text:
Aldi is rolling out click and collect at 200 more UK stores in time for Christmas
Aldi is preparing to roll out click and collect to 200 more stores across the UK in time for Christmas.
The news comes following an initial trial of the service, and will see it brought to hundreds more stores over the next few weeks, allowing shoppers to order their groceries online and pick it up.
Traditionally the German supermarket chain has avoided using a click and collect service, instead opting for a faster checkout-service than some of its competitors.
However, lockdown restrictions changed its approach and has seen Aldi partner with delivery service Deliveroo, and later trial a click and collect service.
The service was first piloted in one of its Midland stores in September,and will now be expanded nationwide.
Aldi Chief Executive Giles Hurley said: “We know that more and more people want to buy high-quality food at unbeatable Aldi prices – particularly at the moment – and this trial has been hugely popular so far.
“By extending it to hundreds of new stores, we’re making Aldi accessible to thousands of shoppers who might never have visited one of our stores before.”
How it will work
The click and collect service will see collection points pop up the store car parks.
Customers will be able to have their shopping bought to their car by Aldi employees, in line with social distancing guidelines.)
The introduction of the service will no doubt prove popular as shoppers prepare to stock their cupboards in time for a potential lockdown Christmas in 2020.
Shoppers are able to order from more than 300 Aldi products and have them delivered to their doorstep in as little as 30 minutes.


text:
The exchange rate has climbed to €1.136, up from €.127 yesterday.
Sterling was boosted yesterday by retail sales data released out of the UK.
According to data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), retail sales growth in the UK surged from 0.6 per cent to one per cent in August, reaching its highest levels since April and beating expectations it would slide to 0.2 per cent.
A strong uptick in clothing sales in particular appeared to drive the rise in sales last month, with increased demand for non-essential items helping to offset subdued food and fuel sales.
Pound euro exchange rate: Sterling has been boosted ahead of a Eurozone update
The ONS said in its report: “Year-on-year contribution of food stores remains flat, while there was a fall in the contribution of growth within petrol stations, showing that contributions to the overall growth came from non-essential items.”
It wasn’t the only factor to boost the exchange rate. The euro was weakened ahead of an announcement from the Federal Reserve.
TorFX currency analyst Rewan Tremethick said: “Data showing strong growth for UK retail sales in August proved a nice surprise for markets yesterday.
“Sales grew one per cent on the month, against predictions of a 0.2 per cent expansion.
Pound euro exchange rate: Sterling is buying €1.136
GBP/EUR won’t get much of a rest ahead of Theresa May’s Brexit speech
“This pushed GBP/EUR up 0.3 per cent to €1.130, with the euro also weakened by market anticipation of the Federal Reserve announcements in the evening.”
Fresh data out of the UK today could stand to further influence the exchange rate.
An update from the Eurozone is also on the agenda.
Mr Tremethick said: “UK government borrowing figures and a speech from European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi this afternoon will ensure that GBP/EUR doesn’t get much of a rest ahead of Theresa May’s Brexit speech on Friday.”
Pound euro exchange rate: Sterling remains vulnerable to a speech from Theresa May on Brexit
Prime Minister Theresa May is due to fly to Florence this week to discuss her vision for a post-Brexit Britain and the future ties with Europe.
British officials said it is likely that Mrs May has already told her cabinet of the details of her Florence speech.
The looming Brexit update has prompted speculation Boris Johnson may quit if it does not go the way he wants.
But Mr Johnson has vehemently denied these claims. He told the Guardian: “I am mystified by all this stuff. Not me, guv. I don’t know where it is coming from, honestly.”

domain: news


text:
PM Imran, all CMs to discuss coronavirus situation in high-level moot today
The second meeting of the committee will be attended by the chief ministers of all provinces through video link. The participants will review the implementations of decisions taken during previous meeting.
The top leadership of the country will also discuss about resumption of goods transport, and import and export activities in the country.
The prime minister is himself in favour of resuming the transport activities in the provinces in order to facilitate the poor people attached to this business activity.
All shopping malls, markets and other business places have been closed in most parts of the country in order to restrict public gatherings. However, the provincial governments have allowed grocery, vegetables and other shops related to edible items to continue business.
The number of coronavirus cases is continued to increase in the country as it has reached to 1,081 across Pakistan.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan While addressing a meeting of parliamentary leaders said that biggest challenge for his government during the Coronavirus lockdown is to help marginalized sections of society.
He said that government is making plans to decide how to help daily-wage workers and people who live in slums.
“We will reassess the situation and come up with solutions. I think that the country should not go towards a lockdown as that would badly effect the less privileged sections of society. The villagers would also suffer as the wheat harvesting season is currently under way,” he said.
He further said that nation-wide lockdown would impact economy especially if the transport is shut down in the country.
“We imposed a partial lockdown after Pakistan had confirmed its 21st case in the country. The government of Sindh had different approach and they went ahead with more measures. However, the federal government had other ideas in mind,” he said.
He added that complete lockdown would affect construction industry and daily wagers.
Imran Khan also said that Pakistan does not have a single Coronavirus case which was imported from China.
“I think our decision to not bring back students from Wuhan was a tough but good decision as it contained the spread of Coronavirus in Pakistan,” he said.


text:
Makers pedigree in car park refurbishment has led to the invitation whereby, Makers will be attending the German equivalent of Parkex “Parken” and offering their insight into the demands of the UK market.
The four strong team headed by Managing Director Simon Lamb and consulting engineer MBCE will examine the latest in resin technology and the industry requirements from the UK.
“The invitation is an obvious signal that German Manufacturers see the potential in the UK market. We have a strong reputation for quality and innovation in the parking sector and so we hope that “Parken” offers great opportunity for Makers and our German partners”
Simon Lamb – MD
“New products and innovation is at the sharp end of what we do… we need to continually invest and develop if we are able to offer the latest technology to our clients”
Matt Hewetson, Senior Quantity Surveyor
Parken 2015 Estrel Centre, Berlin. From the 23 – 25 September, Berlin will host Parken 2015 which is the only German exhibition which exclusively deals with the planning, construction and operation of parking facilities. Supported by leading German manufacturers, the latest solution, trends and products are show cased to the parking sector.


text:
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is getting a Expansion Pass, Nintendo has announced.
The Expansion Pass will unlock all future DLC that’s coming to the game. It costs USD29.99.
“Support Items For Your Journey” will begin distribution in December 2017, followed by “New Quests for the Main Game” in January 2018, “New Rare Blade” in Spring 2018, “New Challenge Battle Mode” in Summer 2018, and “A Brand New Story and Adventure” in Fall 2018.
Players can now pre-load both the Season Pass and the game on the Nintendo eShop so they can instantly play the moment the game launches on December 1.


text:
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), the Tata Motors-owned British luxury brand
, is planning to launch several sports cars
and fuel-efficient engines in the coming two years.
In the company's annual report for 2011-12, Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata said that the car manufacturer "has undertaken its most ambitious product development program in its history and will launch several new sports sedans and sports cars in the next two years. JLR will also offer cars with new higher-powered, more fuel-efficient engines to meet the customer preferences."
Face-lifts and new models of the Range Rover as well as a competitively-priced new line of "rugged, lifestyle vehicles under the Land Rover brand are also scheduled to be launched," Tata said.
He, however, did not share details such as how many new models will hit the roads or how many will be under each of the two brands - Jaguar and Land Rover.
JLR had earlier announced to roll out 40 new products in the next 4-5 years.
Tata Motors, which is also the maker of the world's cheapest car - Nano, bought JLR from Ford Motor Co in 2008 for $2.3 billion, as part of plans to expand its reach beyond Asia.
JLR now accounts a majority of Tata Motors' profits
and revenues and the deal vaulted the Tata group subsidiary from a commercial vehicle and small-car maker into a global player with luxury brands in its range of offerings.
For 2011-12, JLR's profit after tax stood at 1,481 million pounds (over Rs 12,900 crore) against 1,036 million pounds (over Rs 9,020 crore) in FY11, up 42.95 per cent.
Its revenue went up by 36.89 per cent to 13,512 million pounds (over Rs 1,17,800 crore) from 9,871 million pounds (over Rs 86,020 crore) in the previous fiscal.
Earlier in March this year, JLR had said it would invest 3.5 billion yuan (over Rs 2,800 crore then) in its recently-announced joint venture with Chery Automobile in China
to commence local assembly there.
The company is currently investing 355 million pounds in an engine plant in the UK
. It is also planning to set up an engine manufacturing facility in India.
In April 2011, JLR had said it would invest 1.5 billion pounds every year for the next five years, mainly on product development as it looks to catch up with global luxury car makers and position itself as a top premium brand.
JLR had also raised 500 million pound (over Rs 4,000 crore) in March this year through issue of bonds.With inputs from agencies


text:
Baseball may be “on hold” until at least July, but that doesn’t have to stop you from tracking important stats—ones that reflect your staffing vendors’ performance.
Fans are eagerly awaiting the[...]
Is technology moving too fast? This has been the subject of much discourse since the early 2000s, and never has the debate been more heated. Automation and AI are evolving at a breakneck pace, kids are growing up attached to their phones, self-driving cars are on the horizon, and new technology companies are sprouting up every day. On the one hand, tech does make our lives easier in many ways. But on the other, it seems like its uncontrolled growth could become a problem. The answer lies in learning how to leverage technology properly - and ethically.
The past three weeks have been roller-coaster news weeks for the tech world. First, we had the bitcoin craze that exploded across the globe before quickly fizzling out. Days later, Apple dropped a bombshell by admitting what many of us suspected for a long time: they deliberately slow down older iPhones. Though the company explains that this is to prevent aging lithium batteries from shutting down completely, many an Apple customer will theorize that it’s actually planned obsolescence – a way to force iPhone users to shell out big bucks for a newer model.
Regardless of the real reason behind the slowdown, Apple is now facing a whirlwind of lawsuits, with claims ranging from breach of contract to consumer protection violations. In an effort to remedy the situation, Apple is offering discounted battery replacements and new features that allow users to monitor whether their phones’ batteries are affecting its performance. Probably, that’s what Apple should have done in the first place.
The headlines don’t stop there, either. This past week, a New York Times report found that more than 250 games across the Google Play and Apple App stores are utilizing a monitoring software to – get this – listen to users while they watch tv and movies. The software, called Alphonso, collects tv data for advertisers, allowing them to target ads and even find out which commercials were successful. In other words, it listens to what you’re watching and can tell if a commercial made you run to a store and buy the product. Scary stuff, right?
Though this particular use of the software may seem innocuous enough, it’s the software’s potential and how the data was collected that has users up in arms. In the NYT report, Alphonso revealed that the app is installed in more than 1,000 games and apps. Even more shocking, a vast number of users had no idea the software was there, even after allowing the game or app to access their microphone. Theoretically, the app even has the ability to listen while running in the background, or from your pocket.
It’s this type of news that has consumers worried about the safety of their information and the amount of control they have over technology. We like to think technology makes our lives better, our content experiences richer, and our day-to-day tasks easier. Technology should be there to complement our lives, not run them. And it certainly shouldn’t be an invasion of privacy. Yet, with AI and automation moving so quickly, it seems that the learning curve of how to ethically and properly leverage technology hasn’t quite caught up.
Even an industry as “traditional” as recruiting is feeling the effects of too much technology. Automation software, meant to streamline the hiring process and centralize information, has become something of a hinderance. One survey found that 82% of job-seekers feel recruiting is overly automated, and nearly all of them (95%) think that technology should only be used in a supplementary manner. AI and Big Data are necessary in recruiting, especially when it comes to things like letting a candidate know where they are in the pipeline – something that recruiters often struggle with. However, it’s evident that technology has become a crutch that has depersonalized the job search process and left a stain on candidate experience.
Ethical data collection and usage is another major concern in the staffing industry, and has been since the Big Data boom in 2015. From corporations exploiting medical wellness program data to recruiters using social media to research a candidate’s personal information, Big Data is riddled with ethical pitfalls. As technology continues to grow and we’re able to glean more insights from AI, it’s imperative that we use technology correctly. Not just for ethics’ sake, but for the sake of candidate experience, too.
Before we succumb to explosive growth, and possibly explode because we’re not prepared for it, we should remain mindful of the lessons other companies have taught over the past three years. It’s not just about data security, either. It’s also about data integrity and ethical use. Our own industry isn’t immune from threats. We’ve seen cases go to court where staffing providers have been accused of falsifying candidate records, attempting to manipulate the E-Verify system, misrepresenting claims, and more.
The world of talent acquisition has become fertile ground for tech innovators. In fact, 2018 is poised to become a hallmark year for software developers who are focusing on launching advanced automation to refine outdated hiring processes. Yet with the advent of new platforms, the importance of data security, privacy, and ethical usage will grow in importance.
When data violations occur, the problems are almost always human in nature. They can be unwitting mistakes such as substandard, poorly implemented or outdated security protocols. In rarer cases, they can be intentional. Regardless of the cause or the figurehead who must shoulder the blame, there exists an entire network of people who contributed (knowingly or not) to the issue: executives, software developers, engineers, data analysts, product managers, data storage and processing specialists, and other people responsible for the code and algorithms that facilitated the violation. The good news is that because it’s a human problem, there’s a human solution.
In many ways, problems that lead to data breaches are more human than technical in nature. For example, credit card details don’t appear in an enterprise data warehouse without an invitation. Neither do sensitive candidate details. After the information is stored, software is written to link a user’s profile to the personal data collected. The technical staff is involved both in designing the algorithms and implementing the code. Developers are engaged to perform the work based on the business need. The point is that every aspect of data accumulation, storage and use is an intentional process undertaken deliberately by humans. So it also stands to reason that misuse or abuse also fall within that realm.
Kaiser Fung, who leads the Applied Analytics program at Columbia University, observed that other business needs often take precedence over data ethics in the decision-making process: “Managers debate topics such as product innovation, user experience, resource requirements, competitive strategies, and return on investment.” Educating tech teams on the ethical standards of processing that data, however, seldom takes place.
Our clients and our talent have placed their trust in our abilities to keep their information secure, accurate and free from misuse. Here are some simple ways to ensure that technology leaders in the contingent workforce industry excel.
No two companies will necessarily have the same processes, yet establishing and enforcing ethics standards is critical. They must be transparent, agreed upon, communicated and monitored.
To deliver the superior service users expect, it falls on us to make sure that our ethical data standards reflect the values and promises we champion in our products – and that those standards apply to every individual who relies on our platforms: hiring managers, contingent workforce program leaders, staffing providers, recruiters, executives, and workers.


text:
Australian wine-making and distribution company, Treasury Wine Estates, has agreed to acquire a majority of British alcohol producer Diageo's US and UK wine operations for $552m (£361.2m, €484.8m). The deal, which is in line with Treasury's recent acquisition strategy, is expected to double its revenue from luxury and premium wines in the American market.
Chief executive at Treasury Wine, Michael Clarke said, "[The acquisition] will be a game-changer for our US brands, providing us with an immediate opportunity to (increase) our growth in the U.S., Canada, Asia and Latin America."
Clarke has been eyeing acquisitions of higher quality with more profitable US labels, after the Melbourne-headquartered company had a bad experience while trying to expand operations via the organic route. The company, recently had to destroy thousands of cases of unsold low-end wine, forcing it to rethink its strategy in the US.
"This acquisition will transform our U.S. business into a larger player of scale in the attractive luxury and masstige segments of the high growth U.S. market," Clarke added.
With regards to the acquisition, Treasury Wine will raise $350m through a fully underwritten rights issue. It also plans to assume capitalised leases of $48m.
The company is well known for its brand, Penfolds, and will add Diageo's Sterling Vineyards, Blossom Hill and Piat d'Or to its portfolio, post the deal. It will offer two new shares for every 15 Treasury shares to stakeholders.
A year ago, Treasury had received takeover interest from private equity companies at A$5.20 (£2.46, $3.76) a share, but Clarke had rejected it. Treasury's shares closed at A$6.57 on Tuesday, (13 October) before it made the Diageo announcement.
The Australian winemaker has forecast its pretax earnings to grow up to 29% until 30 June 2016, due to strong sales in the first quarter.


text:
This week Hawaiian Telcom doubled its fastest Internet speed to 1 gigabit-per-second (Gbps). This 1 Gig service (equal to 1,000..
Oceanic Time Warner Cable customers soon will benefit from major enhancements that will transform your Internet and TV service as..
CHIP is a proposed $9 computer that officially beats the famed Raspberry Pi as one of the world’s cheapest and..
Microsoft recently announced its new Windows 10 browser called Edge. It gives you the ability to write directly on Web..
Yet another product and great idea I discovered earlier this year was Connected Cycle smart pedal. The company’s Indiegogo campaign..
As I write this, the death toll in Nepal is sadly more than 5,200 and rising. The demand for information..
You may remember me writing about the Blue Startups Cohort back in 2013. Part of that was a homegrown company..
Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), more commonly known as drones, have been around for a while in the consumer market, but..
Skechers shoes have long been a part of my 5-year-old daughter’s wardrobe, her favorites being the light-up shoes and slippers...
Last week, and just in time for April Fool’s, Google made it possible for you to play Pac-Man on Google..
Nintendo mostly has stayed out of the mobile gaming arena until now. At a recent press conference in Tokyo, Nintendo..
Last week Facebook rolled out its free Messenger Payments feature that lets you send and receive money. To begin a..
Finally, the Apple Watch has a solid release date: Friday, April 24! We were all awed by the iPhone’s initial..
The people around me know I’m always training for the next race. Most recently, I ran the Honolulu Marathon (26.2..
Trying to stay ahead of the curve, Motorola announced its next-generation Moto E phone right before the big Mobile World..
Most people are surprised when I tell them I haven’t upgraded my phone in a while and I’m still using..
Many moons ago, I was a Girl Scout and did the traditional deed of going door-to-door and setting up tables..
Seeing my friend and her three rambunctious dogs last week made me remember the Tagg GPS Pet Tracker I saw..
It’s that time of year again. National Clean Out Your Computer Day falls on Feb. 9 and is the time..
Earlier this month Dish Network unveiled its new Sling TV web-based video service that is targeted at people who want..


text:
The biggest online shopping day of the year is coming up and it’s not Black Friday or Cyber Monday. For several years, consumers globally have spent more money online on Nov. 11 than any other day of the year. While consumers spent $6.6 billion online on Cyber Monday last year, China Singles Day racked up more than four times that much, mostly on the Alibaba platform. And, while U.S. merchants are rightly focused on U.S. consumers at this time of year, the opportunity represented globally, with Singles Day leading the way, is enormous.
China Singles Day began its commercial existence in 2009, making this year its tenth anniversary. The day serves as a reminder to E-commerce was born and thrives in the U.S. But, companies that risk reaching outside their borders with localized offerings to the markets they have identified as attractive can reap outsized rewards.
“With cross-border e-commerce in the U.S. expected to grow to $203 billion by 2021, Singles Day is a prime example of how much spending occurs outside of the U.S.,” said Steve Villegas, vice president of partner management for online payment provider PPRO. “American merchants have the marketing capabilities to position their brand in global markets; they just need to start offering local payment methods to ensure converted sales and succeed in global e-commerce.”
Share this Article:
Card Not Present®, CNP Expo®, The CNP Report® is a registered trademark of RELX Inc. | cardnotpresent.com


text:
Innovent Biologics’s stock leapt almost 20 percent on its listing in October, boosting hopes for the sector after the first few companies plunged below their IPO prices.
Shanghai Junshi Biosciences soars 21 percent on HK debut
More from Industry NewsMore posts in Industry News »
- FDA panel endorses booster shot for J&J Covid-19 vaccine
- Intas launches the World’s first SB-100mg Itraconazole
- Second J&J COVID-19 shot gets expert backing; FDA is looking at lowering age for Pfizer booster
- StayHappi pharmacy enters Assam with 70 stores
- Mumbai: Larger ITAT bench to rule on pharma freebies


text:
Even though the Fisker Ocean SUV isn’t set to arrive until at least some time in 2022, CEO Henrik Fisker has teased his company’s next electric vehicle (EV).
In a Twitter post last week Fisker revealed it will be a “lifestyle pick up truck”. The teaser image that was included strangely cut off the rear of the truck, but showed off sharp lines and edges reminiscent of the Tesla Cybertruck.
Ok, yes, next vehicle might be a lifestyle pick up truck! But not just any truck! We want to create the lightest, most efficient EV pick up in the world! Making it, the most sustainable! image is just a teaser! Not the final: final will be way more radical! #fisker #EV #truck pic.twitter.com/g3MQNa34wL
— Henrik Fisker (@henrikfisker) January 1, 2021
Other than the render and a claim they want it to be the lightest and most efficient and sustainable EV, there were few details provided by the CEO.
In a follow-up tweet in response to a question about the electric truck’s price, Fisker said “It’s got to be under $39k with 4×4 standard! Our team is working on it!”. An interesting number to pick, given the base single motor RWD Cybertruck starts at $39,900 USD.
Before that happens though, they first need to release the Fisker Ocean SUV. When it does hit the streets, it will have a Canadian connection. Last year Fisker announced a deal with Ontario-based Magna International to build the SUV at a facility in Europe.


text:
Instagram began tests that hide "like" counts on posts. That means influencers who market products on Instagram will have to rely on different metrics to show success.Technologyread more
Peter Neupert worked for Microsoft and Amazon-backed Drugstore.com, where he got to know Jeff Bezos. He now advises start-ups.Technologyread more
Disney's "Avengers: Endgame" is now the highest-grossing film of all time having earned $2.79 billion at the global box office.Entertainmentread more
Regional stability, oil prices and potential for war will all depend on what Iran does with its nuclear program in the event of the deal's termination.World Politicsread more
Facebook Vice President David Marcus is the face of the company's Libra digital currency, but the original driving force was a 26-year-old female corporate-development...Technologyread more
Moving lots of data to a public cloud over the internet can take months or years. CNBC got an inside look at how AWS transfers data to the cloud for its clients.Technologyread more
Amazon's new policy for account suspensions doesn't go far enough to protect sellers from potentially unfair and wrongful suspensions, merchants say.Technologyread more
There is no end in sight to the Boeing 737 Max grounding after two fatal crashes, prompting airlines to rethink their growth plans.Airlinesread more
After a year of flooding, Midwest farmers face a stifling heat wave that's spreading across the U.S.Weather & Natural Disastersread more
On Saturday, Disney's Marvel Studios announced its upcoming slate of superhero films during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con.Entertainmentread more
"It troubles me that the most important political office in the world is becoming the face of racism and exclusion," Kaeser said in a Twitter post.Politicsread more
Armstrong said his company is focused on growth, noting that AOL has been expanding revenue and profit for eight consecutive quarters, with high growth rates in its video content and automated advertising businesses.
"We have to really make a decision whether we want to take a step back, and go back and think about doing something like [a merger], versus, do we focus on growth?" he told CNBC's "Squawk Box."
Asked what type of acquisition AOL would consider, Armstrong said the company is focused on scaling up three things: supply, customer data, and its video and automated ads.
"You should assume we're going to do everything we possibly can to move those three things forward," he said.
Armstrong appeared on CNBC's "Squawk Box" ahead of its presentation at Newfronts, a two-week event during which marketing teams preview upcoming online video content. It serves as the digital video version of broadcast television's Upfront season.
Like Netflix and Yahoo, AOL is pushing into the market for original content. Its slate of 16 original shows attracted a total of 185 million viewers last year and turned a profit, Armstrong said.
AOL's video business grew 90 percent last year, and advertisers are chasing that growth, he added.
"There's 900 million paid connections to TV in the world. There's roughly going to be about 4 billion people with smartphones in the next couple years, so you have a massive market of both paid TV and machines in people's pockets that act like cable boxes," he said.
As for whether a content bubble is forming, Armstrong said he expects that the current output of about 70 million hours of high-quality content produced each year in the United States can double.
On the ad side, machine-assisted programming—or programmatic advertising—has helped AOL go from making 300 million ad placement decisions per day four years ago to 1 trillion today, Armstrong said.
That has helped the company grow its ad prices in the double digits for the last four years, he said.
"You look across the major companies, all of them are now involved in digital, and I think this is the first year where you're going to see the Newfront, the business we're in, and the Upfront really collide," he said. "I think advertisers are going to push those two things together this year and it's going to be a big change."


text:
News » Health
Monkeypox, cases of infection of which have already been found in dozens of countries around the world, is not transmitted through food.
This was stated by the head of the World Emergencies Health Organization Mark Ryan, according to RIA-Novosti.
According to Ryan, there is no evidence that food consumption, shopping and grocery shopping are associated with the risk of monkeypox.
The WHO spokesman emphasized: “For your food to always be safe, it is important to follow the instructions for cooking, proper preparation is very, very important.”
Mark Ryan noted that most of the infections occur through sexual intercourse.
At the same time, the WHO representative said that the organization Iya will study all possible ways of transmitting this type of smallpox.
Follow us on Telegram


text:
Call Of Duty 2023 May Carry Forward Operators, Guns, And Bundles From MW2
Activision responds to the recent COD 2023 leaks.
Rumored information about this year's new Call of Duty game emerged in recent days, and now Activision itself has seemingly responded to acknowledge the supposed leaks. One of the rumors circling around COD 2023 is that Operators, weapons, and bundles from Modern Warfare II will carry forward to the new game.
The official Call of Duty Twitter account recent posed a poll to its millions of followers, asking if Operators, weapons, and bundles should carry forward to Call of Duty 2023. The answers to the poll were "Yes" and "Yes, when is reveal?" So this seems to be a tongue-in-cheek way for Activision to acknowledge the recent rumors without giving too much away ahead of the official reveal.
It's not a definite confirmation at this point, but it sure sounds like content from Modern Warfare II will carry forward to this year's game, and fans who invested time and money are probably happy to hear that. 2023's Call of Duty is rumored to be Modern Warfare III, with Sledgehammer Games leading development and support from Activision's network of studios as is normal for development on the COD series.
Let's get this out of the way...— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) July 17, 2023
Should #MWII Operators, Weapons and Bundles carry forward into Call of Duty 2023?
Other rumors about COD 2023 that have emerged in recent days have shed supposed details on a new perk system, red dots on the mini-map, and more. Seemingly in response, Activision sent DMCA takedown requests to some accounts that posted information.
CharlieIntel reported that COD 2023 will be announced in August 2023 during Season 5 of Modern Warfare II/Warzone. Keep checking back with GameSpot for the latest.


text:
The NSW Government have re-introduced the National Cabinet’s Mandatory Code of Conduct for Commercial Leasing to mandate rent relief for eligible tenants impacted by COVID-19. The Shopping Centre Council of Australia (SCCA) had called for the turnover threshold for eligible retailers to be $5 million, to ensure the Code was targeted at genuine SME retailers.
The Code previously applied to retailers with a turnover up to $5 million, after the NSW Government reduced the turnover threshold from $50 million when it extended the Code form 1 January 2021 to its expiry at the end of March.
According to the SCCA, its members have provided more than $2.1 billion in rental abatement to small and medium sized retailers ($773 million in NSW) under the previous period of the Code and have been providing ongoing support for their retailers for the better part of the year without the Code of Conduct in place.
Minister for Finance and Small Business Damien Tudehope said this would provide certainty for businesses and landlords in this challenging time. “One of the biggest issues right now for so many small businesses right across NSW is rent. This package says to landlords and tenants before you take any action, sit down, talk to each other and come to an agreement on what the next few weeks looks like,” Tudehope said.
A new $40 million Hardship Fund will also be established to provide a monthly grant of up to $3,000 for small commercial or retail landlords who provide rental waivers of at least the value of the grant and any land tax relief they are eligible for.
The Retail and Other Commercial Leases (COVID-19) Regulation 2021 will be extended until 13 January 2022 and will require landlords to renegotiate rent having regard to National Cabinet’s Code of Conduct. The Code requires landlords to provide rent relief in proportion with their tenant’s decline in turnover. Of the rent relief provided, at least 50% must be in the form a waiver, and the balance a deferral. The Regulation applies to commercial and retail tenants with a turnover of up to $50 million who qualify for the COVID-19 Microbusiness grant, COVID-19 Business grant or JobSaver payment, which requires a 30% turnover reduction.
Shopping centre owners argued for the turnover threshold of $5 million to be retained to be eligible for coverage under the rental code of conduct based on evidence and where they know support is most needed, ensuring coverage for genuine small businesses, leaving bigger and more profitable retailers with access to capital to negotiate with their landlords in good faith.
Angus Nardi, Executive Director, SCCA said: “We suggested a continuation of the $5 million threshold to ensure the Code is targeted at genuine SMEs, and those that need the most support.”
“Shopping centre owners are rock solid in standing behind legitimate SME traders who are doing it tough, they have done for the past 12 months and will continue to do so – but our industry has zero appetite for another round of landlord bashing and commercial opportunism that translates into big profits for big retailers.”
The $50 million turnover threshold imposed by the NSW Government is now likely to be interpreted as a hard cut-off at which all rental assistance ends which is unnecessary and generous given underlying fundamentals of the economy and how it has behaved when restrictions ease. Much of the rent abatement and deferrals extended to big retailers under “the spirit of the Code” has simply translated into higher profits and dividends for listed retailers at the expense of their own investors.
Retailers have reported boosted earnings supported by significant growth in revenue and unprecedented online growth. As an example, this week, JB Hi-Fi has reported a 67% increase in profit across a year of lockdowns.
“Sadly, the so-called spirit of the code is now dead – killed off by big retailer profit and Friday’s decision by the NSW Government to reinstate the Code of Conduct with a $50 million turnover threshold which is bad policy, badly made,” said Nardi. “The regulatory mess of the Code simply conditions certain retailers to treat leases and the payment of rent as being discretionary and optional.” said Nardi.
“Our industry was already supporting SME retailers, and while we had a collaborative approach with some groups unfortunately we’ve seen some pretty simplistic advocacy to ask Governments to reinstate a broken system that relies on someone else’s funds.”
In early July, Scentre Group CEO, Peter Allen, who is also Chairman of the SCCA, issued a note to say they were working with their SME retailers, with a turnover of up to $5 million, “to mitigate the short-term cashflow impact on their business” through appropriate rent deferral.
Commonwealth Bank data released last week revealed only 240 deferrals for business customers’ loans by July 31, less than 0.1% of its portfolio. This is compared with 83,000 at the height of the pandemic last year. The CBA data is in line with pooled data from the Australian Banking Association that shows from July 8 to first week of August about 600 business loans nationally were in deferral compared to 225,000 business loans last year.
Peak retail industry bodies the National Retail Association (NRA) and the Franchise Council of Australia (FCA) have also welcomed the decision to provide urgent tenancy relief to struggling businesses. Similar to the focus of the SCCA, in calling for a return of the Code the NRA and FCA last week noted that businesses with a turnover of up to $5 million needed the most the support.
NRA CEO Dominque Lamb said, “Many businesses in NSW are close to breaking point, this decision to reintroduce the leasing code will at least provide hope to those struggling.”
FCA CEO Mary Aldred said it was a common-sense decision and that the NSW Government should be commended for taking on board industry feedback.


text:
Two Industries That Dis Paying Customers
A couple of weeks ago, I read that the final article by David Halberstam, who was killed in an automobile crash outside San Francisco on April 23, was available on the Vanity Fair Web site. As a long-time customer and admirer of Halberstam’s work, I wanted to read it.
I found “The History Boys” and downloaded it for free.
It was scheduled to appear in the August 2007 Vanity Fair and I—a nonsubscriber to the magazine—was able to access it long before it arrived on newsstands or in the mailboxes of paying subscribers.
That meant I—a Web junkie—could discuss it at a dinner party while Vanity Fair’s paid subscribers sat there with egg on their faces, feeling ripped-off by Vanity Fair.
When my wife, Peggy, and I ran the newsletter WHO’S MAILING WHAT!, our paid subscribers were our livelihood and our extended family. We knew them by name. I spoke at their conferences, greeted them at conventions and answered any and all questions. In return, they paid for our mortgage, our dinners out and our trips to Europe.
The idea of screwing our paid subscribers in favor of a bunch of strangers was unthinkable.
Yet this is the current business model of the magazine and newspaper industries.
The Internet has thrown a wrench into the inner workings of an already complicated business model and only The Wall Street Journal has figured out how to deal with it.
How is your business dealing with the Internet?
“‘Free’ is a magic word,” said direct mail guru Dick Benson.
One of the great tragedies of modern business was to allow the worldwide Web to become advertising-driven rather than making users pay for the incredibly valuable information and entertainment it provides. In the words of Arkansas Democrat-Gazette publisher Walter E. Hussman, Jr., in his Wall Street Journal op-ed piece on May 7th, “How to Sink a Newspaper”:


text:
STRASBOURG --EU lawmakers on Oct. 6 said the bloc should extend the use of geographic brand names from agricultural goods to manufactured products to give local economies a boost.
Up to now, the 28-nation European Union has designated well known foods and drinks with what is known as a "Geographical Indication" to highlight their local source and economic and cultural importance.
Among the latest put on the list, one can find for example 'Citron Menton,' lemons from the southern French city, or 'Cappellacci di zucca Ferraresi,' a type of stuffed pasta from the famed Italian region.
Now the European Parliament wants to go further, voting overwhelmingly for a non-binding resolution asking the European Commission to extend the system to goods such as 'Scottish tartan' or 'Carrara marble.'
"I welcome Parliament’s broad support for the call for better protection of local know-how," said French Socialist MEP Virginie Roziere who put up the resolution.
"Extending EU-wide protection of geographical indications would be beneficial not only for consumers, but also for tourism, culture, employment and trade," Roziere said.
The EU commissioner for consumer affairs, Vera Jourova, said extending the system could be of great benefit to local manufacturers but its cost and benefits would have to be "closely examined."
Here is a list of the GI products covered.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2015


text:
There are a couple of fundamental problems with most low-flow shower heads: People tend to see them as a less pleasant way to take a shower, and they’re easy to cheat. If people want more water pressure–and they usually do–they can just take out the flow restrictor and let the water gush out.
So when a new startup called Nebia decided to tackle the problem of saving water, they realized they needed to change how a shower worked more fundamentally.
“If we were going to have real global impact, we had to create an experience that people preferred,” says Philip Winter, CEO of Nebia. “It couldn’t just be a water-saving shower–it had to be something more than that.”
Instead of stepping into a stream of water, using the Nebia is more like stepping into a cloud. “You walk into this very immersive, high-density mist that gets your whole body wet at once,” he says.
The chamber of mist stretches two or three feet wide instead of the typical couple of inches under a normal shower. “The way we’re more efficient with it is we increase the surface area to volume ratio dramatically,” Winter says. “Essentially what we do is atomize water, so we create millions of tiny droplets and that creates a surface area that’s about 10 times greater than that of a regular shower.”
The shower head uses 70% less water than a typical shower, but actually feels like it’s using more because you’re instantly wet. It’s designed to be an experience that people will like better than the classic, high-pressure blast of water. “Once you step under it, and you’re there for 30 seconds, you totally get it,” he says. “It’s actually much more soothing. And much better for your skin.”
By changing the experience, the company plans to convert more people to water conservation. They took on the shower–something many people consider a sacred part of their day–because of the challenge. “Part of the reason we started with showers is because it’s also where we saw that people are least willing to make a change,” Winter says.
Ultimately, the company plans to roll out more water-saving products for the home, building on the success of the shower, which has raised over $2 million on Kickstarter and attracted investors like Apple CEO Tim Cook.
They also want to make the products accessible to everyone. Though the technology will be expensive to make initially (and retails for $399), they want to work to bring the cost down so it’s affordable globally. People also save money over time through lower water bills.
For now, one of the biggest markets for the San Francisco-based company is California. As the epic drought rolls on, the state is already pushing hard to save water in showers, and recently passed the toughest restrictions for new shower heads in the country. But the Nebia shower can save even more water–and, more importantly, might make people want to do it.


text:
Denver Business Journal
Date: Tuesday, August 2, 2011, 2:31pm MDT
The DaVinci Institute, a Louisville-based futurist think tank, said Tuesday it has entered into a partnership with Edison Nation to fund promising inventors.
Edison Nation, an outgrowth of the PBS series “Everyday Edisons,” is an online service that works to link inventors with retailers and manufacturers.
Under the partnership, Edison Nation founder Louis Foreman, who produces the PBS series, will be a featured speaker and serve as a judge at the seventh annual DaVinci Inventor Showcase on Nov. 5.
Select inventors exhibiting at the event will be invited to apply for a portion of Edison Nation’s newly established $25 million Innovation Fund.
“When I came to the DaVinci Inventor Showcase a couple years ago, I was extremely impressed with the caliber of products on display,” Foreman said in a statement. “These are exactly the type of inventors the Innovation Fund was designed for.”


text:
First published by T Magazine online on 19 May 2017, and in print on 21 May 2017
Down a side street in leafy Notting Hill, the women’s clothing line Talitha, best known for the sort of silk caftans and tasseled blouses you might cover up with in Belize or Formenterra, has opened its first store. Founders Kim Hersov and Shon Randhawa have outfitted it to look like the richly textured home of an eclectic globe-trotter, with furniture and knickknacks collected from all over the world, plus a four-poster ash bed by their interior designer, Hubert Zandberg. These days, a cozy, impeccably curated space is a must for a brick-and-mortar boutique, but the pair have more than aesthetics in mind: Everything from the Madagascan raffia blind on the back window to the painting of a woman in profile hanging on the peacock-blue wall is for sale. This should keep them roaming for replacements, even if clothing will remain at the heart of the operation. “Talitha” is the name of Hersov and Randhawa’s fantasy muse, a woman apt to change her closet and home according to what she’s seen. Maybe she just got back from safari; next season things might lean “retro Palm Beach,” Hersov says. The eye has to travel, after all.


text:
As we discussed in the first part of this series, AutoZone (AZO) was unable to boost investors’ confidence despite reporting earnings and sales growth in 2Q18. In general, the company has a stable business model, with lower investment requirements to drive growth than the auto manufacturing business. In this part, we’ll see what Wall Street analysts expect for AutoZone’s upcoming earnings.
Analysts’ estimates for 3Q18
Wall Street analysts expect AutoZone’s earnings growth trend to continue in 3Q18. Analysts expect it to see adjusted earnings per share of $13.05 in 3Q18, ~14% higher than the $11.44 it reported in 3Q17.
Also, analysts’ estimates for the company’s 3Q18 profitability reflect a negative trend. AutoZone’s adjusted net profit margin is expected to be 13.2% in 3Q18, compared with 12.7% in 3Q17 and 9.8% in 2Q18. Overall, these earnings estimates indicate near-term recovery.
Expectations from sales
Analysts expect AutoZone’s sales to continue to grow in fiscal 3Q18. The company’s 3Q18 revenue is expected to be $2.7 billion, up ~3.8% YoY, while its 4Q18 revenue is expected to be $3.6 billion, marking a ~2.4% YoY rise.
In the first two months of 2018, US auto sales have fallen 2.4% YoY, mainly due to weakness in small car demand. These lower US auto sales have impacted revenue for mainstream auto companies (VCR) General Motors (GM), Ford (F), and Fiat Chrysler (FCAU) in recent quarters. Continue to the next part for a look at AutoZone’s valuation after its 2Q18 earnings release.


text:
This is what the Facebook coin will look like
The popularity of BTC is rising and the amount of trades at exchanges increases every day. Therefore the social media giant presents the working paper for its own crypto currency. Although Facebook has numerous (size) advantages, there are also tricky questions to be answered.
On Wednesday, the curtain will be lifted over a strictly guarded secret. The social media group Facebook presents its own crypto currency, Libra, to the media. The public will be able to view the working paper (white paper) on 18 July. With a base of 2.3 billion users (with many fake accounts), Facebook has a market power that Fintech providers and credit card companies should worry about.
The crypto transactions are likely to take place via the subsidiary services Whatsapp, Instagram and Messenger, which already require a mobile phone number for identification purposes. The Facebook-Coin is to be used for transfers between Facebook users, in e-commerce and also for payments in “real” shops. The decisive factor will be whether the crypto currency becomes a purely internal Facebook program or whether it can also be used outside the system.
Further details that determine the success of the Facebook currency are also still open. We already know that Libra is not a currency of its own, but a stable coin. The value is tied to a basket of traditional currencies. As a result, the coin is immune to the high swings that plague many other currencies.
The stability of the currency is probably less of an issue in Europe and the USA. With the Libra, Facebook is probably targeting developing countries first anyway, where only a few inhabitants have a bank account. A market expert believes that in these countries the legislator Facebook will also “stand less on its feet”. Migrants who send part of their income back home could be their target customers, for example. Today they are often dependent on expensive services such as Western Union.
In the current interest environment, it will be decisive whether Facebook will pay interest on users’ credit balances. If so, this would be a first among crypto currencies. The huge customer balances could be deposited with the central banks, for example in the USA at an interest rate of over 2% at the moment.
The new currency would be managed by a foundation that Facebook recently set up in Geneva. This would make the Facebook coin a “Swiss currency” subject to local regulation. This foundation would also manage the currency basket on which the coin is based, making it a major player in the foreign exchange market.
The Facebook coin is due to be launched in 2020 at the earliest, by which time numerous legal obstacles will have to be removed, especially in terms of customer identification and cross-border transactions. For example, the Facebook coin could be classified as a security in the USA because of the basket deposited. The biggest question, however, is whether customers entrust Facebook with financial matters. The company has not given a good picture of privacy protection in the past.


text:
MILFORD - As a way to bail out retailers, one local mall is pulling out all the stops this holiday season to get shoppers into stores.
The Westfield Connecticut Post Mall in Milford is featuring tons of freebies and contests this year as part of its 12 Days of Shopping promotion, including a $5,000 shopping spree. The mall's marketing director says this is the biggest the establishment has gone in terms of supporting retailers. She adds that it's critical to get shoppers to keep coming back.
In addition to the mall giveaways, stores themselves are offering deep discounts. Many opened early Friday morning for early-bird shoppers.
Westfield - Connecticut Post Shopping Mall


text:
Hyatt Hotels Corporation today announced that 2019 will mark record growth for Hyatt in India. Expansion plans foresee the addition of over 2,100 guestrooms through the opening of more than 14 new properties over the next 24 months. Aside from growth in the larger capital cities, the emphasis will be on leisure and cultural destinations, with a focus on emerging cities within India.
As a result of an increasingly favorable business climate and heightened tourism spend, encouraged by relaxed visa rules and a growing upper middle class, there is a general demand for growth in the hospitality industry in India. This expansion includes hotels in eight new markets in the country, thereby establishing Hyatt’s brand presence across 27 cities in India over the next 24 months.
“Hyatt is one of the longest-running international hotel management brands in India, the first Hyatt hotels in India opened over 30 years ago,” said Dhruva Rathore, vice president development-India, Hyatt. “Our heritage and experience in this complex market, paired with the strong relationships we hold with local developers and owners has helped make India one of the top three growth markets for Hyatt globally.”
This year’s expansion began with the introduction of the Hyatt Centric brand through the opening of Hyatt Centric Candolim Goa. New to the Hyatt portfolio as part of the Two Roads Hospitality acquisition in November 2018, the Alila brand also added two new properties in India, located in Diwa Goa and Fort Bishangarh. Later in the year, Hyatt plans to expand its brand footprint in Kerala with the opening of Hyatt Regency Kochi Malayattoor, a resort property on the banks of the Periyar river, and Hyatt Regency Thrissur, providing travelers with the first premium hotel in Thrissur. Hyatt also plans to add its first resort in The Himalayas with the anticipated opening of Hyatt Regency Dharamshala Resort in the second half of 2019. Gurgaon will also be in focus in later 2019, with the scheduled opening of Grand Hyatt Gurgaon. These hotels will add over 1,000 guestrooms to Hyatt’s existing offering in India and will establish its brand presence in four new markets.
“For Hyatt, India has a high growth potential and remains a market where we can expand our brand representation. Being focused on intentional growth gives us a unique edge as Hyatt can differentiate by having the right assets in its portfolio,” said Sunjae Sharma, vice president operations-India, Hyatt. “We look forward to collaborating with owners who want personal, flexible relationships and to stand out in a slightly overcrowded market. Most importantly, we want to be where our guests are traveling, and our growth strategy is in line with their preferred destinations.”
Planned openings in 2019
- Hyatt Regency Kochi Malayattoor (Q2 2019)
- Hyatt Regency Dharamshala Resort (Q3 2019)
- Hyatt Regency Thrissur (Q3 2019)
- Grand Hyatt Gurgaon (Q4 2019)
Planned openings in 2020
- Hyatt Place Bangalore Urbana (Q3 2019)
- Hyatt Regency Jaipur Mansarovar
- Hyatt Regency Dehradun
- Hyatt Place Vadodara
- Hyatt Regency Trivandrum
- Hyatt Place Jaipur Malviya Nagar
- Hyatt Regency Udaipur


text:
Microsoft’s Kinect just might turn out to be the success that the company had been wishing for. The Xbox 360’s motion control system sold 1 million units in just 10 days and now we hear that it reached the 2.5 million mark in 25 days. Of course the sales got some help from Thanksgiving weekend shopping to get to that milestone, but with the holidays fast approaching it looks like Microsoft is on track to sell the 5 million units they forecasted (and reiterated in their release).
Microsoft’s commitment to hitting the 5M unit mark means it’s unlikely that we’ll see any shortages of the Kinect this holiday season. So don’t worry about rushing to stores or paying above the retail price on eBay this year!
Xbox 360 Surpasses 2.5 Million Kinect Sensors Sold
Consumers and retailers show excitement for Kinect for Xbox 360.
REDMOND, Wash. — Nov. 29, 2010 — Microsoft Corp. today announced that strong demand over the Black Friday weekend has propelled retail sales of Kinect for Xbox 360 to more than 2.5 million units worldwide since it launched just 25 days ago.
“We are thrilled about the consumer response to Kinect, and are working hard with our retail and manufacturing partners to expedite production and shipments of Kinect to restock shelves as fast as possible to keep up with demand,” said Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “With sales already exceeding two and a half million units in just 25 days, we are on pace to reach our forecast of 5 million units sold to consumers this holiday.”
“Kinect on Xbox 360 was a top performer at Target this weekend,” said Nik Nayar, vice president, merchandising, Target. “We expect Kinect will be a must-have gift this holiday season, so Target will continue to receive consistent shipments of Kinect throughout December. The hands-free, active gaming experience that Kinect offers is something that everyone in the family can enjoy.”
Kinect is now available at more than 60,000 retailers in 38 countries. It is the only controller-free games and entertainment system available that lets you control games, movies, music and television with gestures and your voice. Retailers, reviewers and analysts are calling it a must-have gift this holiday season.


text:
Pegasus Airlines' Vice President–Marketing Onur Dedekoylu will speaking at this year's 12th World Low Cost Airlines Congress at the Business Design Centre in London, UK on 15-16 September. Emre Pekesen - Director of Sales and Buray Gulay - Ancillary Marketing Manager at Pegasus Airlines will also be present at the congress.
Onur Dedekoylu will be speaking on 'Understanding context and consumer behaviours to enhance your offer' at 11:00, and joining the panel titled ‘Increasing ancillary revenues through data, connectivity and a more retail focussed mind-set?’ at 11:40 on 16 September.
Pegasus Airlines is one of Europe’s leading low-cost airlines today, flying to 92 destinations in 37 countries. It flew 103.65 million guests between 2005 and the first half of 2015, and its expansion has continued with more routes in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa so far this year.


text:
Why Did Vitamins Disappear From Non-GMO Breakfast Cereal?
Remember when Cheerios and Grape-Nuts went GMO-free? That was about a year ago, when their corporate creators announced that these products would no longer contain ingredients made from genetically modified organisms like common types of corn, soybeans or sugar beets.
When they actually arrived on supermarket shelves, though, there was a mysterious change in their list of ingredients. Four vitamins that previously had been added to Grape-Nuts — vitamins A, D, B-12 and B-2 (also known as riboflavin) — were gone. Riboflavin vanished from Cheerios.
Wayne Parrott, a professor of crop science at the University of Georgia and defender of GMOs, was among the first to point out the change. He criticized General Mills and Post Foods for marketing their non-GMO cereals as especially wholesome. "The new version [of Cheerios] is certainly less nutritious," he told a reporter for Foodnavigator-usa.com, which covers the food industry.
This mini-controversy never got much attention. Recently, though, as we interviewed scientists who are using genetically altered yeast and bacteria to make nutrients and flavors, we recalled the strange case of the vanishing vitamins. We wondered: Do GMO microbes make vitamins, too? Is that why they can't be used in non-GMO cereals?
The companies directly involved weren't terribly helpful. Post Foods, the maker of Grape-Nuts, informed us in a prepared statement that vitamins were removed because "they did not meet non-GMO standards," but refused to explain why this was so.
Two of the world's major vitamin makers, BASF and DSM, declined to provide details of their manufacturing. "There is very little non-proprietary information I could talk to you about," a spokesman for DSM wrote in an email.
We dug further and discovered that vitamins may fail the non-GMO test for a variety of reasons.
Some companies are most likely making vitamin B-12 and riboflavin using genetically modified microbes; they have, at least, published scientific papers showing how this can be done.
On the other hand, these vitamins don't necessarily come from GMO microbes. There are strains of bacteria that produce these vitamins naturally. Yet even such microbes may not qualify for non-GMO status, because there's another hurdle. Vitamin-makers have to show that their microbes consumed feed — glucose, for instance — that came from non-GMO sources.
There's a further complication. Some vitamins have to be mixed with other substances, such as cornstarch, to handle them easily. Can't prove that the cornstarch was free of genetic modification? Sorry, no non-GMO certification from the Non GMO Project, an independent organization.
Bethany Davis, director of regulatory affairs at FoodState, which sells nutritional supplements, says that for all those reasons, vitamins get very tight scrutiny before they can be certified as non-GMO.
It is still possible to find non-GMO vitamins, she says. Increasingly, you can get them from China. But it requires additional time and attention. Big cereal manufacturers like General Mills or Post Foods, Davis says, may find it easier just to drop vitamins from the recipe.
Extracting vitamins from ordinary foods like carrots is possible, but it's generally much more expensive.
That leaves one method of vitamin production that's cheap, industrial-scale, and reliably non-GMO: synthetic chemistry. Vitamins are commonly manufactured from scratch in chemical factories, using ingredients that cannot be linked to any genes or biological process at all. That technology may not inspire great affection, but it does, at least, qualify as non-GMO.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
March 23rd, 2011, 18:42 PM
Yahoo introduces Search Direct to speed up query resolution
Yahoo has started beta testing a search feature that displays answers to queries and links to websites on the fly as people type their queries.
Yahoo officials said that Search Direct is proof that the company is still very much a player in the search market and an innovator in this space, despite its search partnership with Microsoft.
"Search is incredibly important," said Blake Irving, Yahoo's chief product officer, during a press conference. "Search matters to customers and it matters to us."
Search Direct is a great example of how Yahoo has been able to focus on the search user experience while relying on Microsoft for back-end functions, like website crawling and indexing, Irving said.
With Search Direct, users get query results as they type, without having to finish the query, hit enter or scan the results page, according to Yahoo.
Full story: Computerworld


text:
Legrand® Expands Wattstopper® Line of 0-10V Dimming Wall Switch Occupancy Sensors for LED Lighting Applications
Legrand, North America today introduced the Wattstopper DW-311 Dual Technology 0-10V Dimming Wall Switch Occupancy Sensor.
Semtech Corporation (Nasdaq:SMTC), a leading supplier of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors, today announced its LoRa® Wireless RF Technology is being used in Trimble’s new Telog® 41 Series of wireless Internet of Things (IoT) sensors for remotely measuring, monitoring and analyzing water, wastewater and groundwater systems.
True Key by Intel Security is First Multi-Factor Authentication Password Manager to Enhance its Security with Windows Hello
Today Intel Security announced the new integration of the True Key extension with Windows Hello to deliver a seamless multi-factor sign in experience on Microsoft Edge.
Intel has partnered with AT&T and Ericsson to launch the first 5G business customer trial at Intel’s Austin, Texas, facility.
Multi-Tech Systems, Inc., a leading global manufacturer of M2M and IoT devices, today announced a new version of its MultiConnect AW analog-to-wireless converter, the MultiConnect® AEW analog-to-Ethernet/Wireless converter.
Earlier this week, Intel outlined a vision for what the Smart Home can be today, and where it is headed in the near future.
Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:IRDM) announced today the date for the first launch of its next-generation global satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT.
Semtech Corporation (Nasdaq: SMTC), a leading supplier of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors, today announced that its LoRa® Wireless RF Technology, featuring native GPS-free geolocation capabilities, has been integrated into Ireland’s Port of Cork LoRaWAN™-based Internet of Things (IoT) network solution to track shipping containers.
The ZigBee Alliance, a non-profit association of companies creating, maintaining and delivering open, global standards for the low-power wireless Internet of Things (IoT), today announced that YunOS from Alibaba Group – the world’s leading e-commerce company – has joined the ZigBee Alliance at the Participant level.
Zentera Systems Launches Industry’s First True Cloud Security Overlay Solution Delivering Third-Party Security Capabilities to the Cloud
Zentera Systems, Inc., the leader in multicloud networking and security, today launched the industry's first true cloud security overlay solution that delivers third-party security capabilities to the cloud.


text:
The vertical garden that was planted along the walls of a former Silver Lake hair salon has yellowed and withered as a new tenant has decided against tending the thousand of plants growing on the sides of the building. Barnaby Montgomery, owner of Yummy.com, which will be opening a grocery store in the building at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Griffith Park boulevards, said the garden consumes too much water, 40,000 a gallons a month to be exact. “At the suggestion of a member of the [Silver Lake] Neighborhood Council, we will grow fig ivy on the walls to soften the look and feel of the building, and to help insulate the building from the sun,” Montgomery said.
The garden was planted more than two years ago by a hair salon owner who had envisioned wrapping the building in a blanket of living plants. An estimated 20,000 seedlings – from succulents to Scotch Moss – and handfuls of soil were inserted into slits cut into thick fabric attached to the walls. A network of pipes under that fabric irrigated the garden. But the garden proved difficult to maintain and large sections of the walls were never planted, leaving behind tattered flaps of fabric and plastic to begin peeling from the sides of the building.
Montgomery said a deadline for opening the new grocery store has not yet been scheduled.


text:
Costa Rica expects its banana shipments to return to normal by 2010 following a drought and heavy floods last year.
Total exports from the Central American nation are set to reach 95-96m boxes in 2009, according to the country’s National Banana Corporation (Corbana), a decrease on the 103m boxes shipped last year.
“Depending on the weather, we may recover some more volume, but, at the moment, production is down by 5-7 per cent and we believe exports this year will fall by 6m-8m boxes in comparison to normal,” Jorge Sauma, CEO of Corbana, told Fruitnet.com.
“At the beginning of 2008, some plantations suffered a drought and by the end of November Costa Rica experienced one of the worst floods in a very long time,” Mr Sauma added. “After the deluge, Corbana set up an emergency plan to open up credit lines and provide technical assistance to growers, while the government has been responsible for helping to repair infrastructure. We’re pleased with the recovery so far.”
During the first semester of 2008 (February to April), exports fell by 9.4 per cent to 52m boxes, down from 57m boxes during the year-earlier period.
Despite the shortfall, Corbana recorded a 2.3 per cent increase in export value last year to a record US$674.2m.


text:
The fresh new complaint and alleges one Calloway in hopes CashCall your arbitration condition from the mortgage preparations is enforceable Such as whales, payday lenders will always be moving Second, government entities could have been breaking off. The user Economic Protection Bureau recently prosecuted four on the web pay day lenders for the federal court
Such as whales, payday lenders will always be moving
Second, government entities could have been breaking off. The user Economic Protection Bureau recently prosecuted four on the web pay day lenders for the federal court to possess presumably deceiving people and you can get together debt you to wasn’t legitimately due in a lot of states. The brand new five loan providers is actually supposedly belonging to the fresh new Habematolel Pomo away from Higher Lake, one of many people profiled inside our report, together with not in past times already been defendants in every understood lawsuits relevant on the pay check financing things. Since the loan providers will claim that the financing are ruled only of the tribal laws, maybe not government (or county) laws, a federal court refused equivalent objections just last year in a situation produced from the FTC up against credit businesses operate because of the found guilty kingpin Scott Tucker. (Personal Justice unwrapped secret criminal background about FTC circumstances, because the said here. There is previously published on Tucker and FTC case here and you may here.)
The latest complaint alleges obvious one CashCall’s professionals felt-within the reliance on crappy legal counsel-that business could be entitled to tribal immunity system hence the fund would not be susceptible to any federal consumer defense laws or state usury regulations
Third, some loan providers are arriving neat and whining bro. From inside the , within the a fascinating change off incidents, CashCall-a ca payday financial one bought and you will serviced money commercially generated of the Western Sky, a business supposedly owned by a member of this new Cheyenne River Sioux Group off Southern Dakota-charged their previous attorneys along with her law practice getting malpractice and negligence. According to the problem, Claudia Calloway told CashCall to take on a specific “tribal design” for the user credit. Lower than this design, CashCall would provide the desired loans and you may infrastructure in order to West Air, a company belonging to one person in brand new Cheyenne Lake Sioux Tribe. Western Sky carry out then make money so you can consumers, playing with CashCall’s money, right after which quickly sell the brand new financing returning to CashCall. In standard, tribal immunity only applies the spot where the group in itself-perhaps not a company connected to several other organization belonging to that tribal member-produces, owns, works, control, and receives the revenues throughout the financing providers. And as expected, courts consistently rejected CashCall’s tribal disease fighting capability ruse.
But one to didn’t come to be correct often. Instead, in a lot of circumstances, as well as our Hayes and nationaltitleloan.net/payday-loans-va you can Parnell times, process of law threw the actual arbitration clauses into basis that they needed every disputes to get resolved in the a forum that didn’t in reality are present (arbitration before Cheyenne River Sioux Group) in advance of an enthusiastic arbitrator who was taboo out of using people federal or county rules. Immediately following losing situation shortly after circumstances, CashCall sooner abandoned the fresh new “tribal” model altogether. Most other loan providers might go after fit.
Given that the brand new tribal immunity scam’s days is minimal, the audience is reading rumblings about on the internet pay-day loan providers you are going to shot take advantageous asset of the latest OCC’s prepared Fintech charter because an approach to don’t be governed because of the state rules, also county attention-speed hats and certification and you will performing standards. However for now, the brand new wave is apparently turning in favor out-of users and the police. Why don’t we hope it remains like that.
The need for credible research is even significantly more crucial given that among enterprises in the case (including offender in two of one’s circumstances) admitted in order to entry not the case tribal testimony to say process of law you to definitely exaggerated the fresh tribe’s character in the market. According to the proof in Somebody v. MNE, the fresh new Ca Best Courtroom ruled that defendant loan providers got unsuccessful showing they need to features tribal immunity system. Given that brand new lenders’ tribal immune protection system security has been declined, California’s protections to have payday loans consumers get ultimately getting implemented facing these businesses.


text:
As the COVID-19 gives birth to food shortages nationwide, word out of Chicago is that dairy farmers are having to dump their milk. When dairy farmers Jason Leedle received the fateful call on Tuesday evening, he could not help but feel his stomach start to churn.
The call came from an individual with the Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), which is the largest US Dairy cooperatives. The individual simply said: “We need you to start dumping your milk.”
Despite the increased demand for such food products as those in the dairy arena, the coronavirus epidemic has been creating a whole host of disruptions when it comes to the dairy farmers not only getting their products to market but into the hands of consumers.
With the closures of restaurants and schools nationwide, there has been a sudden shift from wholesale foodservice industries to the retail grocery industry. With the change comes, what can only be termed a logistical as well as packaging nightmare for those dairy plants that process milk, butter, and cheese.
The logistical nightmare has trickled all the way down to the trucking industry, as those that haul primarily dairy products are having to scramble to acquire enough drivers due to the fact that those who fear the coronavirus have completely stopped working. Add in the fact that the foodservice sector has all but closed down globally, and one can see the real problem of it all.
According to farmers, food distributors, and agricultural economists, the dairy industry’s problems signal an even broader issue in the supply chain on a global scale. The dairy industry felt the pinch earlier and harder than other sectors as their products are high perishable—they are not able to be frozen as meat can or stored in a silo such as grain.
Along with the dairy industry, other food sectors are feeling the effects of COVID-19. Due to travel restrictions, disruptions are occurring worldwide as the limits continue in regards to the required workforce needs to plant, harvest, and then distribute both fruits and vegetables.
As for Leedle and his dilemma—he would most likely be able to sell his milk, but only if he could get it to market. It is no secret that dairy products have been in significant demand, as most Americans are staying at home due to the pandemic. And, it seems that panic buying may be ebbing as well at this point.
Will the dumping of the nation’s milk supply see a driving up of the price at the grocery stores?


text:
Industry leaders have voiced that the key to success is to develop fan-driven strategies around its major sporting events on a global scale. At a Qatar Economic Forum in Lusail, business owners, chairpeople, and venture capitalists joined forces to discuss the future of sports technology and its impact. Donn Davis, founder and co-owner of the Professional Fighters League, highlighted how streaming has become the game-changer for the sports industry. When asked if artificial intelligence has the potential to dictate tendencies in sports, Davis replied with brief no and remarked that it is the fan features that matter.
Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO of Socios, added to the conversation, stating that sports is the only industry yet to be disrupted. Sandrine Nzeukou, founder of Tessa, agreed that change is happening in Africa for the better, especially with campaigns such as the NBA, NFL, PFL, and Formula 1. To trigger more engagement, though, Nzeukou stressed the importance in reducing mobile data prices across the continent.
One such panel discussion on the business of sports, with Chatri Sityodtong, Chief Executive Officer of the ONE Championship, iterated that basketball and soccer remain favored sports worldwide due to their simplicity. Stephen Pagliuca, co-owner of the NBA league’s Boston Celtics, similarly attributed their success to the transparency that rewards athletes with the ability to brand themselves, attracting a loyal following. Similarly, Dynasty Equity’s Co-Founder and CEO Don Cornwell noted how Twiiter, Facebook, and sports betting have become contributing factors to fan engagement.
Overall, these industry pioneers have comprehended the role of technology in sports and how developing fan-driven strategies around major sporting events on an international scale are key to success. Although technology may be disrupting other industries, sports is an industry that has thus far escaped its reach, instead being reliant mainly on the audience they reach.


text:
Copyright © 2016
Tag - Passbook
The security built into Apple Pay is so resistant to tampering, reports the UK newpaper The Guardian, that criminals are focusing more than ever on traditional bank weaknesses surrounding common fraud and identity theft techniques, exploiting the lax identity requirements some banks employ for users who are adding credit cards to Passbook, which stores the data so that Apple Pay can later utilize it. So far, the fraud has racked up millions of dollars from stolen credit cards added to Apple Pay.
According to an update on Apple's page listing its Apple Pay partners, another 14 financial institutions have gain support for Apple Pay and the adding of their credit and debit cards into Passbook, bringing the total number of banks and CUs to 70. Among the institutions joining the bandwagon are Ohio-based Fifth Third Bank, which boasts six million customers in multiple states, and INOVA Federal Credit Union, with two million members.
TD Bank, the US-based subsidiary of Canada's similarly-named financial giant, will "soft launch" support for Apple Pay in the US starting today, in accordance with earlier reports. Customers can now add any TD Bank Visa-branded debit or credit cards to Passbook, and use them to make purchases at supporting merchants with an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus. While customers will have to call their branch to verify some details, both consumer and business cards are now supported.
Major League Baseball, which has taken the role of unabashed cheerleader for several of Apple's financial and retail technology initiatives including Passbook and iBeacons, has announced another embrace -- this time, Apple Pay. Both of the two MLB stadiums involved in this year's World Series will be accepting Apple Pay for concessions starting with the event, which begins on Tuesday. San Francisco's AT&T Park and Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium will both have the hardware on hand for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users.
Financial services and credit card issuer American Express has posted a new web page on its site, extolling the benefits of Apple Pay and instructing users on how to add their cards to the Passbook-based payment system. The mobile payment system is designed for the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus (now expanded to include the latest iPads for online or in-app purchases only) and will be formally rolled out on Monday, alongside the release of iOS 8.1.
One day after the service initially debuted in Japan, the new "iTunes Pass" Passbook card is now available in the US and Australia. The iTunes app on an iPhone or iPad can now issue an "iTunes Pass" card for Passbook to users who click on the "Redeem" button in the iTunes app. Once in place, users can bring the device to their nearest Apple retail store, where staff can take money and instantly add it to the Passbook card by scanning the card, which in turn credits the users' iTunes account.
The Windows Phone 8.1 preview version of Microsoft Wallet actually supports Passbook files from iOS, reports say. iMore notes that Microsoft has developed a method of extracting information from a Passbook file. The individual passes are said to be composed of generic data, and simply rendered by the container app, much like a browser renders a webpage.
Apple Store application users in the United States have had the ability to purchase virtual gift cards through the application for just over a year, but on Tuesday Apple expanded the program to a limited number of international countries through an Apple Store app update. The virtual gift cards, which can be shared to others for use in either the retail or online Apple Store, are redeemed through the Passbook application and now available in four other countries.
The assistant general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays is leaving the organization to join Apple as an executive with responsibility for managing the Sports and Entertainment sections of the App Store, according to reports. Jay Sartori has been with the team since 2010 and will be leaving next month for the new job. His exact duties at Apple haven't been revealed, but the company has been working closely with Major League Baseball to enhance its apps' integration with other Apple technologies.
British Airways has launched an updated version of its iOS app that features new Passbook integration. With the latest release all boarding passes will now be sent directly to Passbook, however, support for downloading them within the app will also remain available. The company has also announced that by mid June the Passbook integration will be enhanced through the addition of direct links to boarding passes from the lock screen. Along with these changes the update also resolves a number of bugs and improves overall stability.
Now AAPL Stock: 93.99 ( + 0.29 )
Apple to open R&D center in India
A new report says that Apple will be opening a new technology center in Hyderabad, India, helping to boost the city's growing reputation as a tech center. The facility would operate within the WaveRock facility, and create 4,500 new jobs at a cost of around $25 million. In 2015, India surpassed the $1 billion in yearly sales milestone, and Apple has recently received permission to open retail stores in the country under its own control, an exception to rules that usually block foreign ownership. http://zd.net/1SMBVu4
Google killing Picasa starting May 1
Google Photos head Anil Sabharwal confirmed in a blog post today that the search engine giant will be shutting down acquisition Picasa. Support and downloads for the desktop application will terminate on March 15 with the application continuing to work for the time being. The transition to Google Photos truly commences on May 1, with deprecation of some Picasa API calls happening shortly thereafter. Users that have Google Photos access will find their photos already migrated. A mass-download tool for users not wishing to use Google Photos will be available sometime after May 1. http://bit.ly/1SmV2KH
Rogue Amoeba Piezo updated, departing App Store
In order to continue working on audio capture tool Piezo, developer Rogue Amoeba has simultaneously updated the app to version 1.5, and announced that it will pull version 1.2.6 from the Mac App Store. Customers who own the Mac App Store version have a one-time migration process to the Rogue Amoeba-served version. The company notes that the sandboxing restriction placed on Mac App Store versions "effectively stopped our ability to upgrade Piezo in any meaningful way." [8.80MB] http://bit.ly/1PIjz7l
FCC spectrum auction will happen without Google
After throwing its hat in earlier, Google (and associated companies) has declared that it is not participating in this year's FCC spectrum auction. A company spokeswoman said of the auction that "like all those interested in improved connectivity and equitable access, we'll be following the upcoming spectrum auction closely. That said, we have not filed to participate." http://on.recode.net/1oy5LWk
iPad Air 3, iPhone 5se sold Friday after launch?
Reverting the way products are actually released by Apple after an announcement to the way it was a decade ago, reports are circulating that new products revealed at a March announcement will go on sale the Friday immediately following the unveil. Slated to appear at a conjectural Tuesday, March 15 event are a new Apple four-inch phone with more up to date internals currently referred to as the iPhone 5se, and a new iPad Air 3 model with Smart Connector and other enhancements. http://bit.ly/1o7mqiY
Lexmark prevails in toner import appeal
Printer manufacturer Lexmark has won an appeal on the third-party US resale of its printer cartridges originally destined for markets outside North America. The appeals court ruled in a 10-2 vote in favor of Lexmark's demand to stop the sale and against Impression Products, both on the toner cartridge resale matter, as well as a related matter regarding overturning the reseller's refilling one-use cartridges and selling those in the US market. The ruling has ramifications in the tech industry, as well as the pharmaceutical and medical technology markets. Impression Products promises an appeal before the supreme court. http://reut.rs/1SLVmmG
AT&T expands BOGO promo to iPhone 6s
Beginning today, new and existing AT&T customers can purchase a new iPhone 6s and get another one free when adding a second line. Over the weekend, customers must purchase two phones through AT&T Next (one can be an existing number), and add both phones to a qualified plan. AT&T notes that "after three bill cycles or less" the account will start to receive up to $650 spread out over 30 monthly bill credits to offset the cost of the installment plan for the phone. Taxes are due at time of sale. http://soc.att.com/1SLUP4k


text:
American farmers are used to getting their way where global trade is concerned. They’re used to seeing government trade negotiators bend over backwards to make sure they have unfettered access to foreign markets.
But now their winning streak may be approaching its end.
The United States is negotiating a free trade agreement, the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), with the EU, where there is substantial public opposition to U.S. demands concerning agricultural exports. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Dec. 1 that if these differences aren’t resolved, “then, in my view, you’re not going to have a TTIP agreement.”
It gets worse. U.S. agricultural exports in 2015 are down significantly. Owing to a global wheat glut and a strong dollar, U.S. wheat exports hit a 44-year low this year, according to the Wall Street Journal’s daily wrap-up of logistics and supply chain news. U.S. exports of corn, beef and pork are also way down, because buyers can get them more cheaply elsewhere.
As for the TTIP, there are several outstanding issues.
One is that Europeans don’t want food imported from the United States that’s been genetically modified.
To the extent that their opposition is based on health concerns, it should be pointed out that Americans have been eating GM foods every day for decades and no one has even so much as coughed as a consequence. But there are real, legitimate concerns about how GM farming affects the environment. France has banned it.
The Obama administration’s position is that if European farmers don’t want to grow GM crops, that’s their prerogative. But the EU shouldn’t try to ban imports of American-grown GM commodities, particularly livestock feed.
John Brook, the European regional director of the U.S. Meat Export Federation, said the EU was the world’s largest importer of GMO-treated livestock feed and that most Europeans didn’t know that.
Another issue for Europeans comprises what are known as Geographic Indicators. That means where things are from: champagne is from the Champagne region of France, Parmesan cheese is from Parma, Italy and so on. There are about 3,000 of these that the Europeans want to protect.
The EU holds that Geographic Indicators are important to the national and regional identities of its member states and that farmers in other countries shouldn’t be able to make sparkling wine and call it champagne. The EU has a list of about 3,000 geographically-designated foods that it wants to protect.
It reportedly includes Bologna, Swiss cheese, Parma ham and other foods of European origin that American producers have been making for generations.
David Salmonsen, a trade expert with the American Farm Bureau Federation, said that if European producers want to protect their brands from copycats, they should apply for trademarks. “They don’t need GIs,” he said.
A third issue is the widespread use of antibiotics, growth hormones and other chemicals that American farmers, ranchers and meatpackers use on their livestock. Beef treated with hormones and chlorine-washed chicken are banned in the EU and the Obama administration wants those bans overturned.
Not gonna happen, says EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malström. Protection of public health takes precedent over free trade.
Brook said these issues haven’t come up yet in the negotiations, and wouldn’t until the end. Trade negotiators usually save the most contentious issues for the last.
He said the United States only agreed to negotiate the TTIP if the discussions were to be “comprehensive and all-inclusive.” The EU agreed to that and now says that these so-called sanitary and phytosanitary issues are not open for discussion.
Trade negotiators often make unequivocal pronouncements like this, then agree to some compromise in the 11th hour. In the case of TTIP, the American agricultural community isn’t going to get everything it wants. The EU is too big and powerful to be cowed by the United States.
So, the question is, will Congress accept that? Or will it let the perfect be the enemy of the good?


text:
For retailers that are looking towards expediting shipping and introducing faster delivery times, there's no better reason to start thinking about automation.
Showing no signs of slowing down, e-commerce has made 2020 its year for optimum expansion.
eStore Logistics is unveiling two new warehouse facilities in Melbourne that will be equipped with 200 Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) by 2022. The $40 million expansion aims to power the future of e-commerce for Australian retailers, including Kogan, MTB Direct, Patagonia and Temple & Webster.
“Australian e-commerce is enjoying a phenomenal growth-spurt right now,” said Leigh Williams, Managing Director at eStore Logistics.
“In just a few months it’s gained ground that would otherwise have taken years. What’s more, with e-commerce penetration in Australia playing catch-up on other more developed markets such as the US and UK, e-commerce still has enormous room for growth.”
How Do the Robots Work?
Using proprietary algorithms base don historical matching data, the eStore Logistics AMR uses the ‘most effective’ paths and order groupings for goods. Form there, the AMR communicates with each other and optimises operations by automatically adjusting the storage locations of shelves and pallets for picking.
“Consumers are demanding faster delivery today than they were three to four years ago, and our robotics warehouse systems mean online retailers can give their customers the best service possible — including same-day delivery — in the most cost-effective way possible,” said Williams.
The process is similar to household robotic vacuums, but can easily start improving a retailer’s WMS and fulfil up to 95,000 orders a day. The rollout coincides with the e-commerce boom that Australia is currently experiencing.
Under the pandemic and nation-wide lockdown, e-commerce has grown 20- percent YoY. Moreover, online retail has accounted for one in five dollars spent on non-food goods in April alone.
With the boom comes increasing customer expectations – faster shipping and superior experience are some of the increasingly popular changes that Australian e-commerce is undertaking.
Changing Customer Expectations
Consumers are expecting delivery to become faster than ever before. What may be an expensive and arduous change for many retailers, it’s a trend that is only going to become more popular.
“The robot-equipped warehouses will ensure retailers can easily manage sales spikes during peak periods, such as Black Friday, EOFY and Christmas. Using internally developed advanced algorithms, sales orders are shipped the same day from the most optimal warehouse and with the most suitable lowest cost freight carrier,” said a spokesperson from eStore Logistics.
Some of the retailers that are using this service include Kogan, Temple & Webster, MTB Direct and Patagonia. The use of AMRs means that niche, independent retailers ‘can compete with big brands’ by offering customers ‘cost-effective, same-day delivery’ on orders received as late as 4 PM, the company explained.
“Working with eStore Logistics allows us to focus on what we’re good at while leaving the operations to the experts,” explained Jen Geale, the Co-Founder and General Manager at MTB Direct.
“We get access to the type of world-class warehousing and fulfilment that would be out-of-reach for a business like ours otherwise. We can scale up and down as needed, while also meeting customer demand for super fast delivery.”
Power Retail is dedicated to providing critical and live e-commerce retailer benchmarking data and shopper insights for the online retail industry. Click here to find out more about Power Retail E-Commerce Intelligence or here to sign-up for the free weekly Pulse Newsletter for more essential online retail content.


text:
Tough luck for Fallout 4 fans, as the much anticipated mod program for PlayStation 4 has been officially delayed by Bethesda. The Fallout 4 PS4 mods was supposed to come out this month, but the studio has provided no explanation on the delay.
At E3 2016, Bethesda revealed new Fallout 4 DLCs that will come out in the upcoming months and also announced their plans for Fallout 4 VR for HTC Vive in 2017. But this delay could affect their whole schedule for the year.
According to Gamespot, Bethesda Game Studios took to Twitter to announce Fallout 4 PS4 mods release date delay. For now, the studio has not shared any reassuring information on its public release as well.
The tweet explained, “We regret to say that the PS4 mods beta for Fallout 4 has been delayed. We will update everyone when we can.” Earlier this month, Bethesda confirmed that they are facing serious issues, as the PS4 mods currently have no sound file support, mod storage limited to 900MB and other performance related issues.
Fallout 4 Xbox One users can easily download mods up to 2 GB. These mods are created and uploaded through Bethesda.net. Xbox One gamers can download them from the website. PS4 gamer should also likely look forward to the same download mechanics.
Fallout 4 fans can enjoy the latest Contraption Workshop DLC for now. The rest of the confirmed expansions from E3 are Vault-Tec Workshop and Nuka World, which are also gaining a lot of attention over the past several weeks. Let’s hope the beta delay doesn’t affect the public release largely.
In other news, Bethesda announced their first online update for Doom yesterday. The patch was made to fix several Fallout 4 glitches and bug fixes.
Moreover, the update will also include add-ons like new Photo Mode and “Classic Doom.” The Doom online update will be available on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One users starting Thursday.
For more Fallout 4 PS4 mods update, you can subscribe to our newsletter. If you are a social media junkie and would like to receive updates on your timeline, then you can also like us onFacebook or follow us on Twitter.


text:
A $1 million renovation got underway at the South Lakes Village Center this week, with the project slated to be finished before the end of the year.
The project, intended to modernize the shopping center, will increase parking, re-paint sidewalks, re-surface the roofs and slightly expand the Safeway grocery store.
Also, the playground will be moved and reduced in size and the parking lot's lighting will be replaced, according to site plans filed with Fairfax County.
"We're really excited about the project and think it'll add a lot to the community," said Lisa Stoddard, a representative of Trammell Crow Company, which runs the village center property.
The overall nature and look of the village center will not be altered, Stoddard said. The project is intended to modernize the center, which opened in 1984.


text:
General Motors Co. said it began taking orders for 2013 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra extended-cab heavy-duty pickup trucks with “bi-fuel” capability. The option, which allows the trucks to run on gasoline or compressed natural gas (CNG), adds $11,000 to the base price.
The base heavy-duty Silverado extended-cab truck currently starts at $31,030.
The bi-fuel option is aimed mainly at commercial customers, but retail buyers can order it as well. The trucks have a 6-liter V8 engine which, GM said, switches “seamlessly” between the two types of fuel. The CNG tank resides in the cargo bed. The bi-fuel trucks’ combined range is more than 650 miles.
The trucks are available with a standard or long bed, in tw0- and four-wheel-drive configurations. GM said they are meant to give businesses a way to cut emissions and avoid some of the adverse effects of fuel-price fluctuations.
“CNG has maintained a significantly lower retail price than either gasoline or diesel. The current average price of CNG is equivalent to $1.89 per gallon of gasoline. Customers could save $5,000 to $10,000 over a three-year period, depending on their driving habits,” said Joyce Mattman, director, GM commercial and specialty vehicles.