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Short-term fixes are not enough if SMEs are to survive COVID-19
As the economic effects of the lockdowns worldwide begin to solidify, businesses large and small are collapsing. While large businesses have debt and expenses that seal their fate, small ones lack resources to absorb even short term losses. This blog shares stories from small business owners in Kenya and in China, where BFA Global works to monitor and support small and medium enterprise (SME) growth and SME survival.
In both countries, SME owners have experienced dramatic falls in business activity and revenue due to restrictions arising from the pandemic, and are struggling to pay their employees and stay afloat. While government support programs have proven difficult to access for businesses in both countries, many SMEs in China found a lifeline via the support extended by digital platforms.
Even after markets reopen, as they are starting to do in China, the path forward for SMEs may still not be clear, especially for those that depend on demand and supply from abroad, where markets remain closed.
Costs of the shutdown on SMEs
On Saturday mornings, the hair and nail salons of downtown Nairobi are usually full of women sprucing up their hair, make-up, and nails for the weekend’s parties and weddings. Such social gatherings are not permitted under the lockdown so there is less reason to frequent these salons. Edwin, one of the owners of an urban hair salon says, “We used to have 20 customers a day on average, now we only get three to four clients per day. Our customers are asking why they need to do their hair just to stay at home?” For Edwin, fewer clients mean less revenue. In fact, survey work by BFA Global found that 52% of businesses in Kenya reported some or significant decrease in business revenue.
Nearby, a wedding gown shop has closed. There are not likely to be weddings for the next couple of months and Mary, the owner, is not sure how she would be able to keep up with rent. “We are not sure how long this will last and I do not want to incur rent arrears. It is cheaper for me to close shop than to continue to operate with losses,” she says.
Edwin is currently incurring rent arrears and if this situation continues, he may end up closing his hair salon as well. BFA Global’s surveys found that businesses in Kenya would only be able to sustain operations for 6.5 weeks if their revenue fell by half.
In China, the story for SMEs has been similar. Mr. Xie owns a massage parlor. He says, “In 2019, we had 1,000 customers a month on average. To break even, we need at least 600 customers.” Given the fall in clientele, Mr. Xie had to lay off two of the business’s six masseuses last month. He reasoned, “I need to keep the business alive. Otherwise, none of us will have any income.”
Difficulty assessing government support
For Mr. Xie, government programs have not helped, as he explains: “The monthly rent is RMB 7600, and is the largest part of the business’ financial burden. The government policy on rent reduction didn’t apply to me because I am renting from a private landlord, not the government.” Mr. Xie said his only option was to negotiate with the landlord. He hopes he will be able to secure a lower rent rate given he has rented the store for more than 2 years and maintained a good relationship with the landlord. However, his landlord has no obligation to negotiate with him.
Mr. Xie is not the only SME owner in China who did not benefit from pandemic policies and was forced to sell their assets or personal savings to keep their business alive. Research by Peking University and Tsinghua University conducted in February, found that 76% of SMEs were finding it difficult to cover rent and employee salaries, and 66% noted they would only survive for 2 months in these conditions. Last month, Tianyan Cha research found that 460,000 enterprises went out of business in the first quarter of 2020 due to the pandemic, one-third of which had operated less than three years. Of these, around 26,000 companies were export-focused companies.
Businesses in Nairobi that are also either slowing down or closing are also finding it difficult to access government support. The government introduced a series of stimulus measures for MSMEs including reducing value-added tax and corporate tax, however, this does not seem to be enough. “I can’t worry about paying corporate tax when I still have bills and salaries to pay. I am not getting a reprieve for rent or utilities, I still need to pay for those”, George, a hostel owner, lamented. George tried to negotiate with the landlord to reduce the rent, however, the landlord refused. He has now decided to close his hostel as he does not expect the situation to get better soon.
Support with loan repayments has also been difficult to access, although such programs have been launched. To assist SMEs in Kenya, the Central Bank issued measures such as extensions in repayment periods, and SMEs were encouraged to speak to their bankers to access the concessions. However, it has not been straightforward because SMEs need to write to the banks and explain why the business needs the reprieve and then, the banks still need to assess the extent of the need. “I applied for the reprieve immediately when I heard about the measures. It is now one month and a half later with no feedback from my bank, I do not know what to do”, said a hostel owner.
Similarly, Kenya’s Parliament requested MSMEs to not let go of staff, but ask them to send staff on unpaid leave instead. The government has offered no payroll support. Some businesses like private schools, hotels, and tour companies have been able to furlough staff. A school owner told us: “I have had to request my staff to go on unpaid leave as I do not have money to pay them. I wish I had the money to pay but I have to think about the loans that the business is currently servicing. The uncertainty is the thing that is difficult.”
Edwin, the owner of the hair salon, sat down with his staff and explained the issues the business faced. His employees agreed to go on half-pay during this season. He is not alone, media houses have also requested their staff to take a pay cut.
SME owners are finding workarounds
Given the difficulty in accessing government support, many owners have found their own solutions. Some are now supplementing their income by adding a new side hustle. For example, Ben, who has a retail business selling clothes in Nairobi, has found that his sales have reduced by 60%. He is now trying to earn extra income by offering his services as a stylist. That way he is still able to use his current stock of clothes to create more income for himself.
Digital offers a lifeline in China – can it do the same in Kenya?
In China, digital platforms have been critical in helping SME owners find workaround solutions. Mr. Meilong Ying owns a clothes manufacturing unit in Guangdong Province and had more than a million pieces of spring clothing in his warehouse on Feb 15. Because of the epidemic, the offline sales channel shut off completely and he found himself without customers for these pieces. Alibaba moved to provide free access to Taobao Livestream service to all offline businesses. This dedicated live-streaming channel allowed merchants to sell their products directly to customers. Mr. Ying decided to try the Taobao Live service and turned his showroom to a studio in just two days. He started to broadcast 6 hours per day and in 20 days, had sold all his stock of clothes.
According to Taobao, there were more than two million new merchants on Taobao in February 2020, and by March 2, there was a 108% increase in the number of live merchants compared to the same day last year.
In Kenya, platforms are also helping SMEs find solutions, though they have not adjusted or expanded access in response to COVID-19 as the Chinese platforms have. This may be because Kenyan platforms were already widely available and used by SMEs, especially given that most already accepted digital payments via M-Pesa. These days, SMEs are depending on platforms like Facebook and Instagram to advertise and sell goods, and others like Sendy and Glovo to deliver goods to their customers at home within a day or two after an order is placed. In most cases, the customers bear the cost of transport so the effective cost for customers is higher.
While the Kenyan platforms have allowed businesses that were already online to ramp up that side of their businesses, it remains to be seen if SMEs that were not previously online will find ways to reorient under these circumstances. Without finding ways to utilize digital platforms, their future is in doubt.
In China, markets are beginning to open again. But the future for many Chinese SMEs is not clear, especially those dependent on foreign customers. As of March, factories in China have been ready to start production, but their foreign customers started to cancel orders as the center of the pandemic shifted to North America and Europe. In the last two months, exports from China have declined by 15.9%.
That said, some businesses are seeing signs of recovery. “There is an opportunity in every risk”, said Mr. Qiucheng Zhu. His business used to focus on furniture for export but in three days, he got two orders from Europe, neither for furniture. A Danish buyer ordered 80,000 cat trees, and an Italian buyer needs 1,000 pet toys. Noting a 35% increase in sales volume of pet supplies on Amazon, Mr. Zhu has switched his focus to pet supplies from furniture. Because of the quarantine, the demands of pet supply surged. “Our production has been scheduled until June already. And we don’t need to increase salaries to get employees.” Mr. Zhu has been active in e-commerce since 2015, and he knows that agility is key, saying: “I believe e-commerce and light assets model should be the direction of the industry.”
However, for those in the service industry, the road ahead is still murky. Mr. Xie, who owns the massage store in Wuhan, says, “It is so hard for the people for Wuhan, and for me personally, I have prepared to have a year of loss, but I will try my best to keep this store.”
Unless governments and other stakeholders find sustainable, medium-term solutions for SMEs, their survival is unlikely. Short-term relief will not be enough, especially when such concessions are restrictive in reach and eligibility. Instead, solutions like those enabled by e-commerce platforms, gig work, and side hustles should be invigorated and scaled to keep these businesses alive.


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Weather adds oomph to Earthfest
NATCHEZ — It wasn’t as if residents needed an excuse to celebrate the earth Saturday.
Under bright sunny skies, overlooking one of the best river views the planet has to offer, the Natchez chapter of Gaining Ground Sustainability Institute of Mississippi offered at least 34 ways to think about the earth and sustainable living.
Vendors at the first Natchez Earthfest offered everything from recycled home furnishings and garden ideas to a solar-powered car and recycled art. And by the way, there was music and food, too.
“This being our first event, I am amazed at how the local people have stepped up to make a difference,” local chapter founder Mitzi Callon said Saturday morning.
“It’s all about awareness. That is the first step, and that is what we are doing today.”
Standing beside a crowd of people oohing and ahhing over her shiny Tesla Roadster, Carolyn Hegman couldn’t agree more. Carolyn and her husband, Will, of Mississippi Solar drive across the state in their electric car to make people aware of the benefits of solar energy and electric cars.
Before they left their house in Philadelphia, the Hegmans charged their car using electricity produced by their solar carport. When others are paying at the pump, the Hegmans are essentially driving for free, thanks to the sun.
The car can go from 0 to 60 mph in under four seconds and can travel 240 miles on a single charge. Using an adapter, the Hegmans can charge up at almost an RV park or charging station.
For those who could only dream of owning a Tesla, there were more down-to-earth options.
Representatives from the Green Alliance were showing innovative ways to recycle through art.
McLaurin School students created a wall of brightly colored flowers made from recycled soda bottles and paint.
“I got the idea from an Anthropologie store in Houston” McLaurin art teacher Mary Beth Wentworth said Saturday.
The display of flowers overlooked a table of autobiographies students from Frazier and McLaurin made by covering discarded library books with recycled bits of fabric, paper and plastic.
Morgantown School art teacher Anne Marie Bailey got a few ideas for a similar project she is doing in her eighth-grade art class.
“I like to teach my students that art can be made out of anything,” Bailey said. “It broadens their minds — recycling is like that.”
Heather Hodgson and her 10-year-old daughter Chloe were helping children broaden their minds by creating art out of plastic soda bottles,
Hodgson has lived in cities like Rochester, Minn., where recycling and sustainable design is practiced. The town uses energy from waste to produce heat for the public library and other buildings.
“It was great there, and I’d like to see (recycling efforts in Natchez) increased,” Heather said.

domain: news


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GECAS orders 10 more B737-800 converted freighters
18 / 06 / 2019
By Damian Brett
GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) signed an agreement with Boeing at the Paris Air Show exercising 10 purchase rights to firm orders and adding 15 more purchase rights for the 737-800 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF).
“Our leasing customers are very pleased with the versatility and reliability of these freighters,” said Richard Greener, SVP and Manager, GECAS Cargo. “It’s enabling operators to replace aging freighters and meet the rapidly growing express cargo market.”
The lessor recently placed a B737-800F within the Amazon Air fleet, with the aircraft operated by Atlas Air. Four more of the aircraft are due to join the e-commerce company’s fleet this year and it has options to add another 15 of the aircraft.
The 737-800BCF, which is making its air show debut at Le Bourget this week, is Boeing’s newest freighter product. The company converts Next-Generation 737 passenger airplanes into cargo jets that are capable of carrying more payload – up to 23.9 tonnes (52,800 lbs) – and flying farther – 2,000 nautical miles (3,750 km) – than previous standard-body freighters.
Today’s order is the third time that GECAS has purchased Boeing’s newest freighter since the programme was announced in 2016. GECAS, the commercial aircraft leasing and financing arm of General Electric now has 65 orders and options for the 737-800BCF.
“GECAS has a great pulse on the leasing market and what air freight operators are looking for in their cargo fleet. It is an honor to have GECAS place three orders for the 737-800BCF in as many years,” said Ihssane Mounir, senior vice president of Commercial Sales & Marketing for The Boeing Company. “We are excited to expand our partnership with GECAS and we look forward to delivering more converted freighters to support their customers.”
The 737-800BCF offers operators newer technology, lower fuel consumption and better reliability than other standard-body freighters. It is primarily used to carry express cargo on domestic / short haul routes.
Boeing delivered the first in-service 737-800BCF to GECAS leasing customer West Atlantic AB last year. Boeing has delivered 14 737-800BCFs to date.
Orders for the B737-800F are beginning to take off as operators and lessors look for alternatives to the B737 classics, which are seeing feedstock begin to dry up.


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Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: There is some good news for Apple device fans. Indian government may allow the California-based company to open its own retail outlets in India without any sourcing requirement for two-to-three years, reports The Times of India.
The report adds an arrangement that could work out in the company's favour is that government may give exemption from the local sourcing normS to Apple for two to three years till the time it gathers stronger sales numbers in the country.
Government allows foreign companies to set up shop in the country through the single-brand retail route under the condition that they meet 30% of sourcing requirement from local vendors.
Sources told The Times of India that discussions have already kicked off between the finance ministry and the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) and the option of allowing the maker of iPhone and iPads without sourcing requirements in the initial years has been floated.
Earlier Finance ministry had rejected Apple request for blanket exemption from the sourcing requirement on the grounds that the company sold products that had "cutting-edge technology".


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Facts About World’s First Self-Driving Taxis
I was going to look at a section on Uber as the first U.S. giant multinational online transportation network company, intending to launch the first self-driving cars in history, but to my surprise, I found that record seems to have switched hands. The record breaking tipoff today says it’s no longer Uber, but a small autonomous company known as, MIT Spinout NuTonomy, who has just done so.
NuTonomy is a three-year-old company that spanned out of MIT. It is also a far lower-profile company, compared to Uber, working on the other side of the world, Singapore.
Earlier this week, reports had had it that, by the end of August; Uber will conduct a trial on self-driving for free for the public, but today, (August 25), NuTonomy’s self-driving taxis available to the public, have already started picking up passengers in Singapore, running the maiden trial in a small business district in Singapore called one-north, a space dominated by tech firms and biotechnology companies, ibtimes.co.uk, says.
Here are a few things the NuTonomy first self-driving free car trial tends to achieve by the end of today:
- A collective feedback from the riders on the cars performance in-real-world setting.
- Collection and evaluation of valuable data related to software system performance, vehicle routing efficiency, vehicle booking process, and overall passenger experience which can help the NuTonomy company get prepared for a full-fledged launch.
- Based on collected feedback and performance efficiency, NuTonomy intends full-fledged fleet operations from 2018.
- The pilot scheme just like Uber’s runs a human backup driver and co-pilot on board for this trial, but that’s as far as feedback can improve in the nearest future.
Quite frankly, I think Uber is the Giant in this self-driving car technology game, given that they beat even Google in master minding protocols to launch self-driving cars this soon, but I equally think a huge milestone in history has been covered by MIT Spinout NuTonomy, who not only is a smaller company but surmounted all obstacles to become the first to actually launch Self-Driving Cars in history. This is an development, and we only need to be on a constant lookout for what both companies; Uber & NuTonomy have to offer in the nearest future, because as far as I am concerned, a race has just begun and there can only be one winner, so let’s sit tight and await who this tech savvie winner is going to be!
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- Green Growth
- Your Consultant
08:59 | 31/07/2020
The number of people who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 which causes the COVID-19 in Vietnam has exceeded the 500 mark..
By Nguyen Thu 08:00 | 31/07/2020
With a series of signed free trade agreements, Vietnam is opening up a new development horizon for businesses, but as ...
By Thai An 15:00 | 30/07/2020
More than 7.8 million workers lost their jobs in the first half of 2020, putting severe pressure on labour authorities ...
By Bich Thuy 10:00 | 30/07/2020
Amid Vietnam’s upcoming new rules on drug tenders, multinational pharma giants are advocating price negotiation for an open business environment ...
By Bich Ngoc 10:00 | 30/07/2020
After devastating retail and hospitality sectors in the real estate market, the COVID-19 pandemic has expanded its negative impact to ...
09:00 | 30/07/2020
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosted a reception on July 29 in Hanoi for groups and businesses from the Republic ...
08:33 | 30/07/2020
Nine new locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 have been detected, eight in Da Nang and one in Hanoi.
By An Nhien 16:39 | 29/07/2020
The COVID-19 lockdown has forced local tech startups to put their plans of staging initial public offerings on hold.
By An Nhien 15:16 | 29/07/2020
Vietnam's night-time economy may soon materialise now that the PM approved the pilot to extend the opening hours of all ...
09:42 | 29/07/2020
Vietnam attracted 3.15 billion USD in foreign direct investment (FDI) and capital for share purchases in July, representing a rise ...


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An electric car can only run 80 kilometers on one charge. It will not operate as a family-car. It must run at least 500,000 miles before it becomes just as green as a dieselbil. And what about the charging points? Is there enough of them?
There are many myths about electric cars, and even if it goes forward with elbilsalget at home to the danes to a greater extent equipped with better knowledge about electric cars and not least, what is the significance of the choice of an electric car have for everyday life.
Therefore have two government departments and a number of organisations have now embarked on an information campaign, which should give the danes more knowledge of electric cars and dispel some of the myths that many have about electric cars.
See also: Lots of electricity in the air for this Year's Car 2020
Climate-, Energy - and Forsyningsministeriet and Transport and the ministry of housing has, together with the FDM and the Danish Electric vehicle Alliance set out to debunk the myths.
It informs the Transport ministry in a press release.
It is done with the information campaign 'turn on the power to your bildrøm', and the aim is to give the danes clear answers to their questions about electric cars.
- It calls for a serious action on climate change in our transport sector and new habits for how we get from A to B, if we are to achieve the government's green objectives. Electric cars and other green cars play an important role in the green transition, and now, the danes have the opportunity to obtain valuable knowledge, which can be used when the choice on the new car must be taken, says transport minister Benny Engelbrecht (S) in the press release.
As Ekstra Bladet recently told, it moves forward with the sale of electric vehicles in 2019, compared with 2018.
In 2019, until 1. november has been sold 4244 electric cars, which last year was sold 1100 in the same period. This is an increase of 285 percent.
See also: Therefore, the danes are skeptical of electric cars
- We lift not a finger
At the Danish Electric vehicle Alliance stresses that the campaign's purpose is not to moralize over for the danes.
- the Campaign is not about to lift a finger at the danes. Not at all. The aim is to give the danes a better knowledge of electric vehicles, making it easy to find fact-based information and to bust the most persistent myths that live among the danes, on the web and in the media. And so we will with our short videos show how regular people live with the electric car in everyday life. It is at least equally important, says Lærke Surfaces, branchechef in the Danish Electric vehicle Alliance, in a press release.
At FDM, it is hoped that the campaign can help to increase interest in and educate consumers about electric cars.
- We are experiencing a great deal of curiosity about electric vehicles. Unfortunately, prejudices and myths are often in the way that many dare to switch to the electric car. It is too bad because electric cars are not just greener than petrol and diesel cars. Often they are also cheaper to run in, and so covers the vast majority of daily kørselsbehov. Therefore, we hope the campaign can help to dispel some of the myths around electric cars and provide consumers with the knowledge and facts about electric cars", says Thomas Møller Thomsen, adm. director of FDM, in the press release.
the Campaign you will find on the website www.SætStrømTilDinBildrøm.dk and on the Facebook page of the same name.
See also: Electric vehicles increases significantly in the price: - It is absolutely wrong


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Windstream says the Endpoint Security Protection eliminates the need for multiple security products, giving small businesses a single solution to detect and blocks viruses, spyware, spam, phishing attempts and hacker attacks. ...More
We tallied our top 10 stories for December by combining online page views with weekly newsletter results. Among the top: how much partners are paid; Windstream's bribery case settlement; and how partners weathered Hurricane Sandy. But what was No. 1? ...More
What a year in the channel. We tallied our top 20 stories for 2012 by combining online page views with results from our weekly newsletters. Among the top: awards; big merger rumors; job cuts and channel-program changes. But what was No. 1? ...More
The state of Oklahoma had accused Windstream of bribing an Oklahoma school superintendent with college basketball tickets in return for maintaining a relationship with the company for Internet services. ...More
December 20, 2012 By Craig GalbraithPosted in News
The new Tier III data center in Durham, N.C., will initially add 10,000 square feet of raised floor data-center space to Windstream's data-center inventory, with the ability to accommodate expansion up to 40,000 square feet over time. ...More
The competition for market share and ongoing market consolidation among companies in this category are driving these services ever closer to commodity status, resulting in falling prices and reduced profit margins. ...More
Social media isn't a big hairy monster that has to scare you. Angela Leavitt and Brian Leonard of Mojo Marketing introduce you to three platforms that take the fear out of social and put the control in your hands.


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Hasbro says it has dropped $112 million in cash to become the majority shareholder of Backflip Studios.
The toy manufacturer is looking to expand its presence in the mobile games industry, and The Wall Street Journal reports the company now has a 70 percent stake in the game studio.
Backflip is the developer of games like DragonVale, Ninjump, and Paper Toss, and will continue to develop its own intellectual property.
The payoff for Hasbro is that it now has another mouthpiece for its brands, and it wouldn’t be surprising if a My Little Pony or Furby game hit the app store in the next few months.
“The acquisition of Backflip fits perfectly into our strategy of extending our brands into all forms and formats," said Hasbro president and CEO Brian Goldner.
Hasbro has already released several iOS apps, but this move will help bolster its offering in what has recently shown to be one of the company’s more profitable sectors.
Lately the company has been hit with heavy restructuring costs, but did better than expected thanks in part to its gaming venture.
Just last month Hasbro forged a deal with Rovio that gives it the rights to develop toys and games based on the Angry Birds franchise.


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The Chinese company currently has its bicycles throughout China, the United States, and Singapore. This month, 500 Ofo bicycles will be set up in Cambridge, England, marking the first time the bikes have been seen on the streets of the United Kingdom.
Like any other bike-sharing service, cyclists can obtain an Ofo bike no matter what time it is. The big difference is that Ofo removes the need for a docking station. Instead, users can pick them up and dispose of the bike wherever and whenever they please. To reserve a bicycle, riders with the app are able to locate the nearest one. Once they get to it, they enter the bike’s number into the app and a four-digit code is sent to open the lock on the back wheel.
When a rider is done with the bike, returning it is just as easy. After pulling up to a legal place to park the bicycle, all they have to do is scramble the lock. In Cambridge, using the bike costs a flat fee of 0.50 pounds, regardless of how long or how far it traveled.
Ofo, named because its letters resemble a bike, has been quickly growing since it first rolled out 2,000 bikes on the campus of Peking University in September 2015. Now there are more than one million bikes across 34 cities in China, as well as the firm’s recent international expansion.
“We want to expand to more cities, connect more bikes and serve more people,” said Ofo founder Dai Wei in a conversation with Wired. “We want to be a global bike-sharing company.”
- Spinciti’s Amsterdam e-bike offers speed and range at an affordable price
- Uber puts its bike- and scooter-sharing services front and center in main app
- Check out the best new gear from the Summer Outdoor Retailer 2019 convention
- Cannondale’s Treadwell app features bring a new joy to casual biking
- These bike lights use the magic of magnetism to generate power


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Los Angeles–based brand 69’s roomy denim garments and contrarian perspective—it claims to be a lifestyle brand that’s non-gender and “non-demographic”—have garnered a cult following since its anonymous designer started the ambitious project in 2011. It transforms denim, a utilitarian fabric that’s worn by just about everyone, into comfortable and cheeky pieces—workwear shirts with breast pockets that pop off to display whatever you’re wearing underneath (called “tit voids”), shaggy hats that obscure one’s face. The line also frequently sells directly to consumers via eBay, which underlines its commitment to crafting clothing that welcomes quite literally everyone—no matter their age, race, sexuality, or size.
Only seven years after its launch, the brand has announced its first solo museum exhibition at at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). “69: Déjà Vu,” curated by MOCA associate curator Lanka Tattersall, will be on display at the MOCA Pacific Design Center from August 4 until October 28. It’s a survey of all of the brand’s output, from its inaugural 2011 collection to its new Summer 2019 designs, or as the anonymous designer puts it: “This show is like our version of Madonna’s Immaculate Collection. It’s the greatest hits, the heavies.” It was difficult to choose what exactly would be submitted for consideration, but luckily the designer had some help from a reliable (and furry) friend. “A few times we laid out two pieces in front of our dog, Abigail Pickle, and the ones she chose made it to MOCA. She’s wonderfully intuitive—part puppy, part divining rod.”


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On the infrastructure side, automotive is one of the leading industries to bet on the smart factory to optimise its internal processes, improve working conditions and, finally, increase productivity and make massive cost savings. The leaders are German automotive manufacturers, driven by the German Industrie 4.0 initiative, but new entrants like Tesla and LeEco are also building high-end factories.
On the products and services side, digitisation enables the connection of vehicles and the provision of such innovative applications as driver-related (telematics) and mobile Internet-like (infotainment) services. However, major question-marks remain around the real willingness to pay for such services as the smartphone is still the perfect substitute
The actual revolution is a bit further down the line. Indeed, self-driving vehicles will be at the ‘crossroads’ of various stakeholders’ strategies, and it is they which will represent the new battlefield. At the outset, the leaders will mainly be luxury car manufacturers. Nevertheless, the take-off of the self-driving car market -off faces numerous issues, which are currently either legal (who will handle accident responsibility?), or cultural (no real demand from end users) or financial (who will finance the infrastructure?).
Furthermore, customer loyalty will be impacted by the phenomenon of servicisation. Indeed, connectivity integration into cars will enable new services towards end clients. There will be car-related services such as predictive maintenance or even, in the near future, 3D-printed parts. Moreover, servicisation make it possible even to modify the consumption scheme itself, as it allows the introduction of a car-as-a-service model, which will potentially lead to the end of vehicle ownership. Leasing and car sharing are today gaining traction but the autonomous vehicle should reinforce this trend.
Finally, the process of digitisation will also shake up the current value chain in services.
To delve deeper into the shake up in the value chain in automotive services and the player’s strategies
check out our last reportMore info
TV market outlook for Africa & the Middle East: the TV market in Africa/the Middle East will grow by 30% between 2016 and 2021, going from 10.3 billion to 13.3 billion EUR
This momentum, which is driven largely by sub-Saharan Africa, represents the world’s fastest-growing TV market, not only today but also for the five years to come. These figures (excepting Turkey and Israël) indicate average annual growth of 5.1%, with sub-Saharan Africa turning in the strongest performance: an average of 5.7% growth per annum, to reach 9 billion EUR in 2021.
Industrial Internet: Over 500 million manufacturing and logistics/supply chain objects should be connected by 2025
The entire manufacturing and logistical process of industrial manufacture is going to be profoundly transformed by the deployment of connected objects. It will range from modifications in manufacturing infrastructures ('smart factories') to new possibilities of products (and services), and the evolution of customer relationships.


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Men have been entreated to support and be cooperative with their wives and female children during their menstrual cycles.
This is because some men despise women and do not even eat food prepared by their wives during their menstrual cycles.
As the world marked International Menstrual Hygiene Day, men have been urged to disregard primitive perceptions about menstruation and support their wives and female children.
A lecturer at the University of Ghana School of Nursing, Dr. Josephine Kyei has noted that menstruation isn’t a taboo and men should learn to understand and cope with women during their periods.
She charged women and young girls to be strong during their menstrual cycles and use the right hygiene materials.
She said this during a donation and menstrual sensitization forum by the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources for students of the Islamic Senior High School on Thursday, May 25, 2023 in Kumasi.
“We are pleading with men to support women during their menstrual cycles. Menstruation is not abominable, it is a natural phenomenon so let’s show women love and give them the necessary support during their periods.
“To the women, be strong and take care of yourself during that period of the month. Use the prescribed products so that you can protect yourself from infections and discard these materials properly after use,” she appealed.
Reacting to the use of hygenical materials during menstruation, some female students bemoaned the price increase of sanitary pads.
“Some of us use t-roll,others use hankies and all these cannot contain the blood as compared to the sanitary pad. But now the prices of pads are so high. We are calling on benevolent individuals and organizations to come to the aid of female students in our schools and communities,” Mahmud Hiqmah, a student said.
Her colleague, Ahmed Mohammed Shamsiya added saying “as female students we go through a lot. It is not easy to get money for your upkeep and to buy sanitary products. Some are forced to sell themselves to men to come by these things. We are appealing to government to reduce the prices of sanitary pads.”
However, Project Coordinator at the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources and the GAMA Sanitation and Water Project, Ing. George Asiedu has urged government to collaborate with stakeholders to help reduce the prices of sanitary pads.
“Except the reusable ones made of cloths, most of these sanitary products are imported so exchange rate and taxes influence their prices. Retailers go to pick them and add their profits causing the high prices of sanitary products. I will entreat government to engage those in the industry, scrap the taxes on these products so that they become more affordable,” he entreated.
By Issah Zakariah|Akoma FM|Onuaonline.com


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In an industry which is unregulated, the membership of organisations such as the FCSA and Professional Passport are designed to highlight those umbrellas that can be trusted for their high standards, so this news has come as a complete shock to the entire umbrella industry.
A recent Contractor Voice article has exposed one of the UK’s largest and most trusted umbrella companies for withholding holiday pay from its contractors. One of the things that make this so shocking is that this particular company is FCSA and Professional Passport registered.
Non-compliant umbrella companies – nothing newBack in March 2021, BBC Radio 4’s Moneybox programme discussed the problem of non-compliant umbrella companies who fail to pay holiday pay to their contractors. In the programme, even FCSA member umbrella companies were mentioned. The programme also criticised the agencies who did not allow contractors to choose their umbrella providers.
Citing a certain UK umbrella company who allegedly forced a Christmas break on the contractors, who had to threaten court action to get their holiday pay entitlement, the programme caused widespread doubt in the industry.
Pimlico Plumbers – further confusionIn February this year the handling of contractor holiday pay was making the news again. A court of appeal awarded backdated holiday pay to a contractor who, as part of a wider trial about employment status and dismissal, was found to be an employee and therefore entitled to basic employment rights.
As part of the ruling, which involved IR35 status, the contractor was awarded backdated holiday pay, which had previously been denied by the company.
Within the trial, and subsequently reported across several professional publications, it was determined that a worker can only lose their holiday pay entitlement if an employer has made the terms of their holiday pay clear to the worker.
This led to many umbrellas making holiday pay entitlement a key factor in onboarding discussions.
What’s the latest?The latest article from Contractor Voice has accused one of the UK’s largest and leading umbrella companies of withholding contractor holiday pay in a bid to boost profits.
CV claims to have access to “knowledgeable insider whistle-blowers” who have evidence that the company (which will not be named in this article) “made the conscious and commercial decision to do everything it could to withhold holiday pay so it could be added to top line income.”
Practices that were designed to avoid discussion of holiday pay with contractors, and cause interference to prevent holiday pay being paid, were mentioned. This follows an earlier claim by Contractor Voice against another umbrella company for the same practices. The FCSA recently commented on that case and said that the company wasn’t in breach of the guidelines which were in place at that time, but that guidelines had been “strengthened” since then.
What is the law?All contractors working through umbrella companies are entitled to holiday benefits such as holiday pay.
The FCSA requires that all umbrellas should be “proactive in encouraging” workers to use their holiday pay. But FCSA membership or not, this is simply the right thing to do.
This unfolding story is further evidence that the umbrella industry desperately needs proper regulation to ensure that contractors and agencies are protected against the practices of dodgy umbrella companies who take advantage of contractors and agencies to boost their bottom line.
While the FCSA and Professional Passport, the current leading accreditation organisations, are doing their best there is only so much they can do without the full backing of the law. Because clearly, umbrella companies with dubious practices continue to be awarded accreditation.
But that doesn’t mean that all accredited umbrella companies should be tarred with the same brush.
Established in 2004, Ship Shape has 18 years of compliance in offering umbrella and payroll services behind us, and we welcome further legislations which will clean up the umbrella space and allow us to continue to put our contractors first.
We are a UK registered company (no off shore accounts here) and all our payments come from and go to UK accounts only. Experian categorises Ship Shape as a low-risk company, and we are fully insured.
Ship Shape works on a 100% compliance, no compromise basis. Our focus on compliance and transparency enables us to support thousands of contractors and agencies every year.
We offer all payroll and employment options to enable our partners to choose what works best for them and offer full advice on how to make the most of our services.
Talk to us today if you have any questions at all, we’re here to serve you.


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Bitcoin is taking over BizAv as we know it.
As technology keeps evolving, it’s taking all aspects of business aviation with it including methods of currency. In a recent article, the NBAA has declared Bitcoin the newest form of payment trending throughout charter operations. Bitcoin, a popular internet-based currency, is the world’s “first decentralized peer-to-peer payment network” and has been claimed to be “pretty much like cash for the Internet” by their website. This cryptocurrency (crypto referring to it’s highly encrypted nature, protecting consumer data) has many benefits that make the switch to this newfound payment seem like a no brainer. But with a recent severe market correction, is Bitcoin really where Part 135 operators should be moving? CTS has the scoop on pros and cons of the application, and why so many charter operations are turning this accessible, consumer-requested product.
There are many positive reviews and outcomes from using Bitcoin that draw many consumers to this product, and why so many operations are turning to it as well.
- Let’s talk fees, first. There are no fees to receive bitcoins and the service allows senders to control how large of a fee they pay. This makes the application extremely desirable to consumers, as many e-banking systems have a non-negotiable fee attached for both senders and receivers.
- Bitcoin is encrypted and eliminates any instance of fraud. If you accept credit cards or services like PayPal, you run the risk of charges being reversed from an identity theft situation. With Bitcoin the cost of fraud is no longer pushed onto merchants as charges are irreversible and completely secure.
- International payments are a breeze with the service. There’s no bank or middle man to make consumers and businesses alike wait extended periods of time for payments to clear, and there are no fees attached with international charges to bog down the bottom line on your operation.
- There is a potential for new clients that previously wouldn’t have considered your operation if you offer Bitcoin as a payment option. Bloomberg recently wrote that more than 58% of Bitcoin users were between 18 and 34 years old. This is one reason why Wasim Omar, flight adviser with PrivateFly, turned to the service. He noted that their internal reports show that customers using Bitcoin are on average four years younger than their typical customers.
- View more features of Bitcoin for businesses here.
Although the pros may seem appealing, there are some things with cryptocurrency to be aware of.
- As previously stated, there was a huge market correction at the end of 2017, making users turn away and be leary of using the service. David Gitman, executive director of Monarch Air Group, recently stated, “there was a noticeable drop in interest [in paying for flights with cryptocurrency] when the bitcoin price dropped.”
- Many business-heads have extreme opinions, both positive and negative on the cryptocurrency. Bill Harris of Intuit and PayPal says, “Bitcoin is a scam. In my opinion, it’s a colossal pump-and-dump scheme, the likes of which the world has never seen.”
- See more reviews, both good and bad, of Bitcoin on Bloomberg.
Despite these downfalls in the system, there is a way for you to protect your operation if you choose to turn to this alternate form of payment. Fabio Hausammann, managing director of Premium Jet AG, said, “we looked at [Bitcoin risks] and established an internal calculation model; as a result, when we convert a flight price from Euros to cryptocurrency, we add something in order to shield us a little bit against that.”
With such a turbulent market, is Bitcoin really the proper choice for your operation? We suggest if you plan to use the service, you protect yourself as Hausammann has for Premier Jet. Whether leaning towards the product or not, it’s important to remember that your consumers should be your number one priority (after safety, of course). Adapting to their wants and needs is an important way to make them feel valued and set your operation apart from the rest. Mobile-friendly payment options, both cryptocurrency and e-banking methods, are becoming extremely popular. Offers like one-click payments and finger print encrypted transactions are the wave of the future and providing these easy methods of payments is just what your consumers want. Gitman summed up the cryptocurrency phase nicely when he said, “some people say the bubble will burst today, tomorrow, a year from now; some say this is the new way of payment. In my opinion, it doesn’t really matter which opinion you personally hold. Whether it will be here tomorrow or not, today it’s a reality.”


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Roku sold 1.5 million boxes last year, 25% below expectations
Roku reached 2.5 million total streaming boxes sold last year, USA Today’s Jefferson Graham reports, which was behind its estimate of 3 million, according to GigaOM’s Janko Roettgers. After passing 1 million boxes sold early last January, that suggests about 1.5 million sales for the year, and being about 25% behind target for the year.
That’s not terrible: Selling 1.5 million of anything — especially a streaming box, which most people don’t even know what to do with — is nice, I suppose.
But it’s not a very impressive number, either. For context, about 70 millon U.S. households have HDTVs. Netflix has about 20 million streaming subscribers. And at the end of Q3, some 33.5 million homes in the U.S. had Blu-ray, according to DEG, an industry group. In conclusion: The vast majority of people — even those with Netflix — don’t have or want a Roku.
(And now you see why Apple continues to refer to its Apple TV device as a “hobby”. I’d be surprised if Apple moved more than a few million Apple TV devices last year.)
Roku’s latest gamble is to shrink its device to the size of a big marker, which can plug straight into special “MHL” equipped HDMI ports on newer TVs, and use existing remote controls. The idea is to make adding Roku to your life simpler — you’re not necessarily adding another box or remote to your living room — and to drive adoption by bundling them with TV sales.
But it’s hard to see how this would lead to any huge growth, or put Roku in any sort of dominant position in the living room. It’s great that they’re trying, but I don’t see anything to get excited about yet.


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WordPress adds iPad feature: gives your blog a Flipboard-like look through the iPad’s Safari browser
WordPress has added a new feature that allows users of WordPress.com to create a Flipboard-like look to their WordPress.com blogs.
To add the feature a WordPress.com blogger would go to “Appearance” and click on “iPad” in the Dashboard.
Announced on the WordPress Weblog, the new feature is the result of WordPress working with Onswipe, a New York start-up founded by Jason L. Baptiste and Andres Barreto. Onswipe has also made a plug-in available for self-hosted sites that use WordPress.org.
One thing I am not clear about, however, is whether the new look will be visible to all web browsers, or if the design sniffs out that it is being rendered on an iPad and only renders the blog with this design there. Someone will have let me know.
One of the biggest regrets I have about TNM is that it wasn’t self-hosted and using WordPress from day one. With WordPress one gets the definitely feeling that there are actual human beings behidn the work. Why Google hides behind its firewall is beyond me. It is one of the reasons I am very skeptical when I hear so-called media experts talk about Apple being “closed” while Google is “open” — clearly the person making the claim has never actually worked with either company (and is mostly likely safely ensconced away in academia).


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The state government is handing over cheques to 3.5 lakhs students for tablet-PC under Rajiv Gandhi student digital project. All students of class VIII who have secured second to eleventh position will be given Rs. 6000 cheque on Tuesday.
...screen -- and a more spacious keyboard? And how does it compare to all those convertible options out there, like the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 or the Dell XPS 12 ? Let's have a look. ASUS Transformer Book review See all photos 19 Photos Look and feel The Transformer...
...mode that exposes the display without the keyboard in front of it. This little trick is something that iPads and most Android tablets cannot do without an accessory such as Apple's popular Smart Cover for iPads. Acer's proud of the Aspire R7's hinge, which...
...back, until it sticks to the backside of the notebook. This design has been used in several Lenovo laptops thus far. The IdeaPad 11S ultrabook measures 11.6 inches in screen diagonal. Said touchscreen has a native resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. Not the highest...
...2003 when the company announced its plans to develop outside China. Lenovo's products include personal computers, notebooks, tablets, AIOs, mobile phones, servers, storage devices, workstations, and more. Lenovo is one of the world's largest PC vendors....
...PCs and Idea-branded consumer PCs, as well as servers, workstations, and a family of mobile internet devices, including tablets and smart phones. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North...
The Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga is quite innovative with its ability to flip back its screen by a full 360 degrees, letting you use it as a tablet.
Federal Institute of Science and Technology (FISAT), Angamaly, will contribute 25 new projects to IIT, Bombay for bettering Aakash tablet, said Dr. K S M Panicker, principal of the college.
Ravinder singh arrested, 2500 habit forming tablets seized.
In an effort to prevent anaemia among the adolescents and to create a healthy generation, the state health department will roll out an ambitious programme to provide iron folic acid tablets every week to 31 lakh children in the state starting from Monday. The tablets would be given to the children (boys and girls) of age group of 10 to 19 years through all government, aided and unaided schools.
Even after repeated reminder from the district inspector of school, as many as 20 colleges and 46 schools have not submitted the list of beneficiaries for the distribution of tablets and laptops as promised by the Samajwadi Party.
Videocon Mobiles Phones has announced the expansion of its innovative tablet range with the launch of the Videocon VT71. The Android 4.0 (Ice-Cream Sandwich) enabled Videocon VT71 Tablet has 7-inch (17.8 cm) capacitive touch screen running on 1.2 Ghz Processor laden with a 3200 mAh battery.
2000 habit forming tablets seized, 3 arrested.
2000 habit forming tablets seized, one arrested. police have registered a case.
3800 habit forming tablets seized from a prisoner in Patiala cenral jail.
Class IV & V Students of EDMC schools to be provided with computer Tablets. Rs. 1.22 crores earmarked in the budget.
The Fatehgarh sahib police have arrested two persons from two different places and seized 2100 habit forming tablets from their possesison. Police have registered two cases and started investigations.
3 arrested in Fatehgarh sahib and 2900 habit forming tablets seized from their possession.
Chief minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday said that the tablet PCs will be provided to students of fifth and sixth standards by January 2013 and those of higher classes will be given subsequently.
HCL Infosystems Ltd has launched its latest 3G enabled tablet, HCL ME Y2 here. This third-generation tablet from HCL is a trendy and stylish device, based on the latest OS and designed specially to suit the needs of the Indian consumers. The new HCL ME Y2 offers 3G connectivity with its in-built SIM slot and is priced at Rs 14,999.
US-based SWIPE Telecom, a technology start-up, launched India&rsquos first 3D Tablet PC, called 3D LIFE. The tablet runs on runs on Android 4.03 Ice Cream Sandwich OS, and has a 7-inch screen. The tablet is powered with A13 Cortex processor which clocks a speed of upto 5GHZ, 4GB internal memory and a 512 MB DD RAM. --
Consumers around the world loved our first Yoga for its unique flip and fold and multi-mode design ... We’re continuing to develop the Yoga franchise with the new Yoga 11s, and due to Yoga’s popularity already, we’ve created a pre-sale program so customers can get their hands on one before it even hits the shelves.
We created our new line of low power 3rd gen Core processors for products like Yoga, to give people a full PC experience in thinner and lighter convertible designs.


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Limited housing supplies are forcing prospective homeowners to make significant compromises, such as devoting less money to saving for emergencies and retirement, a new survey says.
According to a study commissioned by Owners.com, an online brokerage, about 60 percent of consumers said saving for a home takes priority over saving for an emergency or retirement, and 72 percent said it would limit their contributions to other investment funds.
Although most consumers prioritize homeownership, the lack of affordability is a cause for concern. According to the survey, 69 percent of consumers fear not having enough cash for the downpayment.
Besides cutting back on other savings, the survey respondents are willing to downsize their dream homes: 51 percent would consider buying a fixer-upper, while 36 percent are willing to purchase a smaller home than what they prefer.
"Constrained inventory in many areas and climbing rents, home prices and mortgage rates means it's not getting any easier to be a first-time buyer," says Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of Realtors. "It'll take more entry-level supply, continued job gains and even stronger wage growth for first-timers to make up a greater share of the market."
Home buyers are getting squeezed by several forces. Total housing inventory in December was 6.3 percent lower than a year ago and has fallen for 19 consecutive months, NAR says. The supply crunch is pushing up prices, with the median price of an existing home up 4 percent year-to-year.
And 30-year mortgage rates have risen to 4.19 percent recently from 3.47 percent in late October, increasing monthly payments. Also, despite the growing housing demand and strengthening economy, home construction is still stuck modestly above recessionary levels.
Even with the challenges, however, experts say homeownership is still a better deal than renting.


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The Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB) will be exploring new business and tourism opportunities with Argentina and South Africa this year due to new direct flights to and from Buenos Aires, Cape Town and Johannesburg.
The flights could mean increased trade and tourism with these countries, said Gabriela Gonzalez, who was appointed director for international marketing and sales for the bureau in November and already has been to Argentina on a trade mission.
Ms. Gonzalez will be exposing Argentines and South Africans to Atlanta’s attractions, which are largely unknown in those regions, at conventions and through trade missions, which she encourages interested Atlanta businesses to join.
In Buenos Aires last month Ms. Gonzalez found that Argentines were interested to hear about Atlanta’s shopping, which is second to Chicago’s per capita, she said, and its 8,000 restaurants.
Ms. Gonzalez has also arranged monthly trips here for members of the Argentine press in order to spread recognition of the city in South America.
The first-ever direct flights from Atlanta to Africa will be offered by South African Airways, which is in the process of relocating its Americas headquarters here from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Johannesburg-based airline will drop its direct flights from Miami when it adds the flights from Atlanta, which it will code-share with Delta Air Lines, starting in February.
Direct flights to Buenos Aires are currently offered by LAPA, an Argentine airline, while Delta is seeking approval for Atlanta-Buenos Aires flights.
The ACVB may be reached at (404) 521-6600 or by fax at (404) 521-6562.


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Can Palm Oil Lubricate West Africa’s Energy Supply?
Malaysia and Singapore are two of the world’s leading palm oil producers. Nigeria’s claim to fame is that sometime in the 1970s it loaned Malaysia the oil palm seeds that germinated into the Asian country’s current distinction. But, about forty years after, palm oil production remains rudimentary in Nigeria, even with its great potentials for economic value.
By 2020, the world’s No. 1 palm oil producer, Indonesia, hopes to hit 40 million tonnes in output. By that year, Nigeria hopes to become one of the 20 largest economies in the world. The only snag is: Nigeria’s vision implies astronomical energy consumption and if biofuels from palm oil fit into that aspiration, there are many slippery spots on the way to watch out for.
Indonesia’s experience provides good examples of what Nigeria should guard against. Indonesia needed to cultivate more oil palm trees to rally its dreams, so it burnt down forests, instantly raising red flags from environmen-talists. There were concerns too about displacement of indigenous peoples. Unilever, the company with a hefty appetite for the oil used in food, soapmaking and other activities, blacklisted some Indonesian companies allegedly responsible for deforestation and peat clearance. As a result of these concerns in 2004 the palm oil industry developed an ethical certification system, making suppliers commit to preserving rainforests and wildlife.
So, Indonesia’s annual oil palm expansion has started declining. It has also reached a climate change agreement with Norway in which it commits to cutting at least 26% of its emissions by 2020. As at the year 2009, while Indonesia cultivated about 100,000ha of oil palm, Nigeria dedicated 8,300ha only for all oil crops put together. What of Brazil? It is planting plant palm trees in the Amazon for $702 million in the hope of meeting its own energy needs with 120,000 tonnes of palm oil used to produce biofuel, and exporting the excess.
According to the Special Report in this edition, Cameroon’s Rural Sector Development Plan ”is hoping to increase palm oil production to 300,000 tonnes in 2015 and 450,000 tons in 2020.” One of the Malaysian companies accused of being responsible for deforestation and peat clearance, Sime Darby, has been given 300,000ha for a $2.5 billion plantation. Now, NGOs and rights groups are kicking against the deal, among many others which they say strip local communities of their prime resource.
Thus, the picture that emerges is of a strategic produce that can effortlessly get soiled by social, political and customary issues beyond its control. West African governments looking to palm oil as a strategic product to invest in must deal with the potential challenges associated with the various stakeholders: smallholder farmers, local communities, environmentalists, etc. But, due to political and economic expediencies, very few can. There lies the slippery road for palm oil.
–Odoh Diego Okenyodo


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Using online video clips from Avenged Sevenfold's recent Taste of Chaos Tour, other concerts, and music videos, the games are designed to engage A7X
aficionados and music lovers in a fun online trivia challenge.
darlings wouldn't have known what day it was
The iPhone 6 has the 64-bit A7 processor technology which could possibly even be bumped to A7X
, which analysts said is more likely to be deployed with the bigger iPad, tablet shoppers can look forward to a more efficient tablet performance, thanks to this new instruction sets from Apple.
For the iPad and the iPad Mini 2 to become muscle cars, they will require a monster powerhouse and the best candidate is the A7X CPU to replace the A6X that was deployed with the iPad 4 last year.
A7X, of course, is a welcome addition to the 2013 iPad menu but according to experts, having this chip on both the iPad and iPhone is more of future-proofing.
In short, buyers can expect the fifth iPad to flash bezel surrounding its screen while retaining the immersive screen rendition, thanks to its A7X
processing chips that will sufficiently fuel up the Retina-laced tablet screen.
It will be a late 2013 release date for the iPad Mini 2, which as expected is getting significant upgrades such as the high-resolution Retina display panel and a faster A7X
processing chip, a new report said.
The new device will likely be about 500 grams, or some 25% lighter than iPad 4, run on an A7X
processor, and sport cameras with similar specs to the iPad 4's (front HD, rear 5MP).


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Steve Jobs was named interim CEO of Apple Computer Inc. today, leaving just one more question to be answered: Will this interim appointment turn into a full-time position?
Apple said it formalized Jobs' role at its new board's first regularly scheduled meeting last week and expects to name a new CEO by year's end.
In some ways the news was ho-hum. After all, there is no confusion as to who is running the Cupertino, Calif., computer maker. Ever since Jobs engineered the resignation of former CEO Gil Amelio, he has had his hands on the controls, bringing in a new board, canceling Apple's clone strategy and engineering a detente with Microsoft Corp.
But the action leaves open another intriguing possibility. By once again putting the CEO title next to his name, even if modified by 'interim,' some Apple observers are already convinced that Jobs is positioning himself -- or the company is positioning him -- for his inevitable return to the helm of the company he co-founded.
Dataquest analyst Kim Brown said Jobs' new title is more than symbolic. The move gives the market a sense that someone is actually running Apple now, a leadership void that had hurt the company. "Steve accepting this is pretty big, and there is more of a chance of him becoming (the permanent CEO) now," Brown said.
"Steve Jobs will be the next CEO of Apple," said Mac developer David Winer, a long-time company watcher, in an E-mail to subscribers today.
The stars are aligning themselves for that possibility. It's undisputed that most of the board would love to have Jobs back as full-time savior. In a recent issue of the New Yorker, board member Edgar Woolard said he would even consider hiring a nuts-and-bolts CEO to make the trains run on time, and using Jobs as master motivator and visionary.
And management recruiters not involved in the search say that Apple's CEO headhunter, John Thompson of Heidrick & Struggles, a Menlo Park, Calif., executive search firm, will have his hands full coming up with candidates willing to stand up to Jobs, who has shown he's willing to play hardball against executives he disagrees with.
And company sources say that although Jobs protests that the role would be too time-consuming on his family and his chores at Pixar, he nevertheless appears re-energized by the daunting task at hand.
Jobs had been serving as an adviser to Apple's board and executive management team for several months.
At last week's meeting, the board also met with its executive recruiter Thompson of Heidrick & Struggles, to review the status of the CEO search. It was the board's first face-to-face meeting since the new board members were named last month at Macworld.
Apple stunned the computer world and Wall Street with news of a $150 million investment by Microsoft in August. Apple also announced a major board shake-up and named four new board members -- Intuit Inc.'s CEO Bill Campbell, Oracle Corp. CEO Larry Ellison, former IBM Chief Financial Officer Jerome York and Jobs.
Apple recently paid $100 million to buy back its license for the Macintosh operating system and other assets of Power Computing Corp., a move that was seen as the death of its cloning policy which it began in 1994.
Reuters contributed to this report.


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On Monday, The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) ruled that Apple did not violate a Google patent to make the popular iPhones which came as a huge relief to the Cupertino-based technology giant, already grappling with falling share price.
The suit for the patent called ‘sensor controlled user interface for a portable communication device’ was first filed in 2010, before Google moved to acquire Motorola Mobility and its patent portfolio in August 2011.
In its filing, Google alleged that Apple infringed smartphone sensor patent by including a proximity sensor, which prevents the touchscreen being accidentally pressed by turning it off when it is held up to the ear, reported the Financial Times.
Apple was initially accused of infringing on six patents for iPhone-related technology. The USITC cleared Apple of infringing three other Motorola patents in August 2012, while Google withdrew a second complaint against Apple in October 2012.
In its statement, he commission said that Apple had shown “clear and convincing evidence” that Motorola’s claim was “obvious” and so unenforceable.
Had Apple been found in violation, the ITC could have imposed an import ban against Apple’s flagship device, iPhone in the United States.
Google on its part said “We’re disappointed with this outcome and are evaluating our options.” in a statement given shortly after the ruling.
This comes as a major setback for the search engine giant, as it raises questions on its decision of buying Motorola Mobility for $12.5bn in 2012, which was intended to bolster its patent fight in the dynamic smartphone market.
It remains to be seen if Google will appeal the decision to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.


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"Songs for Tibet", produced by a group called The Art of Peace Foundation, featured 20 tracks by artists such as Sting, Moby, Suzanne Vega and Alanis Morissette and was intended to raise global awareness of the Tibetan issue.
Apple users in China first started reporting problems accessing the iTunes site on Monday, the same day that US-based Campaign for Tibet announced in a report that 40 Olympic athletes had downloaded the album.
Chatrooms, blogsites and message forums across China filled up with upset users complaining about the block which is assumed to be Tibet-related, although Chinese authorities haven’t formally confirmed this.
Several upset "netizens" – internet users - quoted pro-forma Apple customer support advice admitting that access to the site was “restricted in some areas in China”.
"I would advise that you contact your ISP [internet service provider] about this matter,” the advice concluded.
All ISPs in China are effectively controlled by the Chinese government which blocks what it regards as "sensitive or illegal" websites using keywords such as "Tibet", "Falun Gong" or "Dalai Lama" to filter out web-traffic it deems inimical to China’s national interest.
iTunes sites are country-specific; however, many expatriates and returning Chinese still access the sites using credit cards registered in the US or Europe.
The apparent blocking of the iTunes site comes after Apple opened its first high street store in Beijing on the eve of the Olympic Games, billing it as the 'first of many’ to be opened in a potentially lucrative market.
It remains to be seen what impact the blocking will have on Apple’s expansion plans in China. As part of a pledge to provide media covering the Beijing Olympics with unfettered access to the web, China had pledged to unblock many websites which were previously off-limits.
However despite unblocking some sites on the eve of the Games after pressure from the International Olympic Committee, many sites that mention Tibet, human rights and the outlawed Falun Gong religious group remain inaccessible.


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Taxes on sports betting in Italy will be raised this month, but operators are relieved that the new decree has dictated no new tax on gambling turnover.
The new regulations are due to come into force on October 28. Retail betting revenue was hit with an 18 per cent tax, but online at 22 per cent. Now retail is moving to 20 per cent and online to 24 per cent.
There had been fears in the industry that a one per cent turnover tax would be introduced.


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Spy photos show the car's number plate, which, when checked against an online vehicle database, reveals that the model being tested has a 2.0-litre diesel engine and that the car has been under development since April 2016.
The car was spotted testing near Royal Leamington Spa, not far from Jaguar’s headquarters in Coventry. The photos also reveal that Jaguar Land Rover’s chief engineer, Mike Cross, behind the wheel.
Jaguar has long been rumoured to be developing a diesel variant of the F-Type, as well as a four-cylinder petrol version running an upcoming Ingenium engine. It’s expected to produce as much as 300bhp in the F-Type.
The F-Type diesel project was reported to have been shelved, but the emergence of these new images suggests it has been picked up once again, at least for evaluation purposes.
The facelifted F-Type is due to be unveiled late next year, so it’s likely that if four-cylinder variants are on the way, they will be revealed with the facelifted car. An introduction of these engines would suggest that Jaguar is aiming squarely at the Porsche Boxster with the new entry-level versions.
Expect a new entry-level price to fit with the new engines. The Porsche 718 Boxster is priced from just under £40,000, so a similar price for the entry-level F-Type is expected.
A Jaguar Land Rover spokesman said: "We do not discuss out future product plans. However, we have said we are expanding our product ranges. As a result there are many Jaguar and Land Rover development vehicles and technologies being tested at any one time. We have nothing further to add at this stage or desire to comment on the speculation with regard to future potential models."


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Fire struck one of Dietz & Watson’s distribution facilities in Delanco, N.J. during the Labor Day weekend, but this fire had no effect on the company’s manufacturing plants in Philadelphia, Baltimore or Corfu, NY, and all other distribution points are still up and running normally.
The company released a statement to the press this weekend and the fire has since been extinguished. While the supply chain should be a little tight in the next few weeks, Dietz & Watson customers can feel confident that all items are being manufactured and that things will be up and running to capacity very soon.
Here is the statement from Dietz & Watson CEO Louis Eni from this weekend: “It has been an unexpectedly challenging Labor Day weekend for the Dietz & Watson Family, as fire struck one of our distribution centers, in Delanco, N.J. Sunday afternoon. New Jersey emergency responders continued to battle the fire Monday.
“Thankfully, all Dietz & Watson employees are safe,” he continued. “Right now, our efforts are focused on supporting the New Jersey firefighters and emergency officials who are battling the fire and ensuring that all are kept safe. These brave first-responders are our friends and neighbors. We are humbled by their efforts.
“Our production facilities continue to manufacture our premium meats and cheeses. Other distribution arrangements will be made as we assess the fire’s damage.
“The Dietz & Watson Family deeply appreciates the outpouring of support and encouragement we have received from our friends and customers. It means so much that so many have taken time from their holiday weekends to wish us well. Thank you.”


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In Life’s current issue, Heidi Klum discusses her favorite garment from each of Project Runway‘s three seasons. However, her comment about her third season pick could have been interpreted to suggest that the designer of that garment does not make it to the final three.
A clarification posted on the magazine’s web site, however, changes her remarks so that they’re no longer implying any such thing. (Use caution when reading on if you’re skeptical and think producers are just covering up a slip-up.)
Heidi’s pick for her favorite third-season dress was “Michael Knight’s coffee filter dress for the first challenge,” she said. Heidi added, “He didn’t make it into the top three [of the challenge], but the dress was beautiful, really original and as well-constructed as something could be from such delicate material.”
The part in the brackets is, according to WWD’s Memo Pad, the part the magazine clarified. Without those three words, it sounds like Heidi says he didn’t make it to the end of the competition. But as he did not make it to the final three of that particular challenge, it’s also possible her comment was entirely innocent. That’s what Heidi says is the case, which is why Life clarified the comment on its web site.
Life’s executive editor Maggie Murphy tells WWD, “Heidi’s a pretty precise person. My instincts say she was probably talking about that episode, but I don’t know that we will know for sure until the next few weeks unfold.”
Heidi’s Runway Picks [Life Magazine]


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The giant American car-maker General Motors cutting back on making giant American cars. With the spiralling cost of fuel hitting traditional US gas-guzzlers, GM is closing four factories which make trucks and big so-called SUVs. And Chief Executive Rick Wagoner said the future of the Hummer is in question.
He said: “High energy prices along with the rapid change in auto industry sales mix require further actions to position us for sustainable profitability and growth. On the product side, we have been moving rapidly and quite successfully to revitalize our US car business and we are considering all options for the Hummer brand from a complete revamp of the Hummer lineup to partial or complete sale of the brand.”
Analysts say GM might have left it too late, and finding a buyer for the brand, which is based on the rough terrain vehicles used by the military, could prove difficult. These latest moves, which have been approved by GM’s board, show the company believes that the price of fuel is a permanent threat to its business. The board also rubber-stamped funding for the Chevy Volt, an electric vehicle they hope to have on sale by 2010.


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H.E. Androulla Kaminara
EU Ambassador to Pakistan
8 September 2021, Serena Hotel,
Representatives of SMEs, Moderators, and distinguished guests.
It is an absolutely and special pleasure for me to welcome you here today. The holding of this Business Forum is an idea I have been pursuing for well over a year but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we needed to postpone a couple of times but finally, I am delighted that it is taking place all together making it happen.
With this Business Forum, we are bringing together two of the strongest pillars of EU cooperation with Pakistan:
- the EU development cooperation which has had an average budget of close to 100 Mio EUR in the last 7 years;
- and the EU-Pakistan trade relations and in particular GSP+ trade regime.
Due to the preferential access to the European Single Market that GSP+ efforts, Pakistan’s exports to the EU grew at an impressive pace. Since Pakistan 2014 when the GSP+ status entered into force until the global economic shock due to Covid-19, Pakistan’s exports registered a cumulative increase of 66%. The EU is the most important export destination for Pakistani goods – representing about 30+% of Pakistani exports, double the percentage from the next export destination.
But the beauty of GSP+ is not only expressed in trade figures. If Pakistan continues to take advantage of the greater market access to the EU and to implement the 27 International Conventions covered by the scheme, it will
- of course have faster economic growth;
- but equally importantly it will support Pakistan in improving the rights of all citizens, accelerate reforms towards more modern state structures to the benefit of all. And these two aspects are mutually reinforcing. Compliance with the Conventions will generate better economic opportunities and vice versa.
The existing trade between Pakistan and the EU under the GSP+ has two main characteristics:
- Even though the preferences cover 66% of all tariff product categories, Pakistani exports are concentrated on just a type of products – 78% of all Pakistani exports concern textiles – which of course is very positive for the textile manufacturers
- The other characteristic is that Pakistani exports tend to come from a relatively small number of quite big companies.
So what we see is both a strong positive message, but also a question mark:
- Exports to Europe constitute a huge potential for the Pakistani economy, not the least thanks to GSP+ preferences – the window is wide and it is wide open;
- Why have Pakistani companies not availed of this opportunity more broadly?
And it is this question that made me initiate the EU-Pakistan Business Forum.
SMEs are an important engine of a sustainable economy and they represent by far the biggest opportunity for employment in Pakistan. There are 3.3 milion SMEs. They provide employment for large parts of the population, are part of the local social and economic fabric. They are drivers of innovation. Many SMEs are owned and managed by women and are thus an important factor of women’s empowerment. Focusing on SMEs gives opportunities for exports to those parts of the economy, which have more of a need for support and the least knowledge on average of how to proceed. At the same time, they offer the biggest potential. This is why today’s Forum is focusing on SMEs.
Our meeting today is reflective of both these points. We want to promote SMEs contributing to the country’s exports and simultaneously help Pakistan diversify its export base making better use of GSP+ to the benefit both of the EU and Pakistan. Since we could not cover all sectors of business activity, we decided to focus on 4 sectors that have a huge potential and learn from this event and expand the list of sectors in the future. Therefore we chose some other sectors that can be accessed under the GSP+ status and these are Handicrafts and Fashion, Information Technology, Gems, jewellery and mining, and Travel and tourism.
In addition, these sectors have great potential also for women entrepreneurship through SMEs.
Our goal is to support Pakistan diversify and develop even more efficient partnerships between the EU and Pakistani SMEs. Only a mutually beneficial trade regime between the EU and Pakistani firms can lead to a bilateral sustainable trade regime. Through this Forum, we very much look forward to demonstrating potential solutions and identifying solutions to obstacles for even higher exports.
The increase in the EU-Pakistan trade is a witness to the fact that the potential is immense. SMEs, if included in the export regime will directly address poverty at the grassroots, bring more jobs to the market and be competitive in the world trade arena. Digitalization and e-commerce tools are a catalyst in this regard. We recently developed an e-business platform for SMEs to help them shop online using WhatsApp and Facebook applications, which was presented earlier. I strongly believe that a huge potential exists, provided the network between industries and SMEs is developed and they are exposed to the new techniques of business development and prepared for absorbing technology transfer.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The present Business Forum is just the opening and the start of a conversation. We envisage having two more subsequent forums – one in Lahore and the other one in Karachi. We will add new sectors like auto-part manufacturing and dairy products in Lahore and Karachi.
The broad aim of this set-up is to know the difficulties that are faced by small and medium businesses in Pakistan and how the EU could support some of the needed solutions. Difficulties could be due to trade barriers, non-tariff regimes, standards and other competitiveness related issues. But we are trying to address networking and awareness as well, emphasize technology transfer for SMEs to flourish rapidly and become export-oriented.
That is where the second, strong pillar of the EU-Pakistan engagement comes in: the development cooperation. We are at the start of a new 7-year period, which defines our priorities in terms of development cooperation. Harnessing the potential of SMEs will be an important element. The observations and recommendations of the EU-Pakistan business forum will feed into the initiatives, which will be funded by the European Union in the coming years. We are aware that we will not be able to address all the challenges that SMEs are facing. But in cooperation with our Pakistani partners, we will identify some which we believe we can tackle and thus contribute to the sustainable development of Pakistan.
Before I conclude, let me make a few more points on the current status of GSP+ and of its future:
The current GSP+ regulation expires at the end of 2023 and Pakistan will carry on with the present regime as long as it continues to demonstrate its tangible commitment to the 27 international conventions but that in any case – and for all countries under this regime is only available until the end of 2023. The last report that the EU made public on GSP+ progress of Pakistan identified both the progress in some areas but also some areas for which there was very little progress as well as a few areas that backtracking was seen. It is hugely important to continue progress and to address the concerns raised in order not to have any negative consequences before the end of 2023.
Currently, a lot of work is being carried out in Brussels in order to draft the proposal for a new, successor trade regime which will be in place from 2024. This new regulation is being finalised as we speak. The new regime will be continuity as regards to the basic principles of GSP+ with the 27 Convention and possibly add some additional ones. However, it is important to know that if Pakistan – or any other country for that matter wishes to avail itself of the benefits of the new regime – it will have to re-apply again under the new system, an exercise which signifies heightened scrutiny by the European Institutions.
Finally, I would like to thank you all for your participation and interest and I am confident that together we can expand the benefit of GSP+ and identify new beneficiaries and new sectors to lead to more mutual benefit for both Pakistan and the EU.
I reiterate that the European and Pakistani SMEs can act together as engines of development and partnership, which is strong and mutually beneficial.
I thank you all for your attention.


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Many have now started to order online with the pick up option. There are also chains that deliver your groceries to your door.
But how would you feel if your groceries were delivered right to your fridge?
Walmart is hoping that you will allow this option, letting an employee into your empty home to stock your fridge!
On Tuesday, Walmart announced that it had officially launched the service in three cities in the US: Pittsburgh, Kansas City and Vero Beach, Florida.
The service is called Walmart InHome. If you want this service, you’ll have to do a few things first…
Instead of just leaving your key under a mat and hoping for the best, Walmart’s delivery system involves a bit of smart technology.
First, customers must purchase a $50 smart lock (which normally retails for $250) or a smart garage door kit, which Walmart says it will install for free.
Then they have to sign up for a subscription service that costs about $20 a month. When people place their orders online through the app, a special code will be given to unlock your home.
There’s also an option that allows people to watch the delivery via livestream from a smartphone.


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Ruling overturns previous ruling suspending the herbicide's use
This is bad but not surprising news from a country that is the second biggest GMO grower after the US and also the second biggest consumer of pesticides after the US.
Brazil court overturns ban on weed-killer glyphosate
Reuters, 3 Sept 2018
A Brazilian court on Monday overturned an injunction banning products containing the popular weed-killer glyphosate, knocking down a previous ruling that had promised to up-end the soy planting season set to begin this month.
Last month a Brazilian judge ruled to halt the registration of new glyphosate-based products in the country and to suspend existing registrations after 30 days, until health agency Anvisa issues a pending ruling on its safety.
That 30-day deadline had been expected to pass on Monday, just as the first month of soy planting gets under way.
Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of soybeans and relies heavily on the agrochemical, with Bayer AG’s (BAYGn.DE) Monsanto SA being the biggest seller of glyphosate products in the country.
Bayer, Monsanto and a Brazilian pesticide industry group did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Hundreds of lawsuits alleging Monsanto’s glyphosate products cause cancer are making their way through U.S. courts. Bayer and Monsanto say decades of use and numerous reviews of glyphosate show the chemical to be safe.
Reporting by Ricado Brito, Ana Mano and Jake Spring; Editing by Andrea Ricci and James Dalgleish


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Last week's online protest against Microsoft Outlook is turning out to be a tempest-in-a-Tweet.
Sometimes, it seems scams are becoming almost as common as social media experts on Twitter. The latest one, unleashed Monday morning and initially noticed by tech blog Mashable, centers on a fake blog hosted at the domain twittersblogs.com. Tweets co...
Mobile printing has never been easier. For a busy office, reliable and easy-to-use tools are essential. Samsung's latest smart printers are equipped for wireless printing from mobile devices. Find out more about what is all about.
Forget spam and phishing as you once knew it: the new breed of cyber criminals are shifting their operations to fertile new fields, including mobile phones, online gaming and Web 2.0. These are the chief threats facing consumers today, and it's peril...
Sweden's Pirate Party won 7.13 percent of the vote in elections earlier this month. Its campaign for the respect of privacy, the reform of copyright law and the abolition of the patent system earned it a seat in the European Parliament, and it may ye...
The .eu TLD (top-level domain name) for Web sites allows non-ASCII characters in its Web addresses, after it opened up the TLD to addresses written in Cyrillic and Greek letters, <a href="http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/doteu/">the Eur...
The U.S. government should avoid making huge changes in its deregulatory telecom policies because consumers have seen a "broadband boom" since 2000, according to a new paper released Wednesday.
Mozilla's Firefox 3.5 Release Candidate 2 is now out in the open, meaning the long-awaited final version is likely right around the corner.
Google engineers have put in place several measures to remove pornography from search results in China, after the government warned the company its filter was too weak.
Former Apple Macintosh evangelist Guy Kawasaki posts Twitter messages about a lot of different things, but the message he put up on Tuesday afternoon was really out of character.
Given the slew of embarrassing stories you've no doubt seen about users accidentally sharing too-personal information, the idea of preserving privacy on a social network may seem like going outside during a thunderstorm and expecting to stay dry.
Our Web sites are under attack! And my company's firewall and intrusion-detection systems seem to have been giving a lot of people around here a false sense of security.
Welcome to the era of SoMo.
Twitter grew faster than any other Web site in May, when its unique visitors rose almost 1,500 percent year-on-year to 18.2 million, according to Nielsen Online.
China has ordered Google to suspend its foreign Web site search service after warning that the company's filtering of pornography was too weak, state media said Friday.
How do you make a terrible thing even worse? If you're a crook who operates a botnet -- an often-expansive network of malware-infected PCs -- you link botnets together to form a gargantuan "botnetweb." And you do it in a way that's hard for an antivi...
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CnEVPost Newsletter: NIO rumored to speed up new model rollout; Tesla Shanghai gearing up for new Model 3 production
All of NIO's current ES8, ES6, EC6 inventory and show cars will be sold to one entity, followed by an all-out push for sales of models based on the NT 2.0 platform, according to local media.
Probably because of the heavy traffic in the area where the incident occurred, the female consumer mistook the accelerator pedal for the brake in a panic and caused the accident, local media quoted an NIO staff as saying.
Point72 increased its bet on NIO in the fourth quarter, re-bought Li Auto, but liquidated its position in XPeng.
Li Auto has previously released data showing it delivered 46,319 vehicles in the fourth quarter, up 31.51 percent year-on-year and up 74.63 percent from the third quarter.
BYD will sell all-electric versions of its Tang SUV and Han sedan through seven dealers in Mexico in 2023, an executive said last year.
Tesla will halt some production at its Shanghai plant until the end of February in order to begin rolling out a revamped version of the Model 3 in the Chinese market, according to Bloomberg.
Much of this is likely due to a low base caused by last year's Chinese New Year holiday.
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Construction of Dilla Industrial Park Completed: Corporation - ENA English
Construction of Dilla Industrial Park Completed: Corporation
Addis Ababa January 7/2021 (ENA) The construction of Dilla Industrial Park in the Ethiopian South Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Regional State has been completed, regional Industrial Parks Development Corporation disclosed.
Dilla Industrial Park is one of the parks planed to be constructed in the region with a cost of over half a billion birr.
The construction of Yirgachefe Industrial Park is also nearing completion, it was indicated.
A delegation led by Deputy Chief Administrator of Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's Region, Ristu Yirdaw visited on-going works of the construction.
During the visit, General Manager of the Corporation, Birru Wolde said Dilla and Yirgachefe Industrial Parks can accommodate an average of 20 factory sheds.
According to him, the Dilla Industrial Park, whose construction work was commenced two years ago on 20-hectares of land, is now fully completed.
Hence, the park is currently open for investors and associations who are interested in coffee processing, animal husbandry, fruit and honey production, he added.
The parks are also equipped with capacity building centers that render training to farmers in order to modernize the agricultural sector, the manager said.
“So far, more than 400 million birr has been spent for the construction,” he said adding that the parks are expected to create jobs for thousands of Ethiopians.
Deputy Chief of the Regional State, Ristu Yirdaw on his part said the parks are being set up with the intention to supply value added agricultural products and import substitution.
The parks will expand Ethiopia’s share in foreign trade and enhance the benefits of farmers by creating industrial linkages among the parks, he pointed out.
According to Ristu, priority will be given to associations and investors who wish to engage in business activities in the parks that would boost the benefit of farmers.
Head of Gedeo Zone Agriculture and Natural Resources Bureau, Tegene Tadesse said efforts are being made to enable local farmers to provide standard products to the industries.
He said more than 12 million improved coffee and fruit seedlings have been planted by organizing framers in cluster.
Ethiopia has been working in the development of industrial parks across the nation with a view to creating more jobs, enhancing foreign direct investment and technology transfer.


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He said this short-term plan is a another step to achieve the momentum to reach the target of 3.5 million tonnes per annum by 2050.
Malaysia is focused on increasing its cargo and logistic traffic by capitalising on the KLIA Aeropolis project, which was launched in May, to serve as the driver in achieving its vision of becoming a global leader in creating airport cities, he added.
“This is our short-term plan to increase the volume. It sounds too long but we have been flat in the air freighter cargo over the years. We want to double it and get the momentum to reach 3.5 million tonnes by attracting local and foreign players in logistic and air cargo with one of the players, Alibaba Group.
“Alibaba is one of the largest e-commerce players in the region that has agreed to set up the e-fulfilment and e-clearance hubs in Malaysia,” he told a press conference on the current updates of the KLIA Aeropolis following a meeting on Monday with the Transport Ministry, International Trade and Industry Ministry and Economic Planning Unit.
Badlisham was met after the launch of the Beyond Borders School Adoption Programme, MAHB’s flagship corporate social responsibility initiative in Sepang on Wednesday.
KLIA Aeropolis was selected to be the site of the initial phase for the DFTZ, which is centred on the key clusters of air cargo and logistics; aerospace and aviation parks; and meetings, incentives, conference and events (MICE), and leisure.
Meanwhile, Badlisham said MAHB forecast to expand its current 14 plane freighters flying into Malaysia, to an additional 16 to 20 freighters in the next 10 years.
“We are quite a big region and we will definitely do well in the air cargo side because we are creating more facilities, putting up more plans and support systems.
“There is strong demand for the development of an integrated freight and logistics infrastructure with global and local cargo traffic,” he said, adding that KLIA Aeropolis would serve as the core of MAHB’s air cargo and logistics ecosystem, extending to Penang.
Furthermore, Badlisham said the air cargo did not involve industrial products, instead it would cater to the e-commerce market space on perishable products, halal goods, and electronics.
On another note, he said MAHB wanted to attract higher value of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities, which required closer proximity to the airport.
Earlier, in his opening speech, Badlisham said MAHB on Wednesday adopted another four schools to bring the total to 32 schools under the fourth phase of its programme to ensure sustainable progress in improving English language proficiency among primary school children.
The schools are Sekolah Kebangsaan Dengkil, Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Tamil) Dengkil, Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Wah Lian and Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Bangkong (Asli), and a total of 1,900 Standard Four students and 25 teachers are targeted to benefit from the programme, he added. - Bernama
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