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The launch of Google Workspace last October marked a major milestone in our journey to give all our customers—from global enterprises to small businesses—the best way to connect, create, and collaborate, regardless of where and how they work. And recently we announced new ways we’re delivering on our mission to build for the future of work with a solution that’s flexible, helpful, and inspires innovation.
We recognize that to bring this future of work to their teams, our customers depend on many business applications. In fact, research from Okta suggests that the average enterprise uses 129 different applications. This is why from the start we’ve been partnering with leading software vendors to make Google Workspace an open platform and to support our customers’ software and tool choices. We do this by making it easy for our partners to securely build and grow innovative solutions that integrate with Google Workspace.
From our partners:
To help our customers make the best decisions about their business apps, today we are introducing the enhanced “Recommended for Google Workspace” program.
This program features a selection of market-leading applications built by software vendors across a wide range of categories, including project management, customer support, and finance. These apps will undergo rigorous usability and security testing to make sure they meet our requirements for high quality integrations. They must also have an exemplary track record of user satisfaction, reliability, and privacy.
Recommended for Google Workspace partners will receive new and enhanced benefits from Google, including specialized technical support, early access to APIs, and roadmap reviews. On the promotional side, selected partners will receive featured placement in Google Workspace Marketplace and the benefit of coordinated co-marketing efforts with Google.
Interested partners can get started by applying here. Google will announce selected “Recommended for Google Workspace partners” later this year.
By: Jose Pastor (VP Product Management)
Source: Google Cloud Blog
For enquiries, product placements, sponsorships, and collaborations, connect with us at email@example.com. We'd love to hear from you!
Our humans need coffee too! Your support is highly appreciated, thank you!


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Australia’s ANZ bank adds Garmin Pay to digital menu
The Australian and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) is the latest to announce support for Garmin Pay, enabling customers to make contactless payments via the wearable payments technology Garmin Pay.
ANZ customers may load an eligible debit or credit card within a Garmin Pay account and make payments at any contactless-enabled merchant terminal using the vivoactive 3, Garmin’s latest smart watch, according to a Wednesday press release.
"The wearables market continues to grow with more than 26 million devices shipped worldwide in the third quarter of 2017 alone, so we know our customers will appreciate the ability to pay on their Garmin device," Bob Belan, ANZ's managing director of products, said in the release.
ANZ already supports Apple Pay, Android Pay, Samsung Pay and Fitbit Pay.
Garmin Pay launched earlier this year and went live on the vivoactive 3 last month. Other banks that support Garmin Pay include Bank of America, Capital One, U.S. Bank, several U.S. credit unions and a growing number of international banks, including Russia’s Sberbank.

domain: news


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Funding will be used to accelerate research and development to enable commercialisation of its whole-muscle cut, sushi-quality filets of tuna and whitefish, popcorn shrimp, calamari, and scallop alternatives from its novel protein fermentation technology. Aqua’s team is focusing on adjusting production conditions and inputs to achieve different textures, shapes, and nutritional values, as well as flavouring techniques.
Investors include Supply Change Capital, Aera VC, Sustainable Food Ventures, Hanfield Venture Partners, Lifely VC, Conscience VC, Kingfisher Capital, Big Idea Ventures, and Gonzalo Ramirez Martiarena, former CEO of Louis Dreyfus Company and founder/CEO of Swiss Pampa.
“Interest at this stage has frankly exceeded our capacity to bring in partners, leading to an oversubscribed round, but it’s left us in a good position for future investment and very optimistic about our approach to delivering more sustainable protein,” said Aqua CEO Anne Palermo in a press release. “Our next step is to work on commercializing our products from lab-scale to bring to the foodservice and retail channels, including the fresh refrigerated set for grocery, so that our products can reach both restaurant tables and the seafood counter.”
“Aqua Cultured Foods is quickly becoming the leader in seafood alternatives,” said Shayna Harris, co-founder and managing partner of Supply Change Capital. “The microbial-based fermentation method that Aqua has developed not only brilliantly mimics the look and mouth-feel of a whole fish filet -- the holy grail in alt-proteins -- but it dramatically reduces the environmental footprint of the mainstream seafood supply chain. In addition, the nutritional integrity is unparalleled by anything else we have looked at in this space."
Aqua has also expanded its core team with the appointment of Bob Schultz as lead scientist. Schultz joins the company from Simulate, an early-stage biotechnology company, where he was lead food engineer and product lead for the Nuggs plant-based chicken nugget, the fastest-growing alternative chicken nugget on the planet.
Johnny Carino, an executive chef noted for developing new concepts and opening new restaurants including his eponymous Carino’s Italian restaurants – a chain that once numbered 170 locations – has joined Aqua as its head of culinary innovation.
Aqua’s microbial fermentation methods do not use any animal inputs, genetic altering or modification and can therefore be marketed as non-GMO. Per serving, its products will contain 18-20 grams of protein, 10-12 grams of fibre and no sodium, saturated fat or cholesterol, and Omega-3s. These nutritional values are similar to cod, which contains 18 grams of protein, 0.7 grams of fat, nearly 43 mg cholesterol, 54 mg of sodium, and no fibre.
Aqua is currently building its infrastructure and scaling production to release products in 2022.


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The Future Trend in the Cryptocurrency Landscape
- by Team
Cryptocurrency and cryptocurrency derivatives as well as all other forms of virtual currency are in the process of growing exponentially. The interest and growth in the global cryptocurrency community is also exponential, and a lot of things can be said about this exponential growth. In this article, we will focus on the future trend in the cryptocurrency landscape and the different ways in which it will impact the way we think about cryptocurrency itself. The reason we will focus on the future, in this article, is due to the fact that, the growth in our industry can only be expected to happen if the regulatory landscape does its job and works towards ensuring that we can provide the full value for the investment, and not just the mere value in exchange for a fiat currency.
One of the major problems with the growth of cryptocurrency is we have a lot of investors who have never played a part in this industry and, they have never been taught the ropes. The current trend in cryptocurrency is that investors are very keen to have a piece of it all, we have seen a lot of big investors like Warren Buffet and others who have come in and invested millions in cryptocurrency. We also have a lot of new companies coming in and are promising to use it as a main way of financing their business or projects. As a result, the big investors who have been in every single industry, and have invested millions of dollars, are now seeing the growth of this industry through the way how it is being funded, and are seeing that it is actually a lot more efficient than the current way it is working currently.
The future trend for this industry will not be to just have a piece of the pie, but will be to produce real value that they can use as a part of their investment and then use it to be able to fund other parts of their business, and actually create a better, more efficient world for us all, and for society itself.
American consumers Invested Crypto: Almost 50% invested in Cryptocurrencies this year.
(Bloomberg) — American consumers invested almost 50 percent of the crypto assets they bought this year, according to a July report from the National Consumer League (NCL), a consumer advocacy group.
At the height of 2017, American crypto buyers bought $4. 8 billion in tokens that had an annual growth rate of 5. 5 percent, the NCL wrote in the Financial Times. crypto investors on track for annual spending of $60 billion by the end of this year, the report said.
That spending could be even higher than the NCL predicts because the NCL is now looking at the annual gains from crypto assets. While that still remains a small fraction of the total worth of a cryptocurrency, it is a number that could change in the coming months, the organization said.
“Americans have the means, desire and willingness to invest in the latest digital money, but are not making major strides into the digital payments ecosystem,” said NCL executive director John Pippin.
The report was based on NCL’s annual survey of nearly 100,000 people and the NCL’s Crypto Tracker (CRT) database.
The survey, conducted via telephone interviews and online surveys, found that 48. 2 percent of respondents used a cryptocurrency in one form or another, the report said.
The report found that U. consumers held an average of about $1,400 in crypto assets, with the median being about $1,000. Consumers spent about $70 billion in crypto products in 2017, the report said.
cryptocurrency investors, the CRT found that the number holding crypto assets grew to 8,700 in 2017 and is now at 12,300. More than half of those who purchased crypto in the previous 12 months were from New York and New Jersey, followed by New York and Connecticut, the report found.
The Most Attractive Attribute of Cryptocurrencies : A Survey –
The world is becoming more and more complex and decentralized as a result of the innovation of blockchain technology, which in turn has led to a significant growth of the market. A large percentage of the world’s population has become familiar with the technologies of decentralized and distributed economy, and this has led to a growth of the market overall.
Most probably the people of the world are aware of the existence of cryptocurrency and cryptocurrencies, but most of them are unaware of the main characteristics of cryptocurrency which attracts such. Most of these people are very active in the market, and also the price of cryptocurrency is increasing every day, but they do not know the main characteristics of cryptocurrencies, which attract such people. So, this is the reason they do not know about the main characteristics of cryptocurrencies attract people of our time.
The most important traits of cryptocurrencies attract people of all ages, educational levels, races, gender, races; everyone. But there is a very specific kind of people who are attracted by the characteristics of cryptocurrencies attract and these people may be defined as the new money traders. Now it is true that the market is full of traders, but these traders are very few, and so the market is very active.
The most important attributes of cryptocurrencies attract people of all ages, educational levels, races, genders, races; everyone. But there is a very specific kind of people who are attracted by the characteristics of cryptocurrencies attract and these people may be defined as the new money traders. Then there are those other people who are attracted by the qualities of cryptocurrency attract. These people may be called new money investors, because they have become part of the market.
Now there are a number of new people who are attracted by the characteristics of cryptocurrencies attract, and these people are very interesting people. This is the reason they are attracted by cryptocurrency. In fact, the most important characteristics of cryptocurrencies attract new money traders, because these new money traders are attracted by the qualities of cryptocurrencies, which attract new money traders.
What do you think about Bitcoin.com?
It’s a bit of an odd situation. One is a site called Bitcointalk. org (an exchange for discussing ideas, including Bitcoin) and the other is a site called Bitcoin. com (an exchange for discussing ideas, including Bitcoin) that seem almost indistinguishable from each other as they both advertise that they are “the first digital wallet that lets you safely store your money.
Since the inception of “Bitcoin. com,” the site and the company have been involved in a rather bizarre relationship. Bitcointalk created the site and the company is an affiliate of the Bitcointalk-owned site. The site and company are tied with each other in a rather strange way, which has gone largely unnoticed by the wider Bitcoin community.
Image courtesy of Bitcoin.
This image shows that although the two sites are owned by the same company, they appear to be completely different organizations. In this particular image, the image of the organization that owns the site is in the upper left hand corner.
A quick check of Bitcoin. com’s homepage reveals that it’s owned by another company, Bitpay Inc. According to their website, Bitpay Inc. is the same entity that owns Bitcointalk.
The only similarity between the two sites is that they belong to the same company, Bitpay Inc. , if you will. In addition, the website also has a somewhat unusual link at the top labeled “Join the Community” or some such.
Image courtesy of Bitcoin.
From the above two screens, it looks like that the Bitcointalk logo is linked from one of the websites. However, there are several other differences to note about Bitcointalk. The bottom line of the screen on the far right that is linked shows a domain of another company called BlockTower Inc. That company also owns Bitcoin.
Image courtesy of Bitcoin.
Tips of the Day in Cryptocurrency
The Bitcoin Lightning Network (BTLN) is one of the world’s original permissionless network development projects. The Lightning Network is the original technology behind the Bitcoin (BTC) blockchain that was first conceived in 2013. BTLN creates a secure, permanent, and isolated path for sending and receiving Bitcoin between peers through the use of unlicensed and easily accessed hardware and software.
Spread the loveCryptocurrency and cryptocurrency derivatives as well as all other forms of virtual currency are in the process of growing exponentially. The interest and growth in the global cryptocurrency community is also exponential, and a lot of things can be said about this exponential growth. In this article, we will focus on the future…
- CyberNative.AI: The Future of AI Social Networking and Cybersecurity
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China’s hottest auto export to the US is a Buick, and that may not sit well with the Trump administration. General Motors produces the Buick Envision exclusively at a factory in Shanghai, mainly for the Chinese market. About 32,000 of the vehicles, which sell at a base price of $34,065, have been sold in the...
NYS Entity Status
NYS Filing Date
AUGUST 27, 2013
NYS DOS ID#
NYS Entity Type
DOMESTIC BUSINESS CORPORATION
2013 - J&A AUTO EXPORT CORPORATION
AROUND THE WEB
- GM is producing popular car in China, exporting to US
By Ed Zwirn - Sunday Jul 2, 2017
- Oil Exports, Illegal for Decades, Now Fuel a Texas Port Boom
By CLIFFORD KRAUSS - Wednesday Jul 5, 2017
Crude from West Texas shale fields is increasingly making its way abroad as a pipeline system is expanded to take it to market through Corpus Christi.
- Lessons of the Energy Export Boom
Thursday Jun 15, 2017
Steve Bannon owes Paul Ryan an apology on the oil-export ban.
- The 'Exporting Jobs' Canard
Wednesday Jun 14, 2017
Repeated research shows that multinational hiring abroad doesn’t come at the expense of U.S. workers.
- Turkey's Economy Thrives on Increased Spending, Demand and Exports
Monday Jun 12, 2017
Turkey’s economy grew faster than expected in the first quarter this year as government spending, domestic demand and exports surged.
- German Exports to Asia Surge, Calming Nerves Over Protectionist Backlash
Wednesday Jun 21, 2017
German exports to Asia are rising strongly this year in a trend that could mitigate the risks to Europe’s largest economy should U.S. President Donald Trump make good on his protectionist promises.


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GM's Director of Battery Cell Engineering Sheds Light on the Company's R&D Program
A number of carmaking companies are turning to electric vehicles, with many concepts for future, bigger, hybrid trucks and vehicles set up for the future. To ensure the process is smooth, work on battery-cell engineering and electrification needs to keep pace.
General Motors is one such car company looking ahead to the future of all-electric vehicles. Electrek spoke with the company's director of battery cell engineering and electrification strategy, Tim Grewe, to get a better idea of the topic.
GM's Electric Hummer
With their plans for an all-electric Hummer, GM has to switch up their electricity power game.
The company has a decent and ever-growing battery-cell R&D program and testing facility, so speaking with Grewe shed some good light on the future of electric vehicles.
"Our transition to electric vehicles is key, and we must continue to minimize our own operational footprint and lead changes toward a circular economy – where waste is eliminated and materials are reused & recycled." Read more from Dane Parker, our CSO: https://t.co/6qNGo2kyzP pic.twitter.com/Gx1tW0Uhav— General Motors (@GM) February 10, 2020
Grewe mentioned that the cost of cells is "coming down dramatically." However, there's still a long way to go before reaching the bottom. He explained that GM has been conservative with their batteries so far, but this will change.
SEE ALSO: GENERAL MOTORS INVESTING $2.2 BILLION IN DETROIT PLANT TO BUILD ONLY ELECTRIC VEHICLES
In their interview, Electrek asked Grewe about the future of cobalt and nickel as a supply of materials for cells. In his answer, Grewe explained that there is general talk in the industry of getting rid of cobalt, but there first needs to be a solution for creating as much energy density as with cobalt.
We’re kicking off 2020 by announcing one of our most anticipated vehicles, the #GMCHummerEV super truck. A true mark of progress toward a world with #ZeroEmissions. https://t.co/5Pk5UhkN32 pic.twitter.com/I5mT9zn0Tp— General Motors (@GM) January 30, 2020
Grewe continued "We’re working on battery recycling so that we mitigate that a little bit. The problem is, for example, the Volt extended-range batteries are still going strong. There was an extended range Volt that had 450,000 miles on it, and the battery was still chugging along. So it’s a question of getting supply into the recycling stream. There’s just not enough supply to have a secondary use company so it can depend on the supplier."
In speaking about solid-state batteries, Grewe believes that these are closer to becoming a realization that predicted, in under eight to 10 years. The GM team is "chasing it as hard as we can. But we have to make sure it doesn't disappoint [for energy density, cell life, etc.]"
For more information on the relevant matter, read the entire interview here.
These helpful hints will make your life easier if you create databases or wish to get your hands dirty with SQL.


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Instagram launches test to make ‘like’ counts private for some Canadian users
The trial run is exploratory and Instagram may not roll out the feature, said Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram
Research & Development
Risk & Compliance
Sales & Marketing
Technology / IIoT
TORONTO – Instagram is launching a test in Canada this week that will make the “like” counts on posts private for some users in a purported effort to rein in competition for online clout, but experts caution the social media giant may have ulterior motives.
A spokesman for Facebook, which owns Instagram, says a select group of Canadian users will see the number of likes and video views removed from their Instagram feeds, permalink pages and profiles.
Users involved in the test will not be able to see like counts – normally displayed beneath every photo and video – on other people’s posts, the spokesman said. The users can still click to see a list of people who liked a post but not the total number, and will have the option of seeing how many likes their own uploads have received, he said.
He said the move, which was first announced at Facebook’s annual developer conference, F8, is meant to encourage users to focus on the photos and videos being shared, rather than how many likes they receive.
“We don’t want Instagram to feel like a competition. We want to make it a less pressurized environment,” Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, told F8 on Tuesday.
“We want people to worry a little bit less about how many likes they’re getting on Instagram, and spend a bit more time connecting with the people that they care about.”
The Facebook spokesman would not reveal how many people will be part of the test group, but said it would be business as usual for all other Canadian users. He said the feature is being introduced in Canada due to the high level of engagement among users compared to other countries.
The spokesman described the trial run as exploratory, but noted that Instagram doesn’t always roll out features it tests.
Richard Lachman, a professor in Ryerson University’s school of media, expressed doubt that the change will stick or be spread more widely.
Like counts feed into the human desire for social acceptance, said Lachman, serving as a quantifiable measure of one’s status among their peers.
While it’s hard to put that digital genie back in the bottle, Lachman said Instagram’s willingness to experiment may be a response to the growing body of research on the damaging effects of social media metrics on mental health.
“There’s sort of this performative aspect to likes, to consuming one another’s content, and there’s negative effects on our psychological well-being,” he said. “It’s like we’re constantly checking, ‘Am I loved? Do you like me? How much do you like me?”’
But even if Instagram takes steps to mitigate that harm, Lachman said the company’s priorities will remain the same: to make the platform as “addictive” as possible in order to bolster its bottom line.
“They’re not trying to make it perfectly healthy. They’re trying to get enough hook that it’s not … getting users up in arms, but (the company) still has to make money.”
Jaigris Hodson, an associate professor at Royal Roads University in Victoria who researches digital media, said Instagram may even have a financial incentive for concealing like counts from users.
Many Instagram influencers have managed to convert the social media currency of likes into cash through sponsored posts and partnerships, Hodson said. If Instagram claims a monopoly over like counts, it can monetize that data to the detriment of entrepreneurs, artists and other “mom-and-pop influencers” looking to leverage their digital reach.
“(The company says) they want it to be all about the photo and video, and that seems disingenuous to me,” said Hodson. “There are the people for whom seeing the likes might matter for their careers, and now Facebook has completely taken that away.”


text: When it comes to cars, a lot can change in a year. Take the Ford Mustang, for example. For 2018, Ford has given its iconic muscle car a makeover. The Mustang has a new look, updated engines, a new transmission, new tech — you get the picture. If you’re in the market for a new sports car and are considering American muscle, here’s everything you need to know about the 2018 Ford Mustang.


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Table of Contents
It’s no secret that we Brits find it hard to part with our old devices. Even if we have no use for an old phone once we upgrade it, we often still place it into the back of a drawer just in case the need arises. The same is true for corporate smartphones. When a phone becomes too old businesses fork out large amounts of money for phones which are compatible with the latest operating system. This leaves the old phone redundant and many of us choose to hold onto these devices just in case they are needed again.
How big is the issue?
The issue of unused household and corporate smartphones is much larger than we may realise. In a survey conducted by the mobile contract provider GiffGaff, 16% of people admitted to holding onto their tech. This means that out of the 66.65million UK residents, a staggering 10.6million have unused smartphones in their homes.
Luckily, there are ways businesses can help prolong the use of their corporate smartphones. Along with this, we can also help to cut down on the number of phones our staff may have left unused in their own homes.
Wiping and reusing your corporate smartphones
One of the reasons corporate smartphone users may be reluctant to pass on their devices to others is data. As we already know, factory resets are not enough to ensure the safety of data held on redundant mobiles. With news of business data breaches constantly popping up in the media, it’s easy to be wary of reusing old devices.
Luckily, there are ways to ensure your business data is fully erased from a corporate smartphone using data wiping. The secure alternative to a factory reset, data erasure ensures 100% of the user’s data is removed from the device. This costs just a fraction of the price to purchase an entirely new fleet of devices and prevents the need for old devices to be scrapped.
An alternative to reuse damaged devices is refurbishment. With the new ‘right to repair’ legislation coming into effect this summer, this provides new opportunities for businesses to easier repair and reuse corporate smartphones.
As many smartphones ‘run out of life’, many consumers choose not to reuse them. The European Environment Agency briefing found that smartphones are currently not designed for easy repairing, making it more cost-effective and simpler to purchase a new device.
‘Repair options for many electronics are also limited either because the design does not allow easy repair or because repair costs are high compared to buying a new product.’ – European Environment Agency.
Thankfully, the new legislation will encourage manufacturers to create more repair-friendly products. This means mobile refurbishment will be more readily available, cheaper, and allow for further use of your corporate smartphones.
What does refurbishment do for our planet?
Not only does refurbishment prolong the use of your corporate smartphones, but it also helps save resources.
80% of a mobile phone is recyclable, but the precious materials inside a phone are often discarded with the phone. Luckily, your corporate smartphones can have these elements extracted. This not only helps to save valuable resources from becoming waste but also helps to improve your business’s environmental sustainability.
Learn more about improving your business sustainability in our article Is IT Reuse part of your Corporate Social Responsibility Policy?
Above all, reuse helps to prolong the use of a corporate smartphone. By using an asset for as long as possible, we prevent the need to replace it, save money on purchasing a new device, and help to protect the planet all at the same time.


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Fiat’s light van is a serial What Van? award winner and the Italian brand is hoping it will provide the springboard for further success. James Dallas reports
Fiat's Doblo Cargo has now scooped the What Van? Light Van of the Year Award for four consecutive years to confirm its status as the outstanding product in its sector.
For the second year running it shares the honour with the Vauxhall Combo, which is built alongside the Doblo Cargo in Turkey and is effectively a re-badged version of the Fiat van.
Fiat Professional’s UK boss Sebastiano Fedrigo says retaining the award is “proof of the Doblo Cargo’s strength”.
“It has grown tremendously in the sector and is one of the preferred choices in fleet and retail.”
According to Fedrigo the Doblo Cargo now commands 12% of the light van market. The model’s maximum payload of 1000kg has been matched but not exceeded in the sector while the XL’s 5.0m3 load space is unbeaten by any rival.
Fiat is also unique in offering a compact drop-side pick-up version of the Doblo Cargo, the Work-up, which can accommodate three Euro pallets.
“It gives us an edge on the competition, even the newer competition,” Fedrigo says.
With four engines up for grabs too, three diesels (1.3, 1.6 and 2.0-litres) and a 1.4-litre petrol, Fedrigo says Fiat has gone for “multiple choice” in both engines and bodystyles.
The Doblo Cargo and its Combo offspring are still the only vans to come with Fiat’s much-praised bi-link independent rear suspension. The lightweight, compact yet durable system is good news for fuel consumption and payload capacity and enhances ride and handling too. Slim wheel boxes allow for a wider loadspace and because the system is accessible to repair, it also cuts down servicing bills, Fedrigo claims.
“All these features are greatly appreciated by the trade,” he says. “It’s testimony to the whole of Fiat’s commercial vehicle technology, it’s not a cheap solution and is still the best in class four years after launch.”
Fiat expects to sell 9000 Doblo Cargos in the UK in 2014, of which 22% will be XLs.
Out of hours servicing
Fiat Professional is pressing on with its programme to improve its network’s service provisions. The brand has enlisted 17 Iveco and 20 DAF sites so far to provide an HGV level of support to customers. It aims to get 42 truck-based dealerships on board by the end of 2014 but will simultaneously reduce the total network from 118 to 100 sales points, with 150 aftersales garages.
The move to cut numbers will provide “viable territories to the remaining partners”, Fedrigo says and adds that Fiat will axe those not willing to invest in improving their standards.
“We are taking out the dealers whose service is not good.”
Some 40% of the network already offers extended opening hours and Fedrigo vows this will increase to 50% next year.
An ongoing challenge for Fiat is to improve sales of its Ducato large van in the UK, where it underperforms compared to the rest of Europe. Fedrigo reckons that giving the network an
HGV-style emphasis will help to make the Ducato a better proposition for operators because “truck dealers will always have space for big vans”. The introduction of more luxurious Tecnico trim is designed to attract customers from SMEs and making ESP standard across the line-up will also boost its appeal.
The Ducato has a 4% segment share in the UK but, according to Fedrigo, this compares to 20% in France and Germany and a whopping 40% in its home market of Italy.
He says a “rear-wheel drive stigma” is partly to blame for the Ducato’s comparative lack of success in the UK where heavy vans with RWD are considered stronger and better able to cope on gravelly surfaces. But he argues that maintenance costs are higher and payload capacity compromised due to the increased weight of RWD and adds that the option of Traction-Plus on the front-wheel drive Ducato should help to overcome concerns about driving on loose surfaces.
Fedrigo is keen to raise awareness of the Ducato Maxi, which comes in panel van and chassis cab guises. It features
reinforced suspension to give it a payload capacity of up to 1995kg and maximum permitted axle loads of up to 2100kg on the front and up to 2400kg on the rear. As a panel van the Maxi has a top load volume of 17m3.
Fiat is ramping up the number of Ducato demonstrator models it supplies to dealerships to make it easier for operators to try out the van.
“We are doing lots of work in raising awareness with corporate fleets,” Fedrigo says.
Fiat Professional has increased UK sales by more than 50% in 2014, which it says gives it a market share of 5.1%. The brand has a 12% slice of the European market but Fedrigo admits it won’t reach that level here “within the space of a day”.
The current target is to reach 6% with the ultimate goal a double digit stake.
“We want to grow organically, with the (dealer) network and with corporate fleets,” Fedrigo explains. “We don’t want to broker vans to shift metal.”
The brand forecasts total sales of 14000 in 2014, but this figure includes the Scudo Panorama
passenger carrying vehicle and the Ducato chassis cabs that are used for motorhome conversions – a market Fiat dominates with a 32% share. These registrations are not included in the light commercial vehicle sales data gathered by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
Ripe for conversion
Fedrigo does not believe Fiat has fully exploited the conversion market in the UK and says the brand is embarking on partnerships with bodybuilders such as VFS, Trucksmith and Snoeks. He says the blue light sector is within Fiat’s scope and cites Luton bodies and box vans as other target areas.
Fiat provides the vehicle warranty, which the convertor mirrors with the body warranty.
Fedrigo reckons the demise of car-derived vans like the Vauxhall Astravan and Peugeot 208 van will drive further growth in the compact city van sector where the Fiorino sits alongside the Citroen Nemo and Peugeot Bipper. The potential popularity of these small, high cube vans, which Fedrigo says filled a
space in the market, is illustrated by Ford’s impending entrance into the nascent segment with the Transit Courier. Fedrigo admits the threat of competition from the blue oval
is a worry but is confident the Fiorino’s capabilities will see it hold its own. He describes Ford’s decision to enter the sector as “an endorsement of the Fiorino’s success – a compliment”.
While the versatile Doblo Cargo has the load-lugging ability to cull sales from larger competitors such as the Vauxhall Vivaro and Renault Trafic, Fedrigo admits it has also taken business from Fiat’s own Scudo medium van, which is also sold by Peugeot as the Expert and Citroen as the Dispatch.
The current generation Scudo arrived in 2007 but Fiat has now terminated the joint venture with PSA with a view to taking a new direction when the Euro6 model arrives in 2016.
The award-winning Doblo Cargo has established Fiat Professional as a serious player in the UK’s light commercial vehicle sector and the brand is confident it now has the business model and product strength in depth to move on to the next level.


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March 20, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s apparel industry said it was confident the government would meet European Union demands to comply with human rights laws to retain critical preferential market access to the region. . It warned that any restrictions on access to the EU market would hurt mainly small and medium enterprises which have set up factories in rural areas and generate employment.
The island’s garment industry is relying on the GSP+ scheme that gives duty free access to EU markets to keep the industry growing at a time when its biggest market, the US, has contracted.
A visiting EU team said this week that Sri Lanka must improve its human rights record and implement obligations under international agreements to renew trade concessions given by the European Union.
“As an industry we’re very compliant (with EU requirements),” Noel Priyathillake, chairman of the Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters Association said Wednesday.
“We keep on saying this is a trade matter and should not be mixed with politics. We got GSP on the basis of trade and as an industry we have complied with all their requirements.”
Sri Lanka’s clothing industry has been projecting itself as being free of child labour and maki


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Kuwait Real Estate News
Tamdeen Group unveils $700mn waterfront resort-style apartment project
Leading mixed-use real estate developer, Tamdeen Group has unveiled plans to develop a waterfront resort-style apartment project, spanning 350,000 sqm worth $700million in Kuwait.
The Al Khiran development is located at the heart of Sabah Al Ahmed Sea City, and eventually is likely to create major opportunities for tourism and business growth in Kuwait.
Being a one-of-a-kind development, the project will include one of the first high-end Outlet Mall in Kuwait, apart from two high-rise residential towers, a furnished apartment tower, a marina with capacity to house more than 900 boats, the biggest in Kuwait, and a 5-star resort style hotel with international spa component.
The Chairman, Mohammed Jassim Khalid Al Marzouq, who spoke during the launch said that the new found co-operation between government and parliament has given more confidence to further invest in Kuwait, and projects worth $2billion are already underway.
Kuwait has the highest per capita income, worth about $48,260, which implies that the country is well-placed to drive growth across various retail segments. Further, the economy in Kuwait is one of the strongest in the region, and with majority of the population in Kuwait falling under the 20 to 39 years age group, household spending on international brands within the retail sector is on the rise. Al Khiran offers value not only in terms of shopping, but in overall customer experience, said Al Marzouq.
The Tamdeen Group is developing major shopping centres and mixed-use properties over the past two decades. It has also built the iconic 360 Mall and the Al Kout waterfront project, both of which have become important symbols of Kuwait.
These destinations are unique due to their unique architecture, and Al Khiran contributes to this in its own unique way. Further, the development is hoped to attract people from three large neighbouring destinations, forming a new destination by itself, he said.
The Outlet Mall, spanning 75,000sqm located in Al Khiran will be a blend of luxury and premium brands. The indoor streets will be covered by continuous skylights to provide natural light. Designed by lead international architects RTKL, the mall will have unique resort-style architecture, to incorporate traditional Arabic motifs. The mall’s façade will add to its identity, offering a sustainable solution that filters light and provides shade.
The covered arcade will showcase the retail elements and offer comfortable seating for various restaurants. The mall and the marina will be separated by a massive promenade covered with palms.
The project also offers terraced seating for the dining pleasure of customers and the Al Khiran Park, will be located at the centre of the development, offering varied vegetation and open air attractions for children and huge performance spaces. This will create a powerful magnet for all in Kuwait.
Al Khiran will be the entertainment and commercial cornerstone of the new community at Sabah Al Ahmed Seat City and the residences offer a resort-style, home-away-from-home for the discerning Kuwaiti with access to finest leisure amenities, beach front and private swimming pools.
Further, the five-star hotel and international spa will attract both tourists and Kuwaiti residents.
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Wallace's application combines the open TiVo standards with the open Flickr standards and it's a great example of who embracing these increases the appeal of both products.
Flickr is a free, online service where users post pictures online. TiVo is a digital video recorder that is sold in the US primarily.
Using the TiVo device to show Flickr content on the TV puts the Flickr data in the living room, which is a far more convenient place to view pictures than behind the PC.
Antarctica lost on average 252 gigatons of ice mass per year from 2009 to 2017, claims study
Buyers can demand refunds if they've had a game for no more than 14 days and not registered more than two hours of play
Total lunar eclipse 2019: 'Super Blood Wolf Moon' to be visible across Europe and North America on Sunday night
Moon will turn reddish-orange in colour during this weekend's total lunar eclipse
Hackers to compete for prize money of between $35,000 and $250,000 cracking the Tesla Model 3 at this year's Pwn2Own contest


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In a sign of the increasing popularity of small format CO2-based refrigeration systems in Europe, Panasonic has sold about 200 units to date of its 2HP CO2 outdoor condensing unit in Europe since its launch in the summer of last year.
The firm expects these sales to double in Europe this coming year. In addition, Panasonic will be officially launching its 10HP CO2 outdoor condensing unit in Europe this summer. The 10HP unit has a cooling capacity of 15 kW at an evaporating temperature of -5°C.
The current main market for the firm's CO2 systems are in Europe as well as in Japan, Australia and China.
The overseas sales manager in Panasonic's refrigeration system sales department also told us that:
1\For the 2HP CO2 outdoor condensing unit, we have been receiving so many inquiries – mainly for freezers or refrigerators that are required to be added on to existing stores.
This summer we will be officially launching the 10HP unit and we have been receiving many inquiries for it already as well. However, for the initial year, we need to be careful with the installations since the 10HP unit is connected to multiple evaporators, which is different from the 2HP units.
2\HFC prices, especially R404A, became seven times higher in 2017. Because of it, users are aware that they cannot use HFCs in the near future. No doubt, this means that we have a bigger chance to introduce CO2systems.
3\The initial cost of a CO2 installation is still higher than HFC-based systems. End users who prioritise the initial investment rather than running costs will not choose CO2.
Address: No.59-203,NO.99 Dehui Road,Zhi Chu,Zhifu District,Yantai, Shandong Province ,China


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The phone has the markings of similar prototypes that got leaked like Gizmodo's, including smooth plus and minus buttons and "XX"s for serial numbers.
Maybe this is just a test for Apple and it won't ever get released. It seems to be an iPhone 4, not an iPhone 5 prototype.
Some people think Apple might release some sort of new version of the iPad 2 in September to push its iPad release cycle to the Fall and take advantage of the holiday shopping season. Maybe that would also be a good time to come out with a 64GB iPhone 4?
Here's a video of the prototype:


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Domino’s Pizza ($DPZ) is a popular pizza restaurant that serves about 1.5M pizzas daily from about 11,600 store units across 75 countries. The company is set to report 2015 Q3 earnings on Oct. 8th. So far this year, the shares of Domino’s Pizza has well outperformed the S&P 500. The stock is up around 10% YTD while the S&P 500 has a negative percentage return YTD.
A Look at the Numbers
Revenue and Macro Impact
Restaurant Sales and the Unemployment rate is strongly correlated. When the unemployment rate is high, fewer people spend money at fast-food chains and other restaurants. Conversely, as we’ve recently seen the unemployment rate sinking lower we could potentially expect better Net Sales results from the restaurant industry as a whole. However, while we are approaching full employment levels, wage inflation is still low. This could make people more careful with their dollars and choose lower cost food alternatives, like Domino’s Pizza, vs. pricier options.
The Revenue results at Domino’s Pizza is highly driven by same-store sales growth, a metric the company has been historically successful in increasing. The analyst revenue target for Q3 2015 is $486 million, an increase of ~9% year-over-year.
From a relative valuation perspective, $DPZ appears undervalued at its current price level of around $105 compared to its peers. Below you can see a relative valuation using $MCD, $PZZA, $SBUX and $YUM as comparables. If we look at the operating multiple EV/Revenue, $DPZ’s multiple of 3.46 is lower than $MCD and $SBUX. As for the EV/Ebitda, $DPZ is also relatively low. The multiple of 19.7 is lower than all selected industry peers except for $MCD. $MCD is also the only company in this relative valuation that has a lower PE ratio than $DPZ’s PE of 33.
Source: SprinkleBit Analyzer
Now, considering the relatively low fundamental metrics of $DPZ, you could guess that the company is having a slow Sales Growth which would make investors value the shares lower. That is not the case though, $DPZ also has a significantly higher Sales Growth Percent (8.47%) than most of its peers. Both $YUM and $PZZA (the restaurant company who owns Pizza Hut) has negative sales growths. Only $PZZA has a slightly higher percentage number (9.7%). But, keep in mind, investors are already paying more for the EPS growth of $PZZA then they are for $DPZ. The PEG ratios of $DPZ and $PZZA are 1.72 and 3.02 respectively.
Even though the current price point is undervalued at the company’s fundamental metrics, it can change significantly with the Q3 earnings report next week. Analysts will pay extra attention to the company’s ability to generate same-store sales growth. In a recent business update, Domino’s stated that the domestic sales growth increased to 10.5% in the Q3 -2015. This is in line with analysts expectation of around 10%. Next, another key number will be the Operating Income, which is expected to come in at $86.5M. This is 9.5% higher than the Operating Income in the same quarter last year. The EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) is expected at $93.5M. The current EBITDA margin is 17.6%. Which is already high for the industry but the analyst consensus expectations is a margin of over 19%.
Operating Cash Flow
Domino’s weakness seems to be the ability to generate cash flows from revenues. Compared to its industry peers, the company’s Operating Cash Flow-to-Sales ratio of 11.3% is lower than all comparables except for Papa John’s. Therefore, the Operating Cash Flows will also be an important number to keep your eyes on at the upcoming Q3 earnings release. If the company can improve the OCF ratio, it will prove that its current business structure is positive and that the company is heading in the right direction.
The general consensus expectation is EPS of 0.74, which is a 17% increase from the same quarter last year. $DPZ has beaten analyst EPS expectations in 3 out of the last 4 quarters. Yet, the market reacted negatively to the earnings report in the last quarter and the stock price dipped lower during three days following the earnings release.
What can we expect in Q4?
The common recent topic for global U.S. based firms has been the negative effect a strong dollar has had on its sales. About 93% of Domino’s Pizza’s revenue comes from the United States so the impact of currency headwinds should not severely impact the company’s sales. From the recent business update released by Domino’s, we find out that both domestic and international sales growth is higher in Q3 2015, 10.5% and 7.1% respectively, than for the same quarter a year ago. If the company reports healthy operating cash and income margins and growing bottom-line results for this third quarter of 2015, the stock has a continuous upside potential of 10-14% throughout the fourth quarter of this year.
For earnings report updates, follow the conversation in the SprinkleBit Community!


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The company's closely watched Global Services business, which accounts for about half of its revenue, increased sales 3% to $11.7 billion, despite a new report that suggests that large outsourcing deals, in which IBM specializes, are becoming less popular among businesses. On Monday, research firm Technology Partners International said the total value of worldwide outsourcing deals could fall by as much as 10% to 15% this year to between $60 to $65 billion. TPI said the fall was due in part to a decline in long term deals and a cooling off of the business process outsourcing sector.
IBM's hardware sales increased 7% to $5.1 billion, not including the previous year's results from the PC business, which IBM sold to China's Lenovo Group. Sales of the company's iSeries midrange servers jumped 25%, but that was partly offset by a 4% decline in zSeries mainframe revenues.
Software sales increased 5% to 3.8 billion, with middleware brands such as Websphere, Tivoli, and Rational showing a 6% revenue gain. Sales of IBM's Lotus software, which includes the venerable Lotus Notes franchise, jumped 12%.


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It’s the same deal with cows. These cows are stuffed into crowded, unventilated factories. They never see light, they never even see grass. They’re fed corn – not grass – because corn is cheaper. They are grabbed off the ground by their ankles, and machinery carries them through the air, and within seconds, they are brutally chopped up. 90,000 of them. Each day.
But what’s most disturbing is that the lawyers and corporate executives in the food industry have positions in our very government. Thus, they can influence regulations and do as they please. According to Food, Inc. (an eye opening documentary that everyone should rent), in 1972, the FDA conducted 50,000 inspections, but that number plummeted to 9,184 in 2006. And in some states, laws were even passed forbidding the publication of any photos of an industrial food operation.
For now, there are few alternatives. But if you are willing to shop around and take a couple of seconds to read labels, you can surely find meat from humane companies. Whole Foods Market, for instance, has meats labeled "animal compassionate."
However, in the end, if widespread change is to come, this issue must be fought in numbers. If more people are made aware of these horrors, perhaps a mass consumer movement demanding better food and better treatment of animals can spread. But in the meantime, the first step would be to spread the word.


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Milwaukee's Summer Soulstice Music Festival canceled, turned into virtual tribute
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Milwaukee's Summer Soulstice Music Festival has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, but organizers say it will still be acknowledged virtually.
The event would have marked the festival's 20th anniversary celebration, and The East Side Business Improvement District wanted to figure out a way to pay tribute.
"This event is too beloved to let it pass without a tribute or acknowledgment, so we decided to host a virtual tribute to Soulstice instead this year," said East Side BID Executive Director Elizabeth Brodek."
The tribute will take place from April 27-June 14. To take part, just share your favorite Summer Soulstice memories to The East Side BID via their Facebook or Instagram page, in the form of pictures, videos, and/or written memories.
Anyone who submits a Soulstice memory during that time will be entered to win a weekly drawing for a gift card to a featured local business that has supported Summer Soulstice. Each memory submitted counts as an "entry" in the drawing for the gift card to that week's featured business.
The featured businesses include:
- Milwaukee Film: April 27-May 3
- Crossroads Collective: May 4-10
- Hooligans: May 11-17
- Ian's Pizza: May 18-24
- Izzy Hops Swig & Nosh: May 25-31
- Hacienda Beer Co.: June 1-7
- Von Trier: June 8-14
On June 20, when Summer Soulstice would have taken place, The East Side BID will unveil the collection of memories and recipients of gift cards.


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Although copper theft has been an ongoing problem in the UK as well as elsewhere around the world, police are reporting more theft than ever before and they are on the alert at all times. Surprisingly, where it had once been only gangs of thieves who pillaged stockyards and abandoned buildings, more and more average people are finding ways to scour for copper as the economy worsens and the price of copper soars.
In fact, the Financial Times reports that the number of arrests in the UK has more than quadrupled recently and police are just not able to stay on top of the problem. The deputy chief constable of the British Transport Police, Paul Crowther, states that they feel like they are fighting a losing battle.
With a benchmark price of copper rising as much as 38% just within the past couple of years, it is no wonder copper thieves are abounding. Since much of this valuable metal is taken from abandoned buildings, there isn’t enough manpower to go around to keep them all secure. Unfortunately, thieves are getting braver by the day but on a positive note, this does allow for more of them to get caught in the act.
However, even though it isn’t always easy to catch the criminals in the act, they need to sell their stolen goods somewhere. This is why police are focusing their attention on the companies that buy copper for recycling. There is movement to ban cash trades which has the industry up in arms. Whilst cash trade enables thieves to get away with their crimes, it still accounts for 1/5 of the industry’s turnover which is estimated to be £5 million.
Things will most likely get worse before they get better because market analysts and economists believe we are on the precipice of a double dip recession. If prices of copper continue going up and the economy continues falling, we will be seeing much more of this in the coming months.


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By Caroline Valetkevitch
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Short sellers in shares of Nvidia Corp were down $4.1 billion in mark-to-market losses in three trading days, according to financial data firm S3 Partners, as the chipmaker’s market capitalization hit $1 trillion on Tuesday.
Nvidia’s shares were up about 31% combined over Thursday, Friday and trading so far on Tuesday, and up about 174% year-to-date. The market was closed on Monday for a U.S. holiday.
The chipmaker after the close on Wednesday forecast second-quarter revenue more than 50% above Wall Street estimates, and said it is bumping up supply to meet demand for its artificial-intelligence chips.
Nvidia’s business grew rapidly during the pandemic as videogaming increased, cloud adoption surged and its chips were used for mining cyrptocurrency.
Ihor Dusaniwsky, S3 managing director, wrote in a note on Tuesday that even with significant short covering in Nvidia, the stock is the fourth most shorted in the U.S., after Apple, Tesla and Microsoft.
For 2023, Nvidia short sellers are now down nearly $9 billion in mark-to-market losses, according to Dusaniwsky.
Investors who sell securities “short” borrow shares and then sell them in hopes that the stock will fall so the shares can be bought back at a lower price, allowing the investor to repay the loan and pocket the difference.
(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; editing by Lance Tupper and Leslie Adler)


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IS Apple about to revolutionise the humble watch?
A Chinese gadget blog reports that Apple might be teaming up with Intel to manufacture a "smart watch".
The Bluetooth watch would debut sometime in the first half of 2013, the report says.
Consumers have previously used the sixth-generation iPod Nano as a watch, with third parties producing wristbands for the product.
But TechCrunch writer Jordan Crook said he was taking the news with a grain of salt.
"Even if Apple is making a watch, it will be quite a while before we see any real evidence of it," he said.
"Plus, there's no proven market for smart watches yet, even with the success of Pebble and Metawatch."
technology top stories
ELECTRONICALLY sharing sexually explicit images of another person without their consent - also known as sexting - will become illegal in Victoria.
STAFF WRITERS HIS name is Karen and he blackmailed as many as 350 women into providing him with naked photos of themselves... and then it got worse.
MATT YOUNG YOU wouldn't want to be at the receiving end of this. The visually spectacular sight of falling ice sheets crashing onto the streets has been caught on camera.


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A TIKTOKER has shared her tried and true rule when it comes to fashion.
Katrina Bowman runs the TikTok account, trendingwithtrina, which boasts over 320,000 followers.
Her bio says she’s a certified stylist who creates content with practical tips and adorable style.
In one of her latest videos, Katrina asks her followers if they know the rule of thirds.
It is a fashion tip that advises people to pay attention to the clothes they wear.
“Don’t cut your outfit in half,” Katrina wrote using the app’s text-on-screen feature.
It shows an example of what makes an outfit less than ideal.
Katrina is wearing a loose shirt with a long shirt, showing a 50/50 split.
The video switches to Katrina in a new look, this time tucking her shirt into the long skirt.
“Instead, create interest and balance by wearing 1/3 top and 2/3 bottom or vice versa!”
Most read in The Irish Sun
The key is to share the outfit, not your body, she explains.
“Yes girl! So simple yet so effective,” one viewer wrote in the comments section.
“You bet!” Katrina replied.
Meanwhile, another TikToker spent $500 on Kim Kardashian’s Skims and reviewed the products.
Logan Hill, who has nearly 800,000 followers on TikTok and goes by the username loganraehill, took to the video-sharing platform earlier this week to give her fans a look at some shapewear projects.
The TikTok user captioned her post: “I spent $500 on @skims so you don’t have to! #skimshaul #size6fashion #size8fashion.”
Logan describes her body as a size six to eight and tells her followers that she always buys Skims on a medium.
The first Skims product Logan tried on was the clip-on body sculpting suit, which costs $62 on the company’s website.
“It definitely absorbs everything and it’s very shiny and smooth,” Logan explained, appearing to be wearing the Umber suit.
Logan’s Skims review comes just weeks after the TikToker and her friend revealed how the same Zara clothes look on their different bodies.


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Don't-Miss Business & finance software Stories
Microsoft has officially released Office 2011 for Mac Service Pack 1, bringing a number of enhancements and improvements to its suite of productivity software.
The weekly publication focused on all things business is now available as a multimedia iPad magazine, complete with exclusive video interviews, a customizable back-issue archive, and a subscription plan that's cheaper than the print edition.
Intuit has warned users of its tax preparation software to be aware of identity theft scams in the wake of a major breach at marketing firm Epsilon.
Since Office 2011's release last fall, we've been waiting for the suite to support OS X's Sync Services. Now it does. But you still won't be able to sync Outlook calendars, contacts, and tasks to MobileMe.
SugarCRM bought a vendor of customer relationship management software for IBM Lotus Notes, while adding social CRM features for the iPad and other devices.
Brainshark has unveiled features for its video presentation service to create a more interactive experience for smartphone users.
Online storage and backup service Mozy has released its iPhone app, which allows customers to remotely browse, search, download, or even share files from all of their backed up computers.
Cortado Workplace is the first app on the App Store to provide protected encryption for the iPhone and iPad.
The first major update to this unique, streamlined e-mail client allows it to work with any IMAP service, in addition to Gmail. Over half a dozen other useful additions make this a welcome release.
The latest minimalist word processor cuts down on distractions by eliminating toolbars and turning your entire screen in a blank writing surface.
VMware has released the vSphere Client for iPad, with which IT staff will be able to monitor and manage their virtualized infrastructure.
Google is working to restore offline storage capabilities for its Apps productivity software and should have it done by the end of the year, a senior company official says.
Google has upgraded the ability to post comments and respond to them in its Docs office productivity applications.
VMware is waiting for Apple to approve a software client for iPads that will allow IT staff to manage their virtualized environments.
Bento 4 for the Mac adds a number of new features, including label printing, improvements to form printing, the ability to export data in templates, and more. FileMaker also updated both mobile versions of its personal database app, adding a built-in recorder for voice memos, automatic location tagging, and support for iCal tasks.


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Smucker Statement on Trump Administration’s Solar Tariff Decision
Lancaster, PA – U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker (PA-16) issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s decision to impose tariffs up to 30 percent on imported solar panels:
“I share and support President Trump’s goal of strengthening American manufacturing to better compete in the global economy, but this decision is misguided. This tariff jeopardizes billions of dollars in solar industry investments and could cost American jobs. That is why I wrote to the U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. International Trade Commission urging them to consider the negative impacts tariffs would have on solar workers in my district and across the country, as well as the growth of our nation’s largest source of new electric generating capacity. While I am disappointed in this decision, I will continue to engage the administration to help protect American jobs and support robust growth in the solar field.”
On August 11, 2017, Rep. Smucker wrote to U.S. International Trade Commission Chairman Rhonda K. Schmidtlein, saying:
“We are concerned that the requested trade protection would sharply increase the price of solar panels which could lead to a negative impact across the whole solar industry. The increased costs could slow or even stop solar growth, jeopardizing billions of dollars in investment in communities across the country. Moreover, it is projected that the new tariffs could lead to a loss of 88,000 American solar jobs next year.”
On December 4, 2017, Rep. Smucker wrote to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, saying:
“At the end of 2016, 9,000 solar companies employed over 260,000 American workers with a median wage of $25/hour, and one out of every 50 new jobs added by our economy in 2016 was a solar job. Moreover, we understand that $22.8 billion was invested in the solar industry in 2016 alone, with an additional $84 billion projected to be invested between 2017 and 2021. However, all of this tremendous growth in investments, installations, and jobs will be placed in danger if the federal government causes solar prices to spike significantly as a result of the trade case.”
The letters to Chairman Schmidtlein and Trade Representative Lighthizer can be found below.
Pennsylvania ranks 19th in the nation for solar production. 534 Pennsylvania solar companies support more than 3,000 jobs, making the commonwealth one of the largest solar employers in the nation.


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Belgacom has announced its Proximus brand will become the operator’s main commercial brand for all mobile, fixed and IT solutions at the end of this year.
Proximus has been known as the operator’s mobile brand in Belgium, but will now replace the Belgacom name, although the latter will remain the company name.
The news is the first major announcement sanctioned by Dominique Leroy, who was appointed CEO in January.
Belgacom said the move was in response to the increasing convergence of fixed, mobile and IT technologies and both enterprise and retail customers not seeing the difference between them.
In a statement, the operator said it was “a logical step” to group all solutions under one main brand.
However, Belgacom’s other brands such as Scarlet, 1207/1307, BICS, Tango and Telindus International, will continue to exist.
Leroy commented: "Our ambition is to grow. That’s why we want to combine our fixed, mobile and IT solutions even more effectively, with the customer at the centre. With Proximus as our main commercial brand we get that idea across clearly and we also simplify our communication.
"Our customers' needs are changing continuously and ever faster. That applies to consumers and businesses alike. As a leading company in the Belgian telecoms market, we want to anticipate developments and offer our customers a superior and distinctive user experience which seamlessly combines all technologies. Clear and simple communication is also a part of that. By taking the step towards a single commercial brand, Proximus, we are able to do so better than ever.”
Belgacom said it wants to restore growth by 2016; last month, it reported that 2013 revenues fell 2.2 percent to €6.3 billion.
The move follows a similar decision by France Telecom last year to rename itself Orange.


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Well, it looks like LG won't be the only option available this month for those in the market for a 55-inch curved OLED TV. According to CNET, Samsung's similar TV set, already on sale in Korea, is headed to "select dealers" in the US as early as this week. At least one of those, NY-based Value Electronics, says that its shipment is already on the way, and that it will run the same $14,999 that LG's TV demands at Best Buy. To be clear, that is $15k per TV. One TV. Fifteen thousand dollars. Slightly curved.
Samsung's 55-inch curved OLED TV set to land in the US this week for $15k
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.


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Tesco CEO Dave Lewis is close to appointing a new UK MD to replace Chris Bush, who left the company for good last week as investigations continue into the £263m black hole in its finances.
Lewis said he expected to make an appointment “within the next couple of months,” stressing his own hands-on control of the UK operation was a “temporary thing”.
Trevor Masters, currently Tesco’s CEO for Asia has been mentioned as a possible internal candidate, with ex-Unilever man Lewis expected to turn to someone with a strong retail background.
Tesco’s London boss Andrew Yaxley, previously fresh food and frozen commercial director, was described by one source as a “strong possibility”. Ken Towle, MD of Central Europe and Turkey, is also on the list.
Externally, former Sainsbury’s and Asda director Stuart Machin, the MD of Australian discount department store Target, has been mentioned, as has Wesfarmers commercial director Ian McLeod.
Other possible candidates include John Dixon, head of non-food at Marks & Spencer, and its current executive food boss Steve Rowe.


text: CardWeb, Inc. announced this morning the revival of its popular ‘CardGame’ feature for online visitors to www.cardweb.com.. The new version of ‘CardGame’ offers consumer visitors the chance to win more than $20,000 in prizes annually. ‘CardGame’ participants simply answer ten demographic questions and complete a ten question quiz on credit card related items. The quiz is based on recent information published via the ‘CardTrak’ news and survey channel. A new contest is offered each month with one grand prize of $10,000 cash to be awarded to one of the monthly winners next July. ‘CardGame’ previously had a two year run between September 1995 and November 1997, awarding more than $50,000 in prizes. The information gathered from ‘CardGame’ is used to update Web site demographics for current and potential advertisers. CardWeb’s current advertising clients include Chase Manhattan, NationsBank, First USA, People’s Bank, Commerce Bank, Wachovia, Beneficial National Bank and NextCard. CardWeb’s comprehensive Web site, offering more than 10,000 payment card documents to consumers and executives, draws more than 250,000 unique visitors each month generating more than two million document requests per month.


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By Ekaete Bassey
Bespoke fashion designer and younger brother of Comedian AY, Yomi Casual has revealed he is recuperating and prepared to resume his business soonest.
The Nation had reported the celebrity stylist was involved in a ghastly motor accident on his way home from Banana Island on Sunday June 13, 2021.
His elder brother AY took to his verified Instagram account to thank God for the life of his family.
He posted photo with the inscription ‘Thank You Jesus’.
He wrote: “That’s what I want to say on behalf of my family.”
Days after, the fashion designer announced he has recovered from the trauma he suffered from the accident.
Confirming his recovery, Yomi Casual on Thursday thanked family, fans as well as friends for their love.
He wrote on Instagram: “It took me 48 hours to get out from that car accident trauma. I am super grateful, guys.
“I wish I had the words to express my appreciation for the calls, SMS, DMs, comments and kindness. Words cannot express my thankfulness.”
He added: “I never knew I am this loved by you all. GOD BLESS YOU ALL FOR THE SHOW OF LOVE.”
Yomi Casual further seized the opportunity to express his dearest desire at the moment.
He added: “All I need now na urgent SUV.”
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The company Dbrand definitely knows how to create exciting and new products to keep up with the trend. To your surprise, new smartphone skin called ‘Something’ is released by the company at the very right time. However, this new smartphone skin promises to transform your phone completely.
It’s available for Pixel 6 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, and Galaxy S22 Ultra as well. This phone had a look like a Nothing Phone (1). However, regarding the Nothing Phone (1), the reviews are promising.
Dbrand new skin Something like Nothing Phone 1
There are many statements that went viral such as – “Some might accuse us of theft. Here’s our counter: we stole nothing,” the company says on its website. Along with this, the company also stated that it took a lot of time in inspecting the electronic devices and study the design. It stated, “uniquely qualified to rip off an industrial design and ‘creatively reinterpret’ it for other devices.”
Dbrand also adds, “That’s not theft – it’s plagiarism, which is definitely not a crime. We checked.” Dbrand is a popular company that is known for its unique and different marketing stunts. Even if you recall the end of the last year, you’ll notice that the company stopped selling custom PlayStation 5 faceplates.
This made headlines for several days after the company received a letter from Sony about cease-and-desist. However, after a few days, the ‘Darkplates’ was announced by the company as a very new version. Along with its release, the company also claimed that Sony will not drag a legal case against it.
Although, the possibility of involvement of Carl Pei in ‘’Something’s” launch is much lower because of the previous incident. But, the involvement isn’t guaranteed at all. Besides, Carl Pei is widely known for using guerrilla marketing strategies because of which he has managed to keep One Plus on the map. On the official Dbrand website, the Something Smartphone skin is available just at $24.95.
What’s so special about it
The smartphone skin called ‘Something’ by DBrand resembles Nothing Phone (1). Unlike the other products, the availability of the smartphone skin is limited. As mentioned earlier it’s available for only three different phones.
Although, the smartphone skin comes in white color. Along with this, Something is also mimicking Nothing’s fit font which makes it look amazing and attractive. It also gives a faux look to the phone’s internals which makes it very unique just like Nothing Phone (1).
However, it’s worth noting that the marketing strategies and the design of the Nothing Phone (1) should be appreciated. It has created a trend and because of its unique and extremely different style, people are getting attracted. Along with this, the reviews also help in creating hype because they Dbrandreleased Something.
However, Carl Pei and Nothing’s reactions have everyone’s eyes on them after they see the release of Something. Dbrand has do not ever hesitate to get into controversy so it’s worth noting all the reactions and the statements.


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Union Unite has warned further industrial action could be on the cards by drivers and warehouse staff at white goods manufacturer Indesit UK, if a ballot on the company’s latest pay offer leads to it being rejected. The union, which staged the last of three strikes over pay and conditions at the firm on 1 September, told Motortransport.co.uk today that further talks with Indesit UK had led to the company making an improved offer. Regional officer Mark Plumb said, however, […]
The transport sector is guilty of paying men more than women, with nine of the top 10 companies in the MT Top 100 reporting a gender pay gap.
The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) has called on the Irish government to use emergency powers to lift the drivers’ hours and tachograph rules for vehicles caught up at Calais.
Construction firm Glencar has secured three new contracts valued at in excess of £20m for logistics and industrial development projects at sites in Northampton, Dartford and Witham, Essex.


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Last week, the Delaware Court of Chancery ruled that because a limited liability company (LLC) agreement did not contain a provision precluding or restricting competition, i.e., a non-compete provision, a former member did not violate the agreement by opening a competing business nearby. In 2009, Louis Bascio (Bascio) formed Touch of Italy Salumeria & Pasticceria, LLC, an Italian grocery store, with several other members. They entered into an LLC agreement and, subsequently, an amended LLC agreement, which lacked any restrictions regarding competition. In late 2012, after the business had become successful and profitable, Bascio informed his fellow members that he planned to withdraw from the LLC. According to the complaint, Bascio assured his fellow members that he would not open a competing business nearby. However, after his departure from the LLC, Bascio opened a competing Italian grocery store down the street. The LLC and its members brought nine claims against Bascio, including breach of contract. breach of fiduciary duty, fraud and negligent misrepresentation, and they sought monetary damages and injunctive relief. The court dismissed all nine claims, holding that the LLC provided each member with a right of withdrawal and contained no provisions restricting Bascio from competition. Plaintiffs’ claims for fraud and negligent misrepresentation failed because plaintiffs failed to show detrimental reliance on Bascio’s supposedly actionable misrepresentation.
Touch of Italy Salumeria and Pasticceria, LLC v. Bascio, C.A. No. 8602-VCG (Del. Ch. Jan. 13, 2014).


text: It’s only been 24 hours, but already Microsoft’s Windows 8 consumer preview has hit the one million download mark, the company announced on Thursday. If you haven’t been keeping up, Windows 8 is promising to introduce an OS that’s a huge departure from past iterations. From what we’ve seen, we can’t wait to see the final build, particularly on tablets. While everything is still in beta, Windows 8 has been attracting a lot of attention for its Metro UI and approach to app management, amongst a lot of other really great features. We haven’t been this excited for an OS in a long, long time.


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Global Video Games Industry
The world video gaming industry is predicted to record 9% yearly growth through 2013, to exceed $76 billion, according to Business Insights. Mobile and online gaming formats will fuel the market (as well as the whole consumer electronics industry), with customers taking advantage of wider, faster and more mobile internet access. Console gaming, the market’s current segment leader, will see its rate of sales decelerate.
Since the first video game was launched on the market around 45 years ago, the video game industry has taken a central place in entertainment culture for children and adults alike. Far from the solitary habit it may have been traditionally, online gaming involves communities and is based on interaction.
Key Video Game Market Segments
Climbing world demand for Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG) is expected to push the market to over $14 billion by 2015, according to Global Industry Analysts. Technological developments along with faster, wider-reaching broadband connectivity are driving the market.
The world social gaming market almost hit the $1.5 billion mark in 2010, reports Business Insights. The market is expected to reach close to $4 billion by 2015, with the US a leading region generating sales of $1.2 billion, followed by Japan at $570 million. There are currently 600 million social gamers worldwide, with China representing close to 110 million, followed by the US at 95 million gamers. By 2015, it is predicted there will be close to 275 million gamers in China and 150 million in the US. Leading game companies include Playdom, CrowdStar, Synga, Digital Chocolate and EA.
With consumers connecting to the internet with smartphones, gaming has become increasingly mobile. More than 27% of smartphone subscribers have installed one game or more, with close to 35% having installed at least five on their phones, according to Visiongain. Mobile game makers, and phone and electronic device makers have been collaborating to capitalize on the trend towards mobile gaming.
The world game console market is expected to reach almost $25 billion by 2014, according to MarketLine, representing almost 13% growth in five years. The Americas represent almost 45% of the overall market. The three leading companies in the market are Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft.
Video Game Industry Regional Market Share
India’s gaming market is predicted to grow by 30% by 2014, reports Netscribes. The market is lead by mobile gaming, which represents close to 60% of the overall market. Gaming competitions, the creation of gaming zones and increasingly popular MMOGs will fuel the market. Service providers are likely to generate higher revenue, and 3D games will become increasingly popular.
China’s games and accessories market is expected to continue recording strong growth. Peripherals and accessories represent a leading market segment, with increasing demand for auxiliary devices to keep up with gaming product innovation.
The online game market in Korea reached a value of over $2 billion in 2011, reports Pearl Research. Game companies in Korea continue to concentrate on international business, expanding in the US, the EU, China and Japan. Of the $585 million generated by leading game operator Nexon, the largest share came from business outside of Korea.


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Having a decent supply line is always crucial when it comes to war – and you can say that on the corporate battlefield, the same strategy would apply as well. While Apple currently dominates the tablet market which it basically thrusted upon the world, that does not mean the company should remain complacent at all, which is why word has it that Apple intends to stockpile a cool 2 million units of a thinner, higher-resolution third-generation iPad in time for its launch next year – and the fruity company intends to do so before 2011 is over.
Digitimes did mention earlier this week that Apple has already tasked their suppliers with a couple of tablet projects, where they were given the code name “J1″ and “J2″. These new models are touted to come in different sizes, specifications as well as technologies – although we aren’t quite sure just how different the technology involved would be from the current iPad 2.
A higher resolution display is definitely in the works, but it will not be Retina Display for the moment since a Retina Display will be priced out of reach for the ordinary person.RELATED
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- Follow: iPad, ipad 3,
- Seen at: appleinsider


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NIGERIA – Massive investments in rice production by large and medium-sized corporations in the country have shot up annual domestic processed rice production to over four million metric tonnes valued at N800 billion, from 2.9 million metric tonnes valued N580 billion in the last two years.
This represents 80 percent of the five million metric tonnes of processed rice consumed yearly in the country.
Large corporations that have made massive investments in local rice production in the last few years include Olam Nigeria Limited, Stallion Foods, Best Foods, among others.
Investments by these firms and the corresponding high output have made the product more readily available.
“Nigerians eat our high quality local rice but do not know. We have totally changed the quality,” Akinwunmi Adesina, minister of agriculture and rural development, said recently in Kwara State.
“You may wish to know that Stallion ‘Shinkafa rice’ and ‘Stallion super’ are all locally-milled rice from Nigeria, not imported. Our expanded local rice production has added N750 billion to the economy, with over N407 billion as net incomes to farmers and rice processors, and boosted rural economy by 360,000 jobs,” he said.
Adesina said within three years, national paddy rice production rose by an extra 7 million metric tonnes, adding that the number of integrated modern rice mills in the country rose from just one in 2011 to 18 by 2014, all processing the local paddy into high quality finished rice.
Abdulghaniyy Alabi-Ojolowo, producer of Oryza rice, a leading rice value chain investor in Lagos, says the quantity of processed rice sold to consumers that can be obtained from paddy rice is about 50 percent to 70 percent.
So within the three-year period, the country added about 3.5 million metric tonnes of processed rice, which is about 1.16 million metric tonnes annually.
This figure, added to the previous 2.9 million metric tonnes of rice produced annually in the country, shows that the country is now producing over 4 million metric tonnes of rice, which is about 80 million 50 kilogramme bags of rice valued at over N800 billion.
Apart from other factors, this increase in local rice production has been boosted mainly by health concerns of the populace, particularly middle class citizens who now usually shun imported rice.
Locally-produced and well-processed rice is generally adjudged to be healthier than imported rice, most of which have spent over 10 years in storage before being brought into the country.
High-quality and well-packaged Nigerian rice currently in the market include Quarra Rice, Umza Rice, Ebony Super Rice, Eko Rice, Mikap Rice, Ashi Rice, Queen of the Niger and Mama’s Pride from Olam.
Recently, a 210,000-metric-tonne capacity rice mill by Olam Nigeria Limited, the largest in Africa, was commissioned by President Goodluck Jonathan.
Ade Adefeko, head, corporate and government relations, Olam Nigeria Limited, says the firm is enhancing food security in Nigeria through the development of a 10,000-hectare rice farm in addition to its rice milling facility, adding that 3,000 hectares out of the firm’s 10,000 are already under cultivation.
Olam’s Integrated Mill in Nasarawa State is supported by an out-grower programme which it plans to scale up from 3,000 farmers to 20,000 farmers to supply rice for its processing mill. Up to 1,000 people are employed on the farm and over 950 are employed on the milling plant at peak season.


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I like Philips Hue. No wonder, after all, I have not only equipped almost my entire house with smart light sources from the manufacturer, but I also have a blog dedicated to the topic. In principle, not a day goes by without me dealing with Philips Hue.
And these are not only positive stories, but meanwhile also more and more problems. I don't even want to talk about the two price increases at the beginning of the year and in spring, as well as the general delivery problems. You could almost say that we have become accustomed to them by now. Or to put it another way: Philips Hue is not alone with these problems.
But precisely because of these difficulties, it should be ensured that everything else runs smoothly. And this is exactly the sticking point. And that's exactly what Philips Hue can't seem to get right at the moment.
The first case: the new Hue Go portable table lamp
It all started with the new Hue Go, which was supposed to be launched in late summer. What a practical idea it would have been to take the portable table lamp to the terrace in August or early September, when it was still summery warm in the evening but got dark earlier. But the product, which was introduced in June, has now been postponed until next year – a required certification, which was necessary for sales in Europe, was not granted.
In the USA, on the other hand, Philips Hue wanted to stick to the schedule. However, it is extremely unlikely that it will work out with the late summer, because the beginning of autumn is just around the corner on 23 September.
The second case: the Philips Hue Lightguide series
That's not the only false start, though. We also have to wait longer for the new, visually impressive Philips Hue Lightguide light sources. Here, too, Philips Hue actually did everything right and promised availability for the fourth quarter when it was officially announced on 1 September.
However, the first orders were delivered a little more than a week ago. Only to find out that there are such serious technical problems that the sale has to be stopped again. The market launch has now been postponed “until further notice“.
What will happen in the coming weeks?
The next major construction site for Philips Hue is already imminent: the launch of Matter. In October, the new smart home standard is to get underway. With the preparations, Philips Hue has of course long since received. A firmware update for the bridge should already be in the starting blocks and will hopefully be rolled out in time for the official launch of Matter. Philips Hue should not allow itself a false start here.
Beyond that, there are still one or two construction sites in the background at Philips Hue, but I can't share any concrete information with you at the moment. Let's just hope that everything runs smoothly here…
Note: This article contains affiliate links. We receive a commission for purchases via these links, which we use to finance this blog. The purchase price remains unchanged for you.


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Ever since the government of India banned popular game PUBG, fans in the country have been eagerly waiting for its comeback. Earlier this month, the developer of the popular battle royale game officially confirmed its impending release. Yesterday we also reported that PUBG India could host an esports tournament with a prize pool worth Rs 6 crore.
Now PUBG Mobile has officially registered a separate company under PUBG Corporation in India. This hints that the game is inching closer to release in the country. PUBG Corporation, the company that owns all PUBG titles has been registered with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
PUBG Mobile registered as Indian company
According to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs website, PUBG India Mobile Private Limited has been established as an individual entity based out of Bangalore, Karnataka in India. The move will reportedly fulfil the government norms and pave the way to start PUBG operations in the country. PUBG Mobile India has been registered with an authorized capital of Rs 15 Lakh and paid-up capital of Rs 5 Lakh. The website also revealed Kuma Krishnan Iyer and Sean Sohn as the two directors of the company.
Previously, PUBG had announced an investment of $100 million into a new company that would serve as an Indian subsidiary of PUBG Corporation. The investment is also expected to be used towards boosting the Indian esports industry. The company also partnered with Microsoft to use its Azure cloud service for storing user data to ensure data protection.
Last week, PUBG Mobile confirmed that players will be able to migrate their stats and in-game purchases from the original version of the game. The upcoming game is also expected to introduce India-specific changes.
There is no exact release date for PUBG Mobile India yet but considering that it is a registered company in India now, the battle royale game could launch anytime soon in the country. Yesterday the game’s download link went up on the official site briefly.


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Asia has the highest growth rate worldwide for online learning and revenues are predicted to top $11.5 billion (£7.2 billion) by 2016.
This is according to a new report from market research specialist Ambient Insight, which analysed the circumstances of sixteen nations in its survey The Asia Market for Self-paced eLearning Products and Services.
It found the growth rate for digital education on the continent - focussing on countries such as India, China, Japan, Malaysia and South Korean - is currently at 17.3 per cent.
Chief research officer Sam Adkins said the vast majority of profits will have been generated by sales of packaged learning products.
He added: "The demand for content is rising so rapidly in many countries in the region that suppliers are scrambling to meet [it]. There is a surge in the number of reseller agreements, mergers and acquisitions."
The two countries with the highest growth rate are Vietnam and Malaysia, at 44.3 per cent and 39.4 per cent respectively.
Ambient Insight's study is divided into two sections, looking at both demand-side analysis and supply-side analysis, the former of which offers e-learning providers with information on how to widen their consumer base.
Tyson Greer, chief executive officer of Ambient Insight, pointed to three major catalysts in Asia that could have triggered the positive results.
He stated that firstly, content digitisation across school systems and secondly, large-scale deployments of tablets at certain establishments, have both succeeded in creating a new delivery platform for virtual learning suppliers.
"The third catalyst is the explosive growth of online higher education enrollments. Combined, these catalysts have created a massive demand for packaged content," Mr Greer continued.
Regarding the supply-side of the report, Ambient Insight predicts revenues for five types of self-paced e-learning products, which include custom content development services and cloud-based authoring tools.
According to the firm, Eastern Europe is second behind Asia in creating digital education opportunities, with the growth rate for self-paced e-learning at 16.9 per cent at present.


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On January 14, 2020, the French data protection authority, the CNIL, proposed a consultation on its draft recommendations on practical ways to collect website user consent for cookies and similar technologies (the “Recommendations”). The Recommendations follow the publication in July 2019 of updated guidance on cookies, including requirements for obtaining GDPR-standard consent, by various European data protection authorities, including the CNIL and the ICO (the latter guidance was reported by Data Matters here). The CNIL has since undertaken a consultation to develop practical methods to obtain user consent.
Just as companies were starting to recover from their exertions to put in place California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) compliance programs before the law’s January 1, 2020 entry into force, the California Attorney General (“AG”) provided an early February surprise. CCPA watchers long expected that the AG would revise the CCPA regulations he initially proposed on October 10, 2019. But when the AG actually released his proposed regulations on February 7 – a proposal he subsequently modified slightly on February 10 – both the timing and breadth of the revisions were surprising. In short, the revisions were both sooner and more significant than expected.
On 8 January 2020, the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) published a draft Direct Marketing Code of Practice (Draft Code) for public consultation. The Draft Code is intended to update existing guidance published pre-GDPR and provide clarity on certain important issues.
Summarised below are the key takeaways from the Draft Code: (more…)
*This article first appeared in Law360 on January 14, 2020.
After two years in the Brazilian Congress, the General Law of Data Protection was signed on Aug. 18, 2018, by then Brazilian President, Michel Temer, who also signed an executive order (Medida Provisória n. 869, from Dec. 27, 2018).
On January 3, 2020, the Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight (DSIO) of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) issued two cyber threat alerts regarding the hacking of approximately one dozen cloud service providers, as described in a Wall Street Journal article published December 30, 2019, entitled “Ghosts in the Clouds: Inside China’s Major Corporate Hack.”
One DSIO cyber threat alert was directed to swap dealers (SDs) and futures commission merchants (FCMs). Another was directed to commodity pool operators (CPOs), commodity trading advisors (CTAs), introducing brokers (IBs) and retail foreign exchange dealers (RFEDs). The National Futures Association (NFA) then sent a blast email to all NFA members in these registration categories (on behalf of the CFTC), with the DSIO alerts attached, further emphasizing to NFA members the information requested by DSIO and the deadlines for providing such information.
On December 4, 2019, the Senate Commerce Committee addressed data privacy in a hearing titled, “Examining Legislative Proposals to Protect Consumer Data Privacy.” The hearing focused on the two leading privacy proposals that were put forward in the week leading up to the hearing, the Consumer Online Privacy Rights Act (COPRA), introduced by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., ranking member on the Committee, and a Staff Discussion Draft of the United States Consumer Data Privacy Act of 2019 (CDPA), introduced by Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Chairman of the Committee. The competing proposals share many similarities, including their scope of covered data and entities, as well as their approaches to consumer transparency and access. However, as witness testimony during the hearing revealed, the proposals diverge on a few critical issues.
In the evening of December 17, 2019, Californians for Consumer Privacy, the consumer privacy rights organization led by Alastair Mactaggart that propelled California towards the U.S.’s first comprehensive privacy legislation, tweeted the Attorney General’s release of the title and summary for Initiative 19-0021. This Initiative would substantively amend and essentially replace the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) with the proposed Consumer Privacy Rights Act of 2020—also known colloquially as CCPA 2.0. (more…)
On 13 November 2019, the European Data Protection Board (“EDPB”) adopted guidelines on the GDPR’s data protection by design and by default principle (“Guidelines”). The Guidelines provide further guidance into the technical and organizational measures and safeguards that data controllers must take into account when designing their processing activities. The EDPB encourages early consideration of data protection by design and by default principles (“DPbDD”) and considers DPbDD to be at the forefront of GDPR compliance. Data controllers, processors and technology providers should consider re-assessing their processing operations and products against the standards put forward in the Guidelines.
The sixth edition of The Privacy, Data Protection and Cybersecurity Law Review takes a look at the evolving global privacy, data protection and cybersecurity landscape in a time when mega breaches are becoming more common, significant new data protection legislation is coming into effect, and businesses are coming under increased scrutiny from regulators, Boards of Directors and their customers. Several lawyers from Sidley’s global Privacy and Cybersecurity practice have contributed to this publication. See the chapters below for a closer look at this developing area of law. (more…)


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Uniontown Brewing Co. has ceased its carryout operations and closed its doors temporarily because of the coronavirus outbreak.
The popular downtown Ashland brewpub made the announcement Wednesday night on its Facebook page. Gov. Mike DeWine has ordered restaurants and bars to close to stem the spread of the virus.
"We at Uniontown Brewing Company want to let our friends and supporters know that we have decided to temporarily close the brewery [Wednesday] at 7 p.m.," Uniontown posted on its Facebook page. "This decision is in no way a reflection of the business we have received from you, our customers; we have been amazed and overwhelmed by the support you have shown us during this time. However, in light of the new regulations and the anticipation of this continuing by Governor DeWine, we will not continue to run our business at this time. This decision does not come lightly, but the safety and health of our staff and of our patrons is paramount to us. ... Stay safe, and we will see you as soon as this virus is gone and we can open our doors to you again!"
Breweries that rely on people visiting their taprooms have struggled with the state order, with many deciding to offer carryout beer and even launching delivery services. Others such as Uniontown and JAFB Wooster Brewery in Wooster have opted to close.
Phoenix Brewing Co. in Mansfield has launched a delivery service.
The taproom, 161 N. Diamond St., is open for to-go sales from 2 to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and noon to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Home delivery service is available for the Mansfield, Ontario and Madison Township areas Monday through Friday, along with deliveries to Lexington on Wednesday, Ashland on Thursday and beginning March 24 to Shelby on Tuesday.
People can call 419-522-2552 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. for delivery or taproom pickup, and can make orders online at www.phoenixbrewing.com/beertogo.