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Halal franchise butcher’s opens new store
London-based Tariq Halal has opened its fifth butcher’s shop in Fulham, with plans to open more this year.
The family business was set up in 1965 and has been expanding across London for the past three years and now has over 70 staff and an average 1,500 customers a day.
Tariq Halal sell a large selection of halal meat products, ranging from fresh, frozen, offal, marinated and chilled. They offer an exclusive frozen range and a unique selection of marinated items, such as chilli with chicken.
The new shop will have extended operational hours and offer local delivery to restaurants. Ten jobs have been created so far, with five more people set to be recruited in 2015, the company reported.
Tariq Halal received a £250,000 loan from Natwest to open its new shop in Fulham. Nigel Stickings from NatWest said: “Tariq Halal is the first meat franchise in the UK and offers a unique customer proposition; fresh products in the best condition and at a good price. The franchise also takes on people without a butchery background as they run a comprehensive in-house training package with a master butcher. We wish them well for their latest store.”
With Brand Halal’s globalisation, there are signs all over that the brand Halal is in the quest to dominate world meat market scenario in few years down the line. As per the estimation of Malaysia-based World Halal Forum, Halal already accounts for over 17% of the worldwide food market.
Blissfully, though, contemporary meat is pretty darn tender, much tenderer than the meat consumed by our cave-dwelling ancestors. In the primordial days, meat was cooked without any former marination of rich spices and herbs which endowed a “bland” taste to the meat preparation. Mostly they were simply roasted or smoked. While in the medieval age, most of the meat in the western countries were prepared using salt and pepper and that gave “spice-less” and “not-so-yummy” feel and taste to it. Slowly and gradually, the world witnessed an evolution in the subject of meat preparation and its marination.
Frozen Meat Products have been in continuation since the 1930’s and often are linked with TV dinners and other ease & convenience items. These frozen meat products are quick, handy and simple-to-cook, besides saving time on cleaning them.


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An interesting news story...
The White House-appointed autos task force has given GM 60 days to come up with a restructuring plan and it is trying to determine whether the automaker can be a viable company.
Quoting sources who had been briefed on the GM plans, the Times said the goal was to prepare for a fast "surgical" bankruptcy.
The newspaper said preparations are aimed at assuring a GM bankruptcy filing is ready if the company is unable to reach agreement with bondholders to exchange roughly $28 billion in debt into equity in GM and with the United Automobile Workers union.
A plan under consideration would create a new company that would buy the "good" assets of GM after the carmaker files for bankruptcy, the Times said.
Less desirable assets, including unwanted brands, factories and health care obligations, would be left in the old company, which could be liquidated over several years, according to the paper.
In the finest example of "new-speak," at least today, we are told that GM needs to be ready for a "surgical" bankruptcy. Or those of us who aren't morons like to call it, the bondholders getting hosed and the UAW getting a cash settlement before moving over to the "new" company.
What I love is how when a company screws the pooch like GM has done, the government needs to step in and create a "new" company to purchase the "good" or "bad" assets of companies that fail as they pose a systemic risk to the system. This used to be handled by the market-place through what is referred to as "creative-destruction," but obviously we are not smart enough to know what is good and what is shit.
Insulting. Here's an idea. How about a "new" company not involved with the FEDS "buys" GM and proceeds to "shed dead weight" or tell the unions to "piss against an electric fence" as a "good" company makes GM "profitable." Now, I know this sounds crazy, but I think that it has worked before. Here's another crazy idea. Maybe we should hop in our way-back machine and bail-out the buggy whip industry. The market needs to work. This is not a free-market.

domain: news


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Could the Christmas party be starting early inside BMW? There’s a decent chance of that being the case or it could actually have been planned out. I’m not talking about the party but the official release of the brand new BMW M6 Gran Coupe only hours after a couple of […]
Post Tagged with: "official"
With the introduction of the F20-like 1 Series three door, BMW have been much more liberal with the details on the hotter M135i version. Things seem to be pretty straight forward. Ever since the concept tag expired and the first details showed up, surprises disappeared. What has also disappeared is […]
The earlier leak of the BMW i8 Spyder Concept has produced results. The Bavarians have scrambled together to announce it properly. It must have been a weekend of hell for the guys in the marketing and PR departments that got the short straws and had to make the press release. […]
As the title has it, BMW have lifted the covers off what will be this year’s star player in their M division product portfolio, the F12/F13 M6. Unlike the previous generation, this time you don’t have to wait several months before you get to drop the top off your BMW […]
The rumors and reports are true, the Bavarians at BMW have now made their deal engine deal with the Japanese at Toyota official. A rather simple breakdown of the BMW-Toyota deal sees the two companies exchange no money, stock or anything easily measurable. What is going to happen is actually […]


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Microsoft, the global technology giant, has announced the Xbox Adaptive Controller designed for gamers with limited mobility.
The news is welcomed by Muscular Dystrophy UK who is working in partnership with the company to promote the new controller.
At the same time, the charity is calling on the wider gaming industry to take the needs of those with a disability more seriously. It has today (17 May) published a report, Changing the game, identifying key issues affecting disabled gamers and setting out a number of recommendations for urgent action.
Microsoft’s new Xbox Adaptive Controller is a welcome first step towards a more inclusive video gaming culture. It will make a real difference, particularly to people with a progressive muscle-wasting condition. However, our report highlights that there is still much more the industry needs to do.
“We frequently hear from young people with muscle-wasting conditions that gaming is hugely important to them, providing opportunities to socialise and compete with others at an equal level. It can help reduce social isolation, relieve stress and improve mood, but many feel excluded because of their disability.”
Nic Bungay, Director of Campaigns, Care and Information for Muscular Dystrophy UK.
The ‘Changing the game’ report was compiled by Muscular Dystrophy UK’s Trailblazers, a UK-wide network of young, disabled campaigners. More than 100 people with a muscle-wasting condition were interviewed about the issues they face when it comes to gaming.
Key findings showed:
- Almost three in five people surveyed said gaming was their favourite or regular pastime due to limited access to other leisure activities
- Eight out of ten believe the gaming industry doesn’t consider the needs of disabled gamers
- Around one in four respondents require extra technology to help them play video games
- More than one in three people said they could not play video games because of their disability
The report calls for a number of changes to be introduced, including the development of controllers that can be adapted to different levels of disability.
Microsoft’s Adaptive Controller has been designed primarily to meet the needs of gamers with limited mobility. It will be available to purchase later this year in the Microsoft Store.
Commenting on the controller, Hector Minto from Microsoft, said: “Nobody knows what gamers with limited mobility need more than the gamers themselves, and that’s why it’s so important for us at Microsoft to partner with charities like Muscular Dystrophy UK and their Trailblazer Programme. We need feedback, and a strong relationship, which help us create the tools that make gaming accessible to everybody. Accessibility in gaming is a real focus for us; while the Xbox Adaptive Controller is the first physical accessibility-focussed gaming input device from Microsoft, it’s not the first accessibility product in the gaming portfolio. Last year we introduced Copilot, an Xbox One feature compatible with the Xbox Adaptive Controller.”
Lauren West, who manages the Trailblazers network for Muscular Dystrophy UK, added: “What we want to do now is challenge Microsoft and the wider industry to continue focusing on the needs of disabled gamers and create a much more positive and inclusive gaming environment for everyone.”


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In a groundbreaking decision, Texas has given the nod to a plan that mandates electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to incorporate Tesla’s technology. This move comes despite concerns from various sectors.
The Lone Star State, set to receive a significant chunk of a $5 billion program aimed at electrifying US highways, has been in the spotlight for this choice. The end goal? To make Tesla’s tech the primary charging standard in the US.
Although federal guidelines insist that companies provide the Combined Charging System (CCS) to be eligible for funding, states have the liberty to layer on additional stipulations.
Adding to the drama, Ford and General Motors sent ripples through the industry just a couple of months back when they declared their intention to hop on the Tesla North American Charging Standard (NACS) bandwagon.
Following this, more automakers and charging outfits jumped on board. As per a June report by Reuters, Texas was set on the path of mandating Tesla’s technology in charging stations. And they’re not alone – Washington and Kentucky have similar inclinations.
However, this hasn’t been a smooth ride. Several charging firms expressed their reservations, reaching out to the Texas Transportation Commission.
Their main gripe? The potential risk this posed to the successful rollout of EV chargers, mainly due to supply chain and certification issues related to Tesla’s connectors. These concerns led Texas to twice push back a decision on the proposal.
But the recent unanimous vote changes everything.
Humberto Gonzalez, a leading figure at Texas’ transportation department, succinctly summed up the sentiment behind the approval: “The two-connector approach being proposed will help assure coverage of a minimum of 97% of the current, over 168,000 electric vehicles with fast charge ports in the state.”
As Texas goes, so might the nation. The impact of this decision will likely resonate far beyond its borders, potentially setting the stage for a nation-wide charging standard. Only time will tell.


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Registration takes less than 1 minute.
Port of Long Beach CEO said ports are in a "perfect position" to play this role.
Businesses large and small and across many sectors share their views on the massive West Coast port cargo delays.
PMA said ships will not load or unload cargo Thursday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday due to continuing ILWU slowdowns.
Transpacific carriers cite port congestion and stronger demand as economy improves.
New style port directors are trying to tailor ports to industry supply chain needs.
Senate moves to decouple fight over immigration policy from Homeland Security, but resistance remains in House.


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Best Renderings For The Week Of October 24
Every week we publish a lot of renderings. While some of them preview actual new models coming in the next few months, others are mostly done for fun. Those imagine super-futuristic creations that are likely not going to hit the production lines anytime soon, if ever at all.
Here at Motor1.com, we all love virtual drawings and that’s why we figured we’d share one extra rendering article every week. It combines the best design exercises our own artists create, as well as images provided by independent automotive designers, students, and just regular gearheads.
We’ll update this article with the new renderings from the last week every Thursday. Thus, you’ll have all cool digital interpretations handy when you want to take a brief look into the future.
Next-gen Toyota C-HR
The C-HR went on sale on the global markets in 2016 and arrived in the United States about two years later. It’s high time for the automaker to launch the second-gen crossover and this rendering proposes a new design language inspired by the bZ4X electric vehicle.
2024 Kia Sorento
This rendering previews a mid-cycle refresh for the fourth-generation Sorento, which has been on sale in its current form since 2020. The facelift for the SUV could bring radical changes at the front with the headlights getting a new overall shape.
Mercedes-AMG CLE 53
The two-door versions of the C-Class and E-Class are no longer available. Instead, Mercedes plans to launch the all-new CLE very soon as a replacement for its compact and midsize coupes and convertibles. This is what it could look like
Next-gen VW Passat
The Passat will continue its life on the European continent where it will receive a new generation. Currently being developed by Skoda only as a station wagon, the new Passat will borrow design cues from Volkswagen’s ID family as previewed in this rendering.
Source: Read Full Article


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Another day, another ad spend downgrade… Online advertising will grow a paltry 6.1 percent to $25.1 billion next year, says Barclays Capital internet analyst Doug Anmuth, in his latest significant downward revision. It was only October when he predicted that web ad dollars would grow 16.9 percent. That was revised down from May’s expectation of 23.4 percent. But as a commenter said on an earlier ad spend outlook, some growth is better than none. Putting things into perspective, the U.S. total ad spending looks to plummet 10 percent to $252.1 billion, Anmuth now says, altering his previous -5.5 percent projection.
Separately, Nielsen released preliminary figures for the first three quarters of 2008 and found that online display ads fell 5.6 percent on an ad decline of 0.6 percent for the period. (Nielsen’s release is here)
Looking to the close of 2008, this year’s online ad spend is expected to rise 11.4 percent to $23.6 billion, Anmuth estimates. Earlier this fall, Anmuth had anticipated ’08’s online take to rise 16.9 percent to $24.79 billion. Back in May, Anmuth predicted online revenue gain of 23.4 percent. As for the good news, that will have to wait until 2010, when Anmuth says internet ads should reaccelerate to 12 percent, reaching $28.1 billion. Anmuth’s ’09 forecast is in line with some other prognosticators’ views from this month
Much more after the jump…
— Magna Global


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Apple CEO Condemns ‘Data-Industrial Complex’
Is going to be brewing. Lots as cappuccinos and americanos at it's ninety two hundred stores by the holidays, so from W ESA in Pittsburgh. Marketplace's Eric embarrass has the pivot to coffee Dunkin franchises have had to put in a lot of work in the company's pivot to fancier coffee Dunkin already makes Expresso Bresso drinks. But makes opponents had to train and -ployees at forty nine Dunkin restaurants in the. The Pittsburgh area. It's a blend drinks and steam milk with new Swiss Espresso machines. It hasn't been as difficult as it would seem and mainly because for the most part, we're just really changing a couple of steps in the process earlier this year, the company invested one hundred million dollars into its business much of that improving Espresso drinks says Scott Murphy chief operating officer at Dunkin and I'd say our franchisees are actually investing even more than that number hafi already accounts for more than fifty percent of sales at some Dunkin locations Spencer an analyst who follows the coffee industry says Duncan is going for an even bigger piece of the growing coffee business Duncan has always been viewed as kind of the every day every man's coffee where Starbucks has been viewed more of an upscale destination as Dunkin prepares to take on Starbucks step. One was dropping the word doughnuts from its name says Peter boat right at Carnegie Mellon. You're still gonna sell donuts. But this allows them to emphasize. Cise a new direction for a new era Dunkin has a lot of room to grow it recorded eight hundred sixty million dollars in sales last year Laos Starbucks reported twenty two billion I'm Erica Harris for marketplace on Wall Street today, which seems very very far from those bombs and bomb scares on the east coast it was bad. But let me say this again, it was normal. We'll have the details when we do the numbers.


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This year’s IFOY test pallets are blue. Chep GmbH in Cologne will be providing the containers and pallets for the one-week IFOY test at the trade fair site in Hannover from February 18 to 25, 2016. An agreement to this effect was signed in Munich in January.
“Building Better Supply Chains Together”. This credo drives the company and motivates its employees every day. The objective is to achieve the perfect combination of reliability, safety, sustainability, innovation and efficiency. The IFOY Award is geared towards the same high standard and sets new benchmarks. As a partner of the Intralogistics Oscar, we are therefore looking forward to exciting and innovative solutions at this year’s IFOY”, says Christophe Campe, Managing Director of Chep Deutschland GmbH.
The International Forklift Truck of the Year (IFOY AWARD) recognises the year’s best materials handling vehicles and intralogistics solutions. The award winners are selected each year by a 25-member jury made up of experts from 16 countries. Contestants are subjected to a tough testing process. In a purpose-designed testing hall set up by the world leading CeMAT trade fair, all nominated forklift trucks, order picking vehicles, high-bay and narrow aisle trucks as well as reach trucks and other special-purpose vehicles are rigorously put through their paces over the course of seven days by testers, scientists and, finally, each and every jury member.
During the test routines, different load carriers are used for the specific vehicle in question. “The availability of the right containers and pallets of the highest quality plays a key role during the tests. And the Chep product range ensures that we are ideally equipped to handle all eventualities”, emphasises Anita Würmser, Executive Jury Chairperson for the IFOY Award.
The Chep company is part of Australian group Brambles Limited and is active at 49 locations worldwide. Chep is the world market leader in the pooling of load carriers with over 450 million load carriers in use in consumer goods, retail, automotive, aerospace, fresh produce, mechanical engineering and chemicals.
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May 31, 2020 Comments Off on A-SAFE launches new hygiene partition for industrial facilities
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SPONSORS / PARTNERS
Tapping into a
The Mr. America Brand with its broad inventory will tap into the 190 million fitness enthusiasts in the U.S. with a fitness expo during the Mr. America All American Sports Festival in October.
The Mr. America brand has one big advantage over other events like this. All-natural and Olympic level tested Athletes competing to show fitness warriors what real un-enhanced athletes look like.
Sponsorships for new and returning sponsors are now on sale.


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MANILA, Philippines—All eyes and ears on Acer as they welcome Sarah Geronimo as their newest celebrity ambassador. Everyone will definitely be in for a treat as the Popstar Royalty will be headlining their upcoming song for #AcerDay2021.
Acer’s biggest annual brand event is back, and this time it will be launched simultaneously across the Asia Pacific! The ICT giant is just getting started with the announcement of Sarah Geronimo as their newest family member. This leaves us wondering what else does Acer have up on their sleeve on this year’s Acer Day.
Sarah Geronimo is no stranger when it comes to performing hit songs, and with Acer Day 2021 song entitled ‘Live your World’, it is indeed exciting to see how she would add her own magic to make it one of the best.
“Sarah Geronimo is one of the biggest names in the music industry, in fact, she’s already a pillar. That’s why there was no doubt that we would choose her to perform this year for Acer Day. Her talent is really something to look forward to and we cannot wait for everyone to witness what she brought to the table for this year’s festivities,” said Acer Philippines Managing Director Manuel Wong.
Sarah will be representing the Philippines as one of the singers who will be singing ‘Live Your World’. Alongside her are the biggest artists across Southeast Asia: Prince from Indonesia, Aina Abdul from Malaysia, GBoySWAG from Taiwan, Earth Patravee from Thailand, and VP Bá Vương from Vietnam will be heard in this anthem which will be officially released today, August 3, 2021 in Acer’s social media accounts and in over 60 music digital platforms worldwide.
The annual Acer Day celebration featuring Acer’s ambassadors will be livestreamed this August 7, 2021 with the theme ‘Live Your World’ which will welcome fans and consumers to ace their day and live their world through Acer. And not only that, for the whole month of August, gear yourself for exciting deals and discounts that await you!
Visit Acer’s official social media pages for more updates and details: Facebook - @AcerPH, Instagram - @acerph, Twitter - @acerphils, and on their website: www.acer.com.


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PEWAUKEE, WI -- Ceramic Tool Company recently introduced a new anodized finish, “Champagne,” to its existing five finishes on metal trims. The “Champagne” finish joins “Satin Silver,” “Light Bronze,” “Medium Bronze,” “Dark Bronze” and “Black” anodized colors -- available on all current product lines, including “L” angles, carpet trims, reducers and metal transitions for soft surface flooring.
“We noticed that there was a high demand for a color one or two shades lighter than our current ‘Light Bronze’ and were able to work with an anodizer to create the ‘Champagne’ color,” said April Short, marketing director for Ceramic Tool Company. “It was pretty popular as soon as we started sending samples out to designers and architects, and we have even started seeing specifications labeled with the new finish.”
Samples are available by request. Contact April Short directly at (262) 522-6332 or email email@example.com. You can also contact Peggy Heuler at (262) 522-6334 or firstname.lastname@example.org.


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ViSenze, a startup that gives visible search tools for on-line dealers like Rakuten and ASOS, introduced today that it has raised a $ 20 million collection C. The round was co-led by way of Gobi Ventures and Sonae IM, with participation from other backers including returning buyers Rakuten and WI Harper.
ViSenze has now raised a complete of $ 34.5 million (its remaining circular become a sequence B introduced in September 2016). The Singapore-primarily based enterprise, whose purchasers additionally encompass urban Outfitters, Zalora, and Uniqlo, expenses its application portfolio as a “own browsing concierge” that makes it possible for valued clientele to find or find new products in response to visual search, automated photo tagging, and proposals in keeping with their browsing heritage. ViSenze’s verticals encompass vogue, jewelry, furnishings, and intellectual property.
ViSenze’s latest funding campaign will be used to boost its software via partnerships with smartphone makers including Samsung, LG, and Huawei. The business has offices in Asia, Europe, and the united states, and claims an annual profits growth cost of greater than 200 p.c. different startups in the equal area consist of Syte.ai, Slyce, Clarifai, and Imagga.
In a statement, Rakuten Ventures companion Adit Swarup pointed out “when we first invested in ViSenze in 2014, sellers had simply started seeing the benefits of powering product concepts with picture statistics. these days, ViSenze now not best powers innovations for the greatest brands on earth, however has helped pioneer a paradigm shift in e-commerce; helping consumers locate products inner their favorite social media videos and images, as well as provoke a search without delay from their camera app.”
Participants within the circular covered returning investors Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) Ventures, Raffles mission partners, Enspire Capital, and UOB mission administration, as well as new traders Tembusu ICT Fund, 31Ventures world Innovation Fund, and Jonathan Coon’s impossible Ventures.


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* The French competition authority authorized the launch of subscription video-on-demand platform Salto, the TF1 Group said. The service, to be offered jointly by France Télévisions SA, TF1 and Groupe M6, is scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2020.
* Amazon.com Inc. has formed Amazon Data Services, a subsidiary in Estonia that will be responsible for data processing and hosting activities, Telecompaper reports, citing Vz.lt. The Estonian subsidiary was founded a month ago.
* Telecom Italia SpA has officially begun offering Sky Ltd.'s "NOW TV - Ticket Sport" app on its video-on-demand platform TIMvision. The new content will provide broadcasts of sports matches, including those from Italian soccer league Serie A, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Euro 2020.
* The arrival of ITV PLC and the British Broadcasting Corp.'s joint streaming service BritBox in the autumn adds a new urgency to the diversity drive among U.K. public service broadcasters, as the platform goes head to head with subscription-video-on-demand providers that have made diversity part and parcel of their programming strategies.
UK AND IRELAND
* Accenture PLC agreed to acquire Insitum, a research and consulting firm headquartered in Mexico that designs products and services for companies, as well as brand and digital strategies. Insitum will become part of Fjord, the design and innovation unit of Accenture Interactive.
* Liberty Global PLC commenced "modified Dutch auction" tender offers to invite its shareholders to tender up to $2.5 billion of its ordinary shares. The tender offers are scheduled to expire at one minute after 11:59 p.m. ET on Sept. 9, unless the offers are extended or terminated.
* British software and services company Advanced Computer Software Group Ltd. received investment of an undisclosed sum from funds managed by private equity firm BC Partners. Vista Equity Partners LLC, which acquired Advanced in 2015, will remain an investor in the company.
* Semiconductor firm Imagination Technologies Group PLC may need further cash injections from its Beijing-backed private equity investor amid dwindling sales, following Apple's decision not to use its graphics chip designs in 2018 iPhone models, London's The Daily Telegraph reports.
* Gill Hay has stepped down as director of content partnerships at Virgin Media, TBI Vision reports. The Liberty Global unit is not planning to fill the role vacated by Hay.
* CityFibre Infrastructure Holdings PLC has helped Vodafone Group PLC in expanding the reach of the telco's Gigafast broadband service to more than 70,000 premises in five U.K. areas, according to Think Broadband.
* The British government plans to grant media regulator Ofcom interim powers to issue fines against social media companies for failing to protect users from videos showing violence or child abuse, The Independent reports.
GERMANY, SWITZERLAND AND AUSTRIA
* Amazon has begun offering audio streaming of Bundesliga, DFB Pokal and Champions League soccer matches featuring German teams through Alexa, Telecompaper reports. The new feature is available for Amazon customers in Germany.
* Deutsche Telekom AG, Telefónica Deutschland Holding AG and Vodafone Deutschland GmbH have launched Mobile Connect, a login procedure that allows the use of phone numbers as unique digital identifiers for purchases made online.
* Funke Median Gruppe has launched its own food magazine, Super You, which targets women aged 25 to 55.
* Capgemini SE and Altran Technologies SA have signed a tender offer agreement with the terms and conditions of Capgemini's takeover bid at a price of €14 per share. This follows the exclusive negotiations agreement and the consultation with the required employee representative bodies. The transaction is expected to be concluded by year-end.
NETHERLANDS, BELGIUM and LUXEMBOURG
* KPN NV has started rolling out its new fiber-to-the-home network in the city of Arnhem, Telecompaper reports. The Dutch operator wants to connect 1 million homes in the Netherlands to the new network in three years.
* Supporters of Dutch soccer club NAC Breda have reacted in anger to FOX Sports' plans to only broadcast a handful of NAC matches live, after the club's earlier relegation, TotaalTV reports.
* Interactive entertainment company The VR Room will open a new location in Amsterdam on Sept. 1, following the launch of its first VR Escape Rooms in cooperation with gaming developer Ubisoft Entertainment SA in March 2018.
* Bonnier Broadcasting AB's pay TV channel provider C More Entertainment AB has acquired Swedish broadcast rights to La Liga and Serie A matches, as well as those from U.S. Major League Soccer, Digital TV Europe reports. The rights were bought from the Endeavor Holdings Inc.-owned sports agency IMG, which previously aired the matches through the Strive streaming service. Bonnier AB owns Bonnier Broadcasting.
* IT company DistIT AB has finalized a revamp of its management structure led by CEO Robert Rosenzweig. The reorganization will enable DistIT to respond more efficiently to market changes.
* Iver AB has acquired Landskrona-based company IT Gården AB, Sydsvenskan reports. IT Gården delivers cloud and digital consulting services to mainly small-to-medium sized firms in Sweden. Shares were bought from Norwegian venture capital vendor Norvestor Equity AS.
* Danske Bank A/S is pursuing plans to roll out Apple Inc.'s mobile payment service Apple Pay to customers in Denmark, Berlingske Tidende reports. Apple Pay will form a core part of Danske Bank's mobile payments platform.
* Internet service provider Fastspeed A/S has reached 5,000 broadband customers in Denmark, Berlingske Tidende reports. Fastspeed was recently launched as a low price disruptor to TDC A/S-owned YouSee A/S.
* Telefónica SAs Movistar+ renewed broadcasting rights for LaLiga, the Champions League and Europa League in hotels, restaurants and cafés, Telecompaper reports. The deal's financial details were not disclosed.
* Portuguese pay TV operator Sport TV launched a free application, available for both subscribers and non-subscribers, Telecompaper reports, citing Lusa. The app offers information on national and international sports.
* Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS has installed communication infrastructure for eCall systems in connected automobiles in Turkey. The eCall system will allow users to call emergency lines and receive incoming calls.
* P4 Sp zoo, operating under the Play brand, has added about 50 film titles from SPI International Inc. to its streaming service Play Now, Broadband TV News reports. The new content comes from an agreement between Play and SPI-controlled Kino Polska TV SA.
* T-Mobile Polska SA is considering cutting down its workforce within a month, Telecompaper reports, citing Rpkom.pl. Deutsche Telekom owns T-Mobile Polska.
5G Focus: Nokia deals; fiber vs. 5G; 5G, edge computing: 5G Focus is a weekly global roundup of notable 5G trials, launches, use cases and major equipment supply contracts. It also features in-depth analysis of strategies, expansion plans, business models and other related initiatives.
M&A Replay: Deutsche Telekom talks T-Mobile, Sprint deal; Axel Springer accepts KKR offer: Deutsche Telekom is willing to engage with state attorneys general who have filed a lawsuit against the merger between its unit T-Mobile US and Sprint, while Sky Studios bought a stake in a U.K.-based producer of natural history content.
Wireless Investor: New: Global mobile index: Links to Kagan's current and historical profiles of mobile communications markets.
Economics of Internet: Global Video, OTT Index: Links to Kagan's video provider operational tracking and programming spreadsheets, video-on-demand and over-the-top library data and analysis, and over-the-top company and country reports.
Anne Freier, Sylvia Edwards Davis, Charlotte van Hek and Gerard O'Dwyer contributed to this report.
The Daily Dose has an editorial deadline of 7 a.m. London time. Some external links may require a subscription. Links are current as of publication time, and we are not responsible if those links are unavailable later.


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Haidilao is a "sexy stock for a lot of investors," but analysts question the IPO's valuation and ability to maintain its long-term competitive edge. » Read More
Nike shares fell in extended trading Tuesday following a double-digit earnings beat. » Read More
By: Lauren Thomas
"How we look at it is how do we connect and engage in a way that's relevant and inspiring to the consumers that we're here to serve," CEO Mark Parker said. "We feel actually very good and very proud of the work that we're doing." » Read More
By: Lauren Thomas
The retailer's shares fell in after-hours trading despite Nike reporting a 10 percent rise in revenue to $9.95 billion and a 15 percent jump in profit to $1.1 billion. » Read More
Nike was under pressure after the bell Tuesday even after topping analysts' earnings and sales estimates for its recent quarter. The market watcher who called for a near-term pullback still sees a longer-term rally intact.
Michael Kors is just the latest company to announce its intention to change its name, following a precedent set by a number the country's most famous brands.
M&M's are no longer just bite sized pieces of milk chocolate. Adding to the list of changes, a hazelnut centered M&M and a candy bar, USA Today reports.
"Cheap fabric for soccer moms!" Versace fans let it rip following news of the brand's sale to Michael Kors, USA Today reports.
After months of testing a possible change, Dunkin' Brands is finally ditching the word "donuts" from the coffee chain's branding.
Fears simmer among workers in the hospitality sector as major hotel chains, such as Marriott, MGM and Sheraton, introduce job-killing technologies at its properties.
Amazon shares could surge to $3,000 by 2020, driven largely in part by strong growth in the company's Prime, cloud and advertising businesses, an analyst at Jefferies said Tuesday.
The deal, which will pay Sonic shareholders $43.50 per share in cash, adds to Inspire Brand's portfolio of restaurants that includes, Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings and Rusty Taco.
"Deadpool" star Ryan Reynolds is teaming up with Sir Richard Branson to bring Aviation American Gin to Virgin Atlantic flights.
People who are interested in what is coming next from Amazon, just need to roam Seattle Amazon uses the city as a living laboratory, trying out new retail and logistics models, The New York Times reports.
Grocery giants Walmart and Sam's Club are requiring suppliers of leafy green vegetables to upload their data to blockchain within a year.
Starbucks is about to make "significant changes" to its organizational structure, which could include corporate layoffs, according to an internal memo sent to employees by CEO Kevin Johnson.
A farm has plans to build a large, fully automated indoor farm, which will produce specialty greens to supply Fairfield-based Jungle Jim's International Market, Dayton-based Dorothy Lane Markets and national heavyweights such as Whole Foods and U.S. Foods. It will be the first of its kind, Cincinnati Business Courier reports.
According to the proposal filed Monday with the SEC, ESL is asking for a reduction in Sears' debt of nearly 80 percent to roughly $1.2 billion.
For the first time, the average national credit score has reached 704, according to FICO.
'Shark Tank' entrepreneur Alex Furmansky asked for $100,000 for 5 percent stake in his company.


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Zomato announced in a blog post today that it had contacted the unidentified hacker from yesterday’s data breach. The breach had led to details of 7.7 million users being stolen. The leaked information, listed for sale on a Darknet market (hansamkt2rr6nfg3.onion/listing/93556), was taken down by the hacker after Zomato requested them to do so, the company added. The food delivery company is also introducing a new bug bounty program for ethical hackers after the hacker apparently advised the company to do so. “The hacker has been very cooperative with us. He/she wanted us to acknowledge security vulnerabilities in our system and…plug the gaps. His/her key request was that we run a healthy bug bounty program for security researchers. We are introducing a bug bounty program on Hackerone very soon,” the company said in the post. However, several security researchers who claimed to have analyzed the leaked have raised their doubts on Twitter. Zomato was apparently using an outdated encryption standard (MD5) for encrypting passwords, a researcher, Sajal Thomas, claimed. This HackRead report, which claims to have reviewed a sample of the leaked data, points out that the usernames leaked on the Darknet portal were genuine. MediaNama was not able to independently verify this. Loopholes Zomato’s password encryption method The MD5 algorithm, used for encrypting passwords by Zomato was deemed as an “insecure cryptographic storage” method by The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) back in 2007. This put users at risk since the encrypted passwords stored on Zomato’s database can be converted into readable formats…
- Indian crypto exchanges plan to collect identity details for crypto transfers to private wallets: Report June 3, 2023
- Jugalbandi, A Chatbot for Rural India by Microsoft and EkStep: What to Know and Think About? June 3, 2023
- Hopeful to See Action Against E-Pharmacies Selling Medicines Online Without Licenses: Pharmacy Body Writes to States and UTs June 3, 2023
- Meta to give advertisers more control using AI and content filters June 2, 2023
- Transparency Report: Here’s all Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google had to say about user complaints in April June 2, 2023
MediaNama’s mission is to help build a digital ecosystem which is open, fair, global and competitive.
Is it safe to consider all "publicly available data" as public?
PhonePe launched an e-commerce buyer app for ONDC called Pincode. We, however, believe that it should also launch a seller app.
Amazon announced that it will integrate its logistics network and SmartCommerce services with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
India's smartphone operating system BharOS has received much buzz in the media lately, but does it really merit this attention?
After using the Mapples app as his default navigation app for a week, Sarvesh draws a comparison between Google Maps and Mapples
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There are few places you can buy a sofa and sit down to a traditional Scandinavian dinner, but Ikea is one of those unique retail environments. In an effort to promote the company’s food business, Ikea recently launched a set of recipes printed on parchment paper that encourage consumers to “fill-in-the-blanks” with ingredients, fold the paper and cook the bag in the oven.
The promotional campaign – dubbed “Cook This Page” – was dreamed up by Canadian advertising agency Leo Burnett. It was featured during Ikea’s Kitchen Event in Canada, and the recipe sheets are not available for purchase in stores.
The parchment recipes feature a number of food products sold at Ikea, including frozen salmon filets and their famous Swedish meatballs. Edible ink circles representing spices and other ingredients are drawn to scale to make measuring spoons unnecessary.
Customers who might be intimidated by trying a new recipe are encouraged to place all of the ingredients on the parchment in their designated spots, fold the paper and bake in the oven. A take on the classic French en papillote way of cooking, the food steams in the bag for a simple meal with easy cleanup.
In 2016, Ikea brought in around $36.5 billion in global sales with $1.8 billion coming from the Ikea Food department, according to Fast Company. It’s no wonder then that the company is using the promotional parchment recipe sheets to connect their kitchen furniture and food marketplace divisions.
At Ikea, you can build your pantry and stock it with food.
The time is right for this kind of product: increasingly busy consumers are looking for meal kits and grocery deliveries to take the guesswork out of preparing a meal at home. Food giant Nestle recently announced they would be making a major investment in ready meals manufacturer Freshly.
While a Huffington Post article points out that Ikea isn’t the first to come up with parchment paper-based recipes, the flat-pack furniture company is certainly taking a unique approach to the cooking technique.


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Great food for diabetics doesn’t have to be different from “normal” food. It doesn’t mean eating candy with aspartame. It doesn’t mean following a strict diet. In fact, says Joslin experts, there are a lot of misconceptions about what diabetics can and cannot be consumed.
It’s all about eating what everyone should be eating: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein foods, and heart-healthy fats.
Amy Campbell, MS, RD, LDN, CDE, nutritionist at Joslin Diabetes Center and co-author of 16 Myths of a "Diabetic Diet," debunks some common food myths for people with diabetes.
People with diabetes don’t have to eat different foods from the rest of the family. They Can enjoy occasional food cravings, including sweets. They can eat starchy foods like bread, pasta, and rice. It’s all about moderation, says Joslin experts.
Here's a couple of Joslin-approved tasty recipes from two Spoonful of Ginger attendees:
- Low-Carb Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies from
Sue George, owner of Harvard Sweet Boutique
- Chicken-Onion Meatloaf with Sambal-Worcestershire Gravy, Ming Tsai of Blue Ginger
The 9th annual Spoonful of Ginger hosted by Joslin Diabetes Center, March 18.


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SCRANTON, Pa.The tire industry is not what it was 20 years agoor even five years ago, for that matter.
It is constantly evolving and no area shows this more than in the realm of technology and innovation. With the emergence of different kinds of software, tire dealers have more information than ever at their fingertips.
Patrick Sandone, founder and president of Scranton-based Net Driven, took his experience both in the independent automotive aftermarket and working at a venture capital firm investing in cutting-edge technologies to create Net Driven, a software-as-a-service technology firm.
He said he was seeing that, with some independent tire dealerships not having a really solid digital platform, some of the larger national dealership chains were realizing a really competitive advantage.
So we wanted to even the playing field, Mr. Sandone told Tire Business.
Net Driven's goal is to think about what is coming next and how those trends can help its clients, he said.
We often think about the future. It's something that we want to be able to anticipate in, he said. Where is the market going? How are things going to develop?
We believe we've positioned ourselves in a really great position to continue that growth and continue helping (dealers).
In the past year, Net Driven has more than doubled the size of its software development team to continue to strive to bring innovation.
We are in a better position than we've ever been to deliver innovation, Mr. Sandone said.
Ross McArthur, director of sales and business development in North America at Net Driven, detailed some of the technological projects the company is developing during the firm's inaugural dealer conference in July.
Net Driven recently launched an instant price email function that can connect with a dealership's point-of-sale (POS) system or grab pricing data from whatever vendor a customer uses, Mr. McArthur said.
While Net Driven always had pricing online and eCommercewhere customers can buy tires onlinethe company learned that while these practices fit into some businesses, they do not fit into them all.
This instant price email can fit into many businesses because it can be styled based on the business model.
It also displays the tire, some features and benefits, and it also allows you to create a line item, Mr. McArthur said.
For instance, if a tire dealer offers a free road hazard warranty, it can be implemented right there at the point of sale. It can also integrate manufacturer rebates, he said.
To see more of Ross McArthur's speech at the Net Driven dealer conference, visit www.tirebusiness.com/NetDrivenMcArthur.
Additionally, the system allows the email to be sent to whoever needs to see it, so an owner can keep tabs on what is happening along with various members of the team.
This really gives them (customers) instant gratification, yet keeps some of those things secret so you can make sure you still talk to the customer, Mr. McArthur said.
If a dealership puts prices online, then its competitors can see and monitor them. However, there are customers who will turn away if they cannot get prices right away. This instant price email solves both those issues.
Robert Amenta, president of Modern Tire & Auto Service of Newington, Conn., a five-outlet dealership, told Tire Business that Net Driven is always looking for ways to set their sites apart and we (at Modern Tire) keep pushing them to do so.
They are launching a unique way of providing instant tire quotes to consumers. It will give consumers the instant tire quotes they want while providing us (dealers) with a means to follow up with these customers once they have received the quote.
Mr. McArthur also spoke about a customer testimonial module that Net Driven will be unveiling in the near future.
Many people still say that the best form of marketing is word of mouth, he said, so what we're trying to do is combine that theory of word of mouth...and actually be able to display effectively on (a dealer's) website.
There is a twist to this, Mr. McArthur said, because a dealer can determine whether the review can be posted on the website.
There's a backend to this that allows you to select whether it goes on the website or doesn't, he said.
This way, a dealership doesn't have to worry about displaying negative reviews about its shop. Additionally, the software will divide reviews by location, so if a dealer has multiple locations, customers will be able to differentiate among them.
The big technological change in the last few years has been the interconnectivity of diverse systems, according to Ed Hogan, president of Woburn, Mass.-based Hogan Tire & Auto Service.
On the tire side, many POS (point-of-sale) applications now link directly to tire suppliers for faster and more efficient ordering, he said.
In auto repair, the integration with a labor guide, specifications and parts suppliers has improved efficiencies and the accuracy of quotes and billing, he added.
This has resulted in improved margins and billing accuracy.
The additional information also simplifies the quote process, Mr. Hogan said, which enables salespeople who may not be completely comfortable with auto repair to provide a customer with an exact quote.
Customers now have the Internet in their hands with their smartphones, which has more customers shopping and scheduling service online.
No software product is perfect, he continued.
Sometimes it makes more sense to change the way you do things to use the software as intended.
Other times it may take a suite of products or some customization to get what you need. There is always some give and take.
Although software can aid the operation of a business in many ways, there can still be improvement. Mr. Hogan said he would like to see continued integration of data from various sources into one system.
More knowledge means a better customer experience, he added.
Mr. Hogan is looking forward to the introduction in late 2014 or early 2015 by ASA Automotive Systems Inc.Hogan Tire's software pro-viderof a product with a more powerful POS interface.
Mr. Sandone explained at the Net Driven dealer conference that when working on technology and innovation, there will always be mistakes, but the goal is to not make the same mistake twice.
We want to foster the culture of innovation. If you're not taking risks, if you're not taking chances, (if) you're not making mistakes, then you aren't growing as a company, he said.
And for a technology company, that's the kiss of death, Mr. Sandone added.
Modern Tire's Mr. Amenta agreed that the tire business continues to change and evolve rapidly.
Business sure isn't what (it) was several years ago or even a few years ago. Though, one thing is for sure and that is that it won't be what it is today in another few years, he said.
Technology and access to information are an absolute necessity to operate in today's business environment. The technological advances in cars and consumer transparency fostered by the internet push us to continually seek the best ways to efficiently access information.
Modern Tire uses VAST Retail Enterprise from MAM Software, which Mr. Amenta said seamlessly provides access to parts and labor databases and connectivity to our suppliers all right from our POS screens.
This allows the company to create estimates, check fluid types/capacities and source the needed parts efficiently.
He said that before switching to VAST, the company was using a more tire-specific package that lacked the Windows-based integration that VAST excels at. Looking toward the future, Mr. Amenta said he wants to keep his dealership growing.
I can't say there is any specific software that I wish I had access to. Rather, it is enhancements to current systems that I wish for, he said.
The greatest challenge today is competitively pricing our products, he continued.
A solution that shops the Internet and seamlessly adjusts our pricing based on certain parameters would be a huge plus.
Mr. Amenta said he counts Net Driven as one of his favorite vendors because the company understands the tire industry.
The founder, Pat Sandone, grew up in the tire business and he understands the nuances of our day-to-day business lives, he said.
Couple that with his technological acumen and there is no better choice.
To reach this reporter: [email protected]; 330-865-6143; Twitter@jenniferkarpus.


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U.K.'s Indivior PLC said it reached a settlement with Endo International PLC and IntelGenx Technologies Corp. which are looking to market a generic version of its opioid addiction treatment in the U.S.
The settlement permits the companies to sell a generic version of Indivior's Suboxone starting Jan. 1, 2023, or earlier under certain circumstances.
The company did not disclose further details and said the settlement was subject to a review by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Indivior had reached a similar settlement with Mylan NV in 2017.
Indivior continues to be in multiple other patent infringement lawsuits, including against Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd., Alvogen, Inc. and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., who are also looking to sell a copycat version of Suboxone.
A U.S. court had ruled in March that Alvogen's medicine would not infringe on Indivior's patents covering Suboxone, a decision Indivior said it would appeal.
According to Indivior's 2017 annual report, Suboxone had an average market share of 57% in 2017, down from 61% in 2016. The company generated $1.09 billion in sales during 2017 with Suboxone as the main revenue driver.


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|Acura MDX for lease|
In 2008, when Acura unveiled its "new" MDX, almost everyone was silent. Not a respectful silence, but this kind of heavy silence,.crying with emotion. Almost as if people were all at the same time said "oh no, they did ... ". Yes, Acura has done..The designers were affixed to the MDX grille already seen the monster on some prototypes.
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Decidedly, the Salon of New York seems to attract SUV this year after the new Land Rover range, after the BMW X5M and X6M and after the Jeep Grand Cherokee,.it was the turn of the SAC (Sport Activity Coupe) Acura to make his first public appearance..And appearance of crossover cut leaves no doubt about its target: the BMW X6.
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The TL is inserted between the popular TSX and RL discreet. The first is more agile and less expensive while the second is.more luxurious, but also more expensive. The TL is intended, therefore, a happy compromise between these sport sedans..A beautiful range
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Acura TLX 2015 NetCarShow
NetCarShow.com.Acura TLX (2015) NetCarShow.com Acura unveiled the all-new 2015 TLX performance-luxury sedan at the 2014 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS). Developed under the theme of Red Carpet Athlete, the all-new TLX is designed to deliver a unique and compelling blend of sports-sedan ....
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With the power to sell out arenas worldwide, Kylie Minogue tickets are always hot property.
So when the Aussie icon announced an intimate show at Manchester's 550-capacity Gorilla - one of only five dates in Europe - they were snapped up in no time.
Tickets are now being advertised on resale sites for staggering sums, with the priciest listed for more than £17,000 - more than 226 times their £75 face value.
Only three tickets are left on Viagogo, including two general admission tickets priced at $21,616 (roughly £15,022) and $24,696 (£17,644) each. A VIP ticket is also advertised on the site for $8,644 (£6,176).
The inflated prices will enrage fans who couldn't get their hands on tickets last week.
Twitter user @SteveM wrote: "Not great to see the sold out tickets for Manchester on Viagogo. Not the best thing when we were told it sold out in four minutes!!!!"
Sarah Woods (@sas20) tweeted: "Absolutely gutted that we weren't in the lucky (lucky lucky) few to get tickets for @kylieminogue #gorilla in Manchester, first show we've ever missed."
The mini tour kicks off at London's Café De Paris on Tuesday March 13 and comes to Manchester on Wednesday March 14. It will also visit Barcelona's Bikini Club (March 16), Café de la Danse in Paris (March 18), and Berlin's Berghain nightclub (March 20).
The shows come in support of her forthcoming album, Golden, which she recorded in Nashville, inspiring the new, country sound heard on lead single Dancing.
Announcing the shows earlier this month, Kylie said: “I’m so excited to perform songs from my new album Golden in these iconic European clubs.
"Each of these venues is very special and - just as I found making the new album in Nashville to be so energizing - these shows will be new, intimate and fun. I just can’t wait to bring these new songs to life and of course, throw in a few surprises for my fans.”


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Many more companies becoming convinced that sustainable value chains make solid business sense
Hundreds of the world’s largest companies are striving to erase their carbon footprints, and have become fully cognizant of the rewards of sustainability
A struggle is taking place in the boardrooms of the world’s best-known companies.
The old preoccupation with delivering immediate financial returns – referred to as “short-termism” – is being challenged by a more forward-looking consensus.
It’s no longer just about making money: it’s about figuring out how to harness innovation and pragmatism while simultaneously incorporating conscientious business practices, particularly around environmental and social issues.
This is easier said than done. Short-termism, in its many permutations, has been hard-wired into the corporate mind-set, and turning high-minded talk into measurable action requires serious resolve.
Real benchmarks, however, are emerging. Collaboration with key stakeholders and the implementation of sustainable development goals (SDGs) are becoming increasingly central to the business planning process.
A pioneer in this area is Unilever, the Netherlands-based consumer goods giant, which has committed itself to becoming “carbon positive” by 2030. Not only does this mean that Unilever will obtain 100 per cent of its energy from renewable sources – it also plans to produce more renewable energy than it consumes.
By striving to erase its carbon footprint, Unilever has embarked on a mission to transform its entire value chain – from the way it designs new products, sources materials and fabricates, to how it distributes merchandise and services its customers.
With nearly $60 billion in turnover in 2015 and more than two billion people using its products every day, this is a milestone.
Historically, talk of “sustainable” value chains would have evoked an inevitable reaction from sceptics: “sustainability” was simply another word for “expensive.”
Today the opposite is true. Digitisation has increased transparency, traceability and data management throughout value chains, which, in turn, has enabled the successful implementation of SDGs.
Meanwhile, sustainability cynics have discovered that the unanticipated side effects of SDGs include the spotlighting of waste and mismanagement. It turns out that sustainability makes good business sense.
This was highlighted in a recent survey of multinational executives carried out by the MIT Sloan Management Review and the Boston Consulting Group.
Asked to name the benefits of implementing sustainable business practices, five out of the top six responses given were economic benefits:
• Better innovation of products and services
• Improved company management
• Increased competitive advantage
• Reduced energy costs
• Reduced material costs
Consider the case of Unilever. Since 2008, the company has reduced CO2 emissions by 39 per cent per tonne of production; water use by 37 per cent; and waste disposal by 97 per cent.
Unilever achieved all this while simultaneously increasing production volumes, product diversity and – most significantly – growing the bottom line.
The value shift in the corporate landscape can be attributed to the convergence of three main forces: the growth of global civil society, the rising influence of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and the spread of digital technology.
Global civil society transcends national borders, cultural norms, and language barriers. Meanwhile increasingly sophisticated and well-funded NGOs – in the form of philanthropic foundations, universities and a range of other interest groups – have become major conduits for facilitating the agenda of global civil society.
Bringing these two forces together, the digital revolution has enabled NGOs to build collaborative networks, partnerships and data-sharing platforms. These allow unprecedented levels of transparency and connectivity in global value chains, accelerating the successful management of SDGs.
NGOs are coalescing with enablers, facilitators, governments and other interested parties to advance the case for sustainability.
One example is the carbon disclosure project (CDP), an NGO based in London that is working with Unilever to reduce its global carbon footprint. Through its climate change programme, the CDP provides thousands of companies with tools for collecting data, gauging results and benchmarking their carbon footprints.
To date, over 5,500 companies have been surveyed, with the resulting assessments made available to more than 800 of the world’s largest institutional investors, among them BlackRock, JPMorgan Chase and HSBC. These institutions then use the results to guide portfolio decisions, and a bad carbon score can result in an aborted investment or acquisition.
The CDP is just one of a growing number of NGO reporting frameworks, management tools and resources to quantify and manage global emissions at little or sometimes no cost.
These resources support firms not only in successfully implementing SDGs, but also in providing a benchmark for “calling out” cheaters that “greenwash” their products with false claims of sustainability.
The role of NGOs and civil society, then, is important in achieving sustainable growth. But there is some pushback in the form of a growing trend, particularly in Asia, for political elites to become distrustful of NGOs, viewing them as subversive and destabilising.
China, for example, has passed a law that comes into effect next year requiring all NGOs to register with state public security officials, giving the police unrestricted rights to monitor and control their activities.
How this plays out with foreign NGOs advocating environmental sustainability remains to be seen. Yet it is in China – soon to be the world’s largest economy – where a rapidly growing consumer class will drive record greenhouse gas emissions and escalate the need for smart SDGs.
Incredibly, only one Chinese company (Lenovo) made The 2016 Corporate Knights Global 100 List of the world’s most sustainable companies. A poor showing, but better than India, which did not place a single company on the list. Tiny Singapore, on the other hand, placed four companies.
Overall for Asia there is much work to be done: the region represents 4.3 billion inhabitants and 60 per cent of the world’s population, yet it managed to place just 12 companies on the list of 100. Yet despite the current landscape, there is reason to be optimistic that the sustainability narrative will continue to gain ground and push short-termism out of the boardroom.
The Unilever example is not an isolated case. Hundreds of the world’s largest companies are lining up to implement this new way of thinking and are fully cognizant of the rewards of sustainability: real economic gains and the spill over of innovation, lower costs and higher productivity; not to mention a clean, liveable environment and happier, healthier populations.
Far better to risk exposure to “external” influences and ideas through collaborative networks and reap the benefits, than to cave in to short-termism and face the inevitable negative consequences further down the line.
Alex Capri is visiting senior fellow with the department of decision sciences at NUS Business School


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Pokemon Go creator Niantic has purchased augmented reality and hybrid board game developer Sensible Object for an undisclosed fee.
Sensible Object is best known for its work on the crowdfunded digital tabletop stacking game Beasts of Balance and voice-augmented trivia board game When in Rome.
The UK developer has been creating augmented reality titles for the best part of a decade, initially under the Hide&Seek moniker, and will now continue to do so as the rebranded Niantic London.
Speaking about the deal, Sensible Object co-founder Alex Fleetwood explained the company jumped at the chance to pioneer new forms of augmented reality under the Niantic banner.
"John Hanke and his team have an incredible, progressive vision for the future of play that resonates deeply with us; building global communities, pioneering new forms of augmented reality, and helping people get outside, get exercise and connect with one another in the real world," he commented.


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Got privacy? You may think you do, but a recent experiment by a Russian photographer suggests otherwise.
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In a recent YouTube video, bleary-eyed, 20-year-old motocross star Axell Hodges rolls out of bed at his California home and grabs a Gronk, a Monster Energy drink named after New England Patriots tight end and notorious partier Rob Gronkowski. Hodges Snapchats his mom making him breakfast, kisses his bikini-clad girlfriend and heads out to practice on the nearby “Slayground.”
The day-in-the-life video is one of Monster Energy’s most-viewed in recent months. There’s little content directly related to the energy drink in the video, but its lifestyle appeal is clearly targeted at millennials – a younger demographic to whom NASCAR is also trying to expand its reach.
NASCAR’s naming of Monster to replace Sprint as its new title sponsor earlier this month makes sense given the intended audiences and the additional exposure each could help the other get, experts say. But the partnership also comes at a time when NASCAR’s attendance numbers have been declining, and as energy drinks continue to be scrutinized for their safety.
About a dozen Monster executives were in Charlotte last week to learn more about NASCAR, and so NASCAR could learn more about them. It’s too early to say what kind of specific marketing initiatives the two companies will roll out, but executives such as NASCAR Chief Marketing Officer Jill Gregory describe the two companies as similar, and their relationship as mutually beneficial.
“They’ve done a fantastic job of building that lifestyle (brand), and when you think of us … we kind of started out as a maverick brand. There was some edginess and danger and excitement, and there still is, every time our drivers go onto the racetrack,” Gregory said.
Monster – whose deal with NASCAR is reportedly worth $20 million – is the biggest energy drink company in the U.S. by volume sales, commanding 42.5 percent of the market in 2015, according to data from Euromonitor. Furthermore, the energy drink market grew by over 70 percent in volume sales from 2010 to 2015, Euromonitor figures show.
But the rate of growth in recent years has slowed, a sign that companies are maturing, said Duane Stanford, editor of the trade publication Beverage Digest. “When that happens, you need to take steps to protect that growth,” Stanford said. “One way to do that is broaden your audience.”
What’s more, Monster has never marketed itself traditionally, Stanford noted. The company, for example, doesn’t have TV ad campaigns. It relies instead on event-based promotions, word of mouth and social media.
“In that regard, (the NASCAR deal) is a step up for them because they’re tying themselves to something that’s a national marketing approach. And if that’s the audience NASCAR is trying to reach, there probably aren’t many companies better than Monster or other energy drink companies,” Stanford said.
Monster does have a massive social media presence, though, and that’s another factor that was attractive for NASCAR, Gregory said. The energy drink company has nearly 25 million Facebook “likes,” compared with 2.2 million by current NASCAR title sponsor Sprint. Monster also boasts nearly 3.3 million Twitter followers, and 3.6 million Instagram followers.
In addition to Monster’s digital prowess, experts say the company’s diverse portfolio help make it attractive to a wider audience, something NASCAR says it could benefit from, too. People who drink Monster aren’t just sleepy teenagers – the company has tapped into other demographics with products like Rehab, a blend of tea, lemonade and energy.
“You do get a mix of the blue-collar construction worker, the one who is pulling their truck up to get gas in the morning on the way to the job site. Then you’ve also got young millennials who drink it, and also white collar office workers. (Monster is) able to attack both sides of the spectrum,” Stanford said.
Monster executives would not comment further on the NASCAR deal.
Monster has faced questions about its safety and caffeine content in the past. Numerous lawsuits against Monster have alleged that long-term use of the company’s products has caused “irreversible and near-fatal health problems” including kidney disease, stroke and cardiac arrhythmia, according to multiple news reports earlier this year.
But Monster isn’t NASCAR’s first controversial corporate sponsor.
Winston-Salem-based tobacco company R.J. Reynolds ended its nearly 30-year sponsorship of NASCAR in 2003. Under RJR, NASCAR’s premier series was the Winston Cup Series, a nod to RJR-branded cigarettes.
Stock-car racing provided RJR a place to spend its marketing dollars after cigarette advertising was banned from television in 1971, though NASCAR’s relationship with the company grew more controversial as safety concerns about tobacco use increased.
“It’s sadly true that the product those dollars were spent to promote has damaged the health of thousands and thousands of its users,” Observer NASCAR writer David Poole wrote in a 2003 column.
David Carter, executive director of the University of Southern California’s Marshall Sports Business Institute, compared Monster’s sponsorship of NASCAR to beer companies sponsoring college athletics.
“The burden is on Monster in much the same way it has been for companies such as Anheuser-Busch over the years to ensure that their marketing efforts, to include advertising and promotions, are not squarely targeting an underage demographic,” Carter said.
“While scrutiny will surely exist, NASCAR and Monster, working together, will have to straddle this fine line and, in doing so, will likely have a marketing platform that includes public service announcements.”
Monster is disallowed from marketing its products to consumers under 18. But the company did something “very smart” in pointing out in its advertising that its caffeine content often is lower than in other popular drinks such as coffee, noted Stanford of Beverage Digest.
“They hammered that message,” he said. “They got some baseline of facts to use to defend their products, and it worked. There was a lawsuit filed that was dropped.”
Monster and NASCAR did not share the terms of their sponsorship deal, outside of the fact that it’s a “multi-year agreement with some options,” NASCAR CEO Brian France said in the Dec. 1 press conference. But after the deal was announced, ESPN sports business reporter Darren Rovell said that the deal is evidence of NASCAR’s decline. Citing sources, Rovell said the Monster deal is 40 percent of the current Sprint deal, which was estimated at $50 million.
Marc Ganis, the co-founder of Chicago-based sports consulting firm Sportscorp Ltd., had not heard that the deal came at a discount, but said it “wouldn’t surprise me.”
NASCAR’s admissions revenues have slumped for a host of reasons – from anemic wage growth to fans’ distaste for the “never-ending rules changes” and the Chase format, to NASCAR CEO Brian France’s endorsement of President-elect Donald Trump.
“The numbers have come down,” Ganis said of NASCAR revenues. “When Sprint did its deal, NASCAR was the hot property out there, and it isn’t right now.”
Concerns over Monster products’ safety could have also played into the equation.
“It’s hard to tell if Monster received the proverbial good deal as this will be determined over time as they activate their partnership, and do so with NASCAR’s support. However, the extent to which safety concerns existed, they were likely only one of many considerations when crafting the deal,” Carter said.
Still, Gregory is optimistic about Monster’s “edginess and excitement,” which she said will help highlight aspects of NASCAR that draw in fans regardless of age.
“There are things on each side of the partnership that were really attractive to the other partner, and that’s the recipe for any sponsorship if it works,” Gregory said.


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The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has reportedly approval Google’s acquisition of Nest for 3.2 billion dollars. Also Read - Free COVID-19 vaccine: Today’s Google Doodle urges all to get vaccinated, wear mask
Nest is a connected devices company best known for making a smart home thermostat and Google expected to close its deal in the next few months after announcing the buyout earlier this year.
According to The Verge, the FTC has opted to grant Google an ”early termination” to the transaction’s review, paving way for a quicker end to the acquisition process.
Companies filing for a large-scale merger or acquisition are typically subject to a 30-day waiting period before the FTC and Antitrust division of the Department of Justice approve or deny the transaction based on antitrust laws.


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Hackers, essentially researchers from the cybersecurity firm McAfee, were able to fool a Tesla Model X and Model S Autopilot into breaking the speed limit, and all it took was a small piece of tape. According to a news report, Tesla vehicles are equipped with the Mobileye EyeQ3 camera systems, which read the speed limit signs and help with setting the accurate speed. However, this experiment just determined that the Autopilot system is inadequate.
Simple Experiment Exposes Vulnerability
In order to trick Tesla, researchers put a 2-inch black electrical tape on a 35 mph speed sign. The tape made the “3” look like an “8.” Their motive was to modify the speed limit sign in such a way that a human would be able to understand it, but an automated system would get confused. After sticking the tape, the researchers rode the Tesla on the highway. The 2016 Model X and Model 2 both misread the speed limit as 85 mph and accelerated by 50 mph over the speed limit.
The researchers said many who saw it did not realize the sign had been altered at all. But, they said, this tiny bit of tape was all it took to make the Mobileye camera’s top prediction for the sign to be 85 mph. This hack only works on Tesla vehicles that have the Hardware Pack I camera system, which was installed in vehicles that were bought between 2014 and 2016. Yet, McAfee states that more than 40 million vehicles are equipped with this system, which is not a good thing.
Cause for Serious Concern
The result of this simple experiment is cause for serious concern, especially at a time when numerous tech companies and automakers are jumping on the driverless vehicle bandwagon. It is important to take a look at the research stage as to what vulnerabilities these new systems present. However, it appears that in their enthusiasm to put these vehicles quickly on the market, automakers are not doing their due diligence in testing these vehicles and making sure the glitches are all ironed out before consumers get their hands on these cars.
Our auto defect attorneys are not against new and groundbreaking technology. What were are absolutely opposed to is using consumers as guinea pigs to test out this technology and putting all of us in harm’s way to get driverless vehicles out. This is unacceptable. This approach will only cause more car accidents, injuries and fatalities. No new technology should come at the expense of human lives.


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It's no secret that the recession has been tough on states - leaving dozens running big annual deficits, broadly cutting services, and even facing bankruptcy.
Some have raised revenue by raising taxes. New York, at least in part, is turning to eBay.
The state is selling surplus goods from state agencies - everything from vending machines to commercial equipment to computers to scrap metal - on an eBay user page, New York Daily News reports. And while the $1.3 million that the online sales netted the state last year won't exactly solve the budget crisis, every little bit helps.
"Items being sold this week included a rusting voting machine, which had a top bid of $15.50; commercial dryers, which had a sole bid of $10, and a 30-ton pile of scrap metal that was going for more than $202," the Daily News reported Friday.
(Apparently the Daily News story boosted traffic to New York's seller page. The top bid for the 30 tons of scrap metal is now up to nearly $1,000.)
Want to get in on bargains like "a used snack vending machine ($355), a disassembled pool table ($128) and a commercial-sized vegetable peeler ($660)"? The page is here. Keep in mind that the state doesn't ship - you have to haul away anything that you purchase.


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NFT marketplaces like OpenSea are facing a steep decline in revenue due to a price war that has resulted in transaction fees dropping to zero.
Blur, a marketplace that offers no transaction fees, has become popular and surpassed OpenSea’s weekly volume in December.
In February, Blur started rewarding users in its cryptocurrency to trade, leading to almost 80% of global NFT trading taking place on Blur. To compete, OpenSea has also eliminated transaction fees temporarily, while other NFT startups like Rarible are holding off on cutting fees. NFT marketplaces are exploring other ways to diversify, such as charging NFT creators to promote their collections.
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Apple protesters make me really mad
About four months ago, thousands of people held vigil outside Apple stores, honoring deceased cofounder Steve Jobs and joining a sudden canonization -- deification, really -- process that raised him above mere mortals. Today, crowds return to those same shops in anger, protesting workers' treatment at Apple factories in China. Whoa, how brands, and emotions about them, suddenly change.
I'm simply appalled, not by Apple, but by the protesters. This is no Arab Spring, people.
Foxconn, the Chinese manufacturer producing iPhone and other Apple gadgets, is a hot topic following New York Times and "This American Life" exposés last month. Reporters found questionable working conditions -- by supposed American standards. People rushed to the InterWebs to criticize and defend Apple; I purposely wrote nothing, disgusted by bloggers and journalists looking to profit from the scandal -- riding the buzz to fame (in some cases infamy) and higher pageviews.
Many of these writers change positions depending which way opinions blow, while others are Apple apologist turncoats that are seemingly credible but really don't want to be on the wrong side of popular sentiment. Well, what they perceive it to be. Bloggers, journalists or anyone else looking to benefit from Apple's Foxconn problems are bad or worse, for they stand on the backs of the same Chinese workers they claim to defend. (I debated linking to some of these posts, but decided not to single out any writers.)
If critics were sincere, rather than capitalizing on topic of the moment, they would have gone after Apple in early 2010, ahead of iPhone 4's launch, when a rash of suicides at Foxconn factories made big headlines -- and they would have kept up the public pressure, even after Apple publicly worked with Foxconn to make changes to improve working conditions. The Foxconn furor died down as iPhone 4-crazed hipsters, many of them seemingly the same people attacking Apple today, snatched up the smartphone -- and iPad, too.
The recent furor really started in early January with "This American Life" segment "Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory" and two Times stories: "How the US Lost Out on iPhone Work" and "In China, Human Costs Are Built Into an iPad". I applaud the reporters and their outstanding investigative work. It's the pundits and protesters who followed them that bug me -- the ones pretending Foxconn factory problems are suddenly new, that Apple has done nothing to improve working conditions or that products for other high-tech firms aren't produced there. All the blame is Apple's.
I can understand this position from the non-bloggers and non-journalists, meaning those not riding the wave of perceived popular sentiment. Apple hipsters who use little or no other vendors' tech might be blind to all others outsourcing manufacturing to Foxconn facilities. They might feel blood on their hands, too, for buying Apple products produced in China; their guilt relief is to accuse Apple. I say, look to yourself. You paid for the over-priced gadget. You empowered Apple manufacturing in China by your purchases.
Something else: Apple is now the largest tech company -- actually biggest of all by market valuation -- and that makes it a target. I remember when during the 1990s, Microsoft's size and success brought all kinds of accusations with it. Apple was cuddly and lovable when the feisty upstart, but it no longer flies the pirate's flag (as it did during the first Steve Jobs era). Apple is the establishment -- the man! Who do people protest? Or hold most accountable?
I'm not here to defend or criticize Apple's, or any other vendor's, responsibility to Chinese workers sweating over tech products. I will say this: For American protesters, there are plenty of injustices here at home to worry about. A parade of down-and-out or homeless folks go through our recycle and trash bins every day. We help who we can. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of homeless students here in the San Diego school system. Where's the humanity in that, and what are you willing to do about it? People can easily protest -- walk up to an Apple Store and hand in a petition -- when asked nothing more.
Our family cat disappeared nearly a month ago, and we're now fairly confident that a coyote got him. But we go every other day to the San Diego animal shelter and the adjacent Humane Society. I was stunned to see the luxury the cats live in at the Human Society. Some rooms, where one cat waits for adoption, are larger than my bedroom. Meanwhile, people live on the streets -- and some of them with jobs -- while these animals are coddled. Who's protesting for the street people?
I say this to Apple protesters: Shareholders have a right to make demands of Apple. You do not. They own the company. If you're a protester and not an Apple shareholder, you have no real right to tell Apple what to do. Exercise your real power. Show your support for Chinese workers with your wallet. Don't buy Apple products. By protesting, what you want from Apple is a guilt-free purchase -- to have your cake and eat it, too, as the saying goes. That's not justice or better working conditions in China, but really about you and your feelings about Apple and buying its products.
As today's planned protests approached, several petitions appeared online, such as this one at Change.org, which has about 200,000 signatures. To Apple protesters, I say: It's easy to demand change when you don't have to make any. I would take more sincerely a petition where signers agreed to pay XX dollars more per iPad or iPhone -- hell, let's just say $50 -- to improve working conditions at the factories producing the tech. Now that is meaningful. Anything else is more about purging signers' guilt for buying Apple products than committing to substantive change.
You're either part of the problem or the solution. If you buy Apple products and protest for change, you're not part of the solution. You're part of the problem.


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Kill the Sugar Before It Kills You: 'Sugar Is the Source of All Chronic Disease'
Research shows people who consume lots of sugar are more than twice as likely to die from heart disease. Doctors say sugar feeds cancer and Alzheimer's. Then there's sugar's link to diabetes-and the list goes on. That's why giving up sugar, along with chemical-based artificial sweeteners, could be the best thing you could do for your health.
When we think of addiction, we tend to focus on drugs and alcohol. But more doctors now say sugar addiction is often overlooked as the destructive and deadly force it actually is. One of those physicians is sugar addiction specialist Dr. Vincent Pedre, Medical Director of Pedre Integrative Health and President of Dr. Pedre Wellness, based in New York City.
"Sugar is the source of all chronic disease," he said, "We know that solid tumors, cancers, feed on sugar."
Dr. Pedre says sugar includes all sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup and natural ones like agave. He also points out that to your body, refined carbohydrates are sugars, too.
"People think, 'Well, I don't eat dessert, so I don't have a lot of sugar,'" he said, "But then they're eating bread, rice, pasta. We break down the carbohydrates and they become sugar."
Most of us are Addicted
An estimated three-fourths of Americans are addicted to sugar and don't know it. But food manufacturers do. They add sugar to nearly everything, even foods that may not seem sweet, such as crackers, bread, yogurt, pasta sauce and more. This keeps customers coming back for more.
There are nearly 60 different names for sugar. Check the list of ingredients. Red flags are any type of syrup and words that end in -ose, like glucose or fructose. Also fruit juice concentrate, fruit juice, molasses, turbinado, maltodextrin, evaporated cane juice, caramel and honey.
Most people might be shocked to learn that they consume 100 times more sugar than their ancestors did back in the 1800s. Dr. Pedre says most patients are also unaware that their sugar overload is at the root of their nagging health issues, and that when people give up sugar, these issues disappear.
"Bloating, abdominal pain," he explained, "But also sinus congestion, mental fog, memory issues, fatigue, achiness, joint pains-these are all symptoms of consuming sugar in all of its forms. But people don't connect the two."
Scientists who tested lab animals discovered sugar is even more addictive than some illicit drugs.
"Sugar affects the same parts of the brain as cocaine," Dr. Pedre said, "So I tell people that sugar is cocaine for your brain. And by that I mean that it affects the dopamine pathways. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that makes you feel good. Things are great."
He says people who are addicted to sugar can never be satisfied with just a taste. "Because that's the design of the neural circuit in the brain," he explained, "It's going to want more hits. And it keeps wanting more and more because it becomes desensitized to small amounts."
How to Quit
Dr. Pedre points out that alcoholics shouldn't have even one drink and drug addicts should avoid even just one hit. Therefore by extension, sugar addicts shouldn't have even a little. That's why he recommends giving up all sweets. After a number of days, it varies from person to person, the sugar addict generally stops craving it. In the meantime, he says power-through temptation, armed with the knowledge that it's only temporary.
"The craving is not going to last longer than 10 to 20 minutes," he explained, "So if you don't give in to the craving initially, eventually it's going to pass because your body is going to realize that it doesn't really need that for survival."
Dr. Pedre does offer this safety net: whole fruit. Whole fruit is fruit in its natural form, not fruit juice or fruit products like gummy fruits, dried fruits or fruit rolls. Dr. Pedre says eventually sugar addicts need to avoid the sugar in fruit, but it's an adequate substitute for the more harmful types of sugar.
"Now the chocolate chip cookie is going to be a much faster hit for the brain, so you get that quicker satisfaction," he said, "If you have a fruit, let's say an orange or berries, you need to give it a little more time. The feedback is going to happen, it's just going to take a couple of minutes."
Artificial Sweeteners Worse than Sugar
While whole fruit is an acceptable substitute for sugar, Dr. Pedre warns his patients to avoid artificial sweeteners at all costs. Research shows they're actually worse than the real thing.
In his book, Happy Gut, he says artificial sweeteners can harm our immune system by disrupting the bacteria in our digestive tract.
"It reduces a type of bacteria that tends to be found in lean, healthy people and it increases another type of bacteria in this genus called bacteroidetes, that is found in people who are obese," he said.
Studies show people who regularly consume artificial sweeteners actually gain more weight. Artificial sweeteners, just like sugar, can trigger dangerous insulin resistance.
"It's like if you're becoming deaf and you have to turn the volume up higher. Your body is becoming deaf to the insulin signal. So your body jacks up the insulin," he continued, "But if insulin is high, what happens is, it tells your body, turns on genes, that say, 'store fat.'"
Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
Dr. Pedre says while insulin resistance is a serious condition, it doesn't have to be permanent. He recommends intermittent fasting to help fix the problem. There are many different ways people can fast intermittently. One of the most popular is going without food for a 12 to 16-hour stretch each night.
"The idea behind intermittent fasting is that when you're not eating you're allowing your insulin levels to drop, you're allowing the insulin receptors to reset so then what's happening towards the end of the fast is that you're increasing insulin sensitivity," he said, "So you're making your body insulin sensitive again."
It might not be easy, but giving up sweets in their many forms, including artificial sweeteners, could pay dividends in the long run.