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Egypt s PM Mostafa Madbouly in his meeting on Monday in Cairo with General Motors officials. Photo : Egyptian cabinet
During his meeting Monday evening with CEO of Al-Mansour Automotive Ankush Arora along with a host of officials, Madbouly also lauded cooperation with GM over the past period.
For his part, Arora said that GM believes in Egypt's distinguished capabilities in the automotive industry.
GM sold 90 percent of what it produces locally in the Egyptian market, he said, adding that the company pumped $ 90 million in direct investments into Egypt in 2018.
From 2018 to 2022, the company invested about $ 15 million in Egypt, he went on to say.
He further gave an overview of the company's plans to pump investments worth $ 16 million into a program for the manufacture of new models in Egypt.


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Whoa, hold your horses, what's this? We found some unexpected new tech in Tango.
This appears to be PrimeSense's new Capri PS1200 SoC 3D imaging chip, unexpected for a couple of reasons:
Just last year, Apple bought PrimeSense, manufacturer of the Kinect's 3D vision hardware. Speculators assumed we would be seeing this hot new hardware in an upcoming iOS device, with intent of mapping 3D spaces. Looks like Tango beat Apple to the punch with their own tech?
Also interesting, Movidius has been getting plenty of time in the spotlight lately, as the ultra-low-power successor to PrimeSense's 3D throne, finally a solution for mobile devices. So what's PrimeSense doing here, alongside Movidius?
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domain: news


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Soitec‘s Smart Cut™ technology, best known for its role as the leading technology for producing SOI wafers, is now being leveraged to produce GaN substrates for high-performance LED lighting applications. Following a successful pilot line announced last year, Sumitomo Electric will now industrialize the product and invest in Smart Cut technology. Yoshiki Miura, general manager of the Compound Semiconductor Materials Division at Sumitomo Electric, said, “By combining the two innovative technologies – Soitec’s Smart Cut technology and our high-quality, large-diameter, free-standing GaN substrates – we are able to offer a high-value proposition to our LED customers. Soitec’s unique material-transfer technology enables the reuse of GaN wafers several times, achieving a substantial reduction in the cost of high-quality GaN materials to serve high-volume applications.”
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Monaco RV LLC has announced its partnership with American RV of Grand Rapids Mich.
American RV is a premier dealer of new, used and rental RVs, offering an expansive inventory selection and showroom, according to a news release. With a 17-bay modern service facility staffed by certified technicians, the dealership also boasts a state-of-the-art research and special order parts department, overnight onsite parking and sanitation facilities.
“We are extremely honored and pleased to partner with such a tremendous organization as American RV,” said Josh Ciernia, national sales manager for Monaco. “American RV and its associates operate a first-class dealership that is nationally respected and provides unequalled customer service and service after the sale. The team at American RV has demonstrated their commitment to the Monaco brand and we are excited about the future ahead and joining forces with American RV to bring the best recreational vehicles to our mutual customers.”
“I am very confident and have seen firsthand how Monaco is building the best coach in the industry today,” said John Monterusso, American RV motorhome sales manager after recent visit to Monaco RV’s manufacturing facilities in Oregon. “The teams at Monaco, with the assistance of Navistar, are all on the same page, putting quality, innovation and growth as motive No. 1. Accountability is in full force, from the production line, the innovation process to inspections at work station to work station. Monaco RV has implemented Navistar proven quality practices in both their Indiana and Oregon production facilities. Navistar has one of the largest fleets of trucks and buses on the road in the world.
“They are built to be driven and reliable. Navistar’s belief, as well as Monaco RV’s, is to build a coach that starts with quality, reducing warranty claims and keeps the end user on the road traveling.”
For more information about American RV their products and services, visit www.americanrv.com.
For more information about Monaco products, visit www.monacocoach.com.


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But in which we expend our funds matters, also, and the recent source-chain disruptions are providing us a flavor of what will happen if Amazon manages to push all the community stores out of business enterprise and leaves us at the mercy of a logistics process that was fragile even prior to the pandemic. If we want these expensive community spots to survive, we have to invest funds there, during the holidays much more than ever.
I was in Parnassus last week to invest in a copy of a new guide by Ann Patchett. Not “These Treasured Days,” the e-book of essays she has coming out afterwards this month, but a very small reserve about the heritage of the shop, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary on Nov. 15. “The Shop Puppies of Parnassus” tells the story of how Ms. Patchett and Karen Hayes, a former sales rep for Random Household, established the retail store in 2011.
By then all the impartial bookstores in Nashville, not to point out the Borders chain, experienced absent out of enterprise, killed by the online goliath. But Ms. Patchett and Ms. Hayes dependable Nashville to assistance a retail outlet that was just the proper dimension — modest and cozy, with cozy chairs, lovingly picked out guides and, possibly most crucially, pet dogs. Canines who supply their bellies for rubbing and who will patiently listen to a kid browse them a story and in some cases even leap by a hula hoop.
“The Shop Dogs of Parnassus” was revealed in a constrained version to reward the Parnassus Basis, which purchases publications for little ones who can’t find the money for them. It’s a charming tale, and I wasn’t the only one in the shop that early morning to decide up a copy. As I was browsing close to the back again, I overheard a shopper up entrance reminiscing about Bear, the considerably-missed combined breed who wore a diaper and parked himself at the front doorway, the store’s unofficial greeter.
Sissy Gardner, who is the assistant flooring supervisor at Parnassus, and who belonged to the late Bear, climbed down off the ladder exactly where she was shelving publications. “Would you like a pair of Bear earrings?” she asked the client. “We’ve stopped advertising them, but we even now give them absent to folks who loved Bear.”
That’s how it operates at any neighborhood bookshop. The really like goes in all directions — circling back and forth amongst writers and readers and booksellers and even aged canine carrying diapers. What more could a man or woman want this holiday break period than to store in a put surrounded by appreciate?


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The European Commission (“EC”) recently fined Google €2.42 billion, ruling that Google abused its market dominance in one market, internet search, to illegally advantage itself in a separate market, the comparison shopping market.
The EC asserts that Google stifled competition by giving prominent placement to Google Shopping in its search results and demoting rival shopping services. The EC points to a large traffic increase for Google Shopping and a sharp decrease for rivals as evidence that competition was harmed. Google’s appeal contends that the EC has not adequately accounted for competition from merchant platforms like Amazon and has misconstrued its quality-improving efforts as abusive leverage. In the United States, Google is facing similar scrutiny from the Missouri Attorney General and calls for the Federal Trade Commission to reopen its investigation of Google’s search practices.
A key point of contention is whether comparison shopping platforms like Google Shopping, which display advertising from online sellers, constitute a separate market from merchant platforms like Amazon that sell directly to consumers. The EC views them as separate markets. Google argues that Google Shopping is a pro-competitive force in a wider market, allowing smaller online merchants to compete with large sellers like Amazon. Google claims that Amazon’s rapid expansion in EU countries explains the sharp drop in traffic to other shopping websites.
Further complicating antitrust analysis is the difficulty of quantifying consumer harm when Google’s search services are free. The EC emphasizes the loss of choice and future innovation, citing evidence that, by a large margin, consumers click only on the first ten search results and rarely click on results not shown on the first page. Consumer welfare is allegedly harmed because rivals cannot gain enough visibility to thrive. However, the link between the EC’s evidence and alleged consumer harm cannot be assumed. Consumers may directly query other shopping websites in addition to Google. They may well understand that Google has an incentive to promote its own products; Google Shopping results are clearly labelled as advertising. Consumers also may value Google Shopping results if they allow consumers to connect more quickly with what they are seeking.
Analysis of both issues, market definition and the assessment of consumer harm, will be aided by a better understanding of consumer behavior. Behavioral questions include which platforms consumers view as substitutes for different types of search, how many platforms they typically query for a single searches, and whether they expect or value neutral search results.


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Graycliff Honors FARM with Diamond Award
1 Minute Read
FARM was honored to receive the Diamond Award from our longtime partner, Graycliff. This award is presented to an organization or person that has had a significant impact on the mission of the Graycliff Conservancy. We were humbled to hear what a difference our partnership has made over the last five years.
We’re proud of the amazing work our team has done to bring the stories and splendor of Graycliff to Western New York and beyond.
FARM also has a deep connection to the organization. Our own Larry Robb is a descendent of the Larkins, whose Larkin Company gave Darwin Martin the means to hire Frank Lloyd Wright to build Graycliff. Fittingly, Larry has helped ensure Graycliff’s future by allowing his company, FARM, to tell the stories of these hallowed grounds and provide the financial support that Graycliff needs.
Congratulations to our fellow recipients Jim Charlier, Marion Schmidt, and Pat Mahoney for their continued support and dedication to Graycliff.
Please consider joining us this Thursday, October 22, for the Celebrate Graycliff Virtual Event where award recipients will be formally honored, along with performances by the Colored Musicians Club and an exciting online auction! If you’re unable to attend, but would like to lend support, please visit: https://www.experiencegraycliff.org/support-graycliff.
Cheers to celebrating Graycliff for years to come!
Maura Noonan 2 Minute ReadlinkedinMarketers and advertisers have strived to breathe agility into their yearly plans and strategies for decades. Living by the mantra “expect the unexpected,” such long-term forecasting requires us to be nimble when aiming to meet our...
Bryan LeFauve 3 Minute ReadlinkedinNo one is surprised that shopping habits have changed over the last few years. The rise of ecommerce and a market dominated by retail giants such as Amazon and Walmart have led to the majority of shoppers tracking their purchases to...
Jillian Cascarino 1 Minute ReadlinkedinWe’ve seen the health crisis bring out the best of us. This is evidenced by all of our local blood donors who have stepped up to donate with the help of our previous campaign. However, this is a race without a finish line. Not...


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[What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.]
JERSEY CITY — One of the most popular lodging choices for visitors to Manhattan is not actually in New York City. Just across the Hudson River in New Jersey, Airbnb and other home-sharing sites are booming, attracting travelers seeking less expensive places to stay.
Much of the growth is focused in Jersey City, a thriving community in Hudson County, which is among the top 30 revenue-generating counties in the nation for Airbnb hosts.
Now a recent law adopted by Jersey City limiting short-term rentals has made this flourishing market the latest front in the battle between Airbnb and public officials trying to find ways to impose rules on the home-sharing industry.
But unlike in other cities, such as in New York, where the company has gone to court to fight regulations, in Jersey City, Airbnb is trying a novel strategy: taking its case to voters.
Airbnb has mobilized a major political campaign to force a referendum this November, anticipating that voters, many of whom stand to make money from Airbnb or use it when they travel, would be sympathetic to its cause.
The ordinance passed by Jersey City last month reversed a law that four years ago had legalized home sharing. But since then concerns have grown that the expansion of Airbnb was depressing the availability of affordable housing and hurting the local hotel industry.
The law places a 60-day cap on the number of days a home can be rented if the owner does not live there and bars short-term rentals in buildings with more than four apartments.
“The goal in 2015 was home sharing, and I’m going to emphasize sharing, meaning that someone is going to rent out a room in their apartment,” the Jersey City mayor, Steven Fulop, said.
“What’s happened since then is it has set up this unregulated cottage industry of hotels and motels and bed-and-breakfasts, and it’s had a huge impact on quality of life issues, affordable housing issues.’’
To put a referendum about the law on the November ballot, supporters must collect 6,700 signatures by July 18. Though the petition drive was started by five residents critical of the law, their effort has gotten a significant boost from Airbnb.
For several weeks, canvassers paid by Airbnb have been blanketing parks, public transportation stations and busy streets to seek signatures.
“Thousands of residents may be in serious financial jeopardy, with some even at risk of foreclosure or bankruptcy — all because of the mayor’s new anti-short-term rental ordinance, crafted based on politics rather than sound policy,” Josh Meltzer, the head of policy in the Northeast for Airbnb, said in a statement.
The company became involved, he said, after Airbnb hosts had sought help to “push back against this ordinance.’’
“We gladly said yes,’’ he added.
Around the world, cities from Los Angeles to London are grappling with rapid expansion of the home-sharing industry and imposing rules aimed at regulating growth.
New York City, the biggest Airbnb market in the country, had tried to go a step further, requiring Airbnb and other home-sharing sites to provide monthly detailed information about their listings, including the identities and addresses of hosts. But in January a federal judge blocked the law after Airbnb and other sites sued.
Airbnb has tried the ballot route in San Francisco, where voters overturned a measure imposing limits on short-term rentals, and in San Diego, where officials rescinded a similar law after the petition drive began.
In Jersey City, the battle over short-term rentals has fractured the city. One camp includes the mayor and City Council, the hotel trades union and many residents of high-rise downtown buildings, who want tough regulations. Arrayed against them are Airbnb, homeowners, small businesses and real estate investors who operate Airbnb rentals.
Murat Ozsu started assembling a real-estate portfolio — from luxury high-rises to brownstone walk-ups — to use as short-term rentals after noticing the growing popularity in Jersey City. Soon, he had 30 units that rented for between $160 and $350 a night. His prospects seemed even better after New York City tried to enact stricter restrictions on Airbnb.
“If New York doesn’t allow it, and Jersey City does, well that’s just a gift to Jersey City,” Mr. Ozsu said.
“It was my intention to leave my job and make it my primary source of income,” said Mr. Ozsu, who works in financial technology. “And that’s when this ordinance came into being.”
Home sharing has jumped significantly in Jersey City, with around 3,100 listings now, up from 2,600 less than two years ago. Proximity to New York City is clearly a key marketing strategy — “Modern 3BR flat | Next to PATH, 10min to NYC,” read one listing.
And the ease of reaching New York comes up repeatedly in comments by renters.
“Super easy to access all of New York City,” wrote one renter of an apartment near the Grove Street PATH station.
Some elected officials worry that home-sharing sites will squeeze the housing market and push up rental costs in a city already confronting the forces of gentrification.
James Solomon, a councilman who represents much of downtown Jersey City, pointed to a national study from the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning group, that analyzed Airbnb’s effect on local housing costs and found the beneficiaries are disproportionately white and high-wealth households.
“This is about a big technology corporation trying to protect a vested interest,” Mr. Solomon said. “They’re making big money off turning my neighborhood into a giant hotel. And they’re trying to protect that revenue stream.”
In Jersey City’s Heights neighborhood, which borders Hoboken and offers access to numerous bus routes into Manhattan, residents who once welcomed Airbnb have shifted their views.
“I don’t think people are against Airbnb, they just want to see it being used as what they thought its intent was, which is to provide owners the opportunity to supplement their income,” said Brian Rans, a former president of Riverview Neighborhood Association.
Andrew Miller, a leader of the ballot-referendum campaign, said he plans to move into a larger home and wanted to turn his current home into a short-term rental to help pay his new mortgage.
“We were moving in the summer, but we won’t do it if Airbnb becomes illegal,” said Mr. Miller. “I don’t know where the exact happy medium is, but I think the Council people really rushed to judgment on this one.”
Mr. Miller said he first heard about the petition from Nadezhda Sexton, who has been among the most vocal proponents of putting the short-term rental law to a vote. She owns and lives in the building where she rents out a garden unit, meaning the new law does not apply to her.
Still, she believes the law is an example of government “behaving so capriciously.’’
“We’ve pivoted our lives to take a hold of this opportunity,” Ms. Sexton said.
Some business owners credit Airbnb for helping fuel a rebirth in some neighborhoods.
“Eventually, you’re going to reach a ceiling, but by having an infusion of Airbnb people coming in, it’s always changing and building,” said Charles Boyd, an owner of The Grind Shop, a coffee house in Bergen-Lafayette, a neighborhood that is inland from downtown’s bustling waterfront and has historically struggled with crime and poverty. It is now seeing an uptick in development, including its own nascent restaurant row.
“Every week, I get so many people that come in and they’re either on their way in with their suitcases and they’re waiting for the Airbnb to be available,” Mr. Boyd said, “or they’re leaving and they’re waiting for their Uber to come and pick them up.”
Mr. Fulop, the mayor, said he believes the petition drive will be successful and lead to a vote in the fall.
“But we’re going to fight them on it,’’ he said, “and I don’t intend on losing.”


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In the background of fragile economic times, slow growth and more than 220 million unemployed, the theme was appropriately called ‘Resilient Dynamism’ and attendees shared ideas on serious economic woes, financial scandals, rising unemployment, and dangers of environment, religious intolerance, gender inequity, poverty, and lack of education at the annual extravaganza.
What marked a departure was the invitation to the media to this haloed networking platform, absence of Google and the lack of glitz and glamor.
(Above): Kavita N. Ramdas, representative, Ford Foundation, India; Global Agenda Council on India during the session ‘India’s Growth Context’ at the Annual Meeting 2013 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 24. [Photo: Mirko Ries | World Economic Forum]
To partake in sessions, the India’s contingent, led by Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Kamal Nath, comprised of prominent others, the Home Minister, P. Chidambaram, Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Minister Praful Patel and Power Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, who strived to present India as the best investment destination especially in retail sector.
Besides making a pitch for the country the opportunity to explore partnerships or for simply selling products the Indian brigade included corporate honchos and industrialists like Mukesh Ambani of Reliance Industries Ltd, Rahul Bajaj of Bajaj Auto, Anand Mahindra of Mahindra & Mahindra, Adi Godrej of Godrej, Lakshmi Mittal of Arcelor-Mittal, Azim Premji of Wipro, Shyam Bhartiya of Jubilant, Malvinder Singh of Fortis Healthcare, Sunil Mittal of Bharti Enterprises and ICICI Bank CEO Chanda Kochhar.
(Above): Rahul Bajaj (l), chairman, Bajaj Auto, India speaks during the session ‘Turning Transparency into Growth’ at the Annual Meeting 2013 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 24. Jack B. Dunn, president and chief executive officer, FTI Consulting, USA listens. [Photo: Urs Jaudas | World Economic Forum]
The Indian road-show focused on the country recently opening up to hundred percent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in back end chain and allowed sourcing from any part of the country and all that laid the path for retail giants like Swedish firm, IKEA to propose Rs. 100 billion worth of investment in the country’s retail sector.
Assuring Walmart International CEO, Doug McMillon, and Tesco Chairman, Richard Broadbent, to foray into multi-brand retail sector Sharma exhorted, “When a policy is made, naturally investors would like greater clarity. India’s policy on FDI in multi-brand retail has finality and they need not be unduly concerned about any policy reversal.”
Another case of Indian deliberation was by Chidambaram who extolled on the country’s risk responses to the scourge of global terrorism that threatens world peace and security.
Giving a special hearing to this session were former Pakistani cricketer and chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Imran Khan, Audrey Kurth Cronin of the U.S. National War College, and Minhaj-ul-Quran International of U.K.’s Muhammad Tahir-Ul-Qadri.
(Above): Kamal Nath, Minister of Urban Development and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs of India gestures while speaking during the session ‘India’s Growth Context’ at the Annual Meeting 2013 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 24. [Photo: Mirko Ries | World Economic Forum]
The Indian Minister also highlighted rural management policies that the government applies to its agricultural sector that engages almost half of its more than a billion population.
He guaranteed foreign investors of the domestic stance on pro-growth reforms and policies, cutting subsidies, reducing fiscal deficit and opening up of insurance, retail and pension sectors to FDI along with adoption of a slew of tax simplification and stabilization measures.
As an enabler the cash-strapped government looks forward to $5 billion it hopes to raise from divestments in 2012-13 he revealed.
Also prior to leaving for Davos he had talked of increasing income tax collections by stepping up on a 360 degree profiling exercise of high net worth individuals that would track big ticket expenditure taking place in the economy.
Further, India found mention in the call for underscoring the importance of having gender equality and for greater realization of Indian women’s expectations for respect and justice as the International Monetary Fund MD Christine Lagarde evoked the name of Delhi’s recent rape victim.
However, as observers put it, the investor interest in India appears to have waned from last year when the country held a promise of economic succor also to the world.
As corruption and poor governance took center stage in the WEF meeting the main causes for India’s road-show lacking the shine was undeniably the stories of scams and retrograde and controversial tax regimes, downgrading by rating agencies, galloping fiscal deficit, slow decision making, and specter of growth figures not budging beyond the 5.7 percent mark emanating from the country.
Digging deeper in the reasons, Amnesty International’s Germany chair, Huguette Labelle categorically pointed out that India’s slow infrastructure development resulted from social instability and corrupt practices, and the country’s lack of commitment to implement UN Conventions against corruption.
The natural result was other emerging economies such as Indonesia, Japan, Africa and Latin American countries like Peru, Panama, Chile, Columbia, and Mexico gaining from where India has lost and thus stealing the WEF limelight.
Countering this opinion, Kamal Nath cautioned investors not to have unrealistic and high expectations from the Indian government.
(Above): Praful Patel, Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises of India gestures during the session ‘Forum Debate: Religion and Politics’ at the Annual Meeting 2013 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 25. [Photo: Mirko Ries | World Economic Forum]
Reiterating this Nath said, “There is a psyche that has developed that either there is bloom or doom. There is no middle path on expectations from India and therefore just a lull has been taken as doom. Because of this, even a small dip in growth rate in profits is perceived to be very bad as there has been very high growth in the past.”
“India’s infrastructure will see a trillion dollars worth of investment in coming five years and though there has to be government intervention, the best growth will be despite the government and not because of government,” he tried his hand at giving a rosy hue to the gloomy Indian investment scene.
Nath’s contention was with how academic investors feel those risks, as they may prevail in investing in emerging markets, the fact that emerging nations are not as impacted by one another as European nations are, do not negate the lure to invest.
Yet, considering that only one of the 260 sessions concentrated on India and not more than 20 speakers from the country were given a chance to address the WEF gathering, it only indicates India’s decreasing relevance.
Perhaps this should send a strong message to New Delhi that foreign sentiment on India will be positive only when it gets its act together on improving its investment climate by stepping up the pace of policy reform before sending polished speakers to make high-pitched presentations to attract foreign capital.


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(Reuters) – Nike Inc (NKE.N) on Friday warned of job cuts as the world’s largest footwear maker ramps up efforts to sell directly to customers through its online and retail channels.
The planned layoffs come after the company on Thursday reported a $790 million quarterly net loss, its first in more the two years, as its wholesale business bore the brunt of footwear retailers and department stores shutting down due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Shares of the Dow component were down 6% in morning trading on Friday.
“We are shifting resources and creating capacity to reinvest in our highest potential areas, and we anticipate our realignment will likely result in a net loss of jobs,” Nike said in an e-mail statement.
“Reductions are not being done for cost savings. Any savings will be reinvested into our priorities,” the footwear maker said.
Chief Executive Officer John Donahoe told analysts on Thursday the company would now aim for digital to account for 50% of its overall business, up from the 30% recorded in the reported quarter.
“Our vision is to create a clear and connected digital marketplace … So we’re accelerating our approach,” he said.
Donahoe, a former ServiceNow CEO and eBay executive, joined Nike earlier this year as the company was bolstering its direct-to-consumer business.
According to media company Complex, Donahoe in a letter to employees said the company does “not yet know how many jobs will be reduced, nor who will be specifically impacted.”
Credit: Gartner Daily Insights – Click here to view the article
More related articles: Nike’s Breakup with Amazon May Lead Other Brands to Call It Quits, Nike Takes Top Spot in Global Online Traffic, and Brick-and-Mortar, Digital Retailers Adjust Strategies in Wake of Coronavirus
Merchandising and Design Experts (MADE) specializes in trend forecasting and market positioning foresight for the fashion and retail market. Delivering researched and highly relevant insight on market conditions, emergent opportunities, and key products. MADE bespoke reports help clients to identify and capitalize on current and future market trends. For more information about these topics and market trends and strategy please contact MADE Trends.


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Russian “sub-sanctioned” cards in Turkey began to be accepted almost everywhere again. However, the commission still “bites”. Such data was published by Novye Izvestia. According to the estimates of the experts who named the commission, it will be at least 14%.
Tourists reported that signs in Russian began to appear in Turkish stores one after another, saying that here you can again pay with a card – both the Mir card and Russian cards of other payment systems, including all banks that are under sanctions. This opportunity is provided by the SigmaPay service, which was first tested in hotels, and now stores are also mastering it.
What is interesting, as the experts of the publication assure, who owns the company providing the service is unclear. Moreover: “The site, which works intermittently, contains the address of the company, but there is a parking lot at these coordinates.” Neither in Russia nor in Turkey has anyone officially signed up, so who provides tourists and Turkish businessmen with the opportunity to circumvent sanctions. However, judging by how the system works, the tourist does not risk anything. In addition to interest – and they bite.
The fact is that the service takes a 2% commission for the operation. Plus, about 12% is added to the price – they are added to the ruble to Turkish lira conversion rate. This is explained by the fact that the seller will receive the payment in a few weeks, and by then the rate may change. As a result, another 14% is added to the purchase price. As they explained to tourists “on the fingers”, for every 100 dollars you will have to pay another 14. What is still a “biting” rate, especially since it will cost less with cash.
Those who care about a healthy lifestyle , we recommend reading: “It has been established that obesity rebuilds the brain and people constantly want to eat.”
At the same time, tourists were assured on the pages of the publication that, judging by the current exchange rate of one of the popular exchange services in Turkey, 2Change, rubles are now changing in Turkey, even a little more profitable than dollars. If you buy dollars in Russia, fly to Turkey and buy lira there, you can get 2210 lira for 100 dollars. When exchanging the same amount in rubles, a little more will come out – 2225.


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China's government is responding to the latest tariffs levied by the Trump administration with its own set of tariffs targeting American soybeans, cars and other exports.
The Washington Post reports that Beijing announced a plan Wednesday to implement 25 percent tariffs on imports of U.S. soybeans, airplanes and automobiles in a package that totals about $50 billion of U.S. goods.
The Post reports that South Korea's main stock exchange slid more than 1 percent on the news, while European markets also opened lower as a result of the announcement.
The announcement comes just a day after the White House announced a similar $50 billion tariff package targeting China over what it says are unfair trade practices, with 25 percent tariffs being leveled on imports of Chinese electronics, shoes, furniture and other goods.
China on Sunday announced another tariff package targeting U.S. pork and fruit in response to President TrumpDonald TrumpKinzinger says Trump 'winning' because so many Republicans 'have remained silent' Our remote warfare counterterrorism strategy is more risk than reward Far-right rally draws small crowd, large police presence at Capitol MORE's decision to raise duties on imported steel and aluminum.
Some U.S. lawmakers have warned that Trump's actions targeting China and other countries in recent weeks could spark a global trade war.
Business groups also warned this week that escalating protectionist trade policies could have an adverse effect on consumers.
"While we are pleased that many everyday products such as clothing and shoes are not on the list, we remain concerned that other goods such as consumer electronics and home appliances are targets," National Retail Federation President and CEO Matthew Shay said on Tuesday.
Trump has so far dismissed these concerns, tweeting that a trade war would be "easy to win" for the United States.


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By Frank Martin
The sports tourism market is taking on a high global dimension now and could achieve great business success over the next decade, experts say.
The good news is that regions like the Caribbean could be greatly favored by the trend to grow in the modality.
That is why a specialized report on the subject published in Europe suggests that in 2030 sports tourism could expand like never.
An example that specialists use to support their analysis in this regard are the values that sector has already obtained on the planet.
According to a report titled “Sports Tourism Market by Product, Type and Category: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast 2021-2030” published by digital Research and Markets, the size of the global sports tourism market expanded in 2020.
In the next 10 years sports tourism will register an annual increase rate of more than 16% according to those experts.
Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany, India, China, the United States, Spain and Canada have probably headed the forecast and increasingly are using sport to promote tourism.
In these and other countries the relationship between sport and tourism is organized into segments. That means the market is classified by disciplines as soccer, cricket, motorsports, tennis, and others.
The Caribbean region full of fine white sand beaches with a warm tropical climate and exuberant nature already offers diving, surfing, snorkeling, golf, tennis and any other water sport.
A frecuent health advise is that there is no other human physical activity more related to wellness than sport.
The medical concept can strengthen the trend towards the preference of sports tourism over other more sedentary segments.
Covid-19 pandemic has been essentially destructive to crowd-drawing sports because cancellations from regional and even global events have been numerous.
A reverse process is clearly the current reopening. Experts draw attention to the fact that sports tourism segment is the fastest growing travel industry today, generating billions of dollars each year. This does not seem just a coincidence.
A specialized criterion is that sports tourism market will surely expand from physical needs of millions of people emerging from confinement. And also, from psychological troubles either.
The “nostalgia” generated by confinements could be alleviated with individual and collective practice of sports and also attending gratify events.
Outdoor recreation and alternatives to mass tourism are expected to increase their already high popularity in the immediate future.
At the end the sports tourism market could very soon become a “forgetting pill” of epidemic bad times.
2023 Caribbean travel and tourism outlook is favorable
Despite global pressures such as high inflation, the war in Ukraine, the ensuing energy crisis, and an impending economic recession, the outlook for Caribbean travel and tourism is favorable, according to the Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO).
Delivering the region’s 2022 “Tourism Performance and Outlook Report” in Bridgetown today, Neil Walters, Acting Secretary General of the CTO, confirmed that […]
The largest tourism fair in the DR will be held from April 26 to 28
DATE is the country and the Caribbean’s most important tourism promotion fair for Dominican products. According to Andrés Marranzini, executive vice president of Asonahores, DATE is the stage where the industry’s main source markets meet the hotel sector and the local complementary offer. He stated that the event focuses on promoting Dominican tourism products in order to increase the flow of tourists […]
Point of View: Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival celebrates the world’s best tasting coffee this spring
Coffee lovers worldwide unite and honor one of the world’s most sought-after coffee beans at the 6th annual Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Festival. This year the festival marketplace takes place on Saturday 25th March in its usual home, the historic Newcastle Parade Grounds in St. Andrew, Jamaica.
Regarded as one of the best coffees in the world, Blue Mountain Coffee is grown […]
Urgently reduce global warming
World leaders need to listen to and act on solid scientific guidance to urgently reduce global warming, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres said in a video message at the opening of the new session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on Monday.
Underlining the “urgent need to end global heating with cold, hard facts”, he said the panel’s forthcoming report ahead […]


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The annual Electronic Entertainment Expo kicked off today with Microsoft opening the event with one message: it’s all about games.
While Christmas may be months away for most of u it’s come early for the gaming industry at the annual E3 convention as gaming retailers, developers and enthusiasts survey the hottest Triple A rated titles soon to be released a host of them sure to be stocking stuffers
The Electronic Entertainment Expo is all about what’s hot, what’s trending and what’s coming in the gaming universe.
As always, the biggest hype surrounds the newest line-ups unveiled by the Big 3: Sony Nintendo and Microsoft. But the real game BEING PLAYED here is that of one up-manship which company can create the biggest buzz First up Microsoft and its product showing.
Microsoft vowed this year it’s all about games the latest edition of Big name games like Assassin Creed, Halo one of the world’s best selling games “Call of Duty” to newly developed game titles and a trend towards cooperative gaming groups of people playing with each other instead of against each other.
There’s actually a lot of cooperative games. So there’s Evolve for example, which is a new game where you have 4 people on the same team. These guys are hunters, and you have a 5th player who plays a giant monster. So it’s this asymmetrical semi-cooperative game where 4 people are working together to take down one powerful player cooperative is a bit more friendly for gamers in general because you work together with people versus a really competitive mean environment. CCTV’s Yakenda McGahee reports.
Electronic Entertainment Expo starts in Los AngelesThe annual Electronic Entertainment Expo kicked off today with Microsoft opening the event with one message: it's all about games.
To discuss the gaming industry, CCTV’s Phillip Yin is joined by Hayley Tsukayama, a technology blogger for The Washington Post.
Hayley Tsukayama dicusses about gaming industryHayley Tsukayama dicusses about gaming industry


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On Tuesday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) remained unchanged in October, following a 0.4% increase in September. Over the past year, the all-items index rose 3.2% before seasonal adjustment, marking a notable trend in consumer pricing.
Steady CPI in October Balances Shelter Rise Against Gasoline Drop; Markets and Crypto React With Mixed Sentiments
The October CPI report highlighted a continuous rise in the shelter index, balancing out a significant 5% drop in the gasoline index. This juxtaposition resulted in an overall unchanged seasonally adjusted index for the month. The broader energy index decreased by 2.5%, further contributing to the stabilization of consumer prices, according to the report.
The U.S. Labor Department noted that the food index saw a modest increase of 0.3% in October, continuing its upward trend from a 0.2% rise in September. Notably, the cost of food at home mirrored this increase, while expenses for food consumed away from home rose slightly higher, at 0.4%.
Looking at the 12-month period ending in October, the all-items index’s 3.2% rise represents a deceleration from the 3.7% increase seen in the previous year’s period. Over the past year, the energy index decreased by 4.5%, contrasting with the food index’s 3.3% increase. After the release of the report, the U.S. stock market presented a varied response, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Russell 2000 Index both noting upward movements.
In the cryptocurrency market, sentiments were similarly mixed on Tuesday in the wake of the report. The overall crypto market value dipped by 0.84% in the last 24 hours. In this period, bitcoin (BTC) saw a decline of 0.69%, and ethereum (ETH) decreased by 0.6%. In contrast, the precious metals market experienced growth, with gold prices increasing by 0.6% and silver surging by over 2%.
Currently, the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note stands at a reduced rate of 4.457%. Investors remained uncertain following the announcement of an unremarkable Consumer Price Index (CPI) report, which showed some slowing down. This uncertainty stems from speculation about the U.S. Federal Reserve’s next steps.
“Despite the deceleration, the Fed will likely continue to speak hawkishly and will keep warning investors not to be complacent about the Fed’s resolve to get inflation down to the long-run 2% target,” stated Jeffrey Roach, Chief Economist at LPL Financial, in a discussion with CNBC on Tuesday following the CPI release.
What do you think about Tuesday’s CPI release? Share your thoughts and opinions about this subject in the comments section below.


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RE: Closure of All Non-Essential Workplaces to Impact AutoDealers
- Published On
- March 23, 2020
Government of Ontario Announces 14 Day Closure, OMVIC Pledges Co-Operation
(Toronto, Ontario, March 23, 2020) – In response to the Government Ontario announcement earlier today, the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry of Ontario (OMVIC) pledges to work with the automotive sales industry and its partners as it faces the health, social, and economic impact of COVID-19.
OMVIC supports the efforts of all levels of government as they prioritize the health and welfare of all Canadians. The closure announced by the Ontario Government orders the mandatory closure of all non-essential workplaces effective at midnight on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. “We strongly support and encourage following all health directives pertaining to public health to curb the spread of COVID-19, and urge businesses to make the necessary arrangements to comply with this order” stated John Carmichael, CEO, OMVIC.
During this forced closure, OMVIC will continue to operate from remote sites, and work with its stakeholders. The impact on the automotive industry is significant, and OMVIC will partner with its stakeholders through these challenging times.
“The impact of COVID-19 will likely be felt for months, and as an industry, we will have to adapt and have flexibility to deal with what lies ahead. I have no doubt that we will be successful in facing these changes together” said John Carmichael, CEO, OMVIC.


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said Friday it has reached an agreement to acquire South AFrica's Pioneer Foods in an all-cash deal valued at about $1.7 billion. The company is playing 110 rand ($7.90) per share, equal to a 56% premium over the 30-day volume weighted average price prior to an announcement on July 15. "This acquisition will help PepsiCo gain a solid beachhead for expansion into Sub-Saharan Africa by boosting the company's manufacturing and go-to-market capabilities, enabling scale and distribution," the company said in a statement. Pioneer owns a range of cereals, juices and other African staples, including brands that are popular in Africa including Weet-Bix, Liqui-Fruit, Ceres, Sasko, Safari, Spekko, and White Star. The deal will be funded through a mix of cash and debt and is expected to close by the first quarter of 2020. Pioneer Food shares climbed more than 30% on the news. PepsiCo was down 0.2% premarket, but has gained 20% in 2019, while the S&P 500
has gained 19%.


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CSO insights report that in 2016 only 45.8% of forecasted deals closed as predicted. The recent survey of over 270,912 closed won opportunities (making up over $18.1 B in closed revenue ) by InsideSales shows the story continues quite, well, predictably.
Paul Oyer, a labour economist, is deeply interested in the Gig economy and has been analyzing the development from multiple perspectives. He researched income differences between bit workers and full time employees and consulted Upwork the largest freelance website. He also became a Uber certified driver since he ‘didn’t have any skills to sell as a freelancer’ and to better understand how similar platforms work.
January 2020 CCPA kicks in. We need to pay attention as regulation catches up with invasive technology world over.
The ability to make any use of personal data collected will be severely restricted in a similar manner as it is already in place in European Union through the General Data Protection Regulation. GDPR is one of the most comprehensive data protection laws in the world today. CCPA is considered to be one of the most significant legislative privacy laws in the US.
Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler argued in their book ‘Abundance’ that exponential technologies are generating an abundance of everything. We can access world’s information, take unlimited photos and stream videos at near zero cost. Soon we will have abundance of water, energy and most commodities that function within the business models built around the principle of ‘scarcity’.
Apparently in a lot of places. FastCompany recently released their top 50 innovative companies list. These companies were chosen from a list of 410 nominated across 41 categories and countries. The list includes the obvious suspects like Square, Twitch, Shopify, Alibaba, Grab (Singapore, 1bn revenue, Ride hailing + Food delivery+ Finance) and, well, Apple!
Larry Susskind, MIT professor and co founder of the Program on Negotiation and Consensus Building Institute, made an appearance in the ‘Negotiations Ninja’ podcast hosted by Mark Raffan to talk about his book – Good for you, Great for Me.
“…..No more drudgery, no more toil. This gives us the chance to imagine an entirely different kind of society, … where creators, discoverers, performers and innovators come together with their patrons and financiers to talk about issues, entertain, enlighten, provoke each other.”
As always, the Blissfully Annual SAAS report has a wealth of interesting findings. App turnover is common (I get that – with so many me too products with little differentiation chasing the same market) – typical mid sized companies changed 39% of their stack last year. 71% of companies has at leas one SaaS subscription with no billing owner.
I found some gems in a dated piece by Victor Belfor post a few years back in TechCrunch. Talking about new market disruptions lead by major technological shifts (like PC, Mobile, Cloud computing etc.) A large opportunity exists for startups who can deliver to the large companies who have been slow in the uptake of mobility and cloud computing . According to a RightScale study 92% of the large enterprises with 1000 employees or more have applications on the cloud now.
44.6% of calls to mobile phones will be scam calls in 2019 up 400% from 2017
A First Orion report calls out the alarming growth in scam calls – 3.7% in Q2 2017 to a whopping 44.6% projected for Q2 2019. 42.1% of all calls will be Scam or nuisance, that is nearly half of all calls. 9 of 10 calls will use area code spoofing.


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LOCAL orange growers are being "ripped off” – with supermarkets selling oranges at an up to 2000 per cent mark up.
A Daily Advertiser investigation has revealed Valencia oranges, grown in large numbers in Griffith and Leeton, are being sold for $6 per kilogram in Wagga’s Woolworths and Coles.
Second generation Griffith grower and juicer Louis Sartor labelled the mark up an outrage.
He said farmers received 20 to 30 cents a kilogram for the produce.
“Farmers are at the bottom of the economic train,” Mr Sartor said.
“Many juicers have juicing contracts where they are getting 60 cents a litre and then it is being sold for between $3 and $4 a litre.
“There is still a big discrepancy between the farm gate and what suppliers get.
"I think if most consumers knew how much the mark-up was they would be aghast.”
Mr Sartor said the orange juice market had been eroded by recent claims that orange juice is not healthy.
He called for mandatory labelling that was clear – so growers like himself who produce natural juice were not harmed by claims that juice was sugary.
“There just needs to be a really good labelling system,” Mr Sartor said.
Mr Sartor believes the future for many Australian growers lies overseas – particularly in Asia – where there is more competition and less of a pricing stranglehold.
“We’ve seen an older generation of farmer and they are now probably looking at retiring.
"If those younger farmers come and take on the farm they really need to start value adding,” Mr Sartor said.
“The US market is a very big market for Australian Naval oranges.
“It’s very successful.”
This week Coles in Wagga was selling imported naval oranges for $4.98 per kilogram and Valencia Oranges for $5.98 per kilogram.
Woolworths had imported naval oranges on the shelves for $5.98 per kilogram and local naval oranges for $5.98 per kilogram.
“We need to create international competition,” Mr Sartor said.
“If they (the supermarkets) want to bastardise the produce and screw the farmers we need an alternative.
“They’ve had it very good for a very long time.”
He said growers needed to stand up for themselves and consumers.
A spokesman from Woolworths declined to comment on the situation.
Coles did not respond.
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Discover more from regs to riches
🤷♀ collective inaction
Why isn't there more "tech" unionization in Canada?
Why isn’t there more tech unionization in Canada?
*BTW I don’t definitively answer this, but I can’t stop thinking about it. Why do you think there aren’t more visible efforts to organize non-standard workers in Canada?
Here’s why I’m wondering:
The UK Supreme Court recently ruled that Uber drivers have “worker” rights. Italy ruled that delivery workers at four major companies are employees, and now companies need to pay €733 million in fines or face criminal charges. Amsterdam made a similar ruling on employee status (in February 2021), and Spain is preparing legislation to the same effect.
🦗 Canada? Crickets. Changing labour laws to stop worker misclassification does not seem to be on the agenda ever since Foodora couriers were deemed eligible to unionize by the Ontario Labour Relations Board (and then the company literally left Canada, lol) last year.
This work takes place amidst a “moment” of sorts for organizing technology workers. In January, the Alphabet Workers Union (the “Google union”) was announced. It is part of the Campaign to Organize Digital Employees, an effort to organize unions at tech companies, and affiliated with the Communications Workers of America, a larger trade union. Canadians that work for Google are able to join, so the geography isn’t exclusive. There’s also the non-profit Gig Workers Collective, which has made headlines organizing Instacart workers in the US.
Last year, in February of 2020, Kickstarter United launched - making it the first tech company to unionize. There have been allegations that Amazon is deterring unionizing efforts and McDonald’s Secretive Intel Team Spies on ‘Fight for $15’ Workers, Internal Documents Show.
These initiatives are all related to the regulation of precarious work, but responses differ depending on how the work is organized.
🇨🇦 So, what’s the deal in Canada?
Theories on why there isn’t more [visible?] tech organizing in Canada:
Maybe there is, but it’s quiet - so that the firms do not notice ahead of substantive collective action. It’s totally possible that this is difficult for me to “see,” given that I’m disconnected from the work and relying on the internet to learn. Canada’s geography could play a role as well.
Maybe there is, but it’s not being covered in the media - this is a media capacity problem, as highly localized coverage is rare. Frankly, Canada has fewer people to cover these issues. Alongside Sara Mojtehedzadeh at the Toronto Star, a few dedicated publications are contenders, like: Briar Patch, Rabble, and Rank and File.
Maybe Canada’s strong public health and education systems implicitly disincentivize unionization. Simply getting injured isn’t as big of a financial penalty, but if they can’t work they’ll still miss out on wages.
Maybe this is a time and capacity issue. There may be so much energy focussed on earning enough in the day-to-day that it’s difficult to have time to focus on organizing or even think long-term about improving conditions on the job.
Maybe this is a turnover issue. Staff that take on these jobs may only engage with Instacart or Uber (etc) for a short period of time, creating less affinity to participate in organizing efforts.
Maybe it’s just because we are a net tech importer; prone to follow. When it comes to technology, the Canadian school of policy has typically been one of “copy and paste.” So, why aren’t these efforts spilling over? Are we waiting to learn more from efforts taking place elsewhere? And who is the “we” - do we lack leadership, are pre-existing unions taking the lead over self-organized initiatives?
*Earlier I said it was crickets when it came to unionization efforts in Canada. That’s not entirely true - there’s activity, but it’s a highly localized patchwork.
Union drives are sweeping Indigo stores in Ontario. This is fascinating as it has been initiated in the pandemic;
In Newfoundland and Labrador, Dominion workers had a 12-week strike last fall. In recent years, the company had cut full-time positions and turned people into part-time workers so that they could offer less benefits. Unionizing could have created a domino effect for Loblaw-owned grocery stores;
CUPE Local 2361 is working with Uber workers, and they have had some decisions at the Ontario Labour Board;
Most notably, some gig workers have been gaming the algorithm(s) that govern their work.
What are the Canadian technology companies best poised to unionize? While it hardly matters whether a company is Canadian or not when it comes to unionization pressures, I think it’s worth thinking about what kind of initiatives could originate in Canada as they’d be specific to the company.
Skip the Dishes - though delivery workers keep 100% of their delivery fees and tips and get paid weekly;
Ritual - restaurants could revolt at the commission;
Tim Hortons - quintessentially Canadian and wholesome, Tim’s is also an instance of service work increasingly governed by algorithms.
Unionization efforts wouldn’t need to be limited to gig workers - we have white collar tech here, too. These workers could organize around the mistreatment of contracted gig workers, or oppose defence contracting (as one Hootsuite worker recently did with ICE). It’s not clear whether or how any Canadian technology companies are working with CSIS or CBSA.
This matters because: “Prop 22” could be coming to Canada.
This would come in a context of serious social assistance reform in Canada. It remains to be seen whether benefits modernization reinforces the fracturing of work via portability.
What could people unionize around:
The right to unionize;
A living wage;
Better health and safety;
The usual benefits that come with employee status;
Paid sick days;
Resisting algorithmically-governed work;
Gig workers in Canada are governed by the same algorithms and subject to the same challenges that are motivating organizing in other jurisdictions. It is a failure of sorts that Canada can’t claim the same collective action efforts of platform workers given the progress around the world.
Our policy and working environment is not superior enough to warrant this comparative silence.
Vass Bednar is the Executive Director of McMaster University’s new Master of Public Policy in Digital Society Program.


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SPTO – December 2019
Market Watch is the South Pacific Tourism Organization’s monthly market intelligence summary exclusively for members. This monthly publication highlights the latest travel trends and resident departure movements in the key outbound travel markets for the Pacific, viz. Australia, New Zealand, North America, Europe, Asia, China and India.
*All information published in Market Watch is dependent on the availability of information from the relevant sources for each Source Market.
Monthly Market Watch December 2019 Brief – World Outbound Travel
In December 2019, an estimated 21.8 million international short term trips were undertaken worldwide, by eight international regions. This is a growth from last month’s international short term trips by 8.2% but a fall of 15.3% comparative to last year December.
Looking at total shares, USA leads the charge at 37.9%, followed by the Chinese at 22.9%. The United Kingdom lags behind at 17.5%, meanwhile in Asia, Singapore trails behind South Korea at 5.9% to 10.4% respectively. The minority of outgoing travellers from Australia, New Zealand and India capture the remaining 5.4%.Read more…


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Ranbaxy Laboratories may have won a coveted license to market a knockoff version of the megablockbuster cholesterol drug Lipitor. But the Indian generics maker could find that it's tougher to reap the benefits of that license than it had expected.
Ranbaxy has ongoing regulatory problems that could interfere with its generic Lipitor launch. The FDA has yet to approve its generic version of the drug--indeed, the agency has yet to clear dozens of Ranbaxy meds that have been on import alert since 2008. With first-to-file status, Ranbaxy is due 180 days of exclusivity--and if it can't get its act together, that exclusivity will go to waste.
So, Mylan has sued the FDA to block its approval of Ranbaxy's Lipitor copy, maintaining the agency should allow other generics makers to step into the Lipitor market as soon as Pfizer's patent expires. In its suit, Mylan cites Ranbaxy's troubled plant in Paonta Sahib, India, which may be the site of its Lipitor production. FDA typically blocks new drugs from plants that remain under its scrutiny.
But even if Ranbaxy gets to market first and on time, it could run into another snag. In fact, any drugmaker looking to knock off Lipitor faces the same problem--even Watson Laboratories, which is on contract to make an authorized generic. As Bloomberg reports, Pfizer is offering to subsidize co-pays for users of the branded version.
People who pay less than $54 per month in co-pays will be able to get Lipitor for $4. Others will get a $50 discount on costs of up to $150. That would make branded Lipitor competitive with knock-off versions. "As the co-pay on Lipitor would be comparable to that on its generics, the shift to generics may be scuttled," Deustche Bank's Mumbai-based analysts Abhay Shanbhag and Mayank Kankaria said in a report to investors (as quoted by Bloomberg).


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Ringing it in.
by That's, 06 February 2024
We address how China's economic prosperity has beefed up its people and what can be done to slim it down.
by Ryan Gandolfo, 05 February 2021
Bruce Connolly has witnessed and documented the rapid development of a nation over the last three decades.
by Ryan Gandolfo, 19 September 2020
In 1598, Ming Dynasty authorities allowed a team of Spanish traders from Manila to set up shop in China’s PRD.
by Ryan Gandolfo, 25 September 2019
The beauty industry in China is growing enormously. We take a deep dive and find out why.
by Bryan Grogan, 16 August 2019


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Blog: A CEO enjoying his products
Dean Best | 1 August 2007
Results day must be a tiring one for top executives, not least for the public face of the company – the CEO.
A typical results day for a chief executive often starts as early as 5am with analyst presentations and TV and radio interviews with the likes of Bloomberg and the BBC.
Given the early start, it was understandable that Cadbury Schweppes CEO Todd Stitzer found time to munch through a packet of his company’s sweets before addressing the press in London today (1 August).
“It’s always difficult on days like this to remember the fun of confectionery,” Stitzer told the assembled press corps. “I’ve just mainstreamed my way through half a bag in ten seconds,” he said pointing to a battered packet of sweets produced by the UK group’s Australian arm, The Natural Confectionery Company.
And who can blame Stitzer for taking a chance to refuel before reporting on Cadbury’s first-half results? The restructuring at the company, the squeeze on margins as the company’s ramps up investment in a streamlined portfolio of products and the delay in the possible sale of its US drinks arm were among the subjects on which the press were keen to grill Stitzer.
With all that’s going on at Cadbury at the moment, we seem to have discovered how the company’s CEO gets through the day.
Premier Foods plc revealed today (28 March) it has secured a deal with its pension scheme trustees that will see the UK food maker reduce its pension burden....
Hain Celestial, under the scrutiny of the investment community in recent months and facing some challenges in its domestic market, has announced another shuffling of its management pack....
FrieslandCampina, which today served up higher profits but lower sales for 2016, is ready to offload the last non-dairy business owned by the Dutch cooperative giant....
To follow on from our earlier notice and after some hard work from our technical team, just-food is back live after today's power outage....
- Why personalisation will take-off in US food
- General Mills sales woes continue - analysis
- US food next wave on display at Winter Fancy Food
- Comment: Meal kits in US - don't believe the hype
- Analysis: Chocolate sector's deforestation pledge
- Kraft Heinz cuts jobs in US, Canada
- Mondelez set for union crosshairs next week
- Recipe-kit firm HelloFresh launches into UK retail
- Mondelez plays down impact of union action
- Germany's Haribo plans first US candy plant


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Evidence-based interventions at the local and national levels provide promising strategies for reducing racial and ethnic health disparities.
Walgreens ranked No. 60 on the 2014 InformationWeek Elite 100, a list of the top business technology innovators in the United States.
Rob Price, SVP marketing and advertising and chief marketing officer for CVS/pharmacy, has left the company to take a new role, the retailer said in a statement sent to Drug Store News.
New microsite to bring awareness for silent victims of flawed drug policy
The Drug Store News Group has launched a new microsite to help bring attention to another tragic side of the prescription drug abuse story — the millions of Americans who live in chronic pain that may be unable to access the medications they need thanks to proposed changes in regulatory policy.
Click here to view the site and read the stories
The 15th annual Industry Issues Summit, hosted by The Drug Store News Group on Dec. 3, brought together a powerful lineup of some the top minds in the business. Discussion, which was driven by questions developed by a select group of vendors, focused on three core themes: strategic alignment between retailers and suppliers, better sharing of risk and maintaining trust and transparency. The transcript that follows represents key highlights from the day’s conversations.


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When it comes to investing in fintech companies and the financing concept of BNPL — buy now, pay later — Affirm stock comes immediately to mind. And now, after a devastating drop, Affirm is making its strongest rebound since the November 2021 peak at 176.
In late February, analysts at Barclays cut their price target on Affirm to 65 from 105, Benzinga reported.
What’s happened since then?
Since then, Affirm has rallied as much as 97%. And shares are trying to reclaim a key technical level, the 50-day moving average.
Is Affirm Stock A Buy Now?
At this point, should bullish investors in Affirm consider the current pullback a golden opportunity? Or is it time to sell?
This story addresses aspects of IBD’s CAN SLIM investment paradigm, coined by the legendary growth stock trader and founder of Investor’s Business Daily, William O’Neil. This piece analyzes the potential investment from multiple viewpoints: fundamental, technical and the quantity and quality of institutional ownership.
Without all three positive elements in place, a growth investor faces a lower chance of reaping an outstanding gain over the long run.
When Will AFRM Bottom Out On Its Chart?
Affirm likely scared the wits of shareholders on Nov. 10.
The stock nose-dived 15% in the heaviest volume in more than three weeks. A total 22.5 million shares exchanged hands that day, 42% above its average turnover over the past 50 sessions. But after reporting third-quarter results late that day, AFRM rose as much as 24% intraday on Nov. 11, then settled at 151.83. Good for a 13.7% gain.
Yet that week turned out to be the current top in Affirm stock. And sellers have been in charge for months.
On Dec. 16, AFRM sank more than 10% in heavy trading. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau later announced a probe of BNPL firms. Dow Jones Newswires reported that federal regulators are investigating Affirm, Klarna Bank, Afterpay and other competitors for the first time.
Affirm shares ended 2021 at 100.56, up a measly 3% from the closing price of its Nasdaq debut on Jan. 13 that year. This year, the stock has now collapsed as much as 67% year to date.
Before this sell-off, AFRM stock was already showing troublesome technical action on its stock chart.
An early gain of as much as 2.5% on Nov. 29 melted into a 3.5% loss. Plus, the stock got turned away at a critical technical level on its chart, the 50-day moving average.
The fintech company, started by Max Levchin, entrepreneur and member of Silicon Valley’s “PayPal mafia,” has also completed a disappointing round trip of gains from the initial public offering at $49 a share in January.
Affirm Stock Today: The IBD Ratings Picture
Ideally, focus on companies with a 90 Composite or higher. However, newer issues often have no earnings history or a very slim record of profitability. So a Composite Rating of 80 or higher among newer issues can also be acceptable.
The San Francisco-based company lost $1.75 a share in fiscal 2021, ended in June. The Street sees more net losses in fiscal 2022 (-$2.65 a share) and FY 2023 (-$1.65).
According to MarketSmith, Affirm now has 284.5 million shares outstanding and a float of 183.5 million freely traded common shares.
The Top Line Is Sparkling
On the positive side, Affirm has grown the top line at lightning pace; revenues have grown 86%, 89%, 120%, 98%, 57%, 67%, 71%, 55% and 77% vs. year-ago levels in the past nine quarters. In the December quarter, the top line hit a record $361 million, up 77% vs. a year ago.
“Legacy payment options, archaic systems, and traditional risk and credit underwriting models can be harmful, deceptive, and restrictive to both consumers and merchants,” the company wrote in its 424b IPO prospectus, filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission.” We believe that they are not well-suited for increasingly digital and mobile-first commerce, and are built on legacy infrastructure that does not support the innovation required for modern commerce to evolve and flourish. Our platform is designed to address these problems.”
Affirm counted 11.2 million active customers for the fiscal second quarter ended in December, up 150% vs. the same three-month period a year earlier. Active merchants on the platform, meanwhile, leapt 2,030% to 168,000. Gross merchandise volume, net of refunds, soared 115% to $4.5 billion.
However, Affirm still posted another quarter of heavy losses. Q4 net loss of 57 cents a share more than quintupled the 11-cent loss seen in the same period of 2020.
Affirm’s Relative Strength Rating remains weak at 8 on a scale of 1 to 99. Translation: AFRM is outperforming 8% of all companies in the IBD database over the past 12 months. But according to MarketSmith data, the 3-month RS Rating has brightened to a 19.
Also on the bright side? Mutual fund ownership keeps rising. The total has soared to a record 622 funds at the end of the fourth quarter in 2021 vs. 253 in June the same year.
Why is this bullish? You want to see increasing institutional sponsorship. That’s one hallmark of the I in CAN SLIM. According to the Owners & Funds data table in MarketSmith, at least 16 mutual funds getting an A+ rating for superior three-year performance hold shares. For instance, Goldman Sachs Concentrated Growth (GGCRX) has nearly 1% of its assets in Affirm stock.
However, these new fund buyers, for now, have essentially been throwing good money after bad. For individual investors, the smart approach? Buy on the way up. Don’t buy more unless you have first gain a profit in the initial purchase.
When investing in a growth stock, make sure it has solid company. Does it belong to a leading sector in the stock market itself? You can see the top performing sectors on a daily basis within IBD’s stock research tables via IBD Data Tables.
Meanwhile, its credit card payment and processing industry group is tanking. According to MarketSmith, it ranks near the bottom of 197 IBD industry groups for six-month price performance.
Affirm Stock: Past Proper Buy Points
Soon after going public on the Nasdaq, Affirm’s stock price corrected in a huge way after its breakout attempt past a 138.08 correct buy point in a narrow IPO base imploded. During the week ended Feb. 12, 2021, the large cap failed to get much traction after clearing the base’s left-side high of 137.98.
Then it tanked just days later. This negative price action triggered the golden rule of investing: cut your losses short. By saving precious capital, you insure the portfolio from a devastating loss. And you ensure the opportunity to invest in a better stock or the same stock in stronger market conditions.
For Affirm stock, a new buying opportunity came in September.
After falling as much as 68% from its 146.90 peak, AFRM bottomed out at 46.50 in May 2021, then began to rise slowly. It took months for the stock to begin building the right side of a promising new chart pattern. But it eventually crossed above the 50-day moving average. On Aug. 30, shares gapped up in bullish fashion. A 46% gain in the heaviest volume in the stock’s history catapulted Affirm to a five-month high, thanks to a business tie-up with an e-commerce titan.
The next several days saw the stock tilt lower in mild fashion. Volume was still heavy, but declined from the mega-active day of Aug. 30.
This constructive price action created a handle on the deep cup.
View a handle as a final shakeout of uncommitted, weak shareholders. Those shares move to firmer hands. The handle clears the deck for a breakout — a strong move to new highs once fresh institutional demand crowds the market for Affirm stock.
AFRM Stock: Round-Trip Sell Rule
Two separate pullbacks in September and early October created additional handle entries. Why? AFRM was still trading beneath the deep cup pattern’s left-side peak of 146.90.
Thus, new entry points at 126.56 (10 cents above the Sept. 10 peak) and 133.27 (a dime above the Sept. 24 high) gave traders another timely chance to buy on strength. Always buy within the 5% buy zone after a breakout.
However, AFRM has made a round trip of gains from these latest buy points. This action brings up another chief IBD sell rule: Do not allow a gain of 10%, 20% or more turn into a loss.
Affirm Stock Today: The Final Analysis
Without question, Affirm stock is deep in base-building mode and trying to bottom out.
As the sell-off accelerated in January, AFRM took out its 200-day moving average. A return back above this long-term technical level would require another big rally from here. Doing so would hint the careful chart reader that the balance of supply vs. demand is shifting toward the latter rather than the former.
But before Affirm even possibly gets back to the 200-day line, watch to see if it comes near 80, a key level of upside price resistance. The weeks ended in Jan. 14 and Feb. 11 illustrate how sellers at 70 to 80 may pose as overhead supply.
So for now, Affirm stock is not a buy right now.
Most importantly? After any new buy, be sure to manage risk appropriately. Keeping losses manageable, ideally at no more than 8% from your purchase price, allows you stay solvent and in the game. It’s far easier to recover from a 7%-8% loss than a 25% or 50% deficit.
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This story originally Appeared on Yahoo


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It takes a lot of beers to collect 10 million bottle caps. But Austria's Hans Heiland didn't drink them alone.
Heiland says that most of them have come from others, many of them by mail, after his passion for collecting beer bottle caps become known.
Heiland, from the town of Ybbs, west of Vienna, started his hobby five years ago.
State broadcaster ORF said Thursday that his collection now weighs 18 tons.
U.S. & World
Heiland recently sold the caps to a metal collector for 1,500 euros ($1,700) and says he will deliver all three truckfulls to the new owner Friday.
He says he plans to give the money to a needy family in the region.


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Read News For Me
SQUID token drew the attention of many investors the previous week, soon after it began trading. It started selling at a price of one penny, and it soon surged around 2,30,000% within a week. On this Monday, the crypto token was tradable at approximately $38 on Pancakeswape.
Many investors have invested their money into this newly launched token, partly because of the hype of the Squid game, the Netflix series. The sudden drop in the price of SQUID tokens is a shock to many investors as millions of dollars vanished in a few minutes.
The price of the token was actually facing turbulence on Monday. It rose to around $2,856 before dropping to $0.0007. Currently, the market price of SQUID is $0.014, according to coinmarketcap.
The developers of the Squid Game restricted everyone from withdrawing their money. It led to an increase in the value of the SQUID coin. Later, the developers withdrew everything and just ran away with the investors' millions of dollars. It is estimated that the developers have made around $3.38 million.
The scam is commonly termed as a “rug pull” by the investors. This kind of scam includes the stoppage of trading activity after drawing in the buyers, and then the developer of the digital coin takes off with the money raised by selling the token.
The crypto space has been continuously booming since the growth of Bitcoin. We can see that many new tokens are launched almost every day, and some of them actually become the hype. But, as in the case of SQUID, many investors have lost their considerable money. So, it becomes really essential to understand the red flags to avoid losing your precious money.
Let us first try to understand the red flags in the case of the SQUID coin:
Cryptocurrencies have a huge potential. Hence, these scams cannot limit their use, but, as an investor, we should understand a few things before investing in any new projects to prevent ourselves from such scams.
The incident of the SQUID token was really heartbreaking for those who have invested in the token. But, it doesn't mean that it will end the era of cryptocurrencies. The future use cases of cryptos will continue to grow, and hence, the cryptocurrencies themselves. The show must go on, and we should learn our lessons from this scam that we need to be careful enough before investing in any new project. And we shouldn’t sway ourselves with the hype in the crypto market.


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For weeks, small business owners in the Bay Area have been frustrated, desperately trying to get federal and state financial aid to survive the coronavirus crisis, and a popular pizza shop finally received the much-needed help.
A Slice of New York Pizza applied for the PPP loan and other loans and grants and after weeks of worries, their direct deposit appeared.
The restaurant, with locations in Santa Clara and Sunnyvale, employs 34 workers, a weekly payroll of $26,000, plus rent and utilities.
“It just showed up in our account $245,000,” said founder Kirk Vartan. “My wife jumped up and down. We both did.”
The PPP loan is at 1% interest and the first payment isn’t due for seven months. Then, hours later, the shop found out it will also get a disaster relief grant of at least $10,000.
“This gives us the freedom to know that no matter what the economic situation is, we can pay our guys,” said Vartan.
Workers say they’re relieved, having seen so many other businesses go under.
“I feel incredibly lucky and grateful, and my heart goes out to my friends who have been laid off,” said restaurant operator Jorge Rojas.
Customers are happy as well.
“We’re stuck,” said Sunnyvale resident Jimmy Lambo. “So it’s kind of nice to be able to get out and enjoy these smaller businesses again and give us that sense of a normal life that we once had.”
The pizza shop also found out if it can show the money was used for payroll, rent and utilities, most or all of the federal loan will be forgiven.


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Citing a jump in airline tickets bought for the upcoming Christmas-to-New Year’s holiday period, Dunkin’ Donuts wants to alert travelers that it now has stores strategically placed at many airports as well as at many bus and train terminals. The Canton-based coffee-and-baked-goods chain says airport and other “non-traditional locations” continue to be strong growth areas for the company. A chain with 10,000 restaurants around the world says it now has more than 500 Dunkin’ outlets at non-traditional locations.
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Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO) has finally unveiled the first element fruits of its reorganization plan with the first victim being its Flip video division and about 550 employees.
Instead of opting completely out of the consumer business, Cisco plans to realign the remaining consumer business to support four of what it says are five key company initiatives: core routing, switching and services, collaboration, architectures, and video.
These changes, however, shouldn't come as a surprise. Last week, Cisco CEO John Chambers said that he needed to make "targeted moves" to "address what we need to fix in our portfolio."
While the move to shut down Flip is one step in that direction, some analysts believe it is not sufficient to offset ongoing declines in its consumer business.
Alex Henderson, with Miller Tabak & Co. believes that what Cisco really needs to do is exit the consumer business altogether.
"You're in a business that has extremely low margins and you don't have a competitive edge," Henderson told Bloomberg. "They've got a lot of work to do, and this is just a drop in the bucket."
- see the release
- Bloomberg has this article
Cisco's Chambers plans to overhaul company focus
Cisco needs to put focus back on its routing business, say analysts
Dell'Oro: Service provider router market up 21% in 2010
Infonetics: Alcatel-Lucent takes No. 2 spot in worldwide edge router market


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Apple today started to sell the iPhone X. this is now on sale is available only restored model. Their prices start at $ 770 for the model with the drive at 64 GB.
It should be noted that in the fall of last year Apple stopped to sell their “anniversary” flagship smartphone. It was assumed that the cupertinos have taken the step to iPhone X do not compete with the new iPhone Xr.
However, low sales of new vehicles, apparently, forced the company to change its decision. In the end, users are now able to buy refurbished iPhone X with a noticeable discount. Thus, the reduced model with the drive at 64 GB “lost” in the price of $ 130, and the model 128 GB — $ 150. The smartphone is unlocked and can work with any operator.
It should be noted that all the recovered iPhone have a normal warranty, new batteries and case. In the end, users buy the full apparatus with a noticeable discount.


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In this article you can check Nokia 8.2 features, specifications, leaks & rumors we have seen until now. The above headline photo shows official teaser of the upcoming 5G Nokia flagship at the recent Qualcomm’s Tech Summit 2019. Before you check the detailed info of the upcoming Nokia 8.2 let me tell you first that the above 5G phone is highly expected to be named as Nokia 8.2.
Please note that the information shared below isn’t fully official but it’s based on the official teaser, leaks and rumors.
Nokia 8.2 Features & Specifications
Design & Display :
Rumors suggests there will be 32 MP pop-up selfie camera which means this flagship will have full screen display with no bezels. In the headline photo you can see HMD’s CPO Juho Sarvikas is on the stage and the screen behind him shows a 5G Nokia smartphone in a copper coloured frame. Also side mounted fingerprint sensor just below the volume rocker keys can be clearly seen in the same photo.
While talking about the display Juho Sarvikas has confirmed that the 5G Nokia smartphone (Nokia 8.2) will come with the Nokia PureDisplay technology.
As per the official info the device will feature Zeiss Optics on its primary cameras and it will be capable to record UHD 4K Ultra Wide-Angle video. While rumors suggests the primary camera of Nokia 8.2 will have a 64MP main sensor. Also the device will have total 4 rear cameras which will have Nokia 6.2/7.2 like circular camera module design.
As the device will support 5G it will come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 processor. (This is confirmed info)
In addition to these details also take a look at the official teaser (Very first teaser) of the 5G Nokia smartphone (Nokia 8.2) :
Launch date & Price :
Nokia 8.2 with 5G is expected to be unveiled at MWC 2020 in the month of February next year. It will be affordable 5G Android flagship which could be priced between $500-$650 USD. Previously 4G variant of the same device was expected to launch at the beginning of December 2019. But as per some reports HMD has cancelled it
These are the features, specifications & rumors about the upcoming Nokia 8.2.
We’ll update this article with more exact details in the coming days, Stay tuned.


text: FXStreet (Mumbai) - The EUR/GBP pair continues to trade around 5-DMA at 0.7225 levels; unaffected by the wider-than-expected UK trade deficit number released a couple of minutes ago. EUR under pressure The EUR/USD pair is down 0.50% amid mixed action in the European stock markets. Meanwhile, the GBP/USD pair remains resilient around 1.5175, even though the UK trade deficit rose more than expected in October. Moreover, the rising UK trade deficit has been here for a long time, but the markets continue to ignore the same month after month. However, the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) did note the weak international trade on Tuesday. EUR/GBP Technical levels At 0.7225, the pair could rise to 0.7237 (50% of 0.7493-0.6981), above which the gains could be extended to 0.7261 (daily high), which, if taken out could open doors for 0.7278 (38.2% of 0.6931-0.7493). On the other hand, a break below 0.7212 (50% of 0.6931-0.7493), would expose the confluence of 100-DMA and 200-DMA at 0.7203-0.7198. For more information, read our latest forex news.


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The last car Elvis Presley bought for his personal use is now on display at a car museum in England, the Examiner learned today. Elvis purchased the 1977 Cadillac-Seville V8 in October 1976 after it was engineered by General Motors and the body custom built by Fisher for Cadillac. He drove this car the day before his death on August 16, 1977.
The car remains in its original condition. It has electronic windows and mirrors with a grey interior and wood grain accents on the dashboard, steering wheel and doors. The Cadillac also has the entertainer’s CB radio still installed. Elvis would sometimes use the CB to communicate with the kitchen staff to order food. He would also contact his security at the guardhouse in front of Graceland, his home in Memphis, Tennessee to open the gates before he arrived from an outing.
The car is the newest exhibit displayed at the famous National Motor Museum at Bealieu, a popular institution in the United Kingdom. It was originally auctioned in Las Vegas in 1994 for a bid price of $104,500 to a private collector. When it became available, Graceland included it in their auction as part of their Elvis Week festivities this year commemorating the 38th anniversary of Presley’s death in August.
The winning bidder was Elvis fan Steve Horn, who bought the car as a present for his wife for $81,250. The Horns are big Elvis fans who hold the ‘Europe’s Tribute to Elvis’, an annual Europe tribute artist contest held in Blackpool, and now, the ‘Texas Elvis Festival,’ beginning in March 2016 near Dallas, Texas.
“We wanted to give all of Elvis’s UK fans an opportunity to see his car and Beaulieu is the perfect location,” Horn said. “We are delighted they could find a space for it.”
“I’ve been wild about cars almost since I can remember,” wrote a 21-year-old Elvis Presley for a fan publication in 1956. “When I was six years old singing songs for folk gatherings in Tupelo, Miss., I recall feeling sad because we had to walk while all those sleek cars passed us on the road.”
“Yes, way back in those rough old days when dad couldn’t spare the cash to buy me a guitar, I used to dream about ridiculous things like Cadillacs an such.”
Elvis went on to purchase hundreds of cars during his lifetime, including over scores of Cadillacs for family, friends, strangers and himself.
Lady Fiona Montagu, wife of the museum’s founder, Lord Montagu, was among the first people to see the car arrive at the site. A life-long fan of Elvis, she posed for a picture alongside the car in her own version of Elvis’ famous Las Vegas white jumpsuit.
“I am a huge fan and had the costume made to wear at an Elvis themed fund raising evening we held in the museum last year in support of our Beaulieu education charity, the Countryside Education Trust,” Lady Montagu commented.