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QUEBEC, CAN — (01-17-19) — CrakRevenue today announced the availability of automated clearing house (ACH) transactions on its platform.
Adult content affiliates from all around the world can choose this new payment method right now, said Maxime Bergeron, affiliate sales director at CrakRevenue, which recently secured the seventh position in the Top 10 out of the world’s best CPA networks, according to mThink’s Blue Book 2019.
Bergeron said that with the added benefits of “ultra fast” processing times and “very low fees,” the new option will make it even easier than before for partners to get paid without normal hassle.
“Adding a new payment system to our platform always requires careful consideration.” added Maxim Bergeron. “There are lots of details to take into account, such as security and fees. We feel like automated clearing house transactions truly is the best of both worlds, being built on a very tight network with low associated fees,” said Bergeron
Bergeron further added…”The ACH payment system adds an incredible new way for affiliates to receive funds wherever they are located. Coupled with PayPal, Paxum, wire and check, CrakRevenue “makes it smooth to operate on its platform so affiliates can focus on what they’re doing best: bring in even more conversions,” said Bergeron.
Adult content affiliates can get more information about CrakRevenue’ new ACH Payment System by Clicking Here.
Article by: William Lopez, Staff Writer
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The current model of the Suburban has been launched at the start of 2014 and it has been completely redesigned over the previous model. However, because technology advances with a rapid pace and there are new entries in its class, GM is going to update this extended wheelbase SUV with the release of the 2016 Chevy Suburban which is not going to be an all new car but rather a small update which will add some features and it will give it a better value for money. Just like before, the new Suburban will still use the K2XX platform which uses high strength steel and even aluminum in certain areas of the car.
2016 Chevy Suburban Engine
There are not going to be that many changes under the hood of the 2016 Chevy Suburban meaning that it will continue to come equipped with the same naturally aspirated 5.3 liter V8 which is not impressive by any means, offering 355 horsepower and 383 lb-ft of torque. The good part is that the engine is capable to get the massive hulk of the car to 60 MPH in just 7.1 seconds and up to a maximum top speed of 113 MPH. On top of that, it can average well over 17 MPG which is actually quite good considering it can seat up to 9 people and their luggage without any issues.
The only drawback we see with the new model is that it will continue to use the same 6 speed automatic as before which is good but it is not as good as the 8 speed automatic already available on other GM products. There are rumors that in the near future the Suburban will get it as well and it should also get an improved towing rating of up to 9000 pounds which would make it one of the better choices in its class.
Exterior of 2016 Chevy Suburban
On the exterior things will be pretty much identical to the current model with only a few minor exceptions. Two colors are going to be deleted from the roster and replaced with the new Siren Red and Iridescent Pearl color options which will only be available as optional extras. These two will also be released on certain Cadillac and GMC products. On top of that there are going to be new Intel Beam headlamps which will be able to keep the high beams on for longer without any input from the driver.
Chevy Suburban 2016 Interior
Inside the cabin of the 2016 Chevy Suburban on the other hand things are going to be a bit more different. Firstly, there is going to be a new package which will add power adjustable pedals, forward collision alert as well as lane keep assist and safety alert seat. These should make the car safer as well as easier to drive. The downside is that GM decided to remove the SD card reader and the USB plugs, meaning the driver will not be able to add music so easily. The infotainment system will also get replaced with either a SiriusXM satellite radio or with an HD radio system, both being cheaper than before. In order to make it friendlier with its passengers, the tailgate will receive a hands-free opening system which should make loading the car easier.
Price of 2016 Suburban
The update has been scheduled for release for the second half of 2015, most likely at the end of the summer. The price will likely not see any real differences over that of the previous model so we do expect it to go for around $50,000 while the premium versions will fetch up to $70,000 or more, depending on the selected options. While it may seem like a bit too much, the Suburban still is the better full size SUV on the market because it offers a new platform, a more fuel efficient engine than the competition and great interior and exterior looks.
Official site: http://www.chevrolet.com/suburban-suv.html

domain: news


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List of Contents
What is the News?
After banning the import of plastic waste in 2019, the Environment Ministry has permitted PET Bottles as plastic waste to be imported for processing.
What has the Government done on the import of Plastic Waste?
The government had banned the import of plastic waste in 2019 to promote the management of locally generated plastic waste.
However, several plastic waste industries have requested the Government to revoke the plan as there was too little waste available for them in India and this was causing them financial losses.
After this, an expert committee was set up by the Ministry of Environment. This committee recommended that firms who had applied for permission could import PET Flakes/Bottles up to 50% of their production capacity.
Note: Polyethylene Terephthalate(PET) bottles are a category of plastic of which nearly 90% of the domestic supply is already recycled.
What are the objections raised regarding the import of plastic waste into India?
Environment Groups have requested the government not to resume the import of PET bottles, as there is no shortage of PET waste in India.
As per the industry data, more than 14 lakh tonnes of PET plastic are consumed annually in India and even with a global highest 80% recycling rate, approx. 2.8 lakh tonnes of plastic bottles waste never gets collected.
What was the Government’s response to this?
The government has said that there was no blanket lifting of the import ban on plastic waste. The import was permitted only for the PET bottles to be used for Recycled Polyester Staple Fibre and yarn.
Source: This post is based on an article “Imports of plastic bottles for waste processing allowed” published in The Hindu on 31st March 2022.


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LOS ANGELES, CA – April 14, 2016 — /BackupReview.info/ — j2 Global, Inc. (Nasdaq:JCOM), the global provider of Internet services and Digital Media, invites the public, members of the press, the financial community, stockholders and other interested parties to listen to a live audio Webcast of its First Quarter Earnings Call at 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, May 5th, 2016.
Hemi Zucker, chief executive officer, and Scott Turicchi, president and chief financial officer, will host the call. Materials presented during the call will be posted on the Company’s website at j2global.com and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Regulation FD.
Questions for the conference call will be taken via email at firstname.lastname@example.org and can be sent anytime prior to or during the Webcast. If you are unable to participate during the live Webcast, the conference call and presentation materials will be archived at www.j2global.com
About j2 Global®
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Source: j2 Global, Inc.
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All The Xbox One E3 Games Coming In 2018: Fallout 76, Forza Horizon 4, And More
Created by Chris Pereira on
E3 2018 is over, so that means it's time to tally the announcements and map out the countless new games that are on the way, both in the short- and long-term. At last year's E3, Xbox primarily used its platform to announce the Xbox One X. The console is undoubtedly a powerhouse, but gamers have been wondering which games they'll be able to play on Microsoft's newest piece of hardware. After this E3, no one has to wonder anymore!
Most game announcements were for big multiplatform franchises, such as Fallout 76 and Battlefield V. Players were already expecting to see these blockbuster titles going into E3, but many of these games offered a few surprises. Fallout 76 is differentiating itself from its predecessors by putting players into a multiplayer-focused sandbox that's always online. Battlefield V is making significant changes to the franchise's tried-and-true formula by implementing a new battle royale mode.
Not every game coming to Xbox One this year belongs to a massive multiplatform franchise though. Some developers are releasing smaller titles, like Unravel Two and Overcooked 2. Exclusives, like Ashen and Forza Horizon 4, round out the Xbox One's growing library and help the console differentiate itself from its competition.
To help you keep track of everything coming out over the next six months and what exactly each game has to offer, we've compiled all the biggest games expected to launch on the Xbox One this year.
Let us know which Xbox One game you're most looking forward to playing in the comments section.


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J.C. Penney Co. , after seeing its stock plunge to a near 13-year low, shot back at critics Thursday, reminding them that it still expects same-store sales to go positive before the end of the third quarter and remain there through the rest of the year.
The company also said it's pleased with its turnaround effort and the traction it's starting to achieve. It said it's starting to see more predictability in its performance across many areas. When shoppers visit its stores and websites, more are beginning to purchase as the company brings back in stock things and sizes that its customers want, Penney said, adding that JCP.com sales continue to rise double-digits ahead of the pace last year.
Penney's response appeared to appease investors rattled by fresh liquidity concerns and worries that sales may continue to slide. Penney shares jumped as much as 10%.
In response to MarketWatch questions, Penney spokesman Joseph Thomas said the company is also paying its vendors on time and that they continue to be "very supportive" of Penney. He said Penney doesn't comment on "market rumors" that it's raising additional capital.
"While JCP didn't speak to 3Q trends explicitly, the commentary was more favorably biased, in our view," said Sterne Agee analyst Charles Grom in a note on Thursday.
Grom on Wednesday met with Penney CEO Mike Ullman in New York and said Ullman told him Penney has seen "good progress" in its back-to-school sales, with consumers responding to its increased sales. Ullman also told him the company's new home department, while still struggling, can "be fixed with time."
Investors dumped Penney shares earlier this week, wiping out more than a fifth of their value, following reports that the company may need to raise additional capital to sustain its turnaround. Goldman Sachs on Wednesday also initiated its credit coverage of the company with an underperform rating and raised fresh worries about Penney's liquidity and its need to raise more cash.
Citigroup on Thursday cut its price target on the stock to $7 a share from $11, and said it also thinks it "prudent" that Penney raise capital to "cushion against a potentially challenging holiday season." Analyst Deborah Weinswig said she thinks that while the company has enough liquidity this year, adequate cash for the next two years "is in question."
"The turnaround is taking longer than we anticipated, and we are concerned about a softening macro environment combined with deteriorating vendor relationships (due to weak volumes and growing anxiety about on-time payments during and after Holiday)," she said.
Worries mounted as retailers across the board are already bracing for what's expected to be the worst holiday season in four years.
-- Andria Cheng
-- Follow her on Twitter @AndriaCheng


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DSTV, Africa Magic has announced a strategic partnership without EIC Communication to stage year 2020 edition of Africa Wedding Expo and Award Night 2020.
Online PR News – 15-February-2020 – Ikeja – DSTV, AFRICA MAGIC PARTNERS WITH EIC COMMUNICATIONS LTD. ON AFRICA WEDDING EXPO 2020
DStv (Digital Satellite Television) is a Sub-Saharan African direct broadcast satellite service owned by MultiChoice. million.
DStv has announced a strategic partnership without EIC Communication to stage year 2020 edition of Africa wedding expo and award night event exclusively owned by Wedding Resource Hub.
The Africa wedding expo and award night 2020 is to be the largest wedding trade fair and networking bazaar in Africa with over 200 wedding exhibitors and vendors expected, scores of showbiz professionals, captains of industries, intending couples, over 3000 visitors and guests from Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya and over 20 countries across Africa and beyond.
The 2019 edition had some 3000 visitors and over 50 vendors from 10 countries. Comments from satisfied vendors and guests from last year's event: " they set the standard others follow" k-lala photographer; " they are very strong online" kogzy- Baker, "credible platform to belong to" nonistick- fashion designer.
Hence, DSTV and AFRICA MAGIC is partnering with EIC Marketing Communications being an Event and PR consultants with a creative approach to achieving desired goals and gainful results. EIC pride herself to be the official PR company for AFRICA WEDDING EXPO 2020 to complement desirable strategies of, major companies and other Governments establishments in Nigeria for effective brand visibility, successful event planning, supplies and implementations for this landmark event..
The African wedding expo and event night 2020 will be a market place for wedding vendors and intending couples, and provide a platform for networking for other stakeholders.
The event is scheduled for JUNE 29th and 30th, 2020 at one of the most prestigious event center in Lagos Nigeria.


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Detente is ending in the global fight over tech taxes.
Earlier this year, France agreed to suspend collection of a tax on digital revenue from large technology companies such as Facebook Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google. Meanwhile, the U.S. delayed the application of tariffs it was putting on French goods in retaliation for the tax.
But now France has resumed collecting what is known as its digital-services tax, a French official said. Other countries, including Italy and the U.K., whose similar taxes went into effect this year, are also set to begin collection in coming months.


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Back in October, we examined the rise in oil prices. We said that, ‘With Brent crude currently at around $85 per barrel, some commentators are predicting the price could reach $100. At the beginning of the year, the price was $67 per barrel; in June last year it was $44. In January 2016, it reached a low of $26.’ In that blog we looked at the causes on both the demand and supply sides of the oil market. On the demand side, the world economy had been growing relatively strongly. On the supply side there had been increasing constraints, such as sanctions on Iran, the turmoil in Venezuela and the failure of shale oil output to expand as much as had been anticipated.
But what a difference a few weeks can make!
Brent crude prices have fallen from $86 per barrel in early October to just over $50 by the end of the year – a fall of 41 per cent. (Click here for a PowerPoint of the chart.) Explanations can again be found on both the demand and supply sides.
On the demand side, global growth is falling and there is concern about a possible recession (see the blog: Is the USA heading for recession?). The Bloomberg article below reports that all three main agencies concerned with the oil market – the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the Paris-based International Energy Agency and OPEC – have trimmed their oil demand growth forecasts for 2019. With lower expected demand, oil companies are beginning to run down stocks and thus require to purchase less crude oil.
On the supply side, US shale output has grown rapidly in recent weeks and US output has now reached a record level of 11.7 million barrels per day (mbpd), up from 10.0 mbpd in January 2018, 8.8 mbpd in January 2017 and 5.4 mbpd in January 2010. The USA is now the world’s biggest oil producer, with Russia producing around 11.4 mpbd and Saudi Arabia around 11.1 mpbd.
Total world supply by the end of 2018 of around 102 mbpd is some 2.5 mbpd higher than expected at the beginning of 2018 and around 0.5 mbpd greater than consumption at current prices (the remainder going into storage).
So will oil prices continue to fall? Most analysts expect them to rise somewhat in the near future. Markets may have overcorrected to the gloomy news about global growth. On the supply side, global oil production fell in December by 0.53 mbpd. In addition OPEC and Russia have signed an accord to reduce their joint production by 1.2 mbpd starting this month (January). What is more, US sanctions on Iran have continued to curb its oil exports.
But whatever happens to global growth and oil production, the future price will continue to reflect demand and supply. The difficulty for forecasters is in predicting just what the levels of demand and supply will be in these uncertain times.
Oil prices have been rising in recent weeks. With Brent crude currently at around $85 per barrel, some commentators are predicting the price could reach $100. At the beginning of the year, the price was $67 per barrel; in June last year it was $44. In January 2016, it reached a low of $26. But what has caused the price to increase?
On the demand side, the world economy has been growing relatively strongly. Over the past three years, global growth has averaged 3.5%. This has helped to offset the effects of more energy efficient technologies and the gradual shift away from oil to alternative sources of energy.
On the supply side, there have been growing constraints.
The predicted resurgence of shale oil production, after falls in both output and investment when oil prices were low in 2016, has failed to materialise as much as expected. The reason is that pipeline capacity is limited and there is very little scope for transporting more oil from the major US producing area – the Permian basin in West Texas and SE New Mexico. There are similar pipeline capacity constraints from Canadian shale fields. The problem is compounded by shortages of labour and various inputs.
But perhaps the most serious supply-side issue is the renewed sanctions on Iranian oil exports imposed by the Trump administration, due to come into force on 4 November. The USA is also putting pressure on other countries not to buy Iranian oil. Iran is the world’s third largest oil exporter.
Also, there has been continuing turmoil in the Venezuelan economy, where inflation is currently around 500 000 per cent and is expected to reach 1 million per cent by the end of the year. Consequently, the country’s oil output is down. Production has fallen by more than a third since 2016. Venezuela was the world’s third largest oil producer.
Winners and losers from high oil prices
The main gainers from high oil prices are the oil producing countries, such as Russia and Saudi Arabia. It will also encourage investment in oil exploration and new oil wells, and could help countries, such as Colombia, with potential that is considered underexploited. However, given that the main problem is a lack of supply, rather than a surge in demand, the gains will be more limited for those countries, such as the USA and Canada, suffering from supply constraints. Clearly there will be no gain for Iran.
In terms of losers, higher oil prices are likely to dampen global growth. If the oil price reaches $100 per barrel, global growth could be around 0.2 percentage points lower than had previously been forecast. In its latest World Economic Outlook, published on 8 October, the IMF has already downgraded its forecast growth for 2018 and 2019 to 3.7% from the 3.9% it forecast six months ago – and this forecast is based on the assumption that oil prices will be $69.38 a barrel in 2018 and $68.76 a barrel in 2019.
Clearly, the negative effect will be greater, the larger a country’s imports are as a percentage of its GDP. Countries that are particularly vulnerable to higher oil prices are the eurozone, Japan, China, India and most other Asian economies. Lower growth in these countries could have significant knock-on effects on other countries.
Consumers in advanced oil-importing countries would face higher fuel costs, accounting for an additional 0.3 per cent of household spending. Inflation could rise by as much as 1 percentage point.
The size of the effects depends on just how much oil prices rise and for how long. This depends on various demand- and supply-side factors, not least of which in the short term is speculation. Crucially, global political events, and especially US policies, will be the major driving factor in what happens.
In 2012, the Scottish Parliament voted to introduce a minimum unit price for alcoholic drinks. The Scotch Whisky Association along with others appealed against the legislation, but on 15 November 2017 the UK Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the legislation does not breach European Union law. It is thus likely that, after consultation, a 50p minimum unit price will be introduced, making Scotland the first country in the world to introduce minimum pricing for alcohol.
As we saw in a previous blog, Alcohol minimum price, the aim is to prevent the sale of really cheap drinks in supermarkets and other outlets. For example, three-litre bottles of strong cider can be sold for as little as £3.59. Sometimes supermarkets offer multibuys which are heavily discounted. The idea of minimum pricing is to stop these practices without affecting ‘normal’ prices. For example, the legislation will not affect prices in pubs, which are already more than 50p per unit of alcohol.
The following table shows how much prices would rise for various types of drink when compared to current cheap supermarket prices. The biggest percentage effect is for cheap, strong cider and beer.
Units of alcohol
New minimum price
Cheap strong cider
Cheap beer/lager (normal)
4 × 440ml
Cheap beer/lager (strong)
4 × 500ml
Cheap strong spirits
The hope is that by preventing the sale of really cheap drinks in supermarkets, people will no longer be encouraged to ‘pre-load’, so that when they go out for the evening they are already drunk. It would also help to reduce the number of alcoholics amongst the poor.
But this raises the question of equity. By targeting cheap drink, the policy is likely to hit the poor hardest. The question is whether this will simply lead to alcoholics on low incomes cutting down on other things, such as food and clothing for themselves and their children.
How successful, then, will such a policy be in cutting down drunkenness and the associated anti-social behaviour in many Scottish towns and cities, especially on Friday and Saturday nights? This will depend on the price elasticity of demand.
Draw a diagram to illustrate the effect of a minimum price per unit of alcohol on (a) cheap cider; (b) good quality wine.
What would be the likely effects of a 50p per unit minimum price on the pub trade?
How is the price elasticity of demand for alcoholic drinks relevant to determining the success of minimum pricing?
What determines the price elasticity of demand for cheap alcoholic drinks?
Compare the effects on alcohol consumption of imposing a minimum unit price of alcohol with raising the duty on alcoholic drinks. What are the revenue implications of the two policies for the government?
What externalities are involved in the consumption of alcohol? How could a socially efficient price for alcohol be determined?
Could alcohol consumption be described as a ‘de-merit good’? Explain.
Other than high minimum prices and taxation, what other policies could be used to (a) tackle binge drinking; (b) tackle the problem of alcoholism?
What will determine the number of people travelling from Scotland to England to buy cheaper alcoholic drinks?
Food prices often rise or fall with good or bad harvests or because of a change in demand. A recent example is the price of brazil nuts, which by May this year had risen over 60% on European markets.
Part of the reason for the price rise has been on the demand side. Consumption of brazil nuts has increased as more people switch to healthier diets. This includes the purchase of the nuts themselves and as part of healthier snack foods. With supply being relatively inelastic, any rise in demand tends to have a relatively large effect on price.
A more acute reason is on the supply side. There has been a very poor harvest of brazil nuts. The nuts are grown largely in the Amazon basin which has been hit by drought linked to the El Niño effect. This, however, is only a temporary effect and future harvests should increase again as rainfall returns to normal. However, in the longer term, rainfall patterns may change with the effects of global warming.
The price rise in the UK has also be aggravated by the depreciation of the pound since the Brexit vote, which has fallen some 13% against the dollar since June 2016. A rise in the dollar price of brazil nuts has thus led to an even bigger rise in their sterling price.
The UK Parliament’s Culture Media and Sport Select Committee has been examining the secondary ticketing market. The secondary market for events is dominated by four agencies – viagogo, eBay-owned StubHub and Ticket-master’s Get Me In! and Seatwave. These buy tickets to events in the primary market (i.e. from the events or their agents) and then resell them, normally at considerably inflated prices to people unable to get tickets in the primary market.
One example has grabbed the headlines recently. This is where viagogo was advertising tickets for an Ed Sheeran charity concert for £5000. The original tickets were sold for between £40 and £110, with the money going to the Teenage Cancer Trust. None of viagogo’s profits would go to the charity. The tickets were marked ‘not for resale’; so there was doubt that anyone buying a ticket from viagogo would even be able to get into the concert!
The second is that the secondary sites use ‘bots’ to buy tickets in bulk when they first come on sale. This makes it much harder for customers to buy tickets on the primary site. Often all the tickets are sold within seconds of coming on sale.
The third is whether the tickets sold on the secondary market are legitimate. Some, like the Ed Sheeran tickets, are marked ‘not for resale’; some are paperless and yet the secondary ticket agencies are accused of selling paper versions, which are worthless.
The fourth is that multiple seats that are listed together are not always located together and so people attending with friends or partners may be forced to sit separately.
These are the issues that were addressed by the Culture Media and Sport committee at its meeting on 21 March. It was due to take evidence from various people, including viagogo, the agency which has come in for the most criticism. Viagogo, however, decided not to attend. This has drawn withering criticism from the press and on social media. One of the other witnesses at the meeting, Keith Kenny, sales and ticketing director for the West End musical Hamilton, described viagogo as ‘a blot on the landscape’. He said, ‘Ultimately, our terms and conditions say ticket reselling is forbidden. If you look at the way that glossy, sneaky site is constructed, they’ve gone an awful long way not to be compliant in the way they’ve built their site.’
The Competition and Markets Authority launched an enforcement investigation last December into suspected breaches of consumer protection law in the online secondary tickets market. This follows on from an earlier report for the government by an independent review chaired by Professor Waterson.
The government itself is considering amending the Digital Economy Bill to make it illegal to use bots to buy tickets in excess of the limit set by the event. Online touts who break this new law would face unlimited fines.
Use a demand and supply diagram to demonstrate how secondary ticket agencies are able to sell tickets for popular events at prices several times the tickets’ face value.
If secondary ticket sites and ticket touts are able to sell tickets at well above box office prices, isn’t this simply a reflection of people’s willingness to pay (i.e. their marginal utility)? In which case, aren’t these sellers providing a useful service?
How do secondary ticket agencies reduce consumer surplus? Could they reduce it to zero?
See Tickets, the primary market ticket agency, has set up a secondary site, whereby fans can trade tickets with one another at a mark-up capped at just 5%. Will this help to reduce abuses on the secondary market, or is it a totally separate part of the market?
Would it be a good idea for event organisers to charge higher prices for popular events than they do at present, but still below the equilibrium?
How does the price elasticity of demand influence the mark-up that secondary ticket agencies can make? Illustrate this on a diagram similar to the one in question 1.
What measures would you advocate to make tickets more available to the public at reasonable prices? Explain their benefits and any drawbacks.
What would be the effect on prices if the use of bots could be successfully banned?


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Last year, Bandai Namco released Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures, and while the title wasn’t certainly much of a standout, it appears to have been enough of a success for the publisher that they are following it up with a sequel this year. We’ve known about Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 for a while now, and now we know when it will be releasing as well: specifically, the game will be launching in North America on October 14, 2014 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and Nintendo 3DS. So it’ll be coming right in time to capitalize on the second season of the show of the same name that is currently airing on Disney XD.
Bandai Namco also released a brand new trailer for the game, which you can see above. The new trailer shows us a bit more of the game’s story, which follows the first game right after.
Stay tuned to GamingBolt for more coverage.


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Source: China Daily
Alain Crozier, CEO of Microsoft Greater China, speaks at a conference in Beijing on April, 23. [Photo provided to China Daily]
After achieving a stellar growth in China's cloud computing market, Microsoft Corp is ratcheting up resources to meet the surging demand from local enterprises with the launch of a new cloud service.
The United States tech giant said on Tuesday that its cloud service Dynamics 365 will be officially available in China from May 6, and the services will be operated through its local partner 21 Vianet Group Inc.
The move marks that local enterprises will be able to access all of Microsoft's three pillar cloud services to accelerate their digitalization efforts.
Alain Crozier, CEO of Microsoft Greater China, said that after five years of running cloud services in China, the company is now stepping up push to ensure a long-term, sustainable, win-win growth for its partners and enterprise clients.
"China is one of the most dynamic markets, where enterprises are aggressively pushing forward digital transformation, creating abundant growth opportunities," Crozier said.
According to him, Microsoft's unique edge lies in its capabilities to combine research and development, engineering with business applications, which can help it stand out amid competitions with local players such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Huawei Technologies Co, as well as the international heavyweight Amazon.com Inc.
The company said every time Microsoft adds one yuan ($0.149) in cloud business revenue in China, its local partners add nine yuan in revenue.
So far, Microsoft has served more than 120,000 enterprise clients with its Azure cloud services in China, and over 1.8 million users from its 30,000 enterprises clients have adopted the company's Office 365 services. Four of China's top five smartphone makers are also embracing Microsoft's cloud solutions to offer better user experience.
Last year, Microsoft announced its plan to triple its cloud capacity and add two more cloud regions in the Chinese market.
Currently, artificial intelligence is accelerating the adoption of cloud services. According to a research by market research company International Data Corp, AI will more than double the rate of innovation, employee productivity in China by 2021.
The research also shows that 78 percent of China business leaders say AI will be instrumental for their organization's competitiveness, but only 7 percent of organizations in China have incorporated AI into their core business strategy, reflecting the big potential AI has in future.


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Do grocers need a new approach for selling plant-based protein alternatives?
Through a special arrangement, presented here for discussion is a summary of a current article from Frozen & Refrigerated Buyer magazine.
The growth in plant-based foods is not being driven by vegans or vegetarians, but consumers who want to eat less meat and dairy for health or planetary reasons. New to the segment, they’re in desperate need of education in several areas.
What can retailers do? First, says Pete Speranza, CEO at Wicked Kitchen, a maker of plant-based meals, sauces and snacks, “They need to celebrate these products more. Explain why you added them and exactly how they’re helping the planet.” Not only does it help grocers look good, shoppers may feel good about a purchase that may or may not cost a bit more.
Second, “We can’t pretend that consumers know how to prepare plant-based food,” says Mr. Speranza. Retailers can teach them with information about swaps, cooking videos, demos, recipes and a knowledgeable staff.
Grocers can also make it easier for shoppers to find plant-based products through signage, shelf tags and marketing efforts. Rather than calling out products as vegan or vegetarian (since most consumers identify as neither), “retailers can appeal to more customers by using inclusive terms such as ‘plant protein’ or ‘plant-based,’” says Marika Azoff, a member of the corporate engagement team at the Good Food Institute (GFI).
While some chains have successfully created dedicated plant-based sections, the industry is moving toward integration with similar animal-based products.
In fact, says Julie Emmett, senior director of marketplace development at the Plant-Based Food Association (PBFA), a PBFA study at Kroger in 2020 found that sales of plant-based meat jumped 23 percent when they were merchandised in the refrigerated meat set alongside their conventional counterparts.
Ms. Azoff said, “By merchandising plant-based meat, eggs and dairy alongside their conventional counterparts…retailers can make plant-based more accessible to the many shoppers who purchase both.”
While near-term growth is supported by heightened attention to planetary, personal and animal health, raising the bar with bolder flavors, better textures and nutritional benefits may help take it to mass appeal.
Ms. Emmett said, “While animal meat is limited to products that’ve been in stores for decades, there’s no limit to what plant-based meat can be or made of.”
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Do grocers have to reset their approach to plant-based foods with the category’s increased mainstream appeal? What do you think of integrating plant-based and animal-based offerings in store, no longer overtly messaging to vegans and vegetarians and other suggestions cited in the article?


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Vogue UK's 100th anniversary edition will include a print ad for Harvey Nichols featuring Bo Gilbert, who was born in 1916.
Adam & Eve/DDB has created the campaign to tackle ageism in the fashion industry and to promote the retailer’s "attitude and willingness to do things differently".
A two-minute behind the scenes film will also run across Harvey Nichols' website and social media channels.
Created by Laurence Quinn, the campaign was shot by renowned fashion photographer Phil Poynter, who founded Dazed with Rankin and Jefferson Hack.
Everybody, the 90s hit by American boyband Backstreet Boys, is the third and final song to be parodied by Just Eat as part of the brand's 'Mini-fist-pump Feeling' campaign.
More advertising news
- Rio 2016 Olympic Games campaign round-up: the latest activity as brands vie for gold
- Ad narcissism: why our industry should put down the mirror
- Unilever's Knorr viral makes a delectable start with 3 million views
VR has huge potential but it's time to admit that we don't actually know what to do with it, writes Dino Burbidge, director of technology and innovation, WCRS.
There isn't a day that goes by without a new VR headset being launched, a funky new 360º camera or a Kickstarter VR thingie hitting its funding within hours.
It's not surprising, the pundits predicted it in their 'What To Watch In 2016' lists in January and it's really happening. Only, let's face it, it's not really, is it?
Now, don't get me wrong, I love VR. We have an Oculus Rift and dozens of Google Cardboard headsets we dish out to anyone who barely mouths the letters V and R. I totally get it.
In fact, I got it back in 1991 when I travelled 300 miles from Cornwall in the back of a Ford Fiesta to sneak into a London trade event to experience the first Virtuality headset for myself.
Continue reading, VR is dead, long live VR.
Also in the news
- WildAid and Grey to livestream world record ivory bonfire on Periscope and WeChat
- Queen fans belt out Bohemian Rhapsody for Heineken's #LiveYourMusic launch
Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) – the company that distributes Coke in the UK and six other European countries – saw its sales fall 7% to $1.5bn (£1.03bn) in the first quarter of 2016.
Revealing the results yesterday, CCE said it has been hit by a "soft consumer environment" and technical problems, but that it was well placed to rebound on the back of its Euro 2016 activity this summer.
Damian Gammell, chief operating officer, said: "We have solid marketing plans in place, including strong initiatives for the Uefa Euro 2016 – Europe’s biggest soccer event – and a renewed focus on immediate consumption, including a variety of new packaging initiatives."
More marketing news
- Lego admits Ai Weiwei snub 'mistake'
- Carlsberg rewards kind passengers with football tickets in Euro 2016 campaign
ISBA's attempts to introduce greater transparency around media agency contracts with advertisers are unworkable and irresponsible, it has been claimed.
The trade body for advertisers hit out at media agencies today by claiming current contracts undermine trust with clients by leaving out essential detail "especially around digital matters".
ISBA, which represents 450 major brands, believes contracts are lacking in vital details around "click fraud, viewability, verification and brand safety".
Other issues that ISBA wants to address revolve around the rights of brands to choose their own auditors, data ownership, and rebates from media owners not being passed on to clients.
Several industry insiders welcomed ISBA's decision to look at the issue for the first time in a decade, saying the review was long overdue.
Also in the news
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Globally the Consumer Electronics (CE) market increased in value during 2019, adding just over $3 billion to present a worldwide total of $683 billion in trade value. Shipments across CE product categories totalled almost 4.4 billion units worldwide, representing a growth of 2.7% year-on-year.
“Companies are refining their strategies, aiming to position themselves favourably to maximise opportunities in developing business around connected CE products,” says Simon Forrest, Principal Technology Analyst at Futuresource Consulting. “Difficulties include mitigating limited growth across traditional products, adapting to the steady commoditisation of hardware and, more importantly, offsetting the competitive threat from software-only platforms and online services that are attracting consumers away from traditional CE business. There is a clear move towards companies presenting a portfolio of connected products, each of which are designed to work together and attract consumers to invest in vendor-specific ecosystems.”
Notably, product support is now an expanding problem that vendors must grapple with. “Connected CE products are no longer ‘sell and forget’,” reminds Forrest; “there are challenges in maintaining software upgrades and ensuring lifetime value for products already in the market. Finding the optimum moment to discontinue support without alienating customers or weakening brand value is a delicate proposition.”
Across the product categories, headphones, wearables and smart home posted the strongest growth in value throughout 2019. All other categories contracted in value, with imaging/cameras and video games showing double-digit percentage declines. Meanwhile, the brand landscape changed very little in 2019, with the majority of the top three brands in each product category maintaining strong market share.
While 2019 was a strong year for the Consumer Electronics industry, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has altered the outlook significantly. “Some categories such as TVs and laptops performed well in H1 2020 as a result of consumers’ response to lockdown,” says Forrest. “However, in many cases, this is expected to have drawn sales forward from H2, which is likely to be impacted by the economic repercussions.” COVID-19 has contributed to $88 billion being wiped from the overall forecast CE trade value in 2020, in comparison to our pre-COVID-19 forecasts issued last December. The pandemic has dented consumer confidence and disrupted global supply chains. Turbulence across the CE market will persist for several months, with analysis showing a further $66 billion deficit globally in 2021 trade value compared to previous forecasts. “Nevertheless, the market shows resilience and we expect it to rebound reasonably quickly, returning to growth next year and with value largely restored to pre-COVID levels by Q4 2022,” explains Forrest.
Despite the uncertainty and imminent recession across regional economies, the long-term outlook for the Consumer Electronics market remains positive. The market is expected to increase 20% in volume to total 5.2 billion-unit shipments annually worldwide in 2024, with these products contributing an additional $121 billion of trade value globally.
Our Worldwide Consumer Electronics Report published in August 2020. For more information, or to purchase the report, contact Futuresource at email@example.com.
Latest Consumer Electronics Insights


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"What message was the market sending in 2015? To me, it was playing out an epic tug-of-war battle between the inflationary effects of the Fed's 'stimulus' machinery and the growing deflationary forces as reflected in falling commodity prices. This battle is entirely expected in an ending drama of a super-long bull market that really started after WWII when central banks started throwing their weight around.
Pundits are bullish – but I still think tech’s in a bubble
At this time of the year, the MSM is full of pundits prognosticating about 2016 – and I note that many are quite bullish on the global economy, and especially Europe. Most are even bullish on the US tech leaders, the famous FANG stocks (Facebook, Amazon, Netflix and Google), which buoyed the indexes last year.
But as a warning that the economy is not the stock market, recall that in the 1990s bubble, the 12 leading tech shares lead by Microsoft, Dell, Cisco and Intel, saw their valuation balloon from $900 billion to $4 trillion in the four years to the 2000 top. They then collapsed to less than $900 billion in the next decade – all the while their sales and revenues continued to grow! The tech economy was up, yet stocks went down. Let that be a lesson to investors and traders alike."
John Burford (MoneyWeek Trader)


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BIRMINGHAM, England, June 3, 2017 – Retailers who have signed up to Hockley Mint’s Fairtrade Ambassadors Scheme are reporting a significant increase in consumer interest in Fairtrade gold, which is in turn driving sales in store.
British jewellery manufacturer Hockley Mint launched its Fairtrade Ambassadors Scheme in June 2016 as a new initiative to encourage participating retailers to stock, promote and sell Fairtrade gold jewellery.
As the first of its kind in the UK, it provides retail stores with point-of-sale display and marketing materials to promote Fairtrade gold products, which sales staff can use to explain to customers the benefits of buying Fairtrade gold.
The Fairtrade Ambassadors Scheme now has 26 leading independent retailers on board, including Wongs Jewellers in Liverpool, Drakes Jewellers in Plymouth, and Baroque Jewellery in Brighton.
Speaking of the scheme, Gary Thompson, owner of Form Bespoke Jewellers in Leeds, says: “With consumers showing a growing interest for ethical product across the board, we saw this scheme as a great opportunity for our business.
“Since we have received all of the marketing material and started to promote Fairtrade gold in store as well as on our website, we can visually see interest getting bigger and bigger as people become more aware of it.”
Joy Everley Fine Jewellery in London’s Soho is also part of the scheme.
Marketing manager Siaan Spapens says: “Lots of customers come in and don’t even realise Fairtrade is an option. It’s wonderful to be able to educate them on the benefits of buying Fairtrade gold and once they know about it – because the price is roughly the same – most customers don’t have to think twice about buying it.
“We decided to join the Fairtrade Ambassadors Scheme because it was niche, but also because we see that this is the direction the industry is going in and we wanted to be a part of it. We are a small independent jewellery retailer and if we can stock it and see it do well hopefully we can be part of a bigger change in the industry.”
Hockley Mint managing director Gary Wroe, who led the creation of the scheme, says: “After a life-changing trip to Tanzanian gold mines in August 2015 and gaining an in-depth understanding of the benefits that Fairtrade can bring to local mining communities, we set about developing our Fairtrade Ambassadors Scheme.
“Many retailers want to be able to offer a Fairtrade gold option because they recognise that consumers are becoming more interested in the provenance of jewellery, and this scheme offers a solution on how to market the collection by providing retailers with an elegant POS unit, flexible buy-in and marketing support.
“The feedback from current retailers in the Fairtrade Ambassadors Scheme has been overwhelmingly positive.”
The Fairtrade Ambassadors Scheme is an on-going project, and Hockley Mint is welcoming enquiries from retailers across the UK who are interested in getting on board.
Hockley Mint will also be promoting the scheme to retailers visiting the International Jewellery London (IJL) show in September.


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Marci Ross – Longtime Employee of the Maryland Office of Tourism Wins Maryland’s Tourism Person of the Year
37th Annual Tourism Awards highlighted recent three-day annual summit in College Park
COLLEGE PARK, MD – The annual Maryland Tourism Awards Ceremony highlighted the 37th Annual Maryland Tourism & Travel Summit, held last week at the newly opened The Hotel at The University of Maryland. The summit, sponsored and managed by the Maryland Tourism Coalition (MTC), drew together hundreds of the state’s top tourism industry professionals for the latest discussions on tourism trends and strategy for increasing visitation and spending in Maryland.
Marci Ross, a 20-year employee of the Maryland Office of Tourism and resident of Baltimore City, won the coveted Tourism Person of the Year award. Marci began her long career in tourism as a hostess at the former Baltimore Chart House restaurant in 1985. She eventually worked her way up to sales and marketing manager for the popular restaurant. She held the same position at the company’s Annapolis and Old Town Alexandra locations. In January 1997, the Maryland Office of Tourism brought her on board a resources development manager. In 2005, she was promoted to assistant director of Tourism Development, the job she still holds. In addition to her many duties, she manages the state’s Welcome Centers Program, call center, and outreach efforts. She has received many other industry awards throughout her career.
“Maryland is fortunate to have many award-winning quality tourism professionals. Each year, the selection of this award gets tougher, but Marci Ross has worked diligently for two decades to propel Maryland forward in all aspects of the tourism industry,” said MTC Chair Michael Haynie. “As one of the hardest-working, behind-the-scenes workers, Marci’s achievements will long outlive her tenure to the public. From her work on huge endeavors like the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center in Cambridge to pushing for tourist attraction signage along Maryland’s highways in every corner of our state, she has a can-do spirit and is always seeks positive resolutions to tourism challenges.”
MTC also presented Dr. Leonard Berger of Ocean City with the MTC Legacy Award. Dr. Berger, owner and operator of the Clarion Resort Fountainebleu Hotel, was honored for his 35-year, post retirement as a physician, career in hospitality. Dr. Berger was instrumental in the creation of the Maryland Tourism Development Board and served as its first chair in 1998. His pioneering commitment to pet-friendly travel and his additional philanthropy in the beach community was noted.
The full list of award winners is as follows:
MARYLAND TOURISM COALITION AWARDS
- Best Product or Event (Small) – Garrett County Chamber of Commerce – Celebration of the 5th Anniversary of the Mountain Maryland Getaway to the West Heritage Area effort.
- Best Product or Event (Medium) – Worcester County Office of Tourism – The Beach & Beyond Campaign – The award honored a 30-second video featuring a family enjoying the many activities families can do down the ocean. The video was widely viewed on social media and traditional media.
- Best Product or Event (Large) – Visit Hagerstown & City of Hagerstown – The Hagerstown Cultural Trail, which was designed over a former railroad system, and is dotted with public art installations, gathering places, and other amenities along the way. The trail, which connects the downtown Arts & Entertainment District with the Museum of Fine Arts in City Park, is quickly becoming a top tourist spot.
- Best Printed Promotional Material Award – Cecil County Tourism created a brochure compelling nature lovers to explore the County’s natural assets. The brochure includes trail, wildlife descriptions, paddling options, and nearby attractions through the use of gorgeous photography.
- Best Destination Guide – Queen Anne’s County Tourism and Alchemi Design & Production, LLC – The first tourism-related print piece encompassing the entire destination in more than a decade promotes specific events and attractions and was a team effort of the County’s Tourism Office, Economic Development and Kent Narrows Development Foundation.
- Best Media and Public Relations Campaign – Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Md. was honored for its strategic use of digital storytelling that successfully widened the public and media audiences for the restoration of the historic boat, the Edna Lockwood. The multi-faceted communications plan concentrated on video and social media to expand and diversify audience demographics, helping to not only preserve a National Historic Landmark, but attract more guests and members to the museum.
- Best Website – Visit Frederick – As the first stop of anyone’s visit to Frederick, Visit Frederick’s website is critically important to its marketing efforts. Visit Frederick’s site is not only easy to navigate for potential visitors, but also for business members to easily update their information about events, special offerings and more. Interactive custom maps are available to users and for the first time ever, more users landed on the website from mobile devices than desktops. The new website has seen a 21 percent increase in traffic in the past year.
- Best Use of Social Media – Carl Smith of the Prince George’s Conference & Visitors Bureau – Mr. Smith was honored for his creativity and visual appeal on the County’s tourism website, as well as the successful use of email marketing and sharing of information via social media channels. His extraordinary work is building the County’s brand and increasing visitation.
- Best Digital Campaign – Garrett County Chamber of Commerce – Visitors to the Chamber’s website can enjoy “living video scenes” of the vast outdoor activities available in Garrett County. Each site includes links to attractions, deals, a visitor’s guide and a calendar of events. County ambassadors can also take these assets on the road via virtual reality headsets with the videos to lure potential visitors.
- Cooperative Partnership Award – Shore Craft Beer, Ann Hillyer, Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association and Worcester County Tourism – This year’s award honors an innovative partnership between small businesses, local tourism offices and hotel associations that resulted in significant increases in sales for all. From the Shore Craft Beer Fest, declaring October as Shore Craft Beer Month (which led to the designation by the State of FeBREWary), Love on Tap in February, and finally Brews on the Beach in September, this effort featured sold out events and brought many new visitors to Ocean City to discover locally made craft beverages – a true expansion of culinary tourism.
- Visionary Impact Award – Presented to Melanie Purcel, Ocean City Chamber of Commerce, Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association & Wor-Wic Community College for Ocean City’s Hospitality Boot Camp and Hospitality Supervisor Survival Kit. Tourism’s greatest asset is the thousands of employees working in tourism related industries and this effort builds the skills necessary to providing outstanding customer service. The training will continue each year with new seasonal employees. The partnership also leveraged critically needed state funds available to help elevate job skills.
- New Professional of the Year – Visit Frederick’s Melissa Muntz – In less than two years, Melissa has taken her County’s tourism office to new heights both online and in person. She led the County’s efforts to relaunch its website (see award above) and organized trainings both internally and with external business partners. She also organized a media tour of the County’s four new distilleries that resulted in nearly a dozen articles written promoting the burgeoning industry. She also created a guest blogger program to give a platform to local businesses that partner with Visit Frederick. She also launched a foodie newsletter to showcase local food and beverage outlets that had nearly 3,000 subscribers.
- Best Small Business of the Year – Turf Valley Resort – The tourism industry is driven by small businesses. After the July 2016 flood that devastated Main Street in Historic Ellicott City, Peter Mangione and his team at Turf Valley generously offered value space to retailers who were displaced during the flood. They created a marketplace that was busy during the critical holiday season and allowed business owners to make a living.
- Tourism Volunteer of the Year Award – Sarah Kurtanich of Howard County Tourism & Promotion – Sarah is well-known in the tourism community for her expertise in communications, marketing and social media. She volunteers her time to help MTC as a member of its communications committee and coordinates social media campaigns for several MTC events throughout the year.
- Audrey Davenport Hospitality Person of the Year – Marian Hrab of The Hotel at The University of Maryland in College Park, host of MTTS 2017. Marian is a trusted colleague to many of the state’s tourism professionals and can always be counted on to collaborate, mentor and offer assistance. For more than 20 years, she has transformed or launched signature hotels around Maryland. She sees the hotel as just one part of tourism’s total picture and helps make the location a contributing member of the community where it is located. She was also honored for her continued contribution to the Maryland Tourism Coalition and for hosting her third tourism summit.


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2019 will be a critical year for Tesla - here's what to expect from the automaker
- Tesla endured a wild and crazy 2018.
- The coming year offers numerous milestones that will determine whether Tesla thrives or struggles.
- I've broken them down, month-by-month.
If 2018 was the wildest and craziest year in Tesla's 15-year history, then 2019 is shaping up to be its most critical year.
CEO Elon Musk's all-electric automaker will enter 2019 having produced and sold more vehicles than ever and the company could be well on its way to a half-million in cars delivered by the end of the year. That might sound awesome - but Tesla has traditionally struggled mightily with the building-cars aspect of the car business.
Musk will also be facing potential twin headwinds in 2019: an economic slowdown in the US; and the first stages of the 2020 national election. If the US auto market slips into a downturn, then Tesla won't be spared some pain.
There's good news on the horizon, however, as Tesla prepares to unveil its Model Y crossover SUV, along with some other new vehicles, including a rumored pickup truck.
Here's a month-by-month look forward to Tesla's big events and news for 2019:
Get the latest Tesla stock price here.
JANUARY: Tesla reports fourth-quarter and full-year vehicle delivery numbers.
FEBRUARY: Tesla reports fourth-quarter and full year earnings.
MARCH: Tesla could reveal the Model Y crossover SUV — and pay off convertible bonds.
APRIL: We should have a good sense of what's going on with Tesla new factory in Shanghai, China.
MAY: We should have a pretty good idea of whether Tesla has enough cash to finish out 2019 — or whether a capital raise is in order.
JUNE: Tesla will enter its first real summer selling season.
JULY: Will Tesla finally escape production hell?
AUGUST: Imagine the impossible — no news from Tesla!
SEPTEMBER: We'll get a chance to evaluate Tesla's new board of directors.
OCTOBER: Tesla will report third-quarter 2019 earnings.
NOVEMBER: Tesla Fremont factory could be showing signs of extreme stress.
DECEMBER: Tesla could be building and selling over 500,000 vehicles.
- Gen Z faces more pressure at work than previous generations because technology has eliminated work-life boundaries, a psychology professor says
- All 81 movies based on Marvel comics, ranked according to critics
- EY and Deloitte are scrutinizing staff workloads and quietly letting some workers go, report says
- EPFO adds a net 15.62 lakh members in Dec; 8.41 lakh new subscribers join workforce
- Zee Entertainment reaches out to Sony to revive terminated merger
- India's AI market to touch $17-billion by 2027: Nasscom-BCG report
- Worried about 'forever chemicals' in your water? Try electron-beaming it!
- Wetlands in the icy Arctic have begun releasing 9% more planet-warming methane in the past two decades: study


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Official figures that show a surge in drink spiking are “not even the tip of the iceberg”, a spokeswoman for Cork’s Sexual Violence Centre has said.
While 22 people reported drink spiking to An Garda Síochána last year - a period that included several months of lockdown - 40 people have done so in 2022.
However, Dola Twomey from the Sexual Violence Centre says that, in her experience, victims rarely report their ordeal to Gardaí.
“We are hearing every day, ‘I was spiked’, ‘My friend was spiked’, ‘My friend’s friends were spiked’,” Ms Twomey told The Hard Shoulder.
“It’s something that has been happening all through the years.”
The centre created an online portal where people can report drink spiking and Ms Twomey said, “In that period, which was January to April this year, we had over 100 people actually submit their experiences to our hub.”
She also believes that the nature of the crime has evolved over time.
“We’re looking at a phenomenon that has changed quite a bit,” she said.
“In the past it wasn’t unusual for somebody to be spiked as a prelude to sexual assault.
“What’s happening now is that somehow, in some people’s brains, this is considered to be funny… and that’s why there is so much of it happening.”
Fine Gael Senator Micheál Carrigy has discussed the problem with students and says one way to combat it would be for pubs and clubs to offer lids to put on drinks.
“Every time you go into a Delhi, you’re going to get a plastic lid for your cup of coffee or your cup of tea,” he said.
“You go into every bar, there’s actually beer mats on the counter. So, I felt, why should we not put plastic lids in place to make young women in particular feel more safe?”
Main image: A man spiking a drink. Picture by: Alamy.com


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ASOS is preparing to launch its first-ever erotic accessories range by Gigi Noir, a diffusion brand from Holloway Smith Noir.
The collection, which will go on sale this month, features collars, cuffs, headbands and tassels handmade by sisters Sophie and Alice Holloway in their London studio.
The luxury erotic industry is generally geared towards a more mature audience, but Sophie argues: “We believe young adults also deserve access to high quality teasewear and this belief has lead to our collaboration with ASOS.”
ASOS was initially unsure about stocking the line, the designers admitted, but the retailer was “won over” by their passion for sending a positive message about sex to young people.
The news follows the launch of Holloway Smith Noir’s social and sexual responsibility campaign, Ladies Come First, which aims to help young women and men explore sexual issues, such as boundaries and communication.
Gigi Noir products are made using recycled leather and Swarovski sequins. Prices range from £33 to £57.


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The worst Christmas presents to receive on December 25 revealed… so how many made it into YOUR stocking?
IT’S definitely the thought that counts when it comes to presents, but some gifts you may want to put straight in the return pile.
According to a new survey, the top five worst Christmas presents of all time have been revealed – so did you get any this year?
The study was done by gift company Vistaprint, who found that 72 per cent of people want a present that is heartfelt and unique.
They found that personalised items, like clothing and photobooks were well-received.
However, they also found the gifts that didn’t go down as well, and 60 per cent of individuals polled said they had regifted uninteresting gifts in the past.
The most unpopular gift was found to be plain photo frames, with 34 per cent of people saying they would return it.
THE FIVE WORST CHRISTMAS PRESENTS
- Body set
- Scented candle
- Beauty set
- Box of chocolates
Next up was a generic gift set of body care products, with 33 per cent saying they wouldn’t be happy with it.
The third most unpopular gift was scented candles – according to 32 per cent – and this was followed by beauty sets (30 per cent).
And if you are wanting to send a thoughtful present, maybe avoid chocolate boxes, and they were found to be the fifth most disappointing gift, with 29 per cent regifting.
This follows a Facebook post asking people to avoid giving the gift sets to women in their lives, despite them being in the present section of nearly every department store.
It has since been shared almost 300,000 times, showing how accurate it was for females worldwide.
So did you get any of these and do you agree?
Most read in Fabulous
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Santa tracker LIVE – Where is Father Christmas now & when will he visit me?
ON HIS WAY!
Kate overcomes nerves to reveal hidden talent as she stuns at Christmas concert
Most popular baby names of year revealed & traditional names AREN'T on trend
Paris Fury hasn’t got her kids Christmas presents & says she’s ‘not bothered’
We also shared how a mum-of-four who spends £1.2k on her kids’ Christmas gifts defends HUGE present pile.
Meanwhile,a man breaks down in tears after finding out in a Christmas cracker he is going to be a dad.
We also shared how Asda has slashed Christmas Mickey Mouse plates down to £15 & shoppers are desperate to grab them.
Source: Read Full Article


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When speaking at the event, Dimbleby recommended the Government should introduce a ban on unhealthy food advertising and introduce universal free school meals.
He said: “The cut off of free school meals, which then comes with it holiday support also comes with it healthy start early years vouchers is just way too low at £7,400 pre-benefit household income. It’s insane it hasn’t changed for ages.
“That should be, in my view, available to everyone. I think if you had universal free school meals it would create a cultural change in schools. We don’t make children buy their own books. We don’t get them to pay by the lesson. The culture change would come from doing it universally but at a minimum to everyone on universal credit.
“I would immediately restrict the advertising [of junk food] which is something the Government said they would do but they have pushed it back to 2025. I would restrict the advertising of all of this food not just after the watershed. I would just say you can’t advertise it.”


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Nintendo had the shortest presentation of any of the major console companies for E3 2017, and it was focused, entirely, on the Nintendo Switch. But that didn’t stop Nintendo from dropping a host of surprises, ranging from the return of an eagerly awaited franchise to revealing its next Mario game.
Super Mario Odyssey
Nintendo’s next entry in the Mario franchise showed off a lot of gameplay, most notably explaining just what Mario’s animate hat has to do with it. It turns out Mario can throw that hat onto anything in the world and essentially take control of whatever object it lands on. Yes, Mario can mindjack people with his hat. That’s… sort of terrifying! Oh, also, there are Amiibo of Bowser, Mario, and Peach in full wedding regalia, so hopefully we can run around Skyrim in a wedding gown wielding a bouquet of piranha plants.
Rocket League is coming to the Switch, which is a big coup for both sides. It’ll have cross-network support, local multiplayer, and, by far the most important feature, the ability to fit your car with an adorable little Mario hat.


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News: Acclaim's fire sale comes to a close as Throwback purchases most of Acclaim's back catalog.
Throwback Entertainment, a publisher operating out of Toronto, Canada, has announced they have acquired the rights to many of Acclaim's former properties.
The long-time publisher went bankrpupt in 2004 and since then several of their titles, including Juiced and The Red Star, have been snapped up by other publishing houses. But today, in one fell swoop, Throwback has brought a lot of beloved (and forgotten) titles back into the spotlight.
Throwback's deal includes dozens of titles spanning almost every conceivable platform including NES, SNES, Genesis, Sega CD, PSone, Nintendo 64, PS2, GameCube and Xbox.
Most of the titles include re-release and sequel rights, as Throwback CEO Thomas Maduri explains:
?Acclaim Entertainment was responsible for the creation of some wonderful original games, and unfortunately couldn't see them through their lifecycle. We are very pleased to have been afforded the opportunity to take these titles through the next generation, and onwards. Many of the titles have all the elements required to establish franchises, with new services broadening the reach of games, Throwback will be well positioned for the expansion of the franchises.?
Some titles in the deal include only console specific re-release rights and since most of those platforms have long been abandoned Throwback may be looking to cash in on the Wii's Virtual Console.
Some of the highlighted games/series include:
Extreme G Racing (N64, PS2, Xbox, GameCube, PC)
Legends of Wrestling (PS2, Xbox, GameCube, GBA)
Vexx (PS2, Xbox, GameCube)
Aggressive Inline (PS2, Xbox, GameCube, GBA)
Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance (PS2, Xbox, GameCube, PC)
Summer Heat Volleyball (PS2)
A full listing of all of the titles that Throwback acquired can be found at their website.
We'll have more when we eventually find out what Throwback has planned for these titles.


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With the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One now available in stores, some people are wondering just how successful the next-generation of game systems will be. But Take-Two Interactive chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick has no doubt – they’ll be successful.
Speaking at the Credit Suisse 2013 Technology Conference the previous evening, Strauss stated, “It appears that – and this is largely anecdotal but tablets are a good example – all these new iterations of more and more exciting hardware seem to have picked up in velocity generationally compared to five or 10 years ago.”
“But if we had a big market meltdown, for example, a repeat of 2008 and 2009 in three years, or two years, or two minutes, that would influence it. But if this economy stays on this track, yeah, I feel good about it,” concluded Strauss.
Take-Two has been quiet in terms of releases for next-gen systems, but Strauss did state, “If I said we had a title called Steven’s Life In Elementary School next October and I told you it was going to sell 20 million units, what credibility could that possibly have New intellectual property is a risky business.”


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Recently, the protracted Boeing-Airbus subsidy dispute between the United States and the European Union continued to escalate.
Image from: CCTV News
Wine and other alcoholic products have been affected as the U.S. has again expanded the scope of tariffs imposed on some EU products. As one of the important production areas of European wine, German practitioners expressed their dissatisfaction and began to gradually shift their market focus.
According to a statement issued by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on December 30, 2020, in terms of tariffs on alcohol, starting on the 12th, the U.S. will impose a 25% tariff on wines originating from France and Germany with an alcoholic content higher than 14%. This is the first time the U.S. imposes tariffs on EU wines with an alcoholic content higher than 14%. The U.S. side said the move is aimed at punishing the EU"s long-term subsidies to France's Airbus.
In light of the Trump administration's surprise announcement two weeks ago, EU-related industry players called the tariffs an unexpected move and warned that the increase would further depress the brewing industry, which has been affected by the outbreak.
In response to the tax increase, German wineries have also made great adjustments to the U.S. market, with some brands simply withdrawing from the U.S. market and others changing the way they work with U.S. distributors. And in the face of lost market share, German wineries hope to make up for it by expanding other markets, especially expanding into Asia.
German wine producer Piet: I think the US measures to further increase tariffs on wine are very arbitrary. Does wine have anything to do with airplanes? I will continue to gradually reduce the U.S. market and deepen my cooperation with Scandinavia and Asia, especially China. I have achieved some results in the last 12 months and I hope to continue to expand this.


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With a superb screen and a solid build, the Aero 15X offers a competitive edge in the increasingly competitive Max-Q laptop market.
If we told you a year ago that buying an external graphics enclosure with a GPU installed would save you money over buying just the graphics card, you'd have thought we were crazy. Yet here we are.
We've teamed up with our friends at Gigabyte to bring you a Aorus Gaming giveaway for Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 and Gaming 5 motherboards.
The newer Pro version of Gigabyte’s X299 Aorus Gaming 7 brings advancements in power management and cooling. Will it push our parts farther, faster, and more efficiently to promote value?
What kind of gaming PC can you get for less than $1500? Gigabyte's BRIX Gaming VR is a barebones mini PC, and it offers one potential answer to that question. We give it spin in our test lab.
Gigabyte has started (something of) a mass production of its own AMD Vega-based graphics cards. We got our mitts on the Gigabyte RX Vega56 and the Vega64 Gaming OC, in the form of final retail cards. Let's take a look.
With its GeForce GTX 1070 Ti Gaming 8G, Gigabyte satisfies Nvidia's specifications and presents a gap-filler that has to make due without factory overclocking.
Gigabyte announced a new Aorus-branded Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 Ti graphics card featuring one-click overclocking.
Gigabyte revealed a new Radeon RX Vega 64 graphics card equipped with the company’s Windforce cooling shroud.
Can the bite sized Gigabyte AB350N-Gaming WiFi flex its muscles when compared to its bigger X370 brothers?
Gigabyte announced a new motherboard specifically designed for content creators, the X399 Designare EX.
Gigabyte has taken the wraps off the latest edition to its Z370 powered line of Ultra Durable motherboards, the Z370N WIFI.
Gigabyte revealed a new powerhouse gaming laptop featuring dual GTX 1070 graphics in SLI and an overclockable Core i7 Kaby Lake processor. Meet the Aorus X9.


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Tesco’s (TSCO) “Buy” Rating Reiterated at UBS Group
UBS Group reaffirmed their buy rating on shares of Tesco (LON:TSCO) in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday, investing.thisismoney.co.uk reports.
A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on TSCO. Shore Capital reiterated a buy rating on shares of Tesco in a report on Wednesday, August 29th. Barclays reiterated an overweight rating and issued a GBX 280 ($3.66) target price on shares of Tesco in a report on Thursday, October 4th. Kepler Capital Markets reiterated a hold rating on shares of Tesco in a report on Thursday, November 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an outperform rating on shares of Tesco in a report on Tuesday, November 13th. Finally, HSBC reiterated a buy rating on shares of Tesco in a report on Monday, August 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Tesco has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of GBX 268 ($3.50).
Shares of TSCO opened at GBX 199.05 ($2.60) on Tuesday. Tesco has a 12-month low of GBX 165.35 ($2.16) and a 12-month high of GBX 217.31 ($2.84).
In related news, insider Alan Stewart purchased 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 214 ($2.80) per share, with a total value of £107,000 ($139,814.45).
Tesco Company Profile
Tesco PLC, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a grocery retailer. The company also provides retail banking and insurance services. It has operations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Malaysia, Thailand, and internationally. The company serves its customers through 6,809 stores, as well as online.
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On a good course
Since February, companies have been able to register for “Drupa” 2024 and a very positive trend is already emerging. Well-known global players and newcomers along the entire value chain in the print and packaging industry from a total of 32 countries are already on board.
The momentum is gaining momentum and it is evident that “Drupa” 2024 will once again underline its status as the no.1 for Printing Technologies. Under the motto “we create the future,” “Drupa” will present the visions of the print and packaging industry as a global meeting place. This time, the focus will be particularly on the megatrends of sustainability and digitization and their influence on processes, products, sustainable business models and the future of the industry.
“The current booking status, feedback from exhibitors on impressive stand concepts, planned product premieres and live presentations of machines are building up the excitement for the global community and make us very optimistic,” says a delighted Sabine Geldermann, Project Director Print Technologies Messe Düsseldorf. “The industry has once again proven its indispensable relevance with its broad range of applications in so many vertical markets – especially in times of crisis.”
The clear commitment of Kurz, one of the world leaders in thin-film technologies, represents a major commitment, as the company – having already been a Platinum Partner of “Virtual.drupa” – will again be an exclusive partner of “Drupa” 2024.
The next “Drupa” will take place from May 28 to June 7, 2024 at the Düsseldorf exhibition center. Exhibitors can register online via www.drupa.de until the end of October 2022.


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RealFevr and RFEF drop groundbreaking “Copa del Rey” NFT collection
RealFevr and RFEF Partner to bring the excitement of sports to the world of digital collectibles with a groundbreaking NFT collection.
NFTs based on the Spanish Soccer Cup
RealFevr and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) have just dropped an exciting new Non-Fungible Token (NFT) collection that’s sure to get football fans and NFT collectors buzzing! The “Copa del Rey” collection features archived video moments from the prestigious knockout tournament that spans all tiers of Spanish football and is watched by millions of fans worldwide.
This is a groundbreaking move, as the RFEF is the first national football federation to create official digital video collectibles from one of its competitions. The collection features archived video moments from the Copa del Rey and it marks the first time a national football federation has created official digital video collectibles from one of its competitions.
The Copa del Rey is a prestigious knockout tournament featuring teams from all tiers of Spanish football and is watched by millions of fans worldwide. This partnership allows fans to collect and own real moments from the competition, which they can buy, sell, and trade on the peer-to-peer marketplace or use in the upcoming Web3 game, Fevr Battle Arena.
Copa del Rey collection details
The drop took place today, December 21st at 3 PM, with a pre-sale for allowed listed users happening one hour earlier. There were three tiers of packs available: basic ($15 for 3 moments), super rare ($69 for 5 moments), and ultra ($129 for 10 moments). The ultra pack was only available during the pre-sale. A total of 14,971 packs were available, with the possibility of containing legendary and unique moments.
Fans participating in the NFT drop during the first 24 hours of the sale also received FEVR Battle Arena tickets. Allowlisted users, who were granted early access to the sale and double the number of tickets, included those who had purchased packs in previous drops, completed Dropbooks, or won social media giveaways.
The full list of players and their probabilities could be found on the RealFevr website, as well as the Drop book and official video for the collection. In addition to being collectors’ items, the digital collectibles can also be used in FEVR Battle Arena, the first football trading moments game in the world.
RealFevr and RFEF team up to bring sports to the NFT world
RealFevr has had great success with its NFT drops so far, with each of the four previous drops selling out within 24 hours. This is the fifth drop from the Portuguese startup which has also raised €10 million in funding and named Bruno Fernandes, a star midfielder for Manchester United and Portugal’s national team, as its first global ambassador.
The RFEF is committed to professionalization, modernization, and digitalization as part of its strategic plan for 2020-2024. This partnership with RealFevr is a key step towards achieving these goals and represents a new path for the RFEF, which has over 113 years of history. The RFEF is embracing innovation in sports and is excited to bring the excitement and thrill of sports to the world of gaming and digital collectibles through this partnership.
The use of NFTs in the sports industry is becoming more widespread as teams and organizations look for ways to engage fans and monetize their content. The potential for NFTs in the sports industry is vast, and this partnership between RealFevr and the RFEF is just the beginning. With the ability to monetize and engage with fans in new ways, NFTs have the potential to revolutionize the way sports organizations and teams interact with their audiences.


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According to GFI, $3.1bn was invested in global alternative protein investments last year —three times the investment capital raised in 2019 — signalling growing momentum for sustainable alternatives. Of this total, two thirds ($2.1bn) was invested in plant-based meat, egg and 'dairy' analogue companies. GFI used the PitchBook Data platform to compile the figures, which were based on disclosed investment.
Based on the statistics, plant-based meat, egg, and dairy companies raised $4.4bn in investments in the past decade (2010–2020). Nearly half, or $2.1bn, was raised in 2020 alone. This included Impossible Foods’ record $700m funding haul; Livekindly's $335m venture capital financing; Oatly’s $200m private equity and $78m debt financing; and Califia Farms’ $172m private equity financing.
Of the other alternative protein sectors, the next largest sum - $590m - was pumped into fermentation companies — double the amount raised in 2019.
Plant-based protein conference
GFI's Weston will present the global foodservice trends and opportunities associated with plant-based proteins at Food Manufacture's B2B conference The future of plant-based proteins: roots of further growth on 31 March.
Other speakers include representatives from Marks & Spencer, Tyson Foods, Meatless Farm, Mintel, Algenuity, Winterbotham Darby, Campden BRI and the British Nutrition Foundation. The conference is primarily aimed at operations managers, technical managers, new product development managers and senior business leaders within food and drink manufacturing businesses.
The event, which is sponsored by Loma Linda Tuno, Radicle and Roquette and supported by Cargill, Fimenich, Ingredion, Mane and Symrise begins at 0930 GMT and concludes at 1515. It is conveniently divided into five sessions examining different themes.
Session one examines global trends, session two looks at processing and production issues, session three covers supplier-retailer relations, session four tackles plant-based ingredients sourcing and functionality and session five focuses on nutrition. Each session features presentations and/or live Q&As. Networking sessions are held in between to allow delegates to make contact with each other.
Despite the hype, cultivated meat companies attracted only the third largest slice of the pie, said GFI — $360m in investments in 2020. However, this was still six times the funding poured into that area of the market in 2019.
“2020 was a breakout year for alternative proteins, with record investment flowing into all segments of the industry," said GFI director of corporate engagement Caroline Bushnell. "This is yet another signal of the significant potential the private sector sees in this rapidly growing global industry.
"While the amount is record-breaking, more investment is needed — from both the public and the private sectors — to meet the urgency of this moment. A large-scale shift toward alternative proteins will be critical to mitigating the environmental impact of food production, meeting the Paris Climate Agreement, and sustainably feeding a growing global population.”
Demand for plant-based products rose fast between 2015-2019, with new product launches featuring a plant-based claim increasing by a compound annual growth rate of 57% globally, according to ingredients supplier Ingredion.
Ingredion’s Europe, Middle East and Africa's (EMEA's) Planting possibilities: insights report explores the trends driving this growth, the impact of COVID-19 on consumers' eating habits and how manufacturers of alternative meat and dairy products can take advantage of opportunities.
'15% of millennials are meat-free'
Declan Rooney, strategic marketing manager, savoury and savoury alternatives for Ingredion EMEA, says: “15% of millennials are already meat-free and more consumers are changing their diets to become flexitarian, vegetarian or vegan.
"This trend has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as more people have become aware and taken a greater interest in the food they eat, how it affects their bodies and the environment they live in. The benefits of a plant-based diet are becoming increasingly more appealing to consumers for these reasons.
“However, for manufacturers of meat and dairy alternative products, there are some important considerations to ensure that their products are well-received and repurchased by consumers. For example, meat alternative products should include a good source of protein and good sensory experience, and dairy products should feature health claims that are most important to the customer, with ‘plant-based’, ‘vegan’ and ‘lactose free’ rated as the top claims."


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Saks Fifth Avenue, a subsidiary of Hudson's Bay Company, has appointed Mark Briggs as its chief marketing officer, reporting to president Marigay McKee, effective March 2014.
“Mark brings a wealth of experience in luxury brand management with a proven track record of creating retail magic around heritage brands. His passion for retail theater and essential understanding of the customer will be integral to our success,” said McKee. “I am thrilled to welcome Mark to the Saks team, where he will play a key role on the executive committee.”
Briggs, a longtime collaborator with McKee, spent 20 years at Harrods as director of store image, setting the strategic brand vision for the company overseeing marketing, communications and visual. In that role, he worked closely with McKee and the merchant team to develop creative campaigns to drive marketing and elevate the store’s overall image. He began his retail career at Harrods in visual merchandising and has held various positions of increasing responsibility overseeing windows, interiors, visual identity, creative and brand building.
In his new role, Briggs will oversee all marketing, creative and visual merchandising for Saks Fifth Avenue. His direct reports will include executives within those specialties.


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A number of the attractions of watching live sports carry over into esports. However, unless you’re watching an esports tournament in person, a lot of those attractions go away. Interactions with other fans are limited. The game view is limited. The game is flattened and there’s little environment ambiance. Virtex wants to fix that.
A History of Virtex
Virtex co-founders Tim Mcguinness and Christoph Ortlepp met at an esports event in 2019. Mcguinness presented the idea of “taking that whole experience that we were doing there in the physical world and bringing it into the virtual world,” Ortlepp said in a video call with ARPost. The two officially launched the company in 2020.
The following year saw the company’s first major hires (and its first coverage from ARPost). The company was focusing on integrating Echo VR and needed permission from Meta (then Facebook), who purchased the game’s developer Ready At Dawn in 2022.
“The first thing we had to do was get something that we could show to Meta,” said Ortlepp. “For us, Echo was a good community to start with.”
Virtex got the green light from Meta. It also got Jim Purbrick who had previously been a technical director at Linden Lab and an engineering manager for Oculus.
“Moderation is an area where he had a big impact on us,” said Ortlepp. “We need live moderators to keep people safe… If now we have two or three hundred people in the platform, what if we have ten thousand people? Can we keep users safe and prevent a toxic environment?”
Meta’s support also meant that Virtex could finally launch its beta application. The beta is still technically closed – meaning that it isn’t on any app store, and you have to go through the Virtex website to access it. However, the closed beta isn’t limited. Testers have the opportunity to participate in “test sessions” – live streamed games every Thursday.
The platform held its first major tournament in December, with another about to kick off as this article was being written. Games are scheduled every week into the spring.
A Tour of the Stadium
Right now, the Virtex virtual world consists of a stadium entrance, a lounge area, and a commentator booth in addition to the stadium itself.
“The purpose [of the entrance and lounge] is really to set the stage for the user, to welcome them,” said Ortlepp.
In the lounge, users can socialize, modify their avatars (through a Ready Player Me integration), and even watch a miniaturized version of the live match. The lounge itself is still being developed with plans for mini-games and walls of fame. Connected areas including a virtual store and bar area are also in the works.
In the stadium itself, users can see and interact with other spectators. They can watch a 3D reproduction of the live game in real time, or watch a Twitch stream of the game on a jumbo screen above the stadium floor.
“We feature the video because we didn’t want to take away from esports viewers what they’re currently used to,” said Ortlepp. Virtex wants to give spectators options to explore viewing in new ways, without leaving them in an entirely unfamiliar setting.
A teleport system allows faster movement to different areas of the stadium, including the stadium floor to watch from within the game or even follow players through the action. This is possible thanks to the unique solution that Virtex has developed for recreating the game within the virtual stadium.
The studio also adds special recording and hosting tools like camera bots for streaming games within the stadium to Twitch and YouTube. Aspects of the stadium’s appearance can even be changed to match whatever game is being played.
“We are the platform. Ideally, we don’t ever want to be the content creators,” said Ortlepp. “So we have certain user modes for the ones that are actually operating the tournaments.”
When Can We Expect an App?
Virtex Stadium is up and running. But, the team plans to spend at least the next few months in their “closed” beta phase. For one thing, they really want to have their moderation plan in place before making the app more discoverable. They’re also still collecting feedback on their production tools – and thinking of new ones.
Further, while the platform currently has a decent schedule, the team wants to work with more games and more gaming communities. That includes other VR titles as well as more traditional esports. Ideally, one day, something will be happening in Virtex no matter when a user signs in.
“Where do we take it from here? There are no standards – no one has done this before,” said Ortlepp. “The virtual home of esports is basically the vision. It’s something we don’t claim yet – we have to earn it.”
It’s Not Too Early to Check It Out
Everything about Virtex is exciting, from their plans for the virtual venue itself, to their passion and concern for their community. Ortlepp said that the company is “careful about making dated timeline promises.” In a way that’s a little frustrating but it’s only because the company would rather hold off on something amazing than push something that falls short of their vision.


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Suzuki Authentics production version due next year in China
Suzuki Authentics Concept 20.04.2013 [20th Apr, 2013] / Suzuki
Using S-Cross platform
Chinese media is reporting Suzuki plans to launch a production variant of the Authentics concept in the second part of next year.
Revealed back in April at Auto Shanghai, Suzuki’s attractive Authentics concept will transform into a production model in the second half of 2014 for the Chinese market. It will be locally built by the Changan-Suzuki joint venture and has been specifically developed for the Chinese market.
The Suzuki Authentics will be priced between 100,000 and 150,000 yuan and will have to face competition coming from other C-segment sedans such as the Nissan Sylphy and Chevrolet Cruze. It will utilize the same platform as the Suzuki S-Cross and will be the first larger sedan to be built by Suzuki in China as the Kizashi has always been imported and remained unpopular due to a high starting price of 188,800 yuan.


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As it seeks to decrease its non-office property holdings, Chicago-based Trizec Properties Inc. on Thursday said it sold a retail and entertainment development in Pasadena, Calif., for $113.5 million.
Trizec unloads Calif. complex
Ohio-based Developers Diversified Realty Corp., in partnership with New York-based Lehman Bros., bought the 565,000-square-foot development of retail stores, restaurants and condominiums.
In a statement, Trizec President and CEO Timothy Callahan said the sale of Paseo Colorado, which the company spent $90 million to develop in late 2001, is "consistent with Trizec's strategy to focus on its core office business."
The company has paid a heavy price for some misadventures outside the office market. Chief among them is its $540-million investment in a Hollywood shopping and entertainment project that includes the Kodak Theatre, home of the Academy Awards. A slump in tourism contributed to the project's disappointing returns, and Trizec has written down the value of its investment to $198 million (Crain's, Jan. 6).
Another thorn in its side is the Desert Passage shopping mall, built next to the Aladdin Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The project was hurt by the Aladdin's bankruptcy, and Trizec has written down its original $290 million investment to $207 million.
The company aims to sell both properties, but must wait until their finances are more stable, analysts say.
The No. 2 U.S. office real estate investment trust, which recently relocated its headquarters to Chicago from New York, owns and manages 72 office properties totaling 49 million square feet. Its local holdings include the 110-story Sears Tower.
Shares of Trizec were down 39 cents, or 3.8%, to $9.66 in midday trading Thursday.


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Fair Strike for France and Germany
Buka Entertainment announces that its upcoming helicopter simulation game will be published in France and Germany by Pointsoft.
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Moscow-based Buka Entertainment has today announced that Fair Strike will be published in France and Germany by French publisher Pointsoft Interactive. The game will be localized and distributed by the French and German divisions of the company.
Fair Strike is an action-packed simulation game in which players will get to fly six modern helicopters through no less than 38 combat missions. For more information on Fair Strike, which is currently scheduled for release in Europe toward the end of this year, check out our previous coverage of the game.


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Prox card technology (like our AlphaPass cards) has been around since the 1990s and while it is solid and reliable technology, it isn’t the most secure or flexible. Businesses today want to get the most […]
Banks and retailers across the country are scrambling prepare for the switch to chip-enabled credit cards later this year, but do you know what the changes mean? Chip cards use a different technology than the […]
Combine convenience and mobility with pocket-sized 3-up key tags — the perfect choice for memberships, customer loyalty programs, payment cards, and photo identification. These miniature ID cards easily attach to your set of keys to […]
Using the Newport Transit system in Wales, England is about to get a whole lot easier. Now passengers have the choice to use a pay-as-you-go smartcard called the Freedom Card. The free card can store […]
Like the rest of the world, we’ve been glued to our televisions for the past couple of weeks watching the 2012 London Olympics. And while we’ve been thrilled by the incredible, medal-worthy performances of the […]
Chicago B-Cycle is joining the likes of environmentally friendly car sharing companies like I-GO and Zipcar with a new self-service bicycle sharing venture. Chicago B-Cycle is initially launching 100 bicycles at six popular locations around the downtown area with additional drop off locations. The company already has successful programs up and running in Denver and Minneapolis.