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England’s Rugby Football Union has agreed on a deal with Tyrrells for the snack foods manufacturer to become the main sponsor of its new women’s club competition.
The Tyrrells Premier 15s will begin on September 16, with the inaugural season to feature 10 teams.
The RFU said that Tyrrells would invest “significantly” in the competition as part of the three-year agreement.
Tyrrells’ investment, alongside the £2.4m (€2.69m/$3.1m) commitment provided by the RFU over the next three years, will seek to improve standards of women’s rugby in England and increase the talent pool available for national team selection.
Tyrrells will also serve as the official crisps partner of England Rugby, and as an exclusive supplier to Twickenham Stadium.
Nigel Melville, the RFU’s director of professional rugby, said: “The Tyrrells Premier 15s competition is an important step forward for women’s rugby to strengthen the foundations of the women’s game as it continues to grow in popularity. By investing at domestic level we can build a sustainable model to support the growth of the game at elite level.
“The competition will crucially expand the playing pool of players available for international selection which will enable us to reach our long-term objective of running dual professionalised 15s and sevens programmes and allow us to compete on all fronts at the highest level.
“This is a new competition and we are thrilled to have a title partner in major English brand, Tyrrells, on board from day one. We want to build a world-class competition that will inspire and attract new fans to follow the game and working with a brand like Tyrrells will enable us to bring the game to a new audience.”


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Behind-the-scenes photos from a recent shoot. Since it was for a client’s internal training video, however, this is about all we can share. Gorgeous stuff, though, trust us.
A report from the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International predicted that the legalization of commercial drones would create more than $80 billion of positive economic impact (i.e., revenue and job creation) between 2015 and 2025. The predicted biggest piece of that growth? Agriculture.
MIT Media Lab, in partnership with Microsoft Research, has unveiled DuoSkin, a project that uses temporary tattoos as connected interfaces that can be used in a variety of ways.

domain: news


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BEIJING, April 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Zepp Health Corp. (“Zepp Health” or the “Company”) (NYSE: ZEPP), a cloud-based healthcare services provider with world-leading smart wearable technology, today announced that it has filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the full year ended December 31, 2020 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
The annual report can be accessed on the Company’s investor relations website at http://ir.zepp.com and on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The Company will provide hardcopies of the annual report, free of charge, to its shareholders and ADS holders upon request. Requests should be submitted to email@example.com.
About Zepp Health, formerly Huami Corporation
Zepp Health’s mission is to connect health with technology. Since its inception in 2013, the company has developed a platform of proprietary technology including AI chips, biometric sensors, and data algorithms, which drive a broadening line of smart health products for consumers, and analytics services for industry. In 2019, the company shipped 36.6 million units of smart watches and fitness bands, including its own Amazfit brand, and products developed and manufactured for Xiaomi, comprising 23% of global category shipments. The company is headquartered in Hefei, China, with U.S. operations, Huami-USA, based in Cupertino, Calif. For more information, please visit https://ir.zepp.com/investor/pages/company-profile.
 IDC, Correcting and Replacing Shipments of Wearable Devices, 3/10/20
For investor and media inquiries, please contact:
Zepp Health Corp.
Grace Yujia Zhang
The Piacente Group, Inc.
In the United States:
Tel: +1 714-955-3951


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Who said supermodels and actresses can’t be entrepreneurs?
By making waves in the beauty industry, various celebrities including the likes of Hailey Bieber, Selena Gomez and others.
Every celebrity beauty brand offers something new and exciting to the industry, but which brands have had the biggest glow-ups? These famous personalities have foregone their own brand launches, instead taking stakes in disruptive businesses and carved a niche for themselves.
Swipe through our celebrity-fuelled guide of beauty entrepreneurs who have made their mark in the industry.
– For more on luxury lifestyle, news, fashion and beauty follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and Instagram
Images: Supplied & Instagram @kimkardashian


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TikTok today announced a $200 million fund, aimed at helping top creators in the U.S. supplement their earnings, and potentially coax the next Charli D’Amelio out of the woodwork.
Called the TikTok Creator Fund, the money is aimed at helping “eligible” creators on the platform earn a livelihood, it said. Eligible for now is defined as 18 years or older, meeting a certain (unspecified) baseline for followers, and consistently posting original content that is in line with TikTok’s community guidelines. The platform will begin accepting applications from U.S.-based creators starting next month and distribute the capital over the coming year.
The promise of payouts is coming at a key moment for the app and its Chinese parent ByteDance. TikTok has been facing mounting criticism in the US, its biggest market by revenues, over how it handles user data and its ties to China, with calls from the Trump administration to ban the popular app outright.
And in response to that, TikTok has been making moves to present a more friendly face to the US. It has pledged to add 10,000 more staff in the US, and this week rumors began to circulate that investors in the US are considering buying a majority stake in the TikTok business back from ByteDance to establish control of the company out of China’s hands.
(It’s not clear if the latter is testing the waters of sentiment, or just an outright rumour, but as an aside to that, these days, ByteDance and TikTok try to go to great lengths to show they are not connected, if you go by how they handle their PR: Chinese spokespeople will not answer TikTok questions and refer journalists to the US team.)
Vanessa Pappas, GM of TikTok’s U.S. business, said in a blog post that ByteDance is starting the Creator Fund at $200 million and plans to increase it over time. She did not disclose how TikTok would decide what sum would be paid to an individual creator, and whether there would be any additional conditions to getting a payout. (We have asked about this and how many followers creators might need to have to be eligible, and will update as we learn more.)
TikTok already helps its creators sign brand partnerships and sponsorship deals, and it provides monetization for live-streams. The platform also has a $50 million Creative Learning Fund to introduce teachers to the platform, which has been used by some 1,000 teachers in the U.S. already. And a Creator Marketplace connects brands to creators to collaborate on paid campaigns.
“Through the TikTok Creator Fund, our creators will be able to realize additional earnings that reflect the time, care, and dedication they put into creatively connecting with an audience that’s inspired by their ideas,” she said.
TikTok currently employs about 1,400 people in the U.S. and recently crossed the milestone of 2 billion installs globally. Last year, it said it had 26 million users in the U.S.
Several lawmakers including Senators Chuck Schumer and Tom Cotton have expressed concerns in recent months that TikTok’s user data could end up with the Chinese government. China-headquartered ByteDance insists that it does not share any user’s data with the Chinese government, and that it stores its U.S.-based user data in the U.S. and Singapore. Earlier this week House lawmakers voted 336-71 to bar federal employees from using TikTok on government-issued devices.
For now, it seems that the programs that TikTok is launching are squarely aimed at fighting that fire in the US. It did not respond to a request for comment asking what it was doing to help creators in other markets supplement their earnings.
India, where TikTok has more than 200 million users and over 1 million creators, banned TikTok and 58 other apps developed by Chinese firms late last month over cybersecurity concerns. Its neighboring nation Pakistan issued a “final warning” to TikTok earlier this week over what it deemed “immoral, obscene, and vulgar content.”


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The following is an excerpt from Reuters.
United Airlines (UAL.O) said Wednesday it expects to carry 5.5 million passengers during the Thanksgiving travel period, up about 12% over 2021.
The U.S. carrier will operate more than 3,700 flights per day on average during the Nov. 18-30 period. United forecasts it will carry about as many passengers over the holiday as the prepandemic period in 2019.
United also predicts Nov. 27 -- the Sunday after Thanksgiving -- will be its busiest travel day since before the pandemic with more than 460,000 passengers.
Bill Andrews says
" Hmm this article ? Business and Travel ? " Remember all that Junk mail post cards and other Junk mail in U.S. mail traveling across the airways as well as thousands of pounds of junk mail the U.S. postal has to deliver to your doors every year that end up in landfill's ? "let's raise the price on these .19 cents for each one being sent from junk mail places to yours ? " What goes around in the big sky's to your doors, turning junk mail ( Monkey Business ) into better business for the U.S postal system. ? " What would have Henry Ford have done different here in this idea ?
Praying for safe travels and no pilot mishaps.


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Coming later this spring. . .
With the Xbox division of Microsoft having the only online-based console product that makes sense, they’re finally stepping into the lane of Sony’s PlayStation Now service. Today, Microsoft has officially announced and unveiled a new subscription service, entitled Xbox Game Pass.
It’s set to provide unlimited access to over 100 Xbox One and backwards compatible Xbox 360 games – for just $9.99 a month. We’re assuming the service was launched to directly counter Sony’s PlayStation Now, which gave PS4 and Windows gamers cloud-based access to PS3 games.
However, unlike the Sony counterpart ($20 a month), Xbox Game Pass will feature a slew of current-gen Xbox One gems as well. You’ll also have to download each title, in comparison to streaming titles like the Sony service. It’ll likely launch close to e3, because the company didn’t announce a formal release date, vaguely saying a late spring 2017 rollout. Titles like Halo 5: Guardians, Payday 2, NBA 2K16 and SoulCalibur II, are among the first games that will be available at launch.
As well as getting new games every monthly cycle, with the Xbox Game Pass, members will also be able to purchase new tiles at an exclusive discount. Look for more details and titles to emerge in the coming weeks, for this new eye-raising introduction to Xbox Live.


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Elon Musk, the CEO of the electric car manufacturer Tesla, has recently announced plans related to the forthcoming Model 3 vehicle. It is thought that this electric car will be a more affordable vehicle targeted at less affluent consumers, and Musk certainly seemed to confirm that impression this week.
Model 3 to be affordable vehicle
Speaking before an audience at Tsinghua University, Musk indeed described the Model 3 as an “affordable Tesla”, precisely indicating the sort of demographic that the company is likely to aim for. In addition, Musk also outlined the stronger links between China and the United States when indicating that the Tesla corporation intends to manufacture the Model 3 in Chinese factories.
The following is our rough coverage of the 2021 Sohn Investment Conference, which is being held virtually and features Brad Gerstner, Bill Gurley, Octahedron's Ram Parameswaran, Glenernie's Andrew Nunneley, and Lux's Josh Wolfe. Q1 2021 hedge fund letters, conferences and more Keep checking back as we will be updating this post as the conference goes Read More
This can be seen as a significant paradigm shift in the way that Tesla operates. Although the electric manufacturer has sold a significant number of units in the world’s most populous nation, until now its manufacturing has never been based there. Tesla has previously built all of its cars in Fremont, California, and instead imported them to the Chinese marketplace. However, it seems that Tesla is looking to set up new manufacturing facilities in the vast East Asian nation.
The success story of Tesla has already been rapid, but the potential for speedy expansion in China is greater still. When the Model S sedan launched in China two years ago it was expected to be a massive success, perhaps owing to the pollution problems that are well documented in the nation.
When the world’s best tennis players recently appeared at the Rolex Masters in Shanghai, it was not an unusual site for spectators to be wearing the protective masks that are seemingly commonplace in china. More than one player complained about the environmental conditions, and this is indicative of a pollution problem that Tesla believes it can have a serious influence on.
News that Tesla was intending to heavily tap into this apparently fertile market was certainly not bad news for its stock price at the time. Tesla’s Chinese adventures instantly sent the share price of the corporation shooting upward, as investors realized that this could have a serious impact on the long-term profitability of the company.
Tesla’s China syndrome
But despite the initial splash that Tesla made in China, it ultimately underperformed, at least in comparison to the initial expectations of the market. Chinese consumers found that there were insufficient charging points within the nation, and this is proved a serious technical barrier for Tesla. However, the reason for the lukewarm reception for the Model S, at least according to several market analysts, was the fact that Tesla did not fully understand the cultural aspects of marketing and selling cars in China.
There is no doubt that the Chinese marketplace is a unique one. It is difficult for Westerners to imagine the scope and the scale of a nation with a population of approximately 1.2 billion people. But this is certainly no ordinary country, and marketing vehicles in China is thus culturally sensitive.
China has an immensely large urban population, with 106 cities with a population of over one million contained within its borders. To put this figure into perspective, there are nine cities in the United States with a population of over one million, and just two in the United Kingdom. Penetrating the Chinese marketplace means understanding a very different car culture to that which is typical in Western nations.
This vast population means that before you purchase a vehicle in China, it is necessary to actually prove to the government that you have a place to park it. Residents then have to enter a lottery for registration, and it is usual practice for Chinese people to wait as long as five years in order to get a car registered! This certainly puts DMV delays into perspective!
Although electric car owners can jump the queue to a certain extent, this does not apply if the vehicle in question is imported. China also imposes significant import duties on cars manufactured in other countries. This explains why the likes of General Motors, Ford, Toyota, BMW, Volvo, Jeep and numerous other major auto makers have been manufacturing their vehicles in China for at least 10 years.
So if Tesla is going to succeed in China, as much as it considers itself to be a unique and rebellious company, it must submit to the culture of the nation.
Tesla has stated that its new Chinese factory will utilize the same technology that it already implemented in California. It is generally considered that the Model 3 will cost around $35,000, feature a battery range of 200 miles, and be ultimately free from import duties. This rebooting of the Tesla strategy in China is intended to ensure that the company gains a bigger stake in the marketplace this time round.


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The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has announced new rules under the Companies Act, according to which, all companies that have contacted with cryptocurrencies to disclose their assets. Starting April 1, Indian public and private companies must disclose nature of activity, cryptocurrency transactions, and volumes.
Subscribe to our Telegram channel to stay up to date on the latest crypto and blockchain news.
The companies are also obliged to record audit trails of their accounts. Earlier in March, iHodl reported that the Indian authorities are working on a law aimed at banning cryptocurrencies. The law is expected to become one of the strictest in the world when it comes to regulating cryptocurrencies and will criminalize the holding, issuance, mining, trading and transfer of crypto assets.
The proposed regulation is in line with the agenda announced by the authorities in January, according to which "private virtual currencies," including bitcoin (EXANTE: Bitcoin), should be banned. At the same time, this regulation is expected to lay the legal basis for the issuance of a national digital currency.
Access more than 50 of the world's financial markets directly from your EXANTE account – including NASDAQ, London Stock Exchange and Tokyo Stock Exchange.


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Today, at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 7—a sleek new 5.7 inch phone complete with stylus—to an enormous crowd of onlookers.
— Raymond Wong (@raywongy) August 2, 2016
Most notably, the new phone has an iris scanner. Fast Company’s Mark Sullivan reviewed the new device here. Here are some of the features that were on display at today’s event:
— Lance Ulanoff (@LanceUlanoff) August 2, 2016
The phone will be available in the U.S. starting on August 19, 2016. For a full hands-on, check the video below:


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2021 Ram ProMaster Adds New Technology and Safety Features
Photo credit: Ram
Ram has been working to bring its new 2021 Ram ProMaster to businesses and working people. The efforts have paid off with Ram ProMaster gaining upgrades all across the vehicle. Safety, technology and more are all going to see an upgrade. The new vehicle debuted this week at the National Truck Equipment Association’s “The Work Truck Show®” in Indianapolis, Indiana this month. For customers that are looking for full-size van functionality, the Ram van is expected to be a wonderful choice for businesses and commercial fleets. We’re going to get into all the updates and specifics in regards to safety features and updates for 2021 Ram ProMaster.
New For the Ram ProMaster
So what’s new for the 2021 Ram ProMaster? A new class-exclusive digital rearview mirror option is an available feature that adds a 9.2-inch wide LCD monitor. Rather than the traditional mirror option, the display mounted on the rearview mirror adds a video cue that shows in real-time what is happening behind the vehicle. This feature is available across all models.
Job sites are set to be safer with this technology when backing up the Ram ProMaster. A new feature known as Crosswind Assist is also standard equipment on all 2021 Ram ProMaster models and helps the driver keep the vehicle stable.
“Ram Commercial was formed in 2014 and our full-size van customers have enjoyed Ram’s benchmark durability ever since. Ram Commercial continues to focus solely on trucks and commercial vehicles, allowing us to deliver confidence for hardworking people every day, no matter their line of work,” said Reid Bigland, Head of Ram Brand.
Better Safety Features Than Before
New safety features have helped the Ram ProMaster out tremendously with available safety options that add Blind-spot Monitoring with Rear Cross Path detection, Forward Collision Warning with Emergency Brake Assist and Ambient/Courtesy Lights. These features are important to help drivers stay safer, they help customers avoid collision repairs, downtime, raised insurance premiums, and reduces liability exposure. New ambient/Courtesy Lights are available when packaged on all ProMaster models and enhance lower interior lighting with LEDs for customers who utilize ProMaster as a mobile office. LED bulbs last longer and provide more light with less energy being used to power the bulbs.
New Ram ProMaster Upgrades Features Across the Board
The 2021 Ram ProMaster will contain 18 different wheelbase and roof height arrangements. The powertrain included is the popular 3.6-Liter Pentastar V-6 engine paired with a solid six-speed automatic transmission. All ProMaster models arrive with a class-exclusive front-wheel-drive system. ProMaster includes best-in-class features like standard V-6 power, turning radius, standard interior cargo height, load-floor height, cargo width between wheel wells and maximum cargo width. For those who have a need to add a van capable of repacing their current work station, we suggest the upcoming 2021 Ram ProMaster. The debut of the vehicle is not yet named but is expected to come out later in summer 2020.
Shop Ram With Our Help Today
Kendall Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram provides a full-service customer experience. There’s no risk in stopping by to see our newest collection of new Ram ProMaster vehicles. For those who want to buy, lease or sell their vehicles, we can help today!
Thinking about restoring your current ride? We can handle almost any job your vehicle should need from oil changes to rotating tires, checking and replacing brakes and everything else to make sure your vehicle stays running well. All you have to do is make an online service appointment right here with us and we’ll take care of the rest!


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It's a legal fight that has been going on for two years, and had a player substitution in the middle of the match. Today, Microsoft and Motorola Mobility will start to duke it out in a Seattle courtroom over the price of patents.
PCWorld.com reports that Judge James Robart will preside over the case that began two years ago when Microsoft filed a lawsuit against Motorola. At the time, Microsoft claimed that Motorola was not offering its essential patents for 802.11 wireless and H.264 video standards under "fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms", otherwise known as FRAND.
Between Microsoft's first lawsuit and today, Google stepped in and acquired Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion. Since Motorola is now a Google subsidiary, Microsoft's court battle is now against the search giant.
Judge Robart will make a decision in this case on just how much Motorola should charge for its FRAND patents after hearing arguments from both sides. Next week, the real fun begins as a jury will then decide if Motorola was in fact charging too much for licensing these patents to Microsoft. The outcome of this case will likely serve as a guide for future FRAND patent charges by other technology companies.


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Uber agrees to purchase thousands of autonomous vehicles from Volvo.
Volvo Cars has signed a framework agreement with Uber to sell tens of thousands of autonomous driving-compatible base vehicles between 2019 and 2021.
“The automotive industry is being disrupted by technology, and Volvo Cars chooses to be an active part of that disruption,” said Håkan Samuelsson, President and Chief Executive of Volvo Cars. “Our aim is to be the supplier of choice for AD ride-sharing service providers globally. Today’s agreement with Uber is a primary example of that strategic direction.”
Volvo Cars’ engineers have worked closely together with engineers from Uber to develop the XC90 premium SUVs that are to be supplied to Uber. The base vehicles incorporate all the necessary safety, redundancy and core autonomous-driving technologies that are required for Uber to add its own self-driving technology.
“We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with Volvo,” said Jeff Miller, Head of Auto Alliances, Uber. “This new agreement puts us on a path towards mass-produced self-driving vehicles at scale.”
At the same time as providing Uber with AD-compatible cars, Volvo will use the same base vehicle in the development of its own independent autonomous-car strategy, which is planned to culminate in the release of its first fully autonomous car in 2021.


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When discussing the fast-growing cloud computing market, Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) and Microsoft Corporation (MSFT), which respectively hold the number one and number two spots in market share, are not alone anymore. The emergence of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (BABA) suggests that it should be taken seriously.
Alibaba entered 2017 with a goal of challenging both Amazon and Microsoft for cloud dominance. To that end, it has taken a strong first step. Last week, the Chinese e-commerce giant posted a 54% jump in quarterly revenue, driven by the company's cloud momentum, which delivered a 115% year-over-year increase in revenue to RMB1.76 billion ($254 million). The company's paying customers are growing at an impressive rate. At the same time, Alibaba is finding ways to get these customers to pay more. (See also: Assessing Alibaba's Cloud Prospects for 2017.)
However, there's still a question as to how well Alibaba's cloud strategy is working. The company hasn't made the cloud a priority in terms of profit potential. Instead, Alibaba has looked on the cloud business, Alicloud, as a way to create better diversification in its revenue streams and bring better synergies among its portfolio of investments. In other words, the growth in Alicloud should help boost and in some cases offset any weakness seen in offline retail or media assets.
In its third quarter earnings results, reported last week, Alicloud generated $254 million in revenue, marking 115% year-over-year growth. By contrast, in the most recent quarter, revenue in Amazon's AWS reached $3.23 billion, rising 55% year over year. Amazon will report results for the fourth quarter on Feb. 2. Meanwhile, Microsoft's commercial cloud revenue, reported last week, just surpassed $14 billion. This includes Office 365 and the Azure cloud platform—analysts estimate Azure revenue at around $3 billion. (See also: Microsoft Stock Among Top Cloud Picks for 2017.)
Plus, unlike AWS and Azure, Alicloud continues to operate at a loss. This explains why analysts haven't celebrated the company's gaudy numbers in the cloud, which accounts for about 4% Alibaba's total revenue. Still, with Alibaba looking to expand Alicloud beyond China, revenue growth will likely begin to accelerate. As such, Wall Street will be forced to take notice. Likewise, Microsoft and Amazon shouldn't underestimate Alicloud's potential. (See also: Alibaba Stock Rises on Q3 Revenue, EPS Beat.)


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After the Tet holiday, many factories in HCMC have boosted recruitment efforts to make up for the shortage of staff as orders have recovered.
Tai Viet Camping Products Industries Co. in the Tan Thuan Export Processing Zone in District 7 is recruiting 100 laborers to increase its staff to 700.
Newcomers are offered a basic salary of VND5.2 million (US$220) per month in addition to allowances to support their children.
Tran Thi Thu Tham, who is in charge of human resources at Tai Viet, said the firm’s parent company in Taiwan has several big clients and therefore its orders have always been stable, allowing it to schedule production for up to two years in advance.
Also in District 7, Furukawa Automotive Parts Vietnam Inc. (FAPV) which is specialized in assembling car wires, will have to recruit 200 more female workers to expand its production and at the same time, make up for workers who resigned before the Lunar New Year holiday.
The company guarantees an income of VND8-10 million per month for new laborers.
Nguyen Thanh Cao, who works at Lam Thinh Phat Labor Supply Co., said that in the fourth quarter last year, only two factories at Tan Thuan EPZ had enough demand to employ 150 new workers. Now, six factories are recruiting 3,000 new staff.
“Most companies only require candidates to have good health and and to be in the working age,” said Cao.
However, he said many are only hiring for seasonal jobs as their orders have yet to fully recover.
Nguyen Thi Thuy, vice president of the Vietnam Textile and Garment Trade Union, said companies in the sector are short 5,000-7,500 laborers and so must recruit to make up for that shortfall.
A survey by HCMC’s Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs said that after Tet, nearly 500 companies need to recruit a total of more than 14,300 workers.
Most of the jobs are in the fields of apparel, footwear, electronics, and chemicals and plastics. In the first quarter of this year, it is expected that companies in the city will need to employ 79,000 – 87,000 people.
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Timex is ready to get into the smartwatch game with an effort targeted at runners. But this is no Android Wear device. It's barely even a smartwatch.
Qualcomm will integrate WiGig in the Snapdragon 810 chip after buying Wilocity.
The Snapdragon 801's CPU is 14 percent faster than its predecessor, and its GPU 28 percent
Google's Keyboard is now available as an app in the Google Play store.
Qualcomm's new 64-bit, eight-core Snapdragon 615 will be in mobile devices during fourth quarter.
Processors, memory, screens and sensors are all getting an upgrade, giving you a preview of what to expect from 2014's flagship phones.
The 602A will support services like HD video and gesture recognition
The popular gaming franchise expands its reach with a new story and a new design.


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A thousand entrepreneurs selected from over 20,000 applicants from all over Africa are expected to converge in Nigeria for a two-day boot camp session. This will be the maiden boot camp of the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Program (TEEP), a $100m Pan-African entrepreneurship initiative.
The boot camp which is a major milestone of the flagship program of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) will see an interaction between established entrepreneurs from different sectors of industry, and the 1000 selectees of TEEP.
“We hope The Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Program can catalyze and encourage other African business leaders to empower emerging entrepreneurs. If we all come together with requisite resources we can make a significant difference,” said Mr. Tony O. Elumelu at the press conference in Lagos to announce the TEEP boot camp taking place July 10th- 12th in Ota, Nigeria.
Mr. Elumelu who has been vocal about entrepreneurship-led development and the push for a private sector-driven turnaround of Africa says, “In empowering these emerging entrepreneurs, we are providing the capital, the networks, the training and support for them to drive economic and social transformation throughout Africa, providing solutions to its problems as well as securing their future and that of generations to come.”
In the build-up to the boot camp, the Tony Elumelu Foundation has engaged the emerging entrepreneurs in a 12-week online training program that culminates in this thrilling two-day session. The boot camp format will be predominately plenary style sessions from speakers with proven track record in business and leadership.
The entrepreneurs will participate in sessions including an open mic with Founder Tony O. Elumelu CON and other captains of industry.
The winners of the program represent 51 African countries and territories, as well as a multitude of value adding sectors ranging from agriculture to education to fashion and ICT.


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HECO To Offer Electric Car Owners Discounted Rates
Here's one more incentive to own an electric car in Hawaii: discounted electricity rates.
Hawaiian Electric Co. (HECO) will offer cheaper electricity rates to customers who charge electric vehicles at night during “off peak” hours, while charging above market-rates the rest of the time.
The electric utility filed a proposal Wednesday with the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission for a three-year pilot project beginning in October to set variable rates for electric car charging at homes and businesses.
HECO says the move is to “encourage early adoption of electric vehicles,” as well as help ensure that drivers don’t all plug in at the same time and overload the grid. Hawaii auto dealers welcomed the news.
“This is really an extraordinary announcement in that this is the beginning of getting customers comfortable with the whole concept of filling up your car in your garage,” said David Rolf, executive director of the Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association. The trade group’s members include 60 new-car dealerships in Hawaii that represent 135 automaker franchises.
“To make electric vehicles a reality, it takes not only making the vehicles affordable, but also having the ability to charge fairly rapidly and at an incentivized price, as well as ubiquitous charging stations,” Rolf said.
The program would reward customers who charge their electric vehicles between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., when electricity usage is low. The program would also discourage charging during peak demand by imposing slightly higher rates. On Oahu, residential customers charging their electric vehicles would pay about 6 cents per kilowatt-hour less than normal rates. Meanwhile, customers charging cars during peak electricity hours would pay about 3 cents more per kilowatt-hour.


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Heeding the distress call of Australian retailers, the Reserve Bank of Australia has cut the interest rate by 0.25 percentage points to 2.75 per cent - the lowest level in five decades.
Retail sales fell 0.4 per cent in March, with household goods and clothing retailers suffering the biggest declines, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Monday.
Despite the relief to retail sector, RBA’s move comes as a surprise given all the 13 economists surveyed by AAP predicted the rates to stay on hold, at least this time around.
While sales were down for March, in volume terms they were up 2.2 per cent in the first quarter of the year, the fastest rise in six years, according to Bureau of Statistics data.
General expectations of rate cuts grew in the past month following a rise in the unemployment rate and disappointing home building approvals figures, as well as news inflation was under control.
Inflation remained subdued, rising 0.3 per cent in April, as the prices of fruits and vegetables rose while petrol prices fell, a private gauge found.
While the Reserve expects unemployment to gradually tick up towards 5.75 per cent this year, the current level - 5.6 per cent - is already close to that.
National Australia Bank senior economist David de Garis said earlier the RBA would do more to stimulate the economy this year and said he was expecting two rate cuts by December.
"There's quite a lot of water to flow under the bridge before June, it doesn't sound like they are in a super hurry right now so they might be inclined to hold off for another month," he said.
What will the banks do and how do you benefit?
If passed on in full by retail banks, the cut will take the average standard variable mortgage rate down to around 6.2 per cent, which is still higher than the 5.75 per cent low seen during the peak of the global financial crisis in 2009.
CommSec's figures show the record low standard variable home loan rate was 5 per cent in May 1964.
A 25-basis-point reduction will take just under $50 a month from the repayments on a $300,000 loan on a 25-year term.
The homebuyer with an average sized $300,000 mortgage stands to benefit about $49 a month, that is if the banks pass the rate cut on in full.
Australian house prices rose in the first three months of 2013 - but not by much.
Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show house prices rose 0.1 per cent across the eight capital cities in the March quarter.
That was well below the 1.8 per cent rise economists had forecast and the 2.8 per cent rise recorded by property research firm RP data over the same period.
Rumours swirled around markets yesterday evening that billionaire US investor George Soros may have taken a $1 billion short position against the currency - Mr Soros famously profited from successfully shorting the British pound early in the 1990s, despite attempts by the Bank of England to prop the currency up.
The Australian dollar fell from around 102.9 US cents when Australian markets wrapped up trade yesterday afternoon to a low around 102.2 overnight, before bouncing back to 102.5 US cents by 9:18am (AEST.
However, the Commonwealth Bank's chief currency strategist, Richard Grace, says a billion dollars is actually small change compared to the size of the market for Australian dollars.
"The average daily turnover for the Australian dollar is $250 billion per day, so I think a $1 billion short position is not something that would draw too much alarm out of market participants," he told ABC News Online.
At its meeting today, the Board decided to lower the cash rate by 25 basis points to 2.75 per cent, effective 8 May 2013.
The global economy is likely to record growth a little below trend this year, before picking up next year. Among the major regions, the United States continues on a path of moderate expansion and China's growth is running at a more sustainable, but still robust, pace. Japan has announced significant new policy initiatives aimed at strengthening demand and ending deflation. The euro area remains in recession.
Commodity prices have moderated a little in recent months though they remain high by historical standards.
Financial conditions internationally continue to be very accommodative, with risk spreads reduced, funding conditions for most financial institutions improved and borrowing costs for well-rated corporates and sovereigns exceptionally low.
Growth in Australia was close to trend in 2012 overall, but was a bit below trend in the second half of the year, and this appears to have continued into 2013. Employment has continued to grow but more slowly than the labour force, so that the rate of unemployment has increased a little, though it remains relatively low.
With the peak in the level of resources sector investment likely to occur this year, there is scope for other areas of demand to grow more strongly over the next couple of years.
There has been a strengthening in consumption and a modest firming in dwelling investment, and prospects are for some increase in business investment outside the resources sector over the next year. Exports of raw materials are increasing as increased capacity comes on stream.
These developments, some of which have been assisted by the reductions in interest rates that began 18 months ago, will all be helpful in sustaining growth.
Recent data on prices confirm that inflation is consistent with the target and, if anything, a little lower than expected. The CPI rose by 2½ per cent over the past year, and measures of underlying inflation gave a broadly similar outcome.
These results have been pushed up a little by the impact of the carbon price. Growth of labour costs has moderated slightly over recent quarters while productivity growth appears to be improving. This should help to lessen increases in prices for non-tradables.
The Bank's forecast remains that inflation over the next one to two years will be consistent with the target.
Over recent meetings, the Board has noted that interest rates have already been reduced substantially, with borrowing rates approaching previous lows, and that the effects of this on the economy are continuing to emerge. Savers have been changing their portfolios towards assets with higher expected returns, asset values have risen and some interest-sensitive areas of spending have increased.
The exchange rate, on the other hand, has been little changed at a historically high level over the past 18 months, which is unusual given the decline in export prices and interest rates during that time.
Moreover, the demand for credit remains, at this point, relatively subdued.
The Board has previously noted that the inflation outlook would afford scope to ease further, should that be necessary to support demand.
At today's meeting the Board decided to use some of that scope. It judged that a further decline in the cash rate was appropriate to encourage sustainable growth in the economy, consistent with achieving the inflation target.


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The current state and future prospects of the European transport and logistics industry
Having recently been invited to speak at the 4th annual European Michelin Carrier Forum in Aranda de Dueró, this inspired me to reflect and take stock of the current state of the European transport and logistics industry.
From my vantage point as CEO of one of the key players in the market, I have been well placed to witness the industry's transformation and the increasing importance of sustainability and global trade.
The European logistics sector is a significant force, contributing €900 billion to the market value and employing 7 million individuals. Its impact on the EU GDP is an impressive 7%, with transport representing half of this figure.
However, recent years have brought unprecedented challenges caused by hugely disruptive events such as the enduring effects of the COVID pandemic, noting that China is only just beginning to recover. Semiconductor shortages, climate change, high inflation in the Eurozone, and geopolitical tensions, notwithstanding a brutal war in Ukraine, have destabilised global supply chains and severely affected the European transport and logistics market.
While we have witnessed declining freight rates and the closure of several transport companies; mergers and acquisitions among major players have taken place. For example, CMA-CGM have now outgrown Maersk with the acquisition of Bolloré and Ceva acquiring Gefco, proves the rule of the survival of the fittest into today’s market place.
Diesel prices have eased somewhat after sustained volatility, however, they remain elevated compared to 2021. Vital capital equipment such as tractor units, trailers and spare parts have become increasingly more expensive with double digit price hikes. The EU Mobility Package has also pushed transport companies to reconsider the countries in which they choose to operate their fleet, which, in turn, has a knock on impact on costs and the environment causing increased empty mileages. The cost-of-living crisis across Europe is also pushing up wage demands in 2023. Furthermore, the Brexit agreement has introduced complexities and increased costs for trade and supply chains between the UK and the EU.
However, amid all the crises and conflicts there is also some good news. After a year-long dispute between the UK and the EU, a solution to the Brexit issue is on the horizon, thanks to a fresh approach agreed around the Irish Sea border and a more business-like relationship between Messrs Macron and Sunak.
The logistics world has now adjusted to the fact that, because of Brexit, the free movement of goods between the EU and the UK has ceased since January 1, 2021. The Brexit agreement has caused many changes for trade and supply chains between the UK and the continent. In short, it has become more expensive and more complicated. Additional costs and time delays must now be factored in for imports and exports, making goods more expensive. In the meantime, the cost of transportation has also risen; not least because many Continental drivers are reticent and, in some cases outright refusing, to carry freight to the UK because of severe delays compared with simpler and more lucrative intra-EU transits.
In the face of these challenges, the logistics industry has displayed resilience, maintaining supply chains even under extreme pressure. However, more obstacles lie ahead, including hurdles in the food segment and potential factory closures in the British automotive sector. For those of us operating in the food segment and in the dairy and meat industry in particular, there are more specific challenges to come. Having postponed four times since 1st January 2021, the UK will no longer be able to avoid the physical control checks of food imports from the 31st of October 2023. From this date, it must comply as a WTO member in parallel with the rest of the EU.
The British automotive sector is not immune from further disruption with the spectres of potential of further factories closures from Stellantis and Jaguar if the UK does not renegotiate key parts of the Brexit deal. In addition, the rules of origin in EV manufacturing are resurfacing that threatens a 10% import duty penalty if conditions are not met.
“The rules state that 45 per cent of the value of an electric vehicle must come from the UK or EU from 2024 to avoid penalties. If the cost of EV manufacturing in the UK becomes uncompetitive and unsustainable, operations will close”. Source: Motor Transport, May 2023
According to EU’s Brexit Chief Marcos Sefcovic, the current deal won’t be renegotiated before 2026.
The war in Ukraine is additionally causing further disruption, with no end in sight. In fact, February 24th, 2023, marked the one year anniversary of Russia’s invasion. While the EU has put its tenth package of sanctions into effect, logistics companies, carriers, and ports are still trying to adjust to the crisis and the restrictions and changes it has brought. New transport routes were quickly established to supply Ukraine with aid and other goods, and as a result, we can state positively, despite the ongoing challenges, logistics is growing to the benefit of people and the economy.
So where do we go from here?
The stagnation in freight demand from Q4 2022 has continued into 2023, flattening the driver shortage curve – for now. But nothing has changed in the long-term outlook of the profession. The proportion of younger drivers remains extremely low. Any jump in demand from European economies will further exacerbate the shortage of drivers, which in turn will limit economic growth. We can’t take our eyes off the ball, and we need to continue pushing for fast structural solutions to driver shortages.
Despite easing on the demand-side, the supply pressures continue to erode capacity and while fuel costs have fallen from their 2022 high, they remain elevated compared to 2021, however, stabilisation might be on the horizon. In any business environment that experiences fluctuations, it is vital to provide consistency in everyday operations and this can be achieved through reliance on trusted partners and modern technology.
Now is an optimal time to bring the benefits of automation into the daily lives of financial services companies, shippers, and carriers. Automation should supplement, not replace, the use of first-class, passionate, and committed people providing great customer service. This is especially relevant given the high-touch nature of the industry and its intensive reliance on administration and back-office operations. Outdated and complex manual processes slow speed to payment and make all parties in the supply chain more vulnerable to fraud. The addition of automation with human oversight will allow for a more frictionless process for all parties involved in the supply chain, while also providing increased protection. The key statistics in summary:
Source: Transport Intelligence, European Transport, Market Size & Growth report: May 2023
So, how do we optimise current trends, anticipate new challenges, and build a stronger European transport and logistics industry?
Infrastructure developments and remove bottlenecks:
Promote policies that recognise the need for flexibility and efficiency across all modes of transport and incentivise transport infrastructure development by the creation of transit corridors throughout Europe. Escalate at the highest level, using the considerable influence of corporate giants, such as Michelin, insisting that the French contribute to the renaissance of intermodal in and through France. Reversing the literal abandonment of intermodal transport by successive governments despite verbal and politically correct commentary.
Logistics is vital to Global Trade:
Campaign to amplify recognition from governments, manufacturers and consumers of the role logistics plays in global trade. At the same time, challenge shippers to review the efficiency of their global transport network and start re-onshoring some of their activities and jobs back to more local markets. This will lead to curbing or even avoiding some of the major disruptions faced over the past 3 years.
Improve Industry Efficiency:
Raise awareness of the importance of efficient global logistics value chains supported by global standards. I strongly believe that this is where we need to find some synergy between transport and logistics partners.
Internal EU market:
Prioritise the completion of the EU internal market for all logistics services, reinforcing an intelligent and sensible level playing field in Europe. Fight back on grossly excessive, and French induced, impairment of driver’s freedom to choose where they can sleep amongst other frustrations.
Reduce Unproductive Administration:
Cut excessive red tape that freight drivers are subjected to, with France guilty of leading the onslaught on EU drivers. Ensure proper enforcement of legislation against corrupt firms, not their drivers! And don’t get me started on how Brexit has enormously added red tape to the movement of freight from the UK to the EU.
Continue to develop an ambitious decarbonisation agenda. The scale of transformation required to decarbonise our European transport system is unprecedented and very expensive to implement while realistically the climate is already changing. Once again, multimodal through and within Europe and France is a big part of the answer as are development commitments to test and scale sustainable alternatives to fuel taxes and encouraging government agency transparency to build public trust.
Drive innovation and standardisation, promoting automation and introducing industry-wide digital tools while preserving the human factor and partnership between shippers and suppliers.
Highlight the importance of interoperability and standards along with increased (cyber) security for efficient logistics services.
In summary, although the industry faces challenges such as supply chain disruptions, driver shortages, and rising costs, we can drive positive change and shape the future of transport and logistics. By embracing innovation, fostering collaboration, and addressing key areas of concern, we can build a resilient and sustainable industry.
Let us navigate these uncertainties together and work towards solutions and a brighter future for the transport and logistics sector.
6th March 2024 3 minute read
27th February 2024 2 minute read
22nd February 2024 3 minute read
12th January 2024 2 minute read


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31 Aug, 2017, 09:30 ET
IRVING, Texas, Aug. 31, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Entrepreneurs looking for the right financial opportunity to start a business better hurry to take advantage of the Zero Franchisee Fee Initiative to franchise a 7-Eleven® store. The program ends Sept. 30, 2017. Until then, 7-Eleven, Inc. will waive the franchise fee, a savings of up to $80,000, on select U.S. stores available to franchise.
Entrepreneur magazine ranked 7-Eleven the No. 1 franchise business opportunity earlier this year on its 2017 Franchise 500 list, which makes the Zero Franchisee Fee an ideal opportunity to join a recognized global brand.
7-Eleven introduced the zero-fee program in 2015 following a period of rapid growth and brought it back in 2016. During that time, the company franchised more than 200 stores. Currently, approximately 200 more eligible stores available to franchise are located in metropolitan areas across the country including cities like Buffalo, Richmond & Jacksonville.
"The Zero Franchise Fee program has been successful on several fronts," said Larry Hughes, 7-Eleven vice president of Franchise Systems. "It has provided an attainable, affordable entry point for many people wanting to go into business on their own. The company has gained greater diversity with more military veterans and Hispanics joining the franchisee family. And existing franchisees have taken the opportunity to acquire additional stores."
The convenience retailer is offering these stores to prospective, qualified franchisees as well as existing 7-Eleven franchisees who want to grow their retail business by adding stores. Prospective franchisees for Zero Franchise Fee stores will undergo the standard 7-Eleven franchise approval process, which can take anywhere from five to seven months.
Basic 7-Eleven franchisee qualifications include being 21 years or older and a permanent U.S. resident, and having excellent credit and $50,000 in liquid assets. Prospective franchise owners will still be responsible for the costs of licensing, permits and the initial down-payment on inventory, totaling approximately $30,000.
After an acquisition and rebranding, 7-Eleven works to establish a local customer base before looking to transition these stores from company to franchise operations.
7-Eleven offers its franchise owners the strength of its world-renowned brand. After extensive training, 7-Eleven franchisees open their doors with a fully equipped and stocked store with intuitive retail technology, merchandising and advertising support, high-quality national and private-brand products, and some of the world's most recognizable brands like Slurpee® and Big Gulp® drinks.
This year marks the 53rd year of franchising for the world's largest convenience store chain. Today, franchisees operate almost 90 percent of the 7-Eleven stores in the U.S. An interactive map at www.franchise.7-eleven.com indicates stores available for franchising.
Because these stores typically have lower sales volume compared to the national average, they may qualify for additional, limited-time financial support.
About 7-Eleven, Inc.
7‑Eleven, Inc. is the premier name and largest chain in the convenience-retailing industry. Based in Irving, Texas, 7‑Eleven® operates, franchises and/or licenses more than 63,000 stores in 18 countries, including 10,900 in North America. Known for its iconic brands such as Slurpee®, Big Bite® and Big Gulp®, 7-Eleven has expanded into high-quality salads, side dishes, cut fruit and protein boxes, as well as pizza, chicken wings, cheeseburgers and hot chicken sandwiches. 7-Eleven offers customers industry-leading private-brand products under the 7-Select® brand including healthy options, decadent treats and everyday favorites, at an outstanding value. Customers also count on 7-Eleven for bill payments, self-service lockers and other convenient services. Find out more online at www.7-Eleven.com, via the 7Rewards® customer-loyalty platform on the 7-Eleven mobile app, or on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
SOURCE 7-Eleven, Inc.
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"Such breaches make private, personal and financial information vulnerable to criminals, leading to potential identity theft and irreparable harm to their credit reports and financial futures", the senators wrote AMCA President Russell Fuchs. LabCorp provided no ordered test, laboratory results, or diagnostic information to AMCA.
The data breach that potentially exposed the personal and healthcare information of almost 12 million Quest Diagnostics customers has also possibly affected another 7.7 million customers of fellow lab testing company LabCorp.
"We remain committed to our system's security, data privacy and the protection of personal information", AMCA said in a statement.
The leaked data includes names, birth dates, addresses, phone numbers, financial information and medial information.
BioReference's announcements comes after testing giants Quest and LabCorp announced they too were customers of AMCA, with potentially millions of patients affected by the breach.
BioReference has not sent any collection requests to AMCA since October 2018, and it will not send any new collection requests to AMCA, Opko Health said in the filing.
Quest rivals LabCorp and Opko Health have subsequently reported being affected by the same breach, bringing the total number of impacted patients to upwards of 20 million.
The data breach was reportedly meant to target a third-party collection agency, American Medical Collection Agency.
No social security numbers, bank account passwords or security questions were compromised in the data breach, which happened between August 1, 2018, and March 30, 2019.
Opko Health said its affected unit, BioReference Laboratories Inc, suspended collection requests to AMCA since October previous year, and has asked the vendor to stop working on any pending collection requests involving the company's customers.
The security officials at Inmediata halted the website temporarily and contacted a digital forensic firm to investigate the incident.
The medical sector is one of the most targeted by cybercriminals, as harvested data is extremely useful: it can be sold on the dark web or used directly for fraud.
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John Lewis’s weekly sales may have been sluggish in recent periods but Black Friday saw some pent-up demand being unleashed as the company said it saw 495 units being ordered online per minute between 07:00 and 08:00.
There may be huge discounts on the UK high street at present but British stores are feeling surprisingly upbeat about the Christmas shopping season overall, a new survey shows, although fashion sales could be weak.
Kate Spade has opened its first full-price standalone UK store outside of central London with its Bluewater debut. The Tapestry-owned brand has opened close to sister label Coach’s still-new location.
Shoppers splurged more than $1.52 billion online by Thanksgiving evening, up 16.8% over last year, and more bargain hunters turned up at stores this year as retailers opened their doors early on the eve of Black Friday.
The Japanese label is readying its first European store for a December opening in Paris. Bape (aka A Bathing Ape) will move into a space on 34 rue de la Verrerie, next to the BHV Homme department store.
Two major pieces of news this week have underlined the challenges facing Australian retail as Amazon makes its official debut and the owner of Australian fashion chains Katies, Millers and Rivers is to close 300 stores.


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Vodacom Signs Up 1.1 Million New M-Pesa Customers
Vodacom announced on Monday that its mobile money services has added 1.1 million new M-Pesa customers in the six months to end-September 2017.
The Vodafone owned firm, which recently acquired Safaricom, said this pushed its total M-Pesa customers to 14.8 million in the period.
The telco added that its revenues from M-Pesa rose 14%.
“The new M-Pesa platform with enhanced technology has significantly improved stability, resulting in increased trust with customers and 70.9% more transactions processed through the system,” the company informed investors on Monday.
The mobile money industry has now reached a major milestone: more than half a billion mobile money accounts were registered as of the end of 2016, with more than 170 million active accounts around the globe, according to GSMA.
The association said more than 40% of the adult population in Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Uganda, Gabon, Paraguay, and Namibia are using the mobile money on an active basis (90-day). This is an increase from just two countries in 2015 (Kenya & Tanzania).
Vodacom added that there has also been a steady uptake of its International Money Transfer services.
During the first half of the year, on average, R24 billion was processed monthly through the M-Pesa system, the company said.
It added that customer growth in all markets remained strong, with 56% of customers now using this service in Mozambique, 35.3% in Lesotho and 22.2% in the DRC.
Vodacom said Tanzania remains the leader in International operations with 61.7% of customers using M-Pesa.
“The success of M-Pesa in all markets has resulted in savings in commission as more airtime is purchased directly, thereby eliminating third party commissions,” Vodacom said.
M-Pesa revenue now contributes 27% to service revenue and mobile data 16% to Vodacom Group.
“We will be driving further development of M-Pesa across all markets,” added Vodacom.


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“Before mechanization, European vineyards often incorporated orchards. Under modern monocropping, however, agroforestry fell away. With the need to address climate pressures and growing interest in sustainability, the practice is coming back.” In SevenFifty Daily, Betsy Andrews reports on how winegrowers are using trees, hedgerows, and habitats to mitigate climate change, helping not just the environment, but also the health of their vines.
In the San Francisco Chronicle, Jess Lander reports on a federal investigation that’s revealed tension across California vineyards over visa program for farmworkers. “The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division found that Lodi’s Vino Farms violated federal law by giving better wages and hours to workers in the H-2A program than workers already living in the U.S. The investigation just concluded with Vino Farms needing to pay roughly $55,000 in lost wages for shortchanging 14 Sonoma County workers, in addition to $21,000 in civil money penalties.”
In Wine Enthusiast, Matt Kettman profiles the winemakers behind some of America’s most popular wines. “These winemakers might serve the most critical role in American wine: producing bottles that can be enjoyed every day, introducing new wine consumers to the market and educating the next generation who come up through their ranks. They’re also on the leading edge of innovation, with the expansive budgets and expendable batches required to test new technologies, develop their own and share their research with everyone else.”
What makes Burgundy so desirable? Emily Saladino looks into the economic and ephemeral factors behind the region’s rise in Food & Wine.
Dread over fires and excessive heat has turned to euphoria for Bordeaux producers as the 2022 harvest has rolled out, reports Margaret Rand in Wine-Searcher.
In Sonoma Magazine, Sarah Doyle highlights Sonoma wineries leaning into rare varieties.
And in New Jersey Monthly, I share some love for Merlot.
Source : https://www.terroirist.com/daily-wine-news-agroforestry/


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José Andrés and Rishi Sunak named db’s Hospitality Heroes
US-based chef José Andrés and UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak have been named as db’s Hospitality Heroes at the 2020 Drinks Business Awards this afternoon.
Announced by db’s editor-in-chief, Patrick Schmitt MW, at a virtual ceremony streamed from Asia House in London, Sunak and Andrés were honoured for their standout work in helping the hospitality industry to get back on its feet during the coronavirus crisis.
Chosen from a shortlist of 10, Asturias-born, Washington-based chef José Andrés was named our US Hospitality Hero for his tireless efforts in helping the American on-trade navigate its way through the pandemic.
For the last decade, Andrés has been a food first responder, helping to feed those blighted by natural disasters around the world through his World Central Kitchen initiative. His response to the Covid-19 crisis was no different.
Since the start of the pandemic, Andres has provided over 25 million fresh meals in over 400 cities across the US to communities in need of support, including elderly citizens shielding from the virus.
His #ChefsForAmerica food relief scheme gave back to the struggling on-trade by purchasing over 7 million meals from over 2,700 local restaurants in need of revenue during the crisis to feed those most in need.
“From NY to Little Rock, Oakland to Navajo Nation, we’ve been fighting hunger from the frontlines. In the process, we have kept hundreds of restaurants from going out of business and thousands of Americans employed to cook for their communities,” Andrés says in an open letter on the WCK website.
The #ChefsForAmerica initiative has injected over US$90m into the US on-trade since March, helping to keep hospitality workers employed and restaurants open.
“Thank you to the drinks business for honouring World Central Kitchen with your Hospitality Hero award. Our mission is simple: a hot plate of food is a message of hope during a time of crisis. Wherever there is a fight, so hungry people can eat, we will be there,” Andrés said on accepting the award. To hear his message in full, click on the video below.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak meanwhile, was named as db’s UK Hospitality Hero for his Eat Out to Help Out initiative.
Having been appointed Chancellor 13 February, Sunak has shown the hospitality industry unprecedented levels of support during these unprecedented times.
In July he cut VAT for hospitality businesses from 20% to 5%. His Eat Out to Help Out scheme, which ran on Mondays to Wednesdays throughout August, proved a successful way of getting cautious diners back into restaurants this summer.
Over 100 million meals were discounted through the initiative, which proved so popular, that a number of London restaurants continued to offer diner discounts in September.
The scheme offered diners a 50% discount when they ate in at restaurants registered with the initiative, up to a maximum of £10 discount per diner.
The 84,000 venues signed up to the scheme, which had no minimum spend or maximum group size, were reimbursed by the government for the diner discounts.
“This scheme has reminded us how much we love to dine out, and in doing so, how this is helping to protect the jobs of nearly two million people who work in hospitality,” Sunak said.


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New York, NY -- (ReleaseWire) -- 02/18/2013 --Dewmar International BMC, Inc. (OTC:DEWM) announced last week that it has successfully acquired sales and distribution in the country of Trinidad & Tobago via C.I.L. Marketing Limited.
"This is part of the Dewmar International's 2013 initiative to expand the distribution of Lean Slow Motion Potion™ Premium Relaxation Beverage globally," says CEO & President, Dr. Marco Moran.
Dr. Moran stated that Dewmar International is proud to partner with CIL Marketing Limited as they have straight-forward business acumen, are easy to work with, have a solid distribution history and most importantly, they have proven themselves to be effective in heavily promoting the brand while attaining tremendous success.
Find out if this announcement could benefit DEWM by getting the trend analysis report here: http://www.wallstreetreport.net/market-scan/?symbol=DEWM
Nestl (OTC:NSRGY) the world's biggest food and drinks maker, predicted another challenging year ahead but overcame tough global economic conditions to post a full-year net profit of 10.6 billion Swiss francs ($11.55 billion) for 2012.
The maker of Nescafe, Perrier, Jenny Craig, HaagenDazs and Carnation reported broad-based growth across all product ranges and regions with sales reaching 92.2 billion francs ($100.5 billion), up from 83.6 billion francs ($91.11 billion) in 2011. The results compare with a full-year 2011 profit of 9.5 billion Swiss francs ($10.35 billion).
Find out where NSRGY could be headed by getting the trend analysis report here: http://www.wallstreetreport.net/market-scan/?symbol=NSRGY
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Moshe Alima, webmaster the Hebrew website digital-camera.co.il yesterday published a press release from Olympus of a new camera called the C-5050 Zoom. According to his information this new camera will have a five megapixel sensor, a bright F1.8 - F2.6 three times optical zoom lens, a flash hot shoe and a tiltiing LCD display. According to Moshe's information the new camera will support xD-Picture Card, SmartMedia and Compact Flash (Type I/II). The press release is dated 19th August so we're likely to find out much more tomorrow.
Images courtesy of Moshe Alima
|Umbrellas by pleytime|
from An A to Z of Subjects- Week 21, U
|Glass ball on a perforated metal plate _2 by harubux|


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A senior figure in Bruce Murphy’s distribution team at Macquarie Funds Management has jumped ship, joining a global asset manager that will shortly launch a new suite of retail funds.
Geoffrey Pidgeon, formerly national account manager at Macquarie, has joined HSBC as head of wholesale wealth management, reporting to Charles Genocchio, head of global investments.
HSBC is due to roll out a retail offering for the adviser, platform and retail market, including its own financial planners, within the next month or so.
The group distributes four different firms under HSBC – HSBC Global Asset Management, which includes global asset manager Halbis and quant specialist Sinopia; hedge fund of fund group HAIL; infrastructure arm HSBC Special Investments; and private equity and real estate arm HSBC Principal Investments.
Genocchio said Pidgeon would build an in-house team to support the adviser market as HSBC prepares to launch three funds by year-end, with a focus on emerging markets Asian equity and alternatives.
“The big bent for us is emerging markets Asia,” Genocchio said. “That’s where we have the most areas of expertise, we have people in every market and they are the type of products we’re going to be bringing out in the near future.”
Genocchio said Pidgeon brought with him strong experience in the retail space, having spent five years at Macquarie, most recently as “head of retail investments”.
Prior to that, Pidgeon worked at both AXA and Rothschild, back in the days when Rothschild “ran the retail side of the business in
“Geoff was the first hire in preparation
[for the retail launch], we’ve been working for a year to get all these things
ready to go and we’re quite close to pulling the trigger,” he said.
He was not concerned about the timing of
the launch, which comes in the midst of a financial crisis that has seen the
decimation of the retail market as investors ran for cover.
“It’s the first phase of a relatively long
and defined strategy,” Genocchio said.
“At the end of the day… there’s a lot of
Hong Kong and locally, and
it’s not something that’s going to change depending on what’s happening in the
market. We can refine where we’re going to be able to get our funds but we’re
not going to change the actual strategy and that is that we think HSBC is a
really good brand, and I think it’s probably stronger now given the turmoil
As a cost-saving measure, Macquarie Funds
Management will absorb Pidgeon’s responsibilities for now, rather than replace
Macquarie spokesperson said.
Domestically and internationally, there
remains 23 distribution staff in Murphy’s team,
the spokesperson added.


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The Co-op Group has lost out to grocery rival Morrisons in the bid to supply products to convenience chain McColl’s.
In May, the Group started a three-month trial supplying wine, fresh and ambient groceries to 25 McColl’s stores. It hoped a more permanent arrangement would help it extend the reach of Co-op-branded products without opening more stores.
But the plan has been trumped by another bid from Morrisons which will now take on the long-term supply of McColl’s 1,300 convenience stores and 350 newsagents.
The decision follows a “competitive process” to secure business with McColl’s, which before the trial with the Group was supplied with wine, fresh food and grocery was supplied by Palmer & Harvey and retailer’s co-op network Nisa.
A spokesperson for the Co-op Group said: “Our partnership was just one of a number of innovative partnerships we are exploring.
“While it’s disappointing not to have won their business permanently we have learned a lot and gained valuable experience which sets us up well for the future.
“We are continuing to develop a number of opportunities to get our award-winning Co-op Food in front of more customers.”


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Smart home device maker Netatmo announced Tuesday support for Apple’s HomeKitSecure Video standard as part of its Smart indoor camera. The free and automatic update rolled out Tuesday to users, according
The Netatmo Smart Indoor Camera now officially supports HomeKit Secure Video as of today, as announced in a Netatmo blog post. The firmware update is being made ‘gradually available’ over the upcoming
Netatmo has announced that its Smart Indoor Camera now supports Apple's HomeKit Secure Video protocol. The company revealed the news in a blog post on its website, explaining that the free software update
Disney+ is coming to Europe in just under a month, and Disney is offering prospective customers a discount subscription offer if they sign up early to the streaming video service. Residents in the United
Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast
Unnamed Target retail store employees are sharing details of what some believe are soon-to-be-released Apple updates using purported images of product listings from the companies retail inventory system.
This week's top stories: Apple March event rumors, default apps on iOS, iPhone 9, and more - 9to5Mac
In this week’s top stories: A fake iPhone 9 makes the rounds, new iOS 13.4 beta, watchOS 6.1.3 is released for everyone, March Apple keynote rumors, and more. Read on for all of this week’s biggest news.
I think we all know an Apple event is coming within the next six weeks at this point. We also have a pretty good idea that one or more iPad Pros is coming at that event, along with a new iPhone. However,
Largest public iOS developer survey highlights Swift’s progress, interest for each of Apple’s platforms, more - 9to5Mac
The largest public iOS developer community survey wrapped up last month and the results are now live. Among the findings, the survey of over 2,000 Apple devs highlights how Swift is doing, how much interest
Thursday’s best deals include Apple TV 4K discounts, August smart locks, and Apple’s official iPad Pro keyboards. Hit the jump for all that and more in the latest 9to5Toys Lunch Break. B&H is currently
The Peloton app for iOS has been updated today with support for Chromecast. This adds another way for Peloton users to view workouts on the big screen. The Peloton app has supported AirPlay for a while
Video in the HomeKit ecosystem has come a long way in recent years. As we finished up 2019, we started seeing a rollout of HomeKit Secure Video. As we head into 2020, we’re waiting on a new Doorbell from
HomeCam by Aaron Pearce, which consolidates all of your HomeKit-compatible cameras into a simple, streamlined UI, has been updated to version 2.0 across the many platforms it supports. I’ve been a fan
Apple has added one of the most popular Apple Music features on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV to the Mac. With the latest macOS 10.15.4 beta, users can now access real-time lyrics for Apple Music content.
As promised, Bose has begun rolling out a firmware update providing AirPlay 2 support for its range of Bose SoundTouch speakers. SoundTouch 10 • SoundTouch 20 series III • SoundTouch 30 series III • SoundTouch
First Alert's All-in-One Smoke Detector, Carbon Monoxide Detector, and Speaker Now Supports AirPlay 2
First Alert today announced that its Onelink Safe & Sound, an all-in-one smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector, and speaker system, now supports AirPlay 2 for multi-room audio playback. AirPlay 2 multi-room
This week's top stories: iPhone 9 pricing and naming rumors, Swift Playgrounds for Mac, more - 9to5Mac
In this week’s top stories: More details on the iPhone 9, iOS 13.4 public beta testing, Microsoft launches xCloud beta for iOS, and much more. Read on for all of this week’s biggest news. We could be around
Jump into the chaotic world of a hit Nickelodeon show in Loud House: Outta Control, a new Apple Arcade game. Guide Lincoln Loud and his sisters through through the craziness before the clock runs out.
Apple Arcade launched with close to 100 titles and the service is seeing new games added regularly. Follow along with our guide on the latest from Apple’s gaming service. You can learn more about and all
Everyone who subscribed to YouTube TV via Apple’s App Store got a notice today that their subscriptions will be canceled next month. They’ll have to resubscribe on the YouTube website. A statement from
Apple TV+ offers exclusive Apple original TV shows and movies in 4K HDR quality. You can watch across all of your screens and pick up where you left off on any device. Apple TV+ costs $4.99 per month.


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AAPT residential users on the unlimited 24/7 plan have until 10 November to change or cancel their plan as a result of iiNet’s $60 million acquisition of its consumer customer base.
AAPT has confirmed it is in contact with customers by phone and email to notify them of changes, offering a change of plan or cancellation of service without fees. Some subscribers claimed on the Whirlpool user forum they were given until 7 November to change, but a customer service representative for the service provider confirmed the final cutoff date.
"On the 7th of november 2010 the unlimited 24/7 will surely be removed from our plan matrix,” an email delivered to one AAPT customer from the telco reads.
The changes come as a result of iiNet’s resolve to ditch the loss-leading plans with unlimited quota. The acquisition from Telecom New Zealand was finalised last week following an “overwhelming” approval from iiNet shareholders, and chief regulatory officer, Stephen Dalby, told Computerworld Australia the fate of the competitive plans would be revealed this week once the Perth-based ISP had gone over the necessary paperwork.
An iiNet representative confirmed on the Whirlpool user forum that letters had been sent out to eligible customers from 1 October.
However, Dalby said he didn’t expect there to be many affected by the changeover.
“Most customers will just continue on as if nothing has happened,” Dalby said, pointing to the majority of the 113,000 customers that have become a part of iiNet’s business. Though the ISP has mulled implementing AAPT’s white label billing engine, customers are expected to receive the same invoices following acquisition, with no noticeable changes.
“We’re expecting that it’s only the unlimited 24/7 plans that will be affected but until we can do the actual homework on the customer data it’s difficult to know what the numbers might be, how many people might be affected if anything,” he said.
“It’s not like we’re going to cut anyone off or doing anything drastic.”
According to correspondence from AAPT, other unlimited plans previously offered by the service provider - including the unlimited 8-8 plan - will remain available for existing customers.
The residential AAPT website has been amended to show a similar plan matrix currently offered by iiNet, with the most expensive residential plan providing a terabyte of monthly quota for $99.95 per month. Unlike the iiNet terabyte plan, however, the AAPT equivalent does not appear to require bundling with a phone service in order to subscribe.


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Iran exported some 70 tons of caviar in the last Iranian year which ended on March 21, the managing director of the country's fisheries company Mohammad Reza Hosseini said in this northern city.
Iran exported some 70 tons of caviar in the last Iranian year which ended on March 21, the
managing director of the country's fisheries company Mohammad Reza Hosseini said in this northern city on Thursday.
The exports fetched the Islamic Republic 100 million marks, he
said, adding that 80 percent of the product went to Europe, 10 percent
to Japan and the rest to other countries.
The country's total sturgeon catch in the period reached 800
tons, which produced 90 tons of caviar, Hosseini said.
Iran's Fisheries Organization, he said, has projected to export
80 tons of caviar by the end of March, 2001.
According to the official, Iran also exports some 100-200 tons
of sturgeon annually, which earns the country two to three million
Iran, along with Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan,
account for 90 percent of world trade in black caviar, which fetches
them 100 million dollars annually.
They are the five littoral states of the Caspian Sea and major
producers of black caviar. The four latter states pledged in June not to fish sturgeon this
year, after the standing committee CITES, the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species warned that the Caspian Sea
poaching had reached the scale of organized crime and amounted to 13
times the legal catch, putting the sturgeon population on the brink of
extinction. The committee exempted Iran from censure since it has in place a
functioning management system.
According to CITES officials, official catch levels of sturgeon in
the Caspian Sea have fallen from a peak of 30,000 tons in the late
1970s to less than a tenth of that figure today, as the old system of
joint state control of the caviar market by the Soviet Union and Iran
collapsed. Pollution, reduced river flow and the destruction of spawning
sites -- where the caviar, sturgeon's eggs, is produced -- have also
contributed to the fall, they said.
CITES officials were considering recommending a worldwide ban on
imports of caviar because of the lack of action by the four former
Soviet republics. Prices of legally exported caviar have skyrocketed and are set to
increase further if restrictions are put in place.


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“This action is necessitated due to non-adherence of the company to the extant provisions of Digital lending guidelines of the Reserve Bank of India, particularly non-issuance of Key Fact Statements to the borrowers under these two lending products and the deficiencies in the Key Fact Statements issued in respect of other digital loans sanctioned by the company,” the RBI said in a statement.
Bajaj Finance, after the RBI’s ban, announced that it was temporarily suspending the sanction and disbursal of new loans under two products. It also added the firm will rectify the key fact statement for eCOM and Insta EMI Card as soon as possible.
What are eCOM and Insta EMI Card products?
The Insta EMI card offers consumers pre-approved credit up to Rs 200,000 for small ticket purchases, according to Bajaj Finance’s website. No description is available for the eCOM product on the website.
What are RBI’s guidelines for digital lenders?
The central bank’s digital lending guidelines, enforced last year, require that a lender disclose all fees and charges to borrowers upfront and also detail its recovery practices in the event of a default. These details need to be provided in the KFS document, which, according to RBI, was not issued by Bajaj Finance for the two products.
The guidelines were introduced after complaints of unfair digital lending practices, including inadequate information on charges associated with digital loans.
What did Bajaj Finance say about the ban?
Bajaj Finance said it is temporarily suspending the sanction and disbursal of new loans under the two products. It added that the RBI restrictions on lending via the two products will not have a “material financial impact” on the company.
What can be the possible impact of the ban?
According to Macquarie, as cited in a report by The Economic Times (ET), the RBI’s ban may lead to a decline in the company’s assets under management (AUM) growth and related growth in profitability.
Jefferies, on the other hand, said it is not a serious issue for the company.
How have Bajaj Finance’s shares reacted to the ban?
On Thursday, the ban was announced after the stock markets closed in India. Its shares closed 1.9 per cent in the red.
On Friday, as of 10:50 am, Bajaj Finance’s shares were trading 1.7 per cent in the red at Rs 7,240.75 apiece on BSE.
(With agency inputs)


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Federated Department Stores, Inc. (NYSE:FD)(PCX:FD) today reported total sales of $1.086 billion for the four weeks ended August 31, 2002. This represents a decrease of 3.8 percent from total sales of $1.129 billion for the same period last year. On a same-store basis, Federated's August sales were down 5.8 percent.
For the 30-week year to date, Federated's sales totaled $8.025 billion, a decrease of 1.8 percent compared to sales of $8.173 billion for the same period last year. On a same-store basis, Federated's year-to-date sales were down 3.3 percent.
"We obviously were disappointed with our August sales performance," said James M. Zimmerman, Federated's chairman and chief executive officer. "However, we did see some improvement in sales trends during the last two weeks of the month, including the Labor Day weekend, which gives us encouragement for achieving our plan of a 1 to 3 percent same-store sales increase for the fall season."
Federated, with corporate offices in Cincinnati and New York, is one of the nation's leading department store retailers, with annual sales of more than $15.6 billion. Federated currently operates more than 450 stores in 34 states, Guam and Puerto Rico, under the names of Macy's, Bloomingdale's, The Bon Marche, Burdines, Goldsmith's, Lazarus and Rich's. The company also operates macys.com and Bloomingdale's By Mail.
ASAP Fashion News Fast - Fashion news for the apparel industry
and consumers to learn more about the clothing business. Apparel Search
ASAP Fashion News Fast - Fashion news for the apparel industry and consumers to learn more about the clothing business.
Apparel Search ASAP News[borders/disc4aftr.htm]


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LG has started sending media invites for the launch of its X Screen smartphone in India. The smartphone first showcased in March will launch here on Monday. LG X Screen’s only differentiator is its extra edge display for quick notifications (Source: LG)
LG had recently introduced two smartphones under the K series branding in India and with X Screen, the company could try and cement its position in the budget smartphone offerings.
LG X Screen features a 4.93-inch HD display with a second screen which is always on. The USP of this smartphone will be its second display which shows quick notifications without any distraction.
LG X Screen’s 1.76-inch secondary display has a resolution of 520 x 80 pixels. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor coupled with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage.
LG X Screen is just 7.1 mm thick and weighs 120 grams. The smartphone comes with a 13MP primary camera and an 8MP selfie-camera..
LG X Screen is backed by a 2300mAh battery with a rated standby time of up to 120 hours.


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The coming year will present some urgent challenges for Britain’s supermarkets, none more so than the pressures created by price inflation and the rising cost of living.
As the grocer reports a Christmas sales boost of 3.2%, Tesco is banking on its new media and insights platform, an “unwavering commitment” to value, and “heavy” investment into convenience to drive further growth this year.
Claiming consumers are “desperate for great quality merchandise”, CEO Steve Rowe is confident M&S is moving in the right direction as sales rise and its loyalty scheme grows.
Offering low prices is a “key priority” for the supermarket, which is pledging to match discounter prices across more ranges despite surging festive sales of premium products.
Unilever is aiming to grow its brands through innovation that “scale and build categories”, rather than simply delivering “new news”.
Sainsbury’s reported higher than expected profit growth and increased optimism for its Nectar loyalty proposition, which it says is strengthening its retail media offer.
The sixth CX50 list of the UK’s top 50 customer experience professionals reveals the key trends in a complex and highly regulated sector.
Wise has driven much of its growth to date through word of mouth, but having evolved its proposition, the international banking platform believes now is the time to launch its first global brand campaign as it looks to build awareness.


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CP Kelco and Jungbunzlauer welcome the determination
Xanthan gum: ITC/DOC find Chinese suppliers guilty of dumping
The anti-dumping case – brought by CP Kelco in December 2012 – found that Chinese producers and exporters sold xanthan gum in the US for 15-154% below fair market value. Imports of the ingredient from China were estimated at $82.4 million in 2012, according to the Commerce Department.
Positive news for the domestic xanthan gum industry
E. Charles Bowman, VP of Marketing for CP Kelco, welcomed the decision and thanked officials of the USDOC and their staff for their work. “This announcement is positive news for the domestic xanthan gum industry,” he said.
“CP Kelco increased capacity at our San Diego, California facility in the fourth quarter of 2012, and has current debottlenecking projects in place to further meet market demand for U.S. consumers. “
According to the ITC/DOC decision, Deoson Biochemical Ltd. received a final dumping margin of 128%, while Neimenggu Fufeng Biotechnologies Co., Ltd. (also known as Inner Mongolia Fufeng Biotechnologies Co., Ltd.) received a margin of 15%.
The margin rates reflect the extent to which the Chinese xanthan gum producers priced below fair market value in the United States, and the differences between the China duty rates are said to be directly tied to value and quality type of the raw materials used by respondents to produce xanthan gum.
On the other hand, the ITC voted 6-0 against imposing anti-dumping duties on Jungbunzlauer, finding that the Austrian supplier did not cause material injury or the threat of material injury, despite underselling by 30% below fair market value, and should not be part of any measures.
Speaking with FoodNavigator-USA, Tom Knutzen, CEO of Jungbunzlauer, welcomed the announcement, saying that the company views the decision as a confirmation that Jungbunzlauer conducts its business in a fair manner.
Had the ITC imposed duties, Jungbunzlauer would have been unable to keep prices stable, he said, but the decision allows the company to stand by its commitments to supply the US market.


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95w ago - Sony Senior Social Media Specialist Rey Gutierrez has revealed this coming weeks new PS3, PSN and PS Vita releases today, as follows:
Let it be forever known: the 70th edition of The Drop marks the debut of PlayStation Vita game releases!
For the past year, PlayStation fans and gamers have eagerly awaited this momentous day, PS Vita will officially arrive stateside and around the globe starting February 15th with the PS Vita First Edition Bundle, and PlayStation Store will spring to life with over 15 PS Vita titles, ready to supply you with hours of insane portable gaming.
On the PS3 side of things, PlayStation's longest-running gaming franchise returns triumphantly with the long-awaited release of Twisted Metal. This Valentine's Day, skip the cliched romantic dinners and give your significant other an experience they won't forget, whether you're sightseeing the dilapidated suburbs of Sunsprings or getting frisky by the polluted waters of Watkyn's Harbor. Join the Clowns, the Dolls (my favorite), the Skulls, or the Preachers... and get ready to bleed!
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a Valentine's Day dinner reservation with a hot, curvy and sexy little thing called the PS Vita. Enjoy this week's historic edition of The Drop!
95w ago - Sony Senior Social Media Specialist Rey Gutierrez has shared a video today officially welcoming PlayStation gamers to their new PS Vita handheld console.
To quote: PlayStation is just days away from embarking on another historic console journey with the launch of PS Vita - the most ambitious entertainment device you've ever held in your hands.
PS Vita was first unveiled to the world as NGP, the "Next Generation Portable," in January 2011 and formally christened as PS Vita during E3.
In the time leading up to the big global launch day on February 22nd, we chronicled the designers as they created the world's most advanced handheld gaming system and heard from some of the most-respected game developers in the business.
We also recently revealed what's in the box for the PS Vita First Edition Bundle launching to early adopters on February 15th. Today, we wanted to welcome you to our world with this new video.
95w ago - Sony Manager James Gallagher has made available a video today which dives inside PlayStation Vita, demonstrating PS Vita cross play with the PS3 entertainment system.
To quote: One of the standout aspects of PlayStation Vita is the way it interacts with your PS3, whether that's PS Vita and PS3 players competing on the same track in WipEout 2048, or starting a game of MotorStorm RC at home and then picking up where you left off on the bus to work.
The latest episode of the Inside PS Vita series talks to the developers of these games and more to see how Cross Play is changing the way we think about portable gaming and how it relates to the home experience.


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Courtesy: Daniel Quintanilla
The Electronic Eye Returns
E! announced early today that Kristin Cavallari’s new “Very Cavallari” docu-series will debut on E! this spring, following Kristin’s new life in Nashville, Tennessee, as Kristin launches a new store for Uncommon James, while tackling parenthood, and being a day-to-day wife to Jay Cutler.
E!’s Executive Vice President of development and production, Amy Introcaso-Davis, says that E!’s audience has followed Kristin from “The Hills” to E!’s exclusive live red carpet coverage, and now will get a view into Kristin’s life as an entrepreneur and lifestyle tastemaker.
Amy also says that E!’s giving their audience a chance to see Kristin push herself as a boss of a new and expanding brand that is her fourth child being Uncommon James, all coming with the pressure to succeed, managing strong willed employees at Uncommon James, making time for Jay, and staying an active mom to 3 kids.
It’s high times right now for Kristin Cavallari, Kristin’s new book, “True Roots”, was released on Tuesday nationwide, and Kristin signed copies for a crowded Book Revue book store Tuesday evening in Huntington, New York.
Kristin also opened up last week about her new Uncommon James store in Nashville, saying she’s real excited about Uncommon James’s success, and all the complete creative freedom Kristin has with her new brand.