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In 2010, Angelica published "Reboot: Leading IT in the Information Age", a book focused on the new realities of technology management and the vision of CIOs for the future. Angelica co-founded IT Decisions, a firm providing consulting services, content creation and event management to international firms in the technology, business process outsourcing, media and entertainment sectors looking to enter the Brazilian market. She is also involved in the launch of an online start-up connecting Brazilian craftspeople with the international marketplace.
Latest articles from Angelica Mari
The largest banks in the country will partly replace their own kit by cashpoints that serve customers of other institutions.
Company executive expects to repeat results seen in other countries.
The tools are aimed at involving citizens in the upcoming elections in October.
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LONDON (CBS.MW) - Shares of bellwethers Dell Computer, Microsoft and Amgen stepped up in pre-open trading Monday, helped along by upgrades from the brokers, as Lucent Technology eased a tad after announcing its new CEO.
But shares of U.S. consumer stocks reliant on global sales, and big market indicators like General Electric
The rising Nasdaq 100 tracker
Credit Suisse First Boston notes that Corning is resuming production at Concord and Wilmington, but adds that it's "not necessarily a sign of improving demand."
Tech, biotechs upgraded
The chip group was trading largely in line, with investors in the speculative session reluctant to move Intel Corp.
Intel spiked to the $36 level overnight, but was coming down, dealers said. The stock last traded up a tick or two at $35.80.
Elsewhere, shares of Vignette VIGN dropped 28 percent over the Island ECN to $3.95 after saying it expects to report fourth-quarter results that fall short of consensus analyst expectations as a result of "an unanticipated level of spending decisions that were delayed."
The brokerages were out in force in the recently hot biotech sector Monday, with Lehman lifting price targets a tad on five of the stocks and upgrading Amgen. UBS Warburg upped Gilead Sciences
IM Clone skidded 18 percent , with losses picking up as the open neared. The stock was above the $35 mark on Island at 9 a.m. Eastern, down close to $8 a share.
Coke cut... Argentina worries surfacing?
JP Morgan Securities cut its recommendation on Coca-Cola Co.
Coke shares were trading around $46.15 in Europe, dealers at Madoff Securities said, down from a $46.43 close. The consumer giants were looking off in general - a sign perhaps that not all of the Argentina impact has been "priced in" as much as investors were anticipating. McDonald's Corp.
JP Morgan told clients overnight that it was lowering its 2002 earnings per share estimate on Coke to $1.70 from $1.76 "due to currency and Argentina."
Estimates for Coke "are too high for Coke given the company's current macro-economic headwinds... With 75 percent of operating profit coming internationally, a continually strong dollar presents, in our opinion, too much of a headwind for Coke to overcome," analyst John Faucher said.
The broker expects Pepsi Co.
In other stock action earlier: Cisco Systems
Ford Motor Co.
Shares were up 28 cents in Europe to $17.22.
Among other overnight action: CSFB upped Teva

domain: news


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PREVIEWS: "Spider-Gwen," "Chewbacca" & More Marvel Comics on Sale October 14, 2015
Showing results 19832-19851 of 22675
Fresh off a commanding fourth-place finish in Zuda Comics' March 2008 Competition, SAM & LILAH will be making a move to its new home as part of the online comics collective ACT-I-VATE, beginning with new pages on May 1.
Avatar Press has released images and solicitation images for comics on sale in June, 2008, including "Wolfskin Annual" #1 by Warren Ellis, Mike Wolfer and Gianluca Pagliarani.
All hell breaks loose in the Multiverse, and even Brian and Justin don't know what's coming next as DC continues its "Countdown to Final Crisis."
Courtesy of Dynamite, CBR brings you advance looks at new comics on sale this week including "The Boys" #17, "Zorro" #2 and "Highlander: Way of the Sword" #4.
Courtesy of Marvel, CBR brings you more advance looks at new comics on sale next week including "Clandestine" #3, "New Exiles" #3, "Moon Knight" #4 and much more.
This April, the first appearances of the first title heroine to have her own comic book come out of the vault in Golden Age Sheena: The Best of the Queen of the Jungle. The remastered Sheena collection from Devil's Due Publishing features never before reprinted issues of Jumbo Comics and Sheena Comics.
In this week's installment of MyCup o' Joe at MySpace Comic Books, Marvel's Editor in Chief, Joe Quesada, reveals a new art team for She-Hulk, a new member for the Guardians Of The Galaxy and…what happened on Peter Parker and Mary Jane's wedding day! Yup, there was a wedding day!
As Cyclops and Emma Frost try to save Angel-and the entire city of San Francisco-from something unexplainable, Wolverine, Colossus and Nightcrawler must face Russia's deadly Red Room! Uncanny X-Men #497, from Eisner-winning scribe Ed Brubaker (Captain America, Daredevil, Criminal) and rising star artist Michael Choi, continues the acclaimed story of a world without X-Men, with the former superheroes attempting to move on after the events of Messiah CompleX.
AAM/Markosia is proud to announce that they are the new home of Eleventh Hour. Orang Utan Comics Studio self published two issues of the anthology series during 2007, and both sold out quickly and received excellent reviews.
Courtesy of Image, CBR brings you advance looks at new comics on sale next week including "Frank Frazetta's Dark Kingdom, Part One," "Cemetery Blues" #3, and an exclusive preview of "Dead Space" #2.
Akido Ikeda's international sensation Dayan is finally available in the United States! The mischievous cat Dayan has already captured the hearts and minds of Japan, spawning over thirty books, a theme park, museums, and stores dedicated entirely to the fictional world where he resides, Wachifield! Discover the phenomenon this spring with the first four books, published by Dark Horse in handsome hardcover.
Dynamic Forces today presents their exclusive alternate cover for the upcoming Secret Invasion #1. The alternate cover features all new artwork by artist, Mel Rubi!
Dark Horse Comics has announced that the popular Aliens, Predator, and AVP comics series are now available for digital download on IGN Entertainment's Direct2Drive. For $1.99, customers can now purchase digital copies of individual Aliens, Predator, and AVP comics that virtually mimic the first run of each issue by featuring the original cover art and trade dress.
At NYCC, production partners Lionsgate and Odd Lot Entertainment will present an exclusive first look at THE SPIRIT on Saturday, April 19 in New York Comic Con's IGN Theater, featuring the world premiere of the film's teaser trailer.
Courtesy of BOOM! Studios, CBR brings you the first twenty-nine pages of "Jenny Finn: Doom Messiah" by Mike Mignola, Troy Nixey and Farel Dalrymple. The graphic novel is in stores now.
Art imitates life -- or does it? Was Superman based on a body builder? Were "Wolverine" characters named after comics retailers? And were the Guardians of the Universe based on a Prime Minister of Israel?
Courtesy of Marvel, CBR brings you advance looks at new comics on sale next week including "Kick-Ass" #2, "Logan" #2 and "Young X-Men" #1.
Kid's WB! has released a new image of Sandman from his debut episode of "Spctacular Spider-Man" airing this weekend.
Kid's WB! has released three new images from this weekend's "Legion of Super Heroes" episode, "Dark Victory, Part 1," which is the first half of the series finale.
Presenting perspective from both the Skrulls and Iron Man, this Marvel Comics "Secret Invasion" webisode is filled with clues as well as insight into the coming invasion.


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Amazon UK is currently listing the LG Optimus 3D (SIM-free) for pre-order, with an expected release date of next Monday, June 20. At just a penny less than £600 (~$980), the Optimus 3D certainly isn't cheap, but if you can stomach spending that much on a smartphone, you'll walk away with a dual-core device with a 3D display and 3D video recording capabilities. Check out our initial hands-on feature to take a closer look at the phone itself.
Pre-order prices and shipping dates are always subject to change, but with the listed date just seven days away, we're expecting this one to be right on the money. The June 20 date also fits with release windows from T-Mobile UK and Three, who are expecting to begin selling the Optimus 3D in June and July respectively.


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O2 has announced it will sell an upcoming HTC smartphone without a charger.
The unnamed 'forthcoming' HTC handset will be sold with a USB to micro USB cable but no mains adapter. O2 said it is the first step towards taking all chargers out of the box by 2015. Visit Group test: what's the best smartphone?
Ronan Dunne, CEO of O2 said: "Right now, O2 with HTC has to go it alone on this matter – we both believe in it passionately enough that we can’t wait for the industry as a whole to join us in this crusade."
O2 said that it estimates around 70 percent of customers buying a new smartphone in the UK will already have a compatible charger. Research by O2 suggests that there are around 100 million unused chargers in the UK.
Our initial thought was that the device would be one of HTC's recently announced Windows Phone 8X or Windows Phone 8S smartphones. However, O2 has confirmed that the 'leading smartphone' hasn't been announced yet but will be in the next month.
With the vast majority of smartphones using micro USB as a standard port, it makes a lot of sense to start selling handsets without chargers, and maybe even cables.


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Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) Vice Chairman, Chaudhry Sameeullah has refuted the allegations of Basmati Growers Association (BGA) that DTRE scheme would cause stress on Paddy prices. ‘The fact of the matter is that our rice industry has grown over 500 per cent in last 3-years while the crop size has remained stagnant at 6 million tons.
Our members have managed to build the capacity to process 9 million tons of rice, which is 3 million tons more than the available crop in Pakistan. Due to availability of fewer Paddy, our millers are striving for grains; the milling capacity is under-utilised and hence causing losses to our community. We need to increase our crop volume or to provide our members access to higher volumes of Paddy/Rice through imports,’ Samee said in a statement issued on Monday.
He claimed that REAP, is already in touch with many farmers/growers association all across Punjab and Sindh and they have agreed to our proposals of DTRE. Though, we have already planned to write to ministry of commerce that such DTRE scheme should remain suspended during the Paddy harvesting season so that our rice millers/exporters support farmers through local paddy buying during the seasonal days.
“BGA is not the sole representative association of Basmati growers as lots of our REAP members are growers themselves and are not part of BGA. Unfortunately, BGA isn’t a registered organisation nor their office bearers are elected through electoral process rather BGA discourage growers to be part of association so that its monopoly of president-ship may prolong,” alleged Chaudhry Samee.
He was of the view that the farmers would be safeguarded by imposing suspension of DTRE from October till December (paddy harvesting period) each year. However, he said that he was sure the BGA lobbyists were not growers rather an investor Mafia backing them up for vested interests and non-genuine profitability.
They hoard the rice stocks hence creating artificial scarcity of commodity for their undue profitability resulting in Food Inflation & BGA platform is exploited. REAP also suggested that BGA should work for the betterment of farmers who remained deprived over the years. There is no R&D in seed, the production yields are extremely lower, farmers have no access to fresh and pure seed, the fuel and fertilisers costs are higher, what is BGA doing regarding the issues? He questioned and added that BGA must organise workshops to literate farmers of good agricultural practices in growing and harvesting.
The absence of good agricultural practices have resulted in immature kernels due to early harvesting, Mycotoxins due to high moisture paddy and adulteration and non-availability of pure seed & BGA is not concerned regarding these issues. The only hot topic in BGA releases are the prices which is mala fide interest of the investor lobby only, Samee claimed.
REAP advised that every organisation must act within its defined scope to resolve the issues associated with its products rather peeping through other boundaries. ‘We, at REAP, are concerned about our issues of quality controls, marketing, branding etc. and we like to be focused to gather the best potential possible in exports, which is beneficial for our rice trade and industry, he concluded.


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Volatility is low today as there has been little in the way of new news to trigger excitement.
Yesterday, Jerome Powell, the head of the Federal Reserve, repeated the bank’s determination to support the economy. The Fed won’t even think about removing the stimulus package until the pandemic is well and truly behinds us. There has been chatter than inflation could undergo a jump due to the extremely loose monetary policy of central banks and the aggressive stimulus plans of government’s but a modest increase in US inflation won’t phase the Fed. Equities are also being supported by the belief the US government will sign off on the proposed $1.9 trillion stimulus package within a month.
Royal Mail Group shares hit a new 28 month high as the company revealed a strong third quarter update. Trading in the three month period and into January was stronger than predicted, full year adjusted operating profit is now anticipated to be well in excess of £500 million. In November, the firm projected that annual revenue will be £380-£580 million but in light of the robust trading, it now feels that revenue be will easily exceed that forecast. GLS, the courier service, continues to trade well and revenue growth will top the 21-23% growth forecast issued three months ago. Royal Mail was already dependent on the parcel delivery business before 2020, so the surge in online shopping brought about by the lockdowns amped up the importance of the unit. The third quarter was a record for parcels delivered but letter volume dipped by 14%.
AstraZeneca has been in the news a lot because of the Covid-19 vaccine it developed with the University of Oxford. The pharma giant doesn’t want to be seen to be profiting from a pandemic so that is why the drug is sold for the cost of production. It was embroiled in a spat with the EU in relation to the number of doses it can supply so that didn’t help its image but yesterday the WHO said its vaccine is suitable for all patients above 18 years of age so that should give the drug a shot in the arm. Today’s annual figures showed that product sales increased by 10% to $25.9 billion. Profit jumped by 155% to $1.23 billion. EPS was $4.02, up 15% on the year. Next year’s EPS is expected to be $4.75-$5, which would equate to respectable growth on the year but equity analysts were anticipating the forecast to be $5.05. Certain aspects of Astra’s business have suffered a little as a result of the health crisis due to procedures or treatments being delayed. Blood thinning products and immunology sales were impacted. The 2021 revenue guidance does not include the impact of the Alexion takeover or the coronavirus drug, revenue is tipped to experience low-teens percentage growth.
Commerzbank posted a fourth quarter loss of €2.7 billion – a record for the bank. It was muddling along before the pandemic struck so the situation is now far worse due to the risk of bad debts as well as lower lending margins. As a response to the painful loss, the bank announced it will cut 10,000 jobs as it intends to cut expenses by €1.4 billion over the next two years. The closure of retail branches will be at the centre of the cost cutting programme. Retail banking has been under pressure recently on account of the depressed interest rate environment, prospects are likely to remain weak, so in that regard, the move to reduce its exposure to that sector is sensible. Even though job losses are in the pipeline, the firm is also planning on beefing up its business in Poland, as it is cost efficient. The German lender is aiming to be profitable by next year.
The lockdown has had a terrible impact on Ted Baker as fourth quarter sales tumbled over 47%, the fashion house is assuming that UK stores will remain closed until the end of May. Liquidity stands at almost £200 million and it believes it has ample headroom to see it through until September or October, so even though the near term outlook is bleak, it should be able to soldier on in the months ahead. Ted Baker confirmed that its turnaround plan is still on track despite the current climate so that has cushioned the blow of the dire sales figures.
Coca-Cola HBC is one of the biggest risers on the FTSE 100 as the bottling group lifted its dividend by 3.2% to 64 cents and it issued a bullish outlook. It anticipates robust demand in 2021.
Yet another intra-day record high was set on the Dow Jones as dealers remain optimistic the Biden government will implement its planned relief package as a way of stimulating growth. Also assisting sentiment, is the reassurance from Jerome Powell that the central bank will do what it takes to help the economy.
The latest jobs data was disappointing as the initial jobless claims reading was 793,000, topping the 757,000 forecasts. In addition to that, the previous update was revised from 779,000 to 812,000. There is an argument to be made that strong fiscal and monetary policies are required to assist the labour market.
Uber’s loss narrowed from $8.51 billion to $6.77 billion, which is a step in the right direction but at the same time is a long way from breaking even. The fourth quarter loss per share was 54 cents, slightly better than the 56 cents loss per share that analysts were predicting. Gross mobility bookings slumped by 50% to $6.79 billion, but on the other hand, gross delivery bookings were $10.05 billion, up from 130% one year ago. It bodes well for the company that the delivery side of the business is now outstripping the mobility. One could argue that having a market value of roughly $110 billion when you are losing over $6 billion doesn’t add up.
Cannabis stocks like Tilray, Aurora, Sundial Growers and Canopy continue to see a lot of volatility as there has been a buzz around the sector lately. Medical marijuana companies have seen a return to popularity with retail traders – the herd mentality is mildly similar to what was experienced by Gamestop.
Disney will post its first quarter numbers tonight after the close of trading. The pandemic has worked for and against the company as its theme parks have been badly impacted by the restrictions, there was disruption to the production of TV shows and films too. On the bright side, Disney+, the streaming service saw its user numbers take off. When it was launched in November 2019, analysts were predicting it would rack up 20 million paid subscribers in the first year, when in fact it clocked up more than 86 million. Lockdowns have jolted demand for streaming services. In its last quarterly update, Netflix added in excess of 8 million users, bring the total to more than 203 million paid subscribers. Traders will be wondering if Disney+ can maintain its growth rate.
Bumble, the dating app, will have its first date with the stock market today. The company is due to list on the exchange, a few days ahead of Valentine’s Day. Lately there has been major excitement surrounding anything that is vaguely tech-focused so it is likely that demand will be high. If Bumble wants to go the distance, it will need to consistently grow revenue.
The US dollar index is in the red for the fifth day in a row. This day last week, the greenback reached a two month high but it has rolled over since – the underwhelming US jobs report last Friday sparked the bearish move. In a bid to spur on economic growth, the Fed are content to maintain their very loose monetary policy, but that is hanging over the US dollar today. EUR/USD hit its highest level since late January thanks to the slide in the dollar. GBP/USD set a new 33 month high yesterday but today it seems to be taking a breather as is it basically flat on the session.
Gold has retreated a little following four consecutive days of gains. Metals rallied recently but today copper and platinum have pulled back from their multi-year highs. It is interesting that gold is down even though the US dollar is softer, because lately, a dip in the greenback has pushed up the price of the yellow metal.
WTI and Brent crude oil are showing small losses in the wake of the 13 month highs that were racked up yesterday. Dealers are reducing their exposure to the energy following the jump that was witnessed yesterday on account of the sharp decline in US stockpiles.
Disclaimer: CMC Markets is an order execution-only service. The material (whether or not it states any opinions) is for general information purposes only, and does not take into account your personal circumstances or objectives. Nothing in this material is (or should be considered to be) financial, investment or other advice on which reliance should be placed. No opinion given in the material constitutes a recommendation by CMC Markets or the author that any particular investment, security, transaction or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person. The material has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research. Although we are not specifically prevented from dealing before providing this material, we do not seek to take advantage of the material prior to its dissemination.


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The European Union and the US have settled on a brand new transatlantic data-sharing pact. In an announcement on Monday, the European Fee says the brand new framework ought to enable data to move freely between each areas, easing dangers for social media corporations that function throughout them.
The choice comes three years after the EU’s high court docket struck down the Privateness Defend, a protocol that allow corporations based mostly within the US accumulate and course of knowledge from EU residents. On the time, the court docket stated the Privateness Defend didn’t do sufficient to maintain customers’ knowledge out of the arms of US intelligence businesses. This was a blow to corporations like Meta and Amazon, as knowledge assortment is a vital a part of their companies.
When this coverage was annulled, it left corporations on the hook to adjust to the EU’s data-transferring insurance policies. Earlier this yr, Eire’s Knowledge Safety Fee (DPC) hit Meta with a file $1.3 billion wonderful over its knowledge transfers to the US, stating the corporate did not “handle the dangers to the elemental rights and freedoms” of residents within the EU. In 2021, Luxembourg’s Nationwide Fee for Knowledge Safety slapped Amazon with a $887 million wonderful for its dealing with of EU residents’ knowledge.
The brand new EU-US Knowledge Privateness Framework ought to shield corporations from dealing with related penalties as long as they decide to it. Along with limiting the quantity of abroad knowledge that US intelligence can achieve entry to, the brand new framework establishes a Knowledge Safety Evaluation Courtroom (DPRC) that may “independently examine and resolve complaints” in addition to order the deletion of information.
US corporations may also must comply with a set of privateness obligations, together with a requirement to delete private knowledge “when it’s not obligatory for the aim for which it was collected.” They need to additionally guarantee these safeguards are in place when this knowledge is shared with third events.
“The brand new EU-U.S. Knowledge Privateness Framework will guarantee protected knowledge flows for Europeans and convey authorized certainty to corporations on each side of the Atlantic,” Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Fee, says in a press release. “Following the settlement in precept I reached with President Biden final yr, the US has carried out unprecedented commitments to determine the brand new framework.”
Going ahead, it’s not clear whether or not this coverage will stand as much as the EU’s court docket, as two earlier makes an attempt to determine a brand new framework have been thrown out by judges. Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of world affairs, responded to the information on Twitter, stating that the company welcomes the brand new framework and noting that it “will safeguard the products & companies relied on by individuals and companies on each side of the Atlantic.”


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Snubbed Mærsk takes to court in Transnet/ICTSI Durban port deal
A spanner is a good tool to crack a nut
A major US rail freight carrier is facing a lawsuit for damages of up to $41m for abruptly changing its service.
In court documents filed last week in the state of Washington, the owner and CEO of Rail Logistics claimed the BNSF railway company “negligently obtained and communicated false information”, through motives of “pure greed”, which “effectively destroyed” their business.
Michael Lerner and Steven Lawson’s case centres on their decision to set up a refrigerated intermodal shipping service, Cold Train, to move fresh produce from Washington State to retailers in the midwest using a 72-hour expedited service between Quincy and BNSF’s intermodal terminal in Chicago. The 72-hour timeframe enabled shippers to use rail instead of trucking services.
The service became popular – the port of Quincy’s throughput rose from about 40 containers a month to 100 after Cold Train launched in 2010. By 2011, Cold Train was shipping some 300 containers a month, rising to 500 in 2012 and nearly 700 in 2013.
Cold Train was obliged to use BNSF for 95% of its container movements, and had invested in the purchase and lease of 400 containers by September 2013, a significant personal liability, according to the claim.
While BNSF’s on-time performance (OTP) was 92% in August 2013, by September it had dropped to 81% – and fell each month thereafter to 54%, 44%, 35%, 28% and down to 4% in February 2014.
“Throughout this time,” claim the plaintiffs, “BNSF continued to assure Mr Lawson and Mr Lerner that it was working hard to resolve the OTP issues and represented that timely, consistent service would be restored. Mr Lawson and Mr Lerner accepted these representations and relied upon them.”
Meanwhile, the plaintiffs had received an offer to acquire Cold Train from Federated Railways, for $31.7 million in cash, debt assumption and lease acquisitions, which BNSF “encouraged”. In March, Federated made a capital injection of $1.25m.
However, by April, BNSF’s OTP had fallen to just 3%. Customers could not tolerate the delays and changed service.
On April 24 last year, BNSF did two things: it wrote a letter to the US Secretary of Transportation asking for support for a grant to expand the port of Quincy’s intermodal facilities, where Cold Train was the only intermodal shipper; and it also informed Mr Lawson and Mr Lerner it was cancelling the 72-hour service and substituting a new 125-hour service, effective the following business day.
The plaintiffs claim BNSF had previously informed other customers and “purposefully concealed” the news from Cold Train.
“The change was motivated by BNSF’s decision to totally ignore all produce growers and shippers in Washington and to forgo devoting trains and track to them, but, instead, to commit all of its resources, including trains and track, to more profitable oil and coal shipments,” says the claim.
“BNSF has not only abandoned the produce growers and shippers in Washington, it has decided to drastically enlarge its facilities and add terminals for the sole purpose of transporting oil and coal. In fact, BNSF is currently seeking permits to add terminals for that exact purpose.”
The change in service was “disastrous”, claims Cold Train. Federated withdrew its offer and Cold Train’s management was left facing significant liabilities as well as the loss of the value of the business.
Growers became reliant again on trucking services. Talking to local media in July, Kirk Mayer, manager of the Washington Growers Clearing House, said BNSF’s increased delivery time would make it “next to impossible for a perishable crop, such as tree fruit, to use rail service”.
In a statement BNSF said: “Any suggestion that BNSF would intentionally seek to cause harm to any customer runs completely contrary to how BNSF conducts business. BNSF is dedicated to customer satisfaction and growing our network to meet customer demand. BNSF did experience well-documented service issues following unprecedented demand levels and historic winter weather events beginning late in 2013, but we worked to remedy those situations and regularly communicated with our customers throughout the period so that they could anticipate when service would improve and plan accordingly.”
BNSF must respond within 21 days of receiving its summons.


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Kenya has blocked dozens of trucks transporting corn from Tanzania over quality concerns, even as the country struggles with dwindling supplies and skyrocketing prices for the raw material.
Maize shortages in the country have pushed flour prices up $1.40 to about $2 for a two-kilogram package within a week, as the millers cut production in half.
But at the Namanga, Holili, and Lunga Lunga border crossings with Tanzania, there was dispute over the quality of the grain has trucks loaded with corn queuing to be dispatched to Kenya.
According to Kenyan government officials, Tanzanian exporters lack phytosanitary certificates, so the quality and safety of the goods cannot be ascertained. But Tanzanian Agriculture Minister Hussein Bashe dismissed the claims, calling them disingenuous and unfair and saying Tanzania was supplying quality grains “even for the World Food Programme”.
Also read:Region starves as Tanzania seeks outlet for surplus
Kenya has issued a notice to border crossing managers calling for compliance with the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and the World Trade Organization Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement.
Tanzania called this an act of trade sabotage.
In the IPPC, a member must obtain an import permit detailing the phytosanitary requirements of the importing country before exporting. All phytosanitary measures are based on international standards as with phytosanitary services to ensure that foreign harmful pests, diseases and noxious weeds are not introduced or spread into the country.
Read:Kenya grain producers see red for Dar imports
Undermining a row
Mr Bashe accused Nairobi of undermining a row of bilateral trade deals and the EAC market protocol, leading to a deadlock at border crossings .
“Kenya imports foodstuffs such as corn, avocado and others for which Tanzania has acquired special export certificates under IPPC, but we are shocked at how Kenya treats our products resulting in them being received at stuck at the border,” the minister said at the Namanga crossing this week.
“We suspect Kenya is doing exactly what its middlemen did at some point in the last year to exposing our product to harsh weather to reduce its quality Render it to get low prices, but we have orders from Pr President Samia Hassan to protect the interests of Tanzania’s farmers. We will not jeopardize this until we receive a non-compliance notice from the Kenyan government, which we suspect is acting unprofessionally, but we will follow all procedures to resolve the issue and allow corn to flow freely into Kenya,” he said Minister. p>
Read:Maize exports from Tanzania to Kenya increase six-fold
However, Mr Bashe later changed his mind and explained that some traders loaded trucks with corn without filling out the export permit forms online and were at the border waiting for the permit.
“There are at least 40 trucks in Namanga without an export permit. So I want to warn traders: ‘Don’t go without a license,'” he said. “Export licenses are online, get them and go ahead and trade. But don’t try to recycle the certificates for later exports.”
He said it helps to track trade and products and protect against allegations of poor quality products.
He cited a few unscrupulous traders who smuggle goods across the borders and warned that strict action would be taken against them.
Meanwhile, Kenyan millers have warned that cornmeal prices could rise further should the shortage
< p>The chair of the Grain Belt Millers Association, Kipng’etich Mutai, advised consumers to brace for higher prices as they face greater difficulties in offloading corn “to sustain our milling operations.”
Kitui Flour Mills in Mombasa has already cut back its corn operations after corn ran out. “We normally need 950 tons of corn to work fully, but currently we have reduced our operations by half as we have about 550 tons that will be used up in a day,” Anwar Ahmed, an official at the miller, told East Africa Thursday.
Johnson Weru, Kenya’s chief secretary at the Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and Enterprise Development, says Kenyan and Tanzanian government officials plan to meet in July to discuss the emerging non-tariff barriers to be discussed at the Namanga, Horohoro, Holili and Lunga Lunga crossings as these could wipe out profits from trade within the EAC.


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BeatThatQuote, launched in 2005, provides price comparisons for UK loans, insurance, legal services, utilities and other financial products. It was named one of the UK’s fastest-growing websites by Nielsen in 2007.
“Our team is excited about becoming a part of Google,” BeatThatQuote Managing Director John Paleomylites said in a statement on the company’s website. “We look forward to working with their engineers to create new tools making it easier for consumers to choose the right financial products. We think we can offer more transparency and better pricing information than existing online offerings.”
It’s likely that Google will use BeatThatQuote as its foothold into the UK financial products market. Google has recently shown interest in price comparison technology as well, most recently utilized in the company’s mobile shopping apps.
By adding price comparison results to search, Google can get a piece of the transaction whenever someone starts searching for a home loan or a new car insurance policy on its search engine. The potential revenue from those transactions could make this acquisition quickly pay off.


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PresseBox: Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects group (ATAP) is demonstrating their latest Project Tango Tablet Development Kits at Google I/O 2014 today. Now, for the first time, the tablets with integrated pmd-based depth sensors are shown publicly. Besides a motion tracking and a RGB camera the tablets utilize a pmd-based 3D ToF sensor to allow the tablet to sense its environment in space and motion. The ToF sensor used in the tablet has been jointly developed by Infineon and pmdtechnologies.
"We are proud that Google's ATAP group shows the world for the first time how our 3D technology is contributing to the addition of environmental awareness to mobile devices in a new and unique way. We also look forward to seeing what kind of amazing applications will be developed based on this tablet as the possibilities are endless in applications such as augmented reality, architecture, retail, gaming, and many more.", says Bernd Buxbaum, CEO of pmdtechnologies.
A Youtube video shows Project Tango evolution and possible applications:
Update: PMD publishes a short Youtube video of Google Tango tablet with PMD ToF camera inside:


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ATM Machine Stolen From Store in Ville Platte, Louisiana
Another ATM Machine has been stolen in South Louisiana and now the theft is under investigation.
According to the Evangeline Parish Sheriff's Office, the ATM was stolen from the store Country Cove, which is located on Tate Cove Road near Ville Platte.
Authorities and employees at the store believe that the ATM was stolen in the early morning hours on Friday, March 22, 2024.
The photo from the store that you see here was shared on social media and it shows extensive damage to the entrance of the store. It is believed that the thieves used a vehicle to enter and remove the ATM Machine from the Country Cove store.
If this story sounds familiar it is because this happened at numerous locations across Acadiana and multiple police agencies have been investigating ATM thefts.
In some of the previous stories that we shared here it was noted that the vehicle often used to remove ATM Machines from stores was stolen, however, we do not know if that's the case here.
If you have any information on this case, you are asked to contact the Evangeline Parish Sheriff's Office at 337-363-2161.
Here's another look at the damage done to the store near Ville Platte, Louisiana.
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Shipments of touchscreens for tablet PCs are expected to reach 60 million this year- up from around 10 million in 2010- with Apple continuing to lead the way.
Camera and copier maker Canon chimed in with support today for Intel's Thunderbolt technology, the first major consumer electronics company after Apple to back the new standard. Thunderbolt, formerly known by its codename Light Peak, that combines high-speed data transfer and high-definition video on a single cable. Running at 10Gbps, Thunderbolt can transfer a full-length HD movie in less than 30 seconds. Apple has already adopted the technology--its newest MacBook Pros come with Thunderbolt ports--and is a technical collaborator with Intel. The announcement by Canon--which references "video creation"--marks the second major company to sign on.
Best Buy has once again been ranked the top CE retailer by Dealerscope magazine. Dell, HP and Walmart remain in the second, third and fourth spots, followed by CDW, Amazon.com, Apple, Staples, GameStop and Target. The full list is published in Dealerscope's March 2011 issue.
South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co Ltd launched an ultra-slim notebook on Thursday, seeking to bolster its presence in the high-end mobile computer segment dominated by Apple Inc. Samsung, emerging as one of the strongest rivals to challenge Apple in the booming smartphone and tablet computer market, is eyeing the notebook market, in which Apple is seeking to replicate the success of the iPhone and iPad with its MacBook series. Samsung launched the lightweight 9 Series notebook on Thursday to compete with Apple's ultra-thin MacBook Air, introduced in October. Samsung said the new laptop would cost 2.5
Global TV shipments for the fourth quarter of 2010 reached 77.6 million units, a 15 percent year-over-year jump, according to numbers released by DisplaySearch on Tuesday.


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Amidst the slew of movie theater closings, Look Dine-in Cinemas is opening its first NYC location. The national chain, which also has an outpost in Dobbs Ferry, New York, will bring its dine-cinema experience to Hell’s Kitchen, according to Commerical Observer. The team signed a 15-year lease at 625 W. 57th Street, near 11th Avenue, formerly the home of Landmark at 57 West theater. Look Dine-in Midtown is set to debut this summer, joining the city’s other theater-restaurant hybrids like Nitehawk and Alamo Drafthouse. “This is dine-in 2.0, because the industry has to compete with people being on the couch. How we execute the concept creates an entertainment experience that’s communal. That’s what people are yearning for after being isolated for two years,” Look Dine-In’s chief executive, Brian Schultz, told the New York Times.
Another slice shop in NYC is donezo
This week has been a rough one for New York City slice shops. The decades-old Lenny’s Pizzeria of Bensonhurst held its last day of service this past weekend, and now, Sal’s Pizza Store, a staple of Carroll Gardens has announced its closure. In a past interview, it claims to have been one of the original by-the-slice places from the 1950s. “....Around ‘53 to ‘57 is when by-the-slice came around and we’re number three on that list. You can come here, you don’t have to get a whole pie, you just get a slice and go back to work.” The last day for Sal’s, a slice shop in business for more than 50 years, is this Sunday, according to Brooklyn Magazine.
A deli-inspired restaurant is coming to the Market Line
Hannah and Armin’s Delicatessen, which describes itself as “a fine-dining homage to traditional New York delis by exploration of Ashkenazi cuisine” is joining the subterranean food hall at Essex Crossing on the Lower East Side. According to its Instagram bio, Hannah and Armin will open in March and comes from Dave Dreifus and Mohit Sahoo, behind the brand Best Damn Cookies.
Barano is expanding to Manhattan
The Williamsburg wood-fired Italian restaurant is opening Barano 2 Go, a second location in a ghost kitchen in Manhattan, chef-owner Albert DiMeglio tells Eater. DiMeglio says the new Barano is set to open at the Soho location of Kitchen United Mix, also home to Jersey Mike’s subs and Schnipper’s burgers.


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A Brazilian company’s U.S. subsidiary is being paid over $60 million in aid aimed at helping American farmers weather President Donald Trump’s trade war, according to media reports.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is paying $40.1 million to buy pork from JBS USA — a subsidiary of Brazil-based JBS SA — using American taxpayer bailout funds intended to help U.S. farmers. That’s in addition to previously awarded pork contracts for $22.3 million, The Greeley Tribune reported Thursday.
“Why is the USDA bailing out plants operated by JBS, the largest meatpacker in the world, with a program designed to help domestic companies and producers under economic duress?” Food & Water Watch lobbyist Tony Corbo asked the New York Daily News, which first reported the payments.
The money led Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) to introduce a House bill last week “to require that purchases of agricultural commodities made by the Secretary of Agriculture ... be from domestically owned enterprises.”
“It is clear the president is not the least bit knowledgeable about trade policy, nor aware of the chaos his failed approach has caused‚” DeLauro told the News.
“We now know that tens of millions of these dollars went to large, multinational corporations — including Brazilian-owned JBS — who are racking up profits while family farmers face collapse. That is outrageous.”
The Brazilian company has been involved in corruption scandals in its home country. The U.S. Justice Department has also launched an investigation into owner brothers Joesley and Wesley Batista, who have confessed to bribing top Brazilian officials, and served time in jail there.
The Justice Department is probing JBS for possible violations in the U.S. of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a federal anti-bribery law, according to filings in an unrelated court case reviewed by the News. U.S. investigators interviewed JBS shareholders late last year as part of that investigation, Reuters reported.
JBS told the Tribune in a statement that “all eligible JBS USA pork products” it purchases (to in turn sell to the USDA) “come from American livestock raised on American farms by U.S. family farmers, and are processed in American facilities in rural American towns.”
Last November, Smithfield Foods, a Virginia company owned by a Chinese firm, pulled its bid for $240,000 in pork payments from the USDA after Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) complained that money intended for local farmers was going to an international firm.
HuffPost could not immediately reach the USDA for comment about JBS. But a USDA statement to the News on Thursday said that “regardless of who the vendor is, the products purchased are grown in the U.S. and benefit U.S. farmers.” JBS, therefore, “qualifies as a bidder under this criteria,” and is apparently then eligible for American subsidies.
Trump is considering up to $20 billion in additional subsidies to help farmers survive the new round of tariffs he imposed last week on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods. In retaliation China then announced it will hike tariffs June 1 on $60 billion of U.S. imports. Trump’s new farmer subsidies are in addition to the $12 billion already earmarked for farmer aid last year.


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With demand for PCs cooling and chip inventories piling high, the prognosticators at Gartner now predict that chip sales will fall slightly this year. In Gartner's earlier projection, extracted from a crystal ball in April, the company said that it hoped chip sales would rise by 5.1 per cent to $314bn. That was after realizing …
Take anything Gartner says with a grain of salt. I have never been impressed with them. They seem to be nothing more than a company that combines data from other sources, and puts their own spin on things.
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O2 is looking to build on its 4G offering to UK businesses through a competition aimed at encouraging the development of 4G-boosted applications.
The operator is inviting potential developers to send in app ideas and will offer the best entry £30,000 towards further development of the app, as well as a beta test with O2 business customers and free O2 4G for 12 months.
The winner will be able to choose whether they want O2 to find developer support for the app or if they want to choose their own. The winner will also be given a day-long mentoring session with O2 marketing head of SMB Zoe Hominick to help plan the launch of the app.
British carrier O2 has just announced that customers will be able to connect to O2′s 4G LTE network “in a few weeks”. The news will come as a disappointment to some who would have been hoping to use O2’2 4G on their iPhone from the get-go. Now we know that’s not the case. The news is most likely a result of Apple’s rigorous testing of all the LTE networks that its iPhone runs on. With O2′s 4G LTE network slightly behind Vodafone’s 4G, and a lot younger than EE’s 4G network, delays were to be expected.
O2 said that both the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C will be enabled to run on its 4G network “within the coming weeks”, but that this depends on “when new settings are ready to be sent by Apple”. Customers who buy either device on a 4G tariff before this update happens will get £5 off their bill for one month, according to O2. Until the update, customers can still use all the data that comes with O2′s 4G tariff on its 3G network, and access its O2 Tracks and Priority Sports services.
EE’s lowest price is cheaper than Vodafone’s lowest price, but Vodafone gives you more data for your money. O2 is perhaps the weakest of the three, with similar prices to Vodafone, but offering less data. EE, Vodafone and O2 all have special 4G tariffs, which cost more than your current 3G contract. Three, however, isn’t charging any more for 4G access.
Photo Credit: O2Ireland


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Well I’m going to start “ranting” on my site every now and then and tonight’s rant is about crazy Black Friday shoppers.
I’ve never once participated in this annual ritual where folks head out to Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Malls and other places that offer Black Friday specials.
To me… it’s just not worth the hassle of standing in line and then fighting the chaos once you get in the store.
It also seems that many of the folks that are participating in this ritual… are purchasing things for themselves and not others! Why else would you wait so long for a certain price on something and then go crazy on a night just to get it? You can find gifts for other people without fighting this madness!
Here is a video that was uploaded a few minutes ago from the mainland at a Wal-Mart store:
- Black Thursday instead of Black Friday? (juiciestdeals.com)
- Wal-Mart employees to stage Black Friday protest against “employer retaliation” (fox6now.com)
- Wal-Mart strike could put damper on Black Friday (wjla.com)
- Mobile shoppers forgo Black Friday for Black Thursday – Thanksgiving Day deals (al.com)
- Boycott Wal-Mart on Black Friday (occupiednationobr.wordpress.com)
- What the Hell Is Black Friday For? (jezebel.com)
- Keep Black Friday safe: Near trampling of Muskegon teen last Thanksgiving night puts shopping into perspective (mlive.com)
Filed under: aloha, Announcements, Comedy, Economy, Entertainment, National Affairs, Unexplained Phenomenon | Tagged: Best Buy, Black Friday Video, BlackFriday, Thanksgiving, Wal-Mart, Walmart | Leave a comment »


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Will Jio First Day First Show pose a threat to movie theatres?
What will be the impact of free Jio Fibre 4k LED TV offer on the television industry?
At the 42nd Annual General Meeting of Reliance Industries Limited, Chairman & MD Mukesh Ambani introduced a disruptive concept of watching movies on the day of the release itself, and that too in the comfort of one’s home. Named Jio First Day First Show, the service will be launched in 2020. Though a good news for movie buffs, the service could be a big threat for theatre and multiplex owners who are anyway fighting a battle with piracy.
We spoke to some players in the industry to find out what implication could Jio First Day First Show possibly have on the theatres. Interestingly, most multiplex owners feel the service will not really be a threat to theatres, and they have their reasons to say so. Some of them assert that producers have so far abided by the rule of keeping a difference of eight weeks between playing the content in theatres and on other mediums, and they will surely continue with it.
Supporting the argument, PVR Cinemas, in a media statement, said, “In India and globally, producers have respected the release windows and kept a sacrosanct gap between the theatrical release date and the date of release on all other platforms, i.e. DVD, DTH, TV, OTT etc.”
Multiplex owners also believe the experience of watching a film on the big screen will always be an attraction that will bring film lovers to theatres.
Asserting the point, INOX Leisure, in a statement, highlighted the investments that have been made by theatres to give a world-class experience to consumers. “The theatrical exhibition industry, led primarily by the multiplex industry, has made significant investments in world-class cinema theatres by bringing in state-of-the-art technology, luxurious ambiance, bespoke comfort and unmatched service, ultimately curating an experience which can never be matched by watching movies on television screens at home,” read the statement.
Echoing the belief, PV Sunil, Managing Director, Carnival Cinemas, said they believe the experience of watching a movie with a cross-section of the population in a theatre along with loud reactions takes it to a different tangent as compared to watching it in the solitude of a drawing room.
Preetham Daniel, Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing -Asia, Harkness Screens, too supported the argument. “Movie going is an event, and theatres eventise films. This is an experience people look forward to. As much as content is the king, without the experience factor of the movie theatre, the content doesn’t stand a chance. The quality of home theatre systems and sound systems in the house does not match the sound quality and experience of a theatre,” he reasoned.
He, however, agreed that Jio First Day First show is definitely a very disruptive idea. “A few companies have tried this in the past, including Prima Cinema based in California. Also, back in 2016 Apple mulled over the idea of releasing films at $15 a movie on iTunes before it hit the DVD release,” said Daniel.
But there are also a few who believe Jio First Day First Show isn’t all bad for theatres.
Manoj Desai, Executive Director, G7 Cinemas, Gaiety Galaxy & Maratha Mandir Cinema, is confident the new service will completely eradicate piracy from the system. “It will be a loss for people who pirate films. Jio will provide high-definition digital print for viewing on the same day which will nullify the effect of piracy.”
When asked what if footfalls at the theatres dwindle, he asserted it will depend on people. “People who want to watch it on the big screen, will still come to the theatres,” he said.
Trade experts, meanwhile, believe the actual impact will depend on what business model Jio takes up.
Film producer and trade expert Girish Johar explains there are two ways Jio will get the content. Either they will acquire them or produce films. “If they are producing it, I don’t think anybody will have an issue. But what happens if they acquire the content? Now I am a producer. So, if for example, I invest Rs 10 on a film, I would obviously want a return of Rs 12. If Jio wants to acquire my film and release on digital only, and gives me Rs 14-15 for the right, I am okay. To me, as a content producer, the money will be another opportunity to make another film. There are films that may not be able to carry P&A or marketing and distribution cost. They will go on these platforms.”
Johar doesn’t believe Jio will disrupt the whole ecosystem, because multiplexes are anchor tenants to various malls across the country. It will affect the food business in these malls and footfalls as well. “The gamechanger would be, say a Varun Dhawan or a Shah Rukh Khan film. If I was in Jio, I would go to Akshay Kumar and say since you have three films, release one exclusively on OTT platform. Such things are happening in the West with Netflix and Amazon,” he added.
Another announcement by Mukesh Ambani that has caught everyone’s attention is the Jio Forever plans for customers opting for annual plans. Long-term subscribers will get an HD or 4K LED TV and a 4K set-top box free. So, what impact will this have on the smart TV brands? Well, while some are excited about the news, other gave mixed responses.
According to Pallavi Singh, Ecommerce Operations Director, Thomson TV India, Jio Fiber is a good thing that will happen.
“As far as the TV market is concerned, Reliance already makes television. I don’t think giving away TV with fibre would really impact their sales. Internet connectivity is obviously a big hit, but we still have to see how far will it reach and what is the quality of the product? A lot of customers like to know about the product before they buy it. We will see what kind of plan they roll out. Maybe then, we’ll plan our combat strategy,” said Singh.
Though consumption of video on digital platforms is on the rise in the country, good old television continues to score in terms of penetration and has a large headroom left to fill. According to the 2018 Broadcast India survey, the country has 197 million TV homes, up from 183 million in 2017.
According to Vishwajeet Parashar, Marketing Head, Bajaj Capital, the trend of offering freemium offers is a big hit in the industry.
“Freemium offers coupled with a rapid market penetration strategy has been an all-time win for the telecom giant. The traditional TV sector is definitely threatened as the new-age customers would seek more value for less. The Moore’s law may apply to TV, and smart TV would be the neo-normal. At the same time, the enhanced net speed would be a delight to the ever increasing netizens of India. This would usher a new era of IOT-enabled devices which would actually compensate the loss (if any) suffered by big brands by losing market share,” shared Parashar.
A highly placed source in the industry, meanwhile, said Relaince’s plan is not an immediate problem for television brands. “However, we have to watch when the plan actually rolls out. We have seen how Jio has disrupted the telecom market and we definitely do not want them replicate it in the television market. It will most likely affect the entry level brands, and also bigger brands as far as their entry level TV sets are concerned. But as of now, it is not an immediate threat.”
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Enchi (W/R) Dec.13 - GNA- Cocoa farmers in the Aowin-Suaman district of the Western Region have expressed displeasure at the mode of payment of bonus for the 2003/4 main crop season.
They contended that the directive for all cocoa farmers to meet at the district capitals between December 14 and 16 to collect their bonus would result in a lot of hardships for them.
They told the Ghana News Agency that the three days set aside for the payment of the bonus was too short.
Many farmers would have to travel over long distances in the area where drivers refuse to ply the roads due to the poor nature of the roads.
Nana K. Mushie Tufuhene of Yaakese said Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod) would have to re-arrange the mode of payment else a lot of farmers would not be able to receive their share of the bonus.
He said, for instance, farmers who produced less than a bag of cocoa would have to spend their meagre bonuses on transportation. Mr. Kwasi Amponsah, area manager of Kuapa Cocoa Company said the decision by Cocobod to pay bonus directly to farmers could have been better if the farmers were involved in the planning.
He said most of the farmers who, travelled to their various towns in other parts of the country to vote in the just ended general elections have not returned and therefore may forfeit their bonus.
Mr. Amponsah appealed to Cocobod to extend the days for the payment of the bonus.
Mr. Frank Polley an accountant of Akuafo Adamfo cocoa buying company suggested that bonus to farmers should be paid through the cocoa purchasing companies.
Farmers from Dadieso, Agyakaa, Kwaso, Kwasikrom, Akontombra-Nkwanta, Susem, Sewum Boiso, and Anwhiafutu who spoke to the GNA on the issues expressed their disapproval at the arrangement for the payment of the bonus and said many farmers would lose the bonus if it were carried out.


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Freshworks, a leading provider of cloud-based business software, recently announced the expansion of its offerings into the Middle East market. The company plans to also focus additional investments in marketing, sales and partner resources to better serve its 2,500+ customers in the region.
“The Middle East is a very strategic market for Freshworks, said Arihant Jain, Director for Middle East & Africa, Freshworks. “The opening of this new market is an important milestone for us, as it demonstrates our expanding commitment to the Middle East and further strengthens Freshworks’ position as a leading provider of business software. The combination of our industry-leading software solutions along with an already strong customer base in the region will enable our local operations to partner deeply as small and mid sized enterprises are constantly looking for new innovations to power their customer and employee experience.”
In 2017 the company expanded its regional footprint to include additional partners, acknowledging the increase in the number of SMBs opting for cloud solutions. MENA IT spending reached $155.8 billion in 2017, a 2.4 percent increase from 2016, according to the latest forecast by Gartner, Inc (opens in new tab).


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High costs of telecom mobile devices are hindering digital inclusion in Nigeria, MTN Nigeria Chief Executive Officer, Karl Toriola, has said.
Toriola who disclosed this in an interview with AriseTV explained that the costs of mobile phones have stopped many Nigerians from telecom mobile connection.
“5G has been instrumental towards servicing digitization; a lot of people are shifting their consumption from traditional voice and circuit switch services to data services and probably the biggest barrier to that is actually the cost of handsets,” he said.
Since the rollout of 5G technology in 2022, Toriola confirmed the coverage has quadrupled in the country.
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Toriola further stated that while the global demand has led to a reduction in smartphone costs, Nigeria alone might not generate enough demand to bring down prices as quickly.
He suggested that local assembling could help reduce production costs and eliminate custom duties, making smartphones more affordable.
Discussing financing solutions, he stressed the importance of aggregate credit scoring history for citizens to finance their mobile devices.
“There’s quite a number of companies in Africa that are working on that in partnership with us, and while it may take a bit of time for that momentum to be built, our mobile money PSB – MoMo will enable us predict behavioural patterns and credit worthiness,” he added.
By working on these technologies, MTN aims to make smartphones accessible to a broader population, allowing people to pay for their devices responsibly over an extended period, he said.
gnizing the challenges, Toriola emphasised the need for collaboration with regulators. “MTN is actively working with the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, and regulatory authorities to address the issue of device affordability and promote digital inclusion in Nigeria.”


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You pride yourself on independent thinking—heck, let's say you even have a master's degree in philosophy. But just like any American, you were shopping last weekend for potato chips in Aisle 7 as you prepared for the Big Game party.
Let's say the aisle display for Kettle Chips didn't employ anything resembling Super Bowl-related or football-themed creative, while the cardboard signage for PepsiCo's Lay's next to it was adorned with such insignias. There's a one-in-three chance you grabbed a bag of Lay's because of its creative, according to market research vendor Instantly. Indeed, snack and beverage purchase decisions can be about presentation as much as price and product.
The Los Angeles-based Instantly, which was formerly called uSamp and is announcing its rebrand this week, offers a bevy of market research products and survey services. It posed questions to 299 consumers from Jan. 29 through Feb. 1 to discover what snacks and beverages they were buying for the game and why.
Other key findings included: Consumers react positively to large and eye-catching designs, and PepsiCo has mastered the art of Super Bowl display. When given the choice of Super Bowl advertisers, 32 percent of consumers said they liked PepsiCo products the best. It helps that the Purchase, N.Y.-based soda giant was a chief sponsor of NBC's Big Game telecast, therefore having the right to use official Super Bowl symbols. But the consumer psychology of it all is still pretty interesting.
Check out Instantly's infographic from its new research.


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- 1 min read
Saif Ali Khan brings finesse to Lay's Gourmet chips
Lay's Gourmet chips have found a perfect match in Bollywood's suave and sophisticated actor Saif Ali Khan, who embodies the spirit of quality and refinement.
Lays Gourmet has announced the appointment of Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, as the brand ambassador for Lay's Gourmet chips.
The TV commercial featuring Khan, directed by Vivek Kakkad, showcases the grandeur of Khan’s home as he surprises journalists Aditi and Anjali with Lay's gourmet chips. The commercial seamlessly establishes the correlation between Khan’s impeccable taste and refined choices in life and Lay's Gourmet's crafted experience.
Shailja Joshi, director-marketing, potato chips category, PepsiCo India, said, "We are thrilled to welcome Khan once again as a member of the Lay's family, this time as the face of our range of slow-cooked premium kettle chips, Lay's Gourmet."
Khan added, "I am equally thrilled to rejoin the family as the brand ambassador for Lay's Gourmet. These aren't just chips, they're the perfect accompaniment for moments of finesse. I am sure that the audiences will appreciate the exceptional taste and quality of Lay's Gourmet chips, just as much as I do."
Rajdeepak Das, chief executive officer, and chief creative officer of South Asia, Leo Burnett, remarked, "Crafted from fine ingredients, each chip is a testament to the pursuit of the best flavor and experience. And who better than the Nawab of Pataudi himself, Saif Ali Khan, who embodies the spirit of quality and sophistication, to bring alive the experience of Lay's Gourmet."


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Advanced Micro Devices Inc. on Thursday named PC-industry veteran Rory Read as its new chief executive, ending seven months of management uncertainty at the chip maker.
The 49-year-old Read — who had served as Lenovo Group’s
The company’s board “chose Rory not only for his experience and accomplishments, but also for his passion, the depth and clarity of his strategic vision and his keen ability to bring that vision to reality,” AMD said in a statement.
On a call with analysts and reporters Thursday, Read said, “I want to win. I see a unique set of opportunities for this company. … I believe we can be stronger than ever.”
Shares of AMD jumped on the announcement, but eventually gave up most gains in a sign of lingering worries about the company’s prospects. The stock closed at $6.37, up 0.5%.
The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company had faced criticism from Wall Street after the sudden departure of its well-regarded former chief, Dirk Meyer, in January. Chief Financial Officer Thomas Seifert had served as interim CEO.
Analysts repeatedly had noted that the lack of a permanent chief remained a serious concern for AMD, which is also facing stiffer competition from rival Intel Corp.
“We believe another big drag on AMD shares has been resolved with the announcement of a new CEO,” Sterne Agee analyst Vijay Rakesh said in a note.
Read also quickly won praise for his role in leading Lenovo during the PC company’s steady growth over the past few years.
IDC analyst Bob O’Donnell noted that Lenovo “has been an amazing growth story, particularly in China, but even in the U.S.”
“As president and COO, [Read] clearly had a big role in making that happen,” he said in an interview. “That’s a good sign. ... He also is obviously very knowledgeable about China, and China is now the largest PC market in the world. So having that knowledge will be important.”
FBR Capital analyst Craig Berger said Read served as Lenovo’s COO “during a time of strong revenue growth and operating income improvements.”
“We do believe Read is a credible executive for AMD, a ‘new guard’ executive who has been in the trenches at Lenovo for the past five years,” he added. “We do think Read can and will leverage his relationships at Lenovo to help drive AMD’s sales, and at IBM to help drive AMD’s R&D and foundry strategies.”
Evercore Partners analyst Patrick Wang said Read’s “track record should stabilize and sharpen AMD’s execution, and time at Lenovo should strengthen AMD’s bond with the Chinese PC maker.”
Lenovo Chief Executive Yang Yuanqing, in a statement, said Read “made a significant contribution to our success during his time as president and COO at Lenovo.”
But Read is also taking over at a tough time for AMD and the PC industry in general.
The sector has been reeling from weak demand due to the economic uncertainty and the rise of mobile devices such as smartphones. Last week, Hewlett-Packard Co.
Intel and AMD, which dominate the PC-chip market, also face a challenger in ARM Holdings PLC
“AMD’s business model continues to be structurally challenged as the world sorts out how deep ARM on Windows and ARM-based tablets will eat into the consumer and business PC segments,” FBR’s Berger said. “The basic question to be answered is whether AMD will remain the firm No. 2 to Intel’s x86 processors, or whether Nvidia and other ARM-on-Windows suppliers will now become the alternative to Intel’s x86, and what role does an AMD have in an ARM on Windows world.”
Evercore’s Wang also raised the ARM issue, saying the business challenge “has significant implications to AMD’s long-term road map and investment strategy.”


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Jul 18, 14Lexus could build sub-NX crossover
Lexus is analyzing the prospects of launching a smaller crossover to sit below the recently introduced NX.
Jul 17, 14Lexus confirms plans to roll out LF-LC production version
The Lexus LF-LC will eventually receive a production version according to the company's vice-president in Europe, Alain Uyttenhoven.
Jul 14, 142015 Lexus RC F tackles Goodwood [video]
Lexus has released a new promotional video of the RC F, following its British debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Jul 07, 14Lexus RC F with Solar Flare paint spotted in the metal
A Lexus RC F was photographed featuring the recently introduced Solar Flare paint scheme.
Jul 02, 14Lexus LX could get a diesel engine - report
According to a recent report, the Lexus LX could be offered with a diesel engine.
Jul 01, 142016 Lexus RX could have three row seating - report
Lexus NX assistant chief engineer Kei-Ichi Nishiyama has revealed some new details about the next-generation RX.
Jun 30, 14Lexus IS 300h Executive Edition introduced (UK)
Lexus has introduced the IS 300h Executive Edition in the United Kingdom.
Jun 27, 142015 Lexus IS announced with minor updates
Lexus has announced a series of updates for the 2015 IS. They mostly focus on the interior
Jun 19, 14Toyota Motorsport GmbH boss downplays TMG-branded models, hints at a new Lexus IS F
Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) unveiled the Lexus LS Sports 650 concept a few years ago and it fueled speculation about a high-performance sub-brand.
Jun 17, 14Lexus RC F color competition ends with 'Solar Flare' winner
Lexus' contest for selecting the name of an orange hue for the RC F has ended and the winner is "Solar Flare."
Jun 11, 14Lexus to resurrect SC nameplate in 2017 with a production version of LF-LC concept - report
Australian media is reporting Lexus will bring back the "SC" moniker in 2017 with a production version of the LF-LC concept.
Jun 10, 14BMW & Toyota working on another sports car, could be mid-engined - report
Rumors about the jointly developed BMW and Toyota sports car have been swirling for months but a new report is claiming the companies are already developing a second sports car which is a mid-engine m...
May 30, 14Lexus highlights the development of the RC F Coupe [video]
Lexus has released a new promotional video that highlights the development of the RC F Coupe.
May 29, 14Lexus trademarks the IS 200t moniker in the U.S. - report
Lexus recently introduced their first turbocharged engine on the NX 200t and it looks like the IS will become the next model to use the engine as the company has reportedly trademarked the IS 200t mon...
May 23, 142015 Lexus NX 300h pricing announced (UK)
Lexus has announced the 2015 NX crossover will be priced from £29,495 (OTR) in the United Kingdom.
May 20, 14Lexus IS 25 Aniversario special edition introduced at Madrid Auto Show
After publishing a teaser photo last week, Lexus has introduced the IS 25 Aniversario at the Madrid Auto Show in Spain.
May 14, 14BMW & Lexus working on a new LFA - report
According to reports out of Japan, BMW and Lexus are working on a new LFA.
May 13, 14Lexus teases IS 25 Anniversario ahead of Madrid Auto Show launch
Lexus has released a teaser image for the IS 25 Anniversario set to be revealed later this month at the Madrid Auto Show in Spain.
May 05, 14Lexus asking fans to name new orange paint for RC F
Lexus has created a new body paint scheme for the RC F and are asking fans on Facebook to find a proper name for the hue.
May 04, 14Lexus rules out Chinese production due to quality concerns
Although many automakers have established production facilities in China, Lexus has decided not to go down this route because of quality concerns.
Apr 29, 14Lexus LX 570 Supercharger special edition announced with 450 bhp
Lexus has launched a special "Supercharger" edition of the LX 570 in Kuwait which as you would imagine brings a supercharger kit.
Apr 28, 14Lexus is developing a seven-seat crossover - report
According to a recent report, Lexus is working on a seven-seat crossover. It could arrive in 2016 or 2017 and be called the TX.
Apr 24, 142015 Lexus NX shows its angular design in a parking lot
A production-ready 2015 Lexus NX was spotted in a parking lot near Toyota's Burnaston factory in United Kingdom.
Apr 23, 14Lexus IS to get a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine - report
Lexus recently introduced their new turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol engine in the 2015 NX and a new report is indicating the mill will eventually find its way into the IS.
Apr 21, 142015 Lexus NX bows in Beijing, US launched slated for this fall [video]
Lexus has officially unveiled the entry-level NX crossover at the Beijing Motor Show.
Apr 19, 14Lexus RC F walkaround video from New York Auto Show
Lexus officially unveiled the RC F Coupe at the NAIAS in Detroit in early 2014, three months later the sports coupe joined the 2014 New York International Auto Show
Apr 11, 142015 Lexus NX fully revealed with three powertrains and AWD option
Lexus has officially revealed the 2015 NX crossover, following yesterday's partial leak.
Apr 10, 142015 Lexus NX partially revealed in magazine before this month's Beijing launch
The 2015 Lexus NX production version has been partially revealed by a French magazine.
Apr 08, 14Drag race: BMW M235i vs. Lexus IS F [video]
The 2014 BMW M235i and the 2014 Lexus IS F don't really compete, at least on paper
Apr 07, 14Lexus GS commercial mocks German competitors [video]
Lexus has launched a new ad for the GS in which they mock the model's main German rivals.


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There’s a special kind of middle-class horror that attaches itself to parents who make money out of their children.
- by Camilla Nelson
In an otherwise innocuous part of Facebook's expansive Silicon Valley campus, a locked door bears a taped-on sign that reads "War Room."
Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull spent 15 times more on social media and internet based promotion than an average MP in 2017/18.
- by Nigel Gladstone
Also in The Goss: Miranda Kerr and Evan Spiegel's covert Australian visit; Barnaby Joyce's daughters go 'wild'; and an Eastern Suburbs' yummy-mummy drama.
- by Amy Croffey
Forget pedigree. These days becoming a member of the A-list party set is about creating your own personal brand – and sharing it with thousands of followers.
- by Andrew Hornery
Google will shut down Google Plus, the company's floundering answer to Facebook, after it discovered a security vulnerability that exposed the private data of up to 500,000 users of the service.
In a surprise Instagram post, Swift - who has copped endless criticism for her silence on Trump - finally spelled out where her allegiances lie.
- by Erin Nyren


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Anime fans can now catch a glimpse of Nitroplus‘s new cross-over fighting game in action, with new screenshots for Nitroplus Blasters: Heroine Infinite Duel.
Last week, Japanese studio Nitroplus announced that a new fighting game was in development with Examu, the same team behind the Arcana Heart series, and the cross-over Fighter Aquapazza: Aquaplus Dream Match. Nitroplus Blasters: Heroine Infinite Duel ropes in various characters across the Nitroplus franchise, including the likes of Muramasa and Super Sonico, for a partner-based fighting game. Players choose one character as their primary fighter, while another is chosen as an assist; each character-and-partner combination features its own unique moveset. Over the weekend, new screenshots and character artwork were released for the Japanese-exclusive title, courtesy of the latest Famitsu issue:
Nitroplus Blasters is set to release in 2015 in Japanese arcades; a console release has not been confirmed.
Images courtesy of Nitroplus, Examu, Famitsu
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Hewlett-Packard will invest over $1 billion in open-source cloud computing products and services over the next two years. The tech giant announced on Wednesday that its OpenStack-based public cloud service, set under a portfolio dubbed HP Helion, will become available in 20 data centers over the next two years. HP Helion includes HP’s existing cloud products, new OpenStack-based services, and both professional and support services to assist businesses in building and managing hybrid IT environments.
Hewlett-Packard Co. said it is investing more than $1 billion over the next two years to develop cloud-computing software and tools, a move it considers necessary to ward off competition even if it means cannibalizing its legacy hardware and software businesses. The investment would account for a substantial portion of H-P’s shrinking research-and-development budget, which fell 8% last fiscal year to $3.1 billion. It will also go toward hiring more developers and consultants to design, build and run cloud systems. The company said it will expand the availability of its cloud software from two data centers to 20 over the next 18 months. But the commitment pales in comparison with cloud investments from bigger competitors such as Google Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp., which are spending $1 billion to $2 billion a quarter to build data centers and acquire the necessary real estate, on top of billions more in R&D each year.


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Apple says that it is attempting to hurt competitors by hiding the performance of its newest product, but the true victim could be Apple stock.
Apple released earnings Tuesday for the quarter that included the debut of the Apple Watch, the first new product category from the tech giant since the launch of the iPad. Apple shares
It is impossible to know how Apple’s smartwatch did in its first months of release from Tuesday’s report. As Apple had previously announced, the company gave no hard numbers on sales of the device, instead grouping those results with iPods, Apple TV and other devices.
The numbers that Apple did give suggested that the Watch underperformed analysts’ expectations. The “Other” category that includes the smartwatch grew by less than $1 billion, both sequentially and year-over-year, and analysts on average expected Apple to collect more than $1.8 billion from initial sales of Apple Watch, according to a FactSet survey.
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster wrote that those numbers equaled sales of about 1.2 million devices, far lower than his 3 million projection and the consensus expectation of 4 million.
“We believe the number may fuel investor concerns about the near- and long-term wearable opportunity,” Munster wrote.
Apple Watch sales are not going to make or break Apple’s financial performance in the short term. The world’s most valuable company is primarily reliant on the iPhone: Apple posted iPhone sales totaling $31.37 billion in the quarter, more than 63% of its $49.6 billion total.
Tech investors concerned about future growth are looking for something besides the iPhone to drive sales, however, and they won’t know for sure if the Apple Watch is that product unless Apple begins to share more information about its performance.
“They have to answer the question: Is this a legitimate product category for Apple in the coming year?” FBR Capital Markets analyst Daniel Ives said in a telephone interview Tuesday evening. “There’s a bit of a black cloud around this Watch situation until they give a unit number.”
Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri attempted to head off the thought that the change in the “Other” category would accurately reflect Watch sales, telling the Associated Press in an interview ahead of the results that Watch sales were “well over” the $952 million difference from the previous quarter and exceeded internal expectations.
Chief Executive Tim Cook reiterated those comments in Tuesday’s conference call, and seemed to dispute third-party reports that sales declined during the quarter, saying that sales in June were higher than in April or May.
Cook also said that “our objective for the quarter wasn’t primarily sales,” and that Apple was looking to perfect its sales strategy ahead of what it hopes will be big holiday sales of the smartwatch.
Both executives said Apple’s vagueness on Apple Watch sales was an attempt to keep secrets away from other tech companies looking to score in the wearables category.
“We don’t intend to provide insight that could help our competitors,” Maestri said in the call.
However, Apple gave plenty of information about iPhone, Mac and iPad sales, despite heavy competition in the smartphone, personal-computer and tablet markets, respectively. When asked for more information on the competitive Watch insights such information would reveal, an Apple spokeswoman declined to go into more detail.
Ives believes Apple won’t wait long to start providing the information, especially as more and more analysts attempt to discern sales on their own from the information Apple does provide.
“In two or three quarters, they’ll be giving the Watch number,” the analyst predicted.


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Ford has abandoned plans to spend $1.6 billion building a new factory in Mexico, the company said Tuesday, announcing that it will invest $700 million to expand a manufacturing facility in Michigan.
The company had initially planned to build a factory to produce the Ford Focus in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Instead, the Focus, which is currently made in Wayne, Michigan, will be built at one of Ford’s current Mexican factories.
“This will make way for two new iconic products at Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan, where Focus is manufactured today – safeguarding approximately 3,500 U.S. jobs,” Ford said in a statement.”
The expansion of the Michigan facility will focus on producing self-driving and electric cars, Ford said. The company said it will roll out 13 new electric car models in the coming five years, including hybrid electric versions of its F-150 and Mustang models.
Like many US manufacturing giants, Ford has been criticized by Donald Trump for sending manufacturing work overseas. Almost immediately after Trump’s surprise election win, Ford announced that it would not go through with a plan to shift the production of some Lincoln SUVs to Mexico from Kentucky.
Hours before Ford’s announcement on Tuesday, Trump criticized General Motors for building cars for the US market in Mexico, and warned they could face import taxes in the future.
TOYOTA will invest $10 Billion in five years
Toyota will invest $10 billion in the United States over the next five years, the company said Monday at the annual Detroit auto show. The announcement comes just days after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump criticized the Japanese manufacturer for a previously-announced relocation of Toyota Corolla production to Mexico. Toyota will devote a majority of the new investment to improving manufacturing plants, spokeswoman Amanda Sawyer Roark said in an email to AFP. "This investment also includes our new headquarters in Plano and research into autonomous vehicles and robotics," she said.The company declined to say whether the investments would lead to the creation of new jobs, a key mantra of the incoming U.S. president, who has repeatedly targeted automakers with his tweets. Toyota, the world's largest automaker, employs 40,000 people in the United States, of which 5,000 were hired in the last five years.
Sources: buzzfeed, dailysabah


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At a glance
Business: Orthopedic devices designer and manufacturer
Ownership: Biomet was acquired in 2007 by a consortium of private equity firms, including affiliates from The Blackstone Group, Goldman Sachs Capital Partners and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
Employees: More than 7,600 worldwide; Warsaw numbers were not provided
Fiscal 2011 annual sales: $2.73 billion
He might command the big cats to balance on a ball or jump through flaming hoops.
But there’s one thing he’ll never do: turn his back on an animal that is his natural enemy.
Likewise, when competing companies consider business deals, they take extraordinary precautions to protect themselves from each other. But instead of whips and chairs, they rely on lawyers and clause-filled contracts.
Such is the case with Biomet Inc.’s $280 million binding offer for DePuy Orthopaedics Inc.’s worldwide trauma business – those instruments and implants used in emergencies rather than planned surgeries, such as hip replacements.
DePuy isn’t selling its trauma business so it can focus on another niche. The company will use that money – and a lot more – in its $21.3 billion purchase of Swiss orthopedics maker Synthes. Synthes is the world leader in trauma products. And to reduce the possibility of a monopoly, European regulators are requiring DePuy to sell its existing trauma business before buying Synthes.
The 100-plus page binding agreement between Biomet and DePuy keeps DePuy from talking to other suitors, locks in employee wages for two years after the deal closes and specifies the exact screw, staple, plate and pin designs that are part of the sale.
Experts in mergers and acquisitions say crafting a tight contract is the best way for sellers and buyers to guard against sabotage.
Of course, all the legalese in the world won’t protect a buyer if a deal is ill-conceived.
Two of the M&A experts interviewed questioned the wisdom behind Biomet’s acquisition offer, which would put the manufacturer in direct competition with DePuy for orthopedic trauma products.
Biomet’s lawyers have sharpened their clauses to protect the company in the impending deal.
For example, a potential buyer could come in, examine his competitor’s operation and then decline to make an offer. By that point, however, the “buyer” could have learned various trade secrets that would give him a future edge when designing products or calling on clients, the experts said.
Luckily, there’s a clause for that.
A reverse termination fee is a fairly new phenomenon in acquisition contracts, said Thomas Lys, who teaches mergers and acquisitions at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Chicago.
The potential buyer has to pay it – usually 4 percent to 6 percent of the total deal value – if he looks at the books, then walks away.
A forward termination fee – usually 3 percent to 4 percent of the deal’s value – is slapped on the seller if it shops the business to other companies after receiving the formal offer, Lys said.
“The tighter you write the prenuptial, the less problem there will be going into the future,” he said. “It’s not very romantic.”
That deal was approved April 19, giving Biomet’s acquisition of the DePuy trauma business the green light. DePuy is a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson.
In its decision, the European Commission said Johnson & Johnson’s promise to sell its existing trauma business ensures “the merged entity would continue to face competition” and leaves doctors and patients with a sufficient choice of alternatives.
Although the regulatory hurdle has been crossed, other issues can arise after a deal closes, said Robert Bruner, dean of the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.
“The sellers might loot the company of its cash and assets; they might steal intellectual property or convince key clients to shift to another firm; or they might spread malicious rumors about the intentions of the buyer,” he wrote in an email.
Well-crafted acquisition contracts prohibit such actions by the seller or prevent them by including carefully structured incentives to promote positive behavior, he said.
Like other academics interviewed, Geis hasn’t studied the specifics of Biomet, DePuy or their negotiated contract. Several equity analysts who do study the companies declined to comment on the pending acquisition for various reasons.
But based on years of experience, Lys can offer some observations from basic information about the deal.
DePuy wants to better position itself in the marketplace, Geis said. That’s evident from its offer to spend almost 100 times more to buy a global trauma business than it will receive for the one it’s selling to Biomet.
For its part, Biomet might be thinking the new business will couple well with the company’s existing assets, creating a synergy. This could allow Biomet to deploy the assets in a way DePuy couldn’t, Geis said. That asset might be an executive who the company believes has the right vision to grow the business, for example.
“The other possibility is that Biomet is suffering from what we call hubris,” or an inflated sense of its ability to make money from a situation that others wouldn’t consider promising, Geis said.
A spokesman for Biomet twice declined requests to comment for this article. A DePuy spokeswoman also declined to comment.
A third potential factor in Biomet’s strategy could be that DePuy is so eager to sell that it’s offering a great price on the business, Geis said.
Of course, he added, the reality could be some combination of those factors.
Often, acquiring companies make assumptions that might not materialize, Geis warned. For example, when Quaker Oats acquired the Snapple beverage brand, Quaker Oats believed Snapple’s independent distributors boost Gatorade, a brand Quaker Oats already owned. But that didn’t happen. Sometimes company officials assume there will be synergies that don’t materialize, he said.
In this deal, Biomet is making various assumptions. If those assumptions are reasonable, and if the sale price is reasonable, Geis said, “It could work out.”
“I don’t know what the buyer is thinking, but this seems like a difficult deal to pull off,” the professor said.
Because DePuy is acquiring Synthes, it will remain in the global trauma market, working in direct competition with Biomet.
“That’s a very dicey situation because now the seller has incentive not to wish me well. That’s a problem,” Lys said. “My advice to the buyer is: Be careful.”
DePuy could “scorch the earth” by mistreating customers it hopes to lure away from Biomet in the future, Geis said.
Although it might seem unlikely that DePuy could win back customers in such a scenario, Biomet’s lawyers clearly think the buyer needs to be protected from that situation. Multiple paragraphs in the contract outline how DePuy must conduct business until the closing date.
Specifically, the company is barred from poisoning business relationships, failing to protect patents and trademarks, failing to maintain buildings and equipment, firing employees or, conversely, granting workers huge raises.
Lys believes Biomet needs to insist on guarantees from DePuy.
“You know a lot about the stuff you sold me, and I know very little about you,” he said, summing up Biomet’s situation after DePuy starts running the Synthes business.
Another factor could make it difficult for Biomet to benefit from its purchase, Lys said. Often, an acquisition reduces the number of competitors in a marketplace, he said. That allows the buyer to raise prices, making it easier to post a profit.
But, in this case, DePuy will still be selling trauma products. That will keep Biomet from following one typical path to profit after the deal closes.


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NBA Live 13 has been given its first trailer, and alongside the visual look at the basketball title comes the news that it’s release has been delayed.
“We’ve been working hard on the game… [and] will share more information in the future,” reads the post.
The game was noticeably absent from E3 2012 this year, and EA Sports explained it away has the title “deserved its own time” and promised to show it at a later date.
We’ll just have to wait for more information on the title when EA feels ready.
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The above video is a short video recap from the Masculine Fashion show that took place in Ybor City, Tampa, FL on January 28, 2011. Future Masculine live events are in the making, in addition to an online contest and Caribbean get-away opportunity. More to come!
Logan, Brad and Nick all participated in last week's MASCULINE male fashion show in Tampa, FL. They were only three of 12 models who were in the show. But these images are from a special trio photo shoot they took part in with Michael Downs.


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Delivering farmer revenue and a fair price to the supplier was one of the topics brought up at Bord Bia’s virtual Meat Marketing Seminar today, Friday, January 21.
Taking questions from those tuned in to the event – which would have been primarily beef processor staff involved in marketing – the speakers were asked: “Regarding the topic of licence to trade, delivering farmer revenue is growing in importance in France, do you see this topic arising in other markets?”
Answering the question, Danny Bowles, Bord Bia’s international insights and planning specialist, outlined: “Talking about a fair price to the supplier, the reality is, it stands out in some markets but not every market.”
It’s not universal but it is particularly important to the Irish shopper, the Italian shopper and the French shopper.
“In these three countries there is a closer connection between the consumer and the producer of the food, but in other markets, that connection is not as strong” the Bord Bia specialist explained.
The topics and speakers at today’s event were as follows:
- 2022 meat strategy and plans – Joe Burke, senior manager, meat and livestock, Bord Bia;
- The shifting balance between retail and food service – Nicola Knight, senior analyst, Food-To-Go, IGD;
- Meat shopper insights and meat trends review – Danny Bowles, international insights and planning specialist, Bord Bia;
- UK market update – Emmet Doyle, market specialist meat GB, Bord Bia;
- European market update – Noreen Lanigan, regional manager Europe and North America, Bord Bia;
- International markets update – Shane Hamill, regional manager Asia, Africa, Middle East, and Russia, Bord Bia.
Continuing, Bord Bia’s international insights and planning specialist said: “In Ireland, where the agri-sector is so important, you see in retail the ‘heroing‘ of the producer and the spotlight being put on producers in supermarkets. There is that connection that’s certainly of growing importance.
“In France and Italy where there is that rise in gastronationalism, that sense of making sure the farmer is getting a fair price is increasing in importance, but from a global standpoint, it didn’t really register hugely – but it depends on the market,” he concluded.


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MOSCOW, January 17. /TASS/. Bitcoin exchange rate fell by 25.1% over a day to $10,516 reaching the level below $10,500 for the first time since December 1, according to the data of the electronic cryptocurrency platform Coinmarketcap.
Bitcoin is a decentralized system based on blochain technology, which any user - participant of the system can emit, creating new blocks of the system with the help of a computing device. The concept of the system was first published in November 2008.
In early August 2017, cryptocurrency was divided into classic bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash, due to disputes about updates, which were supposed to increase the speed of transaction processing.


text: Binance, aside from planning to open a DEX by the end of this year, plans now to open fiat to crypto exchanges on every continent except Antarctica(its rumored that penguins are hostile to Crypto). Binance, which is known for its crypto to crypto exchange, is getting into the game with fiat to crypto because it acknowledges that the crypto market is a small percentage of the fiat market and fiat is where the big money is. Binance has plans to siphon some of that money away from the fiat market and put it into crypto. All these new exchanges, will, of course, increase the demand of BNB coin and could push it up towards $50 as volumes increase. This Token, as well as moves made by Binances are something to keep your eye on in the coming months.


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Dashing hopes for a “Trump bump,” the U.S. economy grew at its slowest pace in three years during the first quarter amid a sharp dropoff in consumer spending.
In its first of three estimates, the Labor Department said gross domestic product increased at an annualized rate of 0.7%, missing expectations for a 1.2% pick up and well short of President Trump’s 4% target.
Consumer spending, which accounts for approximately 71% of overall economic growth in the U.S., grew at a slight 0.3% rate, down sharply from the 3.5% pace it notched in the final three months of 2016.
“It marks a rough start to the administration’s high hopes of achieving 3 percent or better growth; this is not the kind of news it was looking for to cap its first 100 days in office,” Sal Guatieri, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets in Toronto, told Reuters.
As The New York Times reports, most economists on Wall Street are looking for a rebound over the rest of 2017, with growth rising to about 3% in the current quarter. Wage growth in the first quarter was the fastest in 10 years as the labor market nears full employment and business investment on equipment was the strongest since the third quarter of 2015.
Also indicating the economy’s underlying strength, consumer and business confidence are near multi-year highs.
“Typically there’s a high correlation between sentiment readings and what transpires by way of spending…but in the first quarter, it didn’t manifest quite the same,” Mark Luschini, chief investment strategist at Janney Montgomery Scott, told Fox Business.
The decline in consumer spending was particularly notable for long-lasting goods like computers and kitchen appliances, automobiles, clothing, and energy. Other headwinds in the first quarter likely also included weather-related issues and delayed tax refunds.
“We see ebbs and flows in consumer spending, and it’s still on an upward trend,” said Scott Anderson, chief economist a Bank of the West in San Francisco.
But Stephanie Pomboy, founder of independent economics consulting firm MacroMavens, said the rising cost of necessities like health care, housing and education is crowding out discretionary spending for middle-class Americans.