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On the heels of a weak second quarter and the appointment of a new chief executive officer (CEO), Ariba Inc. on Tuesday announced an expansion of its relationships with a number of high profile partners including IBM Corp. and BEA Inc.
The announcements were made at the company’s “Ariba Live” event in Las Vegas.
Mountain View, California-based Ariba said it will further its relationship with IBM by more closely integrating the two companies’ products. IBM will incorporate Ariba products in its WebSphere integration software, a suite of middleware designed to help companies develop and deploy electronic business applications, including e-commerce applications.
Big Blue also announced that starting in June it would begin shipping its Leveraged Procurement Services (LPS) suite on Ariba’s business-to-business (B-to-B) platform. This should create a union between IBM’s catalog and pricing software and Ariba’s purchase requisition and reporting applications, the companies said.
IBM and Ariba also said they are working to ensure interoperability between Ariba products and IBM’s WebSphere B-to-B Integrator (WBI), software for managing information and processes between large corporations.
In return, Ariba said it will make IBM’s WebSphere Application Server a primary platform for future major releases of Ariba’s Dynamic Trade, Sourcing and Buyer products.
Separately Tuesday, Ariba said it has reached an agreement to strengthen ties between its B-to-B software and BEA’s WebLogic server. While Ariba’s Dynamic Trade and Sourcing software is already built into the server, the companies said Ariba’s Buyer product also will be integrated in future releases.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), meanwhile, pledged to work with Ariba to deliver its B-to-B software to the companies’ joint customers worldwide. Specifically, the companies said they would offer a collaborative sourcing system that combines PwC services with Ariba Sourcing, an application for quote-enabled procurement.
In addition, PwC said it would bring 700 of its services staff up to speed on Ariba’s products, and showcase Ariba software in its technology demonstration centers.
In its second-quarter financial results last month, Ariba doubled revenue year-over-year to $90.7 million [m], but that figure fell below analysts’ expectations and spurred layoffs of 700 employees, or close to a third of Ariba’s staff. On Monday, the company reorganized its top executives, pushing Larry Mueller [cq] up to chief executive officer from his former position as president and chief operating officer.
One analyst who tracked the Ariba Live event was unimpressed by Tuesday’s announcements.
“What I heard today was just a repackaging of the same things they have been saying for the last year,” said Karen Peterson [cq], an analyst at Gartner Group Inc. “If I was anyone but IBM I would wonder whether my partnership with Ariba was strategically beneficial or not.”
Ariba officials weren’t immediately available to comment for this article.
Gartner’s Peterson said the company appears to have “retrenched” after its failed acquisition of Agile Software Inc., which was aborted last month. Ariba has said it plans to focus more on faster return on investment for customers, but that might be difficult to deliver now that the merger has been called off, she said.
With the Agile purchase, Ariba appeared to be trying to build up more value chain management products. Now it finds itself left with its suite of online trading applications, which take more time to produce investment returns, Peterson said.
Rivals such as Oracle Corp., meanwhile, are working hard to make it easier for companies to get their e-business software up and running quickly. While Ariba’s products may have more features and be more flexible, the company might find it tough to compete if customers choose easy of deployment over functionality, Peterson said.
Ariba, in Mountain View, Calif., can be reached via the Web at http://www.ariba.com/.


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The promises of VR are heavily focused on the idea that users can grow more enveloped in the digital environments they explore, but also central to the experience is that they become more connected with their virtual representations.
BinaryVR’s central focus has been on a system of computer vision face-tracking particularly focused on the mouth that can translate a user’s facial input to a virtual reality avatar.
The startup has just closed a $4.5 million Series A with investment from Atinum Investment, KT Investment, Pearl Abyss and Kakao Ventures. BinaryVR has now raised about $5.8 million to date.
The goal is all around making avatars less creepy and more representative of their user. Some existing social VR titles use microphone input to kind of move the mouth open and closed, which is better than not trying at all, but there’s not much immersion. Another approach lies in inferring emotions based on muscle movement measured in a VR headset’s face pad, an approach that both Samsung and MindMaze have experimented with, but the technology only measures certain emotions and is far from a live feed of a user’s facial expressions.
BinaryVR’s vision is going to rely heavily on the rest of the virtual reality market maturing a bit; their work kind of assumes that headset manufacturers are going to start integrating eye-tracking controls sooner rather than later.
Being a VR peripheral company in 2018 is no small task. VR platform makers like Facebook, Google and HTC are more focused on making their systems easy to use rather than integrating far-flung novice-centric add-ons. HTC has made some efforts to build integrations with startup’s producing their own hardware, but for the most part these add-ons have only proven how difficult it is to market a specialized product that sits beyond the estuary of mainstream VR content.
The company released its $349 developer kit in early 2017.
BinaryVR has seen some early success with partners looking further down the road. High Fidelity, an SF-based social VR startup, which has raised $72 million, has been working with BinaryVR to let its users go as deep down the VR rabbit hole as they would like. Everything is still a bit odd-looking because today’s GPUs can only deliver so much at VR’s scale, but these are all technologies that will probably find integrations into headsets at some point — it’s a question of scaling today’s market when the benefits aren’t as apparent that is the company’s big challenge.
Fortunately, there are obviously more approachable verticals for the company to tackle in the meantime. BinaryVR has been working to bring facial-tracking to smartphones with built-in sensors. Their “HyprFace” tracking tech seems to be pretty capable and the Animoji-like demos they’ve shown off are impressive. There are certainly plenty of players in the consumer mobile space; BinaryVR is also exploring what integrations would be possible inside vehicles, though the logical use cases perhaps aren’t as readily apparent there.
The Bay Area-based startup certainly has some interesting challenges as it navigates a space filled with tech giants shifting their weight and creating waves of potential as a result, but as users aim to drag themselves further into the digital worlds that VR game studios are creating, it’s becoming clear that new sensors are necessary to make this a reality.

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The biennial exhibition dedicated to residential and industrial installations, HVAC&R and renewable energy, MCE 2020, will run from 17 to 20 March 2020 in Italy.
Innovation, combined heat and power integration and technology are the cornerstones of an evolution the HVAC&R industry is experiencing in the ‘indoor climate’ is at the centre of MCE. The new horizons for comfort increasingly pass through the digital dimension of management and control, whereas the efficiency is bound more and more by the intelligent use of information technology for the optimisation of energy resources of buildings.
The new model for designing will find its ideal stage in the new exhibition layout of MCE 2020, capable of creating homogeneity and continuity into the several industry sectors, giving value to the conceptual areas in a ‘unicum’, different and one-of-its-kind, carefully studied to meet the needs of exhibitors and professionals alike and always on the hunt for technological novelties.
What to expect
The exhibition space, with an entirely new floor, plan goes beyond the customary repartition into four macro areas, heating, cooling, water and energy, which in recent years has characterised the industry segments present at MCE. From heating to tools and hardware, from air conditioning to refrigeration and ventilation, from sanitary technology to water treatment, from renewable energy to home and building automation and electric mobility.
Says Massimiliano Pierini, managing director at Reed Exhibitions Italia, “In the new exhibition floor plan some product sectors are now closer to the other ones – thanks also to the linear structure of the halls of Fiera Milano – to guarantee continuity concurrently with a logical sub-division making the different commodity areas identifiable and of course, making the trade show easy for our visitors to see. I’m confident the entirely new layout will successfully show the present and future trends of the market.”
The new exhibition layout involves the second edition of BIE – Biomass Innovation Expo, the exhibition dedicated to biomass heating products and solutions, which has been running every alternate year alongside MCE, since 2018. BIE is dedicated to heating, aiming to facilitate the integration among professionals of both trade shows, therefore increasing business growth and improving opportunities for meeting with the international chain of HVAC industry that regularly visits MCE.
As is now customary, MCE 2020 will be supplemented by a busy programme of conferences organised in collaboration with the leading trade associations, once again coordinated by the chair of the Scientific Committee Professor, Vittorio Chiesa of Energy and Strategy Group, Polytechnic University of Milan.
Indeed, many initiatives will be on offer livening up MCE 2020 throughout the course of the four days. From Partner Country with Turkey as the special guest of the next edition to Percorso Efficienza & Innovazione, a short list of the most cutting-edge products and solutions in terms of efficiency and energy savings made by the Polytechnic University of Milan on show at MCE and a particular focus on MEP BIM.
Among the new features in store for this edition, a unique space dedicated to Intelligent Water stands out. On display, the most advanced technologies for the bathroom environment to good living together with special initiatives aimed at energy efficiency in the industry with the intention of bringing a number of new categories of professionals to the trade show.
All the latest updates on the exhibition are available at: www.mcexpocomfort.it as well as on their social media pages.


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Battery Technology and Production Process Seen as Significant Cost-Cutters for Electric Vehicles in 2001
NEW YORK, Jan. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a survey conducted by industry publication "Electric Vehicle Progress," industry leaders agree that advanced batteries and lower production costs will provide the most important breakthroughs in the improvement, development and commercialization of electric and hybrid vehicles in 2001.
The survey also showed that the demand for new vehicles will come from primarily three markets: business complex/resort/gated community; off-road vehicles such as airport ground support equipment; and urban travel.
Experts were also asked to rate the market feasibility of current vehicles. Hybrid electric vehicles were perceived to be the most feasible, with battery electric vehicles second and fuel cell vehicles third.
The full text of the article appearing in the January 1 issue of Electric Vehicle Progress is available at http://www.alexcommgrp.com/afv/evpsample.html or by phoning the publisher at 800-232-4317, ext. 118.
Electric Vehicle Progress is published twice monthly by the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Group. It is the leading industry newsletter on the development and commercialization of battery electric, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles.
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A major loss for the co-op community was revealed Wednesday night, as the Jamaica Plain News reported that both Harvest Co-op Markets locations will be closing in seven to 14 days.
The news comes on the heels of the National Co+op Grocers (NCG) deciding not to submit a proposal that would assume the co-op’s liabilities and assets.
According to Paige Clark, who has been the Jamaica Plain store manager since July 2017, Harvest’s staff all found out Wednesday. Around 50 people between the two locations — the other in Cambridge’s Central Square — are expected to lose their jobs.
“It’s definitely disappointing,” Clark told Boston.com Thursday. “[The NCG] has been working for a few months now to find any financially sustainable solution to keep the co-op open. They were trying to renegotiate a lot of moving parts.”
Ultimately, a longterm solution could not be reached.
In May, Harvest sent a letter to its more than 3,000 active members, asking for help in raising at least $300,000 by August in order to stay open. The letter detailed a variety of ways that members could help: making purchases with cash, paying off equity payments early, and generally shopping more at the co-op.
“The community absolutely responded to that letter,” Clark said. “But we did some more detailed financial projections … and found that even if we did raise that $300,000, even if we raised a million dollars, it was all still money that would have to be paid back in the very near future. We decided that it was immoral and unethical to take people’s money. So we actually halted the capital campaign.”
It wasn’t the first time the market appealed to its members for help — in May 2017, The Boston Globe reported that the co-op was losing roughly $30,000 each month and sent a letter to its members urging them to spend more money on groceries.
Clark said that a number of strategies were implemented to help the business recover since it started losing money nearly five years ago, including hiring consultants from other co-ops. The NCG even offered the markets a loan over the summer to keep operating while it researched sustainable financial solutions.
Despite closing, Clark said she still has faith in the concept of co-ops.
“I still believe there is a viable market for co-op food in Boston and across the United States,” she said. “It’s about access to affordable, healthy, local food. We need individuals who are committed to keeping their money in the local market. And I think that we have plenty of people in the Boston area who want to support local food and farms and want to put their money back into Boston.”
The Harvest Co-op began as a buying club on the Boston University campus in 1971, and was originally called The Boston University Student Union Food Co-op. It became a brick-and-mortar on the BU campus the following year, and, in 1992, it merged with the Cambridge Food Co-op to become the Harvest Co-op Markets. A number of renovations and relocations have occurred since then, but both the current Jamaica Plain and Cambridge location have been operating since 2012.
The markets will close in a week or two, but an official closing date hasn’t been released. Clark said it will depend on how many people shop at the stores in the next few days.
“We want to express our gratitude,” said Clark. “There’s such a core group of people who’ve shopped through the stores and been part of the community. And I’m really going to miss them.”


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Unpaid rent bills from commercial property tenants has mainly come from the retail and hospitality sectors. Many tenants, who have had their rent deferred by their landlords, fear they will not be able to pay the deferred rent when the moratorium ends. Some landlords say many tenants can pay but are choosing not to and are taking advantage of the pandemic. The Government has said “This is not a rent holiday. Rent is still owed, and where tenants can afford to pay they should do so.” UK Hospitality says it is a welcome step and will give much-needed breathing room, but it is only a stay of execution, it is not going to solve the crisis and more support is needed. However, landlords, who are not receiving any rent, who have not received any rent since March and who do not think they will receive any rent for at least another 6 months, are now looking to sell their retail and commercial properties as they can no longer afford to hold these large assets with no income.
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- Shops in Wales
- Edinburgh Woollen Mill collapses into administration
- Commercial Property Market So Far In 2012
- High street retail shops continue to close
- An Estimated 30,000 Jobs to Go on the High Street in 2013
- Lease Terms Are Getting Shorter
- Ban on business evictions extended to the end of 2020
- Who Buys Shops


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Federal antitrust-enforcement agencies have decided not to intervene in the effort of Allied Stores Corp. to take over Garfinckel, Brooks Brothers, Miller and Rhoads Inc., Allied announced yesterday.
Allied said the waiting period for federal agencies to review the proposed merger for possible antitrust action expired at midnight Saturday with no action taken.
Under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, the Justice Department's Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission can review proposed corporate mergers and step in if they believe combining the two companies would reduce competition.
Garfinckel successfully fended off an earlier takeover threat by Gamble-Skogmo Inc. of Minneapolis by raising several objections, including charges that a merger would reduce competition in the sale of large-size women's clothing because both companies have subsidiaries in that specialized business.
Allied is primarily in the department store business and also owns women's clothing stores. Because the department stores and women's wear businesses are vast and highly competitive, few antitrust barriers have been raised to mergers in those fields.
With expiration of the review period, Allied Stores said that this Friday it will begin paying for any Garfinckel shares that were offered to it under a formal bid made last month.
How much stock Allied has been offerred is not known, but Wall Street speculation is that few Garfinckel stockholders have accepted Allied's offer so far because they can get more for their shares by selling them in the open market.
Allied offered $48 a share for Garfinckel, but the shares quickly jumped to more than $50, apparently because of speculation that another buyer would bid more than Allied.
Since Allied made its offer, Seemala Corp., a New York brokerage firm that specializes in speculating on takeovers, has bought more than 400,000 shares of Garfinckel -- about 9.3 percent of the company -- at an average price of about $52 7/8 a share.


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LEXINGTON, Ky., Oct. 17, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Smithfield Foods’ Helping Hungry Homes® initiative, a program focused on alleviating hunger and helping Americans become more food secure, joined forces with Kroger to donate more than 39,000 pounds of protein to God’s Pantry Food Bank. The donation, equivalent to more than 159,000 servings, will help those fighting hunger across Central and Eastern Kentucky, where one in six individuals are food insecure.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f8df8038-bc34-4680-b10e-f7199e8c45a3
“Hunger is a harsh reality that hundreds of thousands of individuals face each day across our 50-county service area,” said Michael Halligan, CEO of God’s Pantry Food Bank. “We’re thankful for today’s donation from our friends at Smithfield Foods, which will strengthen our ability to alleviate hunger and offer a steady source of protein—an essential nutrient—to those who are seeking food assistance.”
Smithfield and Kroger representatives presented the donation to God’s Pantry Food Bank at an event that raised awareness of hunger’s impact in the local community. Members from all three organizations discussed the significance of protein donations in helping the more than 200,000 individuals who seek support from God’s Pantry Food Bank and its partners each year.
“At Kroger, we are passionate about ending hunger in the communities we call home,” said Erin Grant, spokesperson for Kroger. “We’re proud to stand with Smithfield today in support of our common mission to feed our Kentucky neighbors in need.”
Smithfield’s donation to God’s Pantry Food Bank was a part of the Helping Hungry Homes® 2017 nationwide donation tour. Throughout the annual tour, Smithfield will provide large-scale protein donations to nearly 60 food banks across the country. This donation adds to the more than 80 million servings of protein donated since 2011.
“As a global food company, we value our role and responsibility to provide wholesome protein to those fighting food insecurity,” said Dennis Pittman, senior director of hunger relief for Smithfield Foods. “Today’s donation with Kroger allows us to further deliver on that commitment by providing enough protein to place on thousands of dinner plates across Central and Eastern Kentucky for weeks to come.”
Following this event, Helping Hungry Homes® will visit Dallas, Texas, Tuesday, Oct. 24. For more information about Helping Hungry Homes® and a list of upcoming donation events, visit helpinghungryhomes.com.
About Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods is a $15 billion global food company and the world’s largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including SmithfieldⓇ, EckrichⓇ, Nathan’s FamousⓇ, FarmlandⓇ, ArmourⓇ, John MorrellⓇ, Cook’sⓇ, KretschmarⓇ, GwaltneyⓇ, Curly’sⓇ, MargheritaⓇ, CarandoⓇ, Healthy OnesⓇ, KrakusⓇ, MorlinyⓇ and BerlinkiⓇ. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com.
About God’s Pantry Food Bank
The mission of God’s Pantry Food Bank is to reduce hunger in Kentucky through community cooperation making the best possible use of all available resources. Along with our network of nearly 400 partner agency and programs, the Food Bank serves 50 counties of Central and Eastern Kentucky distributing $100 worth of food for every $10 donated. Last year, God’s Pantry Food Bank and its partners distributed more than 32 million pounds of groceries to more than 190,000 individuals, including 12 million pounds of fresh produce. God’s Pantry Food Bank is a member of Feeding America. For more information visit us at www.godspantryfoodbank.org
Every day, the Kroger Family of Companies makes a difference in the lives of eight and a half million customers and 443,000 associates who shop or serve in 2,796 retail food stores under a variety of local banner names in 35 states and the District of Columbia. Kroger and its subsidiaries operate an expanding ClickList offering – a personalized, order online, pick up at the store service – in addition to our 2,255 pharmacies, 784 convenience stores, 319 fine jewelry stores, 220 retail health clinics, 1,445 supermarket fuel centers and 38 food production plants in the United States. Kroger is recognized as one of America’s most generous companies for its support of more than 100 Feeding America food bank partners, breast cancer research and awareness, the military and their families, and more than 145,000 community organizations including schools. A leader in supplier diversity, Kroger is a proud member of the Billion Dollar Roundtable.
Dalton Agency for Smithfield
God’s Pantry Food Bank


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ILiA is pleased to announce Chengxin Lithium Group Co., Lt.d has joined its global lithium community. As the world moves rapidly towards greener transport and more efficient energy use and storage, the International Lithium Association (ILiA), the not-for-profit industry association representing the global lithium value chain, brings together a growing community of leading lithium producers, processors and manufacturers during this time of unprecedented market growth.
Mr Zhou Yi, Chairman of Chengxin Lithium, said “The International Lithium Association provides great networking opportunities and platforms for lithium upstream and downstream leaders. Through the joint efforts of the industry peers, the zero carbon goals will not be far away”.
The Chinese lithium producer and refiner is focused on producing high quality lithium materials for lithium batteries and contributing to the sustainable development of world energy resources. It is an expanding arm of the Shenzen Chengtun Group and has significant plans to play its part, alongside a major vehicle manufacturing base, in the development of the ‘New Energy Industry’ in China’s Sichuan Province with new lithium industry base in the capital Chengdu.
Chengxin Lithium’s Chinese production bases are also situated within Sichuan Province and, together with international operations in Indonesia, Zimbabwe and Argentina, capacity is forecast by the organisation to grow considerably.
Driven by the global expansion of electric vehicle production and green energy capture, demand for lithium is forecast to increase by almost 6 times in the period to 2040, according to natural resource analyst Wood Mackenzie. This means mining expansion and an explosion in innovation requiring guidance, sustainability expertise and advocacy. ILiA member companies account for approximately 75% of current global lithium production. ILiA’s vision is to become a trusted global authority on lithium and support its members commitment to supply sustainable and responsible lithium.
Responding to Chengxin Lithium’s membership, Secretary General of ILiA, Roland Chavasse said, “We are pleased to have another respected Chinese lithium producer join our Association and strengthen our global voice”.


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Latest News on Automotive
Showing of 0 - 10 from 20 results
Automotive - Total results - 20
Mar 07, 2019
Govt reforms creating new livelihoods; eight sectors to add over 10 cr jobs by 2025: CIIThe recent reforms ushered in by the government are creating new livelihoods across existing and emerging sectors, with eight segments of the economy alone expected to create over 10 crore jobs by 2025, CII said on Thursday
May 11, 2017
About 70 percent of sales in auto sector will be ‘digitally influenced’ by 2020: ReportSocial media is expected to become a major influence, driving auto sales of about USD 23 billion by 2020.
Feb 22, 2017
Tata Motors likely to announce partnership with Volkswagen at Geneva: ReportPartnership talks between Tata Motors and Volkswagen are at an advanced stage and the deal may have a huge impact on India.
Jan 09, 2017
Automakers team up with automotive parts suppliers to make self-driving cars, share costsSeveral suppliers - notably Mobileye, Nvidia and Delphi Automotive - are among the more popular technology partners in the self-driving race, with multiple alliances around the globe.
Dec 26, 2016
Electric car maker CATL aims at global market after taking China by stormA dusty village on the outskirts of Ningde, a third-tier city in China's southeast, seems an unlikely place for the headquarters of a potential global leader in future automotive technology.
Dec 05, 2016
Panasonic may buy ZKW Group, European automotive light maker to accelerate push into autoJapan's Panasonic Corp is in talks to buy European automotive light maker ZKW Group, accelerating its push into the automotive electronics market, a person familiar with the matter said.
Oct 21, 2016
IIT Madras will set up Automotive research centre in partnership with German instituteThe Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) - Madras will set up an Applied Centre for Advanced Automotive Research Centre in partnership with Fraunhofer Gesellschaft of Germany on its campus here, the premier institute said on Thursday.
Aug 08, 2016
Hybrid cars could help ease pollution from Indian roadsHybrid cars are the future and in a country like India where consumption of cars is increasing massively, these fuel efficient cars should be encouraged.
May 02, 2015
Internet of cars goes beyond self-driving vehiclesThe Internet of Cars goes much further than aiming for the tremendous accomplishment of making vehicles drive themselves. The opportunity is to develop practical “connected vehicle” innovations that can be applied directly to the bottom line sooner rather than later.
Apr 25, 2015
BT to offer ethical hacking service to protect connected cars from cyber attacksBT Assure Ethical Hacking for Vehicles includes a range of tests targeted at the “attack surfaces” of the vehicle. These cover interfaces that are accessible inside the car, such as Bluetooth links, USB ports, or the DVD drive...


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If you think about the world of blockchain and cryptocurrency, what would be your main concern? I’d hazard a guess and say it was stability. There’s no getting away from it, right now the market is volatile, but that volatility mostly comes from a fear of the unknown.
It’s a catch22, regulate the industry and you take away the value of decentralization, leave as it is and we face multiple peaks and troughs as investors get spooked.
So what can be done to add confidence to a growing industry? While the use of blockchain as a secure way to store a transaction has been proven, it is perhaps Nakamoto’s dream of using it as a base for currency which stands on slightly shakier ground.
While banking and other financial technologies are still getting to grips with the blockchain regulation complications, others are investing in its foundations. One of the companies I was interested to read about is Celsius Network, who announced only back in August that they had bagged one of the ‘Fathers of blockchain’, W. Scott Stornetta, who’s 1992 co-authored paper, ‘How to timestamp a digital document’, was one of the original sources used in Nakamoto’s Bitcoin whitepaper.
Add to the mix the inventor of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Alex Mashinsky, who founded Celsius and continues as CEO, and you have some interesting credentials. So what is Celsius all about? Perhaps altruistically, the company aren’t looking to open up a new marketplace, they’re trying to bring new clients to the existing one.
Our goal at Celsius is to add 100 million new users to the cryptocurrency community by offering innovative, customer-centric financial services, including borrowing and lending.”
This new form of banking on the blockchain will allow customers to easily deposit, borrow, and earn interest with cryptocurrency. And the team hope that by welcoming such blockchain legends on to their advisory board, they will have the clout to achieve it. Essentially, Stornetta is there to validate the project, but he is more than just a trophy, he brings with him a legion of loyal fans who respect where he adds his weight.
Just as colleague and fellow co-author Stuart Haber has found success with Auditchain as Chief Scientist, Stornetta also sees value in the financial sector. That’s not to say that everything he touches turns to gold, but Celsius has done well to have not just one, but two heavyweights on board. And people are listening.
Not about money
For Mashinksy though, the possibilities of new technology have never been about money, and that becomes evident when you look at the success of VoIP. As one of the inventors with foundational patents dating back to 1994, over 3 billion people currently use VOIP for free worldwide, so it is perhaps no surprise that with Celsius he is now proposing MoIP (Money over Internet Protocol), to free the concept of processing money between borders. Celsius has called this CelPay and hope that it will become the blockchain alternative to Venmo.
So how do you convince a generation of weary investors that the internet, and by default the blockchain, is the best home for their hard-earned cash? Mashinsky is hoping that is social quest will stand them in good stead. Born in the Ukraine and raised in Russia, he believes in the good that his world-class team of developers can create.
We want to focus on Money Over IP and unlike any other blockchain company we work for the community and staying compliant. CelPay is solving the biggest obstacle for adoption of the Blockchain - ease of use. Just like Venmo enabled a whole generation to never step into a bank and do all their payments and transfers from their phones CelPay is going to enable hundreds of millions of consumers to bypass all the currency and regulatory restrictions that are in place to ensure they are shackled to the banking system. CelPay enables anyone on the planet to UnBank themselves and have their money work for them instead of them working for the money. The whole team honestly cares about doing good & doing well at the same time."
Attractive rates for borrowers and lenders
Celsius are driving towards loans for everyone, by connecting crypto holders with borrowers via a working platform that promises to pay up to 7% for those looking to earn. Whereas loans attract an average of 7% APR (some lower), a highly competitive rate against mainstream banks.
How do they plan on doing this? They’re introducing a new token – Cel Token, which taps into the CelPay userface. The best feature? You can send coins and pay friends back instantly, worldwide with no fees. And you don’t need a crypto wallet either.
Simply download the app through the digital store of your choice and away you go.
But is Celsius too good to be true? They already have 10,000 registered users and raised $50million back in March when they launched their ICO. With the promise of low APR rates, no fees and the attraction of an app without a crypto wallet, it is quite possible that Mashinsky may hit his target of 100 million users. The only question is, will other financial institutions have woken up by then and could they, with their market share and big bucks advertising budgets, steal Celsius’s thunder? Would they? It’s a scenario I can’t wait to find out more about.


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UPDATED — Materials firm A. Schulman Inc.'s buying spree has reached double digits.
The Fairlawn, Ohio-based company on Sept. 2 announced its 10th acquisition in four years, buying Australian compounder and concentrate maker Compco Pty. Ltd. for $6.7 million in cash.
Melbourne-based Compco makes compounds and concentrates, as well as cross-linked high density polyethylene. Key markets for the firm include packaging, wire and cable, and pipe. Compco posted sales of almost $15 million in the year ended June 30.
Compco employs about 25 and operates a pair of masterbatch concentrate production lines and several smaller color compounding lines. Most of the firm's products are based on PE. Schulman is buying Compco from Bill McMahon, who founded the firm in 1984 as International Polymers. McMahon now has a five-year contract to remain with the company.
Schulman — a leading compounder and concentrate maker both in North America and Europe — had been supplying the Australian market from locations in Indonesia and Malaysia, a company spokeswoman said. The firm will continue to do so for some products, she added, but now will also be able to serve the local market from within Australia.
It's the first deal for Schulman since June, when it paid $91 million in cash for most of the specialty plastics business of Ferro Corp. Schulman now has spent almost $530 million on its string of purchases.
“Although it's relatively small compared with our entire organization, the benefits of Compco's industry-leading technology will better position our business in the region and can be leveraged throughout our global footprint,” Schulman Chairman, President and CEO Joseph Gingo said in a Sept. 2 news release.
Bernard Rzepka, executive vice president and chief operating officer, added in the release that Compco “holds a strong position and significant growth potential in the Australian market and beyond, and its products are aligned with our strategic focus and objectives in the Asia Pacific region.”
Rzepka also said in the release that the Compco deal marks Schulman's first entry into the pipe and wire and cable markets, and that the firm “remains committed to growing both organically and through acquisitions in the strategically important [Asia Pacific] region.”
Gingo will retire as Schulman's president and CEO on Dec. 31. Rzepka will replace him in those roles on Jan. 1. In the first nine months of its 2014 fiscal year — a period that ended May 31 — Schulman posted sales of $1.82 billion, up 14 percent vs. the same stretch in 2013. The firm's profit also soared 40 percent to $41.6 million in the same comparison.
On Wall Street, Schulman's per-share stock price started 2014 just above $34, but was near $39 in late trading Sept. 4 for an increase of about 15 percent.


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“The Oscars of Street Food” has come and gone and we are STILL FULL. This past weekend, street vendors from across the boroughs came together on Governor’s Island for the annual cook off to celebrate what it means to be a successful small business. The NYFTA team had the privilege to stuff our faces again this year, support some of our favorite vendors and to scope out some new faces at the 2018 Vendy Awards.
It was a brisk Saturday and the perfect way to celebrate the First Day of Fall on Governor’s Island.
Food trucks and carts lined Colonel’s Row according to their nominee category, with music bumping and the smells of cultures mixing together wafting over the green space.
2018 VENDY FINALISTS
Check out the Vendy’s instagram for more tagged photos from the weekend!
It has been an unofficial trend in recent years for Vendy Award winners to see a boom in their street vending or food truck business after being crowned in their respective categories 😉
We can’t wait to see how these small businesses grow with the support of their amazing community! Keep your eyes peeled.
Food trucks have a unique challenge when it comes to permits and licenses. Everything from food safety to where you can park is regulated at the federal, state, and county levels.


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Here's a big piece of news slipping in quietly during the holiday weekend. The Federal Communications Commission has finally issued a ruling over the SoftBank-Sprint-Clearwire deal.
The long story short is that the Commission has approved the deal. The full ruling was published on Friday afternoon.
To recall, Japanese cellular giant SoftBank bought a 70 percent stake in Sprint for $20.1 billion last October. At the time, it was expected that the deal would close (subject to regulatory approval) by mid-2013.
At the same time, Sprint owns just more than half of Clearwire and wants to acquire the rest of the company for $2.97 per share.
But there have been a few bumps as this deal works on obtaining federal approval.
For one, Clearwire shareholders asked Sprint to bump up the bid back in January.
That was after Dish filed a note with the FCC to pause review of the Sprint-Softbank deal, assuming that Sprint would be forced to drop its bid for the rest of Clearwire's shares -- thus allowing Dish to wedge its way in instead.
Analysts had previously predicted that the federal agency would issue a ruling as soon as May. However, that was obviously wishful thinking as the last few months have come and gone with nary a peep on the matter.
The ruling noted that the original bid has been since modified as recently as early June.
SoftBank bumped up the original offer to $16.64 billion with now 78 percent ownership in Sprint. While the direct investment has been lowered to $5 billion, the overall value of the deal is still higher at $21.6 billion.
Sprint shareholders have also approved the revised bid.
As for the Sprint-Clearwire part of the deal, with Dish Network out of the picture, Clearwire shareholders are scheduled to vote on the final Sprint offer on July 8.


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SEARCHED FOR:DIGI GROWTH
Indian to have 820 million smartphone users by 2022
According to a report jointly released by Indian Cellular and Electronics Association and consulting firm KPMG, rural India witnessed a year-on-year growth of 35% in 2018 as opposed to 7% growth in urban India in the same period in terms of internet users. Smartphone penetration in rural India has risen from 9% in 2015 to 25% in 2018.
Digi insurer Acko gets $65m from Binny Bansal, others
Startup bags Bansal’s largest personal investment at $25 m; valuation to be around $300...
Travel with tech: Soon, facial recognition system will replace boarding passes at airports
The ‘Digi Yatra’ aims at enabling paperless travel.
Bengaluru Airport serves 33.30 million passengers in 2018-19
The BLR Airport offers a wide air-route network – with over 37 passenger airlines and 12 cargo airlines connecting Bengaluru to the rest of the world.
TCS says DigiGaon initiative will empower common man
"The proposed DigiGaon initiative to provide telemedicines, education and skills through digital technology will increase empowerment," its chief financial officer Rajesh Gopinathan said.
Digi wallets expect a 10-fold hike in volumes
Leading digital wallets firms are Paytm, Freecharge and Mobikwik. These companies claim to process somewhere between 2-3 million transactions per day.
Budget 2017: Big gains for small businesses
Startups can now opt for exemptions on any three consecutive years out of seven, reducing the burden of taxes during the growth stage. This is applicable only to companies registered between April 2016 and March 2019.
HSIL targets 15% annual growth in building products
Kerala is a key market for the company as it contributes 6% of its turnover of Rs 1300 crore from its building products division.
Going beyond incremental growth; India set for quantum leap in road, waterways, railways sectors: FM
"We have gone beyond incremental growth to attain transformative achievements," Goyal said.
Surging passenger numbers, policy promises dot turbulent skies in 2018
From spiralling costs and cut-throat competition pushing airlines into the red to government initiatives aimed at boosting the fast-growing sector, a mixed baggage greeted the stakeholders.
MEITY to promote digital transactions in place of NITI Aayog
The IT ministry is responsible for promotion of e-governance for empowering citizens as well as promoting inclusive and sustainable growth of electronics and IT in the country.
Budget's digital push to make India transparent economy: Ravi Shankar Prasad
The Budget has proposed a slew of initiatives for digitisation including expansion of optical fibre network, launch of 'Digi Gaon' initiative aimed at providing telemedicine, education and skills through use of technology.
Cash shortage to end by mid-January: Amitabh Kant
Disruption in the economy was inevitable after this step, taken as India aspires to have become a $10 trillion economy, said a statement by industry body Ficci, quoting Amitabh Kant.
DEITY working on alternative authentication means along with Aadhaar to revive Digital India projects
SC's restrictions over the Aadhaar project has taken the wind out of several marque projects under the Digital India programme, including the Digital Locker project.


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Nathan Leroux, 20, of Bowie, Maryland, has admitted taking part in an international hacking and intellectual property theft conspiracy, the FBI announced on Tuesday.
Leroux has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and criminal copyright infringement for his role in the theft of information from the networks of Microsoft and video game companies such as the Valve Corporation, Zombie Studios and Epic Games.
The data stolen by the man and his co-conspirators includes technical specifications and other information on Microsoft’s Xbox One console (before it was released) and the company’s Xbox Live system, pre-released versions of games developed by Epic Games and Activision, and even an Apache software simulator developed for the US army by Zombie Studios.
Leroux, who was apprehended by authorities in June 2014 while trying to flee to Canada, admitted taking part in the conspiracy between January 2011 and September 2012. During that period, the hackers stole intellectual property and other proprietary data worth over $100 million from the targeted companies. If the money spent by victims as a result of the hack attacks is also taken into consideration, the damage caused could be as high as $200 million, US authorities said. Law enforcement has seized more than $620,000 in cash and other criminal proceeds.
The suspects are said to have used the stolen Xbox One information to build their own version of the console before its official release. In July 2013, Leroux attempted to send one of these counterfeit gaming consoles to someone in the Republic of Seychelles. The package was intercepted at the time by the FBI.
Leroux is also accused of developing an exploit designed to generate in-game currency for the Xbox Live version of the FIFA video game. The software allowed the suspect and others to generate millions of such “coins.”
Leroux is one of the four suspects in this case and the third to plead guilty. Sanadodeh Nesheiwat, 28, and Canada-based David Pokora, 22, both currently in custody, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer fraud and copyright infringement in late September. Nesheiwat and Pokora will be sentenced in April 2015. Leroux’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 14, 2015.
The fourth suspect is 19-year-old Austin Alcala of McCordsville, Indiana. Charges against him remain pending.


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Motorola “Stingray” Android Tablet Pops Up in Verizon’s Internal Inventory
The rumored Motorola MZ600 Android tablet has surfaced it again. According to the team over at Phandroid, the tablet appeared in Verizon’s inventory showing demo, dummy and official versions. This means that the device is a possible go for next year, but obviously nothing is official yet. Interestingly, there is no mention of the word “DROID” which is disappointing, so who knows if it will even be part of the Droid line.
As always, as soon as AndroidGuys finds out more, we will definitely let you know! Can’t wait for a price point on this.
You might also like
Huawei fills in the blanks for their two new Android devices, the IDEOS X3 smart phone and S7 Slim tablet.
When you think about the things we look for in tablets, it’s always the same stuff that comes to mind. We want a light device that’s gorgeous, powerful, and lasts
Magma Mobile is no stranger to Android development and their latest app wants to simplify searching for pretty much anything. All in One is an application that uses Google API’s


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Gemplus has signed up to Visa International’s latest low cost smart card programme, which aims to offer banks a family of cut-price multi-application chip cards.
Gemplus' portfolio will offer various combinations of smart card applications, including loyalty, secure Internet access, and electronic purse, all of which can co-exist alongside Visa’s debit/credit payment applications.
The programme has been developed in conjunction with Philips Semiconductors and is based on the 8-bit WE and Mifare Prox smart card controller families. Both offer hardware supported public key capabilities. The Mifare Prox dual interface range additionally enables both contact and contactless applications, including Visa payment, secure network, and transit (bus or train ticketing) applications.
The latest products follow the introduction last October of a multi-application Visa smart card costing less than three dollars. The price of the new cards will be $3.56 and, for the dual interface card, $4.67. The typical cost of a card supporting public key capabilities is $7.00, says Visa
Gemplus joins Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) and Orga in agreeing to produce the new cards. Other manufacturers are currently negotiating to join the programme says Visa.
The family of new smart cards is based on the Java Card 2.1 and the Open Platform 2.0.1 specifications. The $3.56 card includes a minimum of two applications, such as Visa Smart Credit/Debit and another application, loaded to the read-only memory (ROM) with additional space for multiple applications in the erasable memory (Eeprom). Memory size is 64k ROM and 16k Eeprom.
James Lee, senior vice president, emerging technologies, Visa International, comments: "We are seeing growing demand for these new low cost card products from our member banks worldwide. We have already received large production quantity orders for the low cost card product announced last October. In addition, there is commitment for over four million dual interface cards from banks in Asia Pacific and strong interest in Latin America."


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Mix: Orange, Mobistar, KPN, Progio, Tide
Louis-Pierre Wenes, the head of Orange France, has announced that it had sold around 90,000 iPhones by the end of January. Previously, the French mobile provider revealed that it sold more than 70,000 iPhones in the first month of availability, from Nov. 29 - Dec. 29, 2007. Wenes also said half of iPhone purchasers are new Orange France customers.
Benoit Scheen, chief executive of Mobistar, Belgium’s second-biggest mobile operator, has said that his company could make a deal this year to offer the iPhone in the country. Scheen cautiously added that there was no guarantee of a deal, as Belgium was not a priority for Apple.
The chief executive of Dutch telecom operator KPN recently made some confusing remarks regarding the iPhone. “I had one and I thought it was a pretty useless phone, to be quite honest,” said Ad Scheepbouwer, CEO of KPN. “The battery ran out in no time. I didn’t like the touch screen.” However, Scheepbouwer also said KPN would be “more than happy” to sell the device, adding, “We have half the market in the Netherlands and we hope we will be the party of choice.”
Progio Mobile has announced a new web application featuring its exercise and training programs, optimized for the iPhone and iPod touch. The new application will allow Progio users to purchase and view workout and exercise programs from their device. “Progio is the next best thing to having a live trainer or coach when working out,” said Dirk Bartels, CEO, Progio Mobile. “Users benefit from having training programs developed by fitness experts without the cost of a personal trainer.” To access the service, visit mobile.progio.com from an iPhone or iPod touch.
Tide has launched a contest in connection with its “My Talking Stain” advertisement, which aired during the Super Bowl. Among the list of prizes available in the contest is one of 34 Tide-branded iPods, which photos suggest are third-generation iPod nanos. Last year, Tide offered a previous-generation, Tide-branded iPod nano and a $50 iTunes gift card as a prize in a separate promotion. To enter the current contest, visit mytalkingstain.com.
- iLounge Weekly arrives Monday, sign up now
- Apple retail stores to have very limited Apple Watch stock
- Apple quietly acquiring companies to improve cloud services?
- Apple planning to release three iPhone models this year?
- Report reveals more details on Apple’s upcoming music service
- Apple adds CNNgo channel to Apple TV
- Apple acquires database company FoundationDB
- Apple releases iOS 8.3 beta 4
- Apple adds Tastemade, TED, Young Hollywood channels to Apple TV
- Source: Italian prosecutors wrap up Apple tax probe
- OORT SmartFinder, SmartLED + SmartSocket
- RooCase Exec Tough for iPhone 6 Plus
- Pronto Smart Remote System
- iWalk Extreme Spartan
- EnerPlex Surfr for iPhone 6
- IK Multimedia iRig 2 Guitar Interface
- PowerSkin Pop’n 3 for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
- Coogobox Symphony Dock for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
- PowerSkin Spare for iPhone 6
- Chil Attraction Jacket for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
- Can I turn off the app icons that appear in the bottom corner on the lock screen?
- Why do I have two separate conversations with the same person in Messages?
- Can I transfer the existing version of an app to my new iPhone?
- How do I quickly erase all of the contacts on my old iPhone?
- How do I disassociate my phone number from iMessage?
- How do I stop Siri from randomly waking up?
- How do I cancel a print job on iOS?
- How do I make my camera LED flash when my iPhone rings?
- How do I re-sync contacts to my vehicle after switching to a new iPhone?
- How do I move away from a shared Apple ID for iMessage?


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Last year when Tencent acquired the Norwegian developer and publisher Funcom, it was widely reported that increased levels of investment would allow Funcom to scale up it’s ambitions with regards to it’s planned Dune game. In a recent interview with Warp Digital, the UK studio co-developing the game, we got some idea as to how vast that scale might be.
Asked by MCVUK how the collaboration was going, Warp’s Piers Duplock said that Dune is “a fantastic project”, “triple-A in scale and scope”, and “something larger than we’ve ever been involved with before.” Given that Warp has previously worked with Rare on Sea of Thieves, we can assume that Funcom’s Dune game will by some order of magnitude be a much bigger game – which is perhaps to be expected when it has the support of a $500 billion tech giant and a setting the size of Arrakis.
Funcom’s Dune game
Funcom’s Dune game has been pitched as a survival MMO, somewhat in the vein of Conan Exiles, which by happy coincidence is Funcom’s most successful game to date. There’s been no announcement in terms of a release date or on which platforms Dune will appear, but Funcom’s deal with Legendary Pictures is to deliver three Dune games over a six year period.
Dune movie release
While the first of Funcom’s Dune games is still some ways off, this month sees the release of the highly anticipated Dune movie. Based on the classic Frank Herbert sci-fi novel of the same name and starring Timothée Chalamet, the film had been languishing in release purgatory due to the global pandemic, having reportedly been wrapped up back in July 2019. The movie is the first of a two-part adaptation directed by Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049). Villeneuve is also slated to direct the pilot of Dune: The Sisterhood, a prequel TV series set to debut on HBO Max – and perhaps the subject of one of Funcom’s subsequent game efforts.
The post Funcom’s Dune game bigger “in size and scope” than Sea of Thieves appeared first on WePC | Let's build your dream gaming PC.


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GM plots mass-market EV push under pressure from plug-in rivals
General Motors Co. has talked up its electric-vehicle plans for years, and even generated buzz by resurrecting Hummer’s gas-guzzling name in the form of an electric pickup truck. Now comes the tough part: selling mass-market EVs.
Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra will take the stage at the annual CES event in Las Vegas next month aiming to reveal how the Detroit automaker can expand beyond the exclusive — and expensive — plug-in luxury offerings and sell more practical EVs to the broader public. She’ll show off an electric version of the Chevrolet Silverado pickup and also talk about two smaller, cheaper SUVs, according to people familiar with the matter.


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The cryptocurrency hardware wallet firm Ledger was hacked last June and over a million emails were exposed, according to reports from the company at the time. Months later, the hackers who obtained the Ledger data emailed clients, sent texts to customers, and created phishing links for users to enter their seeds. One customer allegedly lost $50k and during the last week, the company has been getting inundated with complaints on social media.
Last Summer’s Ledger Wallet Data Breach Leads to Phishing Scams
The Ledger hackers who obtained roughly a million customer emails and possibly other data, have been harassing customers and allegedly stealing their money. On July 29, 2020, the French bitcoin hardware wallet manufacturer explained that hackers compromised about one million customer email addresses.
Additionally, around 9,500 customers had other information exposed including names, shipping addresses, and phone numbers. Ledger detailed that it recommended customers “exercise caution” and “always be mindful of phishing attempts by malicious scammers.” The company report also wrote in bold lettering that Ledger “will never ask you for the 24 words of your recovery phrase.”
If you have a Ledger, throw it away, change your email, and move your house. A malicious third party has your detials and knows you own a hw wallet. @Ledger, what’s your plan to protect thousands of users who are now walking with a target on their back?
Phishing emails 24/7 pic.twitter.com/r9Fo0FSfPx
— Craael (@TheCraael) December 9, 2020
Meanwhile, as time passed, customers have been getting phishing emails from hackers and allegedly a few people have lost their precious cryptocurrencies. For instance, the popular bitcoiner Brad Mills told his 19,000 Twitter followers about a person who ostensibly lost $50k in crypto.
“Hey Ledger you need to keep sending phishing warnings to all of your customers,” Mills tweeted. “People are losing their savings because of the hack. Get in front of it, continually send out purposeful emails to your customers *just* about the hack. Be a good steward. You need to do better,” Mills added.
Claims of Lost Funds and SMS Text Messages
Another user on Twitter said he was quitting crypto after getting his wallet emptied. “No way,” he wrote. “My Ledger wallet got emptied after I followed the instructions in the phishing email thinking it was the real Ledger, I can’t believe I fell for it. I’m done with crypto.”
Then another user said: “A good chunk of my bitcoin is gone through the Ledger phishing scam. Seriously. Someone I love had access to the seed phrase, got the text warning that our wallet was hacked and to enter seed to recover…, and entered the seed + passphrase. RIP.”
Many users have said the situation has been happening for months, but no one is certain to what extent. Last month, someone posted to the Reddit community dedicated to Ledger products and told people to file a complaint to their local Data Protection Authority (DPA). The post had a number of customers who said they were getting SMS text messages.
Man, I used to love Ledger. But after all My info leaked. I received text messages to my phone saying my [bitcoin] was being transferred and emails saying reset your password/ prove your identity. It was very convincing and I feel if it were not for the negligence of Ledger leaking all my info, I would have never been put in the situation to be phished for 5k on one of my devices.
Ledger Hackers Pretend to be Trezor
There are many social media posts about the Ledger situation from customers complaining. A variety of them have said they received an email or some kind of communication that tells the customer their funds may be compromised and the scammers act like the official company. The popular bitcoin evangelist Andreas Antonopoulos tweeted about the situation on Saturday, and said the hackers were also using Trezor’s brand name.
“PSA,” Antonopoulos said. “The Ledger database hackers are now trying a phishing attack mentioning TREZ0R (misspelled with a zero): ‘Your TREZ0R Wallet has been deactivated. You are required to pass verification due to the new KYC regulations: ’” Antonopoulos added.
“To be clear, this new phishing attack seems to originate from the same database that was stolen from Ledger,” Antonopoulos further tweeted. “The same (fake) name and number appears for me. It seems to be unrelated to Trezor, other than the attackers using that name in their new phishing campaign.”
What do you think about the latest news about Ledger customers getting phished? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.
The post Ledger Wallet Customer Data Leak Invokes Threats, Phishing Scams, User Allegedly Loses Life Savings appeared first on Bitcoin News.


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Britain’s No. 2 supermarket group reported a slight beat to forecasts for sales growth in its key Christmas quarter.
In line with other retailers, grocery sales significantly outperformed clothing and general merchandise, rising 2.3% in the 15 weeks to 6th January – the supermarket’s third quarter – compared to a 0.3% rise in the same quarter the last financial year.
The firm, which bought Argos in 2016, said on Wednesday total retail like-for-like sales, excluding fuel, rose 1.1%, while total retail sales grew 1.2%, down from 1.6% a year ago.
That compared to analysts’ average forecast of 0.9% and growth of 0.6% in the previous quarter.
It said underlying profit before tax for the full 2017-18 year was now expected to be moderately ahead of the published analysts’ consensus – an underlying pretax profit of £559m, down from £581m in 2016-17.
Mike Coupe, chief executive, commented: “We had a strong Christmas week, with record sales, over 340,000 online grocery orders and stellar growth in Argos Fast Track delivery and collection. Online accounted for 20% of the group’s sales during the quarter.”
He continued: “General Merchandise and Clothing grew market share in a challenging market. Argos stores in Sainsbury’s supermarkets performed particularly well, and Argos saw record sales across the Black Friday period.”


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Ocean Network Express (ONE) has announced the launch of a new Thailand Singapore Express Service (TSX). This new dedicated shuttle service will provide customers with a fast transit time between Thailand and Singapore, designed with a focus on also offering excellent connection and transit times for cargo moving on the Asia Europe Trade.
The new TSX service is expected to provide a reliable and quality assured transport service as well as schedule integrity.
The first sailing of the new TSX service will start from Laem Chabang on 14th November 2023.
The service rotation will be as follows - weekly service:
Laem Chabang - Singapore – Laem ChabangReturn to Articles


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Thursday, October 04 14:36:55
President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, today said that Europe must support initiatives like Ireland's Digital Skills Academy.
On a visit to the Academy, he said that, digital skills for the Information Technology (IT) area has been, and will remain, one of the best opportunities to find a job.
Digital Skills Academy's digital technology programmes are designed to help move people from sectors that have been worst hit by the recession and reskill them for employment opportunities in the digital sector, where there is significant jobs growth. Over 5,000 jobs have been announced in the sector since the start of the year.
"If there is a will to fight against the misery linked to such unemployment of young people then initiatives like the Digital Skills Academy should be supported. The EU has perhaps the best educated generation the continent ever had, yet has such a high degree of unemployment, and this needs to be tackled," Mr Schulz said.
He is visiting Ireland, ahead of Ireland's EU presidency next year.
The Government will be using its presidency of the European Union to advance plans for a youth guarantee scheme, that would ensure that young people under 25 who are unemployed will be automatically directed into employment, education or training.
Mr. Shulz yesterday attended a showcase event at Digital Skills Academy, which showcased the talents of the participant jobseekers of the Academy's WebElevate programme, who have developed range of innovative mobile apps, websites, online videos for industry partners including BT Ireland, Telefonica Ireland, Gill and Macmillan, Digiweb, Pigsback.com and Oracle.
Products on showcase included a visitor mobile app for the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, Children's Literacy iPad app for Gill and MacMilan and an iPhone Travel application for Telefonica employees across Europe.


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Study identifies top ten consumer product chemicals found in dust
By conducting a meta-analysis of data from dust samples collected throughout the United States, researchers funded by NIEHS identified the top ten consumer product chemicals found in household dust. The findings suggest that people are continually exposed via indoor dust to multiple chemicals that cause adverse health effects.
Using a literature search, the researchers identified 45 chemicals from five chemical classes that had been measured in U.S. indoor dust in three or more data sets. By combining these data in a meta-analysis, they identified 10 harmful chemicals that were present in 90 percent of the dust samples across multiple studies. The top 10 list included five phthalates, with di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate found at the highest concentrations. Indoor dust also consistently contained phenols, flame retardants, and highly fluorinated chemicals. The analysis estimated that phthalates and replacement flame retardants were taken in by the body in higher amounts than the other compounds. Phthalates and perfluoroalkyl substances were associated with the greatest number of health hazards. The study showed that many of the chemicals in dust were known to affect the reproductive and endocrine systems.
The new findings will be helpful for shaping future exposure and health studies, as well as informing intervention development and public policy. The researchers also offered recommendations to improve the comparability of future dust studies.
Citation: Mitro SD, Dodson RE, Singla V, Adamkiewicz G, Elmi AF, Tilly MK, Zota AR. 2016. Consumer product chemicals in indoor dust: a quantitative meta-analysis of U.S. studies. Environ Sci Technol 50(19):10661−10672.


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Provided by Popular Mechanics Everything You Need To Know About the New Chevrolet Volt In the eight years since it was... ...http://rss.msn.com/en-in/autos/reviews/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-chevrolet-volt/ar-BBhXZyG?srcref=rss
Agencies, Jakarta A day after announcing it is to stop making GM-branded cars in Indonesia, General Motors (GM.N) said on Friday it would cease... ...http://www.centralchronicle.com/after-indonesia-retreat-gm-retrenches-in-thailand-too.html
Jaipur: As the Volkswagen launches Jetta facelift in the price band of Rs 13.87 lacs to Rs 19.77 lacs, the competition in the luxury saloon gets... ...http://www.cardekho.com/india-car-news/volkswagen-jetta-takes-on-toyota-corolla-altis-skoda-octavia-renault-fluence-hyundai-elantra-and-chevrolet-cruze-15236.htm
BYDANFES,AGENCY Automobile manufacturer General Motors India Tuesday launched updated sedan Chevrolet Cruze priced between Rs.13.70 lakh and... ...http://www.dayafterindia.com/detail.php?headline=content&catid=6195
The launch of Volkswagen Jetta 2015 has breathed a new life in the dormant D-segment of the Indian auto industry. Though not completely new, the... ...http://www.newindianexpress.com/auto/Jetta-2015-Clashes-with-Corolla-Altis-Octavia-Fluence-Elantra-and-Cruze/2015/02/20/article2678112.ece
Chevrolet Cruze has been launched in...


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Luxury jewelry brand Bulgari is launching an exclusive watch limited to ten editions. Each watch will have a QR code engraved that, when scanned, yields access to a unique non-fungible token (NFT) representing digital art.
The watch, Octo Finissimo Ultra, claims to be the thinnest mechanical watch in the world, measuring only 1.8mm in thickness. The technology involves innovative processes and equipment that highlight the watch’s futuristic positioning, which is enhanced by the integration of NFTs.
Besides the digital artwork, the NFT that’s accessed through a watch’s unique QR code also serves as a method of authentication. At a limited supply of ten and a cost is $440,000 (according to Gizmodo), it could be a magnet for counterfeiters. As such, scarcity and product authenticity must be protected to maintain the watch’s value, and NFT technology facilitates this.
Other luxury watch brands such as Breitling and Hublot have used similar technology to ensure product authenticity, mostly through the use of blockchain to implement digital passports. The passport technology is also an NFT but was previously used for functional rather than creative NFT applications.
On the other hand, Bulgari is making full use of the opportunity to tie creative content to the watch. Besides the NFT artwork, the QR code also gives access to information regarding the history, concept, design, and manufacturing process that underpin the watch’s production.
“This fabulous benchmark that we are setting today with the Octo Finissimo Ultra is in fact for me and for all the teams an apparently impossible dream to come true,” said Bulgari’s CEO Jean-Christophe Babin. “One that guarantees that Bulgari will forever be recognised as a company that has written some of the finest pages in Swiss watchmaking. And the fact that this is an Italian house makes us particularly proud.”
The launch is in partnership with the LVMH founded AURA blockchain consortium, which focuses on initiatives that use blockchain technology to fight counterfeiting in the luxury goods market as well as proof of sustainability. It recently announced plans to get involved in creative NFTs, and Temera, Luxochain, and Polygon Studios were also involved in the Bulgari project for that aspect. Hence there were two separate smart contracts, one on Aura’s private permissioned blockchain network and the artwork one on the public Polygon blockchain.
Bulgari is part of the LVMH luxury consortium, which until now, had not engaged much in NFTs beyond authenticity except for Hennessy, which sold exclusive cognac through NFTs. Yet, the opportunities in the industry will likely make it inevitable for other brands to soon get involved.
A report on luxury goods and the metaverse carried out by Morgan Stanley estimated that by 2030 metaverse gaming and NFTs could account for 10% of luxury revenues (equivalent to €50 billion or $60bn) and contribute towards 30% of profits.


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Animal testing of cosmetic products and ingredients, and the sale of newly animal-tested cosmetics, would be phased out under legislation introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Ahold USA is encouraging pork suppliers to start using open housing for pregnant sows by 2022, the supermarket retailer said Friday.
Weis Markets’ stores raised $189,000 in donations and pet supplies for more than 90 local animal shelters and rescue organizations during its month-long Paws for Pets program, the grocer announced.
A ban on importing and selling animal-tested cosmetics products and ingredients will enter into force in March. The ban affects all cosmetics, including toiletries and beauty products.
Nordic Naturals on Tuesday added Vitamin D3 Vegan to its professional product line.


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Jackery set to unveil new flagship at IFA 2022
FREMONT, Calif., August 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Leading solar energy technology solutions provider, Jackery, has announced plans to unveil a new flagship product at IFA 2022 in August in Berlin. Under the banner of ‘JACKERY SOLAR WAY. MORE THAN FAST,” Jackery encourages campers to go further outdoors without compromise, supporting a range of power needs from generators to chargers and cooking equipment. The new 1000 Pro solar generator demonstrates the brand’s commitment to technical innovation and design and will serve as a flagship product in the future.
Jackery will celebrate the launch of its new flagship product from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. August 31 at Hall 3.2 Stand 111. For other IFA attendees, the Jackery exhibition stand will be available to explore the possibilities of more outdoor living with products from across the range between September 2 to 6. As one of the world’s largest technology markets, IFA is a meeting place for leading retailers, buyers, and industry and media experts. For Jackery, the event will be an opportunity to further develop the brand as a global industry leader and connect with potential partners.
The Jackery Solar Generator is a solar solution that combines an Explorer portable power station with SolarSaga solar panels. The all new Solar Generator 1000 Pro from Jackery offers a range of upgrades to the hugely popular Jackery Solar Generator 1000. The Pro edition allows users to enjoy endless green power wherever they go by offering solar charging and fastest mural to date. More product details including charge rate, size and additional features are expected to be released with the official unveiling on August 31.
For more information on IFA 2022, please visit Jackery.com.
Jackery, the world’s leading innovative provider of portable power and green outdoor power solutions founded in California in 2012, is one of the world’s top-selling solar generator brands, recognized by more than 100 authorized media and organizations worldwide. Since 2018, Jackery has sold over 2 million units worldwide and a footprint spanning from the United States to Europe, Japan and China.
As a pioneer in the concept and products of solar generators, Jackery offers a range of portable and versatile green generators that meet all outdoor needs, from charging a cell phone or laptop to bulk power. appliances such as electric cooking equipment, heaters and lights. Its products have been consistently selected as top sellers on Amazon and have been included in Amazon’s choice lists since 2020.
To date, Jackery has received 21 prestigious international awards, including the Red Dot Design Award, iF Design Award, A’ Design Award and Competition and CES Innovation Award. The New York Times, CNET, Digital Trends, Forbes, Tom’s Guide and other publications have rated it among the best solar generators on the market.
Media contact: [email protected]
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SOURCE Jackery Inc.


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Apple and Pegatron Address Excessive Overtime in iPhone Assembly Facility
Bloomberg had the privilege of visiting the “realm in which the world’s most profitable smartphones are made”, the Pegatron facility where iPhones are assembled. After years of accusations over excessive overtime, Apple has adopted new procedures to keep its assembly partners from amassing excessive overtime.
This is the first time a western journalist has set foot in the facility where Pegatron employs 50,000 people assembling iPhones. The report goes into detail, describing how “every second counts” and how the day starts at 9:20 a.m., when the 320-worker production unit lines up with “military precision” in four rows for their roll call.
While allowing a western journalist into the facility shows their effort to increase transparency, “Inside, the factory still hides a secret,” according to China Labor Watch (CLW), as pay stubs reveal the hidden part of the reality, that “workers need overtime simply to make ends meet.” For example, Pegatron’s Shanghai facility records from September and October 2015 show evidence of overtime.
Apple and Pegatron claim they were never contacted by CLW. The non-profit group says the opposite: It approached Apple but didn’t get a response.
The Bloomberg report goes into such details as the new ID system, which links badges to a database that tracks time, wages, and expenditure on dorm fees and lunch, which helped the manufacturer comply with overtime regulations to almost 100%. A worker cited in the report says they never work more than 60 hours a week.
The whole report is well worth a read. You can access it through this link.
Image credit: Bloomberg


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Cure.fit acquires Fitternity; to build a fitness network
The details of the deal were undisclosed, but post this acquisition, Fitternity will continue to operate independently.
Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori's fitness startuphas announced the acquisition of Bengaluru-based fitness aggregator platform, . The details of the deal were undisclosed, but post this acquisition, Fitternity will continue to operate independently.
A press statement shared by Cure.fit stated, with a collective user base of three million users, Cure.fit and Fitternity will together empower more than 5000 fitness centres spread across top 20 cities in India.
In a conversation with YourStory, Naresh Krishnaswamy, Business Head and Head of Growth and Marketing, Cure.fit, said, "With this acquisition we hope to build a stronger ecosystem of fitness centres and gyms. The focus will remain to bring in high-quality standards and experience across the entire gym network and ecosystem."
The team added that with this acquisition, gyms will benefit from a larger consumer base, and expect 50 to 100 percent increase in its footfalls. They can also get high-quality experience as standard across the gym network along with a personalised fitness plan and guidance on the Cure.fit app.
"Our main focus is to ensure that there is a stronger and better recovery of the fitness sector," added Naresh. Cure.fit also aims to help offline gyms upgrade their technology, operating procedures and aid them in increasing their visibility for better utilisation.
Talking about the acquisition, Mukesh Bansal, Co-Founder, Cure.fit, said: “Fitness in India is still in initial stages at sub one percent penetration. Over the next 10-20 years, this will increase to 15-20 percent like in the West. With increasing health awareness, demand is increasing, and we need to put up quality supply. With Fitternity on board, Cure.fit will improve existing offline gyms, bring them up to speed with better technology, and focus on empowering them to adjust to the post-Covid scenario amid changing consumer expectations.”
With this acquisition, Fitternity will continue to work separately and also allow Cure.fit to scale its Cult Pass product. The product was recently launched.
Cult Pass also marked Cure.fit’s foray into gym and equipment-based workouts. This acquisition seeks to further build on that offering, and establish Cure.fit as a market leader across all fitness formats.
Neha Motwani, Co-Founder and CEO, Fitternity, said: “We are delighted to join Cure.fit. At Fitternity, we have always focused on creating innovative solutions to make fitness easy and accessible for Indians - this vision will be further extended with our partnership. While Fitternity will continue to run as it always has, with Cure.fit, we will be able to create a formidable force to grow and drive scale for our partners.”
Naresh explains that the first 30 gyms using the Cult pass have seen close to a 3x increase in revenue. They are hoping to further expand this growth.
Jayam Vora, Co-founder and COO, Fitternity added: “For Fitternity, this transaction enables a significant evolution of our user proposition, while driving growth for our partner network beyond just recovery to achieving the true potential of the fitness retail business in India. The integrated mix of technology, progressive business models, and the neighbourhood gyms and fitness classes will be the secret sauce to empower a Fit India.”
Edited by Anju Narayanan


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Corporation Street ‘a land Christmas forgot’
CORPORATION Street has become a ‘land that Christmas forgot’, according to one of the city’s longest serving traders
Rex Johnson & Sons has been selling jewellery in the city centre for 70 years.
Now, after a 45-year career, director David Johnson said he had never known one of the city’s most famous streets to be so lacking in sparkle.
The annual Birmingham German Christmas Market is back on New Street again, running from Victoria Square to the Rotunda end of High Street.
But Mr Johnson spoke out after we received a complaint from a reader that Corporation Street, High Street and Cannon Street hardly looked like they were in the festive spirit.
With Birmingham City Council admitting it has ‘not had a budget for Christmas lights for some years’, Mr Johnson said: “I am sick and tired of New Street looking like a Christmas Grotto when this is the street that Christmas. forgot.
“We haven’t had any Christmas lights down Corporation Street since they opened the Midland Metro tram lines in May 2016. I am told it is because of the Metro they can’t put them up!
“I’ve had some lights put up myself (over the front of the shop) because it’s better than nothing.
“But it looks as though Christmas has come everywhere except Corporation Street. Retail BID did put some trees down here with lights on one year, but they were abused by the public.
“I have been talking about having uplights above the fascias, but nobody can give permission for everything.
“Steve Hewlett from Retail BID has been incredibly helpful but I think the council won’t support (the idea) and the landlords don’t want to know either. I’ve been trying since January to make sure we could have lights this Christmas and nothing has happened.
“On dark nights, the difference between New Street and Corporation Street is a complete joke.”
With Birmingham City Council struggling to make ends meet, members of the city centre Retail BID have clubbed together to try to fund some decent lights.
Almost £100,000 has been spent on a pioneering LED system which will provide a year-round ability to change the colour of the lights hidden in 29 New Street trees.
A council spokesman said:”The festive lights across Birmingham, not just the city centre, are funded by the local Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and individual businesses, as the city council has not had a budget for Christmas lights for some years.
“These have to be fixed to suitable infrastructure. However, some of the usual points – in particular around New Street and High Street – are not accessible this year, due to ongoing development works.”


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For the past two years, advertisers have used
Now Twitter is making it much simpler to use Amplify with a new version of the product called Auto Amplify. It is now available to all Twitter advertisers, just as Amplify is hitting its two-year anniversary. The revamped product will make it faster and easier for brands and media publishers like NBC to create campaigns together. The new feature could prove to be important to Twitter as it aims to boost its ad business, which analysts say is struggling to grow.
Through Amplify, for example, brands like Revlon can sponsor tweets that feature a video from Vine or another source, an animated GIF, a photo or an infographic owned or published by a media company. The clip might feature a player scoring in a soccer game or a snippet from a TV show like New Girls. The sponsor can promote itself through ad pre-roll in a video, by promoting tweets with their brand name or using hashtags, among other options. Now, an advertiser can upload their pre-roll on Twitter's ads dashboard with the option to automatically promote Amplify tweets. A publisher can then submit their tweet with video or another visual to a live Amplify campaign, reducing much of the back and forth that used to occur between Twitter and partners to make a deal, the company said.
"We're reducing down to zero the amount of time it takes for advertisers to power that tweet out to users," said Glenn Brown, Twitter's senior director of content partnerships and Amplify. "When the roar of the crowd is loudest on Twitter is the prime time to inject a clip into that roar and see it multiply by being retweeted and shared. You need to be able to get that clip into people's phones when they're most passionate about it."
Amplify gives brands and media publishers visibility among each other's audiences. But Brown said Twitter thinks that the change will also make the site more enjoyable for users by giving them higher quality visuals more quickly. When Amplify started two years ago, he said it grew out of a desire to create a user experience that was more visually in sync with events as they unfold in real life.
"We thought, wouldn't it be the most Twitter-y thing in the world to be able to make it seem like your TV or the game is beaming a real-time clip down into your phone for you to share with your friends," Brown said. "Wouldn't it be the most Twitter-y thing to hear your phone buzz and see a dunk happen again. The more real time it is and the better the targeting is, the more magical that experience is."
In one recent Amplify ad, Samsung sponsored a tweet with Billboard Music Award video footage of Taylor Swift's acceptance speech. The tweet used the hashtag #CongratsTaylor, and within the 140-character limit, noted that the award was presented by Samsung, and mentioned an official Samsung handle.
The update to Amplify comes as Twitter faces pressure from Wall Street to prove it can successfully monetize advertising over the long-term and tackle slowing user growth. The first quarter marked Twitter's weakest quarterly revenue growth as a public company. However, Twitter's CEO Dick Costolo said after earnings that the company is on track and that revenue will improve as the site's direct response ad business matures. The move also comes just months after Twitter acquired video streaming app Periscope, which is helping make live video more popular on Twitter than ever before.
Amplify Branches Beyond Sports, The U.S.
Beyond running campaigns that are more automated, the media content in Amplify ads has also been expanding since the program's inception. When Amplify began in May 2013, it was a U.S. program, focused on sports events, especially from
The program is also becoming more global. Amplify has 92 content partners outside of the U.S., making up more than half of all partnerships; there are 164 Amplify partners in 18 countries, the company said. The media is changing, too. GIFs are becoming more common, and in some cases beat the engagement rates of videos, Brown said. The Major League Baseball Players Association has an entire Twitter account dedicated to GIFs.
Several of Twitter's own video products have helped propel its ad business. In 2012, Twitter acquired Vine, a tool that regular users as well as publishers and brands use to make video clips. Last year, Twitter bought SnappyTV, a service publishers can use to edit and share clips. And earlier this year, the social network bought Niche to help brands make ads with online video stars.
Amplify allows brands to target users in the same way they can through promoted tweets, Brown said. Geography, gender, language, device, interests and usernames are a few of the factors that can help direct campaigns. Regardless of who they target, Amplify tweets are focused on the mobile experience, Brown said, noting that about 90% of video views on Twitter occur on mobile devices.
"We've taken the age-old concept of sponsorship and adapted it to mobile," said Brown. "The phone is becoming the machine to see what is happening on televisions across the world."


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Vizeum was created for the new era of media: A convergent world where consumers and content come together, in real time, on platforms and devices; a global world massively impacted by digital technology which is totally reshaping the environment that brands and people live in. Vizeum embraces every dimension, linking social, mobile, offline and online, generating emotions and trust, and building powerful connections between brands and people at speed and scale.
Latest News about Vizeum
Vizeum secures MYOB media account last year
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China - The most popular online seller for Cheap Nike Shoes which website is www.clothestoworld.org has said that the www.clothestoworld.org Nike enterprise has recently released the outstanding achievement of the first quarter of the new fiscal year. The profit increasing of Nike¡¯s first quarter of the new fiscal year has been up to 38 percent. On the other hand, the operating income has been grown to 8 percent. However, the incoming of Nike in the Chinese market has been fallen to 3 percent.
In the industry view from website clothestoworld.org, the more difficult problem which has been encountered by Nike is short-term growth bottleneck in the Chinese market. In order to solve this problem, the Nike has actively made strategic adjustments to the selling strategic for Cheap Nike Shoes in Chinese market.
In the first quarter of the new fiscal year which has been ended on August 31, people could find Wholesale Nike Shoesthat the net profit of selling for Cheap Nike Shoes has been rose to 780 million dollars which has rose 38 percent compared with 567 million sales volumes at last year. The Nike¡¯s charge man has also said that the company¡¯s posted revenue is 6.97 billion dollar.
The reporter from website clothestoworld.org has also noted that the sales volume of Cheap Nike Shoes in China has also had greatly decline although the wholly selling performance of Nike shoes had great increasing in the first quarter of the new fiscal year. Nike's latest filing for sales volume has shown with people that the company's revenue in the Chinese market was 574 million dollars which had been decreased by 3 percent.
In fact, Nike had already announced in July that the Nike¡¯s sales performance in China would have great declining. However, they may not avoid this kind of situation. In the near future, this problem would be solved as soon as possible.
The professional investment advisor has pointed out that the Adidas¡¯s growth performance was not better than that of Nike. This is mainly because Adidas¡¯s failure in the Russian market. The Russian market has been regarded as Adidas's third largest market which could help Adidas have well competition with Nike. On the other hand, the downturn of the global golf market has also caused a greater impact to Adidas.
For Nike¡¯s downturn in Chinese market, some industry insiders such as Handbags Wholesale website clothestoworld.org have believed that this is mainly because the strategies of Nike. Although Nike does not have too much substantive channel development initiatives, they have also taken many actively measurements to adjust their strategies.


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Russia is massing troops on the border with Ukraine, China is expanding its presence in the Indo-Pacific Region, North Korea is testing hypersonic weapons, and COVID-19 shows no signs of going away. Yet, for most Americans, the most worrisome threat is the record inflation that is increasing household expenses and eating into wages. The 7 percent increase in the inflation rate over the course of 2021 marked the largest annual increase in inflation in nearly four decades.
Americans saw prices for the basic necessities they rely on rise at a dramatic rate in 2021. While the government's efforts to provide stimulus aid and ultra-low interest rates motivated Americans to spend, supply chain woes resulted in such high demand for goods that prices increased at a record pace.
The U.S. Department of Labor reported on Wednesday that the core inflation rate, which excludes volatile goods such as food and gas, jumped by 5.5 percent in December, the highest in decades. According to the Associated Press, overall inflation rose 0.5 percent from November to December. The only good news was that the increase was down from 0.8 percent in October.
Economists have warned that because inflation pressures show no sign of easing, inflation is unlikely to fall back to pre-pandemic levels in the near future. While Americans are feeling it the most, the nineteen countries that use the euro had the largest increase in the annual inflation rate since the Euro was adopted.
Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA), a group that advocates on behalf of taxpayers and consumers, has slammed the Biden administration, calling inflation a hidden tax on the American people.
"Between the energy crisis, supply chain issues, concerns about the economy, and latest job reports, it's time for Washington to wake up," the TPA said in a statement. "They ought to reverse course and stop the reckless government spending packages, like Build Back Better, that are still being discussed in Congress. The Biden Administration should immediately drop tariffs across the board and Congress should rein in the administration's ability to unilaterally hike tariffs in the future."
The White House has argued that Build Back Better would reduce the cost of living, especially for many low-income families, and ease inflation over the long run. However, the key Democratic holdout, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), has continued to express concern that the bill would only increase inflation.
"Another month of record-breaking inflation. In just one year, there has been a 7 percent increase across the board, with many categories of goods and services well into the double digits," Patrick Hedger, executive director of Taxpayers Protection Alliance, said via an email. "Americans are feeling it each month when they go to buy necessities like groceries and gas. Small businesses are feeling the economic pinch when purchasing supplies. Economists predicted this, and unfortunately for the American people, they were right. Meanwhile, Democrats in Washington are desperate to blame anything else besides their policies for this predictable disaster."
The economy of 2022 is starting to look a lot like 1982’s economy, but it's not certain that Joe Biden can turn things around as President Reagan did.
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He regularly writes about military small arms, and is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com.


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Alisher Usmanov hired a London-based PR firm that edited online details of his past ahead of an initial public offering of the tycoon's mobile operator, MegaFon, The London Times reported.
An investigation by the newspaper found that the staffers at PR company RLM Finsbury had altered
RusAl Posts Loss
RusAl reported its biggest quarterly recurring net loss since its listing in 2010 and said it expected orders to pick up toward year's end, lifted by a rebound in China.
The company posted a recurring net loss of $76 million for the three months until September, lagging behind the average forecast for a $35 million loss in a Reuters poll of nine analysts. That compares with a recurring net profit of $620 million a year earlier.
The company said the third quarter was seriously hit by weak aluminum prices, but it expects aluminum consumption to grow in the fourth quarter.


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In the news here yesterday, they say that the Canadian and U.S. Governments are in talks to set up an "open skies" policy.... allowing each countries carries to fly domestic routes within each others borders, as well as easier and more frequent (presumably) cross border routing.
I'm not sure how that will eventually affect the financial well being of the airlines in the long run. Airfares in Canada are significantly higher in Canada, and choices of airlines here more limited.. and those that do exist, even with higher prices, are not all that financially healthy.
One thing I heard, that I found interesting, is that Air Canada's frequent flyer program, was one of the companies more profitable divisions.
Alliances with credit card companies which earn frequent flyer miles seem to more popular up here than in the U.S., especially with consumers.
If this program is so popular, and profitable for the airlines, I presume the credit card companies are paying a pretty fair dollar value, when consumers redeem their "points" for flights.