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A scam that comes around every so often is back again and it’s hitting us in one of our most vulnerable places – our phones.
These scams have been called “ring and run”, “dial and disconnect,” or “one ring.” The goal is to charge you big money without you knowing. The call might ring only once, leaving you a missed call number listed on your phone. Forbes magazine says the number most likely has a 473 area code. Fight the urge to call back! The criminals establish the number as a premium service number, so your rate can exceed $20 just for the first minute. Other potential area codes, according to Forbes, that you may need to be wary of include 809, 284, 649, and 879. This doesn’t apply if you are expecting a call from these area codes.
Tech giants Google, Microsoft, Facebook and others, are now releasing more data on how many, and how often they were ordered to provide customer information for secret NSA investigations. Turns out they turned-in data on as many as 10-thousand customers in a six-month period.
And, Target is spending $100 million dollars to beef-up security at its stores following the massive data breach over the holidays. The new cards will use a chip and a pin to process transactions. Security experts worry the U.S. is far behind, and retailer’s systems are still vulnerable to cyber attacks.


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We are thrilled to announce that Three Marm Brewing’s Djinn’s HellaBrew won first place at the recent National Orange Show Fair!
Four judges made the selection based on style, flavor profile, carbonation and mouthfeel. Congrats also to Inland Empire Brewing IEB (2nd place), Wrightwood Brewery (3rd place), and Euryale Brewing (Best of show and Peoples Choice).
Three Marm was also recently recognized by the Beer Travel Guide as having one of the top 10 beers at the 2019 LA Beer Festival. The Beer Travel Guide reported, “This was my first encounter with Three Marm Brewing, and I was highly impressed with both options. The Trugger Logger Lager was a wildly fresh, very spruce-forward lager, good for a warm day— but the Horchata Porter, a milky, cinnamony, roasty concoction, was somehow even better. These brewers from San Bernandino County definitely grabbed my attention, and I eagerly anticipate whatever they brew up next.”

domain: news


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Krasnodar, Russia -- (ReleaseWire) -- 11/27/2017 -- On November 20, the new tech startup FREEDOHM COMPUTERS announced the launch of crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo platform to make upscale workstations and home computers compatible with any operating system.
The FREEDOHM COMPUTERS team, which consists of enthusiasts from different professional backgrounds (IT, video game development, design, music industry and others), appeals to those people who want to free themselves from being imposed by major brands to use certain operating systems in conjunction with specific computer hardware, thus gaining maximum freedom in choosing and using their personal computers.
FREEDOHM COMPUTERS allow you to install any popular OS. This is made possible by the special firmware FREEDOHMWARE that is being developed by the team. In addition, a potential user gets an individually assembled and well tested machine equipped with the best components on the market. And the stylish design of FREEDOHM COMPUTERS is imbued with the spirit of modernism and minimalism.
The core technology of FREEDOHM has been tested in in the real working environment for a few moths, and now the FREEDOHM COMPUTERS team needs the support of all freethinkers who share their ideas, to give life to the project.
The first stage of crowdfunding campaign is aimed at the development and testing of production-ready prototypes of five models and covering the operating expenses. It will last 40 days, during which everyone can positively influence the outcome of the campaign and receive not only thanks from the team, but also different rewards, starting with discount coupons of various values and ending with an invitation to a real pizza party with the project authors. It is necessary to raise 50,000 USD for FREEDOHM COMPUTERS to make a leap forward. In the words of Neil Armstrong, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." You may be one of the first to help make this step.
Freedom and Resistance. Hand in hand. Your personal FREEDOHM.
About FREEDOHM COMPUTERS
FREEDOHM COMPUTERS is a tech startup based in Krasnodar, Russia. It was founded in 2017 by a group of people from different professional backgrounds.The main concept that unites the team – is that every member is striving for freedom of choice.
For more information on this press release visit:
Media Relations Contact
Email: Click to Email Arthur Shakhbazian


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A photo teaser of the upcoming 2023 Lexus RZ 450e — the marque’s outset fully electric crossover, set to debut Apr twenty — shows a cabin non far removed from its sibling NX except for — expect for it — the addition of a yoke steering bicycle.
It’s not yet articulate if the controversial feature volition be offered in Due north America, or if this will exist some other one of those things that only other markets go — the 2023 Toyota BZ4X, for case, also comes with a yoke steering wheel option, albeit exclusively in the Chinese market place.
[UPDATE: Lexus has confirmed to
Machine and Commuter
that the yoke will be indeed exist fabricated available on the RZ in the U.S., the outlet assumes as an option and not standard. —Ed.]
Speaking of, the RZ 450e will likely ride on the aforementioned platform underpinning the 2023 Toyota BZ4X and 2023 Subaru Solterra, and is due in showrooms later this year as a 2023 model, according to
Lexus shows off electric models up close, including RZ 450e
Kickoff Look: Lexus LF-Z Electrified Concept
The Toyota BZ4X AWD might besides offer us a good indication of the RZ’due south capabilities, as it could share that car’s 160-kW (215-hp) dual-motor setup and 72.viii-kWh battery.
It’s unclear if Lexus will upgrade its functioning. However, it’s likely to upwards the ante with its new electrified all-wheel-bulldoze system, which Lexus calls Direct4, set to be fitted to most if not all of its luxury EV models, and potentially offering better torque, driving feel, and stability.
With a black-out treatment on the C-pillars, fashionable headlights, and distinctive taillights, the Lexus RX 450e doesn’t marking a big divergence from the brand’due south electric current design philosophy, though it does stand out thanks to those details. It could also exist big plenty to accommodate three rows of seating.
The RZ is poised to go Lexus’ starting time all-electrical vehicle in North America. Lexus previously released images of the exterior back in February.
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Take on Wall Street/AFR, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO, and United for Respect hosted a briefing for Hill staffers on September 23, 2021, to explain why Wall Street needs an excise tax on stock buybacks and why now is the
Webinar Save the Date: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s 10th Birthday, featuring Senator Elizabeth Warren and guest panelists
Americans for Financial Reform (AFR), Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), Center for Responsible Lending (CRL), Consumer Federation of America (CFA), National Consumer Law Center (NCLC), Consumer Action and The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights invite you to attend: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s
AFR and the Main Street Alliance hosted the third webinar in the event series “Small Business Needs In The Biden Administration” on April 15, 2021. The panel, “Increasing Access to Capital for Black Small Businesses,” was moderated by AFR Advocacy Director Rion Dennis.
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, AFR with our coalition partner, Main Street Alliance, have been advocating for more rational and equitable small business relief in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. Before the pandemic, AFR promoted the need for new and innovative means to
AFREF urges the Department of Labor to withdraw their proposed rule entitled “Financial Factors in Selecting Plan Investments.” It discourages fiduciaries from considering environmental, social and governmental (ESG) factors in their investments and creates burdens for investors looking to be socially conscious.
SAVE THE DATES — July 17, July 20, Aug. 4, and more Webinar Series A Decade after Dodd-Frank: What Next? Building a Just Financial System Ten years ago this month, Congress passed, and President Obama signed into law the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer


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Cloud computing is fast becoming the norm in businesses all over the world, with three quarters of businesses set to invest in the technology over the coming two years.
This is according to the latest IBM global tech trends survey, which also found that 40 per cent of businesses questioned were yet to adopt cloud computing.
Virtual desktops were among the most popular cloud technologies, with 24 per cent of businesses planning to develop new applications in this area.
Cloud computing is flexible and scalable
“The top motivators for adopting cloud continue to revolve around the notion of doing more with less. Close to 60% of respondents cited flexibility and scalability as the top motivators for embracing cloud technology,” explained the report.
Although the report uncovered that there are still some concerns about security and privacy when operating in the cloud, the overwhelming leaning towards adopting the technology in the coming years indicates that the projected benefits outweigh any concerns.
The increase in mobile working is thought to be a major driver in the adoption of cloud computing, with over half seeing the investment as part of its wider mobile strategy. This has increased in relevance in light of the fact that so may more people are working away from the office and relying on mobile technology to stay connected.


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Recently, the purported Sony Xperia Z3 with the same model number was spotted on AnTuTu benchmarks, and managed to score 37,169.
Not too long ago, Sony released the Xperia Z2 with top-of-the-line specifications on board. Sony also confirmed that it will release a new flagship device every six months, so it could be the next big device from the Japanese OEM. If the six months product lifecycle is correct, we should witness the alleged Xperia Z3 at the IFA 2014 in Berlin. It’s going to be a big event as rumors also hint at the launch of the purported Galaxy Note 4 at the event.
There’s no word about the specifications of the device, but we could be looking at a QHD display, a quad-core Snapdragon processor with 3GB of RAM, 16/32GB internal storage with a microSD card slot, and Android 4.4 KitKat as its operating system out of the box. It could be Android 5.0 L, but we doubt it since Google is expected to release it by the end of this year, possibly along with a new Nexus device.
We’ll update you if we come across any other information.
Source: Phone Arena
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Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.


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An investor group led by General Felt Industries, a furniture, carpeting and floor products company, said it had sweetened its bid for the Sheller-Globe Corporation to $46.50 a share, from $43 a share.
General Felt of Saddle Brook, N.J., valued the new bid for Sheller's 8.8 million common shares outstanding, and about 2 million subordinated and convertible debentures at more than $465 million.
Alan Feld, a lawyer for General Felt said, ''while spirited, this has been a friendly transaction.'' He added that $46.50 a share is ''pretty much'' the final offer. Sheller-Globe, which is based in Toledo, Ohio, makes automotive parts and assemblies. Its stock closed yesterday at $44, up $1.25.Continue reading the main story


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Hong Kong tech firm ConvenientPower unveils world's first wireless charger for smart devices with metal cases
A Hong Kong technology company has launched the world's first wireless charging platform for mobile devices with metal cases, cutting the last cord that limits mobility for many of today's premium smartphones and media tablets.
ConvenientPower, based at the Hong Kong Science Park, announced that milestone in San Francisco, California, this week with its development of "WoW(me)", a wireless charging transmitter pad for both metal and non-metal mobile electronics gadgets.
"This accelerates the range of design and waterproof possibilities for mobile electronics, such as wearables, smartphones and computing devices," said Camille Tang, the president and co-founder of ConvenientPower.
Until now, charging a device with a metal exterior has been incompatible with various wireless charging technologies available in the market. Smartphone designers, for example, had to choose between building a premium handset incorporating metal or a non-metal device that can support wireless charging.
Tang first publicly mentioned ConvenientPower's efforts towards this breakthrough in wireless charging at the South China Morning Post's Game Changers Forum 3 event last week.
She said the milestone was made possible by the company's close collaboration with mobile chip giant Qualcomm and its subsidiary Qualcomm Technologies, which engineered a solution called WiPower that allows wireless charging for mobile devices with metal cases.
WiPower meets the Rezence standard, a wireless power-transfer specification developed by the Alliance for Wireless Power based on so-called near-field magnetic resonance technology.
According to Qualcomm, WiPower would enable consumer electronics manufacturers to embed the technology in a range of surfaces and applications, such as cars, furniture and hotel rooms, in an efficient and simple-to-use manner.
ConvenientPower's WoW(me) wireless charging pad maintains all the properties of Rezence-certified transmitters, including the ability to charge multiple devices with various power requirements, simultaneously, through different surfaces.
"Having ConvenientPower follow up so quickly with a companion solution gets this technology that much closer to consumers," said Steve Pazol , the general manager of wireless charging operations at Qualcomm.
"We never anticipated the level of excitement this would generate."
Established in 2006, ConvenientPower designs and develops wireless charging solutions - reference designs, modules and chipsets - across multiple fields including consumer electronics, automotive, medical systems and commercial infrastructure.
"We are the first Hong Kong company to have initiated a global technology standard," Tang said last week.
That standard is "Qi", an open wireless charging specification promoted by the Wireless Power Consortium. Tang serves as a co-chair of the consortium, which has more than 200 corporate members in 20 countries.
Tang had earlier predicted this year to represent "an inflection point for wireless power growth".
Technology research firm IHS has forecast shipments of wireless power receivers packaged with mobile phones are expected to exceed 120 million units this year.
In the wearable electronics market, shipments of wireless charging receivers are expected to rise to more than 20 million units this year.
The Apple Watch is projected to take a dominant share of more than 70 per cent of total revenue in wireless-charging-enabled wearable devices.


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An interesting fake video of a White iPhone 5 suspect to be an origin of a leaked design specification has been put up on line by NowhereElse.fr. This new fake white iPhone design has generated many reviews which claimed that it is based on the official Apple model.
Folk checkouts the video of the iPhone 5 clone video:
According to rumors, Apple is expecting to release the new iPhone in September or October. Earlier GizChina has posted images of a black model of this device saying that this is the most awesome inspiring replica they have seen and it really follow the shapes of the leaked iPhone 5 case designs.


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Nearly a dozen Bangor businesses have been the targets of break-ins this month, according to police, who were investigating two new break-ins Thursday morning.
The Bangor Police Department has been called to investigate 11 break-ins since March 1. The Bangor Region YMCA, Epic Sports and a pawn shop have been among the targets, according to Bangor police.
Only one person has been charged in connection with a break-in so far, according to Bangor police Sgt. Wade Betters.
Clyde Cooper, 51, was charged with burglarizing Herbal Tea and Tobacco at 44 Main St. on March 14.
On Thursday morning, Bangor police responded to back-to-back break-in calls after someone broke into a pawn shop on State Street and someone broke into the Bangor Region YMCA on Second Street, forcing the organization to close its building for the day.
A Bangor Region YMCA patron reacts to a sign indicating the YMCA’s closure Thursday in Bangor; The Buy and Sell Shop on State Street in Bangor was broken into Thursday as well. Credit: Sawyer Loftus / BDN
Two weeks ago, Antique Alley on Columbia Street in downtown Bangor was the target of another break-in. Someone threw a brick through the front window of the shop to steal jewelry and cutlery, Betters said.
And on March 16, Epic Sports on Main Street was broken into during the early morning hours. Bangor police responded to the store just before 5 a.m. and found that a large glass window had been smashed after someone threw a piece of asphalt, according to Betters.
The suspect in that case made off with more than $2,000 worth of clothing. The cost to repair the window is estimated to be around $4,000.
Additionally, burglars have broken into the Fairmount Market and the Corner Store, both on Hammond Street, as well as the WeeBeez Deli and Market’s Capehart location on Blue Hill East.


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New Delhi, Jan 18: Reliance Jio has always ruled Indian telecom industry since its launch and has always put pressure on the other companies with their regular changes in the offer to make it more profitable for the users. Doing so the rival companies are forced to come up with revised plans or leave market share.
In a latest to counter Jio plans, Idea has come up with cashback offer of Rs 3300 while Jio's "Surprise Cashback" of Rs 3300 just ended 2 days back and the company is now offering 100% cashback offer up to Rs 700.
Idea Cellular announced "cashback offer" worth Rs 3,300 on online recharges of Rs 398 and above till February 10, 2018. "On all 'Unlimited' plan recharges of Rs. 398 and above, done through any online channel, Idea customers will get eight discount vouchers of Rs. 50 each," the company said in a statement here. It also said these discount vouchers can be redeemed by customers on subsequent recharges of Rs 300 and above over a period of one year. "Customers will also receive five shopping coupons worth Rs 2,700 which can be used at the partner stores or website on a range of brands," the statement added. In addition, recharge through company app or website would attract wallet cashback of Rs 200, it said.


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BRUSSELS: European Union authorities on Tuesday fined the Japanese company behind Hello Kitty for restricting cross-border online sales of toys, mugs, bags and other products featuring the cartoon cat girl.
The EU’s antitrust commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, said that Sanrio Company was fined 6.2 million euros ($7
"leads to less choice and potentially higher prices for consumers and is against EU antitrust rules,"
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US: Toyota to recall 150,000 Tacomas for spare tyre check
Toyota's US unit is recalling about 150,000 Tacoma trucks originally sold or currently registered in 20 cold climate states and the District of Columbia to inspect and/or replace the spare tyre carrier assembly.
During manufacture, the spare tyre carrier lift plate may not have been sufficiently coated with phosphate and that, combined with prolonged exposure to high road salt use and other environmental factors may contribute to the development of more than normal corrosion on some vehicles, causing it to break and the spare tyre detaching from the vehicle.
I wouldn't have thought that, with the current state of play in the European auto industry, there'd be too much niggle in the union ranks. But we've reported on a bit this week....
New vehicle sales in Vietnam jumped by 34% to 8,001 units in April, from a depressed 5,972 units in the same month of last year, according to data released by the Vietnam Automotive Manufacturers Asso...
US-based electric car maker Tesla Motors has posted its first ever quarterly profit in the first quarter as it also said it exceeded its target for deliveries....
Toyota Boshoku has concluded an agreement to establish a joint venture in Pakistan with Pakistani automotive component maker, Thal, and Toyota Tsusho....
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Home for the Holidays is a fantastic Holiday-themed show featuring traditional songs as well as stories and special appearances!
Elf the Musical returns to Broadway for the holiday season! Follow Buddy the Elf as he helps New York remember the true meaning of Christmas!
It was recently announced that ticket sales for the 18 week special engagement of Angels in America starring Nathan Lane and Andrew Garfield have begun. To purchase them now, you have to be an Audience Rewards member. But if you’re like me and you’re not… general ticket sales will begin October 30th and tickets to ..
Cher is a style icon, music mogul, and LGBTQ activist whose career has brought forth so many memorable songs and performances. Starting in June of 2018, it seems that she will be working with Broadway creatives to “Turn Back Time” on her career with a five week musical engagement in Chicago. The Cher Show is ..
Moulin Rouge! The Musical is a new stage adaptation of Baz Luhrmann’s incredibly popular hit film! This stage musical will combine music from the last century as well as new music released since the film was initially made!
One of the most quotable movies of the millennial generation is going to be premiering on Broadway in 2018. From questioning butter as a carbohydrate to wearing pink on Wednesdays, this is an entertainment phenomenon that has connected fans for over a decade. With a book by Tina Fey and music by her spouse, Jeff ..


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Circle, the company behind USDC, is set to release an onchain stable Euro (EUROC) on June 30th, 2022.
EUROC is an on-chain token, backed 1 to 1 with fiat Euros in a bank account. To mint a token, eligible entities can deposit euros into a Circle account with Silvergate, a California based bank that will hold Circle’s Euro reserves.
The EUROC’s Euro reserves will be audited every month by Grant Thornton LLP who will publish a public report to ensure that the on-chain stable coin is in fact fully backed by off chain Fiat Euros.
The Euro backed stablecoin, which is pegged to the EURO, will be issued by Circle, the issuer of USDC. Currently, USDC is the second largest stablecoin in the crypto market with a circulating supply of more than $50 Billion.
Are Stablecoins Safe?
Stablecoins have been getting a lot of (negative) attention over the past couple of months leading into this bear market. Many attribute the start of our most recent crypto crash to the failure of UST, an algorithmic stablecoin on the Terra Luna blockchain.
UST was algorithmically designed to stay stable against the US dollar through a series of on-chain mechanisms and blockchain based reserve currencies.
However, UST lost its peg – sending both the stablecoin and its backing token, LUNA to near zero. This collapse caused severe price drops throughout the crypto markets.
Not All StableCoins Are Created Equal
Unlike UST, which is an algorithmic stablecoin, USDC is backed 1:1 by dollar denominated bank accounts. Circle is taking the same approach with the EUROC.
Each EUROC will be linked to an underlying Euro at the California based bank, Silvergate.
Why Do We Need an On-Chain Euro?
An on-chain euro enables a host of benefits.
On-Chain Payments in Euros
100% backed on-chain Euros will facilitate payments to anyone trying to receive or pay in Euros on the blockchain. Blockchain payments are often easier and have less fees when sending payments across borders for remittances.
The EUROC will enable those looking to transact internationally with Euros to do so without having to deal with currency fluctuations between the Euro and either the dollar, or typical blockchain currencies like Bitcoin.
Having the ERC-20 EUROC token launched by a prominent company like Circle means the EUROC won’t need much in terms of blockchain marketing. The Euro based stablecoin will be available on Compound, Curve, and Uniswap immediately. After that, the EVM compatible Euro will likely proliferate quickly across other DeFi protocols.
As of now, most defi applications only have US dollar backed stablecoins as an option for users looking to save, borrow and lend within defi protocols. If you are a citizen of a Euro denominated country, saving a “stable” coin in a defi application to earn yield isn’t quite as stable. Reason being, there is still exposure to the underlying price fluctuation between the dollar and the euro.
A Euro based stable coin allows Europeans to utilize defi in a more predictable manner.
On top of that, the launch of the EUROC includes opening the Silvergate Exchange Network as an on-ramp for Euros onto the blockchain. This added fiat to crypto gateway for one of the world’s largest currencies should bring more liquidity into the blockchain space and DeFi applications.
With applications such as Coinbase Commerce, more and more merchants are accepting crypto payments. Currently blockchain commerce platforms are somewhat limited to traditional cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum and US denominated stable coins. Having a reliable Euro backed stablecoin, like the EUROC, may incentivize more European merchants to accept cryptocurrency. This brings more business and e-commerce onto the blockchain and outside of traditional banking and payment rails.
Right out the gate the EUROC will be listed on Binance, Bitstamp, FTX and Huobi crypto exchanges.
Listing the EUROC on those exchanges will enable more traditional cryptocurrencies to be paired against the Euro. This opens up a host of opportunities for crypto traders and crypto trading bots that are looking to create Euro-denominated P&Ls.
Circle, a large and trusted entity, is launching a transparently backed Euro denominated stablecoin. This Euro denominated stablecoin will open an onramp for more traditional capital to enter the blockchain world of DeFi and on-chain payments.
While stablecoins have had their issues in the past, the EUROC will be backed 1:1 by Euro denominated bank accounts. The EUROC will likely play a large role in bridging the crypto economy with the traditional economy.
Look out for the blockchain based EUROC token to launch on June 30, 2022.


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Seattle-based Jones Soda Co. announced the winner of its third annual “Jonesin’ for a Fiat 500X” summer photo contest. Beth Edwards from Lexington, Ky., will take home the grand prize, which includes a new Fiat 500X crossover and one year’s supply of Jones Soda, the company says. Additionally, her winning photo will be featured on bottles of Jones Stripped throughout North America in 2016, it adds.
This year’s photo contest received more than 40,000 entries from around the country. The winning photo was chosen by a panel of judges from Jones Soda and the Fiat brand. The 22-week photo contest required contestants to submit photos with the goal to raise awareness of both product lines, the companies say.
Continuing on the success of the partnership that was created in 2013, Jones Soda and Fiat collaborated on various initiatives throughout the year, including event sponsorships such as the U.S. Open of Surfing, providing fans with samples of Jones Soda and giveaways of other fun co-branded merchandise, they add.
“We are thrilled with the number of submissions the photo contest had this year, as it exceeded our expectations,” said Jones Soda’s Marketing Director Andrew Baumann in a statement. “The continued excitement and growth of our photo contest shows the synergy between the Fiat and Jones brands, and this success can be attributed to our continued interaction with our consumers through social media and event activations. We look forward to continued growth and success of the Jones/Fiat partnership into 2016 and beyond.”
Casey Hurbis, head of communications for Fiat Brand North America added: “The excitement surrounding the ‘Jonesin’ for a FIAT’ contest — which gives consumers an opportunity to both act as ambassadors for the brands and interact with both through social media channels — continues to grow with submissions increasing four-fold since the contest debuted in 2013. Our fans continue to inspire us with their imagination, creativity and enthusiasm. It was incredibly difficult to choose only one winner.”


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ROME — Silvio Berlusconi’s Mediaset communications group has announced robust financial results for 1998.
Consolidated net profit for the year rose to $324 million, a 19.6% increase for Italy’s leading commercial television player.
Net revenues climbed by 8.8% to total $2.15 billion, and pre-tax profits rose 6.3% to $576 million. A higher dividend has been proposed by the group, with the price per share also increasing by 19.6% over the 1997 level.
“Thanks to these results, we can bring a positive outlook to our investments in Europe and toward the group’s future,” commented Mediaset president Fedele Confalonieri.
Mediaset recently unveiled elaborate plans for a European television, advertising, production, distribution and acquisitions alliance with Germany’s Kirch Group.
The deal brings together both companies’ assets in Italy, Germany and Spain, which represent two-thirds of the TV advertising billing of continental Europe and a potential audience of 200 million viewers.
Mediaset’s advertising division, Publitalia, closed 1998 with a 48% hike in net profit, which rose to $49.4 million against total ad sales revenues of $2.3 billion. The positive trend has continued into the current year, with ad income for the first quarter up 10%.


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We decided to step back and take in the larger picture of all of the emerging trends in the hosted VoIP market. This is one of the most dynamic markets in the technology world today: its growth is explosive, and there’s no end in sight. Every aspect of the way we do business has been touched by these emerging technologies, and more changes are just over the horizon. Last month, the research firm Frost & Sullivan released a comprehensive report on the state of the sector. Over the course of 173 pages, Elka Popova explored the services on offer today and took a look at who is already using Hosted VoIP, who will benefit from it in the near future, and the directions that providers can be expected to take as the market matures. The report was dense, and packed with valuable information. What we found was exciting, encouraging, and worth sharing with our readers. We mulled it over, digested it, and decided to put together this post so that you can take it all in at a glance. So what does the world of cloud communications look like today and where are we headed tomorrow?
Overcoming barriers: what’s in the way?
Before we examine the many ways this technology is thriving and how we expect it to impact businesses in the second half of this decade, it’s worth considering the obstacles that cloud communications are currently facing. While the future growth of VoIP is as close to a sure thing as you get in this world, there are still challenges slowing it down, and objections that some potential customers are raising. You may have said these things yourself.
- “The old stuff’s still here, and it works fine.”
The large installed base of traditional premises-based solutions mean that some companies (especially large companies with complex structures and legacy capital expenditures) don’t need or want to invest in new approaches or technologies
- “I don’t trust it.”
The reputation of the cloud for security and reliability is getting stronger all the time, but some consumers still have concerns.
- “Where do I even start?”
As in any new market, the competitive landscape is crowded and confusing. There are many providers and not a lot to go on when you’re trying to choose. We’re still looking for strong leaders to validate the value proposition of hosted IP communications.
As we’ll see in this post, while each of these constraints are legitimate, we can expect their impact to weaken over time. The first concern is rapidly dissipating due to the new demands of a rapidly evolving workplace. Traditional companies are shifting their organizational structures to encompass the needs of a highly mobile and remote workforce. Worries about security are giving way to the snowball effect: continued technological improvement along with growing (and contagious) consumer confidence about VoIP and cloud technologies will boost adoption at a steady rate. And confusion about which options make sense for any given business will begin to clear as the market matures and providers hone in on the services and features that matter most to their customers.
Crunching the numbers: where we are now?
Who is using the technology and why? Just how much is the market growing? In the last year alone, the hosted VoIP user base grew by 30.5 percent to reach 5.0 million users by year end in 2013. That means an additional 1.2 million new users have adopted cloud communication technology since year end 2012. This is good news for providers: last year’s market revenue added up to an astonishing $1.59 B. It’s also great news for the end users. A robust market like this creates a huge incentive for providers to up the ante on customer experience and service and drives innovation as companies jostle to differentiate themselves. We’ll take a more in-depth look at exactly what we can expect from that process later in the piece. For now, let’s examine the current market demographics and how they will play into emerging trends. The sea of prospective customers out there who can benefit from adopting VoIP and the cloud is deep and wide, but just who are they, and what do they need from the technology? Why should they get on board?
Small businesses are currently the biggest segment of hosted VoIP customers. In fact, the smaller the company, the more likely they are to adopt the solution.
Underserved small and medium-sized businesses who could not afford traditional advanced collaboration and communication technologies are eager to take advantage of this new, affordable option. The low entry barrier, flexibility and scalability of hosted VoIP communication is appealing. While the impact of strained budgets is most apparent among smaller businesses, the fact is that everyone is feeling the pinch. Overall, businesses are facing serious challenges managing their IT and telecommunications needs.
In order to dig deeper into the reasons companies of all sizes are turning to VoIP, Frost and Sullivan ran a series of surveys among IT decision makers. In one, they asked about the biggest IT challenges that businesses are facing:
Many of these challenges can be solved with the adoption of affordable, flexible hosted cloud communications technologies, and we can expect cost to remain a powerful force in market growth. But while it may seem that everyone’s mind is on the bottom line, further surveys reveal other interesting motivations for businesses to adopt the technology.
Companies perceive cloud computing to be an effective way to address many of the day-to-day concerns involved in running a business. Productivity and relevance are essential measures of how any organization is performing, and any tool that can support these goals is something that demands serious consideration. The fourth factor on that list, improving collaboration, is a major factor in the adoption of cloud communication technology by larger businesses:
Larger, distributed organizations with many remote and mobile employees are beginning to find this technology invaluable in modern business. Globalization marches on, and the resulting distributed organizations are must find efficient ways to adapt their operations. Quick, responsive resources for managing and supporting geographically dispersed workers, locations, and markets are invaluable.The increasingly mobile and remote workforce is set to become an even bigger factor in how companies handle their communication and collaboration needs. To visualize exactly how quickly things are changing, here’s a picture of the rapidly changing workforce distribution:
Clearly, this decentralization will continue to drive the search for more flexible solutions for border-less communication and collaboration. Hosted VoIP and cloud technologies are perfectly positioned to ride this wave to ever-greater heights. We expect this to be one of the most powerful drivers of growth in the market over the next five years.
The sky’s the limit: how much growth is on the way?
So just how big is this potential market? To understand the possible reach of cloud communications, we need to take a look at who is still out there to reach. Currently there are 138.2 M users of traditional business telephony, most of whom are future candidates for hosted cloud and VoIP adoption. The report has projected that between 2013 and 2020 market growth will hold steady with compound annual growth rates of 27.4 percent in terms of installed users:
That inexorable upward climb is an exciting sign of what’s to come, but to really comprehend how far there is to go, we need to see the enormity of the untapped market. Even with that robust rate of growth over the next five years, cloud communication technologies will have barely scraped the surface of the possibilities. The full scale of future demand is startling. Those 27 million users in 2020 will still represent only 18.2 percent penetration:
With so much room to grow, providers have an incredible mandate to expand their offerings and reach more businesses than ever before. We have every reason to believe that this will lead to an extremely positive environment for end users.
The future: who’s going to survive, and what will they offer us?
At the moment, there’s a bit of a wild-west attitude in the cloud communications arena. That sense of possibility and the resulting “gold rush” energy make it an exciting time for those within the industry, but it can lead to customers feeling perplexed as they try to sort out which provider is best able to meet the needs of their business. The dust is settling, however, and we can expect clearer markers of quality to appear. When we examine the current factors that customers use to determine which provider they select, it’s easy to see where vendors will be focusing their efforts:
It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there for hosted VoIP providers. As the sector matures, we’ll start to see front-runners emerging who know how to deliver what customers want. These leaders will know how to succeed in a market that has overturned all the traditional monetization models of the telecommunications world, and that drive for differentiation will benefit customers in a number of ways.
The big telcos and vendors who have been scrambling to compete with this emerging technology will start using VoIP offerings as both a defensive and offensive strategy to keep up with changing customer needs. The expansive resources they will bring to the development and marketing of their cloud communication products will be a game changer. Among existing providers, we can also expect to see the market tighten up as mergers and acquisitions accelerate growth for some vendors. The resulting expanded channel capabilities and resources will enable them to improve the customer experience, service, and support they offer to their users. Overall, the providers who will survive and succeed long-term will be those who focus on the basics: streamlining operations and retaining customers with service quality and reliability and back-office systems efficiency.
When it comes to the product itself, several trends are becoming clear. The basic packages offered to users are expected to evolve more in terms of quality than content. As the market continues to adjust to new monetization strategies, advanced services will remain important up-sells: instant messaging, PC/Mac-based soft clients, enhanced mobility, video, web collaboration and contact center. However, bundling strategies will remain about the same, and due the the fierce pressure of competition, the average revenue per user will also stay steady, which is good news for the consumer.
Because budgetary concerns are set to remain a major factor in adoption, the manner in which cloud services are delivered really matters: the need for flexible and cost-effective broadband access is paramount. This where hosted solutions really come to the fore. Providers who can offer this are already winning customers, and the trend is set to continue:
Additionally, multi-instance platforms will grow in popularity and market share: the security and customization benefits are great, and it’s much easier for users to reuse and integrate existing structures. On a similar note, the user interface will become increasingly important. The trend across all technologies is strongly in favor of more things in sync. The capabilities of the cloud are uniquely suited to this demand, and service providers will stress their ability to integrate with third-party communications and productivity applications.
Clearly, things are just getting started. The potential for growth in hosted cloud communication technologies remains staggering, and the incentives for adoption are increasing in both urgency and strength. Companies are shifting their patterns of work, giving rise to the virtual organization as the workforce grows ever more mobile. Businesses of all sizes are looking for cost-effective and ubiquitous connectivity across a galaxy of devices. Both consumers and businesses are expecting ever-greater customization and personalization of the technologies they use every day. Hosted VoIP and cloud technologies are roaring in to address these needs, and the fierce competition from providers to grab the top place is poised to offer consumers continually improving products and services, while keeping prices at an attractively affordable level. The future, for all of us, is very bright.


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Diageo sets out goals
DRINKS manufacturer Diageo is taking the lead in emerging markets as demand increases in Moscow and Mumbai.
Its greatest rival, French company Pernod Ricard is hamstrung by massive debts taken on four years ago to buy Absolut vodka.
Diageo has snapped up producers of baijiu, cachaca and raki in China, Brazil and Turkey to drive sales in the world's fastest growing economies.
Diageo's next goal is a firmer grip on the world's biggest tequila producer, Jose Cuervo, which would provide important access to the emerging Mexican spirits market.


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Dear Kosterina Family,
My husband and I just took our 3 young children to Disney World for the first time and the experience was every bit as magical as they say. Since we were there in late October, we got to go trick-or-treating all around the Magic Kingdom theme park, where our kids received hefty scoops of Mars Halloween candy at every stop. As I went through the candy I noticed about half the bag was filled with Skittles and Starburst and I immediately remembered a couple of things:
Firstly, I recalled hearing a podcast where an author for CGM company, Levels, was interviewed. Dr. Casey Means was asked about the absolute worst food from their 50+ million glucose data points (i.e. what food generates the worst blood glucose spikes). Her answer? Skittles.
Separately, Skittles (and Starburst) were actually banned in Europe last year because of harmful ingredients. In 2022, the EU banned the use of titanium dioxide due to the potential for genotoxicity – the ability for a chemical to alter DNA, which may lead to cancer. Yikes.
What’s even more infuriating is these candy companies have found ways to reformulate their candy with healthier ingredients for the European markets but continue to sell the original recipes here in the U.S. According to this Washington Post article “Titanium dioxide is found in the U.S. recipe for Skittles, but [it is not found] in bags of the sweets sold or consumed in Europe, since it was banned by the E.U. last year. It is also found in Nerds candy.”
Skittles, Pop-Tarts and even Gatorade are also banned in the European Union because they contain dyes like yellow 5, yellow 6 and red 40. The EU banned these artificial colors after their scientific research indicated they could be harmful to health, especially to young children. Yikes again.
I’m all for the Halloween festivities and the sweet indulgences that come with it. But we’re also here with you on our mission to help you live longer, more delicious lives so it’s probably worth paying a little extra attention to what ends up in those orange jack ‘o lantern baskets this year. Keep your eyes peeled for harmful food additives, artificial colors, food dyes, trans fats and high fructose corn syrup. I follow Vani Hari, also known as @thefoodbabe on Instagram. You’ll find posts like this one that offer up healthy Halloween candy swap ideas. Hari also released her fourth book called Food Babe Family – all focused on ways to teach our children about eating real food.
So how can we be more mindful of our eating habits while also enjoying ourselves? We’ll offer up one suggestion – set the candy aside and indulge in some homemade baked goods. When baking at home you’ll have more control over your ingredient lists and you can use gluten-free flours, organic dairy and healthier sweetener options like honey, dates, agape and maple syrup. Plus, you can even bake with Extra Virgin Olive Oil to add even greater flavor and healthy goodness to your indulgences.
Peace, Love, and EVOO,
Katina & The Kosterina Team


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Shortages of the iPhone 5 are down to the material it's made of -- which is so easy to mark and scuff that factory workers are reportedly struggling to build them to a standard that's up to scratch.
Factory workers are finding it difficult to keep the iPhone's anodised aluminium casings pristine enough to meet Apple's lofty standards, Bloomberg reports. And unfortunately that's significantly slowing production.
Because of the casing's propensity to scratch, Apple has tightened standards at the Chinese Foxconn factories where the iPhone and many other consumer devices are built. The tightened quality control ensures far fewer devices arrive with nicks and scuffs out of the box, as those pesky anodised aluminium casings are all too easy to mark, whether it's jingling against your keys in your pocket, or being assembled by a Foxconn worker back at the factory.
The high standards and use of scratch-prone anodised aluminium has put a strain on workers that's reported to have contributed to unrest. This weekendin protest.
When scuffs and scratches were first noticed, Apple bossinsisting, "Any aluminium product may scratch or chip with use, exposing its natural silver colour. That is normal."
As if the scratches weren't bad enough, Apple is also under fire over reports of a. On the software front, Apple has also been hit with a storm of controversy over , the new mapping app that replaces Google Maps in iOS 6.
Was your iPhone scratched when you got it? Have you seen scuffs already, or is it still pristine? And should we relax about scratches, or obsessively worry about keeping our gadgets pristine? Etch your thoughts in the comments, or on our highly polished Facebook page.


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Footfall across UK retail destinations fell 2.5% over the Christmas period, with Black Friday and Boxing Day sales events failing to drive customers to the UK’s shops.
The Springboard Footfall Monitor & Insights data showed a 3.5% slump in high street footfall for the five weeks from 24 November to 28 December, while shopping centre traffic was down 2.1% and in retail parks down by 0.5%.
The fall was despite Black Friday falling within the Christmas trading figures, owing to the later than normal Thanksgiving Day holiday in the US which proceeds the November sales event.
Black Friday helped footfall increase by 0.1% in the first two weeks of December, but the final two weeks saw a 6.1% slump in footfall compared to a 2.2% decline in the same period last year.
Springboard Marketing & Insights Director Diane Wehrle said: “The 2.5% drop in footfall across UK retail destinations during December was not a surprise as footfall has declined in December in all but one year since 2009.
“The challenge for destinations and stores was not only that this was the eighth consecutive year that footfall has decreased in this key trading month, but that it was also at the upper end of the scale in terms of the magnitude of decline.
“Today’s rather circumspect consumer was clearly demonstrating considered restraint towards their lifestyle and spend decisions over the Christmas period. The growing climate change movement and increased consumer concerns around waste and sustainability is likely to have further limited trips to destinations to make non-essential purchases, thereby diluting footfall even further.”
Grocery spend in Ireland hit €1.2bn in the four weeks to 29th December 2019, as Irish shoppers spent an additional €32.5m over the Christmas period in comparison to the same time last year, according to Nielsen.
Thanks to Christmas falling on a Wednesday, the Irish market experienced a sharp increase in grocery sales closer to Christmas day, rising by 15.3% in the week ending 29 December, in comparison to the same period in 2018.
As a result, over the four weeks to 29 December, Irish shoppers over the four week period spent 2.7% more on groceries than they did during Christmas 2018. This incremental spend saw the average grocery spend per week per household increase from €165 to €182 per week in December 2019.
The best performing category was chilled groceries (+4.2%), which gained €9m in sales in the last four weeks, as well as frozen (+4.3%) and bakery (+4.1%). Pet food (+5.2%) also experienced an uplift, as well as confectionery (+3%).
Alcohol, which is usually an area of strong growth over the Christmas period, saw a decline of 2.9%, with sparkling WINE and champagne experiencing the biggest decline of 11.3%. In contrast, sales in non alcoholic and low alcoholic beer grew by 27.2% in comparison to December 2018, valuing the market at €795k in the last four weeks to 29th December.
In terms of retailers, combined market share for the discounters Aldi and Lidl increased by 4.5%, whilst multiple retailers, which include Tesco, Supervalu, Eurospar and M&S saw an overall small value decline of 0.2%.
Karen Mooney, Ireland market leader at Nielsen, said: “The Irish market has benefited from a strong festive sales boost over the Christmas 2019 period, with shoppers spending an additional €32.5m in comparison to Christmas 2018.
“However, there also appears to be a shift in shopping behaviour, as Irish consumers opted to spend less on alcohol and more on low or no alcohol products, which could be a reflection on wellness trends. Alternatively, Irish consumers may have shifted spend in other areas, choosing to invest heavily in their pets (+5.2%) this Christmas. This is a reflection on consumer trends towards pet humanisation, as we look to treat our pets more as family members and spend more on them.”
On the markets this morning, the FTSE 100 has opened the week up 0.5% to 7,622.5pts.
Early risers include Bakkavor, up 2.8% to 140.6p, Eagle Eye Solutions, up 2.6% to 240p, PayPoint, up 1.6% to 1,048p and WH Smith (SMWH), up 1.5% to 2,514p.
This week in the City
After last week’s flurry of Christmas trading updates, we look to be in for a quieter week of announcements in the City.
There are still a number of trading updates that will include the Christmas period, starting with Associated British Foods (ABF) and its first quarter sales update on Thursday.
Finsbury Food Group (FIF) is also set to release its interim sales and revenue update for its 2020 financial year on Thursday.
Friday will see a third quarter trading update from Premier Foods (PFD).
Internationally, French grocery giant Casino will post its full year sales on Thursday, while German consumer group Beiersdorf will release its third quarter sales on the same day.
In economic news, Wednesday brings the UK’s monthly inflation figures, while the official ONS retail sales for December are released on Friday.


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REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nintendo 3DS™ owners now have a ticket to free, exclusive 3D video content. The new Nintendo Video™ service automatically delivers short 3D videos from the worlds of music, comedy, animation and Hollywood, and the 3D content can be watched without the need for special glasses. On July 27, OK Go will launch a new music video and will debut the 3D version exclusively on Nintendo Video.
“Nintendo 3DS is a unique platform for creativity,” said Tony Elison, Nintendo of America’s senior director and general manager of Network Business. “OK Go and all our partners are helping us make Nintendo Video a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience.”
In the coming weeks, Nintendo Video will feature exclusive 3D videos from Jason DeRulo, Foster the People, CollegeHumor and the world-renowned Blue Man Group, plus extreme sports and action videos, animation from various independent studios and 3D trailers for upcoming Hollywood movies. Specific content may vary across countries in the Americas.
To access Nintendo Video, Nintendo 3DS owners need to connect to a broadband wireless Internet service and visit the Nintendo eShop, where they can download the Nintendo Video application. Once Nintendo 3DS owners download the application, the video lineup will automatically update whenever users are within range of a wireless hotspot and have their SpotPass™ feature enabled, even if the system is in Sleep Mode.
Nintendo Video is just one of the many features of Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo’s newest hand-held system. Nintendo 3DS lets users experience 3D games, take 3D pictures and watch 3D videos without the need for special glasses. Nintendo 3DS offers users a completely new way to play and keeps people connected – to their friends, to their games, to their world. The Nintendo 3DS system builds on Nintendo’s legacy of creating unique experiences for the masses.
Remember that Nintendo 3DS features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.
For more information about Nintendo Video, visit http://www.nintendo.com/3ds/nintendo-video.
About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ home console, Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.7 billion video games and more than 600 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.com.
Note to editors: Nintendo press materials are available at http://press.nintendo.com, a password-protected site. To obtain a login, please contact Deanna Talamantez at 213-438-8742 or email@example.com. Users can receive instant Nintendo information by subscribing to the site’s RSS feed.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6803273&lang=en.


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Microsoft and Yahoo Sign a Deal!
Yesterday, the companies Yahoo And Microsoft announced that the transaction between them is already happening.
Under the contract, which signed both companies, Microsoft will receive a 10-year license of the search technology of Yahoo and will be able to integrate these technology to other “seeking” platforms. Also Microsoft’s Bing search engine will power search queries on Yahoo’s sites and Yahoo’s sales force will be responsible for selling premium search ads to big buyers for both companies.
Source: Yahoo News, NY Times


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– without proper declaration
More information continues to surface about the operations of Chinese company, Bai Shan Lin, in Guyana. Several questions which have now arisen include whether Bai Shan Lin, among other companies, is exporting rare wood such as Locust and Wamara, without declaration to the Customs Administration.
Several sources within the Ministry of Natural Resources have said that the Wamara business is among the most lucrative business ventures that Bai Shan Lin is currently involved in. This newspaper was also told that the company has essentially infiltrated the market, since Guyana is providing the precious raw material at giveaway prices.
This newspaper was also told that low level ministry workers along with forestry officials who are tasked with monitoring the export of timber aren’t able to complete their task. Some have expressed that since Bai Shan Lin along with several others entered into joint ventures, it has been “almost impossible” to have a tab on how much timber is being exported from Guyana.
An online search using Worldwide Export Tracker, Panjiva, provides some perspective. Panjiva, a New York-based company, is the first and only online information source designed to provide a level of transparency into overseas suppliers. Leveraging this type of trade data from suppliers, Panjiva is able to produce details of trends within sectors.
Information published by Panjiva has been used by news websites such as FT.com and CNNMoney.com, where it has been described as “innovative and revolutionary”. Panjiva was started by Josh Green (CEO) and Jim Psota (CTO) in 2006.
The website shows that Bai Shan Lin started exporting logs from Guyana since 2008. According to Panjiva, Bai Shan Lin Investments on December 26, 2008 exported 74,095 pieces of “SawnTimber (Mixed Floor Boards). In 2009 Bai Shan Lin on July 9th exported Locust Sawn Timber. The company exported a total of 558 pieces from Guyana.
The next month, Bai Shan Lin exported six containers with approximately 30,439 pieces of Greenheart Sawn Timber.
In October 2009, the company exported Wamara Sawn Timber. A total of 5303 pieces were sent out in two containers.
In September of 2010, Bai Shan Lin again sent out six more containers of mixed timber. It was explained that the company had exported a variety of exquisite timber. The pieces amount to 50,829.
Further records would show that in December 2012 Bai Shan Lin exported 6771 pieces of Locust Sawn Timber. A few months later, the company in July, exported 24,136 pieces of mixed timber in seven containers.
The online tracker updates daily and is expected to provide more information on such exports.
Over the weekend, the (EPA) denied ever giving the Chinese company, Bai Shan Lin International Forest Development Inc. any permission to do logging. However, a senior official at the EPA said that as it stands right now, Bai Shan Lin is having meetings with them regarding “scoping”. It was explained that “scoping” is another aspect of the Environmental Assessment which Bai Shan Lin needs to complete.
The official further told Kaieteur News that the EPA, once everything is done in accordance with the formal requirements, would grant Bai Shan Lin an “Environmental Authorization Permit” which gives the right to log and harvest timber. But the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) has denied that Bai Shan Lin was logging without a licence.
Bai Shan Lin International Forest Development Inc. has teamed up with four others in joint ventures to export billions of dollars in timber monthly.
Nov 14, 2018Sixty-three-year- old former Malteenoes division one middle order batsman Victor Dias donated among other cricket gear, six bats, a quantity of red and white balls, coloured and white batting and...
I walk my dog twice daily. In the evenings I would take her next door to the AFC head office. The occupants of the house... more
The victorious T&T team poses for a photo after receiving their CMRC overall championship trophy, Monday night at Princess... more
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Fertilizer offtakes jump by 17.3% YoY in June
July 26, 2022 (MLN): The country’s overall nutrients offtake increased by 17.3% to 483,000 tonnes during June 2022 compared to the same month last year, the latest monthly report of fertilizer offtake issued by the National Fertilizer Development Company (NDFC) showed today.
Among the nutrients, nitrogen and phosphate offtake increased by 9.3% YoY and 91.2% YoY to stand at 331,000, and 94,000 tonnes, respectively during June 2022. While Potash offtake declined by 27.9% over June 2021.
The report further highlighted that about 766,000 tonnes of different fertilizer products were produced in Pakistan during the month of June 2022. Out of this, urea has the major share of 69.4% with 531,000 tonnes.
Other products were DAP (72,000 tonnes), Nitrophos (77,000 tonnes), CAN (69,000 tonnes), SSP (9,100 tonnes), various grades of NPK (6,000 tonnes), and SOP (1,700 tonnes). Total imported supplies were 26,000 tonnes comprising 23,000 tonnes of DAP, 2,300 tonnes of SOP, and a small quantity of AS i.e., 900 tonnes during June 2022.
Total nutrients offtake during the first three months of Kharif 2022 (April-June) was about 1,107,000 tonnes, showing an increase of 6.7% over Kharif 2021. Nitrogen offtake increased by 5.5% and phosphate offtake increased by 15.3%. While potash offtake witnessed a decrease of 31.8% as compared with a same time frame of Kharif 2021
The total sales of urea stood at 737,000 tonnes, showing an increase of 6.8% over June 2021.
Total urea availability during June 2022 was 998,000 tonnes, which comprised 467,000 tonnes of the previous month’s leftover and domestic production of 531,000 tonnes. Urea’s offtake during May 2022 was 737,000 tonnes. Thus, the closing balance is worked out to be 256,000 tonnes.
Cumulatively, during the first three months of Kharif 2022 (Apr-Jun), urea offtake was 1,613,000 tonnes, up by 7.5% compared to the same time frame of Kharif 2021.
As per the report, the high prices of agricultural commodities especially wheat has a favourable effect on fertilizer use.
On the pricing front, the report noted that prices of all fertilizer products except urea increased during June 2022 as compared with the previous month. The price of a 50 kg bag of urea (sona) and urea (other) in the domestic market during the said month dipped by 0.2% and 0.6% MoM to Rs2,148 and Rs1,992 respectively.
In the international market, Fob bulk China urea price during June 2022 fluctuated in the range of $540-$640/t fob bulk. Middle East fob bulk urea price was in the range of $535-$682/t fob bulk. Ex-Karachi price of imported urea was in the range of Rs7,023 to Rs8,691 per 50 kg bag.
Province-wise, the offtake of urea during June 2022 jumped by 3%, 20% and 65% in Punjab, Sindh and KP, respectively as compared with June 2021. On the other hand, its offtake decreased by 53% in Balochistan province over the same month last year.
Looking ahead, with the present level of urea production i.e., 3,108,000 tonnes and 200,000 tonnes of imported supplies, its availability during Kharif 2022 would be about 3,508,000 tonnes against the estimated demand of 3,302,000 tonnes, leaving a balance of 203 thousand tonnes
for next season, the report said.
Thus, the situation regarding urea looks satisfactory if the import is not delayed, it added.
The sales of diammonium phosphate (DAP) witnessed a significant increase of 113.4% to 146,000 tonnes in June 2022, against 68,000 tonnes recorded in the same month last year.
During the first three months of Kharif 2022, DAP offtake was about 335 thousand tonnes (an increase of 16.5% over Kharif 2021).
The report stated that the price of a 50 kg bag of DAP in the domestic market during the said month edged up by 6.3% to Rs10,316 when compared to Rs9,703 reported in May 2022.
In the international market, DAP prices were around $925-$1,010 fob bulk in Australia, while prices in China were in the range of $950-$1,000/t.
Ex-Karachi price of imported DAP ranged between 10,845 to 11,760 per 50 kg bag.
Province-wise, DAP offtake during the review month increased by 80%, 283%, 143% and 178% in Punjab, Sindh, KP and Balochistan, respectively over June 2021.
As per the report, total DAP availability during Kharif 2022 would be 864,000 tonnes comprising of 276,000 tonnes of inventory, 152,000 tonnes imported supplies and 436,000 tonnes of domestic production.
As against this availability, DAP offtake estimates are around 902,000 tonnes. Meanwhile, a reasonable quantity of NP, SSP and other phosphatic fertilizers would also be available to meet the demand of Kharif 2022.
Copyright Mettis Link News
Posted on: 2022-07-26T13:38:46+05:00


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First flying octacopters are going to be a part of a new racing series.
Have you ever seen any Star Wars movie? Maybe even The Phantom Menace? If you did you cannot forget those epic pod racers where Anakin Skywalker won the race and his freedom. Well, such (or similar) races seemed a science fiction not too long ago, yet will soon become a reality, thanks to Equals and Airspeeder, who will provide the necessary funds. And we are not talking about a distant plan. Instead, first racecars, or better, flying objects are to be revealed quite soon.
In fact, first Airspeeders, flying mixture of Formula 1 and Formula E cars are about to be revealed this weekend at the traditional Goodwood festival of speed, hosted by Duke of Richmond, which starts on Thursday. Spectators will thus be able to see the machines in action, first at the nearby airfield and later when they are going to the famous Goodwood hill climb route. After that, first piloted octocopter in the world is going to be presented to spectators.
Ian Strafford-Taylor, CEO of Equals, said: “We’re delighted to have agreed this partnership with Airspeeder who are using cutting-edge technology to deliver a new generation of motorsport. The spirit of ingenuity and engineering behind Airspeeder makes it the perfect fit for Equals, as these are also the drivers behind our new brand identity.”
As expected, octocopters are truly going to be state of the art machines. They are going to be developed by Alauda Racing, an Australian start-up with the long-term ambition to use its technology to develop a world-beating flying sports car and will bring some amazing performances. In fact, a 200 kilometers per hour top speed is expected with power-to-weight ratio superior to an F-18 fighter jet. Oh, did we mention, that Airspeeder World Championship is about to take of next year?


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David Schoenbrod, a former Natural Resources Defense Council litigator, was prompted to write an article based on his friends’ experience with the Federal Department of Agriculture’s decision to ban the sale of unpasteurized apple cider.
Schoenbrod had focused on getting federal agencies to protect public health in the 1970s. Although he still wants the health of Americans to be protected, he feels that sometimes regulation discourages initiative and creativity.
The FDA had decided to regulate all producers of all fruit juices after an E. coli outbreak in Odwalla fruit juice. Regulation affected small cider makers, since the pasteurization machines cost anywhere from $25,000 to $70,000. The cheaper machines obviously affected the end taste of the product, which in turn would be disastrous for small cider makers who pride themselves on the quality of their small-batch products.
In addition, customers at the smaller cider mills complained, saying that they would stop buying small-batch cider if the mills pasteurized. They could get similar-quality product at grocery stores, they said.
Various prototypes of alternate sanitizing procedures resulted in an ultraviolet device, but that was eventually rejected by the FDA in favor of a more obstructive device. It was an alternative to pasteurization, but was still expensive.
Large corporations are able to keep lawyers on retainer to fight issues with the FDA and EPA – smaller cider mills don’t have that luxury. In time, smaller fruit juice companies such as Odwalla was bought out by Coca-Cola; Naked Juice is now owned by Chiquita Brands. Eventually, even his friends’ cider business had to endure the bureaucratic process of regulation and legislation – they eventually got a sanitizing machine, and are considering making some of their cider into hard ciders and ice wines. Of course, that takes more paperwork and inspections.
Schoenbrod understands that agencies like the FDA and EPA favor large corporations and try to push small companies into becoming parts of larger bureaucratic organizations so they can be better controlled. The sad result is that small business owners have less individual initiative, have less creativity, and the resultant work is less enjoyable and less fruitful. He feels disheartened by the outlook.


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The Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) will take a decision on setting up of a mega food park in Koraput district of Orissa within next three months.
"The Koraput mega food park proposal is under our consideration.The ministry is examining the expression of interest (EoI) proposals sent bysome promoters last month. A special purpose vehicle will prepare the detail project report and will see the viability of the project. The entire process can take about two to three months, , said S K Nanda, under secretary with MoFPI whileattending a workshop on food packaging here recently.
He said, some promoters have expressed interests to set up a mega food parkin the Koraput region, but the ministry has to see whether it is situated near a farm product market or not, which is a key parameter to set up a food park. The Mega Food Parks Scheme (MFPS) is the flagship program included in the Eleventh Five Year Plan. The scheme envisages a cluster-based approach for the food parks, which will have facilities like food processing centres and collection centres close to farm fields.
"The cluster would be selected very carefully on the basis of agricultural and horticultural surpluses available in the catchment and take into account the logistics and processing infrastructure", according to food park guidelines of MoFPI.
The Central government official was also skeptic about the capability of investors from Orissa to arrange capital investment for such projects. According to MFP scheme, the government of
will provide half of the total cost of the project with a maximum investment of Rs 50 crores. India
Courtesy: Business Standard


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Thanos is coming to Fortnite in a new limited time game mode
Here’s where you’ll find the latest Fortnite news (including Battle Royale), from release date to the details of the latest Fortnite update.
#avengers: infinity war
#avengers infinity war


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Journey back to Talos IV this Wednesday when Larry Nemecek (aka “Dr. Trek”), talks to Robert Butler, the director of “The Cage”, in a special live web teleconference that should thrill Trek and pop culture buffs alike.Read More
The Smithsonian’s recent restoration of the Enterprise shooting model has the old girl looking better than ever, and our old friend Paul Sibbald has created some new videos using photos of the restored physical model in celebration.
In a happy surprise from the Rod Roddenberry San Diego ComicCon panel, it was announced that Rod had culled through archives and found cut segments of Star Trek Original Series episodes, plus other behind-the-scenes bits. It will be released on a Blu-ray later in 2016 with a brand new documentary by Roger Lay, Jr (who was part of the team that did the awesome TNG and ENT Blu-ray documentaries). The full press release is after the break.
A very heartfelt and emotional trailer for Adam Nimoy’s documentary about his Dad and Spock has hit the interwebs.
Own all original series crew adventures in a giant Blu-ray set! CBS and Paramount have teamed up to combine every TOS cast movie along with the three seasons of The Original Series, and as a special treat, this box set is the debut of The Animated Series on Blu-ray, plus exclusive swag all in one 30-disc collector’s set.
Adam Nimoy’s highly anticipated documentary, For The Love of Spock, officially has a release date. You’ll be able to catch it in select theaters in the US and on demand this September 9th, exactly 50 years + 1 day after the premiere of the first episode of the original series.
The US Postal Service isn’t the only one honoring Star Trek in a new line of postage stamps. As part of a 50th anniversary celebration, Canada Post has been unveiling Star Trek themed postage stamps, including one featuring 1st officer Spock, which was unveiled last week in where else but Vulcan, Canada.
The first trailer for For The Love of Spock, the Leonard Nimoy documentary that raised over $660,000 on kickstarter, released its first trailer, warming hearts and watering eyes everywhere.
CBS Home Entertainment has announced that it is releasing new Blu-ray complete series sets for the The Original Series and The Next Generation in brand new packaging in time for the 50th anniversary. For fans in North America this is the first time a nicely boxed up complete set has been made available for the Blu-ray releases of the two series. Pics of the new boxes after the break.
A new Star Trek art exhibit entitled “Star Trek: 50 Artists. 50 Years” will feature Trek-themed art pieces by 50 artists from 10 countries around the world and will include a photographic tribute to Mr. Spock by the late Leonard Nimoy.
Long time friend of the site Paul “Spockboy” Sibbald has a great new goofy Trek video out. This time he’s made a mashup that celebrates two classic TV shows that turn 50 this year, Batman and of course Star Trek. Click through for the full video.


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Sony has announced the next State of Play will taking place this Thursday but will have no major updates for PS5, focusing on upcoming PS4 titles and updates for PS5 titles from the June showcase.
Sony Announces State of Play for This Thursday
This week Sony will be holding their State of Play, this time focusing on PS4 and PS VR titles. In their latest blog, they have outlined this will also include updates for a few PS5 third-party games and indie titles which were already highlighted in the PS5 showcase in June.
While we get ever closer to the launch of Playstation 5 towards the end of this year, Sony still have some games yet to be released on Playstation 4 as well as PS VR games. The episode will not be short either, it will be a 40+ broadcast with a lineup featuring some new gameplay footage and update news.
State of Play returns Thursday at 1:00pm Pacific!
What to expect:
▪ A focus on upcoming PS4 & PS VR games
▪ A few quick check-ins on third-party and indie games from June’s PS5 showcase
▪ No big PS5 announcements!
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) August 3, 2020
This blog post also makes it very clear there will won’t be any new details or updates about hardware and there won’t be any first party game updates which fall under Playstation Studios.
The new State of Play will be live on Twitch and Youtube on Thursday, August 6 at 1:00pm Pacific Time / 4:00pm Eastern Time / 9:00pm BST.
What games from the Playstation 5 showcase are you hoping to see more off? Let us know in the comments below.
For more news be sure to check out next Monster Hunter World Has Shipped 16 Million & Iceborne 5.8 Million and Avowed Job Listings Hint Cross Platform, Multiplayer Plus More.


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UPDATE 1-Italy’s OVS stops doing business with Myanmar suppliers who discriminate against workers
(Adds details, quotes and background)
ROME, March 15 (Reuters) – Italian clothing retailer OVS said Monday it would maintain its “limited presence” in Myanmar but stop doing business with suppliers who discriminate against workers involved in rallies against the country’s junta are.
“Given the modest size of current production (in Myanmar), OVS could easily leave the country but will maintain its limited presence,” the group said in a statement.
The company didn’t say how much business it had with suppliers in Myanmar.
“(OVS) will cease all activities with suppliers who discriminate against workers involved in protests,” she added.
Myanmar is known worldwide for its yarns, fabrics and textile products, and its apparel industry is an important source of jobs.
OVS said it condemns human rights violations in Myanmar and will monitor the situation in the country where violence has increased following the overthrow of Aung San Suu Kyi’s government last month.
Sweden’s H&M, the world’s second largest fashion retailer, and Italy’s Benetton announced last week the immediate suspension of new orders from Myanmar.
Myanmar security forces shot at pro-democracy protesters and killed six people on Monday, media and witnesses said, a day after dozens of protesters shot dead and attackers set fire to several China-funded factories in Yangon city. (Reporting by Giulia Segreti; Editing by Jason Neely)


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Wanted for shoplifting at the Edgewater Mall
Biloxi police are asking for help in identifying these two individuals wanted for shoplifting at the Belk Department Store in the Edgewater Mall last Wednesday.
The male suspect entered the store wearing light-colored khaki shorts, white shoes, and a long-sleeved white shirt with dreadlocks. The female on the right was wearing a black top with ‘Brooklyn’ in white letters on the front, red pants, and black shoes.
The man picked up two pairs of jeans, handed them to the female who placed them in her bag before exiting without paying.
Anyone with information on the incident is urged to contact Biloxi police at 228-392-0641.


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Tesla is changing the world and keeping American greatness alive. We can’t let special interests and political corruption get in the way of that.
New York, New York (PRWEB) March 14, 2014
The campaign is to raise money for a lobbying effort, footed by the people, to fight against the ban on Tesla in New Jersey. This is not the first time Tesla has run into opposition at the state level, but it does mark the first time that there is a public outcry to defend the company.
The mysterious new group behind the campaign, known only as the People's PAC, claims that the only reason this ban happened is because of lobbying by auto dealers, and not because it is good for the public.
They look at Tesla as the modern day Rearden Steel, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk as an innovator that is moving the country forward despite push back from those who enjoy the status quo. They go on to portray Tesla as a story that is about more than a car company doing all the right things-- it is about innovation and preserving the American dream of greatness.
The campaign reads like a call to arms, to rally together and fight back against the political corruption brought on by campaign contributions and lobbyists.
The Auto Dealers of America are a powerful lobby that have been fighting to ban Tesla in several states. The contributions to sponsors of such bills can be tracked on sites like followthemoney.org.
This is nothing new. But what is different this time is that the public wants to create a lobbying group of their own, and as they say, "fight fire with fire". The Auto Dealer group in New Jersey, NJCAR, has spent around $155,000 this past year (Tesla spent $0 lobbying NJ).
They go on to slam Christie and others like him for espousing free market ideology one day, and then doing the exact opposite the next.
It will be interesting to see how this grassroots campaign plays out, as they promise full refunds if their goal of $155,000 is not hit in 90 days. If successful, there is potential for FundElevator to disrupt not just NJ, but also the political system as a whole.


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McDonald`s Corp has received more than half a dozen bids for its planned sale of China and Hong Kong stores, including offers from Beijing Tourism Group, Sanpower and ChemChina in a deal worth about $3 billion, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Boeing Co. Said today it signed an agreement with Iran Air "expressing the airline's intent" to buy its aircraft, setting up the biggest business deal between the Islamic Republic and America since the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover in Tehran if it goes through.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Monday it plans to sell its Chinese e-commerce business Yihaodian to Chinese online retailer JD.com Inc for a 5 percent equity stake in JD.com, a strategic alliance that aims to expand WalMart`s reach in China to more customers.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has invoked increasing trade with India as part of his plea to the public to vote to remain in the EU in Thursday's crucial referendum, saying the UK could do more with the country but cutting off from the main market would be "economic madness".
The Bangladeshi government has signed a $130 million additional financing agreement with the World Bank to scale up support for the recently licensed and new economic zones to attract foreign and domestic investment as well as to create more jobs in the manufacturing sector.


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I’m surely not the only person to think, all week long, that this WWDC marks the end of Apple’s NeXT era and the beginning of the Swift era…
The NeXT era began, of course, when Apple acquired NeXT, with its Unix-based operating system, amazing developer tools and frameworks, and its CEO, Steve Jobs.
Though I don’t discount Catalyst’s usefulness — we will get lots of apps new to the Mac — the real news this week was about SwiftUI and the Combine framework. This, finally, is a new way of writing apps, and it’s based on Swift and not on Objective-C. It’s very much not from NeXT.
It’s early. It has bugs. It’s not nearly complete. Sure. But it’s also how we’re going to write apps in the future.
And it’s mind-blowing. Apple’s marketing for this year’s WWDC had it right.
MacDailyNews Take: Here we go! Next up are ARM-based Macs with Apple designed SoCs and we can’t wait!


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The Interactive Advertising Bureau says digital video hit a record $11.9 billion in 2017 -- a massive 33% year-over-year increase from $8.9 billion in 2016. It is part of a total $88 billion spent on U.S. digital ad media last year.
All TV advertising revenue is at around $70 billion per year, with national TV networks representing just under $50 million; upfront is an estimated $20 million of that national TV total.
So looking at the big picture, does any of this represent opportunity?
Traditional TV networks focus more on new audience segments, attribution of specific business outcomes — tying ad exposure to website visits, floor traffic and actual sales. It is a slow but gradual effort to play in digital media’s game.
Is this enough for those small to medium-sized digital media advertisers to move into the TV space?
Over the years, TV networks have struggled to find big brand advertisers that can lift their budgets for just traditional TV networks. Compounding this, traditional TV advertising categories have been wanting in recent years.
A few years ago, Draft Kings and FanDuel -- sports fantasy game marketers -- were the last real boosts for traditional TV, which faded. Prior to this, we witnessed a few gains from some Internet consumer-based marketers and new pharma products before that.
In 2017, the upfront advertising market gained 6% to $19.7 billion, according to Media Dynamics, a media consultancy. In 2016, TV’s upfront ad-selling season witnessed a 4.6% revenue hike to $18.6 billion.
Networks say much of this was due to traditional TV advertisers “coming back” to TV from digital, given brand-safety concerns.
There should be a significant change this year. TV’s mantra should not have anything to do with coming back -- it should be more about going forward.


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The Welsh Government has responded to concerns raised by the Charity Retail Association over changes to business rates relief.
Professor Brian Morgan, chair of the independent panel that produced the review into business rates for the Welsh Government earlier this year, has been asked by Business Minister Edwina Hart to examine the issue of business rates relief for charities, as well as social enterprises and credit unions.
Professor Morgan held a call for evidence which closed in December 2012. He will be bringing charities, business and other stakeholders together to discuss the issues and will be reporting back in early spring.
More top news
Welsh NHS Confederation figures reveal most people in Wales now recognise the impact that their lifestyles have on their health and the NHS.
Largely dry with clear spells overnight, but isolated wintry showers remain likely in the west.
A collection of thousands of Welsh newspapers have been moved to a new storage facility, along with millions of British editions.


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A few days ago, we had reported that Xiaomi is working on the Redmi 9 series. The lineup is expected to consist of four smartphones including Redmi 9, 9A, and 9C (NFC and non-NFC variant). The full spec sheet, as well as the pricing of these smartphones, was leaked, courtesy of Twitter tipster Sudhanshu.
Now, a live image of the Redmi 9 has been spotted on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo. It gives us a first look at the upcoming device. The leaked image reveals that the smartphone will feature a Redmi K30-like back panel and arrive in Teal Green and Violet colours.
Redmi 9 appears in live images
As seen in the leaked image, the Redmi 9 will sport a vertically-aligned camera setup inside a circular module. The camera sensor placement is also similar to the Redmi Note 8 Pro, with the fourth snapper (likely a 2MP sensor) placed above the flash on the right side. There is also a physical fingerprint scanner below the camera setup. The Teal Green variant reveals 13MP quad-camera text beside the setup. The power and volume buttons are located on the right side. Apart from this, the live image doesn’t reveal anything else about the Redmi 9.
The Weibo post claims that the Redmi 9 will be powered by MediaTek Helio G80 processor instead of the G70 in the previously leaked spec sheet. However, rest of the specifications are in line with the latest report.
The Redmi 9 is expected to feature a 6.53-inch screen bearing FHD+ resolution and a quad camera setup of 13MP, 8MP, 5MP, and 2MP sensors. The processor will be paired with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. The smartphone is tipped to be powered by a 5,000mAh battery and retain the 18W fast charging support from the Redmi 8.
Redmi 9 pricing and availability
The Redmi 9 is tipped to be launched on June 25th. It is expected to be priced below Rs 15,000 at launch.


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Watching cryptocurrencies grow and expand, it is impossible not to regret not jumping into the trade sooner. However, it is not too late to invest. 2018 is the perfect year to jump on the cryptocurrency bandwagon.
Cryptocurrency boom and dip
The very first cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, hit a $10,000 USD mark earlier in 2018. Although this is lower than last year’s $19,000 USD, a low that sends many who have already invested into panic, it is a great time for new investors. The public now knows the peaks cryptocurrencies can achieve and are eager to join the race. By the time the market cap rises again, digital money will have a lot more people on board.
We are in a year when thousands of altcoins are in the market and there are many more that are continuing to be created. Altcoins provide an opportunity to new investors. There are people just waking up to the cryptocurrency movement and are waiting to join. These people may have a hard time choosing a cryptocurrency to invest in but good choices are not hard to come by.
This year, many industries have opened their wallets to cryptocurrencies. Many vendors accept digital money for payment and are aware of the benefits. A widespread recognition of this currency allows more people to utilize the cryptocurrencies they own in the real world.
Blockchain technology introduced to popular sectors
The underlying network of cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology, is being used by a wide variety of sectors in 2018. There are many benefits to using blockchain technology; the technology is secure, fast, economic and automated. The features have major implications in domains like supply chain management.
The blockchain technology and its decentralized nature are validated through the diverse applications. Cryptocurrencies function on a decentralized network and will not be under any central control. The ease of use draws in more users for the currency in 2018.
The year of Tokens
Despite the fact that ICO’s were introduced by Ethereum, 2018 is the year when a lot more tokens, with improved utility, are being developed. Tokens are available at a more reasonable rate than coins, and purchasing them beforehand will only increase chances of returns.
Feelium is a tokenized platform introduced in 2018. The Feelium tokens can be used to facilitate smart contracts and escrow services on the platform and there is also a wallet to wallet transfer facility.
Priced at just $1USD in the pre-ICO sale, the value of Feelium is estimated to rise 10 times by 2019. As validated by other cryptocurrencies before Feelium, a safe and serious currency will always boom in the digital market. Visit www.feelium.co to register today.
There also many secure crypto exchanges available today and many more are coming up. Crypto exchanges are platforms to trade money, assets or other cryptocurrencies. PCEX, the crypto exchange by Panaesha Capital, is launching in June. PCEX will provide high liquidity, ease of trade and faster transactions.


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HP has launched a cloud computing service aimed at helping IT staff manage and process users service requests. The company said that its Service Anywhere offering would give customers a cloud-based...
In fear of future shortage - or in preparation for its own electric car project?
But if you're running anything older you'll have to wait
Powered by servers based on Qualcomm's scalable 48-core Centriq 2400 10nm CPUs
Malware has been in circulation for more than a year


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BURLINGTON, Mass., Aug. 14, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Exa® Corporation (NASDAQ:EXA), a global innovator in simulation software for product engineering, today announced that it will release its financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2018, ended July 31, 2017, after market close on Monday, August 28, 2017. On that day, management will hold a conference call and webcast at 5:00 p.m. ET (2:00 p.m. PT) to review and discuss the Company’s results for the second quarter of fiscal 2018. A recorded version of this webcast will be available two hours after the call and accessible at http://investor.exa.com/events.cfm.
|What:||Exa Corporation Second Quarter Fiscal 2018 Financial Results Conference Call|
|When:||Monday, August 28, 2017|
|Time:||5:00 p.m. ET|
|Live Call:||(877) 878-2664, Domestic|
|(970) 315-0423, International|
|Replay:||(855) 859-2056, Passcode 69216214, Domestic|
|(404) 537-3406, Passcode 69216214, International|
|Webcast:||http://investor.exa.com/events.cfm (live and replay)|
About Exa Corporation
Exa (Nasdaq:EXA) (www.exa.com) Corporation's visualization and simulation software helps designers and engineers enhance the performance of their products, reduce product development costs and improve the efficiency of their design and engineering processes. As a design evolves, Exa accurately predicts the performance of that design while providing actionable insight to optimize the performance of the product. With Exa, the need for costly physical prototypes and expensive late-stage changes is reduced. Now, designers and engineers are freed from the risk of producing compromised products that do not meet market and regulatory requirements. Exa currently focuses primarily on the ground transportation market, in which some of the most successful product companies in the world use Exa, including BMW, Delphi, Denso, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, Hino, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kenworth, Komatsu, MAN, Nissan, Peterbilt, Peugeot, Renault, Scania, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo Trucks, and has recently expanded its technology offerings into the fields of aerospace and oil and gas production.
Media Contact: Michelle Murray-Ross, Exa Corporation +1 (781) 564-0251 firstname.lastname@example.org Investor Relations Contact: Garo Toomajanian, ICR +1 (781) 564-0337 email@example.com


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Wal-Mart urges Federal Trade Commission not to define ‘carbon offsets’
In comments to the Federal Trade Commission earlier this year, Wal-Mart asked the agency not to define the terms “carbon offsets” or “renewable energy certificates” in order to keep the terms flexible and to retain their “less tangible nature.” The Federal Trade Commission has been in the process of updating its green-marketing guidelines and asked Wal-Mart and others to weigh in. Consumer advocates like Consumers Union have been advocating for clear, specific definitions to avoid misleading green claims. “Claims are already being made on products that are confusing, misleading, and potentially deceptive,” the group said in its comments to the FTC. Among many other green goals that Wal-Mart’s announced over the last few years, the FTC’s definition of carbon offsets could most affect the retailer’s ultra-ambitious goal to someday run on 100 percent renewable energy — a huge amount of which would likely have to come from offsets or renewable-energy certificates.