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A roundup of some of the North American equities making moves in both directions today
On the rise
The retailer says its profit amounted to 29 cents per share for the three-month period ended Jan. 30.
The result compared with a loss of $44.6-million or $1.06 per share a year earlier when the company took a large goodwill charge.
On an adjusted basis, Roots says it earned $16.3-million or 39 cents per share, up from an adjusted profit of $13.3-million or 31 cents per share a year earlier.
Sales in what is traditionally the strongest quarter for the company totalled $99.4 million, down from $127.5 million.
Roots says the drop was due to temporary store closures due to the pandemic, partially offset by strong online sales.
“Despite the fact that most of our retail locations were closed during what is typically our busiest and most productive time of the year, we were able to deliver profitability for the fourth quarter that was in line with the previous year when all of our stores were open,” Roots chief executive Meghan Roach said in a statement.
“While we continue to face government mandated temporary store closures in Q1 2021, we are confident in our capabilities to manage the business through these challenging times.”
In a note, Research Capital analyst Yue Ma said: “Oncidium is one of Canada’s leading health management companies that has built a difficult-to-replicate ecosystem of more than 1,000 health care practitioners and over 500 loyal clients (many are Fortune 500 companies) employing over 2 million employees across the country. Oncidium’s services focus on helping employers optimize employee disability management through offering virtual occupational health, medical assessment and absentee management. This transformative deal not only is financially accretive to DOC but also provides the company with significant cross-selling opportunities via the 2 million employees, expands its national footprint and product offerings, as well as, increases its medical capacity.”
Enerplus said it will buy 78,700 net acres in North Dakota, adjacent to its current core Bakken acreage, with about 6,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) of working interest production from Hess.
The acquisition of largely undeveloped land has expanded Enerplus’ drilling inventory in the play by two to three years, Scotiabank analysts wrote in a note, adding its five-year plan to grow production modestly and emphasize free cash flow will likely be well received by investors.
The deal, expected to close in May, will add to Enerplus’ adjusted free cash flow per share and net asset value in the first year, Enerplus said. The company raised its output guidance for the year to between 111,000 and 115,000 boepd, from 103,500 to 108,500 boepd, due to the acquisition as well as strong operating performance in North Dakota and higher-than-expected production in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus region.
It also raised its 2021 spending plans to $360 million to $400 million from $335 million to $385 million.
For Hess, the sale of the acreage, which it was not planning to drill before 2026, strengthens its cash and liquidity position. Last month, the company agreed to sell stakes in the two Danish oilfields to chemicals and energy group INEOS for $150 million.
ATB Capital Markets analyst Patrick O’Rourke said: “Overall, we view the event as positive and anticipate a positive relative performance. The acquisition, in our view, ticks key synergistic boxes, with the assets being a strong fit with existing Bakken footprint, adding meaningful inventory (110 new tier-one locations relative to the prior 440 existing locations), while prior judicious management of the capital structure allows the deal to be funded through a still conservative net debt position (ERF projecting 2021 estimated 1.3 times D/CF, reducing to 1.0 times in 2022) and create per share CF and FCF accretion. The Company also provided an initial look at the five-year plan that projects 3-5-per-cent liquids production growth on the back of $500-million annual capex program that produces an impressive FCF forecast of $1.2-1.8-billion between now and 2025 that points to considerable flexibility for future debt repayment, return of capital (dividend growth path?) and further acquisitions.”
The company reported revenue of $24.5-million, up 66.5 per cent year-over-year and exceeding the Street’s forecast of $16.6-million. EBITDA of $4.4-million was also ahead of the consensus estimate ($2.9-million).
The Vaughan, Ont.-based company will now pay 11 US cents per share, up from 10 US cents previously.
Chip shortages have caused delays in a key step in MacBook production, the report said, adding that some iPad assembly was postponed because of a shortage of displays and display components.
As a result of the delay, Apple has pushed back a portion of component orders for the two devices from the first half of this year to the second half, the report said, citing sources briefed on the matter.
According to the report, Apple’s production plans for iPhones have not been affected by the supply shortage, however, the supply of some components for the devices is “quite tight”.
The shortage of components remains a supply chain issue for Apple, but has not yet impacted any product availability for consumers, Nikkei added.
Conagra Brands Inc. (CAG-N) finished flat after it reported better-than-expected quarterly sales on Thursday, as customers cooking more at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic stocked up their pantries with the packaged food company’s products.
Conagra’s business has been benefiting from rising at-home consumption during the health crisis as lockdowns and other social-distancing restrictions push people to cook more at home.
The restrictions have especially lifted demand for packaged foods with long shelf lives, such as Chef Boyardee Pastas and Birds Eye Frozen vegetables.
Conagra’s sales of groceries and snacks rose 10.8 per cent in the third quarter, while sales of frozen foods jumped 11.7 per cent.
Net sales rose 8.5 per cent to US$2.77-billion in the quarter ended Feb. 28, beating analysts’ estimates of US$2.72-billion, according to Refinitiv IBES data.
On the decline
Canopy Growth Corp. (WEED-T) said on Thursday it will buy rival Supreme Cannabis Co Inc. (FIRE-T) for $323.3-million, as the world’s biggest cannabis producer bolsters its portfolio to tap surging demand.
Shares of Canopy fell after it announced the cash-and-stock deal for Supreme, which owns pot brands including 7ACRES and Blissco.
Easing regulatory hurdles and a rise in weed use during the pandemic has brought back investor dollars for cannabis producers after years of underperformance.
Canada saw legal recreational weed sales surpass illicit channels for the first time in the fourth quarter of last year.
The deal makes Canopy the owner of four out of the top ten cannabis brands in Canada, with an estimated 13.6 per cent of the total recreational market share in the country, the companies said.
Under the terms of deal, Supreme Cannabis shareholders will receive 0.01165872 of a Canopy common share and $0.0001 in cash in exchange for each Supreme Cannabis share held.
Including debt, the deal is valued at $435-million.
The company says GRI Investments Inc., a private corporation controlled by the Rossy family, the Rossy Foundation and chief executive Neil Rossy are selling 618,369, 1,205,066 and 376,565 Dollarama shares respectively in block trades to a financial institution.
Dollarama says the sale by the Rossy Foundation will be used to fund its commitments to charitable organizations, while the sales by GRI Investments and Neil Rossy were made for financial diversification purposes.
Once the trades are settled, Dollarama says GRI Investments, the Rossy Foundation and Neil Rossy will still hold a total of nearly 13.1 million shares in the company for a 4.2-per-cent stake.
After falling along with the rest of the stock market in the early days of the pandemic, shares in Dollarama have recovered and have been trading near their 52-week high in recent days.
Box Inc. (BOX-N) dropped after it said on Thursday private equity giant KKR & Co Inc led a US$500-million investment in the cloud services provider, with the company planning to use most of the funds for a stock buyback.
A self-tender for the buyback, whose pricing and amount of shares has not yet been decided, will begin after Box releases its first-quarter results in May this year.
The KKR-led investment will be executed through convertible preferred stock and comes weeks after Reuters reported that Box was exploring a sale amid pressure from hedge fund Starboard Value LP over its stock performance.
“The investment from KKR is a strong vote of confidence in our vision, strategy, and continued efforts to increase growth and profitability,” said Aaron Levie, the chief executive officer of Box.
After the investment, which is expected to close in May, KKR’s Head of Americas Technology Private Equity John Park will join Box’s board, making him its tenth member.
GameStop Corp. (GME-N), which has been part of a recent Reddit-driven trading frenzy, fell after it said it intends to elect Ryan Cohen, the videogame retailer’s biggest shareholder and board member, as chairman following its annual meeting.
Since Chewy co-founder Cohen joined GameStop’s board in January, he has been pushing towards transformation of the brick-and-mortar retailer into an e-commerce firm that can take on big-box retailers such as Target Corp and technology firms such as Microsoft Corp.
The company also said on Thursday it was nominating six people, including Cohen, to stand for election to its board at the annual meeting of stockholders on June 9.
The announcement comes after GameStop on Monday increased the value of the new stock it may sell to US$1- billion from US$100-million, as it seeks to capitalize on a surge in its shares from the Reddit-driven rally.
The GameStop stock has rampaged over 900 per cent higher since January in highly volatile trading as amateur investors organized on social media sites such as Reddit staged a stubborn buying spree, winning out over Wall Street hedge funds that had shorted its shares.
With files from staff and wires


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Jannie Bailey found what she was looking for at the Salvation Army's new thrift store on Hawthorne Avenue: a garbage bag-sized sack full of teddy bears.
''I like shopping at these stores,'' said Bailey, who paid $6 for the stuffed animals she uses to make Easter baskets for elderly shut-ins. ''You find things cheaper here. When you don't have money, you have to do what you can.''
Business is bustling at the new 6,000-square-foot store, where bargains can be had for everything from towels to toasters, magazines to mini-skirts, coffee mugs, comforters, cabinets and cowboy boots. The store replaces the old Hawthorne Avenue location that was a third of the size. Store Manager Dora Alexander said dozens of thrifty shoppers queued up last Monday for the first day of business, when the store did nearly $3,000 in sales.
Alexander said the expanded floorspace, with new departments for men's, women's and children's clothes, has drawn more customers. ''Especially men,'' she said. ''We've had more men since we moved over here.''
The store is part of a new 12,000-square-foot brick and steel-frame building that houses the Salvation Army's administrative offices and will eventually be the site of a women's shelter. A men's shelter and kitchen will also be constructed on the site.
On one lunch hour last week, frequent thrift shopper Jackie Raiford, known to her friends as ''Lady J,'' carried out a grab-bag of maracas, children's building blocks and a silk vest.
Phillian Guest looks at the total price of her shopping spree at the new Salvation Army thrift store on Hawthorne Ave. The 6,000 square foot facility will eventually house administrative offices and women's shelter. Cameron Swartz/Staff
Raiford said she visits the store every day.
''We get gas and come up here,'' she said.
This article published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Monday, June 25, 2001.
© 2018. All Rights Reserved. | Contact Us

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China Brief: 6-12 August 2019
China – Political risk: Medium – Social credit blacklist for logistics sector to heighten regulatory scrutiny
China – Political risk: Medium – Multinational fashion brands face backlash over politically sensitive geography
Hong Kong – Political risk: Minor – Chinese media toughens criticism of foreign firms’ alleged protest role
China – Political risk: Medium – Websites of over 29 Fortune 500 companies remove politically sensitive maps
Hong Kong – Travel risk: Low – Washington upgrades travel advisory for territory
China & Brazil – Postponing of minister’s visit elevates operational risks for meat sector
China & United States – In tariff retaliation, Beijing suspends purchases of farm products
China & Taiwan – China's film regulator bans mainland Chinese movie industry from awards hosted in Taiwan
China & United States – US declares China a ‘currency manipulator’
China & United States – Flag carrier suspends Beijing-Haiwaii flights amid escalating trade war
China – Social credit blacklist for
logistics sector to heighten regulatory scrutiny
CHINA – Political risk: Medium
12 August: A draft of a document of companies to be added to a social credit blacklist of the logistics sector remains open for comment until 14 August. The document was introduced by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) – the country’s macroeconomic management agency – on 1 August. The list, which will be published on the Credit China website for blacklist and social credit information, will focus on companies that have a history of mishandling personal data; infractions include the illegal distortion, disclosure, or collection of personal data without consent.
Why it matters: China’s logistics sector is largely driven by its large e-commerce market, in which leaking and mishandling of private information has been a recurring issue. The move is the latest in a series of government steps to curb the mishandling of personal data; regulators have established a cross-ministry task force to probe applications from companies, including voice recognition firm iFlytek and Alibaba’s food delivery platform Ele.me, which collect more data than is allowed. Companies included on the blacklist will be subject to penalties by multiple government organisations if blacklisted by one, indicating an extensive heightening of regulatory scrutiny. A2 Global advises logistics businesses to factor the blacklist into their strategic planning.
China – Multinational fashion
brands face backlash over politically sensitive geography
CHINA – Political risk: Medium
Why it matters: The actions suggest that the government is exerting pressure on media personalities to force multinational businesses to ensure their products adhere to local sensitivities regarding political geography. A2 Global advises businesses to ensure that political geography – including lists of countries and maps presented on websites and other resources such as product designs – reflect local sensitivities to mitigate political and reputational risks.
Hong Kong – Chinese media toughens
criticism of foreign firms’ alleged protest role
HONG KONG – Political risk: Minor
9 August: The Global Times – an English-language newspaper controlled by the Communist Party of China – on 8 August warned Hong Kong’s flag carrier, Cathay Pacific Airways, it would ‘pay a painful price’ for its alleged actions in supporting protests in the territory, citing incidents in which airline staff appeared to support protesters. Other sources noted that China was also angered by the airline’s link to air traffic controllers it employed, and whose absence during the 5 August ‘general strike’ led to the closure of one of Hong Kong International Airport’s (HKG) two runways.
Why it matters: Cathay Pacific is largely owned by the UK-based Swire Group, with state-owned Air China as another major shareholder. The Global Times is used by the CPC to signal displeasure with the actions of foreign states and companies, often prior to more direct action. Such moves would be in line with A2 Global’s repeated warnings. Beijing’s anger over the Hong Kong protests, and the limited number of options available that would not cause China great international harm, makes foreign companies vulnerable as a means to pressure from overseas governments. A2 Global warns that Beijing can be expected to increase its rhetoric against vulnerable companies, with more material action also probable if the crisis continues.
China – Websites of over 29 Fortune
500 companies remove politically sensitive maps
Why it matters: In recent years, many international companies have incensed the Chinese government by, for example, including Taiwan and Hong Kong on country lists. In the first half of 2018, an apparent infraction by hotel chain Mariott International – which was forced to temporarily shut down its website and application – resulted in a crackdown on around 40 multinational companies’ descriptions of political geography. The government’s recent actions indicate heightened scrutiny for businesses in relation to political geography. A2 Global advises businesses to ensure that political geography, including lists of countries and maps, presented on websites and other company resources reflect local sensitivities to mitigate political risk.
Hong Kong – Washington upgrades travel
advisory for territory
HONG KONG – Travel risk: Low
Why it matters: The upgrade follows several other countries’ increased travel warnings for the territory, including Australia, Ireland, Japan, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. The warnings highlight the growing travel risk in Hong Kong. Ongoing mass protests which erupted against the government’s proposed amendment to the territory’s extradition law show little sign of abating in the one-month outlook. A2 Global advises travel managers to ensure staff are aware of the elevated travel risk when considering visits to the territory.
China & Brazil – Postponing of minister’s
visit elevates operational risks for meat sector
7 August: A spokesman at Brazil’s agriculture ministry on 6 August said that a planned visit to China by agriculture minister Tereza Cristina Dias has been postponed from August to September.
China & United States – In tariff retaliation,
Beijing suspends purchases of farm products
7 August: The Chinese government on 6 August suspended purchases of US farm products, in retaliation for 10 per cent tariffs on USD300 billion worth of Chinese imports the US government announced last week.
Why it matters: The move comes amid an escalating US-China trade war; the US on 5 August labelled China a currency manipulator, and last week’s high-level negotiations in Shanghai failed to produce any tangible concessions. As China is a major destination for US farm products, the suspension will significantly impact the US agricultural sector. The decision indicates that the Chinese government is likely to impose tariffs on US farm products in the one-month outlook, given a weakening demand by Chinese consumers – US exports to China were down by USD1.3 billion in the first half of 2019 – and an increased sourcing of products including soybeans from alternative markets such as Brazil. A2 Global advises businesses in the agricultural industry to factor the suspension as well as likely tariffs into their operational and strategic planning.
China & Taiwan – China's film regulator bans
mainland Chinese movie industry from awards hosted in Taiwan
7 August: China's film regulator on 7 August announced that actors, directors, and movies from mainland China are blocked from participating in the annual Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards on 23 November 2019 in Taiwan. Founded in 1962, the Golden Horse awards is one of the most prestigious awards in the Chinese-language film industry, which is often depicted as the ‘Chinese Oscars’. Mainland authorities did not provide a reason for the boycott and the Golden Horse awards’ organizing committee said the mainland’s decision was ‘regrettable’.
China & United States – US declares China a
Why it matters: The designation is the US’s first since 1994, when it also accused China of devaluing its currency to achieve an ‘unfair’ competitive advantage in international trade. While the designation has little practical effect beyond prompting Sino-US talks at the IMF, which were already underway prior to 5 August, it is politically significant, demonstrating a further escalation of mutually hostile trade practices. China’s devaluation came after the US announced 10 per cent tariffs on USD300 billion of Chinese products on 1 August.
Companies with interests in Sino-US trade should anticipate further retaliatory measures from Beijing in the one-month outlook. Such measures would likely include further devaluations of the yuan, the imposition of new and higher tariffs on US products, and disruptive trade practices including heightened regulatory scrutiny of US products. Affected companies should assess the impacts such variable retaliation has on financial and strategic plans, and supply-chain security.
China & United States – Flag carrier suspends
Beijing-Haiwaii flights amid escalating trade war


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Full profile →'">
The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.
Seven months after BlackBerry launched a new operating system, Christened itself with a new name and renewed its fight in the smartphone wars, the company is looking for a possible way out.
BlackBerry announced today that it had appointed a committee to explore strategic alternatives that included partnerships and joint ventures with other companies, or even an outright sale. The news sent its shares 10.5% higher to close at $10.78 on Monday, yet given BlackBerry's difficulties -- a $646 million loss in 2012 and a wilting share price -- it is difficult to pinpoint a willing and brave-enough buyer at this point.
Other potential suitors are already taken. has a hardware partner in the form of , following their 2011 tie-up, and Sony's partnership with Ericsson ended last year when Sony bought out its partner for approximately $1.3 billion.
Nomura analyst Stuart Jeffrey says, it's a "struggle to see who might buy BlackBerry given the ongoing turnaround challenges."
In parsing the words of the company's announcement today, Jeffrey expects BlackBerry to either go private or sell. He believes its directors are committed to maintaining the BlackBerry 10 operating system (launched in January 2013), rather than tweaking its applications to work on iOS and Android so that the company becomes purely an applications and services provider. While he thinks that's the best way for BlackBerry to go, Jeffreys acknowledges that winding down its hardware business would involve expensive restructuring costs.
BlackBerry could be bought out by its own management, or more likely, a private equity fund, says Kevin Stadtler, manager of Stadtler Capital which is an investor in BlackBerry. Private equity buyers "can be far more aggressive than management have been," he said, and the Canadian Pension Fund could keep cost-cutting and layoffs in check by maintaining their 17% voting block in the company.
Stadtler thinks there are some opportunities for strategic combinations with other technology giants too, but they would be geared towards the enterprise, rather than consumer facing partnerships like Sony-Ericsson or Microsoft-Nokia.
"Cisco has made very clear that they would like to be in enterprise and this would be part of a servicing and enterprise account," he said as an example. "They want to be a services company and this is just one more product to help them provide that solution." Other possible buyers could be IBM or even Salesforce, if it was interested in expanding its offerings of secure communications services.
Stadtler sees private equity buyers as brokers in this sense, buying BlackBerry on the cheap and cutting costs, before acting as agents to license its software services and IP to other buyers in the industry. Samsung may be interested in BlackBerry's patent portfolio, Stadtler adds, since the company did not participate in scooping up thousands of patents from the now-defunct Nortel. A consortium led by Apple, and which included BlackBerry, had bought the basket of Nortel patents for $4.5 billion in 2012.
Joe Rundle, head of trading at ETX Capital, disagrees that a cheap price tag, hefty patents and even BlackBerry's security network framework will be enough to tempt the likes of Samsung to make a public bid. "Buying BlackBerry could be a fatal move for any rival," he says, pointing to struggling sales, an unsuccessful strategy and "boring products."
A note from analysts at UBS today suggests a potential acquisition price of $10 a share when taking into account BlackBerry's $2 billion cash pile, but they also believe that private equity firms would be put off by BlackBerry's difficulties. It doesn't help that Apple's forthcoming iOS7 operating system and Samsung's Knox service promise more security for enterprise users, while third-party mobile-security services like Silent Circle have also seen their biggest sales growth come from enterprise customers -- BlackBerry's traditional mainstay.
"We may see a joint-venture deal like that of Nokia and Microsoft but again, it’s unlikely we will see a tie-up with a bigger rival," ETX's Rundle wrote in his note this morning. "It’s more likely we may see the company go private as it gives management some breathing space to repair finances and implement a stronger strategy that matches up to its peers."
Related on Forbes:


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With China’s gradual economic recovery and consumption getting back on track, luxury and beauty are witnessing a fast rebound at retail in the country, according to a just-published report from research firm Luxurynsight. However, with the threat of a second wave of covid-19 looming, changing consumer behavior could have a lasting impact on how brands do business.
Now that 90% of shopping malls have reopened, traffic for both luxury and beauty retailers was back to 60% of pre-pandemic levels at the end of March, according to Rebound, the new report. While luxury sales in China fell by 80-90% in January and February of this year, they have been increasing by around 10% a week since then, and an even healthier performance is expected in May and June.
Beauty fared better than other categories during the pandemic. Sales declined 13% in the first quarter, performing better than both apparel (-32.3%) and jewelry (-37.7%), and recovery is expected to accelerate in the second quarter. Manon Hu, head of China business at Luxurynsight, attributes beauty’s resilience to its strength in the online channel.
“Beauty brands’ higher e-commerce penetration rate and more complete online distribution ecosystem enables a smooth customer journey that still functions normally when offline stores are forced to shut down,” she tells Luxe Packaging Insight. Beauty players, especially China’s domestic brands, are more advanced in terms of digitalization, and were quick to adopt new tools such as livestreaming to capture China’s “stay-at-home” economy.
When it comes to luxury, “We are definitely experiencing a dramatic short-term blip,” says Hu. “Luxury brands have shown more resilience than non-luxury sectors during the pandemic and are already back on track to normality.” Hu highlights Richemont, which has pointed to China as a bright spot, reporting "strong demand" in May as its 462 boutiques in the country reopened. US jeweler Tiffany has seen its retail sales grow by around 30% in April and 90% in May compared to the same months last year, despite its global net sales falling by some 40% in May.
However, Hu cautions that the industry is still hurting globally, and that the boost of so-called “revenge spending” isn’t expected to last. “Overall spending from the Chinese is estimated to be far below last year,” she notes. Indeed, although sales are on the rise, the luxury market is predicted to contract by between 15% and 35% in 2020.
Consumers may still be passionate about buying luxury, but they are savvier and tend to be more sensitive about value. “Brands need to consider how to create more reasons to buy, from creativity to experience,” she remarks. Luxury brands will also have to put more strategic weight on the domestic market. “Chinese consumers were spending money closer to home even before the crisis, while showing more attention to social responsibility and the message that brands are delivering,” she highlights.
Influenced by the pandemic and with the threat of a second outbreak looming, Chinese consumers are more conservative and spending less. They are also prioritizing their health and wellbeing, says Hu, which is set to spell opportunities for healthy food and products promoting relaxation.


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By: Charlene Cristobal
May 14, 2014
If you're looking to take a road trip, a new service will soon be available in Tallahassee.
The national company, Megabus, will have a double-decker bus offering routes from Tallahassee to multiple cities including Gainesville, Orlando, New Orleans and even Mobile, Alabama. While on your journey, Wi-Fi and power outlets are both available. The bus can seat up to 81 people and is environmentally friendly.
Lauren Pace, Marketing Communications Director of Leon County Tourism Development says, "We are really excited about Megabus coming to Tallahassee and having another opportunity to transport visitors to and from our area."
Starting Thursday until the 21st, Megabus will be selling all their seats for just $1. After that, tickets will start at $1 and go up based on when you want to travel.
To purchase tickets, go to www.megabus.com.


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Officer in right place at right time
CROOKSTON, Minn. -- A police officer's coffee break came at just the right time to prevent a robbery at a convenience store in Crookston.
Officer Rusty Miller entered the store just after 2 a.m. Thursday as a man came out of the restroom carrying a butcher knife. When the man saw Miller, he turned and went back into the restroom.
Miller pulled his gun on the suspect when he re-emerged from the restroom a few seconds later, and the man surrendered without a problem.


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We've already gotten a good look at Acer's new 11.6-inch Aspire One
netbook, and even gotten word of some of the specs
, but it looks like Acer has now removed any last bit of mystery on its German website, where it has finally let loose a complete spec list. Now officially dubbed the Aspire One 751, the netbook packs an Atom Z520 processor (as opposed to the Z530 that was initially rumored), along with up to 2GB of RAM, built-in Bluetooth, your choice of three or six-cell batteries, optional 3G, and a 1366x768 resolution on that 11.6-inch display -- not to mention your choice of XP or Vista. Still no official word on a release 'round here, unfortunately, but it looks like it'll be hitting at least some parts of Europe later this month for just over $500.


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Bajaj is planning on introducing new variants to the Pulsar lineup. The Pulsar brand is responsible for the brand’s popularity in the international markets. After two decades since its introduction, the Pulsar brand remains a cornerstone in the Indian two-wheeler market.
Bajaj is in a phase where the whole Pulsar lineup is being revamped. We saw the first models from the updated range are the new 250cc Pulsars – N250 and F250. The 250cc Pulsar twins are the spiritual successors to the now discontinued Pulsar 220F.
New Bajaj Pulsar Names Registered
The Bajaj Pulsar lineup faces increased competition from new models in the segment. The models under the Pulsar lineup have had incredible sales success. However, the sales have decreased considerably over the last couple of months.
The Bajaj-KTM partnership has seen the former launch many similar-displacement Pulsar motorcycles. These include the Pulsar RS200 and Pulsar NS200. The models were a success initially, but the sale volumes have dropped significantly over time.
In order to revive the Pulsar brand once again and also to boost sales, the company could launch two new Pulsars – Elan and Eleganz. The company has filed trademarks for the two names. However, it is not clear if they are names of a new series of Pulsars or new additions to the lineup. The new Elan and Eleganz could be the names of models that slot below the 250cc Pulsar twins or above them. There is also a chance they could be the names of the upcoming KTM 490 twin cylinder-based Pulsar model.
Bajaj Pulsar N250 and F250 – Engine Specification
Both the models use a 249.07cc single-cylinder engine. The engine also uses an oil cooler for thermal management. The engine produces 24.5 PS and 21.5 Nm of torque. The Pulsar 250s get a 5-speed manual gearbox. Additionally, they also feature a new slip and assist clutch.


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High end consumer electronics retailer, Enjoy Technology has raised $50 million in a funding round led by Highland Capital, bringing funds raised to $80 million so far.
Former Apple executive, head of J.C. Penney and now chief executive of Enjoy Technology Ron Johnson said, “Since launching in May, we have been thrilled with the high-quality experiences we’ve been able to deliver for our customers, partners and employees”
Enjoy allows consumers who shop on its site (and its partner sites) to receive free hand delivery of their devices from experts, who can set up or install the products and train buyers on how to use them.
Enjoy is looking to challenge Amazon in the high-end consumer electronics category by offering a potentially better sale and delivery experience in which a consumer can test and learn how to use a gadget.
“As devices become more complicated and intertwined, Enjoy’s vision for a revolutionized customer experience represents the next stage in disruptive commerce,” said Highland Capital Partner Peter Bell in a statement. “Enjoy not only solves a major problem for customers, but offers manufacturers a valuable new channel for meaningful engagement with limited overhead.”
Highland was joined in the round by existing investors Kleiner Caufield Byers & Caufield and Oak Investment Partners.


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The most VIP Super Bowl weekend costs $1.5M, includes butler
MIAMI (AP) — Private jet service, a personal butler, or how about a meal with former Patriots star Rob Gronkowski to top off Super Bowl weekend? From legendary nightclubs to exclusive parties, no place caters to the rich and famous quite like glitzy Miami.
The city’s most luxurious hotels, clubs and restaurants are offering over-the-top packages to entice big spenders looking for action outside the end zone. One package includes a 4-day cruise around the Caribbean on a private yacht after the game for $720,000.
On Location Experiences’ Sam Soni says their top Super Bowl package last year in Atlanta went for $17,500. This year’s top-tier packages in Miami are $20,000 to $35,000 and include game tickets, a pre-game party and show by Darius Rucker and a chance to mingle with football legends like Dan Marino and Marcus Allen.
“We’ve seen just unprecedented sales for that product,” Soni said. “It’s really a three- or four-day event for most of our clients. In Miami having so many options for entertainment and the weather all certainly come into play.”
Not all of those enjoying the perks will be paying out of pocket, because many of the high-end packages are purchased by corporations. But On Location says many customers also are wealthy fans who just want to be a part of the experience.
But it’s not all gitz and glamour in Miami. Promotions will likely focus on luxurious waterfront skylines and not the poorer neighborhoods, where more than three-quarters of residents are low-income. Many fans there won’t be able to afford even the lower-end tickets priced at $4,400.
Thousands of fans will descend on Miami just for the nightlife and never set foot inside the stadium.
“There’s just going to be so many parties. And it’s going to take over the city,” said David Grutman, the man behind some of South Beach’s most exclusive clubs and restaurants.
Tables at LIV nightclub are booking for $20,000 during Super Bowl weekend — up from their usual cost of $5,000. Grutman said his steakhouse has more than tripled its order for steaks to 1,000 for Super Bowl week, along with crates of caviar.


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Google: What happened to “Don’t Be Evil”?
When Google went public in 2004, it embodied technological and entrepreneurial genius. Two engineers had developed a remarkably powerful and easy-to-use search engine, opening the doors to vast amounts of knowledge.
The founders proclaimed their motto “Don’t be mean,” which was typical of Silicon Valley’s decades-old techno-optimism. Brand Stewartwriting in rolling stone in 1972, claimed that once access to information became universal, it would make us all “computer bums, all more autonomous as individuals and as co-operators”. It would be a new era, Brand continues, of enhanced “spontaneous creation and human interaction.” The “first digital idealists”, noted computer scientist and writer Jaron Lanier in 2014, imagined a “sharing” Web operating “without the constraints of the commercial order”.
This idyll is no more. Google and the other Big Tech companies are no longer basic creators. They are now oligarchs and monopolies, wielding undue influence in the market and in politics.
The motto “Don’t be mean” was deleted in 2018 of Google’s corporate code of conduct. In the lyrics of Ross LaJeunessea former head of international relations at Google, it reflected Google’s transformation into a company consumed by the need to “go after bigger profits and an even higher stock price”.
Google has turned into a virtual monopoly that now controls 90 percent of the American, European and British search engine market. Gmail, on the other hand, has 1.5 billion monthly users, roughly 75% of the email market. web-based email. Like many of its oligarchic counterparts, Google now controls a huge revenue base. As writer and academic Michael Lind puts it, Google now operates as a “toll” corporation, acting as a digital feudal lord that charges fees to cyber travelers. Sheltered from competition, it benefits less and less from innovation, but from finding new ways to take advantage of its dominant market position.
Google’s search engine, once renowned for its impartiality and open source, has become increasingly politicized. It uses its market power to stifle competitors, as surveys in Europe, the UK and the US show. Indeed, the EU imposed a fine on Google billions of dollars in 2021 for giving preferential treatment on its search engine to its own purchasing department. One of Google’s few competitors, the much smaller DuckDuckGo, accused it earlier this year of manipulation of browser extensions to drive customers away from competing products. And this month, Britain’s state regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority, launched its own investigation into Apple and Google.
Silicon Valley feudalism
The new lords of cyberspace may not wear top hats or chain mail, but they rule with the same ferocity as their medieval ancestors or the rapacious capitalists of the golden age. Former Apple employee and Wired magazine writer Antonio Garcia Martinez described the operations of the tech oligarchs as “feudalism with better marketing.”
Back when I started reporting on Silicon Valley in the mid-1970s, many start-ups were run by people who had groundbreaking ideas about how to improve society. At Occupy Wall Street protests in 2011, anti-capitalist protesters even observed a minute of silence when they learned of the death of Steve Jobs. They hailed him as a liberator and maverick.
Indeed, in the past, founding companies like Hewlett-Packard and Intel have created a good life not only for their employees, but also for a large number of small businesses and contractors. Researchers Manuel Pastor and Chris Brenner say the 1980s were “good times for growth and equity in Silicon Valley”.
Read the rest of this article at Sharp.
Joël Kotkin is the author of The rise of neo-feudalism: a warning to the global middle class. He is Roger Hobbs Presidential Fellow in Urban Futures at Chapman University and Executive Director of the Urban Reform Institute. Learn more about joelkotkin.com and follow him on Twitter @joelkotkin.


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brands under fire
Posted by Mark J. Miller on October 8, 2013 01:52 PM
NBC Sports has found itself on the wrong end of a heavy load of negative criticism since Sept. 22 when the host of its NRA-sponsored Under Wild Skies program, Tony Makris, shot and killed an elephant on the program. It didn’t help, Variety notes, that Makris, an NRA strategist, “compared his critics to Hitler.”
The show was eventually cancelled and now NBC Sports has announced that it won’t be sponsoring a Las Vegas hunting and outdoor trade show in January—an event that bills itself as the world’s largest gun-related trade show—in a move that the network claims is unrelated to September’s incident.Continue reading...
media and politics
Posted by Mark J. Miller on March 26, 2013 02:21 PM
In the aftermath of the massacre of 20 young schoolchildren and six school staffers last December in Connecticut, the word was that this shooting spree was somehow going to be different from all the rest—different from Virginia Tech and Aurora, Colo., and Columbine and Luby’s Cafeteria back in ’91 and, well, all the rest that keep on happening far too regularly. This time, America was going to look at itself in the mirror and change.
So far, though, the Sandy Hook shootings haven’t caused much change. The “national conversation” has dragged on and senators will finally introduce new gun legislation soon. This will be the “first time in years” Congress takes a look at “significant gun control legislation,” NBC reports. But the inaction and relative toothlessness of the legislation has kicked New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg into gear.Continue reading...
Posted by Mark J. Miller on February 28, 2013 03:24 PM
Comcast Corp., the proud new owners of NBCUniversal for a whopping price tag of $16.7 billion, brings in more than $55 billion in revenue annually, but most of those dollars that came from gun advertising will now disappear.
As American politicians and cultural warriors wrestle with what to do about the ubiquity of gun violence, Comcast—the largest cable provider in the country—has announced that it won’t be taking ads for guns on any of its television, cable, Internet, radio and voice services across the country anymore, OutdoorLife.com reports. The change is reflective of a similar policy that had been in place at NBCUniversal, which prohibited advertisements for weapons or fireworks.
The change has led for some to predict the loss of billions of dollars in revenue for the weapons industry, according to Outdoor Life.
Tom Wright, who owns the Williams Gun Sight Michigan, was aggravated by the news but told the local ABC affiliate that it wasn’t going to put a stop to his business. "We've been in this community for many years and we have enjoyed promoting our products in this community and will continue to do that with Comcast or without them."
Of course, that means finding other channels that will take his ads. Time Warner Cable, the nation’s second-largest cable provider, won’t take ads for semiautomatic weapons but does still accept gun ads, according to MSN. Fox and ESPN also won’t accept advertisements for guns, AdWeek reports. Continue reading...
Posted by Abe Sauer on January 11, 2013 10:44 AM
The brand that's arguably "the most important James Bond product placement of all time" has a new website. But more than that, iconic firearm maker Walther has a whole new brand challenge as it begins a marketing life free from its former import partner, Smith and Wesson, after the latter called Walther a "shrinking piece of business," with revenues dropping from $44 million in 2010 to $32 million two years later.
But the 130-year-old brand best known for arming James Bond will continue its manufacturing partnerships with S&W. It's a deal that may make brand differentiation a problem in a marketplace that, while booming, is full of extremely discerning, picky consumers.Continue reading...
Posted by Sheila Shayon on December 18, 2012 12:07 PM
Executives at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. in Bentonville, Arkansas, were already having a bad week, with its holiday-heightened labor dispute on the current cover of Bloomberg Businessweek and brisk business making Bushmaster rifles the #1 assault rifle in America criticized in the wake of the Newtown, CT, school massacre. Still, at least the Mexico bribery scandal that besmirched its corporate reputation earlier this year, when a New York Times investigation was published, was dying down. Until Tuesday night.
That's when the New York Times' follow-up to its April expose was published online, with the headline, "How Wal-Mart Used Payoffs in Mexico." After examining thousands of documents and talking to local officials and Walmart's own executives, the latest chapter in the NYT expose concludes, "An examination by The New York Times found Wal-Mart de Mexico to be an aggressive and creative corrupter, offering payoffs to get what the law otherwise prohibited."
The story is featured on the New York Times homepage today, smack in the middle of the gun debate raging among its readers, editors, writers and the population at large — a debate in which Walmart's brand is also involved as America's largest seller of guns, and the Sandy Hook rifle, in particular.Continue reading...
what girls want
Posted by Mark J. Miller on December 18, 2012 10:30 AM
What do girls want? For one big sister this holiday season, the right for her brother to have the same toys in a non-stereotypical design. Almost 45,000 signatures and a slew of international headlines later, McKenna Pope, the 13-year-old who started the online petition at Change.org to convince Hasbro to consider boys in their marketing and design scope for the Easy-Bake Oven, has scored a big win for gender equality.
McKenna and her family met with execs at Hasbro on Monday and came out all smiles. Execs at the Pawtucket, R.I., HQ of the toy manufacturer, as AP reports, were deighted to show her design prototypes for Easy-Bake ovens colored black, silver, or blue — ready for her brother and other boys eager to get Easy-Baking.
Pope’s quest had started when she wanted to get her four-year-old brother, Gavyn Boscio, an Easy-Bake Oven for Christmas. After all, he had shown a love for food prep by attempting to “cook on top of a lamp's light bulb” at their New Jersey home. Pope only found ovens in pink or purple and the boxes only featured girls in its marketing images.
So Pope went out and scored more than 40,000 signatures on a Change.org petition, the support of a slew of male celebrity chefs such as Bobby Flay, and a meeting with Hasbro, which now says it is going to unveil the new oven at the annual Toy Fair in New York this coming February. Consumers who are looking to purchase Easy-Bake ovens that aren’t pink and purple will be able to snag them next summer. Plus, the new ovens will come with a boy or two pictured on the box as well.Continue reading...
Posted by Abe Sauer on October 5, 2012 12:03 PM
"The Walther PPK. 7.65 millimeter. With a delivery like a brick through a plate glass window... The American CIA swear by them."
— Dr. No (1962)
It's no secret that the next James Bond film Skyfall will be a product placement bonanza, and musical — thanks to Adele's theme song, which was released at 00:07 a.m. for today's 50th Anniversary Global James Bond Day and briskly set a download record on iTunes.
Already, the new Bond film is weathering complaints about everything from Coke Zero to China. From the trailer, we already know Skyfall will feature Sony's Vaio, a product placement that filled 2006's Casino Royale and the whole film has become bogged down dealing with its new villain nemesis: Heineken product placement. But one brand has appeared in more James Bond films than any other, and stands to get an even bigger role this year in Skyfall. Yet, Bond after Bond, it passes practically without comment.
Starting 50 years ago today with 1962's Dr. No, every 007 agent on-screen has carried a Walther handgun. The cineman's suave series of Bonds have carried the Walther PPK (Polizei Pistole Kriminal) model before switching to the Walther P99 in Tomorrow Never Dies. But trailers from the upcoming Bond film Skyfall show that Daniel Craig's Bond is returning to the PPK, an event monumental enough to warrant its own scene.Continue reading...
Posted by Abe Sauer on September 21, 2012 06:02 PM
"What's up, people? We're going full auto on this new Kriss Vector gun."
That's actress Milla Jovovich speaking to the camera in a behind-the-scenes video promoting the current box office-topping film Resident Evil: Retribution. The fifth iteration of the hit franchise offers little new material. But what is new is the Kriss Vector submachine gun toted throughout the movie by Jovovich, who is quickly becoming the firearm industry's most reliable spokesperson.
With additional roles in 2012 hit films The Avengers and Total Recall, Kriss is the latest brand of unique looking firearm to make a splash in Hollywood.Continue reading...


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The Visa Foundation has today announced a commitment to invest in two programs totaling $210 Million. This is in a bid to support small and micro businesses.
The investment aligns with the foundation’s long term focus on women’s economic advancement and inclusive economic development. It also addresses an urgent need for funding from local communities following the spread of Covid-19.
An amount USD 10 Million had been designated for emergency relief in support of charitable organisations which are on the frontlines responding to the Covid-19 pandemic such as public health and food relief. This will be in the five geographic regions in which Visa operates that is North America, Asia Pacific, Central Europe, Middle East and Africa which includes Kenya.
The second program is a five year strategic commitment to the tune of $200 Million to support small and micro businesses around the world. In this case the focus will be fostering women’s economic advancement. NGO’s which are dedicated to supporting SMEs more so women owned will be allocated $60 Million. $140 Million will be allocated to investment partners that generate positive social and financial returns for small and micro businesses.
The investment has been necessitated by the fact that small and micro businesses are the backbone of the global economy. They account for more than 90 percent of worldwide businesses and contribute 50-60 percent of global employment. Currently, there is a $300 Billion credit deficit in funding for women owned businesses a situation which is expected to worsen given the economic turmoil courtesy of the pandemic.
Al Kelly, CEO and Chairman of Visa, had this to say, “Now more than ever, we must accelerate our support for small businesses on the frontlines driving economic growth. As many SME owners are women, we believe that there will be a ripple effect in supporting women economic advancement which we believe is one of the most important ways to achieve gender equality, reduce poverty and foster inclusive economic development.”


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Vizio, ahead of International CES, on Monday officially announced a wide variety of new products, including a line of 3D TVs and the company's first smartphone and tablet.
Vizio said Tuesday that it has added Rhapsody's digital music service to its HDTVs in the XVT series that are equipped with Vizio Internet Apps (VIA).
Jeremy Burkhardt to be Inducted as a CEDIA Fellow
Como Audio Intros Embrace Vinyl, Two-Channel Stereo Sound
Klein is CEDIA’s 2019 Lifetime Achievement Awardee
New Age to Deliver VR Brand HTC VIVE Products to Enterprise Customers
James Loudspeaker Adds Mavericks Architectural Cinema Division
HTSA’s Next-Level Training: Beyond Products, to Human Interaction


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USA – Last month it was reported by pharmacists that a run on face masks had depleted stores stock amid fear of flu and coronavirus concerns.
Now grocery stores are seeing more flu items being bought up by consumers at a high rate. So high that Kroger has now put a limit on those items.
Kroger posted today on its website, “Due to high demand and to support all customers, we will be limiting the number of Sanitization, Cold and Flu related products to 5 each per order.”
This applies to items like Purell hand sanitizer, Tylenol, NyQuil, and other flu items.


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Founder and Executive Director of Deus.Com. Ghana, Mohammed Mohammed Amin, has been honoured as the Best Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Year, E-Commerce category at the just-ended Ghana Industry CEO Awards.
Mr. Amin beat competition from other highly coveted CEOs in that category including CEO of Think Expand Ltd, Francis Sabutey, and CEO of Hubtel, Alex Bram to claim the prestigious award.
Speaking to the media after receiving the prestigious honour, the Deus.com CEO mentioned that the award came to him and the team as a surprise considering the caliber of people in that highly competitive category.
“To be honest, we are humbled by this award, we worked as a team and with a passion to deliver the best; little did we know we were being noticed. That notwithstanding it feels good to be recognized for serving the people,” he intimated.
Touching on the factors contributing to the success of Deus.Com, Mr. Amin emphasised the company’s commitment to consistent innovation and delivering an exceptional customer experience.
He said: “Consistent innovation to serve customers by ensuring the best customer experience, including selection, ease of use, lower prices, and providing sufficient information for informed purchasing decisions, can be attributed to this feat.”
The executive director assured that Deus would continue to innovate, prioritising a seamless online purchasing experience for its customers.
He took the opportunity to extend his gratitude to the cherished customers of the brand for their continuous support and patronage of their e-commerce platform.
The Ghana Industry CEOs Awards, now in its sixth edition, is an annual awards scheme organized by The Business Executive (TBE) Group. It aims to identify and publicly recognize the most outstanding CEOs in corporate Ghana across various sectors, both private and public.
The awardees were selected through a process involving public nominations, shortlisting, public voting, and final vetting by a board. The winners were conferred with their awards at the ceremony held in Accra last Friday night.
In total, about 65 personalities received awards across various categories, including Advertising, Telecommunication, Education, E-commerce, Automobile, Health, Real Estate, and Petroleum, among others.
TBE Group is known for its flagship Business Executive Excellence Awards and the Feminine Ghana Achievement Awards, among other annual award schemes. On the international stage, the company has organised events such as the African-Global Trade and Investment Awards in Dubai, UAE, and the African Power Conference and Awards in Spain.


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Written by (作者): Alexandra Kobylchenko?
Photos by (图片来源): thinkprogress.org, prweb.com
Are you well informed about what you eat? How often do you notice colorful food or beverages in advertisements? Do you think they’re trustworthy? In just one month, Chinese companies spend millions of dollars on advertising. For example, their total expenditure on online advertising alone may go up to $43 million (270 million RMB). In October 2014, Anheuser-Busch InBev, the multinational Belgian-Brazilian company that owns brands such as Budweiser and Stella Artois, spent $4.45 million (27 million RMB) on online advertising in China. Web portals, online video platforms and clientside?venues are the top three ad placement channels for food and beverage companies. Dairy products companies also have to spend some cash to get their products advertised. Inner Mongolia Yili Group and China Mengniu Dairy Co. are ranked 2nd and 4th in the top 10 Chinese food and beverage companies. Each month, they spend around 8 million RMB and 11 million RMB respectively on advertising.
All this spending, or most of it, works to mask some hard truths that would otherwise hurt such companies. For example, adverts for Sanlu Group products depict a smiling mother with her charming toddler, which is understandable as it’s a milk company. What you may not know is this is the same company that was involved in the 2008 Chinese milk scandal. They produced milk and infant formula along with other food material and components that were adulterated with melamine, which is a chemical used as a fire-retardant additive in paints, plastics and paper, and is known to cause kidney stones if ingested. Since then, concerns over food safety among the population have tripled. Such food scandals are no news, and tend to happen on a yearly basis in the country. Fake rice made of plastic pellets, imitation eggs made of gelatin and decades-old frozen meat destined for the market are just some of the?most talked about scandals. Some of these scandals are wide-scale and happen with large as well as some local manufacturers, but it doesn’t mean they’re less dangerous. Something called “sewer” oil is an issue that was brought up by a professor from Wuhan Polytechnic University in 2010. He estimated?that one in 10 meals in China is cooked using recycled oil produced by recycling waste oil from restaurant fryers, sewer drains, grease traps and sometimes even using slaughterhouse waste. These raw materials are processed using a combination of filtration, boiling and refining at some illegal plants set up on someone’s property. Sounds really disgusting and gross, but sometimes people can really come up with shocking and desperate means to earn more money.
After reading about such incidents related to food safety, you may wonder why the government hasn’t taken any action. After five years of drafting, in 2009 China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing?Committee passed the first comprehensive Food Safety Law (FSL), which was revised in 2015. The newly revised law imposes stricter controls and supervision on food production and management. The new law brought hope that people’s trust in Chinese-made food products would see more stricter regulations. But not many are optimistic about this innovation. It is one thing to draft a law, but enforcing it?is not that simple. China is a huge country with countless farmers and businesses, so the burden of responsibility isn’t for the government alone. To be certain, the FSL will bring some changes but actual progress will certainly be a slow process.
So far Ningbo hasn’t yet been shaken by any big food safety incidents. I sometimes hear from friends that they come across outdated food in the supermarket or some fake oranges, but nothing as bad as the?2008 milk scandal. Food safety is one of the greatest concerns of the Ningbo Municipal Government. Because 75% of food comes from other cities, Ningbo took the lead in 2007 by building a system that traces the sources of food. The key to food safety is prevention, and that’s why Ningbo strengthened the controls and attempted to establish pre-warning mechanisms. In 2009, the city completed the establishment of China’s first information co-sharing system for urban food tests and checks, which integrates information from all related administrative departments and labs. Today, the system can trace the sources of 10 kinds of food, with milk and meat amongst them. Using this system you can easily find?information on the place of production, supplier, variety, transport and sales. Ningbo is the first city in China that releases regular reports of food safety and has set an example for other cities.
It is certainly possible to prevent a disaster. On a larger scale, the government and manufacturers are the ones that must take responsibility. On a smaller scale, we should rely only on ourselves. I’ve gotten into the habit of looking into windows as I pass by or to watch people when they think no one is watching them, and even though it may not be polite, I believe this habit saved me many times from getting food poisoning or eating unhygienic food. Maybe consider adapting one of these habits. I hope all of you will only find clean and safe food on your tables!
Alexandra Kobylchenko is a 21-year-old student from Ukraine who was majoring in Chinese and English translation in her home country but wound up studying Chinese language at NBU. She fell in love with Ningbo and is currently studying International Business.
Alexandra Kobylchenko 是一个来自乌克兰的21 岁学生，曾在祖国主修中英文翻译，然后又到宁波大学学习中文。她很喜欢宁波这座城市，目前正就读于国际贸易专业。


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8 October 2014
Changed labelling on sports drinks minimal for Australian consumers
The Australian Beverages Council today reiterated that proposed changes by Food Standards Australia and New Zealand to labelling on sports drinks are minimal and will bring Australia more in line with the rest of the world when it comes to sports drinks regulation.
“This is not about easing restrictions or misguiding consumers, in fact it is quite the opposite. This is merely a classification change that ensures the claims made by sports drinks manufacturers are scientifically substantiated,” said the Council’s CEO, Geoff Parker.
“Sports drinks (also known as Electrolyte drinks) are designed specifically for the rapid replacement of fluid, carbohydrates, and electrolytes. They are of most benefit for athletes and active members of the public to aid in rehydration. Sugar is an essential part of the functional benefits of sports drink following intense exercise.”
Mr Parker said he was confident consumers would not buy unsuitable products as a result of the new claims.
“Having scientifically substantiated claims clearly stated on the labels we hope will further assist consumers in making sure that particular types of drinks are right for them.”
“It’s something the industry is very open about – that these types of sports drinks are absolutely for people who engage in intensive exercise,” he said.
“These drinks are not suitable for a kids’ swimming carnival, when the eight-year-old only has to swim 25 metres. In most instances, water is absolutely the best drink for them,” Mr Parker said.
Media contact: Geoff Parker – Chief Executive Officer, Australian Beverages Council , 0407 646 195
The Australian Beverages Council is the peak body for the non-alcoholic beverages industry and represents 95% of the industry’s production volume through membership.


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Among the designers servicing “BitVM”– a Bitcoin-based online equipment– states the technology is meant to range Bitcoin as opposed to introducing Ethereum-like decentralized money applications on the network.
BitVM’s whitepaper was launched by ZeroSync’s job lead Robin Linus on Oct. 10 with technological assistance supplied by pseudonymous designer “Super Testnet”– carrying out BitVM’s very first proof-of-concept and servicing broadening BitVM’s abilities.
Upon its launch, some market experts developed the impact that BitVM would certainly bring DeFi to Bitcoin like what the Ethereum Virtual Equipment (EVM) provided for Ethereum.
Lightning additionally drop brief in the scaling division. It’s no place near fixing scalability.
We require much more corresponding points.
> > this is simply an additional defi on bitcoin effort.
Once more, the inspiration behind BitVM by the writer was not DeFi. It was scaling.
— Hampus (@hampus_s) October 12, 2023
Nonetheless, Super Testnet informs Cointelegraph that BitVM is scaling-focused as opposed to having to do with carrying out wise agreements and an avalanche of altcoins:
” The genuine awesome application is scaling Bitcoin. [Robin Linus isn’t] a large follower of wise agreements. He’s not a large follower of enhancing Bitcoin’s expressivity. He truly wants making it to make sure that Bitcoin can refine countless deals per secondly.”
Super Testnet stated he does not desire BitVM to be swamped with (EVM)- like symbols due to the fact that it’ll bring criminals to Bitcoin:
” I do not wish to see whatever from the Ethereum environment due to the fact that a lot of it is Ponzi systems.”
Structure a decentralized exchange on Bitcoin would certainly be a “action backwards,” he included.
On The Other Hand, Super Testnet keeps in mind that BitVM will not be an “immediate fatality” for Ethereum’s altcoins, which some have actually recommended– though it might take need far from them.
Warm Off the Press: BitVM White Paper Decrease! Experience a cutting-edge computer strategy for wise agreements on #Bitcoin
Unlock performances formerly thought to require a soft fork with these improved wise agreements.
Could this be completion of #altcoins? pic.twitter.com/1GA43VE7If
— RichQuack (@RichQuack) October 10, 2023
The designer wishes that Bitcoin (BTC) basically stays the only financial device on the Bitcoin network:
” A large building that makes Bitcoin vital is keeping one financial possession that every person can settle on as opposed to having drifting currency exchange rate that are a problem for business,” he stated.
BitVM might fix among Lightning’s defects
On The Other Hand, Super Testnet stated BitVM’s desired repayment framework will certainly additionally intend to boost among the Lightning Network’s deficiencies– repayment integrity:
” Lightning is fantastic as a system and it’s much faster than most likely anything we can make on Bitcoin. However one point that Lightning does not succeed is repayment integrity.”
River, a Bitcoin-only exchange, exposed its Lightning settlements success price was 99.7% in August throughout 308,000 deals.
He wishes BitVM can get to 60% of the purchase rate of the Lightning network.
BitVM: The 24 hr upgrade.
After hundreds of Twitter messages and hours of areas and conversations, we understand far more regarding BitVM than we did the other day. Below’s a fast upgrade:
1. BitVM is a brand-new computer standard that leverages the global gateway NAND (together with various other … pic.twitter.com/zBws7gOhjA
— Bob Bodily, PhD|#BTC #ETH #ICP (@BobBodily) October 11, 2023
Associated: Coinbase to incorporate Bitcoin Lightning Network: Chief Executive Officer Brian Armstrong
The designer has actually additionally worried that BitVM is optional like the Lightning Network and anybody will certainly have the ability to move BTC or Bitcoin-assets out of the online equipment back right into cold store or anywhere they were ahead of time.
” Nobody is compeling you to send your cash right into an online equipment. If you desire your cash risk-free, maintain it risk-free.”
‘ Calculate anything’ mistaken belief
Super Testnet additionally made clear a feasible misconception, discussing that BitVM, in its existing state, can not calculate “anything” like its whitepaper recommends.
” We need to construct even more primitives in order to make it to make sure that anything can run in it.” Executing SHA-256 and security are a few of the enhancements that require to be made, they kept in mind.
Nonetheless, Super Testnet exposed on Oct. 12 that BitVM is currently refining fundamental features:
Update: bitvm can do * 3 * features currently and I remain in the center of making a page where you can have fun with it pic.twitter.com/bXYOZKx2GV
— Super Testnet (@super_testnet) October 12, 2023
Linus and Super Testnet satisfied at a Bitcoin seminar around 18 months back and have actually been functioning to range Bitcoin at the scripting degree practically since, he stated.
Publication: Should you ‘orange tablet’ youngsters? The instance for Bitcoin youngsters publications


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Home » EOS #1 Cryptocurrency by Chinese Government
The Chinese government has once again named EOS the world’s top cryptocurrency in a ranking that prioritizes innovation and application over market capitalization. Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency by market cap and trading volume, jumped seven spots compared with June.
Crypto Market Ranking
China’s Center for Information Industry Development (CCID) has published the fourth edition of its Global Public Chain Technology Evaluation Index, which ranks dozens of cryptocurrencies on technology, application and innovation. EOS topped the list for the third consecutive edition despite concerns over the platform’s botched mainnet launch in June.
EOS’ strong performance likely reflects its scalability solutions. The platform’s proof-of-stake protocol is capable of processing a huge number of transactions when compared with leading blockchains bitcoin and Ethereum.
Like the previous edition, Ethereum was ranked second. NEO was bumped out of the top-three in favor of Komodo, which failed to crack the top-15 in June.
The first version of the report, released in May, ranked Ethereum as the world’s top blockchain.
Although bitcoin did not perform particularly well in the first two CCID reports, it has risen through the rankings following a major structural shift in the cryptocurrency market. As Hacked previously reported, bitcoin’s dominance rate has risen more than 40% over the past three months. Bitcoin now accounts for more than 52% of the entire market capitalization for cryptocurrencies after hitting a high of 54.5% last week.
EOS and Ethereum have seen their market values plummet over the same period. Ether’s dramatic fall, which culminated in last week’s 14-month low, has raised alarm bells over the health of initial coin offerings (ICOs) in the wake of last year’s record funding amounts.
Bitcoin’s growing market share essentially means other digital assets will rise and fall on its whim. Although non-correlation with bitcoin is seen as necessary for a healthy, dynamic cryptocurrency market, recent price developments suggest investors are dropping more speculative bets for an asset with a proven track record. According to Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin, this will ultimately lead to a new era of ICOs with better protocols and more proven business models. This paradigm, known as “Tokens 2.0,” could materialize as early as next year.


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The Prince Rupert RCMP responded to a report of an armed robbery.
On August 31st, a masked suspect entered a store on Hay Cove Ave pulled out a weapon and demanded money from the cash register.
The suspect then fled the store on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash before the police arrived.
The suspect is believed to be around 6 foot tall with a slim build, wearing a black hoodie, black pants, black gloves and a white logo covering his face.
If anyone has any information related to this event are asked to call the Prince Rupert RCMP 250-627-0700


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Sony announced a new pair of LinkBuds wireless headphones earlier today with confirmation from the Microsoft teams. These are basically the same headphones that launched earlier this year, but with a bundled USB receiver that can be plugged into a laptop and used to assign group commands and signals to the headphones from Sony’s Headphone Connect app.
Sony LinkBuds UC
Sony says you can answer calls, mute and unmute them, and use the hands-up feature during group meetings. At $249.99, the Sony LinkBuds UC are $70 more than the standard LinkBuds model and come in a gray color.
Sony has announced a new LinkBuds S Earth Blue model that features panels made from recycled water dispenser bottles. No two styles are the same on the new headphones, so buyers get the benefit of the difference. The LinkBuds S retail for $199.99 and are expected to ship later this week in the US.
Sonu LinkBuds S Earth Blue
The third announcement of the day is that all premium Sony wireless headphone models will get multi-point pairing via a software update later this year. The top of the range Sony WF-1000XM4 headphones will get multi-point pairing this summer, while the LinkBuds and LinkBuds S will get the feature in November.
LinkBuds UC • LinkBuds S (Earth Blue)


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11 additional measles cases confirmed, ‘This is a totally preventable disease!’
Scott Morrison reopens Christmas Island asylum seeker detention centre
USA measles outbreak grows
Pre-Cut Fruit Causes Multistate Salmonella Outbreak
13 June 2018, 10:58 | Randall Craig
Officials Linking Multi-State Salmonella Outbreak To Pre-Cut Melons
Officials said people reported contracting salmonella after eating pre-cut melon between April 30 and May 28. The following eight states were affected by the recall: Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio.
The CDC said that Kroger, Walmart, Payless and Jay C stores located in the affected areas have recalled their products which contained pre-cut melon from the market.
The CDC says there have been more hospitalizations with this outbreak than usual.
Salmonella is typically brief, with stomach cramps and diarrhea that can last anywhere from four to seven days.
Health officials are linking a multi-state salmonella outbreak to pre-cut melons, including those in fruit salads.
Six people have been reported sick in IL, 11 in in in, 32 in MI, 10 in Missouri, and one in Ohio.
Most people recover from a salmonella infection without treatment.
Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development supervisors say 32 people in Michigan have become ill because of the outbreak.
The Kroger Co. and Walmart are among grocery retailers that have removed fresh-cut melon products from their stores in connection with a multistate outbreak of salmonella.
According to the CDC and the FDA, Caito Foods, a food distributor based in Indianapolis, delivered salmonella-infected fruits packages such as pre-cut melons, mixed fruits packages, cantaloupe, and honeydew melon. Although the shelf life of the melon is limited, Kroger said, it issued the alert out of an abundance of caution. The products were sold in clear plastic containers.
Although the recall affects 10 states, so far, illnesses have been reported in only five. Young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are more vulnerable to severe illness.
The investigation is ongoing to determine if products went to additional stores or states, the agencies said.
Kingdom Hearts 3 Special Edition Offers Exclusive Figurines
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Trump says he will halt Korea war games
He said the USA is working on the issue with South Korea , and Japan-as well as with China, but "to a lesser extent". The news comes after the pair made history with a meeting in Singapore to try and bring an end to their differences.
Actress Rose McGowan indicted on cocaine charge in Virginia
When the narcotics accusations against McGowan surfaced, she said it was an attempt to silence her and was a "load of horsesh*t". Rose has pleaded not guilty to the case, and states that she was without the wallet for five hours before she retrieved it.
Judge: Gov't evidence "too thin" in AT&T case
The Justice Department had repeatedly suggested the judge consider forcing AT&T to divest some of Time Warner's cable channels. The ruling could open the floodgates to deal making in the fast-changing entertainment and video-content worlds.
Officer rescues toddler running on side of IL highway
When Mannino first saw the figure on the busy highway, he says he thought it was some kind of animal, according to WGN . Mannino parked his cruiser to block traffic, then ran to the little boy who was eventually reunited with his mother.


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While we are far past Christmas, most of us think of Christmas trees as next year’s winter tradition, and a chore, looking forward to the season and dreading the day the tree has to be dragged out to the curb, or stored in a box depending on if the tree is real or fake.
Regarding real trees, Christmas tree farming is a year-round business for nearly 15,000 farms across the US, Canada and abroad employing over 100,000.
To Frans J. Kok, owner of Middleburg Christmas Tree Farm, one of if not the largest Christmas tree farms in Loudoun, tax time brings a certain negative feeling about the business.
For the past several years, Kok and other larger Christmas tree farmers pay a federal assessment on Christmas trees as an effort by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to fund the recently formed Christmas Tree Promotion Board (CTPB)
The CTPB is a national promotion and research organization. CTPB is akin to the Milk industry’s Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) and congressional Acts used to fund and promote milk consumption through industry assessments. This translated into some of the most popular and longest running commercials which the USDA claims created 90% consumer awareness for milk consumption. The two most famous are celebrities having milk mustaches and the “Got Milk” campaigns.
According to the National Christmas Tree Association, there are approximately 25-30 million real Christmas trees sold in the U.S. every year for transactions well over $1 billion. There are close to 350 million real Christmas trees currently growing on Christmas tree farms in the U.S. alone, all planted and grown by farmers like Kok whos 125-acre farm sells nearly 2500 trees locally per season.
While these numbers seem impressive, there has been a massive decline in real Christmas tree purchases since the 70’s and 80’s when fake trees realized a drastic gain in popularity. Baby boomers disrupted the real tree industry opting for fake trees.
This past December, while almost 95 million U.S. households displayed a Christmas tree, only 19% of those were expected to be real, according to a survey conducted by Nielsen for the American Christmas Tree Association.
At this low percentage, it would take very little disruption to again see a large decrease in the already low percentage.
According to the USDA’s efforts through CTPB, the real Christmas tree industry is at high risk when it comes to speculated millennial impact – disruption.
Underlying, the assessment by Christmas tree farmers pays for efforts to sway millennials from obliterating a timeless Christmas tradition and an entire industry – the purchase and use of real Christmas trees.
Believe this is far-fetched? Consider that nearly every industry, from automotive to housing, retail to grocery stores are making massive investments, shifting or pivoting their products, marketing and strategies to align with millennial disruption, spending, and trends – as well as the anticipated offspring of millennials.
Kok, along with Kurt Gernerd of Stonehaven Farm in Purcellville and a third Christmas tree farmer in Maine, do not agree with the USDA or the CTPB efforts. Specifically, they do not agree with the assessment, how the assessment was brought about or the CTPB’s budget.
“In 2014 a congressman from Wisconsin and one from Oregon got it done by slipping a couple of lines into the USDA budget,” Kok said. “It had to have been some big farmers in Oregon and Wisconsin who prevailed on those congressmen.”
Kok, Gernerd and others are spearheading an effort to eliminate the Christmas Tree Promotion Board (CTPB) and the tax on growers that funnels over a 1.6 million dollars to the CTPB annually.
Standing in the way of Kok’s ambition is the fact that industry leaders asked the USDA to put the CTPB in place through a long dialog that included defining the program and an extensive comment period during which a large majority of the comments received were in strong support of having the program. The legislative action Kok cites was done to move the startup of the program forward following the work with USDA and the comment period.
While one may speculate that the CTPB is just a small organization, it is made up of 42 current members who are direct industry Christmas tree growers, like Kok, serving either on the board or within various internal committees and with an annual budget of $1.65 million.
Tim O’Connor serves as the CTPB Executive Director having 25 years as the CEO of Avocados from Mexico, President and CEO of the United States Potato Board and Executive Vice President/CEO of the Illinois Beef Association leading their promotion and research programs.
“Connecting real Christmas trees with millennials as they form their own families and traditions is the critical battle for the future of the real Christmas industry. Hope is not a good strategy; millennials are predisposed to artificial trees and must be won over to reverse the shift of over 50% of the Christmas tree market share loss to artificial trees that has occurred in the last generation,” said O’Conner. “The industry can’t hope the shift to artificial trees suddenly changes and see positive results. CTPB was formed by growers who believe the future of the industry is at stake and want to combat the artificial Christmas tree industry which spends millions of dollars marketing their products and growing demand each year.”
Kok strongly disagrees.
“You don’t increase the sale of Christmas trees by running a national advertising campaign,” Kok said. “That is a well-known marketing concept. It’s the reason you don’t see national advertising for generic soda.” According to Kok, consumers are not going to all of a sudden flock to tree farms and stands to buy a Christmas tree because an ad reminded them to do so.
According to industry experts, Kok’s statement easily fails by looking at the competition. Fake Christmas trees are heavily advertised by nearly every major retail chain as the season approaches. Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, Target and hundreds of major department stores along with thousands of smaller ones promote the sale of fake Christmas trees through 10’s of millions in media buys. Additionally, artificial Christmas tree manufacturers themselves, such as Balsam Hill, spend millions annually to market and sell their artificial trees even going so far as lobbying and bidding to have their products placed in major movies and television shows. Therefore, the sale of fake Christmas trees has increased by national advertising campaigns.
Kok attempts to explain his reasoning by alluding that the fake tree industry is simply too large.
“Last year Christmas tree growers paid $1.65 million to the CTPB for zero return on their investment. No amount of advertising and marketing at the national level will increase public awareness of Christmas or the public understanding of the purpose and use of Christmas trees beyond the current saturation level consumers already face every Christmas.”
O’Connor says CTPB’s strategy and campaigns are not focused on increasing sales of Christmas trees this year or even next year.
“We are working to increase demand for real Christmas trees and create new customers for the long-term by motivating young adults to choose real Christmas trees as they form their own families and traditions. But that will require some sustained messaging and education as the majority of millennials grew up with an artificial tree and believe an artificial tree is better for the environment than cutting down a real tree,” says O’Connor.
Nevertheless, Kok and Gernerd led the formation of Farmers Against Christmas Tree Taxation, an association of Christmas tree farmers working to encourage votes against the continuance of the CTPB in an upcoming referendum in May 2018. On its website and via email sent out March 26 to fellow farmers and the media, FACTTS laid out its case against the CTPB.
According to Kok and FACTTS, the CTPB numbers don’t justify the amount of money being paid in by tree growers.
“It’s a big country and there are 12,000 Christmas tree farmers,” Kok said. “Their budget in 2017 was $1.65 million, and about half went to administration and overhead.”
O’Connor refutes the FACTTS numbers with figures and percentages CTPB makes public.
“FACTTS is willing to play a little loose with the facts like many other political campaigns. The total budget for operating costs in CTPB’s current fiscal year is 9% of the budgeted $1.65 million revenue,” said O’Connor. “To suggest half of the budget is going to administration and overhead is a misrepresentation of the facts. The CTPB board is comprised of growers who pay assessments themselves, it is ridiculous to think they would approve using half of the board’s budget for overhead and administration.”
The Loudoun Tribune confirmed that CTPB published the fiscal year 2017-18 budget which allocates 9% for administration and overhead.
According to FACTTS data, results from the CTPB promotional campaign have been mixed at best.
“In the first year of CTPB activity, tree sales fell from 26.3 million trees in 2014 to 25.9 million trees in 2015; in the second year (2016) sales went up to 27.4 million trees, a number that is dwarfed by sales in the year before the CTPB was created (2013) of more than 33 million trees,” FACTTS wrote in an email. “(Data) points to evidence that national advertising and promotion of Christmas trees is a useless and frivolous waste of money. During the first three years of its existence, the CTPB spent about $3 million with no discernable effect on national sales.”
O’Conner addresses the CTPB’s mission and vision as long-term and states FACTTS even has the wrong year CTPB began which skews their interpretation.
“CTPB’s focus is on long-term demand creation, not short-term [local] sales. Second, many factors well beyond CTPB’s control affect the number of trees sold each year such as the number of trees available for sale, the economy and the weather on the prime Christmas tree sales weekends, to name a few,” said O’Connor. “And, just to keep the facts straight, CTPB was appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture in January 2015.”
The Loudoun Tribune confirmed CTPB was created in 2015, not 2013 as suggested by Kok’s organization.
While the CTPB assessment of 15 cents per tree sold for farmers who sell over 500 trees per season is collected, Christmas tree farms, in general, receive large tax incentives essentially reducing its business tax rate from 35% to 15%.
Additionally, Internal Revenue Code section 263A contains rules on whether farmers can deduct their expenses in growing crops, or whether they have to capitalize the costs (and amortize it over time or benefit from the deduction only when they finally sell their crops). Christmas tree farmers can deduct all of their expenses immediately, while other tree farmers (and general crop farmers) must wait several years until they sell the trees before they can benefit from the deduction.
Kok admits he is responsible for very little tax regarding the operation of his business and states his farm pays under $400 per year for the CTPB assessment.
With only 19% of Christmas trees purchased being real, time will tell whether the industry’s efforts through the CTPB will make an impact on speculated millennial disruption.
“The real Christmas tree industry has been disrupted once by the baby boomer generation shifting to artificial trees. During that time the industry saw an acreage reduction of 30 percent and growers forced out of business. Today the real tree industry is faced with a battle for the future of the industry to convert millennials to choose real trees. Will growers be better off to do nothing, or fund a national program, through an equitable assessment of 15 cents per tree, and work together to tell the story of their industry and product to their customers of the future? The growers will decide.” O’Connor said.


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Which? brings you the latest supermarket news during the coronavirus pandemic: check opening hours and find out about some of the social distancing measures in place.
The FTSE 100 has fallen sharply since mid-February. Which? looks at what this means for your investments and pensions.
Which? research reveals the financial burden facing workers during COVID-19, with those on the furlough scheme three times more likely to miss bill payments.
Which? explains the dates and rules around the latest lockdown changes in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Eat Out to Help Out scheme starts today: the restaurants taking part and the discount rules explained
The scheme will allow restaurants, cafes and pubs to offer 50% discounts throughout August. Find out where can you use it and how much you could save.
You can now get travel insurance that covers COVID-19 – but it’s not as straightforward as it sounds.
Free Which? advice on all things furlough: find out everything you need to know about how the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme works.
Eight things you need to know if you’re at risk of redundancy as a new law protects furloughed workers’ pay
Millions of UK workers could lose their jobs as the furlough scheme is gradually eased. Which? explains your rights if you're at risk of redundancy.
Everything you need to know, from whether you can get a package holiday refund to airline cancellations and rebooking options.
With cases of coronavirus being recorded at thousands of care homes, what measures are being taken to protect residents, staff and other people receiving later life care?


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Nepal collects revenue of Rs 5 billion annually from import and export of Rs 20-25 billion worth goods though Tatopani border point.
SINDHUPALCHOWK, Feb 10: Trade through Tatopani checkpoint at the northern border resumed on Tuesday after 19 days. The trade point came into operation soon after the maintenance of Miteri Bridge connecting Nepal with China was completed.
China had suspended the trade from January 22, citing that it was repairing the bridge, which the Chinese side said would take 20 days at most. “The trade resumed on the 20th day,” said Lal Bahadur Khatri, chief of the Tatopani Dry Port Customs Office. He informed that six Nepali containers carrying apples and wool arrived at the port on the first day of operation.
The Miteri Bridge, which was damaged by the floods in Bhotekoshi last monsoon, has been repaired by China. After the devastating earthquakes of 2015 damaged the Miteri Bridge, China had built a new one in the same place, which had come into operation in 2016.
Nepal collects revenue of Rs 5 billion annually from import and export of Rs 20-25 billion worth goods though this border point.
The checkpoint remained completely closed for four years after the earthquake. The checkpoint was re-opened on May 29, 2019. In the meantime, the checkpoints were closed and reopened eight times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, floods and landslides.
According to the customs office, revenue collection of at least Rs 150 million has been affected as the checkpoint remained closed for the last 19 days. Khatri informed that China has committed to send 40 containers of goods to Nepal per day. “With this, it is likely that the trade will see a significant improvement,” he told Republica.
He said Nepali traders will have to order in bulk to bring improvement in the trade ecosystem. With the operation of the trade point, it has become easier for traders to order goods from China. The import and export business via the check point has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, flood and landslide during the monsoon.
According to Khatri, about a thousand containers of goods belonging to Nepali entrepreneurs that remained stuck since February last year have been brought to Nepal within the last three months.
The customs office has stated that the transaction has been gradually improving after the introduction of ‘container hook and drop model’ to avoid the spread of COVID-19.
After this model was implemented from November 25, about 30 containers used to enter Nepal via the port daily, according to the data of customs office.


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Samsung has a new ad out today for its latest flagship phone, the Galaxy S5.
The phone launched last month to decent reviews, but some have used the device to show that smartphone innovation has stalled. (Even if true, that’s not a bad thing.)
The new commercial is pretty simple and highlights a few of the most useful features of the GS5. Critics blasted Samsung for packing in too many confusing features into its Galaxy S4 phone last year, so Samsung simplified the Galaxy S5 and focused on stuff most people care about.
Let’s take a look.
The Galaxy S5 is water resistant. You can dunk it under a meter of water for up to 30 minutes and it will be fine.
It has a 5.1-inch screen. Many have called it the best smartphone screen ever.
It comes with Milk Music, Samsung’s streaming music app that’s sort of like Pandora.
There’s a sensor on the back that can measure your heart rate.
The camera is really good. It also has a feature that lets you refocus a photo after you take it.
Watch the full commercial here:
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EV Subsidy Online Portal
Aiming to promote the sale and use of electric vehicles in Uttar Pradesh, the state government on Wednesday launched a subsidy portal which will provide financial support to customers who bought EVs after 14th October 2022. Those who have purchased and registered electric vehicles in Uttar Pradesh after the notification date of the policy will be eligible for the subsidy.
This scheme is effective from 14th October 2022 and will continue till 13th October 2023.
How to Apply EV Subsidy Online-
For availing of the subsidy, one has to apply on the portal upevsubsidy.in Once the application is submitted, the subsidy amount will be transferred to the customer’s bank account after the successful completion of a four level verification process.
The verification process begins with verification at the dealer level, followed by registration and departmental verification. The final verification is carried out by the Transport Inspector.
Depending on the information provided on the portal, the banking partner will transfer the subsidy amount to their bank account within 3 working days after the verification process is completed.
Subsidy on EVs is payable to individuals as well as to aggregators or fleet buyers.
The subsidy will be provided as an early bird incentive to buyers at fixed rates in defined segments during a period of one year from the date of notification.
As per the policy, two-wheeler electric vehicles will get Rs 5,000 per EV subsidy for the first two lakh purchases, not exceeding 15 percent of the ex-factory cost.
For electric four wheelers, the subsidy will be Rs 1 lakh per EV for 25,000 earlier purchases, not exceeding 15 percent of the ex-factory cost.
For buyers purchasing EVs without batteries, the subsidy amount will be 50 percent of the total.
This initiative is part of the Uttar Pradesh Electric Vehicle Manufacturing and Mobility Policy, 2022 which includes a purchase subsidy incentive scheme.
Uttar Pradesh Development Systems Corporation Ltd (UPDESCO) is entrusted with the development and maintenance of the portal.
Read More: Uttar Pradesh Electric Vehicle Policy 2019


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Square Enix has posted some new video content for their release of SaGa: Scarlet Grace on the 15th, giving us one last reminder that it’s headed to our platform very soon.
A game which follows four protagonists on different paths as they deal with a hardship in their life, striving to overcome it and reach their ultimate goals, SaGa: Scarlet Grace is nearly here – and we’ve got the title’s third official trailer and a brand new TV spot to show it off. Check ’em out below!
SaGa: Scarlet Grace is due out in Japan on December 15th.
Are you interested?


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Today, we're diving into a puzzling topic: 'Why Bay Area Home Prices Are Staying Steady.' Hold on tight, because the economy's changing, and we're about to uncover the secrets that make this time different from the past, like in 2008 or 2000.
Segment 1: Shifting Economic Secrets
Let's start with a twist! Imagine the economy changing since way back in 2008 or 2000. Here's a clue: remote work and online earning. Yeah, you heard it right! People are earning money from home using things like stocks and cryptocurrencies. It's like a cool treasure hunt!
Segment 2: Tech's Mysterious Impact
Now, let's dive into tech, the real mystery maker! Think of Nvidia as our hero. When good news about tech companies like Nvidia pops up, their stock prices zoom off like a rocket. And guess what? This can change the whole economic scene!
Segment 3: The Superpower of Digital News
Hold on to your hats, because there's more! Meet digital news, the superhero of our story. News about stocks travels like lightning online. And here's the shocker: news can totally change how people feel about the stock market. It's like a roller coaster ride of surprises!
Segment 4: The Magic of Interest Rates and Homes
Let's talk about interest rates, our next mystery clue. Even though rates are high, the Bay Area's housing market isn't slowing down. How's that possible? We suspect it's the special connection between stocks and homes. It's like a secret code!
Segment 5: The Enigma of Stocks and Houses
Get ready for the grand reveal! There's an even bigger secret: stocks and houses are like puzzle pieces fitting together. When stocks do well, investors get confident, and that boosts their choices, even picking homes. Plus, investing in stocks could mean more money for homes. It's a twisty path!
Conclusion: The Unveiling
And there you have it, our mystery solved! The Bay Area home prices are staying steady thanks to these secret agents: remote work, tech, digital news, and the stock-house connection. Despite high interest rates, the future looks bright for home prices in our ever-changing world.
Now, here's your final mission: crack that 'like' button, leave a clue in the comments like 'Bay Area Dream', and hit the subscribe button. Guess what? We've got some super cool t-shirts waiting for lucky subscribers and informed commenters. Keep your eyes peeled for more mind-boggling mysteries on this channel. Until next time, keep those smiles shining!


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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The tax-free holiday weekend on certain items begins today in the Mid-South.
Clothing, technology and other items will be sold tax-free.
In Mississippi, clothing, footwear and school supplies must be $100 or less per item to qualify.
Items ordered by mail, telephone or Internet are also eligible.
Arkansas’ tax-free weekend begins Saturday and runs through Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
In Tennessee, electronics must be $3,000 or less to qualify.
Things like jewelry and sports equipment will not be tax-exempt.
A second tax-free weekend in Tennessee begins August 7.
This tax-free event will include food and drink purchased at restaurants.
Cox Media Group