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By Lambert Strether of Corrente.
Christian Smalls of the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) is much in the news lately, and deservedly so. In fact, Amazon (and Starbucks) union organizing is one of th very few spots I would consider bright in the current discouse of Covid denialism and war pron. In this brief post, I’ll review last Sunday’s ALU rally, and the press coverage of Smalls. I’ll conclude with some remarks on the press.
Before I begin, though, I’d like to issue a caveat on ALU coverage generally. The “real story” is out there in rooms “we” do not visit, at bus stops where “we” do not wait, and in halls, churches, and homes “we” do not visit, and the story takes years. ALU is a mass movement, and most of that movement is not visible except to those engaged in it (rather like war, come to think of it). Labor reporting in the United States is pitifully thin, and in most cases filed under the Business Section. So, there is an iceberg out there, and through our media we only see the tip of it, with a few, now public figures, some of them holding megaphones and signs. We take — through the process of synecdoche (“part for whole”) those tiny figures for the whole of the iceberg. That’s not only untrue, it’s very dangerous: When you confuse “leaders” with a movement (“voices,” as Adolph Reed called them) you end up with, say, the “leaders” of Black Lives Matter detaching themselves from the movement purchasing an expensive mansion for what seems to be their personal use. So, if Gods there are, and if they are indeed good, I’m begging and praying that Smalls and ALU organizers generally understand this dynamic and are level-headed enough to resist it. That said, let’s look at the rally.
The Gothamist describes the rally in “Heavy hitters join rally for Amazon workers ahead of second Staten Island warehouse’s union election,” (I’m not real happy with that headline; the “heavy hitters” are the workers themselves, who are, after all, doing all the work and taking all the risk. Not that I’d substitute “hop on the bandwagon” for “join rally,” because things aren’t that simple, but when the thought came into my mind, it was hard to resist.) To the Gothamist:
Labor advocates added big names to their cause on Sunday as Amazon Labor Union organizers rallied ahead of another big election this week.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rallied alongside Amazon Labor Union leaders on Staten Island on Sunday, just one day ahead of a vote to unionize a second Amazon warehouse known at LDJ5 – just across the street from the JFK8 warehouse that voted to unionize earlier this month.
(The voting at LDJ5 has begun, and is open ’til Friday). More:
Speaking to Gothamist after the rally on Sunday, LDJ5 worker Madeline Wesley said it was important to see national figures like the senator and congresswoman throwing support behind the cause.
“It’s important for the workers at LDJ5 to see that the community supports us in our fight,” said Wesley, who also works as treasurer of the Amazon Labor Union. “That we are not alone in this.”
Note the framing: The “labor advocates” are not the workers themselves, or their union, but electeds; and even the ALU treasurer identifies the electeds with “the community.” It’s not bad that the electeds are there — especially if AOC really could ding Amazon for a few hundred million in taxes (ALU letter)– but let’s grant some agency to the workers, mkay?
That said, here’s AOC:
The progressive congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told Amazon’s first unionized workers in New York on Sunday that their victory was “the first domino to fall” in what she expected to be a wave of similar votes for representation across the country.
The leftwing Democrat joined Vermont senator Bernie Sanders on stage in Staten Island to celebrate the historic achievement and to call for workers in more Amazon facilities in the US to follow their example.
“What happened out here … what you guys did in Staten Island was just the beginning. It was the first domino to fall,” she said, noting that workers at a second Amazon sorting facility in the New York borough were voting on Monday.
“We have another election tomorrow, and we’re going to support them in that. And the day after that, and the day after that, all the way. But what we need Amazon to do first and foremost is to recognize the union that won their election.”
Not so sure about “you guys.” But if AOC can beat some sense into Amazon — Amazon’s union-busting operation were run by Democrats after all — then good. So she should go do that.
“What this struggle is about, it’s not just Amazon Staten Island. This is the struggle that is taking place all across this country. Working people are sick and tired of falling further and further behind while billionaires like [Amazon founder Jeff] Bezos becomes much richer,” Sanders told the crowd of more than 300 people gathered near the bus stop that’s become the nucleus for ALU’s drive.
Today’s message — Smalls’ message — is a little different from “Working people are sick and tired of falling further and further behind.” Check out this picture, where Sanders makes a similar point:
“Jeff when you’re out on your yacht think about the employees in Staten Island. They want housing that’s affordable and to put away a few bucks.” pic.twitter.com/6O1B66ixa6
— Lauren Kaori Gurley (@LaurenKGurley) April 24, 2022
I love this photo; Smalls’ “Eat the Rich” jacket is so stylish. But the message of Smalls’ jacket is not “put away a few bucks.” It’s also clear in the photo who’s running the show, and it’s not Sanders.
Finally — unmentioned in most coverage — union leadership. From Jacobin:
“I have spent twenty-five years fighting and trying to get workers to wake up to the power that we have together, and this is it,” said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA)-CWA, as we stood in the crowd before the afternoon rally at which she was a headliner. The Teamsters’s new president Sean O’Brien met with Smalls and ALU vice president of organizing Derrick Palmer in Washington, DC, earlier this month and had been scheduled to speak at the rally too, but workers say travel complications led to his appearance being canceled. Other speakers included American Postal Workers Union (APWU) president Mark Dimondstein and AFT president Randi Weingarten, both of whom pledged to throw their full support behind the ALU. (Another speaker, socialist Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant, did likewise, announcing in her speech that she was donating $20,000 to the union).
“This is where it’s happening: it’s happening here and it’s happening at Starbucks,” says Nelson. “.”
(Good for Kshama Sawant; couldn’t AOC and Sanders also have written checks, or induced them to be written?) “The working people are taking over” is the kind of messaging I want to hear (and it’s not the message the electeds are sending.)
So what about Smalls’ messaging? So far, it’s consistent and I’m hopeful. This was the first tweet I saw from Smalls on the rally:
It’s a GREAT day to Rally‼ @amazonlabor ✊🏽 #ALU #ALUfortheWin x2 pic.twitter.com/zxJnKqOIvg
— Christian Smalls (@Shut_downAmazon) April 24, 2022
First tweet out of the box, and the focus is the literature table and food! More:
We’re just ordinary people but we’re Union all the way….. We beat Amazon ‼ @amazonlabor ✊🏽 #ALU #1u pic.twitter.com/kgxVJavkxz
— Christian Smalls (@Shut_downAmazon) April 25, 2022
“Just ordinary people.” More:
Chill twitter fingers it’s Workers running shit over here from here on you’re looking at the New School of the Labor Movement @amazonlabor ✊🏽
— Christian Smalls (@Shut_downAmazon) April 25, 2022
“New school.” More:
.@Shut_downAmazon discusses what the Amazon Labor Union hopes to achieve for all employees. pic.twitter.com/o1QuAUiyTZ
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) April 23, 2022
“Everything a union can provide, we want to provide.” (Not exactly control of the means of production, but our baseline is so low….) More:
You’re focused on me I’m focused on We
— Christian Smalls (@Shut_downAmazon) April 15, 2022
“We,” If Smalls can stick with this, he won’t be buying a mansion, and a good thing, too. One more shot of the jacket:
Close up of @amazonlabor’s Chris Smalls’ very cool jacket at the rally today. pic.twitter.com/dzg6KLwnLB
— Steve Fox (@smfox) April 24, 2022
New school, indeed….
Now, let’s turn to the media critique, starting with the New York Times, “How Christian Smalls and Derrick Palmer Beat Amazon and Created a Union.” Remember what I said about the tiny figures standing atop the massive iceberg? There it is, in the headline: Two friends. This transcript is fascinating and well worth a read, as the Times reporters fit what Smalls and Palmer have to say into their own expert frames. For example, on Covid. The Times interviewers are Michael Barbaro and Jodi Kantor:
[BARBARO:] So you’re both, Chris and Derrick, initially enthusiastic about Amazon. You see yourself as succeeding in your work. But you start to question that, it sounds, based on your inability to rise. How does that work start to change at this warehouse as the pandemic hits?
SMALLS: Well, it was just the fact that we were in the dark. We didn’t know what the hell we was doing or what was going on with the virus. Because we’re watching it on the news and the company is doing something else.
SMALLS: So it was something off in there, something off in the building with managers, with communication. And I’m like, what the hell is going on here. We’re in the break room sitting shoulder to shoulder. And Derrick can tell you, we were sitting there joking we’re all going to die because we’re sitting shoulder to shoulder. And we’re watching CNN and they’re telling us we need to be six feet apart with masks.
And the Times interprets:
[KANTOR:] in the warehouse. Our reporting showed that the information Amazon was providing to workers at this point was pretty spotty. And workers in the warehouse really did not have a clear sense of what was going on with Covid cases in their own building.
“We’re all going to die because we’re sitting shoulder to shoulder.” Does that sound “confused” to you? Many a true word spoken in jest!
Now from CBS, “The resurgence of unions and the fight against Amazon.” Some good detail here, but wait for the sting:
Smalls, a former Amazon worker, led the union drive, but that wasn’t his original plan: “I had no intentions on unionizing. Just trying to do the right things, and protect people from dying from COVID-19.”
In March 2020, he’d organized a walkout to protest the lack of face masks and other COVID gear at JFK8. Amazon fired him, and in a leaked memo, an executive called him “Not smart or articulate.””
Smalls soon learned that he wasn’t the only unhappy Amazonian. Another Amazon warehouse on Staten Island begins a unionizing vote tomorrow.
Workers Brett, Mat, and Martha have been talking to fellow employees out front. “They take care of the robots better than humans,” Brett told Pogue. “They don’t give you ample amount of time to go to the bathroom.”
Martha said, “You got people that’s barely making enough.”
Mat said, “We want to be able to say, ‘These things have to change,’ and negotiate that in a contract.”
Smalls’ strategy to unionize JFK8 involved a social-media campaign and small, grassroots gestures, all paid for by donations: “We would feed them, you know, pizza, catered food, soul food, different cultural food. That’s what the union represents, you know? Taking care of one another.”
Amazon fought back, hard, using the standard union-busting playbook. It spent over $4 million on consultants, and required every employee to attend anti-union meetings.
….Pogue said to Smalls, ““
“Pretty much!” he laughed.
N-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!!!!!! Smalls fed people out of solidarity (ffs).
Now from Time, “He Came Out of Nowhere and Humbled Amazon. Is Chris Smalls the Future of Labor?” The same thing; good detail, but wait for the sting:
Smalls says the triumph was the result of a different way of thinking about labor organizing. “This is the new school,” he says as Mitchell-Israel orders 800 chicken wings to feed Amazon workers on their break. ”Old school” is Big Labor, the existing 20th-century union infrastructure. “The ALU represents the new face, the new-school style of 21st century organizing, ” he adds. “Where younger adults are taking charge and .”
Smalls means “workers” in the specific sense—as in, people employed by Amazon—and not “workers” in the general sense, which is often used as a catchall term in labor circles to mean anyone who isn’t in management. This is just one of the ways that Smalls deviates from the well-worn progressive rhetoric that may energize college-educated liberals but means little to Amazon employees. “We don’t go home and turn on CNN, we don’t go home and turn on Fox,” he says, noting that Amazon workers are often too tired to follow politics. “If I brought AOC and Bernie out here, I would have to inform the workers who they are and what they represent.””
Which, ironically enough, is what Smalls did. More:
Smalls may be organizing out of a black Chevy Suburban packed with iced tea bottles and rolling papers, but it’s clear that Amazon underestimated his savvy. In a memo that leaked shortly after his firing, Amazon lawyers said that Smalls was “not smart, or articulate.” But Smalls’ understanding of what it’s like to work at Amazon is one reason why he and Palmer succeeded where larger, more powerful unions have failed. Only last year, Amazon beat back a unionization effort driven by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union at a Bessemer, Alabama facility in what was then the biggest labor drive in the company’s history. (The union challenged the decision with the National Labor Relations Board, claiming Amazon illegally interfered in the election. A final result is still pending.)
Smalls has an idea of why that effort fell short. “The timing, the approach, the campaign—it was just all wrong from the beginning,” he says of the Bessemer union drive. Alabama’s right-to-work laws presented challenges; the plant was new enough that workers weren’t as disillusioned as at JFK8.
Most importantly? The drive was organized by an “established union, a third party that doesn’t know Amazon,” Smalls says.
“In order to get it done, you gotta build from within,” he adds. “Not from the outside, but from the inside out.”
“Many of the labor unions are very disconnected from the workers that they serve,” says [Justine Medina, a “salt” who joined Amazon to help with the organizing effort], adding that many of the officers in the big labor unions are “out of grad school.”
“They mean well,” she adds. “But there’s just a slightly different class composition.”
And speaking of class composition, here’s the sting:
Experts say that the activism of the past few years—from #MeToo to Black Lives Matter to walkouts at major tech companies— has seeped into organized labor. The new model is “young people organizing young people, it’s non-white people organizing majority non-white workforces,” says Wilma Liebman, who served as chair of the National Labor Relations Board under President Obama. “Unions clearly have to adapt to the changing demographic of the workforces.”
They’ve got to bring in identity politics! (And note the extremely sloppy causal thinking in “seeped.” (There’s also a plug for Randi Weingarten, whose going to donate money so ALU can get better office space [vomits quietly].
Reading this coverage is interesting, because it’s a bit of a throwback to where “reporters” actually went out and interviewed people and tried to understand facts on the ground; you can sense the reporters, for all their class biases, enjoyed writing these stories. But there’s also a time when the press turns on the “voices” it builds up, and starts pulling the wings off flies1]. I haven’t quoted Bourdieu for awhile, but he has actually addressed this phenomenon. From Forms of Capital, page 64. Bourdieu is writing about the “hit parade” of books to be reviewed, but the same dynamic applies to the rise (and fall) of any public figure. The press are told “You must cover this public figure:
The combination of this very strong constraint with a rampant anti-intellectualism [the press does not originate; it reports] has the consequence sooner or later that . Again, this is not a deliberate decision, but it is very embarassing when you [like Smalls] are at the top of the hit parade, for you are structurally exposed. The actual or potential victim may feel it as a plot (“They resent me,” “They are out to get me,” “It’s the right/left who are out to get me,” “It’s the government,” and so on)…. “We absolutely, have to discuss So-and-s0, but he’s a pain in the arse, he could become the new Sartre [Eugene Debs], better shoot him down first… [laughter]”
(Heaven help Smalls, for example, if he has anything #MeToo-ish in his background. From everything — from, really, the little — I have been able to read about Smalls (and the other figures on top of the iceberg) he’s extremely level-headed and focused, and should be able to endure this dynamic, but there’s no reason not to prepare for it. In any case, as I said at the beginning, I’m hopeful.
 AOC, although her faults are real, was also subject to this phenomenon.
Excellent caveat at the start of the post. Thanks for that framing.
Interesting question. Did the Chinese government just gain a bit of leverage over the town square?
Mike Forsythe 傅才德
Apropos of something:
-Tesla’s second-biggest market in 2021 was China (after the US)
-Chinese battery makers are major suppliers for Tesla’s EVs.
-After 2009, when China banned Twitter, the government there had almost no leverage over the platform
-That may have just changed
Well, at least Bezos didn’t quote a WP reporter – that would have been TOO obvious…
Anything, ANYTHING to distract from the fact that billionaires expend all their effort on keeping 99% down, and themselves rich, richer, and rischest.
Sankrant Sanu सानु संक्रान्त ਸੰਕ੍ਰਾਂਤ ਸਾਨੁ
Replying to @JeffBezos
How much leverage does China have over Washington Post given the percentage of goods sold on Amazon that are dependent on that country for supply?
Amazon has exterminated enough NOmazon business venues that many would-be thing-sellers from wherever they may be have to sell on Amazon because there is no more NOmazon left for them to sell on.
If Bezos is motivated more by relative wealth compared to other people than by absolute wealth-by-tne-numbers of dollars, then he won’t care or need to care what the ChinaGov thinks about anything.
And given that Bezos is also subsidised by his GoverContracts for Amazon computer services, that is one more revenue stream beyond ChinaGov’s reach.
I think Bezos would be perfectly happy to have half as much money as he now has if he could make sure that no other retail business were permitted to exist anywhere in the world. That would be true power.
Great article. That quote above is so very important to keep in mind – in all sorts of things.
I heard Chris Smalls on Chapo Traphouse the day after the Amazon Union victory. The fact that he appeared on Fox and Chapo (on the same day?) shows how absolutely adept he is. He is a man with a message and will not be sidetracked. As an aside, I saw Mr. Smalls last summer at a (at that point, very small) #M4A rally in downtown NY, together with Walker Bragman, Lady Bunny, and Susan Sarandon. The man was out and about, talking about unionizing Amazon. And bravo to @flyingwithSara, Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO. She is also everywhere and with the right message. Solidarity!
I saw his interview on Tucker Carlson and he was very much on message. Carlson tried to sidetrack him into badmouthing AOC over her no-show at an earlier event, but he just brushed it off and went back to talking about unionization effort. Very media savvy.
can’t find the link, but Bernie did an online video even with Smalls and other members of the organizing committee that raised $70,000 for the organizing fund. Bernie does not cut checks, he asks his supporters to give directly.
Nice to see Bernie leaning into this a bit. Be a good use of his remaining years.
All the best to Christian Smalls and the ALU, but I dearly hope he keeps his distance from Randi Weingarten, who spent her time as UFT head in New York letting charter schools proliferate and selling off parts of our contract in exchange for barely-keeping-up-with-inflation wage increases.
“Smalls’ understanding of what it’s like to work at Amazon is one reason why he and Palmer succeeded”
Years ago at a wedding I met a guy who’d worked in a tire plant in Tennessee. It was the first time either of us had ever met anyone who’d worked in a tire factory other than our own. Great conversation, very cathartic.
Smalls and Palmer know which buttons to push, which changes are most needed. The workers don’t need to hear about anything else. Us vs Them works best when the organizers come from Us and aren’t just a different flavor of Them.
Thank you SO much for this brilliant, heartening commentary!! I can’t think how long it’s been since there was something in the news that made me feel better about the universe.
One of the best articles I’ve read at this site, and I’ve been following it for years. Outstanding analysis, Mr. Strether. And yes–Kshama Sawant is the real deal. Shades of Gene Debs.
One might metaphorically view the Amazon workers as being coal miners trapped in a collapsed coal mine who are trying to dig their way out. In such a metaphorical mindscape, how might sympathisers outside the coal mine attempt to dig their way in? As well as supporting the coal miners trying to dig their way out?
If an Amazon warehouse unionises, is there a way for sympathisers to find out what geographic service area that warehouse serves? Would sympathisers within that service area be able to buy something from Amazon secure in the knowledge that the thing they buy would be handled and sent by those Union warehouse workers?
Meanwhile , would every sympathiser living in every geographical service-area-footprint of warehouses that are not yet unionized be able to bring themselves to buy NOTHING from Amazon until their own service-area-footprint-serving warehouses were also unionized? That would degrade and attrit the revenue streams of the non-Union warehouse parts of Bezos’s operation while relatively strengthening the revenue streams from the Unionised warehouse parts of Bezos’s operation. Would that begin to create a very slowly-building steady-pressure incentive for Bezos Incorporated to accede to the concept of Unionized warehouses?
Something for Union sympathisers to watch out for . . . . Bezos will try to fulfill all orders from non-Union warehouses in order to create the fake predicate for fake-accusing the Union of making its Unionised warehouse ” bad for business” and create a fake reason to close it altogether. I don’t know what the Union could do about that, but the Union should at least watch out for it and figure out active countermeasures to use against Bezos when Bezos attempts to boycott his own Unionized warehouses by fulfilling zero orders in them and from them.
good forward-thinking and contemporary comment.
Sort of like how Supply Chain and Logistics should go hand-in-hand.
because if you don’t…
This is one piece of good news in an otherwise bleak world. I did make a small donation to ALU through Go Fund Me a while back. So I’m hoping this has legs. They have to continue to get more warehouses on board, only then will they have the strength in numbers to negotiate a decent contract. Hopefully they can work through the Rust Belt, organize Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh etc. in relatively short order.
The first brick in the wall has fallen, there is a long way to go. Mr Smalls does seem impressive.
> The first brick in the wall has fallen
I can’t dig out the thread where I saw this, but apparently ALU people are going back to classic organizing texts of the 30s (not for a playbook, but for ideas and, possibly, hope for a more expansive world). So I wish I could get a closer look at that literature table.
When Chris Smalls wears “Eat the Rich”, I believe he actually means it. Every time I’ve heard him interviewed, he expresses a clear and simple desire to improve the conditions of the Amazon workers, and I think that’s why he’s connecting with people. I don’t know where he came from, but he is gifted, for sure, and the labor movement is lucky to have him around…especially because he knows it is not about him and he seems to be doing all he can to make it not about him. The media loves stories about the individual and I hope he can manage to stay corrupted.
Thanks for this well done write up. This has been the most inspiring story in this arena for a very long time. After hearing Smalls talk about what is happening where the real story is being written, I’m kind of hopeful too.
> clear and simple
Electeds seem to want to be photographed with him. But the body language — and I hate body language analysis, but it’s what we have from the photos — make it clear who’s dominant. Smalls, to personalize, projects calm.
100%. In the interviews I’ve heard, he knows they’re going up against golliath, but he projects a very calm confidence about their mission. Not arrogance, but just a matter of fact kind of demeanor. I really think that goes a long way when the odds are what they are. It has to be easier to get involved when the leadership isn’t fatalistic or obviously overcompensating.
One more think he’s doing that I think so many other miss: he is treating his fellow Amazon workers (well, he’s an ex-Amazon, but anyway) like the intelligent people they are and truly understanding them where they come from. So many even well minded people pay lip service but their actions still treat people like children, even if unintentionally. I think it’s because so many organizers come from the bubble. I don’t even know if they mean to talk down, but when they learn these folks don’t follow politics and don’t know who Bernie or AOC are (as Smalls points out), there’s a bunch of other assumptions that fall into place.
Smalls has been very astute in not just saying these are the people the system has failed, but realizing the implications of that on a real, not hypothetical, level. People need to see unions not as an abstract concept or some historical thing, but as a tangible thing. That seems to be to be a really hard thing to do and I’d love to be a fly on the wall when he’s campaigning.
Again, it helps that he really seems to be the real deal. People pick up on that. He has skin in the game and the politicians who want to pose with him, sympathetic as they may be, don’t.
This is good news all around, but I would think finding an army of Christian Smalls is the best approach moving forward, so it doesn’t depend on the one person. That is the #1 long-term failure of the left going way back. Maybe that’s what they are doing, hopefully, a call back to Lambert’s caveat.
> an army of Christian Smalls
Amazon is, to a point, a case of La carrier est ouvérte aux talents, that point apparently being actual management, at which point you need a degree. However, there are many, many opportunities to improve operations on any shop floor, and it looks like Smalls rose to the top there — pre-Covid.
So I think the way Amazon is structured — despite the absolute atomization of the actual floor — would tend to generate more Smalls’. I wonder if management is worried about that.
Thank you, Lambert and other members of the NC community. This post is inspiring. If only there were Chris Smalls on this side of the pond. There are lots of poseurs, sell outs and, sadly, officials who want a quiet life and, even when insider sympathisers offer some discrete assistance, are not interested.


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Nordic toy chain BR Toys has temporarily closed its doors over the coronavirus exactly a year after reopening under its current owner the Salling Group.
All 26 branches of the toy shop, which have opened up in the past year, will close to help stem the spread of the virus.
Denmark was the second European nation to impose a strict lockdown, pull children from schools and shut major shopping centres, though some retailers were allowed to remain open.
Per Bank, CEO of the Salling Group, said in a Linkedin post that it was “sad to hold cousin BR’s birthday with the announcement of temprorary”, and expressed thanks to Charlotte From, who head’s of the group’s toy business, and her team for their hardwork rebuilding the brand over the past 12 months.
The chief executive said the team would spend this downtime refitting and rebuilding some of the recently opened stores. The plan is to open more shops in line with its flagship concept store in Rødovre, a municipality in greater Copenhagen.
“We are really looking forward to showing them off on the other side of Covid-19,” he adds.
The retail group is shifting staff from BR Toys, and other sectors that have been forced to close, over to its Netto, Føtex and Bilka grocery stores.
Bank also shared insight into shopping habits across the group. He revealed shoppers were visiting only once or twice a week, instead of the average four or five times, and sales of non-food goods are “so far down”.

domain: news


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Darigold‘s CEO, Joe Coote, is set to step down from his role as he intends to return to his home country, Australia.
Allan Huttema, the company’s chairman of the board, has been appointed as the interim CEO, effectively immediately.
Having spent 12 years working globally in the dairy sector, Coote joined Darigold three years ago as the president of its international ingredients division. He was subsequently promoted to CEO in 2022.
Meanwhile, Huttema – one of Darigold’s 300 farmer-owners – has been a member of the business’ board of directors for nine years. He has held the position of chairman of the board for the last three years.
Huttema said: “I take over as interim CEO with the benefit of having an extremely capable leadership team in place, including a number of Darigold veterans and newer leaders with proven track records across the dairy and consumer packaged goods sectors. Our business is structured to run around two divisions – business to business and business to consumer – each with experienced, proven leaders running them.”
He continued: “I have full confidence that the team and the structure we have in place will help ensure that we continue serving our customers in the way they have come to expect from us.”
“Joe took over as CEO at a time when we were early into a transformation to grow and modernise our business. Under his leadership, we took significant steps forward on that effort, beginning construction of our new facility in Pasco, launching a migration of our business management systems, and beginning to develop a culture rooted in excellence in operations.”
Coote added: “Serving as CEO of Darigold the last two years was a great privilege. I have enormous respect and admiration for our farmer-owners and the teams across our business that work so hard to keep our customers stocked with great, high-quality dairy products. Having been away from my home country for many years now, my family and I are ready to return to Australia to begin new adventures back home.”
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024


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Indonesia: Growth in retail sales reaches an over one-year high in May
In May, retail sales grew 8.3% over the same month last year, above April’s 4.1% increase. May’s figure exceeded market expectations of a 4.4% increase and marked the best print since December 2016. Growth was driven by higher sales of fuel products; and food, beverages and tobacco. The monthly expansion received a significant boost from the month of Ramadan, which began on 16 May and ended on 14 June.
Annual average retail sales growth, meanwhile, increased from April’s 1.9% to 2.3% in May. According to the Bank of Indonesia’s May retail sales survey, retailers expected sales to grow 6.8% year-on-year in June.


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A glimpse of Kristy Wintner’s cell phone would likely show a recent call to “The Mistress.” Kristy’s husband Chris spends 11 to 12 hours a day, six days a week with The Mistress. She says The Mistress has brought out Chris’s tenacity like she’s never seen.
The Mistress is the couple’s code name for their gourmet popcorn business, Autumn Barn Farms.
“When you have a business, that’s your life,” says Kristy. “It literally becomes a part of your family.”
Formerly named Hoosier Daddy Popcorn, Autumn Barn Farms opened its brick and mortar store at 1442 N. Green River Road in January. Previously, the business served its popcorn at craft and trade shows. The store also sells primitive décor.
Chris handles customer service and advertising. He arrives early each morning and makes the popcorn, mixing each flavor with his special concoctions of spices, extracts, and food coloring. Kristy, a marketing manager at MasterBrand Cabinets in Jasper, Indiana, is responsible for Autumn Barn Farms’ social media.
The couple also involves daughters Madison, 10, and Kennedy, 6. Madison often can be seen taking orders and running the counter, while Kennedy enjoys cleaning and putting out new merchandise. They also are responsible for many of the unique popcorn flavors.
“They come up with [flavors], I go back there and try to cook it,” says Chris, noting Kennedy comes up with sweet flavors, while Madison is responsible for savory. “Sometimes it works, sometimes it’s pretty bad. But we have a lot of fun trying it.”
The store has about 27 flavors for purchase daily, with caramel the best seller. Savory flavors include pizza, white cheddar, sriracha, honey mustard, creamy dill, and bacon cheddar. Sweet flavors are cherry, grape, piña colada, watermelon, orange, and blueberry. Chris is currently working on a caramel apple bourbon flavor that will be available this fall.
Customers can fill bags or tins with the flavor or combination of choice. Tins can be brought back for a discounted refill. The store’s newest campaign allows customers to bring any tin they have at home to be cleaned and filled with their pick of Autumn Barn Farms popcorn at the discount refill price.
Chris and Kristy put great emphasis on giving back to the community. Both Army veterans, they often donate to local veteran and law enforcement organizations. Every decision is made with the community in mind, including their storefront.
“People don’t like to leave,” says Kristy. “But we want to make them feel like a part of our family.”
The Wintners are excited to see how Autumn Barn Farms grows, but add they are taking it one day and one purchase of popcorn at a time.
“We’re really patient and we recognize the need to grow organically and not rush,” says Kristy, noting she’s trusting two important people in her life. “Between God and my husband, they haven’t steered us wrong yet.”
For more information about Autumn Barn Farms, call 812-550-1085 or visit facebook.com/autumnbarnfarms.


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Celebrity Sightings During NYFW (PHOTOS)
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This week kicked off Spring 2013’s Mercedez Benz Fashion Week in NYC, and nearly every name under the sun has brought out the big guns of their fashion wardrobe to attend the elite designer shows.
PHOTOS: Fashionable Fun: Everything You Missed At FNO 2012!
Fashion houses such as Michael Kors, ELLE, BCBG, Marc Jacobs and dozens more are all showing their latest collections this week, so what fashionista wouldn’t want to be in the big apple for the festivities?
To no surprise, our girl Angela Simmons was spotted making her rounds, sitting front row at the Arise Spring 2013 show with the likes of A-list stylist June Ambrose.
Even Olympic bachelor Ryan Lochte, pulled out his fab finest, sitting next to Lauren Conrad at the Rebecca Minkoff show.
And Jennifer Hudson joined Heidi Klum, designer Michael Kors and fashion director of Elle and Marie Claire, Nina Garcia for their big Project Runway finale.
PHOTOS: 2012 MTV VMAs: The Best Dressed Ladies Of The Night
Check out these stars, Tika Sumpter, Selita Ebanks and more strut their stuff for NYFW in the accompanying gallery.


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Natural Diamond Prices – March 2023
PriceScope is your go-to resource for learning about the current state of the diamond market. We discuss how socio-economic implications such as the current recession affect consumer buying behavior and…
By Erika W.
Another remarkable pink diamond will be auctioned at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels in New York on April 12. The fancy vivid purple-pink cushion cut diamond weighs 10.09 carats and is set in a classic three-stone ring. With a selling estimate of $12-15 million, the diamond is among the ranks of four other fancy pinks, which have surpassed $1 million per carat at auction. Pink diamonds of vivid coloration are exceptionally rare, as about one in ten million mined will achieve the coveted “fancy vivid” grade.
Photo: Christie’s Images Ltd 2011
From artdaily.org: “Collector demand for large colored diamonds has never been stronger, especially where pink diamonds of this size and quality are concerned. Fewer than 10 percent of all pink diamonds mined weigh more than 0.20 carats, and even fewer exhibit the exceptional color saturation and brilliance of this exceptional gem. In all my years at Christie’s, I have never seen such vivid color in a stone of this size.” – Rahul Kadakia, Head of Jewelry at Christie’s New York.
Unique Pink Diamonds Sold at Auction:
24.78 carat “The Graff Pink” – $46 million
5 carat “The Vivid Pink” – $10.8 million
6.89 carat Fancy Vivid Purple-Pink – $6.91 million
14.23 carat “The Perfect Pink” – $23.2 million
Share and Discuss Fancy Color Diamonds


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Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Huge investments expected in oil, gas bidding: Murli Deora
55 blocks offered under the sixth round are expected to be snapped up by bidders
Adopt cautious approach on rules of origin: study
`Factor in experience while signing new pacts'
Dell unveils graphic workstation
Industry's first 17-inch portable PC can run all major CAD, animation software
Roche introduces new cancer drug
`Prolongs and improves' quality of life of patients
iGate net up 9 p.c. at Rs. 23 cr.
Plans to hire 1,200 during 2007
Gold, silver zoom
MUMBAI: Standard gold zoomed by Rs. 65 to Rs. 8,770 (10 grams) and silver (.999 fineness) by Rs. 790 to Rs. 19,335 a kg, respectively, on the bullion market here on Tuesday owing to firm global advices. According to market participants, operators ...
India priority country for Afghanistan
NEW DELHI: India is a priority country for attracting business and investment into Afghanistan and the presence of Indian industry will go a long way in convincing other overseas investors about the business-friendly policies being adopted by ...
Ramalinga Raju, Nasscom chief
NEW DELHI: The National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) on Tuesday announced the appointment of B. Ramalinga Raju, Chairman of Satyam Computer Services, as its Chairman for 2006-07. Lakshmi Narayanan, President and CEO of ...
Landmark acquires stake in Vipul's SEZ
NEW DELHI: Dalmia Group's Landmark Holdings along with its international affiliate Banyan Real Estate has acquired 16.5 per cent stake in Vipul's Rs. 1,200-crore proposed Special Economic Zone (SEZ) project in Gurgaon. The SEZ would cater to the ...
UTI Bank branch in Singapore
MUMBAI: UTI Bank on Tuesday stepped out of the country's boundary to open its first overseas branch in Singapore.
Cottons by Century showroom opened
COIMBATORE: A Cottons by Century showroom has been opened in Ram Nagar, Coimbatore. The showroom sprawling over 1,200 sq. ft. will display 100 per cent cotton shirts, T-shirts, trousers and nightwear. According to a release, it currently has 46 ...
True Value Shop in Coimbatore
COIMBATORE: Tata Teleservices has launched its 200th True Value Shop in the Tamil Nadu Circle at Coimbatore. According to a release, Tata Teleservices recently introduced the concept of True Value Outlets to increase its retail presence. The ...
COIMBATORE: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Coimbatore Productivity Council Alumni Association: P. R. Sundaram (President), S. Kuppuswamy (Vice-President), Udaya Shankar (Secretary), and M. Sivakumar ...
Elder Pharma forms alliance with Medichem
MUMBAI: Elder Pharmaceuticals has entered into an alliance with the U.K.-based Medichem International to develop, manufacture and market advanced biosecurity products. The Rs. 375-crore company had already begun marketing of Trigene, a spray ...
Beltek forays into white goods segment
KOLKATA: Beltek India Ltd. (BIL), a player in the television segment in north India, has forayed into the white goods segment to become a complete electronics and appliances company. "We will launch air-conditioners, refrigerators and microwaves ...
BPCL to set up aviation refuelling station
KOZHIKHODE: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) will set up its 21st aviation refuelling station at the Calicut Airport, Karipur, in September. The foundation for the project was laid on Tuesday. The BPCL Director (marketing), S. ...
Jayalakshmi Silks to celebrate 60th anniversary
KOCHI: The Kochi-based silk sari showroom, Jayalakshmi Silks, which has completed 60 years, is all set to celebrate the event with festivities spanning 365 days, says Narayan Kamath, managing partner. The current storage space is more than one ...
Popular wins award
KOCHI: Popular vehicles and services, a leading Maruti dealer in the state, has won the overall excellence award for the third consecutive year. The award was announced by Maruti Udyog Ltd. at Pune on Sunday, says a release. ...
Indus Motors bags nine awards
KOCHI: Indus Motors has bagged nine awards at the all India Maruti dealers conference held at Phuket in Thailand, says a release.
EFI to expand India operations
BANGALORE: EFI Inc, a global major in digital controllers, printers and print management solutions, will expand its Indian operations to meet growing demand. The U.S.-based company, which moved its operations to a new facility here, now employs ...
Bajaj Auto launches Platina
BANGALORE: Bajaj Auto, India's premier two and three wheeler automobile company launched "Platina", the 100 cc motorcycle on Tuesday. According to S. Sridhar, Vice President-Marketing, the launch will redefine the current standards and further ...
Firepro Systems plans $12 million investment
BANGALORE: Firepro Systems, provider of safety, security and building management solutions, has announced the investment of $12 million by American International Group (AIG) for a minority stake in the company. Firepro will use the investment ...
GETIT to launch Corporate, Yellow pages for Mangalore
MANGALORE: Getit Infomediary Ltd. is bringing out its `GETIT Yellow Pages and Corporate Pages 2006' for Mangalore and Udupi by October this year. The company is launching this new product expected to contain over 50,000 business listings. It has ...
Tanla Solutions registers Rs. 30 cr profit
HYDERABAD: Tanla Solutions, a Hyderabad-based wireless messaging solution provider, has reported a net profit of Rs. 30.24 crore during the financial year ended March 31, 2006 against Rs. 6.84 crore profit reported during the same period of the ...
Satyam ties up with HBSP and U21Global
HYDERABAD: Satyam School of Leadership (SSL), the corporate leadership university of Satyam Computer Services, has announced its partnership with Harvard Business School Publishing (HBSP) and Universitas 21 Global (U21Global) to commence ...
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Being last past the post is not necessarily as bad as it seems.
If anything, true champions in their field, just like the bride’s late arrival at church, will be readily forgiven for their lateness.
It goes with true celebrity status.
This year, following compatriots Daimler and Audi in this year’s results’ reporting season, BMW didn’t even attempt to spoil Audi’s annual full year results party.
Instead, BMW’s first-off results were published well after this year’s notably more sober and distinctly less glitzy Audi results presentation.
This year BMW has plainly ignored Audi’s numbers show.
Is Audi no longer seen as a threat?
Germany’s aristocratic old guard didn’t fail to present yet another impressive set of full year numbers.
Little less was expected.
The fight for leadership in what ranks as the most profitable slice of the world’s perpetually growing car market has intensified a great deal.
And yet, it’s just a three-horse race.
BMW, Mercedes and Audi are more determined than ever to produce not only higher and higher annual sales numbers, thereby stealing more of mass market carmakers’ business, they are equally keen to outperform each other in one key discipline: Profitability.
The ultimate accolade?
World’s leading and most profitable top-notch car brand.
In a segment in which the status and image of the brand is of paramount importance, also leading the field in global sales and profitability heaps more glitter on the brand.
Today, there is little genuine differentiation between BMW, Mercedes and Audi cars by way of appealing designs, high-tech engines, connectivity, or high-build quality and safety, the ultimate desirability of these brands is increasingly determined by the status they heap on their owners fragile egos.
Then there is the high price issue.
The higher price of these prestige brand chariots, can paradoxically, strengthen their appeal with the targeted key buying group.
Growing numbers of today’s car buyers, say in the UK, the US or perhaps most tellingly in China, are only too happy to pay a premium for the ‘right brand’ of car.
BMW, in sales volume terms, still holds pole position in the world’s premium car sales leadership racing season.
As the title-holder it is keen to also produce top-notch financial numbers.
It goes with the title.
No surprise then, BMW Automotive, like Audi and Mercedes, ended this past year with yet another set of all-time sales records.
Yet, in a world where everything is relative, just one minor blemish.
BMW’s pre-tax margin took a minor dip to 9.2 per cent, thanks ostensibly to the end of the super-profits era in previously buzzing China.
Audi, hit last with a double whammy that includes lowish provisions for the dieselgate fallout, ended last year with an 8.3 per cent margin, down 1.3 percentage points.
But last year’s biggest splash in virtually every discipline came from BMW’s and Audi’s muscle-flexing Stuttgart rival.
A star performance and a precursor to succeeding ultimately in its blatant prestige sector leadership aspirations - including last year a sackful of records and fastest lap times - Mercedes upped its pre-tax margin by 1.8 percentage points to a segment leading 9.8 per cent.
It crowns the brand with the famous star emblem as the world’s most profitable major prestige brand.
It's no wonder then that Mercedes was dead-keen to kick off this year’s results season.
You can’t blame them.
The bigger picture?
Today, with Audi already nudged aside from the runner-up position, Mercedes’ eagle eyes are focused on the bigger


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The Classic Motor show rolled into the NEC in Birmingham filling up a show stopping 11 halls across the three days 14-16th November 2014.
This years event paid tribute to The Big Screen and the Porsche 917 Le Mans racer was on display. The 917 complete with Gulf livery was featured in the film Le Mans as Steve McQueen’s race car.
The Ecto-1 which was featured in the Ghostbusters film was also on display. The 1959 Cadillac Miller Meteor ambulance was a replica of the original model. The owner Milton Homan spent six months restoring it to its present condition.
Other cars from the big screen included the Volvo P1800 from the Saint, Chevrolet C8 replica from Knight rider and DeLorean from Back to the Future complete with Marty’s trainers.
The event was the perfect opportunity for the many Classic Car Clubs to display their pride and joys, including the DeLorean, Ferraris, GT40s Lotuses and Lamborghinis to name a few.
The Gulf stand displayed four GT40 replicas all of which showcased the famous Gulf Livery. The centerpiece of the stand was a replica of the Porsche 917 which was worth significantly less than the original situated on the Classic & Sports car magazine stand.
The Sporting Bears Dream Rides was also present at the event for another year and the concept is to raise as much money for charity as possible. Last year, £41,000 was raised from the event. Visitors could opt for one of many cars to be taken on a 10 mile drive for a donation. The driver who normally owns the car donates their car and time for free, included in this years stunning line up was a McLaren P1.
Silverstone Auctions attended the event and had on show the cars, motorcycles and lifestyle lots which were available to be bid on. Some stunners ready to be purchased included a 1981 DeLorean DMC12, 1954 Bentley R Type Continental, 2004 MG SV-R and a 1994 Jaguar XJ220 which raised £220,000.
Our Photographer Steven Roe attended the event and we have his favourites from the weekend.


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Apex Legends Mobile is a free-to-play battle royale first person shooter developed by Respawn Entertainment and Lightspeed Studios, and published by EA.
It is a standalone mobile version of Apex Legends.
After running for just shy of a year, Respawn has announced that Apex Legends Mobile is being shut down on May 1.
Rhapsody the DJ is a nrand-new mobile-first Legend who comes with her own AI-controlled helper bot called Rowdy.
Along with 10 playable Legends at launch, the mobile version includes 3v3, Team Deathmatch, Quick Battle and Battle Royale modes.
New cinematic trailer sees Mirage finally getting a big win over Wraith. A new challenger is also teased to be joining the roster.
Fade is allegedly the tenth playable Legend and includes Void abilities, including an Ultimate that sends all players within range into the Void.
The mobile version of the popular battle royal shooter is officially set to launch worldwide this month, with ten Legends available at launch.
Apex Legends Mobile launched in select regions earlier this month, and Respawn Entertainment says it's currently aiming for a full launch this summer.
Available until Spring, the release includes modes like Battle Royale, Team DeathMatch, 3v3 Arenas, Mini Battle Royale and Ranked play.
The soft launch for the mobile version of Respawn's free-to-play battle royale shooter has been slightly delayed "due to current world events."
It will be available throughout Spring and feature Legends like Mirage, Wraith, Octane and more but won't feature cross-platform play.
Apex Legends Mobile will see a soft launch in select countries soon, with pre-registrations now open. More details will follow later.
The battle royale game enters a new arena.
The free-to-play battle royale titlee might be headed to mobile devices soon.
EA is "excited" for the opportunity to work with a partner in China who is also working on the mobile version.
EA is also looking to launch a competitive gaming program with more details coming soon.
The free to play battle royale title is EA's fastest growing new property.


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Weekender: Disco yoga, biscuit bear gardens, and a celebration of all things meat
Food and exercise are on the agenda this weekend (4-6 September) thanks to brand experiences from the likes of Lululemon,
Weber and Sailor Jerry to activate for foodies at Grillstock
Meat focused festival Grillstock has secured brands including Weber and Sailor Jerry for its London leg this weekend (5-6 September).
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Parramatta City Council has launched the ParraConnect project; a move intended to connect the City of Parramatta through a wireless CBD propsal and digital small business education initiative.
- Christmas rush brings great deals to online shoppers – and new risks for their employers
- Dell, Lenovo, HP will patch hundreds of devices affected by Intel's buggy embedded CPU
- As unencrypted data becomes “negligence”, business leaders are taking encryption strategy away from IT
- Uber, ABC cloud data breaches put Australian companies on notice about cloud security
- Fake Symantec blog spreads macOS malware


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As the sheep industry changes and evolves, Tom Bull said the driver of many producers' businesses moving forward is a focus towards high quality lamb, and this is being driven by a new generation of farmers.
Wingamin White Suffolk Stud Ewe sale was well supported with all 101 ewes offered sold to a top of $7000 and $1937 average.
An Australian and world record Dorper sale average of $6199 was etched in the history books today at the Burrawang Dorper and White Dorper sale, Ootha.
The Queensland-based operation offered and sold 70 Australian White ewes and rams at its first NSW sale at Inverell.
The strength of the Australian White breed continues with several record broken at Tattykeel's Wednesday sale.
The record-priced ram was purchased online through AuctionsPlus by David and Natalia Ellingsen, Flaxley Australian White stud, Flaxley, SA.
In the largest Merino ram offering in Australia, Nigel Kerin and his family sold the 550 Poll Merino rams to a $16,000 top and $3526 average.


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Barco is installing two flagship laser projectors at Lotte World Tower in Seoul, South Korea. Barco’s DP4K-60L projectors will illuminate the 34-meter wide screen in Lotte Cinema’s Super Plex G theatre, which is the largest screen on the planet. The story of Lotte Cinema is filled with superlatives.
With over 900 screens in three countries, Lotte Cinema is one of the fastest-growing cinema exhibitors in the Asia Pacific region. In Korea, the company – a subsidiary of premium department store Lotte Shopping – operates 105 sites. Its most prominent multiplex — the largest in Asia, in fact — features a total of 21 screens and seats 4,615 people. It is located in Lotte World Tower, the tallest building in South Korea, and will open at the beginning of April.
One of the main attractions in Lotte World Tower will undoubtedly be the Super Plex G theatre, which seats 622 spectators and features the world’s biggest cinema screen. It is part of Lotte’s Super Plex brand of premium auditoriums, which includes an ultra-wide screen, immersive 3D audio and extra-bright 3D imaging with a 2.4-gain screen.
Lotte Cinema had already installed four xenon projectors at its Super Plex G theatre. Convinced about the benefits of flagship laser, they decided to replace those units with two Barco DP4K-60L projectors before the grand re-opening.
Stijn Henderickx, vice president of cinema at Barco said, “In 2015, Lotte Cinema made the switch to flagship laser after extensive testing – a strategic technology choice that perfectly complemented Lotte’s upscale cinema concept. Today, we are honored to see their commitment to premium cinema experiences and flagship laser projection extend itself to their most ambitious auditorium, the Super Plex G. We truly believe that there could be no better match for two companies as passionate about cinema as Lotte Cinema and Barco.”


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We’ve got four incredible new Batman art prints to show you, created by Derek Pane and just released from Hero Complex Gallery. How cool are these?!
Take a peek at this insanely cool poster art inspired by Adam West‘s 1966 Batman, and created by artist Julien Rico Jr. for Hero Complex Gallery. The 18 x 24 art print is simply titled ‘KAPOW’ – which is fitting – and is on a very limited run of only 85 copies. I’m really loving […]
Google has just taken its first steps towards transparency when it comes to AI-generated images, by announcing SynthID; a watermarking tool for generative art. The announcement came from Google DeepMind today, which says the new technology will embed a digital watermark that’s ‘invisible to the human eye’ directly onto the pixels of an image. As […]
It’s coming up for that time again – San Diego Comic Con (or ‘The Big Clown Fraud’ as I like to call it*) is now just a month away, and in anticipation we’re seeing some con exclusives start to drop. Like these amazing Judge Dredd posters by graphic artist Matt Ferguson! Matt, who has previously […]
Not one to be sniffed at, this interactive nose sculpture from multimedia artist Adnan Aga – called the Adnose – can ‘smell’ any object held in front of it. How do we know? I mean, how does a nose on its own even tell us what it’s smelling? Well, a paper poetically describing the smell […]
One Piece continues to be a hugely popular anime. Here in the UK the 11th collection – that’s Episodes 253-275 are now out on DVD. There’s an incredible amount of history to this series and the die hard fans are just as loyal as ever before. To mark the release of One Piece Collection 11 […]


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Posted by on 10/27/2016 to News
Google Fiber is stopping, Why it's great news!
Recently the broadband industry and consumers have been shocked by the news
that Google Fiber its halting all new deployments of its fiber optic
network in the cities that were recently announced as the next fiber


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HARRY RULES: Elon Musk might be grabbing the headlines about Twitter, but Harry Styles rules the platform – he’s the most popular “Harry” on Twitter, with Harry Potter and Prince Harry following behind.
According to a new report, dubbed, “The Styles Report,” by Twitter, the singer is not only the most-talked about “Harry,” but he has one of the largest impressions on the platform, with fans discussing his music, fashion and beyond.
The report comes ahead of the release of Styles’ anticipated third studio album, “Harry’s House,” which is scheduled to drop on Friday.
Since he announced the news of his upcoming album in March, there have been more than 10 million tweets about Styles, according to the social networking company. On average, each of his fans have tweeted about “Harry’s House” twice.
On April 1, the Grammy-winning singer dropped his lead single “As It Was” from the album, accompanied with a music video on YouTube. The song received millions of tweets upon its release, taking the number-one spot for Styles’ songs with the most tweets during release week, with his songs “Sign of the Times” and “Fine Line,” in second and third, respectively.
Additionally, Styles’ influence extends beyond music and into fashion and movies, where he’s become an icon in his own right. The singer-actor has two upcoming movies, including “Don’t Worry Darling” and “My Policeman.” He made his acting debut in Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk.”
Styles, who has a following of nearly 45 million on Instagram, made history when he became the first solo male cover star on American Vogue for the magazine’s December 2020 issue, wearing a dress by Gucci, which remains his most-discussed fashion moment on Twitter.
Another popular style moment was when he wore another creation by the Italian luxury fashion house for the 2021 Grammy Awards, donning a black leather suit and green feather boa, an accessory now signature to the singer’s style.
According to Twitter, tweets about wearing boas peaked during the 2021 Grammys, increasing by at least five times compared to the previous week.
“It’s been incredible to see how the conversation around Harry Styles has evolved and the excitement around ‘Harry’s House,’ as well as to have the opportunity to celebrate his fans on Twitter and put a spotlight on what they’re saying,” Kevin O’Donnell, head of music partnerships at Twitter, said in a statement.
The company is also celebrating Styles’ fans off-platform by creating street murals in New York City and Los Angeles, shedding a light on some of his fans’ tweets.
“Harry’s House” will reportedly have a total of 13 tracks, which is more than any of his past albums, and is scheduled for release Friday. — CONCHITA WIDJOJO
At checkout, they’ll be able to pay with one of 12 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Dogecoin and Ethereum, through a solution provided by BitPay, which connects to most crypto wallets and exchanges currently used.
“We knew Tag Heuer would adopt what promises to be a globally integrated technology in the near future, despite the fluctuations, one that will deeply transform our industry and beyond,” said chief executive officer Frédéric Arnault in a statement.
The executive teased the option at a keynote at this year’s edition of Watches & Wonders, saying Web 3 and, in particular, NFT-related projects were in the works as he believed the brand has a voice in “new technology and new asset class.”
Tag Heuer joins a number of brands, luxury or edgy, who have tapped into the crypto craze. In recent weeks, Gucci launched a pilot program in select U.S. stores, and German designer Philipp Plein opened a pop-up store in London with prices displayed in alternative digital currencies. Earlier this year, Off-White said its Paris, Milan and London stores would now accept digital currencies.
Given the recent crypto crash that saw a number of major digital currencies lose a quarter or more of their value in a month, don’t snooze at checkout.
Prices are fixed in dollars, regardless of payment method, and the exchange rate offered by BitPay will only be guaranteed for 15 minutes, the company explained in a separate statement. The risk of fluctuation is “inherent to the cryptocurrency market at this time,” it added. — LILY TEMPLETON
On Thursday, the five-time track and field Olympian was named an ambassador for the Swiss luxury watch company.
Felix joins a growing family of athletes who are also Omega ambassadors, including other Olympians such as Michael Phelps, Caeleb Dressel, Noah Lyles, Shaun White and Dalilah Muhammad, among others. Omega has been the official timekeeper for the Olympic Games since 1932.
“Omega has been there as a timekeeper throughout my athletics career. It’s been an honor to rely on their precision for some of my fastest ever moments and I’m thrilled to wear their watches as a symbol of the brand’s quality,” Felix said.
Felix first appeared in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, where she won the silver medal in the women’s 200-meter race. She has continued to medal in each Olympic Games thereafter, accruing a total of 11 Olympic medals, seven of them gold. Felix is the most decorated female athlete in track and field history.
“Allyson represents the exact dedication and talent it takes to reach the top,” Raynald Aeschlimann, president and chief executive officer of Omega said. “She’s an inspiration to any young athlete, and I’m so glad we will now be working so closely together.”
In April, Felix announced on Instagram that she plans to retire after the 2022 season ends, stating this season would be her last.
Earlier this week, Omega revealed that actress-director Zoë Kravitz has also joined the brand as an ambassador. — C.W.
JOINING FORCES: The latest in what seems to be an endless stream of collaborations is one between two Italian stalwart brands — Slam Jam and Fila.
The soon-to-be-released Slam Jam x Fila Redefined assortment is meant to reenvision some of the more signature pieces from Fila’s archives. The end result is still functional and geared for different sports. In advance of Saturday’s launch of the capsule collection, Slam Jam hosted a party in Milan with the musician, producer, DJ and songwriter Evian Christ. He will not be featured in any campaigns, though, according to a company spokeswoman.
The seven-piece line features co-branded patches and includes such items as a frost grey windbreaker ultra-lightweight track jacket, a pinstripe running top, training shorts and a running hat. Polo shirts, track pants and a padded nylon gym bag. Retail prices range from 100 euros for the gym bag to 280 euros for a windbreaker.
The assortment is part of Slam Jam’s ongoing (Un)corporate Uniforms project. Slam Jam x Fila Redefined is being sold through Slam Jam’s site, as well as its doors and select retailers.
Created in 1989 in Ferrara by Luca Benini in 1989, Slam Jam was on the scene before streetwear became mainstream. Set up outside of the European fashion establishment, the company set its sense of all-are-welcome style by blending music, art and clubbing. One of its claims to fame was being Italy’s first importer of Stussy.
What started as a small warehouse operation in Ferrera has developed into an international company that highlights urban subcultures. In addition to distributing various apparel and footwear labels, Slam Jam collaborates with brands offering such services as the direction of branding and design, as well as wholesale, retail and engagement with its far-flung community. — ROSEMARY FEITELBERG
BUSTA’S BIG BIRTHDAY: How is Busta Rhymes planning to celebrate his 50th birthday this weekend?
“I’m going to do a little bit of partying. I’m going to do a little bit of relaxing, and I’m going to do a little bit of work,” said Busta on Wednesday night in New York. “I love to work, because my job is not really work to me. It’s my passion, my love, my fulfillment — so going and making my music is part of me appreciating my gift and what I’ve been blessed with.”
The rapper was kicking things off at AP House in the Meatpacking District, where Audemars Piguet hosted friends of the brand to mark the official debut of Audemars Piguet’s swanky social lounge, as well as the 50th anniversary of the AP Royal Oak.
“I am just a fan of phenomenal craftsmanship and elegance,” said the rapper, adding that the watches represent attributes — quality and beauty among them — that he works to embody; he’s been collecting AP timepieces since he was 28.
“It’s one thing to get gifts from people, but it’s always an amazing feeling to bask in the gifts that you’ve been blessed with,” said Busta. “The studio does that for me, my family does that for me, and being able to gift my family love, friendship and commitment to each other. Sometimes we exemplify that not just through emotion, but through the act.”
Sometimes that act is the gift of an AP watch, or dinner — “things that will make people smile,” he added. “And sometimes it’s just a mere celebration of life, and being able to be with each other and enjoying that time together in whatever way you choose to express that. As long as it’s something that can add to the happiness and peace of mind of the individuals that we’re celebrating — that’s the most important thing at the end of the day.”
Busta was also in town to pay homage to another New York rap icon, the Notorious B.I.G. The two New York rappers were born one day apart, and on Friday Busta is slated to perform alongside his music industry peers during the late rapper’s 50th birthday celebration. The city is planning to light up the Empire State Building in Biggie’s honor, and the MTA is rolling out special subway cards near his childhood neighborhood in Brooklyn on May 21.
Ghetto Gastro, a longtime fan and friend of Audemars Piguet, passed around snacks as Heron Preston DJed and guests including Sebastian Stan, artist Nina Chanel Abney and Hannah Bronfman congregated nearby on a private outdoor terrace.
“This is Audemars Piguet’s friends and family,” said Ginny Wright, chief executive officer of the Americas for the brand. “Music, fashion and gastronomy are all present here. That’s what AP House is about; it’s not a boutique, it’s about a place for people to come and connect about the culture, not just about watches.” — KRISTEN TAUER
CELEBRATING CONVERSATION: Elle honored young Hollywood Wednesday night in Los Angeles, celebrating Hulu’s “Conversations With Friends” cast members Joe Alwyn, Jemima Kirke, Sasha Lane and Alison Oliver, as well as Simone Ashley, the newest star of “Bridgerton.”
The event was held at Ardor, the restaurant at The West Hollywood Edition hotel on Sunset Boulevard. Champagne flowed inside the lush, plant-filled eatery as Bec Adams spun behind the DJ booth. The cocktail party brought out rising actors and music artists such as Demi Singleton of “King Richard;” Sophie Thatcher of “Yellowjackets”; singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers; dancer and actress Maddie Ziegler, and Taylor John Smith, next seen in Sony Pictures’ anticipated film “Where the Crawdads Sing” opposite breakout actress Daisy Edgar-Jones (of “Normal People”).
Sponsored by Polo Ralph Lauren (and Hulu), the American fashion brand dressed the honorees, as well as Singleton, Thatcher, Ziegler and Smith, along with actresses Auli’i Cravalho, Ava Michelle, Xochitl Gomez, Thuso Mbedu and Pauline Chalamet (sister of Timothée Chalamet), who made her film debut in Judd Apatow’s comedy “The King of Staten Island.” — RYMA CHIKHOUNE


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EMI may be sold off
RENOWNED music giant, the EMI Group, is now considering a sale or a potential stock market listing as part of its strategic review of the business.
However, the company insisted there was no assurance the review would result in a deal.
The company is currently split into two divisions, recording and publishing.
Earlier this year, investment bank Citigroup seized full control of the company from financier Guy Hands, whose private equity vehicle Terra Firm bought EMI in 2007 for £4.2bn.


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Otha Smith III has so much energy he would bottle and sell it if he could, so when he uses cannabis he knows to avoid plants which have been bred to contain a lot of alpha-pinene, the energy-promoting compound that is also found in pine trees and rosemary.
He looks instead for plants heavy in myrcene, a supposedly sedating compound also found in hops, which are used to flavor beer.
To help others keep track of what products they have used, how they felt and what the chemical composition was, Smith developed the idea for a phone app called Tetragram, which allows users to log 22 compounds listed in percentage on the side of medical cannabis products in Maryland.
The mission of Tetragram is to use that aggregate data to help patients and medical professionals better understand the positives and negatives of cannabis use, he said. Giving patients more information also reduces their need to rely on recommendations from budtenders in stores, Smith said, and reduces the risk of trying a strain that causes a negative reaction and makes that person think they hate all cannabis.
Smith, a Bowie resident, entrepreneur and graduate of Bowie State University, teamed up with Towson University graduate and visual designer Lucas Roe and University of Maryland, Baltimore County graduate and computer programmer Julius Moore to officially launch Tetragram on July 10.
Smith said in the month since they have accumulated more than 400 app users. The biggest challenge caused by COVID-19 to the launch of the app has been the way it has affected Smith’s ability to “pop up” at various dispensaries to talk directly with consumers about the app, he said, similar to how some cannabis brands “pop up” to encourage sale of their products.
Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is the compound that gives patients the cerebral “high” feeling, Smith said, but the way a strain affects an individual is also determined by compounds called terpenes, which can promote attention or relaxation, stunt hunger, sedate and provide anti-inflammatory benefits. Smith says it is very important for patients to understand the effects of different terpenes, but the list on the side of the bottle can be dauntingly long.
Terpenes are present in cannabidiol or CBD products as well, Smith said.
While a strain name is passed from plant generation to plant generation, the chemical composition of the new plant can differ from its parent. And the market is also constantly changing –– a patient could find a strain they like, but once it sells out it could be weeks before it returns to the store again, as a new batch must be grown and harvested, Smith said.
Smith said he was overwhelmed by variety of cannabis products when he first became a patient registered with the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission as an alternative to using opioids to manage pain that stems from a car crash in 2003 in which he was ejected from the vehicle.
Cannabis business advocate and Anne Arundel Community College professor Shad Ewart said the app could serve as an alternative to a focus group to collect consumer data.
“One of the things we lack in the cannabis industry is reliable and valid consumer data on usage and effects,” he said in an email. “Many who consume cannabis are unwilling to speak about it and when they do, they tend to exaggerate or minimize their usage.”
Ewart had two caveats –– the need for accurate data and many, many app users. If a person is putting information into Tetragram based on a medical product with the composition on the side that’s good, he said, but if a person is guessing what the make up of a product is without knowing that could be an issue.
“The impacts of each strain is highly dependent on the user, so you need a significant number of comments to weed out the outliers,” Ewart wrote.
Smith said they hope to provide dispensaries and cultivators with consumer information to help them figure what products people prefer and why. Tetragram also allows the user to say what they are treating, which could provide insight into what strains are the best for what conditions.
There are other cannabis-focused apps on the market such as Leafly and WeedMaps, through which users can see a dispensary’s menu and place an order, and also research different strains and their reported effects based on reviews. Smith said his app takes a deeper dive into the data.
They will be rolling out new features soon, he said, such as the ability to share a review with a friend or doctor. They would like to create a way for users, who don’t put a name down, to interact, and are also working on advertisements for the site.


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Posted on 18 June 2015
Featuring the latest in Under Armour technology, the range offers the best fit and protection for any weather.
The new apparel is now available to purchase online and in-store at Spurs Shops.
Our new 2015-16 Under Armour Home Kit, launched last month, is also on sale at the same outlets.
Visit the Spurs Shop website now!
4 November 2016
As the Club continues to mark this period of Remembrance 100 Years on from the Battle of the Somme, the team will wear special edition shirts emblazoned with a Poppy during Sunday’s North London derby at Arsenal.
23 September 2016
It’s been a rollercoaster ride at times, but Kyle Walker has never waivered from his plan on first joining us back in 2009.
14 September 2016
Today not only marks the start of our UEFA Champions League adventure – our youngsters are also set to step out on the European stage in the UEFA Youth League this afternoon.
View mobile site
© Tottenham Hotspur Ltd 2017. All rights reserved.
All photography copyright Getty Images (unless otherwise stated)


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US Inflation Pressures Further Intensified in September
WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation in the United States accelerated in September, with the cost of housing and other necessities intensifying pressure on households, wiping out pay gains that many have received and ensuring that the Federal Reserve will keep raising interest rates aggressively.
Consumer prices rose 8.2% in September compared with a year earlier, the government said Thursday. On a month-to-month basis, prices increased 0.4% from August to September after having ticked up 0.1% from July to August.
Yet excluding the volatile categories of food and energy, so-called core inflation jumped last month — a sign that the Fed’s five rate hikes this year have so far done little to cool inflation pressures. Core inflation climbed 0.6% from August to September and 6.6% over the past 12 months. The yearly core figure is the biggest increase in 40 years. Core prices typically provide a clearer picture of underlying price trends.
Major U.S. markets swung sharply lower, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures moving from several hundred points up to a 400 point decline in seconds. Markets in Europe tumbled as well.
Thursday’s report represents the final U.S. inflation figures before the Nov. 8 midterm elections after a campaign season in which spiking prices have fueled public anxiety, with many Republicans casting blame on President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats.
Inflation has swollen families’ grocery bills, rents and utility costs, among other expenses, causing hardships for many and deepening pessimism about the economy despite strong job growth and historically low unemployment.
As the election nears, Americans are increasingly taking a dim view of their finances, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Roughly 46% of people now describe their personal financial situation as poor, up from 37% in March. That sizable drop contrasts with the mostly steady readings that had lasted through the pandemic.
The September inflation numbers aren’t likely to change the Fed’s plans to keep hiking rates aggressively in an effort to wrest inflation under control. The Fed has boosted its key short-term rate by 3 percentage points since March, the fastest pace of hikes since the early 1980s. Those increases are intended to raise borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans and business loans and cool inflation by slowing the economy.
Minutes from the Fed’s most recent meeting in late September showed that many policymakers have yet to see any progress in their fight against inflation. The officials projected that they would raise their benchmark rate by an additional 1.25 percentage points over their next two meetings in November and December. Doing so would put the Fed’s key rate at its highest level in 14 years.
Along with lower gas prices, economists expect the prices of used cars to reduce or at least restrain inflation in the coming months. Wholesale used car prices have dropped for most of this year, though the declines have yet to show up in consumer inflation data. (Used vehicle prices had soared in 2021 after factory shutdowns and supply chain shortages reduced production.)
Large retailers, too, have started offering early discounts for the holiday shopping season, after having amassed excess stockpiles of clothes, furniture and other goods earlier this year. Those price cuts might have lowered inflation in September or will do so in the coming months.
Walmart has said it will offer steep discounts on such items as toys, home goods, electronics and beauty. Target began offering holiday deals earlier this month.
Yet prices for services — particularly rents and housing costs — are remaining persistently high and will likely take much longer to come down. Health care services, education and even veterinary services are still rising rapidly in price.
“Services price increases tend to be more persistent than increases in the prices of goods,” Raphael Bostic, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, noted in remarks last week.
Rising rental costs are a tricky issue for the Fed. Real-time data from websites such as ApartmentList suggest that rents on new leases are starting to decline.
But the government’s measure tracks all rent payments — not just those for new leases — and most of them don’t change from month to month. Economists say it could be a year or longer before the declines in new leases feed through to government data.
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OAKLAND PARK, Fla. – Detectives with the Broward Sheriff’s Office are seeking the public’s help to locate a man who robbed a beauty salon in Oakland Park that took about $1,200 worth of merchandise and pepper sprayed employees, authorities said.
According to BSO spokeswoman Claudinne Caro, around 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 7, detectives responded to a robbery call at a beauty store near the 700 block of East Oakland Park Boulevard.
According to investigators, an employee was standing outside the cosmetics store when a white Kia SUV reversed into the parking space at the store’s entrance.
The man was caught on surveillance video exiting the passenger side of the vehicle. Shortly thereafter, both the clerk and the man entered the store.
After entering the store, CCTV showed the man spraying pepper spray in the face of this clerk and snatching several wigs from the mannequins on the front counter.
The video also shows the man pepper spraying a second employee behind the counter before leaving the store without paying for the items.
Surveillance video shows the man getting on the passenger side of the white SUV before the driver drives away.
Investigators said the man was wearing a black hooded jacket with white lettering on the sleeves. He had a mask on his face, an orange shirt under his jacket and blue pants.
Anyone with information is urged to contact BSO Robbery Unit Detective Mark Copley at 954-321-4738 or Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-8477.
Copyright 2023 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.
https://www.local10.com/news/local/2023/01/20/video-shows-man-stealing-items-from-oakland-park-beauty-supply-store-pepper-spraying-employees/ Video shows a man stealing items from a cosmetics store in Oakland Park and pepper spraying employees


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THE Civic in Barnsley are preparing to showcase their major autumn exhibition Knitwear: Chanel to Westwood.
There will be over 150 inspirational knitwear pieces from the collection of Mark and Cleo Butterfield.
Fashionistas will be able to to see highlights from designs by Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel and rare crocheted evening dresses from the 1930s to late 20th century innovations by Vivienne Westwood.
Curator at the Civic, David Sinclair said: “The Gallery at The Civic, is delighted to be hosting this major retrospective from the Fashion and Textile Museum.”
Knitwear: Chanel to Westwood is on show to the public from September 5 to November 13.
Yorkshire Fashion Archive will exhibit at The Civic in the Panorama gallery between Saturday, September 5 and Saturday, November 14.
The Civic Gallery will also host a Crafting for Carers Knit2gether activity sessions on Saturday, September 5, Saturday, October 10 and Saturday, October 31.
All exhibitions are free to enter.


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May 23, 1985: Bitter about being ousted from his position running the Macintosh division, Steve Jobs attempts to stage a coup to seize control of Apple from CEO John Sculley.
The 30-year-old Apple co-founder plans to overthrow Sculley while the CEO is away on a business trip in China. Unfortunately for Jobs, he makes a critical mistake when he tries to recruit the support of Apple executive Jean-Louis Gassée, who informs Sculley of the plot.
It’s the beginning of the end for Jobs’ first tenure at Apple.
May 17, 1983: John Sculley takes the helm as Apple’s third president and CEO. The former Pepsi-Cola boss is short on tech experience but long on marketing and using seo for woocommerce, which will become increasingly important as the personal computer revolution ramps up.
Steve Jobs personally lured Sculley to Apple using one of the most famous lines in the history business. “Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water,” Jobs asked Sculley, “or do you want a chance to change the world?”
April 10, 1985: During a fateful meeting, Apple CEO John Sculley threatens to resign unless the company’s board of directors removes Steve Jobs as executive VP and general manager of the Macintosh division.
This triggers a series of events that will ultimately result in Jobs’ exit. The marathon board meeting — which continued for several hours the next day — results in Jobs losing his operating role within the company, but being allowed to stay on as chairman. Things don’t exactly play out like that.
April 8, 1983: John Sculley, former president of PepsiCo, takes charge as Apple’s third CEO.
Despite a total lack of experience selling tech products, Sculley is lured to Apple by Steve Jobs himself. The Apple co-founder famously pitched the Pepsi exec with the line, “Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?”
April 6, 1939: John Sculley is born in New York City. He will grow up to be hailed as a business and marketing genius, eventually overseeing Apple’s transformation into the most profitable personal computer company in the world.
After a remarkable stint as president of Pepsi-Cola, Sculley will take over as Apple’s third CEO in 1983. He runs Apple for a 10-year period, guiding the creation of the revolutionary Newton MessagePad. During Sculley’s decade at the helm, Apple sells more personal computers than any other company. But most people still remember him for his role in kicking Steve Jobs out of Cupertino.
February 27, 1998: Apple discontinues work on the Newton MessagePad product line, the series of personal digital assistants the company launched five years earlier.
“This decision is consistent with our strategy to focus all our software development resources on extending the Macintosh operating system,” Steve Jobs says at the time. “To realize our ambitious plans we must focus all of our efforts in one direction.”


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When the pandemic hit the world, the global industries faced a tremendous downfall and the shortage of supplies started occurring throughout the world. During this time, it was expected that the automobile sector would be facing a huge slump due to lockdowns and curfews.
In reality, the outcomes were completely different from the assumptions and predictions made by investors, economists, and market observers.
Towards the end of the year 2020, the automobile sector started reporting a great surge in demand from the public. As compared to the traditional engine-based vehicles, the electric vehicles sector showed tremendous gains and demand surges.
However, the end of the year 2020 also brought one major problem with it, which was the shortage of semiconductors, commonly known as chips. Initially, there were only a couple of companies that reported a shortage of chips. With time, more and more companies started reporting the same.
Unfortunately, the problem with chips is that they are not only used by automobile companies but by almost every electric company in the world. The automobile ended up facing a lot of loss because each one of its vehicles had to have chips installed in order to function at full potential.
When the shortage first occurred, it was expected that the situation would become normal in the coming months. However, the world is still trying to recover from the shortage of chips and is not able to make much improvement around the sector.
During the particular crisis, many companies have started operating smartly to cut the cost of manufacturing or extra labor. Companies such as Ford had to reduce their daily shifts for manufacturing vehicles and let go of some workers.
On the other hand, companies such as Tesla resorted to producing vehicles that brought high revenues for the company. This helped the companies carry on with their operations and keep delivering vehicles to difficult times.
Although the companies have been operating and carrying out manufacturers smartly, yet they are producing fewer vehicles than predicted. However, Nio has a different story to share with its stakeholders and investors.
Nio, a Chinese electric car manufacturing startup, proclaiming to be a Tesla competitor within the country has shared its sales figures for June 2021. The company has claimed that for the first time since its launch, it is the first month in which it has delivered more than 8,000 vehicles.
According to figures, Tesla has delivered 8,083 electric vehicles in the month of June. As for the second quarter of 2021, the company has achieved 21,896 deliveries. The company has revealed that the total deliveries it achieved in Q2 2021 are within its forecasted figure of 21,000 to 22,000 vehicles.
Nio is already publicly listed through the NYSE and in the year 2021, its share prices have surged by 9%. The company has been making decent progress and is aiming to go international in the upcoming years.


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MasterCard investigated by European Commission over inter-bank fees
The European Commission is investigating MasterCard over fees charged for card transactions made by people visiting Europe.
The Commission said some of MasterCard’s “inter-bank fees and related practices may be anti-competitive”.
Visa is already under investigation in Europe over similar practices.
MasterCard, which said it would “fully co-operate” with regulators, could be fined up to $740 million, or 10% of its 2012 revenue, if found guilty.
The credit card firm said that it always aimed “to balance the interests of both consumers and retailers”.
The investigation will examine payments made by people from outside the European Economic Authority (EEA) – the EU’s 27-member states as well as Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland – who use their credit and debit cards when inside the area.
The EU said the main aim of its probe was to ensure consumers were not harmed.
“When a US tourist uses a Mastercard to make a purchase in [the European Economic Area], these fees can be quite high, generally much higher than those paid in Europe,” European Commission spokesman Antoine Colombani said.
In 2007, a similar probe led to the Commission banning MasterCard from charging cross-border fees within the European Economic Area.
The European Commission said payment cards were of “crucial importance” for cross-border and internet payments.
“It is therefore a priority for the European Commission to prevent competition distortions in inter-bank arrangements on fees,” it said.
As well as inter-bank fees paid by cardholders from non-EEA countries, the Commission said the probe would look at rules that obliged merchants to accept all types of MasterCard cards, even if some of them incur higher charges.
The probe will also look at MasterCard’s restrictions on merchants who wish to use banks outside their own country, which could be cheaper.
“Ultimately, such behavior is liable to slow down cross-border business and harm EU consumers,” it said.
The European Commission said it would submit proposed regulation by the middle of the year on inter-bank fees aimed at ensuring a level playing field for all card providers.


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Security and Safety Things GmbH, along with a roster of pioneers, highlighted the benefit of an open approach at the first ever escon 2020 digital Ecosystem Conference last week, discussing the current successes and future developments of smart cameras and open systems. Security & Safety Things (S&ST) also offered a sneak preview of 2021, which included the company’s positioning as the fastest growing app store for smart cameras and several pilot projects in various vertical markets. “This past year offered us an opportunity to work together with our partners to find new ways to leverage our open ecosystem and address the challenges facing the global market, using the growing possibilities and innovative use cases in AI-enabled smart surveillance,” said Hartmut Schaper, Chief Executive Officer, Security & Safety Things. Harmonization across systems “We are looking forward to continuing that industry transformation in 2021, and leveraging the ingenuity of the collaborative developer community. In effect integrators will be able to offer flexible, customized solutions and greater device choice for end users." Harmonisation across systems, Ma said, can help the industry unlock the power of data and bring value to stakeholders In addition to S&ST, speakers from industry pioneers spoke on the importance of open systems and a collaborative approach. Steve Ma, VP, Open Security & Safety Alliance and VP, VIVOTEK discussed how the current market is too fragmented - which has caused stagnation in the industry. Harmonization across systems, Ma said, can help the industry unlock the power of data and bring value to stakeholders. AI powered smart devices José Daniel Garcia Espinel, Global Innovation Director for Prosegur, presented on the use of surveillance cameras as AI powered smart devices to enable new capabilities in security monitoring and response. Espinel talked about how the combination of video surveillance, AI based processing and predictive algorithms will help to further automate the operational model of Security Operation Centers, reducing the unsustainable demands on operators to constantly monitor different screens for activity. Guest speaker highlights also included: Markus Berger-de León, Coach & Business Builder, McKinsey & Company highlighted the opportunities for the security industry, post-COVID-19 - as video analytic advancements for building security, automotive and retail environments grow Keven Marier, VP Technology Partners, Milestone discussed how an open approach offers developers different ways to infuse their technology into an ecosystem - offering more choice and flexibility to customers Vincent Poty, Digital Transformation Officer, STANLEY Security presented on the importance of turning security autonomy back to end-users, and the growing demand of a more data-centric approach Business development teams Key members of the S&ST product and business development teams provided updates on upcoming ecosystem and end user projects, including new industries of focus, such as customized solutions for transportation and harbor management, parking optimization, and healthcare and elder care facilities. S&ST also highlighted their growing Market Application Store - featuring 70+ apps designed to address more than 32 use cases that can be customized based on customer request.
Security and Safety Things GmbH will host escon 2020, the Security & Safety Things (S&ST) Ecosystem Conference 2020, to be held from 3 - 5:30 pm CET on November 10. The industry conference will provide a forum for leaders in security, open platforms and digital transformation to discuss their outlook on market conditions and perspectives on the future of smart cameras. The free, virtual event will also offer a year-in-review and an outlook for 2021. Fastest growing app store “As our industry events move to a digital format, we are very pleased to have assembled this roster of distinguished speakers, who will share expert views on how end users and integrators can leverage emerging open IoT platforms to enhance business functions and adopt other innovations ripe for use,” said Hartmut Schaper, chief executive officer, Security & Safety Things. We will also be offering insight into our own open IoT Platform with the industry’s fastest growing app store" “We will also be offering insight into our own open IoT Platform with the industry’s fastest growing app store for smart cameras and our plans for the years and months to come.” Key members of the S&ST product and business development teams will provide updates on upcoming ecosystem and end user projects, while Schaper will conclude with an outlook to 2021. AI powered smart devices Guest speaker highlights include: Markus Berger-de León, Coach & Business Builder, McKinsey & Company on how AI and machine learning propel video analytics beyond security Keven Marier, VP Technology Partners, Milestone on how an open approach provides integrators and end-customers the highest flexibility possible José Daniel Garcia Espinel, Global Innovation Director, Prosegur on surveillance cameras as AI powered smart devices for the future of security Steve Ma, VP, Open Security & Safety Alliance and EVP, VIVOTEK on how to lift the value potential of the entire industry through an open platform approach Vincent Poty, Digital Transformation Officer, STANLEY Security on how end-users can claim back control over their security