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The handheld computers we carry in our pockets represent almost unimaginable complexity. Batteries, sensors, chips, circuits, and touch displays in a space age shell, all painstakingly assembled by thousands of workers and shipped globally.
Smartphones have disrupted numerous industries. Up next? Disrupting how such modern marvels are made. What if you could dramatically reduce the number of parts and eliminate assembly—what if you could 3D print a smartphone?
Voxel8’s new 3D printer, which can print functioning electronic devices all in one piece, heralds just such a radical possibility. It should be noted that Voxel8’s printer can’t print every component yet. But that doesn’t lessen its significance.
How does it work? In one sense, just like your standard 3D printer, the device is guided by digital modeling software to build shapes out of consecutive layers of plastic. When instructed, the printer pauses and a second print nozzle lays down highly conductive circuits while the operator pops in key components like processor, battery, and motors.
Voxel8’s demo video shows the device printing a working drone quadcopter start to finish.
Now, clearly, the Voxel8 printer can’t print a drone from the ground up, never mind a smartphone. But circuitry is the connective tissue of a device, and the printer can make antennas, electromagnetic coils, or stacked integrated circuits.
“No longer are you limited to planar PCBs [printed circuit boards],” the Voxel8 team writes on their website. “Now you can design the electronics to fit your part, rather than designing the part around the electronics.”
And for more complete 3D printed electronic devices? Think of this as a proof of concept.
The Harvard research group behind the device has spent years neck deep in materials science. The conductive “ink” that forms their 3D printed circuits reportedly leaves competitors in the dust in terms of sheer conductivity. And in the future, Voxel8 says they plan to develop new “inks” for resistors, sensors, and batteries.
As the technology progresses, and the number of printable electronic components grows, it’ll advance 3D printing beyond today’s prototypes and plastic trinkets to useful tools and devices. But not yet.
The last few decades of industrial prototyping on big, expensive 3D printers were a bit like the early days of modern computing—the decades of military and industrial supercomputers that required a room and a PhD to operate, and only did a few things really well. But the last few years have looked more like the 70s and early 80s when hobbyists and hackers gave birth to personal computers.
Like early PCs, consumer 3D printers are clunky, slow, and in search of a reason for regular folks to buy them. We can expect them to get faster. And their interfaces will get smoother. But that killer application remains elusive.
Expanding the materials 3D printers can use expands what their products can do. That’s why Voxel8 is exciting. Industrial 3D printers can already print with a variety of materials including different plastics and metals. MakerBot recently announced composite wood, stone, and metal filaments for its consumer line of printers at CES.
They showed off a hammer that looked and functioned like a traditional hammer (albeit, still not quite as sturdy). Printing tools and replacement parts at home might be an early reason to buy a 3D printer.
But add a variety of conductive inks and printable electronics to the mix, and we begin to see far more versatile 3D printed objects requiring little to no assembly. Maybe we’ll go to the local print shop for our devices.
Maybe we’ll print some of them on our desk.
In either case, it’ll be one disruptive technology disrupting another. Why, for example, would Foxconn need toreplace humans assembling iPhones with industrial robots, if the manufacturing and assembly process was radically simplified by advanced 3D printers? Or, eventually, perhaps we won’t need a big, centralized manufacturing hub like Foxconn at all.
When I learned about Voxel8, I was reminded of William Gibson’s latest novel, The Peripheral, which takes place in both a near and far future. In the near future—virtually everything is 3D printed. Even the protagonist Flynne Fisher’s phone.
Perhaps Voxel8’s electronics printing machine marks the beginning of all that. We’re here to find out.


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Penton Media Up for Sale
As part of the announcement, Penton stated in a financial filing that its preferred shareholders agreed on a plan Tuesday to share the proceeds of a sale with the common shareholders, who have what’s known in Wall Street circles as "holdup value";the ability to block a deal.
A special independent committee of the board was appointed to represent the common shareholders. None of the three committee members, interestingly, own any common shares of stock.
With EBITDA last year of $41 million, a sale of the company at 10-times EBITDA would yield $410 million. However, industry observers speculate that the company will perform better this year, approaching $50 million in adjusted pro forma EBITDA, thus pushing a 10-times multiple to close to $500 million.
The allocation plan, which apparently needs the approval of the common shareholders, provides them;the common shareholders;with 12.75 percent of the first $135 million of net proceeds (with a minimum allocation to the common stock of at least $14 million), 15 percent of any additional net proceeds up to $145 million, 25 percent of any additional net proceeds up to $185 million and 20 percent of any additional net proceeds over $185 million.
In short, the common shareholders would get $14 million, or 41 cents per share, for a transaction that produces net proceeds of $135 million (a sale price of around $470 million) and $28 million, or 83 cents per share, if the net proceeds are $185 million (or a total sale price of about $515 million). Penton has 34 million shares of common stock outstanding. It closed today at 26 cents.
The sale-proceeds sharing agreement seems to favor the preferred shareholders, even if it dilutes what they could get under the existing terms of ownership. In the best case scenario, the common shareholders get $27 million while the preferred shareholders;basically ABRY and its allies; get more than $150 million on an investment in 2002 of $50 million.
ABRY apparently shopped Penton last fall and speculation of a possible sale arose again earlier this year after Penton filed a preliminary proxy statement that included a request that shareholders give the board authority to implement a reverse stock split, then in a definitive proxy statement, removed the stock split proposal. Penton had a first quarter 2006 EBITDA to be $17.2 million and revenue of $54.3 million.

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In partnership with Feeding America, VERANDA and Hearst Magazines are committed to putting an end to hunger. To learn more about the initiative and donate, please visit Feeding America.
Each day, millions of families don’t know how they will be able to put food on the table. More than 37 million people face hunger and food insecurity in the U.S., with children being the most affected group. Unfortunately, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and countless jobs vanishing, that number will rise in 2020.
It’s estimated that nearly 16 percent of the country—54.3 million people—won’t have access to enough food for their families this year. Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief program, has long been making strides to put an end to food insecurity through education and a nationwide network of food banks. And while there’s no one approach to ending hunger, volunteering and donating to organizations like Feeding America brings us all a step closer to ensuring every person has access to food. Here, we take look at nine of our favorite brands working to help end hunger and how you can support their missions.
As a mission partner of Feeding America, Crate & Barrel works to bring awareness around issues of hungry within the U.S. by hosting events to raise funds for the organization. Leading up to their annual holiday campaign, the home-goods store is running an in-store promotion where customers can donate to their local food bank at the register between August 13 and September 30, 2020.
Founded by Lauren Bush, FEED aims to combat childhood hunger by providing meals and aid to underserved communities through the sale of their artisan-made products. From chic handbags to fragrant candles, each product has a number on it to represent the number of school meals donated through your purchase.
The lifestyle brand has secured over 12 million meals with Feeding America, and it’s currently promoting the FEED Supper campaign in partnership with the organization, where friends and communities come together to raise funds while gathering over delicious food.
Omni Hotels & Resorts has raised over 18 million meals in support of Feeding America since the launch of their "Say Goodnight to Hunger" program in 2016. For each complete stay at an Omni property, one meal is donated to a local member food bank within the hotel's or resort’s community. Seems like the perfect excuse to take that work-cation you’ve been dreaming about. Might we suggest this Asheville escape in the Blue Ridge Mountains?
A marketplace for global bohemian decor, St. Frank allows shoppers to donate 10 percent of their purchase to Feeding America by using the code “GIVE10” at checkout. Plus, the brand prioritizes ethical sourcing and supporting global artisans and craftsmanship across the globe.
In the early months of the pandemic, Mark Badgley and James Mischka turned to art to express their daily emotions. At first, the duo began auctioning their cheeky sketches off on Instagram to raise funds for Feeding America. However, with much demand, they decided to produce a book with over 60 sketches to continue their efforts to raise money for the cause.
The self-proclaimed brand for the nomad by heart, Love Binetti will donate 10 percent of online purchases to Feeding America for those particularly affected by COVID-19.
Based in Southern California, Ruggable makes cleaning messes on your rugs a breeze with their innovative, washable designs. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the rug company sent donations to a number of organizations that distribute meals to vulnerable communities such as Feeding America, Baby2Baby, and No Kid Hungry.
Modern kitchenware brand Our Place has been a longterm partner with organizations like the Los Angeles Food Policy Council to make healthy food more accessible. At the beginning of this year, they expanded their mission to help those in need by establishing a program where, with every purchase, Our Place will donate 10 meals to Feeding America.
Since its Milan and New York showrooms closed, BDDW pivoted to hosting online auctions once a month. Revenues made from many select pieces have been donated to not only Feeding America but also the NAACP and the ACLU.


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The Arlington County government’s revenues from single-use plastic bags remains on track during fiscal 2024 to approximate the total received in fiscal 2023.
In fiscal 2023 – which ended last June – the county government received just over $340,000 for its share of bag-tax revenue, Treasurer Carla de la Pava told the GazetteLeader. So far in fiscal 2024, the county government’s share has amounted to about $182,000.
(De la Pava shared the data, but her office doesn’t collect the tax. Funds from retailers are sent directly to the state government.)
Using powers given to them by the General Assembly in 2021, the Arlington government became among the first in Virginia to impose a 5-cent-per-bag tax on single-use bags at grocery, convenience and drug stores, as well as on larger retailers that have grocery-and-drug-store operations.
(Retailers are not required to charge customers for the bags, but are required to pay the tax even if they do not. Until the end of 2023, stores were allowed to keep 2 cents from the tax on each bag; going forward, it is 1 cent.)
Arlington is one of what is still a relatively small number of jurisdictions that have imposed the tax on the public following legislation enacted during a brief window when Democrats held control of both houses of the General Assembly and the governorship.
According to the Virginia Department of Taxation, bag taxes also have been enacted in Albemarle, Fairfax and Loudoun counties and the cities of Alexandria, Charlottesville, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg and Roanoke.
Local governments must use revenue from the tax for environmental and recycling efforts.


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Digital TV News: Chunghwa Telecom
Chunghwa Telecom selects Telestream for QoE & 4K media processing
Sep 23, 2019 – Chunghwa Telecom will adopt Telestream’s Vantage media processing platform for its 4K broadcast operations. At the same time, Chunghwa Telecom will ensure QoS standards are met using Telestream’s Vidchecker QC software for file-based media.
News categories: Telestream, Chunghwa Telecom, Alistair Butler, Content Distribution, Digital TV, IPTV, Taiwan
Pay-TV penetration in APAC set to decline marginally through 2023
Jul 29, 2019 – Cord-cutting in developed APAC is set to offset gains in DTH and IPTV in emerging APAC (South and Southeast Asia) and as a result, the overall region is forecast to witness a marginal decline in pay-TV household penetration from 67.4% in 2018 to 67.0% by the end of 2023, according to GlobalData.
News categories: GlobalData, Malcolm Rogers, Australia, China, Digital TV, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Philippines, Subscribers, Thailand
HiNet selects Anevia software to add further CDN capacity
May 23, 2018 – Anevia is helping HiNet further expand its extensive TV network. HiNet is the data communications business group of Chunghwa Telecom and the deal marks a landmark in Anevia’s strategic expansion into the APAC region.
News categories: Anevia, HiNet, Antoine Hugoo, Peter Chou, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Taiwan
Chunghwa Telecom upgrades to Verimatrix VCAS Ultra to secure UHD/4K services
Apr 9, 2018 – Verimatrix has announced that as Chunghwa Telecom expands its multimedia on demand (MoD) offering to include UHD/4K streaming, it has deployed VCAS Ultra to secure new delivery models and support next-generation services and technology.
News categories: Verimatrix, Chunghwa Telecom, Steve Oetegenn, Dr. Chih-Cheng Lo, Content Protection, Digital TV, IPTV, NABShow, Taiwan
Fixed broadband subscribers to approach 1 billion in 2019
Apr 9, 2015 – According to Infonetics Research (NYSE: IHS) fixed broadband subscribers grew 8% in 2014, reaching 733 million as service providers continue to steadily add subscribers. Subscriber growth is being driven by FTTH and DOCSIS 3.0.
News categories: Infonetics, Jeff Heynen, Broadband, IPTV, Market Research, OTT, Subscribers, Worldwide
Envivio powers Chunghwa Telecom 4K HEVC trial
Feb 5, 2015 – Envivio (NASDAQ: ENVI) has announced that Chunghwa Telecom has selected Envivio video solutions for its 4K HEVC streaming service trial. In the trial, Envivio is using its Muse Ultra HD software to support two modes of 4K HEVC delivery to a wide range of devices for Chunghwa.
News categories: Envivio, HwaCom, Chunghwa Telecom, Carl Hurd, Alex Huang, Digital TV, IPTV, Set Top Box, Taiwan
ChungHwa Telecom planning OTT version of its MOD TV service
Nov 21, 2014 – According to a Digitimes report, ChungHwa Telecom (CHT) is planning the launch of an OTT version of its Multimedia On Demand (MOD) IPTV service, possibly by the end of this year.
News categories: ChungHwa Telecom, Apps, Digital TV, OTT, Set Top Box, Taiwan
Chunghwa Telecom to conduct 4K HEVC streaming trial with Broadpeak
Aug 27, 2014 – Broadpeak has announced that Chunghwa Telecom has selected its server and CDN manager solutions to power a trial 4K HEVC streaming service in Taiwan. Broadpeak and HwaCom will demonstrate the solution at IBC2014.
News categories: Broadpeak, Chunghwa Telecom, HwaCom, JH Lin, Jacques Le Mancq, Content Distribution, Digital TV, IBC2019, IPTV, Taiwan
Chunghwa Telecom launches TVs with MOD IPTV integrated
Mar 4, 2014 – Chunghwa Telecom (TAIEX: 2412, NYSE: CHT) has announced the availability of Smart TVs with access to its Multimedia-On-demand (MOD) service built-in.
News categories: Chunghwa Telecom, Digital TV, IPTV, Smart TV, Taiwan
- Imagine Communications agrees ad insertion deal with the NCTC
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- 'Tapering subscriber acquisitions' for Dish TV India in 4Q 2019
- Movistar Spain launches new voice remote control
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- Swedish streaming market saturating


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Greenberry’s Coffee Co. will open its first Williamsburg, Va., location mid-September in the Swem Library.
The Charlottesville-based company was chosen as the new vendor based on their serious commitment to high‐quality sustainable products.
“This is an exciting addition to campus. After listening to what the students wanted from a coffeehouse, we feel Greenberry’s will be able to deliver a high quality menu using locally-sourced, sustainable ingredients,” said Matt Moss, director of dining.
The café will feature artisan-roasted coffee, premium teas from around the world and fresh smoothies, as well as bread and pastries baked daily by William & Mary’s own pastry chef, Dominique Lewis.
Additional menu items will include gourmet soups, salads and sandwiches created to reflect the warm and inviting atmosphere.
Greenberry’s President Sean Simmons added, “The College of William & Mary is a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase what we do best: quality coffee, inviting atmosphere, and a commitment to local flavor. We look forward to becoming a part of the Tribe tradition, whether it is before an 8 a.m. class or during an 11 p.m. study break.”
Greenberry’s will accept W&M Express, Dining Dollars, cash and all major credit cards.


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So while this decision may really be about the relevance of sales figures for devices, it surely has to be just as much about protecting Apple's brands in markets that are becoming increasingly saturated with gadgets.
But the facelift goes beyond the size.
Working from 100 percent recycled aluminum, the Air contains a couple Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports and a headphone jack. While it's attached to the iPad, it charges.
The updated MacBook Air is Apple's latest slim notebook laptop, with a retina display and Touch ID, running on macOS Mojave.
As an alternative to the iPad Pro, for anyone looking to do something more demanding, such as programming, for instance, the MacBook Pro has my vote.
So, if you have no warranty, fix of the 12.9-inch version will cost $650. Here, too, the housing is made of recycled aluminum comes from. The new iPad Pros aren't out in stores yet, but an eagle-eyed BGR reader discovered Geekbench scores for the tablet. It packs the latest Apple A12X Bionic chip with iOS 12 out-of-the-box. "The biggest change to the iPad Pro's cameras is the addition of Face ID to the mix". Users who are already using the previous iPad Pro models should, on paper, be just fine.
So here we are, with a new iPad Pro to check out - one that's insanely powerful, with an overhauled design, an improved screen, and a slew of added extras.
But this device's best advantage is in its performance.
Apple said on stage and in the iPad Pro's promo video later that the iPad Pro is faster than 92% of all portable PCs sold in the last 12 months, which is impressive.
The new flood illuminator will be included in all three 2019 iPhone models. It's an evolution of the new hardware found in the iPhone XS, created to give you the power to work on the move.
You've also got a variety of storage capacity options, so let's break down the pricing. Speaking of accessories, Engadgets review was written on the Smart Keyboard Folio. This price justifies an upgraded butterfly keyboard, a Force Touch trackpad, and an HD webcam. The rumor mill also claims that at least one of the next year's flagship iPhones would feature a triple camera system on the back.
There will be two angles for different viewing types.
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- United Nations to investigate Saudi Arabia's human rights record


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Automatic cars on fast track, Maruti drives sales chart
A surge in the popularity of automated manual transmission — a cost effective and relatively unsophisticated version of gearless cars — has led to a dramatic increase in sales of automatic cars in India, which touched nearly 80,000 units in 2014-15 from under 50,000 units in 2013-14.autos Updated: Apr 24, 2015 10:06 IST
A surge in the popularity of automated manual transmission — a cost effective and relatively unsophisticated version of gearless cars — has led to a dramatic increase in sales of automatic cars in India, which touched nearly 80,000 units in 2014-15 from under 50,000 units in 2013-14.
The main driver of was market leader Maruti Suzuki India, which launched two AMT versions last year in its small cars Celerio and Alto K10. The company sold 32,300 automatic cars in 2014-15 from just 1,500 units in 2013-14. The AMT versions in the Celerio and Alto K10 accounted for 30,000 units of these.
“We have anticipated AMT to account for 25% in the Celerio in the long term, but it continues to account for a much higher 40%,” said RS Kalsi, executive director, marketing and sales, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. “Celerio’s success gave us confidence to launch it in Alto K10, where currently the share is at 25-30%.”
Compared to a conventional automatic car, the AMT version commands a significantly lower premium over a geared car, without any significant compromise in fuel economy. For example, the automatic version of a Honda Brio costs around ` 80,000-120,000 more than its similar geared version, while the fuel economy in the automatic version is 16.5 kpl while that of geared version is 19.4 kpl. In the case of Celerio, however, the AMT version costs Rs. 50,000 more than the geared version, and both have identical fuel economy figures.
“Over the next few years, one out of every two compact cars sold would be equipped with the technology,” said Mayank Pareek, president, passenger vehicle business unit, Tata Motors.
First Published: Apr 24, 2015 10:01 IST


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Olive & Thyme Brings Mediterranean Fare to Clintonville
Clintonville lost a Panera, but gained new local eatery Olive & Thyme in its place.
Olive & Thyme opened in late November 2020 at 4519 N. High St., offering an extensive menu of Lebanese and Mediterranean eats.
After accumulating two and a half decades of experience, Chef Rami Sabra was ready for the dream come true – opening his own restaurant. Sabra worked his way through kitchens in Lebanon and Dubai, eventually coming to the U.S. where he worked in Michigan before moving to Columbus 12 years ago – 12 years he spent as the chef at Lavash.
In addition to a partner in the business, Sabra brought along General Manager Analee Niswander, another industry veteran he had worked with at Lavash, for the new venture.
When searching for a location for Olive & Thyme, and with their experience in the neighborhood, Clintonville was the place to be. It’s home. While the timing might not have been ideal – the pandemic struck just after signing on the space – Sabra was set on the location.
And Sabra and Niswander say the neighborhood has come out to support Olive & Thyme. Business has been going as well as they could expect given the current circumstances, and they look forward to building things up over time.
They’ve ensured there is no shortage of ways for diners to enjoy Olive & Thyme’s menu. The restaurant is open for dine-in, offers online ordering and curbside pickup, and is available for delivery through DoorDash.
Lebanese street foods are the staple items – shawarma, hummus, tabbouleh and fattoush salads – on a made-from-scratch menu. Shawarma, kafta and kebabs come in both sandwich and entree form (served with saffron rice). Another item Sabra says is unique to their menu is the Charbroiled Chicken, marinated, deboned chicken grilled and topped with homemade lemon butter sauce. For the non-carnivores, a number of vegetarian options populate the menu as well.
The restaurant lives up to the bakery that’s a part of its namesake on the building.
Fresh pita emerges from the the brick oven, and two cases are filled with cakes, cookies and more authentic specialties. There’s a selection of baklava, and three varieties each of manakish and fatayer. Manakish, similar to a pizza in its form of flat bread with toppings, comes crowned with meat, cheese or za’atar. Fatayer is a stuffed pie, packed with meat, cheese or spinach.
Despite opening in the middle of the pandemic, Sabra doesn’t see much changing for Olive & Thyme once things return to a more normal state. They’ll keep serving the same, from-scratch food – hopefully just with more dine-in guests, and with the addition of a patio this summer.
Olive & Thyme is open for lunch and dinner, and brunch on the weekends. Hours are 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. Sunday.
For more information, visit oliveandthymecafe.com.
All photos by Susan Post


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See 45 Photos from the Kimye Wedding Weekend!
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West said "I do" on Saturday—and all week long the social media-savvy Kardashian-Jenner clan has been Instagramming up a storm. Beginning with a family gathering in Paris, to a lavish outdoor ceremony at the Forte di Belvedere in Florence, it looks like Kim's friends and family have been having a blast.
From Kris Jenner riding a merry-go-round in Paris, to Khloe posing in front of the gardens at Versailles, there has been no shortage of selfies or double-tap-worthy moments captured by family and friends who traveled to Europe to watch Kim and Kanye exchange their vows.
Take a peek at all the weeklong wedding festivities, and get more details on Kim's Givenchy wedding dress!


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An assortment of new and old Arcade League of Legends items are hitting Riot’s Merch store—and most of them won’t be around for long.
Riot has released a brand new line of Arcade mini figures based on Ezreal, Riven, Ahri, Miss Fortune, and Sona. They are being sold as a bundle for $35.
Alongside the launch of these new miniature figures, Riot is re-releasing the Arcade Hecarim figure that, for the longest time, has been locked in the vault. The figure will set you back $25.
Arcade Hecarim is one of many figures that Riot Games keeps locked in the merch vault to never be seen again. The Championship Thresh figure, for example, which was sold at Worlds 2015, has not been released since.
Once a figure goes into the Vault, there is no telling when, or if, Riot will have them on sale again, so anyone who missed their chance for Arcade Hecarim the first time should act now to get their hands on it.
As well as the figures, Riot also has a large assortment of Arcade-themed items on sale. This includes the Arcade hoodie ($45) which has been in the store for some time now, a few mousepads ($18 each), and the Arcade weapon pin packs ($18 each).
Riot hasn’t said whether these items will be on the sale for a limited time or, like the hoodie, whether they will continue to be sold throughout the year.


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Surefire Medical Inc., a maker of drug delivery catheters, said it has closed on a $12.8 million series D financing round.
The Westminster company said the funding round was led by ORI Healthcare Fund and it will use the money to expand sales efforts in the U.S. and Europe, begin sales in China, complete a clinical trial, and "pursue promising opportunities in the $66 billion immunotherapy market, focusing on site-specific delivery to solid tumors."
"This series D financing supports our core liver cancer business by expanding to large untapped markets as well as expanding our business model through partnerships with biotechnology companies developing immunotherapies for solid tumors," said James Chomas, CEO and president, in a statement.
The 8-year-old company makes specialized catheters that radiologists and oncologists use to deliver liquid beads of chemotherapy or radiation directly into the cancerous part of a patient’s liver, according to a December 2015 report in the Denver Business Journal, reporting on a $15 million funding round.
Read more at the Denver Business Journal: http://bit.ly/2mU6K2b


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Josh Ong is the US Editor at The Next Web. He previously worked as TNW's China Editor and LA Reporter. Follow him on Twitter or email him a Josh Ong is the US Editor at The Next Web. He previously worked as TNW's China Editor and LA Reporter. Follow him on Twitter or email him at [email protected].com.
Google has announced the pending acquisition of smart home device maker Nest Labs for $3.2 billion.
Nest earned acclaim for its first product, a learning thermostat, and had just launched Protect, a smart smoke detector, late last year.
Google CEO Larry Page had this to say of the deal:
Nest’s founders, Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers, have built a tremendous team that we are excited to welcome into the Google family. They’re already delivering amazing products you can buy right now–thermostats that save energy and smoke/CO alarms that can help keep your family safe. We are excited to bring great experiences to more homes in more countries and fulfill their dreams!
According to the terms of the acquisition, Nest will maintain a separate brand identity. Fadell, who worked on the original iPod at Apple, will continue to lead the company.
Fadell said in a blog post that partnering with Google will help Nest “change the world faster than we ever could if we continued to go it alone,” citing the giant’s business resources, global scale and platform. He also noted that the two companies’ visions are well-aligned.
Google Ventures had been one of Nest’s earliest investors. It led the startup’s Series B financing in 2011, as well as its Series C round in 2012. Fadell demoed the Nest Thermostat to Google co-founder Sergey Brin ahead of the device’s launch in 2011.
Rogers also confirmed that Nest will continue to support iOS even after joining Google.
The connected home space was a major theme at CES last week, and Nest has emerged as one of the hottest (pun intended) brands in the industry. It’ll be interesting to see how Google teams up with Nest to push into the space. I actually would have liked to see Nest stay independent. Rogers’s assurance that it won’t share data with Google is comforting for now, but Google has a history of valuing customer data over product sales.
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It will be the first time that Google will be releasing two Nexus smartphones at the same time, and so people are pretty excited to see if this will be a good thing for them, for LG, for Huawei, and of course for the consumers themselves. Amidst rumors that they will be launched later this month, now we’re hearing that pre-orders will start by October 13 for both devices. These rumors may be in keeping with the previous schedules of announcement, pre-order and release of Nexus smartphones.
This is Huawei’s first Nexus device while LG has had a few already under its belt. The former is rumored to have the bigger device and the higher specifications, while the latter will supposedly give a more affordable price for users looking at having the hardware brand but aren’t willing to splurge. A photo of supposedly the final design of the LG device was leaked earlier and it looks like they’re going for the fingerprint sensor at the bank, which is weirdly enough, Huawei’s signature for their Honor 7 device.
Both devices will supposedly be up for pre-orders by October 13, exactly two weeks after the September 29 event where they are expected to be announced and unveiled. However, as to when the shipping dates start, that is still the question. In the past, Google has shipped their Nexus smartphones 1-3 weeks after the announcement or when pre-orders start.
However, even though everyone is assuming that there will be a September 29 event in San Francisco, Google actually still hasn’t confirmed it. The past years have seen an October announcement of the Nexus devices, but given that Apple will be making their announcement on September 9, maybe Google is ramping up their efforts so as not to be so far from their competitor.
VIA: Talk Android


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Reduction of import tariffs on beef
Reduction of import tariffs on beef, Deputy Minister of Commerce of the Ministry of Industry said: in order to adjust the price of meat, reduction of import tariffs to compensate for the supply deficit is on the agenda. Yadollah Sadeghi, Deputy Minister of Commerce of the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade, regarding the plan to reduce the import tariff on beef by 20%, said: “Since meat is one of the basic items needed by the people and its price increase trend fluctuates due to production problems.” For this reason, increasing the supply through imports is on the agenda to maintain the balance of the market. The market adjusted.
Referring to the establishment of a meat distribution network, the Deputy Minister of Commerce of the Ministry of Industry stated: In Tehran, a distribution network consisting of chain stores, all fruit and vegetable markets and about 100 guild units has been established in which hot mutton in plates and carcasses It is offered that due to the centrality of Tehran market, price adjustment will affect other provinces.
Sadeghi, stating that the price of distributed meat is according to the price system of the Consumer Protection Organization, said: “The average price of mutton offered in the distribution network of Tehran is 32 thousand tomans, which has adjusted the price in the meat market and has been welcomed by the people.” He added: “Considering this good experience in adjusting the price of mutton, since the trend of beef price is also relatively steep, the Ministry of Industry has proposed to reduce the tariff on imported beef to the Ministry of Jihad Agriculture.” If the Ministry agrees, the tariffs will be reduced in order to adjust the price.
In the end, the Deputy Minister of Commerce of the Ministry of Industry stated: The Ministry of Agriculture will review the demand and production of this project and if it agrees with it, the commission will discuss an executive regulation of the Import and Export Law and a decision will be made about it.


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When making elective healthcare decisions, consumers conduct extensive and simultaneous research into both the procedure and how they are going to pay for it, according to a study conducted on behalf of CareCredit, a healthcare financing company.
The Consumers’ Path to Healthcare Purchases Study sought to gain a deeper understanding of the unique way consumers research, consider, and purchase healthcare services in six medical specialties: dentistry, ophthalmology, optometric care, veterinary care, cosmetic procedures, and hearing health.
The study, conducted in the third quarter of 2014, found that the path to purchase process across all healthcare categories reviewed is comprehensive, with consumers taking an average of five steps and an average of 76 days to conduct research. The complexity of the research process that patients and clients undertake before committing to a significant elective healthcare purchase is influenced by the level of need, cost, how insurance benefits impact out-of-pocket expenses, and perceived risk.
Consumer research is conducted online and off, including a preliminary visit to the provider’s office and discussions with family and friends. Cost is not researched independently; rather it is considered at the same time as other factors, including whether to invest in the procedure or device itself and the selection of provider. Seventy percent of respondents said they researched the procedure, while 73% said they researched costs, including the availability of financing.
“These findings underscore that cost and the availability of financing options are important factors in elective healthcare purchases, leading consumers to research both the treatment and payment options extensively and at the same time,” said Dave Fasoli, CEO, CareCredit. “Understanding how consumers approach their healthcare decisions and the critical role of financing in considering a provider and a purchase are valuable insights to help ensure they have relevant information to make informed decisions.”
Other findings from the study include:
- The majority (90%) of CareCredit cardholders said that financing is a tool that helps them be prepared for unplanned health expenses.
- Nearly half (47%) of CareCredit cardholders surveyed would not have made the purchase or would seek another provider if theirs did not have financing available.
- Nearly 80% of all respondents said financing makes it easier to budget for their healthcare purchase.
- The majority (75%) of CareCredit cardholders are likely to use their card again.
- An average of 76 days is spent on research across the six healthcare categories studied—dentistry, ophthalmology, optometric care, veterinary care, cosmetic procedures, and hearing health; with cosmetic procedures taking the longest amount of time—at nearly 145 days.
The study was conducted by Rothstein Tauber Inc, on behalf of CareCredit, and included an online survey of 1,954 consumers—including 496 CareCredit cardholders and 1,458 non-CareCredit cardholders—who had made an elective healthcare purchase in the past 12 months, or who were likely to make an elective healthcare purchase in the next 12 months.


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Read the whole story here: http://www.pcworld.com/article/185187/a ... luray.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;Avatar: Good News for 3D TV and Blu-ray?
by Jeff Bertolucci
There's little doubt that James Cameron's much-hyped Avatar will be a hit during its theater run, but what impact will the sci-fi epic have on 3D entertainment in the home?
"Avatar," which cost north of $300 million to make, uses state-of-the-art 3D filmmaking techniques to create a visually stunning alien world. The spectacle, rather than the story, is the selling point here, and you can bet that Hollywood will churn out similar fare to capitalize on the 3D craze.
3D at Home?
But will the 3D trend extend to home entertainment, too? In recent months, the consumer electronics industry has been working behind the scenes to build the framework for 3D in the home. The Blu-Ray Disc Association this week announced specifications for creating full 1080p 3D Blu-Ray content. The first 3D-enabled Blu-ray players will likely debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.
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- FingerMotion, a U.S.-based communications technology company focused on China’s enormous marketplace, is steadily building partnerships to help it grow a potential for a billion users
- The company’s latest contract is with China Mobile Fujian, a provincial mobile information service operator
- FingerMotion expects the volume-based SMS agreement to boost its gross profit margin by about 30 percent and potentially lead to additional, similar agreements
- FingerMotion also demonstrated its promise when it secured a collaborative agreement with insurance titan Pacific Life Re that will allow FingerMotion to serve as Pacific Life’s data provider in China
Mobile data and services innovator FingerMotion (OTCQX: FNGR) has taken another step toward rich communication services (“RCS”) and big-data insights expansion in China’s hot market for data applications this year.
The company, which possesses one of only a handful of licenses to access and analyze the mobile data of telecommunications giants China Unicom and China Mobile customers, announced May 18 that it has entered an agreement with China Mobile Fujian that is expected to bring about 30 percent improvement to FingerMotion’s gross margin on its SMS (message texting) business, according to the announcement (https://ibn.fm/kdy9l).
China Mobile Fujian has about 30 million or more online subscribers, which is about 70 percent of the market share in the province of Fujian. The announcement states that large provincial mobile information service operators in China are provisioning resources to take advantage of a marketplace anticipating rapid growth with the introduction of 5G wireless networks, and they may look to FingerMotion SMS subsidiary JiuGe “for guidance and assistance.”
JiuGe was a key part of the contract negotiations between FingerMotion and China Mobile Fujian and expects to continue to secure new contracts with China Mobile. China Mobile and China Unicom’s customer base represents over 1.1 billion phones.
“Our focus over the past year was on improving margins,” FingerMotion CEO Martin Shen stated. “This volume-based agreement is expected to increase our margins from 6.1% to approximately 30% and is a testament to our incredibly talented team that continues to impress our business partners. With SMS demand remaining strong, we are able to meet the new pressures through operational efficiencies but continue to be limited by the capital required to adequately fund operations.”
FingerMotion’s core competency is in mobile payment and recharge platform solutions in China, but as the user base of its primary business continues to grow the company is bringing new value-added technologies to market in order to establish an ecosystem of users with high engagement rates.
The availability of more than a billion Chinese consumers’ data to FingerMotion drew the attention of insurance industry giant Pacific Life’s reinsurance division, which sealed a collaborative agreement with FingerMotion in January that essentially makes FingerMotion the data provider for Pacific Life as it looks for growth opportunities in the Chinese insurance industry (https://ibn.fm/cC2nu).
The data services provided by FingerMotion will be able to serve as a proxy for a credit score system in the country. FingerMotion’s Sapientus database helps derive predictive behavior analytics from the data the company obtains to anticipate consumer habits.
The company expects to file its year-end financial report by the end of the month, and predicts annual revenues will top $16 million (https://ibn.fm/LrTPG).
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.FingerMotion.com.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to FNGR are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/FNGR
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The middle-class population (i.e. those with incomes over US$6,000) in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) economies is expected to increase fourfold over the next decade to reach 1.5 billion people by 2020 – five-times larger than today’s population of the US. This is a highly compelling attraction for retailers. Today there are an estimated 1,000 shopping centres in the BRIC economies; by 2020 this is expected to rise to over 2,500.
Archive for October, 2010
But it’s not just an emerging market story. In Australia the retail sector is benefiting from a more resilient economy, Germany has a new-found strength in retailing, and both Hong Kong and Singapore are also growing strongly. In addition, large cross-border retailers, predominantly from the US and Europe, have been capitalising on market conditions to resume global expansion plans and are creating excitement from an influx of new brands.
While retailers and shopping centre owners are now showing a more confidence stride … a note of caution … I believe the medium to long-term outlook for the mature retail markets will be far more challenging. Unemployment rates remain stubbornly high in both the US and Europe, wage gains are modest, deleveraging is in vogue and taxes are expected to rise – all of which will limit growth in disposable incomes. And, on top of these economic challenges are the structural shifts that are affecting the sector. As our Retail 2020 programme has highlighted, the whole retail landscape looks set to experience a period of dramatic change. Whether owner, occupier, landlord or retailer, conditions are set to be tougher in the coming decade than they were in the last ten years – but there will be opportunities for those who can perform quick, radical action with impeccable judgement.
For more information: Read our Global Market Perspective Report
Posted by: Julie Collins
Senior Consultant, Retail Research and Consulting
Jones Lang LaSalle EMEA Research
Whilst queuing recently in my local Sainsbury’s, I wondered what the future is for checkout assistants in the UK. The Sainsbury’s I refer to has been extended and now offers checkouts at both ends of the store, with those at the front being all self service. Retailers claim this new technology shortens queues and therefore we may surmise, enhances the customer experience.
Opinions on the technology vary across consumers with some preferring it to interacting with store staff and others becoming increasingly frustrated by a mechanical voice warning you of an unexpected item in the bagging area. Either way, self service is here to stay and indeed grow – Retail Banking Research estimate there will be 15,000 self service checkouts in use by 2011.
If the ratio of four self service checkouts overseen by one checkout assistant continues, where do the remaining three checkout assistants go? Are they redeployed elsewhere in the store in order to enhance the consumer visit or are retailers looking to reduce staffing costs?
Retailers will argue that self serviced checkouts are being introduced for the former rather than latter reason; however, in an industry where the ‘average touch per product’ is becoming increasingly important, self service checkouts do help to reduce this measure.
If we look at the online retailer Ocado, products are simply sourced from a distribution warehouse and delivered to the consumer, resulting in a low ‘average touch per product’. Within a supermarket, products have to be delivered from the warehouse to the store; perhaps stored in the back of the supermarket; put out onto shelf and finally put through the till which results in a far greater number of touches per product and therefore requires higher staffing levels.
If supermarkets are to compete effectively with the internet it is true that they will have to rethink many of the processes currently used in store. Thinking back to the mixed feedback to the technology however, it is vital that process efficiency does not come at the cost of customer satisfaction as one of the best ways to compete with the online environment is to create an offline environment that goes beyond pure convenience.


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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) announced it intends to increase its automotive microcontroller units (MCUs) production by 60 percent annually in 2021. The world’s foremost pure-play foundry service provider ramped up MCU production by 30 percent this year to combat the global chip shortage. It hopes to considerably reduce the impact of the microelectronics bottleneck on its customers over the next two quarters.
However, Infineon Technologies and NXP Semiconductors believe intense demand for automobile components will prolong the crisis until sometime in 2022
Consulting group AxilPartners estimates the automobile sector will lose $110 billion in 2021 because of the parts crunch.
TSMC Steps up to Help Resolve Global Automobile Chip Shortage
TSMC plays a crucial role in the global electronic components supply chain because of its extensive and distinguished customer list. The foundry is best known for fabricating Apple and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) CPUs. But the corporation counts leading auto semiconductor suppliers STMicroelectronics, ON Semiconductor, Renesas, NXP, and Infineon as customers.
In January, it initiated a “super hot run” to address the then-nascent chip shortage. It cut the production time of badly needed vehicle parts by as much as 50 percent. Despite TSMC’s sizable manufacturing footprint, it could not mitigate the impact of the industrywide scarcity of materials.
As time went on, the semiconductor bottleneck intensified and expanded to affect 169 sectors.
In April, Intel declared it would dedicate some of its production capacity to meet robust demand for automotive semiconductors. Two months later, DigiTimes reported multiple pure-play foundries made fabricating car components a priority for Q3 2021.
Ideally, TSMC ramping up its MCU production should enable its partners to slash their lead teams and refresh their inventories. However, some leading automobile chipmakers believe the microelectronics crunch will not be resolved in the short term.
Leading Chipmakers Expect Component Shortage to Last Until 2022
The heads of Infineon and NXP predict the global chip shortage will continue disrupting the auto industry until sometime next year.
Infineon CEO Reinhard Plass noted that vehicle part inventories are “extremely tight” in the third quarter, with demand outstripping supply. He believes that the segment will regain its equilibrium, but not until “well into 2022.”
Similarly, NXP President Kurt Sievers said his company has been unable to sate interest in its products despite increasing its output. He also commented TSMC’s effort to ramp up its MCU production would not meaningfully impact the bottleneck.
The executive explained the rising popularity of new energy vehicles is driving microelectronics demand. Battery-powered cars, trucks, and SUVs have twice the chip content of gasoline automobiles. As a result, Sievers believes the surging global popularity of EVs will push the crisis into mid-2022.
Automobile Manufacturers Still Struggling with Global Chip Bottleneck
Several leading auto manufacturers have indicated the global chip shortage that began in late 2020 has not yet reached an inflection point.
Tesla, the California company that kicked off the EV revolution, admitted it is grappling with “extreme supply chain limitations” this month. Ford is idling or reducing production and eight of its U.S.-based plants. General Motors revealed that it only has 25 days of car components in stock across the region. The corporation is also instituting “downtime” at five of its American facilities because of materials insufficiencies.
Across the Atlantic, Volkswagen revised its annual vehicle delivery forecast down due to the bottleneck. It also announced it would temporarily pause production at its Swedish car factory because of the parts scarcity. BMW, a top German vehicle manufacturer, declared the crisis would reduce its yearly output by 10 percent or 90,000 personal transports this year.
In Asia, China’s biggest carmaker, SAIC Motor Corp., cut its production target by 500,000 units because of the shortage. South Korea’s Hyundai indicated the bottleneck would curtail its deliveries in Q3 2021. Finally, Japanese market leaders Toyota, Honda, and Nissan have recently ramped down production at their factories in response to inadequate semiconductor supplies.
With the chip crunch affecting major automobile manufacturers in Q3, a return to normalcy in 2021 seems unlikely.


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Johnnie Walker seen gaining in India on Mallya's woes
Maker of famed Scotch could take stake in United Spirits, but it's still no done deal
For years, Diageo has sought to shore up its operations in India, where it accounts for a tiny fraction of whiskey sales. Now, a struggling airline may give the world's biggest distiller the chance it needs to gain a stronger foothold in the world's biggest whiskey market.
As Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines has been battered by high fuel costs and falling ticket prices, the Indian billionaire has expressed a willingness to sell part of his United Spirits to Diageo.
A deal would help Diageo, based in London, bolster its position in a US$21 billion whiskey market where a maze of regulations and taxes restrict foreign liquor producers.
Diageo, the maker of Johnnie Walker Scotch, trails global rival Pernod Ricard in the country and has failed in past efforts to close a deal with Mallya.
Diageo has "never been able to secure a market in India as Pernod Ricard and United Spirits have", said Sharan Lillaney, an analyst at Angel Broking in Mumbai. For the British distiller, "this is the best move. You get a company that is among the largest in the world, excellent distribution network, excellent contacts everywhere."
Kingfisher Airlines will need a capital injection of US$600 million in the next two months after defaulting on loan payments following five years of losses, industry consultant CAPA Centre for Aviation said in August. Mallya owns about 36 per cent of Kingfisher through his own holdings and affiliated companies.
Kingfisher this week cancelled all its flights through at least until today after locking out striking workers it said were intimidating other employees. In Mumbai trading on Monday, Kingfisher's shares fell by their daily limit of 5 per cent to 15.35 rupees (HK$2.27).
The gregarious Mallya owns India's biggest brewer, United Breweries, which sells Kingfisher beer. The 56-year-old tycoon also owns a yacht called the Indian Empress, a stake in the country's only Formula One racing team and a cricket squad named Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Diageo and United Spirits have courted each other before with no success, so a deal is far from certain. In 2009, the British company sought a minority stake in Bangalore-based United Spirits. Talks collapsed after the Indian distiller said the offer was too low.


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Meta Platforms: Reuters reported New York news on July 27. On Thursday, Zuckerberg informed his employees that Meta Platforms, their new Twitter competitor, is popularizing Threads. After a bright start, roughly half of the app’s users quit in the following weeks.
Zuckerberg told Reuters during a staff meeting that more individuals are using the messaging app than planned. He also noted the app’s flaws.
It would be great if half or all of the more than 100 million individuals who signed up stayed. That’s not yet. Zuckerberg said it’s typical for users to drop, but the business will add features like a PC version and search to keep people engaged.
Chris Cox, Meta’s product manager, said that making key discussions easy to watch keeps Instagram users on the platform. This keeps folks returning. The company’s spokesperson wouldn’t address the meeting. The employers discussed Meta’s accurate income prediction. A huge firm spent a lot on the metaverse last year, yet their ad revenues dropped. They returned. Thursday’s announcement boosted Meta’s shares by 8%.
On the call, Zuckerberg claimed metaverse augmented and virtual reality technology was “not way ahead of schedule, but going as planned.” Meta should invest before Apple, Google, and Microsoft. These firms developed operating systems for existing goods.
We’ll have everything whenever it’s ready, he said. He thinks metaverse tools will be fun in 2030. Zuckerberg and Cox announced Llama 2, a new AI model. Producers in countries with less than 700 million people get it free for business usage.
After a week, over 150,000 consumers have ordered the model, according to Cox. Musk and Zuckerberg discussed a “cage match.” No idea. New Yorker Katie Paul and Austiner Sheila Dang penned the stories. The user text was adapted for the 8th grade.


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5 new games will be available for free
Earlier this year Ubisoft revealed that Gods and Monsters was renamed Immortals: Phenix Rising and may feature stadia-exclusive demos. Stadia Pro members will also get 5 new games with it for free.
Will be able to play games on 4G and 5G
The US search engine giant has also announced a new stadia experiment that allows users to play games on mobile devices on 4G and 5G cellular networks.
More than 240 blocked apps
Google has blocked more than 240 mobile apps from its Play Store. All blocked apps run on Android smartphones. Blocked apps showed users a variety of unnecessary advertisements. In such a situation, Google blocked these apps citing violation of rules.
Old games apps too
Most of the apps that Google has blocked are from RAINBOWMIX group. These also include old games. The apps of this group had a reach of 14 million people every day. They used to deliver variety of advertisements to 1.5 crore people through software.


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On December 25, 2016, America's leading food manufacturer billion HIV/AIDS international announced, worth about $1 billion of its chocolate brands "good cards" China official. It involved marking China's chocolate market, weak foreign situation further improved brand to carve up the world of the chocolate market in China has been formed.
Insiders say millions of HIV/AIDS will be the wonderful cards, on China's market, the significance is multiple. Under the influence of environment in these two years, progressive slowdown in the FMCG category food overall, magicard card entered, will pull the chocolate category development, creation of new sales and market share.
Statistics show over the past two years, Mars, Ferrero, Nestlé to occupy China's chocolate market share in the first three. In 2015, they occupy a market share of about 67.3%.
Tianjin entry-exit inspection and Quarantine Bureau of statistics data also showed, with the development of Sino-Western cultural exchanges enhanced, chocolate holiday market in China and its products become an important commodity. As of mid-December 2016, Tianjin Port imported chocolates and 7112 tons, an increase of 16.6%. Tianjin entry-exit inspection and Quarantine Bureau said Tianjin Port and imported chocolate products come mainly from Belgium, Germany, Poland, Turkey, Italy, the United States, South Korea and other countries and regions. Statistics show that, in order to meet the market needs of the Christmas and new year's day, in November 2016 alone imported 1209 at Tianjin Port tons of chocolate and its products, an increase of 61.5%. As after the Spring Festival and Valentine's day draws near, related to imports to an all-time high.
According to reports, China imported chocolate on the market is divided into dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate. Brownie, chocolate, wafer chocolate, chocolate is chocolate products. Not difficult to find, in major commercial cities across almost can see the figure of imported chocolate. Food imports Beijing shopping mall Sales Department official told reporters that, although two years China's chocolate market growth overall slowed, but high-end chocolate sales are on the rise. Especially young people focus on Western festivals, high-quality chocolate is more popular, the international giant in China's scramble to raise.


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Dec. 9 - The World Trade Organisation says its first ever global trade deal will inject around a trillion dollars of new business into the world economy and create 21 million jobs. As David Pollard reports not everyone is convinced by the figures although it may restore some confidence in an organisation many thought was floundering.
Rare - and for the euro zone, welcome - news. A drop in the German trade surplus - taking it to 16.8 billion euros, where 18 billion had been expected. The lower number means Germany is buying a bit more from European neighbours - doing a bit more to boost their struggling economies. International trade is still an unlevel playing field. A new agreement from the World Trade Organisation might, though, smooth out a few bumps. The WTO's first major deal since its creation in 1995, it was thrashed out in Bali. SOUNDBITE (English) INDONESIAN TRADE MINISTER GITA WIRJAWAN SAYING: "Bali package, it is so agreed." The deal promises extra growth and employment worldwide. And for Chris Hughes of Reuters Breakingviews a deal at all is something. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) CHRIS HUGHES, EDITOR, REUTERS BREAKINGVIEWS , SAYING: ''I wouldn't knock this. The fact that you have got 159 members all agreeing something which actually adds up to a trillion dollars on global GDP, nearly one and a half per cent is not to be sniffed at.'' Some question those figures and a claim of 20 million extra jobs. Others say the scale and complexity of the WTO bargaining process renders it irrelevant. For this deal, India had to be persuaded to put aside objections - temporarily - to changes in its farm subsidies. And a veto threat by Cuba dragged the talks into an extra day. SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) CHRIS HUGHES, EDITOR, REUTERS BREAKINGVIEWS , SAYING: ''There is a school of thought out there which says, look, you don't need these big WTO rounds, you can just have some periodical agreement between the US and Europe or whatever it is. I mean, they probably all work in tandem. But, you know, on this occasion, they were still able to get something agreed despite the opposition.'' But the deal still needs to be ratified by two thirds of member states. A process which at best could take several years.


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AutoNation’s stock reached a new all-time record of more than $130 a share Thursday after the nation’s largest seller of new cars reported its sixth consecutive quarterly earnings record.
AutoNation beat Wall Street’s profit and sales estimates, led by resilient consumer demand outpacing vehicle supplies due to an ongoing global shortage of semiconductor chips that has resulted in record car prices and profits.
Shares of the Florida-based dealership group jumped by as much as 12% on Thursday morning before retreating to about $124 a share, up by about 6%. AutoNation’s stock is up by nearly 70% so far this year.
The company reported adjusted earnings per share of $5.12 in the third quarter — an all-time record — beating analysts’ estimates of $4.20 a share, according to Refinitiv. AutoNation’s revenue for the quarter jumped by 18% to $6.38 billion compared with estimates of $6.31 billion.
AutoNation reported net income of $361.7 million, almost double the $182.6 million in profit it generated a year earlier.
“We are preselling what’s being scheduled to be produced,” AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson said Thursday on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “They’re coming in and going right out … the demand is there.”
In addition to the record earnings, AutoNation also announced an acquisition that’s expected to generate about $420 million in annual revenue. The company’s board also approved the repurchase of up to $1 billion of AutoNation’s common stock.
AutoNation previously said it was repurchasing 7.9 million shares of common stock, or 11% of shares outstanding, for an aggregate purchase price of $879 million in the third quarter.
AutoNation’s earnings were led by a 53% increase in used vehicle sales compared with a year earlier, while new vehicle sales were roughly flat.
The company reported same-store new gross profit per new vehicle was a record $5,484, up $2,949. Gross profit per used vehicle was $2,104, up $108 from a year earlier and 51% compared with the third quarter of 2019, according to the company.


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News: In Heald Inexperienced, Manchester
Two Louis Vuitton display screen handbags debuted duringÂ its Cruise 2020 runway show in New York City this week. Although there are hundreds of thousands of online retailers desperately ready to your on-line Louis Vuitton dollars, if you'd like a real Louis Vuitton your going to must go to Eluxury. That's as a result of only they've been authorized to promote them.
Most of the kinds had generous embellishing of sparkling rhinestones, got here in whimsical shapes like pagodas, bird cages, and beehives, and were wildly well-liked with the silver screen movie stars, elites, socialites, and extremely paid prostitutes. Soon, it became a trendy fashion accent and its production skyrocketed, which in flip made them extra affordable, especially when decrease high quality imitations become obtainable.
For those who're looking at purchasing a Louis Vuitton bag purely for the funding, the Neverfull still comes out on top. Luxurious retail website Vestiaire Collective (via Elle UK ) famous a marked increase â€” we're talking sixty five p.c! â€” in resale worth between 2012 and 2017. For those who have been to have bought the bag new in 2012 and resold it 5 years later, the Neverfull would've retained 80 p.c of its retail price.


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Activision bets on gambling?
Activision CEO Robert Kotick calls wagering in games the "Holy Grail" of the business, says "it will happen eventually" but not anytime soon.
Gaming is more than just moving Mario around the screen to save a princess, saving the Earth from the Covenant, or driving down a virtual football field for a virtual Super Bowl title. Ask what "gaming" means in Nevada, the Caribbean, or Monte Carlo and there will be an entirely different definition.
Traditionally, gaming of the joystick variety and gaming of the gambling ilk haven't crossed paths. But with the onset of online play, new avenues of gambling-based revenue could easily open up for traditional publishers.
Speaking before investors at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia XV conference today, Activision CEO Robert Kotich was asked to what extent gambling will be part of the future of networked games.
Kotick replied, "There's great opportunity for wagering eventually... There's probably lots of opportunities to figure out how to develop prize play [and] cash play as a future growth opportunity. You're going to need a big installed base, and a very different regulatory climate. And that's going to take some time."
With each next-gen console having integrated networking capabilities, Kotick sees gaming for dollars as not just possible, but inevitable.
"When you think about the Holy Grail of the video game business, organized competition for prize play and cash play is going to be the floodgate of opportunity for new audiences," he said. "And it will happen eventually, but I wouldn't expect it anytime soon."
Online gambling has boomed in the past several years, particularly online poker on sites like bodog.com and goldenpalace.com. Activision is already cashing on the trend in one way, releasing the online-enabled World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions this week on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and PC.
However, online gambling remains illegal in the US, which means most online casinos are based in foreign countries--an option not availalbe to the Los Angeles-based Actvision. Kotick's "regulatory climate" comment was also likely a reference to the federal government's ongoing crackdown on online gambling. So far this year, several executives of foreign online gambling services have been arrested while visiting the US on charges of taking bets illegally over the Internet.
GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.


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THIS SUPER BOWL SUNDAY, everybody may want to throw the party.
Consumers are buying flat-panel plasma and LCD televisions in record numbers — doubling sales volumes of a year ago. With so many people owning these big-screen TVs, they may all want to host Sunday’s showdown between the Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts.
Unit sales of flat-panel televisions more than doubled in 2006 from 2005, industry statistics show, as LCD and plasma televisions became the top electronics gift purchased in the holiday season, according to NPD Group research firm. In the United States alone, 11 million flat-panel televisions were sold, up from 5.3 million in 2005, according to Pacific Media Associates, which tracks sales from all television manufacturers. In November alone, sales doubled from the previous month, the Menlo Park firm said.
And the pace of sales continues unabated as the days tick to the Super Bowl — the sporting event industry analysts say produces the most TV purchases.
“The Super Bowl always brings another hiccup in sales after the big holiday spike,” said analyst Rosemary Abowd of Pacific Media. “Sports viewing is one of a few areas where you can cost justify — to your wife, significant other, whatever — buying a high-definition TV because you can get a better view than you can in the arena,” she said.
If you want to buy a Super Bowl XLI ticket in the secondary market, you can expect to spend an average of more than $3,000. That doesn’t include the cost of a plane ticket to Miami.
But consumers eyeing televisions have the added lure this year of huge price cuts in LCD and plasma high-definition models and a slew of new digital programming and gaming technology options that don’t work well on cathode ray tube televisions.
“There’s a tremendous matriculation from (cathode ray tube televisions) to flat panel,” said Dave Malloy, president of Redwood City-based electronics retailer Anderson’s TV. “It’s been phenomenal.”
Prices are dropping like water off a cliff — so much so that a 42-inch or 50-inch plasma or LCD television can be found for half the price advertised a year ago. Across all sizes, prices have dropped an average 35 to 40 percent, several benchmarks show.
For instance, 42-inch LCD TVs are selling for as low as $1,300, while a year ago the same model was $2,400, Malloy said.
Add to it free chips and beer available at a friend’s party, and it beats the lines and costs of the stadium in Miami.
Based on advertisements from Best Buy Co., a 50-inch plasma high-definition TV can be found for $2,800, while a 42-inch can be found for $1,300 to $1,600.
If you’re willing to buy a big-screen TV without a household brand name, you can pay even less. Models by manufacturers new to the high-def market, such as Vizio, can sell for as low as $999.
Such prices “open the doors for a lot of folks,” Malloy said.
Hoover Chen, a vice president at Envision Peripherals Inc., a Fremont-based manufacturer of flat-panel televisions, said the trend “is very good for consumers. They’ve been offered 30 to 40 percent price drops year over year, sometimes more, so it is a tremendous savings opportunity.”
Prices are one-third what they were two years ago, Chen said.
But don’t expect it to last forever.
This price erosion “is very bad for LCD makers,” Chen said. Prices are sometimes falling below the cost of making the televisions.
Sony Electronics President Stan Glasgow warned in December that continually falling prices are hurting the industry and could threaten innovation because manufacturers will have less money for research and development.
Prices have been dropping because of fierce competition, Chen and others said. The consumer electronics industry decided that flat-panel high-definition TVs were “the next big thing,” Chen said.
“Everybody thinks the market is big, and many suppliers are fighting over the market share” by ramping up television production, he said. That has created a surplus supply in the industry, which compels manufacturers to discount even more.
“Manufacturers are taking a loss at some of these prices,” Chen said.
They are making televisions bigger and better. Sony Electronics makes a 60-inch rear projection high-definition TV that it is selling right now for $2,600. That’s a 5-foot screen — and you can go even bigger if you’re willing to shell out tens of thousands of dollars. Panasonic sells a 103-inch plasma TV for $51,000, for example.
But both manufacturers and retailers view Super Bowl Sunday as the last big chance to sell off their inventory. So don’t expect the big sales promotions available today to last beyond Feb. 4.
Circuit City Stores Inc. and Best Buy Co., for instance, have football tie-ins in their latest advertisements for flat-panel televisions.
“Beat the clock; Four chances to score great sales,” Circuit City’s promotion for flat-panel televisions reads. For four days in late January, it is offering what it says are “unusually low prices” for selected models.
What’s not included, however, is the cost of installation. Retailers post notices about the installation when buyers get to the contract point.
But consumers should factor in that cost. Hanging a rear projection television on your wall and drilling holes for the wires and connecting them to the proper place is not a job for amateurs. Retailers’ Web sites indicate that budgeting another $200 or so for installation could be wise.
Analyst Riddhi Patel of iSuppli, which tracks the flat-panel industry, said the major manufacturers — Sony, Samsung, LG and Hitachi, among others — are each trying to establish themselves as market share leader. Meanwhile, newcomers are entering the high-def manufacturing business, lured by consumer interest, and are adding to the competition. According to IDG, a market research firm, the number of flat-panel TV manufacturers has swelled to 90.
Previously, a couple dozen well-known manufacturers sold televisions. The result has been an oversupply of televisions and flat-panel monitors, which further erodes prices.
Manufacturers believe their only choice to stay solvent is to pump out more TVs.
With prices dropping 40 percent, Chen said a manufacturer has to increase volume by 60 percent to come out even.
But Super Bowl Sunday may be the last time. “After Super Bowl, you enter the slowest season of the year” for television sales, Abowd said. Retailers may no longer be catering to viewers’ desires.
Contact Barbara Grady at email@example.com or (510) 208-6427.


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Tata's soon-to-be-launched compact sedan has made its way to the cyber space once again through the new set of spy shots.
Tata Zest, a car which was seen at the 2014 Delhi Auto Expo has already made numerous appearances on the web through pictures and rumours. Now the latest is the pictures revealed by the folks at Motoroids, who caught the car testing on the outskirts of Pune along with new Tata Nano Twist Active AMT.
Zest, the first sedan in India with Automated Manual Transmission (AMT), will be offered in both petrol and diesel variants. The petrol version of the Zest will be powered by a 1.2 litre, four-cylinder, turbocharged Revotron engine under the hood, which can churn out a power of 85 PS at 5000 RPM and a peak torque of 140Nm 1750-3000 RPM.
The diesel model of the Zest will come with a 1.3 litre Quadrajet motor, which can generate 90 PS power at 4000 RPM and 200Nm torque at 1750-3000 RPM. The car is expected to come with features like new front grille, projector headlamps, steering wheel and dash board.
On the other hand, Nano Twist Active which was seen testing is expected to come with new three cylinder petrol engine that can generate a power of 67PS. Tata unveiled Nano Twist Active concept at the Auto Expo Delhi 2014. The interior of the car accommodates a new paint job and comes equipped with (Electric Power Assisted Steering or EPAS) or power steering and it flaunts a new front-grille and open-able tailgate. It is expected to make its India debut by 2015.
Meanwhile, Tata Motors reported a 29.6 percent decline in total vehicle sales to 51,184 units in March. Domestic passenger vehicle sales declined to 45,996 units in March, from 69,160 units in the corresponding month last year.


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X-byke gives you the power to be free to make transport choices and get cycling again.
Simply turn on the ignition, give the pedals a couple of turns, twist the handle bar mounted throttle and away you go for an effortless ride. With the addition of electric assistance, cycling becomes fun, safe and enjoyable once again, giving you the chance to overcome that hill, make that 10 mile return journey and arrive as fresh as when you left, even on a hot day.
Also, urban journeys on the X-byke were found to be, on average, 10% faster than by bus.
Other research conducted by Leeds University on over 3,000 of our customers found that 77% of users now use their bike daily and 38% replaced their car journeys to ride our bikes - and a staggering 97% would recommend us to their friends. We also found that the average annual mileage on a Powabyke was 1,200 miles compared to just 120 miles on a normal bike.
The environmental benefits are astounding. With no direct emissions and a low carbon footprint, the X-byke is one of the most environmentally responsible methods of powered transport around.
Powabyke’s unique electric battery powered tricycle – the Powatryke Cruiser – has seen a dramatic spike in sales this September in response to a feature in Saga magazine, which has a senior 50+ reader profile and a readership in excess of a million.
Electric bike company Powabyke EV are forging a unique promotional deal with Evans Cycles, the popular chain of bicycle shops in the UK which will be made available to Saga online’s 70,000 registered users and 40,000 Saga newsletter readers.
Two of Powabyke's products are now award winners! The XLS and the Powatryke Cruiser win a five star and four star award respectively at the Mobility Roadshow after testing by Able magazine.


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A competition organised by foodservice supplier Coup de Pates is offering student chefs tickets to Taste of London.
The supplier will be using Twitter to give away a pair of free tickets for the Taste of London show, where it will be creating patisserie and dessert options for visitors to see and buy.
The Coup de Pates #FirstTaste competition is set to run from now until 6 June. The giveaway is open to student chefs from across the UK, and is a continuation of its Chefs de l’Avenir (Chefs of Tomorrow) programme, launched last year, which is focused around championing the next generation of pastry talent.
All entrants need to do to be in with a chance of scooping the tickets is go to @CoupdepatesUK and tweet using the hashtag #FirstTaste – the company will then choose the winner out of a hat.
Mariam French, head of marketing and product development for Coup de Pates, said: “The crux of Chefs de l’Avenir is to safeguard a future for British pastry skills, as one day it will be them talking up the mantle at events like this.”
Last month Coup de Pates launched a new range containing more than 180 semi-prepared, reception, patisserie and fully-finished items.


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Welcome to the Cannabis Legality guide website!
With this website, we are trying to bring all the information about cannabis legality to users in one place. We are trying to cover the laws and acceptance of this substance in all countries of the world and their residents. The idea behind this website is to change the mindset and acceptance of Cannabis/Weed in the mainstream audience, while keeping track of the movement of Cannabis legalization that is currently undergoing all around the world.
People are finally starting to accept the Cannabis plant as a medicine and a way to expand your mind. It is no longer looked down upon by mainstream media and people, but instead the real benefits of the plant are being researched and used by millions worldwide to help ease all kinds of health problems and anxieties.
The site is also useful for recreational and medical users of Marihuana while traveling, so they can get an idea of the laws associated with this plant in countries and states they are travelling to.
We are always trying to improve our website with information and add as much relevant, useful and up-to-date content as possible.
Browse the list of countries and states below to find out laws in your country and its neighbors!
Countries and States
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MarketWatch - 8 hours ago
Aurora Cannabis Inc. ACBFF, -5.27% ACB, -5.45% was up 2.5%. Aurora was a standout on the first day of legal weed by having more shopkeeping units, or SKUs, available than its peers did, according to GMP analyst Martin Landry. In Ontario, where...
ABC News - 4 hours ago
In the eastern Bekaa Valley, where the crop has been cultivated for centuries, the local farmers are suspicious of government efforts to create a legal cannabis industry. "We view the legalisation of hashish as theft from our people," says...
Financial Post - 14 hours ago
The Lower Risk Cannabis Use guidelines for Canada suggest users wait six hours or even longer before driving or operating machinery. More recently, the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Association of Canada released a position statement...
Business Insider - 1 day ago
Ever since Colorado legalized cannabis for all adults in 2014, the cannabis industry has blossomed, with a multitude of companies competing to scale up as more states legalize the drug. On Wednesday, Canada became the first G7 country to legalize...
News via Google. See more news like this


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has finally completed its acquisition of
, creating one of the largest medical-technology companies in the world.
Jim Tobin, Boston's president and CEO, said the new version of his company will be broadly diversified, and, he says, "command a market valuation closer to our peers and generate significant upside potential for our stockholders."
Guidant initially agreed to be acquired by health care giant
Johnson & Johnson
before Boston Scientific
jumped into the picture. After a drawn-out battle between the suitors, the Natick, Mass., company lured the device maker away with a deal that was
hard to refuse.
overwhelmingly approved the merger, and on Thursday the
Federal Trade Commission cleared the deal.
Friday is the last day Guidant's common stock will trade. The company's stockholders should receive information on exchanging their shares within the next few weeks, Boston Scientific says.
As a part of the merger agreement, Boston also closed the deal with
, in which the drug and device company is buying Guidant's vascular intervention and endovascular businesses.
Boston Scientific shares were up 1% to $22.48, and Abbott shares tacked on 0.1% to $41.96.


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Here are highlights from Monday’s Nanaimo Council meeting on October 19, 2015. Councillor Fuller was acting Mayor. Mayor McKay and Councillor Kipp were absent.
Colliery Dams Independent Investigation:
A delegation gave a presentation on why council should have an investigation into the Colliery Dams renovation project. They submitted a report on the concerns that it is a tainted project. To summarize the points:
- technical committee didn’t get information they needed
- wrong approach
- wrong location
- project pushed by the BC government
Brennan: the way it has been constructed this report leads to a predetermined outcome, it uses words like ‘somewhat’,… you’ve made some judgements in your presentation…so can you help me with that…
Delegation: … I know it’s going to a government level…we need to investigate why council was forced into a decision…we need answers…
Brennan: your hope is that this review would find the obstacles in the process…
Bestwick: (makes amendment to include those involved in Colliery Dams since January 2012 be interviewed)
Pratt: I am not in favour of this investigation – it is a waste of money… BC government forced this on us…with their new standards…so we picked the option that works…no different than the drinking water standards that have been forced on us, so we had to build the water treatment plant …we aren’t going to get our money worth on this [investigation]…
Yoachim: …I wish we could do nothing…this saga has gone on too long…there are so many conflicting stories…fear mongering…I need answers..citizens need answers…we are spending $8M…so far conflicting answers..will the mistakes be reviewed?..it is not a fair process..proper closer needed…
Brennan: I won’t support this..a terrible waste of money..we don’t have support of the community…no idea how much it is going to cost…the provincial government will probably decline to be interviewed…had the City of Nanaimo pushed back on the comptroller then things might be different but it wouldn’t make a difference…the government position was well supported in response to our appeal…the warning signs had to go up…public asked for them…we will have to find the money for this so we will have to comb the budget …we’ve got to get our taxes down I’ve heard people say.. provincial government set the standard and we are meeting the standard…we didn’t get a meeting with the Premier of BC at UBCM—does that have something to do with the Colliery Dam?…
Hong: …I agreed to go forward to build the spillway…expected people to support this investigation…we still have to build the middle spillway…the people of Harwood deserve this investigation…this investigation might reveal what went wrong…we talk about combing through the budget; we have to do it anyway…didn’t we submit the report to the government that the dams need work?…
Swabey: yes we sent the report
Yoachim: I am well aware of the costs of this investigation…
Pratt: I said that the province changed their standards on the dams…I am voting against this investigation…I don’t think this investigation is going to be any different…
Bestwick: …there was fear mongering…150 deaths..rebar in the dams which was omitted in the report…we were under stress to vote [approve] the dam…
Fuller: …I want this to be a serious attempt at an investigation..we did have a select committee which was less than it could have been…i don’t want this investigation to be a joke…
Approved: Hong, Yoacham, Bestwick, Fuller
Opposed to an investigation: Pratt, Brennan, Thorpe
4-3 vote motion passes: Independent consultant to be hired to review the Colliery dams project.
Recording of meetings in the Service & Resource Centre (SARC) Board Room
Staff recommended holding off on video recordings of committee meetings in the SARC boardroom until after the Core Review.
Approved: Thorpe, Brennan
Opposed: Pratt Hong, Yoachim, Bestwick, Fuller
Meetings in the SARC Board Room will be recorded soon.
[Note: Currently, only audio recordings are created for in-camera meetings. These recordings are kept for 1 month then deleted.]
Also, The City Manager commented on the issue of moving the COW meetings starting in 2016 to the SARC boardroom from the current location in the Shaw Auditorium. There was no discussion on this (it wasn’t on the agenda).
Green Lake Sewer hook-ups to get taxed
Council unanimously approved a sewer tax for Green Lake residents, beginning next year. According to the Nanaimo News Bulletin, 70 homes have had a sewer connection since 2013 but haven’t yet paid taxes for the service. Sewer connection has been established for 78 homes and 20 are in the process of being hooked-up.
445 Hillcrest avenue
One delegation spoke with concerns and presented two petitions regarding a small lot subdivision.
Wine in grocery stores
Council voted unanimously for a liquor control plan. Six councillors approved having grocery stores apply for permits to sell wine. Only Councillor Bestwick was opposed.
The Province published the British Columbia Liquor Policy Report which contains 73 recommended changes to liquor control legislation and policy within the province. Of those 73 recommendations, 34 have been implemented to date, including the ability to sell BC wine in grocery stores.
There are 14 grocery stores that Staff believe are eligible for wine sales in Nanaimo. The Province does not consider the sale of wine in grocery stores as a liquor store use.
Councillor Hong expressed concerns for the small beer and wine stores that they could lose out to the big grocery stores. Grocery store chains could take over the BC wine market and they would be able to under cut the small guys.
Sanitary Sewer Agreement with the Snuneymuxw Reserves No. 2, 3 and 4
Councillor Yoachim was unsure if he should step out because of a perceived conflict of interest. Councillor Bestwick advised from his experience it would best to step out but it was up to him. No advice came from the City Manager or Staff. In the end Councillor Yoachim stayed and voted.
The City has no in-house lawyer so new councillors must rely on their own intuition. A dangerous situation to be in.
Note: This meeting proceeded smoothly under the acting mayor, Councillor Fuller. There was no acrimonious debate or behaviour. Absent was Mayor McKay – coincidence? Perhaps the $100,000 ‘Get Along’ consultant is just another waste of money.


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China can't get enough of our dairy
How long will China's insatiable thirst for New Zealand dairy products last? Make that at least a decade. Maybe two.
Mark Schwartz, vice-chairman of Goldman Sachs Group, has been immersed in Asian markets since his first visit to the region in 1980.
After 10 years away from the global investment bank, spent advising fund manager George Soros and co-founding a clean-tech investment firm, Schwartz returned to Beijing in 2012 to take charge of the firm's Asia-Pacific business.
During his first visit to New Zealand as chairman of Goldman Sachs Asia Pacific, he talked to the Sunday Star-Times about the opportunities and frustrations in dealing with the Asian juggernaut.
Q: If China is the world's most important economy, how does New Zealand fit in?
A: "New Zealand is small country and a small economy but interestingly the things that New Zealanders focus on are hugely important to many countries in Asia, most especially China and most especially in the whole agriculture sector.
"Food safety, food security and food quality are hugely important to China in particular. China's lacking all of the above.
"In the last few years the dairy industry is booming in China. We've been taking public, and investing in, a number of Chinese dairies, but the Chinese dairies are hugely reliant on New Zealand. For example one of the companies we were taking public in China, Huishan Dairy, was extremely interested in Fonterra, just in terms of learning how a quality dairy operates, how cattle are raised, all of the technology associated with farming at that level."
Q: Some of the supply shortage in China is said to be due to outbreaks of foot and mouth disease, which they call "disease number five". How bad is it?
A: "I read those same reports. How bad is it? I really don't know. It would be hard to know because this is where the Chinese are still very opaque and very guarded. The extent of issues and problems like that are never easily knowable to journalists or anyone actually. I hear Xi Jinping, the President of China speak all the time and I'd say Xi Jinping often expresses food safety and agricultural need as the number one issue for China."
Q: Once the disease has gone and with investment in more dairy farms and processing, will China's supply shortage ease in a few years?
A: "I don't really believe that. New Zealand being a leader in dairy and agriculture is a huge competitive advantage. That's not going to go away. I think it will become a bigger and bigger advantage this decade.
"Over the next 20 years, not the next five or 10 years, China will figure out solutions to most of its issues. But for the foreseeable future, certainly the next two decades I think there's going to be tremendous demand for New Zealand products, in China alone."
How long will China's insatiable thirst for New Zealand dairy products last? Make that at least a decade.
The latter. The issues in China related to food safety are all intra-China. The Chinese have very high regard for New Zealand and for Fonterra. That company in particular is viewed as one of the highest quality businesses and management teams. I know there was a concern about some of their dairy products being contaminated, but the way they responded immediately and openly is a good model for the Chinese. They don't respond nearly that way and there have been endless numbers of concerns about contaminated food and dairy products in China.
"Those issues about quality and safety haven't gone away but it's among all the Chinese dairies, not extending to Fonterra or any of the New Zealand dairies."
Q: There's a lot of restriction on New Zealand companies trying to do business in China. How do they get around that?
A: "Well it's not just New Zealand companies, it's frustrating for companies around the world including Goldman Sachs to really engage as much as we would like with the Chinese. I think that'll change over time, and it'll change in the near term now."
Q: There's also concern about Chinese inward investment here. Should we be concerned? Is China working to a plan?
A: I'd broaden it to say firstly I'm very impressed with China's government. I've been impressed over the last 30 years and I'm even more impressed this year, because 2013 was a real pivot for the Chinese - a new government in Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang, a plenary session which created a roadmap for comprehensive reform in the long term.
"So I'd give Xi Jinping an A for his first year as the leader of the Chinese. One of the things that's very impressive about the Chinese is they're very strategic, they set goals nationally and then they pursue those goals. They're very strategic in the way they need to and want to acquire assets overseas.
"Most of the assets they're trying to acquire are natural resources, energy and agricultural assets. There's a reason for that - they are deficient in all of those areas and they are not going to overcome their deficiencies for a very long while. They realise that, so they've aggressively gone after assets in Latin America, in North America, across Africa very significantly in mining, and across Australia/New Zealand - Australia primarily for minerals and mining resources, New Zealand for agricultural resources. "Now you can have a lot of intellectual debate whether the countries who have these trading relationships with the Chinese are gaining as much. In Africa there is concern about China being the neo-colonialists - that they're building a big presences in Africa, but building a Chinese presence, moving Chinese populations to Africa and not employing local populations, so not creating a local multiplier effect for local economies. And that's valid criticism.
"It's terrific that the Chinese are investing abroad in reaching for the kinds of resources and assets they don't have naturally themselves. That seems perfectly right. It would probably be better if they were investing and leaving behind a big multiplier effect in the local markets or local economies where they're investing.
Q: That means New Zealanders should engage with eyes open?
A: "Absolutely. New Zealand is like the rest of the world. New Zealand probably welcomes Chinese investment but in return New Zealand and rest of the world wants as much access to Chinese consumers as China's gaining globally in many other jurisdictions.
"Access has to go both ways, and it's been difficult for many if not most multinational companies to really get as much access to the China market as most companies want. The market hasn't opened up that significantly yet."
Q: How do businesses deal with Chinese corruption?
"In same way that economic development creates lots of environmental degradation and it's an evolutionary process, I'd say the same about corruption. In developing economies it's not uncommon to go through decades of corruption, and I think China and much of Asia are going through those issues today.
"Corruption is a very significant problem in China. The people who think that the most are Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang and Wang Qishan, the leaders on the standing committee who are hugely focused on a big anti-corruption initiative. "Many Chinese - the 1.3 billion Chinese - are hugely discouraged by the amount of corruption in China.
"It's going to take years and years of determined effort to change the culture and behaviour. But here too I'd make the same optimistic judgment about China's focus and determination as I made about their concerns environmentally.
"This time it feels different, it feels a lot more public, determined and even in year one there's been a big impact. A lot of the spending that so many government officials were used to was reduced very meaningfully in this first year.
Q: What's your advice for New Zealand companies about how to do business in China?
A: "My general advice is the next 20 years in China is all about quality of growth, quality of product and quality of service.
"The country is now pivoting very smartly and very properly and saying ‘the system that worked so successfully for 30 years - very cheap credit directed into the market in a centralised state-owned way - we're changing that system and we're going to focus on quality of growth more than quantity of growth'.
Sunday Star Times