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The global Fintech sector raised $41.7bn in the first half of 2018, surpassing last year’s record total
- Global FinTech investments increased steadily between 2014 and 2017 from $19.9bn to $39.4bn at a CAGR of 18.5%. This trend accelerated in the first half of 2018 when $41.7bn was invested across 789 deals.
- There were two megadeals valued above $1bn in the first half of the year including a mammoth $14bn investment in Ant Financial, the payments affiliate of China’s Alibaba Group. The Series C round was led by Temasek Holdings and GIC with co-investment from Sequoia Capital and Warburg Pincus, among others. This single deal accounted for a third of the total capital raised during H1.
- Deal activity peaked in 2015 at 2,251 deals, and has been declining since. This downtrend is set to continue in 2018, with the 789 deals completed equating to just 43.9% of last year’s total.
Investments skyrocketed in Q2 to set a new quarterly funding record
- Capital raised in Q2 2018 surged to reach a record of $32.2bn. This represents an increase of 3.2x compared to the same quarter last year.
- Even when the two megadeals valued over $1bn are disregarded, Q2 2018 still remains the strongest funding quarter to date.
- Despite the high funding total, deal activity was historically low at just 381 deals. This is the second lowest value recorded between 2014 and Q2 2018.
- This resulted in the average deal size, excluding megadeals, jumping from $26.5m in Q1 2018 to $41.5m in Q2.
The global Fintech industry is maturing rapidly
- There was a significant shift towards larger investments between 2014 and 2017. Deals valued below $1m decreased in share from 41% to 15.7% over this period. This trend continued in H1 2018 when just 3.4% of all deals were in the sub-$1m category.
- Conversely, deals valued above $20m increased in share from 12.1% in 2014 to 23.6% in 2017. In the first half of 2018, this figure jumped to 38.3%.
- This pattern of fewer, larger deals indicates that the global FinTech market is maturing at a fast pace.
- Notably, the Marketplace Lending sector has the lowest proportion of deals valued less than $1m at 20.4%. It also has the highest proportion of large deals, with a third of all investments in the sector valued above $20m.
The top 10 Fintech deals in H1 raised almost $22bn
- The aggregate of the top 10 FinTech deals in the first half of 2018 is $21.8bn which equates to 52.3% the total capital raised during this period.
- The largest deal in H1 2018 was the previously mentioned $14bn investment in Ant Financial. This was followed by a $4bn funding round raised by Block.one, an end-to-end blockchain solutions provider, in the largest initial coin offering (ICO) to date.
- SenseTime, a Beijing-based provider of facial recognition technology, features twice in the top 10. The company initially raised $600m in a Series C round led by Alibaba Group. This was followed by a further $620 in Series C+ funding, led by Tiger Global Management, Silver Lake Partners, Fidelity International and HOPU. The funding will be used towards research and development, as well as hiring talented researchers.
The data for this research was taken from the FinTech Global database. More in-depth data and analytics on investments and companies across all FinTech sectors and regions around the world are available to subscribers of FinTech Global. ©2018 FinTech Global


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China's Trade Surplus With the US Grew In JuneYep, that's an unfortunate headline indeed! Unfortunate in its wording, that is.
Such a headline exacerbates present misconceptions; it throws fuel on the fire, so to speak.
If only the media's (and the politician's) aim was to inform, rather than sensationalize, I believe more folks would get their heads around the reality of global capital flow -- and I believe protectionism would be far less politically effective.
Allow me to offer up an alternative headline that might exacerbate in the opposite direction:
The U.S.'s Investment (current account) Surplus With China Grew In JuneHere's Matthew Rooney -- former senior official of the U.S. Department of State under presidents of both parties and director of the George W. Bush Institute’s Economic Growth program -- explaining the inevitability of trade: emphasis mine...
"Dollars that flow out, flow back in..."
"....a current account deficit is the flip side of a capital account surplus. Dollars that flow out to buy goods and services turn around and flow back in as foreigners buy goods and services and invest in the United States — either way, employing Americans."
"To hear some people tell it, America’s trade deficit shows that our economy is failing. By this logic, America is a chump because our market is open while we let other countries limit our access to their markets.
Luckily for America, this way of looking at our trade balance is almost entirely wrong.
Trade is about people, not countries.
To understand why, it is important to recall that trade is about people, not countries. If an American goes car shopping and chooses a Kia instead of a Ford because she believes that her money is better spent that way, who are we to tell her she has made a mistake? If Ford buys a wiring assembly in Mexico that enables it to sell its car at a price that gets that sale, is that a good thing for America or a bad thing?So let's expand on Rooney's Kia-vs-Ford example: The U.S. consumer chooses the South Korean automobile over the American, and let's say that its cost was twenty thousand U.S. dollars. We know that the person buying the Kia isn't a loser, she got what she wanted for her money. I guess you could say that, in this comparison, Ford is the loser, but that's not necessarily the case either (I'll explain in a minute). But we absolutely cannot (not if we know how the world works) say that the U.S. is the loser. In fact, we could argue that the U.S. is the winner, if we were to focus on the U.S. companies that export goods (like, say, almonds) and services to South Korea (the country in possession of those twenty thousand U.S. dollars), and on the U.S. equity and debt markets (if the end foreign holders of those U.S. dollars don't spend them all on U.S. stuff, the rest [in that they're U.S. dollars] would be invested in U.S. assets, such as, for example, treasury bonds [keeping interest rates low/competitive] and the stocks in your portfolio). Again:
"Dollars that flow out, flow back in..."As for the notion that Ford is the loser in this exchange, we really can't know. After all, Ford happens to be one of those U.S. exporters who sells to South Korean consumers; it sold 10,700 cars there last year. And maybe those 10,700 new South Korean Ford owners are showing off what they got, which might inspire more South Koreans to buy a Ford. Or maybe some of those twenty thousand dollars that bought the Kia were used to buy stuff from China, supplying Chinese folks with U.S. dollars to buy Fords with -- which they did to the tune of 1.9 million vehicles last year (hmm!!). But what if the new holders of U.S. dollars didn't touch a Ford product, is that necessarily all bad for Ford in the long-term scheme of things? Well, perhaps not: Not if we consider that competition forever inspires innovation, or you could say stifles stagnation. Losing deals to other car makers, wherever they be domiciled, virtually guarantees that Ford will forever strive to produce the best, most advanced vehicle money can buy. And, of course, if you're a car company, you want to be that company!
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The online gaming industry in India is a flourishing one. Some decades ago, gaming was limited to being played on expensive consoles with barely-there internet. If not consoles, it at least needed a desktop computer. Not many households had the means of procuring any of these devices, leaving gamers to access their favourite games in internet cafes, and that too, only in top tier cities. And then came the internet and smart technology boom. Affordable, high quality smartphones, and high speed internet has now suffused through the Indian population, trickling down to towns and villages. According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Secretary Apurva Chandra, India now has 600 million smart phone users. The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) survey found that the availability of smartphones in rural India was 36.5% in 2018, which increased to 67.6 % in 2021. Many of these devices were ostensibly procured for online classes during the covid pandemic, but no doubt, double up as gaming devices. The FICCI-EY report stating that the number of gamers rose to 390 million in 2021 from 278 million three years before bears testament to the fact that the online gaming trajectory in India is only set to soar in the coming years.
Accompanying the rise of the ‘internet gaming’ phenomenon is another worrying trend - the rise of the ‘gaming disorder’. Online games, just like drugs, trigger the release of dopamine, a feel-good chemical which reinforces the behaviour, leaving users vulnerable to overuse. (The term ‘gaming disorder’ is a diagnostic category recognised by the American Psychiatric Association, and classified by two of the most prominent diagnostic systems for mental disorders - the DSM-5 and ICD-11). The risks of internet gaming are even more pronounced and dangerous when money becomes involved. There are several online games with a scope for earning money - puzzles, quizzes, fantasy sports and of course, those games we typically understand as ‘gambling’ games - poker, roulette, Blackjack, Bingo etc. ‘Gambling’ refers to an event in which an individual risks money or something else of value to earn more money. ‘Disordered gambling’ is already a well recognised psychological condition, and can be applied to pathological gambling where the mode of access can either be in physical outlets or over the internet. Internet gambling particularly magnifies the risks of gambling because it allows for larger wagers, gives rapid feedback and easy, fast access to hundreds of gambling options. The larger sums of money, and the potentially massive profits also attract criminal activities that operate around the periphery of the game or are even central to it.
CAG, in its customer grievance role, has been approached by families broken up and traumatised by the descent of beloved family members into the addictive world of internet gambling. The recent spate of suicides following debt accrued due to gambling led the government of Tamilnadu to regulate companies and products that fit the description for internet gambling. Herein lies the need to understand the difference between games of skill and games of chance. While gambling merely refers to a high stakes activity, gambling games can be either games of skill or games of chance. Games of skill are those where the gamer brings a set of cognitive skills to the process - these are skills that can be honed and improved with practice, Games of chance on the other hand are based completely on ‘luck’ or to be more mathematically accurate, probability. When it comes to regulating online gambling, games that fit the description of games of skill have historically escaped. In contrast, casino games including table games, slot machines, a live dealer etc (whether physical or virtual) usually count as games of chance and come under the ambit of legislation, if any. If a game predominantly requires an element of skill, even if only marginally more than chance, it is considered a game of skill. Hence, in State of Andhra Pradesh v. K Satyanarayanan & Ors, the Supreme Court ruled that games like rummy are skill based, and not chance based. Even if played for stakes, they are still legal and since they do not constitute gambling, they fall out of the ambit of the control of the state governments. Neither the Public Gambling Act, 1867 nor Entry 34 of List II of the Constitution of India can prohibit these games. The division between skill and chance is by no means simple or based on universally accepted principles. Poker, for example, is expressly ruled by the states of Nagaland and Meghalaya as a game of skills, while the High Court of Gujarat has opined that it is a game of chance.
The Tamil Nadu government attempted to address this issue by introducing and implementing amendments in the Tamil Nadu Gaming and Police Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021, which completely banned games of skills as well as chance. The Madras High Court, however, through its order dated 3rd August, 2021, struck down this amendment to the Act, saying that the state government did not provide any reason as to why a moderate restriction would not be sufficient, adding that the government did not supply appropriate and sufficient data to substantiate the need for a complete ban on games of skill. The state government has taken up this issue with the Supreme Court of India, contesting the order, and as of the moment the matter is sub-judice. Meanwhile, the state government has promulgated an Ordinance to ban online gambling within Tamil Nadu, which is awaiting the assent of the governor. The Ordinance classifies games of skill under games of chance, and does not define proper distinctions, which is contrary to judgements by the Supreme Court. Hence, the Ordinance is currently being contested by gaming clubs in the state.
The state of Kerala had also proposed a similar bill to ban online rummy, which was challenged by various gaming companies in Kerala before the High Court of Kerala. The High Court quashed the government’s decision, as did the High Court of Madras. The High Courts overturning the state governments’ decisions on similar grounds and on a very ad hoc basis has created a regulatory lacuna in the sphere of online gaming. The resulting lack of protection can harm users who are now at the mercy of illegal sites, or even legal sites that cause actual damage to users.
The most recent in this cat and mouse game is draft regulations issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. At the outset, the regulations seem to offer a little bit more clarity on the type of games which will come under its ambit - any online game where the player makes a deposit in the hopes of any form of winnings. The winnings must be in the form of real money. All online gaming intermediaries (which are search engines like Google, social media platforms like Facebook) will have to register with a self-regulatory body which will be registered with the IT ministry. The self regulatory will comprise five members from diverse fields, including online gaming, public policy, IT, medicine and psychology. There can be more than one self-regulatory body (SRB).
How the SRB will adjudicate the merits of each game, and ensure there is uniformity in the functioning of all SRBs is an unaddressed question within the draft rules. Ironically, the biggest issue remains that there is still no clarity as to which are games of skill and which are games of chance. And leaving this all important classification to the self-regulatory body could easily thwart any efforts to regulate the industry. Industry led SRBs could make judgements based on profits and not by considerations of ethical and moral values.
To ensure that offshore gaming entities are also regulated, the proposed rules provide that a compliance officer be appointed who will be an Indian resident and is responsible for ensuring compliance. Additionally, it also prescribes for appointment of a nodal contact person, ensuring there is a physical contact address of the company in India.
While the regulations are certainly a good move, it strays into what is essentially a state’s territory. States like Tamilnadu have for long called for regulations far stricter than what the draft regulations allow. About whether the states rights are now impinged upon, the Minister of State, MEITY, Rajeev Chandrasekhar says that “everything internet comes under MEITY and all intermediaries on the internet are regulated by the IT Act. The states can do whatever they want to do vis-a-vis gambling and betting”. Considering that so far the industry has managed to fight off any efforts to regulate using regulatory arbitrage, this overlap of responsibilities will only allow the industry forces to continue operating even more forcefully in this manner. The Union Government needs to give clear guidelines as to whether state governments are still empowered to ban online gambling as it is to ban offline gambling. This is important, not only for reasons of maintaining state sovereignty, but also to allow for laws that are more responsive to the needs of the local population.
Apart from regulations, the All India Gaming Federation (AIGF) is India’s largest industry body of online gaming, and its members supposedly adhere to the Self-regulatory Charter, along with being audited by the All India Skill Gaming Council, which comprises former Supreme Court judges, senior bureaucrats, data scientists and educators. However, the members of AIGF only constitute around 10-15% of the gaming industry in India.
As per a report by Ikigai law, most online gaming companies are fine with statutory regulations being put in place. However, they want predictability and regulatory certainty along with it, which has not been provided so far, since the legal position of online gaming remains unsettled. While the new draft regulations offer some amount of clarity, much more clarity is needed to make these enforceable.
While the draft regulations are clear that they apply to only a certain subset of online games (ie gambling games), it does not mean that other online games are low risk and can be allowed to operate without regulations. Any form of online gaming leaves users vulnerable to addiction. This is a well documented experience of several gamers - and one which families struggle to cope with. This has resulted in several countries around the world trying to regulate online games also. For example, in 2019, Beijing enacted laws that gamers under 18 cannot play online between the hours of 10 pm to 8 am. Additionally gamers are only allowed to play for 90 minutes on weekdays with a three hour limit on weekends and holidays. There is also a spending limit of 200 yuan a month. Following the regulations, China’s gaming giant Tencet has restricted people playing on its portals, based on the user’s age. While China perhaps has the most restrictive of laws, other countries have also responded to the needs of their communities by imposing needed regulations. For example, the Netherlands has an incredibly lengthy and expensive process which a gaming company needs to follow before it is approved by the Dutch Film and Television Rating Board, the country’s gaming regulatory board; Venezuela has outright banned all shooting games that involve human targets; Brazil also has a similar policy.
India has certainly woken up to the fact that its ecosystem is ripe for an online gaming explosion; and to the harm that it can cause individuals personally and the society at large. The recent draft regulations are a welcome start in the right direction. But to truly put in place safeguards that will protect vulnerable users, regulations need to be based on robust scientific evidence. If the aim is to protect users from the risks of addiction, then online gaming needs to be brought within the ambit of these laws. Equally important is the need to protect states’ rights to tighten the laws based on the needs of local groups.


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Canada Goose shares jump on stock market debut
The high-end parka maker – Canada Goose – is proving as popular with investors as it is with celebrities.
The company, which makes coyote fur-lined jackets, some of which sell for £900 each, has started trading on the New York Stock Exchange, as well as on Canada’s main exchange.
In early trading, shares were more than 40% higher at $18.14.
Founded in Toronto 60 years ago, the company was bought by the private equity group Bain Capital in 2013.
The firm had priced its initial public offering at $12.78 per share.
Read more here.


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Many experts in the field assumed that COVID-19 would run a similar course to other epidemics that have happened in the past, and manufacturers knew they would need to increase their production rates, but no one knew by how much.
For a while, as distributers sold through whatever inventory they already had on hand, we didn’t see a huge jump in glove prices, but as the supply dwindled, we began seeing prices going up, reaching a peak by the fall.
If nothing else, COVID-19 has taught all of us to be adaptable, and that’s just what is going to have to be the case when it comes to the questions we have about the disposable glove industry. One thing we can be pretty sure of is that the increased demand for disposable gloves is not going away any time soon. It is important to keep our expectations flexible and willing to adapt as we move forward.
When it comes to actual glove material needed to produce disposable gloves, we know there will continue to be a shortage of disposable nitrile gloves until butadiene rubber (the material used to make nitrile) is available. Vinyl, however, is still readily available. Although vinyl doesn’t have the most solid reputation for being a heavy-duty protector, it is still a good alternative to latex and nitrile, especially in this current situation.
All we can do is keep moving forward and working to adapt to whatever comes our way.


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The emblem of Japan's Brave Blossoms rugby team, which currently features three cherry blossoms in full bloom, started off life decades ago in a slightly different shape -- with one bud, one flower in half bloom, and one in full bloom. To this day, however, it remains a mystery as to why and how the triple sakura design evolved into its current form.
"I've been told my late grandmother was the one who came up with the initial design," a 70-year-old Kyoto resident revealed for the first time of his "Rugby Grandma," who ran shops selling sports goods in Kyoto and Tokyo during the early Showa period (1926-1989) and was well acquainted with members of the rugby community.
In September 1930, when Japan's national rugby team headed to Canada on its first overseas tour, the team jersey bore the cherry blossom emblem for the first time -- with a sakura bud, one in half bloom and one in full bloom -- over the left chest. The head coach at the time was Shigeru Kayama.
After World War II, the Japan team's first postwar test match was held in Tokyo in October 1952, playing against Oxford University. But this time, on the emblem of the team's jersey, all three cherry blossoms were in full bloom.
According to the Japan Rugby Football Union, there are various accounts as to why the design has evolved. Some believe Kayama instructed that all three flowers be in full bloom, while some others say the shirt maker did it by mistake.
The union said it has no record of how the sakura emblem came into being and therefore does not have any decisive answers to the mystery.
"Rugby Grandma" Ishi Fukui, born in Kyoto in 1892, opened the Iwataya sports goods shop in Kyoto's Shijodori Karasuma in 1922, according to her grandson Kenichi Takada. The shop offered a variety of rugby goods imported from overseas, which was quite rare at the time.
"My grandmother started the shop all by herself," Takada said, recalling what he had heard from his mother -- Fukui's eldest daughter -- and other relatives. "She was good in drawing by nature and designed the uniforms of a number of university rugby teams."
Fukui also opened another shop in Tokyo's Kagurazaka in 1936.
"She was close friends with Meiji University coach Chuji Kitajima as well," Takada said. "I have also been told (about her involvment with) the Japan team emblem."
A Kyoto Shimbun evening newspaper article on Jan. 15, 1955, featured Fukui and her shop, which was filled with British-made rugby balls and frequented by many members of the Kyoto University rugby team.
As Fukui's shop began to feature more and more rugby products, she earned the nickname "Rugby Grandma." Being close acquaintances with many rugby figures such as fellow Kyoto-native Takenosuke Okumura, who served as the union's managing director, Fukui went to watch rugby matches in person across Japan.
She was among those on the spectators' stand at the 1952 match against Oxford as well, when the triple full-bloom cherry blossom emblem donned the team jerseys, and was said to have shed tears of joy during her reunion with Okumura.
Fukui, who loved cigarettes and western liquor, died in May 1993 at age 101.
"I am grateful that the sakura emblem, with 90 years of history, is still be used and treasured even now," grandson Takada said. "I believe my grandmother too is elated with Japan's hosting of the World Cup for the first time."
More stories from Kyoto Shimbun:


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New research from Samsung Electronics France revealed that more physical stores in France are opting for digital screens to help enhance the customer experience.
According to the study, 60 percent of the 301 physical retailers surveyed said they already has used display screens in-store and another 15 percent expressed plans to do so.
Touchscreen displays or interactive kiosks are offered by more than half (53 percent) of larger retailers and 36 percent of their smaller counterparts, Emarketer reported. Thirty-six percent of respondents said they provided their in-store employees with connected devices in order to help improve the service they offer customers.
But many retailers said they were still just beginning their digital journey.
While just 4 percent felt they had reached “digital maturity,” another 43 percent perceived their understanding and implementation of digital options as “weak” or “very weak.”
Many retailers (54 percent) cited their biggest reason for installing digital devices was to help make the store more attractive and drive foot traffic. Other reasons included wanting to put some “magic” back into the shopping experience (42 percent) and to collect data from customers’ interaction with the screens (30 percent).
“While the digitization of distribution has clearly progressed, especially with regard to the rate of equipment, there is still a long way to go before actors can take full advantage of digital transformation. As the study shows, most of them are aware that their digital maturity remains low. The implementation and review of indicators for monitoring the performance of installed devices could, for example, enable them to improve the customer experience — a goal that appears [to be a] priority according to the results of the first barometer,” Gary Guillier-Marcellin, director of display division at Samsung Electronics France, said in a translated statement.
“The store of the future is taking shape before our eyes. Thanks to digitization, it should offer a personalized customer experience, to improve the rate of consumer satisfaction. Another trend is mobile payment. If only one store has four today or will soon have mobile payment solutions, one in three is developing a project in this direction,” Guillier-Marcellin concluded.


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After four months of silence, Pilot Flying J CEO, Jimmy Haslam, addressed truckers and reporters on the continuing federal investigation into the alleged fraud over diesel fuel rebates. While greeting truck drivers in Knoxville, Tenn., at the Lovell Road truck stop, Haslam recognized truckers in honor of National Driver Appreciation Week and assured them Pilot Flying J will “work hard to earn their trust moving forward.”
Haslam told reporters, “We’re talking to drivers and thanking them for the great job they do for our country and how much they mean to Pilot Flying J. We’re most appreciative for the confidence trucking companies and drivers have shown in us.”
Haslam said that Pilot Flying J is growing despite the FBI raid over five months ago at its headquarters in Knoxville. Since the April 15th raid, Pilot Flying J has opened new stores over the summer and in the past few weeks, many of which Haslam has attended.
This positive growth may be attributed to the continuous work to boost consumer marketing and customer relations within the trucking industry. In attempts to do so, Pilot Flying J’s public relations efforts have included billboards, decals on the sides of fuel trucks, and personal face-to-face greetings. Mike Cohen, a public relations expert and Inside Tennessee panelist, claims Haslam’s way of focusing on the future is an efficient crisis management solution to preserving client relationships.
Haslam acknowledges that some people who worked at Pilot Flying J apparently made bad decisions, but he also said that, “We’re going to make it right.”
In addition, Haslam told reporters, “We have more than 25,000 people working for this company and the vast majority of them do the right thing everyday taking care of customers.”
Although advancement has been made, Pilot Flying J is still facing many difficulties. Following the raid, over two-dozen lawsuits have been filed against the company, while seven Pilot employees have already pleaded guilty for fraudulent crimes.
Tags: Driver Appreciation
, Pilot Flying J


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This week’s PR news in brief (4-8 September)
Here is a round-up of essential PR stories, people news and account wins that have been announced over the past week.
CIPD, a professional body for HR and people development, has appointed Haymarket Media Group to provide events services for its members and people professionals.
Digital marketing firm Conversant and CJ Affiliate, a global affiliate marketing network, have appointed technology marketing communications agency Firefly Communications Group to handle proactive media relations in the UK, France and Germany.
The PR Office has today announced that it has been appointed to represent accounting and advisory firm Moore Stephens, following a competitive pitch.
Communications consultancy Foco has won its first retained public relations brief from live-in care company Elder.
New York-based PR and brand building agency Relevance New York has rebranded itself as Relevance International to mark the opening of its new office in London.
Creative PR agency Modus Publicity has merged with integrated brand agency BPCM to form ModusBPCM.
Luxley Communications has launched a fitness, wellness and beauty division, with new clients including BodySPace and its founders Stephen Price and David Higgins, Pure Sports Medicine, WellSpoken and Secret Spa.
Racepoint Global has opened an office in Raleigh, USA, which will serve brands in Research Triangle Park and the surrounding areas.
Julie Giraud and Pete Bell have launched Lafontaine Public Relations, a “content first” PR consultancy, in partnership with creative agency gt&i.


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Brexit barman Tim Martin has warned the cost of food and drinks in his Wetherspoon pubs is set to spiral – despite his claims prices would not rise on the back of leaving the EU.
The prominent Leave campaigner has warned that food and drink ‘may have to go up a bit’ after a slowing of sales over summer – but he refused to blame Brexit.
Instead Martin said a combination of staff costs, interest and taxes were responsible.
Like-for-like sales growth of 5% over the summer was slower than the 5.2% registered in the nine months to the start of July, although the pub chain still reported a 4.3% rise in profits overall.
Martin told the BBC: ‘I think what we’ll do is keep our prices as low as we reasonably can, they might have to go up a little bit, and just do the right thing and hope that is compensated by rising sales which will pay for the cost increases.’
He had previously claimed that he believed ‘food and drink prices will come down after Brexit’ but argued the key would be leaving without a deal.
In his latest statement he said: ‘Some individuals, businesses and business organisations have mistakenly, or misleadingly, repeated the myth that food prices will rise without a deal with the EU.
‘In fact, the only way prices can rise post-Brexit is if parliament votes to impose tariffs. The EU will have no say in the matter, provided that the government does not sign away the UK’s rights in a deal in the meantime.’
Last year Martin insisted prospects for his business and the UK economy have improved since the decision to leave the EU.
However his employees don’t appear to agree – next month staff are set to strike alongside employees from McDonald’s and TGI Friday over what they call ‘poverty wages’.


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English wine producers can't satisfy demand
English sparkling wine is proving to be such a rip-roaring success that some producers are having to limit the number of bottles they give their customers.
At RidgeView, Mike Roberts thought he’d got a big vintage this year that would enable him to keep his customers happy, but already he’s sold as much as he did by June last year. He told ThirtyFifty that the company tries to make its sparkling wines as widely available as possible, and that includes allocating some for new customers. The only way it can do this at the moment is by restricting the amount people can buy. This impacts first on visitors to the vineyard, then the trade.
Ongoing new planting will hopefully relieve the situation, but Mike says that won’t happen until 2009. What he won’t do, however, unlike some, is put up his prices just because of high demand. ‘We don’t see that as good in the long term for our relationship with our customers,’ he said.
At Nyetimber, too, the company is feeling the pressure of not enough fizz to satisfy demand. Chief Executive Officer Eric Heerema told ThirtyFifty, ‘It’s a bit too much as we have to disappoint loyal customers.’ As a result, Nyetimber has decided to shift its sales policy towards the top tier of the on-trade. ‘It’s better for us to go for a niche and distinguish ourselves,’ said Eric.
In fact, Nyetimber is about to go on the wine list at the three-Michelin-starred Fat Duck, which was this week voted the number-two Best Restaurant in the World for the second-year running (the restaurant took the crown in 2005). When you hear that such an esteemed establishment wants to serve our domestic bubbly, you know English sparkling wine has come a long way.


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Municipal Authorities have approved the construction of ”Kaufland” shops in the Capital. Officials have decided at today's session a project, which foresees changing the land where the commercials building will be constructed.
Earlier, representatives from "Kaufland" declared that they plan to open six shops in Chisinau by 2020, the investment's value raising to 60 million euro.
"Kaufland" is one of the biggest German retail company from Europe, having over 200 000 employees. It owns over 1 000 shops in Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Croatia, Bulgaria and Romania.


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Inventory and sales of homes continue to move in the right direction.
Homes priced between $150,000 and $500,000 saw positive sales volume, along with both median and average prices reaching record highs for a September.
According to the latest monthly report by the Houston Association of REALTORS® (HAR), home sales are up 1.3 percent compared to this point in 2015. Inventory levels rose from a 3.5-months supply to 3.9 months.
Houston Home Inventory Levels Continue to Move in Right Direction
"With home sales ahead of where they were at this time last year – a record sales year – in a market that continues to suffer energy-related job losses, I believe we’re doing well,” said HAR Chairman Mario Arriaga with First Group. “Inventory is still moving in the right direction, and consumers that were not buying homes in September accounted for strong rental activity throughout the month."
The single-family home median price — the figure at which half of the homes sold for more and half sold for less — rose 4.8 percent to $219,990. That is the highest median price ever for a September. The average price increased 2.4 percent to $277,849, which is also a September high.
September only sales of all property types in Houston totaled 7,893, down 1.6 percent from the same month last year. Total dollar volume for properties sold in September was unchanged at $2.1 billion.
Total active listings, or the total number of available properties, at the end of September rose 11.6 percent from September 2015 to 37,955.
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The cloud gaming industry is growing very fast in the age of emerging technology. Tech companies have been focusing on this field for some time, following in the footsteps of Microsoft and Google, and now Facebook in the field of cloud game streaming technology.
This new cloud gaming service, called Facebook Gaming, is designed to play games directly through the Facebook processor or browser without having to download cloud mode based games. This service is now provided completely free of charge to everyone.
It is hoped that this new initiative by Facebook will create the biggest change in the mobile gaming industry. The Facebook company said that users can continue to play for free without downloading games on this site with their data.
Unlike Google’s Google Stadia and Microsoft’s Microsoft X-Cloud Gaming, Facebook’s cloud games are unique in that they allow you to use them without having to download them directly to your smartphone. The new Facebook cloud gaming service is available as two services, Full and Free Gaming.
Asphalt 9: Legends, Mobile Legends – Adventure, PGA TOR Golf Shootout, Solitaire: Arthur’s Tale (Trouble) Games are available for play starting this week.


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The organizers of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia will take every necessary precaution to prevent spreading of the Coronavirus infection. The Federal Service’s for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor’s) regulations for exhibition events taking in Moscow starting with September will be observed. MBFW Russia’s sanitary protocol will include temperature taking at the entrances, use of sanitizers, regular disinfection of public areas, and more. The backstage at the Fashion Week will be arranged in compliance with effective sanitary requirements. The new season will also limit numbers of guests at the shows.
Wearing mask and gloves at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Russia is compulsory in order to obtain precautionary measures in accordance with Order No. 92-УМ dated September 25, 2020 of the Moscow Mayor.


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While traditional nicotine e-liquid manufacturers have had several years to hone their craft and perfect the creation of delicious flavors, CBD is finally hitting its stride just now. Buy CBD gummies online and shop CBD gummies for sale from PureKana Top-quality formulations made from high-grade CBD extract Happease Vappease Lite 30% CBD Jungle Spirit CBD balzám, CBD Drops CBD oleje, NejGrow.cz Jak užívat CBD produkty
Jan 3, 2020 It is now illegal to market CBD by adding it to food or labeling it as a autism, anxiety, and other serious health conditions, those who were
May 14, 2018 It can also be used in a vape pen or even consumed through food like CBD gummies. Joel Greengrass, CEO of Theramu, a company that Food Network delves into what CBD actually is and the buzz is around the new media with users swearing off anxiety meds in favor of a daily dose of CBD. Jan 11, 2020 OLYMPIA — Hemp's popular non-psychoactive compound CBD would be a legal food ingredient in Washington under a bill introduced Jan. Aug 3, 2019 CBD has become a popular natural remedy for anxiety — but what does the research say? Aug 15, 2019 You might take CBD to calm nerves and anxiety, reduce insomnia, and alleviate inflammation-related pain. One of the top food trends of this Dec 19, 2019 CBD oil and anxiety always seem to be talked about nowadays. can be used as a culinary ingredient for making items of food and drink. Dec 28, 2019 Last week, Oregon's state liquor control board banned the addition of an increasingly popular ingredient to the alcohol beverages it.
Jun 1, 2017 The same holds true for gastrointestinal transit, food intake, and A single dose of 600 mg led to reduced anxiety and mean CBD blood
Jan 15, 2019 Cannabidiol-infused foods won't get you high, probably won't cure your anxiety, and are very likely illegal. On the plus side, they still taste Looking for the best CBD oil for anxiety and depression? We take a look at In addition, some of you might not eat meat or animal products. If so, seek out any Aug 15, 2019 If you struggle with chronic stress or anxiety, you may be considering using CBD oil or CBD vape pens. There is already good evidence of Cannabidiol (CBD) is a phytocannabinoid discovered in 1940. It is one of 113 identified cannabinoids in cannabis plants and accounts for up to 40% of the plant's extract. As of 2019, clinical research on cannabidiol included studies of anxiety, Some companies marketing CBD-infused food products with claims that are Jan 3, 2020 It is now illegal to market CBD by adding it to food or labeling it as a autism, anxiety, and other serious health conditions, those who were
CBD konopí Harleqin Pre-Rolls Joint Sativa Poland
Oct 7, 2019 The FDA still prohibits companies from adding CBD to food, drinks Deputy Commissioner described the FDA's "biggest concern" related to Jul 24, 2019 I Tried CBD Oil For My Anxiety Like Jennifer Aniston & Here's What vitamins that will make your skin brighter, or a specialty food service. CBD has been shown to have anti-oxidant properties which means that it is capable of mopping up toxic substances obtained from food or generated in the body If the CBD oil is extracted using particular extraction methods, like using 'lowers anxiety' or 'anti-inflammatory' must not be made on the label of a food, Mar 19, 2019 ANSWER: Cannabidiol, also known as CBD, has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat anxiety. Although Sep 5, 2019 Eating pizza and other greasy foods might make CBD more effective. anxiety or insomnia, should have an optimized experience, as well.


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After announcing in September that 500 million accounts had been compromised in a 2014 security breach, the company announces today that an additional billion accounts have been hacked in a separate incident.
If you’re a Yahoo user, you should strongly consider closing your account. If you decide to keep your account open, you might as well post your username and password to Facebook and send them out in a tweet, for all the good Yahoo’s security precautions will do for you.
Here at FOSS Force, we’ve pretty much stayed away from the spate of problems being faced by Yahoo recently because there’s not much of a FOSS or free tech connection. However, when Yahoo announced this afternoon that an estimated one billion user accounts were breached in August of 2013, we decided that enough is enough.
“The stolen user account information may have included names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, hashed passwords (using MD5) and, in some cases, encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers,” said Bob Lord, Yahoo’s chief security officer in an online announcement. “We have not been able to identify the intrusion associated with this theft. We believe this incident is likely distinct from the incident we disclosed on September 22, 2016.”
The earlier incident affected 500 million users, at the time considered to be the largest such breach in Internet history, and is thought to have begun as early as 2014.
Yahoo seems to know very little about the breach announced today. According to a press release from the office of Suzanne Philion, Yahoo’s senior director of corporate communications, “As Yahoo previously disclosed in November, law enforcement provided the company with data files that a third party claimed was Yahoo user data. The company analyzed this data with the assistance of outside forensic experts and found that it appears to be Yahoo user data.”
Philion’s press release also addresses another ongoing security issue that account holders should find concerning, especially in light of the company’s other security woes.
“Separately, Yahoo previously disclosed that its outside forensic experts were investigating the creation of forged cookies that could allow an intruder to access users’ accounts without a password. Based on the ongoing investigation, the company believes an unauthorized third party accessed the company’s proprietary code to learn how to forge cookies. The outside forensic experts have identified user accounts for which they believe forged cookies were taken or used. Yahoo is notifying the affected account holders, and has invalidated the forged cookies.”
The company said that it believes that incident to be connected to the breach announced in September.
Yahoo was also criticized in October when Reuters reported that the company had developed custom software to search all of its users’ incoming emails for queries supplied by U.S. intelligence officials.
All of these problems couldn’t happen at a worse time for Yahoo, which in July agreed to be purchased by Verizon for $4.83 billion. The company’s revenues have been declining for a number of years, and many stockholders, weary of halfhearted efforts to turn the company around, have been eager to cash out.
It is not known whether today’s news will have an affect on the sale. After the first breach was reported in September, Verizon indicated that it would take a wait and see attitude.
TechCrunch, which is owned (through AOL) by Verizon, reported that after today’s announcement a Verizon spokesperson said, “As we’ve said all along, we will evaluate the situation as Yahoo continues its investigation. We will review the impact of this new development before reaching any final conclusions.”
At this point, if I were asked to take a gaze at my crystal ball, I would be somewhat surprised if the sale goes through, even at fire sale prices. The already ageing brand has been heavily damaged by these security issues, and it might not be worth the money it would take to turn it around — if that is even possible anymore.
After the breach in September I closed a no longer used Yahoo account I’d had since the 1990s that I’d been holding onto, mainly for sentimental reasons. At this time, I’m recommending anybody still using Yahoo Mail to get out and find another email provider. Yahoo seems to be about as competent at handling its security as it is at everything else it does.


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There was nothing to cheer about in the latest readings of business confidence in Germany. The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) from IHS/Markit moved into recessionary territory in September. Sentiment in the manufacturing sector declined to 41.4, which is the lowest level since mid-2009, at the depth of the financial crisis.
Same message came from the broader Ifo-index; expectations are down to levels last seen in 2009, while the assessment of the current situation is at par with the euro crisis in 2012. Confidence in the construction sector is also waning, and even retail – the last hope for consumer-driven growth – is losing altitude.
The Economic Sentiment Index (ESI) from the EU Commission dropped to the lowest level since 2013. The ESI-indicator covers every corner of the economy and tells the same story as Ifo and PMI: lower confidence in manufacturing, construction and retail. Slightly higher than in August for services and consumers, but the levels remain significantly lower than before the summer.
Auto producers remain central problem
The auto sector remains the most challenged part of the German manufacturing sector, but lately the decline in actual new orders has primarily been concentrated in intermediate and investment goods. Naturally, this could also be auto related as many sectors in Germany are part or service suppliers to auto producers.
Measured by value-added, activity in the manufacturing sector has declined for more than a year with no end in sight. Orders are now completed faster than new orders arrive, thus idling production facilities. Employment in the manufacturing sector has stayed strong as the use of kurz arbeit – the shortening of work hours with supplementary benefits – has expanded. However, a reduction in manufacturing employment is likely to commence. The business-to-business service sector is already losing jobs.
Services also affected
The service sector has been a somewhat overlooked positive in the German economy and generated 325,000 jobs in the last year alone. Over the last ten years, employment in services has risen by 3.65 million, while manufacturing has created 0.53 million jobs. Consumer-oriented services of trade, transport, accommodation and food services have been the main driver of new service jobs.
However, the decline in service-sector confidence indicators since spring increases the risk of a prolonged downturn in activity in the broader economy. That could lead to rising unemployment, which – in turn – would amplify the call for the government to do more to stimulate the economy.
France is looking better
Business sentiment also declined in other euro area countries in September, although less than in Germany. Overall, manufacturing is contracting, while services are expanding at a modest pace. France remains a positive outlier with growth in both manufacturing and services. Businesses continues to report increasing orders and backlogs of work. This bodes well for future production. French firms are also optimistic about the business outlook; they became even more optimistic in September, despite the gloom in Germany.
Corporate investments have been a potent driver of economic growth in recent years amid President Macron’s many reforms. Since the Brexit referendum in the UK in June 2016, corporate investments have declined in the UK, grown by 10 percent in Germany and by 13 percent in France.
Risks remain to the downside
The outlook for the global economy remains gloomy. The trade war between the US and China is taking its toll on both economies, although China has been hit the hardest so far. The US manufacturing sector is hurting, but not more than producers elsewhere. The tax cuts from 2017 are still supporting the bottom line. US consumers remain optimistic, and the reduction in interest rates since start of the year is supporting both consumers and the housing market. The US economy should overperform expectations in coming months.
Germany has become collateral damage in the trade war, which has been amplified by unique events like the diesel scandal and the drying up of German rivers – a main artery for transportation of industrial goods – two summers in a row. But there is also a glut in the global auto sector; auto sales have been a driver of overall economic growth in many countries but are no longer growing. The global manufacturing sector had geared up for a period of high growth and is now adjusting to a new reality. This is hurting investments.
Moreover, the economic policy uncertainty has never been higher. President Trump in Washington and Prime Minister Johnson in London have taken “disruption” to unprecedented levels. The investigation into the possible impeachment of President Trump has killed off any hope of major policy deals ahead of the 2020 election. Congressional approval of the updated Nafta-agreement with Mexico and Canada looks even more uncertain than before. The upcoming ruling by the World Trade Organization in the US/EU dispute about subsidies to Airbus and Boeing could hand President Trump the opportunity to start a trade war with the EU.
China is slowing, and doubts about the ability to counter the slowdown are increasing. The new government in Italy has reduced the risk of a showdown with Brussels in coming months, but there is no ambition to tackle Italy’s fundamental problems, and the economic as well as the debt outlook is unsustainable. Argentina is approaching another government default, and Turkey is mired in recession.
Business are unlikely to move ahead with major investment plans in the current economic climate.
What can be done?
The economic malaise in Germany is likely to continue in the short run. The European Central Bank (ECB) has already used its last firepower to no avail. Negative interest rates could be hurting growth in Europe as savers are punished.
On paper, Germany has the fiscal muscle to do something to counter a downturn. There has been a surplus in the public accounts since 2014 and the public debt is finally below 60 percent of GDP. And Germany needs major investments in infrastructure and not least digitalization. But it is doubtful tax cuts would work much as households have mostly used the growth in real income to increase savings.
Public investments are no longer a good counter-cyclical tool as the pre-construction phase for planning, environmental assessments, procurement, etc., is quite long. Moreover, Germany still has full employment, so adding to construction activity is likely to push cost up further, thus squeezing out private activity. The new EUR54 billion climate-change package is not likely to produce much additional economic activity.
Rising unemployment could change the political environment and allow for more government action, but probably not until next year.
My main scenario remains that easier global monetary policy and a completion of the adjustment in the manufacturing sector should add support to global growth next year. But no amount of monetary stimulus can counter the damage from a further escalation of “disruption”.


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NeoGames launches new instant games site
25 May 2010
Karamba.com is the new soft gaming brand, the home to over 75 instantly gratifying games, built using flash technology by NeoGames.
Exclusive to Karamba.com is a one line game, 'Macau Nights', which for the very first time within a soft-gaming brand, holds a non progressive jackpot of £1 million, turning Karamba.com into a mass-market appealing product on a global scale.
Karamba.com is available in 12 languages and 5 currencies across all major European countries and accepts over 10 different payment methods.


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As data moves into the cloud, storage companies are taking advantage of virtualization and adding more memory to the data center. Techniques such as storage virtualization can improve the usage of existing storage hardware and make provisioning easier, while adding memory to the data center can make accessing information faster. [digg=http://digg.com/tech_news/Who_Will_Cache_in_on_Cloud_Storage]
Many companies are evaluating their use of memory in the data center as they try to strike a balance between easily accessible cache memory powered by flash and slower-to-access disk memory powered by hard drives. At the same time, they’re trying to make their storage easier to provision and more reliable by looking at some form of virtualization. Both trends will change the dynamic for large storage vendors in the years to come.
As you move along the storage technology continuum, you’re trading price for speed. Getting information stored on tape, which is cheap, can take hours or days while accessing something on flash, which costs a pretty penny, takes microseconds. Plus, solid-state drives using flash can’t possibly store all of the data people are creating. There’s also the question of how reliable it is.
Given this, most companies requiring huge storage arrays rely on expensive machines from the likes of EMC or HP. Or they make their own “storage cloud” using commodity disk drives and a proprietary layer of software. By allowing companies to allocate and provision the storage in a software layer, it virtualizes the storage array. It’s essentially the same model that underpins the storage services offered by Amazon S3 and Nirvanix.
Meanwhile, tier-one storage equipment vendors companies such as EMC, IBM and HP have recognized that cloud storage is the future of computing, and are attempting to ride that wave without cannibalizing their high-margin box business. For example, EMC is offering services for SMBs through its Mozy acquisition. IBM last year purchased XIV, which makes the software that can be used to virtualize storage. Large companies such as NetApp and 3Par are attempting virtualize storage as well.
But once the cloud is in place, there’s still the issue of calling up data and delivering it relatively quickly. For certain applications, such as those requiring instantaneous access to large quantities of data like seismic graphing or historical financial analysis, cloud storage may never replace a spinning drive connected to a sever via Fibre Channel.
But for many applications, including media delivery and most application delivery, tweaking storage for the cloud means adding faster cache memory or optimizing the storage infrastructure by geographic location. Nirvanix, the startup providing hosted storage in competition with Amazon’s S3, touts its multiple storage clusters as a way to deliver faster access to stored content. It’s also looking to provide nodes on the customer premise called “NAS heads” that will basically allow for frequently called up “hot data” to be stored there.
Alternatively, or possibly in conjunction with such a setup, a customer interested in amping up the speed of cloud storage might buy equipment from startups providing different levels of cache to aid in hasty data retrieval. We’ve covered some before, such as Atrato, which actually offers a box of disks attached to a controller that runs software designed to access and configure the hundreds of spinning disks. The result is the reliability of spinning disks with a faster information retrieval speed. Others that rely strictly on intelligently routing needed data to cache included Gear6 and Xiotech Corp.
Storage being served via the cloud is a forgone conclusion. It only remains to be seen if a startup like Nirvanix can grow to compete with the big players in storage or hosted computing, and how the larger storage vendors will walk the line of creating cloud products without jeopardizing their hardware business.
A far more interesting trend to watch will be how the growing amount of stored data is kept and delivered in the fastest amount of time. For proof that storage is relevant check out Facebook’s hardware. A little more than 8% of their servers are devoted to the distributed caching system, memcached. The entire purpose of those servers is to speed delivery of information for the social network. In this age of instant gratification, we may find that cache is king.


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Zella DC takes micro edge telco solution to Japan
Zella DC has deployed its first micro data centre in Japan as part of an edge computing solution aimed at telecom operators.
The Zella Hut – an outdoor version of the Zella Pro – will be part of an edge computing solution developed by Internet Initiative Japan Inc. (IIJ) the first commercial ISP in Japan. It is developing a multi-access edge computing (MEC) solution that will complement 5G roll-outs.
Angie Keeler (pictured), Zella DC CEO and co-founder said: "We are excited about this partnership with IIJ and to deploy our first Zella Hut in Japan. Edge Computing and 5G Connectivity are at the core of our business. It's great to be part of this trial and to work with IIJ to develop this innovative solution."
In particular the Zella Hut will be used by IIJ's telecoms customers. It is billed as "waterproof and dust proof" and includes: cooling, a UPS, environmental sensors, security cameras and "various physical security features".
In August, a fully DC powered version of the Zella Hut was launched, which the company said was better suited to the needs of telcos.
Yoshikazu Yamai, managing executive officer, DX Edge project team said: "Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ) is the first commercial internet service provider in Japan. We are progressing our service capability of IT and digital infrastructure, including the data centre. We've been planning to add the micro data centre to our data centre product line-up. Zella Hut is the micro data centre we are looking for because it will be one of our edge computing solution enablers. I'm confident that the partnership with Zella DC and IIJ leads our cutting-edge technology and provides more value to our customers," says


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In response to the recent news article from the UK government, highlighting the implementation of stringent bans and restrictions on polluting single-use plastics, it’s evident that significant changes are afoot for environmental sustainability. The ban on items such as plastic cutlery, balloon sticks, and polystyrene cups and food containers in England signals a momentous leap towards a more environmentally conscious future.
As an eco-conscious brand, we at Ambican have already taken proactive measures to align our product offerings with these new laws. We have always offered a range of biodegradable alternatives, and we hope that our products can assist other businesses as they begin to replace single-use plastics with alternatives.
Your Eco-Friendly Business Partner
Ambican has long been committed to promoting eco-friendly practices and providing sustainable alternatives to single-use plastics. With the recent bans coming into force, we at Ambican are ready to play a pivotal role in helping businesses transition to more sustainable options.
If your business is currently phasing out single-use plastics and you’re looking for an alternative that can help your brand become more sustainable, you’re in the right place. We can offer a range of takeaway coffee cups and biodegradable food tubs for your catering business, food stall, or restaurant! Browse our offerings today and say goodbye to the last of your business’ single-use plasticwear.
Plastic-Free Cutlery Alternatives
One of the most significant changes under the new regulations is the ban on single-use plastic cutlery. Businesses, including retailers, takeaways, and food vendors, must now seek alternative options. Ambican offers a wide range of biodegradable cutlery made from materials like paper, cornstarch, bamboo, and sugarcane. These alternatives not only fulfil the new legal requirements but also align with Ambican’s mission to reduce plastic waste and reduce environmental impact.
Sustainable Food Containers
Polystyrene cups and food containers have been a ubiquitous sight in the food industry for years. However, their negative impact on the environment is undeniable. The ban on these products forces businesses in the hospitality industry to rethink their packaging choices.
Ambican offers a variety of biodegradable and compostable food containers made from materials like paper and plant-based plastics. These containers not only adhere to the law but also cater to the growing demand for sustainable food packaging.
Ambican’s Commitment to Sustainability
Beyond simply complying with new regulations, Ambican’s commitment to sustainability runs deep. The company continuously researches and sources innovative, eco-friendly products to help businesses reduce their carbon footprint. By choosing Ambican as your supplier, you’re not just meeting legal requirements; you’re actively contributing to a more sustainable and greener future.
Why Choose Ambican?
At Ambican, our commitment to sustainability goes beyond just meeting regulatory requirements; it’s about providing businesses with a partner dedicated to helping them make environmentally responsible choices. Here’s why we stand out as your go-to supplier for eco-friendly alternatives:
- Extensive Range: Ambican offers a comprehensive selection of biodegradable and compostable products, ensuring that businesses can find suitable alternatives for their needs. From cutlery to food containers, our range is designed to cover all aspects of your business’s sustainability journey.
- Quality Assurance: We understand that functionality and durability are paramount. That’s why Ambican’s eco-friendly products undergo rigorous testing to meet industry standards. Rest assured, when you choose our products, you’re not compromising on quality. They perform just as well as their plastic counterparts.
- Environmental Impact: By opting for Ambican’s products, businesses actively contribute to reducing their reliance on single-use plastics. This translates to a significant reduction in plastic waste and pollution. You’re not just making a choice for your bottom line; you’re making a choice for the planet. Join the global movement towards a greener future with Ambican.
- Customer Support: Navigating the transition to sustainable alternatives can be challenging, but you don’t have to do it alone. Ambican’s dedicated customer support team is here to assist your business every step of the way.
The new bans and restrictions on polluting single-use plastics in England are a critical step toward a more sustainable future. As businesses adapt to these changes, Ambican stands ready to support them in making the transition to eco-friendly alternatives. We have already navigated the ban on single-use straws, cotton buds, and stirrers, this extension on that ban will be just as simple to get through. As we see more single-use plastic items cast out of businesses in the run-up 2042, Ambican will continue as we always have.
With a wide range of biodegradable products, Ambican offers businesses the opportunity to not only meet legal requirements but also actively participate in the global movement to reduce plastic waste. By choosing Ambican today, businesses can take a proactive stance in preserving our environment and creating a cleaner, greener future for all.
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You can thank an analyst at H.C. Wainwright for that.
Shares of Blink got upgraded to buy with a $50 price target at investment banker H.C. Wainwright this morning, as described in a note covered on StreetInsider.com. As analyst Sameer Joshi explained, Blink is benefiting from "several positive developments," not least the passage of President Biden's $1 trillion infrastructure bill, which includes "approximately $7.5B" in funding for companies building out electric vehicle (EV) charging networks in the U.S.
Not only that, but the administration is also advocating passage of a "$7,500 incentive per EV ... tax refund," wrote Joshi, plus an "additional benefit of $4,500 for EVs produced in U.S. factories with union labor" and an additional tax benefit of "$500 per EV that use batteries produced in the U.S."
Add it all up, and that's as much as $12,500 in government incentives to encourage Americans to buy electric cars ... and then charge those cars at car charging stations such as the ones Blink Charging is building. "This dual action of incentivizing EVs and the EV infrastructure," says Joshi, "should help overcome drivers' 'range anxiety' that has thus far hindered EV growth."
It would also, one imagines, overcome some checkbook anxiety about the high cost of EVs -- by having the government foot the bill for much of the purchase cost. There's just one problem with all the above (well, one problem in addition to the one that all of this money ultimately has to come from the same taxpayers who are being expected to buy the cars):
Turns out, the $12,500 in tax incentives that the analyst is pointing to aren't included in the $1 trillion infrastructure bill at all, but rather in the Build Back Better bill -- the one that was supposed to be linked to the infrastructure bill but has since been decoupled from it. That decoupling has hurt its chances of ever getting passed.
Long story short, the buy thesis hangs on the tenuous hope that a cash-strapped government will soon volunteer to pay $12,500 to help Americans buy electric cars. Suffice it to say, that's a very thin reed with which to support the idea of buying an unprofitable car charging stock that trades for 149 times sales.


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When a person stand unusually close to the robot, it’ll stop completely, he continues. In the worst case scenario where it hits a human, it’s designed specifically to avoid forceful impact. “I haven’t had it hit an operator yet, but if it does it really is quite gentle,” Murphy says.
Prysm’s objective is not about replacing staff, but freeing them up to operate other machines and do higher-level tasks, leaving mind-numbing and repetitive tasks to the robots.
“Also, labelling has to be in a set position every time, has to be applied without creases or air bubbles - the robot does it the same time, every time, and a lot better than a human can,” Murphy adds.
However, there are some minor restriction with the UR5 in that it only has a reach of about XXX metres so it can only handle objects within about a metre radius.
If there is one technology disrupting not just car manufacturing but the nature of driving itself, it’s the driverless car. Having driverless cars optimise themselves to pick up and drop people off upon request through an app, so they never have to buy and own their own car, is not far-fetched.
GoGet in Australia, a car sharing service company, is working towards this ambition by engineering its own driverless car. It currently has a test car and is further developing the technology to roll out in future.
GoGet Carshare CEO, Tristan Sender, says the car would pick up customers and go to the destination, then pick up someone else. “It would work out through algorithms to make sure they are being as efficient as possible with where they go and who they pick up,” he says.
“The car would already probably have who it would pick up next before you even get out of the vehicle.”
GoGet is investing in the driverless car as it sees this as the next step in car sharing.
“It’s a more efficient version of sharing. So we may provide the self-driving car service to people just like we currently provide car share service to people,” Sender says. “You’ll probably see large savings in terms of cost as well, because the level of efficiency of these vehicles.”
The South Australian Government announced in February that it will reform legislation to allow for driverless cars in the future. Sender says this opens the door to innovation around car services. “It allows for new things to be developed that will benefit society in the long term,” Sender claims.
“What this is going to do is make other transport authorities think more about it,” adds University of NSW’s transport engineer, Vinayak Dixit, who is developing GoGet’s driverless car. The car takes in real-time feeds from what’s happening around it through sensors and its perception system. The next step is having vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication.
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KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana News Weather & Sports
All 17-year-old McKenzie Gill wanted for her 18th birthday was a Cake showing her support for Donald Trump, but thanks to a bakery worker at a Bossier City, Louisiana, Albertson’s grocery store, Gill didn’t get her wish – at least not initially.
Gill went to the store Monday to order her cake, but was refused service. The teen immediately took to social media to express her frustration.
“Just left Albertsons. The woman behind the cake counter just refused to make me a birthday cake because I wanted Trump 2016 on it. Did that really just happen?” Gill wrote in a Facebook post, adding a “check-in” as not to place blame on the wrong bakery.
Gill described Trump as someone she really looks up to and noted her excitement about being able to vote in this year’s election. She hoped to share that excitement at her upcoming Trump-themed birthday party, but the bakery worker almost ruined that for her. Gill said she just wanted the bakery worker to do her job and leave her opinion out of the cake designs. The teen also took her cake order elsewhere.
However, when Albertson’s heard about the cake controversy, they were quick to set the record straight, blaming the refusal not on politics, but rather copyright laws.
“We apologize to our customer in Bossier City for the situation regarding the cake that was requested,” Connie Yeates, spokesperson for the grocery chain said in a statement. “Our Bakery staff member misunderstood the training provided regarding copyrighted phrases, and incorrectly informed the customer we could not fulfill her request. We would be happy to provide the cake as the customer requested.”
[ KSLA ]
The post Teen’s birthday ruined after bakery refuses to make ‘Trump 2016’ cake (VIDEO) appeared first on Guns.com.


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The National Labor Relations Board on Wednesday issued what is said to be the largest complaint against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for breaking federal labor law by violating workers’ rights. The complaint alleges Wal-Mart illegally fired and disciplined nearly 70 workers, including those who went on strike last June.
The NLRB describes illegal activities in 14 states at 34 stores and asserts that Wal-Mart executives put an unlawful retaliation policy in place for store managers to follow. The complaint names 63 store managers and assistant store managers and company spokesperson and vice president of communications David Tovar as being responsible for making illegal threats to employees.
The NLRB authorized complaints in November, but withheld issuing the complaints to allow time for settlement discussions. The discussions were not successful, and a consolidated complaint has been issued regarding some of the alleged violations of federal law, the NLRB said Wednesday.
Wal-Mart said in November that it disagreed with the NLRB and reiterated its position on Wednesday. “This is the next procedural step,” said a Wal-Mart spokeswoman. “The merits of these complaints have not been heard. Wal-Mart will now have the opportunity to shed some light on the facts and provide our side. We look forward to doing that. We’ve treated our associates respectfully and lawfully. We have a strict no retaliation policy. We’ve continually worked with NLRB throughout the process.”
Wal-Mart must respond to the complaint by Jan. 28, at which time an administrative law judge will set a hearing date. The Office of the General Counsel has authorized or issued complaints in other Wal-Mart cases, and additional charges remain under investigation.
The National Labor Relations Act guarantees the right of private sector employees to act together to try to improve their wages and working conditions with or without a union. The NLRB alleges that Wal-Mart violated the act when during two national TV news broadcasts and in statements to employees at Wal-Mart stores in California and Texas, the retailer unlawfully threatened employees with reprisal if they engaged in strikes and protests. It also allegedly threatened, disciplined and/or terminated employees for engaging in legally protected strikes and protests in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and Washington. In stores in California, Florida, Missouri and Texas, Wal-Mart unlawfully threatened, surveilled, disciplined and/or terminated employees in anticipation of or in response to employees’ other protected concerted activities.
“This is an important case,” said a labor rights expert. “It affects a lot of workers whose rights may be getting violated.”
My character, Dinah Madani, is just the coolest, [most] badass woman imaginable," says @amberroserevah. The actress stars in @marvel's newest series on @netflix, @thepunisher. To prepare for her role, Revah sat down with Homeland agents to get a real sense of with Dinah's day-to-day life is really like. Read our full interview on WWD.com. #wwdeye (📷: @jilliansollazzo)
A scene from the 91st annual @macys Thanksgiving Day Parade. The parade, which boasts 50 million TV viewers and 3.5 million on-site spectators, is considered one of the largest and most watched parades in the world. (📷: Jason Szenes/EPA-REX)
The circus came to @bloomingdales 59th Street on Tuesday night and lit up Lexington Avenue with acrobatic dancers, death-defying knife throwing, sword swallowing and aerial acts with no net. The 45 minutes of theatrics built up to unveiling the holiday windows depicting @swarovski crystal-encrusted circus pieces and scenes from “The Greatest Showman” – songs from the soundtrack included. See the rest of the photos on WWD.com #wwdfashion (📷: Joshua Scott)
The psychedelic fashion that pervaded the ’60s is back with an exhibit at the @museumofcityny. “Mode New York: Fashion Takes a Trip” chronicles the changing styles from 1960 through 1973 and features designers such as @ysl, @oscardelarenta and more. The exhibition, which is on display through April 1, is organized into four periods: First Lady Fasion, Youthquake, New Bohemia and New Nonchalance. Pictured here is model Pat Bardonella during the Garvey Day Parade in 1968. (📷: @kwamebphoto) #wwdeye #wwdfashion
“People should be a lot more honest in expressing both the dark and light of themselves. We need to give each other the space to do that because it’s the only way we can grow and evolve,” says @noelwells of her new film “Mr. Roosevelt,” which is largely based on her own struggles. Unexpectedly leaving @nbcsnl in 2014 after just one season, Wells felt set back in her self-esteem and career trajectory. She quickly refocused her energy to more personal projects, which led to the completion of “Mr. Roosevelt.” Read the rest of WWD’s interview with the “Master of None” actress on WWD.com #wwdeye (📷: @jilliansollazzo)
@barbrastreisand is giving fans a chance to see her perform up close in a new concert series, which makes its debut on @Netflix today. From behind-the-scenes takes to her concert performance in Miami last December, the two-hour streaming special captures Streisand in her element. Pictured here is the singer/actress photographed for WWD in 1963. (📷: Palmieri Tony) #wwdeye #wwdarchive
@chanel and @pharrell dropped what’s being dubbed as the world’s most exclusive sneakers yesterday. The Adidas Originals NMD Hu, which Williams designed in collaboration with Chanel and @adidasoriginals, has a waiting list of over 120K people who pre-registered online at chanelatcolette.fr –– and only 500 pairs are on sale. The singer predicted the resale value of the shoes could reach $40K. Read the full interview on WWD.com. Link in bio. #wwdfashion (📷: Dominique Maître)
@imanshumpert is diving deeper into his creative endeavors and relaunching his clothing line, Post 90s, and is helping to raise money for the hurricane victims in St. Maarten with a jersey he’s designed with his brother. The Cleveland Cavaliers player talked to WWD about kneeling during the national anthem, working with fashion brands and how he wants to be more than an @nba player. Read the interview on WWD.com #wwdfashion (📷: George Chinese)


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Ecstasy can treat trauma patients
Ecstasy can help the victims of post-traumatic stress overcome their demons, research has shown. In tests, the illegal dance drug had a dramatic effect on previously untreatable patients who suffered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Doctors held two eight-hour psychotherapy sessions during which they administered the chemical MDMA. Two months later, 80 per cent of those treated no longer had symptoms, said the researchers led by Dr Rick Doblin, president of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies in Santa Cruz, California. In contrast, just two out of eight patients offered a placebo showed an improvement.
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The rise in electric vehicle (EV) market share in the car industry may be accelerating as witnessed in the wave of announcements from Volvo, Volkswagen, General Motors, Ford, Nissan, Toyota, Honda, and a host of Chinese auto makers.
But there always has been, and always will be, a tremendous mountain of marketing hype by auto makers and others about the march to EVs and fuel cells.
When I wrote World Guide To Battery-Powered Road Transportation in 1979, many people and companies involved in EV research and development, including many auto companies, projected half a million EVs on the road by 1988. The world reached that level in 2014. The California government wanted 10% of the vehicles sold in California to be “Zero Emission Vehicles” by 1988, subtly ignoring that the state got its electricity from state coal-fired power plants back then. Fuel cell vehicles have been 10 years from massive production and platinum requirements since the 1960s, when GM and other auto companies were working on prototypes.
I may suffer from undue skepticism borne out of decades worth of unfulfilled manufacturer promises, but as the retired director of GM’s 1960s fuel cell program said when he bought the prototype fuel cell van from his former company in the 2000s: ‘When an auto company says it will introduce a technology in five years, that means it is interested in commercializing the technology, but when it says it will introduce the technology in 10 years, that means it may someday move in that direction.’
Politicians around the world further muddy the future vision with wildly unrealistic pronouncements and ‘aspirational’ policy guidelines suggesting a much more rapid transition to electric propulsion than possible.
And then there are hydrogen engines and liquid organic hydrogen carriers, technologies that could blow away EVs, HEVs (hybrid EVs), and gasoline and diesel vehicles in a decade or two.
Many mainstream business articles and commentaries increasingly are accepting the auto industry’s transition to EVs as a foregone conclusion and that the transition will come fast — faster than had been considered likely even a year ago.
There is the smell of a quasi-religious belief in the coming EV revolution. I take a more cautious approach, partly because I have seen technophilic belief in so many technologies that never were commercialized. I get worried when people are so excited about how EVs or some other emerging technology is going to revolutionize the way we live that they forget to consider facts or do basic arithmetic projections based on reality. That is where some of the commentary about the rapid introduction of EVs in the next few years rests: It fails to take into consideration reality.
To be sure, there may be an acceleration of the introduction of EVs underway at present. The question is: Will this be as ill-conceived and short-lived as the EU push to subsidize diesel fuel and vehicles in the late 1990s, which was predicated on the wrong belief that diesel fuel was environmentally preferable to gasoline.
It would be hard to over-state the critical importance future auto propulsion technology will have on the PGM industry, which makes forecasting what will happen to the industry so challenging. If market share of EVs increases rapidly, the three major PGMs by value (platinum, palladium, and rhodium) will lose their major markets, which would render an almost fatal blow to the PGM mining industry. If, however, the transition to EVs or whatever motive power technology becomes dominant is slower, these three PGMs could see sharp price increases over the coming decade.
Even if EVs or some other technology supplant traditional automobiles entirely, or almost entirely, the outlook for platinum prices still looks promising over the next 10 years. The cliff is somewhere beyond 2030, it seems.
However, as future trends in auto propulsion technology become clearer as the current decade progresses, financial markets will price future demand trends into prices in advance of the actual demand developments.
For now and the next few years, this is in the future. Platinum prices should be expected to rise, perhaps sharply, while palladium and rhodium prices appear destined to remain high. This is because the shorter term trends in the auto industry are positive for platinum, palladium, and rhodium demand. The overall number of vehicles being built continues to rise in the long run, despite periodic declines due to recessions in 2008 and again in 2020. Emission standards are tightening, leading to higher per vehicle loadings of PGMs.
The record high palladium and rhodium prices over the past several years meanwhile is leading to a shift away from palladium back to using more platinum. More vehicles using more platinum means more total demand for this metal.
This increase in demand comes at a time when PGM producers continue to struggle with plans for future production. This may combine with increased platinum use in auto catalysts to push prices sharply higher in the middle and later parts of the current decade. Or not: If EVs gain market share faster than seemed likely even recently, this scenario could be upset or sharply abbreviated. Demand for all three major PGMs could decline sharply and sooner than otherwise might be expected.
The PGM mining industry needs to position itself for either auto demand contingency: One with a rapid shift to EVs or some other technology, or one in which demand for PGMs for use in auto catalysts remains important, and the largest use of these metals, for at least several decades.
This comes after years of persistent over-production and surpluses in platinum and palladium. The South African PGM mining sector has promoted the view that the platinum market was persistently in a deficit, but it did that by adding estimates of investment demand in with fabrication demand in the calculations comparing fabrication demand to total supply. Commodities analysts generally exclude investment demand from these calculations for several reasons. Platinum, or gold or silver, bought for investment purposes remains in ‘platinum form.’ That is, it is in fungible, refined form as bars, sponge (powdered metal), or coins that can be sold back into the market at a moment’s notice. It is not used in fabricated products where its identity as refined platinum is masked by the greater value of the manufactured product.
Furthermore, investors prefer to invest in commodities that have a fundamental deficit, one caused by manufacturers needing or wanting more platinum, in this instance, than is being refined from mine output and secondary scrap recovery. Adding investment demand into one’s calculations may make a market balance look tighter than it is for investment marketing purposes, but that tends not to fool most sophisticated investors. It tends to put them off a market, instead, as they see it as a ‘promoted’ market.
For reasons we need not delve into here, platinum, gold, and silver promotional agencies and their support companies have added investment demand to their guesses of fabrication demand since the 1990s.
Worse, many mining executives seemed to believe the results, thinking that the platinum market was running massive long-term deficits. They could not understand why platinum prices were so weak in the face of purported massive structural deficits. Stripping out investment demand, one sees long-term persistent surpluses, which perfectly explain the weak platinum prices of the past decade.
The current generation of PGM mining executives seem to have a more granular understanding of platinum market realities, and they now are wrestling with the realities of the market. Unfortunately, their long-term plans need to account for the enormous uncertainty about how fast EVs will take market share, and consequently how much or how little platinum, palladium, and rhodium the global auto market will need in five, 10, 20, 30 years.
In sum, the future of auto propulsion technology and which one wins, hangs over long-term capital allocation decisions in the PGM industry, making such calculations so much more difficult.
On top of all of this auto market uncertainty, the PGM mining industry faces a host of other issues. There is of course an enormous list of social, governmental, environmental, and political issues facing it.
There are critical issues about how to interface with the investment market. Investors own millions of ounces of platinum already. They could become price insensitive ‘competitors’ for miners should they decide to sell. Or, they could be the saviors of the miners, buying even more. Until now at least, the South African, Russian, and North American PGM mining industry has not demonstrated a profound understanding of the motives and methods of platinum investors. Doing so would be crucial to helping financing market intermediaries fashion attractive platinum investment instruments and strategies that can compete in financial markets that increasing are driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and indexed investing along with monetary accommodation.
Other demand sectors, including jewelry, chemical catalysts, petroleum-refining catalysts, electronics, metallurgical applications, glass manufacturing equipment, and a host of other manufacturing applications, also need attention from platinum suppliers.
—Jeffrey Christian is the managing partner of CPM Group, a commodities research and management, consulting and financial advisory firm in New York. He founded the company in 1986, spinning off the Commodities Research Group from Goldman Sachs & Co., and its commodities trading arm, J. Aron & Company. Christian is an expert on precious metal markets.


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For attendees and exhibitors alike, The Rental Show 2012 in New Orleans has exceeded expectations with a wide variety of popular educational opportunities and a trade show floor with a buzz among buyers and sellers not seen in years.
“This show is real upbeat. The vendors are busy writing invoices. Exhibitors have stepped up their game with great looking booths. Attendees are positive. Everyone is networking like crazy and many of the seminars I attended were full. Everyone is on their ‘A’ game,” said Ted Cook, Ventura Rental Center, Ventura, Calif., and American Rental Association (ARA) president.
“The show has been great. There’s a lot of good traffic on the exhibit floor,” said Paul Phelon, Timp Rental, Orem, Utah. “I’ve talked to several exhibitors and their sales are up. A lot of people are selling and buying. I’m doing a lot of buying. People are excited and that’s what it’s all about.”
The same refrain was heard from many exhibitors in all areas of the exhibit hall: Good traffic, lots of qualified leads and plenty of sales.
“This has been great. We’ve been making some sales. We have some really good leads coming up and several people on the first day said they would see me before they leave, so I’m thinking they will come back and make a purchase. I’m really pleased. This year is really good,” said Brent Gent, owner, SiBore Drill, Navarre, Ohio.
"We're very happy with the traffic and people are buying," said David Abdoo, owner, Event Merchandise Source, South Burlington, Vt. "I love New Orleans. It's a great place for the show."
Scott Imman, sales, Bobcat, West Fargo, N.D., said they were "very, very, very busy. There's a lot of enthusiasm compared to the last few shows."
Source: American Rental Assn.


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With the increasing reports of suicidal thoughts and other serious neuropsychiatric symptoms tied to the anti-smoking drug Chantix, the drug’s maker has launched a new ad that does not even mention the product by name.
Consumer Reports says such ads are known as “help-seeking” ads come in handy for drugs “that have a particularly nasty list of side effects..
Chantix became available August 2006. Since that time, over 6 million people have been prescribed the drug. In the last quarter of 2007, Chantix had the most serious incidents of any drug during that time – a total of 988. The director of the Health Research Group at Public Citizen has warned people not to take the drug until there is more information about its safety and the increased psychiatric adverse events connected with taking this medication.
More information about the side effects of Chantix is available here.
Prescription drugs make many people’s lives better, but unfortunately the Journal of the American Medical Association reports 51% of all prescription drugs have serious side effects not recognized before they gained FDA approval. If you or someone you care about has been injured or killed by an unsafe prescription drug, contact the Louthian Law Firm today at 1-866-410-5656 for a free evaluation of your case.


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Randa Accessories plans to push on in its bid for Perry Ellis, but a regulatory filing indicates that the apparel firm’s Special Committee might already be done listening.
Perry Ellis International Inc. on Wednesday revealed the terms of its buyout deal with founder George Feldenkreis in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. And contrary to Randa’s claim that the Special Committee isn’t doing its job because it refuses to open a dialogue with them about their new offer, a separate filing containing a preliminary proxy statement from Perry Ellis indicates that the company and its advisers have done a number of back-and-forth talks between April 5 — when Randa first expressed interest — and Monday in connection with the accessories firm’s most recent letter. Further, the filing sets forth the number of times that the Special Committee and its advisers have met to analyze the sufficiency of Randa’s offers and other documentation each time it has done a reachout.
Move over millennials, a new generation is coming of age.
At five years old, North West, the famous daughter of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, has captivated the digital realm with her cross-generational appeal. Without a public Instagram or YouTube channel of her own, she’s too young to fully understand what a digital footprint is. And yet, hers is already wildly popular.
We’ve watched North West grow on Instagram and “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and magazines — here, she poses for her first solo cover. Her distinct fashion sense belies her age, and lately, so does her eye for makeup.
West, whether she knows it or not, is at the forefront of a generation that is highly connected, engaged with fashion and beauty and individualistic in style. Called Alpha, signifying a new beginning, this age group is unlike any the world has ever seen.
And combined with Gen Z, their slightly older counterparts, their numbers are strong. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2025, people aged 17 and under will comprise 43 percent of the U.S. population. Already, they are significant consumers of beauty: According to NPD, 69 percent of Gen Zers use color cosmetics and 68 percent have a skin-care regimen.
With numbers like that, Alphas and Gen Z are expected to have a sociocultural and economic impact equal to that of their parents or older siblings, the Millennials.
Read more on WWD.com, link in bio.
Report: @alexa_writes 📸: @jucophoto
set design: @lizzielang
hair styling: @chrisappleton1
Today we honor an icon, Karl Lagerfeld. Read WWD’s tribute to the late designer, whose prolific career has influenced fashion and culture overall for the last 60 years. Link in bio.
Following the news of Karl Lagerfeld’s passing, Chanel said it has appointed studio director Virginie Viard to continue the legendary designer's work.
Follow WWD.com for the latest updates.
#wwdnews #chanel #karllagerfeld
Karl Lagerfeld has died in Paris.
The designer, one of the most prolific, admired and multi-talented fashion figures of the modern age, worked tirelessly until the end, giving instructions to his teams for the Fendi fall ready-to-wear collection, due to take place in Milan on Thursday.