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The state will suspend its 6 percent sales tax, along with any local-option sales taxes, on a litany of items from 12:01 a.m. Friday until midnight Sunday to make the fall return to school less expensive.
What's covered, according to the state Department of Revenue: Clothing and clothing accessories; shoes; school supplies; computers; printers; blankets; bedspreads and linens; bath cloths; bath towels; bath rugs and mats; shower curtains; pillows and pillow cases.
What's not: Jewelry; cosmetics; eye wear; wallets; watches; rental of clothing or shoes; furniture; items for use in a business; items placed on layaway.
Source: Wire reports
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Lowcountry retailers expect a hectic weekend as shoppers from near and far take advantage of South Carolina's annual Sales Tax Holiday.
The state will suspend its 6 percent sales tax, along with any local-option sales taxes, on a litany of items from 12:01 a.m. Friday until midnight Sunday to make the return to school less expensive.
The holiday, among the busiest shopping periods in South Carolina, could be even busier than usual for local merchants this year because neighboring Georgia will not conduct its own tax-free holiday for the second consecutive year.
After Georgia eliminated its holiday last year, many shoppers crossed the state line to shop tax-free in South Carolina, said Howard Jones, who manages the Target store in Bluffton as its store team leader.
"Last year, we definitely saw increased traffic coming from Georgia," Jones said.
That should happen again this year, if the ringing phones at the Tanger Outlet Centers in greater Bluffton are any indication.
"We're already getting a lot of calls from Georgia customers," general manager LaDonna Shamlou said Wednesday.
Shoppers save nearly $3 million a year during the tax-free weekend, the S.C. Department of Revenue estimates.
Shamlou said consumers seem hungry for deals this year because of a spate of recent negative news about the economy.
"When they see that, they want value," she said.
From Bluffton to Beaufort, stores are scheduling additional staff to accommodate the anticipated rush and working to make shopping convenient for customers.
Target will distribute lists of schools' uniform colors, for example, and the Kmart in Beaufort will move its most sought-after items to the front.
"We try to put everything where it's accessible," said Mike Evans, a Kmart manager.
Some stores also are offering discounts on top of the sales-tax savings.
Shoppers who bring a nonperishable food item to Tanger will receive a sheet of coupons for 20 percent off merchandise at participating retailers, Shamlou said. The food will benefit nonprofit social services agency The Deep Well Project, she said.
Even though local shops are looking forward to South Carolina's holiday, at least one state lawmaker thinks it should be more limited.
Born during the administration of former Gov. Jim Hodges, the 12-year-old provision was intended to assist families of modest means in providing the necessary items for their children to return to school, Rep. Chip Limehouse, R-Charleston, told The (Columbia) State.
Pencils, pens, paper, shoes and clothing are what the law's authors had in mind, said Limehouse, who helped craft the legislation. Over time, the legislation has become bloated, he said, to include too many items unrelated to school.
"The idea is even more valid now than ever before," Limehouse said. "What we need to do is revisit the list of items."
The list of items eligible for the exemption did not change this year from last year's, according to Revenue officials.
However, the Legislature this year did away with a similar sales tax holiday for guns.
The state lost an estimated $250,000 in tax collections by providing the breaks around Thanksgiving to mark the state's support for the Second Amendment.
- 'Really Busy' tax-free weekend likely, Aug. 03, 2011
- Myrtle Beach area shoppers await tax-free holiday, Jul. 31, 2011
- Back-to-school spending apt to be flat in '11, July 22, 2011
- Sales tax holiday in 3 weeks, Jul. 15, 2011
- SC sales tax holiday set for Aug. 5-7, July 13, 2011
- S.C. Department of Revenue Sales Tax Holiday Information
- Bringing back tax-free weekend not a priority, January 24, 2011


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A DAD’s heartfelt appeal on social media for strangers to help him find a replica of his autistic son’s Tommee Tippee cup has prompted the baby product firm to manufacture a special batch just for him.
Marc Carter, 42, from Torrington, North Devon, posted the appeal on Twitter in November asking users if they could “please help me find a new cup for Ben”.
His son, 13-year-old Ben Carter, has severe autism and has only drunk from a specific twin-handled blue Tommee Tippee cup from the age of two.
His parents were able to replace the cup three years ago, but it is now worn out and Marc posted in search for as many replacements as possible.
Marc’s Twitter appeal went viral, with responses ranging from as far as the US, Brazil and Australia. Kind strangers offered to post Marc and his son their cups.
The cup’s UK-based maker also joined the hunt, helping to scour the social media responses to Marc’s appeal and searching its factories and warehouses across the globe. They eventually discovered a mould for the exact design Ben loves in China.
Now the company, based in Cramlington, Northumberland, has said it will make 500 of the retro drinks holders for Ben at its factory.
Marc said he is overwhelmed by the global response and is shocked to hear that Tommee Tippee is making a special run of the long-lost mug for Ben.
“I had a phone call from Tommee Tippee for an update and catch up and thought it was to tell me how many cups were coming,” Said Marc.
“But they told me they have found a mould to make Ben’s little blue cup,” He added, “it was a shock, a surprise and bizarre that they managed to do it.”
“They have been looking in China, scouring warehouses and factories and they found it – Tommee Tippee, you guys are incredible.”
The company stated: “Like people all over the world, we’ve been incredibly touched by Ben’s story, and wanted to do everything we could to help find the cups he loves.
“We asked our staff in offices across the world to look through archived product samples in case we had a case of them hidden in a cupboard or warehouse.
“Unfortunately we didn’t, as it’s almost 20 years since this style of cup was manufactured, so we looked into the possibility of creating a special production run for Ben.
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“Starting the production of a cup that hasn’t been manufactured for almost two decades isn’t a straightforward process, but we’re thrilled to confirm that we’re able to do it.
“Production will start on 500 cups for Ben this week and will delivered to his dad, Marc, early in the New Year.
“We’re confident that this production run, combined with the cups that have been sent by truly amazing people from across the world, will make a real difference to Ben, and give him enough cups for the rest of his life.”

domain: news


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On the Sony stand all the talk is about full frame. The RX100 is still generating a pretty healthy buzz, but it's sitting next to the RX1 in the Cyber-shot section, so is understandably a little outshone.
The RX1 is attracting quite a crowd but the only samples are behind glass. Occasionally one of the presenters will take to the stage to explain the camera, but there's no opportunity to handle it, let alone take any test shots. There are sample videos playing to whet appetites and exploded models of the camera on view, which help to make clear how complex an engineering challenge the RX1 was.
That isn't the case with the SLT-A99 - examples of which are numerous. A row of the cameras is lined-up, showing their live view images on flat screen displays, with acrobats and a trapeze artist providing opportunities for exploring the camera's autofocus and movie capabilities. Further 'round the stand are more examples, looking comfortable buried in the middle of video shooting rigs.
Finally there are opportunities to explore the NEX-VG900 full frame video camera. All the cameras are fitted with A-mount adapters, given there are no full-frame E-mount lenses. The use of E-mount gives plenty of room to use adapters for other mount lenses, though.
While we were there, a delegation from Carl Zeiss arrived to see whether its E-mount Cine lenses would work without vignetting on the VG900. Since its designs are essentially full frame lenses with a long throat to extend the lens away from the mount, it seemed likely that they'd work, so long as the throat wasn't too narrow (which it might have been, given the expectation that it would only be used with APS-C/Super 35mm sensors). Sure enough, the CP2 50mm T2.1 Macro could be racked through its focus range without any shading appearing in the preview image.
Sep 25, 2012
Sep 22, 2012
Sep 21, 2012
Sep 21, 2012
|Sophisticated construction by the nature by Orchideon|
|After the Rain by Flor Tempra|
from Macro - Something Pink
|Asilah by Limburg|
from Cozy Corners
EyeEm has revealed the finalists for its fourth annual photography contest, the largest competition of its kind.
Via its strategic partnership with Huawei Leica is already in the smartphone camera development game, but chairman Andreas Kaufmann can imagine the German manufacturer taking things one step further.
In a blog post the imaging engineers behind the dual-camera in Andy Rubin's Essential Phone explain how the imaging components were developed and calibrated for best performance.
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It started with a great idea and a slick promotional video, and ended with the company headquarters being raided by the San Francisco District Attorney’s office. Wired reports on Lily, the selfie-drone maker that never got off the ground.
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A Sony a7S II mounted on the outside of the ISS' Japanese Experiment Module (KIBO) for the last seven months has sent back some impressive 4K video and stills.
A Federal judge has refused to throw out a copyright case against controversial artist Richard Prince, who used an image by photographer Donald Graham in an exhibition.
Sony has teased its customers with news of an upcoming announcement: it will soon take the wraps off a new CineAlta motion picture camera, one sporting a 36x24mm sensor.
QuikStories is integrated into the latest version of the GoPro app and automatically creates 'stories' using the video clips you've shot during a day.
Journalists photographing a protest in the US Capitol building claim they were told by Capitol Police to delete photos and videos of arrests.
The Meizu Pro 7 Plus secondary display can be used for music playback, date and weather-related information, or as viewfinder when taking selfies with the rear cameras.
Nikon is marking its 100th anniversary in many ways, including the creation of a new scholarship program for 'future visual creators' in the USA and Canada.
Take one Digital ELPH (or IXUS), rotate it vertically, add a fully articulating LCD and a lens with a camcorder-like focal length, and what do you get? Why, the Canon PowerShot TX1, of course. In this week's Throwback Thursday we revisit Canon's one-of-a-kind hybrid stills/video camera.
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We're big fans of Fujifilm's fast-growing GFX system, and the GF 110mm F2 lens is no exception. Positioned as the system's classic portrait lens, its optics are just as impressive with non-human subjects as well.
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The Moto Z2 is Motorola's first dual-camera smartphone and, compared to its predecessor, comes with a number of improvements and new camera features.
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Blue Cake/Honey Pies plans to have a soft reopening of its 6800 Cantrell location this Thursday, June 25 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
This is huge news for fans of the popular Little Rock bakery, especially those, like me, who miss having those addictive petit fours nearby. While the 315 N Bowman store has remained opened, the Cantrell spot has been closed since April 13.
Folks should expect a few changes, including a new staff.
“We will only have our signature, ready-made cakes, petit fours, cupcakes, cookies, and mini-pies at the Cantrell location. All custom cakes and orders will have to be placed with Bowman. All items ordered through Bowman will have to be picked up from that location,” says owner Steven Lewandowski.
Lewandoski also says the Cantrelll store will end up being more of a satellite location. Customers can expect to still find many of the case items – like the petit fours – they have grown to love, along with items like candles and cards.
Check out the store’s Facebook page for any updates on hours of operation after the soft reopening.


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Strong spring season boosts nation’s skier, boarder numbers
The National Ski Areas Association announced last week that U.S. ski areas registered an 11 percent jump in attendance this season, the largest year-over-year gain in 30 years.
The ski industry trade association said an estimated 56.6 million skiers and snowboarders visited the nation’s resorts during the 2012-13 season.
Final numbers for Colorado ski resorts haven’t been released by Colorado Ski Country USA, the state’s ski industry trade association.
Vail Resorts, which isn’t a member of Colorado Ski Country, reported its mid-April year-to-date numbers were up 5.5 percent.
“As the 2012-2013 ski season comes to a close, we are very pleased with the strong results this season,” Vail Resorts Chief Executive Officer Rob Katz said. “The growth in skier visitation continued to accelerate through spring break and the Easter holiday, which contributed to our double-digit growth in lift ticket, dining and ski-school revenues compared to the same period last year.”
The NSAA said while some parts of the country saw a slow start to the winter season, skier and boarder numbers were boosted by a strong showing during the Christmas holiday period and the President’s Day holiday period and throughout March.
The NSAA also announced Chris Diamond, chief operating officer for Steamboat Ski & Resort, has received the NSAA’s 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Since arriving at Steamboat in 1999, Diamond played a lead role in establishing the Yampa Valley Airport Commission, overseeing a $30 million expansion and renovation of the regional airport.
Diamond also led the formation of an Urban Renewal Authority for the resort’s base area that has invested more than $20 million in base-area development, transit improvements and a heated promenade with a permanent concert stage.
A native of Easthampton, Mass., Diamond has been involved in the ski business since his youth when “lift tickets were secured after an hour’s boot-packing,” he said.
His resort experience includes stints with Killington, Mount Snow and vice president of Vermont operations for S-K-I Ltd.
Diamond moved to the Steamboat Ski Resort in 1999, shortly after that resort was purchased by the American Skiing Company, which in 1996 had purchased S-K-I Ltd.
In 2006, Canadian resort operator Intrawest Corp. purchased Steamboat from American Skiing Co. for $265 million in cash.
Diamond is a past chair of the Steamboat Chamber Resort Association and serves as a trustee for the Yampa Valley Community foundation.
He also served as a director and chairman of Colorado Ski Country USA.
“The ski industry has provided me with a wealth of incredible experiences and the opportunity to work with so many talented individuals over the years from coast to coast,” Diamond said. “This business is more than just a career; it’s a passion and way of life that I truly appreciate each and every day.”
The award was presented May 2 at NSAA’s National Convention & Tradeshow in Palm Springs, Calif.


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Paper Excellence recently announced a production curtailment at its Crofton paper facility. The curtailment will coincide with the scheduled annual maintenance of key utility assets. The outage will reduce the site’s exposure to higher-cost energy throughout this period. The curtailment will commence on September 10th, 2022, and is expected to last approximately two weeks. It is estimated that approximately 95 employees will be affected by temporary layoff notices.
Paper Excellence, headquartered in British Columbia, is a diversified manufacturer of pulp and specialty, printing, writing, and packaging papers. The company operates seven mills and a large-scale cargo distribution center in Canada producing and shipping over 2.8 million tonnes annually with a workforce of more than 2,400.
Companies to have combined revenue of $34 billion. Shares go in opposite directions on premium being paid
Packaging groups' volumes fell back post-pandemic.


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‘Built-in audience’: Inside Fender’s educational, inspirational TikTok strategy to tune in new guitarists
Fender is turning up the volume on its marketing riffs on TikTok in an effort to get in front of new guitar players using educational and inspirational content to boost brand affinity.
The 76-year-old guitar brand joined the social media platform in September; since then, it has amassed 1 million followers on the platform gaining roughly 142,000 followers per month. To do so, the brand has taken a paid and organic approach, working with musicians and influencers on the platform as well as posting beginner style educational content featuring practice routines and tips.
“In 2021, the Fender hashtag had been viewed 157 million in times [on TikTok],” said Evan Jones, Fender CMO. “That has now grown to 500 million. Guitar Tok [the community on TikTok focused on guitar] has racked up something like 2.5 to 3 billion views. So we knew there was already a built-in audience who was using guitar and, in particular, using Fender.”
Fender’s data shows that 16 million new players picked up guitar for the first time over the last two years.
“A big part of what we want to do is help them learn how to play and choose the right guitar for them,” said Jones. “What’s also really important for us is to engage and connect with the influencers, the creators and the players and really foster a sense of community around music creation.”
Creating a sense of community has been part of the overall TikTok content strategy since the brand joined TikTok, with the help of its agency Praytell, in September. The brand kicked off its TikTok content with a hashtag, #FenderJamSesh, to create a digital jam session of sorts with players all over TikTok. Since then, Fender has worked with 30 musicians on TikTok including Black Pumas, Tom Morello, Snail Mail and Japanese Breakfast, among others on product demos, jam sessions and educational content.
Fender declined to share how much it is spending on TikTok or what its overall media budget is currently. Jones did say that Fender spends 10% of its total annual revenues on marketing and digital media efforts. Per Kantar data, Fender spent $4.2 million on media in 2021, up from $1.5 million in 2020. Those figures exclude spending on social media channels, however, as Kantar doesn’t track social spending.
Focusing on community building to get in front of new guitar players makes sense as a strategy for the brand as “music is a part of TikTok” already, said Duane Brown, founder of performance marketing agency Take Some Risk, adding that “if they pick the right influencers and those already into music and music related interests” the strategy should work.
Going forward, Fender plans to continue to take an educational approach to its work with influencers on TikTok and its other social media channels.
“What you’re gonna probably see us do is lean more heavily into making learning guitar as fun, inviting inspiring and accessible as possible,” said Jones, adding that the brand plans to build a “community around learning” on its digital and social channels.
“There’s nothing that says it has to be boring, there’s nothing that says it has to follow pure pedagogy,” he said. “Different influencers and artists have different takes on what they want to teach.”
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A Cleveland public relations and public affairs firm has expanded into Columbus.
Landau Public Relations, owned by firm president Howard C. Landau, is leasing offices at SS&G Financial Services, 300 Spruce St. Several seasoned experts are joining the firm, including:
- Bill Wolfson, former press secretary to Ohio Gov. George Voinovich. After leaving the state job, Wolfson worked in communications at Abbott Laboratories and founded Wolfson Communications. Wolfson is Landau's executive vice president and Columbus office manager.
- Jackie Woods, former president of SBC Ohio. Woods retired from the phone company in 2001. She is working from the Columbus office as a senior consultant.
- Terry Uhl, former executive director of Cleveland Today and a former communications director with Cleveland-based East Ohio Gas Co. Uhl, also a senior consultant, is working from Landau's Cleveland office.
"Because of the skill sets of our team, we'll be offering high-level corporate consultant and strategic communications planning," Landau says. "Actually, the move to Columbus says less about Columbus and more about getting together some talented people. I knew we needed to have a full-service team in place on day one to handle the business we want to go after."
Landau says his company is contacting prospective clients among companies that already spend money on public relations. Landau works with Sprint PCS's regional offices in Columbus and with Cameron Mitchell Restaurants.
Landau estimates 2003's fee income will climb to about $1.5 million, up 18 percent from 2002.
Landau PR was once affiliated with Wyse Advertising in Cleveland. He bought the public relations division from Wyse in 1998 and changed the company's name from Wyse & Landau to Landau Public Relations last January.
Steiner/Lesic adds staff, clients to its roster
The public affairs firm founded two years ago by PR experts Curt Steiner and Nancy Lesic continues to grow.
The company's newest client is the Ohio Hospital Association, which will use Steiner/Lesic for public communications.
The firm also represents Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Nationwide, Flexible Pavements of Ohio, Greater Cleveland Growth Association, Cleveland Tomorrow, Ohio Provider Resource Association, Ohio Municipal League, UBS Financial Services, Ohio Dental Association and Washington, D.C.-based law firm Baach Robinson & Lewis, which specializes in asbestos litigation reform issues.
New staff members are:
- Carol McBurney Zimmerman, a senior account manager, who joined the Columbus office in August. Zimmerman was once assistant press secretary to former state Attorney General William J. Brown and held communications jobs at Columbus Gas of Ohio, LCI International and Ohio State University.
- Assistant account director Mary Beth Herb and account executive Mike Switzer, who joined Steiner/Lesic's Cleveland office in April.
Emily Foster, formerly director of writing and editing services, is now a vice president with the firm.
Steiner was chief of staff and communications director for U.S. Sen. George Voinovich when Voinovich was Ohio governor.
Nancy Lesic, company president, was press secretary for former Cleveland Mayor Michael R. White.
David Alliance applies skills to retail venture
Admen Rob Cathcart and Brian Griffin, partners in Columbus-based David Alliance LLC, have started a retail business to showcase their agency's marketing know-how.
The two, along with artist James Griffin of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., are selling chocolate, coffee and other items through a company they call RomantiQuest LLC. James and Brian Griffin are brothers.
"We have a lot of consumer back-ground," Brian Griffin says. "What we wanted to do was show how good we are with it."
RomantiQuest products are available in some department and specialty stores and online at RomantiQuest.com.
Nordstrom Inc.'s Chicago store is testing the RomantiQuest products, Brian Griffin says. Locally, RomantiQuest's products are sold at Sheer Bliss, the downtown Columbus candy store that also sells Maramor chocolate.
"Our immediate goal is to expand our distribution and keep the excitement growing by offering new and pleasing products to people who love romance," Brian Griffin says. "This is a great opportunity to do fabulous advertising (which) we can offer as a co-op enticement to our retail-ers."
Griffin says the company is self-financed.
Adnotes: Method, Fitch, Kaiser
- Columbus-based Method Integrated Marketing LLC is agency of record for Golden, Colo.-based ProCard, which sells software and services for commercial credit card programs. Method will provide ProCard with branding, communications and advertising services.
- A new in-store graphics and sign package campaign at Giant Eagle Inc.'s Lyndhurst supermarket is the work of Fitch: Worldwide's Columbus office. Fitch is a design and strategy company owned by London-based WPP Group Plc.
- Karen S. Kaiser, executive director of the Advertising Federation of Columbus for 10 years before she resigned in April 2001, has launched Kaiser Association Management to provide management, administrative and training services for professional groups. Her first client is the Columbus chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.
KATHY SHOWALTER covers advertising, marketing, public relations and media for Business First. Reach her at 614-461-4040, ext. 136, or firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Part of Bvlgari and Save the Children partnership
Historic jewellery house Bvlgari presents their newest #GiveHope campaign, and it features some familiar faces.
The Roman jeweller has been working closely with Save the Children for 10 years to raise awareness and empower millions of children to build a better future through education. The latest black and white campaign shot by Rankin features Lebanese actress Nadine Nassib Njeim and Saudi Arabian singer Aseel Omran.
In the shoot they are both seen modelling the latest symbol of hope from the brand – the pendant in silver and onyx topped by a red ruby. Also featured in the campaign are Ginevra Bulgari, Carlota Bulgari, Lily Aldridge, Ursula Corbero, Alicia Vikander, Bvlgari CEO Jean-Christophe Babin and many others celebrities.
The latest addition to the Save the Children collection retails for €750 (approximately Dhs3,035) of which €75 are directly donated to charity.
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Amidst surmounting pressure from top-notch competitors, tech giant LG is considering leaving the smartphone scene this year, according to a report by The Korea Herald.
After losing nearly $4.5 billion for over five years, LG is considering quitting the smartphone market for good in 2021. Despite introducing innovative as well as pocket-friendly phones, LG seems to have lost the fight in competing with the likes of Samsung, Huawei, and Apple.
According to a report by The Korean Herald, LG’s CEO Kwon Bong-Seok has told the employees that the company is planning to make major changes ‘in the operation of the smartphone segment.’
“Regardless of any change in the direction of the smartphone business operation, the employment will be maintained, so there is no need to worry,” he said. “Since the competition in the global market for mobile devices is getting fiercer, it is about time for LG to make a cold judgment and the best choice,” an LG official explained. “The company is considering all possible measures, including sale, withdrawal, and downsizing of the smartphone business.”
In the memo, he also assured them that regardless of the changes that are made they would not lose their jobs. “Regardless of any change in the direction of the smartphone business operation, the employment will be maintained, so there is no need to worry,” he added.
Earlier this month, a report by The Elec also claimed that LG was planning to sell off its mobile by the end of this month. At the time, LG had strongly denied the report. But now, it looks like LG is mulling the decision to leave the smartphone market seriously. This comes despite the company’s efforts to renew its smartphone business with a new line of smartphones starting with the LG Velvet last year. LG has tried multiple times with the G7, the V40, the G8, and the V50 to compete with Samsung and Huawei, but it’s not been enough to push its market share in the right direction. LG’s latest Velvet and Wing smartphones have attempted to try something new, but neither was well received.
Meanwhile, LG has promised its Rollable device to be launched in 2021, but with the company reconsidering its mobile plans it could be one of the last LG phones that might come out.


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The weekly cost to the economy of the start of a third lockdown
Based on National Accounts data for the first three quarters of the year, and other indicators, the Bank of Israel Research Department estimated the rate of activity in the economy in each of the months from January to October (Figure 1 and Table 1). Our assessment is that the average activity rate in April, during the first lockdown, was 80 percent. In other words, the level of activity was 20 percent lower than what would have been expected in the absence of the pandemic and the lockdowns imposed as a result. It should be noted that this is the average for April, which included the beginning of the easing of the lockdown in the last half of the month, and that the first half of the month included the Passover holiday, when activity is generally low. It can therefore be assessed that at the peak of the first lockdown, before the Passover holiday, the activity rate was lower.
Following the first lockdown, when the economy reopened, activity jumped rapidly such that the average activity rate during the summer months (prior to the second lockdown) was 95 percent. The second lockdown, which began in the second half of September, caused less damage to activity, even though the instructions were more severe than those of the first lockdown. The smaller impact to activity was apparently due to the preparedness of business for distance working and the partial upholding of the guidelines. Our assessment is that the average activity rate for October was 88 percent. The significance of each week in which activity is at this level, as opposed to full activity, is a loss of output of NIS 3.2 billion.
Leading up to the current lockdown, there are factors for which the weekly cost of the lockdown is expected to be lower than during the October lockdown:
1. At this stage, the lockdown guidelines are less stringent than they were during the second lockdown. Workplaces with no public reception are permitted to continue partial operations, and the education system for younger ages will operate as normal.
2. It is likely that businesses will remain prepared for operations in the shadow of the lockdown.
The factors for which the weekly costs of the lockdown are expected to be higher than they were in October include:
1. The October estimate is a monthly average, as the easing of the closure began on October 19.
2. The lockdown in October was during the holiday period, when economic activity is generally less intense than normal. In contrast, the current lockdown will take place entirely during a period of normal business activity (no holidays).
Weighing all these factors, the cost of the lockdown beginning this week can be assessed at about NIS 2.5 billion per week, reflecting an activity rate of about 90 percent of the economy.
This is, of course, only the direct cost during the lockdown period. It does not include continuing costs that may occur due to, for instance, bankruptcies of businesses or prolonged unemployment. In addition, the estimates take into account only activity the value of which is covered in the GDP definitions of the National Accounts. In other words, it does not include things like negative impact to civilian movement, benefits that are not priced in money (such as nature hikes, family visits, and so forth), damage to health as a result of delaying nonurgent medical treatments, and so forth.


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Chambers enlist a counter-proposal to avoid customs tariff
The business sector will deliver next week a counterproposal to President Lenin Moreno in order to avoid the Customs Service Control Fee of $ 0.10 per unit of imported merchandise and the collection of mixed tariffs to 375 subheadings.
President of the Chamber of Commerce of Quito Patricio Alarcón announced the measure in a press conference convened by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, chaired by Pablo Arosemena, also head of the Chamber of Commerce of Guayaquil.
Arosemena described the measures as “overcharged safeguards.” “Rates and tariffs are a deadly combination equal to or worse than the safeguard measures,” said the leader, who disapproved the statements of the director of the National Customs Service Mauro Andino, who said that 70% of products entering the country are underpriced. (I)


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The service is backed by iTunes Match-rivalling cloud features, allowing users to add up to 20,000 songs from their existing collection to the cloud for streaming on Android devices or a web browser.
Customers' music collections will be scanned and any tracks that match an existing song in the Google Play catalogue will be automatically added to their online library without the need to upload it, as part of a free service.
The internet giant also announced that it has secured a partnership with Twentieth Century Fox to add its movies to Google Play, and Warner Music Group to expand its music archive.
Google expanded its storefront to coincide with the unveiling of its latest Nexus products - the Nexus 10 tablet, the Nexus 4 smartphone, and the 32GB and 3G models of the Nexus 7 slate.
Google Play's music section will be accessible in the UK from November 13.
Watch a video introducing Google's new Nexus line below:


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The nationwide lockdown in China due to coronavirus outbreak has forced people to stay indoors since late January 2020, which ultimately led to a surge in demand for online shopping especially the essential and daily used items.
Alibaba’s supermarket chain, Freshippo, that supplies online products especially fruits, is currently struggling since the online demand for fruits in China rises sharply but the startup has less supply to meet such large demands.
High Demand but Low-Supply
The startup has directed its workers to open up the stock-up bulky fruit boxes, which are primarily reserved for the festivals of Lunar New Year gift, and start selling the products to fulfill the needs and demands from the customers, who stayed indoors. Freshippo, which currently has about 200 stores across the country and is also known as Hema in Chinese, had also launched a group-buying scheme for a locked-down province in Wuhan – the epicenter of the outbreak.
The company would deliver the online ordered goods and products via the state-commissioned buses instead of using its bike-riding couriers that used to provide delivery of bags of groceries. Freshippo’s new measures have imparted some lessons to retailers in European countries and the US as they were facing a serious crisis due to panic-buying by the customers which left supermarkets without any staples and essential items.
Considering the present situation of demand surge, Hou Yi, the president of Freshippo said in an interview with Reuters, “Nobody saw this coming… A whole ton of challenges surfaced.” However, Hou claimed that US supermarkets might face more difficulties because the stores in the US were less equipped to deal with large numbers of online orders as compared with their counterparts in China.
One of the biggest challenges for the five-year-old, Freshippo, was the delivery of its products in Wuhan and its province of Hubei. To access to Wuhan makes more difficult for the startup due to the new policies of the government including roadblocks and travel restrictions in these core provinces of China.
In addition to that, Freshippo needed a special permit and many volunteers within its staff to drive trucks to be working in these areas. Hou described that the entry and exit from the disease-ridden provinces, Hubei meant that they had to face a mandatory 14-days quarantine after returning from these places.
The company plans to hire thousands of people, who were unemployed due to urgent shutdown of various factories, as a measure to address the low-staffs issues. Hou explained in-store training, “We simplified our procedures to make everything easier to understand,” adding that, “Usually after two hours of instruction, they could hit the ground running.”
Outside Hubei, Freshippo services resumed its normal work since the early week of March but many of its stores in Wuhan started only delivery services. Hubei was the last province that has only been started lifting the restrictions of the government and many markets outside Hubei restored the normalcy of their operations.
I’m Roshan, a journalist, blogger and music lover. I like covering global news related to finance, business, and technology. Focusing on the collection of true and reliable information, I rely on working by conducting interviews with business leaders and talking to the inside sources of companies.
You can reach out to me at: [email protected]


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Islamabad, Power sector customer care is set for an overhaul as Minister Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari pushes for heightened efficiency and transparency in complaint resolution, with new measures introduced to improve service quality and customer experience.
According to Press Information Department, Minister Leghari emphasized the need for the Pakistan Information Technology Company (PITC) to actively follow up on customer complaints and provide consistent updates. The minister’s directives during the meeting included a detailed analysis of complaints handled since 2018 to identify any discrepancies in the resolution process, enhancing the sector’s accountability and transparency.
Minister Leghari is keen on making complaint data publicly available to ensure that the power sector remains responsive and customer-focused. He also called for a review of complaint resolution timelines and strict compliance with load shedding regulations to avoid unnecessary power cuts. Furthermore, he stressed accountability within the sector, announcing that personnel failing to meet service standards would face penalties.
These initiatives reflect a broader vision to transform the power sector into a more customer-centric and efficient entity, ensuring that consumer grievances are addressed promptly and effectively.


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In spite of what you think you saw onscreen, he had Covid in his blood at time of death.
BLACK SPIRE OUTPOST, BATUU -- A short statement released by the First Order confirms what many outlets have been reporting: Emperor Palpatine is dead from the coronavirus. The statement is below.
"The First Order sadly announces that our beloved Emperor Palpatine's passing was due to complications of Covid-19.
"While it is true he engaged in a glorious battle with a talentless young girl, only to ...
The President vowed to get right on this.
EPCOT, FL -- Walt Disney World guests, already reeling from so many changes, found a new disturbance at EPCOT's World Showcase. The America Pavilion's normal patriotic music, backed by the incredibly talented Voices of Liberty, has been replaced by the sounds of mariachi.
Tensions were already running high in World Showcase, what with the UK Pavilion pulling out, the invasion of the French Pavilion, and the protests after Applebee's took the riblets off the menu ...
Also, instead of being sold in kiosks, they'll be in vending machines.
EPCOT, FL -- Walt Disney World is welcoming guests once again, and that can only mean one thing: it's festival time at EPCOT!
This year the International Food & Wine Festival starts early and Uncle Walt's Insider has obtained an exclusive look at the upcoming menus. And there's a special treat this year: for guest safety, all items are pre-packaged!
Here's a look at some of the more appetizing offerings ...


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A few days ago we communicated something long awaited by some macOS users: the possibility that the iTunes will be split into several apps on the next version of Apple's desktop operating system, the macOS 10.15. Today we have more information on this subject.
The brazilian developer Guilherme Rambo, of 9to5Mac, decided to delve deeper into the story that was so far just a belief (quite well grounded, true) of developer Steve Troughton-Smith and basically confirmed (with sources familiar with the development of the next version of macOS) that this actually happens. .
For likely macOS 10.15, we'll have standalone apps focused on music, podcasts and TV shows, and a new / redesigned Books app (Books).
According to him, the new Books app has a similar sidebar to the News app (News) on the Mac and also have a narrower title bar with different tabs for “Library”, “Book Store” and “Book Store”. In the "Library" tab, the sidebar lists all the user's books, audiobooks, PDFs, and other collections, including custom ones.
The apps, as expected, will be built with “Marzipan” (Apple's new technology that makes it easy to migrate iOS apps to macOS without having to mess with their code too much). Rambo said he is not sure if the new Books app will also be created using this technology but as the iOS app has been redesigned recently, it is quite possible.
Is that our question about which app would be responsible for syncing media and content with iPhones, iPads, and iPods touch? Apple's solution was as rudimentary as possible, according to Rambo: The company keeps iTunes on macOS 10.15 just so people can continue to sync their gadgets and make backups on macOS.


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Results tagged with 'sandwiches'
Published July 5, 2016
The Italian beef has landed. Right alongside the cake shakes. There are officially less than two weeks before Chicagoland's fast-food staple opens its first location. The state's first Portillo's will open in Brookfield on Tuesday, July 19.
Published May 16, 2016
After 44 years in the sub shop game, Cousins Subs is rolling out a streamlined look and feel across all locations as it seeks to expand its footprint throughout the Midwest.
Published April 20, 2016
Jimmy John's is offering $1 sandwiches as a customer appreciation day promotion on April 21. And, although the offer is open to everyone, I can't help but think it was made for my old colleague, Mark.
Published April 9, 2016
We can't stop clicking on these links - and maybe you won't be able to either.
Published April 7, 2016
A new Refuge Cafe will soon bring smoothies, stuffed vegetables and whole grain wraps to the Marquette University campus neighborhood. It will open a location at the Catholic Financial Life Building, 1102 W. Wells St.
View the other 36 articles


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U.S. stocks were bid even higher on Monday thanks to a boom in oil prices, and the major indices yet again hit new highs. The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average improved by 0.3% apiece, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.6%.
There was some activity after the bell following an earnings announcement (of sorts) from Hain Celestial Group Inc (NASDAQ:HAIN), as well as news of a big-money investor ditching some Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE:WMT) shares. Meanwhile, this morning, Twilio Inc (NYSE:TWLO) continues to run roughshod over the markets.
Here are the big headlines sticking out Tuesday morning:
Twilio Inc (TWLO)
TWLO shares continue to make mincemeat out of any remaining bears, with shares on pace to open another few percentage points higher. That’s after a nearly 10% gain yesterday, 41% gains in the past five days and … well, you get the picture.
Twilio — a cloud communications platform that focuses on both voice and messaging apps — has been one of the year’s hottest IPOs. The company boasts breakneck growth and a client list that includes the likes of Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) and Uber. It also boasts sick 2016 gains despite a late start. Shares soared more than 90% on their first day of trading on June 23, and since then, the stock has doubled.
The most recent spark pushing TWLO stock ahead was the company’s first earnings report as a publicly traded company. On Aug. 8, Twilio reported a loss of 8 cents per share that was far narrower than the Street’s expectations for a 14-cent deficit. Meanwhile, revenues screamed higher by 70% year-over-year to $64.5 million.
TWLO shares are up 3% in Tuesday’s premarket trade.
Hain Celestial Group Inc (HAIN)
HAIN shares are plummeting this morning after the organic foods company delayed the release of its quarterly earnings report.
Fourth-quarter results were pushed back due to an accounting issue. Hain Celestial said certain concessions offered to distributors are being reviewed to ensure they are being tallied in the proper quarter. Hain is also investigating the company’s inner accounting practices to ensure they are accurate.
Worse, Hain said it does not expect to meet expectations over its most recent period.
HAIN shares were off by nearly 30% in Tuesday’s early action. If those losses hold, they would erase nearly all the gains made by the company in 2016.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT)
WMT shares are taking a tiny dip on news that Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.B) pulled back on the retailer in the most recent quarter.
Berkshire Hathaway reduced its stake on the retailer by 27% at the end of the second quarter, falling from 55.24 million shares to 40.23 million share. Warren Buffett’s company also revised its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), increasing it by 55% — from 9.81 million shares to 15.23 million shares.
Wal-Mart will release its quarterly earnings report on Thursday, Aug. 18, which investing software platform Estimize predicts will be $1.04 per share, beating estimates by 2 cents.
The company recently acquired e-commerce retailer Jet.com for more than $3 billion in a bid to compete against industry giants such as Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN).
WMT stock was off fractionally in premarket trading.
As of this writing, Karl Utermohlen did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.


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Congestion of containers at the port of Mombasa. (Photo: David Maundu/Standard)
The battle for regional supremacy between Kenya and Tanzania has reached a critical point.
Last week, the two East African giants locked horns as diplomatic relations hit yet another low, with Nairobi banning the importation of LPG and wheat from Dar es Salaam.
Tanzania responded furiously by banning exportation of unprocessed food including maize, thus shutting off the key ingredient for making ugali which has gone missing from the dining table of most Kenyan households.
As Kenya continues its desperate search for maize beyond its borders, it has turned to Tanzania’s neighbour Zambia to plug the deficit. Unfortunately, the shortest route for maize from the southern Africa nation is through Tanzania.
Nairobi has played down the tiff, even as Dar es Salaam sought answers from Kenya.
“It is a disappointment that in April this year we learnt through the Kenyan press that Kenya has banned the importation of cooking gas from Tanzania, and that all such imports must pass through the port of Mombasa,” said Tanzania’s Trade Permanent Secretary Adolf Mkenda in a statement.
“Following the decision, Tanzania sought official communication from Kenya as their decision is clearly a breach of the EAC trade and customs regulations. But on May 18, the Kenyan Government effected the ban by blocking the transportation of gas to Kenya at the border.”
The ‘Magufuli effect’ sent shock waves in the region last year, with the new Tanzania President John Magufuli vowing to seal all loopholes of pilferage and nipping graft in the bud. He also promised to institute policies to boost local production.
Indeed, a number of Kenyan companies have been locked out of Tanzania as Magufuli pursues policies aimed at protecting Tanzania’s infant industries.
An economic partnership agreement between the European Union and the East Africa Community has also become contentious, with Tanzania refusing to append its signature to the deal for fear that opening up to European goods will stifle local industries.
Although Kenya has denied ulterior motive in its latest decision — insisting that all imports of cooking gas and wheat be channelled through the port of Mombasa, (Energy Cabinet Secretary Charles Keter says importation of LPG through Namanga is unsafe) — Dar es Salaam sees this as part of Kenya’s bigger plan to continue its dominance of the regional economy through the port, or the Northern Corridor.
A recent report by transport and logistics company A.P. Moller-Maersk has indeed shown Kenya gaining an edge over Tanzania in their battle for ‘swing’ landlocked countries that have to move goods from the Indian Ocean.
Container trade along the Central Corridor (Dares Salaam gateway) has shrunk drastically even as that of the Northern Corridor (Mombasa) has expanded marginally, attributed to President Magufuli’s anti-business policies.
Export and import of goods through Dar es Salaam contracted by 12 per cent, which the report blames on Tanzania’s decision to increase import duties on cement, paper, sugar and furniture to protect local industries.
Tanzania has also recently banned export of locally-extracted minerals, aimed at inhibiting illegal movement of gold from the East African country.
Unfortunately, the policy has had an impact on the mineral industries in DRC, Zambia and Rwanda and contributed to the reduction in movement of containers through the port of Dar es Salaam.
Gerrishon Ikiara, an Economics lecturer at the University of Nairobi, says while President Magufuli’s extreme policies might be for the good of the country, they might be counter-productive, just like founding President Julius Nyerere’s socialist policies were after independence.
“Most of those people who put up protectionist policies, including (United States President Donald) Trump do not understand the underlying economic principle. They look at something from a narrow angle without realising that investors are not loyal to government policies,” he says.
“While duties are an important source of revenue, companies can, however, shift cargo. Even a consumer who wants a car can decide to get it from the port of Mombasa.”
Ikiara’s colleague, Samuel Nyandemo says Magufuli’s “impromptu decisions” are causing a lot of uncertainty which Kenya can capitalise on.
“During President Benjamin Mkapa’s time, Dar es Salaam port was doing very well — even during Jakaya Kikwete’s time,” says Dr Nyandemo, who fears Magufuli might be returning Tanzania to the dark days.
However, Kenya is far from winning the port war.
“While conditions in the East Africa region have continued to be challenging due to political instability, ongoing macro-economic headwinds and drought affecting certain countries, we’re seeing healthy competition between the two corridors, both jostling for positions in terms of the ‘swing’ countries that could export or import cargo through either corridor, specifically Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda,” says Maersk Line Eastern Africa Managing Director Steve Felder.
And with the World Bank approving Sh36 billion for the expansion of the port of Mombasa, the war is far from over. Besides the gaffe from Magufuli, improvements of the port of Mombasa might have worked in favour of the Northern Corridor.
Mombasa handled 13.8 million tonnes of cargo in 2016 — an increase from 10.4 million in 2011 — reflecting an average growth of nine per cent per year, according to the World Bank.
Tanzania wants to raise its capacity to 28 million tonnes a year by 2020.
The completion of the second terminal at the port of Mombasa and dredging have enabled the facility to receive more ships. Time taken to move a container from the port to Rwanda has also reduced by 60 per cent.
Moreover, the Government’s decision to reduce import duty on some items has given Kenya an edge to become “one of Africa’s great success stories,” according to the authors of a report by Maersk titled, Healthy Corridor Competition, Tentative Signs of Recovery amid Policy Uncertainty.
“An important factor impacting largely in a positive way (is) import duty changes from the most recent budget. For example, the reduction in corporate tax for vehicle assembly companies, duty exemptions on goods exported to Special Economic Zones (SEZ) and imports by enterprises licensed under the SEZ Act,” says Mr Felder.
Both countries have put in place elaborate plans to ensure they win the battle of economic supremacy. And even as Kenya embarks on building a 32-berth port at Lamu under the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor, Tanzania has also inked a deal with the Chinese that will see Dar es Salaam develop one at Bagamoyo, which is expected to handle about 20 million containers.
It has been billed as East Africa’s race for the biggest port.
Mr Felder does not believe that Tanzania’s objective in increasing import duty is solely aimed at discouraging imports into the country.
“Part of this (policy to increase import duty) is to stimulate local industry, such as sugar production, but there is also a definite drive for increased tax collection in the country,” he says.
If anything, says Maersk, Kenya’s policy environment has not been all that good. As such, while imports through the Northern Corridor improved by six per cent in the first quarter of 2017 compared to the first quarter of 2016, exports plunged by 10 per cent.
Drought contributed to the significant drop in the export of tea — the biggest containerised export by volume saw a market reduction of 20 to 25 per cent during the first quarter. Export of soda ash, used in the manufacture of glass, and fish from Lake Victoria also declined.
Kenya’s decision to cap bank interest rates has also hurt business, with credit extension to the private sector at its lowest.
“In Kenya, liquidity is still very tight, caused by last year’s interest rate capping on the bank lending rate,” says Mr Felder.
In addition, as the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) has come to an end — at least for the first phase — there will be less ships docking at Mombasa with SGR materials.
“Activities of the Chinese here have contributed to a lot of the cargo coming through Mombasa for the SGR,” says Dr Ikiara.
Tanzania is also in the process of building a similar rail, perhaps better as it will be electric-driven while Kenya’s is diesel-driven.
“The concept of this development is very similar to that in Mombasa, and will ultimately link Tanzania to a number of hinterland countries,” says the report by Maersk.
Kenya’s competitiveness in the short run will depend on how the upcoming elections end, it adds. “Looking forward, the development along the Northern Corridor will very much depend on the Kenyan elections, and the extent to which they are peaceful.”
Already, Ugandan traders are said to have opted for the Central Corridor, fearing the outcome of Kenya’s General Election on August 8.
In 2007, Ugandan traders lost a lot after movement of goods from Mombasa to Kampala was disrupted by the violence that followed the disputed elections.
“For the next quarter, we expect to see a slowdown in the import market as we approach the Kenyan elections on August 8. Based on a natural cycle that we see in every election period, the market drops by around 20 per cent as importers seek to remain liquid, as opposed to having their cash tied up in inventory,” says Mr Felder.


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Automotive industry company news
The global automotive industry stands on the brink of unprecedented change due to the impact of eight discrete megatrends, according to a ne...
Volkswagen Group stayed very much in the news this week. The company posted a set of results that were dragged down by provision made for co...
Lots happening in the autobiz this week and the excitement building as we head into Frankfurt show media week is palpable. Hence full pictures - at last - of Jaguar's F-Pace SUV, a story that attracted lots of attentions from just-auto readers this week.
This week it was, for once, my turn to stay back and mind the shop while colleagues scurried hither and yon to bring you news and interviews from a number of events here in Olde Engerland and Europe, all the while enduring 35C 'heatwaves', rail delays due to the 'wrong kind of heat', missed plane connections and the usual summer chaos.
Continuing just-auto's series of research snapshots - pulled from its automotive research platform, QUBE - Matthew Beecham reviews some novel shocks and asks: what does the autonomous car mean for suspension manufacturers?
Continuing just-auto's series of research snapshots - pulled from its automotive research platform, QUBE - Matthew Beecham looks at how the application of electric power steering (EPS) is shaping up in developed and emerging markets as well as some novel steering and reversing innovations.
Nexteer, the former GM Saginaw steering division, has flourished under the ownership of China-based Pacific Century Motors its owner since 2011. Calum MacRae caught up with Nexteer’s president and COO Laurent Bresson at the recent NAIAS.
Dr. Jens Sommer has worked as Senior Transmission Expert in Shell Global Solutions in Germany since 2010. Currently, he is based at Shell's new Technology Centre in Shanghai to support local OEMs. As Senior Transmission Expert, Dr. Sommer is in charge of manual transmission and dry dual clutch transmission fluid development activities, which covers passenger cars as well as heavy duty applications.
ZF TRW, the Active and Passive Safety Division of ZF Friedrichshafen AG, has announced it has entered into a sale agreement for its global Engineered Fasteners and Components business to Illinois Tool Works (ITW) for approximately US$450m.
ZF unveiled four new approaches to the human-machine interface (HMI) as part of its cockpit concept at the CES 2016 show in Las Vegas.
Starting in 2016, ZF will combine all electromobility-related activities in a new e-mobility division, based at the company's Schweinfurt location, the supplier has announced. It is also moving shock absorber production out of Germany.
The head of sales of ZF TRW, Peter Lake, has become a new member of the board of management of ZF Friedrichshafen AG and is now also responsible for corporate market in the ZF Group. Lake, 59, has been head of sales and business development at what is now ZF TRW in Livonia near Detroit since 2002. He contributed significantly to the integration of the British automotive supplier Lucas-Varity into what was then TRW Automotive.
ZF Hero Chassis Systems has opened a factory in Oragadam, Chennai to assemble front and rear axle modules for the nearby BMW car assembly plant.
ZF TRW, the Active and Passive Safety Technology Division of ZF AG, says it is uniquely positioned to deliver the automated driving functions of the next decade as mobility is transformed.
ZF has introduced clutch-by-wire (CBW) that, it claims, for the first time, controls the clutch independently of the driver's left foot and without a mechanical connection to the pedal. This adds functions to manual systems that were previously reserved for automatic or automated transmissions - particularly fuel-minimising coasting.
The latest remarks by Google executives suggest that the company is planning to avoid becoming a vehicle manufacturer. The company is assessing how it delivers a self-driving car, but appears keen to work with established suppliers on the project.
ZF has started production of a transmission that integrates a high-performance and compact electric motor into its latest eight-speed automatic gearbox - a hybridised drive system that has been specifically designed to meet plug-in requirements. Vehicles can now be driven purely electrically over comparably long distances and significantly faster at up to 120km/h (80mph).
Franz Kleiner, appointed member of the ZF board of management for the Region of North America at the beginning of 2015, has taken over as head of the ZF Active and Passive Safety Technology division from 1 September. In this division, ZF continues the entire business activities of TRW Automotive, which was acquired in the middle of May 2015. John Plant, long-standing CEO of TRW, will hand over the management of the company to Dr. Kleiner, but will remain with ZF as an advisor until the end of 2015.
ZF TRW says it has has won two business awards with North American and European vehicle manufacturers for its second generation safety domain electronic control unit (ECU SDE 2).
Rane TRW Steering Systems Occupant Safety Division - a 50:50 joint venture between Rane group and ZF TRW - has opened an airbag manufacturing plant located near its seatbelt factory in Singaperumal Koil, Chennai.
Volkswagen Group has nominated the first 44 suppliers who will be collaborating on a new common strategic level under the joint FAST (Future Automotive Supply Tracks) initiative.
Johnson Controls has confirmed speculation circulating last month it was to divest its automotive business by announcing plans to spin off the division in around 12 months.
BorgWarner says it is supplying its wet friction technology for ZF's new 8- and 9-speed automatic transmissions.
ZF TRW says fundamental changes in the way society looks at vehicle ownership as well as far higher levels of automated driving will shape car purchases in the next decade or so.
ZF TRW says it remains convinced CO2 emissions reduction is on an irreversible downward path as regulators flex ever stronger muscles when it comes to pollution.
ZF TRW says it has secured initial contracts for its next generation camera system - the S-Cam4 family - with an unnamed major European manufacturer.
ZF TRW has unveiled its third generation video camera, the S-Cam 3, with production starting for the first time across four major global vehicle platforms.
Mega-supplier ZF TRW says automated driving capability will rapidly expand in functionality as systems become ever-more refined.
ZF TRW says it expects the newly-merged giants to continue their previous roles of working in support of domestic and worldwide supply chains as the nascent company beds down to become the globe's third largest component manufacturer.
Newly-formed ZF TRW says it will retain the 'affordable safety' value adopted by the US supplier as huge company settles in to its position as the world's third largest component producer.
We're digesting the news that TRW will be (subject to the usual approvals) acquired by ZF. Looks like ZF has paid top dollar.
My first Society of Automotive Analysts (SAA) Outlook Conference yesterday (12 January) afternoon in the renovated Cobo Center in downtown Detroit and a pretty impressive 150 delegates made the sessions lively and entertaining.
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(Updates futures prices, detail, company news items)
LONDON, Jan 21 (Reuters) - European equity futures dipped lower on Thursday as initial gains on Asian stocks fizzled out, with weak oil prices expected to maintain negative pressure on world markets.
Futures on the Euro STOXX 50, Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC all fell by between 0.1-0.4 percent. Britain’s FTSE 100 futures edged up by 0.2 percent.
MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slipped again and Japan’s Nikkei average closed 2.4 percent weaker after having initially risen in the morning session on Thursday.
Investors also awaited a policy meeting of the European Central Bank, which is expected to keep interest rates on hold but highlight increasing growth and inflation risks, raising the prospect of further policy easing later this year.
The ECB is likely to warn that inflation could stay ultra-low longer than an already downbeat forecast pegged on plunging oil prices, weak Chinese growth and the lack of decisive fiscal policy action at home.
On Wednesday, the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index fell 3.3 percent to its lowest level since October 2014. The euro zone’s blue-chip Euro STOXX 50 index also dropped by a similar amount.
Deutsche Bank expects to post a record full-year net loss of about 6.7 billion euros as writedowns, litigation charges and costs for its revamp continue to weigh on its business, it said late on Wednesday.
Separately, Deutsche Bank has been forced by a German court to reinstate a Frankfurt employee whom New York regulators had ordered the bank to fire as part of a settlement over alleged interest rate rigging.
The drinks group said it returned to sales growth in the third quarter, driven by robust demand in the United States, its top market, and improving sales in China.
The Channel Tunnel operator posted a 5 percent rise in 2015 revenue to 1.222 billion euros as continued growth in the UK economy helped offset the impact of the disruption to traffic in the summer resulting from the migrant crisis.
Audi’s labour boss has criticized plans by the carmaker to focus production of the brand’s first mass-produced electric model outside its German home market.
Barclays will close its cash equities business across Asia and exit Korea and Taiwan, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Thursday, as part of a global cost-cutting plan aimed at boosting profits.
Five people, including two former GlaxoSmithKline researchers, were charged with a scheme to steal trade secrets from the British drugmaker for potential sale in China, according to indictments announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
The world’s largest staffing group said it had completed a 250 million euro ($272.33 million) share buyback programme launched in November 2014.
Swiss-American technology accessories maker Logitech International said its quarterly operating profit fell 1.5 percent, as strong year-end demand for newer music and video accessories failed to offset shrinking demand for computer add-ons.
GPA SA, Brazil’s biggest retailer and part of French retailer Casino, named Luis Moreno chief executive of its supermarket and convenience store division and Marcos Samaha head of operations for the unit. ID:nE6N13Z00Q]
The world’s largest fish farmer reported preliminary fourth-quarter results below expectations on Wednesday due to lower than forecast output and a restructuring of its Scottish business, where it expects to cut up to 100 jobs. For more on the company, click on
The carmaker said it was setting up a joint venture in Quebec to develop components for high-performance electric vehicles. The venture will pool PSA, France’s Exagon Motors, Investissement Quebec and IndusTech, a unit of Hydro-Quebec, it said.
The company announced that the fourth patient to have an artificial heart implant died from medical complications unrelated to the device.
The in vitro diagnostics company forecast 2016 organic sales growth of 6-8 percent after 2015 sales rose 7.1 percent like-for-like to 1.965 billion euros.
The company posted third-quarter revenue of 60.8 million euros compared to 44.6 million a year ago and said that given the size of its debt and its inadequate equity level, it was continuing talks with several investors with a view to their possible involvement in a recapitalisation project.
JCDecaux and Verizon Wireless said they had signed a multi-year contract to deploy Verizon’s 4G LTE small cells integrated in JCDecaux’s U.S. street furniture assets.
The French IT services group said it had completed the acquisition from Gores Group and Siemens of Unify, in a deal based on an enterprise value of 590 million euros. (Reporting by Atul Prakash; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)


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BETHESDA, MD 04 September 2012—The discovery of a BiCNU vial containing more carmustine than the label declares prompted distributor Bristol-Myers Squibb Company last week to recall 10 lots of the cancer treatment made by a former third-party contract manufacturer.
In a letter (PDF) dated August 29, Bristol-Myers Squibb said the carmustine lots were manufactured by BenVenue Laboratories and distributed between March 2010 and July 2011.
Each package of BiCNU is supposed to contain a vial with 100 mg of carmustine and an ampul with 3 mL of diluent. The BiCNU lots being recalled have a carmustine vial or diluent ampul with an expiration date as soon as November 2012 or as late as April 2014.
Bristol-Myers Squibb said the problematic vial was discovered at the manufacturing facility during a stability test.
Ben Venue's facility in Bedford, Ohio, has had troubles for several years. FDA inspectors in 2007 reported "significant deviations" from the current good manufacturing practice regulations. Problems persisted, and the company announced in August 2011 that it was exiting the contract manufacturing business and focusing on its Bedford Laboratories generic injectable business.
That same month Bristol-Myers Squibb obtained FDA's approval to have Emcure Pharmaceuticals Ltd. of India manufacture the carmustine component of BiCNU.
Bristol-Myers Squibb said it does expect the recall to result in a shortage.


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Now that women are the primary breadwinners in 40 percent of American households, it's a great time for Swiffer to co-opt the iconic image of Rosie the Riveter—who urged women to roll up their sleeves and join the workforce during World War II—and use her to get women back in the kitchen where they belong! Funny thing, though, a lot of women objected to that, and now Procter & Gamble, in one of those smart moves where companies actually listen to their consumers, is working to remove the image everywhere it's being used. Satisfied consumers are chanting Rosie's slogan of "We can do it!" relatively pleased that Swiffer heard them.
Our core value is to make cleaning easier, no matter who's behind the handle. We apologize and are working hard to remove the image.— Swiffer (@Swiffer) June 4, 2013
If you didn't know the history, the ad would seem boring at best. It has a woman in Rosie's trademark red polkadot hairkerchief and rugged denim button-down holding a Swiffer steam mop with an arched eyebrow and a no-nonsense look on her face. She's about to get her deep clean on with steam clean. If wardrobe had put that woman in nearly any other outfit, we wouldn't have thought twice about it. But now bloggers are not only upset over the soon-to-be-destroyed Swiffer ad, they're scrutinizing the entire cleaning category, which has been overpopulated for far too long with the sort of sexist bullshit that demeans both sexes, reducing men to bumbling children and elevating women to powerful princesses of cleanliness. Which is ridiculous.
I recommend they take some tips from Tide. Look, gender doesn't matter in cleaning. Women, men, even children and probably a few intelligent dogs can mop a floor. And that will be true until we ditch our Swiffers and start mopping the floor with our genitalia.


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U.S. Construction Spending Inches Higher In March
(RTTNews) - A report released by the Commerce Department on Monday showed a modest increase in U.S. construction spending in the month of March.
The Commerce Department said construction spending inched up by 0.1 percent to an annual rate or $1.731 trillion in March after rising by 0.5 percent to a revised rate of $1.729 trillion in March. Economists had expected construction spending to increase by 0.7 percent.
The uptick in total construction spending came as spending on private construction rose by 0.2 percent to an annual rate of $1.380 trillion.
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Spending on educational construction slid by 0.8 percent to a rate of $80.3 billion, while spending on highway construction fell by 0.4 percent to a rate of $103.1 billion.
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11-year-old molested while clothes shopping in Dubai
DUBAI// A man confessed to molesting an 11-year-old girl who was shopping with her parents in Al Qusais area, the Dubai Criminal Court heard on Sunday.
Prosecutors told the court that on October 7 this year, Indian S M was with her parents at a clothing shop when the defendant, Sri Lankan A A, 31, hugged her from behind.
The girl said the defendant stuck his body to hers and held her at the waist.
S M then rushed to her parents and informed them. “I asked her what he had done and she confirmed his assault so we called police,” said the girl’s 39-year-old father, an engineer.
The defendant was arrested shortly after and S M identified him three times.
Camera footage from the shop showed the defendant molesting S M.
The next hearing will be on January 6.
Published: December 15, 2014 04:00 AM


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People check a Nio ES6 SUV at a showroom in Beijing. [Photo by Li Fusheng/China Daily]
"A three-year crush, a five-year relationship, and finally there comes marriage today," said Nio founder and CEO William Li, in high spirits, last Thursday at the company's showroom in downtown Beijing.
Li was not summarizing his romantic life, although Nio showrooms have become popular marriage proposal sites for its fans. He was unveiling the company's battery swap initiative, called BaaS, or battery as a service.
BaaS enables people to buy an electric car without buying its battery pack. Car owners pay monthly rental fees for their use, and they can even choose battery packs of different capacities if they want.
"To offer customers more choice is always something good. And charging and battery swap do not contradict each other. Our goal is that customers can charge the cars, swap and upgrade their batteries."
Nio started offering a battery swap service since 2018 through a financial program. Different from BaaS, car owners must pay for the battery packs as well.
"Buying a vehicle without buying the battery is what the electric car sector should be like," said Li.
Li said the idea of battery swap first emerged in 2012 when he did a survey at Biauto, a Chinese car comparison website he founded, about electric cars.
The survey of 64,000 respondents showed that almost half of them were worried about inconvenient charging, and over 30 percent said the battery cost would be exorbitant.
"So since we founded Nio in 2015, everything we do, including our chassis design, centers around battery swap. And finally, eight years later, it has become a reality," Li said.
What excites Li is that BaaS solves such concerns as battery cost, the vehicle's residual value and inconvenient charging.
The battery pack is the most expensive component of an electric car, accounting for around half of a car's total cost. Baas slashes electric cars' price tags by up to almost 20 percent and is thus expected to make them more competitive compared with gasoline cars.
"We believe with BaaS, more customers of gasoline cars will consider electric vehicles," Li said.
In terms of charging, not every one in big cities can have a private charging pole.
And for those who do, it usually takes hours to get a vehicle fully charged. Battery swap, in comparison, takes minutes.
Li said a station the size of three parking spaces can offer batteries for 96 vehicles a day. He said the company is working on second generation stations, which will be able to serve 400 vehicles per day.
So far Nio has 143 battery swapping stations in 64 cities around China, with it taking three minutes to swap a spent battery pack for a fully charged one.
Li said Nio is on average building a station a week and plans to build 300 new stations in 2021.
Frank Schlenstedt, a technology chief at an automation company in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, has been using his Nio ES8 SUV mainly via battery swap.
He has completed lengthy trips from Suzhou to Beijing, Harbin in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province and Shenzhen in South China's Shenzhen province.
Schlenstedt said battery swap is one of the reasons that he decided on the startup's vehicle, because it represents innovation.
"Battery swap is not a new concept, but Nio is the first to make it a reality," he said.
The concept-to-reality process took five years. "You could not sell electric cars without batteries until very recently, and you had many government departments to convince," said Li.
Li said in addition to "patient communications" with them, over 1,200 patents Nio has developed and more than 800,000 swaps done over the years helped to persuade them.
"I was moved when a senior government official said 'There must be something real about battery swap if so many people like it'," said Li.
China has led the world in new energy sales in the past five years, and has built 38,000 charging stations, 449 battery swap stations and 1.3 million charging poles, according to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information.
Building battery swap stations was included in this year's central government work report as part of efforts to boost the country's new energy vehicle segment.
Xin Guobin, vice-minister of industry and information, told a news conference in July that battery swapping will be further promoted.
The technology will help extend the life of batteries, enhance safety and lower costs for buyers, Xin said, adding that enterprises will be encouraged to develop new battery charging and swapping technologies.


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If you watch camera news, there’s one theme here lately that seems to rise above all others. And that’s the fact that camera sales are in a sharp decline. In fact, if you Google camera sales, you’ll find dozens of articles all bemoaning the grim state of the industry. There’s a ton of fear out there.
And some of these people are even going so far as to say that this is the end of photography as we know it. The sharp drop in sales must surely mean that people will stop taking photographs and that photography is a dying art form.
Honestly? I think this is a whole lot of panic and hype. It is true that camera sales are declining sharply. But is it really because no one is taking photographs anymore? Given the vast volumes of new art being produced every day, I seriously doubt that.
Truthfully, camera sales are declining because most of us really don’t need new cameras. For the vast majority of people who aren’t photographers either by trade or as a hobby, today’s phone cameras do just fine. And for those of us who pursue photography more seriously? Well, we’re not buying new cameras because those that we already own are capable of creating perfectly sharp images, even at the larger end of the spectrum.
When we look at manufacturers, we see they’re releasing new, upgraded camera bodies sometimes as often as every year. But what photographer buys a new camera every year? Almost none. Who can afford it, for one thing? And for two, none of us have a need to upgrade that often, not when the gear we already have does a perfectly fine job. For most of us? The investment in a new camera or a new lens is a lasting investment. We’ll still be using that same piece of gear five years from now or maybe even ten years from now.
It all comes down to the fact that the market is saturated. So many people who wanted a new camera system got one, and now they see no reason to upgrade, not until that system fails, becomes seriously obsolete, or when new technology isn’t just an incremental improvement, but a massive upgrade.
And what if slow camera sales do lead to a decline in the number of photographs taken? I highly doubt something like that will happen, but speaking hypothetically, if lots of people stopped taking photographs, would that spell the end of photography?
No. That’s something that simply won’t happen. There are still people to this day who take photographs with cameras and equipment approaching a century old. The occasional daguerreotype is still being made. Once an art form is born, there’s no going back. Even if popularity wanes, there will still always be artists who practice within that medium.
And where photography is concerned? That’s doubly true. When you think about it, the whole world runs on photography. The internet is comprised of billions of images, everything from art to illustrations for news articles and blogs. There is always going to be a huge demand for the still image, and with that, the demand for photographic artwork will always be present. So, no, photography isn’t a dying art form. In fact, it has become and will likely remain the most pervasive art form of all.


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Agra city too is geared up for Trump’s visit. Massive billboards of Trump and PM Modi have come up on the streets. “Welcome to the holy land of Lord Ram” said some while “welcome to the land of immense opportunities for investment” read others.
Along the road leading to the east gate of Taj from where Trump will be entering, cutouts of Trump and Modi have been placed under pillars and lamp posts. US and India flags have lined the way up to the entrance of The Oberoi Amarvilas where Trump will shift into battery-run golf carts.
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India’s goods and services tax (GST) collections rose 11% in November from a year earlier to ₹1.46 lakh crore, adding to other data released on Thursday that showed economic resilience despite rising headwinds.Best Offer 60% Below Liquidation Value, RCap Lenders to Meet All Bidders Today
The administrator at Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Capital has told lenders that the highest bid received for the insolvent financial services company is 60% below its aggregate liquidation value, making it imperative to seek improved plans from bidders, two people aware of the development told ET.
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Shane Flynn, Applegreen
Applegreen has brought many new initiatives to the forecourt market in recent years. It pioneered the first Motorway Service Areas (MSAs) in Ireland, launched the industry’s first loyalty card and its own brand range.
In 2014, the new ideas continue as Applegreen gears up to enter the Dealer market.
Since its inception in 1992, Petrogas Global Ltd (trading as Applegreen) has successfully opened almost 80 service stations across Ireland, all of which are company owned. The company also operates a forecourt network in the UK.
The new Dealer offering is all about letting independent retailers access the Applegreen brand and new dealer manager Shane Flynn is heading up the new venture.
Speaking to IFCR, Shane explained Applegreen’s thinking behind the move into the Dealer business.
“Initially the idea came from requests from existing dealers wanting to get access to our brand,” said Shane.
“This highlighted a gap in our portfolio of products and services to the market and the Dealer offering now showcases another opportunity for the company to grow its presence in the market.”
He added: “The new Applegreen Dealer offering will propose a ‘no hassle’ solution for forecourt owners looking for the wide range of benefits when moving to an Applegreen canopy and fuel supply. These benefits include a competitive and guaranteed fuel margin, significant brand.”
Shane, who is an ex-Topaz COCO business manager, has started to build a strong team for the new Applegreen venture and they are ready to get out into the marketplace to showcase the benefits
to becoming an Applegreen Dealer.
Shane says that the new Dealer offering has been positioned at all independent forecourt retailers.
“Applegreen has developed a competitive, attractive package aimed at appealing to all those looking for a good deal in the marketplace, now and in the future.
“We encourage any potential Dealer who wants to put their fuel pricing, ordering and forecourt maintenance in the right hands to take a good look at our Dealer brochure. Our canopy message ‘low fuel prices, always’ will be a beacon to any driver looking for quality, traceable fuel at very competitive prices. This will improve footfall to those who engage with our Dealer package.”
Shane believes that the Applegreen Dealer offering is unique to the competition and offers competitive and guaranteed fuel margins.
“It’s a significant brand investment, there’s no cash tied up in fuel, you benefit from low fuel prices and you can avail of our industry leading and award-winning loyalty programme for fuel sales.
“Our 21 years of forecourt retailing knowledge means it’s a ‘no hassle’ solution for fuel; we look after the ordering, pricing of fuel and delivery by DCD where possible.”
The new Dealer focus comes on the back of a positive year for Applegreen in 2013.
Since the subsidence of the downturn in the market, Shane explained that Applegreen has seen only encouraging signs pointing towards a rise in consumption.
“We have seen good shop and food-to-go growth of five per cent in Ireland (like for like of 3.6 per cent). Also the difficult economic environment presented us with opportunities, which we have successfully
embraced aiding the growth for our forecourt estate.”
He continued: “We currently have more than 80 sites in Ireland and over 42 sites in the UK. As well as expanding these numbers, we are also focusing on the rebranding of older sites, thus further strengthening the Applegreen brand.”
The company’s rapid expansion in the UK and the focused development of new business opportunities has challenged Applegreen to ensure that the head office components grow sufficiently to support this.
The brand gained strong recognition in the industry over the past 12 months, thanks to Applegreen’s innovative and entrepreneurial spirit.
The company has won awards internationally as well as in Ireland and the UK acknowledging its widely renowned status as an innovator within the forecourt industry.
“Last year saw us win the Retail Excellence ‘National Store of the Year’ and ‘Manager of the Year’ award 2014,” said Shane.
“We also won The All-Ireland Marketing Awards ‘CRM Customer Care’ award 2013 and The Loyalty Awards ‘Best New Loyalty Programme’ award covering Europe, Middle East and
Applegreen also had great success with its Charitable Fund, which is now in its fifth year. Last year concluded with another exciting chapter by donating €405,387.12 to be split between its charity partners The Jack & Jill
Children’s Foundation and Console.
The total amount raised is 59 per cent higher than the target set for this two year charity drive involving Applegreen’s customers and the Applegreen service stations nationwide, which brings the total amount donated by Applegreen to charity to date to €681,469.31, since the fund began.
As 2014 is well underway, Applegreen has a busy year ahead. The Dealer offering is now rolling out across Ireland and the company is also working on six new MSAs – two of which will open later this year.
Applegreen has a strong history of bringing new ideas to the forecourt sector. The company says its success lies in its ability to spot opportunities and to create innovative and far-seeing partnerships.
The new Dealer offering looks like another of these opportunities.


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Games Play-to-Earn (P2E) are taking the gaming industry by storm. Its exceptional gaming model rewards players with NFTs for playing games they would have likely played for free before the advent of blockchain.
A very attractive model
With the increase in digital ownership, it is clear that P2E games are the future of gaming as users are more interested in owning these unique in-game tokens. Games like Axie Infinity are highly regarded because they allow users to gain real-world value. They also facilitate the adoption of cryptocurrencies. This attracted people to the blockchain space. Indeed, you can earn tokens with real value and utility while playing challenging and well-constructed games.
With traditional games, the relationship between the game company and the player is one-sided. The gaming company only makes money, while the player has nothing, unless he is an e-athlete. Blockchain games have changed the paradigm, allowing players to monetize their time. This paradigm has already been under attack, especially thanks to cryptocurrencies, which have allowed players to resell tokens on parallel markets. in the game grace. Some who sold for bitcoins at a time when it was worth almost nothing got rich with it.
These games represent a new economic model, so it is not surprising to see the explosive growth of fluff in the last two years. DappRadar reported that more than 50% of blockchain users are attached to a gaming application. Learn all about the game for money in this article.
The global gaming market was valued at USD 173.70 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach a value of USD 314.40 billion by 2027 at a CAGR of 9.64%. There are more than 3.1 billion gamers worldwide and this number is expected to grow significantly in the coming years. The mobile gaming industry alone is expected to reach a value of $272 billion by 2030.
The emergence of the metaverse added a special flavor to blockchain games. Gameplay is based on user interaction and experience, and metaverse has dramatically improved it.
Metaverse games are becoming more and more popular among players, and the main reason for this is the highly immersive digital world where users can easily interact.
The inclusion of virtual reality takes the engagement experience to a higher level. Games demand deeper and more unique immersion to play them, mix the metaverse, P2E and virtual reality and you have a game that is ultra-immersive, hyper-connected and rewarding the player when playing.
Reviews of these new models
However, not everything is so simple in this transformation he is going through game. Indeed, many players and communities reject this passage and boycott traditional companies like Ubisoft, which is integrating more and more blockchain technology into its games.
Many players fear that this world will become more of a race for chips and money than an enjoyable experience for the player and discovery through missions or the game scenario. The truth is that it always involves more tokens, NFTs and relationships in-game money can change the way players play.
However, it’s worth remembering that there have never been so many independent game developers and that blockchain and crowdfunding thanks to tokens and NFTs are enabling an explosion in the number of small games coming out. Game development is expensive, and if you want to continue to enjoy a large selection of independent games, the best way is to support them.
Blockchain is shaking up the gigantic video game ecosystem. There will be mistakes and abuses, as in everything. But this revolution will allow for healthier funding, fairer rewards, and a direct relationship between game developers and their community.
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Observer of the monetary, economic and social revolution.