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Volkswagen has, today, commenced production of the ID.3 electric crossover at its Zwickau plant in Saxony, Germany. The facility is Volkswagen’s first European plant to restart manufacturing of its cars since the Coronavirus shutdown. Meanwhile, a number of VW’s component makers, too, have resumed production of car parts.
That said, authorities have laid strict safety guidelines, including social distancing and quarantining the facility. This will result in significantly lower production numbers, and Volkswagen is aiming to build up to 50 cars daily, which is around one-third of its scheduled production output.
What’s more, Volkswagen has also commenced engine production work at its Chemnitz plant, while the manufacturing of the Volkswagen Golf and e-Golf will restart from 27 April at its Zwickau and Dresden plants.


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Laying the foundation for a future where personalisation platforms can architect previously unimagined customer experiences...
Dee Chetty 14 Jun 2019
The Ivorian government has signed MOU with Visa with an aim to digitise government services and ensure financial services are accessible to more Ivorians...
5 Jul 2018
Kenyan startup Tanda, which makes it easier to run a shop by allowing shop owners to order and manage their inventory, has formally launched after a four-month pilot...
Tom Jackson 6 Jun 2018
As store closures continue across the globe, we're witnessing the demise of physical retail as we know it...
Lauren Hartzenberg 26 Mar 2018
The latest Ask Afrika Orange Index provides customer service trends based on 13 years of data, across 32 industries and 155 companies...
4 Mar 2015
Shoppers are always on the lookout for ways to save on their purchases. One method that they find effective is the use of daily deal coupon codes and promo codes.
Matthew Samuel 2 Jan 2014
The year 2013 for most brands, especially the ones coping with saturated markets in developed countries, will be a decisive one. Incorporating Africa into their corporate brand strategy, if they haven't done so, will be the better part of valour, so to speak.
Obaika Consulting Team 31 Jan 2013
No, the concepts of "tribalism", "gamification" and "engagement" aren't a promo for the latest computer game, but are in fact the trends that will characterise the way companies and consumers interact in 2013. The branding industry is constantly developing and. while the following trends are evolutions rather than dynamic, short-term changes, we believe there are 10 areas that will define the brandscape over the next year.
HKLM Exco Team 31 Jan 2013
Population growth, rapid urbanisation, adoption of new technologies, unlocking of abundant resources and the deepening of the financial sector are the five major trends that are set to drive Africa's economic growth, Simon Freemantle, Standard Bank Africa senior analyst, told a media roundtable in Johannesburg, South Africa, yesterday, Thursday 6 October 2011.
Issa Sikiti da Silva: @sikitimedia 7 Oct 2011

domain: news


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Yahoo Opens Its Home Page to Customization
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Specifically, the Web giant announced integration of its Yahoo Application Platform (YAP) with the home page, which means its developers, advertisers and publishers can customize it.
Developers can create a more customizable and "personally relevant" experience for Yahoo's over 118 million monthly home page users across the U.S., the company said in a statement. Yahoo said it gets over 330 million unique visitors per month worldwide.
Yahoo also said it has lined up several partners who have already used YAP to develop custom pages and are now included in its homepage app gallery.
The personal finance site Mint.com, retailer Target and movie community site Flixster are among the 13 new apps. The company said there are almost 400 apps out already, worldwide, for Yahoo's home page.
Yahoo also said that it would be offering developers the chance to create front-page applications based on YAP at its Open Hack Day in New York next week.
The news comes at time when Yahoo is making a concerted push to emphasize its value to consumers to as a starting point on the Web -- as a true home page from which they can access an array of Yahoo and non-Yahoo (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) services.
Last week, Yahoo launched an ambitious $100 million global branding campaign that carries the tagline "It's you" to underscore the idea that users can tailor the Yahoo sites to their needs.
Yahoo suggested that the YAP release will help developers and publishers drive traffic to their sites, acquire new user and increase brand awareness. There are also tools for generating revenue by displaying ads and virtual goods.
"We're working on an array of additional developer monetization opportunities -- these will be available soon," Yahoo said in a blog post.


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Over 500 economists (including three Nobel laureates) have signed a letter to “Federal Policy Makers” arguing that hiking the minimum wage would be damaging to job creation and the economy:*
As economists, we understand the fragile nature of this recovery and the dire financial realities of the nearly 50 million Americans living in poverty. To alleviate these burdens for families and improve our local, regional, and national economies, we need a mix of solutions that encourage employment, business creation, and boost earnings rather than across-the-board mandates that raise the cost of labor. One of the serious consequences of raising the minimum wage is that business owners saddled with a higher cost of labor will need to cut costs, or pass the increase to their consumers in order to make ends meet. Many of the businesses that pay their workers minimum wage operate on extremely tight profit margins, with any increase in the cost of labor threatening this delicate balance…For these reasons, we encourage federal policymakers to examine creative, comprehensive policy solutions that truly help address poverty, boost incomes from work, and increase upward mobility by fostering growth in our nation’s economy.
Check it out.


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Gamescom 2011 has already provided some great game trailers this week in Germany, and the latest to be released is a stunning 5 minute Guild Wars 2 trailer, that won’t disappoint.
Last year at Gamescom AreanaNet won the Online Game of the Year award and has come back this year looking to defend its title with the launch of a new playable build of the anticipated MMO. Watch the trailer build into a crescendo of battles after the jump, showing how the five great races competed and warred against each other, struggling to tip the balance of power in their favour.
Unfortunately no launch date has been released as yet by AreanaNet, but when the new game does launch it will be an exclusive to PC game.
Source: Game Spy
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An Orlando-based company has created a new chemical-based 'undefeatable' anti-counterfeit technology that is simple to use, can be applied across multiple product sectors and is impossible for counterfeiters to fool.
Created by Spectrum Dynamix, the new SpectraSure ant-counterfeit system lasts for decades, is inert, safe to the environment and can be used as a food and pharmaceutical additive or applied to a product or packaging.
The proof of originality can be scanned directly off the product using a hand held device for immediate forensic authentication. According to Spectrum Dynamix, this is in comparison to many other ant-counterfeit security taggants, which must be collected, transported to labs for processing, rapidly degrade, require caustic or dangerous agents to process, or extremely expensive laboratory equipment to authenticate.
Spectrum Dynamix CEO Russell Case recently told the Orlando Business Journal that the new product ranks as the only undefeatable, anti-counterfeiting technology available to help manufacturers protect their brands.
According to Case, the SpectraSure system is not just impossible to copy but due to its unique manufacturing process, it also cannot be reverse-engineered.
SpectraSure doesn’t alter a product visually or physically. It can be embedded in microscopic quantities in product packaging or directly in or on the product, and is undetectable.
According to the company, counterfeiting costs manufacturers more than $750bn annually, and that number is expected to continue growing.
Spectrum Dynamix is part of the University of Central Florida Business Incubation Program, an economic development partnership between UCF; Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia Counties; and the cities of Apopka, Kissimmee, Orlando, St. Cloud and Winter Springs.


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COPENHAGEN, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed E.coli cases has risen to 11 with at least another eight persons suspected of having the intestinal infection in Denmark, according to Denmark's National Serum Institute on Sunday.
Five of the confirmed cases show symptoms of kidney failure which marks an advanced stage of the sickness, the institute said.
Danish cucumbers are suspected of helping spread the E. coli bacteria believed to be causing a deadly outbreak of intestinal infection in Denmark and Germany, local media reported Sunday.
The Danish cucumbers were mixed in Germany with cucumbers originating in the Netherlands, making it difficult to determine if Danish cucumbers are in fact contaminated.
Denmark's Veterinary and Food Administration (DVFA) had earlier said the suspicion against Danish cucumber was "vague", but advised Danish consumers not to eat raw tomatoes, lettuces and cucumbers from Germany, and cucumber from Spain.
It is now checking Danish cucumbers for traces of E. coli with results expected on Tuesday.
Some Danish retailers have now removed these products from their supermarket shelves. And the Danish branch of fast-food chain McDonald's announced Saturday that it was dropping fresh cucumbers from its menu until further notice.
The infection, which is food-borne, can be caused by eating raw or uncooked foods such as vegetables contaminated with the E. coli bacteria.
Symptoms of infection include mild fever, bloody diarrhea and vomiting, and can last five to seven days. It can prove fatal in the very young, sick, or elderly.


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Over the last decade, China’s so-called BAXT companies (Baidu, Alibaba, Xiaomi and Tencent) have joined their US GAFA (Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple) counterparts in disrupting numerous industries, especially the technology, media, financial and consumer sectors.
For some of the incumbents in these industries, that disruption seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. It’s easy to assume that the explosive disruption that has rocked traditional retailers, banks or media companies is the greatest threat to established brands. In fact, a far quieter and gradual form of disruption is more common. And more insidious.
Consider the energy and utilities sectors, where carbon policy is gradually changing consumption. Or the automotive sector, where societal trends are weakening the demand for car ownership. Or the telecoms sector, where voice revenues have been in a long, slow decline.
In each case, this “compressive disruption” has been stealthily eating away at core business models. And the impact can be devastating. It is most often manifested through “empty growth”, where revenue expansion remains solid, if not stellar, but where margins begin to fall, denying enterprises the resources to invest in new opportunities. Some industries have met the challenge well. The global automotive industry has seen growing revenues and flatlining profits in recent years. Yet, for the most part, it is aggressively experimenting with electric vehicles, ride-sharing and other innovations.
But many companies in asset-heavy industries have exposed themselves to danger by considering themselves immune to highly visible, sudden disruption. This has lulled them into a false sense of security and made them less conscious of the slow squeeze of compressive disruption. At first glance, their fortress of stability seems protected. Barriers of entry are high. But the threat evolves over decades, far outlasting the tenure of the average CEO. And even when business leaders do become aware of the incremental attack on their core business, they typically remain glued to it. After all, it is where they serve their customers, where their leadership has established itself, where long-term investments have been made.
Should companies respond by abandoning their core business in a race to the new? Far from it. Those who successfully rotate to new opportunities revitalize their legacy business by identifying trapped value within it. They grow it to generate the investment capacity needed to unlock the value of new markets. They pursue their rotation deliberately and cautiously, culminating in a wisely timed pivot towards the new.
Our latest Digital Index research of 450 companies in China was conducted with CASIII (the China Service Alliance for the Integration of Informationization and Industrialization). It reveals a similar pattern to that we have found in other markets across the world. Only 7% of Chinese companies we examined have accelerated their journey to the new, generating a high proportion of their revenues from recently started business activities. These “Rotation Champions” master two key attributes that help explain their success in unlocking trapped value.
Firstly, they apply digital technologies to build intelligent operations. This may be through digitizing marketing channels, their HR function and financial systems. Or by applying intelligent, connected technology to make their manufacturing operations smart and agile.
China’s Rotation Champions also drive digital innovation by creating entirely new business models, and by pursuing new markets. They form new ventures to accelerate their ambitions. And they create entirely fresh products and services, using digital to integrate both into unique customer experiences.
It’s clear that technology is not the only driver of change. New consumer expectations and societal attitudes are redefining value creation.
At the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2018, the World Economic Forum is calling on businesses to ensure the Fourth Industrial Revolution is more inclusive and sensitive to society’s needs. Whether it’s the use of blockchain to grant people secure forms of identity that bring them into the formal economy, or image recognition to help the visually impaired interact with their community, or AI to improve food supply chains in remote areas, digital technology is already playing a critical role in improving the way the world lives and works.
The sooner companies embrace the very innovations that are threatening their traditional businesses, the sooner they can be disrupters in their own markets. The greater their focus on innovation, the greater their ability to create value that meets the needs of both shareholders and wider society.


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‘Butterfly Dress’ by Turkish design duo
ISTANBULIstanbul-based Turkish design sisters Ezra and Tuba Çetin, who own the brand Ezra+Tuba, have teamed up with Intel and created a dress equipped with 40 butterflies that can fly on and off.
According to the Intel website, at first the butterflies flap slowly and then more fervently whenever a person approaches. Finally, the butterflies can release en masse in a dramatic launch triggered either by the approaching person or via a mobile device communicating with the dress over a wireless network.
The Butterfly Dress fits the nascent wearable technology trend of mechanized fashion. Recent products and prototypes are doing everything from boosting athlete performance, sensing sweat and reading biometrics, to mimicking nature and using spider arms to keep cocktail party creeps at bay.
“We love to play with fabrics, designs, colors, movement and aesthetics, but the future of clothing as we know it is about to change,” Tuba Çetin says in a promotional video. “To be part of this change we need technology.”
“It’s an intelligent dress. It is able to detect the presence of an approaching person. We look forward to becoming the first luxury designer label in the world to really use wearable technology concepts in our collections as a whole, not just a one-shot or a hiatus,” says Ezra Çetin.
Çağrı Tanrıöver, a software development engineer at Intel Labs Europe’s Istanbul office, worked with Ezra+Tuba to find a way to integrate technology into a new design.
He said the technology can be programmed to perform user-defined tasks and it has wireless capabilities and input/output ports that allow it connect to things like servers and sensors.


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Voice Life Joins Newchip’s Global Series “A” Accelerator Program
Innovative technology company among top applicants selected for Newchip’s online accelerator
DUBAI, UAE, December 21, 2022/ EINPresswire.com / -- Voice Life, an innovative technology company that owns patent protected solutions to provide the world with clean, wireless and limitless energy was selected out of 1,000+ applicants into Newchip’s renowned global accelerator program’s latest cohort.
The online accelerator provides the mentorship, connections and tools that growth-stage teams need to drive greater scale, expand business operations, and position their company for potential exit or acquisition. Since its inception in 2019, the equity-free, fully digital accelerator has helped over 2,500 founders from more than 50 countries and 250 cities raise over $2.2 billion in funding with an estimated portfolio of over $9B.
“When evaluating companies for our Series A Accelerator, we search for proven business models that are prepared to scale their strong revenues and traction quickly in order to gain further market share and increase their likelihood of industry disruption.”, says Brian Lee, Head of Product at Newchip. “We see real potential in Voice Life and are excited to integrate them into our global network of VCs, angel investors, and family offices seeking to invest in this particular space.”
Voice Life is on a mission to provide the world with clean, wireless and limitless energy for all electronic devices. Since launching in 2015 the company has completed several rounds of funding, created and developed ongoing worldwide patent protection strategy, developed 3 generations of prototypes, presented at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES), among many other things.
“Being part of the Newchip Accelerator program, we look forward to scale and grow the company, to meet an extensive array of experienced individuals and exchange business strategies and secure the series A funding.”, says Mihael Radoslovic, Chief Operating Officer at Voice Life. “We believe the acceptance into Newchip Accelerator program will support the development of our 4th generation prototype and company growth in preparations for our 2023 IPO.”
Newchip is an online, global startup accelerator led by a world-class team of entrepreneurs and investors. It was designed to provide founders with the tools needed to rapidly fund, build, and scale. Since its inception in 2019, the equity-free, remote accelerator has enabled over 2,500 startups from 50+ countries to raise over $2.2 billion in funding with an estimated $9B portfolio. It has three distinct six-month accelerator programs based on company stage: Pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A. Its vast network of global investors, strategic partners, and mentors guide companies from team building and prototype development to securing high-profile VC investment, corporate partnerships, and everything in-between. To learn more, visit https://launch.newchip.com/.
About Voice Life
Voice Life is an innovative technology company with the aim to provide the world with clean, wireless and limitless energy for all electronic devices. Voice Life’s internationally patented solutions will further accelerate the development of the IoT and change the way people interact with their smartphones and other electronic devices. Furthermore, Voice Life helps innovators tokenize their intellectual property by using blockchain technology, which allows Voice Life to further support science and innovation on a global scale. The tokenization of IPs will provide innovators with a modern, secure and effective way to raise revenue by selling a product in the form of a Fractional Non-Fungible Token (F-NFT).
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New high-res snaps of both a black and a white Sony Xperia Z1 (Honami) have been brought to our attention, and the source, unsurprisingly, is somewhere in China. While these are obviously dummy devices, they're still a pretty close (and realistic) match with what we're expecting to see unveiled soon.
The new shots are somewhat late to the party, but they nevertheless complete the feeling that Sony's Xperia Z1 (Honami) has claimed a spot on the list of most hyped up phones this year. However, that's not surprising in the least – while the design may not necessarily be everybody's cup of tea, all the initial information we've had in the form of leaks and hints indicate that the Xperia Z1 will be a hardware beast.
But the specs on the Sony Xperia Z1 are only a part of the story: Sony itself appears intent to battle through the hardships of cultural reorganization in order to carry out its relatively nascent “One Sony” strategy that Sony CEO Kaz Hirai has vowed will turn the Japanese manufacturer into a smartphone powerhouse. What's infinitely more important than vows and promises, though, are the actual results of said good intentions, and those have started appearing already. Namely, after a rather tumultuous period financially, Sony has gone back to profitable and has delivered on its promise of converging the different departments of expertise at the company (e.g. Triluminos displays in smartphones, X-Reality engine for mobile, the BIONZ image processor, etc). These all have helped Sony shape a truly competitive line-up this time around – one that caters to a very wide range of customers: the Honami mini for the more conservative of us, all the way up to the downright extravagant Sony Xperia Z Ultra. Of course, how Sony's new contenders will end up handling the ruthlessly competitive smartphone market remains to be seen.
Exact release date for the Sony Xperia Z1 remains unclear, but we do know that the new Sony flagship will be announced on September 4 during IFA 2013 in Berlin, so stay tuned for more coverage.


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MUNICH, Germany/SEOUL, South Korea - Wacker Chemie AG is expanding its production capacity in South Korea for vinyl acetateethylene copolymer (VAE) dispersions. The Munich-based chemical group is constructing a new plant with an annual capacity of 40,000 metric tons at its site in Ulsan. The measure will almost double Ulsan’s VAE dispersion capacity, making the enlarged production complex one of the biggest of its kind in South Korea.
Expected to start up in January 2013, the new plant will enable WACKER to meet accelerating demand for high-quality VAE dispersions, especially in Southeast Asia’s developing countries.
Having budgeted around EUR 10 million for the expansion project, WACKER is strengthening its position as one of the world’s major suppliers of VAE dispersions.
WACKER already produces vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer dispersions marketed under its VINNAPAS® brand at Ulsan for use as binders in the adhesives industry. Now, the group is constructing a second reactor line with an additional 40,000 metric tons of annual capacity for applications in the coatings, construction, nonwoven, paper and carpet industries.
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What you need to know
- StarCraft II is a real-time strategy (RTS) game developed by Blizzard Entertainment.
- Patch 5.0, currently available in the Public Test Realm (PTR), will eventually be pushed live.
- The update includes a revamped editor, changes to custom campaigns, new achievements, and prestige talents for co-op commanders.
- The update also includes a number of big fixes.
StarCraft II, the sequel to the insanely popular original StarCraft, was released July 27, 2010 and is still being played by hundreds of thousands of people today. To celebrate the 10th anniversary, developer Blizzard has injected Patch 5.0 into the PTR for testing. This patch will eventually go live in the full game once any kinks have been ironed out.
The patch notes are quite lengthy (the previous full Patch 4.0 was released November 2017), with some juicy tidbits surrounding the Galaxy Map Editor, campaign achievements, and some new co-op commander prestige talents for anyone replaying levels.
Notably, the editor has been improved to make it easier to use, and a new Arcade genre has been added. From the press release:
A new Arcade map genre will be added to open up the editor for more stories and creative campaigns: Campaign!
- Creating custom campaigns will be a much smoother experience and will now support map-to-map loading.
- Many previously offline-only campaigns will now be accessible through the StarCraft II Arcade.
- Players will also be able to introduce co-op custom campaigns in addition to their single-player experiences.
If you haven't replayed StarCraft II's campaign enough already, new achievements are on the way for every mission, as well as an achievement for collecting all new achievements. As for co-op missions, there's a new prestige system with new talents for co-op commanders. From Blizzard:
Players can now replay the level 1-15 progression for each maxed-out commander up to three times, and earn a new Prestige Talent each time it's completed – opening tons of new gameplay options and strategic decisions.
Along with gameplay additions and improvements, Blizzard has cooked up a number of bug fixes for co-op, versus, and editor modes. You can check out the full official patch notes at Blizzard.
We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.


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"Cash is the new plastic," Mark Penn tells us in his debut column for the Wall Street Journal -- because in a scary economy, consumers are suddenly frightened by their credit cards. The column is a spinoff from his recent book, "Microtrends," in which the infamous pollster, fresh from Clinton-campaign ignominy, promises to dazzle us with his wisdom on "small, under-the-radar patterns of behavior which take on real power when propelled by modern communications and an increasingly independent-minded population."
The microtrend of the moment, declares Penn, is "The New Mattress Stuffer."
These are people who have lost their faith in the housing market, the stock market, their bank, their big corporate employer, their auto company, and their last president. What is left but themselves?
Actually stuffing cash in your mattress is passé, however. The New Mattress Stuffers are buying safes, gold coins and guns, searching for certainty in these harrowing times.
(I thought gun sales were up because conservatives were afraid President Obama would take away their hunting rifles. But Mark Penn says it's because of the bad economy. Show us the polling data, Mark!)
Even in a down economy, suggests Penn, there are business opportunities for those who can figure out how to cater to all the baby boomers whose imploding retirement funds have flung them into "strange and uncharted territory."
To take advantage of these trends, some of the dying post offices might want to open spots for safe deposit boxes instead of P.O. boxes. Investment advisers may start talking about return of your money instead of return on your money. And jewelers may start to tell you to "don't forget to stash away a diamond or two."
If columns like these are a sample of the kind of advice that Penn offered Hillary Clinton over the past couple of years, then it isn't hard to understand why her campaign ultimately foundered. Penn's conceit is that there is something novel and insightful to be gained from an early identification of a new microtrend. When, in fact, the reality that consumers are pulling back from credit and feeling insecure about their financial future in the face of a devastating economy is a) hardly "micro" and b) utterly predictable. Even worse, in no way do "The New Mattress Stuffers" fit into Penn's own razzle-dazzle definition of what a "microtrend" is supposed to be. They are not under the radar, the spread of modern communications has nothing to do with their surfeit of caution, and far from being an example of an "independent-minded population," they are, instead, an obvious mass phenomenon. Everyone in the U.S stopped buying cars in October and November, in a display of consumer unanimity unprecedented in my lifetime.
Here's what Mark Penn has to offer: conventional wisdom with a high price tag. Guess what, Mark? In a down economy, nobody is going to buy it.


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GERRY PATE PHOTO Reeves general sales manager Scott Chahalis shows off the computerized makeup of a printing blanket the technician Ruth Talley is working on. Research, investment in company combine to bring Reeves success
Spartanburg-based Reeves International is the largest manufacturer of printing blankets in the world because it focuses on research and continually invests in its business. Most recently, the company invested $1 million in an expansion of its research and development plant off U. S. Highway 29 in Fairforest. Reeves installed new equipment and labs and added several technicians, said President William Lenoci. Lab technicians recently developed a new product, called the Vulcan Marathon blanket that is more durable and prints better, said general sales manager Scott Chahalis. If it's successful in the marketplace, it may increase blanket production in Spartanburg, he said. An offset printing blanket is a fabric in disguise. The blankets, cotton webbing on one side and rubber on the other, are used to print magazines and financial reports. "Our strength is technical people," Lenoci said. "Blankets are things that we know - that we do well. And it's very profitable." Reeves' U.S. sales increased 8 percent last year and are expected to increase at least as much this year, said chief operating officer Dennis Dice. Reeves controls 30 percent of the worldwide offset printing blanket market. Reeves does not release its share of the $170 million U.S. market. Lenoci said Reeves' edge is that it is more focused on rubber and blankets than its competition and continually invests in the business. In February, Reeves Brothers' Industrial Coated Fabrics Group was renamed Reeves International to reflect the company's international business. The company sells products in 64 markets on six continents, Lenoci said. In February, Reeves in Spartanburg took over exports to Latin America from its sister plant in Italy, placing a sales manager in Florida to be closer to customers, he said. "It didn't make any sense. It's easier to communicate and ship products from here." Since then, Reeves' blanket business in Latin America has jumped 62 percent, Lenoci said. Reeves, which also has textile and apparel plants in Chesnee and Woodruff, employs 2,600 people in Spartanburg County. The company, which had annual sales of $269 million in 1991, is owned by Hart Holding Co. of Connecticut. Reeves was purchased by Hart in 1986. Since that time, Hart has spent more than $50 million modernizing the Reeves plants and increasing capacity.


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Noodle maker to the worldLee Chang-heon was five years old when his mother first fed him instant noodles, or ramyeon.
Almost 30 years later, he says he feels a “genealogical craving” for instant noodle soup, the same way he craves kimchi or rice. He likes it, he says, because it gives “an instant pleasure.”
Today, Mr. Lee eats instant noodles an average of five times a week, as a meal or a late-night snack. In the Korean navy, he consumed so much of it that his fellow sailors dubbed him “the king of ramyeon.”
Last year, the king was crowned officially: Nongshim, a Korean ramyeon manufacturer, awarded Mr. Lee first prize in a ramyeon cooking contest for his “seafood and mushroom ramyeon stew.”
“It’s everything,” Mr. Lee says of ramyeon. “It’s cheap, easy to cook and readily available. You could enjoy endless possibilities with it just by giving slightly different changes to its ingredients.”
That is exactly what Chae Ha-na, a 23-year-old baker who is just as fascinated with ramyeon as Mr. Lee is, has been doing in her experiments with the curly noodles in her own kitchen.
“It’s got every element Koreans should love,” Ms. Chae says. “It’s got a steamy soup and a spicy flavor. Most importantly, it doesn’t require special technique to enjoy a pleasant meal.”
Ms. Chae, who was also a contestant in Nongshim’s noodle contest, came up with a full-course meal using ramyeon in every course.
The appetizer was noodles simmered in cream; the entree was “ramyeon steak,” noodles mixed with minced beef; and dessert was “ramyeon jelly,” noodles inventively mixed with strawberry yogurt.
Appetizing? Many Koreans might think so.
Though instant noodles got their start in Japan, today instant noodle soup is a bigger part of the average person’s diet in Korea than in Japan, or China for that matter.
In fact, Koreans’ consumption of instant noodle soup, whether called ramyeon or ramen, exceeds their consumption of bread and of any type of grain besides rice.
To get a sense of just how popular ramyeon is in Korea, consider this startling fact: If you took all the ramyeon consumed in Korea in one year and strung all the noodles together into one single noodle, the noodle would be 380,000 kilometers (236,000 miles) long.
Currently there are over 160 varieties of instant noodles sold in Korea. According to a food industry journal, Shikpum Journal, 3.7 billion servings of ramyeon were consumed in Korea last year, for total sales of 1.3 trillion won ($1.1 billion). And that figure doesn’t include some of the newer types of organic noodles put out by health food companies, such as noodles made from potatoes, barley, mushrooms and even rice.
According to the Shikpum Journal survey, the average Korean eats about 79 servings of instant noodles per year. That’s about twice as many as the average Japanese person eats, even though Japan is the home of instant noodles.
China consumes more ramyeon in total ― not surprising, considering the size of its population ― but less per capita.
The Korean ramyeon industry is big. Many experts contend that the advent of instant noodles has revolutionized the eating style of Koreans today, in that it stimulated the development of the instant food market, which was nonexistent before ramyeon. Sales of Korean ramyeon have been growing by 4 to 5 percent every year, according to the Shikpum Journal survey.
But that isn’t just because of Korean consumption. Korean ramyeon is becoming increasingly popular overseas as well.
In China, a promising market for Korean food manufacturers, a discount shop based in Shanghai reported that its best-selling instant noodles were Korean ramyeon.
That was considered a very encouraging sign by local noodle makers, who see Shanghai as a reliable barometer for the overall Chinese market.
Sin Ramyun, one of the Korean noodle maker Nongshim’s best-selling products, is currently being exported to 60 nations worldwide, including most Southeast Asian countries, where Korean ramyeon has been a huge hit. It’s now carried in airport duty-free shops, local department stores and major North American retailers including Costco, Safeway and Wal-Mart.
“It used to be gim (dried seaweed) that was considered the most popular souvenir for Japanese tourists when they came to Korea,” said Choi Ho-min, a public relations representative at Nongshim. “Now they’ve shifted to kimchi and Sin Ramyun.”
Soaring overseas sales would seem to reflect a successful marketing strategy on the part of Korean manufactureres, who deliberately promoted their products as an exotic delicacy aimed specifically at higher-income consumers.
In China, Korean noodles currently cost about twice as much as Taiwanese or Japanese noodles. But the popular sentiment among noodle marketers here is that no matter how effective the marketing strategy, “taste speaks for itself” and Korean noodles carry enough intrinsic value to penetrate the global marketplace.
“Our main marketing strategy was to try as much as possible to keep the essential values of Korean ramyeon, which is noted for spicy and tangy soup,” Mr. Choi says. “China is literally flooded with instant noodles, so it’s a bit of a stretch anyway to try to satisfy the tastes of all consumers. So far the reaction has been good.”
The fervent response to Korean ramyeon may come as a surprise here, considering the number of health concerns many experts have been publicly raising over the decades, based on laboratory tests.
Obesity is a common concern health authorities have cited. A single pack of ramyeon contains about 430 calories. The noodles, which are made out of imported flour, are said to carry large quantities of preservatives. The seasoning packets included to boost flavor are said to contain a high amount of sodium, which, according to medical reports, Koreans get more of than they need as it is.
The ramyeon industry has also gone through some distasteful public battles. In 1989, Samyang and Ottoogi, two major food manufacturers here, were sued by a local consumer group for using industrial oil in the production of its ramyeon, which is forbidden by the local Food Safety Act.
Production was discontinued while the legal battle went on for six years. But in 1998 a court sided with the companies, saying that the tallow the companies imported from the United States ― which was classified for industrial use there, but not approved for use in food ― was acceptable to use in Korea “based on local eating habits.”
The situation was calmed when the then-Health and Welfare Minister appeared in a television advertisement eating instant noodles. But in some medical sectors, instant noodles are still referred to as “cancer noodles.”
Health concerns aside, ramyeon is still a favorite snack for the average Korean. The convenience aspect ― they take less than 10 minutes to finish cooking ― is an attraction for busy people, who stop for a quick slurp at convenience stores and office rooms between meetings or classes.
Nostalgia is another appeal used by companies like Samyang, which has used the same color and design for its plastic wrapper for 40 years.
Instant noodles were introduced in Korea shortly after the Korean War, when the country suffered from a shortage of rice. So for decades, ramyeon was a symbol of poverty in Korea, a supplement for those who could not afford proper meals. That may partly explain its popularity among younger consumers who didn’t live through the war.
“During our busy days, we sell well over 100 packages of noodles,” says a salesclerk at a Buy the Way convenience store near Seodaemun, where more than half of the shop’s customers are students and young office workers. According to the clerk, instant noodles outsell most food items in the store, except for water and canned soda.
A manager of Tteumsae Ramyun, a franchise restaurant in downtown Seoul that has been specializing in instant noodle soup for nearly 20 years, also attests to its popularity. “Noodles are an all-time favorite snack for Koreans,” the shop manager says. “That’s why it sells.”
Mr. Lee, the “king of ramyeon,” says he will continue to work on his ramyeon recipes, some of which incorporate Chinese medicinal herbs and European spices. He says he hopes to compile them into a book, and maybe even set up a franchise restaurant.
“We’ve adopted other kinds of noodles, like pasta, udon and soba,” says Mr. Lee. “But there is still a sentiment that views ramyeon as a low-quality food and spaghetti as a wholesome meal, when I think it comes nowhere near the taste and the cost of the ramyeon we have.”
by Park Soo-mee


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Sony has sent out press invites to its Sony E3 2014, which will take place on the 9th of June, and the conference will take place at 6PM Pacific Time.
This is the same day that Microsoft are holding their Xbox 360 conference at E3, although that one starts at 9.30 AM Pacific Time, and we can expect a number of announcements from both companies at E3.
Sony is expected to show off a number of trailers at E3, which may include God of War 4, Gran Turismo 7 and The Last of US 2, and they will also have a range of developers present at the conference.
As soon as we get some more information on exactly what Sony has planned to release at E3 2014 we will let you guys know.
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June 30, 2009
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- Ronnie2K released on Twitter yesterday the first screenshot of NBA 2K10 (see right). What’s notable is how current it is, as it shows Shaq in his Cavs uniform, a trade that just happened a couple of weeks ago. It also has LeBron James in the back doing his pregame ritual, a testament to the detail being paid to the game.
- Speaking of NBA 2K10, the contents of the CE version of the game has been released & I don’t know about you, butu I almost want to buy this one. It comes with an exclusive, McFarlane created Kobe Bryant figure, a Kobe poster, a video about the 2K series & access to an exclusive VIP online lounge called the Gold Room. So, all that for $100? Yeah, but that’s not the selling point for me. It also comes with a game holder shaped like a locker. It’ll hold 20 games. Check it out:
- Skate 2 fans got some good news this morning. Looks like a new DLC pack is on it’s way, called the Maloof Money Pack. To celebrate the release (it comes out July 9th), they are holding a Double Up Cash & XP Weekend from July 9-12.
- The popular (& notorious) P2P site The Pirate Bay has been bought & is going legit. Yep, Global Gaming Factory X has bought the site & plans to introduce new business models that will allow content owners to be paid for the stuff being downloaded off the site. Hmmmmm….shades of Napster?
- I heard rumors about this a few days ago, but has now confirmed that Starcraft II will not support LAN. Blizzard representative Bob Colayco said "We don’t currently plan to support LAN play with StarCraft II, as we are building Battle.net to be the ideal destination for multiplayer gaming with StarCraft II and future Blizzard Entertainment games,". What? That’s an odd omission considering how popular the first game is on the tourney fronts, both pro & locally. That would be like omitting the Protoss. I really hope Blizzard adds this feature before the game ships…
- Wii Sports Resort has only been on store shelves for 4 days, but it’s already accumulated over 350,000 in unit sales. Was this unexpected?
- Disney will be shipping both G-Force & Toy Story Mania! with 3D glasses so players can enjoy the games in full stereoscopic 3D.
- Mega Man Star Force 3 has been released in North America.
- Game publisher PlayLogic has launched Gamessence, an online digital distribution portal. Check it out here.
- Mastertronic is launching a new indie label, appropriately titles Great Indie Games. Their focus will be to bring independent PC games to a wider audience. First title launched under the new label? World of Goo…
- Mastertronic is also releasing a few compilation collections: Conflict Collection, Deus Ex Complete, & Hitman Ultimate Contract.
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Designers dabble with decades at London Fashion Week
LONDON (Reuters) - Designers dabbled with different decades for inspiration at London Fashion Week, offering a heady mixture of patterned flares, oversized sheepskin jackets and printed mini-dresses in their latest collections. Burberry, Vivienne Westwood and Topshop Unique showcased designs influenced by Britain's countryside and folk craft, with printed velvet dresses and fringed trench coats, continuing a bohemian '70s theme into the autumn/winter season. Designers also called upon the '60s and '80s for inspiration this season, with printed mini dresses, oversized leather dresses and puff-ball jackets seen at J.W. Anderson and Jonathan Saunders' shows earlier in the week. "It feels like we are seeing many ideas over many decades," Ken Downing, fashion director at U.S. luxury department store Neiman Marcus, told Reuters. "The '70s is the most prevalent ... but this '80s idea is certainly happening as well and all the cool kids are going to heading towards the 80s and going to be abandoning the '70s pretty quickly," Downing added. Detailed embellishment, clashing patterns and hand-crafted fabrics also featured heavily across many of London's shows, reflecting a move away from the minimalism of the past year. "There has been lots of sparkles and embellishment ... Fashion goes from one spectrum to the other, and people are bored of 'norm-core'. I haven't seen much minimalism at all," said Pandora Sykes of The Sunday Times Style section. "It has all been quite wearable, there have been really beautiful dresses with knee high boots, so it's all quite easy to imagine how it would work in real life," she added. Growth in the global luxury goods market is expected to be steady at around 5 percent in 2015, with the United States and Japan the biggest drivers, according to consultancy Bain & Co. Designer Anya Hindmarch said this was true of her business. "We have lot of stores in Japan and I think it's a really exciting market there. The United States is very buoyant at the moment as well, so I think the whole world is feeling more confident in a way," she told Reuters after her show. Hindmarch, whose leather accessories are sold in nine countries, said she believed her success was down to the British humour of her brand with traffic signs emblazoned onto handbags, shirts and coats this season. "The Britishness of the brand is quite fresh in a way, it's slight different perhaps, so it's an exciting time for us," she said.


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iQOO sub brand of the giant tech company Vivo is gearing up to bring the upcoming iQOO Neo 5 series. This upcoming mid-range affordable smartphone is surfacing online from past few weeks. Moreover, the company will bring the series first in China on December 20 that includes iQOO Neo 5s and iQOO Neo 5 SE. In addition, there are many reports suggesting the specifications and offerings. Now, the latest teaser arrives that confirms all the details of these upcoming iQOO Neo 5 SE.
Confirmed specifications and details of iQOO Neo 5 SE
The company schedules to bring the iQOO Neo 5 SE along with the vanilla iQOO Neo 5s model. The company confirms the device’s details via official teaser poster. Moreover, thus official poster reveals that the upcoming Neo 5 SE will get power from the Snapdragon 870 SoC. Whereas, the Neo 5s will get power from the Snapdragon 888 SoC. In addition, the upcoming SE model will have the AMOLED display with 144Hz refresh rate. However, the display and panel details are still under wraps.
Moreover, the official teaser reveals that the upcoming iQOO Neo 5 SE will have 55W fast charging support. However, the device battery details is not confirmed. But, there may be possibility that the device will have 4500mAh battery atleast. In addition, the upcoming device will have triple rear camera setup including 50MP primary camera. Alongwith, there may be 8MPultrawide camera sensor and a 2MP macro camera lens. Furthermore, the device will come in white, Dark Blue, and blue gradient color options. Other than this, other details of the upcoming device is still unknown.


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Express News | According to data from the Shanghai Steel Union, today's battery-grade lithium carbonate price is the same as last time, with an average price of 97,000 yuan/ton.
Express News | According to data released by the Shanghai Steel Union, today's battery-grade lithium carbonate price is the same as last time, with an average price of 97,500 yuan/ton.
Express News | More than 10 listed companies announced additional shareholders' pledges after the market, 20 companies interacted easily to respond to whether there is a risk of stock pledges
Shanghai Steel Union (300226): Steady Improvement of Industrial Data Services and Continued Benefit Data Asset Listing Policy
Incident: The company announced its 2023 performance forecast. It is expected to achieve net profit of 2.08-265 million yuan for the whole year, an increase of 2.4%-30.5% over the previous year; achieve net profit without deduction of 1.53 to 210 million yuan, same
Shanghai Steel Union (300226): Data sector revenue increased 16% in 23, focusing on AI+ data factor industry opportunities
Profit is expected to continue to grow rapidly. Maintaining the “buy” rating company's annual report forecast, the company predicts net profit to mother of 2.08-265 million yuan in 2023, an increase of 2.4%-30.5%, after deducting 1.53-2 net profit from non-return to mother
Shanghai Steel Union (300226) Company Information Update Report: Data Services Maintain Rapid Growth, AI Applications and Data Entry Can Be Expected
A leader in industrial data services, maintaining “buy” rating companies issuing 2023 performance forecasts. Industrial data services maintained relatively rapid growth, and net profit to mother increased year-on-year. The company's industry model and AI assistant were officially released, and commercial implementation is worth looking forward to


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Samsung Pay is on a roll. After launching in South Korea and the US in 2015, it has expanded to China in 2016, started a trial in Singapore last week, and now it's deploying in its first European market: Spain.
And Samsung Pay is starting with a big advantage in Spain: it's the first mobile payment service to be offered in the country [Edit: Samsung said it's "the first of its kind," which apparently doesn't mean it's the absolute first. As readers pointed out, several mobile contactless payment solutions already exist in Spain], giving it a huge lead and potential for growth, especially considering the penetration of debit and credit cards among the country's working age population. Read More
Samsung Pay is on a heck of a ride lately. The company's mobile payment solution is a little more than half a year old by now, but it has already expanded to a couple of different countries, added loyalty and membership cards, brought support for more banks, and is on track to maybe add online payments later this year. It helps that Samsung Pay has the backing of Samsung's behemoth marketing and the wide potential base of its fleet of smartphones.
This latest announcement though is probably going to be one of the most profitable and impactful: Samsung Pay is teaming up with Alipay in China. Read More
A mobile payment service is only useful if you can, you know, use it... which must be pretty disheartening for customers of smaller banks and credit unions. Each one of them needs to be certified with new payment systems before their customers can join in the "fun" of paying for stuff with their phones. Today Samsung Pay, the semi-proprietary system that's surprisingly interoperable thanks to some neat payment tech, adds a whopping 19 new Visa and MasterCard issuers to its list of compatible banks and similar companies. Read More
Unlike some of my colleagues in the tech media, I don't have any particular beef with Walmart. Yes, they sell cheap imported crap, and yes, they under-pay their employees, stiffing both the people who make stuff and the people who sell stuff. But if you object to that strongly enough to actually change your buying habits, you'll soon run out of places to buy things. I do, however, object to the idea of a mobile payment system that works at exactly one store. That's taking the biggest problem with mobile payments as a whole, the lack of inter-operability, and turning it into a selling point. Read More
Now that a KitKat build for the Galaxy Note 3 has leaked, people have started reporting new things that they're finding. Though most of the major features of Google's latest Android version are present, the "tap and pay" option is conspicuously absent. Further, it appears host card emulation has been disabled altogether. This is curious given the fact that Isis Mobile Wallet, which is partially backed by AT&T and nowhere to be found on the official Android 4.3 builds, is preinstalled on the leaked firmware.
Host card emulation, for the purposes of Android devices, allows almost any NFC-equipped device to be used for "tap and go" mobile payments, even if it doesn't have a secure element. Read More
After two years on the market, Google Wallet has failed to gain any kind of meaningful foothold in the mobile payment world. That's the gist of a new report from Bloomberg Businessweek, slamming Google's mobile and NFC payment service as a "money pit" and unlikely to succeed against existing and upcoming competitors. Among the publication's chief complaints are $300 million in investments and acquisitions, and hundreds of developers on staff, all for less than 10 million downloads in the Google Play Store.
One reason cited for the lack of users is obvious: in the US, Google Wallet's primary target market, Sprint is still the only major carrier that allows users to download the app. Read More
Isis launched its mobile payments platform in Salt Lake City, UT and Austin, TX today, in a limited, initial rollout that's probably best viewed as a tech test more than an NFC payments panacea. We've know for quite some time that these would be Isis' launch markets (after numerous delays), and we also had a basic idea of how the system would work: NFC. What wasn't so widely-known is the fact that Isis uses the SIM secure element method to store payment credentials.
This is in contrast to Google Wallet's method, where your virtual MasterCard (used as the medium through which your payments are processed) is stored in a secure element that is typically included as a part of the NFC chip. Read More
While Google and the ISIS consortium duke it out over the future of Near Field Communication and the payment systems that use it, one of the largest financial institutions in the US had decided to ignore it. Reuters reports that Bank Of America is testing a new system that will only require retailers to display a single image. Ideally this would negate the need for new hardware for both sellers and buyers - all that's required is an Android or iOS device with a camera and a mobile connection.
The trial program will last three months, with startup Paydiant overseeing five retailers in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. Read More
This morning, Google had a Wallet developer Q&A session on the Google Developers blog, featuring Robin Dua, the product manager for Wallet.
Dua hinted that person to person payments could be headed to Wallet soon, so be on the lookout for that. He also emphasized Wallet's focus on getting small businesses on board with the company's loyalty reward and offer platforms.
More interestingly, when asked in a viewer question why Wallet was only supported on a limited number of carriers, Dua responded that Google was in active negotiations with "a number" of carriers, and that he "hope[d] to have some new partnerships to announce soon." While clearly implying that there is a possibility of failure, the fact that Dua spoke to such negotiations at all is encouraging. Read More
Yesterday, a rumor at the Wall Street Journal stated that major retailers like Walmart, Target, and 7-Eleven were in the process of teaming up to create their own mobile payment solution. They sure didn't waste much time on making it official, as this morning that solution was announced as "MCX" - or, Merchant Customer Exchange. Sexy.
This is a big deal, though. And it's a big deal because of the names in the headline above - quite literally most places where Americans buy things have come together to create a mobile wallet system. But it's not just Target, Walmart, and Best Buy. Read More


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If you are a Star Wars fan, you won’t want to miss the Star Wars talent that will come together tomorrow for a global livestream event on YouTube kicking off a weeklong countdown to Triple Force Friday event. Triple Force Friday will be when all the new products will be debuted for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, as well as for the upcoming live-action series, “The Mandelorian” and the “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order” game launches begin hitting shelves worldwide.
At 2:00 p.m. ET, fans around the world can tune in to the Star Wars YouTube page for a livestream event from Pinewood Studios in London where Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was filmed. Via live and recorded vignettes, an ensemble of veteran and new Star Wars celebrities will reveal new products that will roll out globally for Triple Force Friday which will occur on October 4 and is inspired by that trio of upcoming original Star Wars releases that will be coming over the next few months.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will hit theaters on December 20. “The Mandalorian” will debut in the U.S. on November 12 on Disney+. “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order”, a brand-new action adventure game from Respawn Entertainment will be released on November 15
Star Wars talent participating in this global reveal will include: Daisy Ridley (‘Rey’); John Boyega (‘Finn’); Oscar Isaac (‘Poe’); Anthony Daniels (‘C-3PO’); Billy Dee Williams (‘Lando Calrissian’); Joonas Suotamo (‘Chewbacca’); Keri Russell (‘Zorii Bliss’); Naomi Ackie (‘Jannah’); Kelly Marie Tran (‘Rose’); Pedro Pascal (‘The Mandalorian’); Gina Carano (‘Cara Dune’ in “The Mandalorian”) and Cameron Monaghan (‘Cal Kestis’ in “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order”).
In addition, for those who catch the livestream, you’ll be treated to the worldwide premiere of a new trailer for “Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order,”as well as a few special surprises.
Warwick Davis will host the livestream event. During the event, viewers will also see new characters like ‘Zorii,’ ‘Jannah,’ ‘The Mandalorian,’ ‘Cal Kestis’ and the new droid ‘D-O’ in product form for the first time. Fans will also get their first look at the wide array of new products that will be available including toys, apparel and accessories, books, gaming, tech and home goods.
Take a look at this preview video and get hyped!
Force Friday is an anticipated event for Star Wars fans worldwide. Fans are invited to join the conversation on social media using Triple #ForceFriday, as well as to participate in real-world retail celebrations around the globe.
If you are looking to purchase any of the merchandise showcased during the livestream preview, select retailers in around the world, including some Disney store locations will open at midnight on October 4.
For those in Orlando and Anaheim, you’ll be able to experience October 4 midnight shopping at World of Disney at Disney Springs and Downtown Disney. Disney Springs also will feature midnight shopping at The LEGO Store, along with Star Wars-themed food and beverage offerings and a LEGO Star Wars Millennium Falcon Master Build Event taking place throughout the weekend.
So make sure your watching the livestream tomorrow and get ready for the shopping fun on October 4!


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HEAD Penn Racquet Sports Extends Billing
PHOENIX – October, 26 2007 -– HEAD Penn Racquet Sports today announced that the company will extend remittance dates for all bills currently due from Southern California retailers in response to the fires in and around San Diego, CA.
“It is important that in a time like this we are sympathetic to what our west coast customers are experiencing,” said Greg Mason, Senior Director of Sales, HEAD Penn Racquet Sports. “Extending billing is just a small gesture in making our customers lives a little less stressful during this time.”
For detailed information on this, customers can contact their District Sales Manager, or the credit department at HEAD Penn Racquet Sports.
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Atheros weaves mesh networking effort News & Analysis 4/30/2010 Post a comment Atheros Communications is trying to rally interest in a standard for using mesh technology in home networks, an effort that would help the company merge and add value to its Wi-Fi and powerline chip products.
Multicore not up to snuff for basestations News & Analysis 4/27/2010 Post a comment Multicore processors should be ideal for wireless base stations, but so far both the chips and their tools fall short of meeting engineers needs, according to a senior developer at HuaWei speaking at the Multicore Expo.
Study pegs Tek scope 'winner' in specific test tasks News & Analysis 4/27/2010 1 comment A study by research firm Hansa|GCR concluded that among three scopes performing similar tasks the Tektronix MSO4000 mixed signal oscilloscope was preferred, according to a press release by Tektronix, Inc.
by over two-thirds of the participants and was 53 percent faster in finding runts and glitches when debugging a design.
Bluetooth backers explore 60 GHz future Product News 4/20/2010 Post a comment The Bluetooth Special Interest Group is expected to create a study group to help pick a transport for a future gigabit-class version of the short-range wireless technology, and the leading candidates are the two rival flavors of 60 GHz technology promoted by the WirelessHD Consortium and the Wireless Gigabit Alliance.
Low-k test regime spots defects on wafers News & Analysis 4/19/2010 Post a comment In a low-k dielectric test regime being developed for Semiconductor Research Corp. members, Columbia University is perfecting an approach that will measure the average number of density traps in a low-k material to spot potential failures while the chips are still on the wafer.
New converged network blends Ethernet, Infiniband News & Analysis 4/19/2010 1 comment The race toward converged networks took a step forward as a trade group announced a capability for layering Infiniband's low latency features on top of Ethernet for high performance computing applications running on large clusters.
Consortium backs mobile interface for high def video News & Analysis 4/14/2010 1 comment Nokia, Samsung Electronics, Silicon Image, Inc., Sony and Toshiba Corp. have formed the MHL Consortium. The group has created a draft specification for the Mobile High-Definition Link originally announced by Silicon Image in 2008 for sharing high-definition video between mobile devices and televisions.
WiMax device testing centers to open in May News & Analysis 4/13/2010 Post a comment The WiMax Forum has launched a so-called Open Retail Initiative under which it will open in May a set of labs to help test, certify and activate WiMax devices sold via retail or direct to customers in an effort to simplify the job of getting many devices and subscribers on WiMax networks and generate the kind of open mobile networking environment WiMax backers envision.
India, Arizona chip test firms agree to merge News & Analysis 4/12/2010 Post a comment Semiconductor test services companies Tessolve Services Pvt. Ltd. (Bangalore, India) and Dynamic Test Solutions Inc. (Chandler, Ariz.) have announced that they have signed a definitive agreement to merge the two companies.
U.S. awards $100M in smart grid training grants News & Analysis 4/8/2010 Post a comment The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded a total of nearly $100 million in grants to train an estimated 30,000 workers in smart grid technologies with awards going to a diverse group of 54 colleges, universities and companies for programs to train electricians, line workers, technicians, system operators, power system engineers, cyber security specialists and transmission planners.
Automotive still a solid opportunity for EDA, says Mentor exec News & Analysis 4/8/2010 1 comment As EDA searches for opportunities to generate more revenues from outside the semiconductor industry, Martin O'Brien, general manager, Integrated Electrical Systems Division of Mentor Graphics Corp., highlighted automotive and said the trend is likely to continue with the advent of hybrid and electric vehicles.
Computer storage firm files for $55 million IPO News & Analysis 4/6/2010 Post a comment With a number of successful IPOs held in the recent past, including that of MaxLinear Corp. (Carlsbad, Calif.), Nexsan Technologies Inc. (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) is the latest company to try and join the rush to the watering hole the public markets.
Nano ePrint licenses Infiniscale's modeling tool News & Analysis 4/6/2010 Post a comment Nano ePrint Ltd., a spin off from the University of Manchester in England, announced it has selected the GreenLys modeling tool suite from French EDA startup Infiniscale SA for its organic electronic devices modeling needs.
Intel's CEO earned $14 million in 2009 News & Analysis 4/6/2010 1 comment Paul Otellini, president and CEO of the world's largest chip company Intel Corp., received about $14.1 million in total compensation for doing his job in 2009, an increase of 16.7 percent over what he was paid in 2008, according to documents filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Telecom providers hungry for 100G, but price averse News & Analysis 4/6/2010 1 comment Big telecommunications providers are hungry for higher density systems, but they are concerned about the high costs of the first 100 Gigabit Ethernet systems coming this year and the need to transition to IPv6, according to an NTT chief technologist who shared details of a recent evaluation of core routers.
Taser, Stinger zap each other over patents News & Analysis 4/2/2010 1 comment Taser International Inc. (Scottsdale, Ariz.), the developer of electric-shock gun technology, has said that it won summary judgment against rival manufacturer Stinger Systems Inc. (Tampa Florida) on Tuesday (March 31) in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona.


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// WHSmith says sales in its high street division hit 74% of January 2019 levels and 84% of February 2019 levels
// These are both ahead of previous forecasts
// WHSmith now expects monthly cash burn between January-March to be £12-£17m, compared to £15-£20m it had previously estimated
WHSmith has hailed a “better than expected” trading performance since January as online demand helped bolster its overall sales.
The retailer said sales in its high street division hit 74 per cent of January 2019 levels and 84 per cent of February 2019 levels – with both figures being ahead of previous forecasts.
WHSmith said trading was boosted by “significant growth” in ecommerce sales, which forms part of the retailer’s high street division.
- WHSmith faces investor revolt over CEO’s £25,000 pay rise
- WHSmith Christmas sales recover but continues to burn through £20m a month
WHSmith’s online greeting cards fascia, Funky Pigeon, also booked record sales over the Valentine’s Day period.
Meanwhile, the retailer’s travel division – once the star of WHSmith’s trading channels – continued to be adversely impacted by Covid-19 restrictions.
In the first two months of the year, revenues in that division hit just 35 per cent of January 2019 levels and 33 per cent in February.
WHSmith now expects monthly cash burn between January and March to be about £12 million to £17 million, compared with a range of £15 million to £20 million it had estimated earlier.
The retailer also said it had extended the maturity of its two existing £200 million loans until October 2023, and agreed on a new minimum liquidity covenant with its lenders for both the August 2021 and February 2022 tests.
WHSmith said this means it could cancel an existing £120 million loan, which had been undrawn and was due to expire in November.
WHSmith is slated to publish the full details on sales and profits in its half-year results on April 29.


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NetComposites Ltd has transferred the rights and ownership of this website to Gardner Business Media Inc.
On 1st January 2020, NetComposites' media assets including netcomposites.com, newsletters and conferences were transferred to Composites World (Gardner Business Media).
This site is no longer being updated. Please direct all enquiries to firstname.lastname@example.org.
For further details see our joint press release.
Harris Williams, a preeminent middle market investment bank focused on the advisory needs of clients worldwide for more than 25 years, announces that it is exclusively advising Whitford Worldwide Company (Whitford) on its pending sale to PPG Industries.
Whitford is a global manufacturer that specialises in low-friction and nonstick coatings for industrial applications and consumer products. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is being led by Patrick McNulty, John Lautemann, Ty Denoncourt and Jeff Mullen of Harris Williams’ Industrials Group.
“It has been a privilege to work with Whitford on this transaction and we look forward to watching their partnership with the PPG team drive continued success,” said John Lautemann, a Director at Harris Williams. “Our firm has been active across the broader industrials and specialty chemicals sectors, and the sale of Whitford represents another marquee transaction for Harris Williams.”
“Over nearly 50 years, Whitford has built a premier specialty coatings platform with a global footprint,” said Ty Denoncourt, a Vice President at Harris Williams. “We are thrilled to have helped the management team and shareholders find a partner that embraces Whitford’s strong heritage and will continue to grow the business.”
Whitford, a privately held company headquartered in Elverson, Pennsylvania, was founded in 1969. The company specialises in manufacturing low-friction, wear-resistant coatings for industrial applications in automotive, aerospace, energy and construction markets, and provides coatings services. Whitford also makes non-stick coatings for cookware, bakeware and small electric appliances such as toaster ovens, griddles, fry pans and irons. Whitford employs more than 700 people and operates 10 manufacturing facilities located in Elverson, PA, US; Fostoria, Ohio, US; Guelph, Ontario, Canada; Runcorn, UK; Brescia, Italy; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Jiangmen, China; Zhuhai, China; Tuas, Singapore; and Bangalore, India.
Founded in 1883, PPG manufactures and distributes paints, coatings and specialty materials in the United States and internationally. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, PPG operates in more than 70 countries and reported net sales of $14.7 billion in 2017. The company serves customers in construction, consumer products, industrial and transportation markets and aftermarkets.
Harris Williams is a preeminent middle market investment bank focused on the advisory needs of clients worldwide. The firm has deep industry knowledge, global transaction expertise and an unwavering commitment to excellence. Harris Williams provides sell-side and acquisition advisory, restructuring advisory, board advisory, private placements and capital markets advisory services.
Harris Williams’ Industrials Group has experience across a variety of sectors, including advanced manufacturing; aggregates, metals, and mining; building products; chemicals and specialty materials; industrial technology; and packaging. For more information on the firm’s Industrials Group and other recent transactions, visit the Industrials Group’s section of the Harris Williams website.
For more information visit:


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16-inch MacBook Pro, Google Pixel 4 and more devices are on sale today
The official news today begins with deals as it is a new week.. Sort of. Right now I still can’t tell what time it is, but anyway, let’s begin with the 16in MacBook Pro which is $300 off, that leaves the 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage variant for $2100. The Razer Blade Stealth 13 is also $349 off, leaving the one with the same specs as the MacBook Pro and an Nvidia GeForce 1650 Graphics card for $1451. I know, if I were you I’d go Razer. The Google Pixel 4 is $192 off, leaving the entry level variant for $608 shipped. Finally, the Apple Watch Series 6 is $24 off, leaving the 40mm variant for $374. We also have more deals on the Pixel 4 XL, LG TVs and more in the links in the description.
HUAWEI’s Kirin 9000 SoC could sport a 24-core GPU
Now let’s move on to Huawei and their Kirin processors. I know, we thought we weren’t getting any more of that but things continue to evolve. We know that Apple was the first to announce a 5nm chip with an A14 Bionic, so Huawei wants to do something to stand out. According to a new tweet from Ice Universe and some benchmarks, the Kirin 9000’s GPU uses 24 cores, yeah you heard that right but, that’s not entirely good. Ice mentions that this is the highest specification, but it’s clocked at a lower frequency, so it doesn’t really transfer into the results. According to a leaked AnTuTu benchmark, this SoC scored over 693K, basically on par with the Exynos 1080, but it obviously has better results when it comes to graphics. We’re expecting the Huawei Mate 40 Pro in a couple of days with this Kirin 9000, a 6.76in OLED Display, up to 12GBm of RAM and a pretty impressive camera so, we’ll keep you posted. That said, even if I’m looking forward to it, I wonder how many of you are. Let me know in the comments.
iPhone 12 and 12 Pro pre-orders could’ve reached 9 million during the weekend
Now let’s get back to Apple and, well yes, a lot of content already launched and they look pretty good. Our units arrive on Friday so stay tuned for our impressions. That said, let’s talk sales figures as a new report from Ming Chi Kuo estimates that the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro saw between 7 to 9M pre-orders over the past weekend. Last year, Apple got 10-12M pre-orders during launch week but of course that was a different time. Kuo actually says that this beat analysts expectations as Apple’s customers usually prefer the two high end models but apparently there is a strong demand in China, the US and Europe. Analysts also expect the Mini and Pro Max to sell in more moderate quantities but Apple should still have a pretty good year overall. The 12 and 12 Pro will apparently take 30-35% of the pie, the Pro Max 15-20%, with the Mini being the least popular at 10-15%. How many of you pre-ordered the phone, or are you still waiting to see if it’s worth it? Also chime in the comments.
Google Pixel 5 devices are starting to show a serious issue
Now let’s move on to Google, cause of course, there can’t be a proper Pixel roll out without some issues. It’s been less than a month since we got the Pixel 5 but, some people are starting to notice a gap between the phones frame and the display. Most of the reports were on the Pixel Phone and XDA forums but, the guys over at Android Police are having this issue as well. The issue apparently happens in different places but, the most common area is close to the selfie shooter. In some cases it’s less noticeable than others but, at the end of the day this could be a pretty big issue if it compromises the water resistance on the phone. Some reports mentioned that this issue was present as soon as they took the Pixel 5 out of the box and it hasn’t separated over time but it still sounds like something Google should address. We’ll keep you posted once they post a response whether it’s positive or negative for the buyers. So far, we don’t really know what to make of this just yet so, and I can confirm that none of our units are having issues, but we’ll see.
Department of Justice calls Google ‘monopolist’ in its antitrust lawsuit
The US Department of Justice has filed an anti-trust lawsuit against Google, for allegedly violating antitrust laws. According to them, Google is a monopolist that violated the laws to trounce the competition, specifically in the search and advertising markets and highlights a few “exclusionary agreements”. Some of them include, making business arrangements that make the pre-installations of their search app mandatory on mobile devices, signing that long term deal with Apple that makes Google the default search engine on Safari and exploiting their monopoly to get preferential through their search engine, browsers and more. Google simply responded by saying that this is a deeply flawed lawsuit that does nothing to help consumers and they also addressed other details like the fact that Apple chooses Google Search because they think it’s the best. Thing is flawed or not, the last thing we needed is more drama in 2020. We’ll see how this ends.
Story of the day:
Samsung Galaxy S21, S21 Ultra alleged renders reveal camera bump and flat display
And finally, for the hottest news today let’s talk Galaxy S21, S30 or whatever this thing is going to be called. If you remember, there’s a very high possibility that the phone will be launched earlier, around late January or early February of 2021 according to sources, so obviously that opens the door to official CAD renders, even this early. These come from OnLeaks and Voice, showing off the new design. Keep in mind, this design might and will most likely change over time so this is somewhat of a first look. First off, we have a flat 6.2in display at the front with the typical slimmer bezels and with the centered punch hole at the top. That’s all fine but probably the biggest change is the camera hump which is almost flushed to the rest of the phone. On these renders it brings a triple camera array, almost no word on those just yet but we are expecting some big changes. Again, expect rumors on this phone to only intensify as time goes by since that’s the way this works.


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Mississippi included in Michael Foods egg recall list
by Associated Press
Published: February 3,2012
Tags: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Columbia Valley Farms, Florida, Georgia, GFS, Glenview Farms, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michael Foods, Michigan, Minnesota, Minnetonka, Mississippi, Mississippi Business Journal, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Papetti's, Pennsylvania, Silverbrook, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Utah, Wakefield, Washington, Wholesome Farms, Wisconsin
Michael Foods, of Minnetonka, is recalling eggs in brine sold in 10- and 25-pound pails for institutional use in 34 states. The eggs carry six brand names: Columbia Valley Farms, GFS, Glenview Farms, Papetti’s, Silverbrook and Wholesome Farms.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says the eggs were produced at Michael Foods’ plant in Wakefield, Neb., and were bought by food distributors and manufacturers. There have been no reports of illness connected to the eggs. But, the company says the eggs have the potential to be contaminated with a strain of listeria that can cause serious infections in those with weaker immune systems.
The list includes Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Jersey, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
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NXP's chips are in 48 different mobile devices worldwide, helping make your life easier through NFC chips. From enabling Google Wallet transactions to Foursquare checkins, NFC will be part of your future.
InformationWeek Elite 100Our data shows these innovators using digital technology in two key areas: providing better products and cutting costs. Almost half of them expect to introduce a new IT-led product this year, and 46% are using technology to make business processes more efficient.
The UC Infrastructure TrapWorries about subpar networks tanking unified communications programs could be valid: Thirty-one percent of respondents have rolled capabilities out to less than 10% of users vs. 21% delivering UC to 76% or more. Is low uptake a result of strained infrastructures delivering poor performance?


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Honda will stop offering the option of a diesel engine in its India line-up from early next year, sources have told our sister publication Autocar Professional. Honda currently has four diesel-powered models on sale in India; these include the City, Amaze, Jazz and the WR-V.
- Honda will stop making all types of diesel engines in India
- Currently manufactures 1.5-litre and 1.6-litre diesel engines
- Upgradation costs to comply with RDE norms not feasible
Honda bids goodbye to diesel engines in India
Ahead of the implementation of the Real Driving Emissions (RDE) norms in India from April 2023, the Japanese carmaker will stop production of its 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel engine that is currently being offered in the Amaze, City (fifth generation) as well as the WR-V crossover.
The new RDE norms, which call for big investments in diesel engines to upgrade them to meet the stiff new emission regulations, have led to the axing of several diesel models across brands. For instance, the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios and Aura compact sedan silently gave up on a diesel engine offering earlier this year, while the premium i20 hatchback is lined up next to lose this option.
Customers in India can still buy diesel-powered Hondas until the end of March 2023, but the company plans to exhaust its diesel inventory in showrooms across the country before the more stringent emission standards kick in, exactly three years after BS VI emission norms were mandated from April 1, 2020.
Honda Cars India has already stopped producing diesel-powered WR-V as well as select variants of the Amaze compact sedan. Furthermore, the carmaker is in the process of phasing out the current generation Jazz, WR-V and City (fourth generation) in due course of time as the three models are nearing the end of their lifecycle. The rest of the portfolio will see the end of life of diesel variants between December 2022 and February 2023.
Autocar Professional reports that after the implementation of BS VI emission norms in April 2020, 21 percent of Honda’s total car sales came from the 1.5-litre diesel powertrain. This share, however, has further declined to only 7 percent of its total sales due to a shift in the customer’s preference towards petrol-powered cars. HCIL registered sales of about 30,000 to 35,000 units of diesel vehicles between CY2020 and CY2022.
Honda introduced the 1.5-litre diesel engine – christened ‘i-DTEC’ – in India in 2013 with the launch of the first-gen Amaze compact sedan. The company states that the BS VI-compliant engine has a certified fuel efficiency of 24.7kpl in the Amaze manual-transmission variant, while it delivers 24.1kpl in the larger City sedan. In the WR-V crossover, this 1.5 diesel powerplant provides a certified fuel efficiency of 23.7kpl.
Complete stop on made-in-India Honda diesel engines
Apart from stopping the manufacturing of the 1.5-litre diesel, sources have revealed that HCIL will also cease production and exports of the 1.6-litre diesel engine from March 2023. At present, India exports this 1.6-litre powerplant to Thailand for use in the Honda CR-V in overseas markets, including Thailand and the Philippines.
It is learnt that HCIL’s suppliers have been notified about this planned phase-out of these diesel engines well in advance, and the company will stop producing them at its plant in Tapukara, Rajasthan.
Ditching diesel in line with global trend
Honda’s decision to drop diesel from its portfolio can be understood to be in line with overall market trends. Over the past few years, leading carmakers in India as well as overseas have already exited or outlined their plans to move away from the diesel-engine segment, particularly in the small-displacement (sub-2-litre) category where the technological cost of conforming to even more stringent emission standards is relatively high.
Over the past decade, the share of diesel vehicles in India has fallen sharply from the peak of 54 percent to 20 percent, and the shift accelerated after the BS VI Phase-I emission norms implementation. The contribution of diesel in hatchbacks and sedans has almost vanished, with SUVs now accounting for a lion’s share of the demand.
While the likes of Hyundai, Kia, Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors continue to offer a diesel alternative in the compact and midsize SUV segments, the Japanese OEM brigade has, however, given up on diesel, and is instead focusing on hybrid powertrain technology.
Tougher criteria with RDE norms
The upcoming RDE norms will task OEMs to meet the emission targets, particularly those listed for particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) in the BS VI guidelines, now in the real-world driving scenario rather than just being on an engine test bench. This would effectively mean the requirement of a near-optimal emissions performance in varying geographical scenarios across India.
Industry experts say that it would, therefore, necessitate implementing technologies like selective catalytic reduction or SCR (further NOx reduction), which is currently used in high-displacement engines and will prove extremely cost inhibitive, particularly for diesel engines up to 1,500cc displacement.
Honda, however, will continue to focus on its renowned i-VTEC petrol engine technology with the 1.2-litre and 1.5-litre, naturally aspirated petrol engines powering the Amaze and City models, respectively, in India. It will also focus on the newly introduced strong-hybrid drivetrain in the City e:HEV.
Meanwhile, Honda is working on bringing a brand-new SUV to the Indian market around the middle of 2023 to regain its market share that has seen a significant drop in the past few years due to the lack of a strong SUV product portfolio. The new midsize SUV will come with both petrol and strong-hybrid powertrains. Honda hopes the hybrid technology will compensate for its exit in diesel, though it remains to be seen how competitively the 1.5-litre hybrid engine (which is expensive in the City) can be priced.


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Shares of Flowserve (FLS -3.47%) jumped more than 8% on Friday after the fluid motion and control products maker reported first-quarter earnings that came in ahead of expectations thanks to improving margins.
Flowserve posted first-quarter adjusted earnings of $0.41 per share, beating the $0.34-per-share analyst consensus, despite revenue coming in at $890.1 million, well shy of the $944 million analysts had expected. Sales were down 3.3% year over year, or up 0.4% on a constant currency basis, and included a 1% negative impact from a divestiture.
The results suggest that Flowserve is doing a good job of extracting costs from its operations. The company reported gross and operating margins of 33% and 10.2% in the quarter, up 350 and 530 basis points year over year, respectively.
Total bookings in the quarter were $1.07 billion, up 14.9%, giving the company a total backlog as of March 31 of $2.1 billion, which was up 9.2% over year-end.
Its shares had a difficult run late in 2018 as concerns over a global slowdown cutting into international industrial growth weighed on investors. Flowserve reaffirmed its full-year 2019 earnings outlook, though, for $1.95 to $2.15 per share, and said it expects revenue to increase 4% to 6% year over year.
The real takeaway for investors is that the company's push to transform itself by cutting costs, realigning operations, and focusing on what are expected to be higher-growth products seems to be having the desired effect.


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The “ice city” of Harbin, the snowy capital of northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, attracted a record number of visitors over the New Year holiday, many of them drawn by the grand and intricate ice sculptures of its annual Ice and Snow Festival.
The towering ice structures, illuminated in a dazzling array of lights at night, are built from ice blocks harvested from the frozen Songhua River nearby.
This year’s festival helped draw 3.05 million visitors to Harbin during the three-day New Year holiday that ended on Monday, generating 5.91 billion yuan ($826 million) in tourism revenue, state media agency Xinhua reported on Wednesday.
Those numbers exceeded the number of pre-COVID visits in 2019.
Growth in the city’s accommodation and catering sectors during the holiday period more than doubled from 2019, local newspaper Harbin Daily reported. The city’s tourism department attributed the growth to Harbin’s increasing popularity on social media platforms, Xinhua said.
The tourism boom occurred as China’s services activity expanded at the fastest pace in five months in December, lifting optimism in the sector to a three-month high.
Harbin’s authorities have rolled out activities to attract tourists including live performances and concerts, theme parks and fireworks displays, as well as improving dining, accommodation and shopping services, Xinhua said.
The Ice and Snow Festival park received 163,200 visitors over the New Year holidays, over five times more than a year ago, with almost 40% of those holiday makers visiting on New Year’s Eve, Heilongjiang provincial television said in a social media post.
That generated 46.18 million yuan in income, nearly six times higher than a year ago, the provincial TV station said.
Heilongjiang welcomed 6.619 million tourists over the three-day period, nearly triple from a year ago, producing tourism revenue of 6.920 billion yuan, almost five times the year ago figure, the station reported.
The city government announced a special public holiday, the Ice and Snow Holiday, for Friday, to coincide with the festival’s official opening.
The surge in domestic winter tourism has benefited local companies in the sector. Shares of ChangBai Mountain Tourism Co, a travel service company based in northeast China, have soared by 26% in Shanghai trading since the last week of December, beating benchmark shares.
($1 = 7.1558 yuan)


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HAVANA, March 15 Cuba closed a total of 45 businesses for not including electronic payment among their payment options, the state press reported this Thursday.This measure occurs in the context of what is known as the “banking process”, a series of measures that the Government launched last year to reduce the use of cash, which is still predominant in all transactions within the country.
Officials from the Ministry of Domestic Trade also applied 89 fines and withdrew 75 commercial authorizations within the 3,341 businesses – private and state – inspected in February, according to the Granma newspaper, the official organ of the Communist Party (PCC, the only legal one).
“62% of non-compliance is identified in the non-state [private] sector,” according to a note published on the official Cubadebate site.
Of the total, 893 businesses did not comply “with the provisions”, mainly agricultural markets and state bakeries.
Last November, the island Government established a three-month period for companies – state or private – to include electronic transfers by telephone or bank card as a form of payment. Otherwise, he warned, he would suspend his activities.
The provision, published in the Official Gazette, is the last step in the banking process, which began in August.
In Cuba, the so-called “national gateways”, national digital payment systems, and “point-of-sale terminals (dataphones)” coexist.
Although banking has made progress, paying in cash continues to be the first option for Cubans, who often have to wait in long lines to withdraw bills from ATMs.
Hotels, as well as state currency stores, concentrate a large part of the few dataphones that work in the country, according to official media.
In addition to “banking”, the Government announced in 2023 that private businesses would have a limit of 5,000 Cuban pesos (CUP) – about 42 dollars at the official exchange rate – to withdraw in each operation.
According to independent economists consulted by EFE at that time, the limit for the private sector lies on a thin line between what is “necessary” and a “banking corralito.”
The experts recalled that small and medium-sized private companies on the island need CUP in cash to exchange for dollars on the black market – they cannot do so in the banking system – to import their products.


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NASVI national coordinator Arbind Singh says at the World Street Food Dialogue in Singapore, “India has tremendous potential in street food vending and advocacy efforts are on to influence Indian government to tap the potentials”
Heavy rush at Indian stalls serving litti chokha, litti mutton, bhelpuri, chicken 65 and chicken garlic
Singapore/ New Delhi, 4 June:
The social-economic dynamics of street food vending and the attitudes and responses of the national and provincial governments in India towards promoting the street food vending in cities and towns was one of key topics discussed on Tuesday at the World Street Food Dialogue in Singapore. More than 200 street food experts, street food entrepreneurs, food and tourism & entertainment promoters as well as street food masters of several countries including the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) national coordinator Arbind Singh addressed the dialogue.
The dialogue was addressed among others by renowned chef, author and TV host of the USA Anthony Bourdain, Singapore’s food ambassador KF Seetoh, editor in chief of critically acclaimed American food magazine James Osland, managing editor of the China Daily Pauline Low, the Chinese TV host Johnny Chan, and street food entrepreneur of Denmark Claus Meyer. The speakers shared and discussed on the ways to preserve, professionalize and create new opportunities for street food vendors across countries.
Addressing the dialogue on the theme of ‘India’s Quest to Legitimize Five Million Street Food Vendors, Future Potentials & Vision’, NASVI chief Arbind Singh said, “ India has tremendous potential in street food vending and the advocacy efforts are on to influence Indian government to tap the potentials”. He talked about the policy and legislative developments taking place in India in favour of street vendors.
Mr. Singh said, “Our sustained efforts have yielded good results and the cabinet of our national government has approved the Street Vendors Livelihood Protection Bill. It would see the light of the day very soon. We also are advocating for a National Policy for Street Food Vendors and immediate creation of Food Streets in major cities and towns of India.” He called for developing bigger partnerships to promote street food in Asia and assert the brilliance of Asian street food in the world.
The World Street Food Dialogue took place on the occasion of the ongoing World Street Food Congress (WSFC) in Singapore. This international food carnival began on 31 May and would go on till 9 June. The WSFC is having forty stalls of different countries with mind boggling delicacies, such as varietes of noodles of China, Mee Siam, Penang Rojak, Assam Laksa of Malaysia, Chicken 65, Chicken Garlic, Tamarind Rice, Litti Chokha, Litti Mutton and Bhelpuri- Batatapuri and Pavbhaji of India, Tostada and Fish Taco of Mexico, soft shelled crab burger and smothered chicken of United States, Banh Khot, Banh Xeo and Chuoi Nuong of Vietnam, and Wee Nam Kee, poached chicken, Putu Mayam, Appam, Rojak and Cheng Tng of Singapore.
India is the only country having largest number of four street food stalls. The Indian team is led by NASVI street food programs manager Sangeeta Singh. On Tuesday, Ms. Singh along with Delhi India Gate vendor Gulab Singh joined a discussion as panelists and shared the intricacies of street food vending, particularly the management of ingredients in preparing the nutritious street food.
The Indian team comprises of Bhaskar Urs and Ashok Kumar of Mysore, Narayanswami and Akbar of Dharwar, Ashok Sah and Vijay Chaudhary of Patna, and Gulab Singh and Rajan of Delhi.
According to reports reaching here, the Indian stalls are pulling good crowds, especially the stalls serving and showcasing litti chokha, litti muttion, bhelpuri, batatapuri and chicken 65. The theme slogan of Indian team is “ Die Die Must Try Street Foods of India’..