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After raising $1.7 billion last year and maintaining almost complete radio silence since, messaging app Telegram is finally going public with its involvement in the Telegram Open Network (TON).
The first mention of TON and its native gram tokens appeared on Telegram’s official website Tuesday morning in the form of a terms of service (ToS) for the token’s wallet app. According to the ToS, Telegram will integrate the wallet into the company’s flagship messaging app and also offer it as a standalone product.
“We have no control over the TON Blockchain network and therefore cannot ensure that any transaction details that you submit via the Services will be validated and confirmed on the TON Blockchain,” the document reads.
The wallet is provided by the London-based Telegram FZ-LLC, one of the entities Telegram registered for messaging operations and an official publisher of the Android-based Telegram app.
According to the ToS, Telegram will not keep either personal information of its users nor their public and private keys:
“You are solely responsible for managing and maintaining the security of your Credentials. If you lose your Credentials, we do not have the ability to recover your Credentials or assist you in retrieving your Credentials, and you may not be able to access your Grams.”
The company also states it has no control over processing and verifying the transactions on TON. According to the ToS:
“The transactions you submit via the Services may not be completed, or may be substantially delayed by the TON Blockchain. We have no control over the TON Blockchain and do not have the ability to facilitate any cancellation or modification requests to transactions you have submitted. A fee may be imposed on your transaction by the TON Blockchain. We have no control over the amount or type of such fees.”
This is the first time Telegram has publicly acknowledged the link to TON. Neither the company’s CEO, Pavel Durov, nor other company representatives have ever announced the project or commented on it.
So far, only the registration of TON’s simple agreement for future tokens (SAFT) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) – which listed Telegram, Pavel Durov and his brother Nikolai – had formally linked the company to the blockchain project.
Investors bought the future gram tokens during two closed rounds in February and March of 2018 for a price of 37 cents and $1.33 each, respectively. In early September, the code for TON’s blockchain nodes was released and on Oct. 2, investors received emails with links to TON’s key generator (so that they can access their actual tokens). The project is scheduled to launch no later than Oct. 31.
China’s Government Looks Into A Blockchain Development Fund
National People’s Congress, China’s parliament, and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the most powerful political advisory body in the country, have recently begun their annual sessions. These are widely referred to as the “Two Sessions” or “lianghui” meetings. These meetings have been ongoing since May 22. The National People’s Congress, or NPC, is China’s top legislative body. Nearly 3,000 delegates from around the country meet once a year to submit proposals during the meetings.
According to a Beijing News report on May 23, Jieqing Tan, deputy to the NPC, suggested setting up a special fund for blockchain industry development. If accepted, this fund would be led by the government. The aim of the fund is to support the development and growth of a number of promising blockchain enterprises, encourage blockchain technology innovation, and cultivate a number of unicorn enterprises in the blockchain space, says Tan.
By supporting the development of the blockchain industry, Tan believes it will “modernize” the country’s governance system. Blockchain technology not only will be a great tool to push China towards smart governance and a high-trust society, but it can also help China to gain an upper hand globally in the future development of the technology, according to Tan. He thinks by taking this technology innovation lead, China will be able to better protect its sovereignty and national security. Tan suggested that a clear national blockchain industry development plan should be defined. He explained that:
“From the bottom technology standard, middle industry application development to the top-level system design, the national blockchain technology, industry, and supervision three-dimensional strategic planning system should be well coordinated.”
The new economic potential and new job opportunities derived from blockchain technology are huge. However Tan pointed out that currently the number of limited blockchain enterprises, its scalability, and lack of talent and information have been the main problems preventing the blockchain ecosystem from developing a well-established ecosystem.
Is Crypto Growing In Africa?
Crypto adoption is making significant advances in Africa, with crypto ownership, trade volume, and regulation all moving toward greater adoption. A recent report by Arcane Research and Luno found that Uganda, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, and Kenya are frequently among the top 10 countries by Google searches for the word “Bitcoin.” The report describes the continent as “one of, if not the most promising region for the adoption of cryptocurrencies,” emphasizing Africa’s combination of low existing crypto adoption alongside an “enormous” domain possibility. The firms emphasize that Africa exhibits a young population, frequent monetary crises and currency failures, large unbanked or underbanked populations, and expensive means of payment.
While Nigeria has long dominated the continent’s trade volume, the report found that South Africa has the highest percent of cryptocurrency ownership or use among internet users in Africa with 13%, followed by Nigeria with 11%. Worldwide, South Africa ranks fifth for crypto adoption among connected citizens. This past week saw South Africa post its second-strongest weekly volume on peer-to-peer Bitcoin (BTC) marketplace Localbitcoins, with nearly $1.65 million worth of BTC changing hands.
The surge in trade activity saw total P2P volume for South African trade edge out Kenya last week with $1.95 million in trade across Localbitcoins and Paxful. Last month, South Africa’s financial regulator issued a policy document asserting that crypto-assets and activities relating to virtual currencies “can no longer remain outside of the regulatory perimeter.”
Nigerian P2P trade is rallying to record highs, producing $9.2 million in combined weekly trade. Kenyan trade has also seen a recent spike, with Localbitcoins trade between BTC and the Kenyan shilling producing its second-strongest week on record for the third consecutive time. Morocco and Egypt have also posted record trade activity in recent weeks. The increase in volume across the continent has also seen P2P volume from Sub Saharan Africa beat out Latin America for the first time.
Blockchain May Play A Huge Role In VR-Powered Social Media
Virtual reality media platform, Sensorium, has announced its membership in the Global Blockchain Business Council, or GBBC — a Swiss-based non-profit industry association for blockchain. Sensorium will participate in GBBC’s upcoming virtual forum on May 28, which will see the firm’s director of technology Alex Blagirev discuss his predictions for how virtual social media will change the way that people interact online.
A GBBC representative stated that the convergence of VR and social media is already beginning to gain momentum, noting that major platforms such as Facebook “are providing users with new ways to share and experience content.” “Within this context, blockchain technology will likely play an important role in the creation of digital assets and an online virtual economy,” the representative stated. “Furthermore, blockchain technology could be used to protect ownership and copyright, as well as create new models of advertising in virtual worlds, much as it is already doing in the real world.”
Sensorium’s CCO, Brian Kean, emphasized the security benefits offered by distributed ledger technology, or DLT, stating:
“Identity theft, fake accounts, etc. all will be to a large extent eliminated as human participants in the socially-virtual world will be required to verify their identity via the blockchain.”
Kean also revealed that blockchain will also be used to “facilitate payment for created, third-party content.”
As a GBBC member, Sensorium will participate in a range of GBBC activities aimed at “advancing adoption of blockchain technology and educating regulators, policymakers, and business leaders on the benefits of the technology.” The two entities first began formally working together at the GBBC’s flagship event, Blockchain Central Davos, where Sensorium participated. “We closed out the evening with a special demo of Sensorium’s VR platform and a performance by GBBC Arts and Music Ambassador and Former Drummer for Guns N’ Roses, Matt Sorum,” added the GBBC spokesperson.
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Mar 05, 2012 NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Copper futures slumped to their lowest levels in more than a week on Monday on worries that China's newly lowered growth target would spell less demand for the industrial metal.
The most actively traded copper contract, for May delivery, fell 4.35 cents, or 1.1%, to settle at $3.8595 on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, the lowest settlement price in a week.
China, which accounts for almost 40% of world copper consumption, could be set for a period of slower economic expansion, if the country's largely symbolic growth target is any indication. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in a speech on Monday that the government aims to deliver economic growth of 7.5% this year, a step back from the 8% rate Beijing had targeted for the previous eight years.
Demand for copper tends to closely track Chinese economic activity because of the metal's widespread uses in electricity infrastructure and large-scale construction projects, two areas of China's economy that have boomed during the last decade.
"China's economy is key for the copper market," said Ralph Preston, a market analyst with Heritage West Financial.
Given that China's gross domestic product grew at a rate of 8.9% during the fourth quarter, "the Chinese economy may well continue to slow noticeably," said Leon Westgate, an analyst with Standard Bank, in a note. "Against that economic backdrop, Chinese consumers may also look to further delay any purchasing decisions."
Copper prices were also under pressure to start the week as U.S. and euro-zone economic data disappointed.
In the U.S., factory orders in January saw their biggest fall in more than a year. Excluding orders for defense goods and aircraft, capital goods buying slumped by 3.9%.
Analysts with Sucden Financial said in a note that the report may signal that the U.S. manufacturing sector, a "bright star" in recent months, is slipping.
In Europe, the composite purchasing managers' index for the 17-nation euro bloc showed continued weakness in February, coming in below both a previous estimate and economists' expectations.
Analysts with Goldman Sachs increased a copper price forecast on Monday, citing risks to mine supply and an expected seasonal boost to demand. The investment bank raised its 3-month copper price forecast to $3.81 a pound, up 5% from its previous view of $3.62 a pound. Goldman's longer-term forecasts were unchanged.
But the investment bank cautioned that a major rally "does not appear imminent," after the metal's strong gains to start the year. Through Friday, benchmark Comex futures were up 13% in 2012.
Copper settlements (ranges include electronic and pit trading):
Mar $3.8525; down 4.30 cents; Range $3.8290-$3.9140
May $3.8595; down 4.35 cents; Range $3.8355-$3.9325

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"This new project with the Ethical Fashion Initiative reflects many of the goals we want to achieve with our work - says Lapo Cianchi, head of Special Projects at Pitti Immagine – among them to be international, to open new windows on the most creative scenarios of fashion today, and to give the opportunity to emerging designers to have a spotlight, both in terms of communication and as real business opportunities. Generation Africa is a chance to combine these goals with a sensitivity to great social issues, and help provide answers".
Ethical Fashion Initiative is a flagship programme of the International Trade Centre, a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization. The Ethical Fashion Initiative links the world’s top fashion talents to marginalised artisans - the majority of them women - in East and West Africa, Haiti and the West Bank. Since 2009, the Initiative has been connecting artisans to the global fashion supply chain. The Ethical Fashion Initiative also works with the rising generation of fashion talent from Africa, encouraging the forging of fulfilling creative collaborations with artisans on the continent. Under its slogan, “NOT CHARITY, JUST WORK.” the Ethical Fashion Initiative advocates a fairer global fashion industry.


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WTO Report: India Placed Among Top 10 Agricultural Produce Exporters of 2019
As per the World Trade Organisation (WTO), India has got the place among the top 10 list of the countries exporting agricultural produce in the year 2019 in world agricultural trade in recent 25 years.
- India has surpassed New Zealand to be ranked at 9th spot.
- India accounts for its 3.10% share of rice, cotton, soya beans, and meat in the global agri exports.
- In 2019, India has exported 33% of the total share and was the largest exporter of rice. followed by Thailand (20%) and Vietnam (12%) as against Thailand (38%), India (26%), and the US (19%) in 1995.
- India became the 3rd largest cotton exporter (7.6%) in 2019.
- India was the 8th largest exporter in the world with a global share of 4% in the “meat and edible meat offal” category.
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At the beginning of the year, Facebook announced that they will be removing some detailed targeting options — changes that could impact the healthcare industry specifically. Removing targeting options meant that Facebook would be consolidating the ad topics and interest categories into a single ad topics control.
What does this mean for consumers?
Consumers will now be able to set preferences across ad topics that will reflect the interest targeting categories advertisers may use to reach them and the content they might see in an ad.
To ensure that our healthcare clients weren’t affected by these changes and would continue to see results, we began working on adjustments. For one of our healthcare clients, we had already developed a pretty successful lead generation funnel — each stage of the buyer’s journey was firing as it should. While we anticipated potential problems with these updates, we also saw an opportunity to improve the TOFU (Top of the Funnel) stage that mainly uses these targeting options. We rebuilt the TOFU stage of the funnel, then created and deployed new creatives that would correlate with the new targeting options.
This client also utilized Google Ads as their second channel, so we made adjustments to the current campaigns. Weekly optimizations have also led to improvement in performance.
Since March, we have seen a constant increase and improvement in lead generation each week, improvement of the TOFU stage was also reflected in the MOFU (Middle of the Funnel) and BOFU (Bottom of the Funnel) stages.
In less than three months, we reduced the price per lead by more than 40%.
[The blue columns represent the number of weekly leads and the red line represents the average cost per lead.]
Want to see predictable, scalable, and repeatable lead generation from your PPC campaigns — Let’s Talk!


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Keto isn’t new
The Keto diet is another trendy weight-loss plan, although Susie warns that it’s not all that new a concept.
“This diet has been around for a while,” previously going by the names of Atkins or South Beach diets, Susie said. “I feel like it has a really great marketing manager, because every so often this diet gets rebranded.”
The Keto diet heavily restricts your intake of carbohydrates, while increasing your intake of fats and proteins. The goal is to reach a state of ketosis, “a metabolic state where you’re burning fat for energy instead of burning carbohydrates for energy,” Susie said.
“Basically you’re asking your body to work off of fats instead of primarily carbohydrates in the diet,” Cheskin said.
However, the Keto diet can be tough on a person.
“To get there can be a little bit brutal,” Susie said, noting that people new to the diet often suffer a few days of the “Keto flu” during which they feel foggy-headed, lethargic and headachy. Other common side effects are disrupted sleep and constipation.
“When we remove some of these foods, we’re taking away key nutrients and removing a lot of fiber,” which can lead to constipation, Susie said.
Keto’s emphasis on fats also isn’t very good for your heart, Cheskin added.
“In some ways, this is a heart attack diet,” he said. “Eat all the bacon you want, just don’t have potatoes — well, you’re eating a diet that’s the opposite of what preventive cardiology would tell you to do.”
Folks will lose weight on Keto if they’re eating less, “but you would probably obtain greater health benefit if you lose a similar amount of weight using a diet that is more healthful,” Cheskin said.
Beware Whole 30
Cheskin and Susie were the most critical of the Whole 30 Program, a diet in which participants cut out added sugars, grains, legumes and dairy for a solid month.
“What’s a little concerning about the Whole 30 diet is this was founded by people that have limited nutrition education,” Susie said. “It’s extremely restrictive. For 30 days you are going to eliminate a lot of different food groups.”


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NEW: Get our latest EdTech Funding Report Europe 2016.
Kano, a London-based startup that creates computer kits for children, has raised a $15 million Series A from Jim Breyer, Collaborative Fund and Jim O’Neill.
Before turning towards venture capital, Kano launched a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2013, raising over $1.5 million from the crowd. According to The Guardian, Kano sold over 40.000 of its first generation computer, mostly to parents in the UK and USA.
With the new funding, Kano is launching a new version of its computer set which will be powered by the latest version of the Kano OS, the new Raspberry Pi 2 chip and cost $149.
- Kano Launches New Computer Kit | BusinessWire
- Kano raises $15m to take its computer kits for kids beyond coding | The Guardian
- Kano computers has raised $15 million to help turn kids into coders | Fortune


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Tulip Ltd has vowed to keep no stone unturned to keep its closure-threatened Bodmin site operational.
The massive UK food producer announced three weeks ago that it would go into a six-week consultation over whether its site at Newtons Margate Industrial Estate, will be viable on the longer term.
Now half way through the consultation period, bosses at the firm said that while the factory could not continue to make a £10 million annual loss as it has done for the past two years, everything was being done to ensure the site has a future.
Spokesman Nick Purnell said Tulip was in consultation with all 270 employees on site but was also talking to its customers, from the large wholesale and retailers to the small businesses, as well as it suppliers too to ensure everyone is on board to keep the factory running.
"Usually when people heard there someone is going into consultation they're just going through legal process and it's a foregone conclusion.
"But I can assure you that no decision has been taken yet. Everyone in the business is working together to come up with a rescue plan for this site so we can keep the production line open and people in their jobs. No stone is being left unturned to keep the site open."
Tulip produces bacon and ham products for retail and food outlet customers.
Mr Purnell added: "We need to have all three key areas, suppliers, customers and bringing our operating costs down working together to achieve our objective."
The ongoing consultation is due to finish on December 9.
Mr Purnell said the Bodmin site had been run by the parent company in Denmark until October when it was taken over by the UK arm of the business.
He added: "It became apparent straight away that we would have to look at a robust recovery programme to keep the site operational. Incurring a £10m loss every year is not sustainable. No doubt there will be some changes but they will be, it's what we are exploring and looking at right now."


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SANTA ROSA, Calif., Nov. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- After three consecutive years of record-breaking growth, the Sonoma County Vintners (SCV) expect to continue the upward momentum by introducing several exciting changes to the 4th Annual Sonoma County Barrel Auction (#SoCoBA) scheduled for April 20, 2018. In addition to a new selection of "never before, never again" wines up for bid, the 2018 event will take place at MacMurray Estate Vineyards™, one of Russian River Valley's most acclaimed Pinot Noir vineyards, and will follow the 10th Annual Sonoma Summit, rounding out what is certain to be an exciting week of education, networking and opportunity for licensed wine sellers.
"The Sonoma County Barrel Auction showcases the quality of our wines on the world's stage, and the 2017 vintage will be no exception," says Jean Arnold Sessions, Executive Director of Sonoma County Vintners. "Although Sonoma County was impacted by the wildfires in October, ninety percent of Sonoma County fruit was picked prior, so our trade guests can expect to taste the same caliber of unique wine lots at our barrel auction event. We appreciate the continued support of the licensed wine trade as our community recovers. We are #winecountrystrong, and we look forward to welcoming you in the spring."
Recognizing natural synergies, the 10th Annual Sonoma Summit has been rescheduled to take place April 16-18, just prior to the kick-off of the 2018 Sonoma County Barrel Auction activities. The event brings 36 of America's top wine buyers and sommeliers to Sonoma County for a three-day immersion in Sonoma County wines. The 2018 #SoCoBA festivities will follow on Thursday, April 19 with preview events and the live auction on Friday, April 20.
"Lastly, we're thrilled to announce a new location for the 2018 Sonoma County Barrel Auction at the breathtakingly beautiful MacMurray Estate," added Sessions. "This location has a special place in our vintners' hearts as Taste of Sonoma, the premier wine and food event, was hosted here for 12 years and truly represents the beauty of Sonoma wine country. We feel it's a perfect setting."
Deeply rooted in Sonoma County, the picturesque MacMurray Estate has been in agricultural production for over 150 years. Pinot Noir vines were first planted in 1996, marking a new beginning for the historic estate as a world-class vineyard. "We are so looking forward to hosting the Sonoma County Barrel Auction in April," says Kate MacMurray. "Our guests will taste spectacular wines and delicious food, surrounded by our historic buildings, lush vineyards and our magnificent oaks and redwoods. It will be an unforgettable event."
One of the nation's most prominent wine trade events, the Sonoma County Barrel Auction is a live auction featuring one-of-a-kind wine futures for savvy trade professionals. The unique wine auction lots submitted from Sonoma County's top vintners and evaluated by a Panel of Masters, represent the exceptional stylistic range and world-class quality of Sonoma County. Sonoma County Vintners' celebrated a successful 2017 Sonoma County Barrel Auction this past spring, raising a record $794,500. To date, the auction has generated nearly $2 million in funds that support Sonoma County Vintners marketing initiatives and the county's 17 diverse growing regions.
Trade registration for the 2018 event is now open. For more information or to request a ticket, visit www.sonomawine.com/barrelauction or contact: [email protected]. For members of the trade wishing to directly assist those affected by the fires, Sonoma County Vintners supports the Sonoma County Resilience Fund, a fund managed by Community Foundation Sonoma County that provides mid- to long-term relief.
About Sonoma County Vintners
Sonoma County Vintners (SCV) is the leading voice of Sonoma County wine, dedicated to raising awareness of Sonoma County as one of the world's premier wine regions, noted for its heritage of artisan winemaking, distinct growing regions, and extraordinary quality. Founded in 1944, SCV represents more than 200 wineries and affiliated businesses throughout the county. To learn more about Sonoma County Vintners, visit: www.SonomaWine.com.
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About MacMurray Estate Vineyards
With estate vineyards in some of the world's most sought-after Pinot Noir regions, MacMurray Estate Vineyards crafts an award-winning collection of Pinot Noir and cool-climate white wines. The winery's namesake Russian River Valley vineyard, MacMurray Estate, was once owned by actor Fred MacMurray, who purchased the land in 1941. Today, the winemakers at MacMurray Estate Vineyards are dedicated to Pinot Noir, overseeing everything from rootstock selection to barrel aging, to craft the winery's signature varietal. The result is a portfolio of wines that illuminates the unique, nuanced flavors of each estate vineyard. Learn more at MacMurrayEstateVineyards.com.
About Sonoma County Resilience Fund
The Sonoma County Resilience Fund was created in October 2017 to address the mid to long-term needs of Sonoma County to recover and rebuild from the North Coast wildfires. Donations to the Resilience Fund will be used across Sonoma County and will be directed to the areas of greatest need.
SOURCE Sonoma County Vintners


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The day before the Rebecca Minkoff fashion show in September, makeup artist Gato Zamora and 17-year-old YouTube blogger Amanda Steele sat side by side examining Zamora's work. He had transformed a model's fair-with-some-redness complexion into glowing and even.
The day before the Rebecca Minkoff fashion show in September, makeup artist Gato Zamora and 17-year-old YouTube blogger Amanda Steele sat side by side examining Zamora's work.
He had transformed a model's fair-with-some-redness complexion into glowing and even. The foundation was imperceptible. He applied a pinkish nude lipstick.
Steele and Zamora leaned in, heads nearly touching. They agreed: A balm would be better.
''Maybe she'll look more like a teenager,'' he said.
Steele started her YouTube channel when she was 10. She has since amassed almost 3 million subscribers and 2.7 million Instagram followers with a mix of engaging beauty tutorials and lifestyle updates. Her style is relaxed and genuine, and she is undeniably talented at connecting with an audience by doing her own makeup.
''Maybelline asked if I'd be interested in working with them on some shows,'' she said. ''It's exciting that they value my opinion.''
Zamora began his career in his early 20s, right around the time Steele was born.
Maybelline thrust the two together to lead the makeup team for Rebecca Minkoff. The pairing was a first. Makeup at fashion shows is always a team sport, but never one with two head coaches.
The Maybelline experiment comes at a time of tension in the makeup business. Some professionals who have followed a traditional path of assisting senior artists and building their portfolios through the years, sometimes decades, are bristling at bloggers, YouTube stars and Instagram gurus who have taken more visible roads to success.
But the shake-up in makeup extends beyond issues of taste and tenure. It's about an industry being forced by technology to mature, one that is experiencing the frustration, fear and introspection characteristic of a major transition.
The first area of criticism is the prevalence of ''Instagram makeup.'' The aesthetic is familiar: eyebrows constructed by powder, pencil and concealer; faces heavily contoured and highlighted. Social-media makeup enthusiasts become facsimiles of one another - all some version of Kim Kardashian West.
Social media ''absolutely perpetuates one aesthetic,'' said Kevin James Bennett, a longtime makeup artist and advocate for his professional peers. ''It's like looking at a bunch of clones. They're Botoxed, filled and surgeried to look like Kim. I love how they all say, 'Just be you,' when they all look the same.
"And they have legions of fans who follow them like Stepford Wives but who cannot afford to alter themselves the way these people do.''
Certainly there are talented self-taught artists on social media. And trends change. Kardashian West has moved toward a more natural makeup look.
Nonetheless, ''Instagram face'' represents a bigger creative threat: waning individuality.
''It's so rare in fashion today that people are eccentric,'' said makeup artist Nick Barose, whose social-media feeds are a mix of posts showing his work on celebrity clients (Lupita Nyong'o, Alicia Vikander, Jane Fonda) and tongue-in-cheek commentary on the industry. His outspoken online persona works; it has helped him get big jobs. But, he added, ''Social media can kill authenticity, especially the more followers you have.''
Nika Kislak, a professional makeup artist based in Moscow, is known for work that is both imaginative and elegant. She was the chief makeup artist for L'Oreal Paris for three years but came to international attention in the spring when her work was re-posted on Instagram by Pat McGrath, the doyenne of runway makeup artists. Her career marries old and new traditions.
''Instagram provides the opportunity to make your dreams come true faster and make money faster,'' Kislak said. ''I dreamed of this kind of freedom as a child. But as we know, freedom is not free.''
She was referring to the toll that social media can take on creativity.
''It was much easier for me as a beginning makeup artist 14 years ago, without Instagram, because no one influenced my sense of beauty."
In September, an E! News story deepened the fissure between the old and new schools in reporting that in the new world of celebrity hair and makeup, success is measured in selfies. The article placed tangible value on behind-the-scenes snaps that makeup artists take with their clients, alleging that some artists are accepting social-media posts from models and actresses (either with the artist or tagging the artist) as payment for their glam-squad services.
''You have these new Insta-artists who are being picked up by publicists and agencies to work on their celebrities,'' Bennett said. ''So now that other artist who would have charged a fee for that job, his agent isn't getting called. Some makeup artists have also lowered their rates to contend with the change in demand.''
Another area of complaint is the lack of transparency in paid social-media posts. YouTube and Instagram influencers - bloggers who are typically not professional artists - might share paid posts with their audiences with little or no notice that the content is sponsored.
''It has to be clear to the reasonable consumer that the content they're viewing is an advertisement,'' said Bonnie Patten, executive director of Truth in Advertising, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group.
''It's not enough to hide that info in the fine print.''


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The British pharma firm's revenues were up 4% on last year at £7 billion, but it blamed a 13% fall in US sales for stalling growth.
Chief executive Andrew Witty said: "Our diversified sales base is helping to reduce reliance on sales generated in white pills/Western markets."
Increased generic competition and the temporary suspension of its Rotarix vaccine hit business in the US, although the fall was offset by emerging markets and Japan as well as £275 million in sales of the pandemic H1N1 vaccine.
While US pharmaceutical sales fell to £1.9 billion, emerging market sales rose 17% to £848 million, with Asia Pacific and Japan sales 9% higher at £727 million. European pharmaceutical revenues rose 1% to £1.6 billion for the quarter.
Glaxo has agreed a £500 million settlement with the US government after an investigation into its Cidra factory in Puerto Rico, amid claims that it was not following proper manufacturing procedures.
The legal provision will also go towards settling claims over drugs such as its diabetes treatment Avandia, which has been under a cloud since 2007 amid claims - denied by Glaxo - that it increases the risk of heart attacks.
Avandia sales declined by 26% to £152 million in the second quarter, but the firm received some good news last week after an advisory committee of the Food and Drugs Administration voted to recommend keeping the drug on the market - albeit with additional warning labels over potential side-effects.
Despite the headline losses brought about by the legal bill and the restructuring costs, Charles Stanley analyst Jeremy Batstone-Carr said the underlying business performed well and he flagged up the 7% increase in the dividend.
"Strip that all away and I think the results are pretty solid - continuing growth in emerging markets is a positive, and underlying the headline numbers the company is beginning to make progress.
"Operationally there's nothing to scare the horses - by and large I would say the company is weathering the storm."Reuse content


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“Quirky,” “Cute,” “At least better looking than that wretched Scion toaster.” Those are the words used to describe Kia’s venerable “Soul. “Power,” “Zoom,” and “Kick a**,” have never been in the lexicon. All that is changing. According to MSN Autos, the new turbocharged Soul is set for a winter 2016 launch. Those hamsters had better be lifting weights.
The engine option in question is likely the same 1.6-liter turbo-four found in various Hyundai and Kia vehicles. The Forte, Optima, Sonata, Tucson, and Veloster all have a turbo box that can be checked on the options list.
Per Auto Blog, all-wheel drive on the turbo-Soul seems like a given. That prediction is based on Hyundai’s approach to the Tucson, and Kia’s past few concepts. The Soul, presented as a CUV (compact utility vehicle) would seem a natural for the all-wheel approach.
The only remaining question has to do with transmission choices. For sure, a seven-speed dual clutch automatic is in the works. Will a six-speed manual be offered,as well? So far, Kia is mum on those answers. Potential buyers will have to wait until closer to the Christmas-or-so launch. The news of the turbo was first revealed in an advertisement tease on a TV spot. Perhaps the appealing “Hamstars” (Kia’s name for them) will dish about the transmission in spots to come.
Gildshire Reporter, Kim Hastings


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A couple of weeks ago, Dolly’s husband Tom Dunn gave her a special invitation to their wedding ceremony, saying he was “so excited to be able to spend the day with you.”
Now, a week later, the couple is celebrating their wedding anniversary with the help of a new wedding planning app.
Dolly is getting married in a wedding ring, while Tom’s ring is going to be his bride’s wedding ring.
According to the wedding website, the “Dunn Weddings” app was designed to provide people who want to tie the knot with a more traditional, but equally beautiful wedding ring with a ring design that they could choose.
“The Dolly parton wedding ring is a stunning piece of jewelry that will look great on your ring finger, in your hand, or even in the pocket of your wedding band,” the app says.
Dunn said in a statement to ABC News that the ring is “perfect for the Dolly, and Tom, who are always looking for new ways to make their weddings special.”


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The Lawyer Global Litigation Top 50 report is the only ranking of international law firms by litigation and arbitration revenue and is essential reading for anyone seeking to benchmark their litigation and dispute resolution practices...
This year, The Lawyer’s annual ranking of the largest UK law firms by turnover is available as an interactive, digital benchmarking tool. For the first time this will allow you to manipulate each data set against the metrics of your choice.
Think you’ve spent a fortune on your Christmas shopping? Perhaps spare a thought for Kuwaiti property company St Martins. Last week it was announced that the business had been on quite a spree, popping City law and finance hub More London into its festive shopping bag.
The London Bridge development, home to Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCooper, City Hall, and Norton Rose Fulbright’s waterside offices, is thought to have put St Martins back an eye-watering £1.7bn. In fact, it’s one of the UK’s largest-ever commercial property deals.
Macfarlanes continued to work for sellers London Bridge Holdings, having advised on the More London development since it was a sparkle in the owners’ eyes. Nabarro is thought to have picked up instructions from the Kuwaiti business.
In fact, 2013 has been characterised by overseas buyers snapping up key London landmarks. Over the past few months, we’ve seen Singapore-listed Oxley acquire the Royal Wharf, New York’s Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporate purchase Old Spitalfields Market, and just last week Canadian property giant Oxford Properties offered to buy the Royal Exchange.


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Report: Samsung, Microsoft tie up for new tablet
Thursday 08 September 2011
South Korea's Samsung Electronics has teamed up with Microsoft to make a new tablet computer powered by the US software giant's latest operating system, a report said Thursday.
The Korea Economic Daily, citing an industry source, said the new tab based on the Windows 8 system would be unveiled at Microsoft's BUILD developers' conference in California from September 13-16.
"This new product manufactured by Samsung will be the company's first collaboration with Microsoft in its hardware devices," it quoted the source as saying.
A Samsung Electronics spokesman declined to comment. The company is the world's second biggest mobile phone maker after Finland's Nokia.
Analysts say Samsung is trying to diversify the operating systems of its smartphones and tablet PCs beyond Google's Android system, on which it currently relies heavily.
Google last month bought mobile device maker Motorola Mobility, making its debut in hardware and becoming a potential competitor to companies such as Samsung.
Samsung is promoting its Galaxy S smartphones and Galaxy Tab computers to compete against Apple's market-leading iPhone and iPad. It is trying to strengthen its relatively weak software business.
Microsoft launched its Windows Phone 7 smartphone in November 2010 on handsets built by manufacturers including Taiwan's HTC, Samsung and fellow South Korean conglomerate LG.
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General Donlee Canada bought by Triumph Group
By CANADIAN PRESSGeneral Aerospace acquisition Aerospace
Canadian precision-machining company sees sale as growth opportunity.
General Donlee Canada Inc. has agreed to sell all of its issued and outstanding common shares to American company Triumph Group, Inc.
The transaction is worth approximately $114 million and General Donlee’s board is recommending that its shareholders vote in favour of the deal at a special meeting scheduled to be held in October.
Toronto-based General Donlee manufactures precision-machined products for commercial, military, and general aerospace clients as well as the nuclear, power generation and oil and gas markets.
Triumph, based in Berwyn, Pa., designs, manufactures, repairs and overhauls a broad array of aerostructures, aircraft components, accessories, subassemblies and systems.
“We believe this transaction represents an opportunity to crystallize substantial value for our shareholders,” said General Donlee president and CEO Garen Mikirditsian. “The combination with Triumph is a strategic step that will provide the company with the scale and financial resources to best take advantage of the growth opportunities available to it.”
© 2013 The Canadian Press


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Toffeeapple Creative Media has designed a digital TV channel called Match Day Media that will screen at Premiership football club stadiums. The channel, which is designed to give fans up-to-date information on the status of games, launched last weekend.
Children’s book illustration student Viola Wang has scooped this year’s top prize, beating over 80 other entrants.
As the production designer works on last-minute preparations for the Brits, we speak to her about creating sets for the likes of Coldplay and One Direction, mastering the skill of
New research has found that while 30,000 students graduated from design courses between 2012-2013 and 2015-2016, only a quarter ended up going into “highly skilled” design jobs.
We Launch has redesigned the branding to “change the stigma” associated with the sports, which have now been brought together under one organisation.


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This article is based on an UMCG press release.
The University Medical Centre Groningen (UMCG), Netherlands, is to study the effect of cannabis oil on liver cancer patients who have exhausted all other treatment options. The aim of the study is to see whether cannabis oil acts as an anti-cancer agent that will shrink the liver tumours.
The pharmacy only uses medicinal cannabis produced by Bedrocan. The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport has commissioned Bedrocan to standardize and grow the plant pharmaceutically in order to guarantee a consistent composition of the cannabis oil.
The cannabis oil being used is produced by the Transvaal Apotheek, a specialist pharmacy with the certificates needed to produce drugs for research purposes. The oil is produced according to a fixed recipe with precise amounts of THC and CBD, two of the important substances contained in cannabis.
The study was started after two separate reports that patients with advanced liver cancer had seen their tumours shrink after using cannabis oil. Now, two and five years after their diagnoses, the tumours have completely dissapeared and the patients are cured. Although laboratory research shows that cannabis can curb the growth of liver cancer cells, a possible anti-cancer effect of cannabis oil in patients cannot be explained as no scientific research has been carried out.
A summer 2019 study involving mice suggested that there may be a link between CBD and liver damage. Critics pushed for a human study, like Validcare’s, saying there are differences between how CBD functions in mice versus humans, and most people would not ingest the level of CBD provided to rodents in the study.
Despite CBD’s popularity and increasing ubiquitousness, questions still linger regarding the safety and long-term impact of using the hemp and cannabis-derived substance.
Consumers are showing increasing eagerness to add CBD to their daily regimens, with 40% saying in March 2019 that they would try CBD, according to a study by High Yield Insights. The ingredient got a boost during the COVID-19 pandemic, as consumers sought ways to relax, ease tension and improve sleep quality.
There are still plenty of other health-related questions about CBD to tackle. These stem from the relative newness of the ingredient and the lack of long-term research on side effects or how it may interact with medications. As a result, the FDA has cracked down on CBD-containing products making health claims or statements about what the ingredient can accomplish.
The results of the study are likely good news for players in the CBD industry who may have been fearing heavy restrictions, should the results have raised red flags.


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RIL to invest Rs. 3000 crore in next 3 years in Odisha, says Mukesh Ambani
RIL has created sustained new employment opportunities ─ both direct and indirect ─ to over 30,000 people in the state
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani today said that the company will invest Rs. 3000 in the next three years in Odisha.
He said, "Reliance has already invested over 6,000 crores in Odisha. And today am committing to investing an additional 3,000 crore in the next three years in our various businesses in Odisha."
Ambani said, " RIL has created sustained new employment opportunities ─ both direct and indirect ─ to over 30,000 people in the state."
He also pointed out that since Jio commenced operations little over two years ago, India has moved from the 155th rank in mobile broadband penetration to being the number 1 nation in mobile data consumption in the world.
We are committed to connecting everyone and everything, everywhere always with the highest quality and the most affordable price, he added.
Ambani said, "Our aim is to take the power of Digital Life to every nook and corner of the state, particularly in rural Odisha.
He said that Jio has connected all cities and towns, and 43 thousand villages in Odisha. "I am glad to report that the per capita data consumption in Odisha is among the highest in the country," he said.
Ambani said that RIL is working with Odisha Government on an initiative to integrate several lakh women in the digital mainstream under the "Mission Shakti" Scheme.
He said that Reliance is partnering with the State Government of Odisha to set up the "Reliance Foundation - Odisha High-Performance Athletics Centre". This Centre will train local talent under world-renowned experts to develop them into Olympic Medal winners.


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As the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed many aspects of life, the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) has ramped up into high gear to provide additional support to small businesses and workers. We’ve remained nimble and responsive to fill gaps where needed and keep Arizona’s economy moving forward. It hasn’t been easy, but with the help of partners in public health, the private sector and more, Arizona remains well-positioned to capitalize on our unmatched business environment and sustained momentum in 2021 and beyond.
The ACA’s efforts to mitigate disruptions caused by the pandemic began in the spring of 2020. Providing information was the first step in helping businesses affected by closures and disruptions navigate this new reality.
The ACA’s COVID-19 Business Resource webpage offers continually updated guidance sourced from the Arizona Governor’s Office, the Arizona Department of Health Services and local municipalities for all businesses, with information specific to those sectors directly affected. The site contains available financial resources, assistance for jobseekers, manufacturers facing supply chain disruptions and updates on the infrastructure that’s essential to our new learning and work-from-home environment.
We also rolled up our sleeves to expand our one-on-one work with businesses and get their employees back to work.
The ACA, in partnership with Local First Arizona, immediately began offering the Arizona Small Business Boot Camp & Resource Collective to help Arizona’s small businesses respond to the impacts of COVID-19. This statewide initiative includes community partners, local business leaders and subject matter experts who provide real-time support and available resources across Arizona in live, weekly sessions. More than 110 sessions have been offered since March of 2020, reaching more than 5,100 participants and including over 90 partners.
In addition, we’ve prioritized keeping displaced workers engaged in the workforce. Through the ACA’s Return Strong Upskilling Campaign, our team has provided support for those exploring a new career by connecting them with local career counselors. Arizona also partnered with Coursera, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and Intel to provide instruction and certification in cloud computing, information technology and Artificial Intelligence.
During this time, the ACA’s mission to attract new companies to Arizona and help those existing businesses expand has not wavered. In fact, interest in investing in our state remains as high as ever.
Companies doing business all over the world — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Amazon, Red Bull and Zoom Communications, to name a few — have announced plans to relocate or expand operations in the state. They’re drawn here by Arizona’s top talent, strategic geographic location, modern infrastructure, affordable costs, good governance and excellent quality of life.
As a result, more jobs are being created and Arizonans are going back to work. Through October, Arizona employment has reached 96 percent of pre-pandemic levels, representing one of the fastest recoveries in the nation.
There is more work to do, but there is no doubt, Arizona is well on its way to recovery. We will continue to focus on supporting the hardworking entrepreneurs and employees impacted most by this pandemic, while showcasing Arizona’s unbeatable business climate. The state is maintaining our forward momentum in the midst of 2020’s unprecedented challenges, and together, we will return even stronger. hairy girl займ за 5 минутгосударственный займсрочно займ на карту займ платизазайм через систему контакт без отказовсрочный займ на киви кошелек от частных лиц займ на 10 днейвзять займ в манимензайм 10000 на 3 месяца


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Hexagon Metrology Acquires Visava Oy
Hexagon Metrology, Glattburg, Switzerland, has announced the acquisition of all shares from Visava Oy, Vantaa, Finland. Visava has been a well-proven partner of Hexagon Metrology in Finland for more than six years. Based in Vantaa near Helsinki, the company is strategically well-located also for serving the growing neighboring economies for example in the Baltic states. All former employees have been taken over and will join Hexagon Metrology’s strong team in Northern Europe.
The new commercial operation in Finland will open a Precision Centre, Hexagon Metrology’s demo centers, to present a wide range of Hexagon Metrology products. It will also provide training, technical assistance and installation for Hexagon Metrology products sold in Finland.
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A HIGH vaccination rate means Dubai could be a good bet for a summer break and there are plenty of deals on offer. Spend five nights half-board at Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa from £899 pp (saving 40 per cent) with return flights in July (letsgo2.com). Or opt for three nights half-board at Habtoor Grand Beach Resort from £599 pp (saving £150) with flights in September (netflights.com).
DOGS (and their owners) will be pleased to hear that Dogstival is taking place this year. Burley Park in the New Forest will be transformed to all things canine from June 5 to 6. Attractions include dog agility, canine IQ tests, talks, demonstrations, live music and more than 140 stalls selling delicacies for canine consumption. Tickets from £13.90 at dogstival.co.uk.
ESCAPE the city with a trip to pop-up beach huts, which will be at The Berkeley Hotel in London’s Belgravia from April 12. The dining terrace will feature the huts inspired by seafronts at Whitstable, Southwold and Padstow. A seaside-theme menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner (Monday to Sunday) will include lobster rolls, ice cream, speciality cocktails and British wines. Visit the-berkeley.co.uk.
BIG IN BIRMINGHAM
EASYJET (easyjet.com) is launching five new routes from Birmingham to destinations in Spain, Portugal and Greece from June 29. This means it’s an easy hop to beach break favourites Majorca, Malaga, Alicante, Faro and Corfu for travellers from the Midlands. Prices from £22.99 one-way.
ON THE SILK ROAD
WE CAN’T travel the Silk Road but a trip to London’s King’s Cross could be a good alternative. A free open-air exhibition (one of the photos pictured) charting the journey of Christopher Wilton-Steer along the historic trade route from London to China opens in Granary Square on April 8. In 2019, over four months, the photographer undertook a 25,000-mile journey through 16 countries including Iran, Turkmenistan and China. The exhibition is supported by the Aga Khan Foundation. Visit silkroad-livinghistory.org.
TRAVEL Republic (travelrepublic.co.uk) and Travelbag (travelbag.co.uk) are offering long and short haul holidays in the autumn. A week B&B in Antalya, Turkey, is from £429 pp (saving 30 per cent) with flights. While 14-nights B&B in Phuket, Thailand, is from £949 pp (saving £350) with flights.
Walking tour operator HF Holidays (hfholidays.co.uk) has released its European 2022 trips. Explore the Gotaleden Trail in Sweden and visit Gothenburg for four nights from £1,269 pp in April, May or September 2022. While seven nights walking the Causeway Coast in Ireland is from £1,159 pp next year.


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UK consumer price inflation (CPI) rose to 2.8% in February, thanks to in part to rising energy prices, according to official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), reports Harris & Co accountants Northampton.
Other upward price pressures came from recreational goods, such as cameras and computer games, the ONS said.
The headline rate of retail price index (RPI) inflation fell to 3.2% in February, from 3.3% in January,
The Bank of England"s inflation target for the CPI is 2%.
Before February, CPI inflation had been 2.7% for four months in a row.
The ONS said the largest upward contributions to the change in the CPI came from domestic fuel bill increases, which had been expected, as well as prices for cameras and games, where competition, which had been fierce, has abated.


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After 85 years, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese is changing their name but it won't be much of a difference.
The company will now be called Kraft Mac & Cheese and the reason behind it is that it's "meant to reflect the way fans organically talk about the brand." New packaging for the name change is set to hit store shelves in August. Customers will also notice a subtle makeover, which includes an updated logo, typography and a blue single-hue that "amplifies the brand's most recognizable asset - the noodle smile." According to ABC 7, the rebranding is to advertise it's mac and cheese as "comfort food."


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Today on September 20, 2022, Microstrategy founder Michael Saylor announced on Twitter that the company has acquired approximately 301 bitcoins for ~$6.0 million in cash, during the period between August 2, 2022 and September 19, 2022.
The tweet from official Twitter (@saylor) of the Billionaire reads:
MicroStrategy has purchased an additional 301 bitcoins for ~$6.0 million at an average price of ~$19,851 per #bitcoin. As of 9/19/22 @MicroStrategy holds ~130,000 bitcoins acquired for ~$3.98 billion at an average price of ~$30,639 per bitcoin.@saylor
Saylor has linked the company’s official website source for this announcement, and according to it, on September 9 2022, a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission shows that MicroStrategy, together with its subsidiaries, now holds around 130K bitcoins, which were acquired at an aggregate purchase price of approximately $3.98 billion and an average purchase price of approximately $30,639/bitcoin (inclusive of fees and expenses).
Microstrategys bitcoin buying spree started back in August 2020, when the company announced that it has invested $250 million in Bitcoin as a treasury reserve asset. Then on March 1st 2021, Saylor announced his firms additional purchase of ~328 bitcoins for ~$15.0 million in cash at an average price of ~$45,710 per bitcoin.
The 2021 Tweet reads: MicroStrategy has purchased an additional ~328 bitcoins for ~$15.0 million in cash at an average price of ~$45,710 per #bitcoin. As of 3/1/2021, we #hodl ~90,859 bitcoins acquired for ~$2.186 billion at an average price of ~$24,063 per bitcoin. $MSTR@saylor
Michael Saylor is considered as bitcoin’s most prominent evangelists and the net worth of MSTR Founder & Executive Chairman, from all sources is estimated to be around $2.5 billion in 2022. He has been an outspoken believer of the cryptocurrency and time and again asserted that BTC is a commodity, which is essential for any treasury reserve asset.
Last month (Aug 2022), Saylor stepped aside as MicroStrategy’s CEO and took up the role of Executive Chairman in order to focus on acquiring more BTC.
At the time of this articles publishing, bitcoin was trading at $18,936 and the MSTR (MicroStrategy Incorporated) share price was at 195.22 USD.


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Foodpro will now take place from 25 to 28 July 2021 at the Sydney Showground Sydney Olympic Park. Read more
Marinucci, a food packaging specialist, is offering help to restaurants and cafés that have been affected by the Covid-19 shutdowns over the past six weeks.
Youfoodz has launched fourteen new meals in its latest Large Meals range, giving consumers the option for a high-protein, larger portion, sealed in Modified Atmosphere Packing (MAP).
Woolworths has introduced 60 new products, in convenient packaging, on shelves around the country this week, as more Aussies seek recipes packed with vegetables and that are easy to prepare.
Global supplier of integrated food-processing and packaging solutions tna announced the appointment of Raj Singh as group aftermarket and services manager.
Freedom Foods has launched its brand Vital Life with an immune boosting product, using a shot format for its packaging, supplied by Amcor NZ. It has a bend, snap and squeeze call to action for consumers to use the product with ease.
Indonesian food and beverage manufacturer SoGoodFood – and Ecolean customer – has become the first company in the country to receive the Class A certificate in the aseptic category from the Indonesian National Agency of Drug and Food Control.
BioPak, KM Packaging Services, and agriculture company Costa have come together to create a pack for Woolworths’ sweet berry truss tomatoes.
In the lead up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Danone will have two specially designed YoPRO yoghurts hit Woolworths stores around the country, as it partners with some of Australia’s best athletes for the launch.
Yakult has launched its first aseptic food and beverage products on the Korean market, in Ecolean Air Aseptic lightweight packages. The first two products tap into the health products trend, with convenient and innovative packaging.
BerryWorld Australia has begun picking its first Tasmanian-grown raspberries, and packaging them for exclusive retail partner Woolworths in heat sealed punnets at its purpose-designed on-site packing facility.
Dual QR code packaging technology is at the heart of global food giant Danone’s digitally enabled Track & Connect service for consumers and retailers, introducing a new level of supply chain transparency for its baby formula brands.
The team at Soar Print is supporting the Waste-Not Kitchen by printing their soup packaging for free. Waste-Not Kitchen is an initiative that uses meat and vegetables that would be otherwise thrown out to make soups.
New Zealand supermarket chain Countdown has invested NZ$500,000 in shelving, packaging and production changes for its 10-week trial to remove plastic produce bags and a tonne of other plastic in three of its stores.
Tetra Pak has launched what it calls the world’s first full-scale virtual marketplace for the food and beverage industry at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Novelty Christmas packs from BerryWorld Australia have launched in stores, featuring a Christmas design on its 125g heat-sealed raspberry packs.


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Panasonic is fast becoming a brand name not just for electronics but also for green building products.
Eco-Products 2008 recently held in Tokyo, showcased a series of award-winning green products and services. The E Floor, developed by Panasonic Electric Works, was given the Chairperson’s Award. The Eco Product Awards is presented by four organizations including the Global Environmental Forum, a non-profit organization under the jurisdiction of Japan’s Ministry of Environment.
The E-floor is an extremely durable product made from a 100% recycled hard chip board. According to Panasonic, using this material can be equated to saving forest areas that are 135 times the size of the Tokyo Dome, on an annual basis. Panasonic began selling the E Floor product line over a year ago with a monthly sales target of 170 million yen.
I believe more companies will bring a wide range of their green technologies into their products and services across group companies in coming years.
- Eco Timber Offers Comprehensive Online Green Flooring Guide
- Natural Building 101: How To Make an Earthen or Adobe Floor
- Eco-Products 2008, One of Japan’s Biggest Environmental Fairs to Open This Week
- Panasonic E Floor (in Japanese)
Panasonic E Floor with Award at Eco-Products 2008
Panasonic E Floor at Eco-Products 2008
Image Credits: Panasonic/Tetsuya Yokoyama


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Last month, Governor Andrew Cuomo personally acted to move the dates of the New York Boat Show at the Javits Convention Center to a more favorable period in January, starting in 2015. However, as the New York Times illustrated, that change adversely affected several other trade shows and conventions.
Specifically, the Times said, when Cuomo went over the heads of Javits Center management in order to satisfy interests connected with the boat show, he undermined the confidence of other event organizers that their dates were truly set. In response, “an alliance of more than 40 trade shows and organizations”, called Friends of Javits, have joined together to lobby in both Albany and New York City, the Times said.
Home Accents Today listed the various events that would be affected by Cuomo’s decision to move the boat show to January, and the decision to give the National Marine Manufacturers Association another show in September: NY Now, MRket Show, Texworld, the National Retail Federation Big Show, the Action Sportswear and Street Wear Show, Fashion Coterie, The Rug Show, and AccessoriesTheShow.


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Lisa Sepulveda exits her CEO post at Euro RSCG Worldwide after about three years, to head up Weber Shandwick’s consumer marketing practice according to a press release. She starts next week and will report to Weber Vice Chair Gail Heimann.
No mention of her work at Euro, though links her to the big Edelman Dove Campaign For Real Beauty which was bolstered by an Ogilvy & Mather ad blitz. She was GM and EVP of Edelman’s consumer brands practice at the time. The award-winning campaign kicked off with a study that found only 2% of women characterize themselves as beautiful sparking a lot of chatter about body image and the portrayal of women in advertising.


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Few are aware of the uniqueness of the subterranean cavern at Ħarq Ħammiem, just off St George’s Bay, largely because it is difficult to access. Yet, it has hit the headlines in recent weeks due to threats posed by development in the area.
A video documenting the beauty of the cave aired on TVM programme Taħt l-Art and published on Vimeo six years ago is a rare find (below). Experts in various fields explain (in Maltese) the unique features of Ħarq Ħammiem cave.
“No other feature remotely like the cave is known in the Maltese Islands,” according to the Environmental Planning Statement (EPS) prepared for the City Centre project which shows the cave lies under the proposed development.
The development proposed by Silvio Debono on the ITS site at St George’s Bay consists of a multi-use development, including a five-star hotel (455 rooms), 158 residences, commercial office space, a shopping mall and restaurants as well as a car park.
The EPS published in October 2017 notes that the larger of the two chambers of Ħarq Ħammiem cave is located beneath the project site. The part of the site overlying the cave would be open space, part of which would be occupied by a swimming pool and the other by part of the public plaza. The latter is considered an important component of the development as it is expected to connect the shopping mall with the rest of Paceville.
It states that any rock excavation over Ħarq Ħammiem cave and its buffer zone should be made with special attention. Concerns were also raised on the impact of an adjacent development known as The Villa Rosa project. The developer, Anton Camilleri ‘tal- Franċiż’, told The Shift News the cave lies entirely outside of the project’s site boundary and will not be touched by the Villa Rosa project.
A Facebook group called ‘Save Ħarq Ħammiem” has been created to gather support for the cave’s protection.
A public meeting on the impact of the ITS development, known as City Centre, is being organised tomorrow by Kamp Emerġenza Ambjent and Moviment Graffitti. The meeting starts at 7.15pm and will be held at Pembroke primary school (hall), Kullegg Santa Klara, Triq Madre Margerita Debrincat.
Discover Għar Ħarq Ħammiem:


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THE LATEST RETAIL REAL ESTATE NEWS
Frankfurt Airport Retail (FAR), a joint venture between Gebr. Heinemann and airport operator company Fraport, is bringing the first Saint Laurent Paris boutique to a German airport.
New experts to be included in the board are associated with Amrest, Apsys, Dentons and Atrium among other companies.
Grosvenor Europe has announced that global fashion brand, Polo Ralph Lauren, has officially opened its 1,900 sq ft new store on Liverpool ONE’s Peter’s Lane.
SIGNA Sports United is forging a strategic alliance with digital innovation leaders soccerwatch.TV and TRACKTICS with the objective of providing digitalization support to clubs in amateur and popular sports. The use of cutting-edge technologies provides teams, clubs, club members, and fans fantastic benefits in important areas such as game analysis, club management, content marketing, streaming, and much more.
The Italian luxury menswear brand, Luca Faloni, has chosen Marylebone High Street, in the heart of Marylebone Village, for its flagship store in London.
Joint owners of centre:mk, Hermes Investment Management and AustralianSuper, have announced that international fashion retailer, Primark, has officially opened its highly anticipated 75,000 sq ft store within centre:mk.
On April 11, 2019, the time had finally come: the new outlet centre in Selb opened its doors.
It will be the largest and most modern store of eobuwie.pl in Poland. The most cutting-edge footwear retail chain in the country has decided to extend the space leased four times in Galeria Młociny from 580 sq m up to 2,300 sq m. All this to create the first two-level store, where we can find almost 200,000 pairs of shoes - as much as 70 traditional stores - and also offer an online order delivery service on the same day.
Hamburg’s HafenCity is one of the world’s most important urban development projects. Southern Überseequartier will form its vibrant core from 2022 on: a mixed-use district with creative and pioneering concepts for working, living, enjoyment, and shopping.
Champion, the authentic athletic apparel retailer, is to open its first UK outlet store and has chosen London Designer Outlet (LDO) in Wembley Park as the best place to be. London’s leading fashion and lifestyle outlet centre continues to attract new and diverse brands to its tenant mix, having also signed cosmetic retailer, Beauty Outlet.
Longmartin Properties Ltd, a joint venture between Shaftesbury and The Mercers’ Company, has announced the completion of the £10 million refurbishment of 143 Long Acre in London. The building is situated at the gateway to Covent Garden from Leicester Square and comprises a flagship retail store and five floors of office space.
LabTech, owner of Camden Market in London, has opened Italian Alley, a new dining concept which showcases five different Italian eateries to form a hub, dedicated to providing modern Italian cuisines.
Spaces, the global supplier of creative working environments, and part of the IWG group, has leased 2,700 sq m in the mixed-use Wroclavia centre. Experts from JLL advised Spaces on the negotiation of lease terms. The developer - Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield - was represented by Knight Frank.
The Lebanese nut retailing company Al Rifai is showcasing its “Flies you Nuts” pop up concept stage at Frankfurt Airport in Z Main Non-Schengen from April until July 2019.
The newly developed food and entertainment area “Foodtopia” at MyZeil in Frankfurt opened its doors to customers for the first time on April 11, 2019. The unique concept which has been planned and realized by shopping center expert ECE takes up operations about one year after construction began.
Slovenia’s most modern shopping center, ALEJA, which is being built in the Šiška district of Ljubljana, will open next year.
Real estate investor and manager Cromwell Property Group has promoted Wouter Zwetsloot to Head of Real Estate in Europe.
IMMOFINANZ significantly strengthened its earning power during the 2018 financial year:
Anna Bartoszewicz-Wnuk, Anna Młyniec, Agata Sekuła and Savvas Savva have been appointed Members of the Management Board of JLL in Poland. All four of them join Tomasz Trzósło (Managing Director & President of the Management Board), Małgorzata Żółtowska and Kazimierz Kirejczyk (Vice-Presidents) to strengthen JLL's position on the real estate market in Poland.


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Malaysia confirmed to end Honda Jazz with City Hatchback – wise move or foolish?
Hans · Nov 28, 2020 04:00 PM
Although Honda Malaysia has yet to make any official announcement, we can reliably confirm that the fourth generation (4G) 2020 Honda Jazz (known as Fit in Japan) will not be launched in Malaysia. After 2021, the Honda Jazz will be no more, ending a 3-generations run, since 2001.
Instead, the Honda City Hatchback, which made its global debut in Bangkok yesterday, will fill the void left by the Jazz.
In case you are wondering, no Honda Malaysia didn’t have much say in this, neither did their counterparts in Thailand, or the rest of South East Asia.
Instead, the decision to terminate the Jazz’s lineage in this part of the world is part of wider product rationalization exercise undertaken by Honda’s headquarters in Aoyama, Tokyo.
All markets in the Asia-Oceania region, including Australia and New Zealand, both of which sell very few Honda cars anyway, will drop the Jazz in favour of the City Hatchback.
Why discontinue the Honda Jazz?
The Internet is a really terrible place to hang out in, and woe to anyone foolish enough to take Facebook comments as an indication of what’s actually market in the market – like you know, decisions made by people who actually pay money to buy new cars, emphasis on new.
When the fourth generation (4G) 2020 Honda Jazz (Fit) made its global debut at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, netizens from Malaysia were quick to condemn it.
Some say that it’s a car for hamsters, others say it’s for pandas, or Doraemon’s cat. They didn’t appreciate the two-spoke steering wheel, which they say looks like an ‘80s car (it’s actually aping the all-electric Honda E, itself a retro-ish 2020 remake on the original Honda Civic).
Many didn’t like the interior – conventional minded users just didn’t know what to make of the 4G Jazz’s clutter-free layout, which in their mind, looks cheap. The problem is that this is exactly what buyers in Japan and Europe want.
But this was already anticipated by product planners at Honda Motor, which is exactly why the Honda City Hatchback was developed alongside the sedan.
But now the same group of netizens who criticized the 4G Jazz for being too cute and too cheap-looking are now asking why the City Hatchback is replacing the 4G Jazz.
I am pretty sure a fair number of tables at Honda’s Aoyama office – which has some very nice minimalist style office furniture - have been flipped and thrown out the window.
The latest Jazz is just too radical for consumers in emerging markets to accept, many of whom still want their cars to still project a very masculine image, even if it’s just a sub-compact hatchback. They equate strength with sharp, angular lines looks, mean-looking front-end, and a busy looking interior that’s packed with a lot of things.
All are exact opposites of CO2 emissions-conscious buyers in Japan and Europe, and even China – the only three markets where the latest 4G Jazz/Fit is sold, at least for now.
This bulbous-looking, a tad too feminine 4G Jazz is Honda's best-seller in Japan, and is the only non-Toyota model in Japan's top 5 best selling models list. As of October 2020, the Toyota Yaris (TNGA version that we don't get) is No.1, followed by Toyota Raize and Toyota Corolla. The fourth place Honda Jazz ranks ahead of the Toyota Alphard.
A Japanese chief engineer (not from Honda) who is also working on family car that I cannot reveal yet, once explained to me the difficulty of developing a global product that meets the needs of Japan/Europe as well as developing markets:
“Many young Japanese, my daugher included, have an almost anti-conventional fashion brands lifestyle. Every generation rebels against the previous one and today’s young Japanese don’t like flashy labels, because they didn’t want to be like their parents," he said.
“Young Japanese today want high quality, eco-friendly products, but minus the flash. The best example of this is the success of Muji, which literally means “no brand” in Japanese. Young Japanese pay a lot of money for Muji products, even though none carry a Muji label. Uniqlo is another example. They want premium products, but not necessary luxury brand – slight difference between the two. Apple is not a luxury brand but it’s just as highly coveted. For cars, an androgynous, gender-neutral, eco-friendly image is preferred here.”
The discussion went further, touching on how the next generation of buyers prefer premium but shorter service life products, just like their phones and apparels, and how this contradicts with the car industry’s standard of 15 years/300,000 km lifespan. It’s also why car sharing will become more attractive in the future, versus traditional car-ownership model.
But those topics are for another day. In short, Honda believes it is no longer possible to build a global model Jazz that will satisfy the diverse needs of users in different parts of the world. Trends in Japan and Europe are diverging too far away from South East Asia.
3G Honda Jazz is the best all-rounder
If you think about it, there are very few successful B-segment global model. The Ford Fiesta has already been discontinued outside of Europe. The VW Polo is not sold in the US. The latest TNGA-platform Toyota Yaris is only for Japan and Europe. Not even USA gets it. The Honda Jazz is actually the most successful in penetrating international markets.
It's the world's only B-segment hatchback that’s good enough to meet the needs of Americans, Europeans, and Asians, from Tokyo to Bangkok, from Munich to Melbourne, it won the hearts of users everywhere. It might not be No.1 in every country, but it holds its ground well enough.
But the compact/sub-compact car business is getting very tough. Profits are thin, and they operate in a very price sensitive segment. At the same time, high cost electrified powertrains are necessary to comply with increasingly strict CO2 regulations in many developed markets, especially Europe.
Volkswagen for example, will not replace the Up! and the fate of the Polo beyond the current Mk8 generation is unclear. The business direction is becoming increasingly different from developing markets, hence it makes sense to end the current 'global model' concept for the Jazz.
Why replace Honda Jazz with City Hatchback?
Apart from the obvious appeal that it’s a more conventional looking hatchback, with angular lines and an interior that’s more acceptable to users here, there are also advantages in manufacturing and marketing.
On the manufacturing front, accountants and production engineers will be more than happy to welcome this rationalization move.
The outgoing 3G Honda Jazz already shares a similar interior with the Honda City, but with the City Hatchback, parts commonality will be increased even further as the entire car’s front-end is identical to the City sedan.
With greater commonality, cost per unit will be even lower as the individual parts’ volume go up. It also simplifies parts purchasing, warehousing, and after-sales.
This greatly simplifies the work of production engineers, all of whom have a special cuss word every time a marketer wants to add yet another colour or model variant to their production line.
All these combine to speed up the phasing in of the model, which means that the Honda City Hatchback will be launched in Malaysia sooner than you think.
Toyota has made good use of this 'same front, different rear' formula with its Yaris and Vios (also known as Yaris Ativ in Thailand) but unlike Honda, Toyota is not willing to throw away the Yaris nameplate, which it has invested for over 15 years to grow in South East Asia.
Instead, Honda is taking cues from Mazda, which sells its B-segment hatchback and sedan under the same Mazda 2 nameplate with pretty good results.
Why spend money to promote two nameplates; City and Jazz, when you can focus your spending on growing just one City nameplate.
Keyword search trend over the last two weeks is proof of this. With the launch of the City Hatchback, the ‘City’ name trended once more. Whatever campaigns done for the City Hatchback will also benefit the City sedan.
Unlike Jazz, the City Hatchback has no individual identity
Now that both the sedan and hatchback look the same, isn't this bad for individuality, a prized value in marketing?
I once asked a Mazda designer on why so many of their cars use the same Soul Red as its signature colour, looking so similar to other Mazda models. On a big motor show stand, it’s hard to tell the models apart.
The answer I got took me back. “Brand identity and model identity are two different things. For a small company like Mazda, with our considerably less resources, building a brand identity is more important than building an individual model identity. It is better for every Mazda car on the road to carry the Mazda flag first, before its model identity.”
That was 5 years ago. Today, even big names like Mercedes-Benz is ditching model-specific design identity. It’s why the C-Class, E-Class, and S-Class all share a common look, as are all BMW and Audi sedans. Even the latest 2021 Honda Civic now mirrors the Honda Accord’s styling.
Honda is bigger than Mazda but it still doesn’t have the resources of Toyota or even Nissan. So it makes sense for Honda to spend less money by focusing on just one City nameplate to conquer the B-segment.
The Honda City name is not recognized any poorer than the Jazz either so it’s a very safe decision. In fact, the City has a longer history here than the Jazz, since 1996. It was Honda’s first car developed specifically to meet the needs of buyers in South East Asia, as prices of the Honda Civic have gone up quite significantly, just like the Toyota Corolla.
Honda needed a new entry-level family sedan for a new generation of middle class buyers in South East Asia, and the older EF generation Civic lend its platform.
Former CEO of Honda Malaysia Yoiichiro Ueno (served from 2011 – 2016) was one of the product planners who developed the first Honda City when he was attached to the Bangkok-based Asian Honda Motor regional office.
Surprisingly, Jazz is still selling well
You would think that with the announcement of the City Hatchback, sales of the Jazz will take a dip. You will be surprised to know that it is not the case.
Interest in the Jazz remains healthy, or perhaps Malaysian buyers are generally indifferent to a new model that’s not yet available here.
However, some dealers say there have been an increase in inquiries, especially the Sonic Gray Pearl colour, suggesting that the City Hatchback is drawing a different group of buyers from the Jazz.
The Honda Jazz’s main threat remains only one – the Toyota Yaris, which has since overtaken the Jazz as the segment’s top selling model, thus reinforcing the notion that it’s better to just replace the Jazz with the City Hatchback, which follows the same formula as the Vios-Yaris twin.


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preferential trade treatment for India that allows $5.6 billion of duty-free exports to the US. In a notification to the US Congress, Trump said New Delhi hadn’t assured the US of “equitable and reasonable access” to the Indian market. But India doesn’t plan to impose retaliatory tariffs on US goods – commerce secretary Anup Wadhawan said Trump’s move would have limited impact. The US ran a $27.3 billion trade deficit with India in 2017, and the two sides have been involved in a trade spat after America hiked tariffs on Indian steel and aluminum last year. Here's what people are saying.
Trump ends trade perks for India


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MEA leads smartphone shipment growth in 2015
Region bucks the global trend, according to IDC research.Gabriella Mulligan
E-commerce the "lifeblood" of digital space in Africa - Spinlet
CEO of online music service offers insight into what is holding e-commerce back on the continent.
Safaricom seeks to remain relevant amidst competitor, regulatory pressures
Telco's CEO predicts an increase in competition and vibrant year ahead.
Spacecom, Ringo launch hybrid broadband in rural Cameroon
Said to be Sub-Saharan Africa's first large-scale cellular-satellite hybrid broadband internet project.
Nomanini launches second generation eLula platform
Offering will allow merchants to sell various services, including water and electricity, electronically.
Third tier of payments system needed for last mile payments - Nomanini
Model should be adapted to allow for growth, cost and spend of transactions says exec.
South Africa grants first commercial drone licence
Civil Aviation Authority grants approval for commercial operation of drones for key sectors.
Sentech in deal with Intelsat for DTH, DTT provision
se of satellite infrastructure to bolster transmission, programming in South Africa.
Airtel, Liquid Telecom partner for faster mobile broadband
Companies leverage fibre network to extend 3G, 4G networks in Africa.
Africa lags behind world in internet access - ITU
Recent data on connectivity levels reveals continent as the worst globally.
Safaricom to increase Lipa na M-Pesa usage by 30%
Telco to initiate incentive-based campaigns to entrenching service.
Intelsat signs deal with Mozambique's national operator
Partnership focused on satellite solutions to drive improved rural connectivity.
Kenya, South Sudan announce $40million fibre system
High speed fibre optic cable system a bid to improve communications, boost trade.


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Update: US pre-orders have been going up and down all night. If you’re looking for one, just keep checking at your retailer of choice.
Original Story: While we just got a full rundown of the Nintendo Switch, pre-orders are not yet live. While you can’t buy the console yet, you’ll want to know when they go live, as they will likely go very fast. With over 400,000 people watching the Nintendo Switch livestream event, nearly everyone is going to be rushing to get their money down to ensure that they get their console on March 3rd. We don’t yet have a US date for pre-orders, but we did learn that they will begin on January 21st in Japan. Expect US pre-orders to begin soon after.
Nintendo has had a very spotty history when it comes to retail stock, especially for new consoles. While the Wii U was on store shelves shortly after launch, that was mostly due to the low demand, rather than a supply constraint.
In contrast, the Wii was sold out across the US and the rest of the world for months following its hugely successful launch. There was definitely massive demand for the Wii, but it seemed that Nintendo also had trouble delivering enough units to match the desires of customers.
We also saw this with amiibo, which had many waves sell out immediately, even taking down major retailers’ websites, including Gamestop and Amazon. The demand has slowed for amiibo, but the NES Classic Edition became so hard to find that they were selling for hundreds more than their retail price on eBay and other services.
Will the Nintendo Switch pre-orders have the same problem? Well, no one knows just yet, but we should get an idea very soon. If the initial pre-order offerings sell out quickly, be ready for a rough launch in March, with shortages and stock issues for an undetermined amount of time.
Hopefully Nintendo has spent the last few months building millions of Switch consoles, and players can just walk into stores and grab the console that they want, when they want it.
Good luck out there, and have fun with your Nintendo Switch, if you are able to get one before they all disappear.


text: «Philoxenia,» the international tourism exhibition, opens for the 20th time in Thessaloniki tomorrow evening, hoping to redefine its role and contribute to the development of Greek tourism. Organized by the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO), the Ministry for Tourism Development and Helexpo, the exhibition has the opening of new markets for Greek tourism as its central aim: These are the emerging countries of the Far East and the Visegrad states (Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland). Along these lines, the International Herald Tribune is preparing a special feature on China with the organization of a Greek-Chinese forum by the two countries’ tourism ministries, the GNTO and Helexpo, including honoring the chairman of the China National Tourism Administration. The forum is titled «From Athens to Beijing: The Olympic Bridge» and will be held on Friday at the Ioannis Velidis Conference Center, opening with a speech by Greek Tourism Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos at 9.30 a.m. The GNTO is holding another touristic forum on the new EU member states, titled «Enlargement and Tourism: New Prospects.» Helexpo has already conducted a road show in the countries of Central and Southeastern Europe to promote «Philoxenia.» Avramopoulos stressed in a press conference the government’s commitment to tourism, as shown by the new development bill to be passed soon by Parliament. Aiming at a boosting the sector, the minister asked everyone involved in tourism to do their best: «If we do not succeed now, we will never succeed,» he said. Referring to the post-Olympic period, he said the positive climate available now for Greece should not be wasted due to bad coincidence or poor hospitality. The minister also announced the opening of GNTO offices in Nicosia, Istanbul, Belgrade and in all Greek prefecture capitals and popular destinations. «Philoxenia» lasts until Sunday and will have 671 exhibitors, four more than last year, from 25 countries. Also present will be the European Tourism Trade Fairs Association (ETTFA), in which Helexpo is a member along with Philoxenia. An important innovation will be the promotion of touristic enterprises through e-TV. As Helexpo President Aristotelis Thomopoulos explained, «We have created the ‘advertube,’ a multimedia tunnel on the bridge linking pavilions 13 and 15, where passing visitors will have the opportunity to watch advertising messages of great interest on 50 big screens.» At this year’s «Philoxenia,» Helexpo will honor Tom Nutley, chairman of Reed Travel Exhibitions, one of the biggest in the world, which is also organizing the prestigious World Travel Market in London next week, with Greece as the country of honor.