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Higher borrowing costs imminent with another interest rate hike on the horizon
By Josef Kefas Sheehama.
The Bank of Namibia is expected to raise interest rates by 50 basis points on 19 April 2023 to curtail ravaging inflation and a fast depreciating Namibia Dollar. We are expecting the Bank of Namibia to continue raising interest rates over the medium term.
In my view as Independent Economics and Business Researcher I strongly believe that the Monetary Policy Committee will increase the repurchase rate by 50 basis points if not 75 basis points.
When it comes to the direct impact of these moves, increases in interest rates will create higher mortgage repayments, especially for new borrowers as well as those on variable rates. This will mean people have less money to spend elsewhere. Increasing inflation and therefore uncertainty about the future can also lead to reduced consumer and business confidence, dragging down household and business spending even further. Therefore, business and startup owners in the country will have a hard time dealing with rising inflation, higher borrowing rates and a fast depreciating currency as ease of doing business worsens across the economy.
With higher interest rates, Namibians are likely to find themselves paying more for loans this year. Tightening monetary policy raises the costs of borrowing for consumers and businesses, weakening demand and curbing prices. But it could also pinch people’s budgets as the Bank of Namibia continues to normalize policy over the rest of 2023, money will become more expensive. Note that the money supply is not just cash, but also credit, loans, and mortgages. When the money supply expands, it lowers the value of the dollar. When the dollar declines relative to the value of foreign currencies, the prices of imports rise.
The Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) may feel the pain of rapid interest rate rises, for the impact of tighter credit conditions exacerbated by economic turmoil. As financing costs jump and become harder to access, the risk of a spike in default rates is becoming increasingly tangible. Liquidity is the life blood of any SME, making cash flow more important than the magnitude of the profit or the return on investment.
Therefore, the government recognizes that many of us do some sort of micro or small business so creating an enabling environment for all SMEs to thrive is cardinal. Hence, the Bank of Namibia and the Ministry of Finance and Public Enterprises have re-launched the SME Economic Recovery Loan Scheme on 02 February 2023 with a share capital of N$500 million to enhance liquidity. The commercial banks as facilitators are awaiting loan applications from N$50,000.00 to N$10million based on the SME’s balance sheet and subject to the bank’s credit assessment, according to Bank of Namibia. The loan amount is linked to current prime lending rate which is 10.50%, however, the Bank of Namibia proposed prime lending rate minus 50 basis points. The six-month moratorium for affected Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) is perceived as medium to long term solutions in the fragile economy.
Moreover, the current expectations are that inflation and interest rates will remain undesirably high for some time. The Bank of Namibia will play a major role in striking the balance needed to bring down the cost of living without stalling the economy. Furthermore, the Namibian economy is closely linked to South Africa, with the Namibia dollar pegged one-to-one to the South African Rand. The South African Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee increased the repo rate by 50 basis points on 30 March 2023. This means that Namibia must increase its repo rate to strike balance.
The South Africa’s Repo Rate stands at 7.75% compare to the Namibian Repo Rate at 7%. This resulted in a difference of 0.75%. It should be noted that although much of this inflationary pressure is supply-side based, there is merit in increasing interest rates as a tool to try to slow down inflation. The fundamental debates about inflation are really concerned with whether the central bank is an inflation creator or an inflation fighter. The responsibility of monetary policymakers is to adequately respond to inflation. Those who see the central bank as an inflation fighter must therefore believe that inflation has some source other than the central bank, that it has nonmonetary factors. The job of the central bank is to adjust its policy in response to these shocks.
Futhermore, volatility in global commodity prices and ongoing supply chain disruptions will continue to stoke price pressures. The result will be even higher costs for businesses, and a deep squeeze in the cost of living for households. It is exceptionally hard to say what this will mean for headline inflation in the coming years because there is elevated uncertainty about exactly where key commodity prices such as oil and others will settle. There is also massive uncertainty about the impact of various supply chain disruptions and the degree to which businesses can pass on their higher input costs to consumers in the face of a significant negative demand and confidence shock.
The biggest uncertainty for the trajectory of headline CPI, in my view, is exactly where prices will go, given that for years to come, the market is now likely to be precariously balanced, deeply disjointed and volatile.
In conclusion, given fragile economic conditions, any new adverse development such as higher-than-expected inflation, abrupt rises in interest rates to contain it, and escalating geopolitical tensions could push the global economy into recession. According to the World Bank Group President, David Malpass, the global economy is projected to grow by 1.7% in 2023 and 2.7% in 2024. The sharp downturn in growth is expected to be widespread, with forecasts in 2023 revised down for 95% of advanced economies and nearly 70% of emerging market and developing economies.
Therefore, with higher interest rates, interest payments on loans are more expensive. This discourages people from borrowing and spending. People who already have loans will have less disposable income because they spend more on interest payments.
Interest rates also affect consumer and business confidence. A rise in interest rates discourages investment, it makes businesses and consumers less willing to take out risky investments or make purchases. Hence, other areas of consumption will also fall.


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Chinese media outlet Tech Planet reported on Wednesday that Wang Gang, Vice President of Alibaba and head of the autonomous driving lab of DAMO Academy, recently left the job. Alibaba confirmed the report on Wednesday. Sources said that Wang has chosen to start a business in the field of cleaning robots, and has already obtained financing.
Wang Gang was a tenured Associate Professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. In 2017, he came to the Internet industry and joined Alibaba Group.
Wang Gang has served as the technical director of TmallGenie and the chief scientist of Alibaba AI Labs. The TmallGenie X1 released by the AI Labs in July 2017 uses many research results of Wang Gang, including AliGenie, a voice recognition technology. Based on this technology, Alibaba launched its voice payment function.
During his tenure as the head of the autonomous driving laboratory of DAMO Academy, Wang Gang and his team were working on computer vision, natural language processing, speech recognition, and machine learning.
On the first day of the Apsara Conference last year, Alibaba Group announced its independent robot plan, and officially released its first unmanned delivery vehicle. The vehicle was created by Wang Gang’s team after four years of research and development.
In recent years, many academic specialists working for the domestic Internet giants have left their jobs. Wei Xiu, the former technical director of Megvii, joined a university in Nanjing. Andrew Ng, the former chief scientist of Baidu, set up three AI-related companies and foundations. In August last year, Li Lei, director of ByteDance’s Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, left his post and joined the University of California, Santa Barbara.

domain: news


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The nation's first restaurant dedicated to the burgeoning "impulse munchie" market is opening in the Sierra Nevada Foothills town of Grass Valley, CA. The new chain called Stoners which is new subsidiary of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., is and hopes to serve what the company believes is a radically under-served and growing market currently dominated by the fast food chain Taco Bell.
The "World Clay Cups" games will draw massive crowds to Pioneer Park, and kiln rivalries will heat up with surprisingly intense emotions this week.
The creators of South Park are promising a musical version of the 2015 military exercises called Jade Helm.
Penn Valley, CA -- It is with great sadness that Gish Gallop announces the passing of esteemed correspondent Parker Sloanberg. According to sources within the Iraqi Military, his body,...
After making a go of it in the real world, the world's only "Sheep-bull" was sadly put down after aggressively attacking a local gardener's tomato plants. This is the third such incident in the past three months that involved the hybrid animal affectionately called "Tegan" by it's owners.


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NEW YORK (AP) — The Associated Press has been interviewing small business owners for weeks about the presidential election, their companies and the economy. Small business is an important part of most political campaigns. Small business owners create jobs and are often influencers in their local communities. With so much concern about job creation after the recession, both presidential campaigns paid extra attention to the small business community and made a case for why their candidate was the best choice for small companies.
Now that President Barack Obama has defeated challenger Mitt Romney to win a second term, we checked back in with some owners we had talked to previously and reached out to some new ones to find out how they feel about the election and what's next for their businesses. Here's what they had to say:
REID STONE, HERO FARM
Reid Stone says he doesn't think that either candidate would have made a difference to the success of his marketing and advertising company, Hero Farm, or the economy. But he says that his clients might think so.
With Obama holding onto his job, clients who supported Romney may be more uncertain about the future, Stone says. If that's the case, they may respond by spending less.
"The first thing that gets cut is marketing and advertising," says Stone.
If clients are nervous, history tells Stone that they'll tend to stick with marketing plans they're more comfortable with, such as billboards, rather than trying unconventional tactics like creating a website in hopes that it will become a social media sensation. "They may be less inclined to pay for guerilla marketing tactics," Stone says.
He says Hero Farm, launched in 2008 during the recession, will have to work harder and be more aggressive about reaching out to companies with advertising ideas to gain new clients. "We've worked very hard in the last four years," he says. "We're still going to work just as hard."
JAI MANSELLE, MANSELLE MEDIA
Jai Manselle says he is certain that the economy will keep improving under President Barack Obama's second term.
"I think we'll keep on recovering at a moderate speed," says Manselle, who started the Newport News, Va. -based brand development and public relations company in 2007.
Most of Manselle Media's clients are in the sports, fashion and music industries. He thinks the recovery will help consumers become more confident, pushing them to buy more of his client's products. Then his clients will have more money to spend on advertising and branding campaigns.
"Hopefully this will put more certainty in the market," says Manselle.
JOE FOX, DITTOTRADE.COM
Joe Fox voted for Mitt Romney, but he isn't upset that his candidate didn't win. He's optimistic that after President Barack Obama settles into his second term, things will improve.
"I believe the economy is getting better," says Fox, who launched Chicago-based DittoTrade.com, an online brokerage firm that lets customers follow others' stock trades, in 2010. "I think that the last half of 2013 is going to be stronger."
Continue reading this story on the...


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Porsche made a fresh-looking electric van concept in 2018 but hasn't shown it until now
Green Car Reports
NOVEMBER 13, 2020
Porsche on Thursday revealed a handful of previously-secret concept cars, including a fresh-looking electric van. Set to be featured alongside other concepts in the upcoming book "Porsche Unseen," the Porsche Vision Renndienst concept was completed in 2018, but never shown to the public.


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Hannaford construction crews backfill around th...
GOING UP — A construction crew uses heavy equipment to backfill around the foundation of the new Hannaford grocery store which is being built on the corner of Chestnut and Turin streets on Wednesday morning. The 49,000 square foot store will include a separate bottle and can return center, a drive-thru pharmacy and a pickup window for the company’s online shopping service, Hannaford To Go. No specific timetable has been given for the project’s completion and opening of the store.
(Sentinel photo by John Clifford)


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The Cleveland Cavaliers have announced that they will be partnering with Esports Entertainment Group, Inc to be the NBA franchise’s official esports tournament platform provider.
In the new multi-year agreement, the company will organize three co-branded esports tournaments annually for the Cavaliers through their platform EGL, or Esports Gaming League.
“Our EGL platform continues to gain strong traction among top-tier professional sports franchises,” said Grant Johnson, CEO of Esports Entertainment Group. “We are delighted to announce the Cavs as the first NBA team partnership. Our robust tournament platform will help the Cavs strengthen connections with their fans, while providing new avenues for engagement.”
The partnership will also aim to boost the Cavs’ ongoing digital marketing campaigns through social media, email, mobile, and other digital channels to promote the tournaments. The partnership allows the company to increase brand awareness through Cavs Legion GC, the team’s NBA 2K League affiliate, both physically (jerseys and merchandise) and virtually in-game. Cavs Legion and EGL will also host an NBA 2K tournament in the near future.
“The growing popularity of esports provides a great opportunity for our team to create deeper connections and engagement with our fans,” said Matt O’Brien, Cleveland Cavaliers vice president, global corporate partnerships. “We think these tournaments will be very popular with our fans and a fun way to compete in an entertaining and social environment with gamers from across the world.”
EGL provides a platform that enables live and online events and tournaments where gamers can compete and enjoy video game content. Services include comprehensive esports events, game launches, and online championships.


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(CN) - Texas' biggest electric company installed defective "smart meters" that drove residential customers' bills to nearly $2,000 a month, according to a class action in Dallas County Court. The class claims Oncor Electric Delivery Co. is "laughing all the way to the bank."
Named plaintiffs Robert and Jennifer Cordts say their monthly electric bills of $400 to $700 were driven above $1,800 after their smart meter was installed.
Smart meters deliver more information to the utility company than standard meters, and can adjust billing for time of day or season, allegedly so consumers pay less during times of low demand and more when demand is high.
But the Cordts say that when they questioned Oncor about their exorbitant bills, the company asked them "about Christmas lights and the temperature at which they maintain their thermostat." Then they got another bill for more than $1,800.
"The Cordts have now received three months of bills totaling just under $5,000," the complaint states. "The part of this story that is more absurd than the objectively egregious amount of the billing is Oncor's explanation - geez, it's sure been pretty cold lately."
The complaint adds: "Instead of looking the Texas consumer in the eye and providing a truthful explanation for exorbitant overbilling, Oncor is giving everyone the run-around. Consumers are tired of being told that a 200 percent overnight increase in their electric bill following installation of a 'smart' meter is due to an 'unusually cold winter' or a change in their energy consumption choices."
Oncor has installed around 829,000 smart meters, according to the complaint. It adds that Oncor conducted "side-by-side" meter tests to try to persuade the public there is nothing wrong with the smart meters, but the tests "only address whether a given smart meter measures electricity in the same manner as a traditional meter," and does not answer whether the communication or software systems are accurately sending the data for billing.
The class claims that CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric admitted there were technological glitches with smart meters after it installed the meters in the Houston-area. The meters were not "accurately reporting consumer usage of electricity and improperly overbilling consumers for electricity they had not consumed," according to the complaint.
The Cordts seek class certification and damages for fraud and negligence. They are represented by Jason Berent with Berent and Wilson.Follow @@jamierossCNS
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It's the start of a new year and a number of technology trends will continue to blossom and flourish in 2014. Keeping an eye on trends will ultimately help VARs to modify and improve their sales, marketing strategies and focus.
Cloud and managed services provider Logicalis has conducted its fifth annual study on the top 10 tech trends to watch. According to Lisa Dreher, vice president of marketing and business development of the New York-based company, the data was compiled by looking at various social media conversations from CIOs, CTOs, IT analysts and reporters.
CRN spoke to various VARs, specializing in different industries, to find out why they think each trend is hot for 2014. So turn the page to find out what they had to say.


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Investment bank Moelis & Co. launched a new initiative called ‘the Global Blockchain Group’ to advise blockchain companies to increase crypto adoption by offering their existing advisory capabilities.
Moelis & Co.’s co-founder John Momtazee is appointed to oversee the effort. The company’s long-term investor Lou Kerner, the founder of CryptoOracle Collective, is appointed as a senior advisor to the Group.
“The presence of Moelis as a leading advisor in this space is an important development for the long-term growth of blockchain technology. Our combined advisory capabilities, longstanding client relationships and extensive blockchain expertise will help drive the adoption of this transformative technology.”
The Global Blockchain Group will start working with Moelis & Co.’s existing clients interested in the technology. Moelis & Co. currently provides strategic advisory services to companies in 21 locations globally.
Moelis & Co. believes in crypto
In addition to its founders, the staff is also interested in crypto, with 30% of staff having crypto wallets, juniors being the majority, Bloomberg News reported, citing an interview with Momtazee.
Moelis & Co. believes that technological investment is a significant factor that shapes the business landscape. In this respect, the company sees immense potential in crypto and the grandness of its advisory impact.
Momtazee said in a July 25 press statement that more than 50 unicorns have appeared, and nearly $20 billion of capital was raised for blockchain companies last year. The potential of this sphere is evident by these numbers only. He added that blockchain technology solves many problems and that we’re still in the early ages of its revolution.
The Moelis & Co. co-founder said he trusted the sector and dismissed the negative sentiment due to the bear market. According to Bloomberg, Moelis Momtazee said in an interview.:
“We love the timing. We think that to pile in on good days and say, ‘Here we are, ready to help,’ feels less genuine than when there’s a challenge. Any disruptive technology is going to have volatility.”
Moelis has already been advising crypto projects, including Voyager Digital, which had to file for bankruptcy due to the Three Arrows Capital collapse.
Like the internet
Momtazee likened the transformative power of crypto to the internet in the late 90s. Like the internet, he said, blockchain carries long-term potential, which creates the need for proper advising.
Moelis, on the other hand, said the crypto space would grow further, and companies would keep making more significant deals. He said the arrangements made now are not “big-ticket” yet, much like the early days of the internet where companies made small deals.
In the future, Moelis said, Mergers & Acquisitions deals will also increase with market cap expansion and deals enlargement.


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Lowe’s is recruiting more than 50 new full-time employees for its regional distribution center in Lebanon. No experience, resume or reservation is needed; candidates just need to bring a valid photo ID.
For safety, Lowe’s requires visitors to wear a mask.
A walk-in hiring event, planned from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 20 at 1001 Reeves Parkway, Lebanon, will provide the opportunity for qualified applicants ages 18 and above to interview for an on-the-spot offer, according to an announcement from the company.
All shifts are available. Lowe’s offers competitive pay, performance bonuses and a wide variety of benefits. No reservations or resumes are required for the hiring event. Job seekers can learn more about available roles by visiting jobs.lowes.com/hiring event. All offers will be contingent on a background check and drug screening.
During Lowe’s supply chain hiring day, the company is seeking more than 1,200 supply chain associates across 19 distribution facilities nationwide. Lowe’s hired more than 90,000 store and distribution center associates into permanent roles this past year, according to the company.
Career advancement opportunities are available at all levels including Track to the Trades, a first-of-its-kind national program enabling Lowe’s associates to launch a career in HVAC and appliance repair, construction, electrical and plumbing, with 100% of tuition paid by Lowe’s.


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هذه الصفحة متوفرة بهذه اللغة: العربية
29 July 2020
MUSCAT (WAF): State-owned al-Wusta Fisheries Industries Company is planning to expand its fleet and operations over the next three to five years, by raising $ 250 million, Dawood al-Wahaibi, CEO of al-Wusta Fisheries told WAF News in an interview.
The Company, also known as Oman Pelagic Company, started operations in March 2019. By the end of 2019, the Company was in operational profit.
Al-Wusta’s sales until the first have of 2020 stood at $40 million, and by the end of the second operational year the sales will be valued at more than $50 million, al-Wahaibi said.
In its first year of operation, the Company’s production reached 19,000 tons of fish, compared to preliminary estimates of 17,500 tons in the first year of operations, with estimates for this year’s production reaching 30,000 tons.
The top five importers of al-Wusta’s catch are Cote de Vore with 38%, followed by Cameroon with 24.6%, Benin with 14%, Egypt with 11.9%, and Nigeria with 4.5%:
Plans to grow:
The Company aims to reach an annual production of 100 thousand tons in 2023, and then gradually reach 200 thousand tons annually after building the factory in Duqm and adding other ships to the fleet in 2024.
Al-Wusta Fisheries owns three commercial fishing vessels for small pelagics, namely Victoria, Gloria and Jawharat al-Wusta (Jewell of al-Wusta). “The initial estimates valued four fishing vessels for $100-150 million, but we now own three vessels for less than $60 million,” al-Wahaibi told WAF.
The Company’s expansion plan over the next three to five years includes adding to vessels for large pelagics, especially Tuna. Building the two new vessels will begin before the end of 2020, and will join the fleet’s operations by 2024.
As part of the value-adding goals, al-Wustay Fisheries is also planning a processing plant in Duqm with an initial capacity of 700 tons per day, and will gradually increase to 1,000 tons per day. The Company’s preliminary estimate indicates an investment value of $30 million.
The Company is also focusing on research and new technologies to increase production and efficiency of its fleet.
With plans worth $250 million, al-Wahaibi stressed that the Company will not be relying on the ministry of finance for funding, but will be borrowing directly. “The Company’s financial model is that the government provides a simple initial investment (seed money), then the Company relies on its assets and operations to secure the necessary funding based on a borrowing plan,” he added.
Al-Wehaibi said that a proposal to establish a company to operate fishing ports had received approval from the concerned authorities. He added that the proposed company will work on modernising and raising the efficiency of fishing ports in the Sultanate to enhance the sector’s contribution to GDP.
Preserving the biomass:
Research and surveys back the Company’s fishing operations on the pelagic biomass that date back to 1983, and studies confirm these finding as recent as 2009.
“We are focusing on balancing commercial profits and preserving and sustaining the biomass,” said the CEO. He explained that the recommended fishing level shouldn’t exceed 25% of the estimated stock.
Estimates of studies conducted in the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean reach 250,000 tons of pelagics Oman can safely harvest without damaging the sustainability of the biomass. A quantity valued at $ 170 million annually as per al-Wusta Fisheries Industries.


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By Virginia Bridges
The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)
In the beginning, the partners of Chubby’s Tacos made long lists of potential business names.
They thought about a casual Mexican restaurant mixed with something tropical, like Tiki Tacos. Then they did a Web search, only to find the domain name already in use.
“We weren’t getting anywhere with it,” said owner Jody Lytton, who went on to open Chubby’s with then-partner Tony Sustaita.
Then one night, the two went out drinking and played a game that generated potential adult film star names by combining the name of their first pet with the name of the street where they grew up.
In the game, Sustaita’s name was Chubby Herrera. So he said they should name their Mexican eatery Chubby Herrera’s Taqueria. But Lytton said he could barely get that out of his mouth.
“I was, like, ‘What about Chubby’s Tacos?’ ” Lytton said.
With that name, a restaurant chain was born in Durham, N.C., on Cinco de Mayo 2008. But unfortunately for Lytton, now the sole owner, the company was built on a borrowed brand.
Six years later, Lytton is paying the price for using a name legally claimed by another business. His out-of-state expansion aspirations are now limited, and he’s at risk of a lawsuit. So Lytton’s 2014 plans include renaming and rebranding the business, which has four locations in North Carolina and a fifth in the works.
Todd Coats, chief creative officer for Capstrat, a marketing and public relations agency in Raleigh, N.C., said small-business owners should not shortchange the process of coming up with an effective and appropriate moniker.
There are billions of business names already in existence, Coats said, so owners should start by listing hundreds of options.
“This is a quantity game, more than anything else in the beginning,” Coats said. Coats will generate names by mashing up words, trying different variations, prefixes and suffixes.


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Nvidia PR “Confession” Hollow without Close-up Details of How and When Chualar Pattern Made and Why Destroyed.
Article from the website earthfiles.com.
According to current Nvidia PR, a team took two weeks to create the Chualar chip pattern (with the help of Echelon Security) while the genuinely mysterious crop formation phenomenon since the 1980s has emerged overnight and out of thunderstorms.
Chualar, California barley pattern produced great buzz
since it “emerged” Saturday morning, December 28, 2013. Nvidia
CEO Jen-Hsun Huang ended his 90-minute promotion of a new mobile
phone chip TEGRA K1 192-core Super Chip at the beginning of the
Las Vegas Consumer Electric Show, Jan. 5, 2014, with the above aerial
and these words: “This is a confession. Tegra K1 (new mobile chip with
192 central cores) is impossibly advanced - like out of this world.
It's practically made by aliens!” Image is screen grab
from CES live web broadcast, Las Vegas.
From Linda Moulton Howe's website earthfiles.com.


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NEW PHONES UNVEILED
Devices by Nokia and Motorola include S.D.-based Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips
Lumia 920 key features
Wireless charging: It can be plugged in or placed on a wireless charging pod.
Camera: 8.7-megapixel with a so-called floating lens that uses software for image stabilization.
City Lens software: Lets users hold up the phone camera to see the names of restaurants and shops overlaid on the surfaces of buildings. Users can tap a building for more details and can call to make reservations.
Cost: No details on cost or which U.S. carriers would have the 920 and the midrange Lumia 820. They will go on sale in the fourth quarter.
Nokia and Motorola unveiled their latest new smartphones Wednesday, with each of the models powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors.
Nokia showed off two new Lumia devices that run on Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 operating system — the latest update to the Redmond, Wash.-based software giant’s software for mobile phones.
San Diego’s Qualcomm has had a long-running relationship with Microsoft, designing its processors to run well with the Windows mobile phone operating system. It supplied chips for all previous models of Windows phones, including models from Nokia.
Nokia, meanwhile, has been struggling to gain traction in the smartphone market, particularly in the U.S., where it faces tough competition from Apple’s iPhone and many other devices running on Google’s Android operating system. The Espoo, Finland-based company is counting on its partnership with Microsoft to help boost sales and return the company to profitability after falling behind rivals.
Nokia introduced its first two Windows Phone 8 smartphones — the Lumia 820 and Lumia 920. Qualcomm’s 1.5-gigahertz dual-core Snapdragon S4 chip is the processor in the handsets.
“Nokia’s decision to unveil its second-generation Lumia devices in the U.S. is extremely significant for the Finnish handset manufacturer, which has always struggled to make an impact in the country, even before the advent of Apple’s iPhone,” said Tony Cripps, principal analyst at Ovum, an industry research firm based in the U.K. “But this is also a notable launch for Microsoft, which needs to pull out all the stops to guarantee greater awareness and demand for Windows Phone 8 devices, among consumers, business users and carriers.”
Despite the new phone lineup, Nokia’s shares dropped 45 cents to $2.38 Wednesday. It provided few details about what the phones will cost or which wireless carriers will stock the devices, which may have disappointed investors, beyond saying they will go on sale in the last three months of this year.
Motorola Mobility — acquired by Google for $12.5 billion in May — also unveiled three new Droid Razr 4G Android smartphones Wednesday for Verizon’s LTE network — including one starting at $99 and available next week. Each new phone has a dual-core, 1.5-gigahertz processor.
The latest smartphones from Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and Huawei Technologies have four cores.
Two high-end models, the Razr HD and Razr Maxx HD, will be launched later this year. It’s emphasizing long battery life — up to 21 hours of talk time for the Maxx HD, or 10 hours of video streaming. The new phones will run on Google’s Android operating system.
A Motorola spokeswoman confirmed that Snapdragon chips power the devices but didn’t provide more details. A Qualcomm spokeswoman declined to comment.
Both Motorola and Nokia announced the devices ahead of Apple, which is holding an event next week where it’s expected to introduce the iPhone 5. Apple typically uses its own processors in its devices.
There are more than 420 devices that use the Snapdragon processor and there are an additional 400 designs in development, including more than 30 tablets, a Qualcomm spokeswoman said.
Last week, Qualcomm said its Snapdragon S4 processors are powering Samsung’s new ATIV tablets and smartphones running Windows RT and Windows Phone 8. In addition, Snapdragon S4 chips run Dell’s new XPS10 tablet, which also was unveiled last week.
The Associated Press and Bloomberg News contributed to this report. firstname.lastname@example.org (760) 752-6751 Twitter: @TechDiego


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Sleeker and more high-tech Volkswagen Tharu debuts in China
Remember when Volkswagen Philippines released a teaser image of an upcoming crossover? At the time, we thought the automaker was preparing to reveal the Tharu or the facelifted T-Cross. After doing some digging and editing the teaser image, we debunked that Volkswagen Philippines actually is preparing to launch the latter.
Fast forward to today, and we can further confirm that Volkswagen will not be launching the Tharu. That's because the automaker has just revealed the 2023 Tharu facelift in China, and it looks sleeker and more dynamic than ever. Also called the Taos in the US market, the 2023 Tharu serves as the brand's compact crossover that slots above the slightly smaller T-Cross.
UPDATE 08/01/23: Volkswagen Philippines has released another teaser image, and this time we can confirm the facelifted Volkswagen Tharu is coming to local showrooms.
Starting with the visual changes first, the 2023 Tharu dons a more modern design that does away with the Atlas-derived face. It gets bolder LED headlights, a new honeycomb-style grille with an illuminated centerpiece, and redesigned air vents on the front bumper. The rear, meanwhile, gets a high-tech update courtesy of new stylish LED taillights. The bumper was also restyled as it now comes with rear reflectors and a more prominent faux skid plate that replaces the dual fake exhaust finishers.
Aside from the exterior, Volkswagen was also busy changing up the interior of the Tharu. For starters, it gets a bigger 12-inch touchscreen infotainment that is complemented by a 10-inch digital instrument cluster. There's also a redesigned three-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel while the automatic climate control gets a new interface that replaces the dial controls.
Other interior features present in the 2023 Tharu include LED ambient lighting, a two-tone cabin finish, leather seats with contrast stitching, gloss black trim pieces, a large panoramic sunroof, and touch-sensitive controls on the steering wheel.
Under the hood, the 2023 Tharu is available with two engine choices. First is the new 1.5-liter TSI EVO II turbocharged four-cylinder that replaces the previous 1.4-liter turbo. It produces 160 PS with 250 Nm of torque and can be mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Next is the more powerful 2.0-liter TSI that cranks out 186 PS and 320 Nm of pull. This one is only available with the 7-speed dual-clutch and comes with the 4Motion AWD system.
The 2023 Volkswagen Tharu will soon be available in Chinese dealerships, with other markets likely to follow. With Volkswagen also apparently planning to bring it to the Philippines soon, it looks like the Tharu that we'll be getting will be based on the recently facelifted version. Here's to hoping we won't have to wait long.


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PETALING JAYA: Most restaurant operators are still blaming wholesalers and suppliers for not being able to bring down food prices.
They claimed that the cost of fresh meat and other items were still being supplied based on old prices when the fuel costs were higher.
Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association president Noorul Hassan Saul Hameed said his members were willing to cut prices if manufacturers and suppliers did likewise.
“Until then, we cannot do so because the prices of raw materials used in our outlets still cost the same,” he said.
“Many suppliers, like vegetable farmers, give the excuse that they are affected by uncertain weather and floods so the prices will remain high for now,” he said.
Federal Territory Bumiputra Traders president Datuk Rosli Sulaiman said it was too early to tell whether local eateries would lower the prices of food.
“They are supposed to do so as fuel prices have come down, but they are not doing so because the prices are kept on a float system and are not permanent,” he said.
Malaysia Singapore Coffee Shop Proprietors’ General Association president Ho Su Meng said its members were in no position to reduce prices if the transport charges, electricity tariffs, and water rates remained the same.
“We must look at the whole scenario.
“If the cost of transport charges, electricity and water remain high, we will have to pay for all the costs.
“How do we move about from there?” he asked.
Cameron Highlands Vegetable Growers Association secretary Chay Ee Mong said the prices of vegetables have continued to drop since two weeks ago because of the increase in supply and fierce competition from imported greens for the Chinese New Year season.
“The price of cabbage was RM2 two weeks ago, but now it has gone down to RM1 or RM1.20.
“The price of mustard leaves (choy sum) has also dropped from between RM2 and RM3 to the current RM1.
“We do not know why it is sold quite high in the market and this should be answered by the retailers,” said Chay.


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Music Gear News
Rock Band 'doesn't teach kids to play music', says Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl has urged aspiring musicians to play a real electric guitar instead of video games such as Rock Band.
The Foo Fighters have just released two tracks from their new Greatest Hits collection on Rock Band and Grohl himself has stated that he likes the game.
However, he said this does not mean it should be seen as a way of teaching children to play musical instruments.
"It's a video game," Grohl told MTV.
Grohl added that one of the best things about Rock Band is that it allows children to be exposed to music they may not otherwise get to hear.
For example, he stated that the recent Beatles video game has opened up the Fab Four to youngsters who would not have discovered them any other way.
"It's important for everyone to know about the Beatles," Grohl said.
This comes after former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman told BBC News he believes games such as Rock Band are stopping children from learning real musical instruments.Posted on 11 Nov 2009 10:35 to category : Instruments News
Related Music News
The third piece of software from Toontrack's run of Superior Drummer products, Superior Drummer 3 offers a whole range of brand new and enhanced features.
Designed to complement the TR-08 Rhythm Composer, the Roland SP-404A Linear Wave Sampler offers a plethora of exciting new sampling methods for live performances.
Use it in your bedroom or take it to the stage, Pioneer's DJM-750 MK2 DJ Mixer is equipped to handle the most demanding requirements of the modern day DJ.
Using DSP technology and a selection of integrated profiles, SubZero's new range of digital speakers are able to adapt to a variety of different applications.
Making a much-anticipated return, Yamaha's illustrious Tour Custom kits are penned to cater to the working drummer in need of a sturdy and reliable workhorse.
The latest entry into the acclaimed microphone brands line-up, the sE8 Small Condenser Microphone packs a big punch despite its diminutive and compact frame.


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Singleton Park will be turned into a sea of pink as it hosts this year's event, which will be made up of 3k, 5k and 10k runs
News and Video Search Results
Pink media coverage
Extinction Rebellion have become one of the most well-known environmental groups in the UK in recent years.Their stated aim is to..
A U.K. woman has a serious case of shopper's remorse after unpacking a designer handbag she paid £675 ($930 USD) for.Khloe Kalvina..


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Vanhien.vn - The bottles of lemon essential oil from the lime green (lime) made by the Vietnamese people are being offered in the country of sunrise with good price. For a long time, the Japanese have the habit and experience of using essential oils to rinse, apply in beauty and health maintenance.
King Sauce is a sauce that enhances the appeal of seafood, chicken, pork and healthy pork. Enjoying the lime green pepper sauce is enjoying a unique dipping sauce of Vietnamese cuisine.
Chanh Viet Farmland - from an area weeds to the largest plantation in the Mekong Delta.
In 09th July 2017, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh visited Chanh Viet Farmland.
An interview of chairman Nguyen Van Hien from Sai Gon's Businessman Newspaper - the man who bring back value for seedless limes.
Settling down with being an engineer, Nguyen Van Hien suddenly wanted to become a farmer, when being asked, he just said: "I just bought land first, then i decided to cultivate lime trees because of missing my hometown".
Many products produced from seedless limes from Ben Luc (Long An Province, Viet Nam) made Japanese and many units who participated in the Foodex Japan International Trade Fair 2018 interested in.


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FTX Buying and selling and its debtors have notified the Bahamas Securities Fee that neither Sam Bankman-Fried, Gary Wang, nor the Bahamas Securities Fee had the precise to take the cryptocurrency of FTX debtors, he mentioned in an announcement Friday night.
Late Thursday, the Securities Fee mentioned it took management of FTX digital belongings valued at greater than $3.5 billion as of November 12, because it “decided there was a big threat of imminent dissipation” in the event that they remained beneath FTX’s management. This assertion didn’t establish the kind of digital belongings seized.
The debtors mentioned they’ve proof that roughly 195 million FTT tokens (FTT-USD), 1,938 ethers (ETH-USD) and different miscellaneous cash of no substantial worth had been transferred, with out their permission, after the corporate filed for Chapter 11 chapter. Blockchain data exhibits that this crypto is held in a single digital pockets on Fireblocks .
The worth of the cryptocurrency at spot costs on the time of the switch was roughly $296 million, the debtors mentioned, citing etherscan.io. This worth, nevertheless, assumes that FTT tokens (FTT-USD) within the Portfolio could possibly be offered on the spot worth at the moment. The worth of the identical crypto at spot costs as of two:00 p.m. ET on December 30 was round $167 million.
“FTX Debtors urge the Bahamas Fee to clear up any confusion created by their current statements and supply the general public with correct data relating to the seized cryptocurrency and the way it was valued for functions of those statements,” the assertion learn. debtors.
Earlier Friday, FTX Japan and Liquid Japan purpose to renew withdrawals in February.


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News Elon Musk & Co. ensure record year for insider sales: what can still be expected by the end of the year
The one tech share that can be relaxed in pension
would not be nice to invest its money in a share to buy over the years more and more of it and sometime have built up a fortune for the pension? Such a company would have to have an extremely stable business model, which will be even relevant in 20 years and beyond. This would have to grow the year after year and have a strong competitive position.
Never before have company links and insiders sold so many shares, as in 2021. And a slowdown of the process in December is not to be expected .
• New record value for equity sales in 2021
• Tax changes in view
• Promotional transaction after a good run
Elon Musk has thrown 2021New Sales Record 2021 shares in the billions value . But the CEO of the electric autobauer was not the only top manager who has separated shares of their own company in the year's year.
as CNBC reports on an appeal to INSIDERSCORE / VERITY, the sales of shares, which have made company insiders and CEOs made since the beginning of the year, increased to $ 69 billion. That's about 30 percent more than last year. The ten-year average was even surpassed for a whopping 79 percent.
Tesla will start production from its European plant in Berlin, with 6 months late
© SP / Tesla Tesla will start production from its European plant in Berlin, with 6 months late and while the installation n 'still has not received definitive validation for its construction. In spite of the controversy, the Giant Tesla plant in Germany will begin the production of Model Y. The Grunheide site, located near Berlin, has already begun the assembly of some electric cars for an industrial test. , unveils the automobile magazine , Monday, November 29th.
It has been particularly large-scale sales promotions of "supersellers", which would have contributed to the sales record. Thus, Elon Musk Sesla shares alone has sold worth around ten billion US dollars.-Founder Jeff Bezos threw a share packet of Internet trees in a comparable amount on the market. Also the richest family clan in the world, the -founder family Walton, and -founder Mark Zuckerberg are among the four largest sellers of our own business shares this year. Overall, they accounted for 37 percent of this year's total, Ben Silverman, Research Director at Insiderscore / Verity is quoted. The Walton family separated from Walmart shares in the total value of $ 61.8 billion, Zuckerberg brought in the context of its 10b5-1-Plan shares in the total value of $ 4.47 billion under the people.
2022 Mazda CX-5 SUV starts at $27,125, lands at dealers this winter
It's still good-looking and probably still great to drive, so we're glad to see it's still affordable too.But before we get to the cost structure for the 2022 CX-5, we have to talk about its available trim levels. There are eight of them. That's a lot considering there are only two available engines. You start at the base model, the 2.5 S, and then work your way up to the tippy-top of the trim stack to end up at the 2.5 Turbo Signature.
Comprehensibly manageable in this context, the share sales of Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who had soldNew Tax Laws and High stock Excesses shares worth 1.5 billion US dollars. Chef Satya Nadella has sold almost half of its Microsoft shares for around $ 285 million last month, which he founded with "personal financial planning and diversification reasons".
In fact, tax grounds may have been the occasion to make stock participations in money. Because from the next year, in the state of Washington, a 7 percent tax on capital gains is due when they are above $ 250,000. The Microsoft boss, for example, by the sale before January 2022 saved in the amount of $ 20 million, calculates CNBC. Jeff Bezos even has achieved a tax savings of $ 700 million.
Also, Elon Musk had pointed to tax due to the sale of its Tesla shares, but in this context still emphasized, the sale of Shares is its only way to pay taxes at all.
In addition to changing the tax legislation, the high stock prices of the affiliated companies should also be a reason why CEOs and insiders have led to profit transactions. The Tesla share alone has increased 49.04 percent this year, in the last three years, it was more than 1,300 percent upwards. Amazon titles have gained more comparatively 8.1 percent since January since January, but have more than doubled on a three-year reception.
The record value for equity sales may increase even further in the last commercial weeks 2021: December is considered a popular month to make last adjustments in the tax planning.
Running. At 91, she looked a marathon and aim for a record in 2022 .
© Fotolia at 91 years old, she buckles a marathon and aims a record in 2022. last Sunday, the 91-year-old Icelandaise Mathea, He ran the Honolulu Marathon (United States) in 10:38th. A Sacred Performance But the Dean does not intend to stop there. These are stories that are difficult to believe. That of Mathea Allansmith is part of it. The 91-year-old Icelande fell the Honolulu Marathon in the United States in 10:38 minutes and 59 seconds is an average of 15 minutes per kilometer.


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H&M Hennes & Mauritz L.P. of New York has recalled about 9,000 units of children's pajamas because of a violation of the federal flammability standard, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.
July 26, 2019 2:22 pm
Breast implant maker Allergan Inc. issued a worldwide recall Wednesday for textured models because of a link to a rare form of cancer.
July 24, 2019 12:30 pm
Volvo Cars is recalling about half a million cars worldwide because of a faulty engine component that may in extreme cases cause a vehicle to catch a fire.
July 22, 2019 10:30 am
K2 Sports recalls inline skates due to the skate axle can become loose or a portion of the axle can sheer off during use resulting in a wheel separating from the skate’s frame, posing a fall hazard.
July 17, 2019 2:42 pm
VIVO recalls VIVO MOUNT-PLAY5 speaker wall mounts due to the ledge on the front of the speaker wall mount can loosen, allowing both the ledge and the speakers to fall, posing an injury hazard to bystanders.
July 17, 2019 2:37 pm
Lifetime Brands Inc. of Garden City, New York, has recalled about 150,000 Fitz and Floyd Nevaeh White Can Mugs, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced.
July 15, 2019 4:32 pm
Ancestral Meats of Muncie is recalling three of the company’s shelf-stable meat products sold under the “Ancestral Meats” brand name with the mark of state inspection, the Indiana State Board of Animal Health said today.
July 12, 2019 2:29 pm
Universal Security Instruments recalls battery powered smoke and fire alarms to inspect smoke alarms due to the smoke alarms can have a misaligned internal switch causing the alarms to not activate properly, posing a risk of failure to alert consumers to a fire.
July 11, 2019 2:21 pm
Custom Molded Products recalls diverter valve caps sold with Master Spas hot tubs and swim spas due to the valve cap on the hot tubs and swim spas can become loose, pop off and strike a bystander, posing an impact hazard.
July 11, 2019 2:36 pm


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Components: Latest news and analysis articles
The recent announcement by Bentley that its Crewe headquarters is to become the centre of excellence for the Volkswagen Group for all W12 en...
It's not unusual for one automaker to buy a plant from another and Mitsubishi's purchase of a Philippines plant from Ford makes perfect sens...
Measuring 33,000Nm/degree, this is the most torsionally rigid car yet from Jaguar, and the 550PS 5.0-litre V8 is unique to the hatchback bod...
If there was only one word being shouted from the rooftops in Moscow last week at the Russian Automotive Forum (RAF), it was simply, localis...
Tenneco’s advances in exhaust heat recovery technologies include thermoelectric generators (TEGs) and Rankine systems for powering electrical accessories, recharging batteries and supporting vehicle propulsion without reducing engine performance. Tenneco reckons that the same trends that are causing the vehicle powertrain to become electrified are indeed causing its after-treatment systems to become electrified. Matthew Beecham spoke to Marcel Womann, Supervisor, Advanced Cold End Products, Advanced Engineering, Tenneco Clean Air Division about TEGs.
Pierre-Edouard Sorel joined Michelin in 2005. He started as a sales representative in France in trade marketing. At the end of 2007, he headed the market intelligence department of Michelin's Earthmover tyres product line and has been marketing manager for winter tyres in Europe since 2011. Sorel talked to Simon Warburton about legislation, labelling and the dealer benefits of winter tyre usage.
National Electric Vehicle Sweden (Nevs) says it is aiming for series production start of its Saab 9-3 battery-powered model by autumn or winter this year.
National Electric Sweden (NEVS), has inked a spare components deal with Orio, formerly Saab Automobile Parts, as rumours swirl it has started pilot manufacture of its 9-3 electric vehicle.
Renault says it is "closely monitoring" the diplomatic situation concerning Iran as automakers and suppliers start to take advantage of the slight relaxation in sanctions against Tehran.
As usual under the quaint agreements that still apply, the car was out long before the supplier news. Nonetheless, it's worth noting Magna Exteriors' announcement of production of the North American automotive industry's first all-thermoplastic, fully recyclable liftgate module for the 2014 Nissan Rogue crossover utility vehicle built in Smyrna, Tennesee and, eventually, Korea as well.
Nissan's Mexican unit has said it looks to triple purchases from domestic manufacturers to US$7bn by 2016.
SKF reported an increase of 10.4% in net sales to SEK16,734m (US$2,546m) in the first quarter 2014 as compared to SEK15,152m in the previous year.
Panasonic is one of the companies looking at partnering with Tesla on its plans for a big new facility dedicated to lithium ion battery production.
Huge sheets of ice are progressing in a stately manner down the Detroit River outside the Cobo and with forecast of snow this afternoon, it will feel more like Michigan in January than yesterday's almost balmy temperatures.
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With national banks around the world driving at the speed of light to develop Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC), and Facebook cryptocurrency looms on the horizon, Lithuania has taken the step to issue the first central bank-produced digital coin in the eurozone.
A CBDC is essentially a state cryptocurrency, renamed by the financial sector to steer clear of tying it too closely to Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies which have brand issues.
The bold CBDC issuance project is underway in Lithuania, one of the three Baltic states of Europe. The digital currency “LB coin” issued by the Latvian central bank, Lietuvos Bankas, will be pre-sold next week prior to the official launch on July 23, 2020. The blockchain uses Nem’s blockchain and is part of a project to trial state-backed digital currencies and blockchain technology in everyday use.
The LB coin issued by the central bank is actually not intended for actual use as a “digital collector coin” and does not play the role of legal currency on the blockchain. The collection can be completed by collecting and trading, and it can be used as a legal currency only after exchanging with the commemorative silver coin which is the physical version.
The Lithuanian bank will issue 24,000 digital tokens, each of which will be accompanied by a portrait of one of the 20 people who signed the 1918 Lithuanian Declaration of Independence. Tokens are divided into 6 categories according to the activity field of the historic person who signed them, and 4000 tokens are assigned to each category.
LB coins will be sold for €99 euros with one set of 6 randomly selected tokens. At the same time, a commemorative silver coin with a par value of 19.18 euro will be issued after 1918, but in order to obtain this legal coin valid coin, you need to prepare tokens of 6 categories. It will not happen.
LB coins can be stored in the exclusive wallet of the e-shop that sells tokens, but you can also transfer them, gift them, and trade to the blockchain wallet used by LB coins. And in order to collect tokens and exchange for silver coins, it is necessary to trade with other collectors, like a card collection.
According to reports from Reuters, Marius Jurgilas, board member of the Lietuvos Bankas called LBCOIN:
“…probably the most advanced experimental playground to test different reincarnations of the CBDCs” at a time when financial institutes across the globe are turning to digital currencies.”
Other countries working on CBDCs include China, United Kingdom and Cambodia — as well as the European Central Bank (ECB), The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), The Bank of International Settlements (BIS) and even the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Also published on Medium.
In his 20s, he sailed around the world on small yachts and wrote a series of travel articles called,
travelling by hitching rides on yachts (1989) in major travel and yachting publications. He currently lives in Groningen, the Netherlands where he has set down his anchor to raise a family and write. Founder and publisher of industry publication Blockchain News (EST 2015) and director of education company
(Oracle Partner) – Vancouver native Richard Kastelein is an award-winning publisher, innovation executive and entrepreneur. He has written over 2500 articles on Blockchain technology and startups at Blockchain News and has also published in Harvard Business Review, Venturebeat, Wired, The Guardian and a number of other publications.
at China’s first blockchain University in Nanchang at the Jiangxi Ahead Institute software and Technology. He has over a half a decade experience judging and rewarding some 1000+ innovation projects as an EU expert for the European Commission’s SME Instrument programme as a startup assessor and as a startup judge for the UK government’s Innovate UK division. Kastelein has spoken (keynotes & panels) on Blockchain technology at over 50 events in 30+ cities.
Latest posts by Richard Kastelein
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High heels have their appeal
It's time to take off those flats and embrace the glorious height of high heels. Local confidence coach Suzanne Fetting is teaching women (and the occasional man) how to strut their stuff in the soaring shoes without bailing on the sidewalk.
And according to Fetting, learning to glide in a sky-high pair of heels is about much more than just looking good.
"Confidence absolutely skyrockets," the former model and fashion show producer said. "Most of the women and the men, because I work with men now too, they come to me and they're very scared [about sporting heels] and in a very short period of time, usually about an hour, they leave feeling much better about themselves and prancing around and not wanting to take their high heels off."
The self-proclaimed high-heel aficionado began offering high-heel workshops a year ago after noticing how Vancouverites tended to struggle in them.
"We've all seen the women stumbling down Granville Street with their wobbly ankles," she said, laughing. "Walking around this city, I found that most of the women were walking [in heels] incorrectly. Either walking like they were walking on eggshells or walking like they belonged in a marching band."
Initially intending to offer a one-time class, the popularity of the seminar has led her to even create an instructional DVD.
"The response that I got from people all across Canada was that they wanted me to come to my city, so that's why I decided to put the DVD together," said Fetting, who's flying to Toronto next month in search of DVD distribution assistance on CBC's hit reality show, Dragon's Den. "I'm going to tell them how fantastic my concept is. It's very unique. There's nobody doing what I'm doing."
And what's the main thing people need to consider when getting ready to don heels?
"The biggest mistake - and I'm guilty of this as well - is purchasing high heels that are way too high," she said. "I really promote buying a lower, wider, chunkier heel initially to start off with."
Fetting's Dragon's Den episode is scheduled to air in the fall. In the meantime, her next high-heel class is May 31 at Maximum Core Studio (3433 Hastings St.). For more information, visit highheelappeal.com.


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Earlier this year, I asked the question “Will baijiu kill you?” Looking at the issues of product safety, toxicity and consumption patterns, I reached the counterintuitive conclusion that baijiu was not bad for you; at least no worse than any distilled alcohol. And so I have followed a recent quality control scandal with a heavy heart.
On November 19, the website of Chinese publication 21st Century Business Herald revealed that independent tests on Hunan’s famous mixed-aroma baijiu Jiugui Jiu 酒鬼酒 contained high levels of dibutyl phthalate, a type of plasticizer. In late November China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIC) launched an investigation into the use of plasticizers in Chinese baijiu production.
Before revealing what plasticizer does, it is plain that humans shouldn’t consume anything with plastic in its name. Plasticizers are chemical compounds used to soften plastics for industrial purposes. As they were clearly never intended to be ingested, the information on toxicity is limited, but the Chinese media has tossed around terms like “cancer causing,” “much more serious than melamine,” and indicated it can “damage the digestive and immune systems” and cause “testicular or kidney damage and fertility problems.” Not good.
The response from the industry and the government followed the predictable pattern: obscure, obfuscate and deny.
The Hunan government launched a probe into plasticizer in Jiugui Jiu. On November 21, just two days after the original story broke, the government announced that while they had found “excessive” levels of plasticizer in the baijiu, “there is no evidence that the plasticizer was intentionally added.”
The China Alcoholic Drinks Association (CADA) responded by saying, “it is irresponsible to claim that the plasticizer found in Jiugui brands exceeded standards because there are currently no such standards on the Chinese mainland.” It added, “Domestic levels of plasticizers in liquor products were below overseas standards.”
An unnamed official from the Ministry of Health echoed this sentiment, telling Xinhua that no country has set standards for the plasticizer levels in spirits and telling Global Times that the time for standards is now.
It’s hard not to find these responses disingenuous in the extreme. What they assume is that readers will be too lazy or confused to confirm their statements. I’m no international legal expert, but I would guess that, while it may be true that most countries don’t monitor plasticizer in consumables, I would assume that the absence of a regulation would be a poor defense for poisoning consumers.
But this line of reasoning is flawed at a more basic level: China does have guidelines for plasticizer levels. Yes, when the story first broke, Xinhua reported:
The level was 260 percent higher than the allowed maximum level of 0.3 mg per kg in food as outlined in a document issued by MOH last June . . .
As any good defense attorney will tell you, it’s important to get your stories straight, but the MOH and CADA seem to have missed that day of Cover Ups 101.
What their evasions plainly dance around is the fact that just last year the Mainland government suspended several imported food and beverage products from Taiwan. The reason: suspected use of plasticizers. Xinhua News’ English-language site devoted an entire “See! The Mainland isn’t the only place with food scandals!” page to commemorate the occasion. The Taiwan scandal was what prompted the .3 mg per kg plasticizer standard. So to say that no one could have seen this one coming is either a lie or high-order incompetence, possibly both.
Unbelievably, it gets worse. In a rare candid Xinhua op-ed, writer Cao Kai points out that, “according to its own statement,” CADA has known about the plasticizer issue in baijiu for 17 months:
The association said it issued an internal notice last December, calling for its member companies not to use plastics in the production, storage and sales of the liquor after problems emerged in June 2011. But it never gave warnings to consumers.
Yet this is direr than Cao may realize. If CADA knew about it 17 months before November 2012, this means it was aware of the issue before the Taiwan scandal broke in June 2011. If so, it means that CADA identified the problem, watched it explode in someone else’s face, and still failed to take action. Why would it do this? More to the point, why would a baijiu company allow toxins into its production cycle? There are a couple of possibilities.
Most English-language reports indicate that the plasticizer found its way into the baijiu inadvertently through the production process – it rubbed off from plastic tubes or other plastic materials through which the baijiu passed. This explanation makes the incident a regrettable yet unintentional consequence of faulty equipment. It absolves the baijiu makers of any sinister motives and shifts the blame to the plastics manufacturers. This account might make sense if plasticizer contamination was widespread throughout China’s beverages, but it seems limited to baijiu. Alternatively, it might also make sense if the scandal was limited to one or two baijiu manufacturers using a bad plastics supplier, but the scandal has ballooned to include several producers in distant provinces. Moreover, the bad plastic excuse doesn’t explain why CADA was unwilling to implement a presumably inexpensive fix in a highly profitable industry, or why the government is trying to bury the scandal.
For that we must look flavoring essences. Only one of the dozen or so English-language articles I’ve read on the subject even hinted at this possibility that flavor additives could be responsible for plasticizer contamination, but the Chinese-language news has been more forthcoming. In one report, Dong Jinshi of China’s International Food Packaging Association says the use of flavoring agents containing plasticizer is widespread throughout the industry. “It’s my understanding that in the markets in Shenyang, you can buy Wuliangye flavoring, Moutai flavoring; or any other alcohol’s flavoring essence,” he says. While these essences are probably intended for use by counterfeiters or low-end distillers hoping to imitate high-end brands, the report suggests that many major manufacturers also add essences to improve the aroma of their products. Such essences are most often found in “aged” baijius; those baijius purporting to be ten- or twenty-years old are often only mid-range baijiu with flavoring added to it. The lack of any industry standards regarding aging and the disclosure of ingredients allows them to brazenly misrepresent their products.
What you have, in essence (if you’ll excuse the pun), is baijiu companies taking a perfectly safe, non-toxic product and adding toxins to it in order to swindle consumers out of their money. It is possible that, as they claimed, the individual producers did not realize the flavoring they used contained plasticizer, but lack of scrutiny is no excuse when producing foods and beverages. To do so, however, would have the unfortunate consequence of exposing that these baijiu companies are deliberately misrepresenting what’s in their products to consumers. It’s bad any way you look at it – no wonder they’re trying to confuse the issue.
We haven’t heard the last of plasticizer and baijiu, either. This story is a black hole that sucks in more and more of the industry the longer it stays open.
The week after the Jiugui Jiu story broke, an anonymous netizen calling himself Shuijing Huang claimed that he bought a bottle of Moutai in Hong Kong and had it privately analyzed in a laboratory. He claimed finding dangerous levels of diethylhexyl phthalate, another plasticizer, and demanded more widespread tests from the government. He did not verify the results with a third party or reveal the identity of the lab that conducted the initial tests.
Kweichow Moutai’s chairman of the board, Yuan Ruanguo called the accusations a smear job. “Someone is taking advantage of the public concern over food safety to ignite panic among consumers,” he said.
He may have been correct – the vague Shuijing Huang accusation certainly has the whiff of a hoax about it – but from a PR standpoint Moutai completely shit the bed in their response. First they released the results of analyses by three independent quality control organizations showing that their plasticizer levels were well under the national standards. By doing this they not only lent their anonymous accuser legitimacy, but also repeatedly reinforced the subconscious connection in consumers’ minds between the words “Moutai” and “plasticizer.” If they had stopped there, it might not have been so bad, but then they kicked the publicity vehicle into overdrive and it backfired spectacularly. As Wall Street Journal’s China Real Time Report writes:
Possibly encouraged by the positive response to its [initial] statement, the company held a press conference on Wednesday where Li Tongji, a professor from Peking University’s School of Public Health, dismissed concerns over chemicals like plasticizers and melamine (an industrial chemical at the heart of a deadly poisoned milk scandal in 2008), assuring wary consumers that “human beings have the ability to detox.”
In other words, “Moutai’s products are perfectly safe. Now shut up and drink your poison.” Well done, Moutai. Well done.
Then last Friday, December 14, an investment consultancy called Zhongnengxingye published the results of their own tests on plasticizer levels in a number of China’s leading baijiu brands, conducted by an affiliate of the Beijing Academy of Science and Technology. While Moutai was not singled out as a dangerous brand, both Wuliangye and Yanghe were found to have at least twenty times as much plasticizer as the current standards allow. Wuliangye was quick to denounce the report, claiming that plastics are not used in the production process, nor are any plasticizer flavorings added.
The timing of this scandal couldn’t be worse for the baijiu industry. Just a couple of months before the Spring Festival – the peak season for baijiu sales and consumption – this has the potential to significantly impact the coming year’s returns.
Recognizing that the scandal was spiraling out of control, and that local governments, who run most of the aforementioned baijiu concerns, would likely be implicated, the central government has decided to take action. And by action, of course, I mean stifling the conversation. According to China Digital Times, the Ministry of Propaganda allegedly issued the following directive to state media on Tuesday:
Central Propaganda Department: With regards to negative news on the baijiu industry, all media are to discontinue production of all reports and commentary except for that which strictly adheres to Xinhua wire copy and information issued by authoritative bureaus, and which also downplays the issue. (December 18, 2012)
More baijius will likely be tainted by the plasticizer scandal before it plays itself out. However unfortunate the circumstances, and inept the response, it is not an unqualified negative. As with other food safety incidents in China this has the potential to lead to positive change for consumers. The Chinese public is running out of patience for this sort of thing, and eventually (hopefully sooner rather than later) we should see tougher quality standards at the national and industry levels. Failure to do so would only further erode already tenuous consumer confidence.
Have I changed my opinion on whether baijiu will kill you? Not really. Baijiu itself is basically harmless, and this scandal all but ensures that harmful additives will be phased out of mainstream production.
So my advice to baijiu drinkers is more or less the same as before. If you are going to buy expensive baijiu, buy it duty free – it’s almost certainly the genuine article, and international laws are less amenable to poison. But if you want to buy baijiu in China, you are safer in the mid- and low-end range unless you have a retailer you can trust. And now I can add to that warning: don’t buy “aged” baijiu.
 Jiugui Jiu is a famous baijiu throughout China. Despite its name, which roughly translates “Drunkard’s Quaff,” it is considered one of the better brands at the mid-to-high range.
 Incidentally, “aqsic” is also the sound one makes when spitting out toxic foods and beverages.
 Ten points if you can name the reference without Google.
 A regrettable pun on the Chengdu baijiu Shuijingfang.


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Ever since its launch in November, 2012 the MediSafe application developed by Israeli company MediSafe Project LTD has grown into a popular medication reminder app in the Google Play and Apple app stores.
Four months after its launch, MediSafe Project users had reported an average self-reported medication adherence rate of 79 percent - twenty-nine points higher than the World Health Organization's estimated average medication adherence of 50 percent, said the company.
"For cholesterol lowering Statins, MediSafe Project users self-reported an adherence rate of 82.25%, and users taking birth control medication self-reported an adherence rate of 89.75% - nearly twenty points higher than the average reported by the National Institutes of Health," the company further said.
One of the striking features of MediSafe is that it allows multiple users to group as a family. For example: Children can register in the app and monitor how well their elderly parents are adhering to their daily pill in-takes. This amazing app also allows the user to make a report of his/her medicine list on to an Excel spread sheet and directly mail it to the doctor and care-takers.
Another interesting feature is that it will remind the user to refill his/her pill box so they can re-stock medicine in advance.
The Israeli company released latest MediSafe v2.0 in mid-March for Android devices in Google Play and it is expected to release the new iOS version in the Apple app store in June.
However, the app is yet to make its debut on the Windows phone platform.
Key features of MediSafe App include:
- Simple interface and visually appealing graphics on homescreen.
- Can sync other family member's profile in to one.
- Notifies the user even when he/she is asleep.
- Can make a progress report as an Excel file and mail it to the doctor.
- Virtual medicine cabinet for users who are under PRN (Pro re nata) medication. Users can record the doses taken for adherence purpose.
- Enhanced re-fill reminders.


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How to avoid GDPR Geo-Blocking.
EU’s new GDPR privacy law has got every company around the globe moving towards compliance with this law. But there is one problem that has emerged from all of this. Since it is nearly impossible for companies to make all these changes at the same time, some Internet users are now geo-blocked from non-compliant websites.
If you want to gain access to your online accounts, news, or any of your favorite online content, you should not sit idle. In fact, there is a simple way to avoid the GDPR geo-blocking. Let’s see what you can do to navigate the GDPR-restricted internet waters freely.
What is the GDPR – a quick recap
If online privacy and data protection are not your fields of interest, you might not have heard about the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Or maybe you have but in an indirect fashion. If you can no longer access some websites, and you know that they are up and running, you are probably affected by the GDPR.
The GDPR is part of the European legislation designed to regulate online privacy and data. What is so bad about it? It is damaging because of its worldwide impact. It is primarily intended to protect the online privacy and data of individuals residing within the EU. But it affects all websites, and the companies or individuals running these websites, that are regularly visited by EU citizens. Basically, a lot of websites, if not all of them.
Who should comply with the GDPR
We have already pointed you in the right direction. But since we are talking about huge penalties and something as important as online privacy, let's be more specific here.
First of all, let’s get one thing straight. This legislation doesn’t differentiate between locations where websites are hosted. This means that both individuals and companies that have their sites hosted inside and outside the EU are affected by it.
Simply put, all websites that have at least one visitor who resides in the EU have traffic coming from this region. This means that they are handling data on EU citizens, which further implies that these websites must comply with the GDPR. The penalties and fines for sites that don’t are quite harsh, which brings us to the next section.
Why are EU citizens frequently blocked?
In order to protect themselves from the severe penalties and fines, many websites have started blocking traffic coming from the EU, especially US-based sites. In fact, ever since May 25th, when the legislation was put in place, people around the globe have not been in the clear as to whether the GDPR applies to them or not. The moment the GDPR came into existence, many world-famous websites blocked access for EU visitors, including news outlets and US sites with huge traffic.
This gives companies and individuals behind these websites time to catch up with the GDPR and implement the required changes on their sites so that they become GDPR-compliant. In the meantime, they remain protected from the harsh GDPR fines, while EU citizens have their access to the Internet censored.
Avoid GDPR Geo-Blocking with ease
The geo-blocking is not a new thing. We could see it and are still seeing it, as the practice of some of the world’s governments. It is usually implemented when a government wants to restrict their citizens from accessing specific types of content. The GDPR geo-blocking is different because it is a reaction to legislation. This time, websites are the ones restricting the access.
If you find yourself unable to access the websites you’ve regularly visited in the past, you should check your IP address. If your IP address places you inside the EU, there’s a high chance you can’t access the website because you are being GDPR geo-blocked.
The simple way to overcome the GDPR geo-blockade is to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). The VPN will change your IP address and make it appear as if you are accessing the website from outside the EU area, thus completely bypassing the GDPR geo-block.
The intention behind the GDPR was to protect people online, but it resulted in an inconvenient and somewhat annoying type of censorship. Fortunately, with the right VPN, you can continue accessing your favorite online content, even if you are residing in the EU.


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In today’s fast-changing PR world, new tools and tactics are inducing practitioners to change their approach.
Gone are the days when writing a press release produces your desired result.
Here are today’s three most relevant PR writing styles and why we love them: 1. News/brand journalism style
When: To tell your brand’s story in a credible and engaging way, brand journalism is a favorite.
How to approach it: Writing in this style means understanding “news value” as it applies to a brand. Recognize what your target audience cares about. Skilled brand journalists seamlessly combine journalistic storytelling principles with elements of strategic communication. To master this style, you must understand when a story is right for brand journalism and when it’s simply too commercial. Credible brand journalists can transform a company initiative into a compelling story with real news value for its target audience.
Why we love it: Consumers are accustomed to journalistic content in practically every news outlet, which makes this approach credible. This tactic can hold its own alongside stories written by the top global news organizations, resulting in a boost in credibility and reach.


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NEW YORK/BANGALORE (Reuters) – L’Oreal SA, Unilever and other multinationals that acquired personal-care brands founded by Black people are moving to reassure their core customers, some of whom have pledged in the wake of racial-justice protests to direct their spending toward only Black-owned companies.
L’Oreal’s multicultural beauty brand Carol’s Daughter, which was founded by a Black woman in her Brooklyn kitchen in 1993 and named for her mother, said June 10 that it wanted to “clear some things up” when it posted a message to its Instagram page.
“Carol’s Daughter is Black-founded, and Black-led, and joined the L’Oreal family of brands in 2014,” it said. Founder Lisa Price “is still actively involved in all aspects of the business; leading the brand’s product development and creative vision,” the statement said.
Price is senior vice president and creative director at Carol’s Daughter, which is part of the Multi-Cultural Beauty Division at L’Oreal USA, and is also part of the Executive Committee at L’Oreal USA.
Multinational companies in recent years have snapped up products aimed at Black consumers and marketed those brands as authentically Black, with homemade formulas, personalised offers and feel-good marketing.
But in the wake of the protests following the May 25 death of an unarmed Black man, George Floyd, many consumers are pledging to purchase more goods from Black-owned businesses as a way to bring greater racial equity.
SheaMoisture, a personal care company founded in Harlem by Liberian immigrants in 1991, became part of Unilever in 2017 after the Anglo-Dutch multinational Unilever purchased Sundial Brands, a New York-based beauty firm. Black consumers threatened to boycott its products in June citing its corporate ownership.
On June 9, Cara Sabin, CEO of Sundial Brands, which operates as a standalone unit within Unilever, posted a message on Instagram to assuage them. “I am a Black CEO, in White corporate America, leading a brand that exists to serve our Black consumer,” Sabin wrote.
Black spending power in the United States is expected to rise to $1.5 trillion by 2021, from about $1.3 trillion last year, according to a report by Nielsen, a data analytics firm that tracks consumer purchases.
The Black community makes up 13.4% of the U.S. population, and outspends in relation to other groups on products such as hair care and beauty, and women’s fragrances. In 2017, for example, Black shoppers represented 85% of the $63 million total U.S. industry spend on multicultural hair care products.
The group also represented 22.4% and 21% of the total U.S industry spending on women’s fragrances and feminine hygiene products that year, respectively, the report showed.
Sales of hair care products targeted at multi-ethnicities were up 50% year-over-year in the month to May 17, according to Strategic Solutions International, a unit of Nielsen. Black-owned hair care companies represented 14% of the category, but drove 20% of that growth at retail stores.
But some consumers say they’re paying closer attention to the ownership of a variety of goods and services aimed at Blacks, including bookstores, restaurants and pharmacies. On fundraising site GoFundMe, there are nearly 2,000 pages set up in support of Black-owned businesses, the majority of which were all created in recent weeks.
“We’ve been dealing with these issues with Black people for how long, right? But there’s just something about this moment,” said Vivian Duker, a Baltimore-based corporate attorney. Earlier this month, she teamed up with a friend to launch a Change.org campaign called “#VERIFYBLACK” that has garnered more than 7,000 signatures. The petition seeks to get social media platforms to identify Black-owned businesses more clearly.
Brands such as Carol’s Daughter and SheaMoisture would not qualify as Black-owned businesses, she told Reuters.
Unilever and L’Oreal did not respond to requests for comment.
Procter & Gamble in 2018 acquired Walker & Co, the parent company of Bevel, a men’s grooming line, and Form Beauty, a women’s haircare line – both primarily for people of color. Walker & Co Vice President of Marketing Tia Cummings told Reuters that being part of P&G helped widen the availability of its products, making it easier for men and women to find and purchase them.
Dana Williams-Johnson, Instructor in the Howard University School of Business Marketing Department said companies “making money off of Black consumers should have leadership that reflects the consumers that purchase the brands.”
“How diverse are these company’s boards? How many Black people are at the top with a seat at the boardroom table? How much do all these brands truly value the Black dollar? Those will be the questions that need answers next,” she added.
According to Black Enterprise magazine, 187 of the S&P 500 companies did not have a single Black member on their boards in 2019.
Haircare company Cantu Beauty faced such questions on Instagram this month, with some shoppers noting it was sold to PDC Brands in 2015 and declaring they would boycott the brand in favour of Black-owned businesses.
So the company hosted an Instagram livestream chat “with the people behind the brand” on June 12. “I want to pull back that curtain and let you guys see exactly what is going on behind the scenes,” Cantu Beauty’s Global Vice President Dametria Mustin said during the livestream.
PDC Brands did not respond to requests for comment.Synthea Hairston, 24, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania called Cantu her “number 1” brand for many years. But she refuses to shop the brand again.
“Now my conscious is eating at me… I will literally be keeping a list with me at all times to make sure what I’m picking up is Black-owned.”
Reporting and photo: Reuters
‘Get Charged and Win’ promotion: Four draws, countless winners, more to go
The ‘Get Charged and Win’ promotion, which launched with great fanfare on June 23, continues to captivate audiences across the nation with its promise of incredible prizes and adrenaline-pumping excitement. As Coca-Cola moves forward, the company has announced not one, but four draws that have rewarded lucky winners with exciting prizes!
The ‘Get Charged and Win’ promotion has been a huge success, with dozens of lucky winners taking home amazing prizes, such as Benelli motorbikes, helmets, and Charged drink cases. The promotion, which started on June 23, has been attracting customers from all over the Maldives, who have been enjoying the refreshing taste of Charged caffeinated beverage and the thrill of scratching their cards to reveal their codes.
So far, four draws have taken place, each one broadcasted live on Television Maldives (TVM) at 9:30pm. The winners of the Benelli motorbikes were Mohamed Adam, MD Musharraf, Mohamed Rasel Hossain and Ahmed Zahir who were ecstatic to receive their prizes and thanked Charged for making their dreams come true. The winners of the helmets and drink cases were also delighted with their rewards and encouraged others to join the promotion.
But don’t worry if you haven’t won yet, because there are still more chances to win! The ‘Get Charged and Win’ promotion is not over yet. That means you still have time to grab your favourite Charged drink, scratch your card, and send your code to 2626 via SMS.
As the exciting journey continues, there are two main draws left in this thrilling event, scheduled for September 24 and October 20. You could be the next lucky winner of a Benelli Leoncino 250 motorbike! But the excitement doesn’t stop there; be sure to keep an eye out for the daily draws, with winners announced regularly on the @ChargedMaldives Instagram page. You could stand a chance to win a Charged branded helmet, or a Charged drink case.
Charged, a ground-breaking addition to Coca-Cola Maldives’ beverage portfolio, is available in 250 ml, in 100% recyclable aluminium cans, in line with our packaging strategy to use 100% recyclable packaging material. The caffeinated beverage is now widely available at major retail outlets, hotels, restaurants, and cafes throughout the Maldives.
JEN Maldives Malé by Shangri-La unveils Oro’s 100% Arabica Rose Coffee
JEN Maldives Malé by Shangri-La has introduced a special coffee to their collection – Oro’s 100% Arabica Rose Coffee. This latest addition to the menu of Jen’s Kitchen On-the-Go aims to provide coffee lovers with the unique and delicate taste of Oro’s Arabica Rose.
The hotel was alive with excitement on Thursday evening with the launch of Oro’s 100% Arabica rose. Media personnel and coffee enthusiasts were treated to an exclusive tasting experience of freshly brewed Arabica Rose Coffee along with some tasty finger foods.
The highlight of the evening was a lucky draw giveaway, extending an invitation for all the guests to participate and win a Skechers Maldives voucher and coffee voucher from Jen’s Kitchen On-the-Go.
Oro’s Arabica Rose Coffee is now available at Jen’s Kitchen on-the-go. It is the perfect spot to refuel with coffee, tea, freshly squeezed juices, or a light bite. Customers can now enroll to become a Shangri-La Circle Member and earn points with every purchase at Jen’s Kitchen On- the-Go and enjoy the rewards at Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts worldwide.
Master Baker Steven to conduct IREKS Baking Art & Science training in Maldives
The return of IREKS Master Baker to the Maldives brings exciting news for the local baking community.
Kuala Lumpur-based Master Baker – Chef Steven Selvamuthu, will be conducting pro-bono culinary demonstrations and extensive training sessions from 19th August to 7th September, 2023. Bakers and Pastry Chefs in resorts and HORECA institutions can look forward to enhancing their skills and knowledge under his guidance.
Steven’s expertise in pastries, acquired through training in Gelato University in Italy and a Chocolate Master program in Switzerland, has been instrumental in providing the best solutions to IREKS’ customers in the Maldives.
IREKS, the renowned German company, is a global player in the industry, celebrated for their expertise in developing innovative baking ingredients and catering to the preferences of the health-conscious and quality-driven generation. IREKS provides high-quality bakery flour and ingredients, including baking improvers, specialty bread mixes, gluten-free mixes, vegan mixes, and confectionary mixes. With a growing awareness of the impact of food production on people and the environment, IREKS offers a diverse range of organic baking improvers and mixes for the efficient production of various organic quality baked goods. They exclusively source raw materials from controlled organic cultivation.
In addition to its range of flour mixes focused on multiple baking needs, IREKS also offers a wide “Free-from” range, accommodating various dietary preferences such as lactose-free, palm oil-free, additive-free, egg-free, sugar-free, or vegan options.
In particular, IREKS has been providing a comprehensive Gluten-Free range since 1995. Gluten, a protein that provides structure, is essential for making grains bakeable, and it would be a challenge to bake without its presence. At the same time, gluten-free baked goods are growing in demand – even from those who do not suffer from medical conditions (e.g.: celiac disease). In order to meet the high safety requirements in this specialised production process, gluten-free ingredients are carefully and meticulously selected and processed at IREKS’s state-of-the-art facilities in Germany.
So, this powerhouse of the baking profession, Master Baker Steven, will share his vast expertise with the resort bakers’ community during these demonstration sessions. Should you wish to participate in a training session, please contact Bestbuy Maldives.
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Uponor WIRSBO, which pioneered PE-Xa (Engel process), acquired PE-Xb manufacturer Plasco of Regina, Canada. Sales from this move reached $246 million last year with a staff of 845 workers. The company also expanded its production in Apple Valley, Minn., and further investments are planned for its St. John, New Brunswick facility.
REHAU, the second largest PE-Xa manufacturer, is scheduled to open a new PE-Xa production plant at its Cullham, Ala. plant. Earlier this year, REHAU opened a PE-Xb production facility in Tortosa, Spain.
Kansas-based Vanguard Inc. also strengthened its PE-Xb production at its Burnaby, British Columbia plant. The company will manufacture a three-layer pipe under a license from Noveon, a chemical company for industrial products.
For more information, visit www.kwd-globalpipe.com.


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McLEAN, Va. — Hilton Worldwide announced an exclusive licence agreement with Plateno Hotels Group, a China-based hospitality organization, to launch and develop more than 400 Hampton by Hilton hotels in China, with the first hotel expected to open by the end of 2015.
Plateno Hotels Group, one of China’s leading hospitality organizations, operates five brands with more than 3,000 hotels in 300 cities across China. It also operates China’s largest hotel loyalty program, reaching 80-million members.
“We expect this partnership will allow us to accelerate our efforts to gain broad geographic and chain scale distribution in China, enabling us to access a large, growing customer base for both in- country and outbound business,” said Jim Holthouser, EVP, Global Brands, Hilton Worldwide. “Our five existing brands in China are growing at a rapid pace, and after extensively researching the market, we’ve seen an untapped opportunity to grow in the upper economy to mid-scale category.”
“There is a substantial demand in China for a quality mid-scale lodging option, and we believe Hampton is the right product to meet this need,” said Eric Wu, CFO of Plateno Hotels Group.


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As a result of high gas prices and a shift to smaller cars, sales of the Civic were up almost 15 percent in the first four months of the year to 111,695 and also performed well in May. Honda is now looking to increase production of the Civic for 2008.
According to American Honda chief Dick Colliver, Honda will try to “squeeze” more units out of its Civic plants, possibly by working overtime. In April, Civic production output was up 24.8 percent 66,001 units at the Alliston No. 1 plant. Its East Liberty play, Honda produced 49,107 units, up 6.6 percent from last year.
The Honda Civic sedan with a 5-speed automatic transmission sells for $15,645 and gets 25/36mpg (city/highway)
Colliver said that all trim levels of the Civic are selling well but the sedan with an automatic transmission is doing the best.
Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)


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Add Ford to the growing number of automakers speaking out against the traditional 3,000-mile oil change interval. As part of this article on automotive “myths,” Ford says most vehicles can go 7,500 miles between oil changes.
- Federated Auto Parts is on track to collect the most donations and toys ever for Toys for Tots.… twitter.com/i/web/status/9… 22 hours ago
- Driven Brands and Meineke Car Care Centers have announced a national partnership with EasyPay Finance.… twitter.com/i/web/status/9… 1 day ago
- Bosch Campaign Successfully Defends Brand and Trademark Against Counterfeits ow.ly/r5cY30g1444 1 day ago


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Five-star luxury hotel, The Athenaeum Hotel and Residences has joined Pride of Britain Hotels consortium.
The hotel in Mayfair, comprising 135 bedrooms, 11 suites and Galvin at The Athenaeum, the main restaurant, led by Michelin-starred chefs Chris and Jeff Galvin, will effectively replace London member The Arch, which was sold by the Bejerano family in November 2018.
The Athenaeum has been designed by Martin Hulbert and after a two-year revamp unveiled new-look bedrooms and suites featuring Nespresso machines, LG smart TVs, Bose charging docks and TOTO toilets.
THE BAR at The Athenaeum is an intimate space with a prized whisky collection, extensive wine menu and a bespoke cocktail list created by award-winning barman Giovanni Castorina.
The View is also a residents’ lounge on the hotel’s 10th floor, as well as a private 24-gym gym and REN spa.
Peter Hancock, chief executive, Pride of Britain Hotels, says: “It gives us great pleasure to welcome The Athenaeum Hotel and Residences, one of London’s finest hotels, into the Pride of Britain family, alongside such iconic gems as The Goring, Calcot and Glenapp Castle.”
Joanne Taylor-Stagg, general manager of The Athenaeum, says: “We are thrilled to have been accepted into such a respected hotel collection as Pride of Britain Hotels.”
The Athenaeum joins the likes of The Goring, Gravetye Manor and Grove of Narberth, as part of Pride of Britain Hotels consortium, which has a self-imposed limit of 50 members.
The Royal Crescent Hotel and Spa in Bath also joined the association earlier this year.
The Arch will relinquish its space after being acquired late last year by Japanese group Staywell Holdings.