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Vietnam has boosted its deeper international integration through the signing of a number of bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements (FTAs). However, most of its small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) still fail to grasp issues related to non-tariff barriers in trade transactions, said Hoang Minh Chien, deputy head of Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT).
He emphasized the importance of enhancing the capacity for businesses to overcome NTBs as a lack of knowledge on these issues has resulted in losses in both production and export activities.
Alain Chevalier, Senior Technical Advisor of International Trade Center (ITC) said non-tariff measures (NTMs) in Vietnam have not followed the regulations that are common in the rest of the world, while the country has become involved in bilateral and multilateral FTAs as well as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
Chevalier cited statistics from the Central Institute of Economic Management (CIEM) as saying that Vietnam currently has 379 non-tariff measures (NTMs), mostly those pertaining to animal-plant quarantine and other technical barriers that exist in trade (TBTs).
He pointed out that both SMEs and other relevant agencies are not fully aware of NTMs, noting that they should be fully provided with information and training courses in order to deal with NTMs set by foreign markets.
Vietrade has recently coordinated with ITC to to provide technical assistance that supports Vietnamese export businesses in reducing trade costs and ensuring transparency of information to tackle non-tariff- related issues that may occur in foreign markets.
According to Chien,Vietnam’s trade competitive capacity project will focus on surveying service providers and commodity production businesses thus enabling Vietnamese enterprises to identify trade regulations and other formalities in export activities.
Vianney Lesaffre, Market Analyst at ITC, said with regard to the joint project with Vietrade that ITC has made various attempts to reduce trade costs such as helping management agencies to build national mechanisms that deal with trade barriers related to NTMs. In particular, the project focuses on capacity building of Vietnamese SMEs to grasp information on regulations and other non-tariff procedures across a broad range of import markets.
Under the project, a series of surveys have been conducted on various Vietnamese businesses across groups and industries, thus providing consultation to reduce trade costs related to NTMs. It also provides a trade barrier warning mechanism through which both the Government and businesses are able to cope with trade barriers in a more timely manner, Mr Vianney Lesaffre noted.
Nguyen Thi Xuan Thuy, head of the Industry Department at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, advised businesses to get information on NTMs in import-export activities and learn about NTMs applied in import markets, in the face of ever-changing trade policies in order to devise proper orientations for more effective business operations towards the protection of both businesses and domestic consumers, she added.


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When you fly into Dubai, at times the plane flies low, giving you a bird’s eye view of the UAE’s stunning urban layout. The sand dunes give way to glass and steel skyscrapers, green residential clusters, artificial islands, and waterfronts. The unmistakable Burj Khalifa and the oval-shaped architectural marvel called the Museum of the Future, epitomise the UAE’s open and progressive disposition.
The desert country has rapidly transformed into the proverbial land of opportunities for Indian entrepreneurs. For the past many years, the UAE has been on a charm offensive to court Indian businesses, with tangible results. According to the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, Indian nationals were the largest group to register new companies in 1H 2023 in the Emirate of Dubai. Other Emirates and free zones have made a concerted effort to attract entrepreneurs from India.
Abu Dhabi’s focus has been on providing financial and other incentives. Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), the government entity helping to diversify Abu Dhabi’s economy has set up a $545 million Innovation Programme. Through this, it has funded Indian startups such as FreshtoHome. For the online fresh fish and meat store, 15% of the $150 million in annual revenues comes from the Middle East. This year, eyewear retailer Lenskart, with a significant presence in the UAE, received funding of $500 million from Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).
Indian ‘scaleups’ seeking new investments and market expansion are increasingly choosing the UAE for their regional headquarters. Modern infrastructure and office facilities, and access to private venture capitalists and institutional investors provide a conducive environment to scale and raise capital. Startups such as ANSR and Talent500 that received funding from ADIO are targeting global businesses from their regional HQ and technology hub in Abu Dhabi. The UAE serves as a launching pad for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. With more than 200 nationalities, the UAE is a melting pot of diverse cultures. It is a good place to begin understanding the diverse cultures and market dynamics of the MENA region.
Beyond attracting investments, businesses hope to enhance their corporate image, and gain access to European and MENA markets. This paves the way for new partnerships in countries from these regions. Often, local partners from MENA look for a quid-pro quo arrangement, for access to the lucrative UAE market. Presence in the UAE makes for smoother cross-border financial transactions.
Continuous policy reforms have resulted in some notable developments such as a simple taxation regime, a 10-year golden visa, and the opportunity for foreign companies to have 100% ownership, even outside designated free zones. These have created a more flexible business setting. As of 2021, the UAE ranked 16th in the Ease of Doing Business index of the World Bank. One ought to visit a Tasheel service center to understand why the UAE ranks so high in terms of government efficiency. Government service centers called Customer Happiness Centers have a modern set up with friendly and efficient staff. At Amer government service centers, the counters are equipped with a customer facing monitor that allows you to view and validate details being entered by the staff. Simplified regulation frees up Startups’ limited resources to focus on the core business.
Regulatory reforms have appealed to newer startups, outside of the traditional trading sector. Startups in healthcare, food and beverages industries are tapping into the UAE’s lucrative consumer market, which has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. According to the World Bank, GDP per capita of the country has grown from US$37,629 in 2020 to US$ 53,758 in 2022.
A hairdresser working in an upscale salon in India, while sharing his dream of setting up his own salon in Dubai, observed that the UAE felt like India. An abundance of flights and proximity makes cities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah feel like traveling to another Indian city. This allows business owners to have a presence in both countries.
The UAE’s Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) is keen on increasing the in-country value (ICV) of new industries through investments, job creation and up-skilling, local procurement of goods and services, and a diversified sector. Talent from Indian startups will fuel a virtuous cycle of innovation and business growth.
The Arabic calligraphy engraved on the Museum of the Future is a poem by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, “We might not live for hundreds of years, but the products of our creativity can leave a legacy long after we are gone”. The hollow space in the middle of the gleaming structure signifies the unwritten future of humanity. Perhaps Indian startups have an opportunity to help write this future. – Shalini Verma is an entrepreneur and writer.

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Daily Brief, Sep 25: Economic Events Outlook – Risk-off Sentiment in Action
Arslan Butt • 2 min read
Good morning, traders.
The trading session began with the hiked level of uncertainty triggering from the odds of impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump. The Democrat leaders in the US House of Representatives proceeded to declare a formal impeachment hearing against President Donald Trump. It’s coming in response to rumors about US President Trump’s communications with the President of Ukraine to examine business ties of previous VP Joe Biden’s son.
The safe-haven demand was triggered after the US-China trade tightness came back to strike the market following Trump’s remarks in the UN General Assembly on China, accusing China of unfair trade practices.
Moreover, President Trump also reckoned that he was reluctant to take any “bad deal” as discussions between the trade teams of the two countries progress.
Looking ahead to the economic calendar, it remains a bit lighter today due to lack of top tier economic events. Yet, we have a few events that may help us capture price action in the market.
Watchlist – Key Economic Events Today
CHF – Credit Suisse Economic Expectations – 8:00 GMT
Credit Suisse release the Swiss Economic Expectations every month. The Credit Suisse Economic Expectations is a leading indicator of economic health – investors and analysts are highly informed by virtue of their job, and changes in their sentiment can be an early signal of future economic activity.
Overall, it’s a survey of about 30 institutional investors and analysts which asks respondents to rate the relative 6-month economic outlook for Switzerland. Economists’ forecast isn’t given for such data, but financial expectations keep on falling from -7.7 in April 2019 to -37.5 in August 2019.
The figure for September will help us decide the direction of the Swiss Franc. Above 0.0 indicates optimism, below indicates pessimism. Let’s wait for the data.
GBP – CBI Realized Sales – 10:00 GMT
The Confederation of British Industry is due to release the UK retail sales with a negative forecast of -22 vs. -49. Since it’s a leading indicator of consumer spending because consumer buying levels directly influence retailer and wholesaler sales, the drop in retail sales can also reflect in the CPI figures.
Since the data is still negative, we may see GBP/USD facing a bearish pressure on the release of the news. Besides that, the weaker figure also puts pressure on the BOE to keep the policy and interest rate accommodative.
USD – FOMC Member Evans Speaks – 12:00 GMT
The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Charles Evans is due to speak about the economic outlook and monetary policy at the Lake Forest Rotary Club Economic Breakfast, in Illinois. Audience questions are expected and they may ask about forward guidance on the monetary policy. Any surprising remarks from President Evans may drive sharp movements in the market.
USD – FOMC Member George Speaks – 14:00 GMT
The Geoge who is a President of Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City is due to testify on the Federal Reserve’s plans for faster payments before the Senate Banking Committee, in Washington DC. Since the speech isn’t directly connected to monetary policy, we may see no significant fluctuations over the release of his remarks today.
Good luck, fellas and stay tuned to FX Leaders Economic Calendar for more updates.


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- Highlights from Apple’s keynote event
- Apple’s event calendar: When is the next Apple event?
- List of Apple Inc. media events
- Apple Special Event September 2017
Highlights from Apple’s keynote event
Watch the latest Apple keynote stream, and check out the archive of special event announcements for our products Apple Special Event September 12,2017 del best website for funny pictures nomadi la mia terra
Apple Inc. After a basic market update, Jobs announced that Apple would transition the Macintosh platform to Intel x86 processors. The conference consisted of lab sessions and 95 presentation sessions, while more than Apple engineers were on site alongside 3, attendees from 45 countries. The band The Wallflowers played at the Apple campus. The standard Mac Pro featured two 2.
Typical Apple Gb gone, GB gone. I wait a year or two, this price is ridiculous. This is pathetic I do not play this game anymore. It is exactly like every Apple product release: Step 1: People got high expectations. Step 2: People are underwhelmed by the keynote and complain like crazy. Step 3: People see the device in real life for the first time. And buy it.
Forgot your password? Started September 12, by Music in World News. The event starts at 1pm and i'm in class from to PM. I's sticking to my 7. Still on my iPhone 6 Plus and still loving it.. But I'm excited to see new stuff.. I don't care about everyone hating, I can't wait to be within the first five people in line on release day to get my pre-ordered iPhone X.
Several times a year, Apple invites the press and industry professionals out to a theater to hear all about its latest products and services. It kicks off with a big keynote that serves to announce new products typically the latest versions of iOS and macOS, as well as a few hardware products. Apple usually announces the exact dates of its special events only a couple weeks in advance, but it tends to hold events at similar times from one year to the next. For the last six years or so, Apple has announced the new iPhones at an event in the first half of September. The new iPhones typically go up for preorder shortly after, and ship to stores and customers in late September or early October. The event almost always happens on the second Tuesday or Wednesday of the month, which this year means the 10th or 11th of September. We'll know the exact date and time when invitations are sent to the media typically one or two weeks beforehand.
Apple’s event calendar: When is the next Apple event?
Apple — September Event 2014
List of Apple Inc. media events
Apple Special Event September 2017
Guests arrive at the newly inaugurated Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park. Angela Ahrendts shares news about the Today at Apple in-store experience and new community gathering spots in locations such as Paris. Jenova Chen, CEO of thatgamecompany, previews Sky, a social adventure game.
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Since the beginning of the novel coronavirus outbreak in Oregon, an ominous weight on the food and beverage world has been the potential for permanent closures: Which restaurants will be unable to hold out until the community settled back into normalcy? Which bars will succumb to the overwhelming debt of unpaid rent?
Now, more and more business owners are coming forward, announcing that, even if Oregon restaurants could safely reopen tomorrow, they will not be opening their doors to customers again. From Southeast Portland breakfast cafes to North Portland watering holes, these are the restaurants that will permanently close as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
A Tabor neighborhood standby for cheese boards, snacks, and pantry staples, Cheese Bar announced that it would close in January 2021. Cheesemonger Steve Jones attributed the closure to the pandemic, and sold its last slabs of cheese on January 2021. Read more about the closure here.
E-San Thai Downtown
This local Thai chain’s downtown location closed in early 2021. “We want to thank our past crew members and especially our loyal customers for supporting E-San in our 22 years of being open,” the Instagram announcement, posted January 9, reads. “We are devastated to see it go, but also extremely grateful for the connections and experiences it has brought us as a family business.”
North Mississippi cocktail bar Sidecar shut down on December 23 after years selling barrel-aged cocktails and whiskey flights. The bar hinted at potentially reopening in a new location down the line via Instagram,
It appears Hak, the Broadway Korean restaurant, has closed without announcement. The restaurant’s phone has been disconnected, as well as its website; the Instagram account for the restaurant doesn’t note the closure. The team has not responded to requests for comment.
Despite its many pivots to different takeout models and a brief period of on-premise dining, the high-end steakhouse and bar Bar King was unable to weather the ongoing financial strain of operating during the pandemic. The restaurant has served its last meal, and the bakery closed January 2. Read more about the closure here.
An institution on SE Belmont Street for more than a decade, Rocking Frog was well loved for its library-like space and house-made doughnuts. The independent cafe closed its doors permanently in early December, but could not be reached for statement as the to the official reason for closing.
The Cuban restaurant and bar opened in March of 2019, and closed for good in early December of 2020. However, those looking to enjoy the chef’s approach to Cuban cuisine can still find his food cart, Que Bola, at the Portland Mercado.
To attribute the closure of longstanding coffee roaster and cafe chain Ristretto to the COVID-19 pandemic would be overly simplistic: At least two of the brand’s cafes had closed in 2019, and the team hasn’t served their own coffee in a cafe for at least six months. But Ristretto announced that it would fold altogether in December 2020, roasting its last batch December 15. Read more about the closure here.
This Hawthorne poke restaurant closed after service on November 25, according to executive chef Steven Woerdehoff. “Our lease was up,” the chef says, attributing the closure also to a drop in business related to the pandemic. Poke Mon opened in 2016 with chef Colin Yoshimoto, who went on to join the team at Eem; the shop called itself the city’s “first stand-alone poke restaurant,” with a menu of composed poke and customizable poke bowls. Yoshimoto left in 2018, which caused some conflict within the shop; still, the restaurant’s reliance on sustainable and wild fish and serious sake collection kept its devotees coming back.
MLK breakfast cafe Bridges has permanently closed after 18 years in Northeast Portland. The cafe, a neighborhood favorite, used to be a casual and quaint haunt for bowls of grits and eggs Benedict. “Thank you to all of you who graced us with your business over the years, and to all of you that made our catering business thrive (back in the days when that was possible),” the closing announcement reads. “Good luck and stay safe.”
This singular Georgian restaurant on Northeast Alberta closed for good November 22. One of Portland’s only places to find khachapuri and khinkali, the restaurant is selling frozen dumplings and take-and-bake bread boats online, for those looking to stock up.
The Northwest Portland cocktail bar Muu-Muu’s has shut down for good. In the words of the website’s closing announcement, the bar was “eaten by the COVID monster” after more than 20 years open. The cocktail bar was known as a neighborhood mainstay and a place to debrief movies after showings at Cinema 21 next door, over cocktails and world-pantry-style snacks.
Headwaters and Rosa Rosa
In case you missed it, Vitaly Paley is down to a single restaurant. After announcing the closures of Imperial and The Crown, Paley went on to close his seafood restaurant Headwaters and his most recent opening, a Mediterranean restaurant called Rosa Rosa. All of these restaurants were attached to hotels, and the COVID-related drop in tourism and traffic downtown impacted his business.
All Pok Pok Locations in Oregon
Ever-popular Thai chain Pok Pok dramatically downsized in June, shrinking down to just the original Pok Pok location and potentially the Southeast Pok Pok Wing. However, by October, every Pok Pok location in the state had permanently closed. Pok Pok owner Andy Ricker opened the original location in 2005, garnering national attention for his take on Northern Thai food and menu standouts like Ike’s Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings.
This NE 28th bar closed quietly, making way for the soon-to-open Nightingale, a Mexican restaurant and cocktail bar. The bar chose to skip the big closing announcement post, simply writing “Going soon” in the bio of its Instagram and “Closed” on the website.
Quickfish (SW Stark or Harvey Milk)
The poke restaurant from the Bamboo Sushi brand has closed permanently without announcement, now that Micah Camden’s next venture — a French dip restaurant — has announced its impending opening in that space.
The owners have decided to close this influential chocolate shop in downtown Portland, specializing in ethical and methodically sourced chocolate from around the world. Known for its drinking chocolate, Cacao was a leader in the local chocolate movement before bean-to-bar chocolatiers started to gain ground in Portland.
Uno Mas Taquiza
This West Burnside taqueria served its last moronga taco Saturday, announcing its decision to close on Instagram. The statement attributes the choice to the dearth of Timbers and Thorns fans at the nearby Providence Park, in addition to the difficulty running a business during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Without Providence Park’s sporting events, inside seating at less than half our capacity, no covered and heated patio this winter and a sky rocketing rent, our business is no longer sustainable,” the post reads. The Glisan location has also closed, taken over by the new cocktail bar Tropicale. The restaurant has set up a GoFundMe to help support its newly unemployed staff.
Bar owner Eric Bowler has slowly closed several of his bars, including this club in the Old Town district. “As 2020 grinds on, there is no way for us to re-open,” the closing announcement reads. “With the end of the commercial eviction moratorium and inaction in DC, we have no other choice.” His only remaining bar, Century, is still open with outdoor seating.
This beloved Washougal spot known for its breakfasts closed on October 31 after seven years open. Owner Alexandra Yost wrote an announcement on Instagram, saying that the restaurant would be “taking a bow (with no encore) on Halloween.” “Breakfast and lunch spot OurBar is one of Washougal’s finest dining options,” Kara Stokes wrote in Eater’s guide to the Columbia River Gorge. “With its warm color palette (think light yellow walls, wooden furniture, big windows), OurBar is a perfect pitstop for a quick coffee or a meal with friends before continuing to a secret river swimming hole.”
This North Interstate beer bar closed at the end of October. “We feel incredibly fortunate to have had such a wonderfully supportive community of friends share our space, honestly it feels more like you’ve all become family,” the closure announcement reads.
It’s unclear if Beast will reopen in some other form or location down the line, but chef and owner Naomi Pomeroy has confirmed that the legendary fine dining restaurant will not reopen in its current space. Instead, a neighborhood market has opened in its place. Read more about the closure here.
Pseudo-modernist, pop-up-turned-fine-dining-spot Holdfast Dining will not reopen in its SE 11th digs. “It just seemed to make more sense to move on with things,” says co-owner Joel Stocks. “That style of dining in general, I have no idea when that will come back… Who knows when people will be sitting for 2 ½ hours dining again, you know?” Read more about that closure here.
This brewery has closed its North Williams pub, its second location. “Small spaces like Williams are particularly susceptible to Covid occupancy limitations and cannot easily break even,” Hopworks owner Christian Ettinger told New School Beer. “We are focusing all our energy on our 2 brewpubs and growing our wholesale business.”
The queer bar and club CC Slaughters closed permanently on October 11. The bar was popular with young and newly out Portlanders, who would go to dance, take Jell-O shots, and see DJs and drag performances. The bar was open for 39 years.
Beech Street Parlor
A neighborhood standby tucked off MLK, Beech Street Parlor closed in late September. The two-story-house-turned-bar first opened in 2011, and felt like one of those truly Portland-y spaces, where regulars would drink cocktails and eat chile verde on the porch. “Sorry it had to be this way,” the closing announcement reads. “Thanks for everything.”
Tasty n Alder
After a tumultuous year, the future of the Toro Bravo restaurant group — namely, Tasty n Alder, Toro Bravo, and Tasty n Daughters — was up in the air. Co-owner Renee Gorham told the Oregonian that the three restaurants would not reopen in early July, and then told Willamette Week that she was actually unsure of her plans the next day. Well, we at least know that Tasty n Alder won’t reopen in its current location: Han Oak owners Peter Cho and Sun Young Park are taking over the space to open Toki in November.
Like Tasty n Alder, Spanish restaurant Toro Bravo’s future was uncertain, specifically because of how Gorham walked back her initial statement that her restaurants would close. However, there’s now a sandwich shop open in the former Toro Bravo space, so it seems extremely likely that the restaurant will not reopen; at the very least, Toro Bravo will not reopen in that location.
Brew Dr. Tea
Brew Dr. closed all of its Oregon tea shops in October. The company started with its Mississippi and Division locations; Alberta and Eugene followed on Oct. 18, with Bend closing on Oct. 31. Once known as Townshend’s, Brew Dr. has focused more seriously on kombucha in recent years, and the additional strain of the pandemic made the tea shops too hard to keep open.
The Bunk Sandwiches location on Alberta Street has closed permanently, though it was never really announced; however, Hawaiian food cart GrindWitTryz just announced it will be opening a restaurant where the Bunk Alberta location is located. For now, it looks like Bunk’s Water Ave location is still going strong, and the brand recently opened a location in Bridgeport Village.
Restaurateur Bruce Carey’s downtown cocktail bar Saucebox has closed after 25 years of service. The late night spot was marked with controversy in August when a former server filed a lawsuit against the business, co-owner, and certain employees for alleged racial discrimination and harassment. Carey has not responded to requests for comments on the closure. Read more about the closure here.
Imperial and the Crown
Chef Vitaly Paley’s lauded steakhouse Imperial has closed permanently. The restaurant’s website simply stated that it was closed and that its adjacent pizzeria, the Crown, would be closing as well on October 8. Chef Paley declined speaking to the reasons at the moment. Read more about the closure here.
Video: Pro Pizza Chef Makes Jerk & Tandoori Chicken Pizzas With 1 Dough | Chef’s at Home | Food & Wine (Food & Wine)
A beloved dive bar and pizzeria in the Alphabet District for more than 30 years, Crackerjacks closed its doors permanently on September 27. “We are deeply saddened and sorry to say…Crackerjacks is no more.” a Facebook post reads. “…but you just never know what will happen in this weird world, CJ’s might pop up again somewhere!?!?”
This Oregon brewery’s Pearl District pub has closed permanently after 20 years open. “This was a very difficult decision, but unfortunately challenges from the pandemic and rising costs have made it apparent that our only option is to close the Pearl Public House,” the public statement announcing the closure reads.
Beetroot Market & Deli
This Jewish deli — one of the city’s only Jewish delis — opened in 2019, and was one of the first to temporarily close to dine-in customers when COVID-19 appeared in Oregon. Beetroot permanently closed just a few weeks after its first birthday, finishing out some Rosh Hashanah orders and donating the rest of her inventory.
Another Old Town bar owned by Eric Bowler, Maxwell closed soon after Fortune. The bar had been temporarily closed for months; Bowler also closed Revelry, the restaurant and bar he co-owned with Seattle’s prominent Relay restaurant group.
This DJ-centric bar in Old Town has closed after the owners’ years of legal battles with their landlord. “It’s hard to pay lawyers when you haven’t made any money in 7 months,” the closing announcement reads.
Tea Bar Killingsworth
One of the locations of Portland’s hip, minimalist tea shop chain, Tea Bar’s Killingsworth location has closed permanently, making way for the incoming juice bar Drink Mamey. A few Tea Bar drinks may end up landing on the menu at Drink Mamey, however.
Ford Food & Drink
This casual Southeast Portland cafe has closed permanently, bad news for many of the community’s artists, comedians, and musicians who would perform in the Ford Building space. “We had a good run. Thanks for everything, Portland,” the Instagram post announcing the closure reads. “We love all y’all. Be kind to yourselves and to each other.”
A celebrated Alberta restaurant, Aviary has closed after almost 10 years in the neighborhood. The restaurant was known for its crispy pig ears and lobster rolls, as well as its bar program. Read more about the closure here.
This SE Division brewpub has closed its taproom, hoping to “give it another shot” down the line. The group attributed the closure to “complications, much like those of many others in the community.”
The Portland outpost of this North-Carolina-based brewery has closed. The brewery was known for its Belgian-style ales.
No Bones Beach Club
This vegan restaurant — known for its beach-y decor and shark shots — has closed its North Mississippi location. The restaurant’s locations in Seattle and Chicago will remain open.
This Hawthorne whiskey bar has closed after four years, bartender Robert Volz confirmed today. Volz said that the layout of the bar didn’t allow for easy social distancing, between Neat’s long bar and the pool table. “I still respect Kate Brown a hell of a lot,” Volz says. “But I had to close.”
This soccer-themed Hawthorne pub has decided to close up shop August 23. Since its opening in 2016, the Toffee Club has been the place to be for full English breakfasts, pies, beer, and soccer games. “This has been the most difficult decision we’ve ever had to make, but the Toffee Club relies on us filling our space with a lot of happy, cheering fans and that currently just isn’t possible,” the Instagram announcement reads.
A restaurant self-described as the first Chinese restaurant on 82nd, Canton Grill closed in August after more than 75 years open. The restaurant’s third-generation owner, Cindy Louis, temporarily closed the restaurant in March, and after six months, decided to call it quits altogether.
A taco shop lauded for its Austin-style tacos and its margaritas, Stella Taco closed shop for good on July 19. Co-owner Becky Atkins said the minimal amount of seating outside just wasn’t sustainable in the long term, and they wanted to make room for other restaurants to survive the pandemic.
Back to Eden
This beloved Alberta vegan cafe has closed its restaurant and bakery after 13 years. The company is currently selling its bake mixes online and at New Seasons, and the closing announcement on the website alludes to a potential cookbook and “video content.” Supernova Vegan has opened a cafe in its place.
Alma, the 14-year-old chocolate and candy company known for its bonbons and salted caramel sauce, ceased operations in July. Founder Sara Hart sold the company to Moonstruck Chocolate in 2018, moving the main candy-making production to Moonstruck’s St. Johns facility. For now, there are still Alma products available on the company’s website.
Boxer Ramen Westmoreland
The Bybee location of Boxer Ramen, the chain of Portland ramen shops perhaps known more for its okonomiyaki tots, has closed, transforming into a Baes Chicken. Both brands are owned by Micah Camden, who is known for his chickpea-centric dessert brand Little Chickpea and his fast food chain Super Deluxe.
Industry hangout and beloved cocktail bar Shift Drinks will not reopen after the coronavirus crisis ends. The ownership team says the bar’s reliance on industry workers and large groups made the concept of reopening unsustainable.
After almost 20 years in the Pearl District, restaurateur Bruce Carey has announced the closure of Bluehour, one of his celebration restaurants. The restaurant was known as a place to spot celebrities, and was once considered one of the city’s most-high-end dining rooms.
Mi Mero Mole
This Mexican restaurant from internet personality Nick Zukin closed on July 3 in Old Town. In an announcement post, Zukin says the restaurant could not survive the economic impact of COVID-19: “The restaurant business has been hit especially hard by this pandemic, as everyone knows,” he writes. “We rely on office workers, tourists, concert goers, and the like in Chinatown. We don’t expect any of those customers to return until this pandemic is over.”
Southeast Portland breakfast holdout Sanborn’s will not reopen, after 15 years serving German pancakes and corned beef hash. “It is with the most profound grief that our family is announcing the permanent closure of Sanborn’s restaurant,” a Facebook post, written by Rebecca Sanborn, reads. “That grief is inseparable from an overwhelming gratitude to everyone who has made the past fifteen years and counting a time of immeasurable magic.”
This longstanding Southern-Cajun restaurant under the Morrison Bridge has permanently closed after 27 years in business. The restaurant was primarily known for its eccentric waiters, late hours, and elaborate tinfoil takeout sculptures.
Portland Seafood Company
A seafood restaurant in Mall 205, Portland Seafood Company has permanently closed “due to unforeseen business downturn related to the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to a statement on the website. Portland Seafood Company opened in 2011 in Restaurants Unlimited’s portfolio, which also owns restaurants like Portland City Grill and Stanford’s. The company closed a number of restaurants in the Pacific Northwest after filing for bankruptcy last year.
Ristretto North Williams
The Ristretto location on North Williams appears to have closed — its phone line has been disconnected, and the storefront has been cleared out. Over the last few years, Ristretto has closed the majority of its cafes; it looks like the roaster is still selling beans on its website.
Jones Bar, the Old Town nightclub known for its ‘70s-’80s-retro vibes, has permanently closed, attributing the closure to COVID-19 in an Instagram post. “Jones Bar was a female owned nightclub,” says owner Nikki Jones. “I feel there are very few female owners in this hospitality space.”
Lapellah and Three Sixty Kitchen
These two Vancouver restaurants opened by restaurateur Brad Root have closed for good, after around 15 years in the city. Root left the businesses in 2012, but Lapellah’s wood-fired cooking made it a destination for Portlanders and others throughout Southwestern Washington.
This historic Milwaukie gas station and restaurant that once served as the perch for a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber has closed permanently, after more than 70 years in business. The restaurant may return as a catering company down the line.
The Portland outpost of celebrated Seattle restaurant group Relay, Revelry will not reopen after the coronavirus crisis ends. Chef de cuisine Diane Lam has moved to Mississippi cocktail bar Psychic, where she will revive her pop-up Sunshine Noodles through the end of the year.
A cozy, vintage cafe with duck eggs Benedict and savory waffles, Trinket decided against takeout or delivery back in March, and won’t reopen its doors again. The space is too small for social distancing rules, and takeout just doesn’t work for its food, owner Gina Helvie told Eater. Trinket opened in 2013.
Irving Street Kitchen
The casual Southern restaurant in the Pearl district has permanently closed its doors due to COVID-19 and an impasse on lease discussions with the building’s landlords. Luckily, fans of the place can look forward to Cooperativa, an Italian market and food hall from Sarah Schafer and Anna Caporael, the partners behind Irving Street Kitchen.
The Hairy Lobster
An inventive and eccentrically named restaurant, the Hairy Lobster has served its last themed dinner. The Facebook post announcing the closure did not give a reason, but the restaurant has been closed since the dining room shutdown in mid-March.
The Nerd Out
This Southeast Portland bar known for its trivia nights, themed drinks, and tabletop games has permanently closed. The closing statement was, of course, littered with references to Marvel movies, Star Wars, and Bill & Ted, and the team said the bar’s social channels will stay alive with memes and, down the line, event postings.
Verde Cocina en la Perla
The Pearl District location of this dietary-restriction-friendly Mexican restaurant chain has closed permanently. “While the effect of COVID-19 on restaurants has been brutal, and our 14th Ave loss is a direct result of this circumstance, please do not for one second count Verde Cocina down and out,” the closing announcement reads. The restaurant’s two other locations — Hillsdale and Sylvan Highlands — remain open, and the company will continue to appear at farmers markets.
David Machado’s Restaurants
On May 22, restaurateur David Machado announced that he would close all of his restaurants: Altabira City Tavern, Citizen Baker, Nel Centro, Pullman Wine Bar and Merchant, and Tanner Creek Tavern. Read the full story here.
It seems very likely that longstanding dim sum restaurant Wong’s King has closed for good: The restaurant’s Facebook page and website have both disappeared, and a family friend of chef Fulai Wong told the Oregonian that the restaurant would not reopen. Wong’s King has been open for about 15 years.
Kana Hinohara Hanson and Gabe Rosen have said goodbye to their tiny Japanese convenience store, Giraffe. Only open for a little over a year, Giraffe quickly became a favorite for its Instagram-popular egg salad sandwiches, similar to the famous version from Los Angeles’s Konbi. The deli also served as a Japanese grocery and bakery.
The dive-bar-meets-breakfast-spot has closed its SE Belmont shop, though co-owner Justin King is looking for a new place to reopen. King says that the closure has to do with frustrations with the space, especially related to the potential guidelines associated with phase one reopening.
Gabe Rosen, the former owner of influential izakaya Biwa, has closed yet another restaurant. The Southeast Portland ramen shop Noraneko will not reopen after the restaurant ban is lifted, though Rosen didn’t tie the decision to close directly to coronavirus.
Joe’s Crab Shack
The Vancouver waterfront location of this seafood chain has permanently closed; the COO of parent company Landry’s said the inability to serve dine-in customers made it difficult to remain open. Joe’s joins other Vancouver closures like Sweet Tomatoes in east Vancouver and Low Bar downtown.
Off the Waffle
This Eugene-based waffle shop closed its SE Clinton cafe during the coronavirus shutdown, switching to frozen waffle deliveries on the weekend. While the SE Clinton cafe is gone, however, the owners hope to reopen some sort of Portland shop elsewhere, by the end of the winter in 2021.
Arleta Library Bakery & Cafe
One of Southeast Portland’s best spots for biscuits and gravy, Arleta Library Bakery & Cafe will close permanently after 15 years, says chef and owner Nick Iannarone. “New COVID-19 distancing restrictions will be burdensome or costly for some small restaurants, or simply impossible to achieve for others, as is the case for Arleta Library,” reads a press release from the restaurant. The cafe once appeared on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. For those who want to help out the cafe’s staff as it prepares to close, the cafe has a GoFundMe page for its employees and owner.
Blue Star Northwest, Downtown, Multnomah Village, and Progress Ridge
Blue Star has shut down four of its doughnut shops permanently: The NW 23rd location, the brand’s fourth store, permanently closed in early May, followed by the downtown, Multnomah Village, and Progress Ridge locations a month later. The doughnut brand is known for its brioche base doughnuts and posh flavors like passionfruit cacao nib. The company still retains four locations in the Portland area.
An understated sushi bar in the Foster-Powell neighborhood, Sushi Ichidai had been open for more than a decade when it closed its doors due to the coronavirus outbreak. Owner Akihiro Hirakiuchi wrote on the restaurant’s website that it would permanently close, but may return in another form or location sometime in the future.
This Ladd’s Addition sports bar closed with little announcement. It has since become a brewpub and pizzeria.
One of the earlier additions to the Alberta Arts restaurant boom, Helser’s opened 16 years ago serving breakfast and lunch in a bright and cheery space. However, on April 29, the cafe announced on various social media platforms that it would not be reopening its doors ever again. “This was a very hard decision for us to come to and we hope that you understand that we are heartbroken to be leaving,” the post reads.
Liberty Glass, a North Portland fixture of a bar in a converted, multi-story Victorian home, announced its closure on April 16 via Instagram. The bar had been open for more than a decade, focusing on homey comfort food and affordable cocktails, and was a regular haunt for neighborhood residents.
A dive bar fixture at the top of SE Hawthorne Boulevard, the Tanker Bar spent the last decade serving cheap well drinks and airing Blazer games. The Oregonian first reported that the bar announced on Instagram on March 17 that it would not be reopening. “We will miss the hell out of everyone,” the caption to the post reads.
As first reported by the Oregonian, this Westmoreland cafe announced it would close on Facebook on April 14. “Due to many financial strains placed on the business we won’t be able to reopen our doors after the dust settles,” the post reads. “This was a challenging decision to make but feel it is the right one.”
Prosperity Pie Shoppe
Also caught by the Oregonian, Prosperity Pie Shoppe — a cafe and financial education center — has decided to close completely. The company organized a GoFundMe to pay off its final debts and payroll, and the cafe’s Facebook page is now listed as permanently closed.
Correction: This story has been corrected to show that Brad Root is no longer connected to Lapellah and Three Sixty Kitchen. Lance Killian, George Killian and Bob Lewis are the current owners. Robert Volz is no longer an owner at Neat.


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New official wet wipe standard to bolster fatberg fight
The fight against fatbergs has received a boost with the publication of a new official standard identifying which wet wipes can be flushed down toilets safely.
Manufacturers of wipes will be able to feature an official water industry ‘Fine to Flush’ symbol on their packaging if they pass strict scientific tests.
This symbol will let consumers know that the products do not contain plastic and will break down in the sewer system instead of clogging up sewers and contributing to fatbergs which cause blockages and sewage overflows.
Fatbergs – mainly caused by a build-up of wet wipes, fats, oils and grease into a solid mass – have been increasing in frequency in recent years. These include a 250-metre long fatberg in Whitechapel in London in 2017 and a 64-metre fatberg that was discovered blocking a sewer this week in Sidmouth, Devon.
In 2017 the biggest ever in-depth investigation of sewer blockages in the UK proved that wipes being flushed down toilets caused serious problems in the sewerage system. The project found that non-flushable wet wipes could make up around 93 per cent of the material causing some sewer blockages. These wipes – which included a high proportion of baby wipes – are not designed to be flushed.
Commenting on the new ‘Fine to Flush’ standard, Water UK chief executive Michael Roberts said: "This is an important step in the battle against blockages. We’ve all seen the impact of fatbergs recently, and we want to see fewer of them.
"Improving the environment is at the core of what the water industry does, and the new ‘Fine to Flush’ standard that we’ve created will make it easier for consumers to buy an environmentally friendly product instead of one which clogs up drains and sewers."
Anglian Water, alongside Water UK and other water companies, is launching a new flushability standard for all wet wipes in a bid to combat the blockages which currently cost the East of England £15 million a year.
From today, manufacturers of wipes will be able to feature an official water industry ‘Fine to Flush’ symbol on their packaging if their wipes pass strict scientific tests. This symbol will let consumers know that the products don’t contain plastic and will break down in the sewer system instead of clogging up sewers and contributing to blockages, fatbergs and sewage overflows.
Sewer blockages and fatbergs – mainly caused by a build-up of wet wipes, fats, oils and grease into a solid mass – have been increasing in frequency in recent years. Anglian Water estimates around 800 tonnes of wipes and sanitary items are being flushed every week in the East of England region.
A study in 2017 found that non-flushable wet wipes could make up around 93% of the material causing some sewer blockages. These wipes – which included a high proportion of baby wipes and plastics – are not designed to be flushed.
Although there has been an increase in products being labelled ‘Do Not Flush’, there are many wipes on the market labelled ‘Flushable’ which do not break down quickly when they enter the sewer system, and which would not pass the stringent tests which meet the standard to receive the ‘Fine to Flush’ symbol. The labelling of these products can cause confusion amongst consumers, increasing the problem of sewer blockages.
Rachel Dyson, Anglian Water’s Keep It Clear programme manager, said: “We’re really pleased that the water industry as a whole is launching this new flushability standard today.
“Wipes cause real problems in the sewer network and have a devastating impact on customers. Wipes are by far the worst culprit but cotton buds, tampons and fats also cause problems in the sewers.
"They result in around 80 per cent of the 40,000 blockages across the East of England each year. Most of these blockages are entirely preventable, but instead lead to devastating sewage spills, can harm the environment and cost more than £15million each year to clear. Ultimately this cost is added onto customers’ water bills and would be better spent elsewhere.”
Manufacturers can have their wipes tested by WRc, the Swindon-based independent technical experts who developed the specifications for flushability standards in conjunction with Water UK. If they pass the tests, the wipes manufacturers will receive the ‘Fine to Flush’ symbol from WRc.
Although there has been an increase in products being labelled ‘Do Not Flush’, there are many wipes on the market labelled ‘Flushable’ that do not break down quickly when they enter the sewer system, and which would not pass the stringent tests required to receive the ‘Fine to Flush’ symbol. The labelling of these products can cause confusion among consumers, increasing the problem of sewer blockages.
There are approximately 300,000 sewer blockages annually, costing the country £100 million. Thousands of properties suffer sewer flooding caused by these blockages every year in the UK, creating misery for homeowners and businesses and leading to high clean-up bills and increased insurance costs. Sewer flooding also has a major impact on the environment.
The technical name for ‘Fine to Flush’ is Water Industry Specification 4-02-06, and the full details of the specification can be found on the Water UK website. Manufacturers can contact WRc to find out more about the process for having their wipes tested and receiving the official ‘Fine to Flush’ symbol.
Meanwhile, UKDN Waterflow, part of the Lanes Group, has undertaken a survey of the UK’s attitudes towards drains and flushing habits.
It found that at least one in four people in the UK pour cooking oil down the drain and almost half of people pour sauces, whilst one in five allow their drains to fill with hair and almost 15 per cent of women flush at least one of the following: tampons, applicators and wrappers.
Michelle Ringland, head of marketing at UKDN Waterflow, said: “Companies introducing the fine-to-flush labels to their product is a significant step in the right direction.
"Non-flushable wipes are responsible for 93 per cent of blockages and contribute significantly to the increasing numbers of fatbergs forming across the UK. It’s crucial for manufacturers to take responsibility for the blockages caused by non-flushable and supposedly ‘flushable’ wipes and clear up any confusion the consumer may have when it comes to flushing or binning the wipe.
“Fatbergs aren’t the only consequence of flushing wipes. Wipes are washing up on our beaches daily and contain fibres that contribute to the rising plastic in the ocean, with the potential to threaten marine life.”
Click here to read our WWT Explains report on Fats, Oil and Grease Removal
- Water UK chief executive Roberts to leave role Water UK chief executive Michael Roberts has announced that he is to depart in the new year. Read More >
- Study claims 99.9% of microplastics removed from UK drinking water More than 99.9% of microplastics are removed from British drinking water through treatment processes, according to a new... Read More >
- Companies vow to triple leak reduction rate in new commitment England's water companies have agreed a series of pledges that form part of a new Public Interest Commitment, including... Read More >
- Rewarding excellence WWT content director Alec Peachey looks ahead to next year's Water Industry Awards. Read More >
- Getting to the heart of sewer repair Wessex Water's award-winning Re-Rounder, inspired by heart surgery techniques, helps get deformed sewer networks back into... Read More >
- Through the keyhole: The King's Scholars' Pond project The use of keyhole engineering on Thames Water's King's Scholars' Pond project saved money and carbon while keeping London... Read More >
- Flushed with success: FOG and Unflushables Southern Water's FOG and Unflushables programme has brought a significant improvement in the state of its sewers. Robin... Read More >
- Will SfA8 make as big a splash as hoped? Martin Lambley, product manager for stormwater management at Wavin, looks at whether Sewers for Adoption 8 will meet... Read More >


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Also in today's EMEA regional roundup: the smell of 5G; augmenting the grim reality of Michael Bublé; Ericsson and Qualcomm claim 28GHz band breakthrough.
Telenor Group (Nasdaq: TELN) has declared its nationwide 4G NB-IoT network in Norway officially open for business. The operator has already been working with a number of Norwegian companies that are looking to use the network, including Posten, a Nordic postal service, and Agdir, a "smart farming" startup.
5Geee what's that smell? Mobile operators Telefónica UK Ltd. (O2) and Three UK have signed up to use part of London's Victorian sewer system as a conduit for fiber, replacing connections provided by BT-linked Openreach. As the Telegraph reports, the pair have done a deal with the telecom arm of utility supplier SSE Telecoms in the hope that using the 19th-century infrastructure will make them more 5G-ready. Around 100 masts in the Soho and Mayfair districts of central London will be connected to the fiber, which will be installed by SSE.
But maybe not if you're the one laying the fiber...
And in a separate major industry announcement, O2 is allowing fans of Michael Bublé to download an augmented reality version of the Sinatra-lite crooner to their smartphones so that they can take selfies and videos with a 3D avatar of the twinkly warbler. To enable this cutting-edge win-win scenario, O2 staged a "hi-tech film shoot" of Bublé using "volumetric 3D capture technology" that used an array of 106 resolution and infrafred cameras to record his every move.
Home in on the opportunities and challenges facing European cable operators. Join Light Reading for the Cable Next-Gen Europe event in London on November 6. All cable operators and other communications service providers get in free!
Ericsson AB (Nasdaq: ERIC) and Qualcomm Inc. (Nasdaq: QCOM)
are claiming another 5G milestone with the completion of a standards-based, over-the-air, non-standalone (NSA) 5G NR data call on the 28GHz band at the Swedish vendor's Kista Lab, using Ericsson's commercially available 5G hardware together with a test device powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon X50 5G modem.
Sweden's Tele2 AB (Nasdaq: TLTO) has completed the new line-up of its top brass in anticipation of its imminent merger with Com Hem. Following on from four positions announced in August, the latest (and final) names to be anointed are as follows: Tom Craig, EVP, Sweden Business; Guillaume van Gaver, EVP, International Markets; Jon James, EVP, CEO Tele2 Netherlands; Fredrik Stenberg, EVP, Transformation & Operational Excellence; Joel Westin, EVP, Strategy & Business Development; Viktor Wallström, EVP, Communications; Thomas Björklund, EVP, Technology Mobile; Thomas Helbo, Executive Vice President, Technology Fixed; and Joss Delissen, EVP, IT.
Citizen's Advice, the UK consumer rights watchdog, has communications service providers in its sights again, lodging a "super-complaint" with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) about how consumers are being effectively penalized for their loyalty to providers of broadband and mobile services, as well as those companies supplying financial services such as home insurance, mortgages and savings. The watchdog estimates that the average "loyalty penalty" -- paid by those who fail to shop around or question the price of their contract renewal -- is a staggering £877 (US$1,114) per year. In a strongly worded statement, Citizens Advice Chief Executive Gillian Guy said: "It beggars belief that companies in regulated markets can get away with routinely punishing their customers simply for being loyal. As a result of this super-complaint, the CMA should come up with concrete measures to end this systematic scam."


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The Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB) is confirming that global dairy markets will remain strong in the short-term, which will support farmgate prices.
However, there are some risks to markets later in the year which could put some downward pressure on prices.
Lower Chinese import demand, increased availability of US products on global markets, or a delay in the return of food service demand, could all limit further positive price movements.
Dairy markets forecast
AHDB dairy analyst Patty Clayton explained:
“At a global level, forecasts suggest limited growth in milk production across the key surplus regions. In total, supplies are expected to increase by just over 1% in 2021, compared to the 1.4% growth recorded in 2020.
“The lion’s share of this extra milk is expected to come from the US and the EU.
“However, rising feed costs in both of these regions could put farmer margins under pressure and restrict supply growth in the second half of the year.”
New Zealand dairy sector
Clayton continued: “New Zealand dairy farmers are reported to be in a good position going into the new season, with a profitable price forecast and strong demand for their product leading to good supply growth.
“Beyond any adverse weather events, the largest risk to this will be a slowdown in Chinese import demand.”
According to Clayton, demand for dairy has remained strong through 2020, and will continue to be the key driver in dairy markets through 2021. Economic growth around the world is improving, and food service demand is returning.
World Bank projections
Recent projections from the World Bank point to a global growth of 4% in 2021, following a contraction of 4.3% in 2020.
The AHDB analyst pointed out that in both US and EU markets, the return of domestic food service demand will be important in maintaining profitable price levels.
In these markets, the expectation is that sales will begin to recover through 2021 as vaccination programmes roll out.
However, sales are not expected to reach pre-Covid-19 levels by the end of the year. Industry estimates suggest that sales will still be 22% and 27% lower than 2019 levels by the final quarter of 2021 in the US and EU respectively.
“Recent price trends on global markets are positive across all dairy products. In most cases, current pricing is at or above the five-year average, with the exception of butter in the US.
“This is positive in terms of supporting farmgate pricing, although the level of support will be subject to how product availability develops relative to demand.
“EU stocks are reported to be well balanced for cheese and butter, but low for skimmed milk powder.
“A year of strong exports and lower product production has kept stocks from building up.
“Higher domestic demand, and limited milk supply growth, is expected to constrain the EU’s exportable supplies in 2021, which should support prices on global markets,” she concluded.


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City officials in Grand Rapids have released a list projects they are planning to fund with the money collected from the parks millage.
About 50 people protested the misdemeanor charge against a woman who was involved in a crash that left a teen dead.
People caught illegally lighting fireworks in Grand Rapids may see smaller fines.
Authorities are investigating a small plane crash in Berrien County in the southwest corner of Michigan.
In a court document discussing sentencing, federal prosecutors call the former Christian radio host a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
The ice skating rink at Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids could open as early as next week.
This year, more stores than ever opened on Thanksgiving Day for shoppers.
A typical Michigan driver would initially pay roughly $4.60 more a month in state gasoline taxes under a gradual tax increase.
Cannonsburg Ski Area will open for the season Saturday morning, according to its website.
Toyota is recalling about 30,000 Sienna Minivans worldwide saying the 2015 models’ overhead assist grips can detach when an air bag deploys.
As many shoppers hit the big retail stores for Black Friday deals, one West Michigan family has made the day a family tradition.
MDOT has approved a project it hopes will reduce the number of crashes involving semi-trucks on a stretch of M-40 in Holland.
A home in Calhoun County is a total loss after a chimney fire rekindled and spread to the rest of the house.
Dozens of people interrupted holiday shopping at major retailers around the St. Louis to speak out about a grand jury’s decision not to indi…
Stores are welcoming a second wave of shoppers in what has become a two-day kickoff to the holiday shopping season.
The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Department confirmed report of a homicide in Comstock Township was a case of swatting.


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The spike in gold prices is continuing and has set a new record, crossing the Rs 70,000 per 10 gm mark on Friday. The price of gold was Rs 70,500 per 10 gm, rising sharply by Rs 1,000 in a day in the domestic market.
In the international market, spot gold prices touched $2,233.48 per troy ounce on Friday. The recent spike has reasserted the value of the yellow metal as a high yielding asset-class.
Gold breached the Rs 35,000-mark for the first time in the Ahmedabad market on June 22, 2019, when it settled at Rs 35,035. This means that in four years, nine months and seven days, gold prices have risen by 101.2%.
Experts attribute the spike to inflation in the US, central banks increasing gold holdings, geopolitical tensions and the expected rate cuts by the US Federal Reserve.
Rising US inflation
According to a report released by the US commerce department on Friday, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) inflation measure climbed by 2.5% in February compared to a year ago, pushed up by higher fuel prices, sources said. Another reason for the reason gold prices have shot up is that the US Federal Reserve is expected to implement rate cuts of 75 basis points.
Since March 29, 2023, when the price was Rs 61,000 per 10 gm, gold has yielded handsome returns of 15.5%. Considered safe and a hedge against inflation, gold has become a popular investment option.
However, high prices have led to the fall in demand for jewellery in the country. Gold prices have increased by Rs 5,000 in 2024 itself, from Rs 65,500 on January 1. Jewellery orders are few and most purchases are against recycling of old gold, say retailers.
Analysts say gold prices will hold Rs 70k and rise further upwards given the global economic and geopolitical scenario.


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Nvidia and Pentanet have teamed up to bring cloud gaming service GeForce Now to Australia in October.
EOFY 2021 With huge discounts (up to 90%) on handsets paired with plans, Optus' EOFY sales are a great time to score a cheap phone.
Google now lets you password-protect your My Activity page, helping secure your web, app, location and YouTube history.
Apple has announced a host of accessibility features across its devices, including further sign language and audio description support.
The Facebook-owned social media platform is rolling out changes to its bio section, adding a pronoun field.
Telstra has revealed the average download speed for users testing out its 5G Home Internet, and its pretty remarkable.
Aussie Broadband gets Optus 5G network coverage, only the second MVNO in Australia to offer the next-gen network.
Netflix wants to know if users would like a new service featuring behind-the-scenes content, user-curated playlists and podcasts.
The new Wireless Go II from Rode offers top-notch wireless audio transmission and does so in a compact and powerful package.
Twitter's latest update gives users a chance to reconsider their offensive reply, as well as larger image previews for the mobile apps.
A report from Ookla shows Australia's substantially ahead of the US and UK in terms of 5G download speeds.
NBN Co's latest announcement promises over a million homes the option to upgrade from FTTN to FTTP connections by 2023.
The latest security loophole to be discovered in macOS has already been patched, so install 11.3 to keep your system safe.
The ACCC wants to give Aussies more choice when it comes to third-party apps on Apple and Google storefronts.
Sony's X-Series speakers promise powerful sound, portability, party lighting, and a dash of karaoke.
After launching in 2007, French hi-fi streaming platform Qobuz has finally made its way to Australia and New Zealand.
Rode's latest release is a free mixing application designed to work with up to four NT-USB Mini microphones.
The virtual reality mainstay Oculus has announced its first event dedicated wholly to VR gaming, landing in mid-April.
Sonos and Ikea's Symfonisk line looks to be refreshing its lamp speaker and adding some form of wall art speaker
Here's how to see if any of your sensitive personal details were leaked in Facebook's recent data breach that affected over 533 million users globally.
Google's latest Maps update offers augmented reality Indoor Live View and a host of sustainability-centric features.
If your Apple device hasn't automatically updated, now's the time to do so yourself and patch an active exploit.


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"CORE I7-6700K" content on TweakTown - Page 1
We found 3 items for the tag: CORE I7-6700K
Intel's Skylake processors bending under pressure from some coolers
Intel is in hot water over its Skylake processors, with reports that they are bending under the pressure of third-party CPU coolers.
Intel Skylake Core i7-6700K CPU (Z170 Chipset and GT530) Review
Today is a big day for Intel with the launch of its newest desktop platform, Z170 and a new CPU, the "Skylake" Core i7-6700K. Here's our full take!
Intel Core i7-6700K box pictures leak online, Skylake is so close
The leaked retail packaging of Intel's upcoming Skylake-based Core i7-6700K leaks online.


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Capitec has introduced Apple Pay digital payment wallet to its clients. Sending notifications on the announcement Capitec has notified clients of the new added…
The streaming music world’s worst kept secret is finally confirmed to be true: Spotify will today launch in South Africa, the company’s representatives confirmed in an email to Memeburn.
The news comes after numerous taunts and hints, including a rumoured Vodacom partnership in 2014, an oh-so-revealing job posting last year, and an invitations to a media event in Johannesburg last week.
South Africa will be the Swedish music streaming service’s first foray into Africa, as it looks to bolster its 160-million user base.
But gaining users may not be so easy. The South African streaming market is congested, with the likes of Deezer, Google Play Music, and the biggest player in the country Apple Music, all vying for a piece of the streaming pie.
More details will be made available later today, so stay tuned for pricing, service and content announcements.
Update, 13 March 2018: As the website shows, the service is available in free and premium flavours. The latter option matches Google Play Music and Apple Music at R60 a month. Not sure whether you’d like to take the premium plunge? Then you can try it out for 30 days.
The free version features ads and radio stations with limited skips (so you can’t listen to any track you want). Opt for the premium version and you have access to any track you want, offline functionality, high quality audio and ad-free playback. Check out the website over here.
Feature image: Memeburn


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The German-Finnish JV says it has implemented a solution to the problem in its own products based on 3GPP standards and has accused its competitors of overlooking the fix.
“We know what an iPhone can do to an Ericsson base station,” Michael Matthews, head of strategy and business development at NSN told telecoms.com. “It can kill it.”
The correlation between smartphone penetration and signalling burdens was highlighted recently on telecoms.com in this feature. Some estimates suggest that for every bit sent or received a smartphone generates eight times more signalling than a laptop connected to the network with a dongle or embedded chip.
A subscriber using a laptop will likely consume more raw bandwidth than a smartphone user. But the greater volume of smartphones in the market – and the behavioural pattern of those terminals – means that the signalling traffic they produce far outstrips that generated by laptops.
While laptop connections can be kept open as they are often plugged into the mains (or otherwise powered by substantial batteries), smartphones do not have the battery muscle to remain truly ‘always on’. In order that they can give the impression of being so, however, handset vendors have designed smartphones to repeatedly awaken themselves from their idle modes to ping the network for updates before putting themselves back to sleep.
Many of the most popular smartphone applications, social networking and email solutions chief among them, require constant updates from the network. Each update, according to Phil Twist, head of marketing and communications for Network Systems at NSN, can generate 21 signalling messages, which roughly equates to the network usage required by a voice call. With a smartphone typically updating every one or two minutes, he told telecoms.com, the signalling traffic is comparable to 1,000 voice calls each day.
“The reason we’re claiming we have an answer here is because of an intermediate idle state called Cell-PCH. This uses the paging channel and requires only four signalling messages back and forth across the network to do that ping for updates. And it has similar background battery power consumption to the idle state, which is less than 5 milliamps.”
This translates into an 80 per cent reduction in signalling traffic, said Twist, and an improvement of up to 100 per cent in standby battery life for the smartphone.
The Cell-PCH software feature is not mandated by 3GPP and NSN claims it is the only vendor to have implemented it voluntarily. To implement it retrospectively is a non-trivial exercise, Twist said, adding that the feature could save a ‘typical’ network in the region of €45m.
The firm has had the feature activated since 2007, he said, but it has only recently become relevant as smartphone usage and data consumption has started to cause problems for network operators.
[icit_ranker object_id=11 ]
With Amazon and Google launching smart home initiatives, have the telcos missed out on their chance to cash in on this market?
Total Voters: 62


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Eckhaus Latta has moved its Los Angeles shop to Chinatown.
“We wanted a bigger space that could accommodate all of our needs,” said designer Zoe Latta, who founded the label in 2011 with Mike Eckhaus in New York City. “In L.A., it’s possible to have a studio, a workspace and retail space together. In New York, it’s a lot harder because of real estate opportunities. For us, it’s just a bigger and better version. And it feels like a nice upgrade.”
The bicoastal brand first opened a location in Little Armenia in 2016, before relocating to Culver City. It is now on 980 North Broadway, which is open Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 6 p.m., and Friday and Saturday noon to 7 p.m.
“This one feels much more professional,” continued Latta. “We have a really visible storefront now…and we just know our customer a bit more.”
Who is the Eckhaus Latta consumer?
“Luckily, it’s a number of people, which I’m thankful for and excited about,” she said. “But they are definitely creative individuals that are open-minded. The majority of them, I would say, are young Millennials and Gen Z. But there are also people in their Sixties or Seventies who have a really interesting way of dressing and appreciation for design that are beloved customers to us as well.”
The designer duo, who show at New York Fashion Week twice a year, would happily showcase a collection in L.A.
“We talk and perhaps joke about it,” she said of producing a show in the city. “It’s a really exciting endeavor. There are so many spaces that are incredibly inspiring that would be very fun for showing. It’s just more about press….You know, Louis Vuitton is able to show here, because they can afford to fly out a bunch of press. We are unfortunately not in that position. But the events that we have done and do here are really exciting and rewarding for us.”
They’re no strangers to hosting L.A. events. Just last month, they gathered family and friends of the brand, which included the band Haim, for an intimate dinner in Montecito Heights to celebrate their recent partnership with Ugg. With the new store, they plan to utilize the space to present collaborations with artists across the arts, said Latta: “This is just the beginning of a lot of different things that we would like to do, including [having] musical performances.”
A new initiative for the brand, known for its gender-fluid approach, is introducing a separate men’s collection, she shared. Next fashion week, they plan to display the new line together with women’s.
“As a company and from a brand perspective, we haven’t really been interested in gendering our clothing,” Latta said. “It’s pretty obvious, especially from a wholesale perspective, how people buy clothes. And so, come January will be our first time having a solid stand-alone men’s….I’m excited about seeing how that shift changes our business and also our customer and how we get to communicate about unisex clothing or gender fluidity while still working with the system at hand in the fashion industry for men’s and women’s fashion weeks. There will be just more availability and options for men with kind of more masculine clothes within our collection.”


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Via Cool Hunting and Creative Layer: Adobe recently announced that in 2014 it will release its first attempt at hardware for illustrators and designers. Adobe plans to release a new stylus, The Mighty and a digital ruler, Napolean, along with several new software products that function with the tools. According to the Creative Layer article: Adobe’s VP of Experience Design, Michael Gough, said:
When we shared our vision for the Creative Cloud at MAX, we said it would give us the opportunity and the impetus to innovate – and ultimately empower a new generation of creatives. With full hearts and open minds we also shared our first explorations into the future of creative hardware.
Today, I am excited to share the next milestone on this path: Adobe is moving our cloud pen, Project Mighty and our digital ruler, Project Napoleon, from a technology exploration to a planned product. We are teaming up with Adonit, an awesome band of makers with a shared belief in the power of creative devices paired with apps and services, to manufacture and ship Mighty and Napoleon in the first half of 2014.
Adobe is partnering with the company, Adonit (a maker of stylus devices) to produce the new line of creative tools.
This actually seems both very cool and yet amazingly frustrating to me. Both Chudd and I do a lot of vector based art and I’ve recently began illustrating with a stylus on a small tablet (my work right now is garbage, but I’m still practicing), however we’re both perpetually broke! Dammit! I want new stuff too! Why do my poor life choices and low income keep getting in the way of the shit I want? It’s something to think about.


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GM making changes to company after ignition switch problem
NEW YORK -- At the New York Auto Show, the CEO of General Motors was again in the spotlight as the world watched how the company is rebounding from the recent recalls.
Mary Barra says she is making changes company wide to make sure the problem that prompted the ignition switch recall never happens again.
More than a dozen deaths are blamed on the ignition switch flaws.
Last week, she suspended two engineers in charge of the recalled switches.
"There was a lot of attention, we agonized over that decision. But we felt it was right for the individuals, but they are on paid leave," said Barra.
General Motors recalled the cars in February for a problem with the ignition switch could cause the car to turn off while driving, disabling the airbag, anti-lock brakes and power steering.


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St. Patrick’s Day is traditionally when everyone puts an O’ in front his name and lifts a glass of Irish whiskey in deference to the Old Sod. But so much is happening to a spirit that hasn’t had a lot of excitement in a while that we suggest earmarking more than a day to catch up on an resurgence that includes record growth and new choices. Since the ’60s the category included venerable thrice-distilled blends (e.g., Jameson, Bushmills, Powers, Paddy), but forgotten was that Ireland had a proud tradition for pot-still whiskey, single malts and even peated whiskeys. Then in 1987, Cooley distillery reopened with the addition of pot stills next to its columns, and a renaissance began.
The Tyrconnell, a historic single-malt brand was bought and given new wrinkles like Madeira-cask finishing. Connemara brought back the tradition of the peated, single-malt made with only two distillations (most Irish today is triple-distilled). Michael Collins is a slightly peated 10-year-old blend. Revived as well has been poitín, an Irish version of moonshine. Later Kilbeggan, with its claims to be the oldest licensed distillery on earth, reopened, making a blend of the same name. The venture was successful enough that Jim Beam bought it in 2011.
Success emboldened others to create new brands. Clontarf 1014 is a charcoal-filtered blend. Knappogue Castle started as marketer of a stock of rare single malts (particularly a $2,200 36-year-old distilled in 1951) and has gone onto more affordable bottlings. A half dozen new distilleries are popping up including one for the consummately smooth Tullamore D.E.W., which is getting its own home after being made elsewhere. Jack Teeling, a son of the leader of the Cooley initiative is even bringing distillation to Dublin for the first time in half a century.
The big boys have not rested on their laurels, however. Midleton Very Rare Reserve has produced a succession of beguiling editions. Jameson’s Gold Reserve is a malt-rich blend, as is Bushmills Black Bush. The latter’s 21-year-old Single Malt mingles whiskey matured in former Oloroso casks and ex-Bourbon barrels. Midleton whisky legend Barry Crockett and his successor, Barry Nation, have created an impressive array of single-pot-still whiskeys (a variation that combines both malted and unmalted barley). Redbreast now has several iterations of the category in the U.S. (most recently a 21-year-old) and Green Spot has just arrived. The company has also committed to releasing two new expressions annually for the next 10 years. Let’s toast the luck of the Irish.


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(Yicai Global) June 27 -- Avatr Technology, a high-end smart electric vehicle brand under Chinese carmaker Changan Automobile, has joined hands with tech giant Huawei Technologies to develop four electric vehicle models by 2025.
The pair will share the risks, revenue and Huawei Inside’s trademark, according to the comprehensive cooperation agreement they inked on June 25.
The EV models will be based on CHN, a smart platform co-developed by Changan, Huawei, and Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology that was launched at the annual Chongqing International Auto Exhibition on June 25.
Huawei will be responsible for developing the self-driving and smart cockpit software systems, while CATL will provide the power battery technologies, said Tan Benhong, chairman and chief executive of Avatr. As a strategic partner, Huawei is deeply involved in Avatr’s technological development despite having no equity stake in the automaker, Tan added.
Set to go on sale from Aug. 8, the Avatr 11 will be the first car jointly developed by Huawei and Avatr to hit the market. It has Huawei’s smart driving, smart cockpit, intelligent network, smart electrification, and full-track smart vehicle solutions, as well as its smart vehicle cloud services, said Chi Linchun, head of marketing and sales at Huawei’s Smart Car Solutions Business Unit.
Founded in May last year, Avatr’s predecessor made Changan’s high-end new energy vehicles codenamed AB. It plans to open showrooms, both directly run and franchised, in 110 cities in China this year.
At just over 39 percent, Changan Auto is Avatr’s biggest shareholder. A consortium led by CATL is its second largest, with an almost 29 stake.
Avatr has been promoting its Series-A fundraiser and plans to go public in the future, attracting more strategic partners from more diverse backgrounds, Tan added.
Editor: Xu Wei, Futura Costaglione


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Killzone 3 is an upcoming first-person shooter for the PlayStation 3 and the fourth installment in the Killzone franchise. It is first game in the series to be presented in 3D and the first to include motion controls using the PlayStation Move.
Contrary to the recent rumor that producer Sean Daniel and Union Entertainment had acquired the film rights to the graphic game back in 2009, developer Deep Silver has revealed via a press release that they are still looking for a studio.
It has recently been revealed that producer Sean Daniel and Union Entertainment had acquired the film rights to the graphic game back in 2009; the game's first trailer was released earlier this year and has since garnered top viral status.
A few new images have been released for the movie tie-in game, developed by High Moon Studios and published by Activision, which is set to come out on June 14th, 2011 on Xbox 360 and Sony Playstation 3.


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COLUMBIA — With little debate but many qualifications, a state Senate panel Thursday advanced a bill to allow the cultivation of hemp in South Carolina.
That’s industrial hemp, not marijuana.
The distinction is why qualifications came with nearly every statement in the Senate agriculture subcommittee meeting.
“This has nothing to do with legalizing marijuana,” was the opening statement of subcommittee chairman Sen. Yancey McGill, D-Williamsburg.
The bill, S.839, makes the difference clear.
Industrial hemp is genetically different from the hemp plants that produce the quality of tetrahydrocannabinol that gives marijuana its mind-altering properties. The S.C. legislation also would remove industrial hemp from the state’s current definition of marijuana.
To make the distinction even more clear, the bill introduced by state Sen. Kevin Bryant, R-Anderson, includes a provision that specifically makes it illegal to try to hide marijuana plants among industrial hemp fields.
The fiber and seeds of industrial hemp can be used in a multitude of products, from fabrics to paper to edible seeds.
South Carolina isn’t on the cutting edge of hemp legalization.
Last year, the Kentucky legislature passed into law a proposal to allow industrial hemp farming in that state. Hemp was a major industry in Kentucky before the federal government criminalized the sale and use of marijuana in the 1930s.
The Kentucky legislation is much more detailed than the S.C. The Blue Grass State’s law includes provisions for registering, monitoring and testing of growers and their product by the Kentucky department of agriculture and state police.
Kentucky is one of 10 states that have approved some version of industrial hemp legislation. The others are California, Colorado, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia, according to the website stopthedrugwar.org. Legislation to legalize hemp also has been introduced in 11 other states, including South Carolina.
The S.C. Department of Agriculture didn’t offer any thoughts at Thursday’s committee meeting. A spokeswoman said the department isn’t ready to weigh in on the subject yet.
But Sen. McGill said farmers in the Pee Dee who have spoken with him are excited about the possibility of a new crop to help make up for income lost due to the drop in tobacco production in recent years.
One major sticking point in the launch of an industrial hemp industry in the state is the federal requirement that any new planting of the crop be approved by the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, which has turned down such requests in the past.
Kentucky officials have argued such approval shouldn’t be required because of a policy change by the U.S. Department of Justice last August. That Justice Department said it will not oppose laws by individual states to allow production of marijuana. Also, the broad federal farm bill, recently approved by Congress, includes a provision allowing industrial hemp cultivation on a limited basis for research purposes.
State Sen. Greg Hembree, R-Horry, a former 15th Circuit solicitor, said he called “exceedingly conservative” friends in law enforcement in Kentucky to see what concerns they have with the prospect of industrial hemp cultivation there. They told him they see no problems. “They satisfied whatever concerns I had,” Hembree said.
The subcommittee voted unanimously to move the bill on to the full Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. If approved there, it would go to the full Senate and, if successful, to the House.
The only person to address the subcommittee on the bill was Wayne Borders, president of the Columbia chapter of the national marijuana advocacy group NORML. Borders said the cultivation of industrial hemp is a billion-dollar-a-year industry, but the vast majority of industrial hemp products purchased in the United States are produced in Canada.
“You can go down to Rosewood Market or Earth Fare and buy hemp seeds, and they’re from Canada,” Borders said. “If South Carolina could get on this early, we could reap economic benefits.”
McGill said he will be on the opposite side of the argument from Borders and NORML on legalizing marijuana, but, he added, he thinks industrial hemp could have a place in the state’s agriculture economy.
While hemp wasn’t a major crop in the state before its criminalization, it was grown here and had been for centuries. According to “A History of Hemp,” by Robert A. Nelson, S.C. leaders in 1733 voted to pay a man named Richard Hall to promote the hemp industry over a three-year period. t that time, hemp often was used to produce rope.


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SHOPPERS were yesterday urged to take extra care when they are out and about on the run-up to Christmas.
More cops will be patrolling Paisley town centre in a bid to curb pick-pockets and shoplifters.
And Buddies are being asked to make sure their credit cards are safe and not to carry large amounts of money around.
Police will be working closely with security officers in the stores and shops in the High Street.
One cop said: “We would appeal to all your readers to be more security conscious and aware of what’s happening around them.”
The police made their appeal as the town centres in Paisley, Johnstone, Renfrew and Barrhead get busier as the festive season draws nearer.
The cop added: “If you are using a bank card to buy gifts, keep an eye on it.
“Once you have used it put it back in your pocket or bag before you leave the counter or till.
“Don’t walk about with your wallet sticking out of your pocket or your handbag open. Put things of value out of sight.”
He also urged people using cash machines to be careful.
“Don’t be distracted – lift the money you have withdrawn and make sure you don’t leave your bank card behind.
“And, while at the cash machine, always check around you that no one is acting suspiciously,” he stressed.
Turning to car break-ins, the officer went on: “There have been a few of them recently and mainly because money, presents and other valuable possessions have been left in the vehicle in full view of anyone walking by.
“When you are shopping for the family don’t leave gifts or anything else on car seats. Put all items in the boot out of sight.”


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10 months ago
TMZ owned by Warner Bros. has been caught again promoting sites not only promoting celebrity porn this time, but owned by the adult companies themselves.
They were called out in 2016 about the sites in question and took them down from their footer (you can still see them using Wayback Machine). Now they are promoting them again on the down low.
Before that they were called out for promoting and "breaking" the news on all Vivid Entertainment "leaked" celebrity porn movies.
Seems to us that Google AdSense and all their other huge advertisers just don't care due to who they are. As if any other website on the planet had anything even close to something like this, would have their account locked and thrown away in a millisecond.
TMZ = To Big To Fail? You decide!
Full Post: https://www.showbizspy.com/...


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Canada, May 5, 2020 (GREENCAMP)-Union leaders are saying the COVID-19 global health crisis could prove to be a watershed moment for organizing within the fledgling cannabis industry.
Local 881 UFCW, an affiliate of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, represents 34,000 workers in retail, drug stores and the cannabis industry in Illinois and Northwest Indiana.
The association says the pandemic will result in more workers in the marijuana business unionizing in order to protect labor rights they claim have been jeopardized under the current circumstances.
“It wasn’t until this crisis hit us that these workers realized that nothing has changed and it will never change, so we have to do something about it,” Moises Zavala, a union organizer with Local 881, said.
The UFCW, dubbed the “most powerful cannabis union” in the U.S., has already been in contact with workers in Canadian company WeedMD over efforts to unionize.
Back in January, employees of Cresco Labs in Joliet, one of the largest marijuana companies in Illinois, joined the UFCW. In fact, unions have been a major driving force behind efforts to legalize recreational marijuana across the country.
Meanwhile, the large union has filed petitions to hold union votes at four dispensaries in the Chicago area: MedMen Evanston, Nature’s Care in Rolling Meadows, Sunnyside in Lakeview and Compassionate Care Center in Naperville, the last of which is owned by Green Thumb Industries.
Marijuana dispensaries were deemed essential businesses during Illinois’ stay-at-home order, but some employees have voiced concerns about respecting social distancing guidelines while at work.
Green Thumb Industries, however, says they have made keeping the health and safety of their employees a priority during the COVID-19 crisis.
“We have implemented social-distancing measures and other health- and safety-focused operating procedures, including the provision of personal protective equipment, to align with federal, state and local requirements and recommendations on COVID-19,” Linda Marsicano of Green Thumb Industries told Marijuana Business Daily in response to the push to unionize.


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Seeking to rise to increased competition, Uber has inked its first payments deal in Southeast Asia after it announced a partnership with Vietnam-based mobile wallet service Momo.
Momo, which raised $28 million led by Standard Chartered last year, will become a payment option inside the Uber app in Vietnam, alongside cash and credit cards. The app is the country’s top mobile payment service. It is used by five million people to pay bills, transport tickets and more so an alignment with Uber makes sense.
The rollout will be gradual with an initial 30 percent of Uber’s Android app users getting the option to pay via Momo as of today. That will extend to all Android users over the next month, with iOS — which trails Android significantly on marketshare in Vietnam — to come later.
Uber said Vietnam is one of its “fastest growing Asian markets” but it did not provide user figures. The deal is the first of its kind for Uber in Southeast Asia, a region where it has a tough challenge battling Singapore-based Grab in seven markets and local unicorn Go-Jek in Indonesia.
Uber has mobile wallet deal with Paytm in India, but that was struck back in 2014 due to regulatory requirements.
“We always looking for ways to make taking an Uber more seamless, but there is nothing to announce today,” Uber said when asked whether it plans to seek other partnerships across Southeast Asia.
Both Grab, which recently raised $2 billion from SoftBank and China’s Didi, and Go-Jek have put a heavy focus on mobile payments, with each building a mobile wallet service of their own that will eventually go beyond paying for ride-sharing to pay for other goods.
Go-Jek, which is backed by Chinese internet giant Tencent, plans to spin out its Go-Pay service into a standalone app next year. Go-Pay can already be used for a range of services beyond motorbikes and taxis on-demand. Go-Jek, which is valued at $3 billion, has said it may expand its reach outside of Indonesia using Go-Pay, rather than ride-sharing, as its initial launch service.
Grab, meanwhile, began working on its GrabPay platform last year. Earlier this month, it launched support for third-party merchants in Singapore that allows its app to used to pay at street food vendor stalls. It plans to scale to 1,000 merchants by the end of this year and expand the initiative to other parts of the region in 2018.
The tie-in with Momo doesn’t see Uber go to the lengths that its rivals have, but it does represent a new approach on seeking out deals and partnerships that the Uber would previously not have considered.
In an interview earlier this month, Uber’s head of Asia Brooks Entwistle told TechCrunch that the firm is willing to work with governments and even taxi drivers to develop its business in Southeast Asia. Entwistle also hinted at partnerships with payment firms, and said that Uber is looking into options within the on-demand bike rental space.


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Some sample questions (and answers) from tests on economic vanceril fundamentals for high-school seniors, a group whose performance changed little from 2006 to 2012. We have discovered that employees of the retailer were told in an email their bank account number, sort code and National Insurance number could have been accessed in January. Stella McCartney and Junya Watanabe join in. Rei Kawakubo floats above. Yes, there are still shows going on. Police forces recorded offences almost 100mph above the speed limit last year, showing drivers have been taking advantage of empty roads during the UK lockdown, new research has revealed.


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We all have someone in our lives who is completely obsessed with plants.
And now there's a chance that this person's obsession could REALLY pay off.
According to reports, a small selection of rare plants have allegedly been sold at B&Q and Lidl stores across the UK that are actually worth a small fortune.
AND, it turns out that some of these plants may have been sold at a reduced price when rare marks on their leaves were mistaken for disease!
According to MyLondon, there are five different types of rare plants that briefly popped up in Lidl and B&Q stores - so if you know someone who's plant mad - you best tell them to check!
The names of the plants which consumers are being told to look out for are:
The Variegated Monstera Adansonii
A single leaf from the Adansonii plant is available to buy on Etsy for £1,533.39!
The Pink Princess Philodendron
A full-sized mature Pink Princess Philodendron could be sold for up to £2,228, and the leaves alone can go for £200!
The Monstera Obliqua
Another plant known for its fragile, hole-filled leaves. Those leaves can reportedly be sold for up to £1,590.
The Variegated Monstera Deliciosa
Nicknamed the "Swiss cheese" plant for its many holes, the vining plant originates from South and Central America. Just one branch of this plant could go for up to £4,562!
Philodendron White Princess
A Philodendron White Princess or White Knight could be sold from anywhere between £400 and £4,216.
We might just hop on that plant purchasing bandwagon after all...


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Furniture Industry Community News, Donation Events, Activities, Charities
The next High Point Premarket, set for March 3-4, will include more than 60 exhibitors. More
Furniture/Today is partnering with the Seena Magowitz Golf Classic at its upcoming Bedding Conference, set for May 14-16 at the Omni Orlando Resort in Championsgate, Fla. More
The North American Home Furnishings Assn. has asked the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee to draft legislation to get the ball rolling again on the Marketplace Fairness Act. More
Ashley Furniture HomeStores celebrated its 500th store with a grand opening here Feb. 21. More
Klaussner Home Furnishings' Brandunn Rush has been selected as one of The Business Journal's 40 Leaders Under Forty for 2014 in North Carolina's Triad region (Greensboro, High Point and Winston-Salem). More
The next High Point Premarket, set for March 3-4, will include at least 50 exhibitors. More
News From The Web
November 4, 2013The recently completed High Point Market gave the industry a chance to preview thousands of new products, some of which may become bestsellers. But I am here to tell you that sometimes our industry's future best sellers are not made of wood, fabric, foam, metal or glass. Instead, the future best sellers I spotted during market were 10 intelligent and driven young men and women who have earned the right to be recognized as Moh Scholars.In 2001, industry leader Larry Moh established the scholarship to honor his wife, Celia. The goal is to recognize and support the academic ...
From A Rep's Perspective
April 26, 2012Monday night at market there was a joint event sponsored by the National Home Furnishings Association (NHFA) and the International Home Furnishings Representative's Association (IHFRA). This is just one of many events that retailers and reps work together on to honor noteworthy members for their dedication to the industry. In local chapters around the country, local charity functions and industry events like the March on Washington, reps have always been supportive and have worked with retailers and factories to make our industry a better place. This year we had a particularly good slate of honorees from IHFRA. Rick Gillespie ...
August 24, 2010Here at Furniture/Today, we always look for ways to bring added value to you, often in the form of more news, analysis, statistics, more updates of people, products and so on.When we added a talkback section on our website, which allowed users to comment on news stories, the goal was to give you more of an opportunity to comment on those items.However, due to a growing issue stemming from highly inappropriate posts on our website, Furniture/Today will no longer allow readers to post comments to the news stories reported. Since the day our website launched some ...
- Indonesia International Furniture Expo
March 11, 2014 - March 14, 2014
Jakarta International Expo
- Vietnam International Furniture & Accessories Fair
March 11, 2014 - March 14, 2014
Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center
Ho Chi Minh City, VN
- Thailand International Furniture Fair
March 12, 2014 - March 16, 2014
IMPACT Muong Thong Thani
From touring a retail store or playing a round of golf to attending cocktail parties with casual industry peers or learning more about the changing marketplace, professionals who took time to attend the third annual Casual Living Conference found time to squeeze in some fun. Change: The New Status Quo was the theme for the event, held Feb. 19-21 at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Fla.


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Pessimism is building in Australia. Only this week, the market learned that consumer confidence dropped 5.7 per cent (December figures). A fall that, at least notionally, shows consumers at their most anxious in more than three years. Indeed, confidence is back down to where it was in the wake of the GFC! Meanwhile, business confidence has declined to its lowest point in over a year.
Legitimate questions can be raised, however, as to whether all of this pessimism is justified.