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If you felt a barely perceptible rumble beneath the surface of this year’s E3, there’s a good reason for it: a new generation is on the way.
Less than a month ago, comments from Sony executives about the remaining life cycle of their phenomenally successful PlayStation 4 console sparked a host of speculation that the next generation of console hardware was still far off, with many outlets speculating that a new PlayStation could be “at least three years away.”
That talk is nowhere to be seen now, as publisher Bethesda software revealed during its press conference that both its first new property as a studio in two decades, “Starfield,” and the highly anticipated sequel to 2011’s “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” are being designed for next generation hardware.
That moment alone would be enough to signal that the successors to the PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One are coming, but taking a closer look, there are other major indications that a new console generation is probably set for 2020 – or, perhaps, even sooner.
The first indications of next generation hardware began at Microsoft’s E3 2018 Xbox Media Briefing the Sunday afternoon before E3 officially began, where Xbox head Phil Spencer took the stage to reassure an audience who had recently heard from Ubisoft head Yves Guillemot that he saw his company’s future in game streaming. “The same team that delivered unprecedented performance with Xbox One X is deep into architecting the next Xbox consoles, where we will once again deliver on our commitment to set the benchmark for console gaming,” Spencer said, confirming that the platform holder will launch new consoles in the future as traditionally understood by the gaming industry. This comment came without a specific timeline, but there were other clues, including the reveal of Halo: Infinite, a game with no release timeline and tech on display that appears well beyond the capabilities of the baseline Xbox One console.
Microsoft specifically committed to Halo: Infinite running on Xbox One consoles, but this doesn’t preclude the appearance of the game across multiple generations of hardware. “Crossgen” software – games with versions releasing on both older hardware and new platforms with improved visuals and features – is common when new consoles launch. It’s hard to look at “Halo: Infinite’s” visual quality and performance and view it as indicative of real-world performance on even Microsoft’s Xbox One X console.
By far E3’s most talked-about title, “Witcher 3”-developer CD Projekt Red’s “Cyberpunk 2077” was announced for Xbox One and PS4 as well as PC, but there are reasons to suspect there are other platforms in mind. The first is technical: CD Projekt Red was demonstrating the title live behind closed doors at E3 with 50 minute gameplay walkthroughs running in real-time on PCs running fairly high-end hardware, and despite this, the frame rate was shaky and seemed capped at 30. This is not a criticism of the title – it’s in development and very far from release. But the dividing line between high end PCs and the recent mid-generation console refreshes the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X is often frame rate: 30 on consoles, and 60 on high-end PCs.
Even ignoring the development build’s framerate on PC, there are red flags on display that signal a game that could struggle under the limitations of current generation of consoles. “The Witcher 3” suffered the most on PS4 and Xbox One in the same kinds of scenarios, particularly in large populated cities like Novograd, attributable to the comparatively weak CPUs in both consoles. These constraints are only lightly mitigated on the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. Meanwhile, “Cyberpunk 2077’s” E3 demonstrations showed huge city areas full of NPCs and the kinds of effects that gave “The Witcher 3” on consoles problems.
The last clue from CD Projekt Red is one of timing; Cyberpunk creator Mike Pondsmith has suggested the game could be “years away” during interviews at E3.
At least we know that “Cyberpunk 2077” probably won’t arrive until 2020, along with “Starfield.” Another suggestion that the next generation of consoles is coming within the next two years is the relative unknown quantity of games releasing after 2019. Sony has typically announced projects at E3 years ahead of their release, but after the likely late-2019 release of “Ghost of Tsushima,” their calendar is uncharacteristically open, at least publicly. Ubisoft showed a graphically impressive technical demonstration of “Beyond Good & Evil 2” at this year’s show, one that seemed a leap beyond their current announced projects, and once again, there was no discussion of a release timeframe for it.
Rumors also recently surfaced of Sony’s development progress with GPU and CPU designer and manufacturer AMD on next generation graphics technology, an agreement that compromised AMD’s ability to ship a competitive PC component in a timely manner.
Even Microsoft’s big news at the show, the announcement of the founding or acquisition of five new development studios, was underlaid by a likely reality: that none of those new additions would yield new Xbox games until 2020 at the earliest. Coupled with the Halo: Infinite announcement’s absence of a release timeline, there was a real sense that Microsoft, and indeed Sony, and Bethesda, and others, are waiting for something. That something is new consoles, and all the signs seem to point to a likely 2020 debut for them.
It’s possible that developments could come even sooner, as the technology may be in place to launch new hardware in 2019. But 2019 would present other challenges to Sony and Microsoft. For Microsoft, their most passionate fans and early adopters likely just purchased a new Xbox One X, and releasing a newer, better console just two years later is a move that risks alienating that fanbase. For Sony, who is seeing unprecedented success with the PS4, this is their most profitable period with the hardware – the PS4 is cheaper to make than ever, software sales are higher than ever, and revenue from live services like PlayStation Network are higher than ever. Launching new hardware is typically a loss-leading proposition for platform holders, and disrupts software sales for both first and third parties.
Despite the high profits that come from a fully mature hardware platform and large install base, both companies seem to have committed to a new hardware generation, and there are good reasons for that. There have historically been indications that consumer engagement and excitement for platforms wane as those ecosystems mature. Put more simply, people aren’t excited by old consoles (unless the company selling them is Nintendo, that is). And the glut of available software for these systems leads to a player-base less willing to take risks with their purchases or time to try things they aren’t familiar with.
There’s also the risk that players will seek more expansive, sophisticated, advanced experiences elsewhere if consoles can no longer provide those things. The end of the last console generation saw a resurgence of the PC space and runaway success for PC-only titles like “Rust,” and the rise of PC multiplayer giants like “League of Legends” and “Dota 2.” It’s important for companies to get the best returns they can for as long as possible with consoles, but waiting too long can threaten the future of those platforms.
Time will tell how long Microsoft and Sony make the world wait for that new hardware. The only thing that is absolutely clear is that the waiting began last week.


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Funky Samsung Tab-Phone Defies Naysayers With Millions Sold
The Samsung Galaxy Note is like the little engine that could -- except for the little part. At 5.3 inches, it's a behemoth of a smartphone, which many critics originally thought would flatline with consumers. But despite original naysayers, the Note looks to be gaining traction, reaching shipments of five million units, according to Samsung.
How a Gigantic, 5.3-Inch Smartphone Is Proving Critics Wrong
Too big to be a wieldy smartphone, too small to be a generously sized tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Note hasn't received a warm critical reception. Yes, somehow, the 5.3-inch device is selling quite well, begging the question, Just who's buying this thing?
Samsung Galaxy Note: Does the World Really Need a 5-Inch Phone With a Stylus?
The Samsung Galaxy Note's gigantic 5.3-inch, Super AMOLED display makes it the largest "smartphone" we've seen so far. It's practically a mini-tablet. Does the world really need a phone quite this large?

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The firm also has expanded its South San Francisco location with the purchase of a 60,000-square-foot building and 4 acres next to it for future expansion, Freeland said.
The building is scheduled to be occupied in about four months, after improvements are completed.
Del Monte Fresh perfects mango trays, blends
Value-added tropical products are popular offerings from Del Monte Fresh Produce NA Inc., Coral Gables, Fla., said Dennis Christou, vice president of marketing. The company offers Del Monte Gold extra-sweet pineapple, mango and kiwifruit.
The pineapple comes in multiple sizes and mixes. Pineapple spears currently are the company’s most popular stock-keeping unit, he said.
“During the past few months, we have perfected the tray blends and packs for our fresh-cut mango, which is doing very well and rapidly increasing in popularity,” he said.
Kiwifruit usually is used as a garnish in various blends and trays. Although the packs are mainly sold at retail, Christou said foodservice is a growing market.
“Schools have recently been increasing their orders of blends and trays,” he said.
Unity Groves Corp. upgrades packing lines
Unity Groves Corp., Homestead, Fla., has expanded its facility, adding 12,000 square feet of coolers and upgrading its packing lines for avocados and mangoes, said Louie Carricarte, president and owner.
By mid-September, the whole facility is scheduled to be refrigerated, including packing areas.
The company also is adding four loading docks to the seven already in service. Including offices and storage areas, the facility now covers 24,000 square feet.


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Kristian Segerstrale, co-founder of social game developer Playfish, has been announced as a session speaker for the upcoming Edinburgh Interactive Festival.
Segerstrale – whose company has flourished along with the Facebook and social network phenomena – will, of course, be offering more insight/vindication on how social games are creating a new developer zeitgeist.
Now celebrating its seventh year, the event will also see former Edge editor Margaret Robertson provide attendees with new approaches to game design.
Now a games consultant, Robertson will be explaining how epic tales (and the production investment needed to tell them) can often be “expensive, cumbersome and inefficient” processes. She will go on to underline what fans of AAA games really look for and talk on how studios can deliver these in a fast and thrifty manner.
Previously confirmed to offer speaker sessions at the event are EA Sports President Peter Moore and Turbine CEO Jim Crowley. An updated page of the full set of speakers can be found here.
Now in its seventh year, the event will again host recruitment areas, allowing attendees to access to the latest job opportunities in games. The show will open from August 10-16.


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Panalpina gains airfreight market share
20 / 03 / 2015
PANALPINA continued to gain airfreight market share in in the first quarter of 2014, with a 6.3 per cent rise in volumes that outpaced the industry’s 4 per cent benchmark growth.
“We had a decent start into 2014,” says Panalpina chief executive Peter Ulber. “In the first three months of the year, air and ocean freight showed continued growth ahead of the market, and in Logistics we made progress in reducing the losses.”
The Switzerland-based global logistics group saw its air cargo volumes rise to 203,900 tonnes, a performance that compares well with the number one air cargo freight forwarder, Kuehne+Nagel.
K+N, also based in Switzerland, reported a 1.4 per cent increase in airfreight volumes to 285,000 tons in the first quarter 2014.
Panalpina’s gross profit per airfreight tonne decreased 1per cent to SFr754 versus like three month period 2013. Airfreight gross profit reached SFr153.7m, up from SFr146m in the comparable period.
The air cargo division achieved earnings before interest and tax of SFr26.0m, up from SFr22.2 m.
Panalpina’s outlook for the airfreight market remains unchanged. The company expects to outperform a forecast global sector growth of between 2 per cent to 3 per cent in 2014.
In the airfreight market, where Panalpina is the fourth largest logistics player, the strategy is “to stabilise performance, grow volumes above market and to focus on profitable growth”.
In Panalpina’s group wide outlook for the year ahead, Ulber adds: “In the context of difficult market conditions, the results for the first quarter are very encouraging. Our systematic restructuring activities to turn around the company’s loss-making operations are ongoing and on track, but these activities will continue to influence the financial results in the short term.”


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By Susan Tompor
Credit card companies are once again offering free money — or it sure looks free when you see a huge 0% plastered on the envelope.
Open that new plastic, buy now and get 0% until August 2014? Yes, you’re not imagining things. Credit card experts say we’re seeing the best promotions for plastic ever since the Great Recession.
“It was free money to me in some sense,” said Donald Grimes, an economist at the University of Michigan.
Grimes jumped at a 0% deal that runs 18 months to buy an Apple laptop. But he plans to pay off the purchase before an 18% annual percentage rate kicks in, retroactively on this deal, if the purchase is not paid off in 18 months.
“I’ve played that game, and I know how to do it,” Grimes said.
MONEY QUICK TIPS: Make your credit cards work for you
The latest run of 0% offers — including 0% financing deals at stores and 0% introductory-rate major credit cards — is one more sign that the worst is over for the economy.
“The economy is definitely coming back, and the credit card industry is definitely making a bet on that,” said Tim Chen, CEO of NerdWallet.com, which compares everything from credit cards to checking accounts to airline fees.continue reading »


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Megabanks post increased earnings during the 1st quarter.
Japan’s three megabanks saw high profit during the 1st quarter of this fiscal year (April-June), thanks to increased interest on lendings overseas. The net earning of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group grew by 15.5% to JPY 277.7 billion, that of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group grew by 16.1% to JPY 267.8 billion, and that of Mizuho Financial Group by 2.1% to JPY 158.0 billion. All three groups enjoyed growth in interest revenues on lending to Asia and Africa and in commission revenues on investment trust under Japan’s active stock market. The lending balance expanded marginally domestically, on the banck of increasing corporate capital investments, and the banks may enjoy further growth in lendings.
Major convenience stores hit record quarterly profits.
Three major convenience store chains saw record high pretax profit during the March-May quarter, with brisk new products sales and rebound of consumption after the April 2014 tax hike. Seven ? i Holdings’ pretax profit jumped 5% YoY to JPY 81.1 billion yen, according to earnings results released by the company. The company’s U.S. operations boomed, though falling retail prices on gasoline pulled down sales, contributing to a 2% drop in group operating revenue to JPY 1.44 trillion The company ultimately enjoyed a 7% jump in net profit to JPY 42.2 billion. Pretax profit at Lawson leapt 16% to JPY 19.1 billion. Sales jumped 20% YoY to JPY 140.2 billion, nudged upward by the company’s acquisition of high-end supermarket Seijo Ishii and the rising popularity of the products appealing to health-conscious consumers. Net profit dropped 15% to JPY 7.7 billion, due partly to an impairment loss on unprofitable stores. Product improvements at FamilyMart, including revamped packaging on the chain’s packed lunches, spurred business, with pretax profit rising 20% to JPY 11.5 billion and sales growing 12% to JPY 99.1 billion.
Japanese major automakers’ results for FYE March 2015.
The financial results of seven Japanese automakers for the fiscal year ended March 2015 are as per attached. Most of the figures are taken from the annual securities report, or Yuka Shoken Hokokusho, of each automaker.
The weak yen is forecast to push up profit of shipping companies for March 2016.
The ordinary profits of three major shipping companies ( Nippon Yusen, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and K-Line ) for March 2016 are forecast to grow by total JPY 32 billion under the weakened yen since maritime transporation fare is denominated in US dollar. The decline in one yen against the US dollar pushes up ordinary profit of Nippon Yusen by JPY 1.4 billion. Since Yusen’s estimated exchange rate for this fiscal year is stands at 115 to the US dollar, and its profit may grow by JPY 14 billion under the current situation. Mitsui O.S.K. by JPY 12.6 billion and K Line by JPY 5.9 billion.
Major general trading companies have a gap in earnings.
The financial results of major Japanese general trading companies were released by May 8th. Three out of five recorded deteriorated net results - due to impairment losses on oil development project in US and coal mining projects in Australia, iron ore mining project in Brazil, etc. Sumitomo Corporation ended in a net loss of JPY 73.1 billion, Mitsui ? Co. saw a 12.5% decline to JPY 306.4 billion, and Marubeni JPY 105.6 billion (-49.9%). Mitsubishi and Marubeni improved results thanks to adequate earnings from non-resource businesses.


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We have heard countless reports over the past couple of months that TCL will soon be launching a new BlackBerry-branded smartphone. The leaks had revealed that this device will be called the BlackBerry Key2 and as the name suggests, it would be a successor to the BlackBerry KeyOne. TCL’s BlackBerry Mobile division has officially launched the BlackBerry Key2 today and has also confirmed its price.
As expected, the BlackBerry Key2 features a 4.5 ich 1620×1080 pixel resolution LCD display with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor, 6GB RAM, up to 128GB of storage, and a 3,500mAh battery. It also happens to be the first BlackBerry-branded handset to feature a dual 12 megapixel rear camera system. There’s also an 8 megapixel camera up front. The device will ship with Android 8.1 out of the box.
The device has a full QWERTY keyboard like its predecessor but the key spacing has been optimized to provide a more comfortable typing experience. The fingerprint sensor is located underneath the space button and there’s also a new “Speed Key” on the keyboard through which users can trigger any of the 52 shortcuts they have assigned to the other keys. BlackBerry’s portfolio of apps such as DTK and BBM will be onboard.
The company has confirmed that this handset is going to be released in the coming weeks but a precise date hasn’t been provided as yet. It hasn’t even confirmed if there’s going to be a CDMA variant for the U.S. like there was for the KeyOne last year. What we do know is that this handset is going to cost $649 which is $100 more than its predecessor.


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story published in the Santa Barbara News-Press on 8/9/18
At the Bear and Star, class is in session.
The popular Los Olivos restaurant helmed by Chef John Cox is launching a series of super intimate, hands-on cooking classes this weekend. The first in the series, dubbed “Summer BBQ,” will focus on techniques for grilling local seafood and shellfish. Scheduled for 4-8pm, it’ll culminate with a sit-down meal with Chef Cox and his team.
“For me, these classes are something I felt there was a need for,” says Chef Cox, who, in partnership with the Fess Parker family, helped launch the restaurant in May of 2017 inside the Fess Parker Wine Country Inn. “Plus, I love interfacing with customers.”
Classes will be limited to just 12 students.
|The Bear and Star team leading the new BBQ cooking classes, from left: Chef Trent Shank, Chef Jeremy Tummell & Chef John Cox|
The inaugural session will highlight the bounty in Santa Barbara’s waters and take on a culinary topic that many home chefs find “intimidating,” according to Mr. Cox.
“I think people just need permission to see and understand how easy grilling seafood can be,” he says. “With seafood that's fresh, all it’s about is not messing it up!”
Ahead of this Sunday’s class, Chef Cox will visit the Santa Barbara Fisherman’s Market, the every-Saturday experience that allows consumers to buy the morning’s fresh catch right off the fishing boats. “This is something I do every Saturday,” says the chef, who lives on a boat in the Santa Barbara Harbor.
Based on what Saturday reels in, Sunday’s class and menu will highlight techniques for making Pacific Coast Oysters “Rockefeller” Style; local sea urchin prepared with Meyer lemon and garlic butter; goat cheese-stuffed summer squash with basil; an heirloom tomato salad with grilled prawns and black radish vinaigrette; whole grilled local rockfish with foraged fennel and house-made chorizo; and dessert from the Parker family farm.
“Sea urchin, for example -- it’s a lot easier to grill than people might think,” says Chef Cox, who admits to preferring the echinoderm, famously harvested along the Santa Barbara coast by diver Stephanie Mutz, raw. “But on the grill, we’ll use a touch of cream, parmesan, lemon – almost making a sea urchin fondue inside the shell. You get these smoky, mellow flavors and the cooking takes a bit of the harshness out of the urchin. Grilling is an easy gateway to eating urchin.”
The class and dinner costs $90 per person or $160 per couple, with a $50 upsell for wine pairings curated by the Bear & Star’s wine expert, Allison Crawford.
Much of the inevitable appeal of these first-ever classes at the Bear and Star stems from John Cox’ own renown, which includes several years running the kitchen at the legendary Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur and even a recent guest appearance on the hit Food Network show, Beat Bobby Flay. Primarily, however, his notoriety is a product of what he’s accomplished at what’s become one of the buzziest restaurants in the Santa Ynez Valley: a home-grown program driven by an unabashed pursuit for sustainability. Most every item on the Bear and Star menu is raised, grown or harvested on the Parker family’s 710-acre ranch, less than seven miles away, including Wagyu beef, pork, rabbits, quail, chicken and organically grown vegetables, herbs and fruits. “A true ecosystem,” Chef Cox has called it in the past.
Food is slow-smoked and barbecued on the restaurant’s proprietary 30-foot custom reverse-flow Texas smoker and no fewer than six Big Green Egg grills.
|In July, I joined Chef Cox for a gorgeous dinner experience at the Parker ranch, w/all food cooked on that awesome smoker|
The cooking classes will take place at the Bear & Star’s outdoor kitchen and inside the exclusive Chef’s Room. The second class in the series, BBQ Classics, is slated for September 9th and will highlight techniques for perfecting brisket, ribs and smoked chicken; it’ll be led by Chef Jeremy Tummel and John Cox. A class titled Save the Autumn Harvest, an October 14th session led by Chef Trent Shank and Mr. Cox, will focus on preservation techniques – smoking, fermenting, pickling and canning – and include a visit to the Parker ranch to harvest a variety of produce.
These classes are all about making cooking accessible to consumers, says Chef Cox. “For us [chefs], though,” he adds, “there’s nothing more exciting than interacting with people who get excited about food and about preparing it and talking about it.”
For tickets, call 805-686-1359 or click here.


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Tennessee’s Central Basin resembles the Italian Alps about as much as Kevin Bacon looks like actual bacon. But on our drive through the Volunteer State, the Alfa Romeo crossover named for the Continent’s iconic mountain pass transported us instead to a different European motoring mecca. Running southwest out of Nashville, the 444-mile Natchez Trace Parkway plows a narrow squiggle through a verdant forest and conjures up a sort of neo-Nürburgring. The way the manicured easement meets old-growth oak, the way the asphalt never runs straight, the way one blind corner feeds into another, it all evokes the holy Green Hell. Mind the Lycra-clad cyclists, dispatch with the dawdling sightseers, and ignore the 40- and 50-mph speed limits of the Natchez Trace, and the Alfa Romeo Stelvio alights with verve. It steers with a steady linear effort. The brake pedal responds obediently to slight pressure modulation, and in general Alfa’s brake-by-wire system felt more natural … [Read more...] about 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio
Free Price Quote From a Local Dealer View Special Offers The importance of the Ram pickup and the Jeep brand to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles cannot be overstated. If it wasn’t clear before, FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne erased any doubt today on an earnings call when he was asked if Jeep and Ram are strong enough to exist as a standalone entity like Ferrari. “Yes,” he answered, with no hesitation.That does not mean FCA is on the verge of spinning off the profit-makers, but it underscores the importance of the pickups and SUVs for a company that has stopped making smaller cars.FCA is investing heavily in the new Jeep Wrangler coming out in the fourth quarter and the new Ram 1500 light-duty trucks coming at the end of 2018, said Chief Financial Officer Richard Palmer.Ram light-duty pickups are currently built at the Warren plant in Michigan, but assembly of the next-generation truck will move to the Sterling Heights facility that made the Chrysler 200 … [Read more...] about Alfa Romeo Stelvio coming by June 30, CEO confirms during FCA earnings call
The Stelvio SUV will share engines as the new Giulia sedan; will be revealed in its range-topping Quadrifoglio guise. 417 views Sep 11, 2016 The Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV will be revealed at the Los Angeles motor show in November, according to promotional material from the company. Alongside the 'save the date' notice of November 15 and 16, 2016 was a photo of the car's silhouette that showed the same coupé-like roofline that previous spy shots of the car have revealed. It was originally thought that the Stelvio would make its world debut at this month's Paris motor show, but delays in Alfa Romeo's next generation of cars may have pushed this to the next major motor show. Like the Giulia sedan, the Stelvio will be launched in the range-topping Quadrifoglio guise, with the same powerful twin-turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 engine. 'Quadrifoglio' is the badge Alfa Romeo gives its performance-oriented models. More mass-market versions of the Stelvio will be revealed at a later … [Read more...] about Alfa Romeo Stelvio to debut at Los Angeles motor show
Nissan is all set to introduce Datsun as a budget brand for the Indian market in mid-2013. The sub-brand aims to offer modern, reliable and affordable products to its customers and will commence sales in India from the year 2014. Datsun will be introducing a hatchback as its first car for the Indian portfolio, which will be based on the previous generation Nissan Micra. While sharing technical elements from the Micra, the Datsun hatchback will have a completely different styling. The Datsun Micra based hatchback will be slightly smaller than the current generation Micra and will have roomy interior space, despite being smaller in size. According to the company, the new hatchback will have a unique design and won’t look like a stripped down version of the Nissan Micra. The manufacturer aims to offer good quality with the hatchback at a lower price. Datsun wants to ensure that the vehicle will have its own special value proposition and the brand will possess a unique … [Read more...] about Datsun Hatchback For India To Be Based On Nissan Micra
Italian luxury car manufacturer, Maserati, is developing a new supercar based on Ferrari’s latest hypercar, the LaFerrari. Maserati will launch this car sometime in 2015. Maserati which is owned by Ferrari, launched its last supercar was launched in 2004, called the Maserati MC12, which was based on the Ferrari Enzo. The new Maserati supercar will use LaFerrari’s chassis, suspension and electric systems, but with an exclusive body and possibly a completely different engine or a detuned version of the LaFerrari’s engine, like the old MC12. If Maserati uses the LaFerrari 6.3-litre V12 engine, it will not use the electric motors which make the Ferrari engine a hybrid. So the output too will be down from the original, 789 BHP of power and 700 Nm of torque. Maserati will trade in lower power for better low-end torque. If not this engine, then Maserati may use the 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 engine from the Quattroporte saloon, which produces 523 BHP and 710 Nm of torque. … [Read more...] about Maserati To Launch New Supercar Based On The LaFerrari
Fiat is all set to revamp the face of its entire product range with a new design language strategy. The Italian carmaker will be introducing new products in its portfolio extensively based on the Fiat 500 and Panda. Fiat has received overwhelming response by the customers for these two products and the automaker is betting big on the two offerings, hoping for a bright future ahead. Fiat currently offers the 3-door mini hatchback and a 5-door mini-MPV under the 500 badge. The Italian manufacturer will soon add the 500X crossover to its lineup, which will compete with the likes of the MINI Countryman. The Fiat 500X is intended to replace the outgoing Sedici crossover and will ride on an increased height with plastic body cladding in order to give it a rugged crossover stance. Next in line is a replacement planned for the famous Punto hatchback. The launch of the Fiat 500XL will see discontinuation of the Punto hatchback and will be positioned between the regular supermini and family … [Read more...] about Fiat’s Future Product Potfolio To Be Based On 500 & Panda
The Renault Captur compact SUV will be launched in Brazil soon but will be based on the Duster platform, which in-turn is based on the first-generation Logan platform. Renault had a massive change of fortune in India after they launched the Duster SUV which found large number of buyers. Relying solely on the Duster’s success, Renault was quick to capitalise on the fact that the Indian market was moving towards the utility vehicle segment and went on to launch the Lodgy MPV, which also turned out to be a decent product in the market. A product which is performing well in Europe is the Captur compact SUV. The Renault Captur has managed to become a crowd favourite and is currently one of the best selling vehicles in the continent, rivalling with the likes of the famous Nissan Juke and the Opel Mokka. Renault is planning to launch the Captur in Brazil, however, it will be based on the Duster platform. This is not a disappointing update because the overall appeal including the … [Read more...] about Renault Captur In Brazil To Be Based On Duster Platform
Previously spied in its hometown, our spy photographers have again spotted the Alfa Romeo Stelvio roaming the streets in Italy, still in disguise cladding. The marque’s first SUV is set to roll out in 2017, and appears to follow a model strategy adopted by its sedan sibling, the Giulia. Named after the Stelvio Pass in northern Italy, which is widely regarded as one of the most challenging driving routes in the world, the new SUV is tipped to spawn a high-performance variant like the Giulia Quadrifoglio, and as such is expected to feature the same 2.9 litre turbocharged V6 petrol powerplant. For the high-performance variant of the Stelvio, the engine which produces 510 hp and over 600 Nm of torque in the Giulia Quadrifoglio is anticipated to be tuned for more usable torque, less so for top-end power, according to a report by Autocar. Though both manual and automatic transmission options are available on the Giulia Quadrifoglio, the top-shelf Stelvio is likely to stick with an … [Read more...] about SPIED: Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV, with interior images
A pre-production test mule of the coming Alfa Romeo Stelvio has been spied in Italy. Unlike previous spy photos of the prototype, the anticipated Italian SUV is seen here for the first time in its own body, and not one borrowed from a Fiat 500. Still heavily disguised by thick cladding, the Stelvio’s exterior silhouette can roughly be made out. For one, Alfa’s design language is noticeable all over the front end — it appears to feature the car maker’s “shield” front grille design within the front fascia, which like the Giulia, forms an integral part of the brand’s signature “Trilobo” motif. Up top, he SUV also appears to feature a sloping roof design. Our photographers were unable to get a glimpse of the vehicle’s interior, but thanks to a cheeky teaser image from before, we’ve had a decent look at that too. As expected, the photo showed a cabin that was styled similarly to the Giulia sedan. Under its skin, the Alfa … [Read more...] about SPIED: Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV shows exterior shape
Alfa Romeo’s upcoming SUV may still be a work in progress, but it appears the vehicle has now been given a name. According to Auto Express, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) CEO Sergio Marchionne has christened the SUV with the name, Stelvio. Sound familiar? Well, the name is a homage to the famous mountain pass in Italy. Top Gear fans will recall the Stelvio Pass from episode one, series 10. The “Stelvio” name is also associated to a type of Italian cheese, a national park and a film music composer. Getting back on track, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio (internally known as the Tipo 949 D-SUV), is said to be based on a modified version of the Giulia’s architecture. This allows it to adopt either a rear- or all-wheel drive powertrains. Engine choices should include the Ferrari-derived 2.9 litre biturbo V6 engine, along with a smaller 2.0 litre four-cylinder unit. Expect diesel powerplants (2.2 litre four-cylinder, 3.0 litre V6) to join the mix as well. As for the … [Read more...] about Alfa Romeo Stelvio – official name of the new SUV
Remember the Hyundai Santa Cruz pick-up truck concept from the Detroit Auto Show at the beginning of the year? American automotive portal Edmunds is now reporting that should it get a green light for production – a decision on which is expected to be made by late summer – it will be based on the Tucson‘s monocoque architecture, rather than the ladder frame construction used by competing models. Billed as a “crossover truck,” the Santa Cruz is said to be aimed at buyers who want the aesthetic of a pick-up, but without the ruggedness (and the roughness, we’d assume) of a traditional body-on-frame truck. It will reportedly share the Tucson’s platform and many of the latter’s components to cut development time by about one or two years, compared to building a unique architecture from the ground up. “We would not be starting from scratch with this vehicle, that is fair to say,” said Hyundai Motor America’s director of product … [Read more...] about Hyundai Santa Cruz pick-up to be based on Tucson?
Yesterday, we broke the news of Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI) and Tan Chong Group signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to assemble Subaru vehicles in Malaysia, making our country the regional production hub for the brand. Production will start in October 2012 at 5,000 units per year, and the vehicle in question will be a “compact SUV”. We figured that Subaru wouldn’t have categorised its Forester as “compact”, so it has to be another model. Well, we can now confirm that the compact SUV in question is NOT the Forester, but the production version of the Subaru XV Concept. Making its debut at this year’s Shanghai show, the XV Concept is billed as a crossover “blending exceptional SUV practicality with a fashionable form”. While the XV’s shape looks similar to the Impreza hatchback’s at a glance, its front and rear styling is unique. The Shanghai show car measured 4,450 mm long and had a 2,635 mm wheelbase, figures that are … [Read more...] about CONFIRMED: CKD Subaru model will be based on the XV Concept, brand to have 20 outlets in Malaysia by 2014!
In a repeat of the Giulia‘s reveal, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV has been revealed in standard guise two months after the unveiling of the all-singing, all-dancing 510 hp Quadrifoglio model in Los Angeles. Specifically, this is the First Edition, the limited edition variant in which the first units will come in. As expected, the standard Stelvio loses out on the look-faster bits of the Quadrifoglio, such as the bonnet vents, the side slashes on the front bumper and the massive rear diffuser with quad exhausts; the body mouldings have also been given a black finish to give more of an off-roader vibe. However, the base car’s stylish design still remains, and includes cues such as the traditional Alfa shield grille, sharp headlights, deeply-sculpted body sides and low-slung roofline. First Edition models get goodies such as spindly 20-inch alloy wheels, painted brake callipers, standard bi-xenon headlights, chrome window frames, privacy glass and door handle courtesy lights. … [Read more...] about Alfa Romeo Stelvio First Edition – standard car shown
When we first drove the new Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, we were impressed. Both the chassis and the suspension are well-tuned, and the engine—a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 essentially made by chopping two cylinders off the Ferrari 488's V8—is an absolute monster. But while we were really excited by Alfa's plans to build a station wagon Giulia variant, it now appears the wagon has been canceled. And it's all the fault of the Stelvio, Alfa's Giulia-based SUV. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Shown above, the wagon-killing Alfa Romeo Stelvio. Speaking with CAR Magazine, Alfa's head of manufacturing, Alfredo Altavilla, broke the news. "We decided not to do a Giulia Sportwagon," he said. "Do we really need it if the Stelvio SUV drives that well? Maybe not. With our fine-tuning, the Stelvio can capture all the people who would otherwise have been interested in [the station wagon]." Now, we're sure the Stelvio is a fine vehicle, especially in Quadrifoglio form. And since … [Read more...] about The Alfa Romeo Stelvio Killed the Giulia Sportwagon
Alfa Romeo has a lot riding on the success of the Stelvio SUV, so it only makes sense that the Italian automaker create as many different variants of the Stelvio as it can. The high-performance Stelvio Quadrifoglio is expected to carry most of that responsibility, but Alfa’s mixing it up a little bit too with the release of the Stelvio First Edition, a limited run version of the SUV that packs plenty of discerning features for those willing to get a piece of it. Off the bat, let’s establish the fact that the Stelvio First Edition is based on the standard version of the SUV and not the Quadrifoglio. That’s an important piece of information considering that one of the latter’s most notable features is its Ferrari-derived 2.9-liter biturbo V-6 engine that spits out 505 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. Instead, the Stelvio First Edition carries the smaller 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that’s good for 280 horses and 295 pound-feet of twist. … [Read more...] about 2017 Alfa Romeo Stelvio First Edition
Alfa Romeo’s new Stelvio crossover won’t arrive in the United States for a few more months, but Europeans are getting the jump on us with a First Edition version that’s open for ordering right now. Although we won’t get the First Edition in America, this model marks the first time we’ve seen the Stelvio in its standard form, as Alfa only revealed the high-performance Quadrifoglio model upon its debut last fall. Shorn of the QV model’s body kit, aggressive wheels and tires, and quad exhaust tips, the standard Stelvio presents a cleaner, uncluttered profile that’s attractive to our eye—dare we say that its overall proportions may be even better-looking than those of the Giulia sedan? The First Edition model wears 20-inch wheels, colored brake calipers, and some extra chrome, while its interior equipment includes paddle shifters, heated front seats, wood trim, and an 8.8-inch central display screen with navigation. Like the Giulia sedan on … [Read more...] about Here’s Our First Look at the Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV in Non-Quadrifoglio Form
Jeep will unveil three new models by 2020. While we anticipated both the Wrangler pickup and this year’s confirmation that a new Grand Wagoneer is coming, we didn’t quite foresee the dawn of a Jeep that might sell for Range Rover money. Jeep CEO Mike Manley said the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer—two large SUVs based in part on the Ram truck’s body-on-frame chassis–will compete in the $60,000-to-$100,000 bracket. Fully loaded examples of the Grand Wagoneer, Jeep’s first three-row full-size SUV since the 2010 Commander, will sell against the Range Rover and the Cadillac “It’s a place we’ve been, we walked away from it, now we’re going to be strong again,” said Manley, referring to the original 1984–1991 Grand Wagoneer and its upmarket position alongside contemporary Range Rovers. It’s not entirely beyond realistic expectations, either, given that a fully loaded 2017 Grand Cherokee SRT currently exceeds $80,000. … [Read more...] about 2020 Jeep Grand Wagoneer Targets Range Rover; Wrangler Pickup on Track
When it comes to naming a vehicle after a roadway, you could do a lot worse than Italy’s Stelvio Pass. More than 9000 feet above sea level at its highest point and consisting of more than 48 hairpin corners on the north side alone, it’s considered one of the best driving roads in the world. So it’s only natural that Alfa Romeo would co-opt the moniker for its new sports . . . uh, SUV? Okay, so it’s not exactly a surprise. And the Alfa Romeo Stelvio just made its in-the-metal debut at the 2016 Los Angeles auto show. Three for the Road Assembled at Alfa’s Cassino plant in Frosinone, Italy,the Stelvio is built on the same platform as the Giulia and will be offered in three trim levels: Stelvio, Stelvio Ti, and the high-performance Stelvio Quadrifoglio, which has enough distinct features and tuning to be considered a separate model. While the Stelvio and Stelvio Ti both rely on a 280-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four for motivation, the high-performance … [Read more...] about 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Stelvio Quadrifoglio Revealed!
Having already returned to being a relevant carmaker thanks to the 4C sports car and the Giulia sedan, Alfa Romeo is getting its vehicle development plans into high gear with several fresh models by 2018, two of which will be SUVs. The first hauler was originally scheduled to hit showrooms in 2017 and it made its global debut at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show. It goes by the name Stelvio and will compete against the likes of BMW X3, Audi Q5, Jaguar F-Pace, and Porsche Macan. Unlike most of its rivals, Alfa Romeo also developed a high-peformance version of the Stelvio, and just like the Giulia sedan, it wears the green Quadrifoglio badge. But the badge isn’t the only thing that the two nameplates have in common. The crossover itself is based on the sedan, sharing many components in the chassis and drivetrain, as well as the same styling language. What’s more, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio will hit the streets with the same 2.9-liter V-6 rated at more than 500 horsepower! "The … [Read more...] about 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio
The long wait for the Alfa Romeo Stelvio is almost over. Alfa’s first SUV was revealed at the Los Angeles Motor Show last month, and we now know it’ll come with a starting price of £35,000 when it hits UK showrooms in 2017. Alfa has high hopes for the Stelvio, and it should easily become the firm’s biggest seller. The Stelvio is the second model in what’s set to be a big product charge from Alfa Romeo. The company’s entire fleet will be overhauled by 2020 with the inclusion of all-new models. Eight new Alfas will be on sale by the end of the decade, so expect six more cars over the coming years. The Stelvio uses the latest design language established by the new Giulia saloon, boasting the same new face and taillight design. Like that car, it makes its debut in range topping Quadrofoglio form, using the same 503bhp 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6. As such, the Porsche Macan Turbo rival boasts huge performance – 0-62mph is done in 3.9 seconds, while top … [Read more...] about New Alfa Romeo Stelvio: All the details on Alfa’s SUV


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HMRC Update on Double Can Pick Up Guidance
The tax treatment of Double Cab Pick Ups (DCPUs) was set to change from 1 July 2024, with some being classified as cars rather than goods vehicles for tax purposes. However, due to concerns raised by farmers and the motoring industry, the government has decided to maintain the current tax treatment for DCPUs as goods vehicles. This decision ensures that businesses and individuals can continue to benefit from existing tax rules.
The government plans to introduce legislation to solidify this decision and will consult on the draft legislation before it becomes law. This means that the tax on benefits and capital allowances for DCPUs will remain the same, providing consistency and simplicity in the tax system. The updated guidance from HMRC, which was set to change the tax treatment, will be withdrawn, and previous arrangements to help DCPUs owners adapt are no longer necessary.
It's important to note that this change only applies to DCPUs with a payload of one tonne or more, while those with a payload of less than one tonne will still be treated as cars for tax purposes.
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Chinese officials are sticking to their plan to visit Washington in September for face-to-face trade meetings, people familiar with the matter said, signaling that talks remain on track for now despite an abrupt escalation in tariff threats this month.
The U.S. on Tuesday delayed the imposition of some new tariffs after top negotiators spoke on the phone, with President Donald Trump saying the encounter was “very productive,” and that he thinks Beijing wants to “do something dramatic” to end the impasse.
That said, Chinese negotiators are not very optimistic of any imminent progress, one of the people said. Officials are unlikely to make concessions in the run up to October 1, the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic, the person said.
S&P 500 futures erased their losses, the yen pared gains and the yuan rose slightly on the news. The Ministry of Commerce did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tensions between the world’s two biggest economies rose significantly this month after Trump said he would tariff another $300 billion of Chinese goods, prompting Beijing to halt U.S. agricultural purchases and allow the yuan to weaken. The escalation brought into question whether talks planned for September would still go ahead, with Trump saying it’s "fine" if they don’t.
Though Trump has often denied his tariffs have any impact on consumer prices and insists their cost is being borne by China, he also said the delay had been made “so it won’t be relevant to the Christmas shopping season.”
Prospects for genuine progress in trade talks are low, especially as Chinese President Xi Jinping tackles weeks-long protests in Hong Kong that his government blames the U.S. for instigating.
Whether or not the talks actually take place also depends on developments between now and then, according to one of the people. The next call between the negotiating teams will be in two weeks.
Trump’s move to delay some tariffs involved the splitting of an almost $300 billion list of products from China into two separate ones. Lots of agricultural products, antiques, clothes, kitchenware and footwear remained on the list to be hit Sept. 1 -- with a total value of more than $110 billion, according to a Bloomberg News analysis of last year’s import figures.
But big-ticket categories such as smart-phones, laptops, and children’s toys -- worth about $160 billion -- would only be subject to tariffs after Dec. 15, according to Tuesday’s announcement. Nearly $2 billion worth of products were removed from the combined lists including bibles and shipping containers.
U.S. stocks surged on the news Tuesday. Apple Inc. spiked as much as 5.8% and Best Buy Co. climbed as much as 11% on optimism that the reprieve would boost electronics sales in the holiday season. Apparel retailers including Gap Inc. and L Brands Inc. rose, as did toymaker Hasbro Inc. and discount chain Dollar Tree Inc.
The development was greeted in Beijing with some skepticism. Taoran Notes, a blog run by the state-run Economic Daily, wrote on Wednesday that the negotiators’ call was made on the invitation of the U.S., indicating that Trump is feeling the pressure of the tariffs.
The call sends a “positive" signal, as it showed that the two sides are still in communication, and are willing to keep in touch, it said. But whether there will be progress or not depends on the U.S.’s actions, according to the blog.
"The outside world should have no illusion on China’s positions,” the blog said. "If the U.S. sticks to the maximum pressure tactic, then its goal won’t be reached even if additional tariffs are imposed on all Chinese goods.”


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Bad time for Swiss watch exports as Asia demand falls
SWISS watch exports slumped last year, marking their first fall in six years, an industry body said on Tuesday, as the key Hong Kong market tanked.
After years of record growth, exports last year fell by 3.3 per cent to 21.5 billion Swiss francs (S$30.2 billion), the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FHS) said.
In 2014, Swiss watchmakers had clocked a historic 22.2 billion Swiss francs in exports - up 1.9 per cent over the previous year. Last year's drop was the first since the sector was hit by a sharp slowdown in 2009 in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.
Last year's slump was linked to a steep 9.1 per cent fall in demand in Asia, which absorbed exactly half of all the exports last year.
FHS said the decline in watch exports by nearly a quarter to Hong Kong, which is still feeling the impact of the pro-democracy Umbrella protests, exerted "a strong negative effect on the result worldwide".
Exports to China were also down 4.7 per cent last year, although they were seen improving towards the end of the year, bouncing up 5.5 per cent last month, FHS said.
Exports to China have yo-yoed wildly in recent years, first raking in several years of double-digit growth before taking a hard hit following efforts to crack down on corruption in that country by banning extravagant gifts like expensive watches to public officials.
The overvaluation of the Swiss franc since the Swiss central bank last January suddenly decided to stop artificially trying to hold down its value against the euro had also dealt a blow to the country's exports, FHS said.


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Sony Announces PS4 Games for July: Androids Displace Footballers
However, at the last moment it became known that the game about football will be replaced by a game called Detroit: Become Human.
In addition, this is a Digital Deluxe Edition, which means that it includes official soundtracks and two themes, as well as another game - Heavy Rain. This news became known a few hours before the release of the July games.
Recall that the game Detroit: Become Human describes the near future, where the androids, inspired the world, start a rebellion against their creators.


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Jim Cramer is always searching for under the radar stocks and his screen has started to blip again.
"I want to introduce you to Iconix Brand Group," said the Mad Money host.
Iconix owns a diversified portfolio of fashion and home retail brands which includes Joe Boxer, London Fog, Candie's, Danskin and more.
Although Iconix owns its brands, it licenses them to leading retailers and manufacturers worldwide. "It's those manufactures and retailers who actually make and sell the products," Cramer explained. "In return, they pay Iconix a royalty for the license."
Cramer likes the business model and believes it should be very profitable. "Remember, Iconix doesn't have to worry about inventory or raw costs, they just need to manage their portfolio of brands and make good licensing deals," Cramer said.


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The Coast Village Association presents the first ever Taste of Coast Village on Saturday, September 14, 2019, featuring the unique flavors of Coast Village’s growing restaurant scene.
Over 25 eateries from Montecito’s lower business district will participate in the exclusive event, as well as several local wineries and breweries that will provide drinks. Celebrate the diverse flavors from dozens of local chefs and food artisans. Sip from local wineries and breweries, and enjoy the sounds of Tom Ball, Kenny Sultan, and Rob Malanca.
“This event will truly showcase all that Coast Village Road has to offer from a food and wine standpoint,” said CVA president Bob Ludwick, who is helping to organize the event with the Coast Village Association’s Events Committee and Katie Hershfelt of Cultivate Events. “We have so many incredible eateries here, and never before have they all been at the same place at the same time. It’s a great opportunity for the community to taste all that the lower village has to offer.”
The event will take place in a cordoned off area in the 1100 block of Coast Village Road, with restaurants and wineries serving their faire from pop-up tents. Guests can taste the offerings from such eateries as Khao Kaeng, Here’s the Scoop, Honor Bar, Oliver’s, CAVA, Bettina Pizzeria, Juice Ranch, and Ca’ Dario –the newest eatery to join the elevated list of restaurants on Coast Village Road– and many, many others. Wineries and breweries include Folded Hills Winery, Margerum Wine Company, T.W. Hollister & Co., and an array of wine pours from the Liquor & Wine Grotto, among others.
This year’s Grand Marshal is the legendary Pete Jordano, CEO of Jordano’s Food Service, who is generously helping to sponsor the event. Jordano’s is the largest and oldest family owned retail business in Santa Barbara, and is one of the largest marketer and supplier of food, beverages, and culinary equipment in the Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and
Ventura County area. Mr. Jordano is a highly respected and successful business owner, an active and devoted member of our community, and just a great guy. Learn more about Mr. Jordano, and his family’s rich history in Santa Barbara in the VIP Lounge at the festival.
Other generous sponsors include Folded Hills Winery, Bright Event Rentals, Cultivate Events, Keller Williams, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, CAVA, Village Properties, Montecito Bank & Trust, Montecito Journal, Rosewood Miramar, Four Seasons Biltmore, and others.
General admission is $65 and the event runs from 2-5 p.m., with participants invited to enjoy unlimited tastings from participating vendors, as well as given a souvenir wine glass. A limited number of VIP tickets ($95) will be available, which include early entry at 1 pm and access to the VIP Lounge, which will offer exclusive sips and bites in a comfortable lounge environment.


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11th Aug 2015
Google fans woke up on Tuesday with a shocking surprise from the Internet Titan. Google has announced Sundar Pichai as its new CEO while Larry Page was taking over the new parent company called Alphabet as its CEO.
Speaking about the new entity called Alphabet, it has been created by Google's co-founders Page and Brin. With this move, Google is now a wholly-owned subsidiary.
Having this said, the big news comes with Sundar Pichai being made as the CEO of Google. So, Here are five reasons why Pichai was made the CEO of Google.
- Pichai has been heading product management and engineering for many of Google's projects like Android, Chrome, Apps, YouTube, Maps and Search since last October. Pichai was the one making all the big calls for these products.
- Pichai is known to be as one of the most versatile executives in the tech industry. He is the perfect person to lead Google's Internet products.
- Pichai is said to be Page's most trusted lieutenant with Page including Pichai in to the core team of vice presidents. Pichai was made the single hand person of Google's two operating systems. By October 2014, Pichai was made the single most influential executive at Google because he took over product management and engineering for everything from Chrome to Google Maps.
[Also Read: Top Five Indian CEOs Of Global Tech Companies]
- While Pichai has been a talented executive at Google, he was also rumoured to replace Ballmer as the CEO of Microsoft. However, eventually, Satya Nadella was zeroed in for the CEO position of Microsoft. With Page being the CEO of Google, there was no space for growth for Pichai. So, the creation of Alphabet may prove a move worthy towards retaining some of the Google's best talent.
- Pichai launched the Android One programme in India and other emerging markets. Chrome OS was conceived as a OS for low-cost computers and that are tethered to the internet, something Pichai believes to be the future of computing in emerging markets. YouTube is now offline and content can be consumed without the internet and the same holds true for Google Maps. Google Now, Search and Voice Search provide the best machine learning adaptive experience and are widely available in emerging markets unlike competing products from Microsoft, and Apple. Seeing this, Pichai definitely knows how to focus more towards emerging markets than any other Google executive.
Five Reasons Why Sundar Pichai Was Made The CEO Of Google
The India-born techie is the perfect solution for the company's growth.
- Xiaomi India launches new Mi Dual Driver In-Ear Earphones
- Xiaomi to bring NavIC technology from ISRO to several smartphones in 2020
- Bobble celebrates 'Namaste Trump" with new GIFs, and Stickers
- Fujifilm unveils the new X100V camera with high performance and advanced functions along with two new XC 35mm F2 and GF 45-100mm F4 lens
- boAt audio launches new range of earphones & speakers at the recently concluded Lakmé Fashion Week
- Sennheiser PXC 550-II Wireless, The Smarter Travel Companion, Launched in India
- Titan Company strengthens its technology and wearables play
- Xiaomi India launches Desh Ka Dumdaar Smartphone, Redmi 8A Dual
- HYPERX LAUNCHES FURY ULTRA RGB GAMING MOUSE PAD IN INDIA
- An initiative to create a Breathe Free space for the torch bearers of tomorrow


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- Green Growth
- Your Consultant
The launch of the Toyota Motor Vietnam (TMV) showroom of hi-end Lexus car brands imported into Vietnam through direct contracts is proposed for late 2013 or early 2014.
Compared to other luxurious car brands, Lexus features strong visibility in the Vietnamese markets with a wide variety of models.
In fact, around 6,000 Lexus brand cars have made forays into Vietnam via different channels from 2007 to the end of 2012.
But, none entered Vietnam through direct contracts with genuine manufacturer or authorised dealers.
A director of a firm used to trade in Lexus cars from US market into Vietnam said before Ministry of Industry and Trade’s (MoIT) Circular 20/2011/TT-BCT came into force Lexus cars were imported into Vietnam in big volumes by commercial firms. Each year, his firm imported nearly 100 Lexus cars into Vietnam under orders from local customers.
MoIT’s Circular 20 stipulates additional procedures for imported cars from nine seats or less in a bid to increase traffic safety in Vietnam.
Among top car brands, German brands Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW made their presence felt in Vietnam through direct contracts with manufacturers or authorised dealers.
Audi and BMW brands have opened several showrooms in Vietnam for sale and guarantee services and are making strides for brand promotion.
In respect to Mercedes-Benz brand, around 30,000 car units of diverse models were imported into Vietnam in the past 17 years, 50 per cent of them were under nine seat passenger cars.
Mercedes-Benz has 12 Vietnamese dealers, the largest in number among top car brands in Vietnam and envisages expanding footprints in the Vietnamese market in 2013.
Not only strong in dealer system and services, Mercedes-Benz brings unrivalled added value to its customers through linkages with elite golf sport through its annual MercedesTropy tournament or Mercedes Celebrity Club with participation of well-known show stars.
Mercedes Tropy 2013 tournament alone attracted around 6,000 golfers and 60 per cent of whom were business managers and affluent people.
In the 2012 tournament season, 50 top-end Mercedes Benz cars were put as prizes to golfers with magic hole-in-one tee-offs.


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Heitz Cellar's Kathleen Heitz-Myers has traveled to China five times to research distributors for her cabernets. She gauges the growing demand by the increasing number of Chinese tourists who visit Napa tasting rooms.
"I expected it to be the high-end people collecting wines, but what impressed me when I was there were the younger people embracing it as part of their lifestyle," she said. "Their general knowledge is very good."
China is the biggest foreign consumer of American-grown products, and California products are highly desirable. Almonds, walnuts and pistachios are also enjoying record-breaking sales.
"There's a certain panache that goes with California," said Judy Hirigoyen of the American Pistachio Growers, which saw a 400 percent increase in sales during a two-month promotion that ended last week with the Chinese New Year.
But it's the luxury products such as wine that often indicate the health of an economy, and Napa cabs don't come cheap. Even former NBA star Yao Ming is getting in on the action with a 2009 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon that has a $289 a bottle price tag that he'll market to China's upper echelon.
Breaking into a market that is new to fine wines is a complicated process. Ships, docks and trucks must be temperature controlled to keep wine from spoiling. Trademarks must be protected, and sommeliers and beverage directors educated.
Napa Valley growers have been laying the groundwork for the past decade with periodic trips, but in the last two years growers have made the trip annually, as they will again in May.
Industry officials view China the way they did Japan 30 years ago. A lot of education and transformation of tastes had to take place, and now that country is the fourth-largest importer of U.S. wines, one step ahead of China.
At Harlan Estate, described by wine critic Robert Parker as "the single most profound red wine" in the world, Weaver believes the country holds promise for a wine of that stature.
"Japan is now a very sophisticated wine market," he said. "Our learning curve with China will probably be even more accelerated. You go to a place like Shanghai and see the vibrancy and it just feels like all things are possible. The smell of opportunity is in the air."
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Apple this week confirmed its $1 billion investment in SoftBank Group Corp.’s Vision Fund, increasing SoftBank’s odds to be “the world’s No. 1 robotics company” in service humanoid robots.
In October, Tokyo-based SoftBank announced that it was preparing to establish its Vision Fund for the purpose of making investments in the technology sector globally. In recent weeks, the investment and technology community had speculated that Apple was preparing to make a major investment in the Vision Fund, which it announced on Jan. 6. The relationship between SoftBank and Apple extends back to 2008, when SoftBank made a deal with Apple to become the exclusive iPhone seller in Japan.
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Rogers Employees To Begin ‘iPhone Pre-Launch’ Training for the iPhone 5
With endless speculation of an imminent iPhone 5 launch this Fall, we’ve heard rumours about the next generation phone coming to Telus in October, but now we’ve landed upon evidence that Rogers is preparing employees for the next launch.
An internal memo titled, Coming Soon: iPhone pre-launch, instructs employees to complete training, a 45 minute self study set to start on August 11th. This type of training is not out of the ordinary for Rogers, as it prepares the employees for new product launches. The text reads:
As of August 11th, the training for the iPhone pre-launch will start. Please complete this training once notified by the Just in Time (JIT) training coordinator in your site. The module is a 45 minute self-study; please make sure to complete the following training: iPhone Pre-Launch Training – Rogers Wireless 2011.
Last year, we first reported Rogers/Fido had started product training for the iPhone 4, based on selling the phone and positioning iOS 4, using the same internal resource, Fast Track. That was back on July 12th, weeks before the eventual July 30th Canadian launch date.
Rogers is preparing employees for an eventual launch, and this training has been confirmed by a Rogers employee. Rogers will most likely find out launch dates like the rest of us, but they’re already preparing.
Thanks Gen for the email!


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RTÉ to get details of online viewers’ internet habits
AerTV deal to give broadcaster access to huge volume of consumer behaviour data
AerTV is in discussions with “a number of other broadcasters” over data-sharing deals similar to the one it has just struck with RTÉ.
RTÉ has struck a deal with broadcast streaming website AerTV to buy data about the online habits of people who watch the national broadcaster’s programmes via AerTV on laptops and mobile devices.
RTÉ declined to comment yesterday but it is understood the broadcaster now has access to huge volumes of consumer behaviour data on people who view its shows through the AerTV site. The online streaming service is owned by the television and broadband provider Magnet Networks.
“People are consuming their media on mobile devices, like smartphones and tablets. That opens up an opportunity for broadcasters to understand their audiences like never before,” said AerTV director Philippe Brodeur.
“We have seen how Facebook and Google can use data to tailor their offering to a user’s specific needs. Online streaming of broadcasting allows AerTV, RTÉ and broadcasters all over the world to do the same,” he said.
Mr Brodeur added that this “potentially changes how schedules are designed” and how advertising campaigns are created.
“The media revolution is just beginning and this agreement helps both RTÉ and AerTV to position themselves within that,” he said.
RTÉ also declined to comment on what sort of data it would receive about its AerTV viewers’ online habits or how it planned to use and protect the data.
AerTV, which has viewers in 159 countries and recently passed the three million unique visitors mark, streams all of the Saorview free-to-air channels under a previous agreement.
The service is not allowed to stream RTÉ internationally because of rights issues but said there were opportunities for other deals with the national broadcaster, such as creating entirely new channels online.
“[The agreement] offers the prospect of collaboration on further projects in the future,” said Mr Brodeur.
“For example, [we] could help exploit RTÉ’s significant archive to a global audience.”
AerTV is in discussions with “a number of other broadcasters” over data-sharing deals similar to the one it has just struck with the semi-State broadcaster.
Mr Brodeur said broadcasters and advertisers have traditionally relied on Nielsen data collected about broadcast television viewing habits but new metrics such as ComScore were challenging the dominance of Nielsen.


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Tasting a Flavor That Doesn't Exist
Scientists and food companies are experimenting with “phantom aromas,” in which a smell tricks the brain into manufacturing a taste.
In 2007, the Campbell Soup Company started slashing the salt content in its canned soups in an effort to be more health-conscious. But the move, while it may have been well-intended, wasn’t well received: By July 2011, soup sales had dropped, and stock-market shares were down 5 percent. Faced with disappointing numbers, Campbell’s CEO Denise Morrison announced that month that the company was bringing back the salt, telling investors that the company would increase its sodium levels from 400 milligrams per serving to 650 milligrams.
The food industry is full of cautionary tales like this one. In 2004, General Mills released reduced-sugar versions of its cereals to lackluster sales, only to pull the cereals three years later. The British publication The Grocer reported in 2014 that sales of Sprite took a dive after Coca-Cola cut the drink’s sugar by one-third. In 2012, Mintel, a consumer-research firm, released a report that found that products with “low-sodium” labels had declined by 5 percent in the previous year due to low consumer demand.
“Existing salt replacements have not caught the imagination of consumers,” the report said. “Consumers are concerned about salt intake, but are not willing to compromise on taste.”
In the past few decades, salt and sugar consumption in the U.S. have both increased dramatically. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 2005 and 2006, the average American devoured around 3,400 mg of salt per day—almost 50 percent more than the recommended daily intake of 2,300 mg. The American Heart Association reports that the typical American man consumes 335 calories’ worth of added sugar each day, and the average woman 230 calories’ worth; nutritional recommendations, meanwhile, advise men to limit their added sugar to 150 calories and women to 100.
There are many reasons for the stubborn presence of salt and sugar in our diets. Both can act as preservatives or rising agents in processed food, and thus far food companies haven’t been able to find good substitutes for those functions. Sugar can lower a food’s freezing point—important when creating ice creams, frozen desserts, and freeze-dried foods—and can stave off staleness in baked goods. Salt has similar preservative properties and also contributes to texture of processed foods, like the stickiness of some doughs.
But amid mounting pressure from the USDA and other government agencies to make healthier processed food, the food industry’s biggest obstacle is still the simple fact that people won’t buy what doesn’t taste good. As an article in the 2013 issue of Food Business Industry News cautioned, failed early efforts to reduce salt and sugar made consumers more averse to labels like “low-salt,” “low-sugar,” and “low-fat.”
The solution, some food scientists believe, may not involve the taste buds at all.
Robert Sobel is the vice president of research and innovation at the flavor company FONA International. In the last few years, he’s been researching ways to use smells to trick our brains into thinking food contains high levels of sugar and salt, even when it doesn’t. Sobel first came across this concept, called “phantom aroma,” in a 2009 article called “Taste, Aroma, and the Brain” in the magazine Perfumer and Flavorist. The term, inspired by the neurophysiological phenomenon of phantom limbs, is the process by which the brain fills in the perception of a certain taste perceptions even when the ingredient may not exist.
We perceive a food’s flavor through a variety of stimulants—taste, of course, but also texture and smell. There’s a lot that’s still unknown about the neuroscience of taste, but the current prevailing theory is that we take in taste through the gustatory nerve and smells through the olfactory nerve, and information from both receptors combines in the orbital frontal cortex. In addition, past research has shown that we learn to associate certain smells with certain tastes—we associate the strawberry aroma with sweetness, for example, and lemon aroma with sourness.
So what happens when we smell something but don’t taste it? In one 2009 study, French researchers found that when participants ate something treated with a salt-associated aroma (like the smell of ham), they perceived that the food had more salt in it. The researchers theorized that when the brain has a learned perception of a certain type of food, it fills in for the missing taste on its own. “When you are tasting food you are perceiving several sensory dimensions—smell, taste, texture—and the brain is making a synesthetic perception,” said Thierry Thomas-Danguin, one of the study authors and a flavor scientist at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research. “When you are exposed to one dimension, your brain is reconstructing all the flavors and all the sensory dimensions, even if they aren’t there.”
In 2011, researchers from the Netherlands added support to these results in a study published in the Journal of Food Science, where the scent of beef boosted participants’ perception of salt in a low-sodium broth by 15 percent. (You can also see examples of the phantom aroma at work if you look at the ingredient label of a carton of low-sodium beef broth and see the words “natural beef flavoring.”)
It’s difficult to say how much phantom aromas are being used in the food industry—because flavors can’t be patented, most flavor companies are extremely secretive about their work—but judging from its frequent appearances in industry journals, presentations, and white papers, the concept seems to be gathering steam.
Over the last six years, Sobel has taken different aromas like vanillin—the compound that gives vanilla its distinctive smell—and tested them with people who rate how salty or sweet they think the food would taste. Predictably, people who smelled odors most commonly associated with sweet tastes (like vanilla), said they expected the food item to taste sweet. After each consumer panel, Sobel returns to his lab and tinkers with the concentration of aroma that he adds to the test food products. The trick, he says, is to get the aroma to barely detectable levels so that we don’t actually know that we’re smelling it, but we can perceive it when we’re eating the food. While we don’t particularly want a ham-smelling bread, for example, it may be possible to add just enough ham flavor to bread that we still associate it with a salty flavor without realizing the salt isn’t actually there.
The challenge for the food industry is that there is no-one size-fits-all rule for all aromas, says Pam Dalton, a researcher at the Monell Chemical Senses Center—each smell will require a different concentration, meaning that each food will require flavor scientists to start a new experiment. Sobel says that vanillin, for example, is less volatile, making itself known only in relatively high concentrations. Butyric acid, the aroma that gives off the cheesy smell in products like Cheetos, is much more volatile, meaning a smaller amount packs more of a flavor punch.
Because flavor is so associative, people tend to perceive only the aromas that fit with their ideas of how a food should taste, meaning much of the science of phantom aromas is culturally based. For example, Dalton’s team once experimented with benzaldehyde, which has a cherry/almond scent. They found that the benzaldehyde aroma boosted the perceived sweetness of a food product if the food also contained a sugar, like saccharine. But the aroma was undetectable if it was paired with a flavor we don’t normally associate with a cherry/almond scent, like monosodium glutamate (MSG). As Dalton recalled, only one researcher was able to detect the flavor in that case—he was native Japanese, Dalton said, and was used to associating a fruity flavor with MSG, which has an umami flavor, because it’s a common pairing in Japanese cuisine.
While phantom aroma can’t entirely replace a food’s salt or sugar content, it’s a good place to start, says Sobel. Through his experimentation, he’s been able to achieve a 10 percent reduction of salt in food products like chips, sauces, and soups. Based on past studies, researchers like Thomas-Danguin believe that phantom aroma, when combined with other salt-reduction techniques, may have the potential to reduce salt by more than 35 percent.
Many of the aromas the food industry works with can come from natural sources, but due to rising demand, a lot of them are synthetically produced. Vanillin can be extracted from the vanilla bean, but today, less than 1 percent of vanillin sold annually originates from vanilla-seed pods. Most is chemically synthesized from lignin or fossil hydrocarbons.
For this reason, not everyone in the food industry is impressed with the concept of phantom aromas. “I don't want to sound like a luddite, but the vast bulk of our salt intake comes from salt added by food processors who have so corrupted America's tastebuds,” said Michael Whiteman, a food and restaurant consultant and the founder of Baum and Whiteman, a restaurant-consulting company. Treating a food with more artificial flavors, he argued, isn’t the way to make it healthier.
On the other side, phantom-aroma proponents argue that it doesn’t make a difference whether the compounds are synthetic or natural. Karmella Haynes, an assistant professor at Arizona State University, argued in Slate in 2014 that synthetic vanillin has exactly the same chemical structure as natural vanillin. “Chemical analysis of vanillin from yeast reveals no additional atoms [and] no alien side groups attached,” she wrote. “And no tiny molecular boogie men that are prepared to pounce and kill the unsuspecting consumer.”
Still, the research into phantom aromas is so new that the verdict is still out. “We’re still looking into the implications of this research,” said Thomas-Danguin. “But it could help reduce a lot of salt and sugar in our diets, and that would be a good thing.”


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A former lawyer for one of the nation's biggest credit card issuers has a new home for his practice.
Glen Trudel, an attorney who specializes in credit card transactions, has joined the law firm Ballard Spahr as a partner in its Wilmington, Del., office.
Trudel, who for the past seven years has been a partner with the law firm of Connolly Bove Lodge & Hutz in Wilmington, previously served as senior vice president and counsel at MBNA, the credit card issuer acquired in 2006 by Bank of America (BAC).
According to Ballard Spahr, Trudel will be a member of the firm's consumer financial services, bank regulation and supervision, and transactional finance groups.
"We have been looking for many years to add an experienced banking and consumer financial services attorney to our Wilmington office because many of our clients are located there," Alan Kaplinsky, head of Ballard Spahr's consumer financial services group, said in a news release. "We hit paydirt with Glen. He has a wealth of experience in all areas of consumer financial services law, most notably credit, debit, and prepaid cards."
During his 14 years at MBNA, Trudel handled affinity and joint marketing agreements, sales of credit card portfolios and regulatory matters.


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,” building upon previous
collaborations between San Diego developer, Psyonix and Ford
In addition, Ford has again teamed up with “Rocket League” Esports as an official sponsor of the “Rocket League” World Championship Events in Fort Worth, Texas, which began on Aug. 4.
Bronco Raptor, the newest member of the Bronco outdoor brand of Built Wild SUVs, is said to be the world’s first Ultra4 Racing-inspired SUV and the most powerful street-legal Bronco ever.
” Edition – the Ford Bronco Raptor RLE Bundle – is available from the in-game store, through Aug. 16. The downloadable content will feature the Ford Bronco Raptor RLE car, Ford Bronco Raptor Decal, Engine Audio, Wheels and a Ford Bronco Raptor Player Banner.
On the eve of the in-game content release,
and Ford hosted the third iteration of the Ford + “Rocket League” Freestyle Invitational, which saw 12 of the best “Rocket League” freestylers
All World Championship Events and the FordFreestyle Invitational can be viewed on Twitch.
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Guidance for local authorities
Download Transport for London's guidance document on implementing EV charging infrastructure
Find an electric vehicle dealer
Contact details and location map for a selection of the main electric vehicle dealers across the UK
News & Events - July '07
23.7.2007New Modec EVs for Islington
Islington Borough Council will be the first local authority in the UK to introduce pure electric Modec vehicles to its fleet.
The zero emission, battery powered Modec will go into service as part of a wide range of new green initiatives being employed by the Council. It will be used specifically for highways maintenance and will be the first vehicle on call for emergency repairs during the night due to its virtually silent operation.
The Modec is the first of its kind, and is unrivalled in concept and performance terms. After an overnight charge it drives all day; covering over 100 miles, accelerating swiftly to a governed maximum speed of 50 mph while carrying a payload of two tonnes. Incurring zero congestion charge, zero road tax and zero operator license the Modec not only makes practical sense, it also provides a cost-effective solution. The current range includes chassis cabs, flatbeds and box vans.
Chris Rutherford, fleet and depot manager for Islington Council said: “We have implemented the use of many alternative fuels in the borough and most recently electric vehicles with performance rivalling conventional engines in a London borough the size of Islington. The benefits of silent running vehicles with zero emissions are obvious and we are hoping to install solar panels into the depot to ensure the vehicle is run entirely on renewable energy.”
Cllr Lucy Watt, Executive Member for Environment, Islington Council said: “If we want to become Britain’s greenest local authority – that means we must lead by example. Greening the fleet is a sound investment towards this goal. Choosing electric-powered vehicles keeps us efficient and puts us in pole position in the race to reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change.”
For more information: Modec
9.7.2007Islington green parking scheme
Owners of 'gas guzzlers' will soon feel extra strain on their wallet if they reside in Islington, North London. Plans to charge residents with high-polluting cars significantly more to park in the Borough have just received the backing of the local electorate.
In a ballot of all those on the electoral roll, 56% of Islington's residents support the plans that will charge an annual fee of £200 for cars with engine sizes over 2500cc. The new fee is more than double the current charge of £95 (a £20 discount currently applies for vehicles with engine capacities less than 1400cc or those that have a greener fuel source).
Council leader James Kempton told the BBC that the move was aimed not at increasing income from parking charges but at encouraging residents to opt for smaller, more environmentally friendly vehicles [including battery electric cars]. Kempton further added that "By doing this [green parking scheme] we are challenging people to think about the cars that they drive and their impact on the environment. I hope that this will ultimately persuade people to switch to less polluting vehicles."
Islington Council is not the first to give the go-ahead for a green residential parking scheme; similar proposals have already been announced by a number of other London Boroughs and local authorities across the UK. Camden is planning a scheme with fees based on a car's CO2 emissions with charges up to £145 for the highest polluting vehicles. Richmond-upon-Thames plans to charge households with more than one high-emission car £750 a year for a parking permit, compared with £200 now, whilst making the greenest cars exempt. Manchester have also opted for a 'Green Badge' parking scheme, whereby motors that emit more than 120gCO2/km will be charged a further 25% on the price of a yearly NCP car park pass.
6.7.2007New e-max scooter launched
June saw the launch of the Italian designed and German engineered Baroni e-max electric scooter – and is the latest zero-emission powered two-wheeler to arrive in the UK.
The e-max is powered by a 4kW electric motor built into the rear wheel, is capable of speeds in excess of 40 mph and can be fully charged in around three hours. With the top speed restricted to 30 mph, the e-max is categorized as an L1e moped and legally ridden on UK roads by anyone with a car license.
Baroni Electric Vehicles was one of the first importers to bring road legal electric mopeds to the UK market. Whereas first-generation electric scooters (such as the Baroni EFV) are essentially conversions of conventional models, the e-max is a second-generation scooter designed from scratch as an electric vehicle. As highlighted by Sam Clarke, Director of Baroni EV Ltd, “With such large steps now being achieved in regards to technology and performance we have decided to create a new product that is designed and engineered to be electric from its conception.”
Electric two-wheelers such as the e-max have the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impacts of road transport. Travelfootprint estimates that the overall impacts are ten times less than for a small petrol car. With zero road tax and fuel costs less than 1p/mile, on-road costs are also reduced.
For more info: e-max
3.7.2007Vectrix e-Motorbike Launched
May saw the launch of the World's first high performance, zero-emission electric motorcycle in London.
While its not the first commercial electric two-wheeler, the Vectrix is the first electric bike to combine its green credentials with the performance of a 400cc motorbike. The bike has a top speed of 62 mph and a typical range of 68 miles. According to WhatGreenCar?, the Vectrix scores 3 (out of 100) the lowest overall environmental impact of any powered vehicle in the UK.
Newride attended the bike's launch at London's new Spitalfields Market and took a test drive, on an escorted ride around London by Metropolitan Police no less. The verdict is that the Vectrix electric motorcycle is a real alternative to petrol-driven motorcycles and scooters, and may even tempt some car drivers out of their vehicles for inner city trips. The bike accelerates rapidly from zero to 50 mph in under 7 seconds, giving a fast and responsive ride. Oh yes, an its a very enjoyable ride too!
To recharge, the bike simply plugs into a standard three-pin socket, the only limitation for owners being that access is needed (at home or work) to an 'off-street' socket. A 2-hour recharge delivers up to 68 miles of operation. That said, on-street charging points are starting to appear in London and are likely to quickly increase in number over the next few years.
While the initial price of just under £7000 may seem a little high, this is more than balanced by very low fuel costs (typically less than 2p/mile), zero road tax, and free parking in many parts of London and other cities. The one big unknown with most electric vehicles is the battery. However, the bike uses nickel-metal hydride batteries that are designed to last around 50,000 miles (as opposed to lead-acid which are still used by many EVs). Battery replacement costs are estimated at around £2000.
While Newride doesn't often recommend vehicles, in this case we make an exception. Go take a test drive and see what its like to be the greenest thing on powered wheels.


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16 Apr 2020 Blog: Planning, Hot Food Takeaways and Covid-19
We are delighted to welcome the newest member of staff here at Food Active, Catriona MacRae!
Catriona is joining us from the Town and Country Planning Association with a background in urban planning, and will be leading on the delivery of the Pennine Lancashire Healthier Place, Healthier Future Trailblazer programme. In her first blog, Catriona explores the recently ‘relaxed’ planning restrictions on hot food takeaways as part of the response to COVID-19, and the implications this may have on public health.
It is 10am on March 24th 2020 and the planning system has changed, again. Whether you keep up to date with planning or not – it is likely you’ll notice this, temporary, change. The Government have granted permission for pubs and restaurants (and other such uses under Class A3 and A4) to operate as takeaways as part of the COVID-19 response. The new use ‘Class DA’ has been created and ‘an impact assessment has not been prepared for this Order’. Although I do not want to deter from the profound impacts COVID-19 will have on society, and the world as a whole, for years to come; I do, briefly, want to highlight how ‘relaxing’ planning rules may impact some groups.
Takeaways and delivery service
Public Health England (PHE) estimates there are between 26 to 232 fast food outlets per 100,000 people, depending on where you live across England – a number likely to grow due to this new legislation. Just Eat have confirmed they are already experiencing a huge demand for new partners joining to sell their food – figures suggest some 3,000 new businesses have joined the delivery platform since the lockdown came into place . Receiving e-mails such as below has become the regular (for me anyway) and it is clear to see all the ‘new’ takeaways available to order from (and takeaways with low numbers of reviews compared, usually, to the 100s of reviews) are appearing online in ten folds.
Evidence from PHE shows higher concentrations of fast food outlets in the most deprived communities throughout England with some of the most vulnerable living amongst them . We need to support and help these populations to have access to nutrient rich food and maintain a healthy lifestyle during these hard times, not making fast food more accessible.
The workload for local businesses owners will increase and they are forced to continue working, exposing themselves and their families, the same for delivery drivers.
Of course, this a very difficult time particularly for small businesses all over the UK and it is important we do as much as we can to avoid closures and ensure they can maintain income. However, it feels wrong for unhealthy food to be more accessible during a health crisis. As difficult as it may be at present it is important to work with these ‘new’ takeaways to support them to offer healthier options and limit portion sizes.
Local authority teams
Planners have tirelessly defended policies around Hot Food Takeaways, and with the support of public health this agenda is beginning to be taken more seriously. It is worrying to think what kind of impact this will have on emerging Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) and planning restrictions on new takeaways that already come under fire from the pressure of large takeaways chains.
There are definite questions around the monitoring of such a change: ensuring businesses revert to be a café/ pub/ restaurant that no longer offers takeaway options again and how planning teams will enforce this. Will there also be a surge in businesses seeking new planning permission to continue as a takeaway and what kind of impact will that have on the, often already overstretched, workload of planning teams.
Of course, this is not the only challenged faced by planners at present. The Coronavirus Act 2020 enables Planning Committees to continue without Councillors being physically present so staff need to adapt to remote working on, often many, digital platforms. Although the act may assist in some respects, delays will hit emerging Local Plans due to several factors that contribute to the evidence base, and planning applications, conditions and appeals will also be delayed.
Increased workloads to already under-resourced local authorities may lead to less time spent engaging with existing takeaways to encourage them to support the healthy weight agenda.
We are in the middle of very unprecedented times and every single person will be impacted in some way or another. We are in lockdown with a lot of us working from home which means more time spent indoors, sitting down and less time spent outside exercising and socialising. This sedentary lifestyle will have direct health consequences both mentally and physically. As discussed in a World Obesity Webinar, focusing on the two pandemics: obesity and COVID-19, the new pressure of social distancing may lead to relying on unhealthy foods and an increase in ordering calorific fast foods such as pizza and burgers almost to act as a comfort blanket, now with more takeaway options.
As mentioned above the oversaturated market of fast food takeaways in deprived areas can lead to higher exposure to less healthy food options, and with the availability of more takeaways (and possibly more targeted deals as discussed in a previous Food Active blog) this may further exacerbate health inequalities.
Though not all fast food is unhealthy, typically it is higher in calories, salt and saturated fat – a serious health issue when consumed too often.
This may be a temporary change but the ease and speed with which this happened raises questions as to why more support has not been offered by Government sooner, does it also show the economy is put before the health of the nation? The recent outgoing Chief Planner for MHCLG, wrote in his final letter ‘be practical, be pragmatic and let’s plan for the recovery’. He also states, ‘prioritise decision making to ensure planning systems continue to function, especially where this will support the local economy’.
The cost of obesity on the NHS is £4.2 billion a year and this is a number increasing all the time (currently set to rise to nearly £10 billion a year by 2050). It has been well reported the strain and the cost of COVID-19 on the NHS, and the country’s economy; we need to continue to do more to deplete the rising obesity levels and reduce the pressure placed on our health services.
This is a time we should be supporting the population to live healthier lives, look after themselves and not increase unhealthy food consumption. No doubt interesting data will be available in the coming months.
Stay safe and look after your health.
 Fast food outlets: density by local authority in England, June 2019. PHE. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fast-food-outlets-density-by-local-authority-in-england
 The Telegraph. Just Eat enjoys surge of nearly 3,000 new partners. April 2020. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2020/04/16/just-eat-enjoys-surge-nearly-3000-new-partners/
 England’s poorest areas are fast food hotspots, June 2018. PHE.
 Chief Planners Newsletter, March 2020. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/875045/Chief_Planners_Newsletter_-_March_2020.pdf
 World Obesity Live – The collision of two pandemics: COVID-19 and obesity, April 2020. World Obesity Network. https://www.worldobesity.org/training-and-events/events/wof-webinar-the-collision-of-two-pandemics-covid-19-and-obesity
 Childhood Obesity, 2019. Royal Society for Public Health. https://www.rsph.org.uk/our-work/policy/obesity/childhood-obesity.html


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Signage for Korean grocery H Mart pops up Uptown.
The area between Morningside Heights and the Upper West Side has quickly increased the number of Chinese and Korean restaurants recently, and now, it looks like H Mart — the Korean grocery store chain with a cult following — will soon be opening in the neighborhood, too. Harlem Bespoke spotted signage for the company at the former D’Agostino’s at 110th Street and Broadway. The grocery’s known for its expansive selection of Asian ingredients and snacks, as well as fantastic food courts with Asian cuisine. Word came out earlier this year that the chain was eyeing the location. The company has several locations in Queens, but this will only be the second Manhattan outpost.


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Intel and FTC trade punches while rivals cheer
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- Steven E.F. Brown
The Federal Trade Commission sued Intel Corp. on Wednesday for antitrust violations, and the giant chipmaker’s rivals cheered.
Intel’s Santa Clara neighbor, Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA), just one-and-a-half miles down the road, said it was “particularly pleased” by the FTC’s move.
For its part, Intel said the suit was “misguided” and hastily thrown together by regulators who didn’t take time to investigate it thoroughly. Fighting the suit, Intel said, will cost U.S. taxpayers “tens of millions of dollars.”
In its suit, the FTC argues that Intel attempted to increase its own chip monopoly by pressuring customers to pick its chips over those of rivals like Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE: AMD). Though the FTC isn’t seeking money damages, it does want to prohibit Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) from continuing to “hamstring” rivals by changing its business methods.
Intel has been sued in New York and in Europe over similar claims, and it agreed earlier this fall to pay $1.25 billion to AMD to bury the hatchet in their own legal war over the issue.
Regulators in Europe have fined Intel $1.45 billion, but the company is appealing that decision.
The FTC says Intel pressured companies like Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ), Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) and even mighty International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) to stop them using any other company’s chips in their computers.
Such suits move slowly, and this one won’t go to court until September, and it isn’t likely to be resolved for up to two years.
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