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Microsoft moving towards Apple-like update schedule?
Both Windows 7 and the soon to be released Windows 8 operating system have been released after three years of development. News broke earlier this month that work began on Windows 9, the next version of Windows which probably will be released in October 2015 if Microsoft is keeping up with the release schedule.
Rumors about a different release schedule, or at least a different schedule of releases in-between major version upgrades, have been fueled by Mary Jo Foley who mentioned that her "contacts" told here that some kind of Windows update was coming next year. Now, this is not very specific and could very well be the indication for a first service pack for the operating system.
Mary Jo however thinks that Microsoft could be planning to release smaller updates in shorter release cycles in the future.Â This could be similar as to how Apple is developing updates for its Mac OS X operating system.The project could be codenamed Blue, a terminus mentioned last week on Win8China.
A faster release schedule would allow Microsoft to integrate new features faster into the operating system which could be especially important for Windows 8 as the system is the first in a series of operating systems that is moving away from a traditional desktop system towards a system suitable for different kinds of devices and computers.
At this point, it is nothing more than a rumor though, and surely one that Microsoft won't confirm any time soon. If it turns out to be true, we could see the new release make an appearance in the summer of 2013, less than a year after the official release of Windows 8. Whether that update will then be referred to as Windows 8.1, Windows 8.5 or something completely different is up for debate as well.
The update would however have more of a service pack character with a few new features thrown into the mix than something that would be completely different from Windows 8.
System administrators on the other hand and businesses do not necessarily look forward to a faster release schedule as this could put a lot of strain on an IT department and employees.
What's your take on the rumor?Advertisement
Considering that I, as well as many, many other Windows users will be skipping the upcoming release of Win8, for obvious reasons, it will be interesting to see what Microsoft has on the drawing board for Windows 9!!
That’s if MS survives all the backlash and criticism from Windows 8!!
Interesting how faggots are not wanting Windows 8, makes it a more pure OS for the rest of us and they can continue adoring their iturds.
Average mentality of Win 8 hater I saw from numerous sites.
Wow if it does tell you something.
Windows 9, with no Simon Says tiles will be out next year.
If only that were true…
How about a new Windows OS every six weeks? Followed by a bug-fix release a short while later.
Wouldn’t if be cool if there was an OS that let you download the most current binaries or even the source code and compile it yourself? Hey, wait… :)
And break itself and softwares compatibility in the process?
) It can be true: as WinPhone 7 Metro was feature incomplete and crippled, Windows 8 can be too
) On the other hand I don’t need Metro at all
) And my experience with MS updates is negative: it seems that for me they break and bug more than fix
) Neither any other fast release schedule did anything good to me
Hopefully it’s Windows 7 SP2. I’ve had to install alot of hotfixes since SP1.
As for the speculation, not worth commenting on…. yet.
Some harsh words for people with differing opinions :)


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21 Nov 2018 At the recent conference—“Impact of US-China Trade War on Ho Chi Minh for Vietnam to avoid being listed by the US government among. 25 Jun 2018 The trade dispute between the U.S. and China, two of Vietnam's top trading partners, could leave both positive and negative impacts on the This was due to the impacts of trade protectionist measures between the U.S. and China. Although the U.S. did not directly raise tariffs on Thai imports, Thai 16 Sep 2019 The ongoing trade war between China and the USA will have negative effects on both economies. China should see a sharp fall in inward 4 Sep 2018 National flags of U.S. and China wave in front of an international hotel in the current trade tensions between the U.S. and China are likely to have Therefore, a potential trade war has significant implications not just for the (US)–People's Republic of China (PRC) trade conflict would shave 1% off PRC possible impacts of an escalated bilateral trade conflict between the PRC and
26 Aug 2019 The US and China won't be the only ones affected in the trade war raging between the two countries. As companies scramble to find ways
14 Aug 2019 Impact of the US-China trade war; Global value chain integration and protectionism: the mechanisms; Extent of value chain integration between 23 May 2019 The trade war between the United States and China is escalating and it is here to stay. Last year, the Trump administration started the trade war 21 Nov 2019 The trade war is hurting many countries as these rival giants face off to divide have resulted in an escalation of economic hostilities between the two. per World Bank forecasts and this may have an impact on our country. discusses the potential effects of an extension of the US-China trade war to 90 day truce agreed between US and China (import tariffs on hold, restart of
There is no end in sight to the lingering trade war between the United States and China since 2018. The latest episode is US president Donald Trump’s decision to ban by decree American telecom
The US trade deficit with China is the world's largest and a sign of global economic its soybean imports after U.S. President Donald Trump started a trade war. a trade deal between the United States and China.14 It was signed on Jan.
22 Jan 2020 President Trump signed a preliminary trade deal with China that, if fully carried out, would increase American exports and prevent new confidence among business leaders after months of trade-related uncertainty. But even if those deals hold, the ripple effects of the trade war could take time to dissipate.
The impact of the trade war between the US and China can be summarized by a comment last week from Stanley Black & Decker CEO James Loree. "So it's been a great 20 years of shareholder value How A Trade War Between The U.S. And China Could Impact Consumers NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with David French of the National Retail Federation, about how the Trump administration's latest round of There is no end in sight to the lingering trade war between the United States and China since 2018. The latest episode is US president Donald Trump’s decision to ban by decree American telecom US-China Trade War Talking Points: Was the US-China trade war inevitable? What is the most likely outcome of this global trade war? What will be the impact to US and China’s trade and economies
4 Sep 2018 National flags of U.S. and China wave in front of an international hotel in the current trade tensions between the U.S. and China are likely to have Therefore, a potential trade war has significant implications not just for the
consequences of mounting China-US trade tensions and warns that should these trade threats materialise, the GDP of the US and China will be reduced by 0.9% and 0.6%, respectively, leading to a 0.4% fall in long-term world GDP. A report from the US – China trade war: impact assessment Samo Goncalves Andres Escobar. Komi Tsowou. Simone Angioloni. Byung Min Soon. Joana Carreiro. We are assessing the impact of the current trade dispute between the US We have seen in this article that the trade war might harm both the US and China. If all the countries get involved in this war, it will affect global growth recovery. General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was signed in 1948 to reduce trade barriers between nations.
9 Sep 2019 Vietnam's Economy Gets Boost from US-China Trade War Pacific Rim trade pact is having scant impact on fast-growing trade… raised its reported GDP by 25.4 percent for money discovered between 2010 and 2017, 12 Nov 2019 The trade war between the US and China is having an impact on economic growth around the world but it has provided a boost to some 13 Aug 2019 In retaliation, China devalued its currency, prompting the US Treasury These ripples impact countries differently, and as the trade conflict escalates, The trilateral dialogue between the United States, EU, and Japan

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Unorganized and cash dependent sectors were the hardest hit.
Microsoft will leverage its expertise in AI and IoT to enhance riding experience.
Seed stage funding has plummeted by 53% in the last year.
The advent of Big Data and sector-specific Machine Learning tools related to the sector can increase agriculture yields
Manu Jain has led Xiaomi to become the most preferred brand among consumers and the second largest shipper of smartphones in the country


text: Inflation fears have been fueled since 2009, when the Fed began its policy of "quantitative easing" (effectively "money printing"). The inflationists point to commodity prices that have shot up. The deflationists, in turn, point to the housing market, which has collapsed and taken prices down with it. Prices of consumer products other than food and fuel are also down. Wages have remained stagnant, so higher food and gas prices mean people have less money to spend on consumer goods.


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With Thanksgiving weekend and Cyber Monday (mercifully?) behind us, shopping results are coming out from several sources. Although the precise figures differ from one source to the next, it seems that yet again the key takeaways include a new record for e-commerce spending on Cyber Monday and more gains in mobile commerce.
The following recap offers highlights from several research sources, with links provided for readers who would like to explore the data in more detail. (Note that there is a considerable amount of data not covered below, so we encourage you to follow the links to see what each source has to offer.)
- In its recap, Adobe Digital Insights reveals that Cyber Monday was the largest online sales day in US history, with $7.9 billion spent by the end of the day, up 19% and besting last year’s growth rate of 17%. Of the total spending online on Cyber Monday, mobile devices accounted for more than one-third – at $2.8 billion – representing a 41% increase, including a 56% gain for smartphones. Direct website traffic drove the most revenue (25.3%) on Cyber Monday, followed by paid search (25.1%), email (24.2%) and natural search (18.8%). Social media (1.1%) continued to be a bit player.
- Advertisers certainly caught onto the trend for mobile and also for search: year-over-year spending on mobile search ads increased by 44% for Thanksgiving Day and by 43% for Black Friday. So says Kenshoo, which also declares “which high certainty that advertiser ROI not only held firm in light of these market-inflated prices but even improved on Black Friday compared to early November.”
- In its holiday report, Comscore agrees that Cyber Monday had the highest e-commerce spend ever (tallied at $6 billion), as each of the three key days (Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday) posted year-over-year e-commerce sales gains of at least 28%. Notably, Thanksgiving was the mobile mobile day, per Comscore’s data, with the devices reaching 40% share of total digital commerce.
- As for the broad Thanksgiving weekend (Thursday through Monday) period, Adobe Digital Insights reports a 23% increase in e-commerce sales. E-commerce grew most quickly on Thanksgiving Day again, up a massive 28%, compared to 18.3% growth last year. Notably, mobile accounted for an impressive 41.7% of the total e-commerce sales over the 5-day period and a majority 54.3% of the retail traffic.
- Adobe’s report also notes that the weekend between Black Friday and Cyber Monday was the largest weekend ever in the US in terms of e-commerce sales. Figures from Verizon’s Holiday Retail Index – which monitors traffic to the top 25 US-based online retailers – support that finding. E-commerce traffic for Saturday November 24 was up by almost 30% year-over-year, per Verizon, while traffic the following day was up by roughly 23%. Lending more support to the growing influence of the weekend is Bazaarvoice, which tracked the highest growth in total page views within its network of monitored retail sites on Saturday November 24. The day also tied with Thanksgiving Day as the one to have the highest share of mobile orders (51%). Meanwhile, Sunday had the second-highest growth in total revenue, mobile revenue and average order value, per Bazaarvoice’s data.
- Another to note the growth in off-peak days is Hitwise, which also revealed that the day before Thanksgiving had a large 40% year-over-year increase in transactions with the Top 50 Retailers. Meanwhile, on Thanksgiving Day Amazon hogged almost half (47.8%) of all online transactions with the Top 50 retailers, more than half (56.8%) on Black Friday, and 60% on Cyber Monday. That’s down from its average 79% of transactions from January through October, though, owing to competition from other retailers.
- Cyber Monday online shopping peaked late in the evening, reveals Adobe, while data from SAP Commerce Cloud indicates that on Black Friday the busiest hour was 1PM ET. Most orders, however, were placed during the hour of 2PM ET, which was also the hour when the highest conversion rate was witnessed.
- While it was a record-breaking Cyber Week, there were some headwinds. Data from Monetate indicates that bounce rates were up in the US by 12% on Thanksgiving and by 5.2% on Black Friday. Broadening the analysis to include Canada and the UK and looking at Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the data shows that cart abandonment rose by an average of 5.4%, suggesting that consumers are shopping around more before making final decisions.
- Data in previously-published research suggests that most shoppers gained during the holidays will come back to a retailer. That’s great news considering this stat from Bluecore: 57% of all Black Friday purchases were made by first-time buyers. Bluecore isn’t quite as optimistic about their retention, but still expects that about one-fifth (21%) of these new customers will become repeat buyers.
- How big were the discounts on Cyber Monday? Average online discounts hit 31%, reports Salesforce, with these deals coming with free shipping 84% of the time. That’s the highest average discount rate that’s ever been recorded by Salesforce’s Shopping Index. Salesforce also revealed a year-over-year increase in the number of retailer email sends on Cyber Monday, as well as a huge 69% jump in the number of SMS and push notifications sent.
- It’s worth remembering that e-commerce is just one part of the total retail picture… Indeed, only 1 in 4 Cyber Week shoppers shopped exclusively online, according to the NRF. Instead, 54% shopped both in-store and online, while 21% made their purchases only in-store. The multichannel shoppers also outspent the single-channel shopper by almost $100 ($93) on average, a large gap considering that the average shopper spent $313.29 over the 5-day period. (This finding – of larger spend by multichannel shoppers – is consistent with previous data from Criteo.) Meanwhile, the NRF also reports that slightly more people shopped online on Cyber Monday (67.4 million) than on Black Friday (65.2 million), but that the most popular day for in-store shopping was Black Friday (67 million). Those figures also suggest that more people shopped in-store than online on Black Friday. Overall, about 165 million people shopped during the 5-day period, per the NRF, though that was down from roughly 174 million last year.
- Survey findings from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) indicate that retailers with both a physical and online presence captured 88% of spending on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday. More than one-quarter (27%) of shoppers used click-and-collect on those days, with almost two-thirds (64%) of those making an additional purchase in-store.
- For its part, ShopperTrak reported that store traffic for the Black Friday weekend (Thursday through Sunday) was down by only 1.5%, a smaller decrease than observed last year (-2.2%). However, Cyber Monday may have shifted more online, as brick-and-mortar traffic that day was down by 7%, compared to a 2% decrease last year.
- Finally, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) says that for the first time ever, more tech gift shoppers bought or planned to buy online (59%) over the 5-day period than to buy in-store (58%), though that difference is essentially within the margin of error and therefore not significant… Meanwhile, tech gift shoppers were more apt to say they shopped online on Cyber Monday (54%) than on Black Friday (48%).
The holiday season has begun, which means that dozens of studies are being issued forecasting spending trends, retail destinations and shopping attitudes. This latest annual data hub (which will be updated periodically during the holiday period) highlights key points from holiday-related research for what looks to be an enthusiastic season in terms of consumer spending.
[Editor’s Note: As with last year’s holiday data hub, this year’s article will highlight one or two unique findings from each piece of research. Readers interested in more data are encouraged to follow the links provided to access the studies.]
Before getting to the list of research highlights and Thanksgiving shopping intentions, let’s a look at the broad forecast for this holiday season.
- The NRF is projecting a 4.3-4.8% increase in holiday sales this year to roughly $679-$682 billion. The forecasted growth rate is higher than the 5-year average of 3.9%. It’s also well above last year’s forecast of 3.6-4% growth, though below the 5.3% increase that the holiday season ended with. Consumers themselves expect to spend 4.1% more this year than last, per a separate survey released by the NRF.
- The NRF’s forecast increase sits below the gain expected by Deloitte, of a 5-5.6% increase. That’s up from a predicted 4-4.5% rise last year, and includes an impressive 17-22% growth predicted for e-commerce sales.
- Adobe Digital Insights (ADI) is out with a projection that e-commerce growth during the holidays will be 14.8%, up from last year’s projected 13.8% increase.
- The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) is in with the trend for holiday spending growth this year, expecting a 4.5% rise in holiday sales, above last year’s forecast increase of 3.8%.
- eMarketer is uncharacteristically upbeat in its projections, raising its earlier forecast to predict a 5.8% increase in retail holiday season sales, including a 16.6% gain for e-commerce sales. Expect holiday season sales to top $1 trillion for the first time, eMarketer says, buoyed in part by the maximum number of possible days between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- Finally, Forrester might again have the most modest forecast for online holiday sales in the US, expecting a 14% increase from last year, although that’s up from their 12% growth projection in 2017. NetElixir is only slightly more buoyant in its outlook, predicting a 15% year-over-year gain in e-commerce revenues, though that would be up from 13% last year and 10% the year prior.
Gallup sums up the general sentiment succinctly: “Americans in the Mood to Spend This Holiday Season.” (It’s worth noting, though, that Gallup’s survey has consumers forecasting a lower average spend this year than last, so there’s that…)
Some 164 million Americans are planning to – or considering – shopping online or in-store this Thanksgiving weekend (Thursday through Monday), according to the latest holiday survey from the NRF. That figure is unchanged from last year, when similar estimates called for 164 million to shop during the 5-day period.
The most enthusiasm for Thanksgiving weekend in the NRF survey is reserved for Black Friday: 71% of those who plan to shop on Thanksgiving weekend said they either will or might shop that day. That compares to slightly fewer than half (46%) who might shop on Cyber Monday, and about one-fifth (21%) on Thanksgiving Day.
Here are some further statistics regarding key shopping days over the 5-day period.
- Globally, Cyber Week – starting the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and extending through Cyber Monday – will account for 40% of digital revenues during the holiday season, with Black Friday (10% share) edging Cyber Monday (8%). So predicts Salesforce in its own forecast. (Link).
- Within the US, the Thanksgiving Weekend (Thursday through Monday) is expected to generate almost one-fifth (19%) of total online holiday sales, according to Adobe Digital Insights, which also notes that online revenue growth during that period will outpace online sales growth during the entire holiday period. Cyber Monday will continue to be the key day, with the highest predicted sales ($7.8 billion) and the fastest growth (+17.6% year-over-year). (Link)
- Retailers are all in on the game. Research from Nanigans indicates that retailers will apportion one-quarter of their holiday digital ad budgets to the Black Friday-Cyber Monday weekend. (Link).
- Cyber Monday might – as its name suggests – be the heaviest day for online spending, but Black Friday will be the busiest day for in-store traffic, according to a ShopperTrak forecast. Traffic should peak at 4PM that day, per the prediction. (Link) A separate survey from Euclid disagrees, finding more shoppers planning to go in-store on Thanksgiving (30%) than Black Friday (28%). (Link)
- Shoppers expect to spend an impressive 46% more this Thanksgiving weekend (excluding Cyber Monday) than last, according to a survey from the ICSC. (Link).
- The ICSC expects the vast majority of spending to occur in-store, and the Consumer Technology Association indicates that more people will shop for tech products in-store than online during the 5-day Thanksgiving period. Separately, the CTA survey finds that 85% of US shoppers plan to buy tech devices during the critical shopping period, with smartphones and TVs (the most common devices in US households) tied for the lead in shopping intent. (Link)
- Whatever they’re buying, they seem to be shopping more. Data from Comscore indicates that the 6 days running from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Tuesday accounted for 17.7% of desktop e-commerce sales last year, up from 16.8% in 2016 and 16.2% in 2015. (Link)
- Data from Monetate suggests that average order values last year were higher on Thanksgiving ($154.15) than on Black Friday ($142.86). Interestingly, the analysis shows that abandoned cart values grew leading up to Thanksgiving last year, suggesting that people were shopping beforehand but putting off their purchases till Black Friday.
Other Key Holiday Data
The following list highlights key points from the studies cited above, along with several others. We’re generally disregarding data regarding top gifts and shopping times, as the surveys disagree widely with respect to these. (You can follow the links to the research to find each one’s results on those.)
Likewise, we’ll largely avoid shopping destinations data for the same reason, unless there are noteworthy results to highlight.
One such prediction worth pointing out comes from Deloitte, which on the basis of its consumer survey believes that a majority of holiday budgets will be spent online (57%) rather than in-store (43%) or via other means. Likewise, survey data from Adobe Digital Insights finds consumers claiming they’ll spend 57% of their holiday budgets online, up from 55% last year. It’s hard to imagine that a majority of holiday sales will come from e-commerce, given US Department of Commerce data [pdf] indicating that e-commerce sales accounted for 9.1% of total retail sales during Q4 2017.
And while the NPD Group reveals that online shoppers plan to spend 50% more than in-store shoppers, the empirical figures make it hard to see how that will translate to a majority of holiday spending occurring online. (Other research, such as from Adobe Digital Insights and eMarketer, also expects e-commerce to account for a fractional amount of total retail sales – with ADI pegging it at one-sixth.)
Here are some highlights from the myriad surveys and other research pieces that have been released in recent weeks. Links to the research are provided at the end of each bullet point.
- Half of holiday purchases could be influenced by retailers, per Deloitte, as only 51% of respondents typically shop for specific items they they’ve planned to buy before entering a store. Think it’s all about gifts? Not so, per Deloitte. In fact, shoppers expect to devote a larger share of their holiday spending to experience purchases (40%) than to gift purchases (34%). (Link)
- In light of the above result concerning promotions, it’s worth noting survey results from the ICSC revealing that almost half (47%) of shoppers indicate that once they’re in a store, the promotions they see influence the holiday purchases they make. (Link)
- More than 8 in 10 consumers (84%) plan to shop at a store where they’re a rewards member in order to earn discounts and/or rewards point, according to a Citi Retail Services study. (Link).
- When looking for gift ideas, the majority (54%) of consumers look to recommendations from friends and family, according to Bazaarvoice. Notably, 43% report being inspired by advertising, compared to 27% by social platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest. (Link)
- Some 61% of consumers will not buy something online this holiday season if it doesn’t come with free shipping, RetailMeNot has found. A separate RetailMeNot survey of retailers indicates that the majority will focus their efforts the most on Millennials as opposed to Gen Xers or Baby Boomers. Millennials surveyed are largely searching for deals, expecting personalized shopping experiences and looking for instant gratification with gifts in hand as soon as possible. (Link). Retailers may be onto something with their focus on youth: Millennials and Gen Z consumers are the most likely age groups to say they’ll spend more this holiday season, per survey results from Discover. (Link) PwC research agrees: the consumer segments most likely to be spending the same or more than last year are high-earning Millennials (92%), Millennial dads (89%), people from large metro areas (89%) and Hispanic Millennials (87%), per PwC. That report also indicates that brand trust influences shopping decisions for 7 in 10 consumers. (Link)
- Almost half of visits to retailers will come from smartphones this holiday season, says ADI. Interestingly, the study data suggests that customers acquired during the holidays are as likely to return to a retailer’s website over the following 6 months as customers acquired at other points of the year. (Link) That could make a lot of retailers happy, given Google and Ipsos survey data indicating that almost half (46%) of shoppers purchased from a new retailer during the 2017 holiday season. (Link)
- Retail ad spending should grow by 2-4% during the November-December period, reports Kantar Media, noting that Walmart began its holiday advertising on October 29 and Target on October 31. Both retailers promoted free 2-day shipping, likely in response to Amazon. (Link)
- As regards Amazon, fully 8 in 10 holiday shoppers claim that they’ll start their gift searches on Amazon this year, research from CPC Strategy has found, up from 72% feeling that way last year. (Link). Separately, a survey from Valassis found evidence for “Christmas in July,” with 40% of holiday shoppers having purchased some part of their holiday gifts on Amazon Prime Day. (Link)
- In response, retail and e-commerce brands will be spending on Amazon ads, according to ClickZ and Kenshoo. Those brands who plan to run such ads this holiday season expect to dedicate more than one-fifth (21%) of their budgets to the platform, with Christmas-specific campaigns (82%) and Black Friday-dedicated campaigns popular. (Link) Meanwhile, retailers have already upped their ad spend by 3% year-over-year, according to data from Standard Media Index.
- Globally, smartphones (46%) will overtake desktops (44%) for holiday digital transaction share for the first time, per Salesforce, while Instagram will be the fastest-growing social referrer of traffic to retail sites. (Link)
- Holiday spending on tech devices and accessories will grow by 3.4% as two-thirds of US adults plan to buy a tech product during the holiday season, according to the CTA. While the traditional mainstay – TV sets – is atop the wish lists again, consumers will spend more than ever on emerging technologies including smart speakers (18% intending to purchase), smart home devices (36% planning to buy), and smartwatches (almost 1 in 5 intending to buy). (Link).
- Electronics should dominate the list of hot products on Amazon this holiday season, says Hitwise, based on an analysis of top searches and product pages on the platform in recent days. The early signals suggest that LEGO, Nerf and LOL Surprise will be among the best-performing toy brands.
Stay tuned for more research in the days and weeks to come.


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High and Mighty , the menswear retailer that specialises in clothing and shoes for big and tall men, has relaunched its website to bolster multichannel sales. The aim is to give the brand a more premium feel and to provide customers with better usability. The company has set out a strategic plan to double its online sales over the next year.
Highandmighty.co.uk now has an uncluttered home page featuring lifestyle images, from which customers can click through to Spring/Summer ranges. There is zoom functionality on the products displayed and search has been simplified.
High and Mighty has recruited England Rugby World Cup winner, Ben Cohen MBE to endorse the brand on the web site, providing some editorial content around the product. “At 6’3″ and with a 46″ chest Ben understands the difficulties you have in getting clothes to fit, but he knows he can rely on High and Mighty,” says the current editorial.
High and Mighty managing director Gill Politis said the new website more closely reflects the quality of product and customer service ethos of the store portfolio, which consists of 17 stores. The retailer, which is a trading division of JD Williams & Company, also sells through catalogues, so is truly multichannel.
High & Mighty claims to be the market leader in UK for big and tall clothing for men “delivering fashion that fits for men of above average stature”.


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A Black-owned company in Chicago just received $13.5 million in subsidies to buy and revamp several grocery stores on the city’s south and west sides.
The City Council’s Finance Committee agreed on the community grant on Monday, Nov. 14, according to the Chicago Sun Times. It allows Yellow Banana, a retail grocery platform, to restore six Save A Lot stores in desperate need of “change.” Some locations are described as severely damaged while others have left a “bad taste in the mouths of residents,” said West Side alderman Jason Ervin.
Developing in Underserved Communities
Yellow Banana already owns an operator of eight Save A Lot locations in the Chicagoland area. With the $13.5 million Community Development Grant, the company will be able to invest in significant upgrades to its existing Chicago stores, which are all located in underserved communities throughout the city’s south and west sides. They will also be able to re-open a location in the Auburn-Gresham neighborhood that closed in 2020. The city’s grant, combined with other financing and funding from Yellow Banana, will bring approximately $26 million in investment into six locations, according to a press release.
The funding will be used to purchase the underlying real estate for six of the seven locations in Chicago. It will also be used to complete full internal and external remodels, including new flooring, lighting, HVAC, dairy and meat cases, interior and exterior painting, new décor and signage.
Who’s Behind Yellow Banana
Yellow Banana is owned by 127 Wall Holdings, LLC. 127 Wall Holdings was co-founded by Michael Nance, Ademola Adewale-Sadik and Walker Brumskine. The three Black entrepreneurs met while completing studies at Yale Law School; Adewale-Sadik and Brumskine also earned MBAs from Harvard Business School. They are joined by co-founder Joseph Canfield, who is white.
“We are exceedingly grateful to Mayor Lightfoot and the City of Chicago for this generous grant and their investment in the South and West Side neighborhoods of Chicago,” said Nance in a press release. “We know how critical access to high-quality food at affordable prices is in many of these neighborhoods—I myself having been raised in a community with many similarities—and we are honored to be able to serve them. By updating these stores both inside and out and continuing to source fresh, affordable food at prices working families can afford, we can deliver a dignified, first-rate shopping experience for local families. We are committed to the wider Chicago community and look forward to finding even more ways to better serve those who live here.”
Yellow Banana currently owns and operates 38 food stores in Cleveland, Chicago, Milwaukee, Jacksonville and Dallas The company’s goal is to deliver essential nutrition to working families at affordable prices, according to its website. Their stores tend to be in underserved communities.
While the grant has been issued, the city’s finance committee is debating if the stores should be rebranded or reopened under their previous name.
“The city is putting a significant investment out here, but at the same time, we want to make sure that people will actually utilize this,” said Ervin, chairman of the City Council’s Black Caucus. “And that may be something that may hold people up from doing it. There will be some challenges just based on the name and based on what happened in the community in the past.”
Ervin believes renaming the store in the Auburn-Gresham neighborhood will “bring a fresher perspective for the community and give them a sense of a restart.”
There may be some rebranding such as changing the image or view of the stores. Developers hope residents feel included in their decision-making, according to Nance, co-founder of 127 Wall Holdings LLC.
“We fully appreciate the reputational damage that Save A Lot has done in the city of Chicago by shutting down stores, such as the store that we seek to reopen at 79th and Halsted,” he explained. “We understand that it’s unacceptable to unilaterally make these kinds of decisions without including the community’s voices.”


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The Zambian economy has faced challenges of constricting fiscal space and the devastating effects of climate change. Fiscal space is commonly defined as the budgetary room that allows a government to provide resources for public purposes. How has the constricting fiscal space and the devastating effects of climate change affected the livestock subsector? In this article, I attempt to answer this question and suggest ways in which we can strategically intervene to mitigate the effects and stimulate the domestic economy. I hope that this article will stimulate debate among stakeholders, which can aid in coming up with holistic solutions in a participatory way.
The livestock subsector has faced several challenges in 2019 among them: unstable macroeconomic fundamentals, power cuts (load shedding), drought and animal disease outbreaks. Let us start by discussing how volatile macroeconomic fundamentals have increased the cost of production for livestock and livestock products across various livestock value chains.
The cost of production for most livestock products almost doubled in 2019, with a marginal increase in prices, which has pushed some value chain actors out of the market. At the macroeconomic front, the Nation has experienced a rise in inflation from 7-10.5% and unstable foreign exchange rates from K9.00 to K15.00 per United States Dollar. To stabilise inflation and exchange rate, the Overnight Lending Rates, Statutory Reserve Ratio, and Monetary Policy Rate have all been increased to tighten liquidity (amount of cash in the economy). These interventions have further increased the cost of credit (borrowing), which has eventually increased the cost of production for livestock farmers and other actors along the entire livestock value chains. These costs have been passed on to the consumers who unfortunately also do not have the disposable income to buy livestock products. This has pushed many livestock farmers, mostly small and medium scale out of the market, and commercial farmers are scaling down. For instance, some Processors and Retailers of livestock products had to reduce the number of retail outlets by over 40% through layoffs and putting staff in those outlets on forced leave.
Similarly, power cuts (Load shedding) of more than 12 hours per day has had severe effects on the livestock subsector, especially commercial livestock farmers. The cost of running generators for more than 12 hours pushed the cost of production up. The current scenario has seen livestock farmers failing to break even. A number of them are currently under enormous financial pressure, as livestock is no longer a money-spinner as the cost of production has outstripped profits. Consequently, the cost is pushed to the consumer who also has had either no salary for months, delayed salary or no salary increment despite the breakdown in macroeconomic fundamentals. This translates into pushing most livestock farmers and other actors out of the market as I highlighted earlier. Consumers have also stopped buying perishable livestock products such as milk and meat in bulk due to power cuts. This has also affected processors of livestock products who can only produce what the market demands, hence down-sizing the labour force. Since local livestock companies cannot survive the high cost of production, some opted to flood the market with cheap imported livestock products that benefit farmers in the countries of origin. For example, we have imported milk and meat on our shelves. Much as this keeps the companies on the market, how will the local companies survive if they have to compete with such companies’ imported cheap products? Worse off how will local producers benefit?
On another front, as if all the above aren’t enough for the livestock farmer, came the Foot and mouth disease (FMD). The disease was seen to have devastated livestock in Southern, Eastern, Central, Copperbelt and Lusaka provinces, which together hold more than 80% of the Nation’s livestock in Zambia. The severe effects of FMD have left the subsector reeling from its impact. The livestock movement ban due to FMD outbreaks caused price distortions at a national level. For instance, due to the livestock movement ban, the farmers opted to sell livestock within their districts with cattle being sold as low as K1,000 per head due to oversupply. Since the movement of carcases was allowed under special conditions, several beef processors preferred to go to these areas and get cheaper carcases than buy expensive cattle from commercial farmers in FMD-free urban and peri-urban areas. Low prices of cattle coupled with a high cost of production have led to some livestock farmers opting out of the industry for other investments.
On the other hand, came in the effects of climate, which were again profoundly felt in the same subsector. Drought in some areas of Southern, Central, Western and Lusaka provinces severely affected the livestock subsector. The vast feed resource base for animal production purposes was severely affected owing to the bimodal effect of pasture and fodder loss, coupled with lack of watering points for animals due to drying up of most lagoons, river streams and other water bodies. A cursory look on animals’ body conditions even to an inexperienced observer in these areas revealed undernourished, emaciated and weak livestock. For instance, during a field visit in Namwala district in September and December 2019, I interviewed farmers who were losing cattle daily through being stuck in the mud (in search of drinking water) due to weakness arising from poor nutrition. These animals all ended up being sold cheaply. One striking thing is that in these drought-hit areas, rural communities have only been able to survive solely due to livestock. The total crop failure meant that it was the sale and trade in livestock such as goats and chickens that empowered these communities to obtain that bag of maize meal (Unga), soap and send their children to school. Many traders from urban areas such as Lusaka exchanged a bag of maize meal with livestock in these drought-hit areas. This demonstrates the significance of livestock in building economically resilient households and stimulating domestic growth.
Looking at the challenges that the livestock subsector has faced in 2019, you may ask, what is the outlook of the livestock subsector in 2020? Well, the forecast looks even gloomier as the economy may only see nil to minimal marginal improvements in macroeconomic fundamentals. The Government of the Republic of Zambia has reduced funding by over 50% from about 1.16 million in 2019 to 488 million in 2020, despite the livestock sub-sector being a strategic pro-poor development tool if well harnessed, especially in creating employment, reducing poverty, improving food and nutritional security etc. This does not give hope to the livestock subsector in 2020.
In my opinion, the budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock falls far short of being strategic and can’t stimulate the current depression being faced by the livestock sector. In other words, this is going to worsen the already worse scenario as I have outlined above. Why do I say so? The 2020 budget theme is, “Focussing National Priorities Towards Stimulating the Domestic Economy” in the spirit of “Doing More With Less” which was echoed by the president in his State of the Nation Address (SONA). The ultimate goal for the spirit of “doing more with less” is to achieve economic stability, sustainable growth and development amid the constricting fiscal space and the devastating effects of climate change. My understanding of this theme is that amid the economic hardship, the country has to identify strategic sectors, which will actually produce more with fewer resources, and prioritise these sectors to stimulate the domestic economy, which is currently facing low economic growth (at 2%). When you talk about strategic areas, which need prioritisation in Zambia, it cannot go without mention that the livestock sub-sector is one of them, which is crucial and strategic in unlocking the current economic challenges.
Looking at the challenges that the livestock subsector has faced in 2019, what was I expecting with regards to the 2020 budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock? I was expecting the stakeholders to start by looking at which type of livestock can strategically stimulate the domestic economy and prioritise funding to the identified strategic areas. For instance:
To mitigate the effect of disease, I was expecting the Government to strategically allocate more resources towards Zambia National Vaccine Institute (former Vaccine Production Unit at CVRI) to commercialise the production of critical vaccines to the Nation and the region to deal with the recurrent burden of animal diseases. Perhaps, the Government should consider partnering with the private sector to make the production and distribution chain profitable and generate the much-needed revenue.
To build resilience livestock community households, I was expecting the Government to strategically allocate more funds towards the development of value chains for climate-resilient livestock species. In the 2019 budget, an allocation of K483.2 million was put towards climate-resilient livestock management and small ruminant value chain support project in response to the Saudi Arabian export market. What happened to this allocation? How much of this allocation was disbursed? Did the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock use the funds for an intended purpose? Were small ruminant value chains developed?
In conclusion, there is an urgent need for the stakeholders in the livestock value chains to hold an INDABA or livestock summit to discuss and suggest ways in which we can strategically transform the livestock subsector. On a gloomy note, I wish the readers and stakeholders in the livestock industry a happy and prosperous 2020.
The author is a Senior Lecturer of Livestock/Animal Health Economics at the University of Zambia, School of Veterinary Medicine. Email: [email protected], Mobile: +260977717258


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In the past couple of months, Southeast Asia’s grocery ecommerce space has been quickly heating up.
Tech players always say they welcome competition because it will educate the market (or something like that), but we all know that’s just a safe way to respond to a tough question. At the same time, as if having chess pieces strategically placed across a war map, three companies are working feverishly to position themselves for dominance in the region’s online grocery industry. RedMart, HappyFresh, and Honestbee may be names you’ve already heard of if you like having fresh veggies delivered to your apartment in Singapore, Jakarta, or Kuala Lumpur.
There’s already a strong rivalry between RedMart and HappyFresh, and then Singapore’s Honestbee last month joined the fight with a whopping US$15 million series A funding round. Now, instead of two companies going head-to-head, it’s a trifecta, with each firm possessing its own unique selling points.
Honestbee and HappyFresh are “asset light” business models. RedMart is far more robust and capital intensive. Honestbee and RedMart have competed for quite some time in Singapore already, and will meet once again in Hong Kong. HappyFresh and RedMart haven’t stepped into the same ring yet, but will do so soon in Jakarta.
What weapons do these startups bring to the battle? Here’s a visual representation of Southeast Asia’s online grocery war in the making. How do you think this will play out? Is there a winner-takes-all scenario?
This post Southeast Asia’s online grocery battle (INFOGRAPHIC) appeared first on Tech in Asia.
from Tech in Asia » Startups http://ift.tt/1OfMDpQ


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Anglian Country Inns (ACI), owners of The White Horse and Jolly Sailors at Brancaster Staithe, has launched a new charity fund.
The new fund, called Kindness in the Chaos, will be used to support charity events and other charitable initiatives.
When customers buy a gift card of e-gift card, ACI will donate five per cent of its value to the fund.
Gift cards can be bought online or on 01462 416540, from Monday to Friday.
ACI also plans to offer an extended loyalty scheme for key workers when the businesses re-open.


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Given global uncertainty and increasing protectionism, it is up to the European Union to take the lead in defending the liberal world trade system and, with it, the set of shared values that aims to ensure high labour, environmental and social standards internationally. A strategy that is designed to promote free trade worldwide should primarily strengthen and reform the role of the WTO as the backbone of a multilateral trade order, secondly promote the benefits of free trade throughout the world and thirdly deepen free trade with the USA and other countries and regions.
At the beginning of 2018, the USA, hitherto a champion of the liberal world trade order, caused great concern by raising tariffs on steel and aluminium. In the months that followed, a spiral of reciprocal protectionist measures developed. Fears of an escalation of the conflict up to a trade war were repeatedly raised, which would have a severe impact on international value chains and thus on the global economy. Almost two years later, the conflict between the USA and China has somewhat calmed down. In January, after months of wrangling, both powers reached a partial agreement. Despite this temporary success, the current state of free trade is worse than it has been for a long time. Around the globe, scepticism about globalisation and trade has increased noticeably in past years. Recent figures from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank confirm a trend of increasing tariff and non-tariff trade barriers. Trade restrictions among the G20 countries have grown steadily in the last years, currently affecting more than 50% of exports, compared with 20% in 2009. This explains to a large extent why investments are declining, and international trade as a share of global GDP has fallen to 58% since then, after rising from 39% to 61% in the period 1990-2008.
While the USA is adopting a protectionist stance and threatening to escalate trade conflicts, it has itself instigated, the former Opening of China is increasingly being replaced by aggressive state capitalism. Through increasing support and establishment of state-owned enterprises (99 of China’s 100 largest listed companies are majority-owned by the state), the government intends to stimulate the international competitiveness of its economy and at the same time create an uneven playing field at home.
The WTO should remain the foundation of world trade
Efforts to fight protectionist measures should start from the WTO system of multilateral rules; this applies all the more today as we see bilateral agreements undermining the WTO’s multilateral nature. The WTO is estimated to have generated a total annual increase in prosperity of USD 855 Billion for its members around the globe, which corresponds to an average gain in GDP of 4.5% per member country. However, without the enforcement of rules, a rule-based system cannot exist for long. The erosion of the WTO’s dispute settlement mechanism is shaking the binding nature of rules in world trade. It must be defended and urgently adapted so that individual countries can no longer block it. Also, far-reaching reforms are needed: The WTO regularly fails because of the divergent interests of its 164 members. For example, the Doha Round agreed in 2001 – a package of measures for multilateral trade liberalisation – has not yet been concluded. The biggest flaw in the WTO’s rules and regulations is that it is not designed to bring together the fundamentally different and, in many respects, incompatible economies of the West and the East. While China favours its state-controlled economy through subsidies, the rules of the WTO do not allow for an adequate and effective response from its trading partners. In addition to updating the WTO with respect to the exchange of environmental goods, climate protection, cross-border data flows as well as e-commerce, the EU should take precautions and advocate for setting up a core-WTO. A kind of club system of democratic market economies could intensify economic integration and provide sufficient leverage in dealing with incompatible economies in a world of systemic competition.
The EU must publicly counter misleading protectionist arguments and support the political forces that advocate an economically sound position
The European Union should unremittingly communicate the benefits of international trade and counter mercantilist and populist rhetoric. Politicians such as Donald Trump like to argue falsely that free trade is a zero-sum game, thereby ignoring that trade is instead the source of our global prosperity. As a result of the enormous intensification of global economic integration since the 1980s, wealth has increased in almost all countries worldwide. At the same time, not only has the number of people living in poverty fallen globally, but inequality between countries has also decreased. Without the international division of labour, many of today’s achievements would be unthinkable. The global spread of technological progress has not only benefitted the West but has enabled people in developing countries to gain increasing access to innovation in, e.g., medicine, agriculture or education. Trump likes to base his rhetoric about the winners and losers of trade on the massive trade deficit of the United States, which, in his opinion, reflects the country’s losses due to globalisation. What Trump fails to recognise, however, is that the link between net exports and GDP that he refers to does not per se reflect a causal relation. Of course, higher exports would increase US GDP – but the opposite would be the case if additional tariffs led to a decline in imports of goods and consequently increased costs for firms and consumers.
After George W. Bush imposed tariffs on steel imports in 2002, some 200,000 workers lost their jobs – more than the entire steel industry employed. According to a 2018 study by the Peterson Institute of Economics, a 25% import tariff on cars and potential retaliation would put about 624,000 jobs in the US at risk. Granted, although international trade leads to the economic cake growing, there can still be losers whose piece of the cake is smaller than it would be without free trade. When an economy opens up to other countries, competition leads to lower prices and drives innovation and growth. An inevitable consequence, however, is that companies disappear from the market because they are no longer competitive. It is the government’s responsibility to compensate the losers, but also to increase the mobility of workers to achieve better results for all. And it has all the resources to do so because, indeed, the cake does grow! In the US, where the social network is very permeable, efforts to compensate the losers were inadequate in the past, that is why there is so much resistance in parts of the population against opening up trade today.
The European Union itself could make even greater use of the advantages of liberalising world trade. This applies to its relations with the USA as well as with other regions, such as India, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, the ASEAN states and the African states. Trump is not wrong in his criticism of the European Union’s sometimes high tariffs, for example, on cars. In the broadest sense, this also includes efforts by individual member states to introduce a special tax on the revenue of digital companies, which can be interpreted by the USA as a protectionist measure. However, despite trade policy frictions, the USA is and remains Europe’s most important export partner. Transatlantic economic relations remain of particular importance not least because shared values unite us.


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Hundreds of angry Chinese shoppers pelted Apple's Beijing store with eggs on Thursday night after being told the iPhone 4S would not go on sale despite hundreds having waited for hours to get their hands on the device.
Widespread reports claim that fights broke out between security staff and shoppers after they were told the bad news at 7am local time, despite having queued for hours in freezing conditions.
"We're suffering from cold and hunger. They said they're not going to sell to us. Why? Why?" Reuters reported one man as shouting.
Apple said in a statement that due to the strong demand for the iPhone 4S in China its stores had already sold out so it was unable to offer the device to customers, but that resellers were still stocking the product.
"Unfortunately, we were unable to open our store at Sanlitun due to the large crowd and to ensure the safety of our customers and employees. iPhone will not be available in our retail stores in Beijing and Shanghai for the time being," it said.
"Customers can still order iPhone through the Apple Online Store, or buy at China Unicom and other authorised resellers."
Apple had promised that the phone would be available on 13 January with new chief executive Tim Cook claiming, "customer response to our products in China has been off the charts".
As such, it seems odd that Apple didn't ensure there was enough inventory before the sale and will be a source of some embarrassment for the firm at a time when it is coming under increasing pressure from Android and Windows Phone devices.
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Count the "Galloping Gourmet," a.k.a. Graham Kerr, as one of the latest visitors to a surprising stretch of North Elston Avenue.
Kerr will be holding court and talking food next Saturday at the outlet store for Edward Don & Co., a supplier to the restaurant industry.
Outlet store? On Elston Avenue? In Chicago?
Ya just gotta know where to look.
No longer do shoppers have to head north to Kenosha or east to Michigan City, Ind., to do their outlet shopping. A strip of North Elston Avenue, with its growing list of outlet stores, has become a mecca for bargain hunters.
Across the street from the Edward Don store, 2525 N. Elston, is the outlet store for Chicago Chili Co. (open only on Saturdays). Next door to the Don store is the retail outlet for Q-Zeens, manufacturer of appetizers for the hotel and restaurant trade. On the other side of Don is the outlet store for Brook Furniture Rental. And around the corner is the factory outlet for Vienna Sausage Manufacturing Inc.
There's even a wine outlet store.
Within several blocks are a surprising concentration of outlet stores, including those for Crate & Barrel, Mark Shale and Tuesday Morning, a national discount chain.
"We could see the changes taking place in the area when we looked at this property," said Paul Burgoyne, vice president of corporate marketing for Edward Don, explaining the company's decision to locate its first and only outlet store on Elston.
Opened nearly two years ago, the store has become a regular stop on the senior citizen circuit. Sales are up 20 percent over a year ago and the company now is considering opening a second outlet store in the far western suburbs, Burgoyne said.
Patronized mainly by operators of small restaurants and people moving into their first apartments, the store also is becoming popular among retail customers looking for commercial-grade products.
And the only reason it doesn't have a bridal registry yet is because there hasn't been time to set one up, according to store manager Sharon Peterson.
While Edward Don came to the street only two years ago, Mark Shale has been operating down the street in the Riverfront shopping center since December 1989. It's one of two outlet stores Shale operates in the metropolitan area. The other is near the Fox Valley shopping center.
The area isn't a Lakeside Marketplace, the high-fashion factory outlet center in Kenosha, or even a Gurnee Mills outlet center. The stores are scattered among an eclectic collection of buildings. Many will be missed if outlet devotees aren't paying attention.
The Chicago Chili Co. outlet, just off Elston, is at the top of a twisting flight of steps. A tiny sign over the side entrance doesn't even indicate it's an outlet store.
And some familiar outlet stores are unfamiliar when transplanted to Elston/Clybourn corridor. The Land's End outlet operates in two locations, one for men and the other for women.
Outlet stores are becoming big business for retailers and manufacturers alike. Manufacturers' outlets can be found scattered across the landscape in 47 states, while retail outlet stores are even more numerous.
Target Stores, a division of Dayton Hudson Corp., this summer is to begin testing an outlet store for overstocks of its private-label merchandise. And Nordstrom, the Seattle-based department store famed for quality and service, has gone beyond testing and is beginning to open Nordstrom Rack stores.
"When I started in this business in 1981, I was one of the pioneers; it was kind of a fad," said Stanley Tanger, president of Stanley Tanger & Co., of Greensboro, N.C., a leading developer of outlet malls. "Now manufacturers are putting a lot of money into the stores. They are good-looking stores.
"More and more manufacturers have found the outlet is a good additional means of distribution," said Tanger, whose company will be the first publicly owned outlet-mall developer when it completes its initial public offering this month.
Revenue from outlet stores is still minuscule-about $5 billion in 1992, or the equivalent of about a month of business by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. But for manufacturers, it is becoming an increasingly important source of business.
Some of the outlets along Elston Avenue are unique because of the manufacturing plants that still line the street.
Q-Zeens sells a line of heat-and-serve appetizers that can only be found in hotels and restaurants. It's not unusual to find a chef from one of Chicago's hotels checking to see whether the outlet has any mushrooms caps stuffed with crabmeat.
"We've been here for five years," said Colleen O'Malley, manager of the Q-Zeens store, who interrupted the morning tasting ritual to be interviewed. Q-Zeens factory is at the same location and each day's production is taste-tested for consistency and quality.
Sales are up 40 percent over a year ago, but O'Malley is trying to push that higher. On Saturdays the store offers free coffee and tastings of the factory's work.
Fancy signs, common at places like Lakeside or Gurnee Mills, are few and far between.
Star Headgear resorts to pieces of brown wrapping paper taped to the window to indicate it has hats and mufflers.
For most stores, the reason for locating in the Elston Avenue area is simple-easy access, even with the reconstruction of the Kennedy Expressway.


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There’s no better way to close out a great year of designs than to be recognized for them. Last week at the Design for Asia Awards (DFAA) in Hong Kong, NLGX was honored with the 2010 DFA Merit Recognition Award by the Hong Kong Design Centre in the category of “Identity and Branding – Communication Design”.
This type of recognition would not have been possible without all the wonderful support we’ve received from our fans around the world, and thanks to you NLGX is now officially an award-winning design company!
About DFAA (Design for Asia Award)
Half of the world’s population lives in Asia and the unique characteristics of this vast, growing and rapidly maturing market are becoming important design considerations for designers and enterprises across the world – affecting products and interiors, apparel and communications. The Design for Asia (DFA) Award seeks to raise awareness amongst businesses and the public about the value of good design as an essential component in business success, as well as for a sustainable, higher quality of life for all.
The DFA Award is presented to companies and designers from around the world that have achieved business success through good design that reflects, or has an impact on, the Asian lifestyle.


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“Spider-Man: No Way Home” Snags Record Advance Ticket Sales
The first Tom Holland-led Spider-Man trilogy (there will be a second) is about to come to an end with the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, and unsurprisingly, people are very excited to see it in the theater. The demand for advanced tickets, which went on sale on November 29, has been such that the rush of would-be buyers crashed a few of the online sites selling tickets. Hundreds upon hundreds of theaters sold out more or less immediately. Theater owners across the country are scrambling to add as many screenings as their venues can handle. This, folks, is called major movie enthusiasm.
Fandango has reported that Spider-Man: No Way Home has broken its pre-sale records for 2021, besting Marvel’s Black Widow. It’s also doing remarkably well against films that came out before COVID-19, notching the best first-day advance ticket sales since the Russo Brothers’ Avengers: Endgame in 2019. Fandango currently has No Way Home beating Avengers: Infinity War, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. While first-day advance ticket sales don’t always equate to record opening weekends, these numbers are a very good sign.
It’s also hugely welcome news for a theater industry that was hit incredibly hard by the pandemic. The final months of 2021 have seen a welcome surge of big movies bringing in big audiences, with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings starting things off in September, and then that historic October, with No Time To Die, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Halloween Kills, and Dune all bringing in huge crowds.
There is, of course, a new threat to the movie business—Omicron, the newest strain of COVID-19, which has the potential to create a new spike in cases. The little known about this new variant makes it harder for people to make decisions about whether to continue doing the things they’ve longed to resume, like going to the movies. As for now, it seems vaccinated people are choosing the movies over their fear of the new variant.
There are also several reasons that No Way Home is such a strong draw for superhero-loving audiences—Spider-Man is a known and beloved quantity, whereas audiences were just meeting Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) and the entire cast of new superheroes in Chloé Zhao’s Eternals. Then you can add the fact that No Way Home is kind of a super-sized Spider-Man movie, with villains from previous franchises, including Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock and Jamie Foxx’s Electro, bursting back into the scene.
We’ll see how this all plays out in the weeks ahead as more is learned about the new variant, but for now, Spider-Man is swinging high.
Spider-Man: No Way Home opens on December 17.
For more on Spider-Man: No Way Home, check out these stories:
Featured image: Tom Holland is Spider-Man and Zendaya is MJ in “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” Courtesy Sony Pictures.


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In the past 4 months – the team at Portobello Business Centre have been working with the local businesses affected by the tragic events at #Grenfell Tower on the 14th June.
There are lots of stories out there about the cause, what happened, the victims, those affected and who's to blame - but very little mention about how the tragedy on 14th June affected the local small business community.
These businesses include the self-employed survivors who've lost family members, the local business who've lost valued friends and customers. What you won't have heard in the news is that some 40+ small local businesses were unable to trade for periods of up to 3 weeks because of their close proximity to the tower or because their businesses were behind cordoned off areas, or where roads were closed.
In the main, these businesses are small family run local traders - and as most who know anything about enterprise will know just how devastating a forced closure might be.
The businesses have started to receive some compensation funding from RBKC and the GLA – this is not funding from the millions of pounds of public donations, that rightly is for the victims - no it's funding that Portobello Business Centre had to go out and fight for and it isn't a huge sum either.
With so many people now decanted or moved out of the area the impact on the business community and the business through lack of footfall continues. Some are witnessing a downturn of 70% of turnover - and this will continue while the tower is demolished and roads are closed. Family businesses are starting to fail and the loss of a new community - the business community is starting to bite.
So here is how we need your help.
We are looking to raise funds to provide the much-needed business support to help these businesses survive - this would pay for dedicated resources over the medium term - if you can donate a small amount to help us put resources in place then do so here.
If you can help us raise funds then I want to hear from you: 0207460 5050 - [email protected]
We and the businesses also need your skills - if you have business skills and the time available to come and "do" (we don't need consultants) and are prepared to give those skills then download the Skills Register - Volunteers Grenfell form, complete it and send it to [email protected].
Lastly, we need you to tell people - to share, post, share and share again - so that more and more people get involved and help us make a difference. Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn and share our updates.
Thank you on behalf of the businesses at Grenfell.


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Find out what QSRs have been up to on social media this week.
BRAND AND STORE UPDATES
Wimpy has opened its new Upminister store on Station Rd.
Harry Ramsden's now offers delivery via UberEATS and Deliveroo by selected locations.
NEW ON THE MENU
Krispy Kreme has unveiled its new Christmas Collection doughnuts.
The Hummingbird Bakery has introduced its new limited edition caramel-filled Millionaire Shortbread Cupcakes and chocolate chip Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes.
McDonald's has launched its new Beef and Cheese Feast in stores.
Krispy Kreme has introduced its new limited edition Festive Friends doughnuts.
Bubbleology is launching a new limited edition drink to celebrate the release of The Emoji Movie on DVD and Blu-ray.
Tossed has added its new Banh Mi Rainbow Wrap on its menu.
Do you know more about this story? Contact us anonymously through this link.


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An early version of what is likely to end up being a major Windows 11 update has been rolling out to people signed up to test it out, and it looks like Microsoft is making a rather large change to one of the most useful features: Alt + Tab.
As Neowin reports (opens in new tab), it looks like Microsoft will limit the amount of recent windows that you can scroll through when pressing the Alt + Tab keys on the keyboard.
A twitter user known as Xeno has been digging into the latest version, and noticed that in the ‘Multitasking’ settings of Windows 11, the limit of tabs you can quickly switch to (with each ‘tab’ representing an open application) has been reduced from an unlimited maximum to 20.
“All tabs” has been replaced with “20 most recent tabs” in Builds 25330, 23424 and 22624.1537 https://t.co/bM7BoQrubxMarch 31, 2023
While I’m not a big fan of Microsoft removing features and functionality from Windows 11, in this case, it might be a good move.
Alt + Tab is one of the oldest features of Windows, and one of its most useful. By holding down the Alt key, and then tapping the Tab key, you can quickly switch between open programs. This can be a lot faster than trying to find the open app on your desktop or taskbar, especially when using devices with smaller screens, such as laptops.
Alt + Tab lets you switch between full screen apps as well, such as games, rather than having to close them down, and it has been a life-saver for many people when an app or game becomes unresponsive, as you can Alt + Tab out of it and close it, rather than having to restart your entire PC and potentially lose any unsaved work.
Limiting the usefulness of this feature would certainly be worrying, but as Xeno points out in another tweet, 20 is still a big number of open apps. If you have huge amounts of apps all running in the background, your PC will start performing slowly – and trying to find the app or window you need quickly can also become a nightmare.
Because Alt + Tab allows you to instantly switch to apps and start using them, Windows 11 needs to keep them running in your PC’s memory (RAM), so having 20 or more will be a severe drain on resources, slowing down your computer and even potentially making it crash.
It seems to reduce the likelihood of these crashes, Microsoft has implemented the limit, and in this case, it’s probably the right thing to do. I’m terrible for closing apps once I’ve used them, but even I have never had more than 20 open at once to wade through. For extreme power users who often have lots of apps going at once, and have the best RAM to handle it, Windows 11 will at least let you quickly Alt + Tab between the 20 most recently-used apps. Bad news for the 21st app, but it’s likely you weren’t using it much anyway.


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An IoT-enabled lab for cannabis farmers, a system for catching drones mid-flight and the Internet of Cows are a few of the 17 startups exhibiting today at Alchemist Accelerator’s 18th demo day. The event, which will be streamed live here, focuses on big data and AI startups with an enterprise bent.
The startups are showing their stuff at Juniper’s Aspiration Dome in Sunnyvale, California at 3pm today, but you can catch the whole event online if you want to see just what computers and cows have in common. Here are the startups pitching onstage.
Tarsier – Tarsier has built AI computer vision to detect drones. The founders discovered the need while getting their MBAs at Stanford, after one had completed a PhD in aeronautics.
Drones are proliferating. And getting into places they shouldn’t — prisons, R&D centers, public spaces.
Securing these spaces today requires antiquated military gear that’s clunky and expensive. Tarsier is all software. Read more from techcrunch.com…
thumbnail courtesy of techcrunch.com


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US: New NutraCea facility up and running
Stabilised rice bran (SRB) specialist NutraCea has announced that its new stabilisation plant located at the Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) Rice facility in Arbuckle, California has been commissioned and is now producing SRB.
NutraCea said the new facility was part of an agreement with ADM Rice Inc., announced in April 2007, under which NutraCea would install SRB production technology at the Arbuckle site.
"We are highly pleased with the commissioning of the Arbuckle facility in such a timely fashion," said NutraCea's president and CEO Brad Edson. "The expedited installation of our equipment at the ADM facility was a direct result of pre-manufacturing components, making them immediately available for this project."
Companies: Archer Daniels Midland
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Honor Play users, hold your horses! Because, as per a recent development, the VoWiFi (WiFi Calling) support for the handset will now be arriving by the second week of April.
Recently, we documented a post where a new update was lined up by Huawei, claiming to bring the VoWiFi feature on the device with the March 2020 update, which in reality does not seem to be the case.
Notably, the Honor Play runs on February 2020 security patchset and it has already been confirmed officially that the device will not be getting the EMUI 10 (Android 10) update, even though several users took to Change.org to sign petitions to make the EMUI 10 (Android 10) update available for the device.
Besides, thousands of users also came out and signed the petition for getting the bootloader unlock support, but that also went down in vain as the Honor Play units won’t get the bootloader unlock support because the company has denied the request and terminated the application.
The Chinese OEM, Huawei found a pretty weird solution to calm the frustrated users. The company started offering disappointed Honor Play users an Amazon Voucher worth INR 500 ($7) to make up for the no EMUI 10.
Cut to now, going by the official statement by Honor on the community platform, the VoWiFi feature is under development and is slated to arrive on the devices by the second week of April.
Thank you for reaching out to us. We would like to inform you that VoWiFi calling features is under development and expected to be released tentatively by 2nd week of April’20. We request you to kindly stay tuned to our official pages or Support (HiCare) App for more information. We appreciate your understanding and patience.
On the other hand, some good news is up for the Honor 9X users as the OEM has made the VoWiFi update available for the units. Notably, the Honor 9X now joins the list of devices alongside Honor 8X, and Honor 10 Lite, which has received the WiFi Calling update.
Back in the previous month, it came to light that this feature was under development for the device and later it was expected to arrive with the February patch.
And now the feature is making its way with an OTA that bears the version number V10.0.0.188 and weighs in around 295 MB in size. This new update also packs in the February 2020 security patchset.
The OTA will be arriving in batches and will take some time in hitting all the units. If you have not yet received the notification, then you can head over to settings for manually checking for it.
PiunikaWeb started as purely an investigative tech journalism website with main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Foxnews, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, Macrumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.


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iBall has released a new entry-level Android smartphone in the Indian market today. Part of the company’s Andi-series, the phone is dubbed as Andi 3.5 Classique and has been priced at just INR 3,399.
Given the cheap price-tag, the specifications of the phone are average. It packs a 3.5-inch HVGA display, 1.3GHz dual-core processor and 256MB of RAM. The phone also comes with 2MP rear camera, VGA front camera and 512MB of internal storage. iBall has also included microSD card, Wi-Fi and 1200mAh battery on the smartphone. iBall Andi 3.5 Classique runs on Android 4.2.2, but we doubt that Jelly Bean will work properly on just 256MB of RAM.
The smartphone can be grabbed in Black and White colour options from e-retailers or brick and mortar stores.
iBall Andi 3.5 Classique specifications
- Display: 3.5-inch HVGA, 480x320p
- Processor: 1.3GHz dual-core
- Memory: 256MB of RAM, 512MB of on-board storage, microSD card slot
- Camera: 2MP rear camera, LED flash, VGA front camera
- Battery: 1200 mAh
- SIM support: Dual-SIM (GSM+ GSM)
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AGPS, 2G
- Size: 115.98x 62.61x 11.10mm, 112 grams


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WILL NICHOLLS, PETAPIXEL:
LiShield is a new LED light bulb technology that helps protect privacy by confusing cameras to prevent unauthorized photos. The bulb is the creation of a team of researchers at the University of California, San Diego.
LiShield works on any digital camera that uses a rolling shutter and protects a physical scene from photography by flickering its smart LEDs in specialized waveforms to ruin the look of the captured photos with vertical bars across the frame. It can even create colored bars to further “encrypt” the scene as well as convey other information within the patterning.
Read more, here.


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Apple's iTunes update brings new 'Composer' view, minor enhancementsApple on Tuesday rolled out an update to its flagship digital media store and iOS device hub, bringing a new "Composers" view for music and the usual speed and reliability upgrades.
The newest version 11.0.2 builds on Apple's latest major iTunes 11 release from November 2012 by adding a so-called "Composer" view for users' music libraries.
iTunes 11 was a complete redesign of the digital storefront, bringing a number of new features to the platform, including a MiniPlayer, tighter iCloud integration and improved search, among others.
Apple's newest version 11.0.2 can be downloaded via Software Update.
On Topic: iTunes
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- Musician Trent Reznor working on secret music delivery project at Apple
- Killer Deals: $150 off iMac Retina 5K, $350 off Mac Pro, $40 off iPad Air 2, $30 off iPad mini 3, up to $268 off HP Printers


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Cube Precision Engineering are taking advantage of the latest 3d printing technologies to help deliver the competitive edge in the press tooling market.
Using new technology from current supplier, Bromsgrove based Central Scanning Ltd, Cube Precision have procured 3D printed parts of potential components they wish to win the business to make tools for.
MD Neil Clifton “We were completely unaware that Central Scanning had the facility to print out custom 3D parts, at the time they were reverse engineering some dies we were refurbishing for a local OEM. We were also a week away from a pivotal meeting with a leading tier 1 automotive supplier, to discuss a sizeable new order. What is often very difficult to convey in such meetings is the complexity of the parts we are being asked to produced – the onset of 3D CAD data has certainly helped these kinds of conversations but understanding the size and intricacy of some parts is still difficult to understand.”
Nick Godfrey continued “3D printing is now becoming more of a mainstream solution for prototype parts and mock-ups but it is the investment in our Stratasys Objet Eden 500V and Fortus 400MC 3D printers which allows us to produce prototype parts in house which allows us to give customers like Cube a precise replica of the CAD data they are sent by their customers”
Neil continued, “We commissioned the team at Central Scanning to produce both parts that we were due to be discussing at the meeting with our customer a week later. Within 24 hours, we had the component parts in our hands and were able to let the toolmakers, CAD designers and project managers understand the work we were trying to win. Ultimately this led to a much more productive conversation with the customer, allowing us to justify our recommendations on the number of stages in the tool and also adding validity to the price we had quoted, although more expensive than a European competitor the customer subsequently placed the order with us on the back of our greater understanding of the requirement”
Nick summed up “If our customers are able to compete globally while manufacturing in the UK, it is of benefit for the whole supply chain”
3D Printing and 3D Scanning is revolutionising the supply chain of many industries, from construction to medical. As the technology and capabilities improve at great speed, more and more businesses are saving time and money in winning and delivering projects.
Cube Precision Engineering are based in Rowley Regis and employ 50 staff. For more information visit www.cubeprecision.com
Central Scanning are based in Bromsgrove and cover the entirety of the UK. For more information visit www.central-scanning.co.uk


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Death Stranding is one of the most anticipated Playstation 4 exclusive titles to be released in the years to come, if not the most anticipated in general. When each big international event draws closer so does the hopes of seeing something new about Death Stranding, however, after E3 we might have to wait a bit longer to find out more about it.
According to a latest report, Death Stranding along with another awaited Playstation 4 exclusive The Last of Us 2 might not be present at Gamescom 2018. According to Sony, they want to focus more on Spiderman and PSVR games to be released soon. This might be the reason that for this summer, we might not get new information on both titles.
Undeniably, Death Stranding still has a long way before release. Latest information indicate that the game is in its production phase, with its main development having been finished and the first playthroughs being held internally in Kojima Productions and Sony.
Given that, it’s only natural for Sony to want to rely more on more recent releases like Spiderman, which releases in September. Furthermore, at Gamescom some innovative PSVR games will be shown, including the action title “Blood & Truth” of the “London Heist” makers and announced at E3 “Déraciné” from “Dark Souls” Studio From Software.
After Gamescom though, we have the whole autumn to our hands for more news on Death Stranding to be revealed. Sony usually holds their own showcase during winter, which is possibly where the release date for the game will be revealed. We don’t have any hopes of Death Stranding release date to be revealed anytime sooner than that, since this will be a flagship title for the company at launch.
Until then, check out Death Stranding’s four trailers and try to make some sense out of them. Hideo Kojima has already revealed that the game “has already started” through its trailer clues’ hunting, social network hints and interview information.


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Even though Domino’s finished the final quarter of 2018 with positive results, overall those results failed to meet the mark of analysts’ predictions.
To say J. Patrick Doyle is leaving Domino’s on solid footing would be a comical understatement.
Domino's Pizza is kicking off college basketball’s biggest month by offering a buy one menu-priced pizza, get one free deal for carryout customers who order online through March 18.
Domino’s announced Tuesday that its president and chief executive officer, J. Patrick Doyle, plans to depart from the company on June 30 after more than eight years at the helm.
Domino’s knows that getting everyone in the office together to figure out the lunch order can be frustrating, so the chain is here to make it a little easier, thanks to the enterprise software plat
Domino’s Pizza’s love of cheese runs deep—it takes thousands of cows and dairy farmers to offer the variety of cheeses that Domino’s does.
Domino’s Pizza is celebrating the anniversary of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” with its first National Movie Night, in partnership with premium network EPIX, by streaming the iconic film for free on F
No matter how you slice it, Domino’s is red-hot right now.
National Pepperoni Pizza Day is Tuesday and Domino’s Pizza is celebrating with a weeklong BOGO deal.


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With National Pancake Day coming up, IHOP has been spreading the word for weeks with public service announcements starting NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young for their fifth annual fundraising event to be held Feb. 23.
The restaurant is partnering with the Children’s Miracle Network for the event to raise money for the non-profit organization as part of NPD. IHOP’s goal this year is to raise $1.75 million.
On National Pancake Day, IHOP will give guests one free short stack of its signature buttermilk pancakes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at its more than 1,400 restaurants throughout the United States.
In return, the restaurant asks that guests make a voluntary donation to support local children’s hospitals through Children’s Miracle Network and other local charities.
To help spread the word even more, Children’s Miracle Network announced that a number of its celebrity supporters plan to make National Pancake Day wake up calls to remind interested individuals to stop into an IHOP for free flap jacks on February 23, and IHOP announced a “Stacks for Good Acts” online contest offering a year’s supply of free pancakes to the winner.
Children’s Miracle Network National Pancake Day Celebrity Wake Up Call Program invites interested individuals to receive a wake-up call from their choice of celebrity as a reminder to stop in on Feb. 23.
Celebrity callers include NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young, entertainer and Children’s Miracle Network co-founder Marie Osmond and newly crowned Miss America 2010 Caressa Cameron. Wake up calls can be ordered at www.IHOPPancakeDay.com.
IHOP’s “Stacks For Good Acts” Online Contest invites good Samaritans to submit a 250-words-or-less story, at the website above, about a good deed they or someone they know did in 2009. Entries will be judged on emotional impact, originality and entertainment value. One grand prize winner will receive free pancakes for one year.
More information and complete contest rules can be found at www.IHOPPancakeDay.com. Entries can be submitted online and the contest ends at 11:59 p.m. ET on Feb. 19, 2010. One (1) grand prize winner will receive free pancakes for a year (defined as one free short stack of buttermilk pancakes per day for 365 days) at IHOP.
Fun fact about National Pancake Day:
For centuries, the English have ‘flipped’ for pancakes in celebration of Shrove Tuesday, which heralds the beginning of fasting during Lent. Long ago, strict rules prohibited the eating of all dairy products during Lent so pancakes were made to use up the supply of eggs, milk, butter and other dairy products, hence the name Pancake Tuesday.
While IHOP’s National Pancake Day typically takes place on Shrove Tuesday, which lands on Feb. 16, this year the company will host its free pancake event on Tuesday, Feb. 23 instead.


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We know that choosing the right security company can be difficult. It may seem there is little or no difference between security companies. I believe there is, said Sam Dhaliwal.
At Initial Security, we have been protecting companies for over 30 years. We know how it’s done. We listen. We have delivered quality security service to thousands of customers over the years and we can deliver it to you too.
Sam Dhaliwal, President, CEO


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The latest version of Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones (version 2.0) has been in the BlackBerry Beta Zone for quite some time now. The N4BB team received word that RIM is planning on making Facebook v2.0 available in BlackBerry App World starting tomorrow. The updated version brings Facebook Chat, the new UI, Wi-Fi support, better notifications, and more. So get ready to update tomorrow!
Please be advised that Facebook® for BlackBerry® smartphones 2.0 app is scheduled to release on July 26, 2011* in the BlackBerry® App World™ storefront. You can learn more about the product and features by viewing the training and support documentation below.
Facebook Chat – Facebook Chat is fully integrated withBlackBerry smartphones, so users can start a conversation within the Facebook app or right from the message list on their device. Users never need to worry about missing a chat message since they’ll be notified of new chat messages even when they’re not using the Facebook app.
Brand New User Interface – Facebook for BlackBerrysmartphones features a sleek new design which includes a new navigation grid, a notifications bar that borrows from the BlackBerry 6 “Today View” which summarizes all Facebooknotifications, Messages, Friend Requests and Chats all in one handy location, and enhanced profile viewing.
WiFi Support – Users can stay connected with friends and enjoy the full functionality of the Facebook app for BlackBerry smartphones while in a Wi-Fi hotspot.
Core Integration – Facebook for BlackBerry is integrated with the BlackBerry message list, BlackBerry Contacts app,BlackBerry calendar, BlackBerry browser, and is now also integrated with BBM.
Redefined Notifications – Users will now be notified of polled items (notifications that aren’t delivered through BlackBerrypush technology), such as ‘Likes’ and Event Wall posts.


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AutoZone, a prominent automotive parts and accessories retailer with a widespread presence across the U.S. and several countries, has disclosed a significant data breach affecting approximately 184,995 individuals. The breach, part of the Clop MOVEit file transfer attacks, stemmed from an exploitation of a vulnerability associated with the MOVEit application.
The intrusion, identified on May 28, 2023, was a result of unauthorized access by a third party, leading to the exfiltration of data from AutoZone’s systems supporting the MOVEit application. Despite AutoZone’s swift response, it wasn’t until August 15, 2023, that the extent of the data compromise was determined.
Although specific details on the compromised data were withheld in the notification to authorities, the Office of the Maine Attorney General’s listing indicates the exposure of “full names” and “social security numbers.” The company has taken proactive measures, offering identity theft protection services and advising affected individuals to maintain vigilance for 24 months and promptly report any suspicious activities to authorities.
The data leaked by the Clop ransomware gang, responsible for the attack on AutoZone, encompassed employee-related information such as names, email addresses, parts supply details, tax information, payroll documents, Oracle database files, and data related to stores, production, and sales. Notably, no customer data was identified within the leaked dataset.
This breach is part of a wider campaign orchestrated by the Clop ransomware gang, impacting numerous organizations globally. The group is anticipated to amass substantial extortion payments, estimated to exceed $75 million, from entities affected by the MOVEit data theft attacks, which, according to Emsisoft, have exposed data of over 77 million individuals.


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Kicking off the seasonal drop are standout offerings such as Nike’s “The Swoosh Is Out There” T-shirt, which is a play on the ’90s TV show The X-Files‘ slogan, “The Truth Is Out There.” The reinterpreted statement is placed within a box on the front of the T-shirt and is joined by a typical alien head motif.
Elsewhere, Nike showcases a tie-dyed T-shirt sporting a warped, psychedelic take on the Nike Swoosh logo, as well as a comic book-inspired offering, where the swoosh emblem incorporates pull quotes in speech bubbles and a pair of Air Force 1s in its design. Rounding out the collection is a top with Nike, Inc.’s mailing address on the rear and the signature shoebox on the front.
Check out the Nike Sportswear’s entire Summer 2020 T-shirt collection in the gallery above, and keep an eye out for their imminent release on Nike’s website.
In other news, Nike has dropped two pairs of swoosh-covered swim shorts.


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Green is the new colour of the food business. And that’s the idea behind India’s first California-inspired plant-based kitchen Greenr Cafe, which has been pushing the preferences of Plant Protein (PlantPro) in the National Capital Region. A rising phenomenon in food trends the world over, PlantPro is tickling the taste buds of both conscious eaters and experimental foodies, catering to both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. It mainstreams complex plant-based proteins, giving nutritious, delicious, healthy and sustainable alternatives from vegetarian sources.
Greenr Cafe was established by product developers Nitin Dixit and Mohit Yadav in 2015. It has two outlets over a period of three years—one at Vasant Vihar in Delhi, and another at 32nd Avenue in Sector 15, Gurugram. Elucidating their USP, Yadav says, “We have specially engineered a range of plant-based proteins, including Shroomballs, Pea Pro, Bean Pro, Tofu Amaranth, Hemproot and Sweet Potato, a suitable replacement to the nutrients and textures that we usually get from animal meat.”
The first outlet at Shahpur Jat, which has now shifted to Vasant Vihar, started off as a modern health cafe, which served 100 percent vegetarian or vegan food with retail space for various Indian artisanal food brands from across the country. In the early days, its clientele included more of expats, and less of locals, some of them being hardcore meat eaters, but now 90 percent of their customers comprise local crowd....Read more
Source web page: New indian express


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Ireland’s Finance Minister announced plans to close a loop-hole in the country’s corporate tax laws, eliminating the ability for companies such as Apple to operate as virtually ‘stateless’ firms ungoverned by any nation’s taxing authority. The change in the Irish laws means the iPhone maker cannot avoid declaring tax residency in either the U.S. or Ireland.
Earlier this year, Apple’s ability to funnel payments through a unit in Ireland to avoid paying taxes brought U.S. scrutiny by the Senate and testimony by Apple CEO Tim Cook…
“Ireland wants to be part of the solution to this global tax challenge, not part of the problem,” said Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan on Ireland’s 2014 budget, Bloomberg yesterday reported.
The change in law ensures “that Irish registered companies cannot be ‘stateless’ in terms of their place of tax residency,” Noonan said.
Although the SEC recently announced it would end an investigation into Apple’s tax issues, Ireland’s role in the corporate controversy has lingered. Ireland recently said it would not call Apple and Google officials to explain their tax behavior.
In a September 2013 letter, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission investigators who’d been looking into Apple’s finances gave the iPhone maker some good news, saying the agency plans to take no action at this time.
At the same time, the European Union called for an end to so-called “patent boxes” which allow companies to set up foreign corporations through which patent rights fees are filtered.
Apple has denied using “tax gimmicks” to avoid its obligations.
One Dublin tax expert told Bloomberg that the proposed change in Irish tax law would not forbid a company to establish tax residency in another low-tax area.
Noonan is “100 percent committed” to Ireland’s 12.5 percent corporate tax rate. That rate was described as “simply too low” by part of Germany’s potential coalition government.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been a frequent critic of such tax loopholes.
In response to the increase attention to its tax methods, Apple has increased spending on lobbyists, nearly doubling the money aimed at influencing Congressional action.