gowisnock, president and CEO of Distribution Service Technologies (DST). In the interview, Gowisnock talks about the trends he is seeing when it comes to the role of technology and e-commerce in the automotive aftermarket today.http://www.aftermarketnews.com/Item/105601/executive_interview_with_stan_gowisnock_president_and_ceo_of_dst.aspx
PHILADELPHIA, PA, February 8, 2012 -- The Pep Boys – Manny, Moe & Jack (NYSE: PBY), the nation’s leading automotive aftermarket service and retail chain, has selected Distribution Service Technologies, Inc. (DST) as its exclusive partner to provide an on-line order placement service for its Pep Express eCommerce customers using www.pepexpress.com.
The browser-based catalog, being developed for ACDelco by DST Inc. of Lake Forest, Calif., is partly based on one currently used at GM dealers.
GRAND BLANC, Mich., November 1, 2010 – ACDelco will demonstrate an upcoming, all-new online catalog of ACDelco GM OE Service parts for the aftermarket this week at AAPEX (Booth No.
AutoZone, America’s leading retailer and a leading distributor of automotive replacement parts and accessories, announces that it has formed a technology partnership with DST, Inc., to provide AutoZone commercial customers with best -in-class electronic ordering solution. DST is an IBM® Business Partner and leading provider of automotive eBusiness solutions.
According to Stan Gowisnock, DST president and chief executive officer, the company’s TurboParts® next generation eCommerce solution will enable nearly any connected local, regional or national repair business, fleet


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The current Jeep Wrangler is a dead off-roader walking. We examine its enduring appeal and the mountain the iconic 4x4's replacement has to climb.
Autoblog is an American internet-based automotive news and car shopping website owned and operated by AOL Inc. With 9.2 million visitors to the Autoblog website each month, we are one of the top-tier destinations for industry news, car reviews, and vehicle shopping tools.
34100 Woodward Ave, Suite 200
Birmingham, MI 48009
These patents show the kind of off-the-wall thinking the Internet giant is applying to mobility for its autonomous car.
Our editors pick their five favorite debuts from the 2016 New York International Auto Show, and give a few nods to some honorable mentions.
Our editors look back on the 2016 Geneva Motor Show and pick their five favorite show cars.


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At the end of every year it’s become a tradition to look at where we’ve been, where we’re headed and what some major trends in the channel may mean to our readers and their businesses. Some trends change, some get redefined, some stay exactly the same, and some turn out to be – not trends (remember when 3D printing was the next big thing?) When it came time to narrow down the trends shaping the industry this year, we turned, appropriately, to BPO Research’s Market Trends survey — an annual tracker of office equipment dealers that helps take the pulse of the industry. We gathered together some of the most common themes we heard from dealers, OEMs and others in the industry over the course of the year and ran it up against some of those survey results to get a feel for the challenges and opportunities likely to affect the industry in the next year – with a few sneak peeks at our survey data as a bonus.
Digital transformation (DX)
According to IDC, by 2024, digital transformation and innovation will directly account for more than half of all IT spending, with DX investment expected to approach $7.4 trillion (yes, trillion with a “t”). It’s both a lucrative opportunity and a major hurdle for those embedded in the traditional print space. But what exactly is it?
MIT defines digital transformation as “a radical rethinking of how an organization uses technology, people and processes to radically change business performance.” Salesforce, meanwhile, states, “digital transformation is the process of using digital technologies to create new — or modify existing — business processes, culture, and customer experiences to meet changing business and market requirements.”
No matter how you frame it, it’s something nearly every business is engaging in, and for technology providers and their customers it’s both a challenge and an opportunity — although unfortunately, the former often outweighs the latter. However, it doesn’t need to.
The imaging industry has been helping customers with document output since its inception. As we move to digital that hasn’t really changed; it’s merely the form of the output that has evolved into electronic information that may be emailed, messaged, shared through a customer portal or presented on an interactive display. The input component, however, has become more important — a frequent topic in these pages is how the “multifunction” part of the MFP has become more significant and the role of the input tray is greater. But it’s what goes on in between the input and output that is really the most important to digital transformation.
The internet of things (IoT), machine learning, artificial intelligence, process automation — these buzzwords are all components of digital transformation, but since it’s not a one-size-fits-all undertaking, each organization comes at it a little differently and with different needs. A Forrester/SAP study on digital transformation that surveyed nearly 750 decision makers around the world found one-third of firms surveyed had completed “significant aspects” of digital transformation while 67% were engaged in digital transformation initiatives. What does that look like? It varies, but in the study 92% had implemented IoT, 78% had implemented AI, 77% had implemented machine learning, 70% had implemented augmented or virtual reality, and 68% had implemented blockchain.
While those statistics are interesting, they may also be intimidating for smaller organizations, or for the office equipment dealership whose customers consist more of small to midsize business (SMB) than large enterprises. And this is where the idea of digital transformation can get tricky — terms like “AI” and “virtual reality” are sexy, but they aren’t the whole picture. For the SMB, kicking off the digital transformation process can be as simple as implementing Office 365, and cloud-based and as-a-service offerings can help the process along. Getting a foot in the door isn’t necessarily difficult, but taking full advantage of it is another story.
Our survey shows that for the average dealership, nearly 70% of total revenue is hardware, and less than 10% is application software and solutions, leaving a lot of room to push the needle. When it comes to product categories dealers wanted to add, “scanning/capture document management software” was the second most popular category, behind only network security (we’ll get to that). Also high ranking were “scanning/archiving digital capture hardware,” “cloud storage,” and “ECM/workflow automation” — all key pieces of digital transformation. The channel wants digital transformation, and, more importantly, the channel is engaged in digital transformation. With the connected MFP as an on-ramp, the journey is, for most, underway. But that journey is not without hazards. Connected devices, after all, are the key to digital transformation, and the IoT is the backbone of those connected devices. And with the rewards of the IoT come risks — namely the security threats that are nearly a daily part of business today and mark the next critical trend.
Capital One. Quest Diagnostics. ASUS. The city of Baltimore. These are just a few of the headline-grabbing data breaches in 2019 alone, and it’s not getting better. According to Norton, there was a 54% increase in the number of breaches in the first half of 2019 compared to the same period in 2018. Security is big business and big opportunity — it’s why “network security applications” topped the BPO survey results for the product category respondents wanted to add. When asked how important network and system security was to their customers, the majority chose “very important,” with most of the rest selecting “somewhat important” — altogether around 90% of respondents have customers for whom security matters. Also notable is the increase in “very important” responses this year — while last year it was an even split between “very” and “somewhat,” this year the vast majority chose “very.” When it comes to security there is a great deal of opportunity, but also a significant level of responsibility — if you haven’t yet had to deal with some form of data breach or ransomware attack, it is probably just a matter of time.
And being in the managed IT business is no longer a requirement for having concerns about security, as hackers have proven that anything with a network connection is fair game — including those printing devices that are your on-ramp to the digital transformation highway. Most hardware OEMs have made security a key piece of their lineups, with everything from focused advertising campaigns to partnerships with security firms. It’s telling that in the BPO survey, only about half of respondents offer managed IT but nearly three-quarters offer security solutions of some sort, ranging from hard drive encryption solutions to network security, document security and backup/disaster recovery. If you’re not selling, supporting, or making use of security solutions, what are you waiting for? Security may be the one universal concern whether you are a dealer, OEM or end user. Or maybe there is one more.
Some trends come and go, but this one sticks. A quick and dirty count of M&A related news items on both The Imaging Channel and Workflow websites in 2019 yields roughly 80 items, which is a reasonable picture of the landscape and pretty much in line with what we’ve seen over the last couple of years. The transactions run the gamut from surprising (Staples and DEX) to, well, not surprising (any transactions from Flex, Oval, UBEO or Marco) to the ones that make you go “hmm” (Xerox and HP, which we’ll get back to). Averaging more than one transaction a week, if it feels like there’s a lot of M&A action, that’s because there is.
Why? The need to grow and move to the next level is a common reason for an acquisition. With the aforementioned digital transformation and security services in such high demand, smaller dealers that lack the resources to provide those services may seek a buyer. Meanwhile, dealers with more resources may acquire an adjacent business to expand their offerings — about 17% of our survey respondents who offer managed IT said they used the acquisition route to add that solution to their business. Geographical expansion is another driver, and while it used to be attributed more to OEMs, it is now certainly a part of the mega-dealers’ expansion efforts as well.
What else does our survey reveal about M&A? We asked, “are you planning to sell your business in the next three to five years,” and the majority answered “no”— but about 20% would be open to an offer. That’s actually fewer than last year, when nearly 30% said they would be open to an offer — apparently there were a few more respondents open to a good offer last year, and maybe they were one of the 80-ish transactions this year.
We also asked which OEM respondents thought was most likely to be acquired next. Here’s a shocker: HP did not top the list, and in fact, Xerox was the top vote-getter; nearly neck and neck with Toshiba, almost a third of respondents felt Xerox holds the title of “most likely to be acquired.” Last years’ responses were similar, with the only difference being that HP was last on the list – this year a full 6% selected HP as their answer (maybe they’re prescient, maybe they took the survey after the news of Xerox’s acquisition attempt broke). Industry pundits don’t seem inclined to believe that Xerox will actually achieve its acquisition target — at the time of this writing HP has rebuffed Xerox twice, and the two remain in a standoff in which Xerox is threatening a hostile takeover and Carl Icahn doesn’t appear to have plans to back down. What will next year bring? Will we be talking about that time Xerox tried to acquire HP, or will we be talking about financial results for HPX?
While we can’t know for sure how any of these trends will shake out over the coming year, the benefit of research and analysis is that we have a pretty good idea of what will have an impact. These three trends — digital transformation, security and consolidation — are not the entire picture, and there are many other forces shaping the channel. However, it is safe to say that these are three that will continue to exert a strong influence over the channel, and should at the very least not be ignored. At best? They should be monetized, capitalized upon and used to create a solid growth plan for the coming year.
is editorial director of BPO Media’s publications Workflow and The Imaging Channel, and senior analyst for BPO Research. As a professional writer and editor, she has specialized in the office technology industry for the last 20 years. Prior to that she worked in public relations and has a master's degree in communication arts.


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- Porsche unveiled the new Mission e Cross Turismo at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show.
- The Cross Turismo is an all-electric crossover wagon designed to take on the Tesla Model X.
- The Porsche can to 60 mph in less than 3.5 seconds.
- The Cross Turismo's battery pack hand be charged up with 249 miles of range in just 15 minutes.
Porsche is set to do battle with Tesla for supremacy in the world of high-performance electric vehicles. The automotive wing of Elon Musk's empire's string of hits including the Model S luxury sedan, Model X crossover SUV, and the Model 3 mainstream sedan.
On Tuesday, Porsche introduced Mission e Cross Turismo at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. It is the latest model to enter the fray on behalf of the Stuttgart, Germany-based sports car and SUV specialists.
According to Porsche, the Mission e Cross Turismo is a crossover wagon with extra ride height. And it's aimed directly Tesla's ground-breaking Model X. In the same way that the Mission e sedan is targeted at the Model S.
We don't yet know everything about the car.
But at first glance, the Porsche's specs are pretty impressive. The Cross Turismo has a range of more than 249 miles (400 kilometres) on a single charge which is on par with the Model X. However, Porsche's 800-volt charging architecture allows the Cross Turismo to charge up to 249 miles (400 kilometres) of range in just 15 minutes, something Tesla's 400-volt Supercharger system can't do.
The most high-end Tesla, the Cross Turismo features twin electric motors, one for the front axle, one for the rear. This gives the car virtual all-wheel-drive. The result is 0-60 km/h in less than 3.5 seconds and 0-124 km/h in under 12 seconds. That's not quite as quick as the top-of-the-line Model X P100D.
In February, Porsche announced that it will spend $7.4 billion (R86.8 billion) on electric mobility by 2022. Included in this spending plan is $620 million (R7.2 million) for the development of Mission e electric vehicles including the Cross Turismo.
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See also:This is probably the last chance ever to become a director of the Reserve Bank before it is nationalisedSamsung's new Galaxy S9 display is better than the iPhone XHere is the perfect way to end an email — and 26 sign-offs you should usually avoidHere’s what a business class ticket on the first direct flight from Hong Kong to Cape Town on the brand-new A350 buys youTiger Brands' R2.2 billion processed meat business catches fire as listeriosis is traced to its Polokwane facilityHow the deadly strain of listeriosis was traced to Tiger Brands’ Enterprise polony factoryTrump’s latest announcement will hurt South Africa and may spark a global trade warElon Musk just posted a sensual Instagram picture with his tunnel-boring machineFacebook's Sheryl Sandberg has advice for male managers after #MeToo: Workplace equality is much more than stamping out sexual harassment11 new skyscrapers to transform Cape Town’s skylineThis team of South African gamers moved to Arizona to become esports stars – and they are slaying in American competitions right nowThe Netherlands built a bridge that partially floods when it rainsFive science-backed tips to double your Tinder matches


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Earlier this year, Calabasas, California developer Killspace Entertainment opened its doors. Made up of former employees of high profile studios like Pandemic, Obsidian, Red 5, and Electronic Arts, its website is currently up and running. The content — presumably a demo reel for prospective publishers and partners — is locked. Its LinkedIn profile says it’s currently working on two titles — an original IP with a major publisher, and a licensed IP.
That’s the old news. The latest is that Killspace has filed a trademark for “Necromancer.” The studio (again, according to its LinkedIn profile) will be focusing on “3rd and 1st Character-focused Action, Horror, and Sci-Fi.” The name “Necromancer” sounds like it could be a great fit for any one of those genres or game styles. Could this be the original title its working on for for the “major publisher”? With so much experience talent at the studio, they’re definitely one to keep an eye on.
We’ll let you know if you hear any more; do the same for us, won’t you?


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Sony hopes sales of its PlayStation 5 games console will outpace those of its hugely popular predecessor system this year, despite warning that the global chip crunch is likely to persist for the next 12 months.
The Japanese group’s target for the new console came as the pandemic-driven gaming boom lifted its annual profits to a record, even as the US-China trade dispute caused a heavy hit to its image sensor business.
On Wednesday, Sony also said it would buy back up to ¥200 billion (€1.5 billion) of its own shares, which are trading near a 20-year high.
Since its November launch, Sony has sold 7.8 million PS5 consoles, slightly more than the PS4 units sold during the same period following the latter system’s release in 2013. For the new financial year, which ends in March 2022, the company said it would aim to sell more PS5s than the 14.8 million PS4s sold during the second year following its launch.
“It continues to be the case that supplies have not been able to keep up with the very strong demand for PS5,” Hiroki Totoki, Sony’s chief financial officer, said at an online briefing on Wednesday. “We expect semiconductor-focused supply constraints for devices to continue into this current fiscal year.”
But following a blockbuster year, Sony is bracing for weaker profits in many of its mainstay businesses including games, music and image sensors.
For the 12 months to March 2022, the group expects its net profit to fall 44 per cent to ¥660 billion due to rising tax expenses. That came in below analysts’ forecasts of ¥743 billion, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. Revenue is expected to rise 8 per cent to ¥9.7 trillion. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2021


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“Consumer finance” is a broad term for any arrangement where a customer is loaned money so that they can make a purchase. This loan may be to purchase a car, furniture, a holiday, or just to pay utility bills, but it enables that customer to pay for something gradually that they can’t afford to pay […]
Around 10% of the UK is considered to have bad or adverse credit, and have admitted they may never be debt free.
John Davies, director of Just Cashflow, provides eight top tips for businesses to plan ahead and avoid cash flow problems this financial year.
Organisations wanting to take advantage of business opportunities overseas need to find a way to make reliable credit risk decisions in an unfamiliar context. This can present challenges, particularly at a time when there is still financial uncertainty in many European nations.
Understanding the total cost of credit is critical to making sure you get the best deal on business finance.
Alternative lending such as peer-to-peer is here to stay, declared credit experts, but warnings associated with risk have been made.
Despite the recent economic upswing, financial risk remains a problem for businesses across all sectors. Marine Bochot, UK head of risk at Euler Hermes, provides her top five red flags to protect your business from bad debtors.
Family owned companies can be more stable than other firms, which could help to attract funding interest from new investors, says Taron Wade, Associate Director at Standard & Poor’s
In 2013, 90 per cent of UK businesses now accept payments online. But how many of these businesses are fully apprised of the facts when it comes to credit card fraud
A Bank of England survey predicts availability of credit availability to expand by the largest amount since 2010.
Profitable SMEs are going bust due to a lack of credit, warns IT entrepreneur Gary David Smith.
Wonga wants to support SMEs through tough times, but the high-cost lender is controversial. Is Wonga for Business really a good place to go to when you need financial help?


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By Mike Murphy
In response to North Korea’s latest nuclear test, President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened to stop trading with any country that does business with the rogue nation.
However, that threat is almost certainly bluster, as such a move would have massive economic repercussions for the U.S. as well as the global economy.
Why? In one word: China.
North Korea’s economy is relatively small — the 119th largest in the world, according to MIT’s Observatory of Economic Complexity — with $2.83 billion in exports and $3.47 billion in imports in 2015. China is North Korea’s largest trading partner, accounting for about 85% of its trade volume — roughly $2.34 billion in exports and $2.95 billion in imports, according to MIT.
But China is also the largest trading partner of the U.S. In 2016, the U.S imported $462.6 billion in Chinese goods, and exported $115.6 billion to China. Eliminating business with China would be a tremendous blow to the U.S. economy and would almost certainly send retail prices soaring.
And it’s not just China. India accounts for about $1 billion a year in trade with North Korea — and does about $64 billion in business with the U.S. Pakistan, Russia, Thailand and the Philippines do tens of millions of dollars in business annually with North Korea. And while the amounts are small, even major U.S. trade partners such as France, Mexico, Brazil and Chile do business with North Korea.
Simply cutting off trade with all those countries would be virtually impossible, economically catastrophic for the U.S. and could potentially trigger a global recession.
The U.S. is much more likely to push for tighter sanctions against North Korea, while pressuring countries to reduce or eliminate trade with North Korea.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said as much Sunday morning on Fox News . “It’s clear this behavior is unacceptable. … I will draft a sanctions bill and send it to the president. We will work with our allies. We will work with China. But people need to cut off North Korea economically.”
Meanwhile, Trump lashed out at the U.S.’s closest ally in the North Korean crisis — South Korea. In a tweet Sunday, Trump criticized South Korea’s “talk of appeasement” with North Korea, and on Saturday there were reports that the Trump administration was considering withdrawing from a five-year-old free-trade deal with South Korea. The U.S. and South Korea do about $115 billion in trade annually.


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by Bob Vanasse and John Cooke
Saving Seafood staff
WASHINGTON -- May 24, 2012 – For some time, Whole Foods Market has used green issues as part of its marketing effort, appealing to the legitimate concerns of its customers for environmental protection and sustainability. On a recent episode of ABC’s hit series “Modern Family”, the character of Mitchell Pritchett, played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson, delivered a punch line about shopping-bag sanctimony in the store’s check out lines. On Earth Day of this year, Whole Foods extended the sanctimony to their fish counters, announcing they would no longer allow their customers to buy fish rated “red” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Blue Ocean Institute.
Since that policy was introduced on Earth Day, industry leaders, environmental advocates, fisheries scientists, and lawmakers have gone on record either directly opposing – or presenting information raising serious questions and doubts about – the “red” sustainability ratings. In addition, information made public by the federal government, through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), directly contradicts many of the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Blue Ocean assertions.


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This week, the California State Fair announced the addition of the first-ever, state-sanctioned cannabis competition and awards. They will join a roster of coveted, annual competitions celebrating the Golden State’s rich agricultural history and dynamic industries including wine, craft beer, olive oil, and cheese.
This announcement comes about five years after California voters approved an initiative to legalize marijuana for adult use.Since that time, it has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry.
“We are pleased to celebrate California’s legal and licensed cannabis industry as part of the CA State Fair in 2022,” said Jess Durfee, director of the California Exposition & State Fair Board. “For the past 166 years, the CA State Fair has always been a first mover, leading the State Fair circuit with innovative programming and large-scale competitions that celebrate the best the state has to offer, making the addition of cannabis cultivation a natural new category.”
The awards have been developed in partnership between the California Exhibition & State Fair, an independent state agency established by law under California’s food and agriculture code, and Cultivar Brands, a California-based cannabis marketing and events agency who specializes in the creation of programs that continue to move cannabis into the mainstream.
Governor Gavin Newsom is an ex-officio member of the fair’s board of directors, as are several state lawmakers.
“The launch of state-sanctioned awards is a watershed moment for the California cannabis industry,” Cultivar Brands CEO Brian Applegarth said. “Not only will we showcase that California farmer, large and small, and the incredible cannabis flower that the state has to offer, but We will also educate, demystify the plant, challenge the stereotypes, and continue to evolve towards normalcy.”
The competition is open to all licensed growers in California, and entrants will be classified into three classifications representing three primary divisions for submission by light source: Indoor, Mixed Light, and Outdoor. Medals will be awarded for the cannabis flower only, showcasing the primary cannabinoids and terpenes expressed in the cannabis flower.
A total of 77 medals will be awarded including the coveted Golden Bear trophy for “Best for California.”
The competition will be scored objectively, through science-based analysis performed and certified by SC Labs, one of California’s premier cannabis and hemp testing labs. SC Labs will provide all entrants with the required Certificate of Analysis (COAs), as well as a PhytoFacts chemometric report that will identify all the unique compounds of the submission to determine the award winners.
“I’m really excited to be involved with the state fair because it is the traditional place where the agricultural community comes to show off their best work,” SC Labs Co-founder and President Josh Wuzer said. “This further validates cannabis as part of that community.”
The first-ever California State Fair Cannabis Competition and Awards will evaluate the 2021 harvest and celebrate the award winners during the CA State Fair set to take place July 10-26, 2022, at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds in Sacramento. The submission window opens on November 1, 2021 and will remain open until March 30, 2022. Award winners will be announced in May 2022.
On the other side of the country in New York, officials announced ahead of this year’s State Fair that, since cannabis was legalized in the state earlier this year, adults could consume marijuana in any place where tobacco use is permitted.
Although the California event will host the cannabis competition, officials clarified that “there will be no sales or consumption of cannabis products containing THC at the CA State Fair in 2022.”
For more information, visit CAStateFairCannabisAwards.com.


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5th > February > 2010 Archive
The US Department of Justice is still concerned that Google's $125m book-scanning settlement conflicts with class-action, copyright, and antitrust law, even after Google and American authors and publishers negotiated changes to the pact meant to appease its critics.
Apple has told a tiny mobile software developer that its application cannot be included in the iPhone App Store if it mentions Google Android.
CommentThe stories about Adobe software keep coming, and the news hasn't been good. Critical bugs in Reader and Flash have come under real-world, zero-day attacks so many times in the past year that the exploits almost seem routine.
When it comes to the cloud, there's Linux and then there's Linux, and Igor Seletskiy believes he's built a Linux better than the current generation of distros for service providers serving up tens of thousands of sites.
Updated with NetApp responseNetApp is halting further development of its deduplicating NearStore product following its failed attempt to buy Data Domain. It is walking away from any development of deduplicating nearline storage products.
Holographic storage company InPhase Technologies has paid off all its employees but is still looking for a venture capital white knight. The dream still flickers, it's just temporarily out of phase.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will pay £6m over five years for an animal movements reporting service.
Some people believe videogames affect a child’s physical and mental behaviour, while others will swear blind that they don’t. Now Cambridge University hopes to discover the truth and has created a department dedicated to studying the messages kids absorb from “cultural sources”.
Apple has warned developers that they can't use location-based services such as the Core Location framework to deliver ads to iPhone, iPod touch, and - come March - iPad owners based on where they are.
The debate on how Microsoft is losing its innovative edge is as perennial and comfortable as how the summers were warmer and drier when you were growing up.
Apple is offering cash payments to customers still having grief with their 27-inch iMacs, which have been plagued with various screen problems.
CommentMeet Coraid. This ten year-old startup has got its first venture capital funding and a new CEO who wants us all to understand that its AoE storage protocol is just terrific.
Yesterday, reporting on the Ministry of Defence green paper issued this week, we referenced a news item in which the UK's top serviceman, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup, reportedly said it was "plausible" that Britain might in future have just two armed services rather than three.
Internet users have over the last few days mobilised in support of the Oz banker caught copping an eyeful of shapely local lass MIranda Kerr during a live TV broadcast, amid speculation that Sydney's Macquarie Bank was poised to give him his marching orders:
Microsoft is planning a bumper patch Tuesday, with 13 bulletins that collectively fix 26 difference vulnerabilities.
Nokia is on a roll after its stagnant 2009, with strong quarterly results and rising smartphone share. Now it says its recent decision to make its Ovi Maps navigation service entirely free, in an aggressive shot at Google, has already been fully justified, with downloads hitting over 1.4m in just a couple of weeks.
NSFW LogoWatchIt's Friday, so as we nip off to the nearest boozer for a few pre-weekend liveners, let's consider raising a hearty pint to the London Sperm Bank whose splendid logo was recently spotted by a Reg reader:
US government boffins say they have built a clock so precise that it will still be accurate to within one second when life on Earth has ceased.
Microsoft let slip details about its Office 2010 “technology guarantee” plan yesterday.
The head of the UK Statistics Authority has slammed shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling for misleading use of crime figures.
Our Paper Aircraft Released Into Space (PARIS) programme is moving briskly along, and we've now put together an initial kit list for both the main payloads and Vulture 1 vehicle.
ReviewThe world seems to have gone 3D crazy. Crowds are flocking to see the 3D movie Avatar; consumer electronics companies are promising 3DTVs and Blu-ray Disc players, and broadcasters, such as Sky, are set to launch 3DTV services. Fujifilm has also got in on the act with the Finepix Real 3D W1, a camera for the masses that captures that third dimension.
CommentOracle has come out with a firm message regarding Sun’s sales strategy: it will change.
NASA has released "the most detailed and dramatic images ever taken of the distant dwarf planet Pluto", captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, which reveal an "icy, mottled, dark molasses-colored world":
Last year was a good 12 months for netbook makers: together they shipped 30.2 million of the mini laptops.
Intel yesterday unveiled a raft of vPro products based on the Core designs it debuted last month, showing the oft overlooked business desktop market a rare bit of love.
Microsoft has announced it will soon no longer support the original Xbox console on its Live online service.
Online gambling sites are fighting ever-sharper fraudsters, forcing them to balance stricter anti-cheat measures against the risk of alienating some of their best customers.
Apple boss Steve Jobs had a secret meeting with New York Times' publisher Arthur Sulzberger and other executives to show off the iPad and explain what he thinks it means for publishing.
The Crown Prosecution Service has informed the Metropolitan Police that it intends to charge four politicians with accounting offences after the investigation into the expenses scandal.
A site dedicated to tracking the infamous ZeuS botnet is celebrating its first birthday.
UpdatedThe homepage of the children’s section of Directgov currently sports an unfortunate banner by the name of Buster’s World, which just so happens to be the name of a gay porn fetish site.
Apple may have decided against the appellation 'iTablet' - one of the rumoured names for the product now known as the iPad - but that hasn't stopped UK computer supplier X2 claiming the name for its own.
The security services are running 23 ongoing investigations into the exploitation of gambling websites to finance terrorism.
A hefty sci/tech body has said that the USA's current policy of selling off its enormous reserves of helium gas - which it keeps stored in a gigantic subterranean dome reservoir in Texas - is all wrong. This is partly because the plan is cocking up the global helium market, and partly because helium is vital for many activities dear to the hearts of Reg readers.
Ofcom is considering allowing UK's mobile operators to quadruple the power of their 3G transmissions, to improve coverage and maybe roast a few more brain cells.
Sony is planning to take old movies, convert them into 3D and bung them out on Blu-ray Disc, all in a bid to boost consumer interest in 3D TV technology.
Former HP supremo Carly Fiorina is not sparing the horses in her bid to become Republican senator for California. Or rather, she's not sparing the sheep, as this subtle attack on rival Tom Campbell proves:
Mobile network 3 has said its customers can Tweet for free for the rest of the month and March too.
Through the magic of a large number of Americans giving up on finding a job and removing themselves from the official calculations, the unemployment rate in the United States dropped by three-tenths of a per cent to 9.7 per cent, even as the economy shed 20,000 jobs in January.
Quote of the Week“Without a doubt, LED backlights will be the dominant light source in all applications in 2011 — representing a significant business and technology evolution for the entire backlight and panel supply chain.”
The European Commission has commissioned IT market researchers and analysts at IDC to work with some of the top European supercomputing labs to rationalize and coordinate the efforts to push into petascale and exascale computing within Europe.
The European Commission has opened a public consultation on whether the US government should continue to get free access to European bank and financial data under the SWIFT agreement.
The removal of the Palm Centro from the company's prime website can't have come too soon for Nokia.
IBM flung out a second beta of Lotus Symphony 3 yesterday, that brings the free productivity suite closer to Microsoft Office.
The writers' group Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America has cut links to Amazon after the retailer removed, and then reinstated, titles from Macmillan publishing.
UK-headquartered but nowadays US-centred arms globocorp BAE Systems has confessed to corporate wrongdoing and will pay hefty fines on both sides of the Atlantic.
Police have questioned a scientist at the University of East Anglia in connection with the leak of emails from the University's Climatic Research Unit.
Vodafone had a burst of Friday-afternoon fever with a tweet informing the world that its weekend plans involved purely heterosexual attractions.
Two Firefox add-ons available for months on Mozilla's website infected users with malware that stole passwords and opened a backdoor on Windows machines, the open-source browser maker has confirmed.
UpdatedIBM reseachers have made a breakthrough in the development of ultra-high-speed transistor design, creating a 100GHz graphene-based wafer-scale device. And that's just for starters.
Cisco is reportedly prepping a software upgrade for its flagship Nexus 7000 switches designed to ease the movement of loads and virtual machines across multiple data centers.
A supervisor for the town of Poughkeepsie, New York lashed out at a local bank after someone siphoned $378,000 out of municipal coffers and transferred it to Ukraine.
Microsoft will no longer handle display ads on Facebook, as the companies rejiggered the advertising pact they announced in 2007 when Redmond stuffed $240m into the social-networking site.
As Google's Nexus One smartphone celebrates its one-month birthday, word comes that Mountain View has sold a mere 80,000 of the devices.
Open-source evangelist and überblogger Matt Asay has been named as chief operating officer of Canonical, Ubuntu's commercial sponsor.
NASA's space shuttle Endeavour is ready for a pre-dawn launch this Sunday, carrying a new room and seven-window observation dome to the International Space Station.


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Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI will not be featured at E3 2019
Last year at E3 2018, Bethesda ended their annual conference with not one, but two far forward-looking announcements in both Starfield as well as the long-awaited The Elder Scrolls VI. Both were only given short introductory teasers at the time, so many may have been hoping to finally learn more about either title at E3 this year, one year on from the official unveilings. Unfortunately, Bethesda boss Todd Howard is asking for a little more patience, stating that neither game will be talked about at Bethesda's showing in June.
During a BethesdaGameDays Pax East stream (about 2 hours and 10 minutes in) celebrating Elder Scrolls' 25th anniversary, Howard quickly made it clear that new information on both major titles is still a long ways off:
"Please be patient, it's going to be a long time, it's not going to be something we're talking about at E3, either of those games."
While this is certainly a blow to RPG fans that have been looking forward to either announcement, it does leave open some room for speculation about what Bethesda will be presenting on stage in a few months. We can expect maybe Rage 2 post-launch content or projects in the works by the teams at Tango or Arkane, but in the RPG space, it leaves a big unknown.
Howard did make a passing comment about some of the tech behind the two absent titles, stating that Elder Scrolls VI will build off of Starfield:
"People are going to see [our technology] first actually in Starfield, so that tech will have a second version of it in TES VI."
But without a lot to see at this point, we'll have to take a raincheck for another year. Bethesda's E3 Conference will be on June 9 at 5:30 PT.


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Children get what they want for Christmas and the price is unbeatable at the United Methodist Church for All People Christmas Shop.
The church still is accepting gift donations for its Christmas Shop, which allows parents to choose free presents for their children.
Donations from the community allow the church to serve 500 children ages 12 and younger, said Dessaree Watters, director of the church's Free Store.
"Everybody gets something," Watters said, "so if someone doesn't get a toy, they get a free gift card."
Shopping at store will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 22.
The deadline for parents to submit a wish list for their children was Nov. 27.
Donors can view the list and make detailed purchases for the Christmas Shop to fulfill a child's wish.
Toy donations can be made at the church, 946 Parsons Ave., and cash donations may be made online at 4allpeople.org.
"Keep it coming," Watters said of the gift donations.
Popular gift requests include board games, Lego sets, skateboards and headphones. Rattles, musical toys and building blocks commonly are requested for toddlers.
All donations must be new items. Toys must come in their original packages and clothes must have price tags, Watters said.
She said a generous donor has pledged 1,000 new books and the shop is well on its way to providing 60 bicycles.
Parents use individual cards to select presents for each of their children. A gift-wrapping station will be available on shopping day.
Hats, scarves and gloves will be available to all, as will stuffed animals, Watters said.
"What we don't give ends up going to the Free Store," she said.
The Rev. Jim Donnan, pastor at Livingston United Methodist Church in German Village, said his church has been collecting and donating toys since the Christmas Shop was founded.
"We've been involved with this ministry from the very beginning," Donnan said.
"It helps us to give back to the community to those folks who have too much month at the end of the money.
"They don't have enough money to provide a warm and loving Christmas for their loved ones and we help them do that," he said.


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Though this was no cliff-hanger election, the vote is still too close to call today on one thing. Michelle Obama's dress, was it a win?
The future first family cut a memorable image as they crossed the stage in Grant Park last night in color-coordinated outfits: Barack Obama in a black suit and red tie, his adorable daughters in crimson and black frocks and Michelle Obama making a statement in a dress from Narciso Rodriguez's Spring 2009 collection.
Style.com called it a "progressive" fashion move.
I'd call it unfortunate.
What do you think?
The amazing Mrs. O has style to spare. A Harvard-educated lawyer, she isn't afraid to show her feminine side, bolding mixing and matching her belts and sheaths, high-end designers with shopping mall scores. Everything from her neat, flipped-up bob to her Carnival-sized pearls has exuded confidence.
She seems to embody the youthful movement that help to usher her husband into office. Here's a woman who is attractive, intelligent, approachable, credible.
To pull a phrase from the TV crypt, Michelle Obama can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan and never let Barack forget he's her man.
All that said, I think her election-night dress was an odd choice. The cut didn't flatter her figure or work well on camera. The addition of a bolero-like sweater only added to the shapeless silhouette.
It's time to cast your vote. Was the dress a hit or a miss?


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There is to be a new daily freight ferry service launched by P&O Ferries, running between the Port of Tilbury and Calais and designed to give road haulage companies and shippers using unaccompanied trailers a route which terminates just 25 miles from Central London.
Handyshippingguide.com quoted Janette Bell, Chief Executive of P&O Ferries, as saying: “We are delighted to be able to increase the choice we offer our customers by introducing a reliable, efficient and timely route for goods bound for markets in London and the South East. The route saves up to 75 road miles each day compared with the traditional Calais-Dover crossing, meaning that our customers save on fuel and land on the doorstep of London. By prioritising the fast discharge of the ship, the freight can be on the M25 from 5.30am, thereby enabling time-sensitive loads to continue their journey before the rush hour starts.”
P&O Ferries has chartered the Caroline Russ to service the new route, with two sailings every weekday and one each on Saturday and Sunday. The eight-hour sailing will have capacity for 100 units of freight, with a total of 50,000 expected to be carried in the first 12 months. It is expected that time-sensitive supermarket goods including fresh fruit and vegetables will be transported on the route.
The new river berth at the Port of Tilbury is scheduled to open in April next year, enabling P&O Ferries to treble volumes on its existing Zeebrugge-Tilbury services to 600,000 loads of freight a year.
An onward rail connection to Daventry is also expected to be operational in 2020, mirroring the rail connections linking the Port of Calais with Le Boulou, Turin and Orbassano on the Continent.


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Browse products by name
Stemmer Imaging has added Dalsa's Falcon VGA300 HG, 1M120 HG, and 1.4M100 HG cameras to its product portfolio. These high-speed cameras feature high quality Dalsa global shutter CMOS image sensors
The Dalsa Genie HM1400 and HM1400XDR GigE cameras, available from Stemmer Imaging, feature CMOS sensors with no dead pixels, ensuring high image quality.
Firstsight Vision has extended its portfolio of high sensitivity dual line scan cameras with the addition of a 4096 pixel resolution version of the Dalsa Spyder camera.
Multipix Imaging now supplies the Datalogic DataVS1, a simple, all-in-one smart sensor solution for machine vision inspection applications
The Datalogic Matrix 450, available from Multipix Imaging, is a high-end industrial 2D reader designed for logistic applications
Cognex has added enhancements to its DataMan 100 2D data matrix code quality verifier
Cognex has released the latest addition to its DataMan family of ID readers. The DataMan 200 features Ethernet connectivity and liquid lens technology.
Cognex has introduced the DataMan 300, a fixed-mount industrial ID reader
Cognex has released the DataMan 302 ID reader designed specifically for solar traceability initiatives
Cognex has launched the DataMan 500 image-based barcode reader. The device is designed to achieve high read rates, offer on-line visualisation and have high reliability
The high performance, fixed-mount barcode reader, DataMan 500 from Cognex, is now available for factory automation applications
Cognex has upgraded its line of DataMan 8000 series industrial handheld barcode readers with a performance boost to both reading robustness and speed
Cognex has launched its next-generation DataMan handheld industrial ID scanner, the DataMan 8000 series
Combined with a DataMatrix code reader, intelligent cameras from Vision Components can identify two-dimensional codes which are, for example, printed on pharmaceutical drug packaging.
Stemmer Imaging has boosted its range of image capture cards with the addition of five new models from Datapath
Stemmer Imaging now supplies Datapath VisionAV cards, which offer two independent video capture channels for simultaneous HD capture and SD composite video
Multipix Imaging has introduced the latest model from the Datalogic Automation sensor range, the DataVS2 Professional (PRO)
Firstsight Vision now offers a comprehensive range of day/night lenses that can focus both visible and infrared light.
Dolan-Jenner Industries of Boxborough, MA has introduced the Fiber-Lite DC950H machine vision fibre optic illuminator for machine vision integrators.
Alrad Imaging now supplies illumination systems from DCM Systems. Recently featured products include PRL compact linear projectors, high intensity LED projectors
Spectra-Physics, a division of Newport Corporation, has been granted a US patent for its DeepSee technology for multiphoton imaging
Resolve Optics produces rugged lenses designed and tested to meet and exceed specified environmental tests. The Def Stan 00-35 lens is vibration, shock and bump tested.
Kane Computing has signed a distribution agreement with Silicon Imaging to sell its range of cameras in the UK. In addition Deltapix, a long standing partner of KCL have launched a new range of cameras.
Sentient has demonstrated Desert Owl, a software solution that automatically indicates movement and changes in electro-optical (EO) full motion video (FMV) imagery captured by ground vehicles
Multipix Imaging has introduced the Developer's Kit from Z Lasers, which helps system integrators identify what type of laser projection is required in a machine vision application
Imatest has partnered with Aptina to develop DevWare-enabled Imatest, a software package that saves time in CMOS image sensor configuration
Andor Technology has launched the latest addition to its New iStar range of high-performance, scientific-grade ICCDs
The latest Digital Video Infrastructure Platform (DVIP) manufactured by Sundance Multiprocessor Technology supports Simulink HDL Coder from The MathWorks.
Vision Engineering has introduced its menu-less and touch-screen imaging software for its range of stereo inspection microscopes
IDS now offers a DirectShow connection option for its uEye industrial camera series, which supports nearly all of the features in the Software Development Kit (SDK)
Carl Zeiss has released the Distagon T* 2.8/21 ZF lens for image processing in industrial applications. The lens provides high correction of chromatic aberration, which enables results without colour fringes.
Carl Zeiss has introduced two new lenses: the Distagon T* 2.8/15 super-wide angle lens and the Apo Sonnar T* 2/135
Carl Zeiss has introduced the Distagon T* 3,5/18 ZF lens for industrial applications and technical automation – a compact wide angle system covering an extremely wide image angle.
e2v has launched the Diviina line scan camera family, a cost-effective industrial inspection camera featuring 1024, 2048 and 4096 pixel sensors.
Alrad Imaging has added the Diviina camera series from e2v to its product line. The cameras provide an easy-to-use and robust solution with simple functionalities.
e2v has released the Diviina LM1 with a Gigabit Ethernet interface. The line scan camera is an outstanding choice for mid-range machine vision applications
Alrad Imaging has introduced the DLIS-2K and the DLIS-4K re-configurable line scan CMOS image sensors from Panavision Imaging. The sensors feature oversampling for enhanced sensitivity and High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging.
Alrad Imaging has introduced high performance image sensors from Panavision Imaging. The DLIS-2K re-configurable line scan CMOS image sensors are suited to a wide variety of applications.
Meta Vision Systems has launched its DLS200 scanning-spot laser sensor, designed to automate and speed the manufacture of wind towers and other structures containing metal of different thickness
Meta Vision Systems has introduced the DLS300 digital laser scanner, a 3D laser vision systems for welding and other applications
Euresys has released the Domino Symphony boards, a set of new high-performance frame grabbers for industrial applications. They offer an affordable interface to four single-tap monochrome analog cameras.
The Domino Symphony boards are high-performance frame grabbers for industrial applications.
Olympus has released a standalone controller for the 5 megapixel DP26 camera. Using the controller, it is possible to view samples and capture images directly on a monitor screen
Olympus has released its new DP26, a five megapixel colour digital camera optimised for viewing, documentation, reporting and analysis using a microscope
SingMai Electronics has introduced a range of low cost boards targeted at SD and HD video development
Olympus has released the ultra resolution DP73 and DP73WDR digital cameras for brightfield and fluorescence imaging
Olympus' DP80 is a microscopy camera for both colour documentation and fluorescence detection, combining a colour and monochrome chip within the same housing
Specialised for automotive manufacture, Aicon's engineers have developed the DPA welded studs measuring system: an efficient solution for the determination of position of welded studs in vehicle body framework
Awaiba has added the DR-2x2k-7 sensor to its high-speed digital line scan sensor family Dragster
Point Grey Research has added four remote head models to its line of its Dragonfly2 (FireWire) digital cameras. The new models are suitable for space-limited applications
Awaiba, the Madeira-based CMOS design house, has launched the Dragster digital CMOS line scan sensor series. The sensors provide 7e- dark read noise and 50 per cent QE (DR-4k-7), an outstanding sensitivity and noise performance.
Imaging Development Systems (IDS) has developed a single driver kit for all models of the uEye range. This allows camera integration independent of model or interface constraints.
IDS Imaging Development Systems has added new functionality with the driver version 3.60 to its GigE uEye SE and RE camera series
IDS has released a driver update (version 3.80), allowing the functional scope of its 1.3 Megapixel global shutter CMOS cameras to be expanded to include two new features
Andor Technology has introduced a set of optimised drivers for Luca R and Luca S imaging EMCCD cameras within the Meta imaging series of acquisition and analysis software.
Andor Technology, a provider of scientific imaging and spectroscopy solutions, has made available a set of drivers within uManager for their complete range of iXon+ and Luca EMCCD cameras.
Kane Computing has launched two new products, DS-4000HCI-VSP and DS-4000HCI-VSS, which integrate the DS-4000HCI range of H.264 PCI encoder boards with PC video server software.
Nikon has added its DS-Fi1 digital camera head and DS-L2 and DS-U2 control units to its popular Digital Sight Series.
Nikon Instruments Europe has launched its DS-Ri1 camera, the latest addition to its range of Digital Sight cameras for microscopy.
Photonfocus has released two new cameras: DS1-D1024-40-CL‑10 and DS1-D1024-40-U2‑10. They provide easy handling and can be readily integrated in standard applications.
Photonfocus has introduced the monochrome DS1-D1312 and MV1-D1312(I) cameras, with CameraLink interface; nine CMOS cameras based on the company's third generation CMOS imagers, A1312 and A1312I.
Photonfocus has introduced the monochrome DS1-D1312-160 camera, with Camera Link interface, based on the company's third generation CMOS imager A1312-160.
Cognex, a supplier of machine vision systems, has released the DS1000 3D laser profiling system
Olympus has launched its family of opto-digital microscopes, the DSX series
Navitar has introduced a versatile dual view imaging system, allowing customers to simultaneously view a single subject and capture an image at multiple fields of view (FOV)
Newly introduced to the range of thermal imaging products from Armstrong Optical of Northampton, UK is the DualCAM system, combining a visible camera and thermal imager
Multipix Imaging has launched a platform of DVR systems known as the Peripheral DVR, from IO Industries.
The DVS-1600 high-integration OEM interface controller from Digital View is designed to address a broad range of TFT LCD monitor applications, providing a wide range of inputs, features and LCD panel support to address market needs.
Panavision Imaging (PVI) has launched the Dynamax-11 (D11) CMOS image sensor with global shutter technology, which significantly improves image quality for both indoor and outdoor applied industrial imaging applications
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(Natural News) Anyone who tunes into truth news regularly knows that the WEF (World Economic Forum) and the globalists are purposely incapacitating supply chains across the board, including for fuel, food, and animal feed. This is an attempt to get the whole world to eat lab-concocted “food stuff” instead of natural food. Now, it is suspected that several globalist-owned and controlled animal feed companies may be supplying farmers with chicken feed that is purposely tainted to prevent hens from producing eggs, thus adding to the chaotic food shortages and supply chain breakdowns.
Is this all part of a larger agenda to massively cripple the entire food supply and drive inflation through the roof, while people pour money into the Ponzi schemes of “climate change” and “global warming?”
Tractor Supply’s “Producer’s Pride” and Purina’s “Dumor” brands of chicken feed accused of preventing chickens from laying eggs
Keep in mind that the WEF and globalists are now pushing for all humans (except them) to eat worms, crickets, roaches, ants, and grubs as regular meals, instead of meat and eggs, in order to save the world from boiling oceans and toxic rain bombs (just listen to Al Gore preach it at the recent WEF convention in Davos). So why not compromise the chickens so they stop laying eggs, drive prices even higher (they’ve jumped from $1.78 to $7.00 in a year), and literally force people to make new consumption choices?
It simply cannot be happenstance that chickens at several ranches are not producing any eggs at all since Halloween. Plus, it just so happens to be only two brands that are reportedly causing this problem, and both brands, up the line, are owned (funded) and operated by globalists who aim to starve out the middle class of America in their quest to turn the Republic into a socialist hell-hole.
Is chicken feed being altered to expedite global famine and the depopulation agenda?
Will the 2nd Amendment Be Destroyed By the Biden Admin?
Chickens do lay fewer eggs in general in the winter time, usually due to less sunlight, but they don’t just stop cold and produce none. This is quite irregular, and quite the phenomenon to experience while food inflation is out the roof, especially with eggs. Coincidence? Chicken farmers think not.
Even the Avian Flu doesn’t stop chickens from producing eggs, plus, farmers who don’t use questionable brands are reportedly not having this problem. Egg prices have already gone up 400 percent in price in just 18 months. The poultry feed industry is already a $5 billion annual market. You would think these suppliers would be rich enough to cover farmer’s losses due to their feed problems, and also keep eggs at a reasonable price level, but that’s obviously not part of the “master plan.”
Even the deceased pervert Jeffrey Epstein had his hand in the farm animal feed business, along with other billionaire tycoons, including ones that support the WEF, like Vanguard, State Street, and BlackRock. These filthy rich globalists push Ponzi schemes, fake climate agendas, and fuel the food shortages while they bankroll off consumers at the registers. The scams and schemes coming from the Left are relentless, and becoming less than tolerable. Stand up for the republic and boycott the corporations that are run by these evil tyrants.
Tune your food news frequency to FoodSupply.news and get updates on more toxic animal feed, inflation, and food shortages coming to stores near you.
Sources for this article include:
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In 2016, serial entrepreneur Bahubali Shete had to return the USD 10,000 he had raised from a crowdfunding project for his IoT devices—a gas hob with a built-in timer, weighing scale, and temperature probe—when he realized it would be difficult to scale hardware products.
Shete approached users to figure out their needs in the kitchen and what might make their cooking experience better. After speaking to several people, it was feedback from an 80-year-old woman that stuck with him. “I wish I had something like Google Maps in the kitchen. Ever since my husband learned how to use it, he can go anywhere without knowing the route and without taking his hands off of the steering wheel,” she told Shete.
People wanted a gadget—an assistant—that could help them keep their hands and eyes off recipe books or phones when they were cooking, but still provide direction, Shete told KrASIA.
Between 2017 to 2018, Shete devoted his time to creating a voice-enabled product that would tell users how to make a dish without them having to touch their phones. In the process of building the prototype, Shete realized it wasn’t enough for a voice assistant to read a recipe out loud. It needed to be more interactive. So Shete integrated artificial intelligence (AI) that could talk to customers and help them solve problems while cooking, such as replacing ingredients in a recipe.
While he had taken care of the technological aspect, the expertise of providing recipes, recommendations, and cooking tips was still missing. Shete wanted users to trust the recipe recommendations that his product offers. For that, he needed the know-how of someone who is recognized for their culinary mastery. In 2018, he brought on board Sanjeev Kapoor, a celebrity chef, as his co-founder to guide the company and help drive traffic to its offering.
With all the pieces in place, in 2019, Shete launched KloveChef, an AI-based voice assistant that helps users in the kitchen with step-by-step recipe of how to make a dish. It also tells users what to cook based on the ingredients they have in the house.
“During our user research, we learned that many a times people don’t plan their menus, and more than often they are left with random ingredients in the house. Once the user tells our AI the ingredients they have, it can come up with an easy recipe for a dish,” said Shete, who is now CEO of KloveChef.
The startup has partnered with Amazon and Google to give users access to its recipes through smart speakers, placing KloveChef’s service in the kitchens of 900,000 users in India. All of the firm’s recipes are sourced from Kapoor’s cookbooks, and KloveChef’s voice works at each home cook’s own pace every step along the way.
Shete claimed KloveChef has 100,000 monthly active users.
“Our AI can perform other tasks as well, such as set a timer, make a shopping list, and suggest quantity of ingredients to use based on the number of people you are cooking for. If you are having a party and have a few dishes in mind, you can ask our AI about the ingredients you should buy,” Shete said.
KloveChef has an eye on keeping home kitchens stocked too. The company has partnered with Amazon and is in talks with a handful of other online grocers to fulfil users’ shopping lists logged by smart speakers. Amazon India recently launched a meal kit service in India, where measured, prepackaged ingredients are couriered to users to simplify meal prep. “If you want to cook biryani, we ask the user if they want the ingredients to be delivered. If they say yes, we place an order on their behalf from Amazon,” Shete said.
These affiliate sales form a major source of revenue for KloveChef. It’s also looking into running advertisements. “If your recipe involves chopping onions, which requires two or three minutes, we can run an advertisement for that long. We will ensure these advertisements would be useful and relevant for users,” Shete said.
The company will start playing ads by the end of 2020. It projects a sixfold conversion rate for brands compared to television advertisements.
KloveChef was built for smart speakers, but the company plans to launch a mobile app in the coming months as well. Shete said the features will be the same, except users will have to touch their phones to enable the voice input whenever they give commands.
The company recently raised USD 1 million in its pre-Series A round from Venture Catalysts. While India is the only market where it has launched its product, it has plans to roll out services in Canada, the US, the UK, and Australia.
This article is part of KrASIA’s “Startup Stories” series, where the writers of KrASIA speak with founders of tech companies in South and Southeast Asia.


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The HTC U 11 (also known as the HTC Ocean) has been posted a lot on this site recently with tons of rumours and leaks to go through, it has quickly become one of the most-rumoured smartphones of the year.
Today we have received possibly the biggest leak so far, benchmarks for the smartphone have been posted on the benchmarking application, Geekbemch.
It was logged under the named HTC CBP and received a single core score of 1,912 and a multi-core score of 6,137 on the application.
That puts it at a similar footing to the recently released Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus.
Elsewhere in the benchmark, we can see a Snapdragon 825 CPU from Qualcomm, Android 7.1.1 pre-installed, and 4GB of RAM.
That’s pretty much what we have heard from the previous rumours of the year.
One feature that we have heard about but was not featured in the benchmark in the new “squeeze” control, which will reportedly allow users to grip the sides of the device to make selections and scroll through menus.
We have seen this in rumours, and HTC themselves have been teasing it.
Rumours have also mentioned that the smartphone will feature a 5.5-inch display, and possibly even a second-screen, as was featured on the HTC U Ultra, however, this is all just a rumour so far.
The official stuff should come from HTC’s event, which is set for May 16th at 7 AM UK time.


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TCS will Integrate Intel SGX technology to enhance privacy and security of blockchain-based ecosystems.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is partnering with Intel to integrate Intel Software Guard Extensions (Intel SGX) technology with the Quartz Blockchain solution, to further enhance the privacy and security of blockchain based ecosystems implemented using Quartz.
Privacy and security have been two of the biggest concerns for organizations looking to migrate some of their business functions to blockchain. By integrating Intel® SGX technology, Quartz solutions now offer customers the ability to isolate sensitive business code, data and transactions requiring confidentiality within an “enclave” in an encrypted form, thereby protecting these from being accessed by unauthorized users.
Anand Pashupathy, GM, Security Solutions Engineering Division, Software and Services Group, Intel, said: “Intel processor technologies like Intel® SGX provide unique capabilities that can help improve the privacy, security, scalability and trust of blockchain networks. Tata Consultancy Services and their Quartz key management flow process utilize Intel® SGX to help corporations protect their assets and data when deploying blockchain solutions.”
R. Vivekanand, VP and co-head, Financial Solutions, TCS, said: “Central to TCS’ Business 4.0 framework is the use of technology to leverage ecosystems and to harness abundance. Quartz blockchain is a key enabler for this strategy. Even a single security incident can cause loss of trust and deter the adoption of blockchain. The integration of TCS Quartz with Intel® SGX strengthens security and helps in mitigating these concerns, so that customers can fully realize the potential offered by our blockchain solutions.” – Business World


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About 66,200 charm bracelets and 2,200 rings made in China and given out by doctors and dentists in the U.S., are the subject of a voluntary recall by the The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) because they contain high levels of cadmium.
The metal is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause health risks with long-term exposure.
No injuries related to the products have been reported.
The items, known as children's happy charm bracelets and football rings, were given away at doctor and dentist offices across the U.S. from June 2005 through March.
They are made of beads on a small elastic band with a metal charm in the shape of a butterfly, moon or sun. The ring is a small adjustable metal band with a metal football charm attached.
They were imported by two U.S. companies and distributed by a third.
The recall comes weeks after McDonald's recalled 12 million "Shrek" souvenir glasses after the CPSC warned of a risk children could get small amounts of cadmium on their hands by holding the glasses.


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You can add Facebook to the list of application providers that are becoming Internet access providers on a wide scale.
Facebook has purchased Titan Aerospace, giving Facebook the ability to launch fleets of solar-powered drones providing Internet access to billions of new users in the global south.
Titan Aerospace manufactures a solar-powered high-altitude drone that can stay aloft for five years.
Facebook is interested in dispatching some 11,000 unmanned aerial vehicles over parts of the globe that lack Internet access, beginning in Africa, according to the report. The Titan Aerospace drones would represent a novel attempt to bring Internet access services to billions of people at lower cost than has been possible so far.
The Tital Aerospace purchase is expected to assist the Internet.org project, which is similar in intent to Google’s “Project Loon,” which uses fleets of balloons, not aircraft, to bring Internet access to billions of people in the global south.
About two thirds of the world’s population does not yet use the Internet, representing perhaps five billion potential users.
One key barrier is the historically high cost of access infrastructure. Mobile networks are expected to provide such access for hundreds of millions of people, over the next decade. The issue is how to provide access to billions over the same time frame, at very low costs.
One might argue that balloon-based, drone-based or Wi-Fi-based access methods compete with mobile or satellite methods of providing Internet access.
In some cases that might be the case. In many other cases the alternatives will represent the primary means of connection, especially in remote areas where disposable income remains low.
In fact, one might argue that traditional telecom network approaches inherently are too expensive to provide low-cost Internet access to billions of new users in the global south, where typical per-capita household income can be measured in dollars per day.
Some of us would describe the business model issue, at a high level, as working back from a few dollars a month in revenue, per household to create the infrastructure and also support operating costs.
That is a challenging task, and eventually might “compete” with existing mobile, fixed network or satellite Internet access methods to some extent. Over time, the conflict will lessen, as typical household income will grow over the next couple of decades.
But some friction will be inevitable as Facebook, Google, and eventually others, will become ISPs.
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Parents are the primary sponsors of college students’ new products and services.
Archives for July 2014
99% of US college students spent money at restaurants at least once per month.
Slightly more than 6 in 10 C-level executives responding to the survey said that CEOs support digital-business initiatives, up from 55% last year and 46% the year before.
Visits to branded pharma sites not only fuel greater brand awareness and favorability, but also impact prospect conversions.
Only 38% of Facebook user wall posts were responded to by US brands in June.
Costco tops the list of best-perceived brands among US LGBT consumers.
Users were less likely to have replaced other digital devices and TVs with a tablet or smartphone, and as a result, the majority multiscreened.
When it comes to magazine ads, reader recall is the same for print and tablet versions (52%).
Just 14% of marketers said they were strongly capable of creating a single view of the customer.
77% of US digital media and marketing professionals said they had increased their data collection process over the past year.


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Renting a retail shop on a long-term contract is expensive and is becoming unattractive. Founded in 2014, POP UP SHOPS developed an online platform that enables tenants to easily and quickly find and book the right retail or promotional space. Landlords of retail space and shopping centre managers can advertise and rent out their spaces or receive non-binding inquiries with just a few clicks. Contract and payments are handled online. The platform is active in Switzerland with customers such as Migros, the Swiss Post, CBRE, Wincasa and SPG Intercity, and abroad in Germany, the UK and the USA. Currently, several thousand spaces are listed worldwide and the number is growing rapidly.
The closing of the seed round will facilitate the further development of the platform, expansion catering for the growing demand from landlords and brands. Participants in the round are 21Celsius Ventures, investors from Swiss ICT Investor Club (SICTIC) and several Business Angels including Heinz M. Schwyter, a proptech expert and former CEO of Homegate. The company raised a six-digit amount.
"Retail and the usage of retail space is changing. COVID-19 is further accelerating this trend. The demand for pop-up and promotional spaces is constantly growing as brands are looking for shorter and more flexible leases for their retail shops and live marketing measures. For many retail properties shell leases over 10, 5 or even 3 years is no longer a viable business model. Changing from long-term to short-term and more flexible leases offers landlords the chance to increase the profitability of their properties, but it requires very efficient property marketing and management. With POP UP SHOPS we offer the perfect solution for that", Chalid El Ashker, Founder & Managing Director POP UP SHOPS said.
"The market for commercial real estate and especially retail properties is in a state of upheaval. POP UP SHOPS is pursuing a clear, strongly technology-driven strategy and has created an innovative platform that can optimally address the existing and future market potential. I am pleased to support the POP UP SHOPS team as investor and advisor in its further expansion", said Heinz M. Schwyter, Proptech-Expert and former CEO of Homegate.
Together with the cities of Zurich and St. Gallen and the Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, POP UP SHOPS is part of the Innosuisse-funded project “Pop-up City”. In 2019, the start-up was awarded as one of the most innovative Proptech companies of the year at the German Proptech Pitch event.


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The eBay-owned online retailer adds four new stores, expanding its marketplace of used goods.
Half.com opened stores for computers, electronics, sporting goods and trading cards. The company, whose other stores focus on media products such as books, music and movies, allows consumers to buy and sell goods through its site at fixed prices.
As with eBay, Half.com does not directly sell the items on its site. Instead, it collects a commission on sales made through its site.
The move marks the first expansion of Half.com's product offerings, but could soon be followed by more, said company President Joshua Kopelman.
"We believe that the Half.com model is extremely extensible to allow sales of any sort of mass market goods," Kopelman said. "This fulfills our vision and our business plan."
W.R. Hambrecht analyst Derek Brown praised the move in a research note on Thursday. Brown reiterated his "strong buy" rating on the auction giant, saying that the move could help draw in new shoppers to Half.com and eBay.
"We view this as an important catalyst for eBay and yet another example of management's ability to deliver on its stated goals," Brown said in his note.
Half.com and eBay representatives were unavailable for comment.
eBay bought Half.com last summer. The site has seen huge growth since then, expanding its listings from 1 million to 15 million items.
eBay's acquisition of Half.com marked its first move away from its auction-based dynamic-pricing format into the market for fixed-price goods. Since then, the company has introduced a "buy it now" feature for its auction sellers and soon plans to offer them fixed-price storefronts to sell through.


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It was one of the most innovative early-stage cloud vendors – but Joyent’s public cloud offering will be no more.
The company announced its departure from the public cloud space in a blog post today, scaling back its availability to customers of its single-tenant cloud offering.
Affected customers have five months to find a new home; a documentation page confirmed the Joyent Triton public cloud will reach end of life on November 9, while the company has separately put together a list of available partners, including Microsoft Azure and OVH.
Steve Tuck, Joyent president and chief operating officer (COO), cited strained resources in developing both its public cloud and single-tenant cloud as the reason behind a ‘difficult’ decision.
“To all of our public cloud customers, we will work closely with you over the coming five months to help you transition your applications and infrastructure as seamlessly as possible to their new home,” Tuck wrote. “We are truly grateful for your business and the commitment that you have shown us over the years; thank you.”
Joyent had been acquired by Samsung in 2016 after the Korean giant had explored Manta, the company’s object storage system, for implementation. Samsung liked the product so much that it outright bought it; as Bryan Cantrill, CTO of Joyent, explained at the time, Samsung offered hardware to Joyent after its proposal proved too much heft for the startup to cope with.
Prior to the days of public cloud and infrastructure as a service (IaaS) domination from Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, Google, and other hyperscalers with frighteningly deep pockets, Joyent enjoyed a stellar reputation. The company was praised by Gartner, in its 2014 IaaS Magic Quadrant, for having a “unique vision”, as well as previously being the corporate steward of Node.js, growing it into a key standard for web, mobile, and Internet of Things (IoT) architectures.
“By providing [an] easy on-ramp to on-demand cloud infrastructure, we have had the good fortune to work with an amazing array of individuals and companies, big and small,” added Tuck.
Interested in hearing industry leaders discuss subjects like this and sharing their experiences and use-cases? Attend the Cyber Security & Cloud Expo World Series with upcoming events in Silicon Valley, London and Amsterdam to learn more.


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Any Project Runway fans out there? This event is pretty much your dream come true.
The annual Trash Makeover Challenge is this Saturday, September 22nd from 6pm to 10pm at the AFS Cinema. Fashion designers from all over the country will be competing to design the best garments made out of at least 90 percent recycled materials.
As an attendee, you’ll be able to see everyone’s innovative designs as they make their way down the runway, as well as enjoy some delicious food and drink!
Plus the entire event is a fundraiser for Texas Campaign For The Environment, a local advocacy organization that fights pollution in Texas by organizing door-to-door canvassers throughout the entire state. Most recently, TCE led the effort to bring recycling services to all of our city’s parks and currently they’re working on a campaign to strengthen pollution benchmark standards in Texas.


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LONDON — A Wall Street analyst known for his bullish stance on bitcoin has flagged the possibility bitcoin network status bitcoin futures contracts could be hurting the cryptocurrency’s price. 12 million on the blockchain equivalent of Beanie Babies.
Bitcoin keeps coming back in the headlines. With any Bitcoin price change making news and keeping investors guessing. In countries that accept it, you can buy groceries and clothes just as you would with the local currency. Bitcoin is divorced from governments and central banks.


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Halfway through 2020, TrustSwap was created to fill a gap in escrow payments. It has grown exponentially since then, adding new software features and benefits for all SWAP token holders and stakers. The SWAP token sold out in under 60 seconds. In this sector of the crypto industry, TrustSwap has become quite well known as a DeFi project. Its accomplishments are impressive, especially considering how young the project is.
Jeff Kirdeikis founded TrustSwap to make multiple crypto token purchases fast & cheap
Jeff Kirdeikis created TrustSwap in 2020 while working on another project when he realized that the crypto industry lacked a native service to facilitate timed token purchases. In order to buy a significant number of tokens, an investor would need the help of a lawyer or some other type of middleman, as they had no way of purchasing assets on their own.
Kirdeikis realized this problem and, since no one else offered a solution at the time, he decided to solve it by himself. In response, he founded TrustSwap, a platform designed to make multiple crypto transactions fast, easy, and cheap.
Projects like BitcoinVend, MobiePay, Modefi etc. Incubated Successfully by Launchpad
Since then, TrustSwap has developed a wide variety of services. This company offers a smart contract-based escrow service called SmartSwap; it has also created a time-locked payment system called SmartLock, as well as a crypto-payment processor called SmartSubscription, so that merchants can start accepting crypto payments for goods and services.
Soon after that, TrustSwap also launched its Launchpad, a platform for new DeFi tokens to gain exposure and have a successful launch. Many projects have taken off from the launchpad, including Chaingames, Yield.app, Coin, MobiePay, AuBit, and GLITCH, Modefi, and SOTA. TrustSwap Launchpad also held its latest token offering for BitcoinVend on February 24th.
TrustSwap’s Collaborations & Partnerships
Meanwhile, TrustSwap continued to improve its services and partner with new projects, either for the purpose of expanding or bringing new capabilities.
TrustSwap, for example, recently announced that it had partnered with Polkadot (DOT), which will soon be added to its network. Also announced was the integration with Connect Financial, which will enable it to offer the crypto industry’s first real crypto credit card, where cryptocurrencies are used as collateral but the user uses credit to pay.
Additionally, TrustSwap partnered with Shopping.io, an emerging platform that facilitates cryptocurrency payments at online stores like eBay, Amazon, and Walmart. Last but not least, the company acquired its largest competitor, Team.Finance. The deal actually took place in late 2020, but it was a major move for TrustSwap, as it allowed the company to expand its team by adding Team.Finance’s developers and assets.
Mint to allow customization, inflation, deflation & staking
TrustSwap didn’t stop there either. Among the new services that it launched were its NFT and ERC20 platform, Swappable, as well as its TrustSwap SmartLaunch service, called Mint.
There is still a severe untamed nature to the crypto industry, and anyone can create a token and have it listed on Uniswap fairly quickly. Nonetheless, there are still risks of token dumps, liquidity pulls, additional token issuance, hidden loopholes in contract code, poorly written codes, and other risks.
People still have ideas and they need to launch tokens, which is why TrustSwap has a solution – Mint. Using Mint, users can create fully audited tokens within minutes and for free. Mint allows full customization, inflation, deflation, staking if desired, and more.
As you can see, TrustSwap is becoming bigger and more diverse than ever, and its ecosystem consists of a very impressive array of services. It is therefore certain to have a lasting impact on the DeFi sector and may even be one of the most dominant coins in the future.


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In an announcement today, Dramatic Lab has shared it will have to delay the launch of Star Trek: Resurgence. The game that had been previously slated for release sometime this year, 2022, will now be released in April 2023. The developers shared this news today via their Twitter handle. Why Star Trek: Resurgence Launch will […] Read more
One of the biggest surprises at The Game Awards was the announcement trailer for Star Trek: Resurgence, the new game from a group of ex-Telltale developers turned studio, Dramatic Labs. Check out the trailer for the game below. Telltale Games filed for bankruptcy protection in 2018 which forced the company to close the majority of […] Read more
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The government will work out the modality today to facilitate the transfer of the Tk5,000 crore funds offered by the prime minister last week for coronavirus-affected export-oriented industries, a senior finance ministry official said.
"The government will deposit the money in the banks and the affected exporters will be able to avail it at two percent interest. However, the money must go to the workers' accounts directly," said Md Habibur Rahman, additional secretary of the finance ministry.
"This is a very soft loan and the repayment period will be three years, including a grace period," Rahman said.
The interest rate, which exporters must pay to avail the funds, will be banks' operating costs.
"Three ministries – of commerce, finance and labour plus employment – have started identifying affected industries and modalities to lend the funds," said Commerce Secretary Dr Jafar Uddin.
However, Bangladesh Bank has not been informed of the decision to channel the money through the banks.
"The finance ministry has not yet shared its idea of channelling the funds through the central bank," SM Moniruzzaman, deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank, told The Business Standard.
Also, the issue might be discussed at a high profile meeting at the Prime Minister's Office today, sources said. Representatives of the finance and commerce ministries and the central bank are expected to attend the meeting.
The meeting will also discuss the impacts of Covid-19 on the overall economy, an official of the finance ministry said.
Bangladesh's ready-made garment industry, which accounts for 84 percent of total exports – worth $40 billion in 2018-19 – has been hardest hit by the economic fallout from coronavirus. When the virus became an epidemic in January and February in
China, Bangladeshi exporters faced lack of raw materials – most of which come from China.
Later, the epidemic turned out to be a pandemic and disrupted European and the American economies, which are the markets for 70 percent of Bangladesh's exports. Exporters have been facing cancellations of orders of up to nearly $3 billion as of yesterday.
Rubana Huq, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, also knows that the Tk5,000 crore fund will not be a grant.
"It is not a grant, it is a fiscal package in the form of a loan to the garment sector," Rubana said.
How the funds will be distributed among the workers has not yet been finalised, she said.
According to BGMEA, the apparel sector has 41 lakh workers and their monthly wages total around Tk4,000 crore a month.
She said most of the factories currently pay their workers through mobile financial services and banking channels.


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Retail news round-up on January 28, 2014: Carpetright profits to come in at lower end of expectations, Morrisons operations director quits weeks after joining and Amazon takes over £1 in every £4 spent on entertainment.
Carpetright profits to come in at lower end of expectations as Dutch business deteriorates
Floorings specialist Carpetright has flagged that full year profits are expected to be at the lower end of expectations as its Netherlands business has further deteriorated.
Like-for-likes in the Rest of Europe, which includes The Netherlands, dropped 7.7% in the 13 weeks to January 25.
Carpetright’s UK like-for-likes edged up 1.9% during the period.
Morrisons operations director George Dymond quits weeks after joining
Former Coles executive George Dymond, who came to supermarket chain Wm Morrison in January to bolster its online team, has resigned just weeks after joining, The Financial Times reported. Dymond, who was group general manager of merchandise at Coles, was expected to oversee the day-to-day running of retailer’s online grocery service.
However, according to people familiar with the situation, the role had not turned out to be what Dymond was expecting. Morrison is also understood to have been talking to Dymond about an alternative position.
Amazon takes over £1 in every £4 spent on entertainment
Sales at online retailer Amazon accounted for over £1 in every £4 spent on entertainment during the fourth quarter of 2012. Kantar Worldpanel figures showed that Amazon market share increased to 26.3% for the period ending December 22, up 5.9 percentage points against 2012.
The launch of new ‘Next Gen’ consoles like the PS4 and Xbox One also helped increase Game’s market share by 2.3%. During the period, retailer HMV’s overall market share declined by 8.5% to 12.5%, Morrisons’ market share dropped 0.7% and iTunes Music recorded marginal growth of just 0.1%. Video was the most gifted entertainment product in spite of the market suffering a heavy annual slump of 22%.