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DTC wine clubs are becoming more data-driven. One startup in particular is heavily reliant on its machine learning platform to increase subscriptions and keep customers ordering.
There is a plethora of digital wine clubs trying to court subscribers, with most offering curated boxes based on wine experts’ picks. The company Firstleaf, which was founded in 2016, has been attempting to build a more data-driven approach to wine selection. The wine startup began to use what it says is a proprietary AI model in 2017 to build users’ taste profiles. Since then, the company’s data science team has continued to tweak the model, and the accompanying quiz, by adding new tools that help narrow down thousands of bottles for each user. The idea is to create “wine fingerprints” for each club member, according to the company.
Over the years, this personalization model has been built out to be a bigger part of Firstleaf’s business model. Today, there are about 410,000 paths that users can take through the quiz to get their introductory box, said Matt Martz, principal of research and machine learning at Firstleaf.
Firstleaf’s approach starts with its new customer quiz — used to assemble customers’ first order of six wines. Its subscriptions lets members choose to receive orders every month, two months or three months. The pricing depends on order quantity. For example, a six bottle box costs $79.98 plus $9.95 for shipping and tax while a 12 bottle case is $159.95 plus tax and free shipping.
From 2017 to 2020, Firstleaf saw 475% growth in annual revenue, which the company credits to its algorithm-reliant model. In August, the company hit 150,000 active subscribers. Martz said that so far, 96% of users surveyed “feel their subscription is a great value.”
Virtual wine club quizzes are nothing new. Other startups, such as Winc and Bright Cellars, also use the tactic to offer recommendations from thousands of SKUs. However, Martz noted that unlike traditional quizzes — which suggest bottles based on a flavor profile preference like chocolate or fruit — Firstleaf’s personalization relies on wine chemistry. To determine suggestions more precisely, the quiz asks about components like acidity levels, minerality and regional wine preferences, among others. “The composition of the wine itself is the crux of the data,” Martz said.
Martz said this process is based on users’ rating of a bottle’s flavor profile, which then teaches the company’s algorithms how to understand customers’ future needs. “This gives the user more control of the club experience.”
According to Martz, his team continuously monitors 14 different KPIs to determine how successful the company’s algorithms are. These include a customer’s number of orders to date, whether they purchased their introductory box, if they’ve already referred friends and how long they’ve been a Firstleaf user. Firstleaf uses a combination of these indicators to prompt customers’ next order, such as suggesting the “double order” quantity feature if a customer has repeatedly purchased the same bottle.
This also helps Firstleaf develop marketing strategies, such as email notifications and promotions, to prevent churn. The model tracks customers’ behavior from the first day of sign up through day 14, Martz explained. “It helps us know the best time to intervene with conversion marketing,” he said.
The data helps inform, for example, when Firstleaf reaches out to customers and suggest they update their wine profiles if they haven’t placed an order in some time.
Wine clubs that rely on pre-bundled boxes are also looking to use data to better personalize their offers.
Zac Brandenberg, co-founder & CEO of alcohol e-commerce provider Drinks said that most consumers choose subscription wine for convenience. As a result, it’s up to the service to keep customers interested in replenishing orders for the next meal pairing or social environment. Understanding first-party data and matching it to the current selection is vital for online wine clubs’ success, Brandenberg said.
Drinks, which focuses on pre-selected boxes, uses a variety of data points for each order. The company does allow customers to assemble their own boxes. However, the majority of sales come from pre-bundled boxes — often curated by Drinks staff or influencers, said Brandenberg.“We look at first-party data like customers’ history of purchases, their region, as well as seasonal trends like summer rosé.”
The club’s own proprietary engine, called Pair, uses data to identify elements of a wine’s branding that are most likely to appeal to specific consumers. The algorithm compares data from millions of consumer orders and survey results against attributes of a wine; This can include varietal, vintage, branding and packaging. The Pair insights have shown that millennial women are more likely to buy rosé than pinot grigio, for example.
Despite all these variations, limitless choices tend to overwhelm many customers — whether it be in-store or online — Brandenberg said. “That’s why curation is becoming more important, whether it’s based on customers’ own history or implementing staff picks.”


text: German packaging specialist Gerhard Schubert GmbH, Crailsheim celebrate their 80th anniversary in July 2018. Founder and packaging pioneer Gerhard Schubert is well-known within the industry for innovative ideas that the company developed to industry standards. The Toploading packaging machine is only one example of their great history of innovations. sweet vision sends best greetings to Gerhard Schubert. Another interesting news within the company is that Hartmut Siegel became Chief Executive Officer of Schubert North America and Martin Sauter joined Schubert in Crailsheim as Head of Sails. Hartmut Siegel, formerly Head of Sales at Gerhard Schubert GmbH, is taking over the position of Chief Executive Officer of Schubert North America in Charlotte succeeding the former Managing Director Fritz Kipfer. Hartmut Siegel looks back on close to 20 years of sales experience with Schubert GmbH. Martin Sauter, who also knows the Group well by his time as Sales Manager at today’s Schubert Packaging Systems GmbH (Schubert Group), is moving to Crailsheim as the new Head of Sales.

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Ministry of Sound sues Spotify
Record label Ministry of Sound are set to sue the music streaming service Spotify, with accusations that some of its users’ playlists mirror the label’s compilation albums. The label doesn’t currently have any of these albums available on Spotify, and it says that the service is infringing on its copyright by allowing users to recreate compilations and refusing to delete the offending playlists. Lohan Presencer, Ministry of Sound’s CEO said: ‘everyone has been talking about curation, but curation has been the cornerstone of our business for the last 20 years’. Ministry of Sound launched legal proceedings at the High Court in London on Monday, but experts are warning that this interesting European Law test case is risky, and a potential PR nightmare.
US FTC cracks down on insecure webcams
The United States’ Federal Trade Commission has issued a stern warning to Trendnet, a manufacturer of web-connected home security and baby monitor cameras. The company failed to use ‘reasonable security’ when it came to designing the cameras and testing the software, meaning that supposedly private video feeds could be viewed by anyone online. The FTC has also claimed that from April 2010, Trendnet have been transmitting their users’ passwords across the Internet and through mobile phone apps in plain text as opposed to the encrypted data strings that should have been used, leaving thousands of customers open to potential hackers. A settlement has now been reached, with strict conditions imposed on Trendnet for the next 20 years.
Samsung improves Android security
Samsung has agreed on a deal with San Francisco based anti-virus firm Lookout to offer upgraded security protection to their Galaxy brand of Android devices. The company will use Lookout’s software to improve its Knox security product, which will scan its mobiles and tablets for any threats. Knox will be targeted mostly at business users in a bid to convince companies that the firm’s phones are a safe alternative to the Blackberry and Windows Phone platforms, both of which promote their devices’ security capabilities as one of the most important features.
Indian researcher Arul Kumar has uncovered a security flaw that allowed hackers to delete any image from any Facebook user’s profile, without the user’s knowledge or consent.
The flaw has been classed as ‘critical…
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Google and Microsoft might be rivals when it comes to most things, but the two companies have recently joined forces in pressuring the U.S. government to give companies the right to publish information requests made by the secret services. Putting their differences aside, Google and Microsoft are pursuing legal action petitioning the government to permit them to release statistics regarding secret surveillance demands against customers using their services.
The Obama administration has already confirmed that it will begin the release of a limited amount of statistics, notably the total number of security requests that have been issued for customer data over the past 12 months. It’s also been confirmed that this data will be released annually for the foreseeable future, but Google and Microsoft say that this isn’t enough. The two companies are looking for the right to release far more detailed statistics. The U.S. government faced the companies in a federal court in June, but has already asked for six extensions in just two months. Google and Microsoft insist that they simply won’t agree to any more delays.
Microsoft’s general counsel Brad Smith wrote on the company blog, ‘We both remain concerned with the Government’s continued unwillingness to permit us to publish sufficient data relating to Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) orders…we believe it is vital to publish information that clearly shows the number of national security demands for user content, such as the text of an email. We believe it’s possible to publish these figures in a manner that avoids putting security at risk.’
Google’s Chief Legal Officer David Drummond took the same stance as Smith in a letter to the attorney general and FBI. ‘We… ask you to help make it possible for Google to publish in our Transparency Report aggregate numbers of national security requests, including FISA disclosures—in terms of both the number we receive and their scope.’
With these two giants of the internet teaming up for the sake of information disclosure rights, it looks like the U.S. government has a serious fight on its hands.
If you’re concerned about the security of your personal information, a VPN service can help. A VPN provides your computer with additional defences while you’re surfing the web, to ensure your data stays safe and private.


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- The ASX200 closed 0.01% lower on Tuesday at 7378.40 points.
- Kogan.com rallied on sale of internet domain name to Canadian crypto platform.
- Csl enters into a deal to acquire Swiss-based Vifor Pharma for US$12.3bn.
The Australian market recovered some of the morning losses in afternoon trade however still closed Tuesday?s session 0.01% lower or 0.9 points lower at 7378.40 as a 17% dive for Mesoblast and a 7.7% tumble for Woolworths weighed heavily on the market.
The tech sector losses extended into afternoon trade to close the session just shy of 0.5% lower as Afterpay shedding 4.08% and EML Payments losing 2.61% offset Nearmap?s 4.76% rally.
Bitcoin is trading 5.22% lower over the last 24-hours at US$46,533.74 at 5:30pm AEDT.
Online retailer, Kogan.com, rallied today after announcing its entrance into the crypto market through selling the internet domain name bitbuy.com, for US$1.5m to First Ledger, the parent company of Canadian cryptocurrency trading platform Bitbuy. Kogan.com also signed a deal to provide advertising and marketing support to the Bitbuy group when it expands into Australia.
Making headlines, Australian-based biotech giant Csl is in expansion mode after announcing it has entered into a definitive agreement to launch an all-cash public offer to acquire 100% of Swiss-based specialty pharmaceutical company, Vifor Pharma, shares for US$179.25/Vifor Pharma share. The US$12.3bn all-cash acquisition is to be funded through a combination of US$4.5bn fully underwritten placement, and US$6bn new debt and existing cash/undrawn facilities.
And Squid Game continues to make headlines as the hit Netflix series ranks number 1 for most-watched TV shows in 2021 with 142 million household views since it was released in September.


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While the EU and British parliaments are still in limbo over a Brexit deal, UK companies are making up their mind about staying or going. Nearly a third of British companies plan to move at least part of their business abroad because of Brexit or are actively considering it, according to a report by the Institute of Directors(IoD). The British lobbying group surveyed 1,200 of the 30,000 firms it represents for the report.
Companies with a focus on importing and exporting goods and services were more likely to answer that they were relocating because of Brexit. Firms that were moving were most likely to set up an office inside the EU, according to reporting by the Guardian. The IOD said that while some larger firms, notably Sony and Panasonic, had already moved headquarters to the EU, smaller companies were now following suit.
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The survey found that 11% had already executed relocation plans and 5% were planning to relocate in connection with Brexit, while a further 13% were “actively considering” a move out of the UK. Exporters were more likely to consider a move, with two-thirds looking to shift overseas, according to the Guardian.
The British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) said at the weekend thousands of firms were gearing up to move operations abroad or stockpiling goods to combat the worst effects of Brexit.
The IOD said it took “no pleasure” in reporting its findings.
You will find more infographics at Statista


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Towards the end of 2013, World Wide Worx and Fuseware released their latest statistics on the state of social media in South Africa: The most popular platforms, and how subscribers are using them to communicate.
While some of the results are not surprising, others reveal interesting and emerging trends. Be sure to take this data into account when devising your next social media marketing strategy.
5 most popular social networks in South Africa
1. Facebook – 9.4 million active users For the first time, Facebook overtook Mxit in South Africa to become the most popular social media platform. In previous years, one of the largest-growing age groups using Facebook were the over 60s, who were using the platform to communicate with friends and family.
In 2013 however, the fastest-growing group was the 23-26 year olds. This age group tends to use the network to ‘check in’ to places, post photos and interact with brands, as well communicate with friends.
87% of all active Facebook users in SA access the network from their mobile devices.
2. Mxit – 7.4 million active users Considered the largest social network in South Africa, 84% of Mxit’s users are based in the country, and the platform has dominated the social media rankings for several years.
The hugely popular app is apparently down 9.3 million users since last year, but it has also changed the way it reports its figures. Now, it considers ‘active’ users those who have used the app within the last month (previously it was the last 3 months).
According to statistics, Mxit devotees spent 95 minutes a day on the app, sending messages to each other.
3. Twitter – 5.5 million active users Twitter is the current darling of social media in South Africa. Growth has surged in the last year, indicating that users are warming up to the idea of short, instant bursts of communication, and the notion of creating content that is follow-worthy. This is quite the opposite of Facebook, where ‘friends’ are easily notched up. On Twitter, users are expected to work harder for their followers. They are also using the platform to interact with brands.
Brands, meanwhile, are using Twitter to great success, primarily to promote competitions, flash sales and limited-time offers, as well as to generate buzz around their brands, provide customer support, and engage their followers in topical conversation.
In just a year, Twitter uptake rose by 129% from 2.4 million users in 2012 to more than 5 million in 2013. Of the 54 million tweets posted each month, 85% are from mobile devices.
South African brands aren’t performing as well as their global counterparts on Twitter, taking an average of 4.5 hours to reply to a tweet, while top international brands sometimes reply within 3 minutes. However, Twitter users are undeniably following their favourite labels, with the country’s top 50 brands averaging around 12,700 followers each.
4. LinkedIn – 2.7 million active users LinkedIn proves that while slow and steady may not win the race, it still puts up a good fight. It hasn’t experienced the remarkable growth that Facebook or Twitter has, but its gradual climb shows that companies and professionals still consider it to be a useful networking tool.
The number of registered users grew by 800,000 in the last year – a considerable percentage considering its size. Finance is the most popular industry on the platform.
5. 2go – 1.1 million active users This South African-based social network is slowly creeping up the ranks, but has gained most of its traction in Nigeria, where it is a serious competitor to Facebook.
Instagram – 680 000 active users Instagram has grown tremendously in the past year, with more than half a million users signing up in 2013 alone. This growth is particularly impressive considering that the app is available on iOS and Android only, and not on South Africa’s favourite, BlackBerry.
Predictions are that Instagram is going to continue to enjoy rapid growth in 2014, as South Africans latch onto the trend of communicating in selfies, photos of food and the hashtag ‘love’.
YouTube – 1.5 million active users YouTube usage trends in SA reveal that South Africans prefer shorter, snappier videos, probably due to bandwidth constraints and the cost of data in South Africa. Local trends also reveal that brands have relatively small numbers of dedicated subscribers as opposed to casual viewers of their videos.
What’s the take out for business?
Your social media marketing strategy is going to depend largely on the age and LSM of your target market: If you’re catering to Generation X, you’ll want to focus your efforts on the ‘oldies but goodies’ like Facebook.
However, if you’re wanting to hit the millennials where it counts, aim for Mxit, Twitter and Instagram. Instagram looks set to be the break-out star of 2014, while Mxit is proving that age and experience can certainly put you ahead of the pack. And keep those YouTube videos under the 3-minute mark.


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US import prices rise 0.7% in March
US import prices rose in March on strong petroleum prices, a government report showed yesterday, but underlying import cost pressures were more subdued as the dollar strengthened. Import prices rose 0.7 per cent after falling a revised 0.2 per cent in February, the Labour Department said. Analysts polled had forecast import prices would rise 0.9 per cent in March from a previously reported 0.3 per cent fall. In the 12 months to March, import prices rose 11.4 per cent. March's monthly rise reflected a 4.0 per cent increase in the price of imported petroleum and petroleum products after a 1.4 per cent decline in February.
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Japanese conglomerate SoftBank is expected to infuse $40 billion into its second tech-focussed mega fund, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. This is the Masayoshi Son-led company’s second mega fund.
SoftBank’s board is set to meet Thursday to approve the investment, according to people familiar with the matter.
Earlier, its first $100 billion Vision Fund was launched with $60 billion from sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.
Now, according to WSJ, SoftBank is looking at an “unlikely coalition of investors”, including Apple, Goldman Sachs, Standard Chartered, and the Kazakhstan government. Apple and chipmaker Qualcomm Corp both invested in SoftBank’s first fund, seeking access to promising new technology companies and customers for their products.
With this $40 billion fund, SoftBank is going to focus completely on technology. Sources told WSJ that even Microsoft could be part of this fund and that SoftBank is in advanced talks with them.
The WSJ reports that the Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi governments are likely to invest again, though Saudi Arabia, it stated, is entering at a lower level than the $45 billion it contributed last time.
SoftBank has been a backer of successful companies world over, funding the likes of Uber, Slack, and WeWork. In India, big-ticket investments include ones in OYO Rooms, OlaCabs, Flipkart, and Paytm, whose valuations received a boost thanks to the SoftBank association.
It invested $250 million in OYO, $570 million in Ola Cabs, about $1.9 billion in PayTM, and $2.5 billion in Flipkart through its Vision Fund.
Flipkart was sold to Walmart for $16 billion and SoftBank almost doubled its returns.
The SoftBank Vision Fund, led by SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, was announced in 2016. In 2017, the firm closed $93 billion and later the fund size became $98 billion. The fund focusses on Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, Cloud Computing, software, consumer tech and fintech.
(Edited by Evelyn Ratnakumar)


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Bajaj Auto president K Srinivas joins Wadhawan Global Capital
Back in April 2014, President of the motorcycle business at Bajaj Auto K Srinivas moved on to a non-automotive company. His appointment with, Rajesh Wadhawan Group (parent group of DHFL) is now announced.
Rajesh Wadhawan Group buiness include financial services, real estate, hospitality and hotels & resorts businesses. K Srinivas has joined as Member – People and Leadership of Wadhawan Global Capital.
Formed earlier this month, Wadhawan Global Capital is the holding company of all Rajesh Wadhawan Group’s investments in financial services, including private housing finance Company DHFL, a majority stake in DHFL Pramerica amongst others. Wadhawan Global Capital’ Group Management Centre (GMC) has been created to to enhance and expand group businesses. GMC recently appointed Mr. Ravishankar, former CFO and acting CEO of Jet Airways, Mr. Milind Sarwate, former group CFO of Marico and M Suresh, former Managing Director, Tata AIA.
Mr. Srinivas said, “I feel that my skill in small ticket consumer loan and the motorcycle business can add value to the group, which focuses on financial services targeted at the LMI segment. It’s a very powerful differentiation strategy and I am excited to be a part of the GMC.”
Email - [email protected]


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The number-two selling full-frame interchangeable lens camera spot no longer belongs to a DSLR brand. Today, Sony announced that record sales have moved the company to the number-two spot among full-frame interchangeable-lens camera brands.
Update: We mistakenly reported earlier that Sony became the top-selling full-frame interchangeable lens camera brand, beating DSLRs. Sony became the second best-selling, not first.
Sony launched the first full-frame mirrorless camera three years ago with the a7. While the company’s full frame line also still includes single-lens-reflex (or single-lens translucent) models, like the a99II, the brand’s latest additions to the Alpha mirrorless series, the a7RII and a7RSII, have been instrumental in Sony’s increase in sales, the company said. As the only company with a full-frame mirrorless outside of Leica, this is a major achievement for mirrorless technology. Compared to the same time period in 2016, Sony’s full-frame camera sales have grown by 23 percent.
While the camera market as a whole has been seeing declines over the past several years, the data from the NPD Group’s Retail Tracking Service shows that full-frame interchangeable lens cameras, including DSLRs, have grown by about five percent. However, if Sony is removed from the equation, sales would have fallen by about two percent. The data compares total sales value and not the number of products sold, measuring sales changes between January and February 2016 with the same period in 2017.
While Sony was first to launch a full-frame mirrorless, outside of luxury brand Leica, no other camera manufacturer currently offers a mirrorless with the 35mm sensor, though Fujifilm now has a medium format option.
“Our commitment to the industry is stronger than ever,” said Neal Manowitz, VP of Digital Imaging at Sony North America. “We are always listening to our customers, combining their feedback with our intense passion for innovation to deliver products, services, and support like no other.”
Photographers initially approached mirrorless systems with caution, since the lack of a mirror created an autofocus system slower than DSLRs. Over the last decade, however, technological advances have narrowed the performance gap significantly. While the number of DSLRs shipped in 2016 fell by 17 percent, mirrorless cameras only declined by four percent. Other statistics show the mirrorless still has a lot of catching up to do — the sector made up only three percent of all Flickr uploads last year, while DSLRs made up 25 percent of uploads to the imaging platform.
While Sony has been a dominant player in the mirrorless arena for years, Canon and Nikon have been a bit more hesitant, with many considering the EOS M5 as Canon’s first serious mirrorless camera. Nikon has the speedy but small sensor Nikon 1 series that hasn’t seen an update since 2015, though reports suggest the company is working on a more advanced series as well.
- The best full-frame cameras
- Canon EOS R5 vs. Sony A7S III vs. Panasonic S1H: Best full-frame for video?
- Sony’s new ultra-wide full-frame lens is the first of its kind
- Panasonic takes on Sony in the vlogging camera game with compact Lumix G100
- The Xperia 1 II brings Sony’s mirrorless camera tech to a smartphone


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Inteva earns top innovation award for hi-tech stitching process in instrument panels
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Inteva Products, LLC, a global Tier 1 automotive supplier of engineered components and systems, recently received the top prize in the 2018 Innovation Awards presented by the European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA) at The Hague, Netherlands.
Inteva was recognized for its new real-time scanning process for the robotic stitching of automotive interiors. This innovative technology will be used on instrument panels for the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks.
The new process enables “live” scanning and immediate adjustments to the program path of robotic stitching equipment as a component is being stitched. This approach aligns leading-edge advances in the use of lasers in automotive manufacturing with Inteva’s unique robotic stitching technologies. The advancement reduces the average cycle time of a stitched surface by approximately 20-30%.
Although Inteva did not revealed the location where the scanning process takes place, it’s worth noting that last September the company inaugurated a new 300,000-square-foot manufacturing site in Silao, Guanajuato, dedicated to the manufacturing of interior systems such as door and instrument panels.
Silao is the same municipality where General Motors operates an assembly plant that builds the crew cab versions of Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks.
The 2018 CLEPA Innovation Awards, organized in cooperation with Deloitte, celebrate automotive excellence in the categories of Environment, Safety, Connectivity & Automation and Cooperation. Inteva was recognized in the “Cooperation” category with its customer General Motors.
“We are proud to receive this recognition,” said Inteva Products CEO and President Lon Offenbacher. “The real-time scanning innovation was a true collaborative effort between the talented women and men of Inteva and our customer General Motors, so we are especially honored to be recognized in the Cooperation category.”


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Saturday, June 26, 2021 16:30 PM (GMT+7)
Apple has released a new research report detailing why users shouldn’t download external apps for iOS devices.
Currently, Sideloading – the process of transferring files between two local devices is banned on iPhone and iPad that involves downloading or installing apps originating outside of the App Store through unsupervised mechanisms. close. On Wednesday, Apple released a white paper titled “Building a Trusted Ecosystem for Millions of Apps,” which details a number of practical issues.
In it, “Apple House” emphasizes that applications downloaded through this mechanism can bypass some of the built-in control mechanisms on iOS. For example, a game app might bypass parental controls for in-game purchases.
Apple issued a warning to iPhone users.
In addition, the Cupertino-based tech giant also gave examples of malicious apps, such as a clone app that threatens to delete all users’ photos, demanding ransom. Other examples include pirated apps that aim to give money to scammers and apps that violate user privacy.
In the white paper, Apple states: “To protect iOS users from malicious apps and provide the world’s best platform security, we take a multi-pronged approach, with multiple layers of protection.” .
Additionally, the company details why privacy and security protections are different between iOS and macOS: “iOS poses greater security challenges because users constantly and frequently download new apps to devices, and iOS devices need to be safe enough for children to use without supervision.”
App Store censored apps offer greater security.
The manufacturer also adds, iPhone is a much more attractive target for criminals because there are many active devices. The company is still continuing to make moves to bring macOS closer to the iPhone. This is seen as an answer from Apple SVP Craig Federighi about Macs not meeting Apple’s security standards.
Other sections of the document focus on the app review process and how it prevents the majority of malicious or fraudulent apps from leaving the App Store. For example, Apple has stopped trading more than $1.5 billion in potentially fraudulent deals.
Sideloading has been seen as potential solutions to antitrust concerns surrounding the App Store. Earlier, Epic Games’ lawyers in the trial with Apple argued that alternative app stores and transfers could increase competition on iOS. Proposed rules in the European Union could also force Apple to allow app transfers.
On the other hand, the “apple defect” side asserts that this will bring danger to the security and privacy of users. At the same time, Apple CEO – Tim Cook also spoke out against the proposed regulations in the EU in early June.
In fact, there are many cases where developers abuse Apple’s enterprise certificate program to download applications to users’ devices. Although the program is designed to facilitate internal distribution of applications within companies, some large firms such as Facebook and Google use it to download apps to pass the App Review process. use.
If there’s a problem with the Lightning port, you won’t be able to charge your iPhone. How to fix the above situation?


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The new version of Windows (code-named Threshold) that will be released next year will be called Windows 10, and will run on multiple hardware platforms. Microsoft is skipping the name “9” as a way of showing that this will be the last major release of Windows. Future releases will be small updates. Read more on ZDnet.
In partnership with Experts Exchange. If you ever wanted to insert a checkbox in an Excel worksheet, you know it wasn’t easy or straightforward. But


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Panini has extended their NBA trading card license. The new multi-year deal gives the card maker exclusive rights to NBA trading cards and stickers. Kobe Bryant will also continue to be a big part of Panini's products.
"My kids get to make fun of Daddy's afro," said Bryant in a conference call to discuss Panini's extended deal and basketball cards, in general. "It's just cool. It's something you can pass around," the Lakers superstar continued when talking about the impact of trading cards.
" continues to expand the game. It gets the players involved," said Bryant. " does a great job of positioning the sports they're involved in."
Bryant continued to reflect fondly back to when he was a kid, going to card shops and thinking how cool it would be to be on a card one day.
"Our companies share a collective interest in promoting our brands worldwide,” said Sal Larocca, NBA Executive Vice President Global Merchandising Group in a press release. “Panini has continually demonstrated the ability and commitment to creating products that appeal to our fans on a global basis.”
"One of the primary goals on the NBA is to take as far and as wide as we can," Larocca continued during a conference call. "Trading cards have historically played a major role. It catches fans on a day-to-day basis."
Panini is aiming to expand the basketball card market even bigger with their new license, particularly in China. Currently, Panini has NBA collectibles in more than 40 territories worldwide.
Panini America CEO Mark Warsop pointed to some in-roads they've made overseas, "We've managed to expand in the Far East." He pointed to 2012-13 Hoops. In North America, collectors can find the set with different configurations for both retail and hobby markets. Warsop explained there is another version made exclusively for China that has a unique make-up.
When asked about the increasingly digital landscape of the world, particularly when it comes to capturing kids' attention, Warsop was quick to point out there are some things iPads and Smart Phones can't do.
"We've always found that what you can't take away is the excitement of opening a pack," Warsop said. "That excitement can't be replicated in a digital format."
Panini has been the only licensed NBA card manufacturer since the start of the 2009-10 season. The length and details of the extension were not released.
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Jordan Brand expands their women’s lineup with this new Air Jordan 3 “Rust Pink” colorway that resembles Aleali May’s Air Jordan 6 from 2019.
Dressed in a Sail, Rust Pink, White, and Crimson color scheme. This Air Jordan 3 features a Pink nubuck upper with Sail leathers at the tongue, collar, and eyelets. Highlighting the shoe are Crimson accents throughout, an embroidered Jumpman branding on the heels completed with a White midsole and milky-translucent outsole.
Air Jordan 3 Rust Pink Release Date
Look for the Air Jordan 3 WMNS “Rust Pink” to release on May 28th at select retailers and StockX. The retail price tag is set at $190 USD.
Color: Sail/Rust Pink-White-Crimson
Style Code: CK9246-600
Release Date: May 28, 2021
UPDATE 4/2: Originally listed to release April 15th, the women’s Air Jordan 3 “Rust Pink” will now launch on May 28th.
UPDATE 2/27: Thanks to brandon1an, we get a detailed look at the women’s Air Jordan 3 “Rust Pink” arriving April 15th.
UPDATE 1/17: According to release calendars, the women’s Air Jordan 3 “Rust Pink” is set to launch on April 15th.


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Galleria redevelopment. Photo courtesy of Thompson and Bender
Multi-billion-dollar plans to reconstruct the Galleria into a mixed-use residential building and retail space are underway in White Plains.
Westchester bid farewell to the Galleria earlier this year, and now plans to remodel the 870,000-square-foot, 85-store complex into a mixed-use residential building have been unveiled. On September 27, it was announced that Pacific Retail Capital Partners, The Cappelli Organization, and SL Green Realty Corporation have filed a rezoning request for the expected multi-billion-dollar redevelopment.
The project would mark the largest conversion of an enclosed shopping mall into open space, mixed-use residential and retail in the New York metropolitan tri-state region.
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The development will add seven residential towers to the White Plains skyline, with around 3,200 apartments boasting state-of-the-art technology. A total of 384 of those apartments are expected to be built in accordance with the City of White Plains Affordable Rental Housing Regulations. They will also boast a fitness center, grocery store, dining options, and professional and personal services for the residents.
The mixed-use residential building and retail space will provide a vibrant and economically vital space for the community in the heart of White Plains. In addition, it would connect the community to transit-oriented housing, a plan the city has been evolving.
“As an urban renewal project that began more than 50 years ago, the reimagining of this property is integral to the transformation of Downtown White Plains, which began in earnest over 20 years ago with City Center. The District Galleria will go a long way in making our local community more enjoyable, desirable, sustainable, and resilient,” says Chief Executive Officer and Founder of the Cappelli Organization Louis Cappelli.
As for the design, developers plan on knocking down existing barriers to create ample outdoor space during the Galleria redevelopment. The space will include a mile-long esplanade, pet playgrounds, and pocket parks with flourishing landscaping ideal for community gatherings, events, and public entertainment. The garden promenade will act as a link, joining neighboring communities and providing a space to shop, dine, walk, and play.
“Experience driven mixed-use environments appeal to people’s desire for connection and belonging. They are poised to be the key in reviving our communities’ urban centers,” says Najla Kayyem, Executive Vice President for Pacific Retail Capital Partners.


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Update 09 May 2022
Morrisons rescues McColls in a Pre Pack Administration saving 16,000 jobs. Included in the deal, all outstanding pension obligations will be honoured and its 1,100 stores will remain.
08 May 2022
In the last few hours before administrators, PwC are formally appointed to oversee the sale of McColl's Retail Group, and Morrisons has put forward a revised offer to lenders. It is heard that this offer would allowv McColl's lenders to be repaid in full immediately - satisfying their needs!
So as it stands, it is not clear which of the rival offers is most likely.
An update Monday is expected.
06 May 2022
Convenience store retailer, McColl's collapses into administration, leaving thousands of jobs at risk. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has been appointed as administrator.
Interested parties looking to strike a deal to save the chain include Morrisons and EG Group. The latter are the most likely to seal the deal, which would involve a takeover via a pre-pack administraition.
This collapse is the largest insolvency of the UK retail sector, in terms of workforce size, since the 2020 collapse of Edinburgh Woollen Mill Group.
Sky News report more.
26 February 2022
It has been reported today that one of Britain’s largest convenience store chains is at risk of collapse if new funding cannot be secured within weeks. Around 16,000 jobs are at risk.
McColl’s Retail Group is working with advisors to find a buyer or third parties that are willing to input new capital into the business for its survival. Sources say that the window to secure new funding is tight.
Just six months ago the chain raised £30m from its shareholders in a cash call. Currently there is around £170m in debt. Is there chance of a rescue this time round?
McColl’s trades from around 1,100 convenience stores and newsagents across Britain. Around 200 of these trade under the Morrisons Daily format – the outcome of a partnership with Morrisons.
Latest information is that Morrisons have emerged as a likely buyer for the business but this has not been confirmed.
Sky News report more on the matter.
Category: What is administration


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UK regulators are starting to give cryptocurrencies and associated crypto assets their seal of approval. This is significant, not least because it goes against the prevailing wisdom among policymakers around the world who have pronounced crypto assets to be, at best, a poor store of value, and at worst, downright dangerous.
The UK Financial Conduct Authority, though, granted access this month to its so-called sandbox for the first time to FinTechs experimenting with crypto assets. The sandbox is a way for companies — whether large lenders or FinTech start-ups — to test new products in a live environment with temporary FCA authorisation – according to the FT.
It’s part of the watchdog’s Project Innovate, which aims to disrupt the incumbent financial sector that became tainted by the crisis, ultimately giving consumers more choice at better prices. It’s a model that has since been copied in other jurisdictions, and there are plans afoot for a global sandbox, where companies could get authorised in more than two countries at once.
The FCA’s sandbox has been going for a few years, but this fourth cohort is the largest yet, with 29 firms getting through out of 69 applicants. The latest cohort “has seen a large increase in the number of firms testing wholesale [market] propositions, including firms that are aiming to increase the efficiency of the capital-raising process,” says Christopher Woolard, the FCA’s executive director of competition and strategy.
“Alongside these, we can see significant use of distributed ledger technology, some experimentation with crypto assets, which will help inform our policy work and propositions aimed at helping lower income consumers.”
Of those 29, a full 40% are using distributed ledger technology, which underpins crypto assets like bitcoin. They include household names like Royal Bank of Scotland’s NatWest, which is using blockchain for a new governance model to create a digital mutual.
Meanwhile, the London Stock Exchange is teaming up with 20|30 to build a blockchain-based platform that will allow primary issuance to institutional investors of equity tokens using Ethereum. Unlike many Initial Coin Offerings, equity tokens are regulated and give holders stock in a company.
But perhaps the most interesting news out of the FCA — and evidence of the regulator’s real imprimatur on the sector — was a nugget revealed during testimony at a Treasury select committee on digital currencies, attended by officials from the Treasury, Bank of England and FCA.
The FCA official, David Geale, revealed that the watchdog is itself testing DLT for its own FinTech proposals around regulatory reporting. This was subsequently revealed as Project Maison, which allows real-time reporting of mortgage-lending data using DLT.
The post FCA approval? Are cryptocurrencies going mainstream? appeared first on Payments Cards & Mobile.


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The world has come a long way from the ‘brick and mortar’ economy and the physical presence of service providers is not necessary due to digitization of the economy.
The United States has unilaterally pulled out from negotiations on OECD’s effort to forge a global consensus on taxation of digital services. The US Secretary of the Treasury, Steven Mnuchin’s letter to finance ministers of four European countries stating that the negotiation has reached an ‘impasse’ and a threat of retaliatory tariff does not augur well for international taxation regime.
What is Digital Service Tax?
Today the global digital space is characterised by tech companies having ‘massive online presence but no physical presence.’ The rationale behind imposing digital service tax (DST) is to reassign the taxing rights - from the country where the headquarters of multi-billion tech companies are situated or some shady tax heaven countries – to the countries where the users are using and creating value. This is based on the principle of fairness and transparency.
At the heart of contention is the claim by European countries to a share in the pie of massive revenue generated by tech companies. The world has come a long way from the ‘brick and mortar’ economy and the physical presence of service providers is not necessary due to digitization of the economy. As the world goes more ‘online’ and tech companies situated in a remote part of the earth amass huge revenue from the rest of the world, a rethinking and remodeling of international taxation laws and ‘revolutionary’ action was needed. France spearheaded this effort when President Emmanuel Macron signed the DST bill into law on July 24, last year. A host of other countries have passed such laws or are in the phase of introducing them. The French DST imposes a three percent levy on gross revenues generated in France, from two categories of digital services — digital interface and targeted advertising — provided by tech companies with global annual turnover of more than Euros 750 million and Euro 25 million turnover in France.
Digital interface services include the provision, by electronic communication, of a digital interface allowing users to be in contact with other users and to interact with them, especially for the purpose of delivering goods or providing services directly between these users. This category includes interfaces like social networks, online gaming sites, Uber (when a driver connects with a passenger and provides a ride), Airbnb (when a tourist books an apartment) etc. Targeted advertising covers services like: (1) the placement of an ad targeted based on data concerning the individual who views the ad, (2) the monitoring of an ad placed based on data concerning the individual who views the ad, and (3) the sale of user data in connection with Internet advertising. The French DST also provides some exemptions or carve outs, to services like direct sale of goods or services online; and making a digital interface available as a primary means to provide users with digital content, communication services and payment services.
Heretofore, due to tax and accounting shenanigans and also due to lack of taxing statues, the norm had been ‘the biggest you are the least you pay.’ But now the companies have to pay in France tax on the world-wide revenue of the companies multiplied by the percentage representing taxable service attributable to France. This is a total game changer for countries that are recipient of services of tech companies and lose out to the taxing rights on these behemoths.
Why the Global Negotiations failed
Overhaul of international taxation regime - to address the tax challenges of the digitalization of the economy - was culminated with the issue of 15 Actions (anti-base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS)). However, value creation across new and changing business models in the context of digitalization and the tax challenges they presented necessitated new rules to deal with the new reality. As the negotiations were sluggish in the OECD and a comprehensive solution was not forthcoming, France and other European nations made a unilateral decision to impose DST, which was temporarily suspended with the hope of a final consensus within OECD, and any decision of DST would be taken under the multilateral aegis OECD.
Wary of the French decision and also to deter other nations from imposing DST, the US had threatened tariffs on French goods and conducted a section 391 investigation under the Trade Act of 1974 which grants the U.S. Trade Representative a range of responsibilities and authorities to investigate and take action to enforce U.S. rights under trade agreements and respond to certain foreign trade practices. DST, also called GAFA or GAFAM tax - because the targeted companies were Google, Apple, Facebook, Alphabet and Microsoft – was viewed by the US as discriminatory. The investigation also found it to be retroactive, inconsistent with tax principles and extraterritorial and taxing revenue rather than income. On June 12, the US hammered the final nail in the coffin when it said, “Attempting to rush such difficult negotiations is a distraction from far more important matters. This is a time when governments around the world should focus their attention on dealing with the economic issues resulting from Covid-19.” The US stalled the talks and has waged a new trade war as other countries are bound to take unilateral action and the US will follow the suit with reciprocal sanctions.
Has Covid-19 raised the pitch for DST?
Covid -19 has forced the economy to go more digital, which will further erode traditional tax bases and pressurise nations. As shutdown is continued or re-imposed, the work from home is bound to create demand for a wide range of online platforms. The French Finance Minister has stated the time was never ‘more legitimate and more necessary’ to levy digital service tax, as the tech companies were showing even stellar growth in this pandemic. Covid -19 has in fact accelerated and upped the tempo for a more broad based, just and transparent digital service tax regime.
A respite for developing countries
Developing countries are feeling a shock due to the slowdown in economic growth and dwindling revenue in the midst of the pandemic and the growth forecasts are also bleak. Tax bases are already saturated and the revenue authorities are desperately searching for ways to augment the limited fiscal space. Digital tax can be a variable that would balance the mismatches in equation in the government budget. Developing countries like Nepal cannot take unilateral action and challenge the goliaths of the world economy on its own. However, we must make our voice heard and our concerns addressed when the heavy weight economies battle it out for their stake in this new game of digital service tax. Even though the US has walked out of the OECD negotiations, there is no alternative to a better negotiation. DST is the new norm in the international taxation landscape and is here to stay; the only question is how to make it more transparent and fairer.
Uprety is a Chartered Accountant.


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A major fire has destroyed a major packing plant owned by Smurfit Kappa in central England, catching a large batch of bales of paper and cardboard in a warehouse.
The est Midlands Fire Brigade said firefighters from across the West Midlands region around Birmingham had made progress containing the blaze throughout the night. There are no reports of casualties, it said.
Ireland’s Smurfit Kappa is Europe’s largest manufacturer of paper packaging. The Birmingham mill is one of two paper mills in the UK and produces 500 to 700 tonnes per day of packaging paper, which is later converted into cartons.
Firefighters said they had more than 30 firefighting equipment deployed at the height of the blaze, including two aerial work platforms, several fire engines, a heavy-duty water pumping unit and a drone.
It said it declared the fire a major event after 8,000 tons of compressed cardboard caught fire. Pictures posted by the fire brigade on the Internet showed large areas of burning cardboard bales.
The fire service said they expect to be present in some capacity for at least the next 48 hours.
Packaging companies have had to cope with a surge in demand for their products over the past two years, and Smurfit said earlier this year that its range of products has effectively sold out in almost all of the 36 countries in which it operates.
https://www.independent.ie/business/world/major-blaze-hits-smurfit-kappa-packaging-plant-in-uk-41746589.html Major fire hits Smurfit Kappa packaging line in UK


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Following the Government announcement made this morning relating to the delayed plant health border controls, FPC are delighted to acknowledge the new approach incorporating a proportionate risk-based strategy using advanced technology.
The new approach will apply to both the EU and rest of world trade.
The revised strategy acknowledges that the planned July 2022 border solutions were highly inefficient, promoting considerable bureaucratic burden on industry and significant food inflation for consumers.
Rees-Mogg estimates the proposed annual cost saving to the industry as being approximately £1bn.
The revised target date for implementation is the end of 2023 following a review of the policy to simplify and digitise border control processes.
Nigel Jenney, CEO of Fresh Produce Consortium continues by saying “it is frustrating that over 5 years ago FPC proposed the same solution that was rejected at that time. We are actively involved in the Cabinet Offices Border Review Strategy. The proposed modern approach to border management needs to promote efficient international trade.
"This is a positive outcome for the majority of our industry but disappointing to note that the strategy for high-risk products (certain high-risk plants) will remain.
"For fresh produce, we anticipate, based on the risk assessments planned, levels of inspections could diminish and that any new processes reward responsible businesses with a light touch approach to avoid unnecessary costs and delays.
"The Government’s decision to adopt Border Control Posts remains a serious concern as they will add considerable cost and delay to supply chain if used in the future. FPC would instead prefer to see a trusted trader scheme where responsible, approved businesses are allowed to do checks for themselves.
"The Government needs to ensure that it listens to industry to ensure the proposed solution is the most effective for all involved and FPC are committed to ensuring that the industry’s views and solutions are represented.
"We are encouraging all members to contact us with any queries relating to this to ensure that we can raise them at the highest level to enable clarity going forward.”


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Home Tags OAG
More than 40 airlines and over 60 represented airports have confirmed their participation at the inaugural CONNECT Middle East, India and Africa – co-located...
Travel to and within the U.S. grew 3.2% year-over-year in February, according to the U.S. Travel Association's latest Travel Trends Index (TTI). However, the predictive...
Travel to and within the U.S. grew 3.6 percent year-over-year in December, according to the U.S. Travel Association's latest Travel Trends Index (TTI)—marking the...
The growth of both international and domestic travel are projected to decelerate in the first few months of 2019.
The winner is Panama based Star Alliance carrier Copa. OAG's Punctuality League is based on 57 million flight records using full-year data to create a...
A massive database breach was reported by Marriott Hotels and Resorts at their Starwood brand on November 30. In the meantime, Marriott Security procedures had been in the global spotlight resulting in various legal and criminal actions taken by authorities around the world against the largest hotel chain in the world. A PR nightmare has been unfolding for Marriott resulting in making the brand speechless in avoiding responses to the media.
Travel to and within the U.S. grew 3.2 percent year-over-year in October, according to the U.S. Travel Association's latest Travel Trends Index (TTI)—marking the...
VANCOUVER, Canada - Winners of the 2010 World Routes Airport Marketing Awards were formally announced yesterday at the World Routes Gala Networking Evening at Rogers Arena (formerly known as General M
The world's airlines have scheduled 6 percent fewer flights for April 2009 compared with the same month last year, with a 3 percent drop in seat capacity, according to the latest statistics from OAG.
In 2009, the average aircraft utilization for the world's commercial fleet is expected to drop by 4 percent compared to 2008, according to the latest Commercial Aircraft Fleets and Utilization Forecas
The world's airlines have scheduled 4.9 percent fewer flights for March 2009 compared with the same month last year, with a 3.3 percent drop in seat capacity, according to the latest statistics from O
Routes and OAG (Official Airline Guide) on Monday celebrated the first regional heat of their acclaimed Routes-OAG Airport Marketing Awards and announced the winners for the Americas region.
Washington, DC - Continuing problems within the US economy are impacting airline operations with worse than expected declines in airline capacity this winter, as the number of domestic flights is set
WASHINGTON, DC (August 5, 2008) - The world's airlines will offer 59.7 million fewer seats in the 4th quarter of 2008 than they did a year ago, according to OAG (Official Airline Guide, www.oagcorpora
Continental Airlines today announced that it was named the "Best Airline in North America" at the 2008 OAG Airline of the Year Awards. This is the fifth straight year that Continental has received the award.
MIAMI - For the seventh time LAN Airlines is chosen Best Airline in Central/South America and the Caribbean by the Official Airline Guide (OAG). This guide is the well-recognized leader around the world for information in air travel.
OAG (Official Airline Guide) has announced that five members of Air Canada’s Heathrow-based Customer Services department have been awarded the Outstanding Service Award at the 26th OAG Airline Industry Awards held on Wednesday, June 4 at The Bloomsbury Ballroom in central London.
OAG (Official Airline Guide), the global flight information and data solutions company, today announced the launch of OAG Travel Planner Pro, its new intelligent online tool for people who need to search, plan and book business travel quickly and efficiently. Their web site, www.oag.com, hs been completely rebuilt and is designed for people who need to control their travel arrangements.


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I'm super excited for iCloud but I'm still wondering what the hell I'm going to do with my two separate Apple ID accounts: my original one, which I made to buy stuff on iTunes—and still use to buy apps—and then the MobileMe account that Apple forced you to make as a separate Apple ID.
Apple's iOS5 update is due to drop this afternoon, sometime around 6pm our time, but one integral part of the experience is already live. iCloud.com is reportedly accessible to non-developers right now, so why not go poke your nose in? [iCloud via TUAW]
Motorola has officially revealed the ATRIX 2, which increases the Android phone's screen to a huge 4.3" display running at the qHD resolution of 960x540. But that's about the only major change.
An Important Message From Sony’s Chief Information Security Officer: "OH GOD, NO, IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN"
Poor old Sony was hammered by both media and its own users earlier this year, after news broke of a large-scale hacking of its PlayStation Network. And now it's happened again.
BlackBerry maker RIM has released a statement on the ongoing BlackBerry Messenger service failures, saying that pretty much everything broke at once. And there's now a big backlog of sexy texts to process.
Reviews are already up for the iPhone 4S and it's a lot like we expected: the same package but faster, with a better camera and the golden bullet: Siri.
You already know you're supposed to eat your vegetables. But a new study shows a healthy diet could go so far as to impact your genetics
Windows Mobile may be ancient technology for those using an iPhone or Android handset, but for industry applications like the MobiUS SP1 mobile ultrasound system, the now two-year old operating system is just perfect.
I inherited one of these 70s handheld games from a box of junk when I was five. It was a Harlem Globetrotters-branded basketball game. It was downright incomprehensible. This Pulsonic baseball game looks no different.
The Asus Zenbook is the latest Ultrabook-class laptop to go official. Competing against the Acer Aspire S3 and MacBook Air, the UX31 (and the smaller UX21) Zenbook attempts to combine thin form factors with real-world performance without sacrificing in either category.
Twitter rolled out an update to its iOS app with support to upload photos to Twitter's new photo-sharing service.
Today's going to be a big day for Apple software—iOS 5, iCloud, an update to OS X Lion—and a version of iTunes to go along with all of that. Luckily, you can download iCloud-connected iTunes now.
Sharing your Spotify music on Facebook can be a little embarrassing. No biggie, just go private or deactivate Facebook from Spotify, right? Not quite! A bug in Spotify's client was logging users back into Facebook, even after they'd deactivated the service.
Mankind has been puzzling over the rumbling in our stomachs for so long that even the ancient Greeks came up with a name for it: borborygmi. The word attempts to put the sound of the grumble to mouth.


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GST rate cut: Eating out will get cheaper in Mumbai
Tax will be lower, but rates of items on menu, hiked after introduction of GST in July, won’t be reduced, say hotel ownersmumbai Updated: Nov 14, 2017 09:35 IST
With the reduction in goods and services tax (GST) for hotels from 18% to 5%, eating out is likely to get slightly cheaper.
“The reduction in GST is a huge relief. Hoteliers should absorb the losses incurred on account of withdrawal of ITC (Input Tax Credit),” said Dilip Datwani, president, Hotel & Restaurant Association Western India (HRAWI), a leading association of hotels. “The aim of the government behind the GST cut is to encourage patrons to eat outside.”
After the GST was introduced in July, hotel owners hiked the prices of items on their menus. The customers’ bill included the hiked menu price and the tax. However, though the GST cut may bring down the bill, menu prices will remain unchanged, the Indian Hotels and Restaurant Association (AHAR) said.
“In the past one year, operational costs have increased tremendously, but the menu prices remained constant. If the costs of raw materials and other operations come down, we will consider cutting prices,” said Adarsh Shetty, president, AHAR.
Shetty said the focus of hoteliers is to revive their business, which has fallen by approximately 30% since GST came into effect.
The GST regime was a big blow to low-budget and non-AC restaurants, as they had to pay 12%, while AC and semi-AC ones had to pay 18% GST. This resulted in a massive dip of 80% in home delivery orders, said hoteliers.
First Published: Nov 14, 2017 09:35 IST


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Microsoft announced Windows 10 the other day. Putting aside the fact they skipped version 9, and all of the jokes that could evoke, the announcement appeared to be one long apology to the enterprise. We’re sorry we dissed you in version 8 and we want to beg you to take us back.
In a blog post on Friday, Microsoft announced that it wouldn’t be extending the free upgrade to Windows 10 for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 Enterprise users. Microsoft plans to update Windows 10 much more frequently compared to previous Windows versions.
Microsoft continues to invest in new and expanded products and services for its business customers, likely the company’s most important market segment according to its “cloud-first, mobile-first” strategy. Whether it’s Office 365 for business,...The post Microsoft continues to innovate,
Microsoft has been committed to a 'cloud-first' world, and place a strong emphasis on their Cloud + Enterprise products. Today they announced updates targeting their cloud-focused enterprise software, such as their Azure platform.
As we reported earlier last week, Microsoft is putting some more care and thought into how it can clearly communicate their respect for and protection of the user’s data. After many concerns over the...
Microsoft is delivering an early Christmas present to gamers and enterprise customers in the form of a blockbuster Windows 10 update — just a few months after Windows 10 officially launched.The update, which was announced in a Windows Blog post on Thursday, should come as no surprise.
To most of us in the consumer space, it is relatively easy to upgrade to new editions of Windows. It happens when you buy a new computer, which most probably did long before Windows XP's support was ended. Readers of WinBeta are probably likely to upgrade the OS without purchasing new hardware too,
Taco Bell has partnered with Microsoft to create a special limited-edition platinum Xbox One X consoles with the fast food joint’s iconic bell noise upon the console's boot.
With the performance and availability of wireless peripherals continuing to grow, Bluetooth is becoming an increasingly common feature on Windows PCs. Whereas it was once limited to a handful of laptops, Bluetooth’s now a common sight on all Windows tablets and convertibles,
The latest Chrome upgrade comes with the rare collaborative support between Google's browser and Microsoft's Windows 10 that allows the browser to install PWA's as regular applications on Windows 10.
Perhaps, in preperation of its long term Microsoft stewardship, GitHub just announced GitHub Actions, which should help developers improve their project efficency.
This new cumulative updates fixes several issues related to Task Manager, Microsoft Edge and Connected Standby, and it also adresses adresses compatibility problems with drivers, third-party antivirus and virtualization software.
Microsoft is preparing its partners for the inevitable IoT future with its Azure Cloud Services offerings, more specifically, its recently released Azure Digital Twins platform looks to address spatial computing of the physical world.
To mitigate weather-related risks associated with renewable energy agreements, Microsoft has teamed up with various partners to create a new risk-management tool called volume firming agreement (VFA).
Blink is a camera app for Windows Phone by Microsoft Research. It takes multiple images before and after you actually take a picture -- guaranteeing that you captured the best shot, even if you're timing was off.
Recently, we wrote about Cortana getting more of a 'personality.' Microsoft is continuing on this track and has added functionality to simulate coin tosses and dice rolls. Many of you will realize that this is a rather simple program with a random number generator that you can code in minutes.
iOS开发UI篇—实现一个简单的手势解锁应用（基本）一、实现效果实现效果图：二、手势解锁应用分析1.监听手指在view上的移动，首先肯定需要自定义一个view，重写touch began,touch move等方法，当手指移动到圈上时，让其变亮。
距離「撲飛」只剩下半天的時間，不知道大家有沒有準備好呢？unwire 編輯部就整理了一些撲飛的貼士，有興趣的讀者快做功課準備吧。The post 最後 N 小時！ 6 種「絕招」搶超平機票 – $100 飛英美日澳台泰 appeared first on UNWIRE.
Swedish prosecutors on Friday offered to question WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in London, potentially unlocking a stalemate in an almost five-year-old investigation into alleged sex crimes.See also:
Hackers grounded 10 flights by Polish airline LOT and delayed another 12 on Sunday when they managed to access the computer system responsible for issuing flight plansSee also: British Airways confirms thousands of frequent-flyer accounts hackedMore than 1,
James Horner, the iconic composer who brought his talents to many blockbusters, including Titanic, Braveheart and Avatar, is feared dead after the wreckage of a plane registered in his name was discovered on Monday.Horner memorably composed the music to "My Heart Will Go On,
The Chinese government has erected a new sculpture in the province of Xinjiang, and it looks suspiciously like one of Chicago's most famous landmarks.The sculpture in China is designed to commemorate the first oil well in the Karamay, a city known for its oil supply. The People's Daily,
Euronews opened its brand new global headquarters in Lyon, France on Thursday, and I am pretty sure Lyon just got an iconic landmark on the bank of its Saône River.Read more...
Avenida is set on cementing its leadership position Argentina’s e-commerce market after a $30 million Series C led by Naspers with participation from Tiger Global (both firms are returning investors). Read More


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Wirex, the UK-based digital money platform that allows users to exchange and spend both traditional money and cryptocurrencies, today announced the addition of its first stablecoin – the Dai (DAI) token – to its portfolio.
Dai’s solvency also does not rely on any trusted counter-parties, and the token is backed by a surplus of collateral that has been brought into the audited and publicly viewable Ethereum smart contracts.
Wirex co-founder Pavel Matveev said that Dai was a good payment option during periods of market volatility.
He said: “Stablecoins are yet another variation of cryptocurrencies and an excellent tool to make international payments at low costs and without volatility.”
Rune Christensen, CEO and co-founder of MakerDAO, explained that the growth towards mass adoption of cryptocurrency required stablecoins.
“Convenient access to stable digital currency is a critical element for growth of the crypto economy,” he said.
“Partnering with Wirex to integrate Dai into their platform creates another way for people to access and use crypto in their daily lives.”
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author should not be considered as financial advice. We do not give advice on financial products.


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Former Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario and Olympics legend Kipchoge Keino are among seven high-ranking officials to be investigated afresh in the Sh88 million Rio Olympics scandal.
The others are former Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Arts Richard Titus Ekai, former director of administration in the ministry Harun Komen Chebet, chief of the Rio mission Stephen Kiptanui arap Soi, former finance officer Patrick Kimathi Nkabu, and former National Olympics Committee Secretary-General Francis Kinyili Paul.
Detectives are seeking to establish whether there is evidence that the officials either misused or stole money allocated to the Kenyan team to Brazil in 2016, resulting in one of the most scandalous international outings in Kenya’s athletics industry.
A tribunal found that top officials in the Sports ministry had embezzled Sh88 million meant for air tickets to the games and recommended the prosecution of those found culpable.
The Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games Probe Committee discovered that the ministry had signed a ticketing deal with a local travel agency to provide air tickets at a much higher price than the national carrier, Kenya Airways, had quoted.
It showed that, while the National Olympics Committee of Kenya (Nock) had negotiated for a Sh175,000 bill per economy class return ticket to Rio, the travel company had increased the rate to Sh445,381.
Business class rates were quoted at Sh800,000 but the agency charged Sh2,028,385 per ticket.
The committee was formed by Dr Wario through Kenya Gazette notice number 7176 of September 9, 2016 to look into various issues regarding Kenya’s preparations for and participation in the games.
It was chaired by Mr Paul Ochieng, the dean of students at Nairobi’s Strathmore University, and included legendary marathon runner Ibrahim Hussein and former stars Elizabeth Olaba and Rose Tata-Muya.
Other members were Mr Elias Makori, a journalist, and Mr John Njogu, a lawyer at the ministry.
In its report to President Uhuru Kenyatta in November 2016, the tribunal also expressed concern about the misappropriation of funds paid to Nock by American sportswear manufacturer Nike.
The firm supplies training and competition uniforms to Kenyan teams.
It also said Nock should account for the Sh126 million per year that it receives from Nike on behalf of athletes.
At the same time, it recommended the overhauling of an eight-year (2013-2020) contract between Nock and Nike as, the committee members found, it was heavily skewed in favour of the American sportswear manufacturer.
Despite a series of management blunders, Kenya bagged its biggest ever medal haul at the Olympics held in Brazil, winning six gold, six silver and one bronze medals.
This performance broke the previous record of six gold, four silver and four bronze medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
At the height of the scandal, sources revealed to the Nation that cash bonuses from Nike for Olympic and Commonwealth Games medal winners had never reached the athletes.
Nike gives $15,000 (Sh1.5 million) to Nock for each gold medal won at the Olympic Games, $7,500 (Sh750,000) for silver and $5,000 (Sh500,000) for bronze.
“Even though the cash is payable to Nock, a large percentage of such bonus payment must trickle down to the individual athletes winning these medals,” a source privy to the discussions that led to the signing of the Nike deal with Nock said.
Kenyan athletes who have previously won Olympic medals told the Nation they had never been paid any Nike bonuses.


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BERLIN — Registering a 9.9 percent increase in net income and a 6.4 percent gain in sales in the second quarter, Henkel AG & Co. raised itsgrowth outlook for adjusted earnings per preferred share from 10 percent toaround 15 percent in 2012.
The Düsseldorf-based consumer goods and adhesives company continues to expect organic sales growth of between 3 percent and 5 percent and an adjusted return of sales (earnings before interest and taxes margin) of 14 percent for the year.
Second-quarter net profits were 412 million euros, or $529.5 million, while adjusted net income gained 22.4 percent to 431 million euros, or $553.9 million.
Operating profit (EBIT) rose 8.5 percent to 583 million euros, or $749.2 million. Allowing for one-time gains, one-time charges and restructuring charges, adjusted EBIT advanced 18.6 percent.
Company sales were 4.21 billion euros, or $5.41 billion. On an organic basis, which excludes the effects of currency exchange and acquisitions and divestments, revenues grew 4 percent.
All dollar figures are converted from the euro at the average exchange rate for the period to which they refer.
Henkel’s cosmetics and toiletries division, which includes brands Dial, Fa and Schwarzkopf, reported a 4.5 percent sales increase to 921 million euros, or $1.18 billion. Organic revenues rose 2.8 percent. The branch’s EBIT slipped 6.3 percent to 131 million euros, or $168.4 million, compared to 140 million euros, or $201.5 million, in the same prior-year period. But Henkel pointed out the 2011 figure included a one-time gain from the disposal of its branded consumer goods business in India. Adjusted EBIT for the quarter rose 7.1 percent.
Henkel said all regions supported the division’s growth, with the most dynamic performance in the emerging markets. Africa and the Middle East combined and Asia (excluding Japan) posted double-digit gains, while sales in Eastern Europe and Latin America also progressed strongly. Despite adverse economic conditions, the mature markets of Western Europe generated solid sales, and the company said North American revenues were positive.
In the first half of 2012, Henkel’s net income gained 18.3 percent to 770 million euros, or $999.5 million, while EBIT rose 15.5 percent to 1.12 billion euros, or $1.46 billion. Sales grew 5.6 percent to 8.21 billion euros, or $10.66 billion.


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ResearchandMarket.com has released its report on the “Global Blockchain Technology Market in Transportation and Logistics Industry Market 2020-2024.” It predicts an $811.51 million growth at a CAGR of 54%, which is fueled by increasing use in trucking due to booming eCommerce demands and, unfortunately, an increase in cargo thefts.
The report gives a top-down analysis of key industry markers such as:
- market size
- market forecast
- growth drivers
- vendor analysis
The report also considers geography and mode segments as well as 25 vendors, including Infosys Ltd., Microsoft Corp., Oracle Corp., and SAP SE.
For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/atb7mc.


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Home Bargains is a mecca for all looking to update their houses and gardens.
But shoppers agreed it deserved another name after a spot-on comment from one customer on Instagram.
The happy shopper was particularly enamoured with the biscuit aisle.
He wrote: “I don’t know who needs to know this, but the biscuit aisle in Home Bargains is out of this world. So many biscuits.”
Home Bargains then shared the message to its own page, joking: “Just call us Home & Biscuits.”
It seems a lot of customers might be doing just that in the future after the post quickly racked up more than 3,000 likes - reports the ECHO.
Customers quickly sided with the shopper, saying they "totally agree".
One said: “That’s very true”.
A second added: "Yep, the kids went potty down the biscuit isle today”.
A third wrote: “It literally is amazing”.
And a fourth said: “My hubby knows this it’s his fave aisle”.


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Africell, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC’s) fourth largest mobile mobile operator by subscribers, has indicated that it intends to extend its network to the Katanga province in the south of the country before the end of the year, before continuing its deployments in the L’Equateur, Kasai-Occidental and Kasai-Oriental provinces next year. At present, the company’s networks are concentrated in the Kinshasa, Bandundu and Bas-Congo provinces.
In other news, Agence Ecofin reports that the firm’s managing director Mbayo Lufunga Pelesa has laid into Africell’s rivals at a company press conference in Kinshasa, accusing them of ‘acting in bad faith, penalising consumers and challenging the state’ with their alleged ‘illegal’ practices. Pelesa continues to harbour a grudge with its rivals Vodacom, Oasis and Airtel, all of which terminated their respective interconnection agreements with the newcomer on 8 November 2012 over a pricing-related dispute; the trio complained that the newcomer was enticing subscribers away from them with the promise of free on-net calls.
According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, the issue did not impede Africell’s momentum, and the company passed the one million subscriber mark in February 2013, a mere two months after its official launch. By 30 June 2013 the relative newcomer had 2.45 million customers on its books.


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— Hublot Replica Watches UK unveils its 2014 collection at the Grand Hotel Kempinski.
From 20th to 24th January 2014, Hublot is presenting its new timepieces in a private lounge at the Grand Hotel Kempinski. Among them, the Classic Fusion Tourbillon Night-Out, a men’s Omega Replica watches for the evening.
Grand Hotel Kempinski
Quai du Mont-Blanc 19


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LOCAL BOOKSTORES RECLAIM THEIR GROUND
BOOKS-IN-PRINT RULE WITH HIGH VOLUME SALES
E-BOOK SALES PLUNGE
A Renaissance is here but with room for all mediums of communication
Many years ago, a street-smart guy that I knew from work offered me a memorable pearl of wisdom. During lunch at a greasy spoon near our office, we became engrossed in a deep conversation. Our discussion covered a myriad of topics. At one point, he leaned across the table and without hesitation, said in a gravelly voice made worse by his three-pack-a-day habit, “This world is a big place, man. There’s plenty of room here for everybody.”
Although not quite profound, his words have remained with me while the man has since passed away. I guess my coworker’s take on our world can be applied to almost any aspect of society, not the least of which is the way we do our reading and the medium we choose to gain and acquire knowledge and stay informed.
Let me explain where I’m going with this. The most recent data complied within the last two years reveals a steady decline in the sales of the once heralded new technology, e-books. This has been followed with a return in popularity and high-volume sales of the old-fashioned books-in-print.
We are also witnessing a major resurgence of local independent bookstores in big cities like New York. And there is no reason why this renaissance will not soon take hold throughout all of the United States. So much for the dire fate that was predicted for brick-and-mortar bookstores twenty years ago in the blockbuster film, “You’ve Got Mail,” starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.
CNN reported on April 27, 2017 that e-book sales declined 18.7% in the United States over the first nine months of 2016, according to the Association of American Publishers. Paperback sales were up 7.5% over the same period, and hardback sales increased 4.1%. Likewise, sales of consumer e-books plunged 17% in the U.K. in 2016, according to the Publishers Association. Sales of physical books and journals went up by 7% over the same period, while children's books surged 16%. According to the Pew Research Center, 65% of Americans reported reading a printed book in 2016 compared to only 28% who read an e-book.
Don’t misunderstand. I believe Amazon’s online services are terrific, (although surprisingly, they too, have now gone ahead and opened physical stores of their own); and Kindle and Nook e-readers certainly serve a purpose for many book lovers, but there is no reason why the electronic medium that sells and delivers books cannot coexist with the tried and true physicality of books-in-print and brick and mortar establishments.
As that wise man once said to me, “This world is a big place, man. There’s plenty of room here for everybody.”
THE SLOW DEATH OF NEWSPAPERS-IN-PRINT
Now as to another matter.
The unprecedented decline of the newspaper industry and the demise of the printed newspaper is unfortunately, another matter entirely and presents itself as an institution which does not appear salvageable. The real shame with much online journalism featured on social media as blogs, is that they do not equate to real journalism and many of the bloggers who churn these out are not real journalists. The fact is many of these online contributors are not even being paid for their efforts.
This is coupled with another essential missing ingredient needed to make stories effective - the need for seasoned editors. An editor’s job is to demonstrate a commitment to accuracy, fairness and a comprehensive account of events that presents all sides of a story and build credibility and trust among its readers. This is sorely missing. As print journalism continues to move to an all- electronic format, qualified editors are essential to take the lead and create new standards for news websites and internet reporting. Effective editors invest time in reporters, talking through story ideas and flushing out unique story angles. When a story requires significant editing, they review changes with reporters so they can learn and grow professionally.
Time will be the clear indicator whether the electronic medium will present honest reporting and provide real journalism to its readers.


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Canadian agriculture minister Gerry Ritz said his country is serious about seeking retaliatory tariffs if the United States fails to change its country-of-origin meat labelling law (COOL).
Ritz said there's a small window of opportunity before the end of the year' for the U.S. Congress to get it right' and amend COOL. And he offered to come to Washington next week, when both the House and Senate will be in session, to press his case for a COOL amendment in a new farm bill that is being fought over in a conference committee.
Acting on a challenge from Canada and Mexico, a WTO panel has already found that COOL amounts to disguised protectionism in violation of trade agreements. Ritz said the rules, which require labels to say where the animal that produced the meat came from, is costing Canada's livestock producers about Can$1 bill. a year.
WTO regulations allow countries to impose retaliatory tariffs in such cases and Ritz earlier had said any levies could go beyond beef and pork imports from the U.S. Tyson Foods Inc. in October said it had stopped buying slaughter-ready cattle from Canada due to higher costs associated with the labelling law.
However, during a panel at the 2013 Farm Journal Forum in Washington, National Farmers Union (NFU) Vice President of Government Affairs Chandler Goule emphasised his support for COOL. He said the farmers he represents want consumers to have information on where their meat was born, raised and slaughtered. Additionally, he maintained that the new labelling rules that went into effect last month are already being implemented and are reformed to be WTO compliant.
Source: Canadian mnistry of agriculture


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While most people enjoy the thrills of a top no deposit casino bonus, many still enjoy sports betting too. We're sure a few of our readers wagered on the cruiserweight boxing match between New Zealand local, David Light and Anthony Martinez. PointsBet Casino is an exclusive online sports betting site where players can place their bets on several popular sports leagues across the world. You can place bets on baseball events, MMA, tennis, cycling, boxing events, surfing events, and much more here. There are promotions available too but you need to sign in to be able to view them as they are updated frequently.
Similar to top real money online casinos, the site is also convenient to access. Along with the desktop site, the sportsbook has native mobile apps for Android and iOS devices as well. This saves players time from signing in through their browsers as apps are a more convenient way to access a sportsbook.
Now, the Australian-based sports betting site is considering selling its Australian branch to a local Aussie company. The sale is supposed to be in favor of NTD Pty Limited who also owns Betr, another sports micro-betting app.
However, the discussions are still in their primary stages as PointsBet has released a statement confirming that there is no certainty that the discussions will lead to any binding transactions. The company also stated that it explores its options routinely to provide its stakeholders with the maximum value which can include exploring options of a sale.
The terms of the offer were not released but is reported to be valued between $134.9 million and $168.6 million by The Australian.
It has been suggested that the company is considering selling its Australian branch to focus more on sports betting and gaming apps it operates in different parts of the United States including Ohio where it is still pending a license. Ontario is also one of the locations it is focusing on for the future.
There have also been reports that the US division is financially draining the company as they have lost more than $180 million in this fiscal year due to the failed promotions it has undertaken.
According to the Australian Financial Review, this sale could push NTD to consider launching Betr in the US market. This would mean that the company will need to rebrand as it currently focuses on micro-betting and uses original content starring different social media personalities.
Betr is a 50-milliion start-up company, that will definitely make a mark on the US sports betting space if it launches successfully. Now that Ohio is legalising sports betting, the launch could be as soon as next week. This will mean that sports betters will get to play on legalised online sportsbooks across the United States, and will have a lot more options to choose from in the near future.


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Honda and Daihatsu have decided to recall some 5 million cars globally to replace potentially deadly airbag inflators made by Takata.
The move comes just a day after rivals Toyota and Nissan said they would be recalling 6.5 million vehicles over the same issue.
So far, the six deaths linked to Takata airbags have all been in Honda cars.
In April, Honda cut its profit growth forecast after missing the mark last year on recalls and other issues.
Honda said that the models affected included the Fit subcompact and would not affect its cars sold in the US, where most of the deaths occurred.
It plans to use replacement parts supplied by Sweden’s Autolive, Japan’s Daicel and Takata in the recalled cars.
Daihatsu, meanwhile, said it would recall the Mira minicar.
Other than Honda, all other carmakers said the recalls were precautionary and no accidents or injuries had been reported.
Investigations did show that Takata airbag inflators were not properly sealed and could be damaged by moisture. It is alleged that the airbags can burst under pressure, spraying shrapnel inside the car.
The latest announcements bring the total number of cars recalled because of Takata’s airbags to about 36 million since 2008.
The car equipment maker faces multiple class action lawsuits and criminal and regulatory investigations in North America.
Following the latest recall, Takata’s shares were down 5.6% in Tokyo.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has expanded a recall of vehicles with potentially dangerous Takata airbags to 7.8 million.
The NHTSA warned that owners should take “immediate action”.
If deployed with force, the airbags have the potential to eject deadly shrapnel at passengers.
The NHTSA has identified 10 manufacturers who used Takata as a supplier, including General Motors, Honda, and Toyota.
The agency has told those who might own affected vehicles to check the list at www.safercar.gov, and specifically warned those living in more humid climates such as Florida and Hawaii to get their vehicles inspected.
“Responding to these recalls, whether old or new, is essential to personal safety and it will help aid our ongoing investigation into Takata airbags and what appears to be a problem related to extended exposure to consistently high humidity and temperatures,” said NHTSA deputy administrator David Friedman in a statement.
The NHTSA has expanded a recall of vehicles with potentially dangerous Takata airbags to 7.8 million
Initially, the NHTSA said that only 4.7 million cars could be affected, but it has increased the number of vehicles twice in recent days.
Japanese supplier Takata warned recently that older airbags could explode with too much force, which would send plastic and metal parts towards passengers with enough force to injure them.
Takata said it estimated that around 12 million vehicles around the globe may contain the parts.
The recall notices have been ongoing for the past 18 months, but regulators and car manufacturers have warned that only a small percentage of those cars potentially affected have been returned and inspected.
The majority of the affected vehicles – more than five million – are Honda cars manufactured between 2001 and 2011, including the Accord, Civic, and Pilot models.


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Kellogg's, John Deere strikes signal 'volatile time' for economy, supply chains: Expert
FOX 2 - Workers at Kellogg’s cereal plants in cities that include Battle Creek, and thousands of John Deere workers have walked away from their jobs to strike.
"There’s no doubt that there’s a lot of pent-up frustration in the workforce," said Marck Masters.
Masters, a professor of business at Wayne State University, believes contract disputes over items which include low wages, are driving this worker stoppage.
"We could see a growing militancy on the part of some workers because they are tired of the cumulative effects of declining wages, they see inflation on the rise, and they see the devastating effects of the pandemic, in terms of lost businesses and jobs," he said.
These labor strikes come as employers find it challenging to find workers. It’s a climate that could work to benefit workers in their fight for change.
"Keep on pushing for higher wages and realize that they are the driving force of the economy," Masters said. "Their pensions and consumer power is what really drives this economy."
But as striking workers persist, this professor advises employers to not ignore the voices of frustrated workers.
"They’re going to have to pay a lot more attention to addressing the real concerns of their workers and providing them as much security and opportunity as possible," he said.
As more unions decide to authorize strikes this year, Professor Masters says there were even more labor strikes 50 years ago.
"Take 1971, there were 285 strikes in that year involving 2.5 million workers," he said. "We have had a decline in the number iof major strikes over time as the labor movement has declined."
But workers' frustration has not declined.
"I think we’re in for a very volatile time period over the next several months," Masters said.
As strikes continue, what could this mean for the economy and the consumer? Masters says supply chain difficulties will continue.
"Higher prices and buyer shortages, they go together," he said. "What we’re going to see right now is people’s real income adjusted for inflation going down, and they’re going to find it harder to make ends meet and gasoline prices going up.
"For most people operating paycheck to paycheck, they can’t afford this."


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A TERRIFYING Halloween prop that removed from stores in Canada after a flood of complaints is now available in the UK.
The Scary Peeper Creeper mask outraged shoppers because it is modelled on a PEEPING TOM, and were dropped from stores in Canada.
But it is now being sold on Amazon UK.
The spooky deco, on sale for £20.37, is suctioned onto the outside of a window so it looks like a sinister man staring in.
Wearing a hood, the creepy face has hands cupped around his eyes to get a good look.
There’s an even scarier version – which TAPS on the window when it senses movement – for £39.99.
It also comes in a scary clown version and the same company, Scary Peeper, are selling a terrifyingly true-to-life balaclava-clad ‘intruder’ who peeps round a door.
Many British women were appalled by the stalker-style prop.
On a Facebook thread on LadBible, one wrote: “I'm all for scary decorations but this one could be really damaging for some. Many people deal with stalking at some point in their lives and this could be very hurtful for them and bring back issues such as PTSD.
“This goes past a normal prank into something that can cause deep emotional issues for survivors of abuse and stalking.”
Another wrote: “I bet there were a lot of phone calls to waste police time because of a messed up on the head, freaky toy. What's wrong with people who thinks scarying the shit out others is funny! That's pure messed up.”
A third added: “Well besides causing traumatizing fear in children, elderly or people with health conditions, people outside, walking, in homes or driving by might get shot when someone shoots that face. Too real, too scary.”
The original mask was pulled from Home Depot stores in Canada last year.
The advert read: "Hang facing out to freak out trick-or-treaters during Halloween or mount him facing in to scare unsuspecting guests at your Halloween party."
But women complained after seeing it on sale, with one telling a Canadian radio show: "I fail to see the humour in it. It makes light of a very serious crime. Voyeurism is a crime in Canada."
BLOODY NUISANCE This Homeowner's Halloween decoration was so scary neighbours were forced to call the POLICE
We have contacted Amazon for a comment.
Morgan Dowtin, who invented the prop, told the Sun Online: "The overwhelming public support in favour of our products has been incredible.
"We are so glad that for the most part, people understand the intended use of our products.
"One of the reasons we are now supplying product to this market is due to the fact that we had so many fans reach out from the UK and other European countries asking how they could buy a Scary Peeper. Because of this, we decided it was time to open up distribution so that the supply would be there to meet the demand.
"We are very thankful for all of our fans from the European markets and are excited that they will be able to easily access our products through online retailers like Amazon and in many brick and mortar store locations across the region."
If you want something less scary for your Halloween decos Primark have launched a massive Halloween range.
B&M are selling Halloween DOG costumes which start at £1.99.


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The relationship between Apple and Dr. Dre appears to have evolved yet again.
The legendary rapper and music producer is reportedly executive producing and starring in a “semi-autobiographical” drama miniseries that would be Apple’s (AAPL) first original scripted series, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which cites anonymous sources. THR adds that Apple is paying to produce the six-episode series, which is called Vital Signs and will likely be released through the company’s Apple Music streaming platform.
Apple spokeswoman Christine Monaghan declined Fortune‘s request for comment.
Less than two years ago, Apple paid $3 billion to acquire Beats Electronics, the audio products and music streaming service co-founded by Dr. Dre (aka Andre Young) and music producer Jimmy Iovine, before integrating that company’s streaming technology into its own streaming platform, Apple Music, which launched last summer.
After making a bundle selling Beats to Apple, Dre reportedly took on a “senior role” at Apple and now hosts a radio show on Apple Music’s Beats 1 station. Last year, Dre also opted to initially release his first album in 16 years exclusively through iTunes and Apple Music. The album, called Compton, streamed 25 million times in its first week of release and went on to sell more than 500,000 copies, according to Billboard.
For Apple, Vital Signs would represent the tech giant’s first push into original video content—a move Apple had previously been rumored to be considering, and one that could establish the company as a rival to other streaming services that are putting out more and more original series and films. Amazon (AMZN), Hulu, and Netflix (NFLX) have all emerged as competitors with traditional media outlets such as television networks and Hollywood movie studios, with the streaming services stockpiling original series and films by cutting deals with A-list talent and inspiring bidding wars for desirable content.
Meanwhile, THR also notes that it is still unclear whether or not Apple TV would be involved in distributing Dre’s series. The company launched its new set-top box last fall, but it has so far had trouble reaching deals with content providers to add their apps to the box’s lineup.
As for Dre, the rap legend has had a busy and successful past few years, going back to the Beats sale and the success of his latest album. And, last summer, the movie based on his time with the group N.W.A., Straight Outta Compton, was a major box office success, earning more than $200 million in worldwide ticket sales.
It’s possible the success of Straight Outta Compton convinced Apple it would be wise to invest in another project based on the rapper’s life. As THR reports, multiple sources say each episode of Vital Signs would focus on a different emotion as its theme while depicting Dre’s character experiencing that emotion. Actors Sam Rockwell and Mo McCrae are also reportedly cast in the series.