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Jefferies Financial Group set a €50.00 ($58.14) price objective on Isra Vision (ETR:ISR) in a report released on Tuesday, Borsen Zeitung reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the stock.
ISR has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Warburg Research set a €43.00 ($50.00) target price on shares of Isra Vision and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, December 24th. Hauck & Aufhaeuser set a €43.00 ($50.00) target price on shares of Isra Vision and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, February 10th.
Shares of ISR stock opened at €50.35 ($58.55) on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is €38.28 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is €38.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 16.35, a current ratio of 3.17 and a quick ratio of 2.51. Isra Vision has a 1 year low of €26.80 ($31.16) and a 1 year high of €45.90 ($53.37). The stock has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.56.
ISRA VISION AG, together with its subsidiaries, provides surface inspection and image processing systems worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Industrial Automation and Surface Vision. It offers robot vision solutions, including 2D and mono 2 ½D robot vision, mono 3D, 3D shape matching, 3D shape matching multi-view, 3D photogrammetry, 3D stereo sensor, 3D stereo system, 3D area profile scan, 3D intelliPICK point cloud, 3D visual servo, and 3D adapted uncalibrated robot automation systems, as well as 2D inline, and 3D gap and flush sensor systems.
Read More: Why do analysts give a neutral rating?
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In March, the President imposed a tariff of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum imports. A tariff is a tax on a particular class of imported goods or services that is designed to help protect domestic industries from foreign competition. For several decades, much of the world has supported the expansion of free trade and globalization. Market sentiment toward the tough trade talk has moderated some of late, with the President stating he would reconsider the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact and completion of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
So far these trade measures should only have a moderate impact on overall economic activity and are too small to have much adverse macro impact. But this could change if global supply chains come under threat. Chinese steel producers buy iron ore from Australia, Brazil, India, Iran, South Africa, and Ukraine and bauxite for aluminum from Australia, Brazil and Guinea. It is no easier for China. Chinese tariffs on American cars would seem to target Detroit but the Big 3 U.S. automakers make most of their cars for the Chinese market through joint ventures in China. A Chinese tariff on cars would hit BMW and Daimler cars exported from plants in Alabama and South Carolina. Mere threats could undermine the global trading system, but it could take years for the impact to be reflected in economic data.
The metals tariffs were scheduled to take effect on March 23, 2018. Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, and the EU nations were granted temporary exclusions until May 1, pending continuing trade talks. Still, the possibility of permanent exclusions could be part of a negotiating tactic used to extract specific concessions from some trading partners. For example, Canada is the largest source of U.S. steel imports, and Mexico is the fourth largest. Together they account for 25 percent of foreign steel and 43 percent of aluminum. When negotiations end, Canada, Mexico, and South Korea may face quotas to cap export levels and prevent them from using exemptions to import and re-export cheap steel to the U.S. The tariffs were specifically set to levels that should slow imports enough to allow U.S. industries to boost production. Granting exemptions, even to close allies, could defeat that goal or result in a heavier tariff burden on other nations. It’s likely that the tariffs will largely apply to the remaining three major steel exporters: China, Russia, and Japan.
The metals tariffs should offer relief to the struggling steel and aluminum industries and benefit some workers in the regions where they operate. But if the price of imported metals increases by 10-25 percent, the price of domestic metal is also likely to rise, and so could the cost of U.S. goods that must compete in international markets. Aluminum prices had initially risen, mostly due to sanctions placed on Russia, representing a large portion of global supply, before declining by about 7 percent over the next month. Steel prices also increased but have since retreated. By one estimate, the metals tariffs could add $300 to the price of a new car sold in a U.S. showroom. Significant inflation could hurt consumers, reduce sales, impact corporate profits, and result in job losses, especially for industries that depend heavily on steel and aluminum.
This is not the first time the Trump administration has used tariffs. In January 2018, tariffs were placed on imported washing machines and solar panels in response to complaints by U.S. manufacturers.
When the President first took office, he pulled the U.S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade agreement that was initiated in part to counter China’s growing influence in Asia. With the U.S. out of the pact, a new agreement was signed in March 2018 by 11 key U.S. trading partners, creating a united front that could put the U.S. at a disadvantage in the future.
The President has also threatened to withdraw from NAFTA. Failing to reach a new agreement with Canada and Mexico could be quite costly. One economic analysis concluded that terminating NAFTA would result in the net loss of 1.8 million U.S. jobs within the first year and reduce the annual purchasing power of U.S. households by about $654 each.
The administration is also planning punitive measure that could make it more difficult for Chinese firms to acquire U.S. technology and invest in U.S. businesses. Experts warn that China is likely to strike back, possibly by restricting imports of automobiles, aircraft, computer chips, or soybeans and other agricultural products, if ongoing negotiations do not produce an acceptable outcome. Another serious concern is that protectionist policies may strain relationships with our allies, some of which have threatened to respond proportionally if tariffs are applied to them. The economic impact in the U.S., and globally, will likely depend on whether a hard U.S. stance or the breakdown of trade negotiations escalates into a larger trade war. For now, you might see some market volatility in response to trade concerns as potential risks are increasingly being assessed and priced into markets by investors.
David Helscher is a senior vice president and trust officer with Clinton National Bank.

domain: news


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Satoru Murase and Sydney Mintzer will participate in a webinar hosted by JETRO and METI on the topic of Supply Chain and Human Rights for Japanese companies doing business in the United States.
Tuesday, November 9, 2021, 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. (EST)
Wednesday, November 10, 2021, 7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. (JST)
Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)
Japanese, with English simultaneous interpretation.
The Mayer Brown presentation is available upon request. Please contact Manami Elwell at firstname.lastname@example.org


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It looks like a post-production artist named Craig is not the only winner of a recent college basketball contest. Star Trek fans might have something to collect as well, as it appears the title card from the actual “Star Trek: Beyond” movie may have been revealed.
The modified logo for “Beyond,” which differs significantly from the version of the name used in marketing for the film, shows a much cleaner typeface for “Beyond,” with narrow strokes. It appears on a monitor next to someone identified only as “Craig” who works on the Star Trek team at Digital Vortechs.
That company, according to TrekCore, is doing post-production work on “Beyond,” as it has for the 2009 “Star Trek” as well as other films outside the franchise.
Because it looks so much different than what’s being used (and also because it’s unlikely Digital Vortechs also is working on the new full trailer due next month), TrekCore believes this could be how moviegoers see the “Beyond” title beginning July 22.
“The likelihood that the film’s usage of the ‘Star Trek: Beyond’ wordmark is going to be a new design is extremely high,” TrekCore said. “Just looking at the past several Trek films — and most films at large — the in-film title card is quite often different from the text seen in promotional trailers.” That’s because marketing usually wants to stick with the same logo throughout all the advertising and promotion, to help create brand awareness.
There’s nothing for certain that indicates the image on the screen next to Craig is indeed the in-film title card. But that seems to be a lot of work for even a post-production company to put together what TrekCore says would otherwise be a “fancy placeholder.”
The picture appeared on Digital Vortech’s Facebook page, and shows “Craig” holding his prize from the in-company contest, an Amazon Echo.
To see more of TrekCore’s analysis, click here.


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23. June 2022
Already very popular, the pandemic and lockdowns gave delivery services a rapid growth that was hardly expected in this way. Like the home office, the convenience of ordering has come to stay to this extent.
The growth achieved by Corona could be maintained, emphasized managing director Chloé Kayser and Alexander Gaied, who is responsible for the operative business, during a visit to Linz on Thursday.
100 new drivers wanted
Where there is still some catching up to do for the two of them. Because while you are the market leader in Vienna, your competitor Lieferando is ahead in the provincial capital.
They want to change that, among other things with their own Mjam Market, which delivers groceries, or a cooperation with Unimarkt, through which they promise to deliver groceries within an hour. In general, one sees a strong future market in the delivery of groceries.
“The grocery market is maybe even bigger than the food delivery market,” says Gaied. Even if Mjam is aware: “Building this business model in an economically sustainable way is a challenge.”
But just as with the delivery of medicines from pharmacies, one wants to position oneself more broadly. In the coming year, according to their own statements, they also want to operate profitably in Austria. And the plan with number 1 in Linz? “We could use 100 new drivers for the coming winter,” said the two managers.
These earn an average of 12 euros an hour, 90 percent of the current 200 drivers are employed as freelancers, but have social insurance. The selection of currently 200 restaurants is also to be expanded.


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The South Korean auto maker Hyundai Motor India (HMI) is all set to launch three more cars under the i-series category, after the great hit of its hatchback i10. Hyundai being the largest exporter of cars in India is going to introduce 3 new cars under the i-series class both for the domestic and overseas car market.
The three cars will be named as i20, i30 and i40. The i20 will hit the market in October while the other two variants the i30 and i40 will be launched in the coming years.
Mr. Lheem, Managing Director and CEO, Hyundai Motor India, said, “We plan to bring the entire portfolio of our new i-series cars to India. The premium i30 and i40 cars have a significant potential in India. These new generation cars are ideal for the fast growing Indian market. Besides, we will also strengthen the i10 portfolio with a new engine and an automatic transmission in the next few months.”


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Chorley-based B2BTradeCard has become a member of The Payments Association to ensure best practice across its own advertising, incentive and loyalty solutions services, as well as to help drive and inform conversations across the payments industry at large.
Founded in the UK in 2008, The Payments Association is the largest community in payments, operating in the UK, EU and Asia, to help almost 300 companies enhance their commercial interests, solve societal problems such as financial exclusion and evaluate new opportunities for innovation in payments.
Operating as an independent representative for the payments industry and its interests, it drives collaboration within the payments sector, working closely with industry stakeholders such as the Bank of England, the FCA, HM Treasury, the Payment Systems Regulator, Pay.UK, UK Finance and Innovate Finance.
B2BTradeCard CEO Craig Parsons said: “Through its comprehensive programme of activities for members and with guidance from an independent Advisory Board of leading payments CEOs, The Payments Association facilitates the connections that join the industry together and make it stronger.
“As a fast growing company within the dynamic fintech industry, it’s essential that B2BTradeCard stays at the forefront of thinking and standards across the payments industry.
“Becoming a member of The Payments Association helps assure our customers and referrers of our gold standard practices within the payments sector, while also allowing us to play our part in contributing to thinking and innovation across the industry as a whole.”
B2BTradeCard has just celebrated its seventh year of consecutive growth since its launch in 2015 and recently doubled office capacity at its Chorley premises to manage projected further growth, following a 70% revenue increase last year alone.
Parsons continues: “We have ambitious plans for the coming years that involve looking to recruit nine more people over the next financial year. Having just hired one business development manager, a full stack software developer and a junior developer, we also have an immediate opening for a further business development manager to join our growing team.
“We’re incredibly proud of our strong culture and endeavour to be a great place to work, so we’re looking for ambitious people who would like to be part our long-term vision of being the UK’s leading loyalty solutions and advertising services provider.”
For more information about opportunities at B2BTradeCard go to B2BTradeCard Careers.
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India Today ConclavePhotos DAY 1 March 12, '10
Dinner at Conclave Day 1
Kalyani Chawla meets Salman Rushdie. Photo: Ravi S Sahani / India Today
Buy best News, Bollywood and Sports photos from India http://www.syndicationstoday.com
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram says South Asia is the epicentre of terrorism and India holds the key to stability in the region.
John Chambers, Chairman and CEO of CISCO, says India is the engine of innovation for the world.


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Boycotts And Buycotts: How We Use Money To Express Ourselves
Americans have long expressed their political views with their wallets, but in recent months, this phenomenon has made national news. A campaign called #grabyourwallet has targeted brands affiliated with Donald Trump. And the Trump camp has responded in kind, with one of his closest aides encouraging people to support his daughter Ivanka's brand.
Neeru Paharia is a researcher at Georgetown University, and she says this kind of economic activity can make us feel powerful.
"It seems like people are a little fed up and disillusioned with conventional political channels," Paharia says. "In the absence of that legitimacy there has been sort of a rise in political consumerism."
We might think that we use money mostly to satisfy economic needs, but Paharia has found in her research that we often aim to satisfy psychological ones — whether that means driving a fancy car to show off our social status, or buying coffee at the local shop instead of a chain to express our moral values.
But while we do use money to support causes we believe in, we are often selective about when we express those beliefs — and when we ignore them.
Hidden Brain is hosted by Shankar Vedantam and produced by Maggie Penman, Jennifer Schmidt, Rhaina Cohen, and Renee Klahr. Our supervising producer is Tara Boyle. You can follow us on Twitter @hiddenbrain, and listen for Hidden Brain stories each week on your local public radio station.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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This could sound acquainted, but there is anything completely wrong with the most up-to-date computer software update for Google’s Pixel 6 telephones. As Google tweaks the model of Android it distributes to phones functioning its custom Tensor chip, there have been some odd concerns, but instead of troubles with Wi-Fi or a slow thumbprint scanner, this time, it is impacting one more key function: notifications. They still pop up on the cellular phone just as routinely, but for some rationale, the strength of the vibration is now noticeably weaker than it was right before.
I have had my phone’s seems established to silent for years, so any change in the notification buzz is quickly an concern. It’s also noticeably softer for incoming calls, and some persons have documented missing mobile phone calls as a outcome.
Changing the phone’s power slider appears to be to have no influence, which implies the trouble is a bug alternatively than some thing intentional. A poster on Reddit pointed out that men and women discovered the very same factor through the Android 12.1 beta, but it appears to have made its way into the creation launch without the need of a reaction or adjustment. Droid-Daily life observed that immediately after a record of changes in the March Pixel update appeared on March 7th, Google added a line saying it incorporates “Fix for difficulty creating weaker haptic comments in selected conditions” on March 8th.
Why did Google adjust that, and was it intentional? I really do not know, and in spite of requesting extra data, the business has not responded. Every person I have talked to with a Pixel 6 has discovered the modify in their phones, from friends to other Verge staffers, though a number of posts on social media internet sites and comments counsel it’s influencing pretty substantially every person with one particular of the devices.
At least a several people have stated they like the alter, but if you are not a single of them, you may perhaps have to hold out for a further update or set up another application that lets you change vibrations instantly.


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HoloBuilder, Inc. and Takenaka Corporation enter a technological development collaboration for the Japanese Market.
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Brings financial and operational expertise to company leadership
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The coronavirus pandemic is currently taking its toll on the global stock markets.
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By JEFFREY BISHKU-AYKUL
Assistant to the Editor
Seminary Co-op Bookstore General Manager Jack Cella will be retiring Sunday, Oct. 13, after more than forty years at the store, now located at 5751 S. Woodlawn Ave.
Seminary Co-op Board of Directors Chair Bill Gerstein and Vice Chair Art Sussman revealed the news to bookstore members in a Tuesday e-mail sent on behalf of the board.
“There is truly no replacing Jack, and we will miss him greatly,” Gerstein and Sussman said in the e-mail.
“We will work quickly to identify interim leadership for the store while we conduct a national search for Jack’s successor,” the e-mail continued, adding that Nancy Maull, vice president of executive headhunter Isaacson, Miller will work on finding a replacement.
Cella will still advise the store in its selections, according to the e-mail.
The Seminary Co-op has been a Hyde Park fixture since its 1961 founding at 5757 S. University Ave., across the street from the University of Chicago Quadrangle. The store turned 50 in October 2012 and moved to its current location the next month.
The university’s Becker-Friedman Institute is currently being constructed at the Seminary Co-op’s previous site.


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An ad supporting Bitcoin blocked by a British editor. The reason for the blocking is that the ad committed a graphic crime.
The cryptocurrency exchange, BitMEX, published an ad in the Times of London, reminding of the 10th anniversary of the mining of the first bitcoin BTCUSD block and showing massive growth.
The problem with the Advertising Standards Authority (and perhaps the four complainants) was that the graph showing the growth of bitcoin was on a logarithmic scale.
That is, after zero, the scale has increased to 1, then to 10, then to 1000, to 100,000, unlike the arithmetic scale, which will increase by the same amount each time.
— Tracy Alloway (@tracyalloway) August 14, 2019
While the editor acknowledged that ölçek such scales are a valid and useful way of presenting data,, “in the absence of explanatory information, it is not possible for the graph to become familiar or easily understood to the national newspaper audience to which the ad is directed. ”
BitMEX is not allowed to republish the creative in its current format. Therefore, we must state that the sanction is not too heavy.
Recently, the Commodity Futures and Trade Commission (CFTC) in the United States to suspend the offer of citizens to trade illegally BitMEX’e investigation into the suspicion of BitMEX’e large money withdrawal transactions were in question.
The $ 85 million withdrawal probably occurred after the Commodity Futures and Trade Commission launched a recent investigation into the Stock Exchange because it offered trading services to US citizens.


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Bill Gates once noted that the internet would help achieve "friction free capitalism", putting buyer and seller into direct contact and providing more information to both about the other. He was right. Today, thanks to the Web, buyers are empowered to make informed choices, while sellers, particularly the small ones, are able to reach vast new markets.
Unfortunately, the European Union could put the brakes on this beautiful and blossoming relationship just as things are starting to get interesting. At the moment, a contract between a buyer and a seller from an EU country is subject to the consumer law of the seller's country, unless the contract was the result of a specific invitation by the seller.
It is a straightforward arrangement for businesses trading or advertising online where the buyer makes the initial contact, but the EU could shortly reverse this rule so that almost any contract would be subject to the consumer law of the buyer's country. This complicated piece of legalese, known as "Rome I" would result in businesses having to comply with 27 different sets of consumer protection laws and insure against the additional risk and complexity of legal action.
Big business is concerned, but for small businesses this could spell an end to their brief dalliance with the internet. The costs and associated risks of complying with 27 different sets of consumer law would place e-commerce beyond their reach.
The European Commission believes this measure will protect the consumer. Ironically, by driving businesses away from the internet, consumers will be worse off as choice diminishes. But it's not just the Commission that is keen: only the UK and Luxembourg have voiced serious opposition to the proposal.
So how much will it cost? What impact might it have on growth, job creation and competitiveness? In short, we have no idea since no-one has conducted an impact assessment. One thing is certain: we won't be achieving "friction-free capitalism" anytime soon with proposals like this on the table.


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The amount of severance pay doled out to corporate managers and executives is falling, a trend that could make the consumer-driven economic recovery a bit slower.
Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. found that severance for laid-off managers and executives amounted to eight weeks of salary during the first quarter of 2002. That's down a third from the same time a year ago, and down two-thirds from the first quarter of 1999.
That means the financial cushion for the average job-seeking manager or executive will run out about six weeks before a new job is found.
''Now, there is the real threat that the growing number of unemployed managers and executives, hindered by drastically reduced severance payments, will slash consumption in order to stretch that severance until they are re-employed,'' said John A. Challenger, CEO of Challenger Gray.
Summer vacation plans
American tourism is expected to surge this summer, due in part to a reluctance to travel overseas because of terrorism fears.
But to what degree will travelers turn to the Internet vs. off-line sources to make their travel plans? Four in 10 will go online, a survey conducted by Harris Interactive found. Yet, three out of four Internet users think it's important to have access to live travel professionals when planning and purchasing travel.
The poll, commissioned by Trip.com, found that 67 percent of Americans are planning a summer vacation this year, and will spend an average of nearly $1,200 in doing so. Those staying with friends and family will spend the least, $795.
Twenty-four percent of travelers said they'll visit loved ones, while 70 percent plan simply to relax.
Getting the green
Many small businesses have found it can be hard to get paid because of the sluggish economy.
According to a survey by the National Federation of Independent Business, a Washington-based group that represents business owners, it takes between 29 and 34 days from the time a sale is made until payment arrives.
The key issue is getting customers to pay their invoices promptly and completely, the NFIB-funded study of 750 businesses found. Only thirty-seven percent of businesses who responded said they were paid immediately. And 34 percent said they were never paid at the time of sale.
''Getting paid has immediate practical consequences for small business owners, and slow and late payments creates serious problems,'' said William Dennis, an NFIB Senior Research Fellow William Dennis, who wrote the study.
Delayed payments can reduce businesses' cash flow, making it hard for them to meet their own obligations.
Banking on ink pens
Bank customers have come to expect a certain level of service from financial institutions, and sometimes it's the little things that matter and that aren't always addressed.
Case in point, pens. Most banks have plenty of space for their customers to fill out deposit slips or endorse checks, but those pens, typically shackled to the stand, often need replacing, or at least refilling.
According to a branch-to-branch study by NewGround, a design and branding firm that caters to banks and credit unions, 46 percent of the pens they found in 50 different branches in New York and San Francisco were completely dry.
While it may not seem like a big deal, it can be a hassle, particularly if customers are in a hurry to wait in line.
''Little things drive customers crazy,'' said Charlene Stern, senior vice president of strategy, branding, and retail design at Chicago-based NewGround.
The company also said it looked at 140 check-writing desks in the same 50 branches (it didn't name names), and 79 percent of those were messy or damaged and, in most cases, lacked a calendar.
Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Sunday, June 2, 2002.
© 2017. All Rights Reserved. | Contact Us


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Former HHS secretary and Georgia congressman Dr. Tom Price provides insight into the omicron variant.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., on Congress’ recent trip to Taiwan and her Twitter feud with Republican colleague Marjorie Taylor Greene.
FreedomWorks senior economist explains what he believes can help ease supply chain disruptions.
Congress under pressure as debt ceiling, government shutdown deadlines loom. Fox News congressional correspondent Chad Pergram has the latest.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., on legislation to oversee the spending of federal dollars by states and major cities and why she voted for the the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
Dr. Matt McCarthy, an infectious disease expert, discusses the omicron variant.
Fox News media analyst Joe Concha revisits the president's remarks from 2020 on managing the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hitha Herzog of H Squared Research on growing concern of supply chain issues and inflation affecting the retail industry this holiday season.
Canary LLC CEO Dan Eberhart discusses the omicron variant's impact on oil markets and President Biden's energy policies.
New York Post columnist Karol Markowicz discusses NY Governor Kathy Hochul declaring a state of emergency amid omicron variant concerns, Dr. Fauci and mask mandates.
Independent Women's Forum foreign policy fellow Claudia Rosett reacts to growing tensions between China and Taiwan and applauds NBA’s Enes Kanter for standing up to China.
K-Roc Consulting President and CEO Dr. Kevin Campbell appeared on 'Cavuto: Coast to Coast' to discuss the latest on the COVID variant.
Certified personal trainer Tony Little’s tips to stay fit during the holidays.
Fisker founder and CEO Henrik Fisker talks new SUV Ocean and the increased demand for electric cars.
Retired Las Vegas Police Lieutenant Randy Sutton discusses retail crime spiking in California cities, arguing San Francisco and Los Angeles district attorneys 'embrace' criminality.
Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., criticizes President Biden touting U.S. progress amid historic inflation, supply chain delays and an ongoing border crisis.
Strategic Resource Group managing director Burt Flickinger on the new COVID variant's possible impact on the supply chain.
Check out what's clicking on FoxBusiness.com.
Williston, North Dakota saw its population explode 83% from 2010 to 2020 after fracking made its oil deposits more accessible.
New Jersey Republican Jeff Van Drew slams Biden's energy policies as a 'self created disaster' on 'The Evening Edit'


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The latest look inside the wide world of merchandising and Sonic the Hedgehog.
Good news to Sonic collectionists or vinyl enthusiasts alike!
September 9, 2021
"The character Mephiles is proving to be a popular choice after a new range of Sonic the Hedgehog plush toys was released."
Fan favourite Shadow the Hedgehog is receiving a new figure next year, featuring a Chaos Control version and a Super Shadow version.
Pre-orders are also open for the upcoming physical card game.
June 18, 2021
A large line-up featuring collectables, cakes, and a high-end fashion designer were all announced today.
June 8, 2021
Various listings of upcoming Sonic merch were uncovered.
April 20, 2021
"Fast-paced and simple to pick up and play, the new game features colourful graphics and a racing theme for families and Sonic fans aged 6 and up."
April 15, 2021
A card game featuring the Sonic the Hedgehog characters is on the way, made by Steamforged Games.
March 18, 2021
Fans can expect some Sonic the Hedgehog 2 merchandise to be on the way in 2022.
February 17, 2021


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There’s no shortage of consulting advice and press clippings that will state the importance of actionable data for companies as a selling, operational and marketing strategy. Big data, it used to be called. But there’s a new data revolution underway and this one is on the consumer side, as financial data aggregators are very much in the news.
The latest developments come from Mastercard. Last week, the Department of Justice gave the green light to Mastercard’s $825 million acquisition of data aggregator Finicity. Finicity bills itself as an open banking platform, and while that is certainly an attraction as the concept takes hold in the US, for now Finicity is an important portal through which consumers can achieve transparency with their bank as well as plan their current and future financial state. It is an open banking platform on one level and it also is a data management platform for consumers on another. As consumer-permissioned data sharing continues to grow, data aggregators become crucial allies for banks and credit card companies.
Craig Vosburg, Mastercard’s president, North America, told Karen Webster in a recent conversation that the deal will better enable people to access and control their data.
“There’s an important role to be played for a trusted intermediary to facilitate that exchange of consumer data in a responsible way that helps encourage innovation,” Vosburg told Webster
The deal will also give rise to strategic collaborations between traditional financial institutions and tech-nimble FinTechs. The end result: Innovation that benefits all stakeholders — banks, digital-first firms (and digital-only ones) and consumers alike.
Vosburg said the movement toward such innovation starts with the data, but doesn’t necessarily end with the payment. Rather, there’s a significant greenfield opportunity to develop new use cases for everyday financial life.
Open banking allows third-party apps and companies to access consumers’ account-level and other financial data (with the express permission of the customers). It is the law in the European Union and is inching toward adoption in the U.S. Vosburg is looking beyond open banking as a concept and said that open banking in general — and the Finicity acquisition specifically — can be viewed as a “new rail in our network of rails. That’s a rail for data and the exchange of data in the right ways, with the right levels of security [and] with the right levels of consumer consent.”
He said the concept of an added rail can bring different stakeholders together to meet consumers’ evolving needs. Those needs will most easily be met by innovative, digital-first firms working with incumbent big banks that want to improve underwriting, broaden wealth management offerings and cement relationships with end consumers, Vosburg said.
Exactly how consumer data gets accessed and maintained has been a source of some controversy, especially around the concept of screen-scraping, which has been a method used by aggregators to access data, but which has more recently pivoted to application programming interfaces (APIs). Vosburg said the correct way to move toward open banking is through APIs, where link-ups with Finicity touch 50 percent of U.S. bank accounts. He said allowing consumer consent to effectively control data access is the right approach to data security.
That’s better than using log-in credentials that are enablers of scraping. Vosburg said those present “obvious targets” for cybercriminals, which can present a burden on bank infrastructure and back offices.
He said the collaborative approach across a wide spectrum of users means that data providers are “willing and complicit, and in agreement on what data is being shared.” Vosburg added that benefits accrue to banks that not only connect with Finicity to provide consumer-level data, but also consume the same data to expand, improve on and even craft new business lines and boost financial inclusion.
He said that with the addition of Finicity, Mastercard will continue to work with a nonprofit organization known as the Financial Data Exchange (FDX). FDX’s stated goal is to unify the financial sector around standardized data-sharing efforts given markets’ growing enthusiasm for open banking.
“It’s important for the industry and for the full breadth of stakeholders to collectively work towards an approach that is responsible and can be executed well,” Vosburg said.
He argued that data sharing is also an area that the U.S. Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) will eventually look at as well. “It’s on their docket,” Vosburg said. “I don’t believe they’ve gotten to it yet, but they will.”
For now, Vosburg said some level of education is in order.
In some cases, consumers might not understand what they’ve given a third party permission to do. And the conventional wisdom that banks lose out to FinTechs or that open banking is a zero-sum game is simply not true, Vosburg said. Rather, many banks are becoming more strategic with digital efforts and can leverage their deep relationships and resources to find new revenue streams amid the trend toward open banking.
Looking at the roadmap ahead for open banking, Vosburg noted that the initial use cases might focus on traditional offerings across credit, personal financial management and aggregated account data. That will speed and streamline everything from account openings to onboarding to the creation of digital wallets.
Vosburg added that where financial, asset-level and transactional information can be gathered and presented with ease, firms across any number of verticals can benefit. He pointed to bill payments and identity verification as examples.
“We haven’t even begun to think of all of the potential applications for open banking,” Vosburg said.


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Beximco Pharmaceuticals Limited (“BPL”, “Beximco Pharma” or “Company”; AIM Symbol: BXP), the fast-growing manufacturer of generic pharmaceutical products and active pharmaceutical ingredients, today announces it has commenced the export of Carvedilol, a prescription drug for treating hypertension, to the US. This follows the product?s approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (“US FDA”) in November 2015 and is the first time a pharmaceutical product from Bangladesh has been launched in the US.
To mark the delivery of the first consignment on 4 August 2016, and to celebrate this milestone achievement for Beximco Pharma, a brief ceremony was held in the presence of Finance Minister, Mr. Abul Maal Abdul Muhith MP, Health and Family Welfare Minister, Mr. Mohammed Nasim MP and the US Ambassador to Bangladesh Her Excellency Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat. Senior officials from different ministries, including the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) and the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI) were also in attendance.
Commenting on the news, Beximco Group Vice Chairman Mr. Salman F Rahman said, “Today is a significant milestone for Beximco Pharma. As we deliver our first shipment of Carvedilol to the US market, we begin a new era for the pharmaceutical industry in Bangladesh. We believe our continued focus on building and strengthening the Group?s presence in Western markets will cement Bangladesh?s position as a major exporting country.”
Beximco Pharma Managing Director Mr. Nazmul Hassan MP continued, “These initiatives are in line with our aspirations to expand our reach by taking products to the world. The US is the largest and most lucrative pharmaceutical market in the world. As a leading exporter of medicines, we always strive to capitalise on the generic drug opportunities in the world market. We believe our competitive products, especially with specialised and differentiated generic products, will help strengthen our presence in the US and other advanced markets.”
Beximco Pharma became the first Bangladeshi pharmaceutical company audited and approved by the US FDA in June 2015.
Beximco Pharma is the largest exporter of pharmaceuticals in Bangladesh, winning the country?s National Export Trophy (Gold) a record five times, the highest national accolade for export. The Company currently has a global footprint in more than 50 countries and has been accredited by a number of global regulatory authorities, including US FDA, AGES (EU), TGA Australia, Health Canada, GCC and TFDA.


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NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Gains in U.S. stocks lifted the Dow Jones Industrial Average closer to 12000 than it has been in 2 1/2 years, as investors were encouraged by a raft of deal activity and grew optimistic for this week's earnings reports and State of the Union address.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 108.68 points, or 0.92%, at 11980.52. During the session, the measure climbed as high as 11982.94, its highest intraday level since June 20, 2008.
Leading blue chips, Alcoa jumped 4.1%, amid a broader climb among materials companies. Intel also was strong, rising 2%, after the board authorized the chip maker to buy back another $10 billion in stock.
Other advancers included McDonald's, which rose 0.5%. The company's fourth-quarter earnings rose 2.1%, although investors voiced concern over slowing increases at the end of the year in sales at stores open more than a year.
The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 28.01, or 1.04%, to 2717.55. The Standard & Poor's 500 stock index rose 7.49, or 0.58%, to 1290.84. The technology sector led the way, boosted by enthusiasm over Intel's buyback announcement.
Intel's move coincided with a round of merger activity across a variety of sectors, in what investors saw as an encouraging sign that companies are confident enough to start putting their huge stockpiles of cash to work.
Among the deals announced, Rock-Tenn said it will buy packaging firm Smurfit-Stone Container in a deal valued at $35 a share, or around $3.5 billion. Novartis said it will spend $470 million in cash to buy Genoptix to strengthen its diagnostics operations. Rock-Tenn rose 3.7%, Smurfit-Stone jumped 27%, Novartis added 1.9% and Genoptix surged 26%.
"You're seeing confidence continuing to bleed itself back into the market," said Jim Dunigan, managing executive of investments at PNC Wealth Management. "As different companies step up to the plate and put some money to work, it will give others a sense of confidence to do the same thing."
Monday's stock advances came ahead of President Barack Obama's State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday. The president is expected to call for "shared sacrifice" from both parties, and to reach out to the GOP with a nod to possibly lowering the nation's corporate income-tax rate as part of an overhaul of the corporate tax code, according to people familiar with speech preparations.
"I don't think people want to be too short into the State of the Union because it seems like President Obama has been moving to the center, and his comments are probably going to be a little more pro-business," said Nick Kalivas, strategist and vice president of financial research at MF Global.
The market also has been heartened by a bevy of encouraging earnings from bellwether companies. In the wake of a better-than-expected report on Friday, shares of General Electric traded above $20 a share for the first time in more than two years. GE closed up 30 cents, or 1.5%, at 20.04.
However, RadioShack fell 11% after the electronics retailer projected fourth-quarter earnings below analysts' estimates and said margins took a hit on the disappointing performance of its T-Mobile business, as well as an increase in its sales mix of lower margin wireless handsets and promotions. In addition, it said Chairman and Chief Executive Julian Day will retire in May.
Among other stocks in focus, J.C. Penney jumped 7.2%, after the department-store retailer outlined plans to close underperforming stores, wind down its catalogue and outlet operations and consolidate its call centers, and agreed to name activist investor William Ackman and Vornado Realty Trust Chairman Steven Roth to its board.


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News about the NFC market in Austria — trials, pilots, tests and live services.
October 12th, 2016
Some 54% of European consumers are using a mobile device to make payments for a range of activities in-store, in-app and online, compared to 18% at this time last year, Visa’s 2016 Digital Payments Study…
October 4th, 2016
European consumers can now validate online purchases with their fingerprint or face using Mastercard’s biometric authentication service. Identity Check Mobile is now being rolled out across 12 markets: the UK, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark,…
July 29th, 2016
PARTNER NEWS: Chip maker AMS has sold its NFC and RFID reader product lines to STMicroelectronics. AMS will continue to retain ownership of its NFC/RFID tag business, including the AS3955 NFC interface chip (NFiC) which AMS unveiled in May 2015.
July 6th, 2016
Swedish mobile payment specialist Seamless has launched its Seqr mobile payment platform in Austria, Ireland, Malta and Luxembourg. “The company’s rapid expansion means that consumers can now use Seqr to make payments in 16 countries,” the company says. Seqr is already available in Sweden, Finland, Romania, Belgium, Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the UK and the US.
June 21st, 2016
PARTNER NEWS: The Geantet-Pansiot vineyard estate in Burgundy, France is to equip all of its wine bottles with an NFC tag to let its customers authenticate the beverage and receive information about the wine directly on their smartphone.
June 7th, 2016
Customers of Erste Bank und Sparkassen in Austria will now be able to make NFC payments using a wristband, sticker or mobile app launched by the bank. All three payment methods are available countrywide and can also be used to make withdrawals at the first NFC-enabled Erste Bank ATM in Vienna.
June 3rd, 2016
Chinese tourists will soon be able to make payments at 210,000 store locations in Germany serviced by payment provider Concardis using Ant Financial’s Alipay mobile payment platform. The move marks the service’s launch into Europe after the company unveiled its expansion plans at Money20/20 Europe in April 2016.
May 3rd, 2016
Consumers across the UK can now make host card emulation (HCE) based mobile payments using German payments technology provider Wirecard’s Boon service. The service has also been integrated into Apple Pay for the first time, enabling those…
March 16th, 2016
Austrians can now make SIM-based NFC mobile payments using a new nationwide mobile payment service launched by Payment Services Austria (PSA) and supported by Austria Card. The launch of the Bankomatkarte Mobil system follows a…
February 23rd, 2016
PARTNER NEWS: A new reference design for wearables from processor designer ARM includes high-performance NFC technology from AMS that enables small-footprint devices with tiny antennas to couple with NFC readers as easily and reliably as…
December 17th, 2015
Consumers in Spain and Ireland can now make host card emulation (HCE) based mobile payments using Wirecard’s Boon service. “The app enables smartphone payments at any NFC-capable POS terminal which accepts MasterCard contactless payments,” the German payments technology provider says. Wirecard launched Boon in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Belgium earlier this month.
December 1st, 2015
German payments technology provider Wirecard has launched a host card emulation (HCE) based mobile payments service in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Belgium that will allow customers of any mobile network operator to make payments using their Android device at contactless terminals.
November 24th, 2015
Mobile network operator Three has launched a SIM-based NFC mobile payments service in Austria. “For this new service, a virtual debit card with contactless payment function based on MasterCard PayPass is being stored on the Android smartphone’s NFC SIM card,” the carrier says. “Three customers can test 3Geldbörse for two months for free. After two months, the new services costs 1€/month.”
October 21st, 2015
PARTNER NEWS: Chip maker AMS has introduced an NFC payments and ticketing solution for manufacturers of smartwatches, wristbands and other small devices that only have room for an extremely small antenna. “The new AS3921 is…
August 26th, 2015
PayPal has extended its One Touch mobile payments solution to 13 new markets: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey. “Eligible merchants in these markets will automatically have One Touch enabled without needing to do any integration,” the company says. The platform was launched in August 2014 and is available in the US, UK and Canada.
August 25th, 2015
The NFC Forum has added new associate, implementer and non-profit members, following the recent addition of Apple as a sponsor member. “Representing industries as diverse as automotive electronics, digital imaging, microelectronics and asset management, the 19 new members include organisations based in Austria, Belarus, China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the US,” the association says. (See the full list of new members here…)
January 7th, 2015
BMW has partnered with MasterCard to offer an NFC-enabled contactless credit card that makes it possible to hire, unlock and operate a BMW or Mini from a car rental fleet that has more than 2,800 vehicles…
May 22nd, 2014
McDonald’s Austria is rolling out a new mobile ordering and payments service that lets users place their orders on their mobile device and pay using PayPal, a credit card or a stored value Paybox account….
February 28th, 2014
OBB, Austria’s national rail operator, is to equip 850 stations and stops with NFC information boards so travellers can receive real-time information about the arrival and departure times of their trains directly to their mobile…
September 18th, 2013
A group of financial, technology and telecoms companies have formed Mobile Wallet Initiative Austria, a new organisation that aims to create an open nationwide standard for NFC mobile wallets. A commercial launch is scheduled for…


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New Zealand wool shop Icebreaker has come ashore in the Washington area. BethesdaNow reports that Icebreaker, which sells apparel crafted from Merino ...
Apparel company Icebreaker has hired its first global vice president of retail. And she won't work out of the company's New Zealand headquarters.
Wool apparel company Icebreaker will open its first Midwest store in October on Chicago's Gold Coast.
Just a year ago, action sports brands Bonfire Snowboarding and Salomon Snowboards worked out of a small, 12-person office along Northeast Flanders Str ...
A New Zealand retailer specializing in outdoor clothing made of merino wool will open its first Seattle store on Thursday.
Apparel store Icebreaker will open its ninth North American retail outlet in Bethesda, the Portland Business Journal reports.
Icebreaker will open its ninth North American retail outlet. The company announced Wednesday that its newest location will be in Bethesda, Md.
Icebreaker will open is second retail out let in Vancouver, B.C. this fall.
A Portland-pioneered effort to improve the sustainability of the outdoor apparel industry's supply chain helped get the Outdoor Industry Association named a "Champion of Change" by the White House.
New Zealand outdoor apparel brand Icebreaker on Tuesday named Kimberlee Viera as the company’s U.S. finance director based out its Portland-based U.S. ...
New Zealand outdoor apparel brand Icebreaker has named Darren Glassman as general manager of its Portland-based RedRam underwear brand.
New Zealand apparel brand Icebreaker Ltd. wants a U.S. federal judge to rule on the validity of its name after an Italian company demanded it be chang ...
To hear it from Lisa Thompson, merino wool would seem almost medicinal, of life-altering quality. "It's a miracle fiber," said Thompson, U.S. president of wool activewear company Icebreaker. "Once people wear it, their life is better." Thompson's challenge is to get U.S. consumers to see it the same way.
Icebreaker, the New Zealand clothing company that has its U.S. headquarters in Portland, announced Thursday that their new sock packaging will include some new sustainability features including the absence of plastic.


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Billie Eilish and Jordan Brand appear to be collaborating for the long haul with a leak surfacing today that includes the duo and the Air Jordan 15.
We just received word this week that Billie Eilish will be dropping her own Air Jordan 1 KO and now the collaboration looks to get one shoe deeper with the duo set to drop an Air Jordan 15. The unconventional silhouette is one of Billie’s favorite silhouettes, so the sneaker release makes sense due to the stars’ love for the silhouette.
While no leaked images have surfaced just yet the Air Jordan 15 is expected to be decked out in a tonal offering starring a beige shade. To complement the silhouette and the collaboration, expect Jordan and Billie Eilish’s branding to be included throughout.
BILLIE EILISH X AIR JORDAN 15 RELEASE INFORMATION
The Billie Eilish x Air Jordan 15 is expected to be launching this September on September 9th via select Jordan retailers and Nike.com. Check out the early mock-up of what to expect below and make sure to follow JustFreshKicks for updates and more of the latest sneaker news.
Billie Eilish x Air Jordan 15
Style Code: DN2863-200
Release Date: October 28, 2021
Retail Price: $225
UPDATE 9/15: Official images of the Billie Eilish x Air Jordan 15 are here which you can enjoy below. Stay tuned to JustFreshKicks for updates.
UPDATE 9/8: Originally scheduled for the 9th, the Billie Eilish x Air Jordan 15 is now scheduled for September 30th, 2021. Stay tuned for updates.


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“The U.S. beef industry is in a global slugfest,” says Clint Peck, a BEEF contributing editor and director of beef quality assurance at Montana State University’s Institute for Global Beef Studies. “To succeed we must know as producers how we can work to keep gaining ground in the marketplace at home and abroad.”
Peck will discuss these and other issues Feb. 11 at the World Ag Expo in Tulare, CA. His 11 a.m. presentation, “Global Beef Systems – How Do We Compete?” will provide participants with a better understanding of the beef production and marketing systems around the world. He’ll also shed light on what consumers are demanding as they make their beef buying decisions as well as what is deemed “quality beef” around the world.
Peck has traveled and studied beef systems in most of the world’s major beef-producing countries. At the World Ag Expo seminar, beef-production practices in countries like Argentina, Australia, Brazil and the European Union will be examined in relation to the globally unique systems of the U.S. and Canada. The program will conclude with suggestions on how U.S. beef producers can compete in the global marketplace.
The global marketplace is a key reason for optimism in the beef industry, and one of the reasons why BEEF magazine, the official beef publication of the World Ag Expo, encourages producers to attend this event. A free beef lunch will follow the hour-long presentation.


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- Coca Cola Amatil (CCL) has revealed a dip in earnings over the first quarter of the year thanks to COVID-19
- While marginal, the company said the Black Friday bushfires and coronavirus fears caused a decline in first-quarter earnings before interest and tax
- However, sales volumes over the first two weeks of April have taken a far heavier blow
- With people staying home for Easter and Ramadan, Coca Cola said sales volumes in some regions have fallen by up to 50 per cent
- Still, Managing Director Alison Watkins said the company has a strong balance sheet and enough liquidity to comfortable weather the coronavirus storm
- Shares in Coca Cola Amatil declined over six per cent today to close worth $8.63 each
Soft drink giant Coca Cola Amatil (CCL) is the latest company to reveal some earnings drops in the face of COVID-19 woes.
The company’s struggles began with the Black Summer bushfires, which Coca Cola said impacted sales throughout January and February.
While March sales saw a sudden spike as the coronavirus pandemic sent panicked shoppers to the shelves of their local supermarkets, earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) over the month still declined slightly compared to the same time last year.
Over the full first quarter of 2020, Coca Cola said it saw a marginal increase in sales volumes, but a marginal decline in EBIT.
The company never shared specific figures but said both the volume increase and the EBIT decline were single-digit percentages.
A quiet Easter
Though March woes were muted compared to the virus’ blow to other sectors, it’s first two weeks of April likely causing the most concern for investors.
Coca Cola Group Managing Director Alison Watkins said lockdown measures over Easter and Ramadan struck a blow to sales in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
“The first two weeks of April have included the lead up to Easter and Ramadan which are significant trading periods for our businesses,” Alison said.
“This period has been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 and government measures with many customers closed or in decline, and people staying home across all of our markets,” she explained.
As a result, sales volumes over April so far have slipped an average of 30 per cent compared to the same time last year — 15 per cent in Australia and roughly 50 per cent in Indonesia.
Despite the sudden dip this month, Alison said Coca Cola has a “clear path forward” to weather the COVID-19 storm and is busy planning for the medium to long term.
“Our strong balance sheet, ample liquidity and solid credit ratings mean we are in a strong position financially and operationally not only to trade through the pandemic but to also emerge a stronger and better business,” she touted.
Still, the company has put in some cost-cutting measures in response to the coronavirus to save an extra $140 million in 2020. These measures include employee incentive reductions, recruitment freezing, and reduced market spending.
Nevertheless, Coca Cola has roughly $920 million cash in a bank deposit and $500 million in undrawn bank facilities. With the ability to shift to online sales through food aggregators, the company seems confident it will stay strong through the duration of the pandemic.
Investor response to today’s news took some of the shine off an otherwise stellar day on the market. Coca Cola shares lost 6.09 per cent today to close at $8.63 each.


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In this instalment, Mr Hasan Abdul Rahman, managing director of halal food firm Pondok Abang, describes how Covid-19 disrupted the firm's regional expansion plans but provided an opportunity to focus on expansion closer to home.
On March 11, 2020, Habib, my senior business development executive, and I were in Johor Baru viewing a factory space proposed for our use by our partner in Malaysia.
It was to be used to manufacture halal-certified frozen ready-to-eat dishes for distribution in Malaysia, a move in line with our 2021 regionalisation plan.
This would provide us with the opportunity to tap a market of more than 30 million people worth billions of ringgit.
We came back to Singapore excited and began drafting the floor plans. A week later, the Malaysian government announced the movement control order to curb the spread of Covid-19, which put a halt to our plans.
I remember vividly the sudden change of mood, from excitement to being in a state of panic.
Many thoughts came to mind: How is this going to affect my Malaysian team members who commute to Singapore daily from Johor Baru? Am I still able to import stocks from Malaysia that are crucial to our distribution in Singapore?
Fortunately, the staff members decided to stay, and the borders remained open for essential goods. My relief was, however, short-lived as Singapore announced the circuit breaker in April 2020.
I saw our revenue taking a hit as orders from food-and-beverage establishments tumbled by 50 per cent on average and orders from wedding caterers stopped completely.
Although disappointed, I quickly realised that this was the best opportunity for us to expand locally through offline retail and online platforms.
I am heartened by the support from the community for our ready-to-cook-and-eat products that have gained popularity, especially among working mothers.
To cope with growing demand, we embarked on an automation project in 2019, increasing our output from one to four tonnes a day.
This enabled us to distribute our products to more retailers such as frozen food marts, mini-marts and supermarkets including Mustafa Centre, FairPrice, Ang Mo and Fortune.
Our products were also made available on our website, FairPrice Online and many other platforms.
Despite the challenging climate, we are glad that we found valuable partners. Through collaboration, we recently launched our meat-free ready-to-eat dishes and are working towards exporting our products to three South-east Asian markets and North America.
With all these opportunities in hand, I have decided to develop a new manufacturing facility by securing another unit at Jurong Food Hub, doubling our size to 5,000 sqf.
Expected to be operational in early 2022, the facility will help us increase output as we develop more products.
With the recent reopening of borders, we are also reviewing our plans to resume the factory in Johor Baru. Our joint-venture company will redevelop the space to suit our production requirements.
All in all, these two years have been a roller-coaster ride.
But I truly believe that with every hardship, there is also cause for optimism. We will continue striving to build a brighter future.
ABOUT THE WRITER:
Mr Hasan Abdul Rahman, 32, is managing director of Pondok Abang, which his parents founded in 1990. From its humble beginnings selling Malay-style curry puffs, or karipap, at the back of a motorcycle and operating stalls for more than two decades, it has grown to become an organisation that specialises in the import, processing and distribution of halal frozen food.


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Snowsports Industries America posts news and information about the snowsports industry - as well as press releases, brand stories and other member-focused blogs here in our news portal. Please forward press releases or any relevant news to SIA here.
SIA is pleased to announce the appointment of Mike Adams as chairman of the board. It also welcomes four other seasoned snowsports industry veterans as members to the board and says goodbye and thank you to members who are moving on.
January, 4, 2018 Dear SIA Member, The Board of Directors and the management of SnowSports Industries America, Incorporated (“SIA”) cordially invite you to attend the Annual Meeting of the members of SIA. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 23, 2018 at 5:00 pm at the Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th Street, Denver, CO, […]
Snowsports Industries America (SIA), the non-profit trade association for the winter sports industry, announces the launch of its first online education platform with the new Ski Mechanics Learning Center (SMLC), formerly known as the Ski Mechanics Workshop (SMW). The inaugural online course is part of SIA’s completely redesigned website, and is designed to make ongoing […]
Hello from SIA’s Membership team – There’s been a whirlwind of activity of trade show news lately and we want to ensure that you are informed, updated and know the who / what / when / where of the Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show. First, we are excited to share the news of last week that Denver will […]


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A big harvest requires a big recovery. But what does that entail for our most critical piece of harvest equipment?
News & Releases
GrainCorp’s Thailand trading office out of the blocks
Did you know 60 per cent of the world’s population lives in Asia? That makes it one of the most important markets for grains, oilseed and plant-based protein suppliers around the world. Enter:...


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Nissan says that it has switched on a new solar farm at its biggest manufacturing site in Europe, alongside 10 wind turbines already generating clean power, to power its electric vehicle (EV) production plant that produces its all-electric LEAF vehicle and its batteries in the U.K.
According to Nissan, the 4.75 MW solar farm comprises 19,000 photovoltaic panels and is now fully operational at the Nissan Sunderland Plant.
“We have built over 50,000 Nissan LEAFs in Europe, and the industry-leading new 250 km-range LEAF is now available,” says Colin Lawther, Nissan’s senior vice president for manufacturing, purchasing and supply-chain management in Europe. “With 10 wind turbines already generating energy for our Sunderland plant, this new solar farm will further reduce the environmental impact of Nissan vehicles during their entire lifecycle.”
Combining the output from the wind turbines and the new solar farm, renewables will produce 11.35 MW of energy in Sunderland – the equivalent of 7% of the plant’s electricity requirements and enough to build 31,374 EVs.
Nissan adds that a number of breakthrough initiatives concerning EVs and next-generation battery technology have recently been announced. To read the full release, click here.


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Porsche to show Panamera shooting brake in Geneva
The new body style will eventually head to the US market.
Porsche has confirmed plans to unveil the new Panamera in shooting-brake form at the Geneva Motor Show.
Previewed several years ago as the 'Sport Turismo' concept, the upcoming edition has already been spotted undergoing prototype testing (pictured) in Europe. Spy shots highlight the wagon's unique profile and sloping roofline.
Aside from the hatch, the shooting brake is expected to be identical to the 2017 Panamera. It is said to maintain a four-seater layout and Porsche has no plans to offer the wagon with a long-wheelbase Executive variant, according to Car Magazine.
US buyers will eventually get a chance to take advantage of the extra cargo space, presumably after the car's expected late-2017 arrival in Europe.
"We are confident that this car will be well received here, despite the fact that this country doesn't really like hatchbacks or wagons," Porsche Cars North America chief Klaus Zellmer said last year.
The US launch could be stalled until the 2019 model year.


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Google Chrome Market Share Surges
OK, so Google Chrome has 3.9 percent market share, according to Net Applications. No big deal, right? Well, it kind of is, considering the fairly new browser apparently had only 0.4 percent market share at the beginning of November. As for IE, its current share is its lowest ever -- although it's still at almost 64 percent.
Oh, by the way, Bing is still struggling to make a dent in Google's search share, although it's not a total dud numbers-wise.
Posted by Lee Pender on December 03, 2009 at 11:55 AM


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Since 2011, the Legal Services Consumer Panel has published an Annual Tracker survey[i] about
how consumers are choosing and using legal services. This important research has helped drive
the transparency agenda championed by the CMA[ii].
Taking a deeper dive into the Panel’s research produces some perhaps unsurprising findings.
For example, it finds that the most-used legal service is conveyancing, at 36%. It seems even in
a very challenging housing market, the British attachment to owning one’s own home remains
Whether we all like it or not, the Panel’s research also shows that price is the most important
factor for consumers choosing conveyancing (82%).[iii] But, perhaps reassuringly, the research
reveals that consumer satisfaction with conveyancing is high[iv] with over 90% satisfied with the
outcome and over 80% satisfied with the service. But do these findings tell the whole story? For
example, were over 90% satisfied with the outcome simply because they managed to buy their
dream home, or avoided buying a home that was falling down? Were over 80% satisfied with the
service from their conveyancer but dissatisfied with the process of buying their home? Isn’t one
in five dis-satisfied actually pretty poor?
And do these findings tell the real story? How does the average consumer judge whether the
process that led to their house purchase really has been as good as it should have been, given
their lack of technical and professional knowledge. To think that high user satisfaction, or
satisfaction of outcome tell the whole story, in my view, risks complacency from conveyancers.
In March 2018, the SRA published a detailed research report[v] which delved deeper into exactly
what the consumer experience is of buying and selling a home. It did not make for happy reading;
for example 37% of dissatisfied consumers said this was because the service was slow or
inefficient. Their overall conclusion was a call for ‘clearer conveyancing information, especially
for first time buyers’.
In fact in the last year or so, hardly a week has gone by without another research report or
consultation probing one aspect or another of how we buy homes in England and Wales, offering
up recommendations on how it ought to change and numerous failures in the process, some
potentially very serious indeed, for example about leasehold houses. Here’s a snapshot: we’re
told ‘consumers don’t trust law firms referred by estate agents’[vi], the Law Commission launched
a review of Commonhold[vii], the Government set out how it wanted to tackle ‘unfair practices in the
leasehold market’[viii], while digitising and centralising Land Registry reforms were back on the
agenda[ix]. And just this week, new research shows that most home-buyers choose a conveyancer
on their estate agent’s recommendation but are in the dark about whether a referral fee was paid.x
But perhaps most significantly in April 2018 the Government published a response to their
consultation on ‘Improving the home buying and selling process’[xi]. It started with the Minister’s
very blunt assessment: ‘We all know that the current home buying and selling process in England
is not fit for purpose. It is stressful, time-consuming and costly for buyers and sellers alike – with
over a quarter of house sales falling through each year’. The report goes on to list a range of
measures the Government will take to reform the home buying and selling process. Interestingly,
just as this Panel has argued, the Government also acknowledge that price is not necessarily a
good metric for consumers to make informed choices. The report states: We want consumers to
be able to make a more informed choice of conveyancer which considers service levels, not just
It’s time to really put the consumer first, and move on from the traditional blame game and passing
the buck, to secure actual improvements. Ten years after the ill-fated but well intentioned Home
Information Packs, and after countless research reports, I still don’t see meaningful change or
leadership driving consumer-focused transformation.
From my own personal experience, writing as a relatively well-informed consumer who has bought
and sold two houses in the last three years, my recent conveyancing experience was so awful
that I’m amazed 100% of consumers don’t express some dis-satisfaction with both the process
and the service. Would anyone like to tell me just how wrong I am?
The author, a member of the LSCP since January 2017, declares an interest as a Non-Executive
Director of the Property Ombudsman


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The first wave of ads aiming to lure travelers to the Grand Strand this spring will be hitting Ohio starting next week.
The TV and digital ads touting air service to Ohio and spring deals will appear in Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland starting Monday, kicking off an estimated $3 million campaign aiming to boost business this spring.
The campaign is targeting Ohio first because of additional air service to that key market this spring. Allegiant Air is starting some its seasonal flights earlier than usual this year, with Columbus, Ohio starting April 9 and Cincinnati starting April 10. And Spirit Airlines will start new service to Cleveland on April 16.


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After a series of incidents – including one which unearthed a rotting mouse in the back room – that pointed fingers at its hygiene standards, Costa Coffee has been ordered to work on it sanitation measures.
Costa is Britain’s largest coffee selling chain and despite this fact it fails to be up to the mark and has faced various disappointed shakes from health inspectors at some of its joints.
Earlier this June, while inspecting the Costa at Royal Hampshire County Hospital, officials came across Panini’s on the verge of being diseased with Clostridium Botulinum – a bacteria that can cause paralysis or worse, death.
Following that, pest infestations were found at an outlet in Broadstairs, Kent. The inspectors went on to compare the store to a construction site. Ouch!
And the latest, and definitely the most unnerving hygiene breaches was made at a shop adjoining the St Paul’s Cathedral. A dead mouse was found in the back room of the shop. Reports state that the rat had been there for a while.
In addition to foreign elements polluting Costa’s premises, many outlets are in equipped and have failed to meet regulations. Some branches did not have basic requirements like having hot water for staff to wash their hands after using the toilet. Reportedly, a Liverpool branch was deemed so dirty that authorities had to shut it down for a week.
But let’s not generalise
Although, in an investigation by the Daily Mail (https://metro.co.uk/2015/10/10/costa-coffee-ordered-to-improve-hygiene-after-rotting-mouse-discovered-5432352/) it was found that 23 Costa stores were rated two-star or less by the Scores on the Doors initiative, the findings don’t hold true for all the outlets.
Out of 1,755, most of the coffee shops received an above satisfactory grading. Costa’s managing director dropped in for a comment saying issues curtailing to hygiene have always been acted upon quickly.
So is this why food inspectors didn’t find ‘Ratatouille’ amusing?


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India’s ban on TikTok left a vacuum in short form video space and several domestic platforms have been competing with each other to become the new home of the 200 million odd TikTok users in the country
NEW DELHI: Homegrown short form video app Bolo Indya plans to raise around $6 million-$7 million ( ₹45-51 crore) as it looks to ramp up the platform’s personalisation and recommendation engine and predictive analytics capabilities. It also considering expanding its team by 100%, with special focus on technology and e-commerce, and setting up a training platform for creating, a senior executive at the startup told Mint.
The startup is in advanced talks with investors for the funding and is hoping to finalise the deal by March 2021.
Prior to this, Bolo Indya had raised close to ₹6 crore with three angel rounds in 2020.
Bolo Indya has a peer-to-peer engagement service called BoloMeets, which allows creators to connect directly to followers through live video sessions that can last longer than the 70 seconds time limit stipulated for short videos.
“It provides creators an opportunity to offer a personalised online service directly to their followers and get paid for it by them within the platform," said Varun Saxena, CEO, Bolo Indya.
BoloMeets is currently being used by over 10,000 creators with highest numbers of creators engaging in local Indian languages such as Hindi, Bengali, Tamil and Telugu. Saxena is expecting the numbers to grow to over 1 lakh creators by the end of March.
Founded in 2019, Bolo Indya has over 68 lakh monthly active users. Though the numbers are lower than some of their rivals, Saxena is unfazed. “We are not building towards being a social media platform, but more towards being a consumer internet company driven by lots of consumer-to-consumer transactions," he adds.
Saxena said the way investors analyse these platforms will change in the next 9-12 months. Platforms where users spend more time are the ones that will survive.
Improving the user experience using AI will be another key focus area for the startup. “Getting close to what TikTok was offering will be a key focus area for us during the next 6 to 12 months. But we should not forget that ByteDance was actually an AI company out of which TikTok came out. It took them years to build that sort of predictive models," adds Saxena.


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A new entry has been added to File Archive
22 July 2008
3 News (NZ)
The Ministry of Health is testing some brands of party pills after fresh concerns the new pills maybe more harmful than first thought. In April the Government banned BZP, an ingredient common in party pills, but there is alarm at what new generation pills may have replaced it.
“There is just a little bit of change between strength and weakness between the two pills. Some people tend to think the new one coming out are a lot stronger,” says Karson, a party pill enthusiast. This has prompted the Ministry of Health into conducting tests; concerned their content could be more harmful than BZP.
“Our initial testing at least hasn't turned up anything that is a major cause for concern, but we are just waiting to test that and confirm those results using an international reference standard,” says Dr Ashley Bloomfield, Public Health Chief Advisor.
But those tests are on just four of the most popular brands, while some of the lesser known pills may have more potent concoctions. Either way, party pill producer Matt Bowden says the constant regulation and interference has caused a bigger problem.
“What we have found is that a lot of consumers don't know there are some decent pills out there. I fear a lot of consumers have gone back to illegal drugs which it what was predicted what was feared and what I think has happened’ Bowden says.
“You have got to remember that Mr Bowden and his ilk were making 35 million dollars out of the sale of BZP, so they would say that wouldn't they?” says Associate Health Minister Jim Anderton.
Political motives aside, two large hospitals 3 News spoke to today reported despite the BZP ban there has been little change in the number of patients admitted suffering negative effects from party pills.
“We know that if you keep banning drugs that doesn't work cause people just take them anyway, so the other side of it is that we need some thing which is legal and available, but marketers need to show that a product is safe before putting on the market if they haven't done that they shouldn't be selling it,” Bowden says.
But that could soon be taken out their hands. New legislation is in the works where it would be up to the distributors, not the Government, to prove what is in the pills.
To check it out, rate it or add comments, visit How safe are the new party pills?
The comments you make there will appear in the posts below.


text: OVERLAND PARK, Ks. - Law enforcement say they#39; re searching for a woman following three elegance stores dropped hundreds of dollars of products in one time. A bold crime in the middle of the day, Official Gary Builder says the lady caught about surveillance movie shoplifted a lot more than $700 well worth of products from the Ulta store on 95th Streets. Employeesdiscovered typically the theft if they found vacant boxes concealed on store shelves. Builder said typically the shoplifter unwrapped merchandise andhid the packaging just before putting the shoplifted things in the woman purse plus walking out the door. Two additional Ulta retailers in Manley County were hit. Authorities believe exactly the same woman caught in these surveillance pictures is usually behind those thefts too. If you have any information, call the TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).


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Bluebenx, a Brazil-based cryptocurrency investment platform, suspended withdrawals last week due to an alleged hack that cost the company more than $31 million. The company announced that withdrawals would be halted for at least six months. The company was investigated by the Brazilian Commission for Securities and Securities (CVM) in January.
Bluebenx stops withdrawals and would lose over $31 million in hack
A Brazilian cryptocurrency investment platform, Bluebenx, suspended withdrawals on its platform last Thursday, affecting around 2,500 customers in the process. The company claims to have been the victim of a hack that cost it more than $31 million, according to Assuramaya Kuthumi, Bluebenx’s lawyer.
The company wrote an email to customers last Friday explaining the reason for the withdrawal. The email stated:
Last week we suffered an extremely aggressive hack into our liquidity pools on the cryptocurrency network, after relentless attempts to resolve, today we launched our security protocol with the immediate suspension of operations of the products BlueBenx Finance, including withdrawals, redemptions, deposits and transfers.
However, no details were shared on the nature of the attack, but the communication explained that these measures would be active for 180 days, at least. On the same Thursday, the company fired all of its employees, according to information from a former employee obtained by Portal do Bitcoin, a local source. More than 30 employees were fired, according to statements by the former employee.
The report of the hack and the way it coincided with the massive layoffs in the company created suspicions about the real reasons that caused this suspension of withdrawal. The company had been investigated earlier this year by the Brazilian Securities and Securities Commission over an alleged offering of unregistered securities as part of its investment portfolio.
The company offered high-yield investment products to entice customers to invest. These products offered up to 66% for investing locked-in funds for one year. Some of these instruments have not disclosed the investment strategy behind them, according to client statements. An anonymous customer said they had concerns about the future of funds held on the platform. He stated:
I think there is a high probability that this is a scam because this whole hacking stuff looks like something they made up.
Other Brazilian companies have also alleged hacks to stop paying their customers. This is the case of Trust Investing, which also blocked withdrawals from its clients for nine months due to an alleged hacking attack.
The Brazilian Congress is currently discussing a bill that would establish tougher penalties for crypto-related crimes to discourage companies and individuals from offering fraudulent products and running pyramid schemes.
What do you think of Bluebenx and its alleged $31 million hacking incident? Tell us in the comments section below.
Image credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. This is not a direct offer or the solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any product, service or company. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.


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EMIN’S ART: Tracey Emin has designed a logo to mark London Fashion Week: Men’s, which takes place in the British capital from June 9 to 12. The logo marks the five-year anniversary of the men’s wear week in London.
“I am a big fan of Men’s Fashion Week — it’s something the U.K. should be really proud of,” said Emin. “I feel very at ease in the world of men’s fashion and I was very happy to have some real input this year.”
Known for her confessional artwork such and neon installations with phrases such as “I Promise to Love You” and “Love Is What You Want,” the British artist has taken her signature aesthetic and created a fluorescent pink “5th Anniversary #LFWM” sign. The design will be showcased at The Store Studios at 180 Strand during the men’s week.
The showcase used to be held on the last day of women’s calendar and since launching on its own, more than 200 labels have presented their collections.


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Announcing the Georgetown Startup
Accelerator - Coming February 2021!
The Georgetown Venture Lab
The Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative at the McDonough School of Business has launched the Georgetown Venture Lab, a modern co-working space that provides the university and its network of alumni entrepreneurs with a valuable physical footprint in the heart of the nation’s capital.
Located at WeWork Metropolitan Square, one block east of the White House on 15th and G Streets, NW, this collaborative setting enables Georgetown’s growing network of alumni entrepreneurs to build a vibrant hub that serves as a magnet for the Washington, D.C., startup community and a catalyst for entrepreneurial activity.
Georgetown alumni entrepreneurs from all industries are invited to apply for membership at the Georgetown Venture Lab, where the university has a dedicated pool of approximately 90 available desks at a subsidized monthly rate. In addition to providing alumni entrepreneurs with a physical workspace, the Georgetown Venture Lab coordinates programming to foster the growth of new ventures and connects Georgetown University entrepreneurs to the greater alumni community and current students.
Connect With Us
The Georgetown Venture Lab is supported by Ted Leonsis (C’77, P’14, P’15), a longtime entrepreneur, investor, and founder, majority owner, chairman, and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment; his wife, Lynn; his son, Zach (MBA’15), senior vice president of strategic initiatives of Monumental Sports & Entertainment and general manager of Monumental Sports Network; and his daughter, Elle (C’14), digital marketing director of SnagFilms, Inc.
Stay Connected With Us
Email us: firstname.lastname@example.org


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The speculation about an interest of Volkswagen (VW) at the Fiat subsidiary Alfa Romeo received new food after a press report. Alfa Romeo "could still underpin our growth strategy," said a high-ranking VW manager of the industry’s newspaper Automotive week (Monday). VW has set itself the goal of placing the world’s largest automobile manufacturer at the latest at the latest at the latest. After the supersence of Porsche and the introduction to Suzuki, the Wolfsburgs last with the Italian Designsmith Italdesign has stanned.
"Alfa is a globally recognized brand with sporty genes and coarse tradition," said the VW manager continues. "If such a treasure to have goods, we were not allowed too long zogs."A VW speaker did not want to comment on the speculation of the newspaper. Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne has given Fruheren press reports so far sales intentions for Alfa Romeo.
From industry experts, support is the idea: "I could imagine Alfa Romeo well as another and important part of the VW brand office," said AutoAlytyst Jurgen Pieper from the Bankhaus Metzler the leaf. If Vw is still lusty, then for medium pricing to slightly upscale sports models, the Alfa cover. August Joas also from the company counseling Oliver Wyman sees a "very meaningful assessment" for VW in the Italians. On the other hand, Analyst Arndt Ellinghorst asked from Credit Suisse to question whether Fiat Alfa sell wool.


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Association Minister Nitin Gadkari has said that the transition to make vehicles running on bio-powers obligatory will end up being extremely gainful for the customers who are pained by the exorbitant costs of petroleum.
Association Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said that India will make it obligatory for car producers to offer vehicles that sudden spike in demand for 100% bio-fuel in the following a half year. “We are resolved to convey vehicles with flex-motor standards. We have taken a choice, we will make it obligatory, through which one will get flex-motor,” Gadkari said at an occasion coordinated by homegrown business Elara Capital.
Gadkari said that this progression will end up being extremely gainful for those purchasers who are upset by the exorbitant costs of petroleum. He said that in contrast with where the cost of petroleum has arrived at Rs 110, the expense of one liter of bioethanol is Rs 65. This elective fuel is less dirtying and saves unfamiliar trade.
“Inside a half year, we will put requests to make the flex motor obligatory,” he said. He said state-run oil organizations have effectively been requested to bring to the table bio-fills at offices selling petroleum and diesel.
As a matter of first importance let us realize what is flex-fuel motor. It is like a typical inward burning motor (ICE) motor. However, it is uncommon in that it can run on at least one kinds of fuel. Much of the time, blended fuel is likewise utilized in this motor. Whenever comprehended in everyday language, a combination of petroleum and ethanol or methanol can likewise be utilized in this motor. The fuel blend sensor is utilized in this motor which changes itself as indicated by the measure of fuel in the combination.
The pastor said that shoppers will have the choice of picking among petroleum and bioethanol. Changing to this choice is likewise important for the nation as yields like rice, maize, paddy and sugar have higher creation and make bioethanol from it.
He said that in many yields, the Minimum Support Price (MSP) offered to ranchers is higher than the business cost or worldwide costs, making it important to redirect the harvest for the general advancement of the country.


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USA • The global anilox roll supplier has achieved certification to ISO 9001:2015 quality management system. The certification is valid for three years and is provided by DNV GL – Business Assurance.
BELGIUM • The European umbrella organisation for the flexo industry announce that Twinlock by Tesa and KBA-Flexotecnica will be Gold Sponsors and Tresu Group will be Silver Sponsor of the FTA Europe Diamond Awards.
MALAYSIA • Carina Shia has been appointed new sales manager for Southeast Asia.
Carina Shia is the new sales manager for Southeast Asia supporting KBA-Flexotecnica (Source: Koenig & Bauer)
In late 2017 and early 2018, Flexo & Gravure Global asked several package print shops and converters about their opinion on the past year and their estimations on trends and challenges for 2018. In the ninth and last part of this survey, Jens Adrio, head of corporate development at Siegwerk, talks about unstable supply situation…
Head of corporate development - Siegwerk (Source: Siegwerk)
AUSTRIA • The Group has invested a single-digit million euro amount in a new duplex multi-technology laminator at its Durban, South African-based subsidiary Constantia Afripack.
Constantia Flexibles to sell labels division to Multi-Color Corporation for an enterprise value of approximately EUR 1.15 billion (USD 1.3 billion)
GERMANY • In 2017, manufacturer of machinery and converting equipment for the production of flexible packaging, expanded its leading market position in all three of its product areas: extrusion, printing and converting.
(From left to right:) The Board of the W&H Group: Dr. Jürgen Vutz, managing partner and CEO; Peter Steinbeck, managing partner and chief sales officer; and Theodor Determann, chief financial officer. (Source: W&H)
ITALY • The subsidiary of BST eltromat International will be presenting a portfolio of quality assurance systems for the web-processing industries at this year’s Print4All show in Milan (Hall 18 Stand L02/M01).
At Print4All, different quality assurance systems including the CompactGuide have been shown on a running Prati rewinder. (Source: BST eltromat International)
In late 2017 and early 2018, Flexo & Gravure Global asked several package print shops and converters about their opinion on the past year and their estimations on trends and challenges for 2018. In the eight part of this survey, Mark Kay, group leader performance films for Nova Chemicals talks about the new and sometimes…
Group leader performance films Nova Chemicals (Source: Nova Chemicals)
In late 2017 and early 2018, Flexo & Gravure Global asked several package print shops and converters about their opinion on the past year and their estimations on trends and challenges for 2018. In the seventh part of this survey, Arica Drake, gobal marketing manager flexible packaging for Michelman expresses her delight and surprise about…
Global marketing manager flexible packaging Michelman (Source: Michelman)
USA n John O’Grady, current president of the consumer and film division and former general manager of world-wide sales for print systems division, has become President of this division. O’Grady will replace Brad Kruchten who is retiring after 36 years with Kodak.
John O’Grady has become president of Kodak’s print systems division (Source: Kodak)
USA • Company President Lee Kluttz has received the Clemson/Treadaway Commitment to Progress award during Clemson’s 27th Annual Department of Graphic Communications Honor & Awards Banquet on March 28, 2018.
Harper president Lee Kluttz has received the Clemson/Treadaway Commitment to Progress award (Source: Harper)
USA • The global packaging manufacturer has entered into an agreement with Montreal, Canada-based TC Transcontinental to sell the company’s Americas packaging business for USD 1.32 billion, in an all-cash deal.
USA • Robert C. Tiede has been appointed as the new president and CEO of Sonoco, replacing the retiring Jack Sanders, who served in this role since 2013.
Robert C. Tiede has been appointed as the new president and CEO of Sonoco (Source: Sonoco)
Taking place 25 – 28 July 2018, the PackPlus show will be happening along with SupplyPlus and CartonTech at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. According to organizer Next Events, this is the largest exhibition in this field in India.
UK • The prepress company has announced that Cyrel Easy Plates have been approved for use with Bellissima Digitally Modulated Screening (DMS).


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A LOOK AT THE MURKY WORLD OF GREY MARKET AND COUNTERFEIT CAR PARTS
On Feb. 29, 2016, U.S. Customs officers at the Port of Jacksonville in Florida detained a container arriving from the Middle East on suspicion that the more than 10,000 Nissan auto parts inside were counterfeit. The shipment belonged to AMG Trade & Distribution, a mom-and-pop importer in Pompano Beach, Fla.Car Mobile Phone holder Charger
The 15-month ordeal that followed nearly put AMG out of business and led to stress-related health problems for co-owners Anthony Bachan and Michael Pockhai.Now the company is taking Nissan North America to court for telling U.S. Customs and Border Protection that the goods were fake."I went through hell," Bachan said. With no inventory to sell, AMG lost customers and incurred big legal bills.
The case sheds light on the murky world of gray-market goods — items tåhat are techniåcally legal but considered unfair by a manufacturer — and automakers' efforts to stop their dealerships from straying outside official distribution channels for cheaper parts.
The transactions at issue typically involve genuine, brand-name products from a reseller overseas instead of directly from the manufacturer. Merchandise often can be obtained at a substantial discount from a company's authorized distribution channel.
Sometimes, the goods are genuine but pirated, meaning a contract manufacturer produces more than its customer ordered and funnels the excess through back channels.In this case, AMG bought the parts for $193,375 from the export arm of Suhail Bahwan Automobiles, Nissan's licensed distributor in Oman, according to invoices and court documents.
AMG's core customers are U.S. dealerships, which Nissan has regularly warned not to use parts unless they come through its official North American pipeline. Bachan, who runs the business, and his attorneys say Nissan is trying to interfere with a competitor's legitimate business so it can charge higher prices for parts.
"They tied up our money," he said. "We're a very small company. We depend on one container load to get us through. We sell that and purchase another one. So there was a lot of pain and suffering."