text:
Conversing with your car while driving is nothing new in 2020, but having your wheels chat with passers-by certainly is, and, according to Elon Musk, it’s the next step for Tesla. The Twitter-happy CEO has teased a new feature that would allow the marque’s electric vehicles to “talk” to pedestrians through external speakers.
Musk tweeted the news on Saturday, stating: “Teslas will soon talk to people if you want. This is real.” He also shared an accompanying video of a red Tesla Model 3 fitted with the potential upgrade. “Well don’t just stand there staring, hop in,” the car says in a sassy British accent which sounds part C-P30, part Michael Caine.
According to a cheeky follow-up tweet by the CEO, the car will also be able to fart in a pedestrian’s general direction. At least that’s what Musk appears to be implying; he didn’t specifically say the word “fart,” instead using the wind emoji, which seems to be in line with his brand of scatological humor. Back in 2018, Tesla released a “fart app”—the announcement came with the same emoji—as an Easter egg in its vehicles. This gave drivers the ability to choose between fart sounds when using the turn signal.
Musk didn’t delve into how exactly the new talking-car tech would work, but the marque recently made some changes to its vehicles that make this ambitious claim seem entirely feasible. In January 2019, Tesla changed the underside of the front-end of the Model 3 to have a speaker grill. The move came in response to new European and US regulations requiring marques to add a pedestrian warning system for notoriously quiet electric vehicles, according to Elecktrek. And just last year, the marque unveiled an update to the Model 3 that prompts a tone to play when the car is driving at low speeds (up to 19 mph).
So it appears Musk is doing more than just meeting industry requirements; he’s actually having fun with them. Fingers crossed the cars’ sentences will be customizable—we’ve got a few thoughts.


text:
MICROBLOGGING NETWORK Twitter has apologised for taking its users' faces and rolling them into its promotional material.
A blog post on the firm's website explains what happened and how bad it feels about it. Twitter says that it created some mock tweets to use in marketing guff without thinking about the fact that there might be a body behind the avatar.
"An earlier version of this blog post included an image with mock tweets from real users of our platform," it says.
"This was not OK. Once we became aware of this mistake we took it down immediately. We deeply apologize to the three users included in the earlier images."
Twitter has named the three users affected. Apparently Twitter had put words in their mouths to say something positive about coffee. One responded saying, "don't do this again", while another questioned how it might have ever happened.
Twitter has not revealed how it happened. The trio's images appeared in a blog about some new Twitter marketing business. The Twitter post says that the fake tweets have been removed, but it still has a slide stamped "revised" that clearly shows three different Twitter users gassing about coffee.
"The [ad] is giving me the coffee shakes. Looks so good," says one, "I wish I could make fancy lattes like in the [commercial]", says another.
They are revealed on closer inspection to come from the Twitter marketing department, which makes us wonder why no one thought to use safe, in-house people in the first place. µ
Plus the cost of ambition as moonshots eat into the coffers
Spoiler alert: it's probably VeriSign
Did we say cuts off? We meant traps them inside their own home

domain: news


text:
Namaste Technologies (TSXV:N) announced a wholesale supply agreement with Bonify, a licensed producer in Manitoba, to purchase an undisclosed amount of bulk cannabis product.
As quoted in the press release:
Under the terms of the Supply Agreement, Namaste will purchase bulk cannabis products through the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Cannmart Inc. (“Cannmart”). Bonify operates a large-scale cultivation facility and will expand capacity to over 350,000 square-foot that will accommodate Namaste’s growth trajectory. Namaste will work with Bonify to develop private-label strains of cannabis for the medical and recreational markets as well as in offering the full selection of Bonify products.
Further to the Company’s August 13 news release, Cannmart completed its Health Canada Pre-Sales inspection on July 31, 2018 and the receipt of its “sales-only” license will represent a major milestone for the Company. With Cannmart’s “sales-only” license imminent, and in order to accommodate the acceleration of NamasteMD’s database and with the launch of Canadian recreational cannabis sales pending, the Supply Agreement with Bonify will guarantee adequate supply to support Namaste’s demand.
American cannabis sales hit US$17.5 billion in 2020, a research group’s new study shows.
Meanwhile, a Canadian cannabis producer began offering CBD beverages in the US, another move that shows how interested Canadians are in the overall US cannabis market at the moment.
Some pretty important news out of health and wellness; beverage and natural products company BevCanna Enterprises Inc. (CSE:BEV, Q:BVNNF, FSE:7BC) this week. For those of you following the Company with us, stay tuned.
As investors continue to prioritize cannabis opportunities in the US, market watchers expect mergers and acquisitions (M&A) to play a role in the future for Canadian companies.
A consolidation trend has been expected in the Canadian cannabis space for some time now based on the size of the market compared to the number of operations in the country.
BioHarvest Sciences Inc. Unveils the Unique Polyphenolic Content of Its Upcoming Olive-Based Nutraceutical
The product will include polyphenols known to have significant health benefits.
BioHarvest Sciences Inc. (CSE: BHSC) (“BioHarvest” or the “Company”) has reached an important milestone in its development program of additional Nutraceuticals. The olive-based Nutraceutical product scheduled for market availability in the second half of 2022 will contain the following unique matrix of polyphenols: hydroxytyrosol, trosol, and verbascoside. These compounds are the major polyphenols in naturally grown olives and are responsible for the high antioxidant activity of olives and olive oil. Importantly, the BioHarvest olive-based Nutraceutical product will provide all the benefits of olives and olive oil with a low calorie count per serving.
Cresco Labs (CSE:CL) (OTCQX:CRLBF) (“Cresco” or the “Company”), one of the largest vertically integrated multistate cannabis operators in the United States, announced today that it will report financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31 st , 2020 on Thursday March 25 th , 2021 before the market opens.
The Company will host a conference call and webcast to discuss its financial results and provide investors with key business highlights on Thursday March 25 th , 2021 at 8:30am Eastern Time (7:30am Central Time).


text:
“Vogue World: New York is a celebration of all the ways in which fashion is changing,” says Vogue creative editorial director Mark Guiducci. “It comes at a moment when designers have become multidisciplinary creators, innovating how we engage with fashion — even virtually.” (Vogue and Vogue Business share a parent company, Condé Nast.)
The goal is to take “an age-old brand story and tell it through brand new technology,” says Resh Sidhu, global director of Arcadia, Snap’s creative studio for branded AR. Vogue and Snap will promote the Vogue World event via two lenses inspired by and branded Vogue that can be used worldwide: “A New Stage”, inspired by the Vogue World runway, allows people to bring versions of the staging to their own environment, while “Lit Up” enables selfies that “reflect the runway” through a virtual glow based on the sunset and moonrise.
AR try-on has become increasingly popular in fashion and beauty. Brands began by testing makeup and face filters (such as trying on digital glasses), before graduating to items like shoes and watches. Big names including Gucci, Burberry, Farfetch and Prada have tested shoppable AR try-on, and Snap has worked to position itself as a go-to partner for the industry’s AR endeavours. In June, British Vogue brought a Snapchat experience to Cannes Lions that let visitors try on digital items from brands such as Versace and Dior.
Brands have also tested Snap’s ability to add a “digital layer” to the world around us, as Snap global product lead in AR Carolina Arguelles Navas has said to Vogue Business, through enhancements such as in-store augmentations (such as Nike’s AR archives experience with “artefacts” unlocked via QR codes) or delivering a stack of Louis Vuitton luggage cases.
As physical fashion weeks reconvene in global cities, pop-ups and shows such as AR platform Zero10’s digital retail store in New York and AR fashion artist Doddz’s digital in-person show, are expected to take advantage of improvements in AR technology. The Vogue World experience, for example, uses Snap’s ground and sky segmentation technology, and Snap recently made its try-on tech available to external apps and developers in a bid to deepen relationships with brands and retailers. Snap has been a clear leader in using AR for social commerce, and now sees more than 6 billion AR Lens plays daily. As of Snap’s Q1 2022, more than 250 million people used Snap’s AR shopping lenses every day on average.
If any proof were needed of the importance of the Middle East for luxury brands, it can be found in the exclusive Ramadan collections from some of the world’s
More than 600 attendees filled the halls of the Ross School of Business Friday morning for the sixth annual Michigan Fashion Media Summit. The annual st
Choosing to wear socks and sandals can be divisive but in recent years the pairing has gone mainstream.According to Wikipedia, and yes, there is a specific pag
Beyoncé Knowles — Photo via instagram.com/beyonce After weeks of speculation, it has been confirmed that Adidas and Beyoncé’s have parted ways,


text:
Japanese poultry market favours US soy meal
Soy meal that is produced in the US seems to be the favoured form of feed of Japanese poultry for the last 50 years. Demand has now shifted and soy meal imports there are expected to skyrocket, according to the USDA.
It may come as good news for US soybean farmers, since US Census figures show Japan is the second largest buyer of US soy meal, in Asia.
Quality is the key.
According to the USDA, Japanese soy meal imports are expected to increase to 2.370 million metric tons in the 2012/13 marketing year. That is the meal from more than 110 million bushels of soybeans and an increase from 2.282 MMT in the 2011/12 marketing year.
“United Soybean Board (USB) research is creating a body of information showing soy meal produced from U.S. soybeans has consistently higher quantities of the five essential amino acids,” says Scott Singlestad, a USB farmer-leader who raises soybeans and corn in Waseca, Minn. “That’s given US soy meal a higher feeding value over its competitors.”
Singlestad discussed the value of US soy meal compared with soy meal from other parts of the world with poultry farmers, feed manufacturers and soy processors recently at meetings in Japan.
Gonzalo Mateos, Ph.D., from the University of Madrid in Spain, also told Japanese buyers about the advantages of US soy meal over soy meals the European Union imports from other countries.
To comment, login here
Or register to be able to comment.


text:
ARCore, as Google calls its rich set of tools, frameworks, and APIs, is built on the fundamental technologies that power Tango, the company’s original augmented reality computing platform, but it differs in one crucial way: it doesn’t need any additional hardware to function.
Takes More Than Two to TangoGoogle released Tango in 2014, enabling certain smartphones to detect their position relative to the world around them without using GPS or other external signals. Right from the get-go, developers we able to create apps for the platform that integrated motion-tracking, area learning, and depth perception using Tango’s C and Java APIs to access this data in real time.
The main reason why we don’t hear about Tango just a few years after its launch is the terribly low number of smartphones that support it. On Tango’s official website, Google currently (September 2017) lists only two devices: the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro and the Asus ZenFone AR. The former is huge, and the latter doesn’t support FDD-LTE band 12. So, not exactly a great selection.
In the day and age of affordable Chinese brands like Xiaomi, Meizu, and Huawei releasing affordable smartphones with amazing specifications on a steady basis, the average consumer simply has too many other interesting options to even consider buying a specific smartphone just to try augmented reality. In 2017, augmented reality is still just an intriguing toy, not a major selling-point.
“We’ve been developing the fundamental technologies that power mobile AR over the last three years with Tango, and ARCore is built on that work. But, it works without any additional hardware, which means it can scale across the Android ecosystem,” said Dave Burke, Google’s vice-president for Android, in the release statement.
“ARCore will run on millions of devices, starting today with the Pixel and Samsung’s S8, running 7.0 Nougat and above. We’re targeting 100 million devices at the end of the preview. We’re working with manufacturers like Samsung, Huawei, LG, ASUS, and others to make this possible with a consistent bar for quality and high performance,” Burke added.
The goal here is to create a generic augmented reality platform that individual manufacturers can support as much or as little as they want. So far, the only known requirement is a minimum SDK version of Android 7.0 (Nougat). It’s possible that ARCore will, at least to some degree, run even on older versions of Android, but that’s something that still needs to be tested. From the point of view of Android developers, ARCode will be yet another functionality they can use to enrich their apps.
ARCore Versus Other Augmented Reality PlatformsGoogle is slightly late to the augmented reality party. Apple introduced its augmented reality platform, ARKit, back in June, and third-party developers have already used it to produce a host of clever experiments that anyone with an Apple device with either the A9 or the A10 (or newer) processor can try.
In April, at this year’s F8 keynote, Facebook introduced the company’s augmented reality platform, which focuses on artificial intelligence-powered cameras. “We’re making the camera the first augmented reality platform,” said Zuckerberg.
With so much competition and such high stakes, ARCore needs to give developers exceptional tools and flawless performance to avoid the fate of Tango. On this front, Google focuses on three things: motion tracking, environmental understanding, and light estimation.
Using the combination of Java/OpenGL, Unity, and Unreal, developers can use ARCore to determine both the position and orientation of the phone as it moves to keep virtual objects accurately placed in the real environment. The same points that ARCore uses for motion tracking are also used to keep objects accurately placed on horizontal surfaces, such as a floor or a table. Finally, “ARCore observes the ambient light in the environment and makes it possible for developers to light virtual objects in ways that match their surroundings, making their appearance even more realistic,” explains Burke.
To further support augmented reality development, Google developed Blocks and Tilt Brush. Blocks is a simple 3D modeling tool designed to make creating 3D models as accessible as possible. Artists can share their creations with others and easily use them for their own projects. Tilt Brush is a virtual reality painting application with an intuitive interface. Together with Blocks, Tilt Brush gives developers everything they need to create beautiful assets in a natural and fun way.
“We think the Web will be a critical component of the future of AR, so we’re also releasing prototype browsers for web developers so they can start experimenting with AR, too. These custom browsers allow developers to create AR-enhanced websites and run them on both Android/ARCore and iOS/ARKit,” said Burke.
Search is one area where augmented reality could prove to be tremendously useful, which is a big deal considering that Google is essentially synonymous with search in general. With the help of artificial intelligence, Google could one day be able to overlay assembly instructions on Ikea products, take recipes to a whole new level, or shatter language barriers.
ARCore success now depends on how well the technology will work in practice. Unlike with the company’s previous augmented reality platform or Apple’s ARKit, most Android users will experience ARCore through budget and mid-range devices, with lower resolution cameras and weaker CPUs. Unless ARCore works acceptably well outside the high-end smartphone category, most Android users won’t be interested in new augmented reality apps, and developers thus won’t be interested in making them.


text:
Real estate developers are customizing products and are paying attention to what buyers really want from their residential properties
Bengaluru/Mumbai: Compact homes in the city or villas in suburbs? Credible developer or deep discounts? Ready-to-move homes or an under-construction projects? What is the elusive homebuyer looking for?
As the residential market undergoes a churn, it is the customer who is calling the shots, forcing developers to customise products and pay attention to what buyers really want.
Manasi Lahoti, 31, and her husband Manish, 35, both employed in the financial services sector in Mumbai, are house-hunting with a ₹ 60-65 lakh budget, for a home within city limits.
“We don’t mind compromising on the size and settling for a one-bed home but it can’t be too far, and be easily commutable. Today, price is negotiable but there are not many options," Manish said.
Builders also think that the blend of social media and customer experience can work wonders for sales. Virtual tours, presentations and customer experience play an important role.
“...Fulfilling customer experience matters now more than ever as the decision to take that final leap into buying a house depends on it," it said.
Navin Makhija, managing director of property developer Wadhwa Group, said apartment sizes have significantly shrunk to make them affordable for the larger population. “There has also been a demand for homes sub-₹1crore. Large, credible developers never tried entering that space in a big way but with government’s Housing for All initiatives, they are seeing the mid-income and affordable housing segments as lucrative," Makhija said.
This year, Wadhwa launched its township project Wisecity, Panvel on Mumbai’s outskirts with one-bedroom apartments (289 sq. ft to 400 sq. ft) priced at ₹ 25 lakh upwards. Nearly 1,500 units have been sold in the last six months.
Om Ahuja, chief operating officer—residential business at K Raheja Corp, said it is planning to launch a mid-income project in Airoli, with 3,000 units because of its huge potential.
Affordable homes, because of high land prices in Mumbai, are still being taken up only in the far-flung outskirts of the city, said analysts. Mumbai’s Marathon Group managing director Mayur Shah said the company is trying to bring in buyers into the city from the outskirts. Its newest project NeoSkies, in suburban Bhandup, is selling 199 sq. ft studio apartments for ₹ 43 lakh along with other kinds of units.
Anuj Puri, chairman, Anarock Property Consultants, said buyers in Mumbai prefer compact homes and want an all-inclusive price, with no added costs.
“Developers have realized that the luxury story will not work. Prices have corrected and more buyers are coming out because prices are getting more affordable," Puri said. There is demand for smaller homes in the National Capital Region (NCR), but places like Gurugram have density norms so they can’t make smaller apartments. “NCR buyers research on the developer’s credibility and delivery track record. Besides the location, buyers want a sweet deal or an outright discount," said Getamber Anand, chairman and managing director of Noida-based ATS Infrastructure Ltd.
Price is usually the main determining factor for young buyers, and affordability and compact homes are a common pattern in newly launched projects.
M. Murali, CEO and managing director of Shriram Properties Pvt. Ltd, said the brand of the developer is important to sell in Bengaluru and Chennai. Price and location, preferable closer to workplaces, come next. Homes priced at ₹ 40-50 lakh in Chennai and ₹ 40-70 lakh in Bengaluru are preferred by buyers.
“Even if you have a good price, but the developer is unknown, it’s difficult to sell. Buyers are more informed today," said Murali. To tap into a broader buyer base, Shriram is launching 700-850 sq. ft homes for around ₹ 20-30 lakh.
“...Everyone is trying to work around products to fit in one-bedroom and studio apartments. Smaller size apartments that cost below ₹ 1 crore were hardly there in the past. This is what the market wants today and developers will only make what the market requires," said Gaurav Gupta, director, Omkar Realtors and Developers. It has launched three projects in Mumbai with flats (1 BHK) priced at ₹ 76 lakh up to ₹ 1 crore. Apartment sizes are between 333 sq. ft to 387 sq. ft.


text:
An unexpected twist in the streaming wars could see Warner Bros. Discovery ( WBD ) to license some of its older HBO original series to compete with Netflix, according to new reports.
As reported deadlineWBD is shopping some of its HBO library titles to Netflix, including shows like the comedy Issa Rae Uncertain, which ran for five seasons on HBO. If this deal goes through, it would be the first time in nearly a decade that HBO shows would exist on a rival SVOD in the US.
The deal, which has yet to be finalized, would not be exclusive to Netflix, meaning licensed shows could still be streamed on Max, WBD’s own streaming service, formerly known as HBO Max.
Conformable deadlinesome HBO veterans rejected the plan, but “corporate financial consideration won out”.
The move comes as new WBD CEO David Zaslav looks to cut costs and find new ways to monetize the company’s vast library of content. Earlier this year, WBD partnered with Roku and Tubu to launch free, ad-supported channels featuring HBO shows like Westworld, The Nevers, FBOy Islandand Raised by wolves.
While the move is unexpected in the current battle for streaming dominance, licensing content from other streamers and networks has previously been typical for HBO. Over a decade ago, cable sold edited versions of the Sex and the city to TBS, Curb your enthusiasm on the TV Guide channel, Entourage to Spike and sopranos to A&E.
In addition, HBO has entered into an agreement with Amazon Prime Video in 2024 to license series such as thread, Dry wood, Six feet underand sopranosthough that was before Amazon started producing its own premium originals.
WBD, HBO and Netflix have yet to comment on the news.


text:
A Selection of News and Topical Views
- Sep. 29 2016 00:00
The Oceania Opens in Moscow
The Oceania shopping and entertainment center has opened on Kutuzovsky Prospekt near Metro station Slavyansky Bulvar. The building, with a total area of 137,000 sq.m. (60,000 sq.m. of rental), was erected on 2.6 ha. of land. More than 300,000 people visited Oceania in the first week, according to TPS Real Estate, the project developer.
The shopping center is oriented towards families with children. Formula Kino has opened the first IMAX Laser multiplex in Russia and the CIS there. Perekrestok supermarket is present in a new format, M.Video electronics store, Hoff home products and a Leonardo hobby superstor are among the tenants as well. For the children, there are Detsky Mir and Hamley's, and the Interesting Academy educational and entertainment center. According to Cushman & Wakefield, the center is 76 percent filled. In September, TPS Real Estate opened the Khorosho! shopping center near Polezhaevskaya Metro station.Billions for Europe.
Yandex Did Not Buy Krasnaya Roza
Yandex has announced that it has terminated its agreement with the Krasnaya Roza 1875 Limited company (part of Alexander Klyachin's KR Properties) for the purchase of the Krasnaya Roza business complex, but will remain in it premises at Krasnaya Roza until the end of its lease. The Russian search engine was to become the sole owner of the Cypriot company that owns the business complex on Timur Frunze Street in Moscow, where the main Yandex office is located. Yandex said its decision to terminate the agreement was due to changes in market conditions.
The agreement, reached in February 2016, stipulated that Yandex would receive about 80,000 of the 137,000 sq.m. of the complex. Yandex now leases about 53,500 sq.m. of it.
The deal was supposed to be made without money. The company has taken over $490 million of the seller's debt and planned to release it in favor of 12.9 million ordinary Class A shares of Yandex (about 3.9 percent of is share capital after the increase), which it could not sell for 90 days. The total purchase price at the time of the signing of the contract was $655 million. Since then, Yandex shares rose, and now the amount of the transaction would be $773.8 million, based on the value of the search engine on NASDAQ. Yandex wanted to change the terms of the transaction (for example, by including an additional building), but the parties did not see eye-to-eye, a person familiar with the negotiations told Vedomosti, who added that the talks would continue.
Developer of Premium Housing Will Put Up Prefabs
Capital Group, in partnership with the Experimental Development of Microdistricts Administration (founded by the City of Moscow in 1994), has started to build the Positive residential complex in the Rumyantsevo district of "new" Moscow. The 5.87-ha. territory is located 3 km. from the Moscow Ring Road on Kiev Shosse. The total area will be 109,000 sq.m. A new series of Dommos buildings will be used in the construction, and the general contractor will be GVSU Tsentr, affiliated with the Russian Defense Ministry. Investment in the first stage, secheduled for completion in August 2017, will amount to 5.7 billion rubles ($88 million). The partners intend to invest equally, they told Vedomosti.
Capital Group, whose owners are listed as Paul Tyo, Vyacheslav Doronin and Edward Berman, specializes in premium real estate. It built two skyscrapers in Moscow City and a housing complex in Barvikha. The project in Rumyantsevo is the company's second housing project in the comfort class. In March, it began to build a 1-million sq.m. microdistrict in Mitino with GVSU Tsentr. Capital Group is not the first company that has expanded into the mass segment. Barkli and Rose Group have taken similar actions.
X5 Retail Group Expands at Sofyino
X5 Retail Group has leased an additional 22,868 sq.m. of warehouse space in Sofyino logistics park on Novoryazanskoe Shosse, completely occupying the first phase of the project (88,565 sq.m.). The developer of the facility is the AT Real Estate company.
In 2015, X5 Retail leased 65,697 sq.m. in Sofyino logistics park, which was the largest transaction on the warehouse market in Russia that year. The retailer decided to take additional storage space in the complex for their retail chains Perekrestok and Karusel. This will "optimize the costs of internal logistics," commented Knight Frank, consultant in the deal.
The new runway will significantly increase the capacity of the country’s main airport.
A Third Runway at Sheremetyevo Airport
Moscow region authorities have agreed on the design of a new runway at Sheremetyevo International Airport. Its construction is planned for the soccer World Cup to be held in Russia in 2018. The creation of a second flight zone along with the development of the Northern Terminal Complex will turn Sheremetyevo into one of the largest passenger and cargo hubs in the world. By 2030, the airport will be able to handle twice as many passengers as today—up to 65 million people annually.
The total area of the future third runway zone will be 505 ha. This area is separated from the historical international airport by Sheremetyevo Shosse. Construction of the new runway (3200 m. in length) will take place over 340 ha. A passenger terminal, refueling complex, airfield infrastructure and facilities required for air transport services will be built on 165 ha.
A draft plan will be submitted for approval to the Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia), said German Elyanyushkin, deputy chairman of the Moscow regional government. The volume of public investment is estimated at about 35.6 billion rubles ($550 million).
Mercury Is the Sole Owner of TsUM
A company close to the Mercury Group became the owner of the Arkada Holding company, which bought one-third of the area of the Central Department Store (TsUM) on Petrovka Street from the City of Moscow last year. An employee of one of the parties in the deal informed Vedomosti of the transaction. Now, according to him, Mercury is the sole owner of the famous department store.
TsUM is the largest department store in Europe, with 70,000 sq.m. of space and over 2000 brands represented.
The value of the transaction was not disclosed. The price of vacant space in the facility begins at 300,000 rubles ($4636) per square meter, Colliers International estimates. Most of the area sold by the city is leased to TD TsUM, owned by Mercury, at the rate of 3540 rubles per square meter per year, according to bidding documents from the auction. At that rate, the investment in the area of TsUM would pay off only in 63 years, whereas the normal term of return on investments is 10-11 years, said former S.A. Ricci managing partner Alexei Bogdanov.
Foreign Tenants Are Back
The number of foreign and regional companies renting housing in Moscow for their employees this year (as of the beginning of September) has doubled compared to the same period last year, according to Incom Real Estate calculations. Most of the staff apartments are rented by companies from Asia (49.5 percent). Only 3 percent of the corporate renters are from Europe, according to a company press release.
In September 2013, before the crisis, 18 percent of the total rental housing market in Moscow was apartments rented by representatives of foreign and regional companies. Employees of European and American firms made up 45 percent of that. Workers from Asian countries accounted for only 10 percent. In 2014, after the imposition of sanctions, the proportion of corporate rentals decreased to 12 percent and, in 2015, it fell to 6 percent. By September 2016, however, it had almost returned to the level of 2014 and amounted to 11.5 percent.
"This year, European firms have begun to appear on the rental again. They are registering joint ventures in Russia and making products that are not covered by the embargo. They need apartments for temporary accommodation of foreign specialists," Incom stated.
Eco-hotel projects are designed in the style of modern Scandinavian housing.
Honka Builds Emerald Forest
The Finnish company Honka was the builder of the Emerald Forest eco-hotel in the Klin district of Moscow region. Guest cottages of laminated veneer lumber, a restaurant and a fitness center with a swimming pool and spa area are located on a territory of 220 ha. The opening of another 5-star hotel in Russia will be announced this winter.


text:
Technology continues to be a major priority for Firmenich International SA, which has announced plans to continue investing for the long-term, notwithstanding any near-term challenges. In the release of its full year results ended 30 June 2020, the flavour powerhouse acknowledges that it is operating in a context of “unparalleled uncertainty.”
Despite facing significant global challenges as a result of Covid-19, Firmenich has seen growth of 2.8 % on a local currency basis, bringing group revenue up to CHF 3,878 m. The company has reported an adjusted Ebitda of CHF 859 m, representing a margin of 22.1 %. The company says that this margin is due to continued productivity gains and cost discipline. Meanwhile, free cash flow reached CHF 454 m, marking a nearly 8 % increase from FY 2019. This mainly stems from Firmenich’s focus on cost reduction and cash preservation measures in response to the Covid-19 crisis.
Notably, the Flavours arm of the company saw 3.8 % revenue growth, in comparison to 2.2 % growth in Perfumery & Ingredients. Worldwide lockdowns and travel bans affected some of the business segments, in particular Foodservice and Fine Fragrance, with a knock-on effect on perfumery ingredients. This impact was offset by a strong performance in Savoury, Sugar Reduction, Plant-Based Proteins, Personal Care, Body Care and Home Care.


text:
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd is in advanced negotiations with foreign investors to raise $1-1.3 billion by selling shares in its electric vehicles (EV) unit, this move is intended to accelerate the expansion ambitions of its newly established subsidiary, EV Co.
Over the next two fiscal years, Mahindra is projected to raise cash in various tranches, mostly through share sales in its EV business, which is now valued at more than $9.1 billion.
By creating a new EV plant near Pune and developing platforms for its next electric sport utility vehicles, Mahindra is prepared for a future dominated by sustainable mobility. (SUVs). The company has predicted that it would need to invest at least 10,000 crore in its EV sector over the next 2-3 years. They are slated to launch five new e-SUVs under the iconic brand – XUV …and the all-new electric-only brand called ‘BE.”
The first of these e-SUVs will be released around the end of 2024. The Born EVs will be built on the state-of-the-art INGLO EV Platform, which the company has created in-house. The company has just debuted its first electric SUV, the XUV400, which received 15,000 bookings in 13 days, making it India’s fastest booked electric SUV.
According to sources the company may raise as much as $800 million to $1 billion in the first tranche of fundraising as early as the first half of FY2024. The cash expected to be raised will most likely be invested in the EV business during the next three to five years.
The above article is based on an exclusive Mint story; edited by Clean-Future Team


text:
Bigger Plans for 2nd Annual Made in Maui County Festival
The upcoming Made in Maui County Festival boasts a larger format with more products, vendors food trucks, “and more reasons to buy local,” event organizers said.
The 2nd annual event is scheduled to take place on Nov. 6 and 7, 2015 at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center in Kahului.
This week, the Festival’s presenters – the County of Maui Mayor’s Office of Economic Development and the Maui Chamber of Commerce – announced the final list of 150 vendors and food trucks who will be participating in the 2015 event. More than 40 businesses are new to the list this year.
Product vendors had to meet certain criteria in order to participate, including having their business based in Maui County.
Products also had to meet a minimum 51% requirement of their value added in Hawaiʻi. The product mix, quality and creativity value of products were also considered during the selection process.
Last year, the inaugural event drew a crowd of more than 9,500, with a total of 130 vendors participating. During the 2014 event, vendors reported more than $300,000 in product sales transactions, more than 180 new accounts and wholesale orders closed, and more than 1,000 leads for future sales and wholesale accounts generated. “This year, the Festival is focused on expanding the event’s impact,” organizers said.
“Improving the business environment in Maui County is important to us, and this Festival has been very successful at doing just that,” said Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa in an event press release. “It was a great success last year and it is poised to be an even bigger event this year. It’s all part of our efforts to strengthen and diversify our local economy and I encourage everyone to stop by and check out all of our vendors,” he said.
“This Festival is more than an annual event – it’s all about creating opportunities for our small businesses here at home,” said Teena Rasmussen, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development.
“In an effort to accommodate more shoppers this year, we’ve expanded the show to include additional vendors. We also opened the Festival for the first time to the general public on Friday with our Shoppers Preview. Not only will these efforts provide vendors with additional opportunities to promote their products to potential consumers, but it will also help them to connect with potential wholesale and retailer buyers,” said Rasmussen.
Michelle Jones, co-owner of Two Chicks In A Hammock said, “Prior to the 2014 Made in Maui County Festival, our chili pepper water was sold in approximately 28 stores on Maui and Lānaʻi and I worked full-time at another business to make ends meet. After the exposure we received at last year’s festival, our products are now carried in 128 stores statewide including one store in Canada and we picked up a distributor. I now work full-time on the business. The Made in Maui County Festival gave us the kick-start we needed to grow our company.”
Companies like Matsumoto Studio were also able to showcase their notecards and stationery to new wholesale clients at the festival. Their products are now sold in T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and Home Goods.
“The Made in Maui County Festival was not only an absolute success in direct sales and revenue for the day, it was also a fantastic opportunity to bring more brand awareness for our products which allowed us to connect with new and existing customers, and helped us establish further credibility that we are truly a made in Hawaiʻi product,” said Shaun Bayles, co-owner of Chic Naturals.
The Shoppers Preview event takes place from 2 to 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6, and will give shoppers a one-day head start. Attendees will also enjoy the festival’s opening ceremonies and VIP reception. A limited 500 tickets will be sold to the general public for Friday’s event. Tickets are $35 per person and are available at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center Box Office or (808) 242-SHOW (7469) or MauiArts.org.
On Saturday, Nov. 7, the Made in Maui County Festival will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Public admission is $5 at the gate; children 12 and under get in free. Saturday’s festivities will include demonstrations, a fashion show, food trucks and prize drawings. The first 2,000 attendees will also receive a free festival tote bag.
“The 2014 event reaffirmed what we already knew, that there is a tremendous demand for made in Hawaiʻi products produced by Maui County businesses,” said Pamela Tumpap, President of the Maui Chamber of Commerce. “Those who attend this year’s event are in for a real treat with the opportunity to shop for a myriad of products produced by talented entrepreneurs. Best of all, you’ll be helping to grow these businesses while investing in our islands’ economy,” she said.
Vendors who will be participating in the 2nd Annual Made in Maui County Festival this November include: 808 Clothing;808 Shells; Aloha Botanicals Maui; Aloha Letterpress; Aloha Spiced Cacao; ‘Alohi Images Maui; Amata Jewelry Studio; Ark Ceramics; Art by Loyd; B Raw Bar; Barking Deer Farm; BDC Designs; Chic Naturals; Christina DeHoff Fine Art; Cool Blue Maui; Cupcake Ladies Catering Co.; Debra Lumpkins Studio; exfolicare; Fresh Local Product; Goddess Rising Perfumes; Grace Boutique; Haleakalā Creamery; Hali`i by Harriet; Hāliʻimaile Distilling Company; Hāliʻimaile Pineapple Company; Hāna Herbs & Flowers and Leila’s; Hano’s; Hapa Maui; Hawaiʻi Blown Glass; Hawaiʻi Fudge Company; HAWAIʻI Magazine *; Hawaiʻi Natural Products; Hawaiʻi Sea Spirits; Hawaiian Airlines *; Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company *; Hill Fine Art Photography; Hui Noʻeau Visual Arts Center; Hula Cookies; Hulunani by Leonani; Island Style Bedding & Home Decor; Jackie Pias Carlin; JB Creations; Jennifer’s Gourds; Jonerz Art & Sparrow Seas; joy’s place LIVE!; Kaha Jewelry; Kanemitsu; Kealopiko; Keaohulu; KensSu Jewelry; Kula Crafts & Flowers; Kupu Aʻe Molokaʻi; Lako Kula Design; Lanakila Designs / Kainanea; LeiAloha by Maile; Liquid Sunshine Jewelry; Lori C. Unfus; Lorraine’s; Lustrous Maui; Matsumoto Studio; Maui Breadfruit Company; Maui Brewing Company; Maui Coffee Association / Pueo Coffee; Maui Coffee Roasters; Maui Crisps; Maui Dirty Girl Art; Maui Dog Wear; Maui Drift; Maui Excellent; Maui Fruit Jewels; Maui Gourmet Popcorn; Maui Island Love; Maui J & M Photography; Maui Jelly Factory; Maui Ketchup; Maui Koa Wood Creations; Maui Mini Aloha Shirt Souvenirs; Maui Monkey Business; Maui No Ka Oi Magazine *; Maui Nui Wear; Maui Printing Company *; Maui Rainbow Tea; Maui Soap Company; Maui Sweet Cakes; Maui Tiki; Maui Visitor Channel *; Maui Wild Cultures; Maui Wine / ʻUlupalakua Vineyards; Maui Woodys; MauiTiki; Mike Carroll Gallery; Misha Seelhoff; Moku Pua; Mona Lisa Maui; Nā Kani O Hula; Nā Koa Brand; Nā Mea Molokaʻi; Nahele Designs; ʻOno Nuts; Opihi Maui; Out of the Blue LLC; Pacifica Hawaiʻi; Palapala Designs; Paradise Now; Pasha Hawaiʻi *; Pilialoha Keiki; Poi by the Pound; Queen Bee Maui; Rock Salt Plum Creations / Hattherapi; Ron L. Designs; Rosebuds; Roxanne Broadbent Surfboard Art; Sailbags Maui; Sarai Stricklin; Scott Mead Photography; Sew Kolohe; Seyana Jewelry; Shaka Pops Maui; She Shells Maui; Sherri Reeve Gallery; Snoops!; SuiKeala Jewelry; Surfing Goat Dairy; Te Hotu Mana Creations; The Mad Hatter of Maui; The Maui Closet Company; The Maui News *; Three Coconuts Maui; Tracy Lamon Designs; Treehouse Designs; Two Chicks In A Hammock; Uncle Louie Sausage Co.; Upcountry Maui Favorites; Victoria Wundram / Maui Artist; Wow-Wee Maui’s Candy Bar; and Wrappily. (*=Event sponsor)


text:
Cruising in Montreal made a return this year on May 7 with the arrival of the first cruise ship in two years. What followed has been a very successful cruise season for the port, with more than 50,000 cruise passengers and crew visiting the city.
Montreal Cruise Port Ends Season on a High Note
The return of cruises to Montreal this year has proven successful for the cruise port. The city welcomed more than 50,000 visitors during the cruise season. The first ship, American Queen Voyages’ Ocean Navigator, arrived on May 7, and the season concluded with the departure of Oceania Cruises’ Insignia on October 31.
In total, 16 ships from 13 different companies made 45 visits during the 2022 season. These figures include 9 port calls and 36 embarkation and disembarkation operations.
Despite the pandemic-related health restrictions that marked the beginning of the season, the terminals welcomed 38,000 passengers and 13,000 crew members.
“After two years of absence, the cruise industry has made an encouraging return to Montréal. I would like to thank the cruise lines for their loyalty to the Port and to Montréal as a destination.“
“Our teams have worked tirelessly to provide passengers and crew with a quality experience in this challenging time of recovery. With facilities offering responsible cruise industry solutions, the Port of Montréal is well positioned for the future,” said Martin Imbeau, President and CEO of the Montréal Port Authority.
Four ships visited Montréal for the first time: Ponant’s Le Bellot and Le Dumont d’Urville, Vantage Cruise Line’s Ocean Explorer, and Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambience. These last two cruise lines have already announced their return next year.
The port has been focussed on a sustainable operation, offering ships the opportunity to connect to shore power when in port. This offers ships the chance to save on fuel costs and has the added benefit of significantly lowering the number of emissions in the city from cruise ships.
The sustainable operations in the cruise port go hand in hand with other initiatives from Tourisme Montréal, which endeavors to offer visitors an eco-responsible tourism experience, and has led to Montréal receiving first place in North America in the Global Destination Sustainability Index 2022, a world reference in sustainable tourism.
“It is with great satisfaction that we look back on this first post-pandemic cruise season. Montréal is a key destination on the St. Lawrence River.”
“Tourisme Montréal is pleased to be a partner in this important sector which contributes significantly to our city’s economy. We want to continue to position Montréal as a choice destination and hope that next year, even more tourists will have the chance to visit our wonderful city,” said Yves Lalumière, President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal.
Cruises on the St. Larence River and the Great Lakes are experiencing a considerable increase in interest. Next year, cruise ships from Seabourn Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Viking, Regent Seven Seas, Windstar, Oceania Cruises, and more will visit Montreal from May through October.


text:
Share this post
Companies across the payments sector have 12 months to implement the Financial Conduct Authority’s new consumer duty rules that intend to improve how firms serve consumers.
The FCA said firms need to improve their service and meet the new overarching principle of acting to deliver good outcomes for retail customers. The consumer duty rules that underpin this principle will require companies to:
- Curtail high and unreasonable charges and fees;
- Make it easy to switch or cancel products;
- Provide helpful and accessible customer support;
- Provide timely and clear information that people can understand about products and services so consumers can make good financial decisions;
- Provide products and services that are right for their customers; and
- Focus on the real and diverse needs of their customers, including those in vulnerable circumstances.
The rules “will set higher and clearer standards of consumer protection across financial services and require firms to put their customers’ needs first,” the FCA said.
The regulator also believes these rules create opportunities for innovation in the interest of consumers. “The consumer duty will lead to a major shift in financial services and will promote competition and growth based on high standards,” said Sheldon Mills, executive director of consumers and competition at the FCA. “As the duty raises the bar for the firms we regulate, it will prevent some harm from happening and will make it easier for us to act quickly and assertively when we spot new problems.”
How to embed the new consumer duty requirements in your product development – September 2022
Alison Donnelly, director of fscom and lead of The Payment Association’s Project Regulator, said the transition to the new rules will be a “relatively straightforward process” for companies that are already focused on their customers. Others, however, will need to “gather and analyse data and enhance product governance frameworks so that the evidence is captured at each stage”.
Teresa Connors, founder of Payment Matters and member of Project Regulator, added that evidence of embedding the consumer duty rules and having good customer outcomes will be essential for success. “Testing, data and analytics are vital to proving that customers are at the heart of a business,” she said.
The FCA has published guidance to help companies adapt to the new rules but warned that it will take action against companies not delivering the right outcomes for their customers before practices become entrenched as market norms.
Max Savoie, partner at Sidley Austin and member of Project Regulator, said the consumer duty is a matter for the business as much as it is for a firm’s legal and compliance functions. Delaying implementation of the new rules “could create significant risks as this is a flagship policy of the FCA and is likely to be front of mind for its supervisory teams”.
“The FCA will expect a firm’s senior management and business functions to understand and apply the duty, as well as the detailed rules and guidance under it, so compliance functions should be planning training and providing management updates,” said Savoie.
Firms need to use the next 12 months to implement the rules for all new and existing products and services. The rules will be extended to closed book products in a year, to give firms more time to bring these older products, that are no longer on sale, up to the new standards.
Want to know more about the consumer duty?
Register here for The Payments Association’s webinar on “How to embed the new consumer duty requirements in your product development”.
Exclusive for Payments Association members: Project Regulator discuss the consumer duty rules and a guidebook on the consumer duty for The Payments Association’s members.
Copyright: Infographics from the FCA.


text:
Three brothers are planning to launch their own Kentucky bourbon through their company Brough Brothers Distillery in honor of their surname.
According to BlackBusiness.com, it will be one of the only black-owned distilleries in the country and the first black-owned business of its kind in the state of Kentucky. The trio of brothers—Victor, Christian, and Bryson Yarbrough—went on their own separate paths as they progressed through life but came back together to start this business venture. Their goal was to create their own products to make an impact locally and globally.
Victor, who has been abroad in England for the last 10 years, initially came up with the idea of bottling wines and other drinks in the U.K. He and his brothers are hoping to expand their reach to other areas by exporting their products while also making them available locally.
The distillery, which will be built on 2,200 square feet, will house the Kentucky bourbon production as well as a taste-testing room. They have chosen to establish it on the West End as it has shown great potential for revitalization.
“Realistically we’re going to be producing gin and vodka as well as bourbon,” Victor, the CEO of Brough Brothers Bourbon, told WHAS11. “We’re doing our job to help promote Kentucky outside of the U.S.”
“It’s a fantastic feeling but for us, it’s all about giving back to the community,” he continued. “We want to give back to the city just from our knowledge of pretty much going around the world. We wanted to be able to focus all that knowledge back into the city and give back.”
The company, whose bourbon is currently distributed through Amazon in the United Kingdom, expects to officially launch in Louisville next month, according to Louisville Business First. The brothers say they hope to hire four people at the distillery once it’s up and running.
more recommended stories
Over 300 New York Police Officers Have Tested Positive for Coronavirus
The coronavirus is rapidly spreading through.
House Democrats Introduce Bill to Require Insurance to Cover Full Cost of COVID-19 Testing
House Democrats have introduced legislation that.
Kanye West Compares Backlash Over Trump Support to Racial Discrimination
Well, at least we know that.
NPR Station Will Stop Airing Live Trump Press Briefings
A Washington state-based radio station announced.
Actress Kali Hawk Is the Creative Force Behind the Jewelry You See on Your Favorite Celebs
Kali Hawk is a successful actress.
How Much Does Medicare Cost in 2020?
If you’re looking ahead to your.
Black Churches Struggle To Reach Their Congregations During COVID-19 Outbreak
The global outbreak of COVID-19, otherwise.
Meet The Woman Entrepreneur Who Launched A Fitness Brand To Honor Her Kenyan Heritage
Being a woman entrepreneur can have.
Major Brands Are Pushing Social Distancing Through Logos
McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Audi, Volkswagen, and many.
Coronavirus Outbreak Leading To Rise in Discrimination Against Blacks and Asians
A study conducted by the University.


text:
3 ways the metaverse is reshaping e-commerce marketing
How is this virtual reality shaping brands' approach to e-commerce marketing.
Report: Lux Retail Sales to Continue Healthy Growth
This piece is sponsored by Colliers. A Colliers report says luxury fashion retail has emerged from an initial pandemic malaise with more revenues, an...
How to create a successful presence on the metaverse
The metaverse is coming – but first there are seven hurdles that must be overcome before it reaches widespread adoption, Anvil Media’s Kent Lewis writes.


text:
Riccardo Tisci is an Italian fashion designer who in 2005 was given the title of creative director for Givenchy Women’s haute couture and ready-to-wear lines.
As creative director, Riccardo Tisci brought the style of hip hop fashion together with Givenchy glamour. This drew the likes of Beyonce, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian as well as former Vogue Paris editor Carine Roitfeld, and actresses like Cate Blanchett and Emma Stone, to his shows.
When he left, he was replaced by Clare Waight Keller in 2017, there was some speculation that Riccardo would take over the house of Versace. His outspoken style seemed like a perfect fit. And while Donatella did collaborate with Riccardo on a collection, the rumors of his taking over Versace proved false and after that there was silence.
Today the silence was broken when Burberry announced via press release Riccardo Tisci as their new creative director. This comes after Christopher Bailey’s final show last month where he premiered the Burberry fall/ winter 2018-19 collection.
Naming Riccardo Tisci as Burberry’s new creative director comes as a surprise to many including Vanessa Friedman who posted her shock a few hours ago on twitter.
There is a logical explanation for her reaction. The style of Burberry has always been very upper crust and pristine. It is a brand members of the royal house would wear, and have worn.
But hip hop style is the new modern fashion. It has been on trend and on the catwalks for the past 4-5 seasons. It is what people of all economic backgrounds want to wear whether on the streets, at the gym or into the office. And while hip hop style is popular, it isn’t a style you’d expect Burberry to want to integrate into their heritage brand.
This is a risk. But if Burberry is interested in tapping into the changing market, and clearly they are, there is no one better than Tisci to help them transition. Riccardo Tisci is one of the few proven designers to merge high fashion and glamour with urban fashion into a historically conservative brand.
I want to say that while Christopher Bailey was not the right fit going forward, he saw the house out on a high note. His love letter to the LGBT+ community with a new house check in their honor will forever be a part of the Burberry brand and it is beautiful.


text:
Ashley HomeStore Hosts Feeding America Event Donating Meals to Over 1,200 Community Members
COLTON, Calif. – Furniture retailer Ashley HomeStore (Ashley) partnered with Feeding America to provide groceries to over 1,200 community members in need. The company recently hosted a meal distribution event at their Colton, California, Stoneledge Distribution Center to ensure neighbors in need have required food and resources to thrive. Each family received a $25 grocery gift card, a box of shelf-stable items, and a box of dairy, produce, and protein. To maintain a safe environment for volunteers and the receiving families, donations were facilitated as a drive through event.
Feeding America is the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization with a nationwide network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries. As COVID-19 continues to impact the many communities we call home, there is a growing need for the services Feeding America provides.
“Ashley HomeStore is thrilled to partner with Feeding America to help others in a time of great need,” stated Todd Wanek, President and CEO, Ashley Furniture Industries. “COVID-19 has had a major impact on families around the world, and it truly hits home when we see the impact firsthand in our own communities. We hope this contribution provides relief of financial burden for everyday necessities for the receiving families.”
The company also shared information with recipients regarding their Hope to Dream program which provides beds for children in need. The program has donated over 110,000 beds across the country over the last ten years. Participating Ashley HomeStores donate a portion of funds from each mattress sale to Hope to Dream to provide children with a twin mattress, bedframe, bedding and a pillow to call their own.
“Our Ashley team is humbled to serve our surrounding community with Feeding America and Hope to Dream at our Colton facility,” said Kurt Haines, President, Stoneledge Furniture. “As a company, we strive to inspire the love of home and enrich the lives of those around us. In addition to providing meals, we believe every child deserves a good night’s sleep; our Hope to Dream program is accepting applications for children in our communities who do not have a bed of their own.”
After the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S. in the first half of 2020, Ashley HomeStores around the country donated over $448,000 to Feeding America, providing more than 4.4 Million meals nationwide.
To join our mission in feeding America, please visit www.feedingamerica.org/ashleyhomestore.
Ashley HomeStore is committed to being your trusted partner and style leader for the home. This commitment has made Ashley HomeStore the largest retail furniture store brand in North America and one of the world’s best-selling furniture store brands with more than 1,050 locations in 60 countries.
Start designing your dream home today. Visit Ashley HomeStore online at www.ashleyhomestore.com. “Like” Ashley HomeStore on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Instagram , or see our design-focused boards on Pinterest.
Ashley Furniture Industries feels that every person deserves more value for their money. Established in 1945, Ashley is the largest manufacturer of home furnishings in the world, and was named one of America’s Best Employers by Forbes in 2021. From design through fulfillment, Ashley is committed to delivering the world’s best home furnishing values, selection and service, and earning the loyalty and trust of its customers every day. Visit Ashley online at www.ashleyfurnitureindustriesllc.com and “like” Ashley Furniture Industries on Facebook.
# # #


text:
The company had announced this new product earlier this year. The launch was somewhat delayed.
The product is now available for purchasing on the Apple Store.
The company would ship them for free. It would be delivered to customers within 7-10 days.
Apple claims that these headphones provide better sound quality compared to the standard pairs shipped with Apple iPods.
These also feature better drivers and sound isolation in addition to new combo mic / remote which works with some of the newer iPod models.


text:
Charges of price-fixing were issued yesterday against four major bread bakeries and their corporate heads, over allegations that go back nearly two and a half years.
According to the indictment issued by the Antitrust Authority, Angel Bakeries CEO Yaron Angel, Berman's Bakery CEO Yehuda Schneidman, Merhavit Bakery chairman CEO Yohanan Aharonson and Davidovich Bakery CEO Shaike Davidovich together with other, smaller bakeries, conspired to establish a cartel.
They are accused of setting prices, preventing competition and dividing up the country's bread and baked-goods market among themselves, in violation of the Restrictive Trade Practices Law, acting in concert to raise prices for bread under price controls.
The bakery executives allegedly met in coffee shops, a gas station on the Trans-Israel Highway and even in lawyers' offices to work out the scheme.
"This is a very serious affair that was investigated thoroughly," antitrust commissioner David Gilo said.
The agency stressed that the alleged offenses were particularly heinous in that they had the potential to hurt large numbers of people at the lowest rungs of Israeli society, especially families with many children for whom bread is an important staple.
Want to enjoy 'Zen' reading - with no ads and just the article? Subscribe todaySubscribe now


text:
In recent years, the gap between Caucasian and African-American travelers has lessened, making the African American sector of the U.S. population one of the fastest growing markets in the travel industry, according to the bi-monthly publication Black Meetings and Tourism. Based on surveys, polls andU.S. Travel Association research, Associate Publisher/Editor Gloria Herbert reports African Americans encompass 45% of the $125 billion in total revenues produced by multicultural travel. Not to mention, the economic impact of African-American leisure travelers is $48.3 billion. With the travel uptick among black Americans, as well as the blogger boom, has come a rise in unique voices weighing in on a bevy of travel topics—everything from must-have travel gadgets and sites to frequent to restaurant favorites and non-touristy sites to see. Here are several black travelers worth following on Twitter:–Corvida Raven
Kiratiana Freelon (@kiratiana)
Harvard graduate Kiratiana Freelon is always on the go, racking up passport stamps from all over the globe. Starting her travels back in 2002—when the Chicago native received a $20,000 fellowship—Freelon has ventured to over 25 countries and penned Kiratiana’s Travel Guide to Black Paris: Get Lost and Get Found. The former editor and web content manager for BlackAtlas.com also served as the Travel Channel’s expert on Paris. Freelon freely shares her comprehensive list of travel tips, money-saving tricks, and how-tos for travelers on a budget via Twitter and her blog, Kiratiana Travels.


text:
MyPillow, Tucker Carlson’s Biggest Advertiser, Lays Off 150 Employees
My Pillow CEO and founder Mike Lindell announced this week that the bedding manufacturer will be laying off 150 employees from its factory in Shakopee, Minnesota. According to Lindell, the layoffs are a byproduct of his company launching a new online venture called Mystore.com, which will apparently be an “online store for entrepreneurs and inventors to sell their products.”
The company has become inextricably tied to President Trump and Fox News due to Lindell’s outspoken conservative views, over-the-top praise for the president, and ubiquitous presence of MyPillow commercials during Fox programming.
In the wake of a sustained and debilitating advertiser boycott of Fox News primetime star Tucker Carlson following the conservative host saying immigrants make America “poorer and dirtier,” MyPillow has emerged as Tucker Carlson Tonight’s most reliable sponsor. With dozens of companies pulling their ads, MyPillow has regularly run multiple 2-minute ads per broadcast to help fill Carlson’s dwindling ad load.
These layoffs, meanwhile, come just months after Lindell boasted that the president’s tax cuts created an economic boom that made it easier for business owners to hire workers and pay them more.
“After more than 500 days with Donald Trump as our president — with record-low unemployment and a booming economy — it’s clear, Minnesota, that we can rest easy,” he wrote in a June 2018 op-ed. “As a proud American business owner, I have seen firsthand the positive changes President Trump’s policies are bringing to our state. Because of the president’s historic tax cuts, I was able to give my employees an immediate across-the-board pay raise to help fuel their lives and advance their careers.”
This isn’t the first time that Lindell has slashed jobs at his company. In 2017, MyPillow laid off 140 employees shortly after bringing on 500 new workers. While the culprit was production outpaced sales, Lindell placed the blame on “bad press” after the company had its Better Business Bureau accreditation pulled over misleading advertising.


text:
Source: Clemens Bilan/AFP/Getty Images
In 2005, Nicholas Negroponte, who founded the groundbreaking MIT Media Lab, announced that he and several colleagues aimed to design, manufacture, and distribute laptops that would cost, at most, $100 each. The so-called "$100 Laptop," Negroponte said, would help millions of poor children cross the growing digital divide.
Now, more than two years later, Negroponte's nonprofit, One Laptop per Child, has begun to sell computers to the developing world. But they're not taking off like he'd hoped. According to reporter Steve Stecklow, of The Wall Street Journal, education ministers in several countries have decided that they won't buy the inexpensive laptops after all. (You can read his article here). Some wonder why the computers don't use ubiquitous Windows software.... Others ask why the laptops cost more than $100 (They sell for $188, plus shipping). And several companies, including Microsoft and Intel, have introduced competing products.
What do you think of Negroponte's idea, to put a laptop — with a long battery, high-resolution screen, and open-source software — in the hands of every poor child on the planet? And why don't you think the project has taken off? Steve Stecklow and Nicholas Negroponte will be here, to answer your questions, in the second hour.


text:
Islamabad, February 19
Pakistan has decided to register Himalayan pink salt as Geographical Indications (GI) to prevent its unauthorised use by other countries.
A GI tag is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess origin-based qualities and reputation in the region.
The precious salt is extracted from the Salt Range in Punjab which extends along the south of the Potohar Plateau and the north of the Jhelum River.
The decision was taken in a meeting with the Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO) Pakistan chaired by Commerce Adviser Razak Dawood. IPO Chairman Mujeeb Ahmed Khan also attended the meeting, the Dawn newspaper reported on Friday.
An official announcement said that during the meeting, GI registration of products from various regions of Pakistan was discussed. The move aims to curb unauthorised use of Pakistan’s GI by other countries.
Pink Himalayan salt is said to be loaded with minerals that are beneficial to health.
Pakistan is fighting a case in the 27-member European Union against India’s move to get Basmati rice registered as its product.
“We decided that, after registration of rice, pink salt from the Salt Range mountains of Pakistan will be registered as GI,” the adviser said, adding that this would encourage and motivate our producers to expand their business at a global level.
For this, a registrant would be designated with the approval of the Cabinet.
Similarly, a list of other products on a priority basis will be pursued.
“We urge our business community to identify and inform IPO of other products that can be registered as GI in order to protect them for realising their export potential,” Dawood said.
The commerce adviser expressed satisfaction at the progress made and reiterated the importance of GI registration for various products.
The registration of GI products would serve as a potential economic tool to promote and enhance national and international trade of Pakistan, Dawood said, adding speedy registration would protect GIs of Pakistan and eradicate the possibility of violation of these products, the adviser said.
He further advised the commerce ministry to double its efforts for registration of potential products as GI on a priority basis, it said.
In January, Pakistan received the GI tag for its Basmati, paving the way for creating a local registry for the particular strain of rice and making a case in the international market, as the country fights a case in the EU against India’s move to get Basmati rice registered as its product. PTI


text:
Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division recently launched PC-DMIS 2018 R2, the latest edition of its measurement software.
PC-DMIS 2018 R2 introduces a new reporting workflow, making it easier than ever to create customised reports with simple drag and drop functionality and an intuitive slideshow-style interface. A new QuickPath tool expands on existing QuickFeature functionality to simplify feature creation with a safe path. PC-DMIS 2018 R2 also introduces the ability to add run charts from qs-STAT into the PC-DMIS report.
Improved probe utility allows users to mark favourite tip configurations, create required tip angles by simply clicking on CAD, and buy replacements with shopping cart tools; a new e-Store is coming soon to hexagonmi.com. Improvements in the use of lasers, specifically for path creation and offline programming, also feature in the latest release.
“PC-DMIS 2018 R2 continues the recent trend towards maximising productivity in the three major metrology tasks: creation, execution and collaboration,” states Ken Woodbine, product line manager for Metrology Software at Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence. “Creating measurement routines is even simpler and more intuitive with the addition of both QuickPath for adding motion in ‘walk up and measure’ applications, and the offline path visualisation and simulation for laser probes. Execution is also streamlined with improvements to our ‘Inspect’ module, making it easier to control access to routines, and for operators to search and find routines and reports.
“Collaboration is the ‘why’ of metrology, and PC-DMIS continues to work seamlessly with even more measurement devices and sensors,” he continues. “In addition, the introduction of Q-DAS run chart integration and ‘Shopshot’ offers a fuller picture of production processes.”
For further information www.hexagonmi.com


text:
Apply to find partners, end-users and customers at Smart Factory Expo
INNOVATE UK have kindly sponsored 65 booths for ‘start ups’ at the Smart Factory Expo in Liverpool on 13-14th November in the Innovation Alley. These are worth £1000.
They are offering these to start ups (less than 5yrs old, less than 10fte) who have a service or technology that could improve manufacturing productivity.
Would you benefit from being at a national exhibition to showcase your product or service for FREE?
YES – I’m in!!
OK – So what’s on offer and how can you apply?
Innovation Alley sits at the heart of Smart Factory Expo, one of The Manufacturer’s key events taking place in Liverpool on 13-14 November attracting over 6000 manufacturing visitors from all over the UK and Europe. Innovation Alley is an ideal platform for start-ups and early-stage businesses to forge new partnerships with solution providers, customers and industry experts.
Hosted by Innovate UK in partnership with KTN, HVM Catapult, Made Smarter and STFC, we are inviting companies who are interested in being part of Innovation Alley to Apply for a space. An Innovation Alley space is FREE and is open to start up and early stage companies with innovative products or services targeted at manufacturers who haven’t exhibited in previous years.
Smart Factory Expo is a mixture of conference talks, masterclasses, consultant clinics, exhibitor and hack and pitch zones all focusing on the innovative area of digital manufacturing.


text:
Obtaining Bitcoin through regular payments is becoming a lot more complicated in the future. It is evident there is a lot of negative pressure by various banks all over the world. Even the Commonwealth Bank of Australia is following this same path. That decision comes as a surprise, as Australia is often considered to be cryptocurrency-friendly. A very dubious decision that will undoubtedly unleash a lot of backlash.
Buying Bitcoin with a credit or debit card is virtually impossible right now. Major banks around the world prevent users from purchasing cryptocurrencies this way. It causes a lot of unnecessary friction, for obvious reasons. It is convenient to buy Bitcoin with a payment card, and it makes a lot of sense to do so. Unfortunately, very few people will be able to do so in the future if this trend keeps up.
Commonwealth Bank Makes an Unpopular Decision
Most banks are seemingly concerned about the fraud risks associated with these purchases. More specifically, there’s a high chance users will buy Bitcoin and force a card payment chargeback. As Bitcoin isn’t officially legalized in most countries, there would be no real recourse either. Commonwealth Bank is thinking along similar lines, by the look of things. They are sending text messages to customers to explain this purchase ban.
Unfortunately, this also indicates the decisions by Commonwealth Bank is rather sudden. Otherwise, they could have informed clients about this impending change in policy. As of right now, the bank deems such transactions to be inappropriate, yet does not further explain the thought process. This is another example of how banks will continue to crack down on how customers spend their own money. Right now, consumers are forced to deal with more and more limitations every month.
Affected users have nothing they can do about this situation. Their only course of action is changing banks. Sadly, it is possible other major Australian banks will take a similar approach to Bitcoin-related purchases. This global crackdown is far from over, by the look of things, which is not a positive trend whatsoever. Surprisingly, Commonwealth Bank still allows users to buy Bitcoin with regular bank transfers. For now, that type of service will not be blocked by the bank.
Header image courtesy of Shutterstock


text:
The lead-in to recent Stansberry’s Investment Advisory pitches ($49 first year, renews at $199) is one of those “the wealthy are screwing you over” bits, inspired by recent reports about tax outrages:
“You probably saw the news this week about how billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk have paid nothing in federal taxes – often for years.
“It’s completely legal. And I’d do the same thing if I were them.
“But it’s proof of just how badly the system is rigged in favor of the ultra-rich.
“That’s why I highly recommend you make this ONE move before July 29.
“It’s a way to “turn the tables” on the ultra-wealthy – and claim a share of billions in potential wealth.”
Which is not, it turns out, a promise that there’s some super-secret way to make money on bitcoin or something if you buy before August, but really just a tease that you should start investing in better companies — following one of the ideas that the Stansberry analysts feel most strongly about. Here’s a little more from the ad:
“I’m going to turn the tables for you. And show you a way to do six times better, historically, than the S&P 500. Potentially every year going forward.
“With regular U.S. stocks you can buy today….
“We call them the 61%-Per-Year Stocks.
“Because that’s how fast they could have grown your money so far.
“But now, they’re at an inflection point – a period of mass adoption.
“Meaning the gains could be a lot higher going forward.
“These are regular, U.S.-listed stocks that anyone can buy through any standard brokerage account.”
So what’s being talked up here? This is another general pitch for the idea of “SaaS” stocks, a group which includes what most of us in recent years have been calling “cloud” stocks — companies that provide software or a service or a platform that’s delivered not in a package that you install on your computer systems, but over the internet from “cloud” servers. Instead of buying the software or the tool, you subscribe to it.
Investors delight in “subscription” businesses, because predictable and recurring revenue is intuitively more valuable than revenue you have to “sell” over and over to new customers, and they have indeed done extraordinarily well over the past couple decades, with Salesforce.com (CRM) generally getting the credit for pioneering cloud SaaS software 20 years ago and bringing hundreds of companies in its wake (including many who rely in part on being integrated with the Salesforce platform, like DocuSign (DOCU), another example of past success that they drop in the ad — and one where I agree with them, I think I probably first bought DocuSign around the same time the Stansberry folks got interested).
And that SaaS idea has been a big focus of several Stansberry folks in recent years, with Porter Stansberry himself often talking it up as one of the more compelling opportunities for long-term capital-efficient growth (the only sectors he has been as positive about in recent years, in my reading, have been royalties and insurance companies, and all three are also favorites of mine… so maybe that’s why this ad caught my eye). This spiel, though presented by a new (to me) face in Tom Carroll, is really a continuation of some “cloud SaaS” pitches that the Stansberry folks have been making for about 18 months now, often based on the research of their analysts Bryan Beach and Mike Dibiase — the first round of those ads, for their pricier Stansberry Venture Value newsletter, hinted at GAN (now GAN, though it wasn’t US-listed at the time) and PAR Technology (PAR), both of which I was very impressed with and now own, and they’ve thrown around a few other smallish “cloud” ideas over the past year as well… so will the ones they’re hinting at today for this “entry level” letter catch my fancy?
Well, the sad news is that I can only try to sniff out one of them for you — there is only one for which they drop some hints in the ad.
This is what the provide, our fuel for the Thinkolator:
“… details three of our favorite opportunities today from the very best group of stocks we’ve ever found in 20 years of research.
“Selected by our top analysts with industry insider experience that gives them a huge advantage.
“For example, one of their newest recommendations is a SaaS company with a huge customer base among hotels and restaurants – businesses on the verge of a massive ‘reopening’ boom.Are you getting our free Daily Update
"reveal" emails? If not,
just click here...
“It’s also cheap… fast-growing… and almost completely unknown by the general public – even though companies like Walmart and PayPal are customers… and the legendary VC fund Sequoia Capital is a major shareholder.
“The upside potential could be hundreds of percent within a few years.
“And this is only one of the opportunities you’ll be able to access right away.”
So… hoodat? We can’t know for sure, of course, that’s not quite enough detail in the hints for the Thinkolator to provide a 100% certain match (which is usually what we shoot for), but we did get it narrowed down… and I can tell you that I’m pretty sure that this is a tease for Medallia (MDLA).
How does that match? Well, if Walmart, PayPal, and hotels and restaurants are all customers… we know it’s not a segment-specific software product, like a POS terminal or inventory management or something like that. It has to do with something that’s generic to a lot of industries. Medallia does count Walmart and PayPal as named customers, and get well over 10% of revenue (and a lot more of their customer count, since many of the businesses are small) from the hospitality and restaurant segments. And it was backed by Sequoia Capital and remains 28% owned by one of that VC Company’s funds, which is a little unusual a couple years after an IPO (but certainly not unheard of).
And it fits conceptually — it’s a not-very-well-known cloud SaaS company, it’s got solid growth in the ~20% neighborhood, which is “fast growing” in the general sense but not the nosebleed 50-100% growth that draws a lot of investor lust, and it’s pretty rationally valued compared to those sexier names, with a valuation of roughly 10X sales and a likelihood that they’ll be generating positive cash flow in the next year or so even though the income statement doesn’t look all that impressive at the moment. It may not be objectively “cheap” if you’re used to looking at PE ratios and the such, but it’s a lot cheaper than many of the SaaS stories we’ve looked at.
Medallia is a “customer experience” platform, one which integrates with lots of different systems to allow customers and frontline employees to monitor and input data for “experience management.” They have strategic alliances with lots of platforms who help to resell and distribute the software, effectively, including Adobe, Microsoft, Salesforce.com and ServiceNow, all of which are prodigious SaaS businesses in their own right, so that ease of integration with other systems is probably a big selling point. The company pitches itself as offering an “experience cloud,” combining survey data, social reputation and customer postings on places like Facebook and Twitter, call center feedback, user review data on marketplaces, and lots of other touch points, and they claim that prized “top right” Magic Quadrant from Gartner for “Voice of the Customer” positioning (they’re graded about the same as larger competitor Qualtrics (XM), and ahead of companies like Nice (NICE) and Verint (VRNT) who offer somewhat similar services). This is how they describe themselves:
“Medallia is the pioneer and market leader in customer, employee, citizen and patient experience. The company’s award-winning SaaS platform, Medallia Experience Cloud, is becoming the experience system of record that makes all other applications customer and employee aware. The platform captures billions of experience signals across interactions including all voice, video, digital, IOT, social media and corporate messaging tools. Medallia uses proprietary artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to automatically reveal predictive insights that drive powerful business actions and outcomes. Medallia customers reduce churn, turn detractors into promoters and buyers, create in-the-moment cross-sell and up-sell opportunities and drive revenue impacting business decisions, providing clear and potent returns on investment.”
The Stansberry ad is dated “May 2021”, and I’ve seen the ad circulating for a week or so, which means they also got in before last week’s news: At around 1pm on Friday, Bloomberg reported that “Software Provider Medallia Is Exploring a Potential Sale,” with interest from private equity firms percolating. That caused a brief trading halt on Friday afternoon, the stock jumped up 15% or so on the news, and today it has settled down a bit.
We don’t know if this will turn into a deal — frankly, this is the most bizarre and stupid kind of fee-generating silliness on Wall Street, funding a startup and getting them going and launching them into the public markets with good momentum… then just as the company is nearing profitability, have the serpent seduce them into a private equity takeover deal to go private again, load up with debt to make the profitability look more impressive for a couple years, then, whaddya know, take them public again, earning fees all along the way. Venture Capital and Private Equity firms are so awash in excess capital that it sometimes seems like they’re just desperate to keep it moving. And the tens of millions of dollars that get burned in “one time costs” as they take companies public, then private, then public again, or restructure or leverage them, don’t count. Drives me a little crazy.
But where was I? Oh, yes, Medallia is an interesting company, and absent that takeover chatter I’d say it’s worth a look. It’s not, however, an exciting top-line growth story this quarter — revenue growth has continued to be there, but it’s declining and dipped under 20% in the past few quarters, which helps to cool investors’ ardor. I was pretty impressed by their last earnings update, filed a few days ago (presentation here) — it was technically a slight miss, mostly because they let some of their customers adjust their contracts under COVID last year, but they also guided to slightly better growth than analysts had been expecting and appear to be on a pretty steady trajectory of gradual 18-20% top-line growth, with new customers continuing to be onboarded… and the company did also specifically note that the return of leisure travel is likely to be meaningful for their customers.
They are not the only company in this business, of course — surveying customers and employees and collecting that data is not exactly a new thing, and there are some large and better-known leaders in this space, too, including Qualtrics (XM), which came public just this year after being spun out of software giant SAP… but analysts expect Qualtrics to grow more slowly than Medallia, and it trades at a much loftier valuation but with somewhat worse operating margins. Longer-established players like Verint are far, far cheaper, and have obviously woken up to the fact that there’s a big SaaS/Cloud transition going on and are trying to catch up. I don’t know how that will work for VRNT… but if it does, we’ve certainly seen software sales companies transition to SaaS with huge success a few times (Adobe is the poster child for that success, I’d argue… It’s sometimes easier to build a new cloud business than to transition old and established customer relationships and migrate data to something brand new, and transitioning to a SaaS business means you have to suffer through a couple miserable years of falling revenue even if it does work, as happened with Adobe five or six years ago, but if your brand and product are strong enough it’s a huge win in the long run).
So yes, Medallia has some appeal in a “maybe bottoming out” SaaS provider that’s got steady growth, but maybe wasn’t exciting enough to become a stock market darling in the COVID boom and did take some negative hit from the pandemic shutdowns, and should get at least a small boost from reopening and growing in-person retail and tourism. It trades at a valuation I’d consider pretty attractive in this space, and I’d think about buying shares… but the story that they’re considering selling the company is a little bit of a yellow caution flag for me. Every company is for sale all the time, of course, and we want management teams to consider offers… but I’d rather have a CEO and board who are passionate about building a company and taking share and compounding value over time if they’ve got a good thing going, so the idea that they’re actively working to maybe shop the company puts some damper on that and makes me think that maybe they’re not seeing great traction, or maybe they see some way in which they know the company is lacking compared to competitors, and needs a bigger kick in the pants than they can provide.
That might not be fair. Maybe the reporting is misleading, we don’t really know and Medallia hasn’t said anything publicly about the news… maybe the founders or the CEO got COVID fatigue and just want to quit and go raise sheep after 20 years of work, this is a strange year and a lot of insiders are doing things for personal reasons. And maybe they will get a solid takeover offer at a rich premium price from private equity or from a larger SaaS platform (lots of tech companies, including Salesforce, are serial acquirers who love to bolt on new capabilities to their platforms), so it might work out in the short term (or collapse in the short term if that news dries up with no action)… but the word that they’re thinking of selling out, after a period of relatively weak performance for their stock, sends a little signal that maybe they’re not built for the long haul. After my quick 20-minute skim through their financials this morning, that’s the only thing that really gives me pause.
That’s just me, though, and you don’t have to invest my money or share my opinions — you’ve got your money on tap, so it’s your call… think Medallia has a chance to keep growing its SaaS platform and building value for investors? See a rich takeover in the near term? Think the faster-growing stories are worth chasing instead? Other SaaS-y stocks that float your boat? Let us know with a comment below.
Disclosure: Of the companies mentioned above, I own shares of PAR Technology, GAN Ltd., DocuSign, The Trade Desk, Okta and Avalara. I will not trade in any covered stock for at least three days after publication, per Stock Gumshoe’s trading rules.
Don't miss your chance to get your free stocks!
Before August 2, open a new account for commission-free trading with WeBull, deposit at least $5, and get two free shares of stock... could be worth as little as $7-10 overall, or if you get lucky it could be one of the high-priced shares worth $300-2,000 or more. Sign up here


text:
MEIS benefit for certain items have been enhanced to 20 per cent from the current 10 per cent.
New Delhi: The government has again hiked duty benefits for exports of as many as 28 milk related products such as cheese and yoghurt under a scheme to boost their overseas shipments.
The duty benefits were enhanced under the Merchandise Export from India Scheme (MEIS). Under this scheme, the government provides 'duty credit scrip' to exporters. The rates vary from product to product and the export destination, as envisaged in the foreign trade policy.
Rewards under the scheme are payable as percentage of realised free-on-board value and MEIS duty credit scrip can be transferred or used for payment of a number of duties, including the basic customs duty.
"The MEIS benefit for certain items have been enhanced to 20 per cent from the current 10 per cent," the Directorate General of Foreign Trade said in a public notice.
The products which would enjoy the incentive include butter milk, fresh cheese, grated or powdered cheese, skimmed milk, milk food for babies, whole milk and condensed milk.
The move assumes significance on account of a milk crisis in Maharasthra. Milk growers had strongly protested in some parts of Maharasthra due to fall in milk prices amid huge supply.


text:
The Huawei Mate 20 Lite and it’s siblings have been frequenting the rumour mill more than ever. Today, Evan Blass revealed on Twitter the three colour variants of the Mate 20 Lite.
Huawei Mate 20 Lite in black, blue, and gold. pic.twitter.com/c5DVT2VVsY
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) August 14, 2018
Apparently, the Mate 20 Lite will come in Black, Gold and Blue colours, a staple combination in most Huawei phones these days. The Mate 20 Lite recently appeared in renders unveiling its complete design. Before that the phone passed by TENAA confirming its existence. According to the design and specs we know so far, the Mate 20 Lite will be the least feature-rich phone in comparison to the Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro. Its higher spec’d siblings are expected to come laden with goodies that every flagship phone is expected to offer.
Gizchina News of the week
According to a leaked display panel that was reported yesterday, the Mate 20 will sport a 3D Face Recognition tech in conjunction with an in-display fingerprint scanner. The Mate 20 Lite is expected to be priced at $400 if an earlier report is to be believed. You can check out the TENAA listing with all the specs here.
Huawei has not yet revealed the launch date of the Mate phones, but judging from the occurrence of leaks, it looks like the launch is not far away.


text:
American Technology Corporation Microsoft to dismiss 18,000 workers, said in a statement posted on the official website of the company.
"Starting next year we will start reducing to 18,000 jobs for our common state," - said in a statement. Most of the cuts - more than 12,000 - will affect the unit for the production of smartphones represented Nokia Devices and Services, which Microsoft bought from Finnish Nokia.
As the BBC Broadcasting Corporation BBC, it will be the largest reduction in force for the entire 39-year history of the company.
Microsoft in April acquired Nokia's mobile division for 7.18 billion dollars, which included 1.65 billion euros for patents Nokia. Under the deal, Microsoft had to move more than 130 employees objects Nokia, located in 50 countries around the world (including several factories), engaged in the design, development, production, marketing activities and sales of smart devices, mobile phones and services. In total, the state increased by 25,000 - to 127,000 people.
The world's largest software maker - multinational company Microsoft - founded in 1975 by Bill Gates, who has consistently taken the lead lines in the ranking of the richest people in the world.
You must log in to post a comment.


text:
Holden recalls 66,000 Commodores
Holden has issued sweeping recalls for more than 66,000 examples of the Australian-built Commodore.
A flaw in the car’s electric power steering system causes increased electric resistance, resulting in a loss of power steering assistance.
Holden’s recall notice says “when driving at low speed, a potential for increased steering efforts exists which may result in reduced steering control. This may pose an in increased risk of accident or injury to vehicle occupants or other road users”.
The issue affects all four body styles produced by Holden - sedan, wagon, ute and long-wheelbase Caprice models built between 2014 and 2016 all require rectification.
Replacement components are not currently available.
Holden and HSV will contact customers affected by the issue to arrange complimentary repairs.


text:
Chinese residents line up for bags of fresh mountain air
April 4, 2014 -- Updated 0602 GMT (1402 HKT)
- Zhengzhou residents lined up to try bags of mountain air
- Zhengzhou is one of the most polluted cities in China
- Event was a tourism publicity stunt for nearby Laojun Mountain in the same province
(CNN) -- Whatever the motive behind the event, it made for some powerful images of some China residents' desperation for better air.
Making the media rounds this week are photographs of residents of Zhengzhou, the capital of China's Henan Province, lining up for a chance to breathe fresh mountain air via sealed bags.
Some of the more heart-tugging photos were of parents and grandparents fixing the masks on children's faces so they can have a few rare sniffs of the fresh O2.
Zhengzhou is one of China's worst cities for air pollution, ranking 10th in a Greenpeace list of the country's most polluted cities in 2013, which used official data from the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
At the time of writing, Zhengzhou's AQI (Air Quality Index) recorded an "unhealthy" 157. Even Beijing, often the subject of bad pollution headlines, recorded a "moderate" AQI of 55 (the capital made headlines with its off-the-chart AQI reading of 755 last January).
Zhengzhou is one of the worst cities in China for air pollution.
New York recorded an AQI of 62.
READ: Beijing pollution: Does it put you off traveling there?
The late-March series of events were part clever travel marketing gimmick, part public awareness campaign for China's air pollution crisis, put on by Laojun Mountain Natural Reserve Development Co.
The company brought in 2,000 cans and 40 bags of air that had been packed in Laojun Mountain, also located in Henan Province.
"A TV crew came to Laojun Mountain to test the air and found it unbelievably good and we had the idea of doing this to promote tourism to the area," sales and marketing officer for the park Khurram Zhang told CNN.
Known for its fresh air, the mountain was designated a national nature reserve in 1997, and sits 120 kilometers away from the nearest city of Luoyang.
"We collected 2,000 cans of air from She Shen Ya (a cliff on Laojun Mountain) early last month and we gave them out in multiple locations as a marketing campaign. It was gone in 20 minutes," said Zhang.
"We've launched two more events giving away air from the mountain. There will be more free fresh air coming in the future."
MORE: 40 most beautiful places in China
Today's five most popular stories
Part of complete coverage on
October 28, 2014 -- Updated 0149 GMT (0949 HKT)
Luxury Action will turn your travel scripts into reality and film them. As long as you're willing to travel to this country ...
October 27, 2014 -- Updated 0913 GMT (1713 HKT)
As entertainment capital of the world, Los Angeles draws some of the best comic talent on the planet. Here's where to see it live.
October 27, 2014 -- Updated 0342 GMT (1142 HKT)
Not many people choose flights based on the quality of an airline's catering -- but those who do should check out Saveur's Culinary Travel Awards.
October 27, 2014 -- Updated 0251 GMT (1051 HKT)
On the island of rice, curry, tropical fruit and fresh seafood, eating is an honor to the taste buds.
October 23, 2014 -- Updated 1558 GMT (2358 HKT)
Sparsely populated (by humans at least), this East Africa country offers so much more than just Mt. Kilimanjaro.
October 24, 2014 -- Updated 1432 GMT (2232 HKT)
It's crowded and outdated, but Berlin's hexagon-shaped Tegel air hub has won a place in the city's heart.
October 23, 2014 -- Updated 0847 GMT (1647 HKT)
Shrine to a dead cat and a homage to fromage among Dutch capital's eccentric exhibitions.
October 22, 2014 -- Updated 0603 GMT (1403 HKT)
Slovenian Kickstarter project encourages travelers to hop on their suitcase and cruise through terminals to connecting gates.
October 20, 2014 -- Updated 1808 GMT (0208 HKT)
The guidebook asked staff, contributors and authors for well-known and lesser-known recommendations.
October 20, 2014 -- Updated 1607 GMT (0007 HKT)
An airport in Asia has stolen the crown from Manila's Ninoy Aquino, voted 'world's worst' three years in a row.


text:
Most Popular in:
New in Cosmetics (page 74 of 86)
Jun 08, 2011 | 10:17 AM CDT
The market research company reports prestige lip products grew 7% from January through April 2011, and specifically, prestige lip color products have grown 11%.
May 12, 2011 | 01:48 PM CDT
Mintel states that categories improving but not yet thriving; days when favorite beauty products were simply automatic replacement purchases gone.
Apr 19, 2011 | 09:19 AM CDT
The awards will be announced at a luncheon on May 20 in New York.
Apr 07, 2011 | 12:27 PM CDT
By: Abby Penning
The emotional impact of your brand’s cosmetic colors—and the pigment ingredients that help provide these shades—can make a direct connection with consumers.
Apr 07, 2011 | 12:19 PM CDT
By: Carrie Lennard, Euromonitor International
Euromonitor International highlights the thriving categories in color cosmetics and reports that early signs of a return to form for consumer spending in 2011 are encouraging for the overall category.
Apr 05, 2011 | 02:11 PM CDT
Winners for these awards will be announced on May 20.
Mar 04, 2011 | 02:10 PM CST
By: Cathy Christensen
Color trends for Spring 2011 run the gamut between traditional pastels to bright neons.
Mar 01, 2011 | 10:02 AM CST
According to a report from The NPD Group, the beauty market generated $8.4 billion in 2010, a rise of 4%, buoyed by skin care and makeup gains.
Nov 16, 2010 | 09:27 AM CST
Deal said to be worth as much as $1 billion.
Nov 04, 2010 | 09:57 AM CDT
By: Oru Mohiuddin, Euromonitor International
Euromonitor International provides analysis of the market based on recent acquisition activity and a report on L'Oréal's interest in acquiring Avon; such an acquisition would lift L'Oréal to the leading market position, ahead of P&G, but challenges may make this specific move unlikely. Company may very well look at other high-profile acquisition targets, including Beiersdorf.