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Pedestrians walk past in front of Bank of Korea’s headquarters in Seoul. The BoK said yesterday it was setting its new three-year inflation target at 2%, scrapping its current policy of using a targeted band for consumer prices.
South Korean authorities set a new consumer price target and cut economic growth estimates yesterday, as falling oil prices and weak global growth pose greater risks for the economy.
The Bank of Korea (BoK) said it was setting its new three-year inflation target at 2%, scrapping its current policy of using a targeted band for consumer prices, currently at 2.5 to 3.5%, to lift the economy from low inflation.
The Ministry of Strategy and Finance separately cut its growth estimates for 2015 and 2016, with exports expected to remain stagnant while high household debt and an ageing workforce undermine improvements in consumer spending.
It forecast the economy would grow by a real 3.1% next year, down from 3.3% estimated earlier and also revised this year’s growth to 2.7% from 3.1%.
“The takeaway from the government and central bank’s announcements today is that they will maintain their stance to keep the economy buoyed while continuing structural reform,” said Yoon Yeo-sam, a fixed-income analyst at Daewoo Securities, who sees rates being cut early next year.
Before the current inflation target, South Korea used a midpoint of 3.0% within a range of 2.0 to 4.0%.
Economists at Australia and New Zealand Banking Group said the central bank was “serious about combating deflation,” while forecasting two interest rate cuts next year.
Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan said he expected the BoK to manage monetary policy at the level at which it would work to keep inflation near the central bank’s new target. South Korea’s current policy rate is at a record-low of 1.50% after the central bank lowered it in four 25-basis-point steps from 2014, cutting them most recently in June.
Analysts are split between no change for a prolonged period of time and another rate cut in early 2016.
A BoK official told a news conference the new target did not mean interest rates were going to be synced with inflation. Headline inflation has remained far below the bottom end of the current band for most of the target’s existence, sparking criticism from lawmakers and local media.
The 2-percent target number was set as underlying inflation had eased to around 2% since 2012 due to structural economic changes. The headline consumer price index (CPI), which the central bank’s current and next target is based upon, is expected to remain below the new target next year but rise to around 2% in 2017 through 2018, the BoK said.
The finance ministry sees consumption sending inflation to 1.5% next year, up from 1.3% estimated earlier.
Consumer sentiment may continue to pick up, but South Korea faces risks from a shrinking workforce that is also ageing rapidly. The economically-active population is expected to peak next year and start falling in 2017.
South Korean households’ real average propensity to consume, a measure of how much of their income they spend on goods and services, last year fell to its lowest percentage since 1998, according to Statistics Korea.
Growing household debt may also restrict spending power next year, especially if interest rates start creeping up when US rates start to rise.
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Apple lets ABC tour the Foxconn factories assembling its gadgets
While Apple may be one of the most secretive companies in the world, it has given ABC Nightline exclusive access to the Foxconn factories in China where its popular gadgets are assembled by thousands of workers 24 hours a day. The special edition of Nightline will air tomorrow night, and will finally give Apple fans an inside look at how their favorite devices are manufactured.
Apple’s decision to allow the ABC tour may have been different several months ago. But following increasing scrutiny from the world’s media regarding the “mistreatment” of workers within its Chinese factories, the Cupertino company has been keen to clear its name. And it will be hoping that an inside look at Foxconn factories – which are said to be some of the best in China – will help it do just that.
In a new teaser video released by ABC today, Nightline co-anchor Bill Weir claims that Apple provided the show with “complete access” to the Foxconn factories in both Chengdu and Shenzhen, China, where it witnessed workers at around half a dozen production lines and even within the dormitories where they live under Foxconn employment:
“Apple promised complete access, no dog-and-pony, no Potemkin Village, but they denied my repeated requests to interview Apple CEO Tim Cook or the senior vice president of industrial design, Jony Ive.
In a three-golf-cart convoy, both Apple and Foxconn reps took us around to a half dozen production lines in Shenzhen and Chengdu, and there were always five to six people with us as we toured the factories and dorms. But aside from suggesting a visit to the counseling center or canteen, they never steered us to interviews and never interrupted.”
The show will also offer interviews with a number of Foxconn employees, and Louis Woo, a former Apple executive who now works as an advisor to Foxconn CEO Terry Gou.
For any Apple fan who’s interested in how their devices are made, this special edition of Nightline entitled “iFactory: Inside Apple” is a must see. If you’re in the U.S., you can catch it Tuesday night at 11:35 PM EST on ABC.

domain: news


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BuzzFeed business news wants to be scoops
BuzzFeed‘s business news strategy is to focus on breaking news but focusing on the areas where it believes it can cover the news better than others, said its business editor in an interview on Tuesday.
“Business news is scoops,” said Peter Lauria. “That’s how you get readers. That’s how you get noticed. That’s how you get mentioned.”
Lauria was hired earlier this year from Reuters to launch the BuzzFeed business news desk. The site will soon add a tab for business under the news section tab on the homepage. An official launch of BuzzFeed’s business coverage is expected on Wednesday.
In the past month, Lauria has hired a team of four business journalists — Sapna Maheshwari from Bloomberg News, Matt Lynley from The Wall Street Journal, The Daily Beast/Newsweek’s Matthew Zeitlin and Mariah Summers, who worked for Money-Media, a subsidiary of the Financial Times, as a reporter.
“We’re looking for smart, sophisticated analysis that can hold up against the Times, the FT, the Journal,” said Lauria. “And at Buzzfeed you have the added bonus of adding a layer of humor on top of the serious news that we’re reporting. I think there is an appetite, not just among the general reader but also on Wall Street, to have some humor. That’s not to say we’re going to be humor all the time.”
Lauria pointed to two stories that the BuzzFeed business desk has already done — Maheshwari’s story about the Abercrombie & Fitch dress code and his story about how Bloomberg executives knew in 2011 that its reporters were using the terminal to snoop on clients — as examples of scoops. The Bloomberg story was later given credit in a New York Times story.
“We’re a small team. Me and four other reporters,” said Lauria. “We can’t cover everything. We’re not going to cover everything. Business news is covered so extensively that is is kind of ephemeral. We’re focusing on trying to cover a few areas really, really well — Entertainment, technology, mostly consumer tech; I can’t see us doing a lot of Sun Microsystems or IBM stories. Specialty retail, which is Sapna’s beat, and Wall Street and money and how that impacts all of these areas. PE, hedge funds, deals, bulge bracket banks.
“We’re trying to do a new kind of journalism, which is to get business journalism to break out and be shared by the audience,” added Lauria. “What we’re going to try to do is less posts that are smarter and scoopier that will have longer life and travel further. I’d rather have that than just 20 posts that populate the page.”
While BuzzFeed is known for its posts that focus on the 20 cutest cats or the 30 foods to DIY instead of buy, Lauria said serious business news will have a place on the site.
“A lot of people have been wondering how BuzzFeed will do business news that can travel well,” he said. “It’s unreasonable to expect a business story to get as many posts as a cat story. But for the topics we are covering, the subset of readers are infinitely interested. Retail people will intensely share an Urban Outfitters story.


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Escuinapa, Sinaloa (May 13, 2020).- In the middle of the economic crisis originated by the Covid-19 global pandemic, which has generated a considerable fall in the whole sector, the merchants of the Escuinapa municipality expect that the mango season will leave them good profits.
Francisco Aguilera Rojo, leader of the tenants of the municipal market “Miguel Hidalgo”, and who is one of the merchants most affected by the pandemic, recognized that the mango production season always brings economic flow to the community.
He stressed that currently, mango production is a hope for the reactivation of their economy, as the sales in their stores is currently pretty low.
He also reiterated that the crisis has been reflected in the sales that merchants have on a daily basis since people only consume the essentials.
It should be noted that the mango production season generates an approximate of 10 thousand direct jobs in the municipality of Escuinapa, ranging from day laborers, who carry out work on the plots, to workers in packing plants and industries.
The Mazatlan Post


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Six-cylinder AMG could be revived
V8s are still important in the future of Mercedes-Benz performance arm AMG, but donâ€™t rule out a V6.
Mercedes-Benz says it will continue to build V6 and V8s for the medium to long term despite a trend towards smaller engines and four-cylinders.
While Mercedes-Benz is producing four-cylinder-only model ranges with the A-, B- and upcoming CLA-Class vehicles, the brand’s executive vice president of sales and marketing says engines with more cylinders will continue to be in the mix.
Even the high performance AMG versions will use four-cylinder engines for the new family of baby Benzes, with the brand pointing to performance rather than cylinders as the measurement of success.
Joachim Schmidt has given the first hint that more high performance AMG models could use four- or six-cylinder engines.
“We will certainly not limit the future C-Class to four-cylinder [engines],” he said when asked whether the C-Class would follow the lead of the youth-focused CLA four-door sedan in being powered exclusively by four-cylinder engines.
“There will be six-cylinders, maybe eight-cylinders. We don’t communicate at the moment.”
He wouldn’t elaborate on whether the next C-Class - due in 2014 - would continue with V8 power for AMG.
There’s little doubt Mercedes-Benz could get the expected power and performance expected of an AMG with a V6 in the C-Class.
Whether customers will embrace it as willingly would no doubt be the subject of much debate internally.
The C63 AMG is the best selling model for AMG, which has enjoyed impressive sales growth and built a reputation for a fantastic V8 note.
Schmidt says a V8 engine will be an important part of AMG’s portfolio moving forward.
“For AMG the sound is extremely important. We have V8s still .. they are a special sound.”
But he refused to discuss details of models such as the C-Class, other than to say that the sound of any AMG would be given particular attention - no matter how many cylinders. .
“If we have V8s or V6, the AMG will always have a special sound.”
AMG has already admitted it is looking to further downsize its V8 engine (the company recently went from a 6.2-litre V8 to a smaller twin-turbocharged 5.5-litre V8) and take advantage of still evolving fuel saving technologies.
“There’s a certain trend of downsizing but we offer everything and let the customer decide,” said Schmidt.
“The displacement of our V8 engine, for example, has been reduced. That’s the trend … to bring bi-turbo and other technical features … to use less fuel.”


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EICMA wouldn't have been the perfect venue for introducing some new motorcycles and upcoming concepts but with this year’s cancellation of the event, motorcycle brands would have to think of different ways of launching their upcoming motorcycles. Peugeot is no exception. Despite EICMA’s absence this year, they’re still set on introducing the new 2021 Metropolis on September 8, 2020, with a virtual launch. After all, its beloved leaning three-wheeler is long overdue for a much-needed update.
While Peugeot revealed only a few details about the upcoming model, a production version of the Metropolis RS concept that was unveiled in the 2019 EICMA is more likely to come out for the 2021 model year. The new Metropolis has a few enhancements in its styling including smaller headlights with integrated LED daytime running lights and a redesigned front grille. The current Metropolis is powered by a 339 cc 4-stroke, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine capable of producing 35 hp and 38 Nm of torque. Stopping duties are provided by twin discs in the front and a single disc in the rear, with standard ABS.
The new Peugeot Metropolis will surely be Euro 5 emissions compliant and would likely have even newer safety features like traction control, a keyless ignition switch, and maybe even a stop-start system. A front and rear camera system as an exclusive feature for its Anniversary version was offered in the past and perhaps for the upcoming model, it could be a standard feature.
Even before the much-hyped and popular Niken and Tricity by Yamaha came out, Peugeot and Piaggio were among the first major motorcycle manufacturers to introduce the concept of leaning three-wheelers into the market. Today, even Kawasaki is looking into dipping their toes into this unique segment. Peugeot’s Metropolis update has been delayed partly because of the acquisition of the brand by Indian carmaker, Mahindra. However, now that the turnover to Mahindra has been sorted out, and manufacturing of the Metropolis still remains in French soil, the roll-out of the updated model is in full swing, and we’re more than excited to see it on next month’s virtual launch.


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Fiat has officially unveiled its newest model, the 500X crossover at the Paris Motor Show today. The 500X is now the sixth member of the 500 family and will be sold in more than 100 countries worldwide, including the U.S.
The Fiat 500X crossover is finally going to be unwrapped tomorrow at the Paris Motor Show, but two official photos have leaked a little early.
Fiat has announced that the electric 2015 Fiat 500e is now available in Oregon. For the past two years the 500e has only been available in California, but now buyers in both states can get one for $199 a month for 36 months.
Fiat has released a creepy new video that teases the upcoming Fiat 500X crossover, which is going to debut next month at the Paris Motor Show. We've already seen a few photos of the 500X, but in this video we get to see some of its angles up closer and a quick look at its interior.
We now have a few more leaked photos of the Fiat 500X crossover ahead of its debut next month at the Paris Motor Show. The photos were captured during a commercial shoot for the 500X in Italy.
The first official photo of the small Fiat 500X crossover has leaked ahead of its debut at the Paris Motor Show next month.
Fiat has temporarily stopped production of the Fiat 500L at its plant in Serbia, since sales have failed to meet expectations. Production of the Fiat 500L kicked off in July 2012 and since sales are a problem, production is expected to be halted for at least a few days.
Fiat has announced that the 2014 Fiat 500 1957 Edition is going to begin arriving in showrooms in late spring. The special 500 1957 Edition will start at $20,400.
It seems like everyday more news trickles out about the next-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata and the Fiat/ Alfa Romeo version. First it was originally reported that the next MX-5 Miata would debut next year at the Chicago Auto Show, but now those plans have been shelved. Second the Alfa Romeo version may actually be badged a Fiat or Abarth.
Patent photos of the upcoming 2015 Fiat 500X crossover have leaked online ahead of its debut later this year. The Fiat 500X crossover is expected to debut in March at the Geneva Motor Show and will borrow styling cues from the small 500, but will have four doors and a raised ground clearance.
Fiat has unveiled the new 2014 Fiat 500 "1957 Edition," which celebrates the 57th anniversary of the original 1957 "Nuova" Cinquecento. Based on the 2014 Fiat 500 Lounge model, the 1957 Edition enhances its iconic silhouette with a vintage look, thanks to classic exterior colors, including Bianco, or for a bi-color look, Verde Chiaro or exclusive Celeste paired with a Bianco painted roof and mirror caps. It also gets exclusive 16-inch retro wheels with the historic Fiat emblem.
Both the new 2014 Fiat 500L and Jeep Cherokee have been named a Top Safety Pick by the IIHS. Top Safety Pick testing simulates a side impact, front moderate-overlap impact, roof-crush consistent with a rollover, and a rear collision capable of inducing whiplash. The 500L and Cherokee recorded the highest-possible rating of "good."
Chrysler is going to unveil 20 Mopar-modified Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Fiat and SRT vehicles at the SEMA show next month. Chrysler has released some early sketches of four of the vehicles and in addition, the automaker will highlight Jeep Performance Parts developed by its newly created Mopar Off-Road Division at the show.
Fiat has announced plans to unveil the new 2013 Fiat 500 Cattiva at Concorso Italiano, which takes place August 16 at Laguna Seca Golf Ranch in Monterey, California. The 2013 Fiat 500 Cattiva is based on the 500 Sport, but adds a new "blacked out" look.
Chrysler and Fiat currently only offer one electrified model in the US, the California only Fiat 500e. If you're hoping for more hybrid and electric models from Chrysler, unfortunately it won't happen anytime soon. Bob Lee, head of Fiat and Chrysler global powertrain recently stated that there are no plans to invest in electrified powertrains until consumers are willing to pay for the technology.
Fiat has created three special versions of the Fiat 500, which are built on top of a high-powered personal watercraft for the 2013 Vans U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, Calif. A Fiat 500 in Rame (orange), Fiat 500 Cabrio in Bianco Perla (pearl white) and a Fiat 500 Abarth in Rosso (red) glided across the surface of the Pacific, entertaining thousands of surf fans during the competition's opening day. Fiat has also built a watercraft version of the all-new Fiat 500L.
Fiat and Chrysler are currently working on a new small SUV for the Fiat and Jeep brands that will be built in Italy and share the same platform as the Fiat 500L. Fiat has already revealed the Fiat version that will be dubbed the 500X, but it's reportedly been tweaked a bit to give it more curves. Chrysler has yet to unveil the Jeep version, but according to sources it will look like a baby Wrangler.
EV buyers in California that were hoping to get the keys to the new Fiat 500e will be disappointed to hear that the electric 500e is sold out for the rest of the year. Jason Stoicevich, president and CEO of the Fiat brand in North America told Wards Auto, "We're pretty much sold out for the year."
Fiat has announced that the Fiat 500 and 500c by Gucci Edition will return with a new discrete appearance inside and out while continuing to meet the popularity and market demand of the previous edition. For 2013, the Fiat 500 and 500c by Gucci Edition models now offer a new black monotone interior environment that complements Gucci Nero or contrasts Gucci white exterior paint and Gloss black lighting bezels.
For buyers that love the Fiat 500, but need more room, Fiat is introducing the longer 2014 Fiat 500L. The 2014 Fiat 500L expands the 500's appeal by offering 42 percent extra interior space with seating for five and a 160-horsepower 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo engine. The 2014 Fiat 500L starts at $19,100.
This summer the electric 2013 Fiat 500e will go on sale in California. Fiat has announced that buyers can purchase the 500e for $32,500, which drops as low as $20,500 after the available federal and tax credits, which is about $200 less than a comparably-equipped Fiat 500 Lounge. If you dont want to actually buy the 500e, Fiat is also offering a cheap $199 a month/ $999 due at signing 36 month lease.
Fiat is going to bring two new design concepts of the 500 to the 2013 Detroit Auto Show next week. The two concepts are meant to expand the appeal of the Fiat 500 Abarth and the Fiat 500 Turbo. The Fiat 500 Abarth "Tenebra" design concept displays unique Matte Grigio paint and special appointments including a roof-size Abarth scorpion logo, while the Fiat 500 "Cattiva" design concept is based on the 500 Turbo and features a sporty bi-color look and blacked-out appearance.
The 2013 Fiat 500e electric vehicle is slated to arrive in the second quarter of this year. Fiat has just announced that the Fiat 500e has an EPA rating of 108 MPGe on the highway, 122 MPGe rating in the city and a 116 MPGe combined rating. Its highway rating is higher than other electric models like the Honda Fit EV and Nissan Leaf, but the Fit EV has a higher combined and city rating.
Fiat's lineup is getting bigger, literally. Fiat has unveiled two new models that will arrive for the 2014 model year, the 2014 Fiat 500L and 500L Trekking. The 500L models expand the 500 lineup with 42 percent more interior space and room for five passengers. The "L" sums up the six dimensions of the 500L : leveraging, large, loft, lifestyle, light and liters.
Fans of the Fiat 500 Abarth, now another variant to choose from. Fiat has unveiled the 2013 Fiat 500c Abarth, which combines the style and open top design of the 500c, with the more powerful engine from the 500 Abarth. With 160 horsepower under the hood, the Fiat 500c Abarth will reach 0-60 mph in the low second range and with the push of a button the cloth top retracts at speeds up to 60 mph.
Fiat has taken the wraps off the electric version of the Fiat 500, the 2013 Fiat 500e. On the outside the Fiat 500e looks almost identical to the standard 500, but under the hood it's powered by an 111 horsepower electric motor and 24 kWh lithium-ion battery. Fiat has dubbed the electric drive system, "e-Drive", which is showcased by a studded, logo-adorned engine cover.
This year's 2012 2012 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show kicks off in Las Vegas on Oct. 30. Chrysler is bringing 24 custom "Mopar-modified" models to the show. Unique Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, SRT and FIAT brand vehicles outfitted with more than 500 Mopar performance parts and accessories will be on display.
Chrysler has released sketches of the Moparized vehicles that it is bringing to the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas at the end of next month.
For the 2013 model year the Fiat 500 lineup has been expanded with the introduction of the Fiat 500 Turbo that packs a 135 horsepower engine and gets other styling and performance upgrades over the lesser powered 500 models. Fiat has just announced that the 2013 Fiat 500 and 500 Cabrio models are also getting a few updates for the new year.
Well we new this was coming, but Fiat has now made it official. What you have here is the 2013 Fiat 500 Turbo, which is more powerful than the standard 500, but doesn't pack quite as much power as the 500 Abarth.
The 2013 Fiat 500 Turbo is powered by a 1.4L turbocharged engine with 135 horsepower and 150 lb-ft. of torque. That means that the 500 Turbo has 34 more horsepower than the standard 500, but 25 less than the 500 Abarth. The 500 Turbo also gets a sport-tuned suspension, upgraded brakes and a unique exterior to set it apart.
Fiat is set to increase the 500 lineup with new models like the 500L and the 500X crossover. Fiat gave us our first look at the 500L at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year and now we have a preview of the 500X crossover, that arrives sometime in 2014.
At a recent launch event for the 500L, Fiat gave journalists a quick preview of the 500X. Fiat boss Olivier Francois showed a full-size styling model of the 500X during the media launch on the 500L in Turin on Wednesday. The 500X will be the fifth 500 model and will also be the longest. The 500X, like the 500L will ride on the Fiat Punto platform.


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TOKYO—French fashion brand and music label Maison Kitsuné opens its first permanent store and cafe’ in Japan on Friday, bringing fresh, modernist takes on Japanese architectural elements and Parisian flair to this city’s trendy Aoyama neighborhood.
The store features a black brick facade, white interiors, massive columns with marble details and parquet floors featuring a geometric pattern. Accents of woven straw, traditionally used in tatami flooring, are found in the display cases. The brand’s cafe’, just around the corner, takes the Japanese design concept even further. A path lined with walls of bamboo leads through a miniature garden to a set of sliding, slotted doors. They open to a cozy, wooden space housing a small coffee bar with a handful of stools.
Masaya Kuroki, half of Kitsuné’s founding duo and the designer of the store and cafe’, said he used a combination of antique furnishings and and custom-made pieces to create a unique environment. In particular with the cafe, he said he said he was after the feel of an “old school soba place” with a Parisian sensibility.
“We love coffee culture and always wanted to have a café,” Kuroki said of the outpost, which serves gourmet coffee and sells informal apparel like t-shirts and sweatshirts as well as the brand’s own CDs. The nearby boutique carries a fuller range of accessories and clothing from the brand, including an Aoyama exclusive line of sweaters bearing two of the brand’s singature fox logos.
Kitsuné co-founder Gildas Loaëc said he appreciates the warm atmosphere of the cafe’.
“It’s nice visiting from abroad to get a little Japanese feeling where even the Japanese don’t do it anymore themselves,” Loaëc said.
Kuroki and Loaëc are feting the store and cafe’ with an opening party Thursday evening.
The 10-year-old brand has had a wholesale presence in Japan for five years. Kuroki said the duo have learned a lot about the Japanese market and wanted a chance to communicate their full brand vision to shoppers here. “We really want to talk to Asian people too,” he said.
In keeping with that goal, Kuroki said the brand is looking at potential partnerships to expand further in Asia. Currently Kitsuné has a presence in Asia through retailers like 10 Corso Como in Seoul and Lane Crawford in Hong Kong.
The company declined to give a sales figure for the brand but Loaëc said the company is growing quickly and it is registering sales increases of about 60 percent each year.
Kuroki said Japanese customers are particularly enthusiastic consumers of the brand’s apparel, given their sensibility to high-quality fabrics and taste for French things.
“It takes time to consume it so it gives it an exclusivity,” he said of the brand’s products.


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There were, despite continued economic uncertainty in many Western markets and concerns over slowing growth in the East, signs that M&A acti...
Dairy giant Arla Foods has announced a significant deal in China with local company Mengniu. The Danish-Swedish co-op says the venture repre...
The UK liquid milk sector is experiencing an ongoing decline in value sales. Despite gradually increasing volumes, the price being paid for milk is dropping. As a consequence, milk producers find themselves struggling to turn a profit in the category. In part one of our Category Crunch, Katy Askew looks at the dynamics shaping the UK's liquid milk market.
The downward movement of liquid milk prices has placed margins in the category under mounting pressure. In part two of our Category Crunch, Katy Askew looks at how the country's three largest milk processors - Dairy Crest, Arla and Robert Wiseman - are responding to this challenge.
The spectre of the end of dairy quotas in the EU is prodding dairy processors across the continent to combine.
Milk Link said it will continue to unlock the “latent potential” of the business during the next year as the UK dairy co-operative looks to develop new products focused on health.
Arla Foods today (29 August) reported a doubling of earnings in its first-half, boosted by M&A. The company has taken a lead in the process of consolidation underway in the European dairy sector, with deals in the UK and Germany. Arla expects to continue to play an active part in European consolidation in the dairy sector as well as looking to M&A to drive growth in emerging markets, Michelle Russell discovered when she caught up with Arla CFO Frederik Lotz.
For all the positive publicity around dairy exports, the UK dairy sector is facing some significant challenges. The domestic market is dominated by low-value own label liquid milk sales, while underinvestment means that UK producers and manufacturers operate at a competitive disadvantage to their European peers. However, Arla Foods plans to tackle these issues head-on. Arla UK vice president of marketing Ash Amirahmadi spoke to just-food on the group's plans to ramp up investment in the UK, including the launch of a new liquid milk brand.
Dairy giant Arla Foods saw its earnings double in the first half of the year as deals including its merger with Milk Link helped boost profits.
Arla Foods has offloaded UK milk drinks operation Crediton Dairy to a group of executives who worked for the unit's previous owner, Milk Link.
Arla UK has raised the price it pays Arla Milk Link members thanks to an "improved business performance".
Arla Foods and UK supplier group Arla Foods Milk Partnership have entered into talks in a bid to define how AFMP members can join Arla's existing farmer-shareholders in ownership of the co-operative.
Acquisitions and growth in markets outside the EU have helped dairy giant Arla Foods report higher annual sales and profits.
The former CEO of Milk Link, Neil Kennedy, has said his decision to leave his role at new parent firm Arla Foods has nothing to do with the dairy giant's strategy for the recently-acquired business.
News that Arla Milk Link is cutting its farmgate milk price will come as a "bitter and unacceptable" blow to its farmer suppliers, the National Farmers Union has warned.
Arla Foods is to increase the price it pays to its Arla Milk Link farmer members by 1.33ppl from 3 December.
Arla Foods will sell the milk drinks business of Milk Link in order to satisfy competition authorities before merging with the UK dairy farmer cooperative.
Arla Foods is to start producing Anchor butter in the UK next month.
The UK dairy sector was in the spotlight this week, with the proposed merger between Arla Foods and local co-op Milk Link and the annual loss reported by Dairy Crest. just-food interviewed senior executives from Arla and Milk Link to discuss the combination and reported on Dairy Crest's plans to increase returns from its troubled dairies business. Elsewhere, we reported on two sustainability events held in London, including the annual conference on the Round Table for Responsible Soy. And, further afield, Heinz revealed it was looking for more acquisitions in emerging markets while US rival General Mills secured a deal to buy Brazilian firm Yoki Alimentos.
A raft of earnings results kept the just-food news desk busy this week. M&S chief executive Marc Bolland insisted its product development sets it apart from rival grocers, while Campbell Soup CEO Denise Morrison expressed her disappointment at the firm's US soup performance this year. Elsewhere, just-food spoke with Peter Lauritzen, CEO of Arla UK, and Neil Kennedy, chief executive of Milk Link, on the merits of their merger.
Arla Foods has announced plans to merge with UK dairy farmer co-operative Milk Link in a deal that would create the country's largest dairy group.
Dairy giant Arla Foods has announced a proposed merger with Germany's eighth largest dairy co-operative, Milch-Union Hocheifel (MUH).
Arla Foods revealed 250 jobs could be cut as it drives efficiency and tries to keep pace with its international competitors - and admitted more could be made. The race to buy frozen food giant Iglo Group also continued to make the headlines and this week Thai food manufacturer CP Foods was linked to the business. Meanwhile, in the US, Kellogg "refreshed" its 106-year-old namesake brand, although industry watchers suggested the cereal maker might have to do more to drive sales.
UK dairy co-op Milk Link has reported an increase in annual underlying pre-tax profits on the back of cost cuts and higher commodity prices, which boosted sales.
UK dairy co-op Milk Link plans to "upgrade" two production facilities to meet "growing demand" for its cheese.
UK dairy co-op Milk Link today (2 November) reported an increase in half-year sales and profits.
Milk Link has today (29 September) announced that it will invest GBP20m (US$31.3m) into its facility in Lockerbie, Scotland.
Tesco has increased the price it pays farmers for milk on sale in its UK stores.
UK dairy co-op Milk Link has created two business units in a revamp that its chief executive says will improve the company's performance.
Higher branded sales have helped drive a jump in annual profits at UK dairy co-operative First Milk.
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Whirlpool Earnings Drop to $1.02 Per Share
On an adjusted basis, earnings per share were $2.22 in the third quarter, compared with $1.67 a year earlier, the company said in a statement.
"As expected, we faced a challenging environment during the quarter which resulted in a significant slowing in sales growth compared to the first half of the year," said Jeff M. Fettig, CEO of Whirlpool.
Whirlpool forecast 2010 earnings of $7.80 to $8.30. On an adjusted basis, the company expects earnings of $9.56 to $10.06 per share.
"As we have previously noted, we continue to see a volatile and rapidly changing global economy, which we expect to continue in the near term," Fettig said.


text: GamesBeat Best of GamesBeat 2012 roundup December 28, 2012 10:30 AM Jasmine Maleficent Rea 0 If you follow VentureBeat but don’t regularly check our GamesBeat site, here’s a list of the best video game stories we ran over the last seven days that you may have missed. This week, GamesBeat celebrates the biggest games and news of 2012 with several retrospective features. Even though the year is almost over, that doesn’t mean we’re completely out of news yet, however. You’ll also find stories on Nintendo patenting a specific use for the Wii U’s dual-screen functionality, Microsoft releasing an iPhone and iPad game with Xbox Live Achievements, and where to buy the documentary Minecraft: The Story of Mojang without digital rights management. Best of 2012: The DeanBeat: Game industry predictions for 2013 Here’s the scorecard on our 2012 predictions for the game industry The biggest gaming trends of 2012 The news that shook the game world in 2012 Kickstarter game projects raised $79M in 2012 GamesBeat’s 2012 Game of the Year: The Walking Dead The best games of 2012 (GamesBeat staff picks) The worst gaming trends of 2012 The best MMOs of 2012 12 of the best games for your new mobile device The best video game trailers of 2012 The biggest gaming disappointments of 2012 The best video game soundtracks of 2012 The biggest gaming surprises of 2012 Top 15 mobile games of 2012 2012′s most innovative game ideas Top gaming technologies of 2012 5 of the best original games of 2012 The best indie games of 2012 The video game industry’s 2012 holiday cards News: Blizzard: ‘We are going back to the drawing board’ for team deathmatch in Diablo III International Game Developers Association appoints new executive director This week in The Nintendo Download: Wii U discounts, Lost Levels, and Mega Man Nintendo uploads tip videos for New Super Mario Bros. U to YouTube Nintendo secures the patent for a specific use of the Wii U’s dual-screen functionality How to gain early access to the Dead Space 3 demo Microsoft launches first game for iPhone, iPad with Xbox Achievements Where to buy Minecraft: The Story of Mojang documentary without DRM Previews: The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct is an ambitious shooter that’s faithful to the show (preview) Pieces of flair: How Canada has become America’s mobile app guinea pig A tale of two zombie games: The Walking Dead vs. The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct 5 worse BioShock Infinite covers How major MMOs are celebrating Christmas in-game (gallery) The many major missteps of Far Cry 3 Outlandish factoids from Street Fighter’s expanded universe (gallery) GamesBeat 2014 — VentureBeat’s sixth annual event on disruption in the video game market — is coming up on Sept 15-16 in San Francisco. Purchase your ticket now to save $200!


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Walmart’s (WMT, quote) plans for global commerce took a big step forward today as the world’s largest retailer announced its purchase of a controlling stake in the Chinese e-commerce website Yihaodian. If the Chinese government approves the transaction, Walmart will gain significant footholds in both the Chinese market and e-commerce.
Analysis seem to be split on weather China’s economy is coming in for a hard landing or not, but colleagues who have been to China recently indicate see both less construction cranes and more consumption of non-necessity items such as smart phones, electronics, education and a higher standard of eating.
Chinese Web company NetEase (NTES, quote) has partnered with Ping An Insurance (PNGAY, quote), China Pacific Insurance and others to launch Baoxian, an auto insurance comparison platform. The new portal adds a potentially lucrative purchase path for consumers in the fast-growing Chinese insurance market.
Despite all the serious developments erupting in France and Italy, it turns out that Asian markets were more worried about the environment closer to home overnight. This is weighing on the markets today.
Traders around the world will likely spend this week glued to macro data and political news, but those willing to look at individual stocks can still find plenty to occupy their attention.


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IDC's Ethernet switch and router trackers show strong growth in the fourth quarter and full year 2018
Mar 1, 2019
FRAMINGHAM, Mass., March 1, 2019 – The worldwide Ethernet switch market (Layer 2/3) recorded $7.8 billion in revenue in the fourth quarter of 2018 (4Q18), an increase of 12.7% year over year. For the full year 2018, the market recorded $28.1 billion in revenue for a year-over-year growth rate of 9.1%. Meanwhile, the worldwide total enterprise and service provider router market recorded $4.6 billion in revenue in 4Q18, increasing 15.6% on a year-over-year basis. For the full year 2018, the router market finished at $15.5 billion, an increase of 1.8% over 2017. These results are according to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Ethernet Switch Tracker and Worldwide Quarterly Router Tracker.
Ethernet Switch Market Highlights
From a geographic perspective, the 4Q18 Ethernet switch market recorded strong growth in the Middle East & Africa region, which rose 15.7% year over year in 4Q18 and rose 10.6% in 2018 compared to 2017. Saudi Arabia rose 44.8% year over year in the quarter and was up 15.8% on the year. The Central & Eastern European region rose 14.9% year over year in 4Q18 and was up 12.6% on the full year. Russia's market grew 18.1% in 4Q18 and 18.6% for the full year. The Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) (APeJ) region increased 10.5% year over year in 4Q18 and grew 15.5% for the full year 2018. The People's Republic of China, which makes up the largest share of the region's total, rose 7.8% in 4Q18 and was up 18.5% for the full year. Japan grew 3.3% year over year in the quarter and 2.2% for the full year.
In the Western Europe region, the Ethernet switching market grew 12.1% year over year in 4Q18 and 9.1% for 2018. The Netherlands grew 20.4% in 4Q18 and 9.6% for the full year. The Latin America region grew 4.4% in the quarter and rose 1.4% for the full year. Brazil helped power the region's growth with a 12.8% year-over-year gain in the quarter and a 10.2% full-year increase. Canada's market grew 9.6% in the quarter and 9.0% for the full year. In the United States, revenues rose 3.6% in 4Q18 compared to 3Q18, but jumped up 15.9% year over year, driving annual revenues 6.6% higher in 2018 vs. 2017.
"The Ethernet switching market saw solid growth around the world, driven by investments in both mature and emerging countries, indicating the strong demand for network infrastructure that powers enterprise Digital Transformation efforts," said Rohit Mehra, vice president, Network Infrastructure at IDC. "The market's strong fourth quarter helped push full year gains in Ethernet switching and sets the market up for continued strength in 2019, creating opportunities for vendors to capitalize on around the globe."
100Gb Ethernet switch revenue continues to grow rapidly as adoption by hyperscale cloud providers and large enterprises accelerates. 100GbE shipments reached more than 3.8 million ports and $1.1 billion in revenue in 4Q18. 100GbE shipments accounted for 13.6% of the full year's Ethernet switching revenue compared to 8.5% in 2017. 25Gb Ethernet switch products continue to see strong growth with port shipments rising 14.8% sequentially to 3.0 million and $293.5 million in revenue in 4Q18. The 10GbE market continues to see healthy growth but pricing pressure is holding back revenue increases. 10Gb port shipments in 4Q18 grew 14.6% year over year while revenues decreased 1.6%. 10GbE made up 30.6% of all 2018 Ethernet switching revenues. Meanwhile, 1Gb remains the primary connectivity technology for enterprise campus and branch deployments, driving 1Gb port shipments to 128.3 million in 4Q18, growing 12.7% year over year and making up 68.8% share of all ports shipped. 1GbE represented 41.8% of 2018 Ethernet switching revenues.
Router Market Highlights
The worldwide enterprise and service provider router market grew 24.2% sequentially and 15.6% year over year in 4Q18 with the larger service provider segment rising 20.3% and the enterprise portion growing 2.2%. For the full year, the combined market increased 1.8% with the service provider segment driving 2.0% growth and the enterprise segment growing 1.2%.
The combined enterprise and service provider router market saw growth around the world, with APeJ growing 22.4% year over year in 4Q18 and up 13.6% for the full year. Middle East & Africa increased 17.6% year over year and 9.2% annually. The U.S., which is the largest worldwide market, was up 12.4% year over year but down 11.1% for the full year. Western Europe rose 12.9% year over year in 4Q18 and was up 4.9% for the full year.
Company ** **** ** Highlights
Cisco finished 4Q18 with a 13.2% year over year increase in Ethernet switching revenues and market share of 53.2%. For the full year 2018, Cisco switching revenues rose 5.2% over 2017 while recording 52.8% market share (compared to 54.8% in 2017). In the hotly-contested 10GbE segment, Cisco remains the market leader, earning 48.5% of 10Gb revenues in 4Q18. Cisco's combined service provider and enterprise router revenue increased 17.9% year over year in 4Q18, but was off 2.7% for the full year, giving the company 38.8% share in 2018.
Huawei 's Ethernet switch revenue grew 6.0% year over year in 4Q18 for a market share of 9.7%. For the full year 2018, Huawei's Ethernet switch revenues grew 20.2%. Huawei's enterprise and service provider router revenue increased 35.1% year over year in 4Q18 and rose 22.5% for the full year, giving the company 28.7% market share in 2018.
Arista Networks' Ethernet switching revenue rose 23.6% year over year and 28.5% in 2018. 100GbE revenues for Arista rose 6.6% sequentially in 4Q18 and were up 69.4% on the full year. Arista's market share stood at 6.5% to end 2018, compared to 5.6% at the end of 2017.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) revenues rose 20.2% year over year in 4Q18. That led to a 16.5% year over year increase in 2018, putting the company's full year market share at 6.1% compared to 5.7% for 2017.
Juniper 's Ethernet switch revenues declined 2.0% year over year in 4Q18 and were off 3.1% for the full year. Juniper's router revenues declined 12.7% year over year. The company finished 2018 with 14.7% market share in the service provider routing market, down from 18.0% in 2017.
The Worldwide Quarterly Ethernet Switch Tracker and the Worldwide Quarterly Router Tracker provide total market size and vendor shares for the Ethernet switch and router technologies in an easy-to-use Excel pivot table format. The geographic coverage for both the Ethernet switch market and the router market includes eight major regions (USA, Canada, Latin America, Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan), Japan, Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, and Middle East and Africa) and 60 countries. The Ethernet switch market is further segmented by speed (100Mb, 1000Mb, 10Gb, 25Gb, 40Gb, 50Gb, 100Gb), product (fixed managed, fixed unmanaged, modular), and layer (L2, L3, ADC). Measurement for the Ethernet switch market is provided in vendor revenue, value, and port shipments. The router market is further split by product (high-end, mid-range, low-end, SOHO), deployment (service provider, enterprise), connectivity (core, edge), and the measurements are in vendor revenue, value, and unit shipments.
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Sisters Rous and Marie Robles say that when they moved to Milford from Puerto Rico nine years ago, they dreamed of the delicious baked goods that made them think of their native land, especially when they were suffering from homesickness. They often talked about wishing there was a Puerto Rican bakery nearby where they could get a taste of home. On Saturday, December 16, that wish became reality when they opened “My Sister’s Fault” bakery at 10 Southwest Front Street in Milford with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
“My Sister’s Fault is the best way to describe our relationship because, as sisters, we blame ourselves not only for the mistakes but also for the successes,” Rous said. “We want the best for each other and we always rely on each other to make decisions, whether the results are good or bad, so it is always ‘my sister’s fault.’”
The bakery carries Puerto Rican inspired items that the sisters learned to make as they were growing up. In addition to pasteries and other baked items, My Sister’s Fault will also carry a breakfast menu that includes many Puerto Rican favorites, such as egg, ham and cheese served with pan sobao as well as what they are calling the “mini sandwich.”
“We learned from our mom since we were little,” Rous said. “We also attended the University del Este in Puerto Rico where we studied culinary arts and hospitality. We complement each other. I am the baker, the creative one, the dreamer, the one that always has the vision. Angie, the cook, is the one who made these visions and dreams come true. She is the lead, she does not allow me to settle for less than greatness and always pushes us to our limits.”
The sisters said they began realizing that their dream of a Puerto Rican bakery was possible when they met Mike Canevari who operated a bakery at the same location until the passing of his wife, Cynthia.
“Mike expressed that he was no longer going to continue with his bakery and that’s when we knew our dreams could come true,” Rous said. “Since Mike already had the bakery in place, he helped us through the entire process. Thanks to him, everything went smoothly, and we are so excited to bring our favorite Puerto Rican dishes to Milford.” Rous said the hardest part about opening the bakery was the lack of sleep as the two sisters and their families worked an average of 18 to 20 hours a day to be sure everything was ready.
“We are so happy to have My Sister’s Fault in Milford and to attend this grand opening today,” Mayor Bryan Shupe said at the ribbon cutting. “It is an incredible story, them coming from Puerto Rico and working at Perdue as they worked to make their dream come true. Now, they are business owners and we are looking forward to watching them grow and succeed.”
The bakery is open Saturdays and Sundays from 8 AM until 3 PM. They are also open Monday through Friday by appointment for special occasions.
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Intel has followed the Taiwan industry's so-called "DeskTop on Server (DToS)" project, by enabling its dual-core desktop processors to be available also for its uni-processor server product line, the sources noted. The dual-core Conroe processors were originally planned to start replacing the Pentium D series from the third quarter of 2006, the sources said. However, the "DToS" scheme has effectively been removed from Intel's latest roadmap, by positioning the "Xeon 3000" entry-level CPU family as Intel's next-generation uni-processor server offering, according to the sources.More info over here.
Intel Xeon 3000 processor family coming in August
Posted on Thursday, June 29 2006 @ 16:27 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck


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|Price||$99.95 + Free shipping|
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Today only. B&H Photo-Video has the CyberPower CP1000PFCLCD 10-Outlet 1000VA PURE Sinewave Series UPS for a low $99.95 Free Shipping (Exp soon). Tax in many states.
This CyberPower UPS sells for $139.95 elsewhere, so you're getting extra $40 off.
This battery backup is priced higher than other mainstream units. This is because it generates a pure sine wave electrical output, which is significantly more expensive to produce, but the cleanest, efficient, and most ideal power output for your electronic components. Most battery backups in this price range produce a simulated sine wave, which mimics the sine wave pattern and has similar peak voltages, and is much less expensive to produce. Compared to other pure sine wave output battery backups, this is a GREAT price.
Disclaimer: The Black Friday deal information given above is without warranties on accuracy and availability. Black Friday deals tend to sell out very quickly and as retailer only keep low inventories for doorbuster deals.
CyberPower CP1000PFCLCD 10-Outlet 1000VA Pure Sine Wave UPS $99.95
Black Friday 2015 is here. The early Black Friday 2015 Sales launched. I4U News is features in-depth coverage of Black Friday 2015 ads, deals, and sales. We have more Black Friday services and content than ever before. Find below the highlights.
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I4U News is daily News site for the Geek Mind. Expect the latest technology news including the juiciest rumors. Stay up to date with the biggest discoveries in science. Other featured news topics include cars, celebrities, movies and more.Read more.


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Disney shares fell on Monday after Barclays analysts downgraded the media and entertainment company's rating and price target, citing weaker growth from its Disney+ streaming service.
Disney's growth story appears to be faltering heading into the final months of the year, according to Barclays analyst Kannan Venkateshwar, who downgraded his rating to 'equal weight' from 'overweight' and decreased his price objective by $35 to $175 per share.
“Disney+ growth has slowed significantly, In order to get to its long term streaming sub guide, Disney needs to more than double its current pace of growth to at least the same level as Netflix", Venkateshwar said, "long term streaming guidance could be at risk.” He added.
In pre-market trading on Monday, Walt Disney shares fell, bringing the stock's year-to-date loss to approximately 4.3 %.
On November 10, Disney will release profits for the fourth quarter of its fiscal year, which concluded in September, as well as an update on the growth rate of its Disney+ streaming service.
The company announced on August 12 that overall subscribers to its Disney+ service had reached 116 million at the end of the third quarter, up from 12.4 million in the previous three months, despite the fact that much of that growth came from lower-margin markets overseas, such as India, through its Hotstar offering.
In the wake of COVID-related attendance limitations in the United States and elsewhere, media sales increased 18 % to $12.7 billion, while theme park revenues more than tripled to $4.34 billion.


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Assistant researcher, University of Leicester
Yewande Okuleye’s PhD had been funded because of the creative Arts and Humanities analysis Council and GW Pharmaceuticals 2014-2017. Yewande Okuleye is a component of this procedure Black Vote Parliamentary Shadow Programme.
University of Leicester provides financing as being a known user for the discussion British.
The Conversation UK gets funding from these organisations
There’s plenty of anecdotal proof that Cannabidiol (CBD) oil – a concentrated oily extract made from cannabis – can really help treat many different conditions. It is thought to assistance with anything from epileptic seizures to opioid addiction, PTSD to joint disease.
But despite CBD oil’s high there’s profile status nevertheless plenty of confusion as to what it really is, and just just what it is made of. Certain kinds of CBD oil happen to be lawfully obtainable in the UK – such as for instance those created from hemp – whereas other kinds are particularly much unlawful when you look at the UK – though can be found to get far away
CBD oil obtained from hemp is normally marketed as being a meals health health supplement to advertise wellbeing – similar with other herbals like Echinacea – and raise the system that is immune. Although Hemp CBD oil is legal, it is really not a medication and really should not be mistaken for the recent confiscation of 12-year-old Billy Caldwell’s CBD oil at Heathrow airport.
Billy had flown together with mom to Canada to purchase the CBD oil – that will help to help keep their day-to-day epileptic seizures from increasing. But his oil ended up being confiscated since it ended up being produced from cannabis flowers and leaves, and thus ended up being classed as illegal into the UK, childhood that is pushing and CBD oil to the limelight.
Cannabis law explained
Thus far, therefore confusing, but an element of the nagging issue is that terms like cannabis and hemp in many cases are utilized interchangeably – which masks the nuances and complexities associated with cannabis plant.
Cannabis sativa L, the name that is scientific of cannabis plant, is developed to create two distinctive items – commercial hemp, and cannabis. The main disimilarity between hemp and cannabis is dependent on two requirements. First, the degrees of cannabinoids – a family group of chemical substances, the cannabis plant naturally creates – and 2nd, the conclusion usage.
In accordance with current British medication rules, cannabis is categorized as a illegal medication due to the psychoactive properties of THC, the component inside it that creates the “high”. And under UK legislation, cannabis is viewed as to own a potential that is high punishment – with no accepted medical properties.
Hemp vs cannabis
But that’s where it gets a lot more confusing because cannabis may be bred to generate strains purekana cbd oil that are different. Cannabis consumed for recreational purposes is selectively bred to optimise high THC content strains – to maximise the “high” feeling. But cannabis also includes CBD, that is a non-psychoactive component.
Hemp, having said that, is harnessed as seed, oil and fiber to make a range that is wide of. It really is developed to make a low concentration associated with cannabinoid that is psychoactive – along with greater quantities of the non-psychoactive cannabinoid CBD.
Industrial hemp plant items: tea, oil, rope, protein hemp and powder material. Shutterstock
Cannabis is classified as hemp if it offers a level that is maximum of% THC. Billy’s CBD oil, confiscated at Heathrow, had been made of cannabis with a greater degree than 0.2percent of THC – it was confiscated so it was classed as cannabis, which is why.
A present survey conducted by Sky News unearthed that 82% of the poll subjects consented that medical cannabis should really be legalised. Professor Dame Sally Davies, the principle medical officer for England, who had been appointed to analyze the existing medical and medical evidence, concerning the healing properties of cannabis-based products, also thinks this. She recently stated that “doctors should certainly prescribe” cannabis.
Davies has suggested the elimination of cannabis from routine one category – which covers a small grouping of drugs thought to do not have medical function, that can’t be lawfully possessed or recommended.
The continuing future of pharmacies? Shutterstock
The home secretary, Sajid Javid, made the decision to grant Billy access to imported CBD oil in Billy Caldwell’s case. This approach that is fresh reconsider the category of cannabis happens to be seminal, and mirrors wider sentiment far away. In the usa, for instance, medical cannabis programmes have already been initiated in 30 states. Ergo, medical tourism to Canada – where cannabis is appropriate for medicinal purposes – and also the United States to achieve use of CBD oil.
When you look at the UK, but, Sajid Javid will perhaps not reclassify cannabis before the Advisory Council in the Misuse of Drugs provides recommendations in regards to the health that is public – which will range from the punishment potential of cannabis-based CBD. Though this indicates very possible that the true house secretary continues to go towards an individual focused quality.
For clients like Billy then, this implies that cannabis-based CBD oil could be prescribed in soon great britain under controlled conditions, by authorized practitioners, as well as for medical benefit.


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There they are on the store shelves. Mixes for gluten-free cakes, cookies, muffins — you name it. Restaurant menus mark items “gluten-free” with stars or happy faces. It’s everywhere.
When did we all go gluten free? Is it an epidemic?
A lot of articles and a few books have created a trend, said Dr. Ann Klein, a family physician and primary care doctor who works in the WISH clinic (Women’s Integrative Services in Health) at the UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora.
“Certainly, this gluten-free craze has affected a lot of people,” she said.
To understand what’s going on, she starts with the basics.
“Gluten is a protein that’s in not just wheat, but also barley and rye – it allows bread to rise and get that chewy consistency,” Dr. Klein said.
But bread isn’t the staff of life for everyone.
“About 1 percent of the population has celiac disease, where they are actually allergic to gluten,” she said. “It’s a pretty significant disease because it causes inflammation along the lining of the intestines so people don’t absorb important nutrients. That’s when it becomes dangerous – causing bone loss, bleeding/anemia and vitamin deficiencies. They can have significant symptoms – abdominal pain, diarrhea and weight loss, even blood in their stool.”
A second, and less serious condition, is called gluten intolerance.
“There’s a blood test for celiac,” she said. “But there’s no test for intolerance. So that’s diagnosed on the basis of symptoms. (Patients) can have the same symptoms (as with celiac disease), such as bloating, headaches, constipation, bone or joint pain. There’s even talk of depression or other mental problems.”
Symptoms can vary quite a bit from patient to patient.
“Abdominal pain and bloating are almost ubiquitous,” Klein said. “But some people have almost no symptoms at all, except maybe rashes or a stuffy nose.”
Nobody should go gluten-free without seeing a doctor and getting the blood test for celiac, Dr. Klein added. “And don’t quit eating wheat first and then get the blood test, because then it won’t do you any good as there can be false negatives.”
Other illnesses, such as Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis also can have those symptoms, so seeing a doctor is important, to rule these out.
“They are much more dangerous, so you don’t want to miss that,” she said. Irritable bowel syndrome is another less serious but no less painful syndrome with similar symptoms.
If a person has celiac disease, and indeed does need to go gluten-free, what foods should they avoid?
Besides wheat, barley and rye, many other foods contain hidden gluten. Those include a lot of processed foods and sauces – even soy sauce. Soups and salad dressings have thickeners that might contain gluten, too.
There are lots of other options, Klein said. Tapioca flour, rice flour and almond flour are popular substitutes. Potatoes, quinoa and rice can substitute for other starches in the daily diet, but “of course, not all that is healthy for you, either.”
Here in Colorado, it’s easy to eat gluten-free, she said, because there are a lot of restaurants that offer gluten-free options. “Even banquets offer gluten-free choices.”
No medication or treatment can lessen the negative effects of gluten for someone who has celiac disease or who is intolerant of it.
“Going gluten-free is the main option,” she said. “But there is some thought that it is not really gluten intolerance, but that some people actually are intolerant of certain short-chain carbohydrates, of which gluten is one.
“It’s being studied. Some think it’s actually the short-chain carbs that cause the problems.”
The low-FODMAP diet – which stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols – is being evaluated for some patients.
“It eliminates those problematic carbs and it has shown some effectiveness,” Dr. Klein said. “You have to avoid things like onions, garlic, apples, milk, ice cream, soft cheese and blackberries (but not other berries). It’s a strange mix.”
Growing problem or fad?
Why, all of a sudden, do so many people say they need to be gluten-free? Is it a growing problem or just a fad?
“I think part of it is trendy,” she said. “There’s a lot of press out there, a lot of books on the subject.”
She also thinks “a lot of people have stomach problems, but I don’t know if it’s so much gluten as just a bad diet. Eating more whole, unprocessed foods may help. A lot of people don’t get enough fiber. But gluten-free is also low-fiber. That’s not healthy for you.”
If someone does decide to try a gluten-free diet, they “need to add such things as flax seed, chia seed, leafy greens and fruits and vegetables.”
Is there a lot of self-diagnosis going on?
“Yes,” she said. “There’s quite a bit.” Besides self-diagnosis, she’s heard of chiropractors, psychiatrists, even personal trainers, suggesting their patients go gluten-free.
“But unless you are tested for celiac, there’s no real evidence that it’s the problem,” Dr. Klein said.
Still, people are going gluten-free on their own every day.
“If they’re not feeling well, having stomach upset, or diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome, they’d be better following the low-FODMAP diet,” she said. “They might just feel better, have less bloating, diarrhea and abdominal pain.
Some people do it to lose weight, “which is a bad idea,” she said. “What they usually do is substitute one bad thing for another. They get a gluten-free muffin instead of a regular one – sometimes they have even more sugar, which is bad for you.”
Going gluten-free without checking with a physician or dietitian first can be risky, she said.
“It can be dangerous if you don’t do it the right way. If you eat mostly whole foods, veggies and fruits, lean protein and some starches, and if you don’t overdo it with the gluten-free carbs and make sure you’re getting enough fiber, then it’s fine to do. It won’t harm you. Just make sure you’re getting all your nutrients.”
This type of gluten-free diet “is kind of like what we all should do. We all should be eating those things, with only occasional treats like muffins or cookies or whatever. It’s just not something you should be doing all the time.”
Anyone interested in the low-FODMAP diet can find it on the internet, she said.
“But I do recommend that if you’re going to do the low-FODMAP diet, you also talk to your physician or a dietitian. You can lose a lot of nutrients with it. Don’t do it without professional help.
“And if you just feel better on a gluten-free diet, go for it,” she added. “Just do it the right way.”


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Free and easy Wi-Fi access in the Downtown Eastside.
It’s an idea that's percolated for about a decade, according to Roland Clarke.
The need is obvious for low-income residents — while they might have old laptops or smartphones, many don’t have good credit or the money to cover a monthly fee for data or an Internet connection. But most need Internet access for things such as basic email connection to friends and family, for job search or for accessing social services, many of which offer online services only.
Through the years, the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood Council, W2 Community Media Arts and Hastings Crossing BIA were among numerous groups that championed the idea of creating a neighbourhood Wi-Fi system.
But the proposition recently started to come to fruition thanks to Clarke and Jacek Lorek, coordinators for the Downtown Eastside Street Market.
When the market set up operations on a lot at 62 East Hastings between Columbia and Carrall streets, they created a makeshift office in a shipping container and managed to get it hooked up to the Internet.
“Immediately we said, ‘Why don’t we just figure out how to open up a Wi-Fi hotspot because we have Internet anyway and see if we can figure out how to run it,’” Clarke said. “So it started around October or November last year and then it just basically mushroomed.”
The pair discovered a company called Open-Mesh, which produces low-cost plug-and-play wireless mesh networks that spread an internet connection. The devices cost just under $100.
One was installed outside the shipping container high up on a pole, covered by a waterproof casing.
Since the Wi-Fi signal got a little weaker across the street from the market’s Hastings Street site, they put a repeater facing the window in the room of a woman who lives in the Lux apartments. It rebroadcasts the signal to about 50 more people. Then they put another repeater in the SBC Restaurant on East Hastings between Main and Columbia.
“Slowly we expanded the network of repeaters, so now I think we have 20 or 21 access points in total across the neighbourhood and many of them just repeat the signal from our office at 62 East Hastings,” Clarke said.
They have another Internet connection at the street market site at 501 Powell St. near Oppenheimer Park where they also set up free Wi-Fi access.
“We expanded slowly in a really interesting and organic way,” Clarke said. “And now when I look at the network, over 700 people a day connect to the free system. If you look at last month, it’s over 4,200 people connected.”
Access is permitted though a gateway similar to what many coffee shops use for their free Wi-Fi service.
“It’s obviously a heavily throttled reduced bandwidth service because we don’t want it to kill our Internet connection, but it’s good enough so people can read their email or use Facebook or connect with a family member or something like that,” he said. “It just shows the overwhelming need here in the neighbourhood. People are constantly walking around looking for open hotspots.”
Those who need it can also buy a high-speed voucher from the street market, which is experimenting with revenue models. Besides the hardware costs, it has a recurring cost for the Internet connection, which might be $40 or $50 at each location. The street market is trying to offset that expense by offering the vouchers for better broadband service at a cost of $3 a week or $10 a month.
(Free use is limited to less than a megabyte per second of download speed, which while fine for email and simple tasks is not friendly to YouTube and other services that eat up a lot of data.)
The Carnegie has Wi-Fi available through Vancouver Public Library, but it’s only on the first floor of the building. Other libraries are a distance away.
“The other alternative would be restaurants or coffee shops and you might not be able to afford a meal or you might be harassed if you just want to sit down, so the truly free Wi-Fi hotspots are actually fairly rare,” Clarke said.
Jordan Supernault was surprised to discover free Wi-Fi in parts of the Downtown Eastside. A friend told him about it, but he didn’t believe it at first.
“Are you talking about free Wi-Fi?” he asked while sitting on a bike waiting to cross Hastings at Columbia. “I noticed that. I couldn’t believe it. I looked at it — it was just like ‘Free Wi-Fi for low income-housing people that can’t afford it?’… I use it. I’m happy with it. I’m happy I even get to use it.”
The 28-year-old said he uses it to connect with family on Facebook or Messenger because he can’t afford data.
“I think it’s a wicked idea. We all get to do things that maybe we wouldn’t think of being able to do — simple things like making a resume or job search.”
Lorek said he’s approached about it at the market all the time, but he’s not surprised after, at one point, being without Internet access in his own building for three years.
“Every day someone asks if they can get it set up in their building because it’s not reaching yet or it’s not strong enough. So there is a demand for it — a big demand,” he said.
Comments about the free Wi-Fi on the street market’s blog include: “I am stuck in my "kennel" ... otherwise known as an SRO... of course, I am sick. thank you so much. This connection to the outside rocks,” as well as “thank you so much for the wifi, i so needed this, can't afford to eat on my income, so this is a huge bonus!!! thank you,” and “I'm new here and this WiFi has helped me greatly, without it I would be extremely lost. Thank you for not forgetting us lower income people.”
The City of Vancouver recently worked with Telus to bring free Wi-Fi access to six sites in the city: Mount Pleasant, Champlain Heights, Coal Harbour and Roundhouse community centres, as well as the Langara and Fraserview golf courses. It will be expanded to an additional 37 sites in the coming months, including four new sites in the coming weeks: Creekside Community Recreation Centre, the Gathering Place, Trout Lake Community Centre and the McCleery Golf Course Club House.
Users at the six initial sites need only select the #VanWiFi network from their Wi-Fi settings menu and follow the instructions.
The street market, however, used its petty cash fund to buy its repeaters to set up a system in the Downtown Eastside as quickly as possible. So far, they’ve spent less than $5,000 for hardware.
“It was shocking to me how many people you could reach for how little money in hardware,” Clarke said. “I think that it is absolutely conceivable that we could have a neighbourhood Wi-Fi system that could span the entire five by 10 blocks of the Downtown Eastside and it would be completely affordable. You could imagine doing it for in the order of $40,000 or $50,000 or less” he suspects. “And almost everywhere someone would be within a half a block of a Wi-Fi signal. It’s an incredible goal for such a poor neighbourhood.”
Clarke considers it an equalization project. He argues it’s so important that the city and the province should view it as an essential service and think about providing it for low income people.
“I think the average Vancouverite instinctively does [realize its importance]. It’s just if you’re at a certain place in the socio-economic scale, you don’t often think about it because you probably have Internet at home, you probably have Internet at work and you can probably afford a coffee if you want to sit at Starbucks and enjoy the Internet,” he said. “What’s missing is the realization that if you don’t have Internet at home or at work or you don’t work, then you are almost helpless in today’s society. It’s like you’re set back 50 years in terms of your capabilities compared to the average person. That’s probably what the average Vancouverite needs to think about — imagine if you don’t have Internet. And that’s true for the bottom 10 to 20 per cent of our society.”


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Posted Wed Jan 6, 2016 at 09:00 PM PST by Steven Cohen
Titles include 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' and 'Chappie.'
In an early announcement to retailers, Sony is preparing their launch lineup for Ultra HD Blu-ray. An exact release date has not been confirmed yet, but the titles are expected to arrive in March.
Sony Ultra HD Blu-rays will feature a resolution of 3840x2160 with HDR (high dynamic range), offering four times the resolution of HD along with superior contrast and colors on supported displays. Likewise, each release will feature a Blu-ray copy as well. Full specs have not been announced, but Sony has confirmed that its launch lineup will include Dolby Atmos soundtracks. Supplements have not been detailed yet.
Suggested list price for each Sony Ultra HD Blu-ray is $35.99.
You can find the latest specs for all of the Ultra HD Blu-ray titles listed above linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where they're indexed under PENDING.
The latest news on all things 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and Gear.


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Let's get one thing straight: Senior citizens are becoming more computer-savvy all the time. Newly minted seniors have been using cell phones, digital cameras, MP3 players and computers since they hit middle age. Although they may not be as quick on the keyboard as their kids and grandkids, or as anxious to own the latest generation of a product, they are embracing technology and its many benefits.
Cell phones and handheld communication devices are no longer just gadgets, as indicated by the overwhelming number -- 84 percent -- of adults who own a cell phone and use them to text, e-mail, browse the Web and download apps [source: Purcell, Rainie, Rosenstiel, Mitchell]. Not surprisingly, the over-65 age group has downloaded half as many apps as people half their age [source: Kuncman], but if the trend toward tablet computers continues at its current rate, the number is bound to increase as well.
Tablet computers, among the most quickly adopted consumer goods to hit the market, are lightweight and versatile, with a senior-friendly screen measuring almost 10 inches, as opposed to smartphone screens a fraction of the size. Not only are the tablet's touch screen features easier to manipulate, it's easier to see -- and there's so much to see, thanks to the ever-increasing number of apps available for both tablets and smartphones.
You've heard "there's an app for that," but how do you know which to add? Keep reading to discover some of the more popular and useful senior-friendly apps.


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Written by Odipo Riaga
I once wanted to buy a dress for my wife. I asked for the price. He said Shs 5,000. “Discount?. He insulted me – the same way Multichoice insulted ..
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Comments Off on This is an insult to DStv subscribers
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In a bid to retain existing customers and to lure new ones to subscribe to the platform, Multichoice is rewarding its loyal customers. The reward programs ..
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Among the must-see technology conventions to visit are the Cloud Expo in New York, E3 2014 in Los Angeles, MacWorld/iWorld and Dreamforce in San Francisco and South by Southwest in Austin.
Facebook’s chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, has sold $91 million worth of shares in the social networking company.
Two titans in the tech world have much to be thankful after Saturday’s tragic crash at San Francisco International Airport. Samsung exec David Eun actually survived the crash and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg was supposed to be on the flight.
More than a dozen advertisers are pulling out of Facebook following a campaign that criticized the social media site of allowing pages that promote violence against women.
Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In” sold 140,000 copies its first week of publication, has gone back to press seven times for additional printings and now has 400,000 copies in print, publisher Alfred A. Knopf announced Wednesday.
Facebook’s No. 2 executive, Sheryl Sandberg, has become the first woman on the social-networking company’s board of directors.
Pop singer Lady Gaga was among the guests at a Silicon Valley fundraiser for President Barack Obama…
One of Facebook’s leaders is urging parents to let their daughters play video games because it is one way to close the gender gap in computer science.


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FishUSA®, America’s Tackle Shop®, has announced the addition of Jackson Kayak to its expanding line of fishing kayak and kayak accessories, with the product now available for purchase online at www. FishUSA.com and in the company’s Fairview, Pennsylvania Pro Shop.
“As we worked more closely with their team, it became clear that their commitment to independent retailer success is truly unique, and our companies share a common understanding that this sales channel is not only the backbone of the fishing industry, but also a catalyst in driving innovation and growth,” stated Jeff Parnell, FishUSA’s President and CEO. “In addition, their view of omnichannel retail is that the customer experience should be consistent across all retail channels–and we could not agree more.”
According to Doug Straub, FishUSA’s Senior Director of Merchandising and Marketing, “We’re thrilled to be adding Jackson Kayaks to the FishUSA offering. Our initial shipment has just arrived, and with the addition of Jackson, we believe that we have the best fishing kayak selection in the country. This partnership takes us another step forward to bridge the gap between paddlesports and fishing tackle.”
Doug Ragan, Jackson’s Vice President of Sales, is also enthusiastic about this new strategic opportunity. “Jackson Kayak is very excited to have FishUSA as a partner. They love the sport, as does Jackson, and treat customers like family. We look forward to doing great things together!”
FishUSA, America’s Tackle Shop®, caters to anglers nationally and internationally with products for a wide spectrum of species and fishing techniques. Launched in 2000 and celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the company’s website (www.FishUSA.com), includes tens of thousands of SKUs and is operated by FishUSA, Inc., a privately-held company located in Fairview, Pennsylvania. Based in the Great Lakes region, the company’s business has grown rapidly both nationally and globally–as well as in its broader merchandising
approach that appeals to more anglers than ever. FishUSA also operates a full-service pro shop at its headquarters providing serious anglers with access to the company’s entire product line.
About Jackson Adventures and Jackson Kayak
Jackson Adventures is the home of Jackson Kayak Fishing, Whitewater, and Recreational Kayaks; Blue Sky Boatworks; Orion Coolers and Orion Kennels. Now in its 15th year, Jackson Adventures is based in Sparta, Tennessee where our over 100 employees enjoy the company’s products in this river, lake and mountain-abundant area. Jackson Adventures is Outdoor to the Core.


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PARIS — Issey Miyake will enter the nighttime fragrance category for men with Nuit d’Issey, due out globally in September.
“For most [perfume brands], night is synonymous with seduction, glamour, [celebrity faces] and nightclubs, but for the Miyake brand it’s not really the values we express,” said Agnès Satin, international marketing director of Parfums Issey Miyake, part of Shiseido’s Beauté Prestige International division. “On the contrary, for Issey Miyake night is synonymous with new pure emotions, new experiences — and especially nature.”
In keeping with this, artist Ryan Hopkinson created the scent’s advertising whose film version — destined primarily for television — starts with a mysterious, mountainous landscape over which the moon arcs. The spot includes an aerial shot of a man walking, a view of a star-speckled sky that swirls in a vortex, the man under rain and diving in water full of moon rays.
The print version features a moon-dappled Nuit d’Issey bottle.
“The principal source of inspiration for Issey Miyake for fragrance is nature, because nature is life,” continued Satin. “We are [presenting] night according to Issey Miyake.”
She described this as “majestic,” “strong,” “reinvigorating,” “resourcing” and a way to bring a sense of sophistication and mystery.
International Flavors & Fragrances perfumers Dominique Ropion and Loc Dong were tasked to explore nature at nighttime and came up with a spicy, woody, leathery creation.
“The format is very simple but complete, with power and strength,” said Dong, who added that each ingredient was selected for a particular reason.
The idea was to add light to night, continued Ropion.
The scent’s top has citrus accords, while further down are notes including bergamot, grapefruit, spices, black pepper, vetiver, black woods, patchouli, incense, tonka bean and leather.
Nuit d’Issey’s bottle takes the form of the previous Miyake men’s fragrance flacons and also has brushed black lacquer meant to give the effect of moonlight reflected on water.
“Each bottle is unique,” said Satin.
The eau de toilette will come in 75- and 125-ml. bottles, which in France are priced at 56 euros and 80 euros, or $74.30 and $106.10 at current exchange, respectively. The 75-g. stick deodorant is 27 euros, or $35.80.
BPI executives would not discuss sales projections, but industry sources estimate Nuit d’Issey will generate $45 million in first-year retail sales globally.
There'll be no rest for those headed to Europe for men's, as Paris just closed the gap with Milan. According to a provisional calendar released by the Chambre Syndicale, Paris Men's Week will now open a day earlier on January 16. See new highlights on the official lineup on WWD.com. #wwdnews #wwdfashion (📷: @kukukuba)
BREAKING: Jonathan Saunders is leaving @DVF. The designer has resigned from his position as chief creative officer of Diane von Furstenberg, the company said in a statement on Friday. At the time of his hire, von Furstenberg said Saunders’ arrival symbolized and facilitated her stepping back from the day-to-day duties that occupy the work of a full-time creative director. The British designer joined DVF in May 2016 and was in charge of all product categories. #wwdnews
For @versace_official’s spring ad campaign, the brand emphasized the archival prints from the spring tribute collection dedicated to the late Gianni Versace. Closing out the show were five of Gianni’s favorite models: Cindy, Naomi, Carla, Helena, and Claudia. Bowing on December 18, the new campaign is yet another tribute to supermodel-dom as the images by Steven Meisel are fronted by @iamnaomicampbell, @cturlington, @gisele and more. #wwdfashion
Four-time Oscar-nominated actress Annette Bening has been waiting 20 years to play Gloria Graham in "Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool," which will be released on December 29. The movie about Graham – a Hollywood star known for her controversial relationship with a younger Englishman named Peter Turner – is based off a memoir Turned wrote. "She felt vulnerable to him, because she loved him, she really did love him. And anyone that we really truly are in love with, we re vulnerable to in a very deep way," said Bening. Read our full interview with the modern icon of an actress on WWD.com. #wwdeye (📷: @ninebagatelles; Styled by @cristinaehrlich)
The crisp white button down: a staple that can be dressed up or down and accessorized throughout the decades. Here, on a Art Basel-goer in 2017 on the left and on the iconic Audrey Hepburn in “Roman Holiday” in 1953 on the right. #tbt #wwdfashion (📷: Andrew Morales)
Known for her work with @victoriassecret, 25-year-old model @georgiafowler is raising her profile in Hollywood. Fowler stars in @vincecamuto’s holiday campaign, which launched in partnership with “Pitch Perfect 3.” “Almost every shoot with Vince Camuto, I’ve had to face a fear…It was definitely a challenge. I’m so grateful for it, though. I’ve always wanted to be a pop star, so that was the perfect chance,” Fowler said. Head to WWD.com to read about Fowler’s experience modeling, including at the #VSFashionShow, and her relationship with Nick Jonas. #wwdeye (📷: @jilliansollazzo)
EXCLUSIVE: Huda Kattan just became the first beauty influencer to land a major beauty deal. Kattan's business, @hudabeauty, has received a minority investment from private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners. The brand, which industry sources say is on track to do $200 million in retail sales for 2017, will receive support on product, retail and geographic expansion through the deal. Get all the details on the deal and read @_a_collins' interview with Kattan on WWD.com. Link in bio. (📷: @jgreenery) #wwdbeauty #wwdnews
Peruvian model @juanaburga_official – who is known for walking the runways of @rodarte, @viviennewestwood and @torybuch – is making the move to the big screen with drama “Los Últimos.” The film premiered in Argentina in November and arrives in the U.S. and Europe in 2018. On making the switch from modeling to acting, Burga told WWD: “It’s a completely different thing – a lot of people think it’s similar or try to connect things, especially like getting used to the camera or being looked at all the time or playing these different characrers, but film is a completely different story.” #wwdeye (📷: @jgreenery)
London’s newly opened @designmuseum will look back on the life and work of Azzedine Alaïa in a show that the designer helped to curate before he died of heart failure last month. The retrospective, which Alaïa had worked on with Mark Wilson, chief curator of the @groningermuseum, will look at the impact of his work worldwide. The show, “Azzedine Alaïa: The Couturier,” will run from May 10 to October 7. Read more about the exhibit on WWD.com #wwdnews #wwdfashion (📷: @zefashioninsider)


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Shared workspace giant WeWork announced Tuesday it would expand further into China, taking on domestic rivals like UrWork in one of the world's most lucrative startup sectors.
The New York-based company, which was valued at around 20 billion U.S. dollars last year, will establish co-working spaces in eight Chinese cities, after establishing a presence in Beijing and Shanghai over the past two years.
The expansion will see WeWork set up shop in startup hub Shenzhen, as well as second-tier cities Xi'an, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Chengdu, Nanjing and Wuhan.
The company, which already has office space in 66 cities worldwide, will also open its first site in Hong Kong's Lan Kwai Fong district.
The focus on the Chinese market can be seen as a bid to tackle fast-growing Chinese rivals on their own doorstep, as companies like Beijing-based UrWork expand in Asia and further afield.
The concept of co-working and office sharing is simple. Companies like WeWork take over empty and often quirky buildings, converting them into workspaces that can be used by small startups, freelancers and entrepreneurs.
Companies who use the space can also benefit from health insurance plans, networking events and social gatherings organized in the shared space.
Coworking has boomed to the extent that unicorn companies like WeWork and UrWork have emerged, with their potential attracting massive investment.
In August, Japan's SoftBank pumped 4.4 billion U.S. dollars into WeWork, earmarking 1.4 billion U.S. dollars for the company's expansion into Asia. That came one month after WeWork China was established as a standalone entity, backed by 500 million U.S. dollars in capital.
WeWork has already established 12 shared workspaces in Beijing and Shanghai, and plans to open its biggest ever location in Shanghai's Xintiandi this year, in a space covering 10 stories.
Despite its financial backing, WeWork's expansion in China will face stiff competition from domestic rivals. UrWork has been valued at around 1.5 billion U.S. dollars, and is already present in 33 first-, second- and third-tier Chinese cities.
Backed by Alibaba Group and Sequoia Capital, UrWork's plans to expand overseas has already seen offices open in Singapore and California, with new locations lined up in London, New York and Southeast Asia.
According to TechCrunch, UrWork is looking to move into 35 global cities in the next three years, and has allotted 500 million U.S. dollars' worth of funding for the Southeast Asian market, investing three million U.S. dollars in Indonesia.
Talking to the Financial Times, UrWork chief executive Ma Daqing has previously said that his company differs from WeWork because it focuses primarily on helping Chinese startups and companies, and its growth overseas is aimed at supporting Chinese entrepreneurs expand in foreign markets.
Nevertheless, a lawsuit launched by WeWork against UrWork in the U.S. last year established the two companies as rivals. WeWork objected to UrWork's name, suggesting it was too similar to its own brand.
WeWork won the case, meaning UrWork will have to operate under another name in the U.S. A statement from WeWork called it an "important victory," while UrWork vowed to continue its expansion in the U.S. despite losing out in court.
Beyond UrWork, WeWork also faces competition from naked Hub, another China-based rival that is focusing heavily on the Southeast Asia market.
At the end of January the naked Group bought a 70-percent stake in Australian co-working company Gravity, as part of the plans to expand to more than 200 locations in Asia and Australia in the next five years.
According to Reuters, naked Hub has 46 locations in China and Vietnam, and is on the edge of sealing a 175-million-US-dollar fundraising round prior to a possible flotation on the Hong Kong stock market.


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Chemical end markets like agriculture, automobile and aircrafts are most likely to be impacted by the growing tensions between the US and China over trade tariffs, Swiss investment bank UBS said on Monday.
On 4 April, China’s Ministry of Commerce announced a 25% increase in tariffs on 106 products originating from the US.
One of the products impacted is E-series glycol ethers, for which US anti-dumping duty (ADD) rates will increase to 37.5%-75.5% from 12 April, up from 10.6%-14.1% currently in place since January 2013.
A Dow Chemical source said to ICIS on 6 April that in order to avoid the highest rate (75.5%) imposed on the company’s US glycol ether exports, it was planning to change its global trade flows, ending US glycol ethers exports to China.
“[Dow will] cut immediately all supplies from north America to China,” the source said.
“This is going to disrupt current trade flows, especially for Dow as we got a very high tax rate and we’re one of the main exporters in the US. We plan to supply even more from Saudi Arabia to China,” it added.
Dow is a partner at joint venture Sadara Chemical in Saudi Arabia with the country’s crude oil major Aramco. The facility has the capacity to produce 200,000 tonnes/year of glycol ethers.
Other chemical majors are also likely to be rethinking their global trade strategies, with petrochemical markets impacted in the process.
The list of end markets compiled by UBS affects chemical imports to China are estimated to be worth nearly $2.2bn, including propane, acrylonitrile (ACN) and lubricants, according to UBS.
Whereas the total value of products impacted are valued over $48bn, accounting for over 30% of total US exports to China.
Consequences for end markets could prove significant, with key products affected including soybeans ($14bn), automobile ($13bn), aircrafts ($10bn), plastics and chemicals ($6bn), liquid gas ($2bn), cotton ($1bn) and other agricultural products such as corn, beef and tobacco.
China accounts for over 60% of the US’ total soybean exports, 10% of total auto-motives and 10% of total aircraft exports.
Companies most likely to be impacted in the automobile industry include BASF, Umicore, Johnson Matthey and Ems-Chemie.
Meanwhile, K+S, Yara and ICL are estimated to be most impacted in agriculture, according to UBS.
Pictured above: Dow and Aramco’s joint venture Sadara Chemical in Saudi Arabia. The US producer has said it will increase exports to China from the facility
Source: Sadara Chemical
By Eashani Chavda
Source: ICIS News
The European Union said Monday that it has approved Agrofert Group’s acquisition of Borealis AG’s nitrogen business after concluding that the deal wouldn’t raise competition concerns. Agrofert is a Czech conglomerate, while Austrian chemical and fertilizer company Borealis is 75%-owned by OMV AG with the remaining 25% held by Abu Dhabi National Oil Co.
LyondellBasell Industries N.V. and Mepol Group announced they have entered into a definitive agreement for LyondellBasell to acquire Mepol Group, a manufacturer of recycled, high-performing technical compounds located in Italy and Poland.
Univar Solutions Inc and Apollo announced that funds managed by affiliates of Apollo have entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire the Company in an all-cash transaction that values the Company at an enterprise value of approximately $8.1 billion.