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Peugeot owners have praised the brand and its dealer network in the latest Auto Express Driver Power survey.
The way trade buyers operate is changing, NextGear Capital learned on its recent UK wide auction tour.
WhoCanFixMyCar.com has conducted a study off the back of research showing garages were quoting on average £45 more to women for the same job.
Vauxhall has introduced VX360; a programme that allows onsite expert technicians to video recommended repair work and share it with owners immediately via mobile and email.
Motorpoint has helped to install a defibrillator for community use in the Rosegrove Lane area of Burnley.
Check out our image gallery of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta.
Auto Trader has revealed that the 2014 Citroen Grand C4 Picasso MPV diesel automatic was its fastest selling car in June.
The average prices of used cars sold online via Autorola UK’s remarketing portal increased by £201 from £8,641 in Q1 to £8,842 in quarter two Q2.
Hyundai Motor UK has announced the pricing and specification of its all-new Tucson SUV.
A group of car enthusiasts are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Vauxhall Mk1 Cavalier by undertaking a marathon rally spanning the length of the UK.
50% of buyers visit more than one dealership when buying their next car, while 67% of those do so on the hunt for a better deal, according to Auto Trader’s Buyer Behaviour Survey.
Jeep is supporting the Cambridge University Boat Club as its official tow car provider at this year’s BNY Mellon Boat Race in London.
Benfield Motor Group is offering 0% APR interest (for up to five years) on all of its used cars from 8am tomorrow until 8pm on April 14.
Automotive Management Live: Where franchised and independent dealers will find everything they need to know about operating a modern showroom and service and repair facility fit for the digital age.
When: November 12 2020
Where: Birmingham NEC
Find out what features are in this month's, and future, issues


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Treasury Wine Estates Ltd (ASX:TWE): Why Insiders Are Heavily Buying
Treasury Wine Estates Ltd (ASX:TWE) is a wine company with its products being sold across the globe. It’s one of the few Australian large-caps that saw significant insider buying over the past three months — TWE insiders invested more than $161 million during the same time period. While insider buying doesn’t hold much significance from an investment perspective, it at least tells how the people, who know the company internally, feel about its future. On the surface, analysts’ earnings growth projection of over 60% in three-years provides a similar outlook. But it doesn’t seem highly optimistic when we look deeper — TWE experienced strong double-digit top-line growth since 2014, while the company’s net income increased more than 230%. TWE has become impressively efficient with gross margins improving from 24.6% in FY’13 to 36.9% over the past year. That, along with product rationalization, reflected in its net profit margin growing from 2.7% to 10.0% during the same time period. Apart from organic growth driven by a good response to its marketing efforts in China and the US, sales are expected to grow from the acquisition of US-based Diageo wine. In terms of cash synergies, TWE recently raised its target from US$25 million to US$35 million on an annual basis, while expecting $100 million savings in cost of goods sold, compared to $80 million earlier, by FY’20 as it grows in size. That’s a big number considering it made $257 million over the past year. Apart from gaining a significant presence in the US Luxury and Masstige wine segments through the acquisition, TWE recently forayed into manufacturing French wine for the quality-concerned customers in one of its key markets: China. TWE shares are trading at all time highs, up nearly 200% in five years and 30% over the past year. In its most recent half yearly results, TWE delivered a year-over-year 20.2% revenue growth and a 47% jump in basic EPS, prompting an interim dividend payout of 13 cents per share (unfranked), compared to 8.0 cents a year ago. Its growing manufacturing capabilities, along with a range of established brands, can deliver high-single-digit growth in the medium term. This has been a double-treat for shareholders, gaining from both the share price rise and growing dividends, and it seems insiders expect this trend to continue.

domain: news


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“India has long been a strategic market for Infor, one that is instrumental to the growth of our overall business. With an IPO in the cards, India and other regions need to fire on all cylinders,” said Charles Phillips, chief executive officer.
“The new IBU is Infor's strategic response to the immense market opportunities afforded by digital technologies such as cloud, mobility, artificial intelligence and IoT in accelerating innovation across public and private sectors in India. Ranga is well-placed to lead this IBU into unprecedented growth – having been at the helm of both R&D and CoE services across multiple products and growing global delivery services ten-fold under his charge in his two decades with Infor.”
India is among the top two locations for the company with 3,000 people in the region. The company said that the announcement was a reinforcement of Infor’s long-term commitment and investments in this market.
Ranga Pothula said, “Infor has a robust product innovation and growth roadmap that places a laser-sharp focus on delivering exacting customer demands for last-mile functionality specialized by industry.
Furthermore, as digital transformation continues to sweep enterprise and SME businesses in India and beyond, Infor is well-positioned to deliver mission-critical business software in the cloud. I look forward to further scaling our IBU operations by sharpening focus on global delivery, servicing offerings, technology developments, and strengthening customer and partner relations.”
Pothula has been at Infor for over two decades, having been responsible for global delivery services operations in India, the Philippines, Egypt and Poland over the past four years. Infor is a business business cloud software provider with with 17,300 employees and over 68,000 customers in more than 170 countries.
- Front Page
- Pure Politics
- ET Markets
- Crypto Exchanges Accused of Laundering ₹1,000 Crore
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is probing at least ten cryptocurrency exchanges for allegedly laundering more than ₹1,000 crore identified as proceeds of crime of the accused firms under investigation in the instant loan app case in which most have a China link, said people aware of the matter.AIFs Due for Closure Struggle to Sell Holdings in Startup Firms
Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) that are scheduled to wind up in the next few months have been struggling to sell their holdings in unlisted ventures and startups, as investors stay clear of risky investments due to tightening liquidity.New RBI Norms Keep 3rd Party Out of Digital Lending Process
The Reserve Bank of India on Wednesday said disbursal of loans and collection of repayments must be executed only between borrowers and entities regulated by it, and that no third party should be involved in this process.
ETPrime stories of the day
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Hayle is to get its first Subway store – creating jobs in the process.
The American fast food restaurant at Foundry Square will be the first Subway in the town and will be located at the back of the existing Spar store.
To accommodate the refit the store will close on April 2 for around two weeks before reopening complete with the new sandwich counter at the rear.
The new Subway will include everything the brand has to offer, from six to 12in sub sandwiches, to salad bowls, small bites and meal deals.
Regular shoppers will also be able to enjoy a full refit on the Spar side of things featuring ‘brand new everything’ according to manager Christopher Baguley.
He said: “This is very exciting news. The store will benefit massively with a new layout and a refresh.
“Adding a Subway to Hayle we hope will be a winner. Here at Spar we are striving to always better ourselves and bring you, the customers the best.
“Thank you and we will see you all soon.”
Ruth Parkinson, from the store, added: “We are really excited for this new business adventure, we look forward to receiving the Food To Go staff with open arms.
“I am looking forward to meeting the local and loyal customers.”
The number of new roles available has not been specified, but anyone who would like to apply to Subway or Spar should email a CV to firstname.lastname@example.org


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Small Tree Communications, the industry leader in providing high-performance networking solutions for Mac OS X, has named PRO TECHnology as its exclusive distributor in the Middle East region.
The announcement, which was made during The Media & Marketing Show in Dubai further strengthens Small Tree’s global positioning among networking professionals.
“PRO TECHnology has established a sterling reputation in the Middle East for supplying world-class brands and comprehensive service in the networking industry,” stated Corky Seeber, president of Small Tree Communications. “With PRO TECHnology now selling the Apple Power Mac G5 Quad to its customers, our partnership was inevitable. We look forward to a long and successful relationship with PRO TECHnology as we continue to strengthen our visibility in markets around the world.” “When speaking with our contacts at Apple about high-performance networking solutions for Mac OS X, there was one company that stood out above the rest — Small Tree Communications,” Jamal H. Maraqa, Managing Director for PRO TECHnology. “As we begin offering the Apple Power Mac G5 Quad to our clientele, it is imperative that we also provide solutions that will enable those purchasing that system to upgrade performance if necessary. Our partnership with Small Tree is ideal for our customers, as a respected IT products and solutions provider joins forces with a superior network manufacturer.”
For the past several years, Small Tree Communications has developed products that have enabled Apple to increase its reach in the high-performance, supercomputing market. Through the introduction of its InfiniBand technology, 10 Gigabit Ethernet Cards, 802.3ad Link Aggregation, Multi-port Gigabit Copper Ethernet Cards and Fiber Optic Ethernet Cards, more and more IT professionals are turning to Apple computers for its clustering capabilities. In fact, Virginia Tech University currently utilizes Small Tree’s InfiniBand technology with its Apple cluster at the Terascale Computing Facility, one of the world’s Top 15 supercomputer sites.


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17th September 2018 – As reported earlier, the Federal government organized the auction of ultra-luxury PM vehicles.
The auction started at 10:00 AM in the PM House, Islamabad, with 102 vehicles, which included 8 BMWs, 28 Mercedes Benz, 9 Honda cars, 8 Suzuki, 40 Toyota cars, 5 Mitsubishi, 2 Cherokee, 1 Nissan, and 1 Hino Bus.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, while speaking to the media, said the first batch of 70 vehicles had been sold above their market price.
The auction was divided into two batches. 70 cars were sold in the first batch. The second batch comprised of high-end luxury cars, which included the Mercedes Benz S-300, Maybach S-600, BMW 7-Series, BMW X-Series and etc.
As per our sources, due to the high price demand compared to the market, the auction of 10 – 12 cars got canceled and they will be up for auction in the next session, however, the date is yet to be decided.
The auction was held as part of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s austerity drive, and the money generated from this auction will be used for the well-being of the nation.
For the latest updates in the automotive world, stay tuned to PakWheels.com


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Portland, Ore. -- Engineering students have entered the final phase of Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility. The three-year competition aims to increase the efficiency of hybrid-energy-powered automobiles, eliminate their noxious emissions and lower their cost.
For the just-ended 2006 midterm competition, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech; Blacksburg) took first place with its split parallel hybrid design. The University of Wisconsin (Madison) took second place with its through-the-road parallel hybrid car. Third place went to Mississippi State University with its through-the-road parallel hybrid vehicle.
The ultimate goal of the competition is to gain consumers' acceptance of hybrids. "Right now, two groups are buying hybrids. Engineers are buying hybrids because they are intrigued by the technology, and environmentalists are buying them because they are interested in saving fossil fuel. But most consumers won't buy a hybrid unless there is a cost savings," said Glenn Bower, the second-place Challenge X team's adviser and a faculty associate in the College of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin. "Our add-on modifications will provide that savings to consumers, since it will cost only about a $4,000 to $5,000 premium, which would save about $1,000 to $1,500 per year in gasoline over a lifetime of ownership between five to six years."
The 17 teams, chosen from a field of 60 applicants, spent the first year, 2005, simulating proposed modifications to their vehicles. This year, they incorporated those improvements for a preliminary competition. Next year they will refine their designs and enter the final competitive evaluation in mid-2007.
Challenge X is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors, Freescale Semiconductor and National Instruments, among others.
"We are in the second year of a three-year competition," said Bower, "so all your major components--the engine, the motor and the battery--can't be changed beyond this point. So during the last year, we will be focusing on tuning our control systems and software."
The most successful alternative-fuel automobiles to date include the Toyota Prius and Honda hybrids, which combine a gasoline engine with an electric motor. This approach has also been adopted by all three winners of this year's Challenge X competition.
So far, so good
This year's winner, the Hybrid Electric Vehicle Team, sought "to realize a 30 percent increase in fuel economy while maintaining superior vehicle performance and low emissions," said Steven Boyd, Virginia Tech's team leader. As did all 17 teams, the Virginia Tech team began its effort with a 2005 Chevrolet Equinox donated by GM. The team added two electric motors and converted the gasoline engine to run on E85 fuel, which is 85 percent ethanol and only 15 percent gasoline. The fuel is "expected to reduce petroleum use by an incredible 80 percent," said Boyd. This year's vehicle yielded a well-to-wheels reduction of petroleum use of 74 percent.
In Virginia Tech's split parallel hybrid approach, the team used a turbocharged 2-liter Saab engine, two electric motors and a nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery pack for energy storage. As with all parallel designs, the electric motor and gasoline engine are used simultaneously. In contrast, the internal combustion engines of series hybrids are not directly connected to the drivetrain. Instead, the engine powers an electric generator; the generator charges batteries and supplies electricity to the motor, which in turn runs the drivetrain.


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General Motors (GM 3.82%) said this morning that its U.S. sales rose 5% in the fourth quarter from a year ago, as it sold over 770,000 vehicles thanks to its best retail result in over a decade.
The result didn't entirely offset the sales that GM lost while its factories were shut down by the COVID-19 pandemic earlier in 2020. But it did help: While GM ended the year with its total U.S. sales down 12% from 2019, that was due in part to lost commercial-fleet deliveries; its retail deliveries were down just 6% from the year prior.
Of interest to auto investors, GM's sales gains were led by some of its most profitable products, a good sign for the fourth-quarter earnings report, expected on Feb. 10.
- GM sold almost 840,000 full-size pickup trucks in 2020. That was enough, it said, to make it the U.S. market sales leader in the category. Combined sales of all versions of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra were up 11.1% in the fourth quarter from the same period in 2019, and up 4.9% for the full year.
- Sales of the all-new Cadillac Escalade SUV, one of GM's most expensive vehicles (and likely one of its most profitable), rose 6.4% from a year ago to about 9,500 units. Buyers weren't shy about adding options: GM said that 43% of those Escalades were sold at prices above $100,000.
- Sales of the Escalade's siblings, the big Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban, and GMC Yukon, were up a combined 28% from the fourth quarter of 2019. These are also all-new models that, like GM's full-size pickups and the Escalade, were designed and developed with profitability in mind.
- Overall U.S. retail sales rose 12% in the fourth quarter. Generally speaking, while both are solidly profitable, retail sales deliver more profit per vehicle sold than commercial-fleet sales.
One note regarding GM's claim to pickup-truck sales leadership: Archrival Ford Motor Company (F 2.31%) hadn't yet reported its sales results at press time. Based on analyst estimates, it's likely that Ford's F-Series trucks outsold the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra individually, but that GM's total (with the Silverado and Sierra added together) exceeded Ford's, allowing both companies to claim a sales victory.


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The Big Game!
The first outdoor Super Bowl to be held in a cold climate is fast approaching. Napco and other businesses in the Meadowlands Region are gearing up for the excitement. Our Napcolor division participated in The Big Game Experience showcase on Wednesday, May 22 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center. It was a unique opportunity to connect with event planners from around the country who are preparing for the “Big Game.”
Brian Carlin, our Director of Sales said “The big game show was a fabulous experience. We met some great people and shared many good ideas for planners’ events. The hotel, restaurant and hospitality companies were especially interested in our ability to provide banners, signs and trade show booths. The advertising firms and transportation companies really liked our window cling material, and almost everyone was interested in short run color marketing materials.”
Our Graphics Consultant Frank Gassib said “This was a very fun tradeshow, and unlike any other I have ever attended. A very diverse crowd showed up. The guy on stilts kept us entertained as he handed out his info. It was such a great time!”
Thanks to our amazing staff, to the interesting attendees, and to all who participated in making this such a wonderful experience. It was a pleasure!
In the photo below, from left to right… Rick Rovito, Gia Kirschner, and Mike O’Keefe with some samples in our Napcolor Booth.


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If it weren’t for the Jeep brand, would Chrysler still exist? Probably, but it wouldn’t be in very good shape.
A wave of sales of Toledo’s coveted sport utility vehicle nearly prevented Chrysler car and truck overall sales from sinking last month.
The Jeep Wrangler, built at the Toledo Jeep Assembly complex, had a remarkable 93 percent increase in sales last month from the same month last year, at 10,982. Its sales are up for the year 86 percent.


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CVS Group plc (LON:CVSG) insider Richard A. Connell bought 2,061 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 920 ($12.38) per share, for a total transaction of £18,961.20 ($25,519.78).
Shares of CVS Group plc (LON:CVSG) opened at GBX 1,110 ($14.94) on Friday. CVS Group plc has a 12-month low of GBX 13.22 ($0.18) and a 12-month high of GBX 1,500 ($20.19).
CVS Group (LON:CVSG) last announced its earnings results on Friday, September 29th. The company reported GBX 42.80 ($0.58) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of GBX 42.30 ($0.57) by GBX 0.50 ($0.01). CVS Group had a net margin of 3.65% and a return on equity of 12.22%. The firm had revenue of £271.80 million for the quarter.
A number of research firms have weighed in on CVSG. Berenberg Bank restated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 1,450 ($19.52) price target on shares of CVS Group in a research note on Wednesday. Peel Hunt reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a GBX 1,350 ($18.17) price target on shares of CVS Group in a research report on Thursday, November 30th.
COPYRIGHT VIOLATION WARNING: This news story was originally published by Week Herald and is owned by of Week Herald. If you are viewing this news story on another website, it was illegally stolen and republished in violation of United States & international trademark and copyright law. The legal version of this news story can be viewed at https://weekherald.com/2017/12/09/cvs-group-plc-cvsg-insider-richard-a-connell-purchases-2061-shares-of-stock.html.
About CVS Group
CVS Group plc is a holding company. The principal activities of the Company are to operate animal veterinary practices, veterinary diagnostic businesses, pet crematoria and an online pharmacy and retail business. Its segments are Veterinary Practice, Laboratories, Pet Crematoria and Animed Direct. The Veterinary Practice segment offers treatment for companion animals, equine and farm animals.
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Bank offers scam prevention through education
A Hemel Hempstead bank has teamed up with police to help its customers understand how they could be targeted by fraudsters.
PCSOs and staff at the Natwest branch in the town centre’s Bank Court have been speaking to people about how they can prevent themselves from becoming victims of cruel cash cons.
They were also given copies of the Metropolitan Police’s ‘Little Book of Big Scams’ in a specially-dedicated event held today.
The idea coincides with Natwest’s National Customer Service Week, running until Friday.
Branch manager Darren Guy said: “At NatWest, we’re committed to helping our customers protect themselves from fraud and we think prevention through education is key.
“We’re delighted to join forces with the police to promote the ‘Little Book of Big Scams’, to show our customers that we’re both here to help our customers not only if they fall victim, but to prevent it from happening.
“It’s impossible to prevent every type of fraud occurring, but we’re working closer with the police than ever before to raise awareness among our customers to help them identify the warning signs.”
For more safety tips from Natwest, visit natwest.com/security.
The scheme follows a programme of scam-prevention workshops launched by Hemel Hempstead homecare provider Home Instead, launched earlier this week.


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The metaverse is gradually becoming a statement for many beauty brands, with several companies such as TRESemmé and NYX Professional Makeup already making their entries into the virtual world. As the global metaverse market is predicted to grow 43.3% by 2028, with an estimated value of $828.95 trillion, beauty is sure to see several new breakthroughs in the Web3 space shortly. In collaboration with Ready Player Me, a cross-game avatar platform, L'Oréal is the latest trade name to explore the metaverse, hoping to "promote authenticity, inclusivity, and creativity for self-expression" across the online space.
The partnership takes place across two of the L'Oréal Group's brands―Maybelline New York and L'Oréal Professionnel providing a total of ten hair and makeup looks that can be used across the Ready Player Me platform on more than 4,000 apps worldwide.
"We believe that the future of beauty will be physical, digital, and virtual," says Asmita Dubey, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer of the L'Oréal Group. "Our brands are creating new, immersive, and virtual experiences using virtual spaces, in-game customized experiences, in-virtual world advertising, and virtual ambassadors and influencers. We are very excited to lay the foundations for the future of beauty on Web3 and the metaverse."
The avatar customizations include five trend-led hairstyles and five makeup looks designed in partnership with multidisciplinary artist Yvan Rochette. When using virtual styles, game players can customize the looks to best suit their own personal vibe, helping L'Oréal to reach consumers through new and innovative products and services.
"Maybelline New York's makeup looks and L'Oréal Professionnel's hairstyles are an amazing addition to the Ready Player Me platform," says Timmu Tõke, CEO and co-founder of Ready Player Me. "We couldn't be more excited to partner with L'Oréal and bring their avatar customization options to our avatar creator and all apps and games compatible with Ready Player Me, including Spatial, HiberWorld, and VRChat."
According to Camille Kroely, Chief Metaverse and Web3 Officer at the L'Oréal Group, the approach for the collaboration was not to duplicate realistic looks but instead to inspire creativity and bring consumers tools they may not be able to explore in real life. With heavy inspiration across the metaverse being taken from fashion and outfits, Kroely also notes that the collaboration opens up an opportunity to explore a side of the metaverse through beauty that she believes is yet to be tapped.
"This partnership allows us to better understand the appetite for virtual beauty amongst consumers and elevate beauty experiences. With more than three billion global gamers, our approach is to explore new beauty codes, while making the experience more accessible and inclusive. Through creativity, technology and L'Oréal's beauty expertise, we aim to offer a space for self-expression that reflects the diversity of our world beyond "physical," Kroely adds.
The offerings from the duo come shortly after L'Oréal announced a partnership with Meta and HEC Paris to launch a metaverse startup accelerator that takes place across a six-month program. The initiative will support at least five brands to hone in on their metaverse-related skills, including 3D production, AR, VR, mixed reality, and avatar creation.
Working alongside Ready Player Me is not the first time Maybelline New York has taken part in the metaverse, with their recent Singles Day program Rhythm City enabling users to find makeup inspiration through virtual reality. Rhythm City’s web space saw the makeup brand partner with South Korean band Itzy to become "champions of self-love, individuality, and self-expression."
Ready Player Me recently raised $56 million in series B funding, helping the startup to collaborate with a range of brands in new and innovative ways. As L'Oréal takes a "test-and-learn" approach into the metaverse, starting with Maybelline New York and L'Oréal Professionnel, consumers can expect to see more virtual offerings from a cross section of brands represented by the L'Oréal Group in the near future.
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According to the Industrial and commercial Bank of China, most banks in the country and the largest technology company introduced the blockchain in their products.
According to the report, 72 financial institutions have already reported to government that provide services on the basis of technologies of the distributed registry. Blockchain has integrated all state banks and most private. Mostly they use it in the field of trade Finance, supply chain management, calculations and digital accounts.
Only in China officially blockchain has introduced the 420 companies, including giants such as Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu and JD. Large technology firms that also develop their own applications in the field of Finance on the basis of the distributed registry, but mostly it is used for security systems.
The report PKBK said that Chinese banks and companies also use the blockchain for the management of the funds the issuance of securities and monitor loyalty.
Not only China encourages the development of this technology. Recently, the South Korean government said that now the “Golden time” for the development of the blockchain.
text: Ivan Malichenko, photo: Financial Times


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Super Bowl LII: Top Commercials to Watch
Super Bowl LII is five days away. It will feature the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots. However, it will also feature a look at the new advertisements from several companies. Whether your team is in the big game or not, many will watch for the commercials themselves. So let us look at some of the bigger companies and what to expect.
This past football season Bud Light brought us the “Dilly, Dilly” campaign. While Anheuser Busch may very well keep that going, they have also tipped the scales to another area. Anheuser Busch and Budweiser wanted to show the world their humanitarian efforts. So this year they are running a commercial on their canned water campaign. Here is an early look at the ad.
Super Bowl LII fans will see its fair share of celebrities. One sighting should come when Mars airs their spot for M&M’s. In fact, our friend the Red M&M is tired of being the target of partier’s mouths. Thus, he wants to become human. Red becomes a human played by Danny DeVito.
The car company is the Official Sponsor of Super Bowl LII. This year’s spot for the brand is to be a follow-up to their spot last year. Above all, that won the company the Most Effective Ad Award by Unruly. This year the ad may touch the hearts of a few. The focus is on pediatric cancer. Below is a teaser.
The company will try to use a format from one of the hottest shows on TV, Lip Sync Battle. The spot will feature Peter Dinklage and Busta Rhymes on team Doritos Blaze. They will face Morgan Freeman and Missy Elliot who will represent team Mountain Dew Ice.
Pepsi is also featuring a remake of the 1992 Cindy Crawford spot. However, this year’s take expects to be a little more G-rated. Below is a tease.
The online shopping company is playing a spot with their voice-activated Alexa. In fact, what would you do if your Alexa lost her voice?
In addition, here are some of the companies that have decided not to run an ad during Super Bowl LII.
Clorox – “We’ll always respond to the cultural conversation and the brands we think are right, but we have nothing planned for any paid media around the event. For us, when we look at how we want to invest the money and where we think it is, we always contemplate that choice.” Eric Reynolds Clorox CMO and Senior VP.
Buick – “We will not have a Super Bowl ad. We’re focusing on our sponsorship of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament (March Madness).” Per company spokesperson
Others include Google, YouTube, and GoDaddy.
Additionally, a 30-second spot for Super Bowl LII cost a company nearly $5 million dollars.
So, what will be your favorite commercial in Super Bowl LII? Will it be any of the ones listed? Leave a comment below.
Also, stay with WBLZ Media all week-long for your Super Bowl LII news and notes.
Follow Sean on Twitter and Instagram for your NFL, Super Bowl LII news and notes @NFLWBLZ.


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As construction companies and supply chains become more globalised, with staff working in countries which have very different cultural practices from their own, new and often unexpected risks are emerging.
In 2016, consultancy Sweett Group’s prosecution under the Bribery Act and GBP 2.25 million fine sent out a warning to all construction companies operating in countries where cultures may be unfamiliar.
Following an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office into its activities in the United Arab Emirates, Sweett Group pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to prevent an act of bribery intended to secure a Dubai hotel contract, contrary to UK bribery legislation.
Given that similar legislation is prevalent around the world, the case was a lesson for many businesses.
While some business practices, such as ‘facilitation payments’ in advance of a contract award, are considered commonplace and acceptable in certain countries, a company can still be prosecuted for these actions in their home jurisdiction, even when an agent or subsidiary is acting on their behalf.
Bribery and corruption in construction
Bribery and corruption is just one example of the risks facing multinational construction companies when they move into new territories.
More sinister are instances of worker exploitation and slavery in supply chains.
Practices that can occur include long working hours, squalid accommodation, erratic or reduced payment of wages, passport confiscation, debt bondage, and pay levels below those agreed when workers were recruited.
Typically, they involve migrant workers.
The UK based Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) addressed many of these practices in its 2016 report, Building a Fairer System: Tackling Modern Slavery in Construction Supply Chains.
“The construction industry is susceptible to cases of forced labour as the use of migrant workers has become a key element for many companies, particularly when bidding for or working in large infrastructure projects abroad,” explains the report’s author Emma Crates.
“Without attracting skilled and unskilled talent from other regions, many organisations would struggle to complete these building schemes.”
Tier one contractors are particularly at risk from worker exploitation in their supply chains, which are typically large and challenging to manage.
Where the country is unfamiliar, the supply chain is likely to include companies the contractor has not worked with before.
Several major international contractors have been subject to media investigations into their treatment of workers on projects in the Gulf region, with the attention centring on labour agencies used by the companies to supply their sites.
The right tools to tackle global supply chain risk
The CIOB has launched a ‘toolkit’ to help construction companies tackle the issue of forced labour and modern slavery in its global supply chains, providing guidelines, training and best practice.
The guidance is backed by pan-industry organisation Stronger Together, set up after the UK implemented the Modern Slavery Act in 2015, and can be regarded as an important risk management tool for any globalised construction company.
“Firms that take up and implement this toolkit demonstrate their commitment to ending modern slavery,” says CIOB Chief Executive Chris Blythe.
“The toolkit is there to help raise awareness of modern slavery, identify exploitation and then provide the support for businesses to deal with it responsibly through guidance and good practice.”
Major companies who have signed up for the toolkit include contractor Willmott Dixon, product manufacturer Saint-Gobain and developer Westfield.
Rick Willmott, Chief Executive at Willmott Dixon, says: “Sustainability is at the heart of our business and that includes showing leadership in sustainable procurement.
“We take our responsibility for tackling modern slavery very seriously.”
Other firms have already taken positive action. Paving supplier Marshalls sources its stone products from quarries and manufacturing plants in countries such as India, China and Vietnam.
Group Marketing Director Chris Harrop was shocked at the levels of exploitation he witnessed after visiting suppliers in Rajasthan, western India. “What struck me was that it was so blatant,” he says.
Ethical trading to combat exploitation in construction
Marshalls has joined the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), an international alliance of companies, trade unions and NGOs, and adopted the ETI Base Code of Labour Practice, which covers areas such as child and bonded labour, living wages, health and safety, discrimination and inhumane treatment.
Consultancy CH2M, which has acted as a technical consultant for the 2022 World Cup, worked with ethical labour expert Verité to develop a global policy on worker welfare.
It covers issues including fair worker recruitment and payment practices, accommodation and living standards.
Last year, nearly 20,000 employees took CH2M’s online ethics programme, which included a segment on the new worker welfare policy.
“Introducing worker welfare into our standard training packages, rather than treating it as a stand-alone topic, is a good way of keeping this issue live within the company, and building it into everything we do,” says Senior Vice President Theresa Loar.
The risks from operating in foreign territories and unfamiliar cultures are clear. Sweett Group is perhaps the most extreme example of the risk involved.
Since the Dubai bribery scandal, its name has disappeared from the industry – the company was taken over in 2016 by rival Currie & Brown, which has dispensed with its brand completely.
So, construction companies that do not rigorously monitor business activities across their whole supply chain can leave themselves open to serious reputational damage.
For further information please contact Richard Gurney, CEO of JLT Construction on +44 20 7558 3880 or email firstname.lastname@example.org


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Maya Villasenor is a former Digital and Cyberspace Policy program intern at the Council on Foreign Relations and an engineering student at Columbia University.
Last November, Motherboard reported that data brokerage startups X-Mode and Babel Street sold location data derived from ordinary, seemingly innocuous smartphone apps to the U.S. military. Although it is not yet clear how the military leveraged commercial location data, smartphone data has previously been used to inform drone strikes overseas. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also recently faced scrutiny for using smartphone app location data to track suspected undocumented immigrants. In January, an unclassified memo from the Defense Intelligence Agency described [PDF] using commercial mobile phone data in at least five investigations. While it is clear why the U.S. government desires location data gathered by the commercial sector, addressing the resulting legal and policy questions is much more difficult.
X-Mode, first founded as an app to track inebriated college students, illustrates the complexities of the market. The company promises in their publicity material to provide “accuracy and transparency in the location data industry” by selling privacy-conscious, consent-based data compliant with Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). App developers hoping to monetize their user base without tackling the complexities of the regulatory hurdles surrounding location data install X-Mode’s software in exchange for a small commission. After ostensibly stripping the data of personally identifiable information, X-Mode then licenses datasets derived from these apps to interested contractors, including retailers, insurers, cybersecurity firms, scientists (including researchers tracking the spread of COVID-19), and urban planners. According to their website, data belonging to over 25 percent of the adult American population passes through X-Mode every month.
Users can opt out of in-app data collection, and as a result, government agencies assert [PDF] that a Supreme Court precedent blocking law enforcement from obtaining mobile phone location data without a warrant, Carpenter v. United States (2018), does not apply. Without the privacy protections afforded by Carpenter, a pair of outdated precedents from the pre-digital era, United States v. Miller (1976) and Smith v. Maryland (1979), suggest that mobile phone users do not have a “reasonable expectation of privacy” regarding data they voluntarily allow smartphone apps to collect. However, opting out of smartphone data collection is exceedingly difficult, and most smartphone users do not understand the complex net of data collection tied to apps. Users who do not opt out, whether by choice or naivete, are also often unaware of the ultimate destination of their data.
Government agencies furthermore insist that the purchased location data does not contain individual identities, rendering Fourth Amendment concerns irrelevant. Although X-Mode, Babel Street, and their peers emphasize the anonymity of their datasets, data inherently is not private. In 2019, researchers at the Imperial College London and the Université Catholique de Louvain demonstrated that anonymized datasets with merely fifteen attributes could be used to re-identify individuals with a 99.98 percent accuracy. (Their re-identification software was ultimately published online for public use.) Moreover, former employees at Babel Street bragged that they could—and would, for fun—“absolutely deanonymize a person.”
In December, Apple and Google compelled developers to remove X-Mode’s software from their apps and threatened that noncompliance would result in removal from app marketplaces, and the Office of the Inspector General announced an investigation into DHS for its warrantless use of smartphone app location data. The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform is also currently investigating [PDF] the data trade, yet the innumerable applications of location data—at times malicious but often benign—will render bright-line distinctions elusive.
While domestic scrutiny is necessary and overdue, it will likely do little to address the burgeoning transnational trade of data and surveillance technology, an underappreciated threat to privacy. NSO Group, which has a reputation for selling spyware to governments with poor human rights records, recently debuted a contact tracing system for health ministries, known as Fleming, that was purportedly developed using cell phone location information purchased from data brokers. When deployed, Fleming requires governments to continuously input large volumes of cell phone location data to gain insight into the spread of COVID-19, thus incentivizing them to either purchase vast troves of location data or collect it through other means. Consequently, people’s data from their mobile phones could be used in NSO Group’s contact tracing product without their knowledge.
In the current data landscape, where there is often little distinction between commercial and government action, and where vendors, buyers, and targets of surveillance exist in various countries, regulation is insufficient, and redress is challenging. The dialogue on digital location information largely focuses on the visible, superficial aspects of data collection, yet the complex interlinkages involving behind-the-scenes vendors of data and software will likely pose a greater threat to privacy in the coming decade.


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Black Swamp Market is a throwback in time
GENOA — When Lou Hebert was growing up in Genoa in the 1950s, it was his habit — when he had an extra nickel — to stop by Hesselbart’s Red & White grocery store downtown for a candy bar on his way home from school. On Friday evenings, he liked to accompany his mother to the store for her weekly shopping trip.
“I knew everyone at the store. It was like a big family,” he said.
As it often does, life has come full circle for Hebert. On Aug. 5, he opened Black Swamp Market in the former Hesselbart’s location. Once again, the building is selling lemons and onions, canned soup, and loaves of bread — and is giving away friendly conversation for free. Black Swamp Market is located at 624 Main St., Genoa, and can be reached at 419-290-7088.
Already the shop is returning to its old 1950s self. People are stopping in for something hot to drink and sticking around for a slow chat with Hebert. Many of them also use the time to browse through some of the old Genoa yearbooks he has on hand — they date back to 1928 — or the scrapbooks he acquired from a former resident.
“People like to sit at the big table and have a cup of coffee and talk and look through the yearbooks,” Hebert said.
Hebert obtained the scrapbooks from the daughter of a former resident who put them together as a hobby beginning in the 1960s.
“They’re jam-packed with old newspaper stories from this area and some national stories. You go through them, and you just get lost,” he said.
The yearbooks and scrapbooks, as well as several vintage photos that adorn the shop walls, are an offshoot of Hebert’s passion for history. Professionally, he worked for years as a television and radio producer and narrator in several cities across the country and for Channel 24 and Channel 11 in Toledo, but history is what often filled his spare time. When he returned to Genoa for good about 16 years ago, he began research for his book, “Day by Day in Toledo,” an eclectic compilation of daily history happenings from the area. The book is for sale in his shop.
Hebert also writes a history blog at www.toledogazette.wordpress.com filled with little-known anecdotes from Northwest Ohio, like the story about the goldfish invasion in the Portage River in 1920 and the account of the violent and mysterious death of Elmore’s Clara Harrington Blinn and her young son, Willie.
“I try to find those stories not many people know about. A lot of people had their 15 minutes of fame 100 years ago,” Hebert said. “I find little nuggets that are wonderful reads — the things I didn’t learn in history class.”
The back of the shop houses a small library where visitors can pick up books in exchange for leaving one.
“It’s a bring one, take one thing, or they can buy books,” Hebert said.
The front of the shop, stocked like a general store, is packed with convenience items like eggs, milk and canned goods. Lunch and soft drinks are available, and Hebert is currently serving foods like coney dogs, hot dogs, sandwiches and chicken salad. As the weather gets cooler, he plans to add soups and chili.
Pop is a big seller, he said, and he sells fresh produce, newspapers and magazines, pastries and homemade cookies.
Black Swamp Market is the fulfillment of a longtime dream for Hebert. When he was growing up, he said, there were four grocery stores on Main Street in Genoa, and in high school he worked at the IGA next door to Hesselbart’s.
“I’ve always liked the grocery store business. It’s a social business,” he said. “I always thought that, after I retired, I’d open a grocery store back in Genoa. When this spot opened up, it was perfect.”


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With latest China visit, North Korea's Kim can again play statesman and reassure Beijing he's an ally
China wants to make sure North Korea, despite its recent overtures to South Korea and the U.S., doesn’t drift too far from its historical ties with China. Pyongyang seems determined to reassure Beijing, a critical partner.
Trump threatens to slap tariffs on an additional $200 billion in Chinese goods, raising trade tensions
President Trump on Monday further escalated his trade fight with China, threatening to impose a second round of tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese imports in a bid to raise pressure on the country to alter its trade practices. He vowed to double that amount if Beijing retaliates again.


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Is the new food delivery app UberEats the answer to our prayers?
First, Uber drove you around. Next, Uber brought you puppies. Now, Uber is bringing you food. Through the new stand-alone food delivery app UberEats, the popular ride-sharing app will now deliver food around the clock.
After a successful trial period in Toronto last year, Uber Technologies, Inc. announced the expansion of the service in January. Earlier today, the tech company officially rolled out their new food delivery app UberEats for hungry patrons living in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco (where the company is based), and Toronto. The service will soon be available in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Melbourne, New York, Paris, Seattle and Washington, D.C., per a statement.
Unfortunately for UberEats, the food delivery app industry is already pretty crowded. Popular, established apps such as Grubhub, Seamless, DoorDash, EAT24 and Favor already dominate the market. Additionally, Internet giant Amazon started to dabble in the food delivery service last year.
Fortunately for UberEats, they offer features that they believe will set them apart from their competition. Their most compelling feature is their Instant Delivery menu. This menu shifts daily, and customers who order from this menu can expect to see their food in 10 minutes or less. Talk about speedy!
Additionally, customers will be able to peruse the menus of hundreds of local restaurants. These menus will update multiple times per day, making sure that patrons will be able to specifically order off restaurants’ breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, and late-night menus.
Finally, UberEats will offer help to customers who can’t make up their minds. The app will allow restaurants to feature their most popular dishes to tantalize hungry users. Additionally, users will be able to search for dishes by cuisine via UberEats’ search function.
Are you excited for UberEats? Let me know in the comment section below!


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MVD Entertainment Group and Gotham Distribution Corp. have formed Old School Ventures, a new entity formed between the companies to run, service and administrate the music and film consumer direct business, Oldies.com.
Old School Ventures will operate out of MVD’s headquarters in Pottstown, Pa., and will be headed up by industry veteran Joe Buesgen, who has been VP of marketing at Oldies.com since 2000.
“With the combined expertise and resources of MVD and Gotham, we are well-positioned to take Oldies.com to the next level and continue to innovate in the industry,” Buesgen said in a statement. “This partnership represents a great opportunity to leverage our strengths and provide our customers with the best possible experience.”
MVD, founded in 1986, is a full-service music and movie distribution firm, exclusively representing a catalog of audio and visual products for DVD, Blu-ray, CD, vinyl and digital rights, worldwide. Ed Seaman and Eve Edwards are co-CEOs of MVD.
“MVD has been working with Gotham & Collectables closely for the last 20-plus years and we know them very well; this opportunity to be in business with the Greene family is an honor,” Seaman said in a statement. “We are very optimistic about the future of collectible physical media, and together we are going to make a great team.”
Founded in 1980 by Nina Greene, Jerry Greene and Melissa Greene-Anderson, Gotham Distributing Corp. is a music and movie distribution company based in West Conshohocken, Pa. Over the past two decades, their Oldies.com division has grown into one of the largest music and movie consumer-direct catalog and e-commerce companies in the United States. Gotham is also the home of Collectables Records, a reissue record label established in 1980, and Alpha Video, an entertainment company that specializes in the manufacturing and marketing of classic movies and TV shows on DVD.
“After the sale of our iconic warehouse along the Blue Route, we realized that it was time to explore other options and partnerships that could help us continue to grow and serve our customers,” Jerry Greene said in a statement. “The formation of Old School Ventures with MVD Entertainment Group is a perfect example of how we are leveraging our strengths and resources to take Oldies.com to new heights. We are excited about this new chapter in our company’s history and look forward to working closely with our partners to build a bright future for the music and movie consumer-direct business.”
Operations transfer to the new entity Old School Ventures on March 29.


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JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd. has unveiled its latest solar cell series, CYPRESS. The JA Solar R&D team has designed CYPRESS technology to enhance product quality and help meet the needs of its diverse customer base. Extensive in-house testing has shown that this new series of cells offer excellent conversion rates, as well as better product stability when compared with previous series. Full-scale production is scheduled to begin in June 2012.
JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd.


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The people have spoken and Australia's most popular cocktail has been crowned.
Jenny Wiggins Melbourne cargo charges could double over the next two years, raising prices of imported goods for consumers, as the privatisation of Australian container ports pushes up rents, logistics group Qube...
A measure of Australian consumer sentiment suffered a sharp reversal in September as households became more concerned about the outlook for the economy and employment.
Michelle Higgins At $US250,000 ($271,471) a tyre, these parking spaces in Manhattan cost more than four times the median home price in the US.
Mark Mulligan Business confidence sagged in August, wiping out July's improvement, as wholesalers, the transport industry and utilities joined mining companies in downgrading their outlook for trading conditions...
Mark Mulligan Property investors are not far off snapping up the majority share of Australia's new home loans, taking out a record proportion of Australia's new housing finance in July.
Stephen Cauchi Rising job ad numbers suggest the labour market is improving, despite the shock jump in July's unemployment rate.
Max Mason The resources boom helped Australia avoid recession during the global financial crisis, but the ripple on effect has created a two-speed economy where traditional measures of growth no longer give...
Gareth Hutchens and Clancy Yeates One of Australia’s preeminent economists has warned the “whole economy” needs lower interest rates but the Reserve Bank’s concern with the housing market is preventing that...
Sally Rose The chief investment officer of one of Australia’s largest and fastest growing superannuation funds, HOSTPLUS, has added his voice to the chorus of disappointment at this week’s Senate...
Mark Mulligan Consumer spending continued to pick up in July, but at a slower pace than in June, according to figures out on Thursday.
Alana Schetzer Australians are set to be forced to pay more for 'regular' mail delivery as Australia Post pushes forward with its proposed shake-up of its dwindling letters service.
Rose Powell Australia Post announced a sharp slump in profit on Thursday morning, and added a dire warning about the future of the government-owned business.
Clancy Yeates Reserve Bank governor Glenn Stevens has delivered a blunt warning on the booming property market, highlighting the dangers of pumping up house prices from "already elevated" levels.
Rose Powell The technology industry has called on the government to change several rules in an incoming startup grant program to address market failures holding new tech companies back.
Mark Mulligan Reserve Bank of Australia governor Glenn Stevens has warned about the creation of asset bubbles in the current low interest rate environment.
Misa Han The Reserve Bank of Australia is on track to break its record for the longest spell of cash rate inertia, with most major economists forecasting the central bank will sit on its hands well into 2015.
Mark Mulligan Reserve Bank of Australia governor Glenn Stevens has called on business to invest more to speed up the transition away from resources-based growth.
Gareth Hutchens GDP is a backward looking economic indicator.
Jamie Freed Spending by international visitors to Australia rose to a record $30.1 billion in the financial year ended June 30, up 7 per cent from the prior year due to a strong rise in the number of...
Jared Lynch Red tape and a "rigid" labour force are hammering Australia's global competitiveness, according to the World Economic Forum.


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Last week, Twitter announced a list of improvements coming to the service including enhancements to Direct Messages and video capabilities slated for next year, and today the social network started rolling out its new features as promised. With the latest version of Twitter for Android, you can now share public Tweets privately over Direct Messages with native embedding. You can see the new feature in action below…
With today’s update you’ll be able to share a Tweet privately with any of your followers. To do this from either the iOS or Android mobile apps, long-press the Tweet in your timeline and choose “Share via Direct Message.” […] The person you share a Tweet with will get a push notification, and the Tweet will display directly in the conversation.
Twitter says the new Tweet sharing feature through Direct Messages will be available for the official Twitter for Android app as well as Twitter.com, Twitter for iPhone, and TweetDeck for Chrome, Windows, and the web. TweetDeck for Mac will pick up the ability to share Tweets over Direct Messages “soon” although today’s announcement makes no mention of support for any third-party apps.
Twitter did say in its announcement last week that it aims to introduce native video features to its service sometime next year. In addition to pushing its Vine social network service, Twitter says it will add the ability to “record, edit and share” video natively from within its own app.
You can grab the latest version of Twitter for Android on the Play Store as the new version with Direct Message Tweet embedding is expected to become available soon.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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What is the iPhone XR?
The iPhone Xs is the latest version of the middle-sized iPhone, with a 5.8-inch screen.
The body is made from surgical-grade steel.
When will the iPhone XR be available?
Apple has confirmed that the iPhone XR will start at £749 for the 64GB model.
Pre-orders for the iPhone Xr begins on October 19, with the phone hitting store shelves on October 26.
Until now, internal iPhone storage maxed out at 256GB.
Titans vs. Dolphins Week 1 game longest in National Football League history
Unfortunately, it was also a game marred by significant injuries. "I tried to stay in the present as much as I could". Tannehill threw two interceptions, and the Dolphins twice came up empty on possessions inside the Tennessee 20.
Texas Cop Who Fatally Shot Man After Entering Wrong Apartment Identified
We ask that you work alongside us as we move through this process. "Right now, there are more questions than we have answers". But the young man didn't think that was enough. "So he shared it with us ... that night, and it was a truly special moment ".
Florence could cause dangerous surf along US coast
The issue that forecasts with a storm beyond the 5 days are very unreliable and is no better than throwing darts onto a board. And while its long-term path is still uncertain, the storm is expected to begin affecting parts of the U.S.
Apple has invited journalists, analysts, and tech industry figures to its campus on Wednesday for the launch of new iPhone and Apple Watch models. Apple also said that its next major update to its iOS operating system will come next Tuesday, followed a week later by a Mac software update.
Also for the first time, because Apple is allowing its stream to be played on other platforms, it will be available on Twitter. That means saying goodbye to the iPhone's "chin and forehead" look that had become associated with it.
Is there anything new with Face ID or the TrueDepth camera?
The flying elephant of the new lot is the iPhone Xs Max, which sounds like it could be a new flavor of Mountain Dew, or perhaps an extreme sport.
Processor. The A12 Bionic chip found in all the new models skates out to the jagged edge of silicon chip design.
Low-cost phones could help put more devices in circulation to consume Apple's growing set of services like Apple Music, iCloud, and Apple Pay. But that kind of real-time processing requires massive computing power, which the rest of us will find pretty useful when playing a favorite online game, or editing vacation videos.
What's new with the camera? Upgrades like wireless charging and an apparently machine learning-powered dual selfie camera setup are nice, but they aren't the kinds of things that will make the Pixels stand out in a crowd. That being said, it still shoots up to 4K at 60 frames per second and is optically stabilized.
With six colors to choose from, the iPhone Xr is easily the most visually interesting iPhone in years. It features Smart HDR, which automatically makes improvements to photos using machine learning. There was also a cheaper device, the iPhone XR, which is a follow-up to the iPhone8.
Meanwhile, Apple says the XR will go an additional 90 minutes past the battery life of the 8 Plus.


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WASHINGTON — Inflation is widely reviled as a kind of tax on modern life, but as Federal Reserve policy makers prepare to meet this week, there is growing concern inside and outside the Fed that inflation is not rising fast enough.
Some economists say more inflation is just what the American economy needs to escape from a half-decade of sluggish growth and high unemployment.
The Fed has worked for decades to suppress inflation, but economists, including Janet Yellen, President Obama’s nominee to lead the Fed starting next year, have long argued that a little inflation is particularly valuable when the economy is weak. Rising prices help companies increase profits; rising wages help borrowers repay debts. Inflation also encourages people and businesses to borrow money and spend it more quickly.
The school board in Anchorage, Alaska, for example, is counting on inflation to keep a lid on teachers’ wages. Retailers including Costco and Walmart are hoping for higher inflation to increase profits. The federal government expects inflation to ease the burden of its debts. Yet by one measure, inflation rose at an annual pace of 1.2 percent in August, just above the lowest pace on record.
“Weighed against the political, social and economic risks of continued slow growth after a once-in-a-century financial crisis, a sustained burst of moderate inflation is not something to worry about,” Kenneth S. Rogoff, a Harvard economist, wrote recently. “It should be embraced.”
The Fed, in a break from its historic focus on suppressing inflation, has tried since the financial crisis to keep prices rising about 2 percent a year. Some Fed officials cite the slower pace of inflation as a reason, alongside reducing unemployment, to continue the central bank’s stimulus campaign.
Critics, including Professor Rogoff, say the Fed is being much too meek. He says that inflation should be pushed as high as 6 percent a year for a few years, a rate not seen since the early 1980s. And he compared the Fed’s caution to not swinging hard enough at a golf ball in a sand trap. “You need to hit it more firmly to get it up onto the grass,” he said. “As long as you’re in the sand trap, tapping it around is not enough.”
All this talk has prompted dismay among economists who see little benefit in inflation, and who warn that the Fed could lose control of prices as the economy recovers. As inflation accelerates, economists agree that any benefits can be quickly outstripped by the disruptive consequences of people rushing to spend money as soon as possible. Rising inflation also punishes people living on fixed incomes, and it discourages lending and long-term investments, imposing an enduring restraint on economic growth even if the inflation subsides.
“The spectacle of American central bankers trying to press the inflation rate higher in the aftermath of the 2008 crisis is virtually without precedent,” Alan Greenspan, the former Fed chairman, wrote in a new book, “The Map and the Territory.” He said the effort could end in double-digit inflation.
The current generation of policy makers came of age in the 1970s, when a higher tolerance for inflation did not deliver the promised benefits. Instead, Western economies fell into “stagflation” — rising prices, little growth.
Lately, however, the 1970s have seemed a less relevant cautionary tale than the fate of Japan, where prices have been in general decline since the late 1990s. Kariya, a popular instant dinner of curry in a pouch that cost 120 yen in 2000, can now be found for 68 yen, according to the blog Yen for Living.
This enduring deflation, which policy makers are now trying to end, kept the economy in retreat as people hesitated to make purchases, because prices were falling, or to borrow money, because the cost of repayment was rising.
“Low inflation is not good for the economy because very low inflation increases the risks of deflation, which can cause an economy to stagnate,” the Fed’s chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, a student of Japan’s deflation, said in July. “The evidence is that falling and low inflation can be very bad for an economy.”
There is evidence that low inflation is hurting the American economy.
“I’ve always said that a little inflation is good,” Richard A. Galanti, Costco’s chief financial officer, said in December 2008. He explained that the retailer is generally able to expand its profit margins and its sales when prices are rising. This month, Mr. Galanti told analysts that sluggish inflation was one reason the company had reported its slowest revenue growth since the recession.
Executives at Walmart, Rent-A-Center and Spartan Stores, a Michigan grocery chain, have similarly bemoaned the lack of inflation in recent months.
Many households also have reason to miss higher inflation. Historically, higher prices have led to higher wages, allowing borrowers to repay fixed debts like mortgage loans more easily. Over the five years before 2008, inflation raised prices 10 percent. Over the last five years, prices rose 8 percent. At the current pace, prices would rise 6 percent over the next five years.
“Let me just remind everyone that inflation falling below our target of 2 percent is costly,” Charles L. Evans, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, said in a speech in Madison, Wis., this month. “If inflation is lower than expected, then debt financing is more burdensome than borrowers expected. Problems of debt overhang become that much worse for the economy.”
Inflation also helps workers find jobs, according. to an influential 1996 paper by the economist George Akerlof and two co-authors. Rising prices allows companies to increase profit margins quietly, by not raising wages, which in turn makes it profitable for companies to hire additional workers. Lower rates of inflation have the opposite effect, making it harder to find work.
Companies could cut wages, of course. But there is ample evidence that even during economic downturns, companies are reluctant to do so. Federal data show a large spike since the recession in the share of workers reporting no change in wages, but a much smaller increase in workers reporting wage cuts, according to an analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. There is, in practice, an invisible wall preventing pay cuts. The standard explanation is that employers fear that workers will be angry and therefore less productive.
“I want to be really careful about advocating for lower wages because I typically advocate for the other side of that equation,” said Jared Bernstein, a fellow at the left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and a former economic adviser to Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. “But I think higher inflation would help.”
The Anchorage school board, facing pressure to cut costs because of a budget shortfall, began contract negotiations with its 3,500 teachers this year by proposing to freeze rather than cut wages. The final deal, completed last month, gives the teachers raises of 1 percent in each of the next three years.
Teachers, while not thrilled, described the deal as better than a pay cut. But it is likely, in effect, to cut the teachers’ pay. Economists expect prices to rise about 2 percent a year over the next three years, so even as the teachers take home more dollars, those dollars would have less value. Instead of a 1 percent annual increase, the teachers would fall behind by 1 percent a year.
“We feel like this contract still allows us to attract and retain quality educators,” said Ed Graff, the Anchorage school district superintendent.
In June, Caterpillar, the industrial equipment maker, persuaded several hundred workers at a Wisconsin factory to accept a six-year wage freeze. The company described the workers as overpaid, but it did not seek direct cuts.
The slow pace of inflation, however, minimizes the benefits. Seeking further savings, Caterpillar has since laid off almost half of the workers.


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PILLAR Performance Shines at IRONMAN World Championship Expo, Expands Presence in France and Spain
September 22, 2023
London /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – PILLAR Performance (“PILLAR”), the rapidly growing Australian micronutrition company, made a triumphant mark at the recent IRONMAN World Championships held in Nice, France. The company showcased its first-to-market range of micro nutrition to athletes from around the world in the lead-up to this prestigious event. Alongside the successful expo appearance, PILLAR is thrilled to announce the availability of their products now in both France and Spain, marking another milestone in the company’s global expansion.
The IRONMAN World Championships in Nice provided PILLAR with an unparalleled platform to introduce their innovative micronutrition products to a diverse audience of athletes, coaches, and endurance enthusiasts. With a mission to optimise athletic performance through science-backed micronutrition, PILLAR received an overwhelmingly positive response from attendees who were seeking to enhance their performance and overall well-being.
The product capturing the attention of athletes and industry professionals alike is their Triple Magnesium. This product delivers the most bioavailable and potent ratio of magnesium forms, combined with a unique flavouring mechanism. The efficacy is now immediately measurable via health tracking wearable technology. The product is undergoing peer-reviewed publication, directed by PILLAR Head of Research, Dr Dan Plews, world renowned heart rate variability (HRV) researcher and endurance nutrition expert.
This unique combination offers numerous benefits to athletes, including:
- Better Deep Sleep Performance: Quality sleep is essential for recovery and performance. Magnesium supports relaxation and can help improve sleep quality, aiding athletes in getting the rest they need to excel.
- Enhanced Muscle Function: Magnesium is vital for muscle contraction and relaxation, which is crucial for peak athletic performance. Triple Magnesium helps muscles operate optimally during training and competition.
- Reduced Muscle Cramps and Fatigue: Athletes often experience muscle cramps and fatigue, especially during endurance events like IRONMAN. Triple Magnesium’s balanced formula can help alleviate these issues.
Commenting on PILLAR’s successful appearance at the IRONMAN World Championship Expo, Founder & CEO Damien Fitzpatrick said, “We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to introduce our products to athletes from across the world at such a prestigious event. The positive feedback and interest we received reaffirm our commitment to delivering solutions for athletes when it comes to micronutrition. It was also a great opportunity to announce that PILLAR products are now available in France and Spain, making it even more convenient for athletes in these key regions to access our products.”
PILLAR is committed to empowering athletes to reach their full potential by offering scientifically validated, high-quality micronutrition. With the availability of its products in France and Spain, PILLAR is excited to support athletes in these regions on their journey towards peak performance.
For more information about PILLAR Performance and their products, please visit www.pillarperformance.eu.
About PILLAR Performance
PILLAR Performance is a performance nutraceutical company, launched in Australia, in July 2021. PILLAR’s range of research lead micronutrition, is a first to market category, bridging the gap between pharmaceutical intervention and sports supplements.
The company was founded from a high performance incubator of Australian sport scientists and dietitians, that identified micronutrition, specific for performance, as a growing problem needing to be solved.
Athletes/high performers require nutrients at greater levels than sedentary individuals. However, over the last two decades, all innovation in performance nutrition has been concentrated on macro-nutrition; alternative protein, carbohydrate fueling technology and electrolyte balance, with the micro nutritional side left untouched.
PILLAR has changed that – developing a product class and brand that shifts micronutrition from prevention into performance for this powerful consumer group.
Measurability & Research
The Hero product, Triple Magnesium powder, was developed to solve the demand for sleep efficacy for athletes/high performers. The product delivers the most bioavailable and potent ratio of magnesium forms, combined with a unique flavouring mechanism. The efficacy is now immediately measurable via health tracking wearable technology.
The product is undergoing peer-reviewed publication, directed by PILLAR Head of Research, Dr Dan Plews, world renowned heart rate variability (HRV) researcher and endurance nutrition expert.
Since launching into the Australian market in July 2021, PILLAR products are now used by over 75 professional sporting franchises, Olympic programs, world tour cycling programs and an ever growing number of elite endurance athletes globally.


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These communities will now be able to mint and govern their own stablecoin for reliable transactions, the team shared in a release with CryptoSlate.
Stablecoins — cryptocurrencies designed to maintain a stable $1 value — have skyrocketed in popularity in recent years. The current market for stablecoins now exceeds $100 billion as traders turn to USDC and Tether as a way to reduce exposure amid declines in the prices of Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies.
Yet, these stablecoins actually put the crypto economy at greater risk by increasing the severity of these market declines. This is because cryptocurrencies are sold to mint them and that selling pressure decreases the value of these cryptocurrencies (much like selling a stock decreases the value of that stock).
Bringing stablecoins to Dogecoin, Bitcoin, and others
ICHI’s Decentralized Monetary Authority (DMA) protocol solves this problem for the first time by enabling any crypto community to create a stablecoin that is backed by a blend of its own native coin and fiat-backed stablecoins.
This increases the demand for each community’s native coin and ensures value remains locked in the community. The new partnership announced today will enable ICHI to create a stablecoin for the popular cryptocurrencies — including DOGE, BTC, and others — that RenVM is bringing to the Ethereum blockchain.
This will enable these cryptocurrencies to be utilized for a variety of Decentralized Finance (DeFi) applications across the blockchain ecosystem.
“This partnership is a key step in allowing the fluid movement of liquidity between any blockchain,” said Michael Burgess, Ren COO, in a statement.
He added, “ICHI’s protocol creates value for any stakeholder within the Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Digibyte or other crypto communities we support by encouraging the adoption and use of these tokens and driving value back to the community in the form of yield.”
This partnership follows the collaboration between ICHI, Ren, and ConsenSys to develop a stablecoin for Filecoin. Since launching in June, more than $2 million in oneFIL stablecoins have been minted. ICHI has also successfully launched in-house stablecoins for 1inch Network, Fuse Network, and Wing Finance.
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Duravit AG is taking a quantum leap towards a sustainable future: the world’s first climate-neutral ceramic production facility is being built at the Matane site in the Canadian province of Québec. The new Canadian site will create 240 new jobs, with production scheduled to start in early 2025. Ceramic sanitary ware products such as WCs and washbasins will be manufactured here in the future exclusively using renewable energies. For the firing process, Duravit will use the world’s first electric roller kiln powered by electricity from hydropower. The use of this innovative technology will save around 11,000 tons of CO2 per year compared to a conventional ceramic factory. Duravit thus becomes a pioneer in the industry.
ABOUT THE SUPPLIER
Founded in 1817 in Hornberg in the Black Forest, Duravit is today a leading international manufacturer of designer bathrooms.


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Ninja Theory, the developers behind Heavenly Sword, have revealed just exactly why they've decided to go multiplat with their next action adventure game, Enslaved.
Speaking with CVG, the studio explained that although Heavenly Sword was one of the earlier most anticipated exclusives released for Sony's PlayStation 3, it didn't sell enough for the studio to "break even."
"It's difficult. Heavenly Sword came out pretty early on the PS3, and we sold, I think, a million and a half copies, and that's still not enough as an independent studio to break even," explained co-founder Tameem Antoniades who also pointed out that the rather large market share of Microsoft's Xbox 360 was hard to ignore.
"It's just that when so many people have Xbox - I mean over half the market or more has Xbox 360s - why limit yourself to one platform?"


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A SONY super-fan has created stunning 3D graphics of what the PlayStation 5 might look like.
The designs are based on a claimed "leak" of the PS5 recently uploaded to a notorious online gaming forum.
Sony has already confirmed that the PS5 is coming out this year.
But its exact design still remains a mystery, despite the imminent launch.
Last week, an anonymous 4chan user posted a detailed and convincing post with information about the console – and a blurry photo of the gadget.
Inspired by the leak, digital artist and developer FalconDesign3D posted impressive 3D renders to Twitter.
"Did a PS5 rendering based on the latest leaks of its design," @FalconDesign3D wrote.
The console looks very impressive, with a futuristic design that cuts the console in half.
Ironically, it gives the PS5 an "X" shape – which you would typically expect to see from Microsoft's rival Xbox.
It's important to remember that the leaked design hasn't been confirmed by Sony.
We won't know the truth of the PS5's new look until an official announcement is made.
The good news is that the big reveal could take place very soon.
According to the unnamed "leaker", the console will be unveiled on February 5, 2020, and will cost £449 / $499 / €449 / ¥54,999.
It's claimed that this launch event will take place at the ritzy Sony Hall – a Sony-sponsored venue in New York City.
According to the Sony Hall events calendar, no public or private bookings are scheduled for February 5.
That means the venue appears to be free for a Sony event, if one were being planned in secret.
Marketing buzz-phrases for the console are listed as "little to no load times", "blazing fast downloads", and "download the games, or stream the games as an option".
PlayStation releases – what's the history
Here's what you need to know...
- The original PlayStation launched in Europe in 1995
- This was followed by the PlayStation 2 in the year 2000
- The PlayStation 3 arrived over half a decade later, in 2006
- Then gamers had to wait a further seven years for 2013's PS4 launch
- Sony has announced it will release the PS5 around Christmas 2020
Of particular excitement to Sony fans is the rumoured support for "backwards compatibility".
This is the ability to play old games on the PS5 console from all five platforms: PS1, PS2, PSP, PS3 and PS4.
Some of the rumoured launch titles include Gran Turismo 7, MLB The Show 21, Demon Souls Remastered, Godfall and Legendz.
Pre-orders are tipped as going live on the same day as the launch event, but the actual on-sale day is tipped to fall in October 2020.
Previous rumours have put the actual PS5 retail release as being much closer to Christmas.
The bad news is that it's impossible to verify this "leak", and the information could easily have been fabricated.
However, the level of detail in the post is very high,
We've asked Sony for comment and will update this story with any response.
Sony is unlikely to confirm this leak, so we probably won't know the truth until the official launch.
Until then, take all rumours and leaks with due caution.
These renders were created by Falcon Design.
MOST READ IN GAMING
In other news, we recently revealed all the possible PS5 exclusive games for launch day.
Microsoft unveiled its new console, the Xbox Series X, last month.
And read our round-up of the latest rumours about the Xbox 2 and PS5.
What do you think of this possible PS5 design? Let us know in the comments!
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at firstname.lastname@example.org


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By Julie Schmit, USA TODAY
The full costs of the biggest beef recall ever are beginning to emerge six weeks later and they are hitting retailers, meat processors, other businesses and the government.
In California alone, more than $1.1 million has been spent to destroy the beef and products containing it that were distributed via the federal school lunch program, state officials say.
That covers 4.2 million pounds of beef and 155,000 cases of processed food, says Phyllis Bramson-Paul, a director of nutritional services for the state education department.
California was one of 46 states that got beef from now-closed Westland/Hallmark Meat through the National School Lunch Program. But officials say it was likely one of the largest recipients because Westland/Hallmark's plant was in Chino, Calif. Westland/Hallmark recalled 143 million pounds of beef Feb. 17.
The USDA will reimburse states with credits or commodities to cover lost products and destruction expenses. "We're essentially eating the cost," USDA spokeswoman Angela Harless says.
Hundreds of companies also resold Westland beef or products containing some. Each must tell their customers that the products need to be destroyed as ordered by the USDA.
Some smaller meat firms may be ruined, says Rosemary Mucklow, executive director of the National Meat Association. "They're talking about losses of millions of dollars and if they have less than $10 million in sales, that's a lot," she says.
The USDA says much of the 143 million pounds was consumed pre-recall. But canned products, such as soups and sauces, can last years. The Grocery Manufacturers Association says the scope of the recall — covering two years of production and beef distributed nationwide — is unprecedented and the final cost may reach into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
In California, almost 15,000 retailers, restaurants, schools, hospitals and others received Westland beef or products containing the beef, according to a list published by the California Department of Public Health. There is no national public list.
The USDA says it will seek restitution from Westland/Hallmark. The firm has laid off its 200 workers and isn't expected to reopen.
Companies will seek payback, too, from Westland or others in the supply chain, says John Hall, product liability attorney at Eckert Seamans.
The USDA says the beef posed only a "remote" health risk. No illnesses have been reported. There was no evidence of contamination, as is the case in most meat recalls, the USDA says.
The recall was done because the USDA says the plant didn't always get USDA clearance when slaughtering non-ambulatory cattle, making the meat unfit to eat.
Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more.


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The lights are on
Bethesda has released a slew of new screens for its upcoming expansion to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The Dragonborn DLC adds a host of new features and areas to explore.
Players will be able to journey to a new area, just off the coast of Morrowind, on December 4. At least, they will if they're playing on the Xbox 360. PC users will have to wait a bit for the exclusivity to wear off, and PS3 users will have to maintain their patience. Take a look at the gallery below to see some cultists, new towns, and some kind of floating turtle jellyfish thing. Yikes!
Email the author Jeff Cork, or follow on Twitter, Google+, Facebook, and Game Informer.


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"The Champagne should probably be kept on ice, at least until the two presidents put pen to paper," said state-owned media China Daily.Traderead more
Bloomberg could be in for a showdown with Elizabeth Warren, whether he runs or not.2020 Electionsread more
Bank of America says investors should still look to stocks for value rather than bonds.Investingread more
Wall Street analysts estimate GM has lost more than $1 billion due to the United Auto Workers' strike, which began Sept. 16.Autosread more
Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading:Market Insiderread more
Harley-Davidson has halted production and deliveries of its new LiveWire electric motorcycle after reportedly discovering a problem with its charging mechanism.Transportationread more
Uber has laid off about 350 employees across several teams within the organization.Technologyread more
A passenger has complained to United Airlines after a fellow traveler was allowed to fly with a T-shirt that called for hanging journalists.Airlinesread more
"I fear that's what we're headed into" here in America, warns the former Treasury secretary.Economyread more
"But I expect we'll have a deal," Mnuchin tells CNBC.Politicsread more
Kohl's stores are getting a bit of a refresh, and are being infused with new brands, ahead of this holiday season.Retailread more
British online clothing retailer Asos has come under fire after an investigative article in Buzzfeed revealed workers at its warehouse in Northern England were "treated like machines."
In a three-month investigation, Buzzfeed has revealed that staff at Asos' Barnsley warehouse, which is run by global logistics company XPO, were unable to take regular toilet or water breaks for fear of missing targets.
ASOS, which has become one of the U.K.'s leading online retailers recording a first-half sales of £667 million ($859 million), has however called these reports 'inaccurate and misleading'.
"There have been a number of allegations about the working conditions at our warehouse in Barnsley that are inaccurate, misleading or based on out of date information," a spokesperson at ASOS told CNBC via email.
"This upsets us, but more importantly, it upsets the people who work there. Those who seek to portray the warehouse as an awful place to work never mention the positive work we do in conjunction with XPO, like the 50 different learning and development programs offered, free mental health support and awareness training, subsidized food in a newly renovated canteen, or the £3 million spent on a cooling system to keep the temperature down during the summer," an Asos spokesperson said.
However, the investigative report from Buzzfeed reveals that workers have had their assignments ended due after taking sick leave or taking time to take care for sick relatives. Global logistics firm XPO that runs the distribution center by Asos has said these allegations were "false".
"To correct the record, the number of comfort breaks an employee takes is not a factor in evaluating performance. We are also fully compliant with the national minimum wage and national living wage, and do not employ anyone in our warehouses on a zero-hours contract. We invited the independent public body ACAS to review our annualized hours scheme before we implemented it and were met with approval," an XPO Logistics spokesperson told CNBC via email.
The issue has not gone unnoticed by the members of parliament (MPs) who have said they will investigate the working conditions of Asos. Iain Wright, Chair of the House of Commons business, innovation, and skill select committee told BBC's Newsbeat programme that the findings were "depressingly familiar."
Wright also said that the investigation into Asos will be part of a general inquiry looking into other U.K. retailers BHS and Sports Direct but did not rule out a separate investigation into Asos.
A number of other MPs also tweeted their support for taking up this issue in the Parliament.


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When hit HBO series Game of Thrones wrapped up in May this year, Google searches for Emilia Clarke who played Daenerys jumped to record heights as fans debated the controversial finale.
But if you were one of the millions of curious Australians seeking more information on these celebrities, bad news: these two stars are among the most dangerous celebrities for malware.
New research from McAfee has revealed the list of the most dangerous celebrities to search for online, with John Oliver taking out the unwanted number one title, followed by Dua Lipa, Nicki Minaj, James Corden and Calvin Harris.
Billie Eilish is one of the most-searched celebrities, coming in at number seven, with Emilia Clarke coming in at number nine.
John Oliver the worst celebrity to Google search
It’s no surprise that there are four talk show hosts on the list (Oliver, Kimmel, Corden and Fallon), McAfee said.
Those four celebrities are strongly associated with searches including “torrent”, meaning people may be seeking out “free” streaming options to view those popular programs.
And where there are “free” streams, there’s also a much higher risk of malware and hacks.
The search terms monitored by McAfee for celebrity mentions receiving dangerous results were:
“Consumers may not be fully aware that the searches they do on the internet can expose them to risk. With streaming at an all-time high in Australia, accessing our favourite shows, movies or news about our favourite celebrities has never been so easy,” said Alex Merton-McCann, consumer online safety expert and Cybermum at McAfee.
“As a result, many consumers will drop their guard in favour of speed or convenience, and quickly enter their personal details to gain access to a site without thinking about the consequences.”
She said criminals will use deceptive websites to manoeuvre unsuspecting victims into giving away their details or control of their devices.
“In a world where everything is connected, everywhere, it’s important that consumers protect their digital lives and always think twice before they click to ensure they are surfing safe digital content.”
Australian celebrities also bait as Kardashians fall
Liam Hemsworth was the most dangerous Australian celebrity, with Rose Byrne, Cate Blanchett and Kylie Minogue also popular bait.
But those searching for information on the Kardashian clan will have a safer time, with Kim Kardashian falling 88 places to 92 this year, with Kris Jenner falling from 63 to 107.
Kylie Jenner is the most dangerous reality television star in 21st place.
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eMotorola is preparing to launch the Razr 2019, a new smartphone that will be the company’s first folding screen. The launch should happen next week, on November 13, but information indicates that the device should soon arrive in Brazil.
According to the TudoCelular website, a handset model with code XT-2000-2 is in the process of approval by Anatel. It was possible to check the system of the national telecommunications agency and find the model, but without more information about its documentation, but it would be the Motorola Razr 2019 (V4 or V3 2019).
The fact that the smartphone is in the process of being released to the Brazilian market indicates an upcoming release, see that Motorola must start its advertising campaign to take advantage of the holidays.
Considering the fact that the company usually invests in Brazil in its releases, as well as the idea of a folding screen phone that looks very similar to the already legendary Motorola V3, putting the smartphone in stores with other countries seems a very plausible plan.
This images were shared by Mobielkpen and journalist Evan Blass, who is famous for leaking releases early. The rederizations are in poor quality, but show that the device should look similar to the classic Razr V3, 2004. The difference is that the new device has a flexible display that can be folded.
In addition, the new model should have a digital reader and a smaller screen size, which allows interactions without having to open the phone.
The nostalgic look also gives the smartphone a compact size compared to other folding ones like Galaxy Fold which use the flexible display to extend the display area.
The external display will also be touchscreen. This handset will come with a battery capacity of less than 3,000 mAh, which may be lacking depending on the user. Thee internal screen has good performance, even having a wide notch to house the sensors.
The price of the smartphone is priced at $ 1,500 ($ 6,200 in direct conversion); about $ 500 less than its direct competitors Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X.


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EAEU to Hold Int’l Conference in Iran
- May, 11, 2020 - 15:38
- Economy news
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) will hold an international conference in Iran’s northern port city of Bandar Anzali in October, an Iranian official said.
The international conference of the Eurasian Economic Union on the geopolitical role of the free trade zones in the promotion of regional relations will be held in Iran’s Bandar Anzali on October 14 and 15, spokesperson for Anzali Free Trade Zone, Mahdi Kazemian said.
The conference will be held under the auspices of the secretariat of the Free Trade Zones Supreme Council, the Iranian Association of Geopolitics, the Institute for Islamic World Futures Studies (IIWFS), the University of Tehran, and a number of other Iranian academic and research centers, he added.
Kazemian also noted that the conference will discuss three main topics, including the geopolitical and geo-economic role of the free trade zones.
In May 2018, Iran signed an agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union members -Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia- in Kazakhstan.
Once the free trade zone comes into force, the EAEU will grant Iran tariff concessions on hundreds of items.
Russia’s State Duma and the Federation Council ratified the agreement to establish Iran-EAEU free trade zone in November 2018.
The Eurasian Economic Union and Iran started to develop the agreement on the free trade in 2015, though the signing was postponed several times.