text:
- Seat has announced the Cupra el-Born, an EV hatchback that will go into production by 2021, and have an electric range of up to 310 miles (500 km).
- The car has been developed using a new Dynamic Chassis Control Sport (DCC Sport) system on top of Volkswagen’s MEB platform for electric vehicles.
- There are currently no pricing details available on the Cupra el-Born, though it could be priced at a similar range as the VW ID.3 in Europe.
Seat, a Spanish auto company owned by Volkswagen Motors has officially unveiled the Cupra el-Born, an EV that has been making the rounds as a concept for quite some time. Cupra is Seat’s separate performance brand, and the el-Born happens to be its first automobile. The Cupra el-Born will reportedly be assembled at Volkswagen’s factory in Zwickau, Germany.
The official arrival of the el-Born is scheduled for late 2021 with the EV expected to go into production early next year. The company hasn’t disclosed pricing information at the moment, so it is up to anybody’s guess as to how much this attractive EV hatch will cost when it reaches the markets. Speaking of availability, it’s likely that this EV will be limited to European markets, particularly Spain and its surrounding regions.
It is said that Cupra developed a Dynamic Chassis Control Sport (DCC Sport) system based on Volkswagen’s MEB platform. The company has also mentioned that it can run for up to 500 km (310 miles) on a single charge. Thanks to fast charging capabilities built-in, the Cupra el-Born can provide up to 260 km (161 miles) of drive-time with a 30 minute charging session.
Overall, the el-Born appears to be quite similar to the top-end model of the Volkswagen ID.3 EV in terms of features. This hatchback could be one of the most popular offerings to come out of Europe, especially at the right price. Given that the ID.3 continues to be one of the most popular offerings in Europe, the addition of el-Born in 2021 will certainly make things interesting.
As usual, Tesla’s response to the growing number of competitors in global markets will be crucial. What do you make of the Cupra el-Born?


text:
Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Plater has commented on Tesla Bot, Tesla’s humanoid robot project, and says it ignited a competitive spirit at the company.
Ever since Tesla announced its humanoid robot project, it has often been compared to Boston Dynamics, widely regarded as a pioneer in robotics.
The company was founded three decades ago as a spin-off from MIT.
To the public, they are mostly known for flashy and impressive videos of robots dancing and doing parkour, but they also work closely with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
It became more popular when it was acquired by Google, but has since changed hands several times and is now owned by Hyundai.
With videos like the one below, Boston Dynamics has been able to garner most of the attention around robotics, but Tesla has been able to garner some attention lately.
While Boston Dynamics is primarily taking the approach of developing new robotic technologies and slowly finding applications for them, Tesla has been able to draw attention to the rather ambitious goal of selling general-purpose AI-based humanoid robots that are very Something has to be done. various tasks.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk claimed that “everybody wants one,” and it could be as cheap as $30,000. This differs significantly from Boston Dynamics’ strategy, which involves selling more expensive robots for more specialized — mostly commercial and industrial — purposes.
But they are still hoping to compete with Tesla bots, which are expected to be used in manufacturing facilities first.
Now Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Plater has commented on the new competition on the Lex Friedman podcast:
The CEO commented on Tesla’s foray into the robotics space:
It shines a bright light on the work we’ve been doing for over a decade and I think that’s only going to help. In fact, what we’ve seen, besides Tesla, we’ve seen a proliferation of robotics companies. […] It has brought enthusiasm. Competitive juices are flowing. It is all good.
Friedman asked Plater about his company going in the same direction as Tesla, with a more general purpose and cheaper robot.
The CEO said this is in part why he released the following video:
We wanted to show the world that we can do parkour, but we can also lift and move heavy things. If you’re going to work in a manufacturing environment, this is what you’ll be able to do. For the reasons I stated earlier, doing this is not trivial.
The CEO said that they plan to add more dexterous hands to their humanoid robot, Atlas. The hands were perhaps the most impressive part of Tesla’s latest robot demonstration last week.
Elon has seen the same thing. He’s talking about using robots in manufacturing environments. We think there’s something very interesting about this – being a robot with two arms.
When asked about costs and how Tesla is focusing on reducing costs, the CEO acknowledged that Tesla is in a great position by leveraging what it has learned from mass electric vehicles, but added that Boston Dynamics also has the benefits of being supported. By an automaker: Hyundai.
FTC: We use automatic affiliate links to generate income. More.

domain: news


text:
The new Timex MK1 Aluminum Field Watch is perfect for those outdoor activities that might result in damage to your slightly more expensive wristwatches – no one in their right mind goes rock climbing in a Daytona.
At just $69 USD each, the Timex won’t break the bank and it still offers an anodized aluminum case, Indiglo illumination, a tough nylon strap, a reliable quartz movement and it has a 100-meter dive rating.
Timex based the design of the new utilitarian timepiece on their MIL-W-46374B – military-spec watch that had a plastic case, and was made to be disposed of once the battery died. Fortunately, the MK1 has replaceable batteries and will probably outlast every other watch you own.
Ben has had his work featured on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with millions of readers around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.


text:
Amazon is going to create its own artificial intelligence chips for future Echo devices that will be powerful enough to handle simple questions. Questions like “What time is it?”. That would add speech recognition directly to Alexa-powered devices and allow the voice assistant to respond more quickly. Amazon Reportedly Designing Its Own AI Chips.
In the chip-making game, Amazon now joins Google. Google heavily invested in making its own powerful cloud AI chips to get Google Assistant in anything it possibly can get into. Amazon’s goal is for the hardware to be built into any device that features Alexa, including the Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Plus.
Amazon Reportedly Designing Its Own AI Chips
The Information has reported that Amazon, which seeks to stay competitive in the smart home hardware market and in the realm of consumer-facing AI products, has nearly 450 people with chip expertise on staff.
Amazon acquired chip designer Annapurna Labs in 2015. The company is now producing A.I. chips that specifically suit Amazon’s own hardware needs. Currently, Amazon is also in the process of hiring chip engineers for Amazon Web Services, which shows that the company may be introducing its own proprietary chips for that department.
Amazon is not the first major company in competition to produce its own A.I. chips.


text:
This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 3099067.
In the first of a two-part conversation with AI Business, Simon Marchand, chief fraud prevention officer at Nuance, outlines the potential ways criminals are using tech to target businesses and how to prevent them from stealing your money and data
In the second of a two-part interview with AI Business, Simon Marchand, chief fraud prevention officer at Nuance, highlights the increasing interest in behavioral biometrics and the value of ROI in fraud prevention


text:
There is probably no better way to describe the evolving and deepening Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) partnership. Their joint target is Google (NASDAQ:GOOG). It is a partnership that Google's ignores at its peril. To recap the relationship so far:
- Microsoft held talks with Facebook several years ago about acquiring the entire company.
- Instead, Microsoft made an early investment and took a stake in Facebook; which it should be richly rewarded for when Facebook's IPO happens in May.
- Two years ago, Microsoft integrated Facebook's social data into its search queries.
- A year ago, Microsoft sent out feelers to see if Facebook wanted to buy its Bing search technology platform.
- Facebook incorporated Microsoft's recently purchased Skype technology into its customer platform
- This week Microsoft took its $1B patent portfolio it just purchased from American Online (NYSE:AOL) and sold 650 of those patents to Facebook for $550mm and agreed to give Facebook rights to the 275 patents that Microsoft retained from that portfolio. In so doing, it threw Yahoo (YHOO), its main search partner who is suing Facebook under the bus.
Google is being forced to fight on a greater amount of fronts, including increasing regulatory and legislative oversight. The company spent over $5mm in lobbying during the first quarter. This is more than Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) combined.
Unsolicited advice to Larry Page: You have a major competitive presence forming on your right flank and your company is becoming a much bigger target for myriad constituents. As you fight with increasing government scrutiny, don't take your eye off this growing Microsoft/Facebook partnership and competitive threat. It could determine whether Google can continue to grow in the marketplace or if becomes a Harvard Business case on failed leadership. May I suggest you give up flying the corporate Boeing to "Global Warming" conferences in Davos, worry less about expanding the cornucopia of free employee perks, and endeavors that having nothing to do with your company's core mission (AKA, mining asteroids for gold might be one thing you want to shelf)? The future of Google depends on it.


text:
DSV has taken delivery of its 1,000th MAN truck in the UK. Its latest addition, a TGX 26.500 with an XXL cab, will operate from the haulier’s Immingham depot. The truck is painted in commemorative silver with the DSV logo in black, a change from its traditional deep blue livery with white lettering. Keith Northen, manager fleet at Immingham DSV Road division, UK, said: “This vehicle marks not one, but two milestones for DSV here in the UK. Firstly, it […]
Tullis Russell Papermakers has awarded a five year logistics and warehousing contract to DSV Road, running out of its mill in Glenrothes, Scotland.
DSV Group has won a contract to handle distribution in the UK and Ireland for Chinese energy firm GoodWe Solar Inverter. DSV will handle all stages of the company’s distribution in the UK, with its air & sea freight division handling delivery from China, its warehousing division providing storage and its road division delivering goods across the UK and Ireland. Jiang Deming, director of marketing and sales at GoodWe, says: “With the advance in European markets, the contradiction between the […]
DSV Road has extended its relationship with air products manufacturer Fläkt Woods for three more years. The deal is an extension to an existing three-year contract, and will see DSV continue to collect Fläkt Woods products from its Colchester factory delivering them to customers across Europe. Fläkt Woods global sourcing manager Martin Goreham says: “We renewed our contract with DSV because the last three years have been such a success.” DSV also provides transport for Fläkt Woods operation in Northern […]


text:
Playbook 2.0: Less play, more work
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 — This week saw the launch of the BlackBerry PlayBook 2.0 software update, packaging within it functions that many felt should have been there when the tablet first launched last year. The over-the-air update, which is automatically downloaded to current owners, is a major improvement, but is it enough to convince you to buy one?
The big plusses
There are a number of significant additions in PlayBook 2.0 over the original software release, but most consumers would be impressed by two things: the improved contact list and messaging apps. The new Contact app allows you to pull in information from various social media sources, including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Now, instead of just seeing a person’s e-mail and phone number, you are presented with an all-in-one information page containing Facebook status updates, Tweets, scheduled appointments, common friends, and a CV.
Interestingly, too, PlayBook 2.0 has added a newsfeed section within Contacts that allows you to scan the latest headlines regarding the contact’s employer. So, for instance, if you see Kevin from Microsoft, you can pull up the latest news headlines, and start up a conversation by going “Hey, so I heard the latest about Windows 8, etc. etc. blah blah blah.” You can see how helpful the new app could be in network parties where you barely recognise Tom from Dick.
The unified inbox in the new Messaging app does more than just email, as it now bakes in social networks like Facebook and Twitter besides email services. So when you compose a message, you can send it as either a Facebook message, a direct message on Twitter, or regular email. Strangely, its own killer social app, BlackBerry Messenger, has been excluded from this unified messaging inbox.
Email addicts would also love the PlayBook. Not only can you do basic formatting (bold, italics, font changes, etc), but you can also compose multiple e-mails at the same time — functions that are lacking from the Apple iPad.
It was curious to see how Research in Motion (RIM) is becoming more focused on the 30- to 40-something businessman with this update. During its media presentation, little emphasis, if any, went into showing off how well the tablet plays Need For Speed. In its place is the idea that the Playbook makes a great workplace companion.
Would you buy it
It wouldn’t be possible to judge the PlayBook’s success without addressing the oversized mammoth in the room — the iPad, which practically holds a monopoly in the tablet space. This dominance even extends into the enterprise space, which is where RIM is hoping the PlayBook would succeed in.
Yes, the PlayBook is a robust piece of hardware, and the operating system is a joy to work with, especially when multi-tasking, but the BlackBerry App World remains bare compared to Apple’s App Store or Google’s Market. RIM has emphasised that Android apps can be easily ported over for the PlayBook within minutes, and is pushing for the development for native applications — but as far as the regular consumer is concerned, it’s hardly a contest between the PlayBook and iPad.
As it stands, the PlayBook would appeal to a market that: (1) doesn’t see a tablet as a lifestyle device, (2) owns a BlackBerry handset, and (3) is rich enough to not view the iPad and PlayBook as an either/or purchasing option.
The ability to use the BlackBerry handset to type out documents, send e-mails, and act as a remote control via BlackBerry Bridge is a plus, but it’s hardly a deciding point for consumers who would only buy one tablet device.
And for those who already have a PlayBook? Well, they can now finally smile and say, “It’s about effing time.”


text:
September 26, 2019
Galadari Trucks and Heavy Equipment (GTHE), a subsidiary of well-diversified Galadari Brothers group, has signed an agreement with the marine firm Baudouin to represent the French company in the UAE.
Suhail Abdullatif Galadari, Director and Executive Committee Member; and Mohammed Abdullatif Galadari, Director and Executive Committee Member of Galadari Brothers; attended the agreement-signing ceremony on Tuesday.
Mohamed Yahya Kazi Meeran, Director and Group CEO of Galadari Brothers, and Emmanuel Tellier, Vice-President of Baudouin, signed the agreement in the presence of Samer Khalid, CEO of Heavy Equipment Division of Galadari Brothers; Bilal Hazza, Power System Manager at Galadari Trucks and Heavy Equipment, and Bashar Wahdan, Area Sales Manager at Baudouin.
Mohamed Yahya said the partnership with Baudouin, a leading marine equipment manufacturer, marks a new chapter in Galadari Trucks and Heavy Equipment’s impressive tradition of close association with several leading global brands in trucks, machinery and heavy equipment.
“The addition of Baudouin’s marine products range is in line with GTHE’s strategy of expanding and diversifying its portfolio. We look forward to having a long-term and mutually rewarding association with our French partners just as we have with other renowned global brands,” he said.
Tellier said the deal was signed for a long-term partnership to address marine business opportunities in the UAE. “It is an important step to develop the Baudouin brand in the region as both the companies are growing at a quick pace and are extremely successful in their respective markets. It was very important to get right partner in the region and that’s what we found in Galadari Trucks and Heavy Equipment,” he said.
“The brand is not very well developed here and thus presents a good opportunity to grow this brand in the future. This region has a lot of shipyards and shipbuilding companies and we would like to capture the market in partnership with Galadari,” Tellier said after signing the agreement.
Baudouin designs and manufactures the highest quality diesel engines for marine and power generation applications spanning 18-1,650kWm. Its network supports customers in over a 100 countries with specification, commissioning, maintenance and genuine spare parts.
Under the deal with Baudouin, GTHE will sell the French company’s marine engines, spare parts products and also after-sales services. “It is the first time that the group is venturing into the marine sector and we expect to grow quickly. Also, our main aim is to have complete range of products, so when a customer comes, it is a one-stop shop,” said Bilal Hazza.
“We were missing marine products in our portfolio and this deal will allow us to have a full range to present to our customers. We believe in Baudouin products when it comes to quality. The products are made in France with strict European standards, which are sure to satisfy the customer’s requirements and demands of this region as well,” Hazza said.
“The oil and gas sector is growing, as there are a lot of projects in Abu Dhabi, which will translate into an increased demand for the marine side of business,” Hazza concluded.


text:
This Ultra-Rare Whiskey Tasting at Twisted Tail Costs $425
And with a bottle of super-limited Old Rip Van Winkle 25 on the menu, it's worth every penny.
George Reilly is a lucky man. His bar, Twisted Tail, won a highly coveted bottle of Old Rip Van Winkle 25 — an ultra-rare whiskey with only 710 bottles released worldwide and the oldest batch ever released by the much-lauded Kentucky distillery.
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board managed to get its hands on 10 precious bottles, eight of which were reserved for consumers to purchase and two for businesses, which entered a lottery last year to win one.
Reilly scored bottle number 551. And next month, he’s giving the chance for 25 Philadelphians to try it.
On Friday, February 2nd, Reilly will host an “Owner’s Collection” tasting of that Old Rip Van Winkle 25, along with four other rare whiskeys: Pappy Van Winkle 20 Year, which scored the highest rating ever given to a bourbon at the World Spirits Championship; Buffalo Trace’s Colonel E. H. Taylor 4 Grain, a 12-year aged whiskey; Wild Turkey Decades Master’s Keep, blended from batches aged 10 to 20 years; and Angel’s Envy Cask Strength, aged up to seven years and given a post-blend finish in Portuguese port wine casks.
Complimentary bites from chef Leo Forneas will also be served at the tasting, which will take place at Twisted Tail’s upstairs event space.
Only 25 tickets are priced for the true whiskey connoisseur at a whopping $425 each. A few have been sold already — so hurry up and get yours here.


text:
Sales officers for a global organisation that connects leading meeting and event professionals to luxury hotels, destinations and brands toured Bermuda this week, hosted by the Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA).
Eight representatives of Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) took part in a four-day site visit to the island, staying at the Hamilton Princess Hotel & Beach Club, meeting local destination management companies, and touring sites such as Commissioner’s House at Dockyard, Verdmont House in Smith’s, and other locations and hotels that offer group meeting space. As a member of ALHI’s Global Luxury Alliance, BTA leverages ALHI’s global sales officers through its New York-based sales team to help attract more lucrative group sales and meeting, incentives conference and exhibitions (MICE) tourism business to the island.
“We’re thrilled to welcome ALHI back to Bermuda this week, and we’re proud to be an ALHI partner,” said Victoria Isley, BTA Chief Sales & Marketing Officer. “Bermuda has always been a first-class destination for meetings and incentives travel, a lucrative and influential market sector that’s vitally important to the island’s year-round tourism industry and economy. Expanding group business is a key goal of the National Tourism Plan.”
One of the National Tourism Plan core pillars is teams and group travel, including conferences and corporate incentives programmes that also extend Bermuda’s year-round seasonality. Groups have accounted for 19 percent of all hotel room nights in Bermuda on average over the past three years.
With its curated portfolio of luxury hotels, cruise lines and resorts throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, Boston-based ALHI has 27 offices worldwide, extending Bermuda’s marketing and sales efforts by providing access to leading meeting professionals, incentive specialists, association executives, convention planners and business executives managing meetings and programmes.
“Seeing is believing and this week’s visit provided an eye-opening experience for us,” said California-based ALHI Regional VP Amber Voelker, who noted only one member of the group had visited Bermuda previously. “Our customers ask us for options, and experiencing everything first-hand—the beautiful scenery, the friendliness, the phenomenal sites and culinary experiences, the high-end amenities and overall sophistication—will make us even better sales people for Bermuda.”
PHOTO CAPTION: (From left): Bermuda Tourism Authority CEO Kevin Dallas; Tim Morison, General Manager of the Hamilton Princess Hotel; BTA Sales Manager Donna Douglas; BTA Chief Sales & Marketing Officer Victoria Isley; Christine Squitieri, ALHI Regional VP; Bill Light, ALHI VP, Sales; Myra Howay, ALHI Director of Global Sales; Kyle Lourie, ALHI Director of Global Sales; Elaine Morena, ALHI Regional VP; Mike Dominguez, ALHI President & CEO; Amber Voelker, ALHI Regional VP; Lauren Hammond, ALHI Director of Sales; BTA Destination Services Manager Keisha WebbRecommend0 recommendationsPublished in


text:
DAIMANI, a Swiss e-commerce firm specializing in VIP experiences, has chosen the translation experts at Supertext to assist with launching its new international website, which is an experience in itself featuring seven different languages.
Millions of gamers play PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS (PUBG) on Steam, on mobile, on Xbox – and now on PlayStation. With this important launch planned for the end of 2018, PUBG sought out a creative translation agency that could help the game reach its audience in more than 20 countries. And found Supertext right in its neighborhood.
Ecosia is a Berlin-based search engine that uses its advertising revenue to finance tree planting projects. Thanks to its seven million users, Ecosia will soon have planted 50 million trees. Supertext has been translating Ecosia’s social media posts, blog articles and newsletters into six languages since 2017.
A radio and television presenter for more than 22 years, Anna Maier has a great deal of experience under her belt – even a few years as a copywriter for Supertext. And at the beginning of 2018, she started her latest venture: On Keinhochglanzmagazin.com, she interviews and profiles people with extraordinary stories to tell.


text:
Intel must be shaking in its boots over the various threats from AMD, and now there's news that AMD has scooped back a huge 10.4% of the CPU market share from Intel... all in Q2 2017.
PassMark's quarterly market share report has interesting results, from thousands of submissions that flow through their database each quarter. Remember: PassMark's market share data comes from benchmark submissions, and not total systems sold - it also doesn't include any operating systems other than Windows.
AMD now owns 31% of the CPU market, which is a huge freakin' deal compared to the 20% they had just three months ago. This is the largest CPU share dominance AMD has enjoyed over the last 10 years, and a 10% gain in the CPU market in a single quarter is a massive achievement.
Before Linus and all the cool kids started ragging on Intel, I said in February that Intel was scared of Ryzen - before AMD had even launched their new CPU. It appears that now, months after AMD has launched Ryzen and are on the edge of launching Ryzen ThreadRipper, that everyone is coming to their senses and realizing that a perfect storm is brewing over at AMD.


text:
New programs in Downtown San Luis Obispo have been designed to help businesses keep their doors open during the ongoing pandemic.
There have been quite a few changes during the past few months in the downtown area and businesses say for the most part the new programs are bringing some relief.
Programs like "Open SLO" have helped restaurants expand seating… offering services to more customers.
"We are able to space out things a little bit more, people feel more comfortable, we can still have a good amount of tables and still get a lot of people in," said Giuseppe's Cucina Rustica Manager, Aurash Afshar.
Since the program started less than a month ago, free parking in the downtown area has been available for months but that’s soon coming to an end.
San Luis Obispo's parking program manager says he hopes having to pay to park in the downtown core doesn’t keep people from coming downtown.
"The hope is we will see the people who have been utilizing the free parking in the 2 hour and 30-minute spacing moves to the 10-hour spaces and the parking structures," said SLO Parking Program Manager, Gaven Hussey.
Although parking has been free for a while shoppers say it will take some time getting used to paying once again.
"The city can definitely use the commerce right now and the income but it's just going to take some getting used to again because we've been free for so long,” said Jeff Edwards.
As things continue to change in the coming month's city managers said they will adapt as needed.
"So it will be a balancing act just moving forward, tweaking the program, improving things that aren't working as well, embracing the things that are working really great," said Transportation Manager, Luke Schwartz.
Other people said parking isn't an issue for them and they will continue to support local businesses as needed.
The city says they will begin checking parking meters by July 27, but 10-hour parking meters and the parking garages will continue to be free of charge.


text:
Kingfisher’s Q2 underlying sales come in 21.6% higher
- Kingfisher says its underlying sales came in 21.6% higher in the second quarter.
- The home improvement retailer's digital sales jumped 225.2% in June.
- The British company expects its H1 performance to be stronger than last year.
Kingfisher (LON: KGF) said on Wednesday that its underlying sales in the second quarter came in 21.6% higher on the back of higher demand for gardening and DIY products amidst COVID-19. Owing to its hawkish quarterly performance, the company now expects its underlying profit in the first half (H1) to come in stronger than last year.
Shares of the company opened more than 6% up on Wednesday and jumped another 4% on market open. At 251 pence per share, Kingfisher is currently a little under 15% up year to date in the stock market after recovering from a low of 124 pence per share in March. Learn more about how to invest in the stock market.
Kingfisher’s digital sales jumped 225.2% in June
Are you looking for fast-news, hot-tips and market analysis? Sign-up for the Invezz newsletter, today.
The Coronavirus pandemic pushed Kingfisher into temporarily closing its European stores in March. The retailer, however, started resuming operations in late April. The company attributed its success in Q2 particularly to digital sales that jumped 225.2% on a year over year basis in June.
The home improvement retailer’s second-quarter will conclude on 31st July. Its year to date underlying sales for fiscal 2020-21, Kingfisher added, are currently 3.7% down due to store closures in recent months. According to the retailer:
“While we are entering the second half with a favourable trading backdrop, second half visibility remains low given uncertainty, around COVID-19 and the wider economic outlook. As such, no specific financial guidance is provided for full year 2020-2021.”
Kingfisher also highlighted on Wednesday that cost reductions have resulted in a significant boost to its financial performance in the first half of the ongoing financial year. The company is scheduled to publish its detailed report for H1 on 22nd September.
Kingfisher had £3.0 billion in cash in June
In the first half last year, the London-based company had recorded £353 million of underlying pre-tax profit that had come 6.4% lower on a year over year basis. To cope up with the rising demand, Kingfisher had announced plans of expanding its workforce by 3,000 to 4,000 new workers in June.
To shore up finances amidst COVID-19, the British multinational retailing company resorted to suspending its final dividend in March. As of June, it boasted to have £3.0 billion in cash.
At the time of writing, Kingfisher has a market capitalisation of £5.29 billion and a price to earnings ratio of 663.23.


text:
According to several news reports, parents have been having some issues with car safety seats in the last couple of months. After the 1.3 million car seats recalled by Evenflo, more devices are now being recalled.
The reports show that while some of the seats that are now being recalled involve similar issues as the ones that led to the Evenflo recall, consumers should be aware that it also affects another brand of car seats. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a series of car seats manufactured by Baby Trend, Inc. are now being recalled because the devices may offer some difficulty to parents when it’s time to make sure that the harness buckles are unlatched. According to the reports, the devices affected by the recall include all units of the 2011 and 2012 TrendZ Fastback 3-iin-1 child restraints that were manufactured in the period between October 2011 and July 2013.
The reports show that the affected devices come with buckles that might get stuck in a latched condition when it’s time to remove the infant from the device. This issue could lead to injuries because the child may not be able to be removed from the device in the event of an emergency.
This issue also affected Evenflo car safety seats. The company had to expand the recall after the NHTSA pressured the firm.
Baby Trend reported that the risk of injury is real and the the issue was enough to lead to the recall. All registered owners of the baby seats will be notified by the company. If you were affected, the company should be contacting you in the near future but if you are affected and you’re not sure of what you should do to have this issue addressed promptly yet, follow this link to read the official NHTSA recall announcement.
Models affected by this particular recall include models FB60070 (Granite) and FB60408 (Jellybean).
The company will be providing replacement buckles to all affected vehicle owners. If you need to contact them, look for the contact info on the official recall announcement published by the NHTSA. Act promptly and avoid having your child exposed to serious injury risks.
Too often, people are injured before recalls are issued. Several complaints were registered with Evenflo and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration before the previous recall was issued. Because children could be trapped in the seats in situations of emergency, parents should be aware they must respond to this recall as soon as possible.


text:
Since its initial broadcast on July 18, 1966, Play School has been entertaining preschoolers, providing them with new experiences and learning opportunities through music, crafts, stories, games, ideas and information.
The Royal Australian Mint in Canberra has marked the 50th anniversary of the TV show Play School with specially designed 50 cent coins for collectors. The coloured coins feature Play School favourites Jemima, Humpty Dumpty and Big and Little Ted. Play School's actual anniversary might not be until July but that did not stop hundreds of young and the young at heart turning out to the Mint to sing Happy Birthday.
To celebrate 50 years of Australia’s most iconic children’s television program, the Royal Australian Mint has designed a series of Play School themed coins. Featuring Jemima, Humpty, Big Ted and Little Ted, the now famous Play School toys, these coins will spark happy memories across generations. As a much-loved part of the fabric of Australian culture, the anniversary of this television show is sure to be celebrated by fans young and old.


text:
“We’re living in a period of unprecedented change and unprecedented opportunity,” said venture capitalist Mary Meeker, as she unveiled her annual Internet Trends report at the technology event 2018 Code Conference, held May 29–31 in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. The scope of change was evident in the Code Conference’s expanded focus this year, which for the first time was not strictly for people who run tech companies, but also for those who run companies grappling with technological change — and tech companies grappling with government, according to the Code Conference website.
The annual Internet Trends report by Meeker, a general partner at Kleiner Perkins, is a highly anticipated and in-depth — 294 pages! — analysis of everything from mobile to commerce to competition among huge tech companies. At the conference, Meeker ran through a lengthy slideshow to hit on all of the hottest internet-related trends. We’ve distilled it down to five and connected them to the business-events industry.
- Voice technology is taking off. Google’s Machine Learning word accuracy rate has reached its peak at 95 percent. Industry relevance: This could be a huge game-changer when it comes to providing accessibility at sessions for the hearing-impaired, as closed-captions can be provided in real time with near-perfect accuracy. And with voice-controlled products like Amazon Echo taking off, too, with their abilities constantly expanding, it’s easy to see how they can be used to help attendees register for an event, find their way around an exhibit hall, or learn about a conference’s agenda.
- The number of video views via cell phone has skyrocketed. Since 2012, the daily mobile video-viewing minutes has increased from under 10 minutes to more than 30 minutes per day, according to the report. Industry relevance: Given that many use their phones to view news and entertainment videos, they’re apt to just as readily watch videos about events. Organizers should make this medium an important part of their messaging.
- Data gathering and optimization is “increasingly global and competitive.” As consumers have continued to adopt cell phones, the use of the cloud, and social media into their daily lives since the early 2000s, data-gathering has become easier than ever. “Data can be an important driver of customer satisfaction,” Meeker said. U.S. companies that carry a market cap in excess of $100 billion, such as Netflix, Priceline, and Amazon, have relatively high satisfaction scores due to their ability to predict consumers’ desires. Industry relevance: Collecting the right data enables organizers to customize each attendee’s experience, by recommending the most relevant education sessions and exhibitors, and connecting them to fellow attendees who share their challenges.
- Artificial intelligence is becoming more accurate. Amazon and Google are particularly competitive in this space. Meeker quoted Google CEO Sundar Pichai: “AI is one of the most important things humanity is working on. It’s more profound than electricity or fire.” Industry relevance: As artificial intelligence services’ predictability and capability grows stronger, organizations are able to take data about attendees and create customized attendee journeys that are more meaningful for them.
- With great data comes great responsibility. Consumers provide companies like Netflix and Amazon with a lot of their information in return for a more personalized experience. Industry relevance: Attendees may be willing to part with personal information to get a more tailored event experience, but organizers must handle their data with appropriate care. It’s what Meeker calls a “privacy paradox,” and referenced Facebook’s ongoing privacy issues. However, it would “irresponsible,” she said, to allow those privacy concerns to “stop innovation and progress.”


text:
To understand how consumers migrate across channels, we analyzed Forrester's European Technographics® Benchmark Survey to determine where they start their purchasing journey and where they end up buying the product. In general, shoppers tend to ultimately purchase in the channel in which they started their research. This inclination is stronger among shoppers who began their research offline: 91% of European shoppers who began their research offline also purchased offline. Meanwhile, 58% of those who started to look for information on the Internet eventually made the purchase online.
However, this purchasing journey differs by product. For example, when we look at leisure travel, about two-thirds of European consumers start researching online. And only one-fifth don’t involve the Internet at all in the researching phase. However, about one-third of consumers who start their research online purchase their travel offline.
Summarizing, European online adults use a mix of channels to research and buy products, and the Internet is a key channel in the purchasing path. Yet deals are still mostly closed in the store. A seamless customer experience in which consumers can achieve goals like returning products across channels is key to driving multichannel success.
I am intrigued by last week's announcement from UK payment processor VocaLink and Australian financial software vendor eWise that they are collaborating to build an online banking transfer payment system for the UK. Online banking transfer systems make it (fairly) easy for online shoppers to authorize payments through online banking by integrating the payment details into their bank's secure online banking site. The customer is routed directly from the merchant's site to the bank to authorize the payment and back again.
In the Netherlands, the iDEAL online banking transfer system has been highly successful. It's now used by some 10 million Dutch online shoppers for about 5 million transactions a month. But the UK's online shopping market is different to the Dutch one in a couple of important ways. Firstly, debit cards can be used to pay online in the UK. Since almost all adults have a debit card, paying online is not a big problem in the UK, unlike many other European markets. Secondly, UK Net users have always been relatively complacent about online security compared with other Europeans. That means that one of the primary attributes of an online banking transfer system -- more robust security -- may not cut that much ice with British online shoppers.
Forrester has long argued that any new payment system needs to overcome three hurdles to succeed: providing a clear improvement over the existing alternatives, driving consumer and merchant adoption, and developing a viable business model for all parties.
George Colony nailed it when he wrote “the iPad signals the future of software”. So where do smart-device app’s go from here? Basically, any application that focuses on saving people time is likely to be a winner but the biggest game changer will come when consumers start to benefit from customized services that save time and money while increasing brand loyalty. For example, here’s a glimpse into how we might see applications for our phones and tablets evolve to make food shopping and preparing meals at home easier…
Let’s imagine the future of a typical suburban home. In our future world we’ll follow Mr. and Mrs. Smith, working parents with little time to spare.
Over the past few months, we’ve fielded multiple requests related to the online shopping market in Asia. Retailers and vendors alike are looking to position themselves for long-term success given the rapid online growth rates in the region: By 2013, for example, close to half of the global online population will live in Asia, with some 17% of the global total coming from China alone. To see how US online retailers are taking advantage of this shift, we took a look at the top 50 online retailers on the Internet Retailer Top 500 list and mapped their transactional sites in Asia. A few observations follow.
Japan tops the list, especially for companies with only one web site in Asia. What was interesting as we worked through the list was that relatively few of leading online retailers in the US operate transactional sites in Asia, and far fewer operate in multiple countries. Several top online apparel retailers, for example, operate a web site for Japan only: Lands’ End, L.L. Bean and Cabela’s have all taken this approach.
Consumer technology companies have the broadest regional reach. By contrast, online retailers in the consumer technology arena tend to have a broader regional presence. Dell, Apple and SonyStyle operate in multiple Asian markets, with Dell and Apple having the most transactional web sites in the region despite Sony's Asian roots. Office Depot also has a strong commitment to the region with eCommerce sites in Japan and China, as well as in South Korea.


text:
GoGo squeeZ applesauce pouches, sold at stores like CVS, Target, RiteAid, Shaws, Star Market, and more, are being voluntarily recalled after food product residue was found in factory equipment, Founder and CEO Michel Larroche announced online.
The Michigan State Department of Agriculture and Rural Development found the residue during an inspection, but Larroche wrote that no illnesses connected to the issue have been reported. It’s possible that some residue got into the pouches, he said, but the company has not found any evidence of this so far.
Customers who have purchased GoGo sqeeZ applesauce pouches with “best before’’ dates between December 4, 2015 and March 4, 2017 can contact the company at 1-844-275-5841 or visit voucher.gogosqueez.com to request a replacement voucher.
This recall does not affect other GoGo sqeeZ products, like their organic items or their Gogo sqeeZ YogurtZ, but is only for non-organic products made in the Traverse City, Michigan facility. The company has stopped production of this product until the issue is resolved.


text:
(Louisville, KY) - Racist items are now banned at the Kentucky Exposition Center and Kentucky International Convention Center.
The Kentucky State Fair Board unanimously approved a resolution Thursday banning items of racist ideology from being sold or given away.
The ban comes after outrage was expressed when Nazi-themed items were displayed and sold at last month's National Gun Day show at the Expo Center.
Confederate flags were already banned; however, there were no rules against KKK or Nazi items.
Copyright © 2018 TTWN Media Networks LLC
Photo Credit: Getty Images


text:
Added interest in Tesla as UAE firm buys stake
It seems that Tesla Motors will soon become a prominent player in the car market! Though its sports car, Roadster, is currently the company's only vehicle on the market, still the U. S. government and a fund in Abu Dhabi are depending upon the company's electric cars to enter the mainstream one day.
It was confirmed by the U. S. Department of Energy in June that it will lend a sum of $465 million to Tesla, in order to help it develop green car technology. Monday saw part of the 10% stake in Tesla being acquired by Aabar Investments. Tesla was paid $50 million for the same stake in May by German's Daimler AG.
It won't be wrong to say that the Roadster is not a car exactly meant for masses, as it has been designed loosely based on the Lotus Elise sports car. However, Tesla claims that its 248-horsepower motor accelerates it to 60 mph in under four seconds.
In spite of all this, both the government and Tesla's investors hold a firm belief that the carmaker is destined to be more than just a fringe player.
Rachel Konrad, company's spokeswoman said: "Tesla didn't start with the Roadster because the founding team thought that the world needed another sports car. Rather, they knew that aiming at the high end of the market would allow them to turn a profit ... then cascade it down to more affordable cars."
The price of the vehicle, which will go for sale in late 2011 and travel as far as 300 miles on a charge, is expected to be nearly $49,900, following a $7,500 federal electric car rebate. It was specified by Tesla that already it has received more than 1,000 reservations for the vehicle.
New Zealand News
- First deliveries of all-electric Porsche in Australia to take place this weekend
- Crown Resorts suffers record six-month loss due to COVID-19 closures
- Australia’s Crown Resorts 'not suitable' for Sydney gaming license: Inquiry Commission
- What Does Phasing Out Cheques Tell Us About Finance in New Zealand?
- South Korean casino operator GKL closes third casino amid soaring cases of COVID-19


text:
AutoGuide News Blog
The AutoGuide News Blog is your source for breaking stories from the auto industry. Delivering news immediately, the AutoGuide Blog is constantly updated with the latest information, photos and video from manufacturers, auto shows, the aftermarket and professional racing.
The luck just doesn’t seem to be getting any better for Lamborghinis, as another crash has surfaced - this time having absolutely nothing to do with their employees. One would think when you own just one of 10 LP670-4 SV China Edition‘s in the world, you’d be a little more careful with it. Just by looking at the photos, we can tell this bull suffered a seriously unfortunate accident in Beijing earlier this month.
Details are sparse, but what has been documented is that the vehicle was speeding at around 110 mph when the driver lost control. The exotic left the road, struck a group of trees and finally came to a stop a good 100 meters away. Luckily, as crazy as it may seem in populated Beijing, there were no pedestrians on the road and both driver and passenger were unscathed despite not wearing their seatbelts. Another proof that money just can’t buy common sense, driving experience or… well, just a brain.
This year seems to be filled with plenty of celebrity deaths and we can add on to 2010 as the year Lamborghini has really made the news with plenty of destroyed rarities.
See the rest of the crash pics after the jump:
Like many high-end automakers displaying at this year’s Beijing Auto Show, Lamborghini has decided to unveil a special edition model exclusively for the Chinese market. Lambo chose its flagship model, the Murciélago LP670-4 SuperVeloce, dubbing it the “China Limited Edition” and has delivered it with a stunning new paint scheme and interior trim changes. Just 10 LP670-4 SV China Limited Edition models will be offered to a growing number of Lambo enthusiasts in the world’s most populous country.
Like the other 350 LP670-4 SV models, the Chinese Edition gets a massive 6.5-liter V12 engine with 670-hp and 487 ft-lbs of torque enabling a 0-62 mph sprint of just 3.2 seconds. It also gets the same lighter body, weighing 220 lbs less than the standard LP640.
Special “Chinese Edition” trim items include the orange stripe down the length of the gray-painted car, which Lambo says symbolizes an erupting volcano. In addition, every vehicle will get a numbered plaque with the badge of the owner engraved on it.
Lamborghini has already had considerable success in the Chinese marketplace and with limited edition models like this it is showing an increased enthusiasm for the future. “Last year, Automobili Lamborghini achieved 11 percent growth in China,” said CEO Stephan Winkelmann at a press conference for the debut of the LP670-4 SV Chinese Edition at the Beijing Auto Show. “At the beginning of this week on 20th of April, we have launched our seventh Automobili Lamborghini China dealership in Shenzhen. The inauguration of our eighth showroom in Xiamen will come soon. It is our pleasure that we can share our passion for Lamborghini with China’s super sports car drivers, collectors and fans.”
And in a nod to a bright future, Winkelman also commented on Automobili Lamborghini’s, “unwavering commitment to China and the development of a super sports car culture here.”
GALLERY: Lamborghini Murcélago LP670-4 SuperVeloce China Limited Edition
Official release after the jump:


text:
Now, after taking the digital world by storm, reports have come in that Signal has begun to pump in resources to begin the development of cryptocurrency payments integration for its users on the app. The tests for the token to run this service is being run on MobileCoin, a Binance-backed privacy cryptocurrency platform. This news has also been backed by former Signal employees who have confirmed that Signal plans to integrate MobileCoin on its platform.
The CEO of Signal, Moxie Marlinspike has, however, waved these views aside stating that the tests were mere design explorations and that integrating payments on Signal would not be a hasty hypothetical decision. This is coming in the midst of his performance as an adviser on the MobileCoin project, an occurrence that has further fueled the speculations. MobileCoin did try to clarify its position with Signal earlier this month stating that although Moxie advised them, the messaging service is totally independent of their product.
However, if the claims prove to be true in the long run, Signal will go on to set the ball rolling for popular messaging services in the crypto and digital payments space. It is worthy to recall the efforts of the likes of Facebook and Telegram who envisioned such a future for their platforms but were met by severe regulatory opposition. It must not be forgotten that MobileCoin is a privacy coin. Integrating a privacy coin on a privacy-centered messaging platform would raise quite a number of eyebrows and put the company under severe regulatory scrutiny. Also worthy of note is the prospect that such a level of anonymity, both in conversations and financial transactions could serve as a driving force for illegal activities and make Signal a potential crime hub. So, if Signal decides to ply this route it is expected that they may likely face the same fate as Facebook and Telegram.
It is not new knowledge that Facebook has not backed out on their idea and has instead devoted time to revising and redrafting their proposition. This is because the idea of messaging services integrating crypto payment services on their platforms though highly regulatory touchy is an innovative one. The level of decentralization and access to financial services it would provide need not be overemphasized. Time will however tell if the reports can be relied on or not.
Let us know what you think in the Comment Section…


text:
Almost a year ago to the day I wrote a blog piece about the Sony Vaio P.The P was very exciting.
ZDNet UK First Take
Reports and inital impressions of new IT products
Microsoft promised to put out new previews of the IE 9 rendering engine every 8 weeks; just over seven weeks after the first preview there’s a new version with two new APIs, various improvements to SVG, a better Acid 3 score and generally improved performance.
Sony Ericsson has taken a while to come up with an Android-based handset, and the Xperia X10, it has to be said at the outset, is probably not the offering to tempt business users. A forthcoming variant, the tiny Xperia X10 mini pro might appeal more, as it has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard while sharing elements of the Xperia X10's somewhat quirky user interface.
Microsoft has just announced the release of a public beta of the next version of Windows Home Server (WHS), the operating system that powers its SME and consumer network storage and backup devices, such as the HP StorageWorks X510 Data Vault we reviewed recently.Codenamed 'Vail', this new version of WHS is notable chiefly for being based on Windows Server 2008 R2 — a major upgrade from the current version, which uses Windows Server 2003 SP2 as the underlying OS.
The BlackBerry that wants to be a feature phone and the BlackBerry that wants to be a Wi-Fi VOIP phone.The Pearl 3G with a numeric keypadThe new Pearl 3G is a BlackBerry through and through, but it's designed to appeal both to business users who don't want to be weighed down by a larger device and to ordinary phone users who want to graduate to a smartphone but are put off by QWERTY.
The downward spiral of voicemail-to-SMS service SpinVox did not affect me until the company announced that it was stopping services to individual users. I’d benefited from this since its launch, and went on the hunt for a replacement.
Less than a month after the release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.5, the Linux developer has announced a public beta of the long awaited RHEL 6, the aim of which is to “blur the lines between virtual, physical and cloud computing.
Intel has announced details of the FizzbookSpin, which is based on the Quanta NL2 model of Intel's third-generation Classmate PC design. The FizzbookSpin, which is due to be released in May, is a low-cost convertible netbook aimed primarily at children aged between 5 and 11.
Remember SCODM (System Center Online Desktop Manager), Microsoft’s first attempt at a hosted desktop management service? Announced just over a year ago it never really left the starting blocks.


text:
China initiates anti-dumping proceedings against European chemical manufacturers
27 May 2013
Chinese authorities have initiated anti-dumping proceedings with the European Commission against European chemicals makers, mainly Belgium-based Solvay and the European unit of Dow Chemicals, according to French newspaper Les Echos, which cited unidentified sources.
The newspaper reported that the anti-dumping action was focused on chlorine products, and Chinese authorities were also set to start similar action in the US.
The move follows the opening of a probe against Chinese solar panel manufacturers in Europe. Earlier this month, Chinese authorities launched an anti-dumping probe against European seamless steel pipe makers.
The move by China, is aimed at products made from chlorine and in particularly perchloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene, according to the report.
The report added, China was believed to be taking similar action against the US.
This came as the second such anti-dumping procedure by China against European industry in less than two weeks.
Regarding China's complaint against companies making unwelded pipes, a company French group Vallourec, said that unwelded pipes accounted for only a small part of its business.
According to newspaper the Chinese complaints came after EU authorities imposed a customs duty averaging 47.0 per cent against solar panels imports from China.
EU authorities had also said that they intended to probe practices by the Chinese manufacturers of telephone exchanges, Huawei and ZTE, on suspicion they were selling their products at a loss.


text:
Morrisons sales increased by 0.6% in the 12 weeks to 21 June, ahead of the wider market which saw a decrease of 0.1% compared to a year ago. That was enough for the supermarket to increase its market share by 0.1 percentage points to 11% as it benefitted from an increase in online shopping.
“While only a small increase against a weak 2014, this does represent the first market share gains made my Morrisons since December 2011,” Kantar Worldpanel’s head of retail and consumer insight Fraser McKevitt.
Morrisons has made a number of customer-focused changes in store including reintroducing manned express checkouts. Earlier this month is also cut the price of a further 200 “everyday items” by up to a third, including bread and four pints of milk.
Chief executive David Potts said the cuts would mean prices for “cupboard essentials will be among the lowest on the market”.
Rivals have also been cutting prices, with the Co-op announcing a new round of price drops and Sainsbury’s lowering the price of one and two pints of milk to the same price as Aldi and Lidl.
Overall grocery prices are now 1.7% cheaper compared with a year ago, according to Kantar Worldpanel. However the analyst house says the rate of decline is slowing and it predicts that they will be increasing again by the end of the year.
That will be music to the ears of the big four, which have struggled in the face of competition from the discounters. Sales at both Tesco and Sainsbury’s fell by 1.3% for the period meaning their market shares dropped to 28.6% and 16.5% respectively.
The situation was worse at Asda where sales were down by 3.5% leaving the supermarket with a 16.5% share, down from 17.1% a year ago. Aldi and Lidl continue to steal share with their sales up 15.4% and 9.1% respectively.
Aldi’s market share reached a new high of 5.5% while Lidl’s rose to 3.9%. Waitrose also saw sales grow ahead of the market, up 1.2% to give it 5.1% share.


text:
produces cosmetic containers from recycled plastic to deliver real eco-friendly values to customers.
On June 9th, LG Chem announced that it has entered into an MOU with COSMAX at LG Twin Towers in Yeouido to collaborate on the joint development of cosmetic containers using eco-friendly materials and conduct joint marketing targeting global cosmetic companies.
Opportunity to Promote K-Beauty Using Eco-friendly Materials
COSMAX is the Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) for cosmetics, providing product development and manufacturing services to over 1,000 global customers, including L'Oréal.Both LG Chem and COSMAX, as leading companies in the fields of chemicals and cosmetics, anticipate that this agreement will be an opportunity to promote K-Beauty using eco-friendly materials to global customers.
Starting with the supply of recycled plastic PCR ABS, LG Chem plans to propose various eco-friendly materials to COSMAX and collaborate with them in the entire process from the development of cosmetic containers to its marketing.
For PCR ABS, LG Chem plans to supply eco-friendly materials with differentiated technology, such as transparent products considering aesthetics, as well as antibacterial products with a focus on safety and health. It also plans to expand its supply to materials using pyrolysis oil (chemical recycling
) and bio-based raw materials.
The cosmetics industry has a fast consumption and replacement cycle of products, and a significant amount of plastic is used and discarded. Therefore, switching to containers using eco-friendly recycled plastic materials is essential.
Due to the recent strengthening of eco-friendly regulations such as the introduction of carbon border taxes in the EU, many global cosmetic companies have announced their commitment to attaching carbon footprints to their products and expanding the use of recycled plastic by 2030.
Kim Sangmin, senior vice president / head of Business Unit, ABS Business Unit, stated, "Through our collaboration with COSMAX, the world's leading cosmetics ODM company that actively takes the lead in ESG management, we will actively support the development of eco-friendly materials for our customers and contribute to strengthening the resource circulation system in the cosmetics market.
"Source: LG Chem


text:
Cash-strapped US. consumers are taking a relish again to cheap burgers and fries.
Some are predicting that when the chains report their 2015 results in the next six weeks, the numbers will surprise on the upside.
“The burger segment is getting better while the rest of the restaurant industry is decelerating,” said Nomura analyst Mark Kalinowski, who upgraded both Wendy’s and McDonald’s on Monday to buy from neutral — and estimates that both companies’ December sales were the strongest of the year.
McDonald’s turnaround is being spearheaded by its new chief executive, Steve Easterbrook, who is focusing on improving service and food quality as well as a return to Value Meals at the Oak Brook, Ill.-based company.
The strategy is paying off. In the US, third-quarter same-store sales grew 0.9%, McDonald’s first quarterly same-store sales increase in two years.
McDonald’s is poised to turn in its strongest quarter in 14 — generating 3.5% same-store sales growth in the US.
Meanwhile, Wendy’s could deliver its best quarter in over a decade — with a 4.4% same-store sales gain, Kalinowski predicts.
“Consumers are bargain hunting,” Kalinowski said. “That’s certainly part of the takeaway.”
Nomura increased its target price for McDonald’s to $135, up from $112. Its shares closed Monday at $117.70, down 44 cents.
McDonald’s growth was fueled, in part, by its October launch of all-day breakfast.
Wendy’s 4 for $4 deal has pulled in additional traffic, and Burger King’s 10 chicken nuggets for $1.49 has been a royal victory.
On Monday, McDonald’s launched “McPick 2,” a limited deal menu that allows customers to choose two of four items — a McDouble, McChicken, small order of french fries, and mozzarella sticks — for $2. Not to be outdone, Burger King launched on Monday a 5 for $4 deal.
“Value options are a core foundation of quick service,” said Robert Goldin, vice chairman of Technomic. “Chains that have tried to move away from it have stumbled.”
Even pizza chains are starting 2016 with bargain-basement pricing.
On Monday, Pizza Hut YUM, -0.50% unveiled a $5 single-topping pizza — although customers only get that price if they buy one other item for $5.
Rival Papa John’s is enticing customers to buy a large pie at regular price to get a second one for 50 cents.
“This time last year, people thought McDonald’s was dead and Chipotle CMG, -0.59% was king,” said Howard Penney, managing director of Hedgeye Risk Management, referring to Chipotle’s recent E. coli and norovirus debacle that has decimated the former restaurant-industry darling.
Chipotle’s defecting customers have boosted other restaurant chains, but analysts are downplaying the Chipotle effect on the fast food burger phenomenon.


text:
LifeProof four-proof protective cases protect students’ devices and parents’ budgets
SAN DIEGO – July 31, 2014 – Summer is coming to a close and school is on the horizon — meaning new smartphones and tablets for kids and nervous parents who want to protect these high-end devices. Kids are trading break time activities for the classroom, which means school sports, crowded hallways and overstuffed backpacks — all opportunities for accidental damage to expensive technology. LifeProof® smartphone and tablet cases help prevent breakage and the accompanying repair costs with waterproof, drop proof and dirt proof protection.
With LifeProof protective, waterproof tablet cases, students who replace notebooks with an iPad can complete an assignment on a bumpy bus ride or research in the cafeteria without worrying about drops to the tile floor or messy spills. Students are rarely without their smartphones and LifeProof cases for Apple® and Samsung® smartphones allow them to toss these expensive devices from backpack to desk to soccer field knowing it is safe from splashes, drops and dirt.
“Parents are well aware that kids are prone to trips, scrapes and spills,” said LifeProof CEO Brian Thomas. “LifeProof cases are a win-win, saving parents from expensive replacements or repairs in sleek designs and bright colors kids love.”
LifeProof offers two different case designs: frē® and nüüd®, both of which provide trusted, four-proof protection in a sleek, slim form with a variety of color options. LifeProof frē has a built-in screen protector to guard against scratches and scrapes to the device display, while LifeProof nüüd features screenless technology that allows for direct contact with the display.
While parents love that the expertly designed nüüd cases were awarded the Parent Tested, Parent Approved™ (PTPA) Winner’s Seal of Approval, kids are often concerned with fashion over function. Students can accessorize their back-to-school wardrobe with LifeProof’s stylish new options in bright, bold colors.
LifeProof waterproof phone and tablet cases are available at lifeproof.com and select retail locations.


text:
September 12, 2017
Tequila Cazadores And Celebrated Chef Aarón Sánchez Honor Locally Renowned Bodega And Mercado Owners Through New Taco Tuesday Series, Bodega Bites
"The U.S. has embraced the taco for many years now, creating delicious variations and inspirations of this classic Mexican dish," said Manny Hinojosa, Brand Ambassador for Tequila CAZADORES. "However, in light of Hispanic Heritage Month, we want to take it back to the basics, and are thrilled to partner with critically-acclaimed Mexican-American Chef Aarón Sánchez to honor the local bodega and mercado owners who not only reflect Tequila CAZADORES' values of taking pride in your craft, but are truly making some of the most authentic Mexican tacos we've seen."
Bodega Bites will pop up in three major cities across the U.S., where Tequila CAZADORES will not only host a Taco Tuesday happy hour with Chef Sánchez, but the brand will hit the streets late night with custom-designed Priority Bicycles featuring full-functioning grills that will deliver Sánchez's exclusive tacos to hungry patrons in popular nightlife areas.
In addition to the local bodega and mercado tacos being spotlighted at each of these Taco Tuesday events, Chef Sánchez will also be honoring his heritage, and serving up exclusive tacos created for Tequila CAZADORES inspired by his trip to the premium tequila's distillery and birthplace: Arandas, Mexico. Each taco recipe highlights a specific ingredient that can traditionally be found at bodegas/mercados:
"I wanted to bring to life the stories and inspiration from my trip to Arandas with these tacos; taking authentic Mexican products from the bodegas and mercados and adding fresh, local ingredients to create delicious tacos that pair perfectly with Cazadores," said Chef Aarón Sánchez I'm proud of my Mexican heritage and excited to work alongside Tequila Cazadores to celebrate our culture."
As always, however, there's no tacos without a little tequila. Guests will enjoy a variety of signature Tequila CAZADORES cocktails, including The Good, the Bad and the Ugly with Tequila CAZADORES Blanco, mezcal blanco, Aperol and pureed red roasted bell pepper; The Cazadores Sangrita, a mix of orange, lime and tomato juice spiked with hot sauce, paired with a shot of Tequila CAZADORES Reposado; and Mexican Chardonnay, which is quite simply Tequila CAZADORES Blanco served neat in a wine glass.
About Tequila CAZADORES®
ABOUT AARÓN SÁNCHEZ
SOURCE Tequila CAZADORES]]>


text:
This post has been read 6303 times!
KUWAIT CITY, Jan 18: Chairman and CEO of Ali Abdulwahab Al Mutawa Commercial Co (AAW), Faisal Ali Abdulwahab Al Mutawa, today received US Ambassador to Kuwait, HE Douglas Silliman and Senior Commercial Officer, Jeff Hamilton at AAW headquarters with the presence of Deputy CEO of AAW, Khaled Faisal Al Mutawa and General Manager of AAW, Ali Faisal Al Mutawa to discuss various areas of collaboration between AAW and United States retail and wholesale corporations.
During the visit, the parties discussed the long-standing business relationships between AAW and various US companies operating in retail and wholesale sectors, as well as the potential opportunities for more cooperation between American companies and AAW in specific, and the private sector of both sectors in general.
AAW Chairman and CEO, Faisal Ali Al Mutawa said: “We’ve had excellent business relations with US companies in a range of different fields for decades. Today, American brands are loved by consumers in almost every sector, and American products are well-reputed in Kuwait. We look forward to a growing relationship with leading companies from the United States private sector. I would like to thank Mr Silliman for his visit, and look forward to welcoming him once again at AAW.”
AAW is one of the oldest, largest retail and distribution companies in Kuwait with world-class operations in seven diverse retail divisions, representing over 100 global brands in the surging consumer market of Kuwait.


text:
From 17 to 19 November 2015, DESIGN POST will be exclusively focusing on the topic of light.
With three days featuring talks, special exhibitions and product presentations at Cologne's 'home of design', architects, planners and designers are invited to an exciting round-up on the latest trends in lighting and light design.
A special focus will be on the development of LED technology. Star guest of the kick-off event on 17 November will be Nobel laureate and physicist Prof. Dr. Shuji Nakamura.
Light Week Köln will feature informative expert talks, panel discussions and special product presentations.
The event will focus on topics such as the development of LED technology and its effect on our environment or the possibilities of using light in architecture. There will also be opportunities to meet exhibitors for discussion and for exchanging ideas and experience.
We designed the cosmo outdoor exhibition and the stand for next.


text:
Mobile ads contributed $881 million in ad revenue to the social network’s coffers.
Mobile ads accounted for nearly half of Facebook Inc.’s advertising revenue in the third quarter, the social network reported today. Facebook reported $1.798 billion in advertising revenue in the third quarter, of which $881.0 million came from mobile ads.
The percentage of Facebook’s ad revenue stemming from mobile ads is growing quickly. Facebook says that 49% of its advertising revenue in the third quarter stemmed from ads it presented to consumers on mobile devices, up from 41% in the second quarter. That means mobile ad revenue increased 34.4% quarter over quarter from $655.6 million in Q2.
Facebook has spent much of this year refashioning itself into a mobile-first platform to address investors’ concerns that its revenue growth would trail off as consumers increasingly accessed the social network via smartphones and tablets. Those efforts appear to have paid off as Facebook and Instagram, which the social network bought in 2012, account for one in five minutes U.S. consumers spend online on mobile devices, according to web measurement firm comScore Inc.
For the quarter ended Sept. 30, Facebook reported:
For the first three quarters of the year, Facebook reported:
"48% of the people using Facebook in any given day are only accessing it from mobile," said Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO, during a conference call with analysts. "That's almost half of the people only using Facebook from their phones, and it's a pretty incredible sign of how Facebook evolved over the last year."
Facebook is increasingly focused on making it easier for marketers to buy ads and measure their impact, said Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer.
"We are working in a number of areas to make the ad people see on Facebook better," she said. "More targeted ads are better and we are improving our ad targeting to increase relevance. We are investing in features like Custom Audience and partner categories to improve targeting. These are great tools that are still in their early days and we will continue to invest." Custom Audience is a targeting tool that lets advertisers use information shoppers share with them off of Facebook to target ads on the social network.


text:
Good news for the Verizon faithful.
Verizon Wireless has simplified its prepaid pricing options and made the offer more flexible.
Instead of offering different tiers of service, Verizon now offers prepaid smartphone customers a single $45 a month plan that comes with unlimited voice minutes and text messaging plus 500MB of data. Customers who want more than 500MB of data can add it a la carte.
And customers who add 1GB or more of data per month get to use their unused data until it's gone or up to three months, whichever comes first.
The AllSet prepaid plan allows customers to add data via what it calls its Bridge Data plan. Customers can add 500MB more data on top of the 500MB offered through the plan for $5 extra. Customers also can add 1GB of data for an additional $10, and they can add 3GB of data for an extra $20. The additional 500MB of data expires after 30 days. But if you're adding 1GB or 3GB of data, customers get to carry that data over for 90 days. The excess data is only tapped into when users have exhausted their monthly 500MB allotment of data.
Also included in the deal is unlimited messaging from the Verizon prepaid service to Mexico, Canada, and Puerto Rico. The company also is offering a promotion in which new customers can get 1,000 free voice minutes to Mexico or Canada.
Customers with basic phones can get an AllSet plan for $35 a month, which includes 500 voice minutes instead of unlimited voice calling.
The new plans are an improvement over Verizon's previous prepaid offering. Even though the 1GB and 3GB a la carte data still has an expiration date on it, the new pricing and Bridge Data option give Verizon prepaid customers more flexibility than they previously had. Instead of losing unused data from their plans each month, customers can carry it over for a few months.
For customers on a budget who tend to talk more than they use data, it could be a good alternative to Verizon's contract plans -- even under its new More Everything pricing. Service with 500MB of data plus unlimited voice and texting is $70 a month on a two-year contract. It's $60 a month if you forgo the contract and buy your device at full price and pay it off in monthly installments.
But there is a catch. Verizon's prepaid service does not allow users to access their 4G LTE network. So even if someone is using an LTE-capable phone on Verizon's prepaid service, it will still only get 3G data speeds.
Corrected Thursday 3/6/2014 12:30 pm PT A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the terms of Verizon's $60 Edge plan. Customers are not able to bring their own devices to this plan. The story has been updated to reflect the correction.


text:
The Apple Pay launch is on the horizon, with new information suggesting the service might be landing as soon as next Monday.
According to an internal memo sent to Panera Bread employees, the payment system will be launching on October 20.
The memo was acquired by 9to5mac and reads as follows: “
“In addition to Apple’s own announcement, which is always big news, Panera is planning the following activities to drive customer awareness…”
The memo then reels off publicity plans, including a televised interview with a Panera exec, door-based advertising shipped to all of the bakery-cafes, and an e-mail to all MyPanera members.
Panera Bread is a US-based bakery firm that Apple announced as a flagship Pay partner at its iPhone 6 keynote last month.
The leaked memo includes an online training course that explains how to use VeriFone readers with several tap-to-pay systems including Apple Pay.
Google Wallet and SoftCard were also referenced in the report, although both of these systems are already available to the US public unlike Apple Pay.
Apple is expected to launch iOS 8.1 on Monday, so it wouldn’t be too much a stretch of the imagination to assume Apple Pay will be included in the update.
Read more: Apple iPhone 6 Plus review


text:
Sunrise, FL (PRWEB) April 18, 2013
Experience Advertising, Inc., a leading online marketing agency that specializes in affiliate program management, has announced that they are offering a complimentary affiliate program evaluation and complimentary affiliate program transition for companies and advertisers affected by the recent announcement that the Google Affiliate Network (GAN) is closing down according to the Google Affiliate Network Blog.
The Google Affiliate Network sent an email to all of their Advertisers and affiliate marketers on April 18th, 2013, that stated that they will be closing down their affiliate network within the next couple of months. The Google Affiliate Network was running for approximately 2 years and had acquired numerous ecommerce websites as advertisers on the platform.
Evan Weber, CEO of Experience Advertising, Inc., stated, Since we run most of our affiliate programs on Commission Junction (CJ) and Shareasale, we are ready to transition former Google Affiliate Network advertisers over seamlessly and grow their affiliate programs on those networks. We are offering a complimentary affiliate program evaluation to determine which affiliate network will be best for advertisers moving their affiliates off of the Google Network. We are also offering to set-up their new affiliate network account free of charge and implement the transition process free of charge.
Experience Advertising, Inc. is a recognized leader in the affiliate marketing industry having managed large scale affiliate programs on the major affiliate networks like Commission Junction (CJ), Linkshare, Shareasale, and Google Affiliate Network since 2007. With cutting-edge affiliate management strategies and highly effective affiliate recruiting techniques, Experience Advertising has been able to attract thousands of qualified and diversified super-affiliates and niche affiliates and web publishers to their managed affiliate programs. In addition, Experience Advertising provides additional digital agency services to their clients such as: social media marketing, Facebook advertising management, search engine optimization, paid search engine management, online PR, content creation, website conversion rate optimization, graphic design, web design, and email marketing.


text:
THINQ.co.uk is reporting that Apple has pushed out a significant OS X software update, designed to improve performance and visual quality in the Mac version of Valve's Steam client. Since Steam was released for the platform three months ago, many sources have lamented the performance of the games compared to their Windows counterparts. Some have even gone as far as to set up Windows partitions using Boot Camp to avoid the reduced frame rates in the Mac client.
That's all changed now, thanks to the Apple's graphics update and some Steam optimizations added by Valve. By tightening up some software inefficiencies pertaining to how the OS drives the graphics hardware, the games no longer have such a pronounced reduction in frame rate when running at higher resolutions or with cranked-up visual settings. One of the most hyped of these visual improvement is known as an "occlusion query," or as the guys at Valve put it:
Warner Brothers, the media behemoth that owns the rights to the Harry Potter movie franchise, is reportedly in the midst of fighting a legal battle against a Swiss company for copyright infringement. What did these neutral, chocolate-loving, particle-accelerating people do to earn their ire? Why, they simply created a line of condoms which prominently feature a cartoon likeness of Harry Potter.


text:
The Republican’s newly revealed act to replace the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act targets one of the most important government agencies to Congress Democrats, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
According to a chart outlining the updates for the CHOICE Act 2.0, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would be changed to the Consumer Financial Opportunity Agency, an executive agency with a sole director removable at will. The deputy director would also be appointed and removed by the president.
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., ranking member of the Committee on Financial Services and one of the biggest defenders of the CFPB, in response to the new details, said, “The so-called Financial Choice Act is a piece of legislation that will essentially kill the most important aspects of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which was designed to prevent another financial crisis. Republicans and Donald Trump have once again prioritized the needs of Wall Street over the needs of hard-working Americans, with a proposal that would take away much needed protections and put our economic security at risk.”
While the CHOICE Act 2.0 was designed as a replacement for Dodd-Frank, which goes way beyond only overhauling the CFPB, the CFPB does face some of the most drastic changes.
Here is her rebuttal to the changes on the CFPB.
Overall, she stated the new act “completely guts and functionally terminates the highly successful CFPB, which has already returned nearly $12 billion to 29 million consumers ripped off by predatory financial institutions.
Specifically, the proposal:
- Eliminates CFPB’s supervision authority over the largest banks and curtails CFPB’s enforcement tools, including those used to stop abusive Wall Street practices like Wells Fargo’s fake account scandal
- Subjects the CFPB’s funding to appropriations so CFPB’s opponents can shrink it
- Hides consumer complaints, even though CFPB’s transparent database has produced results: 97% of complaints referred to a company get timely responses
- Gives the president extraordinary power to fire CFPB’s director at will, politicizing it as an arm of the White House and preventing it from serving as an independent cop on the beat.
Water concluded, “The new version, which is even worse than Chairman Hensarling’s first draft, cannot be allowed to become law. There is too much at stake for consumers and for our economy at large.”


text:
While it’s probably no surprise that sanctions imposed by the U.S. and EU on Russia after its takeover of Crimea have done some damage to the Russian economy, what might surprise you is the far reach of those sanctions – on countries and businesses outside Russia and its primary industries.
Here’s a look at eight unexpected ways sanctions are making themselves felt on business in the rest of the world.
1. Many businesses in Germany could suffer “catastrophic losses.” Trade between Russia and Germany amounts to approximately 76 billion euros ($104.1 billion) annually.
According to Germany’s foreign trade group, the Federation of German Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services, there are at least 6,200 businesses doing business with Russia, many substantially involved. Anton Boerner, the head of the trade group, said in a Dortmunder Ruhr Nachrichten interview, “About 6,200 German companies are engaged in Russia, some of them very strongly. For them, economic sanctions would be a real catastrophe.”
2. U.K.-based luxury stores and hotels are taking a hit. Russian tourists flush with cash love to spend in the U.K., but the Ukraine crisis has already caused a substantial drop in receipts at the hotels that cater to those tourists and at the boutiques they frequent when abroad.
According to Global Blue, which processes 80% of all tax-free shopping in the U.K., just in February – before sanctions even hit – the U.K.’s take from Russian spenders fell by 17% from February 2013 (in 2013 such Russian spending rose 16% for the year), thanks to the political situation that has made tourists reluctant to travel and the fall in the ruble. Sanctions that have resulted in Visa and MasterCard cutting off services to four Russian banks so far will undoubtedly further curtail tourist spending sprees, since it will be tougher for them to spend what they have.
3. The G8 is now the G7. With Russia kicked out of the G8, the planned meeting of world leaders that was to take place in Sochi this summer, with Russian President Vladimir Putin as host, has been moved to Brussels. That will take a toll on any immediate financial advantages Putin may have anticipated for Sochi after the conclusion of the Olympics, such as tourism or business investment.
More long term, however, is the potential for greater political turmoil and changing business arrangements as the G7 countries work around Russia and Russia builds closer ties with Asia – something it has already taken action on.
4. Some Canadian companies could stand to lose big if Russian plans to allow Putin to seize and nationalize foreign-owned assets in the country.


text:
Design Agency Pentagram redesigns DC Comic logo for the May 25th release of a new DC Universe expansion.
Pentagrams Emily Overman were the hands that crafted this redesign to bring it into a modern feel. This year will marks 80 years of the DC Universe, the logo will be launched on on the cover of DC Universe: Rebirth Special #1 – written by chief creative officer Geoff Johns.
The idea of looking to the past and the future is also one that permeates Johns’ new comic. He says, “It brings back what has been lost: the legacy of the characters, the love and the hope of the DC universe.”
The logo references the simplicity of the 1972 version – the first instance DC dropped any wording from its identity and the serif from the first 1940’s version
DC Entertainment senior vice president of marketing and global franchise management, Amit Desai, says: “While comics continue to be the heart and soul of DC, the brand has evolved to now stand for powerful storytelling across so many different forms of media.”
It’s a big change from previous versions in its simplicity, previously incorporating stars, swooshes an even Superman in the logo. In a way it’s stripped of its character for a brand that has so much within it’s universe of characters. Does it fit into days market where DC are now taking an active step into putting the DC universe on the big screen? Is it too corporate?
Jim Lee a DC artist reveals some more depth behind the logo on his Instagram page.
DC entertainment clearly have a rich history of logo designs and clearly a strong fan base, it seems like theay have done a full 360 with it’s logo, they’ve gone back to simplicity with this latest version not only to bring it up to date but to give it clarity.
Whereas I feel the last iteration of the logo was cooler, was it relevant to the media platforms that we now have, it had much more character and more potential for cool factor for example in stings and super hero character references, but times move on and I guess the actual content and story lines DC produces has much more game changing ability on the company that the logo.


text:
Southeast Asia holds high potential for halal and it goes beyond food to other products, such as garments, cosmetics and medicines, and services including tourism, hotels and hospitals. The potential is rising in line with the increasing affluence of Muslim consumers worldwide and the desire of businesses to have their products certified by various Muslim organizations.
With Muslims accounting for 240 million of the 600 million people in Southeast Asia, the region has extensively developed halal food production with progress seen in halal certification. Two Muslim majority countries-Malaysia and Indonesia -are among the world’s top 10 halal exporters, thanks to their international reputation, concerted efforts by government and strong local supply chains.
Thailand, where Muslims make up only about 6 percent of the population, is already one of the world’s top exporters of food products and is looking to apply its expertise to halal products to tap into the higher purchasing power of Muslim populations worldwide.
Globally, there are about 1.7 billion Muslims and the number is expected to reach 2.8 billion or one-quarter of the global total by 2050. The global halal market is currently valued at $2.3 trillion covering both food and nonfood sectors, and is expected to be worth $6.4 trillion in 2018.
Under its five-year plan that will start next year, Thailand aims to become one of the world’s top five halal exporters by 2020, a jump from 13th place at present. A total budget of 8 billion baht will be devoted to improving manufacturing capability, speeding up certification, research and development and enhancing international marketing. It is a joint effort by the Industry, Foreign Affairs, Commerce, Agriculture, Tourism and Sports ministries.
The country has already appointed a national halal committee and the five-year plan was endorsed early in June. It outlines strategies for targeted industries that include food and beverages, textiles and garments, cosmetics, medicine and herbs, restaurants, tourism, hospitals and spas, Industry Minister Atchaka Sibunruang said.
In 2013 Thailand exported $5.1 billion worth of halal products to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, just 3 percent of the $164-billion total to the group of 57 countries. Globally, Malaysia and Indonesia were ranked ninth and 10th, respectively, in terms of halal exports.
This year, Thailand projects its halal food exports will increase by 5 percent to $6.1 billion, Atchaka said.
According to Datamonitor, the halal food trade is poised to reach $10 trillion, or one-fifth of the global food-market total, by 2030. Halal food imports to the Gulf Cooperation Council are forecast to reach $53.1 billion by 2020, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit.
Malaysia saw its halal exports rising to 37.7 billion ringgit ($10.17 billion) last year, with food and beverages accounting for about 40 percent of sales. The Malaysian government has also taken steps to support halal service providers, including Islamic finance and halal logistics and transport, and they have become a major part of the Malaysian halal industry.
Datuk Seri Jamil Bidin, CEO of Halal Industry Development Corp. said recently that the halal industry was forecast to contribute 5.8 percent of Malaysia’s gross domestic product by 2020 from less than 2 percent at present.
Atchaka, however, noted that challenges remain for Thailand to expand its presence in the global halal business, because it is a niche market related to the religious and cultural beliefs of consumers.
Thailand’s weak points at the moment are in manufacturing processes and development of services.
We have to expand our exports by 10 percent a year to be among the top five halal exporters, she said. We will continue to develop five provinces in the far South as the key halal production base, raw material source, and product development and distribution. A total of 3,600 Thai companies now hold halal certification, altogether covering 120,000 product items.
According to the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) at the Commerce Ministry, the major export markets for halal products from Thailand include Dubai, which is positioned as the gateway to Muslim countries, Indonesia, where nearly 90 percent of the population are Muslim, and some parts of China and the United States where a number of Muslims live.
At present, several of the world’s leading exporters of halal products are non-Muslim nations with Brazil ranked first. Others include the US, Australia and France.
Chantira Jimreivat Vivatrat, the DITP deputy director general, said it had been making efforts to promote halal exports for more than a decade.
This is a market with high purchasing power, she said. Indonesia, in particular, is a high-potential market for Thai exports because Muslims living there account for 12 percent of the Muslim population in the world.
The Indonesian and Malaysian Muslim middle classes have been growing, giving rise to new modes of consumption and lifestyle changes.
Asia Pacific is home to about 1 billion Muslims. Australia, together with Brazil and New Zealand have long profited from the halal product trade in the region. More than 80 percent of Australia’s cattle exports go to the region, mostly to Indonesia.
Visit Limlurcha, vice-president of the Food Processing Industry Club at the Federation of Thai Industries, said that certifying halal products was time-consuming at present, taking about one year on average. But if Thai products are certified in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), it could pave the way for their entry into other Gulf States.
Halal products from Thailand are led by chicken and shrimp, vegetables, canned and dried fruits and some ready-to-eat foods.
Tapping tourism demand
Another promising area for Thailand is halal tourism, which is geared toward Muslim families who abide by the rules of Islam. Hotels in such destinations do not serve alcohol and have separate facilities such as swimming pools and spas for men and women. Halal tourism also offers flights on which no alcohol or pork products are served, prayer times are announced and religious programs are broadcast onboard.
Countries in Asean are trying to attract more Muslim tourists from all over the world by providing more facilities in accordance with religious beliefs. Malaysia is working on a program for hotels and resorts to have halal-certified kitchens. Singapore has released a special guide for Muslim travelers to accommodate their need for halal products and services.
In Thailand, Phuket is offering halal-labeled Andaman tours. Japan is also wooing Southeast Asian Muslims by increasing the number of restaurants serving halal certified food and providing space for prayers.
Puwarest Ahmadthirakul, managing director of Royal Thai Travel and Trading Co Ltd, said Muslim travelers were attracted by Thai hospitality, lifestyles and facilities available even though the country is not a Muslim nation like Malaysia and Indonesia.
About 90 percent of his company’s clients are Muslims coming to Thailand mainly for leisure and medical checks. The high season for Muslim tourism in Thailand is June and July when the weather is hottest in the Middle East.
The main challenge for halal tourism in Thailand is limited availability of halal food, causing tourists to waste time traveling from one place to another to find meals they can eat, noted Puwarest.
According to Crescent Rating Agency, the halal hotel market is worth $140 billion at present with a projection to rise to $192 billion by 2020. The segment is relatively untapped with Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia and Morocco among the biggest players.
Statistics show that halal tourists typically travel with more family members, stay for longer periods and ultimately spend more money than any other niche, it added. Nithiwat Gijsriurai, deputy hospital director at Bangkok Hospital, said that Arab countries, whose governments provide full healthcare coverage to their nationals, faced a serious shortage of healthcare personnel including doctors, nurses and other clinical personnel.
If patients from these countries go abroad for medical treatment, the governments subsidize half of the cost, he said.
Bangkok Dusit Medical Services, the largest private hospital operator in Thailand, operates 43 hospitals in Thailand and two in Cambodia. It aims to have 50 hospitals by 2016. About 60 percent of the group’s total 200,000 foreign patients a year are Muslims.
What Arabic patients are looking for in addition to halal food and prayer rooms are a high standard of medical care, Thai hospitality services, easy access, cultural understanding, and Arabic-speaking medical teams, said Nithiwat. I would also recommend that Thai hospital operators provide them with value-for-money services and accountability.


text:
FALL FASHION FORWARD: Manolo Blahnik Reissues Its 2002 Hip-Hoppy Ode To Timberlands
Fashion is all about looks recreating themselves. Clothing, jewelry, and, of course, shoes, always find away to step back out with a new twist.
Manolo Blahnik has made its way back into the flirty, Hip-Hop department with its 2002 suede and leather ankle "Timberland"-inspired boots.
We've seen a similar style in our day (think Beyonce 10 years ago), but this shoe is more up to date, modern, and sexy. It can be found at Saks Fifth Avenue and other high-end stores.
Will this super-pricey boot (retailing at $1,175) make it into your fall wardrobe, ladies? Why or why not?
Tawni Fears is a freelance writer and contributor to AllHipHop.com. Follow her on Twitter (@brwnsugaT).


text:
LETSHEGO Bank Tanzania targets to extend services to financially underserved micro and small entrepreneurs by using innovative and customer focused financial solutions.
The newly appointed Chief Executive Officer for the Bank Mr Thabit Ndilahomba, said in Dar es Salaam yesterday that his priority would be to offer simple and accessible financial products focusing on the needs of individuals as well as micro and small entrepreneurs.
“Letshego Bank Tanzania’s competitive advantage focus on offering products that resonate well with the market,” he said adding that by increasing access to appropriate financial solutions and encouraging our customers use their funds for productive purposes, Letshego aims to support the growth of economically active members in the local economy.
He said extending Letshego’s reach and enhancing the bank’s value proposition for customers, staff and other stakeholders is one of his priorities is also of supreme value.
“I am excited about the opportunities that my new role presents in delivering a strategy that not only enhances Letshego’s brand and reputation in the country but also stands to bring further value and benefits to one of our most important stakeholders, our customers,” he noted.
Mr Ndilahomba formerly worked as Chief Financial Officer in the bank plans to bring to his new role a valuable understanding and appreciation for the financial dynamics and performance of the business as a whole.