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August 4, 2011
Apple’s secrecy is legendary especially when it comes to releasing new iDevices. Still, there are subtle signs that suggest the iPhone 5 and iOS 5 are coming very soon. Case in point, Apple recently began approving apps that are compliant with the next iOS release, according to news first reported by Cult Of Mac. While Apple so far has denied a new iPhone is coming and will only say iOS 5 is coming "this fall," all you have to do is check the App Store to know something big is coming. For example, in recent days both the Camera+ and Mashable! iPhone/iPod touch apps have been updated to work with the next version of iOS. According to the What's New section in iTunes for Camera+, the 2.3 Version update includes "compatibility with that upcoming OS That Must Not Be Named." Mashable's message is a lot clearer, stating that Version 1.5.4. of its app is for "iOS 5 compatibility."
The approval of these updates could suggest that the public release of iOS 5 isn’t too far away, and could launch as early as next month alongside that much-anticipated iPhone 5. The iOS 5 beta is currently on its fourth release with developers, and while the software still suffers a number of minor issues that will need ironing out, there doesn’t seem to be anything major left for Apple to work on.Apple wouldn’t be approving apps for an iOS that wasn’t close to being released to the general public. As such, we can probably expect both the iPhone 5 and iOS 5 very soon. In the meantime, let us know when you see other apps getting updated for iOS 5. We’d be happy to know.
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Colt Defense Partners with Leading Manufacturer Representatives to Grow Law Enforcement and Commercial Channels
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Colt Defense LLC, one of the world’s leading designers, developers, and manufacturers of rifles and carbines, today announced it has partnered with three of the most well respected and experienced manufacturer representatives to meet the needs of law enforcement professionals, commercial distributors and dealers. Proactive Sales and Marketing, Jim Ferry and Associates, and Schueler, LaFond and Associates will work with clients in both the public and private sectors effective July 1st 2011.
“Since 1836, Colt has welcomed its industry leadership position in developing long guns that meet or exceed the requirements of the military, law enforcement, hunters and sportsmen alike,” said David Ridley, vice president, Colt Defense LLC. “We continue that tradition by taking the first of many steps in addressing the needs of today’s marketplace.”
The manufacturer representatives will showcase Colt’s longstanding rifle product line as well as drive Colt’s newest and most innovative products to the forefront of the market. These new rifle products will include monolithic platforms, piston-operated systems and multi-caliber, interchangeable platforms.
“The product and industry expertise of our manufacturer representatives is unparalleled,” added Ridley. “Combined with Colt’s industry leadership in product innovation, we are now more capable than ever to service the law enforcement community and the discerning commercial consumer.”
About Colt Defense LLC
Colt Defense LLC is one of the world’s leading designers, developers and manufacturers of small arms weapons systems. The Company has supplied military, law enforcement and individual customers throughout the world for 175 years. Our subsidiary, Colt Canada Corporation, is the Canadian government’s Center of Excellence for small arms and is the Canadian military’s sole supplier of the C7 rifle and C8 carbine. The Company maintains manufacturing facilities in West Hartford, Connecticut and Kitchener, Ontario. For more information on Colt Defense LLC and its subsidiaries please visit www.colt.com.

domain: news


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Noosa begins $5 million expansion of Bellvue facility
Noosa Finest Yoghurt, the Australian answer to that thick and protein-rich Greek variety, has begun work on a new 30,000-square-foot addition that will more than double the size of its facility at Morning Fresh Dairy Farm in Bellvue.
The expansion is Noosa’s second in less than a year and a half. In October 2012, Noosa built a 25,000-square-foot addition to the “tiny, little space” it had operated in since 2010, Chief Operating Officer Wade Groetsch said.
Then, already this fall, Noosa needed to replace its year-old machinery with new equipment.
“We’ve had to upgrade speeds to keep up with market expansion,” Groetsch said.
In addition to even more equipment, the new space will create room for more cold storage. Later this year, yet another addition will add room for dry storage, a warehouse and office space.
“One adds on to another,” Groetsch said. “It’s a vicious cycle.”
But vicious wouldn’t exactly be the word for a company that has seen more than 100 percent growth since April 2012, when Groetsch joined the team. At that time, Noosa employed just 18 workers in Bellvue. Now the company’s payroll is up to 68.
“Are we going to grow that much again? No. But there will be additional positions,” Groetsch said.
According to Groetsch, Noosa’s year-over-year growth outpaces any other privately owned yogurt company. The Australian yoghurt has been growing faster than Greek-style Chobani or American giants Yoplait and Dannon, he said. Behind those three, Noosa is now the fourth-largest yogurt in the Denver market, Groetsch said.
Outside of Colorado, the yogurt is most popular in cities such as San Francisco, Minneapolis and Chicago. Groetsch said there is still room for distribution along the coasts.
“Most of the really big growth opportunities for us are in the Northeast,” Groetsch said. “We’re not in all of the major players there.”
Amid all the expansion, Groetsch said the company stays true to its Northern Colorado roots. Morning Fresh, Noosa’s family-owned milk supplier, is also expanding, adding a new milking operation and growing its herd.
“I think we’ve figured out how to establish a niche in the market that we’ve come in and created,” Groetsch said. “That niche seems to be getting some real momentum behind it. ... We’re going to keep trying to stay ahead of the curve.”


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|Bid||3.2800 x 0|
|Ask||3.3000 x 0|
|Day's Range||3.2300 - 3.3300|
|52 Week Range||2.6600 - 4.9000|
|Beta (5Y Monthly)||2.24|
|PE Ratio (TTM)||13.20|
|Earnings Date||Feb 22, 2023|
|Forward Dividend & Yield||N/A (N/A)|
|Ex-Dividend Date||Dec 29, 2015|
|1y Target Est||5.95|
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - January 6, 2023) - Trican Well Service Ltd. (TSX: TCW) ("Trican" or the "Company") intends to release its Fourth Quarter and Year-End 2022 results on Wednesday, February 22, 2023 after the close of the market. The Company will host a conference call on Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. MT (12:00 p.m. ET) to discuss its results for the 2022 Fourth Quarter and Year-End.To listen to the webcast of ...
It might seem bad, but the worst that can happen when you buy a stock (without leverage) is that its share price goes...
Trican Well Service's (TSE:TCW) stock is up by a considerable 11% over the past month. Given the company's impressive...


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Do you have enough saved for retirement? In many cases especially for those who ought to be closest to the milestone, the answer is no. A new study found over a million people are set to retire on less than £9,500 a year. For more information, Nigel People from the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association joined Georgie on the line.
How would you apologise to someone? There is no better way to say you're sorry than by buying a gift. However, this easing of conscience can rack up quite the price tag. We spend on average of £111 a year on apologising. With that being expensive, wouldn't an apology or making a nice meal be cheaper and perhaps go a long way? Well, to find out, Georgie was joined in the studio by Abigail Sutton from TopCashback.co.uk.
Some analysts have suggested the favoured "castle approach", the act of building up security measures to stop threats from getting in from the outside, is outdated because most breaches occur from within. Scottish cyber security software specialist ZoneFox is one company using machine-learning to monitor internal business computer activity and flag up threats. Matt Cox spoke to Dr Jamie Graves, the CEO of ZoneFox, to find out more.
Georgie Frost is joined in the studio by Hannah Maundrell editor in chief of money.co.uk. On the agenda today, they discuss the big story of the day, GB Energy Supply customers are being re-assured their money is safe, and they won't be cut off, after the company announced it's gone bust. Elsewhere, high street footfall was up nearly three per cent on Friday compared to last year giving retailers a much-needed boost. Plus, thirty million people could have to work until they are 70 before claiming the state pension. All these stories and more on The News Review.
Every year since 2001, the British public and a self-appointed CoolBrands Council have voted for the UK's coolest brands. Apple tops the list with the Glastonbury Festival in second. But is this list anything to go by, or is it just a gimmick? Adrian Day, a brand and communications consultant, who’s also Non-Executive Director of Adrian Day Advisors, joined Share Radio to discuss the concept of a cool brand.
Brendan Mooney, CEO of Kainos, joined Share Radio Breakfast to discuss the company’s latest interim results. Kainos is a UK-based provider of digital services and products for the public and private sector, and it does a lot of work with government through its digital services offering. So how did it perform and how is life as a listed company, having IPO’d in June 2015?
On Sunday, Italian voters will go to the polls in a referendum on whether to curb the powers of the senate. The polls suggest Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who has promised to resign in the case of a No Vote, is on course to lose. As Italy's fragile banking sector struggles to stay afloat, a change of government, which could see the populist anti-EU Five Star Movement elected, will have severe repercussions for the Italian economy and the Eurozone. Robert Van Egghen reports.
A number of companies which provide VPN's (Virtual Private Networks), or encryption services, are reporting a growth in the number of UK customers. One catalyst for this increased interest is the Investigatory Powers Bill. This will oblige internet providers to record which websites and services their user’s devices connect to. As a result, some UK based users are choosing to use tech companies which can hide their browsing habits. Matt Cox has been hearing more from tech consultant, Chris Green.
For many the thought of living forever is one of science fiction, but it was recently brought to reality with the news of a 14 year-old cancer sufferer whose dying wish was to be cryogenically frozen in the hope a cure would bring her back to life in the future. There has been plenty of debate around the emotional, financial and ethical questions of Cryonics, but where does faith come into it? To answer this, Marc is joined by Reverend Mark Woods and Rabbi Benjy Rickman
Linda meets the team at GapCap, an easy, fast and flexible cashflow solution, facilitating growth for SMEs, by providing capital to fund the gap between what companies are selling and the day the money arrives in the bank
Thousands of podcasts covering politics, economics, philosophy and entertainment, plus unlimited online radio including some great folk music (instrumental) - all free of charge, and practically no ads!


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Get out your rainbow costumes out for pride month!
According to the Fierté Montréal website, there are only 42 days before the Pride Parade! Tired of waiting? Good thing this month was pride month! There are thousands of ways of celebrating Pride. You can start by putting on a rainbow costume to display Pride colours. At Oya Costumes Canada, we are proud to present our selection of rainbow costumes and rainbow accessories. Before you take a look at our rainbow costume collection, let’s talk a bit about pride month and where it is celebrated. Happy Pride!
The origin of pride month
Pride month is here to recognize the impact of the LGBTQ+ community. It is celebrated all over the world during the month of June and it commemorates the New York Stonewall Riots. In 1969, at a time where LGBTQ+ people were openly persecuted in New York, a raid was carried out in the Stonewall Inn, which subsequently led to riots that lasted for several days. Afterwards, associations for LGBTQ+ rights were created in New York and all over the world. While things have changed a lot since 1969, the fight is far from over, and, in June, we celebrate the diversity of sexual orientations, tolerance, love, and we protest against discrimination and violence.
What happens during pride month?
During the month of June, you’ve probably seen many people wearing rainbow costumes or pride costumes, but also pride-themed exhibits, parties, decorations…This year, for instance, clothing retailer H&M launched a rainbow clothing line with the name Pride Out Loud. Last year in Montreal, buses were redecorated with rainbow colours. In 2018, exhibits throughout the United States will showcase LGBTQ+ artists. Last year for Pride Month, Facebook gave its user the option to use a “pride flag” reaction on top of already existing reactions such as “Like”, “LOL”, or “Love”. This year, they’ve come out with free Pride-themed stickers. All throughout the world, there are festivals, parade, and more: it’s a rainbow explosion everywhere on the planet.
And if you weren’t hyped for Pride yet, this viral video featuring dancer Mark Kanemura should make you want to put on a rainbow costume!
Original video posted on the artist’s Instagram: @mkik808
Pride Month in New York
In New York, there was the Pride March on June 24. However, it’s not only the 2018 March that was eagerly awaited: people are already preparing for 2019 Pride March, which will mark the “Stonewall 50”, the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. NYC Pride organized a multitude of events, such as the Cosplay and Pride, where New Yorkers could proudly show off their rainbow costumes and cosplays, or Pride Island, which featured artists such as Tove Lo or Kylie Minogue. Throughout the month, the whole city donned rainbow costumes, starting with the metro, where commuters were greeted by signs telling those who bring with them “bigotry, hatred, and prejudice” to “sashay away”—which we must admit is one of the most beautiful things we’ve ever seen in a metro station.
Pride Month in Toronto
In Toronto, the rainbow pride flag has been flying over City Hall, and the city prepared a huge installation featuring portraits of members of the LGBTQ+ community. Just like in New York, the Toronto Pride Parade was on June 24th; this year, on top of the rainbow costumes, the parade was closed by people wearing black to show the community’s grief for the victims of serial killer Bruce McArthur. It also started with a minute of silence.
In Montreal: Where do I go in my rainbow costume?
The Montreal Pride Parade is on August 19, which means festivities won’t start until early August. However, that doesn’t mean it’s too early to wear a rainbow costume! You can celebrate Pride Month in the Village, where, among other things, a large street sale was organized. The best place to go out wearing a rainbow costume? Under the Village’s famous coloured balls, of course!
Our costume suggestions for Pride Month:
What better than a unicorn rainbow costume to celebrate pride month? Unicorns, fantastical and often multicoloured animals, are often used as a LGBTQ+ emblem. This costume will be perfect for Pride!
If you want to march in the Parade, or even just to proudly show off your rainbow colours, this costume will be perfect for you. It’s a rainbow cape with sleeves: raise your arms to see the flag fly! By wearing this cape, you can also pay tribute to Lena Waithe’s Met Gala 2018 rainbow cape.
It’s impossible not to melt in front of this adorable rainbow costume! Original and creative, this multicoloured is 100% pride month-themed. Whether for a costume party, a parade, or anything else, this Crayola costume will be perfect! It’s available for kids and adults.
Just like the rainbow suspenders, these socks can be worn with your everyday clothes, to add a pop of colour to your work outfit or evening clothes.
Raise your rainbow flag and take a look at Oya Costumes’ collection of rainbow costumes! Happy Pride and happy pride month to all from our team. And above all, don’t forget; to quote RuPaul, “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you going to love somebody else?


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Wall Street has finally found some one-off charges it doesn't like: When Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) delivered its Q1 2011 earnings this morning, analysts were vocal about the ongoing cost of product recalls, mostly in its consumer drugs division which makes Tylenol and other household brands. They were quieter about J&J's legal expenses, which are large enough to negatively impact its bottom line.
Usually, when companies announce expenses for unusual events like recalls, Wall Street all but ignores the problem. Investors are interested in the future, and those expenses are in the past. Plus, because they are one-off charges, they don't reflect the underlying health of the business.
But J&J is in its second year of recall woes -- U.S. sales of J&J's consumer products were down 13.8 percent to $1.4 billion -- and analysts are finally getting sick of hearing about it. Bloomberg:
Investors, looking at the recalls, "are concerned about this damaging the reputation of J&J," Linda Bannister, an analyst at Edward Jones & Co. in St. Louis. "The company needs to make it right, to get these things fixed, to make sure there are no additional recalls and that these products get back on the market."Reuters:
"I think we're seeing an inflection point in the consumer group," said Morningstar analyst Damien Conover. "You're beginning to get to where the company has had more time to fix some of the problems."This is all very well, but J&J's legal problems will be more of a drag in the long-term than its recall woes. The recalls will eventually end; litigation will not. This quarter, J&J reported $271 in litigation costs, the equivalent of 8 percent of its net income. (J&J's net income was also down, but not as much as analysts thought it would be so the stock ticked up.) It also paid $70 million in a settlement of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act charges; and it lost a $482 million verdict in Texas over a patent on a stent held by its Cordis unit. J&J's annual report takes six and a half pages of single-spaced type to list all the lawsuits against it.
J&J is actually managing its costs quite well. Despite sinking Tylenol sales, its overall sales went up 3.5 percent to $16.2 billion. It continues to generate more dollars in revenue from every single dollar spent on sales, general and admin expenses:
Absent the recalls, those lines would be sloping even more steeply upward. While J&J deserves criticism for screwing up a stable of brands that were once beloved by consumers, it's actually well-placed to take advantage once the FDA gives the all-clear for those brands to come back online. At that point, the underlying problem with J&J's expenses are its lawyers, not its over-the-counter painkillers.


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APEC business council: Make trade liberalization more inclusive
Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Advisory Council (ABAC) has called for more inclusive trade liberalization that will contribute to economic and social development among countries in the Asia Pacific region.
ABAC Philippines Chair Tomas Alcantara said more than communicating the benefits of pursuing open trade, impacts of this global development must be broadly felt by stakeholders.
“The legitimate objectives of globalization, namely dismantling barriers to trade thereby allowing consumers access to better and cheaper products and services are laudable. But an equally important objective of globalization must center on enabling a more socially inclusive growth and development,” said Alcantara.
“We in business must work with our governments to develop policies that support continuing worker skill development and greater access to technology that enable for example, our MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enteprises) to produce competitive products and services and profitably offer them to established value chains and bigger markets,” he added.
ABAC also welcomed the entry into force of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) under the World Trade Organization (WTO), which will further facilitate movements of goods and reduce costs of trade.
“Anything that facilitates trade and makes it less costly is certainly a welcome development. Consumers will benefit from more diverse, cheaper, and better quality goods,” said Alcantara.
After two-thirds of WTO members ratified the TFA, the new trade pact became effective last month.
The TFA is projected to reduce global trade cost by an average of 14.3 percent, while adding 2.7 percent annually to exports growth.
“Most importantly, the TFA should offer great opportunities especially for small firms and those from developing economies, to expand their participation in global markets by reducing red tape, costs and technical barriers to trade,” the ABAC Philippines head noted.
Meanwhile, ABAC had its first meeting for this year in February in Bangkok, Thailand.
ABAC is the voice of the business community among the 21 member economies of APEC.
In the past 20 years, cooperation among APEC economies has lifted the lives of more than 700 million people out of poverty.
“The Asia-Pacific has benefited from trade liberalization, making the region the most dynamic in the globe. By working cooperatively and proactively with governments and other stakeholders, we in business can play a critical role in mitigating the dislocation globalization may bring about, broaden the benefits of trade and thereby further enhance the region’s growth prospects moving forward,” Alcantara said .


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Road construction on East 23rd Street in Lawrence might be annoying, but there's at least one bright spot over there.
The new Sandbar Sub Shop is open inside the Zarco66 station! Peach opened the first Sandbar Sub Shop a year and a half ago in downtown Ottawa, and the first franchise location opened last spring at the Zarco66 in Ottawa. The plan is to eventually have sub shops in each of the Zarco66 locations, with the first Lawrence shop on East 23rd.
The shop opened last week with a "soft opening." A grand opening celebration will take place soon, but if you're making your way through the maze of construction, stop by for a fresh sub. Dave's little sister works there, too!
There's also a new Scooter's Coffeehouse in the building, and Dave built some tables just like the ones at the Sandbar so you can sit down and eat.
Stop by and check it out!
Find the Sandbar Sub Shop on Facebook
Follow the Sandbar Sub Shop on Twitter


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Sales of cars in India plunge 58% in June
New Delhi [India], July 14 (ANI): Passenger vehicle sales in India tumbled 49.6 per cent in June, data released by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers revealed on Tuesday.
Passenger car sales were down 58 per cent at 55,497 units while three-wheeler sales slipped to 10,300 units as compared to 51,885 units in June 2019, marking a decline of over 80 per cent.
Two-wheeler sales were down 38.6 per cent compared to the same month last year.
Vehicles in the April to June quarter were down 79.4 per cent compared to the corresponding period last year.
In Q1 FY21, passenger vehicle sales dipped by 78.4 per cent.
Commercial vehicles sales were down 84.8 per cent to 31,636 units in Q1 FY21 as compared to 2.08 lakh units while three-wheeler sales totalled 12,760 units as compared to 1.49 lakh units in Q1 FY20, down 91.5 per cent.
Two-wheeler sales cracked by 74.2 per cent to 12.9 lakh units in Q1 FY21 as compared to 50.1 lakh units in Q1 FY20.


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In a achievable circumstance of “out with the old and in with the new”, Nikon has quietly killed off the one-series of cameras, the only mirrorless snappers it had in its catalogue.
In accordance to NikonRumors, the company has discontinued the whole Nikon one series by listing them as “old products and solutions” and removing them from its formal Japanese website, virtually a yr immediately after rumors of the line’s demise commenced circulating.
Nikon has confirmed with DPReview by means of electronic mail that “the Nikon one series cameras, lenses and equipment are no for a longer period in production”.
RIP Nikon one
While the early one-series products did not have a lot in the way of distinguishing options, the most recent addition to the variety, the Nikon one J5 – which debuted way back again in 2015 – was just one of the speediest mirrorless cameras at the time with a 20 frames per next burst pace.
That wasn’t all the series had to provide both. The Nikon one AW1, which released in 2013, is however the only interchangeable lens digital camera that is totally water-proof and can be utilized beneath h2o devoid of a housing.
Even so, Nikon was unable to broaden away from its outstanding DSLR variety to contend with the likes of Sony, Panasonic, Olympus and Fujifilm. 1 achievable explanation being the choice of sensor – inspite of a one-inch form sensor, it was more compact than what was being utilized by the opposition, who had been transferring on to total-frame formats.
Add to that a unusual nomenclature for the series and a selling price issue that did not do justice to its graphic top quality, Nikon’s mirrorless variety received left behind.
Shiny new toys
While the discontinuation of the one-series immediately after a solid seven-yr run has sparked rumors that Nikon may possibly give up on mirrorless cameras completely, we discover that extremely not likely, offered how preferred they’ve turn out to be with fanatics and execs alike.
Rumors have suggested that a new Nikon mirrorless digital camera could be introduced in the latest fiscal yr (which runs until March 2019 for Nikon), and this was all but confirmed with a verbal slip-up by just one of the company’s executives during a Television set interview.
Nikon is however producing improvements in its most recent digital camera line-up, with the D850 at the moment just one of the company’s bestsellers in the large-stop variety. Nikon also not too long ago introduced the Coolpix P1000, with its unbelievable telephoto arrive at of 3000mm.


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Sprint has struggled to keep up with stronger competitors Verizon and AT&T ever since its disastrous 2005 merger with Nextel. The company is up to its eyeballs in debt, undergoing an expensive — and late — transition to 4G-LTE, and losing contracted customers in the wake of its decision to ditch the Nextel brand. With smaller rival T-Mobile entering into an agreement to buy MetroPCS earlier this month, Sprint is feeling the heat of stronger competition from all sides.
Forced to go it alone, the company has been working on a major upgrade intended to modernize its network. It’s also toying with backup plans: Sprint’s shares rose last week on a Bloomberg report that said the company was considering making a counter-offer to MetroPCS.
But then, seemingly out of the blue, Softbank arrived dangling a new rescue plan. It’s the kind of white knight with deep pockets that Sprint desperately needs. Softbank had roughly $13 billion in cash at the end of last year. Sprint, by comparison, has $21 billion in debt and just $7 billion in cash and short-term investments.
Shares of Sprint jumped by as much as 19% Thursday on the news.
Japan’s third-largest carrier, led by colorful and out-poken CEO Masayoshi Son (he devised a 300-year plan in 2010, which involved brain-computer symbiosis and machines that know how to love), isn’t shy about dealmaking. It owns a stake in Zynga, had a chunk of Yahoo until last year, and orchestrated a blockbuster deal to buy Vodafone’s Japan unit that gave the company a huge presence in the burgeoning wireless space. Softbank was the first Japanese wireless company to carry the Apple iPhone.
Softbank’s flair and assertiveness could give Sprint a needed jolt. The company lost its brief marketing edge — billing itself as the only nationwide network with unlimited data — when T-Mobile recently reverted to its unlimited data plans as well. Despite a network technology transition that appears to be on schedule and promises cost savings and improved coverage, Sprint’s management has been criticized for lacking the chutzpah to do something bolder. The company seems locked in a losing battle with its two much-larger competitors.
“If Softbank does acquire Sprint Nextel, it is not a forgone conclusion that the company will do well,” said Jeff Kagan, an independent telecommunications analyst. “However, the chances it can do well are there if the company can understand the U.S. marketplace.”
Terms of the deal that is being negotiated were not disclosed, and Softbank declined to comment. A Wall Street Journal report said the deal, worth roughly $13 billion, would give Softbank a controling stake in Sprint.
Regulators would likely cheer the deal, which would ensure that four strong, nationwide wireless competitors remain in the U.S. market. In AT&T’s scuttled $36 billion buyout offer for T-Mobile last year, regulators said they opposed the deal because it would bring the number of national wireless choices down from four to three.
™ & © 2012 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.


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Television advertisers cried foul when digital video recorders (DVRs) like TiVo became prevalent. Since these recording devices allow users to fast-forward through commercials, it was believed that the paid advertising spots went largely ignored. Yet a recent study reveals some surprising findings in regard to how DVRs actually affect consumer behavior.
Although growing DVR use has prompted many advertisers to threaten a reduction in their television ad budgets, it turns out that TiVo doesn’t actually affect buying behavior among consumers. Carl L. Mela, a professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business discovered that TiVo users are still absorbing much of the advertisers’ messages.
“Companies are afraid of a ‘TiVo effect’ and are changing their media spending as a result, but we find no change in people’s shopping patterns when we compare a group that has TiVo with a group that doesn’t,” Mela said in a news release.
Mela and colleagues from The University of Chicago and Tilburg University partnered with Information Resources and TiVo to conduct a multimillion-dollar, three-year field study. Researchers tracked two different sets of households: one group was supplied with DVRs and the other watched television the old-fashioned way—TiVo free.
Mela and his team tracked the behavior of both groups, noting purchases of new products, advertised products, and store brands across 50 categories, in addition to viewing habits.
The initial goal of the study was to measure just how damaging DVRs were to advertisers, but the actual conclusion astonished researchers.
“We tried a vast array of methodological approaches to find a DVR effect. And we just couldn’t,” Mela said.
The research discovered that the mythical ‘TiVo effect’ doesn’t account for DVR users’ actual viewing habits. For one key example, consider that only programming recorded to the DVR allows users to skip commercials, while the vast majority of television viewing in TiVo households was found to be live—the study claims an unbelievable 95 percent!
Mela adds that DVR-free households also have the option of skipping commercials by leaving the room or flipping through channels. Plus, he found that TiVo users who do fast-forward through ads must concentrate on the screen to determine when their program resumes. They may not receive the entire message, but they do engage in a focused attention of the advertising they aim to avoid.
For the full report of the study click HERE:


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HD Moore has been owned.
Performance comparisons of Via Technologies' Nano processor and Intel's Atom chip conducted by several hardware-enthusiast sites this week confirmed what many industry observers have long suspected: the Taiwanese processor company has produced a chip...
India is developing a laptop to be sold at US$10, that will target higher education applications, a minister of the federal government said Tuesday in Delhi.
World Youth Day (WYD) looks set to have offered more than just salvation for pilgrims and inner-city chaos for the rest of Sydney, with some of the massive IT infrastructure behind the event earmarked for redistribution among Australian Catholic scho...
The latest browsers are fighting back against the never-ending assault from online crooks who want to sneak malware infections through your browser and onto your PC. Opera 9.5, and, soon, Internet Explorer 8 add new security features that block known...
Unified communications are providing significant cost reductions and productivity improvements, leading half of businesses to predict they will be the standard method of business communication in the future.
New York City wants to provide faster and cheaper Internet access, especially to its low-income residents, without going the route of municipal Wi-Fi that has proved to be the bane of so many US cities.
A 19-year-old Cartersville, Georgia, college student has been charged with hacking into his school's computer system to change grades and steal other user's passwords.
MIT in Cambridge, Mass., and a medical center based in Alabama are beginning to deploy faster wireless 802.11n access points from Cisco Systems, networking engineers said in a Webcast Tuesday.
IBM's Rational Software unit this week unveiled a development tool that can scan and check code as it's written to uncover errors before they make their way further into the development life cycle where fixes are far more costly.
Microsoft has released an API that allows Web sites to send location information to GPS navigation devices as part of an expansion of its MSN Direct services.
NASA last week launched a new interactive Web site, jointly developed with the non-profit Internet Archive, which initially combines some 21 separately stored and managed NASA imagery collections into a single online resource featuring enhanced searc...
After hitting a snag in their attempts to analyze Martian ice, NASA scientists are expanding their scope to test dry soil.
Patches released earlier this month to quash a critical bug in the Domain Name System (DNS) have slowed servers running BIND, the Internet's most popular DNS software, and crippled some systems versions of Windows Server.
Mobile computing has become a dominant focus in the open source arena, a theme on prominent display at a major open source technology convention last week.
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GGG Evaluation Team
First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.


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EaseUS announces the formal launch of Data Recovery Wizard for Mac 10.8 with a list of tuned features in recovery effectiveness. EaseUS 10.8 Mac data recovery software still keeps up to date with every.. PRWeb
Apple is mighty confident that the future is wireless, and the revolution seems to have started with the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The missing 3.5mm audio jack is one of the most-discussed topics.. BGR India
Apple might be going all-in with the wireless revolution as the company is now allegedly considering killing the headphone jack on the MacBook Pro. Users are reporting that as of recently Apple has.. The Next Web
In recent weeks, Apple has been sending out surveys to users asking about MacBook Pro features, most notably the headphone jack. A survey question shared by MacRumors reader Blake asks "Do you ever use.. MacRumours.com
With the announcement of the new iPhone 7 last week it is time for some reflection on just how far we've come in our connected world.
It was 33 years ago that the Compaq Portable computer was.. Huffington Post
You may be gazing at it constantly, but your iPhone still has a few surprises up its sleeve.
Yes, we're all aware of the camera, the clock and the calculator, but did you know your iPhone can also.. Mashable
Rumor has it Apple has been busy with a new MacBook Pro.
About time, too, because the MacBook Pro as we know it today has barely changed since it was released in 2009, save for a slimmer design,.. Business Insider
You read that right. You can now buy a fully functioning Mac for only $329. Well, until Apple sends out a cease and desist letter. The HacBook Elite is a so-called Hackintosh laptop that’s.. The Next Web
Today marks the fifth anniversary since Tim Cook was named Apple CEO on August 24, 2011, the same day that late co-founder Steve Jobs stepped down as chief executive for the final time and recommended.. MacRumours.com
With September's (unconfirmed but very probable) iPhone event right around the corner, the iPhone rumor mill is in its penultimate stage, and this means anything is possible.
A report from the.. Mashable
If you own a Mac and have been waiting for Overwatch to be playable on your computer, well today is your lucky day. Kind of. Parallels 12, the latest version of the virtual machine software that lets.. The Verge
As much as I love my iPhone, its screen is starting to look just terrible compared to the displays on other phones.
The screens on Samsung's flagship Android phones leapfrogged the iPhone's years.. Mashable
If you've got a pre-Retina display MacBook Pro, it probably feels like it's running pretty slow. It's easy to give your machine a boost by swapping in a Solid-State Drive and more RAM.
Here are the.. Business Insider
As great as Apple’s tablets, smartphones and computers are, nothing’s perfect. All hardware eventually fails. Your iPhone or MacBook can get lost or stolen. Files can be corrupted. If any of these.. Macworld
In 2010, Steve Jobs introduced a new leap forward in display resolution for iPhone 4 that passed up the rest of the industry to deliver pixels virtually invisible to the human eye. For iPhone 7, Apple.. AppleInsider
The question nags as I prepare to review TarDisk Pear flash memory expansion. The doohickey is available in 128 or 256 gig capacities for either MacBook Air or Pro. It fits neatly and snuggly into the.. betanews
Despite killing the Thunderbolt Display without a replacement this week, Apple is still working on a successor --?one that will reportedly have its own separate integrated graphics card, likely to push.. AppleInsider
The start of the work week brings about a plethora of deals on Apple Macs and iPads. Score a 13" MacBook Air for $799 or save $350 on the 2015 12" MacBook with 512GB of storage. Prefer an iMac?.. AppleInsider


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Canadian firm Research In Motion (RIM) announced on Monday it will unveil two new BlackBerry devices on 30 January, 2013.
Speculations are rife that these new smartphones are expected to hit stores around early March.
Days earlier, US security regulators cleared RIM's BlackBerry 10 platform, making way for the smartphones to reach government run agencies.
The new Black Berry 10 platform was certified with Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2. This certification was sanctioned by the US-based National Institute of Standards and Technology.
The FIPS 140-2 certification is the standard criteria followed by security-conscious military and defence related US government agencies as well as private enterprises that collect, store, transfer and share sensitive information.
RIM claimed that the BB10 platform, developed by Black Berry Enterprise Solution, is the first mobile platform to achieve Common Criteria Certification. This certification is recognised by 26 countries around the world.
RIM has also received the approval of the National Authority for Information Assurance in UK.
With a string of such certifications, RIM has an edge over other smartphone makers when it comes to marketing mobile devices to government agencies in security-sentient countries like US, Canada, UK and others.
The BlackBerry 10 platform is the first RIM product to get certified ahead of its launch. Its announcement is seen as a shot in the arm for RIM, which can now focus on building more apps for BlackBerry 10 devices.
According to an IDC report, RIM now holds just 4.3 percent market share compared to 9.6 percent last year. It's year-to-year smartphone sales have declined sharply over the years.
Despite carving a niche in corporate sectors for its secured email features, RIM seems to have lost its sheen to market leaders Samsung and Apple.
Samsung now holds top position in the global smartphone market with 31.3 percent market share, followed by Apple with 15 percent. RIM holds third position with 4.3 percent market share.
In its plan to reach out to more consumers other than business users, RIM released its first touch-screen smartphone BlackBerry Storm in November, 2008.
Many analysts had opined that it was a bit too late for RIM to enter the touch-screen phone market, already dominated by Apple and other companies which released the technology early 2007. This lack of initiation and innovation in developing unique features in its products was seen as the primary reason for the decline of public appeal to BlackBerry.
According to a Reuters report, RIM's stocks have seen a near 90 per cent fall since their high in 2008, but have risen around 20 percent over the last two months as the launch of the BB10 devices is getting closer.
Thorsten Heins, President and CEO of RIM expressed happiness about the positive responses from carriers towards the BlackBerry 10 platform. He said that more carriers are coming forward to launch BlackBerry 10 devices in their markets.
RIM has released few key features of the BlackBerry 10 OS which include BlackBerry Flow, which allows a user to seamlessly navigate apps in the phone.
BB10 OS also includes BlackBerry Hub - a feature which groups all messages, calendar events, notifications and feeds into a single hub.
BlackBerry Keyboard is automated with the adaptability feature, which can sense the users' writing speed and assist them to type faster and accurately.
The new platform also features BlackBerry Balance which allows the user to maintain two profiles to keep personal apps and information separate from work data. This new feature helps the user to switch from a personal profile to a business profile using a simple gesture.
These new features may have caught the attention of the business and corporate sector. RIM's future prospect, however, will also depend on how well regular consumers react to the new BlackBerry 10 platform.


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Bitcoin had a breakout year in 2014, for both good and bad reasons. Coindesk interviewed CFTC Commisioner Mark Wetjen covering its classification, potential outlook on regulation and the future for businesses entering the crypto market.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) was one of the more vocal US government entities on the subject of bitcoin in 2014, holding a hearing to discuss its role in options and futures, claiming regulatory oversight over the derivatives market and speculating on how it might intervene in the digital currency ecosystem. But while the CFTC and Wetjen in particular have been open with their views on bitcoin, the organisation as a whole has been less clear on how it will proceed with providing more clarity to bitcoin businesses going forward. Outstanding questions include how bitcoin fits under existing definitions of commodities, what would inspire the agency to investigate potential market manipulation and how it views activities in the global bitcoin derivatives market.


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Scotch whisky firm Chivas Brothers has opened its new headquarters in Glasgow city centre, in a move it has said demonstrates the company’s ‘confidence in the future of Scotch’.
The Blythswood Square building, containing over 27,000 sqft of office space including an on-site bar, is said to serve as ‘a hub to unite colleagues from Glasgow and across other locations in the UK’ for ‘convivial moments’
Jean-Christophe Coutures, chairman and CEO of Chivas Brothers, said: ‘Our investment in the city is a vote of confidence in the future of Scotch, in the city of Glasgow and the strength of the Scottish economy.
‘We need to keep moving with the times – this is the beginning of a new and exciting chapter for Chivas Brothers as we continue to explore new ways to work better, more efficiently and creatively.’
Fresh start: Chivas staff celebrate the opening on the steps of the new Glasgow office
The move from Chivas’ previous headquarters in Paisley is the latest investment in Scotch by the whisky firm’s parent company, Pernod Ricard.
The drinks multinational is also constructing a £50 million bottling hall in Dumbarton, set to be completed in 2020, in addition to expanding capacity at its Glenlivet, Scapa and Aberlour distilleries.


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DHAKA, July 21, 2018 (BSS) – Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) M Siddiqur Rahman today said country’s apparel sector would see India as one of the biggest export destinations in future.
“Now the export volume of Bangladesh’s readymade garments is $ 279 million, but in future it would be $ 1 billion,” he hoped during a B2B meeting with an Indian delegation at BGMEA headquarters.
Terming India as a highly potential market for Bangladesh, Siddiqur said the middle-class population in India is growing fast and global brands and retailers are opening stores in India following the increased buying power.
“We import most of our cotton, dyes, chemicals and other auxiliary items from India to produce garments here. So, I think textile and apparel are a promising sector to strengthen the trade relations between our countries,” said the BGMEA President.
He, however, said there are some challenges hindering the trade prospect. “The lack of capacity in the land customs ports especially at Petrapole in India is a major barrier to trade, as around 80 percent of our bilateral trade takes place through these ports.”
Since India is the second largest producer of Manmade Fibre and Filament based textiles, Siddiqur said Bangladesh could be a potential market for it. “I would like to encourage our friends from India to consider investments in the high end textile sector in Bangladesh which will be a win-win situation for all of us.
A 25-member delegation of TEXPROCIL-The Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council of India, led by its Chairman Ujwal Lahoti, arrived here today for a three-day visit. In the first day, they met with the members of BGMEA.
TEXPROCIL Chairman Ujwal Lahoti said Bangladesh is an important trading partner to India, in particular textiles, owing to proximity, short lead time and cultural affinity between the two countries.
“Demand and supply situation in the Indian textile value chain perfectly suits demand supply gap in Bangladesh…,” he added.
Lahoti mentioned around 60 percent of the total world trade in textile and clothing is traded “Intra Asia” and it is bound to increase in coming years owing to expansion in installed capacities and requirement of fiber to apparel amongst the Asian countries.
“This B2B meeting is the first mile stone in the long term cooperation and business prospect between the members of BGMEA and TEXPROCIL,” he added.
Head of Chancery of Indian High Commission in Dhaka Tseten Nordon Cargyl said Bangladesh is the second largest exporters in the global RMG export and sourcing of raw materials from India for export of textiles from Bangladesh provide a win-win situation to both countries.
“This meet, I am sure, would provide an ideal platform for business interaction between the business communities from both sides,” added Nordon.
BGMEA first vice president Moinuddin Ahmed, vice president (finance) Mohammad Nasir and other directors were present.


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NEW DELHI/MUMBAI (Reuters) – India outlined a new draft policy for its burgeoning e-commerce sector on Saturday, focusing on data localisation, improved privacy safeguards and measures to combat the sale of counterfeit products.
An employee of Amazon walks through a turnstile gate inside an Amazon Fulfillment Centre (BLR7) on the outskirts of Bengaluru, India, September 18, 2018. REUTERS/ Abhishek N. Chinnappa/Files
The proposed overhaul, which would likely increase operating costs for the sector, comes two months after the country modified regulations governing foreign direct investment in e-commerce.
That forced retail giants Amazon.com Inc and Walmart-owned Flipkart to restructure their Indian operations, and the latest reforms spell further upheaval.
“In the future, economic activity is likely to follow data,” the widely expected draft policy document said. “It is hence vital that we retain control of data to ensure job creation within India”.
The new rules call for the housing of more data centres and server farms locally, amid a broader push for data localization by the South Asian nation, which is one of the world’s fastest-growing online markets.
India’s central bank in 2018 forced payments providers such as Mastercard and Visa Inc to store Indian users’ data locally.
“Steps will be taken to develop capacity for data storage in India,” the draft e-commerce rules said. “A period of three years would be given to allow industry to adjust to the data storage requirement.”
Flipkart and Amazon said they were going through the draft rules and will share their inputs with the government.
The proposed rules also seek the creation of a “legal and technological framework” that can help impose restrictions on the cross-border flow of data generated by users, moves that may affect not just e-commerce platforms but also social media firms such as Alphabet Inc’s Google and rival Facebook Inc.
India also plans to mandate all e-commerce firms to provide access to their data stored abroad whenever official requests are made. The rules, which come at a time New Delhi is working on a broader data privacy law, also forbid companies from sharing data stored abroad with other businesses even with user consent.
Other proposals include mandating all e-commerce websites or apps operating in India to have a locally registered business entity, and increasing liability of e-commerce players to ensure products sold on their platforms are not counterfeit or pirated.
“Lot of issues covered, bold decisions,” the All India Online Vendors Association, which represents more than 3,500 online sellers, said in a tweet.
New Delhi has invited comments on the proposed rules by March 9, after which the rules are likely to be formalised.
Reporting by Aditya Kalra and Sankalp Phartiyal; Editing by Euan Rocha


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PC gamers accustomed to the literally thousands of new games that flood Steam every year may be surprised that Epic is launching its recently announced Game Store tonight with just three third-party titles. A small handful more are listed as "coming soon."
As part of tonight's Game Awards presentation, Epic announced three new games that are currently available through the Epic Games Store interface:
- Ashen (A44 and Annapurna Interactive)
- Hades (Supergiant Games)
- Hello Neighbor: Hide and Seek (tinyBuild)
Three other games will be coming to the service before the end of the month, Epic said, including a couple that will be free on the service for a limited time (the store page itself says that it will offer a new free game to customers every two weeks):
- Darksiders III – coming Dec. 14 (Gunfire Games/THQ Nordic)
- Subnautica – coming Dec. 14 (Unknown Worlds – free through Dec. 27)
- Super Meat Boy coming Dec. 28 (Team Meat – free through Jan. 10)
A handful of other titles were announced as "coming soon":
- Genesis Alpha One (Radiation Blue/Team 17)
- Journey (thatgamecompany/Annapurna Interactive)
- Maneater (Tripwire Interactive)
- Outer Wilds (Mobius Digital/Annapurna Interactive)
- Pathless (Giant Squid Studios)
- Rebel Galaxy Outlaw (Double Damage Games)
- Satisfactory (Coffee Stain Studios)
- Super Meat Boy Forever (Team Meat)
- World War Z (Saber Interactive)
While many of these games will be (or already are) sold on Steam, the developers will get 88 percent of the total revenue when the games are purchased on the Epic Games Store rather than the standard 70 percent they get through Valve's marketplace. Developers using the Unreal Engine also don't have to pay the usual 5 percent royalty fee when selling with Epic.
Epic has said its "hand-curated" store will "start small" before opening up more broadly in 2019. Epic co-founder and CEO Tim Sweeney told Ars the approval process for the store will "mostly focus on the technical side of things and general quality" with the only content-based restrictions being on "adult-only content."
If this initial list of titles doesn't convince you to try out Epic's new storefront, remember too that PC and Mac versions of Epic-developed titles like Fortnite will also be exclusive to the Epic Games Store. That alone should ensure that millions of potential players are exposed to these and any other games that make it over to Epic's service.


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Oct 31, 2018, a group of four people, including Viktoria Garten, CEO of VGH Viktoria Garten Hüttenindustriebedarf AG from Germany, visit MRL. Mr. Liu Yanxu, General manager, Mr. Liu Guihaichief engineer, and Mr. Lu Jiannong, vice president of sales,co-host the visit
At the meeting, the two parties held detailed talks on the development of new markets and future cooperation. Afterwards, the guests visited the factory. The customers gave high recognition and praise to our management system, quality control system, and production equipment.


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Illinois tax code is complex, and a lot of it is fairly punishing to local residents and businesses. In fact, one study rated Illinois the “least friendly” state in terms of taxes.
Navigating the maze of tax laws and regulations often requires expert guidance, especially when it comes to more complex tax situations. Here, we’ll look at some of the nuances of Illinois’s tax code.
Illinois Tax Nuances
Some of the particularities of the tax laws in the state include use tax, ROT, and sales taxes, each of which can impact businesses in some way.
Illinois Use Tax and ROT
One of the items local businesses might have to keep in mind is the difference between use taxes and Retailer’s Occupation Tax (ROT).
- Use taxes (UT) are sales taxes charged on items purchased without paying at least 6.25 percent sales tax. They’re often assessed on items purchased from outside the state via the internet.
- Retailer’s Occupation Tax (ROT) is like a use tax but imposed on sellers rather than purchasers. It may be assessed by both the state and local areas.
Remote sellers in the state generally have to deal with use tax and not ROT, but recent laws are changing that. The exact result, however, is uncertain since the senate bills involved seem to be in conflict with one another.
Taxes on Goods
Sales taxes are assessed on items purchased in the state, but some items may have extra taxes on top of that. For instance:
- Gasoline is taxed at $0.38 per gallon by the state (plus more by county).
- Wireless service has a tax of 20.91%.
- Sin taxes assessed on cigarettes are up to $2.98 for the state (plus more in local municipalities).
- Additional sales taxes may be assessed by locality.
If you’re running a business that sells goods, you’ll want to know which laws apply to you and make plans to meet those obligations.
Recent Changes to Illinois Tax Laws
Some of the changes proposed to Illinois’s tax laws include those listed below.
Franchise Tax To Be Repealed
Franchise taxes, or the taxes that businesses have to pay for the right to operate in the state, are being repealed. By 2024, they will be completely gone, but in the meantime, businesses will have increasing amounts of their income exempted from year to year.
Sales Tax Adjustments
In the past, remote sellers have paid use tax, but a new law under Senate Bill 690 proposes that they’ll instead pay ROT. Nevertheless, Senate Bill 689 extends use taxes to marketplace facilitators and sellers, who will have to pay them on behalf of their vendors, potentially rendering the switch to ROT detrimental.
New Tax Credits
Senate Bill 689 has also added a number of tax credits designed to benefit local businesses, including the EDGE Credit and the High Impact Business Investment Credit.
Knowing Your Tax Liability
In order to navigate the numerous changes taking place and make sure you meet your tax obligations, it may be necessary to get legal guidance, particularly if you’re running a business in the state. Hart David Carson LLP can help you through that process.


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[LINK] fintech regulatory sandbox
StephenLoosley at outlook.com
Thu Feb 13 01:15:08 AEDT 2020
Government passes laws extending fintech regulatory sandbox — finally
Stephanie Palmer-Derrien 1 hour ago
The government has passed new laws to finally bring its much-discussed fintech regulatory sandbox into reality.
The Treasury Laws Amendment (2018 Measures No. 2) Bill 2019, passed on Monday evening, builds on the existing sandbox, expanding the time period fintechs can spend in it, as well as the scope of those that are allowed in.
Now, fintechs will be able to test products for 24 months without having to obtain a financial services or credit licence from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).
It’s intended to provide an environment helping fintechs get to market without having to tread quite so carefully through the regulatory minefield, thereby removing one of the major barriers to new entrants, and bringing more competition to the Australian financial landscape.
A release from Senator Jane Hume, Assistant Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and Financial Technology, said there will be strong consumer protections in place, including limits on the products and services that can be tested, and limits on financial exposures of retail clients.
The current ASIC sandbox capability, introduced in 2016, allows for unregulated testing for 12 months, and is available only to startups working on specific products or services.
The amendment expands the remit to include businesses working on financial advice, the issuing of consumer credit contracts and facilitating crowdsourced funding.
“A strong fintech ecosystem means a more competitive financial market landscape — one that is consumer-driven, efficient and among the world’s leaders,” Hume said in the statement.
“As a mature, diverse and internationally connected ecosystem, Australia is an attractive destination for fintech investment globally. The Morrison government is seizing this valuable opportunity to grow the sector even further.”
It’s good news for Aussie fintech startups. But it’s been a long time coming.
ASIC’s original sandbox was hailed as “world-leading” and “potentially game-changing” by the startup community.
However, since then, the restrictions in place have reportedly meant only seven startups have been able to take advantage of it.
Even so, in late-2017, consumer advocacy groups raised concerns about the existence of a sandbox at all, and opposed any expansion of the legislation, saying it put consumers at risk.
In a group submission to the draft legislation at the time, Choice, Financial Rights Legal Centre and the Consumer Action Law Centre suggested an extended sandbox could allow for unlicensed financial advice on things such as superannuation, insurance and long-term investments.
“These services are too complex and too important to the long-term well-being of consumers to be offered without the adequate protections that the sandbox removes,” they said.
However, Danielle Szetho, chief of FinTech Australia, said at the time much of what fintech startups do is about providing better protections for consumers.
“Many fintechs I see are oriented completely around what the consumer is thinking, and some are turning around what it means to be customer-centric,” she told SmartCompany.
“They have been thinking about the consumer completely at the core,” she said.
“It’s about maintaining the long-term integrity of the industry, and we agree there needs to be good safeguards against dodgy operators in place.”
More information about the Link


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If your kids have outgrown their bicycles and they are now sitting unused in your garage or basement, a local non-profit organization would like to put them to use.
Family SOS is collecting bikes to donate to the children and teens in its programs.
"We'll pick them up and we'll bring them to families who need them, who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford a bike," says spokesperson Victoria Law.
If it has a broken chain or needs other minor repairs, that's not a problem.
"We have a partnership with Sportwheels Sports Excellence in Sackville, and they've agreed to tune up any bikes that get donated," Law tells NEWS 95.7's Todd Veinotte.
Family SOS is hoping to get 40 bikes for kids aged 5 to 17, but if more are donated, the group promises to find them a good home.
The bikes will be given to the kids in March and the organization plans to use some grant money to buy helmets.
Back in November, they collected snowsuits and Law says they were overwhelmed by the demand.
"We were providing families, mostly children, with full head-to-toe gear for winter, so boots, snow pants, jackets, hats, mitts, everything that they need," she explains.
The group planned to help 75 families and ended up outfitting around 300 people.
"Sometimes you just need that extra support and we want to be there for that," Law says.
Bikes can be dropped off at 5450 Cornwallis Street. To arrange a pickup call 902-455-5515 or email email@example.com.


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— Fiat Chrysler (FCA) is recalling more than 17,000 model year 2018-2019 Ram 1500 trucks because the driveshafts may break due to weld problems.
FCA opened an investigation in August 2018 after receiving six warranty claims for busted driveshafts that were built within a month of each other, and all the vehicles had less than 5,000 miles.
The supplier found problems with the welds where the tubes and yokes interfaced, but by December 2018 no additional broken driveshafts were reported.
In January 2019, the automaker learned about two more busted driveshafts that were built in the same range as the previous broken driveshafts. The supplier found the same weld problems, but this time higher mileage trucks were involved.
Although warranty claims and complaints have been received, Chrysler says it isn't aware of any crashes or injuries related to the broken driveshafts.
A driver may hear noise or feel vibrations prior to the weld completely separating.
The 4x4 Ram 1500s were built between March 16, 2018, and April 20, 2018, with 10,160 of the recalled trucks in the U.S., and another 6,686 recalled in Canada.
The Ram 1500 driveshaft recall will begin June 15, 2019, when dealers will replace the rear driveshafts.
If you own a 2018-2019 Ram 1500 and want to learn more about the driveshaft recall, please call FCA at 800-853-1403 and mention recall number V48.


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- Celebrates 10th anniversary amidst pomps
Nigeria’s premier marketing innovation firm GDM, has launched three bespoke innovative marketing products following its evolution from a brands solutions company, in commemoration of its 10th anniversary.
The products were unveiled at the firm’s Client Appreciation Dinner event which held at the prestigious Radisson Blu Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos, at the weekend. The event had in attendance some clients from over 40 multinational companies and 182 brands the innovation marketing Group has worked /is working for including Nestle, Unilever, Nigerian Breweries, Suntory, Lafarge, Friesland WAMPCO Campina, Diageo, the Lagos State Government, BOI, Mouka among others.
The marketing innovation products launched by the firm are Retailar, a B2B e-commerce platform that enables retailers effortlessly access products at the price of the manufacturer, order for them and have them delivered to them, right from the comfort of their phone, cheaper, faster and more efficiently.
Also unveiled was Retailscope, an audit platform which provides quantitative primary retail data about FMCG products. This is going to be shared with people in the marketing ecosystem for free. The innovation firm explained that having worked for the Federal Government on TraderMoni as an aggregator, it has acquired the capacity and competence to have had people across all the country. According to the Founder, GDM, Group, Victor Afolabi, “We have people in all local governments, we were in 774 local government areas to get raw primary data clients can rely on. Retailscope is going to be made available free of charge to the ecosystem via Nigeria’s foremost award winning brands and marketing communications centric magazine, Brand Communicator as well as BusinessDay Newspaper.”
Finally, the firm unveiled Alpha Geak, a subscription based solutions platform which the agency has used in the past two years for enumeration, validation and managing point of sales material for salesmen automation like a Sales Force Automation, SFA, developed for big projects. This, it unveiled to help small businesses scale up and compete favourably in the market.
Prior the appreciation dinner, GDM held a series of activities within the week to commemorate its anniversary. Recall that on Monday, GDM empowered students of Gbagada Junior Comprehensive Secondary School with educational materials. The marketing innovation firm also renovated the Junior Secondary School’s multipurpose hall and presented 21 new white marker boards for classrooms, among other educational items.
This, they explained, would enhance the capacity of the students to learn whilst harnessing their creativity and encouraging innovation. Victor Afolabi, while speaking at the event, disclosed that the effort was also driven by the idea of giving back to the society.
According to him, “The wealth of this nation is in its people which is one of the reasons we decided to take our quota of corporate social responsibility to a secondary school where we can directly reach and impact the future of our nation.”
Afolabi added: “This is the beginning of what would be a prosperous partnership between our organisation; the Lagos State Government and the society, as we intend to continue to do more of these development driven initiatives.
This was followed by an impactful marketing Innovation masterclass tagged ‘Raising the Bar’ held on Tuesday as a bid to give back and show its appreciation to the ecosystem that has contributed to its successes.The free event featured foremost and seasoned industry players who drew from their wealth of experience and knowledge to impact participants at the Eko Innovation Centre, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Setting the tone for the well-attended full day programme was the Managing Director of Nitro 121, Lampe Omoyele, respected business leader who has been previously Marketing Director at Cadbury, Airtel, PZCussons and Glaxo SmithKline; Managing Director, Nielsen West Africa. He lectured participants on the topic, “Marketing Innovation and Strategy in 2020.”
This was followed by a session from the Managing Director of Entod Marketing, Mrs Iquo Uko. Mrs Ukoh who by dint of hard work and high level of professionalism at Nestle Nigeria, became the first and only Female Marketing Director at an Executive Management level till date, took participants through an exciting journey with “Timeless Principles of Effective Marketing.”
Group Chief Executive Officer and Chief Creative Officer of Nigeria’s most creative agency, X3M Ideas, Steve Babaeko who was named among the prestigious Adweek 100 most creative professionals in the world followed Mrs Uko’s presentation with a high-powered inspiring motivational salvo on “The Guts to Win the Innovation Game.”
Other faculty members that impacted participants at the event include Frank Ozekhome, Head, Group Strategy, Insight Redefini who spoke on “Trends to Leverage in Marketing Innovation and Doja Ekeruche, Board Member, Eko Innovation Centre who covered the grounds on “ROI-Focused Marketing.
At the end of the rigorous but rewarding exercise, participants were all issued certificates free of charge. This gesture, according to the Founder and CEO of GDM Group, Victor Afolabi, is part of the Group’s gesture in giving back as well as impacting the ecosystem. He said that beyond the maiden edition, this will be an annual event the GDM Group will be organising.
He added, “Marketing innovation masterclass is an annual GDM platform where the company connects with stakeholders in the marketing and innovation industry for knowledge sharing purpose. The 2020 maiden edition will curate conversations around innovation in marketing, leveraging trends, data, storytelling and technology.”
Earlier in his address, Afolabi shared the decade-long story of GDM Group and how they have been successfully distilling complex marketing problems, how they serviced some of the largest homebred and cosmopolitan brands, how they emerged as an institution leader, and now they are now raising the bar.


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Qualcomm and Microsoft has announced that the two companies are partnering up to bring Windows 10 to Qualcomm’s mobile processors. This will make Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors to be the first ARM-based processors to support full Windows 10.
The product of this huge partnership will be out in the tech market starting from early next year. Qualcomm announced that its next-generation processors will be able to run Win32 apps through x86 emulation on Windows 10. As a result, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors — which are mostly found on mobile devices at the moment, will be able to run powerful desktop apps such as Photoshop or the Office suite. At the event, Microsoft has presented Adobe Photoshop running on a device powered by a Snapdragon processor — and it looks super impressive.


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Sure, a McDonald’s Extra Value Meal sounds like a great deal, but is it really? One Illinois man did the math – and McDonald’s may not be so happy with the results.
James Gertie of Des Plaines, Illinois filed a class-action lawsuit last week against Karis Management Group, which owns more than 10 McDonald’s franchises in suburban Chicago.
McDonald’s Extra Value Meal By the Numbers
In the complaint, Gertie claims he purchased a McDonald’s Extra Value Meal from at least five of Karis’ restaurants between Oct. 14 and Nov. 13. The meal consisted of two cheeseburgers, a medium French fry, and a medium soft drink. Each meal cost $5.90.
However, the suit alleges that if Gertie purchased the cheeseburgers, fries, and drink individually, he would have paid $2.50 for the two burgers, $1.99 for the fries and $1 for the drink. This adds up to $5.49. That’s $0.41 less than the Extra Value Meal.
“The pricing makes the meal “no ‘value’ at all, let alone an ‘extra value,’” the lawsuit said.
The franchise owner has not commented on the suit since it was filed in Cook County Circuit Court Dec. 13. Phone calls by other news sources, such as Fox News, were not returned.
Class Action Impacts
Not only is Gertie seeking to recover his own money, he’s hoping to put it back in the pockets of others who may have been impacted by the misleading marketing at McDonald’s. The lawsuit asks the court to award other impacted plaintiffs the amount they were overcharged, paid for by Karis Management. The lawsuit also requests punitive damages and attorney’s fees.
Gertie says he’s not necessarily after the money. He wants to send a message that misleading customers with deceptive prices is not acceptable.
“The reason that I am doing this is not about the 41 cents,” Gertie told the Chicago Daily Herald. “It’s because of the principle. A value meal is supposed to be a cheaper price. That’s the whole point of a ‘value’ meal. I believe in the principle of true advertising. If a company advertises something to be a value, then that is what it should be.”
It is unclear how many people may be impacted if the suit is elevated to class action status, or how much the suit is asking the franchisee to pay. Regardless, McDonald’s was caught trying to pull a fast one. Hopefully, they will have learned their lesson!


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Banks, Viya, schools, government offices, The Daily News business office and the University of the Virgin Islands are among the offices and businesses closed Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Day.
The Daily News will be distributed on its regular schedule.
• VITRAN will not have regular bus service, but said that its American with Disabilities Act Paratransit bus service will be available for certified passengers as scheduled.
• Viya, in a released statement, encouraged customers to conduct transactions, at their convenience, using its online Customer Care and payment portal: www.viya.vi, or call 340-774-2729, 24 hours a day.
• Oriental, which also released a statement about being closed on Monday, said customers can access accounts online. Mobile banking customers will be able to deposit checks using their smartphone cameras, verify balances and transactions, make payments and transfers, and send money to other people, the release stated.
• FirstBank also announced that its branches will remain closed, but that customers can always manage their accounts 24/7 through Digital Banking https://bit.ly/3y3moy8 or through ATM https://bit.ly/3lFHuNV.
Banks, offices and businesses will resume normal hours Tuesday.


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Prime Minister Imran Khan has said all existing restrictions will terminate to facilitate the registration process of SMEs.
PM reiterated his government’s determination to support Small and Medium Enterprises for strong economic growth through exports.
Addressing the launching ceremony of National SME Policy 2021 in Islamabad today [Wednesday], he said the PTI government is taking every possible step to facilitate the youth in establishing businesses including startups.
Furthermore, He Underlined the importance of SMEs in the country’s development. He urged the private sector to facilitate the government’s initiative of providing more facilities to new businesses.
Moreover, PM assured to take stern action against all those elements that can create hurdles in the way of exports and the agriculture industry.
Imran Khan said despite COVID-19 challenges, our government received record remittances, tax collection, and export revenue.
Furthermore, He has said all existing restrictions will terminate to facilitate the registration process of SMEs.
Earlier, Minister for Industries and Production Khusro Bakhtiar said to facilitate new businesses we have fixed around nineteen thousand plots for lease on easy installments.
Minister said thirty billion rupees will help rebuild SMEDA. It will facilitate the SME sector.


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US based iPhone maker is expected to challenge rivals Amazon and Google with the launch of a new smaller version of its iPad tablet, iPad mini, at the company’s scheduled event to be held in California Theatre in San Jose later this month.
Featuring a 7.85-inch screen, the new iPad mini would allow Apple to take on Amazon’s new version of its Kindle Fire tablet and Google’s Nexus 7 tablet launched in July, both of which feature 7-inch screens and priced at $199.
According to reports, the new device may not feature the high-definition (HD) screen of the existing iPad version released in March 2012.
Rival for Apple’s new device also include Microsoft’s new Surface tablet that was unveiled in June 2012, while Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet remains dominant among non-Apple products.
Prior to Apple’s confirmation of the event, Microsoft assured that it would sell the 32GB Wi-Fi only variant of the Surface tablet at a low price when compared to that of Apple.
The Wall Street Journal has reported that the iPhone maker has already commenced production of 10 million of the new iPads.


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Since its launch in 2019, the flagship of INTAMSYS FUNMAT PRO 610HT The 3D printer turned out to be an industrial powerhouse.
Sporting a large-format build volume measuring 610 x 508 x 508mm, the high-performance FFF system is the company’s most feature-rich to date. It offers a dual extrusion configuration with nozzle temperatures up to 500°C, as well as an enclosed build chamber capable of maintaining 300°C.
Designed specifically for large-scale end-use functional parts, the machine is designed to process the highest performing engineering polymers on the market including PEEK, ULTEM (PEI) and PPSU.
The manufacturer has now shared details of the 610HT genesis story and how 3D printing in the development process paved the way for faster lead times, lower costs and a successful launch.
Charles Han, CEO of INTAMSYS, said, “We all know that the process of taking a product from concept to reality is a challenging one. At INTAMSYS, we encounter the same obstacles as everyone else, but we have found a unique way to overcome them so that we can develop, test and produce 3D printing equipment faster than our competitors.
Fifteen 3D printed internal components
Strict temperature control capabilities have always been a key requirement with the 610HT, as is the case with all INTAMSYS high temperature systems. But building a machine with a 300°C build chamber is tricky business, as the system’s internal components must be tested at equally high temperatures.
Using the company’s existing portfolio of industrial 3D printers, the team was able to prototype many of these internal components in-house using engineered filaments. This eliminated the need for metal prototypes, saving costs.
According to INTAMSYS, if they had outsourced functional prototyping to a third-party metal fabricator, they could only have tested up to three prototypes per component. Keeping operations in-house, some of their parts have been tested in over a dozen different iterations with minor design changes between them.
With such streamlined lead times, this has also led to 3D printed end-use parts. Some of the system’s internal components were 3D printed on demand and incorporated into the production cycle as it went, significantly reducing INTAMSYS’ reliance on external vendors. Today, there are a total of 15 different 3D printed production parts installed in each FUNMAT PRO 610HT unit.
Enriching the assembly line and beyond
The company’s use of additive manufacturing didn’t stop there, as it also used 3D-printed tools and fixtures in the 610HT assembly line. Each workstation received the same set of 3D-printed tools to ensure consistent quality checks, as well as assembly fixtures for final parts.
Additionally, INTAMSYS was even able to use its technology to 3D print demo parts for sales and marketing purposes, supporting the launch of the FUNMAT PRO 610HT before the company delivered its first production unit.
Specifically, the team 3D printed a replica of the machine’s frame and painted it to look like a finished model. The realistic mockups allowed the company to photograph the system and showcase the product aesthetics at trade shows, giving potential customers a 3D printed visualization before the printer was even launched.
Han concludes, “Because we were self-sufficient, it dramatically reduced the cost and lead time of the product. The combination of R&D stage savings with production and assembly savings allowed us to launch this printer ahead of schedule and below estimated cost, passing the savings on to our end consumers.
Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry Bulletin for the latest additive manufacturing news. You can also stay connected by following us on Twitterlove us on Facebookand tune in 3D Printing Industry YouTube Channel.
Are you looking for a career in additive manufacturing? Visit 3D printing works for a selection of roles in the industry.
The featured image shows the FUNMAT PRO 610HT 3D printer. Photo via INTAMSYS.


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MINEOLA, N.Y. – District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced charges against a man who sold hundreds of pirated DVDs from his Manhasset home and from websites offering copies of Hollywood hits.
Ali Breland, 41, of Manhasset, was arrested on Jan. 29, 2014 and charged with one count of Scheme to Defraud in the 1st Degree (an E felony), one count of Trademark Counterfeiting in the 2nd Degree (an E felony), and one count of Failure to Disclose the Origin of a Recording in the 1st Degree (an E felony). Breland was issued a desk appearance ticket and is scheduled to appear in District Court in Hempstead on Feb. 11. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 1-1/3 to 4 years in prison.
“When people illegally sell and distribute these commercial films, they are taking money out of the hands of hard-working men and women employed by the entertainment industry – of which an increasing number live and work in New York,” DA Rice said. “My office will continue to prosecute these cases to ensure that the money earned by these films is not diverted to criminals working for their own financial gain.”
DA Rice said undercover investigators from the Motion Picture Association of America, in partnership with DA investigators, had made several purchases from Breland of hundreds of counterfeit DVDs beginning in September 2013.
All of these purchases took place outside Breland’s Manhasset home. Once received, the DVDs were found to be counterfeit.
DA investigators executed a court-ordered search warrant of Breland’s home finding evidence of packaging of pirated DVDs, instruments used to make the illegal video recordings, blank video disks, as well as computers used to sell counterfeit DVDs over the Internet.
Among the illegally obtained DVDs listed for sale on Breland’s website were Oscar-nominated films such as “12 Years a Slave,” “Gravity,” and “The Wolf of Wall Street” – all of which are currently playing in movie theaters. Breland also offered first-run movies, television series, and other recordings for sale on Craigslist and his own webpage: http://moviescheapforthepoor.weebly.com.
Assistant District Attorney Whitney Matthews of DA Rice’s Economic Crimes Bureau is prosecuting the case. Breland is currently unrepresented by counsel.
The charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.


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Global alcohol consumption grew last year, however, new IWSR research forecasts that Covid-19 will push 2019 volume gains back by 5 years.
Though worldwide beverage alcohol volume increased slightly in 2019, reversing declines from the year prior, it will likely be five years before the global industry rebounds from the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.
Total global alcohol consumption, led by increases in beer and ready-to-drink products, grew by +0.1% in volume and +3.6% in value in 2019. However, losses incurred in the months-long near complete shutdown of bars and restaurants across the world this year, has not been offset by upticks of beverage alcohol sales in retail and ecommerce channels. IWSR expects this to lead to double-digit declines in 2020, and estimates it will take until 2024 to reach 2019 pre-Covid-19 levels. Global travel retail, severely affected by widespread travel restrictions, will see a particularly harsh decline in 2020 but is expected to reach pre-crisis levels by 2024.
“While we’re still assessing the full impact of the current Covid-19 situation, it’s very clear that the pandemic is set to cause a deeper and more long-lasting after-effect to the global drinks industry than anything we’ve experienced before. Even the downturn following the 2008 financial crisis was less severe than what we are seeing now,” says Mark Meek, CEO of IWSR. “In many ways, 2019 was perhaps the last ‘normal’ year for the drinks industry.”
As restrictions ease, long term recovery is expected to be slower than the initial bounceback – driving a “Nike Swoosh” rebound shape. As shown in the illustration below, the downturn following the 2008 financial crisis was less severe than what we are seeing now.
Globally, beer (not including flavoured malt beverages like hard seltzers) grew in both volume and value in 2019, led particularly by increases in non-alcoholic beer. Though the beer category has taken a hit in 2020, the category is expected to reach 2019 volumes by 2024, rebounding better than wine and spirits.
The long-term global decreases in wine consumption continued in 2019. In the key consuming region of North West Europe, wine volumes have been slowing in recent years, and in the US, wine consumption last year declined for the first time in 25 years. One bright spot in the category, however, is sparkling wine, which is forecasted to rebound stronger than still wine by 2024, as consumers increasingly shift to year-round consumption of these products.
Steep volume losses in baijiu are the main contributor to an overall drop in global spirits volume consumption in 2019. However, excluding baijiu, the spirits market grew +1.0% in 2019 vs 2018 by volume, and should recover to 2019 volumes by 2024. Interestingly, even though volume consumption of baijiu declined in 2019, its value in China is still greater than the value of the entire spirits market outside of the Asia Pacific region.
No-alcohol spirits were the fastest-growing spirits segment by volume in 2019, though still small in terms of market share. Amongst traditional spirits categories, gin was the fastest growing in 2019, but that growth has slowed somewhat as consumers are beginning to show signs of “gin fatigue,” especially in some European markets.
For the third consecutive year, ready-to-drink (RTD) products in 2019 were the fastest growing beverage alcohol category. Even though RTDs only represent a small slice of beverage alcohol market share, they contributed more than double the value growth to the industry than wine in 2019. Much of this interest and growth in the category is fuelled by the innovation and convenience of hard seltzers in the US. In other markets innovation, affordability, refreshment, convenience and youth appeal have contributed to sales growth.
“As restrictions ease, long term recovery is expected to be slower than the initial bounce back – driving a ‘Nike Swoosh’ rebound shape,” remarks Meek. “Like many other industries, it’s incredible how a few months of lockdown will result in several years of recovery, but beverage alcohol has proven to be remarkably resilient in previous downturns, and this should be no different. A strong focus on innovation, premiumisation, and new routes to market such as ecommerce, are all factors which will help contribute to the industry’s rebound and future growth.”


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Plastics industry battles negative image
The Canadian plastics industry is aggressively fighting government and consumer efforts to curb the sale of its product, according to industry documents.
There are mounting negative perceptions across North America about plastics' toxicity, recylabilty and harmful effect on the environment.
Plastics are made from a non-renewable resource — petroleum — and combined with chemical additives to help bind and soften the material. One of the additives, Bisphenol A, was declared toxic by Health Canada in October.
Civic facilities and universities across Canada have moved in recent years to ban plastic bags and bottles. Several grocery store chains have also banned plastic bags outright or started charging customers for them.
Toronto and Vancouver have passed laws banning municipal water bottles sales, and the Manitoba community of Leaf Rapids in 2007 became the first Canadian municipality to ban plastic bags.
Rising tide against plastics
The rising tide against plastics has prompted a "very aggressive, pro-active campaign to change [the] public’s perceptions," wrote Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA) president Mark Badger, in an industry bulletin released in late August.
The campaign was initially launched in 2009 and ramped up again in the fall of 2010.
'Unfortunately, in North America, the public's perception of plastic is predominantly negative.'—Mark Badger, Canadian Plastics Industry Association
As part of the campaign, the CPIA has published stories and issued news releases touting the benefits of plastic liquor bottles. The agency said they "significantly decreased in-store/ in-transit scrap, improved safety, decreased transportation costs due to lighter weight, and even allowed more bottles on the shelves since they are thinner walled than glass."
"Our next stories within the campaign will include energy-efficient vinyl windows, plastic packaging that reduces food spoilage and increases safety," states the bulletin from Badger, who has blamed the public backlash for cutting into the industry's profits.
"Unfortunately, in North America, the public's perception of plastic is predominantly negative," he wrote.
"The fallout from misperceptions includes de-selection of certain plastic products by retailers, changing consumer purchasing patterns and also in legislation that makes doing business difficult."
He noted in an online video with Canadian Plastics magazine that "the plastics industry contracted in 2009, and very substantially, by 17 per cent or 18 per cent."
Recently re-elected Winnipeg City Coun. Harvey Smith, who tried unsuccessfully in 2008 to ban plastic bottle sales from Winnipeg's recreation centres and city-run facilities, is not surprised by the industry's push to change perceptions.
He said he was amazed at how industry representatives flew out to Winnipeg to persuade other councillors to reject his motion before it made its way to council chambers.
"The industry sent two people out immediately to [an executive policy committee meeting]," Smith said. "I couldn't believe it. They wanted to forestall anything happening in Winnipeg."
With a new council in place, Smith said he will try to reintroduce the motion again.
"Maybe we'll get more support," he said.
Nestle Canada's John Challinor told Winnipeg councillors at the time a bottle ban was "nothing more than political greenwashing, environmental symbolism and bad political policy."
The plastics industry maintains plastic water bottles are safe, highly recyclable and provide a more convenient alternative to tap water.
The CPIA insists plastics are superior to paper, glass, aluminum and cardboard packaging from an energy-efficiency and transportation perspective.
It has also engaged in a glitzy pro-plastic marketing campaign to reverse anti-plastic sentiments. Their efforts include a "Teachers Ambassadors Program" to help Canadian schoolteachers educate children on the environmental benefits of plastic recycling.
Shipped to China
This week, a CBC News investigation revealed 82 per cent of Winnipeg's residential blue bin plastics were shipped last year to China, to mostly become durable goods, like fly swatters and toy dolls, that never get recycled again.
"The good news with plastic is that we don't need most of this junk," says Manuel Maqueda, co-founder of Plastic Pollution Coalition.
The California-based environmentalist recently travelled with a Canadian film crew to a remote Pacific island to shoot a documentary, Journey to Midway, about plastic pollution killing birds who mistake plastic for food.
But Maqueda admits cutting back on plastics can be overwhelming given that stores are full of plastic packaging.
"It's really hard to avoid plastic 100 per cent, but this is something we must do," Maqueda said. "This is a conversation we need to have.
"Don't be afraid of having this conversation with your children, with store owners. We can do it. We can move away from the disposable plastic era."
Maqueda recommends two simple steps: refuse plastic bags and bottles and choose products with less plastic packaging.
The City of Winnipeg is hosting a Speak Up on Garbage Expo at the Convention Centre on Saturday to kick off six months of consultations on the future of trash and recycling.


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Kairo Forbes is on a TV commercial with Nedbank, and her mother, DJ Zinhle, is gleaming with pride. The young star is part of Chow Town, the first-ever Roblox game in South Africa by a banking company.
The giant banking company initiated this initiative, which is multiplayer and aimed at children.
Kairo stuns in a new TV commercial with Nedbank The banking company incepted the Chow Town restaurant tycoon game available on Roblox, and Kairo is the face of it all.
In the commercial, her mother, DJ Zinhle, makes a cameo. Taking to Instagram to advertise the program, Kensi Nobanda said: “Nedbank has developed an online multiplayer game.
I’m pleased to announce the first Roblox game by a bank in South Africa. Another first! “Chow Town is a restaurant tycoon game that lets your kids build and operate a restaurant with customers, South African food options, and in-game currency.
Let them play, learn and earn on the Roblox game that fosters business skills. Search for Chow Town on Roblox.”
DJ Zinhle joins Mzansi in congratulating Kairo Taking to the comments section, DJ Zinhle congratulated her daughter Kairo. ZInhle said: “Big girl. Well done.” More of Kairo’s supporters flood the comments:
@nelly_buru said: “She ate this Ad, born a star.” @na_nah_q_ said: “We’re not ready for Kairo.” @mandiisa.h_ said: “Please why she devoured this ad.” @na_nah_q_ said: “Kairo is a star.” @sandimazibuko said: “So cool…. Go @kairo.forbes.”
@masellomaseng_ said: “She ATE this ad, I’m afraid.” @pula_mvula said: “This is such a cool way to teach kids about money, another one huh.” @ilovefashion_sa said: “Love this ad. Love this game.
Kairo killed this! Well done Netbank and Kairo.” @sunny_nyambose said: “Go Kai kai, daddy is smiling where he is… You’re a Star.” missmcd1′ said: “Well done Kai kai… I’m so proud of u baby girl. @djzinhle @lynnforbesza Good luck guys, this is only the beginning of AMAZING things for Kai.”
In Other News- Emtee Explains Why He Still Has A Crush On Pearl Thusi Despite Being Married
Emtee‘s continued admiration for Pearl Thusi‘s beauty fascinates South Africa. The musician who wrote a whole song, Pearl Thusi, dedicated to the internationally-acclaimed actress, continues to sing her praises years later.
In an Instagram live video, Emtee addressed why he tried to hit on Pearl Thusi on socials. Learn more


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It's the kind of glass display case you'd find in a high-end boutique, with soft lighting and an attendant standing nearby. But instead of jewelry, the case is full of weed.
White Widow. Blue Dream. Purple God Bud.
Marijuana flowers are delicately displayed inside wooden chalice cups in a display case at a Chalice Farms shop in Portland, Oregon, Sept. 18, 2018. (Tanya Moutzalias | MLive.com)
One case holds marijuana flower. Another holds edibles, and marijuana-infused candy. Another case holds joints -- except they're called pre-rolls, and an array of vape cartridges. On locked shelves are marijuana-infused lotions, balms and oils for pets. In a nearby cooler is cold-brewed coffee made with marijuana extract.
The shop smells of marijuana. Not the skunky odor from your college dorm; but a lighter aroma of flower and pine.
Edibles and concentrates inside display cases at Chalice Farms' shop near the airport in Portland, Oregon, Sept. 18, 2018. (Tanya Moutzalias | MLive.com)
Jets buzz overhead. The Chalice Farms shop is a 10-minute drive from the Portland, Oregon airport; located conveniently to snag the curious tourist. It's a far cry from medical marijuana dispensaries in Michigan, where flashing signs and neon lights have been the norm.
"It's not about the stoner, it's not about people coming in and just smoking weed. We don't even use the term 'marijuana,'" said Mike Genovese, chief operating officer of Golden Leaf Holdings, the international company that owns Chalice Farms. "Fine cannabis is what it's come to today, especially in Oregon, where you have pot snobs."
On a Tuesday morning in mid-September, customers trickle into the shop -- where a friendly "budtender" walks them through options. Picking a Sativa strain would lead to a head high, while an Indica strain would lead to a body high preferred at bedtime. Instructions are as basic as "eat this" or "drink that."
CBD topicals in a case at Chalice Farms shop in Portland, Sept. 18, 2018. (Tanya Moutzalias | MLive.com)
Marijuana infused drinks inside a refrigerator at a Chalice Farms shop in Portland, Oregon, Sept. 18, 2018. (Tanya Moutzalias | MLive.com)
"People come in for ailments first. The tourist part is probably the fourth reason people come in," Genovese said.
He listed off the reasons.
"Pain, stress, anxiety -- the fourth thing is fun."
It's all completely legal, taxed and regulated by the state of Oregon. From its new cash crop of marijuana businesses, Oregon has harvested more than $100 million in new tax revenue.
Michigan could be next.
Voters head to the polls Nov. 6 to decide whether Michigan could become the first Midwestern state to legalize recreational marijuana.
From the streets of a major city to sleepy farm towns, here's what could happen in Michigan if voters say yes.
RELATED: 5 surprises about visiting a city with legal marijuana


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13 November 2014
A hectic week of high-level diplomacy in Beijing has seen China asserting its weight and snatching the region’s economic leadership from traditional leader, the United States. The implications will not be missed as ASEAN leaders meet in summit in Myanmar this week.
The APEC Summit that just concluded in Beijing was no doubt China’s show. Beijing came out looking very much what it is touted to be – the world’s second largest economy – now leading the charge towards a freely-trading region known as the Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP). For a once-closed economy that was not even part of the global trading system, this is one giant leap. In so doing, China overshadowed and reduced a rival initiative from the United States – the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) which excludes Beijing – to what is a subsidiary platform.
President Xi Jinping has just shown that the agenda of liberalising trade in the Asia-Pacific cannot but take China into account; indeed, this agenda will henceforth be dictated by China. To show how serious it is, the Beijing APEC Declaration came complete with a roadmap towards the realisation of the FTAAP, though a clear deadline was shelved for now. With the US outmanoeuvered, the economic power game entered a second stage in Myanmar this week where ASEAN hosted the East Asia Summit in which both China and the US are members (with Beijing represented by Prime Minister Li Keqiang).
…Yang Razali Kassim is Senior Fellow with the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University.
RSIS / Online
Last updated on 14/11/2014