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Forex online trading news go back and forth, with recent developments on both side of the Atlantic, plus discouraging figures coming out from the most important emergent markets in the world.
Forex online trading news go back and forth, with recent developments on both side of the Atlantic, plus discouraging figures coming out from the most important emergent markets in the world. This week, traders will want to pay attention to important U.S economic indicators which could lead to some market volatility. On Tuesday, Retail Sales, Core Retail Sales and PPI figures are planned to be released. Thursday will have markets waiting for the manufacturing data and Friday will see the much anticipated consumer sentiment indicator. All of them are expected to reflect growth in the U.S economy. This comes as other positive U.S economic data has recently seen the light of day. U.S unemployment claims now stand at 361K, a step down from the expected 371K, and a deficit of only $42.9 billion, which means a larger GDP. The dollar is now making small gains against currency rivals. The forex online trading USD/JPY pair was trading under 78.50 and EUR/USD went lower to around 1.23 prior to release. In effect, the first half of the EUR/USD has been taking some hits, not only by the positive U.S data, but also with the awaited Spanish aid request not happening and the German opposition of potential European Central Bank debt bond purchase. Also, Greece continues to juggle its financial troubles in order to avoid a potential euro-exit, but with disappointing economic figures. In its 5th consecutive recession year, Greek economy contracted by 6,2 percent in the second quarter, compared to 2011. The European commission expects Greek economy to embark again on a growing path only by 2014, following the austerity measures implanted by the new conservative government lead by Antonis Samaras, which have certainly diminished production in the southern country. Recent German economic data has been weak with PMIs, industrial production and manufacturing orders all disappointing the markets. Any further signs of economic decline in Germany could send disastrous hints to forex online trading markets that Europe`s locomotive is not immune to the European debt crisis. Leaving Europe, fears of an economic slowdown in emergent markets are also making its way to Forex online trading consideration. The so-called BRIC countries (Brazil, India, Russia and China) are growing, but since the start of 2012 there have been unmistakable signs that economic problems are not confined to Europe, North America and Japan. India has slowing growth and high inflation, Russia’s industrial weakness has been masked by high oil prices, Brazil has felt the impact of weak economic growth in the U.S and China’s cheap export model has started to stumble.


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Leading sportsbook and casino operator, Sky Bet incorporated by the mother company of PokerStars.
With its flagship brand, PokerStars, The Stars Group is the number one online-poker operator, but their well-defined goal has been to become a diversified online gaming operator. Now they've taken a big step forward to achieve this, as they became the biggest publicly listed online gaming company with this acquisition.
With the casino and sportsbook offering, the company now has a near-equal revenue diversification between its services. They bought CrownBet and William Hill Australia earlier this year.“This acquisition represents a pivotal moment in The Stars Group’s evolution,”
stated Rafi Ashkenazi, TSG’s Chief Executive Officer. “SBG’s mobile-focused sportsbook pairs well with our industry-leading poker offering to create two premier customer acquisition channels. We believe this combination along with our combined online casino offerings positions The Stars Group for continued growth in the evolving online gaming industry.”
PokerStars is still the leader in the online poker industry with an $878 million
revenue in 2017. PokerStars Casino has also become one of the key players in the online casino business, while BetStars, the company's sportsbook is also getting bigger. The non-poker revenue represented a third of the revenue last year.
Thanks to the acquisition, the company adds Sky Bet
, Sky Vegas
, Sky Casino
, Sky Bingo
and Sky Poker
to its portfolio which will have a serious result on their revenue distribution: 37% poker, 34% sports and 26% casino - according to TSG's statement from April.
“This transaction creates the world’s largest publicly listed online gaming company and unites two iconic brand portfolios with strong technology platforms and teams. This significant scale also positions The Stars Group to both secure and expand upon its global footprint,” said Ashkenazi.
See our ongoing promotions here

domain: news


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We are in a historic era for consolidation among semiconductor manufacturers. Included in the announced mergers and acquisitions this year alone are:
- Avago bought Broadcom
- NXP agreed to buy Freescale
- Dialog announced its acquisition of Amtel
- Microchip Technology bought Micrel
According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal by Don Clark, the reasons for this market consolidation are relatively new to the industry: slowing growth and rising costs.
In the past, chip makers used acquisitions to obtain new technology. But, Clark writes that a different reason is becoming more prominent: “Many recent deals resemble consolidation waves in older industries, motivated mainly by trimming costs in areas like manufacturing, sales and engineering.”
For example, Avago projects that it can gain $750 million in annual savings starting in 2017 after it integrates Broadcom, according to Clark.
The article cites figures from Dealogic stating that the industry has seen $100.6 Billion in mergers and acquisitions in 2015 so far, compared to $37.7 Billion for all of 2014.
And that total is poised to go higher.
“Bloomberg reported last week that four chip companies — Analog Devices Inc., Maxim Integrated Products Inc., SanDisk Corp. and Fairchild Semiconductor International Inc. — were in talks concerning different deal options… ‘It’s buy or be sold,’ summed up Alex Lidow, chief executive of Efficient Power Conversion Corp., a startup he co-founded in 2007 after 30 years leading chip maker International Rectifier Corp,” Clark writes.


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Abu Dhabi: After a gap of two years, the world’s biggest book sale— Big Bad Wolf Books kicks off on Thursday, April 14, featuring over one million books, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.
Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) and Member of Dubai Council, inaugurated the third edition of the world’s biggest book sale.
The Big Bad Wolf Book sale began on April 14 at the Sound Stages in Dubai Studio City. The sale is open daily from 10 am until 2 am, and is free to enter.
The 11-day sale covers a number of genres, topics, and age groups, including books on business, art, and design, as well as cookbooks and illustrated children’s titles.
It is taking place in partnership with Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and returns to the emirate following a virtual sale held in association with the Sharjah Book Authority in 2021.
Big Bad Wolf Books founded in Malaysia in 2009, has visited more than 12 countries so far, including Pakistan, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, and the UAE.
Big Bad Wolf Books first came to the UAE in 2018. It is taking place during Ramzan for the third time.


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SEYI Reports Higher Earnings and Margins, Despite a Weak Global Economy and Slowing Emerging Markets
TAIPEI, Aug. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ — SEYI (SHIEH YIH MACHINERY) (4533 TT), one of the world’s leading producers of mechanical presses, released its audited financial results for the Six Months Ended June 30, 2012.
For the first six months, SEYI reported Net Sales of TWD 1.9 billion (US $61.9 million), a 10% decline from Net sales of TWD 2.1 billion (US $68.9 million) recorded in the same period last year. Continuing economic uncertainty in Europe, a tentative economic recovery in the United States, and slowing economies in China, Brazil and other emerging markets have adversely impacted sales in 2012.
Despite strong sales headwinds, SEYI reported increased profits and margins. Net Income for the six months ended June 30, 2012 was TWD 92.1 million (US $3.1 million), a 6.7% increase from last year’s Net Income of TWD 86.3 million (US $2.9 million). Earnings Per Share was TWD 0.64, compared to TWD 0.60 during the same period last year.
On a lower level of sales, SEYI’s Gross Profit increased by 3.9% to TWD 459.2 million (US $15.3 million) from TWD 441.7 million (US $14.8 million) in 2011. As a result of continued attention to costs and improved product mix, SEYI’s Gross Margin improved to 24.8% of Net Sales, a 15.9% increase from 21.4% recorded last year.
SEYI’s financial condition remains strong. Cash and Cash Equivalents of TWD 942.0 million (US $31.5 million) at June 30, 2012 exceeded short and long term debt of TWD 736.9 million (US $24.6 million).
Separately, SEYI announced that the Company has established a German subsidiary in Frankfurt and has hired Michael Juhl as General Manager. A graduate of the Copenhagen Business School, Mr. Juhl has more than twenty-five years of sales and management experience in Europe, including more than ten years with various divisions of Robert Bosch GmbH. “While European economies are now going through a difficult period,” Mr. Juhl said, “Europe as a whole is one of the world’s largest markets. When the region recovers, SEYI will be well positioned to capitalize with an expanded sales presence.”
SEYI also announced that, on August 14, the Company commenced construction of a new office facility in China.
In commenting on SEYI’s first half results, Ms. Claire Kuo, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer said, “We are, of course, disappointed with the slow growth of the global economy, but we are pleased that we have been able to improve profits and margins in this very difficult economic environment. In addition to the operational improvements we have made, I am also pleased with our further commitment to China, the incorporation of our new subsidiary in Frankfurt, and the addition of Michael Juhl to our management team.” As the Company completes its first fifty years in business, Ms. Kuo added, “SEYI is better positioned and financially stronger than it has ever been in its long and distinguished history.”
Note: TWD 29.9300 to US$1.00
Founded in 1962, SEYI has established a position of global leadership in the press building industry over the past 50 years. SEYI manufactures mechanical presses, ranging in size from 25 to 2400 tons, at facilities located in Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China. At its original location in Taoyuan, Taiwan, SEYI operates a 12,500 square meter facility, and in 2003 the Company began production in Mainland China at an 11,000 square meter facility located in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province. Combined production capacity at the Taoyuan and Kunshan plants approaches 4,000 presses annually. Construction of a second 11,000 square meter facility in Kunshan was completed in 2009 and began production in 2011. The new facility in Kunshan can manufacture up to 300 presses annually, ranging in size from 300 to 4,000 tons. SEYI products have been sold to customers in over 40 countries around the world, and the Company is the dominant foreign supplier to Mainland China, India, South East Asia and the Americas in terms of volume. SEYI is the recipient of numerous quality awards from around the world.
The Company completed an initial public offering of its common stock in 2002 and is traded on the Taiwanese OTC (4533 TT) market.
For further information contact: Fathi El-Farghali (O): +1-909-839-1151 x207 Director of Business Development (M): +1-626-675-9591 203 Lemon Creek Dr. Unit A Fathi@seyiamerica.com Walnut, California 91789 USA www.seyi.com Kenneth Wei (O): +886-3-352-5466 Spokesman firstname.lastname@example.org 446, Nan Shang Road, www.seyi.com.tw Kueisan, Taoyuan, Taiwan
SOURCE SEYI (SHIEH YIH MACHINERY)


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Fashion Show Caps Off a week of Style for Binibining Pilipinas 2012
From stylish swimsuits to elegant national costumes to trendy summer wear, the thirty candidates of Binibining Pilipinas 2012 showed off their fierce fashionista best in a week that was capped off with a Fashion Show co-sponsored by Jag.
Last March 12, the ladies strutted down the catwalk at the Genting Club of Resorts World Manila in their blue one-piece swimsuits during the Press Presentation. The candidates then gamely showed off their trim and toned bodies for the members of the press at the pool area. Afterwards, they once again took to the stage in their stylized Filipiniana costumes for the National Costume Competition. The designers who made the national costumes for the candidates were Renee Salud, Onin Pagsisihan, Mia Urquico, Ariel Alvarez, Johnny Abad, Jeffrey Logador, Jearson Dimavivas, Edwin Uy, Joao Tarepe for Chardin, Joel Acebuche, Lloyd Arceo, Frederick Policarpio, Dennis Lustico, Ryan Sarangay, Harold Borlado, Pablo Mendez III, Nick Plaza, Veejay Floresca, Plana, Aryel Dulay, Dave Ocampo, Cary Santiago, Ivan dela Cruz, and Jontie Martinez.
On March 17, the lovely candidates mesmerized the weekend mall-goers during the Binbining Pilipinas fashion show sponsored by major sponsors Avon and JAG Jeans over at the Ali Mall Activity Area. The ladies, led by Miss Universe Philippines 2011 Shamcey Supsup, Binibining Pilipinas International 2011 Dianne Necio, and Binibining Pilipinas Tourism 2011 Isabella Manjon, walked down the runway first in figure hugging jeans, chic shorts, and casual tops from JAG. The ladies took to the stage a second and third time donning trendy summer wear and stylish cocktail dresses from Cumbia. All accessories during the show were from Avon. The reigning queens closed the show when they sashayed on the stage with their crowns. The fashion show was choreographed and managed by top fashion director Raymond Villanueva.
The national costume competition and the fashion show will be shown on April 8 during the pre-pageant primer in ABS-CBN’s Sunday’s Best. The winner of the National Costume Competition will be announced during the Coronation Night on April 15. The Coronation night will be held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum and aired live on ABS-CBN.
The Binibining Pilipinas 2012 is presented by the Araneta Center, ABS-CBN, Nestlé Fitnesse in cooperation with Nestle Fruit Selection Yogurt, Avon, JAG jeans as the official jeans, Megaworld Corporation, Philippine Airlines as the official airlines and Resorts World Manila as the official residence. Other partners are the Manila Bulletin, Pizza Hut, Charter Ping An Insurance Corporation, David’s Salon, Gold’s Gym, Entrepreneurs School of Asia, Dale Carnegie Training, Picture City, Department of Tourism, TicketNet, and the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Raymond Saldaña is the official photographer. Joylong Philippines is the official transport partner of Binibining Pilipinas 2012.
For ticket purchases and inquiries, call TicketNet at 911 5555.
Click here to view photos from the National Costume Competition.
Click here to view photos from the Fashion Show.


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Ferrari has revealed its new ‘special’ edition Ferrari 812 Superfast, producing 830bhp, is the most powerful Ferrari road car ever.
As the ultimate expression of Ferrari’s concept of an extreme front-engined berlinetta, the new limited-edition V12 hones the characteristics of the critically-acclaimed 812 Superfast to a level never seen before.
The result is a car that encapsulates and epitomises the company’s 70-plus years of experience on the world’s circuits, drawing on its thoroughbred sports car DNA to deliver a perfect marriage of performance, form and functionality. Aimed at Ferrari’s most passionate collectors and connoisseurs, it features numerous uncompromising engineering solutions to guarantee peerless driving pleasure.
The car’s most striking feature is the latest evolution of Maranello’s legendary 65° V12 engine which reaches the highest output of any Ferrari road-car engine – 830 cv – and revs to 9,500 rpm, again the highest of any Ferrari ICE. The use of ultra-high-tech materials, the redesign of many of the engine’s key components, a new valve timing mechanism and new exhaust system are just some of the technical solutions that allow the most noble of Ferrari engines to deliver unprecedented performance levels.
“The new model is the ultimate expression of Ferrari’s concept of an extreme front-engined berlinetta,” explains Ferrari, “honing the characteristics of the critically-acclaimed 812 Superfast to a level never seen before.”


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iOS 8.1.1 downgrade advice issued, as OS problems persist
Apple has released the iOS 8.1.1 update to improve stability and fix bugs that have plagued the OS
The iOS 8.1.1 update is continuing to cause issues for iPhone and iPad users, prompting some to take the drastic step of downgrading to the previous version of the mobile operating system.
The update was pushed out by Apple a week or so ago to fix the bugs and problems that have plagued the operating system since it was released back in September, and users have now started to receive notifications from the vendor about upgrading.
According to the release notes, the update includes "bug fixes, increased stability and performance improvements for iPad 2 and iPhone 4s," but recent decisions from Apple indicate that iOS 8.1.1 is a more significant release than first thought.
As Forbes reports, a beta was released to developers two weeks ago, which is the first time Apple has ever done this. This has no doubt been sparked by the consistent problems users have reported with iOS 8, including cellular connectivity issues, being locked out of the device and a HealthKit bug that caused its release to be held back.
According to users on Apple Support Communities, things had improved with the release of iOS 8.1.1 in the early days, but new problems with have started to emerge since then.
"Well its early days yet to tell for sure and I don't want to tempt fate, but so far for me it seems way faster now on 8.1.1," user dtcb67 said around the time of the software's release.
"Games are also now way more responsive and seem as they were on iOS 7 so far. I will see if the Wi-Fi remains stable and has the range issues later, but thought I'd post to let you guys know, for me at least so far it seems to be a big improvement."
Since then, further stories have been shared by users within the Apple support forums, with tales of Wi-Fi connectivity issues, battery draining problems and app malfunctions.
According to a report on GottaBe Mobile, this has prompted Apple to provide users with a window of opportunity to downgrade from iOS 8.1.1 to the previous version of the software.
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text: A woman was recently arrested in Cottonwood in connection with shoplifting after she fled the store, changed clothes and ended up being arrested afterall. Cottonwood Police were called to Walmart Sunday at around 2 p.m. on a shoplifting call. The suspect, 34-year-old Katherine Davenport, left the store, but was located a short time later near State Route 260. Investigators say Davenport was arrested at the store before, back in 2014 and earlier this year and was also charged with trespassing. On Sunday, she was seen changing prices on items and not scanning all of the items in her cart at the self-checkout register. When she was approached, Davenport fled the store. She was seen hiding behind a garbage can where she changed her clothes and continued to run away. Davenport was booked into the Yavapai County Detention Center on charges related to the incident.


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As 2014 comes to an end, concerns about wholesale drug prices and insurance reimbursements remain top of mind for independent pharmacy owners, and with good reason.
This week’s blog links you to articles on drug prices that are essential reading for any independent pharmacy owner who wants to stay in the know.
#1 – The way it was supposed to be?
In 2011, Elisabeth Fischer wrote The patent cliff: rise of the generics for pharmaceutical-technology.com.
Fischer painted a vision of the pharmaceutical world resulting from the end of patent protection, in the years 2011-2016, for the world’s bestselling drugs, then earning about $255bn in global annual sales.
As Fischer reported, “Once the blockbusters lose their patent protection, lower-price generics are expected to decimate as much as 90% of the sales of innovator companies.” She went on to say, “The expected flood of generic drugs, which typically cost 20%-80% less than branded medications, will help to save patients a small fortune, along with businesses and taxpayers who help pay for prescription drugs through corporate and government prescription plans.”
As we now know, numerous factors have changed the marketplace. That’s why this article is an excellent resource for seeing what was expected to happen versus what actually came to pass.
#2 – Wall Street Journal on what to watch for in 2015
This week’s Wall Street Journal Pharmalot blog article is called Drug Prices, Generics, and M&A: What to Watch in 2015.
Pharmalot helps us appreciate what’s going on with:
- FDA generic approval delays
- Volume of mergers and acquisitions in biopharma in 2014 (double that of 2013)
- Cost of new medicines
- “Pay to delay” deals in which generic manufacturers pay brand drug makers to not sue them in exchange for them delaying when they will manufacture the generic equivalent.
The article doesn’t paint a rosy picture of 2015, but it does explain the factors at work.
#3 – War behind the pharmacy counter
Bankrate.com calls the upheaval in drug costs, “War behind the pharmacy counter.” As Jay MacDonald points out, it’s a war on multiple fronts:
- Employers and insurers are pushing for competition between brand name drugs and generics in the same therapeutic category that may not be equivalent
- PBMs are tightening formularies and encouraging chain pharmacies to drop certain drugs
- Biologics raise the stakes while limiting competition
- The new consolidation: insurers acquiring health systems
#4 – Consumers taking action against mail order requirements
A California consumers group filed suit against Aetna on December 19th for requiring patients with HIV/AIDS to purchase their prescriptions through Aetna’s mail order specialty pharmacy.
This was the second time in 2014 that such a suit has been filed.
According to the article in ajmc.com, the plaintiff says the requirement is discriminatory because it will deprive patients of “essential counseling from an expert pharmacist at a community pharmacy who knows their medical history and who, working directly with patients in face-to-face interactions, is best positioned to detect potentially life-threatening adverse drug interactions and dangerous side effects.”
Isn’t it interesting and encouraging to see consumer groups citing the vital role that community pharmacies play as a benefit that should not be taken away by insurers?
I think these four articles provide a solid knowledge base for some of the most important issues affecting independent pharmacies as we move into 2015. After you have read the articles, I would be interested in any comments you would care to leave below. Please share your thoughts.
Happy New Year
I couldn’t leave you without wishing you a very Happy New Year! As the articles cited above show, there will be many uncertainties to face in 2015. Be assured that you will always be able to count on TRxADE to provide opportunities for you to compare drug prices from multiple suppliers, save money on wholesale drug purchases, and sell your overstock (where permitted by law).
Here’s to a healthy and profitable 2015 for us all!


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VEXOS, MURATA and GMA ORGANIZES TREE PLANTING EVENT IN ASSOCIATION WITH TREE CANADA
As the significant effects of climate change are being noticed, now is the time for us to preserve and protect our planet. Our efforts in fostering sustainability and nurturing the environment to maintain ecological balance are key to combatting these significant effects.
“Trees for The Future”, a tree planting initiative by Vexos, Murata and GMA, in association with Tree Canada, took place on June 1st at Milne Dam Conservation Park, Markham, Ontario, where over 375 trees were planted.
Early in May 2022, Vexos announced their association with Tree Canada, which is the only national Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to planting and nurturing trees in rural and urban environments, in every province across the country. They help to grow Canada’s tree canopy through their programs, research, and engagement efforts and by offering grants to communities and schools. They are thought-leaders and capacity-builders, collaborating with a network of industry experts, academics, and other non-profits to deepen community knowledge and help municipalities plan and sustain local canopy. Together with their partners and sponsors, they have planted more than 84 million trees.
Councillor Alan Ho, the Honourable guest for the day, represented the City of Markham. All participants, enjoyed the day planting over 375 trees at the Milne Dam Conservation Park in Markham. The objective of the event was to leave a small but lasting legacy for the future and this is the first of many steps that we will take collectively to enhance the environment.
“We are more focused than ever on working towards ecological and environmental awareness. Today, we made our first steps towards fostering awareness about the environment and our ecology whilst building a new, purpose-driven and growing culture. Our partnership with Murata, GMA and Tree Canada reflects those values” says Cyril Fernandes, Senior Vice President, Global Business Development, Vexos.
“We at Murata Canada are very pleased to have been able to work with our customers and channel partners on making a small but significant contribution to the environment.
Thanks for everyone’s support and enthusiasm during the event” says Michael Heise, Area Sales Director, Murata Electronics Canada Inc.
“We are thankful to have the support of great partners, customers and associates in the electronics industry. We all can have a significant impact on ensuring the future of our planet for upcoming generations. Today was a small step toward a greener future“ says James Shular, Partner, GMA Inc.
Operating in several locations across North America and Asia, Vexos is an electronics manufacturing and custom material solutions provider with a proven track record of delivering award-winning, leading-edge electronics manufacturing services and supply chain solutions to a diverse group of OEMs. For more information, visit Vexos website at www.vexos.com
Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd. is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and sale of ceramic-based passive electronic components & solutions, communication modules and power supply modules. Murata is committed to the development of advanced electronic materials and leading edge, multi-functional, high-density modules. The company has employees and manufacturing facilities throughout the world. For more information, visit Murata’s website at www.murata.com
GMA is a dedicated technical representative committed to bringing together their manufacturers and customers by fostering mutually beneficial relationships. The company has offices across Canada and upstate New York are staffed with a full complement of inside and outside sales teams. For more information, visit GMA’s website at www.gmarep.com
For press inquiries, please contact:
Marketing and Communications Specialist


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Whirlpool Wins Backing for Import Protection From Key Government Panel
By Jacob M. Schlesinger and Andrew Tangel
WASHINGTON-- Whirlpool Corp. won crucial backing from a government panel in its bid to limit competition from foreign washing machine makers, giving the Trump administration another opportunity to invoke little-used powers to ramp up trade enforcement.
The U.S. International Trade Commission voted 4-0 Thursday to approve the petition from the Benton Harbor, Mich.-based manufacturer seeking protection in the American market from South Korean rivals Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Inc. The vote came under a trade law that allows U.S. companies to win broad protection if they can show they suffered "serious injury" from a surge of imports.
The provision -- Section 201 of Trade Act of 1974 -- was last used in 2002 by the Bush administration to impose steel tariffs.
The members of the ITC -- a bipartisan, independent panel -- will next consider what specific policies they believe should be implemented. The deadline for the panel to send recommendations to the White House is Dec. 4. The Trump administration would then be required to make a decision by early next year on whether to impose import limits.
The Trump administration has not yet commented on this specific ITC case. But officials have said they would consider invoking the rarely used "safeguard" law more frequently in their bid to take a more aggressive stance on trade enforcement.
The companies involved in the trade dispute didn't immediately respond to a request for comment after the trade commission's vote Thursday.
Write to Jacob M. Schlesinger at firstname.lastname@example.org and Andrew Tangel at Andrew.Tangel@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
October 05, 2017 11:47 ET (15:47 GMT)Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.


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Ford has aggressive electrification plans for China.
In a recent announcement, the U.S. automaker said that 70 percent of the vehicles it sells in the country by 2025 will be hybrids—either plug-in or conventional—or fully electric.
Ford builds vehicles in China through a joint venture with Chongqing Changan Automobile Company, and the two will launch their first locally built plug-in hybrid next year with the 2018 Mondeo Energi sedan.
That car, known as the Fusion Energi in North America, will feature an all-electric range of around 31 miles on the Chinese testing cycle.
A conventional hybrid version of the Mondeo has been built and sold in China since last year, and Ford says it also plans to bring a new, fully electric small SUV to the market within the next five years.
2017 Ford Fusion Hybrid
In the same statement, Ford said that vehicle will have a range of around 280 miles per charge. Ford plans to sell the new SUV North America and Europe as well.
The company also plans to begin building electric powertrains in China by 2020 by expanding its engineering efforts at its Nanjing Research and Engineering Center with a new “energy vehicle team.”
The group will focus on developing new components and technologies to be used globally to improve fuel economy and drivability.
In the same statement, Ford President and CEO Mark Fields said, “We are prioritizing our electrification efforts on China to reflect its importance as a global electrified vehicle market and to make lives better, simpler and more cost effective for Chinese consumers.”
2017 Ford C-Max Energi
Ford calls China “the world’s largest new energy vehicle market,” a title backed up by Beijing’s support of hybrid and electric vehicles.
The Chinese government has set forth new, strict fuel-economy figures and has begun subsidizing EVs and hybrids in a bid to reduce air pollution.
As a result, the Society of Automotive Engineers of China projects those vehicles will account for 15 percent of all passenger vehicle sales in the country by 2025.
It also explains why this year’s Shanghai Auto Show was so focused on alternative energy vehicles, with Honda, Volkswagen, Audi, Chevrolet, Cadillac and others all displaying hybrids of one shade or another.
Contrast that with just one alternative-fuel vehicle line unveiled at this year’s New York Auto Show, and the power of government policy to affect automotive and powertrain development becomes clear.


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Alien Isolation Releasing Early?
In a surprising bit of a twist, a post from SEGA on the Steam page for Alien Isolation seems to indicate that it will be releasing today, rather than tomorrow. In fact, if this turns out to be the case in less than an hour from this post. Now take this with a grain of salt, as there have been times before where a company has accidentally had an information release faux pas on Steam, but right now since there has been no attempt to correct the assumption it's looking pretty solid. The release stated the following;
Alien: Isolation will go live worldwide on Steam today at 4pm BST / 5pm CEST / 8am PDT!
If this does turn out to be a mistake, someone at SEGA is certainly going to be feeling the heat. Current speculation around this is surrounding the recent major leak of the console versions from several different large and small retailers across the USA. The original release date was slated for 10/7/2014. Steam users who have prepurchased the game will know soon if this is the answer to their eager wishes, or fuel for an angry frenzy.


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Google is working on a successor to the Chromecast, but Nokia has one up its sleeve too
Google is widely-rumoured to be working on an all-new HDMI dongle set to replace its hugely-successful Chromecast. Unlike the latter, which lets you beam family photos, Netflix shows, movies and Chrome web browser tabs onto your living room telly, the new gadget won't require a smartphone or tablet to interact with any on-screen buttons. You'll also enjoy the Android TV menu and library of streaming apps and games.
Codenamed Sabrina inside the company, Google looks set to unleash this new streaming dongle in the coming weeks – and for a price that makes the current-generation Chromecasts on-sale look ridiculously overpriced. However, Google might've just been beaten to the punch.
At least, that's according to a new whisper that claims Android smartphone manufacturer Nokia is about to launch an incredibly similar gadget in the coming weeks. The new streaming device, which will plug into the HDMI port on your gogglebox – like the current-generation Chromecast and rivals from the likes of Roku and Amazon Fire TV, will be powered by Android TV.
For those not familiar, this is an operating system designed by Google to power Smart TVs and is already available on a number of sets from the likes of Philips, TCL, Sony and others. Like Roku and Fire TV, it has a dedicated menu that brings together content from various streaming services, including Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, YouTube, Disney+ and more.
As you binge boxsets and movies, Google will gradually begin to suggest new shows based on your viewing history that it thinks you'll like. Unlike Chromecast, there is a dedicated App Store included with Android TV that allows viewers to download new video on-demand apps as well as games.
Chromecast: Google demonstrate how to cast to a television
Nokia already leverages Android 9.0 for its range of Smart TVs, which are sold exclusively in India (for now) via retailer Flipkart. As well as new 50-inch and 32-inch Smart TVs with Android TV preinstalled – and speakers tuned by audio firm JBL, if the previous models are anything to go by – Nokia is also working on a standalone dongle to bring its Android TV experience to older, less-smart TVs.
The new dongle was revealed courtesy of a certification document, which was spotted by the clever folks at NokiaMob.
The HDMI dongle will be powered by the Amlogic S805X chipset (the same silicon you'll find in a huge number of Smart TVs that offer streaming apps and lightweight games – and also rumoured to be the engine found inside the forthcoming Google Sabrina streaming stick) that combines a quadcore 1.2 GHz processor with ARM Mali-450 MP3 graphical processor.
There's also 1GB of RAM, which should keep everything ticking over pretty smoothly as you navigate around the menus and 8GB of internal storage.
Like the current crop of Nokia-branded Smart TVs, it will use Android 9.0.
Whether the Nokia rival will have the same voice-control capabilities built into the bundled remote control rumoured to be the headline feature of the Google Sabrina remains to be seen. However, those who are looking to ditch their Chromecast this Christmas could be spoilt for choice.


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(WSJ) Ant Group Co., the Chinese financial-technology giant controlled by billionaire Jack Ma, revealed how highly profitable its business has been as it gears up for what is likely to be a record-breaking initial public offering.
The owner of the popular payments and lifestyle app Alipay on Tuesday filed listing documents for IPOs on stock exchanges in Shanghai and Hong Kong, publicly disclosing for the first time detailed financial data showing the size and scale of its business.
Ant said it made 21.2 billion yuan ($3 billion) in net profit for the six months to June 2020, on revenue of 72.5 billion yuan ($10.5 billion). That implied a net profit margin of around 30%, fairly high for a relatively young company that is growing rapidly.
The Hangzhou-headquartered company is aiming to go public as soon as this fall, and is targeting a market valuation above $200 billion, The Wall Street Journal previously reported. Ant said in one of its filings that the new shares it plans to sell would comprise at least 10% of the company’s share capital, implying that it could raise more than $20 billion.
If achieved, it would propel Ant into the ranks of China’s most valuable listed companies and the world’s top financial-technology companies, in the vicinity of PayPal Holdings Inc. and Mastercard Inc., which recently had market capitalizations of $233 billion and $344 billion respectively.
Ant’s origins date to 2004, when Alipay was first created to facilitate payment transactions on e-commerce sites operated by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. Alipay subsequently expanded into a payments provider for a range of online, in-store and other retail and business transactions.
A predecessor to Ant was spun off from Alibaba in 2011, and the company became known as Ant Financial Services Group in 2014. It changed its name earlier this year to Ant Group. Alibaba, whose New York IPO raised $25 billion in 2014, currently owns a third of Ant, while Mr. Ma controls 50.5% of Ant’s voting rights, the filing said.
Alipay, which Chinese citizens use for a wide range of financial transactions, had 711 million monthly active users as of June, and more than one billion annual active users, according to Ant’s filing.
Ant said its revenue grew roughly 40% in the first half as well as in 2019, when it collected 120.6 billion yuan ($17 billion).
About 43% of its revenue last year came from what the company called digital payment and merchant services. Ant said Alipay handled 118 trillion yuan ($17 trillion) worth of transactions in mainland China in the year to June, and international transactions totaling 622 billion yuan. Alipay charges merchants fees based on a percentage of their transaction volumes, and more than 80 million businesses use its mobile app.
The bulk of Ant’s other revenue came from what it calls its digital finance technology platform, which collects technology-service fees from numerous banks, asset managers and insurance companies that use Alipay to make loans, sell mutual funds, insurance and offer other products to customers.
Ant said its consumer and small-business lending platforms had a 2.1 trillion yuan ($300 billion) credit balance and its wealth management platform facilitated 4.1 trillion ($590 billion) worth of investments as of June 30. Most of the loans have been funded by banks that the company partners with.
During the first half of 2020, Ant said the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns hurt consumption across China, particularly in stores and other offline venues, and negatively affected growth in transaction volumes and the performance of its lending operations. Still, some analysts said big jumps in Ant’s first-half revenue and profits showed the company’s ability to withstand economic shocks.
“The Covid impact didn’t slow them much as expected; instead it provided a boost” to other online transactions and offset disruption in some areas, said Duncan Clark, chairman of BDA China, a business consulting firm, and author of a book about Jack Ma and Alibaba.
Ant’s filing Tuesday flagged regulation in China as a potential risk factor. It said that in 2019, the People’s Bank of China issued a draft regulation on financial-holding companies. It might become subject to that if the central bank moves forward with new rules.
The company has long contended that it is a technology company rather than a financial-services firm, a view that was behind its recent name change.
Ant also noted how geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China have led to a worsening relationship between the two countries, resulting in “intense potential conflicts between the two countries in trade, technology, finance and other areas.” It said this has raised the prospect of increased regulatory challenges or restrictions on Chinese technology companies, including itself and Alibaba in a range of areas.
Two years ago, Ant was valued at $150 billion in a $14 billion fundraising round that drew large checks from both domestic and global investors.
The company’s filings Tuesday listed numerous domestic and foreign institutions as shareholders, including China’s national pension fund and other state-owned institutions; Singapore and Malaysia’s sovereign-wealth funds; units of private-equity firms General Atlantic and Warburg Pincus; the Canada Pension Plan; and mutual-fund managers T. Rowe Price Group Inc., BlackRock Inc. and Fidelity Investments. Some of these investors have significantly marked up the value of Ant shares they hold.
Ant’s coming listing will provide a big boost to China’s nascent STAR Market, which was established a year ago to draw listings from homegrown technology companies. Inside the company, the listing plan has been called “Project Star,” the Journal previously reported.
The company intends to use 30% of its IPO proceeds to expand its user base and on digital services, 40% on innovation, research and development, and the rest on cross-border payment and general corporate use, its filings said. Ant had 16,660 employees at the end of June.
Citigroup Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co, Morgan Stanley and China International Capital Corp. were listed as joint sponsors of Ant’s Hong Kong IPO. CICC and China Securities Co. Ltd. are the joint sponsors of the Shanghai share sale.
Source: Wall Street Journal by Stella Yifan Xie and Jing Yang


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The New York Times Company [$NYT] reported second quarter 2013 earnings 48% below last year's quarter due to severance and other "special" items but digital paid subscriptions rose 40%.
The full results are here: www.nytco.com/pdf/2Q_2013_Earnings.pdf
Despite rising numbers of readers and paid subscriptions, the company continues to struggle as advertising revenues continued to fall again— 6% in this quarter. This is the eighth sequential quarter of declining print and digital advertising revenues.
"Print and digital advertising revenues decreased…largely due to ongoing secular trends and an increasingly complex and fragmented digital advertising marketplace."
Jeff Bercovici, media reporter at Forbes, noted that the good news on digital was not enough.
Digital subscriptions still represent a smallish part of the company’s overall revenue picture — just 15% of circulation revenue and 7.8% of total revenues, which fell 1% in the quarter, to $485 million.
Foremski's Take: More readers, more subscriptions is usually great news for a newspaper however, print and digital advertising continues to fall in value due to what Mark Thompson, president and chief executive officer, calls "ongoing secular trends."
Q1 2013 print and digital advertising fell 13% and 4% respectively, due to "ongoing secular trends."
Q4 2012 print and digital advertising fell 10% and 2% due to "ongoing secular trends."
Q3 2012 print and digital advertising fell 11% and 2% due to "ongoing secular trends."
Q2 2012 print and digital advertising fell 8% and 4%.
Q1 2012 print and digital advertising fell 7% and 10%.
Q4 20011 print and digital advertising fell 8% and 5%.
Q3 2011 print and digital advertising fell 10% and 5%.
There was a time when digital advertising was rising!
Q2 2011 print advertising fell 6% and digital rose 16%!
Q1 2011 print advertising fell 8% and digital rose 5%%!
Q4 2010 print advertising fell 7% and digital rose 11%!
[More results here: New York Times Company : Press : Press Releases]
The "ongoing secular trend" is the media disruption carving its way through the entire industry.
The publisher has to grow faster just to stay in place. Yet it has been praised for its embrace of media technologies and novel forms of reporting.
It's not a good place to be and it's largely because Google has sucked so much value out of the advertising business so that only Google can make money from it.
Even Google is facing a decline in the money it makes from each ad click but it remains hugely profitable because of its scale and because it harvests its content from the Internet and doesn't need to pay editors, reporters, photographers, news bureau rents, etc.
The New York Times still has hopes of turning advertising revenues around. It recently hired Meredith Kopit Levien, chief revenue officer at Forbes, as its new executive vice president of advertising. Does this mean it will adopt the Forbes' Huntington Post-like business model in which it gets free content from "bloggers?"


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BreadcrumbBreadcrumbBreadcrumb Baierautos > Finalizar compra
- Lenovo Tab P11 Plus India Launch Confirmed via Amazon, Teased to Pack MediaTek Helio G90T SoC, 7,700mAh Battery 30 junio 2022Lenovo Tab P11 Plus is set to debut in India soon, according to a recent Amazon listing for the tablet. It was unveiled in select markets last year. As per the Amazon listing, it will feature an 11-inch 2K IPS LCD display and will be powered by the MediaTek Helio G90T SoC.
- North Korea-Linked Lazarus Group Suspect in Recent $100 Million Harmony Theft: Elliptic 30 junio 2022As per a firm that tracks stolen cryptocurrency, North Korean hackers known as the Lazarus Group are suspected to be behind the recent $100 million (roughly Rs. 734 crore) heist on Harmony protocol.
- Masaba Masaba Season 2 Release Date Set as July 29 on Netflix 30 junio 2022Masaba Masaba season 2 release date is set as July 29 on Netflix. The date announcement teaser features Neena Gupa and Masaba Gupta. There’s no word on the number of episodes.
- Electricity Bill Scams Ongoing in India, Fraudsters Looting Lakhs of Rupees By Preying on Consumers 30 junio 2022Electricity scams are at a peak in India as scammers are targeting consumers in various states to trick them into transferring money for continuing their power connection.
- Brazil Proposes to Make USB Type-C Chargers Mandatory for All Smartphones, Launches a Public Consultation 30 junio 2022The National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) of Brazil has started an open public consultation on a proposal to make the adoption of the USB Type-C port mandatory in all smartphones sold in the country. Recently, the European Union reached an agreement mandating all new phones, tablets, and other small electronics sold in the region to use […]
- Motorola X30 Pro Said to Launch Soon in China, Camera Features Teased 30 junio 2022Motorola has announced that it will soon be launching the Motorola X30 Pro in China. The company has also revealed the focal lengths of its three rear cameras.
- Coinbase Enables Staking Benefits for Solana, to Offer Rewards for Staking SOL 30 junio 2022Coinbase will now allow Solana investors to stake their tokens on the company’s network to generate rewards. Coinbase will deduct 25 percent from the rewards as a commission fee and distribute these rewards every three to four days. Staking is a process that involves depositing crypto assets to support a blockchain network and validate transactions.
- Byju’s Lays Off 500 Workers at WhiteHat Jr, Toppr; Sacked Employees Claim Number Higher 30 junio 2022Byju’s announced on Thursday that it has laid off less than 500 workers at WhiteHat Jr and Toppr, as part of efforts to recalibrate its business priorities and accelerate long-term growth. Meanwhile, sacked employees have claimed that 1,100 staff had been retrenched at Toppr alone. The employees also claimed that they got a call from […]
- Samsung’s Bitcoin Mining Chip Enters Trial Production Stage: Reports 30 junio 2022Samsung is reportedly ready to start the trial production of its special Bitcoin mining chip. Chinese firm called PanSemi will reportedly be the first customer of Samsung’s to be purchasing these chips. Qualcomm has also expressed interest in taking advantage of Samsung’s crypto mining offering, tha launch date of which remains unclear.
- Nothing Phone 1 Price Allegedly Revealed on Amazon Germany Website 30 junio 2022Nothing Phone 1 European prices have been leaked. The phone could come in three variants with the base model starting at EUR 469.99 (roughly Rs. 38,750).


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In an unusual move that surprised many, Apple released a developer beta of iOS 13.1 yesterday and then a public beta of 13.1 today. However, a final version of iOS 13 has yet to be released. This is the first time Apple has made a move like this.
The Appel Card has launched and is now available to all users of iPhones with iOS 12.4. The new credit card from Apple and Goldman Sachs can be applied for in the Wallet app with accounts being approved and activated immediately. The physical card takes about a week to reach customers.
Apple has begun wider testing of its subscription game service and some testers area leaking screenshots and video of the games and how the service works. Word is that the service will start at $4.99 per month. It should include about 100 games and work on Macs, iPhones, iPads and Apple TVs, with iCloud syncing game progress across all platforms. You should even be able to download games for offline play and use a variety of controllers.
Apple’s quarterly earnings pleased investors who sent the stock sharply higher in after-hours trading. A revenue mark of $53.8 billion was the best ever for the June quarter. Profits were down because of lower margins, which was expected. Services played a big part in the numbers, offsetting lower iPhone sales which accounted for just less than half of revenue for the first time since 2012.
Updated 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models hit the Apple Store today. The new MacBook Pro includes an 8th-generation processor and is now at a lower base price of $1,299 with a Touch Bar, Touch ID, True Tone screen and T2 security chip. The new MacBook Air also has a True Tone display and a new lower base price of $1,099.
Apple updated Pages, Numbers and Keynote to dot-one versions with new features for macOS and iOS. The updates are available for free in the app stores.
Apple released public beta versions of their two main operating systems today. The developer betas have been available since the Worldwide Developers Conference earlier in the month.
When macOS Mojave included the News, Home, Stock and Voice Memos apps for the first time, a lot of people rejoiced that these standard iOS apps could finally be used on a Mac. But the results were a little disappointing as the apps lacked the look, feel and often features of standard Mac apps. But Craig Federighi, the head of software at Apple, admits that they know about these shortcoming and are planning on fixing them.
The Dashboard, a feature that showed widgets of information over the Desktop or on a deparate space, will no longer be part of macOS start with Catalina later this year. The feature has been around since OS X Tiger in 2005, but was depreciated in Yosemite where it was turned off by default. Some of the same widgets are now available in Notifications Center in recent versions of macOS.
Shortly after the announcement of macOS Catalina and iOS 13, Apple released beta versions to developers. Leaks from these testers have given us more information about the new operating systems.
Are you curious to see whether your Mac, iPhone, iPad or other Apple device will run the new operating systems announced at the WWDC 2019 keynote? Here is the complete run-down of the minimum system you need to run them.
Apple has been feeling the pressure lately from the European Union and class-action lawsuits to open up the iOS App Store or allow alternative marketplaces for apps. In response, Apple has posted a new webpage explaining the principles behind the App Store.
In a surprise, Apple updated the high-end MacBook Pro line with new Intel processors. The most advanced models now have 8-core processors for the first time. Both the 15-inch and 13-inch models are new.
The new TV app introduces a recommendation feature that offers customized show suggestions. There are also new sections for movies, shows, sports and children’s shows, in addition to a navigation bar. A Channels feature allows you to view content from a subscription channel such as HBO, Comedy Central, CBS and Starz.
Bloomberg is speculating that a highlight of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference next month will be major updates to built-in Apple apps. Improvements will come to apps such as Reminders, Messages, Books and Maps. Find My Friends and Find My iPhone may be combined into one app.
Apple reported $2.46 per share in earnings, beating the $2.37 estimate thanks to a new high of $11.5 billion in services revenue. Overall revenue was $58 billion.
Recent generations of MacBook keyboards have been plagued by issues that have had users going back to Apple Stores for repairs. Apple has been replacing keyboards in most cases without much question and quickly, usually within a few days, and even if AppleCare has expired.
Analysts are forecasting a new model of AirPods by the end of the year. Unlike the second-generation AirPods which just arrived weeks ago, the third-generation will have a new form factor and a higher price, while another model may keep the same price and form, but with a new manufacturing process. They may also include noise-canceling.
The fight between Apple and Qualcomm over mobile chip patents has come to an end as the two companies reach a settlement. Apple will make a payment to Qualcomm and license their technology for six years. Qualcomm has been asking Apple for royalty payments on mobile technology patents, while Apple has insisted that Qualcomm has nothing to do with the technologies.


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We all remember opening our McDonald's Happy Meals and wolfing down the food just to get to that awesome plastic toy. But for millions of children, the toy will be replaced by something else: a book.
McDonald's announced this week that they will give out more than 50 million books by the end of 2016 through a partnership with pro-literacy charity Reading Is Fundamental. Every Happy Meal for the next two weeks will have a book inside. Via Mashable:
McDonalds has four books in their line-up, three of them Valentine's Day themed (McDouble your suffering). They are: Clark the Shark Takes Heart by Bruce Hale, Happy Valentine's Day, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond, and Pete the Cat: Valentine's Day Is Cool. The children's classic, Paddington, will also be offered to all the disappointed children to pair with their cheeseburgers.
Studies have shown that access to books is an "instrumental" part of combating illiteracy, and the campaign will give out enough books for every child under the age of 12 in America.
That massive collection of books is actually more than you can find in the largest library in the world, the Library of Congress, which has less than 24 million.
According to Reading Is Fundamental, many parts of America are still struggling with literacy. 65 percent of fourth graders read at or below the basic level, and more than 75 percent of children who are poor readers by third grade fall behind in school and never catch up — so pairing children's books with Happy Meals could have a huge impact.


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The garment wash is a new technology in the garment trade. Normally washing means cleaning something, however, in the garment trade, only cleaning of garments is not the garment wash. Garment washing is a technology, which is applied to change or modify the outlook, appearance, comfortability, and design of garments. Garment washing is applied on solidly dyed garments or solid printed fabric. Bangladesh garments washing industry established in late 90’s and now there are more than 5000 garments washing plant in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Garments Washing Technologist Federation (BGWTF) was established in 2009 to drive the innovation of Bangladesh garments washing industry. It is dedicated to the development for the industry and it is planning to establish a specialized institute for garments washing technology.
BGWTF Founder President and Assistant General Manager of Sterling Laundry Limited Md. Mehedi Hasan gave an interview with the Textile Today’s Industry Correspondent Md. Masudur Rahman. The report is created based on their discussion.
Bangladesh garments washing sector
“Abundance of fresh water is the main catalyst to establish garments washing plant in Bangladesh. However supply of gas and electricity form government and cheap labor are also spurred entrepreneur and investors joining this division,” said Mr. Mehedi.
In the very beginning of this sector, textile technologist did not pay much attention to the washing sector seeming that it just a laborious laundry work. So since its inception, foreign experts from Turkey, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India got engaged in this sector and taught our people washing technologies. Very few local textile technologists are involved in this sector so the majority of the manpower was non-specialized. “Since 2005 specialized textile individuals began to join the washing sector, from then the industry got a huge acceleration and now became fast growing and value adding industry,” Mr. Mehedi added.
“Day by day our local textile engineers gathered experience and now they are running numerous washing project successfully. Most of the wash technicians in the buying house are Bangladeshi, gradually we are replacing foreign experts with our capabilities,” he explained.
Garments washing is the sector where innovation is a must. A washed product could add 100 times more profit than ordinary product. “The common practice of Bangladesh is to copy buyer’s module, but it will not help us become competitive. It is high time to concentrate on own development. While few factories are developing their own development but others are lag behind it,” said Mr. Mehedi.
BGWTF inspires Bangladeshi manufacturers to work for their own development. Each year it organizes an exhibition where factories get an opportunity to exhibit their own development. Last year more than 60 new developments were submitted from them while three of them got rewarded.
“Washing plants should put more emphasis on R&D. Dedicated washing technologists, fashion designers, lab support is must to bring innovation to the factory,” Mr. Mehedi emphasized.
BGWTF, a dedicated name for the garments washing industry
BGWTF started its journey from 2009 as a non- profit, non- political charitable foundation. The mission of this foundation is to share technical solution regarding garments washing and to help the members through charitable activities.
Mr. Mehedi explained how to solve the washing technical problem. “We have a group in social media where members upload the garments body image and specification and indicate the problem they are facing. Our experts analyze the problems and give solutions. Members could also contact the experts for further assistant.”
BGWTF also arranges technical training for the members and for the manpower to sharpen their knowledge. They also arrange training for the chemical use and safety for the workers. “Garments washing consumes a vast amount of chemical. If the workers are not aware about the chemical using methods and its effect they will suffer from fatal diseases including cancer,” said Mr. Mehedi.
The foundation also provides a financial fund to help the members in their needs. “When Rana Plaza collapsed we responded, we responded while our members got hospitalized,” Mr. Mehedi added.
Each year on 1 May, BGWTF arranges an annual general meeting where a roundtable discussion panel is arranged on washing technical issue and also exhibits factory’s own wash development.


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Vodafone bogged-down by mobile termination fee cuts
Western Australia gets controversial iVote software
Holden prepares to launch connected cars in Australia
'Patcher' ransomware locks macOS files for good
MYOB splashes $48m on Paycorp
Don't have an account? Register now!
Banks call for end to regulatory burden on technology
Want room to innovate.
Apr 9 2014 6:43AM
ISPs put on notice to fix the big issues
No longer enough to shower customers with service credits.
Jan 8 2014 1:30PM
Labor targets space, spatial sectors
Partnership created in Canberra.
Aug 29 2013 12:50PM
Vic Govt appoints tech advocate
Former SA Govt CIO to deliver state strategy.
Mar 6 2013 12:46PM
NSW Govt reshuffles ICT advisory panel
Analyst representatives swapped, two new additions.
Dec 14 2012 12:56PM
Ombudsman reports fewer iiNet, Telstra, TPG complaints
Industry improvement let down by mobile telcos.
Oct 29 2012 11:26AM
iiTrial: Court mulls 'partially effective' ISP warnings
iiNet, APRA have their day in High Court.
Dec 1 2011 6:26PM
Aussie IT staff working later hours
Survey finds an industry of ageing male workaholics.
Oct 28 2011 2:50PM
iiTrial heads to High Court hearings in December
Oct 4 2011 3:24PM
Japan's defence industry hit by its first cyber attack
Eight virus types found on 80 computers.
Sep 20 2011 7:14AM
Stop the finger-pointing
Time to get on with the job.
Sep 1 2011 1:47PM
Copyright 'lobbynomics' found to stifle innovation
Digital Copyright Exchange idea floated in Britain.
May 23 2011 7:36AM
Thodey calls for united front in telco land
Not a lobby group, just a neutral voice.
Mar 29 2011 11:21AM
Users not to blame for failure of policy fads
It's too easy for the information security industry to shift the blame to those who shouldn't have to know better.
Mar 10 2011 1:09PM
Rights group eyes ISP anti-piracy roundtable
Seeks resumption of talks on industry code.
Mar 3 2011 11:49AM
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Feb 18 2011 6:18AM
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Push for industry standards.
Oct 29 2010 11:44AM
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Too much fragmentation.
Oct 20 2010 2:31PM
Industry ‘relieved’ over NBN
Gillard welcomed but changes needed.
Sep 7 2010 8:31PM
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New barrister named.
Jul 29 2010 1:17PM
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Facebook is reportedly unable to account for much of the personal user data under its ownership, including what it is being used for and where it’s located, according to an internal report leaked to Motherboard.
Privacy engineers on Facebook’s Ad and Business Product team wrote the report last year, intending it to be read by the company’s leadership. It detailed how Facebook could address a growing number of data usage regulations. The report’s authors described a platform often in the dark about the personal data of its estimated 1.9 billion users.
The engineers warned that Facebook would have difficulty making promises to countries on how it would treat the data of its citizens. Facebook’s main obstacle to tracking down user data appears to be the company’s lack of “closed-form” systems, the report states. In other words, the company’s data systems have “open borders” that mix together first-party user data, third-party user data and sensitive data.


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Lemonade, an insurtech that started out in renter's and homeowner's insurance and has since expanded to term life and pet coverage, plans to dive into the equally crowded and deep auto insurance market this year.
Lemonade Car "will use technology to handle emergencies and pay claims fast, will offer great prices to safe drivers, and will be especially attractive to drivers of EVs and environment-friendly cars," says COO Shai Wininger in a statement announcing the pending launch.
While the product isn't yet live, the company is offering interested policyholders early registration, product updates, and a "behind-the-scenes" look at the finishing touches at lemonade.com/car.
Nathan Golia in DigitalInsurer 20th April 2021
Two companies that combine data mastery, innovation and the application of AI and human intuition to establish disruptive business models. Tesla, which plans to offer insurance with claims and repair services and Lemonade adding auto insurance to its portfolio.
Lemonade focussed on electric vehicles and Tesla nothing but electric vehicles and the most advanced when it comes to autonomous vehicles and hardware/software platforms.
This week's Economist ran a relevant article: - New means of getting from A to B are disrupting car making
"In the 1980s and 1990s the likes of General Motors (gm) and Toyota boasted some of the world’s richest market capitalisations. When it came to getting around town, nothing beat the automobile.
Today the picture looks different. Of the five most valuable firms in the moving-people-around business only two, Toyota of Japan and Volkswagen of Germany, are established carmakers. Ahead of everyone by a country mile is Tesla, an American company that has disrupted the car industry by turning electric vehicles from an unsightly curiosity (remember the g-wiz?) into a serious challenger to the internal combustion engine. Rounding off the top five are not carmakers at all but Uber, an American ride-hailing giant worth over $100bn, and Didi Chuxing, a Chinese one that on April 10th was reported to have filed confidentially to go public in New York and hopes for a similar valuation.
After being slow to react to the threat from Tesla, legacy carmakers are—just about—getting to grips with electrification. Now another disruption lurks around the corner. Changing habits and technology are forcing car companies to rethink how their products are sold, used and owned. In a sign of the times, the boss of Volkswagen, Herbert Diess, concedes that “ownership is not necessarily what you want. You want a car when you need a car.”
It is anything but a slam dunk that auto- manufacturers will be in the lead of evolving ecosystems.
That will also impact insurers whether Lemonade or traditional auto insurers.
Watch this space!
"I wouldn’t count Lemonade out in car insurance," says Mark Breading, partner at Strategy Meets Action. "They have a customer base they can cross-sell to, and I can understand why they would want to continue to expand into new states and new lines."


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Apple has added Chinese electronic components producer BOE Technology to its list of suppliers for the latest iPhone display, providing a major boost to Beijing’s tech ambitions and adding pressure on Samsung, the current fo-to display supplier for Apple.
The Beijing-based display maker has already been supplying a small number of OLED panels for the 6.1″ non-Pro iPhone 13 model since September but is now expected to increase the shipments soon, if the final verification process that will mostly focus on the durability of the screens is done with, as per Nikkei Asia’s reports.
This supply from BOE was limited to repaired and refurbished iPhones but Apple now appears to be keen on expanding it to new iPhones as well. Although only the more affordable models will be getting it for now.
An executive source with knowledge of the matter made the following statement, “It is in the process of final testing, but based on the results of earlier samples, BOE should have no problem passing the tests, the foundation of the collaboration between Apple and BOE is based on their previous project on the iPhone 12, and both Apple and BOE want this to happen soon.”
BOE will initially be splitting orders with Samsung for the 6.1″ display iPhone 13, making up about 20% of the units. However, the company aims to raise that figure to 40% under the most optimistic scenario.
The BOE OLED displays for the iPhone 13 are being manufactured at the Mian Yang complex in Sichuan Province where the company is already producing the same for Huawei, Honor, Xiaomi, and Vivo.
BOE’s breakthrough will add to the pressure on LG Display and Samsung Display, especially the latter, which has dominated the supply of OLEDs for iPhones since 2017.
A third manufacturer under Apple will grant the company greater bargaining power over its South Korean suppliers.
BOE already makes LCD displays for the Apple iPad but has been trying for years to break into iPhone’s supply chain with limited success, but that is beginning to change now.


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Ubisoft have announced 3 titles that will come this year, ubisoft said today. The fiscal year spands from April 1st to March 31st 2016.
Specifically they confirmed Rainbow 6: Siege, the new Assassin’s Creed game and The Division. We can expect more games to come from Ubisoft this fiscal year aswell. For now these are the three games we can expect to come from Ubisoft this year.
The CEO of Ubisoft also admitted that Watch_Dogs had problems. Saying they want to get the relevant information as early as possible. That way they can be sure that the game will ship at the correct date. He also said that he didn’t want any risk.
Ubisoft has been under fire for the state that Asssassin’s Creed Unity was when it was released. It needed several patches to work properly.


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The global market of public cloud services is expected to reach a staggering $186.4 billion this 2018, a 21% growth from last year according to Garner, an American research firm. China is no exception to this rise with a dynamic market seen to be the largest for public cloud services in the Asia Pacific (except Japan) this 2018:
Overall, Chinese firms are dominating the market. They are leaders in each of the four key market segments: data center hardware/software, cloud computing services, colocation and CDN.
In 2016, the Infrastructure-as-a-Service is estimated to reach almost $1.5 billion US dollar. Alibaba Cloud was the leader in the Chinese public cloud market (IaaS) with a share of over 40% just itself far ahead of others main providers who are competing to fill the top 3 position:
The regulative market of China has spared the local companies from direct competition of global heavyweights which allows them to rise calmly. They are now attempting to reach new markets outside of China but only Alibaba Cloud has made a significant move in building a name in the global market with an investment of 1 billion USD in 2015 for global expansion.
Alibaba Cloud branch experienced huge growth and announced a 533$ million in revenue for its Q3 earnings, a 104% increase from last year. It recently ranked 5th in the Cloud Infrastructure Market Share report enjoying between 3% and 4% of global market share.
Despite the significant gap with the leader Amazon, it is noticeable that Alibaba is no longer lumped among the Next 10 but is instead considerate as a main player.
Alibaba and Tencent account for nearly half of the market share and are predicted to keep the big pie for the next 3 years. Their revenues will also rise steadily reaching over $10.5 billion for AliCloud and $2.8 billion for Tencent, accounting 10% and 3% of their global revenue respectively compare to their current 3% and 1%.
As Chinese companies are trying to go global, meanwhile global firms mostly from the US are also targeting the huge market opportunity of China as even small shares in the market can lead to huge revenue number.
Among top foreign companies, a survey from Morgan Stanley shows that IBM, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft's Azure are the 3 main providers of public cloud in mainland China. IBM stands out in public cloud, ahead of others supposedly due to its role as a supplier of mainframe and related software to major Chinese companies and government agencies.
Overall, we can notice the top 4 firms share over 62% of the whole market and 80% of the revenue goes to local companies which leaves little to the others. Nevertheless, foreign companies are eager to operate in the Chinese market despite the little prize to share and the steep price for doing business in China. All global international cloud providers must cooperate with domestic service providers or technology licensing to operate in China. As a result of the regulation:
China still has a complex regulatory environment with intense local competition. However, the market opportunity is such attractive to a point foreign firms are willing to invest heavily in the cloud sector and take necessary measures to be compliant. Massive investments from both public and private actors also support this trends as it enables higher speed connection in remote area and better wireless connectivity in the whole country which enhance the rising cloud adoption in China.


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Chinese companies investing in technology development through acquisitions
New opportunities for German firms through Chinese investments
Sany acquired German mid-sized company Putzmeister, a leading manufacturer of concrete pumps, to become a world leader in heavy machinery. Lenovo took over the electronics company Medion. Weichai Power bought a stake in Kion, one of the world’s biggest forklift truck manufacturers. The list of Chinese companies that have recently bought German firms outright or acquired a stake in them is long. By realizing an opportunity in the midst of the economic and financial crisis, they have been have made a change towards medium-sized technology and market leaders.
But up to now, no-one has been able to pinpoint the motives behind the Chinese investment strategy. Researchers from TUM and analysts from the Munich Innovation Group decided to investigate the approach of 50 Chinese companies in a study entitled “China is investing”. They focused on the electronics, mechanical engineering and regenerative energy sectors as well as international conglomerates. Given that the companies themselves release very little information, the researchers mostly relied on economic databases, commercial register entries and patent applications. The latter source proved particularly revealing. For example, by studying the geographical distribution of patent applications, the researchers could draw conclusions on the target markets. And when a Chinese parent company and its German subsidiary jointly file an application, it can be assumed that a joint development project is underway.
The research team found that the Chinese acquisition and shareholding strategies were broadly similar across all the sectors investigated.
Access to advanced German technology
The Chinese companies examined in the study were all seeking high-value intellectual property. But there were only rare cases of the new owners relocating the know-how to Asia. Instead, more than 75 percent of them chose to strengthen the German research and development departments. In many cases, the German management team was retained.
Enlarging product portfolios
The acquisitions enabled around half of the companies to add new technologies to their product portfolio. Some of the Chinese investments were prompted by a desire to extend the buyer’s value chain by integrating upstream or downstream development and production steps.
Securing market position
Bolstered by an improved product portfolio, Chinese companies in the mechanical engineering and electronics industries in particular are seeking to strengthen their position on the Chinese market. But they also have their sights set on the German and European markets: The new owners are using their acquisitions to extend their research and development capabilities, establish new sales locations and expand their customer and logistics networks.
Strategic foothold in Europe
Some Chinese companies are less concerned about transferring intellectual property or building up their business in Europe. They are more interested in the opportunity to observe and gain insights into the European and US markets. Finally, another motive for acquiring German locations may to avoid the EU’s customs and import regulations.
“Acquisitions by Chinese companies do not pose a threat per se,” explains Prof. Isabell Welpe of TUM’s Chair for Strategy and Organization. “In many cases, the experience has been a very positive one for the German companies involved. The investors’ strong financial footing has helped them safeguard jobs and production capacities, advance the development of their technologies and gain access to the Asian market.”
Overview of sectors, company profiles and further information (only available in German)
Previous study entitled “Chinese Champions”
Last year, the researchers analyzed the situation of Chinese market leaders. The study found that Chinese companies are investing heavily in research and development. At the same time, they are focusing much more on international markets and increasingly safeguarding their inventions by filing patent applications.


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Being world’s most popular dating app, Tinder has millions of its regular users over the globe. The app is designed for the teens of the United States which is now available worldwide and the world’s people are using this app here and there. Tinder has become an app to date someone which has no reputation. However, there are millions of its regular users around the world who are always expecting something new. Tinder is adding Geo-location and AI-based location system to your app.
The overall data says the number of this app is lowering day by day which makes the app unpopular. There are many other dating apps available and people have converted themselves towards the new apps recently. This makes the Tinder app unpopular day by day, however it still has got enough users who are happily using this app to find their love around.
For the very same reason, Tinder is planning to add two new useful features to this app, Geo-Location and AI-based location services to your Tinder app.
As per the official words, Tinder’s this update will “blur lines between the physical and digital world for dating.” This feature will definitely add some more number of users to its bucket.
There is no information on how you can make use of this new location-based system and how it will affect on the overall Tinder-experience, as the CEO didn’t reveal anything about the actual functionality of this app. However, this new UI of the Tinder app will add “a rich dynamic content experience bringing you deep into the activities of the people you’ve already matched with.” The new update of this app will arrive in the early 2018.
Since everyone is looking for some premium features to use on the phones within the apps, this might be a call of investors by the company. They may come up with some premium plans which can be used only by the people who own a Pro version of the Tinder app. There might be a new section of sponsored data locations to the app which is yet to be disclosed by the CEO.
The CEO has said that, “Until now, Tinder has basically been a swiping machine. It’s effective and simple but ultimately limited.” Since the same company owns a couple of such dating apps, the future of Tinder looks very bright by introducing this new geolocation and AI-powered location services to the app. Additionally, the CEO didn’t speak about the availability of these new features to which app of Tinder, a free version or a Gold version.
Further, he added that, if you have been using this app for a long time, you will see significant changes to the original User Interface of the Tinder app. You will see a whole new UI of this app with a bunch of new activities you can try out.
The CEO has guided us through the geolocation features, however we don’t know anything about the AI feature. There is no any details about this new AI feature to the original Tinder app. However, they will soon come up with an official statement regarding the new features and a new update to the existing app.
As per the earning reports, the company has said that, there are millions of people of the free Tinder app who have converted themselves into the premium users. So you would be happy to know that, Tinder is not dead yet, instead the app is gaining more popularity.


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Decrypt’s Art, Fashion, and Entertainment Hub.
The ICO has come under a lot of scrutiny recently. In America, the SEC has tried to make startups who raised money via an initial coin offering return the cash to investors. The problem? The lack of a legal definition over whether a token is a security or a commodity has caused friction in the community.
Can the STO solve the problem? We find out below.
What is an STO?
STO stands for Security Token Offering. It’s a new, more regulator-friendly alternative to an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) that enables a business to sell shares of its company in the form of a tokenized asset. In an STO, investors purchase security tokens that represent an ownership stake in a company, like a traditional stock.
What’s the difference between an ICO and an STO?
An ICO allows a company to raise money by selling a “utility token,” which provides investors with access to certain products or services, without giving away a piece of its business.
An STO allows a company to raise money by selling a “security token,” which represents an ownership stake in the company and may provide voting rights to the token holder.
ICOs are typically reserved for blockchain companies, since the utility tokens being sold must have a specific use within the company’s ecosystem or on its platform.
Security Token Offerings can be used by any company, since security tokens can be sold as shares of a business even if the business does not make use of blockchain technology.
ICOs have generally been open to any and all investors who meet an individualized set of guidelines outside of a standardized regulatory framework.
STOs meanwhile, are geared toward institutional and accredited investors and are designed to satisfy the requirements of global regulatory bodies, like the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Why are companies switching gears?
From a regulatory standpoint, the SEC has said it views nearly all tokenized assets, with rare exception, as securities.
Recently, companies that sold their tokens as “utility tokens” through an ICO, without registering these assets as securities with the SEC, have been forced to pay penalties and refund investors.
Unless a company can make a clear-cut case for its token being classified and sold as a “utility token,” like Civil. many companies are turning away from ICOs in favor of STOs to avoid running afoul of SEC regulations.
So far, fundraising for blockchain companies has largely been unregulated. In future, that's going to need to change. There has been an evolution in the legal definition of tokens and many believe Security Token Offerings are a step in the right direction.


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GLOBAL AND LOCAL MOTOR INDUSTRIES IN TURMOIL
The motor industry is in turmoil, whether it is globally or right here in South Africa. Globally the credibility, trustworthiness and honesty of the industry is being questioned, with reports of cheating on emissions, corruption, collusion, and safety recalls appearing virtually daily in the media – while here in South Africa the governing party is putting pressure on the industry to speed up the rate of transformation – in all its aspects.
Then there are big questions about electric cars, autonomous driving and car-sharing which are taking up huge amounts of the working day of motor industry employees from senior executives to a host of specialist task teams as they try to figure out priorities and the likelihood of various scenarios coming to fruition.
Then there is the threat of Tesla, a start-up company upstaging the “establishment” despite huge debt and big question marks whether it can ramp up production to meet demand. However, the major motor companies are taking on this rival and they have huge resources to back the electric cars that they are starting to roll out in first world countries.
There are other disrupters too, such as as the arrival of Uber and similar companies, ambitious plans for overall urban mobility as well as rapid growth in the mushrooming digital world, where the buzzwords include subjects like “artificial intelligence” and “connectivity.” They are already affecting the cars we buy and the way we buy and sell things, with a big impact on motor retailers.
It is certainly not a time when motor companies can confidently draw up five- and 10-year plans; they basically live by the seat of their pants and need to be able to adapt quickly to rapidly changing circumstances.
All these changes, current, future and imagined, are putting pressure on the automotive aftermarket too, not only in the way they do business, but also in terms of the shortage of qualified technical staff or people prepared to follow a technical career, working with their hands.
Then, here in South Africa there is a need to transform the motor industry and several proposals are on the table to speed up this aspect of the business. Serious negotiations are currently underway between the motor manufacturers, component makers and the Department of Trade and Industry with the ANC wanting to be able to put concrete proposals on the table at its elective conference at the end of the year.
The major proposal being put forward by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) is the creation of a R3.5-billion transformation fund which would, in turn, allocate funds to black ownership in the motor industry supply chain and the vehicle dealership network. Mike Whitfield, the president of NAAMSA, said in a recent interview that everyone the industry had interacted with in government about the initiative had “been very positive” about it.
In the meantime, the sluggish economy, and flat markets in terms of vehicle sales are resulting in motorists keeping their current cars for longer, which is good news for the automotive aftermarket.
However, where the big challenge is going to come for the local motor industry is to guess which of the new technologies such as electric cars and autonomous driving will come to a country like South Africa where we don’t even have fuel of a good enough quality to permit the use of the latest engine technology. There is also currently no timeline for upgrading local refineries, which will be extremely costly.
Looking at the practical implications it seems that emerging countries like South Africa may well have a smattering of the latest technology but most of our four-wheel transport is likely to continue with internal combustion engines, and vehicles very much like those we have at present.
However, even these present vehicles incorporate high technology components such as computer-controlled, turbocharged engines and transmissions, which can be very expensive to repair when they go wrong. So, the challenge for the local automotive aftermarket is to be able to keep these cars and bakkies on the road after warranties expire and in line with the widely varying levels of their income that owners can afford to spend on maintaining or repairing their vehicles.


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The world’s largest independent McDonald’s franchisee, Arcos Dorados, operates the most extensive quick-service restaurant chain in Latin America and the Caribbean. The company and its sub-franchisees operate around 7% of McDonald’s locations worldwide. That translates into more than 2,250 restaurants in 20 countries with over 100,000 employees.
Arcos Dorados is committed to making significant contributions to the U.N.’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Along with McDonald’s, the company has long been a world leader in sustainability for the fast-food industry. Both entities continuously push the boundaries of how restaurants in the sector can reduce their environmental impact.
Arcos Dorados has also devoted considerable resources to the development of communities in which it operates. It provides scores of young people with their first formal job opportunities and uses its “Scale for Good” initiative to achieve positive impacts in sustainable sourcing, climate change, circular economy, family and wellness.
As part of its quest to replace restaurant materials with similar, more sustainable ones, Arcos Dorados announced in late 2020 it was teaming up with UBQ to begin producing trays with UBQ’s climate-positive material. The collaboration expands what Arcos Dorados considers its responsibility to care for the environment and do good for society.
“The partnership with UBQ is another step in our commitment to sustainability, as it allows us to replace materials within our operations with similar ones whose ultimate carbon emissions are zero,” says Gabriel Serber, Director of Social Commitment and Sustainable Development for Arcos Dorados. That’s in line with the franchise’s global goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 36% in restaurants and offices and by 31% throughout the supply chain by 2030.
Arcos Dorados implemented its Circular Economy strategy [LCDSL2] with a plastics reduction program in 2018, and since that time it estimates it has removed over 1.3 tons of the material from its operations. As part of its sustainability efforts, the company wanted to find a way to tackle Latin America’s well-documented urban waste problem, where at least a third of all waste generated ends up in open dumps or the environment, polluting the local water, soil, and air.
UN Environment has urged countries to progressively close the dumpsites, which put people’s health at risk and threaten to damage agriculture, tourism, and other industries. The region has made progress, but more than 35,000 tons of waste remain uncollected each day. Latin American countries also face serious challenges in transitioning to a circular economy. Only 10% of the waste they produce is being reused through recycling or other recovery techniques.
When Arcos Dorados heard UBQ had created its sustainable thermoplastic in a process that used unsorted residual waste, composed of things like banana peels, cardboard, dirty plastics, and baby diapers, it saw an opportunity for incentivizing its suppliers to use UBQ™ material in products that did not involve food contact. The initial idea was to have the two manufacturers who produced the franchisee’s trays incorporate UBQ™ material into their product line. Unhappy with the small percentage of UBQ™ material used for the first batch of trays, McDonald’s pushed to increase the amount to 12.5%.
The success of their first collaboration has Arcos Dorados anxious to find additional opportunities for incorporating UBQ™ material into its supply chain. The franchisee looks forward to an on-going relationship with the facilitator of one of the world’s most innovative—and climate-positive—thermoplastic materials.
Achieving a circular economy is one of Arcos Dorados’ strategic pillars. The company has developed several pilot projects, including one that recycles vegetable oil to be reused as biodiesel. It considers its partnership with UBQ a starting point to boosting its circular economy goals and at least two of its principles: designing out waste and keeping products and materials in use.
Arcos Dorados and UBQ needed to find a way to bring the franchisee’s sustainable visions to life. The primary challenge was finding scalable, innovative solutions that considered both the consumer and the system within which the initiative exists, while also educating consumers on how they can act positively to improve the environment.
As of early 2021, 18,000 McDonald’s trays using Israeli-made UBQ™ material have been produced and will be used in 30 cities in 20 Brazilian restaurants. The trays are made out of 75% recycled PP, 12.5% virgin PP, and 12.5% UBQ™. The appearance, texture, and strength of the new trays are the same as the non-UBQ™ ones.
The trays’ production has diverted 994 kg of waste that would have otherwise been dumped in landfills and has avoided an estimated 3,251 kg CO₂eq (GWP100). Moving forward, Arcos Dorados has announced that 100% of their trays will be manufactured with the innovative thermoplastic. The trays are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the planned partnership and activities between McDonald’s, Arcos Dorados and UBQ. There is a full UBQ™ product line in development.
For Arcos Dorados, its partnership with UBQ supports other SDG-related sustainable initiatives the franchisee is involved in, such as energy efficiency projects like installing LED lighting and advanced air conditioning methods. The company also uses its restaurants as “information, education, and training centers” for its communities. Together, Arcos Dorados and UBQ can have a real, sustainable impact, transforming the way society both views and recycles its waste, including organics.