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Check Out New Rossi Apparel
The following is a release from Yamaha…Yamaha Genuine Parts & Accessories is pleased to announce their return to the Red Bull Indianapolis GP, with a wide range of souvenirs, apparel, and race memorabilia. Yamaha’s display will be a one-stop shop for race fans to purchase Valentino Rossi’s brand new VR 46 apparel line as well as Jorge Lorenzo, James Toseland, Colin Edwards and Yamaha Factory Racing gear.”Yamaha is pleased to have the opportunity to bring Valentino Rossi’s new line of VR 46 apparel to Indy and exclusively to our dealers throughout North America. Valentino has blown away the competition for years and his American fans will be blown away when they see the quality and style in each and every piece of this new merchandise”, stated Mo Murray, General Manager of Yamaha Parts & Accessories.One of the most popular vendors at last year’s Moto GP, race attendees will want to make sure to visit Yamaha’s display in the Infield Manufacturer Display Area. The display will be open Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m, Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Also included in Yamaha Display area will be the latest Yamaha motorcycles, ATVs, SxS’s and scooters, Genuine Yamaha Accessories, and a free fan photo opportunity with a Rossi replica bikeFor further information visit Yamaha’s website at www.yamaha-motor.com.


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It is time for HDFC Bank to come up with a new strategy to revive its credit card business and make up its lost time under Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s ban. The sources with the bank said that re-strategising of the business is underway and it will focus on giving fresh offerings and adding new customers. The bank has so far lost eight months under the ban and around six lakh cards.
On Tuesday, the RBI partially lifted the restrictions placed on India’s largest private lender in December last year, and have allowed the bank to source new credit cards. However, restrictions on the launch of new digital applications will continue.
Motilal Oswal Research said in its report that HDFC Bank had lost nearly six lakh cards since the date of embargo. On the other hand, ICICI Bank quickly ramped up its incremental market share and added around 13 lakh cards in this period in its portfolio, while SBI Card added seven-and-a-half lakh. Axis Bank has also secured around three lakh cards.
“HDFC Bank will have to make up its lost time in the card business through intensive campaigns and aggressive customer additions,” said a Mumbai-based banker. For that they will have to focus on new geographies including tapping semi-urban and rural markets, he added. The experts expect that the bank will turn aggressive during the forthcoming festive season and offer various discounts on consumer products.
Parag Rao, head of consumer finance, digital banking and information technology, HDFC Bank recently said that the bank has made use of the lost period to introspect, re-engineer and innovate its cards business—where it has 15.5 million customers. At the last annual general meeting, Shashidhar Jagdishan, managing director and chief executive officer, said that the bank has complied with 85% of RBI's queries on technology.
During recent quarters the bank has reported moderation in fee income/ net interest income (NII) because of the RBI ban, the Motilal Oswal report said. The fee from credit cards contributes 25% to 33% to the total fee income of the bank. Therefore, the credit card segment is key to the bank's overall profitability.
In December 2020, RBI had temporarily stopped all digital launches of HDFC Bank planned under Digital 2.0, including sourcing of new credit cards. The move was in response to multiple incidents of outages in the net banking/payment facilities over the last two years. In February, the regulator also appointed an external IT firm to carry out special auditing of the bank’s IT infrastructure. The removal of the ban by RBI is expected to be based on the final audit report.

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Levi Strauss & Co. is one of the world's largest brand-name apparel companies and a global leader in jeanswear.
9 months ago - To kick off the final day of Brand-Led Culture Change, attendees were treated to a broad series of examples, from a wide swath of experts, of clever strategies that lead to behavior change.
1 year ago - With no end in sight to the pandemic and its many ripple effects, we can all use a little bit of brightness in our lives! So, here are some of the many companies, platforms and products aligned with a more intentional approach to consumption, that we’d be happy to support anytime.
1 year ago - There are many challenges to implementing corporate purpose effectively. One of the biggest is to sufficiently embed it, so it is owned by everyone. This is more challenging than embedding other corporate ideas, because purpose is personal.
1 year ago - It’s that time of year again, when Fast Company calls out its favorite World-Changing Ideas. Here are a few of that we’re especially keen to keep an eye on.
1 year ago - Next month, GlobeScan’s latest annual, global consumer survey will assess whether the uptick in concern around creating a healthier, more sustainable future that occurred during the pandemic will persist in the longer term.
2 years ago - No offense, 2020 — but it is high time we put you to bed and look toward the future. After the year we’ve had, we all deserve a little pampering — and so do the makers of these thoughtful, ethically made products …
2 years ago - The Time to Vote coalition has grown to nearly 800 companies. The goal is to have more than 1,000 companies — from a diverse set of industries representing every state — join the movement by November 3.
2 years ago - The launch of the Levi’s Secondhand marketplace and the rebrand of thredUP reflect growing consumer support of a circular economy and pride in wearing used clothes.
2 years ago - Dual launches from Levi Strauss include recycled denim Levi’s and Water<Less Dockers; while carbon-negative wool sweaters from Sheep Inc come with full supply chain transparency.
3 years ago - A.P. Moller - Maersk has partnered with BMW, H&M, Levi Strauss and more to explore LEO — a blend of lignin and ethanol — that could be part of a solution for sustainable shipping.
3 years ago - By partnering with companies with labor-intensive supply chains, Mastercard is creating digital solutions to give workers more control and transparency over their earnings and savings.
3 years ago - Levi Strauss, The Children’s Place and Kontoor Brands have launched a pilot program aimed at ending gender-based harassment at five factories owned and operated by supplier Nien Hsing Textile Co., in Lesotho.
3 years ago - As Levi Strauss moves forward with its industry-leading climate action strategy, PUMA and Burberry are following suit with SBTi-approved science-based targets of their own.
4 years ago - A handful of new initiatives, products and innovations continue the attack on fashion’s wasteful and environmentally and socially destructive practices from a variety of angles.
4 years ago - There is a clear opportunity to transition to a more conscious approach to fashion, and up-and-coming designers have great potential to help influence this shift.
4 years ago - The fashion industry has kicked December off with a bang, launching a number of game-changing initiatives and partnerships aimed at further improving its image by reducing its impacts.
4 years ago - Today marks the public launch of a new online tool that will enable global companies to identify the world’s ancient and endangered forests.
4 years ago - Companies across the US have banded together to support the Time to Vote campaign, a nonpartisan effort led by CEOs aimed at increasing voter participation.
4 years ago - Companies representing roughly one-eighth of total global market capitalization are now using climate science to define their future direction. Nearly three years on from the Paris Agreement and with time running out before greenhouse gas emissions must peak, 2018 has seen an unprecedented rise in the number of companies committing to reduce their emissions in line with the levels required to prevent dangerous global warming.
4 years ago - Levi Strauss & Co. (LS&Co.) today announced a new climate action strategy, which sets aggressive targets for reducing carbon emissions across its owned-and-operated facilities and global supply chain by 2025; among its goals are using 100 percent renewable electricity in its company-owned facilities.


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Disney Channel is launching a new pre-school channel, Playhouse Disney +, from October 30. The channel will be broadcast to Sky customers and runs alongside sister channel Playhouse Disney as “plus channel” or “a staggercast”.
Airing Playhouse Disney programmes 25 minutes later on Playhouse Disney + is aimed to cater for pre-school children who enjoy repetition.
The channels will be available to Sky customers as part of the Kids Mix children’s programming.
Disney Channel is also launching a new series for pre-schoolers. Bunnytown is a humorous puppet variety show, produced at Elstree Studios. The series’ producers include several members who worked on The Muppet Show and Sesame Street.
Bunnytown premieres on Playhouse Disney at November 3 and the series will be broadcast internationally throughout 2008.


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Mercedes-Benz Reveals Massive EV Plan, Includes Global Battery Network
Mercedes-Benz has big plans to capture the rapidly growing EV market. The automaker revealed its intentions last month, around the same time the company announced the phase out of diesel models in the US.
Under Daimler's umbrella of automotive companies, Mercedes-Benz will focus on establishing a solid presence in the sector. The timely strategy is expected to support its highly anticipated line of EVs (the business is on track to offering electrified versions for all of its vehicle models by 2022).
Six EV Factories in Three Continents
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the auto brand's EV plan is the establishment of a global battery network. It will establish six major EV plants across three continents, specifically in the US, China, Germany and France. Notable countries in its production network include Brazil, South Africa, India and Indonesia. Almost every region in the world will have its own corresponding EV Mercedes-Benz plant, which will be responsible for manufacturing electrified components, as well as battery packs.
Interestingly, the company's manufacturing network is concentrated at various parts of the globe, likely based on demand and manufacturing costs. According to a map illustrating the network, Australia, a region wherein EV adoption rates have been slow, does not have its own EV plant or production facility. Its closest major Mercedes-Benz manufacturing plant is in Indonesia; while the location's most accessible EV manufacturing facility is the automaker's plant in China.
"The fact that Mercedes is doubling down on battery factories shows that the company is going after the heart of Tesla's business," said Mark Matousek from Business Insider. "What's more, Mercedes has almost 100 years of experience making cars, while Tesla has less than 20."
Phasing Out Diesel Cars in the US
Last month, the automaker announced it would stop selling diesel models in the US. Many assumed the decision was related to the company's firm commitment to expand EVs in the country. Details released surrounding the announcement suggest the move may not have anything to do with securing the EV market at all.
Mercedes-Benz cited two main reasons for pulling diesel engine models out of the US. According to Ola Kaellenius (Member of the Board Management at Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development Head), US consumers are widely uninterested in diesel vehicles, as diesel engines only represent three percent of the US transportation market.
The other reason stemmed from a disagreement between German auto sellers and the EPA, which delayed the issuance of certificates for its new e-class diesel engine.
"Mercedes planned to introduce diesel engine models for new c-class and GLS SUV models, but now only transport model Sprinter with a diesel engine will be available to Americans since it is made in the US factory in South Carolina," explained Boris Djuric from Newswire.
Although the company did directly not associate its decision surrounding the removal of diesel models in the US with its EV plans, it is expected that the auto brand's upcoming line of EVs will receive a major boost from the diesel-engine phase out.
- Google Co-founder Larry Page Invests in Flying Car Startup Opener
- Otto Co-founder Anthony Levandowski Starts New Self-driving Business
- Baidu Crosses Major Milestone in Driverless Bus Production
- Nissan Powers Amsterdam Stadium with Second-life EV Batteries
- ITRI Showcases Self-driving Bus in Taiwan
- AB Dynamics Unleashes Driverless Scooter for Safety Maneuvers
- Audi Forms Partnership with Israeli Startup Cognata
- Mojio and Bosch Collaborate on Solutions for Connected Vehicles


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Salient to Investors:
The median economist says payrolls grew by 165,000 workers in June after rising by 175,000 in May.
Russell Price at Ameriprise Financial said the fact that the economy is growing as well as it seems to be, despite heavy headwinds, is testament to much-improved underlying fundamentals, and companies are seeing better consumer and business demand while running with very tight labor components.
Thomas Simons at Jefferies said things are picking up but it will be an uneven path toward growth.
Click here to receive free and immediate email alerts of the latest forecasts.


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Sportswear retailer LSKD has won the Business of the Year title from Telstra Best Business Awards.
LSKD emerged as the winner from more than 22,000 small and medium-sized business candidates nationwide.
“In speaking to the judges, it was clear that LSKD is committed to the fitness community it serves, fostering an inclusive and high-performing culture that comes through in the quality of its products,” said Telstra Business group executive Amanda Hutton.
“We’re thrilled to see and support the team’s continued growth.”
Queenslander Jason Daniel founded LSKD, which he named after his childhood nickname ‘loose kid.’
It started as a schoolboy venture and eventually grew into a $80 million global enterprise and now targeting to hit $100 million in revenue this year.
The brand has also partnered with several charities including the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Queensland and the Leukaemia Foundation.


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The 5 biggest changes to look out for in 2020
Influencer Marketing Will Continue To BOOM
Influencer marketing will play a big part in brands’ advertising budgets this year. Social Media Today reports that 59% of marketers plan to increase their influencer budget this year. But in the wake of some controversies last year, these influencers will be held under a microscope. As a result, micro-influencers will also become more popular as they often have a lower cost and less controversial baggage. Thanks to Instagram’s recent removal of like counters in some countries, they’ll almost definitely be asked to back up their influencer status with data.
Customer service will improve
We’ve seen a rise in businesses using their social media accounts as a tool to interact with their audience and deal with customer service complaints. While having a 24/7 customer service line is an amazing but unrealistic idea for most businesses, we can look forward to an improved quality of customer service in 2020. Expect to see new updates and tools, courtesy of all social media platforms, that allow us to make interaction easier and more useful for customers.
Growth in private communities
We’ll be seeing a growth in smaller online communities in 2020 as online personal connections are being held in higher regard. Trend predictions like this show a change in marketing strategies as brands need to focus on communicating with each customer rather than shouting to a big and inattentive audience.
Stories will become brand owner’s babies
Stories were once exclusive to Snapchat, but now they can be found on most platforms. For the moment, Instagram holds the crown for most daily users, receiving 500 million story users every day. However, Facebook is rapidly approaching this number.
Brands will revalue which statistics matter the most
We mentioned this one earlier, thanks to Instagram testing the removal of likes. Many marketers are turning their attention to reach and engagement so they can access what’s working for their business.
Providing accurate and easy to understand reports is more important than ever. Why not try Flaunt? It’s easy to use and creates stunning reports that will have both you and your clients jumping for joy.
So why not give it a try? here.


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Brooklyn Decker looks like her typically stunning self on the cover of GQ Turkey.
Inside the mag, the 25-year-old model/actress dished, “When I was little, I always wanted to be veterinarian,” and then went on to talk about being discovered in her local shopping center while being dressed as a “tomboy.”
Luckily her tomboy days are far behind her. Brooklyn will be featured in the upcoming Battleship movie with Rihanna, opening on May 18th.
You can check out Brooklyn Decker’s beautiful editorial spread from the April 2012 issue of GQ in the gallery above. Enjoy!


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Original Story (03/12/20): Originally rumored to return last year in celebration of the Air Jordan 4’s 30th anniversary, the Air Jordan 4 “Fire Red” is now expected to release in 2020 in OG form.
This colorway of the Air Jordan 4 last released in 2012. Unlike the OG 1989 release which featured Nike Air branding, the 2012 release featured Jumpman branding on the heel tab. Expect this upcoming 2020 version to match the OG release with Nike Air branding on the heel.
Check out the 2012 Air Jordan 4 “Fire Red” below (available on StockX) and look for the 2020 Air Jordan 4 “Fire Red” to release on Black Friday, which lands on November 27 this year. Stay tuned to Modern Notoriety for updates.
Air Jordan 4 “Fire Red”
Color: White/Black-Tech Grey-Fire Red
Style Code: DC7770-160
Release Date: November 28, 2020
Price: $200 USD
Update (10/27/20): Official images of the upcoming Air Jordan 4 “Fire Red” have arrived. These are now slated to drop on November 28th (the day after Black Friday) via SNKRS and select retailers.
Update (09/09/20): Nike has officially announced the return of the Air Jordan 4 “Fire Red” through the SNKRS App. Billed as the “Tech Red,” the OG colorway from 1989 returns in 2020, bringing back the OG Nike Air branding for the first time ever. Check out screenshots from SNKRS Special: Air Jordan IV ‘Tech Red’ below.
Update (09/03/20): A first look photo of the 2020 Air Jordan 4 has surfaced. Check it out below, courtesy of zSneakerheadz.
Nike Air expected on the heel:


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Comcast's VC Arm Funds BelAir
The investment was part of the firm's newly completed series C round. BelAir didn't reveal exactly how much it made this round, but did say that it brings total funding to $44 million. The startup has previously banked around $22 million in VC, so the series C just might be in the region of $22 million.
It's not yet clear that will use BelAir products just because its investement arm has put some money into the company. But BelAir is clearly banking on some cable action with its new boxes.
The company says the new BelAir50 and BelAir100 have DOCSIS 2.0 interfaces so that they can be installed anywhere in existing cable plants so that MSOs and cable operators can offer new services easily to consumers and businesses.
— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Unstrung


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Bloomberg is reporting Manufacturing Growth Slowed in October
Manufacturing in the U.S. expanded at the slowest pace in more than three years last month and construction spending unexpectedly declined because of a deteriorating housing market.
The Institute for Supply Management’s factory index fell to 51.2, lower than forecast, from September’s 52.9. A reading higher than 50 signals expansion. A measure of prices paid for raw materials dropped to the lowest in more than four years. Outlays for construction fell 0.3 percent in September following no change, the Commerce Department said in Washington.
Manufacturers are providing little spark for the economy, which grew the least since 2003 last quarter. Together with weaker consumer confidence reported yesterday, the figures spurred traders to begin wagering the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates by the end of March.
“You can see the evidence of economic slowing here almost every day,” said Roger Kubarych, senior economic adviser at HVB America Inc. in New York and a former Fed economist. The Fed is “going to have to come off this bias toward tightening very soon. The risks of an economic slowdown are very great.”
Fed policy markers may take comfort in the drop in the index of prices manufacturers pay for raw materials, which suggests inflation pressures are subsiding. The index fell to 47, from 61 in September. The measure is down 26 points over the last two months, the biggest back-to-back drop since records began in 1948.
Economists expected the overall index to rise to 53, according to the median of 72 forecasts in a Bloomberg News survey. Estimates ranged from 49 to 56.
A build-up in inventories is pushing some companies to cut production as a way to clear their shelves. Caterpillar Inc., the world’s largest marker of earthmoving equipment, started cutting back inventory in its third quarter and said on Oct. 20 that it expects a “sharp drop” in truck engine sales.
“We have work to do on our production facilities,” Caterpillar Chief Financial Officer David Burritt said in an interview on Oct. 20. “We see our business entering a pause, if you will, but beyond that we’re optimistic about the future.”
Bloomberg reported “construction spending unexpectedly declined because of a deteriorating housing market”.
I am wondering how anyone could possibly have expected to construction spending to stay elevated in the face of the housing bust. Yet somehow we have a “big surprise” over these numbers.
It seems that very few see the massive recession that is coming. Instead we see “optimism about the future” from Caterpillar with similar optimism reiterated every 15 minutes by the cheerleaders on CNBC. I will have more on this theme in my next post.
October ISM Chart
The above chart is courtesy of Institute for Supply Management
Pay particular notice of the prices paid for raw materials component. It fell from 61 in September to 47 in October. “The measure is down 26 points over the last two months, the biggest back-to-back drop since records began in 1948” yet all the inflationists on Silicon Investor and other places are still harping about about double digit inflation.
Once again the deflation key to me is an actual credit contraction as opposed to a decline in prices. Yet I am nearly stunned at how those perpetually fixated on prices are ignoring ISM data and the housing collapse while closely monitoring trivial data such as the NYT increasing home delivery charges. Yes someone actually posted that on my blog as proof that deflation was not happening.
This collapse in ISM prices paid should really not have been a surprise to those watching the trends. On August 16th in Intermediate vs. Finished PPI I asked “Where is the pricing power?” A table in the above link shows that for months on end it was extremely difficult to pass on price increases. While raw materials costs were soaring at that time, the intermediate PPI showed rising input costs simply were not being passed on. The situation was unstable. This was resolved by a break in the expected direction: south. The reason that direction should have been expected was (and remains) a sustained downturn in housing. A consumer led recession is going to follow.
David F. Seiders, Chief Economist for the National Association of HomeBuilders is reporting Economic Growth Continues to Slow, But Recession Is Unlikely
As expected, growth of real gross domestic product (GDP) slowed further in the third quarter, according to the “advance” estimate released by the Commerce Department on Oct. 27. Third-quarter growth slipped to an annual rate of 1.6%, marking the second consecutive quarter of below-trend economic performance.
It’s likely that GDP growth will remain somewhat below trend in the final quarter of this year (we’re projecting 2.7%), and RFI will once again exert a significant drag on economic growth.
However, the worst of the housing contraction now appears to be behind us, and the overall economy should strengthen in 2007 — steering clear of recession and carrying the expansion forward for years to come.
Now just what kind of nonsense is that? Does anyone really think the NAHB “expected” the GDP to slow to 1.6%? Of course it was really more like .9% on account of auto production. But more to the point, where is the evidence that the “housing contraction now appears to be behind us, and the overall economy should strengthen in 2007 “?
Indeed there is every indication that the housing bust is gaining steam. The yield curve sure is not suggesting anything close to a strengthening economy in 2007. Furthermore, we have not yet seen the effect of construction layoffs, rising foreclosures, and the inevitable spillover into consumer spending and commercial construction that tends to follow residential construction with a 6-12 month lag.
The Financial Times is reporting Eurozone inflation at 7-year low.
Eurozone inflation has fallen to its lowest level since November 1999 and economic confidence has reached a five-year high. However, German consumers have again spoilt the upbeat picture with September’s retail sales down on a year earlier.
The overall upbeat data on Tuesday highlighted the strength of economic activity in the final months of the year. However, the fall in the inflation rate, to 1.6 per cent in October from 1.7 per cent in September, added to the presentational problems facing the European Central Bank.
The ECB will almost certainly keep its main interest rate unchanged at 3.25 per cent on Thursday but has signalled that another quarter percentage point rise is highly likely in December – even though inflation is within its target of a rate “below but close” to 2 per cent.
The unexpectedly weak German retail sales figures suggested that economic recovery still lacks a broad domestic dynamism in Europe’s largest economy.
Once again we see the term “unexpectedly weak”. Does anyone anywhere (except us bears that no one listens to) ever expect bad news? Does anyone see what is coming? German spending on big ticket items actually soared recently because of a huge VAT (value added tax) increase that takes place in January. With everyone scrambling earlier to purchase big ticket items ahead of time, one might think we might see a slowdown into the end of the year and certainly in the first half of next year.
Perhaps we see a pickup in December getting all the bulls lathered up before the bottom falls out in January. Someone remind me to check in January if the bottom falling out of German consumer spending in 2007 was “expected” or not. For the record, I expect it to.
What has me laughing at that article however is the idea that “the fall in the inflation rate, to 1.6 per cent in October from 1.7 per cent in September, added to the presentational problems facing the European Central Bank.”
The question here is “Do we want lower inflation or not?” If we do, should we really be worried about “presentational problems” simply because no one is expecting lower inflation?
Let’s now turn our focus to the nightmare deflationary scenario facing the Fed. Stage one is the housing bubble bust now underway. Stage two is a massive loss of construction jobs. Stage three is a massive loss of white collar jobs.
MSN is reporting Pressure builds on U.S. business to outsource.
Pressure on the U.S. labor market from the outsourcing of traditionally white-collar jobs is just starting to build, according to a new study.
Fortune 500 companies could potentially save $58 billion annually, or some $116 million per company, by offshoring general and administrative jobs, according to the Hackett Group, a strategic advisory firm.
The study estimates that increased use of cheaper overseas labor could affect up to 1.47 million back-office jobs, or nearly 3,000 at a typical Fortune 500 company.
Some of the job functions that can now more readily be shipped overseas than they could several years ago include IT, finance, human resources and procurement, the group said.
“Over the past few years, the resources available offshore have matured to an extent no one could have imagined, creating a paradigm shift that companies can ignore only at their peril,” said Julio Ramirez, Hackett managing director.
The education base and skill set, and with it the potential savings on labor costs, is on the rise in India, China, the Philippines, Pakistan, Eastern Europe, Brazil and other emerging countries, the Hackett study contends.
In fighting the dotcom bubble bust the Fed unwittingly (or wittingly whichever you prefer) created an even bigger bubble in housing. As long as home prices rose and consumers could service that debt things were OK. Well home prices are no longer rising and cracks are in the consumer dike are appearing as evidenced rising foreclosure rates. A housing related jobs bust is 100% guaranteed to follow. That slowdown is likely to put additional pressure on companies to maintain earnings anyway they can. Heaven help us if the method chosen is outsourcing of additional white collar jobs.
The bottom line is simple. There is no conceivable action the Fed can take to replace jobs lost by a general economic slowdown, a housing slowdown, and increased outsourcing of white collar jobs. The mother of all credit bubble busts is coming and when it does it will not have anything remotely to do with inflation.
Mike Shedlock / Mish/


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Morrisons blames online absence as it sinks in grocers' fight for Christmas
Morrisons blamed its limited presence in the fast growing convenience store market and a total absence selling food over the internet for ‘disappointing’ Christmas sales.
The grocer was the first of the big four supermarket giants to give a glimpse of the tough festive trading conditions as hard-up consumers sought out promotions and searched for bargains.
The sales slump at Morrisons came as industry figures showed flat underlying food sales across the board, spreading further gloom ahead of forthcoming updates from Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer later this week.
Disappointing: Analysts claim the supermarket has lost touch with some of its core customers
Morrisons boss Dalton Philips said a 2.5 per cent fall in underlying sales for the six weeks to December 30, down from 2.1 per cent over the third quarter, was ‘slightly worse than anticipated’.
Investors had already factored the lacklustre figures into the company’s share price, which closed down 0.8p to 256.1p.
Philips said: ‘I was disappointed. Three areas affected the performance. Our effectiveness at telling shoppers how we are different, the challenging market conditions in which disposable incomes of shoppers have shrunk, and the increasing dominance of other selling channels [online and convenience].
‘However we continued to maintain good availability and high standards of service throughout the seasonal peak.’
Historically when it has come to growth Morrisons has been on the back foot.
Its stuttering £2.9billion acquisition of rival Safeway distracted the former management at a time when they should have been expanding the business into new growth areas such as convenience, non-food, online and international.
The convenience store market is growing at about 6 per cent a year, while the online food market is growing at about 20 per cent – channels long exploited by Morrisons’ rivals.
Clive Black, an analyst at broker Shore Capital, said: ‘Morrison has been under-performing the UK grocery market for some months and that trend continued through the key Christmas trading period. We believe that the business has lost touch with some of its core customers but not attracted new ones.’
Philips attacked the Government for not relaxing the six hour trading rule on the key Sunday before Christmas and said a third more customers kept to tight budgets using shopping lists.
He also expects the difficult market conditions to continue.
Latest industry figures show that after a sluggish start to the year, the final few days leading up to Christmas saw a last-minute sales boost.
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Shironeko Project: Zero Chronicle, the television anime of Colopl’s Shironeko Project smartphone game, will premiere in April 2020.
Colopl’s Shironeko Project smartphone game launched in Japan in 2014, and launched in English with the title Rune Story in 2015.
Game developer Colopl announced on Thursday that it is changing the release window of its Shironeko New Project game from 2020 to an undetermined time period.
The 3D action RPG features real-time battles and players can team up together in groups of four to take on foes.
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SEATTLE – The FAA says passengers who own Samsung Galaxy Note7 phones will no longer be allowed to turn them on or charge them while on a plane. They also cannot pack them in checked luggage.
The ruling comes a day after the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall of the mobile devices because of reports of dozens of phones exploding due to a fault with the batter.
Aviation authorities in Australia and Europe are also enacting the same rules.
Passengers are being told to make sure to disable any features that may cause the phones to activate on their own, such as alarm clocks.
Copyright 2016 KING


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According to EastFruit, at the end of the past week, last year's potatoes and carrots increased in price in Russia and Poland. An increase in prices was also recorded in Moldova (in the segment of potatoes of the 2018 harvest) and Ukraine (in the segment of last year's carrots). At the same time, last year's carrots fell in price in Georgia.
As for the segment of early production, Tajik farmers reported the start of active deliveries of potatoes of a new crop. Meanwhile, in Russia the price of early potatoes fell slightly, and representatives of wholesale companies announced a significant increase in imports of early carrots from Israel.
Last year's potato
Last week, prices for last year's potatoes in all countries of the project monitoring did not decrease. Moreover, in three of them a positive price dynamics was recorded. So, the participants of the produce market of Russia continued to complain about the rapid decline in stocks of quality products, with the result that the average price rose to 20 cents per kg. Similar trends were recorded in Moldova и Poland, where weekly prices rose 18% and 7%, respectively. Moreover, it is worth noting that the positive price dynamics in these three markets has been clearly tracked since late March - early April of this year.
Meanwhile in Ukraine, after rising a week earlier, the situation has relatively stabilized, and sellers rarely resorted to price adjustments. Georgia still remained the leader in prices for last year's potatoes, and Tajikistan - an outsider.
Georgian sellers also managed to stabilize early potato prices this week. As a result, the price in Georgia remained at 93 cents per kg after the collapse a week earlier. The average price for early production in Poland (70 cents per kg).
In the meantime, in view of more active deliveries of potato crops of 2018 from Egypt and Pakistan, wholesale companies from of Russia were forced to lower prices by 8% to 69 cents per kg. IN Tajikistan the season of deliveries of domestic products of a new crop began, and, following the results of the week, prices for the first large batches were fixed at an average of 53 cents per kg.
Last year's carrots
The situation in the segment of last year's carrots was similar to the trends prevailing in the potato market. So, in view of the depletion of stocks of products from local producers, carrots continued to rise in price in of Russia, Ukraine и Poland. It is worth noting that the prices for carrots from the harvest of 2018 have been actively growing in these three countries since the end of March of this year. As a result, during this period, carrots rose in price by 7% in Poland, in Russia the price increased one and a half times, and in Ukraine jumped by 70%.
Meanwhile, this week in Tajikistan и Moldova the price has not changed much, but in Georgia, which still offers the most expensive last year's carrots, it fell 17% to 56 cents per kg.
A source: https://east-fruit.com


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Ecotality, Cisco connect Internet-savvy EV charger
Cisco Systems and Ecotality, an electric-vehicle charging station company, are collaborating to make EVs part of a home energy-management system. Ecotality's Blink home EV charging station will connect to Cisco's Home Energy Controller, a touch-screen device for managing home energy, as part of early electric vehicle trials with consumers. The integration will let electric car owners schedule charging to take advantage of preferential rates offered by utilities for electric vehicles, typically after 9 p.m. From the Cisco home energy dashboard, there is an application to monitor and program how an electric car is charged, according to the companies. Charging an electric car can pull as much power as an entire home consumes, utilities executives say, so consumers have an incentive to charge at off-peak times. But the system is sophisticated enough to communicate with utilities to get discounts beyond the EV tariff, Ecotality CEO Jonathan Read said in an interview.
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We studied customer data from our base, as well metrics from other companies in order prove interesting trends about which true Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) could be measured – wit،ut any guesswork involved!
The Black Friday s،pping craze has been around for more than 50 years, but it’s evolved into an event that happens almost every day of November.
Today there are even “weekend” versions where stores s، their sales early on one certain week and continue through Cyber Monday – these events have helped create other retail ،lidays like Singles Day or Christmas Eve sale periods too!.
A Shift in Black Friday Consumer Behavior
The ،ft towards more environmentally conscious customers means that many businesses have decided to Boycott Black Friday s،pping.
According to Johan Sommar, Avensia’s Chief Strategist there has been an increase in both physical and e-commerce transactions during recent years’ ،ers of Thanksgiving day (Thanksgiving) which some people call “BlackFriday.”
In a world where companies can no longer rely on Black Friday E-Commerce Trends to create sales, they need an offer that is both attractive and compelling. “It isn’t enough anymore just presenting discounts or deals as there is now competing with other offers from compe،ors w، also want customers this ،liday season,” he concludes.
Black Friday E-Commerce Trends in 2021
Companies today have a good understanding of ،w to approach Black Friday.
They know that customers are aware in advance about discounts and prices, so if companies publish an offer wit،ut being transparent from the s، it’s likely consumers will tell their friends through social media.
It doesn’t matter when you buy – if so،ing sounds too good be-online then there’s probably some kind-of catch behind-in order for s،ppers not get caught off guard during this very popular s،pping season.
The expectations of s،ppers have changed in recent years.
They no longer want just discounts but also a great s،pping experience which is why companies must deliver on this front if they want to keep up with their customers’ demands.
In the past, many e-commerce platforms would crash when consumers rushed onto them during Black Friday sales periods due solely because there was too much demand for deals and offers (and not necessarily overspending).
However now it seems as t،ugh people expect more from websites than simply being able make some money off us; we’re supposed.
But today, thanks to more solid systems, e-commerce businesses can avoid the “high alert mode” and employees are still able perform day-to tasks during Black Friday sales period.
Black Friday Performance 2021
Not surprisingly, the sales ،ociated with Black Friday and Cyber Week were more spread out in 2021.
However, e-commerce still accounted for a large proportion of these transactions due to its ease when finding deals as well as being able avoid crowds at stores on this day which often happen during traditional s،pping periods like;
Thanksgiving or Christmas weekends where there can be higher volumes than usual because people have less other responsibilities that require their attention outside buying items online before they arrive ،me later after work ،urs complete alleged.
In our report, we grouped our customers into four segments;
- Beauty & Cosmetics
- Sports & Outdoor
- Fa،on & Design
- Consumer Goods / Other
The report ،yzes the e-commerce performance of various customer types, including both long lasting Avensia clients and new site launches during last year.
It also includes data on retail customers w، use Black Friday concepts in both B2C or D2c environments – this is where you’ll find most people reading about these findings!
The total number of users on the Beauty and Cosmetics websites during November was about equal to last year’s numbers, but there has been an increase in web traffic from average months. The percentage change increased by 70%.
The Avensia data set s،ws that while the average numbers from customers were not remarkable, sports and outdoor retailers did well during Black Friday.
November’s traffic levels are on par with other months for this segment of industry leaders. However returns increased a، these companies’ clientele a lot more so than expected–and it’s thanks largely due to social media influences like Millennials w، rely heavily upon their reviews online before making any purchase decisions.
Risk ،essment: With an ever-growing di،al world out there vying a،nst each other just as much at times even if they don.
The fa،on industry is not immune to the woes of many businesses during these times.
The Black Friday period saw an astoni،ng 63% decrease in traffic for our company’s online store, which happens as much too ensure that customers can order their new items wit،ut having them ،pped right away!
The good news t،ugh?
Customers w، placed orders through buy-now payment plans had increased by 35%. This means you might be able get what’s on your mind even if it doesn’t necessarily come cheap or easy – but at least there will always.
The global consumer goods industry is currently dealing with supply chain problems that have led to more disappointment for customers.
The divide between big-name retailers and small independents means many of them avoided Black Friday this year, despite it being an opportunity a، other things like lower prices or better deals than usual on certain ،ucts they may need soon anyway.
So, conversion rates were down during the period compared to average months in our company’s history.
With our detailed reports, you’ll get all the KPIs results from each segment and global stats!


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If you’re playing Valorant, you’re going to want an NVIDIA GPU
Earlier this month NVIDIA announced that there will be more improvements to come for Valorant gamers using an NVIDIA GPU. These improvements are part of the Reflex function, already supported by Valorant.
Reflex for Valorant’s update (called Boost Mode) includes some nifty upgrades that could make or break your matches very well. NVIDIA says these will be applied to Fortnite as well. The update, which should already be live for gamers, aims to reduce latency. And less latency that you have to manage during your gaming sessions can only help. After all, latency is the enemy of fast reaction times.
Successful gamers with an NVIDIA GPU should experience up to 15% latency reduction
While NVIDIA doesn’t promise anything like huge graphics improvements, lower latency is still important.
NVIDIA says gamers with Reflex enabled and Boost Mode enabled may see a reduction in latency of up to 15%. Fortnite players can see a reduction of up to 16%. It will not be a massive decrease. But that may be enough to give you the edge you need.
Which is reason enough to want an NVIDIA GPU if you aren’t already using one. Or, to upgrade if you’re still using an old card. That is, if you find that it is possible to locate and buy one. Stock shortages made it nearly impossible to purchase one of the NVIDIAs 30 Series GPU.
But if you’ve been lucky enough to grab one and play Valorant or Fortnite, expect to see these upgrades when you activate the Reflex feature.
Ghostrunner will soon receive NVIDIA Reflex
If you haven’t played Ghostrunner yet, you’re missing out. It’s a crazy race with all the fast paced fights and it will only get better with NVIDIA Reflex. You can see what it looks like in the video above.
And if you thought the game was great before, wait until it gets NVIDIA Reflex support. NVIDIA does not say exactly when the media will go live. But his announcement was made on April 6 and in that announcement he said the feature will go live in the near future.
Players should therefore be on the lookout. NVIDIA also recently launched Reflex for Overwatch. Blizzard’s popular competitive first-person shooter. NVIDIA claims that the inclusion of this feature support should help reduce system latency by up to 50%.


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Amazon Alexa turns 4: 8 things to know
Amazon India recently announced Alexa’s 4th anniversary. According to the brand, customers are enjoying their experience with Alexa.
Here are 8 things to know about Alexa on its 4th anniversary.
Deals on Alexa devices
Amazon is offering up to 50% off on Echo devices, 43% off on Fire TVs, and 30% off on Alexa built-in gadgets. The sale will end at midnight on February 16th.
Bulk of users from non-metro cities
Amazon India claims that more than 50 percent of Alexa users are from non-metro cities. The number of Alexa requests grew by 68% YoY in 2021.
1 lakh+ questions answered every day
Thanks to the growing user base, Alexa answered 1.7 lakh questions every day. The questions ranged from tough math problems to the latest stock market updates.
Most popular Alexa requests
The most popular topics last year were related to COVID, health, and wellness. Alexa answered around 11,500 questions on these topics every day during March-April’21.
Most popular music genres
Alexa played more than 21.6 lakh songs every day for its users. According to Amazon India, the most popular genres were kids, devotional, and regional language songs.
Smart home appliance control
Alexa smart home selection grew by 72% YoY with products from brands like Xiaomi, OnePlus, and Atomberg. Alexa received 2.6 lakh appliance control requests every day.
Goodmorning and Goodnight messages
Amazon India revealed that customers liked to start and conclude their days with Alexa. Alexa received 11,520 “Alexa, good morning” and “Alexa, good night” every day.
Improvement in Alexa’s speech recognition
Amazon claims that it has reduced automatic speech recognition errors by 25%. Additionally, it has improved Alexa’s natural language understanding by 27%.


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Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is getting two brand new weapon personalization packs. The Dragon and Cyborg packs were part of a promotion that allowed users to vote for their favorite. Four packs were available to choose from, with the Comic and Paladin packs losing out to the two winners. Each pack includes a new weapon skin, three reticles, and a calling card.
The Dragon and Cyborg weapon customization packs are now available via the Black Ops 2 in-game store on the Xbox 360. It is unclear whether or not the packs will be making their way to the PC or PS3 versions of the game.


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Apple has expressed concerns to Chinese officials over new rules that would ban unregistered foreign apps from its App Store in China, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. The rules, announced two months ago by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, would prevent Apple from offering many popular apps currently available in the store. These apps, such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and X, are often accessed by Chinese users through virtual private networks (VPNs) despite China’s web access restrictions. Chinese officials believe the new rules will reduce scams and the spread of information that violates censorship rules, while Apple is worried about the impact on its users.
Apple’s concerns highlight the challenges the company faces in its relationship with China, which is an important market for the tech giant and accounts for nearly 20% of its revenue. Additionally, China serves as Apple’s major manufacturing hub. The Chinese government has previously ordered central government employees not to bring iPhones to the office or use them for work, although the extent of this order was unclear. Apple has not publicly commented on the new rules and has not yet responded to CNBC’s request for comment.
This situation raises questions about how Apple will navigate the tension between complying with Chinese regulations and providing access to popular foreign apps for its users. As Apple’s revenue and manufacturing center heavily rely on the Chinese market, finding a balance between the two could be crucial for the company’s future in China. The outcome of these discussions between Apple and Chinese officials will significantly impact the availability of foreign apps and the overall user experience for iPhone users in China.


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The tech giant Apple is reportedly working on a subscription service for Video games for the App store. Here users can pay to play the list of titles available on the platform. Its workings are just like that of Netflix’s where users pay for a limited time subscription to watch shows, series or cinema movies. Apple had already been talking with game developers in the second half of 2018 and all that talk has borne this result – a gaming subscription service, which will no doubt be a big exciting news for apple users and gamers as well.
However, it is still unclear what the subscription will cost, what games and titles it would offer and what features it would have? The service is still in its early stages of development. In best-case scenario, the company could get additional customer base and the users get to play different titles. In worst- case scenario, the company could abandon the service entirely.
The reports on Cheddar also claim that apple plans to act as a games publisher where it hopes to publish, distribute and control the prices of the games. Apple has always been focused on their software and with the addition of game subscription it surely hopes to get an advantage. Currently the video game subscription market has very few players and with the rise of online multiplayer games like PUBG and Fortnite this step could mean an increase in their user numbers. Mobile e-sports is also booming and gaming companies
are pushing their titles to run on the smartphone platform as well.
Apple has been taking steps in many directions to counter its falling sales and stocks in the market. Due to the battery replacement by its users the sales of the iPhones plummeted and so did the company’s stocks. Reports suggest that Apple has been making new original content to rival Netflix, it is also planning to start a news subscription program and the company is also focusing on Apple music to increase its user base.


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Taking the Crypto Show on the Road
Based initially in China, the exchange had to move its business elsewhere after the government began stamping out all forms of cryptocurrency trading within the country.
Later, in the wake of Japan announcing stricter regulatory requirements for obtaining digital asset exchange licenses, Binance shelved its plans to open a new base there.
also turned unkind with the national market regulator calling for more stringent regulations against Binance and other cryptocurrency exchanges.
Facing an uphill task to maintain the credibility of Binance, Zhao described his disappointment with regulatory hurdles.
No need to worry. Some negative news often turn out to be positive in the long term. Chinese have a proverb for this. New (often better) opportunities always emerge during times of change.
— CZ 🔶 Binance (@cz_binance) March 23, 2018
Binance, one of the most significant cryptocurrency exchanges today, is by all accounts, a massive success. From obscurity to being on the cover page of Forbes, life has also come a full circle for Changpeng Zhao, the billionaire founder of the digital currency exchange.
Zhao once famously paused his dinner while at Hong Kong to interview a potential employee while he told others present there that, “[he] really [doesn’t] stop thinking about Binance.”
Not So Humble Beginnings
Launched July 14, 2017, Binance quickly established itself as the fastest tech startup ever to achieve a profitable unicorn status, a title reserved for companies having a valuation of more than $1 billion.
Binance achieved the status within a mere five months of its launch as it zoomed ahead to become the third biggest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume.
Since then, however, it has evolved to single-handedly account for the most amount of trading volume by any exchange.
Zhao was passionate about his programming skills and announced Binance just ten days after he had proposed his plans in a white paper. The utility token (BNB), exclusive to the exchange, has a total market capitalization north of $1 billion.
That, when combined with the fact that the exchange reported a profit of over $200 million in its second quarter of operations, had seen Forbes estimate Zhao’s net worth to be around $2 billion.
Turning European Heads of State
Importantly though, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing for Binance’s 41-year-old founder.
Zhao has reportedly won the faith of Malta’s Prime Minister after he announced plans of setting up a fiat-to-cryptocurrency exchange platform within the country and debated moving his operations there.
A major cause of concern for financial watchdogs has been the almost negligible amount of user verification on Binance. All a new user needs to begin trading on the exchange is an email address.
The Know Your Customer (KYC) policies aren’t strictly adhered to either, and there have been concerns regarding the anonymity with which users can operate accounts.
In January 2018, South Korea warned cryptocurrency exchanges to verify identities of all account holders and terminate trading in accounts operating under a pseudonym or didn’t meet all relevant KYC criteria.
David Shin, President of the Singapore based Asia Fintech Society, told Bloomberg, “Binance lacks regulation and transparency and is like a van stopped in front of an office building selling coffee while the legit coffee shops on the street suffer.’’
For Zhao who began his crypto career at the digital wallet provider, blockchain.info, his battle with financial regulators and watchdogs may just be getting started.


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Food poisoning cases 'linked to raw milk' sales in Kendal rise to 56
More than 50 cases of food poisoning are being linked to a Cumbrian farm selling raw milk, health officials say.
Traces of campylobacter were found in six samples of unpasteurised milk sold at Low Sizergh Barn Farm in Kendal earlier this month.
Now a further 50 possible cases are being investigated by Public Health England (PHE) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
Sales of milk from a vending machine at the farm have been suspended.
Campylobacter is the most common cause of food poisoning and can lead to severe diarrhoea and vomiting.
Farm owner Richard Park said he was co-operating with the investigation and had been "shocked" to discover his milk could be contaminated.
The 50 fresh cases were the result of an online questionnaire which people who had recently visited the farm were asked to complete.
Those affected range in age from a one-year-old to 86.
The FSA said the farm would not be allowed to sell any more raw milk until three consecutive tests showed no further traces of the bacteria.
Mr Park said: "For months I have been testing the milk and getting the right procedures in place.
"But campylobacter wasn't one of the bacteria we were asked to test for so it came as rather a shock when I got the phone call.
"If things go reasonably smoothly, I would say that within a month we'll be back up and running and selling it again."
The farm, which began offering unpasteurised milk from its vending machine in March, sold about 70 litres a day.
In August the farm won a National Trust fine farm produce award for its unpasteurised milk.


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The suspended finance chief of Patisserie Valerie's parent firm has been arrested by police overnight, just days after the discovery of potentially fraudulent accounting irregularities.
Patisserie Holdings said in a market announcement on Friday that Chris Marsh, who was suspended from his role earlier this week, has since been released on bail.
It comes just days after the cafe chain owner said it had discovered a major black hole in its accounts.
Yesterday, the chain announced it was on the brink of collapse unless it could ensure a rapid injection of capital.
The firm has a branch in Doncaster’s Frenchgate Center and an outlet in Barker’s Pool in Sheffield.
Patisserie Holdings said on Wednesday that it has been notified of "significant, and potentially fraudulent, accounting irregularities and therefore a potential material mis-statement of the company's accounts".
This significantly affected the company's cash position, with the firm saying it could lead to a "material change" in its overall financial position.
Mr Marsh was later suspended from his role and accountancy giant PwC drafted in to look through the company's books.
To compound its troubles, Patisserie Holdings has also received a winding-up petition for its principal trading unit Stonebeach, with a hearing now scheduled for October 31.
It relates to £1.14 million owed to HMRC.
The cake chain has now warned that it will cease trading without an "immediate" cash injection.
The firm could be forced to appoint administrators as early as Friday.
Emergency fundraising talks overseen by advisers to Patisserie Holdings were continuing on Thursday evening. Other options on the table include a loan or a rights issue.
Chairman Luke Johnson is said to be considering stepping in with funds that could help save the business.
Mr Johnson, a serial entrepreneur, is the largest shareholder in Patisserie Holdings with a 37% stake.
If a buyer for the group does emerge, any purchase is likely be conducted via a pre-pack administration process, where a new owner is able to shed onerous liabilities.
PwC, which is working with the firm on its financial position, is the most likely to carry out the insolvency, but several other corporate undertakers are also thought to be waiting in the wings.
Patisserie Valerie trades from more than 200 stores and also has a partnership with Sainsbury's, with branded counters present in the supermarket.


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'Urgent intervention': UK supermarkets appeal for govt action to tackle N. Ireland post-Brexit food supply problems
The UK's biggest supermarket chains have come together to call for government action "to prevent significant disruption" to Northern Ireland's food supply chains due to new customs regulations under the Brexit deal.
The CEOs of Asda, Iceland, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Co-op said that "urgent intervention" was needed to address the current situation before new procedures are enforced when the "grace period" for simplified trade controls expires on March 31.
In a letter to the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Michael Gove, on Tuesday, the supermarket chiefs said: "The current proposals, increased bureaucracy and increased certification in such a short timescale, are unworkable."
CEOs of ASDA, Tesco, M&S, Sainsbury’s, Iceland and Coop have told the government there will be “significant disruption” to food supplies in Northern Ireland unless it urgently renegotiates the customs rules for Irish Sea agreed with the EU. Full letter (sent yesterday) is here: pic.twitter.com/LxhxFr9MpA— Joel Hills (@ITVJoel) January 13, 2021
Shortages of fresh fruit, vegetables and meat have been witnessed by customers in some supermarkets in Northern Ireland this week due to additional red tape imposed by the UK's post-Brexit trade deal with the EU.
Under the Northern Ireland Protocol, which took effect on January 1, businesses sending goods from England, Scotland and Wales to the region must comply with new regulations due to a customs border in the Irish Sea.
This allows Northern Ireland to remain in the EU's single market for goods, but means there are specific rules for British traders moving goods into the region, such as applying for export health certificates from official vets for animal products.Also on rt.com Brexit bites: Northern Ireland shoppers face empty shelves as red tape clogs supermarkets’ supply chains
On Wednesday, MPs in the UK Parliament asked Gove about the potential food shortages and price rises faced by those in Northern Ireland, to which he responded by claiming that some of the problems have already been addressed.
"We will make it clear to the European Commission what the consequences would be if supermarkets are not in a position [after March 31] to carry on with the service they provide to Northern Ireland consumers," he said.
Gove also cited the head of the British Retail Consortium, Andrew Opie, who also signed the joint letter and who said that food supply chains were operating "as normal," according to Gove.
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Sony Shares Holiday PlayStation Sales
PS3 on track for 15 million units sold this fiscal year.
Sony Computer Entertainment announced today that it sold 6.5 million units of PlayStation brand hardware over the holiday season.
PlayStation Vita sold 500,000 units following its Japanese launch on December 17 and Asian launch on December 23.
PlayStation 3 sold 3.9 million units over the holiday season, with Sony saying that the system is on track to meet its target of 15 million units sold this fiscal year (ending March 31, 2012). PlayStation Move sold 1.7 million units over the period.
Worldwide PSP sales reached 1.6 million units over the holiday season. In Europe this past November, Sony released a 99 Euro PSP revision that lacks Wi-Fi.
The "holiday season" according to Sony covers November 21 through January 5 for Japan and Asia, November 21 through December 31 for North America, and November 18 through December 31 for Europe. The sales figures are internal estimates of retail sales to customers (this is different from the shipment figures Sony usually gives).


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UKinbound has added its voice to the tourism industry’s criticism of the changes to Air Passenger Duty announced on Monday in the Government’s Pre-Budget Report. The trade association said the move will damage inbound tourism, with long haul and business travellers to the UK being hit particularly hard. Long haul visitors are incredibly important to the UK’s visitor economy as they stay for longer periods and on average spend a lot more than short haul travellers. UKinbound said that along with additional taxes, the Government’s actions will encourage inbound travellers to choose other destinations.
The changes will mean taxes on flights between the UK and Europe will rise by 10% to £11 in November 2009 and £12 in 2010. US travellers, the UK’s main market for tourism, will see their taxes rise from £40 to £60 in 2010. For standard long haul visitors travelling over 6000 miles (including Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia, three key inbound markets), their taxes will rise from £40 to £85 in 2010. Business visitors will also be severely affected with taxes for travellers on any flights above economy rising to anything up to £170 from 2010.
Mary Rance Chief Executive of UKinbound said:
“At a time when the pound is at its weakest level for years, international travellers should be encouraged to holiday here and take advantage of the fantastic value currently offered in the UK. Instead the Government is imposing higher taxes on long haul visitors and discouraging them to visit.
“The current system of taxing each passenger is said by the Government to be a way of helping to reduce carbon emissions. There is no proof that this works, but there is proof to suggest that this deters overseas visitors from travelling to the UK in favour of other European countries with less tax to pay.”


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Although most of the announcements have previously leaked (all the Pixel 8 news below), Google had a surprise of sorts in store. It integrates Assistant and Bard AI together. During the demo, Google showed Assistant pulling details from a party invitation in Gmail. Ask where the party is, and Bard Assistant can tell you the location and tap on Google Maps for directions. While you could ask for directions in the past, Assistant can now pull the address from other contexts.
You can chat with Bard to create a meal plan using your grocery list and export it to Google Docs or Gmail without a keyboard or copy and paste. There’s no release date yet, but Google says Assistant with Bard will be coming soon to Android and iOS.
A quick note to anyone who tried to sign up but didn’t get the TMA newsletter, we’ve now upgraded the sign-up process. Please click here to subscribe!
– Matt Smith
The biggest stories you might have missed
Google Pixel Watch 2 hands-on
Apple fixes iPhone 15 overheating issue
Google’s Pixel 8 is a smaller 6.2-inch phone with a larger battery
The Pixel 8 series gets more AI-powered editing tools for photos and video
There is a temperature sensor on the Pro model as well.
The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro look very similar to their predecessors, with a few key differences. The regular Pixel 8 is a bit smaller, making it easier to use with one hand. Meanwhile, the Pro model features a new matte look, upgraded cameras, and an interesting temperature sensor. Across the Pixel 8 series, we get the company’s Tensor G3 processor and, in particular, seven years of Android and security updates, so you may be able to keep your flagship Pixel device for a lot longer than before.
The Pixel 8 Pro’s new temperature sensor sounds like a gimmick (and maybe it is?), but in the stale and tired world of smartphones, we’ll take anything different. To take a reading, you’ll have to launch the new Temperature app and select the type of body you’re trying to measure. Google is awaiting FDA approval to enable the Pixel 8 Pro to take body temperature readings.
The price of the new Pixel 8 starts at $699, which is $100 more than its predecessor, while the Pixel 8 Pro costs $999, which is $100 more than the Pixel 7 Pro.
Company president Brian Chesky also revealed that Airbnb is considering car rentals.
Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb, told… Financial Times The company will go “a little beyond its core business” starting next year. Chesky wants Airbnb to expand its focus and currently plans to move toward long-term rentals. The service does offer month-to-month rentals, but apparently only 18 percent of total nights booked in Q2 2023 are coming from stays longer than 30 days. Chesky believes the company can do more to generate interest in long-term bookings.
The company has also launched a redesigned app.
Patreon has announced a broad rebranding of its platform with a series of updates. It includes providing more ways for supporters to follow their favorites while incorporating more free content from creators. Creators can now let people join in for free sharing of content and updates for non-paying members, while (optionally) hiding things like early access to podcasts or videos behind a paywall. They can also use a new business tool to sell individual pieces of content such as recordings, videos, and downloadable files.
The three focus areas this year are personalization, control, and accessibility.
Google is rolling out the public release of Android 14. As always, Pixel users will be able to download the new version of the operating system first on supported models (Pixel 4a and later). Samsung, OnePlus, and other Android device makers will be able to access the update later this year. Deeper customization is a major focus this time around. You’ll be able to choose from a variety of lock screen templates. You’ll have more ways to customize your wallpaper thanks to the addition of creative AI capabilities. Select a text prompt and the AI will prepare a relevant image for you.
“Certified food guru. Internet maven. Bacon junkie. Tv enthusiast. Avid writer. Gamer. Beeraholic.”


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Jones (pictured) will oversee all the agency’s creative output and report to UK CEO Jamie Wynne-Morgan.
He spent five years as creative director at AnalogFolk, where he worked on campaigns for major brands including Nike, PepsiCo, Lucozade and Sainsbury’s.
Jones was previously at Omnicom-owned Tribal Worldwide, and Elvis Communications, working on clients including Virgin Group and Britvic.
Wynne-Morgan said "It was a tough brief. A creative director who is 100 per cent channel neutral and can turn their hand to any consumer passion from house music, to rugby, to street culture. Someone who wants to be as involved in the ideation as the direction and who could fit into our agency culture and philosophy. Seth brings all of the above and more. He really believes in the power of a simple idea and can articulate it beautifully. After 14 successful years we’re very excited to be pushing our creative on again with Seth leading the way."
The appointment follows the recent promotion of key members of M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment’s leadership team, including chief executive Steve Martin, who became global CEO. Wynne-Morgan took the UK CEO role, with Jodie Fullagar and Richard Barker promoted to joint MDs.
At its half-year results in September, parent company M&C Saatchi said Sport & Entertainment was "continuing to trade particularly positively". PRWeek’s most recent UK Top 150 Consultancies report showed the agency grew revenue 17.1 per cent to £8.25m in 2017, employing 67 people at the year end.
The agency’s clients include Coca-Cola, NatWest, Heineken, Ballantine’s and Reebok.
PRWeek listed the UK's top creative directors today, as part of this year's Power Book, with Edelman's Jackie Cooper taking the top spot.


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Michelman recently announced it has invested in new digital imaging technology that can allow chemists to view coating and substrate samples at nano-level magnification. The new technology is part of Michelman’s investment in its Michelman Advanced Materials Collaboration Center, which recently opened at the company’s Cincinnati, Ohio, global headquarters.
The new imaging technology, which is reportedly not widely available in the packaging coatings and specialty chemicals industries, can allow Michelman to analyze surface characteristics that are critical to development of successful coating systems for paperboard, corrugated, flexible packaging, wood, metal, plastic, concrete, and other industrial applications. The information gathered includes high-resolution 3D and topographical views using non-destructive sample preparation and roughness measurements. Multiple samples can be quickly recorded and compared using various analysis modes.
“Our new digital imaging technology is allowing us to help customers troubleshoot problem formulations, and bring effective new or reformulated products to market faster than ever before,” said Robert Turnbull, global technology manager for Printing and Packaging. “Analysis that was previously impossible, or that took weeks to perform, can now be done in a fraction of the time compared to scanning electron microscopy or other high-resolution techniques.”
For more information, visit www.michelman.com.


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GREECE: Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling plans financial centre - report
Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Co is to open a human resources and financial services centre
Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Co is to open a human resources and financial services centre in Bulgaria, according to reports.
The Coca-Cola bottler will open the centre in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia by the end of 2011, Bloomberg wrote today (17 May). The build is expected to create around 200 jobs, according to the publication.
Last week, the company posted a net loss in the first-quarter as a result of increasing commodity prices.
- Why Scotch must drop the 'malts good, blends bad'
- Pernod's mood darkens over India - Analysis
- Does alcohol accelerate the onset of dementia?
- Cognac is back - is Remy Cointreau ready?
- Soft drinks is losing the recycling game
- Diageo to cut 105 jobs in Scotland, 50 in Italy
- Scotch sales set to soar, despite recent struggles
- Pernod Ricard posts solid YTD sales jump - results
- Pernod Ricard YTD fiscal-2017 sales performance
- Cognac needs innovation at bottom end - Pernod
- Global Scotch insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- Global Champagne and sparkling wine insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- Battle of the Generations - The fight for iGen, Millennial, Gen X and Baby Boomer consumers
- Myanmar - ISA Country Report
- Flavoured Powder Drinks in 2017: Confronting an Ageing World


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Organization Says Science Supports Benefits of Garlic
Research in 4-Year Study Shows Herb Can Prevent or Reverse Plaque Buildup in Arteries
Austin, Tx. September 28, 2000 - A science organization dealing with medicinal herbs says that despite some recent research questioning the value of the popular herb garlic in lowering cholesterol levels, there are still good reasons why consumers should continue its use.
A review article published last week in the Annals of Internal Medicine by researchers at University of Exeter in England analyzed 13 clinical studies of garlic on about 800 people. The authors found in the meta-analysis, a statistical review of clinical trials, that garlic supplementation lowered total cholesterol significantly more than a placebo (dummy pill), about four to six percent. In garlic studies where diet was also modified, there was not a significant difference of cholesterol levels between the garlic and placebo groups. The authors noted that changes in diet can lower total cholesterol up to 5 percent
after about six months while conventional statin drugs can lower cholesterol around 17 percent. Previous meta-analyses on garlic have concluded that the herb can lower total cholesterol levels an average of nine to twelve percent.
The British researchers concluded that garlic is superior to placebo in reducing cholesterol levels, but that the size of this effect is modest and the "robustness of the effect is debatable" and thus of "questionable value" from a clinical perspective.
However, before consumers stop taking their garlic capsules, they should consider other well-documented cardiovascular benefits of the herb, says Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of the nonprofit American Botanical Council (ABC), a scientific research and education organization.
Blumenthal pointed to a four-year study published last year in the journal Atherosclerosis, where researchers studied 152 subjects who were diagnosed with significant plaque buildup and at least one additional cardiovascular risk factor (i.e., high LDL levels, high blood pressure, diabetes, history of smoking). The increase of arterial plaque on the walls of arteries reduces the overall volume of blood circulation thereby increasing the probability of raised blood pressure levels. This
can lead to a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack or stroke.
In this study those people who used 900 mg of a leading German garlic supplement (Kwai ) experienced a lowering of plaque levels (down an average of 2.6 percent) while those in the control group actually experienced an increase in plaque volume (up an average of 15.6 percent). The researchers wrote, "These results substantiated that not only a preventive but possibly also a curative role in arteriosclerosis therapy (plaque regression) may be ascribed to garlic remedies."
"The results of this study are highly significant," Blumenthal noted, "and constitute a reasonable basis for increased ingestion of garlic as a conventional food and continued use of garlic in dietary supplement form, especially for people who may have a high risk of plaque-related cardiovascular disease."
Garlic (Allium sativum) is one of the most popular herbs in the U.S. marketplace, ranking fourth in herb sales in mainstream retail outlets. Last year sales of garlic products in mainstream stores declined about nine percent from $84,705,720 in 1998 to $77,156,048 in 1999, according to HerbalGram, the journal of ABC and the Herb Research Foundation.
Founded in 1988 in Austin, Texas, the American Botanical Council is the leading independent nonprofit research and education organization that educates the public on the responsible and scientific use of medicinal plants. HerbalGram has been published since 1983 as a reliable and authoritative source of herb and medicinal plant research, regulatory and market issues, native plant conservation and other general interest aspects of herb use. Information for consumers and healthcare professionals about herbal medicine may be found on the organization's website www.herbalgram.org.
Stevinson, C. et al. Garlic for Treating Hypercholesterolemia: A
Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. Annals of Internal Medicine
Koscielny, J. et al. The antiatherosclerotic effect of Allium sativum.
Atherosclerosis 1999; 144(1):237-249.


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SUTHERLANDS RIVER, NS, July 17, 2018 /CNW/ - Commuting to work, visiting loved ones, enjoying a vacation – highways help Canadians get to where they need to go. They connect our communities and help businesses move goods to markets across the country and around the world.
The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced a major investment of $90 million to improve safety, reduce congestion, and increase traffic capacity on the Trans-Canada Highway in northeastern Nova Scotia.
The project, led by the Government of Nova Scotia, will improve a 38-kilometre stretch of Highway 104, from Sutherlands River to Antigonish, by twinning and upgrading 28 kilometres of the highway. It will also include a new 10-kilometre, four-lane highway, to be connected to the existing roadway once completed. The Government of Nova Scotia is contributing $195 million to the project.
The project will create good, middle class jobs during construction, and accommodate future increases in traffic. The project will also connect a vital trade and transportation corridor from the New Brunswick border to Newfoundland and Labrador via the Marine Atlantic Ferry Service at North Sydney, Nova Scotia.
"Twinning and upgrading Highway 104 is about improving road safety, creating good, middle class jobs, and making it easier for people – and products – to move across the province and the country. Our government will continue to listen to communities, and make historic investments in the infrastructure they need, today and for the future."
—The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
"Our government is investing in Canada's economy by improving our trade and transportation corridors. We're supporting projects to more efficiently move commercial goods to market and people to their destinations, stimulate economic growth, create quality middle-class jobs, and ensure that Canada's transportation networks remain competitive and efficient."
—The Hon. Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport
"Transportation and distribution of goods are a vital part of our local, regional and national economies. This crucial investment will do more than just improve the movement of goods and people; it will save lives by significantly increasing the safety of all motorists on this key section of Nova Scotia highway."
—The Hon. Scott Brison, President of the Treasury Board and Member of Parliament for Kings—Hants
"Nova Scotians want us to improve the safety of our roads and we are committed to doing just that. Highway 104 is an essential piece of infrastructure that connects communities in our province, and Nova Scotia to the rest of the country. I'm pleased our federal partners are working with us on this project that will make the highway safer and create jobs."
—The Hon. Stephen McNeil, Premier of Nova Scotia
"Twinned highways save lives, create jobs and make our transportation system more efficient and safe for business and the travelling public. Having worked on this project from my first day in office, I am incredibly pleased to see the Highway 104 twinning receive this funding. I look forward to seeing this highway completed in the near future."
—Sean Fraser, Member of Parliament for Central Nova
- This funding is provided through the National Trade Corridors Fund, which supports projects that:
- help the transportation system withstand the effects of climate change and adapt to new technologies and innovation;
- address transportation bottlenecks and congestion along Canada's trade corridors;
- support economic activity and the physical movement of goods and people in Canada; and
- improve the movement of Canadian goods to markets around the world through our ports, airports, roads, railways, intermodal facilities, bridges, and border crossings.
- Provincial, territorial, and municipal governments, Indigenous groups, not-for-profit and for-profit private-sector organizations, federal Crown Corporations, Canadian Port Authorities, and National Airport System Airport Authorities are all eligible for funding under the National Trade Corridors Fund.
- As announced in November 2016 and detailed in Budget 2017, the Government of Canada is investing $10.1 billion over the next 11 years in trade and transportation projects.
- Transportation is an important element of Canada's trade with other countries. In 2017, total international merchandise trade amounted to $1.1 trillion. The United States continued to be Canada's top trade partner, with $703 billion in trade ($415 billion exported, $288 billion imported), accounting for 63.5 per cent of total Canadian trade in 2017.
- In May 2018, the Government of Canada announced $350,000 for a study that will explore viable options to address climate change impacts on the Chignecto Isthmus Trade Corridor between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The Chignecto Isthmus is an economically important transportation corridor that carries an estimated $50 million per day in trade.
- In April 2018, the Government of Canada reached an agreement with Nova Scotia worth $828 million for infrastructure funding over the next ten years. This long-term support will provide unprecedented investments across four priority areas: public transit; green infrastructure; community, culture and recreation infrastructure; and northern and rural community infrastructure.
- Investing in Canada Plan
- National Trade Corridors Fund
- Trade and Transportation Corridor Initiative
- Transportation 2030
This document is also available at https://pm.gc.ca/
SOURCE Prime Minister's Office
For further information: PMO Media Relations: [email protected]


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Cardano's ADA Is Now Tradable on Coinbase
ADA is currently the third-largest cryptocurrency, with a market capitalization of $41.9 billion.
Days after being listed on Coinbase Pro, Cardano's ADA token is available to Coinbase retail traders for the first time.
The San Francisco-based crypto exchange announced the listing Friday:
ADA is currently the third-largest cryptocurrency, with a market capitalization of $41.9 billion, according to CoinGecko.
Fans of the ADA token have long clamored for a Coinbase listing. The coin is up roughly 3% in the past hour, trading hands at $1.30.
"This marks another significant milestone in the development of Cardano, allowing Coinbase’s extensive user base to access ADA for the first time," Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson, CEO of IOHK, said in a statement.
Update (March 20, 21:48 UTC): Adds comment from Cardano's Charles Hoskinson.
The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups. As part of their compensation, certain CoinDesk employees, including editorial employees, may receive exposure to DCG equity in the form of stock appreciation rights, which vest over a multi-year period. CoinDesk journalists are not allowed to purchase stock outright in DCG.
Learn more about Consensus 2023, CoinDesk’s longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.


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After the expiry date on many product labels were gradually changed to “Best Before,” now the European Union (EU) is considering dropping that information on packaged food, says Anna Brones in an article that appeared online at Care2.com.
Brones says the problem of food wastage is making the EU review the need for food expiration labels, and even consider getting rid of some of them.
Like Americans, Europeans also waste so much food—about 89 million tons, says Brones. In view of this, the Dutch and Swedish agriculture ministers have written letters encouraging the EU to loosen their rules. “Specifically, they want products with a long shelf life (think: rice) to be exempt from the EU rules that currently require all packaged food to bear a ‘best before’ label,” Brones says.
She quotes the Natural Resources Defense Council, the New York City-based nonprofit international environmental advocacy group: “All those dates on food products—sell by, use by, best before—almost none of those dates indicate the safety of food.”
As a result of confusion over what the dates actually mean, Brones says nine out of 10 Americans “throw out food that is still good to eat.” She says that in the United States, some 40 percent of food goes to waste.
That is a lot of food that could have been put to good use, considering the number of hungry people even in the US. “There’s no doubt that there’s plenty of food that could still be consumed that’s destined for the garbage bin,” Brones says.
Pointing out that confusion over labels is a lead factor in food wastage, she quotes Tonio Borg, European commissioner for health and consumer policy: “Only about 50 percent of people correctly understand the meaning of best before.”
Sharon Dijksma, Dutch minister for agriculture, estimates that about 15 percent of food is wasted because of that misunderstanding.
What does “best before” really mean? In the EU, the label suggests quality of the food, like taste and texture. “The food is of its best quality up until that date, but afterward it’s still safe to eat. In fact, retailers can still sell food after the best before date,” Brones says.
In the US, she says, the situation is more confusing because the labeling system is decentralized. Brones says, “With no federal standards, there is a wide amount of discrepancy in food labeling throughout the entire food industry.”
For Filipinos, there is the added problem of how to interpret best before dates. Europeans and members of the British Commonwealth, as well as former British colonies, usually write date, month and year.
What they mean is clear if they spell out the month, as in 25 June 2014. But if the date is given in numbers, as in 10/12/14 (10 Dec. 2014), consumers may read it as Oct. 12, 2014, which is how Filipinos usually write dates.
Some products from Japan, for example, may have dates written starting with the year—such as 12/06/08 (2012 June 8)—which add to the confusion.
As Dijksma tells Civil Eats, according to Brones, “Products like rice, noodles and coffee have nearly indefinite shelf life and the best before date only regards to quality instead of food security.”
Brones says the European Commission set up a working group to study the proposal. It is expected to submit its report before the end of the month.
She adds that in the US, if 30 percent of all the food lost in the country is distributed, “we could feed every food insecure American in their total diet.”
I wonder how many hungry Filipinos we can feed if we are also more prudent in reading those best before labels.
Send letters to The Consumer, Lifestyle Section, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 1098 Chino Roces Ave. cor. Mascardo and Yague Sts., 1204 Makati City; fax 8974793/94; or e-mail [email protected]


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Immediately after announcing a new 30% discount on the OnePlus 3T, the Chinese OEM has also confirmed that the high-end 128GB variant of the 3T will no longer be available for purchase.
The discount and discontinuation of the 128GB variant of the highly successful OnePlus 3T have a hidden meaning, but it’s a no brainer for those who have been following the latest developments from the OEM. Not so long ago, the company published what is the first teaser of the upcoming OnePlus 5, adding that it will be here this summer.
Last year, the OnePlus 3 was unveiled in June, which is just weeks away from today. With the latest developments in mind, it is safe to argue that OnePlus is making arrangements for the release of the new OnePlus 5 flagship killer.
The OEM has placed a 30% discount on all priority shipping purchases for the OnePlus 3T, which is now available in a single 64GB package. Usually, this phone retails at $439 and doing a few calculations will tell you that a 30% discount amounts to slightly above $130. This, in essence, means that you get to purchase a new 3T for just $307. Is there any deal better than this? Well, you won’t find one this easily! However, you must use the coupon code FASTLIKEOP3T before checking out of the company’s store in order to apply this 30% discount.
With the OnePlus 3T priced at $307 and no 128GB variant, the company is looking for ways to clear the shelves in readiness for the OnePlus 5, which should be announced in the coming weeks. As for the 3T, you’ll be getting a phone with a 5.5-inch AMOLED 1080p screen with Gorilla Glass 4 on top. Under the hood, the 3T has an SD821 SoC, a RAM of 6GB and 64GB non-expandable internal storage. The cameras have 16MP sensors on both ends while the battery is a 3400mAh unit that is supported by Dash Charge fast charging technology via a USB-C port.
In terms of software, the OnePlus 3T has Android Marshmallow out of the box, but you can update it immediately to Android 7.1.1 Nougat via an OTA update. To grab this deal, visit the official oneplus.net online shop, which is available in quite a good number of global markets. This deal will end on May 14.


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Nottingham Craft Beer Week set to return for second year
Following the success of the inaugural Nottingham Craft Beer Week last summer, the event returns this July with many more breweries, bars and bottle shops involved. Taking place between Monday 4th July and Sunday 10th July the event promises craft beer drinkers a week of excellent beer from all over the world.
Over twenty bars, bottle shops and breweries are uniting to promote and develop Nottingham’s love for craft beer.
Co-founder of Nottingham Craft Beer Week and director of Left Coast Distribution, Nigel Garlick, commented: “Last year was a pleasantly-surprising success and we are keen to take this to the next stage. Many people drank craft beer for the first time, many tried beers that they would never usually drink and many new favourite beers were found. There are more craft beers being brewed in Nottingham and this year we really want to shout about these too.”
Nigel and the team at Junkyard and Nottingham’s newest pub The Herbert Kilpin have worked with Black Iris and Girvan Distillery to produce a barrel aged Belgian Tripel specially for Nottingham Craft Beer Week. There will be a sampling event during the week with the brewer Alex Wilson and Girvan’s Alwynne Gwilt, aka Miss Whisky, to discuss the brewing process, barrel aging and Girvan whisky.
Nigel stated: “This is really what craft beer is about. Bringing together different parts of the drinks industry and producing something truly unique.”
Other events include a series of tap-takeovers and meet the brewer nights at the Kean’s Head, featuring Somerset based brewery Wild Beer Co, Swedish gypsy brewers Omnipollo and Derbyshire’s finest, Buxton Brewery, who promise to bring some really special and rare beers with them.
There will also be a pop-up micro festival at Hopkinson on Station Street on Saturday 9th July. Co-organised by Os Morgan of Kraftwerks and Matt Hinton of Brew Cavern, Kraft Cavern will be a showcase of some of best beer in the world, served across 11 taps from the likes of Mikkeller, Firestone Walker and De Molen. Magic Rock will be attending with two rarities and Kirkstall Brewery are running a meet the brewer presenting two cask and two keg beers including their Belgian Framboise. Smoqued will be parking their vintage Citroen Van out the front serving smoked street food and DJs will be spinning afro-cuban beats.
Co-organiser Matt, said: “We really want to put Nottingham on the map as a destination city for craft beer. Nottingham Craft Beer Week is the start of that process, and by staging events like this we hope to inspire more drinkers from outside the area to visit, more local residents to start brewing and more great beer to begin to trickle in to the bars in this fine city.”
Want to find out what’s happening during the week? Search Nottingham Craft Beer Week on Facebook or give @ncbw16 a follow on twitter #ncbw16.


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Hong Kong and Singapore will be the world’s best-performing hotel markets through to the end of 2012, STR Global has predicted. “The gains will be led mainly through increases in rate rather than occupancy.” STR is forecasting revenue per available room (RevPAR) growth for Hong Kong of 24.7% for the rest 2011, while it believes Singapore will lead the pack through 2012 with an increase in RevPAR of 9.6%.
However, STR warned “the difficult and relatively fast-changing changes in the broader economy could very well change the forecast with the next quarterly report”.
Top 10 Performers – year-end RevPAR % change in local currency
Source: STR Global


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It’s strange — such commotion over a franchise that few folks would be willing to trust after the abortion-of-a-game Duke Nukem Forever tainted the disc-trays of gamer’s the world over. Perhaps 3D realms believes its beloved series is salvageable; maybe, just maybe with another decade or so of development, Duke Nukem can finally compete with the big-shots of triple A gaming. Whatever their reason may be, the company truly believes that the trademark they sold to Gearbox wasn’t part of the “deal.”
3D realms claims that the Asset Purchase Agreement didn’t include the Duke Nukem trademark, and that the original agreement also allowed the company to release a game titled “Duke Nukem Survivor.” This, of course, is in response to Gearbox’s complaint filed over the recent unauthorized use of the Duke Nukem trademark. Whether the matter will escalate from here remains to be seen. We do, however, know that the industry isn’t quite ready for Duke’s return.


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2008 News Archive - Holidays - Raise a toast at Orlando Beer Festival
09 10 2008
Travellers to the US and may not immediately think of American beer as a leading attraction, but that could change with a trip to Florida this month.
October 11th 2008 marks the start of the Orlando Beer Festival which sees its Universal CityWalk transformed into a massive beer celebration for the weekend, events website whatsonwhen.com reports.
Visitors will be able to enjoy a tipple from over 40 brewers and also check out the beverages voted Best of the Fest and Taster's Choice.
Also up for grabs is the Best Booth award, while guests can enjoy a range of food at the restaurants along the city promenade and all-day live entertainment and music.
Different brewers plying their wares include the internationally-renowned Brooklyn Brewery and the local Orlando Brewery and Florida Beer Company.
General admission for the event is $25 (£14.45) in advance and $35 on the day which includes unlimited beer samples, while designated drivers get a $10 ticket which includes free non-alcoholic beverages.