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Protege was up 18.8%, to 48,876 vehicles, through the first eight months compared with last year, making it one of the few compacts outside Volkswagen of America's hot-selling Beetle to rack up double-digit gains.
A 30-second spot called "Wall Street" continues Mazda's strategy of marketing directly to women, a key component of its sales increase, said Ron Neale, director of marketing operations.
Spending will be "slightly higher" than the Protege ad budget for 1998, Mr. Neale said. Protege spending was $34.4 million in measured media, according to Competitive Media Reporting.
Doner, Southfield, Mich., is the agency.
"The segment has a lot of female drivers, and we went at them directly," the executive said. "There may be some hesitancy to feature women in an advertisement, but we chose to do that [and] we saw our numbers move."
The media schedule includes spot TV, women's magazines and a heavy Web presence, he said. Network TV will follow.
CD PLAYER IS KEY
Mr. Neale said having a CD player as standard equipment is a key selling point for the Protege.
"To our target, young people, we think it's something they value," he said. "Music is a big part of their lives and we provide them with that. A CD player in this segment is perceived as something of a luxury."
Jeff Schuster, manager of forecasting and product planning at consultancy J.D. Power & Associates, believes Mazda will have a tough time maintaining its sales momentum.
The Protege redesign was well-timed, coming when key rivals were a year away from bringing out new models, Mr. Schuster noted. But now the Ford Focus and Toyota Echo have been introduced, making the competitive landscape rockier.
"I would suspect that when you see [sales of] those two models come in, you're


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Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), essentially blockchain-licensed virtual works of art, have gained wide recognition among manufacturers, artists, celebrities, etc., in India and across the globe.
India’s number one media conglomerate Viacom18’s Youth, Music, and English Entertainment (YME) cluster is all organized to set its foot withinside the abruptly developing virtual region of non-fungible tokens with the statement of the NFT market Fullyfaltoonft. Com, which has been configured via Guardianlink mode. I am an introducer and developer of NFT Technologies.
This release is stated to be a primary of its type in India, from a Youth amusement emblem, and creators/customers at the market can revel in the protection blessings of GuardianLink.io’s Anti-RIP NFT generation. The market will offer ‘absolutely valuable’ virtual artwork conceptualized and created via way of manner of the organization that brings to lifestyles iconic manufacturers like MTV, Vh1, and Comedy Central in India, and is ready to transport stay on 14th February 2022.
This initiative can also moreover even mark the extension of the FullyFaltoo franchise that went on from being a display on MTV and an emblem answers studio, to now an NFT market, on the way to release its severa sort of virtual collectibles. Giving fanatics the possibility to mention possession over edgy and precise virtual artwork pieces, the only of type collectibles can also moreover truly have creations stimulated from iconic well-known culture homes such as Roadies and Bakra, and maybe on sale to the public within a few degrees with the company’s known security levels enabled, customers can be in the booth a feature to purchase NFTs at a firm and quick public sale price.
Users will want to test in at the platform that lets in you to make a buy via using a custodian wallet. Configure security levels through GuardianLink.io are to make certain safety of minting, moving, and storing NFTs.
Speaking at the creation of Viacom18’s maiden NFT offering, Anshul Ailawadi, Head – Youth, Music and English Entertainment, Viacom18, said: “The global media and entertainment company has diagnosed the electricity of NFTs. As one of the world’s biggest media markets, India is uniquely located to be at the point of interest of this ‘Web3 revolution’.
The manufacturers that make our YME portfolio – MTV, MTV Beats, Vh1, Comedy Central and Colors infinity remained stable at the beginning of the curve by developing well-known inclinations and culture. Our get entry to withinside the NFT region with Fully Faltoo is every special step withinside the identical direction. This is unique to us as we give our fanatics the ability to customize a completely unique piece of our heritage.
The Fully Faltoo marketing and marketing advertising marketing campaign can also moreover even reason at training customers approximately non-fungible tokens and virtual collectibles, at the same time as attracting web website online site visitors to bid at the platform.
Viacom18’s Fully Faltoo will by skip stay globally on 14th February 2022.

domain: news


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Gas BBQs are the 2010 favourites, followed by charcoal BBQs, up 615%
London – April 29th, 2010. The gas BBQ is this summer’s clear favourite for garden feasts: visits have leapt 902% in a month on Twenga, the new-generation shopping search engine. The classic charcoal barbecue remains popular however, with searches up 615%. (1)
Other favourites reflect the diversity of the market as UK consumers prepare for the summer:
Online shoppers visiting www.twenga.co.uk can choose from a range of 3,642 products from 337 shops. Don’t forget the all-important accessories: searches for tools and brushes are up 710%.
|BBQ search criteria||Increase in visits|
Increase in visits between 27 March and 27 April 2010
For more information please contact:
Jodie Welton at Connected PR
+44 (0)7887 780464
Twenga, the new-generation search engine enables millions of shoppers throughout the world to find what they want, at the best price, from the online shop of their choice.
Thanks to its home-grown technology, Twenga automatically gathers offers from online retailers and displays them in one searchable interface. As a result, Twenga has the most comprehensive listing of online shops. Its search results are objective and not biased by commercial relationships.
Founded in 2006 by Bastien Duclaux and Cedric Anes, Twenga runs 14 sites, including the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Brazil, Russia, the United States, Australia and India displaying more than 230 million offerings from more than 100,000 online shops. Twenga’s sites receive more than 25 million visits per month. In January 2010, Twenga won the Red Herring 100 Global Award which recognizes the 100 most innovative companies in the world.
(1) Increase in visits between 27 March and 27 April 2010


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Supreme Court Rules to Close Online Sales Tax Loophole
On June 21, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states can impose sales tax on internet retailers, even if the retailer has no physical presence in that state.
Background of the Decision
The court’s decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair overturns a 1992 Supreme Court precedent set by Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, which only allowed states to compel online retailers to collect sales tax if they maintained a physical presence in the state. Justice Anthony Kennedy, in his majority opinion, reasoned that modern e-commerce no longer aligns with the requirements of the overturned decision.
“Nexus” is the concept that determines if a corporation has sufficient presence in a state. If a corporation is determined to “have nexus” in a particular state, they are required to pay state taxes there; if they are determined to “not have nexus,” they are not obligated to pay the state taxes. Previously, nexus was bounded by the Quill decision, which defined the concept by physical presence. However, the South Dakota v. Wayfair decision has, in effect, expanded the concept of nexus by adding a sales threshold to the definition. Even without a physical presence in a state, companies can now be determined to have nexus.
Though the Wayfair decision was a 5-4 split, the Supreme Court Justices did all agree that the Quill decision was wrong. The four dissenting Justices on the Wayfair case simply thought that Congress should address the problem rather than the courts. And while the Supreme Court did decide that South Dakota’s particular tax law did not unduly burden interstate commerce, their decision indicated that more complex or further reaching state tax laws might.
Impact of the Decision
So what does this mean for online retailers? As a result of the Wayfair decision, any company that exceeds the sales threshold in a state—regardless of physical presence—now has nexus. Therefore, the company owes sales tax and must file state returns.
E-commerce entities will need to take the following steps: (1) re-determine where they have nexus, (2) begin to collect sales tax information in those states, and (3) file the subsequent state returns.
Responses to the Decision
While e-commerce giants, such as Amazon and Wayfair, saw their stocks tumble in the wake of the Supreme Court decision, both brick-and-mortar businesses and many states consider the outcome a victory. Offline retailers have long decried their disadvantage at having to charge sales taxes when their online competitors often did not have to do so. Meanwhile, many states—particularly those that lack their own laws taxing internet sales—have complained about missing out on billions of dollars in annual revenue as a result of the online sales tax loophole.
In response to the Wayfair decision, many states will likely be looking to update existing or enact new e-commerce tax laws to include a sales threshold. Congress, too, is expected to address the issue, as attention turns back to a number of stalled e-commerce bills, including the Remote Transactions Parity Act/Marketplace Fairness Act and a sales tax proposal from Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA). New legislation will likely include provisions to simplify, at least for online retailers, the complex state and local tax landscape.
Mixed opinions exist as to the impact of the Wayfair decision. Supporters laud it as a strike back against powerful online retailers. While the Quill decision was instrumental in the establishment of e-commerce, today’s environment is much different, and internet retailers no longer suffer the same disadvantage that they did in 1992. However, most large online retailers already collect sales taxes, as they have a large physical presence in most, if not all, states. Therefore, opponents of the decision argue that it will impact small retailers much more than big ones.


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There is a stereotype of the American teenager with a Big Mac in one hand and a Coca-Cola in the other… Some add to this image fried potatoes sticking out of their mouths. Well, to some extent, the inexorable statistics of the consumption of “junk food” – as fast food is also called in the United States, confirm this. But in the last 5-7 years, another, more encouraging trend has appeared in America: teenagers often make a choice in favor of … vegetarian “junk” food, instead of the usual meat! Good or bad, you decide.
American scientists, for some reason, rarely conduct research on the number of vegetarian teenagers in the country of the Yellow Devil. One of the most reliable studies available today dates back as far as 2005, and according to this data, there are about 3% of vegetarians in the United States between the ages of 8 and 18 (not that little, by the way!). And of course, a lot has changed for the better since then.
In 2007, sociologists noticed an interesting trend: more and more American teenagers are choosing not “Big Mac” or beans fried in lard (icons of American nutrition) – but something without meat at all. In general, according to many studies, children and adolescents 8-18 years old are extremely greedy for fast food – what you can stuff into yourself on the go, on the run, and go about your business. People at this age are impatient. So, the good old cutlet between two buns, which has added a lot of suffering to the country with one of the most severe obesity problems in the world, is being replaced by … another, albeit also “junk” food! Vegetarian fast food.
Gradually adapting to the needs of consumers, more and more American supermarkets put on their shelves vegetarian “analogues” of popular food: sandwiches, broth and beans, milk – only without animal components. “We visit my parents in Florida every year,” said Mangels, one of the respondents to a survey conducted by USA Today, “and I used to have to pack a whole suitcase with soy milk, tofu and other vegan food. Now we take nothing at all!” Mangels happily announced that she can buy all the usual products from recent pestilence in a store near her parents’ house. “Not the most progressive area in terms of healthy eating,” she stressed. It turns out that the situation is changing for the better even in the American outback, where the habit of eating meat and other non-vegetarian (and often unhealthy) foods is certainly strong. A typical American (and mother of two who are voluntary vegetarians), Mangels can now get soy milk, non-meat ready-made soups and tallow-free canned beans at almost any store in the country. She notes that such changes are very pleasing to her two children, who voluntarily adhere to a vegetarian diet.
In addition to pleasant changes in the filling of shop counters, similar trends are noticeable in the field of school meals in America. Hemma Sundaram, who lives near Washington, told pollsters that she was pleasantly surprised when, shortly before her 13-year-old daughter was due to leave for the annual summer camp, she received a letter from her school asking her to choose her daughter’s vegetarian menu. . The daughter was also happy with this surprise, and said that some time ago she stopped feeling like a “black sheep”, as the number of vegetarians in her school is growing. “There are five vegetarians in my class. Lately, I’m not shy about asking the school cafeteria for chicken-free soup and things like that. In addition, for us (vegetarian schoolchildren) there are always several vegetarian salads to choose from,” said the schoolgirl.
Another survey respondent, young vegetarian Sierra Predovic (17), said she found she could nibble on fresh carrots and eat her favorite hummus just like other teens eat Big Macs—on the go, on the go, and enjoying it. . This girl is one of many American teenagers who opt for quick-to-cook and eat vegetarian food, which can partly replace the fast food so familiar to Americans.


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San Diego-Based Company Creates Futuristic Three-Wheeled Solar Car That Costs Less than $26K!
San Diego-based Aptera Motors has created a futuristic three-wheeled solar car that not only looks cool but costs less than $26k!
Source: Aptera Motors/Youtube
The company began taking orders for the futuristic car a year and a half ago, and it quickly sold out of multiple models. This resulted in a pushback delivery date for customers. However, in a webinar, the company announced that it purchased a factory to speed up the production of the cars.


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Brentwood Community Council addressing crowds at Brentwood Farmers Market
By Sam Catanzaro
Community leaders are addressing COVID-19 guidelines at Brentwood Farmers Market, telling patrons to not use the market as a place to gather and socialize.
The Brentwood Farmers Market takes place Sundays from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at 741 Gretna Green Way. Back in March, photos posted to Twitter from the Market showed people packed on the streets, prompting Katherine Schwarzenegger to speak out and eventually leading to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to temporarily shut down all Farmers Markets in the city.
In April, the Brentwood Farmers Market reopened with new COVID-19 safety measures in place. Now in November with COVID-19 cases rising in Los Angeles County again, the Brentwood Community Council is reminding Farmers Market patrons to follow COVID-19 guidelines.
“With the spike in COVID-19 cases this month, we’d like to address complaints about folks attending the Farmers Market. The Market has done a great job on safety, but they can’t have eyes on every person at all times, so we make this caring request,” the Brentwood Commmunity Council said in a recent email newsletter. Please do not use the Farmers Market as a place to gather and socialize when you are inside the actual Market. The number of people who are allowed into the Market at any given time has been limited due to Covid, so please enter, shop and depart – which then allows other neighbors to enter the Market.
According to the BCC, the following rules apply when shopping at the Brentwood Farmers Market.
1. Wear Masks at All Times and enter/exit the Market at the appropriate locations.
2. Download the Venmo App to your mobile phone to avoid handling cash – All Vendors Have Been Required to Offer this Option, if a Vendor doesn’t offer it, let the Farmers Market know
3. Social distance of 6 feet from others and don’t be shy about kindly asking others to remain distanced
4. If a vendor isn’t carefully distancing customers at their booth, ask them to form a line or space people so you can purchase from their booth
5. Wash everything purchased at the market when you get home.


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Xbox One Backward Compatibility has had another two Xbox 360 games added this week
While the tech giant no longer adheres to a set release schedule for Xbox One Backward Compatibility, gamers can usually bank on Tuesdays and Thursday as the days they are announced.
This week has proven no different, with two new games confirmed for release for the popular BC library.
Fans can now download Syberia and Boom Boom Rocket, which have become the newest additions to the program following last week’s large jump in game numbers.
If you have bought either title in the past they should be available to download in the Gaming App section of your Xbox One.
Alternatively, you can buy them from the Xbox One Store, which has a growing list of old Backwards Compatible titles available to purchase.
Fans can also put in the old Xbox 360 disc and use that to gain access to their copy, Microsoft still have at least another four games to process and add to the BC library.
Last week saw a huge range of new games arrive for fans to download, including Sonic 4: Episodes 1&2, Fret Nice, Bionic Commando Rearmed 2, Crystal Defenders, NEOGEO BATTLE COLISEUM, Capcom Arcade Cabinet and Pac-Man Museum.
That’s on top of the other three titles that landed earlier, adding the releases of Tour de France 2009, Half Minute Hero and FLOCK! to the program.
A total of 11 Xbox 360 classics were announced last week, one of the biggest expansions seen since the launch of the BC library in 2015.
Skate 3, Bioshock 1 & 2 and Bioshock Infinite were all titles first announced as a big part of the Xbox 360 library last year, but it is unclear how long it will be until these titles are formally launched.


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After decamping from LA during the pandemic, husband-and-wife team Merritt and Charrissa Vaughn steered south to launch this Asian-spun pub food concept in Govalle last summer. Incorporating all-vegan products like cashew queso and animal-free “spare ribs,” the couple is adding to the late-night lexicon with innovative offerings like its double-fried Korean fried “chicken” and wonton “cheese” sticks served with a sriracha aioli.
Coffee shop by day, Oaxacan restaurant by night, this new Tarrytown restaurant from Beer Plant owners Sarah and Ray McMackin proves their most ambitious concept yet. Instead of mimicking meat, like so many vegan spots, the duo explores the vast possibilities of vegetables in dishes like a coffee-rubbed cauliflower steak plated over a rich carrot mole, and tempura-battered poblanos stuffed with mashed elotes.
Sergio Tamez says that meat constituted almost 90 percent of his diet before he went vegan. The problem was that replicating the flavors he loved in a plant-based form was impossible to find around town. So, the construction-worker-turned-chef worked for nearly two years developing a soybean-based variety of meats like beef birria and carne asada that he now showcases in tacos and burritos as appealing as the original.
Miso-glazed eggplant usurping grilled eel on that inside-out favorite, the dragon roll. Tempura-fried beech mushrooms ousting the typical shrimp stuffed into a spider roll. Even charcoal-blistered cabbage standing in for the chicken thighs often associated with yakitori. Owners Daria Rudkova and Javier Evequoz initially planned to open with a more wide-sweeping menu, but when they can work wonders with sushi, why bother?


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There was a time when Chinese products were associated with inferior quality and frequently garnered negative comments such as ‘Yeh toh China ka maal hai.’ However, more recently, Chinese products have shed these negative associations, and Xiaomi is one such brand that has made significant waves with their campaign, ‘Sab Ko Redmi Chahiye’, (‘Everyone wants Redmi’), promoting the Redmi 12C mobile phone.
For context, Xiaomi officially entered the Pakistani market in 2016 and in 2022 they started to produce smartphones in Pakistan; before that, Xiaomi phones were available in the grey market.
The ‘Sab Ko Redmi Chahiye’ campaign kicked off in mid-June and is expected to run until the end of August. The TVC is about a young man called Nabeel who is constantly trying to talk to a girl (his love interest?) on his Redmi 12C but is repeatedly interrupted by his own family members. His older sister wants Redmi 12C because it has a large display, his younger brother wants to play a game on it and even his neighbour wants to use it. All the while, Nabeel’s mother keeps imploring him to submit to each person’s request – which he begrudgingly does. The mother’s repeated requests add a comic touch and reinforce the tagline.
Muhammad Ali, CEO, Visual Prophecy (Xiaomi’s creative agency) says that the brief was to create a witty and engaging ad to reinforce the tagline ‘Sab Ko Redmi Chahiye’. Ali adds that one of the challenges in producing the ad was the casting, particularly finding the right people to enact Nabeel and his mother. In particular, “finding the right mother took a lot of time and deliberation. Gohar Sultana (the mother) exudes a certain aura and, even though she doesn’t say much, she fits into the role perfectly.”
Muhammad Hasnain, Senior Brand Manager, Xiaomi, underlines the fact that the “character of the mother was very important and Hisham Bin Munawar (the director) was particular about finding the right actor to fit into the role. It did not matter how well-known the actor was; what was important was ‘pulling off the expressions.’” Another challenge was finding the right location, one that was reflective of “the living space of a large middle-class family.’”
Hasnain adds that the campaign reinforces the image Xiaomi has been cultivating for the past 18 months. Before that, he says, “We focused on dancing, singing and catering to Gen Z, but now, we have pivoted to storytelling because such ads have better recall. This ad also fits the brand image of Xiaomi as an affordable phone with good features and specifications. The agency came up with the tagline of ‘Sab Ko Redmi Chahiye’ originally and we were immediately sold on the idea.”
Hasnain says that for some models, the company adapts global campaigns, tailoring the messaging according to the country they are released in. However, since this is a mid-tier phone aimed at the Pakistani market, they opted to produce the entire campaign in Pakistan.
Although the campaign primarily targets SEC B, it also aims to cater to a wider demographic. According to the agency, the target audience ultimately consists of people who want a good-quality phone but do not have a lot of spending power. “We are targeting people across the country,” emphasises Ali. “This is an ‘entry-level’ phone and usage is split equally between urban and rural areas, and our male-to-female ratio is approximately 60:40. Our communication strategies to reach urban and rural areas remain predominantly digital with this campaign, although the platforms differ. For example, to reach rural areas and smaller cities, we focus on TikTok and for urban areas, we use Instagram and YouTube.”
Hasnain identifies Oppo, Vivo and Samsung as competitors, although he adds that Redmi 12C is an all-round device with a good battery and camera. At the time of writing, the Redmi 12C (4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage) variant is available for Rs 30,999 while the (4GB RAM and 128GB internal storage) variant is priced at Rs 33,999. “Unlike previous campaigns where the low-price element was emphasised, this time it was crucial not to hammer the price point as much, as Pakistanis tend to equate low price with inferior quality. Instead, we focused on the features and concentrated on the tagline to increase recall.”
According to him, no one in the market is offering phones with Helio G85 processors (which the Redmi 12C has) in the price range offered by Xiaomi. “Phones have recently become pricier, putting them out of reach for the average Pakistani customer. This is why this model was highly anticipated and continues to be in high demand.”
As perceptions about the quality of Chinese phones have pivoted, the market share of Chinese mobile brands in Pakistan has grown and Hasnain puts their penetration at approximately 80%. He points out that the “element of inferior quality is no longer attached to Chinese phones. Once Huawei entered the Pakistani market, it provided a major boost to the image of Chinese phones. In fact, Xiaomi’s interface is no less than that of Korean brands.”
Hasnain is optimistic about the future of the smartphone business. “The cellular industry is a growing segment with great potential for expansion as currently, 55% of people in Pakistan have a smartphone and this figure could reach 85% in the next 10 years due to the rapid pace of digitisation and the fact that the internet and smartphones have infiltrated even remote areas. As a result, now is an excellent time to invest in Pakistan. In fact, because of the market’s potential, companies such as Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo have prioritised Pakistan.”


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A recent discussion among Orrick Partner Edward Somers, Jerry Buckley and Sherry Safchuk centered on the regulatory frameworks that impact electronic records and signatures in the origination and servicing of financial products. They highlighted the significance of laws such as the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA), the federal E-Sign Act, and various state laws in enabling electronic transactions. Additionally, they addressed the growing regulatory focus on “dark patterns” in website and mobile app designs by the CFPB and FTC.
The group emphasized the need for a comprehensive understanding of these regulatory frameworks to ensure compliance and mitigate risks in the financial industry. They also touched on the potential for AI tools to enhance consumer experiences and improve the comprehension of financial products and transactions. By utilizing AI technology, financial institutions can not only simplify processes but also provide more customized and efficient services to their clients.
In conclusion, the conversation shed light on the ever-changing landscape of electronic transactions and the importance of staying informed about regulatory changes and technological advancements. By remaining ahead of curve, financial institutions can navigate digital transactions’ complexities more effectively while continuing to offer secure and convenient services to their customers.


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NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Varian has provided Agilent Technologies with a written notice that it has extended the "end date" for their merger agreement 90 days to April 26, 2010.
Varian disclosed the extension in a US Securities and Exchange Commission filing last week. It said that the deal is still subject to regulatory approvals and other closing conditions.
Agilent signed a definitive agreement to acquire Varian for $52 per share, or a total of around $1.5 billion, back in July.
The merger was cleared by European regulatory authorities two weeks ago, but with conditions, including the sale of product lines accounting for revenues of "under $100 million" in 2009. The firms were not more specific regarding the revenue figures.
The product lines to be sold include Varian's laboratory gas chromatography business, its triple quadrupole gas chromatography-mass spectrometry business, and its inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry business. In addition, Agilent has committed to sell its micro gas chromatography business.
The partners have said that they do not expect US regulators to seek any additional remedies beyond those stipulated in Europe. However, the US Federal Trade Commission has yet to clear the deal.


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Senate OKs bill exempting menstrual products from sales tax
OLYMPIA, Wash. — The Washington Senate on Saturday unanimously passed a measure that exempts feminine hygiene products from the state’s sales and use tax.
The measure now heads to the House for consideration.
Under the bill, products that are exempt from the tax include sanitary napkins, tampons, menstrual cups, or any other similar menstrual product.
The measure was part of the Senate supplemental budget plan, and lawmakers are working to pass bills and negotiate a final budget with the House before the Legislature adjourns on Thursday.
Washington is currently among 31 states that still tax menstrual products, according to Period Equity, a nonprofit group that is campaigning to end the so-called “tampon tax” in states.


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Award-winning spa buckles under economy
An award-winning and internationally known wellness spa that has made Port Hope its home for the last four years is closing in January.
Owner Robin Dines announced yesterday that the Hillcrest Victorian Inn – A Valenova Spa will close on Jan. 31, 2009 due to the state of the economy.
“When it comes to tough times, it’s the luxury expenses that people sacrifice first,” Ms. Dines said.
Eight full-time and 22 casual part-time employees have helped the Hillcrest be named one of the world’s top 10 spas by Spa Finder, Inc. It has also won awards from the SpaFinder Reader’s Choice Awards for its treatments and cuisine and hosted clients from all over the world, including Japan, Germany and throughout the United Kingdom.
Ms. Dines said the business’s steady growth ended in the spring of this year, and has been on a “dramatic decline” since then.
“I’m on my own here. I don’t have the staying power,” said Ms. Dines, who noted that choosing to close was a hard and painful decision to make.
“We’re going into a recession, not coming out of one,” she explained, adding she doesn’t believe they could survive what is yet to come in Canada’s current economic crisis.
The Victorian-style red brick mansion that sits on the 13.9 acres of land at 175 Dorset St.West, including a lush forest along the waterfront, will now be up for sale.
“Hopefully someone will buy it that will want to continue the work we started,” said a sad Ms. Dines.
She said her priority now is to keep the spa running at its usual quality until it’s very last day. After that, she has no plans for her own future.
The spa will continue to operate until its closure and advise guests with a reservation past that date that their deposit will be refunded.


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German authorities have given the VW Group just more than a week to prove that all its cars meet emissions regulations, amid reports in the national press that the company was warned as long ago as 2007 that using the software that cheated testing processes on production cars would be illegal.
The German industrial titan sparked global outrage when it admitted that 11 million of its diesel cars, including 2.8 million in Germany, are fitted with so-called defeat devices that activate pollution controls during tests but covertly turn them off when the vehicle is being driven.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung says the warning emerged during VW’s current investigation into the scandal.
Separately, “Bild am Sonntag” daily said the internal inquiry had found that parts supplier Bosch had warned Volkswagen not to use its software illegally.
Last week VW apologised for cheating on emissions tests in the US.
A spokesman for Volkswagen declined to comment on the reports, saying that as a matter of principle the company wouldn’t comment on what he called “rumors and speculation”.
The federal motor vehicle office (KBA) told VW to set out “binding measures and a timetable” by the deadline showing how it will meet emissions standards without resorting to software that rigs test results, Bild am Sonntag reported.
It said the move could affect 180,000 cars – not yet sold or registered – in the Euro5 emission category.
The US Department of Justice (DoJ) told the BBC that it would join the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) investigation into VW.
The German group has suffered its biggest crisis in the same year it had reached its long-time goal – overtaking the Japan’s Toyota as the world’s top auto maker by sales.


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By Shuli Ren
The Reserve Bank of India kept its benchmark interest rate at 8% today but struck a more dovish tone, sending the Indian equities to a new record high. The S&P BSE 100 Index closed 0.8% higher. Materials and industrials rallied. Tata Steel (500470-BOM) rose 6.9%. Sesa Sterlite (500295-BOM/SSLT) gained 6.4%. Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone (532921-BOM) was up 6.3%. Healthcare retreated again. Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories (500124-BOM/RDY) fell 3.2%.
After re-iterating its inflation target – controlling CPI inflation to 8% next January and 6% by early 2016 – the RBI said if disinflation is faster than anticipated, “it will provide headroom for an easing of the policy stance.”
So now the question is, will India’s central banker Raghuram Rajan start monetary easing any time soon? Lower interest rates are good for equities.
Analysts from Capital Economics to HSBC do not think an easing is likely in the near-term. Inflation is stubbornly high in India, notes Capital Economics analyst Miguel Chanco:
Stubbornly high consumer price inflation means that the RBI is unlikely to consider cutting interest rates for some time. Headline inflation has risen of late and, at 8.6% y/y as of April, it remains above the 8% interim goal the RBI set for January 2015. Meanwhile, core inflation has been stick at around 8% for the past year and a half. What’s more, the RBI’s tight policy stance has so far failed to bring down household inflation expectations, which remain very high.
And HSBC analyst Frederic Neumann pointed out factors such as economic overheating and the monsoon season that could tick up inflation down the road, and said the RBI may have to hike rates again:
Start with growth. The BJP’s thumping victory risks unleashing pent-up demand, both consumption and investment, in the next few months that could fan price pressures. To avoid this, a stringent budget is needed that dampens near-term spending impulses, while laying the ground for a future recovery. It is only in the next few weeks that details on the BJP’s budget will become available.
Next are the rains. As the RBI acknowledges in its statement, these are likely to fall short of what’s needed. Food supply policies may not prove effective in the near-term to rein in prices if the summer stays dry.
Year-to-date, the WisdomTree India Earnings Fund (EPI) advanced 27.5%. The iShares MSCI India ETF (INDA) rallied 17.6%. The iShares India 50 ETF (INDY) gained 22.3%.
After the sharp rally, India’s equities have become pricey compared to their historical averages. Expectations are high.


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Dr Reddy’s Gears For Generic Revlimid Run In US, Quarterly ‘Blips’ Aside
Quarterly ups and down notwithstanding, Dr Reddy’s signals continuing US launch momentum, with its generic Revlimid, for which the Indian firm claims exclusivity for two strengths, set to hit the market next month. “Low competition” assets, especially injectables, also continue to be on the deal-making radar in the US.
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Dr Reddy’s Laboratories is set to reap the rewards of a significant US generic launch – albeit one with a limited volume caveat decreed by a patent-litigation settlement deal – after it began selling its generic of Bristol Myers Squibb’s multi-billion-dollar blockbuster Revlimid.
Viatris is committing to earlier EBITDA and free cash flow targets for 2022, although it now expects to lose a chunk of revenues for the full year amid severe and sustained foreign currency exposure.
Cipla readies scale-up in peptide injectables with five filings in the US and gears for upcoming high-value launches for generic versions of Advair, Revlimid and Abraxane. The company is also exploring partnering opportunities for monkeypox.


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Home Tags Vision Fund
Tag: Vision Fund
The Japanese tech giant suffered from its bets on Uber and WeWork, but investors cared more about a judge approving the Sprint and T-Mobile merger.
Shareholders slammed CEO Masa Son over Vision Fund losses and the group's plan to lend billions to executives to finance its second Vision Fund.
Masayoshi Son told WeWork executives to look for new sources of revenue as SoftBank attempts to rescue the company.
SoftBank has taken serious heat for its WeWork and Uber losses — but one Wall Street analyst says the company will recover from here
The Japanese telecommunications company reported a $6.5 billion operating loss for the recent quarter.
The managers of SoftBank's $100 billion Vision Fund slashed their pre-bailout valuation of WeWork by 83% in the space of three months.
Meet Masayoshi Son, the Japanese billionaire with a $14 billion personal fortune whose SoftBank mega-fund lost more than $4.7 billion investing in WeW...
Masayoshi Son is the founder and CEO of Japanese holding company SoftBank, which invests millions in some of Silicon Valley's biggest tech companies.
SoftBank on Wednesday said it slashed WeWork's valuation to just $7.8 billion, a fraction of its $47 billion valuation in January.
WSJ: SoftBank, WeWork’s largest investor, takes control of the embattled office company, with cofounder Adam Neumann stepping down
SoftBank will give Adam Neumann $1.7 billion, The Wall Street Journal said. He'll get a $185 million consulting fee and will step down from the board.
WeWork is expected to delay its planned public offering until at least October. Previously, it was expected to complete it by the end of this month.
The biggest backers of SoftBank’s $100 billion Vision Fund are reportedly reconsidering their investments in the second one after Uber and WeWor...
Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and Abu Dhabi's Mubadala Investment poured $60 billion combined into SoftBank's first Vision Fund.


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March 27, 2017Source: Automotive News
AutoPacific Contributor: Dave Sullivan
Ford CFO Bob Shanks warned analysts and investors, "don't be surprised" if Ford cuts production or temporarily idles assembly lines across North America in the coming months. The strategy, meant to avoid bloated inventory, will also eat into revenue. AutoPacific's Dave Sullivan says it's a dangerous plan. "Closing a plant down for a week or reducing a shift reduces the amount of vehicles made and therefore reduces revenue....That's what makes it dangerous; when you know your revenue is what you push out the door. If there is no demand, you can continue to push, and that's when bad things happen."
Click below to read the full Automotive News article:


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This morning, I woke up to a bad cold, stomach cramps and rainy weather outside, so what could be more tempting than to grab a cup of tea and crawl back under the covers to get some major news updates on my phone? It took me roughly five minutes and half way into my tea to find the first article that got my blood boiling. In a nutshell, this article from a major German paper tells the story of two German female members of parliament who launched a campaign to reduce VAT on female hygiene products from currently 19% – which are applied to luxury goods such as dining out and cars – to 7%, as applied to daily goods and groceries. Interestingly enough, works of art or caviar or flowers are also taxed with 7%, making them everyday goods instead of luxury items. The article then goes on to interview male politicians on this topic. And they see no need to reduce the tax on female hygiene products. So am I experiencing a luxury treatment once a month?
Only an hour after I read that article, I moved on to editing the current edition of Girl News International. And there it was, another news headline, informing me that Kenya is now supplying free sanitary pads in schools to keep girls from staying home when on their period. I sat down to do some research on this topic, and found that Scotland is already giving away free sanitary items to women on low incomes. Studies show that girls and women spend as much as €15,000 or US$17,500 on female hygiene throughout their lives. Recently, several countries including Canada and India have made sanitary items completely tax free, while some European countries lowered taxes below 10%. But in the majority of places, tampons, pads and pain killers are still taxed as luxury goods, as high as 27% in Hungary. Given that women are still in a position of low income and therefore lower retirement benefits, treating periods as luxury is more than mockery.
If I personally were to put the money in a savings account that I spend on pain killers, tampons, chocolate and other stuff that gets me through those five rough days without completely losing it, I’d probably have a nice sum once I’m done with my period. And I could use that to make up for the lower wages and other unfair taxes—but that’s for a totally different commentary. If there is already a movement to reduce taxes on sanitary items where you live, please support it. And if there’s none: how about sparking the flame? We can do this!
Girl News International


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Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and American company Verily Life Sciences have designed a wearable microscope that can detect and monitor fluorescent biomarkers inside the skin.
The device will be an important tool used in tracking various biochemical reactions for medical diagnostics and therapy. The research was published in the journal ACS Nano on 13 September.
Fluorescent biomarkers are often used in detecting cancers or delivering drugs in certain medical therapies. Although technologies already exist to detect these markers, it is both expensive and difficult to reduce their size enough to make them wearable.
The Californian researchers have made this possible with their new microscope. Weighing less than 45g, it is both small and light enough to be worn around the bicep or other parts of the body. The technology could therefore feature heavily in continuous patient monitoring at home or at point-of-care settings in the future.
The research was published in ACS Nano and was led by Aydogan Ozcan, UCLA’s chancellor’s professor of electrical engineering and bioengineering, and Vasiliki Demas of Verily Life Sciences.
The microscope designed by Ozcan and his team detects fluorescent markers by using a laser to hit the targeted area of skin at an angle. The fluorescent image at the surface of the skin is then captured by the wearable microscope and uploaded to a computer, where it is processed using a custom-designed algorithm. The target fluorescent signal is digitally separated from the autofluorescence that naturally occurs in the skin at a sensitivity of parts per billion.
‘We can place various tiny bio-sensors inside the skin next to each other, and through our imaging system, we can tell them apart,’ said Ozcan. ‘We can monitor all these embedded sensors inside the skin in parallel, even understand potential misalignments of the wearable imager and correct it to continuously quantify a panel of biomarkers.’
This computational imaging framework might also be used in the future to monitor various chronic diseases through the skin using an implantable or injectable fluorescent dye.


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Sears Closing Could Mean Trouble For Malls
Online shopping is getting at least part of the blame after a warning from Sears that it may go out of business.
Sears Holdings says "substantial doubt exists" that the company can continue after years of declining sales.
It's lost nearly $10-billion over the past ten years.
Business analyst Tony Chapman believes online shopping is a key factor in the demise of department stores. "I think one day, in the very near future, we are going to wake up and go what happened to retail that we used to love? What happened to our Macey's that we used to wonder around? Why are they suddenly massage parlours and nail parlours? We have lost a lot of that which used to define who our city was and it is because the consumer benefit from online is so strong."
Champan told AM800's 'The Afternoon News' the closure of Sears could leave malls in a difficult position as many have Sears as a major tenant.
The company has been a part of Devonshire Mall since 1970 and employs 200 people.


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You have a great idea, and you want to run a start-up and be an entrepreneur right?
Congratulations on being a rare breed of women who plan to become an entrepreneur!
Unfortunately, though, despite the rapid modernisation and globalisation of the world’s major cities, not all locations are made equal – there are several countries that allow for women entrepreneurs to better flourish and thrive while other countries and cities still lag far behind in terms of women’s’ equality and treatment as entrepreneurs.
As it turns out, the age-old saying in real estate – location, location, location – still holds true for entrepreneurs all across the world, female or not.
Best Countries To Be Female Entrepreneurs
Based on a study these countries are unsurprisingly the United States, Canada and Australia. This is due to the host of subsidies and tax relief programmes that are widely available and obtainable by entrepreneurs of both sexes.
In the same study listed above, the worst countries for female entrepreneurs are Bangladesh, Pakistan and India, due to the cultural differences in the way both sexes are treated, as well as societal norms that shape these countries’ living norms.
That said, just because the culture in the US, Canada and Australia are welcoming and offer a lot of help, doesn’t reduce the inherent difficulty of being an entrepreneur. It is quite well known that perhaps only 1 in 10 entrepreneur’s start-up succeeds, and within that 1 in 10, maybe only 10% of that actually go on to list their companies in the stock market.
Only 1 in 10 SUCCESSFUL start-ups goes on to listing. Hopefully, that puts things in perspective! This is an overall statistic for both sexes.
However, another possible reason for the few wildly successful women entrepreneurs is that there is a relatively small percentage of women who want to grow their companies to a significant degree. Only 21% of women entrepreneurs polled wanted to increase their market capitalisation by 50% or more, a study suggests.
In a way, it is a huge opportunity cost; women represent approximately 50% of the world’s population. Can you imagine the huge number of misses in world improvements and innovations that can potentially revolutionise the world, all because there are some women who can’t – or choose not to – start a business because of the various factors that work against them?
Another possible reason for the relatively low numbers of female entrepreneurs is the lack of capital available to them. Even in countries that promote their growth, it is worth noting that companies founded by women, or have female CEOs are approximately 50% LESS funded than their male counterparts, and a mere 3% of start-ups that received venture capital funding in 2014 have female CEOs.
In the study, it would seem that the majority of female start-up problems would revolve around a lack of capital or a lack of basic business resources and in emerging economies, cultural restrictions and societal stereotypes (as mentioned above).
For example, a woman in India can found a micro business that serves her fellow women, but there is a chance that the men would not support her. Even banks might refuse a loan grant to her, simply because she is a woman.
In neighbouring Pakistan, women don’t have it much easier either; with only 10% of women having access to the internet, and an even more paltry 3% with bank accounts, it isn’t too difficult to see the near insurmountable obstacles a Pakistani woman has to overcome just to start even a micro business.
Another example would be a woman in Nigeria who is considering starting something. While the rampant sexism against women isn’t as apparent, the sheer volume of corruption that exists in its business environment would be a high barricade for her to climb over to pursue her dreams.
Thankfully here in Singapore, entrepreneurs of both sexes are equally welcomed and given equal opportunities here. If you’re interested in learning more about entrepreneurship, look no further than our very own entrepreneurship page!Recommend0 recommendationsPublished in


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NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE) – Coty Inc. (NYSE: COTY), one of the world’s leading beauty companies and the global leader in perfumes, today announced the promotion of Andrew Stanleick to CEO of the established beauty company by Kylie Jenner. In addition, Stanleick will also manage Kim Kardashian West’s business for Coty, with a focus for both brands on global expansion and entering new beauty categories. Both companies are among Coty’s prestige brands.
Stanleick, who is based in New York, will take on his new global responsibilities in addition to his current role as Coty EVP Americas.
Commenting on the announcement, Sue Y. Nabi, CEO of Coty, said: âAndrew is a very experienced and respected Coty leader who has demonstrated strong business development skills, strategic rigor and customer focus. He is well positioned to further develop Kim and Kylie’s beauty business. This is a great opportunity for Andrew and Coty to take full advantage of our global knowledge and capabilities in R&D, manufacturing, distribution, sales expertise and go-to-market. Combine that with our in-depth understanding of the fragrance, cosmetics and skin care categories and you have the recipe for success. “
Kris Jenner, who has served as Interim CEO, will remain closely involved in the strategic partnerships between Kylie Cosmetics and Kylie Skin, KKW Beauty and Coty as a member of the Board of Directors, as well as the day-to-day responsibilities she takes on. alongside Kylie since launch. of the brand in 2015. Coty along with Kris, Kim and Kylie will continue to define and lead the strategic direction of both partnerships, focusing on global expansion and entering new beauty categories. Kim and Kylie and their teams will continue to lead all creative efforts in terms of product and communications initiatives, leveraging their unmatched global reach capabilities through social media.
Of the announcement, Kris Jenner said: âAndrew is a beauty industry veteran with a proven track record of expanding brands into global markets and we look forward to working closely with him to further accelerate the business.â
Andrew Stanleick, said:
âIt is a great honor to take on this added responsibility and lead these iconic brands, which have played such an important role in revolutionizing how the beauty industry works today. We have a clear plan in place to accelerate growth and ensure that these companies are able to continue to deliver exceptional, new, innovative and sustainable products. For Kylie’s beauty industry, this includes a renewed cosmetic assortment, an omnichannel approach, and a premier DTC website and platform that will finally allow consumers to seamlessly purchase the full assortment of its cosmetic and skin care products. It is a very exciting time for everyone involved and we have a fantastic opportunity to build something very special together.
Stanleick is a beauty and luxury goods industry veteran with over 20 years of multi-channel and multi-category experience in marketing and general management roles. He brings a unique global perspective after holding leadership positions in eight countries on four continents. Stanleick joined Coty in September 2017, after nearly five years with the American luxury brand COACH, where he served as President and CEO of COACH Europe. Prior to COACH, Stanleick worked at L’OrÃ©al from 2000 to 2013 across a range of management positions in Europe, Russia and Asia. He started his career at Unilever, working in brand management and sales. Since joining Coty, he has led the transformation of the Coty Americas business, including the return of American luxury to omnichannel market share growth for the first time in three years. Within Consumer Beauty, he led the turnaround of Sally Hansen and returned COVERGIRL to market share growth for the first time in more than four years thanks to the successful launches of Clean Fresh foundation and Clean mascara.
About Coty Inc.
Coty is one of the world’s largest beauty companies with an iconic portfolio of brands in perfumes, color cosmetics, and skin and body care. Coty is the world leader in perfumes and number three in color cosmetics. Coty products are sold in over 150 countries around the world. Coty and its brands are committed to a series of social causes and seek to minimize its impact on the environment. For more information on Coty Inc., please visit www.coty.com.


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Agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa may have the image of relentless toil and low productivity, but according to experts, new tech will start changing the picture. Farmers, crop buyers and other sector professionals have started to harness smart gadgets and crunch numbers to improve productivity, reduce costs and smooth out wrinkles in the markets.
"There's a digital revolution unfolding in Africa," says Pascal Bonnet, a deputy director of CIRAD, the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development. "Around the continent, there are excellent researchers in information technology - digital agriculture is a real opportunity for qualified young Africans."
The idea of directly linking farmers to consumers, cutting out wholesalers and stores is a familiar story in Europe and North America.
Awa Thiam, a 28-year-old telecoms engineer, is following suit in her native Senegal. The company she founded, Lifantou, connects school canteens with farming cooperatives with the help of big data. "There's a huge need for this," Thiam said, showcasing her work at an agri-tech conference in Dakar last month. "Today, between 25 and 50 per cent of the cost of school meals goes to intermediaries, but schools have limited budgets. If you shorten the supply chain, canteens can bring down the cost of meals and offer the children more varied menus."
Her one-stop platform draws on a databank of crop production and schools to match potential demand with supply. It group-purchases to lower the cost for schools and in a final flourish organises the transport of the goods, with operations monitored in real time.
A project called Pix Fruit, meanwhile, aims to help farmers who have until now estimated their mango crop by counting the fruit on a bunch of trees and then extrapolating for the whole plantation. Emile Faye, a French researcher in digital agro-ecology who works for Pix Fruit, says the margin for mistakes could be as much as a factor of 10.
A purchaser, for instance, could pay the price for two tonnes of mangos while taking delivery of 20 tonnes from the farmer, although errors may go either way. Pix Fruit's alternative uses advanced modelling software to produce a more precise count of the crop. Using a smartphone, the farmer takes photos of a selection of trees in his fields.
Fruit-recognition technology then calculates the likely overall harvest, drawing on a databank compiled with the help of drones that also includes information on climate, soil and administrative constraints. That way, farmers learn the true worth of their crop, while wholesalers and price negotiators have a better take on the risk of glut or undersupply.


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PS5 and Xbox Series X/S updates for Assassin’s Creed: Assassin’s Creed Origins, which takes place in ancient Egypt, will soon receive a 60fps upgrade for current-generation consoles.
Ubisoft has yet to publicly announce the update, but PlayStationSize, a Twitter account that routinely crawls behind the scenes of the PlayStation Store, was able to get its hands on the information.
A “franchise menu” and an option to select a “higher framerate” on PS5 are among the new features included in the update’s patch notes. There’s a good chance the update will go live within the week. This series’ excellent entry in Ancient Greece, Origins: Odyssey, already has 60 frames per second option introduced by Ubisoft. Odyssey now features a “franchise menu” that displays and recommends other recent Assassin’s Creed titles, like Valhalla.
It was after that that Ubisoft indicated it was looking into the idea of doing something similar for Origins and here we are.
However, the release of Odyssey’s upgrade was preceded by a highly delightful crossover between Kassandra and Eivor, with new playable story missions in both games.
To avoid giving anything away, fans are hoping for something similar in Origins, as well as another crossover involving the show’s talented lead Bayek. So yet, there has been no mention of it.


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During the Winter Olympic Games, a Lebanese athlete was at the forefront of the news in Lebanon, as topless nude pictures from an old fashion shoot were leaked out to the public. The Ministry of Sports condemned this act, and was about to take disciplinary sanctions towards the athlete, something, that the Lebanon public at large, especially the online public were against.
Quickly, this turned into a social craze with Lebanese turning to social media to defend and support the athlete. Volkswagen was one of the first to do this, followed by other brands. Our idea was to be reactive to the news by creating a unique and creative post, affirming the brand' support to the Lebanese Skier.
Our idea came to life through a unique Facebook post that was drawing a parallel between the topless pictures of the Lebanese skier and the fact that Volkswagen has been creating convertible cars since 1949.Within a couple of hours, the post reached organically a large audience with more than 558 likes, 216 shares, more than 100 retweets and more than a dozen of blog posts.
The Lebanese automotive market is currently dominated by Korean manufacturers that offer full option cars at affordable prices. On the other hand, luxury car manufacturers such as BMW, Mercedes or Audi have also been experiencing a steady market share, being the market's top players.
Volkswagen lies in between these two categories - i.e. a German car that is reliable & well-built but with a price that is higher than the average. This has created a problem of positioning and perception towards the brand; people tend to feel that the models "are too expensive for what they offer" and hence Volkswagen does not enter into the purchasing consideration set of most Lebanese (apart from the Golf).
Part of our overall strategy in re-positioning Volkswagen as the "people's car", we challenged ourselves to create an affinity between customers and the brand by speaking the language of the people, being reactive to the news that interest them and finally get the brand into the purchasing consideration set of customers, especially the young and active generations (18-35 y.o.).
Our idea was to create a two-way conversation with our potential customers by creating real time responses and comments on the news that matter to Lebanese. Facebook (a long dormant communication platform) offered the best way to tackle our target audience and create an affinity with the brand.
In fact, and during the Winter Olympic Games, the "scandal" of nude leaked pictures of a Lebanese skier was invading social media channels and reactions to potential prosecutions from the Lebanese government created an uproar among the younger generation.
The KPIs for this activity were not only based on the numbers of likes, shares, retweets, blog posts and forum mentions that our post received in real time but also on the sentiment the Lebanese expressed towards the brand: 100% positive for more than 3 months following the stunt.
Why this entry deserves to win? Well, seldom you would find brands supporting controversial issues, specially in a country like Lebanon where the people's voice is never heard or accounted for. For the first time in years, the Lebanese take a united stand for what they believe in. And Volkswagen stood up and supported their cause.


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McLaren has confirmed the Senna is on its way to Australia, and says demand was strong enough for it to be knocking back prospective buyers.
Speaking to CarAdvice ahead of the 2018 Australia Grand Prix in Melbourne, George Biggs, McLaren managing director for Asia Pacific, said demand has been "very, very strong" locally, on the back of a "hugely positive reaction" from the wider region.
"We're producing the car in right-hand drive, so we've had a huge amount of interest in Australia," Biggs said.
"We've had to unfortunately disappoint some clients, because we simply don't have enough cars to satisfy the demand, but you'll definitely see it on Australian roads."
Biggs later said the brand is "very much over-subscribed in terms of the cars we could supply to the market".
Unfortunately, he wouldn't confirm the exact number of cars on their way Down Under. He did, however, confirm the car's £750,000 ($1,373,004) price tag is a global figure.
"There's one price for that car, so we have announced the UK price... effectively take that price, put on Australian duty, on-roads, taxes, etcetera and you've got your price," he said.
That puts the limited-run track special at around $1.375 million before on-roads are applied. Not cheap, although it makes the incoming Pagani Huayra look a little overpriced.
Although most mere mortals might baulk at the idea of spending that much money on a car, Biggs told CarAdvice local buyers are particularly partial to vehicles at the top-end of the McLaren range.
"I think the demand for 720[S] has been really, really strong and that – we're probably six to seven months in terms order bank as we currently stand – we're in a really strong position," Biggs said.
"The Australian market is taking a definite skew towards the high-specification cars," he said. "We are seeing a lot of those high-spec cars at 720[S] and the demand for Senna is through the roof, so we are in a situation where we are probably more skewed towards there."


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Peter Ranscombe raises another irreverent glass to all the latest whisky news from Scotland.
THE Scotch Malt Whisky Society has nearly notched up 40,000 members as it prepares to mark its 40th birthday.
“I started the whole thing for a lark – at the time, most of the Scotch whisky industry was very dull and most of the whisky wasn’t up to much,” explained Pip Hills, the accountant who founded the society in 1983 to focus on single malts from single casks.
“I had had no great liking for whisky, but when I first tried whisky drawn straight from a cask, it was an epiphany – I shared some with my friends and they loved it too, so it seemed like a good idea to share it with more people.”
Andrew Dane, chief executive of Artisanal Spirts Company, which owns the society, added: “They say ‘mighty oaks from little acorns grow’ and that is true of the society’s story – it’s incredible to think that a small gathering of pals sharing single cask whisky in Edinburgh has grown into this worldwide club.”
It’s been a rare quiet week for Scotch whisky hitting the market, following on from the rush for Burns Night.
But Bruichladdich has completed its 13th “Octomore” series with the release of “13.4”, which – as you may have guessed – follows on from “13.1”, “13.2”, and “13.3”.
The latest whisky was made in 2016 using Scottish Concerto barley, which was malted using peat to reach 137.3 parts per million (PPM), before initially spending time in first-fill bourbon casks, before switching to virgin American oak.
Adam Hannett, Bruichladdich’s head distiller, said: “The ‘13.4’ edition once more demonstrates the delicate balance of intense peak smoke with our elegant signature style.”
And finally, Highland skincare firm Zaza & Cruz teamed up with Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen to infuse its beauty products with a by-product from the whisky industry.
“The antioxidants extracted from whisky prove beneficial for skin rejuvenation,” according to the university, which worked with the company’s founder, Rebecca Hastings, and Glen Wyvis distillery.
Hastings added: “From day one, we were excited about the project and of the outcomes we were to find.”
The research – which was inspired by a similar Japanese project in the 1970s that used an extract from the sake yeast fermentation process – was organised by Interface, the body that acts as a match-making service for companies that want to work with Scotland’s universities.
Read more news and reviews on Scottish Field’s food and drink pages, in association with Cask & Still magazine.


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LocalCoho Secures Funding From Cuna del Mar; Plans Expansion In New York
Land-based aquaculture start-up LocalCoho announced this week that they have secured significant new funding from Cuna del Mar, a company that invests in businesses that have the potential to create disruption in aquaculture.
“Cuna del Mar is a pioneer in supporting aquaculture companies helping to preserve the health of our oceans by using innovative approaches to growing fish,” commented CEO Michael Fabbro. “That such an industry leader vetted us thoroughly and believes in our strategy and team truly validates what we are doing...
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A start-up technology firm has won a broad patent over the use of automated teller machine technology for home banking services.
With the patent, top officials of Online Resources and Communications Corp. of McLean, Va., have staked a claim as the inventors and owners of the concept of using ATM networks and security controls to operate a home banking service.
While such a coupling of ATM technology and home banking is rare now, many bankers believe it will be common-place in the future.
May Raise 'Obstacles'
But, to move in this direction,, bankers may have to grapple with the Online patent, industry officials said.
"On the face, it seems as though it could raise some obstacles, although we'll have to wait until our patent attorneys review it," said David A. O'Connor, chief executive of Internet Inc., which runs the Most ATM network.
The Online patent was granted June 15.
Online, a privately held vendor which has only been in business for a couple of years, sells a home banking service bureau now used by MNC Financial Corp. to offer home banking services to its customers.
Two credit unions, Combined Science Technology and Research Federal Credit Union, also known as Comstar, of Gaithersburg, Md., and Eastman Credit Union, of Kingsport, Tenn., also have struck agreements with Online.
Banking over the Phone
The patent basically covers the way Online's business operates.
As part of its service, Online supplies telephones with screen displays to bank customers, who use the phones to pay bills, check account balances, and move funds between accounts.
Later this year, Online plans to let customers buy mutual funds and other investment products over the phones.
For security, consumers must enter their ATM personal identification numbers into the phones before doing any transactions.
ATM executives said that many companies are looking to process transactions through ATM networks, using an approach similar to Online's.
Such a combination of home banking and ATM technology could let home banking services benefit from the economies of scale and sophisticated security controls of ATM networks.
But companies considering such a marriage would be well-advised to study the Online patent, said Arthur S. Kranzley, president of Task Inc., a bank technology consulting firm in Westmont, N.J.
"This is a very awesome patent," Mr. Kranzley said. "It covers a great deal of ground."
One group that may have to pay particularly close attention to the development is MasterCard International, which is teaming with Checkfree Corp. of Westerville, Ohio, to roll out a new home banking service bureau, called MasterBanking.
The MasterBanking service bureau calls for Checkfree to process electronic bill payments, and for MasterCard to market the service and process other transactions.
Checkfree plans to start using the Cirrus ATM network, which MasterCard operates, to expedite the delivery of bill payments.
But, depending upon how the link is engineered, it could be covered by the Online patent.
This means that either Checkfree or MasterCard may have to get permission from Online to incorporate Cirrus into MasterBanking, said Matthew P. Lawlor, Online's president, and one of two inventors listed on the Online patent.
"We're going to defend our patent" Mr. Lawlor said. "We did invent it."
Mr. Lawlor added, however, that he does not yet know of any entity violating the patent. He also said that Online plans to be "reasonable" about licensing the invention to others.
Michael M. Sapienza, a Checkfree vice president, said the Online patent "doesn't present any stumbling blocks with what we are doing with MasterCard." But he declined to comment further.


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Data Privacy Day happens every January 28 each year. DPD is celebrated across the globe so that people’s awareness of privacy practices and principles will be improved.
(Photo : Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Now, an Apple executive shared joins DPD to explain the efforts made by the tech giant to ensure the security and privacy of its services.
Erik Neuenschwander, the current Apple User Privacy Head, decided to accept the interview of Rene Ritchie, an independent Canadian blogger who covers reviews, technology, and other topics.
Data Day Privacy: Apple’s Privacy Efforts
According to 9TO5Mac’s latest report, during the interview with Ritchie, Neuenschwander shared that one of the main goals of Apple is to make sure that its products are designed with great privacy features.
(Photo : Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Erik Neuenschwander, Manager of User Privacy of Apple, Inc. testifies during a hearing before Senate Judiciary Committee December 10, 2019 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The committee held a hearing on “Encryption and Lawful Access: Evaluating Benefits and Risks to Public Safety and Privacy.”
Also Read: Apple Q1 2022: $123.9b Revenue with $34.6b Profit for the Quarter Alone; iPhone the Top Seller?
The Apple executive said that the giant iPhone maker uses a three-step system, which includes data minimization, control, and transparency, as well as security.
“In that respect, when we think about our customers, we think about privacy being a fundamental human right. And how the only way that you’re going to realize that is by designing it into everything that we build,” said Erik via Apple Insider.
On the other hand, Neuenschwander focused on explaining the so-called data minimization of Apple.
Apple’s Data Minimization Effort
Erik explained that data minimization is about preventing data collection from the very beginning. He added that this activity ensures that the company only gathers necessary details from a service or product being used by its users.
The Apple official further explained that the iPhone maker ensures this through on-device intelligence and hardware enhancements.
Aside from this, he reiterated that Apple is prioritizing data minimization when designing a feature or a new product so that upfront data collection can be prevented.
If you want to watch the exact interview of Rene Ritchie with the Apple executive, you can click the YouTube video below.
In other news, Apple iPhone models will soon accept credit card payments through NFC. Meanwhile, the next-gen AirPod models might be able to identify users through advanced biometrics features.
For more news updates about Apple and other stories related to it, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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New capability allows banks to utilize forensic fraud signifiers to automatically identify fraudsters and prevent online banking fraud
buguroo, the leading provider of customer identification solutions to prevent online fraud for the financial sector, announced the launch of Policy Manager as part of its latest product update. The new capability of buguroo’s fraudster identification tool, Fraudster Hunter, allows fraud analysts to provide extensive detection and prevention coverage by leveraging previously identified fraud threats.
This actionable data can then be used to generate alerts to help stop in-progress fraudsters before they create new accounts, compromise existing accounts, and establish a network of mule accounts.
To comprehensively prevent fraud, banks need to identify and block its perpetrators.
Policy Manager allows fraud analysts to employ a comprehensive range of discovered suspicious and fraudulent activity to proactively stop fraudsters.
Fraud analysts can then utilize this data to create rules which actively scan all user transactions at every point in the customer journey in order to identify and alert on suspicious activity. In the case of a match, buguroo’s platform automatically triggers alerts notifying the financial institution of potentially fraudulent activity.
This allows them to take the appropriate action – ranging from stepping up authentication to terminating the transaction – depending on the level of risk.
Analysts can store rules and use them to build complex, customized fraud prevention campaigns to actively scan for any combined set of fraud attacks.
|Pablo de la Riva, CEO & founder at buguroo.
“Fraudster Hunter’s new ability to proactively stop fraud using proven fraud identifiers greatly improves fraud prevention team efficiency“
“We’re excited to be able to offer a proactive approach to fraud prevention that is automatic, flexible, and scalable, and that will make a real difference in eliminating fraud and protecting financial institutions and ultimately the consumers they serve.”


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The U.S. online retailer is launching a new portal, Amazon.pl, and is getting a firmer foothold in the market.
Amazon plans to strengthen its market position in Poland by launching an additional local partner registration project in the coming months. According to e-pepper, the U.S. online retailer will synchronize the new Amazon.pl portal with the platform for the German market, retaining all accounts and existing bonuses.
Amazon has been operating in the Polish market since 2014. To date, the Internet giant's work in the country is provided by nine logistics complexes and more than 18 thousand employees. Until 2021, domestic orders were placed through a platform created for the German market.
Amazon's expansion is a growing threat to local businesses, where the e-commerce leader is Allegro. According to independent estimates, it now owns about 36% of the Polish e-commerce market.
Analysts say that with the launch of the new Amazon platform, Allegro will have to invest in developing various free shipping methods and strengthening its logistics capabilities. The latest round of pressure from Amazon on local players is expected to accelerate Poland's e-commerce market. Russia's largest marketplace, Wildberries, has been on the Polish market since early 2020.
Photo credit: depositphotos.com.


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As reported in their quarterly sales call, PS5 sales have now surpassed 17.3 million global sales following the launch of the console in November 2020. In October of last year, Sony reported that it had sold around 13.4million PS5s. The PS5 is now Sony’s fastest selling console of all time after it hit the 10million sales mark a month quicker than the PS4 did.
However, the supply of PS5 consoles have been hampered due to COVID-19, which has caused shipping and supply chain issues.
Elsewhere in the sales call, it’s reported that Sony aren’t expecting the supply issues to be sorted anytime soon, and have adjusted their sales target for the rest of the 2021/2022 financial year (which ends March 31 2022) accordingly.
PlayStation FYQ3 Results
• PS5 Shipped 3.9m Units of Hardware
• Lifetime Total Now 17.3m Units
• 11.3 Million Units of 1st Party Software Sold
• Digital Software Ratio 62%
• 48 Million PlayStation Plus Subscribers
• 111 Million Monthly Active PlayStation Users pic.twitter.com/46XeUAVEcQ
— Benji-Sales (@BenjiSales) February 2, 2022
“Unfortunately, due to limitations on the supply of components, especially semiconductors, and an increase in delivery times resulting from disruption of the global distribution supply chain, we have revised our financial year 2021 unit sale forecast for PS5 hardware to 11.5 million units,” said Sony, a 3.3 million console reduction from their initial target of 14.8 million PS5s.
“Limitations on the supply of components are expected to continue going forward but we are continuing to exert every effort to meet the strong demand for PS5.”
Sony forecast an 860 billion Yen (£5.5 billion) profit for the full year through March, down from 1 trillion Yen in the previous fiscal year. However, the latest forecast marks an improvement from the 730 billion Yen (£4.7 billion) profit it projected in October.
Following the announcement that Sony is buying Bungie, the Destiny 2 developer, for £2.6billion, CEO Jim Ryan spoke on the future of studio buyouts, saying that fans can expect more. “We are by no means done. With PlayStation, we have a long way to go.”
Sony has also revealed that they have 10 live service games planned.


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Locally made gifts will be the focus of sales in the Cedar Mill area this weekend at the Leedy Grange and the Oregon College of Art & Craft.
"Not Your Granny's Bazaar" at Leedy Grange will feature handmade and locally sourced gifts, including jewelry, food, holiday greenery and decorations, as well as home décor and artwork. A portion of the money raised will help the Grange upgrade the kitchen and dining facilities, which are used for workshops, classes and other events. The sale runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Hot beverages will be served; admission is free. The Leedy Grange is at 835 N.W. Saltzman Road. Contact Virginia Bruce at 503-629-5799.
The Oregon College of Art & Craft will hold its annual Student and Alumni Holiday Sale this weekend. Students and former students will display ceramic pieces, jewelry, hand-woven items, ornaments, greeting cards, photographs and more, all designed and crafted themselves. Proceeds benefit the artists as well as the college's scholarship fund.
The college is at 8245 N.W. Barnes Road. The sale is open 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission during these hours is free. A pre-sale event from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday features wine and hors d'oeuvres, plus a 10 percent discount on purchases at the school's Craft Retail Gallery. Admission for the pre-sale is $3. For more information call 503-297-5544.
-- Cindy Hudson


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Launches new summer 2018 network
Meridiana launched its summer 2018 network including the announcement of seven new destinations. The carrier celebrated this significant development with the release of a huge number of seats for sale at promotional prices...
Available for booking on the Meridiana web site, meridiana.com, as well as through all travel agencies.
Milan Malpensa network
The new Milan Malpensa network will be covering a total of 17 destinations from Milan Malpensa out of which 7 destinations will be new routes for Meridiana.
Starting from June 2018 both New York (JFK) and Miami will be connected non-stop with Milan Malpensa, respectively on a daily basis and four times a week.
Meridiana new domestic services will connect Milan Malpensa to the five Italian cities of Rome, Naples, Palermo, Catania and Lamezia Terme. These new routes will have less than two hours connection with the incoming flights from New York and Miami to Milan, allowing passengers to reach the most beautiful destinations in the centre and south of Italy. Cabin configuration will be up to 16 Business Class seats and a flexible Economy Class ranging between 160 to 189 seats.
To launch the new destinations, amazing Economy roundtrip fares are now available to fly from Milan Malpensa to New York JFK starting from €358 and from Milan Malpensa to Miami starting from €368. Special launch roundtrip fares are also available for the new Business Class product of Meridiana to both destinations starting from €1,518 for Milan-New York and €1,568 for Milan-Miami.
In summer 2018, Meridiana will continue to serve many strategic destinations from Milan Malpensa such as Accra, Cairo, Dakar, Mombasa, Lagos, Havana, Moscow and Zanzibar.
Olbia Costa Smeralda network Meridiana’s 2018 Olbia Costa Smeralda network provides a unique opportunity to plan summer holidays or weekends of relaxation in Sardinia, and to find out about the island culture, its amazing beaches and the incredible local dishes and wines.
Olbia, connected by Meridiana all year long to Milan Linate, Rome Fiumicino and Bologna, from March 25th, 2018, will also see Meridiana offering direct international flights to London (LGW), Moscow (DME) and other domestic seasonal routes such as Venice, Turin, Bergamo, Milan Malpensa, Naples, Verona and Bergamo.
Sardinia network flights from March 25th are on sale at special prices starting at €32 (eg. London Gatwick-Olbia) per one-way flight (Light fare - all included).


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Norwegian supermarkets are preparing themselves for the new competition from German retail chain Lidl by offering super cheap PCs in their shops.
Norwegian retailer Rema 1000 is launching a new campaign, offering flat screen PCs in grocery shops.
«We are testing this market. It is a trend in Denmark and in Germany the supermarkets are the major sellers of these items», said Harald Kalvøy at Rema 1000.
Bjørn Næss, CEO of ACNielsen, thinks the PC campaign is a move to meet the competition from German Lidl and Aldi who are about to establish in the Norwegian market:
«I am not surprised to see this offer at Rema 100 now. The whole retail market in Norway is preparing for Lidl and Aldi's establishment in Norway and good 'non-food' offers is essential to get customers», he said.
Rimi has sold large amounts of CD players and other retailers sell the same kind of products in Norway.
A while ago Aldi sold 200,000 PCs at NOK 7400 in 12 minutes during a campaign.
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