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Shake-up in Paris car sharing as wheels have come off Autolib
A mere two weeks after Paris pulled the plug out of car-sharing service Autolib, other companies are rushing to fill the void Autolib has left.
At the end of June, the city of Paris cancelled its contract with Autolib's operator, Bolloré, after the company announced losses totalling €300 million until the end of its contract with the authorities in 2023. Bolloré also asked the authorities to cover much of this hole as it is only required to cover losses up to €60 million itself. Above that, the city of Paris and other participating municipalities must pay.
Dirty and poorly maintained
In addition, users frequently complained about dirty, poorly maintained cars. Reports of homeless people and drug users finding shelter in the vehicles abound.
Autolib was a pioneering electric car-sharing service set up in 2011 by billionaire businessman Vincent Bolloré. It deployed thousands of vehicles it also manufactured and attracted more than 150,000 subscribers. Bolloré also operates car-sharing networks in Turin, Singapore, Los Angeles and Indianapolis but those are unaffected by the shut-down in Paris.
Insiders report Autolib's losses originate in large part in the company's need to constantly move cars from inner-city Paris, where drivers leave them, to the suburbs that are part of the Autolib network.
Moreover, the very nature of electric car-sharing networks makes it harder for them to make sense financially. Autolib offering one-way rentals, the company needs to provide charging stations at multiple locations, adding to the operational cost.
Victim of its success
Nicolas Louvet, an urban mobility researcher, told AFP that Autolib was partly a victim of its own success. As more users entered the system, Autolib's vehicles were snapped up faster and other users were left behind disappointed when they couldn't find an available car. At the end of the day, this led to a decline in users and a decline in rides.
The system is also suffering from competition from Uber and from the city's extensive public-transport network.
As Bolloré is preparing to move out of the streets of Paris, competitors are preparing to move in. Several providers have announced they could provide the service without government subsidies.
Renault announced plans to launch a ride-hailing and car-sharing scheme in Paris and the surrounding areas in September. The French car maker is aiming at deploying more than 2,000 vehicles.
Renault will roll out an electric ride hailing service (Marcel), a free-floating EV car sharing network and an electric car sharing service for longer journeys, starting from selected car parks.
This offer will consist of full-electric Renault vehicles: Zoe, Twizy, Kangoo ZE, Master ZE.
Renault's competitor PSA also has plans to start a free-floating EV car-sharing scheme in Paris. The service, which will operate under the group's Free2Move brand, will be operational by the last quarter of 2018. Initially, the fleet will include 500 electric Peugeot and Citroën vehicles.
BMW and Daimler are also reported to be in talks with the Mayor of Paris.
Paris was also the home to one of the first bike sharing schemes in the world. Until last year, Velib had a daily ridership of more than 100,000 and it inspired other authorities across Europe and the US to launch similar systems.
Today, however, it is struggling, as the operating contract previously held by JC Decaux was transferred to the start-up Smovengo. The new company is having trouble deploying enough bikes and bike stations, only having around 700 in operation so far compared to the 1,200 stations under JC Decaux. Meanwhile, dockless bike-sharing competitors are moving into the French capital and taking part of the market.
Image: Autolib vehicle on the streets of Paris.


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Kai Ryssdal: Dunkin’ Donuts store owners have wrapped up their fall get together in Worcester, Mass., this week. There was the usual talk of glazed versus jelly-filled. But franchisees were really buzzing about the latest product being cooked up: lawsuits. Marketplace’s Mitchell Hartman explains.
MITCHELL HARTMAN: It’s like a food fight, with franchise-owners hurling accusations of harassment, and Dunkin’ Donuts throwing back denials it’s doing anything wrong.
The company routinely accuses franchisees of legal infractions, like not filling out tax forms, or having cracked floor tiles, says franchisee attorney Robert Zarco.
He says the company then socks his clients with huge fees and lawsuits. The object to push them out, and get new franchisees to buy into the donut chain.
ROBERT ZARCO: There have been over 350 lawsuits in order to squeeze franchisees out of the system, or extracting substantial dollars in financial penalties.
KAREN RASKOPF: We have never pursued litigation against a franchisee without clear cause, nor will we.
That’s Dunkin’ Donuts spokesperson Karen Raskopf. She says the company only sues franchisees to safeguard the brand.
Jim Coen heads the franchise owners’ association. He says it’s too bad relations are so testy, because Dunkin’ Donuts is doing great. Last year, sales were up 5 percent.
JIM COEN: Whereas Starbucks may be positioned as a more expensive brand, Dunkin’ Donuts positioned their marketing toward the working class, toward the average Joe.
Attorney Robert Zarco says Dunkin’ Donuts should focus on the food.
ZARCO: The coffee has to taste good and be nice and hot. The donuts have to be fresh.
It’s a recipe that would please franchise-owners and customers alike.
I’m Mitchell Hartman for Marketplace.
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Tesla has hired a new executive, long time video game engineer Scott Sims from Microsoft, to lead user interface engineering as the automaker’s new ‘Director of UI Engineering’.
Sims joined Tesla over the last month, according to his recently updated LinkedIn profile.
The engineer has been working in the video game industry for the better part of the last decade and he has been involved with popular titles such as the Halo franchise and Microsoft Kinect Sports game, which uses the tech firm’s motion-sensing technology as player inputs.
More recently, Sims was directly working for Microsoft as ‘Principal Software Development Manager’. He described his job at the company:
“AR & 3D reconstruction on mobile devices. Managed computer vision, UI and app teams developing monocular SLAM and 3D reconstruction running real time on resource constrained hardware.”
There are some parallels with what Tesla is trying to do in its cars, which are also running some advanced applications on resource-constrained hardware.
As we previously reported, Tesla has been increasingly hiring from the video game industry for its software team.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that he hires a lot of game programmers at SpaceX:
“We actually hire a lot of our best software engineers out of the gaming industry. In gaming there’s a lot of smart engineering talent doing really complex things. [Compared to] a lot of the algorithms involved in massive multiplayer online games…a docking sequence [between spacecraft] is actually relatively straightforward. So I’d encourage people in the gaming industry to think about creating the next generation of spacecraft and rockets.”
Apparently, the same principles apply to the CEO’s other company, Tesla, where the company has also been hiring several software engineers from the video game industry, especially for the Autopilot programs.
As for the user interface, it has been evolving a lot in Tesla’s vehicles. Here’s a look at the different versions of the UI on the center screen over the years:
Some significant changes here, but Tesla’s user interface also involves its mobile app, instrument cluster, and much more at this point.
With the focus on autonomous driving, the in-car experience is expected to evolve rapidly over the next few years and it will be an interesting aspect to follow closely.
A few years ago, Musk was talking about opening up its system to third-party apps through ‘phone mirroring’, like Android Auto and Apple Carplay, but it now looks like those plans have faded away as Tesla is focusing on keeping the user experience in-house.
Let us know what UI changes you’d like to see in Tesla’s vehicles in the comment section below.
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During the NASS 2021 meeting, Enhatch interviewed leaders working in top health tech companies about their work and how it impacts the Intelligent Surgery Ecosystem. In this interview Ecosystem Specialist Ashley Porto sat down with Dave Anderson, co-founder of Mach Medical.
- A large environmental footprint
- Risk for delayed surgeries
- Major upfront cost with delayed financial return
The DELIVER portion of the Intelligent Surgery Ecosystem is something that many device companies are ready to remedy.
“Mach Medical is a specialized contract manufacturing organization, and we have some really unique skills in the contract manufacturing space,” says Anderson. “We can manufacture an implant set that's size specific to a patient and deliver that within three weeks of order receipt. This allows our partners to really reduce their inventory to pretty significant levels.”
For the past three years, Mach Medical has analyzed the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) cost, performance, and efficiency challenges as opportunities. Now, this ecosystem startup has enabling technologies to help streamline inventory manufacturing.
“What we've developed at Mach Medical has the potential to change how people work with their supply chains and reduce inventory levels,” says Anderson. “Companies are carrying 12 months of inventory on hand and we can get that down within two - three months.”
The supply chain optimization company says they can cut inventory requirements by 80%, reducing costs by up to 47%. This is now more important than ever with more patients opting for outpatient surgery options.
“What we're seeing is the shift of elective procedures from the inpatient hospital setting to the outpatient setting,” says Anderson. “And, in that setting, you're seeing reduced reimbursement that's creating pressure on the folks that run those organizations to reduce cost, improve efficiency, without sacrificing outcomes for patients. Those pressures are being passed on to OEMs and they've got to get a little more clever about what kinds of implants they develop and how they manufacture them.”
Anderson comments that cutting costs will be a continuous trend for orthopedic device companies.
“I think cost effectiveness is going to be the way of the future,” says Anderson. “When you look at robotics, augmented reality, or any other technologies that are emerging , the winners will be the ones that have the right combination of cost and benefit.”
In addition to confounding Mach Medical, Anderson also serves as the marketing and business development lead for SITES Medical. This is an orthopedic medical device technology development company that de-risks new technologies with testing and partnerships.


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Apple has published a human rights policy in response to a campaign from SumOfUs, an international consumer group and an Apple shareholder.
Apple Human Rights Policy
In February, 40.6% of investors voted against Apple management to support a proposal submitted by SumOfUs members. It wanted Apple to report every year on its policies on freedom of expression and access to information. The group also wanted greater transparency from Apple on how it responds to requests from China to restrict certain apps.
We believe that dialogue and engagement are the best ways to work toward building a better world. In keeping with the UN Guiding Principles, where national law and international human rights standards differ, we follow the higher standard. Where they are in conflict, we respect national law while seeking to respect the principles of internationally recognized human rights.
In other words, the policy is toothless. Apple already has a good record of respecting human rights, receiving a score of 100 from the Human Rights Campaign in its latest Corporate Equality Index. In spite of this high score, Apple must follow the laws of the countries in which it operates, including authoritarian countries like China, something which is already did before publishing this policy.
In July, Apple faced criticism for its response to the China-Hong Kong tensions. Tech companies like Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Twitter said they wouldn’t respond to user data requests Hong Kong law enforcement. At the time, Apple said it was “assessing the new law” without taking a stance.
Sondhya Gupta, Campaign Manager at SumOfUs, said:
Apple’s adoption of a human rights policy is a breakthrough moment and we commend Apple for taking this first step. However, we still have questions about how the policy will be implemented and what oversight there will be. Apple has a huge influence on people’s freedom of expression globally, and ultimately, the company’s commitment to human rights will be measured by the difference it makes to the lives of millions of Apple customers living under cyber-surveillance in Hong Kong, Tibet, East Turkestan, China, and elsewhere. We will continue to work alongside shareholders and human rights defenders in dialogue with Apple to ensure the company lives up to this responsibility.


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An intense battle has taken shape in the movie rental category. Blockbuster took command of the movie rental market through its brick and mortar presence throughout the country. The consumer buying process was shaken up when Netflix introduced a rent-by-mail approach. The convenience of having movies show up in the mailbox and more recently the ability to download some movies onto PCs allowed Netflix to grab market share from Blockbuster. The industry leader was starting to look like the industry dinosaur. Blockbuster has fought back. It has rolled out a mail delivery model similar to Netfilx, and this week the company announced the acquistion of Movielink, a firm offers movie download service via PCs.
Blockbuster's recent moves are a signal that it is refusing to concede the online market for movie rentals. Customers of the two companies should be the winners in this battle, as both companies will likely be aggressive in pricing to lure customers. Also, customer service and product assortment should receive greater emphasis as each company looks to create a competitive advantage over the other. And, don't count out cable and satellite television providers. They will make a play for customers, too, no doubt touting their advantage of on-demand delivery capability rather than waiting for a DVD to arrive via mail. Link


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Motorola is also going to enter this the race to launch the world’s first Qualcomm Snapdragon 888-powered smartphone is on. Lenovo executive Chen Jin has posted a retail box of a upcoming smartphone. As per the reports, this could be a Snapdragon 888-based Motorola phone.
Motorola recently introduced a flagship-level phone earlier with the Edge Plus. The 5G-enabled Edge Plus is available online at the price of around ₹65,000. The specifications of this phone include 12GB RAM, Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor, 108-megapixel camera, and a 5,000mAh battery.
The Snapdragon 888-based phones are expected to introduce next year. Apart from Snapdragon 888, the phone is said to come with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, Quad HD+ display, and 4,780mAh battery. According to Qualcomm’s own benchmark results, the processor will give improved performance across CPU, graphics, and AI, among other parameters.


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CHARLESTON, WV (WVNS) — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey warned WV businesses about the state’s price gouging law, during the coronavirus-related state of preparedness which was declared on Wednesday, March 4, 2020.
The state’s price gouging law, in connection with Wednesday’s declaration, makes it unlawful for any person, business or contractor to inflate the price of food items, essential consumer items and emergency supplies by more than 10- percent of what the items sold for 10 days prior to the declaration.
“Stopping the spread of coronavirus is a top priority for all of us,” Attorney General Morrisey said. “I encourage all West Virginians to take routine health precautions to prevent the spread of illness and watch for anyone who may take advantage of the situation. This is a time to remain calm, prepare and help one another as needed.”
The price gouging law goes into effect during any state of emergency or state of preparedness as issued by the WV Governor. The laws will remain in effect until the declaration is lifted or 30 days whichever is longer.
Attorney General Morrisey urges consumers who believe may have been charged prices which increased dramatically after the state of preparedness declaration, to file a complaint with his office. If you have a receipt you should attach a copy to your complaint.
Also be on the lookout for scammers who may use the coronavirus as a way of targeting people. Common ploys include unsolicited emails, calls or other forms of communication from those who may claim to represent a familiar entity in order to receive personal, financial or other sensitive information.
Attonery General Morrisey reminds people to never share data or agree to send cash, wire money or provide numbers associated with a credit/debit card, gift card or bank account without verifying the legitimacy of the recipient.
Anyone with a question about price gouging laws or coronavirus-related scams should call the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-368-8808, the Eastern Panhandle Consumer Protection Office in Martinsburg at 304-267-0239 or visit the office online.


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For those who can afford it, plenty of luxury is out there / The good life: High-end products and services are in demand as some in the Bay Area enjoy the fruits of a better economy
Published 4:00 am, Friday, June 2, 2006
Bring on the $100,000 imported sports car. Uncork the premium Cabernet Sauvignon with its nose of black currant and ripe raspberries. Check out the new high-rise condos with their sweeping city views or check into state-of-the-art hotel suites with their elegant, thin-screen TVs. Times are good for big spenders.
Although most people aren't partying like it's 1999 and the height of the dot-com boom, they're coming close in the luxury market, where both affluent Bay Area residents and upscale visitors are increasingly springing for big-ticket items.
That spending reflects an economic recovery that has been under way in the Bay Area since the slump of 2001 to 2003 and that has seen an increase in income and hiring. The increase in prosperity is especially noticeable at the high end.
"The recent surge in capital gains and a very big real estate cash-out" has put money in the pockets of people at the high end, said Stephen Levy, director of the Center for the Continuing Study of the California Economy. Levy cautioned that the rise in consumption may be short lived and has not touched all income levels, but said there is a definite increase in spending among successful executives -- "folks in companies that are doing really well."
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Statewide, numbers crunchers say the biggest rise in income has come among people already at the high end.
According to the Public Policy Institute of California, families in the top 10 percent of annual household income have seen their yearly income grow since 1969 by 59 percent, adjusted for inflation, to $150,000 a year. By comparison, middle-income California families' income edged up 16 percent, to $56,000 a year, in the same time, while low-income families' income fell 4 percent, to $29,750 a year.
For those who can afford it, there is a full menu of pleasurable choices.
Guests at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in San Francisco can gaze at 32-inch flat-screen liquid crystal display TVs, plug into in-room iPod docking stations or soak sybaritically under Kohler rain showers -- all part of the Nob Hill hotel's just-finished $12.5 million overhaul of its 336 guest rooms. Next, the hotel will redo its public spaces and carve out a new spa.
The Ritz-Carlton and its owner, Host Hotels & Resorts Inc., put the money into the 14-month project because several five-star competitors -- notably the Four Seasons Hotel and the St. Regis Hotel -- have been built since the Ritz-Carlton opened in a landmark, century-old building in 1991. Now the three companies compete for hotel guests and for buyers of luxury condominiums associated with their hotels.
The Ritz-Carlton paid close attention to renovating its spacious suites, said Edward Mady, general manager and area vice president, expanding their number from 42 to 59 and raising prices.
"The luxury hotel has replaced fashion as the ultimate status symbol," Mady said. "You want to keep that luxury consumer."
Before the remodeling, the Ritz charged $575 a night for a suite. Now it charges $750, Mady said, and usually gets it. The hotel's occupancy rate is in the high 70s. That still lags behind the halcyon days of the late 1990s, when occupancy crested at 90 percent. But it's well above the post-dot-com bust and Sept. 11 free fall, when the Ritz, like other Bay Area hotels, saw occupancy plunge into the low 60s.
In another measure of recovery, high-end hotels have recently built or converted guest rooms into residential condos, many selling for spectacular prices.
The St. Regis Residences, which opened as part of the San Francisco St. Regis Hotel complex in November, have sold out at prices ranging from $1.5 million to $5 million, according to the residences' assistant manger, Emilie Cowan.
Oliver and Susan Flach, who own a family home in Los Gatos, bought a unit in the St. Regis in December after her sister heard about the new residences in a radio ad. Their three-bedroom corner unit on the 32nd floor is a getaway home for the Flachs, who spend about three days a week there.
Festooned with art from Burma and Indonesia, the condo commands a panoramic view of the bay, AT&T Park and Monster Park, special treats for the Flachs, who are Giants' season-ticket holders.
A unit like the Flachs' sells for $3 million to $4 million, according to Cowan. About 20 percent of the St. Regis' 102 condos in a 40-story tower at Third and Minna streets, are occupied full time by their owners. Owners tend to be "business leaders, entrepreneurs, people whose names you see when you open up the Wall Street Journal," Cowan said.
The Flachs bought their unit after Oliver Flach sold his company, BAL, a San Jose maker of adhesive and bar-coding labels, to much larger Illinois Tool Works and he scaled back to a two-day workweek as a consultant, he said. These days, as condo owners, they have the use of the St. Regis' spa, its fine-dining restaurant and hotel room service.
"We don't use room service very often, but I'm glad it's there," Susan Flach said.
The Flachs, clad in shorts and displaying a bottle of wine labeled with the Rolling Stones' lips and tongue logo, are affably low key as they show a visitor around their aerie. This is in keeping with affluent Bay Area consumers, who prefer to keep a low and usually non-flashy profile, said Alf Nucifora, head of the newly formed Bay Area chapter of the nationwide Luxury Marketing Council.
Of course, a bit of flash does illuminate the upscale life from time to time -- or often, in the case of Club Sportiva, a haven for moneyed lovers of high-performance automobiles.
Club Sportiva charges from $3,200 to $8,500 a year to its 200 Bay Area members, who join to take advantage of the club's road rallies, trips around the United States and Europe, Scotch and cigars nights -- and the chance to drive some really hot cars.
About 75 percent of the members own high-end sports cars but don't want the expense and hassle of maintaining a fleet. Club Sportiva keeps 20 cars, owned by the club, at its Harrison Street garage and office, according to operating partner Torbin Fuller.
Among the hot wheels on offer are a red Ferrari convertible, a powerful Maserati and a snazzy yellow Lotus. Members can schedule a selected car for a day or several days, get their own cars detailed at the club's garage and hang out in the upstairs loft, where member David Gutelius sat on a recent morning, hovering over his laptop.
"Three years ago, I almost bought a 1959 Maserati sports car," said Gutelius, a Menlo Park software entrepreneur. "I was persuaded not to by my wife."
Instead, he joined Club Sportiva. "I'd say it's the perfect solution for my hankering for classic Italian machinery," said Gutelius, who recently took a $100,000 club car out on a road trip and has brought several of his pals into the fold.
Three-year-old Club Sportiva has opened branches in Santa Monica, Princeton, N.J., and Munich, and plans to expand to San Diego and Las Vegas in the coming months, said Fuller, who added that racing legend Mario Andretti and former Raiders receiver Dave Casper are members.
Wine and cigars
While classic cars are the core business, the club also counts winery tours and wine-tasting nights among its most popular features -- and that figures, as fine wine is very much a part of the affluent life.
Sales of U.S. wines priced more than $7 a bottle jumped 13 percent in 2005, according to the Wine Institute, compared with a 2 percent decrease for American wines selling for less than $7.
Many wines far pricier than $7 are flying off the shelves in places such as Ferry Plaza Wine Merchants, a wine shop and wine bar in San Francisco's Ferry Building.
Although sales of wines in all price ranges are strong, Ferry Plaza's offerings from Germany and Austria have given it a lucrative specialty in the wine trade. Austrian white wines, in particular, are selling well, said the shop's merchant manager, Brian Cronin, who is also a master sommelier.
"You can get a 1-liter bottle for $11," Cronin said. However, many of the newly popular Austrian wines retail for much more. "We're selling them at $50 and $60 per bottle," he said.


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Google: Expert demonstrates how to use AirDrop for Android
Google has been desperately trying to end the nightmare of malware-filled apps entering its Android app store. Over the past year, the US technology firm has removed thousands of dangerous applications which were intent on wreaking havoc on smartphones and tablets.
Google recently confirmed its new Play Protect service has stopped over 790,000 policy-violating app submissions from being published on the Play Store. Additionally, the Mountain View company also declared its Play Protect initiative now scans over 100 billion apps every single day.
However, although this tough new crackdown has been welcomed it has also created a serious problem and it’s one every Android user needs to know about.
According to a recent report from RiskIQ, Google’s new security measures have meant a 76.4 percent reduction in blacklisted apps appearing on the Play Store.
These tough new blocks mean that those intent on stealing data and filling phones with irritating adware are now turning to other ways of getting their malware installed on devices.
RiskIQ says that with Google making things inhospitable for malicious apps, threat actors must turn elsewhere to turn a profit.
And to keep their apps appearing on phones many are now using unofficial stores which offer Android users an easy way to install applications for free.
In fact, there are now hundreds of stores across the world in which threat actors can comfortably sell their wares.
RiskIQ has found that some app stores are more dangerous than others and have a higher concentration of malicious apps.
In 2019, these were the stores from which you were most likely to download a malicious app: 9Game.com • Feral apps • VmallApps • Xiaomi • Zhushou
Many of these app stores offer tantalising reasons to visit them including offering services you can't find on Google.
Like all most things in life ... if it looks too good to be true it usually is and Android fans are being urged to be wary of these stores.
Speaking in its Threat Landscape Report, RiskIQ’s Jordan Herman, said: “Users should be discerning and skeptical when downloading anything and have passive protection such as legitimate antivirus software along with regular backups.
“Although they cannot make up for preventative measures such as checking permissions, anti-malware products provide some protection from malicious code.
“Luckily, some of these malicious lookalike apps are easy to spot. One potential giveaway is excessive permissions, where an app requests permissions that go beyond those required for its stated functionality.
Another is a suspicious developer name, especially if it does not match the developer name associated with other apps from the same organisation. User reviews and number of downloads, where present, also help to give some level of reassurance that the app is legitimate.”


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At long last, the first Ubuntu phones are here. It's been more than two years since Canonical first showed off its Linux-based mobile platform, and fans have been clamoring for consumer devices ever since. The Ubuntu Edge never made its ambitious $32 million crowdfunding target, and the first handsets from BQ and Meizu were delayed last year. But finally, it's all starting to come together. BQ has started selling its "Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition" in Europe and Meizu shouldn't be too far behind with its modified MX4.
Red Hat was proud to announce earlier today, March 5, the availability of the first maintenance release of its Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 operating system for computers, used in numerous enterprises worldwide. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.1 contains a great amount of bug fixes and improvements over the previous release, as well as various new features.
As you know, when someone offers free stuff, we give it a few weeks in order to give each group, organization or individual in need a chance to respond. That’s what we’ll do with Mary Greenfield’s generous offer to donate free fabric, so give it another week and then we’ll forward responses to her.
One of the most rewarding aspects of writing this column is realizing that it generates discussion, and here’s a response to that question about updates for an older computer running Windows ME...
The Spanish town of Figueres is relying on free and open source software to help manage its urban and natural environment. Fisersa Ecoserveis, an environmental company, is using a range of open source solutions to create, update and manage interactive geographic maps, used for monitoring and planning the city’s green spaces.
Not much over a year ago, few people knew about containers, and fewer still knew about Docker. Since then, the idea of building server and applications out of container-based micro-servers, has exploded in popularity. Red Hat has been watching this and now with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 Atomic Host (RHELAH) the company has its own operating system/container pairing to offer the business world.
Five of those security and security-related features were announced today and are on track to be included in the next edition, which should be PC-BSD 10.1.2. They are
PersonaCrypt – a command line utility to backup a user’s home directory to an encrypted external media
Tor Mode in System Updater Tray
Stealth Mode in PersonaCrypt
Ports now use LibreSSL by default instead of OpenSSL
Support for encrypted backups in Life-Preserver utility
Seco is prepping a Linux-friendly COM Express Type 6 Compact module with a quad-core, 2.3GHz Tegra K1 SoC and optional extended temperature support.
When we covered the Nvidia Jetson TK1 single board computer last March, we didn’t realize the manufacturer was Seco. In addition to the Jetson TK1 (Seco product page here), Seco is now adding a COM Express Type 6 Compact computer-on-module called the SECOMExp-TK1, which similarly runs Linux on an Nvidia Tegra K1 SoC.
This month, as we do every March, we reported on the Who Writes Linux report from the Linux Foundation. Usually, this is a fairly rote affair: Red Hat and Intel contribute tons of code, Greg Kroah-Hartman does a ton of the work, and we learn about some small firm somewhere that’s cranking out kernel code disproportionate to its size.
BPF continues marching forward as a universal, in-kernel virtual machine for the Linux kernel. The Berkeley Packet Filter was originally designed for network packet filtering but has since been extended as eBPF to support other non-network subsystems via the bpf syscall. Here's some more details on this in-kernel virtual machine.
Alexei Starovoitov presented at last month's Linux Foundation Collaboration Summit in Santa Rosa about BPF as an in-kernel virtual machine. The slides have been published for those wishing to learn more about its state and capabilities.
Nvidia’s $199 STB version of Nvidia Shield runs Android TV on a Tegra X1, and boasts 4K video, 50 optimized games, and game streaming from a “Grid” service.
The 2015 set-top box version of the Nvidia Shield follows two earlier models, including 2013’s original handheld Shield game console, now called the Nvidia Shield Portable, which was based on the Nvidia Tegra 4 system-on-chip. Last year, the chip designer-cum-hardware developer released an Nvidia Shield Tablet built around a more powerful Tegra K1 SoC with Kepler graphics, and featuring new stylus and WiFi Direct gaming controller.
According to the Linux Foundation and tech job company Dice, in the 2015 Linux Jobs Report, "Nearly all hiring managers are looking to recruit Linux professionals." While programmers and Linux system administrators are in high demand, your chances of landing a great job are greater if you have cloud, security, and/or software defined networking (SDN) skills.
In particular, "42 percent of hiring managers say experience with or knowledge of OpenStack and CloudStack are having a big impact on their Linux hiring decisions" while "49 percent of Linux professionals believe open cloud will be the biggest growth area for Linux in 2015."


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Reportedly, Snaptube is the most dangerous app of 2020.
Cyber security firm Upstream System reported in its report that this dangerous app was created by Mobiuspace, a Chinese company, which has been downloaded by nearly 40 million people.
Snaptube is created by Mobiuspace, a Chinese company. According to the report, this app, after downloading in the phone, allows users to sign-up for premium service without permission. Apart from this, it can also do ad-click activity, in which it downloads the advertisements itself and also clicks on it.
(Also read- The phone number of millions of WhatsApp users is in danger! Anyone can message by searching from Google)
This app already exists in the gallery of this phoneWith this app, users can download videos and audio from popular video and audio streaming sites such as YouTube and Facebook. It is revealed that Snaptube also has its own website. According to this website, more than 300 million (300 million) users have downloaded the app worldwide. Also, it has also come to the fore that this app is also available on Huawei’s AppGallery.
The report said that more than 7 crore fraud transactions were done through snappedtube last year. At the same time, more than 3 crore fraud transactions have come to light this year, which have been blocked by the Secure-D platform.
(Also read- Samsung’s 4-camera budget smartphone, cheaper than 3 thousand, will get many special features)
This app is not on play store
For information, let us know that Google had already deleted this app from the Play Store, but users are still downloading it from third-party. If you are an Android user and your phone has this app, then it has been advised to delete it immediately.


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It’s a sign of the times: the no. 1 most leased car brand in CE, Skoda, has announced the launch of Enyaq iV, the first fully-electric business model of Skoda. It is slated to hit the market in late 2020 and it is proof, if proof be needed, that Central Europe is getting ready for plugged-in mobility. But is the required infrastructure available and are governments following with incentives to promote EVs?
Let’s get this out of the way first: the share of electric cars on the roads in Central Europe may be low, but even in the most electrified European markets the numbers still struggle to hit the 5% market share. Of all cars on the roads today, 0.04% are electric in Poland, 0.56% in the Czech Republic, 0.10% in Slovakia, 0.20% in Hungary and 0.06% in Romania. Download the fact sheet.
Adding EVs to your fleet requires a tailor-made approach. The experts at Business Lease can help you take the steps to order and manage your first battery-electric or hybrid vehicles.
These numbers need to go up and they need to do so relatively fast. The European Commission targets emission cuts in passenger vehicles of 50% by 2030[i] as part of decarbonization of the wider economy. This cannot be achieved without corporate fleets.
Car manufacturers have started churning out plug-in hybrid and battery-electric vehicles in huge numbers and they are no longer limited to premium segments.
Price is still an obstacle to EV adoption, though. Even a modest Opel Corsa-e has a price tag of just under PLN 130,000 in Poland, compared to just over PLN 50,000 for its petrol-powered sister. Getting fleets to add plug-in hybrid battery-electric vehicles to their offering without tax breaks and other financial incentives is difficult and governments in Central Europe have understood that.
Romania, for instance, put a scheme in place to give grants for buying electric vehicles. Slovakia, for instance, subsidizes plug-in vehicles[ii] and the Czech Republic allows municipalities to apply for subsidies to buy cars with alternative fuels.
More is being done on the tax front, though. All five Central European countries do not levy any motor vehicle tax and/or registration tax with some adding additional benefits like free parking while an EV is being charged.
Having an EV is one thing, charging it is another. Charging networks can be sparse in parts of Central Europe, particularly away from motorways and cities, but they are expanding. The Czech Republic already has quite an extensive network and they are still planning further increase as to avoid being stranded with an empty battery in more distance regions from the big cities.
However, surveys have shown that most EV drivers charge their vehicle at home or at the office, indicating that’s where chargers are really essential. Fortunately, prices for EV chargers are going down and Business Lease has partnerships with experienced charger manufacturers in all Central European markets.
Various countries also give grants to refund part of the installation costs. This is the case in Romania, where the government refunds up to € 30,000 if you install a charger of more than 22kW. The Czech Republic and Poland also have incentives for EV chargers.
Business Lease set up a Mobility Expert Team five years ago, as a way to experiment with new mobility solutions together with clients and suppliers. One of its core missions is a focus on alternative mobility sources and CO2 footprint reduction.
Business Lease is a car leasing company operating in the Central European region and located in Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. Business Lease also operates on an international level and we are happy to provide you with further information on full electric and hybrid cars in your countries.
Get in touch with one of our International team members for more information, or request the E-mobility factsheet here.


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Sanyo Electric president Toshimasa Iue has been replaced by
San Diego — Dash Navigation will place 2,000 cellular-connected portable GPS units in consumers’ hands nationwide to test the devices,
Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin presented a Senate committee last week with an array of industry statistics to assert that a
Richmond, VA. — Circuit City reports it is joining with Napster to offer a new digital music service, Circuit City+ Napster.
Woonsocket, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy will offer free in-store workshops for digital camera owners every Sunday through August.
New York — Wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi and cellular HSDPA (
Palo Alto, Calif. — HP has introduced four new printers, including three Deskjet models available at retail this month and a new
Los Angeles — The Championship Gaming Series,
Yamaha veteran Tom Sumner became Yamaha Electronics Corp. president, effective April 2, replacing Hogan Osawa.
Cupertino, Calif. — Apple’s financial results continued to shine with the iPod maker posting a net income increase of $770 million for
By Lisa Johnston
New products on display at the American International Toy Fair, held in N
New York — The Anti-Defamation League’s National Consumer Technology Industry divisio
Los Angeles — Fifteen industry leaders were inducted into the Consumer Electronics Hall of
If you are having trouble accessing TWICE content or wish to subscribe to TWICE Online please email firstname.lastname@example.org or call 866-71-PRESS (866-717-7377).


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The Last of Us Part II has been one of the most anticipated games for many for quite a while now, but like some sort of Bigfoot-style cryptid, so far we’ve only viewed it through various short glimpses, with major developments only seemingly happening on a yearly basis. But with a media event set for Thursday, we’re set to soon hear more about it. And just in time, because as an appetizer, today’s State of Play showcase from PlayStation gave us a new trailer that provided the release date, and it’s closer than one may have expected.
The new trailer has Ellie living in a cozy town with snow-capped cabins…up until tragedy strikes her during an expedition. It’s left vague as to what exactly happens, but it’s suggested that things aren’t looking good for Ellie’s new girlfriend, previously seen in the E3 2018 trailer. Now it looks like Ellie is heading out into the even larger world, out for revenge…and Joel will be teaming up with her again. The Last of Us Part II comes out for the PS4 on February 21, and stay tuned for more info on it.


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There has been a marked resurgence in active bitcoin traders along with the price rally over the past three months. The tools of the trade are also expanding as more and more people get into bitcoin trading.
Bitcoin Traders Grow In Numbers
One of the most popular tools of the trade has now reached the remarkable figure of 2.5 million active bitcoin traders. Tradingview is used to provide accurate charts and a full array of technical indicators for bitcoin and other popular crypto assets.
With more traders entering the scene they are constantly on the lookout for price indicators from fellow analysts that mostly live on crypto twitter. Tradingview has responded with an ever-expanding array of tools focused on the crypto community.
According to the site it first launched crypto services in 2017 more than 5 million monthly users have utilized their products to get real-time charts and data for bitcoin price. The figure peaked at around 5 million during the crypto market peak of early 2018, and the current active trader count is now around half at 2.5 million.
“Charting service @tradingview now counts 2.5 million Bitcoin traders among their monthly users. “They are extremely engaged, and check in more than 7x / day on average.””
Charting service @tradingview now counts 2.5 million Bitcoin traders among their monthly users. "They are extremely engaged, and check in more than 7x / day on average." HT @zackvoell pic.twitter.com/8UGp3iD417
— Tuur Demeester (@TuurDemeester) July 22, 2019
As with many bitcoin price trends that correlate with price the chart virtually mirrors that of BTC itself which is no real surprise. Usage clearly correlates with price but with a lag of about a month, with bitcoin price currently down trending it is likely this chart will take a turn also.
The statement added that users check their accounts on average seven times per day which indicates that these are mostly day traders looking for short term profits rather than hodlers stashing sats for long term investment.
US crypto exchange Coinbase has also added 5 million users over the past ten months indicating that interest is growing yet again.
Bitcoin Price Back at Four Figures
Bitcoin price itself has broken out from its consolidating range over the past week or so to head downwards again today. According to the Tradingview BTC price chart from Bitstamp, it fell to $9,950 an hour or so ago which marks a decline of around 5% on the day.
The move has been expected by many crypto analysts who also suggested it may well fall back below $9k. As Bitcoinist reported yesterday, a big move was about to come for bitcoin and today we are seeing it. BTC is now down over a thousand dollars since it touched $11k over the weekend and further losses look imminent as the week progresses.
Will Tradingview users decline along with depreciating bitcoin price? Add your thoughts below
Images via Shutterstock, Twitter: @TuurDemeester, Bitcoin charts by Tradingview


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There are cocktails—and there are tiki cocktails.
Usually turbocharged with multiple rums and spirits, fresh fruit juices and obscure mixers, this subset of drinks is known for double-digit ingredients and complex mixology. And that, say fans, is part of their enjoyment.
A passion for all things tiki drove Baton Rougean Jeff Shaw and a few friends to launch the Louisiana Tiki Fest for the first time last year. Shaw and his fellow fans had regularly traveled to tiki festivals in places like Portland, Houston, Atlanta and Austin. They figured Louisiana, a state with a history of sugar cane and rum production, needed a tiki festival, too.
“A lot of us had noticed that the tiki scene around the country and around town was blowing up,” says Shaw, an engineering project manager who also helped found the Rum Society of Louisiana. “We thought, ‘We have the interest here for a local festival.’”
Last year’s small inaugural festival was a sellout, prompting organizers to triple the number of available tickets to 150 and also add new events. Patrons can expect three days of intimate gatherings this year, including socials and tiki workshops at Mid City establishments Pelican to Mars and Soji: Modern Asian, and a chartered trip to Wildcat Brothers Distilling in Lafayette and Bayou Teche Brewing Company in Arnaudville.
The cocktail part of tiki culture is scaffolded with festive attire, music and distinct barware, Shaw says. Expect to hear island tunes as you sip from a carved vessel accessorized with tropical fruit. A Hawaiian shirt or grass skirt is encouraged.
“So much of it is the atmosphere,” says Shaw, who also goes by the nickname Tiki Jeff.
A vendor show at Pelican to Mars on Saturday includes artists like tiki mug craftsman Omar Girona and others selling clothing and original art. Saturday also brings limited seating workshops on topics like how to use Louisiana rum in tiki drink recipes, how to build your own tiki bar and how to make lower-sugar tiki cocktails. Shaw also says the Mid City vintage shop Time Warp will sell a curated collection of tiki clothing during the festival weekend.
VIP tickets score patrons access to a Friday-night party at Shaw’s elaborate at-home, outdoor tiki bar. He says guests regularly ask him to name his favorite tiki drink.
“I say, ‘I have it narrowed down to about 50,’” he says, though he admits to an affinity for the Jet Pilot. The drink blends lime and grapefruit juices, three different rums, absinthe, cinnamon syrup, Angostura bitters and the syrup liqueur falernum.
“It comes out crazy good,” Shaw says. “If it’s done right, it’s all about balance. You taste all those ingredients at the same time.” latikifest.com
LA Tiki Fest schedule
General admission tickets to Tiki Fest ($150) get tikiphiles entry to:
Friday, March 22
Kickoff & Welcome Party at Pelican to Mars
25% off all tiki drinks and food for purchase
Saturday, March 23
Sip & Shops + Panels at Pelican to Mars
11:15 – Creation of Tiki Mugs
12:15 – Building your own Tiki Bar
1:15 – Exploring Louisiana Tiki Rums
2:15 – Minimalist Tiki
3:15 – Low-carb Tiki Cocktails
Lotus Lounge + Soji Takeover
Three tiki cocktail tickets and buffet-style dining
Times and schedule are as of press time. Check with LA Tiki Fest for the latest.
This article was originally published in the March 2024 issue of 225 magazine.


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An eero-branded router called the DFCU router comes with an Eero number, which is assigned to the router by its manufacturer.
The number indicates which company provides the E-link for the router and whether the Erolink is certified or not.
Eero also provides a software upgrade that adds the number to the eero.org site.
If you look at the EERO.ORG website, the number is listed under “Network” under “Eero.”
If you try to log into the router’s web interface, you will be directed to a website with the EERCO-Eero link, which means the router is not certified by Eero.
However, you can still check the eerosoft.org website for the number by entering “1034” or “1” into the search box.
Eero’s Eero router is an eero product, which in the United States is the standard for wireless routers.
The Eero company said in a statement that its Eero routers are certified by both Eero and the ERCO-Router network standards organization.
The eero software upgrades have been available since July, according to Eero’s statement.
The company said that since its first router, the eeromobile, came out in 2002, the company has been able to improve the product and expand its range of products.
EEROMO-1D, a DFCu router, comes with a number assigned to it by Eerosoft that is not a certification number.
DFCU and EEROSoft also have a website that allows customers to check their routers status and check whether they are certified.
In its statement, Eero said it is continuing to work with Eero to address the issue.
As of Wednesday, the router was still listed on the Eeer website.
The Eero website does not provide a link to the EERE-1 router, but the company does provide the number, and it can be found under “Device Status” under the “Product” heading.
“The EERO-1 DFC U Router is currently listed under the EERO Product Status,” Eero wrote in its statement.
“The router is certified by the ERLO-DFC U network standard and is available through the Eeroshop.”


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Alaska State Troopers say that they now have three suspects in custody in connection with the February 9th theft of an ATM machine during a break-in at the Goldstream Store in Fairbanks.
Troopers say that as a result of news coverage, on February 10th, a person notified AST that the vehicle that could have been involved in the theft was in the Fred Meyers parking lot.
Officers responded to the location and contacted 35-year-old Joshua Ritter and 55-year-old Scott Jackson. After interviewing the duo, they were placed under arrest for the break-in and theft.
Although the third suspect in the case, 35-year-old Robert Strickland, was not at the parking lot with the other two, troopers, with the assistance of Fairbanks police, were able to locate and arrest him.
It was on February 9th at approximately 5:22 am that AST was alerted by an alarm at the Goldstream store.
When they responded, they found that the suspects had broke in and stolen the ATM. Fortunately, security cameras were in operation, and the footage revealed that three men drove up to the store in an extended cab Ford pickup, and using a chain, tore open the door.
Two of the suspects retrieved the ATM machine from the store as the third man remained in the vehicle, and they loaded it in the bed of the pickup, and drove away.
All three suspects were transported to the Fairbanks Jail, where they were remanded on charges of Burglary I, Theft II, Criminal Mischief III, and Criminal Trespass I.


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Mems Production news and technical articles from Solid State Technology Magazine. Search Mems Production latest and archived news and articles
STMicroelectronics ( NYSE:STM ), consumer and portable MEMS supplier, will bump up its micro electro mechanical systems ( MEMS ) production capacity to more than 3 million sensors a day by year's end. The capacity ramp is being supported by a "beefed
PCB Piezotronics expanded their sensor product line to include several MEMS devices using silicon-based technology. Development and production of these sensors used a Plasma-Therm VERSALINE DSE system for several critical deep silicon etching fabrication steps.
SUSS MicroTec's new DSM200 is an automated metrology system for double-sided (front-to-back) alignment and exposure applications. The tool serves applications in the manufacture of MEMS devices, power semiconductors, and optoelectronics.
SiTime Corp., developer of MEMS-based timing solutions, says that its SiT8002 and SiT1 oscillator families are shipping at a production rate of more than 100,000 units per week. This, the company says, makes these products the top-selling MEMS-based oscillators worldwide.
EV Group, which supplies MEMS and nanotech manufacturing equipment has received a multiple system order from Colibrys, a Swiss MEMS sensor supplier.
Research and Markets has announced the addition of a book, Scaling Issues and Design of MEMS to its offering. The volume promises a complete design methodology for MEMS.
(January 14, 2008) TUCSON, AZ Freescale Semiconductor has established an advanced microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) 200-mm (8-in.) production line to address growing sensors market demand. The newly added line at Freescale's Oak Hill Fab in Austin, TX, complements the company's existing ...
ISE has released a five-recipe temperature timer controller (TTC) is designed for use with virtually all process etch, strip, and develop wet-process baths.
Nippon Kayaku Co. Ltd. of Tokyo, a $1 billion diversified chemical company and global supplier of epoxy resins for microelectronic applications, has acquired longtime partner MicroChem of Massachusetts.
(January 17, 2008) AUSTIN Freescale Semiconductor has established an advanced microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) 200-mm (8-inch) production line to address growing sensors market demand. The newly added line at Freescale's Oak Hill Fab in Austin, TX, complements the company's existing 150-mm


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Dr Disrespect is one of the biggest authorities in the streaming space when it comes to the shooter genre. Whether it be Call of Duty, Battlefield, Apex Legends, or a litany of other titles, the "Doc" tends to have a good grasp on what makes multiplayer shooters successful. When it comes to this fall's release of Halo Infinite, the beloved YouTube streamer has already made it clear that he thinks the title is going to be of a high quality. However, if it doesn't end up featuring a battle royale mode, Dr Disrespect believes that it could quickly be in big trouble.
In a recent video on YouTube, Dr Disrespect opened up more about his early impressions on Halo Infinite after having experienced the game's recent beta. Specifically, the Doc said that he doesn't think that the latest Halo installment will end up making waves, especially amongst streamers. "When this game launches, viewership is not going to be good. It'll be good for like a week, but then it'll slip into that traditional sandbox," he said. When talking about what could keep fan interest and engagement high, Dr Disrespect said that he thinks it all relies on the addition of a battle royale game mode.
Despite requesting this mode, though, Dr Disrespect also said that he thinks such an addition would need to be implemented into Halo Infinite in the proper way. "It depends how it's executed. I was looking at this Big Team Battle gameplay footage and I'm looking at it like, just thinking to myself, 'God I hope these guys if they make a battle royale,'" he said. "I hope they execute it correctly because they could do it bad," he went on to say about its potential arrival.
At this point in time, developer 343 Industries hasn't said that it will be adding a battle royale component to Halo Infinite at any point at launch, or even afterward. For now, the studio seems solely focused on making sure that it can ship the title on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC later this year on December 8. If battle royale does come to Halo Infinite, it likely won't be showing up until post-launch.
How do you feel about Dr Disrespect's new comments on Halo Infinite? Do you feel like it's vital for the game to launch with a battle royale component later this year? Let me know your thoughts either down in the comments or over on Twitter at @MooreMan12.


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You might not yet be able to meet up with your family inside, but you will soon be able to go see the giraffes at London Zoo.
ZSL London Zoo will be opening on June 15, the date it’s expected that PM Boris Johnson will announce, in his press briefing tonight, that zoos, safari parks, drive-in cinemas and outdoor attractions can open their doors.
It’s welcome news for the institution, which has reported that it faced the ‘threat of closure’ if the decision to keep zoos shut wasn’t overturned.
The zoo’s plans for reopening? More signage and paw prints on the floor to help visitors socially distance, advanced booking only, free parking to encourage visitors to drive rather than get public transport and the continued closure of all indoor spaces (including restaurants, which will be takeaway only).
You could say that this is the end of lockdown for the animals in the capital’s zoo, but let’s be honest, their lives are an eternal lockdown.
Find out the latest rules for going out in London.


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BERLIN — Wrapping up a five-day visit to Europe, Prime Minister Wen Jiabao of China concluded trade deals in Germany worth several billion euros, including a contract to purchase 88 Airbus A320 aircraft.
The deals, announced during a signing ceremony in the Chancellery here, signaled a major shift in German-Chinese relations as China tries to modernize its economy and Germany seeks more markets for its high-technology goods.
Germany and China agreed to establish special government consultations, which means representatives of the two countries will meet regularly and will discuss a wide range of topics, like trade, investment, education, environment, human rights, security and the rule of law. “A new chapter has been built,” Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said during a news conference with her Chinese counterpart.
Mrs. Merkel’s decision to meet the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, in 2007 provoked sharp criticism from the Chinese leadership and the threat that German companies would lose out on lucrative contracts as a result of that meeting — also held in the Chancellery.
While no contracts were canceled, Mrs. Merkel has in the meantime given far more attention to trade and economic ties with China as Germany has ridden out the global financial crisis. Germany is Europe’s strongest economy, with one of the bloc’s lowest unemployment rates, because of its export-driven economy and more flexible labor force.
Earlier Tuesday, Mrs. Merkel said bilateral trade with China could increase to €200 billion, or $285 billion, by 2015 as the two countries “significantly deepen” their ties. Trade between the two countries amounted to €130 billion last year, an increase of 34 percent from 2009, according to the Federation of German Industry.
Mr. Wen said that trade between Germany and China could double within five years. Mrs. Merkel and Mr. Wen spoke at a Chinese-German business forum. The entourage Mr. Wen took with him to Hungary and Britain, earlier in his European visit, paled in comparison to the delegation in Germany: 13 ministers and more than 300 managers.
He called for “mutual respect” for the different historical and cultural backgrounds of China, Germany and the European Union.
“China respects the European political system,” Mr. Wen told the business forum. “On the other hand, we expect respect for China’s system and China’s territorial integrity.”
Mrs. Merkel, who spent more than four hours in talks with Mr. Wen on Monday evening in a government lakeside villa in south Berlin, gave him the full red carpet treatment, including military honors Tuesday morning.
Accompanied by almost all of the German cabinet, Mrs. Merkel began her government’s consultations with China.
China overtook Germany as the world’s biggest exporter in 2009. China is Germany’s third-biggest trading partner, after France and the Netherlands and ahead of the United States.
“We both take the view that what is good can become better,” Mrs. Merkel said at the business forum. She added that China and Germany were “ideal partners” to develop electric cars, for example, and said both countries wanted to “deepen our investment relationship.”
Despite the bonhomie of the public meetings and the trade and investment deals won by German companies, Mrs. Merkel, on behalf of German industry, raised several sensitive issues with Mr. Wen.
One was technology transfer, in which Chinese companies dismantle a machine, copy it and manufacture it. “This is a big issue,” said Friedolin Strack, director of the Asia unit of the Federation of German Industries.
Mrs. Merkel also brought up intellectual property rights.
German industry, too, was critical of the way Chinese companies are subsidized in their international activities, especially in Eastern Europe. A recent study by the Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, a lobby for German industry, criticized China for providing low-cost loans and subsidies to Chinese firms competing for contracts in Eastern Europe.
Mr. Wen, for his part, said Chinese companies wanted to invest much more in Germany. Direct German investments in China amount to €20 billion.
Chinese investments in Germany total €600 million, according to Germany Trade and Invest, an industry lobby.


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A Variety of Challenges Have Hindered Reefer Container Volumes in 2022
Everyone in the supply chain industry has experienced their fair share of challenges, and that’s no different for those in the cold chain industry. A variety of challenges, such as elevated ocean freight rates, inconsistent service, and equipment shortages, have played a part in hindering reefer container volumes this year.
Impact This Has on the Cold Chain
In the first five months of this year, overall U.S. containerized refrigerated (reefer) volumes dropped 21.8 percent, mainly due to export weakness and supply chain challenges, the Journal of Commerce (JOC) reports.
Additionally, the national average cold warehouse vacancy fell to 3.4 percent in July, which is down from 4 percent in January and on top of that, national rents have rose 27 percent – at about $10 per square foot during this same period. Which, interestingly enough, gross refrigerated storage capacity has only increased by 2.2 percent since 2020, data from the JOC shows.
Container Shortages, Spotty Service
Reefer container supply remains strained, with some reefers being stuck at warehouses or ports after being pulled into service, carrying dry cargo during the peak of the pandemic. While others had to be pulled out of service completely due to damage from China’s use of chlorine to disinfect inbound containers from COVID-19.
Now, containers are sitting on trains and warehouses and it’s taking those containers out of the market – causing a tight supply of refrigerated containers.
Additionally, there’s been other shortages including shortages of assets, generator-equipped chassis, and the lack of cold storage capacity near ports. All of these issues have limited the overseas reach of U.S. exporters of perishables and other temperature-sensitive products, the JOC reports.
Ports and Others are Investing in Additional Assets
Ports and other organizations are investing in more assets to help improve and relieve some of the pressure that reefer shippers are facing.
Philadelphia is a major gateway for fresh food imports into the U.S. They have actually been an outlier in the overall downtrend in reefer volumes, with seeing imports rising 17.4 percent in the first five months of this year, as the JOC notes.
Sean Mahoney, Director of Marketing at the port said they attribute the growth in part to the opening of several “repacking” warehouses near the port. The port also has plans to build a 200,000 square foot refrigerated warehouse near the port – which already has around 360,000 square feet of on-dock cold storage. As well as plans for adding to its 2,500 reefer plugs, in the future.
Those additions, which are geared towards the specific needs of cold-chain shippers, have brought more of them into the region, Mahoney says. Something also to note, Philadelphia is the only U.S. port that has an on-dock U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection site.
Should you have any questions regarding this and how it could impact your shipments, please reach out to our team today. Additionally, we have our weekly market updates that can provide you with relevant freight news, updates, developments across the industry, and more.


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Copper prices fell Wednesday as declining premiums and rising inventories showed signs of weaker-than-expected demand in China, the world’s largest consumer of metals.
Three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange fell 0.8% to $ 8,975.50 a tonne by 07:15 GMT, while May’s most traded copper on the Shanghai Futures Exchange fell 0.5% to 66,900 yuan (US $ 10,226.86) per ton.
Yangshan premium copper SMM-CUYP-CN last stood at $ 57 / t, the lowest since November 30, 2020, indicating low demand for imported copper in China, where consumption is expected to be high in the second quarter.
Meanwhile, stocks in LME and ShFE warehouses are growing.
“Currently, as copper prices are still relatively high, purchases in the downstream segment are still not very high,” Huatai Futures said in a note.
“But with the onset of the peak season, purchases in the refining and distribution segment will gradually begin to recover, and the drawdown in the second quarter is still a relatively high event,” they said.
The fall in metal prices also came amid fears of a tightening of policy in China after recent strong economic data from the world’s second largest economy, which has already put pressure on the stock market.
* Aluminum on the London Metal Exchange fell 0.75% to $ 2,253 per tonne, nickel remained virtually unchanged at $ 16,735 per tonne, while tin rose 0.6% to $ 25,970 per tonne.
* Aluminum ShFE fell 0.5% to RMB 17,460 / t, tin fell 0.6% to RMB 184,820 / t and zinc rose 0.3% to RMB 21,865 / t.
Refined tin production by major Indonesian tin producer PT Timah is expected to decline 25.6% to 34,000 tons per year in 2021, while sales of the product are expected to fall 44.4% per year to 31,000 tons this year, the spokesman said. companies.
* However, Indonesia’s refined tin exports jumped 33.1% in March from 6,043.21 tonnes a year earlier.
Source: Reuters (May Nguyen report; editing by Uttaresh V. and Sherri Jacob-Phillips and Kirsten Donovan)


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SEOUL, Feb. 10 (Korea Bizwire) – K-pop giants Big Hit Entertainment and YG Entertainment as well as global music powerhouse Universal Music Group have inked a partnership to nurture a streaming platform aimed at helping artists go global, the companies said Wednesday.
Big Hit, the agency behind global sensation BTS, said YG and Universal have agreed to invest together in KBYK Live — a joint venture established by Big Hit and U.S. streaming service provider Kiswe.
With the deal, the three companies plan to showcase their artists and a range of musicians on VenewLive, a streaming platform ran by KBYK Live, to help them reach a global audience, they said.
The move is expected to strengthen their artist portfolios, which include A-list K-pop acts like BTS, BLACKPINK, Big Bang, Seventeen and AKMU.
Universal Music, meanwhile, manages several labels under its wing, such as Interscope Records, Capitol Music and Republic Records, which represent pop stars Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and Maroon 5.
The deal is the latest in ongoing efforts for agencies and labels to bolster their platforms to reach more listeners.
In May, Big Hit signed a deal with Kiswe and has collaborated for digital events like BTS’ successful online concert “BANGBANGCON The Live.” In September, the two companies launched the joint venture KBYK Live and platform VenewLive.
The livestreaming platform provided 4K/HD-quality streaming for fans watching concerts from home as well as new features like multi-view streaming and live chatting.
KBYK Live said it plans to expand the features to merchandising and enhanced chatting for a more customized viewing experience.
“VenewLive has already live-streamed several large-scale performances last year and provided unique immersive fan concert experiences that can be offered through our cutting-edge technologies, including 6-angle multi-views, 4K resolution, and various interactive features,” said KBYK Live CEO John Lee, adding “Our technology will be the basis for enabling fans to feel closer to artists, and help artists express their energy on a digital stage.”
“We are delighted to join Big Hit, YG and Kiswe as partners in KBYK as we look to help further evolve the opportunities and live streaming experiences for UMG artists and their fans today, and into the future,” said Boyd Muir, Universal Music Group vice president, chief financial officer and president of operations.
“This past year has shown that the need for reliable and innovative live-streaming has never been greater. VenewLive offers some of the most creative and memorable opportunities for today’s artists to globalize their art and performances, tailored to enhance the community and fan-experience.”


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Shares of cloud computing leader Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) have surged roughly 20% since the beginning of the year. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 is barely breaking even over the same stretch. And the tech sector at-large, represented by the Nasdaq, is up just more than 6%. Here's a look at why Salesforce is pulling away from the market so far in 2018.
AI is trending; analysts are fawning
For starters, Salesforce shares came out of the gates strong in January, climbing 11% during the month. It was potentially due to the company's announcement of a partnership with IBM (NYSE: IBM) related to artificial intelligence (AI) and a stock upgrade by Barclays analyst Raimo Lenschow. AI is such a hot topic right now, that the mere mention of it could have impacted the market's longer term opinion of Salesforce's growth potential. And the combination of the acronyms AI and IBM is important, as Salesforce is both collaborating with and emulating IBM in its creation of "Einstein," a product with artificial intelligence that brings to mind IBM's well-known "Watson." Salesforce sees Einstein as instrumental in making its customers better at their jobs -- i.e., closing sales, managing customer relationships -- and therefore creating a deeper relationship with large corporate clients. The upgrade by Barclays meanwhile, was noteworthy because it was part of a trend of analysts increasingly fawning over this stock. The total percent of analysts recommending Salesforce as a "strong buy" went from 88% to 93% during the last month. For more context, one analyst thinks it's a "moderate buy" and one thinks it's a "hold." None consider it a "sell."
Salesforce records biggest quarter ever
Salesforce pulled away from the market even more in February, primarily due to its announcement of record fourth-quarter results. Revenue for the quarter came in at $2.85 billion, a 24% increase over the $2.29 billion in the same period of the previous year. The company eclipsed the $10 billion mark in revenue for the year. More impressively, Salesforce generated $20 billion in backlogged contracts -- classified as both deferred revenue and unbilled deferred revenue -- which provides some visibility to revenue in the years ahead. Salesforce's service cloud -- one of four $1 billion-plus revenue cloud offerings -- was a key driver of growth in the quarter. It's smaller than the sales cloud, but indicates an important trend for the company's future: Salesforce is increasingly capable of cross-selling major customers from what I would call its "gateway" cloud (sales) to its service and marketing solutions. Successful cross-selling indicates customers are satisfied with the relationship, it creates a "stickier" customer base, and it involves less marketing spend for Salesforce. Analysts and investors love to see all of these things moving in a positive direction.
Salesforce's breadth of success will be hard to beat
Finally, Salesforce has its sights set on $20 billion in revenue sometime between 2020 and 2022. On the conference call, the company's president and COO said the latest quarter was evidence the company was "hurtling down the highway toward $20 billion." At the moment, it's hard to disagree, no matter the type of investor. Salesforce is a darling of the tech sector because it's maintained top-line average revenue growth of 30% for five years. Value investors like it for its expanding "economic moat", which is primarily attributable to high switching costs for customers and the network effect created by data and AI. And investors keen on exceptional leadership and company culture can get on-board with the fact that Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff is recognized in the top 15 of Glassdoor's "Highest Rated CEOs" list and the company is Fortune's No. 1 Company to Work for in 2018.
The most important thing(s)
Truth be told, there's not one thing driving Salesforce's stock higher. There's a variety of very important things I would summarize as follows: a cloud product in high demand, a suite of complementary products that create an ecosystem, and a workforce that's well-trained to use predictive data to serve and cross-sell that entire suite.
As any great CEO will say, the results in a single quarter are not the result of work done in that quarter; it's the effect of work done and decisions made quarters -- even years -- prior. Salesforce's recent momentum is a result of the company reaping what it's been sowing for a long time.
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Isaac Pino, CPA has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. His clients may have positions in the stocks discussed. The Motley Fool is short shares of IBM. The Motley Fool recommends Salesforce.com. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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Articles about iPhone 14
13 Nov 2022Apple
Apple is set to introduce Emergency SOS via satellite for both Pro and non-Pro models of the iPhone 14 series later this month.
18 Oct 2022Apple
Owners of the iPhone 14 line-up cannot seem to catch a break.
11 Oct 2022iOS 16
Apple has released iOS 16.0.3 update for iPhone users, globally.
07 Oct 2022Apple
Apple's iPhone 14 Plus model is now up for grabs in India starting at Rs. 89,900.
01 Oct 2022Apple
Apple's latest flagship model, the iPhone 14 Pro, has received top scores in DXOMARK's camera test for the selfie camera and video performance.
24 Sep 2022Apple iPhone
The iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max come with a hidden toggle that allows users to turn on the black-and-white Always-on Display mode on their devices.
24 Sep 2022iOS 16
Apple has released a much-needed iOS update in response to the surmounting issues reported in the latest iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models.
23 Sep 2022Apple
When Apple announced its new iPhone 14 range with 'Crash Detection,' the company may not have thought of the lengths people would go to test whether the feature works or not.
17 Sep 2022Apple
Are you one of those who bought the latest iPhone 14 and found your iMessage and FaceTime riddled with bugs? Apple has a solution for you all.
16 Sep 2022A15 Bionic
Apple's latest iPhones including the iPhone 14, 14 Pro, and 14 Pro Max are now on sale in India, along with the Watch Series 8, SE, and Ultra.
09 Sep 2022Apple
The iPhone 14 series is now up for pre-ordering in India. The devices can be reserved via Apple's official e-store.
07 Sep 2022Apple
Apple has introduced its most-awaited iPhone 14 series, consisting of the iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, and 14 Pro Max models.
05 Sep 2022Apple
Apple is all set for its in-person event on September 7, where it will unveil the iPhone 14, 14 Max, 14 Pro, and 14 Pro Max.
03 Sep 2022Xiaomi
September is always an exciting month for tech enthusiasts because we get to see the latest iPhones from Apple.
31 Aug 2022Apple
Apple is all set to launch as many as four handsets as part of the iPhone 14 series on September 7. The line-up will include the regular 14, 14 Max, 14 Pro, and 14 Pro Max models.
30 Aug 2022Apple
Apple is all set to announce its next-generation iPhone 14 line-up on September 7.
29 Aug 2022Apple
Apple is gearing up to announce a host of new products at its "Far Out" launch event on September 7.
24 Aug 2022Amazon
As Apple's iPhone 14 nears release, retailers have started lowering the price of the iPhone 13.
23 Aug 2022Apple
Apple is likely to begin manufacturing the iPhone 14 in India around November, in a bid to reduce its reliance on China for manufacturing needs.
18 Aug 2022Apple
Apple is known for hosting a big launch event in the first half of September. This year, we could see the new iPhone 14 line-up.
05 Aug 2022Foxconn
Apple will ship the all-new iPhone 14 from India and China "almost simultaneously" in the second half of this year, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
21 Apr 2022Apple
Imagine an iPhone without the wide notch on the display. According to reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, we wouldn't have to imagine that for long.
14 Mar 2022iOS
Apple's next-generation Pro-monikered iPhones, likely to be called the iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max, will be the only handsets in the upcoming line-up to get an upgraded A16 chipset, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
26 Jun 2021Apple
Apple is expected to unveil its iPhone 14 series in the second half of 2022. As per a new investor note shared by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the line-up will include the vanilla iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, Max, and Pro Max models.


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Google has confirmed that various iterations of its stalwart Chromebook will soon be available in approximately 6,600 stores around the world.
“Walmart will be making the newest Acer Chromebook, which has a 16GB Solid State Drive (SSD), available in approximately 2,800 stores across the U.S., for just $199,” Google exec David Shapiro wrote in a blog post earlier this week.
“Beginning this weekend, Staples will bring a mix of Chromebooks from Acer, HP and Samsung to every store in the U.S.—more than 1,500 in total. You can also purchase via Staples online, while businesses can purchase through the Staples Advantage B2B program. In the coming months, select Office Depot, OfficeMax, and regional chains Fry’s and TigerDirect locations will begin selling Chromebooks.”
Chromebooks are powered by Google’s web-centric Chrome OS, shipping either with SSDs or more traditional hard drives. As Liliputing’s Brad Linder notes, the SSDs allow the Chromebook to boot and resume from sleep quickly.
“On the one hand, it’s easy to look at Chromebook as little more than cheap laptops that keep the price down by shipping with Google software instead of Windows. On the other hand, once you spend some time with a Chromebook, you start to think about the way you use a computer differently,” Linder explained.
“Since most Chromebooks resume from sleep just about as fast as you can open the lid, they feel almost like ‘always-on’ devices like a smarpthone or a tablet. And since Chrome OS stores your data, settings, and other files in the cloud, you can easily pick up where you left off on another device — even an Android, Windows, or OS X device if you have the Chrome web browser installed.”
Google’s web-centric Chrome operating system debuted on July 7, 2009, with the first Intel-based Chromebooks shipping on June 15, 2011.


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News • Jul 01, 2019 13:50 GMT
How would you trace and authenticate unique and valuable products within the healthcare and pharmaceutical supply chain? Panalpina’s hacker team took a stab at creating real-world blockchain solutions to share data within and across enterprises.
News • May 24, 2019 08:15 GMT
A team of Panalpina IT developers from Basel and Lisbon will take a crack at creating solutions for better traceability and authentication within pharma product supply chains. They will take up the challenge to advance real-world blockchain solutions and join other competing teams at the Swiss Blockchain Hackathon being held from June 21 to 23, 2019 at the Trust Square blockchain hub in Zurich.
News • Apr 24, 2019 09:00 GMT
From predictive analytics to drone technology, digital technologies are disrupting global supply chains and challenging logistics providers to up their game in shipment visibility and last-mile delivery. Ten startups had the opportunity to pitch their latest ideas at the LogTech Innovation Day, jointly organized by Panalpina and Plug and Play. Here’s a roundup of the event.
Innovator teams battle it out in Panalpina’s first Kickbox to develop new digital solutions for logistics
News • Mar 04, 2019 14:15 GMT
An algorithm for potential lost customer control in logistics was the winner in the first Kickbox organized by the Panalpina Digital Hub, Panalpina HR and Zurich-based incubator BlueLion. The winning entry came from the team Capture+ from Panalpina Switzerland, which was among three finalists that pitched their Kickbox ideas to a jury in Basel on February 26.
News • Feb 26, 2019 11:00 GMT
Panalpina is pleased to join Cargo sous terrain (CST), the Swiss-led consortium set to transform logistics and propel the industry into digitalization. As a shareholder, Panalpina will seek representation on the CST supervisory board and adopt a leading role in developing the CST logistics system and sharing expert know-how.
News • Aug 29, 2018 12:50 GMT
The Digital Hub is tasked with exploring disruptive technologies and developing new digital solutions for customers as well as realizing business opportunities for Panalpina. In an interview with innoFRAtor, a platform by Fraport, Air Cargo News and German publication DVZ, Panalpina’s Luca Graf explains the reasons for setting up the new business unit and how it can add value for customers.


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- Eight Core Industries have recorded growth of 5.2 % in June’16, a rebound from 2.8% growth in May. Its cumulative growth for Q1’FY17 stands at 5.4%, much higher than the growth of 2.5% in Q1’FY16. The growth remains constrained by performance of crude oil and natural gas which continue to record decline in production. The core sectors are the building blocks and provide input to the rest of the industrial sector and its improved growth indicates expected improvement in the performance of other segments also.
- It is turning out to be a good quarter for Corporate India in terms of financial performance for quarter ended June’16. Most of the companies have reported an improvement in profits. Among the major companies, Maruti Suzuki reported 23% increase in profits to Rs 1,486 crore aided by sales growth of 12%. Both ACC, Ambuja cement, reported sharp increase of more than 75% in profits. For JSW Steel, the increase was phenomenal at 52 times led by 92% increase in EBITDA. Airtel is among the few large corporate recording decline is profits which fell by 30% even though revenues increased by 8%.
- Within Banking sector, PSBs have largely recorded a decline in profits whereas their private sector counterpart have seen impressive results. Yet, the results are better than that for March’16, when most of them had reported huge losses. PNB reported profits of Rs 306 crore, lower by more than 50% over June’15, yet far better than the loss of more than Rs 5,000 crore in March’16. Yes Bank reports 33% increase in profits.
- Startups continue to go through the phase of churning with the purchase of Jabong, loss making online fashion retailer, by Myntra. Myntra, itself was bought by Flipkart about two years back and has managed to sustain itself. However, whether the acquisition will be value accretive remains a big question for the parent company, Flipkart, which itself is undergoing a painful restructuring exercise and suffered valuation downgrade over last few quarters.
- In an interesting case of legal tangle, Tata Sons fights to honor its commitment to NTT Docomo, the Japanese telecom company. Tata Sons had agreed to buyback the stake from Docomo at a pre-agreed price, which is much higher than the market price. However, RBI has refused permission to do so as the existing Indian laws prohibit such sale/purchase. As an interim measure, the company has agreed to deposit $ 1.2 bn in Delhi High Court. (More on this, later)
- International – Verizon Communications announced the acquisition of Yahoo!’s core internet business for a consideration of $ 4.8 bn, bringing curtains down on the two decade old company. Yahoo! has been among the pioneers of the internet revolution and its fall, having reached a market capitalization of more than $100 bn, reflects the short life span of web based companies and the vulnerability of their business model.
- Japanese government continues its battle to pop up the economy with release of $ 265 bn stimulus package, nearly 6% of its GDP. The stimulus would certainly come at the cost of increase in its debt/GDP ratio, another battle, the country had been fighting for long now.
(Image courtesy of ddpavumba at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)
- The results season for quarter ended June’16 begins. It looks like not-so-good FY17 beginning for IT majors with both Infosys and TCS reporting pressure on margins. While consolidated sales grew by modest 1.2% and 3% on sequential basis, net profit decline by 4.5% and 0.4% respectively. On the other hand, Reliance Industries had a bumper quarter with profits rising by sharp 18% y-o-y, even though net revenue decline by 15% due to lower crude prices. (More on this, later)
We are precisely in the middle of the year..! Time for everyone to take stock.. 🙂
The weekly highlights are –
- RBI releases its Bi-annual Financial Stability report. The report paints a mixed picture where even though the number of “weak” companies has come down, the risk to banking sector has increased. (More on this, in another piece).
- Britain wakes up to the news of ‘Brexit’ with a narrow 51.9 – 48.1% vote..! The exit, specially in the backdrop of polarized election campaign in the US, seems to indicate growing isolationism the world around, shrugging off the economic costs. Even though the Brits leave with an awareness of certain pain of departure, the pain could be more severe and last longer than being assumed. Markets across the world including India react with shock. Pound falls by more than 10% before recovering partially. British Prime Minister, a supporter of staying-in, says he would not be the right person to lead the country through this transition and would step down by October. The unsettling questions now is – Can this trigger further exits within EU. (More on this – https://indiaeconomyandbusiness.com/2016/06/22/brexit/)
- Inflation figures for May’16 released. CPI based inflation rose to 5.76%, second consecutive month of increase after witnessing moderation till March’16 primarily due to increasing food prices. Similarly, WPI based inflation also rose to 0.79%, second month of increase after remaining in the negative zone for more than a year. It may be noted that RBI kept its policy rates constant last week due to fear of rising inflation.
- The week’s highlight was the news from banking sector. While SBI initiates process for merger of its associate banks, PNB shocks with more than Rs 5,000 crore loss in Q4’ 16.
- A week of hectic activity in the Parliament as a number of bills get passed including the Finance bill’ 2016-17, popularly known as “Budget”.


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Global shortages of computer chips are getting worse, causing automakers to temporarily shut down factories, including those that make popular pickup trucks.
General Motors announced Thursday it would suspend production at eight North American plants over the next two weeks. This includes two that produce the top-selling Chevrolet Silverado pickup.
Ford will cease making pickups at the Kansas City Assembly Plant over the next two weeks. Two more Dearborn, Michigan and Louisville, Kentucky truck plants will cut shifts.
These cuts will add to the already tight supply of vehicles, trucks, and SUVs at dealers nationwide. This has pushed prices up to new records. The August inventory of U.S. dealers was just below a million, 72% less than August’s 3.58 million.
Jeff Schuster, president, global vehicle forecasting, LMC Automotive (a consulting company), stated that “it now appears to have accelerated in the wrong direction.”
According to industry analysts, the new coronavirus delta has caused severe illness in some chip factories in Southeast Asia. This has forced some plants to close. This has worsened an already severe shortage of chips that had been improving in the summer.
Kevin Roberts, Cargurus.com director of industry insight, stated that “now the prospects for new sales continue to dime with the reality tight inventory will last well into 2020.”
The demand for trucks, SUVs, and other automobiles is strong but buyers are becoming frustrated by a lack of inventory, high prices, and a lack of availability. According to J.D., U.S. light vehicle sales dropped nearly 18% in August, compared to a year earlier. However, the average vehicle sold price was over $41,000, which is a record according J.D. Power.
Ford’s F-Series trucks sales fell by nearly 23% in the last month.
Schuster was forced to reduce his U.S. sales forecast to 15.7million because of the August sales slump and inventory shortages. Sales had averaged around 17 million annually before the pandemic.
Schuster stated that consumers who are in dire need of a vehicle change don’t have many options because dealer stock is so limited. Many people have abandoned the market due to difficulty finding the right vehicle for them. Others find that the price of a vehicle is prohibitive and they are unable to afford it.
GM will close pickup truck factories in Fort Wayne, Indiana and Silao Mexico for a week beginning Monday. Two weeks will be spent closing a plant in Wentzville that produces large pickup trucks and large vans. Other plants producing small and midsize SUVs are expected to remain idle for at least two weeks.
“These scheduling adjustments are driven by the continuing parts shortages caused in part by semiconductor supply constraints from international market experiencing COVID-19 related restrictions,” GM stated in a statement.
These cuts are in addition to the temporary plant closings previously announced by Toyota, Nissan, and Stellantis.
Stellantis’ Ram truck assembly plant at Sterling Heights, Michigan was shut down this week by a chip shortage. Two weeks of downtime has occurred at Stellantis’ Belvidere in Illinois small-SUV and minivan plants in Windsor, Ontario.
Toyota announced that it would reduce production in Japan and North America by at least 40% over the next two-months, resulting in a reduction of 360,000 vehicles globally in September.
Nissan announced mid-August that it would close its massive factory in Smyrna (Tennessee) due to chip shortages. Now, the closure will be for four weeks.
There’s some good news. Ford reported that its overall production increased 76% between July and August. However, it is not clear how long this trend will last.


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May cold storage facility daw Food terminal to rise in Panay island
A new P11.8-million regional food terminal is being eyed to bridge the gap between farmers and consumers in Panay Island in Western Visayas.
The project includes a solar-powered cold storage facility with 12-cubic-meter capacity, office and training center, and delivery vehicles.
Located in San Miguel in Iloilo, the terminal was inaugurated last Feb. 7, to improve the marketing system of the farmers especially in upland towns.
It allows upland farmers in Panay to sell their products directly to the consumers.
Ricardo Doce, president of the Federated Farmers Association of San Miguel, said this would help increase the income of local farmers.
Jose Pepe Caoyonan, chairman of San Miguel Farmers’ Cooperative, added the project will mean lesser expenses in transporting farm products to Iloilo City.
Meanwhile, the food terminal will also eliminate the problems on traders and middlemen who dictate the prices for the farmers, Department of Agriculture Region 6 Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division head Maria Teresa Solis said.
The terminal is part of KOICA’s Panay Island Upland Sustainable Rural Development Project (PIU-SRDP) with the DA-6, which aims to provide a direct market link between food producers and consumers.
DA 6 Regional Executive Director Remelyn Recoter said the projects granted by KOICA will solve the different marketing problems of farmers in Western Visayas.
KOICA and DA also put up Bayanihan Tipon Centers (BTCs in Libacao and Madalag in Aklan; Patnongon, Sebaste, and Tobias Fornier in Antique; Jamindan and Tapaz in Capiz; and Alimodian, Lambunao, and Tubungan in Iloilo.
KOICA also provided a P20-million loan fund which can be used by different farmers’ groups and individual farmers for their marketing related activities.
Dr. Yoon Haejin of KOICA said Iloilo is the pilot for the project in the whole Philippines.
“Iloilo is a model project and this is the first time in the Philippines. With this kind of system, we hope that it can also be replicated to other areas in the Philippines,” he said.


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Simply Amish Receives Award From B&O Railroad Museum
Furniture Industry News Update -
Simply Amish owner Kevin Kauffman recently accepted an award from B&O Railroad Museum Executive Director Courtney Wilson. Simply Amish manufactures furniture, and licenses the name "B&O" for a collection of dining, bed, and occasional pieces whose angles and arches salute the iconic railroad.
Wilson paid tribute to Kauffman with "The royalties received through our licensing program with Simply Amish have been invaluable. We can't thank you enough for your philanthropic work."
Kauffman was also given a wooden pen, whose wood was reclaimed from a steam locomotive that was destroyed in a roof collapse at the museum.
One of the museum' s mandates, according to Wilson, is to serve as an educational resource that supports literacy and educational efforts for young children in the region surrounding the museum.
Kauffman added, "Many of our Amish craftsman travel longer distances by rail. We're all rail fans who marvel at the Western expansion of America, which was greatly aided by 19th century
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