text: Werner Enterprises ( WERN), truckload transportation and logistics company, said that its earnings for the second quarter rose 10.8% from a year ago, helped by growth in revenue and better operating performance in value added services business. The company earned $28.02 million, or 35 cents a share, in the quarter, compared with $25.3 million, or 31 cents a share, a year ago. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call were expecting earnings of 34 cents a share, in the most recent quarter. Second-quarter operating revenue rose 8.9% from a year ago to $528.89 million. The company said that as second quarter 2006 progressed, freight demand improved on a year-over-year basis. The company's non-asset based value added services division revenue rose 23.9% to $68.81 million. In the company's March 31, 2006 Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on May 1, 2006, the company estimated the negative impact of 4 cents to 6 cents a share on second quarter 2006 earnings compared with a year ago period, because of higher fuel costs. Fuel costs averaged 57 cents a gallon higher in the quarter compared with a year ago period. The company's fuel surcharge collections were higher than estimated, resulting in a negative impact of 2 cents a share compared with second quarter 2005 earnings. Operating profit rose 10% to $46.35 million and operating margin increased 9 basis points to 8.8%.


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October 18, 2019
Disney and Lucasfilm have agreed to a deal with Tencent subsidiary China Literature to translate 40 “Star Wars” novels in China.
The deal will see Lucasfilm and Tencent partner to develop the first “Star Wars” novel written by the partnership, which was unveiled in Shanghai on Wednesday. The two companies will work together to develop and publish the world’s first authorized “Star Wars” online novel written by a Chinese author.
Guo Wang Bi Xia, who goes by the nom de plume "His Majesty the King," will work with the Lucasfilm story group to write an original novel based on the “Star Wars” universe. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the novel will introduce a new Chinese hero to the “Star Wars” landscape.
The partnership comes as Disney and Lucasfilm prep for the upcoming release of the next film in the franchise, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” The film’s arrival coincides with a slate of new licensing deals including a recent kitchenware partnership with Le Crueset.
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The Number One iPhone Improvement?
What's the number one feature or improvement we all wish we had on our iPhones?
Science has found that the Apple iPhone 7 is not giving people what they want. 73% say they're not going to upgrade because there's no headphone jack. So what are some of the features or improvements people do want?
5. Five percent said better hands-free technology so that it's safer to use while driving.
4. 12% want the best camera possible.
3. 15% are looking for better water-resistance.
2. 21% expect a shatterproof screen.
The number one feature or improvement? 46% said a longer battery life so, it doesn't have to constantly be recharged.


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NL Short Takes
News | 09/24/2001 4:00 am EDT
Call-Net settles lawsuit with ex-CEO, abandons ASP
Call-Net Enterprises Inc has reached an out-of-court settlement with its former CEO, Juri Koor, who sued the company following his dismissal two years ago (NL, Nov. 1/99). No terms of the agreement were released. The Sprint Canada parent has also announced that it is shutting down it ascenda Inc subsidiary. The company said it would no longer take part in the ASP business.


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NCsoft. You just got served." That might have been the reaction from the execs at the MMO publisher on Christmas Eve. As the Virtual Worlds News web site reports, NCsoft was indeed sued on that day by Worlds.com. The Massachusetts based company claims NCsoft has infringed on one of its patents.
Specifically, the patent is 7,181,690, "System and Method for Enabling Users to Interact in a Virtual Space" and the lawsuit claims all of NCsoft's games are in violation of that patent. The lawsuit is seeking damages from NCsoft for its alledged patent infringement. As our sister site Massively points out the Worlds.com patent was first filed in 2000. However the MMO genre had already launched by that time with the release of games like Meridian 59, Ultima Online and the original Everquest. NCsoft has yet to respond to the Worlds.com lawsuit.


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Big Bang who has taken the Korean music scene by storm with just 3 days into the release of their 3rd minialbum “Stand Up”, has also made another breakthrough with the sales of their 2nd minialbum “Hot Issue” achieving sales record of over 100,000 copies.
YG Entertainment spoke up on this, “Big Bang released 2nd minialbum ‘Hot Issue’ last year, and it had achieved album sales of 100,000 copies. They have set the record by being the first to release minialbum and also being the first minialbum to sell 100,000 copies.”
After their success with “Lies”, Big Bang came back with their 2nd minialbum last year with “Hot Issue” bringing us another hit song “Last greeting”. The album also include songs like “Fool” and “Crazy Dog” sampling song from Seo Taiji and Boys.
Big Bang’s 3rd minialbum “Stand Up” which has already achieved album sales of 85,000 copies, is doing very well as a steady seller in music stores, selling better than the average of their previous album. It is also predicted that they will achieved 100,000 album sales for this minialbum quite easily.


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Taiwanese semiconductor companies are expected to see revenue growth of 5.6 percent this quarter, supported by continuing strong demand for smartphones and tablets in China and emerging markets, Industry and Technology Intelligence Services (ITIS) said.
Revenue is forecast to expand at a slower pace sequentially this quarter to NT$506.9 billion (US$16.9 billion), compared with growth of 16.8 percent to NT$480 billion last quarter, the market researcher said in a report released on Thursday.
ITIS also raised its revenue forecast for the full year to NT$1.87 trillion, representing an annual growth of 14.4 percent from NT$1.63 trillion. Three months ago, the researcher estimated that revenue would grow 9.3 percent to NT$1.79 trillion.
Chip designers such as MediaTek Inc (聯發科) are expected to lead the advance this quarter, with revenue rising 10 percent sequentially to NT$133.8 billion, benefiting from increasing demand for low-end smartphones in China, ITIS said.
“The rise of low-end smartphones will be a boon to Taiwanese chip designers, as they can supply high-quality chips at competitive prices,” ITIS said in the report.
MediaTek predicted earlier this month that its revenue would rise by 5 to 13 percent sequentially during the quarter ending Sept. 30, backed by growing demand for its chips used in smartphones and tablets. MediaTek primarily supplies handset chips to Chinese companies including Lenovo Group (聯想) and Xiaomi Technology Co (小米).
Contract chipmakers are expected to see revenue growth this quarter slow to 3.9 percent — from 16 percent last quarter — to NT$205 billion this quarter, as customers have turned conservative amid an inventory buildup, ITIS said.
Contract chipmakers account for the biggest portion — at about 40 percent — of overall revenue made by Taiwanese semiconductor firms.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s top contract chipmaker, has said it expects its revenue to expand by 3 to 5 percent this quarter from last quarter’s historical high.
Deutsche Bank analyst Michael Chou (周立中) forecast that TSMC and MediaTek would reach the upper end of their forecast range for this quarter, citing faster-than-expected inventory digestion.
Chou said he expected the stock prices of TSMC and MediaTek to bottom out in the near term as chip designers’ inventory had begun to fall last quarter — one quarter ahead of his expectations.
That would create new order momentum for local semiconductor companies, he said.
He retained TSMC and MediaTek on his top picks.
TSMC rose 0.52 percent to NT$96.50, while MediaTek was unchanged at NT$360 yesterday, Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed.


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Microsoft is opening up its Windows Live platform to allow users to share their contact lists with five social-networking sites, some of which until now have been accessing such data through the back door.
The move is intended to give users control of their data, and remove the need for the kind of work-around used to share such data today, "which unduly puts customers at risk for phishing attacks, identity fraud, and spam," wrote John Richards, director of Microsoft's Windows Live Platform, on the official developers' blog for the platform.
Facebook and Bebo members can now invite friends on their Windows Live contacts list to join their online social network at those sites, without having to hand over their Windows Live password. Members of the Hi5, LinkedIn and Tagged communities will be able to do so "in the coming months," Microsoft said.
In return, Windows Live users will be able to invite friends using the five social-networking sites to join them on Windows Live Messenger in a similarly secure fashion through the Invite2Messenger Web site, Microsoft said.
Yahoo already operates a similar service with LinkedIn: a page on the LinkedIn site takes members wishing to import their Yahoo Mail contacts list to a Yahoo log-in page in order to authorize the data exchange.
Some social-networking sites already offer to help their members import their contacts list from Web-based e-mail services and send invitations to people on that list -- but to do this, the sites typically ask their members to hand over the username and password for their Web-mail account to gain access to the contact data.
That's the case, for example, with LinkedIn's functions for importing contacts lists from Google's Gmail and AOL's Web-mail service, which require that members trust LinkedIn with their username and password for the other services. LinkedIn does not yet have a link with Windows Live.
Internet users are becoming increasingly suspicious of such requests for credentials, given the prevalence of phishing attacks and other attempts at identity theft.
To enable the exchange of contacts data, Microsoft has created a new API (application programming interface) that allows social-networking sites to request access to the Windows Live contacts list of their members by sending the members to a Microsoft-controlled log-in page, where the members can enter their Windows Live credentials without having to divulge them to a third party. Microsoft then notes that the user has granted permission to the social-networking site to access the contact data.
Opening up the interfaces is a way of acknowledging that ownership of contacts lists rests with the sites' users, not with their operators, according to Richards at Microsoft.
"We firmly believe that we are simply stewards of customers' data and that customers should be able to choose how they control and share their data," he wrote.
As recently as January, Facebook was not so sure that ownership of contacts lists rested with the users that had supplied it: it disabled, and later reinstated, the Facebook account of a tech blogger who used a service provided by AOL subsidiary Plaxo to download contact data from the Facebook site.


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Microsoft has been teasing a “next generation” of Windows for months, but recent signs indicate that the corporation isn’t just working on an upgrade to its existing Windows 10 software, but a new, version number of the operating system Windows 11.
Yesterday, Microsoft announced a new Windows event on June 24th, promising to highlight “what’s next for Windows.” The event invitation featured a picture of what appears to be a new Windows logo, with light streaming through the window in just two vertical bars, forming an outline that resembles the number 11. Microsoft then released an animated version of this image, emphasizing that the corporation purposefully overlooked the horizontal bars.
— Windows (@Windows) June 2, 2021
Microsoft’s Windows event will also begin at 11 a.m. ET, rather than the customary hour for Windows and Surface events. Following the announcement of the event, Microsoft executive Yusuf Mehdi stated that he hasn’t “been this thrilled about a new version of Windows since Windows 95!” It’s the first time we’ve heard Microsoft expressly state that a “new version” of Windows is on the road.
The event invitation also comes only a week after Nadella promised an announcement on the “next generation of Windows.” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella stated that “one of the most important changes to Windows in the last decade” will be released shortly. Panos Panay, Microsoft’s chief product officer, also hinted to a “next generation” of Windows earlier this year.
If Microsoft is actually ready to go beyond Windows 10 and into Windows 11, we may anticipate significant graphic changes to reflect that. Microsoft has been working on a project called Sun Valley, which it describes as a “sweeping aesthetic renewal of Windows.”
Many of these aesthetic improvements will be the result of work undertaken by Microsoft on Windows 10X, a lightweight version of Windows designed to compete with Chrome OS before it was abandoned. This contains a redesigned Start menu, new system icons, File Explorer upgrades, and the removal of Windows 95-era icons that take users back in time in dialog boxes. Rounded edges are also planned, as are changes to the built-in Windows programs.
OEMs would likewise welcome the arrival of Windows 11. A new edition of Windows always results in increased hardware sales and fresh interest in the operating system. If Microsoft backs it up with a new UI and a new look and feel for Windows, it will be the same strategy we’ve seen for decades.
It won’t be long before we learn whether Microsoft is prepared to raise the version number of Windows to 11. The Windows elevent (as I’ve dubbed it) will begin at 11 a.m. ET on June 24th, and The Verge will be covering all of the news live as it unfolds.


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Looks like NBC Universal is preparing to act on its plans for iVillage, which it acquired earlier this year.
Bob Wright told The Financial Times the women’s site would be the “cornerstone” of NBCU’s online development plans, including cross-media initiatives. “You’re going to see a lot more editorial combinations. It may be as common to see iVillage bringing material to the Today show as the Today show bringing material to iVillage,” he said. An online program called iVillage Live will launch this year, according to the story, and NBCU is pursuing “small acquisitions of marketing services companies.”
ClickZ reported on NBCU’s plans for iVillage video programming back in March.
They're arguably the most annoying video ad formats in existence, but soon they'll be a thing of the past, at least on YouTube.
On Thursday, Twitter reported its earnings for Q4 2016, and the results have raised questions about the company's long-term future.
From its $1.5 billion air cargo hub to its growing network of contract last-mile delivery drivers, Amazon is increasingly looking like a logistics company; but shipping and logistics giant FedEx isn't sitting idly by.
Havas Group's Meaningful Brands report delivers sobering news for brands: consumers wouldn't care if 74% of the brands they use disappeared off the face of the earth.


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Central spare parts centre for improved customer service
In response to current and future demand for parts requirements in the commercial vehicle sector, Krone Commercial Vehicle Group has started operations at its new central logistics centre.
With an investment approaching 8.5 million Euros, the ground-breaking distribution centre was built at Europastraße 233 (main road 213) in Herzlake within a total area of 38,000 square metres. This is equal to five and a half football fields.
The covered storage area of 8,400 square metres is spread across twelve stories. Here, there is space for 17,500 Euro pallets and 16,000 containers for smaller spare parts. Currently, approx. 40 employees pick more than 23,000 orders for fast despatch every month, with all parts either despatched overnight or within a predetermined time-frame.
Moreover, the central Herzlake spare parts centre supplies key regional Krone depots in Istanbul, Budapest, Lyon, Scandinavia and the Baltic region with parts for trailers, superstructures, container chassis, semitrailers and box semitrailers, along with CEP vehicles for courier express services and in-house Krone trailer axles.
Bernard Krone, Managing Director of the Krone Group, explains: “With the launch of our spare parts centre, we continue to build on our service offering for our customers throughout Europe while at the same time sharpening our competitive edge in the spare parts business.
The development of this important service is a central component of our strategy for the future.”
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Secure Trading Financial Services shortlisted for Emerging Payment Awards
The prestigious Emerging Payments Awards recognises the newest and most innovative payment and support infrastructure. In its eighth year the awards have received the largest number of entries to date.
Secure Trading Financial Services has been shortlisted as a finalist in the category of Merchant Acquirer of the Year!
The judges were looking for an acquirer that stands out from its competition in terms of performance, innovation and value to customers and partners. Designed and built for the online payment industry, with solutions that far outstrip its competition in terms of speed and simplicity for customers, this was one for Secure Trading Financial Services!
Making the shortlist is testament to the company’s hugely successful first year, in bringing best-of-breed merchant services to market and the subsequent traction it has already achieved in its customer and partner base.
The award winners will be announced on the 15th October at a ceremony in the Lancaster, London.


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From Botswana to Mauritius, Senegal to Zambia, Seychelles to Ethiopia and Zimbabwe to Namibia, the continent of Africa was represented through its luxury travel products at ILTM Africa 2016, which took place in Cape Town, South Africa last week.
Hosted Buyers from 28 countries – of which 93% were first time participants – took part in over 4,500 one-to-one appointments with elite sub Saharan African products during the 2.5 days of the event, with networking and business generation taking place across the city. Now in its 4th year, ILTM Africa also hosted international media represented by many of the world’s most influential editors, bloggers and writers representing 8 African source markets.
Virtuoso member Crisney Lane of Mosaic Safaris Austin Texas summed up her first time attendance: “Every meeting has fitted with my portfolio of clients. I am very, very impressed with the show. 100% I will be doing business with these suppliers – I sent off the first proposal last night!”
Managing Director, Prudence Sibuyi of AM lodge Zambia shared her enthusiasm for ILTM Africa as “the best event I have ever attended”. Commenting further she added, “This is our first time. We have done all the other Africa events but this is by far the best, with the majority of new buyers it means they are really interested. It has been money well spent and we will definitely be back in 2017.”
And Veronique Rossouw, Sales & Marketing Manager The Collection by Liz McGrath concluded: “It’s been fantastic. The number of new buyers you have bought to ILTM Africa is amazing. I have had some big appointments from main markets including the UK which is very strong – in fact, every meeting has been very good indeed”.
Several exhibitors took part in presentations to the world’s travel editors with Ethiopia making their first appearance at ILTM Africa and explaining how they are moving into the luxury travel arena. The Silo Cape Town presented its new property as part of The Royal Portfolio and Botswana, celebrating 50 years of independence talked to the media about their commitment to conservation and the launch of it’s new Clarins Spa at Mowana Safari Lodge in Kasane. Senegal highlighted its French influence and how as a democracy they are seen as a stable national territory driven by arts, culture and “legendary hospitality”.
Political Commentator Justice Malala opened Africa Travel Week and ILTM Africa with an overview of today’s Africa. He highlighted Africa’s “unstoppable growth created not only by technology, but also by international peer pressure” adding “you can’t stop the force of Facebook”. He talked too of Africa’s middle classes growing to 1.5bn by 2060 and a strong female power that has an impact on everything that happens on the continent. “At the end of 2014 there were 169,000 millionaires in sub Sahara Africa which will grow by 53% by 2026. Other African nations are also leading the way with “Ethiopia having a GDP of 8.5% and Nigeria on track to be the nation’s powerhouse”. He acknowledged that Africa is a “complicated place to do business and it has its ups and downs”, but he ended by suggesting “keep calm and carry on!”
Minette Scheffers, Personal Travel Designer & Owner of Chic Voyage Netherlands has returned to Africa after an 8 year absence. “I like ILTM Africa, its very personal and intimate, a perfect atmosphere and very inspiring. I am here to get updates and for sure I will be placing business.”
International luxury travel blogger Sonia Graupura talked of the value of ILTM events to her business as a journalist. ‘ILTM Africa has given me imperative information and news that allows me to get the latest updates which I can then share with my followers. One of the highlights for me was the news about The Silo opening in Cape Town, but also I have learned of this country’s culture, and the diversity of their luxury tourism offering from the Winelands to safaris and of course the beaches.”
For further information regarding ILTM Africa and other events in the ILTM Portfolio, visit www.iltm.com.


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Source: Samsung Newsroom
Samsung has teamed up with the UFC, X- Games and concert organizer Live Nation to air these events in Virtual Reality through their GEAR VR headsets. The concept named “VR Live Pass” will start airing from June though their Samsung VR app.
VR Live Pass Video:
The UFC 212 bout between Jose Aldo and Max Holloway will be the debut UFC event to be aired in VR on June 3rd from Rio. Although considered a novelty, VR has been slowly yet effectively marching ahead with companies like Samsung heavily investing to continuously improve the quality and marketability of these devices.
UFC 212 VR Video:
If you were planning to buy a Samsung GEAR VR, there couldn’t be a better timing for it. Go ahead and buy it from Amazon to experience a Virtually Real LIVE UFC experience.


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In geopolitics, events rarely occur in isolation.
Several stories about German exports, banks, and the shipping industry recently appeared in the media. But these stories do not gain their full significance unless taken as part of a bigger picture.
There is an inherent link between trade, the shipping industry, and banks, given the linkage of their operations. The headlines provide a clearer picture of how the exporter crisis we forecast is unfolding. The crisis now intersects with another forecast on the fall of German banks, which we’ve written about previously.
Germany reported the world’s largest trade balance surplus. Its exports surpassed imports by 253 billion euros ($271 billion). Germany’s geography has allowed it to become the leading exporter and one of the most prosperous countries.
Its central location in Europe, access to the North Sea, and unique riverbed formed by the Rhine, Elbe, and Danube rivers contributed to its success.
Easy access to maritime shipping routes meant cheap transport and helped create profitable exports. At the same time, an increase in German exports created the fundamentals for developing ports and other infrastructure.
Buying German Goods
The development of the shipping business is synced with that of trade. Germany derives 47 percent of its GDP from exports. Its stability is dependent on other countries’ ability to buy German goods.
The fact that the German current account registered the highest surplus in the world in 2016, surpassing China, underlines Germany’s global exposure once again.
The world hasn’t fully recovered from the 2008 crisis. Considering the socio-economic problems in Europe—its largest market—Germany looked to increase exports to other destinations.
Russia, the Middle East, and China struggle to keep their economies stable. The US is the only country that has shown real but sluggish recovery since 2008. With the global slowdown in trade and investment, the shipping industry has faced immediate problems.
After 2008, too many ships existed with too little trade. In the short term, that seemed positive for Germany. Cheaper shipping rates promised safe profits for exporters. But what was good for exporters proved to be bad for German banks.
The Largest Banks
Also on February 9, Commerzbank, the second largest bank in Germany, announced that earnings had fallen by 5 percent in the last quarter of 2016. That happened as the bank increased provisions against bad shipping loans. The bank expects its losses on shipping loans to be as high as 600 million euros this year. Losses nearly doubled last year to 559 million euros.
This follows the announcement last week by Germany’s largest bank, Deutsche Bank, that losses on shipping loans nearly tripled from a year earlier, to 346 million euros. This news points to a major weakness in the German banking system: Its financial sector’s exposure to the international shipping industry.
Our 2017 forecast (download our free special report here) explains how the 2008 financial crisis is the root cause behind the exporters’ crisis. That includes, but also extends beyond, Germany. Also subject to the 2008 crisis fallout is the shipping industry, which hasn’t recovered.
A crash in the global economy meant a drop in demand for international shipping, which soon saw a surplus of containers and ships. However, instead of scrapping members of their fleets, many companies opted to take advantage of low credit rates and reduced costs to invest in bigger vessels.
In theory, this made sense given more cargo could be shipped at one time. The completion of the Panama Canal expansion also would allow for larger ships.
Over the last two years, fleet capacity has increasingly outstripped trade demand. Again, a domino effect of consequences occurred. Freight rates began to plunge. By early 2016, major world shipping companies formed three trans-Pacific shipping alliances. That was an attempt to manage cargo share and have more coordinated control of fleet numbers.
Both moves were geared toward helping freight prices recover. Freight prices reached record lows in the second quarter of 2016, dropping by 18 percent compared to the previous year. Many of the world’s shipping companies reported heavy financial losses. For only the second time in the company’s history, Maersk reported an annual loss in 2016. Cosco reported a loss of $1.44 billion.
The global shipping industry does not expect to see a strong recovery or boost in demand this year. As shipping profits decline, it will become increasingly difficult to service debt. This means banks will run a higher risk of writing off more loans.
For Germany, this translates into more bad news. According to the German Shipowners’ Association, German banks and investors own about 29 percent of the world’s container ship capacity. German lenders have been the biggest issuers of shipping loans.
Based on Petrofin Global Bank Research statistics, German banks own one-fourth of all outstanding shipping loans made by large banks. That’s about $90 billion. That makes them vulnerable to the shipping malaise.
As the shipping industry faces bankruptcies, bank losses are increasing. Smaller banks like HSH Nordbank, NORD/LB, and Bremer Landesbank have faced problems since 2010 due to exposure to the shipping business.
DVB Bank also specializes in shipping and faces credit problems due to the shipping industry. DekaBank had to cut its business outlook for 2016 by 20 percent. It needed to set aside large amounts for bad shipping loans in the first two quarters.
A January report by German public broadcaster ARD noted that up to 20 billion euros in credit guarantees might be needed to prop up banks in the northern states of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. Those banks have bad investments in container shipping.
So far, none of these shipping-related credit problems have been big enough to challenge the German banking system’s stability. At first view, the news from Commerzbank and Deutsche Bank don’t seem to be, either.
But the rate at which losses are increasing year-on-year is worrisome. And the shipping industry is not expected to recover large profit margins anytime soon.
The quickening of bank losses due to shipping sector problems indicates increasing vulnerability of the German banking sector to global markets. This issue adds to the list of problems the German banking system must deal with. It also is another indicator of the increasingly fragile state of the German economy.
Grab This Free Report from George Friedman to See What Lies Ahead in 2017
Now, for a limited time, you can download this free report from George Friedman detailing the rocky roads that lie ahead for three globally important countries in 2017—and how the economic fallout from their coming crises could affect you. Top 3 Economic Surprises for 2017 is required reading for investors and concerned citizens alike. Get your free copy now.


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Rocky Wirtz of Wirtz Beverage Group filed a lawsuit against Illinois officials questioning the legality of the Capital Bill, which calls for an increase in alcohol taxes and the privatization of the state lottery among other things. The lawsuit was filed yesterday in the Circuit Court of Cook County and seeks “to enjoin the unlawful disbursement of public monies by the Defendant public officials and to enjoin the imposition of unlawful taxes, rules and programs found in challenged legislation.”
QUICK BACKGROUND. You’ll recall that in the spring the Illinois General Assembly passed four pieces of legislation that comprises the “2009 Capital Program.” It then gained Gov Quinn’s signature and is set to go into effect September 1. In the suit, Rocky alleges that “the challenged legislation violate the Illinois Constitution and is unlawful,” and seeks “to stop the use of state funds and resources in the operation, administration and regulation of the programs created in the unconstitutional legislation.”
The legislation essentially expands gambling by making video gaming legal “in thousands of sites across Illinois,” and also seeks to privatize the state lottery. As a result, the lawsuit contends both programs “violate federal gaming laws” because they would be privately held.
The legislation also “imposes non-uniform, disparate taxes on beer, wine and spirits.”
Lastly, “it improperly combines numerous unrelated matters into a single legislative scheme,” which violates the Single Subject Rule and is therefore unconstitutional, according to the complaint. The lawsuit says this is a problem because the Governor is forced to pass all the pieces of legislation by signing the bill.
“Tying the legislation together in this fashion represents an unconstitutional effort by the legislative branch of the government, the General Assembly, to control or deprive another branch of the government, the Executive, of its veto powers,” the lawsuit states.
SPIRITS TAX. The Omnibus Bill, which is a section of the Capital Program, is set to impose an additional gallonage tax on beer, wine and spirits, although Wirtz argues wine and especially spirits is disproportionally affected. Under the law, distributors are required to pay an additional $0.185 to $0.231 on beer; $0.73 to $1.39 on wine; and $4.50 to $8.55 on spirits. Wow, there’s no arguing – that’s a huge difference.
“This is a roughly 22% increase in the tax on beer -- and a 90% increase in the tax on wines and spirits,” says the lawsuit. Furthermore, Rocky contends that the Ominibus Bill doesn’t “offer any coherent rationale for the increase overall,” or “justification for the vastly disproportionate increase in the tax on wine and spirits as compared to beer.” All proceeds of the additional tax will go into the Capital Projects Fund.
“The liquor gallonage tax is a revenue raising measure, as the Supreme Court has recognized...Taxing identical products at different rates fails the ‘real and substantial difference test’ imposed by the Uniformity Clause.”
“The tax increase is unreasonable as a general matter. It is neither necessary for nor appropriate to any public purpose. It strikes out at a small group of business enterprises without justification or principle.”
In addition, Wirtz alleges that the Omnibus Bill violates the Single Subject Rule as we mentioned before. Not only does it cover alcohol taxes, video gaming and the Illinois Lottery Law, but it also increases the tax on candy and increases bridge and road weight standards.
COMMENTS FROM ROCKY. Understandably, Rocky was unavailable for comment but we were able to obtain a memo he sent to Illinois employees yesterday. Here are some highlights:
“There is no question that Illinois, like many of the states we do business in, has great infrastructure needs. The question is at what cost? Illinois is our corporate home and it is where more than 1,200 of our employees work and raise their families. When our political leaders put forth initiatives that negatively affect our business, our communities and our quality of life, we must act. That is why today we have asked the Circuit Court of Cook County for permission to challenge the capital bill’s funding mechanisms through litigation. Our goal is to force elected leaders to revisit these issues and find solutions responsible and true to sound public policy.
“First and foremost is the liquor tax: it is regressive, hitting the working person the hardest. We are not naïve to the role taxes play, however this approach is arbitrary and inequitable.
“We recognize our state’s infrastructure needs but, we hope that through the success of this challenge, we lead our elected leaders to work on a revised program designed with integrity, transparency and responsible public policy.
“The gravity of this action is not lost on us. You will no doubt hear more about it as we move forward.”
VINTNER AND RESTAURATEUR CHARGED FOR VIOLATING TIED HOUSE RULES
Vintner and San Francisco restaurateur Pat Kuleto was fined $80,000 by the California ABC for violating “tied-house” laws, which brings to the forefront a larger issue. An article in Wines & Vines contends that tied-house laws are often “confusing and make little sense in today’s context,” but others in the industry (including regulators) might disagree.
TIED-HOUSE BACKGROUND. The “tied house” rules were originally erected after prohibition to protect the three-tier system and prevent vertical ownership. They also protect brands from being squeezed out by on-premise establishments owned by a competing supplier. Most importantly, they make it illegal for suppliers and wholesalers to own on- and off-premise retailers in the state of California with a few exceptions.
In California, a winery can own up to two restaurants as long as the winery supplies no more than 15% of the alcoholic served there. If the winery sells more than 125,000 gallons of wine annually in California, it must use a licensed distributor to supply wine to their own restaurant. If the winery owns more than two restaurants, they cannot sell their wine in the additional establishments.
CA ABC MOVES IN. That is where Pat made his mistake as he was eventually cited for selling his wines in more than two restaurants. The ABC first required him to close Farallon, Boulevard and Nick's Cove for three months, or not serve alcoholic beverages for 3 months. He was also ordered to pay a $300,000 fine. After negotiations, the fine was dropped to $80,000 and the three restaurants were put on probation for 30 months. Kuleto wines are now sold at his Waterbar and Epic Roadhouse restaurants only.
[Ed. Note: Recall that Pat recently sold 70% of Kuleto Estate Winery in Napa Valley to Foley Estates this year. He’s also a significant and managing partner in seven restaurants in San Francisco.]
Pat told the article that the law “could easily be made reasonable” if it required a winery owner not to sell more than 15% of their wines at their restaurant and sell through a distributor. He says the intent is not to bypass distributors.
There’s no question that members of the three tier system need to understand tied-house laws in their state since there are a number of exceptions that can make them confusing. Whether they’re useful or not is a matter of opinion. It remains to be seen if Pat Kuleto’s experience could eventually prompt California legislator’s to amend the tied-house law, though. The end of Wine and Vine’s article says people in the California wine industry are warning that “the ABC is being increasingly aggressive in enforcing the laws.”
FOSTER’S STAYS MUM ON WINE DEMERGER
In its earning call yesterday Foster’s didn’t provide an update on the demerger of its beer and wine divisions, which is really the million dollar question right now. When they announced the results of their strategic wine review in February, Foster’s chairman David Crawford said it was “not the appropriate time to sell or demerge wine business,” but announced they would be creating a separate sales team for beer and wine. However, the beer and wine business still share logistics (i.e. they are delivered on the same trucks), which their customers like, said ceo Ian Johnston yesterday.
An article in Business Day raised the question of whether Foster’s should keep its Australian wine business and sell its California wines. “The US division of Foster's helps to distribute its Australian wines, but that could be done without owning vineyards in California,” said the report. It notes that demerging Beringer would be difficult, but a private equity group or Constellation Brands could make the acquisition assuming they could get the debt or cash, respectively.
Recall that Foster’s purchased Beringer from private equity group TPG in 2000 for $1.2 billion. Interestingly, a group of former Beringer execs (including former Foster’s cfo Pete Scott) formed a winery investment group backed by TPG in May to create a portfolio of boutique California labels. It’s not clear if they have any interest in Beringer, but it remains noteworthy nonetheless.
IRI AND NIELSEN TO CREATE J-V TO RUN HOUSEHOLD PANELS
Competitive scan aggregators Information Resources (IRI) and Nielsen have formed a U.S. joint venture to recruit and maintain their consumer household panels, which are groups of paid consumers who agree to scan all their purchases to get an understanding of what people are buying, even from unscanned stores (like Wal-Mart). The panel households will support the Nielsen Homescan and IRI Consumer Network panels, which will continue to be operated by their respective companies. While the pool of households will be owned by the joint venture, the "techniques used for projecting, analyzing and delivering insights will remain proprietary to each company," the companies said in a release.
The joint venture, owned 50-50, will be established using the existing Nielsen household sample and data acquisition infrastructure and will begin operation during the first quarter of 2010. The joint venture will draw from a subset of existing IRI households to replace panelists as they naturally drop from the original sample. A complete history of data (five years of back data) will be available to both Nielsen and IRI, and each company will use its own unique intellectual property (data reference, projections, technology, etc.) to produce delivery of its respective consumer panel. Under the joint venture agreement, Nielsen receives 100 percent of the targeted 100,000-plus households and IRI has access to 86 percent, with the right to acquire up to 100 percent after two years. The joint venture will be governed by a Board, equally represented by IRI and Nielsen officers and an independent chief executive officer to be recruited from outside both companies, the company said.
MORGAN STANLEY RAISES RATING ON DIAGEO. Ahead of Diageo’s earning announcement tomorrow, Morgan Stanley raised its rating to overweight from equal-weight. After speaking to U.S. wholesalers they now believe most of the bad news resulting from de-stocking is over. It added that while it doesn't expect any immediate re-stocking in the U.S., it believes its 2010 sales estimates are now too low, particularly as the outlook for emerging markets improves.
JAGERMEISTER 6-BOTTLE SHOT COOLER. Sidney Frank is launching a new Jägermeister 6-Bottle Shot Cooler, which it claims is the first cooler/tap combination in the industry and first 6-bottle value-added-pack for spirits. The shot cooler comes with six 750ml bottles and 50 shot cups, available September 1.
“We are born charming, fresh and spontaneous and must be civilized before we are fit to participate in society.”
-------- Sell Day Calendar ----------
Today's Sell Day: 18
Sell days this month: 21
Sell days this month last year: 21
This month ends on a: Mon
This month last year ended on a: Fri
YTD sell days Over/Under: 0
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|By Marketwired .||
|January 11, 2013 09:35 AM EST||
NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwire) -- 01/11/13 -- Internet giants Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) and Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) continue to grow but face new challenges as 2013 gets underway. New competitive threats, regulatory changes and shifting consumer preferences are beginning to apply pressure even as shares of both companies continue to steadily improve.
Access our free reports on Google and Facebook. Traders can also connect to our Wall Street Trading Floor where our research desk and market pros are standing between 8:50 am to 4:15 pm ET at
Much of the industry's attention has fallen squarely on Facebook this week which is now just days away from a 'mystifying' press conference. Facebook is generating some sort of positive momentum as investors are abuzz over next week's announcement which just happens to coincide with shares crossing $30 for the first time since mid-July. Speculation continues to build as analysts clamor over what is next for the social networking service. Theories have included phones, search engines, cloud services, video advertising and expanding its e-commerce platform. Now would seem ideal to launch a new way to monetize its service as interest is high and its user count remains over a billion. Subsequent reactions from rivals will also be worth tracking and considering. Elsewhere, increased regulatory scrutiny is disrupting operations for a few internet outfits in Europe. Google is the latest company to come into the region's cross-hairs, as EU officials demand changes to the way search results are presented. It is there contention that Google unfairly distorts customer choices and takes business from rivals. Google had been given one month to comply as of December 18th but no formal changes have been made thus far. A statement from Google informed investors that they are cooperating fully at this time. The instance will likely be a hiccup for the internet giant but still worth paying attention to considering international revenues now account for over half of total revenues.
The threat of patent litigation continues to grow in the wake of the Apple vs. Samsung court battles of last year. Any potential overhaul of the patent system is still years away, making it even more likely that patent battles will grab headlines, dent cash reserves and threaten future revenues even for the largest of internet companies.
Data and power management will also be key issues for major internet companies this year. User bases and web traffic continue to balloon, putting pressure on a variety of resources. Google already has a leg up on many of its rivals thus far. At the moment, over 30% of the company's data centers are powered by renewable energy sources and it invested another $200 million this week into a Texas wind farm. In addition to greater energy consumption, burgeoning data volumes will also require massive capital efforts to keep capacity ahead of demand.
Both Facebook and to a lesser extent, Google, have yet to fully take advantage of mobile device monetization. Smartphone and tablet sales continue to surge and internet companies scramble to capitalize on them. Google's wallet service is gaining traction along near field communication devices and products. Facebook has done an excellent job of getting its applications into mobile devices but has yet to truly monetize its presence there. Investors will want to keep a close eye on this niche and the industry-wide ramifications substantial progress from a major competitor could have.
Overall, 2013 is shaping up to be another lucrative year for major internet information providers. Mounting competitive pressure, increased importance on resource management, patent litigation and regulatory uncertainty threaten to derail the industry's momentum but will not likely be able to slow its torrid pace. Facebook's announcement next week could play a pivotal role in the direction the industry moves in for the rest of the year. Similarly, resolution of accusations for Google could also potentially impact several companies' approaches to search results throughout the world.
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Michael Thomas Smith
IoT is still a vague buzzword for many people. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Mike Kavis, Vice President & Principal Cloud Architect at Cloud Technology Partners, discussed the business value of IoT that goes far beyond the general public's perception that IoT is all about wearables and home consumer services. He also discussed how IoT is perceived by investors and how venture capitalist access this space. Other topics discussed were barriers to success, what is new, what is old, and what th...
Jan. 28, 2015 06:15 PM EST Reads: 4,008
Dale Kim is the Director of Industry Solutions at MapR. His background includes a variety of technical and management roles at information technology companies. While his experience includes work with relational databases, much of his career pertains to non-relational data in the areas of search, content management, and NoSQL, and includes senior roles in technical marketing, sales engineering, and support engineering. Dale holds an MBA from Santa Clara University, and a BA in Computer Science f...
Jan. 28, 2015 06:00 PM EST Reads: 3,184
The Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly in the process of breaking from its heretofore relatively obscure enterprise applications (such as plant floor control and supply chain management) and going mainstream into the consumer space. More and more creative folks are interconnecting everyday products such as household items, mobile devices, appliances and cars, and unleashing new and imaginative scenarios. We are seeing a lot of excitement around applications in home automation, personal fitness,...
Jan. 28, 2015 06:00 PM EST Reads: 2,934
“The year of the cloud – we have no idea when it's really happening but we think it's happening now. For those technology providers like Zentera that are helping enterprises move to the cloud - it's been fun to watch," noted Mike Loftus, VP Product Management and Marketing at Zentera Systems, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at Cloud Expo, held Nov 4–6, 2014, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Jan. 28, 2015 05:00 PM EST Reads: 2,108
The Industrial Internet revolution is now underway, enabled by connected machines and billions of devices that communicate and collaborate. The massive amounts of Big Data requiring real-time analysis is flooding legacy IT systems and giving way to cloud environments that can handle the unpredictable workloads. Yet many barriers remain until we can fully realize the opportunities and benefits from the convergence of machines and devices with Big Data and the cloud, including interoperability, ...
Jan. 28, 2015 04:00 PM EST Reads: 2,704
OneCloud Software has launched the OneCloud Partner Program. Responding to demand from prospective partners, the Program offers managed service providers (MSPs) and resellers the resources they need to grow their business with the OneCloud Recovery solution. OneCloud Recovery is an automated solution for disaster recovery/business continuity (DR/BC), which leverages Amazon Web Services as the disaster recovery site. “This is a tremendous opportunity with an innovative hybrid cloud-based DR pro...
Jan. 28, 2015 03:30 PM EST Reads: 850
Cloud Technology Partners on Wednesday announced it has been recognized by the Modern Infrastructure Impact Awards as one of the Best Amazon Web Services (AWS) Consulting Partners. Selected by the editors of TechTarget's SearchDataCenter.com, and by votes from customers and strategic channel partners, the companies acknowledged by the Modern Infrastructure Impact Awards represent the top providers of cloud consulting services for AWS including application migration, application development, inf...
Jan. 28, 2015 03:00 PM EST Reads: 1,426
"ElasticBox is an enterprise company that makes it very easy for developers and IT ops to collaborate to develop, build and deploy applications on any cloud - private, public or hybrid," stated Monish Sharma, VP of Customer Success at ElasticBox, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at DevOps Summit, held Nov 4–6, 2014, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Jan. 28, 2015 03:00 PM EST Reads: 2,553
“We help people build clusters, in the classical sense of the cluster. We help people put a full stack on top of every single one of those machines. We do the full bare metal install," explained Greg Bruno, Vice President of Engineering and co-founder of StackIQ, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at 15th Cloud Expo, held Nov 4–6, 2014, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Jan. 28, 2015 02:45 PM EST Reads: 2,410
"Blue Box has been around for 10-11 years, and last year we launched Blue Box Cloud. We like the term 'Private Cloud as a Service' because we think that embodies what we are launching as a product - it's a managed hosted private cloud," explained Giles Frith, Vice President of Customer Operations at Blue Box, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at DevOps Summit, held Nov 4–6, 2014, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Jan. 28, 2015 02:30 PM EST Reads: 2,584
In this demo at 15th Cloud Expo, John Meza, Product Engineer at Esri, showed how Esri products hook into Hadoop cluster to allow you to do spatial analysis on the spatial data within your cluster, and he demonstrated rendering from a data center with ArcGIS Pro, a new product that has a brand new rendering engine.
Jan. 28, 2015 02:30 PM EST Reads: 1,633
The 3rd International Internet of @ThingsExpo, co-located with the 16th International Cloud Expo - to be held June 9-11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY - announces that its Call for Papers is now open. The Internet of Things (IoT) is the biggest idea since the creation of the Worldwide Web more than 20 years ago.
Jan. 28, 2015 02:30 PM EST Reads: 2,955
"People are a lot more knowledgeable about APIs now. There are two types of people who work with APIs - IT people who want to use APIs for something internal and the product managers who want to do something outside APIs for people to connect to them," explained Roberto Medrano, Executive Vice President at SOA Software, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at Cloud Expo, held Nov 4–6, 2014, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Jan. 28, 2015 02:30 PM EST Reads: 2,532
Performance is the intersection of power, agility, control, and choice. If you value performance, and more specifically consistent performance, you need to look beyond simple virtualized compute. Many factors need to be considered to create a truly performant environment. In his General Session at 15th Cloud Expo, Harold Hannon, Sr. Software Architect at SoftLayer, discussed how to take advantage of a multitude of compute options and platform features to make cloud the cornerstone of your onlin...
Jan. 28, 2015 02:15 PM EST Reads: 3,092
The 4th International DevOps Summit, co-located with16th International Cloud Expo – being held June 9-11, 2015, at the Javits Center in New York City, NY – announces that its Call for Papers is now open. Born out of proven success in agile development, cloud computing, and process automation, DevOps is a macro trend you cannot afford to miss. From showcase success stories from early adopters and web-scale businesses, DevOps is expanding to organizations of all sizes, including the world's large...
Jan. 28, 2015 02:00 PM EST Reads: 3,576
"We are the top stocking distributor for HP renew products in North America. We can only sell to U.S. authorized partners and resellers for HP," explained Miguel Diazdelcastillo Jr., Sales Executive at Creative Business Solutions, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at Cloud Expo, held Nov 4–6, 2014, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Jan. 28, 2015 02:00 PM EST Reads: 2,333
Puppet Labs on Wednesday released the DevOps Salary Report, based on salary data gathered from Puppet Labs' industry-recognized State of DevOps Report. The data confirms that market demand for DevOps skills is growing, and that DevOps engineers are among the highest paid IT practitioners today. That's because IT organizations today are grappling with how to be more agile and responsive to the business, while maintaining the stability of their infrastructure. DevOps practices, such as continuous ...
Jan. 28, 2015 02:00 PM EST Reads: 1,357
Software Defined Storage provides many benefits for customers including agility, flexibility, faster adoption of new technology and cost effectiveness. However, for IT organizations it can be challenging and complex to build your Enterprise Grade Storage from software. In his session at Cloud Expo, Paul Turner, CMO at Cloudian, looked at the new Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) market and how it is changing the storage world. Now Software Defined Storage companies can build Enterprise grade ...
Jan. 28, 2015 02:00 PM EST Reads: 2,251
IBM and Docker, Inc. have announced a strategic partnership that enables enterprises to more efficiently, quickly and cost effectively build and run the next generation of applications on the IBM Cloud and on prem via the Docker open platform for distributed applications. Enterprises can use the combination of IBM and Docker to create and manage a new generation of portable distributed applications that are rapidly composed of discrete interoperable Docker containers, have a dynamic lifecycle, a...
Jan. 28, 2015 02:00 PM EST Reads: 2,237
Hardware will never be more valuable than on the day it hits your loading dock. Each day new servers are not deployed to production the business is losing money. While Moore's Law is typically cited to explain the exponential density growth of chips, a critical consequence of this is rapid depreciation of servers. The hardware for clustered systems (e.g., Hadoop, OpenStack) tends to be significant capital expenses. In his session at Big Data Expo, Mason Katz, CTO and co-founder of StackIQ, disc...
Jan. 28, 2015 02:00 PM EST Reads: 3,117


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‘This is the best hack yet’: Shoppers are using a $10 Kmart serving board to create an ‘instant coffee table’ on the side of the couch
- An Australian mum has made an instant coffee table using a $10 Kmart product
- Chloe said she used a wooden serving stand on the armrest of her couch
- ‘I wanted something [to] sit my coffee on without having to get up,’ she said
- Others caught on to the hack and bought the product to use for themselves
An Australian mother-of-three has sparked a new practical decor trend after creating an ‘instant coffee table’ using a cheap Kmart product.
Chloe, from Queensland, posted images to the Kmart Home Décor and Hacks Facebook group where she revealed she used a $10 wooden serving board with iron legs on the armrest of her couch.
Others swiftly caught on to the ‘clever’ idea and bought the product to use for themselves.
An Australian mother-of-three has shared how she created an instant coffee table using a $10 serving board from Kmart (pictured)
‘Although I have a coffee table, I wanted something I could sit my coffee on without having to get up all the time, especially on these cold mornings,’ she said.
‘$10 serving board from Kmart, re-drill the base to fit the arm of your couch and presto! A sturdy and stylish coffee holder.’
The serving board works well as a miniature coffee table due to the iron legs that keep it in place.
Others swiftly caught on to the clever idea and bought the product to use for themselves
‘I did the same thing!’ another woman said, and shared a photo of the television remote controls on the board (pictured)
The idea sparked a response from more than 2,600 people online, and those who bought the budget tray also shared photos of it in action in the comments.
‘We love ours too. My husband thinks it’s the best,’ one woman said.
‘Can’t beat it!’ another said, a third added: ‘I’ve done this too – game changer.’
‘I did the same thing!’ another woman said, and shared a photo of the television remote controls on the board.
‘We love ours too. My husband thinks it’s the best,’ one woman said and shared a photo
Many social media users part of the Facebook group also described the hack as ‘brilliant’, ‘clever’ and ‘genius’.
Others also chose to purchase an alternative serving tray for $16 as it fit their couch better.
The original product itself is 30 centimetres long and 25 centimetres wide, and can be purchased online from the Kmart website or in stores.


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The new Model 3 saloon car from Tesla is way too popular for its own good and the company is struggling to cope with the number of orders it’s being asked to deliver.
Despite the “bottlenecks” in manufacturing, the electric carmaker says it is on course to sell 100,000 vehicles this year for the first time in its 14-year history.
And if things go to CEO Elon Musk’s forecasts, Tesla will be manufacturing 500,000 vehicles a year by the end of next year, according to Business Insider.
Such booming sales have catapulted the relative newcomer to the automotive sector to fourth in the world rankings, at least by revenue.
While it may have started out selling very high-end electric supercars, in recent years it has started designing and producing more conventional-looking saloon cars for the mass market.
However, being relatively new to manufacturing, the company is finding it difficult to make its robots work fast enough.
The company released a video (below) showing its robots working on the assembly line, but they will need to work faster if they are to deliver the 500,000 units the boss is hoping for.
The production system is said to be entirely new and different to other automakers, and, crucially, it was designed with a production rate of 100,000 vehicles a year.
But the unexpected high volume of orders has pit the company in an awkward position, although the general good will buyers have towards Tesla may provide the company with the time and space it needs to deliver.
In the meantime, the company has been reporting its progress so far.
In the third quarter of this year, Tesla says it delivered 26,150 vehicles, of which 14,065 were Model S, 11,865 were Model X, and 220 were Model 3.
This was the company’s “all-time best quarter” for Model S and X deliveries, representing a 4.5 per cent increase over Q3 2016, its previous best quarter, and a 17.7 per cent increase over Q2 2017.
The company had previously indicated that second half Model S and X deliveries would likely exceed first half deliveries of 47,077, but Tesla now expects to exceed that by several thousand vehicles.
In total, Tesla expects to deliver about 100,000 Model S and X vehicles in 2017, which would be a 31 per cent increase over 2016.
In addition to Q3 deliveries, about 4,820 Model S and X vehicles were in transit to customers at the end of the quarter. These will be counted as deliveries in Q4 2017.
Q3 production totaled 25,336 vehicles, with 260 of them being Model 3.
Model 3 production was less than anticipated due to “production bottlenecks”, says Tesla.
“Although the vast majority of manufacturing subsystems at both our California car plant and our Nevada Gigafactory are able to operate at high rate, a handful have taken longer to activate than expected,” says Tesla in a statement.
However, the company emphasizes that there are “no fundamental issues with the Model 3 production or supply chain”.
Tesla says it understands what needs to be fixed and is confident of addressing the manufacturing bottleneck issues in the near-term.
The company says the delivery count it published should be viewed as “slightly conservative”, as it only count a car as delivered if it is transferred to the customer and all paperwork is correct.
Final numbers could vary by up to 0.5 per cent.
Tesla adds that its vehicle deliveries represent only one measure of the company’s financial performance and should not be relied on as an indicator of quarterly financial results, which depend on a variety of factors, including the cost of sales, foreign exchange movements and mix of directly leased vehicles.


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This week we are featuring the Wireless GO White super compact and easy to use wireless audio system from Rode Microphones, the Productions for Premiere Pro - the latest set of collaborative tools from Adobe, plus new footage from RED shot on the highly-anticipated RED Komodo camera.
This week we are featuring a new major firmware update for the Rodecaster Pro-Firmware Update 2.1 from Rode Microphones, the Apple ProRes Raw codec that is finally coming to Windows plus free online education courses from RED.
This week we are featuring the RODE Lavalier GO, a high quality, broadcast-grade omnidirectional microphone from RODE, Sony's new compact camera, the RX100 VII, plus firmware update 1.5 for the ARRI Stellar app that adds many new features including iCloud backup support and LiveSync.
Welcome to the latest issue of our weekly roundup of news from the TV and film industry.. This week we are featuring the new Otus 100mm portrait lens from Zeiss, RODE's second major firmware update for their RODECaster Pro plus the latest firmware updates from Sigma.


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Google has announced plans to permanently shutdown all paid-for extensions for its Chrome browser. That means third-party developers looking to offer new functionality will have to find another way to monetise and fund the development of future updates.
From this week, the Chrome Web Store will no longer be accepting any paid-for extensions. This policy was introduced back in March – albeit as a temporary measure following a spike in fraud from extensions available from the Chrome Web Store. Google has now decided to cement the policy.
For those who don’t know, Chrome extensions, sometimes referred to as “add-ons”, bring additional functionality not baked into the Chrome web browser. These small apps, which live in the taskbar of the browser, can autofill details in usernames and passwords, keep tabs on your browsing history to offer discount codes for shopping results you’ve browsed in the past, take screenshots of entire webpages without the need to scrolldown and much, much more.
While many of these are free extensions, or free to those with existing logins to paid-for services, some options are only available to those who pay a fee. However, these options will now be a thing of the past, following the recent announcements from Google. However, given the worrying uptick in fraudulent transactions traced back to paid-for Chrome extensions… the change could save millions of Chrome web browser users from unnecessary costs.
The permanent and wide-ranging suspension includes all Chrome extensions that need an upfront payment, monthly recurring payments or offer in-app purchases.
The ban will impact a number of popular developers, like Dashlane – a popular password manager that auto-fills your login information and generates secure, unique pass-phrases for each of your online accounts, and Comeet – a small add-on that helps track applicants to new roles at your firm.
Existing Google Chrome web browser users can continue to use paid-for extensions for the moment. However, Google has confirmed plans to phase-out paid-for features in extensions in the coming months. Starting December 1, 2020, free trials will no longer be offered by paid-for extensions in the Chrome Web Store.
Published at Thu, 24 Sep 2020 06:01:00 +0000


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European lawmakers delay controversial copyright law over concerns it could censor memes, articles
TENCENT MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT TO FILE FOR $30BN US IPO THIS WEEK
A bigger Amazon Prime Day 2018 arrives July 16 with more deals, devices and longer hour...
The Orchard Elevates Chris Manning to General Manager UK and Europe
Spotify adds feature for pitching unreleased music to its playlist curators
Walmart is reportedly building a video streaming service to take on Netflix
Facebook can now sync your I...
ALTERNATIVE POWER 100 MUSIC LIST (Shout out to Nikoo Sadr!)
Sonos files for an IPO that may value the company at $3 billion
Music Modernization Act Unanimously Passes House of Representatives
Concert tracking app Bandsintown adds integrated Apple M...


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- Published: 30 October 2023
Dagang Nexchange Berhad (DNeX) is tying up with Zhongheguoji Construction Group Co Ltd (CSI) to source for state-of-the-art technology and solutions from China.
In a statement, DNeX said it is establishing a joint venture with CSI for the establishment of a joint venture enterprise (JVE) to also expand its geographical footprint into the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.
Under Phase 1 of the JVE, DNeX via CSI, will secure access to Smart City technology from Chinese technology partners which include Tencent, the developer of WeChat and a leading technology company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange Kong, as well as Tsinghua University Urban Institute, under Tsinghua University.
“Beyond this, the JVE is also set to expand its technological scope by partnering with other Chinese entities specialising in various sectors such as supply chain and logistics, intelligent transportation, electrical manufacturing, clean energy, data centres and equipment.”
In addition, DNeX, through subsidiaries SealNet Sdn Bhd and DNeX Mena Sdn Bhd, has also signed a collaboration agreement with Ajlan and Bros Information Systems Technology and CSI to explore opportunities in commercial projects in Saudi Arabia in offering Smart City solutions and other relevant technology solutions.
DNeX executive chairman Tan Sri Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir said this will pave the way for DNeX’s rapid expansion in the Mena region.
“They grant DNeX access to China’s cutting-edge technology solutions across a wide array of domains, including Smart City Applications, such as e-government services and e-commerce, as well as Emerging Technologies like the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and block chain.
“Combining these technological assets with DNeX’s existing strengths in enterprise applications, system integration, project management and logistics solutions, we are uniquely equipped to deliver a comprehensive suite of digital transformation solutions,” he said.
Autor(en)/Author(s): Tan Sri Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir
Quelle/Source: The Star, 23.10.2023


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Moneythor will take part in The Future of Finance Summit on 8-9 June 2017 in Singapore, with a participation in a panel discussion on the use of data to generate deeper engagement with financial services’ customers.
The Future of Finance Summit is the new name of The Asian Banker Summit, the prestigious annual gathering of banks, fintech players, insurance companies, asset managers, investors and customers, who are shaping the future of finance.
The key themes this year are frictionless payments & services, peer-to-peer networks, markets disrupted, cybersecurity and leadership in the digital economy. On day 2 of the conference, Moneythor’s CEO and co-founder, Olivier Berthier, will participate in a panel discussion on a financial institutions’ journey from data to products to deeper engagement across digital channels.
Please get in touch if you would like to arrange a meeting at the event.


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If you’re thinking about putting an electric car in the driveway, there’s likely a defining factor: driving range. That is, how far an EV will go on a single charge before needing to be plugged in. It’s a crucial part of ensuring an electric car fits your lifestyle and won’t be a burden. Let’s face it, EVs aren’t for everyone, at least not yet.
If you’re looking for that information, you’re in the right place. This article rounded up every EV on sale today and listed its EPA-estimated range. You’ll find all that info here: READ MORE
Editors’ note: This list only includes vehicles that have been certified by the EPA. More EVs might be in the news, but they will not be added to this compilation until they’re about to go on sale in the US.


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In present day world, countries need to deal with technology ,social media, smart phone apps and their capacity to foment trouble in their countries by people outside and inside. This can be used very cheaply to organize protests, campaigns & even organize riots.
This begins new era of politics for democracies. The cry of russian meddling has atleast brought up this news to public conscience. It would be interesting to see how both the developed and the developing countries shall react to this. The targeting ads that companies have used can be turned into targeted campaigns, the algorithms used to keep people engaged can be used as well.
With this new big data, it might be possible to test out political slogans everyday, find the perfect slogans, issues both locally and nationally. If ad campaigns are useful, why is it hard to believe that targeted campaigns are not as effective ?.
The use of politics has come only after social media has successfully used ads as a way to generate revenue for themselves. Is this the beginning of the new era of hacking the human minds, both at the level of individuals and at the level of communities?. Can anything be done to arrest this development or control this partially?.
Will govt try to follow the china model and create own online & phone media agencies to control or will they demand right to monitor social media agencies and phones inside their own countries.
Will this hurt the social media companies like twitter or facebook?


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Last week, TD Tech N8 Pro has been removed from the Chinese e-commerce website – JD.com the reason was unknown but the product has been removed for sure. In this regard, the Chinese tech company has come up with a confirmation that the phone will be on sale again.
According to the people related to the matter, TD Tech N8 Pro is mainly aimed at corporate users and it will be on sale again available on JD self-operated flagship store by the end of this year, consumers can purchase this phone by then.
Currently, TD Tech has not announced anything new about the sale of N8 Pro but the company is seeming taking more chances to enter in the market and become an important seller in the Chinese smartphone market.
TD Tech N8 Pro Specifications:
TD Tech N8 Pro is a copy of Huawei Nova 8 Pro and uses a 6.72-inch curved screen, an 80-degree curved edge, a COP package, a double punch in the upper left corner, a 120Hz screen refresh rate, a touch sampling rate of up to 300Hz, a 10bit color depth, 1.07 billion colors, and supports HDR 10 and HLG HD video.
This phone boasts a 32-megapixel front ultra-wide-angle lens and a 16-megapixel portrait lens. The rear quad camera system consists of a rear 64MP main camera, a 120-degree ultra-wide-angle, an independent depth-of-field lens, and an independent macro lens.
On the other hand, the phone is 7.85mm thick, weighs only 184g, supports 5G four-network coordination and Wi-Fi6+, supports 66W super-fast charging, 60% charging in 15 minutes, 100% charging in 35 minutes, and NFC smart Flashcard and other functions.
The N8 Pro comes with an Android-based software system instead of HarmonyOS. In terms of the verdict, the phone is just a copy past of Huawei Nova 8 Pro, and the new variant only has the TD Tech logo on the back of the device.
(via – ithome)
Hi Nova 9 Series launching on December 2, a rebranded Huawei Nova 9
Today, Huawei commercial smartphone-designed license partner – China Post Communication Equipment confirmed that it will launch its smartphone – Hi Nova 9 series on December 2, 2021. This is an interesting development that will expand the reach of Huawei phones in an indirect way.
In early August this year, China Post Communication Equipment Co., Ltd. started the “Hi Nova” official Weibo account. Since then, the account has not posted any official information up until November 25. The simple explanation of “Hi, Future”, “Hi, World”, and “Hi, Dream” have been released for three consecutive days, which are linked together to form “Future World Dream”.
For your information, Hi Nova is a subsidiary of China Post, has launched a new smartphone from Huawei, which is similar to TD Tech. The new phones are named Hi nova 9 and Hi nova 9 Pro.
A previously leaked post reveals that the appearance of the phone is a complete copy of the Huawei Nova 9 device. So, let’s jump directly to the specs, even before the official unveiling.
Huawei Nova 9 Series:
The Nova 9 series is the latest flagship product for young people. It is equipped with a Snapdragon 778G processor, a built-in 4000mAh battery, and supports 100W fast charging. This is also Huawei’s first 100W fast-charging model.
It is worth mentioning that the nova 9 series has also obtained the family-style RYYB lens inheritance, which can greatly improve the shooting effect. The rear four cameras can also meet almost all daily shooting needs. The front is equipped with dual 32MP. The vlog lens supports SLR-level portrait selfies and front-facing slow-motion shooting, which can be called a vlog artifact.
Huawei begins mass production of its next foldable phone: Report
Despite all of the issues that Huawei is facing in the global market, the Chinese tech maker hasn’t stopped innovating. In the latest edition of this segment, it’s reported that Huawei has begun the mass production of its next-gen foldable phone, which is quite amazing news.
According to a report coming from Taiwanese media, Huawei has started the mass production of its next-generation foldable phone in November. It’s mentioned that the phone will compete against Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 but the price could be lower.
The report also wrote shows that the success of Galaxy Z Flip has brought the interest of other tech makers into this field and they also want to produce the same products to step foot into this smartphone category. Despite their futuristic appearance and interesting features, foldable phones are using immature glass technology and costs high as compared to regular flagship devices.
Talking about Samsung, the company launched its Z Flip 3 in August this year, and in over 40 days, the model received over 1 million sales on the record. Samsung plans to increase shipments of foldable smartphones from 7 million to 13 million by 2022, including 4 million Galaxy Z Fold and 9 million Galaxy Z Flip.
On the other hand, due to the restrictions, Samsung’s rival Huawei is currently lagging behind in the foldable smartphones segment but it’s very much capable of making such innovation as seen in the Mate X2.
Previous sources reveal that Huawei could launch a new flip design smartphone that will come with a powerful hinge system named – Mate V. Although, Huawei has not spoken anything on this matter.
Huawei Mate V Flip:
Huawei Mate V has a clamshell phone design. The main panel is a full view display that folds inward. There are function keys on the left and the right side consist volume and power buttons. Meanwhile, the bottom side features ports and speaker grills for the input.
On the rear side, the Mate V flip is likely to feature a camera bump that is large and placed vertical camera system featuring different lense. However, there are different techs that could be introduced while the phone makes its entrance on the ground.
(via – Chinese media)
Hurry Up! last day to pre-order Huawei Nova 9 in Malaysia
Huawei Nova 9 is the latest smartphone of the Nova family and launched in various global markets including Malaysia and available for pre-order since November 19. Hello Guys! today is the last to pre-order the Nova 9 smartphone and also to grab the amazing freebies with it.
The Huawei Nova 9 smartphone in Malaysia is available for pre-booking at ₱ 23,999.00 or can order with a 0% installment plan from ₱ 1,999.92/installment. On every Nova 9 booking, the company offers free gifts that include Huawei FreeBuds 4 (silver frost) and Bluetooth speakers.
So, Huawei Malaysia fans don’t miss the opportunity and grab it now because it’s the last day of this offer. Hurry up!
Huawei Nova 9 specifications:
Huawei Nova 9 sports a 6.57-inch center hole-punch OLED display with curved edges and FHD+ (2340 x 1080) resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and a new display fingerprint for a more convenient screen unlock.
This phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G processor for faster task executions but it only has a 4G LTE model and measures 160mm x 73.7mm x 7.77mm and weighs 175g. In terms of software, N0va 9 comes pre-installed with EMUI 12 operating system and offers 8GB RAM + 256GB internal storage.
Talking about the battery, it packs with 4300mAh battery along with a 66W super fast charge and USB Type-C input. The Nova 9 comes with Interestingly, the phone comes with EMUI 12 operating system, 50MP quad-camera system, and 32MP selfie camera.


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Bitcoin Uses In Accounting
China’s sovereign digital currency could be launched later this year, with the likes of Alibaba’s Alipay and Tencent’s WeChat.
Recently, Finance Magnates spoke to John Wu, president of AVA, about how his company is trying to do just that. AVA, which.
When it comes to comparing a new asset class with a traditional one, investors have a tendency to ask, “Is it really.
If you've made a profit through the use of cryptocurrency, you may find yourself wondering: do I need to pay any taxes on Bitcoin and other e-currencies? Until.
The current GAAP treatment for crypto asset may not reflect the true nature of the asset class, leading to somewhat.
28 Nov 2019.
Although few small businesses use cryptocurrencies regularly today, there are still key reasons why you should invest in cryptocurrency.
An alluring yet frustrating asset, bitcoin is at time of writing on the cusp of breaching the psychologically important.
a digital or virtual currency recorded on a distributed ledger that uses cryptography for.
accounting standard about cryptoasset dealers and custodians in 2019.
Bitcoin Price Chart Current CyberGhost offers an excellent VPN product with a strong stance on privacy, a robust network, and a generous number of. We also have historical bitcoin charts comparing the price of bitcoin to USD along. When these prices overlap, a trade occurs representing the current price at. Bitcoin Api Android The security vulnerability, which appeared in
Governments may take time to implement them, but the trend toward central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) is clear. Major.
23 Feb 2014.
Modern financial accounting uses a 'double entry' system which requires two separate accounts to be updated depending on the transaction. For.
A perspective by the Australian Accounting Standards Board.
In this section we consider what digital currencies are, the size of the Bitcoin market (currently the.
Due to the specific way the technology is used, a digital currency cannot be.
To record bitcoin transactions without the use of a trusted central authority, a public ledger, known as the blockchain, is used and is maintained by a network of.


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Apple has responded to the complaints by users that its new iPhones are prone to bending saying such damage would be “rare” during normal use.
Several media outlets have been awash with complaints from several iPhone owners who say the handsets become bent after being carried in trouser pockets without a case.
And several Apple rivals from the U.S. have also helped publicize the claims.
Apple confirmed that nine customers had told it their iPhone 6 Plus phones had bent, but it said in a statement that the iPhone’s shells are constructed out of anodized aluminum which is tempered for extra strength.
Apple said the shells also feature stainless steel and titanium parts to reinforce the areas of the phones likely to experience the most stress.
“We chose these high-quality materials and construction very carefully for their strength and durability,” Apple said.
“We also perform rigorous tests throughout the entire development cycle.
“iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus meet or exceed all of our high quality standards to endure everyday, real life use.
“With normal use a bend in iPhone is extremely rare and through our first six days of sale, a total of nine customers have contacted Apple with a bent iPhone 6 Plus. As with any Apple product, if you have questions please contact Apple,” it added.
Prior to its launch, Apple had carried out torsion and a “sit test” on the devices to simulate the effect of a user sitting down on a hard surface with the phone inside their back pockets.
It is unfortunate that Apple’s share price fell following these reports.


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The global chief research and strategy officer for Microsoft, Craig Mundie, told an audience this morning that he did not know whether tablets like the Apple iPad would "remain with us or not".
Speaking in Sydney during an event organised by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA), the Microsoft executive went on to acknowledge that Microsoft failed to grasp the vital difference between mobile and portable.
He articulated his point by saying that smartphones are likely to become "your most personal computer" (one which we called the Very Personal Computer), while laptops are likened to portable desks.
According to Mundie, tablets on the other hand are inbetweeners that thrive in the space between the two categories of devices.
Microsoft is already working on Windows 8 as a tablet operating system and has already started to send private invites for strategic partners to test the new OS.
Mundie's comments come shortly after Dell expressed its scepticism over the success of Apple iPad family within an enterprise ecosystem, comments that were also made in Australia.
He also hinted at a new mobile technology being developed in Microsoft's labs that "beams individual rays of light into the user's eyes right on the retina", a bit like a reverse portable projector.


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T-Mobile has formally announced availability of the Sony Xperia Z3, the latest flagship device from the Japanese company. The landing date for the Xperia Z3 is set for October 29th, though you can claim yours as soon as Wednesday as pre-sales will have begun by then.
What’s more is that T-Mobile says folks who pre-order the device could have it ship and arrive before October 29th, something most carriers aren’t willing to tell you in these situations. That should give you all the more reason to pre-order if you’ve been waiting for its arrival.
It’ll cost you $26.25 per month for 24 months and $0 down under T-Mobile’s new Simple Choice plans where contracts are a thing of the past. That calculates to a full retail price of about $630 before taxes and fees, which is not a bad deal for what you’re getting.
The Xperia Z3 is loaded with a Snapdragon 801 chipset, 3GB of RAM, a 5.2-inch 1080p display and a massive 3,100mAh battery that should get you through a couple of days with no issue. It’s also waterproof, so you can go swimming with it and whatnot. It’s definitely one of the finest phones we’ve ever seen coming out of Sony’s camp and we’re glad it won’t be long before it makes its way to the states.


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Last week, crypto exchange Binance announced plans to comply with stricter rules from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) of the United Kingdom on how crypto assets are advertised to consumers in the region. Part of those compliance plans included partnering with FCA-authorized firm Rebuildingsociety.com to approve its U.K. promotions.
On Tuesday, the FCA prohibited Rebuildingsociety.com from making such approvals, creating an additional hurdle for Binance as it tries to expand its presence in the U.K.
The new FCA rules went into effect on Oct. 8 but were alluded to months ago. Some crypto firms opted to pause operations in the U.K., while Binance, the largest crypto exchange in the world, took steps to comply through the partnership and the establishment of a new U.K. domain.
“Binance has invested an enormous amount of time and resources in ensuring that www.Binance.com/en-GB is positioned to comply with the detailed requirements of the U.K.’s Financial Promotions Regime. We have implemented all necessary restrictions for U.K. users and partnered with an FCA-authorised firm, Rebuildingsociety.com Limited, in order to meet our obligations,” said a Binance spokesperson in an email to Unchained.
The spokesperson noted that the FCA has issued warnings against more than 140 firms for breaches of the new Financial promotions rules. Binance was not on that list, stating it “is a testament to the processes and procedures it has implemented to comply with requirements.”
The reason for the FCA’s restriction wasn’t clear. According to a page on the FCA website, Rebuildingsociety.com has until Wednesday to withdraw any existing promotional approvals and pull any advertisements. The firm has until Friday to notify the FCA in writing that the actions were taken.


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After failing to turn a profit for two decades under the ownership of General Motors, Opel has reported a healthy 2018 profit after being acquired by PSA Group.
The German car brand and its UK sibling Vauxhall, turned a profit of 859 million euros ($979 million) in 2018. This is a remarkable turnaround considering Opel had a $204 million loss for the last five months of 2017 after PSA Group purchased the carmaker on August 1 of that year.
Not even PSA expected to turn Opel and Vauxhall into profitable brands this quickly. In fact, Opel had forecast a return to profitability by 2020, Auto News reports.
PSA is doing what GM couldn’t
In addition to its profit, Opel earned a 4.7 per cent return on sales of $20.9 billion in 2018, beating out VW which earned a 4.1 per cent return on its global sales in 2017.
In the years leading up to PSA’s purchase of Opel and Vauxhall, the two companies were on the road to recovery but even still, General Motors was eager to sell them off. In fact, it is reported that Opel would have reached its goal of breaking even in 2016 if the decision for the UK to lead the European Union hadn’t hurt business at Vauxhall.
PSA Group, led by chief executive Carlos Tavares, quickly cut 3700 manufacturing jobs across Opel’s German factories and also transferred 2000 jobs from Ruesselsheim, Germany to France when GM sold the duo. In addition, Tavares has focused on eliminating heavy discounting on Opel and Vauxhall models and has helped slash the Opel-Vauxhall inventory by 32,000 vehicles down to 195,000 vehicles as of December 31, 2018.


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FDA warns of raw oysters potentially contaminated with norovirus
Public health officials are warning restaurants and retailers not to serve or sell potentially contaminated raw oysters linked to a norovirus outbreak that's now sickened more than 100 people in more than a dozen U.S. states and 279 more in Canada.
Possibly tainted raw oysters harvested in British Columbia, Canada, were distributed in California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Texas and Washington, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration stated in a post updated on Wednesday.
One hundred and three norovirus illnesses had been reported from those 13 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many of the sick people reported eating raw oysters when interviewed by state and local public health officials, the CDC noted.
Those stricken include 29 Minnesotans who fell ill after eating raw oysters at Travail Kitchen on March 20. The restaurant has since stopped serving the Stellar Bay Gold oysters.
Washington state officials on Tuesday said that 26 residents had reported norovirus-like symptoms after eating oysters from British Columbia since March 7.
It's possible that additional states also received these oysters, which federal and state officials are working to remove from the food supply, according to the FDA.
Canadian public health officials say there have been 279 cases of norovirus and gastrointestinal illness linked to oysters from British Columbia in that province as well as in Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan. Those stricken became sick between mid-January and late last month, with no deaths reported.
Union Bay Seafood on Wednesday said it was recalling certain Pacific Oysters due to possible norovirus contamination, all harvested and processed in mid-March then shipped to retailers, hotels, restaurants and other institutions.
Oysters can cause illness if eaten raw, especially in those with compromised immune systems. Food contaminated with norovirus may look, smell and taste normal.
Norovirus infects and sickens people 12 to 48 hours after exposure, and symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, stomach pain, fever, headache and body ache. Most people recover without treatment, but in some people — the very young, older adults and those with weakened immune systems — norovirus infection can cause severe dehydration and even death.
Norovirus is the leading cause of food-borne illness in the United States, with about 2,500 reported outbreaks each year. Beyond consuming contaminated food or water, people can get norovirus from other infected people or from touching contaminated surfaces and putting unwashed hands in one's mouth.
Norovirus is sometimes called the stomach flu, despite the illness being unrelated to the flu, which is caused by the influenza virus.
for more features.


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The men’s grooming company Menhood has raised Rs 2.35 crore from revenue-based financier Velocity.in over several tranches.
According to a statement from Manhood, the company will use the funding to expand its inventory to meet the rising demand and reach its aspirational target of generating over Rs 24 crore in revenue.
A premium grooming business called Menhood is committed to assisting men in maintaining their personal hygiene by providing high-quality products. Due to the numerous taboos surrounding it, the company is also dedicated to promoting awareness of the value of using men’s grooming products.
Menhood, which was founded in 2020 by Dushyant Gandotra and Shivam Bhateja, claimed that it has used a combination of paid advertising and WhatsApp marketing to increase its reach. This has led to a 15% monthly repeat customer rate and a startling 75% of customers choosing prepaid orders, according to Menhood. With the addition of fragrances and beard trimmers, the company has also evolved from being solely a male grooming brand to a male fashion lifestyle brand.
For Indian e-commerce companies, Velocity offers revenue-based financing at an interest rate of 4-8% in place of traditional bank debt and venture capital funding. The Bengaluru-based company raised $20 million in a Series A round in November 2021, with the help of Peter Thiel’s Valar Ventures and other investors.


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mPower Electronics Inc. will debut its new mPlatoon System at the NCS 2019 Congress & Expo in San Diego from September 9-11.
Brent Yaschuk, VP Sales & Marketing, will be on hand along with other representatives of mPower to demonstrate the revolutionary mPlatoon, a mobile, wireless multi-gas team warning system.
“At mPower, we understand how instrumental safety is for our customers and are committed to manufacturing products, like the new mPlatoon, that ensure everyone goes home safe at the end of the workday,” says Yaschuk. “We are really excited about this technology and the benefits it will bring for our customers, particularly for teams who need to communicate quickly in potentially hazardous situations.”
The mPlatoon System is a quickly-deployable set of mobile multi-gas meters that communicate wirelessly to a central command station (mLink) up to 3.2 km (2.0 miles) in distance.
Some of the industries that will benefit from the new mPlatoon System include fire and hazmat, large industrial sites and temporary venues.
The mPlatoon System has up to 64 gas detectors, man down notification, instant alarm broadcast, and 14 hours of run time, among its many other top-quality features.
“Come by booth #4461 during the NSC Expo and talk to our team about how the mPlatoon can make a difference for your company,” invites Yaschuk.
The NSC Congress & Expo is the world’s largest gathering of safety professionals annually. There are over 1,000 exhibitors during the Expo, not to mention the numerous workshops and learning sessions.