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Motorcycles have become a popular means of transportation worldwide due to their practicality and low fuel consumption, especially in big and small cities.
As a result, the concentration of motorcycles has grown exponentially in many countries, prompting the question of which countries can be considered motorcycle capitals.
According to the Pew Research Center, 58% of all motorbikes are located in the Asia Pacific region. However, read on to find out which countries have the highest number of motorcycle users.
Thailand is known for its paradisiacal landscapes and is also referred to as “the land of 100 million scooters.” The streets are filled with bikes of various brands, colors, and styles.
Nearly 87% of Thailand’s population owns at least one motorcycle, resulting in almost 20 million scooters in the country. This high number explains why Thailand is among the countries with the most significant number of motorcycles.
A man riding a mini-motorbike in Hanoi’s street @ Yu Jason
In Vietnam, motorcycles are the primary mode of transportation. The country has over 45 million bikes, and almost 86% of the population owns at least one. Despite the saturation of the market, the sales of two-wheelers continue to rise.
Hanoi is known for its traffic congestion due to the high number of bikes on the roads, prompting the government to intervene and reduce the number of bikes on the streets.
A man transports his dog on a motorcycle past a closed cafe during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Hanoi, Vietnam March 27, 2020. REUTERS/Kham
Malaysia is a country where the number of motorbikes and cars is nearly equal. With a population of 32 million people, there are approximately 13 million bikes in the country. This means that almost 5.8 out of 7 million households in Malaysia own a motorcycle, making it a convenient mode of transportation.
However, there have been many fatalities on the roads due to motorcycle accidents.
Indonesia is the world’s largest market for bikes and scooters, and Jakarta, its capital, is notorious for traffic congestion. The city has an estimated 15 million motorcycles on its roads, outnumbering cars by a significant margin.
Indonesia has over 80 million motorbikes in the country, with more than 85% of households owning at least one bike. This makes it the most popular mode of transportation, even for families.
However, despite their popularity, these countries are also known for high rates of motorcycle accidents. As riders, it is crucial to prioritize safety and take preventive measures. For example, ankle injuries are common while riding a motorbike, so investing in UL biker boots can provide added protection.


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Commuters call entrance to 180th St. subway station an eyesorePosted: Updated:
Commuters in the Bronx are calling an historic landmark an eyesore and demanding action.
Commuters say the entrance to the 180th Street subway station looks terrible. They say the building itself is beautiful, but that the peeling paint makes it look horrible.
"This is a beautiful station," says Bernadette Ferrara, of the Van Nest Neighborhood Alliance. "It's one of the best in the Bronx, and I feel that it's just not being maintained. A lot of people are seeing it too."
In 2013, the MTA set aside more than $66 million to restore the then-100-year-old historic landmark.
Ferrara says this isn't what one of the gateways of the neighborhood should look like.
MTA officials tell News 12 that a $2.3 million contract was awarded in April to repaint the building. The work is expected to begin at the end of this month and finish by February.
- Officials say 22 people were taken to the hospital, including 14 police officers, after a fire ripped through an apartment building in Wakefield Tuesday.
The submissions were narrowed down to the Top 30. Now, News 12 Digital needs your vote to select the Top 3!
- The United Nations' Universal Children's Day is celebrated on Nov. 20 each year to promote international togetherness and awareness among children worldwide.
- ¿Que les espera a la generación de los millennials?¿Que les espera a la generación de los millennials?
- A new beer garden in Mott Haven is putting its own spin on classic bar food, and it's owned by a Super Bowl champion who grew up in the Bronx.
- Photos from the public congressional hearings as part of the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump and his administration's dealings with Ukraine.
It's a celebration! Is your or a loved one's birthday coming up? Let us know! Send us your photos and you could end up on air and News12.com!
- If you are looking to start your holiday shopping before the turkey is out of the oven, here are stores that will be opened for Thanksgiving.
- Shoppers can start their holiday shopping on Black Friday at these retailers.Shoppers can start their holiday shopping on Black Friday at these retailers.
- The 2019 performer lineup for Madison Square Garden.The 2019 performer lineup for Madison Square Garden.

domain: news


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DHAKA, Dec 18, 2017 (BSS) – Chittagong Seaport has set a record by advancing 27 notches in container-handling in eight years.
The Chittagong port ranked 71st position in 2016 among the 100 ports across the world, according to the Lloyds List survey report released recently. The rank of the port was 98 in 2008, said a handout said.
Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) will observe the achievement tomorrow through a function at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in the capital.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith will present at the function as the chief guest while Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed will attend it as the special guest.
Editor of the Lloyds List Liton Nightingle will hand over a certificate of the recognition to CPA at the function.
In 2016, the 100 ports handled about 555.6 million Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) containers, which was 2.20 percent higher than that of 2015.
China and India stood first and second position respectively. Twenty ports from China, three ports from India and Karachi port of Pakistan took position in the list.


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By Neil Halligan
Classified listing website warns users to change passwords, says small number of users affected
Classified listing website dubizzle.com has said its UAE website suffered a security breach where a small number of registered users have been affected.
dubizzle’s General Manager, Barry Judge said the company sent an email to users on Saturday following the discovery of the breach, warning people to change passwords as a precaution.
“Our technical team has recently uncovered a security breach within dubizzle UAE, which may have affected a small percentage of our database.
“As a precautionary measure and to help ensure that this breach is contained and does not impact our UAE users, we have reset all UAE users’ passwords. Changing passwords is a best practice and standard dubizzle security protocol,” Judge said.
He said the affected database does not store financial information or plain-text passwords, therefore users’ financial details are secure.
“dubizzle does not store credit-card details or have access to this data. Financial data is encrypted and stored separately on a third party secure network. Since the breach occurred, our team has been working efficiently and effectively in applying the best forensics tools and practices to protect our community of users,” he said.
However, Judge warned users they should also change the password used on other websites if it is the same as the one used for dubizzle.com.
“We are also encouraging UAE users who use the same password on other sites to change those passwords, too. The same password should never be used across multiple sites or accounts,” he said.


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Glenn Polyn//September 21, 2022//
Glenn Polyn //September 21, 2022//
Press release: Brutus Broth
Coming off the heels of a successful showing at this year’s SuperZoo show, popular bone broth for dogs, Brutus Bone Broth, is continuing its coast-to-coast retail expansion. Joining the already impressive roster of retailers that have brought Brutus Broth to households across the country are major grocery chains H-E-B in Texas, Bristol Farms and Gelsons in California, and dozens of independent and boutique pet stores nationwide.
Brutus Broth has become a market leader in the bone broth category with a growing consumer demand for healthier choices in the pet segment. This year has been one of incredible growth for Brutus Broth, now available in over 5,000 U.S. stores, including Target, Petco and more. In addition to expanding the brand’s retail footprint, sister founders Sue Delegan and Kim Hehir launched two new products in their line – allergen-friendly Pork Brutus Bone Broth and plant based, vegan “Un” Bone Broth for Dogs.
The newest additions to the product line address a number of health concerns that pet owners face today.
“Our pork bone broth is a great alternative for those dogs that suffer poultry allergies. Pork is highly digestible and is tolerated by most dog’s that have food sensitivities or allergies,” Delegan explained. “Additionally, our new vegan “un”bone broth really appeals to the environmentally conscious consumer that is looking for sustainably sourced proteins. We also fortify it with Omegas-3, -6 and -9 for skin and coat health. We like to say it is a super-charged veggie broth!”
“It’s been an amazing year for Brutus Broth. Our customers are loving the new products and with the addition of these retail partners, we’ll be able to offer more customers the amazing health benefits our bone broth has to offer,” said Hehir. “We pride ourselves on listening to our customers and partnering with retailers that are rooted in their communities and dedicated to giving back. With these new partners, we’ll be able to help even more deserving dogs living happy, healthy lives.”
Brutus Broth is a WBENC Certified woman owned business and an accredited member of the Pet Sustainability Coalition.


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Six years ago, a journalism teacher at New York University coined the phrase “the people formerly known as the audience” to alert big media to changes coming as new digital devices and platforms allowed users to decide when, where and how they would consume the news, rather than letting a newspaper, TV station or radio outlet determine it for them.
“There’s a new balance of power between you and us,” Jay Rosen, an associate professor at the college, told big media.
Likewise, the new devices and platforms have tipped the scales for buyer and seller. To borrow from Rosen, “the people formerly known as the consumer” no longer quietly lodge a complaint about a product or service. Instead, they vent loudly on Facebook and Twitter — and woe to the company that can’t handle the shout-out.
Remember how Lowe’s was upbraided last year on celebrity Twitter accounts after pulling its home-improvement ads from the cable TV show “All-American Muslim”? (A conservative Christian group was pressuring advertisers.) Or the whipping the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation took earlier this year on Twitter and Facebook for cutting breast-screening funding to Planned Parenthood? (The money subsequently was restored.) “Companies really need to have a strategy for these backlashes,” Carolee Sherwood told me this week when I called to ask her about the pros and cons of business involvement in social media. Sherwood has the title of “conversation manager” at Media Logic, a Colonie marketing firm that ramped up its social media services last year. Sherwood’s job is to help clients develop an online presence and “voice” through platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to enhance brand loyalty.
I was looking to Sherwood for guidance on the kerfuffle that arose last week after Price Chopper announced a change to its popular Fuel AdvantEdge program. Beginning May 13, shoppers holding the grocer’s loyalty card will need to spend $100 to earn savings of 10 cents a gallon on gasoline purchases, up from 10 cents earned on every $50 spent at the supermarket. Price Chopper officials said the change would allow the company to lower prices “on more than 10,000 of the products that customers need, want and buy most.” Customer reaction to the change was swift on Price Chopper’s Facebook page and Twitter account, where complaints were posted by the hundreds. Most critics painted the program as a key reason they shopped at the Schenectady-based chain, which has 128 stores in six states.
Sherwood, who watched Price Chopper’s Facebook page over several days, said the company clearly had a strategy in place for monitoring and responding to the comments. Sometimes that was through the persona of “Lisa Price Chopper,” which offered a human voice, and sometimes through an official company response — and both were consistent with the longstanding tone of the page.
(Spokeswoman Mona Golub declined an interview request on how Price Chopper tackled the dust-up. In an email she said, “We will continue to post, watch, listen and respond when appropriate, which is how we engage with those who follow us on Facebook and Twitter. We believe in being candid and forthright and staying in the conversation.”) Sherwood said the company’s response to comments seemed “canned” at times — “cutting and pasting … the official line.” And she saw a “missed opportunity” in not underscoring Price Chopper’s local, family roots.
In the end, though, “People are bound to vent and move on,” Sherwood said, calling occasional criticism on social media “the price of doing business.”


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Shadow Era: Claim Your Share in the Growing Gaming Industry
Online gaming has evolved to almost epic proportions. Once accessible to a very few, online gaming can be enjoyed by a far greater audience because the barriers to entry have been greatly reduced. Internet costs, computer parts and the games themselves have gone down in price in a ever growing competitive market. According to Market Research firm Newszoo, in 2016 the global gaming market grew 8.4% from the previous year with a net worth of $99.6 billion. Furthermore, according to SuperData research, competitive gaming called “eSports” will surpass $1 billion dollars in 2017.
The early stage of online gaming was dominated by games that tried to outdo each other visually with players having to buy more expensive graphics cards on a regular basis. Online battle arena games (eg. League of Legends), First Person Shooters (eg. CounterStrike) and Role Playing Games (eg. World of Warcraft) dominated the early online games and still doing so, however, new game concepts such as the Digital Card Game industry is growing leaps and bounds. These games require brains over stealth, are easy to run on multiple systems including mobile phones and constantly being upgraded with new content making the games timeless. For a perspective on the size of Digital Card Games, SuperData states the industry is a net worth $1.7 billion in 2017. Blizzard’s Hearthstone, the leading game in the industry, had a revenue stream of just under $400 million in 2016.
With such a massive market share, it was just a matter of time before online gaming and its digital brother-in-arms cryptocurrencies joined forces. The first cryptocurrency to do so was Hyper, which tried to incorporate Hyper tokens into much-loved games like CounterStrike and Minecraft. Hyper planted the seed for future cryptocurrencies to take the idea even further. Gamecredits, for instance, is taking on the Google Play and App Store monopoly by creating a new app store with Gamecredits used as the medium of exchange. Gamecredits is moving full speed ahead with its successful MobileGo ICO and hundreds of games due to be released in the store in the upcoming months. Shadow Era, on the other hand, is using cryptocurrencies in a totally unique way.
Shadow Era, a Digital Card Game, is aiming to release a token on the WAVES platform which will give holders many benefits including revenue share. Shadow Era is a community driven collectable card game that is available on PC, Mac, iOS and Android. The game has received positive reviews from players all over the world and there is a total of 4.7 million accounts created since its initial release. The progress Shadow Era has made with no little to no advertising has been astonishing.
There are many advantages to holding Shadow Era tokens. First and foremost, holders will be able to receive a share in the revenue of the project. According to the Shadow Era PR team, “The tokens represent 100% ownership in the Shadow Era assets: digital game, physical inventory and IP. A board of directors will run the show and decide on profit rewards based on income”. Other advantages include voting rights, epic avatars and daily log in incentives. To gain revenue, “the game has in-app purchases on iOS and Android, and a web store for PC and Mac. We also sell high-quality physical cards, and each physical booster pack has a redeem code for the digital game. In the past, we’ve had three successful crowdfunding campaigns, two for physical cards and one for a new digital set of cards.”
Shadow Era is one in a long line of projects choosing the WAVES platform to fund it’s ICO. According to the Shadow Era PR team,
“Waves was an easy choice because of its user-friendly platform. The Waves web wallet or Chrome app is easy to use, quick to get started, and not intimidating. It also has a built in exchange, so our tokens can be in a free market right from the start. By introducing our players to Waves, a more diverse group of users will be brought to the platform, many of whom have never invested in crypto currencies before. Profit share rewards for token holders are also paid directly in Waves, meaning even long-term investors will have regular involvement with the platform.”
For gamers who are unaware of the process of buying tokens on the WAVES platform, Shadow Era is providing an Easy Mode option where players can pay for tokens via PayPal.
Shadow Era may be the first in a long line of gaming tokens to come; what soon may become the norm in online gaming. Shadow Era is ahead of it’s time with it’s forward thinking attitude towards cryptocurrencies. If you would like participate in the upcoming Shadow Era ICO, tokens will be available on the WAVES DEX on August 1st at 9 am EDT and can be bought with Bitcoin, WAVES and Ethereum.
For more information, head to http://shadowtoken.io.


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A title is developed in a software framework that is specially created for the development of video games. That software framework is called a game engine, which serves as the skeletal structure for video games. It is a collection of relevant libraries and support programs that provides various features to ease the development process.
Modern game engines have blurred the disparity between real-life and video game graphics. Frameworks like Unity and Unreal Engine 5 are jam-packed with features to build realistic AAA titles that cannot be brewed otherwise. Developers have also cited in favor of modern game engines, stating that it makes indie development easy.
Undoubtedly, developers cannot imagine game development without its respective framework. With unfortunate events unfolding due to the Russia-Ukraine war, Russian developers are feeling uneasy, fearing that they may lose access to game engines like Unity and Unreal Engine 5. They have raised the need for a domestic game engine in case the popular frameworks halter their services in Russia.
Initially reported by the largest independent Russian daily newspaper, Kommersant, the Ministry of Digital Development, and State Duma deputies are to engage in meetings with Russian developers on the prospect of state support to develop a domestic video game development framework. The possibility of allocating state funds for this purpose is also a part of the discussion.
The Russian Ministry of Digitization has affirmed that such discussions are definitely taking place. Everything is to be under the supervision of deputy minister Maxim Parszyn. Epic Games, the United States-based company, joined the sanctions against Russia in March, stopping sales of their game in the country.
Anton Gorelkin, a State Duma deputy and vice-chairman of the Information Policy Committee, pointed out that they take it a step ahead and block Unreal Engine access to the country. Anton brought the topic to the Ministry of Digitization, and the notion was described as “important and urgent.”
However, the Russian government would have to approve of investing billions of rubles over the years, which already seems like an improbable possibility. There are a plethora of issues with creating a domestic game engine. As per one of the newspaper’s sources, the Russian government would have to agree to expend “billions of rubles over many years.”
Moreover, very advanced game engines, like the aforementioned ones, already integrate a highly developed ecosystem full of ready-to-use blocks that developers prefer, whereas the Russian engine would have to start from scratch. Furthermore, a domestic game engine would be highly limited; it would hinder the capabilities of developers and will prevent visions from transitioning into video games.
A cohesive game engine will limit a game from being fully realized. Creating a game engine from scratch would also take many years and a plethora of funding and resources. Plus, transitioning to a new domestic engine would require developers to abandon their previous experiences and learn a new framework.
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Ackman says capitalism is 'the most powerful potential source' for solving society's problems, touts ESG investing
Billionaire activist investor Bill Ackman, the CEO of the $13 billion hedge fund Pershing Square Capital, made a case that capitalism is "the most powerful potential source" for solving society's biggest challenges — and ESG investing is ushering in that change.
"With the benefit of substantial philanthropic and investing experience, I have come to believe that capitalism is likely the most powerful potential force for good in addressing society's long-term problems. A successful business operating ethically and sustainably can create many thousands of high-paying jobs, deliver high long-term returns for pensioners, long-term savers and other investors, and provide goods and services that materially increase its customers' quality of life, broadly defined. That said, capitalism is far from perfect," Ackman wrote in a shareholder letter published on Monday.
Ackman, 54, a high-profile activist investor usually known for picking up large stakes in publicly-traded companies and effectuating corporate change, pointed to the elevated importance of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues boardrooms and managements need to examine and tackle.
"We believe that good ESG practices are fundamentally aligned with running a successful business. As consumers and other corporate customers have become increasingly educated on matters of ESG, they have begun to avoid companies that contribute to climate change or do not treat their employees well, while rewarding companies with their business that have sustainable and responsible policies. Similarly, a growing number of investors have become increasingly concerned about the risks of companies which do not take ESG issues seriously. These investors avoid investing in companies which do not meet high ESG standards, reducing the valuations and investment returns of these businesses, negatively impacting their cost of capital," Ackman added.
Ackman, who now deploys an ESG lens to evaluate investment opportunities, explained that as investors move capital away from companies that score poorly on these environmental and social issues and into firms that do better for society and the planet, Pershing Square "can help accelerate this process" with its long-term approach.
"Our focus on business quality has largely enabled us to avoid investments in businesses which make products or deliver services which we do not believe to be desirable, which treat their employees poorly, and/or which have long-term financial and legal risks that are a consequence of their negative externalities. We believe that this approach has helped us to avoid losses and generate profits by identifying great businesses that have contributed to our long-term investment returns, and by avoiding others which would likely have generated losses in the portfolio," Ackman wrote, noting, though, that Pershing Square has made mistakes in the past where it "failed to fully consider certain ESG shortcomings in a company's approach to business."
To be sure, Ackman said they don't have a uniform set of factors when evaluating ESG, but instead, the due diligence process depends on the company and the sector.
Among the Pershing Square portfolio companies with stellar ESG practices are Agilent (A), Starbucks (SBUX), Lowe's (LOW), Howard Hughes Corporation (HHC), and Chipotle (CMG). Last year, Ackman's Pershing Square Holdings, the hedge fund firm's publicly traded vehicle, posted its best year ever, returning 70.2%, far outpacing the broader market. The fund is up 5.9% year-to-date as of March 23.
"Each of our companies' ESG initiatives generates a materially positive benefit to society, and fosters customer and stakeholder loyalty, which contribute to the creation of shareholder value," Ackman added.
The long-term shareholder added that Pershing Square could be "highly supportive of investments that reduce short-term earnings, but increase a company's long-term net present value."
In the letter, Ackman acknowledged that he used to think "business was about making money, and philanthropy was about doing good." He noted that the Pershing Square Foundation had contributed hundreds of millions to addressing inequality, education, health care, social and criminal justice, and more. Earlier this month, Ackman, an early investor in Coupang (CPNG), donated 26.5 million shares of the South Korean e-commerce giant stock, worth more than $1.3 billion at the time, to the Pershing Square Foundation, a donor-advised fund, and another unnamed non-profit.
"Despite these growing resources and the excellent works of many important organizations the Foundation has supported, over time it has become increasingly clear to us that philanthropy alone cannot save the world. Unfortunately, we cannot rely on governments either," Ackman wrote.
Julia La Roche is a correspondent for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter.


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Samsung Corby too rude for Thailand
Samsung has announced two new devices named Corby ,which will need an immediate rebrand in the Asia Pacific area as vice president of telecommunications for Samsung Australia Tyler McGee told APC Mag.
McGee says that the Corby name will likely also not be used in Thailand “because in the Thai language, I believe ‘corby’ is a rude word.”
Direct translation answers on a postcard please.
The device will also be renamed in Australia to avoid connection with Schapelle Corby, an Australian drug smuggler serving 20 years after being convicted in Indonesia, though it is unclear whether the devices will be rebranded for the Indonesian market.
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Apple has supposedly penciled in an April 15 launch date for its low-cost iPhone 9.
New claims that surfaced Tuesday indicate the company held an internal briefing this week to decide “tentative” announcement and shipping dates for the new device. Those claims remind us, however, that “we’re in the middle of a pandemic, and things could change.”
Apple chipmaker TSMC is busy preparing the nanometer process for its next-next generation chips, which could find their way into future Apple devices.
The leading chipmaking giant has secured 30 hectares of land in the Southern Taiwan Science Park. This is where it will house the foundry for chips made using its 3 nanometer process. Based on past progress, these would hit the iPhone sometime around 2021 or 2022.
The A13 Bionic chip packed into the iPhone 11 series is significantly faster than its predecessor across the board. New tests have confirmed Apple’s claims of a big increases in both processing and graphics performance
And just as you might expect, the A13 blows its rivals out of the water.
You could be waiting longer than anticipated to get your hands on Apple’s next-generation iPad Pro. One trusted analyst says the refresh will arrive in early 2020 with the iPhone SE 2, while the 16-inch MacBook Pro will come even later.
This could mean that October Apple event we’ve all been waiting for won’t happen after all.
This thing is a beauty. The first thing you notice is the glass back. The frosted matte finish makes it semi-translucent, giving it a weirdly illusory depth. It looks great. Not even the controversial, compound-eye camera bump can spoil its good looks. The iPhone 11 Pro Max is the best-looking iPhone to date, and I love it.
But don’t be fooled by the familiar design. This year’s refresh makes almost everything about Apple’s most expensive handset better than ever.
It’s faster, stronger and more water-resistant. It packs the best display you’ll find in a phone, and the best camera you’ve ever used. The battery lasts forever. Is it worth its hefty price tag? Absolutely.
Find out more in our full iPhone 11 Pro Max review.


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350 Millionth Ford is World’s Best Selling Vehicle, All-New Focus; Company Sets Sights on Aggressive Global Growth
- All-new Focus built in Thailand represents milestone of 350 millionth vehicle produced
- All-new Focus is best-selling vehicle in the world through first five months of the year
- Company launching One Manufacturing plan creating efficiency with global scale and enable quick adjustments to consumer product demands around the world
- Strategy will improve quality and help deliver customers the choice of dozens of new models and vehicle updates that will make up freshest global product lineup in the industry through 2016
RAYONG, Thailand, Aug. 31, 2012 - Ford Motor Company today celebrates a significant milestone in the company's storied history with the production of its 350 millionth vehicle. The historic vehicle, an all-new global Ford Focus, the best-selling vehicle in the world, embodies the next chapter in the story of Ford – one driven by an expanding global footprint of fuel-efficient vehicles and an aggressive plan for profitable growth around the world.
"Consider, for a moment, the enormity of 350 million vehicles," said John Fleming, Ford executive vice president of Global Manufacturing. "It's equivalent to producing one vehicle every 10 seconds for 109 years; and, if placed end to end, would stretch to the moon and back – twice. It's an incredible achievement and indicative of why we're all excited about the future."
From Henry Ford to One Ford and One Manufacturing
Since its inception in 1903, Ford has led the industry with revolutions like the Model T that have helped foster the world's love for affordable mobility. In its first half century as a company, Ford grew alongside the driving public, producing its 50 millionth vehicle – a 1958 Thunderbird – in slightly more than 50 years and generating legions of loyal Ford owners along the way.
In the five decades since, Ford has produced more than 300 million global vehicles, including iconic favorites like Explorer, F-150, Fiesta, Focus, Fusion (Mondeo), Taurus and Mustang, and introduced groundbreaking technologies like the SYNC® infotainment in-car connectivity system.
“Today, in the spirit of Henry Ford’s innovative drive, the One Ford plan is now transforming modern-day Ford to be able to compete everywhere in the world with a full family of global vehicles that offer the best quality, fuel efficiency, safety, smart design and value,” said Fleming.
As part of the One Ford vision, the company’s new One Manufacturing plan is furthering that global transformation by standardizing best practices, increasing production in growing markets, and accelerating new vehicle introductions on fewer global platforms, which delivers the vehicles consumers want with quality, efficiency and profitability afforded by global scale.
By 2013, Ford’s One Manufacturing plan will generate more than 85 percent of vehicle volume off nine core platforms, while continuing new product introductions at an unprecedented rate. In the next four years, Ford will have the freshest global vehicle lineup in the world with 168 percent of the product portfolio expected to change with new or major updates through 2016.
To further increase efficiency, the One Manufacturing system also establishes standard processes greater flexibility, improved capacity utilization and greater return on investment. Advanced manufacturing techniques, flexible body shops and virtual simulations will enable flexible plants to build up to seven different models on one assembly line to quickly react to customer demands, while improving quality and eliminating legacy costs associated with new vehicle launches or changeovers.
As global automotive demand increases, Ford is planning to use this approach to expand its worldwide sales by approximately 50 percent to 8 million vehicles by mid-decade – led largely by Asia – which may account for one third or more of the company’s sales in the next few years.
Asia Pacific Africa region leads the way
As part of the One Ford plan, Asia Pacific Africa regional markets like Thailand – symbolic of Ford’s global expansion with today’s historic celebration – are leading the way for future growth and creating geographically balanced performance for Ford.
With $6.7 billion invested in the region since 2006, Ford is investing heavily and expanding aggressively to meet the needs of consumers here, who are expected to generate 60 percent of the industry’s future growth through 2020. Ford’s key investments and growth initiatives in Asia Pacific Africa include:
- Launching nine new plants – six in China, two in India and one in Thailand – with the capacity to produce 2.9 million vehicles by mid-decade
- Bringing more than 50 new vehicles and powertrains to market by mid-decade, including 15 vehicles to China by 2015, eight vehicles to India by 2015, eight vehicles to ASEAN and four vehicles to Taiwan
- Having 95 percent of the region’s volume on global platforms by mid-decade
- Doubling the number of dealerships in the region by mid-decade
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Ford Motor Company executives are joined by Ford Thailand Manufacturing employees at the company’s new $450 million facility in Rayong, Thailand, to celebrate a significant milestone in the company’s storied history – production of its 350 millionth vehicle. The historic vehicle was an all-new global Ford Focus, the best-selling vehicle in the world through the first five months of 2012.
Ford executives from left to right: John Fleming, executive vice president, Global Manufacturing and Labor Affairs; Gary Johnson, vice president, Manufacturing, Asia Pacific and Africa; Trevor Negus, manufacturing director, Ford Thailand Manufacturing; Matt Bradley, president, Ford ASEAN, and Terry Sapsford, director, Vehicle Operations Manufacturing Engineering, Asia Pacific and Africa.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 164,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit http://corporate.ford.com
|Contacts:||Neal McCarthy||Veemala Rethinasamy||Lee Pei Lynn|
|Ford ASEAN||Ford Malaysia||Hill+Knowlton Strategies for Ford|
|+66 85 900 1993||03 -2298 7328||016 - 209 5180|


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Samsung Gives Away Free Gear VR To Compensate Delayed Galaxy Note7 In IndiaBy cheatmaster 01:31 Thu, 05 Aug 2021 Comments
We all know the rollercoaster ride that the Galaxy Note7's short life has been - announced after remarkable anticipation, sales surpassing initial predictions leading to delays on some markets, only to be halted globally in light of reports of exploding batteries, followed by a worldwide recall of units already sold.
India was not in the first wave of launches, and just as pre-orders were about to ship on September 2, the recall was official, so the Indian release was pushed back. Samsung is trying its best to create up for the delay with a couple of freebies announced in a statement on its official website, and publicized on Facebook.
So, for one, those who pre-booked a Galaxy Note7 will be getting a Gear VR headset free of charge. Originally that was going to cost them INR 1,990 ($30), still a lot cheaper that the regular price for the accessory - INR 7,290 ($110). Free is always better than cheap, though. But there's more. Samsung will be throwing in an INR 3,300 ($50) voucher towards Oculus content for you to like on that free Gear VR of yours.
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2012: The year the PC died?
by BRANDT, DAVID
Sales are down for the first time in a decade while the smartphone and tablet market is booming. Is the PC dead?
Behind the scenes of Apple's iconic '1984' ad
FIFA rakes in big bucks for EA Sports
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Wednesday, 25th November 2009
In Events In Japan,
Nokia announces Japanese job losses
Mobile phone manufacturer Nokia has announced it is to cut jobs in its Japanese operations.
According to the firm, around 220 research and development jobs will be cut as the company moves towards the production of less phone models.
The firm will now focus on making "iconic" phones and is planning on cutting down on the number of models it produces.
Earlier this year, Nokia cut 2,400 jobs around the world and also imposed temporary redundancies in Finland, where the firm is based.
Commenting on the Japanese cuts, Nokia said: "Japanese manufacturers are important partners who play a critical role in Nokia's global supply chain strategy and with whom Nokia continues to develop its world-class logistics operations."
Nokia is the globe's top mobile phone manufacturer and has previously released around 50 new models every year.
According to the Associated Press, the company sold 468 million handsets in 2008.
Written by Kimberley Homer.


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Bajaj Finance: This might not be the first time you hear about clashes between Bajaj Finance and the RBI. Lately, it is making headlines for not one but many of its issues.
Three major issues have hit this year, making people think twice about using Bajaj Finance services. So, what are those? Keep reading to learn more!
First – Spam calls from Bajaj Finance
Most people were extremely frustrated and annoyed by unwanted calls and messages from Bajaj Finance. They took to Twitter, calling them “spam calls factory”.
In response, Sanjiv Bajaj promised a fix within three months where their website and app would have the option to never bother anyone again.
But there was a catch: if you use it, he says, “Make sure you never come back to us for our products and solutions”.
He also admitted that the company issues 3 million loans monthly and deals with 1,500 complaints per quarter.
Second – Penalty on Bajaj Finance for not adhering to rules
On October 13th of this year, the RBI imposed a monetary penalty of Rs. 8.50 lakh for non-compliance with the RBI directions. Specifically, failure to report and delay in reporting certain frauds to the RBI.
Before that, back in January 2021, RBI fined them Rs. 2.5 crore for violating directions issued by RBI on managing risks and code of conduct in outsourcing financial services.
Third – RBI ordered Bajaj Finance to stop two of their lending products.
On November 15, RBI directed them to immediately stop sanctioning and disbursing loans on two of their lending products, “eCOM” and “Insta EMI Card”.
So, what’s the deal with these products? While the ‘eCOM’ product is given to borrowers for online shopping and is a consumer financing facility, the ‘Insta EMI Card’ is a quick financing solution that skips the usual application hassle and has a pre-approved loan limit of up to Rs. 2 lakh, usable in Rs. 1.5 lakh online and offline stores.
But why did the RBI direct them to stop it? Well, it turns out that Bajaj Finance wasn’t sticking to the digital lending guidelines of RBI.
Particularly non-issuance of Key Fact Statements (KFS) to the borrowers under these two lending products and the deficiencies in the issued in respect of other digital loans sanctioned by the company, said the RBI.
RBI has also said that, once these issues are addressed and the problems are fixed to the satisfaction of RBI, they’ll reconsider the supervisory restrictions.
RBI introduced its digital lending guidelines last year, demanding lenders provide borrowers with a KFS containing information including the loan amount, interest charges, fees, annual percentage rate, disbursed amount, insurance charges, number of installments and other 8 parameters.
In the meantime, Bajaj Finance is temporarily suspending the sanction and disbursal of new loans online or digitally on ‘Insta EMI Card’ and under ‘eCOM.
Written By Shivani Singh
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Washington Legislative committee Approves Hemp Bill
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - A legislative committee has approved a bill that would allow Washington farmers to grow industrial hemp.
Washington officials are in the process of establishing a system to legalize the production and sale of marijuana for recreational use, following passage of Initiative 502 last fall. But that initiative didn't cover the production of hemp or hemp products.
House Bill 1888 would permit development of an industrial hemp industry in Washington. A House committee approved the bill Thursday, sending it to the full House for a vote.
Nine other states have passed laws allowing hemp production, but none grows hemp as a crop.


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One of Microsoft’s most highlighted exclusives this year, Rise of the Tomb Raider is shaping up to be something special. With all the mechanics we’ve come to love from the 2012 game along with a couple of new additions and a grander plot. At Gamescom last week, Microsoft showed off new gameplay footage to the attendees, but only now released it for everyone to see online.
This lengthy gameplay demo, 13-minutes in length, shows off quite a bit from the upcoming action adventure title, from Lara escaping gunfire to her traversing the dangerous cliffs. Rise of the Tomb Raider will be made available November 11 exclusively for the Xbox One this year, with a PC version coming in February and PlayStation 4 November 2016.


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SolarWorld's offer to General Motors is no joke. The German-based solar-power company is serious about wanting to purchase GM's Opel division, SolarWorld CEO Frank H. Asbeck said Thursday morning on German radio.
The initial announcement sparked a flurry of market, analyst, and media skepticism on Wednesday. Asbeck took to the airwaves to clarify his company's position on Thursday. (A transcript of the interview in German is posted on the radio station's Web site.)
Opel, which is part of GM Europe, includes four German factories and a development center in Russelsheim, Germany. SolarWorld is prepared to offer 250 million euros in cash for them, according to Asbeck, and has bank credit lines worth 750 million euros, if the German government provides a guarantee. But the company would also request additional state funds to compensate Opel's 25,000 German workers at about 40,00 euros per job, an estimated 1 billion euros.
GM, which is currently publicly dismissed SolarWorld's offer on Wednesday.from the U.S. government,
"This is pure speculation. We are not going to comment on that. Opel is not for sale," Karin Kirchner, a GM Europe representative told Reuters.
But Asbeck told Deutschlandfunk radio on Thursday that he's getting contradicting signals from others inside GM.
When questioned about SolarWorld's lack of experience in automechanics, Asbeck responded that that auto know-how will come from the existing Opel employees. SolarWorld would supply solar modules.
Asbeck went on to say that the auto industry needs fertilization from another industry, and that vehicles of the future, like those with electric drives and hybrid drives, should not only be reserved for Japanese manufacturers.
SolarWorld is not entirely without automotive experience. The company sponsored and co-developed a high-performance solar sports car with a group of engineers from Hochschule Bochum, a German university that participated in the World Solar Challenge solar-powered car race in Australia in October 2007.
SolarWorld wants to develop Opel into "the first 'green' European automotive group" and "produce a new generation of vehicles with energy-efficient, low-emission drives," according to a company statement. It would specifically use the existing Opel model line, modifying it to include electric drive and hybrid electric vehicles.


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Local fashionboutique Tala Manila will be hosting a pop-up tomorrow until Sunday featuring two homegrown brands: Zacarias, a hand-made, hand-woven line of bags and Dotcomme, an anti-fit line of clothing.
Zacarias, whose designs are conceptualized by Emmy Award-winning television producer-turned-designer Rita Nazareno of S.C. Vizcarra, is a “mélange of progressive designs” combined with the art of hand weaving. The designs are meticulously weaved with natural materials such as wicker, chaircane, water hyacinth, and lupis, which are modernized with the combination of natural and recycled leather or microfiber.
The products are sold both in Europe and Japan and for the first time ever, they will be shown locally and exclusively atTala. “I have a French business partner, Marjorie, who is terrific at getting Zacarias into fantastic stores in Italy, Monaco, Spain, France and Japan,” Rita says. “I have known [Tala owner] Mavis Fuentabella since we were classmates in fifth grade. We got back in touch again and what she has at Tala Manila is outstanding—discreet, distinct, impeccable designs.”
On the other side of the fashion spectrum is Dotcomme, an anti-fit and anti-sexy line of basic pieces by friends Patrice Ramos-Diaz, Cecile Zamora-van Straten, and Penny Ong. What started out as just the three’s penchant for the colors grey, black, and baby blue morphed into an actual hobby clothing line. The collection is for the tomboys at heart who prefer boys’ clothes over form-fitting pieces.
“We [didn’t] want to overthink or over-strategize. We just want to keep it simple and offer well designed pieces, escaping the unnecessary noise that usually surrounds a brand,” Patrice says. “We would like to focus on the product and allow the brand to take shape organically from there. I guess we also feel we could, in our own little way, have an influence on local fashion.”
She continues, “More importantly, we wanted to do it for fun. It was an excuse to spend more time with each other. Sadly, our partner Penny passed away last June, and we figured she would want us to continue on with it as planned.”
The pop-up store will kickstart tomorrow, Aug. 13, at 4:00 p.m. and run until Aug. 16 at Tala.
Tala. Unit 103, Three Salcedo Place, 121 Tordesillas Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City. Store hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, visit their Facebook page.


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Techcrunch, a gadget blog, called the exploit "a massive backdoor to some of the iPhone's core functions".
Posted on YouTube by a blogger identifying themselves only as VideosdeBarraquito, the Apple hack has been viewed by nearly 4,000 people, and replicates a similar flaw with earlier software, iOS 4.1.
According to the paper, the process can be triggered by aborting an emergency call and then executing a dozen simple button presses to fool the device into keeping the iPhone open.
The flaw means that the iPhone opens the phone app, giving access to the main systems including call logs and messages, the paper said.
It relies on precise timing, but can easily be replicated by any user, it added.


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A new smart phone app for the Pikes Peak region is looking to connect local food producers with consumers. KRCC’s Dana Cronin reports.
The app is called LocalFood and will allow users to find, purchase, or sell products that are grown or produced within a 67-mile radius of Colorado Springs.
Herman Combs is the owner of Vrello LLC, a mobile app developer involved with LocalFood. He says the primary targets are not only those who are aware of the local food movement, but hopefully also those who are looking to become involved. "And," Combs says, to "start learning about where their food comes from."
The plan is to have the app update information in real time. It will include a rating system.
It’s scheduled for official release on Sunday.
Southern Colorado is changing a lot these days. We can help you keep up. Sign up for the KRCC Weekly Digest here and get the stories that matter to Southern Colorado, delivered straight to your inbox.


text: A new Adidas Originals advert starring a host of celebrities has been revealed. The ad, which ends with the brand's Celebrate Originality slogan, stars David Beckham, Ian Brown, Snoop Dogg, N-Dubz, Noel Gallagher, Agyness Deyn and more. Similarly to the last Adidas Originals ad, all the famous folk are seen at what appears to be the world's liveliest-ever party with N-Dubz performing in a packed room and Noel Gallagher busking outside while Ian Brown watches on. A video of the advert is available to view online now but it will make its TV debut during tonight's series finale of Skins on E4. It has recently been revealed that Adidas Originals fan Ian Brown - known to fans as King Monkey - is performing a huge outdoor show in Platt Fields Park, south Manchester on Friday June 11th, with a host of supports including UNKLE, Scratch Perverts and The Whip.


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Spotnik Mobile announced a plan on Tuesday to allow VIA 1 train car passengers traveling on the Montreal-Quebec City route to have access to free wireless Internet service. For travelers that are new to wireless computing and need some guidance, or don’t have a wireless device, the program offers these services too.
At no cost to customers until March 31, 2004, VIA 1 passengers will have the option of using Spotnik’s wireless Internet service along with the use of a Wi-Fi enabled Tungsten C personal digital assistant (PDA) from palmOne Canada. The less tech savvy traveler will also have access to an on-board wireless “conductor” that will travel on the train between the two destinations.
Spotnik wanted to offer its “non-tethered” or “in-motion” Wi-Fi experience from a holistic perspective, said Mark Wolinsky, co-CEO of Spotnik in Toronto. As part of that perspective there is the service component that Spotnik can bring to the table and the device component from palmOne, which will provide people with the service on a platform that is helpful and allows the company to demonstrate the benefits including the productivity gains associated with this technology, Wolinsky added.
Wolinsky said the service will be provided on one VIA 1 car — which is wrapped in a billboard-like banner — traveling approximately three times per day between Montreal and Quebec City.
Service uptake for Wi-Fi connectivity has increased 200 per cent from where it was this time last year, Wolinsky said, adding, over the next 18 to 24 months there will be very rapid yet modest growth.
To make downtime events, such as loss of satellite, as painless as possible to users, Wolinsky said Spotnik looked at a number of different solutions that have started to emerge in the market recently.
He said that Spotnik has used a combination of technologies including satellite, code division multiple access (CDMA) and Wi-Fi to distribute the interconnectivity aboard the train.
“During periods of down time, when the service is out of range of satellite connectivity we provide the means for the user to browse through the cache content and walled garden of information that is provided by our partners,” Wolinsky explained.
“Although you may not have the connectivity at every given moment…we also provide you with additional services that allows the customer to have some connectivity and information that our partners are providing such as stock quotes, news, weather, things of that nature that are updated to the box on our train in a near real-time basis,” he added.
John Yunker, an analyst with Pyramid Research in Cambridge, Mass., said that in terms of this type of mobile connectivity, “trains are just the beginning.”
“We’re going to see commercial airlines begin launching Wi-Fi as well this year, beginning with Lufthansa. Regarding trains, the demand is particularly strong on trains that carry commuters; we are already seeing monthly subscription services for travelers on heavily traveled commuter routes. For other routes, usage tends to be more sporadic and will include leisure travelers as well,” Yunker said.
Yunker emphasized that train operators can also benefit from Wi-Fi, as they can use it to sell tickets and communicate more efficiently. “This ultimately may be the biggest benefit of all for the operators,” he added.
Yunker cautioned venue owners not to view Wi-Fi as a cash cow, but as an additional amenity — one that may provide additional revenues but may also increase occupancy. Wi-Fi, as a standalone business, Yunker said, will be tough to support as prices inevitably fall. “But Wi-Fi won’t go away.”
“I have yet to find anyone who has used Wi-Fi and voluntary given it up, it is highly addictive and we find time and again that once people have Wi-Fi laptops and other devices that they pressure the venue-owners to support their ‘addiction,'” Yunker said.
VIA rail first implemented Wi-Fi access aboard its VIA 1 trains in July of last year, when IT World Canada reported that Bell Canada had unveiled a four-month pilot project — which continues today — to offer wireless Internet access aboard its trains traveling between Montreal and Toronto.
Although Spotnik’s service is free until the end of March aboard VIA 1 train cars, the approximate price difference of a return ticket to travel between Montreal and Quebec City is roughly $56 dollars more to travel VIA 1 as opposed to economy class. The VIA 1 price tag is roughly $242 whereas economy sits at approximately $186.


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News on T-Mobile (Ticker: DTEGY) continually updated from thousands of sources around the net.
1 hr ago | Gadgetell
If you've been itching to get a Nokia Lumia phone, now is the best time as T-Mobile is offering the smartphone contract-free for only $59.99.
Trending on the Topix Network
2 hrs ago | Seeking Alpha
I am bullish on T-Mobile , as the company is making the right strategic moves to improve its future performance.
5 hrs ago | Business Journal
Dallas-based AT&T Inc. cut the cost of its 2GB Mobile Share value pricing plan by $15 a month in the latest move in a heated duel with T-Mobile and other carriers for customers.
9 hrs ago | CNet News
On Friday, Sprint introduced Sprint Prepaid, a revamped take on an existing program that includes less expensive plans -- with caveats -- and new options for smartphones, including a "Spark" device able to access higher LTE speeds.
Masayoshi Son spoke about industry issues and offered his perspective on the potential of a merger between Sprint and T-Mobile.
Mobile data brought U.S. wireless carriers more revenue than voice calls did for the first time last quarter, a milestone for the industry as faster network speeds are prompting Americans to consume, and pay for, more data than ever.
Straight Talk's service $45 a month plan works on more phones: The company has nano SIMs for the Moto X and Apple's iPhone 5s and 5c.
Mobile has returned volley to Verizon in a war of words over whether Canada's successful 700 MHz spectrum auction proves spectrum aggregation limits are suitable for the FCC's upcoming 600 MHz Broadcast Incentive auctions.
Mobile is a U.S. wireless communication company. We started our coverage on the company in November, 2013.
Tired of your T-Mobile phone status changing for 4G to E? Hang in there: The company is planning to rollout a 4G LTE upgrade everywhere it currently offers 2G service by the middle of 2015.
Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, wants to buy Time Warner Cable, the nation's second largest cable company, for $45.2 billion.
Kennewick Police are attempting to identify a man involved in the robbery at the T-Mobile store in the Columbia Center Mall last month.
That's according to AT&T Chief Financial Officer John Stephens, who was speaking at an investor conference on Wednesday.
A new breed of large-screen smartphones is brewing, targeted at folks normally unable to afford high-end phablets, and one of its reps, Sony's Xperia T2 Ultra, is reportedly on its way to T-Mobile.
That's especially true when it comes to future spending in spectrum auctions, Chief Executive Timotheus Hoettges said this week in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
It has only been a couple of weeks since the Samsung Galaxy S5 was officially announced.
Time Warner Cable CEO Rob Marcus reiterated his confidence in getting regulatory approval for the $45.2 billion deal with Comcast .


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Zong 4G, the foremost digital communications enterprise in Pakistan, has partnered with ASA Pakistan (MFB) Limited, a notable microfinance institution, to furnish their clientele with state-of-the-art communication and data connectivity solutions. Zong’s industry-leading customized solutions are leveraged in this strategic alliance, which was signed in November 2023, to improve ASA’s company productivity and optimize procedures.
Zong Business is committed to offering specialized GSM and data products that meet a range of communication demands. It is known for its dedication to excellence and innovation. A Zong 4G representative said, “This partnership reflects our dedication to empowering businesses with seamless connectivity solutions.”
In highlighting the importance of dependable telecom services, Mr. Saeed Uddin Khan, CEO of ASA Pakistan, says that “Zong 4G’s services will equip our users with the tools they need to optimize their productivity and drive sustainable business growth.”
Through this partnership, ASA Pakistan will be able to unlock new levels of operational efficiency and provide more agile customer service, which is a big step forward for both companies. With Zong 4G’s strong network and cutting-edge solutions, ASA is well-positioned to make significant progress in the constantly changing banking sector.


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Prof. Marc Langheinrich’s contribution on “La Regione”
February 21, 2022
Digital devices are increasingly ubiquitous, from phones to watches . This has created the need for an evolution of the concept of privacy and the way our personal data is handled. This topic is discussed by prof. Marc Langheinrich in the feature in collaboration with La Regione, a local newspaper.


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We are very excited to welcome you back to the resort! A lot has changed over the past several months, but our commitment to providing the ultimate guest experience remains the same. Guests can escape to the peaceful surroundings of Horseshoe Valley, experience a variety of outdoor activities, rest and relax in cozy accommodations and enjoy delicious food and beverage options, all while knowing that their health and safety is top priority.
IMPORTANT: As per the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, the public is required to wear a face covering (ie. non-medical mask) when entering the indoor premises of businesses and organizations starting Monday July 13th, 2020. As such, face coverings will now be mandatory for guests and Horseshoe team members in all buildings on the resort property. Children under the age of 2 or those under 5 who cannot be persuaded, are not required to wear a face covering, as well as individuals whose health or ability, or cultural or religious reasons would prevent them from doing so. Physical distancing measures are still in effect.
Our team has worked hard to implement new protocols in order to ensure the health and safety of our guests, team members and local community. Here are just a few of the changes we have made:
- Enhanced cleaning and sanitization practices are in place resort-wide
- Frequent disinfecting of high touch point areas
- Hand sanitizer stations are available at all guest and employee entrances
- Physical distancing measures are in effect in all areas of the resort (indoors and outdoors), for both guests and team members
- Plexiglass has been installed at all customer facing ticket, retail and food & beverage counters


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Whether it is the continuing consequences of the COVID19 pandemic, or the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the oil surge it has caused, the whole world is now reporting higher inflation rates, amid fears of worse months if ongoing conflicts do not come to end soon.
Inflation is the economic term meant to identify the change in prices of basic goods and services consumed over a period of time, which aims at measuring the expected impact on consumers' daily lives in the long term. Long-term inflation leaves major damage on currency values, as it impacts buyers' consumption power.
Currently, the world is seeing considerable increases in inflation rates, resulting from spikes in oil prices pressured by the Russian war in Ukraine, besides shortages of basic agricultural products produced in the eastern European countries involved in the military conflict that has been going on since late February, in addition to the overall impact of the pandemic on the world economy, which lived through two years of challenges and global lockdowns.
According to numbers reported by Quartz, the global inflation rate is around 6%, which includes some of the world's biggest economies, such as the United States at (8.5%), the Eurozone at (7.5%), and the United Kingdom at (7%).
These numbers have been alarming individuals with cash assets to the pressing need for safe investment plans, also known as inflation hedges, that can help protect savings from being devalued, as inflation usually leaves a heavy toll on currencies values.
How to Protect Your Savings During Inflation?
We can not talk about a safe investment without mentioning gold as the historically proven safe asset. No matter what happens around the world, Gold can be an asset to help store cash and preserve its value, if not make a profit.
If you are not that excited about purchasing gold bars, you can invest your money in stocks of gold mining businesses as well.
2. Digital Gold
In recent years, cryptocurrencies have given millions of people the chance of making a profit even at the worst of times. During the first few months of the COVID19 pandemic and as millions of people lost their jobs for lockdowns, the crypto market allowed people to invest their savings and make a passive living throughout the crisis.
Similarly, the current inflation crisis can be overcome by investing in the digital currency market, particularly given its scarcity and the growing confidence in it as a means of investment.
Moreover, tech-savvy capital owners can explore other digital investment options, such as purchasing the right property in the Metaverse or trading NFTs.
3. Real Estate
Similar to gold, real estate has long been among the industries that can preserve the value of money invested. Buying a piece of land, an apartment, or a building will always win, because the property bought will only get more expensive due to inflation.
4. Safe stocks
This plan will need a little more research than the other options, since it requires studying the different dynamics per stock market, per region, and per crisis.
For example, investing in stocks amid the COVID19 pandemic paid the most back for those who invested in healthcare, technology, and pharmaceutical companies. During an oil surge similar to the ones resulting from the war in Ukraine, buying stocks in the world's leading oil-producing companies can be the right way to save the value your money.
You will need an expert opinion based on the amount of money you are looking to invest, the type of commodities impacted during a given crisis, and the specific market/country/region you are looking to invest in.
Written by Riham Darwish
© 2000 - 2023 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)


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If you missed out on the beta a couple weekends ago (like I did), then you might not have heard of High Horse Entertainment’s Disc Jam. Announced as part of March’s PlayStation Plus offerings, people have been calling it the next “Rocket League”. No pressure, Brah!!!
Timoth Rapp talked more about the game on the Official PlayStation Blog if you want a more in-depth look at the game.
With the game releasing on Tuesday, HHE has offered up a launch trailer, giving those who are uninformed a look at the fast-paced disc flippin’ action!
I’ll admit, it looks like it could be pretty addictive! Super throws! 1v1 and 2v2 gameplay!! The Brah will be giving it a shot. How’s about you?


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Canada: Retail Sales Rose in September, but Consumers Are Clearly Feeling the Pinch
- Canadian retail sales rose by a solid 0.6% m/m in September, beating forecasters’ call for a flat print, with a more modest 0.3% m/m climb in volumes. Eight of 10 provinces experienced gains. Table summarizes key data points.
- In the third quarter of 2023, nominal retail sales rose 0.6%, while real purchases declined by 0.5%.
- Statistics Canada’s flash estimate for October nominal retail sales points to a 0.8% climb versus September (graph 1).
Auto sales led a solid gain in September, while retail purchases were otherwise weak, with growth contracting in five of nine subsectors in the month. Indeed, core retail sales, which excludes sales at gas stations and auto dealers, were down 0.3% in September. The auto sales increase followed a noticeable decline in the prior month, and continues the trend of month-over-month volatility seen in recent years as supply chains have struggled to respond to demand.
We’re tracking real GDP growth of about 0.4% (q/q annualized) in the third quarter of 2023—half the pace projected by the Bank of Canada in its most recent forecast. Accordingly, we still expect the Bank to hold rates steady at its next meeting, and that the next move will be a cut towards the middle of 2024.
We’ve noted several times recently that economic growth is not keeping up with population gains, and that’s true of retail sales as well. Although September’s increase provided some support for per-capita retail purchases, this indicator is still clearly trending downward (graph 2). That suggests weak household consumption per person in the third quarter, and more moderate consumer activity than implied by the headline growth rate.
In all, despite the headline rise in September, it’s clear that consumers are feeling the pinch from high interest rates, still-elevated inflation, and a cooling labour market. We expect growth to slow more meaningfully in the coming months as Canadians increasingly feel the full impacts of the central bank’s aggressive tightening campaign.
Contact our economists
Elsewhere in Canada:
1-866-866-7000 This link will launch your default phone software.


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Key benchmark indices snapped three-day winning streak as weak global stocks dampened sentiment. The barometer index, BSE Sensex, lost 17.55 points or 0.1%, up close to 100 points from the day's low and off about 35 points from the day's high. The market breadth was negative. Index heavyweight Reliance Industries (RIL) edged lower in volatile trade.
The Sensex had risen 139.69 points or 0.8% in the preceding three trading sessions to settle at 17,538.67 on Thursday, 5 July 2012, from a recent low of 17,398.98 on 2 July 2012. The Sensex has jumped 2,066.20 points or 13.36% in calendar 2012 so far (till 6 July 2012). The Sensex has gained 91.14 points or 0.52% so far in July month. From a 52-week low of 15,135.86 on 20 December 2011, the Sensex has risen 2,385.26 points or 15.75%. From a 52-week high of 19,131.70 on 8 July 2011, the Sensex has lost 1,610.58 points or 8.41%.
Coming back to today's trade, realty shares declined on profit booking after recent strong gains triggered by the Competition Commission of India directing cement firms last month to cease and desist from indulging in any activity relating to agreement, understanding or arrangement on prices, production and supply of cement in the market. Metal stocks fell as metal prices declined on London Metal Exchange on Thursday, 5 July 2012. Jindal Steel & Power declined on reports that the company has suspended operations at its iron ore mine in Bolivia.
White goods makers edged higher on reports air-conditioner manufacturers have grown at double-digit rate in the last couple of months as the extreme heat in the Northern and Eastern regions led to brisk sales. IT stocks were mostly lower on weak economic data in the US, the biggest outsourcing market for the Indian IT firms.
Global stocks fell on Friday, 6 July 2012, after weak US services data and after a flood of action by central banks on Thursday, 5 July 2012, highlighted the depth of concern for the global economic outlook.
Indian stocks edged lower in early trade on weak Asian stocks. The market extended initial losses to hit fresh intraday low in morning trade. The market trimmed losses in mid-morning trade. Intraday recovery continued in early afternoon trade. Key benchmark indices slipped in afternoon trade after European market opened lower. The Sensex moved into the positive terrain and hit fresh intraday high in mid-afternoon trade. The market once again moved negative zone later.
The BSE Sensex lost 17.55 points or 0.1% to 17,521.12, its lowest closing level since 4 July 2012. The index gained 15.88 points at the day's high of 17,554.55 in mid-afternoon trade. The index fell 113.20 points at the day's low of 17,425.47 in morning trade.
The S&P CNX Nifty was down 10.35 points or 0.19% to 5,316.95, its lowest closing level since 4 July 2012. The index hit a high of 5,327.20 and a low of 5,287.75 in intraday trade.
The BSE Mid-Cap index fell 0.56% and the BSE Small-Cap index declined 0.21%. Both these indices underperformed the Sensex.
BSE clocked turnover of Rs 2101 crore, lower than Rs 2915 crore on Thursday, 5 July 2012.
The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, was negative. On BSE, 1,537 shares declined and 1,331 shares declined. A total of 126 shares were unchanged.
From the 30-share Sensex pack, 18 stocks declined and the rest rose.
Index heavyweight Reliance Industries (RIL) declined 0.57% to Rs 734.30. The stock hit a high of Rs 739 and a low of Rs 729.65. The company said during market hours today that it has selected Technip as a technology supplier and engineering contractor to implement its Refinery Off-Gas Cracker (ROGC) project. This is part of the expansion project being executed at RIL's Jamnagar refinery and petrochemical complex in Gujarat. The ROGC plant will be amongst the largest ethylene crackers in the world and will be using refinery off-gas as feedstock, RIL said. The products from the plant will be utilised for the new downstream petrochemical plants being built at Jamnagar, RIL said.
RIL has bought back 3 crore shares for Rs 2144.73 crore till 22 June 2012 under its ongoing share buyback program. RIL has set a maximum buyback price of Rs 870 for share buyback. The company has set aside Rs 10440 crore for share buyback. The buyback program opened on 1 February 2012 and closes on 19 January 2013. Last month, RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani said at the company's Annual General Meeting in Mumbai that the company's buyback program represents a highly accretive use of cash by the company and it will supplement earnings growth from operations, for higher EPS (earnings per share), in the near future.
White goods makers edged higher on reports air-conditioner manufacturers have grown at double-digit rate in the last couple of months as the extreme heat in the Northern and Eastern regions led to brisk sales. Hitachi Home & Life Solutions (India), Blue Star, Whirlpool of India and Panasonic Home Appliances India rose 1.52% to 3.53%.
Airline stocks declined on profit booking after recent strong gains triggered by fall in crude oil prices. Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines and SpiceJet declined by between 1.98% to 3.77%. Jet fuel or aviation turbine fuel (ATF) typically makes up almost half of an airline's operating cost. Prices of jet fuel are directly linked to crude oil prices. State-run oil marketing companies--Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation revise jet fuel prices on the 1st and 16th of every month based on the average international crude price in the preceding fortnight.
IT stocks were mostly lower on weak economic data in the US, the biggest outsourcing market for the Indian IT firms. India's second largest software services exporter by revenues, Infosys, declined 1.47%. The company announces Q1 results on 12 July 2012. India's third largest software services exporter by revenue, Wipro, dropped 1.03% India's largest software services exporter by revenues, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), rose 0.47%, with the stock reversing intraday losses. The company announces Q1 results on 12 July 2012.
India's largest engineering & construction firm by sales Larsen & Toubro (L&T) fell 1.57% on profit taking after recent strong gains. The company said during trading hours on Wednesday, 4 July 2012, its construction division secured new orders worth over Rs 1523 crore across various business segments in June 2012.
India's largest power equipment maker by sales Bharat Heavy Electricals (Bhel) rose 0.36%, with the stock extending recent gains. Bhel last week said it had secured a contract worth Rs 950 crore for a 1,020 megawatts hydroelectric project in Bhutan.
Metal stocks edged lower as LMEX, a gauge of six metals traded on the London Metal Exchange, fell 0.7% on Thursday, 5 July 2012. Bhushan Steel, Sail, Hindustan Zinc, Sterlite Industries, Bhushan Steel, JSW Steel, Tata Steel, and Hindalco Industries shed by between 0.11% to 2%.
Jindal Steel & Power (JSPL) declined 3.17%. JSPL and the Bolivian government are still in talks to see if the Indian company's $2.1 billion mining and steel-manufacturing venture at El Mutun in Bolivia can be salvaged, a news agency quoted JSPL Vice Chairman Vikrant Gujral as saying on Friday, 6 July 2012. El Mutun is a vast iron ore deposit on Bolivia's border with Brazil estimated to contain 40 billion tons of ore.
In 2007, JSPL entered into an agreement with the Bolivian government to develop the El Mutun mines, and to set up a plant to process iron ore and build a steel factory with an annual capacity of 1.7 million metric tons. Bolivian President Evo Morales showcased the project as an example of how his government and multinational companies could work as equal partners. But the program soon ran into trouble, with the Bolivian government accusing JSPL of not meeting its investment schedule and JSPL arguing that the Bolivian government has failed to provide the gas and infrastructure necessary to move the project ahead.
Realty shares declined on profit booking after recent strong gains triggered by the Competition Commission of India directing cement firms last month to cease and desist from indulging in any activity relating to agreement, understanding or arrangement on prices, production and supply of cement in the market. Cement is a key raw material in housing construction. DLF, HDIL, Oberoi Realty and Unitech shed by between 0.12% to 2.2%.
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday, 4 July 2012, approved the proposal for extending the scheme of interest subvention of 1% on housing loans upto Rs 15 lakh where the cost of the house does not exceed Rs 25 lakh for the year 2012-13 and to amend the operational part of guidelines for release of funds. A budgetary provision of Rs 400 crore has been made for Financial Year 2012-13 for implementing the scheme. Consequent upon the extension of scheme, the limit of subsidy for an individual borrower would be Rs 14,912 for a loan of Rs 15 lakh and Rs 9,925 for a loan of Rs10 lakh. The extended scheme will benefit all house loans availed in Financial Year 2012-13, a government statement said.
FMCG stocks rose as monsoon rains picked up pace after delay in arrival. FMCG firms derive substantial sales from rural India. Hindustan Unilever (HUL) (up 1.15%) and ITC (up 1.06%), edged higher.
Marico gained 0.66% to Rs 183.80. The stock hit a record high of Rs 187 today.
Dabur India gained 0.22% to Rs 114.9. The stock hit a high of Rs 115.30, matching the record high hit in intraday trade on 29 June 2012.
The southwest monsoon made a further advance on Thursday into more parts of the country. In Maharashtra, the coastal parts of Konkan and Goa, including Mumbai, and a few places in central Maharashtra, which stretches from Jalgaon/Nashik in the north and Kolhapur in the south, continued to receive good rains while a sustained spell of rains continued to elude Pune and adjoining parts.
On Thursday, the monsoon moved into some more parts of Gujarat, remaining parts of Madhya Pradesh and east Uttar Pradesh, most parts of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, entire Jammu & Kashmir and some parts of Rajasthan and west Uttar Pradesh.
The monsoon rains--which make up around 70% of India's annual rainfall--are crucial to the nation's agriculture sector and broader economy. More than 60% of the country's farmland is rain-fed. The timing, distribution and quantity of rainfall are all important for crops.
Power generation stocks fell on profit booking after recent strong gains triggered by hopes that a recent fall in international coal prices could boost profitability. GMR Infrastructure, Lanco Infratech, JSW Energy, Reliance Power, Adani Power, Tata Power Company, GVK Power Infrastructure, NTPC and Reliance Infrastructure shed by between 0.55% to 2.46%. Fall in international coal prices this year could boost profitability of those power generation firms which buy imported coal in the spot market. Coal is the largest source of energy for electricity generation.
Auto stocks were mixed. India's largest car maker by sales Maruti Suzuki India fell 1.93%. The company early this week said its total sales jumped 20.3% to 96,597 units in June 2012 over June 2011.
India's second largest motorcycle maker by sales Bajaj Auto declined 1.01% on reports the company has cut prices of its products in Sri Lanka to bring back the volumes lost post the excise duty hike in the country. Bajaj Auto has reportedly cut retail prices of 3-wheelers by 10% and 2-wheelers to the tune of 5-14%, depending on the model, in Sri Lanka. The hit due to the price cut will be shared between the company and the dealers although the ratio of sharing of the price cut was not disclosed in the report. Sri Lanka accounts for almost 5-7% of the total volumes of the company. It is one of the biggest markets for the auto major in terms of export and accounts for 17-18% of export sales, the report indicated.
The company early this week said its total sales fell 6% to 3.45 lakh units in June 2012 over June 2011. The company's commercial vehicles sales plunged 39% to 26,785 units in June 2012 over June 2011 as three-wheeler exports to Sri Lanka and Egypt were disrupted in June 2012. Bajaj Auto expects sales to normalise from July 2012 onwards.
Hero MotoCorp (HMCL) dropped 1.74%. The company early this week introduced a 125 cubic-centimeter motorcycle Ignitor. The Ignitor motorcycle will be available in two versions, costing Rs 55,900 and Rs 57,900 at dealerships in New Delhi, the company said. The latest model follows the 110cc Maestro scooter, which was launched in March, and the 150cc Impulse motorcycle, introduced last October. The Ignitor will add to the Glamour and the Super Splendor -- the two 125cc motorcycle models sold currently by Hero MotoCorp. Hero MotoCorp sells motorcycles with 100cc to 225cc engines. It also sells two scooter models, including the Maestro.
The company's total sales rose 4.26% to 5,34,091 units in June 2012 over June 2011. With sales of 5,34,091 units in the month of June, HMCL's cumulative sales for the first quarter (April-June) of this financial year (2012-13) has touched 16,42,292 units -- its highest-ever sales in any single quarter.
India's largest commercial vehicle maker by sales Tata Motors gained 0.23%. The company's total sales (including exports) of Tata commercial and passenger vehicles declined 3% to 64,341 vehicles in June 2012 over June 2011. The company's domestic sales of Tata commercial and passenger vehicles for June 2012 were 58,270 units, lower by 5%, over 61,266 units sold in June last year.
India's largest utility vehicle maker by sales M&M rose 1.16%. The company today, 6 July 2012, said it has tied up with Kenya's Simba Corp. to sell its utility vehicles and pickup trucks in the African nation. M&M will export its sport-utility vehicles Scorpio and XUV500, as well as the Genio and Maxximo pickup trucks to Kenya. The auto maker currently exports to more than 40 countries, including South Africa, Egypt, Australia and other European as well as South American nations. M&M already sells tractors in Kenya through a tie-up with Timsales, and also plans to introduce new vehicles in the country.
M&M's sales rose 16% to 41,322 units in June 2012 over June 2011. The Passenger Vehicles segment (which includes the UVs and Verito) has registered a growth of 23%, having sold 19,792 units in June 2012, as against 16,053 units during June 2011. The company announced a 24% rise in its auto sales numbers, which stood at 1,26,029 units during the first quarter of FY 2012-13 as against 1,01,997 during the first quarter of FY 2011-12.
Mahindra & Mahindra's Farm Equipment Sector (FES) maintained its leadership position in the tractor industry in June 2012. Domestic sales in June 2012 stood at 22,493 units, as against 21,552 units during June 2011. Total tractor sales (domestic plus exports) in June 2012 stood at 23,765 units, as against 22,730 units for the same period last year. Exports for the month of June 2012 stood at 1,272 units.
Renault SA on Wednesday introduced sport-utility vehicle (SUV) Duster in India as part of an aggressive strategy by the French auto maker to make deeper inroads in one of the world's biggest automobile markets. The Duster has a starting price of Rs 7.19 lakh for the base gasoline model and Rs 7.99 lakh for the base diesel model at New Delhi dealerships, pitching it in competition with SUVs from market leader Mahindra & Mahindra as well as Tata Motors and Force Motors.
Ashok Leyland fell 0.58% on profit booking after recent gains triggered by strong sales in June 2012. The company's total sales rose 28% to 10,244 units in June 2012 over June 2011. Small commercial vehicle Dost clocked sales of 2,725 units in June 2012. Excluding the sales of Dost, total sales declined by 6% to 7,519 units in June 2012 over June 2011. Dost is manufactured in association with Nissan Motor Company of Japan at Ashok Leyland's facility in Tamil Nadu.
Shares of bicycle makers rose on renewed buying. Atlas Cycles (Haryana), Hercules Hoists and Tube Investments of India rose 0.2% to 10%.
Banks stocks were mixed. India's largest private sector bank by net profit ICICI Bank rose 1.55%. Boston-based State Street Corp is reportedly in talks with ICICI Bank to form a partnership in the securities custody business. The US-based financial services company is likely to buy an equity stake in a proposed joint venture, the report said. State Street, one of the largest in the business globally, with $21.8 trillion in assets under custody and administration, has been looking for a foothold in the Indian market for nearly a year.
The country's biggest commercial bank in terms of branch network State Bank of India fell 0.64%. The bank has raised interest rate by 25 basis points to 9% on fixed deposits for the tenure of three years to less than five years with effect from 1 July 2012. This is applicable for deposits below Rs 15 lakh.
India's second biggest private sector bank in terms of branch network HDFC Bank gained 0.18% to Rs 583.30. The stock hit a record high of Rs 588.40 in intraday trade today, 6 July 2012. The bank reduced lending rates by 20 basis points with effect from 30 June 2012. The bank has cut base rate to 9.8% from 10% and the benchmark prime lending rate (PLR) to 18.3% from 18.5%.
PSU OMCs rose as US crude oil futures fell as stimulus moves by central banks failed to allay investor concerns about demand. US crude oil futures for August 2012 delivery were down $1.16 to trade at $86.10 a barrel in Asian electronic trading. HPCL (up 0.88%), Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) (up 1.6%) and BPCL (up 1.02%), edged higher. Lower crude oil prices could decrease under-recoveries of state-run oil marketing companies (PSU OMCs) on domestic sale of diesel, LPG and kerosene at controlled prices. The government has already freed pricing of petrol.
Grasim Industries rose 0.28% after the company said after market hours on Thursday that it has signed an agreement through AV Terrace Bay Inc., Canada, a special purpose vehicle (SPV), to acquire the assets of the Terrace Bay Pulp Inc., a paper grade pulp mill in North America. Grasim will be holding 40% interest in the proposed SPV while Thai Rayon Public Co., Thailand will be holding the balance. Over a period of next three years, Grasim would be contributing $44 million out of the total equity contribution of $110 million.
The SPV will be investing more than $250 million in a phased manner to convert the mill to produce dissolving grade pulp with a capacity of 2.8 lakh tonnes per annum. After the conversion, the mill will be geared to provide superior quality pulp for Aditya Birla Group's viscose staple fibre (VSF) plants worldwide. Grasim is a leading player in the VSF business.
Cals Refineries clocked highest volume of 1.01 crore shares on BSE. Lanco Infratech (72.81 lakh shares), Suzlon Energy (67.70 lakh shares), Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision (62.85 lakh shares) and Jai Corp (50.87 lakh shares) were the other volume toppers in that order.
SBI clocked highest turnover of Rs 87.12 crore on BSE. JSW Holdings (Rs 73.12 crore), ICICI Bank (Rs 55.71 crore), Tata Motors (Rs 44.48 crore) and United Spirits (Rs 38.78 crore) were the other turnover toppers in that order.
An India-Mauritius joint panel will in August discuss a series of proposals to review the double taxation avoidance treaty between the two nations, Mauritius Foreign Minister Arvin Boolell said on Thursday, 5 July 2012. India has been looking to negotiate the double taxation avoidance agreement with Mauritius for the past few years to check so-called round tripping and other potential abuses. Round tripping entails moving money out of one country to another, and getting it back under the garb of foreign capital. Capital gains tax is close to zero in Mauritius and almost 40% of investments into India come through the island nation.
Under the bilateral agreement, capital gains from sale of securities can be taxed only in Mauritius. India and Mauritius will discuss the renegotiation of the tax pact between 22-24 August in Mauritius. The India-Mauritius joint working group will also discuss the inclusion of a so-called limitation of benefit clause, similar to the Singapore tax treaty with India, to ensure only genuine Mauritius-based companies are benefited. India's tax agreement with Singapore says that only those companies that spend a minimum of $200,000 (about Rs 1 crore) in Singapore can avail the benefits of the treaty.
Sanctity of tax residency certificates issued by a country to companies operating in its jurisdiction to enable the firms to claim tax benefits under various treaties is another issue between India and Mauritius. While India in this year's national budget said the certificates are a necessary but not sufficient condition, Mauritius wants those issued by it honoured.
Draft guidelines issued by Indian government last week for implementing the controversial anti-avoidance tax proposal viz. the General Anti-Avoidance Rules (GAAR) state that GAAR provisions should be invoked on a foreign institutional investor (FII), if it chooses to take a treaty benefit, but would not in any case be invoked in the case of the non-resident investors of the FII. The draft guidelines suggested that the onus of proving wrongdoing should be on the authorities.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has said in a newspaper interview that he has identified controlling the fiscal deficit, achieving clarity on tax matters, reviving the mutual funds and insurance industries, clearing a backlog of foreign investment proposals and boosting infrastructure as his focus areas in the short term. Singh said there will be no arbitrariness in tax matters. The statement assumes significance in the context of a raging controversy over the Income Tax amendment to re-open tax demands with retrospective effect from companies like Vodafone over acquisition of companies having operations in India but registered abroad to avoid taxes.
Singh last month said he is chalking out plan for the country's economic revival. Singh last month took additional charge at the finance ministry after Pranab Mukherjee resigned as finance minister on 26 June 2012 to contest the presidential polls scheduled on 19 July 2012. Mr. Mukherjee is the leading contender in the July 19 presidential election, having been nominated by the Congress party-led United Progressive Alliance government for the largely ceremonial post.
Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today, 6 July 2012, said that production of lentils and oilseeds could fall this year due to a delayed start to the monsoon season. Rainfall in June 2012 was not satisfactory for agriculture and water reservoirs, Pawar said on the sidelines of a conference. Monsoon rainfall has been deficient in 82% of India's crop area so far, coming in 29% below long-term average in June alone. Any sharp fall in the production of oilseeds and pulses would mean that India, the world's biggest importer of cooking oils and lentils, will be importing a lot more of these commodities this year.
Mr Pawar said the delayed monsoon won't impact the summer-sown rice crop so much. Plantings of rice paddy starts in June but the main sowing period for the water-intensive crop is July when the country receives the maximum monsoon rainfall.
According to the India Meteorological Department, the monsoon will likely advance to the northwestern region--a major grain-growing area--by early next week, though more than a week later than usual. The situation, however, could turn grim if this doesn't happen as water levels in reservoirs in the north are already low. The monsoon rains--which make up around 70% of India's annual rainfall--are crucial to the nation's agriculture sector and broader economy. More than 60% of the country's farmland is rain-fed. The timing, distribution and quantity of rainfall are all important for crops.
The next major trigger for the stock market is Q1 June 2012 corporate earnings, which will start trickling from the second week of July 2012. Investors and analysts will closely watch the management commentary that would accompany the result which could cause revision in their future earnings forecast of the company for the current year or the next year. A deceleration in top line growth of India Inc amid economic slowdown and slowdown in investment cycle will weigh on bottom line growth in Q1 June 2012 as the core operating profit margin could be negatively impacted by deceleration in top line growth.
HDFC announces Q1 results on 11 July 2012. IT heavyweights, Infosys and TCS unveil Q1 results on 12 July 2012. HDFC Bank declares its Q1 results on 13 July 2012. Axis Bank announces Q1 results on 17 July 2012. Bajaj Auto reports Q1 results on 18 July 2012. Kotak Mahindra Bank and Dr Reddy's Laboratories unveil Q1 results on 19 July 2012. Asian Paints announces Q1 results on 20 July 2012.
Cairn India announces Q1 results on 23 July 2012. ICICI Bank announces Q1 results on 27 July 2012. Maruti Suzuki India announces Q1 results on 28 July 2012. Mahindra & Mahindra announces Q1 results on 8 August 2012. Ranbaxy Laboratories announces Q2 June 2012 results on 9 August 2012.
European stocks edged lower on Friday as investors continued to fret over global growth prospects after a series of rate cuts in Europe and China the prior day. Key benchmark indices in UK, France and Germany were down by 0.05% to 0.44%.
The European Central Bank (ECB) cut interest rates to a record low on Thursday to breathe life into a deteriorating euro zone economy and back up measures agreed by European Union leaders last week to tackle the bloc's debt crisis. The quarter-point cut in the ECB's main refinancing rate to 0.75% was in line with market expectations and followed a dire batch of economic data that show even euro zone powerhouse Germany is entering a modest downturn. In addition to cutting the main refinancing rate, the ECB also reduced its deposit rate, which acts as a floor for the money market, to zero from 0.25%. But, the ECB refrained from taking more dramatic steps such as resuming purchases of troubled euro zone government bonds or flooding banks with fresh liquidity.
The Bank of England (BOE) approved another round of quantitative easing on Thursday in a bid to keep the UK economy out of the ditch. As expected, the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee voted in London to boost the size of its asset purchases by 50 billion pounds ($78.1 billion), bringing the total size of the program to 375 billion pounds. The bank said it expected the purchases to take four months to complete. Meanwhile, the BOE left its key lending rate unchanged at a record low 0.5%, also as expected.
Asian stocks fell on Friday, 6 July 2012, after weak US services data overnight and after a flood of action by central banks on Thursday, 5 July 2012, highlighted the depth of concern for the global economic outlook. Key benchmark indices in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan fell by between 0.04% to 0.92%. China's Shanghai Composite rose 1.01%. Singapore's Straits Times rose 0.24%.
China's central bank -- People's Bank of China -- cut benchmark interest rates for the second time in a month on Thursday and allowed banks to offer bigger discounts on their lending costs, stepping up efforts to reverse a slowdown in the world's second biggest economy after the US. The one-year lending rate will fall by 31 basis points and the one-year deposit rate will drop by 25 basis points effective from Friday, 6 July 2012. Banks can offer loans of as much as 30 percent less than benchmark rates, the central bank said.
Important Chinese economic data is due over the next few days. During a five-day period from 9 to 13 July 2012, China will unveil data on second quarter gross domestic product, data for June 2012 on fixed-asset investment, inflation, industrial production and bank lending.
Trading in US index futures indicated that the Dow could fall 15 points at the opening bell on Friday, 6 July 2012. US Stocks edged lower on Thursday as economic stimulus measures by major central banks failed to excite investors before the US jobs report expected to show tepid growth. The US Labor Department will release the influential US non-farm payroll figures and the unemployment rate for June 2012 today, 6 July 2012.
US service companies grew in June at the slowest pace in nearly two and a half years, a troubling sign for the world's biggest economy. But those same firms boosted hiring last month, adding to other data that show job growth may have picked up. The Institute for Supply Management said on Thursday that its index of non-manufacturing activity fell to 52.1 last month from a May reading of 53.7. The reading was the lowest since January 2010. Still, any reading above 50 indicates expansion. The sector has grown now for 30 straight months.
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The third annual Auto Dealers Against Distracted Driving campaign kicked off March 1 and will run through the month, with hundreds of auto dealers across the country participating. They plan to collect more than 20,000 pledges against driving distracted from customers, community members and staff.
The campaign aims to educate drivers on some simple solutions to resist the urge to drive distracted, such as pairing to bluetooth and securing potential distractions before starting a trip.
Customers who visit participating dealerships can make a formal commitment to drive distraction-free through an online pledge at www.distractionfree.ca or by posting a personal pledge on their Twitter and Facebook pages, using the #TakeTheWheel hashtag.
LGM Financial Services initiated the campaign in 2015 as a platform for dealers to step up against an important industry issue. Distracted driving is a factor in about four million motor vehicle crashes in North America each year, according to CAA statistics.
Linda Leo, a campaign champion at West Coast Kia in PItt Meadows, B.C., says she is looking to this year’s efforts. “From my experience, it doesn’t take a lot to make a connection; a quick conversation or a little reminder, combined with a bit of passion, has the potential to make a real impact for the cause in a short amount of time,” she says.