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9 min read 21 Jul 20
Summary: Chinese equities have been the standout asset so far this year. One of the rare areas where investors have made a positive return. This may seem odd given the fact that COVID-19 originated from China. There are, however, several good reasons why Chinese equities have been one of the best-performing asset classes year to date.
It should be noted that China’s strong performance this year follows on from 2019, where it again topped the performance lists. The pace of recent gains is fast, but it is a continuation of a trend of outperformance rather than the start of a trend.
There is one aspect behind China’s outperformance that I’d like to look at in a little more detail; the market’s composition. The relationship between a country’s stock market and its economy is nuanced. There are countless empirical studies that show there is little, or no, correlation between the long-term performance of a country’s economy and its stock market. However, the shape of a country’s economy can be reflected in the composition of its stock market. This is very much the case in China.
The past twenty years has seen a huge shift in the global economy, with China a key beneficiary of globalisation, sparked by the formation of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 1995. China’s economic transformation began around the turn of the century with it becoming the de-facto global manufacturer. A vast (and crucially cheap) labour force saw China take on a huge role in making low value-add goods which were bought by the rest of the world. Consumers wanted low prices, China in effect offered them. In doing so, it exported deflation. It took enormous market share in the global manufacturing supply chains. With economic development came rising levels of wealth via increasing wages and property values. Over time, this inevitably eroded China’s competitive advantage and impacted its role as the world’s ‘low cost’ manufacturer. The past ten years has seen a rapid increase in gross national income, and China’s economy has pivoted towards a more consumer-led model. China is no longer a low-income economy, it is fast approaching what’s considered high-income status. It is consumption, not exports, that is the key driver of China’s economy today.
This economic evolution matters to equity investors because these changes have been mirrored in its stock market. When China became a manufacturing powerhouse the key economic sectors were energy, materials, construction, and industrials, as the economy grew incredibly rapidly. The stock market reflected this; there was scant representation of the consumer. As the economy matured, with growth moderating to more sustainable levels – driven increasingly by domestic factors – the stock market’s composition changed too. The following chart shows the changing face of the Chinese market over time – splitting the market into ‘Old’ and ‘New’ economy sectors. The New economy sectors; consumer discretionary, consumer staples, healthcare, IT, media and entertainment now account for two thirds of the market.
Equity investors do not buy countries, or economies, they buy companies. Buying Chinese equities today is a very different proposition to what it was ten years ago. It is the composition of the market today which is, arguably, the key reason behind the market’s strong run. This has occurred despite a backdrop of slowing global growth and rising protectionism.
Almost half of the MSCI China Index, by market cap, is in companies with ‘online’ business models; comprising entertainment and retailing. Naturally, these businesses have weathered the COVID-induced lockdown better than most other parts of the market. Two stocks alone, Alibaba and Tencent, account for just over 30% of the MSCI China Index. The situation in China is similar to what we see in the US where the FAANG stocks dominate the S&P 500.
Investing in China still comes with a health warning. The headlines we read can, on occasion, seem alarming – but perhaps misleadingly so at times. We always need to keep in mind that there are two very distinct Chinese stock markets – the onshore Chinese A-shares; traded on exchanges in Shanghai and Shenzhen, and the offshore market representing Chinese companies listed in Hong Kong, H-shares, and those with American Depositary Receipt (ADR) listings in the US. International investors will, predominately, access Chinese equities via funds or portfolios that largely invest in the MSCI China Index, or its constituents, which is largely comprised of H-shares and ADRs. Investors’ experiences of the onshore and offshore markets can be very different.
We have recently seen extreme levels of volatility in the Chinese A-share market, as share prices have soared over the past month. The A-share market is almost exclusively owned domestically, and is one where individual investors play an incredibly pivotal role. Individuals own c.20% of the market, by market cap, yet account for almost 80% of the market’s turnover. This statistic really catches the eye and explains why the A-share market can be so volatile. Retail investors behave with a seemingly ‘day-trader’ mindset. This short-term behaviour is also compounded by the use of margin; whereby retail investors can borrow money from their broker to invest into the market. Leverage exacerbates the market volatility.
We have recently seen fuel added to the fire of this retail-induced volatility, by state-led media campaigns extolling the virtues of the bull market. As a consequence, we have seen some incredibly large daily moves in the market as retail investors rushed to jump on the bandwagon. However, given the pace of these rises through the beginning of July we are now witnessing a change in the government’s media strategy; adopting a more cautionary tone to try to stem a potential ‘market bubble’.
Echoing the evolution we’ve seen in the composition of the Chinese stock market, we are seeing a number of market-led reforms which will serve to broaden out the investor base of the A-share market in time – particularly with regards to a more institutional, international investor cohort accessing China. Chinese equities are a huge component of the emerging markets universe today, accounting for just over 40% of MSCI Emerging Markets Index. However, China is, arguably, underrepresented in wider global indices; only accounting for 5% of the MSCI AC World Index. This will change in time.
While the market’s rise this year is eye-catching, against a backdrop of trade wars and the COVID-19 pandemic, there are good reasons for this. Going forward, what we need to keep an eye on is the valuations of those large internet companies – are their business models as bullet proof as the valuations are implying?
With regards to the Chinese A-share market, it will also be important to monitor retail investor sentiment, which has the potential to rapidly impact aggregate valuations. Just recently, we saw the largest IPO in China for a decade, SMIC, which listed on the Star Board of Shanghai. SMIC is a semiconductor company that has never earnt a return on capital above its cost of capital and, yet, still listed on an eye-watering 4x price-to-book multiple. Its shares rose over 200% on the stock’s first day of trading.
China’s markets are not necessarily in bubble territory today, but are perhaps not far away.
The value of investments will fluctuate, which will cause prices to fall as well as rise and you may not get back the original amount you invested. Past performance is not a guide to future performance.


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Snapchat May be the New Place for Engaging Advertisement
Twitter Rolls Out New Customer Service Features
Snapchat is gaining momentum in advertising and could be teaming up with Fandango to promote box office movie ticket purchases in the near future.
Instagram Comments Can’t Claim ‘#NoFilter’ After the App’s Latest Update
Social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, SnapChat, and Instagram give large companies the chance to reach out and connect with their customers beyond conventional customer service. But, new research has found that about 70% of negative feedback is ignored by companies online. Twitter has the chance to change that statistic by giving brands new resources to encourage customer support interactions on their platform.
Twitter is Keeping it Fresh
Have you ever received rude or inappropriate comments on your Instagram photos? Or maybe you’re just tired of seeing negative commentary splattered all over posts from your favorite brand or celeb. Whether you’re the victim or the witness of unfavorable Instagram interactions, you’ll appreciate Instagram’s latest means of battling online bullying and harassment.
LinkedIn Lite: The Rural Solution
Twitter is desperately trying to keep up with the pack. The tech world is continuing to evolve at a rapid rate, yet Twitter seems to be lacking a few key features that other messaging apps have been incorporating in their services for a while.
Facebook Tips to help your Business Grow
With social media platforms across the board developing more efficient lite versions of their websites and applications, LinkedIn has finally jumped on the bandwagon.
The Endless Possibilities of Facebook’s New AI Open-Source Coding
Facebook is the largest social network in the world. With over 1 billion daily active users, it makes sense for businesses to take advantage of it’s reach. Using what Facebook has to offer can help your business engage with more customers and stand out from the competition.
Are you too old to use Facebook's new app?
AI (artificial intelligence) seemed to be something that would only be possible in the future. It turns out that so-called future is here. AI is everywhere, especially social media. Facebook uses AI software to recognize the faces of your friends when you post an image. Facial identification is just the tip of the iceberg for what Facebook is currently working on.
The Trouble of Facebook's Trends' Setting
Lifestage, the new app launched by Facebook, is a visual profile that lets users post videos . Lifestage is restricted to students 21 years old and UNDER. It is intended for high school students to meet other classmates in their school or nearby.
Facebook has established another way to make your experience more personal. Last month, the Facebook ad preferences were modified to allow users to choose what kinds of ads are seen in their feed. Most recently, the descriptions from the Trending feature were removed and replaced with the amount of people talking about them.

domain: news


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2020 Honda HR-V Arriving in Showrooms with Exciting Features
Honda enthusiasts are getting more and more excited as the release of one of the most anticipated vehicles in years is now just days away. The 2020 286 Honda HR-V has been the talk of the auto world for several months now, and as more information is released on it, the more interest it’s drawing from customers and the more dealerships like Millennium Honda are receiving calls inquiring about potential holds and deposits.
The fact is that a brand like Honda has built up quite a reputation over the years with the fans and loyalists of Japanese automakers. Even in the battle against heavyweight rivals such as Nissan and Toyota, Honda has always boasted one of the highest customer loyalty ratings and resale values, as well as having one of the top-selling mid-size sedans on the market for decades.
With that reputation comes expectations, and the HR-V does not fail to deliver. It has a stylish and sporty design and comes with five different trim level options, each with its own unique features and benefits to offer a diverse and unique customer base. In addition to that, the largest amount of storage and cargo space among its competitors and the state of the art safety tech make this vehicle a winner before it even hits the lots.
So, if you want to learn more about the 2020 Honda HR-V, as well as how soon you can come see one in person, then just stop on by and visit us at our Millennium Honda showroom located at 286 North Franklin Street in Hempstead. You can also give us a call at 844-512-6944. But don’t wait too long; these aren’t going to sit around for very much time. The demand is rapidly growing as the release date draws closer!


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Let's Talk !
Plantation, Fla (March 4, 2019) – Chetu, Inc., a leading pioneer in providing custom software development services, is excited to announce the expansion of our technical resources by partnering with UiPath, the leading enterprise Robotic Process Automation (RPA) software company. RPA has been scaling up with recognition as a business and government necessity, to embrace digital transformation and an automation-first mindset. This partnership will enable clients to experience top industry implementation standards that create a pathway for scalable, sustainable success.
UiPath is leading the "Automation First" era – championing one robot for every person, delivering free and open training and collaboration and enabling robots to learn new skills through AI and machine learning. Led by a commitment to bring digital era skills to more than a million people, the company's enterprise RPA platform has already automated millions of repetitive, mind-numbing tasks for business and government organizations all over the world, improving productivity, customer experience and employee job satisfaction.
"Chetu's latest automation partnership with UiPath further solidifies our commitment to a client base of over 3,000 companies ranging from large enterprises to start-ups," says Rashad Miller, Director of Sales at Chetu, Inc. "Our certified UiPath developers are available on-demand to meet the growing need to automate manually-driven, repeatable tasks across any industry and business unit."
By partnering with UiPath, Chetu can better develop and implement technology solutions to improve clients' productivity and efficiency. By delegating processes to a virtual digital workforce of software robots, clients can improve employee experience, elevate customer outcomes, overcome operational challenges, improve shortage limitations, and recognize measurable impact on the bottom line.
For more information about UiPath, please visit at www.uipath.com.
Founded in 2000, Chetu, Inc. is a global provider of customized software development solutions combining technological expertise, specific domain experience and passion for excellence to deliver enterprise-grade solutions to start-ups, SMBs and Fortune 5000 companies. Chetu is a true and seamless backend technology partner, helping businesses accelerate the development of desktop, mobile & web-based apps with on-demand developers. Headquartered in Plantation, Florida, Chetu has fourteen locations throughout the U.S. and abroad. For more information visit: www.chetu.com


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A new company called Centro launched today that purports to be a one-stop shop for national advertisers to buy ad space on local Web sites such as newspaper sites.
It appears to be a local ad placement service for national advertiser display ads. The company’s president, Shawn Riegsecker, told Clickz News: "Search had SEM agencies that made search easy. We’re trying to do for local what Overture did for search years ago."
The company has close to $10 million in advertising commitments for 2006, according to Clickz, from blue-chip national advertisers such as Allstate, American Airlines, Ford, Mercedes-Benz and State Farm.
Competition for local advertising continues to heat up, making this a difficult field to enter. Centro will have competition from search giants as well as IYPs. The company hopes to differentiate itself by focusing on Web sites for local media, including newspapers, television and radio stations — thus capturing a segment of the advertising market with a primary interest in these channels. The company’s success will hinge largely upon how this segment of advertisers values its service model in brokering local ad space.
The good news for Centro is that online newspaper readership is on the rise, but competition from paid search won’t make it easy for the company — or any other company that attempts to compete for local ad dollars.


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ROANOKE, Va. – As the world has come to a halt, Fleet Feet Roanoke wants to remind you that one activity is very much open... running.
Since the spread of the virus, the local business created a local Facebook group, Fleet Feet Roanoke Running is NOT Cancelled.
Already, more than 1,100 people have joined, posting pictures of them running outside during a time when gyms are closed.
Since the group has taken off, Fleet Feet Roanoke has partnered with Press Press Merch to create a t-shirt with the slogan.
A portion raised from sales will go to Feeding Southwest Virginia.


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By Will Burgess
Roseau, Minn — In a message to dealer partners today, President of the Off-road Vehicles Division at Polaris, Inc (NYSE: PII), Steve Menneto, noted that new powersports customers are showing “growth from millennials, women riders, as well as Hispanic, and African American riders.”
Based on data from a Q1 2022 investor presentation, Polaris has welcomed 44% more millennials, 28% more women, 21% more Hispanic, and 7% more African American riders since 2016.
Additionally, for the first time ever, Millennial riders are overtaking the Baby Boomer demographic with a 30% rider share versus 27% for Boomers.
“In the first half of 2022, we welcomed over 70,000 new customers to the Polaris off-road vehicle family,” said Menneto.
Through partnership initiatives with the Battlefield video game franchise, and rider communities like Black Girls Ride Magazine & International Female Ride Day, Polaris expects to continue this momentum to welcome even more diversity and new rider demographics into powersports.
Some of the successes Polaris has shared have come from efforts to provide better accessibility to their vehicle lineup. Through focus research with women, Polaris has styled some of their street motorcycles with women riders in mind, configuring the vehicles to be lower and more ergonomic for shorter riders. Additionally, Polaris introduced an automatic transmission into their popular Slingshot series of three-wheel vehicles which opened the market to a newer, younger rider, as well as those with disabilities preventing them from shifting a manual vehicle.
BRP (NASDAQ: BRP) is another major recreational manufacturer that has also made a significant effort to reach more first-time and women riders by partnering with International Female Ride Day and Motoress.
Vehicles like the Can-Am Ryker, a low and sturdy three-wheel motorcycle, have contributed to increased ridership among women, in tandem with Can-Am’s efforts to bring more first-time riders to local motorcycle and three-wheel certification classes with BRP’s Rider Education Program.
In 2019, BRP stated that 30% of all Ryker owners are women and 42% are new riders, with 50% of students who enroll and participate in Rider Education courses representing as female.
Cover: Polaris revealed 2023 off-road models today. Included in this was this 2023 Polaris Sportsman 570 in Sage Green | credit: Polaris Off-road
Will Burgess is a journalist with Adrenaline Powersports Mag
[…] has been leading the charge for bringing first time riders and a more diverse ridership to the sport, and this initiative is sure to continue as new riders come to experience EV motorcycles for the […]


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Microsoft has released a new app for Windows 10 called 3D Scan. As the name suggests, this new app enables owners of an Xbox One and a Windows 10-powered PC to scan 3D objects. Once said objects have been scanned, it's possible to use the resulting files in 3D Builder to create and print 3D models.
You'll need to utilize your Xbox Kinect sensor in order to be able to scan in objects. (No, that $15 webcam from Target will not play ball.) Interested to learn more? Head to Microsoft's website for more details on all things 3D.


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Crowds sparse at final Farmers’ Market
Published 12:00 am Sunday, August 29, 2010
Visitors to Saturday’s final Farmers’ Market of the season were sparse, but it was hard to tell at Heather Burns’ baked goods stall.
A steady stream of customers kept Burns busy all morning, lining up for her specialty breads and delicacies like Rorschach shortbread, with its “intense” chocolate flavors, and Hepburns, named after the actress Katharine, which feature toasted hazelnuts.
“They go great with Scotch — or coffee,” Burns told a group, smiling.
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She was one of five vendors plus a crew of Master Gardeners from the Warren County Extension Service who closed out the market’s third season, held this year in the parking lot next to LD’s Kitchen across Levee Street from the Riverfront Murals.
Kevin Kennedy of Kennedy and Sons Produce of Oak Grove, La., still had plenty of tomatoes, okra and squash for sale, and Kenly and Kenny Ellerbee of Bovina’s K-n-K Farms were similarly stocked with tomatoes, onions, eggplant and other produce. Both vendors were kept busy on a day when temperatures were mild and cloud cover shielded the sun.
Bobbie Smith of Forgotten Art still had jams and jellies for sale but said she’d run out of pickles. Her booth also featured a rack of hand-made tag blankets “for babies that like to play with labels,” she said.
Vicksburg resident James Cooley made his weekly stop at the booth of Kate and Walter Montgomery, picking up a supply of pralines, green tomato relish and a big jar of peach jam. “The only thing they don’t sell is the hot biscuits to go with it,” he quipped.
Cooley loves the Farmers’ Market for its “entrepreneurial spirit,” he said, and attends nearly every week. “It’s people doing something for themselves, taking the opportunity to do what this country is all about. I like that and I like to support it.”
Farmers’ Market co-coordinator Kristen Meehan said the 2010 season, which opened June 5 and ran Saturday mornings and Wednesday afternoons, has been the hottest of the three. It came with other challenges as well, she said.
Previously held a block north in the parking lot across from the Levee Street depot, the event was relocated to the smaller lot this year due to construction and renovations at the depot.
“The season has been a definite learning process, with having to move the market, but the community has definitely come out to support us,” said Meehan.
Vendors said the new location was probably to blame for the slight drop-off in business, but some who had booths earlier in the season ran out of produce because of the August heat.
Not the Ellerbees, however.
“Our yield this year was excellent,” Kenny Ellerbee said. “The problem with the heat is that everything gets ready at the same time, so we have to stagger things a bit.”
Master Gardener Dana Klimas had selected drought-resistant plants to feature this week, and had three or four bouquets of samples including beauty berry, lantana and zebra grass.
“Education is our main goal,” said Klimas, who chairs the market committee for the group. “We thought this was just a perfect venue.”
Meehan said the last day is always a little somber for vendors and customers alike, and while organizers hope to go back to the depot lot next year, the fourth season will be held regardless.
“This is to get me through the winter,” said Alice Hebler as she picked out a supply of jams, fig preserves, pickles and pralines from the Montgomerys. “I’m going to miss it. The market has really been a wonderful asset to Vicksburg.”


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Documents from Arizona’s antitrust lawsuit against Google have been unredacted, and make awkward reading for the company. As spotted by Insider, the documents were uncensored by a judge following pressure from Digital Content Next and News Media Alliance and paint the picture of a company trying to prevent Android users from enacting their right to privacy.
Amongst other things, the documents reveal that Google would push third-party Android manufacturers to obscure settings “through active misrepresentations and/or concealment, or omission of facts,” and make popular privacy settings tricky to locate.
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The documents note that when Google tested a version of Android with privacy settings front and center, the company found it to be a “problem” that too many users were taking advantage. As a result, the settings were buried deeper so only the determined could find them.
It’s not just users who were confused by the labyrinthian privacy menus, though. Jen Chai, a senior product manager for location services, wasn’t clear on how various privacy settings interacted with each other, and other employees were equally thrown.
"So there is no way to give a third party app your location and not Google?" one employee is quoted as saying. "This doesn't sound like something we would want on the front page of the [New York Times]."
Another evidently found the company’s data hunger unsettling: "Fail #2: *I* should be able to get *my* location on *my* phone without sharing that information with Google,” the employee said.
"This may be how Apple is eating our lunch," the employee added, stating it was "much more likely” to let users opt out of data sharing with the company.
The extent of Google’s knowledge about its Android userbase was revealed via Jack Menzel, a former vice president of Google Maps, who explained that the only way Google couldn’t figure out a user’s home and work locations would be if the app was intentionally fed dummy addresses.
All of this is interesting background for the upcoming release of Android 12, which will introduce a new Privacy Dashboard and the ability to make your location tracking a little more fuzzy to apps that request your position.
If the unredacted statements are a fair reflection on the company culture, then it may be that the options are purely to counter the user protections introduced for iOS 14.5 rather than any deep commitment to privacy.
- More: The best Android antivirus apps


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Home » Posts tagged 'CANZUK'
Tag Archives: CANZUK
Until the official Brexit date of March 29, 2019 the UK remains in the European Union — which means that Britain remains a party to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada.
And the CETA accord is a very fine agreement (as it should be, because it took 7-years to negotiate) but it may take another year or two to become fully implemented. At the moment CETA is only partially implemented, but eventually 98% of tariffs between Canada and the EU will be eliminated.
Once Brexit happens on March 29, 2019, the UK will cease to be a CETA signatory and something else (a ‘drop-in’ agreement) will need to replace it.
That is the topic of this blog post.
Enter the United States, Canada, and NAFTA.
Where’s Canada on the International Trade Map?
Canada is a surprisingly strong exporting country. With a population of only 36 million and a territory that measures 3.855 million square miles, it means the country is practically empty.
Across this huge landscape are fields of crops larger than the entire UK, but Canada’s few cities are large. In fact, the Greater Toronto Area (the GTA) is larger and has a greater population than the New York Metropolitan Area.
And it’s an exporting superstar; Making it the 11th highest exporting nation in the world.
“Canada is currently the fourth largest exporter of cars in the world and the ninth largest auto producer in the world, making 2.1 million cars a year. Trade with the U.S. is by far the most powerful driver for the automotive sector.” — Export Development Canada
What if There’s No New NAFTA Agreement?
If the NAFTA agreement falters due to insufficient efforts between U.S. and Canadian negotiators Canada will end up producing cars for itself — which means it won’t be exporting 1.8 million cars to the United States annually once NAFTA is terminated (or) once President Trump slaps a 25% tariff on Canadian cars exported to the United States.
Which means a lot of Canadian autoworkers are going to become unemployed the day after that announcement.
Which means that Canada (insert drum roll here) needs a ‘Plan B’.
President Trump Isn’t ‘Being Evil to Canada’ He’s Protecting American Interests Because That’s His Job!
You can’t blame him for that. For goodness sake he’s the President of the United States, not of Canada.
But Canada can’t sit idly by and wait for the world to end. The country must pick itself up and get on with business.
And the best way to do that is to respectfully approach the UK and inform them that it’s likely NAFTA will be terminated or changed in ways that result in Canada having an excess auto manufacturing capacity of up to 1.8 million units per year.
Such manufacturing capacity could be very useful to the UK government and to UK industry.
How Canada and the UK can Work Together for Mutual Benefit
The cost of living in the UK is much higher than it is in Canada, therefore wages in the UK are higher than in Canada.
And it’s the reason why only premium car lines are built in the UK where the high labour cost for exceptional hand-built cars are reflected in the final price and nobody minds paying extra. See; Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, etc.
Even Rolls Royce and Bentley were forced to move to continental Europe because they couldn’t afford the high labour costs of UK workers and the costly land/building/business costs of manufacturing cars in the United Kingdom.
Post-NAFTA, huge opportunities exist for Canada to export lower-priced GM, Ford, and Fiat Chrysler (FCA) cars and trucks to the UK — freeing-up huge amounts of disposable income for Britons.
Which means that saved money will be spent elsewhere in the UK — whether on home renovations, tuition, school supplies, vacations or investments — because it isn’t going anywhere (it isn’t going to magically vanish!) it will simply be spent on other items.
Any Canadian-built vehicles that are exported to the UK over what the UK market can sustain can be forwarded to Commonwealth of Nations countries by UK re-exporters.
India alone has a population of 1.32 billion and its economy is rising fast to become the third-largest consumer economy in the world. There’s no lack of demand for cars and trucks in the Commonwealth.
A Must Read: India Poised To Be Third Largest Consumer Economy (Forbes)
All of which works to help the UK economy.
Trump Wins, Trudeau Wins and May Wins!
President Trump wins because he will have prevented Canada from exporting 1.8 million vehicles to the United States annually, and American factories (meaning American workers) will need to fill that demand gap, Prime Minister Trudeau wins because he will have saved the Canadian jobs associated with the manufacturing of those 1.8 million cars and trucks, and Prime Minister May wins because she will have ushered in three new lines of lower-priced vehicles for UK consumers and those savings will translate into higher levels of disposable income for British consumers that can be spent elsewhere in the UK economy.
It’s so easy when you know how...
It looks like the so-called ‘Project Fear’ campaign has failed in its quest to force referendum after referendum until they got the answer they wanted (which to observers, seemed they wanted to stay in the European Union at any cost) and that Brexit will occur on March 30, 2019 as planned.
All that remains to be decided between the UK and the EU is whether future relations will be based on World Trade Organisation rules, or on a bilateral trade agreement that allows both sides to prosper while maintaining a reasonable level of protection for national sovereignty, for their respective economies, and is able to shelter startups or other businesses that may require some form of special treatment or protection.
Either UK and EU leaders are up to the task, or they’re not. We’ll soon know.
And if they aren’t up to the task, every one of them deserves to get the boot at the next election.
First on the Agenda for the UK
Of paramount importance for the UK are free trade agreements with its Commonwealth partners — agreements that automatically come into effect within 24 hours of the official Brexit date.
It’s important to begin with Commonwealth trading partners because if Commonwealth nations aren’t willing to sign bilateral trade agreements with the UK, why would other countries want trade deals with the UK?
(If I represented a non-Commonwealth country and the UK couldn’t get its act together enough to sign worthwhile free trade agreements with its own Commonwealth partners, I wouldn’t be interested in signing with the UK either)
Yesterday, Australia’s Prime Minister generously indicated his country will sign a bilateral trade agreement to automatically come into effect the day after Brexit, and New Zealand, Canada, India, and other Commonwealth nations have indicated they’re open to bilateral trade agreements with the UK too.
Therefore, it isn’t a reach to suggest that such agreements be ready for a signing ceremony the day after Brexit and that UK foreign direct investment (FDI) in those countries will thenceforth take an instant leap forward.
The time to get such negotiations done is NOW so that a simultaneous signing ceremony can be televised across each of the Commonwealth’s 53 capital cities at 00:01 (in the UK timezone) on March 30, 2019.
What a tribute to enduring relations between Commonwealth members. Such a historic moment!
Second on the Agenda for the UK
No later than 24-hours after Brexit (which puts us at March 31, 2019) the UK should have free trade agreements automatically coming into effect with every economy in the world — agreements that work for each country just as well as they work for the UK.
‘Win-Lose’ thinking is no longer an option in the 21st century and anything less than ‘Win-Win’ isn’t worth spit. In fact, unless trade agreements are ‘Win-Win-Win’ these days, their value is questionable.
If the UK offers a ‘Win-Win’ trade agreement to China, but Japan offers a ‘Win-Win-Win’ trade agreement to China; Which of the two countries will be China’s most favoured trading partner?
Obviously, Japan’s offer would win, and the UK offer would simply gather dust as Japan’s relationship with China surged forward.
These negotiations must occur NOW and be led with a high level of urgency by Prime Minister Theresa May and Secretary of State for International Trade Dr. Liam Fox, so that by April 1, 2019 the UK will have bilateral trade deals with every country in the world — that automatically come into effect the day after the official Brexit date.
Anything less than that stellar achievement should be considered by UK voters to be a mediocre performance by the (then) ruling party in the UK House of Commons.
This page is under construction. Thank you for your patience!
Letter to Britain is looking for authours to post CANZUK-related blogs (opinion piece) or articles (fact-based) on this page.
If you’re a supporter of a CANZUK organization, large or small, and you want to post your articles, blog posts or essays, or other CANZUK-related work such as images, please use the Contact Page to inform the Letter to Britain editor.
The CANZUK movement wants to more closely align Anglosphere nations that have traditional and historic links with the United Kingdom.
The CANZUK nations are: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom.


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Spotify and other media companies call on EU to take action against ‘unfair’ practices by Apple’s App Store
Music streaming service Spotify, along with other media companies such as Deezer, urged the European Commission to take action against Apple for anti-competitive and unfair practices, in a joint industry letter on Wednesday.
The letter, addressed to the executive vice-president of the European Union’s antitrust regulator, Margrethe Vestager, called on the Commission to act quickly for the well-being of European consumers.
Spotify has for years accused Apple of abusing its market position by using its App Store rules to stifle competition.
He has already filed antitrust complaints against Apple in various countries, alleging that the 30% fee Apple asks developers to pay on its App Store has forced Spotify to “artificially inflate” its own prices.
“We are writing to call for swift and decisive action by the European Commission against the anti-competitive and unfair practices of certain global digital gatekeepers, and Apple in particular,” reads the letter, signed by the chief executives of the media companies. Schibsted, Proton and Base Camp.
Spotify chief executive Daniel Ek previously said the iPhone maker “gives itself every advantage while stifling innovation and hurting consumers.”
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
Last month, Ek renewed his attack on Apple in a series of tweets alleging the iPhone maker “gives itself every advantage while stifling innovation and hurting consumers.” He had tagged a number of likeable business leaders in his 21-tweet thread, including Musk, Microsoft Chairman Brad Smith and Proton founder Andy Yen.
“So how much longer are we going to look away from this threat to the future of the internet? How many more consumers will be denied choice? ‘action,” Ek tweeted.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
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Samsung introduced the new era of Smartphone on Wednesday, all display, nearly bezel-less Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. The ‘infinity display’ Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ is integrated with Samsung’s in-house AI ‘Bixby’, ‘Dex’ desktop dock, comes with iris scanner (previously found in the Galaxy Note 7), facial recognition, IP68 water and dust resistance. As leaks revealed almost everything, Samsung at the launch event added some brief on each of the important aspects of the flagship. But what the South Korean tech company forgot to mention is that the new Smartphone gets an upgrade in its connectivity with the latest Bluetooth v5.0.
Samsung Galaxy S8 About Bluetooth v5.0
Samsung Galaxy S8 Bluetooth Special Interest Group last year announced the latest version of Bluetooth technology- Bluetooth 5. The latest version has ‘significantly’ increased range, 2x speed and broadcast messaging capacity.
Read More: – Official Announces Tinder Online
What is the difference between Bluetooth v4.2 and v5.0?
The difference as compared to the previous version Bluetooth (v4.2) is that the Bluetooth v5.0 has twice the transmission speed for files along with being better optimized for power consumption. Bluetooth v5.0 gets 800 percent increase in data broadcasting bandwidth for connection-less traffic and quadruple range while operating in low-energy connections. Besides, the new standard brings reliable support to IoT (Internet of Things) connections. The connection-less services like a beacon and location-based technology deliver smooth usage that extends beyond the corners of the house or outdoor.
Two Headphones, One Source
What is the advantage of having Bluetooth v5.0 in the Galaxy S8 series? Bluetooth v5.0 has increased bandwidth which can support two independent set of wireless devices simultaneously. This has resulted in the Samsung Galaxy S8‘s Dual audio feature. The feature gives the option to stream audio from one Galaxy S8 device to two separate receivers at the same time. Moreover, with four times the range compared to its predecessor, a device with Bluetooth v5.0 will be useful as a portable device.
But it is more than just audio streaming
It’s not only about streaming audio in two wireless devices, the Bluetooth v5.0 on the Galaxy S8 will have the capability of maintaining connections of up to 800 feet away from the Smartphone with other compatible devices. Apparently, the support to Lot connections will enable the user to connect the Galaxy S8 to other physical devices, smart devices (compatible of course) and collect/exchange data from anywhere while staying indoor or outdoor as well. With the increasing speed in the new standard, the data transmission will take lesser time and power consumption will be less even while sending large file size.
But of course, with splendid features comes a bigger price tag. The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ will have a starting price of $750 and $850 respectively, a steep price to pay just to be able to listen to music on two separate Bluetooth headphones simultaneously. Interestingly Samsung’s newest flagship Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are the only Smartphone that comes with the next-generation Bluetooth v5.0 connectivity. Samsung says that the Bluetooth v5.0 in the Galaxy S8 series will deliver the speed of up to 2Mbps. We can only hope that Bluetooth 5.0 starts becoming more mainstream across Smartphone in the coming months instead of being a flagship-only feature.


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Haulier Brian Prescott buys competitor Roe Green
6th July 2012
MANCHESTER-based haulier Brian Prescott Ltd has acquired competitor Roe Green Transport, also in Manchester, for an undisclosed sum.
Brian Prescott Ltd has been established for over 50 years, providing haulage, storage and distribution services.
Roe Green operates six vehicles and holds an ADR licence to carry chemical products.
Bolton-based KBS Corporate acted on behalf of Roe Green Transport. Tom Eatough of KBS Corporate, said: “I am delighted to have been able to agree the deal which I believe suits b......for the full story register now for free or login below...
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Mattel, the largest toyco in the US, has released its fourth quarter and full-year financial results, revealing an uptick in worldwide sales growth propelled by girl-skewing brands like Barbie and American Girl, which both saw an 8% growth in worldwide sales for the quarter.
The California-based company reported net income of US$325.2 million for the quarter, or $0.89 per share, compared to last year’s Q4 net income of US$328.4 million, also $0.89 per share. Net sales were US$2.12 billion for the period, a 9% increase from US$1.96% billion last year. Gross sales in the US were up 11% and internationally at 6%.
Worldwide sales for Other Girls Brands were up 29% for the fourth period while worldwide quarterly sales for the Wheels business, which includes the Hot Wheels, Matchbox and Tyco R/C brands, were down 4%. Worldwide sales for the Entertainment business, which includes Radica and Games and Puzzles, were up 12% for the quarter
For the full year, worldwide sales for Barbie were up 7%, Hot Wheels up 3%, Core
Fisher-Price down 3% and American Girl up 5%. Overall worldwide sales for the Mattel Girls & Boys Brands business unit were US$3.66 billion for the year, up 11%.
In entering 2011 above analysts’ expectations, the company’s priority for the year ahead is to implement a new organizational structure filled with cost-cutting opportunities and deploy capital in a disciplined yet opportunistic manner.


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This morning Edelman’s DERT team announced the results of their fifth annual survey on Value, Engagement and Trust in the Era of Social Entertainment. Gail Becker, President of Edelman’s Western U.S. Region presented the results and hosted the event along with Jon Hargreaves Managing Director of Edelman Technology in Europe and a panel of experts including; Matthew Hawn, Vice president Last.fm, Emma Barnett, Digital Media Editor, The Daily Telegraph and Simon Nelson, the Digital Business and Strategy advisor and former controller of multiplatform commissioning at the BBC.
We will be sharing the full slideshow on here later today and posting up video snippets of the event for now here are the highlights and some of our thoughts, let us know what you think.
The key stats from the survey:
· 4% of U.K. consumers feel positive about the move to a paywalled service
· 45% of people in the U.K. and 57% in the U.S. believe social networking sites are a form of entertainment
· Personal enjoyment and visual/sound quality continue to top the list of purchase drivers with “being one of the first to have new entertainment” dropping significantly (to 14%, down from 40% in the U.K. and to 17%, down from 41% in the U.S.).
· More than half (52%) of all respondents would like to use a computer to access further entertainment content, and 30% would like to be able to access that content on their mobile phone
· 49% of people in the U.K. and 52% in the U.S. believe they are spending more than a year ago with their mobile phones to access their entertainment, while 59% (U.K.) and 53% (U.S.) spent more time with their laptop
As the study revealed last year, the internet remained the second most frequently turned to form of entertainment for the second year in a row. While television remained the most frequent form of entertainment both in the U.K. and the U.S. (49% and 47% respectively), dropping 8 and 11 percent respectively since 2010.
The Internet as connective tissue
Most sources of entertainment are less used, this just means that people are spreading their consumption wider. It seems that to succeed in the era of social entertainment, entertainment companies must invest in multiple channels of distribution to enable consumers to access their content wherever and whenever. Five years ago the entertainment industry viewed the internet as a threat, but now it’s an opportunity for those same companies to monetise internet content through simple revenue models indeed the internet can be the connective tissue bringing content together.
Overwhelmingly, consumers (84% in the U.K.) feel negatively about the move from free to paid entertainment services. The survey also reveals that paywalls created by entertainment sources for previously free services are being met with feelings of frustration and distrust by users. Some cite the lack of improvement in quality of service, while others state they would suspect a profit motive driven by greed.
The study also delivers insights on how content providers can try to overcome feelings of distrust about paywalls by delivering value in other ways. 87% of U.K. respondents consider visual and sound quality important in making their entertainment purchasing decisions and nearly half (47% in the U.K.) consider the number of devices with which they can access the entertainment.


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The retailer announced last Thursday (September 10) it would be shutting the supermarkets as part of a £1bn cost saving programme.
A company spokesman said no stores in Sussex were currently going through the consultation processes.
Morrisons confirmed the following supermarkets could be closed:
n Burnham on Sea (Somerset)
n Castletown (Sunderland)
n Clevedon (Somerset)
n Little Hulton (Greater Manchester)
n Northallerton (North Yorkshire)
n Oldbury (West Midlands)
n Salford (Greater Manchester)
n Shildon (County Durham)
n Streatham (London)
n Tyldesley (Wigan)
n West Bromwich (Hawthorns), West Midlands
It is reported 900 jobs could be at risk.
Morrisons, which has supermarkets in Crawley, Worthing, Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, reported its half yearly profits before tax had dropped from £239m in 2014/15 to £126m.
It also stated its annual turnover for the same period fell to £8.1bn, down 5.1 per cent on last year.
On Wednesday September 9 the retailer announced it had sold 140 M Local stores for £25m, including the store in Littlehampton.
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Sportsmans Depot has a webpage supposedly for FNH FN15, the rumored FN AR carbine.
There has been some rumors flying around about FN's entry in to civilian market. Larry Vickers posted one of carbines he acquired from a former FN employee, and now this.
This is going to be interesting since FN has been making M4s for US military using TDP(Technical Data Package). One of conditions is that FN cannot use the knowledge gained from the TDP to go in to commercial market. There has been rumors of FN selling parts via a well-known online website, but nothing has been explicitly mentioned.
It would be interesting how this would turn out.
From: Soldier Systems, Sportsmans Depot
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Merge 104.8 | 20 March 2023
The world’s loneliest house has been revealed. It’s a single white-painted building located in a small island off the coast of Iceland. The island is 110 acres large and is home to a large population of Puffins and other species of birds. The photographs show a picturesque log cabin perched on a green hillside, surrounded by blue seas on either side.
A huge indoor attraction dedicated to Harry Potter is about to open its doors. Some of the sets have been specially commissioned and made for the new attraction by filmmakers who worked on the original Harry Potter series. The new attraction will be in Tokyo, Japan and not only will it be the first Warner Bros. Studio Tour to open in Asia, but it will also be the world’s largest indoor Harry Potter attraction.
Following the US and the UK, New Zealand is the latest country to ban TikTok on government devices because of security fears. It has been claimed that the Chinese owned app collects and stores huge amounts of user data including contacts, user content and geolocation data on government devices which can be sensitive. The new instruction applies only to the official work phones of government officials.


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|Skip to content
The District economy continues to grow at a steady, sustainable pace. Although retailers report varied results for April and May, with unseasonably cool weather slowing sales of summer clothes, most expect sales to pick up as summer arrives. Car dealers have noticed a general slowing in sales recently, which they expect will continue for the rest of the year. District firms, for the most part, are still reporting moderate gains in sales and employment, although tight labor markets in some areas continue to stall expansion plans. Relative to a year earlier, a slightly smaller percentage of District small businesses plan to increase prices during the next three months. Meanwhile, these small businesses report facing pressure on wages and salaries similar to a year ago. While levels of sales and construction in residential and nonresidential real estate markets are continuing their upward trend, they are still below last year's record levels. A cool, wet spring has retarded the growth of crops in many areas.
Although retailers report varied sales results for April and May, most agree that sales growth either met or slightly exceeded their expectations. With the approach of summer, outdoor furniture and gardening products have been the biggest sellers. Below-average spring temperatures, however, have hampered sales of summer clothing and swimwear around the District. Contacts report that current inventories are at desired levels, and they do not anticipate having to use much discounting to move stock. Many retailers remain optimistic about sales for the rest of 1997.
Most surveyed automobile dealers report a slowing in sales for April and May compared with one year ago. Because of this slowdown, many have offered more frequent rebates to move stock. Dealers report that relatively more buyers are purchasing new cars rather than used cars. Dealers are somewhat pessimistic about car sales for the rest of 1997, however, expecting it to be a "soft" year.
Manufacturing and Other Business Activity
District contacts continue to report moderate sales and employment growth. Tight labor markets, especially for construction and other skilled trade workers, are still being reported from most parts of the District. Some firms are unable to meet higher demand because they are understaffed. One firm reports that it raised its starting wage about 15 percent to attract qualified candidates. More than 300 Teamsters who drive concrete trucks in the St. Louis region went on strike June 2, slowing or halting much residential and commercial construction in the area.
To supply the soon-to-open Toyota plant in Indiana, a new aluminum smelting plant will open in eastern Missouri next year. Several firms that supply materials to building contractors have recently seen sales increase as construction has picked up. One of these suppliers notes that he was able to pass along a 3 percent price increase, which seems to be sticking, to his customers.
On the other hand, a maker of ice cream and other frozen products has seen sales slip recently because of unusually cool weather. Public utilities have also seen usage fall below last year's levels because of cool weather. One contact remarked, though, that on a weather-adjusted basis, usage is most likely up slightly.
For the most part, Manpower's third-quarter employment outlook survey shows increased job opportunities compared with three months earlier. Prospects for additional hiring are best in St. Louis, with somewhat less upbeat prospects noted in Louisville and Memphis. Third-quarter hiring intentions are modestly lower in Little Rock—albeit coming off a strong second quarter.
According to a survey of 223 small businesses in the District, about 18 percent plan to boost sales prices over the next three months, while only about 3 percent plan to lower prices. Last year, a similar survey showed that 21 percent planned to increase prices. The same survey shows little change in wage pressures compared with a year earlier, with a little more than a fifth planning to boost wages and salaries over the next three months. In contrast, less than 1 percent plan to reduce compensation — again, roughly unchanged from a year earlier.
Real Estate and Construction
Residential real estate markets continue to expand, with increases in both sales and the number of new building permits issued. This year, however, has not been as strong as last year, which featured record numbers of sales and new construction. Pockets of slowing, which had occurred a few months ago because of early spring flooding and storms, have started to reverse themselves. A lack of qualified workers still hampers building in some areas, though. Nonresidential construction remains strong in parts of the District, although the average size of new projects this year is smaller than it was last year.
Banking and Finance
Loan demand appears to be slowing somewhat in most areas of the District, although many banks are still experiencing double-digit, year-over-year loan growth rates. Most contacts cite residential real estate and construction lending as the strongest areas of growth. Consumer and commercial loan demand have weakened slightly. A number of contacts continue to report strong competition in their markets for commercial loans, resulting in more generous underwriting terms and narrower interest rate spreads.
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Contacts in the Delta region report that the cotton and rice crops are off to sluggish starts because of the cool, wet spring. In general, though, these crops are in fair-to-good condition. Prices for cotton farmers continue to slump from year-earlier levels; weakening foreign demand is cited as the primary reason. A contact in Arkansas notes that agricultural land sales have picked up, a development not seen since the mid- to late-1970s.


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The St. Thomas University international office will host the third annual Winter Warm Up clothing drive in Sir James Dunn Hall on Nov. 15. The clothing drive aims to outfit STU students who are lacking winter clothing. There will be racks with donated winter clothing and accessories, readily available for students to browse and take.
“It’s an annual event that brings the campus community together and looks to the community for donations,” said Carrie Monteith-Levesque, STU’s international student coordinator.
The clothing drive is a multi-party collaboration, bringing together STU’s international office, International Students’ Association and the students’ union. People looking to donate can drop items off in George Martin Hall room 311 until Nov. 12.
So far, jackets are the most popular donated item. Monteith-Levesque said this is great because new winter coats are expensive. Organizers hope to collect winter essentials like hats, mitts, scarves and boots.
Monteith-Levesque said the event was created after multiple international students arrived in Canada without proper winter clothes. Her office took action in 2019, asking around the STU community for donations.
“We knew that there was a need and that there might be something we could do on campus,” she said.
The first event in 2019 was a “swap and drop.” All donations that were received were given directly to international students. After seeing the success of the event, organizers decided to host it annually. This years’ clothing drive is open to the whole STU student community.
Alex Nguyen, STUSU’s vice president administration, agreed that many students arriving in Canada couldn’t afford to purchase new winter outerwear.
“One thing I noticed in my first year [was] a lot of international students were experiencing Canadian winter for the first time,” she said.
Nguyen is from Vietnam and said students coming to study from other continents aren’t properly notified about the winter climate.
“Many come from tropical regions … they don’t know what to buy and [what] clothing best suits Canadian winters,” said Nguyen. “The Winter Warm Up [event] helped me see the variety of [items] that helped me prepare better.”
Because of COVID-19, all donated articles must be washed before being dropped off. Everything will be bagged at least 48 hours prior to the event. Volunteer students will be wiping surfaces and the clothing can’t be tried on.
Monteith-Levesque said the reactions to the clothing drive on campus are positive. The event room will include a gratitude board where participants can leave thank you notes outlining how the clothing will help them get through the season.
All leftover clothing will be passed along to other student groups or donated to community organizations.
“You can never have enough pairs of mitts, hats and scarves,” said Monteith-Levesque.


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Today businesses of all sizes have digital technology. More than 2100 fintech companies in India alone have digitised every possible consumer interface. But unfortunately, this transformation has also made them vulnerable to cyber-attacks. As per a recent ImmuniWeb survey, 98 of the top 100 global fintech startups are prone to cyber-attacks. Hence, these companies are in critical need to adopt cyber resilience.
This article will see the top 4 reasons why fintechs must not progress without cyber resilience.
What is Cyber Resilience?
While cyber security stands for protection tools and mechanisms to thwart any cyber-attack, cyber resilience is a broader term. Cyber resilience stands for a companies’ ability to apprehend, prepare, respond and recover from any cyber-attack whenever it takes place.
It defines the organisation’s ability to bounce back on its feet after an online attack with the least harm to the business and its customers.
Cyber Security Risks Faced by Fintechs
Today, cyber-attacks are aimed at governments and a few select companies. All kinds of businesses and individuals face threats from hackers.
The risk is heightened as all kinds of financial services are now available online. This is evident because, in 2020, cyberattacks in the financial sector rose by 238% globally.
With the booming eCommerce industry, cyber financial frauds will likely increase by 130% in the next two years. (What’s the future of fintech resilience – UKTN | UK Tech News |)
The fast pace of digitisation with lax regulatory framework makes the fintech sector a sitting duck to future cyber-attacks. Hackers can easily paralyse the functioning of an entity with tools like Malware, Ransomeware, etc.
Recommended: Fraud-Handling in A Digital Lending World – Precisa
This brings us to:
Top 4 Reasons that Call for Cyber Resilience of Fintechs
The past two years have seen the rise of fintechs in India. As per the Global Fintech Adoption Index, India is a significant contributor to this trend. In addition, due to rapid digitisation, 80% of Indians have a bank account now.
However, this progress of fintech has also made all the stakeholders more vulnerable targets to cyber-crimes. According to data by cybersecurity firm Micro Trend, 73% of organisations in India expect consumer data breaches by the end of this year.
These vulnerabilities intensify the need to become cyber resilient for the fintechs currently booming in India. Let us examine why it is in the interest of these new-age financial companies to have cyber resilience as a part of their growth plan:
1. Overall security
Cyber resilience is more than some cyber security tools which induce a false sense of security. It takes a 360-degree approach to cyber security and prepares the organisation to face and function in the wake of any cyber-attack.
Rather than on and off safety tools, cyber experts design ways and strategies to strengthen the existing IT infrastructure of a company. These measures not only cover the IT network of a company but are across the departments.
2. Covers financial loses
In March 2021, IT firm Tech Mahindra faced a ransomware attack while handling the smart city project for Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporation. The attack delayed the project by a month, causing a loss of Rs 5cr.
A cyber resilience program of a company takes care of such unforeseen incidents. It not only apprehends the future danger but also works out means to handle and neutralise the effect of such cyber threats. This reduces financial losses.
3. Prevents loss of reputation for companies
Today anything from a pizza to a car can be bought or sold online. People click the payment button on their apps because they trust their credit/debit card details to be safe with the seller.
However, when a data breach happens, the customers feel betrayed, and the company loses its reputation. According to a survey by UK telecom provider, TalkTalk lost 7% of its customers in 2015 due to a cyber-attack. Due to data theft, over 3lac customers left the company for a new service provider. (New Research Reveals Extent of Reputation Loss After a Cyberattack – Web Filtering (spamtitan.com)
A cyber resilience program ensures that the business of a company stays afloat in case of such cyber-attacks leading to data breaches. It is also meant to cause minimal to no discomfort to the customers.
4. Keeps the IT team on its toes
Today, not only nations but even enterprises are targets of cyberwar. These attackers are always two steps ahead of their victims and succeed in overpowering the latter.
A cyber resilience program keeps the IT team of a company on its toes. Unlike current IT teams that handle technical issues, a resilient team devises ways to counter any possible cyber threat. They are like tech soldiers ready to address any hypothetical cyber safety problem.
Better Prepare than Be Sorry
As technology advances, cybercriminals find novel ways to beat it. While it may not be possible to read their mind, fintechs can better prepare themselves with cyber resilience to minimise the overall damage of such attacks. It is always better to be prepared than to be sorry.
Precisa offers a cutting-edge bank statement analysis suite for lenders and banks to help them make unanimous lending decisions. With secured lending taken care of, they can invest more valuable time and resources into building cyber resilience.
Do you want to be abreast with the latest news in the world of fintechs? Are you looking for ways to up your cyber safety measures, then reach us at firstname.lastname@example.org


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PHOTOS: El Tianguis Brings Latin Flavor to Burien Town Square
On Sunday, May 30, Burienâ€™s Town Square Park was bustling with visitors and ringing with the sounds of live mariachi music. The occasion was the inauguration of El Tianguis, the areaâ€™s first Latino-themed street market.
The tradition of the tianguis, or open air market, dates back in history to the Aztecs and focused on typical household goods as well as food and special treats. Burienâ€™s version encompasses the traditional and adds modern touches such as electronics and an inflatable play area for the kids.
The threat of bad weather leading into the weekend kept some vendors away for opening day. Those that participated appeared to be doing thriving business as the day wore on and curious residents wandered by to check out the excitement.
Local shoppers familiar with the Farmers Market held on Thursdays will want to give El Tianguis a try. Indications are that while some vendors may overlap both markets, there will be distinctive differences between the two making them complimentary rather than competition.
El Tianguis will be held the next two Sundays, June 6 and June 13, before taking a break to make way for Burienâ€™s Wild Strawberry Festival on June 19-20. Market hours are from 10AM to 4PM.


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There's no question that Diane Von Furstenberg is one of the most accomplished female fashion designers in the world: with a career spanning over forty years, the once princess-turned-entrepreneuer earned her title as "the most marketable woman since Coco Chanel" (as Newsweek once put it). Still, much of her success is owed to one single garment: the wrap dress. But, to my surprise, she didn't always love her iconic design. In face, Diane Von Furstenberg once resented the wrap dress.
In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Von Furstenberg spilled her true mixed feelings on the beloved frock that has become so legendary it had its own birthday celebration and exhibition this past year. She told the WSJ, “It’s so funny because for years, even though I owe everything to the wrap dress — it paid all my bills, it paid for my children’s education, it paid for my freedom and it paid for my fame — I kind of took it for granted. Sometimes I even resented it when people said ‘Diane von Furstenberg is the wrap dress."
I suppose it would be a little annoying if after everything you had achieved in your fashion empire was reduced to one dress you designed four years into your career. But the wrap dress was so much more than just a trend. The impact it left was far greater than that, but it wasn't until after "The Journey of a Dress" exhibition in Los Angeles, which celebrated the 40th anniversary of the wrap dress, that Von Furstenberg acknowledged what the jersey frock had done for her career and for the women she designed it for.
"I looked at it all of sudden, not just for what it’s done to me, but for the impact it’s had on our society. It really liberated women," said Von Furstenberg. "I get up early, I’m very busy, but I’m very excited…because I can look back, and I have created a dress that has lived that long, and that has never happened to a dress before." Exactly. Keep on killin' it, DVF.


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Definition of Graphic:
Synonyms of Graphic:
Sentence/Example of Graphic:
He will hire 15 to 20 people on the Verify team, including producers and editors, digital journalists, motion graphics designers and product developers.
Most recently, Shackelford worked as executive director of the Society for News Design — a group for media professionals who work in graphic and Web design.
Artechouse celebrates virtual-reality visionaries, but also graphic artists and designers.
Previous models had paltry integrated graphics hardware, but the Ryzen gear has Radeon graphics right on the chip, which should make for a marked increase when GPU performance comes into play during games and video editing.
VR games typically aren’t played for consecutive hours like flatscreen games, nor do they rely on the same graphics that often determine the price of other games.
Then it projects all that on an elegant graphic overlay of fires burning across California.
Capsule instantly and automatically processes the video, adding elements like music and graphics, pre-roll or post-roll, which makes the resulting video appear professionally edited.
New versions of the company’s H-series for powerful laptops, code-named Tiger Lake, can pair with mobile graphics chips from Nvidia.
A few local TV stations broadcast the graphic footage to lunchtime audiences across Pennsylvania.
The Hard Tomorrow, cartoonist Eleanor Davis’s 2019 graphic novel, is set in 2022.


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It looks like Sony and Sucker Punch are busy preparing a standalone expansion for one of 2020's best video games, Ghost of Tsushima.
While the news hasn't been confirmed by Sucker Punch or Sony, it certainly seems like everybody is jumping in on the latest leaked information concerning Ghost of Tsushima.
The leak comes courtesy of XboxEra.com founder, @Shpeshal_Nick on Twitter:
Ghosts of Ikishima. An Expandalone type game. Aiming for 2021. Not sure how so many seemed to find out so quick.
— Nick (@Shpeshal_Nick) June 24, 2021
Is Ghost of Ikishima Confirmed?
Nick has made some pretty accurate leaks before. He's also the same person who leaked the next BioShock game. In particular, he claims that Sony is planning on making the next BioShock title exclusive to the PlayStation 5.
However, despite the credibility of Nick, we'd like to remind you to take this information with a grain of salt.
However, it does make sense for Sony and Sucker Punch to work on a standalone DLC or expansion for Ghost of Tsushima. It would probably work similarly with Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which was a standalone expansion to 2018's Marvel's Spider-Man.
Ghost of Tsushima was one of the biggest critical and commercial successes of the previous generation. It was such a huge hit that the developers are now ambassadors of the real-life Tsushima island with a live-action movie reportedly in the works.
Coincidentally, rumors of Ghost of Ikishima started popping up just around the same time that people started speculating that Ghost of Tsushima would be headed to the PC.
When Is the Ghost of Ikishima Release Date?
According to the rumors floating around, Ghost of Ikishima is going to release sometime this 2021. When exactly is not confirmed. However, we can expect Sony to drop news of it anytime soon. The manufacturers of the Sony PlayStation consoles are expected to host another State of Play livestream showcase within the next couple of weeks.
With EA Play Live 2021 scheduled on July 22, 2021, expect the next State of Play showcase to be held right around the same time.
Is Ghost of Ikishima Going to be a PS5 Exclusive?
If we were talking about the rumored Ghost of Tsushima standalone expansion in 2020, it makes sense to wonder if Ghost of Ikishima will be exclusive to the PS5.
Fast forward to 2021 and it's clear that Sony wants to support the PS4 platform just a little bit longer. Case in point, the next God of War game, as well as Gran Turismo 7, are now both confirmed to be cross-gen titles. The latter is especially surprising as it was initially revealed as a PS5 exclusive game.
While it's not sure that Ghost of Ikishima will be releasing on both the PS4 and PS5, we'd be surprised if Sony released the standalone title as a next-gen exclusive title.


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The consumers asked for it and PepsiCo is the first U.S. diet soda brand to deliver, as they announced they would no longer be using the artificial sweeter aspartame in their diet sodas beginning later this year. This is huge news, especially since they are the first major U.S. brand to start doing this, which should take affect in August.
In a statement from Seth Kaufman, senior vice president of Pepsi and Flavors Portfolio, PepsiCo North America Beverages, said: “Diet cola drinkers in the U.S. told us they wanted aspartame-free Diet Pepsi and we’re delivering. We recognize that consumer demand is evolving and we’re confident that cola-lovers will enjoy the crisp, refreshing taste of this new product.”
In place of the aspartame, it looks like Diet Pepsi, Caffeine-Free Diet Pepsi and Wild Cherry Diet Pepsi will be sweetened using sucralose and ace-K and executives say they will all have the same great taste.
Kaufman did go on to say that this move is based on consumer preference and not safety issues from the side affects of aspartame, which one medical expert agreed with: “Aspartame’s safety in the quantities the general public consumes has been established as safe many, many times over.”
This plan only affects the Diet Pepsi flavors and no announcement concerning their other flavors, like Diet Mountain Dew.


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One of Prince’s iconic Blue Cloud guitars just sold for a record $700,000, almost 10 times its $80,000 estimate.
The lot appeared in a major sale of music memorabilia at Julien’s Auctions over the weekend.
The Blue Cloud is an iconic piece of pop history
The star played it on stage during the late 80s and early 90s, before consigning it in a 1994 charity auction for Los Angeles Earthquake Relief.
Since Prince died last year, demand for his memorabilia has skyrocketed at a rate we’ve only seen for a select few figures in the memorabilia market. This latest sale indicates the effect is accelerating and investors are moving in.
The previous record for one of Prince’s guitars was $137,500, set last year for a Yellow Cloud.
The auction hosted a vast selection of items from some of the biggest names in pop history.
A handmade Nehru shirt Jimi Hendrix wore onstage and in the studio for much of 1967 sold for $106,250 – an increase of 431.2% on estimate.
Hendrix was very attached to this shirt
That makes it the most valuable piece of Hendrix’s wardrobe ever sold.
Kurt Cobain’s Blockbuster card also performed well, realising $2,187 against a $600 estimate.
It’s hard to think of an item that encapsulates the 1990s quite so perfectly.
Buyers clearly felt the same way.
Love music? So do we – click here to check out our amazing selection of music memorabilia for sale.
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Nordstrom is embracing the wellness category in a new brand partnership with at-home health testing brand Viome Life Sciences.
On Wednesday, Nordstrom announced that it will begin selling Viome’s “Health Intelligence Test” online and announced plans to expand distribution to select stores in 2022. Nordstrom will list the health product in its beauty section, following in the footsteps of other retailers like Anthropologie and Sephora that are starting to carry more health and wellness-related products in its beauty section.
While Nordstrom’s second quarter sales nearly doubled year-over-year, revenues were still down 6% compared to 2019, signaling the retailer’s continued need to search for growth. During the earnings presentation, Nordstrom CFO Anne Bramman said beauty delivered “strong results,” while Nordstrom President Peter Nordstrom described apparel as “underperforming” in the retailer’s year-end earnings call. As a result, Nordstrom has made growing its beauty and wellness section over the past year a priority, launching a “Self-Love” sexual wellness popup online and in select stores in January, and expanding its brand assortments in the CBD and probiotic spaces. Now, Nordstrom hopes to blur the lines between beauty and wellness and drive further sales growth in its selection of digital-first, at-home health products.
Nordstrom will stock and ship the $199 dollar test, but Viome will still handle the testing and results. The test requires consumers to submit blood and stool samples to Viome’s lab and, in return, Viome gives consumers information about their gut microbiome, cellular function and immune health via the brand’s app. The company also provides users with a list of foods to eat and to avoid as well as long-term personalized supplements and subsequent testing for an extra fee.
“The fundamental reason for us to do what we do is for [consumers] to be able to understand what’s happening inside [their] own bodies,” said Naveen Jain, founder and CEO of Viome.
“As we look to broaden our health and wellness category, Viome provides a service that is new and innovative for us, as well as our customers who might be looking to learn more about their own personal health on their own terms,” Autumne West, Nordstrom’s national beauty director, said over email.
Beauty and wellness blurs
Over the past few years, numerous retailers have attempted to capture a rising interest in wellness and self-care.
In 2018, Anthropologie launched a luxury wellness subsection in select stores, while Sephora launched its Clean at Sephora program to tag green and clean beauty and wellness products. In 2019, Urban Outfitters began selling multiple new CBD brands to bump up its wellness selection. And last October, Kohl’s announced it was testing a new in-store concept called the Wellness Market, which would carry beauty and cleaning products from brands like Seventh Generation.
“Trying to find categories of merchandise that people buy more often than apparel, particularly in this environment, is a solid idea,” said Bryan Gildenberg, senior vice president of commerce at Omnicom Retail Group, told Modern Retail when Kohl’s announced its new wellness concept.
Wellness has always been an amorphous category: retailers will list anything from vibrators to facial skincare rollers to workout gear within their beauty and wellness hubs. Nordstrom’s partnership with Viome signals a further expansion of the space.
“[At Nordstrom], we’re committed to being a trusted resource, giving the customer the opportunity to discover what’s next in beauty,” said West. “Health and wellness is the natural next step, especially after this past year and half where it’s been the biggest focus of our daily lives.”
Color cosmetics accounts for the majority of prestige beauty sales, according to the NPD Group, however the subcategory has been in decline for years. Skincare is instead stealing sales share in the beauty space. The mental leap towards health testing from beauty is not all that different than the movement from makeup to cover towards skincare to treat.
“Nordstrom shared the same vision that being healthy is the new beauty,” said Jain. “Nordstrom wants to move from [beauty] and fashion [towards] health and wellness.”
Retail partnerships grow online and off
While Nordstrom is Viome’s first retailer partnership, Jain said the brand is in talks with other retailers for further expansions. Jain said there were multiple players that may be a good fit for the brand including pharmacies, grocery stores and fashion and beauty retailers like Nordstrom.
Like Viome, other DTC-first, at-home health players have slowly been testing out in-store retailer partnerships. Wellness testing brand Everywell now sells at CVS, Kroger, Target and Walgreens as well as through DoorDash. Self-medical-examination device TytoCare expanded its distribution to Best Buy.
Indeed, Jain is excited for the planned in-store Nordstrom launch of Viome’s test next year, as he thinks in-store assistance will help guide consumers in a relatively new category. However, Nordstrom is primarily focused on building out its wellness space online.
“We are focusing on a digital-first approach, a change accelerated by what we have seen in the past year,” said West.


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The giant McTax bill: Trump hits his favourite fast food chain with a £495m plunge in profits
- Despite selling more food, McDonald’s profits plunged 44% due to the tax blow
- But the fast food chain remained upbeat, reporting a 5.5% rise in global sales
- Trump’s Tax Act aims to cut the rate of corporation tax from 35% to 21%
Even Donald Trump’s favourite fast-food chain is not immune to the impact of the President’s sweeping tax changes, as McDonald’s took a £495 million hit following his economic reforms.
Despite selling more Big Macs, Happy Meals and cheeseburgers at the end of last year, the one-off tax blow caused McDonald’s profits to plunge 44 per cent to £495 million in the three months to December 31.
Trump’s Tax Act, which was signed before Christmas, aims to cut the rate of corporation tax from 35 per cent to 21 per cent and is likely to see many firms take a short-term hit as the value of their tax relief is reduced.
McDonald’s took a £495 million hit following Donald Trump’s economic reforms
McDonald’s remained upbeat, reporting a 5.5 per cent rise in sales compared to a year earlier.
The fast-food chain does not break down UK sales, but said sales outside of the United States jumped 6 per cent.
Paul Pomroy, chief executive of McDonald’s UK, said it served more than a billion customers in 2017 as the chain continued to fit out its restaurants with self-service stations.
‘We continue to listen to our customers – they told us they want ultimate convenience and that’s what we offer, whether that’s through our digital self-order screens, the ease of table service, the handiness of a drive-thru or one of our 24-hour restaurants, click-and-collect via our app, or home service through McDelivery,’ he said.
‘Following its launch last summer, we’ve seen McDelivery go from strength to strength, now live in over 270 restaurants nationwide.
‘Continued investment in convenience will be key to our success this year, but it all starts with serving great tasting, freshly prepared, quality food.’
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Doogee is all planning to announce its latest budget device in china running with Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS out-of-the-box before the start of the year 2016. The following are the specifications and features of Doogee Y300 Android device.
Doogee wanted to become the first Chinese OEM to launch a device running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. This will be becoming fact with the launch of its new budget device dubbed as Doogee Y300.
The Doogee Y300 sports a regular 5-inch display with 2.5D curve and measures just 6mm as its thickness. There are no details regarding the processor but the company has revealed that the upcoming device will includes 2GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, 2200mAh battery, and Sony IMX219 rear camera.
So, does Doogee fulfils the promise of launching the smartphone before the New Year 2016 starts? Stay tuned as we will update once the device goes official.


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Adshel has launched a world-first digital display campaign with Qantas at Sydney’s Town Hall Station, featuring technology that allows passers-by to feature in the campaign on location.
The campaign is the first to launch under Adshel’s new digital and mobile out-of-home network, Adshel Play and is part of Qantas’ recently launched advertising campaign, You’re the reason we fly.
Developed by Amnesia Razorfish the technology operating the screens at Town Hall allows people with the QantasYou app downloaded on their iPhone to see their name and image on the 3.5 metre wide display screens when they are in front of them.
Adshel director of marketing, Nicole McInnes, said the campaign really showed what digital outdoor is now capable of.
“It features world class technology,” she said. “We’re in a “Minority Report” world where advertising can be tailored to your gender, mood or needset for that time of day.”
“Our recent research shows that consumers are waiting for this, they are demanding more from out-of-home advertising and they want to use their smartphones to connect with campaigns that interest them in real time. This is especially true for consumers who are looking for distractions during the downtime of their daily commute. And what better entertainment than to see the person most relevant to them on the big screen.”
The Town Hall campaign will be live until Thursday, when the Qantas competition ends.


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Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is saying no to sugary “sports drinks” and yes to getting physical in California schools.
As part of an ongoing battle against childhood obesity, Schwarzenegger and former President Bill Clinton discussed solutions to the obesity crisis at today’s “2010 Summit on Health, Nutrition and Obesity: Action for Healthy Living” in downtown Los Angeles, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. This comes just after the announcement of several bills aimed at fighting the alarming rate of childhood obesity and the First Lady’s aggressive “Let’s Move” campaign working to raise a healthier generation of kids.
Along with upping the exercise and getting rid of the sugar-packed sports drinks, Governor Schwarzenegger’s leadership has put in place several strategies to promote health and nutrition. According to press materials from the Governor’s office, Schwarzenegger has:Established the toughest school nutrition reforms in the nation, taking junk food and sugary sodas off our campuses.Made California the first state in the nation to have its restaurant chains with 20 or more locations statewide post calorie information on menus and indoor menu boards for consumers.Removed trans fats in school meals and phased out the use of trans fats in all California restaurants beginning in 2010 and from all baked goods by 2011.Invested millions of dollars in fresh fruits and vegetables in school meals.Adopted the first-ever physical education standards.Reinvigorated the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, which focuses on rewarding positive leadership in implementing healthy living in youth.Required each vendor who operates or maintains a vending machine on state property to satisfy the requirement that at least 35 percent of the food and at least one-third of the beverages offered in the vending machines meet accepted nutritional guidelines by January 1, 2011.Proposed a comprehensive health care reform plan that emphasizes prevention and wellness.


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Over the past few weeks, we’ve been hearing a lot of leagues and rumors about the Google Pixel Watch. Today we are going to talk about Google Pixel Watch, Android Central has posted a photo in which they have shared the photo of the Google Pixel Watch and they have told that apart from this they have found this watch in a restaurant. This device is currently undergoing testing in the US International.
If we believe the leaks, then the Google picture will be similar to the image, from its leaks and renders, we know that this smartwatch will come with a round dial and it will be without bezels, on the side of which a round dial is seen like Apple.
This band looks exactly like the Apple support band, if we believe the report, this time there was no source of the charger in the smartwatch, apart from this, if we believe the sources, then when they gave power, this time nothing happened in the watch. The operating system may not have been added yet as it is currently in test mode.
If we believe in rumored, then an internal code name has been given from it, whose name is “Rohan”. If we believe the latest tipster Evan Blass said that the Rohan will be launched soon, although the tipster has not told us when it will be launched, a different tipster John Prosser has told us that it will be seen next month at Google’s I/O 2022. According to this, we can get to see this device at an annual conference on May 11-12.
If we are to believe the previous articles and reports, the Google Pixel will come with Google Assistant, a Samsung Exynos chipset to power it, it is being designed that it will listen to your voice and work without Google it. Send to Google servers. We will get to see a lot of features in it like Heart Monitoring, SpO2, Sports Modes, Stress Mode’ but we are expecting that the calling feature may also be present along with Android App support.
Google Pixel Watch
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A SPANIARD arrested for smuggling 800,000 cigarettes into Gibraltar last week has been fined £100,000 (€134,000).
Two men appeared before the Magistrate’s Court this week charged with fraudulently evading import duty when a commercial vehicle was searched and 800,000 cigarettes were found in plain cardboard boxes on January 27.
The vehicle had declared a consignment of sanitary ware at the East Gate commercial entrance and was kept under surveillance by undercover officers.
Jesus Sanchez Blanco pleaded guilty to the offence and was fined £100,000 (€134,000) or on default six months’ imprisonment. The co-defendant has pleaded not guilty to the offence and is due to appear in court again on April 14.
The retail value of the goods seized was in the region of £75,000 (€99,000) and the amount of import duty evaded was around £54,000 (€72,500).


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When we asked retailers at the end of last year for their predictions for 2018, there were a few recurring themes: uncertainty around Brexit, the importance of product and the increasing need to offer exceptional customer service.
There was also the less positive forecast that 2018 will bring more casualties in the fashion industry, and unfortunately we’re already seeing evidence of this.
Of course, January is traditionally a tough time for fashion. As Skechers managing director Peter Youell pointed out in our predictions, a successful end-of-year trading period is the make or break for many. Sadly, this appears to have been true for womenswear retailer East, which collapsed into administration again this week, blaming tough trading – despite reporting a rise in like-for-likes over Christmas.
Juice Corporation, the owner of brands such as Gabicci, Joe Bloggs and Elizabeth Emanuel, has also initiated insolvency proceedings.
And it is not just clothing retailers that have succumbed: it emerged this week that JD Sports is taking steps to close its once-popular footwear business Cloggs. Ex-managing director Chris Thomas tweeted thoughts that I imagine will be echoed by many in the industry: “Very sad to see my former business end its journey like this. It’s produced many fine staff and memories over the years, very proud still to have started it all. Ecommerce and retail is an unforgiving place. It’s survival of the fittest.”
I feel for those who have lost their jobs as a result of these closures, especially as it comes against a backdrop of redundancies across the fashion retail landscape, from Arcadia Group to Pentland Brands and House of Fraser.
None of this is easy, but difficult decisions may be the only way to keep the high street alive. It is important to restructure and adapt to changing shopping patterns.
However, there is only so much individual businesses can do: we must also look to the government to help.
A report by business services firm EY, published this week, found that rising costs and unsteady consumer confidence contributed to an increase in profit warnings and insolvencies last year. In response, the Treasury Select Committee has called on the government to provide more assistance to retailers, and Drapers wholeheartedly backs this call.
The fashion industry is resilient, but this week has shown that it needs help to survive the challenges ahead.


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The Texas Auto Writers Association is one of the premiere organizations when it comes to reviewing trucks, crossover utility vehicles, sport utility vehicles and vans. Every year, they invited their member journalists (which we are a member of) to Knibbe Ranch just outside of San Antonio, to put the latest vehicles through their paces. One category the vehicles are rated on is in-vehicle connectivity. At this year’s event, Chrysler’s Uconnect Access via Mobile system was declared the winner.
Uconnect allows the driver of a Chrysler product (in this case a Dodge, Ram, or Jeep) to access all of their cell phone data while driving. This includes accessing the phone, Bluetooth Audio, contacts and text messages. With the latest iOS update, the system will even show alert notifications from Apple iPhone devices (we discuss how to enable this feature here).
One new feature on Uconnect that impressed us is the smartphone app access. By downloading an app to a smartphone, the system will recognize services like Pandora and Aha for streaming content to the vehicle. In addition, most Uconnect systems are also linked to a 7″ TFT display in the instrument cluster for showing information.
We were invited to learn more about Chrysler’s Uconnect system in Michigan in the coming weeks, and you can expect to see a full in-depth analysis and review then. However, the Uconnect system is an impressive operation that really moves Chrysler into the 21st century in infotainment and technology.
Also from the Texas Truck Rodeo; the Ram 1500 (a Chrysler product) was declared the official Truck of Texas, beating out the Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra, and Chevrolet Silverado primarily due to the available technology. Jeep also scored big with the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee for the off-road capability.
For more technology wins, the Acura MDX is the Luxury Crossover Vehicle of Texas. We had an opportunity to test some of the technology, and were really blown away by the smoothness of the available lane-keeping system. We’ve demonstrated lane keeping before, but the refinement of the Acura system is what really impressed.
Be sure to check out our sister publication, AutoGeeks.com for more about the 2013 vehicles of Texas!
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Your daily selection of the hottest trending gaming news!
According to Polygon (This article and its images were originally posted on Polygon November 20, 2018 at 10:15AM.)
Super Smash Bros. fans in need of amiibo for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate are getting a little help from Amazon Japan. The retailer will sell a giant box set of 63 Super Smash Bros. amiibo, starting on the Switch game’s launch day, Dec. 7. The catch is that just 50 of these boxes will be available.
Amazon hasn’t listed a price for the box set, but expect it to go fast with just 50 made. Other Amazon retailers, including the U.S. one, haven’t put a similar set on sale either.
To see more posts like these; please subscribe to our newsletter. By entering a valid email, you’ll receive top trending reports delivered to your inbox.


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Stevenage's air is the "worst for your skin" in the whole of the UK, according to new research.
Analysis by skincare brand Clarins looked at a combination of pollution, humidity, temperature, precipitation and wind to identify the country’s best and worst skin health environments.
The study compared 50 major towns and cities across the UK.
Clarins’ skin experts define skin-healthy air as that which is low in pollutants, low in humidity, low in temperature, low in precipitation and low in wind.
The ratings are defined by a comparative rating between locations.
Stevenage, Hertfordshire, came out on top due to high levels of skin-damaging features.
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The rest of the top 10 included nearby Luton, Swansea, Northampton, Plymouth, Christchurch, Bristol, Sheffield, Eastbourne and Brighton.
Marie Schmid, Head of Training at Clarins, said: “We know good skin health comes from an array of factors, including the products we use, the foods we eat, the amount of water we ingest and so on.
"What’s been interesting from a skin health perspective in the pandemic is that while our skin hasn’t been as affected by the outdoor elements, it has been affected by the stresses - and face masks - associated with the pandemic.
“Looking ahead to a post-lockdown Britain, we’re all excited to get back to normality and our study reveals the best places to go if you want to give your skin a real treat - and where in the country you should be taking extra care as we venture back outdoors.
“At the same time, we encourage everyone - regardless of age, gender or ethnicity - to remain vigilant to their skin health and to invest in the right products to keep their skin healthy and happy.”
Are you concerned by the quality of the air you're breathing? Sign up here and let us know in the comments below.


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The advertising industry is united in its call for greater transparency in programmatic advertising, and nowhere is this more pressing than in the case of auction mechanics. What’s the story so far, and how can industry players stay above the fray?
This time last week, the advertising technology community descended for dmexco 2016 – the self-proclaimed ‘hotspot of the digiconomy’. The annual conference sees ad tech experts from across global markets gather to debate and decide the industry’s future. So what were the big topics of dmexco 2016? GingerMay
Header bidding, it’s undeniable that technical terms don’t come much blander. But, this humble programmatic process has become a major talking point for the digital advertising industry – even threatening the dominance of Google’s ad server DoubleClick. So what’s so great about this emerging technology and why