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25 young African agripreneurs advance to ‘boot camp’ in the African Development Bank’s $120,000 AgriPitch Competition
Twenty-five young African agripreneurs have advanced to the “boot camp” final round of the African Development Bank’s AgriPitch competition, stepping closer to a share of $120,000 in seed funding prizes, training and other benefits. The program which offers young entrepreneurs in Africa’s agricultural sector the opportunity to pitch their agribusiness proposals online to a panel of experts and investors who will select the winners. More than 2,500 applicants and evaluated 605 proposals from 30 countries,12 African nations, were able to make it to the final round as this year had it theme “Driving Sustainable Nutrition and Gender Inclusivity in Africa’s Agri-Food Systems.The finalists, all aged under 35, were selected under the competition’s “Start Up,” “Mature Business” and “Women-Empowered Business” categories. According to Wambui Gichuri, the Bank’s Acting Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development stated that “it is encouraging to see that almost 62% of all AgriPitch 2020 applicants self-described as being women-led businesses or having women make up at least 50% of their management,” “Word is spreading that AgriPitch is the competition where all qualified agripreneurs can get the training and support to grow their businesses,” she added.
Read also: New tourism campaign from Montenegro
AgriPitch which is part and parcel of the African Development Bank’s fourth African Youth Agripreneurs Forum (AYAF) – one of the continent’s most exciting platforms for African youth in the agriculture start-up scene, which kicked off online on 3 November and runs through to the AgriPitch winners’ ceremony on 17 November.
Therefore, finalists are now enrolled in the AYAF/AgriPitch online training platform, according to Edson Mpyisi, Coordinator of the Bank’s Enable Youth Program responsible for the event.
“In this two-week-long business development boot camp, AgriPitch competitors can attend virtual sessions on product development, revenue channel identification, logistics, marketing, business management, investment readiness, financing and other issues, led by trainers and coaches,” Mpyisi said. “The cash prizes may be the most ever awarded at AgriPitch, and the skills offered to all the finalists are invaluable,” he added.
In collaboration with partners, including UN Women, the African Leaders for Nutrition and the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa initiative, this year’s AYAF and AgriPitch competition selected finalists from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria, Benin, Tanzania, Cameroon, Mozambique, Guinea, Malawi, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.
The finalists get automatic access to the AYAF webinar series. The general public can also register for the webinars, which feature speakers with expertise from across the development, nutrition, gender and agriculture sectors.
The AgriPitch finals and winners’ ceremony will be held on 16 and 17 November. In addition to receiving seed funding prizes and post-competition mentoring, AgriPitch winners will be invited for the AYAF online DealRoom, which connects expansion-ready, youth-led African businesses with global investors. Companies selected for the AgriPitch Competition shortlist, but who didn’t make it to the competition


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In August of 2014, private photos and videos stolen from private online accounts from a number of celebrities were released online. Once authorities began to investigate, it soon became clear that the photos were acquired via a phishing scam which targeted the iCloud accounts of well-known celebrities. All told, more than 500 sensitive photos and videos — mostly of women –were released online.
Apple is a company that usually likes to maintain as much control over both its hardware and software as possible. Given this, you’d expect that the company would want to build out its own cloud infrastructure so that it wouldn’t have to rely on the likes of Google, Amazon and Microsoft. However, as a new report from The Information’s Amir Efrati and Steve Nellis makes clear, Apple isn’t even close to having that kind of independence from its biggest rivals when it comes to cloud infrastructure. More →
In a blow to Amazon, Apple recently inked a deal with Google wherein a good portion of Apple’s iCloud infrastructure will be powered by the search giant’s Google Cloud Platform.
Originally reported by CRN, the terms of the deal reportedly have Apple spending anywhere between $400 million and $600 million, though it’s not yet clear if this price range is for the duration of the contract or an annual fee. The report adds that the deal was finalized late last year and that Apple, as a result, has since begun to “significantly reduce its reliance on Amazon Web Services.”
In early September 2014, Apple was preparing to announce a massive iPhone upgrade: bigger iPhones than anything it launched before. But just a few days ahead of the press iPhone 6 press event, an iCloud security scandal broke out. Nude pictures belonging to Jennifer Lawrence and many other celebrities leaked online, originating from iPhone backups.
Apple explained at the time that its iCloud security was not breached and that hackers probably employed phishing schemes to obtain the usernames and passwords from their victims.
Now, 18 months later after the scandal, we finally find out what happened. And it turns out that phishing attacks were indeed used to target the celebrities. More →
No, it’s not going to be enough to appease prospective iPhone 6s owners entirely, but Apple has finally bumped up the capacity of its paid iCloud storage tiers at no additional cost. If you’re already signed up for iCloud storage, you were automatically upgraded on September 16th, but for everyone else, keep reading to see how the new pricing shakes out. More →
As an end user, it’s often difficult to truly appreciate how complex some of the solutions we take for granted really are. Case in point: iCloud. Apple’s cloud sync and storage solution got off to a rocky start as MobileMe, and there were still some wrinkles to be ironed out when it was reinvented as iCloud. If you knew how complex remote sync technology really is, you’d be shocked. Instead, you just snap a pic on your iPhone, it pops up on your Mac and iPad, and you go on about your business. That’s the beauty of well-made solutions: They get out of our way and blend into the background.
Impressive though iCloud may be, it’s still perceived as a very pricey solution compared to rival offerings like Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox. As such, there’s a new idea being tossed around that might help make Apple’s iCloud a huge value for iPhone users, and potentially help Apple steal business away from rival cloud storage providers. More →
Losing data in the cloud is a tragically hopeless feeling.
Although Apple’s iCloud service is incredibly convenient for accessing files between different devices without having to manually move them around, we’ve all heard the horror stories of files being inexplicably lost or accidentally deleted. Thankfully, Apple knows that we all make mistakes, so there’s a way to get the data back. More →
iPhone storage can be a problem for many users, especially handset owners who love taking pictures, recording videos and storing lots of digital content on the device. The issue is even bigger if you have 8GB or 16GB iPhones and you don’t want to pay for an Apple’s iCloud subscription plan that would get you more cloud storage than the free 5GB of iCloud space that comes with every iTunes account. However, there’s an insanely simple iPhone trick that lets you instantly get free iCloud storage. More →
Starting shortly before noon ET on Wednesday, July 1st, Apple began to report outages for several of its major services.
According to the ‘System Status’ page on Apple’s website, iCloud Drive, My Photo Stream, iWork for iCloud, Backup & Restore, iPhoto Journals, iMessage attachments, Mail Drop and iMovie Theater have all been experiencing issues during this period. More →
Bad news, Apple fans: you may wake up on Thursday to find that a whole host of Apple’s cloud-based services are completely down or at least slow to respond this morning. Apple’s service status page shows that 11 different services in total are experiencing downtime or are at least having problems that will cause them to perform slowly for some users.
Here’s the complete list of affected services: More →
At some point in the past few days, Apple unexpectedly pulled the Photos app from iCloud.com. Logging into the site, you might notice that there is an icon missing from the main menu page. Apple hasn’t given any explanation for the disappearance of the app, but some believe that this is a sign that the company is finally ready to launch a native, full-featured Photos app for Mac OS X. More →
One of the most infamous Internet events of 2014 might be doomed to repeat itself. Business Insider reports that a hacker known as Pr0x13 has released a tool called iDict on GitHub that is capable of bypassing restrictions and authentication on any iCloud account, potentially giving hackers unfettered access to iOS devices. More →
After having to deal with the iCloud-related Nudegate scandal, stop the Chinese iCloud attacks, and reassure users that its cloud has not been hacked, Apple might have a new iCloud problem to deal with, as various people report that Apple is silently uploading unsaved documents to iCloud after a Mac is updated to Yosemite. More →

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Done: Martha/Macy's settle suit
Retail Editor 1 -- Home Textiles Today, January 2, 2014
New York - The lawsuit Macy's filed against Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia to prevent the Stewart brand from appearing on bedding, bath and cookware at JCPenney has been settled, both parties announced this morning. But that doesn't end all the litigation surrounding the fraught Penney/Stewart partnership.
In a statement issued this morning, Macy's Inc. noted its claim against rival Penney "remains subject to the court's decision."
Macy's filed suit against Penney in August 2012, claiming its deal with MSLO interfered with Macy's exclusive contract for Stewart-branded products.
Terms of the Macy's/MSLO settlement were not disclosed in today's announcement. Both Macy's and MSLO said the agreement will not impact their financials materially.
Some kind of settlement had been expected. Last October, Penney and MSLO renegotiated their contract - essentially throwing in the towel on former JCP ceo Ron Johnson's plan to anchor the home floor with a full complement of soft and hard home goods carrying Stewart's imprimatur.
Industry Related Content
Celebrity Branding at NY Home Fashions Market


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Due to an astronomical tax demand of Rs 16,822 crore, the casino operator Delta Corp and its subsidiaries have come under scrutiny from India’s Directorate General of GST Intelligence. This demand, which is effective from July 2017 until March 2022, has shocked the gambling sector. In this article, we’ll examine the specifics of this rare tax notice, the companies involved, and any potential repercussions for Delta Corp and the gambling industry as a whole.
Credits: Business Today
The Tax Bombshell
A hefty Goods and Services Tax (GST) notice in the amount of Rs 11,140 crore has been issued to Delta Corp, a significant player in India’s gaming and casino business. Additionally, notices totaling Rs 5,682 crore have been sent to three of its subsidiaries: Casino Deltin Denzong, Highstreet Cruises, and Delta Pleasure Cruises. The corporation is reeling as a result of these accumulated pressures, which also have significant effects on its financial stability.
The fact that the current problem is not specific to Delta Corp but rather an industry-wide phenomena is an important distinction made by the corporation. Instead of using gross gaming revenue, the GST notice is calculated using the gross bet value. Within the gaming business, this distinction has been a contentious issue, and numerous government representations have been made on this subject. The industry’s main defense is that taxing gross bet value is unfair and does not accurately reflect revenue.
Legal Battles on the Horizon
The subsidiaries of Delta Corp. are not going to take this tax demand sitting down. According to the counsel they have received, the notices and related tax demands are arbitrary and illegal. In order to contest these requests, the firms have sworn to use every legal strategy at their disposal. This creates the possibility of drawn-out legal disputes with important consequences.
Stock Market Impact
The GST letters have sent shockwaves beyond the walls of Delta Corp’s boardroom, reverberating throughout the stock market as well. The closing price of Delta Corp’s shares on the day the notices were made public was Rs 174.25. The company’s stock has lost roughly 29% of its market value after the Indian government suggested a 28 percent GST on online gaming, casinos, and horse racing in July. This significant fall highlights the uncertainty and worry that investors have over the company’s long-term financial stability.
The GST Council decided to impose a 28 percent GST on online gambling, casinos, and horse racing in July in an effort to make the taxes of the gaming industry more clear. The government made it clear that this fee will only be levied at the beginning of a bet, not at any other point. During the previous monsoon session, Parliament adopted these changes to the GST legislation. It’s important to remember that this explanation is still faced with legal challenges and distrust from stakeholders in the sector.
The Impact on Gaming’s Growth
The tax requests and ensuing legal disputes may have a significant impact on India’s gambling industry’s growth prospects. While the government seeks to increase income through higher taxes, it runs the risk of strangling a new industry that has demonstrated tremendous promise. The gaming sector, which includes online gambling, has undergone recent rapid expansion and is recognized as a key contributor to both economic activity and employment creation.
The huge tax demand of Rs 16,822 crore made by Delta Corp and its subsidiaries has brought attention to India’s gaming industry taxation. This action has caused serious concerns about the survival of the sector, combined with the application of a 28 percent GST to gaming-related activity. Gaming corporations are contesting the tax demands, which could lead to protracted legal fights in the future. The gambling sector’s development and contribution to the Indian economy are at risk as a result of these difficulties. It is still to be seen how the government will work with the gaming industry to resolve this complex problem in a way that benefits both parties.


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Turns out that the Isle of Man is becoming the Isle of Woman this weekend. Nestle are
launching a new Yorkie chocolate bar, and as a publicity stunt, have persuaded the Manx
Tourism office (which has gone pink for the weekend) to use the Isle
of Man as a vehicle for advertising the new product. More news here.


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Can you help us find Christopher Harman (16) who has been missing from Mozart Close since Monday, 17 April?
He was last seen at Eastrop Park at 4pm on 17 April.
He’s described as:
– 5′ 5″ tall
– Medium build
– Dark brown hair
– He was last seen wearing a black Nike tracksuit, black Nike puffs-style jacket and blue Nike trainers
He may have travelled to London by train.
Christopher has been in contact with his family by phone, however we are concerned for his welfare.
Anyone who has seen Christopher is asked to call 101 quoting 44170143868.


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Gap Inc to shutter 75 overseas Old Navy and Banana Republic shops
Sat, May 21, 2016 - 5:50 AM
WILTING IN THE HEAT OF COMPETITION: Gap Inc, which had last week warned about store closures following dismal first-quarter sales of its Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic brands, now wants to focus on its North American market.
GAP Inc said it would shut 75 Old Navy and Banana Republic stores in overseas markets, as the struggling apparel retailer focuses on its North American market to revive its fortunes.
Shares of the San Francisco-based company were up 4.2 per cent in after-hours trading on...


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Zahid Mazhar, Sr Vice Chairman All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) says as per final statistics of cotton arrival released by Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association on May 1, only 11.58 million bales of 155 kg of cotton were produced in 2017-18. In fact, for three seasons in a row cotton crop has been below target. As per Pakistan Central Cotton Committee’s report this year about 48 per cent of cotton crop area in Sindh was missed due to scarcity and poor management of water,.
Because of the imposition of custom duty and sales tax on import of raw cotton, import of finished cotton yarn has seen 500 per cent increase in 2016-17 as compared to 2011-12. Mazhar says due to the high cost of doing business and inadequate supply of raw cotton almost 140 textile mills have closed resulting in a loss of one million jobs.
Another 75 to 80 mills are on the verge of closure which will add another 0.5 million to the unemployment figure. Due to closures of about 140 mills and the mills operating under capacity, Pakistan’s textile exports is suffering a loss of more than $4 billion per annum. He also stated Pakistan’s cotton crop is far behind consumption requirement of 15 million bales, for the third consecutive year.


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Infosys BPO Wins Royal Philips Electronics Breakthrough Award 2009
Bangalore, India - June 03, 2010: Infosys BPO, the business process outsourcing subsidiary of Infosys Technologies today announced that it has won the Breakthrough Award 2009 at the Royal Philips Electronics Global Supplier Awards ceremony held at Eindhoven, in the Netherlands.
The Royal Philips Electronics Global Supplier Awards publicly recognize the contribution that suppliers make to the success of the company. The awards acknowledge the critical role that suppliers play in helping the company meet the challenge of ensuring supply continuity and delivering innovative, cost-effective products of unequalled quality to fulfill the growing demands of the company.
Infosys BPO was awarded for several strategic initiatives it undertook during the course of 2009, such as joint implementation of transaction based pricing, transitioning of activities to offshore centers in India and China, enabling Philips to cut costs and harmonize processes, and opening a new delivery center in Brazil to service Philips in the LATAM region.
(Swami) Swaminathan, CEO & MD, Infosys BPO, said, "Royal Philips Electronics is one of our largest clients and we are honoured to have been recognized as a strategic supplier for the company. As an organization, we have strived to be flexible, continuously focussing on transformational initiatives while concentrating on service delivery. This award is not only a recognition of our efforts thus far, but evidence of our long-term partnership with Philips."


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Pennsylvania lawmakers recently loosened the restrictions on the sale of wine and other alcoholic beverages. And the Pennsylvania Winery Association has launched a $130,000 marketing campaign to trumpet the good news to consumers. The message of the marketing effort is that grocery stores now carry Pennsylvania wines, so it’s easier than ever for them to enjoy and sample them.
Act 39, which went into effect late last summer following the passage of House Bill 1690, allows licensed supermarkets and restaurants to sell up to four bottles of takeout wine per customer, and state stores get more flexibility in setting their hours and pricing.
Some 350 grocery and convenience stores in Pennsylvania were eligible to sell wine as of August, according to an article in Keystone Edge. They have to apply and pay a $2,000 fee to do so. The article adds that Act 39 doesn’t create any new licenses required to sell beer and wine. But it explains that it does provide for the auction of several hundred inactive licenses, and says that effort is expected to begin this year.
The new law also lets wineries sell to consumers, ship up to 36 cases a year to a state resident, and even sell Pennsylvania beers and liquor.
“Pennsylvania wineries will be able to sell PA beers and spirits by the glass at their licensed locations,” said Jamie Williams of The Winery at
Wilcox, who was president of the Pennsylvania Winery Association at the time the law was passed. “Further expanding on the partnership with tourism, Pennsylvania bed & breakfasts will be able to provide a bottle of Pennsylvania wine to welcome their guests. Additionally, the establishment of a direct shipping law will enable PA wineries the opportunity to shop to areas that they may not have been able to ship to in the past.”
Pennsylvania and Utah are the only two U.S. states in which state government completely controls liquor sales, according to Wine Enthusiast magazine. There are more than 200 wineries in Pennsylvania. And the Pennsylvania Winery Association is a 40-year-old group that’s currently headed up by Liz Diesel of Glades Pike Winery of Somerset, PA.
This new campaign by the association is a good example of the power of marketing in educating consumers on important new developments related to products in which they may be interested.
Become a Mad Marketer columnist! Want to contribute your expertise to a growing audience of Marketing professionals? Become a writer, blogger or columnist for the Mad Marketer Web site. Contact us for details.


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About a month ago, Samsung announced that it had completed development on the world's first GDDR7 ( Graphics Double Data Rate 7) DRAM for GPUs and that it would be putting the technology in the hands of key customers sometime this year for use in next-generation products.
Read more: https://www.tweaktown.com/news/92472/samsung-has-developed-the-first-gddr7-memory-for-gpus-with-up-to-32-gbps-speed/index.html
A new report at Business Korea states that as Samsung became the first company to develop cutting-edge GDDR7 memory, it's already supplying samples to NVIDIA "for the verification of its integration into next-gen systems." If NVIDIA chooses to adopt GDDR7 for the upcoming GeForce RTX 50 Series, it would significantly change from using Micron - which supplies NVIDIA GDDR6X memory for the GeForce RTX 40 Series.
Samsung isn't the only company developing GDDR7, as SK hynix has plans to complete its development this year, with Micron set to debut its GDDR7 technology in the first half of 2024. This could lead to a bidding war, with NVIDIA choosing which memory to adopt based on pricing and its internal testing with samples.
Although there's no official word that NVIDIA will adopt GDDR7 for the GeForce RTX 50 Series of graphics cards, the company's history points to its using cutting-edge technology when it comes to new product launches.
The benefit is certainly there, with Samsung's GDDR7 memory spec capable of achieving speeds of up to 32Gbps - a 33 percent increase over the 24Gbps in Samsung's fastest GDDR6 memory kits. The 24GB of GDDR6X memory in NVIDIA's flagship GeForce RTX 4090's memory speed sits at 21.2Gbps. With Samsung's new GDDR7 memory, you're looking for a GPU capable of delivering 1.5TB/s of bandwidth - which would be pretty amazing.


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Where’s Waldo is a weekly opinion column where LiveRC’s Aaron Waldron gives his take on hot-button issues within the RC industry. The views and opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of LiveRC.
Earlier this week, news broke that Speed RC Raceway in Mooresville, NC — a popular indoor off-road track within the general area of motor sports hotbed of Charlotte — would not re-open after a planned move to a new location.
Speed RC was founded by Global Rallycross champion Scott Speed and stock car racer TJ Bell in November 2015. A hobby shop accompanied the clay track, which hosted marquee events like the JConcepts Indoor National Series finals and the King of the East, and the group opened an additional outdoor track in April 2016. Top racers like Jared Tebo and Cole Ogden served as ambassadors for the facility, which counted NASCAR Xfinity series champion William Byron among its dedicated local racers.
Speed and Bell announced on the track’s Facebook page their plans to open a new facility with a carpet off-road course on November 1, 2017 and, on February 5 of this year, stated that their previous landlord did not renew their lease. The track held its final race on February 16 and the course was cleared out of the building by the following week.
The track’s Facebook page made the announcement of its permanent closure on Monday afternoon, citing slow hobby shop sales due to a market saturated with driver sponsorships compounded by an increase in theft. An hour later, Speed’s wife, Amanda, replied to a comment on the post to explain that the building they were constructing for the new facility is set to be completed in late summer and will either be sold or rented out. She also said that Speed RC ownership was still in the process of working with the city of Mooresville to open an outdoor track on park property.
Even still, the story on both LiveRC’s Facebook and the track’s page triggered plenty of discussion. There were those who expressed their disappointment in losing the scene of precious memories, and complimenting the group on having created an enjoyable environment. On the uglier side, there were those who claimed to have seen it coming after the company began selling other track and office supplies and questioned whether there ever was an intention to re-open. While Charlotte-area racers will certainly miss out on the new carpet off-road track they may have been looking forward to at Speed RC 2.0, there’s another in King about 80 miles northeast.
Other conversation topics including the general health of the RC industry, the validity of the concerns outlined in Speed RC’s announcement, the business acumen of the Speed RC owners and those who’ve owned RC tracks that have failed, and more. Speed RC is certainly not the first track to close in the last 12 months; however, we still don’t have any data to ascertain whether or not these track closings are happening at a greater rate than they have at any other point in the last three decades, whether or not they’re outpacing the opening of new tracks, or being able to put these changes in the context of the greater economic developments at hand like land and building costs, and the socioeconomic factors affecting local populations.
Here’s what we do know for certain:
- There are probably substantial gaps between the owners' public statement, the reasons for their ultimate closure, and what the general public knows (or thinks they know) about the company's operation
- This isn't the first time a track has closed in the last couple of years, and it's not the first time a track that has closed has listed similar reasons for doing so
Which means that either, or both, of these are true:
- Multiple people or groups incapable of adequately running these businesses effectively have tried and failed, and/or:
- The current RC economy isn't conducive to running a traditional shop-and-track business anymore, especially in areas with competitive real estate markets
And your view on any of the above probably puts you into one of two groups:
- The hobby is doing well, value for equipment is solid, direct marketing via online sales and “sponsorship” is good for brands and racers, and large turnouts at trophy events is a good sign
- The industry is in danger, with increased competition among manufacturers driving down profit margins and increasing pressure on retailers, many of which operate the facilities where the products are used.
Naturally, there are examples of all extremes: tracks that function healthily without hobby shops, and those that have substantial retail sections; tracks that operate well as a club, follow the typical pay-to-play entry fee, or are supported primarily by paid memberships; tracks that serve a sizable population of sponsored drivers, and those that specifically cater to the average customer. While it’s certainly true that the pre-Internet business model of the hobby shop supporting the track may no longer apply, some tracks are heavily subsidized by over-the-counter and online sales and so to make blanket armchair-economist statements about the how’s and why’s that led to the industry losing a track seem shortsighted at best.
If the shuttering doors of Speed RC, and those of other tracks that have ceased operations over the last several years, are unconnected anomalies, then the social media spikes that have come afterward are a function of increased visibility and not necessarily any reason for alarm. If these are early signs of a trend, then we - and by “we” I mean the dedicated hobbyists who ultimately have the power — need to work on identifying what to do about it before presenting a unified message to the companies and sanctioning bodies rather than waiting for them to work together instead of gobbling up each other’s market share.
So which is it? Are we in trouble or not? And if so, what are we going to do about it?


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Hey, kids, what day is it? Sure, it’s Monday, but it’s also Dec. 4, which means it’s National Cookie Day!
The date was decreed as cookie appreciation day in 1987, by Matt Nader of Blue Chip Cookie Company.
And what would Cookie Day be without freebies? Here’s where in the Big Apple you can find them:
Cinnabon: Today the chain will be rolling out its “Cookie BonBite” on Monday. To celebrate the limited item, each one purchased entitles the buyer to a free 8-ounce bottle of FairLife Ultra-Filtered Milk. (What, after all, are cookies without milk?)
DoubleTree: The Hilton hotel brand famous for serving up a batch of warm cookies to guests at its locations will celebrate the holiday with the 12 Days of Cookies. The event, which runs from Dec. 13 to 24, will feature free cookies to guests and non-guests alike.
Insomnia Cookies: Enjoy a free “traditional” cookie with any in-store purchase. The nine traditional flavors including Chocolate Chunk, Double Chocolate Chunk, Peanut Butter, Classic with M&M’s, Snickerdoodle, Sugar, Oatmeal Raisin, Double Chocolate Mint, and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut.


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By Brian Wong
CARS.COM — We checked out the 2018 Acura TLX this week at the 2017 New York International Auto Show. All TLX sedans are refreshed for 2018, which means they get brand new styling from the A-pillar forward — a new hood, a new grille and a new bumper.
More 2017 New York Auto Show Coverage
The new TLX will go on sale this June, so keep an eye out for it in dealerships then. In the meantime, check out the video above for more.
By Jane Ulitskaya
By Jennifer Newman


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“Scottish Enterprise plans to spend more than £1 billion over the next three years to help boost Scotland’s economy and meet a target of creating tens of thousands of jobs.
The publicly funded economic development agency intends to invest £336.4 million across 2013/14, £386.6m during the following 12 months and £297.9m in 2015/16.
The figure for the current year is up from the £302.1m indicated in the last business plan, with Scottish Enterprise saying the rise is due to additional funding being made available to deliver the Renewable Energy Investment fund.
The agency said the latest update has a dual focus on supporting more globally competitive companies and focusing on the growing sectors of Scotland’s economy including energy, financial services, food and drink, engineering, tourism and digital media..”
The Herald have a full story exploring this news which you can read on their website here


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The following is an article by Anders Riel Müller/ 송연준 Food First Research Fellow and Leader of the upcoming South Korea Food Sovereignty Tour, sponsored by Food First in partnership with Reality Tours.
I have been immersed in Korean food for so many years now I often forget how unknown and strange it can seem to the uninitiated, i.e. the majority of the world’s population. Korean food has not reached the global status and recognition of its neighboring Japanese and Chinese cuisines. However, the word is spreading through government initiatives, the popularity of Korean Pop Culture, YouTube chefs such as Maangchi, as well as dedicated TV shows like the Kimchi Chronicles on PBS.
Yet even with the growing popularity of Korean food around the world and the proliferation of gourmet restaurants in Seoul, very few foreigners manage to venture beyond the capital and other major cities to get a deeper sense of Korean food culture. Korean rural areas and the agricultural sector have not experienced the same level of breakneck industrialization as the rest of the country. The majority of food producers are still small-scale farmers and food processors. The average farm is still between 2.5 and 5 acres and most food producers are family operations. This is not the impression one gets when walking around in downtown Seoul, the world’s second largest metropolitan area. Here, chain stores and franchises dominate the cityscape. Most people visiting Korea never get beyond the flashing facades of the country’s high tech cities.
This is a shame, because my most amazing food experiences were not in Seoul or Busan; they were in small cities and villages no one outside Korea has ever heard of. I have been lucky through my work and family ties to have eaten at countless local restaurants where the vegetables were grown in the backyard, the kimchi was fermenting in clay pots on the terrace and the beef and pork came from the neighboring farm.
But life in the countryside is not a simple, uncomplicated life. Farmers and small-scale producers are struggling to survive as the onslaught of free trade agreements is threatening their livelihoods.
In Seoul, many restaurants will serve kimchi made in China, beef from the US, Chicken from Brazil and pork from Cambodia. Imported products are sold cheaper than domestic products; and making a living from agriculture and artisan food production is becoming increasingly difficult. Korean farmers have protested the liberalization of agriculture for decades—often at the forefront of demonstrations against the WTO—but the government is continuing to pursue further free trade agreements with large food exporting nations/regions such as Chile, the EU, Australia and the US. As a consequence, food self-sufficiency has dropped to the lowest level in Korean history. Even rice, the staple of all staples, has seen its level drop to the lowest level in modern history.
In addition to free trade agreements, a number of other factors have contributed to the country’s diminished self-sufficiency. Reduced agricultural subsidies, high debt and low food prices are putting farmers under intense pressure. Farmland is also decreasing at alarming rates as the government is incorporating more and more of the country’s already limited farmland into commercial and industrial mega-development projects and recreational “green spaces” for urban dwellers seeking to get away from the city on weekends. As a result, South Korean farmland has dwindled to the lowest levels since 1970.
Small farmers and producers have turned increasingly to promoting food sovereignty as their platform for radically changing the South Korean food system. The concept of food sovereignty provides producers with a comprehensive platform to address the multiple crises of health, environment and economy into one. Few places in the world have seen food sovereignty become such an integrated agenda for social change as in South Korea. The movement incorporates a broad range of social justice organizations seeking to counter the dominant development path that prioritizes the global competiveness of the big conglomerates like Samsung, LG, and Hyundai.
Farmers, producers and consumers organize in different ways, and in many different organizations, but the core of the movement(s) remains a commitment to producing good, healthy and environmentally friendly food at fair and stable prices for both producers and consumers. The movement also seeks to counter the fast-paced lifestyle of modern Korea. Korean food is at its core slow food. Essential Korean ingredients such as kimchi (fermented cabbage), ganjang (soy sauce) and doenjang (soy bean paste) take months of fermentation to mature. The majority of products sold in Korean supermarkets, however, are full of additives to give a “fermented” taste, but most of them have not had the time to ferment as they should. A slower lifestyle starts with letting one’s food mature.
Korean food has its roots in the countryside—far from the bustling megacities and their shopping malls—where family farmers and artisans maintain centuries-old traditions while at the same time building a contemporary movement based on environmentally sound practices, economic fairness and solidarity. In South Korea, food sovereignty is not only about restructuring the food system. It is about social justice, democracy and challenging the values of the materialistic, status-obsessed mainstream culture of Korea.
Thanks to Anders Riel Müller and Food First!
To experience and learn about food sovereignty issues in South Korea yourself, join the Food First Food Sovereignty delegation to South Korea, August 24- Sept 1, 2013.


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The Russian Federal Anti-Monopoly Service has determined that Apple abused its dominant position in the distribution of iOS apps.
The FAS released a press release today announcing the results of its investigation into Apple's App Store practices:
On August 10, 2020, the antitrust case brought against Apple Inc. (Apple's parent company, USA) was completed, according to Kaspersky Lab.
Massive Sale: Up to 69% Off Official Apple iPhone 11/Pro/Max Cases [Deal]
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HTC hires marketing guru
HTC Corp (宏達電) yesterday confirmed that it has hired a marketing executive who worked for Samsung Electronics Co to advise HTC chairwoman Cher Wang (王雪紅). Paul Golden was chief marketing officer at Samsung’s US mobile phone business, helping to create and launch the company’s highly successful Galaxy brand before leaving in 2012. HTC confirmed the report by Bloomberg News without providing any details.
Google unveils new platform
Google Inc rolled out its cloud computing-based platform for enterprises in Taiwan on Tuesday to promote its cloud business services. The Google Cloud Platform enables developers to build, test and deploy applications on Google’s infrastructure, including computing, storage and application services designed for Web-based, mobile and back-end solutions, the company said. Google charges a basic fee for the business service based on the number of e-mail accounts opened.
Foreign listings expected
The Taiwan Stock Exchange said yesterday that it expects five foreign-registered companies to launch primary listings on the main board in the first half of this year. Last year, 13 foreign companies launched primary listings on the main board. Since May 2010, a total of 37 foreign firms have listed their shares on the exchange.


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Chinese food and beverage company Wahaha recently opened its first owned milk tea store in Guangzhou's Wushan commercial area.
Zong Qinghou, founder and chairman of China's Wahaha Group, reportedly plans to invest over CNY200 million to set up a dairy processing plant in Busselton in Western Australia.
Hangzhou based Chinese beverage company Wahaha has published its financial report for the first quarter of 2009 and states that its revenue increased by 37.22% year-on-year to CNY10.3 billion, a record-high increase over the past…
According to a senior official of the Shijiazhuang government Sanlu Group, which had suspended production because of the melamine milk scandal, has resumed production.
At the 21st anniversary meeting of Hangzhou Wahaha Group, the group's president Zong Qinghou said that they had expressed their intention to acquire the Shijiazhuang-based dairy enterprise Sanlu Group.


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Samsung on Wednesday announced the Galaxy S8, its follow-up to one of the most popular and best smartphones of 2016, the Galaxy S7.
We had some hands-on time with the Galaxy S8 before the announcement. What we saw was a beautiful smartphone that stands out with its design and features.
Check it out:
It still has the dual-pixel autofocus technology that gave the S7 its incredibly fast autofocus.
It's not the same as the dual-pixel autofocus on the rear camera, but it's the same kind of focus found on most smartphones, including the iPhone 7. It'll make for clearer, sharper selfies with better focus than the front-facing cameras on most smartphones.
You can connect a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard to the Galaxy S8 to make it work like a PC.
Here, the Galaxy S8 is running an optimized version of the Microsoft Word app, which looks nearly like the full version of Word.
It also supports multiple windows, just like macOS and Windows 10, which was impressive.
Samsung also said the Galaxy S8 would come with earphones from AKG/Harman that Samsung says are valued at $99.


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Danier Leather and Le Château, stores that have been fixtures in the Canadian marketplace for decades, are struggling as cheaper, faster fashion brands steam past them and online retailers gobble up market share.
Danier Leather, with 86 stores across Canada, has hired Consensus Advisory Services, a boutique investment banking and financial advisory firm, to help it explore strategic alternatives after posting yet another steep decline in sales in the last quarter.
“Danier is working on its business and operational strategy with a view to improving its results,” said chief executive officer Jeffrey Wortsman, in response to e-mailed questions from the Star.
“As publicly disclosed, Danier regularly monitors its stores and under-performing stores may be closed or relocated as leases expire or otherwise as well as look for opportunities for new stores. One of Danier’s strategies is to optimize its real estate.”
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Le Château, meanwhile, has repeatedly gone to founder, director and majority shareholder Herschel Segal’s firm for loans, most recently in June, when it secured $15-million.
The money is being used to renovate stores and bring them in line with the chain’s new, elevated merchandise offering. The problem, says retail expert Randy Harris of Trendex North America, is that Le Château isn’t renovating stores quickly enough.
The retailer ended the year with 219 locations in Canada and one in the U.S.
“As of the end of August, 2015, the company will have renovated 20 of its stores since the fall of 2011,” Harris wrote in the May edition of industry newsletter Canadian Apparel Insights.
“Note that that is less than 10 per cent of Le Château’s total locations . . . This fact translates to a disconnect between Le Château’s more upscale/expensive merchandise and the environment of its stores. Not a good situation to be in for a retailer,” according to Harris.
The chain has closed 15 stores in Canada in the past three fiscal years, according to information in company earnings and annual reports.
Rough year for Canadian retail
Executives at the Montreal-based Le Château did not respond to requests for comment from the Star.
“The middle fashion market is starting very much to get squeezed,” said Ed Strapagiel, independent retail consultant. “The Zaras and H&Ms of the world have expanded more. It wasn’t a big deal when they only had two stores, but they’ve grown now.”
H&M has 74 locations across Canada and four more will open before the end of 2015. The H&M group will also launch two COS locations in 2015, one in Montreal and one in Toronto. H&M opened its first store in Canada 11 years ago.
Inditex has 26 Zara stores across Canada and five higher-end Massimo Dutti stores, covering the low and higher ends of the apparel market.
Le Château boasts that it offers up-to-the-minute fashion, but Zara and H&M are able to get new fashions — and repeat orders on styles that are selling well — into stores faster than the competition because of their robust supply chains.
“They can move things in fewer steps and a lot faster,” said Strapagiel. “The old-school fashion retailers are like slow fashion now.”
And then there is Amazon. According to equity researchers Cowen and Company, Amazon will replace Macy’s as the leading apparel retailer in the U.S. by 2017.
Amazon would not release figures for the Canadian market, but a spokesperson said customer feedback on the launch of clothing and shoes in June was positive, and Amazon has already expanded the number of items and brands available for purchase.
Adding to this is the fact that one of fashion’s most important demographics, the millennials, are saddled with student loan debt and high housing costs, whether they are renting or trying to buy.
“They have to be very budget conscious,” said John C. Williams, partner at the global retail consultancy J.C. Williams Group.
Danier Leather and Consensus have entered into confidentiality agreements with a number of parties in relation to a variety of possible strategic alternatives, but no definitive agreement has been announced, according to the most recent earnings report.
NPD retail analyst Sandy Silva says the market for leather outerwear in Canada contracted by four per cent in the 12 months ending in May. While there has been a notable surge in innovation when it comes to technical fabrics for outerwear, the same is not true of innovations in leather outwear, Silva said.
Danier is also up against specialty stores such as Rudsak and general retailers such as Hudson’s Bay and Winners, which also sell leather goods, Silva points out.
Danier is hoping to improve profits with a company-wide cost reduction initiative, with targeted annualized savings of up to $7 million.
It has expanded the core leather business to include more down, wool, shearling and cashmere alternatives.
Wortsman believes Danier Leather still has a lot to offer Canadian consumers.
“We want to compete with more expensive brands on quality and styling while offering better pricing resulting from our vertical integration,” he said.
“We believe, and our history shows, that it is not about the lowest price. There are some customers who want the lowest price regardless of quality, but that is not the core Danier customer.”
Net earnings (millions)
2014: -$7,663 (loss)
Net earnings per diluted share
2014: -$2.00 (loss)
Net earnings (millions)
2011: -$2.4 (loss)
2012: -$8.7 (loss)
2013: -$16 (loss)
2014: -$38.7 (loss)
Net earnings per share
2011: -$0.10 (loss)
2012: -$0.34 (loss)
2013: -$0.59 (loss)
2014: -$1.34 (loss)


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Europe’s second largest express company GeoPost and FPT have jointly signed an MoU on technology services with the aim to improve the operation efficiency of GeoPost.
Under the collaboration, FPT will provide technology solutions and apply Digital Transformation on GeoPost’s delivery system. As GeoPost is now facing the challenge of optimizing the delivery process and economizing on costs, FPT will help the company to modernize the IT system in order to reduce costs, respond to the demand of resources and improve the service. Concurrently, FPT will efficiently support GeoPost in expanding and developing the logistics market in Asia Pacific through FPT’s network in the region.
The cooperation between technology companies and logistics giants will considerably alter logistics industry in the future. Hence, that FPT collaborates with GeoPost affirms the FPT’s pioneering position in seizing new trends. “Prior to this, FPT rebuilt the entire global Portal system for GeoPost to make it more user-friendly. We are delighted to set strategic partnership with them by signing an official MoU, so that FPT can expand further cooperation with GeoPost in France and help them penetrate Vietnam market”, CEO of FPT France Ngo Duy Khang commented. This cooperation is expected to bring hundreds of million US Dollars to FPT Software in 2018 and the following years.
Together with prominent advantages in the field of development, migration, modernization, embedded system, automation test, FPT Software has built up its competence by establishing a business unit called Digital Transformation in Logistics (DTL) to exclusively serve logistics customers since 2017. Apart from maintaining the cooperation with current customers, DTL has put its effort into winning new customers in the USA and Europe. Especially, Europe is presently the most potential market for FPT as it prefers outsourcing to third parties.
GeoPost, which is a French leading express company, delivers parcels in over 230 countries for more than 360.000 customers all over the world with the revenue of 5 billion euros per year. The company covers more than 40 European countries thanks to its workforce of 20,000 people.


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South Carolina is transforming into a hub for technology and innovation, and the best and brightest in ingenuity are representing the Palmetto State at CES 2022. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association, CES is one of the world’s biggest tech trade shows and currently taking place in Las Vegas.
The Upstate SC Alliance and Charleston Regional Development Alliance, along with S.C. Commerce, have teamed up to once again showcase South Carolina and highlight the latest in innovation across the state.
This influential event, featuring the latest transformative technologies, is an opportunity to meet with top technology companies, innovators and research institutions from across the country and around the world.
To read the full article, click here.


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BNY Mellon (NYSE: BK), or Bank of New York Mellon, is betting it can make money from tokenization.
In fact, BNY’s website and blog are touting tokenization as the next big thing in investments. Tellingly, Mellon’s blog states: “fundamentally, tokenization is the process of converting rights – or a unit of asset ownership – into a digital token on a blockchain.”
Interestingly, I do not think BNY Mellon is entering the traditional cryptocurrency market. Instead, Mellon hopes to make money by tokenizing existing assets like stocks, fiat currencies, mortgages, real estate, and precious metals.
How Stablecoins explain BNY Mellon’s Tokenization Scheme
For instance, Mellon could issue or support stablecoins. In detail, a stablecoin is a cryptocurrency that contains a smart contract. A smart contract is a kind of decentralized app (DApp) or digital robot.
Designers program the smart contract to release fiat currency from a trust account at a bank when you spend the cryptocurrency. The Gemni Dollar (GUSD) for instance, releases U.S. dollars from an account at the State Street Corp (NYSE: STT) when you spend it.
Thus, a stabletcoin’s value comes from the fiat currency they link to it. Importantly, BNY Mellon could apply the stablecoin model to a wide variety of assets.
Mellon could issue a smart token linked to property rights for instance. If they sell the property, a smart contract will automatically pay the token owners a portion of the proceeds of the property’s sale.
BNY Mellon’s Plans for Smart Debt
Intriguingly, Frank Fehrenbach; Mellon’s Senior Principal for Digital Partnerships, proposes the fractional tokenization of the property rights to big-ticket items like art works.
Consequently, hundreds or thousands of people could buy a piece of a masterpiece like the Jean-Michel Basquiat painting Sotheby’s sold for $110 million in 2017. Beyond art, BNY Mellon could apply fractional tokenization to stocks, bonds, movies, television shows, mortgages, songs, patents, copyrights, and real estate.
Therefore, BNY Mellon hopes to create “smart debt” that automatically pays creditors. For instance, a smart mortgage or home loan that pays the note holder the moment they sell the property.
Interestingly, BNY Mellon hopes to create a mass market for such smart debt through fractionalization. To explain, fractionalization is breaking rights or obligations into small easily sellable pieces. Using fractionalization, several hundred or several thousand people could theoretically buy the rights to a song, or a fictional character, for instance.
How Blockchains could enforce financial regulations and collect taxes
Thus, BNY Mellon could issue loans backed by fractional ownership in intellectual or physical property. In addition, the bank itself could sell the fractional rights through the blockchain using fractionalization.
BNY Mellon wants to use a blockchain because blockchains can reach more customers in more countries. In addition, Mellon’s executives think they can build mechanisms to enforce KYC (Know Your Client) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) laws into the blockchain or tokens.
For instance, they could program a smart contract to stop a transaction if it detects KYC or AML violations. Moreover, it is theoretically possible to build a smart contract that reports KYC and AML violations to authorities.
Governments, central banks, and financial regulators could be more receptive to smart tokens under these circumstances. Regulators, in particular, could welcome a smart token that makes their job easier.
How Blockchain Could collect Taxes
In addition, it is theoretically possible to build a token that pays taxes when it conducts transactions. The token could send a portion of a sales price straight to the government to pay the tax, for instance.
Therefore, it could be possible to write a financial transaction tax like the Robin Hood Tax into the investments of the future. Thus, BNY Mellon could build a blockchain U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) will love and Libertarians will hate.
An interesting possibility is that BNY Mellon’s management thinks additional financial transactions taxes are imminent and are preparing for them. Notably, Sanders; and another advocate of wealth taxes U.S. Senator Liz Warren (D-Massachusetts), are doing well in America’s Democratic presidential primary, Market Mad House observes.
Finally governments will be more receptive to tokenization if they can make money from it. One popular objection to cryptocurrency is that it makes tax evasion easier, which reduces government revenues.
Can BNY Mellon profit from Tokenization?
Some markets BNY Mellon hopes to tokenize are lucrative and growing.
Economist Clare McAndrew estimates international art sales generated $67.5 billion in 2018, Artsy notes. In fact, sales of art works worth $10 million to $50 million grew by 17% in 2018. In addition, sales of art works worth over $50 million grew by 7% in 2018.
Moreover, international art sales grew by 6% in 2018. However, less than 5% of art dealers made 50% of art sales in 2018. In addition, 57% of art dealers reported declining.
Consequently, there could be a demand for decentralized solutions, like blockchain, that could break the stranglehold big dealers have on the art market. Another use for decentralization is to expand the art market beyond China, the United States, Japan, and the European Union. In particular, BNY Mellon could tap developing markets in places like Africa.
Notably, McAndrew thinks the art market will go online soon to cut costs. That could increase demand for new solutions like tokenization.
“The middle to the high end will stay offline,” McAndrew predicts. “But all of the lower value lots will go online. It’s too difficult to run a highly staffed and expensive business in big cities, for all those very low-volume lots.”
Given these circumstances, I think Fehrenbach’s idea for the tokenization of art has merit. The fractional tokenization of art could open big new markets among middle or upper-class art lovers for instance. For example, several hundred, or several thousand, small investors could buy a masterpiece and bring it to their local museum.
Is BNY Mellon a Value investment?
BNY Mellon (NYSE: BK) could be a value investment in tokenization because it makes money.
For instance, BNY Mellon reported a quarterly gross profit of $3.924 billion on 30 June 2019. Moreover, since Mellon is a bank that gross profit is the same as the revenues. However, Mellon’s revenue growth fell by -5.17% in the last quarter.
In addition, BNY reported an operating income of $1.284 billion and a net income of $1.017 billion for the same quarter. Thus BNY Mellon is already making a lot of money from international financial transactions.
BNY Mellon is a Cash Rich Company
One reason BNY Mellon could succeed in tokenization is that is a cash-rich company. For instance, BNY Mellon reported a Financing Cash flow of $13.245 billion on 30 June 2019.
However, BNY Mellon reports a negative free cash flow of -$2.018 billion, a negative investing cash flow of -$32.196 billion, and an operating cash flow of -$1.565 billion on the same day. Thus, Mellon’s business is lucrative but risky.
I think these cash flows partially explain, the interest in tokenization at Mellon. Management is looking for better, faster, cheaper, and less risky investments to ensure a better cash flow.
However, tokenization is a risky strategy because nobody knows if it will work. For instance, they need to solve many problems with blockchains; such as scalability, to make the technology practical. In fact, current blockchains could be too small and too slow to move large numbers of fractionalized tokens.
Conversely, BNY Mellon has the cash to spend to make tokenization work. For example, BNY Mellon had $90.747 billion in cash and equivalents on 30 June 2019.
In addition, Stockrow estimates BNY Million had $80.360 billion in cash and equivalents, $72.067 billion in short-term investments, and $135.127 billion in current assets on 31 March 2019. Finally, Mellon had $381.168 billion in total assets on 30 June 2019, up from $346.132 billion in assets on March 31, 2019.
BNY Mellon is a Value Investment
Currently, I think BNY Mellon is a value investment because of all the cash and its low stock price. In fact, Mr. Market priced BNY Mellon (NYSE: BK) shares at $41.92 on 4 September 2019.
Additionally, BNY Mellon stock paid a nice quarterly dividend of 31₵ on 26 July 2019. Plus, that dividend grew by 3₵ in summer 2019 rising from 28₵ on April 26, 2019.
Dividend.com credited Bank of New York Mellon shares with six years of dividend growth. Plus, the BK dividend offered a dividend yield of 2.96%, an annualized payout of $1.24 a share, and a payout ratio of 29.7% on 4 September 2019.
If you are looking for a value stock with a lot of growth potential that could make money from tokenization. BNY Mellon is an interesting possibility. This bank could make money from tokenization because it is already making money.


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A recent study by Rent.com found that a staggering 86 percent of Americans prefer an apartment with sustainable features, and more than half are willing the shell out the extra cash for the upgrade.
According to the survey, 42 percent of respondents were willing to pay up to $100 extra to live in a green apartment, and 13 percent would pay even more than that.
Renters were almost three times as likely as non-renters (11 percent versus 4 percent) to say living in an environmentally friendly home an absolute necessity.
If you’re on the hunt for your next apartment, Rent.com suggests some simple eco-friendly things to look for during your search that provide sustainable elements without the inflated price tag.
VOC-free paint: Landlords will usually repaint the interior of the apartment before you sign the lease. If this is the case, ask your landlord if they’re willing to let you choose the paint. This will allow you to choose both the color of the paint as well as a brand that offers VOC-free or low-VOC paint.
Matters of aesthetics and sexiness aside, when it comes to environmental impact there’s no denying the vitality of eco-friendly building products designed to not only conserve resources like energy, water and raw materials but also to help you save money and stay healthy.
You may not be aware of it, but paint formulations have been undergoing dramatic changes over the past several years, driven by regulations to reduce the Volatile Organic Compounds (known as VOCs) in a gallon of paint. VOCs have been identified as having an adverse effect on air quality, so over the past couple of decades, the government has stepped in to require increasingly stricter limits on the VOC content of paint.
Nationally, the U.S. EPA has set the limit for flat-sheen paints at 250 grams per liter, but there are parts of our country where poor air quality is more of an issue and the limit on VOCs is even lower. In Southern California, for instance, the governing body has set the VOC limit at 50 grams per liter. Missouri follows the national EPA rule, though nearby Illinois is part of a consortium of five Midwest states (which also includes Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio) that are moving forward with lowering VOC limits to 100 grams per liter.
While low or no VOC content is good for the environment, it is also good for the consumers who use them. Low-VOC paints emit less odor than other types of paint. That’s why they are often specified for projects where the occupants could be sensitive to paint fumes, such as hospitals and schools.


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Micromax launched the iOne smartphone in India. UniSOC’s SC9863 Octa-core chipset which will power the device with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage, expandable to up to 128 GB with the help of a memory card. The phone comes with a 5.45-inch HD+ IPS display with a notch at the top and an aspect ratio of 19:9.
The Micromax iOne is the first smartphone to be powered by a UNISOC SC9863 processor, notably bringing the notch to the entry-level segment. The Micromax iOne features a 5.45-inch HD display with an aspect ratio of 19:9.
Under the hood, the UNISOC SC9863 processor has eight processing cores, which are backed by 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. For photography, the handset is fitted with 5-megapixel cameras and LED flash both front and back. In terms of connectivity, the handset sports 4G LTE, dual-SIM slots, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. A 2,200mAh battery completes the list of the specifications.
Additionally, the newest offering also packs a powerful 2 GB RAM and an Octa-core processor for maximizing our users’ experience. Micromax, since the beginning, has always stood for democratizing technology at affordable price points.
Continuing to build on that vision, the newest addition to the Micromax family will make the new iOne a sought-after purchase for consumers across the country.
The phone is among the cheapest, priced at Rs. 4,999 and will be available from May 17.


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Home Depot has been storing mountains of customer data on a publicly accessible, unencrypted page, leaving many of them vulnerable to scams and identity theft, according to Consumerist. Worse yet, some of the files found on the page were even discoverable by search engines, making them even easier to find.
It is not uncommon to discover that a large corporate entity or organization is running a website with poor security, or even leaving customer information accessible to hackers. Home Depot’s latest debacle, might not affect a large number of people but it is still pretty egregious and shows there is a myriad of ways large companies can have weak security.
As many as 8,000 customers’ details were available in a publicly accessible Excel document, alongside many images of customers themselves and their products. Discovered by a concerned tipster and forwarded to Consumerist, the leak does not contain any financial information but there is still a lot of personal data up for grabs for anyone with an inquisitive mind.
The security flaw seems to stem from Home Depot’s MyInstall program, a service which helps customers communicate with installers. The recorded data is all related to complaints to do with the service, including logged names and addresses, the nature of the complaint and in some cases photos of the problem and the customers’ buying the product in question.
Home Depot’s response to a request for comment saw it remove the data immediately and claim that although it did not see the data as a high risk, it should not have been available as it was.
Although it is arguable that the data in this leak is not of the most sensitive type, it could easily be used as the foundation for a phishing scam. Likewise, social engineering becomes far easier with this sort of information.
As it stands, we do not know why this information was as publicly available as it was, but it is possible that it was the error of an employee at Home Depot, or possibly even someone acting maliciously. It may even be something as simple as Home Depot not investing in a robust software solution for its MyInstall program.
Home Depot says it has no plans to contact affected consumers, lest that invite a phishing scam, it is urging anyone that thinks they may be affected to contact its customer service number.
The concern now is that Home Depot is unlikely to be the only company operating companion services like this with lackluster security. Although far from the fault of consumers, security breaches like this go to show why you need to take your own security very seriously. Making sure you are not using weak passwords is an important first step.
This is not the first time Home Depot has been found with less-than-ideal digital security. It recently paid more than $20 million to settle a leak in 2014, which saw hackers steal the payment and personal information of millions of its customers.
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text: Small companies that export do better than those that don't, suggests the latest annual survey on small business from the Arthur Andersen Enterprise Group and National Small Business United. Exporters averaged $3.1 million in revenue last year, for example, compared with $2.1 million for all companies in the survey. In 1996, exporters' profits increased 4.4%, while the overall average was 2.6%. Exporters are also more tech-savvy: 92% have computers (vs. 79% overall) and 70% use the Internet (vs. 44% overall). But there's a downside. By 13 percentage points, more exporters worry about finding qualified workers.


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moka5(TM) to Deliver PC Virtualization Innovation.
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., May 16 /PRNewswire/ -- moka5(TM) today announced its formation and entry into the desktop virtualization technology business. A spin off from Stanford University's Computer Science Department, moka5 plans to revolutionize the way consumers and businesses view and use everyday computing environments. The company also announced that it has received funding from Khosla Ventures and that Vinod Khosla has joined the board.
The founding team is comprised of a combination of Stanford University PhDs and seasoned professionals from Microsoft, Sun, Symantec, XenSource and Akamai, to name a few companies. Leading the charge at moka5 is Monica Lam, Professor of Computer Science, currently on leave, from Stanford.
Professor Lam's research group was the first to use machine virtualization to address the problems of managing and securing computer desktops. The research, started in 2001, was inspired by the thin-client computing model, where machines are managed centrally and users can gain access to a computer environment anywhere. Thin-client computing, reminiscent of mainframe computing, however, fails to capitalize on the PC revolution. PCs are low-cost, compared to data-center operations, powerful, highly interactive and can run disconnected from a network. The years of research at Stanford led to the creation of a third-generation system architecture, or LivePC(TM), that delivers optimized PC management, security and mobility.
"In university research, we try to create fundamentally sound solutions from the ground up rather than provide incremental solutions. LivePCs are a new approach to computer management that addresses many issues such as spyware, mobile computing, home computer management, hardware migration and disaster recovery. We are excited and committed to putting this technology in the hands of real users," said Monica Lam, Founder, and CEO of moka5.
Based on virtualization, the LivePC technology allows users to work on any operating system, with any applications, on any device in a completely maintained, up-to-date and secure environment. The LivePC opens a new world of work and play where the technology developed allows actively managed computing environments to be run locally on any PC efficiently and transparently. This technology is ideal for businesses, universities and government.
Infotech.com states that, "Virtualization will dominate 2006 for servers and dominate on desktops by the end of 2010. Virtualization on x86 hardware is poised for major growth. We predict that 20% of Windows and Linux server operating systems will be hosted on virtual x86 machines by the end of 2006, with a combined annual growth rate of 20%. Virtualization will be pervasive on servers and desktops by the end of the decade."
moka5 is on the verge of influencing change in everyday computing and has received funding from Vinod Khosla, one of the premiere venture capitalists in Silicon Valley. "PCs are increasingly hard to manage and hard to use, even for sophisticated users. moka5 brings a whole new approach that is much simpler and more powerful for the user, and has the potential to redefine the PC business. moka5 is dedicated to quickly becoming a leading force in desktop virtualization technology for the broad market," said Vinod Khosla, Founder of Khosla Ventures.
About moka5 (formerly named Skyblue Technologies, Inc.)
Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Redwood City, California, moka5 develops and markets virtual computer technology for the real world. With its patented technology, moka5 provides an engine for development and broad distribution of virtual computers, called LivePCs. For more information, visit http://www.moka5.com/.
About Khosla Ventures
Khosla Ventures delivers venture assistance, strategic advice and capital to entrepreneurs determined to build companies with a lasting impact. The firm was founded in 2004 to help entrepreneurs extend the potential of the Internet in new ways and to support breakthrough scientific work in areas from bio refineries to new semiconductors. The firm's capital comes entirely from its own partners and a portion of all profits are donated to charitable causes, with an emphasis on micro-finance, education, environment and affordable housing. Khosla Ventures is based in Menlo Park, California.
CONTACT: Christa Bailey of moka5, +1-415-839-3092, or +1-760-505-5650, or email@example.com
Web site: http://www.moka5.com/
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|Date:||May 16, 2006|
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New Delhi: One of India's leading automakers Tata Motors on Monday announced a new achievement in the field of passenger vehicles. The company informed that it has achieved the milestone of 4 million vehicles. To mark the event, Tata Motors has also come up with a video that highlights the company’s journey.
Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus and Chairman of Tata Trusts, Ratan Tata congratulated the company for crossing the milestone. Through a tweet, the business tycoon stated, “Congratulations on the 4 million milestone! I wish you all the very best for the road ahead." The beloved industrialist also shared the video made by the company to mark the milestone.
In his Instagram story as well, the octagenarian shared the video and congratulated the company. In response to Tata's story and well wishes, Tata Motors also put out a story which said, "Aap the isliye ham hue, Aap hain isliye ham hai aur Aap honge tab hi ham honge, Aapke bina to ham kuch bhi nahi. (We came into being because of you, You are so we are too, We will exist if you will be there, without you we are nothing) Thank you @Ratanatata #WELOVEYOU4MILLION."
The video shared by the automaker draws a visual timeline in the voice of Anupam Kher narrating the key milestones achieved by the company since its establishment in 1945. The video covers some of India’s historic moments as well as show the changes the company underwent throughout the year. It concludes with the launch of the company's new BS6 range of cars that includes Tiago, Tigor, Nexon, Harrier and Altroz.
"A legacy of 3 decades, beginning with the first indigenous SUV - to producing 4 million cars, driving in a new age of world-class mobility. Watch our journey, narrated by the iconic Anupam Kher," said the automaker in the video caption.
Commenting on the launch of this film, Vivek Srivatsa, Head Marketing, Passenger Vehicle Business Unit (PVBU), Tata Motors said, “As one of India’s foremost home-grown automotive brands, we are delighted to have reached this significant milestone for our passenger vehicles segment. We are honoured to have the legendary Anupam Kher as the narrator of the glorious journey of a brand that is a legend in itself. This film is a testament to not only our evolutionary growth over the last 30 years but also the growth that India has seen as a nation through this period."
It is worth noting that, Tata Motors climbed to the 3rd spot in the passenger vehicles segment since two successive quarters. It recorded a market share of 7.9% in H1FY21. The company achieved a growth of 22% (YTD) vis-a-vis last year (April-October).


text: Rwanda’s meat exports more than doubled, reaching $22.3 million in the fiscal year 2022/2023 from $8.8 million in 2021/2022, according to data from the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB). On export volumes, more than 8,721 tonnes of meat were exported from the country in 2022/2023, compared to over 5,485 tonnes in the previous fiscal year, representing a 59 percent increase. According to NAEB, pork and beef are the main types of meat exported from Rwanda, with approximately 99 per cent of exports going to African countries, particularly DR Congo, and a small portion distributed among Canada, the US, and the Netherlands. It indicated that the government has been actively working on initiatives to boost the meat industry, investing in infrastructure, extension services, safety, and quality control. According to information from the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board, one of the projects that Rwanda is banking on to increase quality meat production for both local and export markets is the Gako meat project in Bugesera District. Under its feasibility study, it was expected the project would have a feedlot capacity of 56,000 bulls to be properly fed for beef production purposes, and an abattoir with a capacity to slaughter at least 120 bulls per hour, as per data from Gako Meat Company Ltd — the firm owning the project. ALSO READ: Gako meat project on course to profitability – MPs told Moreover, NAEB observed that the meat industry contributes significantly to Rwanda’s economy in terms of employment and foreign exchange earnings. Herve Tuyishime, CEO of Paniel Meat Processing Ltd, one of the meat exporters, said that there is a growing interest from some Middle East countries in mutton, beef, and goat. However, he said that their current exports primarily consist of live animals, including beef cattle, goats, sheep, chickens, and pigs that are mainly exported to DR Congo. He said Rwanda ensures the quality and safety of its meat exports through Rwanda Inspection, Certification, and Accreditation Services (RICA) under the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB). “RICA supervises the entire meat export process, from processing and packaging to storage and transport, ensuring adherence to regional and international standards,” he explained. Regarding the meat industry’s growth compared to other agricultural sectors, NAEB pointed out that Rwanda’s meat industry has experienced growth, however it is not as dominant as sectors like coffee, tea, and horticulture. ALSO READ: Rwanda’s annual agric export revenues reach Rwf860bn The latest study on the Mapping of Meat Value Chain and Gap Analysis of the Meat Sub-Sector (MINICOM, 2022) highlighted several challenges that are holding back the meat industry from being competitive in both local and international markets. These include low capacity for quality meat production, skills gaps, compliance issues with international standards, and lack of value addition. Despite these challenges, NAEB observed that the Rwandan government has implemented strategies to support the industry’s growth, such as providing support to the private sector, crafting policies and regulations, ensuring enforcement, and enhancing infrastructure. Looking ahead, pointed out that opportunities for further expansion and diversification of Rwanda’s meat export market exist, including positive livestock population trends, existing laws and regulations, slaughterhouse certification processes, and developed veterinary services.


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Small business will pay price for government’s digital tax, says Amazon
Internet giant could pass cost of 2% digital tax imposed by Conservative government onto small business, just as it has done in France.
Shared by Small Business
January 17, 2020
Amazon has said that it could pass the cost of the government’s planned 2 per cent digital tax onto small businesses that sell through it.
Read more at Small Business.


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Internet Explorer For Mac Apple
Microsoft and Apple are no longer the fierce rivals they used to be and, in fact, the two companies are now even collaborating on a series of projects supposed to make their products work better one with another.
But there was a time when many considered Microsoft and Apple the biggest enemies in the tech industry, not only because of the history between the two, but also as a result of the competing products they launched.
- Question: Q: Internet Explorer for MAC OSX Yosemite More Less Apple Footer This site contains user submitted content, comments and opinions and is for informational purposes only.
- Internet Explorer 4.0 for Macintosh. At the 1997 Macworld Expo in Boston, on August 6, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates announced a partnership between Microsoft and Apple. Amongst other things, Apple agreed to make Internet Explorer the default browser instead of Netscape Navigator.
And yet, Microsoft somehow managed to expand in Apple’s walled garden, making its software available for Mac OS X users at a time when pretty much every fanboy of the Cupertino-based tech giant hated the software firm with all their guts.
It all started in 1997 at Apple’s MacWorld conference in Boston when Steve Jobs made a surprise announcement and Bill Gates himself took the stage to discuss Microsoft’s plans for Mac OS X.
Intelligent Tracking Prevention. Remember when you looked at that green mountain bike online?
It was something nobody would have ever imagined happening, but which Apple really needed due to its financial trouble. With a low stock price and struggling financially, Apple appointed Steve Jobs as an interim CEO in an attempt to save the company.
And the solution he found, and which he announced at MacWorld, was a partnership with Microsoft that allowed the software firm to expand in the world on Mac OS X quite substantially.
First of all, according to the partnership between the two, Internet Explorer became the default browser on the Macintosh.
“We have taken a look at browsers out there and Apple has decided to make Internet Explorer its default browser on the Macintosh. Since we believe in choice, we’re going to be shipping other Internet browsers, as well, on the Macintosh, and the user can, of course, change their default should they choose to. We believe that Internet Explorer is a really good browser, and we think it’s going to make a fine default browser,” Steve Jobs told the audience in this surprise announcement.
Then, a dedicated version of Microsoft Office for Mac OS X was also offered to Apple users as part of a five-year collaboration.
What Microsoft had to do in return was make a $150 million investment in Apple, which essentially allowed the company to avoid the financial collapse.
“Microsoft is making an investment in Apple. Microsoft is buying $150 million worth of Apple stock at market price. It is non-voting shares. And they’ve agreed not to sell them for at least three years. So what this means is that Microsoft is going to be part of the game with us as we restore this company back to health, have a vested interest in that stock price going up,” Jobs told the audience.
Microsoft and Apple also settled their patent dispute and received a full cross-license for all patents.
Using Internet Explorer On Mac
It goes without saying that Microsoft was the big winner of the deal, especially as it was the world’s largest software company that also wanted a piece of Apple’s pie.
Internet Explorer landed on Macintosh computers in 1996 with version 2 of the browser. However, Microsoft’s browser became the default option as part of Mac OS 8.1 announced at MacWorld in 1998 – the operating system, however, shipped with Internet Explorer 3.01, despite version 4.0 already available at that time; this was necessary because the latest IE version wasn’t finalized when Apple signed off Mac OS 8.1.
Since then, Microsoft pushed harder and harder for its software on Mac OS X, and new versions of Internet Explorer were released regularly. Internet Explorer 5 landed in January 2020, followed by Internet Explorer 5.1 in September 2001.
The browser partnership between the two came to an end in 2003 when Apple released Mac OS X 10.3 Panther, which shipped with the company’s very own Safari browser. Microsoft eventually abandoned Internet Explorer for Mac in late 2005, while next year it also pulled download links once and for all.
Internet Explorer For Mac Apple Macbook Pro
Users who tried to download Internet Explorer after this date were told to try out Apple’s Safari.


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Is CBD legal in London?
However, CBD is an exception and is completely legal in the UK, “provided it has been derived from an industrial hemp strain that is EU-approved”, says NetDoctor. … For CBD oil to be legal in the UK, it must contain no more than 0.2% THC, and the THC must not be easily separated from it.
Are CBD Flowers legal UK?
Are CBD buds legal in the UK? Hemp flowers (CBD buds) contain less than 0.2% THC and are legal to purchase and use in the UK. Hemp flowers for sale in the UK are usually harvested from industrial hemp which is legal to grow in the UK and Europe (requires a licence in the UK).
Can you bring CBD oil to England?
CBD oil is legal in the UK as long as it contains no more than 0.2 per cent of THC.
How long does CBD oil take to work UK?
It can take up to two hours for the CBD to come into effect, but it can last for four to five hours.
Do you have to be 18 to buy CBD?
In states where cannabis is legal, there is usually a minimum age requirement of 18 to 21 for purchasing, says Dr. Chen. CBD products appearing on store shelves, however, often carry no age restriction, he says. CBD entrepreneurs have navigated the legal landscape in different ways.
Is there an age limit to use CBD oil?
Eventually, there may be age restrictions placed on the sale of CBD products that take effect nationwide. For now, adults over the age of 21 are safe everywhere that CBD is legal. Some places stipulate that you must be over the age of 16.
Are CBD gummies illegal?
The Drug Enforcement Administration maintains that CBD is illegal since it’s derived from cannabis, but the Food and Drug Administration approved a CBD prescription drug — the first of its kind to be legally sold in the US — in June, per the New York Times.
Is CBD FDA approved?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants the American public to know that cannabidiol (CBD), the non-intoxicating component of the cannabis sativa plant, might not be as safe and effective in the grand scheme of their overall health and wellness as they are being told.
Why do people use CBD?
CBD is commonly used to address anxiety, and for patients who suffer through the misery of insomnia, studies suggest that CBD may help with both falling asleep and staying asleep. CBD may offer an option for treating different types of chronic pain.
Will CBD get me fired?
Cannabidiol, commonly called CBD, is popular cannabis derivative. On its own, cannabidiol won’t get you high. But, there is still a small chance that indulging in those CBD products could lead to a failed drug test.
Can I take CBD and melatonin?
While anecdotal evidence suggests CBD could help some insomniacs sleep if their lack of sleep is due to underlying anxiety, the substance’s results are highly individualized depending on the cause of your sleep troubles. In some cases, small doses of CBD could in fact stimulate alertness, a 2014 study found.
Does CBD lower blood pressure?
Yes, CBD (cannabidiol) has been shown to cause a modest drop in blood pressure in people taking high doses.
Does CBD affect your brain?
The researchers found that the cannabis with low levels of CBD impaired the participants’ brain functions. The drug degraded the brain’s salience network, a system of detecting emotional and sensory stimuli, and its general functional connectivity.
Are Phytocannabinoids the same as CBD?
CBD is a naturally occurring chemical compound (cannabinoid) found in the cannabis plant. … There is a tremendous amount of information being discussed on the internet on what CBD is used for and how it is consumer (e.g., sublingual, vape, water soluble, edibles, patches, etc).
The Best Way to Dispense CBD Oil
When absorbed under the tongue, CBD bypasses the digestive system and processing of the liver; therefore, the effects of CBD oil are not decreased by digestion. Sublingual application allows CBD to quickly enter the bloodstream and interact with the endocannabinoid system.
Can I take CBD oil on a cruise?
You might have problems on cruises or on federal lands
Both Carnival Cruise Lines and Disney Cruise Lines also prohibit CBD oil on their ships. … (Hemp-derived CBD oil likely remains the one exception.) And while it might be very easy to stowaway a tincture on any mode of transportation, that doesn’t mean it’s allowed.
Does CBD oil increase estrogen?
Estrogen and progesterone influence the activity of serotonin and other neurotransmitters in the brain — which directly affect mood. … If you supplement your treatment with CBD oil, it turns out that CBD activates serotonin receptors, similar to the anti-anxiety drug buspirone.
Can you be fired for taking CBD?
If CBD products do cause you to fail a drug test, you could be fired. Although Michigan voters have legalized recreational and medical use of cannabis, the drug remains illegal at the federal level and businesses have discretion over their own workplace drug policies.


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Pandora Group, the Danish company known for its charm bracelets, is hoping to broaden its consumer base with a new collection called Essence.
The line, which will hit Pandora stores on Monday, represents a second attempt for the midmarket, charm-centric jeweler at elevating its collection. In the past, the brand attempted to offer a higher-end 18-karat gold collection, but according to Scott Burger, president of Pandora North America, the jewelry brand “alienated its core customer.” In the U.S., that core consumer is a suburban woman in her 40s.
Hermès is launching a Laundromat pop-up shop in NYC - dubbed Hermèsmatic - where customers can bring their old scarves to be dip-dyed by an expert. Get all the details on WWD.com. #wwdnews (📷: @donstahl)


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Acer has taken the wraps off a new Android PC, part of a lineup that also sees a new Android smart phone and an 8-inch Windows 8 tablet heading for the UK.
The Acer DA223 HQL is an all-in-one desktop PC powered by Android, announced ahead of next week's CES, the international technology trade show where the year's new gadgets are unveiled. The 21-inch PC has a 1.7GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor running Android Jelly Bean software, or you can plug it into a Windows 8 PC and use it as a monitor.
The DA223 is due out in April 2014 for £399.
Actual UK prices for the rest of Acer's new stuff have yet to be confirmed, but we've converted the European prices to give you a rough estimation of possible price tags.
The Acer Liquid Z5 Android smart phone will go on sale in Britain, France, Benelux, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Ukraine in the next couple of weeks. The 5-inch phone is expected to cost a bargain-basement €169 (about £140), but with no other specs released I can't say how it might compare to our current low-cost fave, the.
Next up, the Iconia W4, an 8.1-inch Windows 8.1 tablet, will cost €299 (around £250) from the end of the month. It boasts a 16:10, 1,280x800-pixel screen, 2-megapixel and 5-megapixel cameras, and a 1.8GHz Intel Atom processor.
Then there are two Android tablets released throughout January and February: the 7.9-inch A1-830 for €169 (about £140), and 7-inch B1-720 starting at €129 (roughly £110) for the Wi-Fi-only model.
Acer has also given its line of small laptops a spruce-up, starting with the 11.6-inch C720P-2600 Chromebook, costing €299 (around £250). The exact release date is yet to be confirmed but it will be on sale in Switzerland, Germany, France, Russia, Netherlands, Sweden and Finland as well as here in Britain.
Meanwhile, the 15.6-inch, €599 Aspire V5-561P (roughly £495) is an ultrabook, as is the €999 Aspire S3 (that's about £830).
We'll look out for the new Acers at CES, where CNET will be on hand to bring you the first news, previews and hands-on first impressions of all the coolest kit.


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Apple will be constructing a new Apple Store in North Carolina to replace one that has closed.
The Cupertino-based company recently filed construction of an Apple Store at Birkdale Village, NC. The new store will be part of an effort to rebuild the area with new retail shops, including a Cheesecake Factory, Lilly Pulitzer, Anthropologie, and more. The Birkdale Village is an outdoor center that includes around sixty shops, including a Sephora, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Barnes & Noble, Lovesac, Warby Parker, and more.
The Birkdale Village is just eight miles out from an Apple Store that was recently closed. Apple’s retail store in SouthPark is still open, albeit on the other side around 17 miles away. There’s no word on the official square footage and design, but it’s believed that the store will adopt new principles such as the ones in Battersea and Tyson. A message on the Apple website states that the new NC store will open in early 2024.


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The world’s largest shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries closes another dock at its Ulsan shipyard. The finance-troubled company will close Dock 5, which is traditionally used for building tankers and has length of 380 m, width of 65 m with a capacity to roll out 400,000 tons per year. Hyundai Heavy Industries will use the facility for repair or additional finished touches of nearly completed vessels. The decision to close Dock 5 comes after plans of the shipbuilder to restructure its business reducing the workforce by 6,000 in 2017 and closing major facilities coping with decreasing number of new orders and crisis in the sector.
Hyundai Heavy Industries closed Dock 4 in June 2016 and also announced closure of its affiliate Gunsan Dockyard in May 2017. Moreover, the offshore dock in Ulsan is expected to stop late this year. From total nine docks for commercial vessels in Ulsan shipyard about half will be emptied.
The lack of work across dock-affiliated factories is another problem that plagues the shipbuilder. Some panel assembly factories will be used for different purposes because there is no demand for panel supplies.
Hyundai Heavy Industries is the world’s largest shipbuilding company, headquartered in Ulsan, South Korea.


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Apple Pay is about as easy as it gets when you want to make a quick purchase. Bring your phone up to the payment terminal at the store, and an NFC connection just takes your cash. Since launch, Apple Pay has found favor with folks like me who just don’t want to bust out a credit card for a $7 meal. The problem is Apple Pay isn’t as widely available as many would like, but with new merchants (and another NBA team) signing up for Apple Pay, it’s getting better.
Fans of the NBA can now use Apple Pay in three different arenas. We already knew the Golden State Warriors’ Oracle Arena and the Amway Center — home of the Orlando Magic — were on board. Now, Phoenix Suns fans can buy merchandise at the US Airways Center.
When it comes to day-to-day retail, though, Apple Pay has brand new partners: Acme, Davis Food & Drug, Gamestop, Firehouse Subs, Luby’s, Rubio’s, and T-Mobile. Apple also updated their Apple Pay website to reflect RadPad, an app that lets you split your rent with others using Apple Pay.
Don’t expect those stores to have Apple Pay ready to go straight away, though. Some will undoubtedly need new point-of-sale hardware in addition to some back-end maneuvering. There’s no noted timeframe for the rollout, either.
Still, the ability to buy an iPhone with an iPhone at T-Mobile is pretty interesting. So is buying retro game cartridges with your futuristic tech via Gamestop.
Via: Apple Insider


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Janet Neo, a board director at the philanthropic arm of Singapore state investment company Temasek, has joined Lazada to spearhead the e-commerce firm’s sustainability ambitions.
Neo has relocated from Seoul to Singapore to be Lazada’s vice president of corporate sustainability and government affairs.
She is the e-commerce firm’s first sustainability executive and will be formulating the company’s sustainability strategy, reporting to the chief strategy officer.
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Neo joins a firm that is new to sustainability, having been focused on hyper-growth since its founding in 2012 and sale to Alibaba in 2016.
A 2018 Eco-Business study of the e-commerce sector highlighted that Lazada does not have a sustainability policy. Its sustainability efforts have focused on economic inclusion, supporting small-to-medium sized businesses and entrepreneurs.
Lazada’s mission is create 20 million e-commerce jobs and serve 300 million customers by 2030, by encouraging 8 million people to become e-commerce entrepreneurs.
Neo said that as well as the economic inclusion work, she would be working on improving the sustainability of the firm’s supply chain and logistics, and working with consumers, sellers and brands towards Sustainable Development Goal 12 — sustainable consumption and production.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digital retail. I look forward to working with Lazada management and country teams in the region to make a meaningful impact in sustainable e-commerce,” Neo told Eco-Business.
She joins Lazada after a year in Korea as global strategy head for Global Green Growth Institute, an intergovernmental green economic growth organisation.
She will remain on the board of directors of Temasek Foundation Ecosperity, a role she has performed since 2018.
Over a career that started out as a banker at OCBC, Neo has worked in senior corporate sustainability roles for Heineken and Fuji Xerox based in Singapore.
Neo was a sustainable business taskforce member for United Nations Economic & Social Commission for the Asia and the Pacific, and also a council member of sustainability reporting framework Global Reporting Initiative.
Now running communications and engagement at Temasek Foundation is Jennifer Lewis, who moved into the role after 12 years running communications for Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC in April this year.