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Illumina is preparing to launch more focused whole-genome genotyping arrays for use in genome-wide association studies, even as it gathers content for its next major BeadChip release, the Omni5, which is scheduled to launch next year.
Chief Financial Officer Christian Henry said this week that adoption of the firm's HumanOmni2.5-Quad DNA Analysis BeadChip is "ahead of expectations," and that its customers are "converting to the 2.5M from the 1M and other legacy products."
Henry made his remarks during a presentation at Morgan Stanley's Global Health Care Conference, held this week in New York.
Illumina launched the 2.5M in June. The chip contains common and rare variants from the 1000 Genomes Project, is available in a four-sample format composed of approximately 10 million markers per array, and is compatible with the company's iScan or HiScan system (BAN 6/8/2010).
While Illumina moves customers to the 2.5M, the firm is planning more arrays to serve GWAS customers, starting with a 5-million SNP BeadChip that Illumina anticipates will launch next year. Beyond that, the company imagines making more focused genotyping arrays available to clients.
"We have launched the 2.5M, we will launch the 5M sometime later next year, and we will have the ability to launch a whole suite of products that will be dependent on various ethnicities," Henry said. He added that the firm is ready to make and sell "different flavors of 2.5M or 5M or 1M, depending on what the customer base is telling us," and hinted at even denser genotyping arrays. "Our new platform allows extension into 5M and even beyond that," he said.
Illumina's interest in making population-focused arrays available is not new. For instance, the firm has in the past sold a HumanHap650Y Genotyping BeadChip for studying African populations. At the same time, its main rival in the GWAS market, Affymetrix, has also pledged to introduce ethnicity-themed arrays to the marketplace, beginning with an Asian population-themed array later this year (BAN 8/3/2010).
While Illumina last year predicted that the GWAS market would return to high levels of growth in the second half of 2010, Henry this week said that this resurgence will occur next year instead.
"In 2009, we saw the business decline," Henry said. "Our view was that people were waiting for content to come out of 1000 Genomes Project to reinitiate studies," he said. "What we have seen in the first half of this year is that people are getting back into arrays, repowering studies with additional content, and are contemplating or starting to work on new studies."
These early studies will "be foundational in driving what the next wave of GWAS will look like for the company," Henry said. "Sometime in the first half of next year you will see that resurgence."
Henry added that the fact that Illumina has seen its latest generation chips adopted in new projects is a sign of a market revival. "Just having new projects getting initiated gives you inertia," he said. "Researchers talk to each other," said Henry. "I think we have turned the corner overall."


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Mars Petcare hires new president for North America group
Singh will be responsible for the full Pet Nutrition North American portfolio, including brands like Pedigree, Sheba and Iams.
Adapted from a press release:
Executives at the world’s largest pet food company, Mars Petcare, hired Ikdeep Singh as regional president of Mars Pet Nutrition North America, a division of Mars Petcare. Singh will join the company on August 31, 2020 and formally assume full responsibility for the role…

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ONLINE advertising is booming. Digital-ad revenues in America in the first half of the year reached a record $32.7bn, according to the latest figures from the Interactive Advertising Bureau, a trade group. For marketing folk, digital ads have great appeal because consumers’ online data can be used to direct what they think are the right advertisements to the right shoppers. But tracking has become increasingly contentious in both America and Europe.
On October 27th America’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced a new rule to protect personal privacy online. Internet-service providers, such as AT&T and Comcast, must now ask consumers for permission if they want to gather and share data deemed to be sensitive, including financial information and users’ browsing history.
However, the FCC’s rule is notable not for settling a debate, but stirring it. Marketers and digital-ad firms insist that they already police themselves well. They consider data on browsing and apps, in particular, to be essential for targeted advertising. Under the FCC’s rule consumers can “opt in” to share this information, but firms fear that many will not.
Read more here: Digital advertisers battle over online privacy


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The digital takeover of the Spring/Summer 2017 runway season has renegotiated the parameters of Fashion Week. GDR Innovation Researcher Sophia Platts-Palmer discusses the chatbots, see-now buy-now strategies, wearables, millennial FROWS (front row’s) and an abundance of high-tech acronyms such as VR, AI, AR that we’ve seen gracing both the catwalks and the headlines.
Fashion Week is no longer a trade-only event, shrouded in mystery and glamour. The rise of the blogger, smartphones, social media and the capabilities of app-based, e-commerce strategies are altering how we consume high fashion.
Digitally-savvy consumers now expect instant – and increasingly candid – access to brands and products. This has been dubbed “Insta-gratification”. For the first time, luxury designers are using the runway as an opportunity to meet consumer demand in real-time and trial new technologies, which has sparked a crucial discourse on the future of fashion media.
One of the major innovations to take over the runway this season was the see-now buy-now phenomenon. This unique commerce strategy has dominated this runway season and given a new understanding to the retail potential of Fashion Week. Brands including Burberry, Tommy Hilfiger, Topshop and Tom Ford have all adopted see-now buy-now, enabling consumers to purchase items from the collection as soon as they hit the runway, via their smartphones. This technique provides a sharp contrast to the industry’s traditional six-month retail-to-runway wait time and points to a fashion landscape no longer bound by traditional ‘seasons’.
Chatbots have found their way into runway season in order to direct sales. Both Burberry and Tommy Hilfiger have exploited the technique. Hilfiger has collaborated with the tech company msg.ai to launch their TMY.GRL bot to engage with customers via Facebook Messenger. Puneet Mehta (CEO of msg.ai) in conversation with The Guardian said of the trend: “The consumer and brand relationship is on the cusp of the most significant change since the smartphone. Messaging is becoming the new browser and the gateway to consumer lives, with artificial intelligence bots being the new user interface.”
Snapchat and Instagram Stories have gone head-to-head with both platforms bringing the collections to life and to a larger audience than ever before.
Virtual and augmented reality has also featured this season. Models and audiences have donned VR headsets in a quest for total experiential immersion. Tech giant Intel has been named a patron of the British Fashion Council and has partnered with Voke’s GearVR app and numerous designers in NYFW to bring a new digital reality to the runway. If fashion wants to remain a leading authority on the global stage it seems more crucial than ever for industry leaders to unite with technology.
As runway season draws to a close this week in Paris, the discussion surrounding the tech takeover of the industry has reached a contentious climax. A heated debate about who really rules the roost in today’s digitally-connected, fast-paced world of fashion has begun. The question posed is whether ultimate authority still sits with media stalwarts such as Vogue or has power shifted to the autonomous bloggers and tech-savvy millennials who are poised with their fingers on the button, ready to snap, share and disrupt in exchange for likes.
A traditional business model is being disrupted; social media and technology is democratising high fashion. Vogue has spoken out against the notion of ‘paid to wear’ tactics popularised by the street style bloggers to whom brands gift garments in exchange for exposure, by claiming this trend “heralds the death of style”. The bloggers have of course hit back by challenging Vogue’s traditional method of authority in exchange for their self-branded, self-made authenticity.
Finally we are seeing the disruption of the usually impenetrable fashion industry by technology. In my opinion it’s been a long time coming and I am looking forward to sitting back and watching the show.


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Consumers lucky enough to get their hands on rapid over-the-counter COVID-19 tests will soon be reimbursed by their insurers for the cost of such devices underthis week.
The Biden administration said Monday it would require private insurers to cover the cost of eight home tests per family member each month, in a bid to expand Americans’ access to rapid tests. Although it is widely seen as a step in the right direction, critics of the plan argue that, and that they should either be sent directly to Americans or be free at the point of purchase, to ensure equitable access to which are now an integral part of the country’s plan to contain the spread of the virus.
That said, the initiative encourages insurers to make testing available at no upfront cost to members by setting up preferred retailer networks that insurance plans will reimburse later.
Read on for answers to frequently asked questions about the initiative.
Who is eligible? What if I am not privately insured?
Under the plan, only Americans who are privately insured canFrom Saturday, no prescription or prior authorization is required, according to guidelines published Monday by the Department of Health and Social Services.
Americans who are uninsured or covered by Medicare will not be able to claim reimbursement for over-the-counter tests they purchase. Instead, the White House has said it will send 500 million rapid home tests to Americans who will order them through an upcoming government website for free home delivery. The government will also provide 50 million free tests to community health centers and rural clinics for Americans who are not eligible for reimbursement through the federal plan.
Are the tests I have already purchased covered?
No. Consumers will not be reimbursed retroactively for tests they have already purchased. Insurers are only responsible for covering the cost of tests purchased from Saturday January 15th.
What types of tests are covered?
Every variety of over-the-counter COVID-19 test cleared for emergency use by the United States Food and Drug Administration is covered by the new initiative. Approved tests include Abbott’s BinaxNow home test, Quidel’s QuickVue antigen test, and OraSure’s InteliSwab rapid test, among others.
Also on the list is Intrivo’s On / Go test, which was recently ranked among the best by an independent patient safety group that rated a handful of tests based on their ease of use.
ECRI, the independent non-profit organization, gave the test a rating of “very good” in terms of usability. The BinaxNow, QuickVue and InteliSwab tests turned out to have “good” user-friendliness, ECRI reported.
Home test kits could be even more difficult for lay people to administer, the association noted. “We have had scientists and engineers trained to handle complex medical devices evaluate them,” ECRI President and CEO Marcus Schabacker told CBS MoneyWatch.
Where can I buy them?
Rapid home tests remain difficult to find in the United States. “The demand is skyrocketing right now; it is very difficult to find tests. When available, they are immediately retrieved. “
Rapid tests are available in limited quantities online and in physical stores., once known to address men’s health issues like hair loss and erectile dysfunction, has On / Go testing in stock and allows customers to purchase up to 12 test kits per order. Each kit, which includes two tests, costs $ 30.
Is there a limit to the number of tests I can purchase?
Yes. The Biden administration is requiring insurers to cover the cost of up to eight tests per month, or nearly two tests per week per person.
Will I be automatically refunded the full amount?
It depends. Under the guidelines, the Biden administration is encouraging private insurers to make testing available to members for free at the point of purchase by creating networks of preferred retailers, including pharmacies. Insurers would then reimburse the retailer, rather than the consumer, for the cost of the test.
“The way the language is written, if an insurer sets up a preferred network of retailers, they can use it to provide direct patient coverage at the point of sale,” said Caitlin Donovan, spokesperson for the National Patient Advocate Foundation. “Then they wouldn’t have to ask for reimbursement. Essentially, the insurer would reimburse the seller for these tests.”
If a member purchases a test outside of a preferred network, insurers are only required to reimburse at a rate of $ 12 per test, according to the White House, leaving insured customers online for part of the cost of varieties. more expensive tests.
If no preferred supplier network exists, insurers must reimburse consumers for the full cost they pay for testing. In these cases, privately insured consumers will need to keep their receipts and give them to their insurance company for reimbursement.
“If a supplier doesn’t set up this network, they have to reimburse whatever the purchase price is. It’s the incentive to get them to set up networks,” Donovan added.
Networks also free patients from having to navigate often complex reimbursement systems and procedures.
“The administration encourages insurers to make testing available for free to people without having to go through reimbursement legwork by creating networks so that individuals can simply come in and get tests,” said Lindsey Dawson, testing expert at KFF. .
“About two tests per week per American is certainly more than what the average person in the United States is doing right now. Whether that is enough is something we will have to watch out for,” she added.


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Blockbuster auction to continue into second day
New York City — Blockbuster’s bankruptcy auction is set to stretch into a second day on Tuesday after preliminary talks between bidders and the chain’s representatives dragged on late into Monday, a company spokesman said.
Blockbuster did not say how many bidders it attracted, but halls outside the auction room in Manhattan bankruptcy court were packed with attorneys and investment bankers refining their bids throughout Monday, Reuters reported.
With talks wrapping up Monday evening, the bidding itself is set to take place on Tuesday and will be public, said Blockbuster spokesman Michael Freitag, according to Reuters.
Satellite television company Dish Network Corp. and billionaire investor Carl Icahn qualified for the auction by submitting bids last week, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
A Dish spokesman declined to comment. Icahn did not return calls seeking a comment, but a room at the courthouse was reserved for the Icahn group.
Gordon Brothers Group and Hilco Merchant Resources also submitted a joint bid for Blockbuster’s inventory, the Journal said on Monday.
The auction will be followed by a hearing before federal bankruptcy judge Burton Lifland on April 7 to approve the new owner.
Diamond Foods takes a chip out of P&G
SAN FRANCISCO and CINCINNATI — A Procter & Gamble potato chip brand will merge with a snack company in a $2.35 billion deal.
P&G said that it inked a definitive agreement to merge its Pringles business into Diamond Foods — whose portfolio includes such brands as Emerald Nuts and Pop Secret popcorn — which boasted revenues of about $2.4 billion. The transaction, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2011, is subject to approval by Diamond shareholders and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
Diamond Foods president and CEO Michael Mendes called the deal a "strategic combination" and that the company will build on Pringles’ brand equity. The combined business will remain in San Francisco, Diamond Foods said.
For fiscal year 2012, Diamond anticipates strong growth in its core business with earnings per share of $2.85 to $2.98 on a standalone basis, which represents a 30% increase over 2010 EPS.
Walgreens’ March sales jump
DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Tuesday reported March sales of $6.3 billion, an increase of 7.6%. Duane Reade stores, acquired in April 2010, contributed 280 basis points to the total sales increase for the month.
Total front-end sales increased 8.4% in March, including 470 basis points from Duane Reade stores. Despite the negative impact of this year’s later Easter, which falls on April 24 this year, compared with April 4 last year, comparable-store front-end sales increased 1.6%. Customer traffic in comparable stores increased 0.8%, while basket size increased 0.8%.
Prescriptions filled at comparable stores increased 3.5% in March. Calendar day shifts negatively impacted prescriptions filled in comparable stores by 90 basis points.
March pharmacy sales increased 7.3%, while comparable pharmacy sales increased 3.7%. Comparable pharmacy sales were negatively impacted by 230 basis points due to generic drug introductions in the last 12 months. Pharmacy sales accounted for 66.4% of total sales for the month.
Sales in comparable stores for the month increased 3%. Duane Reade stores are not included in any comparable store results. Walgreens will report combined comparable-store sales for March and April with its April sales results.


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Naked Brand Group strikes out in revised strategic direction with new CEO
Following a global strategic review, Sydney-based intimates and swimwear company Naked Brand Group Limited announced on Wednesday that it has appointed Anna Johnson, the former EGM of its wholly owned Bendon subsidiary, as its new CEO.
Johnson brings 25 years of experience in a wide range of industries to her new position, having first joined Bendon as EGM in 2012, before leaving to become EGM of operations at New Zealand’s largest retail conglomerate The Warehouse Group in 2017.
During her first stint at Bendon, Johnson led the company’s retail channel, achieving sequential 30% plus returns from a number of women’s categories.
The executive has also previously served as GM at the New Zealand territory and franchisee with Australian retailer Harvey Norman.
She succeeds Justin Davis-Rice, who has now been named as Naked’s executive chairman.
“Anna, who has been successfully implementing our strategic plan within Bendon for the past five months, has a proven track record of restructuring and transforming established businesses in the consumer sector and we believe her role as CEO of Naked will amplify our new strategic direction,” said Davis-Rice in a release. “[Her] appointment to CEO marks a new growth plan for the company that is well underway, and we look forward to providing a full update on our progress in the weeks to come.”
Having recently received strategic financing and completed a process of debt restructuring with its key manufacturing partners, Naked Brand Group also revealed a new growth plan to ensure the company’s profitability moving forward.
The group announced that, as part of this plan, which aims to achieve an aggregate of $6.5 million in cost savings, it has already abandoned unprofitable channels in the UK and EU, as well as select independent channels in Australia and New Zealand. The Naked brand will, however, continue to be sold in the UK and EU via key accounts with retailers such as Selfridges and Outnet.
The company has also downsized its offices in Sydney, Hong Kong and the US.
Looking forward, the Naked brand is expected to complete its full integration into the group’s portfolio, which also includes the Bendon, Pleasure State and Heidi Klum Intimates labels, by May of this year, a process which has already resulted in $1.5 million in annualized cost savings.
Furthermore, Naked Brand Group is now attempting to manoeuvre in order to support the growth of its direct-to-customer model, which includes its 66 company-owned stores and its wholesale clients, while also refocusing its marketing strategy in order to be more inclusive, thereby appealing more effectively to both new and existing customers.
“We are very grateful for the shareholder support during what has been a challenging period,” stated Johnson. “We have worked diligently to put all the pieces together that now give the company a clear line of sight to a resumption of revenue growth in 2019.”
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Germany’s move to introduce some of Europe’s most progressive cannabis laws has come to a halt due to concerns raised by the European Union. The government had proposed allowing the sale of cannabis in licensed stores, but had to water it down due to the EU’s concerns. The modified two-stage plan still permits adults to possess cannabis in small amounts but not its sale in stores nationwide. The first stage of the new plan would permit the creation of “cannabis clubs”, non-profit groups with up to 500 members permitted to cultivate the drug for personal use. The proposed bill related to the cannabis clubs will be revealed later this month and will soon be presented for the cabinet and MPs’ approval before being enacted. The second stage involves a five-year pilot project in regions whose locations are yet to be decided. The project will focus on the production and sale of cannabis in authorized stores under government licensing. However, the widespread sale of the drug across the country, as originally planned, was not possible under European law. Critics from the conservative opposition, such as Markus Soeder, leader of the CDU’s sister party, the CSU, have criticized the government’s proposals, stating that the government is “fundamentally on the wrong track” and that drug legalization is “simply the wrong way to go”. According to them, the proposed establishment of drug clubs would only create new issues instead of solving existing ones. Still, the Health Minister Karl Lauterbach remains optimistic, emphasizing that the “original goals” of tackling the black market, protecting young people, and promoting safer consumption remain untouched. With the legalisation of cannabis, there is a chance to bring a positive change in Germany’s policies – and even at the European level. Opinion: It’s commendable that the German government is one of the few in Europe that has taken a step forward in legalising cannabis for personal use. The benefits of legalizing marijuana are numerous, ranging from decreasing black-market activity to creating jobs and economic growth. Moreover, cannabis has been scientifically proven to be less harmful than tobacco and alcohol. It’s unfortunate that the widespread sale of the drug across the country has been stopped due to European law’s restrictive nature. We hope that the pilot project will achieve its set goals and bring us closer to the legalization of the substance in a broader context. Drug clubs can be of great significance, cultivating safer usage of marijuana, thereby ensuring that minors stay away from the drug.
As a disclaimer, the opinions expressed in this article don’t reflect those of High Thailand.


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PGIM Real Estate has teamed up with Madrid-based real estate manager Azora to invest over €150m in last-mile logistics in Spain.
The pair have launched PGIM Real Estate Última Milla, jointly funded by PGIM Real Estate’s European value-add strategy and Azora.
The companies said the newly created platform will be funded with €75m in initial equity commitments, providing a total investment capacity of over €150m, which it expects to deploy over the next 2-3 years.
The plan is to make investments in major cities like Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia. Azora will source, underwrite and manage the portfolio.
Cristina Garcia-Peri, the head of strategy and business development at Azora, said: “Being able to launch Spain’s first pure-play investment vehicle for last-mile logistics assets, alongside such a high-calibre investment partner as PGIM Real Estate, allows us to further extend our substantial and long-standing real estate investment platform.
“At a time when demand is increasing exponentially, with Spanish e-commerce penetration beginning to catch up with many other European countries, this venture will allow us to harness our expertise in the Spanish market to deliver double-digit returns on behalf of our clients.”
Nabil Mabed, the head of France, Spain and Portugal at PGIM Real Estate, said: “The Spanish last-mile logistics market is hugely undersupplied, and, following the COVID-19 crisis, the importance of on-shoring and supply chain are becoming increasingly important.
“We look forward to working alongside Azora to leverage these trends to source and deliver attractive opportunities on behalf of our clients.”
To read the digital edition of the latest IPE Real Assets magazine click here.


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Microsoft has rolled out a new update for Xbox Game Bar on Windows 10. This brings a frame rate counter to track in-game FPS, and an achievement overlay to keep up with your achievements.
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The latest "New Feature Friday" edition for paginated reports in Power BI brings three new features rolling out this week. These include the capability to add comments, Secure Embed support, and more.
Microsoft has rolled out an update for the Dynamics 365 Business Central, improving the translation module, and having the assisted setup module contain all setup capabilities, including guides.
Huawei's latest flagship, the Mate 30, was unveiled yesterday in Germany. Huawei CEO Richard Yu later confirmed that Google apps would be pushed to the phone "over one night" if the U.S. ban lifts.
The September update of the gateway bumps the service to version version 3000.9.194, and brings an updated version of the Mashup Engine, matching the one released this month for Power BI Desktop.
After opening recruitment for the Microsoft Flight Simulator Tech Alpha last week, the schedule for its release has now been unveiled, with October 24 noted as the date the release window opens.
The new video series will focus on the fundamentals of Python, and is hosted by Senior Program Manager at Microsoft, Christopher Harrison, alongside Susan Ibach, who works at AI Gaming.
Microsoft has introduced a new metric, "Xbox content and services revenue growth" in earnings reports, which will be replacing gaming revenue and Xbox Live monthly active users going forward.
Microsoft has announced a new share repurchase program, along with a quarterly dividend increase. In addition, the tech giant's annual shareholders meeting is set for December 4, 2019.
Zone redundant storage is now generally available for Azure Files premium tier, in additional to LRS. Currently being offered in the West Europe region, coverage will soon be expanded.
Microsoft has continued its Airband Initiative journey by teaming up with Nextlink Internet. The partnership will bring broadband access to nine million people, including one million in rural areas.
Oracle has announced the expansion of its cloud partnership with Microsoft. This move will see it integrate its Digital Assistant with Microsoft Teams, allowing access to Oracle Cloud Applications.
Microsoft is teaming up with Schlumberger and Chevron to innovate in petrotechnical and digital technology. The companies will be deploying Azure-native apps in the DELFI cloud environment.
Google has announced that support for real-time and turn-based multiplayer APIs will be ending on March 31. Developers are being pointed towards alternative services like Firebase Realtime Database.
Google is trying to make search results, particularly those that feature inline reviews, more helpful. Algorithmic updates will be addressing misleading implementations flagged by webmasters.


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The 3D photo feature was launched in 2018, around the same time smartphones had packing launching dual-lens cameras. The feature took photos with various layers of depth, contrasting colours, and solid texture to create the appearance of a three-dimensional image. It was not supposed on devices that have a single, rear-facing camera.
With the new feature, 3D photos will be available to everyone. The 3D feature captures a foreground subject in great detail while artistically blurring the background. The platform then uses extra data in those image files to create an enhanced image in which background appears to be moving.
The new system infers with the 3D structure of any image, whether it is a new shot captured on an Android or iOS device with a standard single camera or an old image which is recently uploaded to a phone.
In an official announcement, Facebook said, “This advance makes 3D photo technology easily accessible for the first time to the many millions of people who use single-lens camera phones or tablets. Anyone with an iPhone 7 or higher, or a recent midrange or better Android device, can now try these options in the Facebook app.”
Users can experience converting decade-old family photos into 3D with this feature. It took great efforts for Facebook to come up with this feature. Facebook had to build an enhanced 3D photos technique by overcoming various technical challenges.
Facebook explains, “To overcome these challenges, we trained a convolutional neural network (CNN) on millions of pairs of public 3D images and their accompanying depth maps, and leveraged a variety of mobile-optimization techniques previously developed by Facebook AI, such as FBNet and ChamNet.”


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General Motors to start exporting cars from India
MUMBAI (Reuters) - General Motors (GM.N) India said it would begin exporting vehicles from the country and start selling a left-hand-drive version of its Chevrolet Beat hatchback to Chile in the first quarter of 2015.
The company said it would begin production of the cars meant for export at its Talegaon plant, located in western India, in the second half of this year.
General Motors has two factories in India that can build a combined 282,000 vehicles annually, but it has been utilising less than a third of their total capacity.
GM sold nearly 81,000 passenger vehicles in India in the fiscal year ended in March for a market share of 3.2 percent, according to data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.
Global automakers, including Ford Motor Co (F.N), are keen on making India a regional export hub, especially for small cars, taking advantage of it as a low-cost manufacturing base.
(Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan; Editing by Anupama Dwivedi)
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India could run out of a critical medicine in its free HIV/AIDS drugs programme in three weeks due to bureaucratic bungling, a senior government official said, leaving more than 150,000 sufferers without life-saving drugs for about a month. Full Article


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The pharmaceutical industry may have pioneered some great science, but when it comes to digital health it has been behind the curve. As patients and payers open up to the idea pharma has now begun to embrace the digital revolution. This report looks at where the industry is now and where it can go.
The swift developments in digital technology in recent years have transformed so many areas of our lives, from education and personal banking, to everyday activities like booking travel. Healthcare has also seen digital incursions, yet the strides made here seem small compared with those achieved in other areas – the motor industry, for example.
Cars contain many sensors that continually monitor performance and notify the owner when something is wrong, points out Ali Parsa, CEO of digital healthcare provider Babylon. And he says the time will come when we will be able do the same in medicine. “We are approaching an area where we will be looking at our biosensors and signals in our bodies that will tell us what is happening in it. We will know the solution to your problem a millisecond after we have received the signal and that information will be freely available to everyone everywhere.”
Such is the huge promise of digital healthcare: experts say it can revolutionize medical progress, but the pharma and biotech industries cannot deliver these advances alone – they need technology expertise to help meet the growing expectations of their consumers. Industry has already begun to team up with tech firms, both niche companies and giants like Google and Apple, to help it catch up and begin to exploit more fully the field’s almost limitless potential. But at the same time, it is acutely aware of the need to negotiate regulatory and security minefields.
About the author: Lubna Ahmed joined the Scrip editorial team in 2015 as a graduate in human biology and journalism. She is particularly interested in digital medicine and technology, social media, and who is moving where within the pharma industry.


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The Rediscovery Centre was featured in the Irish Independent Weekend Magazine Hotlist! It highlighted our online upcycling interior design workshop with The Revamp Tramp that is taking place on Saturday the 23rd of January. Places are still available and they …Read More
In line with its objectives for 2020, Q2Reuse conducts targeted stakeholder engagement, furthering research for the National project which is funded by the EPA.
An online call with 13 out of twenty key identified stakeholders took place on November 30…Read More
The Rediscovery Centre is delighted to have our Rediscover Fashion programme featured in UNRAVELLED – A photo essay on Europe’s textile transition. META met with some of the people, projects, and businesses on the frontline of Europe’s textile transformation to …Read More
The Rediscovery Centre is delighted to be partnering with Sustainable Days for a fantastic weekend dedicated to having fun and exploring science, technology, engineering and climate change. On Saturday the 28th of November Mark Dunn from Rediscover Cycling will host …Read More


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Bakersfield, CA – A California Democrat introduced legislation on Monday that would repeal part of a law that critics believe is to blame for the wave of flash-mob style and smash-and-grab robberies that has occurred since Proposition 47 was enacted.
Proposition 47 was passed by Democrats in 2014 and, in part, reduced the crime of shoplifting to a misdemeanor if the amount of goods stolen was less than $950, KGET reported.
“Enough is enough, we need to fight back against the criminals who are stealing from our communities,” California Assemblyman Rudy Salas said when he announced the amendment on Jan. 3.
“We have seen the unintended consequences of Prop 47’s weakening of our theft laws and I believe California voters are ready to make their voices heard on this issue again,” Salas told reporters.
His amendment – Assembly Bill 1603 – would reduce the threshold for petty theft to $400, meaning anything above that would result in felony charges, KGET reported.
Prior to the passage of Proposition 47, $450 was the marker between misdemeanor and felony charges.
California business owners begged for help from state lawmakers as retail thefts skyrocketed after Proposition 47 went into effect, KFSN reported.
The owner of a camera store said his business has been the victim of numerous brazen thefts.
“We feel a little bit like everyone sort of just forgot us and said whatever happens here is acceptable,” Stan Grosz, with Horn Photo, told KFSN.
Grosz said people walk out of the store in broad daylight regularly with pricey electronics.
He said thieves act like customers and then steal expensive display items, KFSN reported.
The store owner explained that because he competes with big retailers like Amazon, it’s very important for him to make his merchandise available for shoppers to try out.
“So you can’t keep everything locked away in a place like Horn Photo because they come here to be able to touch a camera. If they can’t touch it, then they are buying it online,” Grosz said.
He said he supported Salas’ amendment to Proposition 47, KFSN reported.
“It will discourage more theft. If it discourages more theft, then we are moving in the right direction,” Grosz explained.
Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims is also a supporter of AB 1603, KFSN reported.
“It was maybe an experiment. It failed. It’s time to change things,” Sheriff Mims said.
The sheriff said she thought that if the state lets thieves off too easily, they are more likely to steal again and their crimes escalate, KFSN reported.
“Unfortunately, what happens is they become so emboldened, their crimes become more and more serious,” she said.
Sheriff Mims said that reducing the petty theft maximum to $400 would be a game changer for law enforcement because the difference between a felony and a misdemeanor affected so many aspects of a case, KFSN reported.
“Whether or not they stay in jail. What their bail amount is. The seriousness of the offense. Prior convictions. This could be very detrimental to someone who has a criminal history,” the sheriff explained.
The timing of Salas’ introduction of AB 1603 hit just as California retailers were trying to recover from a brutal holiday shopping season that saw unprecedented mob-style thefts.
Multiple stores all over the Bay Area reported mobs of thieves pulling up and blocking roadways with vehicles as they loaded their booty and made getaways with nothing blocking their way.
There were so many flash-mob style robberies of high-end businesses immediately after Thanksgiving that San Francisco Mayor London Breen announced she was shutting down the streets around the city’s Union Square shopping district.
“There will be limited access in terms of when you come to this area,” Breed announced.
San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said at the time that he was on board with the mayor’s plan to restrict access to the streets around Union Square just as the height of the holiday shopping season began, SFGate reported.
“We have to make it difficult for people do to what they did last night,” Chief Scott said. “Pull up right next to a business, shatter the windows, wipe out everything they can carry, get right in their cars parked at the curb and leave.”


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Gloom for Nando's as losses hit £23m
Rising raw ingredient prices and slower consumer spending meant losses deepened last year at Nando’s, the South African chain of chicken restaurants.
The franchise made a loss of £23 million on sales of £167 million in the 36 weeks to February 2009, according to documents filed with Companies House.
Lean times: Nando's plans 20 new outlets despite a deepening deficit
The performance was worse than a year earlier when the business recorded a deficit of £20 million on turnover of £187 million.
Nando’s directors declared they were ‘satisfied’ with the results, but said inflation had eaten into profits.
‘Management expect this margin to improve in the coming year,’ they said. ‘The group has made significant and exciting progress and our store opening programme is progressing strongly.’
Founded in 1987, Nando’s has expanded rapidly since opening its first British outlet in London in the early Nineties. It has 220 restaurants in Britain and plans a further 20 this year.
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As few will need reminding, this week marks a crucial milestone for our hospitality sector and our social lives as beer gardens, high streets and outdoor areas open to customers once more. It is uplifting to see our city opening up again, as revellers this week in Soho, London Bridge and Clapham Common will testify.
Of course, the UK should raise a glass to this achievement. Thanks to the Government’s Herculean efforts to roll out the vaccine, we are within touching distance of herd immunity, with over 32 million people having received their first dose. In the next week, it’s predicted that 24 million people – half of England’s adult population – will go out to drink or shop. Contrast this progress to our European neighbours, who have once again been forced to tighten lockdown restrictions, and the picture looks comparatively rosy.
But, given the phenomenal success of our vaccine programme, is there any reason we cannot open up hospitality in London fully and faster?
The reality is that our pubs, restaurants and cafes are up against as many challenges today as they were last week, and only a full reopening will allow them and the rest of the city to get back on their feet. The Government has said repeatedly that the lockdown measures would be driven by data, not dates – yet, unrevised, our roadmap out of lockdown speaks to the contrary, at least for hospitality.
First, there is only so much to be gained from reopening outdoors, at great expense, for 5 weeks only. Even while hospitality CEOs have told me they’re excited about this next phase of the roadmap, the preparation costs have been huge, and will see only limited returns until they can open indoors and ditch the rule of six. Restocking supplies and setting up the outdoor areas needed to welcome back customers has racked up bills of as much as £25,000. That massive bill comes after five months of zero footfall. That’s before any of these businesses have even begun to try to repay their emergency Covid-19 loans, with no guarantee that they’ll make up the expense.
Even then, we’re only talking about the hospitality businesses that do have enough outdoor space to attempt to recoup lost time and income – under a third of all licensed pubs and restaurants have that luxury, of which pubs make up the lion’s share. With almost all of the over-50s now vaccinated, there seems little justification for prolonging these pains, least of all when consumers are hungry to go out and spend, and when London’s ailing cultural scene relies on hospitality recovering.
Reopening fully, faster would also help ease hospitality’s staff shortage, a hidden problem to industry outsiders, as ironic as this might seem at the height of an unemployment crisis. EU migrants make up 12-24 per cent of the UK’s hospitality labour force, and the majority of it in London and other cities. Most of these employees are on furlough and have returned to their home countries for lockdown. Without them, pubs, restaurants and cafes will struggle to get the headcount they need to resume business. As I’ve heard from many business owners, a partial reopening is unlikely to tempt these people back.
Turning to one of the demographics hardest hit by the pandemic, I can think of yet another reason for bringing forward the full reopening – students. According to the ONS, almost two thirds have had worse mental health since the start of the 2020 Autumn Term, and their satisfaction with life is still well below the average adult population’s. No wonder – they’ve been cooped up in student accommodation or at home with Mum and Dad for the past year. They’ve missed Freshers Week, sport and societies, and most of their in person teaching, all in the knowledge that they will probably bear the economic brunt of this pandemic long into the future.
Reopening in earnest would mean students can at least enjoy end of term celebrations, as well as begin to seek summer work. Students would benefit hugely from being able to work in hospitality in a way that fits in with their schedules, at the same time giving permanent employees a helping hand. Since 2018, Stint has facilitated 45,000 short work shifts for students at over 1,000 businesses, including during the pandemic, and they’ve been proven to boost staff happiness and business profitability. Not only that, but connecting students to hospitality shifts nationwide could help save more than 30,000 jobs in the sector, our estimates show.
Our hospitality businesses and our students are crying out for reopening faster, and our vaccination figures support this. Getting customers back through those doors is central to London bouncing back quickly. It’s time to let the data speak.


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Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
The conservatives and gender-boundary-fascists over at FoxNews are all up in arms over the most recent J. Crew catalog, which shows company president Jenna Lyons' son wearing pink toenail polish. “This is a dramatic example of the way that our culture is being encouraged to abandon all trappings of gender identity,” psychiatrist Dr. Keith Ablow wrote in his column on FoxNews.com. The story goes on to say that "Media Research Center’s Erin Brown agreed, calling the ad 'blatant propaganda celebrating transgendered children.'" It's just pink nail polish, people. If the kid wants to wear pink nail polish, let him wear pink nail polish. [FoxNews]


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City Looks To Stomp All Vape Shops Out Of Existence
Officials in a New York town are gearing up for an all-out crackdown on electronic cigarettes with a proposal to ban vape shops from their community.
Lawmakers in Lindenhurst Village will debate the proposal during a hearing at Village Hall Tuesday, which also includes a ban on all hookah lounges and medical marijuana dispensaries in the town. The blanket ban applies to any “business operation, whether as its primary use or as an ancillary use, [that] includes the smoking or selling of vapors, e-liquids, or other substances that are smoked through an electronic cigarette,” reports Newsday.
The town currently has two vape shops, which officials say will be grandfathered in under the proposed ordinance. Mayor Mike Lavorata told Newsday, “I don’t think these are the kinds of places we want to have,” adding that vape shops in the community “just gives a less-than-family-friendly impression.”
Critics of the ordinance say it effectively kills business opportunities for what are largely family-owned establishments. They also note that the ban cuts off access to a safer product for a community that is actively using vaping devices to quit smoking.
“If they’re trying to make it a more family-friendly environment, don’t attack the businesses that are trying to do right and trying to help people, like the parents and business owners,” Tina Roy, a worker at Dapper Vapor, told Newsday. “If they’re that concerned about making things family-friendly, leave the hardworking people alone and go after the bigger problems.”
A growing body of medical evidence demonstrates that vaping is a much safer alternative to smoking. A University of California study released July 26 showed that a record number of Americans are ditching cigarettes with the aid of vaping devices. The rate of Americans quitting smoking jumped from 4.5 percent between 2010 and 2011 to 5.6 percent between 2014 and 2015.
That means that roughly 350,000 smokers gave up the habit between 2014 and 2015. According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2.62 million former smokers have successfully transitioned to a vape.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact email@example.com.


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Sen. Ted Cruz visits Mary Kay headquarters to discuss job growth and development
ADDISON, Texas – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today visited the global headquarters of Mary Kay Inc. in Addison, Texas, where he spoke with employees and executives about his efforts to help promote the creation of more good-paying jobs for hardworking Texans across the Lone Star State.
“It’s an honor to be in Addison today,” Sen. Cruz said. “For over 50 years, Mary Kay Inc. has worked to empower independent business owners with the tools necessary to achieve economic success. From offering five products in a boutique in Dallas, to now offering more than 200 products in 35 countries, Mary Kay is yet another powerful example of Texas’ economic success story. Here in Texas, we understand it’s the small businesses and entrepreneurs that create jobs and expand economic growth. My number-one priority in the Senate continues to be focused on pursuing policies that expand opportunity for Texans, so that they can provide for their families and work to achieve the American dream. I am proud of the work you all have done in providing good-paying jobs to hardworking men and women in this state and across the globe, and am grateful for the opportunity to meet with Mary Kay employees today.”


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The European PC market remains one big bargain basement clear-out, according to Q2 stats from channel analyst Context. Sales-out data collated from major distributors in the region showed that vendors' price-cutting efforts to reduce the glut of PCs in the supply chain fuelled a 3 per cent sales rise but as a result, …
Because we're being ripped off
I was in Denver last week and visited Best Buy at Park Meadows (on County Line Road if you've ever been there) where they have an ASUS Transformer on sale for $399 - that's about £250. The exact same device on Amazon starts at £349 and some are trying to flog them for well over £400. At EBuyer its £359 ex VAT! That's £100-£160, $160-$250, 40%-60+% more.
In the internet age, that's shameless. The same seems to be happening with all kit. Is it surprising that in a largely technophobic nation folks are finding the modest investment in a smartphone and the occasional visit to Maplins for spares is a good substitute for way more cash than their friends over the channel or their cousins over the pond have to fork out?
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Adobe has announced the introduction of Adobe Advertising Cloud Search with easy-to-use workflows, unique data access and artificial intelligence (AI).
Part of Adobe Experience Cloud, the offering is designed to save advertisers time and increase ROI.
Adobe Advertising Cloud Search is simplifying the process for using audience targeting in search marketing.
The advancements are the first in the industry to couple audiences from a leading marketing technology stack, Adobe Experience Cloud, with AI and machine learning to drive higher returns for advertisers.
Adobe Sensei, the company’s AI and machine learning framework, is at the centre of driving these new capabilities.
With granular engagement metrics from Adobe Analytics as well as audiences from Adobe Audience Manager and Adobe Campaign readily available, Adobe Advertising Cloud Search leverages Adobe Campaign KPI Optimisation to inform bid prioritisation, simulations and forecasting decisions.
Adobe Advertising Cloud Search also features a new UI, built from the ground up to ensure ease of use and make workflows more efficient and effective.
Updates include an array of new bulk-edit features, including the ability to copy and paste directly from the UI into Excel, and vice versa, with changes reflected immediately.
Advertisers can also quickly search, navigate and organise complex campaigns for faster management. Finally, customised reporting filters and columns help to simplify complex data to speed up decision-making.
In optimising campaigns, Adobe Sensei scans for discrepancies between modelled and actual performance, automatically adjusting keyword bids multiple times per day to maximise returns.
Adobe Advertising Cloud Search delivers this optimisation with the highest level of transparency of any search platform.
Advertisers have complete visibility into forecast models and their accuracy, with reports available at any time for advertisers to drill into click, cost and revenue models.
Justin Merickel, vice president at Adobe Advertising Cloud, said: “The next generation of search advertising will be powered by better data, sophisticated data science and greater transparency.
“Adobe Advertising Cloud Search is delivering on that promise and amplifying what humans can do through greater automation.”
Influential Singer Billie Eilish is teaming up with Nike for a sustainable sneaker collection. Eilish, who was just named Time’s most influential person of the year announced the ethical sneaker collection on her Instagram. The collection’s sneakers will be 100 per cent vegan, made from over 20 per cent recycled material. Hardly surprisingly, considering, Eillish […]
The Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA), the national, not-for-profit industry association for the independent media agency industry has announced a series of group deal arrangements for its members, offering them savings on industry reporting, training and media tools. The group deal arrangements, brokered by the IMAA, offer independent media agencies access to reporting and […]
Crowdsourcing platforms DesignCrowd and BrandCrowd are promoting vaccination efforts in a unique way, launching a logo redesign contest among their networks of designers. The initiative saw iconic Australian brands such as Hungry Jack’s, Jetstar, JB Hi-Fi, and Bunnings undergo a redesign. “We thought it would be fun to see some other iconic Australian brands back […]
James Horne (main photo) is the CEO of Balance Internet. In this guest post, he says direct-to-consumer DTC brands that endure past the initial launch have a true differentiation, standing out from competitors by driving connection… We’ve always known that brands need more than a good product and website to stand out from their competitors […]
Australian owned and operated email and SMS marketing software company, Vision6, announced the launch of its first-ever national brand campaign and new brand platform “Simply Reliable”. Founded in 2001, Vision6 was one of the first email marketing software providers in Australia and has since been relied upon by thousands of Aussie businesses and organisations for […]
Out-of-Home media company JCDecaux New Zealand has appointed business growth specialist Adam McGregor in preparation for its bid to win upcoming local government street furniture tenders across the country. With contracts for the provision of street furniture including bus shelters across New Zealand up for renewal from late 2022, they collectively represent the biggest advertising […]
Fetch TV has announced that ABC iview will soon be available as a dedicated Virtual Playlist Channel on the Fetch platform. Virtual Playlist Channels (VPCs) were developed by Fetch to promote content discovery, and to provide a clear bridge between the traditional world of linear TV and the growing availability of on demand content via […]
Jackie Gillies, businesswoman, psychic medium and cast member of The Real Housewives of Melbourne is bringing her sassy, inspirational and adventurous spirit to her new podcast Shine It Up, With Jackie Gillies, which launches today via Acast. Hosted and distributed by the creator-first podcast company Acast, the show will offer listeners inspiration and motivation to […]
Jillian Davison has been named editor-in-chief of the recently relaunched Harper’s BAZAAR Australia. She will oversee all content, development and creative direction across the iconic magazine’s digital and brand platforms. Davison (pictured) succeeds Eugenie Kelly, who recently stepped down to pursue other opportunities. The announcement was made by Maureen Jordan, publisher of Harper’s BAZAAR Australia […]


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In January this year, a Huawei 5g mobile phone code named “tah-an00m” successfully obtained the network access license, and this mobile phone is likely to be the Huawei mate XS which will be launched in March this year. The folding screen phone will not only enhance the durability of the body, but also support 65W charging power. Recently, the relevant information of the matching charging head has been exposed on the Internet.
Huawei mate XS
The charging head of Huawei mate XS can support up to 65W charging power, which is lighter than the 65W charging head of mate book 14 2020. The former weighs 92g and the latter 160g. It is worth noting that Huawei 65W charging head can also charge mate x, mate 30, P30 pro and other models, but the actual charging power will be changed due to different charging protocols. In addition, Huawei’s 65W charging head is likely to be launched by mate XS.
Huawei 65W charging head
It can be seen that in addition to the stronger fuselage and the more powerful Kirin 9905g, the faster charging speed will also be one of the highlights of Huawei mate XS. But whether Huawei P40 series will use this charging head and support 65W charging power still needs to be questioned.
Responsible editor; zl


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What about those bought in the U.S.? That's where it gets a little tricky.
While a representative for the company claims that the recalled items were limited to a small number of toys shipped to Canada, the UPC code for the toys under suspicion are the same as those being sold here, and they're all manufactured and tested in China. Additionally, parenting blog parentdish.com reports that because the manufacturing dates of the toys fall within a nebulous area, the U.S. may not be forced to issue a recall at all.
It is important to note that in the U.S. standard that limits barium and other heavy metal content on toy surface coatings became mandatory only as of February 10, 2009, so all toys manufactured before that date are exempt from meeting those requirements. Further, in January 2009, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) granted a one-year stay, so that manufacturers and importers of regulated products will not be required to actually test or certify their products until at least February 10, 2010.
When asked about the toys, an Amazon.com rep said the company will honor returns on these items regardless of whether the recall trickles south.


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Amazon Studios has renewed its conspiracy thriller “Hunters” for a second season.
The David Weil-created series is executive produced by Jordan Peal and stars Al Pacino, Logan Lerman and Jerrika Hinton. It premiered Feb. 21 on Amazon Prime Video.
The series follows a diverse band of Nazi hunters living in 1977 New York City. The Hunters, as they’re known, have discovered that hundreds of high-ranking Nazi officials are living among us and conspiring to create a Fourth Reich in the U.S. The eclectic team of Hunters will set out on a bloody quest to bring the Nazis to justice and thwart their new genocidal plans.
“I am beyond grateful to Jen and the Amazon family for their continued extraordinary support of Hunters,” said Weil. “Alongside our magnificent cast, incredible crew, and brilliant writers and producers, I am more eager than ever to share the next chapter of the Hunters saga with the world.”
“With Hunters, David Weil’s bold vision and fearless imagination powered a thrilling, twisty, action-packed first season that engaged Prime Video customers around the world,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios, “We are thrilled that David, Jordan and the Hunters will be back with us for more.”
“Hunters” also stars Josh Radnor, Kate Mulvany, Tiffany Boone, Greg Austin, Louis Ozawa, Carol Kane, Saul Rubinek, Dylan Baker and Lena Olin. Season one was produced by Amazon Studios, Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions and Sonar Entertainment, and was executive produced by David Weil, who served as co-showrunner alongside executive producer Nikki Toscano. Alfonso Gomez-Rejon directed the pilot and was an executive producer alongside Win Rosenfeld from Monkeypaw Productions, Nelson McCormick, and David Ellender from Sonar Entertainment.


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MPs urged to halt Trade Bill 'power grab'
Campaigners demand that MPs and the public be given a democratic role in trade deals
Ahead of a parliamentary debate on the Trade Bill on Tuesday 9 January, Global Justice Now has urged MPs to take control of trade policy.
The Bill currently gives MPs no power to scrutinise, guide, amend or stop trade deals being signed, and fails to mandate public information, consultation or impact assessments. As a result, Labour, SNP, Green and Plaid Cymru are supporting amendments to deny a second reading to the Bill.
A petition signed by 265,000 people has been handed to Trade Secretary Liam Fox demanding public and parliamentary involvement, while Early Day Motion 128 containing the same demands is the third most popular among MPs out of seven hundred. A coalition of social justice groups, trade unions and environmental organisations including Trade Justice Movement, Global Justice Now, Traidcraft and Unison is calling for a more democratic system of agreeing trade deals.
Nick Dearden, director of Global Justice Now, said:
“The Trade Bill is another power grab, comparable with the EU Withdrawal Bill. We’re abolishing the scrutiny of MEPs but rather than handing it to MPs, Liam Fox is taking it for himself. He’s flying around the world meeting tyrannical regimes and proposing outlandish ideas like joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and yet MPs are in the dark.”
“Trade deals affect an enormous range of public policy – from public services to food standards to intellectual property rules. It’s astonishing that Brexit was supposed to be about taking back control, yet our MEPs will have more say over a final UK-EU trade deal than our MPs in Westminster if this Trade Bill comes to pass.”
Although the government claims the Trade Bill is primarily about translating EU external trade deals into UK trade deals, campaigners argue it is still about creating new trade deals, some of which have yet to receive ratification in the EU even in their original form. Moreover, as this is the only system there is for agreeing trade deals, it will therefore set a precedent for all post-Brexit trade deals.


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Let's get one thing perfectly straight: If you want one of the hottest looks this season, get rid of the curl.
The recent Oscar-night red carpet was a showcase for shimmering, straight locks--a trend that clearly has legs after the red-carpet season, well into summer and even fall. Fashion runway looks from the spring/summer collections announced straight hair months ago, but there were plenty of examples of straight hair in the recent collections in New York for this fall and winter.
Major design houses are on board with print campaigns featuring straight hair, including advertisements for Valentino, Fendi, Hermes, Burberry, Prada, Versace, DKNY, Calvin Klein, Chanel and Gucci.
"It's a recycle, but it's definitely happening," said celebrity hairstylist Oscar Blandi. "Straight is coming back strongly. It's straight, but it's a different straight."
It has body. Unlike the trend about six or seven years ago for stick-straight hair (a trend that brought with it all kinds of expensive hair-straightening systems and products), this season's straight has body, movement and shine. Blandi said the previous straight-hair trend dictated almost no movement.
"It's not spaghetti. Before, the hair was almost attached to the skull," he said. "Now, it's got a silky texture. It's not flat. There's much more body. This is a trend that's going to carry on for a while."
Instead of parting in the middle, today's straight styles are parted on the side and pulled away from the face, said Tim Rogers, stylist and spokesman for Charles Worthington hair products and salons.
"There's a strong side part and a lot of motion and movement in the hair," Rogers said. "It's a clean, sleek, smooth look."


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POINSETT COUNTY, AR (KAIT) - An area agriculture company hosted an event Wednesday to help farmers and distributors learn more about rice farming and the future it offers.
RiceTec has sponsored a Mid-South Field Day for at least a decade and the event allows farmers to take field tours and learn about what the company provides in products.
Brian Graf, who works as a customer service manager, said the event not only helps the company show off its facility but also help to educate people.
"We are always coming out with something new. Whether it be new technologies on the herbicide or seed side, there is always new management and things we actually learn ourselves on our existing products and we want to share that with our growers and make sure that they are up to date," Graf said.
In addition to guest speakers including the company's CEO, the group also hosted a Cajun dinner.
Copyright 2017 KAIT. All rights reserved.


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Newman Cigar Company wants to bring Cuban tobacco back to Ybor City
TAMPA – The JC Newman Cigar Company claims to have the last ball of Cuban tobacco country.
Purchased just before the US government cut off all trade with the socialist nation in 1962, the Newman family now stores it in the basement of their Ybor City factory.
They are using it as part of a historic tour detailing Tampa’s time as the cigar-rolling capital of the world, which was made possible thanks to the city’s close relationships with Cuban tobacco growers.
The Newmans now hope to import the first bales of Cuban tobacco since the embargo was enacted six decades ago.
They asked the US State Department for permission to do so through an Obama-era program that allows US companies to import goods and services produced by Cuban entrepreneurs who operate independently of the state economy. Cuban.
Cuban cigars are banned in the United States because they are only rolled through a partnership between Cuban state-owned company Habanos SA and London-based Imperial Tobacco.
“There are independent farmers who grow tobacco in Cuba, including independent tobacco growers,” said Drew Newman, general counsel for JC Newman, which is Tampa’s last cigar factory. “Before President Kennedy imposed the embargo on Cuba, my grandfather and great-grandfather imported millions of pounds of Cuban tobacco into the United States through the port of Tampa.
For starters, they would like to import 10,000 pounds of Cuban tobacco, enough to make 150,000 to 175,000 cigars.
“We’ll take as much as we can get or as little as we can get,” Newman said. “I’m sure this will start slowly as the US government gives us permission to do so, but then we can develop it over time.”
Since Obama launched the Cuban private sector support program, the US government has approved the import of coffee and charcoal.
John Kavulich is the president of the New York-based Cuban-American Economic and Trade Council, which analyzes and predicts trade trends among nations. He said it was a good time for the Newmans to request importation.
The Biden administration, he said, is considering allowing Americans to invest in the Cuban private sector. Currently, US citizens can only donate to businesses.
“This has a positive impact on Newman” Kavulich said. “The Biden administration has an interest in providing more support to the Cuban private sector.”
Yet, Kavulich said, the Cuban government must allow its private farms to sell tobacco to the Newmans.
“They already said no,” he said. “Cuba does not allow the export of honey … and Cubans have been asked repeatedly over the last two years of the Obama administration to allow the export of cocoa beans and they do not have made.”
And Cuba, he added, is “extremely protective of its tobacco”.
Additionally, the US government allows citizens who nationalized their Cuban lands to sue companies that now profit from the property. The Newman said Kavulich, must be certain that the farm of a Cuban partner does not fall within this category.
At its peak in the early 1900s, Tampa had over 150 factories producing over 500 million hand-rolled stogies, mostly using Cuban tobacco.
The Newmans originally kept this last Cuban tobacco bullet as a marketing ploy.
When other cigar factories ran out of Cuban tobacco, the Newmans always advertised they had it, even if nothing was rolled up.
“Allowing the importation of raw tobacco grown in Cuba would allow us and other American cigar makers to support independent Cuban entrepreneurs,” Newman wrote in his petition to the State Department, “and to prove , once again, that we can roll better cigars with Cuban tobacco than Cuba can.


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Samsung Galaxy A3 Core has been launched in Africa. It comes with a 5.3-inch HD+TFT LCD display, a quad-core processor and one camera each on front as well as on the back. It runs on Android (Go edition) and comes with pre-installed Google Go edition apps that are optimised for fast and easy use on a smartphone that features a smaller capacity of RAM and storage. The new entry-level smartphone is the successor of the Galaxy A2 Core that was announced last year.
According to Samsung Nigeria Twitter handle, the Galaxy A3 Core is available for purchase at a price of NGN 32,500 (roughly Rs. 6,200) in the country at Samsung stores and partner stores. It is offered in Blue, Red and Black colours.
Hold tight any color that speaks grandeur, class and charm but affordable.— Samsung Mobile NG (@samsungmobileng) September 30, 2020
Don't be left out in the A3core story.
Get the A3Core NOW from N32,500. Recommended Retail Price pic.twitter.com/DSsnbAYeYd
The dual-SIM (Nano) Samsung Galaxy A3 Core runs on Android Go edition, and comes pre-installed with Google Go edition apps that are optimised for smartphones which feature smaller capacity of RAM and storage. It sports a 5.3-inch HD+ (720x1,480 pixels) TFT LCD display with 16:9 aspect ratio. The entry-level handset features thick bezels on the top and chin.
Under the hood, the Samsung Galaxy A3 Core comes equipped with an unnamed quad-core SoC that is clocked at 1.5GHz. The chipset is paired with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage (available storage is 10.6GB) that can be expanded up to 512GB through a dedicated MicroSD card slot.
For photos and videos, the Samsung Galaxy A3 Core has a single 8-megapixel sensor with f/2.2 aperture lens on the back. There is an LED flash in the camera module. On the front is a 5-megapixel sensor, coupled with a lens having f/2.4 aperture. Samsung claims that the back camera comes with digital zoom up to 4x and it can record full-HD videos at 30fps.
The Samsung Galaxy A3 Core features a textured polycarbonate back and comes in Blue, Black, and Red colours. It comes equipped with a 3,000mAh battery with Micro-USB charging. The phone comes with Wi-Fi (2.4GHz), a 3.5mm headphone jack, GPS, LTE, and Bluetooth 5.0.
Is this the end of the Samsung Galaxy Note series as we know it? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.
For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.


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Japan's man in UK says unprofitable firms could not stay
Japan's ambassador to the UK has said Brexit is a high stakes issue and that no company would be able to stay in the UK if it was not profitable.
Koji Tsuruoka was speaking outside Number 10 after a meeting between Prime Minister Theresa May and 19 top Japanese bosses.
Mrs May had told the business leaders that Brexit would allow the UK to strike a free trade deal with Japan.
She said the government's industrial strategy made the UK "more attractive".
However, Mr Tsuruoka told journalists: "If there is no profitability of continuing operations in the UK - not Japanese only - no private company can continue operations. So it is as simple as that."
He was asked about the threat to Japanese companies if the UK did not secure a frictionless trade deal with the EU after Brexit.
"This is all high stakes that all of us, I think, need to keep in mind," he answered.
Pro-Brexit businessman John Mills, said: "Clearly companies have to make a profit.
"But there's no reason they shouldn't make a profit with a WTO [World Trade Organisation] deal," added Mr Mills, who is chairman of consumer products firm, JML.
'No small undertaking'
During the meeting Mrs May told attendees from companies including Mitsubishi, Honda, Nissan, Toyota and Panasonic that Brexit was "no small undertaking".
She also said the government's modern industrial strategy made the UK "more attractive".
"Just today we have seen the Bank of England raise its forecast for UK growth compared with its estimates three months ago," Mrs May added.
The meeting comes amid concern over estimates of the impact of Brexit on economic growth.
Chancellor Phillip Hammond, Business Secretary Greg Clark and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox were also at the meeting.
"I recognise that the UK's forthcoming exit from the European Union is no small undertaking, but importantly it does present the opportunity to strike free trade deals around the world and build on our already very strong relationship that we have with Japan," Mrs May told the assembled bosses.
"As we look to the relationship between the UK and Japan we see already year-on-year trade between our two countries continues to increase, with Japans's investment in the UK reaching £46.5 billion in 2016."
Alongside the car companies Honda, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Toyota, representatives from Japanese banks and drug companies were also due to attend the meeting.
Japanese firms have spent billions of pounds in Britain over the past decades, encouraged to set up in the country by successive governments promising a business-friendly base from which to trade across the continent.
Nissan, Toyota and Honda began their UK operations in Britain in the 1980s and now build nearly half of all of Britain's 1.67 million cars. The big majority of these are exported.
The motor industry has expressed concern that their exports could face tariffs of up to 10% and be subject to customs delays after Britain leaves the European Union.
Japanese drug companies have also made Britain their European base. Some are concerned about future drug regulations, with any divergence with the EU likely to pose regulatory challenges.
London is also home to Japanese banks, such as Nomura, Daiwa Securities and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial. Like other foreign banks, they are keen to know about trading and so-called "passporting" arrangements for access to the EU.
In 2016 Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn met prime minister Theresa May amid fears over the future of its production plant in Sunderland.
Nissan sought assurances over post-Brexit arrangements ahead of future investment in the Sunderland plant, Britain's biggest car factory.


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Following the announcement of Scalebound cancellation for PC and Xbox One, Platinum Games’ president and CEO Kenichi Sato has now released an official statement.
In the press release Sato has expressed his disappointment for the cancellation of Scalebound since they know that many gamers were looking forward to the game.
We’re sorry to say that on January 9, 2017, Microsoft Studios announced the cancellation of Scalebound. We are very disappointed things ended up this way, especially since we know many of our fans were looking forward to this game as much as we were.
He added that the studio will keep on delivering quality experiences starting with NieR Automata and many other games in the future. He assured fans that the developers will keep on working hard to create quality games.
Going forward, we will strive to continue delivering high-quality games to you, starting with NieR: Automata in March, and including products like GRANBLUE FANTASY Project Re:Link and LOST ORDER in the future.
We will keep working hard to meet your expectations and we look forward to your continued support!
The next game from Platinum Games is NieR Automata that will launch for both PC and PlayStation 4. Fans of the action games are eagerly waiting for this game. While the game will support the PlayStation 4 Pro but will not support 4K on the upgraded console.
According to the devs, they will be utilizing the power of PlayStation 4 Pro to implement better visuals.
NieR Automata is an upcoming action RPG in development at Platinum Games and is scheduled to launch sometime in 2017 for PlayStation 4 and PC.


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Santoni's Super Market creditors seek $3.1 million
Santoni’s Super Market creditors are now seeking more than $3.1 million from the shuttered Highlandtown grocery store, including a nearly $1.5 million judgment obtained by Harbor Bank of Maryland on Dec. 12.
The debts Santoni’s incurred over the last six years range from loans for construction and build-out of the store’s 2005 expansion to food vendors that were delivering to the store as late as October. And while Santoni’s Chief Financial Officer Rob Santoni Jr. has blamed the city’s bottle tax for the store’s closing, it appears the financial problems began much earlier than the City Council’s 2012 vote to approve the tax.
According to a suit filed by the state Central Collection Unit, Santoni’s representatives began requesting modifications to a $500,000 loan shortly after the Department of Housing and Community Development issued the funds in 2005. Santoni’s approached the state in March 2006, February 2007 and October 2007 with requests to delay the repayment schedule “without furnishing additional consideration,” the state’s lawsuit said.
State officials say Santoni’s defaulted on the loan in September 2012 and still owes $361,215, plus $62,017 in fees and $18,060 in interest.
Aside from Harbor Bank’s $1.5 million judgment obtained last month, Santoni’s other largest creditor is Cheshire, Conn.-based Bozzuto’s Inc., a food vendor seeking $1.16 million. The company said it delivered $637,245 in food products to the grocery store for which it was never paid; the company is also seeking $531,547 for an unfulfilled promissory note.
Smaller vendors who have filed suit to seek payment include Pastore’s Wholesale Grocery, which says it is owed $12,960; Manger Packing Corp., which says it is owed $9,976; and Very Best Inc., which says it is owed $7,311.
Santoni has been trying to sell the store to a buyer he has declined to identify. Reached on Thursday about the Harbor Bank judgment, Santoni said, “if we’re able to sell the store, we’ll be able to satisfy that.”
But when asked about whether the selling price would satisfy all of the $3.1 million in debts, Santoni said, “No but proceeds would be able to — I think everybody would take a haircut to where everyone would walk away. But the landlord is being very difficult.”
Kevin Litten covers Commercial Real Estate and Economic Development
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Speirs is 2022 MARKETPLACE Governor’s Awards finalist
By Gazette staff
MADISON – UW-Stevens Point Small Business Development Center’s Mark Speirs is one of 15 Wisconsin companies and individuals named as finalists for the 2022 MARKETPLACE Governor’s Awards — a program which honors Wisconsin businesses owned by minorities, women and service-disabled veterans, and their advocates.
Winners will be announced this month, at the 41st annual MARKETPLACE: the Governor’s Conference on Diverse Business Development.
Speirs, a business counselor at the Small Business Development Center at UW-Stevens Point, in Stevens Point, was a finalist in the Diverse “Business Champion of the Year Award” category.
Other categories include: “Outstanding Business Award,” “CEO of the Year Award,” and “Thought Leadership Excellence Award.”
“Entering its 41st year, MARKETPLACE helps Wisconsin businesses learn about contracting with state, federal and local agencies as well as corporations, which represent billions of dollars of annual purchasing power,” a Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation stated.
“While MARKETPLACE is open to all Wisconsin business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs, conference content is specifically crafted for small, minority-owned, woman-owned, veteran-owned and LGBTQ-owned business enterprises and HUBZone businesses. These companies can connect with resources and potentially make a deal or lay the framework for a future contract.”
For more information, visit marketplacewisconsin.com.


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Quite a few premium models were surprisingly difficult to move in 2017 and 2018.
Fiat recently unveiled its new 500 ‘120th’ family and now has them on display in Geneva.
Named the 120th, the special editions pay tribute Fiat’s long history of production.
The 500L Urbana is a styling pack available for the Trekking, to which it adds a $595 premium.
Fiat is adding the well-equipped Mirror Edition option to the rugged-looking 500X and 500L Cross models.
Is the Fiat 500L really the worst car in America?.
Matte bronze paint lead a series of aesthetic enhancements for the special-editoon retro minivan.
Adding more chrome to your Fiat will cost you $495 for the 500L and $395 for the 500X.
Fiat is going to Geneva with the new 124 Spider S-Design and 500 Mirror family.
There are at least a couple of surprising names on Consumer Report’s lowest rated list.
Fiat 500 sales have taken a nosedive in recent years and the…
Buying a new Fiat 500 Mirror, regardless of body style, will immediately…


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Online loan frauds via several applications are rising at a massive scale in the country. As per a new report by The Times of India, over 180 complaints around loan frauds have been recorded across Ghaziabad since December 25, 2021. Also Read - Beware! Scammers target users who watch pornographic content online
Police said that these apps lure smartphone users with quick loan options without any paperwork or documentation. Also Read - Using Mamaearth products? Scammers are trying to steal your money with this trick
How do instant loan frauds work?
Scammers very smartly use amateur smartphone users and trick them. In the process, users are first asked to install a certain app and once that is done, these apps get access to phone contacts, gallery, and all other sensitive information. Also Read - Gmail tips and tricks: How to spot and report email scams
Several victims have complained that even after repaying the loan, scammers/ bad actors threatened and humiliated them before their friends and family for committing a load fraud.
As per the report, there have been instances wherein people have received fake legal notices for defaulting on loans.
According to a recent estimation by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), there are more than 1100 online loaning apps available in India, out of which 600 Android apps are unlawful, distributed across over 80 app stores.
To prevent such scams, the RBI recently proposed legislation to make verification of these digital lending apps mandatory.
How to stay safe from such frauds
If you have been one of the victims of this digital loan fraud, here are a few ways to stay safe from them:
1 – Do not install unverified apps on your smartphone. This is even more important for Android users since the Apple App store is slightly more secure.
2 – Do not trust callers who promise easy loans. In most instances, people who promise easy money access are faking.
3 – Install apps like Truecaller that show if a call is from a scammer.
4 – For instant loans, always rely on popular/verified apps like PaySense, Dhani, among others.


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Bitcoin and the development of the worlwide bitcoin revolution have been in the news since 2009. However, no one imagined that bitcoin would surge so quickly. In fact, as per the market on 17th June 2019, Bitcoin has crossed the USD$9000 mark. This is great news since there was a slump to as low as $6000. Analysts are now estimating it to cross further and break the USD$13000 mark. But there are so many questions in the mind of a new investor, and we are going to address those in this article.
Will Bitcoin Sustain this High Level? Is it Safe to Invest?
To answer these questions, your first need to understand a bit of history with respect to currencies. About 6000 years ago, The Barter system was very successful among people, but soon they felt the need to have a common denomination to exchange goods and services since there were inequalities. Sometime around 3000 years ago, gold and silver were perfect common denominations to do transactions. When the Governments were in place, they started issuing “promissory notes” which people could exchange with real gold. This was the birth of money. Post that, there have been many revolutionary changes in the economy, but the most significant was the discovery of the internet. With this being said, if you are looking to invest in Bitcoins or want to learn more, knowing a bit about automated trading with bitcoin trader (or trading automatizado con bitcoin trader as they’d say in Spain)
, for example, could help further your knowledge into this ever-changing industry.
Nobel Prize-winning economist Sir Milton Friedman had stated in an interview in 1999, that there would be a need of reliable e-cash, a method of transferring money from A to B, in an encrypted form. This is the fundamental theory behind Bitcoin.
The adoption rate of any new payment methods has been historically slow. It is similar to the time when we were issuing checks and paying in cash, and VISA cards were introduced as alternative modes of payment. The then population found it harder to adopt a cashless economy since the majority of transactions were done through cash. But today, as we can see that almost every country in the world has adopted cards as their major payment method. Similarly, the adoption of Bitcoin too will take time.
The most important thing would be recognition from the government and more knowledge with respect to trading with Bitcoin. Firms like BitcoinProfit, are assisting new investors to invest in Bitcoins, and simultaneously get rid of the fear of unknown investments. They do this by investing in Bitcoins themselves and keeping the investor informed about the risks involved by providing expert guidance through experienced investors.
Bitcoin started its journey as a digital currency but is now slowly shifting to become a payment system, like PayPal. The only difference being that PayPal uses Dollar as its currency, whereas Bitcoin itself is a currency, with an exception being that it just cannot be created in thin air, and not without anyone else knowing about it as it relies solely on the block-chain technology. The problem with other digital currencies is that government authorities like a Central Bank can create them, but Bitcoins rely on cryptography and mathematics. Moreover, the block-chain technology decentralizes the bitcoin ledger of accounts and hence they become safe to transact.


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The EU Textiles Strategy in Motion - What does it mean for the future of this sector?
In March 2022, the European Commission released its EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles within the Circular Economy Action Plan. The strategy aims at setting a framework to boost the competitiveness, sustainability and resilience of the EU textile sector.
Six months after its release, the Textiles Strategy will be closely scrutinised and views on its implementation from various political levels will be known. Come and hear from EU policy makers, including the European Commission, the European Parliament, the EESC and frontrunner national representatives, how they envisage the implementation of this Strategy and its next steps.
This workshop on 26 September, 14:30 - 16:00 CEST was an opportunity to discuss the strategy’s implementation based on its Vision towards the current textile industry: offering longer lasting, recyclable but also affordable and high quality textile products while developing economically profitable re-use and repair services, in a competitive, resilient and innovative textiles sector.
Moderator: Valeria Botta, Head of Nature Protection & Restoration, ECOS
14:30 - 14:40 Opening
14:40 - 15:40 Panel discussion
- Maria Rincon-Lievana, European Commission, DG Environment
- Delara Burkhardt, MEP (S&D)
- Saskia Bricmont, MEP (Greens/EFA)
- Sarianne Tikkanen, Senior Specialist on Circular Economy, Ministry of Environment, Finland
- Marije Slump, Policy officer circular economy, Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Netherlands
15:40 - 15:55 Q&A
15:55 - 16:00 Closing
- Jana Žůrková, RREUSE, Textile Leadership Group Coordinator


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The influence of social media on American fashion in 2023 is undeniable. From the way we dress to the trends we follow, social media has become an important part of how we express ourselves. As technology has advanced, so have the ways in which social media can shape the fashion industry.
In 2023, the impact of social media on American fashion is more pronounced than ever. Social media has become a major influence on both high-end fashion and everyday apparel. For example, Instagram has become a major platform for fashion influencers to promote their personal style and trends. These influencers often have millions of followers, and their posts have a direct impact on the clothing and accessories that people buy.
In addition, social media has also changed the way fashion is marketed. Companies are now able to create campaigns that are specifically tailored to the needs and interests of their target audience. These campaigns are often highly successful, as they provide a way for companies to reach their customers in a more direct way.
Social media has also had an impact on the way fashion is designed. Designers are now able to use data from social media to gain insight into what people want to wear. This data is then used to create more trend-focused designs that reflect the changing tastes of the public.
Overall, the influence of social media on American fashion in 2023 is huge. Social media has allowed people to express themselves more freely, while also allowing companies to more effectively reach their target audiences and create more trend-focused designs. As technology continues to evolve, it is likely that the influence of social media on fashion will only grow.


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Most people, if asked to name off the top of their head which industries were taking advantage of consumers to generate insanely high profits, would likely have the oil and gas industry at the top of their list. Isn’t it a well-known fact that with gas prices spiraling through the roof, “Big Oil” is by far the most profitable industry out there, hence they must be taking advantage of consumers?
Actually, it’s not that simple. But public opinion would have it otherwise.
In fact, industries such as internet information providers and personal computers rank well above major integrated oil and gas (Big Oil) when it comes to profit margins. The simple definition of profit margin is: A ratio of profitability calculated as net income divided by revenues, or net profits divided by sales. It measures how much out of every dollar of sales a company actually keeps in earnings.
To be sure, the U.S. oil majors have been generating huge profits. As U.S. President Barack Obama pointed out in a recent speech urging Congress to repeal tax breaks for the oil industry, “the three biggest U.S. oil companies took home more than $80 billion in profits. Exxon pocketed nearly $4.7 million every hour.” For more on the breakdown of gas prices, see: What Makes Up the Cost of a Gallon of Gasoline?
But it’s difficult to see it as ‘windfall profits‘ for the oil industry when they rank so low in terms of profit margin. The fact that they’re turning such a large profit speaks more to the scale of their operations rather than excessive profits.
Out of every dollar they did in sales during the most recent quarter, the Major Integrated Oil & Gas industry (a.k.a. Big Oil) kept 7.9 cents in earnings. Compare their 7.9% profit margin to those of Publishing – Periodicals (53.1%), Brewers (20.3%), Industrial Metals & Minerals (26%), Drug Manufacturers – Major (16.7%), Railroads (15.55), Water Utilities (12%), Cigarettes (22.5%), and Industrial Metals & Minerals (26%). Or compare it to other industries that have benefited greatly from high commodity prices such as Silver (41%), Copper (25.1%), and Gold (24%).
Some may argue that Return on Capital Employed is a better metric to use, but in terms of excessive profits and price gouging, I see profit margin as a very telling statistic. What it tells me is that the oil industry is making its money on volume as opposed to unfairly high prices. It’s not the oil companies that are killing us at the pump, it’s us consumers doing it to ourselves by consuming so much.
The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of the best economy-related bloggers out there. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs. To contact us about a blogger, click here. This post originally ran on www.consumerenergyreport.com.