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07:49:24 local time PHILIPPINES
* KMU bats for wage hike bill’s passage before Christmas:
At a press conference this morning, labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno called on the country’s legislators to immediately pass a bill that will legislate a P125 across-the-board wage hike nationwide before Christmas, saying the wage increase is one of the best gifts that workers could receive this Yuletide season.
Citing the Social Weather Stations’ third-quarter survey showing hunger increasing to 21 per cent, the labor group said workers urgently need some form of immediate relief from the rising prices of basic goods and services.
It also cited the International Labor Organization’s “Global Wage Report 2012/13” which say that Filipino workers’ wages are significantly smaller compared with those of many countries, and that a third of Filipino workers remain under the $2-a-day poverty line in the world. read more.
06:49:24 local time VIET NAM
* Vinatex to sell non-core operations:
The Viet Nam Textile and Garment (Vinatex) Group plans next year to continue divesting capital from non-core lines of business such as banking, securities investment and beverage production, according to the newspaper Dau Tu (Investment).
Vinatex will renew its focus on such core business areas as fibre production, knitting, dyeing and garment production. It will withdraw its investments from Sai Gon-Quang Ngai Beer Joint Stock Co and Gia Lam Garment Engineering Co, after selling shares at Dong A Textile Garment Joint Stock Co, offering its shares in these companies on the nation’s stock exchanges on December 28. read more.
06:49:24 local time LAOS
* Businessmen to involve in investment in Lao silk production:
Lao silk approaches crisis due to a low number of sericulture-and-mulberry raisers but a high market demand
The investment of business sector should take more involvement in mulberry and sericulture cultivation after raisers are going downward.
Lao silk comes near crisis when so many local raisers who relying on planting mulberry and producing sericulture have shift to other cultivation of lucrative plants while market demand is high. read more.
06:49:24 local time THAILAND
* Group calls on govt to help SMEs:
Thai Lifestyle Products Federation (TLPF) is urging the government to set up a fund for helping out small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have been severely hurt by the Bt300-minimum wage scheme.
So far, more than 100 small firms have had to close down due to higher costs.
The federation said it expected up to 100 SMEs to go out of business every year if the government failed to offer any assistance. read more.
* Wage hike measures to be proposed:
The Labour Ministry will propose that the government help the business sector pay the difference between the old wage rate and the new Bt300 minimum wage for three years, labour permanent secretary Dr Somkiat Chayasriwong said yesterday.
Five new measures will be proposed at Friday’s meeting of the committee on alleviating the impact of the nationwide Bt300 minimum wage, which is chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong. read more.
* Wage rise expected to boost sales:
The hike in the daily minimum wage to 300 baht nationwide from Jan 1 will boost the purchasing power of blue-collar workers and benefit the beverage industry.
Next year, new players will push new beverages, especially energy and health drinks.
Serm Suk Plc, the distributor of “est” cola, will promote Wrangyer-brand energy drink, which it recently took over.
Kratingdaeng Co, a top-three market player, will offer a premium-grade Krating Daeng drink.
A market source said competition will intensify in the energy-drink segment next year due to these activities as well as the entry of new players. read more.
* Foreign labour rule ‘will close factories, hit exports’:
Businesses are calling on the government to ease a strict rule that will prohibit factories awarded investment privileges by the Board of Investment from hiring foreign workers.
They warned thousands of factories will close and exports will be hard hit by the rule, due to take effect early next year. According to an export industry source, operators are gravely concerned about the rule as labour-intensive industries are short of workers.
“The key problem is that we don’t have Thai workers who are willing to work in the jobs done by foreign workers,” he said. “If the government strictly abides by the rule, thousands of factories would be subject to closure.”
Another key problem is the Labour Ministry’s mandate for domestic employers to register all foreign workers by Friday.
Myanmar’s authorities have recently asked the Thai government to delay the requirement, believing it was unlikely to process the registration of more than 400,000 Myanmar workers on schedule. read more.
06:49:24 local time CAMBODIA
* Cambodian garment workers offer prayers during a rally celebrating International Human Rights Day, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Monday, About 1,000 participants consisting of non-governmental organization activists, garment workers, and international diplomats marched on the street in Phnom Penh, calling for the protection of human rights. Photo: AP. to read.
* CCHR’s Roundtable Discussion on Business and Human Rights in Garment Sector in Cambodia, at the Imperial Gardens:
CCHR’s Roundtable Discussion on Business and Human Rights in Garment Sector in Cambodia, at the Imperial Gardens Hotel, Phnom Penh, on 12 December 2012. more here.
* Christmas ‘Fashion’ mobs’ for a Living Wage in Cambodia:
Christmas shoppers stand to be taken by suprise this month as campaigners take action in shopping centers around Europe to raise awareness of poverty wages of cambodian workers.
‘Fashion mobs’, they pressure H&M, INDITEX (ZARA), LEVI’S, and GAP to introduce a Living Wage in Cambodia.
Shoppers and brands will be surprised by Christmas street actions and undercover awareness mobs. The fashion mobs take place in at least 10 countries all over Europe, among them Switzerland, Denmark, The Netherlands, Poland and Norway. In addition, the worker’s right network spreads their message through a European-wide social media campaign to ask retailers to improve the appalling wage conditions in the Asian country.
“The very low wages are one of the main challenges for garment workers in Cambodia.
They see themselves forced to work very long hours, they do not earn sufficiently to buy enough nutritious food and are unable to satisfy the needs of their families.
The bottom line is that the workers are paid poverty wages,” says Jeroen Merk of the International Clean Clothes Campaign.
The CCC wants retailers to publicly support the Cambodian trade union’s goal of a USD 131/month minimum wage goal as a first step towards a proper living wage, and to produce an action plan to ensure suppliers pay their workers accordingly. At present, the minimum wage for a garment worker in Cambodia is USD 61/month.
“There is an urgent need for a wage hike for the workers producing for European consumers,” says Athit Kong, Vice President of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers’ Democratic Union (C.CAWDU). “The retailers have an indisputable role and all big buyers must work together and in true dialogue with independent unions in
Cambodia to improve the wages.” read more. & read more. & read more.
* Action: Send a festive solidarity card:
Garment workers in Cambodia sewing all the festive goodies on sale on our highstreet this Christmas make less than 35p an hour. Low wages come at a high cost.
Workers often live in small shared rooms without water and sanitation. Many are overworked and suffer from malnutrition. As a direct consequence thousands of workers have fainted in the in Cambodian factories. This isn’t on. We’re renewing our demands and sending a Christmas message to H&M, GAP and Zara to ask them to commit to pay a living wage in Cambodia. read more.
05:49:24 local time BANGLA DESH
* ASHULIA- TAZREEN GARMENT FACTORY FIRE:
* Burned Bangladesh factory was warned twice on fire safety:
The Bangladeshi factory producing clothes for Wal-Mart Stores Inc before a November fire that killed 112 workers was operating without a safety licence and had been warned twice to improve conditions there, an emergency services official said.
“We refused to renew the licence because there was a lack of fire safety measures,” Abu Nayeem Mohammad Shahidullah, director general of the Fire Service and Civil Defence told Reuters in Dhaka on Monday.
“The fire safety certification expired on June 30, but the department did not renew it because fire safety provisions had not been put in place,” he said. He added that in July a reminder had been sent to the management of the factory, which is owned by the garments manufacturer Tuba Group.
An official at Tuba Group declined to comment on the status of the licence at the time of the fire.
Mahbubur Rahman, a Fire Service and Civil Defence inspector who visited the utility, said the factory managers “did not respond to our notices and did not pay heed to our suggestions”. read more.
* Inspectors target Ashulia factories:
Three teams to check around 600 plants by Dec 31
A government agency assigned to ensure labour-law compliance will begin inspections of around 600 garment factories in Ashulia today.
Three teams of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments will list compliant and non-compliant factories in the clothing industrial belt by December 31.
“Two inspectors, including an engineer, will be in each team. More teams will be formed if necessary,” said Md Habibul Islam, chief inspector of factories.
“We will also identify the factories that are yet to get licences from us,” said Islam, adding that the drive may expand across the country in phases.
As per law, inspectors can file cases with the labour court for non-compliance.
* After fire, Wal-Mart vows to tighten source safeguards:
Vice president of the world’s largest retailer talks about fire safety in Bangladesh
A factory fire that killed more than 100 garment workers in Bangladesh has led the world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart Stores Inc, to concede that it needs to do more to control its supply chain and keep unauthorised manufacturers out.
In an interview with Reuters, his first since the Nov. 24 Tazreen Fashions fire, Wal-Mart Vice President of Ethical Sourcing Rajan Kamalanathan said the company’s current controls could only go so far in preventing a factory Wal-Mart did not approve of from making its clothes, as was the case here.
“If a supplier or an agent chooses to subcontract without informing us, then that is a problem,” Kamalanathan said. “We can put all kinds of controls in place, but if they don’t tell us where they’re putting our order, then that is a problem.”
Wal-Mart has said repeatedly that its Faded Glory clothing should not have been in production at the Tazreen factory, a facility Bangladeshi authorities said was not safe for use. The building was not cleared to be used by any party manufacturing garments for the world’s largest retailer.
Wal-Mart says that in 2011 alone it audited over 9,000 factories globally to check whether its standards were being met. But still, Wal-Mart acknowledges it only controls its supply chain up to a certain point. If suppliers hired by Wal-Mart in turn hire agents who then line up production, the seemingly tight controls Wal-Mart has put in place can fail.
read more. & read more. & read more. & read more.
* all of the above items are more or less a copy of the Reuters article, here.
* Documents link Wal-Mart to gutted firm:
Documents uncovered at the Tazreen garment factory in Bangladesh where 112 workers died in a fire two weeks ago indicate that not one but two U.S. apparel makers supplying goods for Wal-Mart were using the factory around the time of the fire.
Two days after the Nov. 24 fire, Wal-Mart said in a statement that it had stopped authorising production at Tazreen and that despite that move, a single supplier, later identified as Success Apparel, had “subcontracted work to this factory without authorisation and in direct violation of our policies”.
The documents found in the factory by officials from the Bangladesh Centre for Worker Solidarity show that a subcontractor for an additional Wal-Mart supplier, International Intimates, was having women’s robes and nightgowns made at the factory for Wal-Mart’s winter season. The documents show that the factory was also making women’s nightwear for Sears.
The documents contain a June 2012 e-mail from International Intimates’ subcontractor to officials at the Tazreen factory confirming plans to produce a robe and nightgown for Wal-Mart as well as a robe and pajama set for Sears. The documents also contain a production report from Sept. 13 showing plans to produce 117,000 of these garments for Wal-Mart.
Another document, dated Nov. 24 the date of the fire shows that Tazreen’s parent company, the Tuba Group, billed the subcontractor, I.T. Apparels, for the “chemise & robe” production. read more.
* US blamed for ‘poor’ factory conditions:
An opinion article in the New York Times has blamed the poor safety conditions in Bangladesh garment factories to high American import duties that forces contractors to “scrimp on labour standards to stay competitive”.
“While American officials have condemned poor safety conditions at the factory and have urged the Bangladeshi government to raise wages and improve working conditions, the United States can do much more: It should bring down high tariffs on imports from Bangladesh and other Asian countries, which put pressure on contractors there to scrimp on labor standards in order to stay competitive,” says the NYT article entitled ” American Tariffs, Bangladeshi Deaths” .
The United States imported more than $4 billion worth of apparel and textiles from Bangladesh last year.
“So it has an interest in giving the country’s garment industry some financial room with which to improve conditions for the three million employees, most of them female, who work in the industry,” the article by .Sanchita B.Saxena argues.
* Bangladesh fire safety to cost retailers $ 3b:
The global garment industry would have to spend about $3 billion over five years to bring safety standards at Bangladesh apparel factories to Western standards, an analysis by a labor-rights group shows.
The analysis, provided to Bloomberg News by the Worker Rights Consortium, comes after a fire at a factory that made garments for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) and Sears Holdings Corp. (SHLD) killed more than 100 people last month. Upgrading the country’s approximately 4,500 factories would cost the garment industry about 10 cents per garment, the group said.
Since the blaze at the Tazreen Design Ltd. factory on Nov. 24, Western companies have faced increased calls from labor- rights organizations to pay suppliers higher prices so factory owners can afford safety upgrades. The $3 billion figure, or $600 million per year, represents about 3 percent of the $19 billion the Bangladesh Manufacturers & Exporters Association says Western companies spend annually on manufacturing in Bangladesh.
The Worker Rights Consortium estimates are based on discussions with U.S. fire safety experts and on estimates of local construction costs in Bangladesh, said Scott Nova, the Washington-based group’s executive director. Nova said the figures are “high-end estimates” because the group assumed that all factories need improvements that include fire exits and alarms, emergency lighting and training programs. read more.
* Why Not Boycott Bangladesh? :
Given the horrific fire at the factory in Bangladesh that killed 112 workers last month, why not boycott companies that make their brand name apparel in Bangladesh?
After all, it wasn’t just that factory in Bangladesh.
Most of the factories that make apparel for U.S. universities and outlets are death traps.
So, why not boycott Bangladesh until they clean up their act?
If it were up to Scott Nova, executive director at the Worker Rights Consortium, that’s what we’d do.
“If it were up to us, we would ask universities to require their licensees not to do business in Bangladesh or Pakistan, for that matter,” Nova told Corporate Crime Reporter in an interview last week. “But we have been asked not to do that by the unions in Bangladesh.”
“The unions in Bangladesh are dealing with a situation in which this is the primary source of employment for workers in the country. It is 80 percent of the country’s export earnings.
The unions themselves are under enormous political pressure internally. And they have opposed a boycott. So, as a labor rights organization in the U.S., we feel an obligation to act in a manner consistent with the wishes of people who actually represent workers in Bangladesh. Like other labor rights organizations in the U.S. and Europe, we have not called for companies to boycott Bangladesh.
Although, if it were purely up to us, we would advise universities to prohibit their licensees from doing business in Bangladesh until the situation is addressed.”
OTHER and MORE NEWS:
* Exports rise 11pc in Nov:
Concern over future growth in RMG shipments
The country’s export earnings increased by about 11 percent year-on-year to $1.76 billion in November, thanks to growth in readymade garment shipments.
“Bangladesh’s exports witnessed positive growth as it can offer products at competitive prices,” said Shubhashish Bose, vice-chairman of Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).
Bose also credited the new market explorations and product diversification — thanks to participation in international fairs and opening new missions abroad — for the positive turn of events for Bangladeshi exports.
“We are happy over the positive growth as most countries’ exports are in a negative trajectory due to the debt crisis in Europe.”
The figure, however, fell short of November’s target of $1.99 billion.
In November, overall garment exports stood at $1.36 billion, up 8.8 percent from the same month a year ago. read more. & read more.
* Batexpo starts today:
The 23rd annual Bangladesh Apparel and Textile Exposition starts in the capital today to showcase local apparel products before the international buyers within a month of the devastating fire at a garment factory.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the three-day annual exposition at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the morning.
Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association leaders expect more spot orders and buyers at the event this year.
They said that the fire at Tazreen Fashions Limited at Ashulia that killed 112 workers would not hamper their business at the exposition. to read.
* Local textile millers wary as cotton supply in India falls:
The local textile industry could face a disruption in cotton supply as one of its major sources, India, posted a negative growth in production in the current season.
The supplies in the markets in India, the world’s second largest producer of cotton, declined 12.4 per cent to 5.1 million bales in the current cotton cultivation season that began in October last.
The supplies in the Indian markets until December 9 last fell to 5.1 million bales, down from 5.8 million bales a year earlier, sources said.
The supplies in spot markets are still below the outlook as many farmers stocked their produce with the hope of posting better returns in India.
So the textile industry in Bangladesh could be affected by the short supply, traders said. read more.
05:19:24 local time INDIA
* Cops rescue 14 minor girls:
As many as 14 minor girls of Ganjam’s Polasara area were rescued by police with the help of child rights activists here on Tuesday while they were allegedly being trafficked to Chennai. Police have detained two women for trafficking besides four victims since they are adults.
“We intercepted them while they were on their way to the railway station. The girls aged between 13 and 17 years were handed over to Childline while the accused and four victims were detained,” said IIC of Baidyanathpur police station Deepak Mishra.
He said the two women from Polasara were taking the girls to Chennai to work in a garment factory. read more.
* Wal-Mart lobbying issue rocks Parliament for second day:
The Wal-Mart lobbying issue rocked Parliament for the second day today, prompting government to declare that it had no hesitation in ordering a probe into reports that the retail giant had spent money to further its case in India.
“We have no hesitation in having an inquiry to get to the facts of the matter. We will announce further steps in the House today,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said in the Lok Sabha seeking to douse the Opposition ire on the issue.
The government “views the reports (on Wal-Mart) with the utmost concern,” Nath said.
His statement came close on the heels of senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha demanding a time-bound judicial inquiry into the reports that Wal-Mart engaged lobbying firms to get entry into India and “spent money here”. read more.
* Wal-Mart under fire in India, government signals probe:
India’s government said Tuesday it was prepared to launch an inquiry into lobbying by Wal-Mart Stores Inc, buckling under an opposition campaign to discredit a flagship economic policy that allows foreign supermarkets to trade in Asia’s third largest economy.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has pressed ahead with the policy despite fierce political opposition, arguing that foreign capital and expertise is needed to revive the flagging economy and modernize India’s food supply chain.
Opposition uproar over the issue has repeatedly caused parliament to be adjourned in recent weeks and derailed efforts to pass more reforms to bring investment to the banking, pensions and insurance industries. read more.
* Walmart to apply US laws to Indian operations; wants anti-bribery undertaking from store owners:
Walmart is demanding anti-bribery undertakings from landlords of its Indian stores along with rights to inspect their books, the latest blowback from its global anti-bribery campaign that has put an unflattering spotlight on its fledgling India operations.
The US supermarket group’s India venture, Bharti Walmart, now at the centre of a raucous political debate on the entry of foreign firms into the supermarkets sector, wants landlords of all its stores in India, including Easyday stores operated by partner Bharti Enterprises, to give undertakings saying they are not party to and will not indulge in corrupt practices, effectively bringing them under the ambit of US anti-bribery laws.
Landlords are not only expected to certify that they have not paid any bribes while building the premises, but also give undertakings that give Bharti Walmart powers to periodically check their books and other documents, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told ET. read more.
04:49:24 local time PAKISTAN
* Govt fully committed to safeguard the rights of laborers:
The National Assembly was informed on Tuesday that the government is fully committed to safeguard the rights of the labourers and a number of steps have been taken to uplift the living standard of the workers.
Replying to a call attention notices moved by Abdul Haq Mian Mitha and others‚ Minister for Religious Affairs Syed Khurshid Ahmad Shah said that the government increased the minimum wages of the labourers from three thousand to eight thousand rupees during the last five years.
He said the pensions of the labourers and the scholarships of their children have also been increased.
Khurshid Ahmad Shah said the present government is laborer friendly and took historic steps for the welfare of the labourers. He said Benazir Stock Option Scheme was started in 87 government departments and institutions. read more.
* Minimum wage increased to Rs 8,000, EOBI pension to Rs 2,000:
The minimum wage of workers in Pakistan has been increased to eight thousand rupees, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani announced on Tuesday.
Additionally, the Employees’ Old-Age Benefit Institution pension has been increased to Rs 2,000 from Rs 1,500.
Gilani, addressing a Labour Day event at the Convention Centre in Islamabad, also also handed over ‘regular’ appointment letters to the employees of Capital Development Authority (CDA), Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) and the Higher Education Commission (HEC).
“Our democratic government is committed to bringing a socio-economic revolution in the country, as was envisioned by Shaheed Benazir Bhutto and Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto,” Gilani told the attendees.
In addition to the thousand-rupee wage increase, the death grant for labourers has also been increased from Rs 150,000 to Rs 500,000 and grant for labourers’ children’s weddings has been raised from Rs 70,000 to Rs 100,000. read more.
* PRGMEA sends SOS to government:
Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PRGMEA), has sent an SOS to the government to bail out the garment exporters facing multiple issues with the government, said an official.
Shaikh Mohammad Shafiq, chairman of PRGMEA, said that the refund claims of Rs12 billion of garment exporters are stuck with the government against drawbacks on local taxes and levies (DLTL).
In a SOS to the government high-ups, Shafiq said that despite being the largest exporting industry and highest employment provider, the garment exporters are facing multiple issues with the government.
“First and foremost is the issue of pending drawbacks on local taxes and levies claims that are jeopardising the key initiatives of the Textile Policy 2009-14. Currently, around Rs12 billion of exporters’ claims are pending with the ministry of textile industry but not a single penny has been released despite an outlay of Rs7.5 billion approved in the Federal Budget,” it said. read more.
* Pakistan President urges Korea to aid its textile sector:
* Pakistan ginners seek ban on raw cotton import:
* APTMA Punjab unit convenes to discuss energy crisis:
All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Punjab held an emergent meeting at the APTMA Punjab office on Monday. Chairman APTMA Punjab Shahzad Ali Khan along with Central Chairman APTMA Ahsan Bashir presided over the meeting.
The meeting was informed that textile industry in Punjab is under severe pressure due to energy crisis and mills are heading towards forced closure. Electricity load shedding has increased to eight hours a day today from four hours a day.
There is also gas curtailment to the industry, which is likely to be worst from next week.
But electricity supply to textile industry has reached to an alarming level, hitting hard to the industrial potential of earning $1 billion per month besides providing jobs to millions of workers in Punjab. Some 70% of textile industry located in Punjab.
* APTMA Punjab to hold talks with ministry officials:
Chairman APTMA Punjab Shahzad Ali Khan has warned of protest of the textile industry millers and workers next week in case the government failed to ensure uninterrupted power supply. He was addressing a press conference after holding an emergency meeting of the APTMA Punjab members on Monday. Central Chairman APTMA Ahsan Bashir and Group Leader APTAM Gohar Ejaz were also present on the occasion.
Shahzad said the APTMA members have decided to negotiate with the Ministry of Water and Power during the current week for uninterrupted electricity supply to the textile industry and to avoid pushing it to destruction, as it would be detrimental to the country.
He said that there had been no load shedding in the textile industry before May 2012. Similarly, on the gas supply, the industry faced load shedding for 77 days in 2008-09, 95 days in 2009-10, 136 days in 2010-11, 185 days in 2011-12 and 62 days in 2012-13 until the 10th of December. So far, one-third capacity is closed and another 50% would be affected from next week onwards when there would be severe shortage of electricity and gas. Total load of the textile industry on the LESCO system is 550MW per day out of which only 300MW per day is being supplied.
* APTMA urges govt to help end strike of transporters:
All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) urged the government to intervene and resolve the ongoing strike of the goods transporters.
It is affecting supply chain and cash flows of industry and thousands of containers of good meant for export or to be exported are lying stranded in result of the strike announced by the transporters since December 5, 2012.
APTMA Chairman Ahsan Bashir said textile industry, as an export-oriented industry was unable to procure raw materials as the supply chain of the textile industry was highly under pressure. Textile goods meant for import and export are held up at the Karachi Port with no clue as when the issue would be resolved. Textile industry relies heavily on export orders during the Christmas season and a crisis like situation in this crucial hour is posing serious threat to the viability of the industry. to read.
* Exports of Rs20bn lost due to transporters’ strike:
Garment and textile clothing export orders worth billions of rupees are feared to be lost due to the indefinite strike called by transporters, warned Chairman Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PRGMEA) Shaikh Muhammad Shafiq.
“The strike by transporters is causing losses worth billions of rupees due to stuck up export and import shipments at the Karachi Port and Port Qasim,” he said.
The transport carriers strike has completely halted export and import activities and is also damaging the industrial manufacturing capacity of the country, resulting in per day loss of around Rs4.0 billion equivalent to the foreign exchange earnings through export of textile products only.
The strike has not only hurt the shipments of export consignments but is also detrimental to import business as importers are forced to pay demurrages for not being able to clear their consignments from the ports.
Furthermore, it is also affecting manufacturing activity as industrial units are not receiving raw materials and fuel to run their mills, leading to a loss of over Rs3.5 billion per day. to read.
THE KARACHI FIRE:
* Q & A: Ali Enterprises Fire in Karachi:
Released: September 20, 2012 Updated: December 7, 2012
Social Accountability International’s (SAI) mission is to promote workers’ rights in a world often indifferent to them. All of us at SAI and at Social Accountability Accreditation Services (SAAS) are horrified by the fire at Ali Enterprises in Karachi,
Pakistan, on September 11, in which nearly 300 workers died and many more were injured.
On the day following the fire, SAAS was informed by RINA, a global certification body based in Genova, Italy, that RINA had issued an SA8000 certification to the Ali Enterprises factory on August 20, 2012.
SAAS, the accreditation agency that oversees the certification aspects of the SA8000 system, immediately began an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the certification. We expect a full report to be issued in early 2013. In the
interim, both SAI and SAAS have been working to take action to improve the overall SA8000 system; these specific actions are detailed in the questions and answers below.
Many media reports in the days and weeks following the fire contained inconsistent factual information. After the fire, SAI issued a ‘Question & Answer’ (Q & A) document on September 20 to help sort through the inevitable confusion based on
verified information. As our investigation is ongoing, we have updated this Q & A document to provide more detail and information to the extent that we know them at this time. For additional information, you can dpwnload the pdf here..


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In an interview, Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Jeep’s parent company, Fiat, asserted that he anticipates Jeep to sell over 1 million cars this year. Despite efforts by Jeep CEO, Mike Manley, to downplay this figure, it seems that Marchionne knows something that Manley doesn’t or he is simply attempting to suck in more investors. Manley calls the suggestion “a stretch” owing to a run of 568,317; 701,626; and 731,565 units from 2011 to 2013, respectively.
Where are the 260,000-odd additional sales going to come from? The Cherokee is out, and will be available on in the US, Europe and China. Stay tuned to see if Jeep magically picks up a 37% sales increase, or if oil prices rise significantly and, well, it just doesn’t happen.
-By: Sawyer Sutton

domain: news


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Bed Bath & Beyond quarterly profit rises 4%, revenue up
(4:30 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. BBBY, -3.40% late Wednesday reported fourth-quarter net earnings of $205.8 million, or 72 cents a share, up 4% from $197.9 million, or 67 cents a share, during the year-ago period. The Union, N.J.-based retailer company posted revenue of $1.99 billion vs. $1.69 billion. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial had forecast fourth-quarter earnings of 78 cents a share on revenue of $1.94 billion. The current results included a non-recurring charge of about $30 million, or 7 cents a share, related to Internal Revenue Code Section 409A, the company said. Excluding the charge, per-share earnings were 79 cents vs. 67 cents. Same-store sales for the quarter rose 5.2%. The company noted it continues to cooperate with the previously disclosed inquiries into its stock option grant practices.
Ruby Tuesday earnings, same-store sales slip
(4:26 PM ET) CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- Ruby Tuesday, Inc . earned $28.7 million, or 49 cents a share in its fiscal third quarter, down from $30.2 million, or 50 cents, in the year-ago period, the company said Wednesday. Excluding charges, the company would have earned 57 cents, a 14% increase. Total sales were up almost 12% to $377.9 million but sales at restaurants open at least a year fell 1%. Ruby Tuesday RI, +6.31% also said that effective with the start of trading on Thursday, its ticker symbol with change to RT.
Research in Motion sees earnings jump in fourth quarter
(4:25 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Research in Motion Ltd. saw earnings jump in its fourth fiscal quarter thanks to growing demand for the company's wireless devices. After Wednesday's closing bell, the Waterloo, Ontario-based company RIMM posted preliminary earnings of $187.9 million, or 99 cents a share, for the period ended March 3. The results are preliminary until the company completes its internal investigation into stock-options accounting. This compares with earnings of $18.4 million, or 10 cents a share, for the same period last year, which included charges from the settlement of a large patent-infringement case against the company. Sales for the quarter grew to $930.4 million from $561.2 million last year. Analysts were expecting earnings of 99 cents a share on revenue of $935.35 million, according to Thomson Financial.
Health Care REIT plans offering of 5 mln shares
(4:17 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Health Care REIT Inc. HCN, -0.13% late Wednesday said it plans to offer 5 million shares of its common stock. The Toledo, Ohio-based real estate investment trust said it plans to grant underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 750,000 shares to cover over-allotments, if any. Health Care REIT said it will use the net proceeds of the offering to invest in additional senior housing and health care properties. Pending such use, the proceeds will primarily be used to repay borrowings under the unsecured line of credit arrangements, the company said.
Genentech's quarterly sales rise 43%, backs 2007 profit view
(4:15 PM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Genentech Inc. DNA, +0.00% after the closing bell on Wednesday said its first-quarter net earnings came in at $706 million, or 66 cents a share, compared with $421 million, or 39 cents a share, in the same quarter last year. Revenue in the quarter ended March 31 rose 43%, to $2.84 billion from $1.99 billion. Earnings from continuing operations were 74 a share in the latest three-month period. Analysts, on average, had been looking for a per-share profit of 67 cents on revenue of $2.74 billion according to Thomson Financial. U.S. product sales in the latest quarter were, as the biotechnology company predicted recently, essentially flat sequentially, at $2.04 billion, compared with $2.05 billion in the fourth quarter. Genentech also backed its forecast for pro forma per-share earnings growth of 25% to 30%.
Mitcham Industries' profit falls; shares dip
(10:53 AM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Mitcham Industries Inc. MIND, -4.88% shares sank 12% to $14.01 in Wednesday morning trade after the Houston-based supplier of geophysical equipment late Tuesday reported fiscal fourth-quarter net earnings of $730,000, or 7 cents a share, compared with $4.62 million, or 45 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial were expecting a per-share profit of 27 cents. Revenues rose to $11.1 million from $10.1 million in the same period last year. The company expects revenue for its fiscal year ending Jan. 31, 2008, to range between $55 million and $60 million.
Alcoa stock gains on strong earnings report
(9:51 AM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Alcoa, Inc. AA, +1.24% shares jumped as much as 2.5% at the open Wednesday, to $35.76, the day after the aluminum producer reported earnings that beat Wall Street expectations. The company, which led global aluminum output last year, said net income rose 9% to $662 million, or 75 cents a share, while earnings excluding discontinued operations and restructuring charges rose 13% to 79 cents a share. On that basis, profits surpassed analysts' average views of 76 cents a share, as polled by Thomson Financial. Alcoa forecast continued demand from China and the aerospace markets and more weakness in commercial transportation.
Target sees April same-store sales down 2% to 4%
(9:30 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) - Discount retailer Target Corp. TGT, -1.41% said Wednesday its April sales at stores open at least a year are expected to fall 2% to 4%. The company is comparing the four weeks ended May 5, 2007 with the four weeks ended April 29, 2006. In the comparable year-ago period, Target's same-store sales rose 10.4%, the company said. Earlier Wednesday, the company posted a 12% increase in March same-store sales.
Citigroup to cut 17,000 jobs, take $1.38 billion charge
(7:11 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Citigroup Inc. C, -1.98% said Wednesday it will slash 17,000 workers, or about 5% of its global workforce, and take a $1.38 billion pre-tax charge in an effort to save about $2.1 billion in expenses. The cuts, part of a company-wide expense reduction plan, will also include $200 million in pre-tax charges in each of the the three remaining quarters in 2007. The cost savings "will improve business integration as well as our ability to move quickly and seize new growth opportunities," Chairman and Chief Executive Charles Prince said in a statement. Most of the cuts will come in back-office operations, though the company will thin management and rein in technology spending.
Vedanta Resources metal production rises
(2:28 AM ET) LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Mining company Vedanta Resources(UK:VED)said Wednesday that finished metal production across all metals was higher in the quarter ending March 31 than a year earlier. The company said that for fiscal 2007 as a whole it produced 351,000 tons of aluminum, up from 210,000 tons a year earlier due to the full ramp-up of its Korba smelter. Copper cathode production at its Indian operations rose to 313,000 tonnes from 273,000 tons for the year due to production increases at its Tuticorin facility. The company added that mined metal production in Australia fell in the final quarter due to a minor rockfall. Prices of copper and zinc both slipped in the fourth quarter, the firm added.


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As Big Food companies struggle to overcome changing consumer tastes, higher shipping costs and competition from upstarts, their biggest challenge may be retaliatory tariffs.
- Hershey and TreeHouse Foods are among the companies being impacted after Canada imposed levies on nearly $13 billion in American goods after the U.S. placed tariffs on steel and aluminum, according to a July 2 research report from Credit Suisse cited by Food Business News.
- The Wall Street bank said candy, salad dressing and cucumbers are among the products that are subjected to a 10% import tariff. Hershey will be impacted because it sells a lot of its products in Canada, while TreeHouse will have to pay import tariffs on some products while dealing with higher commodity costs. The impact will be less severe on packaged foods companies such as Kraft Heinz and J.M. Smucker.
- “We expect retailers and food manufacturers to try to raise prices to consumers to offset the costs,” Credit Suisse said in the Food Business News report. “But this will prove challenging in today’s highly competitive pricing environment.”
Even as Big Food companies struggle to overcome rapidly changing consumer tastes, higher shipping costs and competition from nimble upstarts, perhaps their biggest challenge in the near term will be the impact from retaliatory tariffs being imposed on the U.S. The move by the White House to place tariffs on steel and aluminum from the E.U., Canada and Mexico has prompted a backlash from these prominent trading partners — impacting everything from U.S.-made candy and soup to ketchup and whiskey.
China also has slapped tariffs that affect U.S. pork, dairy, fruit and vegetables, among other products. CNBC estimated that one in 4 hogs in the U.S. is sold overseas, and the Chinese are the world’s top consumers of pork. That could potentially hurt major pork companies such as Hormel Foods and Tyson Foods.
For Big Food companies, there is little they can do in response to the levies being imposed on many of their key products. A Hershey spokesman told Food Dive the company is still assessing the impact of the tariffs.
Michael Mullen, a Kraft Heinz spokesman, told Food Dive the maker of the iconic ketchup “opposes trade policies that impose taxes or tariffs on our products” and is against “any change that impacts our ability to seamlessly move our products across these borders.”
Tyson Foods said it supports a quick solution to the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement and other trade disputes. “With the current volatility in trade relations, we’ve experienced day-to-day uncertainty in our ability to deliver products and services to customers,” Worth Sparkman said in an email to Food Dive. “With countries imposing retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products, Tyson Foods as well as others in U.S. food and agriculture, will lose our competitive advantage in critical export markets like Mexico, Canada and China.”
Alexandra Sockett, a Campbell Soup spokeswoman, said in an email that with a 10% tariff on soups, broths and tomato products sold in Canada using ingredients from both the U.S. and its northern neighbor, the company expects “the economic impact to our Canadian business to be significant [and]… We are evaluating ways to offset the potential tariff impact and working closely with our customers.”
Hershey, Campbell Soup, Tyson Foods and Kraft Heinz could decide to raise prices on some of their products to make up for lost sales, but the risk, of course, is that it further stymies sales in places where retaliation is not taking place.
And as Credit Suisse noted, the competitive environment makes it unlikely for those increases to succeed. It’s possible they could look to boost sales in countries not affected by the tariffs, renegotiate contracts with their suppliers or close some plants, resulting in job cuts across their supply chain — but none of these are desirable solutions.
If a company decides to move forward on any of these options, it probably wouldn’t be until they are able to determine the full impact and duration of the retaliation. The most likely scenario is that they absorb the lost sales for the time being and focus on what they can control internally.


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During the first weeks of classes students can often be heard lamenting over horrific textbook bills as they make liberal use of those familiar orange credit cards. With the advent of the Internet, however, new markets for purchasing and selling books at lower prices have opened and are increasingly used by students.
The USG-sponsored Bookline (www.princeton.edu/usg/bookline/) – created by USG Senate delegate Dave Thom '96 during his final year at the University – is an online market for students to buy and sell their used textbooks. As the Web page proclaims, this USG service eliminates the middle man and lowers prices substantially.
Students looking to sell their used textbooks usually receive more than they would by selling the books back to the U-Store. Furthermore, according to several student postings, Bookline offers potential buyers discounts of up to 50 percent off U-Store prices.
Since recent updates and revamps to their Web page, USG president David Ascher '99 estimated that Bookline has received at least 1500 hits since last week, the beginning of second semester. "Bookline is wildly successful," he said. "I wish that even more students used it, but the ones that do, find it enormously useful."
USG Web Team member T.J. Mather '99 said Bookline represents the cutting edge in University used-book marketing. "This is really one of the most successful sites anywhere," he said. "Some places maintain long lists of available books, but ours is the most user-friendly system."
First, Mather noted that the books are all listed by title, as well as by course, which enables students to find books more quickly. Additionally, "the capacity to edit and delete ads makes it more user-friendly," he said.
Students who use Bookline express satisfaction with this market-based system. Jossie Diaz '99 said she was pleasantly surprised by the massive email response she received within two days of posting an ad for a chemistry book she was trying to sell.
"It saves time to post things on Bookline rather than to trek to the U-Store. It is infinitely easier to sit down at my computer and write a little ad than to schlep all my used books to the U-Store to sell."
Diaz has also used the service to buy books and saved a significant amount of money.
"It was cheaper than buying used books from the U-Store by at least $10 to $15 per book," she said.
U-Store Textbooks Manager Matt Johnson said though he could not provide actual statistics, he did not think Bookline has affected sales. He also added that since the U-Store is not trying to make a profit, it does not matter how popular Bookline becomes.
"As far as sales go, I haven't seen a slowdown," he said, "Anyway, it wouldn't worry me because I am more concerned about seeing the students' and professors' needs met."
Rising U-Store prices
Professors, though aware of high textbook prices, often do not have lower-cost options when choosing course materials. Economics professor Uwe Reinhardt said that textbooks are often uniformly priced and many professors do not consider their cost when deciding what materials to use.
"When I heard that the (ECO 333) textbook was $90, I was shocked," he said. "But I wouldn't stop using it because a different one would probably be more."
Chemistry professor Maitland Jones voiced a similar sentiment. "All the books are within $30-$40 of each other," he said. "I don't think that $100 per year is an unreasonable cost."
Both professors noted that since their students have never voiced complaints about textbook prices, they have never considered them a problem. "We do not sense the price sensitivity as professors because no student has raised the issue in 20 years," Reinhardt said. "If we knew that you cared, we would be more mindful."


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Yahoo tests Google’s waters, Microsoft’s temper
There’s something about deadlines that sharpens the mind. Reporters know this and Yahoo is finding out with its decision to get into a Web search advertising test with arch-rival search firm Google Inc.
Yahoo is facing a three-week deadline to sit down with Microsoft, which has offered $42 billion to buy the company, and seems to be getting ever more creative in figuring out ways to resist the advances of its suitor to the North. The length of its limited test with Google? Two weeks.
Google, of course, isn’t about to object. “A long-term deal could be the only option that allows Yahoo to remain an independent company,” a person close to Google told us.
So why would Yahoo start hooking up with Google? Flaunting its flirtation with the enemy could put pressure on Microsoft to raise the bid. After all, if the test results show a spike in advertising revenue, that could mean Yahoo is worth more to a buyer if it starts outsourcing full time. That could lead to lightening Microsoft’s wallet more than the software giant had first anticipated.
But Yahoo plays a dangerous game. Microsoft said a deal between Yahoo and Microsoft could make the Web search market less competitive, just the kind of thing that leads to politicians calling for hearings. And as Microsoft knows, trips to Washington are never fun.


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High-school fashionistas, let the shopping and preening begin.
Prom season, ripe with a palate of new fashion trends, has descended upon Lawrence once again.
"This year is no different," said Amy Nelson, assistant manager at Maurice's downtown clothing store, "in that prom dresses are flying off the rack in every style and size."
Some local students of style started scouring area stores and boutiques as early as January; others, Nelson said, began their hunt for cutting-edge prom couture in recent weeks.
Anne Dinsdale, an 18-year-old Free State High School senior, said she and her friends were starting to feel the prom-dress shopping heat.
"It's crunch time for picking out your outfit right now," she said.
Free State High School will have its senior prom May 1 at Abe & Jake's Landing, while Lawrence High School students will get gussied up to dance May 8 at the Kansas University Union.
Dinsdale, who has yet to select her prom attire, said she hoped to find "something strapless with an empire waist in a sheer overlay design."
"Maybe with a little sparkle or glitter to it, too," she said.
Nelson said Dinsdale's dress description ranked as a classic choice among prom-goers. However, she also said a fresh crop of dress variations had begun making headway in the hearts of teenage style mavens.
"This year we're seeing a lot of bright colors -- pink, red, even lime green," Nelson said. "There is definitely a movement away from black formals."
Nelson said some popular dresses in 2004 also were less traditional in cut and fit. "Tighter dresses, tons of strapless and halter tops are what seem to be selling best," she said. "And we even had a ballerina-style dress with lacings and a belt go really fast."
Nelson said most dresses at Maurice's, 739 Mass., cost between $79 and $119. Some girls, however, may lower their prom dress tab by altering their fashion source. Free State senior Amy Lavaveshkul, for example, decided to commission her mom to make her gown for this year's big event.
"I've known all along that I want a yellow dress, and I tried on lots of them in that color," Lavaveshkul said. "But they just weren't quite what I wanted, and they seemed overpriced anyway."
Lavaveshkul, 18, said she was excited to have a dress made especially for her. "Custom-fitting and control over design are things you just can't get in a store," she said.
Nevertheless, teenage girls in Lawrence cite several local stores as promising prom dress lairs, including Maurice's, JC Penney and Weaver's Department Store. Other students report flocking to Topeka and Kansas City malls in hopes of expanding their shopping pool.
"You usually get to the point where you'll go anywhere there might be a dress," Lavaveshkul said, laughing.
But what about the guys?
"Hey, we've got it pretty easy," said Tyree Payne, a Free State senior. "In and out with a tux rental -- we're all set."
Karen Baker, manager of Randall's Formal Wear, 815 Mass., said Payne's attitude was representative of most teenage males, though every year seemed to bring a few more fashion-minded men into her store.
"Some guys are really into style, and they like to push the envelope a little bit," Baker said. "This year the trend is pink jackets and bright-colored ties."
Payne, who said his most daring foray into formal fashion was a silver-and black checkered tuxedo vest his freshman year, wasn't sure how he felt about the popularity of certain pastels.
"I don't know about pink," Payne said, "but I think I could go for a little baby-blue retro action."
Baker said a basic tuxedo rental package, which includes shoes and accessories, costs $59.95 at Randall's.
"The mad rush is right around the corner," she said. "We're ready."


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Taco Bell has been hit by shortages of everything ranging from sour cream to sauce packets, in another sign of how supply chains are roiled coming out of the pandemic.
The fast food chain notified consumer on its website July 20 that "national ingredient shortages and delivery delays" are leading to out-of-stocks on some items. Customers took to Twitter and other social media to describe being unable to get chicken, beef, sour cream or sauce. One related how he had to eat a hard-shell taco because his local Taco Bell was out of soft tortillas.
“For anyone craving taco bell tonight, I'll save you the drive, they don’t have chicken or beef, national shortage or something. i just ate black beans in a hard shell. was not worth it,” read one tweet quoted in the Daily Mail.
Shortages of both ingredients and labor have been plaguing restaurants, especially quick-service ones. Chick-fil-A, Starbucks and others have had to apologize for limiting items like sauces or milk.
The problem is exacerbated by the sudden popularity of chicken among fast-food chains. Popeye’s said that it has been stockpiling chicken for months in preparation for the rollout of new chicken nuggets.


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The personal data of tens of millions of Mixcloud users have been put on sale on the dark web.
In a statement, the British streaming service, Mixcloud announced that it has received reports about hackers gaining unauthorised access to some of its systems.
“Our understanding at this time is that the incident involves email addresses, IP addresses and securely encrypted passwords for a minority of Mixcloud users. The majority of Mixcloud users signed up via Facebook authentication, in which cases we do not store passwords.”
It should be noted that the company does not store mailing addresses or full credit card details.
For those that signed up with passwords rather than Facebook authentication, their passwords were scrambled with the SHA-2 algorithm, making it near impossible to crack.
It remains unknown as to how much data was stolen, however an alleged hacker told multiple news sources that there were at least 20 million records. In addition, the data is allegedly being sold on the dark web for 0.5 Bitcoin ($3,650).
“Whilst we have no reason to believe that any passwords have been compromised, you may want to change yours, especially if you have been using the same one across multiple services.
“We are actively investigating the incident. We apologize to those affected and are sorry that this has happened. We understand this is frustrating and upsetting to hear, and we take the trust you put in us very seriously,” Mixcloud concluded.
Join our free-to-attend digital event, Last Thursday in Privacy, addressing data protection, privacy and security challenges including working from home, COVID-19, global regulations and more. Visit https://digital.privsec.info/.
We have been awarded the number 1 GDPR Blog in 2019 by Feedspot.


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FORT COLLINS, Colo. — When it comes to a staple like pizza, not much has changed over the decades. It usually consists of the same few ingredients- dough, sauce, cheese, toppings and a level of fun. One restaurant owner in Fort Collins took that last "ingredient" and ran with it.
“It’s impossible not to have fun while eating pizza,” said restaurant owner, Alex Morgan.
But Alex’s title is a bit more complicated than just "owner." When it comes to his place, it’s also "collector."
“Totally 80s Pizza is the world’s only 1980s pop culture history museum and restaurant,” Morgan said, standing in the dining room/showcase.
The dining room boasts vintage toys, cereal boxes, photos, autographs, movie memorabilia, arcade games and more.
“There’s something about that innocence and fun that draws people to the restaurant,” he said.
That draw, whether it’s for the slices or the nostalgia, is quite large.
“We can get 10,000 tourists in the summer alone,” Morgan said.
So many people have visited that this year, the restaurant had to move to a bigger location, taking over an empty space in a former Pizza Hut.
“It’s just a great community gathering space,” one customer said.
There’s enough 80s memorabilia to fill the restaurant and occasionally spill over into the parking lot.
“I think it’s one of the coolest cars ever made,” Morgan said, sitting in the driver’s seat of his DeLorean DMC-12, the car made famous by the movie franchise, "Back to the Future."
Morgan says he is a purveyor of pizza, but also of fun.
“Totally 80s Pizza exists to bring joy to people,” he said. “Come out to eat, have good pizza, and have fun."


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LANSING | Village officials believe they’re on the verge of finding a retailer to locate on the site of the former Sam’s Club warehouse store on Torrence Avenue.
The site at 17555 Torrence Ave. has sat vacant ever since the retailer moved to the River Oaks West shopping center in Calumet City in 2009.
But officials, including village Planning and Development Director Kristi DeLaurentiis, say they are in negotiations with another “big box retailer” who they believe will announce a move to Lansing — and to the former Sam’s Club site — later this year.
Neither DeLaurentiis nor village President Norm Abbott would identify the retailer, but they had said they expected the matter would be reviewed by the village’s Planning & Zoning Board of Appeals when it met Wednesday night.
The issue did not come before the zoning board. But zoning board Commissioner Steve Kasper said that officials wishing to locate at that site likely will come before the board in the near future.
“That’s a couple of months away,” Kasper said of the future of the Sam’s Club site.
Abbott has said the building likely would have to undergo significant renovation to make it acceptable to the new retailer.
Once the zoning board hears a final proposal, members would vote whether to recommend the project. The issue then would go to the Village Board for consideration about a month later.
Abbott had told The Times he hoped a new retailer at the Sam’s Club site could be announced prior to the April 9 municipal elections.
Both he and DeLaurentiis have said they believe negotiations are far enough along that they expect the location on Torrence Avenue just south of I-80/94 to be filled this year.


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Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik are the hottest couple around right now- move over Kim and Yeezy, there’s a new celeb pairing that everyone’s got their eye on! The cuties cemented their relationship in December, with Zayn posting this sweet snap on his instagram. Gigi and Zayn getting up close and personal in Zayn’s Pillow Talk vid.
Tyga and Kylie Jenner haven’t been having the smoothest of starts to 2016, what with Kylie’s brother Rob Kardashian now dating Tyga’s ex Blac Chyna. Now, in an exclusive interview for her website, Kylie has made a revelation that might not go down so well with her on-again-off-again boyfriend. In a video filmed with her friend Jordyn Wood titled ‘Pillow Talk’, Kylie says:
IKRUSH bring you the latest in celebrity-inspired women’s fashion, footwear & accessories. Stay ahead of the trends with an amazing range of
women's clothing online,
offering all the latest fashion trends at unbelievably low prices with free or cheap delivery. Love yourself, love IKRUSH!


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New video from Verizon and a partner show “super-speed” Wi-fi in San Fran.
The video was posted online Friday by a group called the California Wi-Wifi Alliance, which said it was a “first in the nation” demonstration of the technology.
It shows a Verizon Wireless employee in the San Francisco area using the Wi-Tech device, which can go up to 10 gigabytes per second, according to the video.
The Wi-Power is being used in an effort to help San Francisco residents maintain a stable internet connection, according the video’s description.
Verizon said in a statement that the WiTech devices have been tested in New York and San Diego, but that they are not yet available in San Jose, Santa Clara, or Oakland.


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With rapid growth, india’s $2 trillion economy can quintuple to $10 trillion in the next 10 years, say Vineet Nayar, founder, Sampark Foundation, and management expert Gary Hamel. They, however, believe that this will bring multiple challenges. In an interview to Samar Srivastava, Nayar and Hamel pinpoint areas where India Inc needs to focus. Excerpts:
Q. You argue that India Inc’s present operating structure is not conducive to a rapidly globalising world. Should it radically change the way in which it is organised?
Nayar: The challenge is not unique to India Inc, but it is uniquely important if it wants to meet its growth aspirations. If I look at it from the corporate sector [point of view], the $10 trillion goal has two critical aspects: First, start with world-beating aspirations—you have to work on problems that will change the world and you have to see your company at the forefront of that. You have to dream the 10x dream. Part of our goal is to raise aspirations and [another] part is to raise capabilities.
Q. Have you seen anyone take that 10x leap?
Nayar: The answer is no if you look at the last 10 years. But you will see a lot of companies that have created $5 billion of market cap in the last five years. You see disruptors like Sun Pharma doing a Ranbaxy acquisition and becoming twice the size they were. A combination of disruptive acquisitions and new gen companies are making India Inc realise that it needs to increase its aspirations.
Hamel: None of the world-beating companies across the globe started with a resource advantage. And so making the 10x leap requires that creative mindset that asks: ‘How do I challenge that industry dogma?’.
Q. Why is innovation in India Inc broken?
Nayar: Today, India Inc is spending a lot of time on tackling cost inefficiency. That has a huge stock market gain, but very low impact in the world of business. There are three tiers where you can spend time on: Cost inefficiency, incremental innovation and disruptive innovation. Apple will spend time in disruptive innovation while India Inc is busy with cost inefficiency. So you need to redistribute your time and make decisions to ensure disruptive innovation. How do you create structures which will ensure that innovation takes place in the entire organisation? This leads to many innovations within an organisation.
Q. Which are the successful old economy companies that had a robust innovation pipeline?
Hamel: We did pioneering work at Shell by creating the world’s first internal innovation marketplace. Any employee who had an idea went through a peer review process and got $25,000 a month to test a hypothesis. That was two decades ago and I believe that is now the most profitable investment portfolio in Shell. At Whirlpool, 20,000 people were trained to be innovators, including unionised employees. They made innovation part of executive compensation. As a result, its share price is at an all-time high.
(This story appears in the 03 April, 2015 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)


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What is Libra?
“Libra is a permissioned blockchain digital currency proposed by the American social media company Facebook, Inc.
The currency and network do not yet exist, and only a rudimentary experimental code has been released. The launch is planned to be in 2020.
The project, currency and transactions are to be managed and cryptographically entrusted to the Libra Association, a membership organization of companies from payment, technology, telecommunication, online marketplace and venture capital, and nonprofits.” – Wikipedia
The Libra project of facebook decides to support existing currencies along with the libra token.
Facebook is modifying its arrangements for its Libra cryptographic money venture following months of severe regulatory pressure and political pushback, according to a new report from The Information distributed on Tuesday.
As indicated by the report, Facebook no longer expects to make the Libra token — the actual blockchain-based cryptocurrency it’s in the process of developing in partnership with the nonprofit Libra Association — the highlight of its digital payment strategy.
Rather, Facebook’s Libra venture will reportedly progress to supporting both existing government-sponsored currencies, similar to the US dollar and the euro, and the Libra token when it is eventually finished and prepared to launch.
Also, The Information says Facebook is postponing the dispatch of its separate Calibra digital wallet, which was to be a primary showcase for the Libra technology by permitting anybody with a smartphone to get and store the cryptocurrency and afterward pay for various merchandise with it.
The wallet will now support multiple currencies, of which Libra will be just one.
Calibra, initially scheduled to launch this mid-year, is now coming out in October, The Information reports. The wallet, rather than becoming available all over the world at launch, may have its accessibility limited to whatever government-backed currencies the Libra project eventually supports within the app. That could slow Calibra’s rollout.
The Information says Calibra’s core money storing and transfer features are as yet booked to come to both Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, as well, even though it’s unclear what the timeline for that process will be relative with Calibra’s planned October launch.
“Reporting that Facebook does not intend to offer the Libra currency in its Calibra wallet is entirely incorrect. Facebook remains fully committed to the project,” a Facebook representative said in a statement given to The Verge, referencing The Information’s initial assertion that the company was no longer intending to help the Libra token in its digital wallet.
The Information has since rectified its report.
The Libra venture was first announced in June of last year as a striking yet risky undertaking to revolutionize money transfer and position Facebook and its partners on the ground floor of another, blockchain-based digitals payment industry.
It had two parts: a Libra token, designed broadly like other cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin but with fundamental differences expected to make it more steady and to a less of a speculative asset, and a blockchain network that would be the technical foundation of the token and the tool for checking transactions and token ownership.
Facebook has predicted probably some scrutiny, so it made a nonprofit, called the Libra Association, of which Facebook and its new Calibra subsidiary would represent only one member. It included, at launch, 27 other companies and nonprofits.
That group, based out of Zurich, Switzerland, has been entrusted with directing the cryptocurrency’s development, as well as the blockchain network that would support it.
The currency was likewise to be supported by a pool of assets, including existing currencies from around the globe, contributed by the various participating members, which at the launch included big names like Mastercard, PayPal, Stripe, and Visa.
Regardless of those measures, the Libra venture was met with swift and vocal backlash from across the political spectrum. Regulators were concerned about Facebook’s potential outsize impact on the venture, because of the company having conceived of the idea and having a financial interest for its prosperity, and the unanticipated outcomes of allowing for-profit companies to start giving currencies and infusing themselves into worldwide economics and geopolitics.
There were also concerns over how to group the Libra token, and how the whole platform would be appropriately directed and by whom, particularly as it moved toward offering banking services like loaning, which Facebook openly expressed in via Calibra at the time of Libra’s announcement.
Chief among the worries was the ability of the currency and the technology it sat on to permit individuals to move money around undetected and away from the banking system, potentially leading to money laundries and other crimes.
The project started hitting serious snags the previous fall when regulatory pressure and an absence of a firm response from Facebook and its various Libra defenders prompted Mastercard, PayPal, Stripe, and Visa all quitting the Libra Association one after another.
From that point forward, Facebook’s blockchain Chief David Marcus, a former PayPal executive who ran Facebook Messenger for years, has tempered the venture’s overall objectives when speaking publicly about it. Now, The Information reports, that’s finally translating to product deferrals and measures planned, it appears, to appease regulators.


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Tesla picks Texas site for second US vehicle assembly plant
By TOM KRISHERAP Auto Writer
Electric car maker Tesla Inc. has picked the Austin, Texas, area as the site for its largest auto assembly plant employing at least 5,000 workers.
The new factory will build Tesla’s upcoming Cybertruck pickup and will be a second U.S. manufacturing site for the Model Y small SUV, largely for distribution to the East Coast.
Tesla will build on a 2,100-acre (85-hectacre) site in Travis County near Austin and will get more than $60 million in tax breaks from the county and a local school district over the next decade. State incentives also are possible for the plant, which will be over 4 million square feet.
The company has pledged to invest $1.1 billion and said it will pay a minimum wage of $15 per hour to employees and provide health insurance, paid leave and other benefits.
The area that’s home to the University of Texas at Austin and tech companies such as Dell Inc. was a candidate for the plant all along, but Tulsa, Oklahoma, emerged in mid-May as another possibility.
Tesla doesn’t have a lot of time to get the factory running if it wants to meet target production dates. The company says on its website that the Cybertruck will be available starting late next year. Tesla has often missed promised production dates in the past.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has reportedly been happy with Texas, where his SpaceX rocket company has operations in Brownsville and in McGregor north of Austin.
The new factory will be Tesla’s biggest so far, although it may not employ as many workers as the 10,000 at its factory in Fremont, California. The electric car maker has said it wants the new factory to be in the center of the country and closer to eastern markets.
The Fremont factory currently is Tesla's only U.S. assembly plant. It has a second U.S. factory in Reno, Nevada, where it builds batteries for its vehicles and employs about 6,500 people. Tesla also has a factory in Shanghai and another one under construction in Germany.
Musk has been unhappy with California, where earlier this year he flouted local orders to stay closed to help stem the spread of the novel coronavirus. Musk has threatened to move the company’s headquarters out of Palo Alto and all future vehicles out of the plant in Fremont, a reworked factory that once was run jointly by Toyota and General Motors.
The Austin area’s chamber of commerce says that Texas has no corporate or individual income taxes. It also touts the region’s young workforce as one of the most educated in the country. Nearly 47% of adults have at least a bachelor’s degree, pushing Austin into the top 10 among large metro areas, the site says. But at present, Tesla can’t legally sell its vehicles in Texas. A state law requires cars to be sold through franchised dealers, not company stores like Tesla operates.
Tulsa put up a good fight, but may have been used to win better terms from Texas. Oklahoma boasts about its low tax rates and cost of living, particularly low utility costs. Musk even visited the Tulsa site earlier this month.
Oklahoma hasn’t had an auto manufacturer in the state since General Motors shuttered its Oklahoma City facility in 2005, but Tulsa is home to an American Airlines maintenance facility that employs about 5,200 workers.
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Pirated copies of Breaking Bad in 4K have appeared on torrent sites. It appears the pirates have found a way to circumvent the HDCP 2.2 copy protection that protects Netflix’s 4K streams.
Nvidia has released a hotfix that should solve an issue where Windows 10 consumed excessive amounts of virtual memory. The issue appears to be so serious that the released fix only solves this specific issue.
Google will automatically pause Flash banners in its Chrome browser and only play them when users actually want to see them. The change will become in effect on the 1st of September and should increase the performance of the browser and increase battery life on e.g. laptops.
Facebook will improve the way it handles copyright infringement on videos uploaded to the social network. The company is building a new video matching technology that should improve how the social network detects when users share copyright protected content.
Microsoft today released Windows 10 build 10532 to Windows Insiders in the ‘Fast Ring’. The build is rather disappointing with only 2 new features.
Spying on your children has become much easier with Windows 10. Users who create a family account receive a weekly email that provides an overview of which websites their kids visit, which apps they use and how long they’ve used the computer.
The British copyright organisation Performing Right Society (PRS) starts legal action against Soundcloud following five years of unsuccessful negotiations. PRS has posted a letter on its website explaining the move.
Russian internet providers have to block access to the local version of Wikipedia because the site hosts an article about hash. The media authority Roskomnadzor has decided the entire Russian Wikipedia has to be blocked until the page is removed.
Video streaming service Netflix has decided to get rid antivirus software on the computers of its employees. The company didn’t renew the contract with the undisclosed antivirus company that protected the computers of Netflix staff.
Attackers can easily gain administrators rights on ADSL modem routers of Asus and ZTE because they use a hard-coded password based on the MAC address, according to the CERT Coordination Center (CERT/CC) of the Carnegie Mellon University.
Facebook has revealed M, a smart assistant that should compete with other assistants like Apple’s Siri, Google Now and Microsoft’s Cortana but is also powered by humans.
Windows 10 is installed on more than 75 million devices, according to Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President of the Windows and Devices Group. In 10 Tweets he shared more achievements of Microsoft’s latest operating system.
Wifi hot spots of the American telecom provider AT&T automatically inject advertisements in websites which allows third parties to track the user’s surfing behavior.
Microsoft has improved the security of Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8(.1) and Windows RT by adding a security measure originally developed for Windows 10.
Whatsapp has updated the Android version of its messaging service with a new setting that allow users to choose how they want to receive notifications. The new version makes it possible to decide how notifications are received for each chat.
For the second time in a short time a critical, just patched vulnerability in Internet Explorer is actively attacked by cyber criminals.
A Nintendo patent reveals the company is working on a console that no longer uses optical discs. The games will only be made available through the internet.
The lock patterns on most Android phones are surprisingly easy to predict, according to a report of Norwegian researcher Marte Løge.
Mozilla is working on a new API for Firefox that makes it possible to run the same extension code on Chrome, Opera and the Windows 10 browser Edge. In a blog post on the Mozilla website the browser developer today revealed Web Extensions, a new API that is Blink compatible.
New Android smartphones will come with less Google apps pre-installed. The developer of the Android operating system now allows phone manufacturers to ship phones with less of Google apps installed.
Microsoft will remain mysterious about some Windows 10 updates. In an email to The Register the company writes it will only add descriptions to updates when the software giant considers the update ‘significant’.
Playstation 4 owners can apply for a beta of firmware 3.00, the possibility ends at the 26th of August. Sony is planning to release a major system software for its latest generation console and as part of the beta stage, players can already have a preview of the redesigned operating system.
New Intel processors will continuously listen to the voice of Windows 10 users. The processor will listen for the command ‘Cortana, wake up’. Once recognized the computer will resume from standby.
Microsoft today released an emergency patch for a critical vulnerability in Internet Explorer that has been found in ‘the wild’. An exploit using the vulnerability is currently used by cybercriminals to infect users with malware.
Intel has announced the first SSDs based on its 3D XPoint technology, 1,000x faster than NAND, become available in 2016. During the keynote of the Intel Developer Forum (IDF), currently held in San Francisco, the chip giant has revealed Intel Optane technology.
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A new Steam update will provide support for OSVR content, meaning that VR content for both platforms is now accessible through a single point of distribution. The Steam update is available now, and OSVR icons will appear next to compatible content and added filter functions will allow users of OSVR compatible hardware to narrow their searches for OSVR-enabled experiences.
OSVR is a movement founded to create a universal open source VR ecosystem for technologies across different brands and companies. Christopher Mitchell, OSVR Lead, Razer said, “This is a great milestone for VR, giving users access to more hardware and content and driving Valve’s and OSVR’s shared vision of totally open VR content to everyone.”
OSVR integration into Steam is yet another part of Valve’s initiative to make VR technology universally accessible, after increasing efforts to make its room-scale tracking technology available for integration into third party products.


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GM canceling two weeks of scheduled shut-down in OKC
Tuesday, March 20th 2001, 12:00 am
News On 6
OKLAHOMA CITY - General Motors is canceling two weeks of a scheduled shut-down at its assembly plant in Oklahoma City.
Plant spokeswoman Kathy Oden said production of the Chevrolet Malibu at the plant is on again for the weeks of April 2 and April 30. Those two weeks were recently added to the plant's scheduled down time.
The plant will now be closed for six weeks, not eight weeks as originally planned.
GM began temporary shut-downs of plants across the country on Jan. 22 as the automaker sought to reduce its inventory of unsold vehicles.
About 3,000 people are employed at the Oklahoma City plant.


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The search engine giant, Google, is enhancing its platform to help its users stay alert while relying on any data shown on it’s platform as a result of a search by a user. The company aims to safeguard the interest of its users who find any information on it’s platform and consider it to be true. By this step, the search engine giant aims to leverage it’s stand in the eyes of the users in providing authentic information on it’s search engine.
Google plans to deploy a fact-checking learning mechanism to detect false or unauthentic news or information. However, since it’s a learning algorithm, it may fail at times to detect the authenticity of the information displayed in the search results. In such a case, the search engine will warn the user about the possibility of the information being unauthentic or unreliable.
At present, social media giants like Twitter & Facebook are making their platforms fake-news proof to prevent any fake news mislead its users. Similarly, the news is prevalent at present that Google may soon deploy it’s advanced algorithms to warn its users whenever an unverified information is displayed in its result.
Google has confirmed that it has already rolled out the feature on it’s platform and many search results are already displaying the warnings, especially for the developing stories. However, it hasn’t been implemented in a completely fool-proof manner, which is why we need to wait to see the search engine curb the users from accessing any misleading information on it’s platform. This will definitely improve the quality of search results on it’s platform.


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NZ considers halving mail deliveries
New Zealand Post is considering cutting mail deliveries to save money.
Chairman of the state-owned enterprise, Jim Bolger, has told New Zealanders to prepare for change.
Saturday-morning mail deliveries are under review but the favoured option is to cut deliveries to every two days.
Also under consideration is a plan for people to pick up their mail.
It is estimated the use of e-mail has meant 30 million fewer letters are being sent in New Zealand each year.
Postal unions have expressed disappointment at the proposed changes.


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On June 18th, Georgian Art Historian, Giorgi Papashvili held a lecture about Georgia’s art history and culture at the Georgetown Unviersity. The event was supported by Professor of Theology at Georgetown University, Ori Soltes and the Young Ambassador of Georgia to the United States, Ioseb Jorjoliani. Ph.D candidate Papashvili who is now finishing his four months project in the United States, discussed the unique contributions of Georgia to the world, including the achievements of George Balanchine, John Shalikashvili, Alexander Kartveli and many more.
Young Ambassador of Georgia, Ioseb Jorjoliani came up with an initiative to express American public’s support to the victims of the flood, which hit the capital of Georgia, Tbilisi on June 13th. The address of TBC bank and link to Maka Meshveliani’s initiative to help Tbilisi recover from flooding were advertised in the lecture. Besides, that attendees took pictures with a sign “Support Tbilisi” to express their solidarity to Georgian people in this tough period of time.
Standing Stone Vineyards is a small winery at the Seneca Lake of Finger Lakes in the East of New York State. It is the first place to start labeling Georgian vinifera variety, Saperavi. Saperavi is an acidic, teinturier-type grape variety that has been growing in Georgia for about 6000 years and now is spreading all around the places. Standing Stone planted Saperavi a while ago but the owners of the winery could not label it as Saperavi, because it was not approved by TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) . Therefore they labeled it as the Dark Red. “Seneca Lake is not overwhelmingly famous for its red wines but we are trying to bring new viniferas so that we know what we can produce here, Saperavi is a proof that we should be growing more red here”, said the owner of Standing Stone vineyards, Marti Macinski.
2012 production of Saperavi has won a Gold Medal Award on New York Wine Fair. Therefore the owners of Standing Stone planted more Saperavi , increasing 3 acres of vineyards to 5 acres, “My husband and I decided to produce more Saperavi as we sold 200 cases of the Dark Red (Saperavi) in 8 months in 2013. We applied for a label to call it Saperavi and received approval in about a month”, said Marti Macinski who runs the winery with her husband, Tom Macinski. ” We are selling this delicious inky purple, deep, dark red, Saperavi at $29.99 which is not overly expensive and not overly cheap for New York market”, added Mrs. Macinski.
Tom and Marti purchased historic vineyards on the east side of Seneca Lake in 1991 and spent years researching the quality of these lands, “From ripe, richly flavored grapes we produce premium wines – each year making slightly more wine which is better than the preceding vintage”, said Marti Macinski. Standing Stone produced only 800 cases back in 1990s, now with increasing numbers of various wines including but not limited to Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Smokehouse Red, Saperavi and even Ice style wines, Standing Stone is producing about 8000 cases every year. “We get a fair amount of recognition, which is a little bit surprising, for our ice style wines. We harvest our grapes late, we freeze commercially and then make killer, delicious desert wines out of four different varieties” added Mrs. Macinski.
The wines made at Standing Stone Vineyards are made and sold in renovated barns, “The white wines are made in stainless steel tanks, allowing temperature control of fermentation and cellaring, and the red wines and Chardonnay are made in oak barrels – primarily American Oak but we also use Hungarian and French ones too. We spend many hours tasting the wines, both to follow their progress, and to assess the blends. We believe that the hands-on, vineyard based approach to our wines results in a superior wine finished in the bottle”, said Mrs. Macinski who hopes that her new production of Saperavi will be a huge success like the years before.
You can tour Standing Stone facility, often including a visit with someone from the wine making team, and often including samples of the current vintage from barrels or tanks.


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Mazda Motor Corp. will introduce models next spring installed with its new clean diesel engine, the automaker announced on Oct. 25.
Mazda said its new diesel engine will have improved fuel efficiency and is as clean as gasoline-powered engines.
Diesel-powered cars, once a symbol for noisy autos that emit large amounts of exhaust fumes, have traditionally been shunned by Japanese drivers.
The Hiroshima-based automaker said the new Mazda CX-5 crossover SUV will come with its next-generation 2.2-liter clean diesel engine, the Skyactiv-D 2.2.
The new engine is designed to burn fuel more efficiently than the previous engine.
The new CX-5 will also be installed with an idle stop system, which automatically shuts down the engine when the car is stationary.
The model gets 18.6 kilometers per liter, which the company says is the most fuel efficient of all the SUVs from any carmaker.
Gas-electric hybrids dominate the Japanese market for eco-friendly vehicles. But Mazda, small in size compared with rivals, has chosen to upgrade its existing engine technology while receiving licensing of hybrid technology from Toyota Motor Corp., a technology that would require an enormous investment if a carmaker pursued it on its own.
Mazda is trying to appeal to motorists by significantly improving the fuel efficiency of its small cars and marketing relatively large cars that offer the more powerful clean diesel engine.
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Coffee futures fell to the lowest price in four weeks on speculation that Europe’s struggle to contain its sovereign-debt crisis may slow the global economy, curbing commodity demand.
Greece’s government called a referendum on its latest bailout package, escalating concern that the country may default. European stocks dropped the most in five weeks, and the Standard & Poor’s GSCI Index of 24 raw materials fell as much as 3.1 percent. The dollar gained as much as 2 percent against a basket of major currencies, eroding the investment appeal of commodities.
“New worries about global growth, namely Europe, have put an end to rallies we saw in October,” James Cordier, a strategist and the founder of Optionsellers.com in Tampa, Florida, said in a telephone interview. “Greece is voting on something we thought was already done. Anytime the economy appears to be weakening, we assume the consumer will consume lesser brands of coffee.”
Arabica coffee for December delivery fell 1.5 percent to settle at $2.2365 a pound at 2 p.m. on ICE Futures U.S. in New York. Earlier, the price slumped to $2.2045, the lowest since Oct. 3. The commodity gained as much as 5.1 percent last month.
Arabica prices are expected to fall next year, given bearish fundamentals, Marcel Smits, the chief executive officer of Sara Lee Corp., said at an American Chamber of Commerce meeting in Amsterdam yesterday.
Brazil, the world’s largest producer, may have a record crop next season, at 57 million to 58 million bags, Guilherme Braga, the head of CeCafe, the coffee exporters’ council, said on Sept. 28. That’s up by about a third from 43.1 million bags in the current season, according to Conab, Brazil’s crop forecaster.
Sara Lee, based in Downers Grove, Illinois, is the owner of the Senseo brand of individual coffee packets and the Café Pilao brand in Brazil.
In London futures trading, robusta coffee gained on NYSE Liffe.


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April 16, 2012 |
As the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011 nears its time in the congressional spotlight, supporters and detractors alike are fine-tuning their arguments in preparation for another battle over how the Internet will be influenced by federal legislation. The core objective of CISPA is simple: Opening up greater means for communication between private entities and the federal government on issues of cybersecurity and national security. “Today the U.S. government protects itself using classified and unclassified threat information that it identifies from attacks on its networks,” a staffer on the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence said, introducing the legislation on a conference call April 10. “However, the majority of the private sector doesn't get access to this information because the government has no mechanism today for effectively sharing.” The points of contention reside within the details of the bill.
September 21, 2000 |
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) on Wednesday touted "identity scrubbers," self-destructing e-mail and other online privacy protection tools as an alternative to stepped-up policing of the Web. Releasing a consumer guide to state-of-the-art ways to curb personal data giveaways, Hatch said protecting online privacy was a "very hot issue and it's going to get hotter."
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
January 30, 2014 |
SACRAMENTO -- Californians routinely use their credit cards to buy songs and videos on the Internet, so a worried state Senate on Thursday approved a measure to protect consumers' information from being misused. Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara) proposed SB 383 in response to cases in which hackers have been able to steal the personal financial information of millions of credit card users. Her measure would limit online merchants to collecting personal information from consumers only if it is necessary to combat identity theft.
July 9, 2008 |
Executives from major Internet players -- Microsoft Corp., Google Inc. and Facebook Inc. -- are due for a grilling about online privacy in a Senate committee hearing today, but the company likely to get the most scrutiny is a small Silicon Valley start-up called NebuAd Inc.
January 23, 2004 |
Americans reported losses of $437 million last year to identity theft and fraud as scam artists made themselves at home on the Internet, according to federal statistics released Thursday. The Federal Trade Commission said it received more than half a million consumer complaints in 2003 as scam artists financed their spending sprees with other people's credit cards and hucksters sold nonexistent products through online sites.
September 22, 2011
An Arizona man was arrested and charged Thursday in connection with the breach of computers at Sony Pictures Entertainment early this summer where more than 37,000 users had their information stolen. Cody Kretsinger, 23, of Tempe, Ariz., was arrested and expected to make a court appearance later Thursday in a Phoenix courtroom. An indictment unsealed in Los Angeles charged Kretsinger with one count each of conspiracy and unauthorized impairment of a protected computer. It wasn't immediately known if Kretsinger had retained an attorney.
October 13, 1999 |
A privacy watchdog group filed a lawsuit Tuesday that seeks to force the Federal Trade Commission to release hundreds of complaints it has received from consumers concerned about potential abuses of their personal data. The suit accuses the commission of improperly withholding records. But its broader aim is to undercut the government's position that industry self-regulation, combined with FTC enforcement, are adequate privacy protections in the Internet age.


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Good Oil: Mazda breathes new life into first gen MX 5
Search Driven for vehicles for sale
Move over Ferrari and Jaguar, now there's a budget-minded sportscar manufacturer with its own official restoration programme.
If your beloved Mazda MX-5 is looking a little bit worse for wear these days, never fear ... well, until the bill comes, anyway.
Mazda has announced its own specialty restoration service for first-generation (and still utterly brilliant) MX-5 roadsters.
The cult classic "NA" model MX-5 is suddenly 28 years old and, as per the normal course of things, pristine examples cruising the streets are getting rarer. But Mazda -- never a car company to shy away from celebrating its esteemed past -- is helping to revitalise first-gen MX-5s with an in-house restoration programme that even has buy-in from several component suppliers for the 1989-era MX.
These include original tyre supplier Bridgestone, and Nardi, who will supply previously discontinued new-old-stock steering wheels and gear knobs.
Well there are two; the first one being that you'll have to ship your precious MX to Japan to have the ground-up re-fettle completed.
But aside from freight fees, with around 23,000 first-gen MX-5s (or Eunos, as the first one was known in its domestic market) still on the road in Japan, there will probably be a waiting list stretching out to months, if not years.
The other catch will be the price.
This is no quick once-over with some upholstery revitaliser and a visit by a man in a "We Fix Your Alloys!" van.
While the refurb service fee has been politely sidestepped in all the media we've seen, it will probably exceed the value of the average MX.
But still, imagine your Mazda MX-5 Mk 1 sparkling in the sun on that weekend run to the Coromandel.
You don't need Italian supercars to turn heads.
Ferrari says "si" to an SUV
Up until this month, the premium manufacturer's official stance on the question of a Ferrari SUV was to physically scoff, flick its hand under its chin and mutter something unintelligible and Italian (but no doubt uncomplimentary), before spitting on the ground and stalking away after a theatrical heel-turn.
Now though, Marchionne admits a Ferrari-badged SUV "will probably happen". Although he quickly followed this with, "but it will happen in Ferrari style".
What that means is anyone's guess. But though any SUV development will take place in secret, the carmaker boss was open and honest about his reasons for the change of heart: dollari.
"That space is too big and too inviting and we have a lot of our customers who will be more than willing to drive a Ferrari-branded vehicle that has that kind of utilitarian objective," Marchionne explained to media during a press conference announcing Ferrari's second-quarter results last week.
As with other luxury and performance carmakers such as Bentley, Maserati, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce, the lure of expanding the customer base looks too enticing an opportunity to pass up. Marchionne has stated he wants to double Ferrari's global profits by 2022 and that the company's Maranello manufacturing centre could feasibly double its capacity. It's likely SUVs will be key to achieving these goals.
The admission that an SUV could be on the cards did come with an amusing -- and Marchionne-style -- caveat. He told journalists to "shoot me first" if Ferrari simply created a straightforward rival for the Bentley Bentayga or Porsche Cayenne, suggesting the Italian carmaker's idea of exactly what constitutes an SUV might not be what we're all thinking.
Ferrari has already dabbled with a 4x4 car; the annoyingly monikered GTC4LUSSO T, which combined all-wheel drive with a V8-powered, grand tourer coupe body style. Whatever a Ferrari SUV might look like, we'd suggest its go-anywhere abilities will play second-fiddle to a combination of good looks and impressive top speed.
Crack open the Bolly; it's an electric off roader
Created by a New Yorker called Robert Bollinger, the Bollinger B1 looks like it might have started life as a Land Rover Defender 90, but with any design aesthetic pared down to the bare minimum.
Having made his money in organic beauty products, Bollinger says he has long-harboured a dream to build a vehicle. With the funds to employ a small team of engineers, he and his cohorts set about creating something that filled the remit of being sustainable and capable all at once.
"Minimalist" is a word that comes to mind. But then, the Bollinger B1 could also be a worthy reminder that so much of the tech in the modern 4x4 is superfluous when you just want to go up a hill in a straight line.
Inside the B1, you'll find two front seats, a steering wheel, an integrated tool box, sliding windows and rear seats that can be removed if required. Um ... that's about it really. Oh, the front grille also folds open, allowing for storage where the engine would be. Bollinger states the B1's battery-driven twin-motor set-up will generate about 260kW and a shade under 640Nm of torque. Bollinger wants to sell the B1 4x4 for US$60,000 ($81,580). Or for an extra $10,800 the manufacturer will fit a bigger battery, giving the off-roader a 320km range.