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Two US universities are losing their food delivery robots because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Grubhub announced on Thursday that it was ending its partnership with Russian tech company Yandex and pulling 100 Yandex-made food delivery robots from the campuses of Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. Chicago-based Grubhub said it is working with both campuses to find alternatives.
Grubhub has been using the robots to deliver food on Ohio State’s campus since August. The company started robot delivery at the University of Arizona last November. The company says it makes 1,000 deliveries a day between the two locations.
Yandex is Russia’s largest internet search and ridesharing company. Toby Snuggs, head of sales at Yandex Self-Driving Group, confirmed the split from Grubhub and said the robots will be sent to other locations outside the US where Yandex operates.
“It’s really unfortunate that we can’t continue this great project we started on the US campus with Grubhub as we all know it has had a really positive impact on the student body,” said Snuggs.
Earlier this week, ride-hailing giant Uber said it was trying to accelerate a proposed sale of its stake in Yandex.Taxi, Yandex’ mobility business. Uber owns a 29% stake in Yandex.Taxi, worth about $800 million. Uber said three of its executives who were on the Yandex.Taxi board also resigned.
In a regulatory filing filed on Thursday, Yandex noted that the Moscow-based company and its executives have not faced specific sanctions because Yandex is not involved in defense, aerospace, or shipping.
The Nasdaq exchange suspended trading in Yandex shares last week.
https://nypost.com/2022/03/04/russian-delivery-robots-at-ohio-state-university-of-arizona-pulled-by-grubhub/ Russian delivery robots at Ohio State, University of Arizona pulled by Grubhub


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EUROPE – Business travel and event management agency, Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) has reported sales of £8.67bn (US$14.39bn) for the first half of 2014, a 2.7 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2013.
The company has also announced that transactions are up 4.3 per cent to 32.5m for the first six months of the year, with new sales hitting £450m.
CWT says it has maintained its strong client retention rate of 98 per cent.
“We have seen a strong performance in the first half of 2014,” says President and CEO of CWT, Douglas Anderson. “We will continue to deliver outstanding customer service as well as the new and enhanced services that our customers are asking for, such as mobile booking on our CWT To GoTM app.”
In other news, Jane Baker has left the global meetings and events division of CWT, CWT Meetings and Events, and joined London-based experiential marketing company FreemanXP as VP Client Development International.
Baker joined CWT in August 2011 as Business Development Director before moving to the role of Commercial Director at CWT Meetings & Events in July 2013. Prior to her three years at CWT, Baker was Business Development Director at global event and experience marketing agency George P Johnson.
Ian Cummings, UK & Ireland MD, CWT Meetings & Events, said: “Jane has moved on from the company to an exciting new opportunity in her career. CWT Meetings & Events isactively recruiting for the role to continue the change and growth that the UK & Ireland organisation has experienced so far as part of our robust strategy to develop and grow with our clients. We’ll communicate further once this appointment has been made.”
Baker, added: “I enjoyed three fantastic years at CWT Meetings & Events and I’m proud of my achievements there. I am thrilled to be joining FreemanXP as we launch our agency internationally. We have already secured our first wins from the London office and I look forward to building on that early success.”
Do you have a news story for CMW? Email: Zoe Vernor

domain: news


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Landers, YBF Ventures team up for lawtech hub
National firm Lander & Rogers and tech innovation space YBF Ventures have joined forces for an “immersion opportunity” for legal technology creators, with four start-ups already on board.
The LawTech Hub, Landers said in a statement, is a chance for “mature start-ups looking to collaborate, grow their companies rapidly, and be part of the up-and-coming legal technology community in Australia”.
Following an application process, the first four start-ups to join will be Anika Legal, Josef, Mitimes and TA Law.
Landers chief executive partner Genevieve Collins said: “Clients are expecting more from their legal advisers and the industry has to respond. Lander & Rogers has chosen to look outwards and embrace technology, and our LawTech Hub is an important part of our response.”
“Through the LawTech Hub, Lander & Rogers can learn from the vibrant and engaged startup community, and we can bring extensive legal experience and expertise to the table – I believe this is a powerful combination for both our firm's people, our clients, and our lawtech partners,” she posited.
YBF Ventures CEO Farley Blackman added that the entire YBF Ventures team is “thrilled” to welcome the four legal start-ups into its “already thriving community”.
“Alongside Lander & Rogers, we’ll be on hand to ensure that they have the support to grow their businesses”.
By joining the hub, Landers noted, the four start-ups have helped start “a growing community that will boost this emerging sector and improve the experience of those requiring legal expertise”.
Speaking last week at the formal opening of the LawTech Hub, Victorian Parliamentary Secretary for Jobs Jane Garrett said, “It is incredibly impressive to see Lander & Rogers and YBF Ventures put their passion and drive towards creating a centre of excellence for transforming the way that lawyers can do their work.”
“With educated and compassionate people from the law collaborating with smart, energised technology experts, they can create a better experience and outcome for the people who critically rely on the law,” she said.


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In the latest development, the French government seems to have shown its interest in Bitcoin as the French Prudential Supervisory Authority (ACPR), which regulates the nation’s banks, has issued a statement clarifying the status of Bitcoin and Bitcoin exchanges. Last year in December, the Bank of France warned about risks related to the digital currency Bitcoin.
Then the Bank of France had said that the price of Bitcoin in legal currencies was inherently volatile and users may find it difficult to convert to real money. It had also said that even if Bitcoin is not currently a credible investment vehicle and therefore do not pose a significant risk to financial stability, they represent a financial risk for those who hold them.
Now, the latest argument on the part of the French Prudential Supervisory Authority is that in addition to the standard list of concerns and warnings, anyone operating a Bitcoin exchange in France must have a license to operate. Nevertheless, this stand from the earlier stand by the Bank of France is far better and inclusive.
The Government Agency Worried about Consumer Protection from Fraud
As according to the ACPR now intermediation in the sale or purchase of Bitcoins, or receiving funds to transfer Bitcoins, requires the seller to be treated like any other payment service, it looks; it will be under some sort of regulation. Also, as now it looks ACPR wants to keep an eye on the Bitcoin exchanges for any wrong doings.
However, the latest decision on the part of ACPR is not any kind of authoritative declaration that Bitcoin is a legal tender as the authority also reminded the public that the European Banking Authority (EBA) has already issued public warnings about digital currencies. Thus, there are already concerns about the lack of regulatory authority and protection for consumers.
The French government’s agencies including the Bank of France and now ACPR have been showing their concern for the protection of customers in case an exchange or other Bitcoin-related service defaults. According to it the risks involved with storing Bitcoins on a computer, lack of a protective legal framework, high volatility, risk of abuse by criminals, and possible tax implications, etc.
In its statement ACPR says that exchange platforms that acquire or sell Bitcoins for legal tender must make transactions through a registered provider that may include inter alia credit institution, payment institution or an electronic money institution.
To contact the reporter of this story: Deepak Tiwari at email@example.com


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Why Kenneth Rogoff Thinks China Is Worst Threat to World Economy
Kenneth Rogoff on China
On Monday, September 26, 2016, Kenneth Rogoff, professor of economics at Harvard University and former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund, told the BBC that the slowdown in China’s economy (FXI) (YINN) is the biggest threat to the world economy (ACWI) (VTI).
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He said, “I think the economy is slowing down much more than the official figures show.” This slowdown in economic activity is a big risk to the world economy. The economy is currently growing at a rate of 6.7%. In the first and second quarters of 2016, the economy also grew at a rate of 6.7%. However, since 2Q10, the country’s economic growth has been falling gradually.
How China’s slowdown affected commodity movement
From 2011 to 2013, a massive industrialization and urbanization transformation took place in China (MCHI) (FXI). After many years of investments, projects haven’t been able to deliver the expected return to investors. This raised questions about additional investment plans. As a result, the demand for commodities (DBC) in domestic consumption fell and dragged down commodities.
China (YINN) (ASHR) is one of the major commodity-consuming countries. It consumes nearly 50% of the world’s commodities. Domestic consumption and exports are two important components of China’s (FXI) economy. The fall in its domestic consumption and exports created worries across the globe (ACWI), as China is an important trading partner for many countries.
Kenneth Rogoff sees the gradual slowdown in China’s economy as the greatest threat to the world economy right now. If we see further slowdown in coming quarters, then it will become a serious problem for the global economy.
In the next part of this series, we’ll analyze how China’s debt-fueled economy is creating worries for the global market.


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A washer-drier is all well and good, but what about after that? You need Laundroid.
It’s a washing machine that also folds your clothes. And it’s just announced that from next year, it will start taking pre-orders. Considering it started back in 2008, that’s not exactly lightning quick pace. But still, you’ll never have to fold clothes again!
Laundroid is a collaboration between housing firm Daiwa House, Panasonic and Seven Dreamers. In 2017, it will start rolling out folding machines for big institutions, followed by beta machines. Then in 2019, a full retail model should be available (though it is still in the development stage).
Engadget witnessed a demonstration, and while the firm is keeping schtum on how the machine actually works, it still looks impressive.
This sorting process is part of the reason why it’s taking so long for the machines to be ready. It’s not easy differentiating between a t-shirt and a pair of pants, especially if said underwear are of the voluminous Y-front variety. It’s also not easy for a robot to fold clothes, because they’re so malleable. It takes a lot more dexterity to work with soft materials than hard ones like wood or metal.
A full wash load would take about seven hours to fold. So set it going, go to bed, and wake up to clean, dry and immaculately folded clothes. Sounds like the future to us.


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Loading: XLR8R’s Videogames and Tech Roundup
Microsoft’s Viva Piñata coming to the DSAn announcement at Comic-Con this week stated that the […]
Microsoft’s Viva Piñata coming to the DS
An announcement at Comic-Con this week stated that the Rare-developed, Microsoft-published Viva Piñata is coming to the Nintendo DS.
A strategy game about raising colorful piñata animals on a farm, Viva Piñata was a good idea that didn’t really take off on the Xbox 360, most likely because people who generally own Xbox 360’s aren’t 10-year old girls, and the piñatas in question neither exploded nor bled.
The game is being converted into a top-down view for the DS, and is kind of a big deal for a few reasons:
1. This is one of the first times that I can think of where a major company like Microsoft was willing to take a game franchise that they touted as one of their flagship properties and sent it to a competitor’s technically inferior, yet much more ubiquitous and lucrative, piece of hardware.
2. Not only could this set an interesting precedent, it also opens the door for the possibility of the much-rumored Halo DS.
3. Microsoft was rumored to be interested in purchasing a struggling Nintendo only a couple of years ago. The tide done turned, my friends.
Xbox 360 Price Drop Looming?
The week before E3, a few pre-press ads leaked onto the web, showing a $100 price decrease for the 60GB PS3. Sony said that no such thing would happen. Then, a couple of days later, it did.
Microsoft then said that it had no plans to lower the price of the Xbox 360. Of course not.
But alas, two different ads that aren’t public yet, similar to the PS3 ads, surfaced this week on various sites, showing a $50 price-drop for the Xbox 360 at both Wal-Mart and Toys R Us.
Should these photos be believed, this will all transpire on or before August 12th!
Rockstar Games’ PS3 Exclusive
Despite GTA IV not getting any exclusive episodic content on the PlayStation 3 (though it will on the Xbox 360), to appease the ailing company, Rockstar Games has instead made a deal with Sony to release an entirely exclusive title for the PS3…at some point.
From Michael Shorrock, Director of 3rd Party Relations at SCEA: “As part of our long-standing relationship with Rockstar, and the incredible success for both companies with the cultural icon that is Grand Theft Auto, we’ve agreed to the PlayStation exclusive rights of the next great franchise from the Rockstar studios.”
I know it says “next franchise,” which would lead us to believe it’s something new, BUT, my guess would be Red Dead Revolver 2.
Anyone remember that trailer for an “unnamed western” that Rockstar showed at E3 2 years ago during Sony press conference, and then quickly denied existed? I could be wrong and it could be something entirely new but it would make sense. Red Dead Revolver sold fairly well so sequel is inevitable and why not make Sony happy with a little exclusive since they dropped the ball on the exclusive GTA IV content? I also wager that whatever it is won’t be an exclusive for more than 6 months. They never are!


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HANOI, Vietnam — Business and political leaders from throughout Asia gathered this week to meet in Hanoi
for the annual World Economic Forum on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN
As the world’s two largest economies continue to wage an escalating tariff war, global trade was one of the primary topics on the agenda.
At a CNBC session during the conference that was developed in partnership with the World Economic Forum, Alan Bollard, executive director of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Secretariat said the trade friction between Washington and Beijing is “looking worryingly bilateral.”
Read more here


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By David Ingham
Sign & Banner Middle East starts on Monday; Dubai reports success meeting the outdoor advertising industry's needs, whilst protecting city's apperance
Dubai’s authorities and the outdoor advertising industry appear to be doing a good job of balancing environmental and commercial needs.Mohammed Al Noori, head of Dubai Municipality’s Advertising Section, said that outdoor advertising in the Emirate was worth $19 million in 2000, year on year growth of 9%. At the same time, he said, “the planning & survey department is working to keep the appearance of the city at its best.”Growth in the industry is being fuelled in large part by the city’s natural growth, Al Noori explained. “Areas are being designated for more signs in newly developed areas,” he said.Al Noori was speaking ahead of the third annual Sign & Banner Middle East trade exhibition, which begins on Monday February 5 at Dubai World Trade Centre.From next year, the exhibition will be renamed Sign & Graphic Imaging Middle East and the space used for the show will expand significantly.“This reflects changes within the industry, which is constantly having to embrace exciting new technology in design and production capabilities,” said Mohammed Falaknaz, vice chairman for International Expo-Consults, the exhibition organizer.


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Research in Motion adds free calling to BlackBerrys [Times of Oman]
(Times of Oman Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Research in Motion (RIM) has announced that it is adding free calling to its BlackBerry Messenger service, which already allows free texting between BlackBerrys worldwide.
To use voice over BlackBerry Messenger, you need a phone running version 6.0 of the system software and a Wi-Fi connection.
According to RIM, you can make a BBM voice call directly, or switch from text to talk and back.
The new feature can be downloaded from the Blackberry Beta Zone under BBM Version 7. Of course, free calling among members of a service is not new.
Skype has permitted it for eons. But recent news revealing a Skype security flaw that makes it easy for miscreants to hack a Skype account may make it low on the list of apps to download right now.
Another option is Vippie, an Internet calling service from VoipSwitch that lets a user send texts, make voice and video calls, and transfer files and photos through its free app. It works over a phone network or Wi-Fi, and is available for Apple, Android, Windows and RIM BlackBerry phones.
(Some features, like video, are not available on BlackBerrys.) There is no charge for the service when used between Vippie members anywhere in the world. The phone-calling part is simple to use, but many of the other features are somewhat buried.
(c) 2012 Muscat Press and Publishing House SAOC Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company
[ Back To Skype News 's Homepage ]


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The two companies are big players on the Estonian market, but Antti Narhinsalo, manager at Sotka's Estonian subsidiary, did not predict major shifts in market shares.
"The merger of these companies will not bring along any big changes in the near future. The trademarks will not change either. Possible changes are inside the company, but the clients will not feel that at once," he said.
After the merger, the two companies will take 40 percent of the market, but Narhinsalo said he is not sure this is the top position.
The Finnish companies' turnover is said to match that of the Estonian furniture company Tallinna Mooblimaja.
Even if the merged company will have the largest market share, Tallinna Mooblimaja's management said it can beat the new competitors with price.
"Asko's prices are relatively high, but there is no difference between the prices of the local furniture companies compared to Sotka," said Narhinsalo.
The Finnish and Estonian companies can, however, compete on the quality level.
Narhinsalo said the quality of Estonian furniture is good, and Sotka has been cooperating with local producers for nine years selling Estonian furniture abroad.
The turnover of Asko's parent company is about 1.6 billion kroons ($114 million) and Sotka's is 1 billion kroons. Together, they make about 28 percent of the Finnish furniture market.
The stocks of the merged company will probably be listed on the stock exchange in five years, since this was one of the objectives of the owner.


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Employees produce prams for export to countries including India at a factory in East China's Anhui Province in June 2017. Photo: IC
India has launched a series of anti-dumping probes against Chinese products in sectors including chemicals, textiles and steel since the beginning of the year, and experts said India should avoid abusing such measures as trade friction will harm both countries.
On the website of China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), the Global Times found that India has so far launched about eight anti-dumping investigations against Chinese goods in 2018.
India launched an anti-dumping probe into flax yarn imported from China on February 7 and started an investigation on February 8 to review whether the existing anti-dumping duties on flat base steel wheels imported from China should continue, according to MOFCOM.
Also, the country launched anti-dumping probes into imports from China of Dimethylformamide on January 22, coated paper on January 23 and Meta-Phenylene Diamene-4-Sulphonic Acid on January 24, MOFCOM said.
India has frequently adopted trade remedy measures against China during recent years because it feels pressure from competition with Chinese industries as India's industrial structure is similar to that of China, He Weiwen, senior fellow with the Beijing-based Center for China and Globalization, told the Global Times on Thursday.
There is competition in labor-intensive industries between China and India and India has the edge in terms of cheap labor, said Zhuang Rui, deputy dean of the Institute of International Economics at the Beijing-based University of International Business and Economics.
Zhuang told the Global Times on Thursday that the China-made products probed by India are ones with which India has a similar competitive advantage.
The trade imbalance between China and India is another key factor, experts said.
China's trade with India was about $84.41 billion in 2017, with imports from India reaching about $16 billion and exports from China worth around $68 billion, according to data released by China's General Administration of Customs on January 12.
Experts said that China has not deliberately sought a trade surplus with India and the country should not blindly blame China for the trade deficit.
During the past two years, India has continuously increased trade probes against Chinese products. In 2016, India initiated 21 investigations against Chinese goods, more than any other country, even the US, which launched 20 trade remedy probes, according to MOFCOM data.
From 1994 to the end of August 2017, India launched 212 anti-dumping probes against China, MOFCOM said.
India should be more cautious and restrained in employing trade remedy measures, and should conduct probes in compliance with WTO rules, MOFCOM spokesperson Gao Feng told a meeting in August 2017.
Abuse of trade remedy measures could affect the normal development of Sino-Indian trade relations, Gao noted.
"India should not neglect WTO rules and launch anti-dumping probes based on its own needs," He Weiwen said. "A trade war between China and India is unlikely, but rising bilateral trade frictions would harm both countries," He noted.
Bilateral trade friction between China and India would have a limited negative effect on China but a larger impact on India since India is more dependent on China's products, according to experts.
Trade model upgrade
China has faced many trade frictions in global markets and this situation is partly down to the country's current development phase and its traditional trade model, Zhuang said.
China's exports of labor-intensive products accounted for most of the country's total exports in previous years and this traditional trade model needs to be further improved by the transformation and upgrading of domestic industries, according to Zhuang.
The country is expected to advance capital-intensive and technology-intensive exports in the coming years, she said, adding that China is also expected to increase imports from the international markets, which would help in reducing trade friction.
The central government rolled out polices to encourage imports last year, Zhuang said.
The first China International Import Expo will be held in Shanghai from November 5 to 10.


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Tesla’s earnings yesterday were mostly good news, according tomedia BGR. The electric car maker reported better-than-expected sales and posted a quarterly profit of $16 million in the process. While that number is not surprising, it is encouraging given Tesla’s long history of losses.
Overall, Tesla generated $5.9 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2020 as the company delivered 88,400 vehicles. Model 3 and Model Y accounted for 76,200 of these vehicles, while Model S and X delivered 12,200 units cumulatively. In addition, the company has a number of interesting models in the pipeline, including the Tesla Semi, Cybertruck and next-generation Roadster models.
Unsurprisingly, Tesla announced yesterday that the mass production of the Tesla Semi had been pushed back again. Remember that when Tesla first released the Tesla Semi at the end of 2017, the company said it would start mass production in 2019. It wasn’t long before Tesla pushed back the date to 2020. In yesterday’s results, the company now says it will start mass production sometime in 2021. Tesla did not provide a reason for the delay.
Although a delivery date for the Tesla Semi has not yet been set, the attention paid to the car has been impressive since its official debut. Within a year of its launch, Tesla began receiving large pre-orders from many of the world’s top 500 companies, including UPS and Wal-Mart.
In terms of price, the 480-kilometer Semi starts at $150,000, while the 800-kilometer range version sells for $180,000. It’s worth noting that Tesla’s Semi has an acceleration time of just five seconds for 100 kilometers, and about 20 seconds at a capacity of 80,000 pounds. In contrast, a standard diesel truck typically takes 15 seconds to accelerate 100 kilometers, while a 100-kilometer acceleration time takes a full minute at a load of 80,000 pounds.
“We designed the Tesla truck like a bullet,” Musk proudly said when introducing the vehicle a few years ago. “


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Startup Camp Rijeka helped 26-year-old Ivan Jelusic of Croatia to start a business that sells its products in 15 countries.
A decision to manufacture its toilets in the U.S. and a reputation for being environmentally friendly are key to Japanese company TOTO's success.
Japanese sports retailer QB Club Inc. has taken advantage of SelectUSA, a Commerce Department initiative, which encourages enterprises to invest in the U.S.
Patents protect the ideas and work of inventors and are part of a broad category of legal protection known as intellectual property rights.
Everyone likes a bargain. But buying pirated or counterfeit goods robs artists of earnings from their creative work and can support organized crime.
Find out more about the exciting YLAI program to help young leaders in the Western Hemisphere build brighter futures for themselves and their communities.
On April 4, join a webchat with experts on best practices for building a community that supports entrepreneurs, ventures and the startup community.
Ntsiki Biyela didn't plan to become South Africa's first black female winemaker. She had never even tried wine. Now she's one of her country's best.
GoldieBlox — toys that combine construction projects and stories of a girl engineer named Goldie — foster spatial skills, and perhaps future engineers.


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Six months after the first Yuga Labs replied to the accusations that his NFT collection, the Bored Ape Yacht Clubcontained racist imagery, its founders published a blog post discussing the issue in more detail.
“We have become the target of a mad disinformation campaign accusing us – a group of Jewish, Turkish, Pakistani and Cuban friends – of being top-secret Nazis,” Yuga Laboratories co-founder Gordon Goner (whose real name is Wylie Aronow) wrote Friday.
He called the accusations “incredibly far-fetched” and “bullshit”, and shared that in his opinion it was time to “put it all to rest”.
As you may have heard, we have become the target of a mad misinformation campaign accusing us – a group of Jewish, Turkish, Pakistani and Cuban friends – of being super-secret Nazis. 🧵
Goner pointed out that Yuga Labs has already explained much of its origins in previous postsbut went on to provide additional context on the origin of the BAYC logo, the name “Yuga Labs” and the pseudonyms of the founding teams, among others.
“There’s a long history of people affectionately referring to themselves as monkeys in crypto,” Goner explained of the team’s decision to create Ape avatars.
He also shared a private email that previews the creation of the BAYC logo, which was inspired by skateboard culture, hip hop, Japanese anime, and streetwear culture, according to the post.
Goner called anti-BAYC activist Ryder Ripps a “troll” who “spreads ridiculous conspiracy theories online and uses them to sell counterfeit NFTs.”
Ripps, a creative director who created the gordongoner.com website to detail his theories on why BAYC is “racist” and “contains Nazi whistles,” created a Ethereum NFT collection which directly slipped BAYC art. Ripps’ profile picture on Twitter is his RR/BAYC avatar.
Ripps’ collection has since been removed from OpenSea due to an “intellectual property infringement claim”.
Prior to being removed from OpenSea, Ripps’ collection saw around 2,900 ETH in total volume traded ($3.48 million). When asked what he plans to do with the collection funds, Ripps said Decrypt that he will “pay Neil Strauss write a book” about him.
In a May Instagram PublishRipps said he created the RR/BAYC NFTs in an effort to “dismantle” Yuga Labs.
“The work is a provocation and its [sic] work to bring this company down,” he said.
Ripps did not respond to Decrypt‘s another request for comment.
Allegations of racism against BAYC date back months and are mostly based on obscure references to minute details in the NFT collection artwork, the pseudonyms chosen by the founders, and even seemingly inconsequential mentions in the social media posts of the founders or members of their family. For example, Ripps claims that a reference to the word “cowabunga” in the Instagram biography of co-founder Garga’s wife is evidence of a coded nod to the “alt-right.”
“Garga’s wife is Mexican-American and she loves ninja turtles, like millions of people,” Goner’s blog replied today.
Nonetheless, the charges were resurrected this week after a YouTuber named Philion posted an hour-long post video called “BORED APE NAZI CLUB” which delved into Ripps’ claims in detail. The video now has nearly 850,000 views.
Goner and Yuga Labs today dismissed Ripps’ original video and blog post as an elaborate troll. “Overall, we think it’s crazy that these conspiracy theories have been able to proliferate. It really shows the power a demented internet troll can have,” Goner said.
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Flights and accommodation will now be packaged together as part of a new deal between a leading online travel agent (OTA) and a major UK airline.
According to Travel Mole, an exclusive two-year deal has been struck between Expedia Distribution and BMI, providing for accommodation and flight packages to be sold directly through the airline’s website.
Set for full integration into the BMI website – but under Expedia co-branding – customers at BMI points of sale in the UK, US, Spain, Netherlands and France will have access to both accommodation plus flight packages and accommodation only options.
It was claimed that the deal will place a particular focus on city centre properties, a choice that would correspond to BMI’s strong presence at London Heathrow airport, one off the most central of the capital’s hubs.
Combined flight and accommodation bookings could come in helpful as BMI mainline services from Heathrow expand to new destinations in Sierra Leone, Iran and Lebanon, where travellers unfamiliar with the locations may otherwise struggle to find suitable hotels.


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Digital music licensing hub CueSongs has announced that it has concluded agreements with BMG Rights Management, meaning it now has deals in place with all the major music publishers for online licensing – EMI Music Publishing, SonyATV, Universal Music Publishing and Warner Chappell, in addition to the bigger independents such as Imagem, Music Sales and Peer Music.
Former Genesis songsmith Peter Gabriel helped launch CueSongs in January this year, with a view towards helping independent film-makers, online producers and event organizers tap the back catalogues of many of the major artists to use as soundtracks. And this latest agreement will open up its offering to cover artists such as Groove Armada and Ulrich Schnauss.
“With these agreements in place, we are able to offer clients a comprehensive choice of music from both established and exciting new artists for their digital productions,” says Ed Averdieck, CueSongs CEO.
“Video production is going through the roof in this country as companies create promotional videos for their websites, for YouTube, and as part of viral campaigns,” he continues. “However, too often the music usage in videos is either unlicensed or of rather poor quality. Now, for the first time video producers no longer have to compromise on the music they use, and we are convinced this will give them a competitive edge by enabling them to make more impactful videos.”
To coincide with this announcement, CueSongs is also rolling out a new music-matching service called ‘Search, Match, License’, in cahoots with three production companies for the launch – Can Communicate Productions, M&C Saatchi & I Love Dust. In a nutshell, if a track you’re looking for isn’t available through CueSongs, you can hit ‘Match’ to automatically find a suitable alternative. You can also filter tracks to identify ones that are faster, slower or have a different ‘mood’.
CueSongs, was launched in beta in January this year, and was co-founded by Ed Averdieck, formerly head of Nokia Music and OD2, and Peter Gabriel.
This isn’t Gabriel’s first flirtation with the digital music business – more than a decade ago he co-founded UK online music distributor On Demand Distribution (OD2), which was later sold to US company Loudeye for around $40m.
Gabriel also backed the launch of music-streaming service We7 in 2007, which was acquired by Tesco earlier this year for $16m. So, Gabriel has something of a Midas touch around him with his involvement in the digital music realm, meaning CueSongs is certainly one to watch.


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Bengaluru: Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. announced the launch of its Technology and Innovation Centre in Bengaluru. The state-of-the-art facility was inaugurated by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, in the presence of Amit Goenka, President – Digital Businesses and Platforms, ZEE and Nitin Mittal, President – Technology and Data, ZEE. The sprawling 80,000 feet centre will be the company’s epicentre to build a strong cohort of tech, data and talent.
Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot also paid a visit to the techcentre and interacted with the experts. He hailed the company’s initiative to create employment opportunities for young professionals in the State.
With a sharp focus on delivering world-class entertainment, ZEE has constantly upgraded its technology capabilities to deliver unmatched experiences to its consumers globally. Through the capabilities being built at this centre, Zee Entertainment intends to leverage behavioural and derived data to personalise content and delivery, thereby increasing its reach across platforms.
The centre will build the metaverse network for the company with the help of AR, VR and NFT led delivery models and will focus on a futuristic tech stack which will enable omnipresent delivery of entertainment across platforms.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Basavaraj Bommai said, “For decades, Karnataka has maintained its position as the technology capital of the country and Bengaluru, its capital city, has now become the Silicon Valley of the nation. The ecosystem that Bengaluru has created, is difficult to replicate and has been created by none other than the citizens of the city.
The government of Karnataka is extremely delighted to be a part of ZEE’s initiative and I am confident that its Technology and Innovation Centre will help accelerate the growth prospects of the State. Public-private partnership is essential for the growth and long-term success of any State and we will ensure that we walk shoulder to shoulder with ZEE in this journey.”
Nitin Mittal said, “At the Tech and Innovation Centre, we are building ability for ZEE to leverage digital technologies to improve our reach and engage our customers anytime, anywhere across all devices. We have been a frontrunner in creating engaging content for more than 1.3 billion viewers and are currently focused on building Web 3.0 entertainment platforms. This Centre will build the metaverse future of ZEE including AR, VR, NFTs and relevant data models to our digital platforms.”


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IMAGE: Ken Wolter
The latest multi-unit agreement for the sandwich concept will see its expansion throughout the Carolinas.
It seems like every other week, Potbelly Sandwich Shop is signing a new multi-unit franchise agreement to take its tasty sandwiches to a new audience in the U.S. This acceleration in growth began back in August, when the brand announced it would prioritize franchising as a means of growth, and continued in the coming months when an agreement was signed in Las Vegas.
Now, through yet another multi-unit deal, Potbelly has signed a deal to develop 13 new locations across North and South Carolina – signalling the first time the food and beverage brand has entered the latter market. The first of these new units, set to open soon, will be in Wilmington.
The deal was made with Brent and Michele Brouse, who Alan Johnson, CEO of Potbelly, speaks very highly of: “Brent and Michele are perfect examples of the type of highly qualified entrepreneurs with restaurant industry experience that Potbelly is attracting. Both are extremely passionate about developing the brand.”
The Brouses live in Wilmington, and both have extensive experience in the restaurant industry and brand development.
“We’ve been die-hard supporters of the brand for many years. This is an opportunity that we’re well prepared for and we know the markets that we’re expanding into are clamoring for Potbelly,” said Brent. “Ever since living in Chicago and working in the restaurant sector, we have been eyeing the Potbelly franchise opportunity. With the brand’s increased focus on multi-unit franchise expansion, now was the right time to become franchisees.”


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Lancia working on new Stratos?
Lancia has announced its intention to build a new Lancia sports car, in the mould of its mid-engined Stratos and Beta Montecarlo models, for low-volume series production in 2011.
Lancia CEO Olivier Francois told Autocar, that the brand is seeking to boost its image and re-establish itself as a maker of "upmarket, masculine, fun-to-drive cars". "A sports car is a great way to do this," Francois said, "and I hope to convince [Fiat Group head Sergio] Marchionne that it’s a good idea."
It is possible for a concept version to be launched in 2009 at the Geneva show: "We are working on a show car for Geneva that will really surprise people; it’s something new," he said, although this is more likely to be a preview car for a smaller C-segment car – a ‘Delta coupe’.


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Google Home is finally getting a feature that its users have been clamoring for since it launched last year: it can now distinguish between different voices and reply with personalized responses. Until now, you could only connect a single account to a Google Home, and that meant you could only get info about one person’s calendar, for example. If you’re single or don’t have roommates, that’s perfectly fine, but the moment you live with somebody else, that’s a pretty obvious problem.
With today’s update, which should be rolling out in the U.S. as you read this (and which is coming to the U.K. in the coming months), up to six people can share a Google Home. So now, when you ask your morning commute, you’ll get the info about your route and not your spouse’s. The same goes for playlists, schedules, shopping lists, travel info and every other kind of personalized information you’d want to ask you Google Assistant about.
The process of training your Google Home to understand different voices is pretty straightforward. Once this feature is available, you’ll see a card in the Google Home app that tells you that “multi-users is available.” Then, new users can link their Google accounts to the Home and train the Assistant to recognize them by speaking the “OK Google” or “Hey Google” wake word a few times so Google’s neural network can learn the sound of their voice.
While Google didn’t have any official comment about this, this new feature may also finally open up a path to bringing some of the Google Assistant features like creating notes, reminders and events that are currently missing on Home (but available on Android, for example). Those features didn’t make much sense on a device that, while inherently communal, could only recognize a single voice.
Maybe this also opens up room for a feature that Google showed in its launch video at its I/O developer conference last year but also never launched: proactive alerts. Right now, Google Home is mostly a passive device that waits for your commands. Unlike the Assistant (and previously Google Now), it doesn’t alert you when it’s time to leave for the airport, for example. The ability to recognize different voices means some (though not all) of the privacy concerns some people may have around this feature could not be solved (though this would go beyond recognizing who speaks a wake word).


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Epson and AVASYS to launch automatic printer driver download service for Linux
Epson and AVASYS announced today plans to launch a service that will enable the automatic downloading of printer drivers by simply connecting an Epson inkjet printer to a Linux powered computer.
The service is supposed to start at the end of April 2011 along with Ubuntu 11.04 which will be the first distribution to provide this feature. it is based on Open Printing Database and will work for any Linux Standard Base compliant Linux distribution. A total of 268 Epson inkjet printer models manufactured since 2005 will be supported.


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In August, the 2012 London Olympic Games gave many Asians athletes an international platform to demonstrate their physical prowess. Last month, a different group of Asians were put on the spotlight. A new season of Fashion Week took over New York and I was there to soak it all in all while getting first-hand looks at the creativity of numerous Asian designers inside or outside the tents. Check out four Asian designers or brands that were at this season’s New York Fashion Week.
The South African-born designer debuted his Spring 2013 collection as one of the five designers featured at the Arise African Icons fashion collective, held in Lincoln Center. From sparkly pink shorts to the gold dresses, Gavin Rajah stayed true to his opulent designs as even his headgear were luxurious like the gold visors. [Image Courtesy: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week]
Son Jung Wan once again gave an art history lesson at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week this past Saturday (February 9). Last season, she was inspired by Spanish artist Juan Miro. For her Fall/Winter 2013 collection, the Korean designer was influenced by two of Russia’s greats: painter Kandinsky for his flair in bringing together music and art and the Catherine Palace for its extravagant elegance.
Wan worked with her two contrasting inspirations as she masterfully balanced fine details and neutral hues (gray, ivory, off-white and beige) with lavish textures (wool, fur, tweed, cash-pelt and suede) and jewel tones (ox blood, burgundy, gold, deep violet and teal). Case in point: her last two looks with the ultra-glamorous fox mocha-colored fur coat accentuated with sequins and the hot gold sequined jumper that fabulously finished the show.
Wan has become known for her romantic aesthetics, always offering alluring gowns amongst the heavy coats, floor-gazing pants and structured cocktail dresses. Her latest collection was no different as she included show-stopping mesh dresses in dark violet and mocha – surely wowing her Hollywood fans like Brooke Shields and Gossip Girl star Kelly Rutherford.
To check out more of Son Jung Wan, visit sonjungwan.com.
Photo Courtesy: Rodin Banica


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IATA criticized the decision by the French Government to allow the operator of Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Paris-Orly (ORY) airports to continue increasing airport charges for each year of the 2016-2020 period.
Last week the French government rushed through approval of the Macron Law, a bill designed to modernise France's economy, speed up growth and deregulate many industries, a move that is considered more 'business friendly'. As a result the travel industry will experience the opening up of long distance coach operations across the country.
In the winter season 2016/2017, LOT Polish Airlines will enhance its presence in the US by increasing frequencies from New York and Chicago to Warsaw. The Polish carrier has also announced several new long-haul destinations from its Warsaw hub to Bangkok, Seoul and Tokyo.
Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) announced it has signed an agreement with the Port Authority of Barcelona to invest more than 30 million euros to build and operate its second private cruise terminal at the Port of Barcelona, which is used by seven of the company's 10 cruise line brands as both a destination and home port.
British Airways today has announced that it will begin service between Mineta San José International Airport and London Heathrow from May 4, 2016. This marks the first regularly scheduled nonstop service to the UK for the city of San José. British Airways will operate the newest aircraft in its fleet, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, featuring the airlines newly designed First cabin.
On the heels of last month's announcement, including Crystal River Cruises, Crystal Cruises unveiled more detailed plans for its collection of two Crystal river yacht vessels, which will be launched in Europe starting in late March 2017.


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Today marks a new content update for Dungeons and Dragons Online with the arrival of Update 57: Grip of the Hidden Hand, bringing a new quest pack and a variety of gameplay mechanic updates to the MMORPG.
The update’s title is loaned from the quest pack of the same name, which continues the story of the Planar Eyes with five new quests for levels 16 in heroic and 33 in legendary. The quest pack is available for free to those who are subscribed to the game or will have to be bought from the DDO Store.
The new patch otherwise adds a variety of mechanical updates to the game: A new Imbue toggle for all classes that adds extra damage to attacks is now available, hit points have been adjusted in classes and enhancement trees to better support newer players and heroic level melee characters, a lineup of bug fixes have been applied, and other general updates have been made to monsters, falconry, and moving through shallow water.
The DDO game worlds will be unavailable on Wednesday, November 9th from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM Eastern (-5 GMT) to release Update 57: Grip of the Hidden Hand. Read the release notes on https://t.co/GnxzXggpMt: https://t.co/Tib3o93VRh #DDO pic.twitter.com/hoxRtYj9HM
— DDO Unlimited (@DDOUnlimited) November 8, 2022


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LaLiga club Atlético Madrid has signed a partnership deal with Socios.com, the blockchain-based fan engagement and rewards platform.
As the club’s ‘Official Fan Token partner’, Socios.com will give fans the opportunity to buy Atlético de Madrid Fan Tokens – digital assets that allow fans to engage in polls and rewards them for their participation.
The Fan Tokens will be priced at €2 each and will be available exclusively through Socios.com in autumn 2019 for the 2019-20 season.
Atlético de Madrid Fan Tokens will also be tradeable against Socios.com’s native token, $CHZ, a digital currency for blockchain-backed platforms and products and mainstream users.
Alexandre Dreyfus, chief executive and founder of Socios.com said: “By adding a club of such magnitude, we will grow our own potential user base to well over a billion sports fans, all of whom will be eventual cryptocurrency users.”
Atlético de Madrid joins Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, AS Roma and West Ham United in offering Fan Tokens to their supporters.
When contacted by SportBusiness Sponsorship this morning, Socios.com declined to comment on the nature of the commercial partnerships, the benefits received, such as branding, and the duration of the partnerships.
Earlier this year, Chiliz, the team behind Socios.com raised more than $66m in funding, including investment from some of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges (Binance) and leading Asian cryptocurrency funds.
Chiliz is owned by Malta-based Mediarex Group, a global sports and entertainment organisation, founded in 2012.


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Home > News > Nanotechnology and packaging: future is tomorrow!
January 19th, 2010
Nanotechnology and packaging: future is tomorrow!
The scope of nanotechnologies is not limited to cosmetic ingredients but also directly concerns packaging. The main operators are already working on it, but what is it really about?
As far as the content is concerned, as we know, some cosmetic products already contain nano-ingredients. The packaging segment is directly concerned too, for all kinds of materials: wood, glass, plastic, aluminum...
Several converters in the industry are already working at it. Many projects have already gone under test and the year 2011 should be predominant in this area. Rexam and Alcan officials admit working in several directions, and Seidel has already made some significant progress.
News and information
University of Tehran Researchers Invent Non-Enzyme Sensor to Detect Blood Sugar April 23rd, 2014
Gold nanoparticles help target, quantify breast cancer gene segments in a living cell April 23rd, 2014
Study finds long-term survival of human neural stem cells transplanted into primate brain April 23rd, 2014
High-Performance, Low-Cost Ultracapacitors Built with Graphene and Carbon Nanotubes: Future devices based on technology could bridge gap between batteries and conventional capacitors in portable electronics and hybrid electric vehicles April 23rd, 2014
Good vibrations: Using light-heated water to deliver drugs - Researchers use near-infrared light to warm water-infused polymeric particles April 1st, 2014
Iranian Food Industry Utilizes Lipid Nanocarriers for Beta-Carotene Enrichment January 23rd, 2014
ASTM International Nanotechnology Committee Approves Airborne Nanoparticle Measurement Standard December 10th, 2013
Antibacterial Nanocomposites Produced from Offset Lithography Inks December 1st, 2013


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Puzzles & Dragons Roars into 41 Million Downloads
The mobile phenomenon Puzzles & Dragons has been out for just over two years now and has reached a whopping 41 million downloads.
Puzzles & Dragons is hugely popular in its origin country, Japan, and has just started to spread across the United States and Canada. The people over at Destructoid are assuming that when the game comes out with its crossover project with Nintendo that it will soar further than it currently is in the United States. It's no big secret as to why -- GungHo Online is looking to pair its current game with Super Mario Bros., a hugely popular game in North America. However, it is of note that it only took Puzzles & Dragons a few months -- from August until now -- to reach six million downloads in the United States and Canada. The numbers are of course counted throughout the world, but the number is still pretty impressive for a mobile game.
We'll just have to see what GungHo Online has planned for its crossover game and if it will bring the numbers the development company is looking for in North America... if it actually releases over here.


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CX Garage will be following a startup model where colleagues need to talk to SAP CX customers, identify challenges, work on providing a solution in terms of a PoC, and validate the results with customers. Once the solution is accepted it can even be pushed to the respective product development backlog.
The opening challenge, which was announced at the launch of the program on April 24th, for the first fellowship cycle will be focusing on enriching the SAP C/4HANA suite experience and will commence on June 1st.
The CX Garage space is located in the ‘Startup Studio’ area of the SAP Labs India Campus in Bangalore. This area will provide a working environment conducive to free thinking while creating opportunities to interact with customers and extend the innovation ecosystem.


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YouTube, the most popular video platform, has decided to confront ad blockers and has implemented an experiment that limits access to content for users who use tools like Adblock. The result? Only 3 videos will be allowed to be viewed before the player is completely blocked.
A clear message for ad-block users. Users of the r/YouTube subreddit were the first to report this new YouTube test.
Some users have been surprised by a message that reads: "It looks like you might be using an ad blocker. The video playback will be stopped unless YouTube is on an approved list or unless the ad blocker is disabled." In addition, it emphasizes that ads are essential to keep YouTube free for billions of users worldwide. A YouTube spokesperson has confirmed to The Verge that they are conducting a "small global experiment". In this experiment, users with ad blockers are requested to disable them or subscribe to YouTube Premium. They explain that this extreme measure will only be implemented if users continue to ignore constant requests to allow ads on YouTube.
A change in the monetization strategy. For YouTube, ads are their main source of income and allow them to offer free content to millions of users worldwide. With this experiment, they are sending a clear message that they will not tolerate the use of ad blockers and will seek to ensure the financial sustainability of the platform. The future of YouTube and ad blockers. This move by YouTube raises questions about the future of ad blockers and how users will respond to this restriction. In the meantime, it remains to be seen whether this measure will become a permanent policy or just a temporary experiment.


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The future of cars is undoubtedly all-electric due to their lower carbon footprint, whether that electricity comes from lithium-ion batteries or Hydrogen fuel cells is a matter for the future to reveal. Carmakers are already developing new as well as affordable electric cars with Tesla being one the leaders in this field worldwide. BMW though doesn't seem amused with Tesla walking away as the leader and will step in the arena with the introduction of the new 3 Series, the concept of which would be showcased at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show to be held in September this year. While BMW hasn't yet revealed the pricing, it is expected to hover around the $35,000 or Rs 23 lakh abroad considering that the Model 3 would also be at the said price tag. But, the flipside to the new 3 Series is that it would be an initial prototype while the Model 3 is in its final stages with the official unveiling is expected to happen in July this year. This means that the Tesla is expected to be delivered to its potential customer before the end of this year and reservations of the car have already begun.
Moving over to the BMW 3 Series, which is known to be one of the best-selling models from the Munich-based carmaker, will take some time before the final production version of the all-electric car is ready. The company started the production of the sedan in 1975 and has gone through six generations with the next iteration being green. Apart from the all-electric motor, the new 3 Series is expected to be offered with premium features such as the gesture control or even the self-parking remote control for select variants.
BMW and Tesla are not the only players entering the all-electric race with Volvo to bring in their first all-electric autonomous car by 2021 as well as Volkswagen also joining the bandwagon. These, for now, have a limitation when India is considered as the upcoming GST or Goods and Service Tax indicate that hybrid cars, as well as electric cars, will take a substantial hike in price owing to 43 percent tax on them instead of the 30 percent implemented earlier. That said, cars such as the Model 3 or the all-electric 3 Series will take a considerable time before they enter the Indian automotive market as buyers have to warm up towards such cars. Moreover, once such vehicles would start to become mainstream, the Government may have to take steps to provide an incentivised program for electric vehicles in order to achieve their goal of all-electric mobility solution by 2030 in India.


text: For a few hours, a Spanish businessman known to probably few Americans was the world’s wealthiest person. Amancio Ortega, 81, twice this week climbed to the top spot of Forbes’ ranking — besting Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Amazon big wig Jeff Bezos. The Spanish billionaire’s name might not ring a bell, but he’s a founder of Inditex, the parent company of clothing chain Zara. For a few hours Wednesday, his net worth came in just over $85 billion — a meager $200 million more than that of Gates, Forbes reported. But his reign ended quickly. Shares of Inditex dropped on the Spanish stock exchange and Gates retook the lead spot, according to the financial publication. The wealthiest spot is something of familiar territory to the retail magnate, who was born to modest means in northern Spain. Read more at New York Daily News.


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It's trashy, but in a good way.
Started 17 years ago by local educator Nicole Kowalski and Jean Nichols of Art for the Heart, the Glam Trash Fashion Show is one of the iconic art/recycling awareness events of Taos. The show’s purpose has always been to demonstrate that there is value in reused material — with flare, of course. It's become a community event gifting onlookers with a once a year glimpse into the creativity found at the junction of recycling and art.
The aptly named Glam Trash Fashion Show came from humble beginnings with a half dozen or so unique ensembles taking to the cat walk down a short, gravel path by Stables Gallery. It has since grown by leaps and ... well ... bounds of recycled wow. A steady increase in participation and audience attendance moved the runway spectacle to the John Dunn Shops, then to Taos Plaza and back to John Dunn Shops. For the second year in a row now, it will be held on the bigger stage and larger viewing area that is Historic Taos Plaza.
The 15th fashion strut — it was not held two years — gets underway Saturday, Sept. 2 from 4-6 p.m. The free event begins with a noncompetitive children's show at 4 p.m., because "there are so many kids that want to be a part of it," said Sara Basehart, co-organizer and owner of Seconds Eco Store. That will be followed by the adult trashionistas, which are expected to be in the neighborhood of 30 participants. And for the second year, cash prizes with a grand prize of $250 will be awarded for all ages — "Which I have found really motivates people to go beyond," Baseheart said.
Besides attendance, the event is growing in another way. This time around, Baseheart said she is going to test the waters by having a couple of vendors on the Plaza offering the sale of recycled, handmade goods during the duration of the show.
Live music will be provided by the loosely organized, once-a-year band The Trashionistas.
Every year the show takes hundreds of hours to organize, and it's an unpaid volunteer job done out of a joy and passion for trashion.
"It's all in the name of fun. It's sure to be a real blast," Baseheart said.
More "trash" talkin'
In the vein of recycling, Melissa Larson's Arte de Descartes XVII ("art from discards") juried exhibit of art made from used and scrap material put on annually through her nonprofit Wholly Rags, is showing now through Sept. 9 at Stables Gallery in Taos.
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This week’s edition of PV Price Watch, available exclusively to PV Tech Premium subscribers, analyses what the solar industry’s polysilicon price ceiling is currently and where it could decline to into next year. Exclusive to PV Tech Premium users.
According to Johannes Bernreuter, head of Bernreuter Research the supply of polysilicon for the PV industry will continue to be constrained in 2021, while significant overcapacity is looming in 2022 and possibly intensify in 2023.
According to market research firm, Bernreuter Research, global solar installations are expected to be in the range of 95GW to 97GW in 2017, while Polysilicon supply was more than adequate to meet around 100GW of end market demand.
According to Bernreuter Research, polysilicon consumption for the production of solar wafers is set to impact the supply-side as the PV industry adopts diamond wire technologies that significantly lower kerf loss.
Since Wacker Chemie opened its new 20,000MT polysilicon plant in Charleston, Tennessee in 2016, there was a good chance that the German-headquartered chemicals firm could overtake incumbent market leader, GCL-Poly.
According to polysilicon market specialist, Bernreuter Research recent polysilicon import levels into China surged between October and November 2016, while ASP’s also recovered, a trend seen the year before and ahead of China installing a record 22GW of solar in the first half of 2016.
Specialist polysilicon market research firm, Bernreuter Research has warned of continued overcapacity that will force pricing down below many producers' cash cost levels and threatens the existence of high-cost producers in 2018.


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Blaze Pizza, the red-hot fast-casual pizza chain backed by LeBron James, has its sights set on an initial public offering and a plan to get there.
Blaze announced it’s expanding delivery and carryout options at restaurants across the U.S. The company is also testing 14-inch pies for online orders and delivery, a departure from its usual 11-inch personal-sized pies. The pizzas will be delivered by third-party companies like DoorDash and Postmates.
“Most delivery pizza is consumed at home with family and friends,” Blaze CEO and President Jim Mizes said in a press release. “Since 2012, Blaze Pizza has focused on the dine-in experience – serving personal-size pizzas at lunch speed and lunch price point. Adding large pizzas will allow us to serve the at-home market, too.”
Signature options in the 14-inch size will include the Build-Your-Own, Meat Eater, Green Stripe, Veg Out, BBQ CHKN, and Red Vine. The 14-inch pies are being tested in nine restaurants in California and Nevada.
Blaze presently has 316 locations in 42 states and five countries. Its goal is to get to at least 500 stores, co-founder Rick Wetzel told the Tribune. And the expansion of delivery and carryout could help the company get ready for an IPO in two years.
And Wetzel and his co-founder and wife Elise don’t mind telling you they’ve got even bigger goals than that. They believe they can take on giants like Domino’s and Pizza Hut. “We’ve got a more modern offering,” Elise Wetzel, the chain’s chief marketing officer, told the Chicago Tribune. “We’re going after those larger players.”


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Top executives from multinational companies are making their way to China next month, highlighting China’s significance in global business plans. This comes amid a subdued global economy and a growing recognition of China’s potential as a thriving business destination. The multinationals that have confirmed their visits include industrial conglomerate Danaher Corp, pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, and beauty brand L’Oreal Group. The list also includes Volkswagen, Apple, Pfizer, and Mercedes-Benz.
As China deepens its reforms and opens up its market, foreign investors are becoming increasingly optimistic about the country’s economic prospects. Despite headwinds and challenges, China’s economy posted better-than-expected 3% growth in 2022, and recent data suggests a robust recovery. The International Monetary Fund has even raised its forecast for China’s 2023 growth to 5.2%, a 0.8 percentage point increase from its October projection.
China’s growing economic scale, pace of growth, and increasing openness level have combined to create massive development opportunities for foreign enterprises. The country’s stability as a global economic powerhouse and focus on innovation are also contributing factors to the growing confidence of foreign companies in the Chinese market.
L’Oreal Group CEO Nicolas Hieronimus is among the executives visiting China next month. He believes the Chinese market will bounce back on all fronts and that his company will benefit even more from the reopening of cross-border travel. Rainer Blair, the CEO of Danaher, said that China is a “strategic and fast-growing market” for his company, and they are dedicated to long-term development in the country. The company plans to increase its capacity in China and better support its customers.
Danaher’s life sciences subsidiary Cytiva is expanding its Fast Trak center in Shanghai with an investment of around $8 million, tapping into China’s rapidly growing biopharmaceutical industry. The company’s microelectronics unit, Pall Corp, has also been accelerating its localization in China. AstraZeneca sees China as a “powerhouse and stabilizer for global economic growth” and says the country’s ever-improving business environment and policy measures, as well as its emphasis on innovation, boost not only the Chinese economy but also foreign enterprises’ confidence in China.
Zhou Mi, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, says that China’s openness level, economic scale, and pace of growth provide huge opportunities for foreign enterprises. Robin Xing, chief China economist at Morgan Stanley, predicts China’s economy will expand 5.7% year-on-year in 2023 and contribute around 40% of global economic growth. He says China’s robust recovery, especially against the weak performance of major economies like the US, will benefit other countries.
In conclusion, the planned visits by top executives from multinational companies next month highlight the significance of China in the global business landscape. Despite headwinds and challenges, China’s economy is expected to continue its robust recovery, and foreign companies are becoming increasingly optimistic about their future in the country. With its deep reforms, expanding openness, and focus on innovation, China is poised to become a thriving business destination for foreign companies in the coming years.


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UK BUSINESSES are 'stockpiling' virtual currencies, including Bitcoin, in order to pay ransomware demands.
According to Citrix, 33 per cent of UK businesses with more than 250 employees are 'stockpiling Bitcoins to pay up' in the event of an attack. Bitcoin and other digital currencies are increasingly being chosen by cyber criminals as a form of payment due to their inherent anonymity.
Firms with 250 or more employees represent only 0.1 per cent of the UK economy, but make a large contribution to employment (10.3 million people) and turnover (more than £2tn).
36 per cent of organisations with 250-500 employees are storing Bitcoin, but the propensity peaked amongst those with 501-1,000 employees (57 per cent) and decreased amongst larger organisations (24 per cent of firms with 1,001-2,000 employees, and 18 per cent of those with 2,000+).
However, it was the latter group that was willing to pay the most to recover their data: 35 per cent of the largest firms would pay more than £50,000.
On average, companies have stockpiled around £46,000 in Bitcoin; a third have stored more than £50,000, and the largest hold as much as £136,000.
The research showed that many firms do not have basic cybersecurity practices in place. For example, 55 per cent of the largest companies are failing to back up their data every day; and seven per cent of companies with 250-500 employees have no contingency measures in case of a ransomware attack (although this is down significantly from 20 per cent last year).
A quarter of respondents to the Citrix poll said that the government is failing to provide businesses with guidance to avoid cyber attacks - although this is down from 32 per cent in 2016. µ
Though it's not exactly an even playing field
Biz machines offer of Intel CPUs and AMD or Nvidia graphics
Thermal throttling is hampering the overclockable chip's performance
Firm is making its Lightning port even more locked down


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The dual-tone Tata Harrier, which was launched recently, has started reaching dealerships and looks more stylish than the regular version
Earlier this month, it emerged that Tata Motors has silently released a dual-tone version of the Tata Harrier at a starting price of Rs 16.76 lakh*. Now, thanks to a pic we’ve got our hands on, it looks like the new colour version of the mid-size SUV has started reaching the dealerships.
The dual-tone version of the Tata Harrier costs roughly Rs 20,000 more than the single-colour option. Compared to the MG Hector, the new model is Rs 12,000 chopper than the former’s range-topping version. To this effect, the launch of the dual-tone Tata Harrier seems to be a move to steal some limelight away from the recently launched MG Hector.
The dual-tone paint scheme is available in two options – black roof with Orcus White and black roof with Calisto Copper. As seen in our image, the Harrier looks dapper in the white-black combo, which enhances the modern design of the vehicle.
The Tata Harrier is the company’s first offering based on the highly publicized OMEGA architecture. The new platform is derived from Land Rover’s L550 architecture, which underpins the much pricier Land Rover Discovery Sport. The Indian company has replaced some of the aluminium components of the platform with high tensile steel parts to keep the costs from escalating.
Powering the Tata Harrier the Fiat-sourced 2.0-litre Multijet II diesel engine that is being marketed as Kroytec motor. The engine offers a maximum power of 140 PS and a peak torque of 350 Nm. It comes mated to a six-speed manual transmission.
Later this year, the company will launch the Tata Buzzard, which is the 7-seater version of the Tata Harrier. It will come with Kryotec170 motor that will be the current engine’s 170 PS version that complies with BS6 norms. The same engine is slated to be introduced in the Harrier.The company is also planning to introduce a Hyundai-sourced 6-speed automatic transmission and AWD to the Harrier.
*all prices are ex-showroom, New Delhi


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Laundry & Coronavirus… What do we Know?
Despite best efforts to learn more about the 2019 novel coronavirus in a bid to improve the efficacy of testing, tracking, and treatment, many characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 still remain unknown. One of the biggest unknowns today is whether COVID-19 can survive on fomites; objects such as surfaces and clothing that can transfer disease upon touch.
Can COVID-19 Survive on Clothing?
Previous studies into rhinoviruses such as the common cold suggest that transfer to clothing is rare. One study looked at viral samples on teacher clothing and found that, across 313 days, samples on clothing were discovered on just 16 days. But what about coronaviruses? Some recent studies have put forward the idea that COVID-19 can survive on surfaces for between 4 and 6 days, although researchers have questioned the viability of these results due to the large viral sample used. Most studies suggest that COVID-19 can survive on surfaces for up to 6 hours, depending on the type of material.
However, as the virus has been shown to act in unpredictable ways, it is vital to ensure that clothing is being washed correctly after exposure to areas where COVID-19 may be present or where social distancing cannot be maintained. This includes healthcare settings, work sites, hospitality venues, enclosed warehouses, and laboratories. And it’s especially important for PPE which would usually be re-worn for work without washing.
Washing PPE During the Pandemic
According to Public Health England, for those working in non-healthcare settings there is no need to perform any additional laundry duties, with official advice to wash clothing ‘in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions’. However, to minimise risk, further advice has been provided by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control in the United States. These organisations suggest washing clothing at a temperature between 60 and 90 degrees Celsius, never shaking dirty laundry, and wearing disposable gloves when handling unwashed clothing. It is also recommended to disinfect laundry baskets using products with active ingredients such as ammonium, phenolic, and hydrogen peroxide which can be effective against viral pathogens.
What Does COVID-19 Mean for PPE? At Wearwell, our experts say that “the best advice we can give is the gentler the better when it comes to PPE”. That’s because some materials, particularly reflective and hi-vis clothing, can become damaged through frequent washing cycles and harsh detergents. We also believe that non-daily washing is one of the 5 most important habits for keeping your PPE in top condition. However, during the pandemic, it is clear that workwear may need to be washed more, highlighting the importance – now more than ever – of selecting the highest quality workwear and personal protective equipment that can withstand the additional pressures of the ‘new normal’.


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Day 2 SCIBS- Good sales, good turnout, despite the rain
by Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show on 26 May 2012
Friday continued the trend in sales, strong leads and a distinct buzz around the marina, pavilions and throughout the Village. Despite the showers, the day kicked off with Seven’s ‘Sunrise’ program broadcasting the 3-hour show live with a superlative background of boats and crowds awaiting opening time.
The wet weather has not limited the amount of things to see and do at the Boat Show - Sanctuary Cove Boat Show Rosalie Taylor
From exhibitors, the message is clear: great crowds, quality buyers, the show is delivering better than expected results.
'We were very happy with Thursday,' said Brett Thurley from Pacific Motor Yachts. 'It felt much busier than last year. People were out researching and buying. Then Friday was busy, despite the rain. We have a lot of great leads.'
Brett also praised the initiatives to broaden the program and concerted marketing and media promotion of the event. 'Sunrise coverage was incredible, and the Gold FM promotion was great too. There’s a lot of good stuff going on. It’s brought a lot of interstate people here – and that had begun to dwindle over the years.'
Seawind Catamarans sold two boats in two days and according to Brent Vaughan, marketing and sales manager, they are 'ecstatic'.
'Yes, we have sold two boats – a new 950 before lunch on the first day and a new 1000XL2 Friday. If that keeps up, we’ll be thrilled,' says Brent, anticipating a strong turn out today with the return of blue skies.
The 950 is going in to a charter fleet in the Whitsundays and the XL2 is privately owned, bought by a local couple to do some cruising up and down the coast.
'We’ve been flat out, really busy, especially on the Thursday. Today we are hopeful that the people who were frightened off by the rain will turn up.'
Aaron Hawke from Powerdive, an exhibitor from Perth reported 'selling gear all day' on the opening day. 'We had a top Thursday, and Friday was alright too'.
Superior Jetties John Hogan, who is attending his 24th SCIBS is celebrating four confirmed orders and more on the way. 'We have taken four orders and have half a dozen lined up behind them. We have a client coming back over the weekend to buy the $75,000 boat lift which is the biggest in the range. It’s shaping up to be a great show!'
Carl Amor from Aqualuma is at the boat show to support distributors. 'This year’s event is a very good show, with strong international turn out. Our distributors are selling. I’d say it’s way better than last year.'
During Friday, Define Watches were pleased to sell a SINN brand precision watch, one of their premium range German timepieces exhibiting for the first time, and are hopeful of selling more over the weekend. 'There’s a lot of interest and in the long-term it will be good for us,' says David Petzold.
According to its Captain, the stunning Sunseeker Predator 64 from South Australia is close to sale, following repeated visits by one interested party who is bringing his family back over the weekend for their nod of approval.
Proudly sponsored by Club Marine, the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show is now in its 24th year and a member of IFBSO.
Exhibitor details, ticket information, accommodation packages and updated news about the 2012 Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show are available at www.sanctuarycoveboatshow.com.au
If you want to link to this article then please use this URL: www.sail-world.com/97702


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Rising food costs outstrip parts of Europe
Food prices are rising at their fastest rate since at least 1996 and more quickly than in many other parts of Europe.
On the rise: UK price rises are in line with EU averages
Details emerged as world leaders gathered in Rome on the eve of a UN summit aimed at tackling a global food shortage that has led to protests and violence on three continents.
According to EU figures, the annual increase in high street supermarket prices was 7.2% in April.
UK food price rises are in line with the average for the EU as a whole but they are considerably higher than those of our closest neighbours.
Don't miss: How to invest in rising food prices...
A £1 increase in the cost of a basket of groceries in France in the past year compares to a rise of £1.31 in Britain.
Supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons have said they are protecting shoppers from the worst effects of rising commodity prices.
However, the Daily Mail revealed yesterday that supermarkets and packers have taken the lion's share of the 47.4% increase in the price of free-range eggs.
The cost of a dozen medium eggs has risen by 83p in a year - 12p of which has gone to farmers and the remaining 71p to supermarkets and packers.
The British Retail Consortium, which speaks for the supermarkets, has insisted that food is cheaper in the UK than other parts of Europe. The EU food figures, published by Eurostat, indicate the biggest increases in Britain are in the prices of oils and fats, where prices are up 15.8%.
Eurostat says the general rate of inflation across the EU was 3.6% in the 12 months to April. The average increase in food prices was 7.1%.
Across Eastern Europe food prices have also risen substantially. The lowest rate of increase - 3.2% - was in Portugal.
Charities attending the World Food Security and Climate Change summit in Rome have warned that continuing food-price increases could lead to disaster.
ActionAid said: 'The current food crisis amounts to a gross violation of human rights and could fuel a global catastrophe.'
The International Committee of the Red Cross said the crisis could exacerbate conflict in war zones.
Forty-four world leaders are expected at the three-day meeting, which was called last year by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation to talk about climate change and biofuels. The rising cost of food will now take centre stage.
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Scientists have demonstrated a highly efficient methodology for wirelessly transferring power to a drone whereas it’s flying. In reality, we are able to straight attribute almost half of the aggregate productiveness development in steel to the entry of this new know-how. I suggest that the subsequent time you are enthusiastic about taking on a brand new piece of technology that you just create your own personal pilot program. Through the implementation of the know-how the leader ought to repeatedly collect information on the measures that the crew has recognized. In reality, a enterprise or healthcare provider might never use the entire capabilities of a product. The use of basic expertise can be a feature of different animal species aside from humans.
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One exception is Oregon-based NuScale Energy, whose expertise has been tapped for the undertaking by the Utah consortium in Idaho. Boeldt DL, Wineinger NE, Waalen J, et al. How consumers and physicians view new medical expertise: comparative survey. AT&T’s energy-line-mounted transmitters, which will be rolled out for area testing in 2017, won’t require a wired electrical connection to the facility traces, mentioned AT&T Chief Know-how Officer Andre Fuetsch. Mike Pasqualetti, senior sustainability scientist at Arizona State University’s College of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, isn’t convinced the world needs this technology. Starting in late 2015 , Apple started pursuing OLED partnerships with LG Show and Samsung.
In this slideshow, we have highlighted 10 sizzling new gadgets chances are you’ll want to contemplate including to your assortment. Nevertheless, Samsung is predicted to unveil versatile show technology at CES later this year that is so much closer when it comes to technical specs to what we’re presently using in our smartphones. What we imply is that every graduate of a New Tech college leaves aware, eligible and ready to pursue postsecondary education or training.
Whether you are buying cool devices like fitness trackers, streaming media gamers, or large household purchases like major home equipment or 4K Ultra HD TVs, you’ll be able to shop our sizzling offers and save big on high-high quality, title-model tech. We would have expected some tweaks to Microsoft’s design of the Xbox One, coming as much as two years in its lifespan, but it surely has stayed trustworthy to its design.


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Good Design Award iLuv
Morning Call 2 and TimeShaker Boom
iLuv Creative Technology
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y., Jan. 31, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — IoT and mobile accessory developer iLuv Creative Technology, announced today that it has won two Good Design awards which they can now add to their ever-growing collection. Good Design is the world’s oldest and most honored Design Awards program and is considered to be one of the top four design awards worldwide. It is organized annually by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design in cooperation with the European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban studies.
Continue reading iLuv Takes Home Two More Good Design Awards
Berlin – January 31, 2017 – The Charging Interface Initiative e. V., CharIN, an open association founded to develop and establish the Combined Charging System (CCS) as the standard for charging all kinds of battery-powered electric vehicles, and STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications and a pioneer in making vehicles safer, greener, and more connected, have announced that ST has become a member of the initiative. Continue reading Electric Vehicle Charging Interface Initiative Welcomes STMicroelectronics
CHELMSFORD, Mass., Jan. 30, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Addressing the need for tighter in-vehicle security, Mercury Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRCY) (www.mrcy.com), today announced the CANGuard™ security suite, a unique software solution designed to protect automotive vehicle data networks. The Company also announced that it has entered into a licensing agreement with a leading automotive electronics manufacturer to enable the integration of CANGuard software into existing vehicle control units as well as future units.
Security breaches of in-vehicle onboard computers and networks are becoming more prevalent. Recent demonstrations range from remotely shutting down an engine to causing vehicle brakes to malfunction. Such attacks are enabled by the lack of built-in security for the vehicle’s controller area network (CAN) bus—the technology linking most onboard computers. CAN has been a reliable workhorse for the automotive industry for decades, yet it was developed before the Internet, so its inventors never considered malicious remote actors having access to the bus. By compromising a network-enabled onboard computer, a sophisticated hacker can gain access to other critical vehicle systems via CAN, leading to the dangerous security breaches recently reported in the media.
“Security is paramount to the safe operation of an automotive vehicle, and there is no safety without security,” said Scott Orton, Mercury’s Vice President of Secure Processing Solutions. “Mercury’s unique security intellectual property applied to automotive infrastructure denies malicious intrusion attempts from propagating to safety-critical vehicle functions.”
At its core, the CANGuard suite is a security layer installed within an automotive computer (an ‘ECU’) attached to a vehicle’s CAN bus. This security layer defends against nefarious actions by blocking malicious data traffic before it can have an impact on the target vehicle – and does so in a manner transparent to the ECU control programs. Unlike alternative solutions, such as bus monitoring or gateway firewalls, CANGuard software requires no architectural changes to the vehicle, nor additional hardware. The CANGuard solution can be applied on a per-ECU basis, retaining complete interoperability with non-CANGuard-aware ECUs. This enables the software to be retrofitted into various existing vehicles in addition to new designs.
For more information visit www.mrcy.com/CANGuard. Continue reading Mercury Systems Launches CANGuard to Strengthen Automotive Data Security
NEWTOWN, CONN., Jan. 30, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Forecast International has released a report of all space launches in 2016. The report summarizes the number of launches and payloads carried, and breaks down the launch market by manufacturer and country.
Highlights in 2016 include the first launch of the Chinese Long March 5, a successful return of multiple Falcon 9 first stages, the return to flight of Orbital ATK's Antares and Pegasus rockets, and the emergence of India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) on the international commercial launch market.
According to the report, "Launch numbers in 2016, like those in 2015, were down from a high point in 2014." Only 85 rockets lifted off in 2016, compared to 87 in 2015 and 95 in 2014. However, the report's author, William Ostrove, notes that "while the number of launches declined, the success rate remained steady – holding at about 96 percent over the past five years."
In 2016, the number of payloads launched also declined. In the four previous years, the number of payloads carried had risen as a result of the proliferation of small satellites. However, the grounding of launch vehicles popular with small satellite operators reduced the number of payloads carried per launch from 3.0 in 2015 to 2.5 in 2016. But despite the drop in 2016, Ostrove said that the decline in payloads is not expected to last. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) plans to carry over 100 payloads on a single launch, while Spaceflight Industries will carry 89 in another flight. The upcoming introduction of dedicated launch vehicles to carry small satellites, such as Virgin Galactic's LauncherOne and Rocket Lab's Electron, will provide additional slots for small satellite operators.
Russia's Soyuz was the most popular launch vehicle in 2016, as it has been for decades. Other popular launch vehicles identified in the report are the Falcon 9, a relative newcomer to the market; China's Long March 2; ULA's Atlas V; the Ariane 5; the Long March 3; and the PSLV. One launch vehicle that has declined in popularity in recent years is Russia's Proton. Ostrove says that "problems within the Russian launch industry have reduced the reliability of the rocket, and commercial customers have responded by switching to competitors like the Ariane 5 and Falcon 9." Continue reading Forecast International Issues ‘Launch Vehicles: Year in Review 2016’
Sarasota, FL, Jan. 30, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Zion Market Research has published a new report titled “LED lighting Market for Residential, Architectural and Outdoor Applications: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis, and Forecast, 2016 – 2022”. According to the report, the global LED lighting market accounted for USD 26.09 billion in 2016 and is expected to reach USD 54.28 Billion by 2022, growing at a CAGR of around 13% between 2017 and 2022. Continue reading Global LED Lighting Market will reach USD 54.28 Billion by 2022: Zion Market Research
PITTSBURGH, Jan. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The II-VI Infrared Division of II‐VI Incorporated (NASDAQ:IIVI), a world leader in laser optics, today announced the expansion of its durable coatings with a new thin film Diamond OverCoat (DOC).
Continue reading II-VI Infrared Expands Durable Coatings with New Thin Film Diamond OverCoat
EINDHOVEN, The Netherlands, Jan. 27, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ:NXPI) announced that, during an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders (EGM) held today, NXP obtained shareholder approval for all items proposed relating to the previously disclosed tender offer by Qualcomm River Holdings B.V., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of QUALCOMM Incorporated, to acquire all of the outstanding shares of NXP. These items are described in greater detail in the EGM agenda disclosed previously by NXP and available on NXP’s website (www.nxp.com/investor). All items proposed were adopted at the EGM with approximately 95 percent of the votes cast in favor of the proposals.
Continue reading NXP Shareholders Approve All Items Proposed Relating To Qualcomm’s Tender Offer
CHELMSFORD, Mass., Jan. 26, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mercury Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRCY) (“Mercury” or the “Company”), today announced that it priced its previously announced underwritten public offering at $33.00 per share and increased the size of the offering to 6,000,000 shares of its common stock. The offering includes a 30-day option for the underwriters to purchase up to an additional 900,000 shares of common stock at the same per share price. The offering is expected to close on February 1, 2017, subject to customary conditions. Continue reading Mercury Systems Announces Pricing of Common Stock Offering; Increases Offering Size
COSTA MESA, Calif., Jan. 26, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — TTM Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:TTMI) celebrated the grand opening of its RF (Radio Frequency) Center of Excellence in Stafford Springs, CT with government officials, TTM leaders, employees and guests participating in a ribbon cutting ceremony. This RF center of excellence in Stafford Springs specializes in RF related PCB products and aims to better support customers from the many end markets we serve, especially Aerospace & Defense.
Continue reading TTM Celebrated the Grand Opening of RF Center of Excellence in Stafford Springs, CT
Dublin, Jan. 26, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Ultracapacitor Market Analysis & Trends – Application, Power Type – Forecast to 2025" report to their offering.
The Global Ultracapacitor Market is poised to grow at a CAGR of around 21.1% over the next decade to reach approximately $9.88 billion by 2025.
Continue reading $9.88 Billion Ultracapacitor Market Analysis & Trends 2016-2025: Lucrative Opportunities from Hybrid Supercapacitors and Technological Developments


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CK Hutchison defends proposed takeover, saying its promises to retail and wholesale customers will maintain competition and allow it to compete with BT and Vodafone
Three’s parent company has promised to freeze prices for five years and invest £5bn in network infrastructure if its £10.25 billion takeover of O2 is approved by competition authorities, including the European Commission (EC).
Earlier this week, Ofcom CEO Sharon White said the deal would be bad for a UK mobile market that has benefited from intense competition, innovation and low prices, especially since Three, the smallest player, has had a tradition of disrupting the market in order to compete with larger rivals.
There are also suggestions that the European Commission (EC) is becoming less tolerant of market consolidation amid concerns of rising prices in markets where the number of operators has decreased.
Similar mergers have been given European approval in recent times, most notably in Ireland and Austria, but another deal between TeliaSonera and Telenor in Denmark was rejected after remedies could not be agreed upon.
In all cases, the proposed mergers reduced the number of operators from four to three and White said that since the 2013 merger between Three and Orange in Austria, mobile prices had risen significantly.
However, in an open letter, Canning Fok, co-managing director of CK Hutchison and chairman of Three, has outlined how the merger will benefit the UK market and maintain competition, while criticising White for her comments.
“Readers in Britain must have been bemused by the blizzard of commentary and speculation earlier this week around telecoms competition in the UK,” said Fok. “We might be forgiven for wondering why Sharon White … felt the pressing need to go public with her conclusions about the effects of CK Hutchison’s proposed acquisition of O2 without having asked for or heard our views in response to her concerns.”
He said: “Let me make one thing clear: the combination of Three (the smallest operator in the market) with O2 makes us able to stand up to the new Leviathan BT (in the blunt words of Dido Harding, chief executive of TalkTalk, earlier this week), not to mention to the old top-of-the-heap predator Vodafone, and is the only way we can guarantee that five years from now customers will still be getting more and paying less for mobile services.”
Fok said every cost efficiency created by the merger would be passed onto customers and the cost of a call, text or megabyte of data would not increase for a five year period after the merger. He added that the pledge to invest £5 billion to improve service was 20 percent more than what would have been spent by the companies on their own.
There was also a third promise outlined by Fok –a commitment to offer wholesale customers the same quality spectrum that Three uses for its own network.
“This is unprecedented in the UK telecom wholesale market,” he continued. “It eliminates the tricks some wholesalers use to disadvantage their wholesale customers and thus make it harder for them in turn to make competitive offerings to their own customers. This approach will deliver real competition, not just slogans.
“In short, over the next 5 years Three+O2’s customers will be getting more and paying less than they do today for mobile services and the wholesale market will also be better off. Let me emphasise: This is not an aspiration. It is a guarantee.
“Over the coming weeks the promises I have laid out will be an important part of the case Three will put to Europe’s competition authorities, who have had the wisdom not to rush to judgement until, as the law requires, they have heard our response to their concerns.”
BT’s £12.5 billion takeover of EE was completed last week following clearance from the CMA. Ofcom had no significant objections to that particular merger.