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After Elon Musk touts Tesla solar on Twitter, Walmart sues the electric vehicle and clean energy company over store rooftop panels that ignited.Technologyread more
The bond market has entered a financial twilight zone, and at this point, there doesn't seem to be a smooth way out.Market Insiderread more
Trump said he has "been thinking about payroll taxes for a long time" — and he cautioned that "whether or not we do something now, it's not being done because of recession."Politicsread more
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo privately told business executives and free traders that the trade war could end by the 2020 election and that hurdles to an immediate agreement...2020 Electionsread more
Market bull Jeff Saut told CNBC on Tuesday that the lows are in and the market is headed "much higher."Marketsread more
Home Depot CFO Carol Tome says "consumer confidence is near record high levels" but "consumer demand could be impacted" by lingering U.S.-China trade tension.Mad Money with Jim Cramerread more
The company's stock seesawed after the markets closed Tuesday, initially swinging up by 4% before falling by about 2%.Retailread more
President Donald Trump believes he has quite the bargaining chip with the European Union.Marketsread more
The United States does not have a defense against hypersonic weapons, which can travel at least five times the speed of sound, or a little more than a mile per second....Defenseread more
See which stocks are posting big moves after the bell.Market Insiderread more
The Federal Reserve has lost control of interest rates as evidenced by the federal funds rate trading higher than any part of the U.S. Treasury yield curve, Jeffrey Gundlach,...Marketsread more
China's factory output grew at the lowest pace in nearly six years in August while growth in other key sectors also cooled, raising fears the world's second-largest economy may be at risk of a sharp slowdown unless Beijing takes fresh stimulus measures.
The output data, combined with weaker readings in retail sales, investment and imports, pointed to a further loss of momentum as the rapidly cooling housing market increasingly drags on activity in other sectors from cement to steel and saps consumer confidence.
Industrial output rose 6.9 percent in August from a year earlier - the lowest since 2008 when the economy was buffeted by the global financial crisis - compared with expectations for 8.8 percent and slowing sharply from 9.0 percent in July.
"The August data may point to a hard landing. The extent of growth slowdown in the third quarter won't be small," said Xu Gao, chief economist at Everbright Securities in Beijing.
"The chances of cutting interest rates and bank reserve requirements have increased. I think they are more likely to cut interest rates."
Some analysts believe annual economic growth may be sliding towards 7 percent in the third quarter, putting the government's full-year growth target of around 7.5 percent in jeopardy unless it takes more aggressive policy measures. Experts reckon output growth of around 9 percent would be needed to attain such a goal.
"Short of outright policy easing, China will likely miss the 7.5 percent growth target this year, and a sharp economic slowdown will endanger the undergoing structural reforms," Liu Li-Gang and Zhou Hao at ANZ wrote in a note.
"As such, we reckon that Chinese authorities should further relax monetary policy as soon as possible to prevent the growth momentum from decelerating further."
Reinforcing the tepid economic activity, China's power generation declined for the first time in four years, falling 2.2 percent in August from a year earlier.
Jiang Yuan, a senior statistician with the bureau, said in a statement that the dip in August factory growth was due to a combination of factors: weak global demand, especially from emerging markets, and the slowdown in the property sector that hit demand for steel, cement, and vehicles.
China's economy got off to a weak start this year as first-quarter growth cooled to an 18-month low of 7.4 percent. A raft of stimulus measures pushed that up slightly to 7.5 percent in the second quarter, but soft July and August data suggest the boost from those steps is already quickly waning.
"The government must take forceful policy measures to stabilise growth," said Li Huiyong, an analyst at Shenyin & Wanguo Securities in Shanghai.
Other activity indicators for August were also mostly weaker than expected.
Retail sales climbed 11.9 percent, lagging forecasts of 12.1 percent and slowing from 12.2 percent in July.
Fixed-asset investment, an important driver of economic activity, grew 16.5 percent in the first eight months from the same period last year, lower than forecasts, it said.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 16.9 percent growth in fixed-asset investment, slowing from 17.0 percent in Jan-July.
Much of the broader decline appears linked to the cooling property market, which is showing further signs of deterioration.
Property investment data also released on Saturday showed further declines in sales and new construction, while growth in housing-related goods such as home appliances, furniture and building materials all slowed.
Mortgage issuance in the first eight months fell 4.5 percent from a year earlier, worse than a 3.7 percent drop in January-July. Some would-be buyers have complained of long delays in getting loans as banks grow more cautious about their exposure to the sector, while others may be holding off in anticipation of further price declines.
Data on Friday showed that credit levels in China appeared to improve in August after an alarming drop in July, but remained below average. Bad loans are on the rise and banks expect more to go sour as the economy slows.
That followed trade data that showed China's exports were buoyant but import growth unexpectedly fell for the second consecutive month in August, posting its worst performance in over a year.
While most analysts expect the government to unveil more steps in coming months in order to meet its growth target for the year, the room for policy loosening is seen as limited after past stimulus programmes left many local governments saddled with piles of debt and fueled rampant speculation, especially in the housing market.
Premier Li Keqiang said on Monday that China cannot rely on loose credit to lift its economy, and reassured a business forum that Beijing would continue to roll out modest "targeted" measures as policymakers look to shore up growth.


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In order to bring the mobile population of Malaysia more options to connect with friends and family, the newest 3G service provider of the country, U Mobile Sdn Bhd, has launched the BlackBerry solution for its customers in collaboration with RIM. U Mobile customers will initially have the opportunity to get their hands on either the BlackBerry Bold 9780 or the BlackBerry Curve 3G, but CEO of U Mobile Sdn Bhd, Dr. Kaizad Heerjee hints that more is coming - "We look forward to continuously unveiling new and exciting products which are focused at delivering simple, flexible and affordable plans to the market."
With its current offerings, affordable monthly rates and the availability of Pay As You Use (PAYU) plans, U Mobile has strong potential to fill the void for the growing demand of BlackBerry smartphones and products in Malaysia. Dr. Kaizad Heerjee also stated that "[U Mobile] is very pleased to have a long-term partnership with RIM to introduce the BlackBerry solution to our customers in Malaysia. BlackBerry smartphones will allow our customers to easily stay in touch with the people and information that's important to them and access information quickly and efficiently no matter where they are through our enhanced 3G high speed network." So tell me, CrackBerry readers from Malaysia currently on U Mobile, are you planning to take advantage of this offer? Be heard in the comments!

domain: news


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The topic of online privacy and how you are represented by digital information has been accelerating over the past few years. In the past six months we have seen a sudden increase in speed as companies on all sides struggle to compete for consumer dollars.
This can be seen in a variety of instances, but mainly in the amount of news coverage it is receiving. Knowing how to identify individuals through online data footprints and having the insight into how they behaviorally act on social networking sites begins looking more and more like Pandora’s Box. You can read about my previous thoughts on reputation management and online privacy or delve into the facts of how online background checks are mixtures of digital espionage and public information.
The sad part of this story is that this business has been around for years… and there are many more invasive technologies being created and utilized by digital companies than you can shake a stick at.


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Fujifilm is stepping up to the plate by adding the much-missed tethering feature to the X-T2.
On Monday, Fujifilm announced a firmware upgrade will allow the X-T2 to connect to a computer via USB using a Fujifilm plug-in for Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom.
The firmware is expected to be released on November 8, while the software add-on will release in November for Mac OS X and December for Windows.
The software updated is expected to bring tethered shooting to the Fujifilm X-T2.
Just like earlier versions of the plug-in, the Tether Shooting Plug-In Pro is still compatible with the Fujifilm X-T1.
According to Fujifilm, the firmware update with the plug-in will allow users to not only display images on the monitor but to save the images directly to the computer.


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The Star Wars 9 panel for Celebration 2019 has been officially confirmed by Lucasfilm. The event takes place in Chicago next month and tickets are still currently available as of this writing. J.J. Abrams just wrapped production on the final installment in the Skywalker saga and he will appear at Celebration, which will more than likely be the time when the title is announced and the teaser trailer is released.
Previous Star Wars Celebrations included the debut of new previews for the sequel trilogy and this year is expected to be the same. There have been rumors floating around for weeks that the first Star Wars 9 teaser footage and title reveal will be in April, so this makes a lot of sense in context. Star Wars fans have been waiting to get any clues for the official title for months now. Just last week, Disney's annual shareholders meeting showed off the very first, albeit brief, footage from the highly anticipated sequel. Most of the footage shown was behind-the-scenes action.
The official Star Wars Celebration Twitter account posted confirmation of the Star Wars 9 panel, which takes place on Friday, April 12th. J.J. Abrams is the only one who has been confirmed, but it seems that some members of the cast will probably be on hand too, depending on schedules. If this year goes in similar way as 2017's, we will probably see Abrams on stage giving away some vague details about the movie before unveiling the title and teaser footage, which will start the promotional campaign for the movie.
This is the longest that Star Wars fans have had to wait for a title in the latest trilogy, so hardcore fans are hoping that this year's celebration will be extra special. The Last Jedi title was revealed in January of 2017, well ahead of the December 2017 release date. Since Lucasfilm is deviating from the norm, there could be some cool surprises in store for the Celebration along with May the Fourth coming the following month. However, this is all speculation at this point. J.J. Abrams could just show up and not give away anything about the movie, including the title or teaser footage.
If J.J. Abrams shows up to Star Wars Celebration empty handed, there could be a small-scale riot in Chicago. Abrams and crew have been working hard to make sure that nothing leaks out and that is going to continue, so it's going to be very interesting to see how the promotional campaign rolls out for the first time and how much we are teased with. Regardless, this is very exciting news that is sure to make fans who were already attending the Celebration very happy. We're now less than a month away, so we won't have to wait too much longer for some official news. You can check out the Star Wars 9 panel announcement below, thanks to the Star Wars Celebration Twitter account.


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Ford is adding 1,550 jobs because its new aluminum F-150 is in such hot demand. In the company press release Ford says it didn’t expect demand to be so strong. Read the full press release below:
As Ford ramps up production of the all-new F-150, the company today announced it will add 1,550 new jobs across its Kansas City Assembly, Dearborn Stamping, Dearborn Diversified and Sterling Axle facilities in the first quarter of 2015. The new jobs will support production and growing customer demand for the recently launched 2015 Ford F-150.
With these new jobs, Ford has reached its entry-level allowance outlined in the 2011 UAW-Ford collective bargaining agreement. As a result, approximately 300 to 500 workers – the first group of “new traditional” employees – will transition, based on attrition and growth, from their entry-level wage of $19.28 an hour to their new wage of $28.50 an hour. The majority of these employees work at Kansas City, Chicago and Louisville assembly facilities.
“Thanks to stronger than expected customer demand, we’re adding 1,550 new workers to support additional F-150 production,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president, The Americas. “These jobs are further proof that customers recognize the all-new F-150 as the toughest, smartest, most capable F-150 ever. We sell every truck we can build, and we plan to build more.”
Of the 1,550 new jobs, 900 are allocated for Kansas City Assembly and 500 will be added between Dearborn Stamping and Dearborn Diversified, with the remaining 150 jobs going to Sterling Axle. These jobs are in addition to the more than 5,000 hourly jobs Ford added across its U.S. manufacturing facilities in 2014.
“This is very exciting news and these additional jobs will have an impact in communities all across our nation,” said Jimmy Settles, UAW vice president and director, National Ford Department. “This also represents a major milestone for employees hired under the entry level agreement, as many will now begin to convert to ‘new traditional’ wage status, as negotiated in the 2011 collective bargaining agreement.”
The entry-level agreement negotiated as part of UAW-Ford collective bargaining has helped improve Ford’s competitiveness and enabled the company to invest more than $6.2 billion in its U.S. manufacturing facilities. Ford has hired more than 15,000 hourly UAW members – exceeding its goal of creating 12,000 hourly jobs in the United States by 2015.


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BoC gets new Chairman
Ronald C Perera, President’s Counsel, has been appointed as Chairman,
Bank of Ceylon by Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake. He assumed duties
Perera was educated at St. Joseph’s College, Colombo and is a LLB
graduate of the University of Colombo and also holds a LLM in
International Trade Law from Northumbria University.
Perera was appointed a President’s Counsel in 2012. He was a Director
of the Bank of Ceylon previously.
Perera is an experienced lawyer with wide practice in the original
courts and in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
Perera is the son of former Minister of Justice, Lands, Science and
Technology the late Paul Perera, PC and of Mrs. Kulaseeli Perera, former
Chairman of the Western Provincial Council.
Samsung earnings decline
South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics reported its first annual
earnings decline in three years.
Its net profit fell 27% from a year earlier to 5.3 trillion won ($4.8
billion; £3.2 billion) in the October to December period, in line with
expectations. But its profit of 25 trillion won for the year, down from
a record 36.8 trillion won in 2013, was the lowest since 2011.
The world's biggest smartphone maker has been facing stiff
competition from Apple and cheaper Chinese rivals. Revenue in its mobile
business, which was the driver of record earnings in 2013, tumbled 23%
in the fourth quarter from a year ago, while for the year it fell 19%.
Overall, the company's sales fell 11% in the fourth quarter. Despite
its earnings coming within market expectations, the conglomerate's
shares still fell 1.6% in Seoul on Thursday. - BBC
Apple posts biggest quarterly profit in history
US technology giant Apple has reported the biggest quarterly profit
ever made by a public company. Apple reported a net profit of $18
billion (£11.8 billion) in its fiscal first quarter, which tops the
$15.9 billion made by ExxonMobil in the second quarter of 2012,
according to Standard and Poor.
Record sales of iPhones were behind the surge in profits. Apple sold
74.5 million iPhones in the three months to December 27- well ahead of
most analysts’ expectations.
In a conference call with financial analysts, Apple's chief executive
Tim Cook said that demand for phones was “staggering”.
However, sales of the iPad continued to disappoint, falling by 18% in
2014 from a year earlier.
The demand for Apple's larger iPhone 6 Plus model appeared to help
boost profits and increase the iPhone's gross profit margin - or how
much Apple makes per phone by 2% to 39.9%. - BBC
Global FDIs decline
Geneva: Global foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows declined by 8
percent in 2014 to an estimated US$1.26 trillion, the latest UNCTAD
Global Investment Trends Monitor reported.
China became the world's largest recipient of FDI while the United
States fell to the third largest host country.
Among the top five FDI recipients in the world, four are developing
The UNCTAD report analyses the most recent trends in global
investment and assesses their prospects for 2015.
It covers FDI trends in developed, developing and transition
Arjuna Mahendran assumes duties
Arjuna Mahendran assumed duties as Governor of the Central Bank of
Sri Lanka on Monday at the Governor's office in Colombo. His appointment
was made by President Maithripala Sirisena on the recommendation of
Minister of Finance Ravi Karunanayake as per the provisions of the
Monetary Law Act. Accordingly, he will also function as the chairman of
the Monetary Board of the Central Bank. Here Mahendran places his
specimen signature to be used on currency notes.
Arjuna Mahendran assumes duties
Arjuna Mahendran assumed duties as Governor of the Central
Bank of Sri Lanka on Monday at the Governor’s office in
Colombo. His appointment was made by President Maithripala
Sirisena on the recommendation of Minister of Finance Ravi
as per the provisions of the Monetary Law Act. Accordingly,
he will also function as the chairman of the Monetary Board
of the Central Bank. Here Mahendran places his specimen
signature to be used on currency notes.


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Payments company Visa has announced the creation of a new advisory division to help the company’s clients navigate cryptocurrencies, the CNBC reports.
The structure, which will become part of Visa’s consulting and analytics department, will offer advice to financial institutions, retailers as well as other firms on everything from the deployment of crypto functions to the study of non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
According to the head of the company’s cryptocurrency business in Europe, Nikola Plecas, the decision is the next step in moving into the field of digital assets. Since October 2020, the company’s payment network has processed $3.5 billion in crypto-related transactions, he has noted. He added:
“Some of the leading exchanges in the industry have millions, and in some cases tens of millions of users.”
The payments giant also develops products related to stablecoins and central bank digital currencies.
Visa expects its crypto consulting services to help the massive adoption of Bitcoin and other digital assets as the company seeks to expand beyond the card payments business. Plecas added:
“Cryptocurrencies are a huge new topic for us and an opportunity for growth. And we will continue to focus on the development of this business, moving forward.”


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Despite Rivian Automotive’s (NASDAQ: RIVN) weak showing in its 2022 Q1 earnings report, Wedbush analysts remain bullish on the automaker in the long term. However, the team of financial experts, led by Dan Ives, said the excuses from Rivian explaining its bottlenecks need to stop, as it has been “a case study for what NOT to do” when starting an EV company.
“To say the Rivian story has been disappointing to us (and the Street) so far would be an understatement,” Ives said in the note. “We believe Rivian, from a core engineering and design perspective along with the Amazon commercial relationship, has potential to be a major EV stalwart over the next decade. However, for that to happen, they need to start delivering models to customers and stop the excuses.”
After reporting misses in both revenue and earnings per share losses on Wednesday during its Q1 Earnings Call, Rivian reported it is still struggling with supply chain holdups from suppliers. The lack of necessary parts to build the R1T all-electric truck, for example, has caused extended production pauses, but that is not what investors want to hear.
“Every quarter, it’s been one thing after another besides the debacle price increase (which was taken back 24 hours later) soap opera,” Ives said in the note about Rivian, who issued its first recall with the NHTSA due to a faulty seat sensor earlier this week.
Despite the weak quarter, Rivian still managed to deliver over 1,200 vehicles, and ownership experiences have appeared to be relatively positive. However, Wedbush’s perspective on the company is that it is a “long-term winner” in the EV space. Ives lowered his outlook on Rivian stock following the lackluster earnings report from $60 to $30 per share. He maintained his ‘Outperform’ rating on Rivian shares.
Disclosure: Joey Klender is not a Rivian shareholder.
I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at firstname.lastname@example.org. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at email@example.com.


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Blackcircles.com has appointed HMDG to its ad account. It is the first time the company has majorly invested in marketing activity.
The 'New Way To New Tyres' campaign launches this weekend. It includes a 30-second spot called "doughnuts", which features a voiceover by Formula 1 commentating hero Murray Walker.
The ad features a white BMW spinning "doughnuts" and creating skid marks in the shape of the Blackcircles.com logo.
Walker, in his famous high-octane commentating style, says, "Go, go, go to Blackcircles.com".
The ending reveals a little old lady behind the wheel of the car.
The ad was directed by Paul Shearer, who was also the executive creative director on the ad. He worked alongside the art director and copywriter, Simon Cenamore and Raymond Chan respectively. The production company was Great Guns.Follow Sara Kimberley on Twitter @SaraKimberley
This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk
Technological innovations are everywhere, and while we may hear about a number of fascinating new developments, few will actually truly define the future of retail. Considering the changing landscape, technology is irrelevant if you don’t first understand both the behaviours and motivations of consumers in a hyper-connected, multi-channel world.


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Belarus Exit Fee: The Authorities Back Down
On 6 September many Belarusian families were vigorously discussing Alexander Lukashenka's proposal of a new charge for those who shop abroad. Additional fees would certainly end their shopping trips to the EU countries.
But last week Lukashenka himself unexpectedly backed away from this idea, making a number of Belarusians breathe a sigh of relief.
The main thrust of this additional tax was to discourage Belarusians from spending money abroad and encourage them to purchase domestically produced goods. Today thousands travel from Belarus to shop in neighbouring Poland and Lithuania. These shopping trips bring benefits not only to Belarusian customers, but also the local economies of the bordering regions, such as the Podlasie region, in Poland.
Belarusian civil society and independent media did not wait long to show its disapproval for the suggested tax. It launched an Internet petition to the authorities and collected almost 27,000 signatures of dissatisfied Belarusians who openly contested the new tax which was briefly mentioned by Lukashenka on 6 September.
Exit Fee: Because You Can Buy Stuff in Belarus
Lukashenka suggested introducing an additional system of taxation during his working visit to the Minsk company "Motovelo". Soon after the Belarusian media reported that he had already ordered Deputy Prime Minister Piotr Prokopovich to prepare a bill. Prokopovich subsequently announced that he needed around 1.5 month to complete the work.
At the same time, the Belarusian authorities kept underscoring that it would apply such a tax only to Belarusian citizens going abroad to shop, not foreign tourists leaving Belarus. This, in turn, gave everyone the impression that the authorities had already made a decision and a bill on the tax was only a matter of time.
Lukashenka’s rationale was fairly clear: Belarusians spend too much money in the West instead of supporting the Belarusian economy. Around the same time the Belarusian Ministry of Trade published statistics showing that fewer people were purchasing Belarusian goods. This, de facto, aids the EU economy, as Lukashenka emphasised. In his words, Belarusians spent around $2bn on goods, most often making their purchases in Poland or Lithuania.
However, on 28 September, at the harvest festival, Dazhynki, Lukashenka tuned down his rhetoric and was much calmer on the topic. He not only explained his arguments, but also withdrew his support for an exit fee in the form that he had previously suggested.
Instead of imposing the previously suggested tax, the authorities now plan to introduce a special departure tax - it will be much lower and of a different character than the previously mentioned exit fee. He emphasised that the welfare of the nation is as important as the welfare of the state. He was presumably referring to the clear dissatisfaction voiced by a large swathe of society to the exit fee.
Would $100 stop Belarusians from shopping abroad?
Mikola, a 27-year old man from Baranovichy, for a number of years has been visiting Bialystok in Eastern Poland. There he buys food, building materials and various things for his household. He finds many goods for much cheaper in Bialystok or Bielsk Podlaski, than in his hometown, Baranovichy, located about a 2 hour drive from Poland. He did not hide his frustration when found out about Lukashenkas proposal.
In the opinion of Mikola, only those who want to purchase cars or have serious business would still be prepared to pay the $100 fee. Otherwise, shopping in Poland would no longer make sense. He could not come up with any idea on how one could avoid the tax. "People could not bribe the border officers. For sure, they could not bribe them. This tax would rather stop them from travelling and buying stuff there", he told Belarus Digest.
On the list of most desired items among the Belarusian customers remain goods such as food, electronics, building materials and clothes. Mikola said that usually he just bought everything he could that was cheaper than in Belarus. The tax return service already available most stores make shopping in Poland all the more attractive. People can claim up to 23% pf the price they paid if they use the tax return system. It is particularly visible on Saturdays when Belarusians almost "invade" Polish shops, something which brings joy both to themselves and the local businesses.
The Belarusian State Border Committee made public its data on the number of Belarusians who traveled abroad and its figures are worth considering. It shows that Belarusian citizens travel most frequently to Poland and Lithuania. In 3.33 million out of 5 million overall trips Belarusians went to Poland. 1.3 million people went to Lithuania. These destinations are not surprising given their proximity and their well-stocked shopping centres.
To meet demand, travel agencies even organise special shopping trips to Bialystok. They include visits to the largest supermarkets and electronics shops.
For a small town such Baranavichy shopping and smuggling remain the most basic sources of income.
Mikola told Belarus Digest that a few of his relatives and friends can live a fairly good life thank to these shopping trips. For a small town such Baranavichy shopping and smuggling remain the most basic sources of income. "People use every opportunity to take advantage of it”, he adds.
Shopping trips remain a serious benefit to the regional economy of Bialystok. A press speaker of the Customs Chamber in Bialystok, Maciej Czarnecki, told Belarus Digest that since the beginning of 2013 the regional chamber registered over 660,000 receipts for the tax free procedure in the Podlasie region. 150,000 people claimed tax free exemptions with an estimated total value of $204m.
The statistics of the Border Service in the Podlasie region show that in 2012 alone, Belarusians crossed the border with Poland 7,902.6 times. 82% of people declared that went to Poland primarily for shopping. Almost 90% of them crossed the border a few times a day.
Why is the State Taking a Step Back?
Alaksiej Shein from Minsk initiated an online petition to Lukashenka's administration raising reasons why the authorities should not introduce the fee. On the website change.org, the author reports that they have already collected 26,925 signatures from people who openly protest the tax. Shein claims that such fees would breach the Belarusian Constitution as well as other international agreements that Minsk has. In his opinion, the tax would make traveling abroad for a majority of Belarusians nearly impossible. It would seem that the 27,000 people who signed the petition agree with his position.
Taking an additional 100 dollars from their pockets could potentially have a negative impact on the domestic image of a leader who likes to portray himself as the main defender of his people's welfare.
The whole discussion on the suggested fee invigorated Belarusian society. The initiation of this petition, but also jokes on the Internet, demonstrate that the Lukashenka's proposal caused serious dissatisfaction within some social circles.The exit fee story also shows that although Belarus remains an authoritarian state, its citizens can put pressure on the authorities who have to back down.


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The operator reported revenues of €86.9 million in the first two months of regulated activity.
Sweden.- Sweden debuted its new regulated market on January 1, and companies have been experiencing a period of adaptation. However, Svenska Spel seems to have captivated the attention of players, as it was the top scorer in the country in the first two months of the year.
The company recorded revenues of €86.9 million during the first two months of 2018. It is estimated that the entire market has generated revenues of €330 million during this period. Former horse betting monopoly company ATG budgeted €67 million.
Among the private operators, Kindred Group generated €25 million, while Bet365 reported €12 million and LeoVegas totalled €10 million.
There are currently 115 licensees for the online market in Sweden: 62 of them are for the online casino sector. The other 44 licences are for sports bets. Analysts estimated that Sweden’s gaming market might be favorable to smaller companies given the 18% revenue deduction set in current regulations.


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Green Lodging News, lodgings leading environmental news source, announces the launch of Green Suppliers Spotlight, an e-blast to more than 20,000 subscribers that features the lodging industrys leading green products and services.
Running a more environmentally friendly hotel is becoming part of day-to-day operations for major American hospitality chains, which are exploring new ways to save on costs while giving their properties greater ethical appeal.
JW Marriotts garment recycling program, which takes place through May 31, 2019, will be available across 26 JW Marriott hotels based in the U.S. Through this sustainable program, hotels will collect the retired uniforms in the boxes used to ship the new garments, each capable of holding 25-30 pounds of textiles. Once received by Cintas, the uniform provider will work with Leigh Fibers, Inc. to shred garments and repurpose the remaining fibers for future use.
Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at The First Residence announces that it is the first Hotel in Egypt to install an electric car charging station, which is now fully-operational.
Sustainability is not something that Orchid Mumbai does; it is who they are. Asias first certified eco-friendly five star talks about their sustainability efforts and business growth with STAAH.
Hotel developers who choose to acquire equipment and technologies to help them conserve energy and water often choose to purchase those outright. For large companies with deep pockets that may work best. For others, however, having to purchase hundreds of PTACs, all-new lighting, or roofing can be a financial burden and even an impediment to investing in another hotel property.
The SCP Hotel Colorado Springs is the first of several green, community-focused hotels planned by Soul Community Planet. The next one will open in Redmond, Ore.
Its no longer a passing trend. Being sustainable is the need of the hour and hotels – big and small – around the world are joining in.
Interview with Anthony Wong, Group Managing Director, Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel, AOS Conventions & Events, Frangipani Hotels & Resorts, Frangipani Natural Farms, Eco Green Design & Construction and Construction Wetland.
Increasingly, companies serving the hotel industry have been promoting their leather as a green product. How can that be? Green Lodging News examined 10 leather companies to determine exactly what makes their products sustainable. In all cases it came down to how long leather lasts, how leather is processed and how leather scraps are repurposed.


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- Time magazine released its first annual list of 50 most genius companies
- It recognised the companies for providing solutions to critical challenges
- Two South African companies, Wonderbag and AgriProtein, were named in the list
Respected US magazine, Time, recently released its first annual list of 50 most genius companies — and two South African companies feature in it.
According to the magazine, the companies are being honoured for creating products or services that solve critical challenges around the world.
Jason Drew, a South African author, entrepreneur and motivational speaker, founded AgriProtein, the first South African company in the list.
AgriProtein turns food waste from restaurants and supermarkets into protein-rich animal feed through "fly farms."
Its flagship fly farm in Cape Town uses the larvae of flies to turn the waste into animal feed, especially for fish and chicken.
The farm turns 276 tons of organic waste into 26 tons of pure insect protein a day, Time reports. It then sells the protein to fish and poultry farms.
The second South African company in the list is Wonderbag, which was founded by KwaZulu-Natal's Susan Collins.
As Briefly.co.za reported earlier, Wonderbag is a cooking bag that enables people to keep food and drinks heated or cooled for up to 12 hours without using electricity.
It is friendly to the environment and has been used by the Red Cross in refugee camps in Rwanda and Uganda. 1.5million Wonderbags have been produced so far.
Have a good laugh with this funny cartoon about Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez from our Briefly - South Africa YouTube channel.
Do you have a story to share with us? Inbox us on our Facebook page and we could feature your story.
To stay up to date with the latest news, download our news app on Google Play or iTunes today.


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INDIA TWO-WHEELER HELMET MARKET IS PROJECTED TO GROW AT A DOUBLE DIGIT RATE, SIDHARTHA KHURANA, STUDDS
We recently caught up with Sidhartha Bhushan Khurana, Managing Director, STUDDS Accessories Ltd to understand the plans of world’s largest helmet manufacturer in terms of increasing the reach, investments, manufacturing facility and also future plans of growth.
1) How do you see the helmet industry growing in India? Can you please elaborate on the ways in which you are increasing the awareness of the same?
India two-wheeler helmet market is projected to grow at a double digit rate, owing to increasingly stringent regulations for both commuters and manufacturers of helmets in the country. With better awareness around safety and increased consumer spending on discretionary items, sale of two-wheeler helmets is forecasted to continue growing across the country in the coming years. With the new regulations from the govt. about banning of non-ISI helmets will only lead to more sales for organised helmets manufacturer. Also, the removal of weight restriction will see much safer helmets coming to Indian market leading to availability of better choice for commuters.
2) Your take on the Two-wheeler sales which has taken a major hit compared to that in last year, how has that affected business?
Covid-19 has disrupted the Indian economy badly but it has also given an opportunity to innovate. Our manufacturing plants were shut for few days only before we started with the production of face shields, goggles and masks.
With social distancing becoming new normal, people will definitely go back to their personal mode of transportation than using public transportation. Two wheeler being the most convenient way to ride in India, this will lead to increase in sales for the same, also, there would be a huge market for used two wheelers as well. This will definitely lead to more demand for helmets.
Also with the introduction of some stringent government policies, the demand is set to increase in the market. We believe the market opportunity is substantial and the government’s new policy on banning non-ISI certified helmets will give organized players in the helmet industry, a big boost by driving demand.
All these factors will only lead to more sales for helmet industry.
3) How does STUDDS plan to increase its presence in the country?
We have recently started with two new manufacturing units which would help us to scale up from 7 million to 14 million helmets. We are already world’s largest helmet manufacturer but these two new plants will help us to meet the demand.
4) Can you elaborate on the total investments made and how do you plan to utilise the same for the brand’s growth in the country?
Over the last one and a half years, we have made the total investment of Rs. 200 crore to set up new facilities. These two new facilities will take our annual production capacity to 14 million. We are also starting bicycle helmets manufacturing.
These new facilities will help us in meeting the demands along with that it will help us in launching many new products.
5) STUDDS has been one of the forefront players in the make-in-India movement, can you highlight the key measures undertaken by the brand to support the same?
We have aligned ourselves with PM Modi’s vision of make in India and due to which 99% of our products and their child parts are being made in house leading to zero dependency on other countries. We have recently started with two new manufacturing units with a total investment of Rs. 200 crore which talks volume about our commitment to make in India for the world.
6) With the present scenario on the Chinese imports, how has that affected the company’s business?
We are the only Indian helmet manufacturer to have complete backward integration which helps us to command control on the quality of our products. The best part about our products is that 99% of our products and their child parts are being made in house which is a major breakthrough under Make in India initiative. We have aligned ourselves with PM Modi’s vision of Make in India and this will lead to nearly zero dependency on other countries for our products and thus will not result in any supply chain disruption.
7) Your take on the latest helmet regulations?
Presently as per government sources, 3% of GDP is spent on road accidents and the number of deaths in case of road accidents is as high as the current pandemic. Hence government is focused on increasing the safety of riders by regularly updating themselves and enforcing new laws. For instance, as per Motor Vehicle bill, it is now mandatory to be wearing a helmet for all two-wheeler riders. Secondly, the government has introduced a policy which bans the production, sales and usage of non-ISI certified helmets. This policy will come in effect from March 1, 2021, this will be a major step towards upgrading the safety of 2 wheeler rider. Thirdly, government has accepted the fact that restriction of weight in case of helmets reduces the safety of the rider hence they have done away with the clause and this will encourage the organized players to develop better helmets. All these steps are aimed at increasing the safety of rider and we welcome such steps from the government.
check the Studds share price here.


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The Urumqi Comprehensive Bonded Zone was set up in July 2015 with approval of the State Council, becoming the third comprehensive bonded zone in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. It started official operation in November 2017. It has been making breakthroughs in the bonded processing and warehousing business since March 2018. With a planned area of 2.41 square kilometers, the bonded zone is located close to the airport in the northwestern part of Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang. It was built based on the previous Urumqi Export Processing Zone.
As an important facility to develop the export-oriented economy in the core area of the Silk Road economic belt, the Urumqi Comprehensive Bonded Zone aims to be a special customs supervision and control zone with multi-functions including bonded processing, bonded warehousing, port operation and comprehensive services. By taking advantage of the international land ports and freight trains linking China and European countries, the bonded zone has actively participated in the construction of the core area of the Silk Road economic belt.
As of June 2018, the accumulated input of the bonded zone reached 2.8 billion yuan ($414 million). The infrastructure and monitoring facilities have been well developed, the first phase of the international trade service zone has been partially put into use and the cross-border e-commerce logistics warehouse is under construction. Thirty-one companies have settled down in the bonded zone.


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HP’s new CEO unveils plan to slash up to 9,000 jobs
HP announced the job cuts Thursday at a meeting with Wall Street analysts headlined by incoming CEO Enrique Lores. He had been overseeing the HP division that includes its profitable business of selling ink for the company’s printers before being named to the top job last month.
The workforce reductions come as the Palo Alto, California, company wraps up a three-year restructuring plan that included the elimination of up to 5,000 jobs.
HP Inc. was created in 2015 when Hewlett Packard split is PC and printer operations from its businesses specializing in data-center hardware and business software. That part is now known as Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
HP Inc.’s stock is down 10% so far this year, while the benchmark Standard & Poor’s 500 index is up 16%.


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On Black Friday this year you won’t have to drive to the big box stores and wait in huge lines to find a sale. Several Shops in Kalona are having Black Friday sales.
Keywords: Black Friday, Sales, shops, Thanksgiving
Should Japan pay ransom money for the ISIS hostages?
call: (319) 653-2113


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Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) president and chief executive Brent Scrimshaw has called for further changes within the company to help it compete with internationally-licensed operators after profit fell during the 12 months through to the end of March.
Total profit was C$419.2m (£249m/€282m/ $324m), exceeding its budget forecast of C$417.4m.
However, this did represent a decline of C$2.8m on the profit total for the 2016-17 fiscal year. Net revenue was also slightly down to C$756.1m.
ALC is active across the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
The firm reported profit growth in all regions, with the exception of Newfoundland and Labrador, where it fell C$4.5m short of its target despite punters spending C$405.5m on lottery games – the most out of all the provinces.
ALC did report success within its digital business, with the number of consumers playing games up from 63,000 in 2016-17 to 72,000 in the past year. Total sales came in at around C$16m for 2017-18.
In December, ALC joined forces with IWG and Scientific Games to relaunch its entire online instant win offering in a bid to attract more customers.
Scientific supplied ALC with a new, omni-channel gaming system while IWG handled the integration process with its Progressive Play remote server.
Scrimshaw said that this focus on expanding its offering will enable the organisation to compete more effectively with other operators.
“Players have so many more options now, and while having a safe and regulated gaming industry is extremely important and at the heart of who we are, we still must ensure that our games, and the means by which we deliver them, are competitive,” Scrimshaw said.
“Speed to market matters. As an organisation we need to be quicker to act and react. The market is evolving and to ensure we remain in the game, our technology, apps and regulatory environment must evolve at the same pace.
“We understand Atlantic Canadians are going to look to gaming for entertainment and by expanding our offering they can choose a safe and regulated provider, which ensures revenue and profits remain in Atlantic Canada.”
Image: Stu pendousmat


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Where would the electronics industry be today without consumer electronics (CE) and wireless technology? Shawn G. DuBravac, staff economist for the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), has the answer. He says that the CE sector accounts for 40% of the electronics industry. "This includes components, including semiconductors, as well as finished products," he says.
By some estimates, DuBravac says the CE sector accounts for more than half of all semiconductor sales worldwide, a result of the fast-paced introduction of new and innovative products and services (Fig. 1).
Gartner's Semiconductor Worldwide Group tends to back him up. The research firm reports that all of the industry's top 10 OEMs, which collectively accounted for $84 billion of the semiconductors consumed in 2006, are major CE players.
Gartner ranks Hewlett-Packard as the top semiconductor consumer with approximately $12 billion in semiconductor purchases, but Nokia and Dell have closed the gap to within $0.5 billion. Samsung and Sony rounded out the top five semiconductor consumers, followed by Motorola, Siemens, Toshiba, and LG.
Apple cracked the top 10 for the first time, propelled by strong sales of its portable media products, including iPods (more than 100 million sold, according to Apple).
Overall, factory-to-dealer sales of consumer electronics have been climbing every year, from about $117 billion just three years ago to a projected $155.2 billion in 2007, according to the CEA (Fig. 2).
"Consumers started the year \[2006\] investing in innovative consumer electronic products and seemingly never stopped," says Todd Thibodeaux, CEA's senior vice president of industry relations. "With the 2007 forecast, we see the consumer love affair with technology continuing at a healthy clip." A recent study conducted by the CEA supports Thibodeaux's notion, purporting that the average U.S. household spends $1200 annually on CE products.
Part of what makes the CE sector so dynamic is the pace of new product development and how rapidly it can glom onto new and emerging technologies. And while consumer electronics today rely largely on physical media and on broadcast delivery of entertainment content, ABI Research believes the market is in the midst of a major shift to a greater reliance on network-based delivery.
The market research firm expects Wi-Fi networking to become a key enabler for delivery and redistribution of this content in the home, particularly for retail CE hardware. It forecasts that the total number of Wi-Fi-enabled CE devices will grow from 40 million shipped in 2006 to nearly 249 million in 2011.
"From the enormous interest in online gaming to the rapid emergence of new Internet distribution channels for top movie and TV content, the connectivity in mainstream consumer electronics is growing rapidly," says Michael Wolf, research director at ABI Research. "While the consumer Wi-Fi market has previously consisted largely of routers, gateways, and adapters, we believe that as the market evolves towards digital distribution, its growth will be fueled by the inclusion of embedded Wi-Fi in consumer electronics."
CEA market research supports the networking trend. "Two of the fastest movers in the CE industry—namely network routers or hubs and cable modems—are devices that enable home networking," says Elena Caudle, a CEA senior research analyst. "The other three products enable consumers to create, shift, or transport digital content."
The Internet also plays a large role in how CE products are purchased. Online research could influence as much as $25 billion in sales over a six-year period, according to a study sponsored by the CEA and Yahoo. The study revealed that such research plays a key role as many consumers prepare to purchase CE products whether they make their end-purchases online or elsewhere.
Another significant trend is that the CE market is getting bigger geographically, especially in places like China, Russia, India, and Brazil. Of course, there are risks involved in these markets, such as copyright concerns. But the growth and potential for even greater revenue from these regions hasn't stopped most of the larger CE OEMs from pursuing them.
CE sales in Brazil have climbed from $11.2 billion in 2002 to $17.1 billion in 2006. In addition to the increase in CE sales, China and India are building manufacturing facilities with foreign-based partners.
The CEA, meanwhile, plans to take a broader look at the impact of its members. DuBravac says the association is preparing a larger study to explore the role the CE industry has in the U.S. economy, which he expects to be published by October of this year.
Convergence Is Critical
Convergence may be old news, but it's still a critical driver in the portable and mobile markets where products are being introduced every day. Market research firm Parks Associates says several industry events are helping to build the convergence trend in mobile devices. Apple's iPhone announcement, for example, generated tremendous buzz in the market. Also, major carriers are looking to integrate mobile platforms into their bundled offerings and provide fixed-mobile convergence applications.
Sprint is testing a new business model with WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) services that will provide a bundle of services and applications on multiple platforms and enable consumers to connect a variety of devices to the company's network. At the same time, Nokia and Motorola are making non-traditional devices like Internet tablets and launching their own entertainment services.
GPS functionality is another popular feature in multifunction mobile products. "Convergence has spread GPS across multiple product segments, resulting in greater consumer awareness and budding adoption of the technology," says Steve Koenig, the CEA's senior manager of industry analysis.
A CEA study found that 33% of future GPS buyers are interested in owning a cell phone with GPS/navigation capabilities. Not quite as many have expressed interest in mobile TV, though. But that's likely to change with next-generation models with new and improved screens.
Earlier than it originally announced, Qualcomm is sampling its Universal Broadcast Modem (UBM), which supports FLO technology, Digital Video Broadcasting-Handheld (DVB-H), and Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial (ISDB-T) all in a single chip. Manufacturers can use it to address three of the world's leading standards with one device.
NBC Universal has already said that it will sell prime-time television shows like The Office and Heroes on demand over cell-phone networks in the U.S. Verizon has introduced its V CAST Mobile TV, which is already available in dozens of cities across the country—and it works, if you have one of the new CDMA phones that offer TV and want to buy into one of Verizon's three video-service packages.
Cell-phone manufacturers and carriers are also touting mobile banking, but surveys suggest this might be a harder sell. AT&T wants to replace credit cards, checks, and cash through agreements with Wachovia Corp. and several other banks. Citibank, the retail banking arm of Citigroup, is starting a mobile banking service that customers can download to their cell phones. Visa USA sees cell phones as the best way to expand electronic payments.
And just about everyone in wireless is working on mobile search, with mapping and other online services already available on computers. Google jumped on this early. Nokia is rumored to be developing its own system, a semantic visual search engine that can organize multimedia content on future mobile phones.
Yahoo says its OneSearch system will spread from U.S. to international markets later this year, offering news headlines, images from Yahoo's Flickr photo sites, business listings, local weather, and links to other Web sites. OneSearch also lists local theaters and the movies they're playing, as well as movie ratings.
Increased Chip Integration
Part of the trick in supporting next-generation features will be the ability to further integrate RF components, such as RF transceivers, power amplifiers, antennas, switch modules, front-end modules, and RF surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) filters, into new mobile handsets.
Research firm iSuppli Corp. says the total market for mobile-handset RF components was $7.1 billion in 2006, and it expects that to grow to more than $8.8 billion through 2010 (Fig. 3). The firm also believes that RF component industry and mobile device manufacturers will have to continue to evaluate new technologies to drive costs down while improving the performance of their products.
Here's the rub on convergence: How much of it can consumers handle? What's the message when the instruction booklet outweighs the product? Carriers, including cable and direct-broadcast satellite companies, are asking a similar question. How can they provide transparent connectivity between platforms such as mobile handsets, TV sets, and PCs without making it too complicated for their customers?
Glenn Britt, president of Time Warner Cable, addressed an International CES audience in Las Vegas in January, stating, "The future is about providing services that cut across these platforms, and none of us knows exactly what they are." Continuing, he said, "We have different ideas. The important thing is to focus on what consumers want and keep it simple."
Several market research firms have been hired to help them figure it out by conducting another round of surveys to determine consumers' attitudes on how far manufacturers should take convergence.
More New Chips
Intel, Advanced Micro Devices, Texas Instruments, and other companies are helping to drive convergence by developing new chips for CE applications that are faster, smaller, and more energy-efficient. They're also being designed to handle ever more applications. For instance, Intel disclosed in January that it was well on its way toward developing a new generation of processors and that it plans to begin producing the chips in the second half of this year.
Intel will be the first chip manufacturer to introduce 45-nm processors—possibly two by the end of this year with additional 45-nm chips in the pipeline in 2008. These will be followed closely by a family of so-called Nehalem chips, featuring a new design with up to eight processing cores, touting graphics capabilities. Advanced Micro Devices also plans to integrate graphics into its processors, partly as a result of its acquisition of the Canadian graphic chip maker ATI last year.
IBM says it has developed a chip capable of transmitting an entire HD movie in one second, making it faster and more energy-efficient. Initially targeting processors that run servers, the chip reportedly can transmit data at 160 Gbits/s. IBM doesn't expect these chips to be available for three to five years.
Forward Concepts, which closely follows the DSP market, predicts general-purpose DSP chips will grow by 8% to $9 billion (Fig. 4). The bigger opportunity, says Will Strauss, Forward Concepts' president and principal analyst, is in the embedded DSP market, which should grow to $17.6 billion in 2007—almost twice the size of the general-purpose DSP market.
Strauss says the embedded DSP market is creating new opportunities for emerging companies because of lower barriers to entry. "A number of new companies are introducing parallel array processor chips for unprecedented DSP horsepower on a single chip at relatively low clock frequencies and reduced power consumption," he notes. He also says Qualcomm, Broadcom, Marvell, and Infineon lead the embedded DSP market, with most DSP products being offered as systems-on-a-chip (SoCs).
WiMax? Why Not?
Despite some heavy competition from the buildout of new 3G networks, chip makers, mobile handset vendors, and wireless carriers are rapidly committing to WiMAX, primarily for high-speed Internet access. For one thing, they like the range it offers. For another, it's a cheaper alternative to current 3G cellular networks.
Based on the IEEE's 802.16 metropolitan-area network (MAN) standard, WiMAX could compete with entrenched broadband systems from cable TV and DSL suppliers. While some of the industry's leading developers, such as Intel, believe WiMAX can converge with CE technology such as digital cameras and handheld games as early as 2009, others are more skeptical. "We're not likely to see technologies like mobile WiMAX or indeed, anything else, really take off until the next decade," says market analyst Sara Harris of Strategy Analytics.
Speculations aside, the fact is major mobile handset manufacturers have already got the ball rolling. Nokia and Motorola plan to introduce their first WiMAX-enabled mobile models in 2008. Samsung is expected to come out with both a single-mode WiMAX model and a dual-mode WiMAX/1xEV-DO modem in 2008 as well.
On the carrier side, Sprint has committed to WiMAX and says it will spend $1 billion this year and another $2 billion next year to build a WiMAX network in 19 U.S. cities by April 2008. The company plans to test mobile WiMAX networks in Chicago and the Baltimore/Washington, D.C., areas by the end of this year, respectively.
Research firm In-Stat expects more than 31 million people in Asia to be using WiMAX broadband wireless Internet links within five years, even though fewer than 300,000 were using WiMAX at the end of last year. Part of the interest in the technology in that part of the world comes from the fact that it can be deployed rapidly.
In correspondence with this exponential growth, In-Stat also projects infrastructure spending for WiMAX by carriers in the Asian-Pacific region to jump from $400 million in 2006 to $2.9 billion in five years. India, where WiMAX is beginning to provide high-speed Internet access and phone service, has opened up 300 MHz of spectrum dedicated to WiMAX.
The Yankee Group predicts that China's WiMAX market will reach 8.39 million users in 2011. That's almost seven times the 1.25 million users the research group forecasts for 2009, which is the first year of significant WiMAX development expected in China. Of the 8 million users, portable broadband users are expected to lead the market.
Fed Goes Green
The environment is another huge issue as the industry continues to embrace new and emerging initiatives such as the European Union's Restrictions on Hazardous Substances (RoHS). Now, there's what seems to be a little known development that requires U.S. federal agencies to procure only "green" products to the extent possible, and that includes electronics.
In January, the Bush Administration signed off on Executive Order 13423, "Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy and Transportation Management." It calls for federal government agencies to acquire more energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable electronic equipment that is also cost-effective, while maintaining or improving product quality and performance.
This is both a challenge and an opportunity for industry companies that do business with the government. Several key federal agencies have already developed formal programs under the EO, including NASA, the U.S. Army, the Transportation Security Agency, the Veterans Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Departments of Energy and the Interior.
According to the EPA, electronic equipment currently represents only 1% to 2% of the country's waste stream, but it is growing quickly. The EPA's concern is that many electronic products contain toxic substances, including lead, mercury, and cadmium. Another goal of the new EO is to promote the recycling of obsolete electronic equipment, which may contain many of these substances.
Annually, 95% of electronic products purchased must meet Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) standards where applicable. EPEAT is an environmental procurement tool designed to help institutional purchasers in the public and private sectors evaluate, compare, and select desktop and laptop PCs and monitors based on their environmental attributes.
According to the EO, Energy Star features must be enabled on 100% of all computers and monitors. It also requires the reuse, donation, sale, or recycling of 100% of all electronic products. Of the 2 billion Energy Star-qualified purchases since 1992, more than half, or nearly 1.1 billion, have been consumer electronic products.
Administered by the White House Office of the Federal Environmental Executive (OFEE), the order consolidates five prior EOs. From a management perspective, it clarifies and expands the roles and responsibilities of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and federal agencies.
In his keynote before this year's Semico Summit, National Semiconductor CEO Brian Halla described several "megatrends" he said would drive chip demand, including security and surveillance, ultra-accurate equipment using chip-powered imaging, and analog-enabled medical applications such as modern ultrasound devices that project 3D images. He also sees the potential for a room full of cell phones becoming a high-performance network. Underscoring it all, he says, will be a need for optimized power management to control appropriate voltages and conserve battery life.
Innovation still gets a lot of lip service, mainly from trade associations that lobby Washington, but it continues to be the lifeblood of the industry. Indeed, Halla urged the government to make American innovation leadership a key policy priority. He suggested elected officials enact legislation and policies that encourage funding for basic research, ensure the industry has access to a world-class workforce (including immigration and visa reform), and provide a competitive investment climate and infrastructure so U.S. companies can continue to compete.


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Developed by famous hacker Samy Kamkar, the new SkyJack drone is capable of hacking other, nearby drones and take control of them. Using a Raspberry Pi circuit board attached alongside two wireless transmitters and a small battery, the drone is able to detect wireless signals of nearby drones, hack into those wireless connectionsm and commandeer the drone’s flight and camera systems.
Commercial use of drones isn’t widespread, but with the recent announcement of Amazon Prime Air, it looks like it may only be a matter of a few years before we see drones moving packages and products to and fro. Many people have expressed concerns, for example, what’s to stop someone from shooting down an Amazon drone and stealing the package? That may not be the only threat that these drones, or other similar drones, might face. SkyJack is a drone that’s capable of hacking drones flying near it and handing over control to the attacker.


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Data indicates winter storm and buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS) trend impacted shopper traffic for Black Friday weekend and Cyber Monday
Johnson Controls today announced that Sensormatic Solutions, its leading global retail solutions portfolio, released a comprehensive ShopperTrak recap of shopper traffic during Black Friday weekend 2019, the period spanning Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, 2019, through Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019.
Sensormatic Solutions found that store traffic for the 2019 Black Friday weekend resulted in a 4.0% decrease compared to 2018. Store traffic on Saturday, Nov. 30, resulted in a 2.6% decrease and traffic on Sunday, Dec. 1, resulted in a 7.5% decrease.
On Saturday, traffic increased 0.9% in the Northeast and decreased in all other regions, including Midwest (-10.1%), South (-1.2%) and West (-2.6%). On Sunday, traffic was down significantly by 30% in the Northeast and only down nominally in other regions, including Midwest (-1.4%), South (-3.8%) and West (-1.7%).
"The winter storm that hit most of the Northeast massively impacted in-store traffic patterns for the Thanksgiving weekend," said Brian Field, senior director of global retail consulting for ShopperTrak. "The Saturday after Black Friday is always one of the busiest shopping days of the holiday season and, this year, shoppers in the Northeast came out in record numbers. Our results showed that many consumers in this region anticipated the storm and did most of their shopping on Saturday instead of Sunday this year."
Sensormatic Solutions also looked at the effect of Cyber Monday on brick-and-mortar retail traffic on Monday and found that this year’s traffic increased 0.5%.
"This year we saw an overall increase in store traffic on Cyber Monday," said Field. "Our data historically indicates that Cyber Monday has little impact on in-store traffic. We attribute the uptick this year to some regional snowfall last year and the growing trend of buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS). Many consumers made their purchases online when stores were crowded and elected to pick them up on Monday when stores were not as busy."
Sensormatic Solutions also analyzed traffic on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. After all data was tallied, the final results found that store traffic on Thanksgiving resulted in a 0.8% decrease and store traffic on Black Friday resulted in a 4.4% decrease. Data for the combined two-day period resulted in a 3.6% decline in traffic. A slight variation from what was originally reported, Black Friday remains the busiest holiday shopping day by a landslide.
More information on the 2019 top busiest shopping days here: Top Busiest Holiday Shopping Days.
About Johnson Controls
At Johnson Controls, we transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play. From optimizing building performance to improving safety and enhancing comfort, we drive the outcomes that matter most. We deliver our promise in industries such as healthcare, education, data centers and manufacturing. With a global team of 105,000 experts in more than 150 countries and over 130 years of innovation, we are the power behind our customers’ mission. Our leading portfolio of building technology and solutions includes some of the most trusted names in the industry, such as Tyco®, York®, Metasys®, Ruskin®, Titus®, Frick®, Penn®, Sabroe®, Simplex®, Ansul® and Grinnell®. For more information, visit www.johnsoncontrols.com or follow us @johnsoncontrols on Twitter.
About Sensormatic Solutions
Sensormatic Solutions is the leading global retail solutions portfolio of Johnson Controls enabling smart and connected shopper engagement. By combining critical insights into retail inventory, shopper traffic and loss prevention, Sensormatic Solutions powers operational excellence at scale and helps create unique shopping experiences. Our solutions deliver real-time visibility and predictive analytics for accurate decision-making across the enterprise, enabling retailers to confidently move into the future. With more than 1.5 million data collection devices in the retail marketplace, we capture 40 billion shopper visits and track and protect billions of items each year. Our retail portfolio features the premier Sensormatic, ShopperTrak and TrueVUE brands. Please visit http://www.sensormatic.com, or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and our YouTube channel.
© 2019 Johnson Controls. All Rights Reserved. SENSORMATIC, SHOPPERTRAK, TRUEVUE and the product names listed above are trademarks and/or registered trademarks. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited.
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In North America alone, there were once more than 15,000 varieties of apples grown and eaten. However, today most consumers would struggle to name a few varieties beyond the ubiquitous Granny Smith and Red Delicious – whose attractive color, long shelf life and ease in transport have allowed it to become the predominant variety sold in US supermarkets.
Slow Food has been working to bring back this lost world of apple varieties with initiatives that support producers in a number of countries. In Piedmont, Italy, a wide variety of apples have been cultivated since the High Middle Ages, however the introduction of industrial agriculture in the early 20th century caused a great decline in apple biodiversity. The Heritage Piedmontese Apple Varieties Presidium is working towards saving a large number of apple varieties, such as the Grigia di Torriana, Buras, Runsè, and Gamba Fina, and has so far succeeded in re-introducing eight varieties back into the market.
The Almaty Slow Food Convivium in Kazakhstan is working to protect the wild Siever apple trees, the last wild apple varieties in the world and considered to be the birth pool of almost all varieties of domesticated apples. The forests’ territory has diminished by 20%, and only three of the eight different Siever apple varieties remain. Siever apple trees will soon be added to the Ark of Taste, Slow Food’s catalogue of quality at-risk foods.
Meanwhile the RAFT group (Renewing America’s Food Traditions), managed by Slow Food USA have declared 2010 the Year of the Heirloom Apple and in 2009 organized the first ever gathering of grassroots apple conservationists with the aim of saving thousands of endangered varieties. RAFT has also published Forgotten Fruits Manual and Manifesto – Apples to detail the history, decline, nursery practices and local restoration efforts designed to bring back the most endangered heirloom apple
Encouraging and supporting these initiatives is fundamental to the conservation of these ancient varieties and constitutes an important step towards the safeguarding of biodiversity.
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He succeeds Han-woo Park who will move on to an advisory role and continue to support the company’s business objectives.
Kia Motors announced the elevation of Ho-sung Song, Head of Global Operations Division, to the President of the organisation. He succeeds Han-woo Park who will move on to an advisory role and continue to support the company’s business objectives. In his new capacity, he will spearhead the advancement of ‘Plan S’, which is the company’s mid- to long-term strategy which is aimed at helping the company to attain a leadership position globally in the automotive sector.
Song’s extensive experience across the automotive value chain as well as his expertise in overseas operations will be tremendous assets in the company’s transition to future businesses, which will encompass electric vehicles and mobility solutions. Prior to his current position as Head of Global Operations, Song has been successful in a wide array of leadership roles, ranging from President of Kia Motors Europe and Head of Kia Motors Corporation Export Planning Group.
Kia has already sold more than 50,000 units of the Seltos In India
Also Read: Kia Registers Highest Ever Monthly Sales In India
Kia’s Plan S strategy targets a shift toward electric and autonomous vehicles from a business system focused on internal combustion engine vehicles. By the end of 2025, the company plans to offer a full line-up of 11 battery electric vehicles. With these models, Kia is looking to achieve a 6.6 per cent share of the global EV market (excluding China), while also attaining a 25% share of its sales from its eco-friendly cars.
Kia Motor India is already off to a flying start in the country with the launch of the Seltos and now with the Carnival, it aims to spearhead the segment. There are more cars coming our way and we’re looking forward to the subcompact SUV Sonet, which will come to us very soon.
As far as global sales go, Kia Motors registered robust sales across markets and in fact sold 1.9 million vehicles in 2019 with a strong growth in the SUV space. The Sportage, Telluride and even the Soul have seen sales growth in the past year and 2020 too looks promising. The fact that the Telluride and the Soul EV are finalists in the world car awards category, give us an understanding about how well these cars have been received not only by customers but also by the media.


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It was a rugged first year for Microsoft’s newest videogame console, the Xbox One, but the company finally had a November to remember, beating archrival Sony’s PS4 in several sales and user measurements. Credit goes to aggressive discounting and the halo effect of, well, Halo, the blockbuster franchise returning with a rebooted collection of old games and a new title just around the corner.
“It’s been a great year and a great time for everyone in the industry,” a Microsoft spokesperson said. “November set a new record for sales of Xbox One, and Xbox One was the best-selling console in the U.S. and U.K. Response to the holiday lineup of games on Xbox One was incredible, with Xbox One fans buying more games in November in the U.S. than any other (current-generation) platform and enjoying over 357 million hours of gameplay globally.”
Garret Dillahunt, Michael Hyatt & More Join Daisy Edgar-Jones In 'Where The Crawdads Sing' Adaptation From Sony
Those sales claims are based on data from industry analysts NPD and GFK ChartTrack, and they represent what must be a a welcome shift in Xbox one fortunes after Microsoft botched its launch, lost its top executive, had to scale back its initial international distribution, shut its ambitious Xbox Entertainment Studios initiative and trailed the PS4 in sales most of the year.
But big discounts in November led to big sales. Those discounts typically saw the price of a base system cut to $50 less than a PS4’s $399 price, with additional games or subscriptions to the Xbox Live online network thrown in for free. The original Xbox One cost $499, including the Kinect sensor array that was supposed to automate the system and make possible many kinds of game and media experiences. But the $100 difference in prices has proved a huge problem for Xbox One sales most of the year, so last spring Microsoft started offering a Kinect-less alternative for the same price as the PS4.
This holiday season, Microsoft get even more aggressive. Among the deals I’ve seen was a bundle that included the Xbox One console, two Assassin’s Creed games from Ubisoft, the latest Madden NFL from Electronic Arts, a stereo headset and a 12-month subscription to Xbox Live, for $499.99. Normally, that collection of hardware and software would cost $639.99.
There could be a price for Microsoft’s discounts. If it’s selling the hardware at a bigger-than-expected loss, which is likely. Game consoles almost always debut at or close to a loss, with the parent company expecting to make back the money by locking in a fan to their platform, and reaping software licensing fees and other revenue. Eventually, over the years of a console model’s life, hardware costs drop to a level where new machine sales make money too. But doing it now suggests a potential much longer horizon to profitability if those game sales don’t spark up.
Speaking of game sales, it’s important to note the other big helper for Xbox One was the arrival of new and old Halo titles. The original version of the game helped jump-start the original Xbox after it debuted in 2001. Now that original game has been remastered for the Xbox One and mashed in with three succeeding titles in what’s called the Master Chief Collection. And Halo 5 is set to arrive early in the new year. Finally, time for Microsofties to celebrate.
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Designer introduces timepieces at Baselworld 2011 exhibition.
Iconic British fashion label Vivienne Westwood is to launch a collection of watches at Baselworld 2011.
The company has signed an agreement with Herald Group subsidiary Zeon Limited, which will design, market and distribute the timepieces under the Vivienne Westwood brand name.
Zeon Limited managing director Richard Tibber said: “We are excited to be working with the iconic Vivienne Westwood brand to design and produce what will be a stunning watch collection.”
Vivienne Westwood managing director Carlo D’Amario added: “It is good that we have signed a license with Zeon to create a collection of ladies and men’s Vivienne Westwood watches. Westwood is incredibly proud of her English heritage so we are pleased to be partnering with an English company.”
The watch collection, consisting of a range of ladies and men’s watches, will retail between 100 to 500 GBP and will be available in stores from fall 2011. Vivienne Westwood watches will be offered initially through select, high-end UK department and specialty stores, before moving into similar retail outlets across Europe, the USA and Asia.


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Entries in 'GCAP' (22)
Game Connect Asia Pacific (GCAP) 2013 is set to take place in Melbourne from 21st-23rd October, and early bird prices are almost gone.
Following on from yesterday, we continue our talk with Antony Reed from the GDAA on the gender divide in the industry.
While Game Connect Asia-Pacific still retains its strong developer focus, there are plenty of reasons to attend one of gaming's biggest annual conferences.
Festival season is far from over in Victoria, with Games For Change registrations now open and the speaker lineup announced.
Returning to the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and partnering with the Game Masters exhibition at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, the Game Connect Asia Pacific (GCAP) 2012 ...
Industry conference Game Connect Asia Pacific 2012 has been confirmed and dated, and will be coming to Melbourne in October.
Game Connect Asia Pacific 2011 had some great talks, and Tsumea has been good enough to re-post some key marketing and PR talks in their entirety.
Last week, GCAP 2011 played host to a range of international guests, plus the largest turnout of Australian game developers in the yearly calendar.
Speaking at GCAP 11 on Wednesday, VP of Capital Research for EEDAR (games research firm) controversially pushed brands over individual games.
GCAP has now drawn to a close, with day three having some great speeches and panels on the state of the local industry and successful game marketing.
At the end of day two of GCAP 2011, we look back on the keynote addresses, big plans by Screen Australia, and the discussions our industry has had.
Screen Australia (SA) took the stage at GCAP 2011 to outline new options before the Australian government to help the game development community thrive again.
Day one of Game Connect Asia Pacific 2011 (GCAP) is almost at a close, and we've heard from unlikely partners for the games industry.
With GCAP 2011 kicking off on Monday, MCV takes a look at some of the upcoming highlights and speakers attendees can expect.
Game Connect Asia Pacific (GCAP) is just around the corner, so MCV took the time to ask organiser Antony Reed what attendees can expect from the event.
Game Connect Asia Pacific (GCAP) is the largest conference in Australia for videogames business, development and market trends.


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Final Fantasy XVI Development Moving Along With Scenario Development Complete
Latest Final Fantasy mainline entry revealed during September PS5 Showcase
According to a job listing on the Japanese Square-Enix employment page, the development of the latest mainline entry in the Final Fantasy series in Final Fantasy XVI is well underway with basic development and scenario development now complete, with the current team members working from home.
The page listing is seeking additional help with the game’s development, specifically seeking development assistance with stages and fields, large-scale cutscenes, character actions, and other game-specific assets.
The game was officially revealed last month during Sony‘s Playstation 5 Showcase as a surprise announcement and is being produced by the same internal Square-Enix group respnsible for the development of the popular Final Fantasy XIV MMORPG, with XIV director Naoki Yoshida and Hiroshi Takai both handling the game.
Final Fantasy XVI is slated for release on Playstation 5 next year. Another game-specific event is also scheduled to be held next year ahead of the game’s release.
With the shift in tone and era in the latest entry, are you looking forward to the next Final Fantasy game?
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The fast-growing newcomer Fresh Supps has made its way into a lot of different stores and stockists around the country and even across the globe despite only being in business for about one year. This coming week, it is showing its brick-and-mortar partners some love, or at least one partner in particular, by putting together a special edition flavor specifically for it. The lucky retailer receiving the extra attention is the reputable and reliable Nutrition Faktory, which is opening an all-new store on Saturday of next week in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Alongside the grand opening of that show, Fresh Supps has produced a limited-time Pink Lemonade flavor of its signature and well-rounded pre-workout, loaded with 6g of pure citrulline for pumps, beta-alanine for performance, focus-enhancing CognatiQ, and a reliable 300mg of caffeine for energy. When we say the brand has put together Pink Lemonade for Nutrition Faktory, we wholeheartedly mean that, as the product is actually exclusive to the store, with availability from this coming Saturday, and you will not be able to get this anywhere else.


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HAVERTOWN, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Haverford Township police say the search continues for a 66-year-old man who led officers on a chase after he stole from a local grocery store.
On Friday, August 4, police responded to a theft at the ACME on West Chester Pike.
They say Robert Dixon, who has addresses in both Philadelphia and Upper Darby, was caught stealing from the store for a third time.
When police followed Dixon, he sped away.
They followed him into Upper Darby Township where officers blocked him.
Police say Dixon took off and rammed several cars in the process. They say everyone in those cars is OK.
In addition to the theft charges, police say Dixon is also facing charges from Upper Darby as a result of striking the vehicles.
According to police, Dixon has been stealing a large amount of soap and alcohol. At ACME, they say he has snagged about $1,400 worth of merchandise.
Police say Dixon has had 33 prior convictions for retail theft.
Joseph Hagan, the deputy chief of Haverford Township Police, says retail theft "seems to be a crime that just keeps going up and up."
Hagan says there has been a 161% increase in retail thefts in Haverford Township in the past two years.
Several local police departments have recently posted about retail thefts.
In Bucks County, Lower Southampton police say there have been three thefts at the same ACME in Feasterville over the past couple of weeks.
In Philadelphia, our 6abc data team found there have been 258 retail theft arrests this year, which is up about half from this time last year.
According to statewide statistics recorded by Capital One, Pennsylvania retailers lose an estimated $2.64 billion in annual revenue to theft.
Criminal justice attorney Joseph Lento weighed in on what could be causing the increase in crime.
"If people think they have carte blanche to act out or do what they want without recourse, then certainly it can encourage people to do just that," Lento explained.
Deputy Chief Hagan added, "Some stores are laxed on their policies of making an arrest, confronting the individual, or trying to prevent the thefts from occurring."
Hagan says Haverford Township police have been working with stores in the area to get them to increase security at their front doors and record car tags in their parking lots.


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Honda: Nanotech needs more government support
- Robert Mullins
U.S. Rep. Mike Honda plans to introduce a bill next year in Congress to further research into nanotechnology to help spur economic growth in Silicon Valley.
Mr. Honda, a Democrat from San Jose, told people at a breakfast meeting Tuesday morning that he is drafting legislation to fund turning basic research into nanotechnology into actual commercial products.
President George W. Bush last year signed legislation providing $4 billion in federal funding over five years to promote basic nanotechnology research. Mr. Honda does not have a price tag for the new legislation to take nanotechnology to the next step because the bill is still being drafted. He anticipates introducing it early next year.
At a San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce meeting, Mr. Honda told his audience of about 50 people that nanotechnology has many uses. The technology is already being used to make stain-resistant slacks. In another example he cited, solar batteries can be embedded in paint so that the coat of paint on a house can act as a solar panel to heat its interior.
"It's happening here in Silicon Valley but we have competition around the world," he said. "We need to encourage researchers to continue to work."
Mr. Honda cited industry forecasts that nanotechnology could be a $1 trillion industry by 2015.
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Most people feel very virtuous when they grab a bottle of water off the supermarket shelf rather than that carbonated sugar bomb or preservative-laden fruit juice, but have you ever stopped to think about what you're buying?
The same going for popping the seal on that bottle of water at a conference in a fancy-schmancy hotel, where you just know the waiter is going to have a shock-induced coronary if you dare to ask for tap water.
But here's the thing... Would you stop reaching for that bottled water if you knew you'd save enough oil to power SA's cars for an entire year? Or how about if you knew that for every 1 litre you drink, 2 more litres were wasted in the manufacturing process?
The Protea Hospitality Group looked at those statistics - and quite a few others equally scary - and decided it was high time to end the mad cramming of water bottles into landfills, where they'd still be decomposing long after Captain Kirk asked how many fingers he was holding up trying to do the Vulcan salute in the 23rd century.
The hotel group has started a process to phase out bottled water in their conference facilities and rooms, and more than 30 hotels are already using an environmentally-friendly in-house water purification/bottling system this is saving thousands of bottles from ending up in landfills daily.
"As much as the environment is important to us as a group, we also realise it's important to the companies that conference with us. They seek to reduce their carbon footprint as much as possible when they travel and this goes a long way towards offsetting that carbon footprint," said PHG Group Operations Director William Ford.
And according to Ford, over the next few months another 30 hotels will replace plastic water bottles with reusable glass bottles and water purification/bottling systems, further reducing the company's landfill contribution.
The new bottling systems come from Vivreau, the company that provides the White House and Michelin-star restaurants throughout Europe and the US with drinking water. Vivreau systems provide for filtered water to be bottled on site in sterilised reusable glass bottles rather than the single-use plastic water bottles that are used in most other hotels and conferencing facilities around South Africa.
This is not only good news for the environment, but for guests, too. Complimentary still bottled water is available on restaurant tables at every meal, in reception areas and in guests' bedrooms, as well as in hotel bars, providing added value for visitors.
Ford said: "The Protea Hospitality Group doesn't see sustainability as a range of new activities because we've been sensitive to the environment for many years and we are always looking for new ways to reduce our carbon footprint. We recognise that this is a holistic process that calls for a shift in the way we approach the range of issues that face our business on a daily basis and that is what the move to Vivreau water is all about."
Ford added that the transition in the 30-odd hotels from plastic bottled water to filtered water in glass bottles had been an unmitigated success with no complaints from guests or hotels.
Take a look at this disturbing infographic:


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- Barry Callebaut has introduced Bensdorp Natural Dark, a cocoa powder processed without alkali and meant for bakery and pastry applications, beverages and ice cream.
- The company said in a release the new product enables food manufacturers to deliver rich flavor in a variety of products while offering a clean label.
- According to the press release, the Swiss chocolate company has been working on this ingredient for years. "Our biggest challenge was to create a cocoa powder that not only delivers a natural dark brown color but brings a rich, chocolaty flavor that our customers can confidently use across all major applications," Global Cocoa President Steven Retzlaff said in the release.
Barry Callebaut is positioning this new dark cocoa powder as a more healthful product with a cleaner label — qualities consumers increasingly want in their food products. Before this, dark cocoa powder was made by "Dutching," or using alkalization to lower its acidity, according to Food Ingredients 1st. But as a growing number of people want to avoid what they see as chemical processes, this cocoa may appeal to consumers.
Premium colors and flavors are assets food and drink makers may be seeking since they convey higher quality and could command a higher price.
Darker chocolate, along with raw and organic varieties, is sometimes viewed as a better-for-you product in the inherently indulgent category. A 2017 report from Research and Markets forecast a 2.4% annual growth rate for the global chocolate market through 2021, with a special interest in healthier options.
Doubling down on the better-for-you elements, Barry Callebaut petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration earlier this year for a qualified health claim for cocoa powder, semi-sweet and dark chocolate products. The company said it found supportive but inconclusive scientific evidence suggesting that consuming at least 200 milligrams of cocoa flavanols daily may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The FDA petition is still in review, but if it moves forward, this new cocoa powder could be looking to have a health claim.
Barry Callebaut clearly had cleaner labels in mind when it developed Bensdorp Natural Dark. Leanne de Muijnck, the company's global director of cocoa R&D, told Food Ingredients 1st consumers increasingly want to see a limited amount of ingredients in order to better understand how their food is processed.
"We haven’t seen the peak of the clean label at all — it’s still rising. It has different traction in various countries, but it is still a global trend," she told the publication.
Other cocoa manufacturers such as Kerry are expanding their category offerings to manufacturers, so Barry Callebaut will continue to face competition. However, the larger challenge may be sustainability and supply since the cocoa industry has been dealing with higher prices, impacts of climate change and charges of child labor and deforestation.
Meanwhile, demand continues to grow as premium chocolate varieties and dark chocolate options increase in popularity. The U.S. chocolate market, which is the world's largest, was valued at about $22 billion in 2016, according to a TechSci report, and it is projected to exceed $30 billion by 2021. That growth rate could boost Barry Callebaut as it continues to launch on-trend products.