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The Orwellian overtones are clear. And European data protection authorities are, rightly, concerned about the implications. Preliminary analysis, commissioned from the French regulatory authority, suggests the scheme may not conform to EU law, concluding that Google's explanation of how the data will be used is too difficult to understand "even for trained privacy professionals".
Ultimately, however, the changes may turn out to be less alarming than they initially appear. After all, Google already matches ads to the queries entered in its search engine. The same applies to Gmail, to the Google Plus online sharing system, and to video recommendations on YouTube. It is hard to see how bundling everything together will make matters qualitatively worse. And, in fairness, no actual human being has access to any individual's data; matching ads to content is done entirely by computer algorithms.
It is also worth remembering the bargain one strikes online. One of the primary reasons for the popularity of Google's services is their relevance. While targeting advertising more narrowly may seem creepy to some, many will rejoice in the additional usefulness. Equally, given the commercial realities of service provision, a few personalised ads may be a reasonable price to pay for the range of Google offerings.
That said, there is still a balance to be struck between the interests of advertisers and those of internet users. And while Google's latest tweaks may yet be deemed an acceptable compromise, elsewhere in the online world there are developments of a darker hue.
Changes being introduced by Facebook are a case in point. Critics of the social networking site's newly introduced "timeline" feature – which encourages users to post their entire life history online – claim it makes it far more difficult for people to assert what the EU data commissioner has called "the right to be forgotten". Once private material based on anything from location, to email conversations, to present and historical searches, has passed into the public domain, it is nigh-impossible to erase.
Facebook also plans to end the easily ignored display adverts at the side of its webpage, instead allowing advertisers to stream messages into the posting, photos and updates of users' online friends. Marketing messages may show up unsolicited if someone has previously interacted with a brand. And ads will also now be streamed on to mobile devices – which count for around 30 per cent of Facebook use – for the first time.
Clearly caveat emptor must apply online as much as anywhere. But the changes from Google and Facebook also make a broader point, underlining once again the caution to be exercised around online activities. And what is clearest of all is that regulators must ensure internet users are not blinded with technical details.
We all must make decisions about what to disclose, when and to whom. To do so, we need to know, in simple terms, what data is being collected, how it is being stored, and how it will be used. The lesson from recent developments is that, for most people, it is too difficult to grasp what new systems mean, and too complicated to opt out of them. That must change. Confidence in a digital future depends on the certainty that our privacy is not at risk.Reuse content


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Sound United has announced the addition of Frank Sterns as senior vice president of commercial operations – Americas effective January 6, 2020. Sterns, who previously served as vice president, AV specialty/custom integration at Sony Electronics, will be charged with growing Sound United’s revenues across all brands and channels throughout the U.S., Canada, and Latin America, in addition to streamlining operations and improving Sound United’s brands’ go-to-market strategies.
Consistent with his recent experience, one of the items Sterns will focus on is accelerating Sound United’s growth in CI and related premium channels. Sterns’ more than 30 years of leadership in the industry and numerous accolades, including Dealerscope’s Hall of Fame; “Master of CE” from CE Pro, and “CE Leaders that Rock,” from Dealerscope, make him an ideal addition to the talented Sound United team.
“As we continue to expand our business in the Americas and explore new and dynamic points of distribution, our leadership needs are expanding with it and the addition of Frank comes at an opportune time,” says Blair Tripodi, SVP, global commercial operations of Sound United. “We’re confident his strong reputation, decades of industry experience, and unwavering passion for the industry makes him an ideal partner for Sound United and our customers.”
“I am more than thrilled to join the Sound United team,” says Sterns. “Sound United’s portfolio of iconic audio brands is second to none and I welcome the opportunity to contribute to their continued growth and success.”
Sterns held leadership roles at many audio and video companies, including Infinity Systems, a division of Harman International where he was national sales manager and product manager; Niles, where he rose to become president and COO and oversaw the merger of Niles into Nortek; and most recently Sony Electronics, where he led the brand to a resurgence in the CI and AV specialty channels.
“My first love was audio and that passion has been a guiding light in my career,” says Sterns. “Even since I was a kid, I wanted to be in the AV industry. There’s just something about hearing your favorite tune through a great system or watching a movie with awesome surround sound that still gives me goosebumps. Joining a pure audio company like Sound United stems from a strong personal desire to get back to my roots and be more involved in the audio industry again. I’m eager to bring that passion to Sound United’s customers to help drive us all forward.”
Sterns fell in love with music at the tender age of five years old and was named the best young bass player in Los Angeles City Schools at age 13. He began venturing into the audiophile space in his early teens and made the decision he’d someday join the audio business. After putting himself through college selling Hi-Fi equipment in the 1980s and studying electrical engineering and marketing, Sterns went to work for the legendary David Hafler the day after he graduated.
Sterns joins the team at Sound United with a music and audio acumen befitting the company’s zeal for the space. Sterns’ First Concert: Yes/Peter Frampton; Favorite Band: The Beatles; Favorite Hobbies: A tie between cooking and cycling.
Sterns will join Sound United at CES 2020, where the company will host two Hi-Fi listening suites in the Venetian, suites 29-105 and 29-106.
For more information, visit www.soundunited.com.

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Costa Rica inflation surge worst in 10 years
Prices surged 15.77 percent over the past 12 months, the highest year-over-year increase since 1998, according to a report by the Statistics and Census Institute (INEC).
Food and non-alcoholic beverages became 27.7 percent more expensive, hurting low-income families who tend to spend a greater percentage of their paycheck on food. Transportation costs increased 19 percent, while the bill at restaurants went up 18.8 percent.
Of the 292 goods and services used to measure the consumer price index, 68 percent increased in price, while 23 percent became cheaper and 9 percent stayed the same. Compared to September 2007, consumers are now paying 70 percent more for beans, 56 percent more for eggs and 53 percent more for rice.
Last month, prices increased 0.95 percent, the highest September increase since 1999. The Central Bank estimates that 2008 inflation (from January to December) will be 14.2 percent, down from its earlier stated goal of about 8 percent.
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The Hawke’s Bay Airport’s $20.2 million expansion upgrade is two-thirds of the way to completion, with the new departure area set to open on Tuesday (November 5).
Hawke’s Bay Airport chief executive Stuart Ainslie said the two primary functional parts of the terminal are now complete, the departure and arrival areas, and construction of the centralised hospitality and retail passenger area is underway with the terminal set for full completion in October 2020.
“We’ve completed the operational aspects of the terminal, where people check in for departure and collect bags on arrival, and we’ve now moved on to the exciting part of the project, which will reveal the heart of our new terminal,” Mr Ainslie said.
Stage one, the arrival and baggage claim area, opened in January this year. The departure area with a new baggage system, airline offices and cargo area is now operating after less than a month’s minor setback following Arrow International going into liquidation.
Mr Ainslie said the sudden departure of Arrow forced the airport company to come up with a creative solution establishing its own construction company, Hawke’s Bay Airport Construction Limited, to project manage the build and appoint the sub-contractor businesses.
“It was an unexpected setback but we put in place our contingency plan and we’re particularly proud that we were able to minimise delays and look after the suppliers and tradesmen involved in the project, most of whom are local. ,” Mr Ainslie said.
He adds that stage three, the central precinct will set the scene for celebrating the story of Hawke’s Bay, both from a cultural perspective but also in terms of brining the terminal to life with a strong local theme to feature in the expanded hospitality and retail offerings.
Well-respected local artist and designer Jacob Scott was engaged to work alongside project architects Design Group PMA. Jacob’s brief was to weave a cultural overlay into the internal fit-out to build on the narrative created by the recently completed Watchman Road project.
“Stage three is when the full identity of the terminal will become reality. It will incorporate a series of individually carved ceiling and wall panels that will extend along the main axis of the building’s interior; these will tell stories about the region and its people.
“It’s important that we create a sense of place and that visitors get a true taste of Hawke’s Bay, either by visually promoting the region within the terminal or via retail offerings of Hawke’s Bay products such as food and beverages,” says Mr Ainslie.
A major upgrade to the car park precinct and a stunning new forecourt entranceway into the terminal are also underway.
The car park will be reconfigured and new parking payment technology introduced as the airport aims to further improve the visitor experience, improve traffic flow and enable visitors to navigate their way around the roading system.
New car parking payment technology will be introduced aimed at minimising the reliance on the ticket machines and exploring online payment methods via a website portal and apps.
Mr Ainslie says, as the new terminal reopens over three stages, airport staff will continue to focus on minimising congestion in the pick-up/drop-off area in front of the terminal
“It’s a safety and security issue as much as a parking and congestion issue. This area needs to be kept as clear as possible and is only for prompt drop-offs and pick-ups.”
The airport is currently developing a next-generation sustainable masterplan that will identify how the airport will grow into the future as it aspires to be New Zealand’s most vibrant and successful regional airport.


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Members of the Merit Circle DAO have put forward a proposal to refund an investment by Yield Guild Games (YGG) and cancel an agreement between the two, claiming that YGG has not added enough value. “The Hash” team discusses the latest story illuminating the power of DAOs.
Yield Guild Games (YGG), a key investor in the “play-to-earn” arena, has teamed up with the stablecoin-focused decentralized finance (DeFi) project HaloDAO to allow its gamers to cash out using its stablecoin and gain yield.
Sam Bankman-Fried’s cryptocurrency exchange FTX has struck yet another sponsorship deal. This time, with decentralized gaming startup Yield Guild Games (YGG) to sponsor Axie Infinity players from developing countries.


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CTC – Corporate Travel Community brings you a roundup of the most thought-provoking and interesting comments from those industry leaders in the know during the recent Oct-2021 edition of CAPA Live – a monthly virtual summit, offering insights, information, data and live interviews with airline CEOs and industry executives across a next-gen virtual event platform.
Expedia Group VP account management: Pricing no longer the ‘top priority for people’
Expedia Group VP account management James Marshall stated according to a recent survey, pricing was initially the “top priority for people”, adding now it is “definitely not”. Mr Marshall cited the most important priorities are now flexibility, the ability to receive refunds and cleanliness and feeling safe to travel.
JetBlue Airways seeing ‘favourable trends’ for business travel
JetBlue Airways CEO Robin Hayes stated “we still think there’s a lot of pent up demand for leisure travel, trips that people didn’t take this year for whatever reason”. Mr Hayes added: “So I think we go into 2022 knowing that still anything could happen, but in the main, very optimistic”. He said: “As we go into next year, we’re actually very bullish. We do see some favourable trends on business travel”.
AirAsia Super App CEO: ‘ We are no longer just an airline… We have a direct relationship with about 30 airlines’
AirAsia Super App CEO Amanda Woo stated “we are no longer just an airline”, adding the company’s Super App is a “single platform ecosystem for everyone and everywhere, anytime that you can use”. Ms Woo said within the app, travel continues to be the company’s “core business vertical”, generating 80% of its revenue. She added: “We have a direct relationship with about 30 airlines across the world”.
Breeze Airways founder Trey Urbahn: We have no interest in serving the business travel market
Breeze Airways founder Trey Urbahn stated the carrier has “no interest” in serving the business travel market. Mr Urbahn said “ultimately, our goal is to be a coast to coast airline”, adding “we believe there are over 500 markets that are under a thousand miles that are well suited to the Embraer within the domestic market alone”. He also stated: “I think there’s a lot of opportunity in the Caribbean and Mexico… there are hundreds of markets in the US that don’t have nonstop service to Cancun”.
ATPCO chief information officer: Travel industry should invest in processes to make sense of data
ATPCO chief information officer John Murphy stated the travel industry generally has plenty of data available to operate on, but is “terrible at curating and sharing that data” to use in solving “real world problems”. Mr Murphy also called for industry groups to “invest in the business processes and relationships to make sense of… data and leverage knowledge, analytics and information in a single spot”, in order to build upon data for use in actual business processes.
Kenya Airways CEO: African airlines ‘need to be a lot more consolidated’
Kenya Airways Group MD and CEO Allan Kilavuka predicted there will be a lot more consolidation, partnerships, cooperation, codeshares and mergers among African airlines. Mr Kilavuka said airlines “need to be a lot more consolidated”, adding: “If we continue the way we are – fragmented – I think we’ll be in a lot of trouble”. He commented: “It’s incumbent upon us… for our own benefit to see how we can work together much better and make the airlines a lot more viable, give a lot more choice to our customers, improve our products and efficiencies, reduce our unit costs, increase our revenue streams… we can only do that if we work closer together”.
IESE Business School professor: Airlines cannot live up to COVID-19 affected service expectations
IESE Business School professor and former British Airways chairman & CEO Alex Cruz stated the COVID-19 pandemic has increased consumer expectations of service providers and consequently the expectation of service from airlines which they “simply cannot live up to”. Mr Cruz also said he has “felt the threat” of large technology and online retail corporations “playing around” with industry information, stating: “Let’s not underestimate the tremendous amount of intellect that is within the airline industry – because we have survived for quite a long time – but there’s a big task at hand at the moment, there’s no doubt about it”.
SWISS: No plans to deploy long range narrowbodies on long haul international services
SWISS CEO Dieter Vranckx stated “for the moment, we don’t see a direct need for SWISS to operate long haul international services with long range narrowbody aircraft”, like the A321neo ACF. Mr Vranckx said: “Our model, which we had before coronavirus and during coronavirus, has shown that a balance of passenger revenues and cargo revenues is really a crucial for long haul profitability”, meaning that widebody aircraft continue to be more suitable for SWISS long haul international services. He confirmed that the airline does not plan to deploy its A321neo ACFs to non-European destinations.
Allegiant CFO: US leisure travel to recover ‘much more quickly than corporate or international’
Allegiant EVP and CFO Greg Anderson commented on the airline’s focus on the US domestic leisure market, stating: “Leisure is going to come back quicker… much more quickly than corporate or international, which are still lagging behind”. Mr Anderson said Allegiant’s large network has been helpful in finding “pockets of demand” during the pandemic and the carrier has been “really adept at… matching capacity with demand”. He said the airline’s flexible business model “has served us well”.
Bonza to operate 186 seat aircraft with lower weekly frequency; ancillary revenue to be ‘fair and reasonable’
Bonza CEO Tim Jordan stated the start-up carrier plans to utilise 186 seat aircraft and will not be operating to markets two to three times a day. Bonza plans to operate services up to four times weekly. The carrier’s ancillary revenue is to be “fair and reasonable,” according to its CEO. Mr Jordan added inflight sales may include “quirky items” within inflight merchandise and have a “good cultural offering”.
Lufthansa SVP: VFR segment relatively stable during COVID-19 pandemic
Lufthansa senior vice president (SVP) channel management Tamur Goudarzi Pour stated “prudent capacity management is a pre-condition for the next couple of months”. Mr Goudarzi Pour said the VFR segment has been “relatively stable” during the COVID-19 crisis, adding connecting traffic is on the rise while direct routes are declining. Lufthansa’s passenger traffic for 3Q2021 was “at least” 50% of 2019 levels.
Evernym: Decentralised digital ID is ‘a really exciting breakthrough’
Evernym senior director business development Jamie Smith stated decentralised digital identity technology is “a really exciting breakthrough”. Mr Smith said: “This will be as impactful as cloud, as artificial intelligence, and it’s going to allow genuinely new partnerships, ecosystems, products, customer experiences”. He added: “If we can decentralise the control of the information, we have a much more resilient, much more secure, much more private, much more scalable way to share passenger data”.
Ultra Air CEO: It’s not about the flight, it’s about the destination
Ultra Air CEO William Shaw stated the start-up carrier is “in the business of giving people fair value for what they want”. Mr Shaw said low cost airlines worldwide have understood “it’s not about the flight, it’s about the destination”, quoting Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary saying “We didn’t know that treating people right was profitable”.
PNG is ‘perhaps leading the world in many ways’ for coronavirus travel protocol: Air Niugini CEO
Air Niugini CEO Bruce Alabaster stated Papua New Guinea (PNG) is “perhaps leading the world in many ways” in terms of inbound and outbound travel protocols. Mr Alabaster said outbound international travellers will be PCR tested and receive a result within 45 minutes, while inbound travellers receive a PCR test within three days and a rapid antigen test at the airport. All non citizens arriving into Papua New Guinea must be fully vaccinated.
IndiGo CEO eager for India to establish travel bubbles with Thailand and Saudi Arabia
IndiGo CEO and whole time director Ronojoy Dutta stated the LCC would like to see India’s Government sign travel bubble agreements with Thailand and Saudi Arabia, “because those are important markets for us”. India has travel bubble agreements with 28 countries at present. Mr Dutta noted “things have been looking much better internationally” for IndiGo since India established travel bubbles with the UAE and Qatar, enabling services to Doha, Dubai and Sharjah to resume.
Global Secure Accreditation: ISO 31030 ‘provides a really good, structured framework’
Global Secure Accreditation executive director Bob Quick stated the ISO 31030 Travel Risk Management standard “provides a really good, structured framework to guide travel managers through a structured process where you can analyse each part of your programme and satisfy yourself that you’re aligned with this guidance”.
ASPA CEO: Coronavirus has ‘given us an opportunity to do sit and relook’ at air services
Association of South Pacific Airlines (ASPA) CEO George Faktaufon stated the coronavirus pandemic has “given us an opportunity to do sit and relook at the way we… provide air services” within the Pacific Islands. Mr Faktaufon added it has provided “some opportunities for us to… try and provide the services” in a more economical way.


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Asset World Corporation allots B40bn for 13-hotel scheme Fund of B10bn to finance development Mrs Wallapa and Mr Vanden Auweele describe the developer’s plans for hotels in four segments. Asset World Corporation (AWC), a property developer owned by Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi’s TCC Group, has set aside a budget of 40 billion baht to develop 13 hotels in three years.The company also earmarked an annual fund of 10 billion baht to finance development of new properties, said Wallapa Traisorat, chief executive and president of AWC. The 13 properties fall into four main categories — hotels for Mice (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions), city hotels, luxury hotels and leisure, said Mrs Wallapa. Among them, two properties are designated as hotels for Mice. They include Asiatique The Riverfront, with 800 rooms, and planned lodging in Pattaya. The company plans to combine two hotel brands in Pattaya, with a combined 1,298 rooms, and rename them under one brand that has not yet been disclosed. Both of the Mice hotels are mixed-use properties that feature malls and tourist attractions. Business travellers are one of the most important segments and are considered premium guests, contributing 52% of the company’s revenue last year. This segment is followed by… Read full this story
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Local trucking company preparing to leave for Texas with a load of donations
Published at | Updated at
IDAHO FALLS — The first trailer load of disaster relief supplies is loaded up, ready to go and will soon be on its way thanks to Rounds Trucking.
Companies and individuals from all over eastern Idaho donated thousands of pounds worth of supplies that will be delivered to affected by Hurricane Harvey. It’s estimated that over 30,000 Texans are staying at shelters following the powerful storm.
Rounds Trucking has been collecting items for several days and the community has responded. Klim donated warehouse space to store the products and they were loaded up Saturday.
“Hold on Texas! We are coming! Love, Idaho,” reads a sign strapped to the back of Rounds Trucking’s trailer that is completely full of supplies.
They will continue to take donations until Friday, Sept. 8.
After dropping off the first load, drivers will come back to Idaho to pick up a second load and take it down to Texas.


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If the people can’t go to get fresh produce and healthful food, then the fresh produce and healthful food will go to them. In a bus.
Large swaths of the city of St. Louis and north St. Louis county areas are food deserts — neighborhoods where it is hard to get to a supermarket or large grocery store. But some residents have a way to get the food they need, and at a low cost, by going to the St. Louis MetroMarket.
Which is a bus.
The MetroMarket recently started its third season as a mobile produce and grocery store, stopping at eight locations (up from last year’s three) in some of the areas that most need it.
“We’re here to provide an option, to provide a place to do your shopping and get fresh produce at a reasonable price,” said Lucas Signorelli, the organization’s executive director.
Because it is a charity, the MetroMarket can sell its goods at cost to anyone who wants them (it is open to the public, not just people who are low on funds). Money for the operating costs — staff salaries, insurance, fuel for the bus — comes from community members, grants and donations.
Seed money from the Incarnate Word Foundation and a bus donated by Metro got the whole thing rolling, so to speak. Word-of-mouth and stories in the media have brought out the crowds.
Monica Penny stepped on board for the first time on a recent Friday when she picked up her grandson, Marcus, from Moline Elementary School.
“These strawberries look good,” she said, eyeing a one-pound container for $2.
“Those strawberries are good,” said Mike Mantia, one of the bus’s workers, who has spent his career in the produce business.
It’s not just the strawberries. Avocados were selling for 50 cents. So were pears, plantains and green peppers. Red bell peppers were fetching $1.
More than 100 kinds of food are crammed into every corner of the bus (a van parks next to it, acting as a kind of mobile stockroom), and the majority of them are varieties of fresh produce. And the non-perishable items are not off-brands, either. They have everything from Newman’s Own marinara sauce for $3.49 and Mrs. Renfro’s salsa for $2.50 to a huge box of Cheerios for $1.99.
When former president Bill Clinton stopped in last November, he purchased a bag of Kaldi’s Coffee and an STL MetroMarket T-shirt.
This year, the market makes its two-hour stops at eight locations each week, such as the Canfield Green Apartments in Ferguson, the Affinia Health Centers in College Hill and Soulard, and the St. Louis Fire Department Headquarters in Jeff-Vander-Lou.
The bus pulls up to Moline Elementary School on Friday afternoons (at least during the school year) through the efforts of principal Lisa Thompson, who heard about it at a meeting devoted to improving community health and wellness. She went to see it for herself and was taken by the possibilities it raised.
The students had planted a garden, and showing them the produce in the bus was an opportunity for them to see what the final product would look like (the vegetables they planted would ripen in the summer, when they were out of school). And it would also be a great chance to bring fresh foods to the students, faculty and neighbors.
“I got three apples and a (loaf of) bread,” said first-grader Aniyah Hale, who shopped on the bus with her father.
Jacquelyn Sharp, the school’s instructional coach, brought a number of happy students to the bus; they were among the first in line when it opened. “A lot of times they don’t get to experience getting fresh produce at the neighborhood store. We want them to eat healthy,” she said, as the students eagerly paid for apples, nuts, beef jerky and veggie chips.
School nurse Yolanda Bond did a little shopping for herself, picking up some fresh turnip greens and strawberries.
“I love it,” she said. “Families like it because if they are unable to get out they can get healthy food at a great price.”
Operating a store on board a bus is not without its hiccups. On the Friday we visited at Moline school, the generator had failed, taking with it the electricity necessary to run the cooler, the freezer and even the cash register. And it can be difficult to judge exactly how much of each item to bring; they could start out the day with a case of collard greens, and two customers with a hankering for the greens could run them out of stock by themselves.
But the joys far outnumber the headaches, and the customers could not be happier.
“It’s an awesome addition to our school district. You have fresh fruits and vegetables,” Penny said. “It’s a store on a bus.”
• For a schedule of where the STL MetroMarket will be stopping, or to learn how to donate to it, go to stlmetromarket.com.


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Google TV is now out of Betaand pulicly accessible.
Although not embraced to the degree they expected during the beta itself (my old agency’s TV buyers scratched their heads at it), this does offer the potential to create a marketplace similar to that of search, although the media dynamics are altogether different and the inventory is currently limited only to DISH. Media marketplaces represent a level of automation that commoditizes certain low value aspects of the buying & selling process that are labor intensive and erodes margins – it’s part of the future. Google TV merely sets a precedent on what is possible – trust me they are not the only ones attempting to create and automate a TV buying marketplace. Agencies have however been watching Google move into areas beyond their home turf, so to speak, and some of getting nervous.
I mentioned previously that in 2007 Martin Sorrell, chairman of WPP has referenced Google when discussing the competitive climate in the industry more often than he publicly discussed other agency holding companies such as Omnicom, or IPG. WPP also acquired or made investments in many media/technology companies in the last year or so, hedging their bets on a potential competitive suite of tools and products? Or simply diversifying a portfolio of complimentary companies to keep a level of spending under the same umbrella? Only time will tell.


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The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the economic shutdowns are dealing a severe blow to the global economy and especially poorer countries. Developing countries and the international community can take steps now to speed recovery after the worst of the health crisis has passed and blunt long-term adverse effects, according to analytical chapters released today from the World Bank Group’s Global Economic Prospects report.
Short-term response measures to address the health emergency and secure core public services will need to be accompanied by comprehensive policies to boost long-term growth, including by improving governance and business environments, and expanding and improving the results of investment in education and public health. To make future economies more resilient, many countries will need systems that can build and retain more human and physical capital during the recovery – using policies that reflect and encourage the post-pandemic need for new types of jobs, businesses and governance systems.
The analysis has been released ahead of the June 8 issuance of the full report, which will include the Bank Group’s latest forecasts for the global economy.
“The scope and speed with which the COVID-19 pandemic and economic shutdowns have devastated the poor around the world are unprecedented in modern times. Current estimates show that 60 million people could be pushed into extreme poverty in 2020. These estimates are likely to rise further, with the reopening of advanced economies the primary determinant,” said World Bank Group President David Malpass. “Policy choices made today – including greater debt transparency to invite new investment, faster advances in digital connectivity, and a major expansion of cash safety nets for the poor – will help limit the damage and build a stronger recovery. The financing and building of productive infrastructure are among the hardest-to-solve development challenges in the post-pandemic recovery. We need to see measures to speed litigation and the resolution of bankruptcies and reform the costly subsidies, monopolies and protected state-owned enterprises that have slowed development.”
Deep recessions associated with the pandemic will likely exacerbate the multi-decade slowdown in economic growth and productivity, the primary drivers of higher living standards and poverty reduction. Adding to the inequality problem from slow trend growth, the poor and vulnerable are among the hardest hit by the pandemic and economic shutdown – including through infection, school closures and lower remittance flows.
Measures needed to protect public health have undercut an already fragile global economy, causing deep recessions in advanced economies and emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) alike. EMDEs that have weak health systems; those that rely heavily on global trade, tourism, or remittances from abroad; and those that depend on commodity exports will be particularly hard-hit, the analysis notes.
In the long-term, the pandemic will leave lasting damage through multiple channels, including lower investment; erosion of physical and human capital due to closure of businesses and loss of schooling and jobs; and a retreat from global trade and supply linkages. These effects will lower potential output – the output an economy can sustain at full employment and capacity – and labor productivity well into the future. Pre-existing vulnerabilities, fading demographic dividends, and structural bottlenecks will amplify the long-term damage of deep recessions associated with the pandemic.
“When the pandemic struck, many emerging and developing economies were already vulnerable due to record-high debt levels and much weaker growth. Combined with structural bottlenecks, this will amplify the long-term damage of deep recessions associated with the pandemic,” said Ceyla Pazarbasioglu, World Bank Group Vice President for Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions.“Urgent measures are needed to limit the damage, rebuild the economy, and make growth more robust, resilient and sustainable.”
Policies to rebuild both in the short and long-term entail strengthening health services and putting in place very targeted stimulus measures to help reignite growth. This includes efforts to maintain the private sector and get money directly to people so that we may see a quicker return to business creation after this pandemic has passed. During the mitigation period, countries should focus on sustaining economic activity with targeted support to provide liquidity to households, firms and government essential services. At the same time, policymakers should remain vigilant to counter potential financial disruptions.
During the recovery period, countries will need to calibrate the winding down of public support and should be targeting broader development challenges. The analysis discusses the importance of allowing an orderly allocation of new capital toward sectors that are productive in the new post-pandemic structures that emerge. To succeed in this, countries will need reforms that allow capital and labor to adjust relatively fast – by speeding the resolution of disputes, reducing regulatory barriers, and reforming the costly subsidies, monopolies and protected state-owned enterprises that have slowed development.
To make future economies more resilient, many countries will need systems that can build and retain more human and physical capital during the recovery – using policies that reflect and encourage the post-pandemic need for new types of jobs, businesses and governance systems. Enhancing transparency in financial commitments and investment would also help rebuild confidence and facilitate investment growth.
Restrictions on mobility and the global recession have resulted in the steepest one-month drop in oil prices on record, in March. The predominantly demand-driven plunge in oil prices, which came on the heels of disagreements among oil producers about production targets, has been accompanied by a steep rise in global oil inventories. The analysis also details the implications of the oil price plunge for the global economy and, in particular, for energy-exporting EMDEs.
In the short-term, while restrictions on transport and travel remain in place, low oil prices are unlikely to provide much support for growth and may, instead, compound the damage wrought by the pandemic by further weakening the finances of producers. Low oil prices are likely to provide at best marginal support to global activity early in the recovery.
“Oil-exporting emerging and developing economies entered the current crisis with eroded fiscal positions after having drawn on them to weather the 2014-16 oil price drop. In addition to the unprecedented public health crisis, these economies are now experiencing sharp economic downturns as their export revenues nosedive,” said Ayhan Kose, Director of the World Bank’s Prospects Group. “Even if oil prices rise as global oil demand recovers, the recent plunge in prices is another reminder for oil-exporting countries of the urgency to continue with reforms to diversify their economies.”
Current low oil prices also present an opportunity to review energy pricing policies as energy-importing EMDEs need to move away from costly subsidy schemes and allocate their limited fiscal resources for higher-priority expenditures involving improvements in public health and education programs.
World Bank Group COVID-19 Response
The World Bank Group, one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, is taking broad, fast action to help developing countries strengthen their pandemic response. We are supporting public health interventions, working to ensure the flow of critical supplies and equipment, and helping the private sector continue to operate and sustain jobs. We will be deploying up to $160 billion in financial support over 15 months to help more than 100 countries protect the poor and vulnerable, maintain the private sector, and bolster economic recovery. This includes $50 billion of new IDA resources through grants and highly concessional loans.
Clean energy demand for critical minerals set to soar as the world pursues net zero goals
Supplies of critical minerals essential for key clean energy technologies like electric vehicles and wind turbines need to pick up sharply over the coming decades to meet the world’s climate goals, creating potential energy security hazards that governments must act now to address, according to a new report by the International Energy Agency.
The special report, The Role of Critical Minerals in Clean Energy Transitions, is the most comprehensive global study to date on the central importance of minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements in a secure and rapid transformation of the global energy sector. Building on the IEA’s longstanding leadership role in energy security, the report recommends six key areas of action for policy makers to ensure that critical minerals enable an accelerated transition to clean energy rather than becoming a bottleneck.
“Today, the data shows a looming mismatch between the world’s strengthened climate ambitions and the availability of critical minerals that are essential to realising those ambitions,” said Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA. “The challenges are not insurmountable, but governments must give clear signals about how they plan to turn their climate pledges into action. By acting now and acting together, they can significantly reduce the risks of price volatility and supply disruptions.”
“Left unaddressed, these potential vulnerabilities could make global progress towards a clean energy future slower and more costly – and therefore hamper international efforts to tackle climate change,” Dr Birol said. “This is what energy security looks like in the 21st century, and the IEA is fully committed to helping governments ensure that these hazards don’t derail the global drive to accelerate energy transitions.”
The special report, part of the IEA’s flagship World Energy Outlook series, underscores that the mineral requirements of an energy system powered by clean energy technologies differ profoundly from one that runs on fossil fuels. A typical electric car requires six times the mineral inputs of a conventional car, and an onshore wind plant requires nine times more mineral resources than a similarly sized gas-fired power plant.
Demand outlooks and supply vulnerabilities vary widely by mineral, but the energy sector’s overall needs for critical minerals could increase by as much as six times by 2040, depending on how rapidly governments act to reduce emissions. Not only is this a massive increase in absolute terms, but as the costs of technologies fall, mineral inputs will account for an increasingly important part of the value of key components, making their overall costs more vulnerable to potential mineral price swings.
The commercial importance of these minerals also grow rapidly: today’s revenue from coal production is ten times larger than from energy transition minerals. However, in climate-driven scenarios, these positions are reversed well before 2040.
To produce the report, the IEA built on its detailed, technology-rich energy modelling tools to establish a unique database showing future mineral requirements under varying scenarios that span a range of levels of climate action and 11 different technology evolution pathways. In climate-driven scenarios, mineral demand for use in batteries for electric vehicles and grid storage is a major force, growing at least thirty times to 2040. The rise of low-carbon power generation to meet climate goals also means a tripling of mineral demand from this sector by 2040. Wind takes the lead, bolstered by material-intensive offshore wind. Solar PV follows closely, due to the sheer volume of capacity that is added. The expansion of electricity networks also requires a huge amount of copper and aluminium.
Unlike oil – a commodity produced around the world and traded in liquid markets – production and processing of many minerals such as lithium, cobalt and some rare earth elements are highly concentrated in a handful of countries, with the top three producers accounting for more than 75% of supplies. Complex and sometimes opaque supply chains also increase the risks that could arise from physical disruptions, trade restrictions or other developments in major producing countries. In addition, while there is no shortage of resources, the quality of available deposits is declining as the most immediately accessible resources are exploited. Producers also face the necessity of stricter environmental and social standards.
The IEA report provides six key recommendations for policy makers to foster stable supplies of critical minerals to support accelerated clean energy transitions. These include the need for governments to lay out their long-term commitments for emission reductions, which would provide the confidence needed for suppliers to invest in and expand mineral production. Governments should also promote technological advances, scale up recycling to relieve pressure on primary supplies, maintain high environmental and social standards, and strengthen international collaboration between producers and consumers.
Global e-commerce jumps to $26.7 trillion, fuelled by COVID-19
Parts of the online economy have boomed since COVID-19 began, while some pre-pandemic big-hitters have seen a reversal of their fortunes in the last year, amid widespread movement restrictions, UN economists have found.
The digital retail economy experienced most growth in the Republic of Korea, where internet sales increased from around one in five transactions in 2019, to more than one in four last year.
“These statistics show the growing importance of online activities”, said Shamika Sirimanne, UNCTAD’s director of technology and logistics. “They also point to the need for countries, especially developing ones, to have such information as they rebuild their economies in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The UK also saw a spike in online transactions over the same period, from 15.8 to 23.3 per cent; so too did China (from 20.7 to 24.9 per cent), the US (11 to 14 per cent), Australia (6.3 to 9.4 per cent), Singapore (5.9 to 11.7 per cent) and Canada (3.6 to 6.2 per cent).
Online business-to-consumer (B2C) sales for the world’s top 13 companies stood at $2.9 trillion in 2020, UNCTAD said on Friday.
UNCTAD also said that among the top 13 e-commerce firms – most being from China and the US – those offering ride-hailing and travel services have suffered.
These include holiday site Expedia, which fell from fifth place in 2019 to 11th in 2020, a slide mirrored by travel aggregator, Booking Holdings, and Airbnb.
By comparison, e-firms offering a wider range of services and goods to online consumers fared better, with the top 13 companies seeing a more than 20 per cent increase in their sales – up from 17.9 per cent in 2019.
These winners include Shopify, whose gains rose more than 95 per cent last year – and Walmart (up 72.4 per cent).
Overall, global e-commerce sales jumped to $26.7 trillion in 2019, up four per cent from a year earlier, the UN number-crunchers noted, citing the latest available estimates.
In addition to consumer online purchases, this figure includes “business-to-business” (B2B) trade, which put together was worth 30 per cent of global gross domestic product two years ago.
COVID-19 has reshaped last-mile logistics, with e-commerce deliveries rising 25% in 2020
COVID-19 has shifted the way people buy goods, accelerating the rise in online shopping and e-commerce deliveries. According to a new report from the World Economic Forum, this has led to a 25% rise in consumer e-commerce deliveries in 2020.
The new report, Pandemic, Parcels and Public Vaccination: Envisioning the Next Normal for the Last-Mile Ecosystem, explores changes seen over the last year which will greatly influence last mile deliveries in the future. For example, it’s expected that 10%-20% of the recent increase in e-commerce deliveries will continue after the pandemic and the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.
“Covid-19 shutdowns have completely reshaped how we live and of course this includes how and what we’re buying,” said Christoph Wolff, Head of Mobility, World Economic Forum. “Leaders must consider and respond to the effects COVID-19 has had on e-commerce deliveries and what impact these changes will have on their cities and communities.”
Beyond rising demand, the past year has also seen a large shift to greener delivery options, with wider spread EV across the industry and more stringent carbon emission rules from cities expected to shape delivery networks in the near future.
Overall, the report finds six main structural changes to the delivery and logistics sector that are expected to last:
Six structural changes
The pandemic has caused an increase in last-mile deliveries that are likely to persist.
In 2020, business-to-consumer parcel deliveries have risen by about 25%. The report suggests that part of this increased demand will be durable, with at least 10%-20% of the growth remaining post-pandemic.
Consumers increasingly buy new types of products online and consider environmental and health impact when buying.
As consumers continue to buy a wider array of goods online, they are also becoming more ecologically aware. For example, 56% of millennials cite environmental protection as the reason for choosing alternatives to home delivery.
Decarbonization of last-mile deliveries has accelerated.
Companies and cities have ramped up commitments to make emission-free deliveries, while many pandemic-related economic stimulus packages, especially in the European Union and China, contain provisions to support green mobility and goods transport.
Faced with budget challenges and increased transport needs, cities steer last-mile transitions.
Many cities, like Seattle and Boston, have started to repurpose kerb space to designated delivery pick-up. Others, including Santa Monica and Amsterdam, are taking bold action on cleaner delivery with “zero-emission delivery zones” and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Proven technologies are fuelling the last-mile ecosystem revolution.
While disruptive new technologies, such as drones and delivery robots, will continue to emerge, the last-mile revolution is happening now as proven technologies scale up. The likes of parcel lockers and data sharing for load pooling are being adopted around the world as the costs of implementation decrease
New business models emerge to meet increased demand for sustainable delivery vehicles.
Certain logistics companies are now offering services to online retailers, which will help them identify the delivery routes most suited to make the immediate transition to electric delivery vehicles.
Last mile for vaccines
While ensuring equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines remains the most pressing issue in global vaccine distribution, effective last-mile delivery is another critical issue for countries. The key challenges are cold storage, second vaccine dose needs, and a disconnect between the vaccine and patient journey.
“Governments and logistics companies could think about teaming up with players who are experienced in managing very local, capillary demand and with integrating a large number of local retail outlets,” says Anja Huber, Engagement Manager, McKinsey & Company. “Examples include large online retailers, eGrocery giants and technology platform players”
Potential solutions countries can implement for efficient vaccine delivery include real-time logistics planning, data integration, centralized management of delivery strategies at the national level and many more.
There are also early examples of countries that have handled this challenge particularly well. While there are many factors in vaccine distribution success, broadly speaking, countries with tight integration of healthcare and logistics stakeholders seem to show the highest national vaccination rates two months into 2021.
These include Israel, the UK and Chile outperforming other countries with more decentralized healthcare systems, like the US and Germany, which had slower initial vaccine rollouts.
Clearly, much still needs to be done to ensure developed countries overcome operational issues with vaccine delivery. However, mobility solutions should not overshadow an even larger ethical challenge in the differences of vaccine access between the global north and global south, which is a priority for greater equity.
Future of the last mile
The impact of COVID-19 on the last-mile delivery has accelerated existing trends across the sector, leading to six structural changes expected to shape the future of last mile deliveries.
These will be part of a broader urban mobility transition, driven by public policy and company actions. As cities and logistics leaders continue the sustainable urban delivery transition, close public-private coordination will be critical. Zero Emissions Urban Fleets (ZEUF) network, for example, provides a relevant dedicated stakeholder platform for this work.
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Head of Marketing Helps VARs Understand Artificial Intelligence Business Opportunity
Greenwood Village, CO – March 1, 2016 – Head of Marketing, Christina Robbins, will discuss the emergence of AI-based technology products for businesses, and she will explore how these products can help Value-added Resellers (VARs) sell more.
Robbins will expand on her ITEX webinar, which took place last month, on the market drivers that are encouraging the development of AI technologies by companies like IBM, Google, and Apple. She will further help attendees to understand how this emerging technology trend will create growth opportunities for resellers over the next decade.
“I’m thrilled to be invited back to speak at the ITEX Expo about the business opportunity created by emerging artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. ITEX does a great job of bringing important topics and speakers to the reseller community to help them grow as their marketplace evolves.”
When: Wednesday, March 9, 2016 @ 2:20pm
Where: Broward County Convention Center, Fort Lauderdale, FL
What: Bring Intelligence to Your Document Processes
AI can make your customers’ businesses smarter. Are you positioned to help them understand technology options? Learn to distinguish AI from traditional software and how to grow your business by selling AI to your customers.
Who: Christina Robbins, Digitech Systems, LLC.
About Digitech Systems, LLC.
Digitech Systems, LLC. enables businesses of any size to more effectively and securely manage, retrieve and store corporate information of any kind using either PaperVision® Enterprise content management (ECM) software or the world’s most trusted cloud-based ECM service, ImageSilo®. By significantly reducing the cost, Digitech Systems has moved ECM from a luxury convenience to an essential element for every well-managed business.
Digitech Systems continues to raise the standard of excellence in the ECM sector, as evidenced by the numerous awards they have received including the InfoWorld 100, CRN’s Emerging Tech Dynamos and multiple Nucleus Research ROI Awards. In addition, Buyer’s Lab has recognized both PaperVision® Capture and PaperVision Enterprise as the best products in the enterprise capture and ECM fields. To learn more about the company’s software and services that deliver any document, anywhere, anytime®, visit www.digitechsystems.com.


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U.S. Is Positioning Military Assets Around Asia to Counter China, Esper Says
Defense secretary’s remarks come after U.S. declared China moves in South China Sea illegal
WASHINGTON—The U.S. is equipping and positioning its forces across Asia for a possible confrontation with China, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Tuesday in remarks outlining the military component of the Trump administration’s hardening stance toward Beijing.
Speaking from the Pentagon via videoconference to the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, Mr. Esper said the U.S. would continue to send Navy ships into the region to counter China’s expansionary policies, and to sell arms to Taiwan, over which Beijing claims sovereignty.
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French Connection, the men’s and womenswear chain, has said it is “firmly back on a growth path” after posting a profit for the first half, with a substantial increase in wholesale income and growth like for like retail sales.
The retailer reported a 7% growth in revenues for the six months to July 31 with sales rising to £102.8m for the period. Its profits before tax also rose to £0.7m from £0.2m in the comparative period. Group profit after tax for the period was £1m compared with a loss of £12.7m last year.
The company attributed the rise in revenues to the strength of its brand and quality of the product range.
French Connection said its UK/Europe retail business had seen a surge in sales volumes during April due to a feel good factor generated by the good weather, bank holidays and the royal wedding. May and June slowed a little but the company said it achieved a “very good performance” during the end of season Sale period. French Connection overall saw an increase in gross like-for-like sales of 4.6%.
Gross margin was however lower than the same period last year due to contributing factors including the rise in input costs and the increase in VAT.
Wholesale revenue in the UK/Europe was 19% more than last year at £20.3m due to stronger forward orders and new customers including a new franchisee in Russia.
Chairman and chief executive Stephen Marks said it is the first time the company has reported a profit after tax in the first half of the financial year since 2008 and added “we are firmly back on a growth path”.
Marks said: “With the business on a stronger footing, we are in a good position to expand operations internationally. We see great opportunities to grow revenues from both franchising and licensing.
“The global appeal of our brand is evident in our continued growth overseas, and over the next three years we are looking forward to opening as many as 25 more stores in China under our Joint Venture as well as additional store openings by our franchisees in Russia, India and Turkey,” he added.
He said that the balance sheet is very strong with no debt and £30.9m of cash.
But Marks added: “We do not anticipate any easing in the retail environment during the second half of the year. However we have a proven ability to produce high quality and desirable ranges and with good increases in wholesale forward orders to support this, we remain confident in achieving our expectations for the full year.”


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We're just a little over two weeks out from the official November 10 release date of Fallout 4, and Humble Bundle seems to be marking the occasion with a big sale on Bethesda games through its online store.
The sale will only last for the weekend, and it'll let you snag a bunch of different Bethesda games for PC at pretty significant discounts. For example, you can pick a discount of 50% on Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition and Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition, while earlier Fallout games and standard editions net 66% off. Meanwhile, there are big cuts on The Elder Scrolls: Tamil Unlimited and Skyrim, along with the Wolfenstein franchise and more.
There's far too many games to list here, but the sale is worth checking out. And as a bonus, 10% of the proceeds from this sale go to charity, so you can do a little good while you're picking up some classics. If you'd like to check out the full sale, hit up the link below.
Update 4: Trump gives blessing to TikTok sale to Microsoft
TikTok may soon be owned by Microsoft. The company is reportedly in talks to buy out the U.S. portion of TikTok amid a rumored Trump administration order for TikTok owner Bytedance to divest. On Monday, President Trump says he does not oppose the sale so long as it is done by September 15.
We compare the Lenovo Legion 5i 15 with the ASUS TUF Gaming A15
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Edge Canary is taking tabs vertical for some users
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Best Minecraft Fan-made Art, T-Shirts, Stickers, Posters, and more!
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Fintech start-up Social Finance, also known as SoFi, is gearing up to go public through a reverse merger with a blank-check company Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings V Corp. (IPOE). The SPAC is backed by billionaire venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya. IPOE stock surged on the news of the merger deal but has pulled back recently. So, is IPOE stock a buy or a sell before the merger?
On March 3, IPOE stock was down 8.3 percent at $17.22. However, the stock is still up 72 percent from its IPO price of $10 per share. What was the catalyst for the significant stock movement and how does SoFi compare to Affirm? Affirm went public on Jan. 13 after raising $1.2 billion in an IPO.
SoFi versus Affirm
Founded in 2011, SoFi is an online personal finance company. The company offers various financial products like mortgages, personal loans, and student loan refinancing. SoFi also provides newer products and services like credit cards, stock trading, and a robo-adviser. Recently, the fintech company applied for a banking charter.
Founded in 2012, Affirm Holdings is a financial technology company that offers easy payment solutions for shoppers. Affirm’s buy-now-pay-later options make large orders more affordable. The company does this without charging late fees or compound interest.
Is SoFi a better company than Affirm?
Currently, SoFi has nearly 1.72 million members and is on track to hit 3 million members by the end of 2021. In 2020, the company reported revenue growth of 38 percent YoY to $621 million. SoFi expects to generate sales of $980 million in 2021, $1.5 billion in 2022, $2.1 billion in 2023, and $2.8 billion in 2024. However, the company has been posting net losses. SoFi lost $220 million in 2020 and forecasts net losses of $238 million in 2021. The company expects to turn adjusted EBITDA positive in 2021.
In fiscal 2021 (year ended June 2021), Affirm expects to generate revenue between $760 million and $780 million. In fiscal 2020, the company revenues increased by 93 percent YoY to $509.5 million.
SoFi's enterprise value is around $6.5 billion. As a result, SoFi is valued at a 2021 EV-to-sales multiple of 6.6x, which looks cheap compared to other fintech companies. In comparison, Affirm and PayPal have NTM EV-to-sales multiples of 27.4x and 11.5x, respectively.
Why IPOE stock is falling
Investors have continued to handle Palihapitiya-backed SPACs cautiously after Hindenburg Research accused the venture capitalist of misleading investors in the Clover Health deal. The short-seller argued that the billionaire didn’t conduct proper due diligence on Clover before suggesting it to IPOC investors. As a result, the SEC launched a probe into Clover.
SoFi can deliver Affirm-like returns
The recent pullback in IPOE stock might be a good buying opportunity for investors based on the growth prospects and valuations. With the SoFi merger deal in hand, IPOE could be a good way to play the fintech space since the stock could deliver Affirm-like returns. However, the IPOE SPAC stock is a speculative bet until the merger deal closes.


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By Ben Fox Rubin
F5 Networks Inc.'s (FFIV) fiscal first-quarter profit rose 4.5% as the network-equipment company's services revenue jumped, helping boost margins.
For its second quarter, the company predicted adjusted earnings of $1.21 to $1.24 a share on revenue of $370 million to $380 million. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters most recently expected $1.20 a share and $379 million, respectively.
F5 makes equipment that helps manage Internet traffic by sorting and prioritizing types of content, such as video or email. After two quarters of strong growth last fiscal year, revenue slowed in the second half as the company's largest customers shrank or delayed their orders.
For the quarter ended Dec. 31, F5 reported a profit of $69.5 million, or 88 cents a share, up from $66.5 million, or 83 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding stock-based compensation and other items, earnings rose to $1.14 a share, from $1.03.
Revenue improved 13% to $365.5 million.
In October, the company projected downbeat results, calling for adjusted earnings of $1.14 to $1.16 a share on revenue of $363 million to $370 million.
Gross margin widened to 83.3% from 82.8%.
Product sales, which make up most of the company's business, were up 4.2% in the latest period. Services revenue jumped 28%.
Shares closed Wednesday at $98.81 and were unchanged after hours. The stock is up 3.4% over the past three months.
Write to Ben Fox Rubin at email@example.com


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Apple recently started pushing the watchOS 10.0.2 update for the newly launched wearables and thereafter made it availed to all of the users, but sadly, there’s no effective fix to the Weather Complications issue. Users mention that the problem remains persistent even after installing the latest firmware.
It is worth mentioning that the company mainly released the watchOS 10.0.2 update to address the weather issue in Apple wearables. Some of the users even reported that the new firmware had fixed the bug and the Weather Complications are working fine.
However, a few users said that it seems as if the firmware resolved the bug on a temporary basis and they are again dealing with the same situation. Although we hope that the tech giant will soon release a permanent fix with better stability improvements in the upcoming days.


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This Monday, we take a look at some inspiring words from some of the world's finest sports stars.
Dispelling common stereotypes of the millennial work ethic
On Wednesday, Google unveiled a redesigned version of its Pixel smartphone, part of a refreshed line of devices as part of the tech giant's efforts to boost its presence against hardware rivals.
An Estonian ride-hailing service started operations in Paris Thursday, tackling market leader Uber armed with backing from China's Didi, bigger margins for drivers and a chief executive who is only 23.
The New Google Headphones Translates 40 Languages In Real Time


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My initial thought
China announced a giant $586 billion economy stimulus package a few days ago. My first response was not warm to it: I always think the Chinese goverment should invest in “Education and healthcare”. Infrustructure? Did not China already get really good infrustructures in the coastal areas including Beijing? China’s economy problem is more serious than US (on the surface it’s not), because it solely relied on foreign trade (export) for economy growth in last 30 years.
I can appreciate the goverment intention here is solving the “excess migrant labor workers”, and lack of middle class problems in China. They should act from tax policy, business regulations, etc. But I guess the Chinese goverment is for the business, by the business and of the business, just like the US gov.
My second thought
Bill Ackman was on Charile Rose recently (either Tuesday night or Monday night), and he was arguing GM should file for bankrupcy. My gut feeling is even if this makes economy sense, politically this is a difficult thing for Dems or President-elect Obama: their union connections.
I think I also have a second thought on China giant stimulus package (infrustructure), my initial thought was purely economics based. It’s just impossible to do the necessary reform (tax, cultivate middle class) in near term. If I was in Mr. Wen’s shoes, I would come to similar conclusions: we got to make sure those migrant workers employed, otherwise it’s a giant social problem.


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November 19, 2012 |
MUMBAI: Pharma major Dr Reddy's Laboratories today announced that it has launched Sildenafil tablets, a bioequivalent generic version of Revatio (Sildenafil) tablets in the US market. This followed the approval by the United States Food & Drug Administration (USFDA) of Dr Reddy's ANDA for Sildenafil tablets, a company statement said here. The Revatio brand had US sales of approximately $338.67 million for the most recent twelve months ending September 2012, according to IMS Health . Dr Reddy's Sildenafil tablets in 20 mg are available in 90 count bottle sizes, the release said.
April 29, 2012 |
MUMBAI: After tasting sweet success with its glucose powder brand Glucovita, Wipro Consumer Care & (WCCL) now plans to launch the product in tablet form as well, a senior executive has said. "We are going to launch a tablet Glucovita. You can have two tablets and get instant energy. You will not need water with it which makes it very easy on the go. We will be launching this product in the next two Weeks," WCCL Senior Vice-President Anil Chugh told PTI. He did not divulge the pricing of the product but said it will be launched in Tamil Nadu first, before rolling it out nationally.
June 4, 2010 |
MUMBAI: Lupin Ltd said on Friday its unit has received US FDA approval for lamotrigine in tablets form. Lamotrigine tablets, used in the treatment of bipolar-I disorder, are a generic version of GlaxoSmithKline's branded drug Lamictal, it said in a statement. The tablets have annual sales of about $452 million in the US market, it added.
July 2, 2012 |
NEW DELHI: Dr Reddy's Laboratories today said it has launched generic tablets used for treating post- menopausal osteoporosis in the American market. The company launched 150 mg tablets on June 29 after receiving the approval for it's abbreviated new drug application ( ANDA ) by the US Food and Drug Administration , Dr Reddy's said. The Ibandronate Sodium tablets are bio equivalent generic version of Roche Therapeutics Inc's Boniva tablets. The Boniva brand and generic had sales of nearly USD 486 million in the US during the twelve months ending March 2012, the company said, quoting IMS health data.
January 21, 2014 |
NEW DELHI: Autopsy findings in the death of Sunanda Pushkar are believed to have indicated that she had died because of an overdose of a prescription drug, Alprax, which may have made her slip into coma and perhaps die in her sleep last Friday. Though there are over a dozen minor injury marks on her hands and face, they are not related to her death, the doctors at AIIMS are believed to have said in the autopsy report terming the cause of death as "drug overdose". The report was submitted to sub-divisional magistrate (SDM)
January 2, 2007 |
MUMBAI: Lupin Ltd on Tuesday said the US FDA has granted tentative approval for its generic sertraline hydrochloride tablets, 25mg, 50mg and 100 mg used in the treatment of major depressive disorder. Lupin's sertraline hydrochloride tablets is the generic equivalent of Pfizer's Zoloft. Its annual sales in the US was approximately $3.1 bn for the twelve months ended July 2006, a company release said quoting data from market research agency IMS. Lupin will launch the generic on final approval, which is expected upon the expiration of the marketing exclusivity for the Pfizer product in February 2007.
January 14, 2011 |
NEW DELHI: Drug firm Lupin on Friday said it has received final approval from US health regulator to market Nabumetone tablets, used in treating arthritis, in the American market. The company's unit, Lupin Pharmaceuticals Inc has been granted final approval by US Food and Drug Administration for Nabumetone tablets in strengths of 500mg and 750mg, Lupin said in a statement. The Mumbai-headquartered firm Nabumetone is the generic equivalent of GlaxoSmithKline's Relafen tablets, indicated for acute and chronic treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
July 1, 2014 |
NEW DELHI: Korean electronics giant Samsung today launched its new tablet 'Tab S' for Rs 37,800 onwards, to further strengthen its position in the Indian market. The device will be available in two screen sizes - 8.4 inch and 10.5 inch - priced at Rs 37,800 and Rs 44,800. "Reports suggest that about 290 million tablets will be sold this year globally. Syndicated reports show that in India too, the market is expected to grow over 20 per cent year-on- year and we are confident of topping that growth," Samsung India VP Mobile and IT Asim Warsi told reporters here.
October 22, 2007 |
MUMBAI: Ranbaxy Laboratories has got approval from Health Canada, Therapeutic Products Directorate to manufacture and market Lisinopril 5, 10 and 20 mg tablets in Canada. Lisinopril is indicated for the treatment of hypertension. RAN@-Lisinopril will be manufactured at Ranbaxy's cGMP facility in North Brunswick, New Jersey. Total market for Lisinopril is Canadian $46 million, as per IMS-MAT.
August 6, 2014 |
A tablet is normally seen as a device meant for media consumption. However, if you pair the right kind of tablet with the right set of accessories, it could easily replace your work laptop. ET talks about some of the best tablets for business and suggest some useful accessories. Apple iPad (Rs 28,900 onwards) WHILE THE APPLE iPad might seem to have the weakest specifications among similarly priced tablets, it's the apps and accessory ecosystem that makes it stand out. It comes with built-in support for third party device management, enterprise grade security and is compatible with almost every email and calendar service.


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Gabelli Comments on McCormick & Co.’s FY2017 Earnings (MKC)
McCormick & Co. (NYSE:MKC) – Equities researchers at Gabelli reduced their FY2017 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for McCormick & Co. in a note issued to investors on Monday. Gabelli analyst S. Donnelly now anticipates that the brokerage will earn $4.10 per share for the year, down from their previous estimate of $4.15.
McCormick & Co. (NYSE:MKC) last announced its earnings results on Friday, September 30th. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.94 by $0.09. The firm earned $1.09 billion during the quarter. McCormick & Co. had a net margin of 10.58% and a return on equity of 27.26%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.85 EPS.
Several other brokerages have also recently commented on MKC. Zacks Investment Research raised McCormick & Co. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $119.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, July 8th. Citigroup Inc. reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of McCormick & Co. in a report on Tuesday, July 5th. Deutsche Bank AG lifted their price objective on McCormick & Co. from $110.00 to $113.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, July 2nd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein cut McCormick & Co. from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $113.00 to $104.00 in a report on Friday, September 16th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. The company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $97.11.
Shares of McCormick & Co. (NYSE:MKC) traded down 0.49% during trading on Wednesday, reaching $96.00. 629,728 shares of the company were exchanged. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.50 and a beta of 0.47. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $99.23 and a 200 day moving average of $99.30. McCormick & Co. has a 52-week low of $78.45 and a 52-week high of $107.84.
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, October 11th will be paid a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 6th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.78%. McCormick & Co.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.51%.
In related news, CFO Gordon Mckenzie Stetz, Jr. sold 38,900 shares of McCormick & Co. stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.17, for a total value of $4,091,113.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 94,012 shares in the company, valued at $9,887,242.04. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 13.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in McCormick & Co. by 108.3% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,070,844 shares of the company’s stock valued at $114,227,000 after buying an additional 556,724 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Institutional Trust Company N.A. raised its position in McCormick & Co. by 15.3% in the first quarter. BlackRock Institutional Trust Company N.A. now owns 3,882,526 shares of the company’s stock valued at $386,234,000 after buying an additional 515,435 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Group LTD raised its position in McCormick & Co. by 25.3% in the first quarter. BlackRock Group LTD now owns 1,484,525 shares of the company’s stock valued at $147,682,000 after buying an additional 300,079 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Fund Advisors raised its position in McCormick & Co. by 9.6% in the first quarter. BlackRock Fund Advisors now owns 2,860,375 shares of the company’s stock valued at $284,550,000 after buying an additional 250,153 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Capital Management LLC raised its position in McCormick & Co. by 16.4% in the second quarter. Janus Capital Management LLC now owns 1,581,927 shares of the company’s stock valued at $168,744,000 after buying an additional 222,568 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.48% of the company’s stock.
About McCormick & Co.
McCormick & Company, Incorporated manufactures, markets and distributes spices, seasoning mixes, condiments and other flavorful products to the food industry, including retailers, food manufacturers and foodservice businesses. The Company operates in two segments: consumer and industrial. Its brands in the Americas include McCormick, Lawry’s, Stubb’s, Club House, Zatarain’s, Thai Kitchen and Simply Asia.
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New Lloyds Banking Group boss Antonio Horta-Osorio to aid small firms
The new chief executive of Lloyds Banking Group is understood to be planning a radical overhaul of its small business lending operations, amid criticism that the bailed-out group is failing to provide firms with sufficient credit.
Antonio Horta-Osorio is considering the creation of a new division to oversee loans to small and medium-sized firms when he takes the helm in March, City sources said.
And in a move that could potentially hasten the departure of retail boss Helen Weir, Horta-Osorio is looking at a reform of its under-fire customer services wing.
In focus: Antonio Horta-Osorio is planning to radically overhaul the bank's lending
The changes are aimed at shoring up Lloyds' reputation following its
ill-fated takeover of Halifax Bank of Scotland and subsequent £17bn
Horta-Osorio will also be keen to show that Lloyds (down 0.13p at
60.41p) is playing a full part in Britain's economic recovery as the
government's Independent Commission on Banking considers whether to
break up the banking giant.
Lloyds extended some £35bn in new credit to businesses between
January and September, but its corporate loan book was only slightly
bigger than the year before as customers paid back their debts.
Earlier this year Sir John Vickers, chairman of the Commission,
argued that it had been a 'mistake' allow Lloyds to swallow HBOS,
raising speculation the deal could be unwound.
Lloyds's corporate lending operation currently sits in a corner of
its wholesale wing and is therefore not directly overseen by departing
chief executive Eric Daniels, who is reportedly being courted for a
senior role at UBS.
But Horta-Osorio wants to create a new business unit catering for
small and medium sized firms, which have been particularly hard hit as
lenders pull in their horns in the wake of the financial crisis.
The boss of the new division - if it is established - would
report straight to the Portuguese, who wants to keep much closer tabs
on the flow of credit to SMEs.
In a recent interview with the Mail, Daniels said that he held
meetings with his commercial lending lieutenant 'probably once every
Horta-Osorio, who is defecting from arch rival Santander, is also
expected to give customer services a more elevated role within the
retail banking wing.
Lloyds, which is 41pc owned by the taxpayer, received a total of
2,310 complaints from customers every day during the first half of the
The emphasis attached to customer services may be seen as an
implicit criticism of current retail supremo Weir, who has been tipped
to leave Lloyds after losing out to Horta-Osorio in the race to succeed
Lloyds declined to comment.
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In the News
Tom Brady rookie card fetches record $400,100 at auction
Posted February 26, 2019 by
Michael David Smith
ProFootballTalk - NBC Sports
Tom Brady has set another NFL record: Most expensive football card.
A card featuring Brady as a rookie sold for $400,100, the highest price ever for a football card, according to ESPN.
The card was part of the 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Ticket collection, which produced only 100 such cards. The individual card that was sold in this auction is in mint condition, considered the highest quality of those 100 cards.More
Brady rookie card sells for over $400K at auction
Posted February 26, 2019 by
An extremely rare Tom Brady rookie card has been sold for over $400,000 in an online auction.
The card, part of the 2000 Playoff Contenders Championship Ticket collection, was auctioned Monday for $400,100.
The auction was coordinated by eBay and PWCC Marketplace, which announced Tuesday that the $400,100 is the highest auction price in history for a football card.More
Rare Michael Jordan basketball card sold on eBay for $350,000 after bidding war
A rare Michael Jordan basketball card was sold on eBay for a record price earlier this week.
The auction was handled by PWCC Marketplace on behalf of a private owner and a bidding war broke out over the memorabilia, with the selling price surging by almost $150,000 in the final two minutes.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the card is one of the Chicago Bulls’ Precious Metal Gems Green cards from the 1997-98 season, but only one of the 10 cards to be produced as insert cards for Skybox’s Metal Universe packs.
Jordan’s card is number six out of 10 and the only one to have been authenticated and graded by the Professional Sports Authenticator.More
Are Sports Cards A Blue Chip Investment? Ask The New Owner Of The $350K Michael Jordan
A 1997-98 Skybox Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems (PMG) Michael Jordan card just sold for $350,100 on eBay, smashing numerous records.
“It’s the most ever bid for a single Jordan card at public auction, and the third most expensive basketball card ever sold,” notes Rich Mueller, editor of Sports Collectors Daily.
The Jordan also set a new record for the most expensive basketball card sold on eBay and for a modern (post 90’s) basketball card ever sold.
Above all, these new records suggest that trading cards have become an alternative blue chip investment and a liquid, tangible asset for high-rollers. And the records demonstrate Jordan’s enduring popularity.More
Rare Michael Jordan basketball card sells for record amount after eBay bidding war: report
A last-minute bidding war on eBay for a Michael Jordan basketball card dubbed the “Holy Grail” brought the sale price to a record $350,100 this week, a report said.
The Chicago Bulls legend’s 1997-98 Precious Metal Gems (PMG) Green card is one of only 10 ever made, according to the Chicago Tribune. This particular card is one of only three believed by experts to be in circulation. It is also the only card to be authenticated by the Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) service.
“We call it a ‘Holy Grail’ because it’s so scarce and so desired that you just frankly never see it,” Brent Huigens, CEO of PWCC Marketplace, which handled the auction on behalf of a private owner, told the paper.More
Someone dropped a WHOLE bunch of money on a Michael Jordan basketball card
On Thursday afternoon, the Chicago Tribune ran a story about how someone spent THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS on a Michael Jordan basketball card. The card is, according to the piece, one of only 10 ever made. Of those 10 cards, only 3 -- including this one -- have been graded by the Professional Sports Authenticator service.
The card is apparently the most expensive MJ card yet, and the third most-expensive basketball card ever. What's even funnier is that the card was about to sell for $100,000, but a bidding flurry in the auction's final couple minutes raised the price almost 200%.
That is a staggering amount of money to spend on a laminated, wallet-sized picture of a basketball player, but if that's what you want to drop hundreds of thousands of your dollars on, far be it from me to say otherwise.More
1997-98 Precious Metal Gems Jordan Sells for $350,100
No one’s saying it’s the most beautiful, but there’s a new top dog in the category of most expensive Michael Jordan basketball cards.
A 1997 Skybox Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems (Green) Michael Jordan card earned the title after selling for $350,100 on eBay late Wednesday night. It’s the most ever bid for a single Jordan card at public auction and the third most expensive basketball card ever sold. Buyers had to be pre-approved to participate. Twenty-two people placed a total of 130 bids over the seven-day period. The winning bidder was believed to be Nat Turner, a wealthy and avid collector/investor.
“In the world of trading cards this is a ‘true holy grail’ caliber asset, said Brent Huigens, CEO and Owner of PWCC who sold the card. “Most advanced investors have never seen one before and this was the first copy we’ve handled in 20 years. Arguably the most recognized and revered modern trading card in the world.More
Forget The Michael Jordan Fleer Rookie, His 'Mythical' Card Skyrockets To $121K on eBay
In 1997-98, Skybox produced a 123-card metal basketball insert issue in addition to its base set. The first ten of each the 100 serially printed cards had an emerald green background. One of them featured Michael Jordan.
The Precious Metal Gems Green (PMG) cards came in packs costing a few dollars.
For a decade, no one except a few diehards paid much attention. “Initially, the cards were no more popular than other basketball inserts of the era, but that changed about ten years ago when the set became sort of a cult favorite,” notes Rich Mueller in Sports Collectors Daily.More
Stunning Sale Of Mint And Rare Bobby Orr Rookie For $204K Shows Bullish Hockey Card Market
Over the weekend, Lelands auction house sold one of the world’s rarest modern era hockey cards and the highest graded example for $204,000.
The 1966-67 Bobby Orr Topps USA Test card, which belonged to a private collector, is the only mint PSA 9 (on a scale of one to ten).
“It’s now the second most valuable hockey card ever sold at public auction, trailing only the PSA 10 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky, which sold for $465,000 in 2016,” notes Rich Mueller, editor of Sports Collector Daily.More
The 1933 Babe Ruth Baseball Card Market Is Blazing Hot
A mint 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth bubblegum card just netted $528,000 in a Heritage auction, more than seven times what a comparable card fetched in the last public sale in 2004. Only four PSA 9 (on a scale of one to ten) #144 cards exist. There are no 10s.
Babe Ruth is blazing hot in all grades, and not just in high-end auctions, but at local baseball card shows. I believe that now is the time to buy his four 1933 Goudey cards.
This year, they will receive extra lifts. An epic Ruth biography, The Big Fella, continues to fly off bookstore shelves and rack up awards. And this June, Hunt Auctions will offer “a highly significant offering of historic baseball artifacts and personal materials from [Ruth’s own] collection.”More
Sell on the Auction Marketplace
PWCC manages the largest trading card auction venue in the world, comprising 12 annual auction events which start every month of the year. Each event consistently features some of the finest trading cards in the world in an easily-surveyed format that reaches both hobby and investment minded clients alike.


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Complexity of creating environmentally responsible brands
Rachna Bakhru of RNA Technology and IP Attorneys discusses how companies are focused on green marketing and how brands are winning consumer trust
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26, that by 2030, India would increase its non-fossil energy capacity to 500 gigawatts (GW), fulfill 50% of its energy requirements from renewable sources, reduce its carbon intensity of an economy by 45%, and reduce total projected carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes.
Environmental issues are now mainstream and integrated into government and business decision-making. The millennials stand up for the change and factoring in the environmental issues in their purchase decisions. As a result, the past few years have seen consistent consumer demand for sustainable products.
Today's markets are flooded with products that claim to be eco-friendly, sustainable, or natural, which are unsupported with further information. At times these are too good to be true, e.g. companies are claiming net-zero or carbon neutral.
A claim of ‘carbon neutral’ usually means a business has offset its emissions by investing in projects that reduce environmental harm in other ways. These trade-offs are often not as simple to achieve as companies project.
Measuring the value of carbon offset projects is a complex structure. Then there are businesses making claims such as ‘made from 100% recycled material’, ‘we eliminate deforestation in our supply chain’, ‘waste to energy recycling’, without corroborating information and with no framework in place to check these tall claims.
Greenwashing can profoundly affect consumer and investor confidence in green products and environmentally responsible firms.
In the process, they are creating a general environment of distrust with stakeholders reluctant even to reward genuine companies working towards environmentally friendly performance.
In the absence of specific consumer guidelines, to address greenwashing claims, the consumer must do their research to determine the genuineness of such claims. For the average consumer, it can be challenging to assess which companies are taking meaningful steps to combat climate change. There is a dire need for regulations or green guides to regulate environmental claims in this scenario.
India's trademark laws
The Trademarks Act does not bar anyone from registering the words 'carbon neutral', 'zero carbon' 'net zero' or 'sustainable’.
A search in class 9 of the Indian trademarks registry database that covers technology goods, computer hardware, and software show several registrations of the terms mentioned above.
These should not have been granted in the first place because these words describe the characteristics of the goods/services. Furthermore, these terms can deceive the public or cause confusion. Registrations of these words somewhat are accreditation or endorsement for the consumer that the company’s claims are genuine.
The Trademarks Registry should issue guidelines to exclude such terms from being granted registration and refuse statutory rights to private businesses.
Consumer Protection Act, 2019
The Consumer Protection Act (CPA)'s objectives are primarily to protect the rights of consumers, prevent unfair trade practices, ensure that no false or misleading advertising is made of any goods or services, and overall prevent violation of consumer rights.
The CPA benefits the consumers to raise their objections against selling defective goods, failure to provide services as agreed, and false claims. There are no specific provisions or guidelines that address false environmental claims.
Advertising Standards Council of India
The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) is an independent body responsible for self-regulation in advertising by its members and ensuring the protection of the interest of consumers; it requires advertisements to conform to its Code for Self-Regulation. Thus, as per regulation, publicity should be legal, decent, honest, truthful, and not hazardous or harmful while observing fairness in competition.
Further, the Indian courts have ruled in some comparative advertising cases, holding that the producers must make legitimate claims in their advertisements and not mislead the consumer.
However, clear guidelines on green advertising or environmental claims would help address the issue and discourage companies from making such claims while retaining consumer confidence. Depending on the need of the hour, the ASCI periodically frames guidelines to manage false or misleading advertisements emerging in the new age, e.g. ASCI has recently released guidelines for advertising virtual digital assets, influencer advertising on digital media, COVID-19 advertising advisory, online gaming, etc. aimed at protecting consumer interests while balancing business needs.
It is time that ASCI releases a guideline for green claims to emphasise their importance to the advertisers and businesses. Along the lines of food labels, the companies should be asked to explain their eco claims in detail, supported with evidence.
It would be useful to provide companies with a straightforward checklist to confirm that their advertisements are clear, accurate and supported with evidence. Further, the CPA needs an amendment to include provisions related to green claims. Also, a guide for the consumers to understand the green terminology will help them make informed decisions.
Here to stay
The green movement is here to stay, which will hopefully help secure a better environment for our next generation.
While companies will continue to focus on green marketing, they must walk the talk to win consumer trust and do good for the planet. The brands need to understand that consumers today look for authenticity.
It is time for a green ecosystem with transparency and genuine interest in minimising the environmental impact. Only then will there be a win-win situation.