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Shares in Burberry fell yesterday after the luxury goods retailer revealed sales growth from its key retail channel had stalled, hit by slowing demand in the UK, Spain and Japan.
Fewer post-Christmas markdowns, especially in the US and Hong Kong, has put the company's profits on track to beat expectations despite the slowdown in retail sales. Its shares slipped 5p to 399.75p.
Burberry is finding life tough in the UK, where its brand has become the badge for the "chav" subclass, which favours luxury brands that are easy to recognise. Stacey Cartright, the finance director, played down the "chav" impact.
"I suspect any effect has washed through by now," she said. The UK accounts for less than 10 per cent of total group sales.
Instead, she took encouragement from the soaraway success of its top-end label, Prorsum, which has catapulted Burberry's designer, Christopher Bailey, to near-superstar status in the fashion world. Ms Cartright said the group's core London collection - different takes on its classic trench-coats - would seek inspiration from Prorsum.
Total turnover in the six months to 31 March rose from £360m to £368m, putting the group on track to achieve underlying pre-tax profits of at least £162m. On a reported basis, retail sales rose just 1 per cent, while sales from its wholesale channel edged just 2 per cent higher.
Licensing revenue, which has been boosted by the success of its new Brit fragrances, rose 8 per cent.Reuse content


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In a Global Economy, You're Always on the Front Line
The international crisis hits companies even if they stick close to home
If you think U.S. small businesses are safe from the global financial
crisis, consider Jacob Gorsky. His company, New
Market Commercial Ltd. in Norfolk, Mass., builds multimillion-dollar cold storage plants
in Russia, Central Asia, and the Mideast. "This was supposed to be a banner
year for our business," he says. Now he's got $600,000 of equipment in
Russia and, since the ruble devaluation, his customers can't pay. "Right
now, we are in big trouble as a company," he says.
Gorsky, with his Russian ventures, may be more exposed than most small-business people to the global crisis. But as a small exporter, he's hardly
alone. The U.S. Small Business Administration says 96% of U.S. exporters
are companies with under 500 employees, and they generate almost 30% of
the value of total U.S. exports. That's up from 26% in 1987, under
the prodding of business gurus and government agencies who downplayed the
risks and exhorted small companies to look beyond the local markets they
knew best. The reality has proved to be somewhat more treacherous.
Anyone who sells to developing countries is "very, very scared of what's
going on," says Alfred Thieberger, president for Century Merchandising Corp.,
an export management company in New York that caters to small businesses.
Plenty of other small-business sectors are a lot closer to the front
lines of the global crisis than they might think, as cheap foreign currencies
entice business away from Americans. Take the U.S. movie industry, where
most companies employ fewer than 15 people. With the U.S. dollar
fetching $1.50 (Canadian), about $1 billion of U.S. production is
being done in Canada, says Cody Cluff, president for
Entertainment Industry Development Corp. in Los Angeles. As for Asia, "Now there's a tendency
to pick up less American product for TV and cable and [there's] less demand for
To be sure, many businesses remain upbeat despite the gathering
clouds. "There's still a euphoria effect," says Jack Kyser, chief economist
for the Los Angeles Development Corp. "People generally feel good, though
they know there are strange things going on." And there's some justification
for the euphoria, at least if you look backward. "We had the best profitability
reports since the mid-'80s in August," says Bill Dunkelberg, chief
economist for the 600,000-member National Federation of Independent Business.
But what's keeping U.S. consumption chugging miraculously along "is new
job creation, new income streams, and credit cards," he adds. "If the job
creation stops, it will slow consumer spending."
BIG LOSSES. On that score, the signs from big business are ominous. Tyson Foods, Hewlett-Packard, FDX, Harnischfeger Industries, and DuPont, to name a few, have all announced earnings damage or layoffs or postponed
investment -- the fallout from Russia, Asia, or Latin America.
In New York, where finance underpins the local economy, a slew of major
banks, including Citicorp, Salomon Smith Barney, Credit Suisse First Boston, and Banker's Trust has taken a hit in foreign markets.
It's almost inevitable that if big businesses are in pain, they'll squeeze
their smaller suppliers. That's all the more likely because of the way
the collapse in Asian demand is filtering through to the U.S. Cheap imports,
commodities, and energy keep the lid on inflation and interest rates, all
positives for consumption. But they also make it almost impossible for
U.S. companies to raise prices. If the big players decide to cut prices
to keep less-confident customers buying, they'll pressure their suppliers
to cut prices, too.
With the number of small businesses raising prices already "stunningly
low," according to the NFIB, that's a game they're sure to lose.
It could hardly come at a worse time. Despite the low-inflation environment,
small businesses are under the cost gun in two areas -- wages and health
care. In the current tight labor market, many small businesses have raised
wages, which they'll be hard put to rescind in a downturn. Meanwhile, health-care costs are rising again as insurers answer pressure to improve coverage
and their dismal bottom lines. Big employers have staved off
big premium increases, but smaller ones have less leverage, leaving them
sandwiched between still-rising costs and falling prices. "It's a
classic disinflation scenario," says Pete Collins, director for Entrepreneurial
Services at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in New York.
CAREFUL SHOPPERS. In all this, the wild card is how long consumer confidence will hold
up. With the value of the family retirement portfolio rising and plunging
daily, "the consumer will be a careful shopper," warns Irwin Kellner, an
economics professor at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., and former
chief economist at Chemical Bank. He says that's bad news for anyone
dealing in purchases that can be postponed, like a new home.
"If I were a homebuilder, I'd be very careful."
The construction area is already flashing red for small companies. The
NFIB's August survey showed that 42% of construction companies had to raise
wages, as housing starts hit their fastest pace in 11 years. With home
ownership already high, the NFIB's Dunkelberg says it looks like a classic
setup for a bust. He likens the global crisis working through the U.S.
economy to a Bruegel painting, The Parable of the Blind Leading the Blind:
"There's one guy down in the mud," he says. "The people at the end have this
stupid grin, and the people in the middle have various degrees of realization
of what's happening to them. The construction guys are the ones at the
end." Judging by the way events are unfolding, there may be
plenty of other entrepreneurs heading for the mud, too.
By Julia Lichtblau in New York

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Air travel a leap of faith for passengers
PilotOnline.com / Fri, 25 Jul 2014 05:28:22 -0400
WASHINGTON Airline travel requires passengers to make a leap of faith, entrusting their lives to pilots, airlines, air traffic controllers and others who regulate air travel.
Monarch parent’s net income up 3.8% in second quarter
PilotOnline.com / Thu, 24 Jul 2014 20:03:07 -0400
Monarch Financial Holdings Inc., the Chesapeake-based parent company of Monarch Bank, on Thursday reported net income of $3.18 million for the second quarter, up 3.8 percent from the $3.06 million earned in the same period last year.
Hampton company opens another center in China
PilotOnline.com / Thu, 24 Jul 2014 19:58:59 -0400
Hampton-based sensors maker Measurement Specialties Inc. said Thursday that it has opened an R&D and manufacturing center in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu in Sichuan province and expects employment to rise to 2,000 from 550 within five years.
Millions in insurance rebates going to Carolinas
PilotOnline.com / Thu, 24 Jul 2014 12:12:23 -0400
More than $21 million in health insurance rebates will be coming to consumers in the Carolinas from companies the federal government says spent too many premium dollars on profits and red tape last year.
U.S. announces Va. refunds under Affordable Care Act
PilotOnline.com / Thu, 24 Jul 2014 07:04:51 -0400
RICHMOND Nearly $9 million in refunds from insurance companies are headed to 104,000 consumers in Virginia. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell announced the refunds Thursday, crediting the Affordable Care act. Burwell said the refunds in Virginia will average $148 per family.
Va. employment agency will close Suffolk officePage 1 of 43 pages 1 2 3 > Last »
PilotOnline.com / Wed, 23 Jul 2014 21:20:20 -0400
The Virginia Employment Commission will close a small office in Suffolk in November, but a city official said job-seekers will still find a range of services at the site.
GM recalls 700,000 recent model year vehicles
PilotOnline.com / Wed, 23 Jul 2014 20:10:54 -0400
General Motors announced six safety recalls Wednesday covering 717,950 recent model year vehicles, including Chevrolet Camaros and Silverados, Cadillac CTS and ATS sports sedans, Buick Regals and LaCrosses, and other models. GM has set a record for recalls this year and the company’s safety czar said this latest round demonstrates its new approach to safety.
TowneBank’s quarterly earnings increase 4.3 percent
PilotOnline.com / Wed, 23 Jul 2014 19:43:34 -0400
Suffolk-based TowneBank said Wednesday it earned $11.68 million in the second quarter, a 4.3 percent increase over $11.2 million during the same quarter last year, according to a news release. Equity at the end of the quarter increased to $604.8 million, up 5.9 percent from $571.4 million in 2013.
Norfolk rezones Northampton Blvd. land for brewery
PilotOnline.com / Wed, 23 Jul 2014 16:51:38 -0400
NORFOLK The city has rezoned property on Northampton Boulevard to attract a brewery, brewpub or microbrewery. The City Council on Tuesday also created a zoning designation to allow such businesses in other districts. Spokeswoman Lori Crouch said the change makes it easier for business owners to open a brewery, which Norfolk wants to encourage.
Report outlines impact of national parks in Va.
PilotOnline.com / Wed, 23 Jul 2014 09:47:10 -0400
RICHMOND Fewer people visited Virginia's national park sites last year and spent less money during those visits, according to a report by the U.S. Department of the Interior.


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Wall St. rallied as investors saw further signs of dovishness in the Federal Reserve September meeting minutes. Bobbi Rebell reports.
Stocks rose after the release of minutes from the last Federal Reserve meeting. Some investors interpreted it to mean the Fed was less inclined to raise interest rates. Wealth manager Ajay Gupta: SOUNDBITE: AJAY GUPTA, CEO, GUPTA WEALTH MANAGEMENT (ENGLISH) SPEAKING: "The minutes that came out didn't have any surprises. They were thinking about raising rates in September, but they thought, with what's happening overseas, maybe let's wait another quarter before the next meeting, and then decide." Another sign of economic strength: Jobless claims fell more than expected last week to a 42-year low. PC maker Dell is in talks to buy data storage giant EMC, a source says. EMC shot higher. Shares shook up at Shake Shack. The burger chain is selling up to 26 million shares. Shares of GoPro dropped further one day after Morgan Stanley nearly halved the price target of the action camera maker. Across the pond, car stocks drove European shares higher.


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Registered: 1472806602 Posts: 19
Reply with quote #1
Reliable source that can kill me saying this. Tamaki (Doctor_Cupcakes) March 27, 2015, the company seems to the design and construction of the previous Grand Theft Auto 5 Wii, but Robertson was unable to give the exact time when this action took place. But rumors for earlier news
RS 07 Gold . 2012 Nintendo 'America president Reggie Fils-Aime talked about how he was impressed by the Wii Rock and further states that' Nintendo 'wanted an environment where teams like Rockstar can create to bring the best content to our program. Rock also said earlier that the PC and the Wii U launch game was for the crime consideration.Rockstar sell most intellectual property, which is sold all over the world because of the elections than 185 million toys all over at the beginning and rarely appeared on the platforms 'Nintendo'. Main series never made its way to the country's unity, Nintendo, despite the occasional headline phones and gateways have had more success. Grand Theft Auto, GTA 2, made Runescape pre Chinatown Wars on the way to hand the market over Nintendo 'consoles.It interesting to see how the cars were five grand theft've your Wii and or rock may way to use touch-screen gamepad innovative idea. As it is, the Wii U owners are still facing a more 'mature' game, thersgolds the number of ports, but it will probably never see them all grandfather. We have to wait and see whether the IPO next Nintendo NX 'will provide the name of Grand Theft Auto, when the time comes. Twitter valve allows developers to free the VR headset. The fight for power in the VR temperature for sure, more and more competitors entering the fray. Then he took the 'Facebook' owned niche Rift 'and' project Sony 'Morpheus has both the first steps in the virtual reality world's commercially viable, showed two important players Runescape itself. Lviv Valve announced this month, Runescape Gold along with the HTC smart phone manufacturers and Hollola 'Microsoft' attempts to sexually augmented reality system VR.In success, the two companies will have to offer to entice potential customers. Hatch promised that the acquisition will allow the 'Facebook' price is much lower than the Rift consumption, with hints of the recent price of $ 200-400 $, and Morpheus will convince with 120 FPS. The valve, however, will take a completely different strategy than half the creator and only found that developers can apply to free copies Vive.


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Remake, remodel, and (Re)Set at Ermenegildo Zegna, which Friday afternoon opened the Milan menswear fashion week for the winter 2021 season in a stylish reinterpretation of the contemporary man’s wardrobe.
Milan Fashion Week Men's runs from 15 to 19 January, with an exclusively online and severely reduced calendar. Deprived of the majority of its stars, the event has bet on young talent and is introducing 10 new labels.
Brunello Cucinelli, who opened the famed Florentine trade fair Pitti on Tuesday, is fashion's resident philanthropic designer entrepreneur. One of fashion's busiest men discusses his idea for a new social contract.
After an unusual 2020 strongly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, the French luxury giant is relaunching its competition for young designers with a digital semi-final. Applications are open until 28 February.


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Anti-spyware firm Webroot Software criticized rival Microsoft's Windows Defender tool on Thursday, saying that the application failed to block 84 percent of a sampling of spyware programs.
Webroot, whose $30 SpySweeper application competes with Microsoft's free anti-spyware product, also claimed the software giant updated the product far slower than some competitors' software, including the security firm's own anti-spyware tool. The company labeled the issues "weaknesses."
"We understand that Microsofts main goal is to provide a new operating system that generally improves users computing environments, and we genuinely feel that Windows Vista accomplishes this," Gerhard Eschelbeck, chief technology officer for Webroot, said in a statement. "However, as a company that serves on the front lines in the battle against spyware and cybercrime, we feel strongly that in order to provide the best protection for Internet users, security must be your topand onlypriority."
Webroot is the latest security firm to take Microsoft to task after the software giant entered the security marketplace. Both McAfee and Symantec--the owner of SecurityFocus--have taken aim at Microsoft's Windows OneCare service which offers antivirus protection as well as perceived anti-competitive security measures, such as kernel patch protection.
In a statement sent to SecurityFocus, Microsoft defended its anti-spyware product, which is offered free to users of Windows XP, Windows 2003 and Windows Vista.
"Our customers have made it clear that spyware and other potentially unwanted software represents a major problem and they want Microsoft to deliver effective solutions," the company said in the statement. "Microsoft is firmly committed to improving our customers' experiences on the Internet and, to that end, we're offering Windows Defender to combat spyware and other deceptive software, and we are confident in its ability to make the user's computing experience a safer one."
The criticism comes the week before Microsoft launches its latest operating system, Windows Vista, which includes a number of security enhancements. Webroot did not release further data about its testing methodology.
Posted by: Robert Lemos


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That sighing sound you hear from Silicon Valley is from executives contemplating the implications for their business model if President Trump follows through with a “very major border tax” on goods made outside the U.S.
Restructuring a global supply chain after decades of advances in automation and off-shoring jobs would throw the operations of large companies, especially in the tech sector, into chaos, tech analysts and industry groups warn. To uproot their highly complex system of overseas plants, component suppliers and distribution partners would lead to pricier goods, deflated revenue and profits, and, yes, layoffs, they say.
“Labor intensive manufacturing will come back when buggy whips do,” says Roger McNamee, founding partner of venture-capital firm Elevation Partners. “The USA needs to create new industries and prepare employees to work in them.”
While an import tax that mandates these changes would gouge a company’s bottom line, several Trump ideas, including steep deregulation and a deep cut in corporate tax rates, could offset matters. Another factor: one-time tax relief to encourage companies to bring back cash held overseas.
President Trump — who campaigned tirelessly on creating jobs in the U.S. and vowed a punitive tariff of 45% for goods from China and 35% from Mexico — gave a group of large manufacturers, including some tech companies, 30 days to come up with ideas and report back.
“If you go to another country” and cut U.S. jobs “we are going to be imposing a very major border tax” on that product, Trump told Michael Dell, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors and SpaceX; Ford Motors CEO Mark Fields and nine other CEOs. (Trump also met with automaker execs and union leaders this week.)
It remains unclear if the tax would be applied to future manufacturing jobs and not existing facilities, but it is cause for serious concern among companies like Apple and chip makers that rely on complex, automated operations offshore to keep prices lower on iPhones and other products.
For Dell, which employs 140,000 people worldwide, the president’s call for American jobs reflects a quandary it and other companies face: How to mollify Trump with jobs in the U.S. while maintaining significant offshore facilities that pump out products at a lower cost than in the U.S.
Dell, for example, has nine manufacturing facilities — two in the U.S. (Massachusetts and North Carolina), two in China, and one each in Brazil, Ireland, Poland, India and Malaysia — that reflect user demand in those regions, according to Dell spokeswoman Lauren Lee.
The Round Rock, Texas-based company does not break out employee figures, or revenue, by region. As part of its mega-merger with EMC last year, it intends to add 2,000 salespeople to its global force of 40,000,
Click here to read more.
SOURCE: USA Today, Jon Swartz


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“Google chairman Eric Schmidt’s tour of Asia saw him remark that Google would continue to support companies that were under legal attack for alleged patent violations in Android,” MacNN reports. “He told those in Taiwan that Google ‘will support them.'”
“He pointed to support for HTC as an example, referring to HTC borrowing Google patents to countersue Apple,” MacNN reports. “‘We have been supporting HTC in its dispute with Apple because we think that the Apple thing is not correct,’ Schmidt told the local press.”
MacNN reports, “HTC has so far been on the losing side of patent disputes with Apple, having lost an infringement claim and being found violating some Apple patents itself. Schmidt’s visit to Asia is believed to be an attempt to shore up support for Android at a time when multi-OS supporters are or are considering moving more of their effort to Windows Phone.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Since when is it “not correct” for a company to protect their patented IP?


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Kim Zolciak-Biermann Looks SO Different as a Brunette (And We're Obsessed!)
The Don't Be Tardy mama made a shocking hair change.
Kim Zolciak-Biermann has gone back to her dark-haired roots! For as long as we can remember, Kim has been a blonde bombshell. In fact, it's hard to imagine the Don't Be Tardy mama with any other hair color (even if we do know that her real hair is naturally black). Well, this past weekend, Kim decided to give us a glimpse of what she would look like as a brunette — and we're obsessed.
On Friday, Brielle Biermann shared a video of her mama that made us do a double take. In the clip, Kim appeared in the Biermanns' kitchen with long, chocolate brown strands. Kim also documented the surprising hair change on Instagram, revealing that she was "inspired by the beauty Kim Kardashian West to switch it up a little."
Kim continued, "I was born with extremely dark hair and I started dying it when I was 15! Don’t do it, girls."
Judging by the snaps, Kim was feeling her new brown hair. And so are we!
But don't get too attached to Kim's new look just yet. The Atlanta stunner went back to blonde for KJ and Kash Biermann's birthday bash on Saturday.
Kim's brown hair may not have been a permanent change, but we sure are hoping this sultry hair piece makes into her glam wig line-up.


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Although it has started selling in the US for more than a month, Acer’s special Olympic Edition of the Iconia Tab A510 hasn’t seen the light of day where it should be most expected, in the UK. London will be the host of the Summer Olympics starting in just over a couple of months, so it was only natural to expect Acer step things up for British sports/tech fanatics.
Fortunately, we now have heard news about the tablet’s UK release on Carphone Warehouse. Unfortunately, that is still set for an unspecified date sometime in June. It’s true, June is just around the corner, but the fact that no date has been mentioned makes us think that the slate might be in for a launch set several weeks or even a full month from now.
If you’re willing to wait for it, you should know that the 10-incher will be branded as the Acer Iconia A510 Olympic Tab and will come with a special treat for all of you who live and breathe sports. You will get a free “trial period of Eurosport’s channels on Eurosport Player” running from July 27 to August 13.
Coincidentally (not!), that’s exactly when the Olympic Games are set to take place this summer, so you’ll be able to watch all London sporting events on Eurosport and Eurosport 2 directly on your tablet without paying a dime.
Other than that, the Iconia A510 Olympic Tab is the exact copy of the US A510 Olympic Edition. It will be powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, while featuring 1 GB of RAM, dual 5 MP/1 MP cameras, 32 GB of on-board memory, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n connectivity, GPS, Bluetooth, HDMI, and a large 9,800 mAh battery, supposedly capable of running for up to 15 hours on a single charge.
Sporting a 10.1-inch IPS display with a 1280 x 800 pixels resolution, the Iconia A510 Olympic Tab will run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box and will have the Olympic Circles “painted” on its back. There are no words on pricing just yet, but you can pre-register on CarphoneWarehouse’s official website and find out when will the tablet be made available and how much it will cost.
Before wrapping up this post, we should also tell you to be careful with the Iconia A510 if it will be made available very soon. As we informed you yesterday, there have been reports of a mysterious faulty component that caused the delay of the device in some markets. However, we’re confident that Acer won’t start shipping if they’re not 100% confident, so you probably don’t have much to worry about.
Will you British blokes be looking to get an A510 Olympic Tab soon enough? Why? Why not?
This article, Acer Iconia A510 Olympic Tab to be launched in the UK in June, pricing undisclosed , was originally published at AndroidAuthority.com – Your Android News Source.


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Yoodo, has announced the rollout of 5G wireless technology, becoming the first mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) to do so. 5G is a new global standard for cellular technology that is significantly faster and more reliable than its 4G iteration.
Customers with an Android 5G-supported device and subscription to 5G pass are entitled to enjoy free trials from 15th February onwards until further notice.
Chow Tuck Mun, Head of Yoodo said, “Yoodo is excited to be the first to offer high-speed internet to its users and to offer streaming abilities of tomorrow served up today. We are proud to be a pioneer when it comes to 5G technology. Now all Yoodo users can enjoy free trials for 5G services with their existing SIM cards. This milestone represents our continuous effort to delivering on our commitment to provide advanced communication services to our users. We at Yoodo believe in a world where limitless connectivity improves lives and redefines opportunities”.
How To Subscribe To Yoodo 5G Services
To access free 5G trial services, users can subscribe to any high-speed data plan (30 days) from 10GB to 200GB. 5G roaming service is also currently available in more than 10 countries. As of now, 5G is available for Android devices only but the company is working on offering 5G for iOS devices in the near future.
The mobile network operator has also made it even more convenient for users to purchase its SIM packs as it is now available at 75 Xpress Point, Caltex across Peninsular Malaysia to purchase, making it more accessible than ever for eager users to lay their hands on the SIM cards instead of having it delivered to them.
For more information, visit https://www.yoodo.com.my/5g/


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Amazon Great Indian Festival, Flipkart Dhamaka Days sale coming soon: Top offers, deals and more
The second wave of festive sales will begin next week. Here’s a preview of some offers and discounts on Flipkart and Amazon India.
Amazon India recently concluded its five-day 'Great Indian Festival' sale. The company has now announced the second wave of the sale which will start on October 24 and continue till October 28.
Amazon has shared a sneak peek to some offers and discounts users can look forward to. Overall, ICICI and Citi Bank card holders can get extra 10% discount during Amazon Great Indian Festival. There will be no-cost EMI options on Bajaj Finserv, and select credit and debit cards.
Users can also load their Amazon Pay accounts with ₹5,000 to avail cashback of ₹250. Another cashback offer of ₹2,000 on Amazon Pay can be availed on platforms like Swiggy, MakeMyTrip, Freshmenu and Eazydiner.
Smartphones will be offered with discounts during the sale. Xiaomi's Redmi 6A will be available through a flash sale every day at 12 noon. Amazon's hardware like the Fire TV Stick and the recently launched Echo smart speakers will be available with discounts.
Kindle eBooks will start at ₹19, while Kindle Unlimited will be available at a discounted price of ₹1,499. Third-party devices with Amazon Alexa built-in will be up for grabs with up to 70% discount. Amazon will also launch new speakers and headphones during this sale.
Flipkart Dhamaka Days
Rival Flipkart will also host its 'Dhamaka Days' sale soon. Flipkart hasn't revealed dates for its sale but it is expected to be around the same time as Amazon's. Users can expect discounts and offers across products from all categories during this sale.
The first sale for Asus Zenfone Max M1 and Zenfone Lite L1 will take place during Flipkart's 'Dhamaka Days' sale. Zenfone Max M1 priced at ₹8,999 will be offered at an introductory price of ₹7,499. Zenfone Lite L1 will also be available at a discounted price of ₹5,999. It was launched at ₹6,999.
Snapdeal Mega Diwali sale
Snapdeal has also started its next edition of 'Mega Diwali Sale' from today and will continue till October 21. Snapdeal is offer additional discount of up to 25% through select bank cards, digital wallets or coupon codes. RBL, IndusInd and Bank of Baroda card holders will get 15% instant discount. Smartphones like Xiaomi's Redmi Note 5 Pro, Redmi 6A, and Panasonic Eluga Ray 700 are available with discounts.


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July 24, 2009 — -- Americans will get a new incentive to trade-in their gas-guzzling cars today when a government rebate program that offers cash vouchers to people who trade in their cars for new fuel-efficient vehicles officially starts.
The Car Allowance Rebate System, informally called "Cash for Clunkers," was passed by Congress in June to help jump-start struggling auto sales and to improve the environment.
But some critics say the program may be economically and even environmentally counter-productive.
It will be administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through participating new car dealers who can handle the paperwork when you buy the vehicle.
Information about the program is available at www.cars.gov.
There was so much interest in the program though that when automobile dealers across the country began the certification process this morning, the federal computer system they logged into crashed due to the overwhelming demand, ABC Denver affiliate KMGH reported today.
Here's how it works: If you own a 1984 or newer vehicle that has been insured and registered to you for the past year and gets a "combined" 18 miles to the gallon or less, you can qualify. The car must also be drivable.
If you trade it in for a car that gets an additional four more miles per gallon or more, your reward is a $3,500 voucher, which can be used toward purchasing a new car.
If you switch to a vehicle that gets 10 miles-per-gallon or more in fuel efficiency, then the government gives you $4,500.
To see if your used car has a qualifying miles-per-gallon rating, the Department of Energy has set up a Web site with the official used car mileage ratings.
Many auto dealerships have accepted cars for the program since July 1, but the program officially begins today, when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will release the system's final guidelines.
Chrysler Group LLC announced Wednesday it would match the government's incentive program for most of its 2009 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep models. The automaker will offer consumers an additional $3,500 to $4,500 rebate or zero precent financing on top of the money they will already receive from the federal government.
But before any consumer takes part in this program, there are some pitfalls and guidelines to watch out for.
The concept is noble: Get less fuel-efficient, more emissions-producing cars off the road and stimulate new car sales all at once. But critics say it doesn't go far enough with its fuel efficiency requirements and could end up being a subsidy for big SUVs and trucks.
Believe it or not, even some environmentalists are against the new law. They point out that it will end the lives of perfectly serviceable vehicles with years of life left. One way to be green is to get a more carbon-friendly car. Another way to be green is to "recycle" a car by buying used.
From a strictly consumer standpoint, some experts contend the Cash for Clunkers program is not a great deal. Yes, if you are bent on buying brand new, you will save money. But the savings are nothing compared with how well you can do by buying a used car.
New cars typically depreciate 20 to 30 percent in just the first year, according to the auto Web site Edmunds.com. By year three, their value is down an average of 45 percent!
Edmunds says the average sale price of a brand new car is $27,800, whereas the average price of a used car is $13,900. That's a savings of roughly $14,000 achieved simply by letting somebody else be the chump who buys the brand new vehicle!
Still want to be green? There are plenty of 3-year-old vehicles with excellent fuel economy. The technology hasn't changed much in the past few years. It's also a great time to buy used because cars and trucks are incredibly reliable these days. They can easily chug along for 200,000 miles with few problems.
So, you decide. Would you rather save $4,000? Or $14,000?


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Two fashion titans exit after the luxury brand’s stellar run to date but plan to retain interest in the company’s fledging Asia business http://ift.tt/1lE432P
After five years of gamifying location-based sharing, Foursquare is today making the biggest change to the company to date. Everyone, please meet the new Foursquare, a recommendations app that has nothing to do with location sharing and everything to do with smacking down Yelp using the force of a thousand suns. Earlier this summer, Foursquare announced that it would be splitting its main app… Read More
Editor’s Pick: A look at the the technology, games, and future of Facebook’s virtual-reality company.
Samsung is no longer the top phone manufacturer in China, thanks to a company that is still relatively unknown in the United States.
Xiaomi distributed around 15 million phones in early 2014 while Samsung came up short at 13.2 million, according to research firm Canalys
The report notes that the number of Samsung phones bought in China dropped 15% during the last quarter, the first time the company dropped to second in China since 2011.
"Undoubtedly, this was helped by an anticipated, temporarily under-strength Samsung performance during the quarter," Canalys research analyst Jingwen Wang wrote in a statement. “But that is only half the story — Xiaomi has also executed on its strategy to grow volume shipments. It has delivered compelling products at aggressive price points … backed by effectively targeted marketing Read more…More about Mobile, Tech, Smartphones, and Xiaomi http://ift.tt/1snAa6v
Jun Group, a content distribution platform, released data this week that shows brand advertisers have shifted their digital goals away from Facebook and YouTube to promote their owned online destinations. According to the data, the share of… http://ift.tt/1lDUVWp
Now we have confirmation on why Facebook hired PayPal’s David Marcus: Payments and Messenger will eventually “overlap,” Zuckerberg said during today’s earnings call. When the company first announced it had hired Marcus, the former president of PayPal, the industry took it as a strong hint that Facebook was looking to monetize its messaging app. After all, […]
Twitter is in talks to acquire audio sharing service SoundCloud for an undisclosed sum, reports Re/code today. An oversimplified description of SoundCloud is that its essentially the YouTube for audio content. A slightly more complex explanation would be that the …
The online scrapbooking community has doubled its valuation to $5bn in little more than a year despite recent pressure on publicly listed technology stocks http://ift.tt/T9oMPv
Facebook and YouTube are now dominating mobile traffic shares in early 2014, as more people shift to a mobile device to upload photos to social networks and watch cat videos.
Facebook and YouTube now account for 32% of data sent to and from mobile devices, according to a report by Sandvine. Individually, Facebook’s share was 26.9% for upstream traffic and had a 14% share for downstream traffic during peak periods in North America through the beginning of this year, while YouTube only had 3.7% share for upstream traffic, but a 17.6% share for downstream.
A menu of persuasive methods. http://ift.tt/1hsdJpr
A new update to Facebook’s standalone messaging app, Messenger, on Monday includes a new camera option for taking photos within the app. A camera icon above the keyboard surfaces the phone’s camera, which can also be flipped for front-facing photos (selfies!).
The photo is both captured and sent with just one click
Users can still send photos the old-fashioned way within the app by attaching an existing photo from their camera roll, but the new in-app camera allows users to do so without having to leave a conversation. Users can also upload and send videos from the camera roll, a feature that was unavailable before Monday’s update Read more…More about Twitter, Messaging, Facebook Messenger, Social Media, and Facebook http://ift.tt/S3FVcS
AT&T plans to offer an in-flight Wi-Fi service that will connect planes to its wireless network, becoming new competition to Gogo for fliers seeking online access. http://ift.tt/1nA8awc
Mobile app mergers and acquisitions hit $35B in 2013.


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Bargain hunting took a backseat for a Clermont Wal-Mart customer who came across a young child alone in a shopping cart with no sign of an adult nearby.
The customer at the store at 1450 Johns Lake Road noticed the girl alone in the cart just after 6 p.m. Aug. 27 and stayed with child while another shopper asked an employee for assistance.
Aramis Vargas Saunders, 35, of Leesburg finally returned to the picture and clock aisle where he had left his daughter at 6:25 p.m. — only to find out the girl was being watched by an employee in the automotive section of the store, police said.
Saunders was charged with child neglect after leaving his daughter alone and unsupervised for more than 20 minutes.
He first told police he had gone to the bathroom and thought the girl was with her mother. But video footage showed the mother was not near Saunders before he left the child. He later admitted his wife wasn't with their daughter but said he had called her and relayed their child's location. However, the mother told police she continued shopping. Also, Saunders didn't go to the bathroom but instead was seen going to the front of the store and stopped by an ATM machine, the report said.
Saunders was released from the Lake County Jail after posting $2,000 bond.
firstname.lastname@example.org or 352-742-5916352-742-5916


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WPP wants to purchase digital shop Big Spaceship, making an offer of $12.5 million in recent weeks, according to a source close to the situation.
Brooklyn, NY-based Big Spaceship has been in talks with WPP since October, according to the source. The deal is in due diligence stage, the source said.
Big Spaceship's clients include Adobe, HBO, Skittles, Victoria's Secret, Land's End, and various other notable brands. The agency's disciplines include brand strategy, web, mobile, social, games, and content.
WPP declined to comment, and Big Spaceship didn't reply by press time.
The London-based holding company and its competitors remain keenly interested in the dwindling herd of independent digital agencies. In August 2011, WPP announced the purchase of Rogers, AR-based Rockfish Interactive, a month after ClickZ reported a deal was in the works in the neighborhood of $40 million.
WPP was also mum about a rumor that it's considering a bid for MyWebGrocer. The Vermont-based e-commerce provider has dozens of supermarket chain clients, enabling web sales for thousands of locations. According to comScore, MyWebGrocer had 2.1 million U.S. unique visitors in February, up from 1.5 million during the same month in 2011.
Meet Your Favorite ClickZ Contributors
Many of ClickZ's leading expert contributors will be at ClickZ Live, the new online and digital marketing event kicking off in New York (March 31-April 3). Hear from the likes of: Jeremy Hull, Lisa Raehsler, Andrew Goodman, Bryan Eisenberg, Mathew Sweezey, Aaron Kahlow, Stephanie Miller, Simms Jenkins, Jeanne S. Jennings, Dave Hendricks and more!
Christopher Heine was a senior writer for ClickZ through June 2012. He covered social media, sports/entertainment marketing, retail, and more. Heine's work has also appeared via Mashable, Brandweek, DM News, MarketingSherpa, and other tech- and ad-centric publications. USA Today, Bloomberg Radio, and The Los Angeles Times have cited him as an expert journalist.
March 19, 2014


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from the time-for-paypal-to-invest-in-some-accountability dept.
angry tapir writes "Visa has announced it is planning a new service that will let US customers send money directly to one another, presenting new competition to PayPal. Visa already lets people send money to Visa accounts in many other countries, but this will be the first time it will offer the service in the US."
Never ask two questions in a business letter. The reply will discuss
the one you are least interested, and say nothing about the other.


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Australia will block domains with extremist material during terror attacks
There are many questions about how (and if) it will work.
Facebook defends decision not to ban fake news from politicians
Misinformation about supposed “death taxes” flooded social media in Australia.
Here’s how AG Barr is going to get encryption 'backdoors'
Here we go again.
Australian antitrust body wants to closely monitor Google, Facebook
It's one of the Australian antitrust watchdog's proposals after investigating the tech giants.
Scientists used phone accelerometer data to predict personality traits
How, when and where you use your phone reveals a lot about you.
Alphabet's Wing introduces an air traffic control app for drones
OpenSky is available in Australia on iOS and Android.
Recommended Reading: Algorithms and school surveillance
The best long-form writing on technology and more on the web.
Teen hacked Apple hoping the company would offer him a job
It's probably not the best method for starting your career.
Uber sued for 'hundreds of millions' in Australian class action
More than 6,000 participants have already joined the suit.


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Taxpayers face paying thousands of pounds after a Tesco-owned shop chain won an appeal against Braintree Council.
The One Stop shop for the Inn on the Green in Coldnailhurst Avenue, Braintree, was given the go ahead on Monday after the planning inspectorate overturned a Braintree Council decision.
The company believed Braintree Council’s refusal of planning permission to make alterations to the building was unreasonable and demanded it pay the costs of appeal the decision.
The planning inspector R J Marshall found that Braintree Council’s “unreasonable behaviour” had resulted in unnecessary costs.
Andy Thurston, owner of nearby newsagent Gemco, collected more than 2,000 signatures against the plans.
More than 200 objections were also lodged.
See this week's Times for the full story.


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Microsoft wants Windows 10 servicing calendars? Are two more here
Microsoft the other day rolled away what it called “Home windows servicing calendars” to greatly help enterprise customers schedule many product lines so that it can plan, prep and deploy every year’s updates.
Microsoft’s calendar idea highlighted when various areas of the Windows 10 improve process are to occur, how each successive refresh syncs — or doesn’t — with those it comes after and precedes, and how other areas of the business’s ecosystem – office/Microsoft 365 &ndash notably; are best scheduled also.
The graphical approach isn’t new. Computerworld has utilized it for a long time to clarify Microsoft’s bewildering, mutating schedules. And Computerworld cribbed it from Gartner Research, whose analysts Stephen Michael and Kleynhans Silver applied it to reports really early in Windows 10.
But Microsoft offered up only a couple of calendars in its June 18 post. “This short article presents two calendar choices for consideration to greatly help commercial companies align with Home windows,” wrote James Bell, a senior item marketing supervisor in the Microsoft 365 deployment team. “We suggest reviewing each option and think about what a default servicing cadence will undoubtedly be for the organization.”
Bell’s options? An yearly upgrade by stores running Windows 10 Home windows or Enterprise 10 Schooling, which receive 30 a few months of assistance from each year’s drop refresh (what Microsoft today phone calls yyH2 to signal the next update of confirmed year).


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Although no one jumped out of plane wearing Google Glass this year, the company announced at its annual developer's conference some cool new products.
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Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)’s push to make people download the Windows 10 software is certainly not winning them any admirers. The company has even employed more methods to try and push their agenda down people’s throats. After announcing that free upgrades to the new Windows 10 would stop by July 29, the company is still looking at ways for people to still download the operating system.
Windows 10 forced update?
Back in October 2015, many consumers of the Windows products said that simply saying no to the update when asked was not working anymore. Microsoft said at the time that the upgrade would be as a recommended update for Windows 8.1 and seven users, even though one Microsoft spokesperson said that most of the Windows update settings are set in a way that they accept all “Recommended Updates.” This was stage one, very sneaky, but also some users expected Microsoft to go that far.
However so as to make sure that everyone got the update even when they didn’t want to, the company then decided to make the red X button that users see on the Windows screen have the same influence as if you are pressing OK, I want to upgrade to Windows 10. This is deception in its finest form and is something that you would expect to experience on the website for pirated movies, not from trusted sources and firms such as Microsoft.
Microsoft in defence said that the upgrade could still be cancelled, so it was not a big deal, but this was definitely after some users had fallen prey to the trick. The new move comes at a time when most people thought Microsoft might be feeling remorse for their actions, but they have only gone on and taken the measures even further. To the extent that Paul Thurrott, Microsoft follower and tech writer and co-host of the Windows Weekly said the move was entirely indefensible. He also said that the entire joke around the push for users to download the operating system was moving to undermine it.
Thurrott wrote that for many months he had been complaining about the measures and tactics which the company was trying to use to trick their valued customers into getting a product they did not want at the time. He goes on saying that the Get Windows 10 ad that was forcing the new software on Windows 8.1 and seven users was just a step too far.
Windows 11 latest rumors and news!
The ad is highly impossible to hide or ignore according to Thurrott. He said the ad could be likened to the Terminator since it was something that was entirely hard to stop. Thurrott damns the company at the end saying that the company has hugely violated trust between themselves and its clients, and the whole debacle is doing nothing but ruining the otherwise wonderful Windows 10.


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Hunter and Stella McCartney sign deal to advertise at the new Piccadilly Lights
19 October 2017
Landsec, the UK’s largest listed commercial property company and owner of Piccadilly Lights, today announces that British brands Hunter and Stella McCartney have signed a deal to advertise in one of the six positions on the world-famous Piccadilly Lights. The brands will form part of the innovative new Piccadilly Lights screen which is switched back on this month.
Hunter, the progressive British heritage brand, has signed to advertise on the lights in partnership with Stella McCartney, the luxury lifestyle brand. The aspirational British brands will share one of the six advertising spots at Piccadilly Lights on rotation, individually showcasing the two brands in a unique new setting.
The signing of Hunter and Stella McCartney creates a unique setting to showcase these fashion brands in the heart of London’s shopping and entertainment district. Hunter was first introduced to the power of digital out of home in 2015 under the creative direction of Alasdhair Willis, live streaming content from its London Fashion Week Catwalk show across multiple Ocean Outdoor screens in 2015. This is the first time eponymous fashion label Stella McCartney has taken a presence in a mainstream out of home environment. The brands join a line-up of iconic advertisers, appearing alongside Coca-Cola, Hyundai, Samsung and L’Oréal Paris for the relaunch of the lights later this month.
Piccadilly Lights have been switched off since January for major renovation work that will see the original patchwork of screens replaced with a single state-of-the-art 4K LED digital screen and live technology hub. It will be the largest screen of its kind in Europe and will have the ability to divide into six full and subtle motion segments. Advertisers will be able to stream live videos, lifestyle updates, such as weather and sports results, and real time social media feeds.
The countdown to switch on is being marked by the #PiccadillyOn campaign which invites people around the world to be part of this remarkable moment in London’s history in aid of Barnardo’s, the UK’s largest children’s charity and Landsec’s national charity partner for 2017. For a minimum donation of £2.00, people can bring colour to life by sponsoring a unique colour chip which will form part of a 3D countdown clock on the screen, before forming part of a choreographed reveal moment.
At the moment of relaunch, the screen will be powered up with a spectacular display of the sponsored colours, each of which will be shown on screen and live streamed on Facebook for fans across the globe to watch.
Anyone can own a unique piece of London’s digital history by visiting www.PiccadillyOn.London, where they can choose their colour to support Barnardo’s and be part of this historic moment. Supporters will receive their unique digital colour chip to post on their social media channels.
Vasiliki Arvaniti, Portfolio Director at Landsec said:
“Both Stella McCartney and Hunter are as iconic as Piccadilly Lights itself; we are very excited to see how the brands use this unique platform to connect with their audiences. This collaboration is an excellent reflection of the pioneering display capabilities of the screen and testament to how flexible the platform can be. It’s a privilege to also be able to fundraise for Barnardo’s through the #PiccadillyOn campaign as we deliver such a historic moment for London.”
Tim Bleakley, Chief Executive Officer at Ocean Outdoor said:
“Two iconic, creative British brands have collaborated to unlock an incredible opportunity right at the heart of British and world fashion. What’s guaranteed is that both Hunter and Stella McCartney will use every opportunity to leverage the unique capabilities of digital out of home to innovate and push forward the broadcast capabilities of this live, responsive, spectacular screen.”
Hunter and Stella McCartney are signed to advertise at the lights until the end of January 2018.
To get involved and be a part of the iconic switch-on moment, people can choose their colour and donate at www.PiccadillyOn.London and share their support on social media using #PiccadillyOn.
Notes to Editors
For media enquiries please contact the team at Teneo Blue Rubicon on email@example.com and 020 7260 2700
History of Piccadilly Lights
- An estimated 100million people pass through Piccadilly Circus each year
- The first illuminated advertising hoarding at Piccadilly Circus was a Perrier sign, installed in 1908
- Piccadilly Circus used to be entirely surrounded by illuminated advertising signs which were originally powered by light bulbs, later replaced by neon lights.
- Digital projectors were first introduced in 1998
- LED displays completely replaced neon by 2011
- Coca-Cola has had a sign at Piccadilly Circus since 1954
- Landsec has owned Piccadilly Lights since the 1970s
New screen details
- 17.56m high x 44.62m wide (circ 790m2)
- Greater than 4K Resolution: 5490 x 2160
- 3 in 1 LED packages that generates trillions of colours and exceptional brightness
- 8mm pitch screen
PiccadillyOn is a charity campaign launched to raise funds for Barnardo’s and mark the switching on of the world-famous Piccadilly Lights after over nine months of renovation works. The campaign is run by Landsec, the UK’s largest listed commercial property company, which has owned the site in London’s West End since the 1970s. For more information and to be part of the campaign, visit PiccadillyOn.London or follow PiccadillyOn on Facebook or Instagram.
At Landsec, we believe great places are for people to experience and are made with the experience of great people. As the UK’s largest listed commercial property company, with 23.2 million sq ft of real estate and a portfolio valued at £14.4 billion, we own and manage some of the most successful and recognisable assets in the country.
In London, our portfolio totals more than £8.3 billion, and consists of 6.5 million sq ft of real estate. From the world-famous Piccadilly Lights to the transformation of Victoria, SW1, we deliver exceptional experiences for the businesses and people that live and work in, and visit, the capital.
In Retail, across our 16.7 million sq ft of assets, we create outstanding experiences for customers and guests alike. Combined with the strength and resilience of our portfolio, this means we regularly outperform industry benchmarks for footfall and sales. We offer more than convenience and choice, recognising that memorable destinations are key to attracting the shoppers and retailers of today, and tomorrow.
We also aim to lead our industry in critical long-term issues – from diversity and community employment, to carbon and climate resilience. Everything we do is grounded in experience and begins with people. We deliver value for our shareholders, great experiences for our customers and positive change for our communities. At Landsec, everything is experience.
Founded in 1856, Hunter is a progressive British heritage brand renowned for its iconic Original boot. The brand has a rich history of innovation and pioneering design. The brand has built on this heritage of 160 years, creating footwear and outerwear to protect from the weather and perform across all terrains. Hunter holds two Royal Warrants of Appointment to HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.
Alasdhair Willis was appointed Creative Director in 2013 and two new brand categories, Hunter Original and Hunter Field, were introduced. The launch of Hunter Original has seen four pioneering catwalk shows at London Fashion Week, showcasing new footwear, outerwear, knitwear and accessories, alongside the Original boot. Hunter Field delivers technical products, born from the development of pioneering techniques in manufacturing and materials.
About Stella McCartney
Stella McCartney is a luxury lifestyle brand that was launched under the designer’s name in 50/50 partnership with Kering in 2001. Stella’s approach to design emphasizes sharp tailoring, natural confidence and sexy femininity. A lifelong vegetarian, Stella McCartney does not use any leather or fur in her designs. The brand is committed to ethical values, and believes the company is responsible for the resources it uses and the impact it has on the environment. It is therefore constantly exploring innovative ways to become more sustainable, from design to store practices and product manufacturing. Stella McCartney offers women’s ready-to-wear, menswear, accessories, lingerie, swimwear, kids, fragrance and adidas by Stella McCartney collections through 51 free-standing stores including London, New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris, Milan and Shanghai. Her collections are distributed in 77 countries through 863 doors including specialty shops, and department stores, as well as shipping to 100 countries online.
The charity has helped transform the lives of millions of disadvantaged children in the UK, and continues to help families to build a better future. In 2016/17 more than 272,000 children, young people, parents and carers were supported by Barnardo’s through more than 1,000 services across the UK, such as young carers, care leavers, foster carers and adoptive parents, training and skills or parenting classes, as well as young victims of child sexual exploitation and those needing support with emotional health and wellbeing problems.
Registered charity No. 216250 and SC037605


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Sargent steps up
Staples Soulman shares strategies: store brands, sustainability, competition, CXP integration and executive experience
21 Oct 10 (Completed 1430ET; 1930GMT))
Last Friday, we met with CEO Ron Sargent, now in his 21st year of service at Staples and 28 months on from the last interview, the day after the acquisition of Corporate Express.
We discussed latest market developments…


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Back in 2003, 40 per cent of luxury goods world-wide were consumed in Japan: 93% of women in their twenties living in cities owned a Louis Vuitton bag and 92% the equivalent Gucci must-have accessory. That was seven years ago. Then came the global financial crisis. The Japanese luxury market contracted and has a virtually no-growth forecast for some time to come. Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, owner of some of the most popular brands in Japan, saw sales in the country plummet 20 per cent in the first half of 2009. Dozens of reasons have been put forward to explain the outlook but one theme appears to be widely accepted; that is, a major change in lifestyle of the core clientele away from the status-quo luxury brands. Versace was the first major fashion house to announce that, after 30 years, they are pulling out of Japan. But what are we to learn from this example with regard to the “bigger luxurious picture”?
Now, the big brands are focusing on the emerging markets, namely the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China), where China in particular shows great potential to become the focus of the Haute Couture. It emerges that the luxury market, in line with the general economic epicentre, is shifting eastwards. There are increasing signs of a revival in the luxury goods industry, including promising trends in the more mature markets, particularly the US. Luxury groups all expect demand to continue to develop strongly in China and the rest of Asia, but they are also banking on the recovery of the developed markets compounding Asia-Pacific’s double digit growth. If this turns out to be the case the expectation of an increase in global underlying demand of about 5 per cent to 7 per cent this year over last year, as suggested by investment research firm Sanford Bernstein, seems reasonable.
Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive of Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, said the sales trend was stronger at the beginning of 2010, amid strong Christmas sales. It was driven by continued demand for the flagship Louis Vuitton leather goods business – which accounted for 59 per cent of group operating profits last year. Sales of Louis Vuitton grew by double-digits last year. It will be interesting to see to what extent this growth will be sustainable, and whether the nouveau marketing strategy will persist. “Heritage” and “hand-crafted” have become catchphrases for the luxury industry since the recession hit, as old names that had embraced fashion during the consumption bubble attempt to shore up their credentials as investment-worthy brands. Louis Vuitton, with its campaign the fore-runner in this trend, re-focused on the quality and excelling character of its designer wear, portraying artists en action on its recent printed adverts. The sumptuary retail industry has experienced a dramatic change throughout the crisis, not only in its core markets, but also in its brand imaging. Hermès, one of only a handful of companies to have grown in the recession, has always focused on its image as a hand-crafting, finer manufacturer, with two-year waiting lists for deliveries of €5,000 Hermès Birkin or Kelly handbags. Yet while the French fashion boutique has proved resilient in the downturn, it did not grow as fast in the boom years as other luxury goods companies, such as Louis Vuitton.
Maybe we are seeing an image change towards a Hermès approach, where handbags are made to last for 40 years, rather than being a one-off, plush symbol of extravagance. Certainly for the near future such a strategy will endure, but the overall economic outlook of the luxury industry remains uncertain. At the end of the day, much will depend on the overall strength of the economic recovery this year and the end of 2010 sales. But still, any loss of global economic momentum during the coming months is bound to cloud the luxury industry’s revival.


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The short-sleeved jerseys introduced across the NBA this season have been popular with fans and a big seller in stores.
But LeBron James is not a fan.
James partly blamed the jersey for his off shooting night in the Miami Heat’s 111-87 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday. James was 6-of-18 shooting in the game, his second-worst shooting night of the season.
For more on this story visit: Brian Windhorst, ESPN


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We are excited to announce that iPort Rail has been named a finalist in both the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Annual Awards for Excellence 2019 and the Supply Chain Excellence Awards 2019.
The CILT Awards celebrate the brightest talent and most outstanding organisations, with a view to raising standards and sharing best practice across the logistics and transport industry.
iPort Rail has been shortlisted in the Freight Transport category, which will be awarded to a company that has demonstrated outstanding performance in moving freight.
The Supply Chain Excellence Awards celebrate outstanding achievements in supply chain management worldwide, and reward companies that have attained the highest achievable standards.
iPort Rail is a finalist in the Transport Innovation category, which recognises innovation in transport thinking, technology or operations, that has resulted in quantifiable benefits to an organisation’s supply chain.
“This has been a phenomenal first year for iPort Rail, which has grown from strength to strength from the moment our terminal was first opened to our team now handling four daily services every weekday,” said Steve Freeman, Managing Director at iPort Rail.
“We are living in a transient time for the global supply chain industry, which presents a great opportunity for the rail freight sector – increasingly recognised as a faster, greener, safer, and more efficient way of long-distance freight transportation compared to other modes.
“We are very proud of what we have achieved so far, thanks to the hard work of the iPort Rail team, and are pleased that this is being recognised by industry judges.”
These two shortlistings come after iPort Rail scooped Major Project of the Year at this year’s Rail Industry Innovation Awards.


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As reported by Xbox News in a tweet, the next-gen console from Microsoft saw all its stocks pre-ordered on the Japanese Microsoft Store in about 12 minutes, while it took 17 to get the same result on Amazon. Excellent feedback also for the Xbox Series S sold out in less than an hour.
- Xbox News (@_XboxNews) September 24, 2020
Good results from pre-orders also arrive in the rest of Asia: the Xbox Series X units ended after 15 minutes on Amazon India, while it took just one minute in South Korea to register the sold out.
It is not clear how many pieces were available to each retailer, but the data recorded by a brand, the Xbox, historically rather weak on the Asian market, remains significant.


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October 30, 2007 |
NEW DELHI: Indian suppliers to GAP, a European and US apparel retail chain, have informed the Centre that they are not using child labour and their plants have been subjected to vigorous inspections by the overseas buyers. "The biggest suppliers have informed us that GAP officials have seen their plants and applauded their manufacturing practices," Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath said at the Fortune Global Forum here today. GAP has withdrawn from their European and American stores garments sourced from Indian vendors on the ground that child labour was involved in the manufacturing of these clothing.
July 7, 2014 |
NEW DELHI: The Union government today said the number of working children in the age group of 5-14 has declined in the country. "The total number of working children in the country has declined from 1.26 crore as per Census 2001 to 43.53 lakh as per Census 2011," Labour and Employment Minister Narendra Singh Tomar informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply. Tomar said considering the magnitude and nature of the problem of child labour, the government is following a multi-pronged strategy to deal with it. The Union Minister said the strategy comprises statutory and legislative measures, rescue and rehabilitation, providing universal and primary education along with social protection, poverty alleviation and employment generation.
June 22, 2012 |
BANGALORE: Union Labour Minister Mallikarjun Kharge today said the Centre plans to amend the Child Labour (Prohibition and Abolition) Act, 1986, to ensure children in the 14-18 age group are not employed in any industry. The existing law restricts it to children below 14 years of age. "The Centre is committed to protecting the welfare of children. Elimination of child labour is an article of faith and commitment to us," he said. Kharge said the Child Labour (Prohibition and Abolition)
June 17, 2008 |
COIMBATORE: The Tirupur Exporters Association on Tuesday refuted charges of child labour in local garment factories by British clothing firm Primark which has axed three suppliers. Reacting to reports from London that the three suppliers had allegedly sub-contracted embroidery and sequin work to a number of unapproved businesses where children were involved, Tirupur Exporters Association (TEA) President A Shaktivel told PTI "no child labour is engaged in factories or manufacture of garments in Tirupur".
June 17, 2015 |
WASHINGTON:Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi has given a clarion call to leaders and countries towards global elimination of child labour and slavery. "It is a matter of great shame that even in the 21st century this ugly form of slavery exists in the form of child labour," Satyarthi said in his remarks from the footsteps of the historic Lincoln Memorial with gigantic freedom written in the backdrop here yesterday. Joined by a large number of his supporters, Satyarthi in his passionate speech issued a clarion call for achieving freedom for the world's children -- freedom from slavery, labour, abuse, trafficking and illiteracy.
June 18, 2013 |
NEW DELHI: Tackling child labour issues will be a priority, Shish Ram Ola , who has taken over as new Labour and Employment Minister, said here on Tuesday. Ola said he will soon have a meeting with senior officers in the ministry to chalk out priorities as per the need. Emphasis will also be on imparting skill development with avenues of employment, Ola said at his Shram Shakti Bhawan office. 86-year-old Ola is a Lok Sabha member from Jhunjhnu constituency of Rajasthan.
July 26, 2010 |
AHMEDABAD: The worst fears of Indian apparel exporters have come true. Big Brother US, which accounts for 30% of India's apparel exports worth $10 billion, has labelled India as a country that uses child labour in garment manufacturing. The stand poses huge reputational risk to India that supplies garments to the likes of Wal-Mart, GAP, H&M, Diesel, M&S and Levi's, all of which swear against child labour. With this, India's status as an exporter is reduced to the likes of Argentina and Thailand, countries far lower in ranking.
May 10, 2003 |
CHNDIGARH: Child labour would be eradicated from the country by 2007, Labour Minister Sahib Singh Verma said. "Child labour will be totally wiped out from the country by 2007," he said, speaking at a seminar here on 'Social Dialogue as an Instrument of Decent Work', organised by the PHCCI, the Council of Indian Employers and the ILO. "In our Parliamentary democracy, social dialogue is a well-accepted principle and an integral part of...
December 11, 2014 |
With Kailash Satyarthi's Nobel Peace Prize win bringing the focus on rights of children in India, a leading rights group has called for robust means to act against child labour saying merely banning it is not a solution. "India has strong legal instruments, but it is essential to have robust means to implement the act. For that, we need a societal shift, and clear commitment by the government. Merely banning child labour will not provide an answer," Amnesty International Secretary General Salil Shetty told media.
November 19, 2011 |
AHMEDABAD: Censured for engaging child labour by gloabl apparel brands, the Indian apparel export industry has decided to adopt zero tolerance on child labour and cleanse the supply chain. The extensive auditing of the supply chain will make garments from India expensive by 5%, but will keep India off trade barriers owing to lack of compliance. "There is a huge complaince fatigue in the Indian apparel export industry. Although catering to the global brands, apparel suppliers are yet to accept that compliance is an essential management practice.


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Chinese video game firm GAEA Group and Russian counterpart Gaijin Entertainment plan to merge their businesses and seek an initial public offering outside the Chinese mainland.
The partnership will combine Gaijin’s expertise in personal computer and console game development and publishing with GAEA’s mobile experience and Asian market knowledge, according to a statement published on GAEA’s website yesterday. It did not disclose the financial details of the deal.
The two firms have been working together for five years and in March this year teamed up to develop and distribute a mobile version of Gaijin’s vehicular combat game Crossout in Asia and explore capital operations. Crossout made its PC debut in 2017.
Founded in 2002, Gaijin also runs another vehicular combat game, the free-to-play War Thunder, which uses the company’s own Dagor gaming engine. It has several studios and is Russia’s largest independent developer covering all platforms.
GAEA set up shop in 2014 and already has offices in the United States, Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong. It has more than 1,000 employees worldwide and developed Dota Legend, Legendary Sword 3D and other games, which have over 100 million players combined.


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TSMC Plans Advanced 4nm Chip Production at Arizona Plant on Apple Demand: Report
TSMC will offer advanced 4nm chips at its upcoming plant in the US that will open in 2024, according to a report. The chip manufacturer was set to make 20,000 wafers per month at the upcoming Arizona facility, but reportedly plans to increase production from the original plans.
* This article was originally published here
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The Chinese company into Volvo, start-up Lynk & Co, declared it will launch a brand new Crossover, the 2.0, as a compact sport utility vehicle crossover. This brand new addition to the Lynk & CO portfolio adds to the present 01 variant, which will be a slightly bigger crossover.
But nevertheless fits to the compact crossover class, and the company started selling the 01 at China late at 2017 with strategies to reach the European economy by 2020 using a more fully fleshed out version lineup.
Read More On Maserati Rocks SUV
The Lynk & CO 02, will soon be constructed around the Volvo Compact Modular Architecture, and also the Lynk & CO 01 along with also the Volvo XC 40 is built on and can come with the shorter, broader and lower framework. The organization, which has manufacturing centres in Belgium, will soon be generating all its lineup here alongside its Volvo compatriots.
The organization, while very short on particulars, declared its European entrance plan will begin with a car dealer at Amsterdam and will seem to include Berlin, London, Brussels and Barcelona. The business intends to bolster their supply plan by creating pseudo pop up shops in other European centres as a means to cut back its funding requirements and quotes that this could cause an overall savings of 15 per cent to the main point.
The Zhejiang Geely Holding company has been aggressively expanding its international footprint as it continues to make investments in a number of different companies including the famed Lotus brand, the Geely manufacturer, which sells automobiles in China, Malaysian car producer Proton along with the London EV company.
Visit On Chinese Lynk & CO Launching
Which makes taxi cabs for the UK marketplace and also the latest and intriguing investment has been in the US-based Terrafugia, which is seeking to assemble out fleets of flying automobiles. All this can be in addition to the 9 per cent bet the company has lately bought into Daimler, that arrived at a cool cost of $8.6 billion dollars.


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An insurance company is teaming up with a leading marine equipment manufacturer to explore how to develop ships of the future, with an eye on autonomous vessels.
Rolls-Royce and AXA Corporate Solutions have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to explore ways in which they can combine their respective products, to bring a new offering to the marine market, utilising Rolls-Royce Ship Intelligence systems and equipment and AXA’s risk analytics capabilities to support current sailing and future vessels.
Rolls-Royce Ship Intelligence products, including the recently launched Intelligent Awareness product, use a wide array of sensors onboard, streaming data, allowing AXA Corporate Solutions to deliver a new level of service to marine vessels.
Karno Tenovuo, Rolls-Royce, SVP Ship Intelligence said: “Many of our products are designed to improve performance and safety onboard. By working with AXA and their knowledge of risk we hope to further improve our customer’s operations. Insurers are a key part of our vision of the future and we are excited to have AXA, an equally innovative company join us on the journey.”
The data may also be used by AXA to manage risks currently covered by their Hull and Machinery insurance, as well as new types of products and services to support customers in volatile and difficult shipping markets. AXA is currently working on insuring autonomous cars and this knowledge will play a key part in establishing standards for insuring autonomous ships.


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How much money did fraudsters steal from the British in 2015?
- £25 million
- £100 million
- £350 million
- £755 million
According to a consensus done by Financial Fraud Action U.K., fraud increased 26% in 2015! Email scammers posing to be bank staff conning people into sending money via online banking had the biggest growth- a rate of 72% last year! More than £168 million was stolen from these unsuspecting consumers. Source: The Guardian


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The electric vehicle (EV) market is growing rapidly, but with this growth comes public pressure to ensure supply chains for EV batteries are sustainable. While individual EV buyers have little leverage over industry, fleet purchasers of EVs instead have an opportunity to use their combined market power to ensure upstream suppliers adhere to strong sustainability standards.
The Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance (CEVA), led by Ceres, is a collaborative group of companies focused on accelerating the transition to EVs. Our new report for CEVA, in partnership with Ceres, offers recommendations for major corporate EV fleet purchasers for how they can help ensure EV supply chain sustainability. It summarizes the market status of the batteries, U.S. policy context, and key initiatives for improvement. Among other solutions, the report recommends that corporate actors looking to make a positive impact on the EV battery supply chain:
- Join the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) in order to publicly demonstrate commitment to responsible sourcing; and add political momentum and end-user economic clout to IRMA’s efforts to engage and audit the mining industry
- Advocate for domestic mining reform that expands mining only as much as necessary while ensuring responsible environmental management and clean up as well as community and Tribal engagement
- Advocate for federal policy to standardize EV battery labeling and traceability through an open-source, interoperable digital product passport with requirements designed to improve environmental and human impacts, carbon footprint, and end of life opportunities.
Ultimately, large fleets and major companies possess significant influence and a pivotal role to play in improving the EV battery supply chain. By leveraging their purchasing power and engaging with industry stakeholders, they can incentivize manufacturers and mining operators to prioritize sustainability and responsible practices.
Access the full report here: Electric Vehicle Batteries: A Guidebook for Responsible Corporate Engagement Throughout the Supply Chain


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Famous arms company beretta has acquired the italian company officina meccanica rottigni gun brand and production line victrix armaments. On saturday said resource thefirearmblog. Com. Rifle victrix armaments from the line of minerva according to information, under the specified brand of the italians was released 3 armory lines: "Minerva – tactical rifle for law enforcement agencies; victoria – weapons for sport shooting, as well as lunae – rifles for hunters. " in addition to rifles under the brand victrix armaments are also produced gun accessories, in particular the "Butts for precision shooting, shops, bipod, muzzle brake and more," reads the material. All products rottigni officina meccanica is designed for precision shooting, all rifles are equipped with a longitudinally sliding gates.
Rifle victrix armaments from the line of victoria beretta intends to introduce the rifle victrix armaments as its own brand for the short show (shot show 2017), which will be held in las vegas from 17 to 20 january. The american representative of the company has confirmed that "The beretta will develop and sell a line of minerva and victoria, which will complement the already existing range of series of sako and tikka (under these brands are sold the rifle for precision shooting)".
Latvia decided to reinforce troops on the border with Russia
Latvia adopted the decision on the deployment until 30 October 2018 units of the National armed forces in the Eastern part of the country bordering Russia. "As part of the third brigade of the national guard (militia) planned to f...
The Russians expressed their attitude to the Armed forces of the country
All-Russia centre of studying of public opinion conducted a survey on the topic "Russian Army: combat readiness, ability to protect the country, the impact on society and the economy." 76% of those who participated in the survey b...
The Ministry of defence of Italy, ordered a helicopter of the new generation
The Italian war office and the company Leonardo has signed a contract for the development and production of prototypes of combat helicopters of the next generation, which ultimately will replace the standing armed AW129 Mangust. A...
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By Christopher Dass
The corona virus lock down across many countries has caused difficulties for many business except the for a few like the online gaming industry. Online Gaming industry is a popular business that is helping many people get through the lock down. One such business that has taken to the online gaming is the Unboxed café https://uwsnewsroom.com/2020/03/24/local-business-in-ayr-fear-for-future-amid-coronavirus-outbreak/.
Whit the improvement of technology online gaming saw its place in the world gaining popularity with the millennials. This led to a new world of sport and competition creating its own brand, with board games having to compete with it. Now with world under lock down the online gaming industry is booming as many are downloading and buying these online games. The reason being that these games can be played form any where in the world with just a device in hand.
Online gaming is not like your regular sport or board game that comes with a specific set of rules and format. It is constantly changing making improvements to its game, adding new things that make it challenging to keep its players hooked. But with the lock down effecting industries across the world will it be possible for these gaming industries to update their games? Specially during a lock down where more and more non gamer’s are getting hooked to these games. Speaking to Dave Sapien a game developer from Scotland Dundee, we got to know that the employees of the gaming industry have been clocking in their office (few in number) to work on the updates of the game and if the situation persists then customers will have to understand and wait for at least six months for a new update or a release.
“customers should expect delays in the release schedule of most games. Even as much as six months. In that time I would ask your readers to look toward indie games, as there will be many excellent teams producing great games that will need support.”
Many online video chat applications have taken to online gaming in times of the lock down to such as house party to provide a more of a friendly socializing atmosphere for its consumers https://www.ft.com/content/c7ce2ad3-7276-4d8a-9deb-21acca871082. Sports brands such as Decathlon have also taken to online gaming to spread positivity among their employees and consumers. Solomon Donald the content head of Decathlon India chatted with us on how he and his team came up with this online gaming idea inspired by the physical fair game spin the wheel, to create a chat board connecting all the employees across the world and keeping their sprites up during the lock down.
“The wheel creates a series of conversation with people across the world chatting about how can they go trekking in the bathroom”
Apart form online gaming the internet has also created a space and popularity for table top games or board games as we all know it. Mr. Owen Duff the author of “The Board Game Book” said to us that the lock down has increased the demand for table top games as more and more people are plying it connecting from various places through video chat.
“There’s been a real boost in playing tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons and Call of Cthulhu over video chat. The rise of online play – and particularly live streaming – has really taken the industry by storm. A lot of people are looking for a bit of escapism and social contact right now, and RPGs are a fantastic way of getting those things”.
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March 7, 2022
4 Min Read
Image courtesy of Alamy/Marek Uliasz
There were a few moments during President Biden’s State of the Union address when both sides of the aisle stood up and cheered. Granted, there weren't many, but the bar is set quite low in our polarized times, and it seemed like there were more outward expressions of unity than we have seen in the recent past. A call for reshoring manufacturing was one of those rally-round-the-flag moments.
Rosemary Coates, founder and Executive Director of the Reshoring Institute, said she was delighted to hear Biden address global supply chain issues and the urgent need to re-establish manufacturing in America. “I think it’s time that the US develop an industrial policy around manufacturing. We have always resisted this notion, letting the markets freely determine supply and demand for products," Coates told PlasticsToday. “But the Covid pandemic exposed our significant vulnerabilities in products like pharmaceuticals and semiconductors, and now I believe that the federal government needs to support some of these industries with policy. An industrial policy would allow for federal investment, low-cost loans, tax relief, and other incentives to ensure a supply of products for the health and well-being of all Americans,” said Coates.
Rosemary Coates will be speaking at the forthcoming Plastec West and Medical Design & Manufacturing event in Anaheim, CA. Her session, “Global Supply Chain in Chaos — Why Reshoring Is the Smart Path Forward,” is scheduled for April 12 at 8:30 a.m. The trade show and conference runs from April 12 to 14 at the Anaheim Convention Center. Go to the event website for more information and to register to attend.
During his address, Biden cited the decision of semiconductor giant Intel to build a $20 billion mega site outside of Columbus, OH. “Up to eight state-of-the-art factories in one place. 10,000 new good-paying jobs,” said Biden, adding that it could be just the beginning. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger reportedly would increase that investment to $100 billion — one of the biggest manufacturing investments in US history — if Congress passes the Innovation Act.
Coming together on the Innovation Act
Congress needs to reconcile the $250 billion US Innovation and Competition Act of 2021 passed by the Senate with the America Competes Act of 2022 that was passed in the House to send a single bill to President Biden’s desk. During the State of the Union address, he called on lawmakers to do just that. But it’s Congress we’re talking about, not the nimblest of bodies.
Still, reshoring and nearshoring continue apace, with or without government incentives. Although it’s impossible to verify the number of jobs that have been reshored, it’s clear that a movement to bring back manufacturing is gaining steam. “At the Reshoring Institute, we are engaging with a steady stream of clients that are looking for new factory locations in the United States with the intention of building new factories here," said Coates. “There is also a boom in factory construction along the US-Mexico border, where manufacturers can take advantage of lower-cost labor in Mexico and import products duty-free under the USMCA trade agreement.”
The tale of the masks
It’s important to note that not all manufacturing is leaving low-wage countries and setting up shop here or in Mexico, nor should it. There is no economic advantage to reshoring the production of T-shirts, plastic bags, and other commodity items to US- or Mexico-based facilities. The fate of some US manufacturers of face masks tells a cautionary tale.
An article in the New York Times on March 5, “Why American Mask Makers Are Going Out of Business,” recounts how a number of companies emerged in the early days of the pandemic to manufacture face masks. As you may recall, there was an alarming shortage of personal protective equipment, which was almost entirely being made in China. DemeTech in Miami invested several million dollars on resources for mask production; by the fall of 2020, it was able to produce five million masks a day, writes Joe Nocera in the Times. It hired hundreds of employees. Business was booming, until it wasn’t. “As soon as the waves crested and Chinese companies, determined to regain their market share, began exporting masks below cost, the customers disappeared. Today . . . DemeTech has laid off nearly all the employees it hired to make masks, and it has shut most of its mask manufacturing center,” writes Nocera. The same thing happened to other small businesses that saw an opportunity but had no plan B when demand disappeared.
In the State of the Union address, Biden vowed that everything from the deck of an aircraft carrier to the steel on highway guardrails would be made in America. “The plight of these small mask companies, however, suggests that reviving American manufacturing — even when the underlying rationale is national security — won’t be easy,” writes Nocera.
About the Author(s)
Editor in chief of PlasticsToday since 2015, Norbert Sparrow has more than 30 years of editorial experience in business-to-business media. He studied journalism at the Centre Universitaire d'Etudes du Journalisme in Strasbourg, France, where he earned a master's degree.
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The Drive For Design contest is back for 2017, and it’s challenging sophomores, juniors and seniors to come up with a design for a Dodge vehicle 30 years in the future.
Fuel economy is a big issue for automakers. Not only do people want cars with good fuel economy, but the government demands certain standards be met. According to Ford CEO Mark Fields, current government standards could put as many as one million jobs at risk. The Environmental Protection Agency set the corporate average fuel economy […]
California is arguable the most friendly state out there when it comes to electric vehicles. On top of a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 available across the country, residents of California are eligible for additional rebates of up to $2,500. There are also special decals that let owners drive in the carpool lane […]
Netflix will reportedly pay Jerry Seinfeld $100 million for a package including Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee.
Tesla is best known for producing electric cars, but they’re also coming to be known as a leader in autonomous car technology. Videos of their Autopilot software in action are all over the internet, but unfortunately, there have been problems. Several accidents and one fatality were reported when Autopilot was in use, and now Tesla […]
Not so many years ago, gas prices took a giant leap and automakers rushed to improve fuel economy. No one wanted a big, inefficient SUV when prices were hovering around $5 per gallon. The government was on board with this idea, too, and set lofty goals automakers must achieve in the coming years. Fuel efficiency […]
Tesla delivered 22,200 cars in the last quarter of 2016. That’s a lot of luxury electric vehicles, but it isn’t enough to meet Tesla’s goals for the year. The company forecast deliveries of between 80,000 and 90,000 cars this year, but it came in at 76,230. Before you start counting Tesla’s glory days as a thing […]
Cadillac hits on a new idea that may just bring the brand back from the brink.
Chrysler introduced the highly-praised Pacifica minivan last year, which included a hybrid model, but they’re aiming to take the bar even higher. The Chrysler Portal minivan is an all-electric concept car with a 200-mile range that made its debut today at the Consumer Electronics Show. Since this is a car designed to appeal to millennials, […]


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Wearable technology device company Fitbit has received emergency use authorisation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a low-cost emergency ventilator Fitbit Flow.
The automatic resuscitator has been developed by the company in response to the global need for ventilators during the Covid-19 pandemic crisis.
The company leveraged its expertise in advanced sensor development and hardware design to immediately develop Fitbit Flow.
The device is inspired by the MIT E-Vent Design Toolbox and based on specifications for rapidly manufactured ventilation systems.
Fitbit Flow uses standard resuscitator bags with sophisticated instruments, sensors and alarms that work together to support automated compressions and patient monitoring.
To help reduce the stress on the medical staff, the device is designed to be intuitive and simple to use.
Fitbit co-founder and CEO James Park said: “Covid-19 has challenged all of us to push the boundaries of innovation and creativity and use everything at our disposal to more rapidly develop products that support patients and the healthcare systems caring for them.
“We saw an opportunity to rally our expertise in advanced sensor development, manufacturing and our global supply chain to address the critical and ongoing need for ventilators and help make a difference in the global fight against this virus.”
During the development and testing process, the company consulted with Oregon Health & Science University emergency medicine clinicians, who were involved in the treatment of Covid-19 patients at OHSU Hospital.
It also worked with the Mass General Brigham Center for COVID Innovation working group on the design to meet the needs of practitioners.
Fitbit said that it will use its infrastructure and manufacturing capabilities to produce large volumes of the emergency devices.
The company will offer its ventilators to healthcare systems around the world that do not have a sufficient number of traditional commercial ventilators.


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22nd April 2020 - 2 min read
The Transport Ministry has released a guideline for p-hailing services, which is defined as food, drinks, and parcel delivery using motorcycles. The guideline, which contains stipulations regarding traffic rules and health issues, must be obeyed throughout the ongoing period of the movement control order (MCO).
According to Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, the guideline is meant to reassure the Malaysian public that their delivered items and parcels are safe as the country combats the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is also to ensure the well-being of those working in the p-hailing trade.
A number of rules were highlighted in the guideline, such as riders should sanitise their delivery boxes daily according to the recommendations provided by the Ministry of Health. They are also cautioned to wear face masks, practise contactless transactions, and clean their hands frequently.
“Riders should also adhere to the advisories issued by the Majlis Keselamatan Negara (MKN) including not entering the red zones. This is to protect the safety of those who have to travel long distances and to curb the spread of the virus,” said Wee in the statement.
Wee further advised p-hailing riders against using interstate highways for journeys that exceed more than 10 kilometres. He also reminded them that operating hours are limited only to between 8am to 8pm, and that the operating hours and types of items that can be delivered are also subjected to zonal restrictions and MKN’s updated regulations.
Additionally, all p-hailing riders are required to register with the mySejahtera app, which was launched to aid the Ministry of Health in monitoring the Covid-19 outbreak in the country. Riders must also carry authorisation letters from their employers or local authorities to prove that they have a reason to be on the road.
The guideline stipulated as well that the companies providing p-hailing services must provide full cooperation to the Ministry of Health in conducting contact tracing if any of their riders are diagnosed with Covid-19.
Aside from Covid-19 precautions, riders are reminded to also abide by basic rules, such as possessing a valid driver’s licence, be at least 18 years of age, and not be blacklisted by the Road Transport Department (JPJ) or Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM).
(Source: The Edge Markets)
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The commercial, largely unchanged from its original version, has played at the end of the game almost every year since. And yes, the players who say the magical phrase really do go to Disney World or Disneyland, usually the very next day.
Why do Super Bowl winners go to Disney World?
Used to promote the company’s theme park resorts in Florida and California, the commercials most often are broadcast following the Super Bowl and typically feature an NFL player (usually the Super Bowl MVP) shouting the phrase while celebrating the team’s victory immediately after the championship game.
Who goes to Disney World after the Super Bowl?
— They’re going to Disney World! Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammates Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are continuing the tradition of a celebratory Walt Disney World visit after their Super Bowl victory on Sunday.
Did Brady go to Disney?
Brady, the game’s MVP, announced he was going to Disney World right after winning the Super Bowl with his new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and appeared in the time-honored “I’m Going to Disney Land” commercial with his Bucs and former Patriots teammate Rob Gronkowski.
Did Tom Brady say he’s going to Disney?
Since 1987, heroes from Super Bowl games have filmed an ad during post-game celebrations, saying “I’m Going to Disney World,” followed by an appearance the next day for a parade at the Florida theme park resort. … Brady, who has seven Super Bowl rings, has filmed the ad more times than any other NFL player.
How Much Does Disney pay for Super Bowl?
The terms of the deal would see Disney pay around $2.6 billion for the right to broadcast “MNF” games and use NFL highlights for in-house studio shows. That equates to about a 30% increase from the current deal Disney has with the league.
Do you tip at Disney World?
No. You can use any acceptable form of payment at Disney World to pay your tip. Cash, credit card, debit card, room charge, and Disney gift cards all work well.
How much does it cost to run Disney World for a day?
Operating all of Disney’s parks and resorts cost $14.015 billion in 2019, according to the company’s annual report. If the cost to operate was split evenly per park, that would amount to around $5.49 million per park per day.
How much does Disney World make in a day?
In 2018, Disney earned $7.183 billion in admission revenue and drew in 157.311 million visitors worldwide that same year. That brings an average of $19.68 million per DAY.
Do Disney servers keep tips?
Do I have to tip the same amount as at a regular table service restaurant? In my experience, the servers at Disney’s buffets work just as hard, if not harder, than those at traditional table service restaurants. … But remember, if you’re a party of six or more, an 18% gratuity will be automatically added to your bill.