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When the Dornier Do26 took off on its first flight in May 1938, it was at the cutting edge of aviation technology, the latest in a rapid succession of new seaplanes that promised to revolutionise long-distance travel.
It wasn’t to be. Despite being hailed as the “most beautiful flying-boat ever built”, and impressing the world the following year by flying from Germany to Chile carrying relief supplies to earthquake victims, the Do26 was shortlived — the final one being retired in 1945. Seaplanes in general were rapidly falling out of fashion, rendered redundant by the sharp growth in the number of airports and airstrips. Their less aerodynamic bodies left them lagging behind as conventional planes grew faster, and they were about to be eclipsed completely by the dawning of the jet age.
Now though, the seaplane seems set for a surprise comeback. At the Singapore Airshow last month, the grandson of Dornier’s founder announced that — after a gap of eight decades — production is underway on the first new Dornier seaplane since the Do26. The Seastar will be able to carry 12 passengers at more than 200mph, and with a range of more than 1,000 miles. The first is due for delivery in 2018; the company says it has already taken 11 firm orders and options but expects to make 300 to 350 Seastars over the next 10 years in order to meet surging demand.
The Seastar was originally developed in the 1980s but never made it into commercial production. That has finally changed, thanks to a favourable tailwind from China — the plane will be manufactured by Dornier Seawings, a joint venture between Conrado Dornier, whose grandfather Claude founded Dornier in 1914, and two Chinese companies, Wuxi Industrial Development Group and Wuxi Communications Industry Group. The plan is for two assembly lines running concurrently at Dornier’s base in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany and in Wuxi, China.
“The Chinese see they have a huge market within their own country, with a long coastline and lots of inland bodies of water, combined with a poor infrastructure, so a seaplane offers great advantages,” says Conrado Dornier.
He predicts 50 per cent of sales to governments for coastal patrols, search and rescue and so on, and 20 to 30 per cent to small commercial airlines, particularly those focused on leisure travel. “A seaplane allows you to develop tourist destinations and link them easily, safely and economically — something you can’t do with a helicopter — so it opens up new opportunities in tourism, especially for the high-end market, off the beaten track.”
More surprising still is that the Seastar wasn’t the only new seaplane at Singapore. Also attracting attention was the Viking 400S, the first dedicated seaplane version of the company’s existing Twin Otter. The Canadian manufacturer currently adds floats to its conventional aircraft to make them amphibious, delivering two to three such planes per year, but hopes the 400S will lead to a rapid rise in orders. Deliveries are due to start early in 2017 and Viking anticipates sales of up to 100 over the next decade to keep up with “great demand in Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and southern Europe”.
While the key seaplane manufacturers refuse to release detailed sales figures, the growing number of start-up seaplane airlines suggests such bullish predictions could be justified.
Among them is Kerala Seaplane, which is due to begin services above the south-western tip of India by next month. Using two 10-seater Cessna 208 Grand Caravan turbo props, it intends to connect Cochin, Trivandrum, Calicut, Alleppey and Kollam, eventually expanding to reach Sri Lanka and the Andaman Islands. And while seaplanes inevitably carry associations with aviation’s “golden age”, today they are not necessarily restricted to the elite. Kerala Seaplane plans to price Cochin to Trivandrum tickets at Rs5,500 (£58), for example, and Cochin to Alleppey at Rs3,500 (£37).
Like other fledgling seaplane airlines, getting to this point has not been easy. Kerala Seaplane has been hit with strikes, delays in government permits, and opposition from local fishermen, which stalled the launch for two years. In the Adriatic, European Coastal Airlines had a similarly troubled gestation before its launch in 2014.
It traces its roots back to the 1990s, when a group of German airline pilots clubbed together to buy a 1947 Grumman Goose to fly around the lakes of Canada. In 1995, the pilots decided to move their Goose to Europe, but found that only Croatia would admit them. They went on to develop plans for a scheduled service around the Croatian islands, but failed to win permits, then in 2008 their chief financial officer was killed in a seaplane crash.
Official opposition finally softened when Croatia joined the EU in 2013, and the government began enthusiastically promoting tourism. ECA won its licence on August 26 2014, and started services the following day. This year it will operate eight aircraft, flying domestically and to Pescara, Italy, and there are plans to expand to Greece, Montenegro, and Venice’s lagoon.
As well as the growing demand from developing countries and a tourism industry in search of ever more remote destinations, the seaplane’s resurgence has been helped, more prosaically, by the development of appropriate legislation and regulation. When a small Scottish airline, Loch Lomond Seaplanes, started up in 2004 (becoming the UK’s first seaplane service for 50 years) it found existing rules wouldn’t cover larger seaplanes. It worked with the UK Civil Aviation Authority to develop a new regulatory framework, which paved the way for other nations without a tradition of seaplanes to follow suit.
Among the casualties of that lack of legislation was AirSea Lines, a Greek-Canadian company based in Corfu. Despite Greece being ideal for seaplanes — with more than 200 inhabited islands and often only slow ferry links — the airline folded after four years in 2008, blaming bureaucratic hurdles. When, in 2013, the Greek parliament passed legislation setting out a legal framework for seaplane operations, businessman Nicolas Charalambous sensed an opportunity. He quickly set up Hellenic Seaplanes, offering charter services with a single leased seaplane.
In June, however, the airline will launch the country’s only scheduled services, allowing tourists to leap between Volos, the Sporades islands, Skyros, Patmos, Thessaloniki, Tinos, Corfu, and Paxos. “Existing travel methods are so time-consuming that ‘same-day’ business trips are uneconomical and weekend travel of any distance is not viable,” says Charalambous.
He is busy licensing “waterdromes” around Greece and hopes to develop a network of more than 100 — plans buoyed by a 9 per cent increase in tourism last year. “Tourism is the heavy industry of Greece,” says Charalambous. “Even with the unstable politics, touristic projects are low-risk, high-value. No crisis can stop us.”
More seaplane services have started recently in Turkey, Vietnam and Sri Lanka, and other new aircraft are on the horizon. The Aviation Industry Corporation of China is currently assembling the AG-600, the world’s biggest seaplane, able to carry 50 passengers. The first flight is due to take place this year.
Back in Scotland, Loch Lomond Seaplanes has just taken delivery of a brand new 10-seat Cessna 208 Caravan and next month will start scheduled services from Loch Lomond to the Isle of Skye. More enticing, however, are rumours of plans for a new route from the UK capital. David West, managing director and chief pilot, remains tight-lipped but admits plans for London are “well advanced” and that proving flights have taken place, starting from a conventional land airport and landing on water, 25 minutes out of the city.
Photographs: Jens Schnabel; Heath Moffatt; Studio Blagec SPLIT
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Amazon is set to create more than 10,000 new jobs in the UK by the end of the year, as it continues to expand rapidly amid growing online shopping.
The e-commerce and web services company plans to open a parcel center and four new warehouses, bringing its total workforce in the UK to 55,000 people.
He said he would also invest an additional £ 10million over three years to train up to 5,000 people in skills they could use in careers outside Amazon.
Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said the move was “a huge vote of confidence in the UK economy”.
The new permanent roles will be in engineering, human resources, IT, health and safety, finance and customer order fulfillment.
A new warehouse, or “distribution center”, will open this summer in Hinckley, in the East Midlands, creating 700 new permanent jobs. The company will also open a parcel center in Doncaster and further distribution centers in Dartford, Gateshead and Swindon which will each create more than 1,300 permanent jobs later this year.
New jobs will also be created in corporate offices, web services and operating networks in regions such as London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Cambridge.
Amazon said the pay for these roles would be £ 9.70 per hour, higher than the minimum wage of £ 8.91. Operational roles in London will be paid £ 10.80 per hour.
Amazon UK Country Manager John Boumphrey said: “We are creating thousands of great jobs across the UK from a diverse range of roles with great pay and benefits.
“We are also delighted to be working with UK Chambers of Commerce on a pioneering approach to our Career Choice program to provide the training and skilled workers needed to boost local economies across the country.
“We are proud of the frontline roles we offer on Amazon, and we also know that they will be a stepping stone for some in their career path.”
Amazon has come under fire for the way it treats workers after drivers alleged demanding delivery schedules meant they had to urinate in bottles.
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said, “Over the past year, Amazon’s workforce has gone to great lengths to ensure consumers have secure access to goods during this difficult time.
“Their latest investment will open up a wide range of opportunities for even more workers, helping to develop the skills needed to boost the economy of tomorrow.”
Shevaun Haviland, Managing Director of UK Chambers of Commerce, said: “This is a great initiative that will not only help Amazon, but also provide a much broader benefit to the community, while also showing how businesses can be a force for good.
“Providing staff with training to fill skills gaps that exist within the local business community is going to be a key driver in increasing productivity and boosting the economy as the UK recovers from the pandemic.”
More about this article: Read More
This notice was published: 2021-05-14 11:25:24

domain: news


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DES MOINES, Iowa — After reporting on a 106% rise in the average MidAmerican Energy customer's bill from December 2020 to last month, Alliant Energy did not provide Local 5 with the same figure.
However, the two companies did provide average monthly gas costs for 2021:
- Alliant's cost per household: $68
- MidAmerican's cost per household: $50
Local 5 spoke with representatives from two different Iowa utility companies, Alliant Energy and Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative.
Iowa Lakes' headquarters is in Estherville, with nearly 5,000 miles of distribution lines across over a half dozen counties in northwestern Iowa.
They deal almost entirely with providing electric to their customers, but understand the challenges consumers are going through with those skyrocketing natural gas prices.
"This is a nationwide issue of increasing demands on the electric system and our reliance on natural gas," Tim Mccollough, incoming CEO of ILEC, said.
Meanwhile, Alliant Energy serves 495,000 electric and 225,000 natural gas customers across Iowa. To keep prices as low as they can in the winter, they stay proactive during the warmer months.
"We buy and store some natural gas in the summer when prices are lower. Then this contracted storage is withdrawn during the home heating season when prices are typically higher," Alliant spokesperson Morgan Hawk said.
Outgoing CEO of ILEC, Rick Olesen, stressed this is a frustrating situation the industry is finding itself in.
"In my 40 years in this industry, this is the first time that we have not had enough generation to meet our demand," he said.
Watch: Iowa faces critical need for foster parents


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Is the UK tuition market worth over £6 billion per year?
The private tuition market has certainly grown over recent years, with ever more people booking tutors online, or at high street tuition centres. Only a few years the only way to find a tutor would be through word of mouth, scouring the yellow pages, or looking through the notices in a newsagents window
Gauging the real size of the tuition market is not an easy task. The major difficulty here is, as there is no independent regulatory body overseeing the tuition industry, so we have no records of how many lessons are taking place and the rates that the tutors are charging.
It has been commonly quoted that the tuition industry is worth more than £6 billion per year. After a lengthy research into the market size of the UK tuition industry, the Sutton Trust concluded that:
`The UK private tuition market is substantial. Its total worth may run into the billions. But well-publicised figures about the industry are likely to be overestimates`
International research carried out would suggests that the £6 billion figure is an over estimate. Research by Global Industry Analysts suggest that the global tuition market will be worth around $100 billion dollars, £75 billion. Given that the UK population is less than 1% of global population it is unlikely that we would represent 8% of the global tuition market.
Our research that we provided to the Sutton Trust in their recent publication 'Shadow Schooling: Private tuition and social mobility in the UK' (Sept 2016) also seems to suggest that £6 billion figure is far too high. We found that an average student spends £800 per year on tuition. There are 8.7 million registered students in the UK schools, and research by Sutton Trust shows that around 25% of students take regular tuitions, giving 2.2 million students taking regular tuition. Our research shows that 90% of tutees are made up of students (other 10% being adult learners), giving us a total of approximately 2.5 million tutees. Given that an average tutee spends £800 per year on tuition, this suggests that the UK tuition market is worth around £2 billion per year. Looking at it another way for UK industry to be worth around £6 billion, each tutee would have to spend on average £2,400.
What seems certain however is that the industry is growing. Here at Tutor Hunt we have seen a staggering increase in the demand for tutors. The growing acceptance of private tuition as a supplement to a child's education - providing extra lessons even though the student is not struggling academically - rather than as a remedy for a student who is falling behind, is certainly a major reason for the huge growth of the industry in recent years. We are nowhere near the 6 billion mark yet, but with the trends we are seeing at Tutor Hunt, we can see this £2 billion industry growing in the years to come.


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SIMA: Sponsorship opportunities now available for Waterman's Weekend, Aug. 14-15.
ROTH CAPITAL PARTNERS: CEO Byron Roth, athletes including Amy Purdy to be honored by Challenged Athletes Foundation.
Details on Industry Insight.
Zoo York product on the JC Penney website
The Iconix Brand Group said this morning it has entered into an agreement to buy the rest of the Zoo York brand.
Currently, Iconix owns 51%. It will buy the remaining interest for $18 million, the company said in a press release.
Since Iconix took control of Zoo York in late 2009, it has partnered with sourcing company Li & Fung on Zoo York’s sportswear business and “substantially expanded” Zoo York’s presence in stores such as JC Penney and Kohl’s, Iconix said.


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Some critics say that the health of British families is being put at risk because an ongoing retail “price war” on chicken is keeping investments from being made to help reduce Campylobacter contamination. Professor Chris Elliott, who conducted the British government’s inquiry into the 2013 horse meat scandal, says that U.K. chicken farms could limit the Campylobacter incidence by not “thinning” their flocks, a practice which he says would cost about 10 pence per bird (about 15 cents). However, Elliott, who is chair of Food Safety and Microbiology at Queen’s University Belfast, says that supermarkets won’t pay the price of doing so, resulting in greater risk to consumers. “Thinning” involves poultry workers going into chicken sheds and removing larger birds that have reached slaughter weight. They do this to be able to keep more birds per shed and to get more uniform sizes of the remaining birds. Research has indicated that each time the workers go in, any Campylobacter present in the flock and in bird feces is spread to other healthy birds and thereby raises the number of contaminated birds sent to market. “Zero thinning is certainly one of the solutions,” Elliott says. “It would cost 10p more per carcass … but there is a great reluctance of retailers to pass any cost on now because they are engaged in the middle of a price war.” Some U.K. retailers have stopped their chicken suppliers from thinning flocks, while others are studying whether ending the practice would be beneficial. Recent studies by the U.K.’s Food Standards Agency found that 73 percent of whole chickens sold in Britain’s major supermarkets are contaminated with Campylobacter bacteria. Nineteen percent of chickens tested above the highest category of contamination levels (more than 1,000 colony-forming units per gram), while 7 percent of packages also tested positive for Campylobacter. Campylobacter is the major cause of food poisoning in the UK, causing an estimated 280,000 human cases a year and around 100 deaths. In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates the numbers at 1.3 million cases each year and 76 deaths.
(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)


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Remember when the fad diet of the day was the Atkins diet? The low carbohydrate, high fat miracle diet where you would see friends drop 60 pounds in a month jamming porterhouses slathered with butter into their mouths? So, what’s going on in the world of dieting you might ask? Well, it seems that it’s an all natural appetite suppressant called Hoodia, a plant derivative that curbs the appetite. It seems like every drug maker in the world is jumping on the Hoodia bandwagon, but it’s TLScience.com that is making an impact and getting the consumers attention.
In week 19 (05/07), TLSciences.com witnessed a 378% jump in traffic and 1,760,460 people visiting their site researching and signing up for free samples of all their natural products. Not only do they have Hoodia products for loosing weight, TLSciences.com also has an edge on all natural remedies and offers a variety of products that tan, smooth, clear and un-wrinkle the skin! I bet we begin to see a whole new generation of young looking old people"¦


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Brought to you by Green Mountain Energy Company
That’s right. One day you might be able to tint the windows of your office building and the afternoon sun would help reduce your electricity bill.
Haliatek, a startup company based in Germany, has developed a new kind of solar panel using technology similar to what’s used for OLED displays in phones and flat-screen TVs. The panels are flexible and far lighter than conventional solar panels, yet in some locations—particularly where it’s hot or cloudy—they could possibly generate just as much electricity as a conventional solar panel. See the full Massachusetts Institute of Technology review.
Green Mountain Energy Company is the nation's leading competitive retail provider of cleaner energy and carbon offset solutions, serving New York residents with 100% renewable electricity supply. To learn more, visit www.greenmountain.com. For the latest news on green living, renewable energy, energy efficiency and more, check out Green Mountain’s blog at the www.greenmountaincleanertimes.com.


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Microsoft will no longer add TV DVR features to Xbox One, according to the foreign media The Verge report. Microsoft initially announced the addition of the TV DVR feature to Xbox One at the Gamescom Cologne game show last August, and said at the time that the feature would be available in 2016. But now, after careful consideration, Microsoft decided to stop the TV DVR feature, concentrating on the new, user-demanding gaming experience for Xbox One and WINDOWS10.
A Microsoft spokeswoman said they have been listening to user feedback and are looking forward to bringing more user-requested experiences to Xbox One, Win10 and Xbox Live this year. Microsoft originally planned to let Xbox One users go out and let their Xbox One record TV shows and stream or download them to mobile devices and other Windows 10 computers. The DVR feature is also limited to cable TV programs, and Microsoft has launched a digital TV tuner in Europe and the US that supports this feature.
It is clear that the intention of the Beijing Racing Pk10 official website is to get Xbox One back to the game-focused focus, after all, after all, they have previously unbound Kinect and turned off their ambitious Xbox Entertainment studios. As expected, Microsoft will announce further plans for eco-integration of XBOX/PC games at next week's E3 games show, and release the slim version of Xbox One and an upgraded Xbox console codenamed "Scorpio".
Microsoft Xbox One stops joining the TV DVR feature without first cutting


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For the Berlin Fashion Week, creative professionals, buyers and media representatives meet twice a year to be inspired by current trends.
Berlin Fashion Week Fall 2022 will take place from September 5th to 10th, 2022.
In March 2022, the Berlin Fashion Week (BFW) will be presented from March 14th to 20th, 2022 with a multifaceted and trend-setting program. The focus of the upcoming Berlin Fashion Week is once again on the topics of sustainability, innovation and the influence of various subcultures. The programs bridge the gap between contemporary fashion and the various creative genres and ensure high media visibility with hybrid and digital forms.
Event formats of Berlin Fashion Week in March 2022:
202030 – The Berlin Fashion Summit
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FASHION LOCATION
Information about fundings: https://fashion-week-berlin.com/en/funding.html
More information about Berlins fashion industry with facts and figures: https://projektzukunft.berlin.de/en/topics/fashion-industry/


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(Bloomberg) — The cost of living in the U.S. climbed in July at the slowest pace in five months, indicating price pressures remain limited even as the economy picks up.
The consumer price index increased 0.1 percent, matching the median forecast of 80 economists surveyed by Bloomberg, after rising 0.3 percent the prior month, a Labor Department report showed today in Washington. Stripping out volatile food and fuel, the so-called core measure also climbed 0.1 percent, less than projected.
Inflation continues to run below the Federal Reserve’s target as sluggish global demand limits companies’ ability to charge customers more. Restrained increases give the central bank’s policy makers room to keep interest rates low well after the projected end of their bond-buying program in October.
“Some of the inflation concerns that you were hearing back in June will probably ease off a little bit,” said Michael Feroli, chief U.S. economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in New York and the second-best forecaster of consumer prices over the last two years, according to Bloomberg data. “It takes some pressure off the Fed to speed up rate normalization. There had been a lot of rhetoric about the Fed being behind the curve on inflation, and this probably takes some wind out of that.”
Another report today showed housing starts surged in July to the highest level in eight months, underscoring the recent pickup in builder optimism and showing more traction in the residential real estate market. Beginning home construction climbed 15.7 percent to a 1.09 million annualized rate following June’s 945,000 pace, which was stronger than previously estimated, the Commerce Department reported today in Washington. SHARES RISE
Stock-index futures rose after the reports, extending earlier gains. The contract on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index maturing in September climbed 0.3 percent to 1,972.5 at 8:45 a.m. in New York.
Economists’ estimates in the Bloomberg survey ranged from unchanged to a 0.2 percent advance.
The increase in the core gauge matched the June’s advance. Economists had forecast a 0.2 percent increase, according to the survey median.
Overall consumer prices rose 2 percent in the 12 months ended July, following a 2.1 percent year-over-year advance the prior month. The core measure increased 1.9 percent from July 2013, the same as in the prior 12-month period. FED'S GOAL
The Fed’s 2-percent inflation goal is based on the Commerce Department’s price gauge that is tied to consumer spending. That measure climbed 1.6 percent in the 12 months through June.
Energy costs decreased 0.3 percent in July from a month earlier. Declines in fuel prices have been giving households some relief in recent weeks. The average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.45 as of Aug. 17, down from this year’s peak of $3.70 in April, according to AAA, the biggest U.S. auto club.
Companies such as Smithfield Foods Inc. are seeing a pickup in global demand that is causing prices to climb.
Sales at the pork processor rose 14 percent to $3.8 billion in the second quarter, thanks to tight supplies and strong domestic and international demand for hogs, the company said in an Aug. 11 statement. Smithfield Foods was acquired last year by Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd., which is now named WH Group Ltd. and is the world’s biggest pork supplier. FOOD PRICES
“Although Russia has banned U.S. pork imports, international demand from other countries remains strong,” Larry Pope, Smithfield’s chief executive officer, said in the statement. “This, combined with lower domestic protein production, should support high hog and pork prices for the duration of 2014 and beyond.”
Even the muted increase in prices is damping wages, which remain tepid. Hourly earnings were unchanged on average last month after adjusting for inflation, another Labor Department report showed today. They were also little changed over the past 12 months.
The core rate reflected increases in rents, new cars and medical care, that were almost completely offset by lower costs for airline fares, used cars, tobacco, recreation and household furnishings. The price of plane tickets dropped by the most since December 1995. BROADEST MEASURE
The CPI is the broadest of three price gauges from the Labor Department because it includes all goods and services. About 60 percent of the index covers prices consumers pay for services from medical visits to airline fares, movie tickets and rents.
The Labor Department’s gauge of wholesale prices, which includes 75 percent of all U.S. goods and services, rose 0.1 percent in July and followed a 0.4 percent gain the prior month, data showed last week. A separate report indicated the cost of imported goods fell 0.2 percent last month.
Fed officials led by Chair Janet Yellen have acknowledged that the possibility of “inflation running persistently below 2 percent has diminished somewhat,” according to a statement last month from the Federal Open Market Committee.
Even with inflation inching upward and employment rebounding, Yellen has cautioned it may still be too soon to start scaling back accommodation. Testifying before Congress on July 15, Yellen said the recovery is incomplete and slow wage growth signals “significant slack” in labor markets.
The Fed is on pace to wind down its third round of asset purchases in October after two years of buying Treasury and mortgage securities. Officials in July tapered monthly bond buying to $25 billion in a sixth consecutive $10-billion cut.
“My personal philosophy to beauty is paying attention to oneself. I love to be outdoors, lots of fresh air, trying to take care of yourself as best you can. I always notice that comes through,” says Felicity Jones, the global face of @shiseido-owned @cledepeaubeauteus, which launches today. Head to WWD.com to read more about the actress’ love for beauty and how she prepared for her new role in “The Basis of Sex,” playing the young Ruth Bader Ginsburg. #wwdbeauty (📷: @dandoperalski)
For men’s fall 2018, @giuseppezanotti drew on elements from streetwear, sport, biker, combat and rock ‘n’ roll. Pictured here are a pair of shoes from the collection, featuring zippers, rhinestones, and silver hardware. Head to WWD.com to see a roundup of the accessories from Milan’s men’s fall 2018 shows. #wwdfashion (📷: Andrea Delb)
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of @ralphlauren’s snowboarding collection, the brand is mining its archives. The iconic brand is reintroducing vintage styles and dropping new designs for a color capsule that will be available in Ralph Lauren stores and @openingceremony on January 25. The capsule will consist of 10 pieces, including the Snow Beach Pullover, pictured here, which is a collector’s item that rapper Raekwon wore in Wu-Tang Clan’s “Can It Be All So Simple” video. #wwdfashion (📷: Tom Gould)
For @rochasofficial’s pre-fall 2018 collection, creative director Alessandro Dell’Acqua channeled the sophisticated and intriguing Catherine Denevue in the film “Belle de Jour.” Polished collarless coats, midi skirts, suits and ’60s graphic motifs were all featured in the collection, adding a sense of discreet luxury. See the rest of the photos on WWD.com #wwdfashion
“We tried to produce clothing of that couture quality, but the most daunting part was that we only had a matter of days [to do it],” said costume designer Lou Eyrich, who recreated Gianni Versace’s iconic looks for @americancrimestoryfx. Eyrich searched online retailers and vintage shops for original pieces from the design house and for @penelopecruzoficial, who plays Donatella Versace. Head to WWD.com to read how she created the Versace world. #wwdfashion
Only three months after her stellar debut catwalk season, @kaiagerber has inked her first big design collaboration –– with @karllagerfeld. The collection blends Lagerfeld’s Parisian chic aesthetic and the model’s signature West Coast casual style via RTW, accessories, footwear and more. The #KarlLagerfeldxKaia collection will launch in September with a series of events. Get all the details on WWD.com. #wwdnews #wwdfashion
Harrods plans to remove the famous statue of Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed from the bottom of the Egyptian escalators and hand it back to Mohamed Al-Fayed. “We are very proud to have played our role in celebrating the lives of Diana, Princess of Wales and Dodi Al Fayed at Harrods and to have welcomed people from around the world to visit the memorial for the past 20 years,” said Michael Ward, Harrods managing director. “With the announcement of the new official memorial statue to Diana, Princess of Wales at Kensington Palace, we feel that the time is right to return this memorial to Mr. Al Fayed and for the public to be invited to pay their respects at the palace.” More on the news, with reporting by @loreleimarfil, at WWD.com. #wwdnews


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A global online poll conducted on the eve of the ATM's 50th anniversary has found that consumers in all countries expressed annoyance over ATM fees.
It also found current priorities for ATM users worldwide which include easier, intuitive and more secure ways of accessing their bank accounts.
According to a press release from poll sponsor ACI, 43 percent of consumers in Italy, 38 percent in Spain and 28 percent in the U.S. want ATMs to offer better and more secure ways of authentication.
Other services consumers would like to see from ATMs include better and more detailed information about their account, such as mini-statements; alerts for upcoming payments or overdraft fees; the ability to dispense a new credit or debit card; and the ability to access electronically signed official documents.
Specifically, the survey revealed that: The ability to dispense new bankcards appealed to 35 percent of consumers in Spain, 31 percent in France, 26 percent in the U.K. and 25 percent in the U.S.; and
- consumers were less interested in obtaining other banking products (e.g., a new accounts or mortgage application) via an ATM. Only 5 percent of U.K. consumers and 9 percent of U.S. consumers would take advantage of this functionality.
ACI, executive vice president Mandy Killam said in the release that consumers simply want the sort of convenience they've become accustomed to with smartphones, tablets and contactless cards.
"Many of them want to use ATMs in a similar fashion. The ATM is a prime example of an enduring customer behavior, and in the future, consumers expect the ATM to continue to evolve [with an] increased prevalence of mobile-enabled features and alternatives to traditional PIN-based authentication," she said.


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FIS to Acquire Worldpay for approximately $43 Billion (enterprise value). This deal comes on the heels of the recently announced Fiserv acquisition of First Data. The FinTech M&A spree is approximately two years old at this juncture. So what gives?
We went through this exercise a couple of weeks ago with a buyside friend. While much of the attention deservedly goes to innovative FinTech companies such as Venmo/Braintree/PayPal, Square and Stripe, the Payments cohort that does not receive air time commensurate to its collective potential impact are the mobile wallet players. Yes, people really use Apple Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay and Samsung Pay (Microsoft Pay is also a wallet offering, we just do not hear about it as frequently). Further, it is still early days for mobile wallets.
A recent survey conducted by TSYS demonstrated consumers’ awareness and interest in mobile wallets is increasing.
One survey question that is indicative of the larger mobile payments trend is the following: “Use your phone instead of a payment card to make purchases when checking out?” 39% answered in the affirmative in 2015, 40% in 2016 and 51% in 2017. We expect TSYS to publish an updated study end of March. See the table below:


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45.96 0.00 (0.00%)
After hours: 4:19PM EDT
|Bid||45.97 x 2900|
|Ask||45.98 x 40000|
|Day's Range||45.87 - 46.10|
|52 Week Range||41.45 - 48.62|
|PE Ratio (TTM)||82.37|
|Earnings Date||Oct 23, 2018 - Oct 29, 2018|
|Forward Dividend & Yield||1.56 (3.39%)|
|1y Target Est||50.89|
Coca-Cola (KO.N) is moving ahead with plans to take over Nigeria's leading juice company Chi Ltd and aims to complete the deal early next year, a senior executive told Reuters. Last month it agreed to buy Costa coffee for $5.1 billion, and sources familiar with the matter say it is also bidding for GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK.L) Indian Horlicks nutrition business. "We are still on track to complete the acquisition (of Chi Ltd) by the end of the first quarter of 2019," Peter Njonjo, president of Coca-Cola's west Africa business, said on Wednesday.
Coca-Cola is moving ahead with plans to take over Nigeria's leading juice company Chi Ltd and aims to complete the deal early next year, a senior executive told Reuters. Last month it agreed to buy Costa coffee for $5.1 billion, and sources familiar with the matter say it is also bidding for GlaxoSmithKline's Indian Horlicks nutrition business. "We are still on track to complete the acquisition (of Chi Ltd) by the end of the first quarter of 2019," Peter Njonjo, president of Coca-Cola's west Africa business, said on Wednesday.
Many investors have heard of dividend aristocrats, stocks which have increased dividends for at least 25 straight years. Dividend kings tend not to generate the publicity of more popular stocks. Many of these stocks also maintain a dividend yield above the S&P average of 1.9%.
If steep tariffs on goods imported into the United States are only part of a negotiating tactic from President Donald Trump, he certainly has committed to his bluff. Trump's tariffs - the first of which went into effect in early July and prompted an immediate, equivalent response from America's trade partners, including China - have been left in place long enough to start taking a measurable toll on American bottom lines. Most consumers and even most investors have yet to see or feel their impact. Despite the relatively civil trade war thus far, the global economy is robust, driving overall corporate earnings upward. Workers are enjoying their recent pay raises. Time is working against certain businesses, however. The ripple effect stemming from the initial victims' struggle could take weeks if not months to be fully felt on other fronts. And new tariffs are being imposed. It will take weeks and/or months to feel their full impact as well, even as those outfits start to feel the early ripples. Still, more than a few major publicly traded stocks have already taken hits related to Trump's tariffs (and other countries' retaliatory measures). Here are 10 companies that already have run into trade-war headwinds. SEE ALSO: The Best and Worst Presidents (According to the Stock Market)
Lately, Coca-Cola (KO) has been aggressively making acquisitions. After announcing the $5.1 billion acquisition of Costa in August and the purchase of a minority stake in BodyArmor, Coca-Cola announced the acquisition of kombucha maker Organic & Raw Trading on September 18.
Curtis Ferguson, Coca-Cola's president for Greater China and Korea, said communication is only way to defuse the standoff between the United States and China. The U.S. drink maker is trying to boost its market share in China. The Chinese head of one of the world's most iconic brands has doled out some advice to Donald Trump on defusing his trade spat with Xi Jinping : Make like Chinese businessmen and exchange WeChat accounts.
Curt Ferguson, greater China and Korea president at Coca-Cola Company, discusses how the trade war between the U.S. and China is impacting his business, new products launching in China, the taste of Chinese consumers, and his outlook for the company.
The following are the top stories in the Financial Times. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. Headlines Brussels threatens legal action against UK over customs ...
** Coca-Cola Co said it bought Australia-based Organic & Raw Trading Co, known for its Mojo brand of kombucha tea, extending its push into healthier drinks. ** Nestle, Unilever, and Coca-Cola are among bidders for GlaxoSmithKline's Indian Horlicks nutrition business, expected to fetch more than $4 billion, four people familiar with the matter said. ** U.S.-based recreational vehicle maker Thor Industries has agreed to buy German family-owned peer Erwin Hymer Group in a deal valuing the company at 2.1 billion euros ($2.45 billion)including debt, Thor said.
Coke has been on a deal spree, ranging from a $5.1 billion (3.88 billion pounds) acquisition of coffee chain Costa to a minority stake in a Kobe Bryant-backed sports drink brand BodyArmor last month. The soda maker also said on Monday it was closely watching the fast-growing marijuana drinks market for a possible entry. The latest deal, the terms for which were not disclosed, will allow Coca-Cola to add Mojo brands to its portfolio of 165 products and 25 brands across Australia.
By Martinne Geller, Pamela Barbaglia and Ben Hirschler LONDON (Reuters) - Nestle, Unilever and Coca-Cola are among bidders for GlaxoSmithKline's Indian Horlicks nutrition business, expected to fetch more ...
Just look at the deal Canopy Growth Corp (NYSE: CGC) landed with Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ) just two months ago. That deal, which had Constellation Brands pony up $4 billion for a piece of Canopy, launched a huge run on cannabis stocks. While Canopy Growth Corporation shot up nearly 30 percent on the news, we saw roughly a half dozen other cannabis stocks tack on double-digits gains too. The Coca-Cola Co (NYSE: KO) said it was closely watching the cannabis-infused drinks market, Reuters reported Monday.
denied reports that it was in talks with a beverage company to produce cannabis-infused drinks. Aurora said earlier Tuesday it wouldn't comment on speculative news reports, but was pushed to comment by the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. Reports said Aurora Cannabis was in talks with Coca-Cola Co.
Despite assurances from Canadian marijuana producer Aurora Cannabis that it does not have any formal agreement to partner with a beverage company, its stock rallied Tuesday after it said it talks with drink companies on occasion.
Coca-Cola is talking another major step away from its core soda line and toward healthier options, adding a kombucha brand to its portfolio. The Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) said Tuesday it bought Australian kombucha maker Organic & Raw Trading Co., which makes the MOJO brand of naturally fermented, live culture, organic kombucha drinks. MOJO kombucha — which is sold at local health food stores, organic markets and supermarkets including Costco in Australia – is made from naturally fermented tea.
Coca-Cola announced its interest in a statement on Monday, responding to a report from BNN Bloomberg that said it was in talks with Canada's Aurora Cannabis Inc to develop drinks infused with cannabidiol (CBD), the non-psychoactive chemical found in marijuana. Coke would join a rush by major alcohol makers and a cigarette company to test the cannabis market and find partners ahead of the Oct. 17 launch of legal recreational marijuana in Canada.
Aurora Cannabis Inc. said Tuesday, in response to a regulator's request for comment regarding media reports, that it currently had "no agreement, understanding or arrangement" with respect to a partnership with a beverage company. The stock rallied 5.3% in morning trade. On Monday, the stock soared 18% after a report that Coca-Cola Co. had been in talks with the company. Coke had declined to comment, but confirmed it was closely watching the growth of non-psychoactive CBD as an ingredient in beverages. On Tuesday, Aurora said its policy is not to comment on speculative media reports, but the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) requested a comment. Aurora's U.S.-listed shares have run up 18% over the past three months, while Coke shares have gained 6.1% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average has tacked on 4.6%.
(Reuters) - Aurora Cannabis Inc (ACB.TO) said on Tuesday it had not partnered with any beverage company, responding to a media report that Coca-Cola Co (KO.N) was in talks with the Canadian weed producer ...
Sep.19 -- Curt Ferguson, greater China and Korea president at Coca-Cola Company, discusses how the trade war between the U.S. and China is impacting his business, new products launching in China, the taste of Chinese consumers, and his outlook for the company. He speaks on "Bloomberg Markets: China Open."
Coca-Cola's president for Greater China & Korea, Curtis Ferguson, shares his business advice for the Presidents of the world's two largest economies.
Looks like Coca-Cola might be next in line to capitalize on some of the medicinal benefits of marijuana. Although the beverage company maintains it has no interest in marijuana or cannabis, it is closely watching the progress of the non-psychoactive compound found in marijuana, CBD, and is reportedly in talks with Canadian marijuana producer Aurora Cannabis.


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Lawyers for Civil Rights and Point32Health Team Up to Provide Support to Small Businesses and Local Vaccination Efforts
Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) and Point32Health are collaborating on a project to provide support to small businesses in Fall River and New Bedford that promote the COVID-19 vaccine. The program, open to diverse-owned small businesses in the two cities, will provide $1000 grants that can be used in a variety of ways related to the ongoing pandemic, including:
- Incentives for employees to get vaccinated (paid time off, vouchers, accommodations, etc.);
- Promotional materials located in the business to encourage employees and community members to get vaccinated;
- Purchase necessary protective materials for employees, such as PPE; and
- Providing discounted or free goods and services to community members showing proof of vaccination.
“Small businesses are key trusted resources in local communities, and as such, can play a critical role in helping to champion the COVID-19 vaccines,” said Kevin Rasch, Chief Business Diversity Officer for Point32Health. “We are excited to collaborate once again with the Lawyers for Civil Rights to provide much needed support during these trying times.”
Funding for this initiative was provided by Point32Health. The program is an extension of a collaboration between the two organizations in 2020, which helped local small businesses reopen.
“As many features of the pandemic become endemic, it is critical to promote the economic revitalization of low-income and minority communities,” said Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, Executive Director of Lawyers for Civil Rights. “This is particularly important as our economy continues to transform in response to the pandemic — and as communities of color experience an uneven recovery. We commend Point32Health for launching this creative and meaningful program to support our communities.”
Small businesses can apply through a streamlined application process by visiting bit.ly/BGSmallBusinessSupport. All applications will be considered, and are due by December 2.
For more information about Lawyers for Civil Rights visit their website at www.lawyersforcivilrights.org


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The online retail giant said it expected the offices would cost as much as $5 billion to build and operate, and would be used by as many as 50,000 employees.
NYS Entity Status
NYS Filing Date
JANUARY 07, 2013
NYS DOS ID#
NYS Entity Type
DOMESTIC BUSINESS CORPORATION
2013 - JAAN NORTH AMERICA INC.
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Lodi is wine country. This we well know. But over recent years, the bucolic city has become a culinary destination as well, attracting bold name talent like the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, N.Y.-trained Bradley Ogden. Among many other awards, Ogden was named Chef of the Year by the CIA in 2000 and “Best Chef California” by the James Beard Foundation in 1993. And while the culinary focus is on Lodi’s abundant foodshed, drawn from its own ranches, farms and artisanal purveyors, there is plenty of variety to be savored. New American cuisine shines against Japanese, Italian, eclectic and many other mouthwatering specialties to take you on a global romp.
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After his latest bid failed to transpire into a purchase, Tony Quinn has upped his ante and has entered a conditional agreement to buy Taupo Motorsport Park.
TMP shareholders are expected to support Quinn’s latest offer.
A statement from the park reads as follows:
“TMP has today entered into a binding, conditional agreement for the sale of the company’s assets, business and freehold land to Tony Quinn-controlled interests (referred to in this announcement as ‘Keltic) for $NZ9,800,000 plus GST (if any).
“This is approximately $NZ1.6 million more than an earlier offer made in July by Keltic of $NZ7,100,000 plus GST (if any) in cash with Keltic assuming $1,160,000 of TMP’s liabilities.
“That offer failed to receive the requisite level of shareholder approval (75% of shares entitled to vote and voting).
“Under the new agreements signed today, TMP will settle those $1,160,00 of liabilities on settlement of the sale to Keltic. The agreements are subject to the usual conditions (including shareholder approval).
“Keltic has agreed to procure before the shareholders’ meeting to approve the sale, the discontinuance by Taupo Car Club of its arbitral proceeding against TMP and a waiver of all the Club’s claims against TMP now or in the future.
“The TMP directors unanimously recommend the TMP shareholders approve Keltic’s latest offer and those directors who hold TMP shares have undertaken to vote their shares in favour of the resolution to approve the sale.”
Quinn currently owns Hampton Downs and Highlands Motorsport Park. If his second bid at Taupo succeeds, it will become his third New Zealand-owned race circuit.


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Having been one of the most talked about issues in the UK industry for around two years now, Best Buy finally opened the doors to its massive Thurrock flagship store at the end of last month.
The news won’t be welcome to everyone in the retail community here. For smaller independents, the firm’s boasts of top notch customer service will raise alarm bells – and larger chains like DSGi have just as much to lose by the presence of a large, cash-rich chain operating a very similar business model.
Indeed, it didn’t take long after the announcement of Best Buy’s intentions on UK soil for speculation to begin whipping round about the possibility of a buyout.
To read the full blog, click here.


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Poor Hewlett-Packard. It's earnings were down 44 percent over the holiday season thanks largely to weak demand for its PCs.
Such news is hardly surprising since the previous CEO wanted to jettison the high volume/low margin PC business from HP.
Out he went and in came Meg Whitman, the woman who made a killing running eBay and then blew a good chunk of it on her failed, egotistical bid for governor of California.
HP, on the consumer end, is known for cheap computers and printers. There are so many models of each that it can barely keep track of them.
Whitman acknowledged as much when she said that HP needed to reduce its SKU, or stock-keeping unit.
Whitman also blamed the economy, flooding in Thailand and changing buying habits for the big decline at HP. Consumers are buying iPads, not HP's failed TouchPad, which lasted about two months.
How about blaming its mediocre to poor core products.
I've had numerous HP products over the years, including printers, desktops and laptops.
The only product that I've ever liked was the 5P laser printer. I traded in my 3P in 1995 for the 5P and it's still working.
But, the desktops and laptops had numerous issues including ridiculous "bloatware," pre-loaded garbage software that nearly incapacitates the computer.
Another big issue is the poor compatibility between HP computers and HP printers. Go figure.
Some of the problems are related to Microsoft's Windows operating system. But, it got ridiculous when I called HP's customer support and they would immediately say they weren't at fault. Call Microsoft. And, of course, Microsoft blamed HP.
I had enough of HP by 2009 after my daughter's first laptop became virtually useless after one year in college. We got her an MSI netbook which was a champ on her travels.
I'm typing this blog entry on a Samsung laptop that came with little bloatware. It's fast and reliable.
My next printer will be a Canon because they're always rated better than HP printers.
The big winners of the PC era, HP and Microsoft, are now the big losers during the iEpoch.
The reason is that they both had microscopic innovation this past decade. They were fat and happy.
Thanks to Steve Jobs' leadership, Apple produced hit after hit: the iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad. Now that Jobs has died, Apple will likely begin to fade again.
And then there is Google, the search engine that could.
Its Android operating system is now on more phones than Apple's operating system.
It may not be long before Android hogs market share in computers whether they be tablets, laptops or desktops.
Google and Apple are innovators.
The only knock against Google is that it innovates so much and so frequently that it can barely inform the end-user.
I'm mostly in Google's camp because Apple's products are overpriced, but I have yet to buy any hardware that runs Android.
The updated Asus Transformer running Android, though, is looking good.
I'm done with HP and someday soon I may be done with Windows.


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Written by Amani Nilar
10 Aug, 2021 | 11:13 am
COLOMBO (News 1st): The Cabinet of Ministers has decided to empower Minister of Finance Basil Rajapaksa to take necessary measures to address the shortage of milk powder in the market.
The decision was reached at the Cabinet meeting held yesterday (09) when the issue of milk powder shortage in the country was brought to the notice of the Minister of Finance. Thereafter the Cabinet decided to hand over the relevant issue to the Minister of Finance Basil Rajapaksa.
26 May, 2022 | 10:58 AM
24 May, 2022 | 05:47 AM
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Flipkart Big Billion Days 2022 will be hosted in India this month as the company has started teasing its biggest sale of the year. Last year, the Flipkart Big Billion Days or BBD, kickstarted from October 3rd to 10th. This time around, while the company has yet to announce the dates for the BBD sale, it is almost certain that the sale will happen in September.
Ahead of the official sale date announcement, tipster Abhishek Yadav has found the possible sale date of Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale 2022. The sale is likely to start on September 23rd, and it is expected to go on till September 30th, according to reward terms and conditions found inside the Flipkart app.
Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale 2022: Card Offers
During the expected eight-day long sale, Flipkart will offer common offers across its app and website across most of the products. This time around, the company will be offering a 10% instant discount on ICICI Bank and Axis Bank credit cards. However, the e-commerce giant has yet to reveal the minimum cart value and discount for the card offer.
Apart from the card offer, we can also expect Flipkart to offer some other common offers, such as no-cost EMI, exchange offers, and pre-paid offers. Moreover, Flipkart Axis Bank credit card users will get unlimited cashback.
Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale 2022: Mobile Deals
Flipkart has revealed some of the mobile deals ahead of its annual sale. The brand has also revealed some interesting offers for mobile deals. These include a Flipkart screen care plan for Rs 99, no-cost EMIs, Flipkart Buy Now Pay later, Flipkart Mobile protection starting at Rs 199, and more. That being said, here are some of the deals that have been revealed by the e-commerce giant now:
|1||iPhone 12 Mini||Rs 59,900||Rs 49,999||Buy Now|
|2||Google Pixel 6a||Rs 43,999||Rs 39,999||Buy Now|
|3||Samsung Galaxy A12||Rs 14,999||Rs 12,999||Buy Now|
|4||Redmi 9 Prime||Rs 11,999||Rs 10,499||Buy Now|
|5||Samsung Galaxy A32||Rs 24,999||Rs 21,999||Buy Now|
|6||Samsung Galaxy A22 5G||Rs 22,499||Rs 19,999||Buy Now|
|7||Samsung Galaxy A52s||Rs 38,999||Rs 35,999||Buy Now|
|8||Samsung Galaxy A03s||Rs 13,499||Rs 11,499||Buy Now|
|9||Realme Narzo 30 Pro 5G||Rs 18,999||Rs 16,999||Buy Now|
|10||Realme 8 Pro||Rs 19,999||Rs 17,999||Buy Now|
|11||Infinix Note 10 Pro||Rs 19,999||Rs 16,999||Buy Now|
|12||Infinix Smart 5A||Rs 7,999||Rs 7,1999||Buy Now|
|13||Infinix Hot 11s||Rs 13,999||Rs 10,999||Buy Now|
|14||Realme C21||Rs 9,999||Rs 8,999||Buy Now|
|15||Realme GT Neo 2||Rs 34,999||Rs 32,298||Buy Now|
|16||OPPO A54||Rs 14,990||Rs 13,990||Buy Now|
|17||POCO X3 Pro||Rs 23,999||Rs 18,999||Buy Now|
|18||OPPO F17 Pro||Rs 25,990||Rs 19,990||Buy Now|
|19||Samsung Galaxy F22||Rs 14,999||Rs 10,999||Buy Now|
|20||OPPO A33||Rs 12,990||Rs 10,490||Buy Now|
|21||Realme Narzo 30||Rs 14,999||Rs 13,499||Buy Now|
|22||Moto e40||Rs 10,999||Rs 9,999||Buy Now|
|23||Moto G51||Rs 17,999||Rs 13,999||Buy Now|
|24||OPPO Reno7 5G||Rs 37,990||Rs 28,999||Buy Now|
|25||POCO M4 Pro 5G||Rs 16,999||Rs 14,999||Buy Now|
|26||POCO X4 Pro 5G||Rs 23,999||Rs 18,999||Buy Now|
|27||Infinix Hot 11 2022||Rs 12,999||Rs 9,499||Buy Now|
Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale 2022: Details
The Big Billion Days Sale will be open for Flipkart Plus members 24 hours before, which means these members will get access to all the deals and discounts ahead of regular Flipkart users.
Last year, Apple iPhone 12 series was one of the hottest selling phones during the BBD sale, as Flipkart slashed the price by a great margin. This time around, we can expect a huge price cut on iPhone 13 and iPhone 12 series as the iPhone 14 series will be launched next week.
According to Flipkart, buyers will be able to get offers on best-selling smartphones like Realme, Poco, Vivo, Apple, and Samsung. You can also get up to 80% off on electronics, accessories, TVs, and appliances. In addition to these deals, users can also get crazy deals at 12 AM, 8 AM, and 4 PM every day during the sale. More details of the offers will be revealed in the coming days.


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Square Enix’s latest announcement during the first presentation of Tokyo Game Show was a riveting one, introducing a new shooter by the name of Left Alive, which is currently scheduled for release on both PlayStation 4 and PC at some point next year.
During the presentation, Square Enix showed off an announcement teaser for the game, but there were scant details as far as much else. You can judge from the teaser and Square Enix’s words that it will be a “survival action shooter,” but there’s just not much to go on except the apocalyptic imagery seen throughout the trailer.
What we do know, however, is the fact that there are some talented folks working on the game as we speak. Yoji Shinkawa, for example, previously worked as a character designer on the Metal Gear series, and brought us some of the iconic imagery from Metal Gear like that you’ll see emblazoned across the Left Alive logo above. No, this isn’t a new Metal Gear, but it sure could be from the look of things. Toshifumi Nabeshima (Armored Core) and Takayuki Yanase (Xenoblade Chronicles X) have been tapped for the game as well.
There probably won’t be any additional details for a while, but this is definitely a game you’ll want to keep an eye on, especially if you’re into Shinkawa’s art, which is totally awesome.


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Sukhbir okays Milkfed expansion plan
Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday gave the nod for the mega expansion plan of Milkfed that, according to him, would usher in the second milk revolution in the state.chandigarh Updated: May 27, 2013 23:16 IST
Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday gave the nod for the mega expansion plan of Milkfed that, according to him, would usher in the second milk revolution in the state.
Reviewing the working of Milkfed, Sukhbir said his aim was to make Verka products as the largest selling brand of milk products in the country and that could be realised only by giving a big push to the expansion plan of Milkfed, besides increasing the procurement of milk two-fold.
He said the plan would focus on encouraging the dairy sector, setting up organised dairy farms, reorienting procurement of raw milk, scientific collection and chilling chain, ultra-modern milk processing facilities, value addition of milk products and effective marketing network to exploit Verka's brand image.
Approving the setting up of four mega milk plants of Rs 250 crore each in the state, Sukhbir said Punjab had to increase the processing capacity four-fold and these plants should be of international standards with ISO-9002 specifications.
First Published: May 27, 2013 23:15 IST


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The Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) and Two Circles have announced a new partnership that will help the AVP deepen relationships with current and potential fans across live events and other platforms, such as digital content.
The new partnership will see the agency support the AVP with its data-driven approach and market-leading products to understand their fanbase better, and use insight around their relationship with the beach volleyball audience to increase fan engagement, optimize marketing, and drive business growth in areas such as sponsorship.
“We are thrilled to team up with Two Circles, an agency with a solid reputation both domestically and internationally,” said Donald Sun, managing partner, AVP. “We are thrilled with the results that they’ve already produced and believe that they will play a central role in our ambitions to grow both our business and understanding of who our fans are, and what shapes their relationship with beach volleyball at a much deeper level.”
Two Circles CEO Gareth Balch added: “AVP is an ambitious rights-holder – and one that is committed to doing things differently and harnessing the power of the new digital landscape to take their amazing product to sports fans across the world. We’re excited to be working with such an innovative organization and seeing the positive results of our data-driven partnership.”


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Exhibitors displayed a wide range of items, mainly modern heating installations and equipment, air conditioning, and ventilation products with a particular focus on energy-saving and renewable energy products. Throughout the event, visitors were exposed to the latest environmental-friendly technologies at one of the many product presentations offered. Exhibitors at the ISH China 2008 were able to meet with new buyers from the Eastern region of China and abroad.
“ISH China 2008 proved to be a successful move from Beijing to Shanghai,” said Zhang Jianzhong, chief engineer for the Nanjing Architectural Design & Research Institute Co. Ltd. “Among similar and relevant exhibitions in the nation, the scale and standards of this event was exceptional.”
For more information, visit www.ish.messefrankfurt.com.


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Apple’s MacBook Pro family wasn’t the only product lineup to get an update today. The Cupertino company has also issued a refresh to its iPad 2 Smart Covers, which has seen the orange cover discontinued in favor of a new dark gray model, and interior lining that’s colored to match the exterior.
In addition to discontinuing the orange Smart Cover for a dark gray one, sources for MacRumors say that the polyurethane models are now more vibrant. Apple has also adjusted the color of its leather Smart Cover in navy to make it “more navy” than the original, and colored the cases’ interior fabric so that it matches that of its exterior.
The Smart Cover page of Apple’s website is yet to reflect these changes at the time of writing, and some of the links to Smart Covers in the online store seem to be broken, but we’re expecting an update to this page shortly.
Smart Cover prices remain the same, with polyurethane models at $39 and leather models at $69.


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(photo credit: KKL-JNF)
Israel’s Matrix Global has opened a new training center in Nanjing, China, that will provide training services to more than 500 Chinese IT companies, the company announced Wednesday.
“China is in the process of moving from a production economy to an innovation and R&D economy,” Matrix China CEO Yoav Chernitz said. “As part of this trend, the Chinese will focus on enhancing the level of training and know-how of their professional software employees.”
China spent more than $300 billion in 2013 on upgrading its IT, and it seems poised to only grow, according to Zvi Shalgo, CEO of PTL Group, a partner on the project.
“The Chinese are today focused on upgrading the level of their professional workforce in the field of software,” he said.
“The good reputation and the stability we’ve shown over time as a player in China have become an advantage to us when approaching Chinese companies or foreign companies operating in China that need software services.”
Matrix’s training division in China, called John Bryce, has trained more than 8,000 senior hi-tech engineers. It recently hired 50 of those trainees in its Development Center for Mobile Apps, launched last year in the City of Changzhou.
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Maggie’s Farm has recalled about 14,500 cans of Bed Bug & Flea Killer Spray due to a risk of serious injuries.
The problem is that the pressurized aerosol can might rupture and shoot out shrapnel, which poses a risk of lacerations. Leaking contents of the can might also cause skin or eye irritation, according to the recall.
No injuries were reported, but people who are hit by metal shrapnel or liquid bug spray from a can that explodes might suffer severe cuts, bleeding, scarring, eye problems, skin irritation, and other injuries.
The recall involves Maggie’s Farm Simply Effective Bed Bug & Flea Killer in 14-ounce aerosol spray cans purchased after July 1, 2021.
The cans are labeled with UPC: 8 1124902054 0 (printed on the back label) and Lot #: 0101325 (printed on bottom of can).
Maggie’s Farm is asking consumers to stop using the bug spray, take a photo of the can and the lot code to get a refund, wrap the can in a plastic bag or several layers of paper, and throw it away in the trash.
Consumers can use a photo of the can to get a full refund. For more information, visit https://maggiesfarmproducts.com/pages/voluntary-recall.


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The market leader also aims to almost double the exports of the Ertiga to Indonesia to 8,000 units by January. A success story in India, the Ertiga is also a runaway hit in Indonesia where multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) account for over half of the 10 lakh units a year car market. Maruti exports the Ertiga as completely-knocked-down (CKD) kits, which are later assembled at Suzukis plant in Indonesia.
Ertigas waiting periods had been growing in Indonesia. Domestic demand is also high. India is the only manufacturing base for the Swift-based MPV. So, as it is launched in more markets, Maruti will gain in terms of revenues from exports, a Maruti executive said.
Since prices of component and high-grade steel imports have gone up with the weakening rupee, analyst feel the focus on exports for carmakers is important to offset the high cost of imported components.
From 75,000, we will grow non-EU exports by 30% this year. That is the main focus as the European markets are facing a severe slowdown, a company official told FE.
Maruti has also begun exporting about 2,000 CKD kits a month of the Swift to Thailand from April. The Swift, probably Suzukis most popular product globally, is also made in Hungary and Japan. Meanwhile, the new Dzire, another Suzuki model only made in India, is also being exported aggressively to markets such as Algeria, the Philippines and South America.
Another critical leg of the strategy is engine exports, especially of petrol power plants. The shift in demand has left most carmakers with a huge idle capacity for petrol engines. Were exporting the 1-litre K-Series engine to Hungary for use in the Suzuki Splash (Ritz in India), the official said. In India, the same engine is used across models such as the Alto K10, A-Star, WagonR and the Zen Estilo.
With flat growth in the first half of 2012-13, Maruti now has a very modest projection for the entire fiscal. From a 10% growth projection in April, chairman RC Bhargava said that the target has now been lowered to a 5% growth for 2012-13. However, this is better than the 1-3% growth for the overall car market projected by industry body Siam earlier this week.
In 2011-12, Marutis sales had fallen 11% to 1 million vehicles. This year round, the Ertiga and the new Swift have been the saviours, with the new Alto launch also expected to push volumes. We were hopeful of a better performance earlier this year, but the demand slowed down and then the Manesar trouble happened. That has severely impacted production, Bhargava said.
M&M, SsangYong developing engines for global market
New Delhi : Auto major Mahindra & Mahindra on Thursday said it is developing three new engine platforms, along with its Korean subsidiary SsangYong Motor, which are likely to hit the roads in the next two-three years in markets across the world.
We are looking at joint product development, M&M chief executive (automotive division) Pravin Shah said. Both companies are developing the three engines keeping in mind India, South Korea and other markets around the world, he added. It will take us 24-36 months to develop these engines, he added.
We are also working on joint global sourcing and utilising global network for products, Shah said. He said M&M will put in R4,000 crore in the next three years, while SsangYong will make an investment of R1,500 crore. PTI


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GameStop Investors Threaten Proxy Battle Over ‘Stale Board’
GameStop is dealing with a host of problems in its business. And now, it’s facing the wrath of two major shareholders.
In a letter to the GameStop board, Permit Capital Enterprise Fund and Hestia Capital Partners, which together own 1.3% of GameStop, said that the company needs to replace its “stale board” and increase stock buybacks to return more value to shareholders, according to The Wall Street Journal, which obtained a copy of the letter. They shared concerns that GameStop isn’t doing enough to compete in the hotly contested retail market.
“Surveying the last five years, we struggle to identify any significant steps the company has taken—besides the introduction of collectibles—to adapt to disruptive dynamics in its core business,” the investors wrote, according to the Journal.
GameStop has found itself in increasingly troubled waters. Video game players, which have historically been the lifeblood of GameStop’s business, now have many more places to buy games and are increasingly turning to digital copies they can buy on consoles, cutting GameStop out of the purchasing equation. Even among players who buy physical game copies and hardware, online retailers like Amazon and others continue to be a drag on GameStop’s business.
In response, GameStop has transitioned its business to add more collectibles, used cell phones, and other products to its stores. In its last fiscal quarter ended November, GameStop sales rose nearly 5% to $2 billion, but its losses widened to $488.6 million.
While those issues have been enough to scare investors, GameStop also sought potential suitors last year. The company’s executives ultimately abandoned the plan after announcing that no suitable buyers for GameStop’s business had come along.
In their letter, Permit Capital Enterprise Fund and Hestia Capital Partners called GameStop’s inability to find a buyer “a failure.” They added that it’s illustrative that “change is needed.”
The investors have until March 28 to nominate new directors to the GameStop board. GameStop is expected to hold its annual shareholder meeting, where those directors could be appointed to the board, in June.
GameStop did not immediately respond to a Fortune request for comment.


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The London food and retail group posted underlying pre-tax profits of £331 million for the six months to February 27, beating City forecasts of £315 million.
ABF, 55% owned by the family of chief executive George Weston, said in late February Primark's strong trading had allowed it to expect a substantial rise in half-year earnings and good progress for the full year.
The 196-strong Primark discount clothes chain, which earns about a third of group profits, was driven by an 8% rise in like-for-like sales, with overall sales up 19% driven by new openings and profits were up 18% at £144 million.
ABF, which markets Silver Spoon sugar, Twinings tea and Ovaltine drinks, had expressed concern about the pace of recovery and the outlook for the British consumer, but today said these pressures had eased.
"Encouraged by the success to date and the strong momentum of the business into the second half, we are currently confident of achieving very good progress in earnings for the full year," the group said in a results statement.
The half-year dividend rose 10% to 7.6p.
"While ABF is benefiting from a recovery of profit from depressed levels in some areas, it is also seeing the benefit of its capital investment starting to come through," said Panmure analyst Graham Jones.
ABF shares haven risen by 17% so far this year outpacing the FTSE index by 12%. They closed on Monday at 958½p.


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The Wuhan coronvirus has infected more than 17,000 people across 25 countries and claimed the lives of 360 people as of Feb. 3. By the time you read this, those figures will likely have increased as the deadly virus spreads at a devastating rate.
Governments, organizations and firms around the world are taking special precautions to confront the growing health crisis and try to limit the spread of the virus to prevent it from becoming a pandemic, or an epidemic on two or more continents.
Apple is the latest company to respond, announcing on Saturday that it will close all its 42 stores and corporate offices in China until Feb. 9.
“Out of an abundance of caution and based on the latest advice from leading health experts, we’re closing all our corporate offices, stores and contact centers in mainland China through Feb. 9,” an Apple spokesman said. “We will continue to closely monitor the situation and we look forward to reopening our stores as soon as possible.”
Possible effect on iPhone sales
Apple didn't say anything about pushing back the timeframe, should the company be advised against re-opening so soon. We suspect the company will delay reopening offices and stores should that happen, although doing so could hurt the company's bottom line.
The vast majority of Apple products, including the iPhone, are built in factories across China. On top of that, one-fifth of Apple's product sales come from China.
In its statement, Apple didn't mention how the Wuhan coronavirus might affect sales or shipments. However, reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts (via Apple Insider) that iPhone shipments will decrease by 10%, to between 36 and 40 million, for the first quarter of 2020.
Additionally, Apple CEO Tim Cook provided a wider-than-normal revenue range of between $63 billion and $67 billion for the current quarter after taking the effects of the SARS-like virus into account, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Other tech companies have instructed employees to minimize travel or work from home, while Huawei, Xiaomi and a few China-based semiconductor manufacturers are operating as usual despite the risks of contagion, Reuters reports.
It's not just China
Beyond the tech world, authorities are taking extreme measures to prevent the virus from spreading.
The United States declared the virus a public health emergency and is now denying entry to foreign nationals who visited China in the past two weeks. So far, 11 cases have been confirmed in the US with several more suspected.
For everything you need to know about the coronavirus, including all the latest news, visit our sister site Tom's Guide.
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Phillip Tracy is the assistant managing editor at Laptop Mag where he reviews laptops, phones and other gadgets while covering the latest industry news. After graduating with a journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin, Phillip became a tech reporter at the Daily Dot. There, he wrote reviews for a range of gadgets and covered everything from social media trends to cybersecurity. Prior to that, he wrote for RCR Wireless News covering 5G and IoT. When he's not tinkering with devices, you can find Phillip playing video games, reading, traveling or watching soccer.


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According to a report on Autocar, Gordon Murray has received interest from over a dozen international companies that are interested in setting up franchises to sell the innovative T25 city car. Interestingly, very few of the interested parties are actual established automakers. That's a good thing according to Murray, who says, "Our theories and processes are ideal for investors with a clean slate who are getting into cars for the first time."
Design and engineering work on the T25 is apparently now finished. Selected companies will create iStream factories that are set up to assemble the little cars and are supposed to be one-fifth the size of conventional auto factories. The same basic platform, complete with a gas-powered three-cylinder powerplant driving the rear wheels, will be able to accommodate such diverse vehicles as a passenger car, a pickup truck and an MPV. Click here to see a few shots of the T25 shrouded in a black cloak. See more shots of the T25 after the jump.


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Apple and Amazon hacks: How to minimize your risk
Could you avoid an epic hack against your personal data and online accounts similar to the recent attack against former Gizmodo writer Mat Honan? Hackers bent on breaking into Honan’s Twitter account wreaked havoc on the technology writer’s personal computing devices and online accounts. The bad guys remotely wiped his iPad, iPhone, and Mac, and deleted his Google Account. The attack cost Honan most of his personal data (he didn’t backup the information) including family photos that may be unrecoverable.


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Recently, Seoul Viosys and SETi announced that Violeds UV LED technology successfully killed 99.9% of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) in 30 seconds.
According to the news, the research team of Seoul Visteon and Korea University conducted tests using the Violeds compound semiconductor technology that is in mass production.
This study used Violeds technology to demonstrate the strong bactericidal effect of the Violeds UV LED light source after irradiating the new coronavirus for 30 seconds. The study also found that if the coronavirus is placed closer to the light source and the irradiation time is extended, the sterilization effect will be stronger. In addition to testing coronavirus, the research team also proved that Violeds technology can achieve 99.9% sterilization rate of harmful bacteria such as E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Salmonella typhimurium.
New coronavirus after Violeds irradiation (Source: Seoul Viosys)
Irradiation time and virus sterilization rate (The distance between Violeds light source and virus is 3cm) (Source: Seoul Viosys)
According to reports, Seoul Visteon and SETi have jointly developed Violeds UV LED technology since 2005. The technology has been used to clean the environment of astronauts in the NASA space station.
Seoul Weishi pointed out that because the product cycle is too short to be used for a long time, the widespread commercial application of UV LEDs has been limited. However, since 2019, the new patented technology has extended the previous service life by 50,000 hours, making it the best solution for air purification and water sterilization products at this stage. The company said it will soon provide efficient air coronavirus sterilization solutions and surface sterilization solutions for masks and smartphones.
According to LEDinside, at the beginning of last month, Seoul Visteon announced that as new coronaviruses continue to spread globally, Violeds UV LED product customer consultation volume has increased more than five times over the previous month. In addition, the company is already working with many automotive companies to evaluate solutions that use UVC LEDs for sterilization in vehicles.
Post time: Apr-14-2020


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We are living in very strange times. Entering 2020 hopeful, with new 2020 visions, nobody could predict what was about to befall the global masses. With the outbreak of the corona virus and quarantines in place around the globe, economies are shattered, the stock exchange has plummeted, businesses struggling to survive, everyone can feel the effects of this global pandemic.
Some of the people deeply affected are the garment workers, who are amongst the most vulnerable workers in the global economy and have their livelihoods at risk as factories struggle to stay afloat. Factories rely heavily on imports of raw materials such as zippers, buttons, and fabric from China. The shortage of these raw materials puts a great strain on their operations. Consumers are also only spending on necessities right now and with the quarantine brick and mortar stores have had to close which puts a strain on brands. In Myanmar, 20 factories have been shut down forcing 10,000 workers into unemployment. Many owners have refused to compensate and instead are nowhere to be found. The question is what role should the fashion industry play in ensuring the 40 million garment workers in their supply chains get compensated as they risk falling into crippling poverty?
More than 1 million garment workers in Bangladesh already have lost their jobs or have been furloughed due to the over $2.8 billion in orders cancelled or put on hold as the COVID-19 crisis continues to worsen. This leaves the factory owners high and dry as many of these orders were completed and ready to ship and some had been partially completed where all the raw materials were purchased and paid for. According to a survey of 319 garment factory owners in Bangledesh, conducted by the Centre for Global Workers’ Rights (CGWR), “72.4% said they were unable to provide their workers with some income when furloughed (sent home temporarily), and 80.4% said they were unable to provide severance pay when order cancellations resulted in worker dismissals.” Most of these factories will not even fight this injustice for fear of losing big contracts when the pandemic is over. This is a cruel reality of just how severe the power imbalance is between big global brands and their suppliers. Typical contractual agreements leave suppliers vulnerable, as brands get to decide when products should be shipped and payment is not made until after the shipment has been made.
The governments should be putting controls in place to protect their garment industry workers as well. In Bangladesh, they had apparently urged factories not to cut jobs, however, that has not stopped many of them from laying off thousands of workers without any pay. They need to put stronger enforcement to ensure this doesn’t happen. These workers will not be finding other jobs right now to bring in money to their already impoverished households. This is a huge humanitarian crisis. The government has announced a $588 million package to help the crucial export sector pay its workers, but labor leaders say that this is not enough. These wealthy brands themselves need to step up and help out as well. These are the people making their clothes after all.
As the rest of the world stocks up their fridges and cupboards ensuring they will never miss a good meal or snack, millions of garment workers are left without the ability to put food on the table for their families. This is a time for brands to show their sense of humanity and find a way to pay for the work that has been done. The CGWR recommends that:
“The responsible approach is for brands and retailers
to find ways to access lines of credits or other forms of
government support to cover their obligations to supplier factories so that they can cover their expenses and
pay their workers in order to avoid sending millions of
workers home with no ability to put food on the table
let alone cover medical expenses.”
It’s the right thing to do.
The CGWR outlines a list of brands that have committed to pay what they owe and the ones that have not. Below is a visual of these stats by @xrfashionaction.
The big 6 retailers outlined that have said they are committed to fulfilling payment on their orders already produced or in production include: H&M, Inditex (Zara, Massimo Dutti, etc), Target, French brand Kiabi, VF Corp (North Face) and PVH (Tommy Hillfiger). This is not a problem one brand can solve, but the collective commitment from all of these big retailers would make a huge impact on the lives of these vulnerable garment workers. The problem is, there is no situation in which suppliers have any leverage or recourse if brands don’t keep their end of a deal.
Many have said they won’t cancel orders, but that doesn’t mean they will pay either. That would mean they expect them to hold the order for now however, payment isn’t made until goods are shipped so ‘not cancelling orders’ does nothing to help the situation of the garment worker unless the factories are getting paid. There’s a lot of semantics around public verbiage that can seem like they are doing more than they are.
According to Vogue Business, “suppliers in Bangladesh and other manufacturing countries look with worry to the future as brands back down from the projections of orders they had given to factories. Suppliers understand that brands are facing unprecedented uncertainty about their own futures — but they have a much smaller financial cushion than brands and lack the safety net protections of government bailouts for businesses or social services for laid-off workers. They are calling on brands to extend their sense of responsibility to their full supply chains, rather than cutting it off at their own assets and employees.”
What are your thoughts on this topic? How do you think garment workers can best be protected during this corona virus pandemic? Who should be responsible? I would love to hear your thoughts on this, so please feel free to share your opinions below. Stay safe, stay home and keep healthy everyone 🙂


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B.C. got its first substantive update of 2018 around how the province will respond to impending federal cannabis legalization this summer.
Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth fielded questions concerning personal possession, provincial versus municipal responses, consumption in rental properties and in public, and the licensing process.
Because the federal regulatory framework is still being finalized in Ottawa, outstanding questions remain around price points, anticipated revenues and the amount of pot shops that could be in operation before the end of the year.
But for now, here’s what we know:
Location, location, location
- B.C.’s Liquor Distribution Branch will operate a new standalone network of public retail stores and the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch will be responsible for licensing private stores and monitoring the retail sector. Online sales will also be permitted for public retail stores.
- While the province signs off on licensing, municipalities will have a significant say on most everything else: location, zoning and individual community requirements.
- Landlords and strata councils will be able to restrict or prohibit non-medical cannabis smoking and vaping at tenanted and strata properties. That said, whether leases can be broken or altered specifically with respect to the incoming legislation hasn’t been determined. “That’s one of the issues that we are actively working on,” Farnworth said.
- Licensed retailers will not be able to sell cannabis in the same stores as liquor or tobacco. In fact, those operations will be restricted to cannabis-related products only — no gas, clothes or Lotto tickets, for example.
- Both private and public locations can sell ancillary products such as rolling papers, holders, pipes and bongs.
- Non-medical cannabis retail stores will not be co-located with any other businesses such as liquor stores or pharmacies.
Time is money
- Farnworth said the first public cannabis retailer will be open by the end of this summer. The first private retailer is expected around the same time, depending on local government requirements.“I expect there’s going to be considerable public interest,” Farnworth said. “But at the same time, I think it’s also one of those things where people are going to have to know what they’re doing if they want to be successful.”
- The BC Liquor Distribution Branch aims to open the first government-operated, non-medical cannabis retail store by late summer, and has begun exploring an e-commerce model to offer online sales to the public.
- The province will launch an early registration process this spring for all residents and businesses seeking a cannabis retail license.
- Edible cannabis will not be available in any retail operation until next year at the earliest.
- Sampling — similar to wine tasting in a liquor store — will not be allowed.
- Craft cannabis or boutique operations — similar to craft breweries or wineries — where cannabis is grown, produced and sold all on site will not be permitted. “There are no plans to allow direct producer sales,” Farnworth said. “Everything will be sold through the provincial branch. That’s the only way product will be able to get out into the retail market.”
Personal dos and don’ts
- Unlike Colorado, which legalized marijuana in 2014, cannabis consumption will be allowed in some public places. The no-go spots include high traffic, public areas like community beaches, parks and playgrounds. Farnworth said municipal governments will have the authority to tack on additional regulations at their discretion.
- Farnworth said the reason for opting against a whole-sale public ban is rooted in the massive enforcement effort it would require.
- Four plants can be grown per household. The dried cannabis from those plants are for personal consumption and cannot be sold.
- Those over the age of 19 will be allowed to possess up to 30 grams. Residents under 19 will be prohibited from possessing any non-medical cannabis.
- Cannabis transported in a motor vehicle will need to be in a sealed package, or inaccessible to vehicle occupants.
- Home cultivation will be banned from dwellings where there are kids — daycares, for example.
- Both government and private stores will sell a maximum of 30 grams of dried cannabis (or its equivalent in oil) to an individual at one time.
Cannabis laws and restrictions:
- Private retail stores will not be permitted to offer online sales.
- Unlike liquor stores, minors will not be permitted to enter non-medical cannabis retail stores, even if they are accompanied by a parent or guardian.
- Impaired driving rules in place now will continue to be applied in cases of non-medical cannabis use.
- A new 90-day administrative driving prohibition for drug-affected driving will be introduced.
- The current zero-tolerance restrictions for the presence of alcohol for drivers in the Graduated Licensing Program will be expanded to include zero tolerance for the presence of THC, the active ingredient in cannabis.


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Oppo Reno 10 series launch in India slated for February, Reno 9 lineup might not debut
Oppo Reno 10 series phones may soon be launched in India. Oppo Reno 9 series smartphones with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz were launched in China in November last year. The lineup, which included the Oppo Reno 9 Pro+, Reno 9 Pro and Reno 9 models, was strongly believed to debut in other global markets, including India, but a new leak suggests Oppo has withheld the launch decision in India. Instead, the Chinese smartphone brand is reportedly gearing up to unveil the Reno 10 series in the country around the first half of next month. Recently, Oppo Reno 10 Pro + 5G schematics have surfaced online suggesting thin bezels and a punch-hole display design.
A report from 91Mobiles, quoting tipster Sudhanshu Ambhore (@Sudhanshu1414), has suggested details for the India launch of the Oppo Reno 10 series. According to the leak, the launch will take place in February, first or second week. The Chinese smartphone brand is expected to skip the Oppo Reno 9 lineup in India. However, Oppo has not shared any information about the new Reno series and it is unclear how many models will be included in the Reno 10 series.
Recently, schematics of the Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ 5G appeared on Weibo. He suggested a punch-hole display design, thin bezels, and a new camera design with a pill-shaped camera module with MariSilicon branding. Another leak said that the Oppo Reno 10 series will be launched in the middle of the year. The Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ is rumored to feature a periscope zoom camera.
Oppo Reno 9 Pro+, Reno 9 Pro and Reno 9 smartphones were launched in China in November last year. Pricing for the vanilla Oppo Reno 9 starts at CNY 2,499 (around Rs 28,500) for the base 8GB + 256GB model.
Oppo’s Reno 9 series smartphones feature 6.7-inch OLED curved displays with Full HD+ resolution and up to 120Hz refresh rate. They offer up to 512GB of built-in storage and feature 32-megapixel selfie shooters. The vanilla Oppo Reno 9 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8100-Max SOC, while the Reno 9 Pro is equipped with a Snapdragon 778G SoC. The Reno 9 Pro+ is powered by a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC.
Check out the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show on Gadgets 360, in our CES 2023 hub.


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3rd November 2022
Bite-sized business news from the UK and beyond
- Food prices rise at fastest rate on record
- Uber passengers fly past pre-pandemic levels
Food prices rise at fastest rate on record
Food prices rose a record 11.6% in October from the same month last year, according to the British Retail Consortium, with tea bags, milk and sugar all significantly more expensive.
How did we get here?
Retailers are being hit by higher costs for raw materials, fuel and transport, with the price being passed on to consumers. The war in Ukraine has also disrupted supplies of goods such as grain, oil and fertiliser from the region.
Overall UK consumer prices – which includes a wide range of goods and services including soaring energy bills - are rising at a rate of 10.1% - a 40-year high. The Bank of England is widely expected to raise interest rates by 0.75% to 3% tomorrow, in a bid to bring inflation back to its 2% target.
So what can be done?
While food inflation has been driven by many global factors, the BRC says the UK government can help by freezing business rates to prevent an additional £800m bill landing on the plates of retailers and in turn their customers in 2023.
Zooming out: Rising grocery bills adds to the growing list of burdens for Brits this winter. Households are also facing rising fuel costs, higher mortgage bills and the prospect of increased taxes to help plug a £50bn hole in the public finances.
Other stories to keep you in the loop
- US interest rates see fourth 0.75 percentage point rise to tackle inflation
- Sainsbury's to recruit 18,000 Christmas workers
- UK battery firm staff agree to November pay cut
- Mining giant execs used private jets to fly cash bribes to Africa, court hears
- Shipping giant Maersk warns of looming global recession
- Next posts higher sales despite pressure on shoppers
- Zilch hits profitability as cash-strapped Brits turn to ‘pay later’ products
- Twitter reportedly ready to cut about 3,700 employees
Uber passengers fly past pre-pandemic levels
This week, as other tech heavyweights reported disappointing earnings, Uber announced one of its strongest results ever with passenger numbers surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
How did we get here?
After nearly two years of Covid related restrictions people are spending more time outside the home and using Uber to get there.
Widespread inflation has also pushed consumers to rethink their spending habits, curbing spending on goods to save up for services.
These converging forces pushed revenue up 72% to $8.3bn, comfortably beating analyst expectations. The win puts Uber finally closer to the elusive goal of profitability.
Uber still suffered a net loss in the quarter of $1.2bn, though that’s half of last year’s figure. Gross bookings, which include rideshare as well as food delivery and freight, increased by over a quarter to $29bn — and the company says it expects demand to remain elevated.
Zooming out: Uber is continuing to find new revenue streams. Inside the app, Uber’s started this month selling “journey ads” promoting a single brand for an entire trip. But recently, the company has started testing a feature sending some users push notifications of advertisements at seemingly random times.
Stat of the day
Interesting links from around the web