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They will be sentenced later today
New two-hourly service being introduced by East Midlands Trains from May 21
Two charities set to benefit from money raised during event held at house in Carlton
Pensioner was instructed to go to a supermarket in Arnold and purchase iTunes vouchers to pay...
Police concerned plates could be fitted to cars which will be used to commit crime
Lack of facilities halt plans for regular train stops at Netherfield Station
Year 9 students from Carlton le Willows create jigsaw to highlight campaign for equal education worldwide
Man covered face with hand in the first incident and wore mask similar to one from...
Vandals caused over £1,000 of damage after smashing up concrete slabs and throwing them onto roof
Volunteer group determined not to let damage to pavilion put stop to park improvement plans


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With pretty much the majority of retailers having sold out of iPhones, safe to say that if you wanted to get one, you’d have to be creative, which is what a pair of Singaporeans did. In case you did not know, some airports sell electronic gadgets including Apple products, which is where these enterprising Singaporeans headed to.
The pair thought they could buy plane tickets, go past immigration, buy the iPhones, and then leave. Unfortunately it is considered a crime to buy plane tickets if you have no intention of leaving the country, which is why after it was discovered that was their intent, the duo were arrested by police.
Right now they are being charged under the country’s Protected Areas and Protected Places Act, and could face a fine of up to 1,000 Singapore dollars and two years in jail if convicted. The Singaporean police has since posted a warning on their Facebook page warning other “creative” customers not to attempt to do the same.
“The transit areas of Changi Airport are gazetted as Protected Places. The Police would like to remind all passengers who enter the transit hall with a boarding pass should only be there for the purpose of travelling to their next destinations. Those who misuse their boarding pass to enter the transit areas, with no intention to proceed to their next destination, are liable for an offence under the Protected Areas and Protected Places Act.” Yikes!
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While we recently mentioned about how Americans don’t have instant bank transfer, us Malaysians are accustomed to whipping out our phones to use our eWallets everywhere we go. However, while we’re overseas, it may be a hassle and a bit of a security concern to be carrying around wads of cash to spend during holidays.
Happily, it was recently announced by the Bank for International Settlements – basically the bank for central banks – that there will be a new ASEAN Payment Connectivity initiative to link payments for five countries namely Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. There is no news yet if the other ASEAN countries will join hands as well.
According to the report, the ‘initiative aims to increase the interoperability of standardised QR code payments’. Our Bank Negara Malaysia will soon be linked to Bank Indonesia, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and the Bank of Thailand to integrate the national payment systems.
This means travellers can use the apps from their own country instead of a foreign app to make payments via a QR code. About time, now we don’t have to wear bulky travel money belts while walking around in Bangkok!
Some initiatives are already underway and so far, here are the countries Malaysia is linked to:
QR payments are already interoperable between our two countries, linking Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PayNet) to Thailand’s National ITMX. Public Bank Bhd was the first Malaysian bank to join in on the linkage, together with merchant acquirer provider Razer Merchant Services, along with Kasikornbank and Siam Commercial Bank from Thailand.
Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) and Bank Indonesia (BI) launched phase 2 of their cross-border QR payment linkage in January this year. DuitNow QR and QR Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS) now allows travellers to make e-payments at participating merchants.
In 2021, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced plans to commence a phased linkage of Malaysia’s DuitNow and Singapore’s PayNow real-time payment systems.
For now, through a collaboration with Alipay+, Touch' n Go e-wallets are already accepted at ComfortDelGro taxis, the operator of the largest taxi network in Singapore.
In the future, more banks and merchant acquirers are expected to participate.
Why is this beneficial to you?Besides supporting post-pandemic economic recovery, this initiative will help to stretch your dollar, or rather ringgit further as it uses direct local-currency settlements between the countries rather than the USD as an intermediary currency.
If you use a Malaysia credit card overseas, you'll be subject to fees and the exchange is based on the USD as an intermediary. For example a payment in SGD would require the amount to be converted to USD first plus transaction fees. So a SGD1,000 transaction will be converted into USD at the date of transaction, then converted to MYR.
The exchange rate is determined by the card issuer, so MasterCard or Visa for example will have their online rates that you can refer to.
The most common way we buy things overseas is of course by exchanging money at a money changer. And we just found out that these money changers set their own exchange rates taking into consideration stock of the currency, rent, and other expenses (thanks, Cilisos).
Online exchange rates that are set by local banks are usually more favourable and transparent to the consumer, so this may mean that we can shop even more overseas with QR pay that follows online rates instead of being pegged to the USD.
Image source: me.me, duitnow.my


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12 Mar 2013 Court Strikes Down New York’s “Big Gulp” Ban; Good Riddance, Say Policy Experts
New York, NY / Washington, D.C. – Yesterday a New York State judge issued an injunction against New York Mayor Bloomberg’s ban on the sale of large sugary drinks at New York City restaurants and other locations.
In a stinging rebuke of Mayor Bloomberg, Judge Milton Tingling ruled that the drink regulations were “fraught with arbitrary and capricious consequences” that would be difficult to enforce with consistency “even within a particular city block, much less the city as a whole.”
A first-of-its-kind in the U.S. prohibition adopted by the New York City Board of Health (made up of appointees of Mayor Bloomberg) prevented eateries from restaurants to mobile food carts from selling sugary drinks larger than 16 oz. Under the rules, the city would have been able to fine violators $200 per sale.
Horace Cooper, a legal commentator and an adjunct fellow at the National Center for Public Policy Research, argues that this is likely a “death blow for the sugary drink rule in New York City.”
“Judge Tingling’s ruling makes it clear that Mayor Bloomberg overstepped his authority and should have either left this issue to the state legislature or the New York City Council,” explained Cooper.
“Publicity stunts do not make for good law. Promoting healthy diets is one thing – going well beyond that by mandating that adult consumers face limits to legal products and fining restaurants is dangerous to consumers and retailers. Using a stacked board of hand-picked political cronies to carry it out is illegal,” Cooper argued.
In a statement immediately following the ruling, Jeff Stier, director of the Risk Analysis Division of the National Center for Public Policy Research and a New York City resident, said, “Common sense has just gained a foothold in New York City. Mayor Bloomberg’s campaign against beverages as a way to curb obesity was properly rebuked by a New York Supreme Court judge today for being arbitrary and capricious.”
“Obesity is a real problem,” Stier added, “but a random ban like the Mayor’s, which was widely ridiculed not only by late-night comedy shows, but by a New York judge, is not a serious way to address a serious issue.”
“Mayor Bloomberg likes to say obesity is an ‘epidemic.’ New York University professor and soda ban advocate Marion Nestle says, ‘Governments have a responsibility to provide healthier environments for their citizens,” said Amy Ridenour, chairman of the National Center for Public Policy Research. “They’re both wrong. The noun ‘epidemic’ is defined as ‘a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time.’ The purpose of government is to protect our natural rights to life, liberty, property and, in the Declaration of Independence’s immortal phrase, ‘the pursuit of happiness’ – even when happiness is a 17-ounce Coke and even when certain mayors and academics disagree with our choices. Governments and public servants need to learn their limitations.”
The National Center for Public Policy Research, founded in 1982, is a non-partisan, free-market, conservative think-tank. Ninety-four percent of its support comes from individuals, less than 4% from foundations, and less than 2% from corporations. It receives over 350,000 individual contributions a year from over 96,000 active recent contributors. Contributions are tax-deductible and greatly appreciated.


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And Activision is about to attack it from orbit.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Nuke Town Map will not be released until November 24th, but Easter Eggs have already been released.
There may be spoilers first.
RedditorPimpOutMyPC, who uploaded Nuketown’s gameplay footage to the YouTube channel, claimed to have glitched into a custom game to get into the map.
Easter eggs include shooting heads off all mannequins-previous Nuketown Easter eggs worked in a similar way.
Doing this in the post-apocalyptic 1984 Black Ops Cold War Nuketown reverses the visual style and applies a blue digital filter with an 80’s theme to the graphic. A cool synthwave track will also start. It reminded me of Ubisoft’s amazing Far Cry 3 spin-off, Blood Dragon. It features a purple haze that crosses the sky.
Activision released the official Nuketown video yesterday, but it’s clear that they didn’t want the map to appear before the release. The PimpOutMyPC video has already been removed from YouTube, with a note that Activision has filed a copyright infringement claim. But of course, I will never forget the internet.
— The man trusts me (@ TheGhostOfMW2) November 21, 2020
Treyarch has a shape when it comes to elaborate Nuketown Easter eggs. The equivalent Easter eggs in Nuketown on Black Ops 4 are:
And here’s an Easter egg from Nuketown in Black Ops 3.


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Had a busy weekend and couldn't catch the news? Here are three national stories you and your family may find interesting.
Valentine’s Day is more than just a celebration for the romantic. It’s a day where millions of Americans spend millions of dollars on chocolate, Hallmark cards and roses, too. According to Quartz’s Jeanne Kim, Americans will spent $18.9 million on Valentine’s Day gifts.
And though men spend more money on Valentine’s Day, women are more generous across the board, giving gifts to family, friends and co-workers.
Take a look at Quartz’s chart for a more in-depth look at what Americans plan to spend this year.
What do emojis mean? — The Atlantic
It’d be hard to find someone with a smartphone who hasn’t used an emoji. Though they may be commonplace, emojis mean different things to different people. According to The Atlantic’s Shirley Li, emojis are an example of human uniqueness.
“They're embedded in complicated social context, making them open to interpretation,” Li wrote. “The prayer hands emoji, for example, may represent gratitude in some cultures, straightforward praying in others or even, oddly enough, a high five. While most emojis involving straightforward objects (office supplies, animals, vegetables, weather patterns, etc.) can be interpreted as is, some prove harder to read — especially when they're used as stand-ins for facial expressions."
When children with autism grow up — BuzzFeed
BuzzFeed’s Bob Planetenberg recently wrote about his experience during a job interview to become a staff member helping Scooter, a 23-year-old who was diagnosed with autism when he was a child. It was during the interview that Plantenberg realized how life doesn’t get any easier for children with autism when they become adults.
“The three of us sat at the table while Scooter and his teacher went through flash cards and Scooter looked at me a few times with a penetrating glare,” Planetenberg wrote. “His expression settled into a sort of skeptical normalcy. I felt like I was being sized up, and I now realize that I was. Scooter has had dozens of staff come and go in his lifetime. He was right to wonder whether I would be sticking around.”


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Stocks finish down slightly
Sun | Business
NEW YORK (AP) -- Investors retreated a bit on Wall Street Tuesday, collecting profits after a six-day advance in the Dow Jones industrials. Analysts called the pullback unsurprising, especially after the Dow's 116-point gain Monday.
The market also lacked the kind of galvanizing news that sent stocks surging in the previous session -- encouraging economic data and solid news from retailers about Thanksgiving weekend sales.
"After a run-up like we saw Monday, it's normal for people to say, 'I don't want to pay those prices, I'm going to pull back,"' said Barry Berman, head trader for Robert W. Baird & Co. in Milwaukee.
The Dow closed down 45.41, or 0.5 percent, at 9,853.64. Over the previous six trading days, the blue chips gained 279.63.
The market rallied Monday after the Institute for Supply Management reported better-than-expected growth in the nation's manufacturing sector and retailers said they had a successful first weekend of the holiday shopping season. Many analysts were optimistic that the gains would hold despite Tuesday's dip, and they noted that the end of the year is traditionally a time of strength for Wall Street.
"I don't think investors are comfortable being on the sidelines at this point," said Richard E. Cripps, chief market strategist for Legg Mason of Baltimore.


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Gilberts (Blackpool) goes for growth
The family-owned business says it is experiencing significant increase in demand for its advanced grilles, louvres and diffusers, and natural ventilation solutions. The growth is due partly to industry growth in the building and construction sector but also reflects Gilberts’ own development, with a new approach to sales and technical R&D.
“We design, engineer and test entirely in-house,” explained Gilberts’ managing director Jonathan Haslam, whose father Gil founded the company 55 years ago. “Our significant and sustained growth means we now need more capacity. The extension will deliver an additional 7,000ft² of manufacturing and warehousing at our headquarters.”
The facility currently includes an 85,000ft² manufacturing facility, and a state-of-the-art air distribution test laboratory.
Latest news from the world of air conditioning and refrigeration
UK: Industrial refrigeration contractor Stonegrove Refrigeration has appointed Steve Gowing as design and project engineer.
UK: Javac UK, the refrigerant recovery and vacuum pump supplier, has been named as Climate Centers’ Supplier of the Year for the second year running.
UK: Ruskin Air Management has been renamed Swegon Air Management following its acquisition by the Swedish manufacturer Swegon.
SWEDEN: Heat exchanger manufacturer SWEP is to close its manufacturing plant in Tentlingen, Switzerland, moving production to factories in Slovakia and Sweden.
IRAN: German compressor manufacturer Bitzer has established a subsidiary company in Iran.
USA: Seven local residents are reported to be suing Honeywell after a chemical leak at its Geismar, Louisiana, plant in August.
BELGIUM: Daikin Europe’s factory in the Czech Republic has joined the group’s factory in Ostend by becoming certified to the BRE’s responsible sourcing standard.
USA: Parker Hannifin and Daikin were the big winners in a unique competition designed to raise the level of awareness of the HVACR industry both in school and government.


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Compared to the previous year more Scots are falling victim to online criminals who create fake advertisements for cute looking animals with the goal of stealing money from anyone looking to buy a pet.
They have estimated that over £2.6 million was lost by would-be owners in the 2020/21 financial year after they had put down deposits for animals advertised online – which turned out to be scams.
Jim Winters, head of fraud at Barclays, says: “Over lockdown, we saw a particular rise in pet scams, where people paid in advance for a pet that they’ve seen online or been sent images of, only to find out the animal doesn’t exist.
“The issue with these types of scams is that when people are buying or investing in something that they really want, such as a family pet, suspicions they may have are often overlooked and they go against their better judgment, which leaves themselves open to being duped,” Winters warns.
“Our advice is to stop and think before making a purchase, always ask for a second opinion from a friend or relative, and never just assume that the seller is who you think they are.
“Always make sure you complete extra research and read reviews to ensure the person, company or website you are buying from is genuine,” he adds. “If you have concerns, do not give any personal or payment details, or be pressured into sending money, and remember – if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.”
Here are Action Fraud’s top tips to protect yourself from pet scams…
1. Do your research
Look up reviews of the website or person you’re buying from. If you’re purchasing an item from an online marketplace, view the seller’s feedback history before making the purchase.
2. Trust your instincts
If you’re unable to view the animal in person, ask for a video call. If you’re buying a young animal, make sure you’re able to see the mother and the rest of the litter. Responsible sellers will understand why you want to view the animal in person. If the seller declines, challenge them on why. If you have any suspicions, do not pay any money.
3. Choose how you pay
Credit card or payment services such as PayPal could give you a better chance of recovering your money following a fraud. Action Fraud also advises people to follow the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign, which says pause to think before parting with money or personal information (takefive-stopfraud.org.uk).
When things go wrong
Anyone can fall victim to fraud. If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud online at actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.
Action Fraud also advises that the public follow the advice of the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign to keep themselves safe from fraud.
- Stop: taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe.
- Challenge: could it be fake? It’s okay to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.
- Protect: if you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud online at actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.
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Neil Young continues his prolific record releasing pace with The Visitor, a new album he’ll be releasing on December 1.
Young recorded the set with Promise of the Real, which is led by Willie Nelson‘s son Lukas Nelson and has been Young’s backing band since 2016, both on tour and for the album’s The Monsanto Years and Earth. Young has released the first single from the album, “Already Great,” and more details are expected soon.
…Meanwhile, Young has also announced he’s auctioning off a slew of his possessions, including, according to a statement, his “personal collection of model trains, classic cars, guitars, recording gear, clothing, memorabilia and more.”
The auction will take place December 9 at Julien’s Auctions Gallery in Los Angeles, with the items on public viewing starting December 4. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Bridge School, which Young and his ex-wife Pegi founded to work with severely disabled youths.
In a statement, Young says that, “Collecting all these items have been my great joy. They have provided a source of inspiration, fun and creativity throughout my life. Now it is time to share them with others in the world whom I hope will enjoy and love them as much as I have.”
Among the highlights of the auction a custom-made 1953 Buick Roadmaster, one of just 1,690 ever produced ($200,000-$300,000), a 1965 Gibson ES-345 left-handed guitar ($3,500-$5,000) and an assortment of model trains produced by Lionel, a company Young once co-owned.
More information can be found at JuliensAuctions.com.
Gary Graff is an award-winning music journalist who not only covers music but has written books on Bob Seger, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen.


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Ramen, understandably, is one of the Japanese foods that foreign visitors (and locals too, for that matter) find hugely appealing, and there’s certainly no shortage of ramen shops or unique ramen flavors to be tried in Japan. Now, you may recall that back in November last year, we brought you news of the very interesting matcha green tea ramen from Menya Musashi. Well, this month, it looked like it was time to make a repeat visit to Menya Musashi, to have some… chocolate ramen!
Yes, it’s Valentine’s Day week and everything is chocolate themed in Japan at the moment, so why not ramen too, right? We definitely weren’t about to miss this dish that combined two of our favorite foods!


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A team of investigators is in Bengaluru and has already conducted preliminary questioning of some company officials, Mangaluru police commissioner Sandeep Patil told reporters on Thursday.
We don’t know for certain if partners were forcing him to buy back shares, but we do know that the I-T department had been pushing him.
Likely valuation of Rs 3,000 crore: VG Siddhartha's family & Blackstone may revive Tech Park sale talks
Deal to help Coffee Day group bring down its Rs 6,547 crore debt burden and focus on putting the group back on track.
Siddhartha's suicide has put a spotlight on problems of corporate elite-wide cash crunch and slowing growth.
The leadership vacuum needed to be filled urgently, given the sharp downward spiral the company’s share price has seen since Siddhartha went missing.
Shocked by founder’s death, Coffee Day Enterprises forms new executive panel to manage operations and reaches out to lenders; analysts say road ahead unclear.
There’s a strong feeling among Bengaluru’s business and political circles that at least some of VG Siddhartha’s problems stemmed from his ties with DK Shivakumar, a powerful and resourceful Congress leader. Documents reveal that the investigation in Siddhartha’s case arose from the search of DKS’ financial consultant N Chandrashekhar Sukapuri.
Cafe Coffee Day came into existence in 1996 and quickly became an integral part of the younger society of Indian millennials and Gen Z.
Suresh urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to appoint a senior Supreme Court judge to monitor the investigation.
Siddhartha’s final letter to his company and employees mentions pressure from lenders, a Private Equity professional and Income-Tax raids that sucked out liquidity in the form of cash and shares.
Dream big but with feet on the ground. Set up a risk mitigating mechanism.
SV Ranganath has been appointed as interim chairman of Coffee Day Enterprises Ltd following the death of its founder VG Siddhartha. Siddhartha, who went missing two days ago, his body was found by local fishermen and patrolling policemen on the banks of the Nethravathi river near Mangaluru on Wednesday. Ranganath is currently a non-executive independent director.
The Board of Coffee day Enterprises met in the aftermath of the demise of its VG Siddhartha.
In an irony of cinematic proportions, Siddhartha, an intensely private man who abhorred publicity and was painfully shy, has perhaps met the most public of ends. He rarely gave interviews or attended any of the public functions associated with his father-in-law SM Krishna, be it when the latter was sworn in as Karnataka chief minister or as India’s external affairs minister.
Till the day before he disappeared, Siddhartha was trying to get a loan of about Rs 1,600 crore to avert the crisis.
"All our 1,750 retail outlets in about 240 cities will remain shut for the day as a mark of respect to our founder-chairman Siddhartha who is no more," the source said.
Search operations in full swing around the Nethravati river near Mangaluru; police exploring several angles.
Editor's Picks ›
Sportswear brand Puma collaborates with fashion designer Masaba Gupta / BSH Home Appliances elevates Gunjan Srivastava as Asia-Pacific Head; appoints new MD for India / New Commerce will completely transform unorganised retail market: Mukesh Ambani / In the next 5 years our aim is to be amongst world‘s top 20 retailers: Mukesh Ambani / Lifestyle partners Flipkart Group in India to sell its private labels online / Tupperware adds e-commerce, EBOs to direct selling model / Retailers Now Have Access to High-quality, Micro-level Data to Develop New Store Locations / Reliance Brands to bring Tiffany to India / How private sector can accelerate the current slow paced growth of FMCG market / Iconic toy maker Lego in talks with the Indian government to prioritise play


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Being a leading and reliable logistics solutions provider in India, CJ Darclis a regular atall premier logistics events. This includes regular participation and coverage at seminars, workshops and conventions. CJ Darcl participates with an aim of adding value to the Indian logistics sector. Besides partnering in such events, our achievements and programmes continue to make news,create waves and gain industry accolades.
India’s logistics industry is growing rapidly but faces bottlenecks such as inadequate infrastructure, outdated technology, and lack of digitization.
The road logistics sector has emerged as a new sector with India’s economy growing at a rapid pace. Several companies have formed in this industry because of the rise in demand for road logistics. However, succeeding in this field is not simple.
As the world moves towards stability, businesses worldwide have started analysing this new landscape to apply the lessons learned from the pandemic.
CJ Darcl Logistics Ltd., a leading logistics provider in India, has selected Netradyne to provide advanced fleet safety solutions.
The New Year promises to bring tremendous growth and optimism to the Indian air cargo and logistics sector.
“This is the first Budget of Amrit Kaal, and we believe that this is a budget aimed at fostering growth.
In an exclusive interaction, CJ Darcl highlights the global challenges faced by the world of logistics and shared its pov about technological advancement.
There are inroads being made in the last mile delivery segment that is proving to be very beneficial for women.
Just before India declared state of emergency in the wake of the Corona pandemic, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV), completed a major order with the delivery of 120 BharatBenz trucks.
In the last few years, the logistics sector has gained growth. Various new innovations have also been done in the logistics sector to facilitate transportation.
Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (SMPK”) will soon conduct market interventions and organise workshops to educate traders about the advantages of using sea-route.
Thus the E-handbook on NLP released by the department for the promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT) notes that “it is the logical next step.”
We are improving new modes of transportation to become total logistics service provider by 2027.
Building a strong supply chain ecosystem for the MSME sector will be crucial for the growth of the Indian economy.
In a visionary move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the National Logistics Policy to improve the competitiveness of Indian goods, enhance economic growth and development of infrastructure, and increase employment opportunities.
CJ Darcl Logistics, a multimodal logistics service provider, has set an apex target of becoming the number one in its sector in India by the year 2027.
The National Logistics Policy (NLP) will be a game changer that would help India reach its apex target of becoming a $20 trillion economy by the year 2040.
Technology is shaping the future of logistics. The logistics sector embraced technology during the pandemic time to avoid disruptions.
As Indian economy progressed, the logistics industry has played a vital role in empowering other sectors. The underlying factors driving this upward trend is the increasing demand of e-commerce in India.


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Though New York Fashion Week is now weeks behind us, one brand is hoping that the promises made during that time don’t go the way of overdone trends. TRESemmé launched its #WomenLeadTheWay corporate pledge urging companies and designers across the industry to help create gender equality by advancing women into leadership in different ways.
The pledge serves as an open invitation for companies to join together to make a commitment to strive for gender balance across their organizations through fair recruiting and promotion, and to establish formal development and mentorship opportunities for women at all levels of their companies.
“As the hair care sponsor for NYFW for the last 23 seasons, [TRESemmé] is using its platform to launch the campaign and create change in the Fashion industry,” said Esi Eggleston Bracey, Unilever Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer for North America in Beauty & Personal Care. “However, this is just the beginning of a long-term commitment for the brand. TRESemmé will remain committed to providing women with investment, resources and networking they need to succeed as leaders.”
One of the brands that took the pledge is women-led Studio 189. Founded by Rosario Dawson and Abrima Erwiah in 2013, the artisan produced fashion brand has been rooted in uplifting and celebrating women since its inception. According to Erwiah, the brand exists as a way of empowering women.
“I have been blessed with many opportunities. Many people have worked to help me become the person that I am today and so I know that it is also my responsibility to do that for others,” Erwiah told ESSENCE. “I have had many wonderful experiences working in the fashion industry and I have had many challenges as well. I think it’s important for us to have role models and have people to help carve paths for us, crack doors open for us and help guide us.”
Studio 189 is based in Africa (with two stores—one in Accra, Ghana and one in New York City) and works with artisanal communities that specialize in craftsmanship that support the creation of the collections. They also partner with organizations such as the United Nations ITC Ethical Fashion Initiative, NYU Stern School of Business, and have collaborated with companies such as Fendi, Nike, and Okay Africa.
“We have an opportunity to build economic development that is greater than aid. We have an opportunity to create social impact that is sustainable and that puts people and the planet first.” Erwiah continued. “I would like Studio 189 to be an example of what can be possible. I would like it to be a brand that represents a shared heritage born out of Africa while also preserving its future in a way that is sustainable.”
We’ve seen in so many instances that when women lead, they use their power to uplift other women, empower others, and effect change that impacts the world. TRESemmé has committed to working with pledge participants to ensure they are making progress towards their commitments, and plans on holding them accountable. According to Eggleston Bracey, once signed on, TRESemmé will help companies and organizations achieve the commitments in the following ways:
- Providing pledge participants with access to subject matter experts working in the women’s empowerment and leadership spaces to support development of customized programs.
- Holding one-on-one conversations with pledge participants to understand their unique needs in delivering on their commitment.
- Facilitating closed door meetings among pledge participants for open and honest conversations around gender equality, shared challenges and best practices.
- Actioning progress reporting among pledge participants to ensure accountability and progress.
“While no one brand can fix the system, there are definitely tangible things that they can do to accelerate the pace of change and advance more women into leadership,” she said. “Seeing the difference we can make continues to keep me positive and committed to taking even bigger strides towards change, and I’m so proud of the progress our brands have made thus far.”
Individuals and companies interested in supporting the pledge can visit tresemme.com/pledge to learn more, and to access a letter template that can be filled out and issued to employers, encouraging them to make the commitment towards gender equality.


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Home Tags Corporate Transparency
Tag: Corporate Transparency
The insight that should hit some community managers like a ton of bricks is that many brands have ZERO true fans.
The New York Times misreported the Kitty Genovese case. By allowing the public to search their online archive, we all get better journalism.
Will there be superbrands also in the future? Will we see the Facebook’s, the Amazon’s, the Apple’s, or the...


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From a young age, NBA hall of famer Earvin “Magic Johnson was drawn to basketball. You could say it ran in his genes, with his parents and brothers equally as passionate about the game. But even back then, business was his ultimate ambition.
The proposed merger between retail giants Sainsbury’s and Asda could disrupt smaller businesses further down the supply chains of both supermarkets, an industry expert has warned.
Samantha Caine, client services director at Business Linked Teams, outlines the important steps businesses should take to slash the rates of employee burnout.
Criminals come in many guises, but it appears that they are increasingly swapping a crowbar and a swag bag for a laptop and smartphone.
Jump on the royal wedding bandwagon, says OFX foreign exchange research director Jake Trask. Here’s why.
Nestl” Purina PetCare has bought a majority stake in Tails.com, the London-based dog nutrition startup. Here’s why the deal means big business for the British brand.
With 27 April marking On Your Feet Day, an annual event that encourages employees to sit less and stand more, Real Business hears from five executives who?ve ?taken a stand against excessive sitting and fostered a culture of movement in their organisations.
Your new cloud phone system will impact every aspect of your business operations for years to come. Rafael Cortes, Foehn head of marketing, explains why an appraisal your phone provider is critical.
According to the Office of National Statistics, half of the UK workforce will work remotely by 2020. But just because it’s now more common doesn’t mean bosses feel positive about it.
Michael Corrigan, co-founder of Scottish travel pillow manufacturer Trtl shares his ecommerce success story from the sidelines of the latest edition of Amazon Academy in Glasgow.
Female entrepreneurs are less likely to ask for funding, and ask for smaller amounts when they do. How can we encourage take-up”
From finding new customers, to recruiting staff and keeping track of company finances, the list of priorities for small business owners can often seem endless.


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Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released The Draft Telecom Consumers Protection (Tenth Amendment) Regulations, 2016 for public consultation inviting comments of the Stakeholders.
The present regulatory regime governed by TCPR-2012 allows Telecom Service Providers to offer data services in the form of Special Tariff Voucher (STV) either exclusively or in combination of other tariff items with a maximum permitted validity of 90 days.
Requests have been received in TRAI seeking longer validity for data-packs (i.e, Special Tariff Vouchers with only data benefits) primarily to address the concern of marginal consumers of wireless Internet who prefer lower denomination data packs with longer validity.
After examination of various aspects of the issue, the Authority feels a longer validity of 365 days instead of the current 90 days could be beneficial for marginal consumers, first-time users and price-sensitive consumers. The proposed amendment to the TCPR thus, envisages that an STV with "data only" benefits would be allowed to be offered for 365 days validity instead of maximum 90 days allowed now.
The set of new prepaid consumers on any service provider’s network comprises of the following categories:
- First-time mobile consumers; and
- Consumers who have migrated from some other service provider’s network.
A significant portion of both of the afore-mentioned categories of consumers are relatively more price sensitive than an average pre-paid consumer. The service providers devise strategies to serve such consumers through cheaper tariffs to ensure long-term loyalty. Nevertheless, such consumers keep looking for more attractive offers in the market. As a result, the churn-rate for such consumers is much higher than the churn-rate of average prepaid consumers and apparently the average lifetime of a new prepaid mobile connection is in the range of six months to a year.
It is expected that allowing "data only" STVs to have validity up to 365 days, would provide more flexibility to the service providers to offer innovative data products. The consumers, who use less of data services than average and those, who are presently not using any data services are likely to be the primary target consumers of such longer validity STVs. If the service providers make available attractive products of this kind, many first-time data users would be induced to try consumption of data services as they may not be required to activate voucher frequently because of longer validity. This is likely to boost Internet penetration in the country and, in turn, would reap socioeconomic benefits to the country.
Such STVs providing "data only" benefits must satisfy all conditions of a STV as specified in TCPR, 2012 including that these shall not be offered in denominations of Rupees 10 or multiples thereof. The stakeholders are requested to furnish their comments on the Draft Telecom Consumers Protection (Tenth Amendment) Regulations, 2016.
Dear readers, please share your views and opinions about this latest news via comments with us. Whether longer validity data packs will increase internet penetration in India?


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If it takes the Times $40 million to put a CSS overlay over their text, I have no sympathy for them. The Times’ reporting is unparalleled; their management will be their undoing. Link
I really believe in WikiLeaks’ cause. It’s a kind of journalism that wasn’t possible with older communications media, and as such is definitely forcing us to reconsider our values when it comes to reporting, openness, bias, source reliability, censorship, confidential sources, and more. I’m convinced that it will serve as a great benefit to democracy.
It’s also under plenty of threats from those whose power is threatened by WikiLeaks. It’s still a budding tool, and has yet to become a major journalistic establishment with its own protections and stability. Powers are certainly working to compromise it before it can attain such success. They’ll go after anything they can in order to interrupt WikiLeaks’ operations or tarnish their reputation. In the meantime, WikiLeaks publicly spouts tons of arrogant, self-congratulatory, and tactless content online, instead of protecting their own reputation with an air of professionalism.
A few bits from their Twitter feed that keep setting me off:
US media end times: Boston journalism Prof. (former Pentagon hack) calls for WL prosecution (FOX, video) http://is.gd/gGPLU
Calling anyone a hack is not Journalism.
NYT ran a tabloid profile on WL trying to “balance” itself. Case study in bad journalism. Wrong from top to bottom.
Ethics101 for mainstream media: Ask not what llegal & illegal but what is moral & immoral. Recall that slavery was once legal.
WikiLeaks apparently thinks that not only should the media be judging morals, but that they’re in a position to lecture their peers on it!
If any publication says anything about us, unsourced, you can be pretty much bet that it is a falsification.
I don’t even need to point out the irony in WikiLeaks telling others not to trust unsourced claims.
I feel like WikiLeaks risks sabotaging its own cause by its lack of PR tact. I am not at all surprised that so much of the media is criticizing WikiLeaks. Hey, guys, other people want to smear you, yes, but you need to stop inviting it with your own tactless behavior.
The Internet has shaken up the status quo for many incumbent economic leaders – and newspapers have seen this effect more so than any other industry. Since the Web hit the American household in the 1990s, print media has been experimenting with strategies for digital distribution and revenue streams, with few conclusive results after well over a decade. The Web has moved the audience’s attention from monolithic news outlets controlled by publishers in favor of social links (Facebook and Twitter) and aggregators (The Huffington Post, The Daily Beast and Drudge Report.)
This year’s announcement of the iPad seemed to change the publishing industry’s outlook on doing business over the Web. Instead of the hyperlinked, non-linear, short-attention-span, copy/paste-friendly nature of a desktop Web browser, the iPad offers a publishing platform similar to their paper product – with an iPad app, the publisher has verticalized control of available content, its layout, navigation experience, and – most importantly – revenue generation methods.
On October 15, the Times released “NYTimes for iPad,” (iTunes Link) labeling it “free until early 2011.” In testing it, I’ve decided it’s an excellent application in its own right, and could potentially be a great sign for the future of print journalism, but it could be yet another business fumble if the company doesn’t execute the proper balance between advertising, consumer pricing and usability.


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A new iPad app, released for sale Monday, May 6th, tracks the careers of the rock legends The Doors.
The app features immersive multimedia, cloud integration with iTunes and a ready connection to Facebook – things that you’ve almost come to expect from paid apps in 2013.
But what makes this app so unique, besides the electronic entertainment jump, is that it was not created by the next up and coming software developer or consultant, but rather 81-year-old Jac Holzman, founder of Elektra Records.
Holzman signed The Doors in 1966, sixteen years after starting the record company as a teenager. He remains one of the music industry’s most passionate and persevering tech nuts.
“I’m always interested in how I can take technology and make it work for music,” said Holzman recently in an interview with The New York Times. “That’s what my life’s been about, from the earliest days of Elektra. How can we make better records? Not everybody’s going to appreciate everything that’s in this app, but I think most people will.”
Holzman and his team have viewed the app as a test for how record companies can market their catalogs digitally.
The app, which is on sale for $4.99, resembles a digital coffee-table book. It includes video interviews, written contributions from figures like Francis Ford Coppola and Patti Smith and appendices too big for any Christmas present, like 30-pages of transcripts from Jim Morrison’s indecent-exposure trial in 1970.
Bits and pieces of Doors songs point customers to Apple’s iTunes store, where remastered versions of the band’s albums, released by the Warner Music Group’s Rhino label, will also go on sale this week. The company will need to sell about 40,000 copies of the app to recoup its costs.
Holzman says that this is the direction the music business should be going.
“Digital changed the nature of the music business, and the music business reacted with a kind of indifference and fear,” Holzman said. “Napster drove everybody crazy but me. I thought Napster was a missed opportunity. It could have been a boon for singles.”
– Devon Marti / 98.5 WNCX


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Inflation drops to 5-yr low of 1.77%, India Inc wants rate cut
New Delhi: Driven by softening prices of fuel and food items, the WPI inflation cooled to a five year low of 1.77 per cent in October raising hopes of rate cut by the Reserve Bank next month to boost economic growth.
The decline in Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based inflation from 2.38 per cent in September, follows the fall in retail inflation which hit a record low of 5.52 per cent in October.
Commenting on WPI inflation, which fell for the fifth month in a row, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the decline in global crude prices should further help in improving the price situation.
“We believe that softening of prices is in our interest.
With crude prices down, this trend of lower food prices will continue,” he told reporters here.
As per the official data released today, food inflation fell to a nearly two-and-a-half year low of 2.7 per cent. Food inflation is on a decline since May.
Inflation in the fuel and power segment which include LPG, petrol and diesel declined to 0.43 per cent in October.
With the international crude prices declining further to a four year low of USD 77 a barrel, the inflation in fuel segment is likely to soften in the coming days.
Encouraged by the decline in inflation, India Inc has stepped up its demand for a cut in interest rates by the RBI in next bi-monthly monetary policy on December 2.
“Alleviated inflation creates room for a more accommodative stance from the central bank in terms of rate reduction in the next policy,” Ficci said.
Industry has been demanding a rate cut to boost growth which had slumped to 4.7 per cent in 2013-14.
Commenting on the industrial output growth which was at a three-month high in September, Jaitley said: “2.5 per cent (IIP growth) is not enough for me to smile. Targets are higher and it will take its time. Steps that we are taking will take a little time before it shows it’s impact,” he said.


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U.S. Army just kicked Chinese drone company DJI out of all official operations
The U.S. army just kicked one of the biggest drone makers on the planet out of its barracks, all in the name of security.
The maker of the drones in question: China’s DJI (also known as SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd.).
An Aug. 2 U.S. Army memo obtained by sUAS News and later verified by Reuters advises that all service members “cease all use, uninstall all DJI applications, remove all batteries/storage media and secure equipment for follow-on direction.”
Later, the memo gets more specific, stating, “Due to increased awareness of cyber vulnerabilities associated with DJI product, it is directed that the U.S. Army halt use of all DJI products.” The advisory covers all DJI-associated hardware and software.
“We are surprised and disappointed to read reports of the U.S. Armys unprompted restriction on DJI drones.”
“We are surprised and disappointed to read reports of the U.S. Armys unprompted restriction on DJI drones as we were not consulted during their decision,” a DJI spokesperson told sUAS News. “Well be reaching out to the U.S. Army to confirm the memo and to understand what is specifically meant by ‘cyber vulnerabilities.'”
Last year, DJI addressed concerns from some regarding security, specifically as it relates to its relationship with the Chinese government.
“Some recent news stories have claimed DJI routinely shares customer information and drone video with authorities in China, where DJI is headquartered. This is false,” read the strongly worded April 2016 statement.
However, in a section on the DJI website regarding its privacy policies, the company states:
We may preserve and disclose your information if required to do so by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with applicable laws, in response to a court order, judicial or other government subpoena, warrant or request, or to otherwise cooperate with law enforcement or other governmental agencies.
So aside from the undefined cyber security concerns mentioned by the U.S. Army, DJI’s privacy statement could conceivably present security issues when it comes to missions involving the U.S. and Chinese governments.
But the larger concern for DJI is likely related to its business. The Army’s move is a major negative signal for DJI drone use and may influence a number of non-military operations who may follow the Army’s lead, the logic being: if it’s not secure enough for the military, maybe it’s not secure enough for our corporate or private needs.


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The wine industry has felt the acute pinch of labour shortages this harvest season, propelling members of Mornington Peninsula Wine to work directly with their local education network to provide active pathways for development and hands-on experience in viticulture and winemaking.
The restrictions on travel and access to skilled visa holders over the past two years of the pandemic, has placed an intense strain on the Australian wine industry’s labour market, as it has on many other agricultural industries.
With growing demand for agricultural graduates, ongoing economic uncertainty and an unemployment rate at 4.2 per cent, Mornington Peninsula Wine seeks to solve localised labour shortages by connecting with and empowering local students to build rewarding careers close to home.
Mornington Peninsula Wine Chief Executive Officer, Olivia Barrie said the industry directly and indirectly employs nearly 164,000 people across the country, but relies heavily on seasonal workers including skilled international contractors to support the annual wine grape harvest and ongoing production needs.
“The Mornington Peninsula’s wine industry is worth nearly $200 million to our local economy and it offers many diverse roles and career opportunities,” Barrie explained.
“The sector is experiencing labour and skills shortages, which is keenly felt across viticulture and vineyard management and more widely across winery, business and logistics also.
“The same labour challenges are true for many sectors of Australian agriculture so we are leading a proactive initiative to foster an inclusive, diverse and highly talented workforce right here on the Mornington Peninsula.”
Barrie said Mornington Peninsula Wine’s effort to increase the intake of local students to the industry has started with an awareness campaign for schools and career counsellors so they understand the opportunities available.
This initiative has been developed in partnership with Wine Australia, Port Phillip & Westernport Catchment Authority (now Melbourne Water), and the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula Local Learning and Education Network (FMPLLEN) to ensure the pathways provided align with Vocational Education and Training (VET) Certificate courses in Horticulture, Viticulture or Winemaking.
FMPLLEN Structured Workplace Learning Coordinator, Angela Byatt said the key purpose of the program is to connect schools and students with industry, which not only delivers real outcomes for students but also aligns with the Victorian Government’s pending Senior Secondary Certificate reforms and Wine Australia’s vision to secure and support the development of more local talent in the industry.
“We’re really excited to be working with Mornington Peninsula Wine. We see this as the start of an enduring partnership and look forward to growing and promoting career pathways into the wine industry for young people in our region,” said Byatt.
“For the 29 schools in our region, this program fosters stronger connections with the industry and business
“The state government’s focus on applied vocational learning pairs perfectly with this initiative and we know the schools and students are especially grateful for actual connections they are making in our community.
“It’s already empowering students by giving them a real chance to explore wine and viticulture as a career option and to network with the right people who could one day be a future employer, mentor or colleague,” she said.
Wine Australia has created a nationwide roadmap for the industry to secure talent for the wine industry, addressing the urgent need for skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled jobs in the vineyard and winery.
Mornington Peninsula Wine is in the initial stages of activating this roadmap and intends to lead a more comprehensive program of engagement and skill development with schools and the future generations of local wine producers.
Byatt said keeping young people in the local industry would not only help to solve unemployment challenges but create longer term support for local wine business.
“The wine industry in our region provides such a vast array of career pathways for young people,” she said.
“It is important to bring more young people into the industry to ensure its future success. Young people will also bring new ideas and fresh thinking into the industry.
“MP Wines and the FMPLLEN are embarking on a number of initiatives to promote the industry to schools and students in our area with the aim to encourage career pathways.
“The FMPLLEN and the local wine industry is committed to supporting young people in our region by offering a range of work experience and work placement opportunities to support their vocational studies.
“This gives the students the opportunity to apply what is learnt in the classroom into a real-world context and the employer an opportunity to identify future recruits into the industry.”
Schools and students interested in a career in wine or viticulture can contact FMPLLEN on 03 8679 3422.
Are you a Daily Wine News subscriber? If not, click here to join our mailing list. It’s free!


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As reported by Mike Murphy in Quartz a few hours ago, Google has just been awarded with a patent for an autonomous delivery platform, which confirms tech giant's strong aspirations for its self-driving (or driverless) technology. And although Google said it never wanted to a be a car maker, it has a great opportunity to leave a solid footprint in retail with its truck of secured lockers to be used for driverless delivery of purchased products to consumers.
The idea behind Google's innovative self-driving vehicle technology is pretty simple: Google will drive a delivery to a customer who would come up to the truck and unlock their dedicated locker with either a special PIN code and a credit card or NFC reader built in a smartphone. After the item retrieval, the truck will drive off to the next destination or return to the depot to pick more packages.
The patent comes in timely especially given the fact that the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has recently confirmed that Google's self-driving vehicles qualify as "drivers" under Federal Law.
While the patent doesn't go deeply into detail about how the truck will drive itself, it mentions technologies that Google is currently using in its driverless car tests. Google's automated road vehicles use different sensors (e.g. video cameras, radar, laser range finders) and actuators to see traffic, advanced maps to navigate a road, and wireless communication subsystems to communicate with a controller and other entities.


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Instagram has recently made a remarkable alteration by introducing portrait and landscape options along with their existing square. Though enhanced user-friendliness appears to be the main purpose behind the modification, it is actually an effort to stop users from switching to Snapchat or other flexible services. Introduction of new layout is a major change that the platform has introduced since its merger with Facebook. This move is also expected to increase app’s popularity significantly among the advertisers. The best part is, both landscape as well as portrait format will be available on iOS as well as Android platforms right from Thursday. Thus, there is no need to cramp the wide shots or cut friends from the groups to get the photo fitted in Instagram, said advertising analyst and social media marketing expert, Debra Aho William. The recent move by Instagram is also expected to give a significant boost to their revenue [+more]
Advertising new brands and products on the social networking sites have become a common phenomenon these days and it seems Pinterest as well as Instagram have taken some initiatives to improvise the experience of the users. According to the reports, Pinterest has adopted some measures to make purchasing a much streamlined job while Instagram is now open for advertisements of all kinds. Popular as a photography oriented website, Instagram’s new initiatives is expected to help advertisers easily reach their targeted audiences by using information and demographic they pick up from Facebook, reports TechRadar. While Instagram is following the footsteps of Facebook, the $11 billion online pinboard, which was so far a platform to display different innovations and products, will now allow users to make purchase at ease. As per the reports, the network has now decided to add “buy it pins” to allow users to make purchase from the mobile [+more]
According to a recent change in policy, Instagram will now allow mothers to post breast feeding photographs on their accounts. The photos can also include the ones which showcase post pregnancy marks and stretches. Instagram recently updated its community guidelines, which clearly states details regarding content sharing through Instagram. It also specifies which content or photograph will be removed from user accounts if they are found violating the terms and conditions mentioned in the guidelines. A popular mobile application, Instagram’s guidelines reflect the standard community guidelines of its parent company, Facebook. The new guidelines state: “We are well aware of the fact that there are several moments when our users want to share their nude images which are taken from a creative or artistic perception but it is our policy that we do not tolerate nudity or sexual content on Instagram. These content include provoked nudity displaying sexual intercourse and [+more]
Facebook-owned Instagram is likely to be working towards developing a new photo messaging app in order to compete with popular rivals like Snapchat. The Verge has said in a report that Instagram is likely to have mistakenly leaked the existence of a new Snapchat competitor dubbed as Bolt, which appeared on a new banner ad inside the current Instagram for Android app. Twitter user Richard Groves snapped a screenshot reading “Introducing Bolt,” promising “one tap photo messaging” and offering a link to download the free app via the Google Play Store. The link was taking the users nowhere and the banner ad vanished 15 minutes later. But by that time several late night users spotted the same message lurking in their own Instagram installations. However, a report by TechCrunch has suggested that the app could be a fictional title instead. Sarah Perez has been quoted saying that “It’s worth pointing [+more]
It seems all is not well between Twitter and Instagram. After selling itself to Facebook it has disabled integration with Twitter. The photo sharing app instagram has disabled the features that lets Twitter to properly display its photos. If you still want to share your Instagram photos on Twitter, you can do that but they won’t show on Twitter properly. “This is due to Instagram disabling its Twitter cards integration, and as a result, photos are being displayed using a pre-cards experience,” the micro blogging site added. According to thesources, the move shows the growing rivalry between Twitter and Instagram. By disabling Twitter cards, Instagram will force Twitter users to click through to its site to see the entire image, the souce added.
All is not well between Facebook and Twitter since the time former has bought the image-sharing app Instagram. As per the recent reports, Twitter is all set to answer back Facebook with the updates for its mobile apps which is going be much similar to Instagram. The update will let users apply filters for their pictures and let them share their pictures over micro blogging sites. However, Twitter has already gained so much popularity that introducing an Instagram like feature may seem unnecessary but it will surely give users an ease to share the pictures. To make the sharing on twitter trouble-free Instagram recently revealed, that it will now translate @mentions for users who have a Twitter username different from their Instagram one. According to Tech 2 “if the @mentioned user’s Instagram account is connected to Twitter, her Instagram username will show up in the image caption, while her [+more]
The good news is that the screen of the iPhone 5 has gotten taller. The bad news is that many exicting iOS apps have not been optimized for it. Netflix has been troubled with this too and developers at the movie streaming giant have been working hard to fix this problem. The Netflix app for Apple’s iPhone 5 has now been optimized to suit the taller screen as well as to work on iOS 6. While the iOS Facebook and Twitter apps were optimized from the day the phone was launched, Instagram optimized its apps earlier this week. Netflix is another leader to have made the shift quickly. It’s a lingering situation for users now, but one they are ready to wait for. Apps that have not been redesigned to suit the larger screen would go into a letterbox mode.
The rivalry in the tech race seems to be getting better with each firm hoping to outdo the other. The latest to join the league is Google who following the Facebook-Instagram acquisition has now bought Snapseed, which is a photo editing-and-sharing app. Following their own line of thought, the merge of search giant and iOS photo-sharing app was announced in a post by Vic Gandotra, Senior Vice President of Engineering, Google. Here is the link to his post on Google+ https://plus.google.com/+VicGundotra/posts Vic welcomed the Nic software and said, “We want to help our users create photos they absolutely love, and in our experience Nik does this better than anyone.” He also mentioned that Google+ now has around 400,000,000 users since its launch 12 months ago. Trying to get one-on-one with Facebook’s social expertise, Snapseed will let users edit pics and add filters. Users can also share photos on Facebook, Flickr or [+more]
Quite opposite to all speculations we have heard so far, Instagram- the famous photo sharing app won’t be seen in the Windows Phone, at least for a while. As reported in the VentureBeat, sources have revealed that developers at the photo sharing firm, now owned by Facebook, are not working on any app for Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform. Earlier, there have been many reports indicating that Instagram will be available on Windows Phone. The app is currently available on iPhone and Android. The rumors started off on blaze when Nokia released a video promo of Lumia 920, which had an Instagram for Windows Phone icon on the phone’s home screen. But that is just not the case. Maybe previously, developers at Instagram were working on to make a version for Microsoft’s mobile operating system, but as per news, the Facebook-owned firm has no plans to launch a Windows Phone app. [+more]


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Accelerance’s Global Software Development Study Offers Front-line Insights into Tech Rates Inflation and a Brutal Talent War
Accelerance launches the only global market research study with firsthand perspective direct from software development executives who supply engineering talent and set rates across the world
REDWOOD CITY, CA / ACCESSWIRE / December 15, 2022 / Record software developer rate hikes racked the global technology industry in 2022 driven by a perfect storm of inflation, pervasive talent shortages and high digital demand, according to an exclusive market research study of global software firm executives by Accelerance, a Silicon Valley-based software outsourcing advisory firm.
Engineering rate increases hit 78% of software development firms worldwide, with nearly one-third spiking in the double-digit range, says Accelerance’s new Insights from the Front Lines: 2022-2023 Global Software Development Resourcing and Rates Study. The majority of increases exceeded the US Labor Department’s reported 7.1% inflation rate for the 12 months ending November 2022.
No end appears in sight in 2023 for rising developer costs that impact companies’ digital innovation budgets. But software executives anticipate record increases to ease back toward the single digits, citing signs of lessening inflation and conservative corporate spending during economic uncertainty.
The new study is the only source for direct insights into global software resourcing and rates trends based on a survey of 200 development firms across 44 countries in Latin America, Eastern & Central Europe and South & Southeast Asia. It provides market drivers and pricing for nine key developer roles.
Highlights of the study include:
- The biggest rate increases by software development firms globally in the past six months fell in the 6% to 10% range with inflationary pressures, high demand for talent, a shortage of specialized tech skills and currency fluctuations cited as key drivers.
- European firms reported the largest price increases with 70% raising rates by 6% or more as war stunted Ukraine’s developer supply and drove up rates and demand in other European destinations as well as in Latin America.
- In 2023, 74% of firms expect to up their rates but the increases are estimated to be less extreme.
- Demand for software development will continue to run hot in 2023 with 76% of software firms anticipating increasing requests for their services.
- Software executives cited ongoing drivers for 2023 of economic uncertainty, global unrest, high talent demand and scarcity, digital innovation needs and IT budget constraints.
“No one knows what’s happening better than those in the thick of the battle for affordable technology resources,” says Andy Hilliard, CEO of Accelerance. “That’s why we’ve launched this unique annual survey to provide the most accurate picture of factors affecting software development and outsourcing. You’ll find detailed insights and direct quotes from the executives who are living the tech headlines - perspective that is not available anywhere else.”
Access the study’s full findings based on a global market research survey of 23 data points and written responses exploring software development resourcing and rates trends.
Accelerance is The Global Software Outsourcing Authority® offering world class software development teams along with professional consulting services. Accelerance alone has personally vetted more than 8,000 firms to create the largest certified network of the top 1% of software development partners across 40+ countries. Our trusted advisors help clients obtain skilled technology resources at affordable costs to drive digital transformation and operational efficiency. We empower clients to develop and implement optimal software outsourcing solutions through better planning, better partner selection and better engagement management.
Lisa Morrell, Chief Marketing Officer
M: (773) 556-5700
View source version on accesswire.com:


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TweakTown NewsRefine News by Category:
Until now, Quake Live has lived within our browsers, but before the new year arrives, it will be a standalone game. Not only that, but the first-person shooter will also drop native support for both Linux and Mac, which is an unfortunate consequence.
The developer explained that Quake Live will be playable through emulation or virtualization software, for those who have paid subscriptions for the Mac- or Linux-based versions of the game. A news post on the game's official forum states: "Over the past few years, browser support for plugins such as Quake Live have dropped off significantly, causing problems for plugins to operate in a consistent and working manner. With the recent announcement of Google Chrome's roadmap to turning off plugin support and the upcoming changes in Firefox, it seems that now is the time to make the transition."
SteamOS continues to sign on new developers to port their games to its SteamOS that will launch in 2014, and the latest to join the team is World of Mass Development. WMD is the developers of the highly anticipated, crowd funded racing game, Project CARS. This means that Project CARS will be available on Windows, SteamOS, PS4, Xbox One, and the Wii U.
It seems that there is no stopping Valve from making the push into the living room, and the number of developers rushing to jump aboard SteamOS confirms this. If only Valve can land big names like Activision, Rockstar, Warner Brothers, and Bethesda, PC gaming will once again reign supreme in in 2014. What games would you like to see ported to SteamOS or Linux in general? Let us know in the comments.
It seems like just yesterday, but Diablo 3 launched back in 2012, and has since sold over 14 million copies. Blizzard CEO, Mike Morhaime, announced the news during an Activision Blizzard Q3 financial call.
Morhaime said: "We're pleased with the response to the game's launch on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Lifetime sell through of the game across all platforms has reached over 14 million copies, and reviews have been very positive about how the game plays on consoles." These 14 million copies aren't just on PC, either, it is spread out across all platforms: PC, Mac, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Diablo 3's expansion, Reaper of Souls will hit the PC, Mac and PS4 in 2014.
We are weeks away from the launch of the Xbox One, and now Microsoft Studios' Vice President, Phil Spencer, has come out and reiterated Microsoft's commitment to PC gaming. The news comes from a chat between Spencer and Shacknews, where Spencer revealed that Microsoft has a few core gamer-focused titles in production for Windows.
Spencer said: "We probably have more individual projects on Windows than we've had in ten years at Microsoft Studios. At the launch of Windows 8, we had about 30 games in the Windows Store. A lot of those you'd consider lightweight or casual games... But we've covered all of that property now. Now we're starting to look at bigger and core gamer things. I'm excited by that."
One of the biggest surprises here is that Spencer noted that cross-platform interactivity and content-sharing will be a key part of Microsoft's strategy going into the future. Spencer added: "For us, we're first-party across all Microsoft devices. We definitely think about ourselves that way in our studios. If you think about a service like Spotify or Netflix, you expect that service to work on any device you have. For some games, it will be similar. I just want to have an Xbox Live account and it works on my phone, on my console, and my Windows machine. And then I'll be able to access my content in a screen-appropriate way."
Now, 'cross-platform interactivity' is not the same as cross-platform play, isn't it? This is something that I would like to see going into the future: cross-platform play between Xbox One and Windows-based devices, especially as 2014 will be the year of the Steam takeover.
What is EA thinking? It has been trying to shake off The Consumerist's "Worst Company in America" award, but now a report on Reddit has shown that EA forced itself to unleash Battlefield 4 too early, so that it could have the jump on Call of Duty: Ghosts.
Well, it looks like there are all sorts of issues with Battlefield 4 - myself, no issues here - but according to a QA tester at DICE, EA pumped BF4 through quality control and testing in order to beat COD: Ghosts to the market. This means that the various teams at DICE simply didn't have the time to properly test all of the features of BF4, its guns, weapons, and more. There are massive bugs such as the one that mutes everyone on the server if any player chooses a silencer on a particular weapon.
You can read the entire thing above, which is quite shocking, and disappointing. It means that we'll have to wait months for the game to be more stable, which after the whole BF3 debacle, I was hoping we'd skip this time around.
This morning Activision, the publisher of Call of Duty: Ghosts, announced that the game had managed to break the record set by Grand Theft Auto V, and managed to accumulate more than $1 billion in sales in the first 24 hours. This fulfills a promise made by Activision shortly after RockStar announced that they broke $1 billion in sales in just 3 days.
Unfortunately, Activision may be a little off in their estimates as the numbers they reported account for what is known as "Sell-In," which is how much retailers have paid the company for orders of the game. This means that retailers worldwide have purchased over $1 billion in copies and keys of the game, but $1 billion in actual retail sales might not have taken place yet.
For example, a retailer may purchase 3000 copies of the game for each of its stores, but might only sell 2000 of those copies per store. That leaves each store with 1000 unsold copies which it would return to Activision. This means that actual sales numbers differ from what Activision has reported today. So technically, they have not yet broken Rockstars GTA V sales record yet.
Back when Valve first announced SteamOS, we all knew that it would be something big, and today we got a glimpse of just how big it may be. 4A Games, the guys behind Metro: Last Light have just finished porting the game to Linux with full support for SteamOS, and a visit to the games page on Steam (Source link below) will confirm this.
A report from Shacknews, states that Metro: Last Light will be fully compatible with SteamOS and the Steam Controller in time for those lucky 300 to play on their beta-edition Steam Machines. Metro: Last Light is available now on Steam for just $39.99, but lets be honest, who has time to play with both Battlefield 4 and Call of Duty: Ghosts both out right now!
Evolution Studios' PS4 exclusive DriveClub, will be featured in PlayStation 4 retail kiosks, with Sony releasing a new video that shows off some gameplay footage of the racing title.
DriveClub boasts "team-based racing," social features and attention-to-detail graphics, such as beautiful animation when you step into your vehicle, making DriveClub feel that much more real. DriveClub was expected to launch side-by-side with the PS4, but has been delayed into 2014 unfortunately, like a lot of games these days.
Don't worry - I was surprised too: it looks like Valve will not be making any SteamOS, or Steam Machine exclusive games anytime soon. Valve has confirmed the news, too.
Designer Greg Coomer talked with IGN, where he said: "You won't see an exclusive killer app for SteamOS from us. We're not going to be doing that kind of thing." Valve spokesperson, Anna Sweet, also chimed in: "That would go against our whole philosophy, to launch something that's exclusive to SteamOS or Steam Machines."
Sweet added: "Whenever we talk to third-party partners, we encourage them to put their games in as many places as possible, including not on our platforms. Because we think that customers are everywhere, and they want to put their games wherever customers are."
I guess this is a good thing, as it means that even a system-seller like Half-Life 3 would reach any Steam-based platform, be it Windows, Mac OS X, SteamOS or any of the Steam Machines.
It's that time again everyone! Of course I am talking about the arrival of a new Humble Bundle and a fun and easy way to support some great charities. The new Humble Bundle features 6 games from Warner Bros. Games including Batman: Arkham Asylum GOTY, F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, F.E.A.R. 3, and Lord of the Rings: War in the North.
For those who wish to pay a little extra to beat the average, ($4.56 at the time of this writing) you will also pick up Steam keys for Batman: Arkham City GOTY, and Scribblenauts Unlimited. This bundles chosen charity is the We Can Be Heroes foundation, which is designed to raise awareness and critical funds needed to fight the devastating hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa and bring help and hope to eight million people who are in urgent need of assistance.
I have purchased almost every humble bundle and weekly sale that has been offered so far, and today is no exception. I urge everyone to jump in and even if you can only afford to donate $1 you will land some sweet games, and help out a deserving charity at the same time. Do you plan on purchasing the new Humble Bundle? Let us know in the comments.


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This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Eau Dynamisant satin finish body oil contains jojoba, aloe, ginseng and vitamin E to soften, smooth and tone the skin, Clarins says. Debuting in late April, the Clarins product uses notes of lemon, lavender, coriander, cardamom and rosemary to provide a "subtle scent." A 5 oz. bottle of the body oil will retail for $32.50. Separately, Multi-Matte, an eight-product skin care line developed with patented technology for oily skin, is scheduled to launch in May
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With a push from the Organic Consumers Association, the National Organic Standards Board is recommending that the use of nanotechnology be strictly prohibited from products certified under the National Organic Program
Though global market-size estimates differ, analysts at SupplySide West 2010 in Las Vegas agreed that cosmeceuticals remain a promising growth vehicle
ModiFace launches forecasting tool: Toronto-based virtual makeover firm introduces ShadeCast, a makeup sampling and forecasting tool based on behavioral tracking. ShadeCast is used in conjunction with iPhone application MakeUp, which allows consumers to virtually try on makeup in hundreds of shades from brands including Revlon, Cover Girl, Lancome and Clinique. ShadeCast offers 1,000 cosmetic shades from 40 brands and assigns a ShadeScore "to approximately position the [app's] hottest and most sampled color." ModiFace exec Nikkie Gatto likens the app to radio music playlists, helping consumers "looking to capture the current look, but also provide vital market intelligence to our retail channel partners," she says in Nov. 3 release. "The value of data to demonstrate the aggregate behavior will help the industry predict the latest trends and help cosmetic manufacturers better understand the color and products which most resonate with online and iPhone virtual makeover users," the company says
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Mario Testino is on the move once again for Michael Kors' newest campaign. The shutterbug, who recently shot Joan Smalls for The Edit, celebrated his 10th anniversary working with the brand by prepping Karmen Pedaru and Simon Nessman [...]
If there was one word to describe (newly-independent) designer Haider Ackermann's work, it would (easily) be androgynous. Now, the Tilda Swinton and Saski de Brauw-favorite is giving men a chance to don interpretations of his work with [...]
One of 2012's biggest movies, Les Miserables, is headed back to Broadway. The musical is being revived next spring for a run at New York City's Imperial Theatre, where it once ran for 13 years and 5,244 shows—making it the fourth [...]
It's already a well-known fact that supermodels are blessed with amazing genes, but nothing is more indicative of that truth than Gisele Bundchen's newest cover. Just a few months after giving birth to her second child, the bombshell [...]
Famed photographer Mario Testino has branched out into fashion design with his new label, Mate. After curating Alta Moda, an exhibition where Testino captured rural Peruvians and their way of life, the photographer was inspired to make the [...]
Style Scoop: Cara Delevingne Protects Skin in the Buff, Terry Richardson Gives Valentino a Hand, Harry Winston's New CEO Is...
Marc Jacobs is always in the company of beautiful people, so it's no wonder he called on It girl Cara Delevingne to champion his Protect the Skin You're In campaign. The YSL beauty is the latest model to strip down for the initiative, [...]


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Mercedes-Benz Promises Pickup-Truck By 2020
Mercedes-Benz has just announced it will build a midsize pickup truck by 2020. Yes, you read that correctly – Mercedes will build a pickup. But before you get all excited with thoughts of a well-appointed Chevy Colorado competitor, the German automaker is quick to point out its new addition will be targeted at Latin America, South America, Australia, and Europe.
What’s more, the planed truck will expand Mercedes commercial reach; a road already paved with its Sprinter and upcoming Mertis vans. Though the trucks will be available for private use as well, the trucks won’t likely cater to that market like U.S. pickups do with leather-lined cabins and luxurious price tags.
Volker Mornhinweg, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, says: "As part of our ’Mercedes-Benz Vans goes global’ strategy, the pickup is the ideal vehicle for the international expansion of our product range with a newly developed model."
So in Mornhinweg’s own words, the pickup will almost act like an expansion of the Mercedes van line. However, Mercedes won’t skimp out on “car-like specifications” within is cabin. Mercedes’ official announcement states the global demand for pickups is growing with more consumers using pickups for private purposes.
I suspect the truck will land somewhere between the more utilitarian Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux and the posh SUVs the brand is used to building. Sure, the truck will have all the usual electronic gadgets, but don’t expect Alcantara or AMG-quality materials. This will be a workin’ man’s truck.
Admittedly the sketch above suggests otherwise, looking more like a GLE with the rear cut off, but the sketch is obviously an early one and not really in line with Mercedes’ official statement. Either way, the world is about to get a Mercedes truck. Except North America, that is.
Continue reading to learn more about Mercedes’ future pickup-truck.
Why it matters
It’s hard to blame Mercedes for jumping on the midsize truck bandwagon. It’s a growing and profitable segment. That’s true for most of the world, perhaps even more so outside the U.S. where these smaller trucks are more useful than our larger, half-ton trucks thanks to tight roads and compact infrastructure.
The world might be surprised when Mercedes rolls out the concept version of this truck and it doesn’t come with an S-Class interior. I say expect something more like the Volkswagen Amarok. It’s decently appointed and well designed, but it’s no Audi.
But whatever the outcome, it’s a great day for truck fans.


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Jakarta, 31/12 / 2021 (ANTARA) - With 196.7 million Internet users, Indonesia is currently accelerating the digital transformation process, especially in the economic field.
In the current digital era, the Internet has triggered the Fourth Industrial Revolution, marked by the development of the digital economy globally, among others.
"Digitalization is a means to push for the transformation to a new economy with added value and better competitiveness," Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, once said.
Digital technology has opened up the possibility of greater collaboration among economic stakeholders for expediting trade, creating jobs, and improving access to public services, he noted.
"This momentum must be used to push the digital transformation process," he stressed.
The value of the digital economy of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has crossed US$100 billion, he noted. It is predicted to grow threefold by 2025 to more than US$300 billion, the minister said.
The largest contributor to the ASEAN digital economy has been e-commerce, followed by transportation and food delivery, online media, and travel, he said. Healthtech and edutech have also grown into promising sectors, he added.
Indonesia's digital economy is currently valued at US$44 billion, making it the largest in ASEAN, he pointed out. This figure is predicted to grow eightfold by 2030, according to Hartarto, who is also the chairman of the Golkar Party.
Most of the value of the digital economy has been contributed by e-commerce transactions, which are estimated to increase to US$32 billion by 2025, reflecting a growth of 54 percent, the minister said.


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Beloit Schools phase out SMART boards
SMART boards are becoming a thing of the past in Beloit.
The Beloit Board of Education unanimously approved the purchase of 60 Apple TV systems at their regular meeting on Tuesday.
The total cost of the Apple TV's is just under $70,000, compared to the over $300,000 the same amount of SMART boards would cost.
The Apple TV systems will outfit new classrooms Gaston and Cunningham Elementary Schools, McNeel Intermediate School, the new fitness center at Beloit Memorial High School. 13 will also be use to replace failing SMART boards around the district.
The district will continue utilizing the existing SMART boards until they become unusable, and then they'll be replaced by Apple TV's.
Apple TV allows users to stream content from their iPad or other Apple devise wirelessly to a flat screen television.


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November 2021 marked five years since the opening of Liverpool 2. Since then, the eight 92-metre high ‘megamax’ quayside cranes have become a Liverpool-renowned landmark and an essential facility in bringing new and global trading opportunities to the UK and Ireland. Portia has supported Peel Ports on this project over the last 7-years and is very pleased to have been a part of this success story. The development at Liverpool 2 has brought substantial investment to our home city of Liverpool and delivered new, long-term, skilled job opportunities for local people and enabled them to thrive in an exciting industry.
Since the announcement of Liverpool 2 in 2013, Peel Ports has invested over £400 million to expand the UK’s largest transatlantic port and create one of Europe’s most advanced container terminals. This has made Liverpool2 the central UK logistics hub, located at the heart of supply chains with the fastest and most efficient onward connections to the Irish Sea Hub, streamlining access to Scotland and Ireland.
Over half of the UK population (35 million people) are located within a 150-mile radius of the Port of Liverpool offers significant advantages for importers looking to reach the manufacturing and consumption heartland of the UK more directly than from the southern-based ports.
Peel Ports estimates that 30 million miles on UK roads will be saved in 2021 by containers passing through Liverpool 2 rather than the southern ports. Saving miles on the road also contributes towards Peel Ports aim of Liverpool 2 becoming the UK’s first “green logistics hub”. Recently Peel Ports became the first port operator to put a time frame on their road to carbon-neutral, with a firm commitment to be net-zero by 2040.
At Portia, we are proud to be a part of the continued development of Liverpool 2 and are looking forwards to seeing what the next 5-years hold.


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By Andria Cheng
On Thursday evening, J.C. Penney’s Co.’s /quotes/zigman/237947 /quotes/nls/jcp JCP Chief Executive Mike Ullman addressed the Wall Street community for the first time since returning to rescue the troubled retailer in early April left bleeding under Ron Johnson. He asked for time and patience.
He also said the company’s fundamental business remains strong and management is taking steps to return the department store chain to profitable growth.
In seeking to assure investors, he spoke of competing aggressively for shoppers through sales and promotions. Johnson was criticized for failing to test shopper opinion about the plan to eliminate promotions.
Store traffic, which Ullman said is the top priority, in the first quarter fell 6% after a 17% drop in the fourth quarter, offering a suggestion that the worst might be behind the store. The company also plans to bring back its more profitable private-label lines St. John’s Bay, Ambrielle, Made for Life and JCP Home.It also plans to align inventory online and in physical stores to boost demand for Ecommerce sales, which tumbled under Johnson.
“We were most impressed with the sequential improvement in traffic,” said Citigroup analyst Deborah Weinswig. “We are encouraged by the strategic plan outlined by” Ullman.
Several Wall Street analysts raised their sales estimates on the company. Weinswig, for instance, expects same-store sales, after a 16.6% drop in the first quarter, to return to positive territory this year from her previous estimate of a 6% decline. UBS analyst Michael Binetti now expects the company’s second-quarter sales could be flat, compared to his previous estimate of a 10% decline.
However, the improved sales outlook is shadowed by the fact that increased coupons and sales will likely further dent Penney’s profit margin. Binetti, who kept his sell rating on the stock, lowered his second-quarter gross margin estimate to a decline of 5 percentage points from a drop of 3 percentage points. Penney on Thursday reported a wider-than-expected loss after margin narrowed to 30.8% from 37.6%.
Even as Wall Street praised Ullman’s strategic plan, the company’s almost $1 billion burn in cash in the first quarter signaled that its hands are still tight with liquidity. Penney also has used its real estate assets as collateral in a $1.75 billion loan it’s raising through Goldman Sachs.
“We remain very cautious given the difficulties ahead, particularly as most of
JCP’s assets are now pledged to its bondholders,” said Credit Suisse analyst Michael Exstein.
Penney’s stock, which had surged more than one third since Ullman returned, fell 3.7% on Friday.
– Andria Cheng
– Follow her on twitter @AndriaCheng


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WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? PROPOSED MEGA MEGA MILK MONOPOLY MERGER MERITS QUICK KIBOSH. Should the world's largest milk processor (Dean's Foods) be allowed to merge with America's largest dairy cooperative (DFA)?
A large portion of the steep decline in America's ailing agriculture is due to relentless consolidation by self-serving monopolies. For example, Monsanto is among the elite group of four mega monopolies which "control more than 60 percent of global proprietary seed sales." https://civileats.com/…/the-sobering-details-behind-the-la…/
Opposition to monopoly control is a broad, unifying issue. The vast majority of American farmers, left and right, would agree that 40 years of comatose-enforcement of hundred-year-old Anti-Trust Laws – under both Republican and Democrat administrations – has been an unmitigated disaster for agriculture, rural America and the American economy. Caleb, Megan & Jim
"Federal antitrust regulators are probing a possible deal between a major U.S. dairy cooperative and Dean Foods Co., the bankrupt milk-processing giant, as the dairy industry realigns after decades of declining milk consumption."
The Justice Department is probing a potential merger between Dean Foods and the Dairy Farmers of America and the effect it might have on milk prices.


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SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — With the Panama Canal expansion on schedule for completion in 2014, supply chain specialists are anticipating a logistical hub to surface in the Caribbean Basin.
For those investors and traders eyeing opportunities in Cuba, the timing couldn’t be better. As noted in the Wall Street Journal recently, money managers are “optimistic” when it comes to finally eliminating this nation’s 50-year-old trade embargo. And initial barriers to entry should not include logistics, say industry experts.
Furthermore, Cuba may not need outside expertise to cope with immediate supply chain problems. According to some leading scholars and practitioners, Cuba is a sterling example of how to manage “scarcity.” They note that operating under resource scarcity already exists there, with businesses facing daily lack of food, medicine, electricity, and raw materials. View MarketWatch slide show, “The revealing faces of today’s Cuba.”
Despite this, the resourcefulness of Cuba’s people has triumphed to some extent. Reverse logistics experts observe that Cuba has created supply chains that re-use and recycle almost everything, despite the lack of government-mandated recycling programs. Indeed, such adaptation may augur the type of closed loop supply chains needed by other emerging nations in the future.
The long-term challenges around opening trade with Cuba would revolve around the issues of customs and export compliance, in particular the infrastructure to support the safe and fully documented movement of those goods.
With a drive to increase levels of electronic clearance and export documentation, the lack of investment in computerized systems — and the integration of those systems into the U.S. import/export world — would represent a complication, albeit a surmountable one, say compliance experts.
This could be ameliorated, however, by leveraging systems already in place through Cuba’s trade with the EU and Latin America, since our trade embargo with Cuba is increasingly unique.
To the extent that it has the hard currency to support trade at all, Cuba gets most of its imports from the EU and its neighbors to the south. But this can change in a hurry. Automotive parts, technology and manufacturing materials, as well as luxury items particular to the U.S. market are likely to be in high demand.
That said, it is likely that over the long term, U.S.-based producers would seek to build their own infrastructure within Cuba’s boundaries in order to better embed their business into the U.S. market.
According to the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index, Cuba already performs in the median range. Cuba’s economy is mostly state-controlled, meaning most of the means of production are owned and run by the government.
The London-based Economist Intelligence, meanwhile, ranks the Cuban business environment as one of the world’s worst. In recent years, it was placed as number 80 of 82 nations surveyed, with only Iran and Angola rated lower. However, some forms of foreign investments and private enterprise are allowed. The main sectors of the Cuban economy are industrial production and sugar cultivation. In recent years, tourism, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry are also gaining importance.
Finally, U.S. investors might wish to look to another hemispheric partner as a model for doing business with this tiny island nation: Canada. Our northern neighbors figured out Cuba’s supply chain long ago.
Canada’s investment, trade and cultural links with Cuba are substantial. In fact, Canada is the second-largest foreign investor in Cuba (after Venezuela) and the third-ranking country in terms of joint ventures. Canada is also Cuba’s fourth-largest merchandise trade partner, behind Venezuela, China, and Spain.
Analysts in Toronto report that a discernible pattern in Canada-Cuba commercial relations to date is that trade has tended to follow investment. In other words, a significant share of Canadian exports to Cuba targets sectors with notable Canadian investments. This is typically the result of an existing synergy between traders and investors that provides clear advantages in the home country and makes commercial sense, not necessarily because of a particular preference for Canadian suppliers.
“Have a Havana?” The supply chain seems ready to oblige. But while rum supplies are likely to meet U.S. demand, tobacco growers and cigar manufacturers are likely to be overwhelmed with orders. As a consequence, industry experts are forecasting a surge in that other great Cuban export: counterfeit Figurados.


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Sony announced that Horizon Forbidden West, the upcoming sequel to critically acclaimed Horizon Zero Dawn, will not come with a free upgrade for those who purchase the game on PS4 and plan to upgrade to a PS5. This has come with a lot of criticism from gamers across Twitter and other areas of the internet.
No Free Upgrade Path
While Sony has made strides in ensuring notable PS4 titles could be upgraded for free on the newly released PS5, Horizon Forbidden West will not be one of them. Its predecessor, Horizon Zero Dawn, was recently given the upgrade treatment for those who owned the PS4 version playing on a PS5. Other notable titles that launched on PS4 with a free upgrade path include Spider-Man: Miles Morales, God of War, and Ghost of Tsushima. Instead, players of the PS4 version who choose to upgrade to the PS5 console will have to purchase the PS5 version of the game in order to reap the benefits of the enhanced version of the title.
This information was derived from the pre-order details, which went live today for the February 2022 title. Based on the packages and pre-order options, it was noted that there were two standard versions of the game: one for PS4 and one for PS5. Deluxe versions are also available, both digital and physical.
Perhaps the biggest concern gamers are seeing is that this announcement seems to be contrary to comments made by Sony during press tours for the PS5 last year. In a blog post from last year, Sony discusses how notable titles that launch on PS4 will have free upgrades for PS5:
Additionally, we know that the PS4 community will transition to PS5 at different times, and we’re happy to announce PS4 versions of some of our exclusives. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Sackboy A Big Adventure, and Horizon Forbidden West will also launch on PS4. While these three games were designed to take advantage of PS5 and its unique next-gen features like the ultra-high-speed SSD and DualSense controller, PS4 owners will also be able to enjoy these experiences when they launch. The PS4 digital versions of launch games include a free upgrade on both PS5 consoles, while the PS4 disc versions of these games include a free upgrade on the PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-Ray disc drive.
The reversal on Horizon Forbidden West is concerning for some gamers, as many feel betrayed and now pressured to upgrade there hardware sooner than anticipated in order to not have to pay double for this highly anticipated game.
Horizon Forbidden West
The anticipated sequel arrives on PS4 and PS5 on 2/18/2022. Pre-orders are available now for those looking to prepare for the launch. MHG will continue to cover this title and review it upon release. For now, continue to BLOW IT UP! and most importantly, Stay Rad.