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Sage Microelectronic Corporation (Sage Micro) is one of the leading semiconductor companies that provide Integrated Circuits (ICs) and solutions for digital storage and data security applications. “We are designing today’s storage solutions while researching and exploring tomorrow’s technology,” says Jerome Luo, founder of Sage Microelectronic. Headquartered in Hangzhou city, the company has devoted itself to creating superior products and services to prepare its petition to China’s Sci-Tech innovation board (STAR Market) as an IC star providing storage solutions. The company’s products have been widely applied in various customer applications like digital cameras, mobile phones, and personal computers, as well as in enterprise and communication systems such as industrial control, cloud storage, and more. Supported by funding of about $90 Million, Sage Micro’s product line covers mobile flash controllers, SSD controllers, and aggregator/RAID/port-multiplier controllers. Furthermore, the company is facing the increasing demands of many high-end systems, such as communication and aeronautics. “We have enabled the latest and most sustainable semiconductors in the server and the cloud area. While everything is moving from the server room to the edge, there is a tremendous opportunity for new ICs. Sage Micro is primed to reap the benefits of the latest trends, and embeds, merges and integrates new functions into the current storage controllers,” says Chris Tsu, CTO of the company.
Sage Micro is one of the world’s top three bridge controller manufacturers providing consumer storage controllers, including USB-IDE, USB-SATA/PCIe, SAS/SATA-SATA bridge controllers, and more.
In 2012, the company announced China’s first SATA SSD controller and is currently focused on developing and shipping enterprise high-performance SSD controllers, with an enhanced partnership with IBM that has pioneered high-end storage systems. Owing to its flexible architecture, Sage Micro is also the first enterprise SSD controller provider to apply the leading MRAM vendor, Everspin’s newly released 1 GB Spin-transfer Torque MRAM.
We are designing today’s storage solutions while researching and exploring tomorrow’s technology
Sage Micro is building up a whole series of SSD controllers covering all kinds of interfaces, including SATA, SAS, PCIe, and more. “Our recent controllers are provided for MLC and TLC flash but should accumulate technologies for QLC flash memory and even the generation after QLC,” adds Luo. Furthermore, the company is taking a big leap from being a single drive controller vendor to a system-level high-end IC provider by manufacturing storage system controllers such as RAID controllers, port-multipliers, aggregators, and expanders. Some of Sage Micro’s controllers have embedded encryption/decryption engines to provide data security functions.
In essence, Sage Micro is not only delivering storage controllers with high capacity, great performance, and embedded security, but also pioneering the next generation of storage and computing systems. Tsu further presents his aggressive ideas for embedded computing of an SSD or RAID/Expander IC. “Computational storage can be practiced by these chips, and the embedded hardware engines can run much faster than software can. Artificial Intelligence in a surveillance system implemented with these chips can ensure high efficiency in facial recognition applications. It can also be used to build block-chain with the security engines distributed and embedded inside each drive or storage access interface. To sum it up, as storage and computing are having a fuzzy boundary now, we are trying to leverage the merits,” says Tsu.
A bright future awaits Sage Micro, which aims to achieve milestones in the global market after its massive success in China.


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Remote working, shop closures and social distancing have become the norm for many globally and this shift in lifestyle has led to a huge increase in e-commerce.
“The e-commerce sector has been booming for the last decade in general and in 2020 in particular, driven by the pandemic situation and lockdowns,” explains Fedor Novikov, marketing director, Volga-Dnepr Group.
“Volga-Dnepr felt the scale of social responsibility and fostered its cooperation and support of e-commerce platforms by providing high-quality services on board unique freighter fleet of Volga-Dnepr Group, especially Boeing 747 and Boeing 737 freighters, and guaranteed delivery of essential items to many consumers across the globe.
“We were able to support our customers from e-commerce sector and managed to achieve over 3.5-fold increase in cross-border shipments delivering over 135,000 tonnes of cargo to various countries.”
To cater to the increasing demand, Volga-Dnepr is growing e-commerce shipments in a number of ways.
Effectively using their capabilities, the Carrier is including not only Boeing 747 and Boeing 737 but also An-124-100/150 freighters to support e-commerce traffics between Asia and Europe during the peak seasons, as well as adding long-term charter programmes with flexible timeframes which guarantee capacity availability and uninterrupted supply chains.
“We have introduced new ULDs with extenders for bulk cargo to use the empty loadable space in lower deck compartment of B747F, which is cost-saving for the customers and more efficient in terms of capacity management for the carriers,” explains Novikov.
They are also strengthening the global e-commerce team, their expertise and competence whilst developing the IT hub and its integration with e-commerce stakeholders.
This guarantees 100% data transparency and accuracy, which is of vital importance for e-com customers and end consumers.
The digital customer experience will be improved with online booking options.
“These are just a few steps we are taking to foster e-commerce growth within Volga-Dnepr Group, although we are planning additional initiatives, which will enable us to reach new heights in e-com sector together with our customers worldwide,” Novikov adds.

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By Jacob Kersh
If you walked into a high school bathroom, what is the first thing you would expect to smell? For adults, the answer does need to be explicitly stated. However, the scent that comes to mind for teenagers throughout the country is none other than vape juice.
Over the past few years, teen vaping has become nothing short of a raging epidemic. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there has been a 900% increase in vape use by high school students from 2013 to 2017—that’s one in every ten students. In middle schools, the number of students vaping across the country is now estimated to be a whopping 500,000. And these numbers have continued to grow in 2018.
Soon, the FDA plans to require strict limits on the sale of most flavored e-cigarettes in an effort to curb their use among adolescents. For example, no major retail outlets will be allowed to carry them unless they restrict minors from entering the store or create an off-limits area.
Additionally, the company Juul—which controls approximately 74% of the e-cigarette market—has recently pulled their flavored cartridges from convenience stores across the nation. They have also launched a new youth prevention campaign which includes two-factor age verification for every purchase made on their website.
The fact that both the FDA and private companies like Juul are finally taking action to curtail the teen vaping crisis is a step in the right direction—especially because vaping and nicotine can be extremely harmful to the developing adolescent brain. But another important aspect of getting to the bottom of this pressing issue is figuring out why it has become so pressing in the first place.
Various scientists and analysts have time and time again deemed peer pressure as the primary cause of teen vaping. However, I decided to ask the students of Glenelg about their perceptions regarding this issue instead. I also prompted them to tell me why they think peer pressure has had such a huge impact on a student’s decision to vape in a high school environment.
I first spoke to Sophomore Nathaniel Sawitzki. Although he is still an underclassmen, he told me that he’s seen many of his friends vaping both outside and inside of school. “In Glenelg, it mostly takes place in the stalls of the bathrooms, especially during transition periods,” Sawitzki said.
With regards to peer pressure, he told me, “It only gets hard to say no when everyone around me is convinced that vaping is ok—that it can’t be bad for you since everyone does it. So I try not to surround myself with those types of people.” From the information Sawitzki has shared, it is evident that having friends who frequently vape can significantly influence one’s own decision to do so as well.
I then talked to Senior Ethan Chappell. Since he is an upperclassmen, he has had much more experience dealing with this topic within the halls of Glenelg. “ I try to use the bathroom in school only when it’s absolutely necessary, mostly because of how strong the smell is in there,” Chappell stated.
He also told me that students have been less and less discreet about vaping as the years have gone by. When asked to elaborate, he said, “Just yesterday, I saw a girl in my grade holding her laptop that literally had her Juul charging right out of the side. How are the underclassmen supposed to understand how harmful vapes can be if kids are walking around with them out in the open like it doesn’t even matter?” Clearly, the fact that vaping has become so mainstream for high schoolers has influenced younger students to try it themselves without first considering negative health effects.
Although the FDA and Juul have finally cracked down on the teen vaping epidemic by imposing actual nationwide restrictions, Glenelg students have made it obvious that there is still much work to be done. Even if students cannot legally purchase most flavored e-cigarettes, that won’t stop them from being influenced by their friends and social stigmas to use devices that people already have.
Hopefully though, these efforts will show the country just how apparent vaping has become within the youth of today. If adolescents are made aware of the dangers behind e-cigarettes before they begin to use them, the future might just be a little brighter.
You can read more about the FDA’s recent ban on e-cigarettes here.


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Facebook is now increasing its blockchain-related staff. Social media giant hiring 20 specialist, including: threat investigator, technology communications director, data scientist, two product managers and a product designer, marketing and brand strategy managers, various UX researchers and other roles.The job descriptions on the Facebook website don’t tell much about any future product, but hint at bigger plans:
“Our ultimate goal is to help billions of people with access to things they don’t have now – that could be things like healthcare, equitable financial services, or new ways to save or share information.”As a reminder, Facebook has been hinting at a keen interest in blockchain for some time. In December 2018, the social media giant was hiring five new staff members for blockchain team at its Menlo Park, California. Back in May, Facebook launched its blockchain team, with the reported aim of exploring the emerging technology.Join to our Telegram channel HYIP.com to be always up-to-date with the latest news of the cryptocurrency space.


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Rugby fans can use wristbands to pay for food, drinks and merchandise in the ground, but then also acts as a contactless card outside of it
Rugby wouldn’t be the first sport that would spring to mind when you say the word contactless, but one of England’s leading sides is pioneering new ways of improving the fan experience via contactless payment technology.
Premiership side Saracens have announced they are trialling contactless payment wristbands for season ticket holders at their Allianz Park stadium, which, among other things, allow fans to skip the queues at food and drink stalls, as well as act as ID cards to enter the stadium or corporate hospitality boxes.
The technology has been implemented by Gemalto, and following a successful; first trial run is set to launch across all Saracens season ticket holders by the start of the next Premiership season in September.
“Fundamentally, it is a contactless card – in a wristband”, Howard Berg, Gemalto’s SVP, UK & Ireland, and a Saracens fan and member for over 25 years, told TechWeek Europe.
“We want to create a completely cashless stadium.”
The wristbands are pre-paid, meaning fans can top up before heading to the stadium by pairing with an existing credit or debit card, and can even use leftover credit to pay for their travel home, for example using the contactless payment technology on TfL’s transport network.
“It’s a convenient and easy way for the members or season ticket holders to get in and around the ground,” says Berg, who says that cash payments are becoming phased out for the convenience of card and contactless methods.
Saracens were also a perfect partner as they only moved to the purpose-built Allianz Park in 2013, meaning the legacy systems in place at many older stadiums was not in place, and the commercial infrastructure was pre-set to accept contactless payments.
The data from customer buying habits will then be analysed by the club and used to provide fans with targeted promotions or advertising, hopefully driving them to spend more on food, drink or merchandise.
Gemalto previously piloted a similar contactless wristband scheme during the Six Nations tournament earlier this year, offering VIP customer branded RFU wristbands to use at selected Guinness concessions stands, which Berg said was a great success.
The company also provided the technology for a Southampton FC-branded scheme set up by Barclaycard using its bPay wristbands at the club’s St. Mary’s Stadium last September.
Ultimately, the scheme to make Allianz Park a ‘cashless stadium’ looks to speed up the payment process for fans and officials alike, something the Saracens board is also backing.
“Offering supporters the convenience and security of payment with nothing more than a tap of the wrist is another example of our determination to deliver the best possible match day experience,” said Stefan Crouse, Saracens chief operating officer for Saracens.
“Gemalto has unrivaled experience in this field, and the Allynis Smart Event Platform offers all the advantages of a single and fully integrated source of supply.”
All clued up on mobile payments? Try our quiz!


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PARIS -(MarketWatch)- French oil major Total SA
- The assets included within this agreement consist of Total's UK retail network, comprising 810 Total-branded service stations, its Butler heating oil business, the associated logistics infrastructure, as well as its Channel Islands and Isle of Man businesses.
- This transaction, which is expected to complete later in 2011, is in line with the Group's strategy of rationalising its downstream portfolio in Europe, Total said.
- The sale process for Total's refining assets in the UK is ongoing.
- Rontec Investments LLP is a consortium led by UK forecourt operator Snax 24, and includes London investment firm Grovepoint and asset manager Investec.


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Audi Q3-Sized Electric Crossover to Arrive by 2021: Report
The next addition to the E-Tron family will reportedly be built at the Zwickau plant in Germany.
Audi has some ambitious plans for an electrified future, which involves growing its E-Tron line of all-electric vehicles with a midsize crossover, a sedan, a Sportback, and now it sounds like a smaller crossover will be joining the lineup, if anonymous sources cited by Bloomberg are to be believed. That would certainly explain what's under the sheet in this recently-dropped teaser from Audi.
“We [Audi] have confirmed the E-Tron, E-Tron Sportback and the E-Tron GT coming in the next three years,” said an Audi representative in an email to The Drive. “Other variants are not confirmed for the US market at present.”
As unofficial as this report may be, it sure sounds like a real product that we could see existing in a few years. It’s easy to see a Q3-sized EV from Audi being a hit, especially assuming it will have strong range and performance numbers at a price that’s within reach of the masses.
Bloomberg’s sources say the compact EV crossover will be built at the Volkswagen Zwickau factory in Germany, which currently builds Golfs and Passats. The massive facility is about to undergo a $1.4-billion makeover to become the manufacturing heart of the VW conglomerate’s electrification push, and estimates put annual EV production from the Zwickau plant at up to 330,000 units per year.
What we can confirm is that the VW group is planning on making six EVs at Zwickau by 2021 and that one of them will be the I.D. Crozz crossover and two of them will be Audis. We wouldn’t be surprised if a compact crossover was one of them.
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Audi Teases Smaller, More Affordable Electric E-Tron Crossover Ahead of Geneva Reveal
The smaller Audi E-Tron is expected to ride on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform and be similar to the Q3 in size.
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Audi’s handsome PB18 E-tron reportedly won’t be doomed to fade into obscurity as a concept car.
Watch the Gorgeous Audi E-Tron GT Drive Under Its Own Power
The Audi e-tron GT may be whisper-quiet, but it’s still packing 590 horsepower and Quattro all-wheel drive.
Audi Drawing Up Faster and Cheaper E-tron Crossovers: Report
Versions of the Audi E-tron electric crossover are reportedly on the way in both austere and ostentatious guises.


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‘I’ve gut a good feeling about this!’: Business selling punny, plush organs up for Amazon award
MADISON, Wis. — Physician by day, business owner by night, Ronak Mehta is one of six finalists in the country up for an Amazon Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year Award.
Amazon Storefronts has nearly 30,000 small and medium-sized businesses, and Mehta’s caught the company’s eye.
Mehta has a lot of heart, which she pours into her day job as a physician at UW-Health.
“I think it’s incredibly meaningful,” she said. “No two days are the same.”
She carries it home to her side gig, where she has more than just heart.
“There’s definitely days where it can be a bit overwhelming,” Mehta said.
Mehta followed her gut, put her mind to it and came out with a full body of work, now listed on Amazon. Her line of more than a dozen plush organs are called Nerdbugs.
With names like ‘Who put the cuter-us- in Uterus,’ We Be-Lung Together’ and ‘Urine for a Treat,’ it’s clear Mehta loves puns.
“This one actually might be my favorite pun: This is the gallbladder. ‘Who you gonna gall? Stone busters,'” she said.
The idea that came from a children’s book Mehta wrote years ago.
“At first I really thought, like, ‘Am I the only one that’s actually going to think this is neat? It’d kind of dorky or cheesy,” she said, but they’ve caught on.
More than quirky plushes, they’re a lighthearted way to teach about organs and uplift those whose real bodies aren’t in such high spirits.
“Sometimes these gifts can be kind of heavy,” Mehta said. “I’ve had kids get these organs gifted to them, whether they have newly diagnosed diabetes or have had a kidney transplant, and it’s just kind of neat to be able to be a part of their stories, from people from all over the world.”
Regardless of organ, it’s a labor of love.
“To be able to brighten up their day when they’re going through something super tough, it’s really inspiring,” Mehta said.
Voting for Amazon’s Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year Award goes until Friday. To vote, click here.
More information about Nerdbugs can be found here.
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DCCCafé weekly concludes its article on FORscene: “Hopefully, the move towards on-line editing will have many beneficial consequences. It should cut prices of production dramatically, given that nobody has to physically ship copies of tapes, administer large FTP servers, or relocate just to work on a project. Possibly more importantly, such technology would remove a lot of aggravation from the production process, making a lot of peopleÂs jobs much more pleasant. Efforts like Forbidden TechnologiesÂ should definitely be applauded in this light”.
Blackbird is best-of-breed
Jon Hanford - Group CTO, Deltatre


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'Each gold bar
was sold around P200,000, however, the victim just paid first for a downpayment of P50,000,' Ramiso narrated.
Rockstar Games, the game's developer, said: "As a thank you for your ongoing support, we are awarding everyone who has played from the Red Dead Online Beta launch through this Thursday, December 20th with a gift of 15 additional gold bars
On his part, Mr Kwaku Asoma-Cheremeh, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, said the unveiling of the maiden Hallmarked Gold Bar
was a dream come true for the country, in its quest to refine gold and add value to the commodity.
The winner will get a gold bar
weighing 100g and the runner-up will be rewarded with a Apple computer.
The new gold bars
, worth PS24,000 to PS25,000, depending on changing gold prices, have been produced to mark the first anniversary of a bullion trading website launched by the Mint.
By this, Syria is ranked 1st among countries in the Middle East and 15th internationally in terms of making a 1 kg gold bar
, according to Mousalli.
The Mint said its new signature gold service will allow customers to buy gold in "quantities to suit all budgets", allowing them to purchase and own a fractional amount of a 400oz gold bar
Depending on the price of precious metals at the time of purchase, a 1g gold bar
could cost around [pounds sterling]40 and one at 100g could be somewhere around [pounds sterling]2,800.
A back of the envelope calculation based on the price of a one kilo 24-carat gold bar
earlier this week in Dubai revealed heady numbers.
"City Centre malls in the Northern Emirates are kicking off the New Year in glittering fashion with a Gold Festival that will reward three lucky shoppers with a 24 Carat gold bar
every day," said Fuad Mansoor Sharaf, senior director - Property Management, Shopping Malls for Majid Al Futtaim Properties.
In July an Indian man was arrested at Ahmedabad airport when a gold bar
concealed in a plastic bag with adhesive tape fell off the trolley, giving him away.


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We hope you can attend our Club Industry Show next week in Chicago. We know it's a busy time of year with lots of conferences and meetings in the industry.
Bryan O'Rourke will not be at our show, but it's not for a lack of other events on his calendar. O'Rourke, the president of the Fitness Industry Technology Council (FIT-C), is in the midst of traveling more than 40,000 miles this month. That's by my count and does not include routes through connecting cities on his itinerary. Still, that's a lot of miles.
Last week, O'Rourke attended The European Summit in Barcelona, where he gave a presentation on technology's impact on the fitness sector. He made a quick trip to New York on Monday on business, was back home Tuesday in New Orleans for a FIT-C webinar on technology standards and will fly out Wednesday for the IHRSA European Congress in Amsterdam, where he will meet with leaders and CEOs from across Europe.
Next week, O'Rourke will be attending the Fitness Australia event in Melbourne.
"I will work with leaders in the Australia fitness industry helping to facilitate their leadership on the future and keynoting on innovation in the industry," O'Rourke says. "The industry is at a crossroads of change. I have an opportunity to make a difference, I hope."


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The effects of Coronavirus on the restaurant industry
September 25, 2020
Since its arrival back in early 2020, Coronavirus has hit economies hard around the world and plunged nations into unprecedented levels of debt. While all markets have suffered, the two sectors hit hardest have been the travel and tourism industry and hospitality.
Lockdowns and a general fear of exposure to – or spreading – the virus forced people around the world to stay home for the majority of this year. Remote-working is common, video-chat has become our primary vehicle for socializing and, with theatres and many sporting events closed or canceled, people have turned to boxsets and re-runs for their entertainment.
COVID has brought about massive changes to our lives – changing the way we work, the way we shop and, increasingly, the way we buy food from restaurants.
Ingenuity in restaurant services
During full lockdown, it soon became clear to restaurant owners that they would need to find new and inventive ways to continue serving their customers. Lockdown made leaving the house impossible but even the partial relaxing of anti-COVID measures seen in some countries lately has banned close proximity (particularly indoor proximity). With reduced footfall and tumbling profits, many of our best-known and most-loved bars and restaurants have already been forced to close.
Nonetheless, throughout the year, most take-away restaurants functioned at almost-normal levels, leading many restauranteurs to think creatively about moving from the traditional, seated service to offering delivery. Very much, ‘If the people can’t come to the restaurant, the restaurant will come to them’ type of thinking.
Restaurants like London’s Jikoni moved their menus online and started offering restaurant food delivery services, helping customers still enjoy diner-quality food while generating much-needed profit through the worst days of the virus.
The rise in home delivery services
Of course, as you would expect in any situation of change, there have been winners and losers through the enforced closure of restaurants. While the traditional hospitality trade has suffered, there has been an exponential growth in the delivery company sector with companies like Deliveroo, UberEats and Grubhub only too happy to step up to the challenge of serving food to customers.
The future of restaurants and hospitality
In the absence of a Coronavirus vaccine, it seems difficult to imagine how we could possibly make the transition back to the traditional idea of eating indoors, near others. One of the primary ways the virus infects others is through airborne transmission – making being close to other people impossible.
Meanwhile, there is considerable evidence to suggest many of the measures introduced through COVID might remain with us long after the virus has passed – while the habits and nuances we’re developing now are likely to change human behavior forever.
Restaurants aren’t alone in facing this great reset. Many experts predict retail has also changed forever with the death of the traditional high street model, replaced instead by internet shopping. It’s also expected the remote-working practices adopted through the virus will be around long after Coronavirus eventually wanes.
Meanwhile, unfortunately, many bars and restaurants have already closed – never to open again. For as long as the virus remains a potent threat, the future of hospitality will remain unclear.


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Scaredy-dog: Howl-O-Ween pet costume contest part of UNC’s homecoming festivities
October 28, 2005
Kalyn Dennis doesn’t dress up for Halloween, but she didn’t hesitate to invest hours to alter a Tinkerbell costume for her friend’s golden retriever.
Dennis, 19, a University of Colorado student, hasn’t donned a Halloween costume in five years, but she wanted Brian Lee’s dog, Jasmine, 2, to be part of UNC’s inaugural Howl-O-Ween pet costume contest on Friday. The event was part of the weekend’s homecoming festivities.
“I think it’s funner for a dog,” Dennis said. “It’s socializing (for them).”
Lee, 21, a UNC student, didn’t mind going along with his friends’ idea to participate. Amanda Eklund, 19, also a student, and Dennis told Lee about the contest.
“We really didn’t know what we were getting into,” Lee said.
The quest for the perfect costume started small, at pet stores in Greeley, but it ended three days later at a costume shop in the Aurora Mall.
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The trio didn’t want to settle for an average costume. “I spent three hours seam-ripping and sewing,” Dennis said.
Dennis tailored the green sparkling children’s costume to fit Jasmine.
Jasmine managed to tangle her costume’s removable green wings in her leash a few times, so she patiently sat while they were removed.
Meanwhile, other dogs played around her, barked and showed off a variety of costumes. Dog costumes included Superman, a frog, a pumpkin and an FBI agent.
After the costume was completed Thursday, Jasmine seemed happy to model the finished product.
“She loves it,” Dennis said. “She wore it around all night.”
Contest champions will be announced Monday at UNC. Each dog posed for a picture in front of one of two Halloween backdrops in the student recreation center.
Pet owners purchased a copy of the pictures, framed in black with a Howl-O-Ween 2005 insignia. Eklund posed in the picture with Jasmine.
“I love dogs,” Eklund said. “(We participated) just for the fun of it.”


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SANBORNTON — Tom and Sandy Christensen were extremely excited to be selected for the first drawing of the Hilltop Restaurants Lucky Locals Grand Prize.
The contest is part a restaurant promotion that Steele Hill Resorts has been running since the beginning of the summer.
"Many New Hampshire Residents don't know that the Hilltop Restaurant is open to the public. The lucky Locals contest has given residents a fresh reason to drive up our new road and sample the food and views" said James Dole, the Hilltop's Food and Beverage Director.
As the first of three grand prize drawings, the Christensens were selected for seven nights' accommodations to their choice of Las Vegas or Orlando. "I was very excited. I immediately went to get my wife and tell her the good news" said Tom Christensen when he picked up the certificate at the Hilltop. "I have a saying," Tom said, "that tradition often begins the day you arrive." The Christensens hope to make visiting the Hilltop Restaurant a tradition going forward.
"It is pretty simple. Anyone from New Hampshire that dines with us and mentions 'Lucky Locals' is entered," said Dole. "Our goal is to make the Hilltop Restaurant more accessible to locals. I am confident that the quality of our food and the unique setting will make them want to comeback."
Tom Christensen, Sandy Christensen and James Dole, Hilltop Restaurant's food and beverage director. (Courtesy photo)


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MUMBAI Indian companies directly invested $2.57 billion overseas in December, higher than $2.31 billion a month earlier, data from the RBI showed on Tuesday.
Bank guarantees for such investments rose to $1.38 billion, from $1.37 billion in November, though equities fell to $676.30 million from $713.27 million.
Loans increased sharply to $517.98 million from $225.85 million, the data showed.
(Reporting by Shamik Paul; Editing by Jijo Jacob)
France's DCNS says India submarine data leak may be "economic warfare"
SYDNEY/PARIS French naval contractor DCNS said on Wednesday it may have been the victim of "economic warfare" after secrets about its Scorpene submarines being built in India were leaked.
Lumbering state companies become hot stock market bet
MUMBAI India's state-owned companies, from builders such as NBCC to oil firms such as Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd, are attracting top investors as cheap valuations, improving earnings, and share buybacks make them stand out in an otherwise expensive market.
More U.S. retailers probing Welspun India over alleged phony Egyptian cotton
CHICAGO/NEW DELHI U.S. retailer Bed Bath & Beyond on Wednesday said it ordered an external audit of textiles from Welspun India, after Target Corp last week accused the Indian manufacturer of passing off cheap sheets as premium Egyptian cotton for two years.


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UK: Premier in talks with Mizkan over US deal
Speaking following the firm's purchase of Premier's Branston pickle brand yesterday (30 October), Mizkan Euro-Americas president Craig Smith said the company is exploring joint manufacturing and distribution synergies with the UK food maker.
"We are one of the largest condiment players in the US, we have 15 plants across the country producing a wide variety of products," Smith told just-food. "We can do what Premier can do probably more efficiently here from a cost standpoint. We also have R&D and market knowledge that they don't have and to the extent that we can make it work for both of us, we are both interested in continuing those discussion."
Smith said the deal would include distribution "and/or manufacturing". He declined to comment further on the deal or which brands would be involved in the agreement. "We are under a confidentiality agreement," he added.
Premier chief executive Mike Clarke told the Daily Mail yesterday that he is focused on growing Premier after completing a series of disposals.
He told the publication Premier was in dialogue with Mizkan and Hain about "building a strong business in America" and potentially in other geographies. Clarke said the company was also in talks with a large retailer, which he did not name.
The UK food manufacturer announced the sale of its sweet pickles and table sauces to Mizkan yesterday for GBP92.5m. The deal includes Branston sweet pickle, ketchup, relish, salad cream and mayonnaise, as well as Premier's factory in Bury St Edmunds.
The sale is the second transaction between Premier and Mizkan in four months. In June, Premier sold its vinegar and sour pickles business, including the Sarson's and Haywards brands, to Mizkan for GBP41m (US$65.8m).
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But as the price of bacon has jumped – topping 20% in the past 12 months – the restaurant is also interested in spiraling cost management.
Earlier this year, he increased the price of the sandwich from $ 1 to $ 11.99, while fighting the temptation to reduce the number of slices in a sandwich, manager Teri Helmreich said.
“People don’t complain too much,” Helmreich said of Bridge Michigan. “They know what the prices are in the grocery stores.
“They know everything has increased.”
Data released Friday show that the federal consumer price index – the government’s measure of inflation – is increasing at the highest 12-month rate in 39 years.
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics said seasonally adjusted prices for goods – from food and shelter to energy and products like clothing – jumped 0.8% in November. This follows a 0.9 percent increase in October, while over the past year, the unadjusted increase reached 6.8 percent.
It’s not just bacon. The price of pork rose 17 percent, as did breakfast cereals (5.7 percent), apples (7.4 percent), living room furniture (14.1 percent), laundry (9.7 percent), men’s suits and coats (14.1 percent), and cigarettes (9.1 percent). .) Housing, vehicles and energy also play a role in the increases.
This could get worse and force the Federal Reserve to act sooner than expected to scale back its bond buying program and raise interest rates, said Donald Grimes, an economist at the University of Michigan. The Federal Reserve meets Tuesday and Wednesday.
“It’s very hard for me to see inflation drop significantly anytime soon,” Grimes told Bridge Michigan. “So higher interest rates are almost certain. “
The November figures include an overall increase of 58.1% in gasoline, which consumers and transportation-related businesses absorbed until prices started to drop in early December.
Part of the complexity of current inflation, according to Grimes and other economists, is the role of federal stimulus programs which have added trillions of dollars to the economy to stabilize it during COVID-19. This has left people eager to spend the cash as items – including new vehicles, appliances, and electronics – are limited due to global supply chain constraints.
At the same time, the participation rate slowed nationally and in Michigan, where there were about 200,000 fewer workers in October than two years earlier.
Companies have struggled to hire, often turning to higher wages to attract workers. This too has increased the purchasing power of consumers and pushed up prices.
In the fall, 76% of consumers polled said inflation was more serious than unemployment, according to the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Survey.
UM economist Richard Curtin, who helped conduct the survey, said it showed 25 percent of households are experiencing “living standards erosion” due to inflation.
Businesses face similar supply cost pressures as they also grapple with the supply chain and labor disruption.
“The costs of materials have increased,” said Randy Thelen, President and CEO of The right place, a business development group in western Michigan. “… But they do not have the possibility of increasing their selling price.
“This means their margins are reduced,” he said. “And this is causing difficult income or income statements for businesses right now. “
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic – and new concerns about the omicron variant – could also play a short-term role in inflation, said G. Tomas M. Hult, professor of marketing at Michigan State University and chief executive of company in the American Customer Satisfaction Index.
“Supply chain vulnerabilities regarding the availability of raw materials and components – such as various automotive chips, etc. – will again be pronounced (with the variant) and likely lead to continued product shortages and product shortages. higher prices, ”he said.
Putting more public money in to alleviate supply chain bottlenecks may seem necessary, Hult said, but it could also cause even greater inflation even if it solves other problems. And that could also have an impact on investors, who already saw a drop in the stock market when the omicron variant was announced.
“Ultimately, a market correction is likely to come relatively soon,” he said.
Looking ahead, Grimes said he expects gasoline prices to peak. Over the past month, they have fallen to about $ 3.20 per gallon statewide, from $ 3.42 per gallon, according to AAA Michigan.
Some industries will be more vulnerable to rising interest rates, he added, such as housing, due to the conventional mortgage rate which is expected to reach over 4% by the end of 2023.


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Angle: Notoriety that rapeseed producers can receive for offering a sustainable, plant-based product due to the demand for it as well as the global environmental movement.
Global Recognition and Prestige for Rapeseed Oil Processors and Food Producers
In some industries, the outlook of manufacturers remains myopic. This happens for various reasons. Some companies may stick to the status quo because they are hesitant to stray away from what has already been proven profitable towards a riskier product. Plant proteins might fall into this category in the minds of food manufacturers since animal proteins remain the leading source of protein for consumers worldwide. However, the reality is that consumer demand and interest in plant proteins have never been higher, and offering a plant protein option alternative to soy would be a low-risk, profitable maneuver for those involved in the production side of the food industry. Perhaps the most unique and far-reaching benefit that food manufacturers can expect from offering sustainable plant proteins is a high chance of notability from environmentalists and those increasingly interested in changing their habits to promote the sustainability of our processes.
The dramatic rise in population is the major reason why protein especially is overdue for a reappraisal in regards to the manner and sources from which we attain it. In 1950, the global population was 2.5 billion, which rose to 7.7 billion in 2019 and is expected to rise to 11.2 billion by the end of the century. This amounts to an increase of about 30 percent – if animal products remain the leading source of protein, it is impossible to guarantee that they will fulfill the protein-based dietary needs of consumers in the near future. There is a clear necessity for impactful change, and action must be taken now to begin a widespread movement towards environmental change in the food industry. Our methods of food production are still, in some areas, very antiquated. Much of the industry values profit over sustainability, and as food is an obvious necessity, they have been able to get away with this for a long time despite the growing influence of the environmental movement. However, consumers are starting to take notice, and are demanding an overdue revamping of food manufacturing and production.
Evidence of these changing consumer interests can be seen within the statistics of their dietary practices. Plant-based food sales rose 17 percent in 2018 as a result of the growing number of not only vegetarians, but flexitarians (those who consume a mostly plant-based diet with the occasional allowance for animal-based products). This is not only due to the ethical concerns mentioned previously, but also because younger generations are increasingly valuing health, wellness, and nutrition. At NapiFeryn BioTech, we have developed a technology capable of supplying this demographic with a protein option that addresses all of these considerations while also being highly profitable for food manufacturers and producers.
One of the groups that will most benefit from our technology, which we call ALSEOS, is rapeseed oil processors. This is because ALSEOS extracts nutritious plant proteins from rapeseed “cake” – the leftover material from the rapeseed oil-pressing process. Our technology, which will be available to oil processors through licensing agreements with NapiFeryn remaining a technology provider, will be able to double the revenue for rapeseed oil processors. Another group that will certainly benefit from ALSEOS is food producers and distributors, who will be able to expand their offerings for the rising number of flexitarians, vegetarians, and environmentally-conscious consumers.
The leading sources of protein are locked in a duopoly (made up of animal and soy products), but it is difficult to see if this should be attributed to the choices of consumers or to the rigidity of the food industry’s major players. However, the evidence points to the latter. In order to follow the trends and ensure that manufacturers are not left behind, alternative sources of protein need to be introduced across the EU. Because popular protein sources have remained largely unchanged for decades, consumers are eager to try a new option, and the sustainability of rapeseed protein obtained through NapiFeryn’s technology also lends a unique advantage to the potential profitability of these proteins.
NapiFeryn is ready and willing to help producers and manufacturers within the food industry maximize their potential and remodel their processes to promote sustainability, ethicality, and profitability. We also want to help them to realize the increased potential for notoriety and recognition for promoting environmentalism to the rising number of consumers concerned about it. Our technology platform, ALSEOS, has enormous potential for a variety of different groups, but nobody will benefit more than rapeseed oil processors and food producers.


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While walking down the grocery aisle of your favorite store you’ve likely studied labels and dates, noting the shelf life of the items you put in your cart. But, what if all the items in your store were past their labeled prime?
Oslo’s unique Best Før supermarket looks much like other Norwegian grocers, except all of the items lining its shelves are beyond their sell by dates and signage within the store alerts shoppers to the advanced age of the products. The prices of the items reflect their age, often discounted roughly 50 to 75 percent from comparable merchandise in traditional stores. Meant to address the challenging problem of food waste, the supermarket is the latest measure conceived in response to Norway’s ambitious goal of reducing food waste by 50 percent by 2030.
“Most supermarkets won’t buy products that are within 10 days or so of their expiry date – it often has to be wasted,” says Naeeh Ahmed, operations manager of Best Før to The Guardian. “We thought, ‘why don’t we make a place that has that kind of product, that will be beneficial to every party: the consumer, the supplier, and us?’ A win-win for everybody.’”
Eight years ago the Norway’s food industry began compiling data on the country’s food waste. They found that discarded food accounted for a surprising amount of greenhouse gas in Norway, estimated at 978,000 tons—the equivalent of roughly a quarter of the country’s cars. In response the Norwegian food industry modified food labels to feature “best before” recommendations, adapted containers with smaller portions and launched a consumer education campaign about the household costs of food waste.
Innovative solutions to the food waste problem can be found in more places than Best Før, for instance, the platform bestfør.no tracks digital records of sell by dates, detecting items in need of price reduction or donation to charities in need. Then there’s the app, Foodlist, which relies on user submitted photos of grocery products reaching the end of their shelf life and where to find them. Company SNÅL frukt & grøn is another recent addition which sells discounted fruits, vegetables and eggs that are misshapen or uniquely hued.


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One of the symbols of Los Angeles might be vanishing.
No, I do not mean the Hollywood sign – that’s renovated and well and sitting there as a major tourist attraction – this is what I mean:
Sure, the palm is not native to Southern California, but since the 1880s seedlings have been imported, from 1900 on large palm nurseries sprang up everywhere. For the Olympics in 1932 the city of Los Angeles planted palm trees all over town – PR-savy they where already way back then – and since then they really have been a symbol of the city.
Now these palm trees are dying – from old age and a fungal desease. The city of Los Angeles has decided not to plant new palm trees, but to replace them with oaks and sycamores. Residents however can still buy their own palm trees and plant them on private property – which many do. So there will always be palms in Los Angeles. But there might be a lot less in the decades to come.
Granted, oaks or sycamores are lovely trees. But do they have the “SoCal Vibe?”
The verdict is: No.


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ADPEN is currently utilizing the validated FDA LC/MS/MS methods which can detect down to 0.3 ppb for seafood and honey. ADPEN has also validated a modification of this method for use in milk by products and other matrices.
ADPEN can help food companies implement proactive food safety monitoring programs in order to mitigate their risk and to protect consumers as well as corporate reputations.
ZERO TOLERANCE FOR CHLORAMPHENICOL IN FOOD
FDA INCREASES SAMPLING OF IMPORTED SHRIMP, CRAYFISH (CRAWFISH), HONEY AND MILK PRODUCTS
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has increased the sampling of imported shrimp, crawfish, honey, royal jelly, feed and milk products for the presence of chloramphenicol. FDA is taking this action because low levels of chloramphenicol have been detected in the U.S. and other countries in imported shrimp, crayfish, honey and other foods.
Chloramphenicol is a potent, broad-spectrum antibiotic drug and a potential carcinogen used only at therapeutic doses for treatment of serious infections in humans. Due to the unpredictable effects of dose on different patient populations, it has not been possible to identify a safe level of human exposure to chloramphenicol. Therefore, Federal regulations in the United States, Canada and the European Union prohibit its use in food producing animals and animal-feed products, including honey bees.
The FDA is concerned about any detection of chloramphenicol in foods, according to Dr. Lester M. Crawford, FDA Deputy Commissioner. “The Agency will take whatever action is necessary to protect the public health.” Therefore there is a zero tolerance for chloramphenicol in food. FDA is requiring testing for chloramphenicol to be one using FDA’s LC/MS/MS method validated down to 0.3 ppb. But any confirmed residue below this level is considered food contamination.
Until recently the sensitivity of the methodology to detect chloramphenicol in shrimp could find the drug down to the 5 parts per billion (ppb) level. Recently Canada and the European Union (EU) have refined their LC/MS/MS methods to detect even lower levels and have taken action on food products from China and Vietnam found to be contaminated by chloramphenicol. The FDA has also modified and validated its LC/MS/MS methodology to confirm chloramphenicol levels in shrimp, crayfish and honey to 0.3 ppb this places the U.S. methodology in line with Canada and the EU. ADPEN Laboratories has validated a modification of the FDA method for the analysis of milk related products by LC/MS/MS down to 0.3 ppb.
The new LC/MS/MS methodology for testing for chloramphenicol to the level of 0.3 ppb will be used to test imported foods that are suspected to contain chloramphenicol. FDA will detain and refuse entry to any product suspected of as containing chloramphenicol unless testing is done according to their guideline and is free of chloramphenicol. Since LC/MS/MS is the only instrument able to attain the sensitivities required of 0.3 ppb, HPLC, GC/MS are not suitable or acceptable and cause false positives. Residues below 1 or 2 ppb would not be detected with HPLC, but would be found by the FDA’s LC/MS/MS method. FDA will take action against violative products by impounding and destroying the contaminated product. The FDA continues to work with other governments and state agencies to insure the safety of the U. S. food supply.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has also detected chloramphenicol contamination in samples of honey imported from China. Consequently the CFIA has issued several health hazard alerts warning Canadians not to consume Chinese honey. Honey available in Canada and the United States could be a blend of products from China and other sources.
Chloramphenicol has been detected in food from China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Bangladesh and Mexico.
FDA Seizes Adulterated Crabmeat in Louisiana.
Product Contains Chloramphenicol and Poses Unacceptable Risk.
At the request of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Marshals seized approximately 1,144 cases of Bernard’s brand frozen crabmeat, while it was being held for sale at Southern Cold Storage Company, Baton Rouge, La, on July 2, 2004 because it was adulterated with an unapproved food additive, chloramphenicol.
The U.S. Marshals seized approximately 304 cases of pasteurized special white crabmeat; 200 cases of pasteurized special claw crabmeat; and 640 cases pasteurized jumbo lump crabmeat. Imported from China, the frozen crabmeat can be identified by lot number 1302 with the sell by date of January 18, 2007. The seized crabmeat has an estimated value of $86,944.
In accordance with the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, food products that contain chloramphenicol are adulterated and are not permitted to be sold in or imported into this country.
Chloramphenicol is a broad-spectrum antibiotic drug used to treat life-threatening infections in humans, usually when other alternatives are not available. The use of this antibiotic is limited because of its potentially life-threatening side effect, idiosyncratic aplastic anemia. For the very small number of the population susceptible to this side effect, exposure to chloramphenicol could be serious or life threatening. Because of the current uncertainty regarding the dose-response relationship between chloramphenicol ingestion and aplastic anemia, it is not possible to define a safe level for the presence of this antibiotic in food products.
In June 2002, FDA announced increased sampling of imported seafood for the presence of chloramphenicol. This action was taken because some states and other countries detected low levels of chloramphenicol in imported shrimp and crayfish.
The agency will continue to detain or seize any food imports that contain chloramphenicol to ensure that this product is not released for human or animal consumption in the United States.


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Google’s Chromecast with Google TV is FINALLY plugging one of the biggest gaps in its offering, as it announces that the Apple TV app, including Apple TV+, is now available on the new Chromecast with Google TV.
Chromecast is a prominent figure in the streaming game, despite the glaring Apple-shaped hole in its entertainment roster. The news means that from today – yes, this very second – Google TV users who’re signed up to Apple TV+, will get the long-awaited ability to watch Apple TV+ original movies, shows, and a wealth of documentaries to boot.
The Apple TV app on Chromecast will work in much the same way as iterations of Apple’s service on other devices, giving its subscribers personalized recommendations, and a list of curated Apple TV channels that will fit the flavor of your viewing preferences. A recent report of the Apple TV+ subscription being extended for over 21 months is just fine, but we need more places to actually use it!
What’s more, the Apple TV app will be arriving on a bunch of other TVs, including Sony and TCL models, with more Android-based TVs to come – it could even mean we get to see the Sony XR 'cognitive intelligence' range getting its mitts on the new Apple feature, even though we need the range to be publicly accessible before that happens.
- Google Nearby Share now lets you share apps with friends offline
- Apple MacBook M1 malware has debuted and it's dangerous – here's the details
- Sonos confirm March 9 event: Bluetooth speaker or noise-canceling headphones incoming?
Chromecast with Google TV: Price
Chromecast with Google TV offers serious bang for your buck at a cost of $50/£59.99 /AU$99. This gets you a bunch of features: reap the benefits of 4K HDR viewing at 60FPS, which is controllable with the voice remote. You can issue voice-activated commands, tinker with your smart lighting, maybe even hook-up to the new Wyze Color Bulb, which has recently launched to try and usurp the throne of the more expensive, Philips Hue.
The remote comes loaded with the usual assortment of shortcuts to YouTube and Netflix – Google can front-load many apps onto the Google TV home page, including Amazon Prime Video and its truckload of killer features that will keep you busy through these longer lockdown evenings.
Apple TV+: Price
An Apple TV+ monthly subscription will set you back $5/£4.99/AU$7.99; it’s far cheaper than forking out for Apple’s proprietary hardware with Apple TV 4K setting you back $179/£179/AU$249; otherwise, Apple TV HD is $149/£149/AU$209 for 32GB – neither exactly chump change, especially with the ongoing Covid-19 situation.
Before it joined the ranks of Chromecast with Google TV, you could already find the Apple TV app baked into the Roku TV platform, its Roku Streaming Stick, and Roku Streaming Stick+ devices; the Amazon Fire TV Stick, Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K, and the wider iOS ecosystem.
Therefore, it’s late to the party; expectedly, it’s available on the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro; then macOS, across devices like the MacBook Pro 13-inch M1, MacBook Air M1 (2020); and, of course, tvOS with the aforementioned Apple TV 4K and the lower-res Apple TV HD, which all come with it on board. You can find the full list of devices the Apple TV app is on here.
It's a great user-experience, too: inner navigation UI is simple with the top-of-screen bar, enabling users to quickly toggle between Watch Now, Original content, TV Shows, Movies, Kids, Search, and option settings.
It brings with it a wealth of Apple Originals, including series like Ted Lasso, which was recently selected for several Golden Globes. On top of this, For All Mankind, which is heading into its second season this month. And the more sultry tones of The Morning Show and Servant, plus movies like Greyhound and Palmer. Pair your Chromecast experience with the audio finesse of devices like the Sonos Beam, or the Sonos Arc, enhancing your viewing pleasure levels.
Plans to roll out the functionality to a host of other Android-powered TVs in the upcoming months should mean that some of our pick of models from T3's best TV list will get a serious uptick in entertainment options. It's an excellent time to be an Apple or Chromecast fan and it's only the first quarter of the year.
Of course, we all know there's no news quite like good news, so we'll keep you posted with any more updates to come, be that announcements of new shows or even further functionality boosts from the new Apple TV app integration. Stay tuned.


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MISSISSAUGA, ON & DUBLIN, IRL- Aralez Pharmaceuticals Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focusing on cardiovascular, pain and other specialty areas,reports it is opening new offices in Dublin, Ireland.
The company adds hiring for its new location will begin by the end of 2017.
At an opening ceremony for the new office, Adrian Adams, CEO of Aralez Pharmaceuticals, was joined by Mary Mitchell O’Connor, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.
“The pharma industry makes a huge contribution to the Irish economy in terms of jobs and manufacturing exports, and is one of our fastest growing sectors,” O’Connor said. “In addition to the very big players, we are very keen to attract specialty pharma companies like Aralez who will broaden the reach of the industry here and generate new opportunities.”
Adams added, “Ireland has an excellent reputation as a leading location for talented professionals in the pharmaceutical industry and will be essential to help us grow our operations over the next few years.”
The Dublin offices are Aralez’s first permanent business premises outside of North America.


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The company hope the UK campaign will help to educate consumers about their finances and to help protect them from the ever-present risk of identity fraud. It wants to communicate the benefits of consumers being in control of their credit history by using CreditExpert. The campaign
It is particularly targeting the advertising at people looking to move home, or looking for a new mobile phone contract and need to monitor their credit report to give themselves the best chance of securing the deal they want.
The ads have been created by The Red Brick Road and will include TV, print, radio, online advertising and digital communications. Maxus Global handled media planning and buying.
Once users sign up, CreditExpert’s members will receive regular alerts whenever there are significant changes to their report, helping them spot and stop identity fraud before it can become a problem.
Last year, Experian promoted former Tiscali and Freeserve marketer Peter Turner to managing director of its interactive division for UK and Ireland. It also appointed i-Level to handle the digital media planning and buying for its portfolio of brands.


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Mister Tourism World Popularity 2023, Abednico Mabaso, recently visited the Manyeleti Game Reserve as guest of the Mpumalanga Tourism Parks Agency (MTPA).
During the visit, he was able to witness first-hand the importance of nature conservation and the need to preserve our natural resources.
“It was truly inspiring to see the efforts being made to preserve the natural beauty of the Manyeleti Game Reserve. In my role as Mister Tourism World Popularity 2023, I am committed to raising awareness about the importance of nature conservation and the need to protect our planet for future generations,” Mabaso commented.
“It was refreshing to be at Manyeleti Game Reserve and to experience the beauty and tranquillity of nature. We are grateful to the MPTA for organizing this visit and for their ongoing efforts to promote sustainable tourism in the region.”
Mabaso, ony very recently crowned in Philippines in Asia, has emerged as a global ambassador for Africa at the prestigious pageant. His remarkable dedication and passion for his work earned him the coveted title and recognition on an international platform. As an accomplished model, Mabaso has represented top brands and companies in South Africa such as Torha, Blackchild and Kim Leisure Travel, with his charisma appealing to diverse audiences.
Adding to these impressive achievements, Mabaso is set to launch his own foundation, the Abednico Mabaso Foundation with the main aim to promote tourism, nature conversation and improve the lives of disadvantaged communities. With his already remarkable accomplishments and unwavering commitment to make a positive impact, he regards himself as a true inspiration to many and takes his role seriously.


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Fresh news has been doing rounds that Chevrolet Trailerblazer SUV from General Motors is likely to be unveiled in a innovative way via online marketplace like Amazon. Sources have revealed that the company may list the details on Amazon.in soon just days ahead of its official launch on 21st October. Post launch, customers may be allowed to book the vehicle via the e-commerce portal and authorized dealership outlets.
Sources have also indicated that the company may stop accepting bookings on Amazon post 26th October. Interested customers can book one by paying a booking amount of Rs 25,000. The e-commerce websites have been gaining a lot of popularity in recent times. Last year, a similar kind of strategy was being used by Mahindra too when it offered Scorpio SUV via Snapdeal.com. This time around General Motors has been intending on something similar via the Amazon e-commerce portal.
The new Trailblazer SUV shall be powered by 2.8-litre Duramax, four-cylinder engine that would generate about 197Bhp of power. The vehicle would be offered with interesting set of features like Hill-Descent Control and Hill-Start Assist apart from features like anti-lock braking system, panic brake assist, electronic brake force distribution system, cornering brake control and electronic stability control. It could likely be offered around Rs 30 Lakh bracket.


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NEW YORK — Jana Partners, the activist hedge fund that propelled Whole Foods Market into the arms of Amazon.com, has taken stakes in meal kit delivery company Blue Apron and natural foods grocer Sprouts Farmers Market.
In a filing on Monday reported by Bloomberg, Jana Partners revealed it holds 600,000 shares, 2%, of Blue Apron as of June 30. It also purchased about 593,000 shares of Sprouts. Both stocks have been trading at opportunistic levels. Blue Apron stock has lost nearly half its value since going public and Sprouts has been selling for half its 2013 value.
The filing also showed Jana exited its entire Whole Foods position, and walked away with about $300 million on its investment after Amazon.com agreed to acquire the company for $13.7 billion.
Blue Apron co-founder and COO Matt Wadiak stepped down from the meal kit company last month and the company announced it is closing one of its plants.
Sprouts, meanwhile, is the retailer named as most likely to be acquired next or to be an acquirer of other regional stores. It has expanded its own two-hour online delivery relationship with Amazon.
Published on WholeFoods Magazine Online, 8/15/17


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Corning's Gorilla Glass 5 will protect future flagship phones against drops from up to 1.6 meters
Compared to its predecessor, Corning's Gorilla Glass 5 will provide better protection against drops from waist and shoulder heights. Gorilla Glass 4, which Corning introduced back in 2014, offered efficient protection when users dropped their phones from about a meter high.
Quoting a recent study, Corning says that more than 85% of smartphone owners drop their phones at least once per year. More than half, or 55% to be exact, have dropped their handsets three or more times per year. The same study says that 60% of smartphone users have dropped their phones from the shoulder and waist level, which suggests that most drops occur when users take their phones out of their pockets or when they use the camera.
Corning says that its new Gorilla Glass 5 model is designed to offer better protection in this common drop-case scenario. The new toughened glass cover is touted to survive about 80% of the time when dropped face-down from 1.6 meters onto rough surfaces.
Corning's toughened cover glass solutions have been used on more than 1,800 device models from 40 major manufacturers. More than 4.5 billion devices have been shipped worldwide with Gorilla Glass in the 10 years which have passed since Corning entered and kickstarted the cover glass industry.


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“To help retain the peak of sunny summer health—to help maintain rugged resistance to winter colds and sickness—drink Schlitz [beer], with Sunshine Vitamin D”, reads an advertisement in the American Magazine from December, 1936.
The fascination with vitamin D supplementation began with the discovery in the early 1920s that vitamin D prevented rickets and was further driven by the recognition of other potential roles of vitamin D in non-skeletal outcomes, including immune function, cardiovascular health, and cancer. However, whereas data on the function of vitamin D in bone growth and maintenance is clear-cut and has informed practical clinical guidelines and public health policies over the years, evidence supporting the role of vitamin D in other health and disease processes, in particular in acute respiratory tract infection, remains patchy. Data from observational studies have suggested that vitamin D supplementation can lower the odds of developing respiratory infections, particularly in vitamin D-deficient groups, but randomised trials have yielded mixed results.
In The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology
, the findings from a prespecified analysis from the D-Health
randomised clinical trial in more than 20 000 Australian adults recruited from the general population suggest that monthly doses of vitamin D did not reduce the risk or severity of acute respiratory tract infections. Although the analysis showed a statistically significant effect on the overall duration of symptoms based on analysis of diary data, the reduction was small (0·5 days) and unlikely to be clinically meaningful. In a preprint deposited on MedRxiv, the authors of a systematic review and meta-analysis
based on aggregate data from trials, including data from the D-Health trial, concluded that vitamin D supplementation was safe and identified a small effect with respect to protection from acute respiratory tract infections associated with daily doses of 400–1000 IU vitamin D for up to 12 months, but acknowledged significant heterogeneity across trials.
The issue of vitamin D supplementation has been extensively debated, with strong arguments in favour and against. The COVID-19 pandemic has further escalated the discussion. It has long been clear that groups that traditionally exhibit vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency, such as older adults and nursing home residents, and Black, Asian, and minority ethnic populations, are the same groups that have also been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Additionally, increased time spent indoors due to strict lockdowns and shielding triggered concerns that some people might not obtain the necessary physiological levels of vitamin D from sunlight.
On Dec 17, 2020, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), in collaboration with Public Health England and the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, published an updated rapid review
of recent studies on vitamin D and COVID-19. Their recommendations support the current government advice, revised in April, 2020, during the first lockdown in the UK, for everyone to take vitamin D supplements to maintain bone and muscle health during the autumn and winter months. The recommendations are also in line with new guidance
from the UK government, released on Dec 22, 2020, allowing extremely clinically vulnerable people to opt in to receive a free 4-month supply of daily vitamin D supplements—similar to an initiative launched earlier in Scotland. However, the rapid review concluded that sufficient evidence to support vitamin D supplementation with the aim of preventing or treating COVID-19 was still lacking and that the topic should be further investigated. Experts studying vitamin D welcomed the call for more research, but the lack of specific recommendations in the context of COVID-19 was also met with disappointment by many in the scientific community who have argued that vitamin D supplementation is generally safe and that any potential low toxicity would likely be strongly outweighed by any potential benefits in relation to protection from COVID-19.
NICE should continue to monitor new evidence as it is peer-reviewed and published, including results from several clinical trials on vitamin D and COVID-19 outcomes that are currently underway. However, particularly in countries where the pandemic situation continues to worsen (and will continue to do so during the winter months before the effects of vaccinations become perceptible), additional evidence could come in just too late. In an ideal world, all health decisions would be made based on overwhelming evidence, but a time of crisis may call for a slightly different set of rules.
Published: January 11, 2021
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.


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Victorian agriculture and food sector businesses can now benefit from a new voucher scheme and virtual network to help grow their business.
The Victorian Government is investing $14.5 million in new funding to support businesses to become more productive, employ more people, improve market access and in general, increase their scale, diversity and profitability.
Businesses in the food value chain are a priority in this new initiative. From 29 January 2018 Victorian businesses in the agriculture and food sector can apply for one of four voucher streams, including the Food Innovation Vouchers.
The Food Innovation Vouchers aim to help businesses access the know-how needed to innovate, diversify, improve productivity and take new products to market.
Two types of vouchers are available:
1. Up to $10,000 for early stage feasibility and testing.
2. Up to $50,000 for process innovation, product development and research and development.
Vouchers can be used to access facilities, services, advice or expertise from approved service providers such as food and fibre research centres and relevant CSIRO, university and industry facilities. A list of approved service providers is available at www.business.vic.gov.au.
Businesses must be a small to medium enterprise in the agriculture and food value chain with an operating presence in Victoria to apply.
Voucher applicants will be automatically be registered as members of the Food Innovation Network, an online network linking industry with innovation services and capabilities in regional and metropolitan areas to drive innovation and problem-solving.
Round 1 applications opened 29 January 2018 and close on Friday 2 March 2018 – successful applicants notified by Friday 30 March 2018.
For more information call 136 186. To join the Food Innovation Network visit: agriculture.vic.gov.au/foodinnovation


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The news out of China isn’t doing much to lift the dour sentiment on Chinese stocks, with the latest spate of data showing an economy in the midst of a slowdown and fallout from property developer China Evergrande Group ‘s debt travails continuing. But there could be a silver lining in the bad economic news: Possible stimulus as policy makers try to manage the economic slowdown.
The latest data suggest the Chinese consumer isn’t doing that great. August retail sales grew 2.5% from the prior year, slower-than-expected and a 12-month low as Beijing grapples with new Covid-19 outbreaks ahead of two key holiday periods for consumer spending. The only bright spots that registered gains from the prior month were sports and recreational items and cosmetics but past beneficiaries from when people were stuck at home, like furniture, didn’t see a pickup, suggesting they may have already upgraded their homes.
Pantheon Macro economist Freya Beamish writes in a note on Wednesday that she remains worried: “There should be a rebound in September but a speedy pickup in consumption would mean households dip into the savings they have built up during the pandemic, though that seems unlikely in the current backdrop of uncertainty.
Beyond the fresh Covid infections, there is also the uncertainty created by the government’s recent crackdown in an array of sectors, from after-school tutoring and the big internet companies to casinos—all of which could keep consumers wary of spending as they see benefits like wage gains.
The view from the property market, a major source of economic growth, has been gloomy as well, with home sales by value falling 19.7, the biggest decline since the throes of the pandemic.
Still unknown is the political and economic fallout from Evergrande’s troubles, with protests from frustrated investors and those who pre-bought apartments. In a note to clients, Capital Economics Chief Asia Economist Mark Williams says the root of the trouble for indebted property developers like Evergrande (ticker: 3333: Hong Kong) stems from residential property demand shifting into a period of sustained decline—and that means construction could slow substantially over the next year and developer defaults could ripple through the corporate sector by tightening credit conditions and slowing their ability to invest.China has been targeting the leverage held by property developers and trying to bring down housing costs as authorities tackle growing inequality. But the pressures on the property developers brings challenges to the economy, especially as construction is a key source of growth and commodity demand, Williams writes.
The potential for widespread pain though could be what helps avert it. With so many people having bought new properties before they are completed, authorities have an incentive to keep projects going though Williams says authorities would likely prioritize home buyers over creditors. “The central concerns of property policy now appear to be the level of housing costs and developer leverage,” writes Williams, adding that a slowdown is unlikely to push policy makers to relax limits on developer borrowing.
The prospects of an economic slowdown could prompt policy makers to cut interest rates, according to a note on Wednesday from Société Générale ‘s Kit Juckes.
While Beijing is unlikely to shift its policy stance aggressively and pump out waves of stimulus like much of the developed world, most strategists and money managers expect it to try to smooth out the slowdown—especially as Chinese leader Xi Jinping makes a bid for an unprecedented third term next year.
Write to Reshma Kapadia at firstname.lastname@example.org


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In June, Washington Prime Group agreed to turn a former Sears location at its Morgantown Mall into a logistics, distribution and fulfillment center for WVU Medicine, the health care network serving West Virginia University. The move comes after Washington Prime’s recently announced Fulventory initiative, through which the company is providing logistics and warehouse solutions at its properties.
“As more department stores become vacant, we do need to re-envision the future of mall properties,” said Greg Maloney, president and chief executive of the Americas retail unit of Jones Lang LaSalle. “Will it be 100 percent retail? No, but its success still comes down to location.”
Long before the coronavirus arrived in the United States, many malls, often overburdened with debt and struggling with vacancy and declining values, were fighting to stay alive.
The number of malls has declined to less than 1,000 today from 3,000 at the turn of the century, according to Nick Egelanian, president of SiteWorks, a shopping center and retail consultant in Annapolis, Md. And, he predicts, only about 200 of the strongest malls with the best locations will be left by the end of the decade, if not sooner.
But to thrive, most must adapt, said Mr. Egelanian, who has long argued that the deconstruction of department stores — and therefore malls — began 40 years ago with the dawn of big-box stores, or “category killers.”
“The true mall of the future will incorporate a mix of uses,” he said, “and the retail will be downsized: If it has 2 million square feet today, it may only need 1 million square feet tomorrow. But it’s going to be painful getting there, and the ones that survive are going to need a lot of capital.”
The ideal, he said, will mirror properties like Tysons Corner Center, a 1.9-million-square-foot mall in Virginia owned by Macerich that is surrounded by offices, high-rise residences and hotels.


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Futurebrand: Bhutan’s happiness concept will now be used to promote brand Bhutan, according to a strategy that a Singapore-based branding consultant, FutureBrand, has come up with.
FutureBrand’s chair of Asia-Pacific operation, Susie Hunt, said it was important to trace where the concept of happiness fits best, instead of just painting a sketchy image of happiness.
Be it in terms of values or economy, she said, branding would provide the country to articulate what makes Bhutan special. But, this, she said, should be aligned with the national objectives.
To make the matter be taken seriously, it was also recommended that a Brand Bhutan board be formed directly under the supervision of the prime minister, and the task assigned to the Gross National Happiness Commission.
“This is because brand Bhutan sits above all the departments and connects across all departments,” she said.
However, the officiating economic affairs secretary, Sonam P Wangdi, suggested that the task be assigned to the recently launched better business council, which is also chaired by the prime minister.
Although not concrete, the consultant has already drawn up the strategy, including several logos and tag lines under which Bhutanese products and services would be exported.
For instance, tags like ‘happily made in Bhutan’ or ‘happily grown in Bhutan’ are embedded in diamond shaped logos emanated from traditional arts.
The intention, according to the consultant, was to harmonise all products and services under one unified country brand. For that matter, the tourism logo with the blue poppy was found not stretching across all sectors, and a change was proposed, with the tag line ‘happiness is a place’ intact.
However, this proposal met with strong resistance from tourism officials, who asked for more discussion.
The second phase of the strategy will focus on product identification, followed by accreditation and certification authorities.
Simplicity, coupled with quality, consultants pointed out, could be the best way to increase demand and enhance export.
For instance, apples packed in raw wooden boxes, with a ‘Grown in Bhutan’ logo inscribed on the box, would make it look attractive and natural.
Susie Hunt said the country could use FutureBrand’s offices and presence across the globe as ‘trade ambassadors’ to promote the brand.
The economic affairs minister, Norbu Wangchuk, said brand Bhutan must support FDI growth, export promotion and tourism for the country’s economic self-reliance.
However brand Bhutan must stand for authentic truth, he said, and build on the legacy of the country’s past, while capturing the aspirations of future.
By Tshering Dorji


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"...Amazon has taken a small step toward eliminating the UPS wait with a service inspired less by the internet and more by the Port Authority. Amazon Locker allows you to have your packages sent to the equivalent of single-use P.O. boxes housed in 24-hour convenience stores, grocery stores and drug stores. Amazon sends you an email with a pickup code, which you enter on a touchscreen to open the door of the locker containing your package. You have three days from the delivery date to pick it up.
The lockers just arrived in 7-Elevens in the San Francisco Bay Area, and they’re already in place in Seattle, New York, Washington, D.C., and London. Clearly, they could be coming soon to a city near you, and Amazon’s brick-and-mortar competition should worry if they start to catch on.
With its rollout of same-day delivery, and now lockers, Amazon is steadily chipping away at reasons to walk into a store at all. Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter tells Marketplace that companies like Best Buy struggle in vain to compete against Amazon because the cost of keeping a physical store open adds about 10 percent to prices. Pachter says the ability to walk out of the store with the item you bought on the same day you walked in is one of the few advantages traditional retailers still have.
If Amazon can deliver your order the same day you placed it, and they have their own physical location for customers to take the delivery, then they’ll have nearly succeeded in matching all the selling points of a regular store while avoiding the vast majority of the overhead that managing a piece of real estate requires (The Wall Street Journal reports that Amazon pays a small fee to the owners of the stores that have its lockers). The only thing Amazon won’t have is the showroom."
Source: Wired Magazine


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The head-mounted VR display Oculus Rift has opened pre-orders for developer kits, and expects to ship the kits starting in January. US developers can order a kit for $300, while international customers will have that bumped up to $345 for shipping.
Polygon reports that those who backed the project on Kickstarter will get their dev kits at the end of this year, slightly earlier than pre-orders. The company has been aggressive in seeking third-party support, already announcing compatibility with Hawken and Doom 3 BFG Edition. Check out our own hands-on for more details.


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High net-worth consumers have rated Blancpain as the most luxurious watch brand in the 2010 Luxury Brand Status Index survey by the New York-based Luxury Institute.
“Despite being a relatively unknown brand, Blancpain clearly stands out as the most luxurious brand of the 33 in this study, said Luxury Institute CEO Milton Pedraza.
The LBSI asurvey asked high net-worth consumers to rate luxury brands by category across four equally weighted components – consistently superior quality; uniqueness and exclusivity; making the customer feel special across the entire experience; and being consumed by people who are admired and respected.
Blancpain, with a score of 8.74 out of 10 topped this year’s ‘Best of the Best’ list followed by Vacheron Constantin (8.15) and Breguet (8.09).
“The luxury watches category is one of the oldest and most prestigious,” said Pedraza, “and yet the industry is stuck in time in terms of its distribution and customer relationship building innovations.
“We predict that more luxury watch brands will build their own direct distribution channels via retail and online as they realize that the future belongs to those watch brands that have direct and deep relationships with their end consumers.”
The LBSI survey results are based on a national sample of 505 American consumers, with weighted average household income of US$845,000 and average investable assets of US$16.6 million.


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New technologies, better case studies, a lower cost of entry, combined with the fact that mobile internet access has doubled in Australia over the last 12 months means mobile can no longer be ignored by agencies and advertisers. By consumer uptake it is forcing its way onto the media planning agenda.
A recent US survey by media buying Software Company STRATA on MobiAdNews shows mobile has real momentum with Advertising Agencies.
“According to the survey, nearly one-third of advertisers say that mobile advertising is the focus of their interactive spend, up 107% compared to the first quarter of 2010…Read More”
Mobile Embrace parent MobileActive announced on the 16th of September it was pending a joint venture with 4th Screen Advertising, the UK’s largest mobile advertising company. Click here for more details.


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Samsung is the Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Wireless Communications Equipment category for the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games.
In conjunction with the sponsorship, the Korean electronics giant has launched a huge marketing campaign themed “Live the Beats, Love the Games,” representing its extended commitment to the Olympic Movement and its continued efforts to enhance the games experience through smartphone technology.
The campaign is specially tailored to engage today’s youth – to enjoy sports and music anytime, anywhere, leveraging on the features of the new flagship GALAXY S5.
In the lead up to the games proper in Nanjing, a plethora of activities have been planned to spread the Youth Olympic spirit to fans worldwide.
Musical performers with popular artists have already kicked off in July. Samsung Mobilers will embark on their journey to five cities throughout China, armed with GALAXY S5 phones to document and share their journey.
Samsung will also collaborate with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on the Young Ambassadors and Young Reporters Program to equip them with GALAXY devices for communication with young athletes during the games.
Samsung has been involved in the Olympic Games since Seoul 1988. Its commitment as a Worldwide Olympic Partner continues through to Rio 2016.
Image credit: nocrunner


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Apple might have its hands full with Ireland and taxes, but another lawsuit has cropped up that it’ll now need to face.
Three iPhone owners have filed a lawsuit against Apple in the U.S. District Court for Northern California, alleging that Apple had kept a defect with its iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models a secret and subsequently declined to fix it. The problem relates to the recently revealed “Touch Disease,” a term coined by hardware-repair firm iFixit to describe the bug plaguing both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
Last week, the company said in a blog post that it only appears to affect the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, but not Apple’s newer iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. According to the company, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have chips that sit inside the device that allow the screen to interact with touch inputs. However, those “Touch IC chips” connect to the device’s main board with small soldered balls that, over time, can crack and start to lose contact between the display and the board.
The issue is caused by regular use and eventually, iFixit explained, the iPhone 6 line’s touchscreen functionality will be lost, leaving users with a device that’s practically unusable.
While it’s impossible to know for sure how widespread the problem is, many Apple forum sites are displaying comments from iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users who say they’re experiencing the problem. The folks over at iFixit say they, too, have come across the problem on several occasions.
For its part, Apple has largely remained silent about the possible problem, leading to the lawsuit filed in the California court on Monday.
According to the plaintiffs, who all own iPhone 6 models, they are hoping to turn the so-called Touch Disease in the iPhone 6 into a nationwide class-action lawsuit against Apple. They added that after seeking repairs from Apple, the company would only offer to replace their phones for a cost of more than $300 rather than fix the issue.
The plaintiffs said Apple was engaging in “unfair, deceptive, and/or fraudulent business practices,” according to MacRumors, which obtained a copy of the entire lawsuit. The plaintiffs are seeking unspecified damages from Apple and want the company to either repair, recall, or replace the iPhone at no cost to customers. They’re seeking a jury trial to decide the case.
For its part, Apple hasn’t responded to Fortune’s request for comment on the lawsuit.
Ironically, the lawsuit on the iPhone 6 line, which launched in 2014, came on the same day Apple announced a special press event for September 7, when the company is expected to unveil a new iPhone, likely known as the iPhone 7. It also came just before Apple was slapped with a $14.5 billion tax bill by the European Union.
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Over 20 charities have come together to launch a digital advent calendar aimed at helping people make the world a better place in the run-up to Christmas.
Instead of counting down the days to Christmas with the usual chocolate treats, the digital Injustice Advent Calendar offers one positive action a day behind each window.
The activities are designed to be quick and easy, and give an insight into the work of a particular charity or project.
"There's a huge variety of quick and fun actions that help you make an impact and learn something new," said Charlotte Timson, CEO of Traidcraft Exchange, the international development charity behind the initiative.
"Craftivism for more cancer nurses, spotting the signs of modern-day slavery, boosting bees in your local area or learning tips for a zero-waste Christmas – it's all here."
Other organisations involved in the initiative include Anti-Slavery International, Bees for Development, Fashion Revolution, Macmillan Cancer Support, National Deaf Children's Society, RSPCA and The Sumatran Orangutan Society.
The digital advent calendar is being launched as a zero-cost and environmentally-friendly alternative to the often costly consumerism of Christmas.
Timson continued, "As the world continues to battle the Covid pandemic and confront the climate emergency, people need hope and meaning more than ever.
"At its heart, Christmas is about connection and compassion – and this helps us do that, while taking a stand against mass consumerism.
"So many people want to live in a kinder fairer world, and this advent calendar is one small move in that direction."
Sign up to take part in the calendar at www.traidcraftexchange.org.uk/injustice-advent-calendar from 8 November.


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Autonomous electric vehicle company Applied EV has been awarded Victorian government support, and expects to welcome 20 new employees to its new Bayswater North facility over the next two years.
The amount of grant funding was not given in a statement from industry support minister Martin Pakula.
The new facility will support R&D and early vehicle production, with Applied EV preparing for trials by a “major international player” this year.
“We welcome the support from the Victorian Government, which helps take our Melbourne-made mobility solutions to the global market – offering a product that is cost-effective, adaptable to business needs and good for the environment,” said CEO Julian Broadbent.
As reported by @AuManufacturing, Applied EV emerged from stealth mode early this year with new video and pictures of its Blanc Robot system (see below), following a four-year, $7.7 million development project.
The company’s “mobility solution” can be fitted with different “pods” for different applications, with these listed as “goods delivery, agriculture, mining and industrial and waste management, as well as passenger transport.”
The platform is programmable and autonomous, and designed for use over short distances at slow speeds. The company’s website describes it as “Level 5 autonomous ready”.
The company was formed in 2015, and its founders have backgrounds at Telstra and General Motors Holden.
“Innovators like Applied EV are building on expertise gained from traditional manufacturing with advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence to produce revolutionary solutions for now and the future,” added Pakula.
Pictures and video: Applied EV
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People’s favorite pizza place is now open under a new management. Resto Group, a global food & beverage company, is proud to have acquired the International Franchisee Rights for Pizza Hut in Lebanon.
The largest pizza chain had said goodbye in May 2020 because of the tough situation in the country, but the new management is determined to give it a new life, and offer you an authentic experience.
Pizza Hut is now open in Badaro, serving iconic pizzas using highest quality ingredients adhering to international standards.
Additional branches in different locations such as Hareit Hreik, Spinneys Jnah, and more will be opening soon.
This comes as a message of hope for Lebanon, despite the hard times, an international chain like Pizza Hut still believes in investing in the country and hopefully this move will attract more and more brands.


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On December 6, the Central Bank of Nigeria issued a directive that will limit how much cash individuals and corporations can withdraw from their bank accounts. The new directive takes effect January 9, and Nigeria hopes the withdrawal limits will increase adoption of digital banking in Nigeria, including its own centralized crypto, the eNaira.
The eNaira is Nigeria's central bank digital currency, or CBDC. The idea is that instead of a nation's treasury issuing paper money, it instead mints and distributes its own crypto. Obviously, using a crypto in place of cash will give the government more control over how people use money. This is why some countries with cash-based economies are turning to CBDCs as a way to control larger portions of the economy and extract more tax income.
The eNaira is very unpopular. After its first year of existence, only .5% of Nigerians claim to have used the token. In Nigeria, the majority of workers are part of an informal cash economy where they work for cash and buy goods and services with cash. According to the World Bank, only 45% of Nigerian adults have bank accounts. So you can see why Nigeria's Central Bank would consider turning to the eNaira as a means of capturing the tax income.
The limits on cash withdrawals are low: individuals will only be allowed to withdraw 20k Naira ($45) per day and 100k Naira ($225) per week from PoS systems and ATMs. If they go over the limit, there's a 5% penalty. Corporations will be allowed to withdraw 500k Naira ($1.1k) per week with a 10% penalty for going over the limit. For special circumstances, individuals can take out 5M Naira ($11.2k) and corporations can take out 10M Naira ($22.4k). Remember, these are limits on how much cash Nigerians can withdraw from their own bank accounts--it's supposed to be their money!
It’s tough to get accurate data, but the median monthly wage in Nigeria is said to be around 340k Naira ($765). Under this policy, almost half of Nigerian workers paid through a banking system won’t be allowed to withdraw their entire paychecks to cash.
With insane economic policies coming from the nation's leadership and a deeply-rooted cash economy already in place, it's easy to see why Nigeria was one of the world's top nations for crypto adoption before its government stepped in to limit its use. Nigeria's Central Bank claims that cash hoarding by its citizens is a major problem that harms the economy, but with people like this in charge, I'd be stuffing my couch with Naira too.


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By Meg Kennedy
A confusing email has sent regular BP customers into a panic as the Ballan Westbound and Eastbound petrol stations on the Western Freeway are set to change petrol suppliers.
An admin email titled ‘BP Ballan will be closing soon’ was sent to BP Plus customers on Wednesday, 19 June outlining that “BP Ballan will cease trading as of 30 June 2019.”
Although at first the email could be interpreted as the popular stations were closing down, a spokesperson for the Ballan stations confirmed to the Moorabool News this is not true and that the stations will be only changing the petrol supplier to Mobil.
Aside from a “change of colours” from the green and yellow of BP to the red and blue of Mobil, all regular facilities at the rest stops, including the Westbound McDonald’s and the Eastbound KFC restaurants will continue business as usual.
The Ballan stations have been BP-supplied for more than 15-years.
The spokesperson also noted that Mobil fuel cards can also be used at 7/11 stations, and that “loyal customers of the stations are welcome to purchase Mobil fuel cards in-person or online.”
As for a difference in petrol prices, the spokesperson said for customers to “watch the price board”, and that cheaper petrol could be on the horizon.
The Ballan East and Westbound stations will change to Mobil from July 1.