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CVS Caremark Corp. dodged a bullet after a years-long federal investigation, agreeing to a $5 million settlement that didn't require major changes to the company's practices.
The company settled Federal Trade Commission allegations that one of its subsidiaries misrepresented prices of certain Medicare prescription drugs. The FTC said it had also looked into allegations of antitrust violations but concluded the probe without bringing antitrust charges.
CVS Caremark is the product of a 2007 merger between the drugstore chain CVS and Caremark, which manages pharmacy benefits for millions of consumers.
"It is important to note that, at the conclusion of this comprehensive investigation, the FTC made no allegations of antitrust law violations or anticompetitive behavior associated with any of our business practices, products or service offerings," Douglas A. Sgarro, CVS Caremark's chief legal officer, said in a statement.
The charges that the FTC did bring after spending more than two years in its investigation involved a CVS subsidary called RxAmerica. The FTC alleged that from 2007 until at least November 2008, RxAmerica posted incorrect prices for certain Medicare Part D prescription drugs at CVS and Walgreens pharmacies. The actual costs of some drugs were as much as 10 times more than RxAmerica's posted rates, the commission said.
Because of the deceptive prices, elderly and disabled consumers chose RxAmerica drug plans and paid significantly more than they expected for their prescriptions at CVS and Walgreens, the FTC alleged. Thursday's settlement requires CVS to pay $5 million in consumer refunds.
CVS said in a statement that RxAmerica's posting of inaccurate pricing was inadvertent and took place before it acquired RxAmerica in October 2008.
The merger of CVS and Caremark has been a continued source of concern for consumer groups, which have accused the company of using deceptive and anticompetitive practices to drive consumers into CVS stores.
Last year, several consumer groups called on the FTC to require CVS to divest Caremark or impose significant restrictions on how the combined company operates. Independent pharmacies and some members of Congress also have raised concerns.
"It is regrettable that the FTC's actions fell short of more robust protections for consumers and pharmacy competition, which are warranted in our view," said B. Douglas Hoey, chief executive of the National Community Pharmacists Association.
One of the lawmakers to raise concerns, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D., Minn.), said: "At least this is a beginning." Tight budgetary times and the need to lower health care costs "make it even more important that we are vigilant about these kinds of cases," she said.
Write to Brent Kendall at firstname.lastname@example.org


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Online auction site Trade Me has been trialling Windows Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008 since the start of the year, and has just started testing SQL Server 2008, due to officially launch later this year.
Trade Me, which has been running Windows Server 2003 for a number of years, was not consciously looking to go for the whole MS package, but there are some areas where the three products hook in nicely with each other, which could work favourably for Trade Me, says Dave Wasley, head of infrastructure.
KiwiBank is another early adopter of Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008, but the organisation declined to comment on SQL Server 2008 due to confidentiality policy.
One of the factors that attracted Trade Me’s Wasley to Windows Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 was the enhanced security features, he says. And with IIS 7 (Internet Information Services), Windows Server 2008 offered tighter integration with .Net, which is a benefit from a development point of view, he says.
Initial tests also showed that Windows 2008 utilises hardware more efficiently than its predecessor.
“We have seen CPU [usage] come down 5% to 10% at times, running under 2008 as opposed to 2003,” says Wasley.
Only a few years ago, Trade Me was an ASP application, says Alan Howard, Trade Me’s head of development. The migration to .Net 1.1 was a big project for the company, but the migration from .Net 2.0 to 3.0 was done over a couple of hours, just after the busy Christmas period, he says.
More than anything, Howard sees upgrading to the latest technologies as a recruitment tool to help attract and retain the right calibre of staff.
Wasley agrees: “We’ve got some really smart guys in our team and we have got to keep these guys entertained, [alongside] continuing with the mundane day-to-day work,” he says.
And that approach is not limited to the Microsoft upgrade. The company uses other technologies such as MySQL, PHP and Apache — not running Trade Me but in the infrastructure — and has those skill-sets in-house as well.
Trade Me’s team of eight developers deploys up to nine times a week, so there is a lot of development and testing work going on, says Howard. His team has done a three-week evaluation of Visual Studio 2008, which found small improvements, such as faster compile times, he says.
“And it sounds like a trivial thing, but the guys really liked IntelliSense in the new environment,” he adds. IntelliSense is Microsoft’s auto-completion system, which aims to speed up development and boost productivity.Another advantage is that .Net 3.0 and Visual Studio 2008 are reasonably close to cutting edge, says Howard. It opens doors for the team to do WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) and WCF (Windows Communication Foundation) work and to start using Silverlight, he says.
Trade Me is not planning to release APIs for third-party developers any time soon. “We struggle to find a value proposition in that,” says Howard. The focus of the developer team is business value, and there are no resources for a potential API project, he says. While the API discussion has come up at company meetings, Howard and Wasley see a risk some people may try to misuse the exposed information.
The majority of Trade Me’s servers are running SQL Server 2005, with some servers still running SQL Server 2000, says Matt van Deventer, database lead.
Van Deventer is currently testing SQL Server 2008 on a couple of servers. Benefits he has noted so far include the integration of full-text search into the database engine, which is expected to lead to performance improvements, and IntelliSense in the IDE, which enables developers to cut code faster, he says. Full text search is a separate service in SQL Server 2005.
The company has got 32 database servers in production and nearly as many in the test environments, so anything that improves performance is a benefit, he says.
Another advantage is the filestream capabilities, which enables more efficient handling of photos. Trade Me has “millions and millions” of photos and at the moment they have to be managed on the file system, says van Deventer. SQL Server 2008 runs filestream capabilities natively, which could be a huge improvement for the company, he says.
Trade Me has the capacity to stress-test and use Microsoft’s new products in a live environment. “I can’t think of a better place to test our technologies,” says Microsoft Business Solutions marketing manager Ben Green.

domain: news


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photo credit: Raihana Asral // Shutterstock
Johnson and Johnson will finally end its sales of talc-based baby powder in the U.S. and Canada, but still continue sales overseas.
Over the years, the company has faced about 19,400 lawsuits against the baby powered claiming it has caused users to develop ovarian cancer or mesothelioma, which is a cancer of the lungs and other organs. As a result of the lawsuits, the demand for the talc-based baby powder has drastically decreased.
Even with the claims, Johnson and Johnson insists, and the overwhelming majority of medical research on talc indicates, that the talc baby powder is safe and doesn’t cause cancer.
Due to the decrease in demand, the company will discontinue the product and instead, continue to sell their cornstarch-based baby powder.
Of the cases that have been tried, J&J has had 12 wins, 15 losses and seven mistrials. All of the losses have either been overturned on appeal or are still being appealed.
J&J spokeswoman Kimberly Montagnino said the company doesn’t plan to settle any of the lawsuits and “will continue to vigorously defend” the product.
Written by Clarke Jones


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Peter Njonjo, Co-Founder, Twiga Foods
Dar es Salaam, Lagos and Addis Ababa could be the next stop for a Kenyan fresh-produce distribution platform in its quest to disrupt food-supply chains in Africa.
Twiga Foods Ltd. aggregates farm produce and distributes it to vendors at street corners or market stalls in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, through a mobile phone-based supply platform. In the country’s fragmented retail market, where 90 percent of food is sold through informal outlets, the tech startup is trying to create efficiency to lower food prices.
“A banana in a Nairobi supermarket costs more than a banana in London, while the average income of a consumer in the U.K. is 30 times compared to Kenya,” Peter Njonjo, Twiga’s co-founder, said in an interview in Nairobi. “This is true for many African cities and our vision is to leverage technology and organize a more efficient value chain that lowers food prices.”


text: For the past seven years, Sneaker News has become one of the mainstays for your news in the latest footwear releases with comprehensive details to inform seasoned sneaker aficionados as well as newcomers alike. With over seven million people reading the site each month and social channels that boast over three million followers, it has now decided it is the time to introduce a print magazine. The inaugural issue focuses on the art form, culture and people in the world of footwear of which has been created exclusively and specifically for the print. Readers can expect to get insights into the footwear realm far beyond what they would find on the site’s online and social media presence. With a $30,000 USD target to hit by the end of this month, interested backers can pledge in the different tiers offered and thus receive different returns. The project is expected to be completed by the end of November with an arrival date in early December. Find out more about the project here.


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OB Reiter speaks of a "not only sensible, but also compelling" step.
The 2G rule in Munich is being adapted.
Munich - Corona change in Munich: From Wednesday (December 1st) the 2G regulation will also apply to outdoor catering.
Associated with this is also an FFP2 mask requirement outside of the seat.
The consumption of food and drinks is only permitted there.
Corona change in Munich: "The same rules then apply outside as inside"
"The state capital is thus standardizing the infection protection rules for the catering trade, the same rules then apply outside as inside," it said in a message.
From the point of view of the health department, this step is "necessary, suitable and appropriate to protect against infection".
Munich's Mayor Dieter Reiter said that the decision to prevent unvaccinated people from visiting outdoor restaurants was to be avoided.
The 2G rule now also applies in Munich's outdoor restaurants - Mayor Reiter defends tightening
“The incidence among the unvaccinated is towards 1,800.
Because you don't have a mask on at your seat, it not only makes sense, but because of this current high incidence, it is also imperative that, unlike in the past, 2G must also apply to outdoor restaurants, ”said the SPD politician.
Each company is responsible for checking the 2G regulation - inside and outside.
KVR and the police should monitor compliance.
In the course of his statement, Reiter again called for the corona vaccination.
Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) had recently repeated this request in a mantra-like manner - and talked about his lockdown plans for hotspots in a TV talk.
List of rubric lists: © Sven Hoppe / dpa


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The Nigerian All Share Index, which is the broad index that measures the performance of Nigerian stocks, dropped by 2,793.43 basis points or 5.39% for Q3 ended September 2022 to close trading at 49,024.16 index points.
Checks by Nairametrics showed that activities on the Nigerian Exchange, which opened the quarter at N27.935 trillion in market capitalization and 51,817.59, index points at the beginning of trading on July 1, 2022, closed on September 30, 2022, at N26.451 trillion and 49,024.16 index points, hence has earned a quarter to date loss of about N1.484 trillion or 5.39%.
A further check revealed that the Consumer Goods Index (CGI), which measures the performance of the consumer companies quoted on the floor of the Nigerian Exchange depreciatedby 6.30% during the quarter, from 623.99 index points to 584.68 points.
Despite that, consumer goods offer investors safety during recessionary times; based on the need for products such as food and cleaning products that consumers rely on regardless of the state of the economy.
According to data obtained by Nairametrics from the NGX, which focused on the poor performing consumer goods stocks during the q3, Cadbury Nigeria Plc, Unilever Nigeria Plc, International Breweries Plc, Nigerian Breweries Plc, PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc, Nestle Nigeria Plc, Champion Breweries Plc, and Guinness Nigeria Plc made the list of top eight poor performing firms with a cumulative loss of N299.497 billion in market capitalization.
These stocks were selected based on their price performance from quarter to date and are represented by percentage loss.
1. Champion Breweries Plc-1.34%
Shares of Champion Breweries Plc enjoyed a negative run during the period under review. The brewerycompany lost 1.34% in price during the third quarter, from N3.74 to N3.69 per share. The selling pressure drove down the market capitalization to lose N391.48 million to close at N28.890 billion at the close of trading on September 30, 2022, from the opening figure of N29.282 billion at the beginning of trading on September 1.
Champion Breweries Plc had announced its Unaudited Financial Results for the half year ended June 30, 2022, with a profit after tax of N1.076 billion compared to N445.23 million in HY 2021 representing 141.60% growth year-on-year. Curiously, despite the impressive rise in earnings, the company’s net profit margin in recent periods hovers around 15% on average. In fact, in 2020FY, it was as low as 2.25%, but stood at 15.66% in H1 2022, representing a growth of 71%-on-year.
Net profit margin measures the profitability of a company and a good net margin varies by industry, but a margin of 10% is considered average, while 20% and above is considered high or good. Comparatively, Champion Brew’s net margin is better than other key peers in the industry. For instance, in Q12022FY, Champion Brew’s net profit margin stood at 16.69% compared to Guinness’s 2.90% and Nigeria Breweries’ 0.78%
A cursory view of the financials shows that higher growth in the cost of sales has been a major factor affecting the company’s bottom line. For instance, in HY 2022, revenue rose by 42%-on year to N6.862 billion, while costs of sales rose by 46% to N4.209 billion, broadly due to the increased cost of raw materials, which is a major component of the company’s cost of sales. The cost of sales constituted 76% of the total expense, while raw materials and consumables constituted 49% of the cost of sales.
The shares of the company currently trade at N3.69 and have gained 57% year-to-date.
2. PZ Cussons Plc-3.65%
The share price of PZ Cussons Nig Plc, decreased by 3.65% during the period under review, from N9.60 per share to N9.25 per share, reducing the market capitalization to a loss of N1.389 billion or 3.65% to close at N36.726 billion at the end of September 2022 from the opening figure of N38.116 billion.
PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc, released its Q4 2021/22 unaudited results for the period ended May 31, 2022, reporting a profit of N758.37 million, representing an 11.71% increase year on year.
A cursory view of the result reveals the company’s profit was driven by a significant rise in the company’s main business segments – the sale of the home and personal care products and durable electrical appliances.
These segments delivered revenue of N25.50 billion during the period compared to N22.60 billion in the same period last year. Revenue growth from the segments was at 12.85% year on year.
The shares of the company currently trade at N9.25 and has gained has since gained 51.6% year-to-date.
3. Guinness Nigeria Plc – 8.4%
The shares of Guinness Nigeria Plc also witnessed a negative run during the period. The brewery firm listed on the NGX and the second most capitalized brewery after Nigerian Breweries has lost 8.4% in price during the quarter, from N90.50 to N82.90. The company witnessed sell pressure, which drove down the market capitalization to lose N16.646.91 billion to stand at N181.582 billion at the close of trading on September 30, 2022, from an opening figure of N198.229 billion at the beginning of trading on July 1.
The audited results which were released to the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) at the financial year-end indicated that revenue increased 29% to N206.8bn versus the prior period of 2021 which stood at N160.416 billion.
The revenue was enhanced on the back of Malta sales and RTD brands despite inflationary pressure and slim household wallet.
At the analysts’ conference, the brewer said malta brand contributed 74% growth of the revenue to N60.722 billion from N34.968 billion in 2021 while Ready to Drink (RTD) spirits-based drinks followed with 56% of the revenue with N17.627 billion from N19.719 billion in 2021.
Net financing costs decreased by 94% as a result of the reduction in the net interest cost, and investments of excess naira cash in fixed deposits with banks at higher rates.
The statement also noted that the business’s profit before tax increased to N23.7bn, a 310% growth vs. the same period last year; and operating profit increased by 142% in the period under review. Higher corporate tax was driven by the increase in operating profit and reduced net finance costs.
The shares of the company currently trade at N82.90 and have since gained 113% year-to-date.
4. Nestle Nigeria Plc-13.21%
The share price of Nestle Nigeria Plc, decreased by 13.21% during the period under review, from N1,400 per share to N1,215 per share, reducing the market capitalization to a loss of N146.641 billion or 13.21% to close at N963.077 billion at the end of September 2022 from the opening figure of N1.109 trillion on July 1. Nestlé Nigeria plc has announced a 30 percent growth in revenue to N222.5 billion in its half-year (H1) unaudited financial statement for the period ended June 30, 2022, from N171.4 billion announced in prior-year (H1) results.
Nestlé Nigeria plc, a fast-moving consumer goods company in its unaudited financial statement submitted to the Nigerian Exchange Group Limited revealed a 31% increase in profit before tax (PBT) to N43.7 billion in H1 2022 from N33.4 billion accounted in H1 2021.
The group’s unaudited result showed profit after tax of N21.7 billion recorded in 2021 to N27.7 billion recorded in the comparable period of 2022, Nestlé Nigeria Plc has recorded a 28% growth in profit after tax during the half year ended 30 of June 2022.
The cost of sales was a massive increase during the period of study, reporting a 35.5% rise to stand at N142.2 billion in H1 2022 from N105 billion achieved in H1 2021, the growth in the cost of sales drives gross profit to gain a 20.7% from N66.4 billion reported in H1 2021 to N80.2 billion recorded in H1 2022.
The shares of the company currently trade at N1.215 and have since lost 21.9% year-to-date.
5. Nigerian Breweries Plc – 16.21%
The shares of Nigerian Breweries witnessed a negative run during the quarter. The brewery firm listed on the NGX and the most capitalized brewery in Nigeria has lost 16.21% in price at the end of the third quarter, from N58.80 to N48.40. The company witnessed sell pressure, which drove down the market capitalization to lose N76.967 billion to stand at N397.891 billion at the close of trading on September 30, 2022, from the opening figure of N474.858 billion at the beginning of trading on July 1st.
Nigerian Breweries Plc announced a total sum of N274.03 billion as revenue for the first half of the 2022 financial year, which ended on June 30, 2022. The company also recorded a profit after tax (PAT) of N19.08 billion during the period.
According to the unaudited report and provisional results filed with the Nigerian Exchange Limited, the company experienced a 31% growth in revenue compared to the N209.22 billion recorded in the corresponding period in 2021.
The results also revealed profit after tax for the six-month period under review rose by 142.8%, from N7.86billion to N19.08billion. Similarly, basic earnings per share in H1 2022 was 237 kobo as against 97 kobo that was recorded in H1 last year.
According to a statement signed by the company secretary/Legal Director, Uaboi Agbebaku, the company’s increase in profit was driven mainly by top-line growth resulting from its pricing strategy and better mix.
Further analysis of the results revealed that the cost of sales increased by 18.3%, from N131.34 billion in H1, 2021 to N155.35 billion in 2022 in the same corresponding period. Marketing, distribution, and administrative expenses also rose by 44.6%, from N58.42 billion in H1, 2021 to N84.45 billion in H1, 2022, driven by the increase in commercial activities post-COVID, rising diesel prices, and higher wages arising from collective labor agreements.
The shares of the company currently trade at N48.40 but have since lost 3.2% year-to-date.
6. Unilever Nigeria Plc-16.89%
Shares of Unilever Nigeria Plc have also suffered from the market slide with a loss of 16.89% in price during the quarter, from N14.80 to N12.30. The negative activities drove down the market capitalization to lose N14.362 billion to close at N70.663.57 billion at the close of trading on September 30, 2022, from the opening figure of N85.026 billion at the beginning of trading on July 1.
Unilever Nigeria Plc recently released its unaudited financial statement for the half year ended 30June 2022.
According to the unaudited financial statement, the manufacturing firm reported a profit after tax of N1.906 billion for the half year, from N714.780 million the previous year, representing a growth of 167%.
The profit was boosted by other income of N66.659 million arising fromtransitional service agreement income.
According to the company, subsequent to the disposal of the Tea business in October 2021, Unilever entered into a Transitional Service Agreement with the new owner, Unilever Tea MSO Nigeria Limited. The agreement will be in place for a period of 15 months, during which time Unilever would provide production and sales support to Unilever Tea MSO Nigeria Limited in exchange for a fee.
Revenue grew by 35.12% to N43,806 billion during the period under review from N32,420 billion reported in 2021.
However, the cost of sales rose by 22% to N29.605 billion in 2022 as against N24.204 billion.
The shares of the company currently trade at N12.30but have since lost 15.2% year-to-date.
7. Cadbury Nigeria Plc – 21.09%
The share price of Cadbury Nig Plc benefited from the market downturn dropping by 21.09% during the period under review, from N17.25 per share to N13.60 per share, decreasing the market capitalization to lose N6.835 billion or 21.09% to close at N25.543 billion at the end of September 2022 from the opening figure of N32.398 billion on July 1.
Cadbury Nigeria Plc, a subsidiary of Mondelēz International, has continued to sustain its current repositioning drive. The company’s recently released financial highlights for the first half of 2022 (covering the period January 2022 to June 2022), showed that its turnover rose to N27.8billion in H1 2022, representing an increase of 50.5 percent over the N18.5billion recorded within the same period in 2021.
Similarly, Cadbury Nigeria’s profit for the period under review, grew by 553.7 percent from N516million in H1 2021, to N2.34billion in H1 2022. The company’s basic earnings per share also maintained an upward trajectory, rising by 553.7 percent from 27.48 kobo to 124.68 kobo, within the same period.
In a statement issued by the company, Oyeyimika Adeboye, managing director, Cadbury Nigeria, said Cadbury Nigeria is leveraging its resources to remain competitive in a challenging business environment.
She said: “We operate in a tough business environment characterized by FX scarcity, the continued devaluation of the Naira, and rising operational costs. We developed some strategies internally to enable us to cope with these challenges. We will continue to create value for our consumers and deliver superior returns to our shareholders.”
The shares of the company currently trade at N13.60 and year-to-date have appreciated by 54.6%.
8. International Breweries Plc – 21.42%
Shares of International Breweries Plc have also dropped from the positive run. The brewerycompany lost21.42% in price during the month, from N6.30 to N4.95 per share. The company’s share price drop drove down the market capitalization to lose N36.263 billion to close at N132.967 billion at the close of trading in September from the opening figure of N169.231 billion at the beginning of trading on August 1st
The half-year earnings for the company showed a turnover of N111.4 billion, which is a strong year-on-year growth of 36%.
Administrative and marketing expenses however grew well ahead of sales revenue at 42% to N28.7 billion and claimed a good part of the gross profit.
A drop of 78.8% in other expenses to N2.4 billion helped to lift operating results from a loss of N16.4 billion in the same period last year to an operating profit of N5.4 billion in the half year in June 2022.
The shares of the company currently trade at N4.50 and have lost 9.09% year-to-date.
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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended his company's contentious efforts to expand Internet access in the developing world during his second visit to India this year.
Samsung announced Monday the launch of a new smartphone based on its own operating system, in a step towards independence from the Google Android platform that dominates its popular handsets.
While major video game makers place sure bets on sequels to blockbuster titles, Sony is working with independent studios to bring sassy new titles to the PlayStation platform.
As ever-larger "megacities" become home to more and more of the world's people, the supply chains that bring essential supplies to these crowded populations will become increasingly complex.
Researchers have developed the FAMIUM development platform and are using it to create new application scenarios for adaptive video streaming in web browsers. One highlight is that content can be split between several devices ...
The Mozilla Foundation on Tuesday unveiled two preview smartphones as it invited developers to try its new open-source mobile operating system challenging Apple's iOS and Google's Android.
For many small merchants, selling on Amazon.com is an easy way to boost their business in a tough economy - if only they can get paid.
Chinese Internet giant Tencent on Wednesday posted a third quarter net profit increase of 32 percent, benefiting from the popularity of its instant messaging services and online games.
Microsoft says it is investing $100 million in a new technology center in Rio de Janeiro.


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Bandai Namco and Devolver Digital today confirmed that they’re be releasing a reboot of Shadow Warrior on PS4 and Xbox One.
Based on the 1997 hit, Shadow Warrior is “an ambitious reboot, reimagined with a blend of modern design, inventive combat mechanics, and a contemporary retelling of Lo Wang’s comical rise to legend,” Bandai Namco said in a press release.
“Our fans have been very vocal about bringing Shadow Warrior to PlayStation®4 and Xbox One so we’re absolutely thrilled to be working with our friends at Bandai Namco to have Wang bring a sword to a gunfight,” said Fork Parker, CFO at Devolver Digital.
“To follow-up with its tradition of distributing very high quality games to the market, BANDAI NAMCO Games Europe teams-up with Devolver Digital to bring a highly-praised game onto the new generation consoles! Thanks to Devolver Digital savoir-faire and Bandai Namco Games massive distribution channels, we are aiming to make this new release a huge success for the upcoming years,” added Alberto Gonzalez Lorca of Bandai Namco Games Europe.
Shadow Warrior will be avaiable from 25 September on Xbox One and PS4.
This article may contain affiliate links, meaning we could earn a small commission if you click-through and make a purchase. Stevivor is an independent outlet and our journalism is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative.


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Huckleberry’s Café in Wetaskiwin has come up with a new way for customers to enjoy curbside pickup and company from the community.
Alberta restaurants are opening their dining rooms following AHS orders, including only serving at half capacity, following Alberta’s Phase One of re-openings. However, despite strict regulations in place, some Albertan’s are still weary of dining in while the pandemic is active.
Huckleberry’s customers came up with a solution to leave their houses to meet with friends and family to eat without using the restaurant’s dining room. At the time of the creation of the parking lot picnic, Phase One had not been initiated.
Tasha Chambers with Huckleberry’s Café says that the idea originated on Mother’s Day, when some mothers ordered curbside pick up from the restaurant and then proceeded to set up chairs in the parking lot to enjoy each other’s company while eating their meal.
After seeing a June 3 Facebook post from Huckleberry’s Café of some customers enjoying a parking lot picnic, Mayor Tyler Gandam got on board with the idea.
Chambers says, “Our customers are the ones who started it and Tyler ran with it.”
Gandam shared the pictures of the June 3 parking lot picnic to his Facebook page, posting, “A parking lot picnic?! What a great idea! Who wants to do lunch on Friday?”
At noon on Friday June 5, Gandam and his family as well as Wetaskiwin community members gathered in the Huckleberry’s parking lot to enjoy a social distanced picnic with their curbside orders from the Café.
“I thought it would be a fun idea,” Gandam says.
Community member Pattie Ganske says she came out to join the parking lot picnic to support the community. “Just seeing people we haven’t seen in a long time, seeing people we haven’t met yet,” Ganske says.
Huckleberry’s Café is hoping to make all Fridays parking lot picnic day. To order a meal for a parking lot picnic or home, you can call in or order online. Chambers also says that right now all online orders are 10 per cent off.


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If you're worried about potentially flammable notebook batteries, or perhaps if you aren't, then have you considered a fuel cell-powered laptop? Samsung has unveiled its latest prototype 'battery', which it claims can run for up to eight hours a day for one month, without any recharge. The Direct Methanol Fuel Cell, recently …
650 Watt hours/L, with total energy storage of 12,000Wh.
Seriously, who would want to carry around 18 Litres of Methanol?
Whatever they do...
Don't let Sony safety-test them!
Can you imagine trying to get a fuel cell through airport security!!!
- Mounties always get their man: Heartbleed 'hacker', 19, CUFFED
- Analysis Oh no, Joe: WinPhone users already griping over 8.1 mega-update
- Leaked pics show EMBIGGENED iPhone 6 screen
- Opportunity selfie: Martian winds have given the spunky ol' rover a spring cleaning
- OK, we get the message, Microsoft: Windows Defender splats 1000s of WinXP, Server 2k3 PCs


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Costco, which is the nation's biggest warehouse club operator, has seen the number of customers in its clubs grow as shoppers hunt for deals in the weak economy. It announced Oct. 6 it earned $432 million, or 97 cents per share, for the period ended Aug. 29. That's up from $374 million, or 85 cents per share, a year ago. This beat analysts' estimates of 95 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters.
Revenue increased 8% to $24.13 billion, helped by more money from membership fees. That missed Wall Street's projected $24.23 billion.
Revenue from sales at clubs open at least a year climbed 6%. Excluding the effects of higher gas prices and changes in currency exchange rates, the figure rose 4%. The figure is a key measurement of a retailer's health because it measures results at existing stores rather than newly opened ones.
For the year, net income increased 19% to $1.3 billion, or $2.92 per share, compared with $1.09 billion, or $2.47 per share, a year earlier. Annual revenue rose 9.1% to $77.95 billion.
Revenue from sales at clubs open at least a year increased 7% for fiscal 2010. Removing higher gas prices and changes in currency exchange rates, the metric rose 4%.


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Blizzard has released the first TV Spot for Diablo III ahead of the games release in the middle of next month.
It’s certainly looking epic, which those who took part in the beta will no doubt be able to testify too.
Diablo III is out May 15. You can pre-order the game from ShopTo here.
Check out the video below.


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A Canadian mining company vying to become one of the world's major producers of heavy rare-earth minerals says it's moving ahead with development of its Northern Quebec deposit after positive results from a prefeasibility study.
Quest Rare Minerals ltd. estimates total construction capital costs for development of its Strange Lake deposit at $2.57-billion, based on a minimum mine life of 30 years. It will be one of the world's largest and highest-grade heavy rare-earth mining projects and a planned processing facility in Southern Quebec will be North America's largest such operation, the company said on Wednesday.
Quest is in competition with other companies to be the first to get production up and running in order to take advantage of supply constraints resulting from Chinese restrictions on export of the minerals. The country is the world's top producer of rare-earth minerals and wants to guarantee supplies amid huge internal market demand.
Rare-earth metals are used in a wide range of products, including flat-screen televisions, smartphones, guided missiles and batteries for laptop computers and cellphones.
Heavy rare-earth metals are the rarest and fetch higher prices than the so-called "lights."
Matamec Explorations Inc. is among Canadian companies Quest is up against in the race to become the next big rare-earth-mineral producers.
Matamec has an exclusive agreement with a subsidiary of Japanese auto giant Toyota Motor Corp. to fast-track development of its Kipawa mine deposit in the Témiscamingue region of Quebec.
Toyota wants to secure a steady supply of metals needed for its hybrid and electric vehicles and reduce its reliance on China.
Quest says its hopes the encouraging results from its prefeasibility study will speed up discussions with potential strategic partners and customers for much-needed financial and technical commitments to the project.
It said it signed a letter of intent in July with TAM Ceramics of New York for the purchase of up to 24,000 tons of zirconia per year, 100 per cent of anticipated annual production.
"We are very pleased with the results of this prefeasibility study; our consultants have been conservative with the assumptions used and we are satisfied that the returns are very healthy for such a capital-intensive industrial plan," Quest president and chief executive officer Peter Cashin said.
"The Strange Lake project has the potential to provide an important base for establishing a major North American industrial sector, able to address the chronic [heavy rare-earth] supply deficit over a long period of time."


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If there is a slowdown in China's economy, someone forgot to tell the folks at German watch-and-pen maker Montblanc.
The luxury retailer launched its biggest store in the world in Beijing this month – a four-storey monolith – with a champagne-and-celebrity studded party for 1,000. Inside the store, customers can perch on a replica palace throne or browse a multimedia installation featuring the namesake of the company's new Princess Grace of Monaco-themed jewellery collection.
"You have to distinguish between the long term and the short term. I believe in the long term, this market will continue to strive forward," Montblanc chief executive Lutz Bethge told reporters in Beijing. "Even if at some point in time there will be a dip in the China market … in the long term, I see China as a continuing, huge opportunity for us."
He isn't the only one. The Chinese capital has seen many grand openings in recent weeks, as designer brands race to get in on what is soon to be the world's largest luxury market. Consulting company McKinsey estimates China's luxury good sales will grow 18 per cent annually to reach $27-billion – earning the title of world's largest luxury-goods market – by 2015. Already, Gucci and Prada make one-third of their world sales in China.
The result is over-the-top efforts to acquaint the Chinese wealthy with foreign luxury. French design house Lanvin recently staged an opulent runway show, second only to its Paris Fashion Week show; Giorgio Armani himself came to Beijing for his One Night Only runway show and after-party in the city's art district.
The festivities come against the backdrop of a softening of China's retail sales growth. Retail sales overall saw their slowest rate of growth last month since February, 2011, at 13.8 per cent year-on-year. Sales of garments were up 19 per cent, down significantly from their 12-month high of 27.6 per cent in September, 2011; jewellery sales rose 18.2 per cent in May year-on-year, compared to a 12-month high of 44.4 per cent in August, 2011.
Research firm CLSA last week issued a special report warning of the slowdown, adjusting its forecast for jewellery sales growth in particular to between 16 per cent and 20 per cent this year, down from last year's jump of nearly 50 per cent.
Slowing economic growth is part of the problem, as are shaky consumer confidence and the tendency of wealthy Chinese to buy abroad rather than paying the luxury taxes on the same, more expensive goods at home.
A government-fuelled crackdown on corruption is also making its mark; according to research cited by CLSA, as much as 16 per cent of luxury sales over all, and 37 per cent of accessories and jewellery sales, are thought to be for business-related gift-giving. "We believe that the recent slowdown in high-end consumption may be partially due to the heightened scrutiny," the report said.
Still, in a country with an estimated 600 U.S.-dollar billionaires, 63,500 individuals worth $100-million or more, and 2.7 million millionaires, there is an appetite for luxury leather, diamonds and stilettos. Although purchases of personal jets and luxury yachts might be put off after a few bad weeks on the stock market, comparatively small purchases remain largely unaffected.
Thus, the long-term optimism for luxury goods. "The absolute numbers are still growing. There is a sense that [high-end consumption] has slowed down, but it hasn't disappeared," said Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher at Hurun Reports Inc., which compiles an annual list of China's wealthiest people. "People still have money to burn."


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About 200 electric scooters rolled out on Edmonton streets Monday for a second season and operators are urging Edmontonians to practice proper hand hygiene because the shared equipment won’t be cleaned after each rider.
Both Bird and Lime have ramped up cleaning efforts and health messaging for riders to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but the city is reminding residents they’re unable to be cleaned after every use. The vendors are asking residents eager for a ride to sanitize their hands before and after and avoid touching their faces.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Bird Canada CEO Stewart Lyons said the first day was a bit of a learning curve since the city is now requiring e-scooters to be corralled in five designated core locations for cleaning, which will happen at least once a day.
“There’s a lot of multi-touch surfaces out there and e-scooters are no different,” Lyons said, comparing them to store shopping carts used throughout the pandemic. “Take responsibility, make sure you wash your hands and keep your hands clean.”


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Ikea Recalls Meatballs After Detection of Horse Meat
LONDON — The furniture monster Ikea joined a developing rundown of brands that have been moved by Europe’s nourishment outrage on Monday and pulled back its mark Swedish meatballs from its business sectors and cafeterias across the vast majority of Europe after one clump was found to contain hints of pony meat.
Ikea’s choice — which followed a review by the Swiss nourishment creator Nestlé a week ago — showed that even firmly monitored brand names have gotten themselves defenseless.
In long stretches of following the issue, European Union and national authorities have surrendered that their oversight had not been planned for verifying nourishment items. Since governments and organizations have attempted progressively broad testing, the outcomes seem to demonstrate that nourishment contaminated might be more typical and far reaching than recently accepted.
“Plainly there has been misrepresentation for an enormous scope over various nations in the E.U.,” Simon Coveney, the farming priest for Ireland, which holds the association’s turning administration, told a news gathering after a gathering with partners in Brussels on Monday.
Keep perusing the primary story
Noticing that “enormous brands and huge names that individuals trust” have been up to speed in the issue, Mr. Coveney stated, “We are for the most part anxious to get to the base of this.”
The discovery of pony meat, which started in Ireland and spread rapidly, has brought up issues about the quality and oversight of Europe’s intricate chain of slaughterhouses, handled meat makers, wholesalers and retailers.
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Effectively a great many items have been pulled back, and new instances of contaminated are being found practically day by day, including probably the most popular nourishment producers — including Findus and Iglo — and most conspicuous general store chains.
Ikea’s declaration underlined what a small number of retailers can breathe a sigh of relief as more investigation is applied. The review dangers scratching the plain Scandinavian picture of Ikea, one of Sweden’s most popular organizations.
A customary piece of Swedish cooking, meatballs are devoured in tremendous amounts — 150 million every year, as per the organization’s Web website — by clients in Ikea cafeterias and are additionally sold for utilization at home.


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FL-based marketing specialist Catalina Marketing Corporation announced Friday it has reached an agreement with its bank group to reduce its credit facility from $150 million to $30 million and to extend the credit facility until November 24th as it works toward full compliance with its financial reporting obligations.Details
Outsourcing activity among US financial services companies to offshore areas, such as India, will grow by as much as 20% in the 4th quarter according to a new survey. ICICI OneSource and A.T. Kearney estimated that US banks, brokerage firms, insurance companies, mutual funds and other financial services firms will relocate eight percent of their workforce offshore, representing more than 500,000 jobs, over the next five years. These relocations are expected to reduce annual operating costs by more than $30 billion. ICICI OneSource is one of the largest third-party BPO services companies in India, with offshore facilities in Mumbai and Bangalore and international business development offices in New York and London.Details
The merger between First Data and Concord EFS continues to generate speculation that regulators will require some changes in the deal. Last week, rumors surfaced that First Data will unload its majority ownership in the NYCE network to appease government regulators. FDC will not confirm or deny the rumors, but insists that it does not believe any changes in the business of either First Data or Concord in connection with the merger are necessary or appropriate. Meanwhile, a coalition of leading Hispanic organizations has informed the U.S. Department of Justice of its concerns over the FDC-Concord merger. The group made up of the Hispanic Alliance for Progress, the Mexican American Grocers Association, the Latino Coalition and the Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans, says it believes the merger will adversely affect competition and result in higher prices and fewer services in numerous payment systems markets. They say the merger will be particularly harmful to the millions of Latinos in the USA without traditional banking relationships. They say unbanked consumers pay supra-competitive prices for money transfers because First Data/Western Union dominates the remittance market. First Data has over 80% of the market in many segments and they say it has been able to increase prices without restraint in the remittance market. The group also believes the First Data-Concord merger threatens innovation in the remittance market. For the past two years, Concord’s STAR has been developing an ATM- to-ATM based remittance product which offers significantly lower prices for wiring money.Details
United Overseas Bank Ltd. has launched a “VISA Mini” credit card and a “VISA Infinite” credit card. Applicants for the miniature VISA card are entered into a contest to win a “MINI” automobile. Applicants receive 10 chances to win when they apply, and one extra chance with each $50 outstanding on the statement. UOB is giving away a “MINI One” or “MINI Cooper S.” The bank is also offering various electronic gadgets for referrals. UOB says it expects to issue 100,000 “VISA Mini” cards by next September. Meanwhile, UOB has launched its exclusive “VISA Infinite” credit card. Reportedly, UOB is targeting 4,000 of Singapore’s affluent for the card. UOB also indicated it will roll-out “VISA Infinite” cards in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Thailand over the next two quarters.Details
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has filed a breach of contract lawsuit against MasterCard over the new “Coles Myer’s Source MasterCard” to be launched in October. CBA insists that exclusivity clauses in its contract with MasterCard prohibit the network from working with another retailer in a co-branding relationship. CBA currently issues a Woolworths MasterCard. GE Capital will issue the new “Coles Myer’s Source MasterCard.” CBA filed the action in NSW Supreme Court. GE Consumer Finance recently applied for a specialist banking license in Australia and is set to launch private label cards with Harvey Norman, Clive Peters, and Freedom very soon.Details
Cebu, an island in the middle group of the Philippine archipelago, has launched the first solar powered, prepaid municipal water distribution system that utilizes a smart card. The “AquaCard” and “AquaMeter” system by WorldWater Corp enables the community to offer clean, reliable drinking water to residents, who pay for water via a debit card similar to a prepaid phone card. The “AquaCard” is inserted into the “AquaMeter” solar pumping station and the requested number of liters of water is dispensed and the card is debited. A microchip on the card reads when it needs to be recharged by the customer at the community bank. The deal between the municipality and WorldWater runs for 10 years.Details
Montreal-based SureFire Commerce has received the blessing of its shareholders to change its name to Terra Payments Inc.
The vote for the name change took place at the company’s annual and special shareholders’ meeting held in Montreal and is
intended to better reflect its diverse and expanding role as an international payments company. Shareholders also elected Michelle Cormier to the Board of Directors, replacing Markus Braun, a former director appointed by ebs Holding AG. Ms. Cormier was a director of the Corporation
from April 2002 until March 2003. Ms. Cormier is currently EVP/CFO of TNG Capital Inc., a privately held investment company and prior to January 2001, was VP/CFO of Repap Enterprises Inc. Messrs Tommy Boman, Mitchell Garber, Brahm Gelfand, Joel Leonoff,
Klaus Rehnig and Steve Shaper were also re-appointed to the board.
Taiwan Cooperative Bank has teamed with JCB International to launch the “Taiwan Cooperative Bank JCB Card.” To-date 17 banks have begun issuing the JCB card in Taiwan. JCB currently has alliances with more than 320 financial institutions. JCB’s merchant network includes nearly 11 million merchants in 189 countries.Details
Metris Companies confirmed Thursday afternoon that it is cutting 25% of its senior management team at a cost of $2.5 million. The sub-prime issuer says the reduction in employees is due to the fact that its credit card portfolio is 15-20% smaller and that the company recently sold off its enhancement services business. Approximately 65 positions will be cut, mostly in the Minnetonka headquarters. Metris will employ approximately 3,000 employees following the reductions. According to CardData, Metris/Direct Merchants Credit Card Bank had $10.1 billion in outstandings at mid-year, compared to $11.7 billion for 2Q/02. The number of active accounts dropped from 4.8 million to 3.0 million over the same period.Details


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If you somehow still thought Will Levis drinking his coffee with mayonnaise was a myth, there’s a video proving otherwise.
Levis, who is expected to be a top-10 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, is reported to have some interesting habits. Apart from the coffee thing, the quarterback is understood to eat bananas with the peel on. He’s also said to have a deathly fear of milk.
As noted above, a video has resurfaced showing the former Penn State and Kentucky star drinking a cup of coffee with mayo. You could check it out right below:
NFL Draft News
Get all of the latest info, photos, and social media news surrounding NFL Draft.
This is a bit more mayo than we expected tbh; but it appears he’s really, really heavy on the condiment.
Levis explained the habit in a video last month, claiming it started out as a joke that just took off.
“It was a Friday before a game, me and my girlfriend were at breakfast, we got our coffees and there was no cream, no sugar on the table, just a bottle of mayo,” he remarked. “She made the kind of funny joke ‘Do you think people are supposed to put this in their coffee?’ And I was like, ‘Maybe, let’s try it out.’”
He added that the weird combo did not taste half bad and it’s not something he does all the time, but we’ll have a hard time believing that now.
The QB also disclosed that his preferred coffee adulterations include almond milk and stevia.WANT MORE FROM TOTALPROSPORTS? FOLLOW US ON GOOGLE NEWS.


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President Shavkat Mirziyoyev became acquainted with the activities of a cotton-textile cluster organized by LLC Khantex Group in Kurgantepa district.
During his trip to Andijan region in May last year, the Head of the state was presented a project by the company for production of textile goods. Scheduled works have been fulfilled on time. A large spinning workshop was erected with the installed modern equipment from the Swiss company Rieter. About 400 local residents received permanent employment.
At the next stages of the project, the company intends to set up manufacturing and dyeing of fabrics, production of ready-made clothes and towels. The total cost of the project is 58 million euros. When the company reaches its full capacity, more than 9 thousand tons of yarn will be produced per annum, along with almost 6 million meters of fabric, over 10 million units of garment and knitwear. 1.5 thousand jobs are expected to be created. Exports are projected to reach 40 million dollars.
In addition, efforts have started to build a modern oil extraction plant in the cluster with an annual capacity of 2 thousand tons of oil, 7.5 thousand tons of meal and 5.4 thousand tons of husk, along with a livestock complex. 13 types of agricultural equipment and machinery produced by American companies John Deere and Case have been purchased.
The Head of the state became familiar with the cluster spinning shop.
“Thus far, we have worked on creation of various enterprises at places. Now we need to pay attention to quality, deliver conditions for revenue growth,” Shavkat Mirziyoyev suggested.
Plans for the agricultural development in Andijan region, improvement of population welfare through poultry farming, fish farming, beekeeping, sericulture and gardening, as well as projects developed by Uzbekistan’s Embassy in Belarus were also considered.
The President approved the projects and gave directives to ensure their timely and qualitative implementation.


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EDG is defunct.
From other sites
Oct. 1, 2013, 12:47 PM
Oct. 1, 2013, 9:11 AM
Oct. 1, 2013, 8:17 AM
- Edgen Group (EDG) +56.4% premarket after Sumitomo (SSUMY.PK) agrees to buy the distributor of specialty products to the energy and infrastructure markets for $12/share, a 58% premium over Monday's close.
- EDG has two commercial brands, Edgen Murray and Bourland & Leverich, and had total sales of $2.06B in 2012 with 660 employees and operations in more than 35 locations in 18 countries.
- EDG launched an IPO in April 2012, pricing at $11, below its expected $14-$16 range, and has traded below $9 for most of the time since.
Aug. 9, 2013, 6:56 AM
Jul. 3, 2013, 11:15 AM
May 13, 2013, 12:34 PMEdgen Group (EDG -3.2%) sets new 52-week lows today on a big Q1 earnings miss. Net sales declined 24% Y/Y, as the steel-products manufacturer's energy-and-infrastructure business was hit hard by steel-pricing and delays in contract awards and customer-purchasing decisions. Sales in its oil-tubular goods segment also decreased 10% over the same period due largely to lower rig counts. In light of the weak environment, the company is suspending its 2013 guidance - which doesn't bode well for a company just went public a year ago. | May 13, 2013, 12:34 PM | 1 Comment
May 13, 2013, 7:15 AM
Mar. 14, 2013, 6:01 PM
Jan. 23, 2013, 3:49 PMJefferies believes recent announcements from oil and gas companies support its estimate that capital spending for oil and gas will increase 3%-5% in 2013, with positive implications for THR, FLS, PNR, AIMC, AME, TRS and IEX, but short-term sales pressure on HEK's water services sales, NWPX's tubular segment and EDG's OCTG business. | Jan. 23, 2013, 3:49 PM | Comment!
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Edgen Group Inc is a global distributor of specialty products to energy sector, including steel pipe, valves, quenched & tempered & high yield heavy plate, and related components. It has two segments: Energy & Infrastructure and Oil Country Tubular Goods.
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Showing 129 results for: %22vestar capital%22
Vestar-Led Group In M&H Buyout
LEAD: M&H Drugs Inc., the retail drug operation of the Fleming Companies, will be acquired by Super D Drugs, a company formed by a group led by Vestar Capital Partners. M&H's managers will be the majority owners of Super D, and Don E. Lasseter, M&H's executive vice president, will be chief executive.
Signs of Slowdown Are Well-Received
LEAD: A slowing of the economic pace seemed to be registered in the week's statistics. Far from being alarmed, most economists welcomed signs that the strong growth of earlier this year, and its potential for inflation, might be easing. The statistics included a two-tenths of 1 percent drop in retail sales in August.
Vestar Buys Assets Of a Nortek Unit
LEAD: Vestar Capital Partners Inc., a New York investment firm, said it had purchased the assets of Monogram Aerospace Group from Nortek Inc. for about $90 million. Monogram, which will be known as MAG Aerospace Industries, is a Los Angeles-based maker of commercial airplane toilets, fasteners for military and commercial aviation and aluminum forgings.
* Barton Industries, Shawnee, Okla., a maker of valves, filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. * FMR Corp., Boston, a holding company, raised its stake in First Chicago Corp., Chicago, a bank holding company, to 9.98 percent after buying 676,700 additional shares for between $24.20 and $24.68 a share.
Court Lets Japanese Concern Buy U.S. Company
A Federal District Court has blocked an attempt by the Justice Department to prevent the sale of an American high-technology company to a Japanese bidder. The American company plays a central role in the semiconductor industry's efforts to overtake Japanese rivals. The decision today by the Federal Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is expected to spur debate in Congress on legislation that would make it harder for foreign companies to buy American high-technology companies that are deemed crucial to the nation's economic security.


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As several countries mull how best to utilize contact-tracing technology, Singapore is planning to issue virus-tracking wearables to each of its 5.7 million residents.
The proposed device isn’t a big-name fitness tracker or smartwatch you might have heard of. Reuters reports Singapore’s government is testing small devices that “can be worn on the end of a lanyard or carried in a small handbag.” Vivian Balakrishnan, the minister in charge of the city-state’s Smart Nation initiative, told Singapore’s Parliament that the device would not be mandatory and that it doesn’t depend on a smartphone to operate. Accent Advanced Systems, Kerlink, Microshare Inc., and TRACEsafe Technologies Inc. are among the reported vendors pitching their devices, according to Reuters.
Singapore’s decision to develop its own portable wearable contact-tracing device is noteworthy for several reasons. First off, the city-state has recorded one of the highest numbers of cases of covid-19 in Southeast Asia. In late April, the number of cases suddenly doubled, despite the fact Singapore had been fastidious early on with contact tracing and other measures to contain the virus. While Lichtenstein and Bahrain have both implemented wearables as part of their covid-19 responses, both have much smaller populations than Singapore. If most of its estimated 5.7 million residents enrolled, Singapore’s wearable program could potentially be the largest covid-19 contact-tracing effort in the world. That is a lot of data.
Which brings us to the second reason why Singapore’s program is important: privacy. While addressing Parliament, Balakrishnan indicated that one of the reasons Singapore is going through all this trouble is that it finds contact-tracing apps to be limited. The city-state’s TraceTogether app launched in March and has since been downloaded by approximately 20 percent of the population. However, Balakrishnan said the government decided not to make the app mandatory as it doesn’t work “equally well” across different smartphone operating systems.
This is what you could call the Singapore government throwing shade at Apple and Google’s joint contact-tracing tech. According to ChannelNewsAsia, Singapore has been unable to reach an agreement with Apple at both the “technical and policy level.” Specifically, the issue at hand is how iOS does not allow Bluetooth scanning when an app is running in the background.
Singapore’s app has raised privacy concerns as it includes the ability to register a citizen’s individual National Registration Identity Card number and mobile number in a bid to more quickly identify close contacts of people who test positive for covid-19. Balakrishnan insisted in his testimony that all data is confidential, as it’s stored locally on the phone and can only be accessed by government officials when a person tests positive. He added that all data is deleted after 25 days.
That said, using an individual’s NRIC number in a contact-tracing app is undoubtedly a privacy red flag. The TraceTogether app is operated on a voluntary basis, but how these apps are implemented by governments could set a dangerous precedent. Those concerns definitely transfer over to whatever wearable device Singapore creates. Right now, we have no idea if it will include GPS or LTE connectivity‚ as the government indicated the wearable would not be reliant on phones, or operate solely on Bluetooth. Without the proper precautions, Singapore could easily create a system that could track the whereabouts of its entire population—and citizens would have to trust that it wouldn’t be used for a more dubious purpose later.


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Equifax’c chairman and chief executive, Richard Smith is to leave the company effective immediately in the wake of a massive data breach that exposed the personal details of millions of people.
Smith, who has been chairman and chief executive since 2005, is the third senior executive to leave Equifax since the breach was announced earlier this month, following the departures of the firm’s chief information officer and chief security officer.
The breach exposed names, social security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some cases, driver’s licence numbers and affected about 143 million people. It exposed the credit card numbers of around 209,000 US consumers and the personal details of about 400,000 UK consumers, whose information was mistakenly stored in the US.
Current board member Mark Feidler is to take over as non-executive chairman, while the company has appointed Paulino do Rego Barros Jr., who most recently was president of Equifax’s Asia-Pacific operations as interim chief executive. The company said it has initiated a search for a new permanent chief executive.
“The Board remains deeply concerned about and totally focused on the cybersecurity incident,” Feidler stated. “We are working intensely to support consumers and make the necessary changes to minimise the risk that something like this happens again. Speaking for everyone on the Board, I sincerely apologise.”
The breach, which gave attackers access to Equifax’s network between mid-May and July of this year, has resulted in a number of investigations and lawsuits, and has seen Equifax’s share price lose a quarter of its value since the announcement.
Equifax was criticised for its confusing response to the hack and for waiting a month before informing clients. A class action lawsuit has been filed accusing it of negligence.
The US Senate committee on banking, housing and urban affairs is set to hold a hearing on the matter on 4 October and Smith is still scheduled to testify before it.
Several top executives sold shares worth $1.7 million (£1.3m) a few days before the hack was announced, something also reportedly being investigated by federal authorities.
Do you know all about security in 2017? Try our quiz!


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Over the years, some healthy foods are hyped to be the next big nutritious thing that you are encouraged to eat. But now, nutritionists want us to think twice.
Apart from sharing the protein shake recipe, The Rock revealed why it is such a good thing to wolf down carbs and protein, as well as sugar, after a workout.
Whey protein is more than just a muscle builder. Here are some things that you need to know about it.
A nutritionist recommends that it is better to get one's calorie requirements from eathing rather than drinking.
Muscle Food, a UK site selling sports nutrition products, has come up with the all-new "Barbell Brew". The beer claims to be rich in proteins and having fewer calories than lean beers.


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Time to get wet, Bioshock gets official release date
Bioshock fans can pull out their Sharpies and mark their calendars, because 2K Games just announced the official release date. Everyone will be jumping head first and getting wet on Bioshock's official release Tuesday, August 21. This of course contradicts previous reports that stated Bioshock would hit the streets this June, but who are we to say that the game didn't get delayed into August. No more rumors, no more guessing, Bioshock will be here in less than six months.


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The Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), previously known as Pune University, is launching its e-learning content and digital classrooms today, reports Indian Express. According to the report, infrastructure will include an interactive whiteboard, a digital podium, Android TV with a touchscreen and internet, document cameras to project live experiments and 3D diagrams. The e-learning program is a part of 9 other projects from 9 different states, but it is not clear as to what these projects are or when they'll be launched. E-content modules have been developed within the SPPU's E-content Learning and Innovation Centre using 'TED-like' talks, panel discussions etc. The university claims that it has already created material over 200 hours. A separate link on the university’s website does point out that the university plans to ramp up its syllabus, bring about a credit system and focus on e-learning and distance education. It is not clear what kind of certification the SPPU is offering to its students under this. Interestingly, for 2015-15, the University Grants Commission does not recognise (pdf) SPPU as a university which provides distance education. Sikkim Manipal University vs UGC: Meanwhile, the High Court ruled in July 2015 that students who took classes from the distance education provider Sikkim Manipal University (SMU) before 2012 would have valid degrees. This came about after SMU was operating on ambiguity in UGC rules with respect to distance learning in off-campus and offshore study centres of state universities. Cost of the scheme: The university project will be funded by Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA)…
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PhonePe launched an e-commerce buyer app for ONDC called Pincode. We, however, believe that it should also launch a seller app.
Amazon announced that it will integrate its logistics network and SmartCommerce services with the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).
India's smartphone operating system BharOS has received much buzz in the media lately, but does it really merit this attention?
After using the Mapples app as his default navigation app for a week, Sarvesh draws a comparison between Google Maps and Mapples
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What’s new with Apple?
Apple is ready for a possible breakout. The
said breakout may take place anytime and it is believed to be an upside
In the latest trading session, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) closed at about $199 which was a – 0.09% move from the previous day.
Speaking of what they are up to lately – recently, Apple released the public Beta version of their highly anticipated iOS 13 software update for iPhone devices. It comes with the new dark mode and now, the general public can use it prior to its full release in September.
In latest deal, Apple has purchased a self-driving technology. Confirming to Axios and The Verge, Apple revealed that they acquired Drive.ai, a self-driving start-up that was once valued at $200 million. Apple is looking forward to bringing more talent in, in order to boost their own self-driving projects.
On a related note, analysts predict the rise of the share price of Apple.
According to the Business News website The Street, WedBush Securities analyst Dan Ives said: “We believe a resolution to the China tariff situation could add between $20-$25 per share to Apple’s stock over the coming months in our opinion, as this would take away the dark cloud currently shadowing the stock”.


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Commercialization of Dairy Farming as a Prominent Business Activity
New Delhi, June 21, 2018: The 8th edition of the India’s Largest International Exhibition on Dairy Products, Processing & Packaging Machinery and Allied Industries DairyTech India 2018 is being held at BIEC, Bangalore, during 31st August – 2nd September, 2018. The event will have concurrent shows – 10th AgriTech India 2018 and 7th International Poultry & Livestock Expo 2018 to cover holistically the pertaining technologies in the poultry, livestock, dairy and agriculture sector.
8th DairyTech India 2018 has a constant support from prominent Indian organizations such as National Research Centre of Meat, Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Central Poultry Development Organization and Training Institute, Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare), National Centre for Cold-Chain Development, All India Food Processors Association, Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
Indian Dairy Industry
Dairy activities have traditionally been integral to India’s rural economy and the country ranks as the world’s largest producer and consumer of dairy products. The demand for milk is tremendous. Over the past two decades, dairy farming has progressed in the direction of becoming an organized industry that encompasses increased production of milk and milk products, and also the breeding of higher yielding cattle, scientific rearing of animals and feed production.
Dairy farming in India is now evolving from just an agrarian way of life to a professionally managed industry. Transformation of this sector is being induced by newfound interest on the part of the organized sector, new markets, easy credit facilities, dairy friendly policies by the government, etc.
The government and other stakeholders are increasingly coming forward to help the growth of the sector. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Ministry of Food Processing Industries have initiated several steps to encourage organized growth of dairy farming and production of dairy products.
Though India can legitimately boast of having one of the world’s largest cattle populations, the average output of an Indian cow is significantly lower. The Indian dairy sector is plagued with various other impediments like shortage of fodder, poor quality of feed, dismal transportation facilities and a poorly developed cold chain infrastructure.
Loose milk has a larger market in India, perceived to be fresh. Hence commercialization of dairy farming as a business activity is the need of the hour. Dairying business goes virtually unnoticed and is seen as a subsidiary farming activity. There is enormous scope for the industry in the field of value-added products including desserts, beverages, yoghurt and so on.
It is expected that the demand for processed and packaged dairy produce will witness a phenomenal growth due to growing population with greater health consciousness.
Emergence of Commercial Dairy Farming
One emerging trend in Indian dairying is the growing number of the commercial dairy farms. Realizing the growing importance of commercialization, the livestock sector needs to meet the challenges of globalization, in terms of organized production and marketing.
Many States’ Dairy Development Departments, cooperatives like Amul and private sector dairy players are moving towards setting up Hi-tech commercial dairy farms leading to clean milk production.
Since agriculture and dairy sector share a relationship because of the mutually linked inputs and outputs, it is important to promote the two in tandem to move towards holistic growth. It is important to introduce efficient feeding methods, encourage commercialization and mechanization of dairy farms, develop networks to promote processed food and beverages based on milk, have well managed cold chain facilities to minimize wastage and organize the sector.
Addition to 8th DairyTech India 2018, concurrently, Media Today Group is also organizing 10th AgriTech India 2018 and 7th International Poultry & Livestock Expo 2018.
AgriTech India 2018: The 10th AgriTech India 2018 will display and introduce latest mechanization & technological innovations and product ranges for farmers to facilitate the diversification of Indian agriculture. Notable exhibitors of previous edition included Buhler India, Hilda Automation, Husqvarna (Platinum Sponsor), Sonalika, Mahindra & Mahindra, Alapala, Reliance industries, Selis, MySilo, Unomac, Bry-Air (Asia) Pvt. Ltd., Ghodawat Group, AgriPlast Tech India Pvt. Ltd., Greentech India, Essen Multipack Limited, Flour Tech Engineers Pvt. Ltd., India Factory, Frick India Limited along with organizations like Director of Horticulture & Plantation Crops (Tamil Nadu) and APEDA.
International Poultry & Livestock Expo 2018: Concurrently, 7th International Poultry & Livestock Expo 2018 is also being organized. This would bring leading Poultry and Dairy equipment manufacturers, breeders, food products exporters, experts & leaders from the industry.
Previous Edition of DairyTech India
The three day expo gained huge popularity and provided opportunities in the industry. More than 500 exhibitors displayed their products at the show receiving a footfall of over 35000 trade visitors. The expo series offered valuable B2B business meetings, global exposure and a lot more.
The show promoted technological up-gradation and helped in familiarizing with the benefits of using latest technologies. The exhibition was a great opportunity to heighten the industry’s future scenario. Many foreign exhibitors including Bangladesh, South Africa, Switzerland, UAE, Korea, Nigeria, etc. established many considerable start-ups.
Many leading Brands like Big Basket, ITC, Swiggy, Franchise Connect, UNIBIC, Foodex Press, Himalaya, Britannia and a lot more visited with great enthusiasm.
The 8th DairyTech India 2018 will focus on Dairy Machinery & Equipment Manufacturer / Exporters, Dairy Products Manufacturer / Exporter / Traders, Ghee Making Machines, Mixer, Feeders & Grinders, Packaging Machinery, Equipment & Materials, Feed Manufacturing Machinery, Feed Storage & Transport Equipment, Cooling, Fermentation & Freezing Systems, Fermented milk, Ice cream & milk powder, Butter, Butter oil, Cheese, Condensed milk, Disinfectants for Dairy Industry, and many more directly and indirectly products & services suppliers in the Food & Beverage industry.
In order to promote and ensure the all-round development of the Indian dairy industry, 8th DairyTech India 2018 is the best place to become part of the emerging Indian Dairy Industry and promote its further commercialization.
Corporate Comm India (CCI Newswire)


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INTC Quick Quote INTC - Free Report) will be the first major US semiconductor company to post its Q4 earnings Thursday after the bell. The demand for chips is surging as the digitally driven global economy recovers faster than anyone could have anticipated. 2020 drove years of digitalization in just months as the pandemic forced the world online.
Best-in-class and largest chip contractor, TSMC, has set the tone for Q4 semiconductor earnings. It illustrated a significant uptick in semiconductor demand with an exciting earnings report that revealed the sector's bright future. TSMC announced in its earnings yesterday that it would be spending $25 to $28 billion to further develop its advanced chip manufacturing to meet the swelling demand.
Now the markets are looking to Intel's earnings to see if the recent organizational changes will push the enterprise back into a competitive positioning, following years of falling behind the curve.
According to Zacks Consensus, analysts anticipate INTC to report an EPS of $1.10 on sales of $17.44 billion, illustrating double-digit declines from the same period last year on both metrics.
INTC has a history of beating both top and bottom-line estimates. The price action will be driven by Intel's chip timelines and pipelines of innovation. Intel still has strong corporate relationships that drive its profitability, but they will need to push their innovative curve if they want to maintain those connections.
Intel has finally said enough is enough after a strongly worded letter by Third Point hedge fund CEO Daniel Loeb in December that urged the company to make systemic changes in the interest of the US technology sector. Intel's Chairman is replacing their seemingly unadaptable CEO, Bob Swan. After years behind the innovative curve, the company is finally deciding to make organizational changes, and investors like what they are seeing.
VMWare CEO Pat Gelsinger will be taking the helm of the legacy semiconductor business on February 15th. The markets are enthusiastic about an adaptable CEO who has proven himself as a successful tech leader, with a "distinguished track record of innovation, talent development, and a deep knowledge of Intel", according to Intel Chairman Omar Ishrak.
Gelsinger has 40 years of tech experience, including 3 decades at Intel, where he became the company's first chief technology officer.
Along with the change at Intel's helm, the company announced it had "made strong progress on its 7nm process technology and will provide an update on its January 21st earnings call."
Since this announcement INTC has surged 10% into earnings but remains down over the past 52-weeks. Far underperforming its cohorts.
Intel has disappointed me in recent years, with supply chain issues and production delays that have pushed the chip king out of step with the innovative curve. The previously viewed "value" CPU player, AMD (
AMD Quick Quote AMD - Free Report) , is now taking market share in the space that Intel has been building for decades.
Leading semiconductor fabricator TSMC (
TSM Quick Quote TSM - Free Report) has seen a massive boost in recent quarters as its cutting-edge third-party manufacturing services appear to be unmatched. The biggest and baddest chip innovators like Nvidia ( NVDA Quick Quote NVDA - Free Report) , Broadcom ( AVGO Quick Quote AVGO - Free Report) , Qualcomm ( QCOM Quick Quote QCOM - Free Report) , and even Apple ( AAPL Quick Quote AAPL - Free Report) all utilize TSMC's best-in-class manufacturing, and Intel has been forced to do the same.
This chip pioneer saw its highest valuation near the end of the dot-com bubble. Its shares hit north of $75 a share ($538 billion market cap) and capitulating 83% of its value in the 2 years that followed.
Intel has been falling behind Moore's Law, which states that transistors' density in integrated circuits doubles roughly every 2 years. This has come to mean that digital chips become twice as efficient and halve in cost every 24 months in laymen's terms.
Co-founder of Intel, Gordan Moore, formulated this theory over a half-century ago, but his legacy enterprise has fallen behind the curve.
In 2020 Intel was dethroned as the largest US chipmaker by Nvidia. The company has continued to lose its market value as investors price in its increasingly apparent systemic obsolescence.
The stock was trading at 11x forward price to earnings before the recent announcement, substantially below the industry average, which sits above 24x.
What's Next For Intel?
Intel needs to make some significant systemic changes to get back to its innovative roots. Replacing the CEO was a good start, and the progress in its 7nm chip technology is a positive sign, but they are still far behind TSMC who is already manufacturing 5nm chips and working on 3nm transistors. In fact, TSMC's 5nm chips accounted for 20% of its 4th quarter revenue. TSMC was making 7nm chips 2.5 years ago, which means Intel will be 3 years behind on a generous timeline.
What you really want to focus on in this earnings release and the subsequent call is the systemic changes I discussed. Is Intel planning on selling off/spinning off any of its operations or acquire any strategic businesses? Is the enterprise going to utilize more third-party fabricators like TSMC to keep up with the competition, or is their in-house manufacturing going to catch up to the innovative curve?
These are going to be the real market movers for INTC moving forward.
2020 has digitalized the world by years in a matter of months with the need for mobile devices proliferating and the 4th Industrial Revolution taking off. Businesses in every sector are leveraging more digital technology than ever before, which means the demand for chips has never been greater. I expect that 2021 will be a strong year of growth in the semiconductor space. Let's just hope that Intel can get back to a competitive positioning as this space rapidly advances.
For more on Big Tech earnings check out:
What's Next For Big Tech?: Earnings & The Blue Wave
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Samsung has been long rumored to bring the Galaxy S10 with an in-display fingerprint sensor. However, a new rumor claims that the Galaxy A (2019) models will also get in-screen fingerprint readers.
According to known leakster Ice Universe, the company might be planning to bring the tech on the Galaxy A series. It's important to note that the Galaxy A8 and A8 Plus were launched before the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. This also hints that the Galaxy A (2019) smartphones could be the first Samsung smartphones to feature the in-display fingerprint sensor.
Whenever the tech shows up on a Samsung device, Oppo and Vivo have already beaten the company on the same front. Both Vivo Nex and Oppo Find X come with an in-display fingerprint sensor.
Speaking of the Galaxy S10, the device will come in three models: 5.8-inch, 6.1-inch, and 6.4-inch displays. The larger two variants will be powered by Qualcomm's in-display fingerprint reader, while the 6.4-inch model will also pack a triple camera setup.
Samsung will also reportedly ditch the iris scanner with the Galaxy S10. The device will come sans this feature in favor of an in-display fingerprint sensor and a 3D sensor on the phone. It was first reported by The Bell, citing the security parts industry, which suggests that the Korean company has not ordered a sample iris scanner for the upcoming flagship.
Ice Universe also shared a new image of what could be the prototype for Galaxy S10. However, it wasn't clearly mentioned that the device is Galaxy S10. But the reports suggest that the company will look to improve upon the Galaxy S9's design next year. A third button on the right side also hints that it could be the next flagship. Samsung usually overhauls the design of the S series phones every two years, so the S10 is expected to witness a new design.
If you look closely, there aren't any bezels and has a curved edge display, which is another indication that this is a Galaxy S10 prototype. If Samsung manages to bring this phone to life, it would have the highest screen-to-body ratio.


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Almost three years after the launch of Epic Citadel for iOS, Epic Games has finally released the Android version of the app on the Google Play Store.
For those who are not aware, Epic Citadel is based on the Unreal Engine 3, and back when it was released on iOS, served as a way to highlight the capabilities of the engine on the mobile platform (it was later put into use in Infinity Blade). On the Android version, however, Epic Games has built-in a benchmarking utility, which helps gauge the performance of the hardware as well. Read more »
Angry Birds Space just got stripped from its fastest growing mobile game laurels. Imangi Studios’ Temple Run 2 snagged the title away from Rovio by hitting 50 million downloads in 13 days – a cool 22 days quicker than what it took Angry Birds Space.
The impressive download count was achieved across Apple’s App Store, Google Play, and the Amazon Market Place. Read more »
Sony has released a teaser video for the PlayStation event that they will be holding later this month on Wednesday, February 20.
It won’t be much of a teaser if it revealed everything, so as you can imagine the video does not show much other than the four PlayStation button icons swirling around on the screen with the big date being displayed towards the end that doesn’t allude to anything. But according to The Wall Street Journal, the event is definitely about the PlayStation 4, or whatever Sony decides to call it. Read more »
Sony has just announced yet another tempting PlayStation 3 bundle, this time targeted at the God of War fans. It includes a Garnet Red console (it looks dark pink to me) with 500GB HDD and plus the God of War: Ascension game.
The package also includes the original trilogy – God of War Saga and God of War Origins – the two games released on the PSP. Read more »
Angry Birds Star Wars has been updated today with the final 20 levels of the Hoth episode.
You’ll get 20 new addictive levels, two bonus ones you’ll need to unlock, and a boss fight. Read more »
Last autumn Rockstar announced its plans to release the Grand Theft Auto 5 this spring on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Unfortunately, the game has been delayed.
According to Rockstar, the studio needs some more time to polish the game and it’s release will be pushed back to the Fall. Read more »
Looks like someone at Gameloft left their scanner on again and out comes another clone of a popular game. Called the Blitz Brigade, Gameloft has now turned to Valve’s highly popular Team Fortress 2 as a source of inspiration for their next game.
The company has released a trailer for this game, which, although does not show any in-game footage, does show two teams of red and blue color battling it out over a large open map. It also shows just how similar the game looks to Team Fortress 2, including the game characters. Read more »
UNIGINE, the developer behind the popular RTS game Oil Rush, is in the process of creating an Android version complete with amazing 3D graphics and touch controls.
UNIGINE’s proprietary engine of the same name has seen great success with Oil Rush versions being made available not only for Windows, but for Mac OSX and even GNU/Linux. Read more »
Angry Birds Rio is now free on iOS both in its regular (iPhone, iPod Touch) and HD (iPad) flavors.
The promotion will last just one week, so you might want to act quickly. Read more »
The wildly popular Where’s My Water and Where’s My Perry games are free on the Windows Phone Store today in a single day promo offer.
Usually, the two WP8 games (WP7 smartphones need no apply) cost $0.99, but today only they are available to download for free. Read more »
Imangi Studios and Fuzzycube Software have released the sequel to their popular Temple Run game.
The app is only released on iOS for now and is available for New Zealand users first with the rest of the world to follow later tonight. Read more »
The next-gen Xbox countdown already started and Sony must be feeling the heat coming from its competitor.
The vice president of Sony Home Entertainment just couldn’t help himself, but tease the masses of PlayStation gamers with the upcoming fourth version of the console.
Hiroshi Sakamoto has hinted of a “big announcement” coming either earlier in May or at the E3 2013 in June. Read more »
Almost exactly a year ago we talked about the Razer Project Fiona, a tablet running Windows 8 with integrated joysticks on the side for gaming.
Now, a year later, the product has gone through several revisions, including a new form factor (or four of them, to be precise), new specs, a launch date and a price. Oh, and it’s now called the Razer Edge. Read more »
Valve and mini-PC maker company Xi3 have announced their collaboration on the first ever Steam-optimized mini PC.
The project, which carries the Piston codename, is still in active development, but prototypes are on display at the booths of the two companies. Read more »
After announcing the Tegra 4 processor, claimed to be the fastest mobile processor in the world right now, NVIDIA went on to showcase their latest creation, Project SHIELD.
So what exactly is this Project SHIELD? It’s a handheld gaming console that lets you play Android games and will also let you stream Steam games from your PC to the device wirelessly. And that’s just the gist of it. Read more »


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If you haven’t noticed, Nike products are becoming harder to find in stores.
The popular sportswear and sneaker company has been cutting ties with some of the nation’s largest shoe retailers.
Now Foot Locker, another popular footwear retailer, is readying itself to have fewer Nike products on its shelves.
Foot Locker announced last week no single vendor is expected to represent more than 60% of its business in 2022. Nike represented 70% of Foot Locker’s business in 2021 and 75% in 2020.
“This change reflects Nike’s accelerated strategic shift to direct-to-consumer and Foot Locker’s ongoing brand and category diversification efforts,” Foot Locker CFO Andrew Page said in an earnings call.
Nike wants to offer customers a “premium experience” by taking more of a direct-to-consumer business approach. The company is planning to designate certain stores, or sections of stores, solely for Nike products.
Clarification: This headline has been updated. A previous version could have implied Foot Locker was removing all Nike products from stores.
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Russia: Consumer confidence deteriorates in Q3
October 9, 2012
The consumer confidence index published by the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) dropped to minus 6.0% in the third quarter, down from the minus 4.0% observed in the second quarter. The reading marked the first decline after recording five consecutive improvements. Respondents' to the survey showed a more pessimistic evaluation regarding both the general economy and their personal financial situation. On a positive note, prospects for large purchases increased by 1.0 percentage points compared to the previous quarter.
Author: Armando Ciccarelli, Head of Data Solutions


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A new carpet and floor covering company has moved on to a business park in Peterborough.
En-Rich Carpets has agreed a three year lease on a 1,247 sq ft unit in Benedict Square, in Werrington.
The unit is one of three on the trading park that have been let this year and commercial agents at Barker Storey Matthews warn there is a shortage of such industrial units in Peterborough.
En-Rich Carpets owner En Shadat, who has spent 20 years working for other carpet suppliers and retailers. said it had taken him nearly a year to find a suitable location for his business.
He said: “As a new small business, I was looking for well-located but affordable premises for the showroom and on-site customer parking was a pre-requisite too.
“It took a while to find the right premises but the unit at Benedict Square fits the bill from mine and my customers’ point of view.
“The other recent lettings will help profile the trading estate as a good place from which to trade for small businesses like mine.”
Benedict Square is a CCTV-monitored trading estate of 44 terraced units and is close to the A15 Werrington Parkway. The lease agreement was overseen by Barker Storey Matthews.


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The NFL wagering lull is upon us, but there’s still news on the sports betting front in Pennsylvania.
High tax rates are crimping online casino expansion, but PA online sportsbooks remain a hot ticket.
Oh, and that pesky Wire Act is still kicking around.
Wind Creek finds a sports betting partner in Betfred
Bethlehem-based Wind Creek is poised to enter the PA sports betting market after getting a conditional approval to partner with Betfred, a privately owned retail bookmaker with 1,600 locations in the United Kingdom.
Gamblers should appreciate the role of luck in the company’s founding. Apparently, a successful bet on England to win the 1966 World Cup helped staked the company.
The British company has partnered with SCCG Management in Las Vegas to represent them in US markets.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) still needs a final sign-off, and Wind Creek, which had operated as Sands Bethlehem, will also need to secure a sports betting license. After that, it could move to add a retail sportsbook, potentially an online one. Online casino and online poker may also be in the cards, though no concrete plans have been disclosed.
A Wind Creek sportsbook launch would mean 13 retail operators in the state. It could also become the ninth online sportsbook if that step follows.
Online gambling tax rates high in PA, compared with some others
The tax rates for online gambling are literally and figuratively all over the map in the US. PAOnlineCasino did a deep and charted out the rates for online casinos and online sportsbook jurisdictions across the country.
Nine states, including PA and NJ, have online sports betting. The lowest tax rates among the online sportsbook jurisdictions are Nevada and Iowa, with 6.75%.
The highest, Rhode Island and Delaware, use a “revenue sharing” model and include a cut for the state vendor. Their rates stand at 83% and 62.5%, respectively.
PA’s online sportsbook market has proven appealing to operators despite its hefty 36% tax rate on revenue. The growing popularity of sports betting, along with a large population, are major reasons PA’s sports betting market continues to grow.
Just three states have online casinos — Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey — with regulated online betting on slots, poker, and table games.
Tax rates for online casino operations run from as low as 15% in New Jersey to 62.5% in Delaware. PA online casinos have varying tax rates depending on the vertical. PA’s rates are 54% for online slots, but 16% for online poker and online table games.
Wire Act still winding its way through court
The Office of Legislative Counsel (OLC) opinion from the Department of Justice, which sought to expand the scope of the Wire Act to cover all forms of gambling, was denied in June. But the case is far from over.
The DOJ appealed that New Hampshire District Court ruling and has now submitted an appeal brief to the First Circuit court. Another brief from Sheldon Adelson-backed groups have chimed in as well as the process drags on.
The New Hampshire Lottery has until Feb. 26 to submit its brief in response.
No matter what the First Circuit finds, there is a high likelihood that a Supreme Court petition will follow. The fact that the DOJ’s arguments focus largely on the legality of New Hampshire taking them to court, rather than on the merits of the Wire Act opinion itself, could be a good sign for online gambling proponents.


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Economy Watch: Retail Sales Robust in October
- Nov 16, 2016
The Census Bureau reported on Tuesday that U.S. retail and food services sales for October were $465.9 billion, an increase of 0.8 percent from the previous month, and 4.3 percent above October 2015. Also, the August-to-September 2016 change was revised upward from up 0.6 percent to up 1 percent. Consumers are out spending.
The bureau adjusts its numbers for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, though that hardly matters these days, except for volatile goods like gasoline. In any case, the latest retail sales report was yet another strong metric that might help incline the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates in December.
Almost every kind of retailer enjoyed strong year-over-year increases in sales. Miscellaneous retailers—dollars stores and their ilk—experienced a 9.5 percent increase, while health and personal care store sales were up 8.3 percent. Even furniture store sales recorded some increase: 1.7 percent, despite the miasma of that kind of retail in recent years. Non-store retailers (Internet) continued their run of expanding sales, up 12.9 percent for year.
Naturally, not quite every retail category has seen growing sales. On an annual basis, department stores, the sad sack of the retail world, suffered a 7.3 percent sales contraction in October, according to the bureau. Electronics retailers are also in a crummy funk, with sales contracting 4 percent for the year. Some of those losses probably migrated to the non-store sales column.