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Surprisingly, I have to admit that there is one positive aspect about gun control.
I want to say up front that I’m against any and all forms of gun control. I firmly believe that any form of gun control is a direct violation of the Second Amendment.
Having to apply for a permit to buy or own a gun is a violation of the Second Amendment.
Having to submit to a background check is a violation of the Second Amendment.
Trending: Fuel for Thought
Being restricted as to what kind of gun you can buy or own is a violation of the Second Amendment.
Being restricted as to how much ammunition you can purchase or how large your ammo clip or magazine might be, is a violation of the Second Amendment.
So how can I claim that gun control can have a positive side?
Perhaps I should clarify and say that the threat of gun control can have a very positive aspect – gun sales.
It’s been previously reported that under 8 years of Barack Obama’s gun control pushing administration, gun sales and background checks set annual records.
In October 2016, the FBI reported 2,333,539 gun-related background checks processed through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. That figure is an increase of over 350,000 background checks for October 2015.
From January 1, 2016 through the end of October 2016, the FBI reported a total of 22,206,233 NICS background checks. In just ten months, 2016 background checks are higher than any other year in history, except all of 2015. However, at the current pace, 2016 is expected to surpass the record number of background checks conducted in all of 2015.
In 2015, there were a record setting total of 23,141,970 NICS background checks. By the end of November 2016, the number of background checks for the year reached 24,767,514, surpassing last year’s record by over one and half million background checks. And this record was set in only 11 months.
Perhaps one of the best examples of the positive effects of gun control is California, one of the most liberal and anti-gun run states in the entire nation. For the first time ever, gun sales in California topped 1 million.
According to a recent report:
“California gun sales rose 50 percent in 2016 as residents rushed to buy the ‘bullet-button’ rifles before they were labeled illegal assault weapons under the Jan. 1 ban. Gun dealers processed 1,331,322 gun sales last year, up by 450,000 from 2015. That’s the equivalent of one gun sold for every 30 California residents.”
“Last year marked the first time that more than 1 million guns were sold in California in a single year. Long gun sales accounted for the bulk of the rise: Sales doubled from 2015 to almost 760,000. And handgun sales continued what has been a nearly unbroken rise over the decade. Sales rose 18 percent from 2015, to about 573,000.”
Some gun dealers and manufacturers are concerned about the Trump effect, meaning Trump’s pro-gun stance could result in a decrease in gun sales. However, if President Trump is not able to legally stop the influx of Muslims into the US, it could be just the ticket to counter the Trump effect.
About twenty years ago, Australia passed weeping gun control laws, forcing residents of the Land Down Under, to turn in over 600,000 firearms. Gun ownership is taking on a whole new aspect as the number of Muslims immigrating to Australia have been rapidly increasing. Reports indicate that as a direct result of the increase in Muslim immigration, gun sales have quadrupled as Australian citizens have found a new need to arm themselves.
It’s quite possible that a continued increase in Muslim immigration here in the US could offset the Trump effect and cause gun sales to rise instead of decrease.


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According to latest rumors, LG is getting ready to unveil soon its Nexus 5 model, with the help of Google obviously.
All the info we have so far comes from FCC documents and images, that show a new mysterious device code named D820 (Nexus 5 presumably). We can see the front and back side of the device (that looks a lot like the one Nexus 4 has), but not the glass cover on the back side! In case you don’t remember all previous FCC leaks regarding the device mention that it packs a 5 inch display, Snapdragon 800 SoC, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and LTE 7-band support.
Oh and here’s something else. The device that has leaked bares a lot of resemblance to the device held by a Google employee during the Android KitKat promo video we all saw a couple of days ago. We will know more soon, don’t worry guys.
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Facebook has today begun to roll-out Facebook Stories to a number of new countries.
Facebook Stories are short user-generated photo and video collections that can be viewed up to two times and disappear after 24 hours.
Correction: A previous version of this post noted that Facebook Stories was rolling out worldwide. It now appears that Stories are actually expanding into a few new countries (Chile, Greece and Vietnam) for testing.
The story format, originated and made famous by Snapchat, has been on Facebook’s radar for some time, with the Menlo Park-based company first testing a Snapchat Stories clone within Messenger in September 2016. Now, Facebook users can share stories within the main Facebook app.
The feature, known as Facebook Stories, is focused around Facebook’s in-app camera which allows users to overlay fun filters and Snapchat-like lenses to their content as well as add visual geolocation tags to their photos and videos. To access the camera, simply swipe right on Facebook’s mobile app.
This follows hotly on the heels of Instagram’s incredibly successful stories launch. Instagram Stories launched in August 2016 and now more than 150m people use Stories daily across the globe.
How Facebook Stories work
Similar to Instagram Stories, content shared to stories will appear at the top of the Facebook News Feed. To view a story, users simply tap a friends’ circle at the top of the app.
While viewing a story, users can also reply with a direct message.
How to add content to Facebook Stories
Step 1: Access the camera
To create a story on Facebook, you first need to access the camera. You can do this by swiping right on the Facebook mobile app.
Step 2: Create your content
Facebook users can share both photos and videos to stories. Once you have the camera open, you’ll be able to record your video or snap a quick photo. You’ll also notice a range of lenses and filters available to embellish your content.
To take a photo, tap on the button in the center of the screen and to record a video hold down this button.
Step 3: Share to your story
Once you’re happy with the post you’ve created, the next step is to share it to your story. To do this, tap on arrow icon in the center of the screen and then select ‘Your Story’ and tap on the send button in the bottom right of your screen. You can also send your post to selected friends via a direct message.
Once you’ve shared a post to your story, it will display for 24 hours and then be gone forever, just as Snapchat and Instagram Stories work. Videos and photos posted in a Facebook Story won’t show up in the News Feed or on a user’s timeline by default, but users can choose to share to the News Feed as well if they’d like to.
The Facebook Stories update isn’t yet available to all users, but begins is currently being testing in a number of countries.
A Facebook spokesperson said in an email to Social Pro Daily:
We’ve been testing the new camera in a few other countries for a while, and our goal for this next round of tests in these countries is to learn how people use all three parts of the new camera system, and we hope that eventually we’ll be able to show these sorts of features to the entire community of people on Facebook.
Countering the content collapse: Facebook Stories offer a way to encourage original content
The fuel that has fired Facebook’s extraordinary growth so far is user-generated content.
However, the sharing of original, user-generated content such as status’ and images declined 21% between mid-2015 and mid-2016. At the same time, sharing of news articles and other outside links increased, The Information, a tech news site, reported.
For Facebook, this seems to be a problem. Many of its users are no longer creating their own content, instead opting to share links and information from other websites. Internally at Facebook, Bloomberg reports this issue is known as “context collapse.”
It appears that the habit of sharing of personal content, such as images and videos, has shifted to smaller, more closed communities like Snapchat, instant messengers (like Whatsapp, Messenger) and Facebook-owned, Instagram.
Facebook Stories introduces the concept of 24-hour disappearing photos to a much wider audience than any other product to date. Over 1.7 billion people use Facebook’s mobile app each month, many of whom may not have come across story-style content before if they don’t use Snapchat or Instagram Stories.
From a content perspective, this seems to make sense for Facebook. When people open Facebook they expect to see photos and videos from their friends and connections. But with fewer users creating content and a rise in brands posting to Facebook and ads in the feed, many users feel they miss out on the type of posts that helped Facebook to take over the social media world.
Whether Facebook’s core users will adopt the feature remains to be seen. Though it’s a place for friends, Facebook appears to be much wider network than places like Instagram and Snapchat where users may be a little more selective with who they add and share content with.
A move towards camera-first communication
Combatting the context collapse seems to be an important challenge for Facebook. One way the company is approaching this challenge is through promoting camera-first communication.
Facebook’s main app is one of their last properties to adopt the stories format, which focuses on user-generated photo and video content. Messenger Day was launched with Messenger in March 2017, following hotly on the heels of February’s Whatsapp’s Status update and Instagram Stories rolled out in August 2016.
In a recent note focused on Messenger in 2017, David Marcus, Facebook’s Head of Messenger explained how the camera is beginning to replace the keyboard:
People expect the world to be so much more visual than it’s ever been before. Many of us now have powerful cameras in our pockets so when we rolled out our new camera at the end of 2016 we were reflecting this trend. We built a fast, feature-rich camera as a way for you to share visually everyday – whether it’s a video clip or quick selfie or a silly moment.
By popularizing visual, short-lived visual interactions on mobile, Snapchat started the ball rolling on the trend of camera-first communication and almost every platform is now following suit and prioritizing visual, in-the-moment content.
Whereas a few years back we may have sent an SMS or IM to our friends to share interesting and fun moments, many now default to our cameras to share this moment. Text now acts as a support to the more visual side of communication. Much like real life interactions, where our visuals and body language tell as much of a story as the words we’re saying.
Over to you
Have you tried Facebook Stories yet?
I’d love to hear what you think about this update. Will you share your day on Facebook? How will you manage stories across Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram and Whatsapp?
Let me know in the comments 💬


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Looks like Mediatek, Taiwan’s largest chip designer, is planning to throw its weight behind Google’s Android OS as well. The company has confirmed that it will offer a software and hardware platform for future phones using Android by the end of the year. Detailed information wasn’t revealed, but considering that it’s another manufacturer who has been wooed by Google’s OS, Microsoft had better get Windows Phone 7 out of the door pretty soon.
Next Story: Video: iPad Installed Into A Vehicle
- 2014-04-21: Leaked Android Dialer App Screenshot Shows Slight Makeover
- 2014-04-21: Apple And Google Reportedly Vying For Mobile Game Exclusives
- 2014-04-20: Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition Makes Its Way Onto Android
- 2014-04-18: Chuwi Cloned Lenovo’s Android-Powered Yoga Tablets
- 2014-04-17: Galaxy S5 Review
- 2011-11-18: Android presence boosted in Taiwan


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James Franco is an oddball and an expert mutlitasker. From indie film actor, to author, to soap opera character, to director, to producer, Franco does a lot of things. That’s why Samsung and Cheil USA got him to star in and direct this new Web video promoting Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 10.1.
The two-minute long, surreal Web video features Franco walking through a beautiful modern house doing all kinds of random things while using his Galaxy Note to multitask — things like helping two mathematicians, who just happen to be in the house, solve an equation, or giving the camera man directions, or joining a group of girls on a bed in a pillow fight. It’s a wink to Franco’s frenetic life.
“After playing around with the Galaxy Note for a while, we realized that the heart of the device is that it lets you do more than one thing at once, so multitasking became a key word for us,” said Lars Bastholm, chief creative officer at Cheil USA.
An added layer of entertainment for Franco fans is that the video includes some visual references to films that Franco has been in. For example, the pineapples on the kitchen counter are for “Pineapple Express,” and the milk carton is for “Milk.” These visual clues are something that fans can talk about and guess in the comments and via social media.
“We tried to put the product demos into a context that was entertaining,” said Bastholm.
Watch the video below.
Dopamine rush to deeper engagement: short-form video boom fuels brands’ embrace of longer-form content
Audiences craving more are now being treated to captivating longer-form narratives. It’s the addictive nature of those quick hits that has fueled this transformation.
‘Its inevitable’: Domino’s hungers for attention and context
Attention-based buying is turning into a legendary tale of patient and nonchalance. So when there’s a glimpse of progress, marketers tend to take notice. Domino’s being one of them.
Why Cars.com is driving away from performance marketing and toward influencers
To boost brand awareness, Cars.com is doubling down on its influencer marketing efforts.
SponsoredWhat the measurement and currency discussion really means to TV advertisers
Ali Mack, head of TV and agency, Experian Major streaming video providers have recently made headlines by adopting new currencies for ad measurement, threatening Nielsen’s long-standing TV ratings monopoly. NBCUniversal, for example, has certified iSpot and VideoAmp as currencies for advanced audiences and formed the Joint Industry Committee with Paramount, TelevisaUnivision and Warner Bros. Discovery. […]
Why Unity Technologies is leaning into AI as economic headwinds pick up
As one of the largest gaming companies listed on New York Stock Exchange, Unity Technologies leaned into AI during its May 10 earnings call, with Unity CEO John S. Ricciatello stressing Unity’s “competitive advantages in and around AI.”
How gamers’ engagement with short-form video is changing
To better understand how modern gamers are engaging with short-form video, Digiday teamed up with Gamesight to pull key points from an exclusive report on gamers’ shifting video consumption preferences.


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The county was awarded silver at the prestigious awards ceremony at Battersea Evolution in London on Wednesday evening, missing out on gold to Cornwall.
Despite being knocked off its perch, silver is still being seen as a huge success by the county’s tourism chiefs given the stiff competition.
Nigel Jarvis, chairman of the Heart of Hadrian’s Wall Tourism Association said “This is such a wonderful result; thank you to all our visitors and everyone who voted.
“It's a great boost for everyone who contributes to Northumberland's wide ranging tourism offer and who calls this fabulous county 'home'. This makes Northumberland proud."
New owners take on north Northumberland pub
Euro Express in Ashington has its alcohol licence withdrawn by county council
Ashington and Berwick charities receive generous grant from Opencast
Work starts on new retail park in Berwick with KFC, Greggs and Aldi among those confirmed
Travelodge opens new Hexham hotel and announces major expansion plans
David Hall, chairman of Northumberland Tourism, added: “This award acknowledges the great county that Northumberland is - its authenticity, its people and the amazing array of things to see and do.
“We at Northumberland Tourism work so hard to promote the county across the UK and beyond; the fact that the visitor economy has grown by 10.3% in the last three years is a testament to that hard work and also just how popular the county is to visitors who just keep coming back time after time.”
Following last year's win, Northumberland Tourism and Northumberland County Council launched a major social media campaign to encourage everyone who loves the county to get behind the award to place their votes.
Coun Cath Homer, cabinet member for Culture, Arts, Leisure and Tourism said: "This is truly fantastic news for Northumberland and we want to thank all those visitors, businesses and residents who took the time to vote.
"To be one of the top two best holiday destinations in the UK demonstrates the love people have for this amazing county and will allow Northumberland to continue to promote itself far and wide so that more people can start discovering the beauty it has to offer.
"This award is for everyone involved in the tourism industry and is a testament to their hard work and dedication."
The British Travel Awards have been running since 2008 and last year saw 334,522 consumers cast 753,938 votes across the 83 award categories.


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Volvo Trucks establishes its first battery assembly plant in Belgium
Sweden-based Volvo Trucks is opening its very first battery assembly plant. Located in Ghent, Belgium, the plant will supply ready-to-install batteries for the brand's full-electric heavy-duty trucks.
Cells and modules from Samsung SDI will be assembled at the facility to make battery packs that are tailor-made for Volvo's heavy-duty electric range of trucks, namely Volvo FH, Volvo FM and Volvo FMX.Series production of the electric trucks is scheduled to start in the third quarter of this year.
"This investment shows our strong commitment to electrifying truck transportation. By 2030, at least 50 percent of all trucks we sell globally will be electric and by 2040, we will be a carbon-neutral company," said Roger Alm, President of Volvo Trucks. The plant itself is powered by 100 percent renewable energy.
"By integrating the battery assembly process in our production flow, we can shorten lead times for our customers and secure high-performing batteries, while at the same time increase circularity", he added.
Each battery pack has a capacity of 90 kWh and the customer can choose to have up to six battery packs (540 kWh) in a truck, says Volvo Trucks. The number of batteries depends on each customer's specific range and load capacity demands. The batteries are also designed in such a way that they can later be remanufactured, refurbished and reused.
With the production of three heavy-duty full electric models starting this year in Europe, Volvo Trucks will offer a total of six electric truck models globally, covering everything from city distribution and refuse handling to regional transport and construction work.
Roger Alm further said, "We started series-production of electric trucks already in 2019 and are leading the market both in Europe and North America. With the rapid development of charging networks, and improvements in battery technology, I am convinced that we will see a rapid transformation of the entire truck industry in the very near future".


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68 pages of some of the artist’s most thought through ideas.
A limited-edition release, made in collaboration with the artist and fillmmaker.
Including a new book that surveys the work of a new generation of Black artists.
Including a new limited-to-100 art deck by Virgil Abloh and DGK.
Including charity prints benefiting various justice organizations.
‘THE LITTLE PARADIS’ books have been donated to the Montreal Children’s Hospital.
A retrospective of the designer’s longstanding influence in streetwear.
The fair will take over Edison Chen’s 3125c space.
Only 100 copies are available.


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Table of Contents
That wasn’t supposed to happen.
It sounds like something from a corny action flick.
Kieran Higgins, a retiree living in rural Spain, used the severed tip of his index finger to successfully unlock his Samsung Galaxy A20 smartphone, The Register reports.
Higgins lost the tip of his index finger two weeks earlier in an industrial accident involving a crane. He chose to keep what remained of his crushed digit in a vat of medical-grade alcohol as a precaution in case insurance ever gave him any trouble in the future.
And as it turns out, it made for a fun at-home technology test. “I extracted [the fingertip] from its grave of medicinal alcohol, dried it off and… eureka! … managed to register my dead finger on my phone,” Higgins told the newspaper.
Dead or Alive
It worked since it was, well, the exact same finger that was used to set up the device. It is at least a little bit unusual however since many devices with fingerprint scanners require the finger to be able to conduct electricity, as Live Science reported back in 2018.
In fact, the longer a person has been dead, the more difficult it becomes to unlock a conductivity-based fingerprint recognition system, according to the report.
The Samsung Galaxy A20 is a budget device, but still features a capacitive fingerprint authenticator on the back. It’s possible Higgins’ finger was simply not dead long enough to stop working.
It’s not the first recorded time a dead finger has been used to unlock a phone. In 2018, Florida police went to a morgue to use a deceased man’s finger to unlock his phone to look for evidence.
So next time you find yourself locked out of your device after losing a finger, it’s best to hold on to your lost appendage. There’s a chance you might still be able to get in.
READ MORE: Crane horror Reg reader uses his severed finger to unlock Samsung Galaxy phone [The Register]
More on smartphones: Google Testing Feature That Scolds You For Using Smartphone While Walking
As a Futurism reader, we invite you join the Singularity Global Community, our parent company’s forum to discuss futuristic science & technology with like-minded people from all over the world. It’s free to join, sign up now!


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Hello, wine world: Listen Up. Forget the Western states that have received so much attention and come on East as Virginia wines continue to earn international attention for their characteristic qualities.
Wine production is a serious enterprise that merits attention. According to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, grape producers harvested 25% more wine in 2008 than in 2007. Grape acreage also increased which moves the state up to a 7th place overall ranking in terms of commercial grape production and bearing acreage.
Remember that wine production did not come easily to the state. It was not that many years ago when growers gave up working the fields for wine and tried other crops. In a relatively short period, we have made significant inroads producing award-winning wines.
Couple production with recent international competitions, (San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, Finger Lakes International Wine Competition), and you have a better perspective of the significance of the state’s statistics.
Virginia wines continue to impress.


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It’s been more than a month since Brakes announced that it is opening a cash & carry, but jaws continue to drop at the news. Is it true? Could a delivered foodservice specialist really open a cash & carry? What does it mean for other foodservice specialists?
In some ways, it was to be expected: traditional cash & carries have been expanding into foodservice for some time, so it was only natural for foodservice operators to bite back. But no one ever expected the tables to turn quite like this. Was it an inspired move or a moment of madness?
The depot focuses on fruit and veg, making it more of a food market than a traditional cash & carry – somewhere caterers can come to touch, feel and explore new ingredients.
But the concept isn’t ground-breaking. When JJ Food Service held its first free coffee morning for customers last year, MD Mustafa Kiamil told Better Wholesaling that he would invite suppliers to showcase their products in the ‘customer friendly’ zones that are being rolled out across all eight of JJ’s depots.
In the past three months, the Enfield branch has held sampling days with various suppliers and has even given customers the chance to meet celebrity chef Gino D’Acampo during a free sampling of D’Acampo’s everyday oil. Who says that delivered wholesalers can’t instil theatre?
JJ has certainly given other delivered specialists something to think about.


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When it comes to chocolate milk on the go, the average Joe would expect Hershey to be the pleasure pioneer.
Ask Hottrix’s lawyer Jason H. Fisher and his company’s $3 iMilk app came first. The AP reports that the two companies are embroiled in a dispute over copyright issues involving their iPhone products.
Hershey filed an initial claim over the summer, requesting a judge’s word on whether its free application violated a copywright law held by Hottrix LLC, a Las Vegas-based company. The Pennsylvania-based giant has had success with its platform, selling more than 4 million copies.
Hottrix shot back on Monday, noting that Hershey had violated intellectual property use, costing the pay-app company $12 million in lost profits. The Hershey app “dilutes the market and serves to destroy the distinctiveness of Hottrix’ copyrighted works.”
In other words, could it be that $0 beats out $3 when it comes to an ice-cold glass of “virtual” chocolate milk?


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The 2017 Mazda6 Changes Include Minor Adjustments That Add Up
If you take a look at the 2017 Mazda6 and compare it to the 2016 model, you will likely not be able to tell much of a difference. That’s because the 2017 Mazda6 changes will be fairly minor — but they’ll add up in a big way. Manteca and Stockton customers can learn more by reading this quick overview or by visiting the showroom at Tracy Mazda today.
One of the first changes that Mazda has made to the upcoming Mazda6 is its driving dynamics. Mazda is debuting a new electronic widget called a G-Vectoring Control, which will help the sedan take corners like a pro. G-Vectoring Control makes tiny adjustments to the engine torque to move load transfer toward the front axle as the steering wheel is turned off-center, which in turn improves steering responsiveness.
Another important update comes to the available i-ACTIVSENSE® suite of active-safety features for Lanthrop and Turlock drivers. A new camera has been added that now detects pedestrians in addition to cars and larger objects. At slow city speeds, 2017 Mazda6 models with i-ACTIVSENSE® will automatically break if a pedestrian is detected and the driver does not react. Mazda has also adjusted the system to identify some traffic signs. The automatic emergency-braking function also now operates at speeds of up to 99 mph, up from 90 mph.
The interior of the 2017 Mazda6 changes will add even more luxury and comfort compared to the previous model. Manteca and Lanthrop drivers will now get to enjoy these available features:
- Heated steering wheel
- Full-color TFT driver-information display
- Full-color heads-up display
- Acoustic-laminated glass
- Black or almond-colored Nappa leather seats with titanium-gray piping and stitching
- Heated outboard rear seats
Explore the New 2017 Mazda6 at Tracy Mazda
The 2017 Mazda6 is coming to Stockton and Turlock soon, and you’ll be able to test-drive it at Tracy Mazda. Stop by our showroom to talk more about this upcoming model or to take the current 2016 Mazda6 for a spin. We look forward to seeing you soon!
2016 Model Shown


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Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 has become the largest sold smartphone, online in the Indian Market according to the latest report by analyst firm IDC. The device has enamored the Indian public right from the day it was launched. In five months, the company has sold 1.75 units of Redmi Note 3. To remind you, Redmi Note 3 was launched in March 2016 in India and was deemed a budget Smartphone with a price tag of Rs. 9,999.
The IDC’s monthly smartphone tracker informs that 8,80,000 units of Redmi Note 3 were sold through online retail outlets by Xiaomi in the second quarter of 2016. It is the highest figure for any smartphone to be shipped in any given quarter in the history of India’s online market.
It is almost twice the units sold to the nearest rival smartphone. It also means that one out of every nine smartphones sold online in the country was Redmi Note 3. However, the IDC has informed that Xiaomi does not figure in the top 5 Smartphone vendors in the second quarter.
In the first two months of its presence in the Indian market, almost 6 lakh units of the Redmi Note 3 were sold. The device has been hailed as one of the best budget devices and has virtually no lag. Xiaomi had made its entry into the Indian market in July 2014 and had since carved a niche for itself by providing high-quality smartphones at very pocket-friendly prices. It has achieved a 72% growth on a year-on-year basis when it comes to Smartphone sales.
The Redmi Note 3 was launched in March 2016 and was the first Smartphone which was started with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor. It had a big battery a 4050mAh as a power source which the manufacturer claimed would last for a full day on a single charge. It had a chic metallic body and a fingerprint sensor also.
The device has been made locally as a part of the “Make in India” initiative launched by the Modi government. The fact that it is locally manufactured has made it possible for the company to cater to the huge demand for the device without any lag.
Xiaomi is going great guns, and recently it announced that it had sold 90,000 units of its recently launched smartphone Redmi 3S Prime during the first sale in just eight minutes on Flipkart, a record of sorts.


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World Trade Organisation (WTO)
8th October, 2021 Economy
Figure 1: No Copyright Infringement Intended
- The World Trade Organization (WTO)- the global trade body- is facing a serious existential crisis.
- The upcoming WTO ministerial meeting scheduled for next month in Geneva provides an opportunity to rescue this critical global institution from irrelevance.
- The continuation of the U.S. policy on the WTO is most evident in the sustained crippling of the Appellate Body (AB).
- The AB is part of the WTO's dispute settlement mechanism. It is a permanent body with seven members, and acts as an appellate court hearing appeals from the decisions given by WTO panels.
- However, since December 2019, the AB has stopped functioning due to rising vacancies. Over the years, the U.S. has consistently blocked the appointment of AB members.
- The U.S. also vetoes proposals to find solutions to this impasse, including stalling the proposal of the European Union to establish an alternative interim appellate arbitration mechanism.
- The number of pending appeals to the AB has increased sharply to around 20 cases.
- Countries now have an easy option not to comply with the WTO panel decisions by appealing into the void.
Challenges with WTO:
- no solution has been found to the public stockholding for food security purposes despite a clear mandate to do so in the 2015 Nairobi ministerial meeting.
- the WTO member countries continue to disagree on the need of waiving the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement for COVID-19 related medical products.
- the WTO is close to signing a deal on regulating irrational subsidies provided for fishing that has led to the overexploitation of marine resources by countries like China, which is the largest catcher and exporter of fish.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his recent U.S. visit, rightly pleaded for a rule-based global order.
- Institutional multilateralism would be the ideal antidote to unilateralism and economic nationalism.
- Notwithstanding its flaws, the WTO is the only forum where developing countries like India, not party to any mega plurilateral trade agreements, can push for evolving an inclusive global trading order that responds to the systemic imbalances of extant globalisation.
- Intergovernmental organisation which regulates the international trade
- Officially commenced on 1st Jan 1995 under the Marrakesh Agreement
- Signed by 123 nations in 1994
- WTO had replaced GATT (General agreement on tariffs and trade)
- It deals with agriculture, textiles and clothing, banking, telecommunications, government purchases, industrial standards and product safety, food sanitation regulations, intellectual property and much more.
FUNCTIONS OF WTO
- Forum for trade negotiations
- Handling trade disputes
- Monitoring national trade policies Technical assistance and training for developing countries
- Cooperation with other international organizations
PRINCIPLES OF WTO
- Administering WTO trade agreements
- The basic principles of the WTO (According to the WTO):
- Trade Without Discrimination:
- Most Favoured Nation (MFN): treating other people equally
- National treatment: Treating foreigners and locals equally
- Freer trade: gradually, through negotiation
- Predictability: through binding and transparency
- Promoting fair competition
- Encouraging development and economic reform.


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SAN DIEGO – A female pelvic reconstructive obstetrician and gynecological surgeon on Monday told a California court about the complications of the use of mesh in women, including excruciating pain, infection and tissue damage, in a trial against Johnson & Johnson over alleged injuries from a pelvic mesh product.
SAN DIEGO – On Thursday, a doctor for Ethicon, a subsidiary for Johnson & Johnson, said he thought a 20 percent erosion rate for women was acceptable, while a company sales manager said sales reps had been honest about the risks of the company's pelvic mesh devices.
SAN DIEGO – A sales manager for Ethicon, the producer of vaginal mesh implants for women, on Wednesday told attorneys for the California attorney general that company sales reps were not pushy in selling the devices, but proceeded only if they sensed an unmet need.
SAN DIEGO – A marketing expert serving as a witness for state attorneys on Monday said Johnson & Johnson had downplayed the risks of its pelvic mesh implants to sell the devices to women in a trial to decide if the company put profits before safety.
SAN JOSE – Three companies involved in the production and distribution of lead-based paint have agreed to a settlement of just more than $300 million, bringing to a final end the near two-decade long legal battle.
Judge Winifred Smith has tentatively granted Monsanto’s motion for a new trial in the $2 billion verdict cancer case of husband and wife Alva and Alberta Pilliod if all parties cannot come to terms on reduced damages at a Friday hearing.
SAN DIEGO – The lawyer for Johnson & Johnson on Thursday sought to portray an expert witness for the state as a highly paid plaintiff testifier in a trial over allegations the company sold dangerous bladder sling devices that injured women and falsely minimized the risks.
SAN DIEGO – During a second day of testimony on Wednesday in California's case against Johnson & Johnson over a pelvic mesh device, Dr. Bruce A. Rosenzweig, a gynecologist and urinary tract specialist with the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, described for the court what happens when pelvic mesh inside a woman’s body deforms.
SAN DIEGO – A San Diego County woman recalled her suffering after a vaginal mesh implant was performed and a doctor said the mesh sometimes appears deformed upon removal in a trial accusing Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Ethicon of offering defective injury-causing incontinence devices.
SAN DIEGO – Trial opened Monday in a lawsuit filed by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra accusing Johnson & Johnson and its pelvic mesh device called “Prolift” made by a subsidiary Ethicon of causing vaginal injuries in women and said the company had engaged in deceptive marketing practices.
OAKLAND – Monsanto bolstered its argument that a jury trial resulting in a $2 billion verdict in May was tainted by misconduct in briefs filed Tuesday calling for a new trial or judgment notwithstanding verdict (JNOV).


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G.M. Is Said to Consider Filing Soon for Offering
General Motors is aiming to file an initial public offering of stock in mid-August, taking its biggest step yet toward repaying the federal government, people briefed on the matter said on Friday.
The company, which emerged from bankruptcy last July, is also seeking a $5 billion credit line, these people said, cautioning that the specific terms and the amounts that various banks would contribute had yet to be determined.
A mid-August filing would put G.M. on track to go public by the end of the year, a timeline the company has already hinted is its goal. The carmaker has selected Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase as the lead underwriters for the offering, people briefed on the matter said previously. The Treasury Department has hired the investment bank Lazard as an adviser.
“I can’t have a date, but I think this is a good year to do it if we can get everything done,” Edward E. Whitacre Jr., G.M.’s chief executive, told reporters in Texas on Thursday, according to Reuters. “I think it’s a great year.”
G.M. and the federal government have sought to stage an offering as soon as is practical, though both have said that the company will ultimately determine when to go public. Through its sponsorship of the automaker’s quick bankruptcy last summer — including more than $50 billion in loans — the Treasury Department holds an approximately 61 percent stake in the company.
The government would like to reduce its stake significantly to become a minority shareholder, and G.M. also wishes to raise money, possibly creating one of the biggest offerings in recent years. The company has declined to comment on the possible valuation.
The final details will depend in part on market conditions, and the recent whipsaws in the market have made a big offering somewhat risky.
“Our stakeholders obviously will want it to be successful, so we’ll do our best to project the best timing for that,” said Noreen Pratscher, a G.M. spokeswoman.
Rebecca Lindland, an automotive analyst with the research firm IHS Automotive, said access to additional credit was important to make sure G.M. could weather any bumps in the economic recovery or its own turnaround. She added that the Ford Motor Company’s decision to borrow $23 billion in 2006 allowed it to avoid bankruptcy.
“We’ve seen that cash is not always easy to get, and there’s a level of weakness that everyone’s sort of feeling in the economy,” Ms. Lindland said. “It’s a good idea just to have it in their back pocket if they need it. I see it as a little bit of an insurance policy for them.”
Ms. Pratscher declined to comment on any talks with lenders. “Securing a credit revolver is a prudent thing to do,” she said.
On Thursday, automakers reported that new-vehicle sales in the United States fell 10 percent from May, raising concerns about how well the market was recovering. G.M.’s sales were 12 percent higher than a year ago, but 13 percent lower than the previous month.
Still, G.M. officials say the company is making great progress. Its four active brands in the United States — Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and GMC — sold 12 percent more vehicles in the first half of 2010 than the company did with eight brands in the first half of 2009.
Mr. Whitacre told analysts at a gathering this week that the prebankruptcy G.M. was “overly complicated” and “hamstrung by a tendency to overanalyze and overthink even the smallest decisions.”
G.M.’s ability to perform today is in large part the result of changing that culture, he said.
At the same event, Christopher P. Liddell, G.M.’s chief financial officer, laid out goals of eliminating the company’s debt and returning to a “strong investment grade” credit rating. He said G.M. could make money — and did to the tune of $865 million in the first quarter, its first profit since 2007 — at lower volumes because its operations are so much more efficient now.
“It’s a fundamentally different company in terms of its break-even point,” Mr. Liddell said. “What’s new about the new G.M.? Really everything.”


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That, at least, was the chief takeaway from this year's Supply Chain Predictions Panel, an annual event presented by the San Francisco Roundtable of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals.
Each year, the S.F. Roundtable offers up a select group of industry leaders, who venture guesses about the next wave of innovations to roil supply-chain executives. Each prediction is then subjected to critical feedback from other panel members, as well as from the audience. The affair is moderated by Carl Guardino, president and chief executive officer of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.
Here, there, are the panel’s visions for 2018 and beyond:
Prediction: Driverless technology for interstate trucking will be approved for prototyping in 2018, according to T.S. Khurana, vice president of global sourcing and operations engineering with Facebook. He believes automation “will disrupt the way we move freight around this country by 2025.” Last year, Khurana noted, there were 120,000 deaths related to big rigs on the nation’s highways, and 95 percent of them were ascribable to human error. The continuing death toll will motivate regulators to move more quickly than one might expect, he suggested.
Response: Panelist Mike Thomas, vice president of logistics with Grocery Outlet, disagreed — but mostly about the timing. “Seven years to make that happen is a little bit too quick,” he said. The major stumbling block will be the nature of urban transportation, in particular the “final mile” of delivery within cities. That piece of the puzzle will still be subject to human control beyond 2025, Thomas said, and most members of the audience agreed.
Panelist Kerry McCracken, a former senior vice president with Flex Connect, thought Khurana might be on the right track after all. She noted the rapid transformation of society wrought by the iPhone in its 10 short years of existence. “I don’t think this is insurmountable,” she said.
Prediction: Rumors of the death of brick-and-mortar retailing are entirely premature, said Thomas. “Even in 2030, people will still be going to the grocery store.” Those who believe otherwise are likely to reside in the Bay Area, he suggested, which has a blinkered view of technology. “There’s a huge chunk of the country to the East that’s a little bit different from what we experience out here,” he said.
Response: Thomas received no opposition from the panel, but some audience members noted the growing dominance of the Amazon.com model, whereby even the most basic commodities can be ordered online and delivered to homes almost instantly. Millennials are especially fond of the practice, they said.
Prediction: Within two to three years, a large original equipment manufacturer or supply-chain company will be “completely upended” by a startup entity, said McCracken. The reason: the blockchain. The ability to create a secure, reliable system of record within the public sphere will obviate the need for transactions within traditional enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications, she said. “Companies that take advantage of this technology are going to leapfrog, just like Uber did to the taxi industry.”
Response: The panel was split. Again, the disagreement was over timing. “Two to three years is too soon to see that level of destruction,” Thomas said. “Maybe five years from now.” Audience members agreed that blockchain will have a disruptive impact on industry, but said it will take time to happen. A significant portion of the audience admitted to not knowing exactly what blockchain was.
McCracken reiterated the iPhone and Uber analogies, while noting that the latter is taking over passenger transportation one city at a time. “But we’re going to see some exciting things happen in the next two to three years,” she said. McCracken also predicted that blockchain will come to play a major role in consumer commerce, especially in areas such as prescription drugs.
Prediction: Oil prices “will not change appreciably” over the next six to seven years, said Khurana. He pointed to the huge reserves of oil discovered in Australia, which will pose a challenge to Mideast producers. As a result, Khurana said, “there will be no big change to the China or Mexico mass-manufacturing model.”
Response: Again, a split panel and audience. Thomas said many companies will be switching to greener technologies in spite of high oil reserves. Governments, meanwhile, will push for alternative fuels as a hedge against the impact of extreme weather events that disrupt petroleum flows. But Khurana stressed that low oil prices will keep current manufacturing models in place for some time to come. “Cheap energy is here to stay,” he said.
Prediction: Addressing the issue of driverless passenger vehicles, Thomas predicted that many grocery shoppers will still be driving to the store in their own cars — driven by themselves — in 2030.
Response: “The grocery store will come to people. People will not go the grocery stores,” countered Khurana. McCracken said the cost of cars will make ownership unattractive. But Thomas insisted that Americans will cling to the “tremendous freedom” of car ownership, as least for the next 13 years or so. While ownership and human driving “may eventually go the way of the dinosaurs,” he said, “it’s not going to be in 2030, for the vast majority of people.”
Prediction: Artificial intelligence and machine learning will have a profound effect on the supply chain, in areas such as customer service and education, said Khurana. “It will prompt us to rethink how we educate our population,” he said. Lower-impact jobs of relatively less value will be automated, with robots performing them “more efficiently than humans can possibly imagine.”
Response: McCracken disagreed that people will need to be extensively retrained to adjust to the new technology, which will feature an intuitive interface. “Smart shelves” will make purchase suggestions, she said. “It’s going to feel more natural to people.”
Prediction: Within the next 12 months, corporate tax rates will dip below 30 percent, international tax loopholes will remain in place, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average will break 23,000, said Khurana.
Response: Not so fast. McCracken doubted that the two political parties “can get their act together on real tax reform.” They might pass some version of a bill, she added, but only enough to help their standing in the polls. Thomas said a 30-percent corporate tax rate won’t make that much of a difference anyway. Others thought Khurana’s predictions were either off base or too optimistic on all three fronts. As one audience member remarked: “Government is in a complete rathole.” Which hardly requires a crystal ball to see.
Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.


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Netflix access was lit in 130 new countries this morning, adding almost all major markets worldwide with the global footprint of service, with the exception of China. The company also announced two new self-produced series that will come in service later this year. The news came in the speech of CEO Reed Hastings at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The launch announcement marks a major turning point in the global availability of the streaming company, which currently has 70 million subscribers, and comes on the heels of news that Russia would soon see Netflix deploy. And if the company had announced the previous intentions for worldwide deployment at the end of 2016, most commentators expect that the deployment in smaller waves, as the service availability has increased in Europe.
In RussiaRussia got the service this morning, and other major nations that were also announced for the service immediately, among dozens of others, including Vietnam, India, Nigeria, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea and Indonesia.
"Today you have witnessed an amazing event," said CEO after its announcement. But before making his mark launch speech, Hastings gave the floor to the head of enterprise content Ted Sarandos, who highlighted and distributed two new trailers for original series Netflix that will air later this year.
The first, called The Crown, will be settled in the 1950s in England, and represent the first years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The Queen will be played by actress Claire Foy (Wolf Hall), with Prince Phillip played by Dr Who actor Matt Smith.
The second series, called Get Down follows the emergence of hip-hop in the 1970s in New York. The new show is produced and directed by filmmaker Baz Luhrmann Australia (The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge).
Between the two offers by Hastings and Sarandos, fans of streaming network and content creator in full expansion have lot about Buzz, explain the Founder of GMA
CEO of NetflixAnd as far as the last remaining market to capture, China, the CEO expressed hope that Netflix will be available again in the not so distant future. Whether Netflix will be available here by the end of the year remains to be seen, but with the addition of 130 new countries - more than twice the size of the global footprint of the company 60 nations that existed before Hastings's speech began this morning - Netflix is now much more a phenomenon in the world, if China decides to join the party or not.


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(Reuters) – Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc (HLT.N), owner of the Conrad and Waldorf Astoria hotel brands, reported a better-than-expected 7 percent rise in quarterly revenue, as increased business travel in United States drove up occupancy rates.
The increase in travel due to the strengthening U.S. economy has resulted in tight supply of hotel rooms. Hilton gets about three-quarters of its revenue from the United States.
Revenue per available room (RevPAR) increased 6.8 percent at U.S. hotels open for at least a year in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, Hilton said.
Worldwide comparable RevPAR rose 6.6 percent. RevPAR, a metric of hotel health, is calculated by multiplying a hotel’s average daily room rate by its occupancy rate.
Revenue rose to $2.83 billion from $2.64 billion a year earlier.
Net income attributable to shareholders rose to $158 million, or 16 cents per share, from $26 million, or 3 cents per share. On an adjusted basis, Hilton earned 17 cents per share.
Analysts on average expected a profit of 18 cents per share on revenue of $2.72 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Hilton’s fourth-quarter 2013 profit was adjusted for $306 million of pre-tax general, administrative and other expense, and $23 million of pre-tax interest expense, offset by a pre-tax gain on debt extinguishment of $229 million and an $87 million income tax benefit.
The company said it expects an adjusted profit of 10-12 cents per share for the first quarter. Analysts were expecting a profit of 15 cents per share.
Rival Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc (HOT.N), owner of the Sheraton and Westin brands, which has nearly half its properties outside North America, blamed a strong dollar for its lower-than-expected full-year profit forecast of $2.87-$2.97 per share.
Hilton’s shares had risen about 10 percent this year up to Tuesday’s close of $28.65 on the New York Stock Exchange, outperforming an about 1 percent rise in the Dow Jones U.S. Travel & Leisure Index <.DJUSCG>.
(Reporting by Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru; Editing by Joyjeet Das)
© Copyright 2014 Thomson Reuters. All Rights Reserved.


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Following Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s shelter-in-place order, bookstores in Eugene are temporarily closed. Nevertheless, they continue to offer pickup and delivery options, while competing with the convenience of online retailers.
Smith Family Bookstore closed to the public on March 18, according to Evon Smith, the owner. Smith said that the bookstore implemented curbside pickup right away.
Smith Family Bookstore kept on three full-time staff members and one part-time staff member, Smith said. She said she called back an additional staff member, returning the following week. About half of the staff remains laid off, she said, until the bookstore can return to full operations. Inside the two-story building, she said, staff run around fulfilling orders placed over the phone or via email.
“Oftentimes,” Smith said, “people have a whole long list of things they’re looking for.” Others, she said, seek book suggestions.
The types of books purchased from Smith Family Bookstore varies, Smith said. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, though, she said that the Harry Potter books remain a top seller. “Game of Thrones” and “the Lord of the Rings” trilogy are popular titles, as well. Others, she said, embark on what she called “big project reads” — books like Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace,” and other epics.
Customers are not allowed inside the store. Staff find the books in their large collection, Smith said, and process payment ahead of time over the phone. They place the books in bags and wait for the customers to come pick it up outside the building.
J. Michael’s Books is another store offering curbside pick-up in Eugene. Jeremy Nissel, the store’s owner, is the only full-time employee. Nissel said he’s been paying his part-time employee during the pandemic but hasn’t been asking him to work, since social distancing would be difficult to maintain within the store.
He closed the store on March 23, he said, after the stay at home order came down.
Nissel offers home delivery to people in a five-mile radius of the store, as well. “Most people actually relish the opportunity to get out and run an errand,” he said. “There are some people who are immunocompromised who are just not going out, so I’m taking care of them.”
Nissel said that many of his customers are reading new fiction, looking for an escape. Others request books relating to pandemics, he said, as well as climate change novels. He said that J. Michael’s Books is in the beginning stages of developing an eCommerce website, allowing customers to browse online.
“I think we realized early on that, if this is going to be a thing that lasts a long time, or something that keeps cropping up in the future, we’re going to need a different way to create a revenue stream and keep us in business,” he said.
Besides fulfilling orders, Smith said, her staff’s focus shifted to other projects. She said that their “mountains of inventory” is consistently backlogged. “And so, for the first time, we're actually getting into piles of books that have been there for a year now, waiting for us to deal with it,” she said. The 400,000 books from the university branch of Smith Family Bookstore, which closed in December 2019, is another project for staff, Smith said.
“Things, frankly, are a lot better than I imagined,” Nissel said. Most of his sales came from customers browsing, he said, “and finding books to purchase they didn’t know they were interested in.” Since the onset of COVID-19, he said, J. Michael’s Books isn’t getting that same revenue. Customers have been supportive of his business, he said, by making sure to buy books from him, not online retailers. “There are silver linings to this,” he said, “and that’s one of them.”
Smith said she was surprised at the amount of frustrated people their staff experienced, shortly following the bookstore’s closure. “We've had people really challenge us,” she said, “like, ‘why aren't you open? Nobody can force you to be closed.’” Smith said she’s concerned about people not taking precautions seriously, once stores are allowed to reopen.
“We'll figure it out,” she said. “I've been around this rodeo for a while. I know it will work out eventually. But I know it's going to be a little stressful for my employees and me to figure out how to deal with all kinds of behaviors of people going forward. The majority of everyone will be just fine.”
“Local bookstores are here to fill your needs,” Nissel said. “If you need books, we can do it, and I think we can do it better than the internet can do it, in many instances. Amazon has made books non-essential in their business plan, so they’re not shipping as fast. People can call me, and if I have it in stock, they can have it.”


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Durex-to-Dettol firm Reckitt Benckiser reports flat annual sales
The household goods giant warned on sales last year after being hit by a cyber attack last June.
Household goods giant Reckitt Benckiser has reported flat annual sales as a stronger fourth quarter failed to fully counter a year that featured tough market conditions and significant disruptions following a cyber attack last summer.
The company said net revenue came in at £11.5 billion for the year to December 31, with sales flat on a like-for-like basis when excluding exchange rate effects, and the impact of recent acquisitions, disposals and discontinued operations.
Total reported revenue growth was 21%.
Like-for-like sales at its North American business saw no growth, while its operations in Europe, Russia and surrounding states, Israel, Australia and New Zealand together dropped 3%.
Operations in regions including North Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia grew 3%.
The Durex-to-Dettol firm warned on sales last year after being hit by a cyber attack last June, which significantly disrupted its manufacturing and orders systems across a raft of markets, including the UK.
We returned to growth after a solid finish to the year, our acquisition of MJN is firmly on track and the creation of two business units will drive long-term growth Rakesh Kapoor, chief executive
It has also been undergoing an overhaul to organise the firm into two divisions – its consumer health business, including recently acquired US infant formula company Mead Johnson, and a home and hygiene arm.
But a strong final quarter seems to have lifted spirits at the consumer goods giant, which is forecasting continued growth over 2018.
Commenting on the results, chief executive Rakesh Kapoor said: “2017 was a significant year in RB’s (Reckitt Benckiser’s) journey to become a global leader in consumer health.
“We returned to growth after a solid finish to the year, our acquisition of MJN (Mead Johnson Nutrition) is firmly on track and the creation of two business units – RB Health and RB Hygiene Home – will drive long-term growth.”
He said the company is now targeting total revenue growth of 13% to 14% for 2018, and a 2% to 3% rise in like-for-like sales.
“Whilst 2018 will see some specific factors impacting margin, we reiterate our medium-term target of moderate operating margin expansion,” Mr Kapoor said.
Operating profits came in at £2.74 billion, up 21% compared with a year earlier and up 14% when stripped of currency effects.


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NEW YORK (AP) -- Shares of Chico's FAS dropped more than 4 percent on Monday as an analyst cut the clothing company's rating and price target, saying its earnings per share growth is likely to start slowing over the next few years.
THE SPARK: Anna Andreeva of FBR Capital Markets & Co. lowered Chico's rating to "Market Perform" from "Outperform." She reduced the price target for the company whose brands include Chico's, White House Black Market, Soma Intimates and Boston Proper to $18 from $20.
THE ANALYSIS: Andreeva said in a client note that uncertain economic conditions remain an overhang for Chico's customers. The retailer's inventory is expected to climb next year in line with sales and its expense savings may not be as large in 2013.
The stock price is also lofty, up 68 percent for the year to date.
Andreeva anticipates that earnings per share growth for the Fort Myers, Fla.-based company will be between 15 percent and 18 percent over the next few years, in comparison with 40 percent on average over the past three years.
SHARE ACTION: Chico's FAS Inc.'s stock declined 87 cents, or 4.7 percent, to $17.89 in afternoon trading. The stock has traded in a range of $10.09 to $19.76 over the last year.


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RaiderZ Previews Hero’s Lane
Perfect World Entertainment has revealed a sneak peek at Hero’s Lane in RaiderZ.
The darkest evils of Rendel dwell in Hero’s Lane. Players will be able to explore the Catacomb of the Damned dungeon, or face off against the Master of the Garden.
RaiderZ Senior Producer Mark Hill commented on the game’s reception and upcoming open beta:
“We were blown away by the positive reception RaiderZ received from fans and critics alike in Seattle at this year’s PAX Prime. We’ve been receiving a lot of questions about when RaiderZ will enter the open beta phase – and while we’re not quite ready to announce a specific release date, keep a lookout for news as to when everyone will be able to try RaiderZ for themselves real soon.”
Perfect World Entertainment also publishes Blacklight Retribution and Jade Dynasty.
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The next-gen Toyota Prius is slated to see a global debut on November 16. The car has been previewed by an image posted on the firm’s Japanese social media accounts, featuring the strapline “Hybrid Reborn” underneath a headlight. This indicates that the new model will use a different hybrid powertrain to today’s car, either a plug-in hybrid system, or a motor-generator set-up (where a petrol engine generates electricity, while an electric motor drives the wheels) as used in the Nissan Qashqai e-Power.
- New Toyota Prius to have similar silhouette as the outgoing model
- Could even get a motor-generator set-up like Nissan’s e-Power tech
- May not be called Prius upon launch
Next-gen Toyota Prius: Likely to be based on TNGA platform
The new car is likely to be based on Toyota’s existing TNGA platform, which underpins models as varied as the current-gen Yaris, the Corolla and the new Lexus RX (India launch soon). The images reveal little else, although the front-end styling appears to be similar to that of the Chinese-market Toyota bZ3 electric saloon, which uses innovative ‘Blade’ batteries supplied by BYD.
Although Toyota traditionally places a high value on its established nameplates, having used the Corolla name since 1966, the new model might not be called ‘Prius’. The Prius has also been retired from the Japanese GT300 racing series, after a decade of contention. Hiroto Kaneso, boss of APR Racing (which ran the Prius), told motorsport.com that its racer would not be replaced by a new Prius but by a different – secret – Toyota hybrid currently under development.
Despite recent reports that Toyota was accelerating its electrification efforts in response to the unexpectedly rapid uptake of EVs, hybrids will continue to play a key role in its strategy.
In December 2021, Toyota Europe product and marketing boss Andrea Carlucci had told our sister publication Autocar UK that the brand still has "a centre of gravity around the hybrid”. “So, the Prius remains clearly iconic and stands for what we are: hybrid and a leader in electrification,” Carlucci added.
The Prius was sold in India for a short while, with the last model going on sale back in 2017. Toyota currently is focusing on hybrid powertrains for our market and currently sells the Camry and the Hyryder with full-hybrid options. The brand will introduce the Innova Hycross full-hybrid early next year in the Indian market.
₹ 45.22 lakh
₹ 37.79 - 59.55 lakh
₹ 7.28 - 10.96 lakh
₹ 36.02 - 44.87 lakh
Toyota Innova Crysta
₹ 18.24 - 30.16 lakh
Toyota Innova HyCross
₹ 21.58 - 34.48 lakh
₹ 12.04 - 15.95 lakh
Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder
₹ 12.54 - 22.95 lakh
₹ 1.00 crore


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Resistance at $6,600 has again proved too much for the bulls, with bitcoin slipping 0.75% in the past 24 hours to $6,569, according to coinmarketcap. The gods of the bears want the bulls to suffer for their audacity in taking the price to nearly $20,000 last year.
It takes time to both squeeze out the froth of December 2017 and also to regain buyer confidence and attract fresh blood. Expect to see another run at $6,700 (dashed red line on 4-hour chart below)which was last seen on 8 October, as the fight at the 4-hour 50-day simple moving. average (green line below) goes on.
Despite impressive news flow for the sector – from the Yale endowment to advances for adoption in places like Venezuela, as well as blockchain traction as witnessed by, for example, the UK telecoms regulator looking onto distributed ledger technology to put landline numbers on blockchain.
Those who watch the markets from day to day will have grown weary of hearing about descending triangles and wedges and imminent breakouts. The markets are a game of pull and push and at the moment bulls and bears continue to cancel each other out.
Beyond the charts, the bottom line is we need more buyers. They will come. Be patient. Trouble is though, some can’t afford to wait.
Here’s the four-hour chart at 13:38 UTC+1:
BTC price analysis: When will the buyers come?
With volatility at 15 month lows, a turn in market sentiment probably won’t materialise until there is much higher volumes and a steady rise in price.
It may sound paradoxical but for the market to again attract retail investors in numbers, the price needs to rise and the narrative change from “is bitcoin still crashing?” to “why is bitcoin rising?”.
But how can the price rise if the buyers aren’t coming because the price isn’t rising? You can see where that circular log-jam is going. Nowhere?
However, the missing link that gets us out of that catch-22 is the institutional buyers and high-net worth individuals turning up in greater number, and the falling stock market (and rising bond yields) we mentioned a couple of weeks ago.
The rich are taking some of their money off the equities table. Some of them are putting a small portion into crypto. The significance of the change in leadership in mainstream markets and its likely impact on crypto has not been priced in by market participants, we believe.
And when retail catches up with the fact that stocks are falling and bitcoin isn’t (or is even rising), then the energy that brings $8,000 or even $10,000 bitcoin into view reappears.
For now the battle of the triangle continues but it is worth restating that a descending wedge of this duration typically signals a big move either way. That move, we reckon, is more likely to be up than down. If it is a move lower that is threatened, there is solid resistance all the way back to $6,000, if such a retracement comes into play.
Miner revenue up, profits down
A report from Diar on the crypto mining industry finds pressured profitability despite rising revenues. From August the mining reward revenues has fallen below electricity costs. The effect is to further centralise mining, given that 70% are already in China. Are they based in China for the pollution? Nope, it’s for the cheap energy, which is way below the market price in the west:
“China, who has an average cost of $0.08 kw/h at retail, and estimated to be half that at wholesale, is currently one of the handful of countries that would make economic sense to mine for Bitcoins with retail prices. Even then, however, equipment, salaries, rents, overheads could push inexperienced mining operations into the red.”
Here’s the relevant charts:
Bitmain, the largest miner, is holding an IPO in Hong Kong and there are doubts about its profitability levels given the way it hid its revenues for Q2 inside the H1 figures.
And it is not just the miners who are feeling the pinch. Exchanges are hurting too.
That was brought home in the news from the UK that Coinfloor, the first major exchange in the UK, as sacking 40 staff as it “adjusts to market conditions”.
Expect to see heightened levels of industry rationalisation and consolidation as the bear market persists.
Juniper profits of doom
Research from Juniper finds otherwise, and concludes that bitcoin and crypto in general is headed for implosion. The research sees the fall from 360,000 a day in late 2017 to just 230,000 in September 2018 in daily transaction volumes as a critical metric (it is)with the value of those transactions dropping from $3.7 billion to less than $670 million in the same period. If you have £1,250 burning a hole in your pocket, you can get yourself a copy of Juniper’s report (yeah, right).
“In short, given our concerns around both the innate valuation of Bitcoin, and of the operating practices of many exchanges, we feel that the industry is on the brink of an implosion,” Juniper said.
Gary has been writing about cryptocurrencies since 2013 and currently works as the cryptocurrency analyst at interactive investor, the UK’s second-largest online investment platform. Gary contributes for Coin Intelligence News in a personal capacity and none of his commentary should be considered investment advice. Gary is the winner of the ADVFN International Financial Awards 2018 Cryptocurrency Writer of the Year. Contact Gary on twitter at: @gary_mcfarlane


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Apple is likely to introduce its mobile ad platform Thursday at its iPhone developer event, say sources familiar with the company's plans. Expect to hear a loud cheer from Google, Apple's former ally and current competitor.
Why would Google applaud the entrance of a new advertising rival? Because Google is trying to convince federal regulators that it has advertising rivals so that it can proceed with its $750 million purchase of AdMob. That deal is being held up for review by the Federal Trade Commission, and there have been consistent murmurs from Washington that the purchase could be in jeopardy.
Apple's plan to get into mobile advertising has been apparent since early January when the company purchased Quattro Wireless for $275 million. Like AdMob, Quattro specializes in ads that run within apps. That's a tiny market now, but it's expected to grow along with the booming app economy, pushed by the mobile platforms Apple and Google are promoting.
Sources say Apple will discuss its plans to create an ad network for its developers at its Thursday event. I assume, but don't know, that the company also plans to make its network available to developers on rival platforms, like Google's Android. I also assume that if Google gets its AdMob deal approved, it will open that network to Apple's developers-even if either side wanted to make its ad play an exclusive one, shutting out rivals would be a red flag for regulators.
In the meantime, Google has been going out of its way to highlight Apple's mobile ad moves. Two days after the Quattro news broke, Google wrote a blog post applauding the move.
Last month, when MediaPost wrote a story speculating about Apple's mobile ad plans-the publication dubbed the platform "iAd," but I'm not sure that Apple intends to go with that name-Google sent reporters an e-mail link to the story. "If true, it would be more evidence of how competitive and quickly-evolving the mobile ad space is," wrote Adam Kovacevich, a manager at the company's public affairs group.
One problem for Google is that you can argue that the company already has a dominant position in the existing mobile ads business-the one that isn't dependent on smartphone apps. That's largely because mobile is now a default option when advertisers buy keywords on the search giant's AdWords system. One industry observer I talked to guesstimates that those ads alone will generate $300 million for Google this year.
I followed up with Kovacevich on Tuesday and asked him how Apple's move would affect the chances of the AdMob deal. Give him credit for consistency-here's his response:
"While we're continuing to work with the FTC, there is overwhelming evidence that mobile advertising will remain competitive after this deal closes. Mobile app advertising is less than two years old, there are more than a dozen mobile ad networks, app developers and advertisers routinely use multiple networks, and the leading mobile app platform, Apple, is now entering the mobile ad space as well."


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Parents of school pupils in Aberdeenshire are being asked for their views on how payment methods for school meals can be improved.
A survey will run from Monday, November 3, for three weeks as part of a review into how to make the current online payment system easier, more reliable and more informative for parents.
Parents of secondary school pupils are already able to add monies onto cashless catering accounts online through Aberdeenshire Council’s website.
The school catering team has been working with Aberdeenshire Council’s Improving the Customer Experience (iCE) project to improve accessibility to services and increase customer satisfaction.
To complete the short survey, please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/aberdeenshire_school_payments
Catering Services Manager Allan Doig said: “We are committed to providing excellent customer service in all of our schools and we want to hear from as many parents as possible about their experiences.
“By completing the survey, they will be able to make a positive difference and improve council services.”
The survey will be available to parents of primary school pupils as the iCE project is also focusing on the introduction of an online payment system for meals in primary schools.
This would replace the requirement for parents to purchase meal tickets from the school and introduce the option of paying online by debit or credit card, in addition to cash or cheque to the school.
Parents are encouraged to complete the survey as their feedback will allow the shaping of future online payment systems.
For further information on iCE, visit www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/about/iCE.asp


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La dolce vita for mobile payments service Jiffy in Italy
Jiffy – the instant mobile payments service developed by SIA – is now available in over 150 outlets in Milan, Rome and Turin.
As reported last year, the person-to-business (P2B) project was piloted in Milan and Bergamo, allowing customers to pay via app at participating retail outlets authorised by UBI Banca. SIA said at the time that “other major Italian banks have expressed interest in offering P2B the service by next autumn”.
Customers can identify the merchant via app using geolocation, store search or directly at the point of sale by scanning the QR code. They then enter the amount to pay and activate the cash transfer operation with a click.
The merchant sees the payment in real time, checks the amount and confirms the transaction, with immediate availability of the sum on the current account.
A notification of the operation is then sent automatically to both the customer and the merchant, as well as the confirmation of the executed payment to the acquirer bank.
Jiffy is available to current account holders of Banca Mediolanum, BNL, Banca Nuova (Gruppo BPVI), Banca Popolare di Milano, Banca Popolare di Sondrio, Banca Popolare di Vicenza, Cassa Centrale Banca, Che Banca!, Cariparma, Carispezia, Friuladria, Gruppo Carige, Gruppo Veneto Banca, Hello bank!, Inbank, Intesa Sanpaolo, Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Raiffeisen, Sparkasse, UBI Banca, UniCredit, Webank and Widiba. SIA says Jiffy will also be available to Volksbank Banca soon.
“Once all banks are on board”, SIA says its service will be available to more than 32 million Italian current accounts, equal to over 80% of the total.
Banking Technology Awards 2017 are now open for entry!
Know any innovative products, inspirational projects, skilled teams or visionary leaders that deserve a special recognition this year? Nominate them for a Banking Technology Award!
Deadline for submitting the nominations is 25 August 2017.


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Coffee production hurts the planet. Scientists think they may have another way
Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages worldwide — but the increased demand is putting the planet at risk, prompting environmentalists and scientists to look for more sustainable methods of production.
“The majority of coffee is wet-milled, which requires significant amounts of freshwater to de-pulp and wash the coffee. The coffee is then dried, roasted, shipped, and brewed — all of which require energy,” explained Bambi Semroc, senior vice president of Conservation International’s Center for Sustainable Lands and Waters.
According to the International Coffee Organization, growing demand for coffee has resulted in a 60% increase in production over the last 30 years.
From deforestation to an increased reliance on water and energy resources, increased coffee production is wreaking havoc on the planet.
Brazil, the world’s largest coffee producer, saw a 15-year high in deforestation of its Amazon rainforest, according to a report published by the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research.
Between August 2020 and July 2021, an estimated 13,235 square kilometres — the equivalent of 2,429 football fields — were lost, a 22% increase over the previous year.
Additionally, coffee production has a significant water and energy footprint, requiring 140 litres of water to produce just 125 millimetres of coffee, according to the Water Footprint Network.
‘We are doing far too little, but it is not too late,’ says Jane Goodall.
However, the coffee industry is also at risk from climate change.
Brazil experienced frost and drought in June of this year, pushing Arabica coffee prices to a seven-year high.
Commodity experts predict that prices will continue to rise “given the current instability of global markets and uncertainties surrounding the output of the world’s three largest coffee producers — Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia,” according to Semroc of Conservation International’s Center for Sustainable Lands and Waters.
Read more • cnbc.com
Source: Coffee Talk


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Animal activist group PETA is using the Volkswagen emissions scandal to point to another source of pollution: the meat industry.
The group is currently negotiating with outdoor advertisers in Sydney to put up a billboard depicting the VW logo made out of animal flesh with the tagline “How about an even bigger emissions scandal? Eating meat destroys the climate.”
It suggests that the production of one kilo of beef is the same amount of emissions as driving 115km in a VW Golf.
PETA also wants to run the billboard in other cities as well.
PETA director of campaigns Jason Baker said: "PETA is calling on anyone who's truly concerned about the environment to focus less on what we're driving and more on what we're eating.
"As the meat and dairy industries suck up dwindling resources and spew out hazardous emissions, it's clear that the only truly 'green' meal is a vegan one."
VW has gained attention in recent weeks over global allegations that the software installed in some VW, Audi and Skoda vehicles had been used to defeat emission testing regimes.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is currently looking into the allegations, with chairman Rod Sims today noting that the investigation is ongoing.
“This alleged behaviour is a clear example of the ACCC’s general concerns with truth in advertising,” Sims said.
“We are still pressing VW Australia to understand the extent of consumer detriment. For example, without the defeat device, how do the actual emissions compare to the relevant Australian Standard? Further, what will be the impact of the proposed “fix” on the vehicles fuel economy and performance?”
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at firstname.lastname@example.org


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Search Scout, launched in December, triggers a pop-under window when Gator members search on a site such as Google and Yahoo. The window lists search results tied to keywords purchased through competing search services.
A small "info" tag on the results says they originate from "top search engines." During the test phase, Gator is using results from paid search kingpin Overture Services, Terra Lycos and FindWhat.com.
Like previous products from Gator, Search Scout allows advertisers to reach members of the Gator network when they are visiting competitors' sites--a feature that has already drawn lawsuits in the context of banner and pop-up advertising.
"This is a hot topic because there are a lot of people opposed to pop-ups and pop-unders," said Craig A. Pisaris-Henderson, CEO of FindWhat. "This could be perceived as taking away revenue from the requested site. On the other hand, advertisers are loving and demanding that you get this traffic."
Gator did not return phone calls or e-mail requesting comment for this story.
Redwood City, Calif.-based Gator delivers pop-up and pop-under ads to millions of people who presumably agree to receive ads in exchange for use of its online wallet software, which keeps track of passwords and shopping data for multiple sites. Gator says it has about 25 million active users of the software, with about 500 advertisers targeting messages to those people, often at times when they're visiting rival sites.
Gator's practices and those of its advertisers have drawn much controversy in Internet publishing and e-commerce circles, sparking numerous, including those from shipping company United Parcel Service, news agency The New York Times and direct marketer L.L. Bean. Gator's latest tactic takes the battlefront to search engine marketing--one of the hottest, most lucrative businesses on the Web today.
Search engines such as Overture and Google are becoming increasingly flush with attention--and cash--from advertisers aiming to reach people hunting for specific products and services at the search engine. Overture and Google, the two top companies in the marketplace, as well as a slew of smaller players, get paid when people click on an advertiser's listing in related search results; and the dollars generated have turned many companies, as well as partners like Yahoo, into profitable concerns. As a result, competition for high-profile partners and "clicks" has become increasingly cutthroat. Last year, for example, Googleto provide commercial search results to America Online in the United States and EarthLink, taking away from Overture's business.
Danny Sullivan, editor of industry newsletter SearchEngineWatch.com, pointed out several potential pitfalls of Gator's Search Scout, including alienating Overture's established advertisers. He said that because advertisers of Overture and other services expect to reach people contextually through search--for instance, when they are in a particular mindset--they could be disappointed to realize that they are delivering pop-under ads that people often open well after the fact.
"If someone did a search on Google, they likely don't expect to get a bunch of results coming from Overture," Sullivan said. "From the advertiser's point of view, there may be concern that these kinds of ads will not perform as well for you. From users' standpoint, they are probably not excited about getting a pop-under window because they're often not welcome."
What's more, rivals may not take kindly to the ads, Sullivan added.
"The biggest issue is probably going to be the legal one," he said. "You would imagine that Google would not be too happy about this, and they might jump into a lawsuit."
Though Google declined to comment, the company has publicly denounced the use of pop-up windows. It also offers a feature in its search toolbar that lets people block pop-ups. Yahoo also declined to comment for this story.
For its part, Overture acknowledged that it is testing a relationship with Gator on its search-related pop-unders, but the company said it does not comment on tests. It did say that it's always looking at new distribution partners.
Pisaris-Henderson said that FindWhat, a publicly traded company, has a limited test running with Gator on its pop-unders, but he said that Overture is providing the bulk of the results. He noted that the company is mindful of infringing on the intellectual-property rights of Web sites.
Tom Wilde, global manager of search services for Terra Lycos, said that the company sponsored the Gator search results much the way it might purchase a banner ad, except that query listings are more targeted and effective.
"At a high level there's a new trend in contextual marketing, which is basically providing more relevancy to a user and increasing the value of the interaction," Wilde said.
"In the old days on the Net, the industry would serve up a banner that may or may not be targeted and hope it would bring a branding effect," he said. "Now the Net has become a more direct marketing channel; keywords have been the most robust targeting mechanism on the Net."
Gator came into the spotlight mid-2001 for its practice of selling pop-up ads that are delivered to customers visiting rival Web sites, what was then known as getting "Gatored." The company also sold banner ads that obscured those sold by online publishers. While such tactics grew popular with many Fortune 100 advertisers, some Web sites moved quickly to restrict the practice.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau, for one,the company for selling banner ads that obscure those sold by online publishers, saying they were destructive to the ailing market. Gator quickly the IAB, alleging "malicious disparagement," but the two parties eventually found common ground when Gator agreed to stop selling banner overlays.
In June 2002, a group of publishers including The New York Times and Dow Jones sued Gator, alleging that its ads violate their copyrights and steal revenue. A month later, a federal judge in VirginiaGator to temporarily stop displaying pop-up advertising on Web publishers' pages without their permission.
Nevertheless, the company has said it has reached profitability through its ad network. Gator said in November that revenue grew 32 percent from the second to third quarter of 2002.
Advertising industry experts say that Gator's tactics, along with those of other ad-supported software companies such as WhenU.com, can be taboo because they raise several unresolved legal issues that could tarnish an advertiser's image. Layers of software that direct consumers to new applications and Web pages raise questions about who owns the desktop--the customer or the publisher. Backlash from either side could land an advertiser into a public-relations nightmare, ad executives fear, at least until the issues are ironed out.
On the one side, sites like Washingtonpost.com say that Gator and others are trading on their publishing backs, taking revenue away from a site they've built. On the other side, software providers and even civil libertarians say that people have the right to run any application they choose on the desktop and if that means that they see targeted ads atop a requested Web page, then so be it.
Other ad executives say that Gator's new service plays into the explosion of paid search.
"Search is a highly efficient targeting vehicle--it works for advertisers, especially those who are trying to sell products online," said Adam Gerber, media director for ad agency the DigitalEdge. "So it doesn't surprise me that people are trying to develop it more than it already exists."


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As many as 18.4million could be expected to get into their cars this Bank Holiday Monday as they make their way home, the AA said.
Congestion is set to return to pre-pandemic levels, according to the British motoring association.
Large festivals taking place over the weekend, including Reading Festival, combined with the forever changing restrictions of overseas travel would create “the perfect storm” for congestion, the AA told PA news agency.
The warning comes as travellers on Friday faced gridlock when they tried to get away for the Bank Holiday weekend.
Just days ago, it was revealed the great staycation was more expensive than travelling abroad.
Accommodation at the Italian beauty spot cost £631 for two people, while in Lake Windermere it was £2,381, according to consumer group Which?.
Which? travel editor Rory Boland told The Times: “Holidaying at home has always been expensive but the situation has become far worse during the pandemic and it’s no wonder many people have felt priced out of a holiday this year.
“The reasons for these higher prices are complex, but it is hard to avoid the conclusion that some unscrupulous accommodation providers are charging over the odds.”


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CHICAGO — Men’s wear retailers at the Chicago Collective this month exuded realism, caution and hopefulness.
“Could it be better? Yes,” said Thomas George, owner of E Street Denim in Highland Park, Ill. “But it could also be a lot worse. This isn’t a blip in the road, it’s a fundamental change in the industry. Retailers have gotten the message, now manufacturers need to find other ways to satisfy their margin.”
The show, held Feb. 1-3 at The Merchandise Mart, brought out a strong showing of buyers from across the country.
“Our business is up; we seemed to have dodged the real estate bullet in our area,” said Steve Humble, owner of The Squire Shop in Fort Worth. “We’re coming off the best [holiday] season we’ve ever had.”
Location appears to have been a factor for Joe Moseley and Roy Hollard, co-owners of Moseley & Hollard in Lafayette, La., which recorded a sales increase for 2008 that continued into January.
“We’re fortunate our city doesn’t follow the rest of the country,” Hollard said. “Our economy has held up, so we go in every day and try to keep a positive attitude. We’re out on the [sales] floor working hard with our customers six days a week.”
Retailers know they have to be disciplined.
“We’re entering the year cautiously, and we’re going to be watching our inventory very carefully,” said The Squire Shop’s Humble.
Joe Moseley echoed that sentiment. “We’re only buying what we sold last year,” he said. “But we’re bringing in new and different things about every six months. Change is the name of the game.”
And that change may turn out to be a good thing for many manufacturers.
“Buyers are taking their time, looking for new lines that are going to have a good price-value benefit,” said Bruce Schedler, vice president of men’s wear for The Chicago Collective. “Retailers are reassessing what’s on their shelves and that’s creating new opportunities for more than a few manufacturers.”
One of those manufacturers is Santorelli, a California-based company that specializes in tailored men’s wear crafted in Italy. The company was making its first appearance in a trade show after 20 years of appointment-only showings.
“We thought that in this climate, the time was right to show because of our price-value,” said Patrick Heitkam, vice president. “Our in-stock program has been very strong. Retailers are really watching inventory levels and want to buy as close as they can.”
Santorelli’s contemporary line, Rockin’ Sartorial, was on trend for the season, with colorful linings and distinctive accents on suits, sport coats and vests.
“It was originally designed for denim stores, but we’ve gotten a bigger response from tailored stores…looking to appeal to a younger crowd,” Heitkam said.
Bolder suit patterns — often layered with contrasting shirts — and detailed sport coats seemed to lead the way among tailored manufacturers. Jack Victor showcased pinstripes with elbow patches, Coppley served up some natty plaid sport coats and Ike Behar featured a strong windowpane plaid.
On the contemporary side, it was all about printed and embellished wovens with paisley relegating stripes to the back of most racks. Bogosse’s selection featured solid-color wovens with printed plackets and cuffs. And Bugatchi Uomo previewed splashy floral and paisley prints in sophisticated grapes and wines.
“We think lavender and purple are going to be big this fall,” said Fred Derring of DLS Apparel Group, which represents specialty stores across the country.
EXCLUSIVE: @tomford is opening its first-ever beauty store. The boutique, which opens November 20 in London’s Covent Gardens, was designed with the over-the-top glam Ford is known for. Read the full story on WWD.com, link in bio. #wwdbeauty #wwdnews (📷: Simon Wagner) #TomFordBeauty
New York-based DJ @harleyvnewton threw a party to celebrate the holiday collection of her dress and pajama line @hvn at the Ladurée Beverly Hills. It Girls @katebosworth, @rashidajones and more joined in on the fun, which included cocktails, croque monsieur sandwiches and a photo booth. #wwdfashion (📷: Owen Kolasinski/BFA.com)
For the holidays, @Burberry partnered with 20-year-old artist @blondeymccoy on a series of three outdoor murals in downtown Manhattan. The murals are McCoy’s interpretation of a Christmas eve party, the idea of charity and the spirit of family. His third mural, pictured here, is the most personal. The image depicts McCoy’s grandparents and father in London’s Trafalgar Square in the Seventies. “My work often features lots of sentimental objects.” #wwdeye
For spring 2018, designers applied bold colors and cartoonish motifs on everything from sneakers and belts to key chains. See all the top men’s accessories trends on WWD.com. #wwdtrends (📷: George Chinsee; Prop Styling by @rnasti; Market Editor: @luiscampuzano)
The @dior-sponsored @guggenheim international gala pre-party has a history of drawing cool-girl musical acts to serenade the crowd –– and last night was no exception. @haimtheband performed songs both new and old, and lured a star-studded audience with the likes of Rebecca Hall, Kate Mara, Mamoudou Athie and more. #wwdeye (📷: @lexieblacklock)
In a partnership between the @metopera and the @englishnationalopera, “Marnie” was born. The opera, with costumes sponsored by @mrporterlive, is an adaptation of the 1961 thriller by Winston Graham. Arianne Phillips, who created the costumes, is no rookie: She’s styled Madonna for her tours and created costumes for a myriad of films in the past. Read WWD’s interview with Phillips, where she talks about her inspiration for the opera’s costumes on WWD.com #wwdfashion
@barneysnyc took a different approach to their holiday windows this year. Instead of Christmas decor, Barneys tapped @thehaasbrothers to tell a story of positivity, gratitude and inclusivity via heartwarming silliness and humor. “It’s about kids and it’s about coming together and being family and loving each other,” said Simon Haas. #wwdfashion (📷: @joshuascottphoto)
Beauty influencer @kandeejohnson makes her foray into hair care with a collaboration with @ogx_beauty — making it the first time that OGX has teamed up for a product creation. The collab includes shampoos and conditioners in three scents. At 39 and a mom, Johnson is a different profile than the emerging social media stars, but is considered one of the pioneers of the digital beauty influencer world. Read WWD’s interview with her on wwd.com, including the strangest beauty product she’s ever tried #wwdbeauty


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The real estate company is also working on a new luxury project in Pushkar, which is scheduled to open in 2022. “India shall continue to be at the forefront when it comes to hospitality investments. We will surely see tremendous growth in the coming decade. The only difference between pre- and post-Covid eras would be that, before commencing any project, it would be analysed better. Upcoming projects will be envisioned well, both in terms of feasibility and design,” Vinayak Saboo, partner, Paradise Group, said.
Saboo informed that the cost of development of hospitality projects is set to increase significantly. Existing owners will be more inclined towards investing than first-time hospitality investors. Thereafter, the high barrier to entry may impede first-time investors into the market.
Taking the learnings forward, the company has implemented a sustainable approach in its daily practices that will ensure a progressive future for the industry. “We are certainly witnessing an encouraging recovery. One can affirm that the recovery rate has been specifically higher for our leisure destination resort post-pandemic as most of the international destinations remain closed and at the same time people are now looking forward to staycations more than ever before,” Saboo added.
The company’s Jaipur hotels are witnessing a surge in occupancy rates and optimistically the hotels shall reach the pre-pandemic levels in 2022. “The brands and owners have worked in tandem over the past year and mitigated a lot of risks, which the pandemic had imposed on the industry. As far as the new business practices are concerned, a lot of them are already in place now; technology is going to be the key driver moving forward. Smart operations would be the new normal in the industry, which can ensure efficiency and enhance the guests experience at the same time,” he commented.